Boomershoot 2008

For pre-finals stress relief I decided to pursue something that I have wanted to do for the longest time since I moved to Eastern Washington.

I went to Boomershoot and the precision rifle clinic. There’s some really nice pics inside!

Above is the opening to the shoot. Joe had to get close because he winged one of the jugs of gas and couldn’t get the boomer to detonate.

I learned a lot from the two days at the clinic, also got some reminders of things that I haven’t had to worry about shooting pistol lately. The only real comments I have to anyone interested in coming to Boomershoot is that you need a spotter. Shooting at targets 700 yards away, 4 or 7 inches across depending on the target is difficult if not impossible without one. For those who don’t know the math, that is 1 MOA at the largest. Without your spotter you will have no real consistent feedback of your impact. You’re not shooting at a paper target that will have a hole in it. If you’re lucky you might see a change in the dirt surrounding the target. I’m defiantly going back next year for both sections. I’m already working on what my goals are going to be. Friday was miserable for weather, but I look at it now like a baptism by fire. Shooting long distance in winds was never something I had really done. On Friday we had sleet and a win out of 3 O’clock between 7-12 MPH, with gusts to 20 MPH.

The anvil shoot after lunch was awesome. I had a nice sequence(site is down) of pics that shows the whole thing but I’m just going to post the most impressive ones here.

That thing flying up is a 75lbs anvil. And yes ACME is written across the side. Below on the is the anvil at its peak height. Estimates put the anvil at about 110 feet. Next is the impact with the nice spurt of dirt. At the very bottom is the hole left in the ground by the anvil. Yes it’s still in the hole.

I also got to have some other fun. There was a M1917 Browning water cooled machine gun. Not only was I able to take pictures of it…. They also let me shoot it.

After lunch they put up a low flow toilet, packed it with about 6 pounds of explosive, filled the bowl and tank with gas, put up some flares and the following videos were born! The second video can be found here.

The weather was quite nice after Friday. It was so nice in fact that I turned a bright red with a toughening of the skin on my nose. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, this weekend was totally worth it. Please note the circle on my forehead for my hat, along with the coon eyes from my glasses.

Anyone who met me that weekend feel free to drop me a line. Large thanks to Eugene and the other clinic instructors. Your advice was quite helpful. See you all next year!

About the Motto

Waiting for someone else to solve your problems is not a solution. I came to this realization in high school when I worked as a lifeguard at scout camp. If a swimmer went missing it was at least 15 minutes before a rescue dive team could be on site. After 15 minutes odds are you’re recovering a corpse to give his parents to bury. During those 15 minutes though the lifeguards are still actively searching and working to find the missing swimmer. Though not as effective as scuba divers, it’s better than nothing. The idea that help is on the way never enters the mind because who cares about 15 minutes from now, they need help NOW.

While one could say being a lifeguard obligated us, that doesn’t change the fact though anyone can train to help in an emergency. If someone attempts to rob myself or my wife, my first instinct is not going to be to grab my phone and dial 911 for help. Statistically by the time they show up they’ll be placing me in a body bag. Instead I will react in defense of wife and myself. Why, because I can not tell the attacker to wait while I call the police, and then to wait again while they respond. Waiting for help just allows the problem to continue getting worse.

In dive training you learn to control your instinct to panic and think problems through. Why, because at 60 feet all that is there is you and your dive buddy. Panicking will most likely get you and your buddy killed. I had good instructors who regularly threw unexpected failures at us including things that would cause panic. By the end I learned to recognize panic much like when people realize they’re “behind the power curve.” More importantly when you’re panicking you’re doing the same thing as waiting for help.

Why The Minuteman

For those who know me this title fits me to a tee. Not because of my “rebellious spirit” but because at a moments notice I am moving and acting to help those around me. Whether it be taking up arms in defense of someone who cannot defend themselves, or hopping in my truck and going and pulling someone home that just broke down two blocks away.

The statement of who and what the militia and minutemen were is long and drawn out and a cause for great modern debate as supposedly now it’s the National Guard. I’m here to tell you it’s not, it is any and every citizen that is willing to do what is necessary to protect those around them in their own community.

Many ask why I feel this way and the answer is always the same, history. I’ve studied it, learned from it, and found things that embodied the best in humanity, and things that were the worst. Truly one of the best and most iconic of the American spirit was the Minutemen.

About Me

I grew up in Western Washington south of Seattle in a small town. That town has since been over run and turned into a suburb of Seattle. Going home to visit friends and family is quite depressing, especially as crime has increased since I grew up there. At least now I can carry a concealed weapon.

I was extremely active in Scouting all throughout my youth. Most summers I was gone from home about two thirds of the time during vacation on trips and events. I Received my Eagle Scout just prior to my 18th birthday.

After high school I attended the University of Washington. After two years I was informed that I wasn’t good enough for their engineering program and fled Western Washington to Washington State University. The sad thing is I am by no means the only person who has been through this experience, there is also a common thread amongst those who have been through the experience, but if I say what it is I’d be called racist. I graduated in 2008 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, or applied mathematics as I call it. If you have an EE you get the joke.

After moving to Eastern Washington I decided I wouldn’t move back. The Peoples Republic of Puget Sound is just too much. The people are too self centered and not friendly. While many would say that the people out here are unfriendly I have one comment. They’re unfriendly because you’re probably being an ass. This also includes aggressively driving like you’re from a major metropolitan area.

In 2005 I was in a massive car accident which resulted in severe injuries to both my wife and I. It took us over 6 months to recover and I now have a metal rod in each leg. That accident resulted in a ding on my record which has provided me with a point of view of the system that not many people see. That accident also provided another view in that my wife is permanently disabled due to nerve damage in her arm. Currently we are writing a long post on the subject. Suffice it to say, any attempt to limit the features or capabilities of a rifle does not sit well in my house.

I currently write software for embedded systems as well as partake in my own pet projects on the side. I also actively help and participate in Boomershoot and I highly suggest that you make an attempt to attend.

That is the rough overview of who I am and a few of the major items that have provided me with the glass I use to view the world.

TMM

Disclaimer

I figured I should add this to provide solid clarification to anyone that may think otherwise.

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