Shooting in my first High Power match, any tips?

[Mr White]

A sweatshirt AND an old piece of carpet, maybe 3'x5', unless someone lends you a shooting mat. Also bring a heavy winter glove or an oven mitt for your non-trigger hand. When the sling is tight and wrapped around your hand, a heavy glove feels pretty good.

Are you shooting a full across the course match or is is a reduced course?
Across the course is 200, 300 and 600 yd. Reduced course uses scaled targets at a shorter distance to accomodate smaller ranges.

If its a full ATC match and you're using an AR, if you can get your hands on some heavy (75-80 grain) ammo for 600.

 

[jagdpanzer347]

Mr White, I think this will probably be a reduced match, due to it being part of the CMP clinic. The club is providing shooting jackets and mats. They even are offering up their own AR15s to use. Sixty rounds of .223 ammo will be provided as part of the clinic fee, type as yet unknown.

-jagd

 

[Quintin Likely]

Load your magazines for rapid fire the night before, and mark them with a paint marker or masking tape so you don't get them mixed up. Remember, you start rapids with the two round magazine and reload with eight. And about rapid fire - slow down. A lot of folks, myself included, think "rapid fire" means you've gotta rush. Yes, there is a time limit, but if you calm down and relax, you'll have plenty of time for the string.

In general, just try to keep your ammo, magazines, and other odds and ends organized and easy to find. I keep all my slow fire ammo in plastic MTM boxes (marked for whatever yard line/position they're to be shot at), and have my rapid fire ammo for 200 loaded the night before. I put my offhand ammo in my jacket pocket holder the night before, and have one 20 round sleeve of ammo dedicated for sighters only.

Don't get too hung up on buying top shelf gear; I used my pistol range bag to haul my stuff around in the first couple of matches, a beach towel for a shooting mat, my work jacket for a shooting coat, and an old welding glove for a shooting mitt. Plus if you get hooked into this - and you will - you'll probably find good deals on nice used gear from other shooters who've done this for several years and are upgrading their old stuff.

I like to take a little cooler with me with some snacks and bottled water to get me through the day, especially the water, since cool, non-humid days aren't exactly well known in Georgia during the summer.

Pay extra attention if/when you're scoring. When you're scoring for another shooter, you are temporarily a match official and you may be called on to help settle a dispute on the line or in the pits on your shooter's target. Pay extra attention during your shooter's rapid fire strings to be sure he/she got all their shots off. Keep count during their slow fire strings so you don't miss a shot.

Same goes in the pits (if you're shooting somewhere that has pits). The pits were the most confusing and nerve wracking thing for me the first time I shot full course. You get what you give for pit service, so try to be smooth and fast.

And above all else, have fun! A clinic type thing is the best bet for a new shooter, since attitudes will likely be pretty laid back and relaxed.

 

[Blackfork]

Good information.

But a lot of it coming your way at once. It will slow down. Your sponge will be full for a bit before it starts soaking in.

It's a great course of fire. I'd shoot the AR and do as much prep (load mags, fill water bottles) as possible before you get there.

Enjoy and have fun. You only do this the first time once.

 

[ocabj]

Things to have ready before the match actually begins (between the time you get to the range and live fire begins):

1. Make sure magazines are loaded for the rapid fire stages. Recommend carrying 8 mags to load 2+8 for the 4 rapid strings (assuming 80 round NMC).

2. Make sure sling is in parade position (assuming starting at 200 yard standing).

3. Make sure your sight is set for 200 yards.

4. Blacken front sight.

5. Have 200 yard standing ammo ready to go. This usually means have it somewhere easily accessible so you can get to it when you are called to the line for your 200 yard stage. Some people put the rounds (10/20/22) in their ammo carrier of whatever container they keep their rounds in during the standling slow fire stage.

6. Write down your target number and relay in your data/note book. Always remember your target number at all times.

There are more, but these are probably some of the more minute details that will become routine as you continue to shoot.

 

[Mr White]

Just keep in mind that high power shooters are probably the most friendly and helpful of all the shooting sports. Don't be afraid to ask questions, no matter how stupid you may think the question is. Most likely, some of the experienced shooters have asked the same question at some time in the past.

The advice about marking your mags is good. I shoot the same loads for both stages of the rapids, so I just have 4 mags marked with a 2 and 4 marked with an 8. Check and double check that you have the right number of rounds in each mag. I had to take 2 misses in a RP string once becasue I only loaded 6 rounds in one of my 8's. :banghead:

 

[jagdpanzer347]

I shot the match!

Sunburnt, sweaty, and exhausted was my condition as I left the clinic Saturday. However, all of that paled in comparison to the sense of accomplishment I felt while leaving. I learned a nearly unbelievable amount in those eight hours. It also reinforced what I learned from reading this thread, High Power shooters are a great bunch of guys.

From teaching, coaching, lending rifles and equipment, and everything in-between, the men who conducted the clinic were uniformerly great. My hat is off to them. They achieved their goal, with me anyway. I am much more interested in improving my marksmanship and becoming a true rifleman.

With the clinic's staffs assistance, I learned breath and trigger control are two things for me to focus on. I feel I can gain alot in these areas with a dry fire regiment at home. Use of the sling and learning the different shooting positions are also a priority.

The only downsides to the whole event was the hot weather and the club AR15 I shot. The rifle wasn't zeroed to me or the ammo. More annoying was the fact that it continually short-stroked during rapid fire. That will get your stress level up the first time you shoot rapids in a match!

All in all, it was a great experience. One I would recommend to anyone that has a chance to participate in one. And thanks again to everyone here that tried to get me going on the right path. Hold Hard!

-jagd

 

[pccraig]

All very good points here.

It's like a set of building blocks.

*Good sling helps you maintain a good body position.
*Good body position helps you maintain a consistent NPA
*Consistent NPA helps you maintain proper sight alignment
*Proper sight alignment helps you get a good sight picture.
*And once you have the good sight picture....

FOCUS - FOCUS - FOCUS

CLEAR FRONT SIGHT POST

then B-R-A-S-S

 

[pccraig]

.

 

[P-32]

Glad you Enjoyed it!

Sooooo, now comes the hard part. Which gear, rifle to get.

I can offer some advice on a rifle.....RRA NM if you want the best out of the box AR for this game.

But for a couple hundred more $ you can have a top self. I bought a RRA NM lower and mated it to a White Oak Precision upper. In fact I ordered another WOP upper just for Perry this year.

Either way, if the shot isn't in the X ring its not the rifles fault!