I didn't forget this thread. Just took a while to get around to playing again. I got out about the most accurate rifle I've got today to go on a little beaver shoot. My Marlin 17HMR. This is no muzzle loader, yes I know that. But it is a rifle, I did shot a group of 3 off hand from it today, from 80 yards. 90 yard would have put me standing in muddy running water.

I painted my steel plate and set it up like before. New black marker cross on it. THEN I set up a playing card stuck on a stick about a foot in front of it and kinda lined it up with the center. Walked back to 80 yards and took my first three shots standing off hand with a hasty sling hold. I had zeroed this rifle about a week ago from a rest and remembered it being a hair high from the 60 yard bench. I gave it a click or two and still held in the top half of the card, if you can call off hand a "hold".

There's the set up before I shot.



Wish I could tell ya with a straight face I only shot two and was aiming for those two clubs... but I shot three. YOu can see the impact on the steel. One was a little high and I was aiming for the top half of the card.



Then I sat down at the bench and shot three just to show what the rifle can do and it's probably better than that if it had a better operator. I was shooting off wooden blocks I cut out with the chain saw for this job.


This is just the card laid on the plate for a pic. Just because this is how I keep my records.


That's a Marlin 17HMR. I slicked up the trigger a little using tips from Rimfire Central. Then installed my own version of a trigger over travel adjustment and polished the barrel when I first got it with Semichrome and a couple patches on a pull through cleaning kit.