Getting ready for my first NRL Hunter match
- Thread starter punkur67
- Start date
Weather today was much better. I had some good stages and not so good stages. I ended up placing 50th ot of 67 but it was still a fun experience and I learned a bunch about this style of competition. I hoped to place closer to mid pack but I had a bunch of new skills and tactics to learn. It was great to shoot with @NBK and hang out all weekend. I even got spoiled with some fresh elk steaks.
That's all you need. Even if you don't meet power factor and/or are too heavy you can still compete in the skills division
The NRL Hunter Match is an amazing event surrounded by amazing people of all ages and genders. After attending and and shooting the event, I have a different perspective on how to approach hunting scenarios. It truly will advance your skills as a hunter and shooter. And any hunting gun will work fine. A pair of binoculars, a range finder (there were two young marines who did not have a rangefinder and milled all of their targets manually) and a shooting rest of sorts will get the job done.
Guns are weighed for class, then shot through a chronograph to calculate a power factor. Generally it will be a 6.5/.260 or greater to meet the required power factor. There were 20 stages with a possible combination of one, two or four targets needing to be engaged. If the stage has one target you have to engage the target once from 4 different positions. If the stage has two targets you have to engage each target twice from two different positions in sequence, and if there is four targets you have to engage each target once in four different positions. Positions means move, relocate position 12 inches or greater within the shooting box/area. You have a possible total of 8 rounds per stage. This has to all be done in 4 minutes. So - find targets, range targets, calculate dope and shoot in sequence. Sounds easy but it is a mind scramble with a clock ticking.
Targets are 200 yards out to about 1200 yards but the majority of targets are in the 200 - 500 yard range. You are only told what targets are in each stage and what sequence to shoot them (right to left or left to right, near to far etc.). Finding and ranging are your deal. And the RO's will only tell you if you hit or miss.
This event had the following targets:
Bears
Pigs
Prairie dogs
Gargoyels
Sasquash - Yeti's
Wolves
Rectangles
Squares
Diamonds, clubs, hearts and spades
As you can see in the pictures, the terrain is exactly what we hunt in. You will generally hike about 6+ miles during the event with your gear and rifle. And just like hunting, you need to be prepared for any environment. We were met with warm sunshine, cold dark clouds, rain, snow and hail. It was quite something.
Food was served in the field and on the last day a very, very good taco truck had all you could eat during the closing event. Prizes and clothing for all who attended. Also, you are able to talk with some of the best shooters in the nation and get real tips and tricks to help your hunting and shooting skills in the field. Also Leupold, Sig Sauer, Swarovski and Thunder Beast Suppressor's were there and you could use/ test their gear. They had suppressor rentals!!! And the new Sig Sauer Kilo 10,000 is the real deal. Save your shuckles!
And getting a look at all of the rifles in the event, 8 out of 10 rifles had Mark 5 Leupold's. A telling statistic. Go USA!!!
This event was a gift and truly a game changer for hunters. Maybe more of a changer than 15X Swarovski's.
I hope SCH folks take advantage of the next local event. You all truly missed out. SCH could possibly sponsor a small discount on the next event (we will look into). And we could have an SCH prize winner as well (one in each rifle class).
The San Diego Precision Rifle Club is working on possibly creating some one day events in the future.
Guns are weighed for class, then shot through a chronograph to calculate a power factor. Generally it will be a 6.5/.260 or greater to meet the required power factor. There were 20 stages with a possible combination of one, two or four targets needing to be engaged. If the stage has one target you have to engage the target once from 4 different positions. If the stage has two targets you have to engage each target twice from two different positions in sequence, and if there is four targets you have to engage each target once in four different positions. Positions means move, relocate position 12 inches or greater within the shooting box/area. You have a possible total of 8 rounds per stage. This has to all be done in 4 minutes. So - find targets, range targets, calculate dope and shoot in sequence. Sounds easy but it is a mind scramble with a clock ticking.
Targets are 200 yards out to about 1200 yards but the majority of targets are in the 200 - 500 yard range. You are only told what targets are in each stage and what sequence to shoot them (right to left or left to right, near to far etc.). Finding and ranging are your deal. And the RO's will only tell you if you hit or miss.
This event had the following targets:
Bears
Pigs
Prairie dogs
Gargoyels
Sasquash - Yeti's
Wolves
Rectangles
Squares
Diamonds, clubs, hearts and spades
As you can see in the pictures, the terrain is exactly what we hunt in. You will generally hike about 6+ miles during the event with your gear and rifle. And just like hunting, you need to be prepared for any environment. We were met with warm sunshine, cold dark clouds, rain, snow and hail. It was quite something.
Food was served in the field and on the last day a very, very good taco truck had all you could eat during the closing event. Prizes and clothing for all who attended. Also, you are able to talk with some of the best shooters in the nation and get real tips and tricks to help your hunting and shooting skills in the field. Also Leupold, Sig Sauer, Swarovski and Thunder Beast Suppressor's were there and you could use/ test their gear. They had suppressor rentals!!! And the new Sig Sauer Kilo 10,000 is the real deal. Save your shuckles!
And getting a look at all of the rifles in the event, 8 out of 10 rifles had Mark 5 Leupold's. A telling statistic. Go USA!!!
This event was a gift and truly a game changer for hunters. Maybe more of a changer than 15X Swarovski's.
I hope SCH folks take advantage of the next local event. You all truly missed out. SCH could possibly sponsor a small discount on the next event (we will look into). And we could have an SCH prize winner as well (one in each rifle class).
The San Diego Precision Rifle Club is working on possibly creating some one day events in the future.
It was a fantastic event and really challenged my idea of what shooting was really about. While I managed to do relatively ok prone, majority of stages did not allow for such luxury. Most of the time you had to shoot off a tripod on relatively uneven ground which I have never done before. In the end I did not manage to score high but I left with a massive amount of in-the-field experience which will hopefully help me develop as a shooter. Overall I am very glad I participated.
A massive thank you to @NBK for inviting me out and a massive thank you to @punkur67 for the coaching.
I will 100% be doing this as well as some other PRS style matches in the future.
A massive thank you to @NBK for inviting me out and a massive thank you to @punkur67 for the coaching.
I will 100% be doing this as well as some other PRS style matches in the future.
I was happy to offer any help that I could. It was fun shooting with you
Glad you guys had a good time, it was really cool seeing all the new shooters come out and shoot the match. I have shot many, many matches and I dont think I've ever seen one with that many first time shooters. Very cool, and I hope you guys will come back for more lol. I will say, the weather made this an uncharacteristically difficult match. 40mph wind, rain and hail is definitely not the "norm" and the distance hiked between stages was longer than usual as well. I shot the course of fire on Friday and it was challenging for sure, and a ton of fun.
I didn't get a chance to introduce myself to two of you because I didn't know who you were until I just saw the pictures posted here, but I recognize you guys now after the fact lol. I was the RO on stage 1 (1220 yard boar) and stage 16 (4 octagons) for reference. And of course @punkur67, we talked quite a bit and I recognize you from Pala matches as well.
Great shooting all of you!
I didn't get a chance to introduce myself to two of you because I didn't know who you were until I just saw the pictures posted here, but I recognize you guys now after the fact lol. I was the RO on stage 1 (1220 yard boar) and stage 16 (4 octagons) for reference. And of course @punkur67, we talked quite a bit and I recognize you from Pala matches as well.
Great shooting all of you!
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Who is ready to try the match this year!
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2023 Mason Valley Steel Hunter - NRL HUNTER
2023 MASON VALLEY STEEL HUNTER BY ABEL CO USA MDs: Serge Ducourneau and Jeff ShafferLocation: Julian, CaliforniaDates: March 3-5, 2023Cost: $175 Skills, $275 Individual, $550 for teams REGISTER INDIVIDUAL REGISTER TEAM Range Location: 12898-12438 County Hwy S2 Julian Ca 92036 (More detailed...
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