SNIPER MATCH 12-7-19 – Rifle Ranch, Graham, AL
On Saturday, December 7th, I attended a precision rifle shooting match at the Rifle Ranch in Graham, Alabama. This was not my first shooting match, and not even my first precision rifle match, but it was the first of either in a while, so for all intents and purposes, I was the freaking-new-guy, in MANY forms as you will soon see. But – before I get started with the rest of the comments, lessons learned, and all that jazz – I wanted to share my un-edited stage notes for the match.
(Numbers across the bottom are my estimated Mil-hold overs. Very few of the stages allowed you to load extra rounds – you had to hit almost every shot for almost every stage.)
Stage 1 – 2.5 Mins
-Pistol Loaded and holstered - rifle unloaded, slung or grounded (mag in)
-2 rounds pistol for each target - 3 targets... dump pistol - move to stump
-First berm below G - 299 Yards 2 hits 1.3 MIL
-Berm G left target - 339 yards 2 hits 1.6 MIL
-Berm H - 458 yards 2 hits 2.8 MIL
-Road past H - diamond in road 589 yards 2 hits 3.75-3.8 MIL
-Berm H - 608 yards 2 hits 4.6 MIL
1.3 - 1.6 - 2.8 - 3.75 - 4.6
Stage 2 - 2.5 Mins
-Rifle mag in bolt back on tire - pistol loaded.
-Engage test limits rack with 2 hits each then move - rifle safe. HEAD IS FIRST TARGET THEN MOVE to rack of plates. 425 Yards to rifle targets. 2.52-2.79 MILS.
-Move to pistol stage
-One hit on pistols for KYL
Stage 3 - 3 minute par time
-Start at base of hill - rifle loaded and pistol hot.
-Move to top of hill - get into position and engage targets in road. 10 rounds
-target 1 First hill - popper - 314 yards
-target 2 rectangle up hill - 374 yards
-target 3 - circle to the right of D - 402 yards
-Target 4 - berm begins D - orange rectangle on right - 540 yards
1.4 - 2.0 - 2.25 - 3.95
Stage 4 - 2.5 mins
-engage five pistol - dump and move to front of van with rifle
-engage IPSC and HEAD - 2 hits EA (4) 244 yards
-rectangle right of G - 2 hits 277 yards
-long road diamond - 2 hits 521 yards
0.8 - 1.09 - 3.67
Stage 5 - 3 minute par time
-begin in seat - engage 5 pistol targets from seat - 2 shots each
-move to rear of vehicle and grab rifle
-from port in back of van - berm G left target 2-shots - 274 yards
-from window in back of door - rectangle below berm - 325 yards
-prone out - above right of diamond - berm H rectangle - 537 yards
1.09 - 1.53 - 3.8
Stage 6 - 2.5 mins
-pistol loaded and holstered - 2 mags each weapon - 6 rounds each. All gear carried with you
-start rifle - 211 yards - left to right (3 targets) - repeat - reload - 12 rounds
-sling rifle move to pistol - double tap pistol targets, reload, double tap
The Rifle Ranch
The Rifle Ranch is a brand new range. It is about an hour west of Atlanta, and is a nice piece of private property that was recently purchased, and converted into its current state by the owner, Scott. The facilities there are fairly spartan, but considering that it has only been “open” since October, it is a great start. More facilities are coming down the road. The range has long range berms (and a lot of them) out to 800+ yards for the longest shots and a handful of obstacles/stage props currently, like a van, tractor tires, a wooden tank trap, etc. I am excited to see what the next year brings!
The match was well run, and well executed. It was the third match ever at the Rifle Ranch, so there were a couple of hiccups (two squads, both shot at the same target). The culture of safety at Rifle Ranch (and any match that Scott runs) is excellent. I have never once felt the least bit un-safe, but there is also the culture of “this is supposed to be fun” and I have never once seen an overbearing RSO.
Overall, I cannot recommend the place enough. Look them up on Facebook and attend the first event that you can. You will not regret it.
Attendees
I went to the match with a buddy of mine (who is more of a 3-gun/ Run-N-gun guy) and we met a fairly diverse set of shooters. There were about twenty shooters in total, divvied up into two squads. We had shooters of all skill levels, from sponsored shooters, down to “this is my first match ever” shooters.
Equipment
Walking into the event, my buddy and I thought we would be bringing sub-optimal equipment. What we did not realize, until we got shooting, is that we brought the WRONG equipment. The guys who performed well at the match were all shooting bolt action rifles chambered in one of the Creedmoors with a set of factory match grade ammo or good handloads, and all had high-magnification front focal plane scopes. They all had bipods, and some variation of the Armageddon Gear game changer bag. We did not.
My buddy was shooting a POF P415 with a Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6x, shooting Wolf Gold 55gr FMJ. I was shooting a (get ready for it) Palmetto state Freedom 20” with A2 buttstock and handguard (with a really worn in/worn-out rock river 2-stage trigger that is WAY lighter than it should be). I had a US Optics TS-8 1-8x FFP scope mounted in a Larue mount, and was shooting Hornady Frontier 5.56 75gr OTM. Instead of bipods and rear bags, we had ruck-sacks and our left-palms. We were at a decided disadvantage, but how bad could it be?
Lessons Learned on Equipment
Turns out it could be pretty bad. It was still a lot of fun, and we ended up placing better than we should have, but we both missed a lot of targets. So, here we go into the lessons learned on equipment.
-Consistent, heavy for caliber, high BC ammunition is always a good thing, but you can get away with cheaper stuff for a lot of the match. Bring enough bullets though… I swapped rounds towards the end of the match, and I am totally attributing my missed shots at the end to that. It definitely wasn’t me just bricking the shots. Totally.
-High magnification scopes are a big help. The US Optics TS-8 I was using was an excellent scope for 90% of the match. The majority of the match was shooting targets that were at least 12” across, and most were fairly easy to see against the backstops; however there were a handful of targets that were really small, and after being shot a few times REALLY blended into the berms behind them. If I could do it again, I would have liked a little more magnification, and a little finer reticle (the TS-8’s reticle was a little on the thick side for shooting 4-8” plates at 400+ yards)
-Free float tubes are non-negotiable. I academically knew that free-floating your barrel was always a good thing. Heck, I had seen how running a rifle slung from prone can throw a shot – but I did not know just how much a little pressure on a non-free floated handguard would affect a shot. I am not a Marine Scout Sniper, but I can pull a trigger in the same place over-and-over again, and little changes in handguard pressure were throwing shots all over the place. One stage, I gently braced the rifle in the corner of a car window (about ½ way up the handguard), and the lateral pressure from the vertical window frame was throwing shots about 16” left at 325 yards. I shifted over, so there was no lateral pressure, and with the same vertical DOPE, put up a pair of quick hits.
-A bipod is a help, but a ruck-sack has its advantages. Most of the stages were set up so that a bipod, and a rear back were the way to shoot, but one stage lent itself to a ruck. On loose soil, a bipod will dig in, and nose-dive the rifle over shooting and adjusting, while a ruck will provide you a stable platform. If you are going to try shooting a match like this for the first time, and you do not have a bipod, just bring a small-to-medium sized ruck with at least a few shirts (or other semi-poofy materials) in it to give yourself a 10-12” squishy lump. It does make things a little different, but it works.
-Game-Changers change the game because they are changing games of game changers and gaming the change of change gaming and game changing. I cannot tell you how many times I heard the phrase Game-Changer at this match. They look awesome, and give the shooter all kinds of benefits, they are a really cool multi-purpose shooting accessory that works WAY better than you would think it could. And will drive the people not-using them insane. The Armageddon Gear Game Changer is like the Crossfit or Veganism of the shooting world. Everyone who uses them talks about them constantly. Be prepared to be driven crazy by the two words. (I am totally looking for a good excuse to buy one, or a similar product though – because they’re freaking sweet.)
-30-round magazines are not ideal for this kind of game. Get a 10, or 20-round magazine. My thirties were getting in the way of some of the contorted positions.
-I used a Geissele Airborne charging handle on this rifle (I have another nice build I am working on, but my cheapy-boi 20” was all I had up and running that day) and I REALLY liked using it. A lot of the stages were run with the rifle left un-charged until you were in position and on target, and being able to reach up with a right hand and charge the rifle from the right (like a bolt action) was really nice. A few stages were run with the rifle slung, and the lower profile of the Airborne was nice, because it did not stab me in the love-handles (always a good thing). I cannot recommend the Geissele Airborne enough – but wait for a sale. They were $50 on black Friday.
-The sling loops on an A2 stock/handguard are stupid. I need to figure out a reasonable way to hook a sling on that stock.
-The A2 stock is downright magical. Granted, I am 6’1”, and a big dude across the board. But everyone needs one.
-Bring painters tape and a sharpie. Write the DOPE for the stage on the tape, and stick it to something. This was the greatest low-budget tactical gear idea I have ever seen, and will copy it from now until the end of time.
-Run short pistol magazines. I was shooting my 1911, and was using 10-rounders that I shoot other matches with. On these precision matches, you contort into weird positions, and if you’re a big guy like me, the longer mags can stick you in the belly. No Bueno. Nothing else really to say about the pistol gear, the pistol portions were pretty basic, but fun. The only challenging part of the pistol portions was an Irish plate rack, but as long as you know how to shoot them, they’re fine
Lessons Learned on Rifle Shooting
Most of the lessons learned are equipment related in truth. This is one of the VERY rare times that I would NOT dogmatically say “it’s the Indian not the arrow” – on a match like this, the arrow REALLY helps, but there are a few user-related items of note.
-Ballistics calculators are good, actual DOPE is better. My calculated numbers were not dead on the money to what my bullets were actually doing down-range. They were close, but close, and on target can be worlds apart when you have 10-rounds to make 10-hits. (This is sort-of equipment related… but also related to you preparing beforehand).
-Pay attention to the wind. I realized after the fact that I was looking at wind all day, except when I was shooting. Somehow, I forgot to think about what it was doing when I was on the gun, and with a wind-sensitive round like a 5.56, that was a no-no. Granted, I lucked out and never really had to worry about it because the wind was low that day… but still.
-Breathing matters. Usually, when I am not on the clock, I try to shoot at the bottom of a breath cycle, and let my body collapse on to as much bone as possible. All of those grand plans went out the window in weirdo positions on match day.
-The combination of odd positions, and brain malfunction made it tough to find a good natural point of aim in some of these stages, so I definitely need to practice that.
-Get as much of you in contact with something else as possible. One stage was shooting through a port-hole in the back of a van. I was trying to shoot both knees on the floor, and peeking through the port, and a fellow competitor yelled “bring your right knee up!” I did so, dropped my right elbow on the right knee, and my wiggles immediately shrank by about 75%. This kind of thing should have been obvious. It was not. Oops.
-Really, most of the actual shooting bits that I learned could be wrapped up under “applied shooting fundamentals” All of those things that you learned at Boy Scout camp or what your Dad taught you with a .22 LR, they all applied, but more so.
Match Results
My buddy and I placed at the TOP…………. of the bottom third of the rankings.
All in all, we were super pleased with how we performed, especially since we had totally-not-the-right gear. (High score was 92 hits, low score was 32 hits – we scored 62 and 64) When I shoot the next one of these matches, I hope to have at least a free floated barrel – but even if I do not, I still will come to shoot it. The match at Rifle Ranch was a lot of fun and is a GREAT place for anyone to start their adventure in precision rifle shooting.
Even doing it “wrong” we still were hitting small steel at over 400 yards, and have officially taken away the excuse of “well, I don’t have the right gear.” That’s not to say that “appropriate gear doesn’t help” – it certainly would have… but I could still go out and shoot it with one of the cheapest AR-15s on the market today.
If you are even REMOTELY interested in Long Range competition, check out the Rifle Ranch! Bring what you have and enjoy the match!
On Saturday, December 7th, I attended a precision rifle shooting match at the Rifle Ranch in Graham, Alabama. This was not my first shooting match, and not even my first precision rifle match, but it was the first of either in a while, so for all intents and purposes, I was the freaking-new-guy, in MANY forms as you will soon see. But – before I get started with the rest of the comments, lessons learned, and all that jazz – I wanted to share my un-edited stage notes for the match.
(Numbers across the bottom are my estimated Mil-hold overs. Very few of the stages allowed you to load extra rounds – you had to hit almost every shot for almost every stage.)
Stage 1 – 2.5 Mins
-Pistol Loaded and holstered - rifle unloaded, slung or grounded (mag in)
-2 rounds pistol for each target - 3 targets... dump pistol - move to stump
-First berm below G - 299 Yards 2 hits 1.3 MIL
-Berm G left target - 339 yards 2 hits 1.6 MIL
-Berm H - 458 yards 2 hits 2.8 MIL
-Road past H - diamond in road 589 yards 2 hits 3.75-3.8 MIL
-Berm H - 608 yards 2 hits 4.6 MIL
1.3 - 1.6 - 2.8 - 3.75 - 4.6
Stage 2 - 2.5 Mins
-Rifle mag in bolt back on tire - pistol loaded.
-Engage test limits rack with 2 hits each then move - rifle safe. HEAD IS FIRST TARGET THEN MOVE to rack of plates. 425 Yards to rifle targets. 2.52-2.79 MILS.
-Move to pistol stage
-One hit on pistols for KYL
Stage 3 - 3 minute par time
-Start at base of hill - rifle loaded and pistol hot.
-Move to top of hill - get into position and engage targets in road. 10 rounds
-target 1 First hill - popper - 314 yards
-target 2 rectangle up hill - 374 yards
-target 3 - circle to the right of D - 402 yards
-Target 4 - berm begins D - orange rectangle on right - 540 yards
1.4 - 2.0 - 2.25 - 3.95
Stage 4 - 2.5 mins
-engage five pistol - dump and move to front of van with rifle
-engage IPSC and HEAD - 2 hits EA (4) 244 yards
-rectangle right of G - 2 hits 277 yards
-long road diamond - 2 hits 521 yards
0.8 - 1.09 - 3.67
Stage 5 - 3 minute par time
-begin in seat - engage 5 pistol targets from seat - 2 shots each
-move to rear of vehicle and grab rifle
-from port in back of van - berm G left target 2-shots - 274 yards
-from window in back of door - rectangle below berm - 325 yards
-prone out - above right of diamond - berm H rectangle - 537 yards
1.09 - 1.53 - 3.8
Stage 6 - 2.5 mins
-pistol loaded and holstered - 2 mags each weapon - 6 rounds each. All gear carried with you
-start rifle - 211 yards - left to right (3 targets) - repeat - reload - 12 rounds
-sling rifle move to pistol - double tap pistol targets, reload, double tap
The Rifle Ranch
The Rifle Ranch is a brand new range. It is about an hour west of Atlanta, and is a nice piece of private property that was recently purchased, and converted into its current state by the owner, Scott. The facilities there are fairly spartan, but considering that it has only been “open” since October, it is a great start. More facilities are coming down the road. The range has long range berms (and a lot of them) out to 800+ yards for the longest shots and a handful of obstacles/stage props currently, like a van, tractor tires, a wooden tank trap, etc. I am excited to see what the next year brings!
The match was well run, and well executed. It was the third match ever at the Rifle Ranch, so there were a couple of hiccups (two squads, both shot at the same target). The culture of safety at Rifle Ranch (and any match that Scott runs) is excellent. I have never once felt the least bit un-safe, but there is also the culture of “this is supposed to be fun” and I have never once seen an overbearing RSO.
Overall, I cannot recommend the place enough. Look them up on Facebook and attend the first event that you can. You will not regret it.
Attendees
I went to the match with a buddy of mine (who is more of a 3-gun/ Run-N-gun guy) and we met a fairly diverse set of shooters. There were about twenty shooters in total, divvied up into two squads. We had shooters of all skill levels, from sponsored shooters, down to “this is my first match ever” shooters.
Equipment
Walking into the event, my buddy and I thought we would be bringing sub-optimal equipment. What we did not realize, until we got shooting, is that we brought the WRONG equipment. The guys who performed well at the match were all shooting bolt action rifles chambered in one of the Creedmoors with a set of factory match grade ammo or good handloads, and all had high-magnification front focal plane scopes. They all had bipods, and some variation of the Armageddon Gear game changer bag. We did not.
My buddy was shooting a POF P415 with a Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6x, shooting Wolf Gold 55gr FMJ. I was shooting a (get ready for it) Palmetto state Freedom 20” with A2 buttstock and handguard (with a really worn in/worn-out rock river 2-stage trigger that is WAY lighter than it should be). I had a US Optics TS-8 1-8x FFP scope mounted in a Larue mount, and was shooting Hornady Frontier 5.56 75gr OTM. Instead of bipods and rear bags, we had ruck-sacks and our left-palms. We were at a decided disadvantage, but how bad could it be?
Lessons Learned on Equipment
Turns out it could be pretty bad. It was still a lot of fun, and we ended up placing better than we should have, but we both missed a lot of targets. So, here we go into the lessons learned on equipment.
-Consistent, heavy for caliber, high BC ammunition is always a good thing, but you can get away with cheaper stuff for a lot of the match. Bring enough bullets though… I swapped rounds towards the end of the match, and I am totally attributing my missed shots at the end to that. It definitely wasn’t me just bricking the shots. Totally.
-High magnification scopes are a big help. The US Optics TS-8 I was using was an excellent scope for 90% of the match. The majority of the match was shooting targets that were at least 12” across, and most were fairly easy to see against the backstops; however there were a handful of targets that were really small, and after being shot a few times REALLY blended into the berms behind them. If I could do it again, I would have liked a little more magnification, and a little finer reticle (the TS-8’s reticle was a little on the thick side for shooting 4-8” plates at 400+ yards)
-Free float tubes are non-negotiable. I academically knew that free-floating your barrel was always a good thing. Heck, I had seen how running a rifle slung from prone can throw a shot – but I did not know just how much a little pressure on a non-free floated handguard would affect a shot. I am not a Marine Scout Sniper, but I can pull a trigger in the same place over-and-over again, and little changes in handguard pressure were throwing shots all over the place. One stage, I gently braced the rifle in the corner of a car window (about ½ way up the handguard), and the lateral pressure from the vertical window frame was throwing shots about 16” left at 325 yards. I shifted over, so there was no lateral pressure, and with the same vertical DOPE, put up a pair of quick hits.
-A bipod is a help, but a ruck-sack has its advantages. Most of the stages were set up so that a bipod, and a rear back were the way to shoot, but one stage lent itself to a ruck. On loose soil, a bipod will dig in, and nose-dive the rifle over shooting and adjusting, while a ruck will provide you a stable platform. If you are going to try shooting a match like this for the first time, and you do not have a bipod, just bring a small-to-medium sized ruck with at least a few shirts (or other semi-poofy materials) in it to give yourself a 10-12” squishy lump. It does make things a little different, but it works.
-Game-Changers change the game because they are changing games of game changers and gaming the change of change gaming and game changing. I cannot tell you how many times I heard the phrase Game-Changer at this match. They look awesome, and give the shooter all kinds of benefits, they are a really cool multi-purpose shooting accessory that works WAY better than you would think it could. And will drive the people not-using them insane. The Armageddon Gear Game Changer is like the Crossfit or Veganism of the shooting world. Everyone who uses them talks about them constantly. Be prepared to be driven crazy by the two words. (I am totally looking for a good excuse to buy one, or a similar product though – because they’re freaking sweet.)
-30-round magazines are not ideal for this kind of game. Get a 10, or 20-round magazine. My thirties were getting in the way of some of the contorted positions.
-I used a Geissele Airborne charging handle on this rifle (I have another nice build I am working on, but my cheapy-boi 20” was all I had up and running that day) and I REALLY liked using it. A lot of the stages were run with the rifle left un-charged until you were in position and on target, and being able to reach up with a right hand and charge the rifle from the right (like a bolt action) was really nice. A few stages were run with the rifle slung, and the lower profile of the Airborne was nice, because it did not stab me in the love-handles (always a good thing). I cannot recommend the Geissele Airborne enough – but wait for a sale. They were $50 on black Friday.
-The sling loops on an A2 stock/handguard are stupid. I need to figure out a reasonable way to hook a sling on that stock.
-The A2 stock is downright magical. Granted, I am 6’1”, and a big dude across the board. But everyone needs one.
-Bring painters tape and a sharpie. Write the DOPE for the stage on the tape, and stick it to something. This was the greatest low-budget tactical gear idea I have ever seen, and will copy it from now until the end of time.
-Run short pistol magazines. I was shooting my 1911, and was using 10-rounders that I shoot other matches with. On these precision matches, you contort into weird positions, and if you’re a big guy like me, the longer mags can stick you in the belly. No Bueno. Nothing else really to say about the pistol gear, the pistol portions were pretty basic, but fun. The only challenging part of the pistol portions was an Irish plate rack, but as long as you know how to shoot them, they’re fine
Lessons Learned on Rifle Shooting
Most of the lessons learned are equipment related in truth. This is one of the VERY rare times that I would NOT dogmatically say “it’s the Indian not the arrow” – on a match like this, the arrow REALLY helps, but there are a few user-related items of note.
-Ballistics calculators are good, actual DOPE is better. My calculated numbers were not dead on the money to what my bullets were actually doing down-range. They were close, but close, and on target can be worlds apart when you have 10-rounds to make 10-hits. (This is sort-of equipment related… but also related to you preparing beforehand).
-Pay attention to the wind. I realized after the fact that I was looking at wind all day, except when I was shooting. Somehow, I forgot to think about what it was doing when I was on the gun, and with a wind-sensitive round like a 5.56, that was a no-no. Granted, I lucked out and never really had to worry about it because the wind was low that day… but still.
-Breathing matters. Usually, when I am not on the clock, I try to shoot at the bottom of a breath cycle, and let my body collapse on to as much bone as possible. All of those grand plans went out the window in weirdo positions on match day.
-The combination of odd positions, and brain malfunction made it tough to find a good natural point of aim in some of these stages, so I definitely need to practice that.
-Get as much of you in contact with something else as possible. One stage was shooting through a port-hole in the back of a van. I was trying to shoot both knees on the floor, and peeking through the port, and a fellow competitor yelled “bring your right knee up!” I did so, dropped my right elbow on the right knee, and my wiggles immediately shrank by about 75%. This kind of thing should have been obvious. It was not. Oops.
-Really, most of the actual shooting bits that I learned could be wrapped up under “applied shooting fundamentals” All of those things that you learned at Boy Scout camp or what your Dad taught you with a .22 LR, they all applied, but more so.
Match Results
My buddy and I placed at the TOP…………. of the bottom third of the rankings.
All in all, we were super pleased with how we performed, especially since we had totally-not-the-right gear. (High score was 92 hits, low score was 32 hits – we scored 62 and 64) When I shoot the next one of these matches, I hope to have at least a free floated barrel – but even if I do not, I still will come to shoot it. The match at Rifle Ranch was a lot of fun and is a GREAT place for anyone to start their adventure in precision rifle shooting.
Even doing it “wrong” we still were hitting small steel at over 400 yards, and have officially taken away the excuse of “well, I don’t have the right gear.” That’s not to say that “appropriate gear doesn’t help” – it certainly would have… but I could still go out and shoot it with one of the cheapest AR-15s on the market today.
If you are even REMOTELY interested in Long Range competition, check out the Rifle Ranch! Bring what you have and enjoy the match!
