New to competition some basic questions

[the_sko]

Been lurking where I can just wanted to get a few questions out of the way. I am looking to do some PRS matches, either in the factory class or open, why? Because I love shooting and do a lot of my own setups here in the woods and while taking friends and especially the kids and getting them behind the glass and watching the excitement of them ringing plates at 1000 yards on their first shot.

Decent time reloading (15 years) and do it for all calibers, 9mm to .50BMG. My preferred caliber for matches would be 6.5cm. I see a lot of newer calibers out there but sticking with what I know and am comfortable with. That being said I went ahead and purchased a Bergara comp rifle. I'm sure folks are going to tell me I should have built but this at least lets me play in the factory class and see if it's for me.

My first question is glass. I am looking at the Razor 6-36, I believe this bumps me out of factory class? What if I can get it from a dealer for $2500? Even if it does not the end of the world. Also is this overkill? My previous 6.5 I was running a 3-18 Gen ii and 1000 yards was very achievable, just not sure if the matches are going to push the need for extra magnification. Maybe try to find one of these instead.

Second question, is there a basic list of gear I "need" to have for a match? Youtube search send me in a tailspin of stuff. I have plenty of crap from my shooting, something I'm out doing very often already, but anything huge must haves or more specifically competition required stuff I need to be aware of that might not be in the bag already?

Thanks for the advice all.

-Mike

 

[kthomas]

Need?

Rifle + scope, bipod, rear bag, mags (x2), ammo. Ballistics calculator with your inputs. Backpack to carry around gear. Barricade bag is great too, but you can always borrow one. Water & snacks.

Honestly I wouldn't be too concerned about staying in factory division - that division is a bit of a waste, IMO.

6-36 or 4.5-27 will work great, better than 3-18.

 

[Lightning8]

Rifle, bipod, position/rear bag, scope, app on phone for dope.
Bipod - Harris 6-9 good start.
Position/Rear bag - Armageddon Gear Schmedium with waxed cotton.
Razor Gen III great scope - get MIL not MOA

 

[Baron85]

What you need to start is:
rifle
scope
2 mags
ammo
eye and ear protection,
some ranges require chamber flags
ballistic calculator with your trued data
some way to manage your data during a stage (can be as simple as a note book to start)
A bag or backpack is really helpful for moving your stuff between stages.
Water and snacks.

Bipod would be almost a requirement but if you truly don’t have one people usually will let you borrow and good chances someone will have a spare.

The bags people will let you borrow and I strongly reccomend not buying any until you go to a match and try some different types to see what you like.

Tripod, people will let you borrow.

 

[the_sko]

You guys are great, appreciate the quote responses!

rifle - Done in hand and zero'd with the 3-18x
scope - 3-18x, looking to move to the 6-36x
bipod - Have an Atlas on it.
Tripod - Have a deathgrip tri-pod with upgraded head, love it
2 mags - Have one will buy another.
ammo - Endless, rebuilding the load for the new rifle but shooting great with the Hornady 143x's I've been shooting for years on target and hunting.
eye and ear protection - Check
some ranges require chamber flags - Check
ballistic calculator with your trued data - Check, have Kestrel and numerous apps
some way to manage your data during a stage (can be as simple as a note book to start) - Have a basic reloading notebook, been looking at other ideas.
A bag or backpack is really helpful for moving your stuff between stages. - Have backup(s), and a few loading bags. Just got a Bag to test out but assume I will need more once I get some practice time in.
Water and snacks. - Check



Ok sounds like I really need another mag and make a decision on the scope.

 

[the_sko]

Need?

Rifle + scope, bipod, rear bag, mags (x2), ammo. Ballistics calculator with your inputs. Backpack to carry around gear. Barricade bag is great too, but you can always borrow one. Water & snacks.

Honestly I wouldn't be too concerned about staying in factory division - that division is a bit of a waste, IMO.

6-36 or 4.5-27 will work great, better than 3-18.

that division is a bit of a waste, IMO.

Noted...

 

[Baron85]

I will also second that factory class is a waste unless you already have a factory class setup. Sounds like you have enough money and desire to buy nice optics.
I would not short change your self on optics just to stay in factory class.

It doesn’t matter what class you shoot in, each squad is mixed with all the different classes and the scoring doesn’t change as far as I know it’s just a matter of placement within that class at the end.

 

[Baron85]

Don’t waste money on a new scope until you go and try a few matches. Your 3-18 is plenty to get started and even enough to keep you going for a very very long time.

I still compete with a Burris Xtr3 3-18 and it doesn’t hold me back compared to my 5-30 scopes. I rarely shoot over 16x in a match and many times I’m in the 12-14x range for the majority of my shots.

The main place I like the extra mag range is for paper shooting and zero.

The 18 won’t hold you back I promise. Get a few matches under your belt, ask others at the matches to check out their optics and find out what you like and don’t like before dropping that kind of money especially because you already have something that will work great.

 

[the_sko]

I will also second that factory class is a waste unless you already have a factory class setup. Sounds like you have enough money and desire to buy nice optics.
I would not short change your self on optics just to stay in factory class.

It doesn’t matter what class you shoot in, each squad is mixed with all the different classes and the scoring doesn’t change as far as I know it’s just a matter of placement within that class at the end.

I should have added that I have a number of different scopes on other rifles, one being the ATACR 7-35 on my Barret that we use for the mile+ fun. I agree the 18x can do the job, as I am able to shoot at 1200 yards on steel and see impacts/misses for the most part.

It was more of a "is there a distinct advantage to having over power vs. another in these match setups?" type of question having not competed in one to date.

​

 

[the_sko]

I do appreciate the input here, making me think more about my setup.

 

[kthomas]

I should have added that I have a number of different scopes on other rifles, one being the ATACR 7-35 on my Barret that we use for the mile+ fun. I agree the 18x can do the job, as I am able to shoot at 1200 yards on steel and see impacts/misses for the most part.

It was more of a "is there a distinct advantage to having over power vs. another in these match setups?" type of question having not competed in one to date.

​

Scopes perform best in the middle of their mag range. Generally the lowest and highest mag settings have the worst optical performance, for one.

I've shot entire PRS matches on 12x before. However, if you are in a really stable position, a higher magnification will allow you to pick out subtleties that you wouldn't with a lower power. Such as 6mm impacts on a plate at a distance. Or picking up small traces of debris from a miss.

Yes, a 3-18 will certainly work. But you're handicapping yourself a bit, IMO.

 

[Jack_L]

You guys are great, appreciate the quote responses!

rifle - Done in hand and zero'd with the 3-18x
scope - 3-18x, looking to move to the 6-36x
bipod - Have an Atlas on it.
Tripod - Have a deathgrip tri-pod with upgraded head, love it
2 mags - Have one will buy another.
ammo - Endless, rebuilding the load for the new rifle but shooting great with the Hornady 143x's I've been shooting for years on target and hunting.
eye and ear protection - Check
some ranges require chamber flags - Check
ballistic calculator with your trued data - Check, have Kestrel and numerous apps
some way to manage your data during a stage (can be as simple as a note book to start) - Have a basic reloading notebook, been looking at other ideas.
A bag or backpack is really helpful for moving your stuff between stages. - Have backup(s), and a few loading bags. Just got a Bag to test out but assume I will need more once I get some practice time in.
Water and snacks. - Check



Ok sounds like I really need another mag and make a decision on the scope.

Tripod: don't expect to clip-in at a PRS match. They're mostly used to hold binos/LRF, a wind indicator (high tech wind evaluation device), your pack, and occasionally for rear-support on a stage. PRS is a LOT of using a dictated prop for a shooting position.

Data holder: there are a lot of options, this is an easy click and buy, and it doesn't require breaking a position to read:
Cole Tac Cheat Sheet
You can put tape over it, write your data, and pull it off after a stage, or just write directly on it with a sharpie and wipe it off with alcohol pads when you're done.

 

[the_sko]

Scopes perform best in the middle of their mag range. Generally the lowest and highest mag settings have the worst optical performance, for one.

I've shot entire PRS matches on 12x before. However, if you are in a really stable position, a higher magnification will allow you to pick out subtleties that you wouldn't with a lower power. Such as 6mm impacts on a plate at a distance. Or picking up small traces of debris from a miss.

Yes, a 3-18 will certainly work. But you're handicapping yourself a bit, IMO.

Kind of what I was thinking, going back and forth at different ranges would prevent zooming all the way in and back out from what I could see on matches posted on youtube.

 

[the_sko]

Tripod: don't expect to clip-in at a PRS match. They're mostly used to hold binos/LRF, a wind indicator (high tech wind evaluation device), your pack, and occasionally for rear-support on a stage. PRS is a LOT of using a dictated prop for a shooting position.

Data holder: there are a lot of options, this is an easy click and buy, and it doesn't require breaking a position to read:
Cole Tac Cheat Sheet
You can put tape over it, write your data, and pull it off after a stage, or just write directly on it with a sharpie and wipe it off with alcohol pads when you're done.

Ok good to know and now thinking about it you are correct most I saw was bino holders, not rifles.

Like the cheat sheet, simple and effective. I just print and tape my dope charts to the stock if I don't have the app handy. This looks like the way..

 

[Sheldon N]

Looks like you're on the right track.

I would say that you will probably find that Cole-Tac Woobie stretch poorly suited for positional shooting, it's not going to be nearly as stable as something like a gamechanger. There's very little risk in buying a sand-filled schmedium game changer before your first match. (pro-tip, take about 1/2lb of sand out of it so it's a bit more malleable).

Definitely bring binos, any pair will do. You want to be able to look at targets and memorize where they are before you shoot. If you get a gamechanger you can drape that over the top of your tripod and rest the binos on it so you have a stable viewing platform.

If you practice anything at all before you go to your first match, work on being able to point the rifle and find a target from varying height barricade shooting positions. Almost everyone spends their first match hunting around in the scope trying to find the target and only getting a couple shots off before time runs out. I've brought many first time shooters to matches and they come home only having fired 20 shots. It's a lot more fun if you can find the targets quickly and you get to shoot more.

 

[the_sko]

Bino - Check, have the Swarovski NL 10x42's that I use for archery hunting. Will do on the sand bag and yes after receiving the woobie I'm sure I will put it to good use but for what I see in the match setup's I don't see it being made for the long term. Will look into the bag you recommend.

With regards to shooting position, will do. Pretty excited about building a mini course of some sort at my local shooting hole and trying it out.