J
Jeff Welker
Guest
The Cactus Classic Match has been contested for many years. The list of 2-Gun winners reads like a Whos’ Who of benchrest shooting. Eight Hall of Fame members have won the 2-Gun and most of the finest benchrest shooters in the world (old and new) come to the Cactus each year to test their skills against a field of competitors that has included names like Boyer, Ocock, Bruno, Watson, Reneau, Huckeba, Berger, Libby, Murdica, Nielson, Ratigan, Creach, Frei, Neary, and many others. For heck sakes, Larry Baggett shoots the Cactus.
The ever changing conditions found at Ben Avery has historically provided a vigorous test of every shooter and his/her equipment. Competitors come to the Cactus prepared to deal with nearly every possible weather scenario.
On March 12th and 13th the 30th Annual Cactus Classic was held at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, Arizona. A total of 116 competitors participated. To say we enjoyed Chamber of Commerce weather would be an understatement. Saturday and Sunday temperatures ranged from the low 60’s in the morning to the low 80’s in the afternoon. Short sleeve shirts and sun screen were the norm, with a few fashion trend setters wearing short pants (not that any of us wanted to see their legs). Winds ranged from 2-14 mph; with light conditions in the morning and slowly gaining velocity throughout the day. Mirage was modest Saturday; however, it became a serious factor Sunday afternoon. Switches were tricky and very challenging - conditions rarely held for more than 2 or 3 shots on the record. It was not uncommon to hear many of the very best mutter quiet curses at the unseen forces of nature on the range.
Saturday we shot LV5-100 in the morning. Winning the aggregate with a very nice .1670 was Lester Bruno. Second place went to Norm Jeffery with a .1928. Third place, with a .2054, went to Dan Sutton. You may recall that Norm traveled from Northern California last month to compete in the Cactus Warm-Up Match and did very well (clearly his preparation worked). Small group for LV5-100 was shot by Mike Bryant with the only zero in LV5-100; a .098 in match #2 - nice shooting Mike!
After a 45 minute lunch break, we shot HV5-100. Winning the HV5-100 aggregate with a .1856 was Gary "The Oozer" Ocock. Gary hit the ground running in Match #1 with a .092 (small group for HV5-100). The Oozer worked his way through some tricky afternoon conditions to finish ahead of the pack. Second place went to Bud Mundy with a .1894 and Norm Jeffery (there he is again) shot a .1948 to finish third. Of special note was your intrepid reporters performance at HV5-100. After the fourth target I was in first place with a nice lead - having just shot a tidy .095. However, match nerves got the best of me and I gagged all over my final target with a wonderful .390 to fade to 5th - damn!
Sunday we started with HV5-200. Winning the aggregate with a nice .1949 was Gary Ocock. In second place was Dean Parker with a .2107. Ray Barnes took third place with a .2127. Small group for HV5-200 was shot by Lawrence "Mr. Hydrogen" Weisdorn with a very small .157 in match #5 - way to go Lawrence!
After our luncheon recess, we shot LV5-200. Jack Snyder of Edgewood, New Mexico fame bested the other shooters and won the yardage with a .2593 in some very tough mirage conditions. Darrel Loker took 2nd with a .2618 and Joe Pipola came in 3rd with a .2690. In a state of confusion, Mr. Pipola thought he was shooting 100 yards and fired a handsome .188 in match #3 for the LV5-200 small group.
The 2011 Cactus Classic Light Varmint Grand Winner is Lester Bruno. Lester shot a very steady .2206 to win the grand. Always looking to new technology, Lester wore special short pants made by Krieger barrels and then rubbed a mixture of 8208, 133, and Aloe Vera Gel on his legs. Lester claims this salve improved the tactile sensory capacity of the hair on his exposed legs so he could read the wind better than the other shooters. He anticipates selling this special balm (i.e. Lester’s Legs of Glory) in the near future. The California Kid (Norm Jeffery) was 2nd with a .2603 and Dan Sutton shot a .2623 to take 3rd. Dan is a long time local shooter that is famous for his pioneering study of bullet coatings. Apparently he used Lester’s Legs of Glory balm to coat his bullets for the light varmint class!
The 2011 Cactus Classic Heavy Varmint Grand Winner is Gary Ocock. The Oozer shot a very nice .1902 take the Grand. Bud Mundy took 2nd with a .2318 and Lester Bruno was 3rd with a .2326.
THE 2011 CACTUS CLASSIC 2-GUN WINNER IS LESTER BRUNO. Lester shot a .2266 to take the championship. Gary “The Oozer” Ocock was 2nd with a .2387 and Norm Jeffery finished third with a .2521.
Congratulation to all the winners! Special thanks to Gary and Team Ocock (Chief Scorer Thomas Maxwell, Target Crew Chief Cody Cristel & Range Officer Doris Bruno) for providing us with another great CACTUS!
Full match results are attached at the bottom of this post.
Match Reporter – Jeff Welker
PS - On Thursday afternoon the Clown Prince of Benchrest (Tom Libby III) suffered a nasty fall out of his trailer (figure that one out) and landed like a sack of fresh cow pies on the hard Arizona soil. His hips, back and head hit with great force and there was initial worry that he had suffered a serious brain injury (a substance resembiling guacamole was oozing out of his ears). Carolyn later told me not to worry "...Tom hits his head all the time"! Unfortunately, the pain medication administered created a subdued Libby. He made no attempts to pilfer the microphone, nor did he wear any costumes or lady's clothing. We all hope Tom feels better soon
Here is a photo of Tom and I just after leaving the Urgent Care Facility.
Now some photos from the Cactus - enjoy.
The Champion, his trophies, and his legs of glory
The Oozer receiving one of his trophies from NBRSA President Dennis Thornburry. In the background is Gary's stiletto (Thomas Maxwell). Serving as both chief scorer and body guard, "The Stiletto" keeps the benchrest groupies at bay while Gary works the match.
Hall of Famer Rex Reneau receiving his 4th Place 2-Gun trophy from El Presidente.
Joe Pipola receiving his trophy and a certificate for a lifetime supply of nicotine patches.
The Oozer crooning the crowd with a medley of his favorite Billy Idol hits.
Range Officer Doris Bruno with a smile to start the day.
The California Kid (Norm Jeffery) striking the pose.
Sunday morning before the start of the HV5-200 - the calm before the storm.
The Godfather of International Benchrest - Don Walter Berger.
The optimistic smile of a trio of shooters before reality sets in. The bigger question is where is Baggett's lipstick?
A couple of Hall of Fame shooters (Ocock & Huckeba) that have been beating the socks off of benchrest shooters for many years.
Part of the firing line before things get serious.
Finally, your intrepid match reporter multi-tasking - photographing myself while receiving a trophy from Messrs. Thornburry.
The ever changing conditions found at Ben Avery has historically provided a vigorous test of every shooter and his/her equipment. Competitors come to the Cactus prepared to deal with nearly every possible weather scenario.
On March 12th and 13th the 30th Annual Cactus Classic was held at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, Arizona. A total of 116 competitors participated. To say we enjoyed Chamber of Commerce weather would be an understatement. Saturday and Sunday temperatures ranged from the low 60’s in the morning to the low 80’s in the afternoon. Short sleeve shirts and sun screen were the norm, with a few fashion trend setters wearing short pants (not that any of us wanted to see their legs). Winds ranged from 2-14 mph; with light conditions in the morning and slowly gaining velocity throughout the day. Mirage was modest Saturday; however, it became a serious factor Sunday afternoon. Switches were tricky and very challenging - conditions rarely held for more than 2 or 3 shots on the record. It was not uncommon to hear many of the very best mutter quiet curses at the unseen forces of nature on the range.
Saturday we shot LV5-100 in the morning. Winning the aggregate with a very nice .1670 was Lester Bruno. Second place went to Norm Jeffery with a .1928. Third place, with a .2054, went to Dan Sutton. You may recall that Norm traveled from Northern California last month to compete in the Cactus Warm-Up Match and did very well (clearly his preparation worked). Small group for LV5-100 was shot by Mike Bryant with the only zero in LV5-100; a .098 in match #2 - nice shooting Mike!
After a 45 minute lunch break, we shot HV5-100. Winning the HV5-100 aggregate with a .1856 was Gary "The Oozer" Ocock. Gary hit the ground running in Match #1 with a .092 (small group for HV5-100). The Oozer worked his way through some tricky afternoon conditions to finish ahead of the pack. Second place went to Bud Mundy with a .1894 and Norm Jeffery (there he is again) shot a .1948 to finish third. Of special note was your intrepid reporters performance at HV5-100. After the fourth target I was in first place with a nice lead - having just shot a tidy .095. However, match nerves got the best of me and I gagged all over my final target with a wonderful .390 to fade to 5th - damn!
Sunday we started with HV5-200. Winning the aggregate with a nice .1949 was Gary Ocock. In second place was Dean Parker with a .2107. Ray Barnes took third place with a .2127. Small group for HV5-200 was shot by Lawrence "Mr. Hydrogen" Weisdorn with a very small .157 in match #5 - way to go Lawrence!
After our luncheon recess, we shot LV5-200. Jack Snyder of Edgewood, New Mexico fame bested the other shooters and won the yardage with a .2593 in some very tough mirage conditions. Darrel Loker took 2nd with a .2618 and Joe Pipola came in 3rd with a .2690. In a state of confusion, Mr. Pipola thought he was shooting 100 yards and fired a handsome .188 in match #3 for the LV5-200 small group.
The 2011 Cactus Classic Light Varmint Grand Winner is Lester Bruno. Lester shot a very steady .2206 to win the grand. Always looking to new technology, Lester wore special short pants made by Krieger barrels and then rubbed a mixture of 8208, 133, and Aloe Vera Gel on his legs. Lester claims this salve improved the tactile sensory capacity of the hair on his exposed legs so he could read the wind better than the other shooters. He anticipates selling this special balm (i.e. Lester’s Legs of Glory) in the near future. The California Kid (Norm Jeffery) was 2nd with a .2603 and Dan Sutton shot a .2623 to take 3rd. Dan is a long time local shooter that is famous for his pioneering study of bullet coatings. Apparently he used Lester’s Legs of Glory balm to coat his bullets for the light varmint class!
The 2011 Cactus Classic Heavy Varmint Grand Winner is Gary Ocock. The Oozer shot a very nice .1902 take the Grand. Bud Mundy took 2nd with a .2318 and Lester Bruno was 3rd with a .2326.
THE 2011 CACTUS CLASSIC 2-GUN WINNER IS LESTER BRUNO. Lester shot a .2266 to take the championship. Gary “The Oozer” Ocock was 2nd with a .2387 and Norm Jeffery finished third with a .2521.
Congratulation to all the winners! Special thanks to Gary and Team Ocock (Chief Scorer Thomas Maxwell, Target Crew Chief Cody Cristel & Range Officer Doris Bruno) for providing us with another great CACTUS!
Full match results are attached at the bottom of this post.
Match Reporter – Jeff Welker
PS - On Thursday afternoon the Clown Prince of Benchrest (Tom Libby III) suffered a nasty fall out of his trailer (figure that one out) and landed like a sack of fresh cow pies on the hard Arizona soil. His hips, back and head hit with great force and there was initial worry that he had suffered a serious brain injury (a substance resembiling guacamole was oozing out of his ears). Carolyn later told me not to worry "...Tom hits his head all the time"! Unfortunately, the pain medication administered created a subdued Libby. He made no attempts to pilfer the microphone, nor did he wear any costumes or lady's clothing. We all hope Tom feels better soon
Here is a photo of Tom and I just after leaving the Urgent Care Facility.
Now some photos from the Cactus - enjoy.
The Champion, his trophies, and his legs of glory
The Oozer receiving one of his trophies from NBRSA President Dennis Thornburry. In the background is Gary's stiletto (Thomas Maxwell). Serving as both chief scorer and body guard, "The Stiletto" keeps the benchrest groupies at bay while Gary works the match.
Hall of Famer Rex Reneau receiving his 4th Place 2-Gun trophy from El Presidente.
Joe Pipola receiving his trophy and a certificate for a lifetime supply of nicotine patches.
The Oozer crooning the crowd with a medley of his favorite Billy Idol hits.
Range Officer Doris Bruno with a smile to start the day.
The California Kid (Norm Jeffery) striking the pose.
Sunday morning before the start of the HV5-200 - the calm before the storm.
The Godfather of International Benchrest - Don Walter Berger.
The optimistic smile of a trio of shooters before reality sets in. The bigger question is where is Baggett's lipstick?
A couple of Hall of Fame shooters (Ocock & Huckeba) that have been beating the socks off of benchrest shooters for many years.
Part of the firing line before things get serious.
Finally, your intrepid match reporter multi-tasking - photographing myself while receiving a trophy from Messrs. Thornburry.
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