I'm just burnt out. The competing isn't fun anymore. It feels like a job and when u feel like that, it's time to hang it up. I'll miss most of the guys but that's it because everything else that you have to do before you actually shoot really sucks and the same after it's over. If somebody offer me some serious money for everything I'd sell it all including the motorhome that would go with it. I have a lot of stuff.
Heresy, I know. I wonder how the sport would do if the exotic rests with joy sticks were removed from the game? Just an elevation wheel, on the center axis of the front rest. Like the Hart green competition rest. And no loading during the match. I expect hell fire to rain down on me. Or if every shooter/position had the same basic front rest. It would take 50% of the work out of the day. I do not shoot in competition. Maybe run a few matches like this and see what happens!
I think going back to a standard rest would affect score shooters more than group...just more movement in score. As for loading at the match...Well, you know my answer is gonna be to use a tuner but I'm guessing if you ban joysticks you'd probably do the same to tuners. So, I'd use a forgiving cartridge, maybe a 30BR/Major or a PPC/Grendel with LT32 or similar, that holds tune..and go back to bag squeezing.
I'd be good with a tuner. two classes, w and w/o tuner. Or allow them altogether. Allowing a tuner doesn't slow down a match, it seems to me. Just allows the shooter to probably be more accurate for the conditions. And no loading after the match starts. I guess folks would bring 400 rounds of ammo. The goal would be to make it cheaper, simpler, and less toting heavy stuff around. I really like the part about same old fashioned rest at each bench. I think that one change would make a huge difference in matches. And I understand the scores/aggs would change dramatically.
I honestly don't understand your reply to what I stated. How would changing a rest take 50% of the work out of the day? You obviously don't shoot competition. I'm talking about all the crap that goes along with the actual shooting of a match. The prep work before like loading a certain amount of rounds for each agg., then loading up my motorhome with everything that I need. Then driving to the match. Sometime one hour away up to 18 hours away. Then u get up early drag all your stuff out and set flags, poles and probes. Then you shoot then after it's over you have to go out and retrieve all you flags, probes and poles and put away everything that you dragged out and then drive back home, unload everything and clean up your stuff. The shooting part is fun, the rest of the stuff has turned into a real drag. When you feel the before and after part isn't worth the shooting part it's time to get out which is what I did because this crap isn't worth it to me anymore. I was talking to another competitor yesterday about it and he is at the point where I am. When your so wrapped up in this game that all you think of is competing you put aside a lot of stuff like keeping up with your house and yardwork and he said I go over to a bunch of my friend's houses who are only interested in shooting and all their houses look like shit holes because all they care about is shooting. He said they are one dimensional. They don't have more than one hobby which is pretty sad because I've seen what that can do to a person and it's sad especially when they have to get out of shooting for health reasons, old age, ect they end up being lost.
Jim, I got that way with golf, was playing over 200 rounds a year and had my index down to a 1.6, been 5 years now and getting the urge to play again, just not like I did or as much as I did. Don't sell off all the guns, you may get the urge to do it again!
Well I put my motorhome on Craigslist late this morning and had a 82 year old woman from Walpole Mass that seriously wants it. Once that's gone there is no way I'm ever going to shoot again. I'll sell of my stuff little by little. I sold another rifle to a guy in VT over the weekend. I just want to concentrate on my Barracuda. Went to Wilmington, Mass yesterday and met with the 2 owners of K&E Custom Automotive. They are going to rework the car for me the way I want it. There are some things that I wasn't crazy about that the original owner did when he built the car. So I had a list of about 20 things that I want done to the car. Cha Ching, Cha Ching. I have expensive taste. I figure it's going to cost me about 12 new complete rifles with scopes to get what I want done. LMFAO.
Jim that's exactly why I built the old school 222! When I take the 6ppc, Bat on a Scoville with the NF 42x44 I'm expected to win. The older we get the less winning matters, and the more doing what you enjoy does.
I'm not going to sell everything. I sold another rifle today so I'm down to 20. I just don't enjoy the before and the after of shooting in competition. I still like the shooting part but again not the before and after stuff. I got a new hobby. I got my new Hemi 70 Barracuda May 27th but I only drove it one mile from where they unloaded it when it arrived from Canada. I don't want to show it yet because to me it's still the guy's car that I bought it from not mine. It has stuff on there that I'm not crazy about and I found a really good custom car shop that's going to make it mine. These two guys were trained by Boyd Coddington and Gene Winfield two of the best custom car guy's in the US. So I'm going to spend a ton of money getting it to where I want it but I don't care it's only money and you can't take it with you. I spent over 200K on my entire Benchrest operation so spending 200K on the car is worth it to me.
70 Hemi Cudas in mint condition have known to bring 7 figures for the right ones. 200k is a small investment, when you consider those that are less unique still fetch 700k or more in the same mint condition.
This is not an original one like the 1st Hemi Cuda that I bought when I was 18 in 76. I didn't want a stock plain Jane 70 Hemi Cuda. I wanted a Pro Street Hemi one. You don't spend between 200K and beyond and then cut it all up. This was a plain Jane 70 Barracuda with a 6 cylinder that they started with and turned it to what it is now. It's nice and the few people that have seen it were very impressed with it but like I said some of the stuff on it I don't like. K&E Custom's can't take it until the fall because they are busy with other people's cars which I'm not in a hurry anyways. I'm not selling all my rifles. I'm keeping most of my stuff like powder, primers, Brass, Bullets, just in case some year I get the urge to compete again but right now I'm enjoying not dragging my sorry ass to these shoots every weekend.
I'll take the Phantom
