ErikW Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 (edited) Edit: I'm pulling these posts out of the big WSXIV topic because I don't want them to be a part of the Production gun discussion. I'll post a reply with a link to about 140 pictures. Please pardon any typos or strange characters from the hotel computer with the funky keyboard. Buenos dias, amigos! It's Wednesday morning at the Sheraton, and I'm shooting in the PM. I had a few problems the first day (wrong squad, broke my gun, no shoot, two swinger misses on the big stage) but opened a can of whoop-ass on stages 11 & 12. Yesterday I had more swinger misses and a no-shoot but kicked ass on 17. I'm on a squad with Jack Suber and a few other compatriots. ong45 seems to be doing well, as well as Dennis, but we are all on separate squads. I flew with 700+ rounds in my bags so I'm good for ammo. For some reason, there are no wash cloths at the Sheraton. Go figure. Edited August 29, 2005 by Erik Warren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted August 25, 2005 Author Share Posted August 25, 2005 I´ve shot 24 stages, 12 to go. I´m still "winning" two stages (12 & 17) until the big dogs come through. For sure 17 won´t hold up (I shot a D) but I´m hoping 12 will. My gun wouldn´t chamber two rounds today and my tennis elbow started up. The swingers, especially the doubles, are eating us Standard shooters alive. And we have some good shooters on our squad. Still no washcloths. People eating at the food court wearing plastic gloves. US paper currency and a combo of US and local coins. It seems all of the Sacagewa dollar coins ever minted are in Ecuador. Adios. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRNinTX Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 Still no washcloths. People eating at the food court wearing plastic gloves. US paper currency and a combo of US and local coins. It seems all of the Sacagewa dollar coins ever minted are in Ecuador.Adios. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Erik, No washcloths at the HoJo either. Finally went to the MegaMax and bought our own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted August 28, 2005 Author Share Posted August 28, 2005 Good morning from Guyaquil. Shoot-offs should be happening right now. Results are being held until after the shootoffs, maybe until the awards tonight. Why, we can only speculate. My guess is suspense. What a difficult match. Partials, long shots, and swingers from hell. Honestly, the swingers were just too damned hard for iron sights; they even gave most Open and Modified shooters fits. I'll bet all the iron sight divisions are decided by who missed the fewest swingers. The stages were decent; a few were above-average. Stage 7 had a large number of solutions and required all of the available seven-minute walk-through. Stage 36 had several freestyle solutions, too. The descriptions in the booklet bear little resemblance to the actual stage construction and target placement. Most field courses used some kind of port. The twelve-year-old on my squad was hurt by tall ports on a few stages and I hated to see that. Stages 7 & 36 had wide open spaces instead of ports; no coincidence that they had more freestyle solutions. They have got to import that green mesh into the U.S. for stage construction. It's much nicer than orange mesh. The platform stage was kind of a waste of construction. It would have been terrifically cool if we could have shot underneath the platform area before or after shooting from the upper level. My favorite targets were the forward-swinging ones with the steel no-shoots. The penalty steel faced the shooter at rest and the target was 90 degrees behind it on the same axis, hidden from view. When activated, the penalty steel dropped, exposing the target, then swung back up, and kept at it. Only two (?) drop-turners, which each gave a single presentation. I think they were the only disappearing targets. The runners on the mine cart and the other stage stopped behind cover but you could run a distance to a location from which they were visible. Classic poppers and mini-poppers present the same challenge as their Pepper and US counterparts. Classic targets are another story and I lost a lot of Cs to the top-tapering A zone. There were a lot of steel no-shoots, some of which partially hid targets or steel but fell out of the way when struck. The ROing was very good but imperfect. A couple guys didn't have their range commands down. A couple guys deviated from the established convention for walking from one short stage to another with a hot gun. One didn't sign my scoresheet. One guy was real anal about holster position. Some people on my squad need to educated about proper squad ettiquette. Bad manners is not cool with 17 people trying to figure out a field course in 7 minutes. I guess most shooters are smokers. I didn't care for that. How about non-smoking squadding? My trigger control was pure shjt and I missed long targets and partials I should have nailed easily. My gun broke on the first day when the too-small-diameter (too much grinding by me) guide rod head pounded the reverse plug into the slide tunnel and tied up the recoil system. It limped along the rest of the match with a spare RecoilMaster but I had to use the damaged plug, as a spare new one wouldn't fit the tunnel. BrianH, stay tuned for more work coming your way. I had three failures to chamber. One wasn't close and two were very close. Two of the failed rounds later chambered at LAMR on different stages. I don't know whether it's my ammo or the funked recoil system. (Once-Glock-fired Winchester brass through a EGW sizing die, gauged.) Maybe I should just shoot new brass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted August 29, 2005 Author Share Posted August 29, 2005 We interrupt your Production gun discussion for this update from Guayaquil. After catching the 5:30 bus from the Sheraton to the Malecon for the ''awards'' ceremony, the Reno contingent caught a cab back to the hotel. We've grown weary of clusters like this and we have to be on a plane at 1:00 AM. It's obvious they aren't going to finish awards (and thus have results available) until after we have to get back to the airport. I fully expect the large US and international contingent of shooters on this flight to bail out of the ceremonies early sans results. World Shoot XIV: No Ammo, No Results Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted August 29, 2005 Author Share Posted August 29, 2005 I'm back from a long couple of plane rides and a layover. (Not as long as Vince Pinto!) Speaking of Vince, ong45 and I met him one morning at the hotel and he offered us a ride in his minivan taxi. He told us about the new ideas for dealing with match ammo and I lamented the lack of wash cloths at the Sheraton. Later that day, Vince somehow found me on a stage and gave me a few AustralAsian match hand towel/wash cloths. What a guy! Sure enough, people started bailing out of the ceremonies and returning to the hotel a couple hours after we bailed. Their story: no results. I am presently uploading many pictures from the opening ceremonies, the match, the city of Guayaquil, and the nearby town of Duran. It's going to take a good long while. Please note there are absolutely no pictures of CZz or Adam Tyc in my collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Hayden Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 Erik, how did you manage to get your ammo? Did you and Ong45 ship it differently, or take it as checked baggage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted August 29, 2005 Author Share Posted August 29, 2005 At the last minute, we realized the Armscor ammo shipment was unlikely. James and Dennis loaded up more Supercomp and I just raided my match ammo supply. I put about 5 factory boxes in my range bag and 9 in a box in my suitcase. The airline agent didn't ask and I didn't tell. I figured I had 32 pounds instead of 11. I heard a good tip about this: have 2 boxes visible with the gun case and the agent will think that's all the ammo there is and it's clearly under the limit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddjob Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 Show two boxes ...Very slick.....Kinda like "gaming it" at the airlines!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted August 29, 2005 Author Share Posted August 29, 2005 More random thoughts... Each shooter got a range bag as a "door prize." It's no Shooter's Connection bag but it's nice enough, medium-sized, with the WSXIV logo. Inside the range bag, in addition to the obligatory literature, was a WSXIV t-shirt. Most of us gringos found them much too small. I'm giving mine to one of my three-foot-tall nephews. The included WSXIV cap was also too small for us, sort of a yarmulke with a bill. Locals with cameras took a lot of pictures and made prints right away, then offered them for sale at $3. I didn't find any pictures of me, which I attribute to my being unphotogenic and not attired in a snazzy colored team or wannabe-team shirt. CZ had a couple of local models in low-ride jeans and low-cut shirts. When they came by the squads came to a standstill as guys posed for pictures with them. Well, the pictures are finally up! Here you go.... Link to WSXIV photo album Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorch Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 THose are cool Pictures thanks for sharing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted August 30, 2005 Author Share Posted August 30, 2005 Here's my favorite picture, with some of the Policia Nacional de Ecuador. You get a cupie doll if you can identify the rifles. They seem to use M16 magazines. They are not M14, Mini-14s, M1 Carbines, or Beretta BM59s, nor that French 7.5mm gun (FAMAS?). The aircraft pictured are from the air force (maybe the entire air force?) doing fly-bys at the opening ceremonies. Mirage IIIs, Mirage F.1, and IAI Kfir. (Not all pictured.) IMG_0901 is forum member and 3rd place Revolver spook with the video camera. IMG_0922 is Mark Hanish on Stage 7. IMG_0907 is an Ecuadorian naval band. IMG_0915 is the Captain Morgan pirate ship. It later fired on us at the closing ceremonies and is lucky to escape without major leaks. IMG_0925 is Debbie Keehart. IMG_0926 and 0927 are that piece of shjt Stage 16 with a narrow area for your feet, which were not allowed on top of the fault lines. IMG_0929 and others are of forum member Jack Suber. IMG_0935 and others are of twelve-year-old Billy Thalheimer. A lot of people, it seems, find a young kid very unusual. IMG_0941 are forum members shred and ong45. IMG_0942 is forum member Lawman. IMG_0957 and 0996 are some of the range go-fer/fix-it/maintenance guys. They converted Chinese motorcycles into pickups. (No, the yellow one is a real pickup truck.) IMG_0961 is one of the buses ferrying us back and forth from the range. There was also a battered made-in-Kansas City schoolbus. IMG_0962 and 0964 are of the main meeting area at the range, with vendors along the sides and tables and chairs in the middle. The roof of the place was painted with the WSXIV logo. IMG_0969 is one of the many vendors. I didn't bother with my Camelbak after the first day. IMG_0979 has some cool bird nests in the tree. IMG_0981 has a big iguana in the tree. IMG_0983 shows the trees along the water beside the Area 1 ranges. IMG_0989 is Ian from Zimbabwe. He was born near Reno. Small world. He shoots a Glock .45 lefty due to losing his right index finger. Now that's committment to the sport. IMG_1006 and others are of the town of Duran, between the range and the city. Just minutes from modern conveniences (less wash cloths) to the third world. Nearer the range were shanty towns that looked a step above squalor. IMG_1046 and others are of the raised stage, also known as the platform or treehouse stage. I had a good plan that saved time and I nailed all the swingers with As and Cs! However, to get the first swinger I rushed off a static and ate a Miss. Heartbreak. IMG_1058 is squad 17. Less the girl in the tie-dye. Americans, South Africans, Venezuelans, and one Zimbabwean. Less one Venezuelan who DQed for finger movement on the fifth day. Me, I would have made a stage that used the bridge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hey QuicksDraw! Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Thanks for the pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidwiz Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Here's my favorite picture, with some of the Policia Nacional de Ecuador. You get a cupie doll if you can identify the rifles. They seem to use M16 magazines. They are not M14, Mini-14s, M1 Carbines, or Beretta BM59s, nor that French 7.5mm gun (FAMAS?). The FA MAS is 5.56, it just uses a French-brewed version of the SS109 Nato round. It's a bullpup design. The rifles look a lot like the BM59, seems to be M1 Garand/M14 based. It could also be a Argentinan Fara 83. The absence of a pistol grip (as it looks from the photo) and front sight waay out on the bbl seems to put it in the M1 Garand/M14 family, maybe a local or South American copy. Good pictures in your album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pisgahrifle Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 They look a helluva lot like AC-556s. From a distance it's hard to discern a Ruger 30 rnd. from an AR, especially if it's been coated the same way. The original FAMAS actually was some wierd, large calibre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemo Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Erik, ¡Gracias por las fotos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 The Holy Grail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberto Hart Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 It could also be a Argentinan Fara 83. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> David: We only made 600 units of the Argentine Fara. I own one, and none of them were exported to Ecuador. The last few remaining are in collector´s hands, down here in Argenitna. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul B Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 They look a helluva lot like AC-556s. From a distance it's hard to discern a Ruger 30 rnd. from an AR, especially if it's been coated the same way. That is exactly what they look like to me also and they are all over South America. Good gun - full auto Mini-14. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 That's what I thought they were, but somebody said not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidwiz Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 David:We only made 600 units of the Argentine Fara. I own one, and none of them were exported to Ecuador. The last few remaining are in collector´s hands, down here in Argenitna. I'm actually kinda surprised that someone knows what it is. Having Janes does come in handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted August 31, 2005 Author Share Posted August 31, 2005 A couple more things I gotta mention about WSXIV.... Perhaps the best part about the match organization was the way the squads were scheduled in shooting "areas." Each area was color-coded in the match booklet and covered several ranges, or bays. Each range held one or two stages. We never had to do the Bataan death march across half of Ecuador to get from one stage to another; each half-day of shooting was in a single area. Many plastic stools were provided at each range. There were enough that I could usually have one for my bag and one for my butt, despite all the shooters and spectators. Shade structures were provided at each range so squads could sit in the shade. The stages were taped off and we were allowed beyond the tape only for the stage briefing, then for our on-deck walk-through and shooting. The ROs and the Ejercito helpers (so much for no camoflauge!) taped and reset, so we did a lot of sitting on stools in the shade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritinUSA Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 The Holy Grail <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Wow, that picture from the 'I paid $3000, shot a World Shoot and all I got was this lousy wash-cloth' file... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Hayden Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Erik... Can you describe what you hauled your gear over in? What worked and what didn't? Equipment/spare parts that were must haves? What would you'd change for next time? I can't belive no one asked which one of the 5 was you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Favorite quotes from WSXIV- "No mas cangrejo". "No mas cangrejo!?! Everybody else in here has cangrejo." "don't smile me" and, of course "where's my ammo?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now