High Powered Rifle Competition - need some guidence

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  • Caleb

    Making whiskey, one batch at a time!
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    Aug 11, 2008
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    I'm new to HPR competition shooting and need some guidance. I had a 30-06 and a 7mm Rem Mag rifles, I'm obsessed with big caliber so I'm looking at the 50 bmg caliber. I need to figure out what platform would be best bang for my bucks, what glass I need, setting up my own 50 bmg loads, reloading equiptment, and calculating the elavation/windage/distance etc.

    I was originally looking at the Barrett m82a1, Marc pointed out barrett makes the m95(few grands cheaper, plus bolt action) and the m99(single fire bolt action, cheapest barrett for starting out)...so if anybody has any other platform suitable for accurate competition shooting, I'm listening...

    Edit: How does this not look awesome?

    DSC03854.jpg
     

    USMC_0311

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    If new to HP why are you thinking about going with .50 bmg? Very few places to shoot in IN. Longer Range shooting at 800 - 1000 is the only match you can shoot. When you refer to High Power I automatically think NRA conventional high power like at what is shot at Camp Perry, am I wrong? If that’s the kind of shooting you want to do go with what most (army, marines MTU), and that’s the AR service rifle. They have tuned those things in to be nail drivers even at long distance with the right load. M1a1 (M14) is a good one also with a .308 it can go a little longer. Typical course of fire for HP 200 slow off hand (shoot that Barrett off hand once...lol), 200 rapid fire sitting, 300 rapid fire prone and 600 slow fire. Long range course usually shot at 1000. There are .50 bmg only matches but I know little about them few and far between. From what I seen most long range shooters use .308 with rem 700 platform. I used a M14 at the 1000 yrd during Interservice Matches in 1986 and shot 198/w13x out of 200 with no scope. If I get back into HP (i am working to that) I am going the AR platform 5.56 all tricked out for National Match course. Like one of these. Bushmaster Competition Models
     

    sloughfoot

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    Caleb, the Barrett 50 is a fine and mighty firearm but I've been told that it is not accurate enough for 50 caliber competition. Nothing wrong with wanting one though.

    It just cannot be used for NRA Highpower Competition.

    NRA High Power is shot with rifles less than 35 caliber by the NRA rules. As USMC said, the AR15 rules the roost. The M1 Garand and the M1A can also be used. Those 3 rifles are the only legal Service Rifles.

    A bolt gun can be used as a Match rifle but must be able to be 5 round clip loaded.

    No scopes, iron sights only.

    If you would like to try Highpower across the course, meet me at Camp Atterbury next year for one of the Central Indiana Highpower matches, and I will loan you rifle, ammo, and equipment. They shoot 200, 300, and 500 yards on KD5 range.

    Don't worry, I'll get you on post for the match.

    Stay in touch

    Dean
     
    Last edited:

    antsi

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    As USMC said, the AR15 rules the roost. The M1 Garand and the M1A can also be used. Those 3 rifles are the only legal Service Rifles.

    I thought you could use 03 Springfields in Service Rifle. I have seen guys shooting them at high power matches, and I guess I just assumed since they were at one time the primary infantry rifle of the US armed forces, they qualified as a Service Rifle. Maybe those guys were shooting Match Rifle?
     

    USMC_0311

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    I thought you could use 03 Springfields in Service Rifle. I have seen guys shooting them at high power matches, and I guess I just assumed since they were at one time the primary infantry rifle of the US armed forces, they qualified as a Service Rifle. Maybe those guys were shooting Match Rifle?

    You could use a 1903 Springfield if you wanted to. It would not be very competitive on the rapid fire stages. It can be done but your bolt work will need lots of practice. Most people have to move their head to run the bolt and this can cost time and position. You also could use 1903 in long a range match or vintage match.
     

    antsi

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    your bolt work will need lots of practice. Most people have to move their head to run the bolt and this can cost time and position.

    Where I used to shoot high power at a gun club in Wisconsin, there was an older guy who shot his 1903 all the time. He was very smooth and quick with his bolt work, and reloaded his 1903 in about the same time I could reload my AR-15.

    Personally whenever I shoot High Power I am in no danger of winning. I just try to do better than I did last time.
     

    USMC_0311

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    Where I used to shoot high power at a gun club in Wisconsin, there was an older guy who shot his 1903 all the time. He was very smooth and quick with his bolt work, and reloaded his 1903 in about the same time I could reload my AR-15.

    Personally whenever I shoot High Power I am in no danger of winning. I just try to do better than I did last time.

    It can be done and the old timers have had enough practice to be competitive. When I shot with Marine Corps team we used m14's on everything except the first match to qualify for all others (division matches) and we used m16's for those. When we went to the 1000 yrd line I used a m14 and competed agains tuned sniper rifles and still I was very competive. Actually broke a Interservice match record with m14 on the 1000 yrd line. It all boils down to what you are comfortable with and if you are like me what you can afford. I am not sure how good a m16/ar15 is on 1000 but everywhere else its a tack driver. I imagine with right load you could still be efective but I bet the top shooters switch to m14 or remington 700 bolt for the 1000 yrd line.
     

    bartonmd

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    Oct 11, 2008
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    Scopes are GTG for NRA HP now... It is just up to the range officer's descression, and you are scored in a seperate class... (Dad and I shoot at Fall Creek Valley Conservation Club NRA Hi-Power matches. It's a 100yd scaled range)

    You can also use single shot or anything else, really, but if it doesn't hold 5, you're going to have a hard time with it...

    This is my NRA Hi-Power weapon... It's a J&T 24" 1:8 bull barrel kit on a Mega lower, with a Promag mount, Bushnell Banner D2D 4-12x40, a Bill Springfield trigger job, Turner leather sling, and a 2.5# weight in the stock. (ETA: and a bolt release that I can hit by sticking my finger through the trigger well, so I don't have to move EVERYTHING to close the bolt on the reaload) Said and done, I've got less than $1k in it. I will get sights at some point, but for right now, I got the mount and scope for $120 together, and a good set of match sights for it would be $400, so I have the scope for now... I was going to do the scope anyway, because this is also my varmant rifle. I run Hornady 75g BTHP match bullets in my reloads.

    I'm usually somewhere between 460 and 466, and this is without a "real" shooting coat... I just have the OD green, button down (as opposed to strap-latches) Marine shooting coat... Doesn't do much for suppressing muscle movement, but does have elbow pads and such.

    med_gallery_991_46_126159.jpg


    Mike
     

    USMC_0311

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    I'm usually somewhere between 460 and 466, and this is without a "real" shooting coat... I just have the OD green, button down (as opposed to strap-latches) Marine shooting coat... Doesn't do much for suppressing muscle movement, but does have elbow pads and such.



    Mike

    You got a good coat (the best in my opinion), have you tried wearing a sweatshirt under it?. The leather ones with straps are nice but expensive and real hot in the summer. I never realized how much all this stuff cost because the Corps provided everything for us. Now I am trying to get back into it and it is kicking my wallets ass.
    I will be shooting high power this summer. I live and work real close to Fall Creek Valley Conservation Club (only 2 or so mile from work) all though I can shoot anything in my backyard I have been thinking of joining are you a member?
     

    bartonmd

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    You got a good coat (the best in my opinion), have you tried wearing a sweatshirt under it?. The leather ones with straps are nice but expensive and real hot in the summer. I never realized how much all this stuff cost because the Corps provided everything for us. Now I am trying to get back into it and it is kicking my wallets ass.
    I will be shooting high power this summer. I live and work real close to Fall Creek Valley Conservation Club (only 2 or so mile from work) all though I can shoot anything in my backyard I have been thinking of joining are you a member?

    Oh it works, and it does better with a sweatshirt, but it doesn't kill NEARLY as much movement as with the straps... My Carhardt with a sweatshirt is better at killing movement.

    No, I'm not a member, but I do shoot matches there... It's $15 to shoot the match on the first Sunday of the month... There's a Garand match next month (last one of the year), if you've got one... IIRC, the Garand match is the normal $15.00, but ammo is provided....

    Mike

    Mike
     

    USMC_0311

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    Oh it works, and it does better with a sweatshirt, but it doesn't kill NEARLY as much movement as with the straps... My Carhardt with a sweatshirt is better at killing movement.

    No, I'm not a member, but I do shoot matches there... It's $15 to shoot the match on the first Sunday of the month... There's a Garand match next month (last one of the year), if you've got one... IIRC, the Garand match is the normal $15.00, but ammo is provided....

    Mike

    Mike

    I don't have a M1 YET but I may come and watch the match and meet some members. I will check their website for the date.
     
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