38 super comp load,

[bigstick0000]

when shooting and working a load up to make sure the comp is working at its best-how do you knowwhen it is at its best?

[HSMITH]

172-178 power factor? Does the dot lift and come right back to the spot it lifted from? Is it accurate? If it meets these requirements load a PILE of them and shoot them, when you have some Open experience (like 5K rounds or more) under your belt play with the loads, see if it works better using hit factor as your measurement.

[G-ManBart]

If you're new to Open, one of the best things you can do is ask the gunsmith who built the gun to recommend a load. That will usually put you in the right ballpark. It may not be "ideal" for you, but that's not what you need initially....you want something that will work 100% of the time and be consistent. After a while you can play with bullet weights and powders to find a combo that helps you shoot faster and more accurately on the timer.

What you want to see is the dot moving straight up and then coming straight back down, without leaving the window of the scope. Some people need a little bit more dot movement to track well and others like a bit less, but totally flat is almost useless (seems like a great idea, but almost nobody can call shots with a setup like this) and rising to the point you lose it out the top of the scope isn't idea either. If the center of the scope is 0 and the edge of the scope is a 5, most people like something around a 2 or 3 in total dot rise.

Generally speaking, the lighter the bullet, the flatter the gun will be, but the harsher it will be...sharper, harder recoil, louder and more blast. The heavier the bullet, the more the gun will flip, but the softer it will feel. Slower powders tend to produce more gas volume which works the comp more so the gun is flatter, but they get loud and harsh with some guns. Stand next to someone shooting a slow powder like 3N38 or N105 and 115gr bullets and it's going to be really loud and produce a ton of blast pressure...but they're usually pretty flat shooting. All of this depends on the exact comp, whether the gun has popple holes, hybrid ports, spring package, slide weight etc, etc, etc.

Top all of that off with the fact that everyone reacts differently to the gun and it's hard to say what will work best for you. Some folks actually shoot faster with a gun that flips a little bit more and other folks are just the opposite. Right now both of my Open guns are shorties, have no popple holes or hybrids and have just three top ports. One has four side ports and the other has none. I use 115gr bullets and N105 powder....they're loud, very fast cycling, and flat (about a 2 on the dot rise), but that's the combo that I shoot the best when put on a timer.

[G-ManBart]

Oh sure.....I spend all that time typing and Howard answers it perfectly in two lines

Edited October 23, 2008 by G-ManBart

[shooterbenedetto]

I learned on a soft shooting open gun and have tried lighter bullets, different guns and fast dot rise? For some reason,

my subconcious always looks for the the softer dot rise and tends to tune any gun that I pick up that way.

Just my .02 cents. Establish and look for reliability of equiptment then, forget about it. Work more on shooting skills, mental and break down stages.

[bigstick0000]

thanks for the tips, very helpful

[XRe]

172-178 power factor? Does the dot lift and come right back to the spot it lifted from? Is it accurate? If it meets these requirements load a PILE of them and shoot them, when you have some Open experience (like 5K rounds or more) under your belt play with the loads, see if it works better using hit factor as your measurement.

Ummmm.... you left out looking out for pressure signs...