The lower RH target is from a sandbag rest at 50 metres before investigating; the lower LH target was with upper guard removed. The central C50 target was 50 metres from the prone position without sandbag rest after the modifications. I was very happy with these results, this group was the 3rd test of 10 shots,(the first two groups were also good but required a little elevation).

I would mention that I found some very useful information in a book I recently purchased written by New Zealander Roger Wadham; The 2012 Complete book of Lee Enfield Accurizing. Although the book does not deal with the no8's, the methods prove useful.

Sarge, you are correct in your comments; After making the adjustments I should have used the same bag but needed to practice for a competition with this rifle which is next saturday, and our clubs "bag" was being used by a colleague. Here is a picture from my ammo test I did prior to removing the wood for renovation. Compare that to the groups after refitting and it is evident I had a real problem. I was happy with the group from the prone position, and our competitions are at 50 metres so thats why I train at that distance (and the fact that we don't have a longer range!!)

It seems to be back to what it was now and good enough to compete with. Just hope I do my part on saturday. My wife is using the other No8 in the same competition! so no pressure

I will be using this rifle for competitions so it's good to strip it, get to know what makes it work well and what doesn't. Plus, it was fun to learn something new and I'm happy with the result.

After the renovation of the woodwork. It's the lower one, it has the No5 type receiver.

I think the work was worthwhile and I have enjoyed the experience of working out the problems and sorting them out. It's the best way to learn. 

 

The shooter & his ability (or lack thereof) is subject to a lot of internet discussion. Probably because the shooter is usually nowhere near a "jury of his peers" when actually shooting the group. We see the result, fequently teeny-tiny groups, but not how the group was actually achieved! Because of this I usually take unbelievable internet targets posts with a grain of salt.

 

Heres how I do the testing of a firearm, as opposed to how I shoot.

 

I use a solid benchrest, even if it is sometimes improvised & not one of those multi-adjustable cast iron thingies.

 

I have a solid front support with a small sandbag atop the support, (frequently an ammo can, because it can be turned for different heights), so as to not get any barrel bounce from firing impulses.

 

I use a bag under the heel of the stock also, which if I get it right, I can "pinch" to adjust for elevation.

 

My left (off) hand does not touch the forend at all, it is bent at the elbow & comes back to me so the hand can manipulate the rear sandbag.

 

I do not use the sling at all, except from checking it is completely loose when testing so it doesn't pull on the forend at all.

 

Breathing I do several (3~4) deep inhale/full exhale cycles, then as I set up for the shot I take a last full breath & let it out slowly till I'm not at all "strained" but reasonably & comfortably full. If I position everything right the sight drifts down across the bull as I exhale & I stop as it sits on the bull. Thats when I take up first pressure on the 2-stage trigger. Once I'm done with final minor adjustments just add pressure till the trigger breaks & follow through.

 

After every shot I reposition everything as exactly as possible. I also look away from the sights & look at anything else to relax the eyeball. I've found by loading the bloodstream with 02 fairly well in advance I have a longer "loiter time" when I actually set up to fire the test shot.

 

This shows me how the rifle & ammo perform, usually making "internet boastable" target groups, but it doesn't really say anytrhing about how I shoot as I've removed myself from the equation as much as possible.

 

Shooting is a different technique using no bag, no rest & a sling, but this shows up in the groups opening up to real world dimensions.

 

i think you hit the nail fairly square on the head there. All this fixed solid bench rests etc, only prove that that when everything is mechanically sound... with no human in the line, apart from loading and pulling the trigger... a very tight grouping is achieved. To my way of thinking, that method is a total waste of time. Why? it doesn't prove how the firer operates, or what their capabilities are. it still does not prove if the firer can, or cannot hit the target and achieve the required grouping or better.

 

Also, the individual is not being true to themselves. I personaly have never used a bench rest, and never will. The aim of zeroing, is to match the rifle to the firers style. This cannot be achieved by using such devices as bench rests. However, for safety reasons when bedding in new barrels, bolts, or other mechanical parts... I can see the reasoning behind such devices. But for target shooting... no. Its the individuals skills that matter at the end of the day.

The final result is a combination of the rifle's abilities & the shooters technique & skill.

 

I test that way only when I'm trying to fix or adjust something, the rest of the time I'm slung up & (usually) prone. A BIG diffderence between shooting in the U.S. & The U.K. is the bench itself. Many ranges here ONLY allow shooting from a bench! No standing, sitting kneeling or prone.

 

We also score "inwards", not "outwards" (bullet breaking a line score the lower/higher value), but that's another story!

After refitting the wood on my No8 I was using it for a few weeks and noticed my scores had dropped by a few points, and I was not sure if it was me or the rifle at first. The test confirmed there was a difference in the rifle since the rebuild and helped me to rectify that. I am sure if I had as much experience as some of you guys I would have realised it was the rifle. It's a learning curve for me, and I appreciate all the advice received. 

I'm not sure it really helps in the prone position, but it is useful when standing to help dampen the movement. Having the sling come through the centre swivel helps prevent any sideways pull of the fore end woodwork. Saying that; I had a good result on Saturday's competition without the sling (I got 4th place with 98/100 prone and 84/100 standing) my wife was not so happy without the sling, (23rd place overall  94/100 prone and 56/10 standing) and after I'd refitted it she shot a 79/100 standing on Sunday morning. So she was a bit peeved with the 56 he day before ! Especially as it turned out the referee who told us we could not use the slings was wrong, problem was Saturday I had left them at home 

 

I have the "king screw" swivel, but I'm using it with a "Ching style" double loop sling so it still puts pressure on the forend, but I've seen SLR (FAL) slings attached at the rear of the handguard so as to not put pressure on theat thin light barrel they have.

 A placid mind is something that definitely makes a difference. At my shoot last saturday I was not as calm as normal. I think this was due to a fairly major accident that happened in our workshop the day before, a colleague accidently ignited fuel vapor in the trunk of a car and the vapor remaining in the gas tank exploded, blowing him across the room, luckily it was just a loud bang and flash fire, my colleague suffered mild burns, but luckily the oxygen was consumed so quickly that it did not continue to burn, and the open 20 litre can that was just next to the car did not go up!I put an extinguisher into the trunk to make sure there was no chance of it reigniting but I spent the weekend thinking about what could have happened if he'd been covered in burning petrol. Not ideal situation to compete in a shooting match; I was surprised to get 4th place.