2014 TBRC AAR and Pic Thread

[NorCal Vu]

Sorry for the delay guys. Just now joining the living.

I'll post an over view of everything and get pics up ASAP.

Our 8th Annual TBRC is in the books! Thank you everyone for coming out to join us this weekend and a huge thanks to our event sponsors for the awesome prize table.

Congrats to Francis "The Animal" Kuehl on taking home the win!

Below are the official results:

1 Francis Kuehl 1,410.00 4X
2 Jeremy Bentham 1,329.00 2X
3 Dorgan Trostel 1,293.45 0X
4 Dave Weitz 1,290.00 0X
5 Jacob Denny 1,256.00 0X
6 Tyler Frehner 1,182.00 3X
7 Jason Boak 1,166.00 0X
8 Brian Sanders 1,159.00 1X
9 Jake Vibbert 1,136.00 2X
10 Matt LaVine 1,127.00 1X
11 Jonathan Berry 1,123.00 2X
12 Travis Redell 1,119.00 0X
13 Gustavo Caracha 1,113.00 1X
14 Terry Cross 1,112.00 2X
15 James Jeffries 1,096.00 0X
16 Marc Soulie 1,087.00 0X
17 Joe Walls 1,065.00 1X
18 Joe Mazzola 1,063.00 0X
19 Solomon Manansala 1,061.00 3X
20 Jesse Redell 1,052.00 2X
21 Shane Parker 1,048.00 1X
22 Richard Chorister 1,042.00 1X
23 Vinny Da Hook 1,035.00 1X
24 Jason Keim 1,025.00 1X
25 Michael Nitzchke 1,018.00 2X
26 Craig Winscott 1,005.00 0X
27 Steve Eacret 1,000.00 0X
28 Scott Satterlee 996.00 0X
29 Travis Case 978.00 1X
30 Dane Miller 967.00 0X
31 Tony Palzkill 962.00 1X
32 Shawn Hughes 962.00 0X
33 Jorge Bonilla 959.00 0X
34 Scott Parks 949.00 1X
35 Chris Gittings 944.00 1X
36 Nick Owens 937.00 0X
37 Regina Milkovich 934.00 2X
38 Tim Milkovich 930.00 0X
39 Eric Blais 923.00 2X
40 Dustin Payne 916.00 1X
41 Brian Pence 903.00 0X
42 Jerod Sweesy 898.00 0X
43 Ken Lin 885.09 0X
44 Dale Jorgensen 876.34 0X
45 Russ Wallis 856.00 0X
46 Brad Grafe 849.00 2X
47 Jim Gominsky 848.00 0X
48 Aaron Gifford 843.00 3X
49 Christopher Tressler 807.00 2X
50 Marcus Blanchard 807.00 0X
51 Kevin Drake 802.00 0X
52 Michael Victor 801.00 1X
53 Thomas Meraz 782.00 0X
54 Bryan Yeung 754.00 2X
55 Simon Shih 747.00 0X
56 Nate Lauerman 735.00 0X
57 Greg Hamilton 730.00 0X
58 Werner K. Hellmer 730.00 0X
59 Ron Shackle 714.00 1X
60 Bill Wood 713.00 0X
61 Roger Cordes 707.00 0X
62 Mike Wytko 688.00 1X
63 Nick Bonofiglio 686.00 1X
64 Bear Workinger 679.00 0X
65 Mike Cecil 658.00 0X
66 Jason Leith 656.00 0X
67 Mark Dambrosio 639.00 0X
68 GW Ross 630.00 0X
69 Dylan Dille 629.00 1X
70 Jason Reber 624.00 0X
71 Kurt Stone 604.00 1X
72 Shane McAlary 595.00 0X
73 Jim Erikson 460.00 0X

Top Active Duty Military - Scott Satterlee. Scott took home an Primary Weapon System AR lower donated by Bob with MTG Firearms

Best Cold Bores by PRS Shooter - Francis The Animal: 420yd CBS and Brian Sanders: 200yd CBS. They both almost center punched theirs. Francis: 125.00 and Brian: 100.00

Fastest Shooter Stage Winner: Dorgan Trostel. Dorgan took home a Primary Weapon System precision rifle muzzle brake.

Top Short Range Shooter: Jeremy Bentham. Jeremy took home a SureFire muzzle brake and light.

Top Long Range Stage winner: Ty Frehner. Ty took home a GDI Engineering mount.

Fastest Run & Gun with most hits: Jacob Denny. Jacob took home a AR Lower donated by CS Tactical

Best Short Range Evolution Score will win a SureFire muzzle brake and light.

Top LE Shooter: Tim Milkovich. Tim took home a popper target donated by JC Steel.

Side Matches:

Closest to Center from our swinging platform: Werner Hellmer of Las Vegas. He took home 200.00 cash from Vortex Optics/Spartan Precision

Best 100yd 3 shot group: James Jefferies took home Steiner 10x40 binos

Best 550yd 3 shot group: Dale Jorgansen took home a 250.00 Gift Cert donated by Oakwood Controls.

 

[NorCal Vu]

First off, I would like to thank all of the competitors for attending our 2014 NorCal Tactical Bolt Rifle Challenge. Our club is humbled to see the number of high-level competitors choosing to attend our match even with the increasing number of matches happening all over the country these days.
NCPPRC was proud to sponsor seven Active Duty Military slots this year. These slots went to 6 Marine Corp 8541s and 1 Navy Seal. We were honored they were able to join us and we thank them for all that they do.

Secondly, I would like to thank everyone who supported the running of this match. Our 64 sponsors generously donated enough goodies for everyone to walk away with something nice no matter where they placed. NCPPRC truly appreciates the support from all of our current and past sponsors. It was also great to see a good number of representatives from the various companies attending our event.

A huge thanks goes out to our premier optic sponsor, Vortex Optics! Vortex sent us seven optics for the prize tables and provided us with our range crew shirts this year. Thank you, Scott!

Vinny Da Hook and Strider Knives provided some of the coolest awards ever for our top placing competitors. It will be very hard to top these custom awards in the coming years.

Below is an AAR and overview from a match director’s perspective:

Thursday, May 29th: About a dozen people come out to clean up and prepare our staging area. We usually prep our paper targets, clean and set up any ranges we have access to, and hang our sponsors’ banners.
Shaina and Tina prepared the shooter bags and organized everything for Friday’s Check In.

A pallet of 48 cases (40 bottles per case) was picked up from Costco to keep everyone hydrated for the next several days. Most of our ranges are covered, but we planned for being on the range 12 hours each day in 85-95°F weather. Predicted weather was full sun with winds 5-10mph all weekend.

Friday, May 30th – Competitor Check In and Open Range day.

Our range crew started to show up at the range around 0630 to prepare. Check in opened at 0730.Almost 95% of our shooters were present and ready to go.

The shooter bags were just bad ass this year. All competitors received an event patch, NCPPRC coffee mug, a NorCal-style chamber flag, long sleeve event shirt, and the American Giant NCPPRC hoodie. These hoodies retail for $89.00 without the club patch and American flag sewn in. Those that got one will tell you the quality of these hoodies justify the cost.

Once the competitors were checked in they were given a 100 yard bay to zero their rifles. We were able to get all 70 competitors zeroed and ready to hit our KD 1000 yard range in 1.5 hours. Our goal was to transition to the 1K range by 0900 that morning.

This year we opened up the 1K range for all that wanted to show up early to gather solid numbers from 300, 425, 500, 600, 800, 900 and 1000 yards.

We split up into two relays and gave competitors 12 minutes at each distance to get their DOPE dialed. Each shot was pulled and marked by the other relay. This range session was included in the competitors’ match fees and was NOT considered a “train up” of any sort. The primary purpose was to give everyone a chance to get good data and get warmed up for a full weekend of shooting.

The open range session was done around 1230 so, we broke for lunch. Kevin Drake was crashing with me so, he was kind enough to do a Costco run the day before for sandwich items. I think everyone was pretty happy with the lil’ buffet and it held them over until dinner that night.

After lunch we had three side matches sponsored by Vortex/Spartan Precision Rifles, Steiner Optics, and Oakwood Controls.

Saturday, May 31st: Day 1 of match.

The range crew hit the range at 0600, some even earlier. One of our club members, Kurt, was kind enough to cook and feed our range crew each morning. This was a huge help as some of these guys were spending 12+ hours on the range. Getting a lil’ food and coffee in them started their morning right. After all, you want your spotters to be awake when rounds start going down range.

Our shooter’s meeting started at 0700 sharp. The match booklets, provided by Storm Tactical, provided 99% of all the information needed for the weekend. No one had any questions. Competitors grabbed their gear and we took a group picture before kicking off.

Alpha and Bravo squads had to shoot three evolutions on Day 1. They had the Run & Gun, Short Range, and Long Range evolution to complete. All three evolutions required 100 rounds.

Charlie and Delta squads spent their day on the Steel Evolution where there was only one paper target involved. This evolution required85 rounds.

Cold bore shots for the weekend were fired from 420 yards on a 6” Shoot N C and 200 yards on a 3” Shoot N C.

Once the match kicked off, Justin Lagge, my co-MD floated around to put out any fires and coordinate ranges. At this point, the match was in the range crews’ hands to execute. Ninety percent of my work is done leading up to match day…..after that I kind of kick back and watch the show.

The steel range was executed flawlessly except for two issues. I was informed of two NDs in the last hour of the day. It seriously broke my heart because the two shooters I had to DQ from the event were guys I consider good friends of mine. I appreciate them being men about things and sucking it up. No excuses, no blame placed on anyone else but themselves. One of the competitors actually drove 2.5 hours back the 2nd day to help out with the event.

Alpha squad had a delayed start with the Run & Gun, but they kicked it into high gear once we figured out our time line was slipping by 40 minutes or so.

The ROs on that stage were able to gain some of that time back before we flip flopped Bravo squad over.
Those that have shot TBRCs in the past know that our days are pretty long and sometimes grueling due to the number of stages and pace we run. This year we had our support staff drop off snacks around noon to help keep our competitors focused and motivated.

We completed all COFs on Day 1 by 1530 and rallied back at the pole barn for a kick ass BBQ provided by our range chefs. These guys started preparing and cooking at 9am that morning. Cooking for a 130 people is no small feat and our range chefs executed their part with perfection.

The menu called for BBQ baby back ribs, grilled asparagus, Mediterranean pesto pasta salad, and a baked potato the size of a football with all the trimmings. This was an all-you-can-eat type of BBQ and we still had a ton of food left over. I do not think many ate dinner that night.

Sunday June 1st, Day 2 of shooting:

We kicked off at 0700 with our shooters’ meeting which was used to answer any questions anyone had. There were no questions, so we took another group picture with our kick ass American Giant hoodies on.

Alpha and Bravo headed off to the steel range for the day.

Charlie and Delta had the Short Range, Run & Gun, and Long Range evolutions.

The range crew was dialed in on Day 2. CBS shots were sent down range exactly at 0800 on all ranges.
Kurt must have made the coffee extra strong on Sunday because the range crew was on it! By midday we were 1 hour ahead of schedule… any MD knows that any time you can bank time is a good thing because shit always happens. LOL.

There were a few minor fires here and there, but Justin took care of things pretty quickly. Two competitors from Alpha squad had scope issues and wanted to check their zeroes. Match rules stated the competitors would have to forfeit any stages if it was their turn to shoot. Our support staff transported the competitors to a separate range with a 100yard target ready to go. I think both lucked out and did not have to give up any stages.

There was a 3rd ND Sunday AM as well. This was a simple call by the RO as the competitor pushed his bi pod off the front of the barricade and put a round in the dirt about 20 yards down range.

I also got a call over the radio for some duct tape to fix a rifle. Not something I hear all the time, but we had duct tape, zip ties, and 550 cord readily available. LOL.

All shooting was completed at 1430 on Sunday. We then rallied back at the pole barn for a taco buffet. This kept the competitors busy while the final scores were calculated and double checked. The prize table was setup earlier in the day so that competitors can look at all the goodies from all of our sponsors.

Scoring, review, and challenges were done by 1630 so, we kicked off the award ceremony.
All the side matches and special awards were taken care of first.
We then called up 1st through 25th individually to allow them a shot at the table. After 25th place, we called up 5 places at a time to get things moving faster.

After all competitors went through once, we gave our hardworking, dedicated range crew a run at the table. After they got a shot at it, we went backwards from last through first until everything was claimed.
After the dust settled I was pretty relieved the match was done and over, but saddened that all my old and new friends had to leave. There were a lot of good times that will be remembered for a long time to come.

Enough can’t be said for the range crew. These men and women busted ass and got ‘er done. Justin Lagge did a fantastic job as our co match director.
This was his first TBRC and he banged things out like a champ. Who knows, I might get to shoot the next big TBRC even. LOL!!!
Once again I would like to thank all of our competitors, sponsors, and NCPPRC members for making this event possible. Our club truly appreciates all of those that supported our efforts past and present.

Sincerely,

Vu Pham
TBRC Match Director

 

[NorCal Vu]

Our generous sponsors:

American-Giant
Alpha Mag Industries
Badger Ordnance
Bartlein Barrels
Benchmark Barrels
Borden Rifles
Burris Optics
Case Welding
CS Tactical
Defiance Machine
DPMS
GA Precision
GDI Engineering
I.O.T.A
Impact Databooks
Invincible Safes
J. Dewey
JC Steel Targets
JEC Customs
Kestrel
Kahles Optics
Kifaru
KMW Long Range Solutions
Krieger Barrels
Lauer Custom Weaponry
Lo's Taxidermy
LV Steel Targets
Manners Composite Stocks
McMillan Fiberglass Stocks
MGM Targets
Mil Dot Enterprises
MTG Firearms
Nightforce Optics
Oakwood Controls
Precision Rifle Series
Primary Weapon Systems
R Bros Rifles
Redding Reloading
Rifles Only
Savage Arms
ScoreHi Gunsmithing
Seekins Precision
Short Action Precision
Sierra Bullets
Sin City Precision Rifle Club
SKB Cases
Spartan Precision Rifles
Specialized Dynamics
Steiner Optics
Stiller Precision Firearms
Stock Doc
Storm Tactical
Strider Knives
SureFire
SureFire Supporessor Division
TAB Gear
Timney Triggers
US Optics
US Tactical Supply/Shawdow Tech
Victor Company
Vortex Optics
Warne Scope Mounts
XLR Industries
Copper Creek Ammo
Swarovski Optik

Oh behalf of the NorCal Range Crew I would like to thank Travis Case of Case Welding in Oklahoma and Nathan Webnar with Short Action Precision for donating items to be given specifically to our range crew. Travis donated 500.00 cash (I purchased a few gift certs to MTG Firearms and CS Tactical) and Nathan donated 3 of his slings.

Steve with our club threw in some big yellow fin tuna steaks from one of his long range fishing trips to raffle off as well!

Thanks guys,

Vu

 

[NorCal Vu]

Link to pics from the match.

http://s920.photobucket.com/user/NCPPRCPHOTOS/slideshow/TBRC 2014

 

[NorCal Vu]

I can't believe this was the 8th TBRC for me! I have memories of good, funny, frustrating, and rewarding moments from all 8 of them, but Shawn Hughes and a few other Marines ensured I will always remember this one.

These fine men presented me with this custom SKB case (cut for my polar bear rifle) and the Strider knife pictured below. I am honored and humble by such a thoughtful gesture as I should be the one thanking them for what they have done and continue to do for our country.

Words can’t describe how much I will cherish these gifts.

Many thanks to the men of 1/5 SS Plt, SKB Cases, and Strider Knives!

 

[Rob01]

Thanks Vu. Wish I could have made it. You always do a great job.

 

[deadnbrkn84]

An absolutely awesome match. So well done and run. Glad to be there, and will be back next year if you'll have me!

 

[fireguyty]

Ok, I'll give my AAR.

We all arrived at the shoot on Friday for sign in and sight in. We were all given the most amazing swag bag I have ever seen. VERY nice hoodie sweat shirts, long sleeve t-shirts, a patch, and even a coffee cup! I was blown away, and whats more is that team NorCal has the sickest logo in the game so it all looks amazing. We do sign in, and then were given a huge opportunity in gathering dope on the long range. We gathered dope from 300 yards all the way to 1000. This was huge in my book because your computer only gets you so close. We then swapped and pulled pits for the next squad.

Everyone went back to the pole barn for sandwiches. Afterwards we were invited to shoot in 3 side matches. The first was one single shot from your rifle at 100 yards on a shoot and see. The kicker was it was from a suspended platform. The winner got $200 cash from Vortex and Spartan Rifles. Next was a 3 shot group with a rifle provided by Steiner topped by their excellent new 5-25 scope. Winner of that took home a set of Steiner binos. The last side match was 3 shots from your own rifle at 550 yards. Oakwood controls was there with the coolest program that instantly gave you a picture of your group and what it measured center to center. Oakwood donated a $250 gift cert. All three side matches were very fun and provided some good relaxing entertainment. I don't really want to make a big deal out of this part, but Vegas guys won 2 out of 3 of the side matches.....suck it Phoenix!

Saturday was the first day of shooting. We were divided up into 4 squads, Alpha through Delta. I shot with Alpha. We shot the Run and Gun stage first. This was an excellent mix of precision, cardio and the coolest memory game. Afterwards we swapped with Bravo squad and went to the short range evolution. Team NorCal had 2 movers on this evolution! 100 and 200 yards. Was way fun. The short range evolution also had probably the funnest stage I have ever shot. 2 shooters shot 2 different spinner targets at the same time. You were awarded points if you could spin it, and bonus points for spinning it before the other shooter. Admittedly my heart sank a bit when I found out I was racing against the legendary Terry Cross!

Then Alpha and Bravo were trucked up to the long range for shooting from 800, 900, and 1000 yards. Alpha shot first and then switched with Bravo for pit duty. I have to admit that this was a super tough event both in skill and concentration as well because we were getting wiffs of ribs cooking on the BBQ! Thats right, after shooting on the first day we were treated to a legit BBQ dinner with ribs! It was awesome. This was probably the only time in the whole weekend were this rowdy group was quiet....to busy stuffing our faces.

Next day Alpha and Bravo shot the upper and lower steel ranges. What an interesting and fun mix of events which almost every one had a different barricade, and multiple targets and distances. These type of events tend to tax RO's, but the NorCal crew certainly represented! It was obvious that all the RO's were talented shooters themselves. They had multiple spotters on every event. The lead RO's were friendly and fun, but moved us rapidly through the event for minimal down time. They were firm with us when necessary, and extremely fair. I really can't say enough on the subject of the RO's at this shoot.

That was the conclusion of the shooting. We went back to the pole barn for yet another excellent meal, all you can eat tacos! While we chowed down, scores were tallied and put out with impressive speed. I don't think I have attended a shoot that was scored and results posted as quickly as this one. We rolled from eating, to challenge period, and right into awards in what seemed like no time. The prize table was overwhelming. The sponsors really turned out for the TBRC including multiple rifles, more scopes than I could count, stocks, slings, and certificates for everything imaginable. Truly an amazing table. And just like that, one of the best shoots in the world was over. I guess the old saying is true, time flies when you are having fun!

Match director Vu Pham and assistant match director Justin Lagge ran a well oiled machine. The RO's all new their jobs and did them well. The scoring girls were invisible, which is to say that they did everything so well and quick that we didn't even know they were there. The food all weekend was amazing! Team NorCal has again set the bar high for the rest of us that put matches on to attempt to meet. I know that if our match in January is a shadow of the TBRC, it will be a huge success.

I'd like to take a second to say thanks to Steiner Optics, and GDI mounts for the prizes I was given.

Thanks for a great time,
Tyler Frehner
Sin City Precision

P.S. I lost a case of beer to those Phoenix sissys for out shooting us Vegas guys.....again.

 

[mattsnuked]

P.S. I lost a case of beer to those Phoenix sissys for out shooting us Vegas guys.....again.

Ha, you placed the bet sucka!!

Range crew and RO's were all great, food, swag bag, and prize table was out standing. This is THE match I always look forward to, great job as always VU!

 

[JLR]

Great match Vu. Even though I had one of my worst shooting performances, I'm glad I got the chance to go! Can't say enough about Vu, his crew, and all the sponsors that made this a great match....well done everyone!

 

[djskit]

Tyler - thanks for the kind words, we put a lot pride into running a quality match. I basically run the line the way I wish it would be run when I shoot.

It was a privilege to meet every single one of you!

 

[Terry Cross]

I have been out of circulation for a while and was able to recently entertain the idea of trying to make a competition again. Everything lined up and I was able to steal a slot to the NorCal TBRC under an assumed name.

After being away from this a while, I was very (very, very, very...) intimidated about trying to show up and function on a safe level and still enjoy the event. Well, those worries became a non-issue because other things quickly got my attention.

First off, the men and women orchestrating the TBRC are some of the most professional and courteous people on the continent. They are shooters themselves and thus very competent at the safe and efficient administration of an event this size. We are talking about over 70 serious competitors firing a ton of rounds on at least 7 separate sub ranges simultaneously with an ass ton of range personnel and with support people running between every group. Scores, targets, paint and people were moved around like a ballet. Crap, they must have moved enough drinking water into the shooters to float the Nimitz.

The food provided each day as part of the competitor package was outstanding. Well done.

So yes, I was impressed at the organization and adaptability of their match crew.
The events themselves were very challenging but “doable”. Targets ranged from 25yds to 1000yds and were a mix of paper and steel. Every shot on steel had several sets of big glass monitoring it and there were no questions about hits or misses.

My hats are off to my fellow shooters. Not only my own squad but all of the others were safe, courteous and professional. It was really neat to be back around this and appreciate how different people dissect and attack a stage.

The Sac Valley club is one of the prettiest as far as scenery and layout. Vu and his crew certainly used every aspect of their available resources to provide us with a super fine competition environment.

I have to say that the prize table was ridiculous! This says a LOT for the reputation Vu and the TBRC has grown to. With all of the competitions happening every weekend these days, vendors and suppliers cannot possibly cover all of the bases. I can tell that there were many vendors happy to show their support.

Most of all, Thank You to all my friends and new acquaintances that I was able to visit with and enjoy the shoot with. This includes Vu and most of the range crew I can now call friends.

Vu, we all appreciate what you and your wonderful staff do to make that happen.

Be safe,
Terry

 

[Terry Cross]

Tyler,

It was fun to be in your squad and a pleasure to meet you. Congratulations on the good finish.

P.S.: Now that I know what one of those swing things are, you're going to have to tighten up next time!

Be safe and keep up the good rifle driving. Hope to see you and the others soon.

Terry

 

[LH_Gina]

Once again Vu and the crew from NorCal put on a spectacular match. As Ty and Mr. Cross have both said, there was a good mix of targets from 25-1000 yards, professional range staff, great spotters, and delicious food. Seriously. The tacos were out of sight. Literally. Gobble gobble.

All things mechanical break, and my gear was no different. Finally, after 4+ years, I had a scope go down. One of the Vegas guys, Dale Jorgenson, was kind enough to loan me his spare USO. Thank you very much dude. (He's the same guy who won the best 550 yard group side match with a .8" group.)

The personal highlight of the match for me was somehow winging all 6 of my rounds into the shoot-n-c on my 100 yard mover. I think I was the only one to clean it. Ken Lin was nice enough to hook me up with a frame for my target. The likelihood of that happening again are up there with seeing a unicorn and the Loch Ness monster playing cards. Speaking of unicorns, Mr. Cross hooked Tim and I up with KMW pod-loc's too. Oh yeah. Thank you sir!

Somehow I ended up on Alpha squad. I think someone better must've dropped out last minute. I appreciated the opportunity to shoot with some of the greats in the sport. I haven't laughed so much at a match in a really long time. Thank you to the guys on my squad for making it really enjoyable and for pushing me whether you knew it or not.

Vu, thank you for letting me into the match again. It truly is the highlight of the match season for me. I'm sure some of that is because the course of fire somewhat resembles what we do in AZ, but also because your crew is a tightly run ship, consistent, fair, and willing to laugh when prompted. NorCal always seems to set the bar on how to do things for smaller clubs like ours. Believe me when I say we're taking notes. Love the ladies in the stat shack and I probably bugged Shaina enough to owe her a drink sometime. Lani, thank you for volunteering to loan me your Schmidt Bender. I'd have never heard the end of it from Vu, but I'd have lived.

The steel range kicked my butt. NorCal folks: expect to see some of your more dastardly stages tweaked AZ-style in February. Especially since Tim and I both picked up PIG saddles from the prize table courtesy of U.S. Tactical Supply. Just sayin'.

Thank you to my AZ teammates. Pure entertainment as always.

P.S. The shooter bag was awesome. My office at work is cold enough to hang a side of beef, so my new hoodie has been getting lots of use already.

 

[Terry Cross]

djskit,
Thanks for the hospitality and patience. We all appreciate you and the others giving up your time to put up with us and especially giving up the opportunity to shoot so you could help run the comp.

 

[LVshooter]

Great match
Thanks Vu and Crew
Always fun to get to see everyone.

 

[shotdown]

Like Ty, Terry and Gina have stated, it was an awesome match and the NorCal guys did a great job in running it. This was the first major match I've attended and I'm already looking forward to attending next year. I was initally intimidated by all the pro shooters there and wondered what I was doing there, haha. I met some great people along the way and unfortunately I did not get to speak or meet everyone.

I initially started off slow in the short range on the first day but managed to pick up points in the steel on the second day. Also, I only shot a mover once before so I sucked at the 100 yd mover. However, I was able to quickly rebound and hit most of my shots at the 200 and 420 yd movers. I came in 33rd overall which is decent in my book for a match of this caliber. Once again, thanks Vu, Justin and all of the NorCal guys for making it a memorable experience.

 

[fireguyty]

Tyler,

It was fun to be in your squad and a pleasure to meet you. Congratulations on the good finish.

P.S.: Now that I know what one of those swing things are, you're going to have to tighten up next time!

Be safe and keep up the good rifle driving. Hope to see you and the others soon.

Terry

Oh, I tightened up to begin with! They said Ty vs. Terry Cross and my BH tightened up like a snare drum and didn't let up until after long range!!! I just came out lucky is all. Thanks again for the pod lock you gave me and all the things I learned from you by just watching. It was truly an honor sir!

Ty

 

[montana3gunner]

I would echo the above comments. VU and the Ro's were great. It was good to see the guys I know, and meet new guys. Special thanks to Brian Sanders for putting us up, driving us all over the place, and Answering my endless questions. Also many thanks to Francis Kuehl who lent a guy he barely knew (me) a scope when mine went down at sight in so I could shoot the match. Would have been a spectator if not for a borrowed scope.

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[deadnbrkn84]

There is a few of these threads but this one seems to have the most pictures so I'll put my other post here. Nothing more can be said that hasn't already. Phenomenal match, top notch crew, facility, swag, prize table, and competitors. Already looking forward to next year.

Some of our gear.

New Vortex Razor on Scotts rifle

Pulling Pits

Candy anyone?

Awesome truck storage

Tank barricade stage

Rooftop

Reverse rooftop

Some rifles racked

 

[deadnbrkn84]

On the 1k yard range.

My 1k yard 3 shot group (and no I'm not going to give the Snipers Hide "all day long if I do my part". This was a once in a lifetime fluke)

 

[Short Action Precision]

First and foremost, thank you to all the crew for putting on such an awesome event. Greatly appreciate the dedication and hard work you people put into your club and this match. My AAR is a little shorter then others! We arrived and checked in on the first day. First day was practice on the 1k range. Dope was gathered, and I must say it was nice to be able to put everyone on a level playing field with hard dope. After the practice session there was a few side matches that were more then challenging. First day of the match started off amazing. I started on the lower steel bay. Stages were similar to things I have shot before but the targets where challenging as well as some of the props. Stages were not super crazy which I love! But also these were not easy stages by any means. After figuring out my scope shifted for some reason after the 2nd stage I was off and running! I was picking up points each stage. My main goal was to beat a certain individual who shall not be named (Chris Tressler). We were neck and neck going up to the upper steel bay! I started to pull away half way through that area! On the 2nd to the last stage over there I learned a valuable lesson. I learned that even if you are doing well and having a super great time you need to remain focused on what you are doing. I was on the reverse roof top which was a new prop for me. I proceeded to get into my firing position and I was not focused on what I was really doing and broke rule #3 of firearms safety. Finger off the trigger until you are on target and ready to fire. Needless to say as I was behind my scope, but I was not fully behind my rifle. So I adjust the stock into my shoulder and boom. ND not on target. Sam was the RO and he did not even have to call me on it. I knew I screwed the pooch immediately. So that is why my AAR is not as long as others. I learned I need to go back to some basics and work on trigger control as well as my focus. After feeling like complete crap for letting that happen we proceeded to the pole barn for some of the best ribs I have ever had, and a beer that I sorely needed. All said and done this was the funnest match I have ever shot! Not only because of the stages that I shot but because of the people I got to shoot and hang out with. I ended up licking my wounds and leaving Sat. night. I regret not getting to hang out with all the friends there, but it was not an easy night for me! I want to apologize to Nor Cal for the ND. I also want to thank you for allowing me to come into your house and to be treated like family every time. You are greatly appreciated. Your slogan stands true. "Its not what you shoot but who you shoot with."


Thanks

 

[grandslam]

Where do I begin with an AAR.....this is the third time that I have been able to shoot TBRC. I always enjoy it, and always feel honored to represent the club.

This year we had the best goodie bag ever at the Friday check in. To start we have another great color combo long sleeve TBRC shirt, a TBRC patch, and a really cool NCPPRC coffee cup. I've been asking Vu for years to do mugs just cause its something that I will use everyday. This year to top it off, Vu somehow managed to get hooked up with American Giant | Mens Sweatshirts | 100% Cotton | Made in USA and give us the best sweatshirt ever!

Now on the the match. I was squaded in Alpha squad and we started the day on the run and gun portion of the match. Even though it was in the same portion of the range that it was in 2012 Vu did a great job on changing the COF to make it feel totally different. After you shot each prop, while moving forward you needed to look at the forward side of the prop and look for a shape that you had to remember in order to shoot it on a paper target and the end of your movement. It was a great idea and made it tough to remember to look back and still remember the shapes.

After we were done on the run and gun we headed to a 200 yard bay where once again Vu changed things up and offered a good fun COF. Shooting the mover there from both 100 and 200 yards was fun even if I didnt get many hits. There was various hostage targets from different yardages, and a different kind of dot drill that was as challenging as you wanted to make it. After all that was the highlight of the bay, the spinner. This was the first time that I have shot on as an individual and it was a ton of fun.

The last shooting position for Alpha squad on Saturday was the 1000 yard range. I was a little disappointed that we didnt get to shoot the whole thing but shooting just 800-1000 proved to be tough in the afternoon. We dont usually shoot that late in the day so the winds were very finicky and constantly switching. It was definitely not my best day on that range but lucky for me it proved tough for everyone.

After we got done shooting, it was time for BBQ. Zach Woody and crew did an outstanding job BBQing ribs, baked potatoes and asparagus. After a long day of shooting it really hit the spot and was by far the best meal I have had at a match to date.

Day two for us was spent on the steel range. I went into it thinking that this was where I was gonna really do my best.....easier said than done. Once again Vu changed up the COF and gave us a little something different from what we get in our bi-monthly steel matches. It was a tough COF but not so tough that you couldnt have scored really well with a good day. The winds were up and down all day and that made things just a little tougher than normal. Most stages were shot from a prop of some kind and I think they were all fun.

After we were done, we had Tacos from our local truck that we hire quite frequently and they were as good as they always are. The scoring seemed to go really fast and had minimal errors in my opinion. Like always the sponsors stepped up and supported TBRC really big. There was a ton of stuff on the table and I think that everyone walked away with something pretty decent.

All of the RO's did a really good job handling all 75 of the competitors and ran things really efficiently. Vu always seems to pick the right people for the right job and I think that it really shows when things run as smoothly as they did.

I'd like to thank all of the RO's and spotters for volunteering their weekend to run this match. It would never happen without them and they have a huge part in what makes this match run so well. I dont think the spotters get enough credit, thats a really tough job to do all day long. Thank you all again for all of your hard work.

 

[Team Rhino]

So the 2014 Tactical Bolt Rifle Challenge is in the books now. I know that a great time was had by all.

Sac Valley Shooting center is famous for being a top notch and well maintained facility, and as always, it did not disappoint. Challenging steel stages, long range shots needing expert wind calls, a bunch of challenging paper that had to be played smartly, and some kick ass run and gun with a twist! A couple of head to head stages like the dueling tree and spinner targets were great fun or agony depending on how you did! The work that was put into the course of fire and running the match definitely showed lots of forethought and attention to detail. From the multiple spotters on steel targets to ensure correct calls, to a BBQ lunch and taco plates the next. Big thanks to Vu and all the Nor Cal Club crew and friends who helped make all of this possible!

Also HUGE thanks to all of the sponsors who make all of this happen! Vortex really came through as a key sponsor once again!! I love supporting those guys. GA Precision, Steiner, Surefire, Victor co, TAB Gear, R Bros Rifles, MTG Firearms, and many more filled that prize table with goodies that we all can use. Great wok guys!

Team Rhino most definitely had a great time!! We will look forward to shooting with you all again soon!

 

[NorCal Vu]

Links to pics posted in the first few post in this thread.

 

[Dirtracer151]

As usual NorCal didn't disappoint!!

This year was a bit different then past years and i think the changes worked out great.
This was the first year we drove up on thursday night instead of friday morning. The big change was the ability for all competitors to use the 1k range for practice after checking in and checking our 100yd zeros on friday morning. This was awesome because since getting married i haven't had a chance to make it up to NorCal in a long time to get any dope. I think it benefited all of the shooters and helped to level the playing field with the locals that shoot up there constantly. The 1k practice was ran just like the normal NCPPRC practice days only we skipped the 200yd line.

After practice we were treated to an awesome sandwich lunch. These weren't just normal everyday sandwiches!! They were like gourmet sandwiches that we were able to assemble ourselves with some awesome thick sliced meat and cheese. They definitely hit the spot!!

Then it was back to the 100yd short bay for the side matches.

The first one was a swinging platform. Very similar to platforms we've seen in other big matches only this one was a BITCH. The norcal guys built it a couple weeks ago to use in the match but used 4' tall legs and chains to suspend it (most platforms use 1.5' legs and chains). Becauze the chains were so long they found it was almost impossible to hit anything from it. They allowed people to game it even by dragging toes or whatever and it still proved to be too difficult. The decision was made to scrap it from the match because there wasn't enough time to shorten the legs and instead use to for the side match. The stage was something like this-
60 sec shoot time
1 shot
Starting port arms
Prone on platform
Nothing touching ground or chains/poles when you break your shot
Closest to center wins
I was like the 6th guy to shoot it. I drug my toes to slow the platform down when i jumped on and lifted them up after i got it under control and noticed if i sent my point of aim up to be almost at the end of the platforms swing, that if i waited 10 seconds or so the point where the swing changes direction and stops for a split second would damn near stop on my target if i was patient enough. This payed off because i broke my shot when the swing stopped on my red circle and i ended up almost hitting the 1/4" red circle. I believe i was the leader for most of the time as most people struggled to even hit the Shoot-n-c until about the 5th guy left happened to center punch the red. Oh well, it was a lot of fun to try and i was still satisfied with my performance.

The next side match was the best 3 shot group. The kicker was we all had to use the same Sako TRG rifle with one of the brand new Steiner 5-25x56 scopes mounted on top. The line for this stage took a lot longer. I stood there watching everyone get up from the rifle shaking their heads. The bipod was too tall, the rifle wasn't set up correctly to be comfortable for most shooters, and the barrel was practically glowing red from all the shooting. I thought many times about just skipping that one cause there was no way i had a shot at it. When it was my turn i got down on the rifle, gave it a few dry fires, and tried to make myself comfy. I sent 2 rounds down range and to my surprise they were touching. I figured it was luck and im always the type of guy to fuck up a good group with my last shot so i knew the 3rd shot was gonna be a major flier. After the recoil settled (yes i feel like a pussy when i have to shoot an unbraked 308) i looked through the scope to see this in the scope-

I knew right then that group was going to be good enough to win that side match. I walked away with an awesome pair of Steiner 10x42 Tactical binos courtesy of Steiner Germany

That evening we all went to Hooters (as usual) for some good drinks and laughs. It's always good to hang out with everyone. I honestly believe %75 of shooting these matches for me are about the memories made hanging with all the fun people. The shooting is just a bonus. Here's a video i took from the Hooters hula hoop contest lol-

[youtube]clhDKP14qm8[/youtube]

Day 1 kicked off with a safety brief at 0700
My squad went to the Run-n-gun stage first. It was really fun stage! Don't be surprised if i talk Rich G in to doing a similar stage this month for PBR :wink:
Next we rotated with bravo squad and went to the short range. This evolution really kicked my ass. With the Bushnell scope i was using it doesnt get parallax free until 75yds and the mirage in this bay was ridiculous. So bad that i couldn't even see my bullet hits at 100yds. I don't know how you could ever practice for this type of shooting unless you had a 200yd bay that got mirage as bad as this one does. It was frustrating for me. I always have matches where i start slow but after 1 or 2 good stage i can kick it in high gear and make points. For this evolution i just couldn't even buy a good stage!!

After that train wreck for me was over with we went to the 1k range. This year we only shot 800-1k. 15rds at each distance so there was a good opportunity to make or loose a lot of points. I've been getting pretty confident in my wind reading the past couple years when i shoot in Sac and this time i was on point. I was making awesome calls and my shots were going where i predicted them to almost the entire time. in fact out of 15 strings of 3 i only blew 2 strings with bad calls. My whole goal was to keep everything on the paper. This game plan led me to a 2nd place overall ranking in the long range evolution at the end of the weekend! Unfortunately after my shit show performance in the morning i didn't make up enough points to get me in the top 10.

I blew 1 string at 1k and i can almost swear it was due to the smell of those damn ribs that we could smell on the shooting line breaking my concentration!! Seriously this lunch was off the hook!! I'm not gonna say much else about this because this picture pretty much explains it all-

Day 2 started at 0700 with another safety brief.
My squad was on the steel range. I started slow AGAIN. This time due to a .2 zero shift that took me 4 stages to correct. (Many other shooters complained of zero shifts on day 2. Bryan Y of Team GAP said his Bushnell shifted a full mil!!!). After i caught my shift i began making hits. I was pretty bummed too because this type of COF is totally my style. All of the stages were VERY challenging but totally doable. I felt it was the perfect balance.


After all was said and done i barely managed to scrape off a 15th. The spread between 5th-20th is very small. I think back to all those points i gave up on the short range and wish i could get a mulligan but as we all know with Precision Rifle shooting if we all were allowed mulligans the results at the end would still probably turn out the same.

I feel that this match was like all the other matches i've shot in NorCal. They deliver!! NCPPRC goes above and beyond to make sure all shooters are well taken care of and that all sponsors are given as much exposure as possible. NorCal is by far my favorite venue to shoot at. Between the good company and the awesome competition i always leave having had a great time.

Thank you to the NorCal crew for sacrificing blood, sweat, and lots time with your families to deliver such an awesome match to us shooters!!!

Special thanks to Francis "The Animal" for helping get my 2014 TBRC rifle going in time. It's a 6 Creedmoor and i think i might stick with this caliber for a few barrels. I'm really enjoying it so far!!

 

[NorCal Vu]

AAR done by Jonathan Berry

2014 NorCal Tactical Bolt Rifle Challenge AAR by Jonathan Berry | Precision Rifles Series

 

[gau17]

I just wanted to say I had such a great time shooting this match. I can't get over how friendly everyone was. I only knew one person on my squad, but by Sunday it felt like I had know everyone for quite some time. I'm looking forward to shooting with you guys again.


Vu - I didn't get to personally thank you because you were so busy. Thank you for putting together a great match. You guys have a wonderful facility. Your staff was professional and very helpful. Everything from running the COF to shuttling shooters to their next stage ran like a well oiled machine. The food, gifts, and prize table were all top notch (big thank you to the sponsors). I now have a new favorite sweater!

Once again, thank you Sir!

Solomon.

P.S. I'm new to shooting big matches. I just wanted to say I witness something worth mentioning during the award ceremony. A top shooter got called and he could have easily picked up something worth more. Instead he chose something small so someone else can get a better prize. I'm sure everyone knows him and this was probably not the first time it has happened. As a new shooter I thought it was very admirable. I tip my hat to you sir.