CaptainMal
Silver $$ Contributor
Normally do not add coverage of our local club shoots here but today was oh so memorable it would be a ray of sunshine for many this winter. From a cool morning to mid 70's in the afternoon, Manatee 600 yard steel benchrest shooting was a precious experience.
We packed the range. 32 shooters filled all 16 benches for two relays. Things started with coffee and donuts, went through hours of shooting fun and ended with a magnificent catered steak dinner. We are non-profit at Manatee and it shows. If you were a member the total package, including food and all awards cost you $20 in the BR class. That included the pot, where near $200 was given out. We also crowned our 2021 Manatee Steel Shooter of the Year at this event.
For those not familiar and would like to try one of our scheduled steel events, we shoot a 5" swinging plate at 600 yards. You get sighters at the start and after that no more. 25 shots for score, done 5 at a time in groups of three. Then a 15 minute break where you come back and do it again. Conditions change so you figure it out. No more sighters. Couple rounds for a relay and then you clear your benches for the next relay. When your turn comes again you set up and start over - NO SIGHTERS. There have been a few perfect scores but that is rare. Manatee mirage and wind takes care of that.
Here's the target line - AR shooters do an 8" plate shown on the left and all BR shooters do the regular 5" ones.
For today the winner with 22 hits out of 25 was... Mark Niezbatowski
Yeah - Mark is the one on right next to Al Benarroch (Alibaba here) the match director.
There is more. All year we have been doing these steel shoots every third Saturday. Come on down and join us. Well with 12 events you can use the results of your best six only, giving "snowbirds" a chance to win. Who took the Championship?
LANE RICKMAN ... Lane is holding up his beautiful championship rifle for you to see while Jerry Estes holds his championship trophy for him.
Here are a couple links so you may be able to get a picture insight into all the fun we had at Manatee today. You may recognize many of the shooters from IBS events around the country also.
Scheduled we have an IBS shoot this coming Saturday. A steel and IBS shoot in February, then Florida IBS Championship weekend is set for March 19 & 20. See you here sometime??? We will save the fun in the sun for you - hopefully.
We packed the range. 32 shooters filled all 16 benches for two relays. Things started with coffee and donuts, went through hours of shooting fun and ended with a magnificent catered steak dinner. We are non-profit at Manatee and it shows. If you were a member the total package, including food and all awards cost you $20 in the BR class. That included the pot, where near $200 was given out. We also crowned our 2021 Manatee Steel Shooter of the Year at this event.
For those not familiar and would like to try one of our scheduled steel events, we shoot a 5" swinging plate at 600 yards. You get sighters at the start and after that no more. 25 shots for score, done 5 at a time in groups of three. Then a 15 minute break where you come back and do it again. Conditions change so you figure it out. No more sighters. Couple rounds for a relay and then you clear your benches for the next relay. When your turn comes again you set up and start over - NO SIGHTERS. There have been a few perfect scores but that is rare. Manatee mirage and wind takes care of that.
Here's the target line - AR shooters do an 8" plate shown on the left and all BR shooters do the regular 5" ones.
For today the winner with 22 hits out of 25 was... Mark Niezbatowski
Yeah - Mark is the one on right next to Al Benarroch (Alibaba here) the match director.
There is more. All year we have been doing these steel shoots every third Saturday. Come on down and join us. Well with 12 events you can use the results of your best six only, giving "snowbirds" a chance to win. Who took the Championship?
LANE RICKMAN ... Lane is holding up his beautiful championship rifle for you to see while Jerry Estes holds his championship trophy for him.
Here are a couple links so you may be able to get a picture insight into all the fun we had at Manatee today. You may recognize many of the shooters from IBS events around the country also.
Scheduled we have an IBS shoot this coming Saturday. A steel and IBS shoot in February, then Florida IBS Championship weekend is set for March 19 & 20. See you here sometime??? We will save the fun in the sun for you - hopefully.
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