The main reason I am going with a 6.5 Grendel is to do some long range shooting under various conditions (not static) and terrain. Strictly recreational/stress releif therapy.
One of my many ventures down the YouTube rabbit hole brought me to the Sporting Rifle Match held every month (Feb - Sep) at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton NM.
10 stages, 6 targets per stage. Range 200 to 900 yards. 4 minutes to complete the stage, starting from a standing position, rifle in hand, bipod folded up. One shot per target, hit or miss, move on to the next target. You are given the range to each target prior to starting. It is implied that you shoot near to far, but you can shoot any order as long as you notify the RO at the stage. 9 of the 10 stages can be shot prone, but one stage you have to shoot over a pile of logs, so shooting sticks, tripod, or try your luck unsupported. All of the targets are 0* to 2* from horizontal, and width (FOV) ranged from 50 yards right to left, to probably over 300, some making you shoot right, left, right, left...so you are either really good, or you need to change up your shooting position every couple of shots. Current range record set last year is 59.
Back in the first week of January of this year I placed my order for a PF Neptune VIII. Was supposed to have it in time to shoot the match based on communications in May/June. No love. Upper still not completed , and I had already committed to the match (hotel, travel plans, time off work). So this trip turned into going strictly as a spectator.
The squad I ended up tagging along with was comprised of 4 shooters, 2 of which were retired professional team shooters, that do this strictly for fun. Awesome group of guys. One of which offered up his rifle (6.5x47 bolt) and 6 rounds to shoot one of the stages. I scored one hit at +/- 500 yards on a 2 MOA target. Considering the rifle was set up for him with a wicked short LOP put me in a less than comfortable shooting position, and forget about maintaining sight picture on the target during follow through to see the hit/miss. The other 5 were wind holdover that should have been another .25 mil, at least so I was told. Made my day right there, I had been chomping at the bit since the first stage.
I had brought my pack to see if I could hack the combined 2 miles of hiking through the terrain (still recovering from a broken Tib/Fib -left leg in 2016 - Atrophy and destroyed cartilage in the ankle sucks). Due to the range rules, I left my lower in the car keeping the MK12 upper for the weight, and had brought everything else I thought I might need, and just made mental notes of what everyone else was packing around. I am way over packed. Ears, Eyes, Kestrel, Water, Munchies, 60 rounds, 2 mags, tripod, boo boo kit and call it good.
Part of the contents was my Vortex Viper PST 6-24 FFP MRAD scope (patiently waiting for it's home), mounted to my tripod with the intent to practice ranging targets. I am now going to ditch one of my two spotting scopes now and buy another rifle scope. The ability to zoom in and out, plus the reticle allowing me to call hit/miss, and by how much in mils was awesome. I don't have the years behind the glass and watching to eyeball it.
All in all it was an absolutely awesome weekend, and I plan on making this a regular thing for me.
One of my many ventures down the YouTube rabbit hole brought me to the Sporting Rifle Match held every month (Feb - Sep) at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton NM.
10 stages, 6 targets per stage. Range 200 to 900 yards. 4 minutes to complete the stage, starting from a standing position, rifle in hand, bipod folded up. One shot per target, hit or miss, move on to the next target. You are given the range to each target prior to starting. It is implied that you shoot near to far, but you can shoot any order as long as you notify the RO at the stage. 9 of the 10 stages can be shot prone, but one stage you have to shoot over a pile of logs, so shooting sticks, tripod, or try your luck unsupported. All of the targets are 0* to 2* from horizontal, and width (FOV) ranged from 50 yards right to left, to probably over 300, some making you shoot right, left, right, left...so you are either really good, or you need to change up your shooting position every couple of shots. Current range record set last year is 59.
Back in the first week of January of this year I placed my order for a PF Neptune VIII. Was supposed to have it in time to shoot the match based on communications in May/June. No love. Upper still not completed , and I had already committed to the match (hotel, travel plans, time off work). So this trip turned into going strictly as a spectator.
The squad I ended up tagging along with was comprised of 4 shooters, 2 of which were retired professional team shooters, that do this strictly for fun. Awesome group of guys. One of which offered up his rifle (6.5x47 bolt) and 6 rounds to shoot one of the stages. I scored one hit at +/- 500 yards on a 2 MOA target. Considering the rifle was set up for him with a wicked short LOP put me in a less than comfortable shooting position, and forget about maintaining sight picture on the target during follow through to see the hit/miss. The other 5 were wind holdover that should have been another .25 mil, at least so I was told. Made my day right there, I had been chomping at the bit since the first stage.
I had brought my pack to see if I could hack the combined 2 miles of hiking through the terrain (still recovering from a broken Tib/Fib -left leg in 2016 - Atrophy and destroyed cartilage in the ankle sucks). Due to the range rules, I left my lower in the car keeping the MK12 upper for the weight, and had brought everything else I thought I might need, and just made mental notes of what everyone else was packing around. I am way over packed. Ears, Eyes, Kestrel, Water, Munchies, 60 rounds, 2 mags, tripod, boo boo kit and call it good.
Part of the contents was my Vortex Viper PST 6-24 FFP MRAD scope (patiently waiting for it's home), mounted to my tripod with the intent to practice ranging targets. I am now going to ditch one of my two spotting scopes now and buy another rifle scope. The ability to zoom in and out, plus the reticle allowing me to call hit/miss, and by how much in mils was awesome. I don't have the years behind the glass and watching to eyeball it.
All in all it was an absolutely awesome weekend, and I plan on making this a regular thing for me.
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