Thursday

I can tell you with absolute certainty that 87 degrees and 16% humidity feels a whole lot cooler at Mormon Lake Arizona than 101 degrees and 55% humidity in the Phoenix Valley! And that would be the weather theme for the weekend.

The first order of business when we arrived was to clean and lubricate every target. The next was to test to assure a 12 ft.lb. hit on the paddle would trip the target but a heavier hit on the top or bottom of the face place would not.

After completing the quality control on the targets we decided to set up the Pistol FT course. Ten lanes with two targets on each lane. Each target specifically designed to be used for Pistol FT. The shooters will be shooting two shots on each target tomorrow for a total of forty shots on this 35+ Troyer rated course. We had people setting concrete blocks and strapping brackets on the sides of trees before they clamped the appropriate KZ target in place. Once the targets were in place several of the lanes needed weeds and grass trimmed so shooters had a clear view of the target. The Pistol course was set in a little over an hour by these experienced FT competitors. Ready to go Friday afternoon!

This is an appropriate time to give honorable mention to all of those who helped with this memorable match! First those who helped set the courses that I created on the computer – Andrew W, Bobby C, Carl F, John, W, Larry P, Kent G, Martin M, Ryan S, Tony P, and Van T. Registration, hat distribution and sales of t-shirts/hats and raffle tickets were handled by Mary Anne M, Larry P, and Wayne M. And most importantly the person who drove to Flagstaff to get lunch Saturday, June P. What a FANTASTIC CREW and pleasant group to work with except for the demanding/exacting Match Director, me! I can not thank them enough. You are all top hands!

Friday

The first order of business for the day – check to see why the porta-potties weren’t delivered yesterday as promised! (Mission accomplished and delivered in less than two hours.)

Everyone agreed to meet at 8 am to begin setting up the orange and white rifle courses. Both would be 35+ Troyer with nine lanes on each course and three targets per lane. Shooters would be required to engage each target twice for an accumulated 54 shots per course and a match total of 108 shots. Although the courses shared the same Troyer that is where the similarities ended. They each had very different flavors.

The orange course was set in an open forest with views of the San Francisco Peaks. Open spaces means stronger breezes! It also included four targets that were at steep downward angles requiring the shooter to sit on the rim of the cinder pit and shoot four targets that were about 20-30 feet below their shooting position at ranges from 35-49 yards distant. Everyone begs to shoot into this pit until they have to shoot into the pit. (Be careful what you wish for!) I like variation so this course had a forced position lane with one off-hand target and two kneeling targets. To be fair I thought it should be the opposite on the white course, so it had a forced lane with two off-hand and one kneeling. This gave the courses the required number of forced position shots to meet Grand Prix regulations.

Besides the reversed forced position lane the white course was set up in much more dense forest. No, nothing like the “woods” back East where the trees and underbrush are so thick it is close to a tunnel, but dense forest where there are ample places for subtle breezes to misguide your pellet. Toss in several lanes shooting from within the forest out into the meadow and you even the course difficulty with the pit on the orange course.

It's now 2 PM and time to begin the GP Pistol match. As is typical for August, we are surrounded by dark, ominous thunder heads to our west and we could hear thunder in the distance. The temperature was 84 degrees with 31% humidity. Winds were around 10 mph out of the SW but gusts were limited to 11.6 mph. Temps would drop 10 degrees before the match ended.

Shooters were assigned their lanes following a brief meeting covering safety, weather safety, course layout, shooting sequence, etc. etc. The match began just a few minutes after 2 as planned. The thunderstorm moved north of us and then east, missing us altogether. We did get some rain about 30 minutes after everyone had finished shooting.

The pistol shooters then graciously pulled the targets back to the shooting stations where we could collect them and move some of the equipment (buckets, strings, clamps) over to finalize the white course. Did I mention shooters are great people!

Carl and I then set up the white buckets on the second rifle course and placed some of the pistol strings and clamps to finalize the course. With this complete we called it a day to dry out, clean up, eat dinner, and get some sleep.

Saturday

The start of the Rifle Grand Prix! Before anything starts we need to double check all the targets, pull strings, begin registration, chronograph all the guns, check equipment, and set up to sell raffle tickets, Boonie hats, and shirts. (Behind the scenes I need to make sure lunch is going to be ready for pick up, ice chests are filled with water and ice and are on the course, and get air tanks next to the coolers,) Thankfully I have great help who is already on the job when I arrive.

Amid all the chaos we got everyone checked in and chronographed. Everyone who registered also got a sharp looking Airgunners of Arizona ball cap and ticket sales were off to a great start along with the Club Boonie hats and shirts. These sales are what pay for our insurance, shooting venue fees, target repair supplies, and any other items that come up throughout the year.

Although the Shooter’s Meeting started five minutes late, we were pretty much organized and on time for such a big event. After covering the usual subjects like following/knowing AAFTA Rules, safety, number of lanes-targets-shots/target, order to engage targets, and forced lanes, we covered where you could shoot around the Lane Buckets. The ground here is filled with large rocks just underneath the surface, so we use small buckets as shooting position markers and place the strings inside the buckets(along with a rock to keep it in place). After answering all the shooter’s questions (I never ask for comments from a crowd like this!) lanes were assigned and shooting began as soon as everyone was at their assigned lane on each course. Shooting began at 9:50 and all 31 shooters were finished shooting and ready to eat by 12:30. Putting three targets on each lane really reduces the match time (by about 25%) I have found. Less time on the course is good for everyone.

Following a Firehouse Subs box lunch we had our annual raffle. A big thanks goes out to AIRUNS OF ARIZONA and MARTIN MARTIN for donating over $1,600 in merchandise for the Club to raffle. Airguns of Arizona has been a continuous sponsor of our club since its founding in September 1992. Generosity like this keeps our Club going each year.

Finally we had to settle a tie for 1st and 2nd places in the Hunter Pistol match shot yesterday afternoon. Both shooters shot 35 out of 40 on a tough 35+ Troyer course. The contest was settled with the winner hitting one more target out of four shots in the shoot off.

Chicken Little Match
In order to keep the shooters entertained during the late afternoons Kent G. likes to set
up a match he has labeled Chicken Little. The competition consists of a full set of 1/5
scale silhouettes plus an extra chicken at four different yardages. This month the
yardages were 50-60-70-80. Five targets at each range (ram, turkey, boar, chicken,
chicken) with one shot per target. You have seven minutes to complete your 20 shots
and then you get to shoot a second round for a total of 40 shots possible. The official
match was held Saturday evening.
It doesn’t sound all that exciting until you have attempted it. Think about the challenge
of hitting a 1/5 scale chicken at 80 yards with your field target rifle! The misses hurt but
when you connect it is such a deep feeling of accomplishment! What a great side shoot!
Thank you Kent!

Sunday

The day dawned bright and sunny, breezes from 4-8 mph with few, if any, gusts just like Saturday. Temperatures did the same starting around 74 and rising to 85. The sign in, shooter’s meeting, and chronograph went much faster today so everyone was on the course at the planned 9:30. Shooting was complete at high noon and the shooters went back out to disconnect strings and pull the targets back to the lane buckets for collection later. Thank you everyone!

While the shooters were rounding up the targets, I was overseeing that the score sheets were double/triple checked, scores were posted, and the award medals were laid out to be given to the winners.

The Awards Ceremony started about an hour after the shooters finished shooting so that our out-of-state shooters and those who had traveled across the state could head home.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all who made the 2025 Arizona State PCP State Championship & Grand Prix such a success and CONGRATULATIONS to all those who took home cool medals and/or met their shooting goals this weekend.

See you all next year!

Gratefully Submitted,

Larry Piercy, President, Airgunners of Arizona