GETTING STARTED IN HIGHPOWER

By Clint Greenwood 

 

This article is meant to be an introductory primer, for the interested person to get started in Highpower. It most definitely IS NOT the definitive work. There are several extremely informative books out there, written by vastly more experienced people than I, that cover the subject more thoroughly. This is meant to be something that the average person can sit down and read, without eyestrain or information overload, and get a grasp of the basics, so that they can have some modicum of familiarity with the game of Highpower.

 

FIRST THINGS FIRST!

 

This may sound like a silly bit of advice, but first, I would suggest you find the people that participate in the Highpower game. With the advent of the Web, that isn’t a huge hurdle. There are several extremely good sites on the Web, that can convey more information than this brief article. Several sites on Delphi.com are devoted to the sport. Florida Highpower, Texas Highpower, Long Range Target Shooting, Northwest Highpower, Louisiana Highpower, and Georgia Highpower are but a few of the more popular sites. In addition, Steve’s Highpower Links, AR15.com and Bill Poole’s Arizonarifleshooting.com are great information sites as to Highpower club links and how to information.

I list this as the first thing to do, because using these resources, one can make contact with the people involved in the sport. In my opinion, that is the single most important thing to do for someone interested in getting involved in Highpower.

I have shot competitively for a number of years in quite a few shooting disciplines. Eventually, some of the participants have soured my desire to continue shooting in that particular sport, and I swore off of it completely. Meeting the people involved in Highpower was like a breath of fresh air to me. I can honestly say I have never met a group of people that are so downright helpful and encouraging to the new shooter as are Highpower shooters.

When one makes the initial contact with Highpower shooters in your area , find out where and when they shoot. Make the time to attend a match, and let your contact know you are going to attend as a spectator. When you get to the range, find your contact and introduce yourself, and prepare yourself for the onslaught! Invariably, the Highpower shooters fall all over themselves to help you get started. Equipment is offered for loan, including rifles and ammo. Don’t be bashful, take advantage of it! As a rule, Highpower shooters are so tickled that someone wants to get involved, they will lend you everything they have, including their time, and have this huge you know what eating grin on their face. It is simply amazing how helpful the vast majority of Highpower shooters are.

To me, this is the single most appealing aspect (the people) of Highpower. Quite a bit of the rules, procedures and scoring at a Highpower match are conducted on the honor system, and this spills over into every aspect of Highpower shooting. I am supremely confident that wherever I may go to compete in a match, anywhere in the country, I can count on a high degree of personal honor and integrity from the shooters I am competing with and against. I have absolutely no qualms about leaving all of my equipment, several thousand dollars worth, lying unattended at a match while I am off doing something else. I have never lost anything, or had it vandalized, nor have I ever heard of anything similar happening to any Highpower shooter. Try that at an IPSC match!

 

COURSE OF FIRE

 

The basic HP match is shot at 200, 300 and 600 yards. Several ranges do not have the necessary ranges, so quite a few clubs shoot what are referred to as reduced course matches. These can be shot at 100, 200, 300 or any combination thereof, and can be just as fun and challenging. The reduced course matches have targets that are reduced in size to simulate certain distances.

Generally, a HP match starts at 200 yards. The first match is called offhand or standing. In this match, the shooter shoots either 10 shots in 10 minutes, or 20 shots in 20 minutes while standing, unaided by artificial support. These shots are loaded and fired and scored one at a time.

The second match is called sitting. This is somewhat of a misnomer, as the shooter starts the course standing, and at a start signal, assumes either a sitting or kneeling position, and fires 10 shots in 60 seconds. Depending on what type of rifle the competitor is using, these are fired in a sequence of 2 shots, reload, 8 shots, or 5 shots, reload, 5 shots. Depending on what type of match it is, this may be down once or twice. All 10 shots are fired, then all 10 are scored.

The third match is called prone rapid fire, shot at 300 yards, on a slightly different target. Here, the shooter starts standing and at a start signal assumes a prone position, and like sitting fires either 2 and 8, or 5 and 5, this time in 70 seconds. Here again, the string is scored after all 10 rounds are fired. Again, depending on the type of match, the shooter may do this once or twice.

The final match is shot at 600 yards. Here, as in standing, the shooter fires 20 shots in 20 minutes, but all from a prone position, single loaded and fired. This match is shot on a much larger target, as it is so far away.

To the naked eye, all of the various targets all appear the same size, despite the yardage difference. This is deliberate, and done by varying the size of the target, so that the shooter perceives the target as the same size, no matter what the distance.

Generally, in HP matches, the shooter gets a 3 minutes preparation period to get on the firing line and organize his equipment and prepare to fire that particular match. This seems rushed to a new shooter, but after a little exposure to it and adaptation, most shooters don’t need all of the time and gripe about how Along@ the preparation period  is. This is the first time that a shooter may handle his weapon, other than carrying it to the line. As a new shooter, do the best you can to get ready in 3 minutes, and other than big Regional or State matches, new shooters can and do ask for more time and are generally given it. After the prep period, the shooter generally gets 2 minutes to fire 2 sighter shots to verify they are zeroed. These are loaded , fired and scored individually, but they don’t count towards the shooters final score.

 

SCORING

 

All HP targets have X,10, 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5 scoring rings. The X ring is in the center of the 10 ring, and the number of X’s a shooter scores breaks ties, if 2 or more shooters shoot an identical score. Each bullet hole is scored individually, adding up for a total score. If a bullet hole touches the next higher value ring, the shooter gets that higher value. Most HP ranges have pits. These are the areas where the targets are exposed to the shooter to fire upon. Most ranges have berms of dirt or other material built up, that a person, called the puller, stands behind while firing is going on. The targets are suspended on frames above the protective berm. During the offhand stage and the 600 yd. slow fire stage, after a round is fired by the shooter, the target is pulled down into the pit by the puller. A colored disk on a spindle is inserted into the actual bullet hole to show where the shot landed, and a disk is hung on the periphery of the target to denote the value of the shot. Where on the periphery the disk is hung tells the shooter what the value of the shot fired is. Once these operations are complete, the target is again raised so the shooter can see his target and the scoring of the shot. On the next shot, the target is again pulled down, the colored disk is relocated to the new shot, the old bullet hole is patched, and if necessary the disk on the periphery of the target is moved to the value of the new shot, then put back up so the shooter can see it.

During the rapid fire stages at 200 and 300, when the shooter fires 10 shots in succession, after the expiration of the time limit, the targets are pulled into the pits and the puller inserts small disks on spindles, or golf tees, into each of the 10 holes. A chalk board is hung on the target and it tells the shooter the number of X’s, 10's etc. were fired during that string. After the shooter examines and records his score, the targets are pulled into the pits, all disks are removed, holes are patched, and the targets are readied to be run back up for the next string.

The general rule at HP matches is that competitors take turns shooting and pulling. It is part of the overall HP experience that everyone takes their turn in the pits to provide good target scoring service to another shooter, just as they should, and usually do for you.

 

EQUIPMENT

 

 A basic kit for a shooter consists of a rifle, ammo, shooting mat and spotting scope. One can make do with just the rifle and ammo, but some of the other stuff sure helps!

 

RIFLE

 

There are 2 divisions in HP shooting, Match Rifle and Service Rifle. Quite a few clubs that I have shot at make no distinction between the two, while some do. For the beginner, it doesn’t matter, just do it!

 

MATCH RIFLE

Any rifle, 30 caliber or less, equipped with iron sights and capable of holding 5 rounds can be a match rifle. .308, 30-06, .223, 22-250, .260, 6/250 and 6mmX are some of the common calibers. There are no weight rules, trigger pull weight restrictions or action type restrictions. In this division you will see bolt rifles and semi autos. The basic actions can be Winchester Model 70s, Remington 700s, AR-15s, to name just a few of the options. It really doesn’t matter. Here, the visit to a match can be invaluable to see what rifles are used and more importantly how they are used. I have seen pretty much stock rifles, particularly the commercially available Winchester and Remington synthetic stocked rifles fitted with iron sights compete successfully. When I say iron sights, one can certainly start out with the iron sights fitted from the factory, but the vast majority of Match rifle shooters have aperture sights fitted. Go and look, ask questions and with permission, fondle the rifles!

 

SERVICE RIFLE

In this division, the shooter is limited to one of 3 rifles, the M1 Garand, the M1A or the AR-15. All of these rifles must externally look just like the rifle that is, or was, issued to Joe GI.

 As an aside, Service Rifle shooters are generally nicer, more upstanding, braver, handsomer and all around better people than Match Rifle shooters. (I shoot Service Rifle, by the way). Unfortunately, the rumor that Service Rifle shooters don’t tend to their personal hygiene as well as Match Rifle shooters might have some small grain of truth in it. One can generally tell a Match Rifle shooter from a Service Rifle shooter, without looking at their rifle, by how they navigate mud puddles. The Match Rifle shooter will march grimly right through the puddle, refusing to acknowledge the mud puddle, while the Service Rifle shooter will throw themselves face first in the puddle and wallow about a bit before low crawling through the deepest part. If you see a shooter having a temper tantrum because of the existence of the  mud puddle, it probably is a displaced Smallbore shooter.

All kidding aside, the majority of all HP shooters started HP with a Service Rifle. That may be because they were exposed to a Service Rifle during military service, or because it is generally more economical to enter HP competition in the Service Rifle division. Several manufacturers, Bushmaster, Armalite, Rock River and American Spirit Arms to name a few, market competition ready versions of AR-15s. These are generally designated their DCM or CMP competition versions. These are in the neighborhood of $1000.00, (give or take a couple of hundred bucks either way), and are just a few notches below what a really dedicated, (read fanatical here), Service Rifle shooter may have a professional smith build for them.

Currently, the AR-15 clones rule the Service Rifle roost. If you have a Garand or M1A, shoot it in a match to get experience, and enjoy the experience. See if you want to get serious, or just want to shoot the occasional match. If you want to get serious about Service Rifle, eventually you will get an AR-15, but quite a few people shoot Garands and M1As and do well. Bottom line, if you have something already, go shoot a match with it!

 

SLINGS

 

No matter what one’s choice in rifles is, a sling is absolutely necessary. There are very few restrictions as to Match Rifle slings. Several companies such as Champion’s Choice, Creedmoor and OK Webber sell Match Rifle Slings. Here again, a visit to a match and playing touchy feely and asking questions is the best way to find a decent sling for a Match Rifle.

Service Rifle shooters are limited in their sling choices. They can use either a 1907 pattern leather sling, or the M1 Garand web sling. Turner Saddlery or Les Tam make fine leather 1907 slings, you can’t go wrong with either. If you want a web sling, go to a gun show and buy a CANVAS M1 Garand sling. DON'T BUY THE NYLON COPY, GET THE BEAT UP OLD, UGLY, SMELLY CANVAS ONE! The nylon slings are virtually impossible to keep tight without slipping. Don’t be afraid to buy and use a $2.00 canvas sling! A former National Champion used one on his Match rifle to win the National Championship! John Holliger, one of the better Service Rifle shooters and gunsmiths in the country uses the web sling exclusively.

 

AMMO

 

This section gives me a headache! By virtue of the number of rounds fired in practice and in an actual match, it is almost a given that 99.9% of HP shooters are hand loaders. Not only does this reduce the cost of the ammo, but allows the shooter to make ammo that is almost always better than what can be purchased over the counter.

If one shoots either .308 or 30-06, Winchester, Federal and a few others market Match loads, generally with the superlative Sierra 168 HPBT. This is good ammo, but expensive! A shooter with a Garand or an M1A can be very competitive at all ranges with these loads. If one starts out with a HP club that is affiliated with the CMP, surplus military ammunition can often be purchased from the club for both the Garand and M1A, very reasonably!

A company called Black Hills markets excellent ammo for the non- reloader in these calibers, as well as others, and it usually is cheaper than Winchester or Federal

If one elects to shoot an AR-15, in either Match or Service configuration, handloading is almost a necessity.  Black Hills markets excellent ammo for the .223, that is pretty much the equal of anything anyone can handload at 200 and 300 yards. For the .223 to be competitive at 600 yards, one has to handload, pure and simple. AR-15 shooters generally will shoot a 75-90 grain bullet at 600 yards, and for best accuracy, these heavyweight bullets have to either touch the rifling in the barrel, or actually protrude into the rifling. Since each barrel is a unique little beast, even from the same manufacturer or gunsmith, handloading is really the only solution. Since all of the shots taken at 600 are single loaded, the handloader is not forced to load the rounds to fit in the tiny AR-15 magazine and they can either touch or engage the rifling with their handloads. Here, the knowledge one can gain from other shooters is invaluable. Talk to other shooters about their loads. These are usually very long, passionate discussions, as I have yet to find a HP shooter worth their salt who doesn’t believe their pet loads are the HP Holy Grail!        

 

SHOOTING MAT

 

A shooting mat is a very important part of your kit. It provides a non slip surface to shoot from, primarily in prone, that keeps you out of the grass, mud, bugs, etc. Quite few people use carpet remnants, about 30" x 72". One can either use the carpeted side, or flip it over and shoot from the backing side for a really no slip surface. Quite a few different companies market excellent shooting mats. One I would stay away from is the shooting mat sold by Dillon. While it looks snazzy, the rubber shooting surfaces sewn onto the matt are slippery as ice. The samples that I have seen are really worse than no mat. To quote someone else, I forget who, they are for the sniper wannabees!

 

 

SPOTTING SCOPE

 

I feel that spotting scope, along with it’s stand, is one of the really necessary items. Since at most local matches, you must record your own scores, and to do that you have to be able to see the target at 200, 300 and 600 yards. I have seen shooters use rifle scopes, binoculars, even astronomical scopes. These all work after a fashion, but to concentrate on your shooting, you need a good scope and stand. Attend a few matches, and if you decide HP is for you, spend to get the best that you can possibly afford. Buy intelligently and you only have to buy once! Here again, it’s best to go to a match and look through several scopes and look at stands. Ask questions and listen!

 

                                                                             

OTHER GOODIES

 

One item that I hesitated in not naming as a necessity is a shooting coat. Most people start out with just a sweat shirt or jean jacket or field jacket, but it becomes obvious pretty quickly that a shooting coat helps quite a bit. These shooting coats run the gamut from $65.00 canvas coats to $500.00 leather ones, custom made. These isolate the rifle from shooter tremors and pulse beats, as well as provide a more stable shooting position. They also provide some protection to the shooter from recoil and skinned elbows! This is an area that other HP shooter’s equipment is helpful. Ask to try on different coats. See what fits and how they work. Try before you buy!

 

Another item is a shooting stool. These run from $50.00 basics to wheeled monstrosities for $200.00.  They allow you to store gear and ammo, let you rest the rifle on during offhand, and last but not least let you park your posterior above the ground. A good item, but not a necessity! I have seen quite a few people with tool boxes, milk crates, you name it to haul their gear and to sit upon and rest their rifle on.

 

A shooting glove of some kind is necessary.  When you learn to use the sling properly, it traps your hand tightly against the rifle. Without a glove, you are in pain pretty quickly! I started with a leather work glove and progressed to a thick, heavy insulated winter glove for the next match. I broke down immediately and got a real shooting glove. The low end is about $30.00, but is well worth the cost due to comfort considerations.

 

Eye and ear protection are mandatory, period. If you wear prescription corrective lenses, use them. HP shooters spend quite a bit getting special shooting glasses when they have to have corrective lenses, and they are worth every penny spent. You have to see to be able to shoot! Ear muff or plugs are fine. I have found that ear muffs get in the way of my head position for Service Rifle, so I use plugs.

 

Another safety item that is absolutely mandatory is an open bolt indicator. NRA rules require some sort of device to be inserted in an empty chamber to announce to the world that your rifle is empty and you are safe! These can be really nifty things like Sinclair sells for AR-15s, or they can be the simple yellow MTM chamber flags. At my home club, the Match Director always has a few at every match to give to new shooters. These open bolt indicators, or OBI, are required to be inserted in the rifle at all times, except when a shooter is on the line, ready to shoot. This is an inviolate rule, follow it to the letter!

 

HIGHPOWER ETIQUETTE

 

I mentioned earlier that a high degree of personal integrity is present in HP. An unwritten code of honor pervades all facets of HP. Most matches run extremely smoothly, and you don’t see much, if any, of the bickering and childish behavior on the part of competitors that is so prevalent in other shooting sports. Because of this gratifying situation, I feel a few words are in order on range behavior.

First, if you are in doubt about any safety rule or any procedure, ASK SOMEONE! We have all been unclear on something at one time or another, so ask someone if you have a question. No one is going to mind, as they have had to ask also.

Don’t handle your weapon, except to move it to and from the firing line, until the match director gives you the command to start your preparation period. You can generally carry your rifle to and from the line by it’s sling, or in a case. If the rifle is out of the case, remember where the muzzle is pointing, OBI notwithstanding. If you place your rifle on the ground, your mat, or against your stool, make sure the muzzle is pointed downrange. Going to and from the line with your rifle, your muzzle should be skyward or pointing at the ground. Don’t handle it, remove the OBI or insert a magazine until you hear a clear command from the range officers or match director that your prep period has begun.

Listen and follow the range commands to the letter. Your response to the commands will soon become automatic. I still have some personal quirks about this.  During the sighter shot period, even if I have clearly heard the match director give permission to fire a sighter shot, I always wait until someone else shoots first. I’ve been known to participate in some small way in practical jokes. If I was to fire prematurely, I would suffer from an unmerciful ribbing from the other competitors, so I wait!

When you have finished shooting, move your equipment off of the line as quickly as you safely can. Another shooter is in all likelihood waiting to set up at your firing point. Be courteous and get out of their way as quickly as you safely can. Don’t go forward of the firing line until you hear clearly that the line is safe and that shooters may retrieve their brass.

If I have one pet peeve about HP, it concerns pit service. Traditionally, a shooter performs pit service to score and paste a target for another shooter. This is part of the HP experience, and your actions in the pit can either make another shooters day or ruin it. Unfortunately, very experienced, veteran shooters sometimes develop the attitude that pit service is an inconvenience, or somehow beneath their dignity to perform it quickly. My personal opinion is that when you are performing pit duty during the 2 slow fire matches, you should be able to pull the target, mark the shot, move the scoring disk,  patch the prior bullet hole and then return it to it’s up position in 5 to 6 seconds. Anything more than 10 seconds is incredibly crappy pit service. This is not Rocket Science! If you can’t cycle a target in under 10 seconds you are either a lazy slob or a moron. In either case, you don’t belong at a HP match!  Occasionally, you have to search for a bullet strike, and you exceed the 10 second time. This happens, do it as quickly and fairly as you can. Don’t get so rushed that you penalize a shooter with a missed shot that they didn’t earn themselves. Take some pride in your target service.

During slow fire, stand closely by your target. Most ranges have an impact berm behind the targets. Watch this area for a bullet impact from your shooter. Unless absolutely necessary, don’t try to watch the target face. This is difficult and usually results in neck strain and slow target service. For the first shot, I have a buff colored and a black paster on my left finger, ready to go. In my right hand, I have the shot marker disk and the value disk. When I see a bullet impact, I immediately pull the target down. I insert the colored disk in the bullet hole, insert the value disk in it’s proper position to denote the value of the shot just fired, and immediately run the target back up. If the shot is in the black, insert the shot marker disk white side out to contrast against the black bull. If the shot is in the buff colored area, insert it black side out, again remember, contrasting color showing. For second and subsequent shots, have an appropriate color paster ready to use. You know what the last shot was, so there should be no delay while you search for the correct color paster, have it ready!

Don’t sit down or start a gab fest with the puller next to you. It is your SOLE DUTY TO PROVIDE GOOD TARGET SERVICE TO THE SHOOTER!

Pulling and scoring the 2 rapid fire events is similar. Someone will be in the pits functioning as the pit boss. They will tell you to raise your target to a halfway position, called half mast. At their command, raise the target fully. Continue standing by your target. The pit boss will tell you when it is time to pull your target down completely into the pits. Do it on their command.  Get your scoreboard, count the number of shots. If you have all 10, write their value on the scoreboard. If there are insufficient, (less than 10), or excess, ( more than 10), shots on your target, immediately notify the pit boss and await their instructions. If you have all 10 shots, insert a disk into each bullet hole. A good shooter will make this challenging, as all 10 shots may be in a tiny little cluster. Some ranges use golf tees to insert in small groups. Again here, remember that the disk that goes in the bullet hole should have a contrasting color facing the shooter. Hang the scoreboard on the target. Run the target back up and await the command to pull the targets back down, remove the disks and scoreboard and patch the holes and await the pit bosses’ commands.

 

If, while you are firing one of the two rapid fire portions of a typical HP match, you have a malfunction, do not attempt to clear it while time is running. The rules provide for this event. Wait until the time has expired. Raise your hand and get the match director or range officer’s attention. They will inspect your malfunction and give you instructions to clear it. You will then be given the opportunity to refire the string in an alibi relay. If you attempt to clear the malfunction and botch it, you have forfeited your right to an alibi! Sit tight and wait and call it to the official’s attention.

 

CONCLUSION

 

I can’t stress enough that the single most important first step is to make contact with HP shooters in your area and attend a match. I have been extremely fortunate to have met and associated with some fine people. When I first started, a veteran shooter named Glenn took it upon himself to help me get started. He lent me equipment, gave me sound advice and freely spent his time to help me get started. I would hazard a guess that approximately 1/3  of the shooters participating in HP in my area were introduced to HP through Glenn. It sometimes appears that Glenn’s mission in life is to recruit people into HP. Rather than being the exception, Glenn is really the typical HP shooter. It is an outstanding group of people, with whom I am proud to be associated. From this group of people, you will find excellent advice and help freely given. You will learn to use your equipment properly from these people. Ask questions, someone is always willing to help. Once your proficiency level rises to a level that you are comfortable with, remember all of the fine people that helped you, and you should in turn give something back to this sport by helping someone new get started.

Aside from the great people involved in HP, it is an extremely satisfying sport. While there is always someone that wins the match, your real competition is yourself. It is difficult to explain the personal satisfaction I obtain from competing, but my progress has been most satisfying. I love shooting HP and associating with this fine group of people.

 Have fun and Good Shooting!

 Clint Greenwood