Most of you fellers on this site, that know me, know I had a long run of bad health issues from 2017 for 4 years, including 5 hip replacements, 2 MRSA hip infections and 3 strokes in one day. It has been a long road to recovery, and I am still making progress, gaining strength. Thru all this I have traded numerous times and got a decent collection of single shot rifles, mostly center fire. I am on another site that is primarily varmint/benchrest oriented,but a bunch of great guys, most within a few hours drive of where I live here in KY. I have a CPA rifle, with a34" heavy half oct/round barrel on it with MVA spirit windage adj front sight and a Lee Shavers Long range Seoule sight on the back, in 45/70 with a couple of other barrels. I had not shot it in a year, but got it and a box of PC 405 gr handloads with Unique behind them out and went to a get together. It was a steel plate challenge from 100-800 yds.I was picking up a huge bunch of reloading stuff I had bought off of a member and took the rifle a long on a whim I might shoot it, since it was a fun steel plate/clanger shoot. The wind was gusting hard between 15-20 mph, right to left, and a lot of guys were having trouble connecting on the 500-600 yds plates. After their shooting subsided, I had completed my transactions and asked them if they cared if I tried. I got my sandbags out, and my case with rifle along with the ammo. When I pulled the rifle out, there was two responses, that sure is purty, and do you think you are Quigley, with a lot of laughing down there sleeve. Several guys got on their scopes and spotting Scopes and asked me was I going to start at 100 yds. I told them it was zeroed dead on at 200 yds and they snickered at me. The 200yds was a dinner size steel plate and a 4" piec of pipe 13" long. I hit the pipe 3 in a row, then put a nice 3 shot cluster about center on the plate. The snickering died down somewhat. Then I dialed in what I thought was the appropriate elevating for 300 yds, same size steel plates, and got lucky. Hit 3 in a row, the first 3 shots. I had adjusted a little for wind, and held off a little as the range increased. My buddies who are regulars on the other forum began cheering me on, 5 of the local guys there not so much. I skipped 400 and 500 yds and went to 600 yds. Took me three shots as the first 2were high,in the berm right over the targets. The next 3 made a 3" group dead center int the 600 yds plate that was about 14" around. Then I went to 700, and made 2 hits on the plate at 3 o'clock. I was running low on ammo and skipped to 800 yds, the last one, with 10 rounds left. I shot a couple and think I went over, dialed my elevation back and held on the bottom of the plate, first 2 threw dirt on it, next three caught the plate up in it. I dialed in just a fuzz more and put the next round dead center. The 800 yds plate was 3x4', I think. I let some of the other guys shoot the rifle at the same distances as I was before moving the elevation settings. This was the best I have shot in 8 years, I could see remarkably clear, for 61 year old eyes. Several of the guys could not beleive that a round that did not kick bad, could shoot that far, that well. 4 of the guys were impressed with their shooting of the rifle. I think I have some new converts inline, they see now why I love shooting, casting and loading for these old timey rifles. Just thought I would share this with you fellers.
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Chill Wills
