I Finished The Match Today

[AzShooter1]

It's been along time but I finally finished shooting a Steel Challenge match for the first time this year. Weather was comfortable, 53 degrees and 30 mph winds when we started but ended up being 72 and beautiful. I'm in a wheelchair. Some of the stages are set up with either rain in the bay or tire marks so bad they prevent me from rolling down to the shooter's box.

My health has sucked this year. The few times I made it out I shot one or two stages and had to quit because I was exhausted. But today I brough out my Volquartsen Black Mamba, a ton of CCI Clean ammo and 15 magazines loaded up. I use a McFadden Ultimate Clip Loader to recharge my magazines between stages and it worked flawlessly today. I lubed it before going to the match.

The way the range is set up, it takes about 2 miles to travers all the bays. That's a lot of rolling in my wheelchair and I don't have anyone helping push me around. The Range Master decided two years ago that all the stages had to be moved another 50 yards down range. In 20 years of shooting there has never been an accident on the range but this new RM decided to change things.

Well, I was able to complete the entire match today. My score wasn't going to win me anything but the challenge of finishing was all I needed.

 

[Lo-Profile]

Glad you made it through.
Shame you can't get someone to give you a hand. I shoot with a couple guys that need help sometimes. But then again at 65, I'm the youngest.

 

[Mark_Mark]

It's been along time but I finally finished shooting a Steel Challenge match for the first time this year. Weather was comfortable, 53 degrees and 30 mph winds when we started but ended up being 72 and beautiful. I'm in a wheelchair. Some of the stages are set up with either rain in the bay or tire marks so bad they prevent me from rolling down to the shooter's box.

My health has sucked this year. The few times I made it out I shot one or two stages and had to quit because I was exhausted. But today I brough out my Volquartsen Black Mamba, a ton of CCI Clean ammo and 15 magazines loaded up. I use a McFadden Ultimate Clip Loader to recharge my magazines between stages and it worked flawlessly today. I lubed it before going to the match.

The way the range is set up, it takes about 2 miles to travers all the bays. That's a lot of rolling in my wheelchair and I don't have anyone helping push me around. The Range Master decided two years ago that all the stages had to be moved another 50 yards down range. In 20 years of shooting there has never been an accident on the range but this new RM decided to change things.

Well, I was able to complete the entire match today. My score wasn't going to win me anything but the challenge of finishing was all I needed.

when I shot matches, our bays were right next to each other. It was a hoot, imagine the movie ET and shooting in the giant fur tree fields. the bays were so close to each other, you would get bullets randomly falling from the sky. and 100 yards away was the Skeet towers, so pellets would also rain on you! GOOD TIMES!

But, the feeling of finishing a match must be WONDERFUL. Like fishing, bad day at fishing is better then a good day at work!

you thought about getting a motor on that chair?

 

[Mark_Mark]

they make these attachment that will keep you from handwheeling for 2 miles

 

[kmw1954]

Congrats on the accomplishment. I would honestly think that you are fortunate that they even have handicap access. Competing is great fun. I start a rifle league in Jan. and I am the only one firing a 223 so I play my own games cause I'm never going to outshoot those Bench rifles.

The range I work at PT has a 13 station Sporting Clays course that is all handicap accessible and they are working right now to improve it and make it more wheelchair friendly.

 

[Riomouse911]

@AzShooter1, well done! Glad to read that you were able to cover all that ground and finished all the stages! Thats quite a bit of distance for a lot of folks to cover at a match, especially moving with guns, ammo, range cart, etc. Having to do so solo in a chair? That took an extra level of dedication.

Hopefully the next match will be arranged in such a way to minimize the distances between stages.

Keep it up!

Stay safe.

 

[Walkalong]

Glad to hear you’re doing better health wise, we so often take our good health for granted.

Nothing like getting back to what you love.

 

[nofendertom]

Congrats on finishing the match !
Even if you don't finish the match, you are doing what you love.
Keep it up and to ( very HOT place) with any naysayers.