Shooter's weekend

I just spent the weekend at Canton McKinley Rifle and Pistol Club hawking knives.  This weekend is their big Regional Bullseye Match, what we call a 2700.  It takes three days to shoot it and honestly 4 would be better, but it’s just not possible.  They get about 300 shooters from all over the country, sometimes all over the world.

Starting tomorrow, (as I write this) Monday 10 July 17 the National Matches at Camp Perry start.  They will get at least at least a thousand shooters including all branches of the military, National Guard, Police Departments, clubs and everyday citizens who want to compete. 

I was there at CMRPC selling club merchandise, handing out club tee-shirts and sharpening knives to demonstrate the Spyderco sharpener, at least that’s what they think.

I was really there for raising the flag.

"I'd elevated that another 12 degrees if I was you..."

It starts by pulling a friction fuse on a brass canon captured by the British during the Crimean War.  The canon belches smoke and fire while the National Anthem starts playing.  You can’t hear the first couple of notes.  The canon’s thunder drowns them out.  A three person military team starts to raise the flag and everyone, a hundred armed men and women and all the support people, snap to attention and salute.  The smoke clears but the aroma of cordite lingers as the last notes are played and the flag reaches the top of the pole.  There’s doesn’t seems to be a breeze but somehow a puff of wind straightens the flag for a second and we return to our activities.  Then shooters have a three minute preparation period to get ready.

If that doesn’t bring tears of pride to your eyes, then you’re no friend of mine.

Nothing says "Attention for Colors!" like a canon blast.

People stop by the table to talk, or show of their newest, favorite, or latest blade.  We talk about types of steel, advantages of tip up vs tip down carry and role of everyday knife carry.  I see a wide variety of knives at this match.  Some knives are to commemorate a special event, like retirement or a graduation.  Others are just the flavor of the week.  Some are old, trusted companions that were there for the owner when needed. 

I’ve sold a knife to many of these people and they bring them back to show me.  Most are in good shape and sharp, but a few are dull with micro-chips along the edge; others have cracked and broken tips.  I can’t do much with the damaged ones.  The sharpener I use is best utilized keeping sharp knives from becoming dull.  And that’s really the key to keeping a working knife sharp, never let it get dull.  Yes, possibly you will wear out the blade from all the edge dressing you do.  But most assuredly, if you let your blade get so dull and damaged that you have to grind away some of the edge to get a sharp blade, you will run out of knife sooner than later.

After about a half hour, I got it as sharp as I was going to get  it with a Spyderco Sharpmaker.

If these abused knives were all we had, I’d spend a day working the missing tip into something pointed and polishing the micro-chips out of the blade, but there are better systems for that.  After you’ve sharpened knives for a while it becomes clear that no one sharpener works for every knife.  Anyone who claims their sharpening system does it all, isn’t the sharpest knife in the box.

Sellin' Steel

I’m at Canton McKinley Rifle and Pistol Club’s Regional for three days.  It is the biggest regional bullseye match in the country. (By the way, it's open to the public, you can visit if you want!)

Why?

Simple.  The National Bullseye Pistol Matches start at Camp Perry the week after CMRPC’s Regional and Leg Match ( What’s a Leg Match?)   It’s like a tune up before the main event.

They get the military with their armorers, police teams, civilian shooters to come and punch holes in paper targets.  It’s very cool, ‘cause anyone can participate and you could find yourself shooting next to a national champion or a housewife from Sour Plane, NY.

I’m not shooting.  Bullseye takes practice and deliberate concentration stretched out over hours and days and years of practice.  It can also be a bit of an equipment race.

There’s always a better gun or gunsmith.  Maybe a new and improved oil which will make the gun shoot better, maybe a magic bullet that will shoot head and shoulders better than the rest.  Of course you can reload and the chase for perfection starts over.

I used to shoot bullseye, but it has fallen out of favor with me.

So, I’m there selling knives.  

But it was so hot today….  I didn’t care if I sold anything if it meant I didn’t have to move.  The building is open on part of one side and we had fans moving air around, but when it’s 98 degrees, it’s just hot air.  I don't know how the shooters survived for all those hours on the sunny firing line.  I thought for sure we would have some heat stroke, but we didn't.

It’s interesting to talk to the professional knife fighters, trainers, and amateur collectors and users.  No matter what you read in the knife magazines, you’ll find a contrary view from a person in the same profession.

I had a nice conversation about knife length with a Pentagon employee.  A police officer from Newport News Virginia and I discussed autos or switchblades.  I sold a SOG Tomahawk to a Marine.  He’s not sure what he’ll use it for but he thinks it’s a good idea.  I wanted that one for myself so I guess I’ll be ordering one.  I met a Coast Guard Captain who sailed around South America helping those nations set up their own coast guards.  He’s stationed stateside now and he always has some interesting things to say.

I sold a few knives too.  The ceramic kitchen knives are hot.  CRKT’s M16s are always picked up and purchased.  

I still have two days to go.  I’ll see what happens.