Guest Author: Brad Armstrong
After shooting competitively for almost 3 years now, I’ve picked up a few things along the way regarding match preparation from other top level shooters.
Confirm Zero
For every match big or small, I always make sure my scope is still zeroed for the conditions I’ll be shooting in. Since different temps give us a different muzzle velocity even with the same lot of ammo, I try to get data for velocity in as many temps as possible to make sure my ballistic calculator has the best possible data for the match. I take advantage of confirming my DOPE (data of previous engagements) past 100 yards any chance I get just to get familiarized with the trajectory in different temps and wind conditions and make sure everything is working correctly with my ballistic calculator.
Know Every Stage
Another thing I do regarding match preparation is to create an attack plan for every stage and barricade that will be on the course of fire and determine what equipment I should utilize to give myself the best results possible.
Stages that are in the woods make match preparation a bit different. Taking advantage of the illuminated reticle in the TORIC ELR 4-25 allowed me to score extremely well and was impressed with how well the scope performed in low light.
DOPE Cards
"Never Underestimate the power of simple information on a DOPE card in accordance with your match preparation!"
Anyone who does this discipline will also know that DOPE cards are one of the most important tools we can use during a match, I include information such as my elevation or wind hold as well as a clear and simple way to remind myself of the target engagement order. Oftentimes, shooters make a mistake and engage targets out of order and it could be completely avoided by having the information on your DOPE cards. Never underestimate the power of simple information on a DOPE card!
Experienced Long Range Shooters like Sean Utley know the value of effective match preparation.
Match Preparation Results
A nearby club recently hosted the Indiana NRL22 State Championship and I was honored to be a competitor as well as a volunteer with a very solid group of shooters and friends. The match consisted of 12 stages across 3 different locations on the property, we shot in a rifle range, in an open field, and back in a woods with some low light. It was a long day full of unique and challenging stages. The stages that were back in the woods made me take advantage of the illuminated reticle on the TORIC ELR 4-25. I was very impressed with how well the scope performed in such a low light environment. We shot the match in 2 separate days, day 1 was the RO (range officer) match and day 2 was for the overall shooters match. I shot on day one with the other RO’s and to my surprise, I managed to pull off the win. It’s been my biggest accomplishment so far while shooting competitively and has given me a boost of confidence in my abilities and in my gear.
About The Author
My name is Brad Armstrong, I’m a NRL22 Match Director and Competitor from Kokomo, IN. I’ve been a shooter for as long as I can remember since starting out with a BB gun my father got me for Christmas when I was young and I was immediately hooked on shooting. As the years went by I started to get deeper and deeper into the firearm world and I reached a point where I thought it would be fun to shoot in a type of competition, hence my thoughts on match preparation. I tossed around the idea of shooting steel challenge, IDPA, PRS, but they all had one thing in common for me. There weren't any clubs offering these disciplines nearby, so I just continued to shoot guns recreationally.
Josh Thomas of Pursuit of Accuracy explains one of the most important parts of shooting - Follow Through
Pursuit of Accuracy
One day while browsing the internet, I came across the most amazing shooting discipline geared specifically for me, and that discipline is NRL22/NRL22X. I came across a video from Josh Thomas (Pursuit of Accuracy) where he was showcasing precision rimfire and I felt like I was watching a video that was created specifically for me. It took no time before I dove headfirst and researched clubs in Indiana that hosted this discipline. After a couple days of obsessively watching every NRL22 related video I could find, I went to the local gun shop and bought myself a CZ457 so I could start competing. After shooting a couple of NRL22 matches, I knew I finally found the perfect hobby. I was so hooked that I volunteered at my local shooting club to start hosting matches of my own for NRL22 and it’s been extremely fulfilling ever since. I have now been match director for NRL22 since May of 2022 and I have had a front row seat at watching this discipline continue to gain extreme popularity.