[Spikenfritz]

Hey folks.

Well, I finally got to take my SuperMatch to the range on Saturday...

My buddy signed me up for a shoot outside Osceola, Ind., the other day, and despite the weather, we had a really good time. It was also my first truly competitive shoot.

Here's Yours Truly with my Springfield .45 immediately after whackin' a pin at 25 yards (it's the one farthest out to the right, just starting to topple to the left). You have 30 seconds to knock 'em down. Each white pin is 10 points, 10 points deducted if you hit a red one. Fumbled a mag change and only got 12 down. Did better on the paper bullseyes (six shots strong hand, six weak, 2 per target). Ended up fourth out of 16.

OK. Now for the SuperMatch...

Does this look familiar? Rifle firmly rested... snug in the shoulder... sights aligned... taking up the slack in the trigger... focusing on the front sight... half breath out... front sight again... one more pound on the trigger... two more pounds... begin prying the hell out of a 4.5-pound trigger... And then it dawns on me... The [insert expletive here] safety's still on.

Oh, come on. Admit it. You've all been there. :wink:

And finally, the first shot:

The recoil was slightly more than I expected, as I grew up an AR guy. My face was too close to the receiver heel (trying to replicate my "nose-to-charging-handle-technique") and I got whacked in the schnoz a couple of times. :roll: Also had an issue with getting used to the trigger, as I wasn't used to the takeup, despite all my dry firing. But bottom line, first three rounds were in @2.5 inches, 3in. up and 2in. over. Three clicks down and four left, and I was spot on.

Soon after, the drizzle turned to rain, so we packed up and split.

Anyway, it was a very good day. 8)

Just thought I'd share...

Spike

 

[Jack Orr]

Looks like ya had a good time even with the bad weather. Your nose does look mighty close to the grip on the stock . At least you don't have to worry about hot brass going down your shirt, or did the fix that on the M16's. I know a few starboard side shooters used to complain about that. Great photos.

 

[Spikenfritz]

Thanks, Jack. I appreciate it.

Kudos to my range buddy, who's also half-decent at takin' pics.

Yeah. I need to revise my technique. I was just a happy camper to get some trigger time.

BTW, don't ya mean "port side" shooters? One of the reasons why I like my AR so much, is 'cuz of that built-in case deflector. You won't catch me dead behind the trigger of a Mini-14. Shot one of those once and kept getting whacked in the head...

My SuperMatch placed the brass in a nice pile about three feet right, three forward (after beating the hell outta each piece).

"Left-handed people are the only folks in their right mind..."

Spike

 

[dighawaii]

Aloha SF:

Awesome range report!!! The pics are great! Have at it again soon, I love seeing pics of other ranges around the nation! The pics posted by Skullboy from Canada took my breath away!

Glad you all had a good time!!!

Aloha,

Tom O.

 

[Theophorus]

Can you shoot the sticks holding the pins up? I was thinking that a ricochet could knock down a red pin, and the only solution I could see was shooting low.

Theo

 

[Spikenfritz]

Hey Theo.

The camera angle is deceptive. There's a fair amount of space between some of the pins, so hitting multiples wasn't too much of a problem.

We didn't get that deep into range rules, but the way it went was if you took a red one down for any reason, you were SOL and down 10 points.

What drove me nutty about the whole thing is they didn't differentiate between power class. Meaning that there were guys plowing away with 9mm P226s and Beretta 92s.

But the saving grace was that two of the folks who beat me were driving .45s while the third was behind the trigger of a Glock 23 in .40, which is still a respectable caliber.

Net-net, I still maintained some level of dignity... :wink:

Spike

 

[Theophorus]

Hey, thanks for responding, man, and good job. I'm thinking about getting into some 3-Gun action, but haven't gotten the guts up yet. I think I'll probably go and watch a match first to get a feel for what goes down. We have quite a few matches here in Phoenix. Anyway, I have an M14 being put together by Warbird as we speak. It is being built on an Armscorp receiver, TRW bolt, somw H&R parts, and a Med weight 11:10 bbl. It is a "Frankenrifle" but she'll be mine. Oh, and don't forget the ugly camo stock I painted for her. Can't wait to get her back so I can ugly up the bbl and sight in a nice homeade camo job. Anyway, again, good job.

Theo

 

[Lou]

8) Now if I can only score a bunch of bowling pins....