Long Range Rifle/Scope/PRS question(s)

[Walkalong]

Gun is a bit top heavy, needs a little weight in the bottom of the rear of the stock. Super light from the action back. I only ordered one box of the Hornady 108 ELD ammo, so I need to get some more, as well as figure out what I want to do for dies. FL bushing sizer, or maybe a FL sizer with the neck honed out for brass brand ABC.....

 

[z7]

This is where I'm at. Can you provide some insight into a good home made barricade that could cover most if not all of the bases, and will enable me to practice exactly what you describe above. I remember @taliv posting a photo a few years ago of a barricade that he built. I'd like to make something this spring that I can wheel around the yard and use for practice so that when I get to my first match I'm not scratching my head and thinking huh!

@Walkalong, you're off to a good start and it looks like that Hornady stuff is more than good enough for a match or two. As @Nature Boy noted, it will be good to see what you can do with handloads, probably tiny little bug holes.

A step ladder works for me, there are lots of ways to make a “barricade” but if you have a step ladder, a chair, a fence/fence post, a truck bed, you can get 99% of the practice done without needing to “build” anything

 

[Varminterror]

The most important barricade in my life lives in my basement. I have two barricades in the field at my private spots, one a standard PRS Skills Barricade, and the other with more stair steps and portholes. But I touch this one almost every day I’m not on the road for work. The feet are just a friction fit, the barricade frame slides down into the feet, so they pop off and the whole thing can slide under my son’s trampoline (to the right of the exercise area pictured). I have scaled targets hung on the wall at 10yrds, and practice building positions and dry firing on the barricade as much as possible. The 4 heights were selected as the awful “tweeners” which don’t fit my body at all.

 

[z7]

Gun is a bit top heavy, needs a little weight in the bottom of the rear of the stock. Super light from the action back. I only ordered one box of the Hornady 108 ELD ammo, so I need to get some more, as well as figure out what I want to do for dies. FL bushing sizer, or maybe a FL sizer with the neck honed out for brass brand ABC.....

KRG announced at Shot Show that steel spacers will be available soon to add weight, but I can’t tell if you are using any LOP spacers

 

[MCMXI]

A step ladder works for me, there are lots of ways to make a “barricade” but if you have a step ladder, a chair, a fence/fence post, a truck bed, you can get 99% of the practice done without needing to “build” anything

Are the barricades in PRS matches typically fairly stable or do they tend to be a bit wobbly? "Rooftop" shots seem to be an issue for many based on some of the matches shown on the Outdoor channel and similar.

 

[MCMXI]

The most important barricade in my life lives in my basement. I have two barricades in the field at my private spots, one a standard PRS Skills Barricade, and the other with more stair steps and portholes. But I touch this one almost every day I’m not on the road for work. The feet are just a friction fit, the barricade frame slides down into the feet, so they pop off and the whole thing can slide under my son’s trampoline (to the right of the exercise area pictured). I have scaled targets hung on the wall at 10yrds, and practice building positions and dry firing on the barricade as much as possible. The 4 heights were selected as the awful “tweeners” which don’t fit my body at all.

@Varminterror , very nice setup you have there. The "tweeners" concept is excellent. I worked for quite a few years as a commerical diver and welder so I tend to make stuff out of steel. I'm thinking that I could make something with pins that is adjustable for various heights.

 

[Varminterror]

Are the barricades in PRS matches typically fairly stable or do they tend to be a bit wobbly?

You’ll find both. Some are fixed incredibly rigid, some have a lot of movement. You’ll also see a lot of different obstacles - cattle gates staked up by T-posts, or cargo nets - which have a lot of travel. One of the 5 ranges in Kansas which host monthly PRS matches has a tic-tac-toe board, aka wobbly window - it’s basically an oversized 9 pane window frame which is mounted on a horizontal axis, so it would roll all the way around.

The wobbly stuff is where being well practiced with a tripod rear support helps a lot. Shooting free recoil typically helps minimize barricade movement even without the rear support, but some are just going to wobble/wiggle/swing/sway...

"Rooftop" shots seem to be an issue for many based on some of the matches shown on the Outdoor channel and similar.

I think rooftops are infamously over-thought. There are a lot of ways to shoot a rooftop which all work, so you see a lot of guys trying different things, but rooftops really shouldn’t be difficult. Find what method works best for your game and live happy. I usually just drop my Fortune Cookie on the crest on its side, settle my rifle into the bag, and shoot free recoil - same trick for 90% of obstacles. I occasionally use a pump pillow or pack as a rear support, but only if the targets are small/far. I’ve done rooftops by hooking a barricade block on the front lip with the forend resting on the peak and using a rear bag, and by standing my bipod against the front face with a rear bag, stack of packs under the entire rifle, knee under belly, toes and knees... all of it works, but I’ve come to be most comfortable with simply dropping my FC on the peak and free recoiling. Keep it simple, don’t fuss with too much gear, and repurpose the same technique as broadly as possible so you don’t have to carry a ton of gear and don’t have to have a huge repertoire of tricks. Much easier to be great at fewer tricks than good at lots of tricks.

 

[z7]

I like to use a “pillow” type bag in the rear for roof tops and a barricade bag on the crest of the roof, then I climb on the roof and get into a “fetal” position with my knees, shins and elbows I the roof, chest and butstock supported by the pillow, I can control the recoil and spot my shots this way and it is pretty quick, last match I cleaned a rooftop stage, 90 second 12 shots, 3 targets

 

[taliv]

[URL]https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/backyard-barricade-for-dry-fire-practice.717256/[/URL]

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/barricade-practice-cont.776362/

Lol can’t help but notice there’s never a lot of replies to posts about shooting positional lol. I have a dream that someday 99% of the posts will be about shooting and 1% about which gun to buy

 

[Varminterror]

Lol can’t help but notice there’s never a lot of replies to posts about shooting positional lol. I have a dream that someday 99% of the posts will be about shooting and 1% about which gun to buy

Haha - keep dreaming, amigo!

 

[taliv]

Rooftops are easy. Don’t overthink them. Even movers off rooftops aren’t that hard. The only challenge is some are steep and slick and you need one hand or something to hold yourself up which leaves one for shooting.

If you go to the big ranges like km and core and rifles only where the props are permanent they tend to be very stable. The club matches where they move the props around and bring them out for match day and put them away later tend to be more wobbly.

 

[MCMXI]

i probably won't have the amish burning up my phone asking for woodworking tips, but it is removable so i can keep it out of the elements and my wife can mow. i sunk a foot of PVC pipe and then just drop the 2x2 legs into it. kind of a mix of shelves and just ports, with common elevations covered.

10 ports, 60 seconds and a roll of five 10-sided dice makes a pretty good drill. i knew there was a reason i kept all that dungeons and dragons stuff from the 80s!

@taliv, six years later are the common elevations the same? If so, what are they? How tall is your rectangular barricade with the ports?

@taliv, @Varminterror and @z7, you've all been very helpful and this thread that @Walkalong started is growing into an excellent resource for those of us thinking about getting into PRS style matches.

 

[taliv]

I wouldn’t say there are any standard elevations

It’s 4x8 sheet of plywood cut in half so 4x4

Here’s generally the structured approach I’d take. You’ll find some positions that are so low you’ll have to go prone. Then a higher prone up on your elbows. Then low kneeling. And sitting. And kneeling. High kneeling.

Along the way sometimes you’ll be able to prop your elbow on your knee for rear support. Sometimes you can rest the butt of your gun on your knee.

It’s pretty much up to you and your body type to figure out how high a barricade is before you switch to the next most stable position.
Take some notes.

What I would do in matches back in the day when we weren’t allowed to ghost the stage but were allowed to be close to the props, was to measure the height with my leg. If it came up so far on my shin or to my knee etc that would tel me which position to use. That way I wouldn’t try to shoot sitting and then realize I needed to get higher and switch to kneeling.

 

[taliv]

 

[taliv]

more ideas in the post above of some things you might shoot off of. pretty much everything in that post is solid. you can see the range of heights. you also need to take into account how wide what you're shooting off of is. if it's at an angle. how much room you have above (you may not be able to fit a game changer or fortune cookie in the port holes in my barricade. and some of them are specifically sized to obscure part of your scope, while most of the stuff in the post above is super easy to pick your rifle straight up off the barricade rather than having to insert it.

 

[MCMXI]

Very nice rifle! The aiaw are awesome. The “old” axmc are even more awesome. I saw old cause milehigh and europtics both have them discounted over $1000 off to make room for the asr.

Wish I’d collected one of each lefthanded while I could. Oh well

I've been doing a lot of thinking about firearms over the past week and came to the conclusion that I have a bit of an addiction to Accuracy International rifles. My sister lives about 20 minutes from the AI factory in Portsmouth, England and I was lucky enough to visit the facility back in March of 2008 and get a private tour from Graeme Clarke. In truth, I was lusting after their stuff long before the tour and once I could afford it I bought three of the legacy AW and AWMs from Diann at MHSA.

I spoke with Dan at MHSA this morning and have decided to add an AX308 to my safe. I'll probably invest in a Nightforce ATACR or a Vortex Razor HD Gen II for the AX. I passed over the cheaper AT because it's very similar to my AWs adding only a faster barrel change and adjustable trigger shoe. The AX308 is multicaliber just like my AWs but has the quick change barrel and the AX chassis/stock so it's a good upgrade to what I have. I want to sell a firearm or two before I make the purchase but I'm excited at the prospect of finally having an AX. Since I have two AWMs I don't see the need to buy the magnum action AXMC since I would run it as a .308 Win, 6.5 CM, 6.5 x47 Lapua or 6mm CM and I have a bunch of magazines for the AWMs already along with thousands of 250gr LS bullets. I'll probably keep the new AX as a .308 Win or use it in PRS type matches after buying a 6.5mm/6mm barrel and change my AW back to .308 Win. If I stay with .308 Win or 6.5 CM the larger firing pin won't be an issue. I'm fairly sure that my addiction won't be satisfied until I add an AX50 and ASR to my collection in the coming years but for now the AW, AWMs and AX will do. I've always lamented the fact that my AW is no longer a .308 Win but recognize the benefits that the 6.5 CM offers for long range precision shooting . The idea of being able to have a .308 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor is very appealing to me since I still prefer the .308 Win over the 6.5 CM as an all-around cartridge.

 

[Walkalong]

So what, I guess more like when, are the two rounds in the little holders stuck on the side of stock for.

 

[MCMXI]

So what, I guess more like when, are the two rounds in the little holders stuck on the side of stock for.

Hand feeding rounds into the chamber rather than removing and inserting a full magazine for those times when you only need a couple more hits on the stage? It's faster to throw a round in the chamber if you only need one as opposed to the alternative.

 

[Varminterror]

The spare round quiver is insurance in case you ever have a misfeed or misfire.

Feeding and mag problems are the biggest issues I see at matches. Most matches do see one dude who has a failure to extract, meaning someone goes running for the truck to get a rod to knock it out, but that’s one dude out of each match. Usually a guy who’s pushing pressure or running a new load, or a rainy day. The mag/feeding issues are rampant, not just one dude/rifle, it’s ridiculously common.

The SAP quiver is cheap insurance. I never want to use them, but I don’t want to be without them. I also keep a spare mag in a holster on my hip in case I need to bail on an entire mag as well. For example, I shot a stage which required 12 rounds, and on a lark, I tried wedging a 12th round into an AW mag - it fit! But it dang sure wasn’t loose enough to feed, it crashed the feed ramp and wasn’t going anywhere. When I dropped the mag, rounds sprayed out everywhere... I stuck my spare mag into the rifle, an AICS 10rnd mag, and then ran my 2 spares from the quiver. Lost a few seconds, but ended up just about the same total time as everyone else who had started with 10rnds plus a mag change.

 

[z7]

The 2 round sap holder really comes in handy when you are dumb (like me) and load 11 rds into a 12 rd mag for a 12 rd stage,
Or
Because you move the rifle with an open bolt some guys will close the bolt after a shot, realize they need an open bolt to move, muscle memory takes over and they eject a perfectly good round opening the bolt, now that extra round is on the deck....or better on the side of your rifle

It is a handy, quick, cheap, and secure way to carry two extra rounds that may save a stage for you

 

[Walkalong]

The mag/feeding issues are rampant, not just one dude/rifle, it’s ridiculously common.

That is surprising to me. So, how much of it is poor reloads?

 

[Walkalong]

some guys will close the bolt after a shot, realize they need an open bolt to move, muscle memory takes over and they eject a perfectly good round opening the bolt, now that extra round is on the deck.

Heh, yea, not good.

 

[Walkalong]

I know one thing, the AIAW mag sure loads easier than the P-Mag that came with the gun.

 

[Walkalong]

Are the Ruger mags any good?

 

[Varminterror]

some guys will close the bolt after a shot, realize they need an open bolt to move, muscle memory takes over and they eject a perfectly good round opening the bolt,

This happens a lot - a guy really needs to practice simply lifting the bolt, not opening it. I’ve done it also, but I do practice lifting, not opening.

That is surprising to me. So, how much of it is poor reloads?

I’d really say not many are really poor reloads. I guess you could say some guys have their bullets seated too long or short for their lips, but it’s a lot of missed pick ups or bolt crashes from guys putting pressure one way or the other on the mag, followed directly behind by a second most popular feed failure of guys short stroking and missing the pick up.