New service rifle match shooter

[338RUM]

OK, first off if this is in the wrong place I am sorry, I looked everywhere and this seemed to fit...

I am trying to get into shooting Service Rifle Matches at my local range and was really looking for some good pointers, pet loads, good gear for my starting out.

OK I have a RRA NM A4 on the way it should be here today and have already loaded up some 69 and 77 gr SMK's to see how it shoots and to start load development. I also have a shooting mat but that is as far as my items go... So Like I said I am just really looking for lots of advice and helpful pointers. Also I was told that I must treat this rifle as if it was a BR 6 PPC and load accordingly but I have yet to load for "match" ammo, my stuff is very accurate but I haven't done any super stringent reloading so tips and pointers on that will be appreciated as well.

If anyone is unsure of what a service rifle match is I will be glad to explain it to the best of my ability.

Thanks again,
Joshua

 

[DZelenka]

Joshua,

First, join this forum - Sign In - National Match Competition It is where most of the highpower shooters hang out. Next, contact your local match director and find out from him if there are any Master or High Master shooters who live near you. Set up an appointment with one of them and get him to walk you through a match including procedure, range commands and positions. Also ask the Match Director if he can arrange for you to borrow equipment for your first match, specifically a spotting scope and stand and a coat.

For ammunition, 24.1 gr of RL15 under a 77 Sierra and an 80 Sierra will take care of you. I load my 200 and 300 yard ammunition on a Dillon in LC brass so you can see that it doesn't get real special treatment. I do weigh my charges for my 600 yard ammo, but that is about it. My ammo will shoot .5 to .6 MOA for 10 shots consistently. The X ring is 1 MOA and the 10 rin is 2 MOA. Executing a shot and reading wind are more important than ammo. To borrow a saying from a friend: "Mental focus, not equipment hocus pocus." Learn the fundamentals and practice them until you can execute them perfectly and consistently. Your scores will take care of themselves.

Dan

 

[Kevin Thomas]

Joshua,

welcome to the game! Couple points to be aware of about your reloading here; Number one is, as Dan alluded to, there's no such thing as "load development" for an AR. Use Varget or RL-15 under a 77 and you're pretty well done. At any match you'll find the loads about evenly divided among shooters, but they'll probably be using one or the other. Secondly, I don't know who told you to treat it like it's a PPC or a BR, but that's the LAST thing you want to do. It's a Service Rifle, not a Benchrest gun. Some reloading techniques that are mandatory for a bench gun are not only pointless in a Service Rifle, they may actually be dangerous. You want to set your shoulder back .001" or so for a bolt gun, but if you try that with a gas gun, you'll be shooting a lot of alibi relays, and getting dirty looks from other shooters for delaying the match. Gas guns are different, and they need to be treated differently. Glen Zediker's got a couple decent books out about competition shooting, and one specifically about reloading for competition. Good info, and I recommend it whole heartedly. Also, again as Dan mentioned, there's other sites that are dedicated to this sport and where you'll find more competitive shooters. LRH is first and foremost geared towards hunting. Good info, but not always directly related to Service Rifle competition.

if you've ever got any questions, just give a shout out. There's a number of HP shooters here that'll be more than happy to lend you a hand. See you at Perry!

 

[338RUM]

well guys I appreciate the help and the new forum to look into, this kind of shooting/ rifle is definitely all new to me and I am just trying not to feel dumbfounded. I will also look elsewhere for info but always welcome it from anywhere I can find it.

 

[DZelenka]

well guys I appreciate the help and the new forum to look into, this kind of shooting/ rifle is definitely all new to me and I am just trying not to feel dumbfounded. I will also look elsewhere for info but always welcome it from anywhere I can find it.

Go to the CMP online store (or perhaps Creedmoor Sports) and pick up a copy of the DVD set for service rifle shooting done by the AMU. It will provide you with a good overview.

 

[BigSkyGP]

Join/afiliate yourself with a rifle club that competes in service rifle matches. Mostly follow your instincts, find a guy close to you to help you out.

Get to scheduled practices, with a team. The team will help you shoot, will loan you rifles, and gear as you get started. The guys are real friendly, and will be more than happy you are joining their sport.

Keep your loading simple. I recomend for ARs Ramshot X-terminator, or Ramshot TAC powders. They burn real nice and clean. The most cleaning my ARs get is the bore, and oil up the bolt/carrier, hammer/trigger pins.

BTW nice pick on the RRA!

 

[roninflag]

i shoot 167lapua scenars out mine and 46.5-47.5 of Imr-4895.it was made in the 50's. It came with an early style KENTON KNOBB on the rear sight

 

[DZelenka]

i shoot 167lapua scenars out mine and 46.5-47.5 of Imr-4895.it was made in the 50's. It came with an early style KENTON KNOBB on the rear sight

Sounds like a nifty rig, but it doesn't sound like a service rifle.

 

[Kevin Thomas]

Wonderin' about that one myself. An M1, perhaps????

 

[DZelenka]

Wonderin' about that one myself. An M1, perhaps????

Certainly sounds like a .30-06 load, but the mention of the Kenton knob on the rear sight seems to knock it out of the service rifle category. Until the M16 came along, the service rifle definition was fairly restrictive. Nowadays, it is less so, but M16 based service rifles are so much more accurate and shootable than their predecessors it isn't funny.

 

[Kevin Thomas]

Know the feeling. Earned about half my leg points with an M14, and finished off with the black rifle. I can recall when a 470-475 would pretty much assure you of at least making the cut. Won't even get you a sniff these days! I was curious about the knob, too, but I suspect you're correct.

 

[DZelenka]

Know the feeling. Earned about half my leg points with an M14, and finished off with the black rifle. I can recall when a 470-475 would pretty much assure you of at least making the cut. Won't even get you a sniff these days! I was curious about the knob, too, but I suspect you're correct.

I went out in 2007 with a 465 which won the match. There were 36 shooters including several Distinguished. Conditions that day were terrible. I was the only person to break 90 offhand. When I got to 600, for my first shot I put 7.5 minutes of right wind on and caught a left side 10. Like I said, rough day; but it ended on a very happy note for me.

 

[Kevin Thomas]

As long as we're confessing things here, I legged at a Fifth Army Championship in Ft. Riley (probably around 1978 or so) with a 450. I'm sure there were at least two relays that never even saw their targets at 600, rain all day long and an occasional downpour. As it was, I got brief glimpses of my target, in between blowing the aperature out and trying to keep more water from getting into either my sights or the flash suppresor. Man, that was ugly! The folks who legged that day were the one's who didn't give up, cause there WAS no good relay to be on.

Ah, those were the days . . . never once a hint about stopping the match, headed back to the barracks with our gear smelling like a wet dog, and being given official blessing to break our M14s outta their bedding so we could dry them. Got out of the army and shot match rifle (M70s,naturally) for several years before going back and finsihing up the Distinguished in '99. No excuse since then, and I've been shooting Service Rifles ever since, even though I know better now!

 

[roninflag]

Sounds like a nifty rig, but it doesn't sound like a service rifle.

it is a really nice service rifle. an m1 garand. it has a place for a bayonet. i love shooting it. the rear sight i believe goes beyond 1k. those scenars really shoot. does not kick much because of the weight.