give your 2 cents for a Rookie Competitor

[BCSturgis]

Hey Shooters - We've got a rookie rifle workshop coming up where we'll dump guys through the books/rules/regs as an intro to competitive shooting and hopefully give them the bug.

Anyone have any best practices, What not to Forget's, ettiquette or general 1st timers advice that you'd want to share? Speakers are covering mostly NRA Big/Small Bore, Fclass and IBS.

Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions - We'll pass them on and hope that they'll all be forum users as well!

 

[P1ZombieKiller]

Don't drive 4 hours to a match and forget to bring your bolt. ;D

 

[jr600yd]

Make sure the alarm clock is set to AM before going to bed the night before a match

 

[Erik Cortina]

Don't forget ammo to shoot match! ;D

 

[BoydAllen]

Having spent some time running firing lines at more than one range during the pre hunting season sighting in season, I can tell you some of the common problems that I continue to see.
Never checked action, scope base, or ring screws
Sling swivel studs touching bags, before or during recoil
Trigger squeeze... particularly with non-benchrest weight triggers Keep adding pressure and let it surprise you.
Follow through There should be no reaction to the rifle discharging.
Simple flinch Have someone else load. Pulling the trigger on a rifle that you really think is loaded will show a lot...more common than most would realize
Make sure that the scope is properly adjusted. Most don't really know what parallax is, or how to adjust the eyepiece.
Front sand bag too far out on the forend of sporter stocks...needs to be back near the action
No clue that the wind that they feel at the line is not what there bullet is seeing on the way to the target. (more relevant for varmint hunters)
Starting sighting in at 100 yards instead of 25 (new rifle or scope)
Trying to "free recoil" a riflle of unsuitable design
I realize that these are not competition Benchrest tips, but I see these problems that are common, and simply buying fancier equipment does not solve them. The good news is that when a shooter is actually looking for help, and gets it, the improvement is results is often significant, and immediate. For those who have good basic technique, simply letting them shoot a competition rig a few shots should do the trick. For actually getting started in competition Benchrest, having an experienced mentor is almost indispensable. Club score matches are probably the best way to get things started in an area where there is no previous history of Benchrest competition. They don't take much special equipment (like moving and stationary backers) and most shooters "get" trying to hit what they are aiming at. Once you have a core of regulars, they can decide where, or if they want to take it from there.

 

[savet06]

Make a check list and check it twice!
Pack the night before and give yourself plenty of time to get to the range.
I am relatively new to competition, but my focus is not to make big mistakes and not to rush my shots. Patience is tough when you're starting out, and it's easy to think that you have to machine-gun your shots to get the results you need.
You won't beat the best at first, but if you take each match like a lesson you will accelerate your learning curve and be closer to the top each time.

Practice, practice, practice!
my 2 cents.
Mike Suhie

 

[25AI260]

bring the...
correct ammo
a cleaning rod & etc.

if riding with some else.. bring
your wallet
the keys to your house an car

remember to be safe...
ears an eye protection too

 

[P1ZombieKiller]

I will second the mentor thing. I am VERY lucky in that I live near Dallas Texas, and we have some of the greatest benchrest shooters around. Great meaning two different things. 1st, they know what they are doing (read this post http://benchrest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68385 on the match this past weekend and tell me these guys can't shoot). 2nd, they take the time to teach you, point you in the right direction, and are willing to stand next to you during a practice round, and point out the things you can improve on.

Good equipment will only take you so far. Great equipment will take you just a little bit farther. But knowing, understanding, and executing will take you all the way.

 

[1000yardstare]

The biggest problem I see with new shooters is safety coming off the line, making sure the chamber and magazine are empty, magazine removed if possible, bolt out and/or chamber flag in.

The worst scenarios have been when a sudden thunder storm comes up and shooters want to charge off the line for shelter before the RSO has a chance to check all chambers and magazines.

Have seen two accidental discharges behind the line because a round was left in the chamber during a sudden downpour. One bullet went into the ground just behind the firing line, spraying all around with dirt. The other cartridge made it all the way to the trunk of a car before it drilled a hole through the rear seat, front seat and dashboard. Both new shooters.

Luckily no one was hurt in either incident but the effect has been that the pre-shoot briefing by the RSO gets longer and longer every year.

THINK SAFETY!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[navyrad8r]

Let your "new" shooters know when to ask questions, (behind the ready line, in the pits etc.) and is the "experienced shooter" is not helpful, friendly, supportive, courteous, or is just a jerk....find a different club to shoot at. If you are the experienced guy, you owe the sport that treats you so well, to bring in new blood and keep the shooting sports alive. the more you have accomplished, the more you owe the sport! Just my thoughts. good luck on your class, make it fun, we all started there at somepoint.