Legging around on Viale Range.

National Trophy Individual Rifle Match today on both ranges, but I'm living my whole life, (in Camp Perry years), on Viale, the 1000 yard range. I have to walk 800 yards to get to the 200 yardline this morning, and was promply sent to the pits with the rest of relay 6 to pull targets.

Brooke someone was in the pits with me. Good guy from Hampton Roads, Va who spent most of his life in Alaska. Lotta hunting stories worth hearing. He raises poultry for a hobby and does IT for a living. Funny. You meet a lot of those kind of Americans on rifle ranges.

Today was the Excellence in Competiton (EIC/LEG) match. Lots of folks shooting for points toward their Distinguished Rifleman Badge. I'm badge number 1639, so my adrenaline level was what it usually is when I have to shoot standing in a gusty wind. At 200 yards. At a little black circle with X, 10 and 9 rings on it.

Billy Atkins came by to chat for a bit. Famous Georgia Rifle coach. His two boys, Daniel and CJ were on the range somewhere. Great folks. Billy about shooting standing in the wind: "Forget about the wind and just shoot."

93 standing with some Xs, cleaned sitting rapid with 100X1, 98X3 at 300 prone rapid. By the time we got to 600 the wind had come around and up to about 5 1/2 minutes of wind in hazy conditions. I lost a lot to elevation in the light and haze and hung out upwind most of my string.
Tough shooting for a 186X3. Finished at 477X9, which is neither good nor bad. On the bubble going both ways.

When you put 5 3/4s MOA of windage on your rear sight...it's WAY over to the side. This ain't the wind tunnel at Panola.

Betsy shot well and the ammo load seems to be right.

Scored at 300 and 600 for the rest of the folks on the firing point. Heather Banning, a Navy linguist, (arabic), Edwin Torres, another Distinguished Rifle. Wallace McDaniel who is always good for a story or three was close. Evan Hess was two points down. His wife Amy is up for the week. First trip away from their daughter Emma who is being passed among the grandparents back in Texas. Justin Utley was up the line a bit. He and Hess shot 484s, a decent score.

Rodreigez Range finished about an hour before Viale. Happens all the time. Viale time just runs slower and by the end of the day they are long gone and you are still shooting.

Stashed my cart in the trailer where Rick Crawford and Dick Curry were totalling up the scores. A wingnut is holding my cart frame together. No problems today.

Sitting in Springfield Armory on Commercial Row. Had to run some junior playing games off the computer. Texans and others are coming and going for the free gatorade and popcorn. I hope to have a Rock River free hotdog in a minute. If the whole world could be Camp Perry, peace and love would reign forever and ever.

Texas team is having a splendid time.

Tomorrow Gregg Foster and I are shooting the Hearst Doubles. On Viale.