I put this on the bookface, but no one responded to it, so I likely screwed up the post.
Hopefully someone will enjoy it here.
I was going through some old photos my sister sent me a while back and found this one of me at the spry age of 13 competing in my first 3-gun style match in 1985.
The stages were as follows:
Rifle – Start at the 500yd line. Time plus hits plus penalties for less then 40hits on a CMP bullseye target. Fire 10 shots from any position. I went prone with dad’s M1A. After 10, clear your rifle, grab your ammo and run to the 400yd line. Repeat. Then to the 300 and then to the 200. After your last 10 shots, clear and rack your rifle. Grab your shotgun and ammo from the rack and head into the heavily forested trail.
Shotgun – Time plus penalties. I used my Rem 870. You walk along the marked trail and engage the 25 steel turkeys and pigs. Some are white and some are black. Most are not at ground level. If you pass a mark known to the RO you can no longer engage that target and will be told to stop and the target will be pointed out to you. You may then carry on. At the end of the trail you are to clear and rack your shotgun and draw your pistol and hope you brought enough ammo.
Pistol – Time plus score plus penalties. As the sharp eyed among you might see, a Colt Series 70 Combat Commander was my weapon of choice. You enter the clearing and encounter the water trap. You must go prone in the water trap or face a 100 point penalty. You then engage the moving target at 30yds twice. Once r-to-l and once l-to r. You may then exit the water trap and go prone in the freshly raked sand trap 25ft away (and another 100 point penalty if you don’t). Engage the mover twice again. Best 10 hits is your score (penalty for less than 10 hits). Now that you are wet and covered in sand you must enter the structure waiting for you. It is a kill house. 4 rooms and a very scary hallway. 10 targets that either pop-up from behind furniture or out from around corners. Best two hits on each is your score (penalties again for less than 2 each). As you exit the structure you encounter 3 plates. 1 each at 25ft, 50 ft and 75 ft. Engage at your leisure. Last plate to drop is your time.
It was the best weekend I’d had that I couldn’t discuss at school the next day. I came in 5th out of 18 (actually 20, but 2 people took the water and sand penalties, so they don’t count). Pretty much everyone who participated helped run the course after their turn. I ran the timer for the pistol course, as well as raked sand and refilled the water trap.
You were, obviously, having entirely too much fun. How dare you! *snicker*
The water trap might be refreshing on a hot day…… 🙂
Merle