I honestly did not realize that. Most of my interaction with competitive shooters was via Facebook and I got the vibe that they were very elitist. I should have known that Facebook tends to bring out the assholes.
You guys have always been respectful and made me feel very welcomed.
I will be ordering the bravo chassis for the CTR mags. Just wish it came in other colors besides Sako Green and black.
That just leaves me with picking out a good muzzle brake. I'm leaning towards something from 419 or a Little Bastard. Any other recommendations? I previously had a DPMS Miculek that I loved, but I see that they have been discontinued
Some people ARE elitist. And the great majority of them are far from "elite" in terms of world-class skill.
Equipment does NOT make a person a good or bad shooter. As soon as the new ZCO scope arrives for my new build, I will be showing up at the next match with a $7000 rig.
I will not perform one dot better with it than I did with my first "serious" rifle, a Tikka T3X TAC A1 - which, as a certifiably "old" late-60s guy ate up with arthritis and old injuries, ain't "good." If I finish at the 50th percentile in a 100-120 person match, that's a Real Good Day.
So why did I spend all this money on this and the other rifles that have come and gone? Because my wife and I worked, saved, learned, planned, and prayed for all our adult lives and now we can enjoy retirement. I enjoy the science of rifle. I enjoy fine engineering. I enjoy learning and competing. After I retired, I asked the 70-80-something guys what advice they would offer to a new retiree. To a one, they said "Do what you want to do now, because one day you'll wake up and not be able to." So I toddle around at matches pushing my gear in a converted jogging stroller, looking like a derelict on his way back to his bridge. But I'm still there trying.
Attitude is key. In decades of competing in various disciplines, I've always told newbies worried about their performance the same thing: "Next weekend, nobody will remember today's score. But everybody will remember how you act as you post it." Several weeks ago, a buddy of mine committed a simple procedural error on one stage at a match, DQ'ing the stage (not the whole match). He was so annoyed with himself that he put his gear in his truck and left. I get it - been there. Competition is a head game as much as it is a physical skill. In talking about it with him and other folks since, no one except him knows or talks about about his score - they talk about how the adrenaline of competition magnified a momentary mental hiccup into a match-ending frustration. No one holds it against him!!! He was frustrated with himself, kept it to himself, and dealt with it himself. It's the drama- and blame-spewing divas that can ruin the day for anyone unfortunate enough to be stuck with them.
So put your rifle together and get out there and shoot. Many of the best memories of my life are around shooting competitions. Not because of the gear I had or because I won anything - but because of the experiences and the people. Enjoy.
