Pointers For New Sporter Shooter?

PNW Skipper

PNW Skipper

New member
I have recently purchased a used IR 50/50 sporter and want to compete regionally once I get familiar with it. I have read the Tony Harper posts about IR50/50 and sporters, and understand his point about the strategy of prioritizing the 10 ring first over the X. I also remember reading somewhere that shooting a sporter is a bit like shooting a diopter sight. I am an experienced club shooter, but anticipate there will be a learning curve in the transition to shooting the IR 50/50 sporter. If any experienced IR 50/50 competitors would care to share thoughts on how shooting the sporter differs from shooting the ARA or USBR targets with an unlimited rifle like a 2500 or a Turbo, thoughts about sporter-specific techniques, or how to make the transition more rapidly/smoothly it would be appreciated. And yes, I understand there is no substitution for getting out there and shooting it! Thanks in advance for your insights.
 
A difficult question. I don't know the capabilities of your rifle/rest/rear bag set up. Let's assume you can see and have a proper scope. Some rifles are a lot more user friendly than others, meaning some shoot better when held lightly, and some go wacko, depending on how they're held, or not held. I realize none of what I said makes sense, after reading back over it. But, as you said, get some targets and ammo and work with it, and refine your questions a bit. To play the 3 gun game, you need a great sporter rifle, for sure.
 
Thanks for the feedback Kent. I am lucky to have found a used sporter with a proven track record in IR 50/50. So it's nice to know that I have a rifle I can have confidence in as I grow into it. It will start out with a stock Leupold FX-3 6x42 with the fine duplex reticle. Fortunately I have a good selection of RWS, Eley & Lapua match ammo to sort through to find a lot it likes. It WILL be the shooter, not the rifle controlling performance improvement!
 
Re think the scope. Your scope is far more important with a sporter, The Leupold target 6x with a fine X hair and small dot is a decent choice, most guys are shooting with a small dot.
 
Tim, good advice! I am definitely looking for an alternative. Already found out Leupold has unfortunately shut down their custom shop from conversion work with no estimate for when it will reopen. Watching a Weaver CT-6x40 w/ FCH and dot reticle and a Leupold M-8 Compact 6x33 with FCH and dot also. Have asked for weights on both. Any thoughts/experience with either?
 
Shooting a sporter requires a much refined BR shooting technique.
This is needed, because sporter rifles are much lighter, have a smaller front stock support, and a lower power scope.
Aiming with a sporter is also a bit different, again, because the scope has less power, so reticules have even a more relevance. Small dots, fine crosshairs are the key. Then, you zone aim, not any longer be able to aim micrometer like on other disciplines.
Wind reading is the same, thought. But be prepared to miss bigger, just because you aim bigger too.
For me, with practice aiming became second nature, but pay particular attention to your shooting technique, as said before.
Sporter shooting is addictive, consider yourself warned!
 
For me, the rear bag becomes much more critical due to the light weight gun. Insuring your rifle is tracking true and returns to the same spot (through scope) after each shot is key. I run my gun back and forth in the bag (which has to be filled correctly!) a number of times until it settles in before a card. Of course you never touch the bag once set up! I found one time my shots were starting to land in areas that didn't make sense to me until I realized my trigger hand was lightly brushing against the bag. Pedro has a great writeup on proper bag alignment and setup in another thread that will help a lot!

Oh, and be sure to have a spotting scope! Variables power scopes will be taped at the 6.5x magnification at a proper match.

Yes, the most rewarding shooting experience in IR5050 is shooting the Sporter, when you get a 250 15+ X count you feel you have really accomplished something!
 
PNW Skipper said:
Tim, good advice! I am definitely looking for an alternative. Already found out Leupold has unfortunately shut down their custom shop from conversion work with no estimate for when it will reopen. Watching a Weaver CT-6x40 w/ FCH and dot reticle and a Leupold M-8 Compact 6x33 with FCH and dot also. Have asked for weights on both. Any thoughts/experience with either?
Click to expand...
As far as Leuy’s the target 6x with target turrets is the go to. Some sporters can make weight with the 6x-18x which allow you to shoot/ practice/ pick ammo with magnification. The Weavers can be good, I shot one but some out there you just cannot get all the parallax out
Alas, the best choice historically has been the 4.5-14X LRT which is no longer made.
Several sporter guys and myself shoot these. 30 mm, side focus, 16oz. The custom shop used to swap out tactical reticle for fine xhair with dot and change center of focus to 50 yards.
I have talked to PedroS about these but few made it to EU and don’t come for sale here very often. If you ever see one, snap it up, you will be happy.
 
tim said:
As far as Leuy’s the target 6x with target turrets is the go to. Some sporters can make weight with the 6x-18x which allow you to shoot/ practice/ pick ammo with magnification. The Weavers can be good, I shot one but some out there you just cannot get all the parallax out
Alas, the best choice historically has been the 4.5-14X LRT which is no longer made.
Several sporter guys and myself shoot these. 30 mm, side focus, 16oz. The custom shop used to swap out tactical reticle for fine xhair with dot and change center of focus to 50 yards.
I have talked to PedroS about these but few made it to EU and don’t come for sale here very often. If you ever see one, snap it up, you will be happy.
Click to expand...
To add to Tim's comments, if you can find one of the Mark 4 4.5-14X scopes and it has not been 'custom shopped' it can be modified. I know Optical Services Comp in NM will do the reticle and can most likely adjust the side focus as well, since the Leupold Custom Shop is still closed.

Scott
 
I don't post a lot so this may be worth exactly what you pay for it but I don't care for the dot, I shoot a Weaver 6X that Optical Services has replaced the dot with the straight fine crosshair. I find it easier to judge hold off but I must admit it takes a lot of concentration to be sure that it is exactly centered.
Also as has been stated above, bag and rest setup is absolutely critical. My 10.5 gun will shoot off of almost any set up but it took me a while to figure out what combination worked consistently for the sporter.

Dennis
 
I appreciate all the info & recommendations. I'm digesting it and rereading some of the prior threads. I particularly appreciate the cautions about rear bag set up. I missed that my first time through and haven't seen any particular sensitivity in my heavier rigs.

Another thing I am curious about is whether most of you shoot the sporter in free recoil. I have to deal with a rather severe familial tremor, aggravated by recovering from major surgery. I am finding that shoulder/cheek weld and trigger hand contact with the stock seem to help me control that better and improve my scores over shooting free recoil. It may just end up being something I just have to deal with, but if anyone has experience with techniques to minimize the effect of tremors on shot release I would appreciate hearing about it.

Phil
 
Phil,
tough without knowing where exactly you suffer tremors.
I , like many, do not have much contact with gun. Barley touch with cheek, thumb lightly on side on stock, zero shoulder. When gun fires it simply slides back and bumps shoulder.
If you have hand tremors, one of the best sporter shooters of all time simply tapped trigger until it fired, nothing to lose trying that. I have used the tap/ bang approach with nothing lost IMO. Most guys I know do not hold gun if it is a custom well sorted sporter.
 
I shoot the sporter free recoil but I built the stock straight and very low profile specifically with that in mind, my bags are very firm and I milled out the center portion of the Fudd rest that the front bag sits on so it is contoured to the curve of the bottom of the forearm. Some guns need to be held but both of mine are fine without any add interference from me.

Dennis
 
Dennis D. said:
I shoot the sporter free recoil but I built the stock straight and very low profile specifically with that in mind, my bags are very firm and I milled out the center portion of the Fudd rest that the front bag sits on so it is contoured to the curve of the bottom of the forearm. Some guns need to be held but both of mine are fine without any add interference from me.

Dennis
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Curious, IR sporter stocks are about the same by rule. What exactly did you build?
A picture would be interesting.
 
Ha ha, Tim I can barely check email and post, figuring out how to post pictures is beyond my computer kung fu! They basically follow a Don Stith straight line pattern but have a longer forearm and less wood under the barrel and a low profile butt to keep recoil as straight line as possible. They're made from 100 year old redwood heart wood that came out of a reclaimed railroad water tower.
 
Dennis D. said:
Ha ha, Tim I can barely check email and post, figuring out how to post pictures is beyond my computer kung fu! They basically follow a Don Stith straight line pattern but have a longer forearm and less wood under the barrel and a low profile butt to keep recoil as straight line as possible. They're made from 100 year old redwood heart wood that came out of a reclaimed railroad water tower.
Click to expand...
Interesting. Come’on buddy figure out how to get a pic up here, love to see it.
 
tim said:
Interesting. Come’on buddy figure out how to get a pic up here, love to see it.
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I'm with Tim on this as soon as I saw the "100 year old redwood heart wood" and "railroad water tower"!
Find a friend, grandkid, whatever....and get some help to post up a few pics. I watch your scores Dennis and pics
of your amazing Sporter would be really cool. Especially after the stock wood story.

Scott
 
Dennis D. said:
Ha ha, Tim I can barely check email and post, figuring out how to post pictures is beyond my computer kung fu! They basically follow a Don Stith straight line pattern but have a longer forearm and less wood under the barrel and a low profile butt to keep recoil as straight line as possible. They're made from 100 year old redwood heart wood that came out of a reclaimed railroad water tower.
Click to expand...
Not for nothing but if you have an Iphone/ smartphone, just take a photo then click attach file tab below to bring it right from photo album……curious minds want to know !
 
Now see, that's exactly my problem, I still carry a 4G flip phone and only carry it when I'm on one of my motorcycles, even then I don't turn it on just carry it "in case". I do have a camera, I'll see if I can figure it out.


Dennis
 
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