Today reader Ian McKee, who signs in as 45Bravo tells us more about his experiences at the 2023 Pyramyd Air Cup.
If you’d like to write a guest post for this blog, please email me at blogger@pyramydair.com.
Take it away, Ian
The 2023 Pyramyd A.I.R. Cup as seen through my eyes: Day 2
by Ian McKee
Today we continue with day two of the Pyramyd A.I.R. Cup through my eyes.
This report covers:
- Wind
- Benchrest matches
- Gunslynger matches
- My first match
- Interview during the match
- It’s over
- Back in the saddle
Living in Houston Texas, these past few months have been unbearable, with daily temps well over 100 deg F (about 38 deg C) almost every day and high humidity driving the heat index to well over 110 deg. regularly (about 43 deg C). At night it would drop to the high 80’s (about 29 deg C) if we were lucky.
It was a welcome reprieve to wake up to Ohio temps in the mid 60’s (about 19 deg C) topping out at about 90 deg F (about 32 deg C) during the day.
The Gunslynger event didn’t start until after 3 p.m., so we decided to take in the Benchrest event. Benchrest shot in 3 groups, with each group shooting 2 “cards” (target sheets) today. Each card was 25 scored shots in the scoring section, and as many sighters you needed in the sight-in section.
Wind
The first group to shoot had relatively calm winds, it was a great day for shooting (any day is a great day for shooting). What little wind they did have was almost straight at the shooter’s face. By the times group 2 and 3 had shot, the winds had picked up considerably as the temps climbed.
When the wind picks up to 20+ mph (over 9 meters per second) and starts blowing from 3 different directions between you and the target, you find out who has spent untold hours shooting in adverse conditions and has learned to judge the wind, and the effect it has on their pellet down range.
The winds were blowing in your face at 25 yards, at 50 yards they were quartering at about the 11-10 o’clock position, at both 75 and 100 yards the wind was blowing full value from your left to right.
Some shooters were having to hold one full target to the left just to hit their bull.
The red and black markers are your bench number, they are there to remind you what target you are supposed to be shooting. But crossfires did happen.
Benchrest matches
There were many different manufacturers represented on the line, some competitors were factory sponsored shooters such as FX, RAW, AirArms, Skout, and the new Saber Tactical Red Panda. Others used their favorite rifles, the ones they knew best as their daily shooters such as Daystate, Thomas, BRK (formerly known as Brocock), Walther and others.
But the cost of entry does not have to be that high, there were several Marauders, I also saw a JTS Airacuda Max in .25 and a base model Air Venturi Avenger in .22 on the line as well.
With the right ammunition and time spent with the gun, and with a few tweaks and minor mods, any of the guns mentioned could make a good showing in a 100-yard Benchrest event if the shooter does their part.
With a retail price of $420 this regulated, accurate, well made air rifle can be a great entry into the precharged air rifle arena.
Gunslynger matches
The Gunslynger event is a 20-target silhouette match where two shooters are pitted against each other for time. Each of the three categories was shot to completion, meaning the Springer single load event was shot from start to finish, then the PCP single load event, and finally the Magazine fed PCP event.
With only 8 shooting lanes dedicated to the Gunslynger event, things went faster and faster as the skill level of the shooters floated to the top.
The size of the Gunslynger targets in relation to a US dollar bill. Left to right the targets are shot at 10 yards, 25 yards, 40 yards and 55 yards respectively.
After every round the competitors that had been eliminated picked up their belongings, and the next group made ready, as the number of shooters lessened on the line, there was less time between heats to move to your new bench, and make your rifle and equipment ready.
Speed
Now let’s look at what real speed is. This is the final round of the single load PCP class, a Daystate against an Air Arms rifle. Nic Gregorias who wins is a shooting Machine! Twenty shots with no misses.
I refilled my rifle after each heat, because I had tuned the rifle to give me 56 accurate shots before needing to be refilled (there were only 20 targets to knock down, but I wanted a buffer just in case I had a lapse in concentration, so I had 56 total rounds loaded in mags.)
My first match
When I saw my first matchup, my first words were “Tyler Patner hates me.”
My first matchup was against the American Airgunner himself, Rossi Morreale. (great, I get paired to shoot against a guy that has his own tv show about airgun shooting. I just knew I was toast.)
I don’t know what happened to Rossi after Tyler said GO. All I knew was suddenly my targets were all down and I raised my hand saying TIME!
After I realized I had survived the first round, my heart rate started to return to something close to 100, I started to block out everything and concentrate on making ready for my next round.
The same thing happened in round 2, focusing on the target and squeezing the trigger. The first magazine could not have more than 10 pellets and in every round I forgot to count shots, and had at least 1 blank.
Yogi, I know I need a mag with a shot counter. My rifle does have one, but I was concentrating on the targets not the mag. The gun sounds different when the chamber is empty. If anyone posts a video online, you will hear me saying out loud as I change mags, 10 rounds, 10 rounds!
Interview during the match
After the 2nd round a Youtube content creator asked for a short interview. I tried a couple of takes, but I was concentrating on getting ready, and asked him to please catch up with me after the event, or after I was eliminated. He was good with that.
I survived round 3, and got ready for round 4. By this time the skill level of the remaining shooters was quite high, and I knew I was on borrowed time.
It’s over
Round 4, and once again I forgot to count 10 shots, then got back into the groove. Then I started missing on the 40 yard turkeys due to a lapse in concentration. When I heard TIME from the shooter next to me, it was over.
I shook his hand, congratulated him, and put up my rifle.
I caught up with the Youtube content creator and gave him an interview and a brief overview of the airgun I had used (the only one of that make and model at the competition.)
It was now time to relax and enjoy the rest of the weekend as a spectator.
My equipment performed flawlessly, I have no excuses, my shortcoming was through lack of prep and practice.
Back in the saddle
I had not set foot on a competitive firing line since the late 90’s. Sure I have friendly challenges at the range with friends, but to actually shoot for a score against unknown people, as they say now, “it’s been a minute…”
I had said realistically I would like to finish in the top half. I surpassed that by quite a bit, I am happy with 7th place, [Ed. – out of 56 shooters.] and it gives me room for improvement for next year’s Pyramyd A.I.R. Cup.
I hope some of the readers can make it to the next Cup. It would be great to shake hands, and put a face with the name.
Remember, there is no admission cost to the public if you aren’t shooting.
Shoot Safe, and HAVE FUN!!
Ian
Ian,
Great shooting. I hope you were in the money?
What were you shooting, gun, ammo, and scope?
-Yogi
Unfortunately Yogi, I was not in the money, they paid out to third place I think.
But just getting to go, travel with Tom, meeting everyone and enjoying the experience was priceless.
I tried several different Airguns from the time they announced there would be a 2023 cup.
Bolt action and side lever guns from several different manufacturers.
I did some work for a friend and traded expertise for an Airgun
I used a secondhand discontinued model, an AEA HPSS Plus, semiauto, in .22 caliber.
Unfortunately it is not an Airgun that Pyramyd sells.
I used JSB 18.13 domes, the JTS 18.1 pellets are slightly more accurate, but they are a tighter fit loading into the “chamber” than the JSB pellets, and tend to cause an occasional malfunction of the semiauto system loading the pellet.
Since it was only 55 yds maximum, I chose reliability of the gun cycling over accuracy.
Scope was a UTG ACCUSHOT 3-12×44 compact scope.
My spare scope was a UTG Bugbuster.
I didn’t have any issues, but I have always carry a backup when traveling to a competition.
After I had met David Ding of Leapers/UTG I started counting, I currently own 10 scopes, 9 of them are UTG scopes of various models.
The photo is it with the BUGBUSTER and a 3D printed moderator I designed and was testing.
It was quieter with it, but was more accurate without it.
Ian
We had a conversation via email some time ago regarding, among other things, the AEA semi autos. Really nice to see its performance in your hands. I confess that a TD/Assassin in.22 is now among my small collection despite some hesitation regarding origin. Now I need only some hundreds of thousands of pellets to catch up…
For the money spent it’s a good deal.
And the accuracy that can be squeezed from a 10.5 inch barrel is amazing.
Congratulations on your performance, Ian..
9Amazing video. One would have to spend a small fortune in pellets to train at that level. Interesting to me is that no scope adjustments for different distances.
Perhaps we can ask you for a blog sometime in the future on a tutorial on shooting the gunslinger style match? I just bought a set of targets to play with.
Thank you, I thought about a future blog about that, if there is interest, and Tom doesn’t mind, I would write it.
Ian.
45Bravo,
Plenty of interest. BB will not mind, I am sure.
Second.
RR and 45Bravo,
BB doesn’t mind. 🙂
BB
I’d like that as well Ian!
Ian,
I am also interested!
Henry
Hey Ian! Nic Gregoris here – thank you so much for featuring me in your blog post! It’s always an honor when someone compliments my shooting, especially on a platform I enjoy so much.
If you are looking for someone to contribute a “tutorial” for the GunSlynger style shooting, I would be more than happy to lend some of my experiences. I have won/placed in multiple divisions over the years (including Speed Silo at EBR) so I have quite a few “tricks of the trade” that I would be happy to share.
Let me know if you’re interested – I blogged on the American Airgunner blog for a while and some of my writing can be found there.
Best,
Nic
Thank you for chiming in Nic, I didn’t know you were a reader of the blog.
I will always give credit where it’s due, and I will say it again, congratulations, outstanding shooting.
Tom Gaylord is the one to ask about contributing, as this is his blog.
His email is blogger@pyramydair.com
I am sure the readers would be interested in hearing what someone with your level of ability does to prepare for such an event.
I look forward to seeing you again at an upcoming competition.
Ian.
Niko
Outstanding shooting!
I hope that Tom will not have a problem for you sharing some of your experience with us all.
Wish you the best
Nic,
Thanks for your offer. How can we refuse? 🙂
BB
Good morning everyone. Pyramyd AIR finally restocked their Weihrauch breech seals. I bought one for the San Rafael Beeman R7 I won at an online auction. It had a hard and stained breach seal that crumbled when I tried to remove it.
Question is, how do I prep the groove where the new seal goes? Do I scrub it out with Balistol and a bronze brush, wipe out the groove with a ballistol soaked cloth and simply pop in the seal? Do I degrease the area before installing the breach seal? Do I install the seal dry or do I lube it first with some silicone chamber oil or something else? Need to know because a lot of my vintage Dianas are also going to need new breach seals, too. Thanks!
Good morning everyone. Pyramyd AIR finally restocked their Weihrauch breech seals. I bought one for the San Rafael Beeman R7 I won at an online auction. It had a hard and stained breach seal that crumbled when I tried to remove it.
Question is, how do I prep the groove where the new seal goes? Do I scrub it out with Balistol and a bronze brush, wipe out the groove with a ballistol soaked cloth and simply pop in the seal? Do I degrease the area before installing the breach seal? Do I install the seal dry or do I lube it first with some silicone chamber oil or something else? Need to know because a lot of my vintage Dianas are also going to need new breach seals, too. Thanks!
The seal.
I have only just gotten into airguns. But I have worked with high pressure air (4500 psi) for decades.
Cleanliness is absolutely mandatory!
Seals and o-rings will move when the applied pressure changes. So a thin film of lubricant on the seal/o-ring will reduce the friction and wear on the seal. This allows the seal to work properly for years/decades.
The lubricant used for the high pressure air was a high purity vacuum grease (silicone). A thin film is a small dab on rubber gloves that is then worked into the gloves finger tips and then into the seal. Finally wipe the gloves with a clean lint free cloth and verify on a thin shiny coating is on the seal. Any more than this can cause problems with the orifice timing of the valves downstream.
The air systems I worked on were considered critical systems (life & death) so everything was written in the manuals and followed explicitly.
Mike
Mike
Thanks for clearly informing us a way to know how much is enough. Welcome to this wonderful sport.
Deck
RG,
Do not sweat it dude. Clean the groove out. Balistol will keep it from rusting. Lubing the seal with silicone chamber oil should not hurt it and will likely help it seal better.
Clean. Replace seal. Shoot.
Thanks, dude. :o)
Roamin,
Clean the groove. Install the seal dry. Then a drop of silicone oil and you’re good to go.
BB
B.B., thanks.
Ian,
Congratulations for exceeding your expectations at the match! Near 30 year hiatus from competition yet you were able to keep yourself in the zone as much as possible.
Siraniko
Great report. Thanks Ian.
The spectators do need to be kept away from the line during matches though. Maybe Tyler and company will remember that next time around.
RR-
I agree. Seems unfathomable where some of those people were positioned. At least no one was shooting real guns…..
Huh??
Other than they are more accurate than powder burners, shooters do not suffer hearing loss, and brass is not flying, Airguns ARE real guns……and don’t you ever forget it!!!
-Yogi
Yogi,
Didn’t you feel your leg getting longer? Paco was pulling it pretty hard!
shootski
PS: “…shooters do not suffer hearing loss,…”
You haven’t been near a Big Bore DAQ being fired. I ask people to please use hearing protection when i shoot mine without a suppressor.
shootski,
Gun safety should NEVER be considered funny.
Most Center Fire hearing loss is because of the vibrations within your inner ear. Yes, “EARS” will reduce the sound, but not protect your hearing.
Thank heaven that moderators works so well on PCP’s!
-Y
Yogi,
You are totally right on Gun Safety.
I Stand Corrected!
shootski
Yogi-
Yeah, that whooshing sound earlier was the joke going over your head. Oh well, humor isn’t for everyone. Gun safety is paramount. Been teaching it for 5 decades. That is why I commented about the video and the lack of safety protocols permitting the boys with cameras doing the dumb stuff. I swear, some of the air gun folks are their own worst enemies. You want airguns to be treated like ‘real’ guns, THEN TREAT THEM AS SUCH! Get out of the bubble and LEARN.
Tell that to the people running the match, NOT ME!
-Y
It would be okay with me if they were to substitute a wabbit target for one of them other animals. Thanks for providing this, that is some impressive shooting by Nic, wow! I would certainly be interested to learn more about the practice and preparation for one of these competitions. Not that I would be able to compete against anyone but myself. However, there just might be a wabbit in more peril afterwards…
As an Ohioan and pester, I want the targets to be rat, starling, crow/pigeon, and groundhog.
Ian,
A great account! I really felt as though I were there.
I assume there was no springer class for the 100 meter bench rest. I read that they used to be not that rare, with a row of shooters equipped with TX200s and Feinwerkbau 124s.
I hope to go as an observer next year.
Michael
Michael, I have never seen a separate class for springers mentioned in that event.
You could probably use one, but with the accuracy level of PCP air rifles today, at that distance, you would be at a severe disadvantage.
From what I have seen, to be competitive in that event today, the gun and shooter combination need to be sub MOA at 100 yards.
But the wind is the great equalizer, if you can dope the wind better than the others you will win.
The list of accurate springers that are also powerful enough to be competitive at that distance is surely a short one.
I used to be into Mini Sniping many years ago, we used 10meter match guns, (I favored a FWB 150).
Mini Sniping is basically shooting at empty 9mm shell casings at 35 yards. (Another form of silhouette shooting.) We also shot at empty .22LR cases when the 9mm became easy.
I really like reactive targets, more than poking holes in paper, I want to hear and see the target ring, swing or fall over.
It’s all or nothing, you hit it or you miss it.
Ian.
Shoot, pun intended, if FM had figured it out it might have been doable to get there after the recent Ohio VW experience and meet you and Tom. Maybe next year. Believe you placed very well after that competition hiatus. And seems clear both of you had fun in the process…no fun = no enjoyment and if so, what is the point of it all? Yes, the temps up there were much friendlier than in Florida or Texas. FM would probably shrivel up and be blown around like a tiny tumbleweed in the Texas heat.
Ian,
Congratulations! Considering taking a 30-year break, you did amazing well. 🙂
That’s great that you included the video clip of Nic Gregoris.
It was enlightening to see how quickly a single-shot could be reloaded…with lots of practice.
Thanking you for a most interesting report,
dave
45Bravo,
Yet Another Great Guest Blog.
The motion was made, Seconded, Debated briefly, and Approved by the God Father of Airguns®!
I look forward to your next Guest Blog Ian.
Thank you,
shootski
As usual, Ian, another fine blog. BB is going to have to put you on retainer, soon.
And thank you for the Utube links. The winner of that event had really great concentration to be able to load that quickly and get off accurate shots. Watching the guy he beat shoot in the prelim and then the final was also interesting. I think his hit per shot ratio was greater in the prelim,, but that is hard to say since we don’t know how many targets he had left to shoot in the final.
Thanks again for the chance to look behind the curtain.
Ed
Edlee, in each relay you have 20 targets to knock down, you shoot against another shooter and he also has 20 targets at the same distance.
The first person to knock their 20 targets down wins.
In the finals Nic had ZERO misses,
I was trying to go to fast.
Slow and deliberate is fast.
Going too fast is slow…
I knew that before I started, I just forgot it once I started shooting.
Ian.
Ian, that is some fine shootin after that lay off. If you ever fine yourself in this neck of the woods, I’ll have a couple of cold one’s and some creek shrimp and grits waiting on you. Bill
Thank you, I am always interested in learning where the blog readers are around the country, and the world.
Where is your neck of the woods?
Ian
Summerville, S.C., 20 miles west of Charleston. Excuse me, I should have included that but sometimes I don’t know where the hell I am.
Ian
It is extremely difficult to best someone who doesn’t miss. In events like this, where you either win or you lose, against someone who doesn’t miss makes going fast your only shot at the win.
Then there is the problem one runs into in shooting “knock down” targets,, it seems each miss begets another. Often I have to actually reset myself in order to start the hits again. Not really enough time to do that in a shoot off, tho.
Still,, you did well.
Ed