Mr. C's Yakima Classic Steel Match 2015 Report

Those guys at Yakima Rifle & Pistol Assn. get an A+ for creativity on the trophy plaques!

Boy, what a day! It was nearly hot enough to make the Phoenix summertime shooters feel right at home. I haven't heard exactly how hot it was, but the forecast was calling for 98 or 99. It might have been a couple of degrees under that, but not by much. We started shooting just after 8am, but still by the last stage I was starting to fade out badly! Even with a wet towel, drinking lots of water and electrolytes, and trying to stay in the shade, the heat still got to me. I'm glad there weren't any more stages than the eight, or I would have been really miserable.

The match was really well run, with Larry Davis (AKA both "Selah Kid" and "Dammit, Larry....") serving as match director and organizer. The Yakima Classic has always been a good match, but Larry clearly took it to the next level. There were ice chests with iced down cold water on every stage, and a pop up tent for shade. Even the pizza for lunch was good.

Starting the match earlier allowed us to beat some of the heat, but it still got plenty hot. The stages were all originals, and every one was a challenge, had a trap in it, and was not too difficult, provided you took your time, but of course, no one did that! No one was allowed to shoot any of the stages the day before the match, so they were all new to everyone. Our squad was a fun bunch to shoot with, and in two weeks most of us will be shooting together again at the International Steel Shooting Association Washington State Championships in Ephrata, Wa.

I shot both my new High Standard Victor Open Class .22 pistol and my 9mm. Tanfoglio Open Class pistol. I tried to follow my game plan as much as possible, but with the heat it wasn't always possible. Fortunately, I think the heat caused just about everyone some grief, too!

By the end of the day I knew I hadn't done as well as I would have done in normal (for me) 50 degree weather with light rain!  Even so, a score for 8 stages of a little over 82 seconds wasn't too bad! At the Trophy Presentation Ceremony in the YRPA clubhouse, when they called the winner overall of Rimfire Pistol Open and my name was called, I was totally surprised! I had shot the fastest pistol time of the match! That also got me into first place for Super Senior Rimfire pistol. In Centerfire Open division Istruggled with the gun all day, as I still haven't found the right ammo combination that gives me accuracy, reliability, and doesn't leave my wrist hurting by the end of the day. I did manage to win the Super Senior Centerfire Open division, but not by much, I bet! Hopefully this week I can do some more work on load development for the Tanfoglio and it will work better in Ephrata.

It was a great match, well run, and I'll bet next year is even better!