Sometime back, I decided I was going to get my 1000th Thumb without posting any game related content. That achieved, I felt it was time to start contributing to the site. I recently chronicled the course of my first Heroscape Tournament in a series of 5 session reports.

After Part II Geosphere wrote:




I thought that was funny and true but it did prompt me to return to Chit Chat for this blog thread. I AM competing in another hobby but have to write about it here, in Chit Chat.

A couple weeks ago I was at Open Range Sports ( www.openrangesports.com), an indoor fun range, with a coworker. Robert. Robert is the company Application Specialist. (software/hardware geek and ex-D&Der and general movie & music geek. If he were a gamer he’d fit right in).

One hobby we do share is handguns. I had taken my Taurus PT24/7 9mm and Robert his Springfield Armory 1911 Loaded Target to Open Range to run a few rounds through them.


We were admiring some guns on the way out when the Barry Laws, the CEO, approached us and asked if we had signed up for the Open Pistol Tournament. The grand prize is a Para Ordnance .45 Black Watch Companion. MSRP is $1065.00.

I made my excuses. I can't focus on the front sight with these old glasses. I'm still getting used to a semi-auto after being a revolver guy for years. I don’t like the Heine Rear Sights on my new gun. And I’d probably be out of my league. (For some reason “Heine Rear Sights” conjures up a humorous image).

He said, “This is how it works. You have to shoot in three of the four courses. Each course has a $20.00 entry fee and you need provide 50 rounds of ammo and your own gun. Each course will be scored and 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes will be awarded based on the total scores. The $1000 gun will be given away in a drawing with each participant getting one chance in the hat. ”

“Ok, so no matter what my score, I have the same chance as anyone of winning the gun?”

“Yes.”

“How many shooters are in the tourney now?”

“Eleven.”

“Eleven?”

“Yes.”

“In essence, I’m buying a $60 raffle ticket on a $1000 gun. And my odds of winning would be 1 in twelve. No matter how well or poorly I shoot.”

“Yes.”

“Sign me up.” I'm thinking, I usually spend more than $20 when I go the range anyway and I don’t have a chance at squat.

Here are the mechanics to this game.
Come to the range Wednesday between 4 PM and 6:45 PM.
If there are other players there, you will all shoot the course simultaneously.
The range master will assign lanes, tell the players when to load 10 rounds and when to assume the ready position.

The targets are computer controlled. When the target turns toward you, you may open fire. Typically, you have 15 seconds to fire a string of ten rounds before the target turns sideways again ending that string. At 75 feet you have 40 seconds for ten and at 50 feet 15 seconds for 5 rounds.

On command reload, the target will move to a different range and repeat the process. All in all, we shot 4 strings of 10 and two strings of 5.

I shot my first course last Wednesday. I scored 431 with 20 bullseyes and only one complete miss. The number of bulleyes are used as a tie breaker.

I do not know the scores of the three guys I shot with but just from looking at the holes in the targets I think I did very well.

I shoot again tomorrow and this time I HAVE NEW GLASSES.




The Grand Prize!!! No Skill Required.
(Chess Set not included)

Scrib
(I'd rather have a Kimber).

Ummm....excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me! Where are the laser grips????? What sort of crappy contest is this where you have to buy your own?

Hey good luck Scrib! Perhaps you should suggest Heroscape terrain as targets eh?

Good luck.

I think a picture of the Silver Surfer taped to the Bullseye would do the trick on the shooting part. For the drawing I'm hoping I have some residual good luck left over from Saturday. I've made it a point not to roll ANY dice or flip any coins since then.

New glasses? I shot 429 / 16 Bullseyes. Slightly worse than before. Didn't mention it before but 500 is a perfect score. The guy next to me shot a 374 / 11.

The highest single score I saw on the table was 474 but that's by the fella who told me he shot the course last week three times (at $20 a pop) because he didn't like his earlier scores that week.


This weekend I'm going to replace the Heine sights. I prefer to aim with my eyes.

I shot the final course tonight 435/17. I still tend to shoot a bit low with the Heine sights. I did not get the new sights. My string of 10 from 25 feet tonight was especially weak. I did shoot a nice group on the last string of 5 in and near the bullseye at 25 feet.

Tonight they add the scores for prizes 1,2 and 3 and draw the name (My Name?) for the .45 pistol.