Snipers Paradise

Jacob Gottfredson
Tactical Shooter 1999
This article may not be copied or reproduced without
express written consent from Tactical Shooter Magazine

(It seems that we chose the same article this month as the TS WEB Master. We are including the pictures, in black-and-white, from the TS Website)

Synopsis: The author tests some of the newer equipment on the market. This includes information on innovative come-up tables from Schwiebert Precision’s Ballistic Systems, Direct Fire Technical, and the MILDOT Master; Remington’s LTR rifle; MGM Steel Popper Targets; Leupold’s new M1 tactical scope; Blackhawk’s Long Gun Pack Mat; the Maximum Gear H.A.W.G. CamelBak; Harris Bipods; and others.

The call was from Jacob Bynum, a local, long-range shooter and trainer inviting me to attend and shoot in an upcoming sniper match. I jumped, somewhat nervously, at the chance. We visited for a few minutes about common interests (can you guess what?). When I hung up, my wife, who had been standing nearby in the kitchen, asked me what the call was about.

She didn’t say it, but I knew she wanted to: "Was is the operative word here, dear. That was 30 years ago. Now you’re an old (censored) who shoots off a bench in the shade."

Hmmm, maybe she is right. I am not sure I can even hold my head upright in the prone position for more than a few seconds. A helicopter crash in Southeast Asia extracted its toll on that part of my anatomy more than 30 years ago. After stewing over it for a week, I came to a number of self-prophesying conclusions (rationalizations): first, someone has to come in last… might as well be me; second, I’ve got to learn this stuff for real somehow; third, and most satisfying, I’m a writer. I can be a klutz and get away with it… it’s expected. And this article? Well, it ought to give you pros a good laugh or two.

Once I had made up my mind to do it, I started thinking about what I would need, and how I would prepare with only two months to go. But I kept having these visions. Like the time I was hunting mule deer with my brothers in Utah. We had hunted hard for several days, and we were headed off the mountain in my new jeep. I had just steered around a curve on a narrow mountain road that was cut midway along a steep ridge. As we came out of the curve, I looked out of my window at the clearing above me. Deer!

I quickly brought the jeep to a halt, ran clear of the vehicle, and fell into a sitting position. I felt something out of the ordinary sting my buttocks, but the adrenaline was flowing, and it did not completely register on my brain. The animals were quicker than I, and they disappeared before I could get a shot off. I stood and immediately knew that I was in trouble. My posterior was beginning to sting at an accelerated rate. I looked down at the spot on the ground that I had just vacated… cacti! I asked my brothers to investigate.

The decision was made to pull my winter clothing down around my ankles, assume the position against the side of the jeep, and wait for a prognosis. A reasonable facsimile of tweezers was located, and brother number two got to work.

Except for jabs of mild pain with each removal of cactus spine, life was good. The exposure of one’s posterior to the crisp evening air at an elevation of 10,000 feet in beautifully forested mountains can have a rather sensual and relaxing effect on one’s soul.

But the silence of the still air and the occasional, soft ouch noises were disturbed by the low rumble of a nearby engine. My head popped up, searching the bend we had just cleared by a few feet. It was only seconds until I saw it. Gees… not now.

Four "road hunters" exited the vehicle, realizing that it would be at least a few more minutes before they could proceed. At a distance of about 15 feet it was not difficult for them to see what was happening. They kept coming.

Damn, I could not believe it. No one within three counties but us… and now them. As they got closer, my instincts told me that something was not quite right about two of the hunters approaching us. For one thing, the brunette’s eyes were just a bit too big, the eye lashes too long, the hips moved just a bit too far from side to side, and the stride was just a bit too dainty.

So there you have it. Yours truly, bent over, the world to see… and the two ladies smiling slyly at the absurdity of it all. The blood, of course, had switched from my lower cheeks to my upper cheeks (those below my eyes). Aw well.

And so it went, visions of the South Texas firmament from whence grows every thorn bearing plant known to man, me squirming on the ground, wondering if any female snipers existed and were thinking of attending this match. Ouch!

As attested to by a recent article in Tactical Shooter Magazine, I have been doing a lot of bench work with Remington’s Police Lightweight Tactical Rifle DM (LTR). It shoots quite well. I had tested the rifle just as it came from Remington. I didn’t even remove the stock from the barreled action during those tests. I wrote also that I was going to send it to Dan Dowling to bed and work the action, lugs, etc. after which I would repeat the test. I had just shipped the rifle to Dan when Jacob called.

Though I expect to write again about the results of tests with the changes to the rifle, I will not do so here. I also shot several reloads during the first test, loading Lapua brass without modification. I expect to test this aspect as well, turning necks, inspecting and segregating brass, making primer pockets and flash holes uniform, and all the rest of the things we do as benchrest competitors.

Remington’s LTR with Harris Bipod installed backwards.

I decided this was the rifle to shoot in this competition for a couple of reasons. Besides being familiar with the rifle and how it shoots, it is small and light. Somehow I can more easily picture myself walking, sitting, laying, and crawling through the thorn infested Texas countryside all day in the hot sun with this rifle than with one of the 16 pounders I have seen some snipers use.

Testing of the LTR was completed with Leupold’s new 3.5 – 10x40mm M3 with Bullet Drop Compensator. Although I thoroughly enjoy the concept and use of this model, I called Leupold about their newest offering: the 3.5 – 10x40mm M1 with inch clicks. I decided I would use the scope that seemed to offer the best chance of connecting with the various targets the match personnel had in mind to throw at the shooters. Hmmmm… maybe use both, changing to the scope that offered the best advantage at a particular target. Example: sighting the BDC model for the 1000 yard shot, and using the M1 for everything else. Just a thought.

These scopes offer great image quality, functionality, and light weight. The crosshairs and mil-dots are very distinct, while the image is clear and crisp to the edges. The side focus makes parallax and focusing so much easier, particularly under adverse conditions.

Conversations with friends and a call to Harris Engineering, Inc. resulted in my acquiring two Harris Bipods. Both swivel models, I chose the Series S models L and 25, extending 9 to 13 and 12 to 25 inches respectively. As my preference is to sit whenever possible, I thought the longer legs might be my best choice; I just was not sure if the longer bipod would accommodate the prone position. More about that later.

These are ingenious devices that have been refined over the years. It is probably safe to say that they are the most popular front rest bipod on the American market.

I was surprised at the light weight and quick uses of the devices. It took only a minute to understand the function. A quick attachment fixture opens up with a squeeze, and two nipples are inserted into each side of the swivel screw holes. A screw on the bipod tightens the fixture securely to the rifle’s swivel while forcing the bipod’s bottom plate up tightly against the rifle stock. Once the bipod is installed, the legs are pulled back toward the shooter until they snap in place. The legs are then pulled out in a telescoping manner to predetermined lengths. To release them, a button is de-pressed, and a spring returns them. The legs can be set at any distance in between by turning a screw near the release button that keeps the leg in place by friction. The swivel feature allows the rifle to be held vertically on uneven terrain. A friction mechanism is available to increase or decrease the torque necessary to swivel the rifle.

Although I personally dislike having something attached to or hanging from the rifle, bipods serve a purpose that is a great help in certain situations if accurate fire is to be achieved.

Of course all of this is old hat to you tactical shooters… maybe not so familiar to the field shooters in the audience, however.

I had not acquired a case for the rifle yet. I had also developed a desire for a shooting pad to lay on during the long practice sessions I intended to endure prior to the match (hate those thorns and chiggers!). I searched the catalogs for those offered by several outfitters, and then looked in Remington’s Military and Law Enforcement catalog. Sure enough, they offered one… and only one, the Gunny Mat.

The case appeared to be everything in one. When it arrived, I was quite surprised. It turned into a shooting pad and a backpack for the rifle, it had a pouch for a CamelBak and gear, a drag handle, and it seemed to be very well made. When I investigated further (I looked at the label), I found that the case was made for Remington by Blackhawk. I looked in Blackhawk’s catalog and found two models that seemed to fit the particular case that Remington had sent: the Hathcock Sniper Pack Mat and the Long Gun Pack Mat with HawkTex. A call to Blackhawk confirmed that it was the Long Gun Pack by virtue of the lack of Hathcock’s White Feather logo.

It features: full wrap-around carry handles made of heavy duty webbing, #9YKK zippers, hard plastic crown protective cover lined with closed cell foam, concealable backpack harness straps and belt that are fully padded, sternum strap elasticized for comfort, 1000 denier Cordura nylon, and it is CamelBak compatible.

The opposite side of the Gunny Mat contains a pocket for gear and CamelBak.

It is a well-made, very flexible case offered in several colors. The HawkTex portion of the title represents the type of coarse weave that helps keep the shooter’s elbows from slipping.

Straps hold the rifle securely in place. The barrel and crown fit into a hard foam padded pocket at one end, and the butt of the rifle fits into a zippered pocket at the other end.

The backpack straps include waist and chest straps with padded shoulder straps and D rings. With all of the thinking that went into the pack, I wondered why Blackhawk had not included a scope cover. When carried with the strap in the rifle case mode, the top is strapped but not zippered. This leaves the rifle exposed at the top. I don’t see that that will present any major problems, but I still wonder why a flap was not included to protect the scope.

After use as a mat, the end is folded back. The rifle is strapped into the Gunny Mat with the barrel protected by hard foam in the left pocket and the butt in the pocket on the right.

Although I didn’t see a personal use for the backpack mode, law enforcement personnel may. So I tried it on. It fits well, and the chest and waist straps stabilize the long pack. One difficulty that I found with this type of pack is the problem encountered when running. It is in the nature of the beast that it hangs very low. I discovered that the bottom (barrel end of the pack) hit my calves and heels when I broke into a trot or run.

I knew the targets would be set at unknown distances. How was I going to determine the distance? I searched through all of the books, data, and magazines looking for something. Well… maybe a calculator. It was during this fumbling that I ran across two advertisers in Tactical Shooter: Lou Schwiebert of Schwiebert Precision’s Ballistic Systems and Jack Nichols of Direct Fire Technical. Lou offers come-up tables, and Jack has a distance calculator. I made immediate phone calls.

Lou Schwiebert manufactures a collection of come-up tables for most popular cartridges. These are small enough to carry easily (about twice the size of a business card), and they are laminated for weather proofness. Lou’s tables include distance, trajectory path, and come-ups in clicks. They also include wind

Lou Schwiebert produces these extremely handy come-up tables which include come-ups to 500 yards, angles to 45 degrees, wind drift, and moving target hold off. Lou can put these together for just about any caliber you can come up with.

drift, moving target hold-off, and slant corrections. Very nice. Lou also provides custom cards for any caliber. I had him develop a table for my .339 Dj vu: an adulterated, Ackley Improved .340 Weatherby would be as close as I could come to a description of the cartridge. My hunting load in this rifle is a 225 grain Barnes-X bullet with a muzzle velocity of 3100 fps. Lou had to manufacture these cards custom since the cartridge is a bit faster than the .340 Weatherby.

Lou provides instructions with each card that are a must read, giving helpful information in addition to that needed to understand the full functionality of the cards.

He has sold to military and SWAT snipers and to schools, all of whom appear to like the layout and accuracy of the cards. Why "appear to like"? Well, no complaints, and the input is very positive!

Each caliber includes three separate cards, distinguished by temperature and color coding. The off-the-shelf set

Direct Fire Technical makes this handy range computer. Turn the window to the size of the target and you have the mil subtention. The other side can be used for meters.

includes a card for temperatures below 35 degrees, a card for temperatures from 35 to 85 degrees, and one for temperatures above 85 degrees (figured I would need this one for sure). These are professionally laminated and the lettering is very crisp and clear.

Lou is a hotbed of information, and I spent considerable time talking to him. I had him making custom cards of every variety. Lou will take your critical information and develop come-up tables for any loading combination.

Lou is starting work on a web site. He will have on-line information, samples, a custom order form, and on-line ordering.

The distance calculator developed and sold by Direct Fire Technical is innovative and very well done. The basic concept is the old circular calculator style. A window in the top wheel is centered over the target size. The number of mils that the target covers are read down either side of the clear window toward the center, and the distance taken from the center of the clear window.

The calculator is a great concept. My only gripe is that not enough divisions of the mil dots are shown. For the precision necessary, a quarter mil scale is needed. I hope Direct Fire incorporates this in future revisions of the calculator. Direct Fire’s solution is to interpolate the distances between major divisions.

The upper and lower portions of the calculator are held together at the center by a screw rather than a rivet. The other side of the bottom plate is divided into meters. The screw allows one to disassemble the plates, turn the bottom one over, reassemble, and use the meter designations.

The calculator is well built, the lettering very clear, and the concept very useful. It has the added feature of being weather proof.

As I was writing this and spending some time on the range, the May 1999 issue of Tactical Shooter Magazine arrived. Therein

The MILDOT MASTER is an analog computer that allows the shooter to place the size of the target next to the mils subtended and read the distance. The scale on the right then calculates hold-off or come-ups. The other side of the card calculates angle and provides space for the user to attach his rifle’s bullet drop table.

I found John D. Taylor’s article on "Nomograph Versus Analog Mil-Dot Calculators". Mr. Robinson of Mildot Enterprises had called me several months ago, but I could not locate his phone number, though I tore up my house looking for it. Mr. Taylor was kind enough to have included it in his article. Another immediate call went out.

The Mildot Master made by Mr. Robinson is also very innovative, made of plastic, and weather proof. The concept here employs the use of logarithmic scales that oppose one another. Mil dots on the left are lined up with the size of the target on the right. The distance is then read off the right side of the center scale. This relieves the user of the laborious task of making calculations each time one estimates the target size and mils that cover it. One need only line up the size of the target and the mils, and the distance is read on the left. A scale is included on the right that uses the bullet drop of one’s load to then determine the come-up in MOA. Once the size of the target is matched to the number of mils that cover the target, the scale on the right is automatically in the right place. Simply note the drop of the bullet at the range indicated. Read this on the center scale on the right. The MOA and mils can then be read on either side. One can crank in the correct come-ups or hold over the appropriate amount.

The other side of the Mildot Master is used to determine the angle to the target. When the angle is determined, turn the card back over and read the correction of the nearest angle on the scale on the left to determine the new distance.

Mildot Enterprises has also left space for the user to attach a table of his bullet’s drop at various ranges. This is large enough to include other important data as well.

Mildot Enterprises has developed a truly useful product. Apparently others agree, because several military and law enforcement departments have either ordered them or have already put them into use. So I’ve found another couple of items that will have to be in my pack. But I certainly can’t complain this time. They are very small, weatherproof, and the price is right.

I had gotten some word that the competitors would be allowed to use a rangefinder. If this were true, I didn’t want to be left out. I own a Bushnell 800 Yardage Pro that works reliably and quickly. But I wanted one of the smaller versions being offered in 1999. I phoned Bushnell and asked if their new one was available. They promised to send one along

Small and light, Nikon’s new Laser 800 puts range finding in a very portable package.

as soon as they were. Meanwhile, Nikon was advertising a new laser rangefinder that appeared to be much smaller than my current Bushnell. This time my call was more successful and the instrument showed up at the door in not more than a week.

This was an 800 yard instrument as well, but only about half the size of my Bushnell. The small size really lends itself to portability. I decided that I could carry this model on my belt easily without sacrificing my neck for a pair of good binoculars. The monocular is 8 power and the image quality quite good. I tested it against my Bushnell with good results. It has about the same features as the Bushnell, incorporating modes for rain, scan, reflective targets, and one gating range. This Nikon is a serious instrument. I stuck it in my CamelBak, confident that it would do the job… at least as good as I was willing to spring for. In fact, I checked it at 300 and 600 yards on an 8.5 x 11 piece of white paper hung on a black backer, and it picked them both up without difficulty. I have written in more detail about the Nikon Laser 800 in a separate article. (Look for this write-up in the upcoming September issue of Tactical Shooter.)

Last year when I was working on another article, I was introduced to a high quality pop up target. These were the work of MGM (Mike Gibson Manufacturing) of Boise, Idaho. Back then I had fired at them several times from the 400 yard line and thought they were great. By the time I could work the bolt, the target was ready to go again.

I got hold of Mike and within a week had two of my own. The type that arrived stands 14 inches tall with a 4-inch rounded portion about 2/3 of the way from bottom to top. The "Popper" is connected to a steel plate that can be secured to the ground with tent stakes or attached to a stand to get them up off the ground some desired distance.

MGM popper targets are fast and effective. The author attached a backer to be used for locating missed shots and for range finding. The yellow backer is 18 inches square.

Weighing in at just 12 pounds, the Popper targets have a Brinell hardness of 500 or approximately 52 Rockwell. Thus they are hard enough to not dent under the impact of bullets from the distances usually shot by snipers, but not so brittle as to shatter from the impact.

The faces can be replaced at modest cost if necessary, and the springs that return the Popper are guaranteed forever.

Mike sells a large variety of pop up targets, suitable for almost any type of weapon and range. One can even pull a small trailer with the rig set up and programmed to pop up targets randomly and at pre-selected time intervals.

I was first introduced to this method of carrying water when I covered the L.O.D. sniper course in White Sands, New Mexico. There, of course, I was only a journalist walking around taking pictures and loafing for the most part. I knew the weather in South Texas in June would be significantly worse. Also, I thought I would need something to carry both water and gear.

I found what I thought I needed at US Cavalry. They carry several varieties, but I decided on the most expensive... wouldn’t you know it. This model is one of the CamelBak Maximum Gear products called the Maximum Gear H.A.W.G. This pack includes a 100 ounce polyurethane reservoir, full length cargo chamber, three additional cargo pockets, compression strap bungee, padded shoulder straps, waist and chest straps for stability, and straps for jacket or other gear.

US Cavalry does carry other larger backpack styles, but they seemed a bit much for my needs. When the pack arrived, I was pleased. It rides the back well and is not too heavy to tire an old man. In addition to the water, I expect to carry a small amount of medical gear, sufficient ammo to complete

This small CamelBak pack provides for water plus gear.

the course (two extra magazines included), a laser rangefinder, mini binoculars, tools for the rifle, the come-up tables, a small amount of food, a Gerber tool, small jacket, the Mildot Master and range estimating table, a small calculator, small flashlight, sun block, liquid soap, spotting scope, tripod, small camera, bug spray, and a small towel. This makes for a small, light pack. Of course, a real sniper knows what I have forgotten, but since I don’t, I’m happy.

Well made, the Maximum Gear H.A.W.G. is an excellent pack for those so inclined.

I am not lucky enough to own my own range, but I am lucky enough that I can spend several solitary hours each week on the one provided by my employer and the employee’s club. From the line, over which a cover has been placed and a concrete pad and several benches have been installed, one can shoot at berms placed behind the 50, 100, and 200 yard distances. Two well-built steel bench rests have been constructed on skids. I can pull them, using chains that were attached, to any distance up to 600 yards. I recently placed yellow poles at the edges of the property and marked them at each 100 yard increment back to the 600 yard line.

It is my habit to arrive at the range before dawn, setting up my equipment so that I can begin shooting as soon as there is enough light. I do this for three reasons: 1. I prefer the early morning hours. 2. No one else is nuts enough to get there that early, so I have it to myself. 3. If you want to tune a rifle near Corpus Christi, TX, morning is the only shot you have for light winds. About 9 AM the southeast wind picks

The string hung from the end of the barrel helps to provide some indication of wind.

up to about 15 mph and remains that way, or greater, the rest of the day. Good for practice, but not so good for tuning your rifle or finding the rifle’s ballistic signature.

I figured the first priority was to find out exactly where the rifle was printing, or rather what come-ups were needed at each 25 yard distance out to 600 yards for three different factory loads. Since 600 yards was the most I had available, and since I knew that some shots would be farther, I figured I would sooner or later have to locate a range to print the rifle the rest of the way to 1000 yards.

The three factory .308 loads I chose were Remington’s 168 grain Match, Federal’s 168 grain Gold Metal Match, and Federal’s 175 grain Gold Metal Match.

When the rifle was returned by Dan Dowling of Palisade, CO, I only had the Federal 168 grain Gold Metal Match on hand. I was able to find the come-ups for 300 and 400 the first day, though I was mostly messing around doing other things. What pleased me, however, was the way the already accurate rifle performed after Dan had done his magic. After a couple of turns of the dial to correct for elevation and windage, the first group at center bull measured .9 inches at 300 yards. I took four shots at the 4-inch MGM Popper that I had set just below it, hitting it 4 times in succession in a group measuring only slightly larger than what it had printed on paper.

I continued to go to the range, working up the signature of each of the three cartridges. The temperatures at which this was done hovered around 75 to 90 degrees. It was interesting to note that the flight of the bullet out to 500 yards was exactly as Schwiebert had predicted mathematically. More about that later.

I continued on into the summer, hoping that the temperature would rise to around the 100 degree mark — the temperature that I thought the range in Harlingen would be in mid June. I also thought that the early morning shots during the match would be closer to 80 degrees. Thus I had the signature for that temperature. I continued to try to print and log the rifle in 10 degree increments in temperature, i.e. 80, 90, 100. This gave me some indication of the changes in impact with increasing temperature and where the break points (if any) might be. Since I didn’t have enough ammo to print all ranges, I did the checks at 100, 300 and 500 yards, assuming the change would be reflected correspondingly at the other ranges. When I thought I had it, I checked all three loads at each 100 yard increment to 600 yards. I have always recorded temperature and humidity during my shooting sessions for years. It is interesting to note the drop in humidity as the temperature rises from early morning to early afternoon. It is quite predictable.

My objective also was to chronograph the three types of ammo I had and send the results to Lou Schwiebert to build exact come-up tables for those velocities in those temperatures.

The time finally came to climb down off the bench and onto mother earth... roll out the mat, attach the Harris Bipods, and begin sitting down at arbitrary distances. I had no idea what distances the match directors had in mind. I made the decision to start at 50 yards and then work back, stopping wherever I got the urge. I would sit down, try to figure the range with the mil dots, make the come-ups, check them with the laser, make an adjustment if necessary, and fire. I hoped my calculations would get me close enough to at least hit my jury rigged backer behind the Popper.

After a week of this, the nagging knowledge that the match might not be that physically easy finally convinced me to put a bit more pressure on myself, so I began running around with the rifle, CamelBak, boots, and etc. Run 100 yards, drop, calculate, fire. Run 50 yards and do the same. Run 300 yards and do the same, blah, blah, blah. Hot as hell… sweat… eyes blinded by my own body fluids. I hoped that this bit of

Getting MGM’s popper targets up off the ground helped a great deal when shooting long range from the prone and sitting positions.

punishment would help put me in shape for the match… if it didn’t put me the hospital with a heart attack first. Sun, heat, sweat, lactic acid-laden muscles, but this 58-year-old kept going. I was beginning to think my mother had given her sedentary engineer some decent genetics. My shooting ability off the bench, however, was very suspect. I did not know what I had to do to be competitive, but I had little faith that what I was able to do on the ground was it. Bullets didn’t seem to want to cooperate and go where I wanted them to.

Though I found that the taller bipod would allow me to shoot both sitting and prone, both positions were uncomfortable for me. I got cramps at times and was stiff getting up… a job for a younger man I decided. The prone position messed with my neck as predicted, and the sitting position cramped my hips. More practice, more practice. I did also note that although I could place 3 or 4 rounds center bull in the sitting position, one or two rounds would also get away from me, particularly in windy conditions. Sitting steadily in the wind is not an easy thing to do. However, the prone was much more successful, and I could, on occasion, group quite well that way. Standing… no way.

Used to shooting with wind flags, I did discover one thing that helped a great deal. Schwiebert and Robinson told me that they attach a thread or yarn to the end of the barrel or stock and use that to gauge the wind. I found that it works fair. But I was ready to call Jacob again and ask if I could bring along my wind flags and bench; I mean, after all….

But I still had two problems: how to get out to 1000 yards and how to practice moving target. Yes, the match letter had clearly stated that there would be moving targets.

The rifle continued to perform well at ranges to 500 yards, printing approximately 2.5 inches at that range. At 600 yards, it became a bit more unpredictable. At times it would group 3 to 4 inches, but at others my groups would double that. The clicks necessary to print at each range remained 1 click apart for the 3 different cartridges all the way to 500, but at 600 yards, the 175 grain bullet began to perform quite differently than the 168 grain bullets, requiring 6 to 7 clicks less than the 168’s.

I was becoming accustomed to the Harris Bipods. I found that I could get a good steady hold in the sitting and kneeling positions using my knees and my left hand under the grip of the rifle while also supporting it with the onside knee. On occasion, the prone seemed as steady as the bench rest I had left behind (reluctantly). But stiff winds were a disaster. The problem I had envisioned with the prone position was realized. My neck could only take it so long. I decided that when this position was required, I would make the calculations quickly in the sitting position and then assume the prone and shoot as soon as possible, or make the calculations with my head looking down in a more natural position and then make the shot quickly. I also found that the higher Harris Bipod was O.K. in this regard. With a high bipod, one is forced to lift the shoulders to get the head in position for the scope. This reduces the acute angle of the head to the back that is forced in a low prone position. Since my back could take it better than my neck, I settled on the higher bipod. The higher one can also be used for the sitting and kneeling position shots with fair results. It, unfortunately, is more difficult to hold the rifle as steady this way because the hand and arm not engaged in pulling the trigger are not in as stable a position to hold the butt.

Another problem arose. What if an exercise is included that requires the shooter to hold the prone position for an extended period and then take the shot quickly, on command? This presented a problem with the high bipods. With the lower one, however, a leather sand bag that I use for benchrest competition worked quite well. I could keep the rifle steadily on target until I decided to take

the shot. So what to do if I were not given the time to change to the lower Harris Bipod if this situation occurred? The answer to this dilemma has not been worked out… unless I carry my Underwood Shooting Sticks. This would allow me to shoot from the prone with the lower bipod and quickly use the sticks for kneeling and sitting.

The MGM Poppers continued to work well, but on occasion, at the longer distances, I was not sure whether I had hit it or not. When the popper is hit within the 4-inch circle, the white paint is blown off. This can be clearly seen, and one knows that a hit was made. Since I have no one to shoot with, I was not always sure of a second hit if the paint was already gone. The poppers are fast, making it difficult for one to see the return. By the time I recovered from the recoil of the rifle and looked, the popper had already righted itself. You can sometimes hear the clang, however, if you listen closely and are prepared to shoot without much ear protection.

One other slight problem occurred that MGM already had a fix for. The poppers worked when staked to the ground as long as I was shooting from the bench. But I could not see them from the prone, kneeling, and sitting positions. Some 20 to 30 years ago, high power was the rage at our range. Humps had been installed across the range at 100 yard intervals to 600 yards. These obscured the poppers. MGM provides stands to which the popper is bolted. Couplings are provided on the bottom to accept inch threaded pipe. I purchased 6 legs at the local hardware store and the problem was history. MGM suggests pipes ranging from 1 to 3 feet. I split the difference and installed 2 foot long black pipe legs (cheaper). To this I attached the 18-inch backer to locate missed shots, provide a clear background, and to use the mil dots for estimating distance.

This worked fine, and I found that I could hit the 4" circle every time at 300 yards. I even had good luck at 600 yards in calm conditions, but could only hit about 50 percent of the time at 600 yards when the wind was blowing and switching.

Moving targets. What was I going to do about moving targets? Having no real method to do this, and no desire to build something elaborate that was unlikely ever to be used again, I was lost. Then I recalled the first article I wrote many years ago. The incident was sparked by the bet I had going, the result of a bit of drinking at a department party. I claimed that I could

This cartridge holder from Uncle Mike’s also provides a place for Schwiebert’s tables to be within easy reach.

take the head off of the eagle on a quarter without touching the feathers. To dig myself in even deeper, I made the outlandish claim that I could then immediately hit a inch circle on a rolling golf ball. All this at 100 yards. Don’t ask why I would make such crazy claims. Amazingly, I made both shots and videotaped it to boot. The tape was even played at a booth at the NRA Convention in New Orleans to advertise the accuracy of the 6PPC cartridge.

Problem was, I ran out of time to set up some sort of Rube Goldberg moving target device. I came up with an alternate scheme: shoot at the damn thing and hope for the same kind of dumb luck.

Under certain conditions, I preferred to use the CamelBak as a front rest instead of the Harris Bipods. I did not know, however, if time would be provided for such variations in technique.

The Schwiebert come-up tables proved to be extremely useful and right on the money. It became amazingly simple to laser the target, look at Lou’s tables and put the come-ups on the scope. I set the scope for the Federal 175 grain. Both the 175 grain and the 168 grain Federals produced the same signature to about 500 yards. With that setting I was on with the Remington 168 grain match ammo by coming up 2 clicks. I found the Mildot Master to be very useful as well. Since I had the laser, the Mildot calculator became a check. But precision on a dime is not possible with any system. Come-up tables do not show every yardage, and mil-dot estimating often requires some interpolating. At the longer ranges, inch clicks leave a bit to be desired as well. Taken together, the problems are compounded.

A couple of other items came my way through all of this. One was the Sidekick bullet holders from Uncle Michael’s of Oregon. I found this useful also to carry the appropriate Schwiebert card. When I sat or lay for the shot, the tables were right at hand, and the rangefinder was on my hip. Simple: pull out the laser, check the distance, come-ups and windage on the Schwiebert table, and fire. If the laser gave out, the Mildot Master was close at hand.

I have run out of time. If I don’t get this article off to Dave, I will know the results of the match before I finish the article.

2005 Sniper's Paradise Collector's Rifle

Sniper Golf

An Amateur Prepares For His First Sniper Match