Rifle Competition Events NRL Hunter: Noob w/lots of questions

earthquake · Aug 18, 2024

Any advice/tips for someone wanting to shoot their first NRL hunter match? I've shot PRS for about 10 years and am looking for something different. I just recently started watching some YT videos and it looks like it can go south quick if you're not prepared. Are these always shot in pairs, or are they mostly individual?

What advice and or tips can you give for someone who's never shot one? What indispensable piece of gear should I look at?
Bino/LRF or weapon-mounted/LRF? I don't have either yet....just standard LRF.
I think I'm good on most other equipment, but maybe a better tripod? I'm still rocking a Manfrotto!

Oh, and caliber? Been running 6-Dasher since 2016. Thinking of going with at least a 6.5 with 147's? I see something about "power factor"? Probably factory....I don't want to waste time/effort worrying about brass retrieval.

Thanks!

Partsunavailable · Aug 18, 2024

If you've shot PRS, id say you have the tough stuff learned already. The biggest difference with Nrl hunter will be target acquisition. The youtube videos don't show you how hard it can sometimes be to find targets and then remember where they were when you get on your rifle. Ranging binos are good way to save you a bunch of time compared to finding the target with binos, then finding it again with a rangefinder.

R_A_W · Aug 18, 2024

Most shoot individual. Even if you want to shoot teams, I'd shoot your first NRL Hunter match solo. The first 60-90 seconds of a stage are NRL Hunter, the last 120-180 seconds are where your PRS experience will apply.

Skip the WMLRF. LRF Binos with good glass are the way to go.

A good tripod is definitely a plus. I've clamped in a few times, but generally I run a homemade tac table & throw a bag on top for every stage.

Easiest to start with 6.5 Creedmoor... you can show up with handloads & 200 rounds of factory ammo in case something goes south (e.g. you fail to meet PF w/ handloads, you end up running a loaner, etc)

Other than that, set up your gear so you can deploy quickly, then practice & refine process.

ECK · Aug 18, 2024

Same boat here. I’ve been shooting PRS for a few years and jumped into NRL Hunter this year. First match was a 1-day club match, what NRL calls “NRL Hunter Games”. Hopefully you have one near you. Then I started shooting the 2-day bigger matches this spring/summer and had a blast. The learning curve wasn’t that steep, it’s pretty straight forward (find targets not so much some times).

NRLH has a division called ‘Skills’, which is a bring whatcha got division, RO’s will help you find targets if you ask, basically a way to get new people into the game. I shot my first 1-day match that way then dove right into Open Heavy division. But people enter the big matches in Skills division, it’s just that your scores don’t count for national standings, and usually Skills walks the prize table last.

You prob already have most of the gear from PRS. You can shoot your PRS rifle in Skills division, or build a <16 lb rifle (6.5CM is popular, but so is .25CM and variants). Tripod is a must, so are LRF binos and whatever you use to calculate your dope. I only bring one bag -a Schmedium with Git-lite. And a pack to carry everything.

The NRLH 2-day matches I shot were all in natural terrain and not on a square range per se. They all involve a little more hiking than PRS, so comfy shoes, knee pads, and dress for the weather. Shooting positions was whatever the MD can conjure up: prone, off tripod, big rock, crotch of tree, stump, gate, etc. Most times they just put a mark on the ground and say must be within arms reach and let the shooter decide what position to build.

I like PRS, but I also like NRLH. There’s a lot going on inside of 4 mins!

Sheldon N · Aug 19, 2024

earthquake said:
Any advice/tips for someone wanting to shoot their first NRL hunter match? I've shot PRS for about 10 years and am looking for something different. I just recently started watching some YT videos and it looks like it can go south quick if you're not prepared. Are these always shot in pairs, or are they mostly individual?

What advice and or tips can you give for someone who's never shot one? What indispensable piece of gear should I look at?
Bino/LRF or weapon-mounted/LRF? I don't have either yet....just standard LRF.
I think I'm good on most other equipment, but maybe a better tripod? I'm still rocking a Manfrotto!

Oh, and caliber? Been running 6-Dasher since 2016. Thinking of going with at least a 6.5 with 147's? I see something about "power factor"? Probably factory....I don't want to waste time/effort worrying about brass retrieval.

Coming from a PRS background, here's the things I took away from my first NRL Hunter match. I both shot individual and also RO'd and watched everyone shoot.

Speed to getting on glass is super important, every second you add to time on glass increases opportunity to find targets and gives you more time to shoot. Top NRL hunter guys are also super good PRS shooters, I watched many of them glass for 3+ minutes then shoot a super fast sub sixty second stage. PRS skill in building positions helps here. Fastest glassing/ranging was done by guys with rangefinding binos run out of a chest rig, glassing off the top of the tripod using a gamechanger on a flat plate. Those long leg inverted tripods are an advantage since there are less leg sections to manipulate.

There's a big advantage to having a tall fast bipod, I was very glad to have a borrowed double pull Ckyepod. Often you'll need to get height to clear line of sight or you'll be shooting on downslope positions. The triple pull is cool too and opens the door to using tripod rear support with a tripod, but not 100% necessary IMO.

A timer is super helpful for time management, knowing when to stop glassing and start shooting is key, even if you haven't found all the targets. I borrowed one of those talking timers that gives a verbal countdown. I clipped it on the back of my hat and it was great.

Scanning for targets took some getting used to. I had to learn to look more in the near-field and start to think like a match director with the targets mostly in that 300-600 yard range. My first few stages I wasted time looking too far out.

Anyhow, hope this helps. I really enjoyed the NRL hunter format, it's way more adrenaline and chaos packed into a 4 minute stage compared to the typical PRS match. I'll definitely be shooting more.

ECK · Aug 19, 2024

To answer OP’s question about power factor, the minimum PF is 380,000. PF is calculated by multiplying bullet wt (gr) x velocity (fps) and the rules say it must be >380,000. For example, I am shooting 147 gr bullets @ 2,625 fps. 147 x 2625 = 385,875. So I am over the minimum thresh-hold for the PF requirement for Open Heavy and Open Light. If my final score is tied with another shooter, the shooter with the higher PF wins the tie.

140 to 156 gr 6.5mm bullets are what most people are shooting. 6.5 Creedmoor is the most common, but there’s also people shooting .25 Creedmoor, 6.5 x 47, 6.5 PRC, 7 PRC, and even .300 PRC or WinMag whom I suspect are running their hunting rigs. 6mm for the most part won’t cut it since even a 115 gr bullet has to do over 3,300 fps to make the 380,000 PF, and NRLH rules limit us to 3,275 fps or less to protect the steel targets.

There is a nuance in the NRLH rules where you can shoot a 6mm or .243 in Factory division bc there’s no minimum PF in Factory division. But your rifle must meet all the Factory division requirements which includes being under <12 lbs.

Lastly, you can shoot Skills division with whatever caliber and rifle you want bc PF does not apply in Skills. But the bullet has to be going less than 3,275 fps.

R_A_W · Aug 19, 2024

ECK said:
Factory division

Also >2.7" COAL, so no Dasher/BR/Arc

Factory rifles chambered in 6mm/.243 or greater, with a cartridge overall length of 2.700″ or greater (per SAAMI-ANSI Max cartridge length standards), with a maximum muzzle velocity of 3275, will be allowed only in the Factory Division.

I'm pretty sure no factory rifles are currently offered in those kinds of chamberings, but bet you will see at least 6arc eventually

Edit: Ruger American Predator Gen2 comes in 6arc @ 6.7lb

earthquake · Aug 19, 2024

Thanks, everyone. This has been helpful.

Emerson0311 · Aug 19, 2024

What is the requirement for sealed boxes factory 6.5CM ammo? Is there a minimum bullet weight?

R_A_W · Aug 19, 2024

yes, 130gr or higher for factory ammo in Open Light & Open Heavy

Panthercity · Sep 14, 2024

Ranging binos and a good tripod are essential in my opinion you will use the tripod on 70% of the stages at some matches.

dbake5 · Thursday at 11:17 AM

Panthercity said:
Ranging binos and a good tripod are essential in my opinion you will use the tripod on 70% of the stages at some matches.

Can you get by with a tripod only and no bipod? From the videos I have seen it been a lot of weight bags on top of tripods, backpacks, and structure with the bipod being used to keep it out of the muck.

ECK · Thursday at 1:32 PM

dbake5 said:
Can you get by with a tripod only and no bipod? From the videos I have seen it been a lot of weight bags on top of tripods, backpacks, and structure with the bipod being used to keep it out of the muck.

I suppose you could, but it is really going to depend on the match. At some matches the majority of the shots you take will need to be from an elevated position to get a clear shot at targets over tall grass, brush or terrain, hence shooting off the top of the tripod either while clipped in or off a bag is more common in NRLH than PRS matches. Other matches because of the vegetation or terrain is more forgiving, there may be a higher percentage of stages where you can shoot prone using a bipod w/ rear bag support.

If given the choice, I would prefer to go belly prone and use a bipod. But the nature of these NRLH matches is you’re going to find a lot of natural terrain scenarios where both pieces of equipment are going to be needed, sometimes on the same stage where one position can be shot belly prone but when you move to another position you gotta get off your belly.

You comment made me laugh because it’s kinda ironic that we spend so much money on bipods and 1/2 the time or more all they are used for is to keep the rifle out of the dirt when we stage them.

1911Shootist · 2024-12-27T12:11:34-0500

dbake5 said:
Can you get by with a tripod only and no bipod? From the videos I have seen it been a lot of weight bags on top of tripods, backpacks, and structure with the bipod being used to keep it out of the muck.

I definitely wouldn't run without a bipod if for no other reason than staging the rifle. We need to set it down somewhere while we deploy a tripod and take off a backpack - both of which are challenging to do one handed. They are also used between stages and there isn't always room to set your rifle on a tripod, and setting it on your backpack doesn't work when you need to get into your backpack to reload, snack, add/remove layers, etc.

Prone will always be more stable than off a tripod. The only time you don't go prone in a match is if you can't see the targets from that position or the ground is too uneven.

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Rifle Competition Events NRL Hunter: Noob w/lots of questions

earthquake

Area Man

Partsunavailable

Sergeant of the Hide

R_A_W

Miderator

ECK

Sergeant of the Hide

Sheldon N

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ECK

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R_A_W

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earthquake

Area Man

Emerson0311

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R_A_W

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Panthercity

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dbake5

PacNW

ECK

Sergeant of the Hide

1911Shootist

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