Getting tired of the equiptment race.

[dkhunt14]

If you have a claiming for $2500. Lets see a Bat Costs What and then a barrel and a trigger and even a cheap scope let alone the time you put in getting it to work. I have shot the same stuff for at least 8 or 9 years now with the exception of a new barrel when it is worn out. I see no reason to change and I believe I am pretty competitive. Matt

 

[jimcasey01]

You miss the point. The claiming price can be any amount of $$. $5k or $50K or what ever. It would make it so that shooting skill wins with equivalent equipment, or at least has a chance to win. It would level the playing field. At present only those with the "fat wallets" are competitive. This is what you seem to be advocating. Of course those with fat wallets want to be able to buy their success, and handicap those with skill and less finances. Kinda like the "short pee pee syndrome", money can purchase a bigger, louder, faster one. You don't need talent, just money.

 

[fdshuster]

Another way to look at it; I still see a lot of winners walking away with the money and a smile on their face, as they put their rifle with a Weaver T-36x scope mounted on it, back into the case.

Someone can have one of the most expensive, custom built rifles with a high end scope, and if they cannot cope with wind and mirage, time limits, match pressure, proper use of bench equipment, etc., they will remain at the bottom on the score sheet. A high dollar rifle & scope is no guarantee of a win.

 

[Raythemanroe]

Always got rock collecting


Ray

 

[jimcasey01]

You are correct, equipment does not make anyone good. But competitors being equal, the competitor with the Panda and Krieger will usually have an advantage over the competitor using a stock Remington and a Criterion. Why not compare skill, not finances. Let the top shooters shoot in "open wallet classes".

 

[effendude]

There is no such thing as equivelent equipment unless we all shoot "as issued" rifles with issued ammo. Maybe we should draw lots to see who uses each rifle and ammo before the match? Even the CMP leg matches and rimfire sporter matches are equipment races to an extent. I recall stories of years ago leg matches being shot where ammo was given to the shooter the morning of the match with different bullets, lots, etc. The best shooters eventually earned their points because they were the best shooters. But hey did everything possible within the rules to their rifles to be competitve.
Scott

 

[dkhunt14]

First off till you buy A REM and have it trued you have almost as much as a Panda. I have seen many buy the best of everything and still can't win. One shooter a long time ago told me DID YOU EVER NOTICE THE CREAM RISES TO THE TOP. Matt

 

[fdshuster]

That's why we have custom and factory classes: to level the playing field as much as possible.

If you really want to make it "fair", there needs to be an individual classification system, as in NRA bullseye pistol, NRA High Power, Service Rifle, F-Class match's.

But what governing body would be in charge of the record keeping? The NRA will not get involved in any type of formal benchrest competition. It would have to be one of the existing benchrest organizations like the IBS.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I'm seeing factory class as becoming more expensive to be competitive in than custom. How many new Sakos or Coopers does one have to buy, then spend the time and ammo testing, before they find one as good, or nearly so, as the one the guy has that's winning everything?
There's a much wider performance gap between factory rifles than customs.

 

[MOShooter]

Golf is my main hobby. Getting equipment that is properly fit is far more important than have the lastest greatest stuff. As with all hobbies, its the person preforming that has more with winning and loosing. I laugh when I here people say how expensive golf is. It's not nearly a high as shooting sports.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Golf is my main hobby. Getting equipment that is properly fit is far more important than have the lastest greatest stuff. As with all hobbies, its the person preforming that has more with winning and loosing. I laugh when I here people say how expensive golf is. It's not nearly a high as shooting sports.

Where do you play, and are playing with the top golfers in the world, like you can in BR? Are we comparing apple to apples? Is your golf equipment scrutinized the same way as your BR equipment, by yourself? I mean, are you playing with the same level of equipment at both games? I ask this because there are different budgets to be competitive in both. A person can pick up an older sleeved xp100 br rifle and flat wear out the most expensive, newest equipment with it, if it and he are capable....and some of them still are very competitive in BR.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Once you get a good rifle and get all the bugs worked out, tracking, ignition, feeding, ejecting, exc. And you find a really good barrel and it all comes together it is worth far more than the sum of its parts. I'd never shoot in a "claim" match. Thats ridiculous.

 

[johara1]

Alex, All it's about is to make you drop back to their level, not for them to do the work and get better. So you have to have something to blame it on. It takes a good barrel and a lot of work, not a new action, scope or stock. You get it shooting now apply it at a match …….. jim

 

[ryanjay11]

Alex, All it's about is to make you drop back to their level, not for them to do the work and get better. So you have to have something to blame it on. It takes a good barrel and a lot of work, not a new action, scope or stock. You get it shooting now apply it at a match …….. jim

Yep, this whole concept sounds like socialism.

 

[noload]

At Garage Sale Prices: DIY Project, F Class, Minimal Requirements.
stock $100
action, trigger, guard $400
New or used barrel, low round count $300-400
Used NF-BR 42x $1200
rail, rings $100
Misc: bedding, etc $25
rest and bags $225
Labor hrs _?__X $0.00 per hr
Total.........$2,450.00
Or you could buy a used gun for that.....
I my opinion thats about as cheap as it gets for the GUN part. Now if you want to shoot it ..Reload Equip and supplies will cost that much again for the 1st year. Now comes the addiction part. (Wife) whatdoya you mean... another gun?

 

[ryanjay11]

The entire idea of telling someone how they must spend their money is just ridiculous. If folks are so jealous of other's rifles that it distracts them from shooting their own equipment, then the guys with the flashy rifles are doing something right. We had an 80+ year old war veteran shoot a perfect score at our club match with a rifle he has owned for years off a Caldwell front rest. Do you think he gives a rats ass what anyone else there was shooting? Let the targets do the talking and stop worrying about the other guy. If everyone followed this rule, imagine how much more satisfied you would be with your own equipment.

 

[Judd]

The "ain't my fault" era....gotta love it.

As someone said a few pages back, it is this simple...if you ain't having fun then quit. Very few can make a living on this sport so you need to do it for the fun of it not because you're winning.

I won my first match this past weekend (got beat in the tie breaker by one of my good buddies) someone said "Congrats you beat a lot of tough guys today and it was a long time coming". I smiled and said "I still wasn't happy with my score and I had so much fun I'll be back next month". Then another guy was talking about the winnings. I said "It's great 30 more and I'll have paid for one gun". Do it because it's fun and it is a nice break of the hustle and bustle with a j-o-b.

Good luck, I hope you find a balance where you can be happy and competitive.

 

[NateHaler]

Yep, I'm getting tired of the race to keep up just to stay competitive.

It's only a race if you decide it is. The main thing is to participate, and be valiant in the effort -- which has nothing to do with money. I saw a guy show up (at a long range tactical match) with by far the most expensive gear of anybody. He got dead last, by a huge margin, because he didn't know how to use his gear.

Nobody is forcing you to keep up with the gear fiends. It's supposed to be fun, so make it so.

And what's more fun, IMO, is to use good enough gear, and save your money for other things... like paying cash for a house. Or deciding if your old 9.2v NiCad cordless tools should be scrapped in favor of 18v Lithium Ion (answer is yes).

 

[dkhunt14]

Alex, All it's about is to make you drop back to their level, not for them to do the work and get better. So you have to have something to blame it on. It takes a good barrel and a lot of work, not a new action, scope or stock. You get it shooting now apply it at a match …….. jim

Yep, this whole concept sounds like socialism.

Most don't want to do the work to make it shoot or learn how to make it work. I have seen some spend a ton of money on new guns ,barrels, scopes and a lot of other things and still can't win. Some times it takes a lot of work to stay on top. Matt

 

[Raythemanroe]

I think of the idea of changing rules to keep cost down a oxymoron.. I watch NASCAR do this all the time with the idea to allow smaller teams a chance to compete..The funny thing is the constant rule changes lead to more R&D and favors the larger well funded teams..

I think and this my opinion, I would bet that bullets and choice of caliber out weigh equipment. I think there is many good barrels and actions and stocks and scopes to compete with..I gotta think bringing some gear between the ears helps..

Ray