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Posts posted by SinistralRifleman
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Lessons learned for next year:
More PT for next year so I can go faster. I don't think I was in bad shape to do this, the heat combined with humidity really messed me up though. So heat conditioning is in order.
I carried twice as much water as I needed.
I should have carried more gookinade, it helped when I started feeling really bad with muscle cramps coming on in the heat.
Pre-hydrating the night before helped a lot.
Taking ibuprofin the night before, and before the competition kept most of the pain down.
Apparently my footwear (Matterhorn boots) was good, no blisters. I do need new boots now though, had those for 3 years and the match killed them.
Shooting wise, more practice shooting kneeling and sitting. Practice running a few hundred yards then shooting. I am going to bring a shooting stick or longer bipod anyway though because I am a gamer.
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The biathlon hosted by the Pecos, Texas Rifle Club is a unique type of shooting competition that is most likely not found anywhere else in the country. This isn’t the Olympic event with skis and .22 rimfire rifles. As the competition’s name, “Run ‘n Gun ‘n the Sun”, implies it is a cross country race in the heat and humidity of the West Texas desert with rifle shooting stations spread throughout the course.
The competition attracts people from all over the Southwest. Competitors’ ages range from teenagers to over 70 years old. Age is clearly not a factor here; physical endurance and shooting skill are what matters. The winners, including this year, are most often retired military men that have maintained their warrior spirit, kept their bodies fit, and their shooting skills sharp.
All a competitor needs to compete is a center fire rifle, there are no other gear or weight requirements AR-15 variants were by far the most common. Also seen were, FALs, M14s, and bolt action hunting rifles. Everything else a competitor can use is entirely at their discretion. Most shooters use varying sizes of hydration packs. Some competitors use military style field clothing and load bearing rigs carrying what they would need for a short patrol. Others go with a minimalist approach, and run in shorts and athletic shoes with the minimum ammo and water needed to finish the course.
http://www.cavalryarms.com/competition/Pecos/02.jpg
http://www.cavalryarms.com/competition/Pecos/03.jpg
http://www.cavalryarms.com/competition/Pecos/04.jpg
http://www.cavalryarms.com/competition/Pecos/05.jpg
http://www.cavalryarms.com/competition/Pecos/06.jpg
http://www.cavalryarms.com/competition/Pecos/07.jpg
http://www.cavalryarms.com/competition/Pecos/10.jpg
The course itself is a six-mile long round trip. Competitors are released individually every 5-10 minutes to keep them spaced out, and avoiding pile-ups on the shooting stages. If a shooter gets to a range with a shooter on it already, they will start a stopwatch and the Range Officer will deduct that time from their run time. The terrain over the course varies, including some dirt roads, desert with cactus and thorn bushes, a few areas with thicker vegetation, and rocky hills. Competitors need to watch out for rattlesnakes and other biting, stinging local critters. Temperatures varied during the match from 80-95 degrees, with humidity around 60%.
http://www.cavalryarms.com/competition/Pecos/map.jpg
The Shooting Stages were all fairly straight forward. The brush and foliage on the ground made it difficult to use the prone supported position frequently. Shooters had to use kneeling and sitting positions to see the targets. Some preferred to use shooting sticks to support their rifles in those positions. The prone position could be used on a couple of the stages if the shooter could find the right angles to see the targets through the ground cover. Using supported positions was critical to shooting well, particularly on the stages with limited shots allowed, fatigue, breathing, and heart rate dramatically effect ones’ shooting ability.
http://www.cavalryarms.com/competition/Pecos/01.jpg
http://www.cavalryarms.com/competition/Pecos/08.jpg
http://www.cavalryarms.com/competition/Pecos/09.jpg
Stage 1 consisted of 2 steel plates starting at about 200 yards that the shooter engaged once each from 4 different positions advancing forward to each subsequent position. Scoring was based on the fastest time with a max time of 4 minutes.
Stage 2 consisted of 5 steel plates at approximately 200 yards that the shooter had to engage with one round each. Scoring was based on the fastest time with a max time of 4 minutes.
Stage 3 consisted of one steel plate that the shooter had to put 10 rounds on as fast as possible. No more than 10 rounds could be fired. Comstock scoring was used on this stage. The shooter with most hits per time taken had the best score.
Stage 4 consisted of one paper high power style target that the shooter had to put 20 rounds on as fast as possible. No more than 20 rounds could be fired. Comstock scoring was used on this stage. The more points the shooter got for the time they shot, the better.
Scoring is balanced between run time and shooting 50/50. The fastest run time gets 100%, the lowest 0%. Everyone in between is scored on a curve, with their percentage being turned into points. Likewise the shooting stages are calculated the same way, with the highest score on each stage getting 100% and the lowest 0%. The scores for the shooting stages are then added together and averaged and added to the run time score. A perfect score would be 200 points for the combined shooting and running events.
The competition was followed by a banquet at the Pecos Country Club. Cavalry Arms, Practical Tactical, and Spec Ops Brand provided prizes for the match. Prizes were awarded by order of finish and random drawing, so most of the shooters walked away with something.
The Pecos Run ‘N Gun ‘N the Sun is a true test of physical fitness and shooting skill. Simply finishing the match should be viewed as an accomplishment as a lot of people who can show, won’t because they view the competition as too difficult. Military, Law Enforcement, and average citizens can all benefit from this competition, learning the limits of their physical and shooting capabilities under adverse conditions.
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The more freestyle the stages are, the better!
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All I use is chrome lined barrels and they all easily get 2MOA, some are capable of 1MOA if I do my part.
Chrome lined barrels with 5.56mm chambers are more reliable. Reliability is more important to me than a marginal increase in accuracy.
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I tend to shoot better in a controlled state of rage, or I guess it could be called "channeling aggression". I also tend to shoot better when I have had little sleep the night before too. As weird as that sounds, if I've had 3 hours or less I tend to be on edge and shoot better...then go home and crash the rest of the day.
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just about a week out, who else is going?
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Have any of you guys signed up for Trooper Class yet? As usual, we will be donating some prizes specifically to Trooper Class to make it worth your while.
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I just made this last night:
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I don't think he was acting. That's what made it so funny. Kid needs some hard work.
I brought in a professional German interpreter (my wife who is from Munich).
Although the sound quality is bad, apparently the kid is attempting to get a video game to work on his computer; he gets "upset" when the game freezes or does not work the way he wants. We figure that mom & dad knew he was likely going to throw a tantrum and thankfully for us, they got out the video camera. There is no mention of Prairie dogs or chipmunks. But, we both found it realy amusing nonetheless.
I also googled Dramatic Prairie Dog and apparently its a short, meaningless UTube clip from a Japanese TV show with a host, 4 teenage girls and a prairie dog. Wierd.
Angry German kid trying to play games is another internet phenomenon just like the Star Wars kid...people combine these viral videos to make something funnier.
Apparently the Angry German Kid was fake(WARNING SOME LINKS ON THIS SITE NOT WORK SAFE):
http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com/index...ngry_German_Kid
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The media always seems to imply that the status quo changes with the coming and going of the Brady Bill.
They don't seem to recognize that vast numbers of these firearms were still around during the Bill's tenure.
The Brady Act is still in effect, requiring background checks on all firearms sales through the NICS system
The AWB portion of the 1994 Omnibus crime bill is what is gone.
ya, the media LOVES the term black rifles. Just like they a frikken love affair with the term black talons.Look where that went. Correct it everywhere you hear it. If you let others paint your house, only god knows what the color it will end up being.
"The Black Rifle" is a term given to the M16 during the 1960s...many enthusiast websites still call it that. AR15.com calls it'self "Home of the Black Rifle. Black Rifle is a much more harmless term than "assault rifle". I don't think "Black Rifle" was used in a slanderous fashion in this piece at all.
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You will never see a news piece 100% in our favor. This was an extremely well balanced piece for the main stream media. Debbie came off as a lot more calm and rational than the opposing side did. The piece also showed that they are increasing in popularity for a number of uses including hunting and sport shooting.
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Debbie Ferns did a good job in this interview:
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.223 can be shot out of 5.56mm chambers all day long.
5.56mm can have issues when used in a .223 chamber...I have seen it happen with regularity. Use this combination at your own risk.
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egads! BillT has escaped the containment field of ArizonaShooting.com
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Stage 1: Who don’t we shoot? (to be shot on practical bay 2)
Targets:. 24 USPSA Paper (8 Blue, 8 Red, 8 Yellow; two each harcover headshots only, 2 each upper torsos only with hardcover)
Start Position: Rifle loaded on table, color balls under cups, shooter hands at sides.
Course Description: At start signal, shooter will pick up a cup to see colored ball, and engage the targets of the other colors as they become visible.
Notes: RO will shuffle cups before shooter begins. Any targets shot that are the same color as the ball count as no shoot penalties.
Stage 2: Two Trauma Kits; one to cause it, one to treat it. (to be shot on practical bay 3)
Targets: 20 USPSA Paper (4 No Shoots, 8 A Zone Hard cover (body armor targets), 1 Shoot head, no shoot body (suicide bomber), the rest standard no modifications.
Start Position: Seated in car, rifle and all ammo in trunk, trauma kit in trunk. Rifle will be cold chamber magazine inserted, safety may be off.
Course Description: At start signal, shooter will retrieve rifle from trunk and engage T1-T8. Shooter will then retrieve trauma kit from the trunk and advance to the dummy. Shooter will apply Israeli bandage to the portion of the dummy marked to represent a wound. While bandaging the shooter may either set their rifle down on the ground or keep it slung so long as the 180 is not broken. Shooter will finish the course of fire after bandaging the dummy.
Hitting the No-Shoot area on the Suicide Bomber target is a 60 second penalty.
Stage 3: You Can’t Always Be Right (or Left) (to be shot on highpower where the wall is.)
Targets: 4 Steel
Start Position: Rifle loaded on target, safety on.
Course Description: At start signal shooter will engage T1-T4 seated in the chopper. Shooter will then engage T1-T4 standing outside the chopper through the chopper window. Shooter will then go prone under the chopper tail, and engage T1-T4. Shooter will then engage T1-T4 firing the rifle with their weak hand, strong hand may be used to support the rifle.
Notes: RO test shooter’s ammo with magnet prior to course of fire.
Shooter’s with a medical condition that prevents them from shooting on their weak side, may shoot strong side, with +10 procedural assessed for each weak side target engaged with their strong side.
Stage 4: Enemy Boss Bonus
Targets: 3 Steel, 1 Precision Rifle Target, 6 Paper.
Start Position: Rifle loaded, safety on, port arms.
Course Description: At start signal, shooter will engage T1-T3 twice each in 1,2,3, 1, 2, 3 sequences. Shooter will then advance through the ship and engage the 6 paper targets as they become visible. Shooter will then advance up the ramp and engage the precision rifle target with 4 rounds. The shooter will receive a 10 second bonus for opening and closing the center flag and the head flag. The bonus is only available once for opening the chest, closing the chest, opening the head and closing the head. A minimum of 4 rounds must hit the steel anywhere to score.
Notes: To speed up reset, someone may shoot the doors on the precision rifle target closed
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Gallery is up:
http://www.cavalryarms.com/ID4/2007pics/IDAR-2007-1.html
If any other squads took pics, let me know and I can host them too.
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I saw earlier that I did stage 2 in 17 seconds.
That must be why the scores are not up at this moment. I think it should have been 71 seconds.
-ld
thanks for catching that, I corrected the typo.
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Merlin...."it ain't wrong...it,s just different" Pretty soon we will all compete with single shot Black powder cartride guns and the evil C-Mag will be banished FOREVER! DOWN WITH TECHNOLOGY!!
Oh and Kelly had it right! Zombies! ( don't those make your head hurt if you drinkl too many?)
You guys could get Trooper Class going at more matches and use whatever the heck you want, you just have to carry it
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AZCDL is going to be providing lunch on the range. It will consist of BBQ pork, beef, baked beans, cole slaw, and a beverage.
If you are planning on coming and have not yet registed, e-mail me. Those who registered ahead of time will get priority on lunch if more people than expected show up.
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Russell,
Pencil me in for next year. We don't do much here other than workout and I have my 6 mile time under 50 minutes now.
Rich
uh....yeah....I'll be happy to finish it in under 2 hours this year.
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things we have on the prize table for sure so far are
Vest from Coyote Tactical
Pouches from Coyote Tactical
Pouches from 3 Gun Gear
Pack from Eagle Industries
Rifle case from Eagle Industries
MESA vest from Practical Tactical
Slings from Practical Tactical
HK Style AR Sights from Hayes Research
Training Certificate from LMS Defense
Two Stock Kits from VLTOR
Shooter's World Membership
...and more!
there's a good lot of stuff to go around for the number of shooters we have.
2008 Matches
in Multi-Gun, Rifle & Shotgun Match Announcements
Posted
The Last Man Standing Defense Trooper Challenge 2008: