First Highpower Match - I think I'm hooked

[ks_shooter]

Had a chance to shoot in my first Highpower Match on Sunday. I recently bought a Bushmaster XM15 Standard Target Model with a 20" barrel. The match was only the second time I have shot it. It was a "58 round match" with a 300 yard prone slow fire substituted for the 600 yard prone slow fire. I managed to shoot a 419 - 4x. It was a lot of fun and I shot better than I thought I would, since I don't normally shoot at anything over 50 yards without a scope. My 13 year old son came along and thought it looked like fun. Next time we are going to share the rifle so he can shoot too. One of the guys there had a decked out CMP model with all the bells and whistles (Krieger SS barrel, match sights, Rock River trigger, etc.). He shot 10 ring almost everytime. Seems to me that probably has less to do with the gun and more to do with his skill. All the same, I think that I will try some modest improvements to my rifle. What is the thinking on the CMP-legal free float handguard from Bushmaster? I modified my trigger pull by allowing the hammer spring ends to rest on the receiver floor, but I still can't measure the trigger pull on my 5 lb. gauge. Is this modification a good idea? It seems like there is still adequate force on the firing pin. Any other goodies that a guy on a budget could try? Thanks.

 

[Steve Smith]

WOOOOHOOOO!

Alright! I'm so glad you have a great time. Good job on your first match, too!

Internal mods are just fine as long as the rifle is SAFE and the trigger is at least 4.5 lbs.

You can either do mods to your current upper or get another one...that is of course up to you. The RRA upper is excelllent for a stock gun, and runs about $550 IIRC. A float tube is a must for really good sling use. I don't know of any serious HP shooter that wouldn't recommend either the CLE, Armalite, or Rock River tube...they're both VERY stout, which is very important. I have not heard any complaints about Bushy tubes. I did not mention other brands FOR A REASON. IOW, keep your selection to one of the above brands.

I'd suggest you have your tube installed by John Holliger. He'll do it for about $150 and it will be RIGHT.

I'll catch up with you later for more tips.

 

[Steve Smith]

Hey man, I wasn't really alanyzing the hammer spring thing, just thinking of it from a rules standpoint. After seeing some friends over there (notably "gasgunner" aka John Holliger) comment that the pin could walk out, I agree, don't do that. The RRA 2 stage as truned by him is fantastic.

A PM has been sent to you re this post as well.

I post over there as "Frontsight" but not very often since it is Clint's personal advertisement board now. Go to ar15.com's Competition section for a real hotbed of great Highpower talk.

 

[444]

What is the course of fire in a match like this ?
How big are the targets ?
Where could I buy these targets ?

I have always thought about trying a match, but never have. Trying to participate in anything on a regular basis is impossible in my job, but I would like to at least try it on my own using the regulation targets.

 

[Steve Smith]

COF is either NMC (National Match Course) or RMC (Regional Match Course). NMC is 50 shots, RMC is 80 shots. 8 sighters in each.

NMC:

2 sighters and 10 record shots standing, slowfire, in 12 minutes, 200 yards. No sling for standing.

2 sighters (two minutes) and 10 record shots standing to sitting or kneeling, rapid fire, in 60 seconds, with one mag change (2 and 8 rounds)200 yards.

2 sighters (two minutes) and 10 record shots standing to prone, rapid fire, in 70 seconds, with one mag change (2 and 8 rounds) 300 yards.

2 sighters and 20 record shots prone, slowfire, in 22 minutes, with one mag change (2 and 8 rounds) 600 yards.

RMC replaces all 10 shot strings with 20 shots. Rapid fire segments are fired in two seperate 10 shot strings.

The 200 yard aiming black is almost 13" IIRC. The X ring is always 1 MOA (2") and 10 is 2 MOAish (4") the rest is 9 ring. Same target used for both standing and sitting.

The 300 yard aiming black is roughly 18" ...basically the white 8 ring on the 200 yard target is colored black on this one.

600 yard aiming black is 36" and also has a 7 ring in it. X ring is 6".


If you have the room for the full size targets, you'll want a pit so someone can pull them and mark them for you. You can get 100, 200, or 300 yard reduced targets, though. What distance would you shoot at, 444?

 

[444]

Steve, If I got the targets, I have the room to shoot at whatever range I want; I mean we have almost an infinite amount of room to shoot. If I tried this at the club I belong to, I believe the rifle range goes out to 400 yards, so I would have to use the reduced range targets. I know they shoot DCM matches at my club. I have never seen one, but I see the results published in the club newsletter.

 

[Steve Smith]

Well, with full size targets, you really need pits. Doing this alone would be rediculous. The 600 yard game is all about wind reading. If you shoot 20 shots without having a marked target, you'll never learn anything. Having immediate feedback is crucial. You really can't get feedback at 300 yards without pits either, so hopefully your club either has pits or does it at 200 yards. You can see your hits with a good spotting scope at that distance. All the reduced course targets are sized accordingly, but of course you don't have to fight the wind. That allows beginners to really concentrate on their fundamentals. There is a large amount of targets, depending on what distance its reduced for and what its supposed to replicate. Let me know what distance you'll really be using, and I'll get you the target numbers, ok? American Target in Colorado has great prices and excellent quality. BTW, you can get centers for all the targets, so you don't have to pay for full size targets to just replace the aiming blacks.


I'd HIGHLY suggest that you shoot a match at your local club. That will teach you more than I can easily convey over this medium.


One more thing.."DCM" hasn't existed for a while. What was the DCM is now the CMP. The CMP has a lot of different matches, but the ones that closely replicate "Highpower" are few and far between due to the rules (a club may only host one CMP EIC match per year). However, the NRA has Highpower Rifle Service Rifle classification, and that is the EIC equivalent...basically. They are usuaally held monthly at ranges that have a Highpower program. This is all semantics and not meant to confuse you.