2015 Cactus Classic Results

[AZBRS]

We would like to thank everyone for coming out to the 2015 Cactus Classic. This was an especially exciting match for us because during the opening ceremony we hosted a range dedication ceremony for Berger Bullets founder, Walt Berger, to celebrate his years of hard work and effort in furthering the benchrest shooting sport.

Practice started off well during the beginning off the week. The weather and wind were kind and the mood was calm and happy. Thursday and Friday brought some harsh bursts of wind, ripping apart practice targets and blowing over wind flags. Luckily, by the first day of the match the wind had calmed back down to the normal kind of wind you can expect at Ben Avery this time of year.

Friday night, shooters got to enjoy a free banquet dinner complete with a prize table with some very generous gifts donated by our sponsors. In total, we had over $20,000 in donations thanks to their support! Saturday started off with a special ceremony, where we dedicated the benchrest range to Walt Berger. This dedication was complete with a color guard, the national anthem played by Dr. Jesse McGuire, fireworks and a four plane flyover.

We had a total of 111 competitors from 16 states and Canada for this match. During the Heavy Varmint 100 yard, Jim Folwell shot an impressive .046 small group. There were some great groups throughout the match. However, Gary Ocock shot steady all weekend to bring home the title of Cactus Classic 2-Gun Champion with a Grand Agg of .2382.

Shooters and staff all worked together to create a match with a fun and inviting atmosphere. It was great to hear that Floyd Joss was able to mark shooting the Cactus Classic off of his bucket list this year. It is always a pleasure to welcome new shooters as well as reunite with old friends and enjoy a fun weekend of shooting.

We will be posting up pictures and videos of the match and dedication ceremony to the Berger Bullets Youtube and Flickr pages soon. All shooters that attended can expect to receive a dvd that contains these pictures and videos as well as the results, gear specs and a sponsor list. This should arrive in the next few weeks.

Thank you again to everyone who came out this year. We were thrilled to have you here and cannot wait until we get to see you again at the 2016 Cactus Classic.

 

[Woody]

Thanks to Eric and Berger Bullets!

Mega kudos to Eric Stecker and the Berger staff for not only all the amazing things that went on during the Cactus Classic, but for the more unheralded things as well.

The fully stocked drink coolers all over the range, the additional stat boards on each end of the loading areas, the copious amount of loading room under the many tents, the lightning speed of the target and scoring crew and the water truck to keep the dust down. The “now serving match x relay y sign”. The RO who was working all during the week. All that was missing was a Pink Floyd tribute band and a laser light show after Saturday night’s banquet!

All in all, it was an impressive amount of planning and execution that went into this year’s Cactus. The weather certainly cooperated, which it does occasionally does down there. The trip down was definitely worth it and the best time I’ve ever had at a Cactus. I especially enjoyed seeing Walt's expression during the dedication. Excellent job folks, and thanks to all the other sponsors who pitched in for the match cash as well. It’ll take me a week to process what I just witnessed!!!

Scott Smallwood

 

[Mike Bryant]

With the graciousness that the folks at Berger and attention to detail put into running the Cactus, I see this match becoming the must make match of the year. If there was any way to improve it, I don't see it. Kudos to Eric and the folks from Berger. Job well done.

 

[hayscott]

Fantastic event!

This was my first big match, I only started shooting BR a little over a year ago and so new to the sport. I have to say I was really impressed with the Cactus! The range was great, the opening ceremonies were unbelievable and the way the event was ran was fantastic. I shared a bench with a couple of really great guys that helped me with feeling comfortable and getting my flags out. I met some really fine folks and got a lot of support from all the West Texas Gang that encouraged me to come on out to Phoenix.

Great job to all involved and to the generous sponsors for a well ran and very professional event. If you missed it, you really missed out on something very special! I can't wait until next year!
Scott Haywood

 

[Lawrence W.]

Thanks

Eric and the rest of the crew from Berger ran the match with the same precision that they must use for their weekday jobs making Berger Bullets! The Friday night BBQ hosted by Berger was finger licking good and the prize draw was very well supported by the different manufacturers. They had so many prizes that I think almost everyone won something. The opening ceremony included a color guard, fireworks, a live trumpet player and a 4 plane flyover! The target crew was very quick and efficient allowing us to be finished shooting around 3:00 both days. The weather was typical early spring weather for Phoenix. Low 80s and a challenging wind. The closing awards banquet was presented in the same grand style with cash prizes included. I was very pleasantly surprised to receive $300 cash with my trophy! The Cactus is permanently on my must attend list of shoots.

Thanks again to Eric and the Berger crew for running a great match!

Lawrence

 

[Richard]

Wow!! What a great match.

Can't say enough on how the match was run. First class all the way!!
Thanks to Berger bullets and all the sponsers for a great time.

Richard Brensing

 

[AZBRS]

Red Sitting Stool

ORIGINAL:

Hi Everyone,

We found a red sitting stool at the range during clean up after the Cactus Classic. We would like to make sure it gets back to its owner. If this is yours, or if you know whose it might be, please email AZBRS@bergerbullets.com. See attached photo.

Pass this message along to your friends if you can. Thanks again to everyone who came out to the match this year!​

EDIT:

We found the owner of the stool. Thanks for the help!​

 

[Wilbur]

Thanks...a hundred million!

Thanks for posting the total results, and thanks to the others for posting as it went down. Sounds like this was one of the best matches ever!

Hope you find the owner of that stool....

 

[Eric Stecker]

I want to thank all the shooters who joined us this year. I know that when things change it is not always for the better. I'm sure some shooters were nervous about coming out to the Cactus not knowing what to expect.

Now that the match is behind us I wanted to emphasize that Walt Berger's grandson David Hamilton is the one primarily responsible for how these matches operate. I am there as are other Berger staff to support David's plan but the BR matches are his show. He started working for Walt running matches when he was barely tall enough to reach the target frames so he has many years of experience. We are excited about how his experience and operational management skills will impact BR shooting in Phoenix for years to come.

Thank you all for the kind words and I look forward to seeing you at the range in the future.

Regards,
Eric

 

[Doug Penttinen]

no Gene Bucky's

No Gene Bucky's ???

 

[Russ Hardy]

Thanks

David, Eric, and crew,
I also want to express my appreciation for all that you did to make the Cactus Classic a first class event.
I want to also encourage all those who haven't gone out and competed for a while to dust things off and make an effort to get back to a match. I haven't shot much in the last 5 years or so, and I really appreciated seeing so many familiar faces at this years Cactus. I didn't get chance to catch up with half the people I wanted to this year and am looking forward to spending more time at the range in the future. It really was a fun match and congratulations to Gary for setting the pace once again.
GOOD TIME!!!

 

[AZBRS]

Pictures and Videos

We've finished picking out photos and editing videos that were taken at the Cactus Classic this year. Below you will find links to the pictures and videos. We hope you enjoy them!

Click here to see pictures from the 2015 Cactus Classic.

Click here to view the Cactus Classic promo video.

Click here to view the Walt Berger Range Dedication Ceremony Highlights video.