A Case For Competition

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A Case For Competition

A Case For Competition
By Les Voth

Many sports benefit from cross training. Shooting, whatever the discipline, is no different. If you want to shoot IPSC, learning to pull the trigger without wrecking your sight picture is a useful skill. Jerry Miculek writes of how he practiced dry-firing hours a day for months, to train his shooting hand to stop interfering with the action of his trigger finger.

The top shooting competitors in most of the action shooting sports are, regardless of...

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[Greyfox]

Excellent article Les! So much of what you describe mirrors my experience with PRS competition. With hunting being my primary focus, for a few decades I have found that participating in competitive shooting sports has made me a better hunter, and visa-versa. Having shot a variety of different types of competition(F-class, vintage sniper, LR Egg Shoots, silhouette, etc.), PRS, unlike the other shooting sports, has turned into an obsession for me. It possesses many of the elements of LRH......on steroids!
My 6.5x47Lapua, Surgeon 591, Krieger 26" Med Palma, MPA chassis, Nightforce F1 5x25; and 130 Berger Hybrid OTM load.

 

[just country]

morning, very good group, this is a younger persons shooting
sport. like in the movie American sniper. aim small, hit small.
u have to master, the trigger finger and other body movement.
very nice weapon. justme gbot tum

 

[Greyfox]

morning, very good group, this is a younger persons shooting
sport. like in the movie American sniper. aim small, hit small.
u have to master, the trigger finger and other body movement.
very nice weapon. justme gbot tum

I have to agree with this being a younger persons sport! Lots of young vets participate in our matches. Being past retirement age, I could do a lot better if I could knock 10-20 years off. These old bones and muscles are not what they once were, and this surely costs me points, particularly on the "contortion" stages. On the other hand, I find myself in much better shape for hunting after a season of PRS competition!

 

[ndking1126]

I have determined I want to try PRS since we have some matches within 2 hours of my house. Unfortunately my long range rifle isn't set up to use magazines. Once I can get that taken care of, it's game on! Thank you for writing the article, it motivates me to get the switch completed! I'm a hunter, but since I moved back east the opportunities are significantly harder to come by.. there's nothing like hunting out west!

 

[lesvoth]

Excellent article Les! So much of what you describe mirrors my experience with PRS competition. With hunting being my primary focus, for a few decades I have found that participating in competitive shooting sports has made me a better hunter, and visa-versa. Having shot a variety of different types of competition(F-class, vintage sniper, LR Egg Shoots, silhouette, etc.), PRS, unlike the other shooting sports, has turned into an obsession for me. It possesses many of the elements of LRH......on steroids!
My 6.5x47Lapua, Surgeon 591, Krieger 26" Med Palma, MPA chassis, Nightforce F1 5x25; and 130 Berger Hybrid OTM load.
View attachment 103018 View attachment 103019

Thank you for your kind words!

 

[lesvoth]

I have to agree with this being a younger persons sport! Lots of young vets participate in our matches. Being past retirement age, I could do a lot better if I could knock 10-20 years off. These old bones and muscles are not what they once were, and this surely costs me points, particularly on the "contortion" stages. On the other hand, I find myself in much better shape for hunting after a season of PRS competition!

Yes, this is a younger person's sport. Last time I went with three younger guys from my area and they all beat me running away. I was glad for them though, and brag on how my bunch are real good trigger pullers!

The thing about being the buggeredup old guy at one of these matches? Nobody tries to rush you, push you aside, or disparage you in any way. In fact, all I've ever got was encouragement and help. The best example of that was after the last stage of my first match - I was done. I was in the prone position and couldn't move. The gs all came over, picked up my brass and my rifle and patiently waited for me to be able to get back to my feet - no pressure. It was a humbling experience.

My next match will be better, I'm hoping. I stuck a Criterion 28" Remage bull barrel from Northland Shooting Supply on a Stiller Predator action. Same stock. Same scope, etc. Now it's a 6mm Creedmoor. The path to the Creedmoor was so convoluted I'm thinking about etching the length of the barrel with "6mm CONFUSION!" It sure shoots nicely, though.

 

[Canhunter35]

Great article, exactly why I decided to try out the prs style of matches. Even just the practice has made me a better shooter

 

[lesvoth]

I have determined I want to try PRS since we have some matches within 2 hours of my house. Unfortunately my long range rifle isn't set up to use magazines. Once I can get that taken care of, it's game on! Thank you for writing the article, it motivates me to get the switch completed! I'm a hunter, but since I moved back east the opportunities are significantly harder to come by.. there's nothing like hunting out west!

When I was going to try this kind of competition my stock was set up in a BDL-type configuration. A friend gifted me with a great deal on a Magpul bottom-metal. I hogged out the space needed for it to fit and now I run AICS mags of the Magpul variety.
I did have to include shim to get the bolt to slide free, but it works without binding and functions every time. With my internal stock configuration, the parts of the Magpul bottom metal that protrude up into the "well" needed to be shaved off. My stock has an internal aluminum bedding block, so it is rigid enough to not need these "guides" inside the well.
Stock-work is something like drywalling and autobody work. Get it close enough to function well, fill the voids with mud and paint the ugly part. Folks will consider you a gifted artist!
Get it done yourself and start going to matches sooner - you will not regret it!

 

[J E Custom]

My experience has been the same. In order to improve my shooting skills, I started entering different competitions.

I had hunted all my life with rifles and had developed many bad habits. I figured the competitions would make or brake me.

The military started me out by teaching me the fundamentals and I could immediately see the difference. After my discharge, I decided to continue and involved my self in the NRA Rifle matches. Shooting out to 1200 yards with iron sites taught me the importance of practice and the proper attitude. (I competed against my self and didn't worry about what everyone else was doing) so "I" would improve.

I considered my self a lousy pistol shot and from experience knew that to improve, I needed to inter some different pistol competitions.
That also made a big difference.

Wing shooting birds with a shotgun was very unpredictable and the same logic pad big divadens after i started entering different types of competitions.

So with all this, There is no doubt that entering different types of competitions depending on where your weak points are will help.
at least it did for me. every time I saw a weakness in my ability, I looked for some type of competition to get involved in. and I am my own worst critic.

One May not master the/A particular discipline but it will surly improve your shooting skills.

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM

 

[Canhunter35]

When I was going to try this kind of competition my stock was set up in a BDL-type configuration. A friend gifted me with a great deal on a Magpul bottom-metal. I hogged out the space needed for it to fit and now I run AICS mags of the Magpul variety.
I did have to include shim to get the bolt to slide free, but it works without binding and functions every time. With my internal stock configuration, the parts of the Magpul bottom metal that protrude up into the "well" needed to be shaved off. My stock has an internal aluminum bedding block, so it is rigid enough to not need these "guides" inside the well.
Stock-work is something like drywalling and autobody work. Get it close enough to function well, fill the voids with mud and paint the ugly part. Folks will consider you a gifted artist!
Get it done yourself and start going to matches sooner - you will not regret it!

Not having any type of mag system I borrowed my buddy's hmr stock and bottom metal to use first time out. I've been acquiring magazines and what not since