Texas Carbine Shotgun Match.......So fun!

Today I did my first shotgun match with the Texas Carbine shooting club in Corpus Christi, Texas.  What fun!

I was suppose to ride up with Bill Connor from the RGV Shooters, He called on Saturday to arrange rides, but I didn't see the call. It was now Sunday a.m. I was up at 4:30 a.m., too excited to sleep and rushed around the house for an hour, jumped in the car only forgetting half of what I was suppose to bring, and headed to Corpus Christi.  When I got into the car, I saw Bill's voice mail and called him as I was aiming down the road; he was still sleeping.  This was not his first match. Despite my almost hour lead, he pulled in with his  Porsche 911  not too long after I got there.  Gotta get the ole Pilot tuned up.  (If he ever breaks down I can fit his car and gun buggie in the back end of my car.)

For those of you who do not live in Texas you don't understand distance.  Brownsville is the south most tip of Texas, four and a half hours from the nearest  major U.S. city.  Monterrey, Mexico is only two and a half hours away.   Corpus is our neighbor, just up the road, three hours drive, past the King Ranch which is about the size of Rhode Island.  You also pass the famous Dick Cheney Whoops! My bad. Shooting Range.  People still duck driving past that ranch.  So much for geography, back to Spider, Maytag and Nightmare.

Now this picture shows what normal shooters haul all their equipment around with.  No, they are not baby buggies.  They are modified baby buggies to carry all your gear.  As I was packing all my stuff up Saturday and Sunday morning, it felt like when I first took my newborn son out to do some errands.  It is probable that it might be easier to get a baby along with bottles, diapers, binkies, extra clothes, towels, wipes, socks, shoes, toys, books and buggy in the car than all the gear you need for a shooting match.  This was just shotgun, can't wait to pack for a three gun.

Anyway, back to Spider, Maytag and Nightmare again.  These guys ride around in golf carts that are all equipped to haul everything and anything one might need in a shooting competition.  I'm thinking I will stick to my backpack rather than adding to the list of things not to forget, hitching up a trailer with a golf gun cart.

The club members were fun.  New shooters take a lot of time fumbling with shells, shooting 10 feet above and under the targets, un-jamming ammo, and reminding you that it is much easier to shoot with the safety off.  No one yelled.  They went out of their way to make me feel welcome and they gave lots of good advice.

Anyway, back to Spider, Maytag and Nightmare again.  Everyone has a nick name.  Club members cannot choose their own nickname; a nickname must be earned.  At the traditional feast after the shoot, Bill entertained everyone by making someone tell how another person earned his nickname.  Made if more interesting, and we got a truthful story.

Anyone who has a chance needs to check out these competitions.  Corpus Christi has the largest undeveloped barrier island in the world.  Great place for a getaway weekend.  So if you are a gun lover and tree hugger this is the place.