How do you like the Kongsburg targets? Are they pretty reliable? How do they act in heavy wind?
I never understood why NRA and CMP stopped allowing the old iron and steel rifles as service rifles (M1A being the exception) but you can shoot a 20" barreled space gun with a 4x scope and you're good.
The Kongsburg targets are a work in progress. I only shot them once at Talladega, they worked great there. I shot them twice at the OK City games. They had problems the first time with the wiring to the targets. Had to cancel a couple matches, including the 600 yard stage in 2016. Last April they had the wiring figured out but for some odd reason they wouldn't register some hits. The Range Officers called them total misses but I found it odd that several people were keeping them in the X-10-9 ring, all of a sudden a clean miss with no cross fires on either side of the target. This happened more then once to different shooters.
Just read that yesterday they had to stop an EIC match at Perry because the circuit boards fried or the wiring got ripped out.
When they work they are great but if they don't............I'm still on the fence. I miss the comradery of the pits. I've met some great people in the pits, more so then on the firing line. Some of my greatest memories of high power come from the pits.
I know what you mean about the Service Rifles. That's one reason I like the CMP Games, those rifles have to be as issued. No modifications, no match rifles. The NRA Service rifles "aren't" I haven't shot much NRA high power since I got my DR Badge until recently. Not sure I like the way these matches are going. The ARs are nothing like the ARs I used in the army. My Model 1903A3/A4 had to compete against some pretty fancy space guns. They were using tri-pods, scope. The F Class categories were more like bench rest set ups. Weird contraptions for rest, some look like spiders.
NRA High Power has turned into a Money Game, I'm not sure I like that. To be honest, the CMP's Modern Military is going the same way. If you don't have a fancy scoped AR, you're not going to be competitive. I don't shoot that, I stick to the Garand, Springfield, Military (other vintage pre-1955 rifles), M1 Carbine and Vintage sniper.
They are even talking about a Modern Sniper Class. I see that turning into a Precision Rifle Match.
Frankly I don't see where this is going. I hate to see it becoming a rich mans sport. I like the ideal of shooting a match with military arms from your father's or grandfathers attic.
But I feel I'm in the minority. I'm too old to care, I wont win any matches any more, but I'm into shooting for fun. I'll keep shooting my old rifles. Even in 3-gun I shot a 1898 30-40 Krag, M1911 USGI Pistol and Win Model 97 Trench gun. The pistol club I shoot with is going more to the USPSA matches. But if they do have another 3-Gun match I'm gonna shoot a Mosin Rifle and Nagant Revolver. Might take me a week to get through a stage (ever do a fast reload on a Nagant revolver.
I don't know where High Power is going. Some parts I like, the ARs have gotten a lot of kids and women into the sport, that part I like. I got my Distinguished Rifle Badge with an M14. M14s are rare as hen's teeth in HP matches now days.
Heck even the CMP has a Glock Match how, yet they wont let you shoot a revolver in the Military and Police Pistol matches. CMP was about Vintage Rifles and Pistols. Lot of vintage cops carried revolvers. I did, I was issued a Smith Model 28 and carried it for 20 years. But I cant shoot it in the Military and Police Matches.
Whatever, I'm not buying a damn Glock.
Sorry for the rant. Guess I'm getting old. Maybe I'm just complaining cause I cant shoot any more and using my pre-war rifles vs. space guns as an excuse. Now when I can get to load and shoot my Trapdoor (10 rounds in 80 seconds rapid fire) I'm gonna give them hell.
