How about winning the 2006 World Championships!

Well that was my goal and that's just what I did. 

 I started planning the trip to Australia as soon as I heard the World Action Pistol Championships would be held at the Blacktown Pistol Club, Shalvey Australia, a suburb of Sydney.  It was a bonus to know that I'd be representing the USA on the NRA's Gold Team.  As if shooting a major match doesn't have enough pressure, try having two teammates and the country's pride on your shoulders.  I spent the year anticipating this match and a much wanted vacation with my wife Reyhan.

The Loooonnnnngggg Flight to Sydney

The trip started off normal enough, catching a 5 hour plane to San Francisco then connecting for the 15 hour flight directly into Sydney.  At 11pm we meet up with my long time shooting buddy Tony Holmes and settled into the 747 for the long jump across the Pacific Ocean and spent the first 2 1/2 hours having diner and watching a movie.  Reyhan is not a fan of flying so watching Poseidon wasn't the airlines best choice of movie selection.  Right in the middle of the movie's crisis, you know, the ship is capsizing and everyone is dieing, our captain interrupts the movie to tell us he's experiencing "mechanical troubles" and we'll have to turn around.  Back to San Francisco, where there is a big convention in town and no hotel rooms to be found.   By now it's 3am, no hotel room, and our next flight will be at 11pm, the next day.  Needless to say, not a good way to start a vacation or prepare for a world championship.  While I was trying to catch some zz's in the airport, I'm thinking that I'm missing the first day of practice.  Oh well....  there's nothing I can do about it now.

Making the best of a bad situation, we decide to spend the day seeing the city.  We caught a train to downtown San Francisco, rode the trolley cars, caught a boat to Alcatraz Island, walked thru China Town, and relaxed with a quick dinner in town.  After dinner it was back to the airport, get new boarding passes and find the gate.  We go thru the normal boarding procedure and push off the gate right on time.  Once the push back is complete we sit there a minute when the captain comes on the intercom again.  "Sorry folks, this is no joke, we're having engine trouble again".  He can't get all of the engines to start! Back to the gate, unload the plane, 3 hours later, we're sitting on a new plane and on our way.

Range Time

 Thanks to my friends at Sierra Bullets here in the US, Highland Sports in Australia, and Australian shooter Craig Ginger, my practice ammunition was waiting for me at the range.  Thanks to the strict import policies in Australia, the process of shipping ammo there is very difficult and takes several months.  Unfortunately, many of the other US shooters weren't so lucky.  A day and a half of practice and the match begins.  The current rules allows you to shoot both Open division and Metallic division in the same match but you have to declare only one as your 'primary gun' for the World Championship titles. Shooting both guns makes you eligible for the Aggregate Award, allows shooters to get more rounds down range, and have twice the fun.  I declared Open as my primary and shot the Metallic for the Aggregate.  

Day One

The first day shooting schedule was dedicated to everyone's non-primary gun.  I was scheduled to shoot three events with my 6" Longslide Caspian 9mm Nowlin built PPC gun.  A beautiful day, bright and sunny, everything you would want at a match.  The only problem was that the range was facing the wrong direction.  With the sun behind the targets, it was impossible to see any rings on the cardboard D-1 Tombstone targets, even at the closest distance.  As a result, everyone's scores suffered.  At the end of the day, I was beginning to get nervous how I would fare with my primary gun.

Day Two

Day two I finished up my Metallic division shooting, posting a final score of 1865-129x.  Put away the Metallic gun and get out the Open gun.  A Nowlin built Caspian .38 Super with a Weigand/Piatt shroud, Leupold/Gilmore scope, and my own custom made barricade wings.  Off to the practice range, check my zero, warm up with a little practice and it's off to the races.  I would shoot only one event in the afternoon, the Barricades.  I grabbed a quick bite to eat and was glad to see the clouds roll in.  The storm that was forecast had perfect timing.  Once the bright sun was gone, it was finally possible to see the target rings.  The lighting wasn't perfect, you still had to struggle to see the rings, but it sure was better than the first day.  The Barricades were built perfectly, strong and solid.  I kept my cool and felt pretty calm working my way back thru the event.  Starting at 10 yards, 15, then 25, everything was going great.   The gun was solid, I was working the trigger good, I could see I had them all in the X-ring and my confidence was growing.  Back to the 35 yard line, all X's on the left side.   I had the 8 second time limit in my head and felling good.  "Six more to go", I thought as I waited for the targets to turn.  When they did, the gun came up and I had a good mount, centered the dot and suddenly, my eyes glazed over.  It happens occasionally but why oh why now!!  Everything went a little blurry but the clock was running.  Keep the dot centered and work the trigger, that's all I could do.  The six shots went down range, the targets turned and I didn't have a clue where they went.  I unloaded and showed clear just as soon as I could, waiting for the RO to face the targets for scoring.  The line was clear, I took a few steps forward to see a nice little cluster all inside the X-ring.  480 - 48X....  what a way to start the match.

Day Three

Day three turned out to be partly cloudy and as long as the clouds were out, we'd be good. The morning schedule had me shooting the plates.  Six 8 inch steel plates shot from 10, 15, 20, and 25 yards.  Not too difficult but a severe penalty for missing one.  Slightly outside the 8" circle on a paper target and you're down 2 points.  Miss a plate and it's 10 points down.  I think most of the top shooters tell themselves, "Don't do anything stupid and survive this event".  48 Plates set up, and 48 plates knocked down.  Still clean and onto the Practical in the afternoon.

Hitting the practice range I checked my zero at 50 yards to find a nice little 1 to 1 1/4 inch hole for six shots perfectly in the center of the target.  I ran thru the event on the practice range, having my scope at the lowest setting I have ever shot it on.  Too bright and you can't see the target rings clearly, too dim and you can loose the dot if the sun peeks out from the clouds.  I practiced well but was still worrying about the lighting conditions.  I grabbed some lunch and waited for my shoot time.  I watch as the clouds and the sun played cat and mouse on the targets.  Time to shoot, up to the line, let's start the show.  10 yards.. not great.. I think I dropped one or two X's in the weak hand portion.  Don't sweat it, that's easily done.  15 yards, all X's,  lighting is good, vision is good.  Back to 25 yards where they put up fresh targets.  Now it's hard to see the rings with the sun on and off the targets.  "Should I turn the scope down to that low setting I used in practice?" I thought, fearing the sun would pop out and I'd loose the dot.  "No, better safe than sorry", I thought, leaving the dot a little brighter, possibly sacrificing seeing the X-ring.  The targets turn, I drop down to the prone and begin the course.  I'm struggling with the dot brighter than I want but still thinking, too bright is better than loosing the dot in the sun.  I can't remember where, but I know I dropped another X from the 25.  A touch low but there is nothing I can do about it now.  Back to 50 yards.  Vision is critical here... what to do, what to do.  Sun and clouds are still taking their turns on the targets.  "Stay put on the bright setting and hope for the best" I thought as I made ready.  After the three 50 yards strings I wound up dropping a total of 7 X's, posting a 480 - 41X for the event.  I walked away thinking, "That'll do... Clean is Clean"

Day Four

Final day and as usual, the match is down to the Moving Target event.  The Tombstone target travels a span of 60 feet in 6 seconds.  Shooting from the 10, 15, 20, and 25 yard line, keeping the 48 shots in the center 4" X ring of the moving target is akin to the 'hole in one' in golf.  Something that I have only done twice in my 20 years of shooting and never in a match.  With 4 other shooters starting the day with three clean events, there is no room for error.  Four other potential 1920 finishers starting the day. I know I'm tied with one for the overall X-Count, the all important tie-breakers.  Most shooters just want to keep them in the 8 inch 10 ring and finish this thing with a perfect 1920. That's not how I approach this event.  This is my forte', my specialty, for I've been dominating the Moving Target event at the Bianchi Cup for years.  "Just step to the line and do what I normally do, focus, focus, focus".  I keep reminding myself to focus because I'm finding my thoughts wondering onto the dot brightness again.   The sun is similar to day three but I elect to keep the dot brighter than I would like.   Word around the range has spread that the other potential 1920 shooters are dropping points.  I try not to listen and just focus on my own performance.  Although I've won four Bianchi Cups, my wife has only seen me win one of them.  She wishes me luck as I walk onto the range.  Track the target, work the trigger, 10 yards, 15 yards, 20 yards, all going well dropping only 2 X's till now.  Back to the 25 yard line where the trigger control is paramount.  Twelve more shots, press, press, press.  Dropping some X's but still clean.  Last pass....  3 more shots, press, press, press, follow thru...... and I'm done.  Knowing I kept it clean, I unload and show clear and give myself a little celebratory pump of the fist, confident that I just took the 2006 World Action Pistol Championship.  

Add 'em up

When it was all over, I came out on top in more than one place.  Between the World Action Pistol  Championship titles and the combined Australian Action Pistol National Championship titles, I walked home with 18 titles to add to my resume.  Actually I flew home with almost 50 pounds of trophies, not to mention the Australian National Open, Metallic, and Ironman trophies that stay with Pistol Australia.  What a trip, what a match, what a great way to meet new friends "Down Under".  

Complete results are posted at www.1920action.info

Special thanks go out to all that made this happen for me.  My freinds, my family, my sponsors, without you behind me, I'd hate to think of where I'd be.  Thank you.