2009 Temecula FT Challenge – The Spirit of the Game

Id like to start off by thanking Larry and Andrea Durham for their hospitality and efforts to provide this fine shooting event that has been a major shooting event in the west coast over the past 9 years or so. This annual event draws shooters, hunters and airgun enthusiasts from far and near to the air gunning mecca located in Temecula, California.. Kudos in order as well to CASA, MAC1 Airguns and Airgunners of Arizona, and Terry D. that helped set up this fine event. Having guys drive from Nevada and Arizona to show up several days early just so they could help set up and hang out is a testament of the enjoyment, support and dedication that this shooting event has developed over the years with its participants.

Diablo FT started its trek down to Temecula on April 17th, dark and early in the morning. Kevin Y., Lonnie S., Pat J., and myself were excited as we rolled down Highway 5. This was gonna be Pats first shoot at LDs so he was really jazzed about seeing the conditions that we always talked about, emphasizing the landscape, WIND and HEAT!!! Over the course of the 8 hour trip down there, we had plenty to talk about and discuss that was airguns, Temecula and shooting, gotta love these road trips!!!

Upon arrival, it was good to see familiar faces, LD, Dave F.,Ron J., Terry D., & Bobby C. as well as meeting some new people that made the trek. Scott R.., Ray H., and Larry N. from Arizona as well as Rich W., from San Diego.

After chatting a bit, we decided to head down to the sight in range on the lower course to check our numbers as the weather was in the 80s and expecting to get warmer through the weekend, much warmer than the temperatures that any of us had sighted our guns:



Pat J. with his Paul Watts tuned and Dave G. Stocked TX200MKIII:



After shooting a bit, people headed up to hang out and chat in LDs garage/shop.

Rich W., Scott R. and Dave F.:



While talking up a storm and getting to know everybody, we found out that the Arizona crew arrived early to help set up the course and work on their guns. LD had been very busy prior to our arrival, not just preparing for the arrival of shooters/guests but working on airguns as well! As many of you know, LD LOVES airguns and helping shooters and sorting their rigs. Terry D. also arrived early and for those who dont know Terry D., he is one hardcore springer shooter! He hasnt been able to shoot much due to work so he was busy trying to get his Terry Tuned TX200MKII set up.

Scott R. testing his USFT in the 51 yard tunnel:



LD working on Kevin Y.s USFT Carbine prior to our arrival:



Terry D. with his Whiscombe:



After shooting the breeze a bit, what do you expect happened next, seeing that were in LDs Garage/Shop? Shooting airguns of course, lol!!! LD has a fully functional working replica of the classic English Bell Ringer Target mounted on a wall, so he pulled out a couple of fine shooting Crosman 150 pistols for people to test their pistolero skills!

Dave F.having a go!:



For those of you that have not shot a 150, they are wonderful pistols that are probably overlooked by most, myself included! Now I gotta find me one of those fine shooting irons (even though I cant shoot pistols very well, lol!)

After hanging out a few hours, Team Diablo had to call it an early night as we were tired from the drive down. With all excitement of preparing for the event and the guns, LD realized he needed pellets to shoot so he was weighing JSBHs as we left!

LD getting busy with the AWS DIA-10 Scale:



Saturday morning, we arrived at LDs around 8:30 a.m.. The skies were clear, the wind was just a faint whisper and it felt warm. The shoot was to start at 9:00am but we knew better. LD doesnt start a shoot until that wind is churning! His philosophy and perspective of FT is that it was created as a hunting simulation.

Not the bench-rest in the woods game that it has evolved to at many venues around the US with itty bitty kill zones that you would not find on any animals that one would legally hunt with an air rifle.

The game to be played at LDs is for the shooter that wants to shoot, prove and/or improve their skills in diverse terrain and weather at predominantly generous killzones with a few enhanced micro paddles thrown in for challenge as well. LD also likes to keep the shooting at realistic hunting ranges for rigs that are 20fpe and under so he stretches a few targets out to 65yards as well!!!

Heres LDs idea of a micro paddle for those that wanna test their ability to hit small things, in the wind and/or off hand!!!

Micro Paddles/Floating Paddles that are ½ or so with big ole killzones:





Towards 10am, the Shooters Meeting is called and I am paired up with Justin D. as with last year:



We decide to start the day off on the Upper Course with the winds blowing Right to Left which is typical there. We are typically shooting at least 20feet above the targets; if not more with 65 yard targets stretched way down there!!!

Justin D with his Joe Korick RegulatedAir Arms RN-10.:



Myself trying to reach out and touch one of them paddles:



Initially, the wind was similar to the day before so holding off wasnt too bad, only a bit off the face of the target for me generally speaking. More importantly, the heat was tolerable!

Elsewhere on the course

The Big Mac at MAC1, Tim Mcmurray:



Ian R. on lane 1 taking one long ole shot!!!:




Matt K. the Mech Warrior, check out his USFT and all the machined and attached hardware including Carry Handle, gun tote, I dont need no stinking gun tote!!! Matt is something else, he even made up that tactical shooting vest with built in harness, designing the straps so that they do not cut into/lift up your knee caps when leaning into them!:





Bobby C. won last years event handily in pcp class. Hes one heck of a nice guy and a great shooter. One of those AZ guys that ya just wanna hang out, shoot, and talk with and make no mistake, he sets up a challenging course!!! He set up a micro paddle target
25 yards out, up hill on a forced off hand situation!!!

Bobby C. reading conditions:



Bobby C. locked and loaded:



There were some off hand shots that forced us to really concentrate as the wind picked up:

On the Upper Course from a rock cropping:

Ron J.:



Kevin Y.:



Scott R. making elevation adjustments:



Lonnie S. reaching the end of the Upper Course with his Daystate MKIII FT-R:



Ray H. from AZ:





Larry N. from AZ:



Rich W. from San Diego is a hunter and former military competitor that got bit by the airgun bug. In the spirit of Run with what ya brung, he was shooting Hunter FT style with his RWS850(.22) running C02 and having mighty fine time at!:



As Justin and I made our way to the lower course, we were running neck and neck, hitting a few and missing a few and having a big ole time having at it! The lower course had some long range targets at 65yards placed uphill with winds rolling from left to right or left to right depending on which lane you were shooting. Its noon and the heat is kicking up and so is the hunger, lol, luckily there were only a few targets on the lower course to deal withas we get to the last target and stare at it thinking oh man, its uphill about 25 yards, off hand due to tall foliage and has a micropaddle!!! Big fun trying to hold on the target due to wind, let alone my normal wobbles!!! Boy was I glad it was over, time to walk back uphill to hydrate and eat!

This pic of Rich W. leaving the Lower Course is probably what I looked like, happy to be walking out and towards drinks, food and shade!!!:



Day one had Terry D. from Nevada trying to hit the ground running with a change of events. His TX200 was not sorted due to possibly a miffed scope so last minute, MAC1 put a USFT together and handed it to him to shoot pcp class. Terry practiced in the morning with it but noticed the clicks were way off.:



But given that Terry D. is a shooter, he decided to roll with it, he came here to shoot and hang out with friends, not with a mission of winning. His day one score was not typical Terry D.

Terry used to shoot at NOCASA which is now Diablo FT and in those days, the reigning club member springer champ used to often state Terry D. can spit spit wads more accurately than I can shoot an air rifle! More on this later

At the end of day ones shooting, we ate some wonderful Carne Asada with all the fixings, I must of consumed at least 2lbs. of that meat alone over the course of the next few hours, it was THAT YUMMY!!!

Now was time to do damage control for some of the shooters and/or self analysis, lol, as some were wondering was it the gun, the optics, me?!?!

Tim M. and Terry D. were busy with that USFT Terry was shooting and Tim quickly realized that one of the Weaver QRW mounts was only barely snugged onto the weaver rail at all! Like 2 threads holding that claw on!!! A quick snug down and the gun was ON!!! Lonnie S. and Kevin Y. were off to the tunnel as well to sort out shifts they experienced on the course

As the day went to night, more shooting, talking and sharing. Ron J. pulled out this stunning Daystate CR97 in a gorgeous walnut stock, only 25 of these guns were ever produced!!!:



Ron was shooting this TX at the match as well:



I really enjoy the non shooting time at LDs Temecula FT Challenge. Its a great place to watch, listen and absorb.Watching Tim M. working on guns, choking barrels and proving out Kevin Y.s USFT was a treat. Listening to Terry D. talk TXs design/mechanics and accurizing them was a conversation not to miss. Terrys a proverbial Shooting Fool, when he wasnt working on his TX, he was out there shooting it, dinging a 100+yard silhouette target, even at night time!

LD is always a wealth of knowledge and entertainment as shares history, knowledge and pulling peoples chain, lol!!!

Getting to talk with the other shooters is always a joy, sharing triumphs and failures during the 1st day is always a good thing.

Day 2 brought us change that had us believing challenges were at hand!!! The wind and heat was picking up with every minute and boy oh boy, it was changing direction all over the place! The normal Right to Left wind pattern was now blowing predominantly Left to Right and/or right into your facebut it could change on a dime if ya walked to a lane30 yards away in a big way

Day 2 had me wondering if LD was playing some cruel trick on us by throwing these long distance floating targets over the course, lol:



I was paired up with Dave F. from CASA. We decided to get the Lower Course out of the way first so that as the noon heat peaked, wed be on the Upper Course with a down hill walk at the end!

Lane one, Dave F. goose egged 4 shots uphill shots in the 45 65 yard range and realized the shots all sounded funny which got his mind racinghe checks his pressure gauge to learn that the rise in heat caused the air in his USFT to over pressurize! A few dry fire shots and he was back into normal operating pressuresan old lesson learned again. I tell ya, the change in wind and thermals was killing me, the gusts were getting to twice the force of the prior days and it was ever changing. Having to lean into the wind , to hold on target, to only have the wind pause as you squeeze the shot does not help ones score, lol! At least I knew most everyone else was gonna be experiencing the adverse affects of these conditions, misery does love company right, lol?!?!

We get up to the Upper Course and I bump into Scott R. whos got a silly smirk on his face and I ask whats up? He tells me, I was shooting pretty good back home, then I get here, lol, I swear, the invisible hand of God is smacking my pellets out of the way as they are about to hit the target!!! It was a common theme for many of us!

Heres a pic of Scott on the Upper Course, Day 2, I tell ya, these AZ boys must think us CA boys are nuts for thinking its hot wearing a shooting jacket, long denim pants with boots and looking relaxed and cheery on an afternoon like that!!!:



Elsewhere on the course, Terry D. was knocking targets over now that the scope was firmly mounted on his rifle! This one picture made me wonder what Terry might have been thinkingpossibly man, if the scope was mounted tight yesterday, Id be in the thick of this race! I gotta ask him for feedback on the pic, just makes me think of that saying that Theres no crying in FT! but Im sure its more like man its hot and Im tired!



At the end of the day, I was extremely glad that my race was over and that refreshments were at hand:





This event was a spectacular gathering of friends, be they 2 legged or other:
LD and Matt K.:



Larry N. and his shooting bud:



LDs Dog and his buddy from MAC1:



When the final Tally was in the scores were as follows:



LD provided a trophy to the winner of the 2009 Temecula FT Challenge, Kevin Y. from Diablo FT:



It was a wonderful event, shooting and socially and I am truly looking forward to it next year! Excellent people, competition and hospitality.

Special thanks again to our hosts, Larry and Andrea Durham!

Larry and Andrea:



Regards,

Tony