TRAC match – June 1, 2021

The day after Memorial Day.  We would hope that everyone reading this did their part to remember those who sacrificed everything to give us what we have today.  This country may not be perfect, but it is a far cry better than anything else.  We feel lucky in that we are able to gather each week to exercise our minds, our bodies, and participate in this great pastime called Field Target.

Surprisingly, only four of us gathered today to shoot 6 lanes / 2 targets per/shoot thru twice (no target changes) / 48-shot match.  The skies were clear and glaringly bright, with only a few scattered clouds here and there.  Temps during course set up were around 83 degrees and warmed to 97 degrees by the end of the match and humidity was only 18%.  Shooting under the canopy at the pistol silhouette range was quite comfortable, and we were appreciative of that.  The wind was also surprisingly mild for a change.

NWS forecasted 5 – 10 mph out of the southeast.  They were right on the money.  We got 5 – 7 mph that swung back and forth from the S to SSW with occasional puffs from the SSE and one or two moments when it swirled around and came at us from the north.  It would gradually build, maintain velocity for a bit, then just a gradually die off, and then have moments of calm (with the emphasis on “moments”).  About the half way point, it became more constant and remained that way for the duration.  All in all, not unpleasant in the least.

Old man Mike (that is actually his nom de querre) put it all together today and cleaned the course with a 48/48.  Mercifully, he snuck a couple of shots inside the KZ where he misjudged distance, but just barely.  That rattled him a bit.

Mark was having problems with his arthritic thumbs (they hurt!), so opted to shoot the easier cocking D54 (Miss Diana) springer, instead of his TX200 and posted a 46/48 with two splits (due to wind). (ed. Note; I felt pretty good about that, too)

Scott was shooting his Brocock Sniper and posted a pretty good 42/48.

Barry was doing well with his Redwolf until the wind totally undid him on two lanes near the end.  Up until then, he was only down two points.  Aside from that, he shot well.

Keeping track of the distances and KZ sizes, and the wind factor (when it came up) the Troyer factor was calculated at 31.66.

Next Tuesday, we will be back on the pistol silhouette range again.  The remainder of June will be shot on the rifle silhouette range.  There is apparently something going on with that range that doesn’t allow us to reserve it when we want.  As stated previously, at least we have a place to shoot.  We gotta be grateful for the freedom to do just that.

It may be warm under the direct sun, but being able to shoot from underneath the shade canopy, is quite nice.  It feels distinctly cooler.  As mentioned before, if you have the time and desire, c’mon out and join us!

Gotta thank Barry for getting their early to help set up.  Mike and Scott got there towards the end of set up, and then all hands pitched in, as usual, to take down afterwards.  It is really appreciated when everyone just jumps in without being asked and gets the job done in minimal time.  Thanks, guys, for all you do!

Respectfully (and gratefully) submitted,

Mark Kauffman
Secretary, Airgunners of Arizona, Inc.


Field Target Club