My first high power match

Black wallnut · October 6, 2002, 01:27 PM

Yesterday I shot my first high power match and really had fun doing it. It was held at my 'local' range (1 houir drive) on only the 100 yard line since that is all we have for rifle. I used a loaner M1 and shot a score of 556-2x, which was a little better than I expected with only 4 m's!

Now for the questions:
1) are the DCM/CMP rifles worth buying
2) where is the best website selling gear such as shooting mats and spotting scope stands
3) any other advice for a new match shooter ( I have been a shooter for most of my life and have also shot pin shoots)

TIA

Steve Smith · October 6, 2002, 06:31 PM

Let me be the first to welcome you to the sport. You will find that there are no better people than Highpower shooters, bar none.

I need some more info before I make any recommendations for you. How seriously could you get into HP? Do you have the time, money, and interest to invest in it? If you are really serious, you can plan on spending at least every other weekend at a match or doing something with HP. I shoot almost a match a week. You can also plan on having up to $5K invested within your first three years. After that, you will spend very little, and it will seem like you are shooting matches for pennies from then on. The start up costs are prohibitive for many, though. You won't excel without being really interested in it, and dedicating a good deal of practice towards it. Those are some stiff requirements for "interest" but I need to know how you would stack up against this so I can give you some suggestions. Let me know.

Steve Smith · October 9, 2002, 06:12 PM

Since new shooters will (hopefully) use the search function, I thought I'd say here what has been said over email.

Black Walnut told me that he wasn't interested in shelling out the cash for a full-blown setup. I told him that that was cool, and gave him a few alternatives. As I think about it more, there are even more alternatives than what I gave him.

Low cost alternatives for a good Highpower setup:

Common bolt action rifle, with some type of sights, with an ad-on clip guide. Aperture sights are preferred. Adjustable apertures are best.

1903A3 rifle Has everything except great accuracy. Good enough though. Glass bed if you can affor it.

Old Mauser with irons (preferrably aperture) sights. (clip guide intact) Again, glass bed it.

M1 Carbine (reduced course matches only)

Any of the Service Grade CMP M1 Garands...The Danish models often have better barrels. Most Service Grades can get you into Expert class, believe it or not. If you can spend a bit more,m send it off to Hook Boutin or Clint Fowler for accuracy work. Hook is VERY good, and is also working on a 1950's economy, so it'll cost you peanuts for the work.

If you already own an AR rifle, use it. If it is an A2, even better. If you can afford about $500, get the Rock River "DCM" legal upper. Their uppers are really accurate, and you won't have to worry about the float tube. Other manufacturers have very thin and weak tubes, and crappy sights.

Triggers: If you need a good trigger, get the Rock River 2 stage and then send it to John Holliger for his tune up. That only costs $25 more and is absolutely worth it.

Equipment is divided into "absolute must haves" and "nice to haves."

Absolute Must Haves

Sling. The cheapest is the M1 Garand Cotton Web sling. They should run about $4-$10, and with the exception of rot or rust, the older the better. Many High Masters LOVE this sling.

Spotting Scope. The Pro Optic scope from www.adorama.com is a good "cheap" scope, based upon reports form the field. IT is not waterproof, so just keep that in mind. $109 The Champion's Choice scope is a good scope, and runs about $200. It is not waterproof, either, I believe.

Spotting scope stand. I know, you would think a camera tripod would work...it won't. You need somthing to hold the scope at 6' and 3" all without getting in your way. There are many home-grown designs for this, and you can make whatever you like. No one in HP is going to laugh at you, for sure. One of the cheapest and best stands is the Jim Owens stand. It runs $125 new, but you can find them for $75 used. The Freeland stands work well for smaller scopes, but due to their bipod design, they will tip easily with a heavy scope on board. These are also about $75 used.

Nice to Haves

Shooting mat. An old piece of carpet will work well.

Glove. An old winter or work glove will work ok.

Cart. The "bucket seats" work well for a newbie moving his gear around. Also, you can use a wheeled trashcan. Don't laugh, I've seen it! A child's wagon, with side stakes, also works well.

Shooting coat. A winter coat will suffice, but the coat from wwww.gpmaes.com is a vast improvement. $58

Don't forget that many places will carry used equipment. Champion's Shooter Supply, Neil Johnson's gunsmithing, and OK Weber all have used equipment items that can save you some money.

Good luck in your endeavors.
Steve

edstephan · October 17, 2002, 10:06 PM

DCM/CMP is one of the best practices for hunting, besides being a great game. My wife and I shoot a match every weekend and you will meet some of the nicest people shooting.
We started out on a budget. I started with an old DCM Garand.
Now my wife shoots the Garand. I shoot either an AR-15 or TRW M14. I bought my wife a Bushmaster CMP AR but she likes the Garand.
You can usually pick up some good used equipment here and other boards on the net. For the last year I have bought all my ammo over the net. Places like:
http://www.ammunitionstore.com/
http://www.ammoman.com/ http://www.premiernet.net/~lgcausey/
I have found if you shoot 100yd or 200yd matches the surplus ammo works acceptable and is easy on the budget.
Things like mats and shooting jackets and other things can be had at places like:
http://www.championshooters.com/
http://www.creedmoorsports.com/
http://www.fulton-armory.com/
http://www.jarheadtop.com/
http://www.centerthegroup.com/
(USMC Shooting Jackets) http://www.gpmaes.com/
Also the are a lot of good books to help you get started.
Good luck with your shooting
I hope you decide to stay with it

October 6, 2002, 01:27 PM	#1
Black wallnut Member Join Date: September 28, 2002 Location: Central Washington Posts: 22	My first high power match Yesterday I shot my first high power match and really had fun doing it. It was held at my 'local' range (1 houir drive) on only the 100 yard line since that is all we have for rifle. I used a loaner M1 and shot a score of 556-2x, which was a little better than I expected with only 4 m's! Now for the questions: 1) are the DCM/CMP rifles worth buying 2) where is the best website selling gear such as shooting mats and spotting scope stands 3) any other advice for a new match shooter ( I have been a shooter for most of my life and have also shot pin shoots) TIA __________________ marK in WA I always bring a gun to a knife fight!

October 6, 2002, 06:31 PM	#2
Steve Smith Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 1999 Posts: 4,131	Welcome to Highpower! Let me be the first to welcome you to the sport. You will find that there are no better people than Highpower shooters, bar none. I need some more info before I make any recommendations for you. How seriously could you get into HP? Do you have the time, money, and interest to invest in it? If you are really serious, you can plan on spending at least every other weekend at a match or doing something with HP. I shoot almost a match a week. You can also plan on having up to $5K invested within your first three years. After that, you will spend very little, and it will seem like you are shooting matches for pennies from then on. The start up costs are prohibitive for many, though. You won't excel without being really interested in it, and dedicating a good deal of practice towards it. Those are some stiff requirements for "interest" but I need to know how you would stack up against this so I can give you some suggestions. Let me know. __________________ Favor the X. Steve Smith NRA Life Member

October 9, 2002, 06:12 PM	#3
Steve Smith Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 1999 Posts: 4,131	For posterity's sake Since new shooters will (hopefully) use the search function, I thought I'd say here what has been said over email. Black Walnut told me that he wasn't interested in shelling out the cash for a full-blown setup. I told him that that was cool, and gave him a few alternatives. As I think about it more, there are even more alternatives than what I gave him. Low cost alternatives for a good Highpower setup: Common bolt action rifle, with some type of sights, with an ad-on clip guide. Aperture sights are preferred. Adjustable apertures are best. 1903A3 rifle Has everything except great accuracy. Good enough though. Glass bed if you can affor it. Old Mauser with irons (preferrably aperture) sights. (clip guide intact) Again, glass bed it. M1 Carbine (reduced course matches only) Any of the Service Grade CMP M1 Garands...The Danish models often have better barrels. Most Service Grades can get you into Expert class, believe it or not. If you can spend a bit more,m send it off to Hook Boutin or Clint Fowler for accuracy work. Hook is VERY good, and is also working on a 1950's economy, so it'll cost you peanuts for the work. If you already own an AR rifle, use it. If it is an A2, even better. If you can afford about $500, get the Rock River "DCM" legal upper. Their uppers are really accurate, and you won't have to worry about the float tube. Other manufacturers have very thin and weak tubes, and crappy sights. Triggers: If you need a good trigger, get the Rock River 2 stage and then send it to John Holliger for his tune up. That only costs $25 more and is absolutely worth it. Equipment is divided into "absolute must haves" and "nice to haves." Absolute Must Haves Sling. The cheapest is the M1 Garand Cotton Web sling. They should run about $4-$10, and with the exception of rot or rust, the older the better. Many High Masters LOVE this sling. Spotting Scope. The Pro Optic scope from www.adorama.com is a good "cheap" scope, based upon reports form the field. IT is not waterproof, so just keep that in mind. $109 The Champion's Choice scope is a good scope, and runs about $200. It is not waterproof, either, I believe. Spotting scope stand. I know, you would think a camera tripod would work...it won't. You need somthing to hold the scope at 6' and 3" all without getting in your way. There are many home-grown designs for this, and you can make whatever you like. No one in HP is going to laugh at you, for sure. One of the cheapest and best stands is the Jim Owens stand. It runs $125 new, but you can find them for $75 used. The Freeland stands work well for smaller scopes, but due to their bipod design, they will tip easily with a heavy scope on board. These are also about $75 used. Nice to Haves Shooting mat. An old piece of carpet will work well. Glove. An old winter or work glove will work ok. Cart. The "bucket seats" work well for a newbie moving his gear around. Also, you can use a wheeled trashcan. Don't laugh, I've seen it! A child's wagon, with side stakes, also works well. Shooting coat. A winter coat will suffice, but the coat from wwww.gpmaes.com is a vast improvement. $58 Don't forget that many places will carry used equipment. Champion's Shooter Supply, Neil Johnson's gunsmithing, and OK Weber all have used equipment items that can save you some money. Good luck in your endeavors. Steve __________________ Favor the X. Steve Smith NRA Life Member

October 17, 2002, 10:06 PM	#4
edstephan Junior Member Join Date: October 17, 2002 Location: Pittsburgh Pa Area Posts: 3	Welcome to CMP DCM/CMP is one of the best practices for hunting, besides being a great game. My wife and I shoot a match every weekend and you will meet some of the nicest people shooting. We started out on a budget. I started with an old DCM Garand. Now my wife shoots the Garand. I shoot either an AR-15 or TRW M14. I bought my wife a Bushmaster CMP AR but she likes the Garand. You can usually pick up some good used equipment here and other boards on the net. For the last year I have bought all my ammo over the net. Places like: http://www.ammunitionstore.com/ http://www.ammoman.com/ http://www.premiernet.net/~lgcausey/ I have found if you shoot 100yd or 200yd matches the surplus ammo works acceptable and is easy on the budget. Things like mats and shooting jackets and other things can be had at places like: http://www.championshooters.com/ http://www.creedmoorsports.com/ http://www.fulton-armory.com/ http://www.jarheadtop.com/ http://www.centerthegroup.com/ (USMC Shooting Jackets) http://www.gpmaes.com/ Also the are a lot of good books to help you get started. Good luck with your shooting I hope you decide to stay with it __________________ Don't try to run you'll only die tired SST 3BN 1MR Pendelton (74-84)