Another Postal Match Idea - AR Platform Only

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Last Post 27 May 2019

CBA Member

David Reiss posted this 17 December 2016

I started a phone conversation with John Alexander by asking if any AR platform only, matches had been held in the past or if he had seen many members competing with them, the answer was no and I can't think of any. Which leads me to this idea and some thoughts. First, what is the most popular rifle platform today, the AR of course. As many members already know, we are a aging organization. In order to continue and become a bigger & stronger CBA, then we need to overcome the stagnant membership level. Younger shooters are drawn to ARs for several reasons, but the main two are cost & coolness. As some of you are aware of from some of my other posts & the CBA blog, we are moving toward becoming more of a presence in social media, ie. Facebook, Google+, YouTube and Twitter. As we do, offering matches that cater more to their interests, we are likely to garner them as new members.

So my proposal is to offer AR-15 platform only postal matches. I am willing to help manage this match and am looking for input as to what to offer. Initial thoughts are to allow all calibers, but break them up into maybe two sub-categories for scoring. Feed me some ideas and I will put it together.

But make sure to vote on the poll I will set up in the General Poll Category, comments are not enough, we need actual votes to make it a reality.

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
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ar-platform ar-15

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CBA Member

SierraHunter posted this 17 December 2016

I think three categories. Super sonic, subsonic, and a big bore And then split those into iron sight/0 zoom Optics and then magnified Optics.

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CBA Member

45 2.1 posted this 18 December 2016

You guys are going to be surprised just what can be done with an AR. I would suggest you put a break somewhere around 6,5mm to 270 as a divide in classes also.

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CBA Member

6pt-sika posted this 19 December 2016

I'm curiouse as to whether cast bullets are gonna be an issue in an AR's gas system namely the block and tube ?

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CBA Member

6pt-sika posted this 19 December 2016

I've got an AR in 450 Bushmaster I've been contemplating shooting cast .

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CBA Member

David Reiss posted this 19 December 2016

In my experience with SKSs, Mini-14s, & just a little w/ ARs, it is not a problem. Also from everything I've read it takes a lot of rounds before starting to foul the gas system. The only issue I experienced was with some lead deposits in the flash hider on the Mini-14s.

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CBA Regional Director

Tom Acheson posted this 19 December 2016

Godd idea!

I know nothing about them. Is there merit in thinking about another Military rifle? Iron sights. We added a “big bore” category to the Military game, why not these guns? The key with the present Military game is the use of the word surplus. Issue is also key to the allowed equipment.

While many of us don't get involved with this type of gun, it would an avenue to get new YOUNG blood into our ranks! And who knows, maybe after hanging around with the old guys, some of these new guys might move over to the present guns and events.

One step at a time.....initial Postal, formal Postal, BR matches....

Tom

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CBA Member

R. Dupraz posted this 19 December 2016

"While many of us don't get involved with this type of gun, it would an avenue to get new YOUNG blood into our ranks! And who knows, maybe after hanging around with the old guys, some of these new guys might move over to the present guns and events"

Negative! Not at the expense of polluting the integrity of the Military class. Adding the big bore is not a relevant justification because, for example the the 45-70 Trapdoor was issued to the military and surplussed to the public. As were several other types and calibers that I can think of.

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CBA Member

SierraHunter posted this 19 December 2016

The Trapdoor is the only as issued military rifle I have right now. If I rmwere to shoot military class it would be with the trapdoor.

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CBA Member

David Reiss posted this 28 December 2016

My thoughts on this match will start as an informal postal. AR platform only, not part of the military class.

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 28 December 2016

+1 on keeping it simple initially. Most ARs are 223 of course. There also are a fair number of 300 BLK. I have only seen 1 450 Bushmaster and while it is interesting, it does not appear to be the cartridge of choice for the younger shooters we covet. These are not military rifles (perhaps the 223 and 300 BLK) These are replicas. Put them in their own class and see if anyone participates before we worry about sub classes.

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CBA Member

Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 28 December 2016

mr. scearcy mentions a good point to think about :

the AR are a replica , not a military weapon . so is this a military replica class ? or confined to something with an AR in the model description ... ?

hmmm ... are replicas of other military weapons ... commercial FAL ... current mfg. AK ... SKS ... SAIGA ... in the same match ... ?

**********

my dog says to limit the range of AR classes at first mainly because most established postals draw only 4 or 8 shooters ... need to keep the numbers up ..... and hope that the match draws so many shooters it will require subdivisions later .

**************

i wonder if it would be interesting to require a load that cycles the action ?? ... , kinda like practical power levels ?? ...

i also wonder if members that don't have an AR should be offering ideas ... such as me, for instance ... heh ..

ken

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CBA Member

R. Dupraz posted this 28 December 2016

FWIW from a non owner, In the interest of attracting shooters to the CBA, I think the original idea of starting something that the AR shooters could participate against each other in is a good one. For the first time around, why not make it as simple as possible and see what shakes out

Make it a dedicated class

Shoot what you have as long as it's an AR. Similar to the break open pistol class

Maybe divide scope and irons, or maybe not.

No requirement as to how it's fired, single or semiauto, shooters choice. ie M-1 Garand in the military matches.

All other CBA requirements apply, rests, cast bullets etc.

Then, afterwards, the scores and equipment lists could be looked at to see if things need to be altered or not.

Get them shooing first!

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CBA Member

45 2.1 posted this 29 December 2016

i wonder if it would be interesting to require a load that cycles the action ?? ... , kinda like practical power levels ?? ...

i also wonder if members that don't have an AR should be offering ideas ... such as me, for instance ... heh ..

ken

It is a semi-auto firearm......... loads that operate the action should be a requirement. ( the AR, in any format, is an ornery firearm to operate with out a single shot mag device as a single shot.) Letting the bolt down on a chambered round in competition has some draw backs if you don't understand how to do it correctly.

As to whether anyone that doesn't own an AR giving advice.... well, that person doesn't really know what one is capable of,,,,now does he! Everyone here will be surprised what a well put up AR can do, semi-auto, with cast.

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CBA Member

David Reiss posted this 29 December 2016

I am not that concerned about the functioning as much as I am accuracy. Rounds can be feed via the magazine and ejected manually. The first match(s) will be informal postal, rules can change if it becomes popular enough to become a regular postage match.

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CBA Member

ZEBULUN18 posted this 06 January 2017

Sounds like a great idea to me. I hope to have a 300 black out built by the time the ugly weather stops.

"Any government that would attempt to disarm its people is despotic; and any people that would submit to it deserve to be slaves."-- Stephen F. Austin, 1835

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6pt-sika posted this 11 January 2017

"While many of us don't get involved with this type of gun, it would an avenue to get new YOUNG blood into our ranks! And who knows, maybe after hanging around with the old guys, some of these new guys might move over to the present guns and events"

I'm no advocate of the boom boom boomers that visit all gun clubs with a couple AR's in 5.56 or 223 and a can or two of ammo then proceed to shoot it all up in a session . And to be honest I'd never owned one until about two months before the latest presidential election . And I will admit any inclination I had to buy one was fueled with the thought that if Killary won I could turn it over and make a profit . Now with that being said I now own an AR-10 with two uppers and three complete AR-15's all in a different caliber of which NONE are 22 cal . I hunted with them some this past season . The 6.8 SPC worked very well on the buck I shot with it , as did the AR-10 308 and my AR-15 in 450 Bushmaster . But to be honest I didn't expect any less then what they did .

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CBA Member

David Reiss posted this 20 January 2017

Right now Palmetto State Armory has some really good “Shot Show” specials right now on complete kits less lowers and some uppers. Lowers are less than $50.00 so with specials complete rifles can be had for just over $400. I have two PSA rifles that I built, one with “blemished” parts (after 2 years I still don't know where the blemishes are) and from the first shot they have never missed a beat. No I don't have stock in PSA, I just like passing on a good product.

http://palmettostatearmory.com/deals/shot-show-deals.html?trk_msg=EK6V2CC6RUQ4F4HN5VU1GREKQO&trk_contact=TJVRGTEUN3E102ILMDVPFPQQ7O&utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fpalmettostatearmory.com%2fdeals%2fshot-show-deals.html&utm_campaign=Daily+Deal+Email&utm_content=5%3a00+Email

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Standard Member

JeffinNZ posted this 27 January 2017

I absolutely see the merit. The difficulty will be settling on categories given the 'Lego' nature of these rifles. No two are the same any more. Is there such a thing as “as issued” now?

I wonder if the best approach is to categorise by calibre. .224cal, 6.8mm, .300cal for example.

Cheers from New Zealand

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 27 January 2017

I have been casually looking for an “AR” lately. Yesterday I was in two of the LGS. I did not see a single AR with a barrel length other than 16". The rifle from the 60s and 70s with which many of us have experience is growing extinct. Does this impact the validity of an AR class? Certainly not! Its just an observation. Are these replicas of the M4 platform?

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Standard Member

JeffinNZ posted this 27 January 2017

I'm not sure Scearcy that I understand the obsession with short barrels but from a CB point of view they might be good as a shorter, skinny should have less 'whip' I would think.

Cheers from New Zealand

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