2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

Fried Chicken Blowout

Fried Chicken Blowout

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
May 15, 2011
379
0
Meeker, Colorado
#1
First off, let me state that I'm in no way benefiting from talking up this match. I just enjoyed myself so much that I wanted to get the word out to make sure it continues to be a successful match year after year so I can keep going. This is only my second field based match. The first being the Thunder Beast Arms Team Challenge last year. I was the "Carbine" shooter for this match and between the 4 field stages and the Team vs. Team (Shoot-Offs) I fired about 400 rounds. My "Rifle" partner fired about 260 rounds during the match. Every shot was a challenge and as an extra challenge, pistols were also required and used a fair amount at longer than normal USPSA type ranges. All targets were steel and I believe there was only one target larger than 10" at any range. Rifle targets were out to 1000 yards and carbine targets out to 515 yards from what I remember. Many targets were much, much smaller...

The match is hosted by Frank Bliss, who along with his wife and son (Chris), own and run the Bliss Ranch about an hour North of Gillette, WY. http://wyomingdinosaurs.com/

Let me tell you... The place is awesome!! I can't think if a better venue for a match like this. Great accommodations in the form of a club house with a bad ass kitchen and some comfortable chairs for kicking back between field stages. The land is rugged and challenging, which makes it perfect for this type of match. The 4 field stages (two per day - Friday and Saturday) were laid out and well marked around the main developed part of the ranch. Two stages in Wyoming and two just across the border into Montana. Sunday consisted of the Team on Team Shoot-off which was an amazing rush. My partner and I ended up tied for 3rd running against some OUTSTANDING teams in the shoot-offs. We were proud to finish as high as we did.

Here's a few photos I took from the developed part of the ranch. Well equipped is an understatement! Each RO either had their own 4 wheeler to assist with keeping up with the teams and getting around the ranch. Meals were available at the ranch and water was available at all times on the field courses and back at the club house.


Outside the Bliss Ranch Club House by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr


Bliss Ranch Entrance by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr


I Bite! by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr


Getting some power by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr


The shop and ammo factory in the background... by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr


Untitled by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr


This isn't even where they live... by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr


Dinosaur bones from the ranch... by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr


Inside the ranch club house... by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr

I'll be back in a second with more info....
 
#2
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

The match was co-orginized by Chuck, the owner of Mac's Gunworks...
http://www.macsgunworks.com Which is where you can find more info about the match and the rules. Between Frank, Chuck and at least a dozen others, there must have been months of work to make the magic happen.... The number of targets and stage lay outs were staggering. The RO's were amazing... Helpful, personable and knowledgable. The sponsor list was deep and the prize table was outstanding... Even with our 7th place finish over all, my partner and I walked away with $600 in prizes.

I wish I had a full list of those that donated to the match so I could post it up here. Hopefully another Hide member that was involved with the match can jump in here and give a shout out to the sponsors. There must of been 6-8 firearms of different types and countless other prizes.

Here's just a few photos from one of the field stages we ran to give you an idea of the terrain...

Shooting some shit... by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr


Representing Colorado, flying the flag... by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr


So when next year comes around and you're picking matches to attend, keep an ear out for this one. It's worth your time and will challenge your equipment and ability. Hopefully some more Hide members that attended can jump in and provide their own input on the match and the amount of work that went into putting it on.

The to organizers, ROs and other staff... THANK YOU for the excellent time and outstanding match. I'll be back next year! Keep up the good work!
 
#3
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

It was good meeting you guys.
Glad you made it home safe.
I enjoyed watching you shoot on the team on team portion.
I wasn't able to attend last year, because our daughter's wedding was the very same weekend.
I really enjoyed this match.
With 2 courses each on Friday and Saturday it kept you busy (getting the most bang for the buck).
My partner and I had never competed before together and Darrell had never done a match like this at all before.
The only match I had done that was similar to it was ITRC.
I enjoyed ITRC, but I like this format more, simply because there was more field shooting.
I love shooting distance from field positions
grin.gif

Loved the bonus targets!
I am already making plans for next year to be better prepared, and so is Darrell.
The prize table was nice and we came away with some very nice goodies and cash.
If this is a match you can make next year it would be worth your while.
Frank, Chuck, and company did just an excellent job and were excellent hosts.
I hope more guys who attended will chime in once they make it home and get rested up.
Couple of pics
IMG_7221.jpg

IMG_7218.jpg
 
#4
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

Thanks guys for the awsome comments, and support. I believe this shoot wouldn't be half of what it is without the shooters that we have. Thanks to the sponsors for all they give and do as well, right now is just a bit early for me to post all the sponsors as we just got home around 8:20 tonight. I'll be sure to jump back on in a couple days with a complete list of all shooters and sponsors. Thanks again to all.
GOD BLESS, and hope to see you all again next year.
 
#5
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

Another thing that I thought was very worthwhile was the amount of money that was going towards the Wounded Warriors.
Excellent shooting opportunities combined with deserving focus on those whom have served and have paid a high price on our behalf is such a worthy focus.
I knew money was going that way from last years match, but I did not realize the extent of it until this past week.
I will list some scores but no names:
1st 7537
2nd 5858
3rd 5754
4th 5067
5th 3884
6th 3789
7th 3646
8th 3493
9th 3417
10th 3406
I didn't ask anyone for permission to list their names.
The team that won basically schooled all of us
laugh.gif
 
#7
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!


This was the first time I or my shooting partner traveled out to shoot this match or its predecessor the ITRC, but we had heard many good things about both the facility and how well the match was run. We certainly had our expectations met and exceeded. This was one of the smoothest running matches I think I have attended in a long time, truly professional. The match directors and staff clearly put months into the preparation and planning and their volunteer RO’s and support staff were no nonsense folks there to make sure the shooters had a great match.

The match format was unlike any we have experienced before. The facility sits on a ranch (The Bliss “Dinosaur” Ranch) that straddles both Wyoming and Montana on something like 50,000 acres. The terrain was both hilly and prairie with a mixture of woods, low brush, grassy meadows and beautiful vistas no matter which direction you turned – almost distracting at points in the match. The way the shooting problems were designed it almost felt like you and your shooting partner were the only team at the match. There were effectively four ranges in use at all times. A shooting team was scheduled to be at a given range at a given hour and once your time started you had 2 hours to complete the shooting problems on that range. During your two hour engagement time you moved across varied terrain carrying everything that your team decided they may need to engage designated pistol, carbine and rifle targets. You might travel up to 1.5 miles depending on which particular range you were assigned and you could expect to travel to 5 – 7 different firing points along the way to the finish point.

When we arrived at a firing point our RO, who travels with you throughout that particular range, informed us of our range fan and how many of each type of targets we needed to find and shoot – the rest was on us to figure out. Scoring is as transparent as it can get -- points for hits and deducted points for misses and failures to engage (when you couldn’t locate the target in the terrain).

This was big boy field shooting, by that I mean there were hardly any match rules other than you will have white targets (shoot them with a pistol) you will have red targets (shoot them with a carbine) and blue targets (shoot them with a rifle). All of the targets were unknown distance and dispersed about the landscape in ways you might expect animals (of all types) to locate themselves, some were out in the open while others might be up under a tree or back in a craggy rock cut.

We didn’t know anyone when we arrived, but we feel like we left having met a bunch of characters and hopefully made some new friends. This is a match my shooting partner and I plan on attending again. We left knowing we had learned a bunch about our choices in equipment, communication skills, target acquisition and ranging skills, and much more. By the end of the weekend we were both smoked but had huge smiles on our faces as we rolled for home.

I'll try post up some more pics shortly.

Thanks Chuck & Frank for such a great shooting, match, learning experience and the gracious hospitality you showed to a couple of newbies at your facility.
 
#9
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

Many thanks to all involved. The funds raised for Wounded Warriors was awesome. We ALL owe a huge debt of gratitude to those who serve this country. Without them, we wouldn't have the freedoms we enjoy. God bless them all! Thanks to Mac's Gunworks, the Bliss Ranch, RO's, sponsors, and all the folks that volunteered. It was a great time. The sponsors really stepped up and supported this match. Congrats to the top teams, they shot some great scores. Enjoyed meeting everyone, and look foward to next year.
 
#10
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

A BIG THANK YOU to those who put this on, the RO's, and the sponsors. It was obvious that a lot of hard work and planning went into this event, and it was even better this year with the addition of the fourth course. Good meeting all the new faces and competitors.

The Wind Gods were kind to us on course #3 as the strongest we encountered were 12-mph, whereas those before and after us had to struggle with some 25-mph winds.

As always, the prize table was loaded with some awesome stuff, and we walked away with some nice gear, but the best part is the fun we had, and the friends we made. The gracious hospitality put forth by the Host and Hostess couldn't have been any better then it was.

Before, during, and after the match we had the oppurtunity to shoot some really cool stuff. 300 Norma Mag, 6.5x300, and 7 SAUM rifles. Full-Auto and Suppressed 22LR, 5.56, and even a real G3. The full-auto mag-dump competition on the M4 benifiting Wounded Warriors was a hoot, and if I would have had more cash in my pocket I would have tried it more then once.

My partner and I were already planning for next years match as we were driving South towards Colorado.

Thanks again, and see you next year.
 
#11
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

WTRC Lessons Learned

For to our fellow competitors, here is what our team (Smith & Kerley) thought we learned last weekend:

Background: We both shoot a goodly amount of long range competition. In the distant past (I switched to rifle competition 25 years ago) I shot a lot of pistol competition. We both have military experience. Neither of us had shot the WTRC before, and we didn’t know anyone with recent experience. We called Chuck or Frank several times, and they were generous with their time in answering our questions.

Game plan: Our plan was pretty basic: Find the targets, engage them & leave. We tried to run the same routine at each stage. We had pure zeroes & good dope.

We used standardized comm: vanilla spotter/shooter verbiage. The spotter always calculated dope settings for all rifle targets before starting engagements. Pretty much all our conversation ‘in position’ was about what we were seeing for wind.

The spotter ran the engagements, although either member could call the team off a target we were having trouble with. This was important because on a few occasions the guy on the gun ‘got invested’ in a particular target and really wanted to stay on it until he got hits. We saved a lot of points by having the spotter direct the shooter to move to the next target. Probably more than half the time it was the shooter who called “skip it” (after two misses) and we moved on.

The spotter was responsible for the RO having glass on the right target. When it didn’t happen it was ‘our bad’ & we moved on without debate or recrimination.

Equipment:
We used a pair of high end (Vortex) 15X binoculars on a low tripod. This was probably our most critical equipment choice; we found all but a handful of targets & were able to see trace and/or impact for pretty much every shot.

On the course we used high quality (Tactical Command) noise-cancelling headsets which minimized wind noise and miscommunications.

We both shot 9mm pistols. I ran an STI race gun which worked like a charm. DK ran a stock Springfield XD which wasn’t a very good choice for those longer targets. Other than zeroing & function checks we did virtually no practice with the short guns.

For the carbine I ran a 20” JP upper (.223) with a Nightforce 3.5-15X FFP ‘Velocity’ reticle. The thing shot like a laser beam and I never had to dial dope. An added benefit was when I came off my last target (we usually engaged near to far) I could tell DK exactly how much wind I was using, reading it off the reticle in MPH. Tuning the load to the reticle took some effort, but it paid off for us. We left very few carbine points on the course.

DK ran a 20” 7mm SAUM using 180 Bergers and a hefty charge of RL17. This rifle was uncannily accurate until our final stage Saturday afternoon when the carbon ring at the front of the chamber went critical. We went from a 2nd round hit on the 1140 yard target to not being able to buy hits at half that distance almost instantly. We weren’t sure what the problem was until we got home and scoped the bore. DK had to beat the bolt open so many times his right hand ended up looking like tenderized meat. We will know better next year!

What didn’t work:
My high speed ‘operator boots’ didn’t breathe worth a hoot. I came off each course with my feet looking like something which had been left in the microwave too long.

Too much stuff:
I started out humping a 30+ pound pack plus the carbine, which wasn’t quite the thing for my tubby 58 year old bod. We are resolved to bring less stuff & be in better shape next year.

Final thoughts:
The course was a true rifleman’s course. No helicopter stages or any of that silly “stand on one leg & shoot left handed through this little window” stuff. Just a challenging set of targets and minimal rules which let each team sort it out to the best of their ability.

Chuck McIntosh, Frank Bliss, their wives, families & friends have put together the most enjoyable match I have ever competed in. The facilities are world class, the countryside gorgeous, and the target placement fiendishly clever. The prize table was outstanding. Our RO’s (Bill Reno, ‘Big Bill,’ Damon & Bear) were a joy to work with.

If I could only travel to one match a year, it would be this one, hands down!

Cheers,
DC
 
#12
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

wow, this sounds like my kind of match! team match with field stages... hope i can attend next year!

that terrain looks awesome!
 
#13
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

I'd say mark your calendar, but there was talk about shifting the general time of the match due to hunting season and Sturgis. Not sure when it will exactly be but if I get wind of it, I'll post it up.
 
#14
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

It is a lot of fun for sure.
My favorite kind of LR shooting-Hands Down!
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: taliv</div><div class="ubbcode-body">wow, this sounds like my kind of match! team match with field stages... hope i can attend next year!

that terrain looks awesome! </div></div>
 
#15
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

Boy, we sure appreciate all the rave reviews on the hide. The WTRC is actually made up of the shooters. From an organizers standpoint, you guys were all to a man/woman great. The few hickups we had were either ignored or forgiven on the spot. Directions were given, followed without second thought numerous times. Hundreds of hands reached up to help when called for. The volunteers were also a big deal. Without them, the core group of about 6 of us that put this on wouldn't have been able to do enough in a lifetime to put this event on. We've come a long ways from our beginning hosting the Rifle leg of the International Tactical Rifle Championship on ranch 6 years ago. Thanks so much to all that attended.

What a great group of humanity though! Only here could you have 10's of thousands of dollars in equipment laying about, essentially unsecured except by lots of fully armed capable guys mulling around. No stupid gun free zone here. No one worried about theft, assault or stupidity. Nothing was lost (except one cell phone in the backcountry) and a safe good time was had by all. Local companies as well as national ones contributed, were recognized and will benefit from their gifts as all participants were greatful and aware WHO gave to the event. Not an angry voice was heard. I'm just tickled how it all came out.

Now, the planning for next year. I think we will have twice the attendence in 2013. The growing pains will stretch our resources so anyone that can help with time or treasure, please contact us. We will put it to good use and build this into the world class event that it has the potential to be.

Where else in the world could you have over 250 long range targets set up on 28 shooting stations contiguously in two different states? The Bliss Ranch is here to work with the shooting community to improve the shooting sports to the best of our ability as we have done for years. I manufacture quality ammo on my ranch for my business (it's almost work), but the true quality event (fun stuff) around here is the WTRC. Any questions can be sent to Chuck or me (Frank). What a great life, having a great gun range in my back yard and lots of ammo to send down range!

I picked up about 60 pounds of spent brass last night from around the courses to get it off the pastures/prairie. I'll be loading 6.5 Creedmore shortly picking up the new cartridge along with 6.5X47 in my line up. Got some freebees to start up with. Bonus!
Best
Frank
 
#16
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

Wow what an incredible shoot. This was truly the best experience and the best group of guys possible. The hospitality shown towards everyone by Frank and all of the people involved was something that is truly special. This shoot gave us so many opportunities to learn from everyone and test equipment.

The support that was shown to the Wounded Warriors from this shoot really topped everything off. The shoot on its own was an absolute blast (no pun intended) but knowing that you are helping such a good cause made it that much better! It was incredible to meet all of the guys who served for our country and see the dedication they put fourth.

The sponsors really do deserve a huge thank you for all they did. The sponsors really gave a lot and went forth to create an awesome prize table! There was easily several thousand dollars worth in prizes (and cash). Many of the supporting companies now have my full support in their product purely by donating to this shoot.

I would just like to give a huge thank you to everyone who supported the shoot and worked to make it happen!
 
#17
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

Hi all: That was a fun weekend. As one of the most inexperienced shooters there and never having shot in any shoots before I learned a ton. I can still see that last target in the man on man. My partner shot the carbine and did a fantastic job. I didn't prepare enough with handguns. I shot the long range and used my hunting gun in 7 WSM. Ranging proved difficult at times but what great practice for prairie deer. The temps were about 95 during the day and the courses were about 1.5 to 2 miles long. We didn't even finish the first course. After that we took a much less leisurely pace and got to shoot at all the targets. I had trouble with my drops as my gun heated up, I had to take 1 to 1.6 MOA out of my dope. DC wasn't kidding, he can shoot a pistol. He didn't suck w/ a carbine either. He was good enough to give me some pointers. I don't think they missed much at all. Ernie shot that pistol pretty darned well. Darrell was a great guy, tons of knowledge and really helpful. The 7 SAUM was really popular, as was the 6.5x47. Thanks to Chad and Jason for helping get set up when we pulled up at midnight. We did appreciate it, missed you when we pulled out.
 
#19
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

The shoot was extremely fun this year. This was my first competition I have ever been to and the people there were very accepting and simply just nice people. On the final day my scope (3rd one that week) broke, so Mr. Bliss lended me one of his scopes. This is just an example of how nice the people are there. A person can learn so much in the few days of the shoot by just listening and watching other teams that are there. Thank you to all the RO's and other people to make this shoot happen. I have no past experience of what the prize table was in the previous years, but it was awesome this year. Every body walked away with something exciting. So thank you to the sponsers who donated the things to make this shoot happen it means a lot. So if anybody is thinking about coming out and giving it a try I strongly suggest to give it a try because the courses are very challenging and a good time to shoot, and the people are awesome. Be aware though you might be star struck because there are some very famious big named shooters that are there! Also half of the money is donated to the wounded warior organization, so overall the competition is one of the best.
 
#20
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

Great shoot, with a great bunch of people! (I donated some of that 6.5 creedmoor brass ! We collected most of it, but we were in a hurry a few times
smile.gif
Great match, great sponsorship, and a very good time! Looking forward to next year)
 
#23
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

Just wanted to thank Frank, Chuck,there spouses,family members,RO's,all vollunteers,the sponsores and our wounded wariors that were on hand, what a great shooting experience at the Bliss Ranch. I had not been to a competition like this one before and all i can say is that I loved it. I found it to be very challenging and rewarding. We gained alot of knowledge from the other shooters and hopefully we can put that to good use, when we come back next year. My partner and I will be looking forward to it, thank you to all..
 
#28
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

I'll leak a few things early here about next years WTRC to give you all time to prepare properly.

For one, it is our intention is to have a "laser free" zone somewhere on the course. It may be one entire course (like 1) or just a few shooting stations. At any rate, the intent is to get some of you to start using your scopes to range and not just rely on lasers. I'll limit the ranges to under 600 yards and keep the targets 10 inches square on those stations. Time to consider first focal plane scopes. www.hollandguns.com has some good ones if your shopping as do other sponsors. Please shop our sponsors first before you buy elsewhere.

I also plan on having a few more pistol targets on the course. I would like to see higher end pistols and the shooters training more with them ahead of time. You can expect 50 yard maximums but we might throw in a few 5 inch triangles at 20 feet to increase the difficulty a tad. With 59 current pistol targets amounting to 590 points, it is worth your time to get proficient with the weapon.

You can count on new shooting stations on a significant part of the course. With more shooters in the event, we will also have to reduce the time between shooters on the courses. You will want to work on being more efficient and quicker in acquisition mode, working with your RO as well as working that bolt.

Planning and work on next year begins now and we are taking contributions toward the prize table as well as materials and time from anyone who wants to raise the bar for the WTRC. Any ideas are appreciated and can be sent directly to me at [email protected] if you wish.

Let us know if you can be of help or have targets/prizes for the shoot.
 
#30
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

A quick list of sponsors:
Extremunition
Mac's Gunworks
Rocky Mountain Discount Sports
Pepsi
Blue Sky Ice
Croell Ready Mix
Powder River Construction
Roberto's Cafe
Dons Supermarket
Big Horn Tire
Mountain Mud
Voodoo Tactical
Matheson Drilling
Schmidt & Bender
Power Tactical Supply & Design
Jerrys Sports Center
Lakeway Printing
Major Metal
Destination X
Smiths Food
Powder River Orthopedics & Spine
Stag Arms
Berger Bullets
Black Hills Ammo
Ray & Nancy McIntosh
Major Surplus & Survival
McGowan Barrels
Thunder Beast Arms
Pacific Tool & Gage
Burris Optics
Manners Stocks
XLR Industries
IBC Bread stores
Monogramming Plus
All the RO's and shooters
Huge thanks goes out to all of these folks for the support, but most of all, thanks to my beautiful wife Denise & Patty (Franks wife) for the awsome food and help you guys give every day.
GOD BLESS, & see you all next year
 
#34
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

My brother and I will be back as well and I am trying to bring some of the Vegas crew up this year, sounds like I have a few team-mates on board to make the trip. Looking forward to it! Hope you are all having a great new year!
 
#35
Re: 2012 Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship - Recap!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Hognuts</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My brother and I will be back as well and I am trying to bring some of the Vegas crew up this year, sounds like I have a few team-mates on board to make the trip. Looking forward to it! Hope you are all having a great new year! </div></div>

Definitely interested, just need to figure out the logistics side of it.
 
#42
Hey guys, we just got back from the Snipershide Cup and had a great time. We hope to see all you guys at the WTRC as well and like always all are invited. Thanks goes out to everyone in the shooting industry for the support we all give and recieve from one another, some of the best people on the planet are involved in this great sport so the next time you talk to one of these guys on the phone give them a big thanks for all the prizes and support they give out at all these matches.
 
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