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  • Hawkeye7br

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    Terre Haute
    This past week we traveled to the IHMSA (International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association) World Championship at the Oklahoma City Rifle & Pistol Club just north of OKC. Diana & I are the only Hoosiers here, there are a couple shooters from Ohio. Attendance is naturally dominated by western shooters from OK, Texas, Kansas, California, and others. This is almost a 2 week event when you add in travel time.

    There are a number of categories in each of several disciplines, Air Pistol, Small Bore, Big Bore, and on Saturday there will be a special 500 meter match. Each event is 80 rounds instead of the normal 40, and in 98+ degree heat, this quickly turns into an endurance test. Unfortunately, advancing age and endurance test does not fit well.

    Day 1 started poorly. Big Bore Revolver is normally a solid event, but this was worst shooting since 1987. Just horribly disappointing, and not the start I was hoping for. Small Bore Revolver was much better, a 77x80 is a solid score with a wheelgun that should make top five.

    Day 2 started better. Unlimited Standing uses a scoped handgun, arms or hands are not allowed to touch the body. Mine is a XP-100 in 7br, topped with a 15x rifle scope to see targets well at 200m. First 5 targets were disaster, but then hit 19x20 at 100m and ran the first 19 targets at 150m before nerves attacked and just couldn't get the scope to pause on the final target. Failed milestone, but a 71x80 is respectable and my 2nd best ever. The second gun was disaster, the hot shooting revolver from day 1 couldn't find targets to save my ass.

    Diana has not fared well in the heat. She isn't an outdoor person, and 2 days of 98-100 degree heat is more than she can handle. Ordered her to the stat house (AC) a couple times but only delayed the inevitable.
     

    rhino

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    Sorry to hear you had problems, Rich! It's unfortunate they chose to host the match at the hottest time of the year. UGH!

    When will you have the final results?
     

    Hawkeye7br

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    Day 3 began with a light breeze, so opted to shoot .22 Unlimited Any Sight. This was a Anschutz bolt pistol with 14" barrel and topped by a Leupold 2.8-8x EER. It likes SK Rifle Match, and it worked again for me. Shot a perfect 80x80, followed by preliminary shootoffs. Only 3 of the 5 shootoffs, so my perfect score is already down to about 10th place. LOTS of very accurate guns here with top shooters behind the triggers. The fad now is to chop the butt of the grip, mount a 24x rifle scope and shoot prone. For us old guys that haven't shot forward prone for decades, getting the head back to shoot a rifle scope only 6 inches off the ground is a tough nut to crack.


    The second gun didn't go so well. Unlimited Open Sight with a XP-100 in 6.5br. As I was loading bullets (a week ago), I noticed my powder didn't match the info in my sight setting book. Crap!! A quick trip to the range got some new sight settings I was happy with, but they didn't work out on match day. Clean until the last stage, 4 shots went low and scored mikes. Crap, crap, crap.

    100 degrees here, heading for the ice cream shop.
     

    Hawkeye7br

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    Day 4-- the ship sank. Diana spent the night tossing & turning, then woke up with a migraine. She took her migraine med which makes her a zombie. Left her to sleep it off, went to range to shoot 1 gun and then return to check on her. Shooting a Sako bolt action pistol in 250 Savage Improved, shot #22 suffered a case head separation that left the case body in the chamber. Pick up gear, walk off line, head for motel.

    Diana was really sick, we spent the afternoon calling her doctor to get her migraine med script sent to local pharmacy. Cool, dark room, watch tv all evening.

    Day 5-- Diana still sick but she's a trooper, went to range with me but then started throwing up. Wouldn't leave. I had her sit back away from line while I shot. This event was Big Bore half scale scoped. Half scale means half the height and half the width= 1/4 the surface area. Targets at 150 meters are about 6", missed 3 when I didn't catch a wind direction change. Then cleaned the last 20 at 200m. Shot a Rampro bolt gun in 222 Remington...what a sweet gun with the brake. Haven't shot this gun in competition since 2013, so ok with the score. But it's a mid-grip with a left bolt that doesn't fit my position well, really strains mentally and physically. Shot just the one time and put her in the stat house until the van was loaded and ready to head to motel.

    Joe-Final results on Friday after shootoffs. 500 meter match on Saturday...now that'll be FUN!!
     

    rhino

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    Thanks for the reports! I need to come back and try this game with you soon.

    I hope Diana is feeling better!
     

    Twangbanger

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    Would love to see some photos of the venue & shoot, once you get back & have the chance. What kind of equipment are you seeing there?
     

    Hawkeye7br

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    No photos this time, last year's match was recently shown on Shooting USA episode. Had to take Diana to hospital, they released her last night, now heading home early. Diana 's more important than this match. Will info more when I get home, this is from my phone.
     

    rhino

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    No photos this time, last year's match was recently shown on Shooting USA episode. Had to take Diana to hospital, they released her last night, now heading home early. Diana 's more important than this match. Will info more when I get home, this is from my phone.


    Yikes! I hope she feels better soon!
     

    Hawkeye7br

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    Day 6-- Diana was not feeling well so I went by myself to range. Event was .22 caliber 1/5 scale. These are same size targets as NRA uses for smallbore rifle. Plum size turkey at 75y, the 100y ram is the size of a pop can laying on it's side. Used the same scoped Anschutz as earlier in the week. Fired a 78x80, slipped a bullet half inch over a turkey and half inch under a ram. Good score for this long of an event, it's like shooting 80 shootoff targets in a row. Very mentally challenging. Pulse will move the gun from top to bottom of target. So I'm OK with this score. But there are 5 scores already posted that are 79+.

    Went back to motel, took Diana to hospital. They hydrated her, gave antibiotics, and released her. We left Thursday morning, this place has kicked our ass this week. I was planning to shoot perhaps 15 events, think I only got 7-8. Oh well.
     

    Hawkeye7br

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    There was some pretty high tech gear there. Oklahoma guys have refined the forward prone position with both rifle scopes 24x and up, as well as expensive peep on peep sights. Some of the guns even had an adjustable iris on the front sight, allowing the shooter to close both iris's as the target gets smaller (scale target vs shootoff target). For center fire guns, they all run a JP Eliminator? brake, the howitzer style. It is so effective on a 6br that it actually pulls the gun FORWARD during recoil. The shooter will lay his cheek on the top of the grip, using his off eye to see thru the scope. Wish I had pics, probably some available on a site somewhere. Ditto with the peeps, but using strong eye perhaps. These unlimited guns all have 2 ounce triggers.

    Venue was great. 200+ targets at one setting, not counting 500m stuff. Pneumatic reset targets are reset with a pushbutton remote. This is the way to go with a large scale facility. They swap out the targets to shoot AR-15's on round plates. Very cool. Shooting is from hilltop to hilltop at 500m. Targets out to 150m are downhill from firing line, difficult challenge for us that shoot from dead frog position.

    500 meter results- wasn't there but was told a perfect score was shot with scope and 34x40 with open sights.

    1/5 scale .22 cal records-- Scott Thompson shot the first open sight 80 (world record) in world championship competition. He backed it up with a 80 scoped, making a world record aggregate 160x160.
     

    rhino

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    It's cool to have the opportunity to participate in so many events while you're there, but unfortunate that the weather makes it so grueling even for someone in really good shape like you. Have they considered hosting the matches in the fall or spring?
     

    natdscott

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    Well Rich, I'm glad you guys were able to go and shoot. I know the weather system through there was pretty unpleasant for the average, but that is sometimes the way the cookie crumbles, as you know.

    We caught just the tail end of it on Friday and Saturday at Atterbury and I will say, it was damned hot. Not the hottest I've ever shot in, but certainly enough to cause me to drink 2x 32oz gator-drinks and all but about half a liter of 2 entire gallons of water. We had some heat stress issues to be sure, but it would have been a lot worse if it had been the Course guys shooting in the same weather system. Luckily for them, that weather pattern was still over ya'll out there when they were shooting here.

    Sorry the results didn't go as you'd hoped, but like I said, I'm glad you got to go.

    Rhino: Many/most shooting Nationals are kinda always in the heat of the summer. Have been forever. Sometimes you just 'get bit'.

    -Nate
     

    Hawkeye7br

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    Thanks for the kind words. When we left, I was in a 3-way tie for first in smallbore revolver, and had dropped to 2nd in big bore Unlimited Standing. If the tie remained until match end, whoever shows up for the shootoffs will be shooting for 1st & 3rd. Under our rules, ties for 1st are in shootoffs, all other ties are resolved with reverse animal count. I had more rams than either of the others, so once first place is resolved the reverse animal count should kick in and determine 2nd & 3rd.

    A good friend from Oregon shot a 75 in Unlimited Standing. I didn't expect my 71 to hold up. They announced his score over the PA, and next thing I knew he was behind me on a relay break and told me I had inspired him. Seems he had missed the first turkey at 150 meters and had a mental flash of desperation. Then he recalled I had ran the first 19 and he thought "this is do-able, Rich was down 4 and then ran 19, so it can be done." Made me feel real good, he's a friend and I'm happy for him.

    Nate-how did you do at Atterbury?
     

    natdscott

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    Ended up 3rd Service on the 800-point 3 day aggregate. If you add Palma in, it makes a 1,250 pt agg, and I take 2nd there.

    Not terrible. Light conditions for a post front sight were some of the worst I've ever seen on Monday for Palma. Counting targets to even find which one to shoot, and just a complete guess on where to hold the post for a centered shot.

    It can never be a bad thing to help a fellow competitor, and there's no compliment like that of one from a peer shooter.

    -Nate
     
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