I woke up this morning ready to go to the monthly FT match for once as I had 95% of my gear in the Cherokee loaded up the night before. I only had to add guns and some food items to get on the road so I was set to get there on time and have a day of fun shooting. Driving down the road, I knew in the back of my mind that Id be hitting a few and missing a few since I hadnt shot my FT rig since the last match!

No biggie, scoring high and winning matches isnt what FT is all about, its about camaraderie, shooting some targets and spending time with friends that I may only get to see once a month. The weather has been on a warming trend which had a bunch of us worried going into the weekend. It was likely gonna be a scorcher in Concord, CA, could be a test of shooters and equipment again!

Driving down the highway to the club, I could feel that air was warm and dry. The heat was coming and so were new shooters to check out FT for the first time, not the optimal weather for new shooters but at least there was bbq, swap meet and plinking planned for after the match planned. Everyone could relax and talk about how bad the heat messed up their scores while eating some good food and rehydrating, right?!?!

Arriving at Diablo Rod and Gun Club, I was pleasantly surprised to see a variety of familiar and unfamiliar cars/trucks in the lot, new shooters/visitors are at hand, how cool! After quickly unpacking my gear, I noticed that the swap meet tables were getting loaded up with all kinds of great deals that were making me weak at the knees and tempting the pocketbook!:





On the sight in range, I set up next to Eric K., a devoted Silhouette, 10M and FT Springer Shooter that loves shooting different rifles at the FT matches to mix things up. Much to my surprise he is practicing with his R7 (.17)! At 46 yards hes consistently hitting a 1 spinner using holdover! After a quick sight in to make sure I could hit something during the match, I decided it was good enough, figuring Im not going to be setting the course on fire today with my shooting, thats for sure. I guess its time to mingle before the shooters meeting.

As Im walking about, I see a familiar new face at Diablo FT. Zoe, one of our Central Valley and Yellow Forum shooting buds walks up with his warm smile and aUSFT in hand! Its always a pleasure meeting up with Zoe to shoot and hangout with and even more so now that he finally got a chance to attend a match. Hes one of those guys that you love to joke around with, especially when it comes to shooting. To put it mildly, lets just say there was some pre-match hype that one of our Central Valley buds was gonna come whip our Diablo behinds at FT today, lol!!!

After the shooters meeting, I headed out to lane 8, paired up with whom elseZoe! It was a good thing because he was new to FT and showing up in a manner that would of kept me sidelined, lolnew to him FT Rifle/Scope Package that he only shot 3 times prior and hes got a scope click sheet/card that was set up by the prior owner and unverified! Lane 8 had targets placed under 25 yards with kill zones that were fairly forgiving for the non AA shooters. Zoe ranged the distance for the first target, clicked per the chart and hit low consistently on the lane. Figuring maybe he needed to settle in, didnt think much about it. Now Im up and staring at an AA target, a big red chicken at about 25 yards on the bank with about a 3/8 kill zone, all I could think is great, nice first target, thanks Kevin for assigning me to start here, lol!!! Surprisingly it fell twice, I couldnt contain myself and shouted out a Woo Hoo!!!, if all else failed today for me, I nailed that target!!!

As we proceed down the course, Zoe is still shooting low. I know this guy can shoot minute of squirrel at 96yards in the field so there is obviously a mechanical issue at hand. I start watching him shoot closely and notice that his pressure gauge is at 2,000psi! Being a USFT kind of guy, I knew something was very wrong, I asked him if the prior owner told him where to fill the gun to and he said no so I pointed out that most USFTs like to be filled somewhere around 1500psi +/- 50psi and to take a look at the side of the receiver where it says MWP 1800psi! Zoe basically made the SAME mistake I did when I first got mine where I filled it up to where the fill gauge states full instead of reading the documentation that came with my rifle!

So we take turns dry firing his gun/fanning the hammer to drop the fill pressure down to 1550psi and see if that improves things. POI is still a bit low but closer/in the ball park.

Heres a pic of Zoe:



As we move down the course, we get to some closer targets in the 15 17 yard range and Zoes shooting real low on the first shot so I ask him, is there any chance you are a revolution off? He gives it an extra revolution of elevation, takes the shot and the target falls! He knows his clicks may not be perfect but the target fell, life is good!

Elsewhere on the course, new shooter Jeff S. is paired up with Pat J., the current Spring Piston Champion at Diablo. Jeff is new to FT and is using one of the club loaner guns, a TX200SR:



Over on Lane 10 is where Super Squirrel resides, high up on the wall about 21 yards out with a ½ kill zone and an angled shot to the left of where you sit. He fell on my first shot but taunted me on the second shot, standing proudly and defiantly as I missed. But here comes the new kid on the block, Jeff S., as Zoe and me set up on the next lane. Jeff nailed Super Squirrel twice, talking about a Woo Hoo moment, I was in awe! As Mike G. put it later, regardless of what happened today, you got that target twice!

Kevin Yee was paired up with another new shooter, Andy L. who brought his Marauder to have a go at FT. All was going well until he ended up with 2 wad cutter pellets stuck in the barrel! Time to share Kevins USFT for the duration of the match!

Andy L.:



Kevin Y.:



AJ was another new shooter that was paired up with veteran shooter Lonnie S. who happens to be his uncle as well.

AJ:



Lonnie S.:



Zoe and I make our way to Lanes 1 and 2 where the longest targets are to be found on our current course where we hit a few and missed a few, lol! Some amazing shooting was at hand here where Eric K. dropped the buzzard target at 46 yards or so with his R7 twice!

Eric K. showing his Silhouette background as this lane was not a forced off hand shot!:



Today we had 2 female shooters on the course named Maneeva and Irene that were a team of sorts. Irene is Maneevas 3 Position Coach and they are getting bit with the FT bug and the joys of reactive targets!

Maneeva G.:



Irene S.:



I tell ya having these 3P shooters around got a few of us FT guys wanting to barter services, hoping to teach them the finer points of shooting FT well in exchange for lessons on how to shoot Off Hand, Kneeling and Prone!!!

Springer Class was full of excitement with competition and new shooters. Pat J. the current Spring Piston Champion was back after having shot Hunter at the last match along with Paul B., Jonathon R., Eric K., and new shooters Jeff S. and Brian B.

Paul B.:



Jonathon R.:



Pat J. is always a formidable competitor with a springer and Paul B. has been closing the gap on him this year. Seeing them both competing in Springer Class this time around made some of us keep a watchful eye.
Over in PCP and AA Class it was a day of challenge and discovery for all. Guy O. was testing out his new Steyr LG110 FT fitted with a new barrel and fresh scope numbers. Riz M.s Daystate X2R FT developed a regulator leak and had to use one of the clubs loaner guns, an AZ tuned Steyr LG100FT. Veteran shooter Greg Tobler was paired up with new shooter Brian B.(Springer Class) whom experienced scope failure on his rig during the match and Greg experienced equipment issues as well the excitement and frustrations of FT and heat permeating the course!

Guy O.:



Riz M.:



John L.:



The temps hit 102 degrees today, clearly taking its toll on shooters and equipment, no doubt about it. As we started gathering toward the clubhouse and refreshments, the look of heat fatigued faces that were relieved to be out of the sun were everywhere. As score cards were submitted curiosity abound despite all the fatigued shooters, creating a mild buzz throughout the room.

Springer Class:

1. Paul B. 37
2. Pat J. 36
3. Jon R. 33

PCP Class:

1. Lonnie S. 44
2. Riz M. 40
3. Greg T. 30

AA Class:

1. Guy O. 43
2. Kevin Y. 42
3. Tony I. 38

Junior Shooters Class:

1. Maneeva G. 25

Hunter class

1. Eric K. 26

International class

1. Rin E. 37



It was an exciting day with some special highlights. In Springer Class, Paul B. has been working hard at improving his game and keeping close on Pat J.s scores. At the end of the day, Pat walks up to Paul and says Ya got me! Paul was so stoked, his face lit up with a big smile and he gave Pat a hug! Paul shot a personal best to earn that 1st Place so it was a very special moment indeed!

Jonathon R. is a new springer shooter that just started up with Diablo this year and his scores are improving having shot a personal best this match, without the use of straps and using hold over at that. His goal since the first match has been continuous improvement and hes progressing exceptionally well. Were gonna be keeping a watchful eye on him as the season continues, the guy has skills!
In PCP Class, Lonnie S. shot a personal best, earning a 90%+ pin and the top honors for the day. Ron E. whom was shooting his faithful EV2 MKII but did it this time without the use of straps! He is training to compete at this years US Field Target Nationals in International Class, a fine performance indeed as its a huge transition to suddenly stop using straps after having trained and refined your technique with the use of straps.

Now that the shooters meeting was done, on to the Good Stuff! BBQs were fired up and after a bit of grilling, lunch with the all the fixins was ready for all the tired and hungry! Baby Back Ribs, Korean Ribs, Lechen(Filipino Style Deep Fried Pork), Brisket, Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad, Cole Slaw, Corn on the cob, etc. were on the menu! I think its a fair statement that no one was left hungry!!! Not only were the Food Tables stocked well but so were the Swap Meet Tables!!!

Tempting Fate were items like a Rapid MKII FT Rifle, Air Arms S410 in custom Target Stock, HW77, RWS94($70), SCUBA Tanks, scopes ,etc. All kinds of good stuff that an airgunner NEEDS!!! Personally I couldnt resist the HW77 and a set of binoculars to bring on the ride back home!

Afterwards, we grabbed our guns and started plinking and hanging out at the sight in range! Lots of talk about the course, shooter feedback and airguns!

Thanks again to Diablo Rod and Gun Club for hosting another wonderfully fun, safe and challenging shooting event! Special thanks to Pat J. for taking all the photos again! Looks like the new shooters all had a great time, looking forward to seeing everyone at the next go round!