I'm thinking of attending the CMP Western Games at Ben Avery in March.

My club mate talked me into shooting some of the "wooden gun" matches and I have never shot these formats.

In the vintage sniper match, I will be using a rig I bought on a lark from Creedmoor Sports when Dennis was offering a made up 03-A4 with a reproduction scope.

I had it out once and burned up some leftover hunting loads for fun. I noticed the T reticle in the scope doesn't really have any marks for hold-over. It is low power and sort of crude.

How do folks run the 300 and 600 yard distances with these things?

Do you sight in at 600 and hold down at 300? Or, do you risk clicking the turrets?

The turrets seem a little crude so it wasn't obvious how these are going to run during a match with two distances?

Two methods, use two rifles, or make the correction. You get sighters. Me and another guy did well at Talledega with the same set up, but have since moved over to a USMC clone to take advantage of the 8x Unertl.  Our team name is “El Diablo and the Magic Man” the first time we used it and did well, the lady calling out the awards asked if that was from the movie... well... yeah.. 🙄

Take the time to do a little load work up with the rifle. It’s worth it. The games matches are where the old guys take it super serious and do everything and anything to have an advantage.

Most of all have fun.

Best to have a 300 and 600 zero before the match. Use some paint to mark knob.

You only get a 5 minute sighting period for both shooters so not a lot of time to chase zero's.

Real and repro scopes generally have very coarse click adjustment so it is best to get close as possible in sighting period and favor while shooting if needed.

The coarse of fire is a little odd so read the rule book course of fire first.

Will also be at Western Games this yr, shooting a M1D this yr.

Many Thanks Panzer

I'm an old .30-06 guy, so I'll get the load worked out okay.

I will only have this one rig since the other guys do everything but this game.

I have heard Dennis did very well when they first started this event. I should have asked him how it is done before he moved off.

Does the 8x Unertl run well enough to go chase one down? I don't think I'm going to like this scope very much and wouldn't mind a better one within the rules.

Many Thanks Tangeant

I'll give it a try. I got caught agreeing to all this before I really knew what I was getting into.

The accommodations were tough to get on account of competition from spring training crowds. Lesson learned. Plan a year ahead of time and start early on the housing.

I scanned though the match program and saw the general flow. I understand they will use eTargets to keep the pit duty to a minimum, but that means 15 seconds per shot.

It is supposed to be fun, so I'm all in.

So I went to the monthly club MR match yesterday to test 600 yard line loads in the Service Rifle.

When there are 25 shooters or less, we shoot three strings of twenty at 600. But, when there are over thirty people, we run at 300 and 600, two fifteen shot strings at each distance.

With the  Western Games and some Palma matches coming up, there was more than 30 shooters and the guy shooting the next lane was shooting his 03-A4 with that same reproduction scope I got.

He plans on clicking it and says it works for him.

He was testing different loads using a 165 Hornady and that same bullet in some factory Hornady vintage rifle match ammo.

I didn't get to hear what worked better for him.

I'll say this, it looks like a challenge but it should be a blast.

I went to the club to meet up with the friend who talked me into the Western Games.

He is practicing for some upcoming Fullbore Matches and we were also trying to debug what the winds at our 300 yard line were doing to us in the MR match last weekend.

Many got pushed into the opposite side 8 ring when a mysterious fishtail acted up, but the challenge was to even detect the change. BRRC is not a flat range, it is a canyon with several draws and is very tricky at 300.

At the same time, he brought The Wooden Guns for me to try and I also gave my 03-A4 a try, as well as my SMLE No4 Mk2.

I ran some factory Federal 168 MK in the 03 and we dialed it in for a 6 o'clock pumpkin-on-a-post hold. The gun is worthy of a much better scope or a decent set of iron sights.

The reproduction M82 scope from HiLux is very crude. The clicks are not very good and I'll have to go run a test later to see if they even track. The 300 yard line fishtail wind showed itself again several times and it was very hard to detect in time to save a shot. It only lasts about 45 seconds, but it kicks in fast and the flags take way too long to react. Spotting the mirage is the only way to catch it, but you could get caught in the time it takes to pull off a shot on irons. I'll have to go back to finish up with the 03 and see if the scope tracks to 600 and back again. This rig shows hope, just wish that scope was better...

We broke from the 300 yard line and set up at 200 to see what I can to with the other guns.

Using dime store 0.25 readers I was a able to get a soft focus on the front post of the SMLE using the flip up ladder sight. I had put the first twenty rounds through this gun about two years ago when I broke her out of the mummy wraps. I remember walking that ladder sight into some sort of zero at 100 yards, but I haven't touched the gun since.

With several guys pulling up lawn chairs to see what would happen, I slung up and took the very first shots with the gun at 200 yards using factory Remington 174 grain. I don't know what all the tick marks on the sights mean, but I know I'm looking at something between a 300 and 400 setting from where I had left the sights two years ago. I am told you are supposed to get a kit of front blades and get the ladder to coordinate, so I'll have to gather the parts and tools some day.

With the peanut gallery all line up, I squeezed off the first prone shots. With a 6 o'clock hold, the first several shots went into the X-ring before I dropped a few 10's and a low 9. Whatever that alignment was, the gun was on at 200. I stood up to see what it would be like in offhand, and that was darn near impossible.

The trigger is horrible and way too much work to shoot offhand. I popped about 5 shots, all into the black, but it was exhausting so I stopped. The guys say there are armorers who can work this trigger and have all the parts and tools to keep it legal, so I'll either have to leave the gun with them in Phoenix or learn how to work it.

After a little break, I was handed my friend's 03-A3 to try. I had better luck with these sights and no problems in prone once I found my sling settings. After trying some prone sighters and seeing that his zero setting was just a little low left for me, I stood up to see what would happen in offhand. I have been spoiled with Geissele triggers on the SR guns. His 03 trigger has been worked so there is enough creep to be able to start some pressure before snap. I took a few shots and did okay but these guns take real effort in offhand.

Next he handed me his as-issued Garand. I am used to Service Rifle prepped Garands with NM sights. Those sights and rules allow the SR Micro-Sight element to be installed in the hood. That magical little element will give old eyes a focus on the blade, with a clear view of the target as well. However, on As-Issued guns, these sights are not allowed.

So again, I will have to use dime store reading glasses. If I can find ones that are full frame and ride a little higher, I won't have to fudge head position or continually push them up. Those upside down pistol shooting glasses with the correction on top don't come with a low enough diopter and are too strong for me or that would have been the ticket.

I'll be able to fake it with his guns, but still have work to do on the 03 vintage sniper rig and SMLE. My only regret was not doing all this long ago when I could still focus up close to see iron sights.

If you have a chance to get into these games, I would jump on it.

So as it is time to pack for the Western Games, I can add some comments about that 03-A4 testing.

The rifle showed decent groups at times, then would come the mysterious high or low shots. At the point where I wasn't sure if it didn't like the load, I decided to run some ladders.

The first time I used some PMC brass I had laying around for several decades and it seemed to go okay, till I re-ran the same tests a second and third time. The fouling/sighters showed an SD over 15, so I suspected the necks on this brass prep were not the best. I thought maybe I should run with better prep on the necks.

Then I went back with some Lapua brass, and again the results were confused. This time I tracked seating force and the SD was 7 on the sighters/foulers, so the brass was not to blame. At some point early on, I re-torqued the stock. Not knowing anything about a Springfield I used 40 in*lb. (I couldn't find anything in the old service manuals so I started searching the web... that added to the confusion...)

After one of the frustrating strings, I reexamined the gun and found it was ready to fall apart...  The stock screws were loose again but this time the barrel bands and bayonet mount were also ready to fall off.

Shame on me for not taking the whole rig apart up front. My excuse with this one was I know they use stock up pressure and I didn't want to screw with it if was assembled by an expert... a mistake I have made before...

To keep the story short, I had to do major surgery on the stock and even had to remove contact between the mag well and receiver. There was contact being made half way down the bbl, and the hand guard was also making contact in several places. As I have it now, the forward handguard clip is still touching. I couldn't find a way to correct it without risking the part and I'm not sure if the judges would flag a missing piece so I left that alone for now.

Some day, I would love to run this free floated for a test, but I am out of time. I am running the receiver bolts at 55 in*lbs and that gives it just under 10 lbs of up pressure. The first few shots threw some weird flyers, but it settled down in less than six shots and started grouping. I cleared the screen and crossed my fingers while I fed it some leftover hunting ammo loads. Low and behold, the gun was grouping at 600.

I didn't have time to rerun all the ladders, so I made up an equivalent load to that hunting load substituting 168 SMK for the 165 GMK at the same seating depth. I shot a pair of shots that were up in the 5 ring and a minute right, and got the next ten shots to center on the 10 ring with a single correction.

After playing with running back and forth between 300 and 600, the scope is obviously not tracking in EL but settles after two or three shots. I have to center the prevailing condition, and then hold to avoid dialing. So that's how I will have to roll until after the games.

Wish I had taken this out and run it earlier, but better late than never.

Well, I got to shoot "The Wooden Guns" matches, but my friend and I needed to get home before we got to shoot vintage sniper. They cancelled the matches for the 18th and on.

That's okay, cause I was un-partnered and there were many leaving for the same reasons.

I had an amazing experience and was bewildered most of the time, but everyone helps you along from the second you show up.

I even tried the rimfire sporter game and felt lost, but did okay. I'll practice now that I know what to do and be ready for next year. Got got a Silver and came in 5th in T-Class.

Congrats to my buddy Hector Miro and Allan Little who went 195-7 and 195-5 in the Vintage Sniper Match.

I had a tough time with the Garand in offhand and dropped half my shots out on the left and had an upward group shift in rapids, I ended with a Bronze at 270-5. I can't cry cause I had never shot the gun. I picked one up to have my own for next time.

I went 283-6 with a Springfield for Gold. I will try and find one in an A3 so it has peep sights.

I went 279-6 in Vintage with a Swedish Mauser for a Silver. I was surprised as I can barely see the sights. It is a sweetheart to shoot slow prone and offhand, but a bear in the rapids. You have to move your face way out to clear the bolt.

I went 288-5 in Modern Military for a Gold.

Overall, I was 1120-22 and was third in the three gun agg behind David Geyer and Boris Batkin, and I was fourth in the four gun agg behind David, Boris, and Bill Ellis.

I owe Boris Batkin for helping pull me along with his equipment, ammo, and coaching. I'll flesh out my gear and start getting ready for next year.

If you like the old guns at all, these games have your name on them and I would say to jump in.