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Post by doubs43 on Mar 5, 2007 2:17:02 GMT -5
The first Saturday in each month is the designated day for the local gun club to hold a "Buffalo" match; shooting steel target at 100~200 meters. Sometimes an off-hand high-power match is also held. The Ricoh Singlex seems to be somewhat neglected so I loaded one of mine up with Agfa APX-100 B&W film and off I went. I took a 50mm f/1.8 Meyer Oreston, a 100mm f/2.8 Meyer Orestor and a 150mm f/4 Super-Takumar. A 35mm f/2.8 Yashinon was along but unused. The following three images were taken with the Singlex. Shooting high-power rifle off-hand at steel targets 200 meters distance. The older man was giving advice and watching for mistakes in technique. 100mm Meyer Orestor.  This is one of the steel targets showing the impact that the bullets have. The two bright dimples are recent hits. The "bumps" are caused by bullets that have struck the opposite side. The actual game of silhouette shooting began in Mexico many years ago and has become popular in the States. 100mm Meyer Orestor.  The Buffalo match is shot from a sitting position using stakes to cradle the rifles which are either antiques or replicas of those rifles used by buffalo hunters in the 19th century. Cartridges must also be authentic in caliber. The rifle here will be easily identified by our British friends as having been built on a Henry-Martini action. 150mm f/4 Super-Takumar at either f/4 or f/5.6.  Walker |
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Post by nikonbob on Mar 5, 2007 12:04:54 GMT -5
Looks like the camera/lenses/film combo worked out well. I always liked the older falling block actions including the modern Rugers and Sharps replicas. I had a Browning 78, I think that is the model number, single shot once. Nice modern twist on an old game to use steel targets instead of live animals.
Bob
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Post by GeneW on Mar 5, 2007 12:21:58 GMT -5
Walker, beautifully crisp shots from the APX100. Well composed too. The Ricoh seems to be in good shape!
Gene
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PeterW
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Post by PeterW on Mar 5, 2007 19:59:46 GMT -5
Nice pictures, Walker. I really like the second shot, you've caught exactly the right moment, and a wonderful expression on the older guy's face.
Going back to the first pic, everyone should take a long look at the shooter's left hand and arm, and his stance. Body upright and turned slightly to the right, left elbow held tight against the chest, left hand supporting the gun stock. Classic steady-aim position.
Now substitute a camera for the gun, and you've got the classic steady-shooting position for shots at slow shutter speeds. Same technique really.
Same stance, body turned slightly to the right, left elbow well supported against the chest, left hand under the lens and body of the camera. Note, copy and practice.
Breathe normally and don't hold your breath. Squeeze the shutter button at the end of an exhaled breath when your body and chest is relaxed, and I almost guarantee sharp pictures with a standard lens down to 1/15 or 1/10 sec - even 1/8 sec with practice.
You may not get quite so slow with a Long Tom; depends on the focal length, but with practice you should be OK up to about 100mm or so. By 'sharp', I mean OK for up to 7x5 or 10x8 prints.
One other point I was taught, and have found useful. Never look through the viewfinder and raise the camera to the target. Look through the viewfinder, aim above the target and slowly lower the camera. It's much easier and smoother to control a downward movement than an upward one. This also applied to rifle or pistol shooting.
PeterW
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Post by doubs43 on Mar 6, 2007 2:10:55 GMT -5
Bob, Gene & Peter, thank each of you for the comments. They're always appreciated. IMO, the Ricoh/Sears SLR's (Singlex TLS) are possibly the most under valued and under rated older film cameras on the market. They are solid and reliable and all of my pictures were metered using the camera's built-in meter. One feature I really like is the mirror pre-fire and lens aperture close-down when the self-timer is used. That helps eliminate vibration as only the shutter fires at the appropriate time. Bob, my "Buffalo" rifle is a C. Sharps 1875 Business Rifle replica in 45-70. VERY accurate and I used it to shoot the first ever clean score of 40 straight targets fired on that range. In recent years I've been doing all of my shooting with cameras. Gene, I really like APX-100 film and had been using Rodinal to develope it. However, this time I used D-76 straight and think I actually have less grain. 8 minutes at 68 (20C) degrees. Peter, many of my shots - including the 150mm Super-Tak - were taken at 1/60 basically using my off-hand shooting training skills just as you describe them. Excellent advice for anyone interested in improving their techniques. I'll use a post, tree or bench or whatever else is handy to help steady myself when I have the opportunity. I like sharp!  Walker |
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Post by nikonbob on Mar 6, 2007 19:47:25 GMT -5
Walker
C. Sharps 1875 business Rifle replica is a sweet piece of kit. I had the privilege to watch a 1000 yard black powder match in Ottawa many years ago and it was just fascinating to watch and see the results. Many competitors were shooting the 45/70 cartridge.
Bob
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Post by doubs43 on Mar 6, 2007 21:05:33 GMT -5
Walker C. Sharps 1875 business Rifle replica is a sweet piece of kit. I had the privilege to watch a 1000 yard black powder match in Ottawa many years ago and it was just fascinating to watch and see the results. Many competitors were shooting the 45/70 cartridge. Bob Bob, a few years back I did some research on the military 45-70 Trapdoor models that were adopted beginning in 1873 because they were a cheaper alternative to other rifles. Two of the county's best long-range shooters were engaged to test them and they maintained 1.5 MOA accuracy from 100 out to 1,000 yards! That's a 15 inch group at 1,000 yards with open sights. That's some fine shooting IMO. Those old rifles are really fun to shoot. Walker Walker |
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