So, IPSC Mini Rifle then.

There has been some controversy over this division. Some said it would affect IPSC in those countries that has strong rules about gun ownership i.e. it would be deemed  “why do you need a rifle in .223 when you could get one in .22lr - see less dangerous” - it would be the doom of the major rifle divisions.

Then again, Mini Rifle is popular in countries in Asia where in many countries getting a .22lr license is a piece of cake. Also, .22lr is dirt cheap, .223 is not unless you either can find som iffy cheapstuff that hardly is good for practice, or you have reloading equipment.

I see it as a gateway into the major divisions, and I would gess, most people here, has either  a cmmg bolt or a dedicated .22lr so that you can get cheap training time on the same platform.
When it was time for me to delve into Mini-Rifle, I had 3 choices. 1)  Ruger 10/22 , 2)  an “AR” clone in .22lr, like a S&W M&P 15-22, or a ‘real’ AR with a dedicated .22 upper.

no.1 - the ruger has tons of parts - I would guess thousands of aftermarket parts to customize it into a competition rifle.

no.2 - I really liked the M&P 15-22 for a number of reasons, but it was impossible to find someone who wanted to import it.

no.3 - Same as the ruger - Thousands of parts, you are bound to find something that works for you & and I could get the option to get a .223 upper if I wanted to move into the big rifle divisions.

I choose the third option.

After some lurking around I found a Swedish retailer that sold the German made Hera Arms - the15th rilfe. I contacted the shop MP-Vapen and first ordered a complete lower (Mind you, in my country, the lower does not require a licence, just the upper). I finished my rifle course, and after I had fulfilled the other obligations required for a license here, I placed the order for a Hera upper with a CMMG bolt and a CMMG WASP barrel with the correct barrel twist for .22lr. After some waiting for my licence it finally arrived a few months ago.

The machining is great, and the finnish superb. I went for Heras IRS handguard, and while it is quite nice, it is also quite heavy. The trigger I would say is ok, not bad, but at the same time not a match trigger. I went the full monty and I also ordered a JM compensator, since my goal is to eliminate all recoil, even from a small caliber as .22lr.

The biggest issue was finding something it liked to feed. CCI Standard or something that has the same bullet length is fine. Something like CCI minimag hp which is shorter - not so much. The accuracy was surprisingly good and there is no problems getting it hole-in-hole from 25 meters with a red dot sight.

Besides looking for a new handguard - carbon fiber most likely - there are some small things I  have on my shopping list like the pressure plug TACCOM, a charging handle that makes it less likely to get a casing stuck between the handle and the bolt (it has happened a few times)

And that is about it! I am really happy with it, I think it will be fun to practice and compete with, and most likely it will send me to the money sink that is rifle open division.

Edit: I will do a write up of the Hera shortly, with some pictures to follow!

Club championship in National Fullmatch.

National Fullmatch or "Nationell Helmatch"  - it is hard to translate, but it goes something like this.

4 rounds of 25m precision with 5 shots in each round on a standard International target, 50p max in each round, total 20 shots, 200p max.

4 rounds of 25m rapid fire pistol targets, where the target is visable for 3 seconds  with a 7 sec pause in between showings, 50p max in each round,  total 20 shots 200p max.

4 rounds of 25m on a special National Fullmatch target, 50p max in each round. Target is shown a specific time  each round, with shorter showing times each round.  18s/16s/14s/12s, 50p max in each round, for a total of 200p.

All all results from the twelve rounds are then combined for a total of 600p max. I have no idea what the result was, and like any true sportsman, I have reasons for it! The sun was in my eyes, the was a wind gusting! Or it was just bad planing.

4 Days ago it was time to practice with my Kadet kit, but after only 10 shots, one of the barrelpins got broken in half and fell out on the tablerest.. Thank god my office is next to a mechanical workshop, and I found a correct 3mm x 12mm pin, but I then had no time to acctually practice with it. The new slimmer grips helped to improve my score from last yeras club Championship, and with some winterseason training I think I can rasie my average precision score, even though it is the disipline I favour the least, but all training is training. Last season I raised my scores shooting Nordic Field thanks to all the IPSC training. Practice, practice practice!

The year 2012/2013 in retrospect

So looking back to see what has happend so far.

2012

• I pass the practical and written exam and finishes the IPSC Handgun course for my competition license!
• Since Winter comes, I pay my license the first week in January 2013,  since... no competitions when it is -18 degree C and snow outside.

2013

• As per normal the local shooting season starts in the end of april. More Nordic Field competitions, starts making top 3 in my class A1, where A stands for Pistol in .38 to .45acp, and 1 stands for sucky beginner.
• My first IPSC match! 8 hours of fun in a physical demanding course (large army training field in the  middle of nothing!) Longest stage was over 100m+ running. I miss my stamina.. Level II, and even though the number of competitiors was only 16, I met alot of really helpful guys that helped alot with geting into it.
• Second IPSC match, Level II held by my club. Around 10 people from around the region, fun day, even better then the first.
• Third Match, Level II by RJPS, 22 hour day, totally Worth it. 50 competitors, by far the most advanced stages, lots of plates, poppers, swingers and things that  messed up all and every plan I made :)
• Fourth Match, Club Championship ~9 people. I will to the end of times state that I got robbed on one stage, becuse I cannot have been that slow - the timmer must have registered my slide when I showed finished and pulled the trigger, ah well :) was still fun.

Placement in everyone was in the middle of the total field, and about  top third in my division, not bad, but I want to become even better :)

Best of all, no DQs!

So far I have been shooting about 8-9 Nordic Field competitions each year, and at each even you can participate in diffrent classes like 'C' for .22lr, 'A' for large caliber pistols, 'R' and 'B' for "pistols with ergonomic grips" - a divison that is dominated by .32 bullseye pistols like Walther or Hämmerli. Apart from that, 2-3 precision matches in the club. To be able to renew your licenses every 5 years, you must have documented proof of competition activity. That is just how it works in Sweden these days, so you need to attend some events that might not be your favourite type of shooting - but it is way better then doing the dishes.

And more  about 2014?!

• Pracise more - not just quantity, but quality. Have a plan - train the things I am bad at.
• Become a gymrat once again - which should be easy, considering my workplace is next to the best gym in town.
• Shoot less Nordic Field/precision - Shoot more IPSC!

The last one might be the hardest. When you live in a region that gets winter faster and spring slower then the rest of the country AND has fewer active clubs and competions nearby I have started making a budget for my hobby & sport. Luckily a  quite new club hit the jackpot, found a superb location for  a range and almost finished building everything for the 2014 season in a few months! It is roughly 1½-2hours away, but it looks totally worth it since it is going to become the northen sweetspot for IPSC Handgun, Rifle and Shotgun. Those of you from Sweden that might read this, check out the link on the right side of the blog, named Lycksele DS and watch their photos of the range build - it is worth it!

So, something about gear then.

So, what about the gear I use.

CZ SP01 Shadow - I have tried far from all pistols, but this is my yardstick when I get my chanse to try something else.
- 4 SP01 standard magaszines. Minor mod to fit in Magwell
- 5,5 mm with 1mm fiber optic front sight, fixed rear sights. (not on current pictures)
- CZ SP01 Magwell.
- CZ slim aluminum grips.
- Double Action belt with 3-4 Mag pouches, DA SP01 Holster that I am thinking about chaning.

Plans:
Even though shootning minor powerfactor in standard will be a drawback, that is where I am going with my Shadow, so that meens.

- Steel Guiderod
- Possible new lower sights to fit in the "standard" IPSC box.
- Possible SAO trigger

and on top of my list, the ACCU Shadow steel barrel bushing.


Hera 15th with dedicated CMMG bolt/barrel .22lr upper.
- 4 Black Dog Magazines
- Vortex Sparc red dot.
- MOE dressing, everything pretty much stock

Plans:
- New trigger group, while the stock one is not that bad, it is not a matchtrigger
- New handguard. The standard Hera is far to Heavy. Looking into carbon fiber.
- Taccom pressure plug
- Possible CMMG hold bolt on last shot upgrade.
- Possible upper for Rifle Open division (so expensive =( )

Other then that. Practice, practise, practice, practice, practice and more practice.

What needs to be done before the 1st of May?

Well, time to make a Schedule and try to follow it. At the end of April the Competitive Shooting starts, and every weekend is pretty much filled with competitions, mostly Nordic Field  which will serve as a bit of warmup. I tried to explain it to a friend, and the closest I came was "it is like eating a pizza when you have a hangover, and it just makes everything better." I enjoy it, but the focus will be IPSC.

Physical Traning plan then!

3 days a week. A stepdown from around 2005 when I was at the gym 5-6 times a week, but it is a start. I have all my old training material, and my old plans for food intake. I will this time  focus mainly on core strength, legs and my back/shoulders. Each session will end with 25-30 minutes of cardio just like my old plan just to get some extra burn, and build some stamina.

3days every Week,  Mon/Tues/Fri

Shooting.

We only have access to a Indoor where the maximum caliber is .32 wadcutters :/ So precision training it will be, since the facility has a "no movment while shooting"  rule, and it is never bad to get better at the basis, like triggerpulls. As I own a .22lr kit for my CZ, I could also do some draw  &  Magazine change drills. Also signed up so that I can attend the local hunting clubs Indoor trainings 1 Day ever Week for some Mini Rifle training time.

So during the cold  months:

2days of practice, Wed Handgun/Thurs Rifle

Finally, dry practice.

Two nights every week, draw, magazine Changes, basic manipulation.

Might be a bit boring, but it will hopefully make the start of the season easier, and hopefully when the first sunny and warm days come, outdoor practice will start smoother then last year, when it was like  going from zero up to eleven.

So what is this then?

This is a blog about a dude that like to compete in diffrent shooting sports. Mainly this will focus on IPSC and my training. It is also an easy way to keep stats on myself.

I started 3 years ago, getting my first .22lr license, and got my IPSC competition license late 2012, by the time the competition season was over in Sweden. 2013 I got to compete in three level II matches aswell as the club level I 'Championship'.

Other then IPSC I also compete in the Natinonal divsions, like 25meter Precision (not that much really) and Nordic Field Competitions.  Trying to explain Nordic Field for my friends in the USA is not that easy, but basiclly, it is 6 shots on 1-6 targets at ranges from 3 meters to 98 meters within a timelimit, most often 9-16sec depending on what division you are in (.22lr, 9mm, Revolver etc.) .22/.32 most often has less time then 9mm and up. So.. standing still, shooting diffrent targets of  diffrent sizes (can be flip up/falling targets) from either close or insanly long range.

Another reason is that IPSC is the first hobby I had in a few years that wants me to get back into the gym. Every second count! :)