{"id":4418,"date":"2023-08-24T15:45:58","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T15:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/?p=4418"},"modified":"2026-05-21T11:35:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T11:35:59","slug":"match-preparation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/match-preparation\/","title":{"rendered":"Match Preparation Top level shooters"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\"><div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\"><p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p><span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/match-preparation\/#Match_Preparation_Top_level_shooters\" >Match Preparation Top level shooters<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/match-preparation\/#Confirm_Zero_-_Match_Preparation\" >Confirm Zero - Match Preparation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/match-preparation\/#Know_Every_Stage_-_Match_Preparation\" >Know Every Stage - Match Preparation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/match-preparation\/#DOPE_Cards_-_Match_Preparation\" >DOPE Cards - Match Preparation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/match-preparation\/#Match_Preparation_Results\" >Match Preparation Results<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/match-preparation\/#About_The_Author\" >About The Author<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/match-preparation\/#Pursuit_of_Accuracy\" >Pursuit of Accuracy<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Match_Preparation_Top_level_shooters\"><\/span>Match Preparation Top level shooters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>Guest Author: Brad Armstrong<\/p><p>After <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/eight-years-how-tract-optics-started\/\" title=\"Eight Years In: How TRACT Optics Started\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1891\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shooting competitively for almost 3 years<\/a> now, I\u2019ve picked up a few things along the way regarding match preparation from other top level shooters.<\/p><h2>Confirm Zero &#8211; Match Preparation<\/h2><p>For every match big or small, I always make sure my <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"scope\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/riflescopes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"245\">scope<\/a> is still zeroed for the conditions I\u2019ll be <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/shooting-a-rifle-accurately-in-high-wind\/\">shooting<\/a> in. Since different temps give us a different muzzle velocity even with the same lot of ammo, I try to get data for velocity in as many temps as possible to make sure my <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/how-the-impact-ballistics-calculator-helps-shooters\/\" title=\"5 Ways the Impact Ballistics Calculator Helps Shooters\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1890\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ballistic<\/a> calculator has the best possible data for the match. I take advantage of confirming my DOPE (data of previous engagements) past 100 yards any chance I get just to get familiarized with the trajectory in different temps and wind conditions and make sure everything is working correctly with my ballistic calculator.<\/p><figure id=\"attachment_4421\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4421\" style=\"width: 720px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4421 size-full\" title=\"Match Preparation\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Brad-3.jpg\" alt=\"Match Preparation\" width=\"720\" height=\"736\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/Brad-3.jpg 720w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/Brad-3-293x300.jpg 293w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/Brad-3-150x153.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4421\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Match Preparation<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2>Know Every Stage &#8211; Match Preparation<\/h2><p>Another thing I do regarding match preparation is to create an attack plan for every stage and barricade that will be on the course of fire and determine what equipment I should utilize to give myself the best results possible.<\/p><figure id=\"attachment_4419\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4419\" style=\"width: 645px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/riflescopes\/toric-34mm-elr-rifle-scopes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4419 size-full\" title=\"Match Preparation\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Brad-4.jpg\" alt=\"Match preparation\" width=\"645\" height=\"595\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/Brad-4.jpg 645w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/Brad-4-300x277.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/Brad-4-325x300.jpg 325w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/Brad-4-150x138.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 645px) 100vw, 645px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4419\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Match Preparation<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Stages that are in the woods make match preparation a bit different. Taking advantage of the illuminated <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/toric-riflescope-takes-2nd-overall-in-outdoor-life-optics-test\/\">reticle<\/a> in the <a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/riflescopes\/toric-34mm-elr-rifle-scopes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TORIC ELR 4-25<\/a> allowed me to score extremely well and was impressed with how well the scope performed in low light.<\/p><h2>DOPE Cards &#8211; Match Preparation<\/h2><blockquote><p><strong>&#8220;Never Underestimate the power of simple information on a DOPE card in accordance with your match preparation!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><p>Anyone who does this discipline will also know that DOPE cards are one of the most important tools we can use during a match, I include information such as my <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/rifle-shooting-and-academic-knowledge\/\" title=\"Rifle Shooting and Academic Knowledge\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1887\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">elevation or wind<\/a> hold as well as a clear and simple way to remind myself of the target engagement order.\u00a0Oftentimes, shooters make a mistake and engage targets out of order and it could be completely avoided by having the information on your DOPE cards.<\/p><p>Never underestimate the power of simple information on a DOPE card!<\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0dSpZ0ov34s?si=Wy7r5iJYZ3mjc9wu\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p><p>Experienced <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/making-the-shot\/\">Long Range<\/a> Shooters like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0dSpZ0ov34s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sean Utley<\/a> know the value of effective match preparation.<\/p><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Match_Preparation_Results\"><\/span>Match Preparation Results<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>A nearby club recently hosted the Indiana NRL22 State Championship and I was honored to be a competitor as well as a volunteer with a very solid group of shooters and friends. The match consisted of 12 stages across 3 different locations on the property, we <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/rifle-marksmanship-follow-through\/\" title=\"Rifle Marksmanship : Follow Through\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1888\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shot in a rifle<\/a> range, in an open field, and back in a woods with some low light. It was a long day full of unique and challenging stages. The stages that were back in the woods made me take advantage of the illuminated reticle on the <a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/riflescopes\/toric-34mm-elr-rifle-scopes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TORIC ELR 4-25.<\/a><\/p><p>I was very impressed with how well the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/quest-for-aoudad-bring-enough-glass\/\" title=\"Quest for Aoudad \u2013 Bring Enough Glass!\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1889\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">scope performed in such a low light<\/a> environment. We shot the match in 2 separate days, day 1 was the RO (range officer) match and day 2 was for the overall <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/getting-started-as-a-prs-shooter-by-luke-laprad\/\" title=\"Getting Started as a PRS Shooter\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1885\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shooters<\/a> match. I shot on day one with the other RO\u2019s and to my surprise, I managed to pull off the win. It\u2019s been my biggest accomplishment so far while <a title=\"Shooting a 22LR Rifle in a Whole New Way\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/shooting-22lr-rifle-in-a-whole-new-way\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"524\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shooting<\/a> competitively and has given me a boost of confidence in my abilities and in my gear.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-4420\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/4-25x50-Images-1024x791.jpg\" alt=\"Match preparation\" width=\"561\" height=\"433\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/4-25x50-Images-1024x791.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/4-25x50-Images-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/4-25x50-Images-768x593.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/4-25x50-Images-1536x1187.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/4-25x50-Images-388x300.jpg 388w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/4-25x50-Images-150x116.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/4-25x50-Images.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 561px) 100vw, 561px\" \/><\/p><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"About_The_Author\"><\/span>About The Author<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>My name is Brad Armstrong, I\u2019m a NRL22 Match Director and Competitor from Kokomo, IN. I\u2019ve been a shooter for as long as I can remember since starting out with a BB gun my father got me for <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/hunting-gift-ideas\/\">Christmas<\/a> when I was young and I was immediately hooked on shooting. As the years went by I started to get deeper and deeper into the firearm world and I reached a point where I thought it would be fun to <a title=\"Top Competition Cartridges for 2024\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/top-competition-cartridges-for-2024\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1740\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shoot in a type of competition<\/a>, hence my thoughts on match preparation.<\/p><p>I tossed <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/why-you-might-consider-a-ballistic-calculator\/\" title=\"Why You Might Consider a Ballistic Calculator\u00a0\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1886\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">around the idea of shooting<\/a> steel challenge, IDPA, PRS, but they all had one thing in common for me. There weren&#8217;t any clubs offering these disciplines nearby, so I just continued to shoot guns recreationally.<\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Uf9ZHP2rbe0?si=wS22C8xdEn5hJDU5\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p><p>Josh Thomas of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@PursuitofAccuracy\/videos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pursuit of Accuracy<\/a> explains one of the most important parts of shooting &#8211; Follow Through<\/p><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pursuit_of_Accuracy\"><\/span>Pursuit of Accuracy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>One day while browsing the internet, I came across the most amazing shooting discipline geared specifically for me, and that discipline is <a href=\"https:\/\/nrl22.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NRL22\/NRL22X.<\/a> I came across a video from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@PursuitofAccuracy\/videos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Josh Thomas (Pursuit of Accuracy)<\/a> where he was showcasing precision rimfire and I felt like I was watching a video that was created specifically for me.<\/p><p>It took no time before I dove headfirst and researched clubs in Indiana that hosted this discipline. After a couple days of obsessively watching every NRL22 related video I could find, I went to the local gun shop and bought myself a CZ457 so I could start competing. After shooting a couple of NRL22 matches, I knew I finally found the perfect hobby.<\/p><p>I was so hooked that I volunteered at my local <a title=\"Rifle Scope Accessories You Might Consider\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/rifle-scope-accessories-you-might-consider\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"834\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shooting<\/a> club to start hosting matches of my own for NRL22 and it\u2019s been extremely fulfilling ever since. I have now been match director for NRL22 since May of 2022 and I have had a front row seat at watching this discipline continue to gain extreme popularity.<\/p><figure id=\"attachment_1372\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1372\" style=\"width: 970px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/riflescopes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1372 size-full\" title=\"Rifles Scopes\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/TRACT-ELR_970x250.jpg\" alt=\"Rifle Scopes\" width=\"970\" height=\"250\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1372\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/best-rifle-for-beginners\/\">Rifle Scopes<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><p><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" title=\"Facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tractoptics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>FOLLOW US: FACEBOOK<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>Email<\/strong>: <a href=\"mailto:support@tractoptics.com\">support@tractoptics.com<\/a><br \/><strong>Phone<\/strong>: 631-662-7354<br \/><strong>LIVE Chat<\/strong>: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tractoptics.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tractoptics.com<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Match Preparation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12052,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2265,2267],"tags":[2955],"class_list":["post-4418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rifle-scope","category-shooting-skills","tag-nrl22-match-preparation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4418"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12818,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4418\/revisions\/12818"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}