I shot my first ever match over the weekend. Shot a 630 10x.
Better ammo was suggested and I need to pick up a spotting scope. The binos I had just barely cut it.

Anyone who may be on the fence about doing this, just do it.

What ammo did you use?

Winchester 55gr ball.

Oof. Yeah for factory FMJ, Geco or Wolf Gold is the way to go.

Dunno how prices shake out on average, but Hornady 75gr Steel Match or Match, Black Hills 77gr Reman, FGMM 77gr, and Atlanta Arms 77gr will do if your barrel says it's 1:8 twist.

Wait, was this full distance or reduced distance (200 or 100yd)?

Full distance.

I figured I should expand on this a little more.

I wanted to get into some kind of shooting sport, I have all these guns just sitting here doing nothing. XTC appeared to be something I might enjoy (it is) and im only 15 minuets from Camp Butner. So after reading some posts on here that said take what you've got and go, that's what I did. I read the rules and watched some youtube videos registered for a match.

I had a mat, glove, and stool that my dad had bought back in the 80's with a NM M1a that he only used once. I wanted to start with something more familiar to me so I left the M1A in the safe and took my HBAR Colt Instead. While I had thought ahead enough to pickup a proper sling at the last gun show, I didnt even think about getting descent ammo. So I used what I had.

I got there and let them know I was new and they put me with someone who knew what they were doing. I got a quick rundown on how things worked from a guy I had spoken to on facebook and I was good to go.

It wasn't as dificult as I had imagined it would be. my standing was all over the place, but that was just me. Seated and prone rapid at 300 both felt pretty good. I was all over the place at 600 but I'm certain it was the ammo. my scorer helped get me dialed in a little and I finished with 3x and a 10.

I definitely plan on going again, and will likely sign up for the CMP Eastern Games.

Congrats, after the first match, the rest are easy.  Lots of good folks at Butner, and world-class shooters too.  They'll get you pointed in the right direction if you decide to pursue OTC shooting.

Which you definitely should do.

@OP - Good on you for your first match. I'm also in NC and hope to shoot my first match next weekend. Like most of the matches I hope to attend this season, it'll be a 200 yard reduced and I am looking forward to it. However, not sure if I am really "ready" for it but just going to go for it.

This seems to be a mental game as much if not more than a mechanics game and the perceived pressure I put on myself is really ramping up. For whatever reason, standing seems to be the most challenging for me when it comes to stress control, relaxing, and overall mental focus.

I find that when I've had too much coffee or there are others watching my target and it it feels like a performance, it is even more challenging to relax, trust my hold and NOT try to "pick off a shot" as the reticle crosses the center of the target.

Good luck and hope to see you on the firing line at some point.

Hey there stranger.

Saturday, a friend's little 15yo boy started his 2nd walk-and-paste match, completed his 1st. Friend traded a cheap M1 for a NM A2, but it's a little too big at the moment, so he defaulted to his M4gery. Boy was being a grumpy teenager towards his Pa initially, so I had to get more involved (I wasn't gonna shoot well anyway).

Standing didn't inspire him.
Sitting Rapid, everyone was done in regulation, except boy. He was more deliberate than slow, and spotted a few seconds. He grouped!
Prone Rapid, he picked up the pace, but maintained decent fundamentals and grouped in the same area.

For the first string of Prone Slow, I had to adjust his front sight up, but I let him turn the windage knob. While all over the paper, he was holding elevation relatively well, enough that I could see the shorter radius caused a slight over adjustment on elevation. I went a detent down, and he shifted up about that much for the 2nd string.

In our farewell, boy said he'd see us next month. Not with the "dad's bringing me" tone, but "I want to shoot again".

Glad you had a good experience, OP!
HP SR is a great sport to get hooked on.  Just got home from practice night myself.

Had an “interesting” day on Saturday. Lots of noise at the range, three events going on, several “spectators” and lots of comments from the peanut gallery.

I didn’t focus on my process, came unglued and choked horribly during standing. Maybe I’m expecting too much of myself but I folded under the pressure.

Hopefully next time I’ll do my thing, enjoy the fresh air, and not take myself so darn seriously.