Sniper’s Hide Cup 2014 Snipers Hide Cup AAR

V

vonbalkenbush

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Sep 21, 2008
743
69
43
Reno, Nevada
#1
Well, since no one started a thread yet I guess I will. Following last years format here we go.

Please post your setup:

Casey Balkenbush

Place: 22 (well, four guys were tied with 186 points, so there was a four way tie for 22nd, they put me down at 25th)
Score: 186
Rifle Builder: Chad Dixon, Long Rifles Inc.
Cartridge: 6mm Competition Match
Projectile: 105 Berger Hybrid
Est. velocity: 3115 fps
Action: Bighorn SA Tactical Gen. 2
Barrel: Bartlein 24" with SAS brake.
Stock: Manners T6A 90% carbon fiber fill.
Bottom metal: PTG M5 Stealth
Optic: Kahles K624i with MSR reticle
Rings/Bases: Badger rings/Murphy Precision base
Trigger: Huber 2 stage
Rest/Prone: Harris
Rest/Supported: Skid plate
LRF: Bushnell 1 Mile Fusion Arc Binoculars
Handgun: Sig P226

Highlight: Cleaning the shoot house on stage Charlie

Worst moment: First day, first stage Delta. Jitters and nerves, shot horrible in 20%-30% range entire morning session (four stages).

Protip: Squad up with guys better than you and try to gain as much experience as you can.

Photo: First day. Taken right after I shot the Delta-1 hay bail stage.
 

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#2
Dave Buick

Place: 13
Score: 197
Cartridge: 6.5 Creedmoor
Projectile: 140 Berger Hybrid Match
Est. velocity: 2840 fps
Rifle:Accuracy International AX 24" Bartlein bbl 1/8
Suppressor: SAS Resistor
Optic: Schmidt and Bender 5-25x56 MSR Reticle
Rings/Bases: Spuhr
Trigger: Stock
Rest/Prone: Harris
Sling: Tab Gear
LRF: Vectronix Terrapin
Handgun: Glock 19

Highlight: Tie between cleaning the KYL stage and running the pistol course between the pylon and the "rock"
Worst moment: Short loading the mag causing me to use way too much time to reload in the "house"
Protip: Watching Bryan Morgan, Wade Stuteville, and the pros shoot. Learned a lot!!!!!

Incredible group of shooters, this was by far the most fun I have had shooting for years...

Thanks to Randy and Diann Pennington for letting me take of work to reload! And to shoot the match!
Also thanks to Adam Rehor for all of the tips!
 
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#3
I'm going to post an AAR as a spectator. Take it as you will since I didn't participate as a competitor.

My husband and I arrived around 4pm on Thursday night, just in time for some practice shooting. We decided to camp out, and while we have a great tent - there was some worry (mostly from me) of bad weather. Fortunately for us, it worked out great! I remember it rained one night, but we stayed dry the entire time. We brought food, but it was awesome to have BBQ (Thursday night), Hamburgers (Friday Lunch), and Pizza (Saturday Lunch) brought out for everyone. There were plenty of toilets and for the most part, they stayed pretty clean. No complaints from a female when it came to using them. It is what it is. We only drove into town twice, once for a quick Wal-Mart run and another to eat out with the squad we were in. The guys my husband shot with were hilarious!! I haven't had that much fun in a long time!! I tried to stay out of the way so they could do their thing, but I did act as a "brass bitch' a couple of times, volunteering to pick up brass as the guys moved from one area to another.

I would have to say that a highlight of the match was watching a couple of prairie dogs 'explode' through the binos. It was horrific, but pretty entertaining at the same time. I also heard someone shot a bird that landed on a target....anyways, hearing all the stories while talking to everyone at lunch - it sounded like everyone was having/had a great time!

It was also nice to see my husband shoot the night vision competition on the screen they had posted up. Forgive me for not knowing the exact sponsors. It's not everyday that you get to experience night vision shooting.

I didn't get to talk to the female competitors at all, but it was wonderful to see the 5 there. I would love to compete as well, but it's an expensive hobby for both the husband and I to do especially since he's a full-time student. Having said that, one RO let me shoot once everyone else was finished. It was extremely nice of him. One day, I will be there with you all, and I hope more females join in as well.

The worst moment was sitting on a cactus. They were everywhere and the one time I don't look before I sit, I ended up with needles sticking out of my jeans.

Scoring. After the second day, there were a lot of people questioning their scores. I think for the next match, before they move on, the shooter needs to verify their score and initial the page. There was one stage where the RO did this, and it was great. The shooter got to verify that his/her score was recorded on the correct line/name/number and that it matched up with what he believe he/she received. I think that should be part of the SOP.

Protip: Bring your own water. Water was supplied, but it was left at the main tent. There were few stages that had water there, but it was not guaranteed. If you are going to want water, make sure you grab it before you leave to go shoot. There were a couple of times where I heard shooters get upset that there wasn't water at a stage, but it was there at the main tent to grab.

Photo: I posted a link to the photos I got on the photo thread. If you're in them, feel free to tag yourself.
 
#4
James B

Place: Not worth mentioning
Score: Definitely not worth mentioning
Cartridge: .308 Win
Projectile: 175 SMK
Est. velocity: 2670 fps
Action: Remington 700 5R
Barrel: Remington 700 5R
Stock: AICS 1.5
Bottom metal: AICS 1.5
Optic: Vortex Razer HD, EBR-2 mil/mil reticle
Rings/Bases: Spuhr Mount
Trigger: Remingtion X-Mark Pro
Rest/Prone: Harris
Rest/Supported: None
LRF: Zeiss PRF
Handgun: Springfield XDM 5.25" .45 ACP

Highlight: So many it's hard to choose. I made my first hit past 1000 yards (1153), shot with a great bunch of guys who took very kindly to a newbie tagging along, shot my first mover (5/10), etc. Night vision shoots were amazing. Each of the guys in my group took a minute once or twice to offer me some great advice, something that I really appreciated, given that they were all serious competitors who were focused on their own efforts. Thanks again guys!

Worst moment: I had a really difficult, frustrating stage that the rest of the group really found straight-forward. My attitude took a nose dive until the next stage, when a group member had some very kind words and solid advice for me. I screwed up bad spotting a stage, but the shooter very kindly forgave me after I made an apology.

Protip: Making mistakes and dropping points is okay, refusing to learn from them or those around you is not. Chill out, take each shot as an opportunity for learning and practice.

Things I'd wish I'd trained more on:
WIND
WIND
WIND (It wasn't even that bad, but I had basically zero useful experience)
Offhand, kneeling, and unusual support positions.
Holding on MUCH smaller targets than I have been


Equipment comments: (I thought I'd add this).
Basic stuff I really, really wish I had:
Tripod
Arm board (Using a small notebook was servicable but difficult)
Gear I had I wish was better:
Binoculars (I couldn't see trace, dust, targets, or just about anything)
LRF: My Zeiss was "okay" but half the targets were probably out of it's league.
Caliber: I had to hold .2 or .3 mils off the targets (or more!) where the others held on the edge of the target. Someday I'll spend the money on a solid rifle in a better caliber.
Other stuff:
I'm getting a suppressor ASAP. It was much nicer shooting with reduced/eliminated ear pro, and my tinnitus wasn't at all stimulated by suppressed fire.

Photo: All of mine were pretty poor.
 
#5
Wade Stuteville

Place: 3
Score: 241
Cartridge: 6.5x47 Lapua
Projectile: 140 Berger Hybrid
Est. velocity: 2760 fps
Action: Surgeon 591
Barrel: Bartlein 8 twist
Builder: Stuteville Precision
Suppressor: Thunderbeast 30p1
Stock: Manners T4F
Bottom metal: Manners mini-chassis
Optic: Old SB 5-25
Rings/Bases: Spuhr
Trigger: Jewell
Rest/Prone: Harris
Rest/Supported: My hand
Sling: FTW
LRF: PLRF10
Handgun: STI tac 5.0

Highlight: hitting every pistol shot

Worst moment: Transposing targets 4 and 5 on Echo 1

Protip: Approach each stage as you think best, not as those before you have.

I had a great time and enjoyed getting to spend time with friends I rarely get to see. Course of fire was a good mix of varying times and difficulty levels. I'll be back again.
 
#6
Jake vibbert

Place: tied for 3 rd
Score: 240
Cartridge: 6 creed
Projectile: 105 Berger Hybrid
Est. velocity: 3108fps
Action: defiance deviant
Barrel: benchmark 8 twist
Builder: Scout supply company
Suppressor: Thunderbeast 30p1
Stock: Rock solid chassis
Optic: Bushy 4.5-30
Rings/Bases: Spuhr
Trigger: Jewell
Rest/Prone: Atlas
Rest/Supported: also My hand
Sling: Tab
LRF: Terrapin
Handgun: Cz75 sp01

Highlight: cleaning segment a

Worst moment: Missing the Kyl shot number 4- worth 10 points

Protip: take your time. It's better to hit one target then miss two
 
#7
Place: 5
Score: 221
Cartridge: 260 AI
Projectile: 140 Berger Hybrid
Est. velocity: 2997 fps
Action: Bighorn (left handed)
Barrel: Bartlein 8.5 twist
Builder: group effort but Robert Gradous put the current barrel on it
Suppressor: Thunderbeast 30p1
Stock: KMW Sentinel
Bottom metal: KMW Sentinel
Optic: USO 5-25 TPAL mil-MPR
Rings/Bases: vortex? i don't remember
Trigger: x-treme (cg jackson)
Rest/Prone: atlas for this match, but usually harris
Sling: armageddon gear
LRF: PLRF-10c (but the squad all shared distances so you could have shot this match without an LRF, and I used it on maybe 1/2 the stages just to verify)
Handgun: M&P 9 pro

Highlight: jumping over rattlesnake while running between pistol targets on Bravo (thankfully it was already dead but i didn't know that until i was in the air over it)

Worst moment: shooting first target on Charlie 4 twice, or the ravioli at Cables

Protip: hang out with old friends or make new ones.
 
#8
Bryan Morgan

Score: 249
Cartridge: 6cm
Projectile: Berger 105 hybrid
Est. velocity: 3146
Action: Gap Templar
Barrel: Bartlein Gain Twist
Builder: GA Precision
Suppressor: What?
Stock: Manners T4a
Bottom metal: Badger
Optic: Bushnell 4.5-30
Rings/Bases: Badger
Trigger: Timney
Rest/Prone: Harris
Sling: Armaggedon Gear
LRF: PLRF10
Handgun: STI with a loose front sight

Highlight: Hanging out with everyone and shooting some awesome stages.

Worst moment: Leaving out my ear pro while shooting the shoothouse

Protip: Trust your equipment. If you can't, get rid of it when you can and get what you can trust.

I really enjoyed the pace of the match. You had time to make good shots instead of rushed shots. Thanks Frank and I'm already looking forward to next year.
 
#9
Neil Gift

Place: 80th.. sigh… first match, okay?
Score: 129
Rifle Builder: GA Precision - Ray Lawler (Thank you Ray for the awesome work on my rifle, you are the man)
Cartridge: .308 Winchester
Projectile: 155 grain Lapua Scenar
Est. velocity: 2907 FPS
Action: Templar V2 (Defiance Devient) Integral Short Action
Barrel: Bartlein 24"
Stock: Manners T4A
Bottom metal: Badger
Optic: Schmidt and Bender PMII 5-25x56 with MSR reticle
Rings/Bases: Badger Rings
Trigger: Jewell
Rest/Prone: Atlas
Rest/Supported: Skid plate
LRF: Zeiss PRF
Handgun: FNH FNP-45 Tactical

Highlight: Beating my friend Casey on the very last stage C4! (but only by one point)

Worst moment: Waking up the day before with a horrible sore throat and slogging through the match tired and coughing.

Protip: I am not a pro, so no tips here folks, sorry. Ask Uncle Bryan Morgan for those.

I plan to practice and learn from the experiences. I also plan to listen REALLY hard to guys like Bryan Morgan. I had the pleasure of speaking with him during lunch on the second day. He was a really great guy and I could tell he had that special something. I just wish I could have seen him in action.

Everyone there was amazing. If you find yourself wanting to go, just do it. You will not regret it. See you all next year.
 
#10
Aaron Segura
Place:6
Cartridge: 6x47Lapua
Projectile: 105Berger vld huntings
Est. velocity: 3160 fps
Action: Stiller (Butchs)
Barrel: Bartlein 8 twist
Builder: butch's reloading (CFP rifles)
Suppressor: Thunderbeast 30bas
Stock: XLR
Optic: Valdada 6-24 ffp
Rings/Bases: Valdada
Trigger: Jewell
Rest/Prone: Atlas
Rest/Supported: Yeeyee bag
Sling: JAF INC.
Handgun: Glock 22

Highlight: was hitting 9/10 on the mover stage (never done it before)

Worst moment: not knowing my limits and getting a zero.

Protip: "all it takes is all you got"

I had a great time camping out and hanging out with awesome people. Can't wait to do it again next year.
 
#12
Dave Schroder

Place: 9
Cartridge: .260 Rem
Projectile: Lapua 139gr Scenar
Est. velocity: 2806
Action: BigHorn
Barrel: Mark Chanlynn
Builder: Mark Chanlynn
Suppressor: (not this year, but I did win the ThunderBeast 30P-1)
Stock: Manners T5a
Bottom metal: Manners mini chassis
Optic: Leupold 8.5-25x50 ffp
Rings/Bases: Leupold Mark IV rings, Bighorn base
Trigger: Jewell
Rest/Prone: Harris
Sling: some strap I picked up somewhere
LRF: Swarovski EL Range 10x
Handgun: Springfield XDm 9mm

Highlight: Cleaning 3 out of 4 stages on A. The Carlos Hathcock shots were a hoot.

Worst moment: Realizing that I needed 100 more rounds than last year...so I had to drive home to Estes on Friday evening during the pouring rain and quickly load up another 100.

Protip: Don't rush your positioning...get a solid rear support.

Thanks Frank, Paul and Zac!
 
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#13
Points: 124
Cartridge: 6.5 CM
Projectile:Hornady 140 HPBT
Est. velocity: 2770 FPS
Action: Tikka T3
Barrel: Bartlein 8 twist
Builder: Our own build
Suppressor: SAS TOMB-Didn't shoot it, no time to check dope with can on with new load
Stock:KRG W3
Optic: Vortex Razor HD
Rings/Bases: Vortex
Trigger: Stock Tikka lightened
Rest/Prone: Harris
Rest/Supported: Midway Bag
Sling: TAB
Handgun: M&P 9

Highlight: So many! Cleaning the KYL stage, and the flappers in the cars and cleaning the face-card sized targets on t-posts from up top and the culvert. Pistol was fun too.

Worst moment: Placing 84th and sucking at offhand, non-supported shooting.

Protip: Trust yourself and your dope, and prepare ahead of time. Have a set load don't screw with it right before the match.

Frankly I was pretty bummed I placed so low. It was my first big match, the others were just small local ones and this is a much bigger pond! I had bursts where it felt like I couldn't miss, but next year I need to work on not rushing my second shot on the same target. I had a lot of times where I hit the first shot and missed the second because I thought I could slap the trigger and hit and get on to the next one.

The ones where I missed shot 1 and hit the second were worth less points, but it's a valuable skill to be able to read your miss and hit based off your miss. I need a better rangefinder and either a spotting scope or bino's. It's a more secure feeling setting up when you can range your own targets and find them quickly rather than having to rush to the guy with the good rangefinder to get your yardage.

I learned a ton and have a goal to never place lower than top 50 in these again. Lot's of great shooters, and an awesome match with lots of variety. Thanks to Frank, the guys at Trigger Time and the RO's who were so awesome to give up their time to make this happen.
 
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#14
Place: 88
Cartridge: .260 Rem
Projectile: Lapua 139gr Scenar
Est. velocity: 2830
Action: Trued up Rem 700
Barrel: Kreiger
Builder: Lizard
Brake: Badger FTE
Stock: AICS 2.0
Optic: Vortex Razor 5-20
Rings/Bases: Spuhr / Nightforce 20 MOA
Trigger: Shilen
Rest/Prone: Atlas spigot mount
Sling: TAB
LRF: Leica 1600 B
Handgun: Springfield XDm 40 5.25

Highlight : Had a TON of fun and learning what I need to work on (and it's a long list), the cars, the towers (B3&4), and the mover were all things I had a lot of fun with.

Worst moment: Tie between not double checking my windage knob and zeroing out on the first target of the KYL stage (had knocked it off either casing or un-casing the rifle that morning) and getting a zero on E1 because I wasn't smart enough to use Target 3 to find my wind call for the small targets first, then being dumb enough to not trust what the bullet was doing through the whole damn thing. Oh and having my wizbang new trigger in my handgun go down after 3 targets into C4.

Tip: Use the closer big targets to fine tune your wind call on a stage then drop to the close small targets. Double check your scope settings before you start a stage, especially when it's the first one of the day.


Going into the SHC I knew full well that positions other than prone would be my weakness. I'm quite new to this whole thing having only built my rifle and first starting the learning curve of true LR shooting in October/November of last year, so I only have 8-9 months of time into this. So I didn't have any delusions of placing top 10 or anything like that, but I was disappointed with my performance as I know I'm a better shooter than what I had shown at the cup. I actually performed better than expected on some of the positional stuff and fell far short of my expectations for myself on a lot of the prone shooting. I KNOW my rifle is more capable than that, so there's no equipment issues to blame it on. (besides the handgun and that was minimal at best) This was my first dip in the big kids pool having only shot smaller local matches before this so while somewhat disappointed in my performance, it was really all about learning and I learned a TON and had a great time doing it.

Big thanks to Frank, Paul, Zac, and all the RO's, Sponsors, and volunteers.
 
#15
AAR

Collin Fossen

Place: 60
Points: 147
Cartridge: 308 win
Projectile: sierra 155gr Palma match king
Velocity: 2890
Rifle: Savage model 10, precision carbine, no after market mods
Barrel: savage 20" heavy contour
Trigger: savage accu-trigger
Stock: savage accu-stock
Suppressor: TBAC 30BA
Magazines: Dark Eagle Custom 10 round savage magazines
Optic: USOPTICS LR-17
Rings: YHM
Bipod: GG&G quick detach tactical
LRF: Bushnell elite 1600 monocular
Pistol: Sig Sauer p226 tac ops

Highlight: Top 308 place! I could not be more honored to win a new rifle.

Worst moment: taking a zero on E1, and C3 the "house", and on A1 where my data was 0.2 mil high, and getting a case stuck in chamber 4 rounds into the mover... anyone can overcome adversity.

Pro tip: of you are going to shoot 308, practice as much as you can afford and know your data, then trust it...
 
#16
enginerd said:
Collin Fossen

Place: 60
Points: 147
Cartridge: 308 win
Projectile: sierra 155gr Palma match king
Velocity: 2890
Rifle: Savage model 10, precision carbine, no after market mods
Barrel: savage 20" heavy contour
Trigger: savage accu-trigger
Stock: savage accu-stock
Suppressor: TBAC 30BA
Magazines: Dark Eagle Custom 10 round savage magazines
Optic: USOPTICS LR-17
Rings: YHM
Bipod: GG&G quick detach tactical
LRF: Bushnell elite 1600 monocular
Pistol: Sig Sauer p226 tac ops

Highlight: Top 308 place! I could not be more honored to win a new rifle.

Worst moment: taking a zero on E1, and C3 the "house", and on A1 where my data was 0.2 mil high, and getting a case stuck in chamber 4 rounds into the mover... anyone can overcome adversity.

Pro tip: of you are going to shoot 308, practice as much as you can afford and know your data, then trust it...
Click to expand...

But I read on SnipersHide that its unpossible for Savages to be reliable during the rigors of a tactical match...

2890 with 155s seems pretty good from a 20" barrel - care to share the load recipe?
 
#17
enginerd said:
Collin Fossen

Rifle: Savage model 10, precision carbine, no after market mods


Highlight: Top 308 place! I could not be more honored to win a new rifle.

Worst moment: taking a zero on E1, and C3 the "house", and on A1 where my data was 0.2 mil high, and getting a case stuck in chamber 4 rounds into the mover... anyone can overcome adversity.
Click to expand...

Great Job Collin. I was sitting a couple of places to your left when you were awarded the new rifle for being the top .308 shooter. Great work and congratulations on being such a good shot with the .308, better than me, that is for sure.

BoilerUP said:
But I read on SnipersHide that its unpossible for Savages to be reliable during the rigors of a tactical match..
Click to expand...

Yeh, until you read that he got a stuck case on the mover stage. Not the most reliable machine to run at these matches. But that is just my opinion, humble as it may be.
 
#18
James Vick

Place: 12
Points: 197
Cartridge: 6 Creedmoor
Projectile: Berger 105 Hybrids
Velocity: 3030
Gunsmith: TJ's Gunsmithing, Aurora, CO - Fritz Alquist
Rifle: R700
Barrel: Bartlein 8 twist med varmint
Trigger: Jewell
Stock: AI AX
Suppressor: TBAC 30P-1
Magazines: AI
Optic: U.S. Opitics ER-25
Rings: U.S. Optics
Bipod: Atlas
LRF: Leica Geovids and Terrapin
Pistol: Smith and Wesson M&P 9

Highlight: The whole match and weeekend. Got to hang out with great people - met a lot of new ones. Camped with some good buddies. Squaded with some of my best friends. Watched two ladies win thier first match rifles. Couldn't ask for a better weekend shooting.

Worst moment: Couldn't read my own hand writing and dialed the wrong dope which dropped me out of a top 10 place.

Pro tip: Dry fire practice in position every night. Have a plan for each stage as presented but recognize when it is time to adjust the plan b/c it is not working.
 
#19
#20
Nate Oines

Place: 33
Score: 175
Cartridge: .260 Rem
Projectile: 140 Berger Hybrid
Est. velocity: 2840 fps
Action: R700
Barrel: Krieger 8 twist
Builder: Garys Gun Shop, Sioux Falls, SD
Suppressor: Gemtech HVT
Stock: Manners T4A
Bottom metal: Manners mini-chassis
Optic: Bushnell 3.5-21 G2DMR
Rings: Seekins
Base: Nightforce
Trigger: Remington
Rest/Prone: Harris
Rest/Supported: My hand
Sling: TAB
LRF: Zeiss
Handgun: Glock 34

Highlight: Meeting a lot of really nice people.

Worst moment: None

IMG_20140525_165600.jpg
 
#21
BoilerUP said:
2890 with 155s seems pretty good from a 20" barrel - care to share the load recipe?
Click to expand...

Note this is with a 20" barrel do not try this first off... Don't blame me if you blow up your gun.

Bullet: 155gr Sierra Palma Match King
Brass: Lake City Match
Powder: IMR 4064
Charge: 45.8gr
Primer: CCI 250
Overall Length: 2.860

All brass was trimmed to 2.10" and each piece was chamfered at the case mouth and primer pockets cleaned.

I was getting 0.60" groups at 100 yards with a 1:10 twist barrel.

Hope this helps.
 
#22
30calgal said:
I was really nervous going in to this match. The famous Sniper's Hide Cup. I had such a great time and I learned a lot. Especially that I am getting out of 308. I am attaching my article from my blog about my experience. Here is link if you are interested! Thanks again Frank! I hope I got all names correct. Let me know if not.

2014 Sniper?s Hide Cup ? Cacti, Snakes and Prairie Dogs | 30 Cal Gal | Rifles & Competitions
Click to expand...

I read your blog. Instead of "30calgal", how about "6mm miss", "6mm matron" or "6 XC Chic". Or, even more daring, "6mm BRoad" or "6mm Bench-Rest Broad".

Not trying to be derogatory, just sayin'

Glad to see you at the match Annette.
 
#23
enginerd said:
Note this is with a 20" barrel do not try this first off... Don't blame me if you blow up your gun.

Bullet: 155gr Sierra Palma Match King
Brass: Lake City Match
Powder: IMR 4064
Charge: 45.8gr
Primer: CCI 250
Overall Length: 2.860

All brass was trimmed to 2.10" and each piece was chamfered at the case mouth and primer pockets cleaned.

I was getting 0.60" groups at 100 yards with a 1:10 twist barrel.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Deleted (PM'd reloading question).
 
#24
Place: 16
Score: who cares
Rifle Builder: GA Precision
Cartridge: 6mm Creedmor
Projectile: 105 Berger Hybrid
Est. velocity: 3180 fps
Action: Surgeon 591
Barrel: Bartlein 26" with surefire brake
Stock: KMW Sentinel
Bottom metal: KMW
Optic: Razor 5-20 EBR2B
Rings/Bases: Seekins
Trigger: Tuned Remington
Rest/Prone: Harris
Rest/Supported:
LRF: Vectronix Terrapin
Handgun: B. Morgan's 2011 and BigDog's G34 (mistake not to bring my own pistol :( )

Highlight: Being able to get back into matches next to some good friends after a 3 year break due to work

Worst moment: Missing every pistol target on a stage due to a front sight almost falling out of the gun, which kept me out of top 10 :( I'm not used to missing big pistol targets like that.

Protip: Get off your belly, I practice a lot of positional stuff and still identified stuff i need to work on. Too many people fall prey to staying prone in practice. If you have a solid foundation of positional stuff then you have a lot of experience to draw from instead of trying to learn on the fly at a match.

I had some tracking issues on my scope and still had a blast, been to enough matches to know very few go perfect. Gave me plenty to work on. Flow was awesome, courses of fire were good, always things that can be cleaned up and I'm sure frank will have an even better event next year. Thanx to B. Morgan and Wade, Tom, Ryan for being my sanity check all day. Definitely gave me consistency to strive for, you guys are awesome.
 
#26
Jeff Fox

Place: 63
Score: 144
Rifle Builder: RW Snyder
Cartridge: 6.5 Creed
Projectile: 140 Berger Hybrid
Est. velocity: 2778 fps
Action: Defiance Rebel
Barrel: Bartlein 25" with SAS brake.
Suppressor: SAS Ti Arbiter .30-cal
Stock: Manners TF1A
Bottom metal: Manners Mini-chassis
Optic: Vortex Razor HD, ebr-2b
Rings/Bases: Spuhr/Defiance
Trigger: Timney
Rest/Prone: Harris
Rest/Supported: N/A
LRF: Don't have one
Handgun: HK USP compact 9mm

Highlights: #1...making new friends! And, just being there and learning how to compete with a rifle. This was my first match. I learned what gear I need (LRF, Kestrel, binos), what I need to work on (non-prone shooting positions) and how to put it all together in a competition environment. More valuable than anything I got off the prize table was the knowledge I walked away with and how I need to apply it for the next comp (I'm hooked) to do better.

Another highlight was seeing two guys in my squad that I shot with all weekend walk away with rifles! Collin for high .308 and Christian with the AT!! Also seeing one of my squadmates place in the top ten. Outstanding! Final highlight I'll mention is Rich...his rifle broke on the second stage of Bravo (B3) on day ONE. He drove to Mile High, got a replacement part, came back out, met up with us over on Charlie and got back in it. He lost a lot of points but managed to beat me by one! He even cleaned E1 on Saturday. Damn fine shooting!

Worst moments: Brain-fart on the first stage on the last day (A4) whereby I blew the wind call on the far car...holding left when wind was blowing left...shit. It was an easy stage and I should have cleaned it. Also, getting flustered/rushed and losing easy points by screwing up the sequence of fire in a few stages, i.e.- shooting targets out of order.

Amateur tip: Get off your keyboard and go out and shoot matches! I learned so much more in those three days than I have in the five years I've been reading these boards. It was humbling and an irreplaceable learning experience. It's amazing what these rifles can do when you do your part and know your drops. You have to get out and shoot though in order to master the wind.

Trust your gear, your training and your DOPE and you'll do fine. Big thanks to Frank, the RO's and everyone else who made this happen. Also thanks to my bud Patrick for driving solo to and from Ohio to see what all this long range shooting is about and RO'ing on A4. It was nice to have a familiar face around!
 
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#27
Christian Shank

Place: Ermahgerd!
Score:
Rifle Builder: RW Snyder
Cartridge: .260
Projectile: 139 Lapua Scenar
Est. velocity: 2820-2840 fps (reloader 17 explanation enough?)
Action: Defiance Deviant
Barrel: MTU profile Rock Creek 26" with RW Snyder Break (MTU was a bad choice for positional shooting)
Suppressor: No
Stock: Accuracy International AICS-AX
Bottom metal: AICS-AX
Optic: USOPTICS ER-25 GEN2XR
Rings/Bases: Spuhr
Trigger: Timney
Rest/Prone: ATLAS
Rest/Supported: Wiebad Todd Tac Pad
Sling: TAB
LRF: Borrowed Fusion Mile (mine broke)
Handgun: Glock G34

Highlights: Winning the Accuracy International AT at the raffle, I damn near had a heart attack. 2nd time I told Frank on Sunday... "Me? No way?"
Shooting several stages "clean" including the KYL / Hostage, and Culvert counter sniper stage on Bravo and my final stage on Alpha.
Seeing my buddy Rich come back from the disaster of a broken extractor, drive to Denver and come back to finish the match and shoot strong in spite of multiple soft strikes on primers for the remainder of the match. Much respect!
Seeing our squad mate Collin win High .308 which is something I chased but fell short on for 2 years of Cup. Way to go buddy!
Meeting new shooters, friendly RO's, friendly staff, getting to shoot with my friends.

Favorite Stages: Counter sniper: shoot the opposing snipers in the optic, how cool is that??? Alpha complex, pretty much all the stages there. Mover stage, Hostage stage, farm stage and car stage, shoot house stage.

Worst moments: Doing poorly on the positional shooting stages. You can bet I'll be lightening up my rifle for positional matches, lifting weights and practicing a LOT more positional in the near future. (barricade practice doesn't count for positional and i focused too much on barricade).

Amateur tip(s): (based on what I need to work on) Dry Fire Practice. Practice positional kneeling, sitting and standing off hand unsupported often. Practice and shoot with people that are better than you are. Practice your weak side. I lucked out and after breaking my right hand was forced to shoot left handed for 3 months.
 
#29
Adam Whitecotton

Place: 15
Score: 196
Rifle Builder: Jeff Hayes (Flounder) Rivers Bend Gun Company
Cartridge: 6mm Creedmoor
Projectile: Berger 105 Hybrid
Velocity: 3130
Action: Rem 700
Barrel: Bartline Med Palma 7.7
Suppressor: No
Stock: HS Police
Bottom metal: Badger M-5
Optic: Schmidt and Bender 5-25 MSR
Rings/Bases: Badger
Trigger: Timney
Rest/Prone: Harris
Rest/Supported: N/A
Sling: Blue Force Gear VCAS
LRF: Zeiss Victory RF Binos
Handgun: Glock G19

Highlights: Winning the Armasight Night Shoot and the shoot off for a CO-LR clip on. I couldn't believe it. Going into town with some of the guys from squad 2 we had a blast at Cables.
Shooting some prarie dogs after finishing E

Favorite stage: Movers

Worst moment: I shot really poorly on B-3/4. I also missed a bunch of second round hits after hitting with the first.

Pro Tip: Be extremely confident in your gun and your DOPE. If you second guess your equipment or data you will second guess your calls and miss targets.
 
#30
Place: 20 (WOAH!)
Score:
Rifle Builder: Patriot Valley Arms (me)
Cartridge: 6mm Lapua
Projectile: 105 Berger Hybrid
Est. velocity: 3040 fps
Action: Bighorn TL-2 (old style, why fix what ain't broken)
Barrel: Hawk Hill Custom 26.5"
Stock: Manners T4
Bottom metal: mini-chassis
Optic: Steiner M5Xi 5-25x56 MSR
Rings/Bases: American Rifle Company M10, Bighorn base
Trigger: Timney 511-U
Rest/Prone: Long Range Accuracy "Light Tactical"
Rest/Supported: dick beaters
LRF: Steiner 8x30R LRF Bino's
Handgun: Sig 229R

Highlight: Getting there. I am blessed with a friend that likes to travel in style and he made the trip happen, I can't thank him enough. As far as the match goes, staying in the game and shooting better than I expected. I got to see old friends and meet new ones.

Worst moment: Dumb moments, especially @ the movers.

Protip: Watch the pro's... they have the tips.



We have a new baby at home which has substantially cut back my actual range time. Thankfully I stumbled into a great air rifle and my yard allows me space to shoot it so I'm at least comfortable with the idea of odd shooting positions. I still need more of it though.

I'm really looking forward to next year's event. This was one of the most fun events I've attended yet, my hat is off to Frank, the event Sponsors, and especially the RO's that volunteered their time all weekend.
 
#31
Place: 34
Score:
Rifle Builder: MT Guns
Cartridge: 6.5 Creedmoor
Projectile: 140 Amax
Est. velocity: 2750 fps
Action: Tikka T3
Barrel: Bartlein 21"
Stock: XLR Evolution
Bottom metal: N/A
Optic: Vortex Viper PST 6-24 mil/mil FFP
Rings/Bases: EGW base, Warne AR height QD rings
Trigger: 2.5 lb. stock Tikka
Rest/Prone: Harris SBRM 6-9
Rest/Supported: TAB sling
LRF: Bushnell 1500 (did not work well at all)
Handgun: GLOCK 19 w/ 22 round mags :)

Highlight: The whole match was a blast with the crew that I was shooting with. Even the 16 hour drive.

Worst moment: Optimist; can't say I had a bad moment.

Protip: Pistol shots are easy points, make them count. Don't overthink things.
 
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