Tag Archives: falling plates

Shooting Sports

CPRPC Falling Plates 1.18.25

Last October, I competed in an NRA Falling Plates match at the Coyote Point Rifle and Pistol Club. I had a really good run through the match until the last rounds when I missed a string of plates. For most of that match, I was able to use my new ED-AR LPVO at 1x due to its clarity. But in the last stage, I increased the magnification to 3x and wasn’t used to the reticle change on this first focal plane (FFP) optic and that made me panic a bit and rush through my round. I choked and ended up blowing my tie for the lead.

Three months later, I’ve had more experience with this scope. I took the same rifle and scope to the January 18, 2025 match to see if I could redeem myself. This time there were 20 contestants. This year, we added a 5th stage to the matches, ending at a distance of 50 yards, which makes a magnified optic almost necessary to aim at 6″ plates.

We start from a distance of 30 yards with a 10-second time limit to shoot down 6 steel plates, limited to 6 rounds of ammo. Each shooter gets 2 attempts per stage. After all competitors have shot, the stage position moves back 5 yards and the time limit is increased by 1 second.

I did well through the first 3 rounds only missing 1 plate out of 18. But moving out to 40 yards, the plates were harder for everybody to hit. I moved my magnification up from 1x to 2x and then to 3x. I still prefer a SFP for an LPVO in action shooting. But unlike my previous attempt, I had a few months of range practice getting used to this scope.

I honestly did not think I did that well. So I was frankly surprised that I came in 4th place but only 3 points behind the 1st place shooter. If I’d only slowed down on hit 3 or 4 more plates, I could have won it. Maybe next time.


BUY IT


The 10% discount code: MoondogED18

Amazon affiliate: https://amzn.to/4g3PMKg

Discovery Optics: https://discoveryopt.com/DISCOVERYOPT-ED-AR-1-8X24IR-FFP-Optics-Scopes.html

Shooting Sports

CPRCP Falling Plates 10.5.24

I recently reviewed the ED-AR LPVO from Discovery Optics. I even performed a drop test on it and it held zero (though it did shift after dropping, it held that shifted zero). This weekend I had an opportunity to put it through a performance test by using it as my optic in a Falling Plates Match at the Coyote Point Rifle and Pistol Club (CPRPC).

I zero’d out the scope and it performed well. Despite the ED-AR’s middling illumination brightness, it was more then sufficient in helping see a visible aimpoint against a white metal plate and the dark grey of the backstop. Except for one ammo malfunction on my last shot in the first round, I had perfect scores all the way through.


But it all fell apart on my final round. I’d been running the scope at 1x through the first 3 rounds of the match from 30yrds, 35yrds, and 40yrds. But for the last round at 45yrds, I decided to change my magnification from 1x to 3x matching the size of the reticle round to the size of the plate at this distance. I thought that would make it easier to hit the targets. Instead it did the opposite: it made me slower and less steady.

What I failed to realize is that when I had been practicing before the match, I had the scope at 1x. I had gotten used to aiming with the reticle at that size. Moreover each round during the match had given me extra practice and experience shooting with the scope set at 1x. When I switched it to 3x, I didn’t have any practice at it. I was fighting against my muscle memory and the increased magnification made my aim more “jumpy”.

I flubbed my first string only knocking down 2 out of the 6 plates. My second string was better but I only managed 4 out of the 6. Lesson learned: don’t introduce new variables into your optic during a match, without practicing it before hand.

Instead of coming in first (had I against scored a perfect 6 as my previous two rounds). I came in 4th. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

If you would like to compete in a CPRPC monthly Falling Plates Match, you can sign up for their mailing list pistolexecutive@coyotepointrpc.org

BUY IT


The 10% discount code: MoondogED18

Amazon affiliate: https://amzn.to/4g3PMKg

Discovery Optics: https://discoveryopt.com/DISCOVERYOPT-ED-AR-1-8X24IR-FFP-Optics-Scopes.html