@11B CIB What were the target sizes at distance?
There was a variety based on the stages:
350yd 10” circle
415yds 10” circle 12” circle 66% IPSC silhouette
367yds: 22” diamond, 15” circle, 14” diamond, 10” square, 8” circle, 12” cross, 3”x15” ruler
250yd: 66% IPSC silhouette
350yd: 33% and 50% IPSC silhouette
450yds: 33% and 50% IPSC sil.
485yds 33% and 50% IPSC sil.
@jmccracken1214 I’m shooting 80gr ELDs over 24.8gr H4895. Ill be doing some substantial testing based on this last match, before the next one. Previously I’ve had no issues with it but I want the heavier hitting rounds and my 6-24x PST.
I will take my same 5.56 rifle as a backup but I will be using 75gr Hornadys versus 69gr SMK. I have a 2.5-10x32 FFP on there which was the lowest magnification (and shortest barrel...16”) I saw all day, and one of only a few .223/5.56s. 6.5 Creedmoor was predominant, along with 22-28” barrels and huge optics like 5.5-22x NF, 4.5-27x Razor HD II, and Leupold Mk 5HD 7-35 to name a few
A friend asked these questions and I’ll put my answers in as best as possible:
Holster required?
Holster with some sort of retention is required but they didn’t check. I have a Blackhawk paddle holster that’s like a Serpa without the finger “shoot me in the leg” release.
What gear did you take?
I have a small 3-rifle magazine rack with the elastic retention bands on it with a two-pistol mag pouch MOLLE’d onto it I wore. I can either put it on my normal belt or on a larger “battle belt”. I normally kept my primary rifle mag and spare mag in it, along with the same for pistol. I kept my spare ammo for both in a maxpedition pack and topped off between stages
I brought way too much stuff. Left most of it in the car. I only needed two rifle mags (I was using 20rd mags with only ten rounds loaded at any given time), but I will bring four (one backup for each primary), and same with the pistol mags. Needed only two, will have four with me just in case. I’ll probably still bring a spare rifle in case of a catastrophic failure
Side note: I didn’t have a chamber flag and it wasn’t on the packing list but you need one. Saves you $5 from buying one morning of the shoot
Is all rifle shooting done from prone with a bipod and/or bags?
Rifle shooting is done from a variety of positions. Some was prone with bipod. One stage I had to shoot under a picnic table and the bipod leg height would’ve had me looking at the seats through the scope so I used my maxpedition bag and laid the rail on it. A medium (or adjustable size) bag would help. I didn’t use a bag for the stock (the RO tried to give me one that I politely declined and shook his head and was like “ooookayyy your funeral” type of reaction but I went five for five on an unknown target (silhouette with shoulders, unpainted around 275yds IIRC and then hit the 367yd targets that I could see (stage was designed so that one shooter couldn’t clear the whole thing, there were some targets not visible depending which side you were on)
Is there any movement during the stage? For example, engage target(s), move to another position, engage more targets, etc.
Are pistols and rifles shot during the same stage, or are they separate events?
All of the stages started out pistol and transition to rifle; there is movement during the stage...how much just depends on the layout of the stage. You could start somewhere and end up laying down in a flooding Jon boat, climbing into a small tower stand, laying down in the back of a Jeep Cherokee, etc
What's more important -- having super precise handloads, or knowing your dope?
Having precise loads helped but knowing the dope helped more. At this match there were probably only a couple targets (3” ruler, 12” cross @ 367yds) that dope + extremely precise ammo would be necessary. I was able to dial and get on target very quickly
Cost to enter match?
Start and approximate end times?
Cost is $50 to enter. Registration started around 7 and there was an opportunity to check zeroes etc but it was low light and I didn’t want to start fiddling and adjusting....I trusted what I brought and it worked well.
There was some daylight left when we finished the last stage but now we are in DST so it will probably start sooner and end sooner
There was some driving around between stages so I had a cooler and some food which was nice to have and there was downtime during the stages waiting for your slot you could use to prep or whatever
Personal notes:
I was unprepared for the long pistol shooting. I didn’t hit the long targets at all (75yd and 115yd). I will have the chance to practice out to 50yds before the next one but honestly I may try a couple shots next match then call Skipping target (Id lose the potential point but save time for rifle shooting)
Despite not having shot a match like this before, the time and thousands upon thousands of rounds I’ve spent on a flat known distance range helped in that I knew my rifle pretty well and was comfortable with it.
Since I didn’t really know where I was going (driving from stage to stage), I found out who was ROing along with a couple other people and I made sure to follow their trucks.
Don’t be afraid to get them to reread the stage instructions...someone else likely didn’t understand it either the first time
Any other questions? I’m sure there’s plenty I haven’t covered