Dates for Cactus and Shamrock

L

L. Costa

New member
Does anyone have these dates?
May be able to go to both if there is enough time to travel from one to the other.
Larry
 
St Patrick's day is on the 17th so the Shamrock is probably the same weekend. Let's hope they talked and set the matches on different weekends.
Larry
 
Basically, the local club here in Phoenix doesn't have much say as to when the cactus is held! Ben Avery controls the date and the cactus is moved to accomodate the Cowboy Action groups Winter Range! Thats a huge money maker for them!
 
Steelhead1 said:
Basically, the local club here in Phoenix doesn't have much say as to when the cactus is held! Ben Avery controls the date and the cactus is moved to accomodate the Cowboy Action groups Winter Range! Thats a huge money maker for them!
Click to expand...

It happens every year. IT'S THEIR BAT,, THEIR BALL,, AND THEIR FIELD ! And there ain't SH#& you can do about it.

Joe P. Ex-President Ben Avery Benchrest Shooters
 
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I heard that when I was there the last time. Benchrest is pretty tiny compared to most of the other disciplines and the cowboy stuff is huge. Maybe the folks in Dublin have more flexibility.
Larry
 
Larry;
The Cowboy shooters also have MANY disciplines. Come on down during winter range and you will see folks from all over the country, partying and having a great time for 3 weeks. Teepees all over the place and some beautiful R V's. Crazy people with a lot of $$$$ who want to dress up and play Cowboys and Indians. Berger bullet has gone into partnership with Avery, but that will not sway them enough for any change at Benchrest.
We are one of the smaller user groups. in total we are around 25-30 with our Snow Birds.
As a group we have discussed this many times as to how we can increase our membership,but to no avail. With so many ranges and other disciplines to choose from under 1 roof not many have the patience, the drive, or the monetary rescources to shoot benchrest. In my opinion Ben Avery is one of the tougher ranges in the country,and we lose more shooters than we gain.
We had couple of Phoenix SWAT guys shoot with us for a couple of years and they got tired of being embarrassed by their noncompetitive performance. Unfortunately this is a common occurance.

Best regards
Joe P. PHX
 
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Joe, why does the SASS winter range have anything to do with the Benchrest range? Do they use the parking lot for the benchrest range or the range itself? Figure that it's so large that it takes up all the parking. Haven't ever been there when the winter range shooting was going on so don't know. I've been there many times when cowboy action shooting was going on at the same time as benchrest matches. But, figure they were minor matches compared to the huge numbers who show up for the cowboy action major matches.
 
Mike;
The Benchrest Range itself is used for several disciplines, such as Black powder, and cartridge rifle 100,200,300 yard shooting.
More importantly the Benchrest Stat house is used as the Data Capture Center for ALL disciplines and results. They will have results coming in from Trap and skeet,and pistol ranges. They have ALL the ranges except the (DPS-State Police ranges), heck they even get MAIN RANGE shut down for 2 days (Closed to the Public). They also have 2 days of Orientation so everyone understands the course of fire.

They basically SUCK THE AIR OUT OF THE ROOM. This is a HUGE revenue generator for Ben Avery, everyone else has to live with it.

There is another event which they conduct which is called the EXPO. Basically All top Manufacturers showcase their wares and they conduct live fire so the public can test fire their new products. All clubs and disciplines are encouraged and expected to participate including Benchrest. We usually set up a few of Rails and a couple of bag guns in hopes of attracting new members, but once you tell them the price tag to get started, they run the other way.
This event shuts Benchrest down for 2 weeks usually right after the Cactus.
There is also Arizona Schutzenvernen (Cast Bullet) Nationals right around that time also.
Glendale community College, and several other organizations use the range.
We are not the only club that uses that range even though it carries the Benchrest Title.

Joe P.
Phoenix Az.
 
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Joe, that doesn't surprise me and can certainly understand Ben Avery making use of the benchrest facilities when not having benchrest matches. The cowboy action shooters sure seem to be enjoying themselves although some of the times I've been there I expect their clothing gets pretty hot. I've seen part of the setup for the Winter Range matches , but haven't ever been there when it was going on. Around here it seems that the tactical style matches are gaining popularity. The rifles that they are shooting in it rival the cost of benchrest rifles if not higher. I think the cost of the rifles may be a minor deterrent, but it seems that people tend to do what they want regardless of cost to a certain extent. The tactical shooting is similar to the cowboy action shooting as it has the same result. The sound of the bullet hitting the steel target although at longer range with the tactical shooters.
 
There's nothing we can do Mike , like i said earlier IT'S THEIR BAT, THEIR BALL, AND THEIR FIELD !

Next time you are out here look on the ground on the range,, you will see 223 and pistol cases all over the place. Thats the Tactical guys litter..
 
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I can see that the Cactus is doing the absolute only thing that can be done. Anyone know when the Shamrock is scheduled for?
Larry
 
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