I wrote this in April 2012 and have learned more since then but I will copy here as I wrote it then. I have a picture of the rifle but do not yet know how to paste it here.
The Seeing Contest
(April 28, 2012)
I have shot an M14 in NRA High Power Rifle competition for the past 30 years and this year I do so as a Grand Senior. I still enjoy the sport, but not as much as I once did since it has become more of, what I would term, a “seeing contest,†rather than a shooting contest. The weaponry and ammo has become so advanced in the past ten to fifteen years that it has become all too clear to me that eyesight is now the greatest limiting factor to success. I was, for the past many years, determined to be the last man standing who was successfully shooting a .30 Caliber rifle (my interpretation of a “real†gun and a “real†cartridge). However, and alas, my hands remain all too sore from clapping for the winners at the awards ceremony who routinely exhibit near-perfect scores with more modern cartridges and rifle systems. My Grandmother once told me, “be not the first the new to try, …nor last the old to lay aside.†Well, with every passing year, as the rifles, cartridges and equipment become more and more advanced, I’m coming awful close to violating my Grandmother’s wise tenant on both counts. So, recently, in an attempt to restore the fun I once enjoyed from competitive High Power rifle shooting, I began a complete overhaul of my entire High Power rifle and ammo system in an attempt to take advantage of the most recent and modern advancements in the sport; investing what little remains of my retirement money before the Democrats take it all.
The goal of this project was to build a “modern†rifle for high power rifle competition that takes advantage of current technology and allows me to compete based on the most basic fundamentals of marksmanship rather than how well I can see the target and sights. I discussed this with Stacy, my Son, who is well-versed and up-to-speed with all these modern advancements and equipment options, and he agreed to help with this project. So we proceeded to design and build a “modern†AR15 rifle for High Power competition centered around the use of optics in lieu of iron sights. This turned out to be more difficult than I originally anticipated –the combination of “across the course†position and operational requirements supported by a scope. The most efficient design combination turns out to be an AR15 Match Rifle, with a fully adjustable buttstock and float tube, chambered in .223 REM, with a 20 inch “varmint†style barrel with a 6.5x20 variable powered Leupold scope mounted onto the gun’s upper with a quick-release type cantilevered mount. (See the above picture.) Jim Lane has dubbed this a “Scoped AR†or “SAR†for short.
Although I continue, with Stacy’s help, to refine the SAR design and “pet†load by which to feed it, I recently shot my first High Power match with the current configuration and had more fun during this recent competition, with this new rifle and ammo, than I have had in years shooting my M14. If you are not enjoying the sport as much as you once did, or have dropped out because it has become all too much of a “seeing contest,†then you may want to consider going with a SAR. It is a lot of fun and shooting well is always more fun with a group. If four or more SAR competitors could find themselves competing together, routinely, in future tournaments, then I’m sure we’d all soon experience our peers clapping for one of us at the awards ceremony along side the same ‘ole boring and routine list of, near-perfect award recipients; winning with extravagant laser-type rifles and 20/20 vision. The SAR provides the opportunity for “age, guile and wisdom†to overcome “youth, innocence and a bad haircut,†regardless of the awards schedule. If you would like details on what I have learned, the choice of components, load, etc., let me know and I will share.
The Seeing Contest
(April 28, 2012)
I have shot an M14 in NRA High Power Rifle competition for the past 30 years and this year I do so as a Grand Senior. I still enjoy the sport, but not as much as I once did since it has become more of, what I would term, a “seeing contest,†rather than a shooting contest. The weaponry and ammo has become so advanced in the past ten to fifteen years that it has become all too clear to me that eyesight is now the greatest limiting factor to success. I was, for the past many years, determined to be the last man standing who was successfully shooting a .30 Caliber rifle (my interpretation of a “real†gun and a “real†cartridge). However, and alas, my hands remain all too sore from clapping for the winners at the awards ceremony who routinely exhibit near-perfect scores with more modern cartridges and rifle systems. My Grandmother once told me, “be not the first the new to try, …nor last the old to lay aside.†Well, with every passing year, as the rifles, cartridges and equipment become more and more advanced, I’m coming awful close to violating my Grandmother’s wise tenant on both counts. So, recently, in an attempt to restore the fun I once enjoyed from competitive High Power rifle shooting, I began a complete overhaul of my entire High Power rifle and ammo system in an attempt to take advantage of the most recent and modern advancements in the sport; investing what little remains of my retirement money before the Democrats take it all.
The goal of this project was to build a “modern†rifle for high power rifle competition that takes advantage of current technology and allows me to compete based on the most basic fundamentals of marksmanship rather than how well I can see the target and sights. I discussed this with Stacy, my Son, who is well-versed and up-to-speed with all these modern advancements and equipment options, and he agreed to help with this project. So we proceeded to design and build a “modern†AR15 rifle for High Power competition centered around the use of optics in lieu of iron sights. This turned out to be more difficult than I originally anticipated –the combination of “across the course†position and operational requirements supported by a scope. The most efficient design combination turns out to be an AR15 Match Rifle, with a fully adjustable buttstock and float tube, chambered in .223 REM, with a 20 inch “varmint†style barrel with a 6.5x20 variable powered Leupold scope mounted onto the gun’s upper with a quick-release type cantilevered mount. (See the above picture.) Jim Lane has dubbed this a “Scoped AR†or “SAR†for short.
Although I continue, with Stacy’s help, to refine the SAR design and “pet†load by which to feed it, I recently shot my first High Power match with the current configuration and had more fun during this recent competition, with this new rifle and ammo, than I have had in years shooting my M14. If you are not enjoying the sport as much as you once did, or have dropped out because it has become all too much of a “seeing contest,†then you may want to consider going with a SAR. It is a lot of fun and shooting well is always more fun with a group. If four or more SAR competitors could find themselves competing together, routinely, in future tournaments, then I’m sure we’d all soon experience our peers clapping for one of us at the awards ceremony along side the same ‘ole boring and routine list of, near-perfect award recipients; winning with extravagant laser-type rifles and 20/20 vision. The SAR provides the opportunity for “age, guile and wisdom†to overcome “youth, innocence and a bad haircut,†regardless of the awards schedule. If you would like details on what I have learned, the choice of components, load, etc., let me know and I will share.
