Charlie Brown "Cleans" Manatee

[CaptainMal]

If you were a shooter "back in the days" you might remember Charlie Brown. He was a top competitor in benchrest for decades. Well at the young age of 78 he did what none could do at the 600 yard Manatee gong shoot. 20/20 = a perfect score.

Many came and tried the past couple of years. Some came with the attitude that the "hayseed" shooters at Manatee needed a lesson. Well Charlie did what so many tried. He used his old Savage Dasher, smithed by Bostrom, to do the difficult. Remember you get to sight in. Then you wait 15-30 minutes while the targets are serviced. After that it counts for score. 5 shots and another wait. Conditions change. You do it again and the cycle repeats. Never getting another sighter sure takes the edge off the best shooters.

Here's Charlie today being congratulated by our own BT1, Steve Krauss.

4T64oICESii9SmL6WCL7MA by Larry Malinoski, on Flickr

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Great job!!

 

[dnellans]

can you explain more about the manatee gong shoot? steel size, etc?

i always like hearing about fun games that get played!

 

[billlarson]

Great Job...........
bill

 

[earlcurtis67]

Congradulatuons Charlie!

 

[CaptainMal]

can you explain more about the manatee gong shoot? steel size, etc?

i always like hearing about fun games that get played!

It's a 5" diameter gong mounted on a long steel rod that swivels over a metal rod. That rod is mounted between 4 x 4's. When hit the gong it swings, sometimes making multiple complete "loops" over that bar. Fun to count the loops and kid shooters about getting an extra 1/2 point if they can make it do more than 3 complete loops.

D%97E0kRTKe+fpqiVYxKMQ by Larry Malinoski, on Flickr

You start off sighting in. Then shooting stops and someone rides the whole way down to re-paint all the gongs. We use white paint. Then they drive back, the line goes hot and shooting starts. Usually there are three shooters to each gong. One starts while the others spot and score. After 5 shots it goes to the next shooter and then the next for their five shots. You are encouraged to help the shooter with comments and your spotting.

After each has taken five shots and the whole line is done, back to painting and all the down time again. First shooter is now switched to next man and it continues for 20 record shots.

We have a string of 8 gongs set up. First couple are 8" gongs that we use for AR format "gas" guns. The 5" ones are for BR or PRC style rifles. Interesting that the PR and hunting rifles are most often humbled by the experience against the BR rifles. NOT always as a few months ago a PR rifle hit around 15 under tough conditions and either won or placed high.

We also collect $7 from each shooter for a pot. Winners 1-3 get their share and someone gets a share just for hitting the most in a row. Once a shooter got that "string" pot without being one of the top three shooters. It's a fun time, visual, audible, challenging and quite popular. You better be able to read the changing conditions and make your adjustments or sighting modifications between relays correctly or that first shot sure can miss easily.

In the picture above you can see #'s 1 & 2 are the 8" gongs for the AR/gas gun shooters. #'s 3-8 ( 8 not visible) are the ones for the BR shooters at 600. Those big ones around are for general hunters and PRS shooters to sight in and have fun with at 600 yards. We have meat supports in the ground to insert stakes and build our IBS paper targets with. They are in front of the gongs and staggered to, hopefully, have shots through them hit the bank and not the gong supports behind.

 

[Dgd6mm]

Way to go Charlie.

 

[BT1]

Thanks Larry for the detailed outline of how we run the steel match. One thing to add is that as long as the rifle is 30 cal and under you are good to go. For the guys that have the no rules, just right attitude we welcome all for this match. We have 16 benches and normally have 14 to 16 come out. Rare occasion we have more than 16 we run 2 relays. First relay shoots 2, 5 shot strings, then removes gear and relay 2 shoots. Relay 2 gets their "free" sight-in period, but then again NO MORE sighters for either relay. The long wait for relay 1 between relay #2 shooting is the payback for shooting in the earlier usually better conditions. It is just not as easy as some might think.

I have known Charley Brown for my entire time at Manatee. His running 20 was not a fluke. He is a great shot regardless of the type of competition, or the rifle in his had. Congratulations Charley. Now we have to come up with a plan for setting a record. I think the 20 string will be shot again. The quality of equipment and shooter at Mantatee has improved greatly over the past few years.

Steve

 

[Richard Prince]

Charlie is the man on steel and paper. Not bad for a barrel that has 4K rounds thru it.

Richard

 

[perry42]

Some times, OLD GUY'S RULE.

perry42