COMPETITION DYNAMICS and THUNDER BEAST ARMS CORPORATION present The 2012 THUNDER BEAST TEAM CHALLENGE OCT 26-28, 2012 at the Blue Steel Ranch (Logan, NM) This match is an extreme test of practical field rifle shooting and its supporting activities. Two-man teams will be required to navigate rugged desert terrain, recognize, locate, range, and engage challenging rifle targets from compromised shooting positions, communicate with their partner and the range officer (RO), and do it under time constraints. This match consists of three hour-long field stages, two night stages, and six "assault" stages. The rest of the details are available on the MATCH WEB SITE Some quotes from 2011 competitors: "Hoser" Freeman - This has got to be one of the funnest and toughest matches I have ever shot. Mike and I finished each field course completely drenched in sweat and heart pounding. Trying to find that wall of how hard to push movement and still being able to settle in to shoot was a great challenge. The night stages were deceptively tough and the assault stages were brutal and fun. The prize table was awesome. Hard to imagine it was all set up well into well after most all companies had done their budgets for the year. Huge thanks to all the companies that supported this match and us shooters. The scoring was perfect. No issues, no drama. I cant wait for next year. Bring it. Mike Kolar (SRM Match Director) - "I'm really excited about this match -- I want to shoot it again right now!" FCB on SnipersHide.com - "This was by far the best match I've ever been to and the best test of a rifleman that I've seen." Quickdraw40 on SnipersHide.com (Team Pro Plate) - "We are lucky in Colorado (Wyoming/Northern New Mexico area) to have venues such as the Blue Steel Ranch. We are also lucky we have persons (Thunderbeast/Competition Dynamics team) who are willing to take the time to organize and run such matches. No square range shooting here folks and you better be in shape. If you have shot Steel Safari, this was like Steel Safari on crack with super cool side matches thrown in for fun. Organized well, no drama, super quick scoring, and an amazing prize table. Thank you to Zak, Ray, Dave, Loraine, Jeff, and all of the ROs. It was a great time!"
Hey Zak, My partner and I are looking forward to shooting the 2012 TB Team Challenge! We've shot plenty of matches but none quite like this. Can you briefly comment on the carbine configurations that were used effectively in previous matches? Specifically trying to decide on things like caliber (AR-15 223 vs AR-10 308W) and scope magnification range (3-12x vs 1-6x). If 3-12x, would a side mounted iron or dot be helpful for the assault courses? I'm sure there are more important factors that will contribute to a strong performance like making hits from atypical positions, estimating target ranges and teamwork/communication. Just curious about the carbine configuration. Thanks! David
Sure. First, let me comment on the role of the "Carbine Shooter's carbine". On the field courses, leaving any of his 3 targets per station is very costly, and it is important to make hits as quickly as possible. Either wasting time getting hits or leaving un-hit carbine targets can harm the team's score considerably. On the assault courses, he has to quickly engage targets at close range with the same carbine; however, absolute engagement speed usually did not dominate the team performance on these assault courses. I personally think the right choice for that carbine is a 18 or 20" AR-15 in 5.56 with a scope that has magnification 2-8, 3-9, 3-12, etc, with a first-focal plane reticle, and has regular long-range shooting knobs and a reticle that can be used in a pinch for holdover (gen 2 mildot or P4 style would be fine). Some teams did well using a TA01 ACOG. I normally shoot a TA11 ACOG in 3Gun and I could make that work but I'd prefer a little more reticle precision and magnification. One team used an OBR in .308 for the carbine and it was a success. One team used a 6.5 Grendel AR-15 (24") and any advantage was washed out by other factors. A 6.5 Grendel in the same package I described at the beginning of this paragraph would be an interesting choice that has the potential for some advantage, but it might not be worth the trouble. If the carbine shooter can spot his own hits and send follow up shots quickly that will save the most time. A second dot is not permitted on the carbine per the rules.
My partner used a 3x ACOG last year; it was difficult to hit all the carbine targets on the field stages. Knowing what we know now, additional magnification would've been helpful on the field courses.
Zak & Ron, Thanks for the feedback and info, most helpful! One other quick question, on the "assault" courses, It looks like both shooters enter a marked area, identify and shoot the paper targets. Do both shooters engage an evenly distributed number of targets or just shoot 'em as you see 'em? Hard to tell from the You Tube videos I've looked at. Thanks for indulging the first timer questions!