Lodi scores

[Kevin Alexander]

It was windy to say the least.

This was my 1st long range match and I didn’t get home until midnight. I will report my experience later today.

KA

[Don McDowell]

Thanks Kevin for posting these.
Looks like you did well for your first time out, and in not so nice conditions. Congratulations.

[Distant Thunder]

It was an interesting weekend, at least for me. I never did catch my stride while shooting except maybe at 900 on the first day. However, I did do a fair job spotting for the two first time long range BPTR shooters that I had talked into coming out and joining us, especially once we finally got some mirage to work with on Sunday. The flags at Lodi can lie very deceptively!

Kevin and Jim did very well dealing with their first long range match and for Jim Ruch it was his first time ever competing with a black powder cartridge rifle. Kevin is no stranger to spotting for these rifles in silhouette and had a big part in Jim's excellent work on the trigger. Kevin and I expect to be well paid for our efforts!

For the weather enthusiasts among us the winds on Saturday were challenging at 25 to 30 mph with gusts to over 40 mph. When throw in the rapid changes that Lodi often has with the winds swirling around that big hill and there was not a shooter among us that didn't have a miss here and there. With those wind speeds that quarter headwind proved a little hard to stay ahead of, at least for me.

Sunday was a little softer winds in the morning at least, but by the end of the day the wind was getting pretty impressive again. Holding paper proved a bit easier for some.

I'll let Kevin fill in the details from his point of view. For me it was rewarding to bring one BPCRS shooter into long range and one BPCR hunter into competition for his first such match ever. He said that he was impressed with how accurate these rifle are at distance. And I introduced Jim to to the Creedmoor sport the right way, he was shooting paper patch bullets, a bullet that I designed and made the mold for and it shot very, very well for him. I'm probably going to have a hard time getting my mold back now!

Jim proved to be every bit as capable as I detected him to be in our many emails over the past 4 month as I first talked him into trying paper patch and as I then guided him through the process. When you consider that only 4 months ago he had never shot paper patch bullets period and never competed with his Shiloh .45-70 at all it is pretty impressive that he took second place in the Wisconsin State Championship! Well done!

So for those who would like to shoot paper patch bullets, but think they are too difficult to bother with, and those who think paper patch bullets aren't accurate enough for competition take note of what Jim was able to do in a rather short 4 months. I will say this, he listens very, very well.

A great and very fun weekend for me full of good food, a beer or two, and visiting with friends, good friends, and lots of shooting and smoke. Cliff, Mark, Ed and Paul did a masterful job of keeping a bunch of talkative old men moving along, not a easy task. My thanks to the four of them for their efforts that make these matches possible.

[desert deuce]

Shooting an average of 83% for two days in those conditions gives the spectator an idea of what those conditions were like
And a great time was had by all

[Kurt]

It was humbling for me for sure.
But I had a great time and the company of the shooters was great. But I will say shooting from a stool that breeze using a scope I saw the cross hairs going from my target to the next next target frame .
This was my first long range shoot I used the scope for the whole match and I'm still not sure I like using a scope, but I did not cross fire once it helps seeing the number boards.
I used a .45-90 for the first day and the .44-77 on Sunday. This is the first time I used the .44-77 with just throwing in 84 grains of a new lot of 1.5 Swiss a load I never worked on and it shot very good.

I will say that this match was well run and interesting. I shot in heavy winds out west but the conditions we had at Lodi, especially on Saturday I have never seen anyplace before.

[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

[Kenny Wasserburger]

Excellent write up Kevin, really gets one’s juices going for long range, your enthusiasm is evident. I am glad you went. And even more glad for your success.

Kenny, the Lunger Wasserburger.

[Kenny Wasserburger]

Jim, also a big hats off to you for bringing in two new guys to the fold, your enthusiasm for paper patch is catching. You are a great ambassador for the BPTR paper patching group.

I look forward to the day I finally get to met you in person.

Kenny the Lunger Wasserburger

[Don McDowell]

Kenny two things that stand out from the trip to Lodi, eating at Fritz's and meeting Mr. Kluskens. Both make the trip worthwhile.

[Kurt]

Both of you guys should make that trip to Lodi.
It's a straight shot east on 90. Cant get lost.