OK - so we had a rough start with some scheduling issues and a few folks backing out and what not, but we got things going and here's the review:
The weather was miserable, and yet perfect for long-range shooting all at the same time (I was at times miserably cold, yet having the greatest time I've had in a long while).
QTRMOA used the first few hours to go over stuff in the class. Our class-size was only 3 (myself and two others) and all of us pretty much had a solid foundation and had all shot at above 100yds before the class. This made for a quick class-time as QTRMOA went over the basics, safety rules, various terms, etc... but we didn't dwell too much on fluff since all three students had a solid grasp on the fundamentals, were safety conscious, had pretty decent rigs, and all the proper gear.
We went over some of the basics of wind, reticles, knobs, etc... in the class (myself and one other guy had Mil/MOA setups while one of the students had a MOA/MOA setup).
Then We started getting into the meat of the class - Natural Point of Aim (and unlearning all the bad habits we had all been doing). Prone shooting was the entire focus of the class, so QTRMOA went over a lot of the basics of how to lay down in the proper prone position, and a lot of the basic little things that shooters typically apply bad habits to screw up NPA. This was probably where I learned a lot of stuff that I didn't already know (and unlearned some stuff that I shouldn't have been doing).
Then we went outside to shoot - one of the students brought a portable tent / cover that we all sat under (thank you Nate - you were a life saver) that we used to stay out of the rain/sleet/snow that was now coming down.
We did a lot of dry-firing and QTRMOA would correct us on things we were doing wrong - this was priceless information right here and probably one of the most valuable things I got out of the class.
To be able to (in real time) lay down and get setup on your rifle and have someone correct all the things that you're doing wrong, made for some of the fastest and most effective teaching / learning I've had (because honestly I couldn't see that I was doing them wrong until QTRMOA pointed them out and watched everything we did when going through the whole routine of dry-firing).
I was concentrating on all the stuff we had learned in class - and having to correct a number of things I was doing wrong, so I missed something almost every time - this essentially meant that I was getting the benefit of correcting what I was doing without having to spend money on rounds down range to learn it.
Then we started shooting - and we didn't just make groups all day - QTRMOA setup several different exercises - I've tried some of these in the past, but had little success since I wasn't doing the things I needed to be doing correctly behind the rifle.
We then started making groups and getting our dope setup - Red Castle is great for this since it basically allows you to setup a target at 100 and 50 yd increments and you can move back to the berm prior to that and have 200/250 and so on and so on.
I did better at each berm we backed up to because of the stuff I learned that I was able to apply to my shooting.
As a funny side-note, I proceeded to make one of the worst groups I've ever made at 100yds and started really worrying about how the day was going to go. I had just switched over to Fed GMM a few weeks before, and had only put about 30 or so rounds through it to make sure my rifle liked the load. After shooting a few more times and getting some tips fro QTRMOA, I made some adjustments and started shooting a little better. Here's the crazy thing - my group size didn't grow at 200 or 300 yds (it barely grew at 400yds).
I could feel myself getting settled into my rifle and wasn't doing any of the bad-habit crap that I had spent so much time learning before the class. That was a cool thing to realize.
I also took away from the class the value of having an MOA/MOA or Mil/Mil scope - I did a lot of shooting at 230yds and at 300-350yds before the class - only steel plates at 300+ yds which meant that I got an audible sound telling me that I hit my target (no need for a spotter) and with 230yds, I was using a market target that made it easy to tell how many inches away from the POA I was.
This isn't the case when you're shooting at a black dot with a bunch of white around it at 600yds. I was behind the other two guys most of the class because I was trying to do some quick math to convert from inches to Mils and then adjust for yardage - It wasn't working.
Tim ended up using his MOA reticle to help us out (or at least me out) for most of the class and I very much now want to change over - being able to do the math from Mils to MOA might sound more manly on paper, but its definitely not faster.
I've also realized that if you're mainly going to be doing prone shooting, lighter isn't always better. My uber light-weight stock with a 22" barrel bucked way harder than any of the rifles at the course - so I think its time to break down and pick up a heavier stock.
I also realized that at 600yds (especially if you're not shooting steel plates), 10x doesn't cut it - I was at 18x and having a hard time hanging with the Nightforce 22x scopes next to me - and my Falcon (although budget and mechanically not nearly what their scopes are) is plenty clear and bright enough.
Shooting in real world conditions also let me see how things like rain/snow affect my rig and me as a shooter - by the time I got to 600yds, I was shivering enough to crap up my shot - I'd have one or two hits within 4" of center, and then one 9" off or 12" off - I couldn't feel my fingers to reload and could barely pull the trigger.
But I loved it and honestly, I'm glad the conditions weren't bright and sunny because it made for a much better learning experience.
I may now be hooked and have to sign up for a membership at R/C.
The weather was miserable, and yet perfect for long-range shooting all at the same time (I was at times miserably cold, yet having the greatest time I've had in a long while).
QTRMOA used the first few hours to go over stuff in the class. Our class-size was only 3 (myself and two others) and all of us pretty much had a solid foundation and had all shot at above 100yds before the class. This made for a quick class-time as QTRMOA went over the basics, safety rules, various terms, etc... but we didn't dwell too much on fluff since all three students had a solid grasp on the fundamentals, were safety conscious, had pretty decent rigs, and all the proper gear.
We went over some of the basics of wind, reticles, knobs, etc... in the class (myself and one other guy had Mil/MOA setups while one of the students had a MOA/MOA setup).
Then We started getting into the meat of the class - Natural Point of Aim (and unlearning all the bad habits we had all been doing). Prone shooting was the entire focus of the class, so QTRMOA went over a lot of the basics of how to lay down in the proper prone position, and a lot of the basic little things that shooters typically apply bad habits to screw up NPA. This was probably where I learned a lot of stuff that I didn't already know (and unlearned some stuff that I shouldn't have been doing).
Then we went outside to shoot - one of the students brought a portable tent / cover that we all sat under (thank you Nate - you were a life saver) that we used to stay out of the rain/sleet/snow that was now coming down.
We did a lot of dry-firing and QTRMOA would correct us on things we were doing wrong - this was priceless information right here and probably one of the most valuable things I got out of the class.
To be able to (in real time) lay down and get setup on your rifle and have someone correct all the things that you're doing wrong, made for some of the fastest and most effective teaching / learning I've had (because honestly I couldn't see that I was doing them wrong until QTRMOA pointed them out and watched everything we did when going through the whole routine of dry-firing).
I was concentrating on all the stuff we had learned in class - and having to correct a number of things I was doing wrong, so I missed something almost every time - this essentially meant that I was getting the benefit of correcting what I was doing without having to spend money on rounds down range to learn it.
Then we started shooting - and we didn't just make groups all day - QTRMOA setup several different exercises - I've tried some of these in the past, but had little success since I wasn't doing the things I needed to be doing correctly behind the rifle.
We then started making groups and getting our dope setup - Red Castle is great for this since it basically allows you to setup a target at 100 and 50 yd increments and you can move back to the berm prior to that and have 200/250 and so on and so on.
I did better at each berm we backed up to because of the stuff I learned that I was able to apply to my shooting.
As a funny side-note, I proceeded to make one of the worst groups I've ever made at 100yds and started really worrying about how the day was going to go. I had just switched over to Fed GMM a few weeks before, and had only put about 30 or so rounds through it to make sure my rifle liked the load. After shooting a few more times and getting some tips fro QTRMOA, I made some adjustments and started shooting a little better. Here's the crazy thing - my group size didn't grow at 200 or 300 yds (it barely grew at 400yds).
I could feel myself getting settled into my rifle and wasn't doing any of the bad-habit crap that I had spent so much time learning before the class. That was a cool thing to realize.
I also took away from the class the value of having an MOA/MOA or Mil/Mil scope - I did a lot of shooting at 230yds and at 300-350yds before the class - only steel plates at 300+ yds which meant that I got an audible sound telling me that I hit my target (no need for a spotter) and with 230yds, I was using a market target that made it easy to tell how many inches away from the POA I was.
This isn't the case when you're shooting at a black dot with a bunch of white around it at 600yds. I was behind the other two guys most of the class because I was trying to do some quick math to convert from inches to Mils and then adjust for yardage - It wasn't working.
Tim ended up using his MOA reticle to help us out (or at least me out) for most of the class and I very much now want to change over - being able to do the math from Mils to MOA might sound more manly on paper, but its definitely not faster.
I've also realized that if you're mainly going to be doing prone shooting, lighter isn't always better. My uber light-weight stock with a 22" barrel bucked way harder than any of the rifles at the course - so I think its time to break down and pick up a heavier stock.
I also realized that at 600yds (especially if you're not shooting steel plates), 10x doesn't cut it - I was at 18x and having a hard time hanging with the Nightforce 22x scopes next to me - and my Falcon (although budget and mechanically not nearly what their scopes are) is plenty clear and bright enough.
Shooting in real world conditions also let me see how things like rain/snow affect my rig and me as a shooter - by the time I got to 600yds, I was shivering enough to crap up my shot - I'd have one or two hits within 4" of center, and then one 9" off or 12" off - I couldn't feel my fingers to reload and could barely pull the trigger.
But I loved it and honestly, I'm glad the conditions weren't bright and sunny because it made for a much better learning experience.
I may now be hooked and have to sign up for a membership at R/C.
