Washington's Birthday Rifle Match -- coming up!

Washington's Birthday rifle match-- always one of the best matches ever!  It's the "The longest running annual rifle match in the country ("SINCE 1893)!  and the largest High Power Rifle Match in Arizona. Over 200 rifle Competitors" --Bill Poole.-- 
 This is a Service Rifle match that you want to make it to some time in your shooting career.  It's a tradition that brings people from all over, to shoot on a team in the "Washington's B-day Match". Like Poole says -- usually over 50 teams of 4 shooters each, compete for the first place team Plaque and individual awards. 'Top Police, Top military, High Senior, High Women, and High Junior, etc' are all awarded Plaques and other brass badged ammo boxes. 
   The B-day match is run like a CMP match. It's 3 sighters and 50 shots for record, all at 200 yds, and using reduced targets for the 300 rapid, and prone slow fire phases. Two shooters on each team shoot through in the morning, flip flopping on the line through the 4 positions.  During the lunch break, the Az Juniors grill burgers and dogs for everyone's lunch, unless your team is tailgateing with its own grill.  In the Afternoon, the coaches bring their #3 and #4 shooters to the line and they shoot through till the end of the match. Each coach has to make the decision to either bring his 2 best shooters to the line in windy morning or the usually calm afternoon. Which strategy would gain the team the most points?   

Top three 2007 -Tyler Riko, Tom A., Jim E.

  After the match, and while the 200 team and individual scores are reconciled, the Match Director, Bill Poole brings all shooters to the line who have shot an individual Master score for the "Shoot Off". Usually about 20 master score shooters are quickly squaded at the center of the line, and take up the 'Standing Position",  They will all fire one shot at a time, Offhand, while the target is exposed for 60 seconds, then withdrawn.  All targets are then scored and kept in the pits till Poole calls for "Disk all 5s". If no targets come up with a 5, he calls for disking any 6s,.  If any targets come up out of the pits with a 6 spotted and scored on it, Poole will announce -- "Targets number 52, and 84 Thank you for your participation.  Please remove your equipment from the Firing Line", and just that quick those folks are back into the crowd, awaiting the next shot, cheering on the survivors,  and seeing who will shoot and 7 or 8 and be banished from the line.   Eventually, it works down to two or three shooters, and they may battle two or three more shots, all scoring 9s and 10s at the same time.  Every 'Shoot Off" of the 10,  I've been in goes at least 11 shots before someone is the last man standing. Last year I went out on the 4th shot, but I've made the top three twice and won the thing in 2006, after going 3 equal shots with multiple winner Jess Anatoli. It was one of those 'good shooting' days that I put a the top of my list.
  Last year the Tucson Rifle Club's Master Blasters, put an end to the decade long reign of Derrick Martin's, Accuracy Speaks team by shooting good solid scores on a day where I shot offhand in the rain, blowing water out of the peep sight on every shot, and gusty storm winds plagued most every relay.  That Club will be tough to beat again this year, and I know that one of the Junior teams has some hot shooters, such as newly  Distinguished Rifleman, Tarvis Burian, and other young shooters who are also ready to take that "Top Team" award. 

Just in -- Results for 2012 B-day match:   Click Here

  Traveling shooters take note:   This is one of those "bucket list" rifle matches.  This years entry form -- Click Here  
Washington's Birthday match 2012 web site:  http://washingtonsbirthdayriflematch.org/