Palma in Alabama?

[DR1586]

@hopefulPalmashooter

Glad I saw this. The family and I are moving to AL in about a month. We’ll be in the Anniston area in eastern AL. I’ve been shooting HP and Palma for the last 15+ years and I’m looking for matches in that part of the country. Long story short there are plenty of opportunities for Prone shooting, even if they aren’t a true Palma match. Shoot me a PM and we’ll find some time to shoot together and I’ll loan you a Palma gun and some Ammo. I’ll get you all my contact info once you PM me.
Don’t be afraid to get started with that M1A at 600yds. They can be competitive at 1000 but it takes some special work on the gun, the right ammo, and a hard damn holder. However, if it’s a NM M1A with the front sight cut down, you should be able to keep it 8 ring and in (for the most part).

 

[hopefulPalmashooter]

my dad bought the rifle from a high-power shooter so I think it may be a NM rifle.
Congratulations on going distinguished that is one hard badge to earn, and glad to hear there's going to be another good shooter in Alabama the states real pretty up there where your moving
I think my prone position is possibly up to snuff the best I think I ever shot was a 196 in prone I'm reasonably confident if I could have used a shooting jacket I could've gotten 200

a couple of things I was wondering though
1 how loud is a palma rifle? does the long barrel and if it's there's bloop tube make for a quieter report or is it not very noticeable
2 is there really no weight limit from the NRA or ICFRA rules I know there used to be one internationally but now there's nothing? so if I build a rifle I could make it 25 pounds what would be the downside of making a rifle above the old weight limit?

 

[DR1586]

my dad bought the rifle from a high-power shooter so I think it may be a NM rifle.
Congratulations on going distinguished that is one hard badge to earn, and glad to hear there's going to be another good shooter in Alabama the states real pretty up there where your moving
I think my prone position is possibly up to snuff the best I think I ever shot was a 196 in prone I'm reasonably confident if I could have used a shooting jacket I could've gotten 200

a couple of things I was wondering though
1 how loud is a palma rifle? does the long barrel and if it's there's bloop tube make for a quieter report or is it not very noticeable
2 is there really no weight limit from the NRA or ICFRA rules I know there used to be one internationally but now there's nothing? so if I build a rifle I could make it 25 pounds what would be the downside of making a rifle above the old weight limit?

They’re loud, like any other centerfire. The long barrel might quiet it down some since the muzzle is further away but you’ll want to treat it like any other rifle and wear ear pro.

There is no weight limit, but you don’t want a 25lbs rifle. Build the rifle for features, not weight. Weight can be added or removed (to some extent) after the fact. You’ll want a good, solid bottom action, a 30-32” barrel, I prefer a medium Palma contour. Then your stock of choice and sights. I suspect that once built, you’ll be just fine with the weight.

 

[MattKubic]

my dad bought the rifle from a high-power shooter so I think it may be a NM rifle.
Congratulations on going distinguished that is one hard badge to earn, and glad to hear there's going to be another good shooter in Alabama the states real pretty up there where your moving
I think my prone position is possibly up to snuff the best I think I ever shot was a 196 in prone I'm reasonably confident if I could have used a shooting jacket I could've gotten 200

a couple of things I was wondering though
1 how loud is a palma rifle? does the long barrel and if it's there's bloop tube make for a quieter report or is it not very noticeable
2 is there really no weight limit from the NRA or ICFRA rules I know there used to be one internationally but now there's nothing? so if I build a rifle I could make it 25 pounds what would be the downside of making a rifle above the old weight limit?

You might want to research who that Philip Crowe guy is. He's one of the top iron site shooters in the country. You'd better take him up on his offer. He allows everyone to shoot there for free except me for some reason.

 

[Tom S]

Okay my reasoning for think of going straight to palma is as follows. One familiarity the prone position I learned in 3p air was on a adjustable globe sighted rifle with a single point sling secured to a rail at the bottom of the rifle. I made the rifle fit me not fit myself to the rifle it was a single shot loaded one at a time under time all of which is true on a palma rifle. Two wind I have zero experience in trying to read the wind whatsoever so I thought palma and especially when shooting 155-grain bullets would teach me to read the wind at an expert level to ever hope to compete and that while 22 sniper at 300 yards would teach me a lot I figured I could learn more at longer ranges plus it's fun. Three the level playing field I don't have to be concerned that my rifle will be behind the curve as long as I build it right there's not going to be a new super cartridge that out does all the old ones once you buy the gear it really is just a competition to see who is the best marksmen.



As far as Daves questions no I do not have a palma rifle, a palma rifle is any rifle chambered in 308 or 223 that uses iron sights with a trigger of at least 500 grams that's the international definition under that definition I have access to one an M1A what a palma rifle actually is (what you will see on the line) is a 308 single shot fully adjustable stock with a heavy 28+ inch barrel sometimes a bloop tube with globe sights could be a tube gun or a traditional stock with a rail along the bottom for a sling and a hand stop I think. Yes I have shot beyond 200 yards not much farther and never a lot last time was at 300 with a 1917 I was hitting the head on a hostage target but not consistently. I know I need a rifle I was thinking an Eliseo tube a Barnard P action with a true flite 34 inch barrel haven't looked at sights enough probably rightsight front and warner rear been looking at a carbon fiber bloop tube also I'll need a shooting coat and jacket I already have a glove

PS did they really remove the weight limit altogether?

Depending on you size I have a Kurt Thune coat I don’t use, it’s something around 40 or 42.

 

[243Mendoza]

All great reasons. Palma is great, and anyone with any sling shooting experience at all will do just fine at it. Sure there are days where crazy wind, etc can make it pretty hard, but those days are a special kind of fun. I too enjoy the level level playing field aspect, as all of the other matches have shooters trying to gain a ballistic or sight advantage over their peers. I say let's all shoot the same thing and see who the best shooter/wind reader is.

I don't know how close you are to buying a rifle, but I've got one that I plan to put up for sale shortly. It's about as top-of-the-line as they come, so it won't be the cheapest. Here are the specs:

Barnard Model P action & trigger
Benchmark 5R 30", 11-twist barrel, medium Palma contour
Anschutz Precise 2018 stock
KKB Machine butt plate
KKB machine prototype flipper cheekpiece (also have original AHG cheekpiece)
Tubb Heartbreaker sling
Warner #2 rear sight
Scott Riles 30mm front sight with Shooting Sight .5 diopter lens

It's ready to go win matches with. I have shot the exact same setup myself since 2014. The barrel has 528 total rounds on it, but was re-chambered 25 rounds ago when I had it fit to this action. I shot 25 rounds through it 2 weeks ago; 5 to get it sighted in, then 2 1-shot strings at 600. It looks like it definitely has some potential.

This was going to a local new guy, but he unfortunately had a financial setback and isn't going to be able to swing it. I'd love to see it go to a new shooter. Feel free to drop me a line if you want to know anything more about it.

Good luck,
Erik

Getting a Warner sight is near impossible! Not mentioning 30mm front sights!

Great setup!

 

[Erud]

Thanks, I forgot I mentioned it here. That rifle is no longer available, it sold in 8 minutes when I listed it. I guess I should have asked for more!