Originally I was going to shoot this match at Peacemaker National Training Center in April but my kidney had something to say about that so I wasn’t able to attend. Thankfully, the MD was sympathetic to my plight and allowed me to slot in for the July match. It’s been a minute since I’d shot a match of any kind so I was both excited and nervous.
The Gun
I shot Practical Precision division with my 16” Recce+ that has a NF 4-16 ATACR, 12:00 dot, slinging IMI Razor Core 77gr OTM. My NF has the older Mil-R reticle, which is very basic but I like that it’s thick and still usable down to 6X, I didn’t feel hampered by a lack of a Christmas tree or even .2 mil hash marks. We had great wind conditions today, even at 800 yards my hold was essentially the edge of the plate so I didn’t have to hold out in space at all. I used 6X on one stage, 16X on a stage, but everything else was run between 8-12X and it worked out pretty good that way. I don’t remember the specific restrictions for my division, I just remember I was limited to 20 rounders and I used a mix of Lancer, Magpul, and aluminum 20 rounders. Being that it was so hot and humid today I also appreciated the aggressive texturing on the Magpul Type 2 covers and the stippled Sierra Precision Grip. I used my Atlas CAL bipod but honestly I wished I’d swapped it with my Harris for this match. I feel like I lost some time futzing with the legs when I could’ve just snapped them down.
Other Stuff
I wore my comp belt with two mag holders, a dump pouch, and pouches for my Kestrel and Sig LRF. I liked this set up, it kept everything I needed for a stage handy and wasn’t overly hot or heavy. Probably the only change I’d make is the dump pouch, I didn’t even unroll it the entire day. Support bags were a TAB Gear rear bag and AG Game Changer, although I could’ve gotten by just fine today with only the Game Changer. For spotting I used a pair of Bushnell Legend 12X50 binos, these are not expensive binos, they were a last minute purchase since my other pair of binos shit the bed last night. That being said, for $150 they worked very well, I was able to spot trace, call impacts, and see mirage easily.
What Went Good
My strategy for engaging multiple targets was to dial for the close target and hold for the far target, which worked out well. On the qualifier stage I ended up shooting the 100 yard target with my top dot, I had 1.0 mil dialed on for targets that were at 260-290, and when I went prone holding 2.4 mils. This was the most extreme difference in elevation I had the whole match save for the last stage where I had 1.9 dialed on for the close target and held 2.2 mils for the far ones. This strategy worked well, combined with good DOPE and I think I only dropped three shots the whole match.
The 12:00 top dot came in handy not only for shooting the 100 yard plate on the qualifier but also finding targets hiding in a sea of green.
My barricade work felt good, I felt stable getting into position and transitioning from target to target.
Stage 6: Four 430 y targets from two positions.
Stage 5 used the PRS skills barricade, shooting T1 and T2 from all four positions. I dialed 4.4 mils for the circle at 560 and held .3 mils over for the IPSC.
Stage 6 was shooting T1 and T2 from positions 1, 2, and 3, then going prone for T3, a gopher target to stop the clock. I dialed on 1.9 mils for T2 at 356 and held 2.2 mils for T1 and the gopher. Winds were calm so I was holding straight up for T1 and 2 and .2 mil left for the gopher.
What Could Get Better
Paying attention to the stage description and really meaning it when I nod my head after they ask if I understand the course of fire. I did not in fact understand the COF on at least two stages, got out of sequence, got frustrated, and that was all my fault. These misunderstandings on my part definitely cost me time and in turn slid me down the rankings at this match.
Falling in line with paying attention more I need to do a better job of checking sight lines to make sure a target isn't obstructed before I get into that position. Lots of time wasted.
For QP I think my Harris bipod where I can just yank the legs down does provide a competitive advantage over something like the CAL that requires doing one leg at a time. A second here or a second there messing with the button adds up over a match.
I think next time I’ll ditch the armboard, which I wore on a few stages but I can’t recall looking at it once. In this particular match it simply wasn’t needed, when I dialed on the initial elevation all I had to remember really was “hold dead on, far target hold 0.3 mil high or 2.2 mil high”. In the future I’ll probably take it just in case and only use it if we have targets that are distances with vast differences to each other.
My fitness….running around from prop to prop, hauling my stuff, but for fuck’s sake the hill from the lower range to the top of the hill damn near killed me. Fuck. That’s all I have to say about that.
I finished out the day 10th overall and 6th in division, so middle of the pack. Not great, not terrible, and plenty to improve upon.
Observations
I’m pretty sure I can get by in most situations with just one bag. I brought my AG Fat Bag, it never left the vehicle and I think I would've been worse off if I'd tried to use it. Is anyone using a pillow bag anymore?
I used my TAB Gear rear bag once and probably should’ve used the OG Game Changer.
Have at least one more mag then you think you’ll need.
Quite a few people were shooting AAC 77gr OTM and quite a few people were complaining about poor velocity and SD's...imagine that.
This QP match reminded me of the old DMR matches this range used to put on, some differences but very much living up to shoot fast shoot accurate. I'm looking forward to the next match in September.
The Gun
I shot Practical Precision division with my 16” Recce+ that has a NF 4-16 ATACR, 12:00 dot, slinging IMI Razor Core 77gr OTM. My NF has the older Mil-R reticle, which is very basic but I like that it’s thick and still usable down to 6X, I didn’t feel hampered by a lack of a Christmas tree or even .2 mil hash marks. We had great wind conditions today, even at 800 yards my hold was essentially the edge of the plate so I didn’t have to hold out in space at all. I used 6X on one stage, 16X on a stage, but everything else was run between 8-12X and it worked out pretty good that way. I don’t remember the specific restrictions for my division, I just remember I was limited to 20 rounders and I used a mix of Lancer, Magpul, and aluminum 20 rounders. Being that it was so hot and humid today I also appreciated the aggressive texturing on the Magpul Type 2 covers and the stippled Sierra Precision Grip. I used my Atlas CAL bipod but honestly I wished I’d swapped it with my Harris for this match. I feel like I lost some time futzing with the legs when I could’ve just snapped them down.
Other Stuff
I wore my comp belt with two mag holders, a dump pouch, and pouches for my Kestrel and Sig LRF. I liked this set up, it kept everything I needed for a stage handy and wasn’t overly hot or heavy. Probably the only change I’d make is the dump pouch, I didn’t even unroll it the entire day. Support bags were a TAB Gear rear bag and AG Game Changer, although I could’ve gotten by just fine today with only the Game Changer. For spotting I used a pair of Bushnell Legend 12X50 binos, these are not expensive binos, they were a last minute purchase since my other pair of binos shit the bed last night. That being said, for $150 they worked very well, I was able to spot trace, call impacts, and see mirage easily.
What Went Good
My strategy for engaging multiple targets was to dial for the close target and hold for the far target, which worked out well. On the qualifier stage I ended up shooting the 100 yard target with my top dot, I had 1.0 mil dialed on for targets that were at 260-290, and when I went prone holding 2.4 mils. This was the most extreme difference in elevation I had the whole match save for the last stage where I had 1.9 dialed on for the close target and held 2.2 mils for the far ones. This strategy worked well, combined with good DOPE and I think I only dropped three shots the whole match.
The 12:00 top dot came in handy not only for shooting the 100 yard plate on the qualifier but also finding targets hiding in a sea of green.
My barricade work felt good, I felt stable getting into position and transitioning from target to target.
Stage 6: Four 430 y targets from two positions.
Stage 5 used the PRS skills barricade, shooting T1 and T2 from all four positions. I dialed 4.4 mils for the circle at 560 and held .3 mils over for the IPSC.
Stage 6 was shooting T1 and T2 from positions 1, 2, and 3, then going prone for T3, a gopher target to stop the clock. I dialed on 1.9 mils for T2 at 356 and held 2.2 mils for T1 and the gopher. Winds were calm so I was holding straight up for T1 and 2 and .2 mil left for the gopher.
What Could Get Better
Paying attention to the stage description and really meaning it when I nod my head after they ask if I understand the course of fire. I did not in fact understand the COF on at least two stages, got out of sequence, got frustrated, and that was all my fault. These misunderstandings on my part definitely cost me time and in turn slid me down the rankings at this match.
Falling in line with paying attention more I need to do a better job of checking sight lines to make sure a target isn't obstructed before I get into that position. Lots of time wasted.
For QP I think my Harris bipod where I can just yank the legs down does provide a competitive advantage over something like the CAL that requires doing one leg at a time. A second here or a second there messing with the button adds up over a match.
I think next time I’ll ditch the armboard, which I wore on a few stages but I can’t recall looking at it once. In this particular match it simply wasn’t needed, when I dialed on the initial elevation all I had to remember really was “hold dead on, far target hold 0.3 mil high or 2.2 mil high”. In the future I’ll probably take it just in case and only use it if we have targets that are distances with vast differences to each other.
My fitness….running around from prop to prop, hauling my stuff, but for fuck’s sake the hill from the lower range to the top of the hill damn near killed me. Fuck. That’s all I have to say about that.
I finished out the day 10th overall and 6th in division, so middle of the pack. Not great, not terrible, and plenty to improve upon.
Observations
I’m pretty sure I can get by in most situations with just one bag. I brought my AG Fat Bag, it never left the vehicle and I think I would've been worse off if I'd tried to use it. Is anyone using a pillow bag anymore?
I used my TAB Gear rear bag once and probably should’ve used the OG Game Changer.
Have at least one more mag then you think you’ll need.
Quite a few people were shooting AAC 77gr OTM and quite a few people were complaining about poor velocity and SD's...imagine that.
This QP match reminded me of the old DMR matches this range used to put on, some differences but very much living up to shoot fast shoot accurate. I'm looking forward to the next match in September.
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