NRL realism

[khuber84]

I understand where the 16 pound limit came from (Idaho), but it still seems excessive and the amount of hunters actual lugging a 16 pound rifle is probably minimal. What I would wish is the rifle weight somehow factored into score as the scenarios NRL attempts to recreate are more akin to a hunt yould have to hike and would factor in rifle weight.

Set 12 pounds as the benchmark (seems fair with a bipod attached), but have a points multiplier or detractor based on weight. Spitballing here, but say every pound below 12 pounds increases your score by 5% and every pound over 12 decreases your score by 5%. A guy shooting a 16 pound rifle would only get 80% of the score, while someone shooting an 8 pound rifle would get 120%.

You'd have to do the same with power factor, as the recoil is higher and harder to shoot.

Here's the deal, hits are hits, first rounds worth 2x the points. I think 12# is a very practical number. It's not as easy as ya think!

 

[Carl Ross]

Is NRL Hunter perfect for testing all around western hunting/shooting skills? No.

If you go from "box of ammo a year guy" to regular competitor, will the skills you develop improve your shooting? Yes.

Many rules (especially equipment rules) are what they are because it was made through a PRS/NRL race gun lens. And...there is a large crossover in participation between NRL Hunter shooters and PRS/NRL race gun shooters. While not perfect from the perspective of making the best western hunting/shooting skills test, it did attract enough shooters to get the thing off the ground.

Getting people who already compete in firearms sports to try a different flavor of competition isn't THAT hard. Getting people who are fanatical hunters to spend significant time and money to shoot more in a weekend than they do in a year, is much harder. Even in this thread, you have people ask why anyone would consider shooting competition vs spend time in the field.

I seriously considered running a "hunters prep" match a few years ago, but I had too much going on to make it happen. I've since built a standing "hunters course" at a private facility I teach at. I need to get some reps on it and shake it out properly.

 

[ID_Matt]

Set 12 pounds as the benchmark (seems fair with a bipod attached), but have a points multiplier or detractor based on weight. Spitballing here, but say every pound below 12 pounds increases your score by 5% and every pound over 12 decreases your score by 5%. A guy shooting a 16 pound rifle would only get 80% of the score, while someone shooting an 8 pound rifle would get 120%.

Wait, so I hit more targets than you but since your gun is 1 lb lighter, you win?? So in some circumstances, being less lethal is actually rewarded?

I somewhat get the thought, but too many rules just gets crazy to track. People are going to complain no matter what so just make it easy and set it at 12 lbs, (which isn’t crazy) if you add a bipod and suppressor and call it good. This thread is already an example that you can’t please everyone.

 

[SDHNTR]

Do you really not understand or are you just poo pooing it? You have clearly spent a bunch of time and money messing with and thinking about rifles well in excess of what is needed to successfully kill animals.. Seems like a waste.. Some people like shooting beyond just when it's at an animal and shooting at 80 different animals (# of targets in a 2 day match) is about a lifetime's worth for me. I also have little to no interest in hunting coyotes in April-August.

Maybe a little of both? I dunno. Doesn’t interest me. Fortunately I can hunt hogs, free range, spot and stalk in mountains. It’s as “western” as anything and I can do it year round. So if I have a spare day, that’s what I’m doing.

 

[Bluumoon]

I'd like to attend some NRL hunter this year, seems like a good way to grow skils.

In the meantime we sent up a course on my property similar to what I've seen of NRL videos and game encounters we've had. Still working out kinks and how to run it for most fun/most hunt like. Last year we had each competitor approach station, identify targets and then started timer. Score was hits/points divided by time. I think next time I would have people come up, identify targets, then return to a start point.

Targets are sometimes hard to see even when I know where they are (tucked in/different paint schemes), so not sure of feasibility/utility of having shooters find their own targets without that becoming the main determinant of score.

Gear/rifle rule was roll with whatever you hunt with and everyone held to that, we had .223s-7 magnums. I think one tripod in the group, no "gamer" rifles. Had a couple stations where we specified a mag change or reload.

All that to say, I appreciate seeing the NRL feedback on this thread, gives me some ideas on where to improve.

 

[Lawnboi]

Maybe a little of both? I dunno. Doesn’t interest me. Fortunately I can hunt hogs, free range, spot and stalk in mountains. It’s as “western” as anything and I can do it year round. So if I have a spare day, that’s what I’m doing.

Unfortunately this is not the case for the vast majority of us.

I enjoy coyote hunting and shooting prairie dogs. Close by I have coyotes and you’re lucky if you get one shot a day.

 

[Formidilosus]

Maybe a little of both? I dunno. Doesn’t interest me. Fortunately I can hunt hogs, free range, spot and stalk in mountains. It’s as “western” as anything and I can do it year round. So if I have a spare day, that’s what I’m doing.

So how do you practice?

 

[SDHNTR]

So how do you practice?

Every once in a while I’ll set up a gong across a canyon, but most of the time targets look something like this:

 

[Formidilosus]

Every once in a while I’ll set up a gong across a canyon, but most of the time targets look something like this:

You you learn to miss or hit on living animals instead of a target?

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Every once in a while I’ll set up a gong across a canyon, but most of the time targets look something like this:

I appreciate shooting animals like rabbits and coyotes here in the desert, but if I solely relied on that for my “western” and long range/wind training I’d only shoot like 2% of the shots that I currently do on steel and targets.

There’s no replacement for shooting steel if you truly want to be more proficient in my experience.

 

[SDHNTR]

No, you guys read a little too far into it. The actual shooting practice is done on paper and steel. At least to true drops and develop confidence in equipment. The set up and target acquisition type practice, the hunting simulation stuff, gets done for real.