I want a Distinguished badge. What do I have to do?

[dzelenka]

Phillip,

I am in Covington, LA. I am also the President of the Louisiana Shooting Association, the assistant Match Director at Palo Alto, and I run the junior service rifle program in LA.

The deal out there is the White Oak Armament Service Rifle upper with pinned sights for $750. Any decent lower with a RRA or Geisselle (whichever your wallet can bear) trigger completes the package. With this set-up you can go Distinguished. The rest is technique and practice.

The AR will allow you to progress faster than an M1 or M1A, even if they are super accurate service rifles. The AR is more forgiving of a less than perfect position. It is also more accurate, has better sights and is less fatiguing over the course of a day. Price of quality ammo is also much better so you will practice more. Get your AR as soon as reasonable.

The only difference between a Marksman and a High Master is the ability to execute the basics consistently. The basics of which I speak are natural point of aim, sight alignment, sight picture, focus on the front sight, trigger break and follow through. If you do nothing else, make sure your natural point of aim is PERFECT, your focus is on the front sight and your follow through is consistent. You should be able to see where the front sight is when the trigger breaks.

Dan

[dzelenka]

I also noticed in your pictures that you are shooting without a coat. Do yourself a favor. Buy a Creedmoor hardback heavy coat as soon as you can.

[PhillipM]

Thanks for the info, a jacket is on my list. What do you do in the summer to keep from overheating in the jackets? I work outside and am used to the heat and humidity but I'd be a sweaty mess in a jacket. Are the vests that Dan Shapiro is talking about in the jackets thread worthwhile for this climate?

Jeff, I might add that the guys in Arizona have a light weight vest they pull from their ice chest when it gets really hot.
Here's an example, and there are many out there.
http://www.arcticheatusa.com/
Once or twice during the year, I clean my coat with a spray 'dry cleaner'. The rest of the time, a splash of "Frabreeze" keeps me
from 'offending

[Maury Krupp]

What do you do in the summer to keep from overheating in the jackets?

At a properly run match you're not really in your coat all that much. The longest is (or should be) about 30min at a stretch.

When you are in your coat try a wet rag under your hat or one of those cooler bandanas. Have a good absorbent towel to wipe your face, hands, and stock.

The rest of the time do the same things you do any time you're out in the heat: Hydrate and stay hydrated, keep your electrolyte level up, dress appropriately including a hat that provides shade.

You get used to it.

Maury

[John Kepler]

Ditto what Maury said! Try to operate in the KISS Principal as much as you can. That DRB is about you, not the "gadgets" you buy. Read the "Dad" Farr story that Maj. Culver wrote every time you feel the need to scratch that "I need to biuy something to shoot better" itch! The longest you will EVER be locked up in that coat is at Camp Perry where "boat in the impact area" delays on the line are maddeningly frequent. In most cases, you in are and out of that coat in 30 min at worst, and nothiing you are going to buy is going to change that, or make you sweat any less. The best solution is to carry several bottles of Gatorage in place of any "cool-suit", and stay hydrated. Besides....you'll be amazed at how good you can feel when you doff that coat after a good string!

[dzelenka]

I use an underarmor T-shirt and either a long sleeve cotton T or a sweat shirt depending on the position (T-shirt for standing). When you take off the coat during the summer down here, if feels like air conditioning. :^) Seriously, you are only in the coat for short lengths of time. Staying hydrated is the most important. A wet rag on your head or the back of your neck feels good on those 100+ heat index days while you are shooting slow prone. A plus for shooting down here is that even hot days at Perry feel like welcome relief. Perry is a refreshing respite to July and August in South Louisiana.

[dzelenka]

I agree with John about another thing - going Distinguished is not about getting the right "gadget" or the "perfect load". You should buy the best quality you can afford in a coat, rifle and scope. A really good and reliable trigger is a plus. Beyond that, develop a good handload, load a lot of it and practice. When you find a load that will shoot under 3/4 MOA in your rifle. Stop worrying about your load and concentrate on your shooting. Finding a load that will shoot 3/4 in an AR is not hard and you may stumble on one even better, but don't waste a lot of time trying to get from 3/4 to 1/2 MOA. Other things are costing you more points than your ammo.

Dan

[Maury Krupp]

I'll piggyback on what John and Mr Zelenka say about loads and go as far as non-safety related load development for Service Rifle is pretty much a waste of time.

The AR has been in use long enough for the "industry standard" loads that work well enough in any rifle to be figured out. That's even more true for .30cal.

Pick one of these loads, test enough to be sure it won't blow up your gun, make a cubic-buttload of them, then go practice.

The 10-ring is 2MOA; it doesn't take much of a load for the ammo to hold that. If *YOU* can hold 2MOA (and read wind and don't make any stupid mistakes and don't clank-up in the knee-high breeze) you'll shoot a 500-with lots of Xs. That will leg *anywhere*

Maury

[dzelenka]

There is that "YOU" factor to contend with. :>)

[Sharpsman]

Phillip,

There are highpower matches (but no EIC matches) at Bogue Chitto, MS. These matches are run by Doug Bowser, but were not terribly well organized the last time I attended. There are also monthly matches at Palo Alto Rifle and Pistol Club in Donaldsonville, LA. They are on the 3rd Saturday of each month and are very well run. The match director is Jay Hunt - jdhunt3@louisianashooting.com . The LA state championship and EIC match are the 3rd weekend of October. I know at least 1 person who is coming from Jackson to that match.



Also, are you sure Doug is Distinguished? I didn't think he was.

Dan
DR1827

Bowser?? Distinguished??

Dang...if that's the case....I think I'll turn the one I earned years ago in!!