We present a photo report with a short commentary from the MidRange shooting training prepared by TeamGrey Accuracy at the Płazy quarry near Chrzanów.
I took part in the training at the invitation of Jarek Walczuk from TeamGrey Accuracy. Despite an illness (and loosing my voice), I couldn't pass up such an opportunity. In the south of Poland, there aren't many (or none) outdoor shooting ranges where one can freely and comfortably (without sharing a wide range with other shooters who keep saying they want to go to see their target) shoot at targets set up at longer (and different) ranges. The shooting in question took place at a shooting range operating within a quarry that is in daily operation. In addition, the it took place from above, or at an angle, as some prefer to call it this way, so the targets were set up at the bottom of the quarry, and the shooting positions were at the top of a several dozen-meter-high escarpment. This time, unlike at the classic shooting ranges, at a longer ranges, there was potentially one more correction to do during shooting. For the advanced group, the gongs were set up at ranges from 240 m to almost 600 m (relying on my Vortex Diamondback HD 2000 rangefinder, which unfortunately is not ideal).
The classes were held in pairs. Those who came without one quickly found company. We started with a Sniper Sector Sketch which laid out the targets, but we had to locate the exact position ourselves along with estimating the range, which was not so easy. The targets were placed in a wide area, in a hilly and varied terrain, irregularly, individually or in groups, and we had to be very observant to spot them all. In the meantime, it turned out that two silhouette targets were also hidden (we managed to find one of them). We moved on to shooting, and in the meantime Jarek shared his knowledge and ideas how to deal with problems, improvising while stabilizing the forced shooting position, using one's own equipment (e.g. a backpack, poles, or even a knife stuck in a tree...) and the surroundings (e.g. a tree branch plus a belt for better stabilization). An additional difficulty was the strong sun, slanting from the front, shining quite low above the horizon. Here, against the background of my partner's competitive scope, my Nightforce showed its class, maintaining sharpness and clarity of the image at every range regardless of the position of the sun. The "day" part ended with a test in hitting all targets in the shortest possible time (a scenario a la an advancing enemy). Finally, after dark, those willing could try their hand at shooting and observing the foreground (heated gong) using their own night vision and thermal imaging or that provided by the organizer. The rest were engaged in exchanging stories, and drinking coffee served by Dave from Bullet Brothers.
Each TeamGrey Accuracy training is an opportunity to test your skills, equipment and try out different variants. The format is quite loose, requiring commitment from participants, and one has to keep that in mind, but it's always a good experience. It wasn't hard to get involved in this group, because most of the participants are regulars in tactical shooting competitions, known to me from such events as Light Infantry or Sniper Extreme, as well as popular "tactical influencers". In my case, my HK MR223 14.5’’ combined with Nightforce ATACR 1-8x (Check our review) handled it without any problems up to more or less 400 m (using GGG 69 gr ammunition), but I think that with a change to 77 gr ammunition and a bit more training I should also be able to handle targets up to 600 m (although more magnification would be nice for better observation). Which is a pleasant surprise for me, because shooting at such ranges were not the intention when I bought the HK. It’s all in the head, but training and good equipment help. I believe that if you have the opportunity, you should buy top-shelf equipment, because then the only thing you can complain about is yourself. To be fair, Jarek also helped, because it was with him that my eyes opened at my first training and I saw what my rifle and its owner were capable of. A shooting range in an active quarry is also quite unique, and although it has been operating for 2 years, access to it is still limited to organized groups, which seems understandable - if you are interested in the subject you should follow the profile of strzelnica Hubertech and Jarosław Walczuk from TeamGrey Accuracy.
And finally - a selfie and a nice view. I'm counting on more such initiatives, and we (not only me) recommend ourselves as course participants. Let me know!
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