PRS Talk What to expect at K&M

[HonkyTonk86]

Coming from west coast having only shot PRS/NRL matches west of the Rockies (plus PRS Finale last year) what can I expect going to GAP Grind this year? Props? Avg target size? Movement? Wind? Typical stressors?

in advance

 

[DairyDictator]

It'll be one of the best run matches you'll attend. Pretty heavily positional match with stable props. Tighter time limits at 90s. Avg target size likely going to be in the .4 - .5 mils range, but very little wind to worry about.

 

[Baron23]

Avg target size likely going to be in the .4 mils range

Wow....really? At what range would you say...just curious.

 

[DairyDictator]

Wow....really? At what range would you say...just curious.

Match will probably go out to 1000, with 90% of the targets being within 800.
The match has to have small targets when your wind call is typically spin drift or straight up with little deviation.

 

[HonkyTonk86]

Doesn’t seem like there would be many (any?) tripod rear stages but if so is it typically tripod deployed on the clock?

 

[DairyDictator]

K&M is one of the few/only places where I've seen tripods are deployed on the clock. Only props you might need it for are bus windows and cattle gate. Everything else is solid.

 

[Hickswr]

YouTube is your friend. Lots of AG Cup footage available and several other matches also. Just search K&M. One guy filmed an entire match with a Trigger Cam.

Expect a little bit of everything except wobbly props and wind.

 

[M4orturnate]

It's a place worth going to every year. Well thought out cof without any carnival shit. It will be a fair but challenging match with a few targets under moa

 

[Roksliding]

GapGrind k&m- A ton of people. So many people, 20 person squads, pros do all the spotting, some stages AMs have a different COF, Solid props, all prone will be done from shaded concrete floors, 90sec par, rarely leaving plate for wind, soupy mirage, afternoon sun that’ll make seeing targets tough. Zero day is a war zone, get there 1hr before they say it opens, they’ll already be people shooting.

 

[Jack_L]

I feel it remiss to not mention that most of the ranges are near golf course level of grounds-keeping.

 

[Caymanboy]

Have your dope loaded and ready. There is not much time between stages.

 

[Caymanboy]

I feel it remiss to not mention that most of the ranges are near golf course level of grounds-keeping.

 

[HonkyTonk86]

Looks epic can’t wait!

 

[M4orturnate]

Looks epic can’t wait!

The prize table will be good to especially if you get in the top 50

 

[sachsmart]

One of the best matches in one of the finest (Augusta of shooting ranges) ranges in the world. You will be well fed and taken care of.

Carry rain gear. It typically rains in October in TN.
The 1000 yrd ranges get soupy with mirage so make sure you have set your parallax properly before each stage.
Don't leave the plate..lol
Book a place to stay ASAP, there is nothing close by. If you are staying in Henderson, don't leave anything in the car overnight
Flying in to Nashville >Flying into Memphis

Its going to be a great experience, soak it all in.

 

[giumau1]

Planning for next year…heard that there will be a three day match end of May. Any other recommendation ( stay/sleep and such)

 

[sierra2]

As others have said, it is by far the nicest shooting range I’ve ever been on, and it seems they sink a ton of money into it each year making additional improvements! SO many improvements since my first Grind in 2019
They reduced the attendance last year. I think squads are capped at 16 now instead of 20. Still…a LOT of people!
Get there early for the check-in/tune-up day, and have fun with the side stages that day too! A few premium sponsors will have side stages with prizes for the top PRO and top AM.
The match itself is twenty stages over two days, and I believe there were three, maybe four, that were at or very near 1000 yards last year. They added more prone stages last year than in previous years. Most others will be between 400 and 800 from various positions, and there will be at least one, maybe two, mover stages.
Prepare for anything! We’ve had mornings in the low 40’s and afternoons near 90. They usually try to get through at least 11 stages on Saturday to shorten up Sunday. The last stage or two on Saturday will most likely finish with the sun in your eyes, making it nearly impossible to see through your scope, so plan accordingly. You ARE allowed to use whatever you take to the line with you to help you with the sun. The PRO’s can help the AM’s with that, but PRO’s are on their own. I’d also strongly suggest bringing knee pads. After 2021 (the big muddy mess), every shooting line is either concrete or large gravel. It’s nice that you’re no longer laying in a swamp (my wife has a picture of me prone in a mud puddle up above the clubhouse), but the large gravel sucks on the kneeling stages! Most of all…have fun!

 

[sachsmart]

Can’t emphasize enough to take good knee pads. One of my friends in my squad at the Kahles match had a rock dig into his knee pad and cut up his knee pretty good

 

[Roksliding]

Bring a bottle of water too. There’ll be water all over just no cups or bottles. Stop at the gas station in the morning grab a bottle of water and refill it throughout the day

 

[davere]

Shot the Grind last year - shooting it again next weekend. K&M is a gorgeous square range facility (as the pictures above attest).

Comments about bringing a water bottle, etc, are spot on. If you end up shooting later on Saturday evening, the low sun is in your face and brutal (plan an ARD and something to help cover your face to cut reflection from your face on the ocular lens - it's gonna suck either way, but hope you get a stage that's a little easier to see on).

Lots of prone stuff, where you start prone on the rifle - it helps with match pace. Props last year included tires, barricades, rocks, cement culverts, a helicopter, cars, cattle feed ring, shipping containers with ports in the walls, etc. Generally all very solid stuff. We were allowed to start with tripod deployed on at least one stage last year, but it didn't make that much difference to stability on the stage.

Expect a couple of long walks, including a hike up ... what, 50' elevation? ... for the highest numbered stages. They have trailers that help with rides between major parts of the range, and some of the gravel is pretty chunky - several of the folks that I shoot with favor carts for their rifles and did nothing but struggled all weekend trying to get their carts around across the range. I'd recommend just hoofing it and catching a ride on the trailers for the big moves.

Friday will be mayhem (they only have one of the three ranges open, and everyone is there). But its manageable with some patience. It's best to not need to get a lot of real work done that day, and instead check out the props for the low numbered stages (you won't know what the stage procedures are, but basically everything there was used last year. We also had three mover stages - and two of the movers were available to shoot on Friday.

If you are toward the end of the results, be prepared for the person running awards (was Shannon last year) to just call a free for all on the prize table toward the end. It's kinda rude (considering that the people who are finishing down that end are the expressed target competitors for the match, typically), so just be ready to find something quickly - there's likely still something useful on the table even at the end.

Make sure to THANK YOUR ROs on every stage...

It's looking like weather will be really nice this weekend, but that can always change. I'm still bringing rain gear and a light jacket. I'd also suggest snacks, bug spray, etc. They serve a boxed lunch, but I usually prefer to sort of graze all day.

 

[BurtG]

The first range on the left you either hit high or low at 1000 due to mirage etc iirc