No brag, just fact. For the Black Powder Target rifleman, the Desert International Black Powder Long Range Championship Match was and is the biggest such match in North America and as far as I know, on planet Earth. Muzzleloaders, cartridge rifles and vintage sniper rifles are all welcome. Sponsored by the Arizona Western International Shoot (AZWINS - Bill Loughrige, president), its stated purpose is to provide the competitor with a high-quality shooting experience that is enjoyable and fun to shoot and AZWINS has consistently delivered.
Having shot Black Powder Target Rifle (BPTR) Long Range at Sacramento, Lodi, Missoula, Tucson, Byers, Raton and Capitan, it is obvious to me that the venue most favorable for such long-range matches is the Middleton Tompkins (1,000-yard) Range at Ben Avery Shooting Facility (BASF) in Phoenix, Arizona.
Planning for the 2021 match began during the 2020 competition and continued up until the “green light” was finally given in December 2020, to actually hold the March 2021, match. Needless to say, the global pandemic held up authorization to hold the competition and dramatically affected the ability of many shooters to attend. Without the persistence and expert maneuvering of Bill Loughrige, I suspect the 2021 match would not have taken place. Thank you, Bill.
Once it was announced that the match would take place, a flurry of entries arrived on a “first-come, first-served” basis and everyone sending in their entry in a timely manner was squadded to shoot. Riflemen came from Nevada, Wyoming, Minnesota, Florida, Indiana, Colorado, Washington, Idaho, Oklahoma and of course, Arizona, to shoot in the biggest and best BPTR match there is. There is no requirement to join or be a member of any group or organization to compete. Just show up and shoot.
This story is from the Summer 2021 edition of The Black Powder Cartridge News.
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This story is from the Summer 2021 edition of The Black Powder Cartridge News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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