Rifle Competition Events What would you change or do differently with current competitions/organizations?
- Thread starter THEIS
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Lots of guys who use it as you mentioned to make some extra money though. Has been for years.
It could be but depends if you want to learn the recoil as well of the centerfire. My main practice rifle has always been a .308 just for that reason. Like swinging a heavy bat.
Long range access and ammo cost make the bulk of my practice Rimfire. I bring out the 300PRC to make sure I remember how noisy it is. Recoil matters, but the first 45 years of my life an unbraked 30-06 was what every one I know used.
Yeah when I started the sport no one had brakes on their rifles in matches. Mostly .308s but some others. Rimfire is good to practice with but the rifle needs to be close to your centerfire to get the same feel in setting up positions.
All USPSA level 2 and 3 matches provide free lodging and some meals. USPSA nationals also provide a travel stipend.
Staff shooting days during level 2 and 3 matches are invariably Thursday and Friday, and sometimes Wednesday. Matches don't have an RO shortage
Probably none right now since they don't get to compete, evidently.
I'm going to repeat this for the millionth time: all of this has been figured out in one form or another by pretty much all shooting sports that existed before PRS.
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Depends on the match and MD. Quite a few of the USPSA Lvl 2 on up matches I goto have a prize table of some sort. Some you walk in order of finish, others do it via random draw. I have shot at some USPSA matches that give away cash for stage winner or top 3. Like I said, depends on the match and MD.
USPSA Staff comp package varies by match and MD.
Lvl 2 Sectional or State match staff is usually on their own for lodging but you get match fee comped and usually some swag. A lot of lvl 2’s rely on local folks to be staff but there are some notable large Lvl 2’s with 200-300 competitors that take in enough cash from registration and sponsorship to mimic staff comp package for Lvl 3 (Area = Regional) match.
Lvl 3: Hotel stipend is common, or seeing more MDs just give out a $300 cash package to staff. Some staff will pool their stipend on a VRBO. Or if local, it’s an extra payday for gas and whatnot. Plus you get your match fee comp’d.
Lvl 4 (USPSA Nationals): they provide a free hotel room (gotta share with somebody), a $25/day per diem for dinner (breakfast at hotel, lunch provided at range), and up to $375 travel stipend. If Nats is within driving distance I can usually do it with no out of pocket expense. If I have to fly and rent a car (carpool w/ other staff) then the staff comp package doesn’t quite cover my costs -but when you factor in the comp’d match fee (~$400) you’re definitely ahead of where you’d be if you were paying your own way as a regular competitor. Just gotta trade sweat-equity for cost savings.
PRS: I worked a 2-day PRS match that my local club was hosting, to help them out. They fed me and paid me to work for two-days. I would have gladly traded the $ for ability to shoot the day before as Staff, but the way the stages were setup that wouldn’t have been possible. Stages 1-10 were shot on Day 1, then reconfigured that evening for Day 2 as 11-20. So best staff could do would be to shoot stages 1-10. Not sure if a lot of 2-day matches are like that, prob depends on the size of the range.
NRLH: The two matches I worked as staff they didn’t pay us anything but we got to camp at the match location for free, comp’d match fee, shot all stages the day before, they fed us lunch each day, and we got to walk prize table in order of finish. Also got some swag for working. One of the matches raffled off a rifle, and the proceeds went to the Staff as a modest payout to cover expenses like gas. I’m good with that model for staff tho I will say shooting 18-22 stages in one day is mentally tiring.
NRLH: The two matches I worked as staff they didn’t pay us anything but we got to camp at the match location for free, comp’d match fee, shot all stages the day before, they fed us lunch each day, and we got to walk prize table in order of finish. Also got some swag for working. One of the matches raffled off a rifle, and the proceeds went to the Staff as a modest payout to cover expenses like gas. I’m good with that model for staff tho I will say shooting 18-22 stages in one day is mentally tiring.
I built a barricade and keep it in my backyard. Then using some math I printed targets on sheets of paper, water proofed them, and hung them up on a tree about 40-50yds away. The target sizes are at a ratio to appear the size they would be at whichever distance 400, 600, 700 etc. You can make different targets and sizes, then use a random generator on excel or the interwebs to create a mock "stage". Make your own decision to dial or hold left/right wind to practice what holding .3 of wind looks like on your reticle and target. Dryfire does wonders for practice, don't pass it up.
PS, just check your minium distance your parallax can focus at on your scope to make sure you have that distance available in the backyard. If you don't have that 30-50yd distance available, you could look into the DFAT kit from Rifles Only.com and dryfire in your home.
there’s quite a bit of USPSA that exists outside of Area 5 (like 7 other areas). So when you say there’s no prize money or prize tables in USPSA that’s not accurate. Locally? Sure, whatever. Other matches? Not the case.
Introduce a limited division in PRS. Limit caliber selection, and cost, but allow people to swap chassis. Not every manufacturer sells a production class gun so you're limited to maybe 4-5 options. If someone has a Tikka for example and throws it in a chassis they're definitely under the price tag, but now compete in Open. There needs to be something intermediate between Production and Open. Maybe even modifying what Production is as well. I'm sure this isn't a popular opinion seeing as how most view Production class as pointless anyway.
PRS and the industry have evolved to a point that cost doesn’t limit performance nearly as much as it once did. The top 10-30 will still win with a Tikka or Bergara in a chassis. Alwine is winning with a savage in a $500 MDT. Production was always a joke in my mind and is even more so now.
While I love the premium gear a guy who practices with a modern rifle system with a functional scope can compete. It’s not the gear these days in my opinion. So many good options.
If you want to create divisions. You leave open for everyone that wants to shoot BR cartridges in 20+ lb rifles. Nothing wrong with that, embrace that is what this sport evolved to. Then create a big gun division with a power factor and weight limit. Then add incentive to shoot that division. Those guys walk first or get more raffle tickets etc.
NRLH has a pretty good model in my opinion.
While I love the premium gear a guy who practices with a modern rifle system with a functional scope can compete. It’s not the gear these days in my opinion. So many good options.
If you want to create divisions. You leave open for everyone that wants to shoot BR cartridges in 20+ lb rifles. Nothing wrong with that, embrace that is what this sport evolved to. Then create a big gun division with a power factor and weight limit. Then add incentive to shoot that division. Those guys walk first or get more raffle tickets etc.
NRLH has a pretty good model in my opinion.
Skill is skill, I just see holes in the divisions. Like when Gas gun had 2 different classes. Now people are shooting 6GT from Seekins SP10s. I guess one could always go to gas gun specific matches but at least for me, I love shooting PRS more than other gas gun matches. I actually started shooting 5.56 gas gun, then 6Arc and now I'm shooting my second bolt gun match at the Grind. I think Production or Limited actually showcases skill more than hiding behind gear. Which I've seen a lot of people do.
Open is Open, do what you want. But having more variation in divisions I think would draw more people to the sport. Also more matches in more states as well but thats another topic.
Funny, Im reading another thread about this and the point is this. How does a new shooter even know what they need? Where to go? What caliber? What bag? You say just show up and shoot, but what fun is it when the course of fire is so hard because its tailored to open and pros? My first couple matches I was so discouraged, maybe hit 30/100. But guys in my squad with 25lb MPAs were cleaning every stage. Is it me? Is it my rifle? My gear? I think squadding also plays a lot into it too. I personally try to squad with gas gun and production or tac class guys. We all tend to shoot around the same and have fun helping each other out.
if you wanna play a gamer sport go see what your local gamers use
or look at the PRS 'Production' guns for sale
or look at the not-so-actually-truthful 'what the pros shoot' articles
or go to a forum like idk Snipers Hide
We recently restarted monthly matches at my local range here in central Nebraska. From 2018-2020 we hosted probably 20-25 matches. I got burnt out in 2020 with it, mainly because of the junk you still see at the majority of matches. Long story short, I recently stepped back into it because there was no monthly matches in Nebraska, and we had a 1200yd range that was basically rotting away those 4 years, with dudes who were asking me to make it happen again. I've really tried to put effort into figuring out ways and format to appeal to a wider crowd, as we've got a blend of pretty good PRS/NRLH shooters, pure hunters, and new guys in the area.
We're are doing a sort of beta test during our first 3 "reboot' matches with running an Open Division and "Practical" Division. The Open division is the basic run what you brung, no restrictions. The Practical Division is basically a 16lb and under no muzzle brake division, with a small point bonus for running a lighter weight rifle (basically 1 pt for every 2lbs under 16lbs). Since getting a solid format for the practical division nailed down, I've had more interest in it across the board from everyone. It's got guys thinking about ditching their 25lb rifles, which kind of surprised me.
My approach to restarting matches is to keep them short and sweet, 6-8 stages, $40-$50 entry, to treat them almost as glorified organized practice sessions. Run them monthly year around, with a season points chase building to a finale, with $20 of each entry fee from the season matches going back into a season points chase purse. Some of it is definitely the core group of dudes that are attending the matches, but I think we've found a pretty solid balance of competitive environment and place for new shooters to come out and start connecting the dots.
First let me say that the best thing you did was show up and shoot. I tell people the same thing, because I’ve had and still get guys that want to come and just watch maybe a and ask questions, but somehow never actually get around to finding out how to do it really.
Personally if you showed up and shot 30/100, you did as I would expect from somebody doing that very thing. Like I did uhm, about 14 years ago.
That was the point of saying that ego and its balance with knowledge is what holds most back. Take the first couple/few Local matches as learning how it really works, learning what gear seems to work, why people are shooting the caliber and rifle configuration they are, see the flow of the course of fire and learn ways to address diffferent situations and barricade/obstacle types.
Then spend some good money on some PRS courses that are specifically designed to show you how to accomplish them.
Sound like too much? Your choice, but consider the challenge of increasing your on the spot accuracy and muscle memory.
If you don’t make your living shooting Precision Rifle Matches, and you are not having fun shooting those matches, you’re in a wrong place.
It’s not the guns, it’s the people. I shot two matches this weekend. Folks, I am one month shy of 76 times around the sun, I am hardly competitive. But in both cases, the people I shot with were Ultra Friendly, Exceptionally helpful and most of all Tolerable. I had a great time. The Centerfire match was hardly a best for me, technically the second worst. But, I won a trophy. Not a physical trophy, the cool kids did that (including both second place and Ladies champions were in the squad I shot with on Sunday). My trophy, at 76, is shooting and hitting targets. Some of those targets were darned hard targets, some were 4 digits of yards away! Heck, as hot as it was on Saturday, I watched people quit and go home, either from the heat or the lack of success. But as I said, my trophy is getting to do it. And I’m No Quitter.
You know what, that is really what this is all about. Getting to do it. 99% of us are never going to be winners. But we can all strive to do our best, and our best is good enough.
28 out of 84 at the Rimfire Match on Sunday. Had a blast. Did you?
It’s not the guns, it’s the people. I shot two matches this weekend. Folks, I am one month shy of 76 times around the sun, I am hardly competitive. But in both cases, the people I shot with were Ultra Friendly, Exceptionally helpful and most of all Tolerable. I had a great time. The Centerfire match was hardly a best for me, technically the second worst. But, I won a trophy. Not a physical trophy, the cool kids did that (including both second place and Ladies champions were in the squad I shot with on Sunday). My trophy, at 76, is shooting and hitting targets. Some of those targets were darned hard targets, some were 4 digits of yards away! Heck, as hot as it was on Saturday, I watched people quit and go home, either from the heat or the lack of success. But as I said, my trophy is getting to do it. And I’m No Quitter.
You know what, that is really what this is all about. Getting to do it. 99% of us are never going to be winners. But we can all strive to do our best, and our best is good enough.
28 out of 84 at the Rimfire Match on Sunday. Had a blast. Did you?
This is almost exactly what I tell every new person that's inquiring about shooting matches with us. The first thing you need to do is to get out of your head. If you can safely handle a rifle just show up, and don't be an asshole. If you're new I will do everything I can to make the first impression of the game a good one but you will be drinking from a fire hose the first few matches and what gear you have or don't have isn't going to change that.
Kind of in that thought. I feel MD's at the club level, at least locally, seem to have really lost sight of the POV of the new shooter and have tried to turn club matches into "mini" national matches. Dudes want to talk about growing the sport & etc, but fail to create the setting in matches where new shooters & experienced shooters are both getting something from the match, but damn those prize tables were killer..........
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