PREP
Weather and Venue
This year, unlike the last two years (2024 and 2023), we were headed up north to Fort Barfoot, formerly known as Fort Pickett.
Leading up to the event, you're watching the weather, because it will affect your final packing plans. When SB and I decided to sign up for Mammoth 1 in Barfoot instead of Mammoth 2 in Chaffee, we did so knowing that we'd need to plan on carrying more winter-weather gear. That's one of the reasons I went through the trouble of getting the new lightweight rifle.
On the bright side, Barfoot would only be 3 hours away. Chaffee would be a 14 hour drive, and as an event that happens in March, it would be a little bit warmer, for better or worse. It would be nice to save the vacation days and have less travel fatigue and stress. The terrain between the two would be close enough, we figured.
They always make a big deal about how hilly the course is, so you prepare for the worst, although many times, at all kinds of events, things get overblown. It's not like we're having to hike a 14er. Maybe there will be 1-2 big hills, but as long as the routes are designed well and don't have a significant net gain, and as long as the descents aren't so steep and technical that you're forced to slow down there, too, it'll all be OK. One of our strengths from our rucking and endurance background is pacing.
Packing
Most of the extra weight came from disposable hand warmers, a tiny bit more clothing, plus a Coletac Hand Hut that I decided to add towards the end. Even at Ft. Eisenhower, it had been cold enough in the mornings that it was a struggle to keep my fingers warm enough to maintain dexterity. Dexterity is important for rifle, but especially for pistol. The hand hut ended up coming in clutch.
The rifle and ammo weighed less, but I did bring more rifle ammo this year. The addition of Marathon Mover targets into recent competitions opened up way more uncertainty about how much ammo one might use. My overall ammo weight therefore remained about the same, but I could afford to shoot more and reduce the risk of running out, which would be a really sad situation.
I brought more food this year, too. My first year, I had lots of leftover food because I just wasn't that hungry. Last year, I went through my food pretty quickly and was worried whether I'd have enough, about halfway through. Bodies can just act differently sometimes. When it's cold out, I figured I'd be burning more energy, so the extra wouldn't be a bad idea.
Shooting Training
We did some PR-specific prep this past year, though not a ton. In our first couple of years, we had a lot of ground to cover in developing fundamentals and basic skills and were trying to cram that all in quickly. While there are still some areas with room for improvement, we know the basics now. We had already covered the steep end of the learning curve, and subsequent gains are much more difficult to come by and require a higher time input : result ratio.
Our packing and strategy was still pretty streamlined. Going lightweight also means having a limited set of shooting tools to work with. You can either see that as a handicap or as a strength. I saw it as a strength. We know how to use our small handful of tools (gun, bipod, bag, pack) well. A tripod can come in handy sometimes, but we aren't super good at using it anyways, and it adds extra weight. With less weigh to carry, you can also come to stages physically and mentally fresher.
Rucking Training
I was still dealing with a glute strain from my first year of Mammoth prep, so it's been 2+ years now. I've always been minimalist in my approach to physical training, because I listen to my body's recovery needs and can't afford to get seriously injured. I stuck with that this go-around and did even less training than last year, which was less training than the previous year.
The most I did was a 4 miler at pace and weight, with a 6 miler at pace and weight the next day. Could I have forced an 8 miler the day after that? Yes, but not at a risk and bodily cost that I was willing to accept. Sometimes, you have to make the smarter choice and trust in your longer term training.
Mental Training
While in Denver for Christmas break, I had read "With Winning in Mind", which was a great book to go through when I was away from my rifle and even my ruck. I had chosen not to bring my ruck to Denver, since it was about taper time anyways, and I didn't want to bother. It was good for reinforcing what I know I need to do... be 100% focused on following the process, like nothing else exists in the world, and the rest will take care of itself.
ZERO DAY
The Drive
SB's house was the launching point this time. I said a quick hi to her dog before it was time for the drive up.
During the car ride, we read through all of the rules again. Every match has different safety rules, so you want to drill in whatever set you're about to encounter. No DQs!
We got to the fort and stopped for a picture with the tank. A random guy who turned out to be an RO who recognized us from IG helped to take our picture.
Check-in
We were in Squad 7 this year. Bonus targets were in play again.
Zeroing
After checking in and getting a bit of swag, we drove out to the zero range. At noon, it was 39 degrees F and -1163 DA.
I spent 23 rounds deciding to go up 0.1, and then later deciding to go back down 0.1. Even when I wasn't moving, I felt like my reticle was moving. I don't know if it was because of the wind blowing my lightweight gun (the wind blew down a zero target at one point) or if the ground and bipod connection had been a little unstable. Oh well... at some point, you just have to move on.
Final Packing
On our drive to the hotel, the Blackstone Inn, we found a good water tower for our annual tradition picture.
At the hotel, we finalized packing.
- I added more pistol ammo (from 100 to 110, good to have, and it doesn't way a lot)
- SB convinced me to not add any more rifle ammo (126)
- I added another heat sheet and a second bottom base layer (although I ended up using neither)
- SB and I swapped around gear, to even things out a bit
- Based on what we could see ahead of time in the weather forecast, we decided to leave the Kestrel behind, which worked out well
I'd be stepping off at around 47# total, with 32# in the pack, an 11.2# rifle, and 4# on the body.
We had an early Mexican dinner with the GORUCK crew minus Kyle, who unfortunately came down with bronchitis and was trying to speed recover from it and not get anyone else sick.
DAY 1
Morning Brief
We're used to the drill now, which makes things easier. Arrive early, stay warm while getting your gear out of the car, and stay warm during the brief. Get split up into squads. Our squad leader this year was Jason. Listen hard for the distance and time cap and route for the first ruck. It seemed pretty straightforward... mainly one road. Wait until a couple minutes before you need to step off, to take off your warming layers. It wasn't as painfully cold to do that this year, vs the first year, it seemed. I did have a Patagonia Capilene baselayer with a Smartwool 250 Merino Wool base layer on top of that, to ruck in. I also had gloves and a buff, plus my cap, which I'd be able to shed as needed.
Day 1 / Ruck 1
Half of the squads would be heading north, and our half would be heading south, on day 1. We had a 4.52 mile ruck. We covered it at a 15:03 pace, with 226 feet of ascent and 292 feet of descent... just small rollers. We'd be spending all day in one area, in the same shooting sequence. We managed to get our preferred shooting slot, which was great.
After really enjoying the use of trekking poles at GBF Operation Tiny Dancer with 20# dry, I had tested out trekking poles for about 100m in the couple weeks leading up to the event. It was a no-go, though. I like to use poles to push and propel myself forward, like in cross-country skiing. That smokes my arms, though. For an event that only needs leg strength and has no arm component, it's OK to shift the workload to the arms. For a shooting event though, I need arms that are strong and stable, and I wasn't getting a net energy savings from the poles. The rucking terrain was a well-maintained gravel road, too, so it wasn't like it was technical.
Stage 7: Ambush
Once we crossed the finish line, we still had to ruck another sixth of a mile, maybe, to get to the area where our first two stages would be.
There's always a different feeling when it comes to the first stage of the match. Grab some water, since you'll need it for the day, even if it's cold. Maybe stuff a snack in your mouth. Open and shake up the hard warmers. I put on warming layers, then used the restroom, then started getting all my shooting gear out... armboard, bag, belt, pistol, rifle mags and ammo, pistol mags and ammo, note cards and pen, ears. There are many priorities of work to take care of, especially when you're shooting near the front. You have to stay focused.
Stage Brief
(5 min PAR, P&S both 9->infinity pistol, 9->infinity rifle)From behind the driver door and passenger door,- Driver's side shooter:> Shoot 3x 10" circles in any order, 3 each, hit or miss (1 pt per hit)> Shoot 1 marathon target with 3 hits to drop (worth 3 points)- Passenger side shooter repeats pistol tasksFrom any position between the door and the A-post,- Driver's side shooter> Shoot 3 diamonds 3x each, hit or miss (worth 3/1/1 pts)- Passenger repeats rifle tasks2 Marathon targets appear after that, needing 3 hits to drop each one (worth 5 pts/drop), with any shooting being allowed to engage at any time
Outcome/Learnings
35 pts = 20P + 15R
- I had missed 3x on the pistol mover, which was moving fast intentionally at first, before turning towards us and becoming easier to shoot
- I got 3/3 on the 225yd diamond
- It was wobbly in the crux of the door in my intentionally less-filled gitlite custom gamechanger, so I yanked the first shot on the 241yd diamond.
- I had seen the 142yd diamond, but SB had already ranged the 241yd one, so I engaged that first
- We timed out before shooting at the 142yd diamond, but I got a jam anyways, so that would've taken time to clear.
We were happy to have gotten to rifle and to have made some hits, even if we didn't get to the Marathon target portion of the stage.
<< -1700 DA, 32 degrees F, after stage 7 >>
Stage 8: Banners
Stage Brief
(5 min PAR, P&S both 6 pistol and 12 rifle)
First person shoots pistol at an oval and a ruler in any order, 3 shots eat, hit or miss, clear.
Second person repeats.
From anywhere inside the yellow marked area,
- Secondary targets: square, torso, circle, ruler
- Primary targets: 3x15 cross, oval, spade, clover
Engage in any order, but one target at a time, with 3 shots each, hit or miss
Outcome/Learnings
27 pts = 8P + 19R, which was the highest score so far after one full squad!
- Each of us got 4/6 P shots
- Good use of left and right limits to see targets around trees
- Shot off rucks, since we were shooting uphill, and targets were on the other side of the hill
- I cleared the cross @ 100yd, oval @ 415yd
- I didn't use a bag on the pack... went directly on the upright top of the pack
- SB shots a 114yd circle up on her elbow on her pack for extra height
- Good thinking about height and visibility of the targets
- We worked well together... I brought SB her gun after telling her about the torso and ruler that I found on the far right side where I was
We got compliments from the ROs afterwards for how we tackled that stage, which was really nice.
It's fun to hear about peoples' experiences after the stage. You can sometimes watch the other squads a little bit, too, after you finish shooting.
Stage 5: Game Hunt
The next 2 stages were on the other side of the road, so we had maybe a quarter mile untimed but hilly ruck over. I was glad that these short bay movements were not timed this year. It's too crowded at the start to have such a short timed ruck. In the case of this movement, there would be significant elevation changes vs the length of the ruck, too. Hard to manage, too, for the squad moms, if everyone is coming in within like 30s of each other, sprinting in, and getting the right sequence and shooting slots.
On the walk over there, I found the largest shell casing I've ever seen. Too heavy to keep, though.
Stage Brief
(5 min PAR, P&S both 6 pistol and 12 rifle)
First shooter shoots 3 prairie dogs in any order with pistol, 2 shots each hit or miss, clear.
Second shooter repeats.
Go into the hunting blind with all gear.
From any position, shoot 2 coyotes, 1 duck, 4 wild boar, in any order, 3 shots each, hit or miss (worth 3/1/1 points)
Outcome/Learnings
9 pts = 4P + 5R
- We hit 2 pistol shots each... they were pretty small and narrow
- The blind had the top half as a window. The lowest part of the window was pretty high up, so I stacked SB's upright ruck on my ruck to get enough height
- I made all hits on the duck
- I saw and shot at a 350 and 380yd boar, but I never hit, despite feeling like I had good stability and feeling like I broke good shots... not sure why I missed
- We timed out before I started to shoot the coyote at 3xx yds
- I kept my pack on during pistol shooting, since we'd have to move into the blind soon after... it didn't feel like it affected my shooting that much.
(no points if all gear isn't in the tent!)
Stage 6: Marathon Hide
Stage Brief
(5 min PAR, P&S both 6 pistol and infinite rifle)
First shooter shoots pistol at 3 torsos in any order, 2 shots each hit or miss, through the triangle cut out of the banner.
Second shooter repeats, but through a square in the banner.
Move into a low hide, but no need to bring gear in this time.
Shoot a 75% torso (worth 2 points), which will activate the movers.
Shoot 4 robots, who need 3 hits to drop (worth 5 points/drop). Both shooters can shoot at will.
Re-engage the 75% torso to re-activate the robots for another round and 2 more points, if you get that far.
Outcome/Learnings
20 pts = 8P + 12R- SB ranged the torso while I shot pistol
- Thinking "slow squeeze back" on pistol helped me hit better
- Not bad on the pistol shots, given the target size.
- The cutouts in the banner were generously sized, and I could easily stick the muzzle all the way through
- Many teams struggled to range the torso, so props to SB! Some spent the whole stage struggling with mis-ranging and missing.
- Only the top half of the 100yd mover was visible, and it moved fast. I worked on him (for a long time), trying to get him at his left limit turnaround point.
- We timed out before our last hit on the 400yd, maybe
- I used 18R, and SB used 14... the original plan was for me to reload for her after I shot one mag, but I forgot... we ended up not needing it, though, so it was better that we got to shoot the whole time.
- The movers were programmed to act like people, who act unpredictably... sometimes, they'd respond to a hit by wobbling; other times, they might speed up... you'd have to be on the lookout for some kind of change, which can be tricky, if they naturally bounce due to terrain, I will say.
Day 1 / Ruck 2
After we were done shooting, we had to hang out for a little while, until all squads on the southern half of the competition were done, so that we could do a mass start back home. We were eager to get on the move, though, to maximize daylight for camp setup and to start the rest and recovery cycle.
We knew the route back, since this was an out-and-back day. 4.52 miles at 15:41 pace. There was no incentive for coming in earlier for shooting order purposes. Just had to make it back efficiently. It was nearly dark by the time we got back, due to our late return.
Back at camp, because of the freezing temps, we had to get water from an ammo shed that they were using generators to heat. It was a little bit of a walk, and I didn't want to have to repeat it, so I grabbed a lot of water.
We were all camping in a big field by the range. You could be close to the briefing area and portapotties and water, or you could be on the far side near the tree line, or you could be somewhere in the middle of the field. We stayed middle-ish, to reduce the amount of walking while also not being so close to the porta potties that our sleep would be disturbed by banging doors. Because it was a flat field, there weren't natural noise breakers from the terrain, so we just had to hope that our neighbors didn't snore. We were really close to the cars, and it turned out that Chris Andrews the MD booby trapped the pathway to the cars for fun. Fortunately, I hadn't decided to pee right there in the path.
I heated up water for food re-hydration, while SB set up the tent. We expected some snow overnight. We put water bottles in the sleeping bags to prevent them from freezing up, and to help them heat up faster in the morning. I brought way too much water and put way too much inside my sleeping bag, though, so I felt pretty cold that night, with all of the water sucking the heat from my body. The wind would blow into the tent from the space between the rain fly and the ground... I kind of wished there was dirt that we could pile up in that gap as a wind break.
It started snowing overnight. At some point during the night, SB woke me up because she noticed that the tent had collapsed near our feet. We knocked it off and kept sleeping.
DAY 2
In the morning, camp looked quite different from what it had looked like the previous night!
The snow had built up against the gap between the ground and the rain fly, which made it look like it had snowed massive amounts, but it was just the snow falling off the tent that had caused it to accumulate around the base of the tent like that. At least that accumulated snow blocked the gap that was causing wind to blow into the tent. Officially, there were 3-4 inches of snow.
We woke up at 4:30am, to be ready in time for the 6am brief and 6:30am step-off.
We made a hot breakfast to share. I had thought about skipping hot breakfasts after last year. It is a lot of time and trouble to heat up water. You really want a good meal at dinner after you've rucked and worked all day, but it's not as big of a deal for breakfast. Since we'd have tasks to do inside the tent anyways, it wasn't a big deal to heat water and eat at the same time.
I had prepped my ruck for Day 2 the previous night, replenishing my easy-access food stashes, so that saved some work in the morning. In the past, mornings have felt very rushed. It takes time to tear down sleeping pads, sleeping bags, and tents.
Day 2 / Ruck 1
The two halves of the field would be swapping sides this day, so we'd be heading north. We had a delayed start on the ruck, though, because range control had to confirm whether the roads were safe enough for the emergency vehicles to drive on to support the event. Fortunately, the match went on.
Because of the snow and the conditions, we were given an 18:00/mi pace instead of the usual 16:00/mi pace. We covered the 3.78 mile ruck at 16:28 pace, with 248 feet of gain and 174 feet of descent. On the previous day, even pre-snow, we had encountered some spots where previous snowfalls and melts and re-freezes still left a layer of ice. Could we have forced a 16:00/mi finish? Yes, but better to be safe and not slip and fall.
Based on our finish sequence, we were able to keep our preferred shooting spot.
We'd be on the same bay all day today. Everything was covered in snow, which was new to us. We've never shot in standing snow before. At least it wasn't actively snowing. Looking for targets through the flakes would've been another level of challenge altogether, as Lanny Bassham mentioned in his book. I wonder how easy vs hard it was to find yesterday's targets today, now that snow covered the ground, leaving just targets and vegetation uncovered.
One downside of shooting on this bay today vs yesterday was that today would be a very windy day, and we were on the bay with the longer distance shots. Oh well... you do your best with the hand that you're dealt.
After we crossed the finish line, we grabbed water, made a stop at the row of porta potties, then trekked into the snow to the holding area for our first stage. SB used some plastic bags to clear off the top puffy layer of snow to give us an area to sit down without getting as much snow in our clothes and gear.
Stage 3: Observation & Communication
Stage Brief
(5 min PAR, P&S both 12 rifle)
Targets are a 12" circle, 50% torso, 75% torso with a plate carrier cutout, and an oval.Build any position on the black rubber (snow-covered) uphill surface, between 2 large stones.There are 4 pairs of identical targets, side by side downrange.
1 person finds and communicates the sequence of engagement by looking at a sign 100yd downrange.The other person ranges the targets.Shoot the targets in the required sequence based on the sign, with simulshots, 3 hits each, hit or miss. Both must hit to score (worth 3/1/1).
Outcome/Learnings
18 pts- I was going to be the reader, since I like my Nightforce glass. Plus, SB is really good at ranging, so it was a natural choice.
- SB did a great job ranging a tricky circle that others struggled with, by staying high
- The sequence and ranges were circles @ 425, torsos with PC cutout @ 170yd, ovals, and torsos.
- Shooting was done on an upslope that we could stick bipods on, so we didn't really have to use rucks for extra height, at least for the targets that we got to.
- We didn't have time to shoot at the ovals before timing out, but SB had misranged it anyways, we found out from the RO afterwards
- We had seen the torsos, but we were going to try to go for the ovals first, even though we had the option to skip
- We felt good about how we did and the hits that we did make.
After the stage, we sat on a heat sheet in our holding area, which was quite pleasant. We had a spot against a telephone pole, too.
Stage 4: Helo
Stage Brief
(5 min PAR, P&S both 21 rifle)
Go into the helo, with 1 person per orange window (one has lots of space while the other is more crammed in an area with room for a seat only)
Alternating shooters on separate targets, with any target order and 3 shots per target hit or miss, engage a boar, 12" circle, 10" square, medium oval, 18x22" rectangle, 16" diamond, 50% torso (worth 3/1/1 pts)
Outcome/Learnings
8 pts- I saw the circle at 450yds and hit 3/3
- SB tried the square but missed 3/3... I didn't see the first miss because we had agreed that I'd search for targets while she shot. I saw her second miss 1.5 mil high, and the third miss after the correction was low.
- I saw the rectangle, but it was skylined, and SB said that it was hard to range.
- I switched to the bear at 530yd, but I only got a second round hit. It was hard to limit the wobble on the thin barricade of the window. Maybe I could've used some time to build a stronger position with stacked rucks, but who knows how much that would've helped.
- I asked SB not to move at one point, so the helo must've been a little shaky
- SB managed the more cramped window well, although in retrospect, I should probably take the cramped spots.
- My bot was difficult to pull back for some reason, multiple times during this stage.
- After the stage, I find that my right thumb knuckle had gotten bloody.
- While we didn't get a ton of hits, the ROs at least complimented us on calling our targets very clearly and loudly.
SB really wanted me to put a bandaid on my finger.
I found a fun porta potty door.
Stage 1: Ambulance
We finally got to see our friend Maryanna. Instead of shooting this year, she was ROing. ROing is a great way to see a lot and learn from the experiences of others, in what to do vs what not to do.
At some point, she took off her Selk Bag, so it was harder to recognize her, haha. I had ordered a Selk bag right before the event, in case it would come in handy in the cold temps, but it didn't arrive in time.
Stage Brief
(5 min PAR, P&S both 9 pistol, 12 rifle)
First shooter shoots 3x torsos with pistol in any order, 3 rounds hit or miss, then clear.
Second shooter repeats.
Enter ambulance from the side door, only after the second shooter clears pistol.One shooter takes each orange window in the back of the ambulance... one side has a bench along the long wall, and the other doesn't.Targets are duck, spade, 10" circle, 3x15" rectange.Primary shoots the target of that shape on the red T-post, 3 shots hit or miss. Then secondary shoots the same shape right after, but on the white T-post. (worth 3/1/1)
Outcome/Learnings
16 pts
- I made all my pistol hits, taking my time, on the generous-sized targets- SB missed 2x and regretted not making all hits
- With 8mph average winds and gusts up to 25mph, this was going to be a tough stage
- I started to add a pack to give tripod rear-like height, using the bench on my side, but it wasn't tall enough, so I pulled it away and gave it up.
- In retrospect, I wondered how effectively I was using the bench, and if I was squared up well... it is tricky to be asymmetrical. When you're in the stage, you kind of go on autopilot and may have some tunnel vision, though, so I don't really recall how good my positioning was.
- On the 460yd spade, I used 12mph. I missed but saw nothing. The second time, I might've forgotten to hold for wind. I missed the third time, low.
- SB missed.
- The duck was farther, so we tried the ruler. I rushed two shots before timing out and didn't hit. I might not have held wind. It was close-ish at 350yd, but I might've still needed some wind.
- SB left behind her GC on the steps after I passed her the guns. I had checked the ambulance as the last man in, but not a second time as we were leaving the stage. She ended up constructing a makeshift rear bag with clothes, pistol rounds, and a dry sack afterwards, for whatever bag-relevant shooting we'd have to do for the rest of the match.
Stage 2: Long Reach
We had had a stage like this last Mammoth, too.
Stage Brief
(5 min PAR, P&S both 10 pistol, 10 rifle)
Primary shoots near torso with 5 pistol rounds, hit or miss. Secondary repeats.Primary shoots far torso with 5 pistol rounds, hit or miss. Secondary repeats.(All must be done standing, unsupported, 2-handed.)
Build a rifle position from the table top.- Primary shoots a 1000yd 16" circle with 5 rifle rounds, hit or miss.- Secondary shoots a 775yd 16" diamond with 5 rifle rounds, hit or miss.- Primary shoots a 1000yd 12" circle with 5 rifle rounds, hit or miss.- Secondary shoots a 775yd 12" diamond with 5 rifle rounds, hit or miss.(Worth 1pt per "big" target hit, 2pts per "small" target hit)
Outcome/Learnings
6 pts = 3P (2N, 1F by Jen) + 3P (3N by SB)
- We got zero rifle points, so it was good to get the pistol points that we did.- I shot a lot trying different holds, starting with 12mph with 2.4R but missed, tried less, missed, and went as much as 4R.
- The spotter told me afterwards that I needed 2 mil Right more, but who knows which of those shots he was referring to.
- I saw nothing from my misses, unfortunately.
- SB's fake rear bag did fine, she says, and wind was the issue.
- My mag that had given me trouble at the helo did fine this time. I didn't mean to use it again, but I did.
- We timed out before SB could attempt her far (small) target.
- The pistol targets were at about 50 and 75yd.
<< DA = -3XX>>
Day 2 / Ruck 2
Conditions would be worse now than in the morning, since the sun had a chance to melt some snow and make it more of a messy mush. We had a 18:00/mi time hack again.
We covered 3.79 miles at 16:29/mi pace.
I do think that people who have had some experience walking on snow had an advantage on the ruck. You know how to walk on crunchy parts and take short steps.
Camp Night 2
We arrived at camp before the other half of the field that had gone south. Fortunately, nobody had taken our spot. It mattered more this night than usual, since tent spots used the previous night were clear of snow.
We still used plastic bags to clear away heaps of snow from the tent footprint. We made water and dinner again.
We learned that some guys didn't have a tent or didn't cover their guns at night. Bold choices!
This night, I didn't bring as much water over, and I didn't have as many bottles in my sleeping bag, so I was warmer.
DAY 3
Camp Morning 2
We set our alarms for 4:30am again, for the 6am brief and 6:30am step-off.
I woke up to my watch, reminding me that it was my birthday. It was my first year with this Garmin Fenix 7S Pro, and it was a nice surprise.
We did the breakfast and pack-up routine and said goodbye to the campsite for the last time.
Day 3 / Ruck 1
This would probably be the worst condition ruck of them all... the snow that had melted during the day yesterday now had a chance to re-freeze overnight. We were given the 18:00/mi time hack again.
We'd be rucking back down south, 3.99 mi, for the last shooting stages of the match. We covered it at a 16:34 pace.
While we were a "supersquad" now, all going to the same place with the field that had become smaller through attrition, we did have a staggered start, to help reduce congestion in the slippery conditions.
Stage 9: Pistol Skills
We were all hanging out in the same area. We went to the porta potty, tried to listen to when our squad RO would give the brief, and got ready for some short stages. The water bottles that were put out were a little bit slushy with ice.
Stage Brief
(3 min PAR, P&S both 15 pistol)
Left shooter shoots the sniper head with 5 rounds hit or miss with 1-hand, 5 rounds hit or miss with the other hand, 5 rounds hit or miss with 2 hands on the torso.Right shooter repeats.(All standing unsupported.)
Outcome/Learnings
11 = 6 (SB with ~4R and ~2L) + 4 (JL with ~4R and 0L and 1 with 2-hands)
- I accidentally shot 6R, 5L, and 4 2-hand, since I was so focused on the shooting and not on counting. SB only started counting for me when I started doing left-hand, so it was a bit too late.- SB went first, since I haven't felt as good about my left-handed shooting lately, and I wanted her to get in her shots before we risked timing out.
- We did have plenty of time, though.
- Targets were about 15yd away for the sniper head and 75yd away for the torso.
- I did go bladed and canted, although my other hand wasn't necessarily at my chest.
Stage 10:
Stage Brief
(3 min PAR, P&S both 10 rifle)
Left shooter shoots torso, standing unsupported (slings allowed) with 5 rounds hit or miss.Right shooter repeats.Left shooter repeats.Right shooter repeats.(Worth 2 points/hit)
Outcome/Learnings
40 pts = 20 + 20... we cleaned it!!! (One of 6/63 teams to do so)
- SB wanted to go first, which was fine.- SB had a round not go off, and she ejected it and started to look for it after her ninth round, but I reminded her that she had a second mag for this reason.
- We dialed 0.2 up based on the target distance that we estimated.
- I used the Coletac hand hut as a left elbow rest, which worked great.
- SB would've been allowed to run my bolt (I asked, just in case), but I was fine doing it myself, and it was probably safer for me to control it the whole time
- We kept bipods on, since we'd be grounding rifles while the other person was shooting, to save our arms.
- I would pick up the rifle ahead of my turn, to start prepping my first shot.
- So exciting to clean it!
- The lightweight rifle did help here!
Stage 11: Kneeling Reload
We got an 11th stage this year! Last year, because of the fog delay on day 2, we only had 8 stages total.
Stage Brief
(3 min PAR, P&S both 10 rifle)
Left shooter shoots 5, reloads mag with 5 loose rounds, shoots 5, clears.Right shooter repeats.
Target is a 159yd gong.Must be kneeling with only one knee, but butt can be on the rear foot.(Worth 1 pt/hit)
Outcome/Learnings
9 pts = 6 + 3
- We timed out before I could reload any rounds.- I did put my left foot forward, because I know that's more stable, but it was still wobbly.
- I tried to use the hand hut again, but it didn't help at all this time
- My butt was on a flat right foot.
- This was surprisingly hard, compared to standing... maybe due to target size / distance... it was twice as far.
Day 3 / Ruck 2
They never tell you what's after the ruck. You just know the next move, a few minutes before the ruck starts. We were told that we'd be doing a 3.97 mile ruck back to where we started from. Who knows if we'd be shooting more at the range there, once we got there. All we knew was that we wouldn't be rucking 7 miles right then.
The time hack finally went back to 16 min/mi. The snow was melting, but there was less risk of ice now.
We kept wondering, all the way up until the end, if there would be more shooting when we got there.
When we saw shirtless people at the finish line, we knew that we were done. Also, there was a finish line.
The shadows were cool.
This had been SB's view during all of our rucks. She'd follow in my footsteps, since I had the best view of the safest ground to walk on. This picture was re-created, though... I would've taken the road here.
We finished our 3rd Mammoth Sniper Challenge!
With GORUCK friends again!
Awards
We ended up in 24th, among 63 official finishers, from 85 who stepped off. Top 25, baby!
That was pretty exciting. Once you get closer to the top, spot gains are harder to come by.
The Officer's Club where awards and the post-event hamburger meal were held had a very interesting mural.
Continue:
- Using pack when no tripod
- Call targets for the spotter
- Positive teamwork
- Priorities of work after shooting
- Packing choices
- Caffeine on day 3
- Good ranging by SB
- Using Jen's more reliable binos and using quality Panasonic industrial batteries for the cold temps
- Using phones to look up wind and temps and estimating the DA, vs bringing the Kestrel
- Coletac hand hut for warming my hands and acting as a sling
- Saying aloud what we're doing to remind the teammate of things to do
- Checking for dialing to zero post-stage
- Being conscious of opening lens caps after the first ruck of the day
- Tissue in lens cap
- Telling the other person when you go somewhere
- Pacing strategy led by Jen
- Shooting in our preferred spot
- Mylar blanket easily accessible for sitting on during the daytime like a ground tarp
- Baggie as a snow shovel
- Foot water to dry shoes
- Mylar heat sheet on the tent floor (not sure if it helped, but it wasn't noisy like I had feared)
- Bringing floss
- SB continuing to be primary ranger
- Only having 1 LRF is fine
- Not having Vortex Impacts
- Being more intentional during score sheet signing, to double-check math and remember results
- Extra pistol ammo (110 vs 75)
- Area sweeps post-stage
- Easy pacing and not burning ourselves out unnecessarily
- SB rucking behind JL vs doing a slinky
- Prep for the next day's load-out, the night before
- No poles for me, poles for SB
Practice:
- Shooting off the pack, if we're going to continue to not bring a tripod
- Long range pistol
- One-handed pistol
- Strict rucking (I had only practiced shuffling to maintain pace), and strict rucking works different muscles
Start:
- Deliberate talk-ons that start from step 1 with basics, vs starting at a semi-detailed level
- Wait for acknowledgement on the first talk-on step, before starting to describe the next step
- Establish common terms and landmarks for the stage before starting
Try/Change:
- For another Barfoot event, may want to add more fill to the GC for barricades, since underfilling can add wobble.
- SB may not need to bring as much rifle ammo if I'm primary and typically first to shoot while SB ranges.
Leftovers:
- I did come back with this much extra food and heating stuff
- I came back with 44 rifle (used 82) and 35 pistol (76 used, 1 ejected, 2 picked up)
- 70% battery remaining on the phone
- 2 days or 2 hours worth of GPS battery, even when I used maximum accuracy settings
