# Working out the shakes, trying to get ready for the MWST



## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

I'm actually using my normal hunting setup, so it's a touch on the heavy side.... Going back and forth in my mind whether I should go with a pure target setup at the tournament. I'd like to win, that's a given, but I'd like to do it with something I actually use... not something designed specifically to win a tournament.
It's 1/2 steel bearings at about 250 fps.... my bands are 1" X 11" active length, 0.030 medical grade latex, draw is about 55".

My Wife says I should go light, but I really, really want to do it my way...


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

That was some mighty fine shooting, Bill! Best of luck at the tournament.

Cheers ..... Charles


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## oldmiser (Jan 22, 2014)

Mighty fine shooting...Best too you at the MWST~AKAOldmiser


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## Byudzai (Aug 31, 2013)

What's the pull weight at full draw on that rig?


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## Mr. P (Feb 1, 2015)

I'm ready to say I was defeated at the tourney by Bill Hays...........and many, many others :rofl:


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## Volp (Aug 25, 2014)

Good luck for the tournament! It is always a pleasure to watch your videos

Volp


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## Mr. P (Feb 1, 2015)

Mr. P said:


> I'm ready to say I was defeated at the tourney by Bill Hays...........and many, many others :rofl:


*Will be defeated


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## omanico (May 29, 2015)

Awesome shooting! It's always a pleasure watching your video's


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Very fine! :cookie: Good luck! I'd love to see you win, Bill. (but MJ's gonna be there, right? :stickpoke: )


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## slingshooterPT (Feb 22, 2014)

Awesome shooting Bill Hays!! Using your hunting rig  with 1/2inch steel at 250fps you gonna be breaking those targets


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## 1912 (Mar 31, 2011)

I'm also very interested to know the draw weight of that bands (like Byudzai). 
I would like to let you know Bill that in Spain we use bands with a draw weight from 2.5 up to 4kg, obviously, only for tournaments. 
Frankly, I don't think you need more draw weight than that. 
Good luck master


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

I've just finished a few experiments and I can shoot with the same speed pulling a little lighter setup... but it's longevity isn't as good.

The draw weight right now is 20 lbs. for the straight cuts at full draw.... when tapered 1 to 3/4", the speed at full draw is the same, but the weight is 15 lbs....

My Wife suggested I go with 3/4" or even 5/8" straight cuts (same as I make for my Son), which is a 10-12 lbs. pull, BUT I lose a lot of the speed though...

So I'm probably going to go with the 1 X 3/4" tapers and long draw instead of the straight cuts... Anyway we'll see.

Thanks for the encouragement guys.... there's a lot to do if I'm going to be shooting up to top form, and that's probably what it'll take to win or even get into the top 3 or 4... as there's going to be some really good shooters at this tournament!


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## calinb (Apr 4, 2015)

Bill Hays said:


> I'm actually using my normal hunting setup, so it's a touch on the heavy side.... Going back and forth in my mind whether I should go with a pure target setup at the tournament. I'd like to win, that's a given, but I'd like to do it with something I actually use... not something designed specifically to win a tournament.
> It's 1/2 steel bearings at about 250 fps.... my bands are 1" X 11" active length, 0.030 medical grade latex, draw is about 55".
> 
> My Wife says I should go light, but I really, really want to do it my way...


Now that MWST is over, I've been studying all the event videos that I can find--from this year as well as last year. All I can say is doing it your way means doing it like a SS hunter, Bill! Comparing your long draw to everyone else's shorter draw really sets you apart as someone with a hunting background who is hunting-oriented (which I already knew from watching your SS instruction videos). I agree with your wife; the hardware you selected for MWST is also more aligned with hunting than a SS tournament. I find your top tier accuracy with that long powerful draw of yours and 250 fps 1/2" steel to be amazing! Also, I bet it would be difficult to hold extra ammo in your hand for speed shooting while drawing against the band force required for 250 fps too--even with long bands and a long draw, but I wouldn't even have a clue, from first-hand experience that is. Truly--I'm just not in the same ballpark as a SS shooter as you guys!

I think that MWST 2016 should introduce SS silhouette shooting to the world!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallic_silhouette_shooting

Even if not made of metal, the larger and more distant targets should be challenging to knock down (over-center geometry springs or some other mechanism could be used instead of massive metal) in the kind of event I am suggesting here such that accuracy WITH powerful terminal ballistics is reworded instead of just accuracy. After all, a SS is supposed to be a weapon! I think at least one such event should be devised where competitive participants must hit HARD with their SSs.

As a shooter who is now working to become somewhat effective using partial butterfly (hopefully on the road to full butterfly rather than a wounded finger or cheekbone), I know that achieving both accuracy and reliable small game killing power at the same time is a challenging combination. However, I can now hit a soda can 4/5 times at 10 meters with a draw of around 40-45 inches once I "get in the zone" so there's hope for me!

I really enjoyed seeing all the masterful shooters on the MWST videos, though and I learned something from all of them. All the top contenders put in truly amazing performances!



Bill Hays said:


> The draw weight right now is 20 lbs. for the straight cuts at full draw.... when tapered 1 to 3/4", the speed at full draw is the same, but the weight is 15 lbs....


When a significant decrease in band width, like you describe (or even the number of bands per side), does not result in a significant decrease in projectile speed, I think it's evidence that the elastic "recovery" speed of the latex was the limiting factor with the greater draw force case. The extra draw force simply doesn't result in the bands going any faster. Is that how you view this situation?


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

Thanks for the kind words Cal.

Yes I could do a lot better with a lighter setup, but... you know, it just wouldn't mean as much to me... I'll continue to use the hunting rig until I can finally win the way I want to win.

Although... to be honest and up front... all three of the top three finishers were using the larger stuff throughout the tournament... there was only 2 points separating 1st - 3rd.... close doesn't even begin to describe it....

And to be honest even further... after the first round I felt I was completely out of contention because I shot like it was my first time... after that I simply shot to finish up and get it all over with... it was really kind of a miracle that I ended up in the top three much less the top 10...


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## calinb (Apr 4, 2015)

Bill Hays said:


> And to be honest even further... after the first round I felt I was completely out of contention because I shot like it was my first time... after that I simply shot to finish up and get it all over with... it was really kind of a miracle that I ended up in the top three much less the top 10...


Well--maybe it was like your first time, but it certainly wasn't like the first time for most of us mortal shooters!  Thanks for the honest summary. I was just going by your long draw and ballistics numbers and could not really see that the other top contenders were using beefy rigs too. Good for them!

Still, I think some adaptation of silhouette for SSs that rewarded terminal ballistic energy would be a fun event! Maybe instead of the the rimfire sihouette chickens, turkeys, pigs, and rams, SS silhouette shooters could shoot at starlings, squirrels, jackrabbits, and raccoons or similar targets.


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