Florida Shooters Network

At Port Malabar, from June through the summer, we don't have formal NRA matches. But now that we have cover, we're still going to shoot the first full weekend of the month, but it will be informal squadded practice.

The most important thing to start... DO have a good 100-yard zero for your rifle. DO NOT show up with a newly mounted scope, with no zero.

most any caliber will do... 22-250, 223, 243, 270, 308... Don't bring a muzzle brake. We don't like shooting beside those. If you want to shoot some absurd caliber, 338, 300 win mag, etc., you'll be put by yourself, away from the civilized shooters.

Have either a bipod on your rifle, or have a front rest, and probably a rear bag. Unless you're a for real sling shooter, then you can use that.

Anyone can show up at 7:30 and pay five bucks to shoot for the morning. First thing, someone will ask the group, "Who needs a 300 or 600 yard zero?" Those that do will be taken to the 300 yard line to get a zero. Then someone will advise you, based on your rifle and caliber, how to come up to an approximate 600-yard zero... one that will get you on paper. You need enough scope adjustment to come up 10 to 16 minutes, depending on your caliber.

Then the practice will start. Whoever's in charge that day will divide us into two groups, and we'll take turns shooting and pulling targets. Anyone who hasn't done this before, there'll be plenty of help getting started.

Generally a round consists of a few sighters, then twenty shots, and some will keep their own scores. Scoring is optional, and it's great fun to see the target come up with your hit marked on it, so do whatever you wish. You can keep shooting until cease fire is called, and a pit rotation is made. Number of rounds you shoot is optional

Shooting will probably be over by noon.

This is a great way to get started in mid-range or long-range shooting. If you think it's fun enough, then you can start shooting the matches when the season starts in the fall.

Not that far up the road from here.......definitely consider it at 600................

We have members that drive all the way from Miami the morning of the shoot.

Not for me! I drive up the day before, 150 miles, and stay in the Motel 6. Rich people stay other places.

I know nothing of long distance shooting.

Do you have to bring a scoped rifle? I've always wanted to shoot my Garand at a distance.

Also, would we be shooting prone? Will we shoot standing and sitting as well?

Past 200 yards, prone is the only position allowed. That's true no matter what match is being shot.

Very few people shoot anything other than a scoped rifle. There are some who shoot target rifles with iron sights and a sling, but most shoot F-class with either a bipod or an adjustable rest. There are also some who shoot AR-15's with 20" HBAR's with iron sights, and a sling.

I shot the Garand 500 yards in basic in the army, and did very well at it. Matter of fact, I LOVED it. But many of the city boys (read New York City) were spraying 30.06 all over the countryside. At Fort Knox, Kentucky, that was not a problem. There were thousands of acres for the bullets to land in.

At Port Malabar, however, there is home construction going on on the other side of our four-story high berm. We can't allow any rounds to be fired over the berm.

If you can demonstrate that you have a good, solid prone position with a good sling position, and have a high degree of accuracy at three hundred yards, and you have enough sight adjustment left to get to 600 yards, then it will be up to how impressed the line officer is. If he feels you'll be on paper at 600 yards, then he will probably be fine with you shooting the Garand. If I'm the line officer, I would allow it. If you spray rounds all over the paper at 300, though, don't count on it.

We often have military and antique matches (which I don't shoot), but I think they are from 300 yards.

Be totally aware of a few things. At these distances, using loaded magazines is not allowed. There are modified Garand clips that allow easy single round loading. I think I used to have one somewhere, but I don't know if I remember how to use it. That's going to be your job. Also, when the action is being closed, or is closed, the rifle may not be pointed above the berm. It must be aimed at the ground or at the berm. If you break this rule, you're off the range. We haven't had a problem with this, because we let it be known every time we fire.

We can't allow ANY CHANCE of rounds going over the berm. in this respect, we state that every shooter is a range officer, including you, and everyone is to enforce the rules.

The only time I saw a problem with this was with a Garand shooter. He always held his rifle up at a 30 degree angle when he let the bolt slam home. We talked to him about it, and he just said that''s tough, that's the way he was going to shoot. He was invited to go home, and he left.

As a matter of courtesy, when you're shooting a gas gun of any kind, you need an open rifle case, or some such, to you right to catch your hot brass. Someone is shooting ten feet to your right, and it's not nice to be putting hot brass down his neck.

wjbarricklow, this shows the target you would be shooting at. The entire target is actually six feet square. This is only the black center section. So as you can see, you do have a sporting chance to get some rounds in paper. It's not as if we're shooting at a tiny target. It's just that some of us shoot at only a tiny part of a big target. On the F-class target, the ten ring is the size of this X ring.

viewtopic.php?f=33&t=11629&p=81407#p81407

Hey Guys,
Gonna move this up to the top. We are having informal 600yd squadded practices during the summer again. Held the first full weekend of each month. Cost will be $10. All of GP's previous posts apply.

SY

Hey SY, does one HAVE to shoot from 600 on these open days, or can one just sit at the 300 and never move up to the big boys lane?

TippyRacer wrote:Hey SY, does one HAVE to shoot from 600 on these open days, or can one just sit at the 300 and never move up to the big boys lane?

If you sit on the 300 yd line you might get shot.

Ahh, so the whole range is a single berm and the firing line moves up and back? Obviously never been there, and I was not sure how to take GP's words:
"First thing, someone will ask the group, "Who needs a 300 or 600 yard zero?" Those that do will be taken to the 300 yard line to get a zero."
I thought maybe there were a couple berms and a single lateral firing line, so "taken to another area" meant going down the line somewhere else.

Darn, leaves me out Was going to be over Melbourne way visiting friends soon so I thought I'd check.

Thanks

Tippy,
Yes you do have to shoot from the 600yd line.

If you want to try shorter distances before moving up, you can come to the Intermediate training sessions which are the 2nd weekend(Sun) of the month. At this session you start at 200yds to get dialed in before moving on to 600. If you dont know what adjustments to make to get to 600yds, there will be assistance provided. This a good way to start out, seeing how a match is run, and how you and your rifle handle longer distances. If you need any further info, shoot me a pm.

SY