Anyone know of any concrete or tentative plans for when the next match/season/ series will start??

I missed the September match due to work.

I haven't heard anything yet.

The last match was good, there was some pistol in it as well.  One stage had a 1/3 sized silhouette at 106 yards- that's a tough target with a pistol.

Not sure of the schedule for next year but Robbie said there would be 5 to 7 matches next year. And I believe he said some may be at The Clinton House Plantation and possibly some at SCOTG.

Just bumping this, hope to get some matches in before moving again in April.

I heard through the grapevine that the first one was 4/15, but don't know for sure. Qbateaux, did you shoot them last year,  I'd like to put a face to the screen name.

Here's the FNS I won last year along with a G19. I gotta say, I really like this thing, I just wish it was a 9 instead of a 40.

Attached File

Yes, I shot two matches last year, missed the last.  We were in different squads.  My avatar is me but younger and with more hair.   I Was shooting a plain jane 20" AR with front sight post, brown scope.

Bump

First Overwatch match can be found on Practiscore. Search for Wheaton Arms Overwatch.

Saturday, April 15 ($55) and a zero day on the 14th ($20)

What were the past matches likes? This would be my first precision match. How many stages, round count, etc? Do you only shoot from "standard" positions (prone, kneeling, offhand) or is more versatile such as off barricades and other versatile positions and/or support?

Any and all insight would be greatly appreciated. . . . I tried to google it and see what the past matches were like, but no success.

I have done tactical 2 gun and pistol matches though, so hoping to share the love with my bolt gun.

Thanks!

Assuming similar CoF as last year...Expect shooting from non-standard positions.   At least 6 stages, approx. 60-100 round minimum, no maximum - one could miss as much as they liked to in previous matches.  I usually bring at least 200.

In past matches most targets were within 600 yards with a few outliers up to 900 IIRC.

I went to all three matches last year and each was was different. I think I made a post earlier urging people who were questioning whether they wanted to do it to just go ahead and sign up. As I have told everyone since indid my first one, you will learn more about yourself as a shooter and shooting your rifle in one Match than you will in a year of going to the range.

Match one had only five stages. Matches two and three both had six stages. And in Match three they included pistol stages. The guy who puts it on (Robbie Wheaton) seems to like to challenge the participants. Maybe push them out of their comfort zone a little. But also, in doing that, he inspires confidence in you when you do something you didn't expect to be able to complete. This was evident in one stage that began with a 107 yard pistol shot. No one could believe it but everyone completed it. It was very interesting because I think everyone in my squad shot really high on their first shot. We all figured the pistol would have a lot of drop over that distance. But everyone walked the rounds in and connected.

Course of fire can be anything. I will try to remember what all we did in the past courses. But there may be some prone. But often there will be a combination of positions. You may shoot prone but then have to transition to shooting off a prop. That could be an electrical wire spool, a hay bale, or a car hood. We shot out of the back windows of a bus. We also shot some standing. And kneeling. Sometimes you had something to use like an empty trash can or a fence you could lean against. Just know that anything is fair game. Which is part of what makes this so good. Distances can vary. It can be as short as 75 yards and the longest has been about 950 yards. In addition, the range is never a nice even yardage. It will be 373 yards or 914 yards. Not just the usual 50 or 100 yard increments. The target sizes also vary. Some are 4" steel circles all the way up to full size silhouettes. Targets can be partially obscured where you may have to shift positions.

There have also been barricade stages. The barricade is strategically designed to provide no comfortable shooting position to any human. The lowest part is too high to lay behind and the highest part is too high to sit or stand  behind. My best recommendation is to take your rifle and try to find a way to hold on everything in your house. Kitchen/bathroom counter. Kitchen table and chairs. Back of couch. Your bed. Anything that has a strange height. Learn hos to support the rifle and get behind it. Get a backpack, fill it with a big parka and use it as a support under your arm or to sit on. Learn to "fill the voids" between something solid and your arms or the rifle.

Lots of stages will seem easy. Shorter distances inside of 300 yards. But the challenge comes with the details of the stage. You may need to shoot the targets twice from two different positions in the allotted time frame. In the past matches there have been no round maximums. As many shots as you can get off in the allotted time is allowed. There will be a minimum round count. I think the most targets I recall in a stage was 12. That will be the number of targets. You are not penalized for misses. Only penalized for targets not hit and targets not engaged.

I see you're shooting a bolt action. So, assuming you have detachable mags for it, I would doubt that you could get off more than 16-18 shots in a 3 minute par time. The most I have shot in a stage was 16 (just couldn't connect way out and since I was there and had the ammo and time left..., you know...). So figure 6 stages at 20 rounds per stage is 120 rounds you may need to bring. That is actually a really high estimate because I think I have shot less than 60 rounds each Match. I'd have to look at my book to see for sure, but that number seems right.

Things that are good to have:

 A rifle. If you forget that it'll be a bad day. Make sure your scope is zeroed and you have some pretty good DOPE all they way out to 1000 yards. If you use a ballistics app then you can plug in the numbers on site. But if you print out a chart then print it in 10 yard increments. If you use mags then have a way to hold them while shooting. Pockets work, belts pouches work better. If you have an internal magazine then have a convenient way to get to your ammo once you start loading from the hand. Elastic butt stock shell holders work. Just practice before you do it for real. A bipod and a rear bag are good, too. Rear bags can be fancy or they can be a sock with rice in it. You will not be able to seed the stages with mags or ammo at different places. Everything you want to use must be held at the start.

 A way to hold data. The stages will have too many targets to keep it all in your head. You will need to make notes that will include the number of targets, ranges, your holds/drops, and sometimes where to look to find them. A wrist coach like a quarterback wears and some 3x5" index cards is a great way to keep all that info handy while you're shooting. There are cards that attach to the rifle and specialized wrist data holders available but the wrist coach can be had from academy or dicks for under $20.

 A pistol and holster. That's if he has pistol stages. Have some extra mags. Same for the rifle. Most malfunctions are magazine related. If you're four shots in to a stage and have a feed that requires you to drop the mag to clear the malfunction then don't replace the partially filled mag, put in a full one. Let the other one go and come back to it if you need it.

Range finder. More of a nice-to-have. If you don't have one someone in your squad probably will. The distances are published once the course is set up. But it's good to confirm. Also, you may be shooting from a hill into a valley. So linear distance may be different than actual distance.

 Binoculars/spotting scope. It's nice to be able to look and find all the targets for yourself. You can always borrow someone's but if there's not time then you're stuck, or the whole squad gets slowed down. The target distances will be published before the match. Have a card for each stage with the published distance but leave room to change it. You may find it's a bit different and is enough to change your mind by a 10th mil or 1/4 MOA. Also leave room to write notes. Say the first target is clear as day but target 2 is hard to see. Make a not about it:  Target 1. 465 yards  2.7 mils. Located at bend of road. Target 2. 526 yards. 3.1 mils. Follow Large grey tree down or up 2 mils and over 4 mils from target 1.

 Sunscreen. It's bright and hot. You will get cooked. The sunscreen really doesn't help that day. But it makes that night and the next few days easier.

 Some people use knee pads. You can have the nice crye pants with the air pads or you can use the ones that strap around. I always and only kneel on one knee so I put on a volleyball style kneepad under my pants. But some stages will require kneeling and there are always sticks, small rocks, and spent brass. It makes it so you can focus on shooting, not on where your knee is going.

 Bring a good attitude and the willingness to listen and learn. There is an absolute wealth of knowledge from the shooters there. And I haven't met a single dick. Everyone is willing to help. I can't speak for everyone else, but it has also been my experience that most people are willing to loan gear, as well. You can try out a rear bag or a pump pillow. I know I'd loan my bipod to you if you needed one. Don't get worried you don't have the right stuff or nice stuff. Everyone there enjoys the shooting and wants to get more people in to it. They won't let you have a bad time.

Hope this gives you an idea.

Another good match I thought, some complained the targets were too small but I thought they were OK. I haven't been shooting at all since last year and felt really rough, but ended up in third.

Awesome, thanks for the information. I really do appreciate it.

I thought they were going to have one in May, which I see on The Clinton House website calendar, but there isn't anything on practiscore or wheaton's websites. . . .does anyone know if its still on or not?

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Edit. .. just found it on Practiscore. .. I swear it wasn't there earlier today lol. Anyways here is the link for anyone intersted

https://practiscore.com/weaton-arms-overwatch-precision-rifle-series-2017-match-2/register

Thanks!