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2018 World Muzzle-Loading Championships Report

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 2:28 pm
by Mike OTDP
Just got back from the World Championships, held in Eisenstadt, Austria. A long, expensive trip that got off to a terrible start and a marvelous ending.

I flew over several days prior to get acclimated. And to play tourist. Unfortunately, Air France contrived to misplace my gun case somewhere in Paris. So my "tourist" time was spent trying to get the guns. I was terrified of a repeat of the nightmare I went through in 2002, when Alitalia lost my case for six weeks. By the time we went down to Eisenstadt, I'd pretty well given up.

Well, my luck started to change. First, the MLAIC leadership voted to waive the "can only use a firearm once in a championship" rule and let me borrow guns. Which was a massive shock to me, and a compliment I will treasure. Then my guns turned up...I had to drive up to Vienna to get them.

The match began. 395 competitors, from 25 countries. The range at Eisenstadt was located right next to the local fire department training facility - an odd arrangement, but it worked out. The range was OK...not as lavish as Pforzheim (2012) or Las Gabias (2014), but satisfactory. Weather for most of the week was insanely hot - in the low 90s.

U.S. team performance was a bit on the low side, except for the shotgun squad. The shotgunners are a perennial powerhouse, and Dunc Dawkins took the Gold for the Original division of the Lorenzoni percussion shotgun event. Our team for that event took second place, a fine performance.

As for me, my first event was the Colt 25m original revolver match. Shot a 92...not medal-winning, but an honorable score putting me in 8th place in a field of 99. Both the Mariette 25m repro revolver match and the Kuchenreuter 25m percussion pistol matches were disasters. I came in 7th in the Cominazzo 25m flintlock pistol match. Again, out of the medals but an honorable score.

Then came the last event. The Malson 50m revolver match, Original division. The weather changed from hot to cold, damp, and dreary. Fifty meters is a LONG way to get a percussion revolver to shoot straight. But I loaded the gun up...and with the first cylinder shot a 10, three 9s, and two 6s. Definitely pulled those to the right. Load up the second cylinder...not nearly as good. A 10, a 9, a 7, a couple of 6s, and some shots that I won't mention. We fire 13 shots, count the top 10 (but no sighters, and merely touching the scoring line isn't enough, the center of the bullet hole has to touch). I left the line figuring I'd shot a 75. Honorable, but no medal.

Went to the car, cleaned out the gun, locked it in the case for travel. Went to check the scores - I knew we had one shooter who had shot an 81, good enough to make the top six. Well, the scores were low, he'd come in second place.

To me. I'd miscounted the shots, left out a 6, scored an 81...and ties are broken by the number of 10s.

On top of that, there's a revolver aggregate match...and I'd won THAT, too.

My first individual medals. Yes, I've won team medals at Worlds, but double Gold? Big day.

Forty-two years ago, I'd been told stories by shooters from the first U.S. team of how they had gone to distant, exotic places; met exciting, unusual people; and beat the snot out of them on the range. And I wanted a piece of that action. It took twenty years to get ON the U.S. team...and twenty-two more to win a World Championship.

Re: 2018 World Muzzle-Loading Championships Report

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 3:43 pm
by Gunnuts
Very cool.

Congratulations! :D

Re: 2018 World Muzzle-Loading Championships Report

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:33 pm
by randy
:D Whoo Hoo! Good Job!

Re: 2018 World Muzzle-Loading Championships Report

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 5:36 pm
by Frankingun
Congratulations!

Re: 2018 World Muzzle-Loading Championships Report

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 6:21 pm
by Netpackrat
That's awesome, congrats.

Re: 2018 World Muzzle-Loading Championships Report

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 6:52 pm
by g-man
Damn fine shooting! Might need to brush up on your 1-2-3's, but otherwise not bad!

Re: 2018 World Muzzle-Loading Championships Report

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 9:25 pm
by Cobar
Congratulations

Re: 2018 World Muzzle-Loading Championships Report

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2018 12:59 am
by AggieWalt
Heck yea! Congratulations

Re: 2018 World Muzzle-Loading Championships Report

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2018 4:29 am
by SoupOrMan
Congratulations!

Re: 2018 World Muzzle-Loading Championships Report

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2018 8:12 am
by TheArmsman
Outstanding!

Such a feeling when you win a match.