Competing in Lynx Brutality 2024

This year is our first year sponsoring and competing in Lynx Brutality. For those looking to learn, Lynx Brutality is a 2-Gun match organized by Polenar Tactical in Slovenia. A Brutality match is a special type of 2-gun shooting competition that combines the test of marksmanship with demanding physical challenges. Finnish Brutality was the first to bring this match outside the U.S. in 2018, and after competing in it, Polenar was inspired to bring the European shooting community together in Slovenia and put them through the ringer in their version of the match. 

We'd seen the Youtube videos and been pushing ourselves hard this year to get out of the office and be on the ground amongst shooters... but there were still a lot of unknowns.

Jay had never competed before, let alone in a Brutality. And while Jay's arguably the fittest in calisthenics here at HQ and regularly shoots short to long range, his experience was prone or benchrest and less dynamic. That wasn't the only thing we were unsure about. We wanted to bring Leapers product and put it through Brutality. Jay's 2-Gun rifle was a Franken AR with our UTG PRO® true ambi lower combined with a CMT left ejection upper since he's a leftie, complete with our new INTEGRIX® 1-8X28 LPVO and backup red dot. He had a Walther Q5 with our dot sight. We ran through multiple rounds of trial and error learning alongside U.S. customs, the Slovenian embassy, and our airlines, and at times it felt like a 50/50 chance that Jay would have any of his equipment to run at competition.

We got the opportunity to participate in Lynx in mid April and had just one month to prepare. Time ticked by, Jay added 3-hour-long 4am workouts into his diet and regimen, and every single member on the team played their role to make it happen. We had our resident NRA-certified Instructor Kiyo and Engineer Ken running Jay through drills in Michigan. Everything from 30 second rushes practicing cardio, cover, and dynamic shooting positions, to speed recovery through stovepipe and double feed malfunctions. The first time Jay tried his hand at a Texas Star, Kiyo thought his dot sight wasn't zeroed. Would he finally conquer the Texas Star? Had he skipped too many leg days to get through the kettlebell stage? Could he climb a rope and how many pairs of gloves would he go through to do it? (Spoiler Alert: He demolished Texas Star Stage 8.)

At the end of the competition our list of unknowns only meant that we came away with an even richer list of things we learned. 

We experienced firsthand the importance of reliability. We saw a competitor's dot sight stop holding zero, tanking his score, and the fiber dropped straight out of Jay's front sight on his pistol in the middle of a stage. 

Jay was constantly adjusting and optimizing his setup. By the second day of competition he had bought extra mag pouches for his pistol and new shooting glasses because his previous slide down his face in the hot afternoon sun. He's already taking notes for next year, including a dump pouch setup on his belt as a catchall. 

Every detail matters to optimize within the shooter's training, physicality, placement, and habits. Next year Jay knows he won't need the extended mag release he setup on the right side of his Walther Q5. Not only did his support hand hit it when shooting, but he'd also force an extra mag drop when he put his pistol down running stages. Jay's first to admit he's a self-proclaimed gearhead and sometimes, less is more. 

A lot of things run through a shooter's mind during competition - or rather, fly out of your mind. After the longest range stage where competitors shot out to ~150m, Jay had set his LPVO at 4X, which cost him precious seconds to find his eye box at the next shorter range course. He learned to slow down when he saw paper, since the hits count, and speed up for steel - unless you had a round limit. You want your build to be as turnkey and thoughtless as possible. Your training is what will make everything second nature. 

(Snaps go out to Jay Yu! Check out how he did at Lynx on PractiScore.)

Since starting our U.S. manufacturing operation in 2009, Leapers’ second decade was about building up our manufacturing know how. Our current era is focused on making use of those capabilities – this playground we’ve built of machines, technology, and our very own shooting range – and realizing our potential. Advancing great product isn’t just about the engineering: it’s about the shooter. Our goal is to get marketing and PD out of the office, experience our product on the ground, and develop an even deeper engagement with shooting communities around the world.

Before Lynx even started, the process of hands-on preparation inspired a whole slew of product ideas and improvements from Jay, and after Lynx Day 2 wrapped on Saturday, Jay was already planning his return to Slovenia to demolish the scoreboard next year. We saw many competitors running dot sights or prismatics, and though we let Jay off the hook for running new product, he still plans to return to his INTEGRIX® LPVO sighted in at 100 yards and a backup red dot at 25. 

After experiencing shooting conditions in broad daylight, we are doubling down on our prototype to build a new U.S. made dot sight with supercharged brightness, and after seeing how Jay slew his firearms in the mud we're eager to expedite our plans to make an enclosed emitter dot sight for pistol platforms. We've increased our conviction on the importance of showing up, engaging with shooters, and developing the best products firsthand. 

We couldn't be happier for the opportunity to participate on the ground at Lynx Brutality. A big thank you and a well-deserved round of applause to the hosts and masterminds behind the event, Polenar Tactical. Jay is bringing everything he learned back to the PD team at HQ, and he's gearing up to return and smash the course next year. Stay tuned on the Leapers Youtube channel for all our Lynx Brutality content this month.