I just completed my first Quantified Performance Gas Gun Match in Quantico this past Sunday. The previous month's match went out past 700 yards, but this match maxed out at 450 yards. While this certainly cut down on the difficulty, it gave me a good chance to get mid-range time on my 12.5" gun with a Kahles 1-6 LPVO. It was almost certainly the shortest gun there, though there were a few shooters who were shorter than I.
There were 8 stages with various stage props with marked out shooting positions. Props included a sloped roof, a large wooden spool, a steel "Q" barricade, a pallet-like barricade, multi-level concrete block barrier, and others. Targets ranged from 150 yards out to 450 yards with the target sizes being 20" and smaller. Par times for all stages was 90 seconds.
It was an absolutely beautiful day with clear skies and light wind. I had not had the chance to shoot this particular gun beyond 100 yards before, and have little experience shooting past 200 yards. The excellent Kahles glass and Centurion CHF barrel were definitely up to the task, and the gun along with 75gr American Eagle FMJ ammunition was more than capable enough for the targets and distances encountered. As this AR is my do-it-all rifle, the opportunity to stretch it out to nearly 500 yards was very welcome. I didn't bring much in the way of support gear. A Harris bipod at the front of a rail and a Mapul Takeout Daka pouch filled with plastic beads were my only shooting supports.
At the end of the day, I finished 28th of 62 shooters, and 15th of 34 in the General Purpose division. I certainly have a lot of room to improve, and committed several mental mistakes. Learning opportunities also presented themselves. I am still new at competition shooting, and this was my first non-2 Gun match. Some critical observations after the match:
A bipod as often gets in the way on barricades as it helps from the rare prone positions.
Know the stage and talk yourself through it before starting. On a couple stages, I moved on after hitting a target once when the stage required multiple hits.
Triple check the rifle before the buzzer. On one stage, I started with an empty chamber, and another I started with the bipod deployed when I wanted it collapsed.
Ask the spotter to get closer. On at least one stage, I did not move on to the next target because I could not hear the spotter's hit call.
If at all possible, find a range to gather dope. My gun was dialed in perfect at 100 yards, but was shooting right several inches at 400 yards and over. I do not have ready access to a range past 100 yards, and the limitations certainly showed as I often had to hold on the left edge of a target or even off the target.
Double check all fasteners. Midway through the match, the 1913 rail section I had the the bipod attached to came loose. Luckily I brought my tool kit with me and was able to tighten it back down, but a little bit of prevention may have saved me the need to break out the tools.
Take time to establish a stable position. At several positions, I found the gun had significant side to side wobble which I could have fixed with a quick adjustment.
However, when the targets are close and relatively easy, shoot them fast and move on rather than taking the same time to over-confirm the sight picture.
Playlist of match videos below, warts and all:
There were 8 stages with various stage props with marked out shooting positions. Props included a sloped roof, a large wooden spool, a steel "Q" barricade, a pallet-like barricade, multi-level concrete block barrier, and others. Targets ranged from 150 yards out to 450 yards with the target sizes being 20" and smaller. Par times for all stages was 90 seconds.
It was an absolutely beautiful day with clear skies and light wind. I had not had the chance to shoot this particular gun beyond 100 yards before, and have little experience shooting past 200 yards. The excellent Kahles glass and Centurion CHF barrel were definitely up to the task, and the gun along with 75gr American Eagle FMJ ammunition was more than capable enough for the targets and distances encountered. As this AR is my do-it-all rifle, the opportunity to stretch it out to nearly 500 yards was very welcome. I didn't bring much in the way of support gear. A Harris bipod at the front of a rail and a Mapul Takeout Daka pouch filled with plastic beads were my only shooting supports.
At the end of the day, I finished 28th of 62 shooters, and 15th of 34 in the General Purpose division. I certainly have a lot of room to improve, and committed several mental mistakes. Learning opportunities also presented themselves. I am still new at competition shooting, and this was my first non-2 Gun match. Some critical observations after the match:
A bipod as often gets in the way on barricades as it helps from the rare prone positions.
Know the stage and talk yourself through it before starting. On a couple stages, I moved on after hitting a target once when the stage required multiple hits.
Triple check the rifle before the buzzer. On one stage, I started with an empty chamber, and another I started with the bipod deployed when I wanted it collapsed.
Ask the spotter to get closer. On at least one stage, I did not move on to the next target because I could not hear the spotter's hit call.
If at all possible, find a range to gather dope. My gun was dialed in perfect at 100 yards, but was shooting right several inches at 400 yards and over. I do not have ready access to a range past 100 yards, and the limitations certainly showed as I often had to hold on the left edge of a target or even off the target.
Double check all fasteners. Midway through the match, the 1913 rail section I had the the bipod attached to came loose. Luckily I brought my tool kit with me and was able to tighten it back down, but a little bit of prevention may have saved me the need to break out the tools.
Take time to establish a stable position. At several positions, I found the gun had significant side to side wobble which I could have fixed with a quick adjustment.
However, when the targets are close and relatively easy, shoot them fast and move on rather than taking the same time to over-confirm the sight picture.
Playlist of match videos below, warts and all: