I had a chance to shoot my first Multi Gun match this year and had a blast. Not understanding the differences of divisions at the time I signed up for Open.
Always a good start---because then no matter how you have things set up, it is all good. For a first match, good choice. You can worry about specifics of equipment AFTER the first match is safely over.
I believe that depending on the optic I put on my rifle I could compete in Tactical division or Limited. Are there advantages or disadvantages for a newcomer to the sport competing in one division or the other?
Yes and no. Not really. Maybe?
In this area, Tactical has the largest number of shooters in it. As such, competition for top place is pretty fierce.
(That's not actually true. If Lance D. and Jake B. are both shooting, then there isn't much competition for 1st and 2nd---it is pretty much just between those two. Competition for a distant 3rd is pretty fierce among normal shooters like the rest of us, though.)
Limited simply is shot by a smaller number of people. Doesn't make it any less fun, and makes it easier to tell your friends "I shot a match with 50 people in it, and got 8th in my division!"
Really, the only difference between Limited and Tactical is that you can put a magnified optic on your rifle. So, the question then becomes: How are you at 12" plates at 100, 200, and 300 yards? Can you do that with irons or a dot
at speed? If so, you'll be fine in Limited. Are those going to be difficult? Then for a new shooter, Tactical might be the place to start instead, with a 1-4X or 1-6X optic.
Also, would a Red Dot with a flip to the side magnifier count as one optical sight or would a 1-4 or 1-6 scope be a better choice for Tactical division?
Most use the 1-4X or 1-6X. Pretty much no professional shooters use the dot/magnifier route---which doesn't really mean much on a local level. BUT, most people with dots just stick to Limited.
Which does lead to something that I need to make a post of its own:
In the past, people who have gone the dot/magnifier route have had to leave the magnifier in the same position for the entire match, based on how the rule is stated (which isn't clear) and a rule explanation we got from Amidon (as DNROI) way back when.
We never liked it. (Switching the magnifier in and out without removing it from the gun seemed just like changing the magnification on a 1-4X, so it didn't make sense to us.) But we said, "Ok, them's the rules" and went with it.
Last match we had, one of the shooters politely disagreed with us about it, but went with our rules. He also (as was perfectly within his rights) asked the new DNROI about it---and McManus told us that Tactical allows moving the magnifier in and out as long as everything stays mounted in the same place. He asked why we had been ruling it the other way, and when I said "Amidon said so" he just kinda let it go.
The upshot is: If you have a dot and a magnifier on a mount that allows you to switch it in and out, you CAN shoot that in Tactical, and can shoot magnified or unmagnified. And we don't have to make a big deal about it anymore!
And, for Limited division can you run a Red Dot and then use back BUIS's for the 100-300 yard shoots?
As long as it isn't any other type of
optical sight, you can shoot any way you like. If you even want to mount offset irons sighted in for 300 yards, you can do that. (Um. Please don't. We want you to succeed.)
A dot and co-witnessed irons work perfectly well, and yes you'll still be in Limited division.
Thanks in advance and see you in the Spring.
MG is a good time, isn't it?
With all that said----everyone should shoot Heavy Metal Tactical this coming year!
