The Inaugral Mendip Quarry Challenge (MQC)

[brown dog]

A while back, a hardy bunch of UKV long range accuracy nuts gathered for the UKV WMS comp. [Thread on that comp here: http://ukvarminting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11084&st=0&p=95017&hl=wales&fromsearch=1&&do=findComment&comment=95017 ] The day was a roaring success and we all left with the feeling we wanted ‘more of the same’.

Rup (Oaken) set hard to work badgering and harassing landowners for miles around his home location to find a spot where he might be able to host a similar event. The aspiration was to deliver a great shoot and, hopefully, the begin a trend for low cost, tactical style field comps.

Rup found a suitable location. As the comp design was thrashed out, it was apparent that a healthy start point for invitees to such a comp was to restrict the guest list to 'knowns'. Populating the comp with only "knowns" and people recommended or vouched for by "knowns" was felt to be a nice control piece to growing, over time, a collection of like-minded, safe and competent people.

Today, lots of hard work by Rup, Rich (C18rh), Pete (Swampdonkey) and Tim culminated with the delivery of a quite superb invitational competition of around 20 UKV marksmen.

Here’s a quick overview:

Ground:
The venue was a quarry around 10m lower than the surface of the surrounding fields. It’s (unsurprisingly!) made up of a lot of rocky shale slopes, rock outcrops, mud/rock ‘knolls’ and sections of vertical rock cliff face. It’s far more ‘cliffed-in’ than is apparent in the pic; for example FPs 6,7 &8 (see second picture below) are all on the edge of a vertical 10m cliff and firing down into the quarry.



The COF was designed to not be physically demanding in any way other than the need to take up ‘unconventional’ fire positions (ie, this is not a flat gallery range). Although some of the walking between serials required shooters to get themselves up some short steep slopes (10-15m at 30 degrees).

Kit: With the preceding walking point in mind; competitor kit had to be self-contained and manpackable in a oner; carrier bags of kit or static prone benchrest range-queen stuff was simply unsuitable for the event.

Scale & Challenge: Shot marked from FP 9 is around 350m. Shorter serials were all designed to involve 'challenge factors' such as time, position, target size, penalty targets, wide arcs etc



Good humour and a relaxed atmosphere led to a day of really challenging shooting that broke away from the ‘firing on a lawn where only the wind direction changes’ and gave us all unusual CsOF, unusual fire positions and unusual requirements that tested both grey matter and marksmanship ability.

I’ll tell the rest of it with photos!

Pre-shoot BBQ


Breakfast and 1st briefing


We kicked off with a 100m know your limits stage. Not sure how, but I managed to take a pic with Tom firing on his lonesome:


It was immediately apparent that the invitational nature of this inaugural event meant that marksmanship standards were high. Targets of this standard were the norm:


Then ‘proper’ serials started. We started with time pressure, wide arcs and unconventional fire positions:







We then relocated to high ground and started on mid range and other ‘unique’ targets:



Where’s the target?!

225m hostage steel:


(shooter behind the boulder)


Then more ‘weird stuff’:

Compulsory transition to a provided rimfire and then engage a moving gong ingeniously set up to show itself for only around 0.7 second every 3 seconds :




Later we came upon what I can best describe as a ‘heli-JCB’…

a suspended wobbling firing platform from which the shooter had to repeatedly engage a couple of targets on a wide arc under time pressure:



Banter was good throughout (heli-JCB in the background):

Rup hard at work:


Then on to all sorts of other challenges – here the ‘weak shoulder standing offhand’ element of a multipositional stand:



And a 325m small gong:



The day was taken with a display of extremely impressive and consistent marksmanship under wildly varied challenges by Gareth (the dogge) shown here on the heli-JCB . Well done Gareth!





If you would like to be considered for inclusion on future guest lists, please either introduce yourself via one of our knowns, or -if you're out on a limb- please drop a PM to one of us outlining your experience, competence and suitability to join in.

We'd be delighted to welcome more like-minded, safe and competent people to future comps.

[MJR]

Well that looks fantastic, well done to all. 'interesting course of fire' when's the next one?

[Ronin]

Excellent days shoot, very well organized and run.

 

Just landed home.

 

 

Well done to Gareth and everyone else who attended.

[gunnery]

Hi glad to see wheather stayed nice and warm for you all well done to dogge and congratulations to Rupert and the rest of the team for putting together what sounds like a great and successfull shoot. well done atb Barry.

[skany]

Awsome day chaps

 

Well done Rup and rich on keeping it all ticking along!

 

 

Really enjoyed it!

 

Think a modification to my rifles is on the cards !(shorter barrel and mag fed)

 

I want to play again :-)

 

Great to put names to faces

 

Well done Gareth great shooting mate

 

Cheers andy

[Orka Akinse]

Awesome team thanks to Rup, Rich and all the guys who made it possible

Cracking place

first class shooting by everyone (Apart from me lol)

Stunning weather

Awesome people with excellent non stop banter all day long, I was and still am, honoured to be considered worthy of a place in the line up.

 

Fella's thanks, it was a day I'll never forget

[Orka Akinse]

!

[Danpd]

That definitely looks like fun!

[terryh]

Rup, Rich, Pete, Tim,

 

Thank you for all you efforts and preparation, paid off in spades!

 

The weather Gods smiled on us, good company, fun and challenging shooting, cannot ask for much more really - except for another one

 

Nice shooting Gareth, (dammit! )

 

Terry

[oaken]

That was fun :-)

A big thankyou to everyone that attended and in particular those that got their hands dirty.

 

Congratulations to Gareth who won with a fine display of marksmanship despite our attempts to make the CoF "challenging" for all.

 

Another big thankyou to the sponsors of the prize draw with gunsgobang (Alan Wey), Davy (shooting shed) and Tom Ulmann donating some exceptional gear. Not to mention Tim who produced an array of bits and pieces so nobody left empty handed.

Thanks also to Dauntsey Guns and of course to Vernon the owner of the Quarry.

Much was learned about "unusual" firing point continuity. The gongs held up fairly well with the few that failed teaching a valuable lesson for future events.

 

And as for the weather....... :-D

 

Rup

 

will try to sort more pics this evening

[brown dog]

That was fun :-)

A big thankyou to everyone that attended and in particular those that got their hands dirty.

 

Congratulations to Gareth who won with a fine display of marksmanship despite our attempts to make the CoF "challenging" for all.

 

Another big thankyou to the sponsors of the prize draw with gunsgobang (Alan Wey), Davy (shooting shed) and Tom Ulmann donating some exceptional gear. Not to mention Tim who produced an array of bits and pieces so nobody left empty handed.

Thanks also to Dauntsey Guns and of course to Vernon the owner of the Quarry.

Much was learned about "unusual" firing point continuity. The gongs held up fairly well with the few that failed teaching a valuable lesson for future events.

 

And as for the weather....... :-D

 

Rup

 

will try to sort more pics this evening

 

Rup,after all the work and stress you put into making the comp I thought you'd be asleep all day today! Thanks again to you and your crew for creating such a superb day!

[Gandy]

Rup and Team, thanks very much, have a very good day and really enjoyed myself.

 

I was also pleased to meet someone who lowered the tone even more than I!

 

Lets all collectively try to think of further target options, challenges and venues for the future?

[Offroad Gary]

Sorry i couldnt make this, will definately like to attend next time.

[Orka Akinse]

I did try to and talk to BD beforehand about that Gandy but you know what he's like. Glad you took it in good spirit and look forward to a repeat occurrence as soon as.

 

Here's one for the team.

 

What about having an annual UKV charity shoot?? Broadly along the same terms as yesterday? Now that would be fun.

 

Happy to get involved with the organising if I'm needed.

[oaken]

You mean with UKV as the charity? :-P

The shoot yesterday was registered as a charity event with Help for Heros. Maybe I should have got a banner as well as the collection box, I am not a natural tin shaker. Thankyou to those that did contribute, MJR and Gandy in particular.

This first UKVMQC was expensive to host an ran to nearly double the funds raised by the entry fee but now I have most of the gear, repeat MQCs will be less costly and any potential profits will, as stated on the original invite, be donated to H4H :-)

Ian, I hope you put something foldable in the tin, its not too late if you didn't. ;-)

Rup

[Swamp Donkey]

Got home at half past midnight due to fish n chips and a beer with Rup on the way, and getting a tug by an over zealous copper, trying to explain the boot full of jennies, ammo boxes and an assortment of rifles was interesting, must remember to check tail lights more often lol.

I'm chuffed that everybody had a great day, it was hard work, I know Rup was having grief from his legs, and my shoulder was letting me know it's pooped, but the feeling at the end, when you know everybody had a fab time makes it all worthwhile.

You all know it was the first, and not the last, so I'm sure if there are any suggestions or feedback, it will be greatfully received.

Thanks to all who who turned up and made the day what it was, and for being good safe shooters, all I need forthe next one is a pokier scope, that flapper at 300+ was impossible to see for me, but that's part of the fun.

Again, thank you to all

[c18rch]

With the exception of the few gong failures I don't think the day could have gone better.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed it and glad to see everyone else did. It's really Rup who deserves most of the praise for the effort put in. He did significantly more tham me, not to mention the hardest part, finding the quarry in the first place.

 

Thanks to Tim and Pete as well for their help I'm sure Rup will agree it wouldn't have worked without them. Also Matt and Terry for their consultational services with the CoF.

 

Great to meet some new people and put faces to names/handles/aliases or whatever you want to call them. Always great to spend a day with safe, competant and like minded people.

 

Bring on the next one.

 

Rich

 

 

[c18rch]

Forgot to add. Congratulations to Gareth.

 

And if anyone has any pics can the email them to me at c18rch@hotmail.co.uk. I'll put a few of my own up later.

 

Cheers,

 

Rich

[tony]

Had a cracking day, very challenging shooting indeed, many thanks to Rup and all the guys involved in organizing/helping in a fantastic day. Great to meet all of you guys in the flesh. Roll on the next gathering of like minded people. A big well done to Gareth..good shooting mate..You cant go wrong with a Tikka

 

Tony.

[Orka Akinse]

 

Ian, I hope you put something foldable in the tin, its not too late if you didn't. ;-)

Rup

 

Rup

 

A great event, you and the guys did a wonderful job, I think I'm right in saying I was the first to put in post the raffle and yes it was foldable

 

Such is my appreciation for all that you boys did has seen me spending a considerable amount of time today trying to source a few "gongs" for us to shoot at next time. I think I'm making head way but need to talk to you. Perhaps you'd pm me your number so we can chat?

[oaken]

Hmmm, getting some good feedback..... maybe we should do another one sometime :-D

 

Ian. I have a supplier of cheap hardox 400 gongs, well cheapish and I had a load with me in the van yesterday "rolleyes" In fact I put a set of them in the prize draw. You should have had them instead of that very expensive looking fancy rifle backpacky thing that you won :-P

You have a pm.

[Muskett]

A huge thank you for a fantastic day.

 

Four and a half hours drive home (dropped Alan off home, who snoozed half the way back) and I was still working out how I could have got those pesky targets that got away! Still have that yellow turning gong going through my mind like a Cold Play song (well happy to get three hits on it). The team really put the Davey Crockett's in us all to the test. Everything was doable if you had confidence in your equipment and did your marksmanship part. But get one part wrong and you were most obviously punished... just love reactive targets. Every hit was well earned and well done Gareth for putting in a stonkingly good performance. The variety and originality of the practices not only made it challenging but great fun too (leave the JCB engine running next time... well after I've shot). What was impressive was just when you thought a practice was nigh on impossible someone would always get down and made it look easy; but fortunately they were, as often as not, out witted on the next stage... which was easy! It all went to a most excellent days shooting.

 

Great too to meet so many fellow shooters with such diverse skills and wealth of shooting knowledge. Banter at times was so good that we had to be reminded that there was some serious shooting to be done and: "You! Your next!"... normally followed by the thoughts "Oh, shee.. t, better get my act together". Thankfully, help was always at hand.

 

Sunshine all day; great company, challenging shooting.. Heaven.

 

Thank you all.

[Mash67]

it was a great day,you sourced a very interesting venue and must have put a huge amount of time in,

a big thanks to all.

Matt

[Gunsgobang88]

Hi,

 

I would just like to add my thanks to Rup and his helpers for a magnificent day's shooting (their efforts, not my results!). Great bunch of guys, no egos, brilliant banter. Already preparing mentally for the next one, roll on Christmas,

 

Thanks again,

 

Alan

[The_Dogge]

I can only add my thanks, great day, thanks to the organisers for their hard work, the supporters for donating the raffle prizes, I love the spyderco knife, and thanks to all the other shooters for not shooting better!

 

Cheers for the jump start after I left my lights on all day too!

 

How much was raised for Help for Heroes in the end?