My first experience with Milsurp competition shooting

R

Robert Nicholson

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
9   0   0
Location
Okanagan
I attended the Vernon, BC Fish and Game club, shooting range "Military Shoot" today to find out how I compare to others in real life.

Their range is great, they have put a lot of money and effort into making a very nice facility, as a bonus, they have a road that goes
from the firing line all the way to the 400m line, saving a lot of walking. The club has a website that details all of the "course of fire"
and firearm classifications, I used one of my "as issued" SKS, because it is the rifle that I am most familiar with and can depend on.
Next time I will participate in two classes using my SVT or whatever other Milsurp I acquire in addition to an SKS.

I had my doubts about what kind of fellows would be shooting today: Would they all be old geezers shooting Lee Enfields or young guys
shooting AR-15s? There was a couple of AR-15 owners there, both of them elderly and also a couple of Lee-Enfield fans; tattooed and
pierced young fellows, but underneath, really nice fellows. The rest of us were varying ages with a wide variety of Milsurps.

How did I do? Don't ask. It was my first competition and I had no idea how the scoring was being done or what I should be doing.
The first series was 15 shots, standing, 100m with seven of us shooting at the same time, during which I sent five rounds into
the wrong target before realizing my error and switching to my assigned target while wondering if I should just keep quiet about it.
Unfortunately, the young fellow beside me was a great shot, using a Garand and got all 15 shots into a nice group so it became
obvious that someone else had been sprinkling his target (life sized camoflaged soldier). I got better as things went on.
My best for the day was six hits out of 15 shots on target during the 200m "mad minute" (two minutes, standing, kneeling, prone).:)

I had a great time and can hardly wait for the next opportunity. Would have posted this in "Service rifle" but hardly anyone views there.
 
I Chair the for Service Rifle and Pistol League with the Canadian Historical Arms Society. We shoot Service Rifle matches the second Sunday of every month from March until November at our range by the genissee power plant starting around 11am. Right now our course of fire (Due to CFO issues) is at 100m and consists of the following:

10 rnds, standing in 10 minutes,
10 rnds, Kneeling in 10 minutes,
10 rnds sitting in 1 minute and
10 rnds prone in 1 minute.

Highest possible score is 200 points and you win the undying adulation of your fellow shooters.
Any service rifle from any country from any time period or facsimile thereof, well really anything you want to bring actually. We have a shooter or two that shoot Mossberg MVP rifles so our rules are pretty loose.

Our regular course fire fire is usually shot at 200 (20 rnds) and 300 meters (20 rnds).

Cost is $ 5.00 for CHAS members and an additional $ 20.00 for a day pass for non members.

Scott
 
I fire a K98 and M48 at my local 100m range and I am curious how I would do as well. I doubt as good but trying is most of the fun. I don't know how these guys fired these things during the war. I fire the C7/C8 as part of my job (requalifying etc) and it sure doesn't have the same "boom" and shock as the war relics.

Would be fun just watching these competitions and seeing all the different types there, Grands, K98s, etc. I used to belong to the Victoria Fish and Game Club out there in Victoria - fabulous range. 20+ bays at a 250 yd range with an old CO2 cylinder as a gong at 250. I had a great experience there in my short posting and it seems other ranges in BC do it well too. I still remember looking beside me and seeing a guy fire his Mosin Negant and watching the great tongue of flame leap out the front when he fired it. Amazing.
 
NB.nagantsniper said:
sounds fun im trying to get my loal club members into this type of fun.
Click to expand...
Hope it works out for you, the range has to be dedicated to the one event for a few hours and that makes some club members opposed.
It was a lot of fun and I think you will enjoy the event even if it takes some work to persuade the range committee.

EL34/6L6 said:
Very cool. You did just as well as I imagine I would have.
Click to expand...
You are too modest! With your experience, you would do very well at this kind of event. It sure made me more aware of what I can do to improve.:redface:
 
m39a2 said:
I Chair the for Service Rifle and Pistol League with the Canadian Historical Arms Society. We shoot Service Rifle matches the second Sunday of every month from March until November at our range by the genissee power plant starting around 11am. Right now our course of fire (Due to CFO issues) is at 100m and consists of the following:

10 rnds, standing in 10 minutes,
10 rnds, Kneeling in 10 minutes,
10 rnds sitting in 1 minute and
10 rnds prone in 1 minute.

Highest possible score is 200 points and you win the undying adulation of your fellow shooters.
Any service rifle from any country from any time period or facsimile thereof, well really anything you want to bring actually. We have a shooter or two that shoot Mossberg MVP rifles so our rules are pretty loose.

Our regular course fire fire is usually shot at 200 (20 rnds) and 300 meters (20 rnds).

Cost is $ 5.00 for CHAS members and an additional $ 20.00 for a day pass for non members.

Scott
Click to expand...

A similar course of fire has been used for nearly 15 years at Smiths Falls and now EOSC near Ottawa. The shooter chooses sit or kneeling for 10 shots, and there is a 10 shot standing snap with ten short exposures controlled by whistles. The range has a 200 yd butt and the organizers have added 10 shots prone at 200. The other difference is we use the 10X ring NRA pistol target and HPS is 500. Scoring tens helps the morale and shows the spread if a shooter doesn't hold a tight group.
 
m39a2 said:
I Chair the for Service Rifle and Pistol League with the Canadian Historical Arms Society. We shoot Service Rifle matches the second Sunday of every month from March until November at our range by the genissee power plant starting around 11am. Right now our course of fire (Due to CFO issues) is at 100m and consists of the following:

10 rnds, standing in 10 minutes,
10 rnds, Kneeling in 10 minutes,
10 rnds sitting in 1 minute and
10 rnds prone in 1 minute.

Highest possible score is 200 points and you win the undying adulation of your fellow shooters.
Any service rifle from any country from any time period or facsimile thereof, well really anything you want to bring actually. We have a shooter or two that shoot Mossberg MVP rifles so our rules are pretty loose.

Our regular course fire fire is usually shot at 200 (20 rnds) and 300 meters (20 rnds).

Cost is $ 5.00 for CHAS members and an additional $ 20.00 for a day pass for non members.

Scott
Click to expand...

Hi Scott,
Just a clarification. You mention some guys shooting Mossberg MVP's. Are you sure it isn't MMR's? I own both, and the MVP is the bolt action while the MMR is the AR15 knockoff. Just wondering. I assume you meant MMR? I love mine. Mossberg or not. The 20" barrel is just what I need.
 
The ORA offers this kind of shooting. Shoots used to be called "Vintage Rifle" (Lee Enfield, etc.) Now called "Sporting Rifle" - bring whatever you want to shoot.

Next shoot is August 14 at Camp Borden.

IMG_1802_1.jpg


IMG_1798_1.jpg


IMG_1420.jpg


IMG_1417.jpg


IMG_1415.jpg
 
Last edited:
Hot Damn, that looks awesome there Ganderite. What a clean , well kept looking range. I'd love to shoot off grass, but grass is only sold at Canadian Tire up here by the square foot. (and it is real uncomfortable to lie down on it!!)
 
I joined a local Swiss range where they shoot WWII K31's with iron sights at 300M, shooting off your elbows. In order to get a medal, you need on average 85% (half your score would be 8's and the other half 9's). A score of nine is about 4 inches in diameter - at 300M! I am a really good shot, but I got hammered by these guys. No wonder nobody invaded Switzerland.
 
sgt.rock said:
Hot Damn, that looks awesome there Ganderite. What a clean , well kept looking range. I'd love to shoot off grass, but grass is only sold at Canadian Tire up here by the square foot. (and it is real uncomfortable to lie down on it!!)
Click to expand...

That range is paid for by the taxpayers, and has been maintained at great expense over the decades. It is accessible because of involved civilians and their rifle associations. I like the renaming of vintage to open. It allows any shooter with any rifle to have a match experience, much the way the Johnny Appleseed program in the US does.
 
MikeinCalgary said:
I joined a local Swiss range where they shoot WWII K31's with iron sights at 300M, shooting off your elbows. In order to get a medal, you need on average 85% (half your score would be 8's and the other half 9's). A score of nine is about 4 inches in diameter - at 300M! I am a really good shot, but I got hammered by these guys. No wonder nobody invaded Switzerland.
Click to expand...

If possible, train yourself with a diopter equipped target 22lr rifle prone at say 50m /yds. The more time you spend on your belly, the more comfortable you'll be at 300m. prone shooting. Concentrate on having all you need within reach, ammo score card spotting scope etc. Find those little depressions you can put your elbows into. Learn to relax your body and control your position and breathing so that sights move vertically through the target. If you find yourself jerking the trigger, keep you thumb on the same side of the stock as you first finger, IE: don't cross your thumb over to opposite side of where you fingers are. Makes it much harder to jerk the trigger.

Position your supporting elbow under the front stock so bone supports the rifle, not your muscles.
 
Last edited:
Glad those nasty tattoo'd and pierced guys you mentioned didn't cause trouble. I'm curious why you mentioned them in addition to everyone else - do people with tattoos shoot differently? What about black people? Were there any there? Or homosexuals maybe? I noticed you didn't center them out as well.

Cannon
 
diopter said:
If possible, train yourself with a diopter equipped target 22lr rifle prone at say 50m /yds. The more time you spend on your belly, the more comfortable you'll be at 300m. prone shooting. Concentrate on having all you need within reach, ammo score card spotting scope etc. Find those little depressions you can put your elbows into. Learn to relax your body and control your position and breathing so that sights move vertically through the target. If you find yourself jerking the trigger, keep you thumb on the same side of the stock as you first finger, IE: don't cross your thumb over to opposite side of where you fingers are. Makes it much harder to jerk the trigger.

Position your supporting elbow under the front stock so bone supports the rifle, not your muscles.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tips! I have not done much prone shooting and need all the advice I can get.

Jonny_Cannon said:
Glad those nasty tattoo'd and pierced guys you mentioned didn't cause trouble. I'm curious why you mentioned them in addition to everyone else - do people with tattoos shoot differently? What about black people? Were there any there? Or homosexuals maybe? I noticed you didn't center them out as well.

Cannon
Click to expand...
What can I say? I don't get out much and tend to look sideways at strangers until I get to know them.cou:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom