Category Archives: Boomershoot

Boomershoot is a long range precision rifle event with high explosives as the targets. This is about Boomershoot in general and sometimes just explosives.

Boomershoot Live!

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Among many other things I did over the weekend I got the weather station and webcam working at the Boomershoot shooting line. I created a web page for it so people can check out the conditions as Boomershoot 2017 approaches. I call the webpage Boomershoot Live! It will also allow people who are not attending to get a once a minute snapshot of the target area and weather.

Here how things looked yesterday morning when I was getting the T-Mobile microcell working:

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Here is this morning:

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Yeah. The weather at Boomershoot is variable.

The weather station uploads data to Weather Underground about four times a minute. They kept track of the weather history as well as make forecasts.

It’s too far away to make a believable forecast for Boomershoot (April 21, 22, 23) but in another week they will start being plausible.

Update: The webcam dropped offline at 3:00 PM PDT April 10th. I don’t know why. I’m over 300 miles away and won’t be able to check on it until April 20th.

Update 2: The webcam started working again at 6:07 PM PDT April April 10th. This was with a few minutes of when I told Barb I would probably buy a newer and better one and take it with us when we went to Boomershoot. Not that this had anything to do with it starting to work, but I thought it was amusing.

To the Taj and back

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I delivered a bunch of stakes and some steel targets* to the Boomershoot Taj Mahal today. It snowed nearly all day today. It wasn’t sticking on the ground too bad but the ground was completely saturated in places. There was water standing in a significant part of the field near the tree line. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it all the way to the Taj and back pulling the trailer through the mud.

I made it all the way there but things got a little bit messy:

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As I got close to where I wanted to park, my vehicle started sliding sideways toward the Taj and I stopped before I made a mess of my vehicle as well as the thin steel shed.

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I had no problem getting back out. I was a bit surprised at that. I was very concerned about getting the trailer turned around because I planned to pull it another 15 feet forward to get it inline with the vehicle. It was still at a significant angle to the vehicle and I didn’t have much control of direction of travel, let alone orientation, in the greasy mud on the hillside near the Taj.

But I found a different place I could back into to turn around and everything worked out just fine.

I went back to South Road, unhitched the trailer and even made it in to Mecca to deliver the final supplies needed for Boomershoot 2017.

There are still several positions available, Sign up here. It will be a blast!

*These targets belonged to Scott Keszler. He used to bring these to Boomershoot every year from North Dakota. After he died his family gave the targets to Boomershoot. I picked them up at his nephew’s place north of Spokane last night.

Rounds in the last month

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March was a busy month for me. I had hard drives fail on two different computers. The laptop was particularly painful when the Windows Home Server recovery utility didn’t support that hardware. I ultimately recovered everything but it took over a week of my spare time. The other hard drive only took a few hours of my time and lead to a simpler backup method which was nice.

Boomershoot tasks picked up too. There is still some space left if you want to sign up here.

Anyway, I reloaded 525 rounds of .40 S&W and ran many of them over the chronograph. This brings my lifetime reloaded ammunition totals to:

223.log: 2,424 rounds.
3006.log: 543 rounds.
300WIN.log: 1692 rounds.
40SW.log: 63,945 rounds.
9MM.log: 21,641 rounds.
Total: 90,245 rounds.

America’s Rifle Challenge Event

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I have been exchanging email with Chris Seidler who asked me to promote a rifle clinic in Nampa Idaho which Revere’s Riders is putting on. He is going to be promoting Boomershoot as the two events complement each other.

Here are the details of the AR event:

NRA America’s Rifle Challenge Clinic

June 24-25, Nampa ID Rifle Club Outdoor Range

 

clip_image002[7]Attendees will learn modern defensive shooting skills on the AR platform at an NRA America’s Rifle Challenge clinic.  Woven throughout the event we will address elements of a personal security strategy as well as historical vignettes illustrating the use of the short range marksmanship in American history.  Attendees will experience shooting in multiple firing positions at varying distances.

Firing in this course will be within 100 yards with a focus on the close quarters environment from 7 to 50 yards.  An AR-15 type modern sporting rifle is ideal, but any semiautomatic magazine fed rifle is suitable.

Required equipment: Appropriate carbine, 400 rounds of ammunition, at least 2 and preferably 6 magazines, two point rifle sling.

PRE-REGISTER ONLINE:  https://www.reveresriders.org/event/2017-jun-24-25-nampa-id/

Course Highlights

Sharpshooter Fundamentals

·         Shooting Fundamentals

·         Standing, Kneeling, and Prone Positions

·         Natural Point of Aim

·         Sight Adjustments & Zeroing Procedures

·         Vintage M1 Carbine WW2 Qualifier

 

Defensive Carbine Considerations

·         Carbine Role in a Self-Defense Plan

·         Mental Preparedness

·         Carbine Ballistics Considerations

Short Range Marksmanship Skills

·         Situational Awareness and Scanning

·         Rapid Magazine Changes (Tactical Reloads)

·         Short Range Marksmanship Techniques

·         Clearing Malfunctions/Stoppages

·         Emergency/Speed Reloads

·         Special Subjects:   Zeroing Carbines & Rifles, Carbine Trajectory and Zero Issues, Barricades, Movement, Firing from retention, Field Stripping & Cleaning the AR-15

·         Carbine Skills Test

 

The clinic will be led by Revere’s Riders master instructor Christopher Seidler, a certified NRA rifle and personal protection instructor and chief range safety officer. He has coached at the CMP’s Small Arms Firing School at Camp Perry. Chris has deployed multiple times to Afghanistan including combat experience and led antiterrorism/force protection efforts; he currently instructs at the Air Force Weapons School.

Quote of the day—Bad Idea T-Shirts

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PS_1304_FUTURE_BAD

Bad Idea T-Shirts
[Boomershoot 2017 is coming up and no one from the future has stopped me yet. I’ll bet no one stops you either. Sign up here.—Joe]

Boomershoot in the news

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I suspect the Clearwater Tribune needed some filler so they wrote a short article based upon an ad I was running in their paper.

Barb and I were amused by this line:

There are over 1,000 of these targets, rigged with 1,500 pounds of explosives.

The targets are not “rigged with explosives”. The packaged explosives are the targets.

Joe’s [Done] Answering Qs on Reddit AMA

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[Update: Joe’s done at Reddit. Thanks to all who participated in the interview.]

Joe’s over yonder on Reddit, still answering questions. Join in the conversation here.

For those new to Reddit (hint, hint Lyle), you’ll want to create a Reddit account, then go to this link and ask away.

Reminder: Joe/Boomershoot & Maj/Black Guns Matter on Reddit AMA

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Join the live conversation tomorrow, Tues. March 7, 11am EST: Joe Huffman of Boomershoot & Maj Toure of Black Guns Matter on Reddit AMA.

Joe Huffman, Founder of Boomershoot:
I’m white + from Idaho. I make reactive targets for people to shoot at, and detonate, thus causing fiery, fun explosions.

Maj Toure, Founder of Black Guns Matter:
I’m black + from Philly. I teach urban communities gun rights and responsibilities, to prevent inner cities from self-imploding.

We’re two peas in a pod, here to talk guns, gun safety, exploding targets, keeping cool, and peace.

We’re not here to nitpick about gun facts — that’s already been done.

We’re here to have fun. We’re individually atypical, so let’s dig deep into what makes us tick: why we do what we do, and how we do it! Ready. Aim. Fire. Kaboom!

#BlackGunsMatter
#Boomershoot

Precision Rifle Clinic and Field Fire update

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Boomershoot Precision Rifle Clinic instructor Gene Econ has sent me an update to share for the events he is running this year. Basically it is the schedule and some safety issues.

Quick Way To Help the Gun Cause: Volunteer To Convert This Boomershoot Video Into A More Universal Format

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[Update: Phelps helps in a flash. Thanks, Phelps. Much appreciated. — Stephanie]
………………………

Greetings, thousands of readers/potential tech-savvy volunteers!

Is there anyone out there who could please volunteer to convert this old Boomershoot .wmv video from King 5 Seattle’s award-winning feature into a more universal format, and then post to YouTube… for educational use? Deadline: ASAP.

Video’s on the Boomershoot website, here:
http://boomershoot.org/2005/KING5.wmv

If you’re able to help, please post your YouTube link in the comments below.
Thank you! — Stephanie

P.S. To keep within YouTube guidelines, it’s important to include this wording in your description on YouTube:

This video is posted for teaching, scholarship, and research purposes.
Credit: King 5 NBC Seattle, King5.com

Learn more at: Boomershoot.org

Boomershoot stuff

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I have completed the CafePress Boomershoot 2017 section. The image used was the beginning of the fireball from Boomershoot 2015. The slogan is from a comment by JFT on one of my Boomershoot postings.

CafePressBoomershoot2017

In addition to the usual t-shirts, cups, and thongs (yes, there has been more than one sale of a Boomershoot thong) there are now king-size blankets, coffee trays, cutting boards, pillows, and potholders. For some reason a potholder with an image of a fireball on it makes me laugh even more than the Boomershoot thong.

Take a look and see what you think.

Boomershoot shirt history

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I was looking through my collection of images for Boomershoot shirts and thought I would share:

shirt2001

Shirt2002

Staff2003

Shirt2004

BS2005

Shirt2006

Shirt2007

Shirt2008

Boomershoot2009

Boomershoot2010

Boomershoot2011Lightened

2012boomershoot

Cafepress

Boomershoot2014

Boomershoot2015Image

CafePress2016

Yes, the 2016 slogan is a duplicate of 2006. That was intentional.

The 2017 image will be coming soon.

Rounds in the last month

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I was busy doing a lot of things for Boomershoot this month (I have to tell the story of what Barb calls “the box” someday) and haven’t done any reloading since February 5th, still, I did load 975 rounds of .40 S&W. They were all Blue Bullets with minimum powder charges for shooting steel.

This brings my lifetime reloaded ammunition totals to:

223.log: 2,424 rounds.
3006.log: 543 rounds.
300WIN.log: 1692 rounds.
40SW.log: 63,420 rounds.
9MM.log: 21,641 rounds.
Total: 89,720 rounds.

Boomershoot is going to take some time this month and especially next month. But I think I’ll be able to load a few rounds each month. I’m hoping to make it to a lifetime total of over 100,000 rounds by the end of the year.

I think I’ll keep her

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Barb and I went out for dinner for Valentines Day and, among other things, we happened to discuss the possibility I would visit Idaho soon to visit family and do some Boomershoot prep. She reminded me I needed to count how many wooden stakes we have for mounting the targets on. For some reason Barb just loves pounding stakes into the ground (I kid) and she was, as usual, thinking months ahead. She suggested that after dinner we stop by Lowe’s on the way home and pick up whatever stakes they have and then once I know how many we have left over from last year I can pick up the balance in a week or three. Valentines celebration and she is thinking of Boomershoot? This one is a keeper.

Lowe’s in Bellevue had two boxes of eight bundles (25 stakes per bundle) and one stray bundle. I left the one stray for someone else, purchased the two boxes, and now I have this in the back of my vehicle:

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As usual (see here, here, here, here, and here), I was prepared with a vampire comment if they asked why I was buying so many stakes. I was disappointed. The guy didn’t seem very bright (Barb commented too) and needed help counting the bundles. I don’t think it occurred to him that 400 stakes was a large quantity. Oh well. Maybe next time.

Barb also made a trip to Costco this week and asked if I wanted her to buy some more of the secret Boomerite ingredient. Sure!

When she brought it into the house she told me she was ready with an answer if they asked what she was going to do with 21 pounds of <redacted>. They didn’t ask. Maybe if she had purchased some anti-freeze at the same time she would have gotten a reaction.

Last night she told me, “I’m just going to keep bugging you until you send an email to the boy scout guy about supplying food at lunch time.” I replied, “I already did that last night. I haven’t got an answer back yet though. Thanks for reminding me.”

Then later last night she showed me the menu for the caterer of the Saturday dinner and asked that I discuss the options with her and make a final decision (we agreed upon roast beef, baked potatoes, fresh fruit, spinach salad, and carrot cake).

This morning she told she realized it was over two months away but she was thinking about what food to bring to the hotel for our personal meals.

She’s got Boomershoot on the brain. No more than I do when we are a couple weeks out, but she, as usual, is planning months ahead.

I think I’ll keep her.

Quote of the day—dagamore

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I went a few years ago, and damn it was worth the money.

dagamore
February 13, 2017
Comment in WaGuns.org Boomershoot 2017
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Cute B&Bs Pair Nicely With Guns, Explosives

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Like fine wine, a quaint B&B situated within stunning Idaho scenery pairs nicely with the guns/explosives, at Boomershoot.

There, you’ll find a rich, crisp bouquet of  sugary gunpowder, earthy dirt, and refreshing, airy ammonium nitrate. Strong aftertaste of freedom.

As the April 2017 Boomershoot event fills up, so will lodging. Airbnb offers some charming accomodations for spectators, shooters, and connoisseurs of non-whine.

Moscow, ID      Pullman, WA

#Boomershoot
#GunSharingCaring

 

Boomershoot 2017 update

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People are making plans and we are getting more entries for Boomershoot 2017. See one online discussion here.

There is also going to be sales push soon. Among other things I’m going to start distributing flyers at the local ranges and place an ad in the Orofino Idaho paper to get the attention of the locals.

Currently there are still many great positions available. But we are currently 63% full and the available positions will be dwindling. If you are thinking of attending but haven’t got around to signing up you should stop procrastinating and go do it.

Black Guns Matter in Denver

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Spread the word: Founder-solutionary Maj Toure of Black Guns Matter will be in Denver on February 25. @majtoure

BGM shares vital knowledge, educating people in urban communities on their 2nd Amendment rights/responsibilities through firearms training and education. @blkgunsmattr #GunSharingCaring

They’ve reached urban communities in Philly, Chicago, Compton, Detroit and beyond. Go here to support BGM’s rightous cause.

Would you like to shoot alongside BGM at Boomershoot this April?

Maj and friends are scheduled to attend. Sign-up now to join BGM as they Ready. Aim. Fire. Kaboom!

#Boomershoot

Stephanie, our new guest blogger

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Although Stephanie Sailor isn’t new to a lot of old-timers in the gun rights movement she hasn’t been all that active on gun blogs. Stephanie’s contribution to Boomershoot in the early 2000’s was a large part of why it became a success. And the things she did to counter the anti-gun people in Chicago just blew me away when I first heard her speak for the Second Amendment Sisters at the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Washington D.C. in 2000.

And last summer she made a number of images I posted on this blog. For example:

And now she has requested permission to make some blog posts here. I immediately agreed and gave her an account. Expect to hear from her soon.

See her also at on Gab as S2.

Snow clues

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As I posted earlier, on Saturday Kim and I installed most of the hardware for a permanent Internet access point and weather station at the Boomershoot shooting line. I went back on Sunday to fix the wiring that jostled loose and verify the solar panel was charging the battery.

The path we had made was compact enough that I didn’t have to use snowshoes. I broke through maybe a half dozen times, but it was pretty easy walking considering the conditions. I have some more pictures which give some clues as to above average snow accumulation we have this year:

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I did have to run back to the car just as I had almost arrived at the solar panel. A large pickup with a very large trailer filled with hay came down the road and couldn’t get past the narrow spot in the road my car had created. I backed down the hill to the driveway for the first house and got off the road far enough that the pickup could get by.

I found it interesting all the frost that had formed in the previous 17 hours:

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The weather station was almost cartoon like with all the frost.

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Both wind speed and direction sensors were non-functional because of all the frost.

This was the first time in many years when I went to Idaho and didn’t visit Mecca. Check out the bank of snow behind my car (Mecca is in the background).

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Here is a close up of Mecca taken with my 300 mm lens then cropped to the interesting part. In the lower right corner is a picnic table.

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This was the view from niece Lisa’s bedroom window.

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Notice the depth of snow on the roof and on the deck?

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The roads weren’t too bad, but before next winter I’m going to get some new tires for the snow. My current set has seen three winters now and they were having difficulty in the soft snow in the driveway to Doug and Julie’s place.