Driving Directions to the Ranges at the Rendezvous

NOTE: The directions last year weren't very good, and we have re-written them this year to make the route more direct. HOWEVER, until we have one of the Reno Residents verify these directions, they are still only tentative. If there are any changes needed, we will post the changes as soon as we know what to change. The final directions will be available at the Rendezvous.

Driving Directions from Hotel to Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility – Pyramid Range Friday for long Range Rifle and Pistol, Saturday for Steel Challenge Pistol shooting.

• Start at (Silver Legacy) 407 N VIRGINIA ST, RENO going toward E 5TH ST - go 0.3 mi
• 0.3 Turn RIGHT (East) onto E Maple St 131 yds
• 0.4 Take Ramp onto I-80
• Take SR-445 [Pyramid Lake Hwy] exit towards Pyramid Lake
• Follow road towards Pyramid Lake. Watch for sign to range.
• 26.8 (Approx.) Turn LEFT (West) onto Local road(s) 0.7 mi
• 27.5 Turn RIGHT (North-East) onto Local road(s) 43 yds
• 27.6 Arrive Range

SUMMARY
Driving distance: 27.6 miles; Trip duration: 31 minutes    Driving time: 31 minutes

On Friday we will be shooting at the covered Public Shooting range area. On Saturday we will be at the Western Nevada Pistol League pistol bays. These bays are part of the same facility. The pistol bays are in the same area, but to the right of the public shooting area, down a dirt road.

The Pyramid Range

Driving Directions from Hotel to the Sage Hills Gun Club for Cowboy Fast Draw on Sunday.

On Sunday we will be shooting Cowboy Fast Draw at the Sage Hills Gun Club Range in Reno. 7370 Desert Way, Reno, NV. Sage Hill Clay Sports is located on the southeastern flank of the Washoe County basin, overlooking the city of Reno and its southernmost suburbs.

The club is easy to find if you follow our directions and not those of any online mapping service or your vehicle's navigation, its driving directions will dead-end you on the wrong street.

Follow these instructions instead:

• Start at (Silver Legacy) 407 N VIRGINIA ST, RENO going toward E 5TH ST - go 0.3 mi
• 0.3 Turn RIGHT (East) onto E Maple St 131 yds
• 0.4 Take Ramp onto I-80 1.1 mi I-80
• 1.5 At exit 15, turn RIGHT onto Ramp 0.2 mi US-395 / Susanville / Carson City
• 1.7 Take Ramp (LEFT) onto US-395 1.3 mi US-395 / Susanville
• From the 395, exit at Damonte Ranch Parkway and drive EAST.
• Turn LEFT onto Steamboat Parkway.
• Turn LEFT onto Rio Wrangler.
• Follow Rio Wrangler onto the access road and into the shooting facility (we're up on the hill above you).

Tentative Schedule for the 2011 Gun Blogger Rendezvous

Wednesday, September 7th.

6:00 Pm. For those arriving on Wednesday, KeeWee and I and some of the other early arrivals are planning on having dinner at the El Dorado Buffet Restaurant. The El Dorado is part of the same giant casino complex as the Silver Legacy and the Circus Circus. 

Thursday, September 8th

8:30 am. Leave the Silver Legacy "Silver Baron C” Hospitality Room for one of the restaurants for breakfast.
2:15 pm. Leave the Hospitality Room to car pool to Cabela’s.
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Guided tour Cabela’s and browsing/shopping. Pick up munchies and soft drinks on way back to hotel. Buy ammo?
6:00pm. Leave the Hospitality Room to go to dinner. Location to be determined later.
Thursday Evening until midnight: Refreshments and conversation at the Silver Legacy Hospitality room. Bring your own refreshments and munchies.

Friday, September 9th.

8:00am. NRA Sponsored breakfast in the Silver Baron “C” hospitality room. California firearms Attorney Chuck Michel will be talking to us over breakfast.
9:00am. Leave the Silver Legacy Hospitality room to car pool up and head out to the Washoe County Shooting Facility, the Pyramid range for rifle and pistol target shooting out to 900 yards.
9:45am – 2:00pm. At the range.
4:00pm. – 5:45pm. Show-N-Tell at the Silver Legacy Hospitality room. Manufacturers and show new stuff, and attendees show neat things too!
6:00pm. Leave the Silver Legacy Hospitality room to go to Gecko’s BBQ Restaurant for dinner sponsored by GunUp.com.
7:30pm. (Approx) Alan Gura informally discusses legal stuff.
Friday Evening until midnight: Refreshments and conversation at the Silver Legacy Hospitality room. Bring your own refreshments and munchies.

Saturday, September 10th.

8:00am. Otis Technologies sponsored Breakfast in the Silver Legacy "Silver Baron C" Hospitality room.
9:00am. Leave the Silver Legacy Hospitality room to car pool up and head out to the Washoe County Shooting Facility, the Pyramid range for an introduction to Steel Challenge Action Pistol shooting and more.
9:45am – 2:00pm. At the range.
5:00pm – 6pm. Bill Brassard of the National Shooting Sports Foundation
6:00 pm. NSSF all you can eat pizza feed at the Silver Legacy Hospitality room. After dinner will be the fund raiser raffle for Project Valour-IT and the drawings for the door prizes.
Saturday Evening until Midnight: Refreshments and conversation at the Silver Legacy Hospitality room. Bring your own refreshments and munchies.



Sunday, September 11th.

8:00am. Leave the Silver Legacy "Silver Baron C" Hospitality room for one of the restaurants for breakfast.
9:00am. Leave for the Cowboy Fast Draw Blogger Match.
10:00am – 1pm Cowboy Fast Draw Shooting with Quick Cal Eilrich.

The Cowboy Fast Draw shooting will be the last scheduled event of the Gun Blogger Rendezvous. For those not leaving until Monday however, there are still lots of things to do. Virginia city is nearby (you are already part way there at the Fast Draw venue), the Reno Car Museum, and the river walk through downtown Reno are all recommended. There may also be shows available for Sunday night of interest.

As you can see from the schedule, there is not a lot of time extra throughout the day, so we need to try to keep as close to on schedule as we can manage, otherwise it makes it difficult to have enough time for all of the activities. Although the conversations in the evenings tend to go well into the night, I would suggest not staying up too late, as you will regret it as the Rendezvous goes on!  

Pro Ears Sponsorship of Gun Blogger Rendezvous

I just got an email from Pro Ears (IMHO the BEST dynamic hearing protectors money can buy)  and they are really stepping up to the plate with their sponsorship of the Gun Blogger Rendezvous and our fund raising efforts for Soldier's Angels and Project Valour-IT.

First, they will be giving a set of Ultra 33 hearing protectors to the first 35 attendees to register for and attend the Gun Blogger Rendezvous.

Pro Ears Ultra 33 Hearing Protectors

Second, they will be bringing bags of  “stuff”, including stickers, DVD’s with images and videos, spec sheets, and more, for all registered attendees.

Third, they will have a gift promo code worth $50 at  Proears.com, for all registered attendees.

Fourth, they will be donating 1 set of Pro Ears Pro Tac Mag Gold hearing protectors (MSRP $329.95) to the raffle.

Fifth, they will be bringing sample Pro Tac Mag Golds for all to try-about 3 or 4 sets—on the range.

Sixth, Charles Ricci, co-owner of Pro Ears, will be attending the Gun Blogger Rendezvous in person, and bringing some interesting stories about pro ears and hearing protection.

Charlie did mention that he wouldn't be bringing any of his guns, though, but I think we can find a few interesting things for him to shoot, don't you think?

All At The Same Time?

Someone once said that man invented time so everything wouldn't happen all at once, and some days it seems like it didn't work, at least around here! For example, I've been trying to get some posts, pictures, and videos posted from the World Steel Challenge championships, held a week or so ago in Piru, California. When we take off for a few days, like to go to Piru, the work load overflows back at home, and when I get back I've got to work like a beaver to get caught back up. On top of that, the Gun Blogger Rendezvous is only a bit over a week away, and I'm scrambling to get the last minute details wrapped up for that. Believe it or not, I'm already working on things for NEXT year's Rendezvous! I've also got to shoot this month's e-Postal match today, and get that sent in.

KeeWee has already got two posts up on the Piru trip, including a lot of pictures, so you might want to go have a look at Part 1 and Part 2.

This year Dave Sevigny was shooting a High Standard pistol in rimfire. It used to be I was always the only one, but there were at least three High Standards this year, and probably more. Now if I could only shoot like Dave does!

In the meantime, here's a short video of BJ Norris shooting "Outer Limits" at the World Championships. On this run he actually had to take an extra shot to make up for a miss, but even so, his time was in an area seldom reached by mere mortals. Pay particular attention to his draw, and how little time and motion is used getting from the holster to the shot. Simply amazing!

It's no wonder BJ won Rimfire, Open, and was second in Limited, being narrowly edged out by Dave Sevigny, I think. With two overall wins and a second place, BJ was declared the "Steel Master", the overall champion. He's also a blogger, at least, when he finds time!

Congratulations to a nice guy who's also a totally amazing shooter.

KeeWee thinks he's cute, too.......

Lucky Gunner Sponsors Gun Blogger Rendezvous

The good folks at Lucky Gunner are contributing a $100 Gift Certificate to the Gun Blogger Rendezvous for our Fund Raising Raffle.

In addition, they have set up a special discount code for $15 off of any purchase of $150 or more. They would like for the GBR attendees to share this special on their blogs as an exclusive deal for event participants and their blog following to enjoy.

Here are the details:

• $15 off an order of $150 or more on LuckyGunner.com
• Good for 1 use per customer
• Expires this September 30th, 2011
• Discount code:  GBR-2011

Need ammo? check it out!

It's Bush's Fault

"Miss me yet?"

It turns out that the earthquake in Washington D.C. was caused by a previously unknown and unnamed geologic fault. By decree President Obama has officially named the new fault "Bush's Fault" in honor of ex-president G.W. Bush.

History Channel & Top Shot Sponsor Gun Blogger Rendezvous

When I was going over the list of sponsors, I knew I'd probably forget someone, and sure enough, I missed one of our newest Gun Blogger Rendezvous sponsors, The History Channel and the Top Shot Program.

I'm sure most of you are already watching Top Shot, but if you somehow missed it, it's a really enjoyable program. I watch almost  no television at all, with the exception of the Top Shot show, and I've seen every episode of Top Shot from the very first one.

If you've missed the previous episodes, you can watch them on your computer by going to the Top Shot website. That's cool, since you can watch certain segments more than once, as I do!

Gun Blogger Rendezvous Supporters & Sponsors

Here's a list of all the great sponsors and supporters who make the Gun Blogger Rendezvous possible.

Brownell's
Cabela's Reno
Cowboy Fast Draw Association
Crimson Trace
Front Sight Training Institute
GLOCK
GunUp
Leupold
Lucky Gunner Ammo
Midway USA
National Rifle Association
National Shooting Sports Foundation
The Packing Rat
Palomino Valley Gun CLub
Para-USA
Pro-Ears
Sage Hill Reno Rustlers
Smallest Minority
Springfield Armory
Sturm, Ruger, and Co.
Weatherby
Western Nevada Pistol League
Woolrich Tactical
SIG SAUER 
J. Dewey  Mfg.
Otis 
History Channel/Top Shot
Magnum Shooters Supply

I certainly hope I haven't forgotten any of the great sponsors and supporters for the Gun Blogger Rendezvous, but if you see someone I've left out, please leave me a comment and I'll get it fixed right away!

Thanks to True Blue Sam for pulling most of this list together for us!

Looks legit to me.........

I got this email today:

Hi Dear..
For security causes

You have to update account details

Click on link below to go

Bogus Link Removed

PayPal Security Team

Gee, I didn't think they cared....................

Piru, Here We Come!

This is the big week for Steel Challenge shooting, as the Steel Challenge World championships will be held in Piru, California on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The awards ceremony will be on Sunday morning. Where is Piru? Piru is up in the hills a bit West of Valencia. Valencia is  best known for the Six Flags Magic Mountain Theme Park. Valencia is roughly a thirty minute drive North of the North end of Los Angeles, or more specifically, Burbank.

Tomorrow morning KeeWee and I board the Whidbey SeaTac shuttle for an hour and a half ride to the  Airport, then fly from Seattle to Burbank. In Burbank I pick up the rental car and "White-Knuckle" my way out of LA and up the freeway to Valencia, where we are staying. Thursday morning at 8:30am I will be shooting the Rimfire Open division, shooting all eight stages in one day. I don't know yet when I will be shooting the Centerfire Open division, as it could be four stages on Friday and four stages on Saturday, or it could be all eight on either Friday or Saturday. I won't know until I get there.

The new Tanfoglio Gold Custom 9mm. race gun is working pretty well, and is pretty reliable, but it's just barely ready for prime time, so to speak. Each match it's a little better, but it still has more recoil than it needs, and it still stove-pipes once in a while. It's actually quite a bit ahead of schedule, as I had originally figured on not having it really ready for competition until early Spring, so having a few problems is still to be expected.

The weather in Piru is always horribly hot and miserable, but this year I think I've got a better handle on controlling dehydration and heat exhaustion, so I'm hoping problems from that will be minimal.

The Rimfire High Standard race gun with the Volquartsen barrel and OKO red dot sight has been working really well the last few weeks, and I'm fairly confident that it will do exactly what it's supposed to do, provided I do may part!

Since I don't know exactly what the shooting schedule will be, I don't know how much time I'll have for blogging from Piru, but I am taking my netbook so if I get the chance I can post a report or so.

Stay tuned..............

Chuck Michel To Address Gun Blogger Rendezvous

Chuck Michel is the California attorney who represented the high school kid who was expelled from school for having his shotgun in his pickup truck that was parked off campus when he was in school as he had been duck hunting before going to school. Chuck got the lad back into school, recovered the legal costs, and the entire incident removed from the school records.

Chuck works with the NRA on firearms and Second Amendment cases in California. Chuck is planning on attending the NRA Breakfast on Friday morning at the Gun Blogger Rendezvous, and hopefully, will be able to spend some time with us in the Hospitality room socializing!

If you have considered attending the Gun Blogger Rendezvous, this is definitely the year to be there. You don't have to be a blogger to attend, either. The Rendezvous is open to not only the Gun Bloggers, but to everyone who has similar interests, including industry folks, the NRA, The National Shooting Sports Foundation, competition shooters, and more. There will be attendees from New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and all over the United States.

We need a few more folks attending, just to fill it out to a nice comfortable size, without it getting to big and impersonal.

The Rendezvous is an event like no other, and if you miss it,  you are going to kick yourself, particularly once you read the write-ups after the Rendezvous is over and find out what you missed!

So,

CLICK FOR GUN BLOGGER RENDEZVOUS INFORMATION AND WEBSITE
The 2011 Rendezvous will be September 8th, 9th, 10th, & 11th, 2011
at the Silver Legacy in Reno, NV.

Don't forget, all the money we raise at the Rendezvous goes to help injured military folks through Soldier's angels and Project Valour-IT.

The results are all in and tabulated  for the e-Postal match "Common Problems" just completed, so here they are:

Place	Name	Pistol	Score
	Rimfire Iron Sight
1	Mr. Borland	K-22	42
2	BILLL	Ruger Mk. I	38
3	True Blue Sam	Ruger Single Six	24
Tie	Firehand	S&W K-22	15
Tie	Danno	Ruger 22/45	15
	Rimfire Optic Sight
1	Mr. Completely	High Standard/OKO	44
	CF Iron Sight
1	BILLL	CZ-82  9x18	17
2	Duane	Ruger P-85 9mm.	14
3	Duane	Rock Island 1911 .45	3
	CF Optic Sight
1	Mr. Completely	Tanfoglio Gold 9mm.	40
2	Mad Gun	Tanfoglio Gold 9mm.	24
	CF. Rev. Iron Sight
1	Mr. Borland	S&W K-38 .38	43
2	BILLL	Rossi 971  .357	23
	Air Pistol
1	Duane	KJW 1911 Airsoft	18

Thanks to everyone who entered, and don't forget that this month's e-Postal match based on Top Shot, is now underway over at Sandcastle Scrolls. The number of entries was a bit light this month, so lets get lots of entries all shot up for the next one!

Win Ruger SR9C at Gun Blogger Rendezvous

CORRECTION: Ruger is donating a SR9C (Compact) rather than a SR9B. Even cooler!!

The great folks at Ruger have come through big time in helping the Gun Blogger Rendezvous in our fund raising efforts for Soldier's Angels and Project Valour-IT. Ruger is donating a Ruger SR9C for our raffle. The SR9 series are a hot item right now, and I'm sure they can sell every one they can make, just as fast as they can make them!

WIN ME AT THE RENDEZVOUS

Yes, there is a little fine print, but here's the short version.

• You must be able to legally own this gun to win it. 
• If you can't legally own it, for any reason, you have made a contribution to Project Valour-IT, but you don't win anything. 
• No substitutions. 
• You cannot give your ticket to someone else. 
• The name on the ticket must be the name of someone who can legally own this gun, else no gun.
• No Exceptions.
• You must present at the Gun Blogger Rendezvous at the time of the drawing to win. 
• All decisions are final.
  

Leupold Donates Scope And Camera to GBR-VI

At last year's Gun Blogger Rendezvous Leupold donated a beautiful scope to the fund raising raffle, and this year they are not only donating another very cool scope, they are also donating two trail cameras! Some lucky raffle ticket holder at the Rendezvous is going to take home some really nice things!

Here's the details:

Leupold VX-R Patrol Scope

VX-R Patrol

Leupold’s VX-R Patrol optic features the exclusive FireDot illuminated reticle, which gives you a bright, clear aiming point in any lighting condition. Eight intensity levels to choose from, it provides the precise illumination needed to match the conditions.

A proprietary motion sensor automatically deactivates the illumination after five minutes of inactivity to conserve battery life and reactivates it as soon as motion is detected. A common CR-2023 coin-cell battery provides a remarkably long run time. A fiber-optic light pipe eliminates the need for an eyepiece-based control module.

Leupold’s legendary Index Matched Lens System^™ is paired with with edge-blackened, lead-free lenses for astonishing clarity and light transmission. Second-generation waterproofing resists fogging more effectively than standard nitrogen.

• 1.25-4 x 20mm
• Exclusive FireDot illuminated reticle
• Eight illumination intensity levels match any conditions
• Automatic reticle deactivation conserves battery life
• Index Matched Lens System for astonishing clarity
• Extreme fast-focus eyepiece

RCX-1 Trail Camera System Kit

 RCX-1 Trail Camera System Kit

• In-the-field programming, viewing and downloading in real-time
• Real-time video camera alignment
• Super-wide 54° camera image angle
• XD image quality

Swing the hunting odds in your favor with this innovative plug-and-play trail camera. Take high-resolution color images during the day and infrared images at night, as well as a video option.

The RCX-1 8.0-megapixel camera has a super-wide 54-degree lens along with 36 infrared LEDS to deliver 45 degrees of heat/motion sensing coverage to a range of 45 feet.

Featuring a silent, digital shutter, the RCK-1 fires in the blink of an eye (less than one-second trigger speed) and operates on eight AA lithium batteries or alkaline batteries (not included).

RCX-1 Trail Camera Kit includes: camera, controller/viewer, 12-volt cable, car adapter, home adapter, USB cable, AA battery pack cartridge tray (batteries not included), lithium-ion battery (for the controller/viewer), six hex standoffs for mounting and a mounting strap.
Megapixels: 8.0.
Camera lens angle: 54°.
PIR sensor angle: Single PIR 45.
Maximum trigger range: 45 ft.
Infrared LEDs: 36.
Video/Audio: Yes/No.
Barometric pressure: No.

Trigger speed: Less than one second.

RCX-2 Trail Camera System Kit

RCX-2 Trail Camera System Kit

• In-the-field programming, viewing and downloading in real-time
• Real-time video camera alignment
• Super-wide 54° camera image angle
• XD image quality

Leupold’s RCX-2 trail camera takes high-resolution color images during the day and infrared images at night, as well as video and audio.

The Dual Sensor Technology^™ (DST^™) 10.0-megapixel camera has a 54-degree lens, 48 infrared LEDs with the option of 10 degrees of sensing coverage out to 90 ft. Dual Sensor Technology gives you the option to have the 45-degree sensor and the 10-degree sensor active at the same time. Includes a silent, digital shutter, blink of an eye (less than one second trigger speed), and operates on eight AA lithium batteries or alkaline batteries (not included).

RCX-2 Trail Camera Kit includes: camera, controller/viewer, 12-volt cable, car adapter, home adapter, USB cable, AA battery pack cartridge tray (batteries not included), lithium-ion battery (for the controller/viewer), six hex standoffs for mounting, a mounting strap and a lock-down security plate and screws.
Megapixels: 10.0.
Camera lens angle: 54°.
PIR sensor angle: 45/10 Dual Sensor.
Maximum trigger range: 45 feet/90 feet.
Infrared LEDs: 48 or 36.
Video/Audio: Yes/Yes.
Barometric Pressure: Yes.
Trigger Speed: Less than one second.
Lock-Down Security Plate: Included.

Tanfoglio Gold Custom Progress Report

For those of you who have been following along with the progress of the new Taqnfoglio 9mm. Gold Custom race gun, I can finally say that it's just about where it needs to be. The ammo load I've worked up shoots nice and soft with very little muzzle rise, yet I'm getting a power factor over 145. I tried shooting a few bowling pins with it, and it can really send a pin flying!



This video was taken by KeeWee yesterday at the Yakima Classic Steel Challenge match. I had a couple of stove-pipes, but that was with some ammunition that I wasn't quite happy with. The latest ammunition, though, ran beautifully all day. In spite of the stove-pipes costing me a bit of time, I still managed third place in Open Division, not very far behind second place.

Yes, my draw is still dreadfully slow, but that's mostly because I haven't been practicing it much. I've been spending most of my spare time getting the gun tuned and the load perfected.

I'm really getting to like the Tanfoglio, and as I continue to tweak it, it's just going to get better and better!

Gun Blogger Rendezvous News

I've got so much new and interesting things going on regarding the Gun Blogger Rendezvous, I haven't been able to keep up with it all. There are going to be some new and fun things going on at the range on Friday and Saturday, along with the regular activities like in previous years. Weatherby and SIG SAUER are combining their efforts on the new activities.

Weatherby will be donating a new shotgun to the Project Valour-IT Fund Raising raffle, and Ruger is also donating a new pistol to the raffle. Dewey, makers of fine quality gun cleaning kits and rods, will be a new sponsor this year. Leupold will be adding a beautiful new scope to the raffle too. Pro Ears will be also sponsoring this year, and also letting us play with their hearing protectors at the range. We will be able to buy them at a very special Rendezvous price, if we find one we like.

This is just some of the highlights, but I've been so busy I haven't had time to really get posts up about all of the neat things going on for this year's Gun Blogger Rendezvous.

If you don't go this year, I GUARANTEE you are going to kick yourself.

It's going to be amazing.


Hope to see you there!

Top Shot e-Postal Mach is Underway!

Danno over at Sand Castle Scrolls has graciously jumped in at the last minute  to host this month's e-Postal match. The blogger originally scheduled to host this month's match seems to have dropped out, so we needed a emergency replacement, and Danno had come up with an idea for a match, so BINGO, a win-win!

There will be prizes awarded by random drawing, provided by the Top Shot show, which, by the way, is starting it's season on Tuesday night. I've watched every show from the very first one, and although I wish there was more shooting and less "Personal Interaction Drama", I do realize it is a reality show, not a gun show, so that's why it's the way it is. I do like the way they explain a little about the various weapons and their history, and the fact that they portray the contestants as every day folks, rather than the way the media often mis-characterizes shooters.

Anyhow, this month's e-Postal match challenges you to split a bullet on the edge of an axe, like they did in one of last year's Top Shot Shows. Paper targets, rather than axes, though, will be used!

Go get your targets and have at it!