4-09-11

the weather was incredible! a light wind came up from the North but alternated from the east to south east as the day progressed. this made hitting the mark very challenging  with our air guns, but over all, everyone had a blast. i know i did.

we had a nice turn out of some brand new shooters to the club. we missed some of the crew as they had some prior engagements. i must say, they missed out. i look forward to seeing our usual crew next time to include Riz, Lonnie, Guy,  and Kevin from the Diablo club in concord and many more. we also missed Frank but Jim R and Jim C made it great cause they were there to offer help to shooters. thanks a lot guys. Frank was having a great time in the dessert watching everything Bloom. as a photographer, he likes to capture the beauty at these certain times of year. www.frankbobio.com

JimC showing Scott a trick or two. Scott likes to shoot  a variety of guns. we look forward to seeing ya again next month.

i encourage all club members to attend the diablo club only 1 1/2hrs away. perhaps as a club, we could all go down that way one day.

Amy and Joel kicking back enjoying the scene. the weather had to have been in the mid to upper 70's.



I shot a 45/48 today with my Air Arms S400  but pails in comparison to Jimr's score of 42/48 shooting hunter class and Steve's 41/48 using a sub 12 fpe springer lol. you guys are on fire. i will have to make the course a little harder next time. :)  thanks for the great cookies Jim. they were fantastic. i think your personal best. :) and thank you Steve for helping set up the course. driving all that way and still allowing set up time is greatly appreciated. this is what makes a club! team effort! i appreciate all the help from all the other new shooters in setting up and helping out. thank you.

it was super nice meeting everyone. wow!!!!! 8 new shooters to the club. at this rate, we should have a pretty good size club at years end. i super enjoyed meeting everyone and Joel and Amy had a fun time practicing on those knock down targets.

Scott joined in on the fun and looks forward to coming back as Jon, Don, Roger, Gary and Levi said the same. what a great bunch we have.

see ya next time.


sincerely,
Ronnie Easton MD

F/T Match this Saturday the 9th at Rancho Cordova Shooting Center in Sacramento!

hope to see everyone. the weather looks great for next weekend. match starts at 9 am.
set up is at 8 am

sincerely,
Ronnie Easton MD in Sacramento.

Risk Rewards

Risk Rewards is a way of shooting a match. it can be done using a rifle or pistol. i would like some input please if you feel this is way off base here. i on the other hand think it is pretty exciting.

on the next match, we may try this out in pistol. i have no real desire to do this in rifle though. however, if members feel it is better, i could be presuaded.  basically, it works like this:

1. course set up is exactly the same as usual but kill zones are opened up to entice the standing shot.
2. the game works basically the same way.
3. the only difference is that a shooter can take his shot in the sitting in Open and chair position for Hunter, or he  can double his points and take it in the standing. if taken in the standing, then 2 points awarded for a knock down.

this adds a whole new dimension to the game.  i think this may be something worth trying out :) it also duplicates a hunting  environment.

sincerely,
Ronnie Easton

Club Dues

as discussed when the club first started, we would wave the membership fee for the rest of 2010 as a way to promote shooters in attending. i would like to thank all of you for your support and everything. we have made friendships and got to know each other pretty good. i look forward to seeing more shooters in the club this year.


a payment of gratitude has been made to most of  the Diablo Club members that i shot with at that time. for this year, there fee will be the same as a member when it comes to match day. $15.00 this is were it all started for me. i learned a great deal at the Diablo Club. mainly from my former Match Director Kevin. look forward to shooting together this year.

membership-35 per year. this is the same for members joining half way through the year.

non members pay $20.00 per shoot day.

March will be a good month for us. John Brooks is hosting an Air Gun Expo in Roseville. look for further updates here later. it would be great if some members could be there and tell others about it. it will be great for our club and sport. we will pick up a great many shooters at this event. count on it.



i have devoted plenty of resources into this cause and do not expect to be reinburst for that. however, to perpetuate the club further we will be needing some more things. the member ship fee will cover some of those things. a raffle may just put us over the top. any donations for a raffle would be greatly appreciated also.

a big thank you to our Brand new member Richard A. he has donated 3 quadrant targets to the club for our site in range. they look very nice!!!!! i  thought that was just way too generous and tried to refuse but Richard  insisted on it. so again Richard, thank you for your generosity. :)

Ronnie Easton MD

Rule changes for Pistol Field Target

There has been a small group of people organizing rule changes, according to Wayne Burns from the Ashland Air Rifle Range, and are elected to form a committee to decide, organize, and put together Official rules for Pistol Field Target implemented by the AAFTA. so be advised to either some more fun and latitude, or it also can turn the other way around and give more restrictions. at our club, we ultimately decide on rules. however, when competing at a regional or national event, one will be subject to the rules set for by the AAFTA.

so far, 12 fpe has been voted on. this is what i had anticipated from the get go. no change in our current rule on power.  this is good! good power for hunting and a more than enough power for 35 yards in f/t shooing. with this set up, a 22 cal is at no real big disadvantage over a 177 call. this is good for the true hunter and should also satisfy the true target guys with a more than impressive velocity.

currently the debate continues on scope allowable mag and fore arm/knee pads/add ons/barrel length are only a few things being discussed. stay tuned. voice your opinions to me if there is something of concern or if you feel something needs to be done. i welcome all opinions on the matter or questions.

right now, six classes are being decided on:


sincerely,

Ronnie Easton MD

916 752 6762

Etiquette

this write up is posted on the AAFTA web site. i would like every shooter to read this please. we all can improve.  some clubs may call it a pure social event. it is a competition event first. socializing 2nd. there can be small talk during a match. this makes for a fun time. however, when your partner sits down, keep it clean. he may not say anything at the moment but after the match, he will justify why he missed so many. don't be the target for his excuses. if you are  good partner, chances are he will pay the same respect to you. :)

Etiquette
Author: Rodney Boyce (R.I.P., 2009)

A definition of Field Target is that it is a freestyle shooting sport that is a
viable alternative to the other existing disciplines such as Ten Meter,
Silhouette and Benchrest. However, the foundation the sport of Field
Target is based on is gentlemanly conduct and good sportsmanship
without which our shooting sport would become at the very best
unpleasant. It behooves us all to not be distractive while others are
shooting. Avoid walking behind and around a shooter trying to
concentrate on range finding and shooting. Save idle chatter to moments
when it does not disturb others. Admittedly, all this is pretty obvious stuff,
but I know that we have all been guilty of lapsing occasionally into a “nothink” state of being distractive.
If a shooter deliberately persists in trying to rattle a fellow competitor a
terrible potential burden is placed on the Match Director. Shoot Rule
No.9 states: "The penalty for deliberate infraction of the Shoot Rules,
unsafe practice, ungentlemanly conduct or any form of cheating is
disqualification." A protest invoking this rule would certainly be a loud
sour note for any match.
The protocol of Field Target requires us to be gentlemen and supportive
of each other. If a shooter makes a good shot, say so. It's music to our
ears even if it's a "gimme".
1. Be quiet while a shooter is in the process of shooting.
2. Be mindful of other shooters while moving from lane to lane so
as not to disturb a shooter in the process of shooting. Stop
movement until the shooter has released his/her shot.
3. Be careful while moving from lane to lane so as not to disturb
others equipment

thank you for reading
Ronnie Easton MD

1-15-2011 Match Report

It was sure nice having some sun shine early in the morning but that was short lived. the fog rolled in as we started to sight in, and the wind was coming from an unusual direction. i would say a steady cross head wind from right to left throwing point of impact (poi) off at least an inch at 40-45 yards if not more for me and my S400 22 cal moving Falcons at just over 800 fps. there is something about open ground shooting that seems to magnify things just a bit. i over heard shooters later in the match saying they had held for wind on there first shot only to find the wind would stall on them before making the next causing a face plate hit. i laughed as it had happen to me as well. :) nothing new there.

we had a great turn out as a spur of the moment shoot. the break in weather from all the rain we have had was nice and 9 total shooters showed. the Prada Cub down south was flooded under water. lucky us for not having as much rain but the grounds were a bit soggy. so it was decided to line up on the conceret. :) everyone seemed to have had a great time. i know i did.

as for the BBQ, we had some tasty burgers with zesty pickles. in the Morning we had Starbucks coffee in one of those gallon jugs for everyone to warm up....decaf of course and i must say, it was some of the best coffee i have had in a while. :)  we missed Jim R's fantastic home made cookies and treats as well as his good humor and sportsmanship. i know he was committed to some prior engagements but looks forward to the next match. :) see ya then.

on the sight in range we had Dum Dums place on the sight in targets. these sucker candies measure 1/2 inch, and Riz was vaporizing them at 55 when no body else could :)  i think it were 3 in a row leaving none for us to look at except a tiny little white stick they came with. lol. great shooting. Riz also ended up nearly cleaning the Pistol course with a score of 27/28 and taking Spring Piston class to boot. great shooting!!!

as the Match progressed the wind had died to just a hint of a breeze. this lead to the pellet not drifting over as much and that ugly face plate sound would ring loud. lol. i just love this course as the wind and open ground hone thy skills.

we had two new shooters show up :) Matt is a local business owner and finds these air guns exciting, and looks forward to shooting at the next Match as he just wanted to observe and learn how other shooters like Jim C take up the sticks and bang em down. Jim scored a 36/48 for the win in Hunter class on what i would call a pretty challenging course as Kevin Y showed up and was placing targets at challenging distances. everyone likes Kevin around as he is not only one of the best shots in the state, but  as a former MD at Diablo FT Club in the Concord area, he knows how to set up a course. so Kevin helped us all out. thanks :) we had a standing lane  with reduced Kz's, and a kneeling lane. one of targets were elevated a few feet off the ground to add a point or two to the Troyer Scale. :)  Kevin brought his Walther out for some fun this time. look forward to having you come again.

Guy O. ---- Mr National Champion in WFTF over slept lol and could not make it. hee hee......... we missed ya brother. it is always a pure pleasure having you. see next time. :)

the other new shooter Riz had talked to prior in the week and got him to show. this new shooter seemed really hooked on this AG thing so he joined in for half the shoot and took off back home as he had prior plans. thanks for coming out Allen. Allen is another one of those ringers gifted for shooting. Riz had brought an extra gun for him to try out (very kind btw), and in no time Allen was knocking them over with ease. we all look forward to seeing him again next match.

mean while back on the course Lonnie, Riz, and Frank are battling it out in Spring Piston Land. Lonnie had some poi shifts or just overall form to work on as he has taken off his knee shelf and is trying some new things out before the season really begins. i wonder what  is up his sleeve. :) .Riz on the other hand came ready to rock and slid in for 1st with a score of 36/48. Frank was teamed up with Kevin and both having fun.

Richard is another newer shooter to the club. he had shot only Pistol on the last match but this time he went for it all and entered in both events. he seems really hooked on the sport and a pure pleasure to be around. he gave it a shot in Hunter class with Jim C. Richard was doing fantastic on the course until his gun was over refilled by mistake causing him to miss the next 9 shots in a row. my guess is the excess pressure in his rifle caused the poi to be low until the pressure inside the cylinder dropped. better luck next time bud . :)  you had it going on !!!!!!!

here are some video's of the match

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/6fd7dbd5c2263e1cdd408a9c4d87826d/video/54134111
http://sharing.theflip.com/session/b966867d4f0b5d82f6d62a9712bb742c/video/54137181
http://sharing.theflip.com/session/e6b0a49ee43a24163c7f3da1cd5ab4a1/video/54136311

Ronnie Easton Md