NRA High Power - Houston Area

[smitlar]

Does anyone know of a club/range in the Houston area, or North of Houston, like Bryan/College Station that hosts NRA High Power matches?

I live just to the North of Houston and have been shooting monthly matches at the 200 yard Tomball Gun Club range since 1999. Attendance has declined the last year or two and only three of us showed up this morning, the Match Director, me, and a newbie.

I know about Bayou and Lake Jackson that have 1000 & 600 yard ranges South of town, but don't know of any others.

Thanks for any info...Larry

 

[BobCat]

Saw the title of your post and was going to suggest Tomball, but you already shoot there.

I shoot at Bayou, and we usually have a decent turnout. The 60-shot prone match is next Sunday. It is not a regular Highpower Across-the-Course, that is the second Saturday of each month (yesterday was 1/2 rained out). And you know about Greenwood.

A lot of the Highpower people who shoot at Bayou Rifles also shoot at the match in Beaumont. You might check that out.

Other than Beaumont, it seems like you mentioned all the clubs I know about, so I'm no help. Good luck finding a match, and come on down to Bayou if you feel like it - early morning, the traffic ought not to be too bad.

Regards,
Andrew

edited for spelling

 

[smitlar]

Directions to Bayou

Hi Andrew...

Nice to hear from you. Can you possibly send me something that explains where the Bayou range is and how to get to it? I know that a lot of our shooters have migrated there, and it will be like "old times" if I can make it there.

Thanks...Larry ([email protected])

 

[Mr. Two Guns]

I live near Tomball but, I've never heard of the Tomball gun club. Where is it and how do I get involved?

 

[Blackfork]

Houston Area Highpower

Ft Polk is shooting in two weeks. After that there are three days of shooting at Mineral Wells for the Texas Service Rifle Championship.

Beaumont is a nice range, though the light gets bad there in the afternoons sometimes. They usually solve that by shooting 600 first.

Don't forget Panola. If you haven't shot the May Regional at Panola, then you haven't been to Highpower Heaven. Panola Club Championship is in three weeks.

Seems like there is a place near College Station. Watt, near Waco is shut down but they are hosting a Long Range match I noticed in the USA Shooting Sports.

Don't forget the Austin Gun Club and the Temple Gun Club. Temple is hosting the Texas Garand Championship- I think in Oct. Terrell shoots on the second saturday of every month. Temple shoots on Sundays and has convertible sighters.

All sites linked through the Panola County Gun Club site, or off the TSRA site.

Lot's of places to shoot in Texas. I didn't mention El Paso or San Antonio.

All ranges glad to see new folks.

 

[Blackfork]

Texas Highpower Rifle

Google up Texas Highpower Rifle, and Texas High Power Rifle. You'll find the links.

www.epcgc.com, for Panola.

 

[smitlar]

Tomball Gun Club

The public is invited to the NRA HP matches, usually the 2nd Sunday of each month at 8:00am. The last one this year is scheduled for Oct. 1 and I think there will be at least 2 or 3 of us there, probably not enough to shoot a match. But we can sit around and shoot the bull.

Let me have your email address and I will send you directions to the range. Once you are involved in a range activity, you can submit a membership application through a member. I was a member for a couple of years, but did not shoot there enough, outside of the HP matches, to justify the yearly expense.

Send me an email if you think you want to come out Oct. 1, and I will try to let you know if it is cancelled for any reason. Like I said in my first post, HP match attendance has dwindled.

...Larry ([email protected])

 

[smitlar]

Thanks Blackfork

for providing all of the Houston area information!! and the Google searches are loaded with stuff. I haven't wanted to travel a lot for the HP matches, but I am sure it would be rewarding for me. I may go to Bayou first because I will know some of the folks there.

I also need some exposure to 300 and 600 yard shooting. We used to have 3 or 4 Masters shooting at Tomball, but they have gone elsewhere.

...Larry

 

[Blackfork]

Just ask someone what the come-ups are for 300 and 600. Nothing to it. You put on the elevation and you get two sighters.

Seems like I saw photos of the College Station range once. They shoot across a cow tank. Reduced targets.

Temple shoots two or three Sundays a month and the other Sunday they shoot at Manor. At Temple you shoot two sighters and 20 rounds...then walk down and score the HIGH 20. Helps the score to toss out a couple of eights standing. They shoot on 4X8 cutout plywood. They hang sheets behind the targets. Even with an old scope, you can see the bulletholes. Nice guys too. The Texas Garand Championship will be held at Temple this fall.

Get a partner to cut gas and motel costs and come shoot till you puke at Miserable Wells with us on the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Oct. TSRA Service rifle championship. Probably 70-80 shooters will be there. Ft Wolters was where Audie Murphy took basic training. It was the longest continuous firing line in the world. You can still see the remains. We shoot on a still active part of the old concrete pits.

Ft Polk is a real military range on a real Ft. Still training soldiers. Old concrete pits with double carriers on the targets. Only goes to 500 yards. Nice place to break yourself in.

Terrell shoots two relays of 50 rounds, so you can have a double practice session and still eat their free lunch. Lotta Garand action. The Panola shooters started coming over and up-ed everyones scores about 50 points.

Panola shoots the first Saturday of each month, (except this month). Highpower Heaven. The range is lined with tall pines on either side so the regulars have REAL no-wind zeros. Makes them hard to beat when they go elsewhere. Usually at big matches, Panola shooters clog up the top places. Lots of friendly High Masters there and Distinguished Rifleman pins are as common as fleas on a dog. Cover and a slab at 600.

If you keep up, OCCASIONALLY Camp Swift between Bastrop and Elgin hosts a match. That range shouldn't be missed. Weird wind at 600 because you shoot over a deep draw with a creek in the bottom....or NO wind. They usually open the barracks so you can stay cheap, or free.

 

[Blackfork]

Beaumont

I cleaned the 600 yard stage at Beaumont last year during the regional match with my AR and a box of 80 grain Sierras on my way to a 789X28. The 600 yard score was 200X12 I think. Won the match. Only time I have ever cleaned 600, though I shot a 199X8 at Panola on my way to winning a Regional there with a 785X31. Shot a 198X6 at Camp Perry this year and was 39th in the National LEG match with a 485. When it works, it works.

Lots of expertise at Panola. www.epcgc.com

 

[BobCat]

smitlar,

Sorry about being so late replying, haven't been online all day.

Bayou Rifles is on County Road 57 between Farm-Market 521 and Interstate 288. Find Arcola on a map - it is at Highway 6 and FM 521. From Arcola, go South on 521 until you get to Manvel-Juliff Road (aka CR57) and the range is a couple miles East.

Or come down 288 from Houston, get off at CR 57 (dangerous hairpin exit) and go West a couple miles. Easy to find.

Regards,
Andrew

 

[smitlar]

Texas High Power

These places sound so great...I am going to have to do some driving.

What a great match you had at Beaumont!! I shot a 199 RF sitting a couple of years ago, and my aggregate is usually in the 740's. I think it could be better if I would put matches on my wife's calendar so things aren't scheduled over them. I have only been shooting about 2 or 3 matches a year. (I scanned that target center and used it for my computer background)

I retired a year ago, so I should be able to make time to visit some of these fine ranges. Thanks so much for your nice review.

...Larry Smith (Navasota)

 

[Blackfork]

Texans at Camp Perry

The TSRA Junior and Senior teams go to Camp Perry for CMP week every year. In the middle of the week a VERY generous person hosts a dinner for anyone from Texas at a fancy restaurant in Port Clinton. There usually are 70-80 people at the dinner.

It's nice to be among so many heavily armed Texans, so far from home....and of course, not pay the bill!

There are a lot of Texas Highpower shooters. There were over 50 entries LAST week for the Service Rifle Championship at Mineral Wells next month.

 

[smitlar]

Bayou Range

Andrew...

Thanks for the Bayou information. Sounds like it is in the same direction, but not quite as far as Greenwood. I have shot at Greenwood twice, several years ago, with a Garand and then with an M1A. I got some real good help from one of the two guys running the Range, but can't remember his name (Paul?). Haven't shot more than 200 yards since I got my AR.

I think that Woody (Oran) does a lot of work at Bayou, doesn't he? He used to be a regular at Tomball, along with Jim Barron, Clint Greenwood, Mike Cobb, Daniel Miller, Ken Long, and Hong Thai. I haven't seen those guys in a while.

...Larry

 

[smitlar]

Texans at Camp Perry

One of these days when I am a lot more confident...

Daniel Miller was one of the guys who helped me get started at Tomball. He has brought back pictures from Camp Perry.

 

[BobCat]

smitlar,

Woody moved to New Mexico - I wish him the best, but really miss his leadership at the club.

I am not the same class of shooter as Blackfork, but can confirm that the longer ranges are not the problem we less-experienced shooters tend to imagine. The wind has longer to work, and you need to learn to read it, but in a no-wind or low-wind situation, all that is different is the comeups - the sight picture and everything else is the same as at shorter ranges.

And people are helpful about comeups - I wandered around asking people, when we first got the 600 yard range, what kind of comeup I ought to try from 300 to 600. One of the individuals you named told me "start with 11 or 11-1/2 minutes from 300 to 600" and he was absolutely right - 23 clicks on a 1/2 minute rear sight got me in the ten ring (as long as I did right).

Regards,
Andrew

 

[smitlar]

Sorry to hear that Woody is gone. Glen Edgard also used to frequent Tomball. From the match results, it looks like some of these guys are now High Masters. The second time I shot at Greenwood, I remember learning how to watch the midrange flag, and firing at the same flag position each time. I'm not afraid of the 600 yard range, just too comfortable with 200 yards. I will go down there as soon as I can get it scheduled.

Regards...Larry

 

[Borg]

Blackfork;
Charlie has been hosting that get together at Perry for about 15 yrs now.
He does it to get everybody aquantied with the Jrs and each other from Texas.
Are you with the NG team?
Borg

 

[Blackfork]

I'm just another guy on the State Team. First trip to Perry was in 2001.

Charlie does a great job. The Texas Dinner is one of the highlights of the trip. Always wonderful to see and meet all the folks from Texas. In Texas...you would never get that many folks together!

Last year I stayed from CMP through long range. Nice vacation.

I shoot the photos for the TSRA calendar, by the way. I think our state organization is one of the best in the country.

 

[Borg]

Oh,,then we can blame you for "Mr. December" shot in 2005.
I went the the All Guard dinner and took pics there,, got one of Bobby saying to the camera, "Hello,, I'm Mr. December"
Don't know if I should put it on the Team CD pics tho. LOL.
Borg

 

[Blackfork]

Yep, I shot Bobby for the Mr. December shot. I TRIED to get his good side. Haven't seen this year's calendar yet, though it ought to be close to done. They have had the photos since before Perry.

 

[Blackfork]

Golden Triangle Gun Club at Beaumont

80 shot match this weekend. Just had an email from Walt Haley. I'm going with one new shooter over to try my luck at Ft Polk and the Louisiana Highpower Championship.

Good luck to everyone!