michael1778

Shooter Steve: PM sent. Sounds like a good plan to me. ridenrunwv: Thanks. I was considering optics and getting familiar. Sounds like I was thinking "right" on that.

My gunsmith presented that general concept as a short term option. The whole "step in incrementally" idea. Lots of merit to that. Thanks very much for the book link. As someone with a bachelors in aerospace engineering and a masters in astronautical engineering, I expect Litz's book to be a great read. The Designated Marksman Matches are 650 yds and in, while also being a pairs event. I don't know enough shooters that well, yet. They are also timed events for scoring so a semi-auto seems like it could be more competitive. I'll email the match contact to see if I can get permission to visit next month when the range is open for competitors to familiarize and sight in for longer distance. I'll just go to observe this time. The Individual/Precision matches go out to 1000. Scoring is different from the DMM. This will be a careful process. More careful than I did getting into 3-gun, anyway! That could have been handled better. I'll take my time and sample events as I'm able based on equipment and budget.

I remember those videos. Funny stuff. And fair enough. Thanks. [ETA -- that video got funnier as it went. I remember the 3-gun shotgun version.] This is all part of a larger plan, so it isn't just Mall Ninja junk.

By "after firing", I mean after the moment of ignition in the chamber. Something in the extraction process. I didn't mean while the spent case was sitting on the ground. :-)

Dents like in image #3 must be after being fired, not before. I say that because many people "fire form" brass for unusual cartridges by feeding undersized or differently shaped cases into their rifle chamber, then firing the ammo, and reusing the explosively formed cases. A dent in a case should not survive being fired unless it was monstrous at the start. And if so you'd get odd burning, most likely. I don't have enough experience with rifle mechanics to diagnose the issues, but the image with the dents must be something after being fired. Dents before ignition would not remain. They would be explosively formed out.

Hello Friends, I am considering trying out longer range rifle shooting this year. If that goes well, I would like to get a custom made rifle for long range work to 1000 yards. The most likely matches I would attend would be here: http://woodysmatch.com, in North Carolina My thinking is to try a Designated Marksman Match first and hopefully watch part of a precision match. I'd do the DMM with my 18" Criterion barreled 3-gun rifle. I have tried to avoid reloading, but I expect I will have to get into that to some degree if I do long range rifle competition. I don't hunt and have no interest in that. Rifle work is pure-play competition at all times. I have three questions to the group. Do you concur with the 6mm Creedmoor choice? It seems like the flattest shooting with reasonable barrel life. Given that I have zero experience with bolt guns would you recommend a custom bolt-action rifle or a custom made semi-auto rifle in your recommended caliber? What particular components or equipment for the custom rifle from #2 would you recommend that I consider in 2014? I will be consulting with a local gunsmith that has experience with shooting very long range rifle as well as building long range rigs. But, I still wanted to solicit your opinions as a means to keep my vision broad at first. I don't want to focus too much, too soon.Thank you very much for your ideas and recommendations. -- Mike

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That seems like a great package deal!

I had no idea about the FP-10. Thanks.

Sorry that I don't have any information to provide. Just this past week I've decided to look seriously at trying a long range match or two this year. But, I'm very interested in what other eventually will say in this thread. Have you considered 6mm/.243 cartridge choices? I'm looking at 6mm Creedmoor and 243 Winchester as well as 260 Rem and 6.5mm Creedmoor. Do you reload? I don't but think I may have to for precision rifle. Do you have a larger caliber gas gun, also?

I ran a 26" Versa Max with a full size XRAIL last year. It's a perfect size for that XRAIL. I'm moving to a modified MKA-1919XN. I have no idea if it will be successful or not. I picked up the base gun for about $620 from my local shop that needed to clear inventory. The mods to make it more race ready and 922r compliant came from Tooth & Nail. The VM had work done by C-Rums before I got the XRAIL. Actually shooting it was very pleasant. Delightfully accurate and soft shooting. "Driving" the gun with that weight in the front, however, was not my cup of tea on some stages. Truth be told, I don't have the most upper body strength, by far. I sit in an office most of the time. That should put my comments in perspective. On stages without too much swapping between ammo types and about 20-23 shots, the XRAIL can be a winner since you don't reload. But, if you have to do some fancy ammo type changes in the stage (like bird to slug to bird and so forth) or go over the XRAIL capacity, then the magazine fed shotguns can gain an advantage.

I only used Mobil 1 for a short time before moving to other products. I may move back to a 90% synthetic motor oil/10% synthetic ATF mix. Anyway, I never got the rifle hot enough to smoke the oil. Maybe our match stages are too short for that.

I'm guessing here, but this type of comment has come up in my research on bolt action precision rifles this week. Some loads have pressure over time characteristics that don't give reliable function in a gas-operated semi-automatic. Or so I have read. Obviously this is third-hand stuff I'm giving you here. I think it would be worth an attempt to reach Hornady customer service tomorrow and ask them for an elaboration. That's my best recommendation. As to HM "match" ammo, I see lots of people talking about 168 and 175 grain hollow point boat tails. Federal, Black Hills, and Prvi Partizan come to mind. There are many others. But call Hornady, if you can. I bet you'll learn something in the process to make it even more worth the effort. Good luck.

And people claim that Open is expensive!

Give them a call and find out. I know that consumes some time, but it is worth it to you and everyone else. :-)

They are over in the Vendor section of this web site. The direct link is here: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showforum=280 Phone number and email are at the top of that page.

This. ^^^^ It's just like I do for my offset mini red dot in Open. I happen to zero to 25 yards, also. Why? It's a reasonable distance, but mostly because that's the length of the indoor range I can frequent.

I did not know about that comparison. Thank you.

I ignore mine in those situations.

If you realistically think the political climate there will change to reverse these measures, then good for you for staying. From three time zones away, my decidedly distant view is that doesn't seem likely. Meanwhile...... Anyone see that G2 Hunter model for sale yet? And what about any word from any DPMS sources on other calibers for the G2 like 6.5 Creedmoor? I'm getting an itch to try longer-range rifle out to 900+ yards in a regional precision match series. Perhaps it is ignorance, but pushing 308 that far sounds very difficult.

The bimetal or steel jackets (forget the cases) are not welcome at all my local ranges in all situations as well as Tarheel 3 Gun matches when firing at steel plates. I have hundreds of rounds that I cannot use in most shooting situations. If you want inexpensive ammo, consider something like Wolf Gold (I think that's the name). Brass cased as well as non-magnetic bullets.

That Nordic is very good, in my experience. Also, the Dynamic Resistance brake over at CarbonArms.us is very good. It's also compact and light. Given the modest size of the Corvette, it is impressive that the DR one is even smaller and lighter. I think someone with actual high-speed gas dynamics designed it from the start; thus, the efficiency. I have a Corvette in my parts bin waiting to be used on a redesigned upper, someday. Meanwhile, the the Dynamic Resistance brake is on my current 18" competition rifle given the size advantage. I recommend the Nordic or the DR. Grab one and drive on. Over-thinking brakes is a popular pastime. Don't fall for it. Your buddy should make a choice and go with it. [Edit: from the shooter perspective, I didn't find it any louder than my Rolling Thunder. To the side, yeah it could well be loud, but they all are. And yes, certain ammo can make some spectacular side flame/flash. Sure as heck isn't a flash hider.]

I'm not a particular fan of the MTAC myself but I see many very good shooters doing great rifle runs with theirs. I may not like it for how *my* eyes work, but I *never* question its effectiveness for others. Are you sensing some difficulty yourself when using the MTAC?

Thanks to Rob01 and DocMedic for their comments. I'll plan on a Harris set up for 3-gun and be looking at an Atlas for any precision rig I get in the future. I like that concept. I didn't mean to thread jack here, so I'll go back to passive reading and learning.

This has been an informative thread, thanks. I need a bipod for my Open 3-gun rifle and I may dabble in longer range stuff in the future, so I need to be aware of what are preferred options for that style of competition, also.