All posts tagged Competition Shooting

Should you drop the cash for a spotting scope? And do you really think its worth it?

I’ve cSpotting Scopesheck out spotting scopes for years and to this day, haven’t felt the need for a separate optic just for spotting, but I know plenty of people that got their money’s worth.   “The Mission Drives the gear” they say and you don’t need to spend money on things that add weight to your payload that you might not need.  In the military, optics are on most rifles these days and having 3x-4x can help you get plenty of range, but that’s not going to help you see pinpoint accuracy like whether or not you got a hit at 500yds or if  you missed the paper.   Some of these issues can easily be over come by using Shoot N C targets but depending on the caliber  you are using, it can still be difficult.   Another thing to be careful about is in hot weather, the mirage you get from grass and dirt will wreck  your ability to see at any range and magnification will just exacerbate the problem.   Two man sniper teams usually have a spotter that picks the targets and gives ranges but you can do much of that a good mil-dot rifle scope.

One thing to think about if you are thinking about getting a Leupold or a Bushnell, but if you can afford it, Leupold Optics tend to be some of the best optics out there and if you are an outdoorsmen, you can do a lot with these if you have a good tripod.    I’ve often found that the Tri-pod means just as much for Spotting Scopes as does clarity because even some cheap optics will work as long as it’s not low light, low light situations is where you find out how cheap your optic is because an optic that allows more light to go through it will cost you more.   Just like rifle bipods, you gotta be careful you get a mount that works with what you need because if it’s too tall or too short, it’s going to be very uncomfortable to get into good viewing positions.

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Where to find a good place to shoot at?

Trying to find a good place to shoot long guns is hard, anyone living in an Urban environment is going to have trouble finding an out door range.  Many outdoor ranges near cities are very restrictive and even here in the Philadelphia region the ranges are just not any fun to be on because of the range rules.  I’m not saying you need to find a place to shoot full auto but a place that is safe to shoot at, has maintained target back stops and has a covered table means a lot to someone that likes to spend all afternoon there.

Range rules are important because violating them might make things very unsafe and good signs and nice people help too.   It took us a very long time to categorize the information but The Rally Point gun club listings because so many ranges have closed down or do not have websites that it’s hard to find information.  Some clubs don’t want to be on a map but that is kind of bad in the long run because most of the ranges will probable have little membership involvement and may eventually just die out.

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Handgun flashlights should you mount it?

Should you put a flashlight on your handgun or should you keep it separate?   Go to an IDPA competition and check out the low light flashlight competitions and get back to me.   We see them dropped or competitors fumble them all the time.   We sell the Section 8 tactical Ultimate Retention Device which is a great an easy thing to add on to your finger when you are shooting but a less trained shooter is going to have some trouble getting use to using them.   Many handguns are now being made with rails under them and it’s becoming almost mandatory to have a white light on an M4 Carbine.

When you think about putting a light on a handgun, I would always suggest you think about what the gun is going to  be used for.   I believe that a home defense firearm should be configured to be used inside your home and sometimes that may mean not using a handgun, but an M4 Carbine or a shotgun with fragmenting bullets.   Streamlight flashlights can be mounted on handguns or rifles especially the TLR-1 light.   I’m a big fan of lights that are 110 lumens or more for home use because they will seem far brighter and easier to light up a room.

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The Secret to running a 1911

Chip McCormick MagazinesThe 1911 Pistol is one of the most popular competition pistols in the shooting industry and on the firing range.   Not only is it about nostalgia, but the 1911 is one of the most tweakable and customizable handguns you can own.   Shooting a 45acp is not always the easiers, but you will have more fun reloading 45acp than any other caliber if you are a target shooter.

One of the biggest reasons people love shooting 1911s is the consistant trigger pull, I realize that the same can be said for Glock enthusiasts and they would also be correct.   We won’t argue about thumb or grip safeties vs trigger safeties here, but there is a big advantage over anyone that tries to target shoot with a DA/SA pistol vs a 1911 or Glock.  Consistant trigger pulls means zero adjustment and better accuracy.   The secret to getting your 1911 to feed ammo correct is using Wilson Combat or Chip McCormick Magazines.

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