Rifle Tech Prep before Texas Multigun, recommendations please

[DyNo!]

Load up 500 or so Sierra Match King 69gr. It's a nice bullet for any 1:8 twist. That plus the free float hand guard should get you close to 1 moa. Practice with 300 rounds and take 200 to the match. Learn your hold overs and if you can practice in wind, do so. If not at least run the calculators and draw your sight pictures on graph paper for 10 and 20mph full value cross wind. The 69gr SMK bullets will offer some small amount of wind forgiveness and tighten up your groups some. Drawing out your sight pictures will at least give you some frame of reference when you are there and the wind is howling.

Damn good advice and exactly what I did last year (doing it again this year).

Pretty sure we clocked the wind at up to 35 last year.

[Aab]

Regardless of what you choose, practice will provide the most valuable. If you are comfortable with you hold-overs or dialing then you will do well in the match.

[michael1778]

Regardless of what you choose, practice will provide the most valuable. If you are comfortable with you hold-overs or dialing then you will do well in the match.

First 3-gun match is this Saturday. A USPSA pistol match the following weekend. Then another 3-gun the weekend before Texas. In between, some range time and some coaching from a local Police and SWAT instructor. He did sniper work too. Time management between now and then will be my limiting factor, which is fine. I want to be the weakest link in the chain, not my gear.

Looking forward to getting started, identifying the weaknesses, and taking corrective action.

I deeply appreciate this community's support and advice!

[hax]

Good luck Michael, I'm sure you will do just fine

[CocoBolo]

Michael I have to admire your courage. You are the kind of guy that swims with sharks!

[usmc0326]

Many Thanks!

-- Mike

Well Mike,

I think you should be happy your in limited. Tac seems to get a little silly with optics lately. Short dot vs Leupold 1.1-6 etc. Keep in mind Marines qualify with M4's and M16's at 500. The weapons are capable of great things. When your on the long range stages use 68/69 grain rounds to help buck the wind a little better. But above all, practice! There are guys running box stock rifles smoking guys with 4k rifles. It's more about the shooter than the rifle really. Just know your gear. There is an old saying, fear the man with one rifle. Because if he has only one rifle and he shoots it often. He knows point of aim, point of impact for various ranges and wind conditions. I would suggest practicing positional shooting, shooting in wind, reading the wind, making wind calls (write it down), shoot (call the shot), and then check POI. The more you do this the more comfortable you will be with your platform. Not sure if your handgaurd is free floating, and maybe a jerry micklick PRI break (check the event rules) Triggers are nice and I could suggest some really nice ones but it would really depend on your budget. If the sky is the limit we can get some things going. But if your on a modest budget that changes things.

My problem trying to play in tac optics is I am trying to find a scope like the Schmidt and Bender in a better price range. So far I am down to about $1200 for the nightforce 1-4 to go on my three gun rifle.

Overall, I still am a firm believer in the idea that people should learn to shoot, and shoot well with iorn sights. At this point make sure what ever ammo you intend on using is the ammo you train with, and that it runs with 0 malfunctions in your rifle.

Edited April 1, 2012 by usmc0326

[michael1778]

Thanks, Patrick. My plans for Texas got sabotaged in two ways. First, I actually had a "heart attack" on March 14th. I'm extremely fortunate that I called for and received quick paramedic intervention and transport to the hospital. I have no heart damage, hence the quotations around heart attack. I do have a nifty stent in a coronary artery. The rest of the arteries looked excellent before treatment. Too many people think a heart attack = some heart tissue death so I am hesitatnt to use the phrase heart attack with most people. In my case, no damage. I'm feeling great now. But the three day hospital stay and week of recovery afterward put most of my life off kilter. Then work demanded that I be in Washington DC for the first day of the Texas match (20 April). I moved my registration to the weekend before to shoot with the ROs and staff (thanks to the match directors to allow that), but now I can't get everything done in all parts of my life before I go to Texas.

I'm just out of hours in the days now. So something had to give. And it was the long weekend of 3-gun. Taxes, zeroing the rifle, being on family vacation (right now all week), work, and doing my part-time online graduate schooling at Univ of So Cal (Astronautical Engineering) would bury me if I had to try to do the 2+ day match with interstate travel. I HATE having to withdraw, but it's the least-bad choice out there. I can spend a few hours on the 14th at a small local match as a consolation prize.

I appreciate your advice on how to prepare with my rifles. My zero for last month's Durham match was miserable so I need to find an appropriate range and get it done later in April. My Loki custom rifle will be in by then. AR Gold trigger, billet receivers, Satern 18" barrel, carbon fiber hand guard, PRS stock (like you have), Ergo Tactical grip, Rolling Thunder Comp, Syrac Ordnance adjustable gas block, etc, etc. I will be the weakest link in that system for a LONG time.

BTW, I have been coming to the same conclusion about optics. It can get crazy. I'm trying to stick with the Prismatic for a few months to get better and more comfortable with the rifle. But I'll be shooting Amateur at Rockcastle in August. They only have Tactical and Open; no limited. I may decide to move more boldly into one of those two categories/divisions, by then. Of course, I could shoot Tactical with the Prismatic.....time will tell.

Thanks again.

[whistlepig]

Mike, pm me and I will help you get the real range zeros. We can go to 300 about 40 minutes from Clemmons