Tactical matches have been growing in popularity for at least 10 years, some go back much farther than that. They've also been evolving into a more challenging format. Great article here on the home page http://www.6mmbr.com/norcaltactical.html about tactical matches in general, and a recent Northern California match in particular. Some great stuff there.
As a 10+ year SWAT sniper, I obviously have a reason to participate in, enjoy and learn from these tactical matches. A number of LE officers and military types compete. But why all the "civilians" at the matches??? Are they just "wannabes" or "play snipers" ?
I don't think so - these are guys and gals who are very competitive, action oriented, and love rifles & marksmanship. Any hunter will benefit from the experiences learned at a tactical match. Think of it - in a weekend of shooting a fellow is likely to be challenged with a wider variety of shots than he might encounter in 10 years of big game hunting. Knowing how to make that steep uphill shot or steady the rifle for a quick, precise shot just might be very useful on that once a year hunt for big mulies...
If you haven't tried a tactical match, consider it. There are a bunch of the darned things springing up. Many are advertised on http://www.westcoasttactical.com and on http://www.snipershide.com for example. Although a rifle dedicated to tactical match shooting is useful, any good accurate bolt action repeater with a bipod, sling and a decent scope will do for starters. By the way - you don't have to go out and buy a set of camo utilities to fit in - a lot of us like shooting the matches in jeans and a t-shirt...
Congrats to the authors on a good article! Semper Fi, Guy
As a 10+ year SWAT sniper, I obviously have a reason to participate in, enjoy and learn from these tactical matches. A number of LE officers and military types compete. But why all the "civilians" at the matches??? Are they just "wannabes" or "play snipers" ?
I don't think so - these are guys and gals who are very competitive, action oriented, and love rifles & marksmanship. Any hunter will benefit from the experiences learned at a tactical match. Think of it - in a weekend of shooting a fellow is likely to be challenged with a wider variety of shots than he might encounter in 10 years of big game hunting. Knowing how to make that steep uphill shot or steady the rifle for a quick, precise shot just might be very useful on that once a year hunt for big mulies...
If you haven't tried a tactical match, consider it. There are a bunch of the darned things springing up. Many are advertised on http://www.westcoasttactical.com and on http://www.snipershide.com for example. Although a rifle dedicated to tactical match shooting is useful, any good accurate bolt action repeater with a bipod, sling and a decent scope will do for starters. By the way - you don't have to go out and buy a set of camo utilities to fit in - a lot of us like shooting the matches in jeans and a t-shirt...
Congrats to the authors on a good article! Semper Fi, Guy
