GTA Fun Shoot/Airgun Show 2015

[ezman604]

Dates for the GTA Fun Shoot/Airgun Show 2015 are 15-17 May 2015.
Hope to see you all there!!! See the sticky in the Announcement Gate for details.

SAFE & Happy Shooting!!!!
Dave
 

[ezman604]

I think the new venue was a hit. I only wished there were more of you attending. Maybe next year. And maybe more vendors to come out and enjoy it too?
What I would ask of all that attended, please post your thoughts on what was good and what needs work. any thoughts and ideas on how we can make it better next year. I myself, am VERY happy with how it turned out. There were a few minor issues but we worked right through them as if they never were there at all. Just minor bumps in the road.
Please post up your comments, thoughts or ideas.
Thanks all, this is YOUR event.

[Pappy]

Dave again .... super fun shoot.  The venue was excellent, absolutely perfect.
Suggestions:
** Dates for Shoot were through the 17th (Sunday), everyone was gone, or leaving Sunday morning.  I had my own target that I left out until dark on Saturday, so 7 or 8 people could keep shooting.  All the targets were gone by about 6 P.M. Saturday night?  I had no problem with that, but some people came from afar just to shoot for one day.  I would recommend a day for travel in and out, 2 days of shooting and competitions etc.  I would have been there Friday & Saturday, but I had to attend a sales meeting.  Maybe start Thursday as a travel day, shoot all Friday & Saturday, then go back Sunday.
** The venue was perfect, only 20 minutes from Florence, where all the good hotels, bars, and pool halls were.  Perfect.
** If you get vendors to participate, they should give a nice discount if you order from the show, whatever it is.  I would expect they would have a few nice prizes to raffle or donate also.  Personally, I didn't want anything on the prize tables, that we dropped our tickets into plastic boxes .... but that's just me.  I would have donated it back for a GTA raffle, if I had won anything.
** The shooting tables we had were like shooting off of diving boards.  If you or the person you shared it with even touch the surface, your cross hairs were all over the place.  Fair for everyone, during the competitions, but did not make for fun shooting.  I heard this complaint a lot.  The tables were way short also ... maybe just right for Joe P and Uncle Paulie.  If I bothered to set up my benches that I made, Joe and Paulie could have walked under them, standing up!  The rain stopped me from setting up.  I was more interested in meeting people, and having a great time ..... which I sure did.
** Food was fantastic at shoot.
** It appeared that we were short some seating.  I used my own shooting stool that I brought with me.
** The competitions looked really fun.  I entered the paint ball competition, made it through a couple of round before missing.  This was in spite of following the bouncing cross hairs.    The Poker Runs .... well ... not many participants.  Not many people like to shoot off-hand, and I would have needed a paramedic on hand with oxygen and a mask .... if I had to walk back and forth, quickly, 10 times, even at 25 yards!  Next year Hargis mentioned pistol matches .... not sure how big a hit that will be?  I think I saw 1 PROD at the shoot? With two full days of shooting, and good travel planning by participants, we could have time for a small 30 point HFT match and a 25 or 50 yard bench rest competition with two classes, springer & pcp.
** Maybe get permission from the fire department to have a bon fire one of the nights, cook on grills, sit around the fire and talk trash to one another .... drinking copious amounts of alcohol.

My thoughts for now, not complaining, had a wonderful time and would do it again, even if you changed nothing. MHO

Pappy

[ezman604]

Thanks Pappy. To be honest, and not picking on you again, but MOST folks aren't assembled like you.
You had one heckova shooting stool also, I need one like that. Looked very comfortable.
I do understand the table movement thing. Only way around that is to have stouter benches or smaller individual tables. We used what we had or what folks brought. Everyone is welcome to bring their own benches to use. Not sure we could build individual shooting stations but may look at that for next year. Like prefabbing some and assemble after we get there? It's a thought.
Hargis did supply firewood and folks were very welcome to build campfires. These you could sit around and do as you stated, AFTER shooting.
Hargis might have been persuaded to bring some sipping liquids too. Maybe....will look into that for next year also. I saw that Kim and Joel actually brought a fire pit. Great idea, less cleanup. But, Hargis had cleared everyone camping for a campfire. I posted that info in the Fun Shoot announcement thread. Anyone is welcome to grille there also. Are you asking if the event can furnish grilles? That could possibly be arranged too. He dusted off his big grille/smoker for us to use smoking the Butts. I'm sure he would not mind if you bought charcoal and used his while there. You just have to share what you cook with me and Hargis. LOL
We will have the fairgrounds reserved for 10-15 May 2016. Folks can come early and as I posted in the thread and the welcome letter, Friday is generally setup day, buying, trading, selling, meeting and reacquainting and shooting. Saturday is the main event day with fun shoots, competitions and the GTA meal. Sunday is generally cleanup, a bit of final trading, a bit of shooting if anyone wishes, goodbyes and traveling home. So yes, we can make it official that you can come early, the events are for Friday and Saturday and final cleanup and leaving on Sunday. Sorry if your targets were removed Saturday. We can stack all remaining targets and stands in one area in case folks DO want to use them Sunday.
I know Art (Lexington Air) was offering a GTA event discount off the listed prices. I have no control over what the other vendors do but we can ask and suggest they offer an event or GTA member discount.
Actually, I would think our GTA vendors would be doing that ALL the time anyway. We support those that support us!!!
Yep, we may have been short on seating. Hargis had a limited number of chairs. I'll make arrangements next year to rent tables and chairs so he will not have to foot the bill for those. He purchased the big tent after seeing how much room we needed. BUT, he will get good use out of that tent with all of his other events.
What am I missing that I need to cover?
Thanks Allen for the thoughts and ideas!!!

[Pappy]

Thanks Dave .... was just reiterating some things I heard ... there were no comments to be taken negatively.
My Friday went like this, not your fault, some times work interferes with my Airgun fun.  3:00 A.M. Friday morning, I was in Milwaukee, flew to Chicago, then flew to Pittsburgh, picked up my son-in-law, then drove 5 hours to the meet.  Hooked up with Joe, and Lizzy at the pool hall.  I was exhausted.   

My shooting chair was simply a "drum throne" (Gilbralter), that I found online.  Adjustable, comfortable, and a bit more expensive and heavier, than a bucket.  The back is removable, and Tyler said it was "legal" for HFT.

Next year, hopefully, my VP will not decide to call a sales meeting, and eat into my Fun Shoot time .... how dare he!.

Absolutely NO criticism regarding the shoot, for a "first time"  you did a fantastic job.

Suggestion:  If we could get all the pictures, and links to pics, into one area, that would be convenient. 

Allan

[ezman604]

LOL
All good comments Allan and thanks for them.
I think you may have resized your photos to post here. I need to get the high quality version if possible. Maybe upload them to a photobucket.com account and share the link with me (us)?
Hargis wants all photos to combine with the video his wife Amy shot. He will compile these to a disk or flash drive to send me. I can burn copies for everyone and do as I did last year and post it on youtube.
Really glad your VP didn't take ALL of your Fun Shoot time. Tell him he needs to plan better next year to not interfere with REAL fun.
LOL

[Pappy]

I shall do that Dave, thanks.

Allan