Saw a lot of you guys out at the Avenal PRS Regional Series Qualifier this weekend and had a great time shooting with some of you!
The Hide:
This stage spoiler is a hair out of sequence; I should have posted the "reticle ranging pitfalls" tips segment first as they both use the same base math. This stage also relies on some of the skill sets discussed in "Dave's devious dope stage," If you haven't seen that post, I recommend you go back and review it quickly.
This stage simulates setting up deep inside of a homemade hunting blind or other hides where the shooter is set back from a small opening in foliage or other obstructions.
The stage will have a boundary area between point-blank and 5 or 6 yards (see the orange flag tape), with a makeshift wall with two small ports that the shooters must shoot through to hit
targets between 900yards and 700yards. This is a true team stage, if the shooters operate independently, they'll probably time out.
What it looks like - This 6-second clip shows Jon on the left and me on the right, proofing the stage. We are shooting a 900yard target through a 1-1/2" loophole. For the record, staying on glass is not helpful because you can NOT see your partner's target from the loop your shooting, that why I just came off the glass, I have a better chance of helping with my naked eyes, even better with Binos looking over the top.
The stage setup and scoring:
The guns may be staged with the mag out and bolt back inside the makeshift room marked by the boundaries of the flagging tape. Tripods and mags in hand, time starts. One shooter will shoot out of the upper loop, and the other shooter will choose the lower loop, shooters will engage two targets each at one of two specified distances and communicate to the RO their loop and target choice. The shooters may NOT use the same loop height as their teammate, and each shooter must shoot a different distance. There will be a small and large target at each of the two ranges.
Shooter one will let the RO know what loop and target distance they choose, then engaged the small target first, worth 4pts for a first-round hit, 3pts for a second and third-round impact. Then the large target with the points value being 3pts for a first-round hit, 2pts for a second, and 1pt for a third-round impact. Shooter two will follow confirming they are shooting out of the alternate loop and alternate distance using the same points schedule. This is a high-value stage, so that time management will play a key role. We will have a tape measure on site.
What's the catch? Well, if there is any contact with the loop board or the tape surrounding the loophole that shooter will score a 0 for their stage, the other teammate's score will count as long as they shot cleanly without damaging a tape or loop board. The RO will inspect the tape and board once the team finishes their time. New tape will be installed after the teams examine and score their stage.
Above is what it looks like when you miss the loop window. If you look closely at the upper loop on the left side, you can see three bullets that clipped the loophole. The target might still have an impact, but this shooter zeroed his attempts.
How does a loop Look through my scope? Below is a bit of over dramatic representation, but I think it helps illustrate a major issue.
Parallax can be a huge issue and does not allow the shooter to see the boundaries of the loophole's actual location when you're not centered in the scope. An old school trick used to ensure your scope is parallax free is scope shadowing. It is super fast and simple, move your head back slightly until you see even shadowing all around the ocular. It can be useful in several real word situations even today. Be it a stage with poor body position containing both near and far targets without the time to adjust it to a long-range target where mirage makes it very difficult to ensure the parallax is correct. What's happening is the even shadow around the ocular is indicating that your optical path through the scope is lined up and centered, or make a pinhole in your cap. See more here:
https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...allenge-match-11-22-2020.6980614/post-8556127
It would be best if you lined up correctly, and that parallax doesn't make you think the loop window is clear. The other issue you'll encounter is that you can not accurately scale the opening. In this case, We'll give you the opening size so you'll be able to work out the math if you want to understand what's happening.
First, think of the loophole as a near range target with a secondary target at the end. So, let's use the very same base number for the
reticle ranging stage. 27.78 is the number used to mil range targets in the distance using inches of target height -
(Target size in inches x 27.78) / Mils = yardage
1. Let's rearrange that formula slightly to get the mil size of a target. In this case, we'll use a 2" target (or opening) and known yardage.
1mil = 3.6” @ 100y
100mil = 3.6” @ 1y or 3’
3.6” is 0.2778 of 1”
100mil x 0.2778 = 27.78
27.78 mil per 1” opening @ 3’
At 12’ (3’x4) it is : 27.78 / 4 = 6.945mil per “ of opening
2” opening at 12’ measures 13.89mils
The formula shows us our operational window, even if it is too close to the reticle measure clearly via our scopes.
2. Using your solver, set the target distance to the distance of the obstruction. We need to find out what problems the distance creates for or SOB and the bullet arc at the loop wall. This will show you just how low the center of your projectile will be below your POA.
Here I set my target distance to 12' or 4 yards to see how many mils below my crosshairs the bullet's center
3. Account for your bullet.
Here I set my target distance to 12' or 4 yards to see how many mils below my crosshairs the bullet's center. At 12 feet, 6.5mm bullet is .264" or 1.83mils thick; we need to be concerned with the bottom half in this example.
6.5mm at 12' is 1.83mils
1.83mils / 2 = .915mils
So I have 15mils let say 17mils, for safety under my unaltered crosshairs to clear the lower part of the loop.
4. Subtract your come-ups from your intended target from the bullet path.
Target @ 900Y = U6mils
17-6mils = 11mils
As long as I can see 11 mills under my targe I should be GTG - (remember the loop is 13.9 mils from that distance)
But wait, some cases are not that simple; if the distance creates a larger come-up than the bullet path is at or about your LOS, you have to be concerned about the top of the loop. Let's say I am back further, and the target is further. Let's use 10y; at 10y, I only need U5.2, let's say U7 for safety. With a target at 1400 yards, I'd need U13. Now your safety is also above the crosshairs with maybe 10mils (8mils + 2mils for safety), as well as below.
5. Or you can use a program like FFS and all the math is done for you. But really the thread is about understanding a bit more and, if nothing else, just to get you to think how all these parts work together.
5. The entire key is in the tripod height setup.
If you set the target up like most people would, your sure to impact the loop's boundary.
If we remember from the above sample we needed about 11mils of clearance below our POA in order not to clip the bottom of the loophole. The way to accomplish this is to set your tripod height high enough so the target is very close to the top of the loophole, not centered.
Depending on the distance to the loop and target distance, the image below is how the sight picture might look.
The truth be told, for the set up we're presenting, if you do this and set up towards the rear of the hide, you'll do just fine without any math— just don't tell anyone you know the code.
6. The Key is teamwork
The Key to this stage is how your team helps each other fine-tune their tripod heights to set up the sight picture like above and to fight the clock. When we used adjustable center columns, this was much easier to do by yourself. But the tripods were so wobbly the target needed to be substantial. It might be a good idea to go back to the tripod tips segment and see why I suggested always error on setting up too high. It is just way easier and faster to micro-adjust your height using gravity, don't try to fight it. Consent communication is going to play a role in your team's organization at every stage, but this one will take more than most. If you are moving the rifle in this stage OR making a tripod adjustment, the gun must be safe, unloaded, bolt back, and mag removed.
My approach would be (not the only way):
1. Both teammates use their binos and line up their loop with their selected target choice. Ensure that the target appears near the top of the loop but in the center of the Binos. Each shooter should make a mental note of exactly how high their Binos need to be to look at the target correctly.
2. Each teammate should reference the bino height of the other as well so that when tripods are set you’ll have a second set of memories and communicate if you see your partner is setting up at the wrong height. These levels will be just about the same for your scopes. Again, if you are going to error, and you will, error on the slightly higher side.
3. Both shooters start setting up their tripods at the rough height with the rifles still staged on the dirt, bolts back mags out.
4. The shooter in the higher loop would get the most attention first; as soon as he thinks he's close to having the height, he should mount his rifle, noting the above safety rule (his teammate can help). On the glass, the shooter, should be communicating to his teammate if he needs the tripod to go up or down. I would have my teammate helping make these adjustments. Once shooter one is ready, he should confirm with the RO he is making ready, firing through the appropriate loop, and confirm the target.
5. Shooter two should be on his tripod with his gun mounted (bolts back mags out) and adjusting solo while shooter one is shooting. When ready, he can tell the RO he is making ready. Shooter two should be on his target and ready, if not, shooter one will need to finish his COF and make safe before they can help shooter two.
As I said, you should always be talking, shooter one should be giving wind to shooter two because shooter two can not see shooter one’s targets through their loop and probably will be setting up.
The shooting will be relatively easy, the time management difficult. This is something as a team you can practice; you do not even need to fire a shot, so practicing at home is valuable. Time can slip away, again as a team; you should be watching your timer or watch. Remember, the smaller targets three impacts are worth a high point value; if the first shooter runs over their time, it might make sense to skip the bigger target and let shooter two, bank points. That said, if you practice, you will have time.
How does this apply in the wild?
Of course, if you make a makeshift Hide like above it is easy to see the application. Knowing your limitations and windows will allow you to make a more stealthy natural hide/blind.
Shooting over walls, stumps, rocks, etc. that are between you and the animal is a good example of where you need to think about this very process. Hopefully, if nothing else this provides a bit of entertainment or maybe even inspiration to make a natural hide/blind next season.
Back to the index of Tips and tricks:
See the 2021 match schedule here: https://www.avenaltactical.com/ including the next UKD Team Match, 2 PRS Pro Bolt series, PRS SW Regional Qualifier, and monthly Hunter and PRS regional series, matches. Because our match was sold out 10 months in advance, we feel we should offer a spin up...
www.snipershide.com
