2020 PCC Nationals in Frostproof FL

[lperla]

I shoot and RO at Frostproof often.  Just finished shooting and RO'ing FL State and FL Open.  I am not an official spokesman for either Shannon or Frostproof, but I'll give you what I know.

 

Plenty of parking in grassy areas.  Some, but not all covered by video, but I've never heard of a crime committed in the parking lot.  Only crime is the way I shoot, but that's a story for another day.

 

Many, many safety areas where you can work on broken gun, etc.  Only really strict rule on gun handling (other than standard USPSA) is that no handling of short guns (pistols) in parking lots -- must be bagged and then unbagged at a safety area.  Otherwise, for PCC just follow USPSA rules and watch your muzzle.  When your up to shoot, most RO's will probably want to supervise your unbagging; that's the default.  Some, like me, will tell you as part of the stage brief that when your next, to just safely (and following USPSA rules) unbag near a berm and proceed muzzle up or down to the start position.  They are not lax on following the rules, but nobody is chickens**t.  That is, nobody is looking to find a reason to DQ you.  In the last three years I've RO'd 18 matches -- mostly Level 2 -- and I've had only 2 DQ's -  one where the guy DQ's himself for a shot over the berm and one where I DQ'd myself because I had a gun break and the hammer fell on Make Ready.  (Really loud BOOM!) 

 

Shannon refers to his shooters as customers and treats you that way.  No special treatment for the anyone, but common sense prevails.  Generally, they bend over backwards to eliminate 180 traps, so you really have to try hard to DQ for breaking the 180.  The 180 is almost always parallel with the back berm, but there are at least four bays (TAC bay and 3 long range) where you can expect the 180 to change depending on the target you are addressing.  For example, in one recent match the stage in the TAC bay had targets on the East berm, the South berm, and the West berm.  Usually when they do that, the changes in the 180 were announced in advance.  If you are not sure, ask.  If the PCC Nationals follows recent matches, they will not have an actual on-site shooters brief, just a virtual one.  Lots of info in that.  Normally, they ask you to check in/register the afternoon before you shoot or, at latest, about a half hour before you're scheduled to start.  Also, they normally let you walk the stages at any time as long as there is nobody shooting right that moment, but it's always polite to ask the RO anyway.  It's a "look don't touch" situation; you can walk the stage, but not activate swingers, movers, etc.  

 

When I shoot Multigun (level 1) there I either use my baby carriage cart or a friend with golf cart sometimes shows up.  At the last Multigun Nationals, they let anybody who wanted to do so use a golf cart, but at the other Nationals you had to be disabled and have MD permission to use a golf cart.  Not sure what they will do for PCC Nationals.  Normally, there is one bay (way down on the end near the TAC bay)  dedicated to test firing.  Also, if you are far from the test bay and you ask, most RO's will let you put a few into the berm if you just fixed a gun.  Like most USPSA matches, lots of people willing to lend you tools, give you a spare battery, or even lend you a gun.  RO's have no problem letting two people share a gun.  If your gun breaks and you need to change it or share, just remember to have the Range Master approve it.  All RO's have radios to contact the Range Master if needed.

 

Most bays are 25-50 meters wide and 40+ deep, but there is one out to 600 and a couple out to 350.  There is one called the TAC bay that's about 50x100 meters; it's the one at the bottom of the picture above.  Shannon holds a yearly Level I match called the PCC Palooza and we routinely shoot PCC at 80+ yards.  If you have not done so already, I'd suggest checking your dope to at least 75 yards and at both a 45 and 90 degree angle (as in VTAC barricade.)  For example, my PCC load shoots 3" left and 4" down when I turn the carbine 45 degrees to the left and 5" left and 6" down when I turn the carbine 90 degrees to the left. 

 

Shannon usually caters lunch from a local place; nothing special, just burghers and dogs.  They provide bottled water at almost all bays. 

 

There is a store on site with limited items, such as holsters and a few gun parts, but not extensive.  Usually they have a few vendors for big matches: Hunter's Gold, Tech Wear, molded ear plugs, sometimes Brazos or other parts/gun sellers.  I would assume JP will be there for the PCC Nationals, but no definite info.

 

The local area has a few eateries within 20 miles, but nothing special.  Manny's is okay and there is another okay steak house on 27.  On 27 north of Lake Wales there's a Chili's, a barbecue joint, and an IHOP.  There are a few good hotels in Lake Wales, but not a lot.  Air B&B is an option.  The airport staff at Tampa is thorough regarding firearms, but not buttheads.  Not sure about Orlando.  The drive from Tampa Airport to Frostproof is 90 minutes -- normally without a lot of speed traps.  

 

Again, I'm not an official spokesman, just a shooter/RO.  It's a good range with a lot of variety.

 

If you have further questions, ask away.

 

 

[Blaster]

no cold water just piles of 24pacs of water

[barrysuperhawk]

Now we are cooking with gas, thats exactly the information I was hoping to get, awesome.  Thanks!

[lperla]

Talked with Shannon last Saturday and he said the schedule right now (assuming you are not staff) is either Friday AM and Saturday PM, or Friday PM and Saturday AM.  Sunday is Easter.  If you check your squadding you can determine which you are.  The main impact of this is lodging.  For example, I am shooting Friday AM and Saturday PM, so I'll drive over from Tampa early Friday and go home Friday afternoon and then drive back Saturday to be there by Noon.  If you are coming from a distance and need a hotel this probably means you can get something further from the range  and a bit more affordable.  If I stay there I always use Budget Inn in Lake Wales -- nothing fancy but recently renovated, no bed bugs, about $80 a night, and 17 minutes to the range.  Anything in the Lake Wales area that's cheaper is definitely "at your own risk."  

 

One other recommendation is a local family place called the "Frostbite."  It's in the town of Frostproof five minutes from the range and 200 meters north of the McD.  It has really great service, some very good comfort food such as sandwiches and fried chicken, and it also specializes in a variety of ice creams.  Always packed, but we often stop there on the way home even though there are tons of places to eat during the 90 minute drive to Tampa.  

 

If you have not been to Florida in April before, the weather will probably be in the 80's and a bit humid, but usually there is little rain.  If it does rain, look for it in the afternoon.  

 

Good luck.

[barrysuperhawk]

Okay so I'm going to resurrect this thread a little bit because it's actually starting to look like we might have a match.  Specifically the question I have right this moment is that I am on the ampm Squad so I'm assuming that I will have to be there Thursday the 18th sometime to check in and do any looky-loo that I planned to do, then very early on Friday the 19th to shoot my "AM" stages, and then at some point mid-morning on Saturday to shoot my "PM" stages. 

 

This may seem like a no-brainer but I've never actually shot an AM/PM format match as a competitor, I've only are RO'ed them to where I just had a steady stream of Shooters the whole day without really paying attention to anybody's individual schedule

 

 

[MikeBurgess]

35 minutes ago, barrysuperhawk said:

Okay so I'm going to resurrect this thread a little bit because it's actually starting to look like we might have a match.  Specifically the question I have right this moment is that I am on the ampm Squad so I'm assuming that I will have to be there Thursday the 18th sometime to check in and do any looky-loo that I planned to do, then very early on Friday the 19th to shoot my "AM" stages, and then at some point mid-morning on Saturday to shoot my "PM" stages. 

 

This may seem like a no-brainer but I've never actually shot an AM/PM format match as a competitor, I've only are RO'ed them to where I just had a steady stream of Shooters the whole day without really paying attention to anybody's individual schedule

 

 

that sounds like a reasonable schedule, and what 90% of the shooters will do. 

 

It is normally possible to arrive extra early on match day and register then, but its hard to get much stage walking in that way. 

[fitz]

I heard if i cancel there will be no refund , even the borders are close ? Does not look fair .


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[RaylanGivens]

@fitz

 

When I click on my PCC Nationals registration page in PractiScore.com there is an orange button at the top of the page called "Request to Withdraw"...  It doesn't seem like it would be cancel with out a refund, because you could just not show up to do that.

 

(I didn't want to click on the button to see what it does, because I plan to shoot the match.)

 

[fitz]

I did the orange tab for request to withdraw, but i heard from other people who withdrew 2 weeks ago and got a msg that there are no refunds .


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[barrysuperhawk]

Well, I am not withdrawing.  Even if I have to shoot the match in full MOPP4, I will still show up.  In fact I just re-booked my Motel.  The good news is that the motel is now charging me 20% less than it was going to had the match gone off on schedule.

Edited May 7, 2020 by barrysuperhawk

[Dirty_J]

11 hours ago, barrysuperhawk said:

Okay so I'm going to resurrect this thread a little bit because it's actually starting to look like we might have a match.  Specifically the question I have right this moment is that I am on the ampm Squad so I'm assuming that I will have to be there Thursday the 18th sometime to check in and do any looky-loo that I planned to do, then very early on Friday the 19th to shoot my "AM" stages, and then at some point mid-morning on Saturday to shoot my "PM" stages. 

 

This may seem like a no-brainer but I've never actually shot an AM/PM format match as a competitor, I've only are RO'ed them to where I just had a steady stream of Shooters the whole day without really paying attention to anybody's individual schedule

 

 

Might want to verify your shooting schedule. 
 

Because it was on Easter weekend originally... the staff shoot was Wednesday/Thursday and the main match Friday/Saturday. 
 

According to PractiScore, it’s now:

June 18-19 staff/pre-match
June 20-21 main match
 

[barrysuperhawk]

And this is why I resurrected this thread, because I totally missed the shifting of days.  @Dirty_J I thank you, and I will salute you as I am driving through Atlanta on my way down.  I would offer to buy you a beer, but guns and alcohol are bad juju.  Thanks.

 

Thankfully, The motel is being very generous and was very happy that I was just moving the date instead of just cancelling...

Edited May 8, 2020 by barrysuperhawk

[barrysuperhawk]

HoRRy SHYTE what a difference a month makes.  Ok, so now I am wondering how I am going to manage to drive from Illinois to Florida with enough guns and ammo to take over a small country and NOT become a cautionary tale.  My original route took me straight through Atlanta, but that seems a bit unwise at the moment, seeing as how there is only 2 weeks for this crazyness to settle down...

 

So, I am REALLY rethinking my plan to drive there, to the point that I started gaming out alternate routes that avoided Atlanta altogether - and added 400+ miles to each leg... 

Then I got to looking at flights and I now feel like this might be more possible but I still have the hassle of flying with a firearm, the rule about 11 pounds of ammo that they might or might not strictly enforce - and if they do, no extra shots for me because 11 pounds gives me just about enough to carry the exact round count of the match.  Ugh...  I might try shipping some to my motel, maybe some to a friend (if I had any down there) or even just plan to buy some down there, because what could possibly go wrong with that plan - and all of this at the beginning of hurricane season, when I haven't shot a single round for over 2 months...  This is going to be SUPER.  

[race1911]

6 hours ago, barrysuperhawk said:

 

Then I got to looking at flights and I now feel like this might be more possible but I still have the hassle of flying with a firearm, the rule about 11 pounds of ammo that they might or might not strictly enforce - and if they do, no extra shots for me because 11 pounds gives me just about enough to carry the exact round count of the match.  Ugh.

IF there is a flight with Alaska Airlines they allow 50 lbs of ammo to any destination in the Continental USA............I used them when I had to shoot both World Shoot in Florida and then US IPSC Nationals right after, even though I lived in Canada it was easier to just drive to Seattle and get the direct flight to Florida with all my ammo

[barrysuperhawk]

The flight I can get is not firearms (and ammo) friendly.  It is cheap and convenient, but not friendly....

[MikeyScuba]

Why not ship it down?  I used to do that all the time but I would ship from the UPS depot in Rochester.  Now we can't drive across I'm going to have to travel light to make weight for the 22lbs of ammo.  It's perfectly allowable to fly between the USA and Canada. 

 

Find you local UPS depot and send it from there.

[ima45dv8]

11 hours ago, barrysuperhawk said:

My original route took me straight through Atlanta, but that seems a bit unwise at the moment

Barry,

Don't go through Atlanta. Go around it.

Use the perimeter (I-285) to avoid downtown. That's what most pass-thru travellers do even in less-troubled times.

[Sarge]

1 hour ago, ima45dv8 said:

Barry,

Don't go through Atlanta. Go around it.

Use the perimeter (I-285) to avoid downtown. That's what most pass-thru travellers do even in less-troubled times.

Atlanta has always been a traffic nightmare. Around It or through it never mattered in my experience. Even trying to hit it at 3am didn’t work once. I guess everybody going to Florida had the same idea!

[barrysuperhawk]

Well, my airline says 11lbs of ammo is the max, which some casual internetting reveals that with 115 9mm that is a bit over 300 rounds.  That's just not enough.  So, I need to figure out how to get my ammo down there if I fly.  The problem is I want to have a backup plan.  Right now the best I can come up with is to ship some ammo to myself at the motel, and ship some more to the range.  Hopefully that will be sufficient.  Maybe if I end up with alot of forced re-shoots (I almost never take a reshoot if I can help it, it never goes well), I can buy or borrow some ammo from local competitors...

 

So, what is the address of the range that I should send ammo to?  

 

@sarge LOL try to convince google maps to route you anywhere other than straight through Atlanta.  

[outerlimits]

4 hours ago, barrysuperhawk said:

Well, my airline says 11lbs of ammo is the max, which some casual internetting reveals that with 115 9mm that is a bit over 300 rounds.  That's just not enough.  So, I need to figure out how to get my ammo down there if I fly.  The problem is I want to have a backup plan.  Right now the best I can come up with is to ship some ammo to myself at the motel, and ship some more to the range.  Hopefully that will be sufficient.  Maybe if I end up with alot of forced re-shoots (I almost never take a reshoot if I can help it, it never goes well), I can buy or borrow some ammo from local competitors...

 

So, what is the address of the range that I should send ammo to?  

 

@sarge LOL try to convince google maps to route you anywhere other than straight through Atlanta.  

i've flown to the 3 gun nationals with 400 rds of pistol and 400 rds of rifle in one suitcase.  southwest never cares.

[MikeyScuba]

300 rounds of 165gr 9mm weighs 10.5lbs, ~ 10lbs if u take out the boxes.

[barrysuperhawk]

I wish I could take it out of boxes, but the rules seem to be pretty strict on that.

 

 

Now my biggest problem is figuring out what to do with the 4 extra days I ended up with in Fla....

 

[MikeyScuba]

What I meant was that if the airline agent gives you a hard time if you are 11lbs or close, state the boxes weigh something.  I almost had to do that...almost.  I now simply go 3hrs+ early to the airport never really knowing what to expect.  

[Paul-the new guy]

I have never had an airline weigh my ammo.  Once someone asked how much I had and I said 11 pounds, it was easily double that...  One other time TSA called me to their inspection area because a box of slugs busted open and they wanted me to know they were taping it up for me.  Atlanta had me pull a rifle from my hard case at the ticket counter and rack the slide to show them it was clear... that was extremely awkward...