Fit 360: RNG Night Ops NV & TPG Team Match & King's Mt NMP O-Meet & USPSA Quadruple-header

TRAINING LEAD-UP

Tuesday, Mar 3:

18A "Upper Body Prep" in 14:39, then HDT-KB 10.4.1 (ARMS) in 34:03

Wednesday, Mar 4:

5 mi ruck in 2:26:15 with 30# in a v2 rucker while playing Ingress at Renaissance Park, capturing Machina

GUN RUN NIGHT OPS

One of the coolest matches I get to do... love running through the woods and gunning under NODS.

I took advantage of the time between the safety brief and my turn to destroy some Machina in Ingress in Old Fort:

The secret twist for this event was that at a variety of stages, you'd get to pick whether you wanted to use rifle or pistol for certain targets. Rifle is generally going to be easier to hit, but it costs you transition time if you were doing pistol right before that, since you'd have to load on the clock.

The MD gave us 2 min PAR times which was really nice. I agree, that DNFs don't feel that good, and at the end of the day, time will still be a separator.

Stage 1:
- Pick up an ammo can in one hand
- Draw and shoot 1-handed while walking the whole time at 3 targets, 2 hits each

- Next, you could either do more pistol shots, or take 4 shots with a rifle.

Learnings/Outcomes: Pass in 63.51s (20/30 passers / 31 overall)

- I walked so slowly that I was barely moving

- I even walked zig-zag a bit, since I needed more time on target

- I had no chance to turn on my pistol WML because of how the stage was set up... I don't know what others did, if they have long fingers that let them turn on their light one-handed or if they asked about and were given a chance to turn it on ahead of time. As a workaround, I turned on my Kiji, which flooded the dot, but I made it work

- I only missed 2x on histol

- I shot rifle clean using the laser

Stage 2:

- Shoot the 6-plate rack at 17yd from the left barrel

- If you miss, move to the right barrel a couple of yards away and shoot 2 hits on a torso as a penalty

- Next, you can either use pistol or rifle for 2 hits each on 5 t-shirt covered cardboard torsos

Learnings/Outcomes: Pass in 47.90s (12/28 passers / 31 overall)

- I cleaned the plate rack

- I started with my WML, but my dot wasn't bright enough, and rather than turning it brighter, I turned the WML off and went passive. It was really hard to see the targets, but I still did it!

- I used passive on the first rifle targets and laser for the other 4

- I did have wait time before this stage, with one guy going and one guy on deck

Stage 3:

- Shoot 2 hits each on 2 targets with pistol

- Load rifle on your belly and shoot 4 hits on the rifle target

- Go on safe, low crawl forward, do a reload, and shoot the target 4 more times

- Leave the gun hot but on safe, pointed left

- Low crawl past the last fence and shoot the 2 pistol targets 2x each again

Learnings/Outcomes: Pass in 58.91s (7/19 passers / 31 overall)

- I had the same not-bright-enough issue with my red dot again, so I used the edge and outer circle of the reticle to aim, and I somehow made it

- With the prone rifle, I used the laser. Passive is tough prone.

Stage 4:

- Shoot 2 hits standing at a hard-to-see rifle target at 85yds

- Go to the tires and shoot 2 hits kneeling

- Go to the pipe and shoot through it prone with 2 hits on target

- Switch to pistol and make 2 hits on the left pistol target and 2 hits on the right pistol target.

- Choose 2 hits with pistol at a 40yd target or 2 hits with rifle

Learnings/Outcomes: DNF (13/31 passed)

- I did finally ask an RO ahead of my stage time, if I could fix my dot... it only took me 2 stages of struggle before I did it

- It was very hard to find and see the rifle target

- I made my first shot after finding the target with the RO's help, but it took 5 more tries for me to get the second shot

- Kneeling was easier than standing

- I never found the target again from prone

- On Ellis's AAR, he mentioned a technique where you stick your gun and laser through the required hole for prone shooting, but you. have your head looking over the pipe... very interesting

Stage 5:

- Bang in the door

- Shoot X=6 steel or cardboard targets that have "bombs" (S-vests, they turned out to be... I was looking for the traditional spherical bomb shape and wasn't expecting rectangles), 3 hits each, and don't shoot no-shoots that don't have "bombs"

Learnings/Outcomes: Pass in 34.97s (11/23 passers / 31 overall)
- There were steel targets in the back and cardboard ones in front, it turned out

- They didn't tell you how many bad guys there were ahead of time, so you had to tell them when you thought you were done

Overall: 17/31 run, 16/31 shoot, 13/31 overall

- Ran in 90.25 min with 13.52 min wait time = 76.73 min raw

- I didn't feel like I was going slower than usual, but my run ranking was lower than usual for a NV match

- I dropped a mag between stage 3 and stage 4 while I was re-jamming a mag on the move and approaching a stream crossing. I thought I was stepping onto solid ground at the base of a tree, but the root system was just covered by a bunch of leaves, but the tree was suspended over the stream in the air, so I fell in and must've dropped the mag somewhere in there. I went back and tried to find it on the clock, since it would be tough to get back out there, but the root system was too crowded, and there were leaves everywhere.

- I struggled with the insufficiently bright pistol dot for too long.... should've fixed it earlier, instead of trying to work through it every time

- I would continue opting for rifle over pistol given the chance

- This match continued to be fun and different vs other years', despite having the same RD and using the same venue. Tim is really creative.

- I also lost my hair tie somewhere along the way

TPG TEAM MATCH

Stage 1:

- Shooter 1 starts in the driver's seat facing the pistol targets, with an empty pistol

- Shooter 2 is in the back seat facing the back, with rifle staged in the rear of the car, empty rifle

- Shooter 1 shoots the Texas Star, t hen drops mag for the stop plate

- Shooter 2 simultaneously shoots 6 rifle targets N->F, 1 hit ea, 2x through. Drop mag, then shoot the first target again to clear the rifle, with no retries since it's a HVT.

- Once both are done, exit the car. Rifle shooter goes to the far end of the field to grab their flag. The pistol shooter goes down to the creek to grab their flag.

- Once both are back, switch roles.

> Shooter 2 shoots the knock-downs with pistol, then drops mag for the stop plate.

> Shooter 1 does the rifle sequence

Learnings/Outcomes: 11/40 overall, 1/2 division

- We decided that I'd start with rifle, since I had better dope and better glass, in case we didn't get that far

- I was happy with my performance

- I was worried about having to do the tougher pistol targets, but it went better than expected

- The targets were pretty unstable on their shelves, so it seemed like shooting anywhere close was enough to knock it down

- I braced on the steering wheel and on the frame of the car for pistol

- I sat directly on the seat, for a more stable position on rifle

- I used 18R and 15P

- SB was proud of herself for getting the star done

- She got her flag faster than I did

- We decided that she wouldn't skip any pistol, since my rifle sequence would take longer than her pistol sequence

Stage 2:

- Start with empty guns, with one foot in the box per person, facing opposite directions

- On the beep, shooter 1 goes to the pistol area and shoots L->R one hit each on 10 targets, drop mag then shoot the stop plate

- Simultaneously, shooter 2 goes to the wobble board in front of the barrel and shoots the KYL rack (skinny first), then 1 hit each L->R on the grounded steel, middle steel, and far torso, then drop mag adn shoot the stop plate

- Once both are done and back at the start box, switch arrays, but once the rifle person is done, they can stay in place while the pistol person comes all the way down to meet them

- When both are there, one person shoots 1 hit ea on 3 targets, then the second person repeats

Learnings/Outcomes: 20/40 overall, 2/2 division

- Used 38R, 35P

- The wobble board was fine because we had a third point of contact on the barrel

- I fought the smallest KYL target and the grounded steel

- My pistol was very good

- We timed out with 1 shot left

- I did rifle first, allowing SB to run less, and so that we could have my rifle with good magnification go first

- SB used my GC, since I had my Steady Shot, although we could've transferred that

- I could sit on my feet during double-kneeling

- With the height of the GC, SB had to be on her toes while kneeling

- SB skipped the small KYL target, but she could've in theory burned a round on a different KYL plate first, to see where she was

- SB did the final pistol shooting first, since my HR was still up from the long run

- All other divisions had to carry SBs for pistols for both, and for rifle during round 1, but women didn't.

Stage 3:

- Start with one hand on the board, with empty guns, with your partner's gun

- On the beep, run to the tube and shooter 1 hits 6 targets L0>, 1 hit ea, 2x through

> For any misses, their partner must run back to the start and return, with 3 runs max

> Unload and show cloear

- Swap roles

- Run forward to the pistol spot, and both must arrive befor you load

> Spin the spinner together

> Each person shoots their designated stop plate to end the time, with infinite rounds allowed and no need to drop mags

Learnings/Outcomes: 24/40 overall, 1/2 division

- I used 24P, 18R

- I had too many misses on the spinner. It wasn't clean at all.

- I did hit my stop plate on the first try

- I had to find the right hold, so I missed the first shot and realized that I needed 1/4 low, and not just bottom edge

- My second target shot was on the wrong target, but I did hit it

- I used the lower 1/3 for the far target

- I estimated 125 for the near row and 175yd for the far target

- I adjusted 1/2 mil left for SB's zero being off, since she hadn't re-torqued and re-zeroed after having it be off at the gun run match, and it had been OK at the next match but never fixed

- I had to tiptoe on the pipe because of the height when the GC was added

- The focus was clear, since we did optical adjustments pre-stage

- SB didn't hear me say "skip" a bunch of times when she was asking me to advise on whether to skip at the end, when she had essentially a stick for a stop plate

- I ran 2x, and SB ran 3x.

- I shared my hold info with SB

- Due to the wobble on the high weight trigger on her gun, I needed to wait longer for my shots to happen, vs pulling as soon as SB returned from her runs

- The first round on rifle, I chambered but got no bang, even chambering via bolt release, so I ejected to fix it... supposedly it's not normal on her gun

- The bag was wonky, so I was trying to adjust the cant, but I was forcing it instead of having good NPA on rifle

Stage 4:

- Start in the box. Rifle can be staged on the ground for the rope climber

- Collectively climb the rope for a total of 2x, touching the black mark each time

- Shooter 1 shoots rifle 1 hit each L->R 2x through, then drop mag for the HVT, for 13 hits total from the back of a wheelchair

- Shooter 2 then sits in the wheelchair and shoots pistol L->R 1 hit ea, then drops mag for their HVT

- Shooter 1 wheels shooter 2 out and back

- Switch roles

- Once back the second time, load and shoot the red pistol stop plate with as many shots as it takes

(30s/ rifle miss, 10s/ pistol miss, 60s per rope climb FTDW)

Learnings/Outcomes: 15/40 overall, 1/2 division

- I used 19P, 20R

- My pistol was surprisingly good for the far card suits... I was worried about it after we had decided that SB would do rifle first, since I'd still be recovering from the rope climb, and it would be better for her to wheel me first, since I'm lighter

- I missed the HVT pistol

- I coached SB through her pistol, since I could see where her shots were going as I stood right behind her on the chair... slow squeeze back like a sniper

- I felt pretty stable on the wheelchair back, after it initially rolled forward.

- It turns out that the wheels could lock, which makes sense, but we didn't know about that feature when we shot

- I never got a chance to push SB. She timed out with 2 pistol targets left

- SB started to wheel me before I had a good hold of the 2 rifles

- It was funny to watch the teams do the wheelchair

- The rope wasn't bad, since we didn't have to carry our rifles, and we didn't have to touch the very top of the beam.

Stage 5:

- Start behind the stick with empty guns

- Go into the woods to the rifle spot with a tripod

- Either person can shoot 6 targets left to right, 2x through, drop mag for HVT in the middle of the water

- Go down the path to rifle spot 2 with the log laying in the water, and either person can shoot 6 targets L->R and N->F 2x through, then drop mag for the HVT

- Run to pistol spot 1 and either person can hit 5 targets L->R 2x through, then drop mag for the HVT

- Run to pistol spot 2 and either person can hit 5 targets L->R 2x through, then drop mag for the HVT

- Run up the hill and back towards the start, then both shooters must be back before one person loads and shoots the stop plate

Learnings/Outcomes: 25/40 overall, 2/2 division

- We timed out before getting back from the run, having barely started it

- I used over a mag of rifle, and we only had 2 total with us

- The tripod was surprisingly wobbly, for others, too, maybe because of the tripod itself or the ground

- I was able to get my Steady Shot in the cradle of the tripod

- SB used the GC on the log

- My scope cap fell into the water while SB was shooting rifle at the second spot, and it started to float away

- I fell on the run to rifle spot 2, and I still had the remainder of rifle mag 2 with me

- SB struggled on pistol

- Pre-stage, SB checked out log spots and figured out where she'd need to shift to see different targets

Overall 18/40 Overall, 1/2 Division

- It was fun to hang out with the GORUCK crew on the squad, plus the slick girls' team, all day

- Efficient match flow today

- The GC continues to be helpful

- We have witness marks to make rifle switching easy

- My pistol went better than expected

- We timed out a couple of times, but it was when we still had a big movement to go, so it wasn't the end of the world

- Good strategic role planning

- Nice to have a rifle where I know my dope

- Good practice to share holds

O-MEET AT KING'S MOUNTAIN NATIONAL MILITARY PARK

Back at it, for a third day in a row...

My dad came along so that he could do a little bit of hiking while I did the O-Meet. He was there as I planned out my route and measured things.

I went for the red course again. Hopefully I wouldn't make any errors that would cause me to run out of time and have another DNF like the last time I did one at King's Mountain NMP.

Having done O-Meets at the same venues on repeat a few times now, some sections of the land are becoming familiar.

The trip to CP1 along trails, followed by handrailing a creek, was straightforward.

Going to CP2, the one trail that I expected to come across again didn't show up, but I hit the river. The vegetation was dense, so I crossed it by going out of my way to get to a more eastern crossing point where the map showed less vegetation.

Next, I was looking for a second feeder creek going into the river, but it came up on me sooner than I expected... I thought I was at the first one, but it was really the second one. I got clued into it when I saw a JROTC team in the area. Once I figured out that I was at the second one already, it was a quick find.

Next, I planned a longer but more certain route to CP3. I'd go southwest along a road, before making my way around the southern end of a creek. Going due east would've been tough, since you could make parallel errors trying to figure out which feeder creek you happened to hit.

I followed the main creek north, counting feeders along the way. I'd be back in this area later on for CP10 and noticed when I was in CP10's reentrant. You did have to be pretty far up in CP3's reentrant to get its point. There were still downed trees from Hurricane Helene, but it wasn't terrible in this area, since the tree density wasn't as high. Last time, when I had gotten lost at this park, I had spent a lot of time going around down trees.

The trip from CP3 to CP4's area was short, but CP4 is on a spur with rocks. Rocks plus some vegetation makes it difficult to spot the CP from a distance. I remember wandering in this area in past meets. You have to be at the right spot exactly, to find the point, because if you're off, a rock or tree covers it up, and you won't see it. The fact that it's on a spur means you have to do extra work descending and ascending during your back-and-forth search.

CP5 was an easy find, since I aimed for the summit of a mountain and then followed the trail of rocks down the northwestern side to find that point.

To get to CP6, I took a bearing and counted feeder creek crossings along the way.

To get to CP7, I took the fast and safe road route, which only added a tiny bit of distance. A park service road led me in the first part of the way once it was time to turn off the main road, and then I just had to look for the northern fork of a creek. At first, the southern fork drew me in, because the northern fork seemed quite far away relative to the southern fork, far farther than the map made it seem. There was little vegetation there, though, so it was easy to spot, once you got around the terrain feature, which helped to hide the CP.

A bearing and low vegetation helped me find CP8. You couldn't always see it from a distance, based on where vegetation was, but I caught one glimpse of it at some point, which led me straight to it after that.

To get to CP9, I went north to hit the trail, then took the trail until I got near the top of a hill... when it was close to time, I went ahead and cut over to the northern side of the hill, sticking with my original elevation instead of continuing uphill, so that I'd hit the point for sure as I journeyed northeast.

Next, I got back onto the road and returned to CP10's area, cutting in a bit more from the western side since I was approaching from that direction this time.

I ran along a trail to get to CP11, which was going to have a solid backstop of a creek. I happened to roll my ankle right before that. It was pretty bad. Fortunately, there wasn't a long way left to go. The distance of an O-Meet isn't bad, but if you have to do that distance on super uneven terrain like you do while bushwhacking, you don't want to have to do that on an unstable ankle.

From there, it was a very quick trail journey back to the finish. My dad happened to be on that final leg when I was there. He thought he had found some of my points when he was doing his own exploration, but I'm pretty sure they were actually the beginner map points, since his were all pretty much on trails, whereas I always had to bushwhack to get to mine.

I finished in 2 hours, 22 min, 21s... plenty of time before the 3 hour time cap! I covered 5.62 mi with 1,196ft of ascent in the process. No issues this time.

MARCH SECOND MONDAY BLACKSTONE USPSA

This was an unprecedented 4th day in a row of competition...

Stage 2: <Comstock>

- Start with feet on the XX's, hands by your side

- Shoot 1 IPSC @7yd on the back right of the lane, 2x

- Shoot 3 IPSCs @10yd from the left corner of the lane (if you skip the mid-lane target opportunity), 2x ea

- Shoot 2 IPSCs @12yd, one behind the other, 2x ea

- Shoot 2 IPSCs @10yd from the middle front of the lane, 2x ea

Learnings/Outcomes: 27/33 overall, 17/19 division

- 13A, 2C, 1D in 18.46s = 3.9003% HF

- The RO mentioned that there was a shoot-through and hit both targets opportunity on this stage, so I gave it a try. I shot 4 at it and made 3/4 of the hits on the second target.

- I didn't do very well with throttling my speed this time

- I played it safe by not attempting to go for the middle target from the farther distance and opted to walk extra so that I could take a closer shot.

Stage 1: <Comstock>

- Start standing in Box A with hands above shoulders

- Shoot 2 IPSC's through the window @10yd, 2x ea

- Shoot 2 IPSC's from the right side of the left lane, 2x ea

- Shoot 3 IPSC's from the left side of the left lane, 2x ea

Learnings/Outcomes: 26/33 overall, 17/19 division

- 13A, 1C in 17.05s = 3.9883% HF

- I made good shots, and was maybe a tad slow on a couple, but I didn't think about going any faster at the time, until the last 2 targets. Maybe that was appropriate based on the difficulty of the shots, though, due to NS's limiting the hittable areas