In the run up to the CMP eastern games I shot a series of matches over two weekends.
First the season opener NRA 800 Agg at New Holland.
With the exception of a saved round in sitting due to a round that turned out to have some moisture in it, this turned out to be a great match for me. I shot slightly better than my average which should have been enough to earn an expert card!
Kimberton NRA and Garand Matches.
Back at my home club for the first NRA service rifle match of the year. This was my first match at this club with my new 2016 service rifle. It is a reduced course 100 yard 600 agg on a dark range which really gives the scope an advantage as it’s easier to see. I posted my first master scores and I was most proud of a pair of 99s I posted in slow prone on that tricky MR-31 target.
York Rifleman Spring Garand Match and 500 agg.
Despite all the travel games I’ve been to York Rifleman’s Garand matches are some of my favorite.
I have been to every garand match at York since 2012 and I’m happy to report I finally made the medal cut. It was a close one due to a bad LC round (At least that’s my excuse) but it felt good to break the York curse!
Took my shiny new, optics equipped service rifle down to Quantico for fleet week to give it a work out.
Some quick observations. I am using the VXR 1-4 with a SPR-G reticle.
1. My zeros were 100% and my windage changes went where I expected.
2. The back berm is where it mattered the most. Today was just me vs the wind. As opposed to me vs my eyes. When the math was right the shot went where it should. Best of all after the string my eyes didn’t hurt.
2. I like the dot. There has been a lot of speculation on the right reticle. At least for me it doesn’t seem to matter. I put the green dot in the middle of the black dot and squeaze.
3. Hold off. There was some crazy shifting wind at 600 today. I was able to hold off when I could see the conditions changing. In theory this can be done with irons but it seemed much simpler to me with optics. With the light conditions I could just make out some of the scoring rings and was able to slice up the black for windage in a pinch.
4. Seeing the spotter. This one is minor but I’ve been using the rifle scope to see my last shot instead of my Konus. Shoot #1 > load > see shot #1 > make needed changes >take shot #2 > plot shot #1. While a little goofy at first this way, I am able to use the time the target is down to plot my shot in my score book.
Bottom line: I like it. For me it seems to make a difference and be worth any trade offs at least for now. I posted a 458/500 which is my best EIC so far, even with a Hail Mary in sitting.
Let’s see what I say after tomorrow’s match as they are calling for rain!
New Holland Rifle and Pistol Club runs a series of monthly matches they call “shoot and scoot” in the off-season. Work had caused me to miss the first couple and the February match was moved inside due to single digit temperatures. But I finally made it out to the last one this weekend.
It was a beautiful March day sunny and in the 50s.
We shot a reduced “SAFS course of fire” which is 10 rounds each stage, slow prone rapid prone, rapid sitting, off-hand. I brought the new Optics equipped A4 service rifle to give it a full work out.
I wasn’t super happy with my rapid prone or my off-hand, but when I got home and did the math, I beat my personal best by 3% which is a statistically significant difference from my scores last year. Of course there are a lot of things at play here so it’s not good science to say the rifle is the cause. I have been working with my SCATT trainer in the off-season and i have never shot a reduced match at this range. The lighting and conditions here are just perfect which contributed to a good score.
A little story about off-hand, My first 3 shots were in the white, a pair of 8s and a shameful 7. I took a little break, told my self to put them all in the center of the target shuffled my NPA and then some how didn’t leave the black again. Sometimes all it takes is reminding yourself to shoot the middle of the target.
It has been a very long and eventful season. I’ve burnt up in excess of 3000 rounds, brought my personal best up 30 points, won some medals, shot in matches all over the country and started to get serious about Service Rifle. But all good things must come to an end.
This was the last regular season match at Kimberton Fish and Game, it was a typical summer day, except it was December. It was hazy and warm in the mid to high 60s.
Prone
Slow prone went well, 97-3, I’m pretty happy with that, especially with the dark conditions and HXP.
That proved to be the bright spot of the match as things went down hill from there. Popped a couple 7’s in rapid prone and a pair of misses in off hand to wrap it up. Can’t win them all I suppose.
off hand
Now that the season is over, I’m not going to sit just around. There is a freezer match in January and then some “shoot and scoot” high power format practice matches I plan on attending before the regular season picks back up in April. I am especially excited to get my new 4x scope mounted to my service rifle and try it out!
I’ve been working on a M14/M1A build for a few years now. At the 2014 National Matches I picked up a “blemished” M1A receiver from the Springfield Armory shop at commercial row. Over the winter I found a deal on a rack grade TRW GI parts kit. Then this summer Springfield Armory had a package deal on a mid-weight NM barrel and bolt installed while I shopped on commercial row that. I couldn’t it pass up.
After some tinkering and trying to figure out how to put these rifles together, the “Blonde Bomber” was born. If you haven’t guessed she gets her name from her very yellow blond birch stock which is a stock I picked up at the CMP north store.
The GTB Shooting Team headed up to the Poconos to Wilkes-Barre Rifle & Pistol Club with our M14s. It was in the mid 60’s and just a bit overcast up in northeast PA.
WBRP runs a reduced 200 yard CMP National Match Course walk and paste match. It’s a nice club to shoot at with luxurious covered firing points. Since it’s a CMP match all stages start from standing which is good practice for EIC matches. This format is also nice for trying new things since it doesn’t count for EIC points and it doesn’t affect NRA classification.
#blondebomber
Shooting the M14 is interesting. In off-hand I like it better than the Garand but not as much as I like my A2. I weighted my stock which helped me slow my wobble a little. It also has a long magazine which is nice because I have short arms and this hold helps me keep get a better cheek weld in off-hand.
Sitting. Oh boy did the Blonde Bomber push me around in sitting. I gave up a far too many points in sitting because of this. That said, I think with some time I can clean up the sitting position.
Rapid prone when fairly well. Both my shooting buddy and I kept 9 rounds in the black and popped a 6 each… not sure what that was about. Reloading these things might be harder than a Garand or at least I have trouble with rocking in a mag. It otherwise handled like a Garand in rapid prone.
The 20 rounds of slow prone went better than I expected. I got sloppy on the last round and popped that 7. “That little guy, I wouldn’t worry about that little guy.”
I haven’t set up to handload for 308 and I wasn’t impressed with the box of PPU I had shot to check function. Creedmoor sports 30-06 served me very well in my bolt guns at Camp Perry so I picked up a case of it for this match. Just as it had at Perry this ammo didn’t let me down. I continue to be impressed with Creedmoor’s ammo.
In the end I am happy with my performance and the performance of the Blonde Bomber. It was a great match I look forward to going back to WBRP next season. As far as the Blond Bomber, I’m not ready to give up my White Oak AR and take the Blonde Bomber to the NTI in 2016 but for sure I’ll give it a try at the M1A match at Perry.
