- First off, I wanna start by saying that I am fairly "newish" to the Hide. Even though I've been stalking the Hide's PX section for quite a while, this will be my first full blown review of a product on here. With that being said, I wanna begin this review with a brief understanding that I don't know it all, nor do I claim to. I have a fairly deep background in long range shooting and pride myself on being 100% unbias and unfiltered when it comes to shooting and create my own opinions based off of real world usage and self discovered knowledge. That being said, I approached Ian Kelbly of Kelbly's Inc. to write this review, and he and I are on the same page. I'm not getting paid, nor do I expect anything in return for this article.
- Quick rundown of myself so everyone can begin to understand how I see things.... Kinda. I've been shooting long range competitions in some form for the past 10 years. I started out trying to one up my buddies with BB guns, which morphed into centerfire rifles, at a young age. Hunting was a big part of how I grew up, so naturally I based all of my opinions and knowledge off of a hunting mindset. It wasn't until I found F-Class that shooting at distance became a focal point within my life and a true passion (in its most honest sense) began to form. I spent a good amount of time on those open firing lines learning wind and watching trace. This is where I learned general ballistics. This is where I talked with 100's of shooters about load development. This is where I shot terrible but learned from my mistakes. This is where I realized having the right tools of the trade counted. I still like to look back and thank F Class and its community for teaching me those things.
Jump forward to the inception of the PRS and Practical Tactical matches. I had already joined the military and had an essence of tactical shooting with watching the AMU and International teams duke it out on Ft. Benning (As a bystander, just wanna make that clear), so I had an understanding of practical precision fires. When I went to my first PRS event, F Class shooting was replaced immediately. I was fairly young, and PRS spoke to a new era of "progressive" competitions. Just watching had the most profound impact on me and I had to get involved.... Since then, PRS/NRL and "Tactical" style matches are all I have shot and it's easily been the most impactful activity within my life. Personal and professional. I've learned more shooting, made more friends, and gained more real world knowledge than I can even begin to think about. It truly has been the best learning platform to test new theories and take back to discuss in my professional career on a real world level.
With that out of the way, I implore everyone reading this that has questions or critiques, voice them. I'm a big boy, I can take it.
Build Breakdown----
Kelbly's Black Bear Tactical SA, Standard Face (308 Pattern), RH
Bartlein 1:10 Twist 308 Barrel (Yes I said 308)
Badger FTE Break (Had it lying around, the rifle will see a Thunder Beast CB and Suppressor soon)
Manners T4A
Vortex Razor Gen 2 4.5-47x56
Warne Mountain Tech 34MM Rings (I love these rings, they're American made, and have never failed me. They're cheaper, but every bit as strong as my Seekins or Badger)
ADM 34mm Recon SL QD
Mesa DBM
Timney Calvin Elite 2 Stage
ARCA Rail
Alpha Mags 10rd Magazines
- Quick rundown of myself so everyone can begin to understand how I see things.... Kinda. I've been shooting long range competitions in some form for the past 10 years. I started out trying to one up my buddies with BB guns, which morphed into centerfire rifles, at a young age. Hunting was a big part of how I grew up, so naturally I based all of my opinions and knowledge off of a hunting mindset. It wasn't until I found F-Class that shooting at distance became a focal point within my life and a true passion (in its most honest sense) began to form. I spent a good amount of time on those open firing lines learning wind and watching trace. This is where I learned general ballistics. This is where I talked with 100's of shooters about load development. This is where I shot terrible but learned from my mistakes. This is where I realized having the right tools of the trade counted. I still like to look back and thank F Class and its community for teaching me those things.
Jump forward to the inception of the PRS and Practical Tactical matches. I had already joined the military and had an essence of tactical shooting with watching the AMU and International teams duke it out on Ft. Benning (As a bystander, just wanna make that clear), so I had an understanding of practical precision fires. When I went to my first PRS event, F Class shooting was replaced immediately. I was fairly young, and PRS spoke to a new era of "progressive" competitions. Just watching had the most profound impact on me and I had to get involved.... Since then, PRS/NRL and "Tactical" style matches are all I have shot and it's easily been the most impactful activity within my life. Personal and professional. I've learned more shooting, made more friends, and gained more real world knowledge than I can even begin to think about. It truly has been the best learning platform to test new theories and take back to discuss in my professional career on a real world level.
With that out of the way, I implore everyone reading this that has questions or critiques, voice them. I'm a big boy, I can take it.
Build Breakdown----
Kelbly's Black Bear Tactical SA, Standard Face (308 Pattern), RH
Bartlein 1:10 Twist 308 Barrel (Yes I said 308)
Badger FTE Break (Had it lying around, the rifle will see a Thunder Beast CB and Suppressor soon)
Manners T4A
Vortex Razor Gen 2 4.5-47x56
Warne Mountain Tech 34MM Rings (I love these rings, they're American made, and have never failed me. They're cheaper, but every bit as strong as my Seekins or Badger)
ADM 34mm Recon SL QD
Mesa DBM
Timney Calvin Elite 2 Stage
ARCA Rail
Alpha Mags 10rd Magazines
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