My First Precision Rifle Match: Part 3

When I set out to compete in my first Rifleman Team Challenge competition, I had 2 goals. The first was to have fun, after all, if it wasn't fun then why do it?  The second goal was to not finish last. Probably doesn't sound like much of a goal, but considering every team at the S3 Sniper Challenge was either a professional shooter, special forces, Navy SEALS, MARSOC sniper, etc, etc... I felt that finishing ahead of any one of them would be a significant challenge.

   With my Savage rifle, shooting gear and ballistics all dialed in, I headed out to the Grey Cliffs Ranch near Three Forks, MT on Friday evening for some zeroing shots and practice. Upon arrival I got my first glimpse of the the targets and course of fire...it was a bit daunting. There was everything. Super long range shots, high angle shots, targets hidden behind hills and even moving targets which I had not prepared for other than a few times while coyote hunting.

The next morning we were briefed on the course which was broken down into "upper and "lower" sections. We were shooting the "upper" on Saturday. So everyone hopped into some form of transportation and we all headed out.

Over the next day and a half I would be tested mentally and physically. The stages were timed, complex and not easy. Some targets were hidden, others were pretty much impossible to range, sizes varied greatly and shooting positions were awkward and usually not comfortable. To top that off, the wind became a major factor. With gusts between 15-20mph, reading the wind became critical. All of the practice I had been doing was paying off in some areas while deficiencies became very obvious. Over all it was a tremendous leaning experience and in the end I accomplished my goal. We finished 37/38 teams. Needless to say I was very happy with that result. Now my goal was to find another competition and finish higher.