first tactical match...

LW i now see what your talking about with pressure being on the clock LOL!!

so i shot my first ever tactical match yesterday...it was cold and windy as hell but once the shooting started you forgot all about that.

this was a short range tactical match but was a great learning experience for me...this was the first time ive ever shot off barricades and was a reality check LOL...every little mistake is magnified 10 fold and i really got to know the flaws in myself and my gear with 95% being me...i did have a few issues with feeding but got some of that straightened out this morning and figured out the biggest feeding issue and that will be fixed before the next match.

and that **** clock!!! this match was set up more for gas guns than bolt guns but chad(first place)shot a gas gun and a bolt gun but you only get the highest score which was with his AR BUT he shot a 31 with his bolt gun which was pretty impressive with the times you had to shoot...then again he travels and shoots a lot of the PRS comps so hes got the experience.

the course of fire was 8" round AR plates at 100-200 and 300yds and the rotation never changed...there was 4 to 5 guys in each squad and 3 stations...improvised prone...improvised kneeling and improvised standing...any gear was allowed but had to be attached to the rifle or the shooter and once you shot your first string you had to keep the same gear on you or the rifle.

as i said this match was designed more for gas guns than bolts...you had about a 10 second break between strings...

slow fire...
string 1 was 6 rounds in 60 seconds...1 at 100yds 1 at 200yds 1 at 300yds then repeat...easy money...except the barricades for me LOL...

rapid fire...
string 2 was 3 rounds in 15 seconds...1 at 100yds 1 at 200yds 1 at 300yds...pretty simple
string 3 was 3 rounds in 10 seconds...1 at 100yds 1 at 200yds 1 at 300yds...getting REAL tight here
string 4 was(and you thought 10secs was tight!!)3 rounds in 5 seconds

the best i did was 2 rounds in the 5sec string...i couldnt get all 3 off and this was being already in position,one in the chamber,cross hair on the 100yd target ready to fire and firing with my show ready hand still in the air!!
i also only got 31 rounds out of 45 off due to the feeding issues and the last string being so tight.

this was the first time this match has been shot and it went very well and pretty fast considering there were a few target failures...i thought i was going to do a lot better until i hear the times i had to shoot then i thought "ill just be happy to place in the top 10"...i took 9th over all and 7th in the magnified class which im pretty happy with.

im going to build some mobile barricades this week and all of my shoot will be done off them from this point on so i plan on doing better in the next short range tactical match as well as placing in the up coming PRS match.

Non-Magnified Sight Class Equipment Prone Kneel Stand Total
Gary Snyder AR-15 .223 1 1 4 6
John Reyes AR-15 .223 0 3 3 6

Magnified Sight Class Equipment Prone Kneel Stand Total
Chad Nichols AR-15 .223 12 10 12 34
Olin Coles Olympic K8 Targetmatch 10 10 7 27
David Jun LMT AR-15 8 10 7 25
Dan Mathiasson AR-15 .223 9 6 6 21
Blake Sobiloff AR-15 .223 8 5 8 21
Mark Possin AR-15 .223 7 8 5 20
Dave Thompson Surgeon Bolt Action 8 4 7 19
Craig Ricketts KAC 9 5 5 19
Addison Mohler Remington R-15 6 6 7 19
Ray Marshall AR-15 .223 6 4 5 15
Monte Forbes R-25 .243 5 5 4 14
Josh Snyder LMT AR-15 3 0 6 9
Brian Fairchild AR-15 .223 3 3 2 8

wasnt much time for pictures but heres a couple....

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...1462056289.jpg

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...1462056252.jpg

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...1462056254.jpg

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NOPE!!! Not IMHO...only 2 gas guns ran flawlessly...olins and chads all the others had issues...I'll stick to my bolt gun and a lot of practice.

Those times are fast. I don't know if I would have done any better!

The clock brings a whole other spectrum though doesn't it? Anyone can shoot without stress!

Yeah it was fast paced for sure...we shoot on a clock at the varmint matches too but 3 minute for 5 rounds is a LOT different than the rapid fire in the short range tac match.

also the wind does not effect the 130g Berger hybrids much...at 300yds I was only getting about an 1" of drift and the wind was a solid 10-15mph with 20mph gusts.
this morning a good 5-7mph from 3 o'clock at 850yds was 1-1.25moa...needless to say I'm pretty happy with speeds and accuracy...I may have to tone it down a little this summer lol!!

i loaded all 4 of the ten round mags I have this morning and ran each one as fast and hard as I could checking dopes for the varmint match next Saturday...the first round outta the real AICS mag was tough to chamber but the other 9 ran flawless and a little tweak to the front of the lips fixed the first round issue.

the accurate mag didn't pick up round 9 but that may have been me the rest fed flawless.

both the alpha 2s the 5th round was nose down but both times they were hung up on the bottom of the action so after the varmint match I'm going to have the smith open the bottom up a little as I REALLY prefer the alphas because they feed much shooters and easier.
if opening up the bottom of the AW cut in the action works out I'm going to buy a few more alphas.

Well let me know. I'd be interested in your 10rd AICS or Accurate Mag.

Ok...it'll be the weekend after next...and while I got it apart I'm going to have it re-coated...the tan and gray are bugging me lol.

Cool. Glad everything is coming together. Lots of practice now and you'll be set.

Lots of practice and a big loud clock lol!!

Clock goes "beeeep" adrenaline shoots through the roof and you can't tell if you're shooting too fast or too slow. Then it beeps again and you try to recount what just happened. I had that feeling for a couple matches. Then I got used to it and can think and comprhend exactly what is going on.

It's an addicting feeling though.

That's where I need to get my mind...the calm cool shooters are always the best.

It's just consistent experience. Take the course of fire from the match you sent me and visualize those stages either dry fire or live and run the clock on them. Those were pretty solid stages!

Yup you get used to it. So much that you know almost to the second when time is gonna run out.

My big thing now after watching the top guys shoot PRS is slowing things down. I'm always rushing to get another round in when sometimes that shakes you up more than if you just slowly chamber one. Obviously some stages warrant it but it's doubtful a tenth of a second or two is gonna make a huge difference if you're making more hits.

That's another thing... Hits count. Don't let the clock push you around.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LoneWolf

It's just consistent experience. Take the course of fire from the match you sent me and visualize those stages either dry fire or live and run the clock on them. Those were pretty solid stages!

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i will...I'm going to shoot the next PRS match..I think it's the end of the month or first part of June and I should have a better handle on it by then.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jonesturf

Yup you get used to it. So much that you know almost to the second when time is gonna run out.

My big thing now after watching the top guys shoot PRS is slowing things down. I'm always rushing to get another round in when sometimes that shakes you up more than if you just slowly chamber one. Obviously some stages warrant it but it's doubtful a tenth of a second or two is gonna make a huge difference if you're making more hits.

That's another thing... Hits count. Don't let the clock push you around.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

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i agree...I was pushing to fast especially in the 60 second strings when I should of been taking my time...60 seconds for 6 rounds is easy and I finished them in 45 seconds or less and it cost me a few misses.

Great experience LR, thanks for sharing.

Hey, Just trying to figure out how to set up some training exercises. For the improvised prone/kneeling/standing, did you have to use the stair step barricade as a weapon rest? and then im guessing the window barricade for the tall? Just looking for help on how to set up and train for these matches.

if you can find a match go and shoot it...that will give you a good idea of how things are ran and also your weak positions and what you really need to focus on.

i just built a small barricade out of a pallet and some scrap wood...i can take it out where i shoot and its small enough that i can set it up in the house...ive been practicing my holds for anywhere from 15mins to an hour every day and have made some good progress...im only dry firing now and then because i feel i have a pretty good handle on trigger control so i focus more on my stances and steady holds at different distances.
i was trying not to use any gear and found out quickly that a large pillow bag makes a huge difference in my holds...the other thing is figuring out where to put your none trigger hand when in different positions...on top of the scope,on the side of your rifle,holding the mag ECT.

this is the barricade i made...everything is at an odd position for me so it forces me to work a little harder...my thoughts are that if i can just drop down and be in a comfortable position im not learning.

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...1462325317.jpg

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...1463936792.jpg

In all honesty you don't even need to build a barricade to practice off of. You can use anything! If you have a 6ft ladder in the garage that is a perfect barricade because it will allow you to work anything from prone to standing.

Don't over think the process. A barricade is a barricade. Some are a little more wobbly and some are more stable, but all are shoot off the same way. Things to think about:

Pushing/Pulling the rifle into the barricade: This may depend on how stable the barricade is. I like to push my bipod into an unstable barricade and wrap my support hand over the barricade with my thumb around the bipod. Having more of the rifles weight to the back leaves it on my which may be more reliable than the barricade if it's just thin partical board or what not.

Bag/No Bag: I know some guys to use bags fo every barricade and some that don't use them at all. Some use them depending on the stages course of fire/time allotted. I find bags are useful in most situations, but it's something you have to practice with to do it quickly. A longer bag 8-10" and 4-5" wide with filled about 75-80% with heavy fill like sand or rice is great because it will form to whatever your throw it on. Some guys prefer bags strapped to their rifle. I only go this route on roof tops and such because I use a backpack or large rear bag in conjunction. This way I don't have to figure out how to hold on to too many items. Problem I've had and seen with them attached to the rifle is many times the bag with roll from under the rifle to the side during bolt manipulation or target transition, so it is not my preference most of the time.

Sling/No Sling: I've used the sling successfully on barricades before, but I've also had it work against me as well on some stages. The big thing is if you plan to use it then practice with it! Every single time you practice barricades!

These are just some notes. Also every position you shoot should be as close to how you would shoot prone as possible.. What I mean by this is use should be squared up to the rifle for proper recoil control, good bolt manipulation, and able to keep the rifle on target throughout the entire process for fast follow ups. Also go out on youtube and watch how guys work the barricades. I'll be putting out more videos on this with the methods I use as well once I get done with my move and settled in come August time frame.

Feel free to shoot me a question any time though and I'll try to help you out.

Final note: The best way to get into this kind of shooting is to just go out and shoot a match. As long as you are humble and willing to learn, the guys at a local club are more than willing to bring you in and teach what they know. Seriously, some of the best friends I've made in a long time have been through this sport and shooting practice. Go out and just have fun. Figure out what you need to work on and the gear that may assist you best. The club guys are always willing to lend gear and many times will even let you try out their rifles as long as you ask nicely!

never even crossed my mind to use a step ladder....great tip LW im going to add the step ladder in this week end.

I am swamped with time at this moment. School full time and working full time 12 hour night shifts plus a 15 month old keeps me busy. Any time im not doing one of those three things im trying to catch up on mowing, farm work, and other odd jobs like working on cabins, mowers, etc. I built a barricade exactly like the one shown by 6.5 guys except for the side legs due to not having enough time to finish it yet. i'm also waiting on parts for my rifle to get here. Bighorn tl3, shilen barrel in 6x47L, and MPA chassis. All i have so far is the hvr trigger i intend on running, and a sightron 6-24 sfp scope that will do until i get some money free'd up. I live in SE ohio and seems there arent many prs matches near me. Im trying to get barricade practice in, and figure out what gear i need to hopefully make 2 or 3 matches next summer. I really appreciate these threads though as they help give me insight since im not able to be there in person at this point.