Mike & Joe Chiarappa | Colin Acciavatti
OA Defense is proud to highlight those who challenge their gear, skills, and fortitude.
As the rain pours overhead, two men lay behind their long range precision rifles, searching for targets hidden among the terrain. Operating on less than four hours of sleep and having hiked ten miles into their position, will they both be able to hit the target simultaneously? Is it even the right target?
This is the Mammoth Sniper Challenge – presented by OA Defense and Bergara.
3 DAYS, 35 MILES, 14 RANGES
During the 72-hour evolution, contestants must hike/ruck more than 35 miles, lugging everything they need in their packs – food, shelter, guns, ammo, plus any other necessities they need to compete. Each team must meet the minimum time requirements set for each ruck and follow precise safety protocols at all times, or that team is instantly disqualified.
Teams will engage in long range targets in simulated sniper hides. Each team will complete 14 unique rifle and pistol stages engaging known and unknown distance targets while negotiating stress-inducing obstacles. These stages are designed to test each competitor’s discipline while managing maximum stress.
TWO SHOOTERS
Mike Chiarappa transitioned from competitive shooting into tenure as a State Trooper. Recognizing the need to become a better shooter, Mike spent the last 10 years attending numerous classes and courses from top pistol and rifle instructors around the country. Having recently retired from his law enforcement career, Mike and his team at Hunt Fish Shoot now spend their time testing and evaluating firearms and gear including OA 2311 pistols.
Colin Acciaav is currently a member of Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Special Response Team (SRT). Along with his SRT sniper position, he also holds numerous state LE certifications for pistol, rifle, precision rifle, sniper, and counter sniper.
Colin and Mike have furthered their skills together over the years through 3-Gun competitions and hunting / rucking – specifically carrying animal meat out from hunts in Western mountain states. This experience with pack weight, pack position, and how to cut pack weight with the bare minimums is critical for success.
Even with skills polished, are you prepared to deliver peak performance after getting minimal sleep in a moist tent in 85° heat?
“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.“
Quality gear matters.
“Thankfully we didn’t have any serious gear related issues. I’m sure this stems from using quality, well designed gear, equipment. and guns. During the first day of the match it rained all day and from 5am to 3pm the next. Our rain gear and Gore-tex lined boots kept us dry underneath and we didn’t suffer wet soggy clothes or boots. The second night we experienced a severe thunderstorm, heavy rainfall, and high temperatures which kept us awake most of the night. The Kuiu tent we were using didn’t fail and we woke up dry unlike many. Sleep deprivation was very real, as we each slept a combined total of 8 hrs for the two nights we spent living out of our packs.”
Mike notes that at one point Colin appreciated the integrated back up iron sights on the optic plate of his OA 2311 as conditions were impeding his ability to make use of his red dot optic (blending in with the bright background). He also points out that competitors used a wide range of pistols and while a heavy pistol may give an advantage in recoil control, you have to carry that weight throughout the entire competition. The OA 2311 Pro with it’s polymer grip, lightening-cut slide, and ported barrel is advantageous in this situation.
“You will be sore, you will be in pain, you will have injuries, and you will be tired.”
Shooting skills and points aside – your physical condition will make or break you after 3 days of hiking on restricted calories and reduced sleep. Dozens of teams – even the most hardcore of competitors – were eliminated as they failed to complete the rucks in time. Honorably, the team stopped briefly to assist a fallen competitor with heatstroke while putting themselves at risk of falling behind the time limit.
“Physically, it’s a very demanding match. Far more than I would have guessed. We both experienced multiple blisters on our feet or toes and these started at the end of day one. We both taped our feet and blisters with moleskin to help the pain, but mentally you had to block out the pain to continue. Our muscles began to cramp on the second day due to heat in the high 80’s plus the long miles on the trail, but we kept hydrated the best we could. The age old adage of mind over matter was ever-present during this match.
You’re going in blind. Stage planning and the procedures in which you shoot are critical.
Shooters can expect different challenges at every stage: shooting simultaneously, only shooting specific targets, shooting in a specific order, targets with missing center zones. Any deviation to set procedures or stage rules can result in zero points – regardless of how well you shoot – and it happened.
“Train rifle as much as possible, but not just in the prone or off a bench, learn and fine tune positional shooting. Know how to identify, range and make ballistic calculations on the fly, you will likely not know the distances of any targets before you start a stage.”
» Don’t undervalue the pistol stages «
“There is about half as much pistol shooting as there is rifle, but the pistol targets and procedures for them can net you a lot of points in each stage. We shot our pistols very well, but on two stages, we shot the targets in an improper sequence which netted us far less points than we were capable of getting. Simply put, pistol shooting is far more important in Mammoth than many folks have said in the past.”
Mike’s Kit
RIFLE SPECS (14.6 lbs) : Bergara CURE Carbon Premier Series Barrel (.308) • KRG Whiskey-3 Pro Chassis w/ Folding Stock • AB Suppressor Raptor • MDT CYKE Lightweight Double Pull Bipod • Vortex Razor Gen 3 6-36 MOA • Area 419 One Piece Scope Mount • Vortex Impact 4000 Rail-Mounted Laser Rangefinder • 130 Rounds of Federal 175 Grain SMK Ammo
PISTOL SPECS: OA Defense OA 2311 Pro • Leupold DeltaPoint Pro • Surefire X300A Turbo • Safariland Holster
Colin’s Kit
RIFLE SPECS (13.9 lbs) : Bergara MgLite (6.5 Creedmoor) • MDT CYKE Lightweight Double Pull Bipod • Thunderbeast ULTRA Suppressor • Vortex Razor Gen 3 6-36 MOA • Area 419 One Piece Mount • Vortex Impact 4000 Rail-Mounted Laser Rangefinder • 120 Rounds of Hornady 143 Grain ELD-M custom handloads
PISTOL SPECS: OA Defense OA 2311 • Leupold DeltaPoint Pro • Dara Holster
Total Pack Weights – Mike: 60lbs | Colin: 59 lbs
Filming The Challenge
Mike’s brother, Joe, and Ryer Porter (Copeland Creative) were along for the experience to capture the event.
“No one had ever filmed one team specifically at Mammoth so this was a new way to show the competition from a different perspective and really shed light on the communication, planning, and training that has to be done to compete and ultimately just finish the competition. Without making a full length feature film including all stages, we decided to focus creatively on telling a story, getting up close and personal to show the nitty gritty aspects for people that are considering the competition.
Events like this are difficult because there are no redos – we also had no prior knowledge of the stages – you have to film the content as it happens regardless of the elements and you have to do it well. We had to get clearance on what we were allowed to do without interfering which can be a challenge in the middle of a competition. We tried to maintain a level of professionalism without jeopardizing anyone’s ability to compete.” – Joe Chiarappa
Many teams were disqualified or failed to finish.
Mike and Colin placed 30th out of 81 teams in a field of veteran competitors.
They plan to test themselves again in a future Mammoth Sniper Challenge event.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”
Psalm 23
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