SuedePflow
Member
Random thoughts and advice:
* I would recommend a magazine-fed gun with at least 10-rd capacity. 13-rd capacity would be even better. Most people in my class shot with Ruger 10/22's (myself included). But many other guns will be fine too. There were also a couple M1 Garands and an AR15 shooting .223.
* Bring ammo that your rifle likes. The ammo I brought was sub-par and I had lots of issues (misfires, failure-to-feeds, stove pipes). As rdhood mentioned, you can lose precious time clearing ammo malfunctions and sometimes you won't finish a string on an AQT as a result. This happened to me and it was frusterating. On one AQT, the stars aligned and I was shooting 5's on almost everything. Then I get to the last target on prone shooting, and a jammed spent casing caused a misfeed. It was tough to clear, and as soon as I did and jammed the magazine back in and lined up my scope, I heard "CEASE FIRE". Never took my last 3 shots of that string. I missed out on a potential 15 points, which would have put me at a 240. Live and learn.
* A scope is not nessacery, but it very beneficial. In general, most people with scopes did better than the hard sight shooters. And anyone who had an adjustable magnification scope was required to crank it down to the lowest setting. You won't need any more than a 3x or 4x scope anyway. I used a Nikon ProStaff Rimfire 4 x 32 with Nikoplex reticle. I absolutely love this scope. And they can be had on Amazon for $110 shipped.
* A quick disconnect for the sling at the front of the rifle is handy. I kept my sling on my arm for much of the day and simply hooked up when I got on the firing line. It seemed to be easier and quicker for myself and one other guy that was doing it.
* A shooting mat is a worthy investment. A decent one only runs $30 at Midway USA. I used a movers blanket and it worked just fine, but I plan to pick up a shooting mat on my next Midway order. If you don't have anything at all to lay on, chances on that your instructors will have extras that you can borrow.
* I would recommend a magazine-fed gun with at least 10-rd capacity. 13-rd capacity would be even better. Most people in my class shot with Ruger 10/22's (myself included). But many other guns will be fine too. There were also a couple M1 Garands and an AR15 shooting .223.
* Bring ammo that your rifle likes. The ammo I brought was sub-par and I had lots of issues (misfires, failure-to-feeds, stove pipes). As rdhood mentioned, you can lose precious time clearing ammo malfunctions and sometimes you won't finish a string on an AQT as a result. This happened to me and it was frusterating. On one AQT, the stars aligned and I was shooting 5's on almost everything. Then I get to the last target on prone shooting, and a jammed spent casing caused a misfeed. It was tough to clear, and as soon as I did and jammed the magazine back in and lined up my scope, I heard "CEASE FIRE". Never took my last 3 shots of that string. I missed out on a potential 15 points, which would have put me at a 240. Live and learn.
* A scope is not nessacery, but it very beneficial. In general, most people with scopes did better than the hard sight shooters. And anyone who had an adjustable magnification scope was required to crank it down to the lowest setting. You won't need any more than a 3x or 4x scope anyway. I used a Nikon ProStaff Rimfire 4 x 32 with Nikoplex reticle. I absolutely love this scope. And they can be had on Amazon for $110 shipped.
* A quick disconnect for the sling at the front of the rifle is handy. I kept my sling on my arm for much of the day and simply hooked up when I got on the firing line. It seemed to be easier and quicker for myself and one other guy that was doing it.
* A shooting mat is a worthy investment. A decent one only runs $30 at Midway USA. I used a movers blanket and it worked just fine, but I plan to pick up a shooting mat on my next Midway order. If you don't have anything at all to lay on, chances on that your instructors will have extras that you can borrow.
