AUSTRALIAN TEAM MEMBERS NEEDED for CAMP PERRY USA 2010. BE PART OF THE TEAM, AND THE EXPERIENCE...

Camp Perry – 2010 National Matches (CMP, NRA & OHNG)

Fellow Australian shooters.

Why not make 2010 the year you attend another country, and shoot?  Why not make it the USA, and shoot the Camp Perry National Matches with thousands of other shooters?

The AIHPA now have a fantastic support base in the US, and you, thanks to your AIHPA membership, can make the trip to Perry, with little effort.

At this stage, the costs for Perry look like being around the average A$5k mark.  This includes airfares, rifles, ammunition, accommodation, car hire, match registrations, etc.

URGENT:  If you are interested in attending Camp Perry in 2010, then we need to order ammunition in October.  Yes, 10 months from Perry, but the ammo shortage in the US, along with long component lead times and our volunteers (that load our superior quality match ammo) have restricted time, ordering ammo in October is not open to compromise.  Even if you think you might be going, we need to know NOW.

For any other questions, or info on your visit to Camp Perry, simply emails us and we will keep you informed.

The 2010 schedule as follows:

CAMP PERRY 2010

Running report/comments by David Waters (a personal perspective).

30 July – Friday
Rolled into Camp Perry late morning.  Got accommodation keys.  Realised I was lodged next to DC, so went back to clubhouse and changed to end room.  Very warm weather – extremely warm in the late afternoon.  Dumped my stuff in room, then collected team shirts before going to town to do shopping.  Unpacked until late evening.  Said hello to about 50+ people I know…and enjoyed every minute of it.

31 July - Saturday
First full day at Perry.  Walked up and down commercial row, bought heaps of stuff, then raced to the post office to send stuff back to Aus.  Texan’s arrived with guns and ammo.  Helped setup Doug’s shop, to sell the Aus shirts.  Met other Aussies as they arrived.  Walked around, met more friends.  Went to dinner Sat night, then to shops, again.

1 Aug – Sunday – Start of CMP week.
8am, went to local range to fire 20 shots, to be sure gun works.  All good, thanks to Glenn fitting new Wilson 1:7 barrel, and zero’ing it for me.  Got eaten by mosquitoes.  Squadded practice assignments issued at 9.30am.  Practice started 11am.  Was on the range for over 5 hours, for 15 minutes of firing.  No confidence going into CMP week, with only 40 shots under the belt with a gun I’ve not fired in 11.5 months.  Need a lot more range time.  Got hot in afternoon, so relaxed with friends over a few drinks and nibblies.

2 Aug – Monday – Presidents 100 match.  473^rd – 273.3/300
Disaster.  Had a shocker.  Was expecting it, so was not surprised.  Had issues with my breathing, I was very tired, no confident in zero’s (proven by the 87 in 300 rapid – something I normally clean), but once I felt I had a solid zero shot a good 600 score (97.2, more so due to the squadded practice the day before).  Went to bed early.

3 Aug – Tuesday – National Trophy Individual.  64^th – 483.12/500
Not a bad day.  Standing, I was lucky with the conditions, which was sure to produce some good scores.  Sitting and Prone rapid fire was not great – not having solid zero’s affected me – which a pair of 98’s and low or zero X counts proved.  Again, the 600 was pretty good, with a 195.  Score below average, but things were looking up.

4 Aug – Wednesday – Hurst Doubles (salt in wound day).  9^th – 294.10/300
Paired with Jeanelle Westrom.
What a couple of days practice makes.  My 294.10 would have SMASHED the Presidents 100 on the Monday.  The only difference this day was some sleep, confidence and zero’s.  Jeanelle had some rifle issues, which didn’t see us finish as strong as we should have.  We finished the doubles with a 568.13/600.  My individual of 9^th overall out of around 650 shooters.

5 Aug – Thursday – National Teams Trophy(6 man).  6^th OOC – 2746.33
I squadded again with my Texan mates – Gulf Coast Rifles.  We shot out of competition, which is popular not to burn new shooters.  I’d like to have a go “in competition”, get burnt, and be done with it.  I shot OK, with a 481.9, after a rough standing.  I should have shot better, and could have shot better, but just couldn’t get into a rhythm.  I do like shooting with the Texan’s, my mates for some years now.  Great bunch of blokes.  These team matches are certainly a make or break situation – for me anyway.  I dump my scope, and put my zero’s completely in the hands of the coaches…I think it is the best way for a team shoot.

6 Aug – Friday – National Teams Infantry Trophy (6 man).  6^th OOC - 781
Like the NTT match, and previous years, I was honoured to shoot with my Texas mates in the Gulf Coast Rifles team.  I feel right at home with them.  Our team strategy was to get all rounds away at the 600, 500 and 300.  I completely let the side down, as a swing shooter (critical).  My round allocation was 26 shots at 600 – 13 per target, 26 shots at 500 and 18 shots at 300.  I had a 1-2 at 600 (3 hits only), but cleaned the rest of the targets with a 100% hit rate.  When I got to the pits, my rounds look low and right.  No idea what went wrong, as the wind call was good based on all others being on target.

7 Aug – Saturday – Day Off.  Spend the day shopping, again, posting stuff back to Australia, registering for the NRA matches, etc.

8 Aug – Sunday – Start of NRA week.  2^nd Amendment Match – doubles.
I shot this match with Clint Greenwood, while most the others had the day off to relax, ready for a big NRA week.  This match is a new match, which started last year.  It allows those not eligible for the other Sunday speciality matches to have something to shoot in.  We travel half way around the world, to shoot at Camp Perry.  The Saturday rest day is enough, so shooting a light team match Sunday is prefect.  I had gone off my treatment one week ago for my eye infiltrate problem (now 3 months old), based on the advise of a US eye specialist.  I shot a good standing and sitting rapid fire score, but something didn’t feel right.  Then, I got into position to prep for the 300 rapid fire, and could not see the target.  It seemed I had a piece of fluff or grass, or something in my rear sight aperture – or I had a big scratch on my glasses.  Through the string, I took my glasses off, had another look then put them back on (clock ticking) to finish asking Clint if he had something to clean out my sight.  He said he could not see anything in there.  I looked with my left eye, and it was perfect.  Look with the right, and had the blockage back again.  OH NO…  NRA week is the week to shine, after a week of practice.  My 300 score was a disaster – something like a 70/100.  My 600 string was not much better.  Obviously, after the shoot and for most of the night, I was sucking down eye drops like soft drinks…in a mad panic.  This continued for the rest of the week…

9 Aug – Monday – Rumbold Team (4-man)
I shot this match with Texas State Rifle Assn – with Rick Crawford, Robert Langham and new shooter Jason Michelli.  It was a great day, and having never shot with Rick before, I learnt a few new very handy things to keep in mind while shooting.  We had a few laughs, as he was not familiar with my shooting style, and that I provide feedback quickly after each shot, and I’m on the gun before the target comes up.  Rick has to be very quick to give me any corrections…before I’d break the next shot…  In the High Master State Assn category, we finished 2^nd overall.

10 Aug Tue – 13 Aug Fri – NRA High Power Rifle Championships.
240 shots, equalling 3x 80shot Regional Match Courses, to decide the annual championship.  This was a championship of mixed emotions.

10 Aug – Tuesday – day 1 HPR.  A nervous start, due to my eye issue the day before (never can tell until on the range).  Was extremely tired to start the Tuesday standing 20 shot match, due to being up all night treating my eye.  My score reflected exactly how I felt.  My score put me behind the 8 ball to start, which was also sort of a calming affect to hammer the rapids.  My 200 sitting and 300 prone rapid fires strings I shot sensationally well, and only dropped 1 or 2 points.

11 Aug – Wednesday - day 2 HPR.  The day was standing slow, sitting rapid then 600 slow prone.  What a ridiculous day from an NRA perspective.  I shot well in the standing, smashed the sitting rapid fire.  We then went back and shot the 600 slow and shot a 196.  Really had a great day.  The gentleman I shot with shot a cross fire – it happens.  We then did a pit change for the last 2 600 relays, and suddenly the shoot was postponed due to a pending thunderstorm.  I had walked all the way to the pits, had to walk back, and wait until 3pm (it is now 1.30pm) for a notice.  Come 3pm, the shoot was called off, while it was pouring rain.  Then, by 3.20pm, the blue sky was out, things were almost dry, but the NRA did not reconvene to complete the match (remember, it isn’t dark until 9.30pm).  After several announcements, by 8pm, there was a notice that all shooters were to refire the 600 string the next day (would make a LONG day).  This was very annoying, as just another 1.5 hours this day, and we’d all be done, my 196 would stick, and I did NOT have enough longline ammo for a whole match refire.

12 Aug – Thursday – day 3 HPR.  Today was to be 200 sitting rapid, 300 prone rapid, then 600 prone slow, however this 600 string is now doubled.  I shot the rapids well, just 3 points down, in difficult conditions.  Then, got back to 600, had a complete brain explosion in very changing light conditions, and shot multiple 8’s out the top.  Terrible score of 190.  Then, the trouble started…  I had to double up and shoot 600 again.  But, how bad could it be – I’ve had 20 shots of practice.  Sure, I shot it well, I shot all X’s and 10’s, except for a 9…and a “cross fire”, with a 10 on the other target.  OH NO (getting used to saying that).  Instead of a 199, I shot a 189…give me a 780 agg, instead of a 790 agg (my best ever) at Perry.  The thing is, I shot a 196, but it was canned – then shot a cross fire and had no 2^nd chance to correct it.  Yet, all those who cross fired the day before did get a 2^nd chance.  Is that fair?  The irony is, I deliberately said to myself to not cross fire, and made a point of always checking the target number before I shot…except for that one time…ouch!

13 Aug – Friday – day 4 HPR.  After my cross fire disaster the day before, I was feeling pretty good, relaxed but a little reserved to keeping up the concentration.  Today is standing 200 which I started off brilliantly, but the back 10 got a little rough – in conditions that saw some sensational scores.  Then the 300 rapid fire was very tricky – the wind really came up, and switched around a lot.  I pulled back a few points on the majority during this string.  Then, the last 600 of the match, and the last match of the championship.  I shot a 195, with a couple of thrown away points.  The last shot was very emotional, knowing I wanted to finish with an X, and it as the last shot on US soil for 2010.  I got one…an X, that is…

Across the championship, I shot very well all things considered – especially in the rapid fire strings where I finished 34^th overall.  The slow fire was letdown by 3 main strings – day 1 standing, day 2 600 refire and day 3 600 cross fire, finishing 137^th overall.  Grand agg was a healthy 94^th overall, and a 2331.77 – a High Master score, but should have been much better.

Camp Perry, and the National Matches are still a great and most enjoyable event for me, and many of us.  However, travelling half way around the world, and some $300 per day, it is disappointing that we don’t get some special exceptions to get some practice before the matches – say, join in the Small Arms Firing School, but using our rifles and ammo.  To do well at the whole National Matches experience, one must be on their game from day 1.  For us, the championships are a CMP practice and zeroing week for NRA championship week.  Perhaps this is something organisers can look at for us in 2011, and beyond, so we can seriously contest CMP week with the vigour of NRA week.

Special thanks to all those that help us (the 50 or so of you), but special mention to the Texans, Bob Laird, the CMP ladies, Bob Mullins (for the brilliant ammunition), all the volunteers to make the event possible, and all our friends who we love to meet up with each year (the more we go, the more at home we feel).

Hopefully see you all in 2011…TBA.