Alright now Duke;
You’re scaring folks. Rod Berkheimer, a nationally ranked shooter, upon his first visit exclaimed, "it's virtually impossible to miss". Oh yeah, Rod is our association match director and literally does love this game. Hitting the targets is not so tough. A chicken target will fall with nearly any bullet contact. I personally demonstrated just last Wednesday how a Ram will fall to an errant hit in the darn foot. It was quite accidental and cost me foul nickels for which everyone loudly thanked me.
As to the challenge available, individual independent stupidity will find a warm welcome here. Mr. Berkheimer has competed with his "32 vicious" at legal velocities. One of my greatest acts of arrogant ignorance was to compete using 96 gr 44 roundball. Tom Smith fared well with a 6.5mm tcu employing a special 150gr cast projectile. Robert Francis was boss shooting a 7x30 Waters although he folds like paper in every state match he has entered. My other miserable showings were a Desert eagle, 459 S&W, XP 100, H&R 999, and a list I am proud to be ashamed of. While I may be of use for those wishing to be proficient at Lawnsteel, my greatest strength would be an extensive experience of what doesn't do too good.
There are a few other quirky fun things in Lawnsteel. Any target with three unsuccessful engagements is considered elusive and therefore of mock value even though it will not yield greater nickel harvest. A loud statement of "that didn't seem so hard" being the reward of a fruitful mock.
As for actual strategy, I would have to say there may be several. The mind of the Lawnsteel player has been a subject of study by myself for almost thirty years now.
First, make an effort to take the most challenging shot available. Although it appears as an ego announcement, this will cause the shooter to more fully concentrate and focus.
Next comes chicken****itis. This defensive type of engagement is always aware of possible collateral damage within the cone of error. In Lawnsteel there are generally many options when choosing a target for engagement.
Jethro Bodine carnival freak show shots. A hit off center will cause some targets to spin wildly off to one side. There can be two explanations. The shooter purposely tries to get enough movement so as to cause a neighboring target to fall or turn out of viability. The shooter failed to hit the target squarely.
Psychological attack. Two types exist in Lawnsteel, local and general. Loudly asking a fellow shooter for a complimentary sniff of a suspected body part being infected, can be both types simultaneously. Momentary distraction in an effort to break concentration can be effective.
Power!
If you can’t hit em good, hit em hard. Large caliber permits projectiles up to 250 gr in weight. Speed limits are reduced slightly but it is a simple equation; mass X velocity = whomp. (duhh)
I'm letting the cat out of the box next. A couple silent personal games are played by seasoned Lawnsteel shooters unbeknown by most. One is the food group game, get one of every target group. It is extremely difficult to execute even when unknown and virtually impossible to complete when discovered. Then there is flocking. Getting all of any single group of targets or all of a number. These games do not net the player anything but personal satisfaction and occasionally accolades. Another favorite is toppling targets which obscure other targets and rendering otherwise challenging targets to a level virtually impossible to miss. I have watched the really good shots engage only the very most challenging targets and removing the challenge disgruntles them. Discovering the intent of one of these silent challenges can be difficult and rewarding with no verbal exchange being used.
As any Lawnsteel shooter, I will answer honestly to all questions about my ammo manufacture. There is a Lawnsteel secret! This is not going to be a sales pitch nor platform for argument or even disagreement. Lawnsteel players whom engage reloading and casting seriously are eventually gifted with this secret. It will be my pleasure to enlighten anyone who shoots Lawnsteel.
I sincerely hope my mussing will be at least entertaining if not helpful or enlightening. Please let me know what I can do to heighten enjoyment of your Lawnsteel experience.
How was that Duke?
Roy