What to shoot in Highpower this season?

[Jenrick]

The change to optics in Service rifle a few years ago disgusted me enough I took a few seasons away from Highpower (that's a rant for another time). I've decided to start shooting again, and stop worrying about what anyone else is doing, and just get back to having fun.

On the rack of possible rifles at the moment:

M1 Garand: The original big stick. They can be finicky to shoot well, and .30-06 is a pain compared to some of the other options. It keeps me in Service Rifle, but with about as big a handicap as I can think of.

No.4 Mk 1*: Eligible at some ranges and matches for service rifle, at others I'd be playing in Match rifle. Traditionally not match accurate, but with careful handloading (and reduce distance matches) they can be competitive. I'd never have to mark my brass, and it would certainly give me an equipment excuse to use if I post bad scores.

K-31: Accurate, fast, great conversation piece. With the issued sights, good luck unless you have the eyes of 20 year old still. With add on target sights totally workable, but now I'm stuck in Match rifle. Ballistically it's a .308, recoil wise, it's a .308. So pro's and con's there. A lot of the problems of the Enfield, with none of the built in excuses.

I am fully aware none of the above rifles are going to do me any favors getting legs. I don't plan on shooting any matches that offer legs. Secondly if I was worried about my score I'd shoot my old service rifle upper from back before the grumpy old HM mafia decided they didn't want to have shoot match rifle (sorry didn't mean to get started on that rant). I reload so ammo pricing isn't really too much of an issue. This is really about taking a rifle out of the safe that's an actual service rifle, and shooting it.

Thoughts?

 

[PWC]

First thing I did with my M1 was bed it...whoops, can't shoot it in John C or service...it is a beater, made to shoot so there.

My 03A3..took off issue sights and added 1K yd Lyman sights, don't remember the number....no service matches only Match rifle. I CAN shoot service but not for points or awards (as if I stood a chance) I've never shot at 300, 600 or 1K yds.

When I take the old soldiers to the range, the rifles with wood always get comments from the 'plastic' shooters. Plus, my bang is bigger than thiers.

 

[Jenrick]

For whatever reason I was struck by the desire to see if I could make a solid paper patched load in .303 british for reduced distances (200-300 yds). If I can get that to happen, I think the No.4 will be the way to go. Barring that, the K-31 with diopter sights and 175gr SMK BTHP seems like the easiest option.

 

[Random 8]

Do you still have an AR based service rifle? Another AR platform you could re-upper? I shoot quite competitively with a box stock RRA NM A4 with an inexpensive 4x Leupold. Not heavily modified, but still not exactly an A2 or A4 "actual" service rifle. The biggest thing the scope did for me was to improve my rapid scores vs A2 sights. Awful hand and SF prone stayed the same. Wanted to run an M1A or Garand, but the sheer economics of ammo and components pushed me to a 5.56. Our matches locally usually do not have enough turnout to separate MR from SR classes, but with the AR I'm usually running near top of my class regardless and sometimes running with the HM guys if I have an especially good string.

I have used a K-31 with diopter sight (both Swiss Products and Gehmann) and done very well, equal to my scoped AR "service rifle." I have only tried it in 300 yard reduced matches however as the pet load I have for it uses the 155 Nosler. I do believe it would run with the match rifles to 600 yards with the right load, as it does at 300 yards and 300m e targets. I've cleaned the MR-63 and 300mINT target with it, which is more than a lot of MR guys can claim. Nearly cleaned the INT 300m today with GP-11 in a sanctioned Swiss match, but I got one of those random off-call shots in the 7 you sometimes get with the more recent lots. I just use the stock sling attachment loops with a GI web sling. The downside is the sights will cost you North of $400. Never been able to shoot the M1 well OTC. I've tried, I shed a lot of points in sitting and prone rapids. The K-31 is a top choice for 200 yard vintage class matches.

 

[Jenrick]

Short version I'm not going to run optics. If I was going to, it'd be on my work 16" gun with an EOTech, as that's at least an actual "service rifle" in the real meaning of the term. I however I digress into a rant I promised not to get into in the OP.

I've been doing some load work with Enfield, and the 6" vertical stringing as it heats up contraindicates using it for this. I'm debating the Garand, just for the heck of it, but I haven't done any testing to see if it can hold a 10 ring group. So with all that, it's highly likely I'll be shooting my K-31. Thanks for the info on how you've done with it. Again I'll need to do some load development, as I've mainly just shot GP-11 that I could get my hands on.

 

[BigSteve57]

I'm becoming more and more far sighted as time goes on. This means I have to continually change my prescription to keep the front sight post sharp. As the prescription for my shooting (right) eye becomes stronger and stronger to keep the front sight post in focus it also makes the target blurrier and blurrier. My last match was on a rainy day that was dark & overcast. It was a total disaster.

I'm trying a MISO sight this fall. I think it's helped a bit but has an aberration unless I'm in perfect alignment. Hey maybe that's a good thing? My calls for hit locations are better.

At least I can get regular prescription glasses for distance and not have to run one prescription on my dominant eye and another on my left eye. If this doesn't work it's either quit or go to a scope.

 

[rskent]

Thoughts?

My thoughts are, if you don’t want to shoot optics, don’t. When they allowed optics, they didn’t make a rule against shooting with irons. Who cares what everyone else shoots. Just go have fun.

 

[jmorris]

And like the Mk1 he’ll have an excuse built in.

 

[rskent]

And like the Mk1 he’ll have an excuse built in.

Thing is, I was on the high side of master class with an A2. Switched to an optic AR, still shooting master scores. Switched to optic match rifle. Guess what, still shooting master scores.
As far as I can tell, if I want to make high master I’m gonna have to practice. Or pay a better shooter to shoot matches for me.

 

[Jenrick]

My thoughts are, if you don’t want to shoot optics, don’t. When they allowed optics, they didn’t make a rule against shooting with irons. Who cares what everyone else shoots. Just go have fun.

I dislike quoting myself, but this time I kind of have to, from the OP:

I've decided to start shooting again, and stop worrying about what anyone else is doing, and just get back to having fun.

So far it's looking the K-31, but I'm still waiting for the weather and my weekend to match up so I can do some testing.

 

[rskent]

Have fun and let us know how it works out.

 

[Varminterror]

If you’re in it just to have fun, what part about it is most fun? If it’s just the feature of rubbing elbows with other shooters, great. It seems like you ARE concerned with scoring well, else you wouldn’t care which one shoots the best or is most advantageous. So it’s that age-old shooting competition complaint - I want to compete, but don’t like the rules, so I’m going to complain about it while I begrudgingly show up.

If you just want to have fun, and shooting is fun enough, you don’t need to attend matches to shoot. If shooting matches to perform against your recent-past-self is what you call fun, then shoot the one which is most accurate for you - which sounds like depends on your individual rifles, since you have some stuff going on with them. If shooting matches to compete is your idea of fun, get a flat top AR with optics and compete. Your work carbine with a detachable A2 sight would be better than what you have in the others.

Games exist with the rules they do. I wish professional football was more accommodating for middle aged dudes with a slough of old injuries and a squishy midsection, but it doesn’t work that way.