I competed (I use the term compete very, very lightly) in the Heartbreak RnG at Blue Grass Sportsmen's League this weekend and had a blast.
The competition was humbling, to say the least. I hadn't shot a competition of any sort before this weekend and I hadn't actually shot at all, other than confirming my zero, since last September. I was a late addition when someone else pulled out and I thought I could just jump in and roll with it. My second-to-last place showing is proof that rolling with it isn't quite enough.
To that end, I want to share some thoughts and takeaways from the event. It was a really well run event and I don't have any complaints, just some thoughts on what I'll be doing to prepare for next year that might help someone else looking to try their first run and gun.
Prepare, prepare, prepare. No matter how fit you are, this course will probably hurt. If you're fit, at least you'll be done more quickly.
-Don’t do heartbreak class as your first competition. If you aren't sure you're good with Heartbreak (or other weighted-class), just go for Light. There's nothing wrong with it and you'll have a more enjoyable day.
-Know your hold overs and unders. Ranges aren’t terribly long, but the short targets are pretty small. If you don’t know your holds, you’ll miss. (I missed a lot, literally last place in shooting for the comp).
-Practice with your gear ahead of time. If you’re going to run a gun belt, run one in practice too. Moving weight to your hips will throw off your run / hike. I didn’t even put my belt together till the day before the race and that was a poor choice. You also want to make sure that your gear is solid and not shifting too much.
-Trails work your ankles, don’t just work on the treadmill or stairclimber. I thought I was in pretty good shape coming in and I realized otherwise pretty quickly. I was good on the roads but the trails kicked my ass.
-Run the smallest backpack you can, the closer to your body the better. My bag was comfy but wide, particularly with a Nalgene strapped to either side. This wasn’t a big deal on the trail but it was a pain during the obstacle course. I used 550 cord and a biner to drag my pack, which helped, but it still got snagged coming through a few obstacles. A small pack would have allowed me to keep the bag on through the crawling portions of the obstacle course.
-Pack as close to the target weight as possible, then add your ammo and water. I packed heavy and started the day carrying 64lbs, including my rifle and pistol. If you want to be a hard ass, go for it…but it’s going to hurt.
-Show up early, run early. Check-in started at 6:30. I showed up at 6:31 and didn’t get on the course till 10:55. At that point, the morning ice had turned into mud. Running in the morning would’ve made the obstacle course easier, as the mud would have still been frozen.
-Practice positional shooting and offsets. VTACs are going to come up, including awkward shots with weird holds. Offset irons or a dot would be helpful.
-Double check your gear. My sling broke midway through the second stage, leaving me to rig it up for the rest of the run. Had I checked it ahead of time, I would've likely been fine.
I'm sure I'm missing things, but this is a start.
The competition was humbling, to say the least. I hadn't shot a competition of any sort before this weekend and I hadn't actually shot at all, other than confirming my zero, since last September. I was a late addition when someone else pulled out and I thought I could just jump in and roll with it. My second-to-last place showing is proof that rolling with it isn't quite enough.
To that end, I want to share some thoughts and takeaways from the event. It was a really well run event and I don't have any complaints, just some thoughts on what I'll be doing to prepare for next year that might help someone else looking to try their first run and gun.
Prepare, prepare, prepare. No matter how fit you are, this course will probably hurt. If you're fit, at least you'll be done more quickly.
-Don’t do heartbreak class as your first competition. If you aren't sure you're good with Heartbreak (or other weighted-class), just go for Light. There's nothing wrong with it and you'll have a more enjoyable day.
-Know your hold overs and unders. Ranges aren’t terribly long, but the short targets are pretty small. If you don’t know your holds, you’ll miss. (I missed a lot, literally last place in shooting for the comp).
-Practice with your gear ahead of time. If you’re going to run a gun belt, run one in practice too. Moving weight to your hips will throw off your run / hike. I didn’t even put my belt together till the day before the race and that was a poor choice. You also want to make sure that your gear is solid and not shifting too much.
-Trails work your ankles, don’t just work on the treadmill or stairclimber. I thought I was in pretty good shape coming in and I realized otherwise pretty quickly. I was good on the roads but the trails kicked my ass.
-Run the smallest backpack you can, the closer to your body the better. My bag was comfy but wide, particularly with a Nalgene strapped to either side. This wasn’t a big deal on the trail but it was a pain during the obstacle course. I used 550 cord and a biner to drag my pack, which helped, but it still got snagged coming through a few obstacles. A small pack would have allowed me to keep the bag on through the crawling portions of the obstacle course.
-Pack as close to the target weight as possible, then add your ammo and water. I packed heavy and started the day carrying 64lbs, including my rifle and pistol. If you want to be a hard ass, go for it…but it’s going to hurt.
-Show up early, run early. Check-in started at 6:30. I showed up at 6:31 and didn’t get on the course till 10:55. At that point, the morning ice had turned into mud. Running in the morning would’ve made the obstacle course easier, as the mud would have still been frozen.
-Practice positional shooting and offsets. VTACs are going to come up, including awkward shots with weird holds. Offset irons or a dot would be helpful.
-Double check your gear. My sling broke midway through the second stage, leaving me to rig it up for the rest of the run. Had I checked it ahead of time, I would've likely been fine.
I'm sure I'm missing things, but this is a start.
