Tactics "SHIELD 2018" thru zombie eyes...
In October 2018 we took part in the three day tactical competition "SHIELD 2018" in Slovakia organized by the NSA (National Shooting Association). It was our second highlight of the season and we were looking forward to it. But sometimes things does not go as planned and we have become a "zombie team"...
This competition together with the "Extreme Sniper Competition" in Italy was one of our highlights this season. In Italy we were really successful and we were also preparing hard for this competition. And of course we were looking forward to it.
The contest brought together 23 shooters from 5 European countries. It was a team competition and so for one odd shooter it was a little bit more difficult. Except rifles for precision Long Range shooting we also had pistols. Handgun shooting was part of the competition. We were also ready for camouflage and hidden tactical and night movements but they did not happen (fortunately. I could not really do that)... We were ready and we could not wait to leave. Even the fever from the previous week (I was cold) has receded and I felt better.
The evening before we left I painted Veronica's Ruger. She did not want "summer colors" anymore so we did the "autumn version". Then everything was messed up... I got sick... Strong poisoning from food and in combination with still untreated fever... ...it was just worth it... The trip took us twice the usual time and when we arrived some of the shooters did not even want to get close and greet me for fear of infecting them. And they renamed us to a "zombie team". I do not know how I looked but I definitely felt so... Nausea, vomiting, weakness and fever. And it took the whole competition.
And it was really a bad luck because the competition was really good and everyone enjoyed it. The weather was wonderful. Although it was not very warm - which was maybe better. This multi-day tactical competition took place on two shooting ranges. We shot at one at a distance of 50 to 700 meters. Second was up to 1000 meters.
The Czechs were 6 shooters and 5 of them were ST8 members. So we had two full teams. It was shot in pairs and the rating was not only among individuals but also teams were announced. Our second team was also mixed and the women participated in a total of 4 - and two of them eventually finished at the podium. It is not quite usual but in any case it proves that the girls can compete at the highest level... After all - Lukáš and Vladimíra were also on the team's extreme competition in Italy.
Veronika even showed a performance that some guys would not give... Because of the health and mental state I was she had to carry all the equipment for us both for the whole time of the competition. I only had my rifle and a notebook with ballistic charts. Veronika always took me to the firing line (we did not shoot from one place but from many different positions) measured the distance gave me proper corrections and told me how many shots and where to shoot. And the zombie just held the rifle and squeezed the trigger...
Shooting in the dark from different distances. In this case the targets were lit for a few seconds by the car lights that were 300 meters from the targets and we shot at a distance of 415 meters.
Here you can see shooting at 520 meters. We only had a few seconds for a shot when the targets were enlightened by the flare. There was more night disciplines and shooting at night can be tricky...
During the day we shot at various targets from different distances and positions. Targets were paper, metal, and others. On the right is a target from a pistol discipline that was at 25 meters. Time was not dramatically short but it was still quite fast. And not only by two hands but part was with strong and even week hand. In such a competition the shooter simply needs to know more than just shooting from the prone...
We also shot in time stress. For example for 200 meters - the eggs. That had to be fast...
This was the task of breaking the igniter cord that burned along the lath. Every shooter had one and behind the team's letter there was an explosive charge that showed us clearly who had succeeded and who did not... Both shooters had to break the cord in less than 30 seconds when the cord burned... In addition each team cords started to burn in different moment. It was exciting!
Equipment requirements are high. Not just on accuracy but also on reliability. Shooting in the sand and dust will actually test all your equipment and the entire shooting system. Weapon and all its components and of course the optics. The picture shows the dust after the shot. Since almost all the shooters use powerful muzzle brakes a great deal of dust is blown directly at the action and the optics and of course straight into the shooters face... And even here one of the excellent shooters had a defect caused by inappropriate equipment under such difficult conditions .
Dust and sand got into his trigger mechanism and set him off completely. He managed to repair it with the help of other shooters but lost two disciplines. He could not get any points from them and apparently lost the medal placement. When choosing the right equipment consider the reliability and suitability of the equipment even under difficult conditions... Water, snow, sand and dust can test the equipment to the edge. If we shoot tactics we just need a different composition and weapon system setup than for the Benchrest matches.
Here we shot at unknown distances (the longest was 990 meters). Unfortunately this discipline stretched and some teams did not start until sunset. It was not possible to find the target in the dark without a nightvision. Bad luck... The next shooting was planned as a night one - and we had some good results...
Our overall result - third place !!! was really unexpected. "Go zombie team, go!" The first two teams were from Poland. This time they really did well and they won with a fair lead. As individuals also boys from Poland were in the first two places.
Besides the third place in the teams I also placed third in the individual scores... Due to the circumstances it is mainly thanks to Veronica and her deployment! She finished the best among the girls. Not to mention that in her first season she has reached the winning levels in such a challenging competition!
On Sunday we were still staying for the Long Range Steel competition. Lukáš showed good performance and won the second place in this international competition.. It was a few very intense days which despite all the hardships ended incredibly. And it was rightfully one of our highlights of the season...
