Posted: 4/28/2006 6:33:38 PM EDT
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See YA ALL tomorrow at PEE_CON_IC..... Someome bring me a sandwich and a soda.....Tuna or Ham/cheese |
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Great Experience. For those that couldn't make it or were on the fence about going and decided not to- MAKE SURE YOU ATTEND THE NEXT ONE! You guys missed out on alot of great info plus some great one on one coaching from some of the best shooters out there in the sport. Well worth the cost of admission. Now I have to work on doing better than the 300 I shot.  Not bad for no shooting jacket, a sling that kept sliding off my arm, 55gr Federal "Tactical" JHP ammunition, and a rifle that wasn't even sighted in before showing up!  |
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I've never shot competitive rifle so I thought I'd give this class a chance. I'm glad I did- learned a lot about high power competition and relearned some things regarding shooting. I was on lane 16 and on the 3rd relay. Recently found out that I'm right eye dominant so switched from shooting the AR platform left handed to right handed and managed to get a 326, my partner had a 325 and didn't get off two shots due to a malfunction. I'm going to try and make it to one of the matches this summer. I need to work on the offhand shooting. Looking forward to it... |
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Well now that I am able to sit up I will say anyone wanting to get into Service Rifle or High Power should take this class. Just for the safety aspect and range etiquette it is worth the knowledge. Learning proper sitting, Prone, Standing sling use and breath control were really taught and shown to us. Pit service if you never did it was also part of the program. The other thing is BRING YOUR KIDS and let them take the class. Let them start shooting since they all want to shoot AR's to start with. These coaches put their ALL into this program and it does the shooting sport a great plus. This is the kind of thing we need to get the Senators and Congress people out to see. Score wise from what I saw Greg-Balzac72 was one of the best. With his Regular 20" rifle that he changed from a collapsible to regular stock on at the shoot scored a 364 with if I remember 7 X's. Actually one of his shots were marked has a miss in the sitting, but me and his coach know it went through the same hole. He got in sitting 4x's in a row and the rest 10's and 9's no way did he have a miss. He also did very well in standing. I got a 317 with 4x's. I could not believe I did better standing the the other positions. 2 of my x-s came in the standing. This is so much different then the F-class in prone because there is more stress on your back, neck and arm you hold the rifle with. My Blood pressure went through the roof in the prone trying to bend my neck up. My vision started to blur and my head started to throb. Then sitting I just could not bend over far enough to get a good steady spot. Next time I will open my belt and let my gut have some freedom. Maybe that will help and get a couple more stretching room forward on my left knee. Other then the physical problems I have with practice and figuring positions out I hope to improve. Wave did OK with a rifle he had a ACOG on and never sighted in the irons till he got there. It was a rough start for him but he finally got into the zone. I do not remember his score but it was in the 300 with some X's also. Other then that I will start doing matches in between the F-class shooting and hope to become a contributor into the Service Rifle side of this sport... THANKS TO ALL THE GREAT HELP FROM THE COACHES AGAIN. |
Sounds like you had the same type of day I had at the Buckeye shoot on Fri. My sling failed during a transition to sidearm...I flung it behind me not realizing the sling had let go, and the (empty) rifle went on an excursion. |
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The picture thread of the Peconic SAFS on nyhighpower.com Sorry I couldn't make it out there as a line coach volunteer but after working all night my eyes were toast from allergies and there was no way I was driving into the sun both ways that Sunday and keeping my eyes open for 24 to 26 hours straight. Lloyd |
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Yep Lloyd...By my Ass...LOL. I'm the good looking Ass on Point 15 with the Bandanna....
Someone can answer this better, but I am sure for the match it is a Service AR15..I do not know if you could shoot like F-class unless there are NRA matches for it. Your only going out to 200 yds at the range we were at. |
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I know this thread was dead but I only just found it now. I, too, attended the SAFS at the Peconic River Sportsman's Club. I'd like to offer my observations and comments on what I thought would be presented and what the class was actually all about. The following is an excerpt from the 2006 SAFS Program and Registration Form SAFS OBJECTIVE The SAFS is an entry level program designed as an introduction to the sport of High Power Rifle Shooting and for persons interested in improving their shooting skills who are currently involved in High Power Rifle shooting. Recreational shooters and shooters from other disciplines will also benefit from this course. As a result of this training, the novice shooter should be able to enter and safely participate in High Power Rifle competition. SAFS DESCRIPTION The SAFS is conducted by a team of highly qualified retired U.S. Armed Forces, civilian NRA nationally ranked and Distinguished Riflemen, and High Power Rifle Instructor/Shooters augmented by volunteer rifle competitors from local clubs. The training emphasizes Range & Firearms Safety, Service Rifle Marksmanship Fundamentals and Techniques, Match Operations and Procedures, Zeroing, and Operation of the U.S. Service Rifles M1, M1A (M14) and AR-15 (M16). The training includes classroom instruction and closely supervised Dry Fire and Live Fire Instruction Practice under individual trainer/coaches. NOTE THAT ONLY THE AR15 WILL BE ALLOWED AT THE PECONIC EVENT! I must not have read this too closely because I was under the impression that, even though the objective reads this is an entry level introduction to the competitive sport of High-Power Rifle Shooting, the class was a US Service Rifle school designed to familiarize you with the AR15/M16 rifle. I felt that there was too much focus on range safety. I know that safety is of paramount importance when handling firearms and that it can't hurt to have a gentle reminder. I felt like we spent nearly a third of the lecture time hearing about safety. As this class was billed on the application, ELIGIBILITY All applicants must have previous experience and familiarity with firearms. This course is NOT for persons who have never handled firearms. I found the constant reminders a little condescending. I may not be familiar with the AR-15 rifle but I have pretty extensive experience and formal training with handguns and shotguns. I also own other styles of rifles and feel comfortable handling long arms. Entry-level for High Power shooting, not shooting period. I am sure this was more for the younger attendees but since this was not for new shooters, I was not expecting such a beginners approach. Also, I was greatly disappointed when they nearly skipped over the Cleaning and Maintenance section. By nearly, I mean that they spent aproximately one minute on cleaning with focus on the fact that most novice AR-15 shooters can blame their FTEs on a dirty chamber. "So keep those chambers clean." I am new to ownership of an AR-15 rifle and would have loved to have had more instruction on actual weapon operation, assembly/disassembly, and general cleaning/maintenance. This was my sole purpose in taking the SAFS, to become very familiar with the AR-15 rifle. In that area, this class was a failure. Now, before anyone starts a fire to burn me at the stake, I didn't mean that I felt the class was a waste. Actually, when I left after Day 2, I felt satisfied with the time that I had invested. I was at fault for most of my disappointment since it was I that misinterpretted the focus of the course. I felt that the Zeroing lecture was well done and worth the price of the class alone as it will provide a good foundation upon which anyone can build the ability to sight-in all of their rifles. The second half of Day One also had a Dry-Firing exercise, done out on the range. Each attendee was paired with a coach. I found that instead of focusing on assisting me with the three shooting positions used in High Power matches, my coach and the coach on the next shooting position felt it necessary to repeatedly remind me that my Colt 6520 wasn't suited for these type of matches. I aquiesced several times and after accepting their criticism, returned the attention to the task at hand. Finally, I had enough and point-blank told my coach that I understand that a telescopic buttstock and a short sight radius are not the best choice for a rifle to compete in High Power matches, but this is the rifle that I have and I would greatly appreciate if we could focus on what it is we're supposed to be doing during this exercise. Day Two was all range time. I was in relay two and pulled pit duty the second half of the day. I was lucky enough to have the same younger coach from the adjacent lane the day before who was less than impressed with my rifle. At first he seemed very disinterested in helping me. I told him that this was my first AR-15 rifle, that I only received it about a week before the SAFS and that I had not fired this or any AR before. He only seemed more annoyed with being 'stuck' as my coach. That is, until I started shooting. After the 10 sighters, we had the rifle pretty well dialed-in thanks to my coach. With each position change, I felt more comfortable with the AR. I shot a 77 prone slow, an 83 prone rapid, an 83 sitting rapid and a 70 standing slow (second round was a miss, I felt myself force it, my bad). Anyway, a 313 for the day and a smile from my coach. He was surprised I could shoot that rifle over that distance (200 yards) and get that score. I overheard him later talking with the older gentleman that was my Dry-Fire coach the day before saying he didn't think a 313 was possible with that rifle. I know that isn't even near the best score of the day but it sure felt great to kinda 'show them'! I think I was the only one shooting a carbine. The class, even though not what I expected, was worth the time and money spent. However, I do want to mention that they could've used much better organization on the first day. After the morning lecture, we broke into groups in order to allow some to attend the afternoon lecture, some to do their Dry-Firing, and the rest to eat lunch. However, they gave us about 30 minutes before that started for everyone to eat lunch anyway. It felt as if we spent more time there than we needed. They could've created the groups during our morning lecture if they had asked who brought their own rifles and who need a loaner for the afternoon Dry-Fire when we signed in initially. Also, the course was listed as 0800-1700hr, with a notation that we should not arrive later than 0730hr. Then, at the end of Day One, we were told to be there no later than 0700hr Day Two. I had made arrangements to attend this class based on the course description only to have to scramble at the last minute to adjust to the new time. The instructors were very approachable and knowledgable. The facility was excellent except the chairs as previously mentioned. The range was well maintained and the target system was impressive. The people that assisted in demonstrating the shooting positions and a lot of the coaches should be recognized as I don't believe they got paid for offering their time and their experience. This may not be what I expected to come of this but I have a feeling I will be shooting some High Power matches. No, not with my Colt 6520. I see a RRA NM A2 in my future. ETA - I guess I'm famous, too! I'm in pictures 54(so are a lot of us, though), 79, 82, 83, and 106. |