GBR, Days 2 & 3

I failed to update my "Days -1 and 1" post, so I will add here that one of the surprises we had was when we realized that we had known one of the other attendees, Bill of Bill's Idle Mind, when we were living in Colorado Springs, while I was stationed at Fort Carson.  There was no organized Science Fiction fandom in the Springs, so we got in with the fen from Denver, which included a bunch calling themselves the Denver Mad Scientists, and there was this guy...

Day two of the Gun Blogger Rendezvous, as usual, found us back at the range shooting Steel Challenge.  I had already told Mrs. Drang that she shouldn't come, because her ankle was still hurty, and the bays we were going to be on were not finished; as it was, my feet and ankles (which have been less than nominal for a while now) were hurt a couple of times by stepping on large rocks, so that was definitely the best advice for her.

I did better than I have in the past, although I don't think I impressed anyone. I cleaned a couple of the stages and even did so in respectable times, but I had a few stages with abysmal times.  I didn't waste time on reloads this year, just accepting the 3 second penalty for a missed plate; as Mr. Completely said, "Save your last shot for the stop plate."  (The missing of which incurs a thirty second penalty...)

I also had my very first ever "Tap-Rack-Bang" drill, with a new-out-of-the-wrapper stainless steel magazine.  Of course, it was a "new-out-of-the-wrapper" $10.00 magazine, so I can't say I was surprised.   Or, to be precise, I was surprised, but I shouldn't have been.  I used it before, during a "normal" range session, maybe I should have stressed it a bit more.  (Seems fine, I probably just didn't apply enough force when inserting it.)

For once I had enough ammo that I wasn't cadging any off the others.  (In fact, I brought home all I had bought specifically for GBR.)(Note that this DOES NOT mean I think I have enough ammo!)

Bill Quick won the prize for confidence, using a 5 shot snub-nose .357 in a competition in which the stages consisted of 5 shots for time and accuracy.

Back to the resort, clean up, pizza and raffle and door prizes.  Last year I indicated that we had a surplus of hats as door prizes, and sure enough, this year we had fewer hats.  (I mean, really, everyone can use a hat or two, but last year we had 10 or 12 hats for everyone.)  (Note to sponsors:  Extra t-shirts are fine, patches and stickers are fine; in fact, 10 or 12 stickers for everyone would be just dandy.)

Mrs. Drang wanted the Kalshnikitty hoodie, someone else got it.  I wanted the Leupold or Burris scopes, someone else got them.  In fact, we were getting kind of disgusted, because everyone at our table was getting multiple items, and we were getting nothing.  In the end, Mrs. Drang won a Crimson Trace Rail Mater green laser and a Lucky Gunner gift certificate, and I -- almost the last to get anything -- went with a four day training certificate from Front Sight.

The guys from Tactical Solutions were there Friday night, and said that they were working on a front end (barrel, forearm) for the Ruger 10/22TD.  Which would be AWESOME! They also had demo models of various and sundry firearms with their barrels and suppressors. 

OutWest Systems was demonstrating (and gave away!) their Optical Computer Aided Training (OCAT) System.  Cool stuff.

On Sunday Gunauction.com was shooting their bowling ball mortar.  (Videos at Gun Blogger Rendezvous: Bowling Ball Mortar Video at The Rendezvous and Gun Blogger Rendezvous: bowling Ball Mortar Video #2)

Since Mrs. Drang was still not up to a day at the range, I decided the heck with it, and we came home a day early.  Of course "early" is a relative term when driving 900 miles...