September is a great time of year, with cool mornings and evenings perfect for squirrel hunting. When I lived in Eastern Kentucky I loved getting up early and hitting the hill as the sun came up, while dew dripped from the leaves, and trying to slip up on squirrels that usually spotted me before I spotted them. We are going to see with this contest if everyone is ready to go on a real squirrel hunt. The object is to hit the kill zones marked on the squirrels without wounding any game.This is a 200 point match for pistols, requiring you to shoot two targets. Click on the photo for the link to the pdf, and you can print it, or download it. You will need two targets for each pistol you shoot, and one for each rifle. Shoot one target at 25 feet, (or the nearest distance at your range) offhand with your pistol, four shots for each squirrel, for a total of twenty shots. Each shot touching the kill zone is worth 5 points; and a shot touching the squirrel, but not touching the kill zone is minus 1 point. The second target is to be shot at 50 feet, with your arm(s) or pistol supported by shooting stick(s), tripod, side brace, or any combination of those to simulate braces you would utilize in an actual hunt.
If you want to shoot the match with a rifle, shoot one target at 25 yards with shooting sticks to support your rifle. Shoot four times at each squirrel, worth a total of 100 points for all twenty shots. We don't want any wounded game, so dial in your sights beforehand. You need to submit only one target for each rifle you enter.
Classes:
Handguns:
Class I: Rim fire with iron sights
Class II: Rim fire with optics
Class III: Center fire with iron sights
Class IV: Center fire with optics
Rifle:
Class I: Rim fire with iron sights
Class II: Rim fire with optics
Class III: Center fire with iron sights
Class IV: Center fire with optics
This contest is a good one to share with novice shooters, so please take a new shooter to the range with you, and send along photos of your shoot that would be suitable to post.
The way you prop or brace your firearm is up to you, except, please do not shoot from sandbags from your bench. Make it simulate a field expedient rest to help you make a difficult shot.
Scan or photograph your targets and e-mail them to: truebluetravelinman (at) gmail (dot) com.
If you have difficulty downloading the target, please send an e-mail to me, and I will e-mail the pdf file directly to you.
Please send targets in by Midnight, September 30. (Extended through the first weekend of October!!!!) The pdf is courtesy of Engineering Johnson; Thank You EJ!
UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!! The contest is extended through the first weekend of October. More time to shoot!!
Looks like fun, but not easy fun.
ReplyDeleteI sure hope my old tired eyes can tell black from gray over iron sights !!!
Thanks for a challenging target.
Merle
I have to shoot over iron sights with low power reading glasses, or the sights and the target are blurred. Make sure the target takes up most of the page. If you print directly from the Internet Explorer window while in Google Docs, it will print noticeably undersized. Download, and then print from Adobe and it will be almost like shooting at real squirrels.
ReplyDeletePretty much the same story for me, but I use the bottom of my bifocals.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't get it to open in Adobe, but BMP pretty much filled up the page - I think they are pretty much equal.
Standard question - how do you feel about multiple entries in the same class?
Have a good one.
Merle
More Shooting is More Better! Enter as many times as you want. If you have a convertible, such as a .22LR/.22Mag, feel free to enter it both ways; I know that I have to change my sights a few clicks for different calibers, so it seems fair to me.
ReplyDeleteOK, thanks. I have three Ruger convertibles plus a S&W M625 that shoots 45 Auto Rim or 45 ACP.
ReplyDeleteAfter I try some of the iron sights, I might loose a bit of enthusiam, but I have been practicing leaning my head way back to use the bottom half of my bifocals, so we'll see.
Merle
Hi TBS -
ReplyDeletePlease clarify the intent for the rifle classes. Is it just a single target at 25yds and 100 points?
Or does it replace one of the two targets as called out in the pistol class? (If so, which one?)
Thanks,
Danno
Danno: I will go back and clarify that on the blog. The rifles need to shoot just one target at 25 yards for 100 points. I shot it, thinking that I would do great, but left plenty of room for winners above me. The funny thing I found is that my offhand target at 25 feet scored just one point better than my 50 feet target with a prop to steady the pistol. It was a fun format for me; I hope everyone else enjoys it too.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I've been busy with my National Match AR build and the posts about it.
ReplyDeleteI'll try to get this shot and some entries sent to you soon.