This article first appeared (with lots of photos!) at Tarheel 3-Gun.
Last weekend I had the privilege of shooting the Freedom Munitions Memorial Multigun match, presented by Tarheel 3-Gun. It was a whirlwind trip – I drove, shot, missed a bunch of targets, and was back home in less than 48 hours – but I definitely enjoyed myself!
First of all, let’s talk about the rain…THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN! This was the first event at Tarheel 3-Gun that I can remember where it didn’t rain. The sun was out, the sky was speckled with fluffy white clouds, and there was enough breeze to take the edge off the heat. I hate to say it out loud, because the sky might hear me, but it’s possible that the rain dance someone did last year finally wore off. Whoever you are – please don’t do it again.
I decided to shake things up a bit and shoot with different people than my usual crew, just for a change of pace. I was squadded with the Miculeks, Yackleys, Ashley Rheuark, and Nate Staskiewicz, among others. I really enjoyed seeing all of the families there together. Ashley’s dad was there supporting her, Nate’s mom was our official “squad mom,” and there were several other shooters who had spouses or kids in attendance as well.
I was actually really impressed by the juniors on my squad. Nate battled it out with Tim Yackley to win high junior by a narrow margin; but really, I was struck by how respectful they both were and how hard they worked at resetting the stage every…single…time. I know a few adult shooters who could serve to take a few lessons from these guys! Ashley was cool and collected all match long as she systematically put together a solid match; her performance was good enough to best Lena Miculek for high lady by over 30 seconds. But 11-year old Andrew Yackley stood out to me the most. Andrew’s pistol fell out of his holster during a stage, earning him a DQ. He never complained and continued to paste and reset targets for the rest of the match. Truly, we need more juniors like this in the sport!
While I struggled to hit a number of the rifle targets, I appreciated the challenge they presented. The stages were all pretty straightforward, which allowed the match to be a true test of shooting ability, not gimmicky props or complicated stage plans. The simplicity was refreshing.
Many thanks to all of the sponsors who made this event a success! I’m already looking forward to next year!
guns and barbells 