Images from the high power shoot

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Our local club holds a 'military rifle match' each month, for much of the year. I've fired the course in heavy snow storms and scorching sun. Perfectly fair of course, as everyone shoots under the same conditions.

The course of fire mirrors High Power match shooting, with targets being the standard bullseye, only the scoring rings being reduced in size for the 100 yard range. 10 rounds offhand, in ten minutes. 10 rounds seated rapid fire in 60 seconds. Another 10 rounds rapid fire prone in 60 seconds, and finally 20 rounds slow fire prone in 20 minutes. We have 5 rounds for sight adjustment at the beginning of the match.

Each month's match is themed. Pre-1900, WWII, Bolt action, Battle of the bulge, Vietnam era, etc. One need not stick to the theme, but most shooters try to.

Me..... I shoot just about every match with the same 1938 Turkish Mauser. It's a mile long, with open battle sights, and never designed for target shooting. It is, on the other hand, what I shoot in the matches each time and I've grown to understand it's rough edges. Generally I score in the mid to high 300's with it, out of 500 possible points. I don't use a sling, what with the front sling swivel being so far forward I have to use the spotting scope to look at it. It's just me, that old rifle, a mat, and whatever ammo I cobble together. Breath... stabilize... aim/squeeze.... fire.... reload.

For a collector and aficionado of old military rifles, these shoots are like a trip to Disney World. The weapons that show up are a varied mix, but always interesting and always in excellent condition. My old Mauser is the ugliest of the bunch... but manages to hold it's own against the fancy brethren.

Here.... a few images from the last match.











In an upcoming post I'll tear down the Grand Old Turk and illustrate how I've tweaked and tuned it into my 'match' rifle. Nothing dramatic, but small touches that allow a $100 gun show dog to rack up next to $1000 Garands and not give up an inch of pride.