Looking to get into Service Rifle competition.

[Binaryenemy]

I'm lookin for a basic run down of what ill need besides a rifle(got that bad boy picked out). Also a summery of the rules and guide lines ect ect.

[danws2]

Some questions to get started... What rifle have you decided on? What ammo do you plan to use? Do you have any equipment now? Are you going to be shooting reduced course matches or full length? Do you have any experience in competitive shooting? Do you have someone with some experience in your area to work with you?

A couple of links.
http://www.illinoishighpower.org/gen..._highpower.htm
http://njhighpower.com/intro.htm

Dan

[egon12]

It's nice to hear that there might be some new blood that wants to get into the highpower game. Here is a link to the NRA rules : http://www.nrahq.org/compete/RuleBoo.../hpr-index.pdf

For beginners you don't need all the bells and whistles that the other guys have. Gun, good ammo, some sort of shooting mat, a good sling, shooting jacket, and spotting scope are the basics to get you started.

All of this equipment can vary greatly in price and quality. I have a simple set up and I managed to get my expert card with no problems.

I shoot service rifle highpower and I have a basic home built AR-15 in the A2 configuration with a free float tube hidden under the handguard and a two stage Rock River trigger. Barrel is a 1 in 8 DPMS stainless steel HBAR barrel that can handle the heavier bullets if I go to a full course match, but mostly I stick with the reduced distance course.

The sling I use is a Ron Brown national match leather sling that is a copy of the US military 1907 sling. Some people go with Turner slings or surplus canvas m-14 slings with great sucess.

The mat I use I got from midway on sale for around $25. It is simple but it works.

The shooting jacket I use is a cheap canvas one I bought from Champions choice, I think, its been a while. Most of the guys that shoot in competition a lot go with a Creedmore hardback wich will cost you around $300-400. You don't need this right away but it does help in boosting your scores on off hand. Heck the old timers prior to the 1970's did not have such a coat and they did fine.

The spotting scope that I started with was a Konus that was around $200 but a recently bit the bullet and bought a higher end Kowa. The scope stand I started with was an old second hand freeland, but I also upgraded to a Ray-vin stand last year.

This sport can cost you a bundle if you get really into it but you can still have fun with just the basic equipment and gradually upgrade over time that way it does not bite you wallet too much. Most of the people that shoot highpower are great to talk to and will to give advice to newer shooters.

If you have any other questions I'll be more than happy to answer them if I can.

Have a great day,

Jeff

[Rosco the Iroc]

Well 1st of all read this thread-
http://forum.pafoa.org/training-tact...ding-tips.html

Then some other points- Service rifle matches rules use CMP or NRA rules.
They really only differ in how you mark the target with the scoring disk and how you conduct rapid fire. These rule books update almost Avery year and can be found on respective web sites.

Here is my 15 years of doing it quick breakdown-
Gear-
You say you have a rifle picked out. Make sure it's for competition. Most tacitcool stuff is not allowed.
This is what most of our team uses and mine has served me VERY well.

Some sort of shooting jacket is needed once you really get into it. Along with a mitt or glove.
A simple mat and maybe a stool. Of course a data book. A scope would be handy but most matches you can borrow one, or binoc's will work- though you''ll need to have your pit use 1" disks on rapid to get your group. LOL
Finally something to cart all your stuff around, inc you lunch, most of these matches start at daybreak and can go all day depending on how many shooters, how well it's run and weather- BTW you shoot in all conditions but heavy fog and lighting- of course night fall, but that can be streached.
Match has 4 basic parts or they them selves are matches with in a bigger one.
1- 200yard offhand.

All slow fire is timed a round a min. So you will have 20 shots in 20 min after a 3 min prep. Or get 2 sighters that don't count for score so 22 shots in 22min.
It will be single loaded shots with out a sling. This is were having a hardback Creedmore jacket pays for it's self.
Next is the 200yd rapid fire

This will be 10 shots in 60sec. In the sitting postion. There are several ones you can use. You load the 10 rounds 2+8 a mag with 2 and and mag of 8. Sling up and get the postion.
Depending on who's rulse you use you will stand close the bolt on a empty chamber, put in the mag with 2 rds and wait, then the targets raise, drop down, charge the rifle, fire the 2 shots, reload with the 8 round mag and shoot them.
After that it's 300yd rapid fire.

This one is 10 shots in 70sec prone.
Same deal as sitting rapid but 10 more sec and prone. Also some matches allow 2 slow fire spotter shots with every stage.
Finally 600Yd slow fire

Same time rules as offhand but you can sling up and are prone. Don't fet you may be looking at that pic going how in the heck am I going to hit down there? Most new shooters do the best here because you have time to adjust and it's the simplest postion to master.
Now you do more then shoot, you have to score the other shooters-on the score card a miss is a "M" not a 0. A less than honest shooter can make that a 10, and a X is that. Make sure they know you got the value of the last shot and keep up. Most of this is mental, and I've blown a good string because my scorer was day dreaming and I had to keep his head in the game.
Last is you get to pull pits, or hire someone.

Get good pit service-give good pit, you should not be by yourself, but it depends on how many are at the match but anyway good pit is pulling the target, plugging the shot correctly, if it breaks the line it'e the higher value, paste the last shot and move the scoreing disk (the red disk in the pic is a 9) in the correct place IAW the rules you would be using in about 15-20 count. As a shooter you would berak the shot, follow thru, and see the taget go down and by the time you go to reload or reach for the pencil to mark your shot it comes back up.

Hope this helps.

[Binaryenemy]

Yeah, I'm not gonna try to rock my dpms m4 gonna go with a A2 NM from RRA. As far as spotting scopes ect I don't have jack. What really got me into this was shooting my FAL at 200 yards then findin out the matchs here are reduced 200 yards.