I'm sure all of you veterans know this but for anyone that is a novice at handgun shooting/handgun hunting this is a lesson I learned the hard way. 

     My bother and I started shooting IHMSA and we want to shoot standing only.  I wanted to shoot big bore so I loaded up the 10" T/C in 7-30 waters.  It shot good off the bench but I couldn't group on paper standing.  I thought it was too much gun for standing.  Next choice was a Ruger SBH and I wanted to run lead bullets to keep cost down and I have a source for bullets locally.  These shot well on paper so I entered the gun big bore.  I didn't have a spotter for the 1st 1/3 of the match.  The guy next to me had finished when I got to the rams.  He is calling most of my misses left of target.  I ended with a 3x40.  I left the shoot complaining about the load, gun and bullets.

     So for the next shoot I was convinced I need to go back to the drawing board.  I know my jacketed 44 loads work well and I said I need to try a different gun.  The DW 44V6 was chosen.  I got sight setting on paper from the bench things were looking up.  This past Tuesday I went to the local range for a 25 yard standing centerfire + black powder pistol shoot my brother runs.  I got there early to sight in 2 guns for the shoot.  I also took a couple guns for the upcoming IHMSA shoot.  I said I need to shoot these standing.  And wouldn't you know it, all of my groups from all guns were left from where I shot from the bench.  I moved my sights right to center the group.  As this is unfolding I am verbally assaulting myself.

     With the results of the now seemingly obvious test the SBH and lead bullets are off the hot seat.  I need to keep telling myself to get the screwdriver or allen wrench and move the damn sight.  I had kept telling myself the gun is sighted in.  The gun is sighted in.  In reality it was sighted in from the bench position.  Your gun needs to be sighted in for the position you are shooting from.  With this lesson my big bore score went from a 3x40 to a 12x40. 

I really thought I was smarter than this.

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