Sporting Rifle Match Report- NRA Whittington Center
Nestled just west of Raton, New Mexico, the NRA Whittington Center incorporates over 50 square miles of terrain dedicated to the sportsman. With rifle, pistol, and shotgun ranges you could spend days here shooting almost any gun imaginable. To help with that, there are campgrounds, cabins and competitor housing options to allow you to make the most of your stay. There are also training facilities for various needs, including youth education programs.
Sight In Range:
I arrived Saturday afternoon just before the designated sight in time. I met the match director and a few of the shooters that were there early enough to make sure that the targets were ready for the Sunday match. When we were ready to sight in I brought out my Remage conversion in 260 Remington and Silencerco Omega. My gear is still among the lower level at these matches, but when I was talking to the match director he said that someone had asked about bringing an H&K 91 to the match. I don't know what kind of accuracy he will get at the longer ranges, but I was definitely interested in watching him shoot! Unfortunately I never did see that gun, either he didn't come, or I missed it.
For my DOPE I am still using pre-printed ballistic cards that I made using Density Altitude values in 1000-foot increments. I just bought a Kestrel 5000 wind meter that came two days before I left for the match. It is one of the newer models with a larger screen, Bluetooth link and some other upgrades. I was mainly interested in it because it is one of the lower models that will calculate the density altitude. Click on the picture at right to view it on Amazon, where I bought it. Now I won't have to find another shooter to bother when I'm trying to decide which DOPE card to use. I played with the Kestrel while we were waiting for the range to go hot. I was able to get a DA of about 9000 feet and noticed winds were changing between 2-5 MPH.
When we finally went hot I laid down behind the rifle and nailed the first target. As I progressed through the targets, near to far, I was pleased to see that my drop was right on all the way to the furthest target. The wind on the targets was ranging around 5-10 MPH, sometimes dropping all the way to 0. I missed a few based on my wind calls, but was able to hit the smallest target at each distance, when I got the wind right. We even got to watch a couple turkeys walk near the 550 yard target, nearly oblivious to the bullets that impacted the steel moments before. The shooters gave that target a break until the turkeys moved off into the trees.
Sunday morning the sight in range opened again for shooters that came in and hadn't checked their zero yet. The match got started with a safety briefing and dividing the shooters up into squads. With the Steel Safari also going on in New Mexico there weren't as many shooters as there typically would be on a summer weekend. I ended up in a squad of only three, which included the match director Mike. We were able to move quickly through the course with such a small group.
Shooting The Match:
To start off, my squad headed out to the farthest targets to the west, targets 9 and 10. This would be our longest walk of the day, and I was glad to get it out of the way early in the morning. When we arrived at the shooting position I checked the density altitude for the morning and noticed that it was just over 8000 feet. Since I was the new shooter I started by scoring and the other two said that they would go first so that I could see how the match was run.
Each shooting stage had a numbered sign that designated the shooting position for that stage. The idea was that you could shoot from anywhere you wanted, as long as you could reach out and touch that sign. For pretty much all of the stages you could see a bare dirt patch were the majority of the shooters choose to shoot that stage from. I found that the obvious place was pretty much always the best place to engage targets from.
Each stage had six targets, with known ranges provided ahead of time. Prior to starting the stage, the shooter had to make sure that any shooting accessories, bags, tripods, etc, were in the same position that they had been carried throughout the day. If you kept your rear bag in your backpack, that's where it had to start the stage. As the shooter stepped up to the shooting station, they would be told to load their rifle and place it on safe. The shooter stayed standing until told to begin. The time limit for all stages was 4 minutes. When the time begins, the shooter goes to prone, retrieves anything that they need from their back, dials their dope, then can engage the targets. Each target can be engaged in any order, as long as the spotter knows which target to watch. The targets are only engaged once each, hit or miss.
The spotter and range officer for the shooter are the other members of their squad. Everyone is responsible for not only their self, but also the safety of the other shooters. After the targets are engaged, one of the shooters makes sure that the rifle is cleared and safe.
With the exception of one, all of the shooting positions are from prone in natural terrain. There is one stage that involves shooting over a pile of logs that requires the shooter to use shooting sticks or a tripod to get up over the obstacle. For the most part, the positions were not the most difficult part of the day, for me it was the wind.
Hit or Miss Wind Calls:
The wind wasn't really all that bad. When I shot in the Battle of Breakneck the winds were averaging 20-25 MPH. But, they were fairly consistent. Here, the highest wind I saw while shooting was probably right around 13-14 MPH, but it was constantly changing. The shooters in my squad would talk about the wind value, based off of a 10 MPH wind from 90 degrees. As we shot we would talk about whether we used a full, half, three-quarter value, etc.
The difficult part was the way the wind was changing. For example, on the last stage, the first two shooters said that they were experiencing about three-quarter to a full value of wind, i.e. 7.5-10 MPH. As I got down and started to engage the target, I held for 3/4 wind, which put the center of my crosshairs just off the left side of the plate. As I let the shot go I could see the dirt fly as my shot impacted exactly where I was aiming. Surprised by the sudden lack of wind, I continued to hit each of the five remaining targets using only a quarter to zero wind hold.
That seemed to be the common thread for the day. While the winds were never very high, the info received from one shooter would be of no use to the next shooters as it increased and decreased constantly. The more that I get involved in this kind of shooting, the more I realize that learning to call the wind is one of the most important skills that a shooter can master. Once you take the time to develop your loads, true your ballistic data and show up to a match, I would say that wind calls will separate more shooters than the gear that they used.
I need to get out in field conditions more often to improve on my wind calls. I have definitely seen an improvement, even over a few months of more serious shooting. When I first started at the local matches with my 308, I had the wind values written down, but the values I used for wind speed were a complete guess. I think I have started improving, but I still have a long ways to go. It's amazing how much difference it makes if your wind call is off just a few MPH.
Wrapping Up:
After shooting the last stage, my squad and I returned to the trucks, first to finish. We waited as the other groups trickled in and turned in their score cards. The score cards were arranged from highest to lowest and once everyone was in, a winner was announced. It turned out the match director I was shooting with took the high score. The next couple places were announced, as well as recognizing the top new shooter and top senior shooter.
I still haven't see the overall scores posted, but I finished somewhere just a little better than the middle of the pack. So far, my goal in these new matches it to aim for a top half or better finish. Talking with some of the other shooters I think that after improving my wind calls, the next most important skill for me to practice is dry firing. I mentioned above that one of the stages involved shooting from a tripod or shooting sticks.
I brought a camera tripod that I have been using that has a sand bag tied to it. Even though that gets the front of the rifle fairly stable, I still need to work on stabilizing the rear of the rifle better. I was only able to get 1 out of 6 points on that stage and I'm sure they were all dropped due to my shooting ability and not the wind!
Dry fire costs the shooter nothing, but can help you to understand your rifle, trigger and other gear such as bags or tripods.
For wind practice, I will start bringing my Kestrel with me as I do other things outdoors and take wind readings in various weather to help tune my observations with actual wind speeds. Even though the winds weren't always the same where I was and where the target was, the more time I spend with the Kestrel, the better I should be able read grasses, trees, etc.
I will also take advantage of any opportunity to shoot long range that I can. During the sight in the day before I was able to test and confirm my DOPE within the first 10-15 rounds. I decided to stay and shoot some more, transitioning between distances and positions. In total I shot about 40 rounds and I could have probably shot some more. I thought that I should have gone and shot the silhouette course at the main NRA Whittington Center. The main ranges at the center were on the opposite sides of the mountains and probably would have presented some different wind to practice with.
One of the shooters I was talking to suggested that we go out Friday night before one of the matches
and shoot all day Saturday, then shoot the match on Sunday. I could definitely use the extra practice!
Overall I had a lot of fun at this match. When I first started getting into the competitive side of long range shooting, this is what I imagined. No sitting at a square range trying to punch a tiny hole in paper. But rather, getting out and carrying gear to different shooting stations, finding the targets in natural terrain and engaging the targets with one round each, hit or miss. My work schedule won't allow me to make it to this match every month, but it is one that I will trying to make it to whenever I can from now on!
I made the four hour drive from the Denver area to attend the monthly Sporting Rifle Match. This match is hosted on the north side of the center, taking advantage of the natural terrain. This shoot takes place over about two miles of valley floor, involving 10 separate shooting stations. The target distances are provided ahead of time and the competitor must engage six targets from each of the designated shooting positions, for a total of 60 possible points. No one has scored a perfect score, so far. The course has evolved over the years, striving to allow the top shooters to hit 90-95% of the targets, but to make a perfect score a true accomplishment.
Sight In Range:
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| Sight in range for the Sporting Rifle Match |
For my DOPE I am still using pre-printed ballistic cards that I made using Density Altitude values in 1000-foot increments. I just bought a Kestrel 5000 wind meter that came two days before I left for the match. It is one of the newer models with a larger screen, Bluetooth link and some other upgrades. I was mainly interested in it because it is one of the lower models that will calculate the density altitude. Click on the picture at right to view it on Amazon, where I bought it. Now I won't have to find another shooter to bother when I'm trying to decide which DOPE card to use. I played with the Kestrel while we were waiting for the range to go hot. I was able to get a DA of about 9000 feet and noticed winds were changing between 2-5 MPH. 
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| Shooter engaging targets at the sight in range |
I was confident my rifle and data were right on within about the first fifteen rounds. Since I don't spend as much time at longer ranges as I would like, I stayed on the range and continued to shoot. I spent some time practicing dialing elevation and holding windage as I transitioned between different, random distances. I also practiced shooting from a tripod as this is one of my weaker positions and I was told there would be at least one stage shot from sticks or tripod.
Once I finished sighting in I went around to the south side of the Whittington Center. I wanted to see the rest of the center and decided, being a cheapskate, that I would spend the night in the primitive campground for $12 rather than paying for a hotel in Raton. I ended up setting up my tent without the rain fly and enjoyed the mostly clear sky and bold stars throughout the night.
The next morning I got up and tore down camp. I headed back to the north side of the property to shoot. I was curious to see how many shooters would be there. The weather was supposed to be great, but the Steel Safari match was the same weekend, so they expected several of the regular shooters to be at that match instead.
Shooter's Meeting:
Shooter's Meeting:
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| Walking to the first stage of the day |
Shooting The Match:
To start off, my squad headed out to the farthest targets to the west, targets 9 and 10. This would be our longest walk of the day, and I was glad to get it out of the way early in the morning. When we arrived at the shooting position I checked the density altitude for the morning and noticed that it was just over 8000 feet. Since I was the new shooter I started by scoring and the other two said that they would go first so that I could see how the match was run.
Each shooting stage had a numbered sign that designated the shooting position for that stage. The idea was that you could shoot from anywhere you wanted, as long as you could reach out and touch that sign. For pretty much all of the stages you could see a bare dirt patch were the majority of the shooters choose to shoot that stage from. I found that the obvious place was pretty much always the best place to engage targets from.
Each stage had six targets, with known ranges provided ahead of time. Prior to starting the stage, the shooter had to make sure that any shooting accessories, bags, tripods, etc, were in the same position that they had been carried throughout the day. If you kept your rear bag in your backpack, that's where it had to start the stage. As the shooter stepped up to the shooting station, they would be told to load their rifle and place it on safe. The shooter stayed standing until told to begin. The time limit for all stages was 4 minutes. When the time begins, the shooter goes to prone, retrieves anything that they need from their back, dials their dope, then can engage the targets. Each target can be engaged in any order, as long as the spotter knows which target to watch. The targets are only engaged once each, hit or miss.
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| Shooter engaging targets while the spotter calls hits |
With the exception of one, all of the shooting positions are from prone in natural terrain. There is one stage that involves shooting over a pile of logs that requires the shooter to use shooting sticks or a tripod to get up over the obstacle. For the most part, the positions were not the most difficult part of the day, for me it was the wind.
Hit or Miss Wind Calls:
The wind wasn't really all that bad. When I shot in the Battle of Breakneck the winds were averaging 20-25 MPH. But, they were fairly consistent. Here, the highest wind I saw while shooting was probably right around 13-14 MPH, but it was constantly changing. The shooters in my squad would talk about the wind value, based off of a 10 MPH wind from 90 degrees. As we shot we would talk about whether we used a full, half, three-quarter value, etc.
 |
| There wouldn't be a windmill if there wasn't any wind, would there? |
That seemed to be the common thread for the day. While the winds were never very high, the info received from one shooter would be of no use to the next shooters as it increased and decreased constantly. The more that I get involved in this kind of shooting, the more I realize that learning to call the wind is one of the most important skills that a shooter can master. Once you take the time to develop your loads, true your ballistic data and show up to a match, I would say that wind calls will separate more shooters than the gear that they used.
I need to get out in field conditions more often to improve on my wind calls. I have definitely seen an improvement, even over a few months of more serious shooting. When I first started at the local matches with my 308, I had the wind values written down, but the values I used for wind speed were a complete guess. I think I have started improving, but I still have a long ways to go. It's amazing how much difference it makes if your wind call is off just a few MPH.
Wrapping Up:
After shooting the last stage, my squad and I returned to the trucks, first to finish. We waited as the other groups trickled in and turned in their score cards. The score cards were arranged from highest to lowest and once everyone was in, a winner was announced. It turned out the match director I was shooting with took the high score. The next couple places were announced, as well as recognizing the top new shooter and top senior shooter. I still haven't see the overall scores posted, but I finished somewhere just a little better than the middle of the pack. So far, my goal in these new matches it to aim for a top half or better finish. Talking with some of the other shooters I think that after improving my wind calls, the next most important skill for me to practice is dry firing. I mentioned above that one of the stages involved shooting from a tripod or shooting sticks.
I brought a camera tripod that I have been using that has a sand bag tied to it. Even though that gets the front of the rifle fairly stable, I still need to work on stabilizing the rear of the rifle better. I was only able to get 1 out of 6 points on that stage and I'm sure they were all dropped due to my shooting ability and not the wind!
Dry fire costs the shooter nothing, but can help you to understand your rifle, trigger and other gear such as bags or tripods.
For wind practice, I will start bringing my Kestrel with me as I do other things outdoors and take wind readings in various weather to help tune my observations with actual wind speeds. Even though the winds weren't always the same where I was and where the target was, the more time I spend with the Kestrel, the better I should be able read grasses, trees, etc.
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| Shooting the last stage we had to wait for some turkeys to move past the first target |
One of the shooters I was talking to suggested that we go out Friday night before one of the matches
and shoot all day Saturday, then shoot the match on Sunday. I could definitely use the extra practice!
Overall I had a lot of fun at this match. When I first started getting into the competitive side of long range shooting, this is what I imagined. No sitting at a square range trying to punch a tiny hole in paper. But rather, getting out and carrying gear to different shooting stations, finding the targets in natural terrain and engaging the targets with one round each, hit or miss. My work schedule won't allow me to make it to this match every month, but it is one that I will trying to make it to whenever I can from now on!
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