|
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,494
Campfire Kahuna
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,494 |
In a year or two or three, I'll be close to 60 so don't make me wait that long.
Yeah, when the competition is tough, I pray for wind. If I screw up, I have a ready made excuse. Age could be part of my plan.... wink... but age doesn't hurt you.. ask JJConway.....
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196
Campfire Regular
|
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196 |
Age, doesn't hurt you? You must be joking, and young. Everything creaks. The other side of 55 has been painful.
Luke, thanks for the nice words. I'm sure you will be matching and surpassing this milestone in no time.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15,880
Campfire Ranger
|
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15,880 |
Don't know how old Conway is, I've shot with Pete Church who has over 60 years of experience... 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,494
Campfire Kahuna
|
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,494 |
Heck JJ is one of the reasons F class came around the way I recall it... he was shooting prone scoped years ago before there was an F class.
IIRC he was in his mid to late 70s and still shooting across the course and except for offhand, generally smoking most folks...
Then F class stuff came along and he continued to excell in it. I don't even know if he is still alive, but don't recall hearing that he died, I'd be betting mid 80s by now...
San Antonio Tx....
Jeff
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,494
Campfire Kahuna
|
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,494 |
google... found he was born in 1924 and has a book that I'm going to order!
I still have some cut out groups he sent me via snail mail in the 90s when I was asking about load data since he was big into the 223 back then already...
Would put him around 86 by now....
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15,880
Campfire Ranger
|
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15,880 |
Puts him about the same age as Pete. Pete still shoots Palma with sights or any/any, plus F-Class. We figure Pete is a "Super Senior"...
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196
Campfire Regular
|
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196 |
Ok, but the F in F-class is for George Farquharson, a Canadian shooter (from Kamloops, BC I believe,) who came up with the idea in the 90s and sold it to the DCRA. It then spread all over. I believe he died a little while ago.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,494
Campfire Kahuna
|
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,494 |
AJ probably about the same scenario for sure...
Denys-- I hope i didn't infer that F class was for JJ Conway, he was simply right there when Farquarson got it rolling in Canada and a big supporter here in the states to get it rolling. I"m not totally sure, but IIRC JJ won or was really close to winning the initial few years of F class nationals here in the US.
Jeff
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196
Campfire Regular
|
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196 |
I did a Bing search on JJ Conway and came up with this page: Here is an excerpt, found just above his picture: "J.J. Conway is a legend in his own lifetime. He started shooting in 1949 and only hung up his rifles last year, at age 83. F-Class shooting got its start in Canada by George �Farky� Farquharson (the sport is named for him). In the mid-90�s, Bill Wylde and J.J. traveled to Canada to find out what it was about. Upon returning, they began to promote F-Class throughout the U.S. Although most folks attribute the founding of U.S. F-Class in 1996 to J.J., he is quick to point out that Bill Wylde deserves equal credit for getting him to travel to Canada in the first place and �spreading the word.� Many current F-Class shooters might be surprised to find out that when J.J. started shooting F-Class, he used a 22-250 target rifle with an 80 grain bullet. In case you are wondering, when J.J. took the opening shot, he shot an �X." He still has it!" Great story at http://www.chuckhawks.com/f-class_shooting_2.htm
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,494
Campfire Kahuna
|
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,494 |
Bill was big into it too. Of course we know him for something more famous anyway.... the Wylde chamber reamer.
I found the book by JJ. Had a print offer of a drawing he did too.... if I can manage to find JJ back I'll have the book and print from him autographed if he'll oblige, which I suspect he will. Just gotta get hold of Ken Slade.
I'll check the story out, I remember reading a fair amount on him some years back in precision shooting when I still took that rag.
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196
Campfire Regular
|
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196 |
Authors are more than happy to autograph books. Just make sure you send the book to him with a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope,) so all he has to do is sign it and put it in the envelope and put the latter in his mailbox.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 278
Campfire Member
|
|
Campfire Member
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 278 |
Congrats on a good score! Some days I think it sure would be nice to be able to shoot just three relays @1k for the cool factor... other days I definitely like the 'warm-up' @ 800 & 900. More chances to screw up elevation, etc. changing yard lines between relays, though so it's not all gravy  The variant we shoot a bit around here is a 'Palma/65' or basically a Palma course + an extra 20rd Any/Any match (for the sling shooters) with unlimited sighters. Are you headed to FCNC in Sacramento? Monte
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196
Campfire Regular
|
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196 |
Monte, thanks for the nice words.
You're right about screwing up the elevation at different yardage, and I guess it's part of the game but shooting at 800 just looks like cheating. :-) Then again at that time, I get to use my little cart more.
I will not be in Sacramento, work pressures are such that I simply do not have the time. I have not taken any vacation time in over 6 years, but in this economy, I'm not complaining (too much.) It's all I can do to make the state matches, because they are on weekends and not to far away from me.
I may try to get to the nationals next year, in Wisconsin, if I can continue to improve and have the time.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 278
Campfire Member
|
|
Campfire Member
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 278 |
If you like 1k, you'll really like the pre-match @ Lodi... 1200yds
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196
Campfire Regular
|
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196 |
Bring it on.
Now, I really need to get out there in 2011.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196
Campfire Regular
|
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196 |
I just wanted to add a thought about the reason for my wanting to get to master at 1000 exclusively is the same reason I want to get my mid-range HM card at 600.
I can shoot HM scores at 300, but I can only shoot Master scores at 600. So why jump into the top classification on the basis of what you can only do at the low end of that range. Last match I shot at 800 yards, I came away with a 148-6 or some such and the two nines were almost touching the 10-ring. That is not what I shot or currently shoot at 1000. But I'm trying.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 278
Campfire Member
|
|
Campfire Member
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 278 |
I can appreciate that... back when 600yd was part of 'long range' by the rules, we ended up with an awful lot of people with NRA Long Range prone cards that say 'High Master'. On the flip side... for most people their F-Class classification seems to be more a reflection of 'where' they shoot, and to a lesser degree what distances. There's a 500yd range over on the coast that I go to on occasion, that is pretty easy to shoot really good scores on (although disturbingly hard to shoot 'clean' most days). Yet I come 'home' to our local range and my scores plummet. The difference? 100yds - and a whole lot of trees sheltering the one vs. none at ours. A HM/MA (F/TR) at the one might get beat by an EX/MA at the other, and the extra 100yds has very little to do with it. Heck, if we had a *300yd* match here I think some people would come away with their tail between their legs - GuyM knows what I mean - because it's located in a very bad spot for wind due to the terrain. Come to think on it... 800yds is probably the only reason I *have* an Expert card @ Long Range. Our nearest 8/9/1k range is a nasty one - ever hear of a 'Rattlesnake clean'? Given that most of our local (within 5-6hrs drive) matches struggle to have enough people to break out F/Open & F/TR, much less by shooter classification... I put relatively little weight on what someone's card says.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,494
Campfire Kahuna
|
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,494 |
I can appreciate that... back when 600yd was part of 'long range' by the rules, we ended up with an awful lot of people with NRA Long Range prone cards that say 'High Master'. On the flip side... for most people their F-Class classification seems to be more a reflection of 'where' they shoot, and to a lesser degree what distances. There's a 500yd range over on the coast that I go to on occasion, that is pretty easy to shoot really good scores on (although disturbingly hard to shoot 'clean' most days). Yet I come 'home' to our local range and my scores plummet. The difference? 100yds - and a whole lot of trees sheltering the one vs. none at ours. A HM/MA (F/TR) at the one might get beat by an EX/MA at the other, and the extra 100yds has very little to do with it. Heck, if we had a *300yd* match here I think some people would come away with their tail between their legs - GuyM knows what I mean - because it's located in a very bad spot for wind due to the terrain. Come to think on it... 800yds is probably the only reason I *have* an Expert card @ Long Range. Our nearest 8/9/1k range is a nasty one - ever hear of a 'Rattlesnake clean'? Given that most of our local (within 5-6hrs drive) matches struggle to have enough people to break out F/Open & F/TR, much less by shooter classification... I put relatively little weight on what someone's card says. I have a service rifle prone LR card that says High Master due to too many 3x600s with the service rifle where I"d drop maybe 2-3 points max over 3 strings... a 66 shot agg around 598 does "wonders" for your "average"..I didn't agree at all, but then I was trying to figure out how to become a good 600 yard shooter and needed the firing time.
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 278
Campfire Member
|
|
Campfire Member
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 278 |
I found myself in a similar situation... early on I didn't really understand how the classifications were calculated, and though 'Any/Any' would be different some how than my 'iron sight' classification. Shot a two-day 600yd Prone match with a scope on my 6.5-08 XTC rifle (trying to figure if the problem was my eyes or the gun) and later found a Long Range 'Master' card in the mail. Nowadays I can usually live up to it if I've been practicing and the conditions aren't horrible...
On the other hand... back when the word had came out that after such-n-such date 600yds would no longer be classified as 'long range' *and* that the percentages were going up... I had a person show up at one of our two-day matches, shooting with a scoped 6XC, shot just well enough to qualify as a 'High Master', and then hounded me to make *sure* his scores got submitted in time so he could claim to be a 'Long Range High Master'. I don't think he's ever shot sling since, and I've never seen him at 'real' long range, 800 or otherwise. Other people 'cherry-pick' which ranges to shoot at in order to inflate their classifications. Knowing things like that tend to reduce my faith in what a card says... after a day or two on the range with a person I have a better feel for what caliber of a shooter they really are than by looking at their NRA card.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196
Campfire Regular
|
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,196 |
Monte, 600 yards being called LR is a joke. I can see why that was changed, especially for F-Class.
I am lucky to live within driving distance (less than 1 hour) from the only available 1000 yard range in southeast Texas. In fact I'm not really aware of any other 1000 yard outside of military bases in the state.
We have lots of people showing up for the monthly LR matches, (1000 yards) coming from all over Texas and Louisiana and Oklahoma also. There is usually 20+ F-class shooters, of which 7+ are F-T/R shooters. We have enough people to even break break the F-T/R into classifications, though we have to combine Expert and SS together. We do not have LR Master F-T/R shooter, but we have several MA/HM LR F-Openers.
The range is always windy, very few trees and only on one side. The flags lie and it's great fun.
We had one F-opener shoot a clean at 1000, some months back. And now our F-openers are all switching to 7MM. I would love to shoot one at 1000 yards with my .308. That would be great.
|
|
|
|
|
506 members (12344mag, 1minute, 10gaugemag, 2500HD, 270cowboy, 10gaugeman, 48 invisible),
1,803
guests, and
1,256
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,194,054
Posts18,521,335
Members74,023
| |
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023
|
|
|
|
