Sixteen springer shooters converged at the Pistol Silhouette range at BASF to
contest the state piston championships this past weekend. Several could not
make it, or we would have had more, but we did get shooters in each discipline,
from both Arizona and California in attendance.

​

We want to thank Wayne, Larry, Carl, Mark, and Dave D’Agostino (from CA), who
showed up on Friday afternoon to lay out and set up the 24-lane course, mark the
course changes for both Saturday and Sunday, set up, level, and test the targets,
and otherwise make sure everything was in readiness for the weekend. Thanks to
them, everything went off without a hitch, except for one cold lane to unsnag a
string that got caught in a near target from the wind blowing. More on the wind
later……

​

I can report that the course(s) set up on Day 1 had a Troyer of 30.84, but with the
wind, it was a 38.10, and on Day 2, the Troyer was 30.88, which ended up being a
Troyer of 38.11 with wind. Both days showed 10 of the 12 long targets as having
been set beyond 45 yards. Under ideal conditions, this would not have been a
concern….

​

……we did not have ideal conditions either day!

​

Saturday was bright and sunny, with some distant haze. It was very BRIGHT, at
times blindingly bright, in that it caused a considerable amount of eye strain in
seeing the distant targets with the naked eye clearly. Note that we were shooting

facing north. The firing line stretches 120 yards east to west under a full-length
canopy and concrete deck. We normally shoot from this position year-round, rain
or shine. With the berms on either side and the south side of the mountain,
about 150 yards distant, it creates a swirling effect for the wind.

​

Temperatures ranged from 79° up to 84° with humidity in the upper single digits.
The wind came at us from the NE, shifting to the East, then from the ESE at
between 6 and 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. We had heavy winds for
the first 4 or 5 lanes, then let up a bit for the middle part of the match, then
picked up again for the last 6 lanes. Needless to say, we were blown around.
High scores for the day only ended up in the low 30’s out of a 48-shot possible
score. Definitely, an eye-opener.

​

On the line, the typical banter was heard, with some groaning and bitching,
followed by the occasional triumphant “OOH-YAH!”, when someone knocked a
target over. We were having fun! With the conditions present, we were hoping
that things would get better for Sunday.

​

……It got worse!

​

Sunday was mostly cloudy, and not nearly as bright as it was on Saturday. This
was much easier on the eyes, and provided a different appearance of the targets.
This was very much appreciated by everyone. The temps for the day ranged from
82° up to 90°, a bit warmer, with humidity in the low teens. Definitely did not
need additional layers of clothing, but the wind was another thing. Winds were
out of the east to ESE at between 10 and 14 mph, with frequent gusts between 17
and 22 mph for the entire match! The mood for the match was NOT as jovial as it
was the day before. Moving between lanes heard a lot more grumbling and some
very explicit comments about where these “springers could be shoved”, and they

would “never shoot a springer again”, and a few other choice “words of wisdom”.
I am being polite here, but needless to say, we were not all that happy. We did,
however, soldier on.

​

Ya gotta find the humor in everything, and with our group, that happens all the
time, everywhere, and whenever you least expect it! Some of these outbursts
are just downright funny!