I ordered the 5-25 SCR on the 5th, but it's still not here. UPS did one of those stupid handoffs so it said it was delivered but it's actually sitting say a post office somewhere. Hopefully it comes in early enough for me to get it zeroed ahead of time. I don't want to have to go to the home range the night before or something crazy.
That sounds like the next thing, then. Thanks!
If you are reloading at 10 pm or trying to get to the range as the sun sets the day before the match, you might be doing it wrong.
Sounds like you've been there?If you are reloading at 10 pm or trying to get to the range as the sun sets the day before the match, you might be doing it wrong.
Never been to a match with ammo more than 12 hours old. 
Thats frustrating.. ☹
Scope is on.
I needed 6 rounds to zero, and then shot a 3 round group at 100.
But I may have screwed up getting the turret caps off and on, so I want to at least fire a shot or two to make sure I didn't shift anything during the process.
I'm getting excited too!
Welp, guess I'll stop giving advice here till I can make an ace of clubs on a target too
Nice work, good luck for the comp!
Good group but PRS is not groups. I would move it a little left also as it's better to have the impact .1 mil/1/4 MOA left to give a little offset for spin at longer ranges. But not a big deal now as you are 20% there now that you have the rifle set up. The rest is the hard part in shooting the targets from many different positions in under 90 seconds. The rifle is the easy part. Go have some fun at the match and it will help you learn what you need to work on in the future.
Go have some fun at the match and it will help you learn what you need to work on in the future.Yeah, using the bipod and the recycled rubber shooting rest they leave at the range.
See above!Welp, guess I'll stop giving advice here till I can make an ace of clubs on a target too
Nice work, good luck for the comp!
I verified zero shooting with just rear bag, and was pulling shots hard. I'm thinking that building the position is going to be the hardest part. Bipod extended, you need a bigger bag in the rear. Bipod too low, and I'm looking over the top of my glasses and can't see. It's like Goldilocks and the Three Hides.
Thanks!
I went up .1 mil and left .1 mil.Good group but PRS is not groups. I would move it a little left also as it's better to have the impact .1 mil/1/4 MOA left to give a little offset for spin at longer ranges. But not a big deal now as you are 20% there now that you have the rifle set up. The rest is the hard part in shooting the targets from many different positions in under 90 seconds. The rifle is the easy part.
Now I'm just going to take my time and try to hit the first target in 90 seconds on each stage.
AAR time!
BLUF:
I didn't do half the things you recommended, but mostly because I was walking around like a lost puppy.
I went to the zero range first, because I knew there was supposed to be a Lab Radar available, and everyone here suggested I get my speeds. When I got there, I saw several Magnetospeeds and Lab Radars, but everyone had their own. When I was about 5 people from the front, I noticed there wasn't a "community/range" chrono, so I left without asking anyone. It seemed like people were getting "in the zone", and I didn't want to get in the way. I got my stuff from the truck, then bumped into the match director and thanked him for putting on the event. I didn't ask about the chrono, because at that point I realized we were getting to match time, and I wasn't going to slow things down for everyone.
I stood where the bulk of the people were, but when someone asked what Squad I was with, they said I was at the wrong stage (Squad 4 started at Stave 4, etc...) The match director overheard I standing at the wrong stage and took me to my squad RO, which is when things started to smooth out.
Once in my squad, people were really helpful. After witnessing me throwing my rice sock over the first barrier and shooting from it, I suddenly had several offers to try out different bags. My limited experience has made me gravitate to the Armageddon Gear Shmedium. The Game Changer was too big, and the Tater Tot was too heavy and bulky. Apparently I like my shirts and my shooting bags Shmedium. I'm sure this will change a lot as I get experience...
I honestly don't know if my "Test DOPE" was that far off- most of my misses were larger than a few tenths, and felt like they were more related to my lack of experience building a stable position. Roughly half the time I watched the reticle bounce around like I was a Seal sniper on the deck of a ship trying to shoot a Somali pirate. The other half was me trying to get my head position adjusted to actually see something through the scope (lower power is your friend). The remaining small percentage, I hit the target. I had 6 hits, and a 7.42% Match Percentage in Production. I rarely got off more than 2 shots each stage.
My favorite moment was when I was shooting prone at prairie dogs from a stacked shipping container. I'm not good at calling my shots, but on the second shot I finally had the "perfect" shot. I called it and managed recoil well enough to watch the impact.... three feet left. WTF!!? I couldn't dwell on it, so I reached up to dial the next target and the scope moved. I realized what happened, hand tightened the mount thumb screws and managed to take two more careful shots on the clock. Lessons learned- 1) Double-check your equipment before you go 2) Stay calm and work the problem. As nervous as I was most of the time, it was nice to have a moment of calm where I could still work through a problem and perform better than some earlier stages.
All in all, I'm definitely going to continue to do this. I'll save the money I was going to spend on a chassis and invest in a bag and more ammo. I have a ways to go before my rifle is the limiting factor. It was a lot of fun!
Thanks,
Carlos
BLUF:
- It's golf with guns.
- I'm really slow.
- I didn't make many shots.
- People are extremely nice and helpful.
- I learned a lot.
I didn't do half the things you recommended, but mostly because I was walking around like a lost puppy.
I went to the zero range first, because I knew there was supposed to be a Lab Radar available, and everyone here suggested I get my speeds. When I got there, I saw several Magnetospeeds and Lab Radars, but everyone had their own. When I was about 5 people from the front, I noticed there wasn't a "community/range" chrono, so I left without asking anyone. It seemed like people were getting "in the zone", and I didn't want to get in the way. I got my stuff from the truck, then bumped into the match director and thanked him for putting on the event. I didn't ask about the chrono, because at that point I realized we were getting to match time, and I wasn't going to slow things down for everyone.
I stood where the bulk of the people were, but when someone asked what Squad I was with, they said I was at the wrong stage (Squad 4 started at Stave 4, etc...) The match director overheard I standing at the wrong stage and took me to my squad RO, which is when things started to smooth out.
Once in my squad, people were really helpful. After witnessing me throwing my rice sock over the first barrier and shooting from it, I suddenly had several offers to try out different bags.
My limited experience has made me gravitate to the Armageddon Gear Shmedium. The Game Changer was too big, and the Tater Tot was too heavy and bulky. Apparently I like my shirts and my shooting bags Shmedium. I'm sure this will change a lot as I get experience...I honestly don't know if my "Test DOPE" was that far off- most of my misses were larger than a few tenths, and felt like they were more related to my lack of experience building a stable position. Roughly half the time I watched the reticle bounce around like I was a Seal sniper on the deck of a ship trying to shoot a Somali pirate. The other half was me trying to get my head position adjusted to actually see something through the scope (lower power is your friend). The remaining small percentage, I hit the target. I had 6 hits, and a 7.42% Match Percentage in Production. I rarely got off more than 2 shots each stage.
My favorite moment was when I was shooting prone at prairie dogs from a stacked shipping container. I'm not good at calling my shots, but on the second shot I finally had the "perfect" shot. I called it and managed recoil well enough to watch the impact.... three feet left. WTF!!? I couldn't dwell on it, so I reached up to dial the next target and the scope moved. I realized what happened, hand tightened the mount thumb screws and managed to take two more careful shots on the clock. Lessons learned- 1) Double-check your equipment before you go 2) Stay calm and work the problem. As nervous as I was most of the time, it was nice to have a moment of calm where I could still work through a problem and perform better than some earlier stages.
All in all, I'm definitely going to continue to do this. I'll save the money I was going to spend on a chassis and invest in a bag and more ammo. I have a ways to go before my rifle is the limiting factor. It was a lot of fun!
Thanks,
Carlos
AAR time!
BLUF:
TLDR:
- It's golf with guns.
- I'm really slow.
- I didn't make many shots.
- People are extremely nice and helpful.
- I learned a lot.
I didn't do half the things you recommended, but mostly because I was walking around like a lost puppy.
I went to the zero range first, because I knew there was supposed to be a Lab Radar available, and everyone here suggested I get my speeds. When I got there, I saw several Magnetospeeds and Lab Radars, but everyone had their own. When I was about 5 people from the front, I noticed there wasn't a "community/range" chrono, so I left without asking anyone. It seemed like people were getting "in the zone", and I didn't want to get in the way. I got my stuff from the truck, then bumped into the match director and thanked him for putting on the event. I didn't ask about the chrono, because at that point I realized we were getting to match time, and I wasn't going to slow things down for everyone.
I stood where the bulk of the people were, but when someone asked what Squad I was with, they said I was at the wrong stage (Squad 4 started at Stave 4, etc...) The match director overheard I standing at the wrong stage and took me to my squad RO, which is when things started to smooth out.
Once in my squad, people were really helpful. After witnessing me throwing my rice sock over the first barrier and shooting from it, I suddenly had several offers to try out different bags.
I honestly don't know if my "Test DOPE" was that far off- most of my misses were larger than a few tenths, and felt like they were more related to my lack of experience building a stable position. Roughly half the time I watched the reticle bounce around like I was a Seal sniper on the deck of a ship trying to shoot a Somali pirate. The other half was me trying to get my head position adjusted to actually see something through the scope (lower power is your friend). The remaining small percentage, I hit the target. I had 6 hits, and a 7.42% Match Percentage in Production. I rarely got off more than 2 shots each stage.
My favorite moment was when I was shooting prone at prairie dogs from a stacked shipping container. I'm not good at calling my shots, but on the second shot I finally had the "perfect" shot. I called it and managed recoil well enough to watch the impact.... three feet left. WTF!!? I couldn't dwell on it, so I reached up to dial the next target and the scope moved. I realized what happened, hand tightened the mount thumb screws and managed to take two more careful shots on the clock. Lessons learned- 1) Double-check your equipment before you go 2) Stay calm and work the problem. As nervous as I was most of the time, it was nice to have a moment of calm where I could still work through a problem and perform better than some earlier stages.
All in all, I'm definitely going to continue to do this. I'll save the money I was going to spend on a chassis and invest in a bag and more ammo. I have a ways to go before my rifle is the limiting factor. It was a lot of fun!
Thanks,
Carlos
Great stuff... sounds a lot like everyone else's first match experience.
I spent weeks practicing and doing load development. I was an avid 3 Gunner, and I already owned a rifle as a long range bonus target gun. So had good competition experience.
Stage 1 of my first ever PRS match, went 3 for 3, then began wildly spraying. Each shot went wider than the one before it.
Checked rings and mount, all tight to spec. Long story short, my GEN I PST gave up the ghost right there on the first stage of my first PRS match.
I stayed and participated, fired some rounds from buddies rifles. But a bit of bust all in all
That sounds about right for a first match. Lots of people use the shmedium. Lots of people also have a lot of bags because a) no one bag truly does it all and b) it’s really hard to get enough time with a bag to evaluate it without buying one. So, most guys have a closet full of bags.
I too find the atmosphere at the zeroing range to be a little less “commeraderie” and a little more “getting down to business”. Randomly getting someone to let you use their equipment and help you get zeroed would be a challenge. Now that you’ve been once and will be more practiced, you’ll be getting down to business next time instead of wondering what’s up.
Most people will tell you they run about 12-15 power on their scopes. That was a hard lesson for me. Coming from bench and f-class, I was a max power all the time guy. As you found out, the eyebox and FOV is too small in this game for 25x.
Congrats on finishing your first match.
I too find the atmosphere at the zeroing range to be a little less “commeraderie” and a little more “getting down to business”. Randomly getting someone to let you use their equipment and help you get zeroed would be a challenge. Now that you’ve been once and will be more practiced, you’ll be getting down to business next time instead of wondering what’s up.
Most people will tell you they run about 12-15 power on their scopes. That was a hard lesson for me. Coming from bench and f-class, I was a max power all the time guy. As you found out, the eyebox and FOV is too small in this game for 25x.
Congrats on finishing your first match.
Yeah, I honestly need to figure out what power I was running. I honestly didn't look up at it. I just started at 5 and zoomed in until I felt comfortable enough to take the shot. At one point, one of the guys in my squad must have been leaning over me looking at my power knob, because I heard his voice say "No, dial it back some more until you find your target." When I'm not on the clock, I need to zoom in at different ranges and see what powers are good for different ranges. (Or don't and just do it by feel?)
Thanks!
Power will depend on how you are shooting as well as at what as if you are prone you can dial up as you will be more stable but if shooting off an obstacle then powering down to the 10-12x range can help you observe less movement. The movement is still there but it makes it easier to take a shot. So with that going into the stage you can figure what power you want to be on. I rarely touch my power ring after starting a stage. I set it and shoot.
I definitely need observation practice through the scope, then. I was zooming in and out every stage.
Finding targets can be a bitch at first. I try to find them in binoculars and pick out landmarks. Then find them with my bare eyes. When I approach the stage to shoot I find the target and keep looking at it as I approach the prop to shoot from I then lay down my bag and rifle while still looking at the target. My gun usually ends up pointed in the correct position as you are getting on the rifle keep looking at the first target over the scope you will usually end up being on target or close to it when you aquire your sight picture in the scope. Occasionally I will have to hunt and if I do I will automatically crank the power down till I find it. Do a lot of dry firing and practice building positions it will help a lot with finding targets. It will become second nature after a while.
@GPtuners I am assuming you are talking about the Turkey Creek match? I was there on Saturday (I was the one with the puppy at the end). Anyways, I would have brought my magneto speed for you to use, but I thought it was taken care of, sorry.
Generally the zero range is a little bigger and more people can shoot at the same time, because there was only room for one at a time it went a little slower than normal.
Congrats on competing in your first match!
Generally the zero range is a little bigger and more people can shoot at the same time, because there was only room for one at a time it went a little slower than normal.
Congrats on competing in your first match!
That's the one! That is an amazing range to have 25 minutes from my house. Too bad that the matches are the only chance to get out there. No worries! There were bigger things I needed to work on before worrying about the exact speed. I couldn't keep the reticle on the target half the time. (I ordered a bag yesterday)
I'll take you up on it next time though.Your puppy was worn out by the end of that hot day. Good thing it went as quickly as it did!
Thanks!
