We have a really fun 2-gun (rifle & pistol) action match down here in the desert that I shoot every month. It's more fun than the other multigun matches I've participated in because it emphasizes physical stress and unorthodox shooting instead of just hosing a ton of targets. It frequently involves things like shooting rifle weak-shouldered, crawling under things, hauling weights around, and sprinting between shooting positions. Great fun!
Well, the guys at SMG Guns saw some video I did of previous months' matches (the last couple I've shot with a semiauto Bren, semiauto Madsen LMG, SMLE, etc) and asked if I would be interested in running one of their repro FG-42 rifles this month. I said yes, of course, and then came up with a better idea.
I'm handing the FG over to a friend who also shoots the match (help run it, actually) - he will be using it and a Walther P38 for his pistol. I will be shooting the match with a lovely 1940 M1 Garand and my Ballester-Molina (which is basically a 1911). We're going to video both of us through the whole match, and then put the video together split-screened so you can watch us both go through the stages simultaneously. I did that on a previous match with bolt actions, and it made for some pretty cool video.
The FG has a number of advantages - 20 round mags, bipod, 4x scope, and recoil reduction built into the rifle design. The M1, however, is faster to reload and has outstanding iron sights. I also have a lot more experience with the M1 than my friend does with the FG, although he's overall definitely a better shooter than I am. We were just out at the range yesterday zeroing both rifles (my M1 is dead on), and I'm getting really excited about the match. I happen to have some inside info that it will involve prone shooting out of a ditch at about 175 yards at a 1/4 scale silhouette and a stage where you have to engage a bunch of pistol targets and then break out of your position with a rifle, loading on the run. Muahahaha!
The match is on Saturday the 19th, and I should have the video ready to go sometime the next day. I'm hoping I can win, but I know it's going to be a ton of fun regardless!
Well, the guys at SMG Guns saw some video I did of previous months' matches (the last couple I've shot with a semiauto Bren, semiauto Madsen LMG, SMLE, etc) and asked if I would be interested in running one of their repro FG-42 rifles this month. I said yes, of course, and then came up with a better idea.
I'm handing the FG over to a friend who also shoots the match (help run it, actually) - he will be using it and a Walther P38 for his pistol. I will be shooting the match with a lovely 1940 M1 Garand and my Ballester-Molina (which is basically a 1911). We're going to video both of us through the whole match, and then put the video together split-screened so you can watch us both go through the stages simultaneously. I did that on a previous match with bolt actions, and it made for some pretty cool video.
The FG has a number of advantages - 20 round mags, bipod, 4x scope, and recoil reduction built into the rifle design. The M1, however, is faster to reload and has outstanding iron sights. I also have a lot more experience with the M1 than my friend does with the FG, although he's overall definitely a better shooter than I am. We were just out at the range yesterday zeroing both rifles (my M1 is dead on), and I'm getting really excited about the match. I happen to have some inside info that it will involve prone shooting out of a ditch at about 175 yards at a 1/4 scale silhouette and a stage where you have to engage a bunch of pistol targets and then break out of your position with a rifle, loading on the run. Muahahaha!
The match is on Saturday the 19th, and I should have the video ready to go sometime the next day. I'm hoping I can win, but I know it's going to be a ton of fun regardless!