Lodi scores

[Kevin Alexander]

Let me just say that this was something I’ve been wanting to do for some time. To me, these guns were built for long range and have a very interesting history and to let this sport dwindled down and die a slow death is very discerning to me. This past week was a large number of first for me and most of which was stressful. As I prepared last week for the upcoming match at Lodi, my 16 year old son got his drivers license and started driving to school by himself. Any father of a 16 year old knows what I was going through and was going to be 8 hours away shooting on his 1st weekend driving around. Then on Friday evening he send me a photo of his vehicle I just gave him with the rear fender that scraped a pole in the school parking lot. I’m trying to stay as calm as I can and not think about anything going on back home.

So I was taking and shooting my Browning 45-70 and using a DZ scope mounted to the Steve Earle rail in order to utilize the factory mounting hole spacing on the Browning. This presents a problem for needing higher elevation because you just can’t change blocks. I had figured I would be right at my limit on elevation so I figured a shim was need at the rear of the rail to get me just a little more elevation in case the winds or conditions called for it. Jim Kluskens made me a shim off of the dimensions I sent him and had it ready for me at the range Friday afternoon and I put it in and it fit perfectly and worked just as we suspected. Now I’m ready to go, I hope. I will list the things below as to my experiences so one can relate to what i was feeling going into this match Saturday morning.
I have never seen any pits or know how they operate.
I have never used my lay down scope before this day.
I have never used my lay down fancy scope tripod before this day.
I have never met or shot with my relay team before this day.
I have never shot at a paper target farther than 200 yards before this day.
I have never used the elevated cheek pad before this day.
I had never seen how the structure of one of these long range matches are done from the switching of the pit duty to spotting and shooting. It was not complex but to the new guy it looks challenging to keep up. I’m sure over time it would smooth out. There was some terminology I needed information on. People kept referring to the hospital in the pits on Friday and I’m envisioning a first aid station in the pits in case of an accident there and we can do triage if needed. I eventually had to ask about this “hospital”. Whew, what a relief to find out I was way off.

Now to the match itself. I had in my head that looking and shooting at 1000 yards would be almost impossible for me. Spotting I figured the same. I don’t know why I do but I always sell myself short when it comes to shooting and spotting. I just don’t think I’m very good at neither one. There is not a better sound in the world when laying there after you have let one go at 1000 and your spotter says “X”!
My very 1st day of shooting LR, not only did I have an “X” at each of the distances, I was high score at 1000! When they posted the 1st days results, and I saw that, I was speechless. The wind was brutal the 1st day.
When your spotting for the 1st time at a LR match, there are what seems to be 300 flags out there to look at. Its a lot to a beginner and trying to figure it out is impossible. I can’t say enough about how Jim Kluskens helped me in so many ways in this match. His shooting is great, his spotting is great and he is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to this sport. When he talks, people should listen. Jim Ruch is an excellent shot also. He will be at the top of every match he enters. Pay attention to this newcomer. If he continues to go to matches, he will not let up.

The pits were nothing like I have ever imagined. I was captivated like a kid in a candy store. Total awe. How can I explain this. Well, the speed of sound is around 1100 feet per second, the bullet coming in is around 700 to 900 feet per second. The bullet impact area is about 5 feet directly above you and multiple area on either side of you down the line. So you hear the report of the gun, the wizzing by of the bullets, the loud smack of the target, and the hard thump of the berm behind the target all in the matter of a split second. They are all 4 very distinct different sounds happening in succession of one another milliseconds apart. The bullet sound wizzing just over your head is eye opening. It’s coming in fast and you can hear it. I can’t imagine that sound when your in battle. I’m sure its similar to what they hear.

Overall, shooting this match was an experience I will never forget as long as I live.
Thanks Jim Kluskens for helping with everything. I hope to be shooting with both him and Jim Ruch in the further someday. It would be an honor and a pleasure. Keep this sport alive guys.

Oh and one other thing, if it was a team match for an overall aggregate, I think our team was in 1st with a 1,392.09. Then next team was at 1299.05 if my math is correct.

Oh yea, one more. Our team was shooting paper patched bullets, if anyone was wondering, do they win matches. Ha!

KA