e-Postal Match Results

I have to admit I am a bit disappointed with the e-Postal match just concluded. Only three people sent in entries. Part of the reason, I suspect, is the almost total lack of publicity from the other gun bloggers. I don't think too many folks even knew there was a match underway. I really appreciate the publicity we did get, however, from the few that chose to help promote the matches. Perhaps since the first match was kinda early in the season, that may have contributed too.

Anyhow, thanks to Danno, True Blue Sam and Mrs. TBS, and also Engineering Johnson for helping both to promote the match, and to send in entries. Everyone shot well, and I hope they had some fun with the match, as a lot of thought and creativity usually goes into the match design.

Everyone who entered will get a bottle of Mr. C's Super Sekrit Gun Oil.

This month's match is already underway over at Jimmyb's. Danno is hosting the May match,  and if the number of entries is still very low, I think it's time to consider discontinuing the series. If no one wants to enter, then why put them on...............

This Month's e-Postal Match is Underway at JimmyB's

Head on over to JimmyB's place, The Conservative UAW Guy, read the rules, download the target, and head out to the range for some fun brass-emptying! JimmyB has kinda retired from blogging for a while, which is sad, as he's an extremely entertaining writer, but he comes out of retirement once a year to host an e-Postal match for us all.

There were a total of only four entries for the e-Postal match just ended, so we need to see a lot more of you get out to the range and perforate some e-Postal targets. As usual there are classes for just about anything you want to shoot, and even if there isn't a class, go ahead and shoot the match with what you have and send it in anyway!

Here's the link to the match, so go show JimmyB we appreciate his efforts, and have some fun at the range too!

e-Postal Match Is Underway

The first e-Postal match of the season is well underway, and the first e-Postal match of the year usually has a very low number of entries. I hope this year's first match is not the same. The end of the first match is drawing near, only 8 days off. Only a few gun bloggers have mentioned the match, and I suspect most folks don't even know it's underway. All entries must be received by Midnight on Sunday, April 1st, and results will be posted within seven days, or less. 

If you are a blogger or run a Forum, we sure would appreciate it if you would mention the match and help spread the word.  These matches are a lot of fun, with each month's match being something creatively different, not the same old boring bullseye targets! For example, this month's target is to see how many shots you can put on target WITHOUT hitting any of the flies! I suspect it's harder than it looks.

Here's the link to the match rules, and here's the link to download the target.

Although these matches are just for fun, with no prizes based on how well you do, there will be some bottles of Mr. C's Super Sekrit Gun Oil given away by random drawing to the shooters entering the match.

So, read up on the rules, print out a stack of targets, and grab everything you've got that shoots and head to the range. It's not a bad time to invite other shooters, or even a new shooter, to join in on the fun.

After all, how can you not have fun shooting a target where the more you miss, the better you do?

"Wouldn't Harm a Fly!" e-Postal Match

One of the most common comments I hear about the e-Postal matches is that the targets are WAY too hard to hit. With that in mind, this month's e-Postal match is designed in such a way that the fewer targets you hit, the better you do. HUH? Yup, this is the notorious "Fly Swatter" target from e-Postal matches past, but this time, the idea is to NOT hit the flies! In fact, your score is the number of shots you can fire until you accidentally hit one of the flies, hit the border, or shoot outside of the border.\. You can keep shooting as many times as you like running up your score until you hit a fly, and your score is the total number of misses you fired. You do have to keep all of your missed shots within the shooting area border, though, and if you touch the border, or hit outside of the border, that counts as hitting a fly and you are done.

RULZE:

This month we have seven classes, so there's a place for just about everything.

TARGET: Here's the link to the target.  The same target is used in all classes. Download it and print out a bunch of them! It's a PDF file. With some PDF software you might need to select "No Scaling" and other software you may need to select "Fit To Paper" to get the size right. If you get it the right size, the rectangle around the flies measures just over 7 1/2 inches across. 

Click here to Download the PDF file "Wouldn't Harm a fly!" It is an Adobe Acrobat PDF file.

CLASS ONE: Any rimfire handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, iron sights.

CLASS TWO: Any rimfire handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, optic sights, no magnification.

CLASS THREE: Any centerfire (non-revolver) handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, iron sights.


CLASS FOUR: Any centerfire (non-revolver) handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, optic sights, no magnification.

CLASS FIVE: Any revolver with no more than a 12" barrel, iron sights.C

CLASS SIX: Any revolver with no more than a 12" barrel, optic sights, no magnification.

CLASS SEVEN: Any handgun with no more than a 14" barrel, any sights, scopes, laser, whatever. This class is primarily for target pistols.

If you have something interesting to shoot that doesn't quite fit in the above classes, go ahead and enter anyway.

DISTANCE : 25 feet, or Ten yards, which ever is available at your range.


SHOOTING POSITION: Standing, un-supported, off-hand, one or two hands on gun permitted.

SCORING: Your score is the total number of shots fired until you hit a fly, hit the border, or shoot outside of the border. The shot hitting the fly, the border, or outside of the border is not counted in your score. The maximum number of shots you can fire at one target is 25.

TIES: If you are able to shoot 25 shots inside the border and not hit any flies, move the target farther out a bit and shoot it again.Ties will be broken by the farthest distance with the same score.

Mark your score on each target with a legible pen, along with the class and type of gun used. Don't write your name on the target, only the name you want to appear in the results, as your target may get posted on Mr. Completely or other blogs.

I suspect that this match, like most of the e-Postal matches, is a lot harder that it looks. Don't throw away your targets in disgust when you think you did poorly. Send them in! You will probably be surprised to find out that you did a lot better than you thought.

STRATEGY: Beats me.........


MULTIPLE ENTRIES: You can enter more than once, in fact, it is encouraged. Shoot everything you own, and everything you can borrow! Take a buddy to the range, get him entered, then borrow his gun and enter that! The only restriction is that you can only enter once for any given gun, in any individual Class. You can shoot the target as many times as you like, and send in the best one.

Different calibers in the same gun count as one gun. For example, .38SPL and .357MAG are considered as one, as would be .44SPL and .44MAG. Different guns of the same caliber and barrel length can be entered.

PRIZES: Nope, it's just for the fun of it and the bragging rights, although I just might give away some Mr. C's Super Sekrit Gun Oil by random drawing to the entries.............

SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRY: Take a digital photo of, (or scan) your targets, and email the picture, along with:

1. Your score.

2. The name you want used when we post the results.

3. Gun description - Brand, model, semi-auto, revolver, black powder, caliber, barrel length, and type of sights

4. Class: Class One, Two, Three, four, five, six, or seven.

5. Anything interesting or unique about your entry that other shooters might enjoy hearing about.

Email it all to b l o g (at) w h i d b e y (dot) c o m

If you can't scan or send target pictures, send everything else to me in an email, and we'll arrange for either fax or snail mail for the targets.

The rules are subject to revision as needed, should the need arise.

All entries must be received by Midnight on Sunday, April 1st, and results will be posted within seven days, or less. (April Fool's Day - Seems appropriate....)

If you have any questions, leave the question in the comments to this post, or send me an email, or both.

Have fun!!

Note to Gun Bloggers: Please post about this match and help to get the word around about it. I'd really like to see a good turnout, and your help will be really appreciated.

THANKS!

September e-Postal Match is Now Underway

This month's e-Postal match is now up and running over at True Blue Sams place. Go download the target and head out to the range, shoot 'em up, take a picture, and email it to True blue Sam to get entered.

You probably aren't getting out shooting nearly as much as you should, so here's a great reason to go empty some brass!!

The results are all in and tabulated  for the e-Postal match "Common Problems" just completed, so here they are:

Place	Name	Pistol	Score
	Rimfire Iron Sight
1	Mr. Borland	K-22	42
2	BILLL	Ruger Mk. I	38
3	True Blue Sam	Ruger Single Six	24
Tie	Firehand	S&W K-22	15
Tie	Danno	Ruger 22/45	15
	Rimfire Optic Sight
1	Mr. Completely	High Standard/OKO	44
	CF Iron Sight
1	BILLL	CZ-82  9x18	17
2	Duane	Ruger P-85 9mm.	14
3	Duane	Rock Island 1911 .45	3
	CF Optic Sight
1	Mr. Completely	Tanfoglio Gold 9mm.	40
2	Mad Gun	Tanfoglio Gold 9mm.	24
	CF. Rev. Iron Sight
1	Mr. Borland	S&W K-38 .38	43
2	BILLL	Rossi 971  .357	23
	Air Pistol
1	Duane	KJW 1911 Airsoft	18

Thanks to everyone who entered, and don't forget that this month's e-Postal match based on Top Shot, is now underway over at Sandcastle Scrolls. The number of entries was a bit light this month, so lets get lots of entries all shot up for the next one!

e-Postal Match "Common Problems"

We had some last minute changes in the e-Postal Match hosting Schedule, and I am going to host this month's match right here.

We all have problems with our shooting from time to time, and it's common to hear "Hmmmm, I'm shooting low and left. I wonder what I'm doing wrong?" or something similar at the range.

Well, this month's e-Postal target is designed to not only give you problems, but to also help you solve your problems, too! How cool is that?

RULZE:

This month we have seven classes, so there's a place for just about everything.

TARGET: The same target is used in all classes.  Don't try to print the target from the image in this post. It won't be the right size. The outside circle should measure just over 7 3/8". With some PDF software you might need to select "No Scaling" and other software you may need to select "Fit To Paper" to get the size right.

The target should be downloaded from here:

Click here to Download the PDF file "Problems"

It is an Adobe Acrobat PDF file.

CLASS ONE: Any rimfire handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, iron sights.

CLASS TWO: Any rimfire handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, optic sights, no magnification.

CLASS THREE: Any centerfire (non-revolver) handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, iron sights.

CLASS FOUR: Any centerfire (non-revolver) handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, optic sights, no magnification.

CLASS FIVE: Any revolver with no more than a 12" barrel, iron sights.

CLASS SIX: Any revolver with no more than a 12" barrel, optic sights, no magnification.

CLASS SEVEN: Any handgun with no more than a 14" barrel, any sights, scopes, laser, whatever. This class is primarily for target pistols.

If you have something interesting to shoot that doesn't quite fit in the above classes, go ahead and enter anyway.

DISTANCE : 25 feet, or Ten yards, which ever is available at your range.

SHOOTING POSITION: Standing, un-supported, off-hand, one or two hands on gun permitted.

SCORING: In each class you are allowed ten shots at the target.

• The inner circles are valued as numbered. 
• A shot touching any of the "Problem Areas" counts as a -1, a one point penalty.  
• Outside of the outer circle, but still on the paper is a -2, a 2 point penalty. 
• Touching the outermost circle will be considered as being entirely inside the circle.
• Missing the paper completely is a -5, a 5 point penalty.  

 Touching a line, or touching two or more areas with one shot counts as hits in all of the areas touched. For example, a hit that touches the intersection between two "Problem Areas" and the 1 ring gets 1 for the 1 ring, plus 2 penalties of -1 each, for a score of  (+1 -1 -1) or -1  for that shot. However, hitting the line between any of the center scoring rings (Rings #2 through #5) counts only as the higher of the two rings, not their total. For example, a shot hitting the line between the 4 and the 5 ring scores as a 5.

Ties will be decided based on the least number of problems.

Mark your score on each target with a legible pen, along with the class and type of gun used. Don't write your name on the target, only the name you want to appear in the results, as your target may get posted on Mr. Completely.

I suspect that this target will be, like most of the e-Postal matches, a lot harder that it looks. Don't throw away your targets in disgust when you think you did poorly. Send them in! You will probably be surprised to find out that you did a lot better than you thought.

STRATEGY: Beats me.........

MULTIPLE ENTRIES: You can enter more than once, in fact, it is encouraged. Shoot everything you own, and everything you can borrow! Take a buddy to the range, get him entered, then borrow his gun and enter that! The only restriction is that you can only enter once for any given gun, in any individual Class. You can shoot the target as many times as you like, and send in the best one.

Different calibers in the same gun count as one gun. For example, .38SPL and .357MAG are considered as one, as would be .44SPL and .44MAG. Different guns of the same caliber and barrel length can be entered.

PRIZES: Nope, it's just for the fun of it and the bragging rights!

SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRY: Take a digital photo of, (or scan) your targets, and email the picture, along with:

1. Your score.

2. The name you want used when we post the results.

3. Gun description - Brand, model, semi-auto, revolver, black powder, caliber, barrel length, and type of sights

4. Class: Class One, Two, Three, four, five, six, or seven.

5. Anything interesting or unique about your entry that other shooters might enjoy hearing about.

Email it all to b l o g (at) w h i d b e y (dot) c o m

If you can't scan or send target pictures, send everything else to me in an email, and we'll arrange for either fax or snail mail for the targets.

The rules are subject to revision as needed, should the need arise.

All entries must be received by Midnight on Monday, August 1st, and results will be posted within seven days, or less.

If you have any questions, leave the question in the comments to this post, or send me an email, or both.

Have fun!!

This Month's e-Postal Match

With all the running around I've been doing lately, I completely forgot to update the link at the top that takes you to this month's e-Postal match. This month's match "Get Schooled" is hosted by Phil at Random Nuclear Strikes. 

Phil was one of the first hosts when I took over the e-Postal matches from Og, the Neanderpundit. Og wasn't getting very much participation, so he decided to let it go. Phil and I thought they were so much fun that we decided to keep the ball rolling and run them ourselves. Phil is the one who actually coined the phrase "e-Postal".

Participation has been lighter this year compared to previous years, so if you are a blogger we'd sure appreciate your help in spreading the word and getting participation back up where it ought to be. If you are a blog reader and shooter, and you haven't entered for a while, (or never?) why not print out the targets and head out to the range!

Clicking absolutely anywhere on this entire line (Ain't technology wonderful?) will take you to Phil's post where you can get the rules and targets.

See you at the range!

May e-Postal Match - Underway!

Danno at SandCastle Scrolls has the May e-Postal match up and running, and it features REACTIVE targets! Is that COOL or what! Sure, using the reactive targets is optional, but even so, what a great idea!

1. Go here to print out the rules and get some targets.
2. Go get everything you own that shoots.
3. Load up all the ammo you've got on hand into the car.
4. Go to the range and perforate a bunch of targets.
5. Take pictures, then send 'em in!

Oh yeah, stop by the candy store on the way to the range. Check out the rules to find out why.

Be safe, have fun, remember to brush after.......

e-Postal Match - "The Mess" Results

Well, the scores are all in (I hope) and the scoring is finished. If your score isn't in here, let me know, and I'll go look to see if I missed it somewhere. This target was designed to be strange and different, and it turned out to be all of that and more. Aren't concentric circle targets boring? With this target only very small variations could make major changes in your score. Tactics definitely played a big part. Should I go for the high Value - High Risk shots, or the lower valued safer ones? On top of that, just plain luck had a lot to do with it, too!

Place	Name	Pistol	Score
	Rimfire Iron Sight
1	Billll	Ruger Mk. I	105
2	Andy G.	S&W Mod. 41	91
3	Brandt E.	S&W Mod. 41	89
4	Eric	Ruger Mk. I	50
5	Matthew W.	S&W Mod. 41	35
6	Tommy H.	S&W Mod. 41	34
7	Engineering Johnson	Ruger 22/45	25
8	True Blue Sam	Ruger Single Six	24
9/10	Russell	Ruger 22/45	19
9/10	Engineering Johnson	Ruger Mk. III	19
11	Danno	Ruger 22/45	14
12	Danno	Ruger Single Six	13
	Rimfire Optic Sight
1	Mr. Completely	High Standard/OKO	122
2	Tim	S&W 22A/Burris	68
	CF Iron Sight
1	Ol' Rich	Winson Tactical .45	89
2	Danno	Taurus PT-92	16
3	Engineering Johnson	Springfield M1911	-14
	CF. Rev. Iron Sight
1	Engineering Johnson	Ruger Blackhawk 44 Mag	35
	Air Pistol
1	Bea	Crossman .17 Cal.	0 (+21 -21)

Special commendation to Ol' Rich for shooting an excellent score of 89 with his .45. I hope everyone had fun with this month's e-Postal match! Thanks for entering.

One of you will be getting a spiffy new GunUp T-shirt, so watch for an announcement about that. The shirt will be awarded by random drawing, too, so every entry has an equal chance of winning.

JimmyB, The Conservative UAW Guy has the April e-Postal match underway right now, so go get the rules, print out some targets, and have at it!

April ePostal Match is Underway (And time left to enter March Match)

JimmyB, The Conservative UAW Guy, who's been semi-sorta-retired from blogging for a while, has come out of his secret bunker just to host this month's ePostal match. If he sees his shadow, however, he may disappear back into the secret tunnels deep beneath Detroit, and we may not see or hear from  him for months, or even years. To be sure he doesn't see his shadow, download the target and get out to the range and shoot the match. In fact, shoot it with every gun you have! If we can keep him busy enough sorting out the scores he may not notice his shadow at all.

Also, since I will be out of town or busy for most of this weekend, I am keeping the March match open until Monday night at midnight, so why not shoot both matches this weekend?

Have you checked the expiration date on all of your handgun ammo lately? It could be getting ready to spoil, so you better use it up right away shooting the postal matches before it does...........

e-Postal Match - HURRY!

This month's e-Postal match is rapidly drawing to a close, with the "Official" end date being tomorrow night at Midnight, or thereabouts. However, I will be in Eastern Washington Friday and Saturday for a steel match, and I'll be putting on a Cowboy Fast Draw Match on Sunday, so I won't even have time to look at the entries until sometime on Monday. So, any entries that just happen to show up between now and Monday morning will be included!

If I won't have time to look at them until Monday anyway, Why not?

The e-Postal match for April will be announced shortly.

e-Postal Match Reminder & Win a Shirt!

Don't forget there's an e-Postal match underway, and it ends the end of the month, so you don't have a whole lot of time to get your targets shot and submitted. The first and last e-Postal matches of the year always have the lowest number of entries, so we need you to get those entries coming in.

As an added incentive, I will be giving away a GUNUP.COM T-Shirt, by random drawing, to one of the entries. No, it will be a NEW shirt - I'm cheap, but not THAT cheap! This will be a totally random drawing from among the entries, so the more times you enter, the better your chance to have a GUNUP T-shirt of your very own.

2011 e-Postal Match For March "The Mess"

The e-Postal match to start out the 2011 season is going to be interesting, to say the least! None of those boring old concentric circles for us, by golly! I'm sure that some of you will apply yourselves and figure out a strategy for shooting this mess, but I've got no idea exactly how you should approach it. Good luck, be safe, and have fun!

This month we have seven classes, so there's a place for just about everything. It's time to drag out all those handguns that have been resting all Winter and limber 'em up!

TARGET: The same target is used in all classes. Do not try to print out the target from the above image. The target should be downloaded from here:

Click here to Download the PDF file "The Mess"

It is an Adobe Acrobat PDF file.

CLASS ONE: Any rimfire handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, iron sights.

CLASS TWO: Any rimfire handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, optic sights, no magnification.

CLASS THREE: Any centerfire (non-revolver) handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, iron sights.

CLASS FOUR: Any centerfire (non-revolver) handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, optic sights, no magnification.

CLASS FIVE: Any revolver with no more than a 12" barrel, iron sights.

CLASS SIX: Any revolver with no more than a 12" barrel, optic sights, no magnification.

CLASS SEVEN: Any handgun with no more than a 14" barrel, any sights, scopes, laser, whatever. This class is primarily for target pistols.

If you have something interesting to shoot that doesn't quite fit in the above classes, go ahead and enter anyway.

DISTANCE : 25 feet, or Ten yards, which ever is available at your range.

SHOOTING POSITION: Standing, un-supported, off-hand, one or two hands on gun permitted.

SCORING: In each class you are allowed ten shots at the target. Touching a line, or touching two or more areas with one shot counts as hits in all of the areas touched. For example, a hit that touches the center 20 but also touches the surrounding white area gets both the 20 and the -10, so the shot nets you 10 points. If a shot touches the black 10 on the right side, overlaps into the -5 area, and also touches the line between the -5 and the 1, you get 10-5+1 for the shot, or 6. For a shot to score, it must at least touch the outermost ring, or else it's a miss.Ties will be decided based on the highest number of hits solidly in the black 20 point spot and not touching the edges.

Mark your score on each target with a legible pen, along with the class and type of gun used. Don't write your name on the target, only the name you want to appear in the results, as your target may get posted on Mr. Completely.

I suspect that this target will be, like most of the e-Postal matches, a lot harder that it looks. Don't throw away your targets is disgust when you think you did poorly. Send them in! You will probably be surprised to find out that you did a lot better than you thought.

STRATEGY: Beats me.........

MULTIPLE ENTRIES: You can enter more than once, in fact, it is encouraged. Shoot everything you own, and everything you can borrow! Take a buddy to the range, get him entered, then borrow his gun and enter that! The only restriction is that you can only enter once for any given gun, in any individual Class. You can shoot the target as many times as you like, and send in the best one.

Different calibers in the same gun count as one gun. For example, .38SPL and .357MAG are considered as one, as would be .44SPL and .44MAG. Different guns of the same caliber and barrel length can be entered.

PRIZES: Nope, it's just for the fun of it and the bragging rights!

SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRY: Take a digital photo of, (or scan) your targets, and email the picture, along with:

1. Your score.

2. The name you want used when we post the results.

3. Gun description - Brand, model, semi-auto, revolver, black powder, caliber, barrel length, and type of sights

4. Class: Class One, Two, Three, four, five, six, or seven.

5. Anything interesting or unique about your entry that other shooters might enjoy hearing about.

Email it all to b l o g (at) w h i d b e y (dot) c o m

If you can't scan or send target pictures, send everything else to me in an email, and we'll arrange for either fax or snail mail for the targets.

The rules are subject to revision as needed, should the need arise.

All entries must be received by Midnight on Thursday, March 31st, and results will be posted within seven days, or less.

If you have any questions, leave the question in the comments to this post, or send me an email, or both.

Have fun!!

e-Postal matches extended a bit - but hurry!

From the True Blue Sam blog:

 

Manfred is extending the deadline for the November Mr. Completely e-Postal contest until December 12, and Cheaper Than Dirt is extending the season long Zombie Shoot until December 6.  If you haven't entered these contests already, or have another gun you would like to enter, print out the targets and head to the range.  Both of these contests give you a chance to win a $50 gift certificate, generously donated by Cheaper Than Dirt, so you may win more than bragging rights.  Everyone who enters is a winner in these contests, because you will have the satisfaction of shooting with other enthusiasts, and getting in some much needed practice.  

 

NOTE: I wanted to get this notice posted before time ran out on the matches, but I've been so dang busy with several things going on all at once  that I wasn't getting the post done. Fortunately True Blue Sam over at his blog of the same name put up a post that said it all exactly like it needed to be, so I shamelessly "borrowed" it from True Blue Sam and posted it. Blog courtesy requires putting up a link crediting the source, which in this case is the True Blue Sam blog, so the above paragraph came from the True Blue Sam blog. If you aren't dropping by True Blue Sam's blog every so often, you really should check it out. It's one of my daily reads.

An Interesting Day......

Mount Rainier and a beautiful DC-3 at Thun Field.

The original plan was simple: on sunday morning we'd catch the 7:30 ferry to Mukilteo, then drive the hour and a half South to Puyallup and shoot the Paul Bunyan Steel Match. After the match we'd grab some lunch, then drive back to the ferry and then home. Right...........

Saturday afternoon, the day before, the Washington State ferry folks broke one of the 130 (approx) car ferries. Normally there are two ferries running every half hour each way. Instead of running the remaining ferry a bit faster and heading across as soon as the boat was loaded, they decided to stick to the one round trip per hour schedule, just as if the second boat was still running. Needless to say, cars were backed up for miles and it took many hours to finally get to the dock for the fifteen minute crossing. With that in mind, we decided to arrive at the ferry dock at least an hour in advance of the 7:30am trip, since the Sunday morning boats aren't usually too full, but with only one boat running they may be more full than usual. That plan worked fine, and we made the 7:30 run without problems, other than having to sit in the car on the ferry dock for longer than usual.

The drive to Puyallup was mostly uneventful, although I missed one of the exits due to a combination of fog, construction, and poor signage. At the next exit I was able to loop back around and get back to the correct exit and on our way. By the time we got to Puyallup the fog was starting to burn off, and it looked like we were in for a pretty nice Fall day, not a "Gully-Washer" lake last Saturday at Kitsap.

The Paul Bunyan steel matches are usually only five stages long, and the stage layout is always something different. Double-taps, triple-taps, five on the same plate, plates close together, plates spread out all over the place, you never know what to expect. This time there were a lot of medium difficulty size plates usually quite close together, and sometimes one "Orphan" plate off on one side or the other. All of the stages were very very fast. Since it is only five stages, they let you enter the same class twice with the same gun, or enter multiple classes with different guns so you can get in a lot of shooting. I entered Open class twice and KeeWee entered it once.  Interestingly, all rimfire pistols and all centerfire open guns (optic sights, compensators, etc) are all in the same class. Some of the regulars weren't there as they were of hunting deer as it was opening weekend. Even so ,we had approximately fifty guns entered, which isn't a bad turnout for this late in the year and the weather always being an unknown.

Scott and I had a lot of fun seeing who could get the fastest single run on each stage between us. Scott is an absolutely amazing shooter, and even though he was shooting a Glock 35 in .40 caliber, a much slower setup, our times were often within hundredths of a second apart. On a steel match this is a very bad strategy if you are trying to win, as when you throw caution to the wind trying for fast runs you also get a lot of slow runs mixed in as you tend to miss a lot and have to take extra shots. The strategy for winning is to try to get four good runs per stage first, then go for it on the fifth run knowing that if you mess it up it gets thrown out anyway. We were shooting most every run like it was our fifth run! Since fast misses are always more fun than slow hits, we had a lot of fun, but had a lot of misses, too!

It seemed like the match was over quickly, and our squad picked up all of the target stands and plates and carried them to the storage shed so the guys who set everything up wouldn't have to.

A lot of the scores had not yet been totaled, but I had a look at KeeWee and my scores, and KeeWee had done very well. When I said that they were fast stages, I wasn't exaggerating.  My total time on one of my entries was 45.01  seconds. That figures out to 9 seconds per stage, or 2.5 seconds per shot string. I wish I could get those sort of times on the full scale Steel Challenge stages! Since all of the scores hadn't been totaled, I have no idea where I finished, but we sure did have a lot of fun flingin' lead downrange!

After the match we stopped at the restaurant at Puyallup/Thun Field for lunch and airplane watching. If you enjoy watching airplanes, the restaurant at Thun field is outstanding. Just outside the picture windows is the gas pump, a tie=down area, and just beyond that is the taxiway and runway. In addition to the usual Pipers and Cessnas, there was an amazing variety of aircraft of all types coming, gassing up, and departing. There were several RV's, a Navion, a Stearman, a J3 Cub, a Super Cub, A Pitts s1-S, a ten or twelve passenger twin turbo-prop, and more. Parked in from was a beautiful DC-3. Last month we watched a Helio-Courier land, re-fuel, and levitate back out. Truly a great spot to eat and watch airplanes!

  After lunch we drove back to Mukilteo to catch the ferry back to Whidbey Island and home.  We had no idea how long it would take to get back to Whidbey, but it was approximately two hours to drive North, get on to Whidbey across the Deception Pass bridge, and then drive the length of Whidbey to get back home. There is a cell phone info access number for the ferry system, and that said it would be a two hour wait to get to a ferry. I'd just as soon wait the two hours as spend it driving, so we decided to get in line. The ticket seller figured it would be about two hours too. The ferry system had added a second boat to help, but it only carried thirty cars, so it would help a little bit, but not a lot.

After we had been in line for about an hour they announced that the second big ferry had also broken down, and we were now down to one ferry with a 30 car per hour capacity. I did a quick estimate, and I figured there were at least 300 cars in line and perhaps 150 of them were ahead of us. The two hour drive was looking better all the time! Unfortunately we were solidly boxed in, so getting out at all was a problem. Some of the cars started shifting around, and a few cars got out to drive around. I figured once we got clear, we'd probably do the same. After a bit, though, they announced that the big ferry was back in service, as they were able to fix whatever had gone wrong. About 15 minutes later the big ferry docked, and they started loading. To our relief, we were able to get on board, and fifteen minutes later we were back on Whidbey. Fifteen minutes after that we were home.

If the Swiss can build a 35 mile long tunnel under the Alps, why can't we build a three mile long tunnel (or bridge) from Whidbey to the mainland?

New e-Postal Match is Underway!

I  apologise for getting this notice up late, but I've been running as fast as I can trying to keep up on everything, but not always successfully...

Anyhow, this month's e-Postal match is underway over at Curtis Lowe's blog, so go print out the targets and a copy of the rules, grab lots of stuff to shoot and lots of ammo, and head on out to the range. In fact, drag along your buddy and his guns too, and shoot them too! Last month's entry numbers were down a bit, so lets pick it up a bit this month!

Here's where you need to click to be transported, almost as if by magic, to where you need to go!

Be safe, and have fun! Did I mention that bowling pins are involved? Well, bowling pin targets, anyway.......

e-Postal Match is Now Underway!

I apologize to Sailor Curt for being so slow in getting this notice posted, but the July e-Postal Match is now fully underway over at Curt's place, The Captain of a Crew of One. This match is a good one to get you a bit of practice on your reloads. LOTS of practice, in fact! Don't forget, every entry you send in gets your name in for the drawing for the $50 gift certificate from Cheaper Than Dirt. The more entries you send i n, the better your chances!

Go check out the

 

July e-Postal Match 

and "Good Luck!

June e-Postal Match is Now Underway!

All Righty, then!! Phil, chief cook and bottle washer over at Random Nuclear strikes, is hosting this month's e-Postal match, and it's going to be a little different from previous matches. In this match, the idea is to see how many balls you can hit in a row without missing. To make it more challenging, you can only shoot odd, or even numbered balls, but not both. If you miss a ball, or hit odd when shooting even, or vice-versa, you are done, and your score is the number of balls hit up to that point. There's lots of different classes, and if you want to use a rifle, you can send that entry in too! To get the target and match info, Click Here.

Don't forget, Cheaper Than Dirt is also awarding a $50 Gift Certificate by random drawing to one of the lucky entries, so drag out everything in the gun safe, print a pile of targets, and have a fun day at the range!

May 2010 e-Postal Match is Now Underway!

The May e-Postal match is now posted over at Danno'd place, Sand Castle Scrolls. It looks like another one of those e-Postal matches that's a lot harder than it looks! This month's match has classes for just about any rifle or handgun you might have, so there's no reason to not get a lot of entries in and give yourself the best chance to win the $50 gift certificate from Cheaper Than Dirt.

These e-Postal matches make a great activity to encourage taking a new shooter out to the range, so why not bring a friend along and give them some trigger time, too?

Have fun, be safe, and best of luck!