Carlos Hathcock Match AAR and Range Report
Intro
On Sunday, 23 October 2011, I participated in the annual Carlos Hathcock Match at the Cherry Hill Range in Highland Lakes, NJ. This 300 yard sniper-style competition is open to rifles of pretty much any caliber and not limited to service rifles, as I am used to for high-power matches. Having just built up a squad precision-type rifle (SPR) based on the AR-15 platform this summer, I decided to see what I could make happen past my usual 100 yard range. This was my second time shooting past 200 yards on a range, the first being a semi-qualification event with Army ROTC.
My Equipment
The rifle I was shooting is basically a suped-up AR-15-type rifle. The major components are Centurion Arms upper Mk. 12 upper receiver with Knight's URXII rail on a Bushmaster lower receiver with Geissle Super Dynamic 3-Gun Trigger and Magpul PRS stock. This rifle is topped with a Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14x42mm Mil-Dot scope on a LaRue Tactical LT-104 SPR mount. This makes for a very accurate, albeit pricey, combination that is effective out to the limitation of the 5.56x45mm round for which it is chambered. The PRS stock is highly adjustable for cheek elevation and length-of-pull. The scope is exceedingly clear, even at longer ranges and is adjustable for parallax. This all sits on a Harris bipod.
The Match
After waking up at 0315, myself and a few others (two Marks and a Frank) carpooled down to Highland Lake, NJ and arrived at the range early enough to get the best parking spot. After a cup of coffee to bring us all back to some base-line level of consciousness, we rubbed elbows with the other shooters who were starting to arrive. This was my first time at this match, so I was introduced to some of the regulars.
The match itself is organized by the Marine Corps League and this is highly evident in everything that goes on. There are Marines bumper stickers on almost every car, there are Marine sweatshirts on 2/3's of the shooters, and there was even a separate division for Marine and Former Marine (never an Ex-Marine) shooters. Being in the Army, and an Army Cadet at that, there was definitely an air of tension, but everyone was friendly in that ball-busting style that is universal among military personnel.
I was squaded with three other guys. My friend Mark D. and I were in the target pits for the first two of four relays where we were responsible for clearing targets for and scoring two other shooters' targets. We were behind a larger earthen berm and the targets were on rising frames to prevent us from being in any danger. This is standard practice on longer ranges and it is always interesting hearing the bullets crack over head. After messing around there for 40 or so minutes, it was our turn to shoot.
The Course of Fire was 20 rounds for record in the prone position in twenty minutes after a three minute preparation period (dry-fire only) and a five-minute period with unlimited sighter shots to ensure that the rifle is zeroed adequately for 300 yards.
I was third relay, so I shot before Mark, who called my sighters out as they hit the target. During the match, there was no coaching allowed, but coaches could help you check or alter your zero. I set up my spotting scope at my point, a low-end Champion's Choice model that could barely make out the target, let alone the holes at 300 yards. My Zeiss scope, however, was extremely clear at that range and made a better spotting scope than the spotter that was easily twice as powerful. It is amazing the difference that quality glass will make.
The rifle shot very well in terms of accuracy, and the PPU brand 75 grain .223 Remington ammunition was decent stuff. If I were shooting quality American match-grade ammunition, I am sure that my score would have been slightly higher, but given that this was match was more about familiarization for me at longer ranges than a serious competition, I didn't want to spend the money for higher-dollar stuff. It had no failures to extract or fire with the rifle, but without exception, the bolt would always fail to stay open on an empty magazine.
Because this was a single-load slow-fire match, and I had to manually place a round in the chamber for every shot, this was an enormous problem and meant that I had to break position every shot in order to load for the next shot. For those out there that do not shoot position matches, this creates inconsistency that can alter the point of impact of the bullet significantly enough to ruin the potential for a good shot. Once in position with a semi-automatic rifle, ideally the shooter should not move anything other than what is caused by breathing, recoil control, and the trigger finger. My having to move forced me to have to regain good sight picture, good cheek positioning on the stock, and a good prone position before every shot, which is not conducive to a good score. Even with all of these issues, I have not doubt that the bullets when exactly where I aimed them, but my own fundamentals need to be refreshed and practiced more.
On the positive side, the Geissele trigger is AMAZING. It is a very light two-stage trigger with an extremely short pull and reset. If you're in the market for a high-dollar match trigger, check out the Super Dynamic 3-Gun trigger. Wow.
Mark D. was shooting a mostly-stock Remington 700 SPS Tactical chambered in .308 Winchester with a 20" barrel topped with the crappiest, most godawful modern-manufactured scope I have ever had the dissatisfaction of looking through. The Barska-branded tube had what looked like Saran wrap instead of lenses. The target was so hazy it was as if shooting through fog. That said, Mark kicked the crap out of my score. This goes to show that fundamentals, practice, and attention to detail matter more than how expensive your equipment is, and I commend his shooting ability.
Results
I ended up scoring a 169 points with two X's (dead center shots that factor into a tie-breaker) out of a possible 220 (head-shots counted as 11 points, as the margin of error was much greater). Mark scored a 187-0x (one inch too low, buddy!). The high score for the match was 199-11x.
Conclusion
This is a great match and a wonderful experience. This was a rare opportunity for me to stretch my shooting skills in a longish-range venue and a good time hanging out with good people. I plan on figuring out what caused my failures to lock-back, increasing my practice intensity, and trying again next year. I suggest that everyone take the opportunity to get out there and shoot this match next year, too.
I want to finish by sending out a big "Thank You" to Mark B. for driving, Mark D. for helping me out with sighting in, and to Tony B. for lending me the PRS stock to try out. To all of you out in Internet Land, good shooting and safe travels.
