St Louis 600 yard Match from Hell!
The above title is fairly accurate. The Saint Louis Benchrest Rifle Range once again showed its teeth. This weekend's conditions varied between "horrible and really bad" with plenty of driving rain, cool temperatures hovering in the mid50s, and switchy winds around the 20+ mph mark! In other words perfect weather for a Benchrest match!
A big congratulations to Steve Wilson and John Ross for putting on a very well run match in challenging conditions. I think on the last relay, the target crew had to return upwards of five times to rehang targets that were trying to escape in the high winds. I'd be remiss in not congratulating the target crew and range master as well. The kids in the target crew hung tough all weekend. They were very fast and efficient.
Match 1, April 30
The Charlie Macke Memorial
I never had a chance to meet Charlie, but I have fallen in with a few of the shadier characters of the "Memphis Mafia" aka David Dorris and Mike Moses. I don't think there is hardly a match or a phone call that I've had with these two guys that there isn't a "Charlie story", or a "Charlie saying" that pops up! Many times I've heard, "Boy I shore wish you could have met Charlie." I certainly wish I had. Charlie is obviously missed by many and our sport is diminished by his passing.
Results Match 1
Saturday started off cold, windy and rainy with me leaving my rain jacket in the Waffle House. So Saturday in the rain really sucked for me !!! Before the match I noticed that Mike Moses and Darreld Dacus (aka The Duck). Had pop-up canopies set up behind the firing line. I asked Mike who's bright idea it was to set those up? Moses pointed at Dacus and said, "It was his idea." To paraphrase Forest Gump, " I might not be a smart man Jenny, but I know not to set up a pop-up with 20 plus mile per hour winds and 5 inches of rain in the forecast." You can see where I'm going with this!!! At approximately 3 O'clock in the afternoon a mini-monsoon came through and demolished the tiny tent city! Beware of any new ads in the classifieds for slightly used pop-ups!
Radar screen shot of a lull in the weather.
LG Results
Joe Fesi took top LG Score top honors with a 192. This was Joe's first 600 yard bench match and first time out with his new rifle. It looks like it's a shooter! Big Congratulations to Joe! LG Group went to Johnny "What do ya say" Powers "aka Pawpaw" with a 2.675 group aggregate. LG Overall goes to Joe Fesi! Very impressive for his first showing!
HG Results
Stephen "Where have you been for the past year and a half" Hall took top HG Score honors with a 188. It's been awhile since we've seen Steve. It's good to see him back in Top form. Steve Wilson didn't let putting on the match bother him. Steve won the HG aggregate with a 2.599. Overall HG goes to Stephen Hall!
2 GUN
The Charlie Mackey Memorial 2 Gun winner is Stephen "Welcome Back" Hall! Followed by 2nd Mike Moses, 3rd Joe Fesi, 4th Bart Sauter, 5th Steve Wilson.
Honorable mention goes to Super Dave Dorris for Top 2 Gun Group Aggregate of 3.044 and Top Score Aggregate to Joe Fesi with a 372.
Match 2 April 30th
Sunday was a better day for me since I was able to retrieve my lost rain coat from the Waffle House. By the time I arrived at the range most of the wreckage from the pop-up fiasco was removed. Conditions were pretty much the same as Saturday's except with more wind!
LG Gun
Bart Sauter won top LG Score honors with a measly 188! Gaylon Bryeans won Light Gun Group with a 2.337 Aggregate! Everyone needs to keep an eye on this young man! He is on a serious roll this year, shooting well at Big Piney, Memphis and now St Louis! He is pretty easy to pick out because his biggest fan is usually only steps away. That would be his 11 year old daughter Sophia Bryeans. She's one of the sweetest and cutest kids you'll ever meet. LG Overall goes to Bart Sauter!
HG Gun
HG Top Score goes to Johnny "What do ya say" Powers with a score of 190. Stephen Hall won top HG Group honors with a 2.603. Mike Moses "Co-Leader of the Memphis Mafia" gets the Overall HG win!
Overall 2 Gun
*Stephen Hall took 2 Gun honors for the second day in a row! Congratulations Steve on some outstanding shooting in very difficult conditions! Steve was followed by 2nd Bart Sauter, 3rd Johnny "What do ya say" Powers, 4th James Remmel, 5th Mob Boss Mike Moses!
Honorable mention for Top 2 Gun Group Aggreate goes to Mike Moses. Top 2 Gun Score was shot by Stephen Hall!
Big thanks to St Louis for putting on the match! I'm looking forward to the next one!
Bart
The above title is fairly accurate. The Saint Louis Benchrest Rifle Range once again showed its teeth. This weekend's conditions varied between "horrible and really bad" with plenty of driving rain, cool temperatures hovering in the mid50s, and switchy winds around the 20+ mph mark! In other words perfect weather for a Benchrest match!
A big congratulations to Steve Wilson and John Ross for putting on a very well run match in challenging conditions. I think on the last relay, the target crew had to return upwards of five times to rehang targets that were trying to escape in the high winds. I'd be remiss in not congratulating the target crew and range master as well. The kids in the target crew hung tough all weekend. They were very fast and efficient.
Match 1, April 30
The Charlie Macke Memorial
I never had a chance to meet Charlie, but I have fallen in with a few of the shadier characters of the "Memphis Mafia" aka David Dorris and Mike Moses. I don't think there is hardly a match or a phone call that I've had with these two guys that there isn't a "Charlie story", or a "Charlie saying" that pops up! Many times I've heard, "Boy I shore wish you could have met Charlie." I certainly wish I had. Charlie is obviously missed by many and our sport is diminished by his passing.
Results Match 1
Saturday started off cold, windy and rainy with me leaving my rain jacket in the Waffle House. So Saturday in the rain really sucked for me !!! Before the match I noticed that Mike Moses and Darreld Dacus (aka The Duck). Had pop-up canopies set up behind the firing line. I asked Mike who's bright idea it was to set those up? Moses pointed at Dacus and said, "It was his idea." To paraphrase Forest Gump, " I might not be a smart man Jenny, but I know not to set up a pop-up with 20 plus mile per hour winds and 5 inches of rain in the forecast." You can see where I'm going with this!!! At approximately 3 O'clock in the afternoon a mini-monsoon came through and demolished the tiny tent city! Beware of any new ads in the classifieds for slightly used pop-ups!

Radar screen shot of a lull in the weather.


LG Results
Joe Fesi took top LG Score top honors with a 192. This was Joe's first 600 yard bench match and first time out with his new rifle. It looks like it's a shooter! Big Congratulations to Joe! LG Group went to Johnny "What do ya say" Powers "aka Pawpaw" with a 2.675 group aggregate. LG Overall goes to Joe Fesi! Very impressive for his first showing!

HG Results
Stephen "Where have you been for the past year and a half" Hall took top HG Score honors with a 188. It's been awhile since we've seen Steve. It's good to see him back in Top form. Steve Wilson didn't let putting on the match bother him. Steve won the HG aggregate with a 2.599. Overall HG goes to Stephen Hall!

2 GUN
The Charlie Mackey Memorial 2 Gun winner is Stephen "Welcome Back" Hall! Followed by 2nd Mike Moses, 3rd Joe Fesi, 4th Bart Sauter, 5th Steve Wilson.
Honorable mention goes to Super Dave Dorris for Top 2 Gun Group Aggregate of 3.044 and Top Score Aggregate to Joe Fesi with a 372.

Match 2 April 30th
Sunday was a better day for me since I was able to retrieve my lost rain coat from the Waffle House. By the time I arrived at the range most of the wreckage from the pop-up fiasco was removed. Conditions were pretty much the same as Saturday's except with more wind!
LG Gun
Bart Sauter won top LG Score honors with a measly 188! Gaylon Bryeans won Light Gun Group with a 2.337 Aggregate! Everyone needs to keep an eye on this young man! He is on a serious roll this year, shooting well at Big Piney, Memphis and now St Louis! He is pretty easy to pick out because his biggest fan is usually only steps away. That would be his 11 year old daughter Sophia Bryeans. She's one of the sweetest and cutest kids you'll ever meet. LG Overall goes to Bart Sauter!

HG Gun
HG Top Score goes to Johnny "What do ya say" Powers with a score of 190. Stephen Hall won top HG Group honors with a 2.603. Mike Moses "Co-Leader of the Memphis Mafia" gets the Overall HG win!

Overall 2 Gun
*Stephen Hall took 2 Gun honors for the second day in a row! Congratulations Steve on some outstanding shooting in very difficult conditions! Steve was followed by 2nd Bart Sauter, 3rd Johnny "What do ya say" Powers, 4th James Remmel, 5th Mob Boss Mike Moses!
Honorable mention for Top 2 Gun Group Aggreate goes to Mike Moses. Top 2 Gun Score was shot by Stephen Hall!

Big thanks to St Louis for putting on the match! I'm looking forward to the next one!

Bart
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