York Riflemen 2014 Fall Garand Match

I took a trip across the river to York Riflemen, one of my favorite places to shoot, for their fall Garand Match.

It was raining  when I pulled in but by the time we headed to the pits the ran stopped and by the off hand string of the first relay it was in the mid 60’s with the sun was shining. There were only enough shooters for two relays so we “scored in the pits”.  I had never done  this before. This initially gave me some anxiety but, after some advice from my fellow shooters, it turned out to be not so hard. Run the target down, score paste, and run it up like normal. Then Grab your clipboard and write down the shooters score,  with any luck before your shooter takes their next shot.

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After a round in the pits it was my turn to shoot.  The weather had significantly improved by the time I was all strapped in for slow prone. I am happy to report that I beat my personal best entirely due to off hand. I had been in a bit of a slump with the Garand the past few matches, especially on off hand. I had an “ah ha” moment while dry firing this week. I was not leaning back nor to the right (away from the line) as much as I had been  Note in first picture there is way too much space between my side and my support arm.

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In this match, with the position I had practiced, I was able to get my support arm tighter against my side. This gave me a more stable position. While I still have some other things to work on I think this was good breakthrough.

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This old picture that has been floating around the internet for some time gives a good visual of what I’m talking about. Why he is barefoot I don’t know, GTB recommends you wear a sturdy pair of boots when shooting.

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It was a great match and I am glad I made it out. I’ll be back for thier spring Garand Match in April and plan to stay for their spring NRA match.

Slow Prone:

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Thanks to Adam for the picture.

September ’13 Garand Match

I only made it out for the Garand match this month, a cold kept me home from the Service Rifle match. It was beautiful, sunny and in the mid 60’s for the first relay. The fall sun made for some challenging conditions. There was an significant glare off my rifle, it was a challenge to keep on target. There was a an abnormal amount of smoke on the range as well.

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Factoring the conditions I was happy with my performance, I dropped a 5 in rapid prone and a miss in off hand but I went home satisfied.

As far as the conditions go, I my opinion it’s just part of the game, sometimes it rains, sometimes it’s hot, cold, sunny, dark. I think these conditions underscore the need for a good natural point of aim. With a good NPOA it’s easier to keep rounds on target even if seeing the target is a challenging.

May CMP Match With My US M1917

The Sunday after my first High Power match I took my 1917 to a vintage rifle match. I was having some trouble with it last season that I had rectified with a Flex Hone but I hadn’t taken it to a match yet to give it a full work out.

I was worried about rapid fire but it turned out the time I had spent practicing paid off. I finished in plenty of time even before some of the Garands. I’ve gotten the hang of keeping the rifle on my shoulder as I work the bolt which makes rapid a lot more consistent. Next time I’ll take a bit more time on each shot.

I struggled a bit in off hand per normal but all and all it was a good match. I beat my personal best for this rifle which is great, with a little luck and practice I should be in better shape by Camp Perry.

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Kicking Off The Season at York Riflemen

Took at trip out to York, PA for their spring match. This was my third match at York riflemen my fifth with full pits including Camp Perry last year. If feel much more confident in the pit than I had the last time I was there. This match at four full relays I shot in relay one and then pulled for the rest of the match. It was in the high 60s, sunny and calm the perfect day for shooting. Everything move very smoothly they run a great match.

I found my “scoring cheat sheet” which is just a print out of the scoring indicator positions(below) taped to my clipboard to be very handy is match as I couldn’t read the numbers by the indicator with my scope. I would strongly recommend anyone who’s memory is as poor as mine to print this out and keep it handy.

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As far as the match itself I made the mistake of passing on my last 2 sighters and it turned out my elevation wasn’t nearly where it should and I struggled to hold over to compensate. I should have known better. Per normal I did fairly well in rapid prone, after I brought the rear sight up. I’m going to spend some extra time practicing this weekend.

Here are some pictures from the match.

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Have gun will travel

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Last match of the season

Shot my last match of the year in Sunday in the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Not planned but it seemed a fitting way to end the season.

I intended to take the 1917 for Armistice Day however with hurricane sandy and getting ready for deer season I didn’t have as much time as I wanted to practice and I didn’t want to end the season with 87 point. I shot pretty well the dry fire practice and changes I made to my sling really helped.

Now I just need to find some time to give my Garand a good detail strip and clean and start practicing for next season. I already have my hotel booked for Perry in the summer!

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Dry fire practice