So I decided I would at least try to shoot a match. The one this weekend seemed like a good option because it was one I could get to easily, etc. I was signed up sometime ago and asked them what we would be shooting etc and basically it came down to you can shoot any position you want but no mechanical benchrests and we will tell you what we are shooting on the day of the match.
Good deal I think. Fill out the application, pay, make plans, all set to go. So today I get there and I am extremely nervous because I know Im not a great shooter and have never shot a match but I figure I'll do my best.
As I walk out from between all the parked trucks into view of the range two things occur to me. 1) This is one of those times when you don't realize something was a very bad idea until you are already into it and 2) Any nervousness has completely evaporated. Why? Well a picture is worth a thousand words. I should mention at this point that I have never shot benchrest except when checking zero, nor did I have anything to do it with if I wanted to. I realize I have most likely brought a knife to a gun fight so to hell with it pressure is off Im gonna get slaughtered anyway.
Everyone has uber guns in .243 and 6.5. No one is shooting a mag-fed weapon. Heck they even have nice leather holsters for their bolts. I am severely outclassed.
Ok so we are shooting 2.3" clay targets at 500 yards. Got it. The main topic of discussion I hear around me is how badly the wind is gusting. They are moving benches into position on the line with the tractor and request that the one in my lane be moved over to the next person who they are moving one into postion for as I am shooting prone, if its not too much trouble. No problem. A shooters meeting is called. The RO talking says please to make the match easier for next year if you will be shooting prone mark it so on your form so we can plan it (there was no place on the form to indicate how you would be shooting and they said anything is fine) but since his exact words are "If you are shooting on your belly you should mark it on the form so we can know ahead of time" leading me to believe that this crowd doesn't take to kindly to anything but benchrest shooting. Ok at any rate point taken. At this point I have abandoned all hope of anything and figure since Im already here I might as well at least send some lead downrange.
I text a friend explaining my predicament and he texts back "So you drove all that way to shoot at a BR match? Nice! Well take advantage of it and shoot."
So if you are thinking I could not possibly get any stupider at this point you would be mistaken. I had my zero and dope good with 155gr. I of course have to pack 175gr by mistake. Ok not so bad, right I can rezero or figure it out. I was wrong on both counts no time and I had a helluva time trying to figure out the wind was all over the place and I am not very good with that yet. I shoot three of the stages with the 175gr which I suck about as much as can be imagined. Finally for the last two I beg some 155gr off one of the only other people there I think who was shooting .308 and finally get some good hits on the last two stages.
Hardly anyone said a word to me all day but the few people who did were incredibly nice and helpful with spotting and giving me feedback after I got off the line each time and joking around with me about how I was going to win the "Dead Ass Last" prize at least and stuff like that. A few people asked me if I was shooting .308 if I wasn't getting bruised quite a lot which I didn't entirely understand and a number of people asked to look through my scope which was cool. I got to see lots of beautiful rifles and other gear that was amazing and other interesting things I hadnt seen before like people wenching their custom bench onto their trailer.
Even though it was probably not the best one to go with to start I was very happy in the end that I went anyway because it worked very well at evaporating a lot of my fear, I had a lot of fun, we had interesting conditions starting the day at 40* and ending at 85* with winds gusting up to 16mph and in both full and half values from different directions as well as tailwind. For some hits I was holding off effectively to the far left target to hit my far right one. I also got to meet some people who invited me to go shoot at their private range which is a lot closer than where I have been so I am excited about that and all around it was a good experience Im glad I did. I also was better able to observe the things I am still doing wrong.
Really my only major disapointment was not winning the "Dead Ass Last" prize I was pretty sure I had that sewed up.
One of the guys running the match told me that last year the female shooters agitated to have their scores scored seperately from the guys for some reason and they obliged them. Too bad they didn't do that this year I would have been second!
Then again there was only one other female there.
Good deal I think. Fill out the application, pay, make plans, all set to go. So today I get there and I am extremely nervous because I know Im not a great shooter and have never shot a match but I figure I'll do my best.
As I walk out from between all the parked trucks into view of the range two things occur to me. 1) This is one of those times when you don't realize something was a very bad idea until you are already into it and 2) Any nervousness has completely evaporated. Why? Well a picture is worth a thousand words. I should mention at this point that I have never shot benchrest except when checking zero, nor did I have anything to do it with if I wanted to. I realize I have most likely brought a knife to a gun fight so to hell with it pressure is off Im gonna get slaughtered anyway.
Everyone has uber guns in .243 and 6.5. No one is shooting a mag-fed weapon. Heck they even have nice leather holsters for their bolts. I am severely outclassed.
Ok so we are shooting 2.3" clay targets at 500 yards. Got it. The main topic of discussion I hear around me is how badly the wind is gusting. They are moving benches into position on the line with the tractor and request that the one in my lane be moved over to the next person who they are moving one into postion for as I am shooting prone, if its not too much trouble. No problem. A shooters meeting is called. The RO talking says please to make the match easier for next year if you will be shooting prone mark it so on your form so we can plan it (there was no place on the form to indicate how you would be shooting and they said anything is fine) but since his exact words are "If you are shooting on your belly you should mark it on the form so we can know ahead of time" leading me to believe that this crowd doesn't take to kindly to anything but benchrest shooting. Ok at any rate point taken. At this point I have abandoned all hope of anything and figure since Im already here I might as well at least send some lead downrange.
I text a friend explaining my predicament and he texts back "So you drove all that way to shoot at a BR match? Nice! Well take advantage of it and shoot."
So if you are thinking I could not possibly get any stupider at this point you would be mistaken. I had my zero and dope good with 155gr. I of course have to pack 175gr by mistake. Ok not so bad, right I can rezero or figure it out. I was wrong on both counts no time and I had a helluva time trying to figure out the wind was all over the place and I am not very good with that yet. I shoot three of the stages with the 175gr which I suck about as much as can be imagined. Finally for the last two I beg some 155gr off one of the only other people there I think who was shooting .308 and finally get some good hits on the last two stages.
Hardly anyone said a word to me all day but the few people who did were incredibly nice and helpful with spotting and giving me feedback after I got off the line each time and joking around with me about how I was going to win the "Dead Ass Last" prize at least and stuff like that. A few people asked me if I was shooting .308 if I wasn't getting bruised quite a lot which I didn't entirely understand and a number of people asked to look through my scope which was cool. I got to see lots of beautiful rifles and other gear that was amazing and other interesting things I hadnt seen before like people wenching their custom bench onto their trailer.
Even though it was probably not the best one to go with to start I was very happy in the end that I went anyway because it worked very well at evaporating a lot of my fear, I had a lot of fun, we had interesting conditions starting the day at 40* and ending at 85* with winds gusting up to 16mph and in both full and half values from different directions as well as tailwind. For some hits I was holding off effectively to the far left target to hit my far right one. I also got to meet some people who invited me to go shoot at their private range which is a lot closer than where I have been so I am excited about that and all around it was a good experience Im glad I did. I also was better able to observe the things I am still doing wrong.
Really my only major disapointment was not winning the "Dead Ass Last" prize I was pretty sure I had that sewed up.
One of the guys running the match told me that last year the female shooters agitated to have their scores scored seperately from the guys for some reason and they obliged them. Too bad they didn't do that this year I would have been second!
