FINALLY got a chance to go to the range with my AR.  Since I'm going to my first tactical rifle match this Saturday I thought I better get in a little practice.  Especially since I'm borrowing an optic! That's right I don't have an optic yet.    Job one was to sight in the optic and then practice as much as time allowed.  While sighting in I was shooting groups of five.  They all had the same charateristic shape:  a horizontal oval 4-5" wide by 1-2" tall.  I figured this must be related to the fact that I was using a bipod instead of a proper sandbag or rest on the bench (not to mention inexperience).  The rifle would bounce around after each shot on the concrete bench.  After sighting in I had a few minutes left.  At 100yrds standing off hand no sling I shot one 3 shot group that measured ~12".  That's fairly typical for me since I don't get much practice.  The spread was mostly vertical, one shot near the center bottom, one shot in the black a couple of inches to the right and one shot left of center near the top.  I had enough time to do one more string so I put up a new target and fired three shots from the prone position in the grass in front of the bench.  Here's what I came up with:



What a difference the earth made!  Center to center is 11/16".  The red dot hardly wiggled after each shot.  I was fairly pleased.  Here's what I was using:

RRA lower with RRA two stage trigger
Olympic Arms bolt and carrier (don't ask)
LMT 16" 1:7 twist upper
Bushnell Holosight (borrowed)
GripPod bipod/VG mounted on a DD M47.0 HG
American Eagle 62gr FMJ

Any suggestions or comments to make my offhand groups smaller?

ok................ well where is a pic of the gun!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Quoted: ok................ well where is a pic of the gun!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I knew you'd ask that.  The friggin batteries died right after I took the pic of the target.  I'll see if the camera's charged up yet.  Stand by.  BRB.

Well.........

Pic added.  Sorry it took so long.

Cute rifle.  From the size of that group I'd say the grip-pod is working well for you.  Aluminum or Polymer version?  When you say tactical rifle match, will most of the shooing be from a supported or unsupported position?  Anyhow, looks like you're having fun.

Quoted: Cute rifle.  From the size of that group I'd say the grip-pod is working well for you.  Aluminum or Polymer version?  When you say tactical rifle match, will most of the shooing be from a supported or unsupported position?  Anyhow, looks like you're having fun.

Thanks.  The GripPod I have is the aluminum version.  The first stage is a barracade stage contact to 40yrds.  I would guess that it's running and gunning using cover.  The second stage is 100yrds from prone.  This is where the grip pod will come in.  Bipods are allowed but must be mounted to the weapon for the entire match.  And if used they cannot be deployed until after the start signal.  I will have no time penalty for deploying the grip pod nor will I have to move my hands.  I may only gain a second over Harris users, but it might make a difference.  That's the theory anyway.  The last stage is a shoot house with targets from contact to 15yrds.  I'm looking forward to it.

-yj

Sidethread/note/question -  What is the "official" term for the tactical match?  Steel Challenge, 3 Gun Comp....?

Thanks,  looking to see what may be local (Miami)

Quoted: Sidethread/note/question -  What is the "official" term for the tactical match?  Steel Challenge, 3 Gun Comp....? Thanks,  looking to see what may be local (Miami)

Here's the link:

www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=8&f=34&t=206382

Look for a post near the bottom by Rabbit9.  They're calling it just a Tactical Rifle match.

Quoted: Quoted: Sidethread/note/question -  What is the "official" term for the tactical match?  Steel Challenge, 3 Gun Comp....? Thanks,  looking to see what may be local (Miami) Here's the link: www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=8&f=34&t=206382 Look for a post near the bottom by Rabbit9.  They're calling it just a Tactical Rifle match.

Cool, thanks.  Time to play  

Thanks.  The GripPod I have is the aluminum version.  The first stage is a barracade stage contact to 40yrds.  I would guess that it's running and gunning using cover.  The second stage is 100yrds from prone.  This is where the grip pod will come in.  Bipods are allowed but must be mounted to the weapon for the entire match.  And if used they cannot be deployed until after the start signal.  I will have no time penalty for deploying the grip pod nor will I have to move my hands.  I may only gain a second over Harris users, but it might make a difference.  That's the theory anyway.  The last stage is a shoot house with targets from contact to 15yrds.  I'm looking forward to it. -yj

Sounds like an interesting match, can you post pics afterwords? And how about a report on the killhouse, sounds really cool.

Quoted: Thanks.  The GripPod I have is the aluminum version.  The first stage is a barracade stage contact to 40yrds.  I would guess that it's running and gunning using cover.  The second stage is 100yrds from prone.  This is where the grip pod will come in.  Bipods are allowed but must be mounted to the weapon for the entire match.  And if used they cannot be deployed until after the start signal.  I will have no time penalty for deploying the grip pod nor will I have to move my hands.  I may only gain a second over Harris users, but it might make a difference.  That's the theory anyway.  The last stage is a shoot house with targets from contact to 15yrds.  I'm looking forward to it. -yj Sounds like an interesting match, can you post pics afterwords? And how about a report on the killhouse, sounds really cool.

I'll see what I can do.  

Quoted: Thanks.  The GripPod I have is the aluminum version.  The first stage is a barracade stage contact to 40yrds.  I would guess that it's running and gunning using cover.  The second stage is 100yrds from prone.  This is where the grip pod will come in.  Bipods are allowed but must be mounted to the weapon for the entire match.  And if used they cannot be deployed until after the start signal.  I will have no time penalty for deploying the grip pod nor will I have to move my hands.  I may only gain a second over Harris users, but it might make a difference.  That's the theory anyway.  The last stage is a shoot house with targets from contact to 15yrds.  I'm looking forward to it. -yj Sounds like an interesting match, can you post pics afterwords? And how about a report on the killhouse, sounds really cool.

The tactical rifle match was AWESOME!!  I had a blast (literally) and met a great group of shooters.  Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera.  As soon as I got on the interstate I remembered it.    ARFCOM member Rabbit9 set the stages up and they were quite challenging.  At the first stage the shooter started behind stacked barrels and engaged two steel plates and three IDPA silhouettes at 40yrds.  IDPA targets required two hits each.  The shooter then performed a mandatory mag change and moved to engage two IDPA targets peeking out from behind a "friendly".  15 yards behind these were two swinging targets that might as well have been mounted on an airplane propeller for the speed they were going.  The shooter finished the string by moving to the slice the pie on 4 more targets at 10-15 yards with "friendlies" in the way.  

The second stage was my favorite.  4 bowling pins and 4 6" square steel plates and an IDPA target were placed at the 100 yard line.  With a limit of 20 rounds the shooter started in the prone position with his rifle on the ground in front of him.  At the signal he would pick up his weapon and engage all targets with a minimum of two hits on the silhouette.  I was the only shooter with a bipod and it was a distinct advantage as I shot the stage clean.  IIRC only 2 or 3 other shooters shot the stage with 0 points down.  Someone joked that the GripPod would be banned from all future matches!  

The last stage wasn't exactly a "shoot house".  But it did offer a target rich environment with lots of "friendlies" blocking firing lanes.  The shooter had to engage all targets from a window.  And for many of the targets only the "head" was visible over the shoulder of a friendly.  What made it particularly challenging was that all of the friendly no-shoot targets were well out of the plane of the "bad guys".  If the shooter had tunnel vision and only focused on the "bad-guy" targets he was sure to hit some "friendlies".  You had to keep both eyes open and double check what was in front of and behind your target.  

Alas I wasn't nearly as quick as most of the other shooters so I finished 10th out of 13, but this was IDPA times 1000!  I'll be back and I'll get better!  

-yj

Sounds like fun