[TheTurtle]

Well, tomorrow is my first true rifle match tomorrow. It's not a traditional NRA match or anything of that sort, but it should put me to the test I hope.

Here's how it's going down.

100, 300, and 600 yards.

5 rounds from bench (no support), and 5 rounds from any position of my choice (no support as well) at each yardage. Slings are OK.

Shots are on a 36" steel circle at each yardage. If the steel rings, it's a point.

Best 5 shots from each yardage count to the final score. Prizes for the top shooter in four divisions, and a free gun for the best score of the day.

I know this probably seems really easy for some of you guys, but cut me some slack. It's my first rifle match. I was out practicing for it today and I was ringing the 600yd plate freehand about 3/5 shots. My friend was putting me to shame with his 90 year old Mosin Nagant with irons nailing that steel plate and a 10" steel plate STANDING FREEHAND at 600! Thank god he's in a different division.

For the off chance of one of you guys being in the area and coming to dominate us, I'm not disclosing the location. DI2

Wish me some luck.

 

[Bamban]

Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[manik]

Best of luck!

 

[philip26p]

Good luck, may your shots be true and your aim steady.

 

[SAPPNASTY]

Good luck Turtle! You'll do fine and keep those baby's in the black! Let us know how it goes and post pictures!

 

[TheTurtle]

HORRIBLE!

I got 2nd in my division. Shot OK, but the match was managed about as well as our government manages its funds.

They misinformed everybody in the E-mail that had the match information. Instead of a 36" steel plate at each range, there was supposed to be a 6" plate at 100, an 18" plate at 300, and a 36" plate at 600.

They forgot to bring the 6" plate, so we ended up shooting little squirrel sized steel knock down targets on a plate rack at 100. There was 5 of them. They did have the other two plates though.

Well, the RO on the 100 yard range decided he wanted to be the DBOTD. (Douche Bag of the Day). He didn't inform me of the "shooting order" on the steel squirrels. Apparently, you're supposed to shoot at each squirrel until it falls. I missed my first shot, and went on to shoot the last four, scored four hits but none of them counted. DISHOUT (only had 5 rounds). That was from prone unsupported. Knowing the order now, I went on to the bench and got all five.

300yd- Hit all from the bench. missed two on the unsupported prone.

600yd- Hit all from the bench, missed three on the unsupported prone.

Ended up with a 20/30. Would have been 25/30 if it wasn't for the DBOTD. The winner of my division shot a 24/30... ROOL1

The win didn't matter though, as the match director went cheap on the "prizes". Instead of giving them to the winners of each division, they collected money and raffled them off. "Prizes" ended up being two boxes of 25 shotgun shells and a fanny pack. The Gun that was raffled away was a used 10/22 that he got in an estate sale.


Needless to say, that club can count on someone else's membership $$$ for their next fat paycheck.

 

[philip26p]

Well sounds like you did good and well there are idiots everywhere, unfortunately you just happened to have one on your line, but you and everyone there knows who really won, you.

 

[TheTurtle]

Well sounds like you did good and well there are idiots everywhere, unfortunately you just happened to have one on your line, but you and everyone there knows who really won, you.

Any other day, that would have been very fun. Even shooting prone on rough cement with a T-Shirt, I'll survive the bloody elbows. It just happened that the DBOTD started his reign of terror on my first array, so it sort of ruined the rest of the day.


I'll definitely be doing more of this, but I doubt I'll be shooting any real NRA matches as I've heard there's SOME real ***holes in the sport. After being competitive in trap, I'm done with all the cutthroat crap. I shoot for fun. When shooting for fun, you always win. If a prize somehow heads your way, it's just a bonus.

 

[MemphisMachinists]

Too bad this didn't go well for you. I have a feeling you will change your mind about not shooting in another match.
Even if you expect the best from yourself and others you have to be willing to tolerate less.
You learned one thing about the rules of that shoot, but you also learned that you have to know the rules of the next one. Great athelitic coaches win games by knowing the rules of the game. Sometimes it's frustrating, but things don't always seem fair. Even the DBOTD must have some redeeming qualities, or he wouldn't be in that spot. There usually is a DBOTD in most situatins.

 

[Phil “Murphy” McGrath]

Turtle I thought your in AZ?

 

[TheTurtle]

Turtle I thought your in AZ?

I'm not in Egypt if that's what you're referring to. I'm a little farther west of AZ unfortunately.

 

[KYShooter]

Sorry that the match didn't really turn out well but what the hey? You still got to show up and shoot! At all the HP matches I attend, there is always a group of us that no matter how good or bad the match went, we always agree that any day that we can get together and shoot is a GOOD day!

Hang tough and try out more matches!

 

[Phil “Murphy” McGrath]

I'm not in Egypt if that's what you're referring to. I'm a little farther west of AZ unfortunately.

I understood that your not from Egypt, BFE is just a common Az usage so I was thinking you were in Az.

 

[n8cents]

What was your rifle and equipment? Would you change anything?

 

[KYShooter]

The beauty of competing is that NO event is "easy" when you are pushing yourself to do the best possible. The pursuit of that excellence, regardless of the competition format, makes a better rifleman out of you. Find what you did well and continue to practice how you did it until it becomes a habit executed without concious thought. For the items you did poorly in, objectively analyze it and try ways of doing it better.

When you perform, remember, and recount, what you did well. No reason to dwell on what you did poorly.

Glad to hear you went out and competed!!

 

[bigkicks]

best of luck to ya!

 

[mescalito]

+1 to what MM and KYS said.
Good job Turtle. 25/30 is better than th blue ribbon sold to the highest bidder.

 

[jameydan]

I'll definitely be doing more of this, but I doubt I'll be shooting any real NRA matches as I've heard there's SOME real ***holes in the sport. After being competitive in trap, I'm done with all the cutthroat crap. I shoot for fun. When shooting for fun, you always win. If a prize somehow heads your way, it's just a bonus.

Too bad that you have been burned by some people along the way. I encourage you to be open minded about NRA or CMP high power matches. I have shot matches in MT, UT, AZ, ID, and OH, and I think I can count the jerks I met on one hand. I deal WAY more difficult people Monday to Friday.

Up here (MT) we have a great bunch of people shooting in our matches, and it is a great way to enjoy ourselves, enhance our marksmanship and develop new shooters for the next generation. The after-match BBQ's and socializing are a great plus too.

NRA/CMP matches are also more likely to be run better than what you experienced. There are rules the match director is expected to adhere to (rulebooks) and the match program should be followed and it spells out the rules of the match.

I hope you give high power matches a try someday and it goes well.

Best,

JW

 

[Bamban]

+1 on what JW just said.

I've shot in lots of places myself, but just like in any group, there are some individuals that just stick out. My experience in NRA/CMP matches these guys are rather the aberrations than the norm.

Give the high power matches a chance, you will enjoy yourself.

 

[TheTurtle]

The beauty of competing is that NO event is "easy" when you are pushing yourself to do the best possible. The pursuit of that excellence, regardless of the competition format, makes a better rifleman out of you. Find what you did well and continue to practice how you did it until it becomes a habit executed without concious thought. For the items you did poorly in, objectively analyze it and try ways of doing it better.

When you perform, remember, and recount, what you did well. No reason to dwell on what you did poorly.

Glad to hear you went out and competed!!

I've only recently started weening myself from the bench in the last few months. Don't have very much of a background at all with rifle shooting so I'm getting a foundation set right now. I had learned to shoot prone with a sling the day before this match, and I personally thought I did well for shooting on my bare elbows on cold, rough cement. I've been taking out the M1A about every other week to go practice prone out to 600 yards on steel and I'm starting to get pretty consistent, although I'm sure someone who knows what they're doing can easily spot red flags.

I'm now working on sitting and getting better.


Might stir up a hornets nest here, but I really don't like shooting at paper. Something about spending 1$ a bullet to imitate a hole-punch at long range doesn't appeal to me. I only really shoot paper when I'm testing loads or sighting in. I prefer to just downsize steel targets the farther out I get. Makes it funner and keeps me interested.