Camp Perry Log 2018

Post date: Aug 21, 2018 5:48:24 AM

7/25/2018 – Flew in to Cleveland, drove to Fremont Ohio and checked in to my hotel. Then to Camp Perry to check in.

Got my score cards, my program, and all the welcome packet tourist information. Checked out commercial row and the vendors, and the Creedmoore store.

Back Fremont, Ohio for lunch, then drove to Tipp City to visit an old military buddy and collect the ammunition I had delivered in advance due to airline limitations on the amount of ammunition you can carry in your luggage.

7/27/2018 – Enroute back to Fremont. Stopped at the Armstrong Air and Space Museum on the way. Small, but interesting. Took me about 50 minutes to see the whole thing.

7/28/2018 - Goooooood morrrrrrrrning sports fans! Today's event: The Oliver Hazard Perry match. Course of fire: 10 rounds rapid fire, standing to sitting in 60 seconds at 200 yards, 10 rounds rapid fire, standing to prone in 70 seconds at 300 yards, and 10 rounds prone slow fire in ten minutes from 600 yards. Today I will be shooting M1 Garand in 30-06. 168gr Hornady ballistic tip boat tail bullets.

OK, so I admit, it isn’t a good idea to shoot rounds in competition that you have never shot before. It’s also hard to get a good zero during rapid fire. Chalk day one up to lessons learned.

7/29/2018 - Today's match: President's 100. Course of fire: Ten rounds standing slow fire in ten minutes from 200 yards. Ten rounds rapid fire, standing to prone in 70 seconds from 300 yards. Ten rounds prone slow fire in Ten minutes from 600 yards. Today I will be using a Bushmaster XM15E2S in .223 Remington. Today’s results: A lot better than yesterday. I’ve fired this ammo before so the ballistics are known to me. Still getting used to the heat and humidity.

7/30/2018 - Yesterday was 84F, today it’s 77F, partly cloudy and humid.

Today's match: National Trophy Individual

Course of fire: Ten rounds slow fire from standing at 200 yards in ten minutes; ten rounds rapid fire, sitting from standing, in 60 seconds at 200 yards; ten rounds prone rapid fire from standing at 300 yards in 70 seconds; and finally twenty rounds slow fire from prone in 20 minutes at 600 yards. Shooting Bushmaster XM15E2S again today. My scores have gone to shit today. I keep missing the wind changes during rapid fire. I gotta learn to check the wind after the reload during rapid fire. First two rounds were an X and a 10, the rest got blown out the right side. I couldn't break 80 for any ten round string today. 75, 72, 77, 72, 71 total 368 with 3x out of 500. Yuk. I just missed the wind calls. Well, too be fair, having all four stages within 4 points of each other isn't a bad thing. Consistency is good.

7/31/2018 - Here we go. Day four.

Match: Hearst Doubles

Course of fire: Same as the President's 100 from the day before yesterday, but done pair firing with a partner.

My partner: Tom Simonsen from Michigan

Today's rifle: M1 Garand in 30-06

Brought my 300 yard and 600 yard scores up drastically today. New personal best at 600. But... Not so hot at 200. Took me too long to figure out the Gusty winds. Strangely, the rain at the 600 yard line made me comfortable while ruining everybody else's day.

Yeah. I just hunkered down in the rain and got that warm wet feeling from the soothing touch of the raindrops.... And I didn't even have to piss myself.

8/1/2018 – Today’s match is the National Trophy Team Match. Same course of fire as the National Trophy Individual Match, but done with six team members firing in pairs like the Hearst Doubles. Garand Collector’s Association sponsors our team and provides paid pit pullers so we don’t have to pull pit duty. Surprise, I’m the second best guy on the team.

8/2/2018 - Up at the crack of dawn again. Today's events (yes plural) are the National Trophy Infantry Team Match where six of us assault forward from the 600 yard line firing at 8 targets as they pop up and down. All rapid fire. We each have 64 rounds. I’m finding out that I shoot better when I shoot fast. I’m also finding out that I shoot faster than the rest of the team. Coach keeps flinging extra clips at me that he refilled from extra rounds the other guys didn’t manage to fire. I actually shot all my rounds before I got to the 200 yard line, so I got three bonus clips to make up for the other guys. I also get the best score on the team.

After the team match I have to change up my equipment and race to the other rifle range for the Modern Military Match. Modern Military Course of fire: Five sighting shots and ten shots for record from prone in 15 minutes, followed by ten shots rapid fire from prone, then ten shots standing slow fire in ten minutes. All from 200 yards.

8/2/2018, evening - Well... The longest day of the National Matches is over. I'm not sure which is harder, completely blowing it, or missing by the skin of your teeth. I turned in the best prone slow fire and prone rapid fire of my life... And then, in standing slow fire I threw up a five and a six. Missed a medal by five points.

I have tomorrow to rest, then back in the mix on Saturday. No medal today, but the corporate teams know the lone ranger from Alaska is still in the game and right behind them. Maybe someone will get thrown from the sleigh on Saturday...

8/4/2018 - Here it is. Final day of competition for me here at the National Matches. Today's event: The National John C. Garand Match. Course of Fire: Five sighting shots and ten shots for record from prone in 15 minutes, followed by ten shots rapid fire from prone, then ten shots standing slow fire in ten minutes. All from 200 yards.

As Maxwell Smart would say "Missed it by that much..." Literally missed a medal by ONE point.

Looks like I’m going to Arizona in October. Four matches in three days. Gotta win something....

Trip over. Back in Alaska for a bit. Next shooting match will be at Ben Avery Shooting Center in Phoenix, Arizona. I already have my tickets. Leaving October 17th and returning to Alaska October 23rd, 2018. That will be the CMP Western Games, and the weather will be WARM!