Boomershoot 2018 was a big success!
There were a few minor glitches like the guy that got his trailer and pickup stuck and I had to get a tractor to pull him out. Somehow the number of stakes at the tree line was miscounted and we had a few too many stakes for the number of Sunday targets (879). I changed the way we put the explosives in the boxes which resulted in more explosives per box. No big deal but I forgot to update my spreadsheet with the new weight of the explosives per box. This meant we used up all of the secret ingredient and Barb had to run into town to buy some more. We used up all but about two pounds of the Potassium Chlorate and all but 150 pounds of the Ammonium Nitrate when I thought I would have enough left over for my summer recreational use. I expect there were a few sunburns. I got a small burn on my thumb from lighting a road flare with my lighter. The U-Haul trailer door broke on Saturday and we had to strap things in to make sure they didn’t slide out. The box of flares for the Sunday fireball was misplaced and we scrounged up flares from other other sources. The Wi-Fi was extremely flakey and essentially unusable.
All glitches cause some stress but we found workarounds for most things and there was no significant ill consequences.
But the targets had a very high detonation rate and several people told me they had more boom than normal. This wasn’t just because of the slight increase in the amount of explosives. I think it was the new chemical supplier and/or the new packing method. One longtime boomershooter told me, “Those were the best boomers I have ever shot.” That was my impression too.
The two personal fireballs and the Sunday event fireball all worked on the first try. This was the view from the shooting line 10 minutes into the Sunday event:
Wow! You actually set off explosives with prescision marksmanship…..in the bucolic wilderness! Far freaking awesome!
Better than that: after a little training, we had new shooters who arrived with a hunting rifle they had never fired, and we had them taking out boomers pretty reliably.
Boomershooti isn’t just for the old pros. Bring your newbies (but have them come for at least the Saturday rifle clinic, too)!
That’s what I love about Boomershoot — it’s an accessible sport for all.
Ya don’t have to be a marksman to hit the targets. Easy-peasy for beginners.
I missed it again this year, but I’m always there in spirit.
My two minions attended their first Boomershoot. I’m not the greatest wind-reader, and they’d never shot past 100 yards before, and only a couple of times even that far. They both whacked 4″ boomers at the 375 yard berm, tore a couple more with edge shots (and scared many), hit the steel hangers at the same range, and touched off four various targets much closer during cleanup. They even helped out at Mecca. They had a great time, and are insistent they want to go again next year.
It’s a blast.
Glad it was successful
It was another superb event! Plans for next year already started. Even the 10 hours of precipitation in the 11 hours (3 to go!) of travel today haven’t dampened the enthusiasm.
It was another good time. The boomers appeared to be reliable. The 223 had no problem blowing them up at the berm.
Thanks for arranging the great weather. (Though, for next year, could you give us just a little less wind on Saturday?) 🙂
Fortunately, I remembered the sunscreen for Sunday or I’d be burned even more.
Thanks again for putting on another great event.