Winter Practice

[Ricochet Rabbit]

Went to my local indoor range today for some practice. I shot four 4-minute AQTs in just under an hour, using my phone for a timer. I realize it's not the real thing, but it was close enough for some fun practice. I shot stages one and two standing, and three and four with my elbows on the bench. I managed a 224, 233, 216, and 191. I started shaking a bit on the last two and the barrel was smoking by the end lol. Still, if you're looking for a winter fix of Appleseed and you have a 25 yard indoor range, this is definitely a fun and affordable option 

[Jerry Hall]

Howdy St8space,
Jerry Hall here. Bravo on using the indoor range, I went on Sunday. Look here for a peek at where we Appleseed; https://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=37758.msg272936#msg272936
Happy Appleseeding Trails and keep up the good clean fun,
Jerry

[Corvette]

ST8Space,

I have done the same from time to time myself.  It's a shame most indoor ranges will not let us practice in prone but I understand.  Remember that most of the COI applies from the bench if done right.  You can use the loop sling, get your elbow under the rifle, concentrate on the six steps and have fun. 

Corvette

[Charles McKinley]

Do you really want to go prone on a lead and powder cover floor?

I think that would be my biggest concern. 

Stay warm until we meet again.

Chuck

[azmule]

I'm going out for some winter practice later today - I might have to put on a sweater, it's been a little chilly in Tucson this week.   

Seriously though, for a while a couple years ago I hosted a weekly "AQT night" at the indoor range around the corner from me, every Wednesday night after work - mostly for a few guys from work that like me, couldn't get many weekends free to go shooting.  My range also SAID they wouldn't allow shooting from prone (their target carriers hung from cables along the ceiling, and they were too used to pistol shooters hitting every dang thing but the backstop and destroying the carriers), but I brought in extra long cardboard backers to hold the targets closer to the floor.  The first time I did it they had a guy standing behind us - as soon as they satisfied themselves that we weren't going to crank rounds into the ceiling all was good.

[EZ3]

Practice???  Whuzzat???   

[Mark Davis]

Air gun in the driveway

[Crazyduckhunter]

January 13th starts the CMP indoor sporter matches at ORCO Sportsman Club in Geneva, OH. For those who have not done a CMP match it is a great way to stay sharp in a venue very similar to the AS course of fire that you are used to. Hope to see everyone there.

[azmule]

Air gun in the driveway

I tried this once in a small (i.e. non-Chicago) town in Illinois.  Couple layers of old carpet as a backstop and a steel target box against the back wall of my open garage - in order to get the full air-rifle 10 meters the firing line was about 12ft outside of the open garage door.  Cops were there in minutes.  Even though I wasn't violating any town, county, or state law they (or me, because I checked carefully beforehand) could find, the fact that a neighbor saw me and called it in made it "disturbing the peace."  (Insert appropriate smiley that isn't allowed on this forum here.)

[Mark Davis]

Air gun in the driveway

I tried this once in a small (i.e. non-Chicago) town in Illinois.  Couple layers of old carpet as a backstop and a steel target box against the back wall of my open garage - in order to get the full air-rifle 10 meters the firing line was about 12ft outside of the open garage door.  Cops were there in minutes.  Even though I wasn't violating any town, county, or state law they (or me, because I checked carefully beforehand) could find, the fact that a neighbor saw me and called it in made it "disturbing the peace."  (Insert appropriate smiley that isn't allowed on this forum here.)

Yeah, I could not live in an oppressed state, city, or subdivision.
Last fall I was out on the grass just getting into prone and saw over my shoulder a sheriff's deputy hit the brakes. I just rolled into position, he/she must have drove off after seeing my target and backstop.
I could go out back and shoot from behind some trees, but the snow is deep and powdery.

[Ricochet Rabbit]

January 13th starts the CMP indoor sporter matches at ORCO Sportsman Club in Geneva, OH. For those who have not done a CMP match it is a great way to stay sharp in a venue very similar to the AS course of fire that you are used to. Hope to see everyone there.

Thanks for the reminder on this. I contacted the club to reserve a spot in the second relay on the 13th. Should be a reasonably relaxed intro to CMP. I'm going to try to get there early enough to observe the first relay and get familiar with the club/range.

[Crazyduckhunter]

Great. I am planning on going as well so I will see you there.

[Ricochet Rabbit]

I did indeed attend the CMP shoot today at ORCO. So, I now can say that I shoot CMP  What follows is a brief report on my experience.

First, the folks at ORCO were great, and the range was very clean and well equipped for the shoot. The only issue I noticed was that the lane dividers somewhat limited my ability to get in position. Of course, this is little different from a tight AS line, so, no big deal.

Initially, I wasn't certain that I would be able to attend at all. We were supposed to get hit with some serious snow, and my little Fiat just ain't the greatest snow car. Anyway, we did get some snow Friday afternoon/night, but the roads were clear in the morning. Alas, my driveway was not, so I began the day shoveling a two foot drift. Once I got on the road, it was mostly clear sailing and I arrived in plenty of time to fill out paperwork and for rifle inspection.

Speaking of rifle inspection, as it turns out, my Ruger American Rimfire with its 22" barrel and large scope weighs too much. Well, according to my bathroom scale anyway. Thus, I ended up taking my Remington 597. I also picked up some CCI Standard Velocity, which I've never shot out of the Remington (I have stuck primarily with high velocity stuff prior to today).

I had big plans to dry fire nightly for a week prior to the shoot. Unfortunately, I have been battling a cold, and practice didn't happen. I did at least study the course of fire and the line commands, which was good, because they are considerably different from AS. Some of the bigger differences I noticed are:

- No sling from standing
- Slow fire stages in addition to rapid fire in both seated and standing
- Rapid fire stages are split in two (i.e., no magazine changes)
- Single targets for each string (i.e., no NPOA shifts)
- Targets are ROUND! So weird...
- Shooters begin with empty chambers, but with magazines inserted
- Line commands are COMPLETELY different

Anyway, because I took some time reading the shooter's guide (downloaded from the CMP website), I had no trouble adjusting to the differences. Coupled with the helpful range personnel, this wound up being a very enjoyable and relaxed shoot.

I shot the second and third relays. Total possible score is 600. I shot a 547 in the second relay and a 539 in the third. Not great, but, without any practice, not terrible either. I will say, the Remington was not a huge fan of the standard velocity. I dropped one shot in each of the relays due to malfunctions. Interestingly, all of the malfunctions occurred from the standing position. The Remington is typically very reliable with high velocity, so I will likely stick with that moving forward.

Of course, while the malfunctions did contribute to my low scores, my shooting has much room for improvement. Dry fire would have been advisable. It's pretty sad when a couple hours of shooting leaves me with severe neck, knee, and back pain lol. I went ahead and digitized my targets, but I have yet to "listen" to what they have to say. I've attached relay one below. Ultimately, it was a fantastic way to get in some winter practice, and I am looking forward to the February and March shoots.

[Ricochet Rabbit]

Here are the targets from relay three.

[Mark Davis]

Good shooting! and thanks for the report.

[Birdman]

I did relay 1 and 2. Great job St8space. Takes a bit of getting used to a CMP match, but it it still pretty close to an AQT.
Next shoot is Feb 10, then March 10th. Best to pre-register. PM me for phone number and/or email address. That young lady outshot us all in standing slow fire. She shot a 99 out of 100. I'm trying to get her to an Appleseed. She was about to go but found out M&P15s were not allowed. I told her she could use any of my rifles.

[Ricochet Rabbit]

I did relay 1 and 2. Great job St8space. Takes a bit of getting used to a CMP match, but it it still pretty close to an AQT.
Next shoot is Feb 10, then March 10th. Best to pre-register. PM me for phone number and/or email address.

I downloaded a PDF off ORCO's website with the info and preregistered for this one. They were all like "you must be Mark" lol. I reckon most of the other shooters were regulars.

That young lady outshot us all in standing slow fire. She shot a 99 out of 100. I'm trying to get her to an Appleseed. She was about to go but found out M&P15s were not allowed. I told her she could use any of my rifles.

Yeah, I was talking to her Dad about that before the first relay. He was one of the folks walking me through what to do to get set up for the shoot. Good guy. And his daughter shooting 99 in standing? That's some serious shooting right there.

[Birdman]

St8space, the older fella was her grandfather. He is LEO of some type, maybe retired....not sure about that. The other folks with her were her brother and mother. This is the young lady's second year doing Sporter, I think.
Sorry I didn't talk to you more. I knew you from Orwell and Salem, but it didn't click. I have MAJOR jet lag from a trip from Guam earlier in the week. That's my excuse anyway! See you next month!

[Texas T]

Actually, the M&P-15 is allowed. It is the M&P 15-22 that has had issues.

[Birdman]

Thanks, that's what I meant...

[Ricochet Rabbit]

Actually, the M&P-15 is allowed. It is the M&P 15-22 that has had issues.

It was a .22-only event, so I believe it was a 15-22. I didn't get a look at it though, so I suppose it could have had a conversion of some sort installed, but I doubt it. Hopefully they'll take Birdman up on the offer cuz they seemed like good people to have at an AS and, with that kind of skill, potentially good instructors too 

[Ricochet Rabbit]

Had another CMP event yesterday. I participated in all three relays this time. I used my Ruger American Rimfire with Tech Sights and CCI Standard throughout. It was a great event with great people.

The Tech Sights proved a major challenge. I had it sighted for a center hold, but, in the first relay, I struggled to maintain a consistent hold. I wound up with a 543.

[Ricochet Rabbit]

I adjusted the sights in the second relay for a six-o'clock hold. This helped with the sight picture, but I still only managed a 545.

[Ricochet Rabbit]

The third relay was feeling pretty good and I figured to be getting close to a bronze. Alas, I had a misfire in the last string. Four rounds out of that brick misfired in this way; completely solid primer strike with no bang. Anyway, it wouldn't have mattered. I ended up with a 548. Even if I had hit a ten with that round, I would have been a point shy of the bronze. Oh well, it was great practice and a good time among some good people. And, there's always next time.