Forget about the Cow

...pissing on a flat rock!  It rained like Zeus pissing on the Mt. Olympus foothills!

It could, in an alternate reality, have been the highlight of my return trip, but my visit to the Michigan ACTS league was one of those experiences that balanced a whole heap of good things with a crap sandwich. I knew when the first words of welcome there were, "Hey, Asshole!" that I would fit in okay. High-mileage traveler "Jimmyjet" scored me a special match discount (free!) and introduced me to many folks I'd only known by forum "handles" until then. It it had been raining all night and shown no sign of let-up, but this was a hardy bunch whose range access wasn't choked off by rain-swollen washes, so they were ready to get wet and shooting. The introduction of frequent lightning changed things immensely. We adjourned to Centerline's Clubhouse to wait out the worst.

I was the only shooter to bring a cased rifle, but that was more because I didn't bring a range bag to hold all my mags and ammo, so the pouches served me nicely.  Since my SOCOM-16 had already gotten soaked when my truck cab sprung a leak on the trip north, I wasn't afraid to get it wet (the rifle case is still drying out).  Only the hex nut under the front sight shows signs of rust.

It took a moment for me to get used to the range's lack of a designated "safe handling area" like most AZ ranges have, but when in Rome.... There was a lot of show 'n' tell going on and many of the shooters wore their rifles throughout the day.  The hardware ranged from plain jane AKs to high-end ARs (including one in 5.7); I think I had the only Thumper there, but it was a light turnout. 

The only stage I shot before Zeus decided to sprinkle us with more lightning was "Barb's Revenge," designed by the petite Match Director to get even for all the times she's had to drag the rescue dummy they use.  You do not want to see me shoot it... I was utterly destroyed by the lack of traction (wearing old sneakers with no tread left will do that) in the muddy grass and my general lack of physical fitness.

Turns out this was the first match in league history to be cancelled due to weather!  More pics at the ACTS Forum. 

Thanks again to a fine bunch of folks!