Surprising Match Results?

[pewpewfever]

We attended a semi auto long range (220-593 yards) match yesterday and there were 20 competitors. The categories were tac lite (.223/5.56) and open (everything else). The top 4 finishers overall were in tac lite. I’m not sure if the open competitors were using .308 or high BC cartridges like 6mm or 6.5 mm creedmoor, dasher, etc. But I think I heard some folks were using creedmoor, at least. I’m surprised that .223 dominated and I’m wondering if there is an explanation. Wind was low or nonexistent throughout. The barrels generally seemed shorter than at a bolt gun match. What do you think?

 

[cattleman99]

At under 600 yards, it’s anyones game. It’s likely the shooters did well, not the cartridge used

 

[steve123]

Yep if I were to guess the wind being down and the longest distance being within the capabilities of 223 made the difference.

Plus it's easier to shoot a small frame AR vs large frame.

This match would be perfect for a small frame AR in 6mmFatRat or 6mm Turbo with 95's at almost 2900 fps!

 

[Trigger Monkey]

The low wind certainly helped level the playing field for the 5.56 guys but really I think the combination of low recoil, high magazine capacity, and mid-range target distances helped it win out. Per the above the large frame AR's are harder to shoot to the same level of accuracy but they are also bigger and heavier. This, in general, makes them more cumbersome to maneuver around barricades and positional shooting stages. Also, the lower magazine capacity can work against them as I've seen more than one competitor run dry during a stage shooting a large frame AR, leaving points on the table and collecting penalties too.

I've also never seen a 6.5 Grendel or any other wildcat cartridge that can fit in an AR-15 magazine run with enough reliability to convince me to switch over to that cartridge. Some competitors found out the hard way that tuning the gas block to just lock the bolt back works great at the bench but mo gas helps the gun run mo better when it gets dirty.

There are exceptions of course to the above of course but in my experience it's hard to argue for a well built 5.56 carbine shooting 77gr SMK's to at least 2700 fps.

 

[Tx_Aggie]

No wind and the furthest shot less than 600 yards? Not surprised at all that the guys shooting 223/5.56 did so well, especially if everyone was shooting a gasser. That sounds like a match tailor made for a 5.56 DMR/SPR/Recce/etc. type rifle.

 

[Precision Underground]

It has since been converted to Valkyrie but up to 600 yards I’d put my old 5.56 up against anything out there. That thing was a laser and a dream to shoot. I think I’ve just about got the Valkyrie to the same point now after some early troubles.

 

[hlee]

I guess it comes down to stage design. With the availability of 20-25 round magazines for a large frame gasser, I find it difficult to imagine one running dry in a precision rifle stage, where every shot counts. Then again, I've got 2 Grendel gassers that have failed to malf at a match- so far... I'd say a combination of short par times, wobbly props, and lots of movement would all favor low-recoiling light-weight rifles over large frame gassers in wind-cheating chamberings. And, the short(ish) distances don't hamper the 5.56 while not giving big advantages to the larger calibers.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

In the briefly-lived PRS Gas Gun series, it wasn't unusual to see multiple 223s in the top 10. Good shooters combined with low recoil and high mag capacity meant high placement, especially since the PRS gas gun rules weighted time pretty heavily, the targets were generally big, and max distance was 800 yards.