Sniper’s Hide Cup SHC Ruminations #1
- Thread starter Lowlight
- Start date
Forced mag changes love it.. Lol gunna make some "I wish my aw mag held 15 round bois" cry with that one
Yes I have done it and yes it’s hard but it would be 2 shots change positions.
As far as your comment about a tripod being the cost of doing business as a new shooter I have already put a good bit into a rifle and scope. You say knock off tripods are $700. Well as a new shooter I would rather spend that $700 on ammo and range time so as you put it.
I guess I will just stay home and won’t attend any of your matches.
As a new shooter you really can get by with a 129.00 bog pod. As you learn upgrade the head. There are ways around it. I used the aluminum tripod for setting the laser for work. I put a hog saddle on it and used it for shooting the chrongraph spotter whatever I needed. It worked. As the skill set out grew it I upgraded. That is in my truck every day for work. The hog saddle I used then is also in the truck in the case of whichever rifle is along for the ride. It isn't gucci but it will work
I promise I’m not trying to start shit but under the limited weight how much advantage is the hand loader going to achieve over a shooter shooting factory ammo? At the end of the day he / she still has to bring the shooting game to the table. Their load (hand loader) may shoot .2s all day in a rest but what about off the tripod, kneeling, etc etc. Some people will have a gifted barrel that’ll do the same with factory ammo. If one has a tuner and can tune the factory stuff to shoot better where is the difference? Maybe this is a moot point and I have it all wrong...
I’m new to these non service rifle type comps. I shot a local nrl22 match recently and besides shooting off of overturned home depot buckets and rickety wood ladders, having 8 or 9 targets at different ranges visible (only 4 were valid for score on that stage) in my 10x field of view almost broke my brain.
Any though been given to incorporate “decoy” targets in the course of fire? When the shooter gets online they are told to only engage targets with a certain shape or color. Hypothetically you would have to locate 5 specific targets out of a possible 8 target package visible. Lose points for shooting wrong targets.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I totally blew my first time through the land nav course at pendleton. I found myself in a clearing, standing in front of a checkpoint ammo can and I feel great that I found it with no trouble, until I do a 360 degree scan and see 3 other identical cans within 25 yards of me. I was Fucked.
Any though been given to incorporate “decoy” targets in the course of fire? When the shooter gets online they are told to only engage targets with a certain shape or color. Hypothetically you would have to locate 5 specific targets out of a possible 8 target package visible. Lose points for shooting wrong targets.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I totally blew my first time through the land nav course at pendleton. I found myself in a clearing, standing in front of a checkpoint ammo can and I feel great that I found it with no trouble, until I do a 360 degree scan and see 3 other identical cans within 25 yards of me. I was Fucked.
Jacob Bynum has been doing that for years. Doesn't matter what mags you use at his matches.
Last I checked a mag change with an AW magazine isn’t difficult even on the clock. Just have to practice and then it’s a non-event.
Just have to practice and then it’s a non-event.
This should go with any mags. Not just AW/ AX's...
Dude you can get a $140 PIG0311 tripod and make it work as a new shooter. Toss your bag on top and go at it. Then, over time and once you’ve been around enough to use your kit, you can ID any issues you might have and adjust from there
At $140, you can’t complain that you can’t afford a tripod to shoot off of for a match that costs $750 to enter and comes with a stack of other expenses (let alone any match of this type).
I’ve shot a few matches & I’m not making any claims to fame, etc, so take this for what it’s worth; my opinion is build your gun around your individual needs regardless of class. I’m building a gun now & whatever it weighs, it weighs that amount. Period. I don’t care which class I fall into because I’m only shooting against myself.
As for ammo, guys win matches w/ factory ammo too. I’m not telling you that you can’t do better w/ a load tailored specifically to your rifle, but you still have to put rounds in steel. Do you really think the top shooters couldn’t win w/ factory ammo?
We’ve all seen or heard of guys winning big matches w/ factory ammo. How many guys shoot hand loads & don’t do well? Those guys are out there too. Even if you’re the best hand loader in the world it still takes ability to put rounds on steel.
As for tripods, etc, everyone I’ve ever met at a match has been super cool about borrowing gear. Don’t worry too much over small things. Just get out & shoot.
As for ammo, guys win matches w/ factory ammo too. I’m not telling you that you can’t do better w/ a load tailored specifically to your rifle, but you still have to put rounds in steel. Do you really think the top shooters couldn’t win w/ factory ammo?
We’ve all seen or heard of guys winning big matches w/ factory ammo. How many guys shoot hand loads & don’t do well? Those guys are out there too. Even if you’re the best hand loader in the world it still takes ability to put rounds on steel.
As for tripods, etc, everyone I’ve ever met at a match has been super cool about borrowing gear. Don’t worry too much over small things. Just get out & shoot.
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As a new shooter, I don't know what I don't know. For me, I am concerned with making the initial equipment purchases just to get into the sport. I don't have much money so I have a single general purpose rifle that I can use for hunting and getting into this sport. I am trying to balance so many things that I definitely feel at a disadvantage to what I've seen for most competitions. However, the rules outlined above make me feel like it's more accessible to people like me and puts the emphasis on the skills and not the gear. A few notes I took reading the posts so far:
- Weight: As a single general purpose rifle owner, I keep the weight of the rifle down and I appreciate the requirement to carry all the equipment. However, as I am adding equipment to my my list of purchases I am trying to balance the total pack weight and cost. I may get a lightweight tripod in order to carry a heavier rifle. I save weight in some places to use it elsewhere. I understand the weight class restrictions to limit but also see it somewhat arbitrary if a person carries less stuff (the equipment list is pretty bare already), they can allocate more weight to the rifle and vise versa. Perhaps a total pack weight is a way to drive the innovation with what people take with them to enable a heavier rifle.
- Ammo/Cartridge: Again as a single rifle owner, I feel somewhat restricted to cartridge selection. If using a small caliber, I have to limit my range to ensure I have enough ethical kill energy. Having a popper style target that requires enough energy to knock over limits the range of shots a shooter could take and then it turns into a decision of shoot, no-shoot to manage positive and negative points like the SATs.
- Scoring: I really like the idea of positive and negative points. As a newer shooter, I think one of the best skills I can learn is to know my limits and how to manage them. I shouldn't take a shot on a quartering away animal behind a tree just like I shouldn't take a hostage shot with a 2MOA rifle. However, if I had more time, maybe some of that time would be well spent walking 100 yards to get closer and a better shot. It would be great to be able to have a season of scores to compare against my past scores to see my own improvement against myself instead of to the rest of the shooters. I wouldn't expect to get in a car and beat Kyle Busch. However, if I took a few seconds of my lap time, I would be pretty happy with myself. I see this all the time with performance measurement. It's usually best to compare oneself against oneself over time. In track we had a "most improved" award for the person had the highest percentage improvement in their personal bests over the course of the season.
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I'm definitely in! Only critique would be to make both classes 20 lb max. 24 lbs is still a very heavy rifle.
So I've got the PIG0311 and it's worked pretty well for me. I haven't shot off tripods much at all, though, since most matches around here don't allow tripods or just don't have any stages where we're shooting off a tripod. Where does a more expensive tripod really make a difference?
The stiffness, lock up, and weight rating is usually a bit better in your higher end tripods (which translates to stability). Higher the shooting position and the heavier the rifle, the more benefit you gain from a better
ball head/tripod. Pretty much your wobble zone is minimized by increasing the stability.
Just like a good ball head is more stable than a HOG/PIG saddle because of the rubber pads. If you have a shit ball head that wobbles bad, pop a bag on top of the tripod and you’ll probably be better off. Just like with a Harris, you’ll have to work harder/be on your game with a budget vs top-end tripod.
That’s just my $1.25 worth of word vomit though.
Lowlight. This sounds really cool and I’m excited. I’m new to this and my questions may be very basic. Have you considered a DM gas gun class. Secondly, are you considering some sort of basic land navigation as part of the courses? Another thought would be to use some of the equipment requirements of matches like Desert Brutality where you are required to carry all your gear for the match day?
Shit, Frank, it’s your match. Set the the rules. Enforce the rules. They’ll come or they won’t!
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