In combat I would probably prefer a semi. But we are not in combat. And comparing military sniper trained personal to top shooters in the PRS is not really fair. VERY few military/LEO shooters can out shoot their civilian counterparts...(I'm ex ARMY)
In the matches that I have shot with active duty sniper trained teams, they told me thats it's very intimidating to shoot with top PRS guys. " we are supposed to be the baddest mofo's on the battlefield and just got smoked by two old guys in overalls" was the quote a 2nd group team stated that was in my squad at a match.
When gas gun captures the top ten spots on the PRS then we will listen. And a lot of the top of the line gas gun manufactures owners run their bolts in comps....and win, Gap etc.
Sorry, guess I was not clear enough on a couple of things?
Last time I checked this was SNIPER'S HIDE. While it is very obvious that the actual LE & Mil Snipers participating here are significantly out numbered, and the majority of what goes on here actually has nothing to do with Sniping, it is nice if the discussion here is occasional based on real world facts and not just regurgitated internet reality.
Reliability - from where I set, the guy who could end up dead if he has a malfunction, versus the guy who would drop from first place to third place in a match, has a little bit more on the line when it comes to reliability. The fact of the matters is, there are plenty of Tier 1 Operators who are comfortable with the reliability level of their semi-auto rifles, contrary to some of the comments made here. Personally, I am going to base my decisions on feedback from from the real world, versus what is simply a popular opinion on an internet forum. Hence my reference to Military Operators.
Application - you are correct, I am not going to compare the SKILL SET of a Mil Sniper operating in a combat zone to that of a PRS Competitor operating on a one way range. I am not going to do that because it would be an apple to oranges comparison. As such, the 2 SF Operators should remember that if you took the PRS competitors and dropped them in the middle of a combat zone, that they would probably not do so well. The SF shooters may well be the baddest mofos on the battlefield, and the 2 PRS shooters may well be the baddest in competitive shooting, but no one should ever make the mistake of comparing the two against one another. That being the case, I am going to look at both of their skill sets, along with the skill sets possessed by Benchrest, Highpower, Long Range, 3-Gun, and any other shooters that that I can learn and benefit from. The key is making sure that I fully understand that just because it has relevance and works in one application, does not mean that it is it has relevance and will work the best for my given application.
Context - Sorry, but I could personally give a crap what position any rifle type/make holds in the PRS standings! Why?
- The standings in the PRS have a lot more to do with the Indian behind the Bow & Arrow, then they do with what Bow & Arrow that the Indian is using. I am willing to bet that you could change the rifle that they are using, and they still would win!
- If you look at the PRS top ten, the majority of them are sponsored shooters using the equipment that their sponsor supplies. You don't think that has anything to do with what equipment is being used?
- Running a Semi-Auto in the majority of the PRS matches would put you at a disadvantage due to the restrictions and rules. Why would a shooter choose to use a rifle system that put them at a disadvantage from the start?
- You also have to look at some of the match formats in terms of the ranges involved. Why would someone try and win a long distance match with an inferior caliber rifle?
There is value in what takes place in the PRS, however anything coming out of it must all be looked at in the context of the big picture. You are not going to see the top shooters in Long Range F-Class, NRA Higpower, or IBS Benchrest, doing what the shooters in PRS are doing. Likewise, contrary to popular belief, the Mil & LE Sniper communities are not going to live or die based on what is happening in the PRS. I participate in, and follow every form of shooting discipline that I can, because each one of them ultimately can add value to the other. That being the case, I also have to constantly make sure that I am keeping each one of them in perspective.
Apologies, if I am coming across as confrontational or aggressive, but as an old fart I am reaching a point where my tolerance for fact-less internet mythology is getting very limited. I work with new Civ, LE, and Mil shooters on a daily basis, and I can't begin to account for all of the garbage that they pick up off of various internet forums. One person reads it on one forum, and then turns around and posts it another, not having any idea if there is any truth to it or not. Plenty of people more than willing to give advice on a topic that they have never personally had anything to do with. After 28 years behind the rifle, my days of doing are pretty much over, I am now hoping that I can help those who will follow in my footsteps. My biggest challenge now, is trying to keep fact separated from fiction. I will cease with the rambling, Thanks.
