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The 14th Annual Texas State Black Powder Cartridge Silhouette Iron Sight Championship suffered a significant drop in attendance due to date change to accommodate the inclement weather in the Wortham/Mexia area over the originally scheduled dates. Thank you to all of the competitors who were able to rearrange their schedules and attend this year's event. To those who couldn't make it, you missed some great weather with constant wind gusts that would do Raton proud.

Saturday started out with wind gust from the southwest that were in the 8-14 mph range and grew to approximately 15 mph during the remainder of the day. Sunday, Day 2 of Windfest, started out above 10mph and grew to about 25 mph up until noon and then started dwindling for the rest of the day. Of course, mirage never left us so it was a very interesting weekend in trying to dope the conditions.

Conditions stayed warm and dry throughout with the weekend and there was never a hint of the torrential rains that wiped out the entry road to the range in May. For those of you who wondered whether it was a good idea to postpone the original May dates, there was water above chest level in the low draw area that stretches all the way across the range in front of the chickens. Target setters would have needed air boats.

When the smoke cleared on Sunday, the match winners had been determined and the only shoot-offs required were to 1st and 2rd AA overall and a shootoff for the high Turkey count. Mike Hrubetz took High AA by besting Clarence Dykstra in a chicken shootoff. Don Claxton took the honors of high Turkey shooter in a shootoff by cleaning all 5 of his birds against 4 managed by A. K. Lay.

This year’s contest was won by David Barnes of Wortham, Texas who fired a very respectable score of 60/80, especially considering the trouble with the wind. In addition to being the High Turkey shooter, Don Claxton of Giddings, Texas had an additional double-dip by taking 2nd place (58/80) and High Senior. Scope Match winner Kirk Martin of Weatherford, Texas continued his good shooting efforts (55/80) by taking 3rd place overall in the iron sight match.

High Master honors went to Ken Wienken of Cat Spring, Texas (54/80), David Burger Victoria, Texas High AAA with a very fine 54/80, Mike Hrubetz of Hockley, Texas garnered AA honors with a 50/80, Walton Ballew of Elm Mott, Texas while Tatiana Kirkland of Midlothian, Texas was the High B, High Junior and High Woman with a 22/80.

Our grateful thanks go out to our corporate sponsors who donated many of the match prizes. These include Black Powder Cartridge News, Montana Vintage Arms, Schuetzen Powder, Walters Wads, Swarovski, Shiloh Sharps, Brownells, Cabella, and Buffalo Arms, to name a few.

Finally, thanks go to our troops in the various battle zones. Don’t forget them.

Tom Berwick
TSRA Director
Black Powder Cartridge