First match!

[Tim Singleton]

i listened to a good message the other day having to do with suffering from perfectionism and fear of criticism
Sometimes we have such a fear of criticism we just choose to do nothing rather than not be perfect in something we do. So we just dont do whatever it is we may want to try

When I heard this I thought of my first registered match and how I had started and backed out a number of times. Practiced on my own for 2 years before I finally went so I wouldn’t suck so bad

If you’ve always wanted to go out and join in the competition step on out. Don’t let the fear of not being the best right away rob you of a great joy!

Go shoot a match!

 

[LA50SHOOTER]

100% Agree with Tim, - I shot the IBS 1000 yd. Nationals at Deep Creek, MT as a rookie IBS member (First ever IBS Match). - I learned a lot about what I need to work on. I did shoot a couple of good groups & Scores as well. - Overall I finished up in the middle of the 84 competitors in both Light & Heavy Gun at Deep Creek. - And I want to continue to compete. - It was a Great Experience with some outstanding people and I was helped out when I asked or needed it right from the beginning of sight-in on practice day.

 

[rjtfroggy]

Felt the same way, so I practiced for another whole year. But I made a BIG, BIG, MISTAKE
I shot at the normal targets one shoots at for 100 yard and did all right but no where near what I should have been shooting at. I should have used 100 yard score targets. Equals wasted time and money.
If you are going to play this game shoot at the target that is used for the discipline you choose ie: score, group, short range or long.

 

[jackson1]

Tim, I am following your path. Practicing and refining both my shooting and reloading techniques. Brought a rifle from Alex, last year and received my competition bullets last May. Have observed a number of matches. Finally in August there was a long qualification class, I passed. Now a some practice. Hope to shoot next May. Could not be happier with my Wheeler Accuracy rifle, having been able to easily hit golf balls at 600 yards is fun, now for group and score. Multiple unexpected family issues have held me back. The information on Accurate Shooter has been a gold mine. Thank you every one.

 

[RO JO]

Tim, et. al., I had many of the same thoughts. I decided if I was going to get in this game, I'd have Alex build a rifle for me and reduce as many variables as I could with decent equipment. With much support from the benchrest guys at Manatee Gun Club in Florida and guys on this site I've never met...Newbieshooter just to mention one! I registered for my first match last November. I look back and remember only being nervous about my bench manners. I won 1 of 4 trophies that day. I encourage everyone who is thinking about competition....just jump in and do it now! All the best! RJ

 

[jimmymac]

i listened to a good message the other day having to do with suffering from perfectionism and fear of criticism
Sometimes we have such a fear of criticism we just choose to do nothing rather than not be perfect in something we do. So we just dont do whatever it is we may want to try

When I heard this I thought of my first registered match and how I had started and backed out a number of times. Practiced on my own for 2 years before I finally went so I wouldn’t suck so bad

If you’ve always wanted to go out and join in the competition step on out. Don’t let the fear of not being the best right away rob you of a great joy!

Go shoot a match!

Good post Tim.

The main thing that held me back for a year was a lack of gear. A big and pricey equipment list awaits the new guy. It took me a while to sort through that.

Once the equipment was assembled, I was still extremely nervous when I shot the Hogroast in May. It wasn’t so much being concerned about criticism or not being perfect. I was more nervous that I’d somehow mess somebody up. I knew I wasn’t going to win. I just didn’t want to have bad bench manners and somehow screw up Tony Boyer, Jack Neary, Jeff Summers, Billy Stevens, Wayne Campbell or a host of other characters who were there to win. Looking back on it, that was rather silly, but at that time I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

The other thing that had me nervous was the uncertainty of not knowing if I’d have enough time to reload and clean the gun and make it back to the line for my next target. My worst fears about that came to fruition on target two of the first morning. Target one was a snap. I was preloaded. Then the fun began. I was reloading as fast as I could and oblivious to what was happening around me when all of a sudden the PA system came on and the range master called me by name to get my butt to the line. Sure enough, everyone was already at their benches as I hustled past with my head down on the way to my bench. I didnt make eye contact with anyone. As expected, target two was horrible. I shot a high 3 when many were shooting in the 1’s. I never did settle down through that 7 minute target and was wondering if I’d make it through the day. I had a big case of opening day jitters.

In the end, I somehow had a great time. I got past the nerves, the reloading stress, the accidental trigger pull on one target that made me chase that bullet hole for the next four shots, and the two cases that had no powder in them that I took to the line on another target. Lots of mistakes, but I got through it.

 

[DHuffman]

Excellent advice Tim!

I shot my first 3 matches ever this summer. 1000 yard IBS at Deep Creek, I would probably still be lurking on the Internet afraid of being the worst guy there but I took Alex Wheeler up on his club gun offer in June and took the plunge.

I got some great one on one coaching from GlenK and all the Deep Creek regulars.

I shot my first ever match of any kind there in June then went back and competed in July with my own rifle then shot the 1000 yard nationals there in August.

New build in the works and I intend to do the full schedule of matches there in 2019

Only regret now is I wish I'd have started years ago!

 

[geo.ulrich]

Good post Tim.

The main thing that held me back for a year was a lack of gear. A big and pricey equipment list awaits the new guy. It took me a while to sort through that.

Once the equipment was assembled, I was still extremely nervous when I shot the Hogroast in May.

A bit of advice for those starting out, find someone to help with buying stuff theres plenty out there most will give you or at least steer you in the right direction so you don't waste money and have a box of stuff you won't use in a year or two.....

 

[jimmymac]

That’s a great point George. I was lucky to have some guidance.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Go to a match. Everything youll need is there to borrow. Youll never get good shooting by yourself with no clock and nobody to ding you for those “flyers”. Just because you dont have a rest or flags dont delay- you will have a setup thrown in front of you or share a bench with a proven rest on it

 

[jimmymac]

Wish someone would have extended that courtesy to me.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Wish someone would have extended that courtesy to me.

All you have to do is go to a match in the south for sure- everywhere else too from what ive seen. Ive seen guys show up with earmuffs wanting to just watch and end up shooting the whole match

 

[JFrank]

All you have to do is go to a match in the south for sure- everywhere else too from what ive seen. Ive seen guys show up with earmuffs wanting to just watch and end up shooting the whole match

Southern Hospitality is on a different level that's for sure.

 

[Ned Ludd]

I went to my very first F-Class match with the intention of winning, and the expectation of coming in dead last. I figured if I came in anywhere in between those two, I'd be perfectly happy LOL. Worrying about how you might do your first time out in competition is a poor excuse for not participating. You'll be missing out on a lot of fun, as well as the opportunity to learn and improve as a shooter.

 

[Stan Taylor]

100% Agree with Tim, - I shot the IBS 1000 yd. Nationals at Deep Creek, MT as a rookie IBS member (First ever IBS Match). - I learned a lot about what I need to work on. I did shoot a couple of good groups & Scores as well. - Overall I finished up in the middle of the 84 competitors in both Light & Heavy Gun at Deep Creek. - And I want to continue to compete. - It was a Great Experience with some outstanding people and I was helped out when I asked or needed it right from the beginning of sight-in on practice day.

You did a fine job rookie just fine proud of you jumping in to the fire feet first

 

[js2013]

Amen. Still remember my 1st match many years ago. Shot a measly 341 out of 500 but I smiled all the way home and have been hooked ever since.

 

[scubohuntr]

When I started shooting NRA High Power, I had no equipment, and no clue. I leased an M14 and a spotting scope from the state shooting sports association and jumped in. After I shot a couple of matches, I bought a CMP M1 (not nearly as accurate as the M14, but just a whole lot of fun to shoot). As things went on, I got a lot of help from fellow shooters at matches and on forums like this one, bought some equipment (jacket, shooting mat, timer, sling) and eventually built a Palma rifle and a X-Course bolt gun.

I have a Sharpshooter classification card in High Power, and also in Long Range and Light Rifle. I'm not a High Master shooter, and I never will be. I'm okay with that. I'm old, fat, and asthmatic, and good shooters are athletes. I could no more shoot HM scores than I could run a marathon. What I am is a lot better shooter than I was before. I like Ned's point about an intention of winning and an expectation of coming in last. The way I always figured it, in every match, someone has to come in last. Better me than someone who would feel bad about it. In every match, no matter how miserably I finished, there are always a few shots I can look back on when everything clicked and I drilled an X. Those are the moments I shoot for.

Last fall I had a shot at a whitetail at a lasered 216 yards, in high grass which ruled out prone or even sitting. Before I started shooting high power, that would have been out of range, period. After thousands of rounds practicing offhand at 200 yards with an M1, offhand with a 9 power scope and a sling is no big deal. The buck took one jump and collapsed. Shooting matches, even poorly, gives me confidence for shots like that. It also gives me ample experience to know exactly how stupid it would be to take long shots at game. I know how much wind drift there can be at 600 yards. I can hit the 10 ring at 600, sure. I can also drop a six if I miss a little puff of wind. A six on the range is embarrassing. A six on a deer is a miss at best, or a gutshot and a lost animal.

 

[swd]

For any shooters looking to get in to any competitive dicipline, I have heard so many guys over the years say the same things over and over. "I just want to go watch" and "I need to shoot better first". From my experience of shooting at least 10 different diciplines over the last 35 years is just go jump in and do it. It doesn't matter if your gun and rig aren't perfect and it doesn't matter how you shoot. Someone is always going to come in last and chances are it's a regular competitor having mental or mechanical difficulties that day.

Getting out and shooting with less than competive rig will let you see first hand whats working and whats not with guys that have already spent the money. You'll get to handle, look through and probably shoot all sorts of rigs. Trigger, scopes, stocks, rests, etc, etc. After a few matchs you'll start to get an idea of what you want. And at the same time your learning what skills your weak on and where you really need to improve vs what you've just been guessing you need to learn. And the biggest thing your missing out on by waiting is a whole lot of fun, which is what this is all about!

 

[JFrank]

Gents
Is it alright to just be a club shooter?
I have a tough time balancing time and resources, being a Novice in my third year of 600 yard shooting I'm still learning and improving every time out and sure I would like to compete at 1K but does it have to be sanctioned to count on my man card?
Jim

 

[swd]

Gents
I would like to compete at 1K but does it have to be sanctioned to count on my man card?
Jim

Does it have to be sanctioned to be a great experience and ton of fun?