Competitive Highpower

There is no other type. I started competing in NRA highpower matches in 2000. At first, it was just a couple of Civilian Marksmanship Program-sponsored Service Rifle Matches (with a 1940's issue M1 Garand), and one John C. Garand Match (using the same rifle). Here's a picture of me wearing a bronze medal from the Garand Match, October 7, 2000. I shot a 359-0x in the "as-issued" class that day. And that's with no sling, no shooting coat, no gloves, and a $25 spotting scope. I chose the minimalist approach until I could benefit from these shooting aids. I sort of dabbled with it at first, and then I got serious about it after the 2002 season. Why? Well, because it teaches you fundamentals that can be applied to any shooting discipline. Everything becomes important; sight focus, breathing, trigger control, wind judgement, and even your routine on the line. It's really pretty difficult, which makes the rewards of a good showing that much more satisfying. I'd advise those who want to try it to go and shoot a match. If you like it, get your own piece of history: a US-issue M1 Garand from the CMP. You'll need to compete in one match and do some other stuff to qualify.

In 2002, I started building a match-grade AR-15 to compete with. It goes something like this: Rock River Arms lower reciever at a gunshow - $139 Parts kit from Bushmaster - $65 Rock River Arms two-stage trigger - $90 Surplus buttstock assembly from Fulton Armory - $79 Rock River Arms National Match upper - $590 Shooting a personal best on the first outing - Priceless This is not an expensive rifle, but Rock River makes some nice stuff, and it's priced well. The rifle has a 1-in-8" twist stainless steel heavy free floated barrel, National Match sights with hooded rear aperture, 4.5lb two-stage trigger, forged upper and lower recievers, and a really nice fit and finish. Add a Turner sling and some Black Hills ammunition, and you are ready to go. Some advice to the beginner, from a beginner Don't go out and blow a couple thousand bucks just to get set up. If you buy a bunch of expensive gear and then shoot poorly, you'll feel like a moron (or at least, you should). The best money you can spend is on books and practice time. The Jim Owens books are excellent, as is Black Hills blue box ammo. The 68 grain heavy match is as good as it gets out to 300 yards. Everyone wants a good spotting scope with a solid stand. That can be big $$$. Until you get good at the standing slow fire stage, the scope is just a distraction. As you get better, you will probably need a good scope with a 45 degree eyepiece. I've used spotting setups as cheap as $25, but now using a GYAH 77mm scope with a 45 degree eyepiece and a Ray-Vin stand. The whole setup was around $500. I'm still keeping an eye on the budget. As for a rifle, shoot whatever you want when you start out. Concentrate on the fundamentals and getting your routine down. AR-15s are less expensive and more accurate (generally) than Garands or M1As/M14s. If you want a decent match rifle for not much money, follow my recipe above. Oh, and get a hat and wear it. The choices are endless, but I like the old standby - the boonie hat. It keeps the sun out of the rear sight and keeps the neck from getting red. Most of these you need, some are optional. I'd rank them by order of importance like this: Practice - get as much of this as you can. Rifle - an accurate, durable rifle is a big plus. Sling - a must-have for getting good position. Glasses - more $$ is not necessarily better. Tape over the non-dominant eye to improve sight focus. Earplugs - most muffs are too big to give you a good cheek weld. Mitt - if you have the sling, you'd better have one of these. Coat - really helpful in offhand (standing). Stand - A good scope stand will give you a stable image and be easy to adjust. Scope - lower magnifications (25-30x) and smaller objectives (50mm+) are generally fine. Long eye relief and a 45 degree eyepiece are very good. Mat - Carpet works, but a real mat with rubber patches will help you keep position. Stool/Box - Don't underestimate how much stuff you need on the line.

April 2005 I practiced a couple times over the winter, but nothing serious. This was my first match of the year, and it was great. I won with a 473-8x, which is really close to Master scores. I was very close to cleaning the standing slow-fire stage with a 97-1x. THIS score will be tough to beat. I'd like to make Master, but I'll really need to be consistent.

The Highpower Diary - 2004

June 2004 The house has been sucking up a lot of my opportunities to shoot, so this is my first match of 2004. I was fortunate enough to borrow some press time from Steve F. to load some more match ammo. It was time well spent. This 200 yard match was lightly attended, but I got a good run for my money, mostly because I totally screwed up the sitting stage due to my lack of practice cost me at least 10 points. I just couldn't get a stable position. I finished out with a 458-2x, beating David, a Sharpshooter, only because he dropped a ton of points in slow-fire prone. My good fortune, another overall win.

I honestly do think now that I'm good enough that I will forego the 100 yard reduced courses this year. I really need to get out to Butner's full course.

July 2004 Once againt I manage to slip away from the clutches of house construction to shoot a match. The weather was just about perfect - 80 degrees with little to no wind. I shot decent but not exceptional scores at all stages, and finished with a 456-5x to take another win.

October 2004 Finally, I made good on my promise to bring out a new shooter - a junior. I set him up with my Bushmaster issue-grade rifle and the Turner sling off my Garand. My first and only sighter was in the X (not the ring, I mean in the X itself). Then, I helped him sight in on his target, and promptly crossfired my first five shots onto that same target (got distracted here) before Steve noticed and stopped me. So my standing score was a 46-0x, rather than a 91-ish score. Score-wise, it didn't cost me the match, but I'm sure it affected my concentration for the rest of the day. I chalk this up to lack of practice. ALWAYS check your target board before taking a shot, especially in stages where you take the rifle away from your face.

March 2003 A beautiful day. I shot a 425-3x, a personal best and the first match with the new rifle. I'm pretty pleased. I ditched the nice-looking but non-optically correct clear MSA Gargoyles glasses for the $10 yellow Silencio jobs with translucent tape over the left eye. That and the little bit of red paint on the front sight post ensure good focus. Awesome.

April 2003 What's with the rain? It rained both matches, but scores continute to improve. 435-6x @ 100yds and 437-0x @ 200yds. That second one was good for 1st Marksman. Started shooting with a Gehmann fingerless mitt in offhand. Still using the work glove in sitting and prone. No coat, but it's on order. I'm tired of struggling with position in offhand.

May 2003 Another rainy match. I used the mitt at all stages this time, without practice. It did change my zero a little (one click down from previous). Shot a 453-9x. Outstanding! Another 1st Marksman showing. The match director tells me that he will not let me shoot in the Marksman class again, even if I'm not reclassified (next match). The coat has not arrived yet. Offhand practice pays big dividends.

June 2003 A decent overcast day, but pretty hot. The shooting coat arrived from Creedmore Sports (tapered hardback, size 38) and it is gorgeous. I didn't get a chance to practice with it, so I tried it out during sighters. I didn't feel comfortable with the setup, so I bagged it. I did use it for standing, and what a difference! I shot a 94-1x standing - nothing less than a 9! I almost wish I could have used the scope during this stage because the position was so steady, it might have helped. Rapid fire prone was a 98-3x; I almost cleaned it! My overall score was 468-9x, but I have to confess that the master next to me crossfired onto my target during sitting; I got the best, he got the rest, but the rules state that I should have taken the low score, and he should have scored misses. There were only two eights on that target; everything else was in the black, mostly tens and X's. I looked at the target afterwards; I got five extra points. It's going to be hard for me to beat this score.

July 2003 The state championship was on the 12th, and I shot a poor 429-1x at 200 yards. I was shooting to the left of the target during slow fire prone. I adjusted my windage, but because of the mirage (it was hot), I couldn't pick out the new holes. I dropped a total of 40 points in that stage. Everything else was fine. I'm still only using the coat in offhand. I placed 2nd Marksman, but beat the first place Sharpshooter by 11 points. Second place is first loser.

I managed to do better at the 100 yard match by a fair bit. I decided that rather than wait for the NRA to reclassify me, I'd go ahead and sign up to compete as a Sharpshooter. My five sighters consisted of four X's and a 10 with the newly loaded 69gr Sierras over 25 grains of Varget. Things stayed good the whole day, as I cleaned slow fire prone and finished with a 471-8x! I'm still only using the coat for offhand (to the amazement of some in the gallery), but I could probably benefit in the slow fire prone stage. Breathing and trigger control are still good, but the buttstock placement is throwing me a little.

August 2003 The sighters at the 100 yard match looked good, with five holes covered by three pasters. It went downhill from there. Standing was sketchy, and I crossfired once, costing me at least 8 points there. I dropped two outside the black in sitting rapid, and even prone rapid had one flyer outside. I pulled it together in slow fire prone, shooting a 193-5x, with the coat this time. I ended up placing first Sharpshooter with a 458-6x overall. Not bad considering the obnoxious Colt muzzle brake next to me. The damn thing was blowing my hair back.

The best news arrived when I got home; my NRA reclassification finally happened, and an Expert card was in the envelope. I didn't expect to make it this year, so I need to set the bar higher for next season.

September 2003 The 200 yard reduced course match day was perfect. Temps in the low 70's (summer is over) made it such that I didn't sweat to death in my coat. The day was nothing spectacular. I shot a 460-4x. Because of a schedule conflict with Butner's 600 yard match, I was the only Expert class shooter out of a field of 11 and held it together to take the Overall Winner. My first win. :)