The All American Field Target Championship

As things evolve and change, Field Target Matches are no exceptions.

What started as the Northeast Regional FT match, a one day event; evolved into the two day North-East Regional Field Target Championship, and now has evolved once more to become the "All American Field Target Championship".

Still sponsored, and strongly supported by Crosman, the AAFTC is now under the auspices of the Rochester Brooks Gun Club's FT section; run by Sean McDaniels, with the support of the RBGClub's President.

All changes imply some level of transition, and this one was no exception. Still, the fact that most people came away VERY happy allows us to forecast a bright future for the AAFTC in years to come.

Festivities started on Friday morning with the official opening of the sight-in range.

Pistols, Rifles, Offhand, Sitting, Bipods, a little bit of everything at the Sight-in Range.

Mike and Stan take their sighting-in REAL seriously. Behind, Paul Cray and, standing, Tyler Patner.

In the foreground, Tyler Patner, exhibiting the good form he will be taking to Lithuania. in the background, Paul Cray. Two very well manned Steyrs.

Greg Sauve, one of our most consistent shooters in the World Class Matches.

At the top of the picture, Joel Gupta, one of our best Hunter Class shooters (as he would demonstrate later). At the center, Harold Rushton, another excellent and Match-proven World Class shooter that will go to Lithuania as part of Team USA, on the bottom, barely visible, a future champion, Andre Gross. Keep an eye out for him, we will hear much of him in the future, if he keeps shooting FT.

Always one of out best springer shooters, and on this occasion, the best of the match. Matt Brackett was unsure of going to the AAFTC. Guess he is happy he did now! ;-)

The intention was to capture 100 years of accumulated shooting experience, but you know these young guns, they get in the way! LOL! I think it is one of the brothers from Indiana, quite good shots both. Then we have Art Deuel obscuring John Eroh another of our top Hunter Class shooters. Then we have one of the "Deans" of FT, Mr. Richard Bassett, and then Larry Bowne is pondering something quite unfathomable.

The empty scoreboard, flanked by the flags of the countries competing for the America's FT Challenge Cup. Mid day of Friday and the flags tell you what was in store for us wind-wise over the weekend.

Along the "goodies" in display at the Crosman table, the BullDog. An interesting rifle, a little too futuristic for some, for sure. But one about which we will explore the full potential in years to come.

With rain coming and going, the lineup of shooters at the sight-in range changed over time.

In the forefront, Tim MacSweyn from Team Canada, with whom I had the pleasure and privilege to share the lanes on the second day of the Match. He was shooting a FWB300 dialed up to about 9 ft-lbs. with a 24X Vortex AO scope and without clicking. A man after my heart.

Start' em young! Here Sean McDaniel is taking time off from his MD'ing to teach the ropes to the youngest shooter in the match. When Kim saw the huge Marauder in those little hands, she came back next day with a much smaller Discovery. Inducting properly the next generation of shooters is the best thing we can do for the sport. IMHO.

After the shooter's meeting for the first day of the Match, the "Exodus" to the lanes.

For the first day of the Match I was squadded with Art Deuel and Matt Brackett. Matt gets ready to to start shooting while Art ponders.

Art stands behind the "ready line" while Matt takes his shots. The last lanes of the course were in direct sunlight. Coming from the shadows and fairly cool morning of the Saturday, it was a test for more than one scope. Sadly, mine failed the test! LOL! Behind Matt is Crosman's Mark DeBoard.

Patt and Greg Shirhall, one of the "First Couples" of FT that keeps BCSA ticking and putting on great matches.

In the forefront, Jim Wilcox and Peg Brewer, in the background Paul Manktelow and Sue Tenney. Sue, BTW is shooting better and better every day.

And this is Skip Tenney. Not too happy, his wife Sue was outshooting him. Just kidding!!!! ;-)

And so, with bright sunlight, the first day of the Match went by. Personally, I did terrible. The scope was not ranging, the POI shifted every two or three shots, and I simply could not find the way, with a very sad 36/60 my day was over.
The second day was a little harder conditions, the wind was blowing in quite unpredictable gusts.

The second day of the competition saw a completely different weather pattern. Dark clouds and higher winds posed an interesting challenge to all. Here Matt and Art are shooting in a squad. Behind Art, standing is Gregory Pusz.

Second day of the Match and the 2 man squads are encroaching on the 3 men squads. In this picture some of the best spring gun shooting in the continent: To the rear in the green shooting jacket Tim MacSweyn, from Team Canada. Forward of him, Gerry LaRocca and, shooting, Ray Apelles.

A very nice offhand shooting stance. Balanced and effortless.

By the end of the second day, I had shot better, but in no way was I in the run for the places. Still it was fun to shoot using hold-offs off the hold-offs, by letting each shot be a "sighter" for the next one. Sometimes the hold off had to be corrected by adding ¼ mrad, sometimes by substracting ½ mrad, at times the windage also started to shift. So it was "challenging", to say the least, to persecute the POI all across the target. Good practice I have to say! LOL!
The ranging was also off, sometime about 8 yards, sometimes only 2.
Peculiar how temperature and recoil affects the scopes.

After the two days of the event, the scoreboard was full. It held some interesting surprises.

RBGC's President expressing his welcome and hope that we will do it again next year.

Mark DeBoard from Crosman, always with a smile and always with a positive attitude, a truly outstanding person and an excellent ambassador for all shooting sports.

Joel Gupta, taking the "Quigley Challenge"

Nathan Thomas, first place in Open Pistol

Chris Helm 2nd place in Hunter Pistol

Bill Day, First Place Hunter Pistol

Larry Bowne, Second Place Hands Only Pistol

Sorry to have missed the picture of Joe McDaniel, first place Hands Only Pistol

Dennis Eden from Team Canada, Second Place in Open PCP

Ron Zeman, First Place Open PCP

Kevin Kunkle, Second Place Hunter Piston

Greg Shirhall, First Place Hunter Piston

Thomas Himes, Fifth Place Hunter PCP

Dennis Himes, Fourth Place Hunter PCP

Bill Day, Third Place Hunter PCP

John Eroh, Second Place Hunter PCP

Joel Gupta, First Place Hunter PCP

Greg Sauve, Third Place WFTF PCP

Harold Rushton, Second Place WFTF PCP

Jeff Paddock, First Place WFTF PCP

Matt Brackett, First Place WFTF Piston. Do you think he is happy? ;-)

For the last three years, The Minutemen Field Target League has been sponsoring the America's FT Challenge Cup. This year was no exception and it was a pleasure to see our Canadian brethren show up and share the lanes with us. Thanks for coming!

Second Place in the America's FT Challenge Cup: Team Canada, from left: Brian Milne, Dennis Eden, Dave Bartletll and Tim MacSweyn

First Place in the America's FT Challenge Cup, Team USA. From left: Hector Medina, Harold Rushton, Tyler Patner and Greg Sauve. We will all be competing in Lithuania come August,

We missed a few friends, Keith Knoblauch had to cancel last minute; Dan Brown surely had other problems; George Harde and Tom Perretti from Canada could not make it; our good friends from Venezuela were also unable to attend.
International travel is always a problem and very expensive, but there is no substitute for experience and being forged in the heat of the battle.

What will next year bring? I would imagine, at the very least, some very tough competition. No one came even close to cleaning the course, so the difficulty factor is right where it is supposed to be. Top shooters were all very evenly matched.

Hopefully, next year we can have a "woods course" as well as a "plains course" different challenges, different conditions and more variety.

I am sure that the food concession will also do its best to get everyone fed as well as they did this year, only faster.

I cannot thank enough the Rochester Brooks Gun Club for their support of their FT section, nor Crosman Corporation for all the efforts, gifts, sensational "tent sale" and man (and Women) power put into the event.

And to all the shooters that made the trek, short or long, also my sincere thanks. Meeting you all at least once a year is one of the best things about this sport.

Keep well and shoot straight!







HM

Additional thanks to Chip Hunicutt for the excellent Team Canada and Team USA pictures.