We Shoot In The Rain

[AzShooter]

Cactus Match League, Phoenix, Az recently hosted the Arizona State Steel Challenge Championship amid a deluge of rain which shocked the competition and had many not shoot their second/third guns do to the weather. Uncommon as it may be, it's rare to get rain in October since the Monsoons are normally over in September.

 

Setup too longer than normal.  The main range plowed the bays and dug up all the stage markers so our crew had to re measure and laser all post to be in specks. After completing the setup the Range Master made us move three stages so that bullets wouldn't hit the berms. This created a new problem, run off of the new berms left large puddles during Saturday and Sunday.

 

ROs shot on Thurdsay when the weather was sunny and 90 degrees.  Friday was practice day and was a pleasant 80s but brought the rain in the late afternoon that lasted overnight and throughout Saturday making the bays filled with lakes and deep mud.  Shooters had to traverse 30 yard pools of water on a couple of stages and then shot from boxes wear the y sank into the mud.  The only people that enjoyed it were the Boy and Girl Scouts running down range to paint the target.  Remember how much joy you had as a kit doing the same thing.

 

As unpleasant as the rain is we still shoot in rain, just not lightning and by the start of the afternoon squads the match had to be delayed about an hour.  Rain came down in sheets but competitors maintained their good attitude and continued to shoot.

 

Sunday was a different story.  The rain subsided but the mud was worse than Saturday.  Warning early shooters to go to Walmart to pick up waders to help keep dry some just looked at the bays and decided not to compete.  Almost 30 guns didn't shoot the second day.  Too bad because it turned out to be a beautiful period to shoot.

 

Counting on next year's match to be back to normal I hope to see more shooters than the 140 registered gun.

 

[ChuckS]

Bummer! I have to admit though, the wettest and coldest match I ever shot was the 2007 WSSSC at Rio Salado. It started drizzling on Saturday morning and turned to rain later in the day. It snowed on Sunday! 

[Nathanb]

I am most definitely a fair weather shooter.  I love to shoot but the rainy and cold both do a number on my enjoyment 

[warpspeed]

I heard all about it - glad I missed it

[varminter22]

It was an aquatic match!  But still great!  

 

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Edited October 24, 2022 by varminter22
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