To me, there are a lot of crossovers from the hunting community and competitive shooting. Also, most comp shooters hunt as well but I don't see nearly as many people showing up to the range than I do in the field. My question is, who has thought about going to a comp and what is stopping or has stopped you? What would you like to see changed on the compeitition side of things to make it more appealing to the average hunter?
This is for me, and what I see and hear why people won’t shoot matches. I don’t shoot many rifle matches anymore, 1-3 a year, but 8-10 USPSA pistol matches though that’s not what you are talking about. There is some crossover from PRS/NRL style matches to hunting, but not nearly enough and truthfully not much from the matches to normal hunting.
For me and those I hunt with, the matches are extremely contrived, have no real time component, and especially PRS matches are more akin to barricaded and tripod benchrest than a field match. The rifles are ridiculous and are not field rifles. Only about half the skills translate, recoil control and rifle weight/style/setup have almost zero field applicability. There’s no physicality at all involved- no crawling, climbing, shooting from uncomfortable and weird positions, etc. After the first shooter on a stage, it’s not even really calling the wind for most- you just got off of what the person in front of you did. They’re expensive- not just the match fees which have gotten way out of hand, but travel, lodging, etc. They take too long to get to, and two day matches instead of one day.
Contrast that with USPSA matches. They’re everywhere, cost $15-20 at max. Take half a day, can be very competitive with the pistols I actually use and carry, the scoring is time and points on target (not a be tripod BR match) so accuracy and time have real weight, and the divisions generally match real carry/work guns. Physicality (movement) under time with odd shooting positions is involved, etc, etc. All of that without even bringing up what is probably the #1 factor of matches sucking.
Rifle/precision/sniper matches used to be much, much more fun and “realistic” before PRS stood up. There was variation in how matches were run, the rifles were almost all legit field rifles with “heavy” rifles being 14-16lbs, average weight was 11-12lbs, cartridges were real- 6mm, 6.5, and even 308 was common which meant skill in recoil control and spotting impacts was important. People and rifles had to move and shoot from awkward and unusual positions, tripods and 10 shooting pillows were not common/were not used. People and gear got dirty, muddy, sandy, covered in crud. Because of the way stages were setup, you couldn’t really borrow your buddy’s wind calls and holds, even if you could, it wouldn’t help that much due to the actual shooting skill required- you weren’t locked into a tripod or over a Gamechanger bag with a 42lb 6BRA. They didn’t have “sponsored shooters” (the jerseys). That alone can not be overlooked. Once everything became “sponsored” the people and the atmosphere at matches changed dramatically.
In short, most matches aren’t that applicable for me and those I hunt and shoot with any longer to put up with the time/money/stupidity to shoot them. To make a match that is actually a field match-
1). Weight. Rifles that are realistic field guns. “Light” is not 12 pounds. Have a sub 7lb category all up, a standard weight catogory of 9lbs, and an open division.
2). Time. Time plus scoring, or some version that makes time a major factor for score. You want to spend a minute and a half setting up a tripod, no problem, but others are half way through the targets by your first shot.
3). Positions. The majority of shots should not be prone, tripod, or barricade with a bag.
4). Movement. Not so much that most can’t complete it, but enough that to win you have to get into and out of positions quickly, break shots with no wasted time, spot and correct shots immediately, and and handle the rifle competently.
5). Everything used for every stage must be carried and stored not in hand at the start buzzer. You must carry and have it on you for the entire match.
6). Get rid of the sponsored shooter nonsense. That is literally the number one thing that could change matches back into the fun they used to be. It’s also the number one reason I hear from people about why they won’t try it- they’ll be outclassed and embarrassed (a poster in this thread stated similar).
No matter how competitive something is, it’s hard to feel outclassed when dudes are dressed in normal clothes racing standard 4-wheelers around a field; compared to walking up to a Nascar race where everyone is sponsored and decked out.
