2012 nationals
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deadeyeky
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2012 nationals
well first day of highpower now over. greatly looking forward to the next 2 days of competition. today we had almost perfect conditions IMO. Enrique Kuess won the standard rifle this morning. Eric boos taking hunter in the afternoon with a 33, denis martinen took 2nd with a 30 and i took 3rd with a 29. there were several 29's shot but 8 turkeys definately helps. 
. i beleive McAlice shot a 20 and david boner choked the chicken in hunter rifle with only a 25. needless to say i gotta go to town and grab a pie for him to snack on tomorrow.
. i beleive McAlice shot a 20 and david boner choked the chicken in hunter rifle with only a 25. needless to say i gotta go to town and grab a pie for him to snack on tomorrow.I do my best not to think i know it all, but i do know i know half of what i think i know now, so if i mess something up, cant i get an alibi?
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deadeyeky
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Re: 2012 nationals
i did forget to mention i rang a ram today. not conventionally though. half of a 6mm bullet grabbing the belly of a ram didnt do the trick. would that still constitute a rang ram?
words of wisdom from McAlice: "if you were shooting a 7mm that half of those massive bullets would have lifted and thrown that ram like stone cold steve austin woulda thrown the other guy over the ropes!!"
words of wisdom from McAlice: "if you were shooting a 7mm that half of those massive bullets would have lifted and thrown that ram like stone cold steve austin woulda thrown the other guy over the ropes!!"
I do my best not to think i know it all, but i do know i know half of what i think i know now, so if i mess something up, cant i get an alibi?
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CreativeMath
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Re: 2012 nationals
From the perspective of a scorekeeper who enjoys coming out to these gigs each summer, this was definitely a fun shoot overall. (As were the others I kept score at -- not slighting those shoots, by any means. There was lots of good clean fun to be had on the cowboy shoot, and on the Black Powder shoot, and so on.)
Shooting conditions could have been better on the latter part of Friday, to say the least; but I had at least one shooter that I felt deserved a "two in a row" pin, for hitting next-to-invisible turkeys, late on Friday after a pretty hard rain; in somewhat dark lighting conditions; and in fairly bad wind.
Considerably stronger winds and such, early in the day on Saturday, caused the match to be called, early -- I think we scorekeeper types were on the way home, around 9 AM -- but while they were still there, Robert Massey and some of his crew were determined to have a bit more fun, that morning. Bob had brought a rifle to the line, and was encouraging others to bring their's to the line, too -- saying to anyone who hadn't already packed up that it was just a headwind; so, it could be shot. For fun, while a couple of dozen folks were waiting to see if the match was gonna be called, Bob took some shots at the pig swinger, between banks 4 and 5. Came close, but didn't hit it -- but this was with iron sights, mind you, on a lever action rifle: rather than shooting with a scope mounted on a more traditional-for-that-long-range rifle; so, to me as a frequent observer / scorekeeper, even seeing puffs of dirt that were obviously in the correct (and actually pretty close) ballpark, impressed me. It also impressed those standing around and watching; and a small group joined in on the fun. A few others later took shots, in turn, with that same rifle; and they also came impressively close, given the givens. Lots of laughing and cheering, over all the (very) near misses.
William Zander went and got a spotter's scope and set it up, to see how close everyone was missing. Lots of laughing and fun to be had by nearby, watching a few brave souls giving it a go. I'll let others do most of the describing -- (if anyone else who was there even wishes to?) -- but one individual (apologies that I've forgotten his name!) who gave it a go did manage to hit that swinger in the butt: as confirmed with much laughter and respect, through the spotting scope. Definitely some cheering and good camaraderie going on, on all that -- with the usual amount of friendly BS'ing, soon afterwards, in that the assembled group made that shooter shoot at it, again: to dare him to see if he could hit it a second time, in those conditions. He gave it a go, and if memory serves, he managed to get the stand on the "Yeah, but can you do it again?" shot ... which impressed the heck out of our little hardcore group, surrounding that action and watching it. That "it wasn't all luck" shot got more loud cheers, and more respectful laughter. (From the perspective of a scorekeeper, I wish you guys and gals had that much fun, every day of every match! It was great to see people shooting in three-quarter gawdawful conditions, but not beating themselves up about it; and still having a great time doing it!)
Mr. Massey had me take some pictures of the last part of that action. If everything stayed in focus (any strange-to-me camera worries me, 'till I see the resulting photos up close) and the lighting conditions (backlighting and heavy contrasts and such) weren't overly bad, etc., (and of course also assuming that he / they shares those pics with the group, later?) I think viewers will like some of the various camera angles I took of that bit of fun we had on Saturday. I tried to get both a number of closely-framed shots of just the shooters and other participants; as well as some longer shots showing that there's not any other souls on the line, brave enough (and/or silly enough?) to have wanted to be a part of that last bit of fun. Should tell the story, pretty well; I'd hope.
Definitely some fun memories for me, from that bit of fun before the match was called; and I'm sure the others that were hanging around in that little group will also have some great memories.
-- Ward Shrake --
Shooting conditions could have been better on the latter part of Friday, to say the least; but I had at least one shooter that I felt deserved a "two in a row" pin, for hitting next-to-invisible turkeys, late on Friday after a pretty hard rain; in somewhat dark lighting conditions; and in fairly bad wind.
Considerably stronger winds and such, early in the day on Saturday, caused the match to be called, early -- I think we scorekeeper types were on the way home, around 9 AM -- but while they were still there, Robert Massey and some of his crew were determined to have a bit more fun, that morning. Bob had brought a rifle to the line, and was encouraging others to bring their's to the line, too -- saying to anyone who hadn't already packed up that it was just a headwind; so, it could be shot. For fun, while a couple of dozen folks were waiting to see if the match was gonna be called, Bob took some shots at the pig swinger, between banks 4 and 5. Came close, but didn't hit it -- but this was with iron sights, mind you, on a lever action rifle: rather than shooting with a scope mounted on a more traditional-for-that-long-range rifle; so, to me as a frequent observer / scorekeeper, even seeing puffs of dirt that were obviously in the correct (and actually pretty close) ballpark, impressed me. It also impressed those standing around and watching; and a small group joined in on the fun. A few others later took shots, in turn, with that same rifle; and they also came impressively close, given the givens. Lots of laughing and cheering, over all the (very) near misses.
William Zander went and got a spotter's scope and set it up, to see how close everyone was missing. Lots of laughing and fun to be had by nearby, watching a few brave souls giving it a go. I'll let others do most of the describing -- (if anyone else who was there even wishes to?) -- but one individual (apologies that I've forgotten his name!) who gave it a go did manage to hit that swinger in the butt: as confirmed with much laughter and respect, through the spotting scope. Definitely some cheering and good camaraderie going on, on all that -- with the usual amount of friendly BS'ing, soon afterwards, in that the assembled group made that shooter shoot at it, again: to dare him to see if he could hit it a second time, in those conditions. He gave it a go, and if memory serves, he managed to get the stand on the "Yeah, but can you do it again?" shot ... which impressed the heck out of our little hardcore group, surrounding that action and watching it. That "it wasn't all luck" shot got more loud cheers, and more respectful laughter. (From the perspective of a scorekeeper, I wish you guys and gals had that much fun, every day of every match! It was great to see people shooting in three-quarter gawdawful conditions, but not beating themselves up about it; and still having a great time doing it!)
Mr. Massey had me take some pictures of the last part of that action. If everything stayed in focus (any strange-to-me camera worries me, 'till I see the resulting photos up close) and the lighting conditions (backlighting and heavy contrasts and such) weren't overly bad, etc., (and of course also assuming that he / they shares those pics with the group, later?) I think viewers will like some of the various camera angles I took of that bit of fun we had on Saturday. I tried to get both a number of closely-framed shots of just the shooters and other participants; as well as some longer shots showing that there's not any other souls on the line, brave enough (and/or silly enough?) to have wanted to be a part of that last bit of fun. Should tell the story, pretty well; I'd hope.
Definitely some fun memories for me, from that bit of fun before the match was called; and I'm sure the others that were hanging around in that little group will also have some great memories.
-- Ward Shrake --
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Bob Mc Alice
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Re: 2012 nationals
Thanks for that post ,Ward.
Yep, strong north winds forced the cancellation of day three shooting. Pulling into the entrance of Whittington and seeing all the flags lining both sides of the road straight out assured me of a rough time shooting today. Very few people had pulled out their equipment let alone been brave enough to fire some practice shots. The wind flags were really ripping out on the course. I think only the heavy 5/8" thick chickens would not have fallen in those winds. The right decision was made to cancel day three at about 9:30 am. All were told to be at the Whittington cafeteria at 10:30 for the indoor aggregate awards based on two days of shooting.
Like Ward said we had a 30 minute delay half way through the hunter gun match yesterday. Heavy rain driven by strong winds made the rain come in horizontal across the line. Every one was scrambling to get their equipment and selves under cover. Lightning bolts were crashing all around the area. The rain eventually stopped but the wind continued to be a problem for all. Scores suffered as a result.
Enough about the weather and on to the winners. I will only tell you that Angelica Kuess from Mexico was the standard gun winner, Cathy Winstead-Severin won the hunting gun. I don't have scores to share. Eventually some one will add the other class winners to this thread.
Greg Conner and his crew did a great job running this match under sometimes difficult conditions.
Lastly, I want to comment on a medical emergency incident that happened on day one. Early in the start of the hunter gun match, one of the teenage girls setting pigs had something horrible happen to her. While setting up a pig it began to wobble and fall. It fell directly onto a full can of black spray paint. The can ruptured and she got hit in the face with the entire contents of the can. Fortunately, a former ER doctor shooting the match was rushed down to the scene. He had seen this type of trauma before and knew what to do. She was brought back to the line area for on site medical treatment while EMT's were on route. It turns out that a bottle of mayonnaise was used to soften and remove the paint that had basically glued her eyes shut. Most of the remaining paint on her face was also removed with it. The EMT crew would have done the same type of treatment. She was in some major pain from chemicals in her eyes. She was driven to a medical clinic in Raton for follow up treatment and declared OK. She returned for duty the next morning remarkably in good shape and spirits. She said she came back to get paid for all this hard work!!
Cute kid, what a trooper. Many thanks go out to Jose R. for his quick thinking and ER training.
Only two weeks to go for the Missouri Regional HP match. Hopefully we will have the usual "like shooting indoors" weather conditions.
Yep, strong north winds forced the cancellation of day three shooting. Pulling into the entrance of Whittington and seeing all the flags lining both sides of the road straight out assured me of a rough time shooting today. Very few people had pulled out their equipment let alone been brave enough to fire some practice shots. The wind flags were really ripping out on the course. I think only the heavy 5/8" thick chickens would not have fallen in those winds. The right decision was made to cancel day three at about 9:30 am. All were told to be at the Whittington cafeteria at 10:30 for the indoor aggregate awards based on two days of shooting.
Like Ward said we had a 30 minute delay half way through the hunter gun match yesterday. Heavy rain driven by strong winds made the rain come in horizontal across the line. Every one was scrambling to get their equipment and selves under cover. Lightning bolts were crashing all around the area. The rain eventually stopped but the wind continued to be a problem for all. Scores suffered as a result.
Enough about the weather and on to the winners. I will only tell you that Angelica Kuess from Mexico was the standard gun winner, Cathy Winstead-Severin won the hunting gun. I don't have scores to share. Eventually some one will add the other class winners to this thread.
Greg Conner and his crew did a great job running this match under sometimes difficult conditions.
Lastly, I want to comment on a medical emergency incident that happened on day one. Early in the start of the hunter gun match, one of the teenage girls setting pigs had something horrible happen to her. While setting up a pig it began to wobble and fall. It fell directly onto a full can of black spray paint. The can ruptured and she got hit in the face with the entire contents of the can. Fortunately, a former ER doctor shooting the match was rushed down to the scene. He had seen this type of trauma before and knew what to do. She was brought back to the line area for on site medical treatment while EMT's were on route. It turns out that a bottle of mayonnaise was used to soften and remove the paint that had basically glued her eyes shut. Most of the remaining paint on her face was also removed with it. The EMT crew would have done the same type of treatment. She was in some major pain from chemicals in her eyes. She was driven to a medical clinic in Raton for follow up treatment and declared OK. She returned for duty the next morning remarkably in good shape and spirits. She said she came back to get paid for all this hard work!!
Cute kid, what a trooper. Many thanks go out to Jose R. for his quick thinking and ER training.Only two weeks to go for the Missouri Regional HP match. Hopefully we will have the usual "like shooting indoors" weather conditions.
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Dee
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Re: 2012 nationals
Glad to hear the young lady was ok. That is a rather freak accident.
Correct me if I am wrong but didn't they end up shooting swingers the last time the Nationals were in Raton because of the wind knocking over the animals?
I've never been there but they tell me it's nice. It just seems the weather isn't all that conducive to holding such a match in that location at that time of the year. I can see now why many of the shooters I know only go on Ridgeway years. That is a lot of expense and travel to go to someplace that is just not conducive to holding a match. Sure mother nature can be a PITA anyplace but there just seems to be something about Raton from all I have noticed over the years now. Tricky conditions is one thing, not being able to even shoot a match is another.
Dee
Correct me if I am wrong but didn't they end up shooting swingers the last time the Nationals were in Raton because of the wind knocking over the animals?
I've never been there but they tell me it's nice. It just seems the weather isn't all that conducive to holding such a match in that location at that time of the year. I can see now why many of the shooters I know only go on Ridgeway years. That is a lot of expense and travel to go to someplace that is just not conducive to holding a match. Sure mother nature can be a PITA anyplace but there just seems to be something about Raton from all I have noticed over the years now. Tricky conditions is one thing, not being able to even shoot a match is another.
Dee
Trespassers will be shot.
Survivors will be shot again!
Survivors will be shot again!
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Bob Mc Alice
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Re: 2012 nationals
The idea of shooting swingers was discussed but quickly vetoed by Greg. Too many bad memories of the 2009 swinger fiasco. That day started out breezy but escalated to very strong south west winds just into the hunter gun match. The targets were falling down faster than the kids could reset them. Shooters were firing on incomplete banks of animals and told to use swingers as needed. All the swingers needed to be painted before each relay. The worst part was that Conner himself had to go down to each swinger at every bank and every animal to officially verify a hit. What a pain this was. It took too much time between relays even adding another couple of match officials helping with verification of hits. Meantime, the wind was getting even stronger and few were hitting any targets at all. A vote was taken among the competitors to stop the match for the day. Majority ruled to stop, throw out the scores and fire a 60 shot hunter gun match the next day.
This weather is very typical this time of year in the Rocky Mountain west. It is not considered severe, just normal. When you shoot outdoors you gotta deal with the conditions thrown at you. I have shot a number of HP's at Raton, some better conditions than others. It is a shame to lose a day of shooting to bad weather. Dee, you should go to at least one national at Raton just to experience the beauty of the Whittington Center.
This weather is very typical this time of year in the Rocky Mountain west. It is not considered severe, just normal. When you shoot outdoors you gotta deal with the conditions thrown at you. I have shot a number of HP's at Raton, some better conditions than others. It is a shame to lose a day of shooting to bad weather. Dee, you should go to at least one national at Raton just to experience the beauty of the Whittington Center.
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kevinbear
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Re: 2012 nationals
I can hardly express how grateful I am that the smallbore matches had such wonderful weather this year knowing now that bad weather was only 2 days away.
Kb
Kb
AAA Shooter politically incorrect and loving it
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dondlhmn
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- Location: Reno, NV
Re: 2012 nationals
I read this site mainly due to "historical" interest, as I used to shoot NRA rifle highpower years ago..actually DECADES ago and I am really surprised that Greg Conners is still at it...still doing this! I occasionally shot against him years ago back when I was stationed in the Army at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD and also shot in matches that he honcho'ed. (is that even a word?!?!?) It has been so long ago...I LEFT APG in 1991 that I would have bet none of the folks around the sport back then were still doing it. Back in those days I mostly shot Hunter Pistol and Field Pistol matches in MD, DE, VA, PA and NY, with Nationals in VA, TN and PA if I remember correctly...but did get in some rifle matches, though I was not great at the rifle game, for sure!
Don Johnson
Reno, NV
Don Johnson
Reno, NV
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K Danz
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Re: 2012 nationals
Well Mr. Don,dondlhmn wrote:I read this site mainly due to "historical" interest, as I used to shoot NRA rifle highpower years ago..actually DECADES ago and I am really surprised that Greg Conners is still at it...still doing this! I occasionally shot against him years ago back when I was stationed in the Army at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD and also shot in matches that he honcho'ed. (is that even a word?!?!?) It has been so long ago...I LEFT APG in 1991 that I would have bet none of the folks around the sport back then were still doing it. Back in those days I mostly shot Hunter Pistol and Field Pistol matches in MD, DE, VA, PA and NY, with Nationals in VA, TN and PA if I remember correctly...but did get in some rifle matches, though I was not great at the rifle game, for sure!
Don Johnson
Reno, NV
There are still a few of us from the old gang round here shooting silhouette...........