Virgin Competitor Needs Advice!!

[pcweidman]

Hope everyone is well!

I am reaching out to you all that have competed in Long Range/Tactical/Rifleman competitions across our great country. I feel after 5 years of building my skill and my equipment to the point that I can compete I want to do so. However there is a certain type of competition I am looking for. I am not interested in these range type F class or Bench competitions. I love military history and the art of the tactical shooting. I have never served and am not law enforcement but I consider myself a pretty strong shooter with good rifle craft. I range targets well, I'm good with ballistics, hand loading, I have nice accurate durable reliable and safe equipment. I am 35 years old was an x college athlete and stay in shape. I would like to find a match that challenges my shooting at different ranges in an open country type scenario. I dont claim to be as good as my friends who served as snipers or DM's in the military but I can hold my own and want to find a place to compete and learn. Something that challenges maybe endurance as well as shooting skill that offers a good atmosphere for novice competitors to learn and advance their skill. I have killed wild hogs at over 1200 yards and have four different sub moa guns of different calibers and uses; I also feel I can shoot them to their capabilities. Can I please get some advice on what match you guys would advise me to shoot. I am interested in the Hide Cup but having never been there I dont know what the experience "feels" like. I am open to any state with a match between March and October.

Thanks!!!

PCW

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

start with any of the CMP disciplines, then carry what you learned there (both with the rifle and comradery) to something more "tactical" style.

 

[Mendocino]

We have lots of stuff to aspire to: COMPETITION DYNAMICS. Shoot some local stuff and then come shoot with us.

 

[turbo54]

start with any of the CMP disciplines, then carry what you learned there (both with the rifle and comradery) to something more "tactical" style.

Respectfully disagree.

Reinforcement of the fundamentals of marksmanship and comradery aren't really prerequisites to shooting tactical matches. NRA/CMP shooting is fun in it's own right, but provided this fellow has safe equipment and knows how to safely use it, there is no reason he shouldn't jump into tacmatches with both feet.

My advice to the OP is to keep his eyes on the match announcement threads, and go to any of them he can - provided he has the time, and they are close enough. There is a yearly match in Birmingham, and a couple matches a year at Rock Castle in Park City Kentucky. Then there's a couple PTS matches each year in Cookeville Tennessee. Being in Alabama is a pretty good "centralized" location to make a lot of the matches.

That all said, the OP makes a strong mention of the physical aspect. Most of the matches are really aimed more at marksmanship and less so physical conditioning and endurance. Still, there are a couple matches that target this niche: Mammoth Sniper Challenge (Park City, Kentucky) has divisions for those badasses that want to hump all their gear around and sleep out in the cold. Out west Zak Smith has his 24 hour sniper adventure challenge, which probably represents the most physically challenging "tactical" shooting a civilian can do.

 

[Here2Learn]

Hope everyone is well!

I am reaching out to you all that have competed in Long Range/Tactical/Rifleman competitions across our great country. I feel after 5 years of building my skill and my equipment to the point that I can compete I want to do so. However there is a certain type of competition I am looking for. I am not interested in these range type F class or Bench competitions. I love military history and the art of the tactical shooting. I have never served and am not law enforcement but I consider myself a pretty strong shooter with good rifle craft. I range targets well, I'm good with ballistics, hand loading, I have nice accurate durable reliable and safe equipment. I am 35 years old was an x college athlete and stay in shape. I would like to find a match that challenges my shooting at different ranges in an open country type scenario. I dont claim to be as good as my friends who served as snipers or DM's in the military but I can hold my own and want to find a place to compete and learn. Something that challenges maybe endurance as well as shooting skill that offers a good atmosphere for novice competitors to learn and advance their skill. I have killed wild hogs at over 1200 yards and have four different sub moa guns of different calibers and uses; I also feel I can shoot them to their capabilities. Can I please get some advice on what match you guys would advise me to shoot. I am interested in the Hide Cup but having never been there I dont know what the experience "feels" like. I am open to any state with a match between March and October.

Thanks!!!

PCW

You are plenty "qualified". Check out Brock's Gap Training Center, Hoover, Alabama. Larry runs a monthly match and we also put on an annual match. We would love to have you shoot with us. PM me if you have any questions

Jim

 

[SRSDriver]

We have lots of stuff to aspire to: COMPETITION DYNAMICS. Shoot some local stuff and then come shoot with us.

The CD events are among my favorite. Events that push new shooting challenges, new teamwork challenges, new physical challenges. Given your experience and background, you would probably enjoy the TBTC and their sniper adventure challenge.

 

[DT1]

You are plenty "qualified". Check out Brock's Gap Training Center, Hoover, Alabama. Larry runs a monthly match and we also put on an annual match. We would love to have you shoot with us. PM me if you have any questions

Jim

+1 Where in Alabama do you live? Jim and I (along with several other competitive shooters) would love to have you out to Steel City, AKA Brock's Gap, in Birmingham to shoot, practice and compete. No problem to ease you into it as you feel comfortable in a very relaxed atmosphere.

Looking forward to shooting with you!

 

[kraigWY]

fundamentals of marksmanship and comradery aren't really prerequisites to shooting tactical matches

WRONG

Fundamentals of marksmanship IS a prerequisite to any and all disciplines of shooting.

 

[turbo54]

WRONG

Fundamentals of marksmanship IS a prerequisite to any and all disciplines of shooting.

You misquoted me, changing the meaning/context.

What I wrote was:

Reinforcement of the fundamentals of marksmanship and comradery aren't really prerequisites to shooting tactical matches

Of course fundamentals are crucial to any discipline.

 

[pcweidman]

Thanks Mendocino! I am familiar with your outfit and very much appreciate the invite! Ill keep a lookout for when I can get involved!

 

[pcweidman]

Respectfully disagree.

Reinforcement of the fundamentals of marksmanship and comradery aren't really prerequisites to shooting tactical matches. NRA/CMP shooting is fun in it's own right, but provided this fellow has safe equipment and knows how to safely use it, there is no reason he shouldn't jump into tacmatches with both feet.

My advice to the OP is to keep his eyes on the match announcement threads, and go to any of them he can - provided he has the time, and they are close enough. There is a yearly match in Birmingham, and a couple matches a year at Rock Castle in Park City Kentucky. Then there's a couple PTS matches each year in Cookeville Tennessee. Being in Alabama is a pretty good "centralized" location to make a lot of the matches.

That all said, the OP makes a strong mention of the physical aspect. Most of the matches are really aimed more at marksmanship and less so physical conditioning and endurance. Still, there are a couple matches that target this niche: Mammoth Sniper Challenge (Park City, Kentucky) has divisions for those badasses that want to hump all their gear around and sleep out in the cold. Out west Zak Smith has his 24 hour sniper adventure challenge, which probably represents the most physically challenging "tactical" shooting a civilian can do.

Now you are talking Turbo54! My wife runs marathons and even though I respect that I find it highly boring but am very interested in what you say about Mammoth and Zak Smith. This sounds like what I am looking for! I will look into this more.

 

[pcweidman]

+1 Where in Alabama do you live? Jim and I (along with several other competitive shooters) would love to have you out to Steel City, AKA Brock's Gap, in Birmingham to shoot, practice and compete. No problem to ease you into it as you feel comfortable in a very relaxed atmosphere.

Looking forward to shooting with you!

DT1 and Jim,
I really appreciate you reaching out. I am very familiar with Brocks Gap which we as kids called MadDog where we would go and drink beer in the early 90's and chase girls around camp fire parties! hahaha I am moving back to Bham from MGM in the spring after being away from Hoover for many years due to my career. I now have a job that affords me to live wherever and afford to buy cool gear! I very very much appreciate the invitation and if you dont mind ill hit you up privately and see if you guys can show me around up there. I am mainly only into long guns instead of black guns. But I do love working with pistols as well.