Need info concerning Tactical Competitions.

[libertyman777]

Hi all,

I need some information concerning Tactical Comps. How are they designed, how do folks progress through the course, how are they scored, accuracy expectations, etc.

Here's some background. I facilitate a type of airgun competition called Field Target. We have a fair amount of participation but there are lots of rifles out there that are too powerful for our targets. We are limited to 20 fpe at the muzzle. But there is a huge number of airguns out there in .20, .22 and .25 that will run anywhere from 25 - 60 fpe and they are accurate. Also many of these rifles are equipped with "higher" end glass, starting with Bushnell 4200 and 6500 series, with some Sightron SIII, Leupold, NF, IOR, etc. The SuperSniper scopes are popular as are the Falcon scopes.

What I would like to do is set up a competition similar to what is shot with long range rifles but scaled down. Based on my experience and others I know, the reasonable range for these rifles shooting wasp waisted projectiles is 150 yards, perhaps a bit farther. They really suffer from the wind during deceleration but are accurate with sufficient velocity. I've included the video of a buddy from out West (with his permission of course) to show accuracy.

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My ideas are to use two or three different types of swinging targets of known size 2" 4", 8", and have them estimate range and take a certain number of shots, say 5 per target, to get two hits. Best score per target being a 2 and worst being a 5. Have them shoot for both individual scores and a two man team score, since one will be spotting and the other shooting.

Also, I could incorporate some bench/prone/offhand work on paper similar to some of the Rimfire Tacital matches I've read about.

But I'd like some input. What would you do? If you shoot these types of airguns, what would you like to see in a competition?

Thanks,

Paul

 

[Lucks]

Re: Need info concerning Tactical Competitions.

Send me your address and I'll mail you a match book from the Louisiana Tactical Precision Rifle Challenge I just put on earlier this month. The book will have stage descriptions, distances, points values, etc. We had 32 stages at the match I think....should give you some ideas.

 

[Mendocino]

Re: Need info concerning Tactical Competitions.

Why don't you just come shoot one of our matches ( Competition Dynamics ) ? If you don't have the kit come to a TBTG training and get a rental gun. You'll learn a lot fast.

 

[libertyman777]

Re: Need info concerning Tactical Competitions.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Mendocino</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Why don't you just come shoot one of our matches ( Competition Dynamics ) ? If you don't have the kit come to a TBTG training and get a rental gun. You'll learn a lot fast. </div></div>

Man, I would love to do something like that but for someone like myself, that type of training/competition is a "one day" type of dream.

Which is why I've come up with this idea. There are guys like me that would not be able to travel and compete but are very interested in learning how to use our scopes and rifles to shoot distant (for the equipment) targets. I've got a modified AF Talon/Condor in .22 that shoots at 34 fpe and will shoot .5" at 50 yards, and 1.5" at 100. Scope is a Bushnell 3200 10x40. I've got as much tied up in it as an entry level .308 but I can shoot it in my basement and backyard anytime. Match ammo is $15 per 500 rounds.

I also wonder how the two types of shooting correlate? For instance, a .22 caliber 18 grain pellet with a MV of 922 fps (34 fpe) has a 69 inches of drop and 30 inches of drift in a 10 mph full value wind. A 60 fpe .25 caliber has 61" of drop and 24" of drift, same wind. Any know?

 

[taliv]

Re: Need info concerning Tactical Competitions.

what kind of target can't handle an air gun?

even the little 22lr steel targets they sell at walmart should handle an air gun

 

[libertyman777]

Re: Need info concerning Tactical Competitions.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: taliv</div><div class="ubbcode-body">what kind of target can't handle an air gun?

even the little 22lr steel targets they sell at walmart should handle an air gun </div></div>

Good question. These kind>

The targets that are used for Field Target are specialized. They are called "fall when hit" targets. You have to hit the paddle and it pulls the target down to score a hit. Hitting the faceplate will not cause the target to fall and is a "miss". Ranges are 10 yards to 55 yards, unknown distance. Target kill zones range in size from 3/8" to 1.5".

Here's how there work>

Because of how the game is played and how they are designed to work, power has to be limited. The must fall with as little as 4 fpe on the paddle but remain standing with a 20 fpe strike on the faceplate.

 

[bmarc69]

Re: Need info concerning Tactical Competitions.

As far as correlation between the two types of shooting, your .25 example above is pretty close to a .308 with 168gr ammo at about 2600 fps at a distance of approximately 500-525 yards. Perhaps you could just change to some type of reactive targets and scale the target sizes down accordingly. Most targets at matches range from a silhouette down to 1/2 moa. Some target examples that should be fairly reactive with pellets would be things such as poker chips, golf balls, tennis balls, baseballs, softballs, etc. You could even use racket balls for something between golf and tennis balls. A golf ball is still a 1+ moa target at 100 yards. Throw in some stressors, physical exertion, and unconventional shooting positions and I think you could have a very fun match.

 

[libertyman777]

Re: Need info concerning Tactical Competitions.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bmarc69</div><div class="ubbcode-body">As far as correlation between the two types of shooting, your .25 example above is pretty close to a .308 with 168gr ammo at about 2600 fps at a distance of approximately 500-525 yards. Perhaps you could just change to some type of reactive targets and scale the target sizes down accordingly. Most targets at matches range from a silhouette down to 1/2 moa. Some target examples that should be fairly reactive with pellets would be things such as poker chips, golf balls, tennis balls, baseballs, softballs, etc. You could even use racket balls for something between golf and tennis balls. A golf ball is still a 1+ moa target at 100 yards. Throw in some stressors, physical exertion, and unconventional shooting positions and I think you could have a very fun match. </div></div>

Good idea on using the baseballs, softballs, etc. They should hold up well and would be a constant dimension and plenty reactive if hung from a piece of light chain or cable.

I was thinking about an overall time limit and penalizing anything over that time. The area is located near a powerline/natural gas line junction that traverses some steep terrain. There should be room for at least 20 different targets on that portion of the course. If I coupled it with some static paper punching type stuff and forced position, I should be able to come up with a 50-70 shot match pretty easy.

This is good stuff. Anyone else?

 

[libertyman777]

Re: Need info concerning Tactical Competitions.

Here's my rifle.

I haven't chrony'd it in a while but last time out I believe it was shooting just over 900 fps averaging 905 fps over 20 shots.
I went out back and lasered a stump in the pond that was 156 yards away. I would guess it's about as wide as a sheet of paper and a little taller. It took 32 minutes of elevation from a 50 yard zero to hit it. Winds were light and variable but were affecting the round. I think that will be a good initial limit.

For those that are interested there are two types of PCP (pre-charged pneumatic) rifles. Regulated and non-regulated. A regged gun is more consistent and they give a greater number of shots per fill but aren't easily adjustable for power. Non-regged rifles (like mine above) have to be shot along the fill curve. I fill to 2800 psi and get 24 consistent shots. Best case scenario would be the first shot about 890 then a progression up to 910 or so and back down to 890. A tighter curve is better but it's something of a balancing act. It's kinda like reloading. You find a pellet weight and velocity that your rifle likes and then find the fill pressure and other internal settings that give a consistent output.