My first Silhouette match

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glen ring
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My first Silhouette match

Post by glen ring »

I shot my first HP silhouette match at the Nationals A few days ago.

Attn: New Shooters...TRY this, it's a hoot.

I have a made in japan $400 and something deer rifle.
I shot an 8 my first match and the highest I shot was a 15 or 16. I LOVED it.
Smacking a ram at 500 meters is worth it all.
DON"T be sucked into buying a gun that looks like a race car with stickers all over it. DON't be sucked into buying a 400 dollar leather vest that has Team whatever on it.

Go to academy or wally world and buy a legal deer rifle and 3x9 scope. Sight it in out to 500 meters ( i didn't ) and just shoot the match with it. Wear something comfortable and shoot. NO ONE made fun of me. Many folks offered their help.

Have fun ( I DID ) .
I actually received a good sight setting from a total stranger ( I forgot his name ) while I was shooting matches on the last day. He spotted me into good sight settings and a couple of rams and turkeys I would have never hit without him.

IGNORE the keyboard warriors and drama queens that have posted negative crap steel chickens. Those folks never showed...I REALLY wanted to meet them...but I only met NICE, Helpful folks.

Now go out, buy a legal rifle for silhouette that you'll hunt with and have a great time.
I'll do this again. Thanks David Bonner, Jim Goodnight, Kathleen Garvin and all the rest of the nice folks that offered help, advice and gave me a high five when I finally hit a ram or a turkey.

I"m really, really glad the keyboard warriors and drama queens stayed at home.
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Re: My first Silhouette match

Post by Varn »

Glad to hear you had a great time!
hermit5
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Re: My first Silhouette match

Post by hermit5 »

Glen,you should have come over to the Pa guys table at Lever matches.There was over 100 years of HP shooting experience there available to you.I would have liked to assist you.It is the ultimate satisfaction to hit a 500 M ram offhand.
Although some will offer advice that seems expensive,it is not given without merit.Spend once cry once is the reason.You WILL end up the tools after 1 or 2 seasons,believe me if you stay in this game.
glen ring
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Re: My first Silhouette match

Post by glen ring »

Thanks Randy. I appreciate the offer.

I will NEVER sport a multi hundred dollar leather vest.
I will NEVER have a rifle that looks like a race car...Our Oklahoma Coyotes and deer would spot those kinds of crutches hundreds of yards away.

Nope...I will shoot my hunting gun and have fun. After all, this is suppose to be a sport to help hunters and the targets are shaped like animals I've shot...except the chicken. I've only shot a chicken with a rifle once and it was in self defense.

I will shoot this sport again and I encourage hunters and the curious to buy a Ruger American, Weatherby Vanguard, Remington..etc. In a legal caliber and shoot this sport.

Do not get sucked into the equipment race...that's probably the reason there were only about 65 shooters at the Highpower nationals and three times that at the lever silhouette nationals.

My wife watched me shoot my last ten animals in HP and marveled at how "simple' my rig was compared to the guys/gals that had exotic race car , multi colored, metal flaked , 7mm wombat rifles.

Nope...keep it simple, shoot the game for fun and hunting experience.

There is a new silhouette game on the horizon that will be fun, affordable by anyone and will probably drive the final nail into the coffin of a couple of silhouette sports.

Barry has some GREAT ideas to attract younger shooters. I hope he finalizes the sport and makes a post.

You'll dig it. I promise.
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Re: My first Silhouette match

Post by hermit5 »

Glen,looking forward to you and Jeannie at our clubs in PA.We can chat more about equipment at that time.Most of us have gone the cycle from out of the box as hunter rifle once was to heavy barrel customs but most have returned to factory type sporter hunting rifles.Tikka currently but a couple Rem 700 ADL before that with factory triggers before Jewell became the norm.
I use the same vest as i use for lever gun just a trap type.Put your money into a quality scope (Leupold)with target turrets,repeatability and wear factor can't be compromised in this game.
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Re: My first Silhouette match

Post by bigmike6970 »

Glen,

I wonder if it was Bob S that spotted for you?
Were you shooting a new stock Vanguard 2?
If so I was shooting with your squad for Highpower hunting rifle along with Bob and Don.
Bob's extractor broke that morning, but he came back to spot for us for the Hunting Rifle match in the afternoon.

Big Mike
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Re: My first Silhouette match

Post by glen ring »

Mike
I believe that was him. I was shooting a brand new Vanguard 2...poorly , but I was there. He was very patient and got me sighted in on rams and turkeys. He is the worlds greatest spotter/ coach and I didn't use him for the last two animals because my wife showed up and it was our 39th anniversary. Please relay my thanks to him and I hope to shoot with him again. I think I could learn a lot from him in highpower. You guys were all very nice and class acts.
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bigmike6970
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Re: My first Silhouette match

Post by bigmike6970 »

Glen,

That was us, it was nice shooting with you. I will pass on your comments to Bob.
When i started in high power he straighten me out on quite a few things during my first Nationals.
We still laugh at some of the things that I do from time to time shooting high power.
Hope to see you there again and maybe we will shoot together again.

Big Mike.
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Re: My first Silhouette match

Post by Bigfoot »

Right on Glen! It was great talking to you between relays. This may be one of the tougher shooting sports but you hit the nail on the head referring to the joy of knocking a ram over! Hope to see you up in Montana next year for the Iron Man...Seriously the most fun match of the year and all in one weekend!

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glen ring
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Re: My first Silhouette match

Post by glen ring »

I will use the same rifle next year that I shot with this year. I think a "hunter" rifle should look and function like a "Hunter" rifle. The scope is a 3x12 Vortex that I can dial down to 30 yards when hunting in my tree stand. The only vest I'll ever wear is an orange one that is required by law here for dear and elk hunting.

My scope doesn't have target turrets .

Our Oklahoma Coyotes and white tail deer would spot one of those fancy , multi colored race car guns a mile away and even if they didn't by the time a " shooter" got into position , adjusted his/her fancy vest, adjusted the scope setting and target knobs on their scope, our coyotes would be long gone.

My wife made an interesting comparison.

She said the race guns are about as useful as an Unlimited IHMSA gun .

I understand the fun part of building and shooting a very expensive and metal flaked gun, but not in the "hunter class"

Hunter should be more restricted than it is and the open or unlimited class can be the place for all the gidgets and doodads.
I'll shoot this sport again because it will make me a better hunter and I think I'll promote it for hunters.
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Re: My first Silhouette match

Post by OnaginOffagin »

Not all of us who shoot hi-power silhouette are hunters. I'm not; I'm not against it, but I have no interest in hunting, but a huge interest in shooting, which I believe is one of the best lifetime games going. A true "production class" might address your concerns about shutting down interest among new shooters, and I believe the hunter class was originally designed to address this concern. But the cat is out of the bag, now, and many of us have too much invested to change. I shoot a hunter class, Lilja barreled Rem 700 with a plastic stock because I'm a retired school teacher old git -- which is another way of saying I'm poor! I shoot the lighter rifle because it allows me to shoot both classes with the same gun. Many of our better shooters on the line can shoot good scores with whatever you put in their hands. But a production class might make sense...... the difficulty would be controlling the internal "improvements" -- trigger work, bedding, etc. -- that I'm sure some "production class" basement gunsmith would do almost immediately.
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Re: My first Silhouette match

Post by Another Dang 9 »

Maybe a fixed scope power class?!? Nothing greater than 9X like any good hunter would have. 3X9 is probably the most popular hunting power for a scope...?
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Re: My first Silhouette match

Post by kd5zmg »

Glen,

This sport IS totally fun. I wish I had more time to be out at the range, but college is killing me because I go to work 8+ hours a day and then come home and study for my classes. I need to go out more, everyday if I could. My daughter and I have fun hitting or missing the 1/5th scale critters.

When I have time to reload, I will definitely be out to do the HP silhouette. My daughter already has dibs on the Remington 260 LA since she can shoot better than me. I'll have to buy my own... ;)

What were you shooting at Nationals? Were you in Raton?
-Mark
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glen ring
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Re: My first Silhouette match

Post by glen ring »

I was shooting a fresh out of the box Weatherby vanguard 708. I didn't have a sight setting for Rams or turkeys until the last day of the match. I sucked at it, but you can bet your happy rear I'll be MUCH better next year.

David
Dustin IS the national champion and has beaten people from all over the world. I am a humble AA shooter in smallbore so it appears I'm destined to buy him a beer.....BUT I'll be there. Which is more than I can say for some folks that post here.

I hope if the world ends tomorrow it doesn't take Dustin and I because apparently we possess the only sets of male parts on this thread.

Stock Rifle , nationals , let's get it on....or stay at home and comb your man buns. To the ladys reading this ( and guys that are now tearing up ) I apologize.
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Re: My first Silhouette match

Post by OnaginOffagin »

Not sure I'm picking up on the true nature of this post. Man buns? Male parts? I was at Raton; I was at the Iron Man; I shoot whenever I get the chance; I was and will be in a lot of places, even though I'm a 74 year old Vietnam Veteran who's been married twice.... I've been frightened by experts.... you're not making a dent. I think I'll put a line through your name, fellah; it's a gentlemen's sport, and I like to shoot with gentlemen. I think it's not a particular honor to compete against you, win or lose.
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