TRAINING LEAD-UP
Monday, Mar 25:
Hiked 2.5 miles at Rocky Branch Park with my parents, wearing MACV1s and 30# in a shorty rucker v3.
Tuesday, Mar 26:
Range trip, working on cadence. I hit 2025 rounds on my "forever target".
Also had a solo ruck club event, the 2nd annual Bragg Over Brews. Still a good time for active recovery, exploration, and contemplation.
Wednesday, Mar 27:
Glute and pec PT v1 in 36:50, then 6/27/22 RUCKWOD with a 30#RPC in 18:50
Friday, Mar 29:
Rucked with GORUCK Mackalls for the first time, covering 2.5 miles in 51:35 at Rocky Branch Park-to-Cramerton. Got a hotspot on my right heel using low cut socks... I should stick with high socks.
I shiuffled the first half while creating my very first Pokemon Go route. I participated in many Pokemon grunt battles on the slow ruck back to the start. It was sunny.
Afterwards, I did GORUCK SRT "Jinx" in 33:55 with a 30#RPC on the whole time, plus a 30#SB for the high-pulls.
Then, I did 18A "Lower Prep BW" in 19:05 with tender knees and sore legs.
COLEMAN'S CREEK TEAM MATCH
SB and I were really excited to have a field match held so close to us. It would be good practical practice for Mammoth, with the full array of tasks (find, range, engage, with teamwork all along the way). PRS is much more about efficiency of movement and fundamentals. Finding the target quickly is important, but just the last piece of that process, since you get to see everything ahead of time.
We were told to plan for a round count of 50P/100R with targets from 5-1200yd. There would be 6 blind stages with 4 min PAR times. For this match, we'd be allowed 2 shots per rifle targets, with 2 points for a 1st round impact and 1 point for a 2nd round impact, making it 3 possible points per target per allowed shooter. Since there were no caliber restrictions, we both used our 6mm CM RPRs. For pistol, you had unlimited rounds, but 1 point per target.
SB and I got there at 7am for the 30 minute zeroing window. It took us only 5 minutes because no adjustments were needed after my 5 round check, even with the cold bore shot after cleaning.
It was 49*F, 29.64Hg, 68%RH, and -254 DA at the time.
Stage 6 (by the graveyard)
- one person shoots at 4 pigs, and the other person shoots at 4 coyotes, from a turf mound.
- you can go in any order but only 1 shooter can be engaging at a time
Outcome/Learnings: 9/24
- Our plan was to let SB shoot first, since we'd both be using RPRs and I typically get to shoot first, so she should get the opportunity to shoot first while we're on equal footing caliber-wise.
- We could see black pig targets standing out in the field, and she made both hits. We see more on the left and keep going
- Ranging wasn't too tricky at this bay with the Vortex Impact, since there was a good enough slope on the land to give you a big aiming area. I used the top button instead of the remote because the remote placement that I had, forward of and above where the trigger is, wasn't very convenient. The light on the remote had been blinking amber, too, which probably wasn't good.
- I could see a gnarly silver target but couldn't figure out what kind of animal it was. SB guessed that it was a different animal (a coyote), since it was a different color from the black pigs, but it was actually a pig. Lesson: At this match, don't make assumptions about the animal type based on target color!
- I had set a 3 minute timer, so that we'd get a 1 minute warning. This was the only time I'd remember to start it on time, though.
- We had listened while the first team went, and based on the impacts, we guessed that the targets were at 300yd.
- At first, I wasn't sure if going prone on the very steep mound would work due to the big hump at the top, and I probably spent too long fiddling with building the position, but it was actually fine.
- The ROs at this stage allowed us to not commit to a specific animal per person ahead of time, which was good, since whatever we happened to see first, SB could shoot.
Stage 1 (open range by the shoothouse)
- 4 circles and 4 squares are out there, but we had to pick a shape per person up-front. SB had seen circles while walking up, so she said that I'd be circles, I guess to even out the shooting opportunities.
- There was a huge downed log and an upright log to shoot from, although neither was wide enough for modified prone.
- The RO did allow us to adjust tripods ahead of time, though.
Outcome/Learnings: 11/24
- Based on our relative heights, I said that I'd take the downed log. Thinking back, I wonder whether both of us could've fit on the downed log, but it's not good to have to worry about one's partner shaking the prop, anyways, or bumping into you.
- The first three circles were easy to see, since they were in a horizontal line across a road. I had to pan far to the left to see the leftmost one.
- I set up my tripod short initially, thinking I might do tac table rear, but I switched plans on the clock and went to tripod rear. It would take a lot of experience to set the tac table height well, and I don't have that experience yet.
- I got no hits on the 4th target, which had some vegetation in front, so maybe the range call was wrong. 1, 3, 3, 0 points for me.
- SB got 2 hits on one target and a second round hit on another.
- The RO said that for tripod rear, you should pick it up and out and bring it back in after setting up your gun, to avoid having the legs fold in. That's a good tip.
- While others were going, I had heard some shots to the left, so I probably should've known to look there. I had also heard multiple targets' shots within quick succession with the same gun, which suggests that a few were together enough and close in dope.
Stage 2 (outward from random spot on the road just up from 2-gun bays)
- shoot 4 pistol targets (each person on same targets)
- shoot 3 diamond targets (same targets for both shooters)
- any sequence, any weapon, but only one shooter at a time
- from concrete block pyramid
Outcome/Learnings: 21/26
- I started on pistol, hitting 4/4, while SB searched for and ranged the diamonds
- I set up while she worked on the pistol targets
- the farthest two diamonds were obvious, so I shot that, then she shot that while I tried looking for the third target... we spent a long time searching for it... I even stood on the pyramid to see if a different angle would help.
- I'm guessing SB finally saw it, since she's normally the one who finds the targets. It was pretty dark and in the shadows. I somehow missed my first shot on the gigantic target... maybe I yanked it due to time pressure, since we had eaten up so much time during the search, because I hit it the second time.
- Unfortunately, we did run out of time before SB was able to get off a shot
Stage 3 (Up on a hill looking out, past the 2-gun bays)
- shoot 4 pistol targets along an alley in the trees to the right (each person)
- shoot 3 gophers (each person)
- shooting from a thin plywood low wall and a stack of tires
It was now 11:15am, 70*F, 29.65Hg, 32%RH, and 1099DA.
Outcome/Learnings: 26/26 (WE CLEANED IT!!! WITH 20S TO SPARE!!!)
- I cleaned pistol while SB ranged
- I chose the tire to set up on, while SB worked on pistol. She got the first two OK but struggled with the last 2, so put pistol on pause so that we could focus on getting rifle hits
- She found and talked me onto the first 2 gophers easily, with a nice landmark for the second one. The first one you could kind of see by eye.
- The third one required coming out of glass to see a big tree because the shooting area was so wide, and the gophers were small.
- I had 0.2 dialed for elevation. There was a light headwind, so I did nothing for wind. Gophers don't give you much space for windage errors, but the targets weren't super far away, either
- SB went back for the last 2 pistol targets after we finished on rifle. I grabbed a bag for her to add to the tripod
Stage 4 (at the second/newer PRS barricade area)
- there are 4 squares and 4 circles for rifle- you could shoot from anywhere on teh wooden barricade, although it was small enough that you could really only fit one person at a time
Outcome/Learnings: 6/24
- it's very windy now, going L->R, with gusts of 20mph and average of 12mph, but at a 45 degree angle
- it wasn't very easy to distinguish between circles and squares on some targets
- I hit the 375yd circle holding left edge. I held center based on an updated wind call on the 500 but missed. I held left edge on the 514, missed, and adjusted, but still missed. The RO said afterwards that I needed to hold more left...
- SB got her first target.
- I had trouble talking her onto her second target in the middle back of the main field... she was looking in the area above/beyond, I think
- I used the tripod streamer to give wind calls
Stage 5 (at the load development bay)
- shoot 4 pistol targets (C-zone targets on a series of berms), but only while both shooters are in that area to not break the 180* rule
- back at the back of a gator that has a pallet as a base, shoot 3 IPSCs (both shooters)
- shoot 4 pistol targets (C-zone targets o
- pistol was hard, especially the farthest 2. I was even bracing on the shooting tables, but it was still hard. I only had 3 hits after 1 full mag. The farthest target seemed to be the same size as my reticle.
- pistol was hard, especially the farthest 2. I was even bracing on the shooting tables, but it was still hard. I only had 3 hits after 1 full mag. The farthest target seemed to be the same size as my reticle.
- SB wanted to keep at it for a little longer, and did get it and earned 4/4. I gave up a little earlier so that we could move on to rifle.
- I wonder whether the wind was enough to affect even the pistol shots, because it was so strong.
- I don't remember ever taking note of the range fan and was fixated on the left side directly in front of the shooting platform, where we typically shoot from, and completely ignored the right side for some reason.
- SB set up for rifle first, since the gator was somewhat tall. She went into glass while I searched with binos.
- At first, SB saw the pistol targets and thought they might be the rifle targets, but no
- There were random targets from a different stage mixed into the area, which was a little distracting, since my eyes kept going to them
- I thought we were looking for C-zone targets, but that was really from pistol... I saw a similar shape on the far left woodline and talked SB onto it. She shot it twice, but it wasn't a target
- The targets were actually way out beyond where we normally shoot at this bay... pre-conceptions hurt us!
- The RO suggested that in the future, I as the spotter should get behind the shooter instead of beside her, to be more effective at talk-ons with the same visual perspective
- It was tough to never even find the rifle targets
Afterwards
After the last stage, SB and I tested out my Impact, and I showed her the odd results that I was getting.
Overall: 28/42
- need to practice talk-ons
- for more speed, when we need to shift a big distance from our previous target, give something like a relative distance reference so that I don't slowly inch in one direction and get there faster, or get out of glass and find a new landmark to go straight to, vs panning over (Scott would later recommend physically moving the shooter's gun and pointing it in the right direction)
- everyone should go to binos and help search if both people have no ideas where the targets are
- use the entire range fan to search
- it's good to listen to other teams' hits to estimate distance and direction
- to reduce mental errors, go over even the dumbest things, especially on the first stage of the day, and go through the pre-stage checklist and the shot process. Say aloud what you're checking, for the other person's benefit, too
- we were good about having a wind plan prior to each stage
- remember to start the timer every time
- clarify with the RO beforehand whether they'll confirm "spotter up" and call impacts
- we're able to maximize points with SB finding and ranging
- SB should continue bracing for pistol
Great match, hope to see more of these at Coleman's!
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