Diablo Field Target Match Report 10/19/08

I woke up to a cool and overcast morning in the East Bay with slight winds at hand. Winter is clearly upon us with the noticeable drop in temperatures that are quite mild compared to the rest of the country. With the change in weather came my usual allergies and some muscle tightness, I was dying for a cup of motivation but I gotta refrain as the FT Match was at hand!

Driving up to the USI Shooting Range, the weather was clear but breezy. Today looked to be a challenging day given the wind and cooler than usual temperatures that our gear would now be tested in, hopefully the POI shifts would be minimal I thought…

The firing line was full of shooters but definitely light compared to past events, could be the economy, the cool weather or NFL games, regardless it was great to see the airgunners that were there warming up.

After the shooters meeting, I was paired up with Kevin Yee aka Bondoz on Lane 1. Kevin and I were both interested in seeing how our guns would shoot as we had some POI issues. Mine was shooting a bit low at range (40 – 55yds), which might be due to me having set up my clicks at the longer ranges on a windy day but its dead nuts accurate inside of 35yds.

For me, Lanes 1 and 2 would define my match score and the question of my rigs s clicks for those ranges given that they are the longest shots our course offers.

The first target was about 35 yards and a generous kill zone that fell twice for me as predicted. The next target was at about 40yards with a generous kill zone as well but this was not gonna be a matter of fact shot. After adjusting the scope, cocked and loaded a JSBH, refined the sight picture, exhaled slowly and squeezed…”TINK” I hit about an inch low! Figured maybe it was a fluke, cocked, reloaded and set up, waited for the wind to die down and when it was calm, sent another JSBH downrange to fall short again!!! Lane 2 was a repeat, zero targets dropped!!! Kevin on the other hand, had to make one adjustment in those lanes, only missing one shot, he was on fire AGAIN!!! Lonnie S. aka #22 was shooting his S400ERB also having POI shift concerns going into the match and John L. was also shooting an S400ERB, but in an MPR FT Stock that I sold him(I’m quickly realizing that I may end up regretting that sale as his scores are improving with that stock!!!)

Elsewhere on the course Springer Class was heating up., Pat J. was getting settled in with his new Paul Watts tuned TX200MKIII in Dave G Laminate FT Stock sporting a Bushnell Elite 4200 8 – 32 x 40AO Mildot(What a drop dead gorgeous rig!) Doug B. was slinging lead with his Paul Watts TX200MKIII which he just did some mechanical work on as well as resighting it in. Eric K., our resident Silhouette Competitor, really changed things up today, he was shooting a RWS Panther, I believe, in .22 but more importantly he was actually shooting strapped up in harness and a bumbag! Paul B. whom is a very consistent springer shooter was going at it with his HW97 MKIII and utilizing his cleverly designed home made straps.

At the end of the match, PCP class was clearly dominated by Kevin Y. and his Dominator, posting a score of 45 out of 48! As the scorecards were tallied off, there was going to be a shoot off for 2nd place in PCP Class between Lonnie S. aka #22 and myself as we were tied at 38. It was funny because before the scores were tallied, we were essentially admitting to each other that we performed horribly and the other guy must have take 2nd, lol! Moreover, the last match that we both attended, we had to have a shoot off against each other for 2nd place as well…I guess history does like to repeat itself!

So the shoot off is set for the one target that we both fail to clear, the “Super Squirrel” which is a black squirrel with a black kill zone of ½: set high atop the side of a wall. 23 yards or so with a light breeze at hand…Lonnie shoots first, take his time to set up the shot and slowly squeezes off the shot…”TINK” the faceplate stands proud and defiant, as it did to me earlier!) Now the pressure is on me but they set us a few yards back from the normal match firing line which makes it slightly better to me(maybe it doesn’t but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!) Anyhoo, I cocked, loaded and held as soft and steady as I could and let it rip…Super Squirrel is down!!!

It was a lot of fun and I hope the next match isn’t about shoot offs for me again as it’s the 3rd one this year for me!!!

The Final Scores are:

PCP Class:

Kevin Y. 45
Lonnie S. 38
Tony I. 38
John L. 37

Springer Class:

Pat J. 40
Doug B. 32
Paul B. 28
Eric K. 25

With the season drawing to a close at next month’s match, its getting real exciting at the club with scores and shooters refining their game.

Over in Springer Class:

Seeing Eric K. with harness and a bumbag caught a lot of us by surprise and he is a believer now in the benefits that a Harness can offer a shooter. He matched his prior high score of the season of 25 with a .22 and low power scope, I think his game is gonna get even better now that he’s strapped up with a solid cushion.

Pat J. broke 40 for the first time ever with his new rig, when he gets more time with that rig, he’s gonna be a force to reckon with.

Doug B. and Paul B. are shooting solid as can be and look like their scores may be at the turning point of going up a notch or 2 in the next match let alone next season.

In PCP Class:

John L. is making constant improvements to his score. His first FT Match score was a 2 shooting a Logun Solo, He’s refined his game and his equipment and was just 1 point out of 2nd Place at this match. That’s some serious improvement, especially given the context that our course has gotten significantly more difficult from the time he first started shooting FT.

Kevin Y., although typically a Springer Guy (Currrent State Champ and Ranked #3 Nationally) may jump into PCP class…if he does, watch out, he may well be the one that finally clears our course…time will tell…

Lonnie S. has improved dramatically as well with lots of practice and refining his equipment and experience. After this match, Lonnie and I are in tie, points wise, so the next match will determine who takes PCP Class this year so its gonna be exciting as I’m sure that both of us will be working extra hard to get our equipment sorted out for the next match!!!

Regards,

Tony

Here’s some photos from the match:

Eric K. with his new harness and bumbag:



Paul B. with his custom made straps and gun tote:



John L. Shooting with Doug B.:



The Shoot Off: