After 3 years of encouragement from my buds and club members Kevin Yee and Lonnie Smith, I finally started thinking seriously about it but was still on the fence. My wife was behind it all the way saying Id get good experience and exposure to how the big matches are run so that got me thinking Somerville as well..Time is getting close to the match, had a big ole talk with Guy Omictin whom was telling me if I went, hed go, otherwise he was gonna hold off as he didnt wanna book last minute and fly alone so on a whim I said lets do it!

The rush of getting flight itinerary, lodging, car rental, equipment ready for travel/shipping was a whirlwind, then I remembered, I gotta register and there needs to be a spot open for me, lol, so I contacted Scot York whom replied, :We have one spot left and your in!!!Look forward seeing you in 3 weeks.

There was a definite positive energy flowing that you could feel as all of us going from Diablo Field Target were getting ready for the big trip. My biggest concern was what was going to happen once I removed my scope off my USFT for the flight to Texas. Everyone forewarned me of POI shifts when removing a scope to some degree or another, reportedly minimal to none if using Leupold QR Mounts which was not the case on the USFT I was bringing. Kept my fingers crossed and packed up Big Blue in the big Boyt H3 Rifle Case and the Big BSA in a foam lined Husky 20 Steel Tool Box kept inside my check in luggage.

At the airport, all sorts of nervous energy going to check in the guns, having various muzzle attachments and more importantly, Helder had read on the TSA website that only TSA approved locks could be used. Well, no biggie right, they should sell those locks at the airport so I could replace the big Master Locks I just bought. Well the locks they sold were these itty bitty ones for $20 each that were fine for locking zippers shut but not gonna fit on my Boyt case with those tiny/short shackles! Luckily at the TSA security check station the supervisor says nah, use any lock you want after we inspect your rifle/pistol and give you the documentation that we checked your gun! I was stoked, I know the others that bought those $20 locks werent!!!

So the guns are checked in and we are on our way! 4 Diablo Field Target members are on this flight with 2 already on route! We were stoked an anxious to arrive in Austin rent cars and find FOOD!!! We ate at a Brazillian Steak House and the food was phenomenal! Servers brought various cuts of meat, chicken and sausage to your table on swords/skewers and if you wanted some, they sliced sections off for you! After reaching maximum density we began our 2 hour drive up to Somerville.

After checking in at the Americas Best Value Inn and unpacking, boy were we excited to put our rigs back together, inspect them for damage and pray that nothing changed!!! Had to sleep somewhat early after chatting with folks like Ed Stack, Greg Chamberlain that I met at the hotel, knowing Friday was going to be the day to get our guns dialed back in if anything changed from the trip and/or local conditions. Plus for me, I was planning on participating in the Pistol Field Target event on Friday afternoon.
Friday morning, we got up and headed to Mommas Kitchen to eat some fine Texas sized breakfast! The fried chicken steak breakfast that I ordered was as beautiful to look at as it was to eat! After leaving the restaurant and driving about 20 minutes in the wrong direction to the range, we finally saw a sign, me thinks we have arrived!!!:



One of the first people I meet is Scott York who approaches me with a big ole smile and a bear of a hug welcoming me to Texas. I tell ya, the man is even nicer and friendlier in person than what I was told or had seen online!

It was a whos who in FT and from the forums, it was soo nice to put faces with the people. After socializing a bit, got to the sight in line to see where Big Blue and me were shooting. It was an eye opener for sure, my clicks were up to 30 clicks off!!! I was in shock, but Kevin had told me in the past that this is common and that this is why you gotta sight in every match because things change when you travel. So out came my notebook and pen that I always keep in my Gun Tote in case I need to remember something. After redoing all my clicks from 10 55 yards and recording it in my notebook it was afternoon and the pistol shoot was going to begin. I was a bit frazzled from the process of having to re do all the dope for my rifle and was seriously thinking of not shooting, opting to hangout, socialize and decompress, lol. Then I thought about my conversation with Greg Chamberlain from the night before.

Greg told me that he brought his Crosman Pistol which wasnt sighted in and was gonna shoot for the fun of it, scores be damned, they are having a pistol shoot, I dont have to pay more for it so Im gonna shoot it. After thinking of Gregs words, I walked to the car and grabbed my Ranchero(.22).

Ill be honest, I had no intent of shooting the Ranchero in TX. The week before, I had contacted Mike T. at TKO to see if he could rush build me a pistol which he did and delivered to me on the Tuesday before the match. Well it arrived, I tried to set it up but I was having issues shooting it and was feeling the pressure of time dwindling down.

I also had Tim McMurray rush me a coiled remote line so I could run a Bulk C02 tank(or JDS Regged Tank@700psi that I ordered and received) to my LD as another viable rig. Well the remote line arrived, I hooked it up to a C02 Tank and C02 was shooting out all over the place in the line, like pinholes in a bunch of spots!!! Time to panic, grabbed the old Ranchero and got some quick numbers for holdover using a bench and Caldwell Tackdriver Bag and called it good enough, get it cased for the trip to Texas!

So there I am at the sight in line, what am I gonna do, never shot this pistol from any position other than off a benchrest. Gotta figure out a seated position with a quickness if Im gonna hit anything. Tried it off one knee, teetering and wobbling all over the place, scrap that plan. Tried off the elbow and that was about as uncomfortable/unstable as can be as well. Then I though, this big ole pirate pistol with Schnabel front end might work being shot like how my club mates shoot their rifles off both legs. So I stretched a bit, squared up both knees online with the sight in target, planted the pistol and leaned over and back behind it, acquired the target and started loading up/taking up the trigger(its really like compressing a progressively stiff sponge, need to address this later!!!), break the shot and it hits! Ok, I can work with this, but I wish I made time before the trip to figure it out and practice it, oh well, it is what it is!

So the Pistol FT Match starts and Im squaded with Hans Appeles, David Slade and Mike Vrendenburg.

Hans Appeles:



As were moving along, the targets are falling for me, much to my surprise, only dropped a fewit was interesting seeing everyone and their rigs and shooting positions:















At the end of the match, Hans let me test drive the Crosman Prototype PCP Pistol:



This pistol is incredible; hopefully the production version will be similar in performance and design. Understandably it wont be regulated or have a trigger set to shoot in ounces out of the box but as Hans has proved, the trigger can be reworked to be a wonderful unit with some effort!

Saturday was also filled with airguns and accessories for sale that would put a smile on anyones face! Not sure how Wade Sutherland did it but he brought a ton of air rifles for sale! Suprisingly I was able to fend off temptation in buying any guns but was real tempted to by these two beauties:

TX200 SR:




Daystate CR97 SE:









Saturday morning rolls up and the sight in line is packed with shooters!!!

Lonnie Smith:



Jonathan Reyes aka JohnnyPiston:



Johnny Ingram aka JohnnyI:



Guy Omictin:



Vipha Miller:



Vince Pacheco:



Eddie Olguin:



Wacky Wayne Burns:



Bobby Corcoran:



Greg Chamberlain:



Harold Rushton:



After a bit of sighting in, Scott York called the Shooters Meeting.



As Scott conducted the meeting, he stressed 2 points that I hold dearly, that we are SAFE and HAVE FUN!!! Warmed me up hearing him stress those points! Im set to start Saturday shooting the Longhorn Course which is wooded, giving a big break from the windy sight in course. Im squadded with Stylie Edwards and Phillip Reedy. Both are great guys that love to shoot FT. Phillips Steyr LG110 FT quickly showed that something was not right. A POI shift reared its ugly head at the start of the match and he was busy chasing his POI and adjusting as the course went on.

Some pics of the Longhorn Course:



Ivan Coppo and another shooter from Puerto Rico whose name I cant remember:













































At the end of the match, there was some excellent bbq at hand and time to socialize with everyone. It was fun talking with people about how their shooting went, good or bad, strange gun behaviors and the tight race at hand in Open Class with the top 3 slots being shot by Harold Rushton, Doug Miller and Greg Sauve with scores of 59, 58, & 57 respectively. After stuffing myself with food and some cold refreshments, some of the guys from my club were telling me that I was likely in a shoot off for Pistol FT and that I needed to talk to someone. I thought that race was done and walked off to look for Bob Roberts to get an update. I see him across the way and as I approach him hes smiling and says I been looking for you, youve got a 3 way shoot off to determine 4th and 5th place in Pistol FT! I tell him my pistol is back at the hotel and he says go get it and well re arrange things so you have time to get back, settle down, then you and the other guys will take two practice shots and start the shoot off!

So I rush back to town, grab my rig and haul butt back to the match! Im hot, sweaty, stuffed and my heart is a racing. Honestly wondering how well Im gonna be able to stretch and lean over into my newly discovered FT position, lol.

When I get to the range, they are conducting the AAFTA Auction where some fine gear has been donated to raise funds. MAC1 Airguns built up a beautiful USFT Rifle for the auction, Hawke Optics had scopes for auction, the A-Team had some custom Daisy Red Ryders they built up, Top Gun Airguns donated pellets, Brad Troyer supplied one of his resettable targets and the list goes on, too much stuff for me to remember!!!



After the raffle, pistol shooters were called for the Shoot Off for 2nd/3rd Place and 4th/5th Place.

Bob Roberts set up a couple of Super Popper Targets at 25+/- yards with KZs set at 1.25. The sun was up and in front of the shooting line, bright and warm conditions, perfect shoot off conditions.

First up were Charles Garvey and Mike Vrendenburg to square off in the battle for 2nd and 3rd Place with dueling Rancheros!





Charles Garvey:





In the end, Mike Vrendenburg earned 2nd place:



Next up was the 3 way battle for 4th and 5th. Ron Robinson, Rod Bradley and myself were called to the line:



Admittedly I was feeling less than confident, I was feeling bloated from all the food(and VERY HAPPY ABOUT IT on One Level!!!) but tried to relax and get into position:





We went three rounds of knocking that 1.25 kill zone then Bob decides to drop it down to 1 for us. This went for 2 rounds with Ron missing on the last shot of the 2nd round.

Now its Rod Bradley and me left to sweat it out with Bob Roberts kicking things up a notch by reducing the kill zone to ¾ for the two of us!

Rod is up first and he nails it!



Im thinking wow, he hit it like it was no big thing!!! Staring at that target trying to regroup and relax:



Aim as best as I could, squeeze the trigger and it drops much to my surprise. Rod is next and he makes a joking comment to the effect of are you gonna miss one and I start laughing.

Rod lines up his shot, breaks the shot and the pellet hits face plate. A mild sigh of relief for me but reality quickly sets in that now I have to actually make the shot. I was trying to settle in and quit wobblying as best as I could and squeezed the trigger and much to my surprise, the JSB Express flew straight and true dropping the target!

Rod and me shook hands, congratulating each other and chatted guns. I came away from that shoot off with a tremendous amount of respect for his shooting ability. Rod was shooting a Falcon(.22) with a 2.5x Pistol Scope! Truly amazing shooting for him to hit targets where the crosshair is totally covering the paddle!!!

That night we went out and ate at a local steak house that was unreal. A small Rib Eye steak covered 95% of the plate, leaving just a bit of space for a green onion to sit untouched!

Sunday was interesting at the sight in range, found my gun was now shooting about an inch low from 45 yards on out with no significant wind at hand, not every shot but with great frequency. I figured maybe it was due to the unsorted pellets I was using and decided to run with it.

After the shooters meeting, I was squadded with Hans Appeles and Sam Ramirez on the Aggie Course. This course was rife with high and low angle shots including 2 targets floating on a pond!

As we are moving along, its quite evident that my POI shift is for real as Im consistently missing my long shots, losing a point or two on nearly every lane with a far target. The good thing is that only once did I get caught off a rotation, lol! Hans was joking around saying that I should go get my FT Pistol which got me laughing!!!

Heres a few pics from the Aggie Course, I ran out of battery power which limited the pics!



















While on the Aggie Course, Sam found a piece of petrified wood which is apparently common in the area. I took the piece home as a keepsake for my daughter as she loves hunting down and collecting rocks and such. BTW, Sam, if youre reading, she LOVES IT!!! Also on the course is the Bones Lane which is decorated with bones and skulls of live stock/animals found on the property which provided an interesting shooting lane to put it mildly!!!

Shortly after the match ended, Guy, Helder, Jonathan and I had to rush to get our gear packed and drive back to Austin to catch a plane without having time to say goodbye to all the fine folks we met and shot with. It was a tremendous pleasure to meet folks and place faces with their names, forum names, etc. I am now looking forward to next years nationals, and hopefully the Republic of Texas Shoot and the Puerto Rico match as this was an incredible experience!

The Final Scores were as follows:









The flight home proved to be another highlight of our trip. Our stewardess came by to ask if we would like drinks, Jonathan ordered a beer and I said no thanks, and she says dont be afraid to have one and I responded Im not afraid of having one, I just know Im going to want more!!! She then says Dont worry, I got your drinks covered on this flight How could I decline, needless to say it was a merry voyage home. Heres a pic of our guardian stewardess that made flying the friendly skies even better!



In closing, A big Texas Sized Thank You to all that made the efforts to put on this event. It was first rate and the camaraderie and food was EXCELLENT!!! I truly could not believe how well organized this shoot was given the amount of shooters that needed to be dealt with at an operational level.

When air was needed on the course during the match, guys like Eric(Philip Reedy on left, Eric on the right in pic) were on it with a quickness:



If targets were an issue, information was transmitted via radio to staff personnel all over the courses to immediately call a cold line that all shooters were made aware of.

Scotty was running all around keeping the chaos in order and ensuring a smooth operation with his staff so that all of us could have a safe and fun time! Cheers to Scott, Yegua Airgun Club and all others that contributed to making this event one that all will remember and enjoy for years to come.

Regards,

Tony

what a nice post. i've never shot FT, but this post surely makes me want to try it.
thanks for sharing the wonderful pics and story.
dave98k

Thanks for all of the pictures and great write up.

Bruce Dodson
AireTex Compressors
(214)402-5574 Mobile
(817)633-5505 Office
www.airetex.com

It was a ton of fun, no doubt about it!

Regards,

Tony

the brotherhood and good times at hand. I am glad that you enjoyed the story and hope to see you at an FT event in the future!

Regards,

Tony

FT sucks...hehe TV

There's not turning back for you, feel the power of FT and accept your destiny!!!

Where in the heck were you?!?!

Regards,

Tony

taking my frustrations out on 'em with "Brownie"...(hunt report to be posted ASAP)

I missed the match because I was trying to tie up a land purchase here in Florida. I ultimately found out that the parcel was VERY likely to be swallowed up with a planned annexation to a municipality in the next 5-10 years. That killed the deal for me, and by that time some guy from out west had scooped up the last remaining shooter slot in Texas. Scotty wouldn't tell me who it was 'cuz I was so upset. If I ever find out who stole my slot I'm gonna kill the sucka!! Grrr...

Hopefully he don't snake your next opportunity to attend a nats!!!

It's good that you didn't commit to a property with Eminent Domain written all over it!

Regards,

Tony

There are SOOOO many ways to get this thing wrong...I have put in 100's of hours looking for land parcels, exploring them, meeting with realtors and property owners, researching local ordinances, looking at city planning records etc...

Finding the "right" parcel of land for a FT club is a very labor/time intensive occupation. I thought I'd be clearing lanes by now...TV

For acquiring property for investment purposes, especially where investor are concerned and a rate of return is expected!!!

Good luck with the hunt!

Regards,

tony

Great post and report, thanks.

Steve
Yellow Forums Administrator
http://www.yellowforum.com

my former work experience in accounting, you may be on to something!!!

Glad you liked the report, hopefully we'll meet at the next Nationals or other airgun event!

Regards,

Tony

I really enjoy the pictures. Glad I finally dumped my dial-up connection.

They really did a bang up job on the course. Texas steak is about as good as it gets. Got family all over but it's been too long since I've been there.

So thanks again,
Carl.

in the world of airgun shooting sports! The course was wonderful, truly balanced target placement/difficulty whether you were shooting Open Class PCP, Springer, Hunter or International Class.

You're dead accurate on the steaks and meats at hand, the quality and affordability of the eats is incentive enough to move there!!! You need to visit your family!!!

Glad you enjoyed the write up!

Regards,

Tony

Nicely done Tony..!!

My sincere thanks to all of those folks that worked so hard before, during, and after the shoot!! This was my first I guess real match per say. I was way impressed to see how fantastic everything went! And all the while keeping a huge smile on their faces, with all operations under smooth control! Bravo guys and gals! Also thanks to those that provided the good eats and refreshments available for everyone... :D

I imagined/wanted a Nationals to be. The course, the camaraderie, the organization, and of course the FOOD!!!

I was truly amazed when one of my clubmates, Jonathan Reyes, was talking about how his TX trigger is just not as light and crisp as he'd like. Ray Apelles from the A-Team says if we've got time, he'd work on it and sure enough, Jonathan grabbed his gun and Ray and him adjusted it to how a proper 2 stage trigger should perform for FT Match use!

When Jonathan asked Ray what he owed him, i.e. could he pay him for the work, Ray told Jonathan "you saw what I did, right? If you can remmember it, help somebody else when they need help with their TX trigger". It was great to witness that first hand!!! So many folks doing good things on so many levels!

Regards,

Tony

Many thanks
Ray

Glad you enjoyed the trip to the Nationals!

Regards,

Tony

It's hard to tell if the ports are angled back from your picture. I sure hope you were steadier with the pistol than you were with the camera

and for a while, didn't notice the camera was on manual setting, hence why many of the pics are pretty marginal!!!

Regards,

Tony

Thanks for taking the time to share!

DanB

 

Glad you enjoyed it!

Regards,

Tony

nice to get a look "inside" a big FT match. Thanks!

I was hoping to give all a glimpse of what it was like, there was soo much that happened, I didn't want to write a novel that I couldn't post for two weeks so you guys got the short version!!!

Regards,

Tony

.

So was her co worker that honestly looked like a "HOT" Jennifer Aniston that was super friendly and chatty!

You would of had fun my friend, hope you can make it to the CA State Match!!!

See you on Thursday!

Regards,

Tony

.

that has to be a lot of fun, hey?

small caliber joy

hands him a pistol, modified cut down QB78 and a holdover sheet, and tells him go shoot the Pistol FT course!!!

David was all about I'm gonna go out and have some fun! You gotta try it Chuck!

Regards,

Tony

with a different gun with a scope he just mounted moments earlier etc...Amazingly he still finishes in the top of the heap even with such "handicaps". He is a very comical fellow to hang with, too. I always enjoy his company. TV

Definitely out have fun!

Regards,

Tony

from one of my clubmates if I really want an SR...that one for sale sure is pretty though in person, looks barely touched!!!

Regards,

Tony

cant believe the pictures...Thanks so much for sharing..This might have just inspired me to giveFT a try,especially if I can travel and meet great people.
Thanks again
jack

that is friendly and fun in nature, I kid you not!!!

I was just stoked beyond belief that she was buying all my/our drinks for the whole flight, kept walking by asking if everything was ok and if refills were needed!!!

I tell ya, by all means give FT a try. If the FT isn't fun at the club you try shooting at, then something's wrong!!! I just started the traveling thing and can honestly say, I have not gone to an away match that wasn't fun with lots of great people that I left looking forward to seeing them again asap!

Regards,

Tony

Everyone owes you a big thank you for this one I always wonder after a post that pic intensive if there is a way with photobucket that is faster than the 1 pic at a time method that I use?
Thanks Tony and CONGRATS for the fine score and finish in pistol,
Paul

I got from this forum over the years, be it information I was seeking, a good laugh, a good read or just support through some rough and challenging times, a detailed write up of my travels, observations, experience is the least I can do for the Yellow...

LOL, I didn't do so bad for my first go round at Pistol FT with no practice under the belt?!?! Sometimes things fall into place, guess I better concentrate a bit more on Pistol FT, might have some potential to do good at it, lol!!!

Glad you enjoyed the trip Paul!

Regards,

Tony

You did one helluva job recapturing the highlights, and YES you are OUR CHAMP!

It was a fun ride back home, too

J

Regards,

Tony

Congrats....you didn't win, but you scored higher then a seasoned pro like Hans, and with a gun you just got from me less then two weeks ago.....High Five!


Darren
Pacific Pellet Guns

and a great shot as well with rifle or pistol in hand! It was great meeting him in person and boy does that pistol you made him look SWEEEEEEEEEEET up close in person!!!

Regards,

Tony

so I tried to make my way around the crowd and course with camera in hand! Just wished I'd of remembered to buy batteries once we got to Texas!!!

Regards,

Tony

thrilling post and congrats on the shooting.
must say that Ranchero wasn't what I was expecting to see you shooting. Thought the new rig would get stretched.

Great stuff

Walter...

you'd of had a great time. I know what you mean, I was planning on shooting a Crosman, one way or the other but it just didn't materialize...gonna work on them next week and see how it comes along! More on that as it develops!!!

Regards,

Tony

Thanks, I read the whole thing! I usually find long post boring and wordy but this was great with lots of pictures to go along.

The pistol FT looks like a hoot!

some long posts, mine included, seem like blah blah blah after a while and I lose focus...glad this one kept your attention span and kept you going. It was an excellent gathering with some great shooting courses/events at hand.

Pistol FT, imho, is gonna take off in the US. The equipment is affordable, coming up with 10 - 25 yards to practice on isn't anywhere as difficult to get as the requirements for FT at 10 - 55 yards and depending on the pistol you use, they can be really quiet, i.e. IZH 46M, Daisy 747...

One thing I loved on a practical level, that I've discussed with my buds, is it sure is nice grabbing a lightweight and compact pistol case to put in the car and haul from car to range versus a big ole 35lb. or so rifle case!!!

Regards,

Tony

An I'll bring one a mine ....

Thanks for the time and effort put forth in doing such a nice piece of work. It sure looks like it was a great time. Congratulations on great scores too!

Bob in WV

Never get in a hurry, it only slows you down.

I spoke with Joe the other night, hope to meet you guys next year!!! The Texas Nationals were as much fun as the state is BIG!!! I got lucky on the scores, lol!!!

Regards,

Tony

I just got a new family car, so I hope to make it to a gathering or two in the future. I can't shoot worth beans, but I can drool like a man possessed!

--------------------------

Diamondback

Truth is Stranger than Fiction.....

head around looking at all the airguns, accessories and reading people's name tags!!!

Regards,

Tony

Glad you enjoyed the trip and that you got new wheels! Hope we can meet up at one of the shoots, regardless, get to the shoots!!!

It don't matter about the shooting part, its all about the airgun fun and camaraderie(and the food that usually goes along with it!) that makes the events so great!

Regards,

Tony

Glad you enjoyed this brief recap of the event!

Regards,

Tony

I look forward to passing air with y'all soon. Congrats to all my Diablo buds. Cheers! Zoe

Could of just ended up staying, looking for property to buy and get a job at one of the local eateries!!!

Hope we can meet up soon and sling some lead and enjoy some fancy sodas with green labels!!!

Regards,

Tony

i enjoy reading your post. you would make a very good interesting writer. congrats...

I try to make the story detailed and entertaining, glad you enjoyed this slice of the nationals!

Regards,

Tony

I get no pics at all besides an upgrade notice from Photobucket. ML

now its the upgrade banner. wonder what happened....

The upgrade messages!!!

Regards,

Tony

.

.

But that would be the only way to account for the incredible shoot and experience that Texas provided those that attended!

Regards,

Tony

.

This was a glimpse, Texas was an epic adventure for all and I could of wrote much much more about what I saw and whom I met...it was fantastic!!!

Regards,

Tony

Publish the long version... I'm sure there will be interested readers.

I'm glad you had a great time. It was sure nice meeting in person.
Regards,
Leo.

love it and you do a very nice job of it!
Sir....more please..... (tiny Tim)

Walter....

And yes, our local Californian represented in a major way during the shoot-out!!! That was a lot of fun to watch!

J