SMM3G 2006

Day One started Squad 10 on Stage 10, a shotgun-only stage featuring steel poppers and stationary clay targets. Jon impressed many bystanders who noted that he worked his Rem 870 pump as fast as some guys shot their autos. This year, the match separated Heavy Metal Pump and Auto scores on stages that required scatterguns. I think Jon placed 2nd or 3d on this stage. I was only several seconds slower, but on this quick and easy stage, that meant I placed in the lower ranks of only 40 Heavy Metal shooters.



Next, Stage One featured a dark house requiring shooting with the strong hand while holding a match-provided Surefire flashlight in the weak hand. I made the mistake of topping off my single-stack .45 with one magazine, then loading what would prove to be a troublesome mag that nosed the second round down into the feed ramp. I had to bite the flashlight to free up my weak hand to clear up the malfunction. Since there were only 10 pistol targets, I should have just loaded the first magazine that worked and single-tapped all targets in the A-Zone. (Paper targets required two hits anywhere, or one A-Zone hit to neutralize. I also passed up a shotgun popper target beyond the house that was only visible from one spot. I had the worst score in my class.

Jon loaded up with 10+1 rounds of .45, quickly single-tapped all pistol targets in the A, and double-tapped the 10th target in the head to run his gun dry before switching to shotgun.


Stage Two featured five pistol targets to be engaged while seated, then a switch to rifle, shooting through ports in an open-topped house. I totally failed to engage (FTE) one rifle target and failed to neutralize (FTN) a moving rifle target; on top of a slow overall time, I was one of the bottom-feeders in my class on this stage. I think Jon made a similar FTE boo-boo on Stage Two, but his time was much better.





Stage Four, another pistol/riotgun stage, featured some popper-activated, madly swinging targets that frustrated race-gun and tactical pistoleers and pump and auto gunners alike. Clays on the short arms, like the one exploding here, were a lot easier than the long-armed ones. Jon and I were lucky we were shooting tactical-length, open-choked shotties, which were more forgiving against the speedy targets.





Randy was member of the colorful "Dick Tribe" who rounded out Squad 10. His Open Class shotty was less than optimally choked for this stage, but his increased magazine capacity and speedloaders made up for the tighter choke. He bristled (jokingly, I hope) when I remarked that Jon's pump time was faster than some of the autos. Randy recalled my prior ill-fated SMM3G outing with my 20-gauge Winchester pump...gee, you'd think a guy who guns wearing a jester hat would be able to take a joke.



More Dick Tribe flash and panache...that's Rob at left. Check out their cool quad-towed Wagon o' Many Colors. The umbrellas and weapon rack covers would come in very handy during the stormy Day Two of the match.












Jon and I decided to leave the gun wagon at home, since parking was convenient to most of the stages. I'd question the wisdom of this on Day Three when the one stage with no nearby parking required all three guns.









The Other Jon, shown here at the Shooter's Party Saturday night, was another Heavy Metal gunner on our squad. He of the incredibly disintegrating FN-FAL (seen right) operated from his wagon full-time.




I don't have any action shots from Day Two (my camera got wet enough taking the photos in the other Match post). The first pic was Stage Three, which required the shooter to engage eight paper targets with slugs from the helicopter, then exit and engage 16 rifle targets as they became visible, then engage five pistol targets. I shed the poncho to run the stage and was too focused to notice the cold rain falling on me. I totally brainfarted the slug targets (one FTE) and FTN'd one pistol target. Jon had one of his few mistakes by FTEing one of the rifle targets.

The third pic was Stage Five, a rifle-only stage that was eventually thrown out of the match scoring when they couldn't run the whole backlog of shooters before the match deadline on Day Three. While the Other Jon was making up this stage, his FN-FAL shed its handguard during a mag change. Instant Handwarmer!

Day Three started us on Stage Eight, "Behind the 8-Ball." The shooter begins with both hands on a pool cue at a makeshift pool table and on the start signal, engages the first target with a wiffle "8-Ball," shoots five pistol targets, then runs behind the bar to engage nine steel and stationary clay targets with the prepositioned riotgun. Here's Mike of the Tribe leaning to get the far right clay.





Stage Nine didn't lend itself well to photography. The shooter neutralizes six relatively close targets with rifle headshots from a bunker, then races to a building, retrieves his pistol, and engages 12 pistol targets. I lost an FTE to a shaded rifle target and FTN'd one pistol target. Yeah, I sucked.

Our first makeup stage, Stage Six ("River Runners"), required shooters to charge across a dock, capture the "Al Qaeda" freighter, neutralize the crew, then engage five long range targets. By this time, I started experiencing some light primer strikes with the SOCOM-16, but I got all of my targets eventually.



Here's my Fat Picture. Our final make-up stage, Seven ("Whittlin' Away") started the shooter sitting on the porch, whittling a piece of wood. There were five cardboard pistol targets, four steel shotgun poppers that launched one clay pigeon each, then five rifle targets ranging from 100 to 300-something yards. I cleaned up everything quickly (for me, anyway), but the far three rifle targets frustrated me so much that I took three FTNs and packed up my stuff.





The Heavy Metal prize table was the shortest, with only 41 places, but Jon had a real shot at bringing home a real firearm since he placed 10th! One high-scorer picked a Dillon reloading press (he was probably a Californian), but the #9 winner scarfed the last firearm on the table. The class winner brought home the tricked out .223 gas-piston rifle (hmmm...not very Heavy Metal, but a heavy prize). The SOCOM-16 went to #2.






Jon brought home a gift certificate for a slick AR handguard and a pair of Dillon electronic hearing protectors. Even finishing second to last, I won set of AR replacement furniture, some cleaning supplies, a non-autographed World Series pic of pitcher Randy Johnson (still much beloved in the PHX area) and a box of PMC/Sierra Match King .223 cartridges. I'm tempted to try to trade in the A2 handguard for a shorty set and build a pimped-out AR once I figure out what paint will best stick to the furniture. Any suggestions?

I'll close out this post with a shout out and mad props to the great staff and range officers of the Rio Salado Sportsman's Club who put on another great Superstition Match this year. I hope to be there again next year, shooting Heavy Metal again and doing better than second-to-last! Despite the weather and my own poor performance, I had a hell of a good time!!

Update: They've webposted the results already! I may have been 40th out of 41 HM Shooters, but I was 226th out of 280 finishers(?)...that sounds a lot better than 9th from the bottom (of Tactical Scoped) from last year! Jon's 45th place overall is even more impressive (heck, he's the only Squad 10er on the first page of the results) since he placed ahead of all the space-gunner Tribesmen in our squad and 22 places ahead of fellow Heavy Metalhead, The Other Jon.

The reason I question whether there were 280 finishers is that Jon said there were 350 shooters originally, but the guy below me at #41 HM had maxed out times for all Day Two and Day Three stages. He was in our squad, but I never saw him after Day One. This might have been an issue if the Match hadn't discontinued the practice of awarding free entry fees to next year's match for the bottom scorers of each class. That kinda cheapens that 226 out of 280 figure a bit.