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2006 ITRC
(International Tactical Rifleman's Championship)
Not your typical 3-gun match, but a tactical match more so than any USPSA 3-Gun. Bret Heidkamp from Bozeman, Montana and myself teamed up to compete against professional military sniper teams and some civilian teams from around the country. Dave Lauck of DLSPORTS in Gillette, Wyoming put on a 3 day match testing the teams ability to work together, marksmanship, the team's physical condition and equipment. No other 3-gun match tests these things which is why I was all giddy about it. And unlike 3-gun matches, shotgun is not used, but instead a long range bolt rifle for hitting targets out to 1,000 yards. This tactical / sniper match punishes - and I mean punishes - misses.
Locate your targets, range them, dial in your scope and hit them!
In our first year of shooting together we finished 4th out of 32 teams. We both made mistakes that cost us dearly. But that's what this match is all about, knowing exactly how your gun shoots in varying wind and weather conditions and be mentally and physically prepared to tackle 60 minutes of intense pressure. In preparation for this match we received a lot of help from many companies. I would like to personally thank Mystery Ranch, Leupold, Sierra Bullets, Hornady, Blackhawk!, Bridger Armory, Armalite, Alexander Arms, IOR Valdada, European American Armory, LaRue Tactical, Fred Hindman and my team partner, Bret Heidkamp of IST Designs. Without these companies our struggle would have been far worse. Now, for those of you interested in this match.. I had more fun and I have been more mentally stimulated preparing for of this match and shooting this match, more so than any pistol or 3-gun match I've shot.
Coverage of guns and gear will follow in a special report.
For information about the match from the match organizer, please go to DLSPORTS.
Bret and I getting ready to shoot our first day -
the Arvada stage. A 60 minute course, 7 shooting
positions laid out over a 1.5 mile terrain.
About 60 - 70 rounds minimum for each of us
to shoot.
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 On our way to the last shooting position of
Arvada. As Dave Lauck said during the briefing -
this year's match is going to have a short time
limit. If you want the points, you have to go
after them.. We ran the whole way.
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Day 2 we were shooting the gully course
and here I am preparing my gear the night before.
Thanks to Paul Richter of EAA who sent me 20 mags
just for this match. I'm carrying 27 mags
with the help of this customized
Blackhawk STRIKE vest.
Watch the "rambo" video..
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Bret shot the carbine in the gully. Typically it
burns out the barrel from the mass amounts of
rounds fired. His gun did fine until a piece of carpet
melted onto the barrel. Bret is carrying mags on the
front as well as some on the back for prone access.
He is also using a Bridger Armory
detachable dump pouch, carried on his left leg.
Watch his gear presentation
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After the gully - both of us - soaked in sweat.
I fired something like 260-300 rounds in about 6 mins.
The 360 degree shoot house was a hoot. We ran
through 2 school buses, shooting inside and through
windows. You had to orient yourself through the shoot
house and constantly look for targets.
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From the shoot house, surrounded by steel targets.
From one shooting position I shot 40-50 rounds.
The barrel and comp was so hot that I burnt an
imprint of the comp on my arm when I accidentally
touched it after the shoot.
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Third day - the Hoblit Ranch. We finished with one
minute to spare. First shooting position cost us dearly.
Both of us struggled with the targets on the other
side of a small lake (pond). With the rain the day before,
it was impossible to call our misses and the wind
was doing something funny. Luckily we weren't the
only ones who bit the dust.
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Bret's carbine setup for the gully. A shot-out 16" .223
with a Leupold 1.5 - 5 with a Docter sight mounted
on a LaRue SPR-S mount. The setup worked pretty
good and it was pretty light weight.
He used a Montana Sling to shoulder the rifle
between the first and second part of the course.
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The F2 comp by Fred Hindman did a great job.
However, shooting 400 rounds of
Hornady 40 grain V-Max in a short period of time
took it's toll.
We realized this might be the reason
the army doesn't use comps.. Stress testing
is a big part of this match and it doesn't lie.
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Guns and gear for the Team on Team Event.
We did alright in the team event, but struggled with
the 525 yard target which bumped us out.
At the end of it all was the 500 yard egg shoot.
Out of 60 some shooters, only 10 or so hit the paper.
Bret and I were among them, both of us using
his .260AI. Bret came closest to the egg of everyone.
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Bret on the run with the Mystery Ranch pack
carrying his GA Precision .260AI.
Without this pack we would have been worn out
early. Huge thanks to Dana Gleason who
built us two fantastic packs.
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