I almost bought a cep c grade a few years ago but it was too much project even for my tastes

You are a long barrel magnet my friend.

Keavin, I’ll be heading down with a buddy. He’s from the Lancaster area, I’m from NEPA. Other guys from my area and from the Berks Co area will be there too. We arrive Tuesday afternoon. Shooting the Challenge events plus 12 or 13 events on the course.

Rick, my buddies and I shoot all the Challenge events and a ton of events on the course. Very seldom do we have to wait in line. Only time we really have to wait is for our squad to be called on the line for Challenge qualifiers. For $1/target we have trappers and can take home a lot of “BLING”! Drake Landing is very nice, but every time I shot there on Wednesday we’d shoot 200 targets, have lunch and have a cart rental and I’d pay over $130. I don’t mind paying extra to win stuff. That’s how our crew rolls.

Agree 100% with Mike on Drakes. Good targets and good people there at Drakes but come on now, how many times are you going to shoot basically the same targets? Yeah I've been told they make some minor changes from day to day. Also, lunch is very good but not for the ~ $23.00 I was charged the last several times I was there.

Frank, what do you mean the same targets at Drakes? I have shot the same course over the years (after we got tried of Bills same targets year after year) and target presentation has been different everytime, how about a target that skips across a pond and the second that rabbit that rolls across the water and then drops ...:shock: You are going to compare Bill's targets to Drakes presentations, really. :rolleyes:

I go to the southern to shoot and over the course of four days I can shoot 500 targets with a cart at Drakes for much less than what 300 targets at Deep River would cost. No one forces you to buy lunch and the food is much better than the food trucks at D.R. I shoot to have fun as I'm not good enough to try to win an event therefore Drakes holds much more appeal for me. I spend enough time and money in the tents as it is:eek:

a Pa gang shoot
 

Mike,
maybe we do a Pa, gang shoot!:cool: I am going down Thurs and only plan shooting at the event.

Eric (and Rich), so you arrive at Drakes on that Wednesday and shoot the targets on two courses, go back on Thursday and targets are pretty much the same, go back on Friday and targets are pretty much the same, etc. Some minor changes from day to day. To each his own …..

I don't know how anyone who hasn't shot Bill Kempfer's (sp?) Southern targets over recent years knows they're the same year after year, but even so that can give you volume shooters familiarity with the presentations and an edge so to speak. Practice makes perfect. And one or both of you should be able to shoot 50 ex 50 or 100 ex 100 while in competition at the Southern. :) There's one club I shoot at quite often and some of the regular shooters complain if the targets aren't changed every few weeks. Proprietor's reply is usually something like, "have you come in with a score of 100 yet"?

I think most members of classic side-by-side collector groups know that our future success and the continuation of the passion we all have for these guns lies in our bringing young folks into the fold and let them shoot and enjoy them no matter which factory they came from.

And I was pretty surprised that Bill’s new ad for the Spring Southern at Deep River has a picture of the kids who participated in last year’s American Classic Youth Shoot but not a word about it appears anywhere in the ad.

Don’t you all find that a bit strange too?





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Yes thats strange and some folks think we owe so much to him:whistle:
Frank I'm not a good enough shot to break 50 out of 50 on any course. Bill hasn't changed a target presentation in years. Two 100 bird courses and a nice 5 stand and a cost savings of several hundred dollars which can be spent on anything from guns to art work at the tents is a no brainier for me.

Well, it wasn't my intent to bash Deep River - I simply wanted to raise some awareness.





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Let's keep this thread informational.

If you don't support the shooting at the Southern, then there will be no Southern.

And the tents. Bottom line there is plenty for everyone

I have been to Drake Landing 4 out of the last 5 years. Every time I go into the office and tell what I shot I have been charged a different price every time. There is a group that purchases their targets in ahead of time and receive a good deal. A good froind of mine and a PGCA Life member, who is also a friend of Dan Andrews owner of Drake Landing, asked Dan about a package price for him and five other shooters. Dan came back with $60.00 a hundred which is his regular charge. I have heard the he raised the price again for this year, but I don't know that for sure.
Just for an example. The year before last I went to Darke and on a Thursday and when I went in to pay I told them, I shot 100, that's $60.00 and had a cart, that's $15.00 and ahd lunch, that's $20.00. My total was $112.50. I don't know to this day how they came up with that amount. I can shoot 9 qualifying rounds at Deep River for that.

At Deep River, if you are a shooter, then there's more side x side shooting than you will find anywhere else. If you are collector, then there are more side x sides for sale than you will find anywhere else. And if you are both a shooter and a collector, well then you just died and went to heaven.

":whistle:". I believe we do owe him a lot.

I am not a competitive shooter (like most) just an old duck hunter that scratches down four dozen ducks per year and loves to pull the trigger on my vintage duck guns. I'm sure if I had the capabilities of Mike Koneski I would be shooting all the Deep River events for bling, but I'm not. I enjoy shooting for fun, but I have no hope of competing with Famk, Mike or whoever. I enjoy Drakes Landing and could give a dam about the cost, I enjoy Deep River and love the tents and chating with other addicted friends. So who cares just do what makes you happy, life is very short boys.

I am with Craig, I love shooting even if my scores are poor, when I first went to Deep River we shot the course for fun for a few years and got tired of the long waits and notice target presentations were the same year after year. So that's when we stated going to Drakes, super nice people and a great course, which is now two different courses.

And yes I support Bill and Deep River as I buy from the vendors that rent space, and also let's remember and not forget that Bill profits of the Parker and LC Smith clubs for the annual shoot off. That brings in a lot of shooters and money as they shoot in all of the events.
Let's face it if Bill didn't have the Parker / LC Smith shoot off every year that would hurt him greatly in the number of shooters that came to his shoot.

I lover seeing everyone at both Drakes and Deep River in some ways two different experiences, we shoot a Drakes take our time meet and shoot with a number of great people and are not rushed, then we go to Deep River see many old friends and go through the vendor tents (always end up buying too much stuff !) So there is no reason for this us against them (Drakes vs Deep River) it's all for the fun and seeing people and having a good time. As Craig says (and I know all too well) life is short, "enjoy" it. Just my two cents. Eric

The only reason these things are bandied about is because in the past there have been some nasty coments made against DR on these threads. To each his own is apropos. I like the competition so for me, it's DR. I have shot at Drake Landing in the past and the Andrews family has a beautiful facility and throws targets that I enjoy. Difference is if I want to shoot for practice or fun I can do that here any day. If I shoot here once a month is a lot!! It's all good. As Eric and Craig said, just have fun.

I attended my first Southern last year and found it to be the most fun shooting event on my annual calendar, SxS or otherwise. The courses are fun and setup with SxS shooters in mind. Maybe it’s unchanging but considering I shoot at Deep River once per year, that is fine with me. I shoot NSCA, ATA and NSSA with the appropriate guns. This is different, and I like it. The camaraderie is fantastic, met some great new friends and really enjoyed the PGCA banquet. I started out attending the Vintage Cup when it was at Pintail Point, knew no one, I had only one SxS I bought with my paper route money at age 17. I had little chance of competing to win anything. But, I was hooked. I am now privileged to own some nice guns, am competitive and improving. At Hausmann’s in September, I was bested only by Mike Koneski on the five stand and was happy to be a member of the Winchester team at Hausmann’s in June. I can live with that and will keep plugging away to keep improving. It’s huge fun and I thoroughly enjoy being a member of the SidexSide family of shooters. I don’t mind waiting a bit while I smoke a cigar and the price I find very reasonable. The Southern is one of our premier events, Deep River does an outstanding job as host, and I very much look forward to returning in April. See you there!

Mike is coming loaded for bear this year, so I hear

Okay since my philippines trip got cancelled my intention is to head to Sanford on Tuesday . So on Tuesday or Wednesday I was thinking I might check out the Drakes place . Now how far is that from say the ECONO LODGE in Sanford ? And do you need reservations or can they accommodate walk ins ?

Drakes is about 30 min from Sanford. There's a nice Quality Inn not far from Drakes but I can't speak about the hotels in Sanford. Our group shoot at Drakes Wednesday afternoon Thurs-Sat in the mornings.

I talked to Bill K and the Southern is still on for the moment. If it does get canceled we are still going and hope some others come too.

Craig, if they allow COB to shoot there they'll allow anyone to shoot there!!! :rotf::rotf::rotf:

Our crew doesn't fall for the media hype, we plan on shooting there.

Me neither. Stuff I never would think would cancel is canceled though.

Cooler heads should prevail.

I'm going and will shoot at Drakes. If the Southern is cancelled it will have no effect on me other than the real possibility of saving me some money from not buying something I don't need anyway.

Hopefully......:rolleyes:

Hopefully......:rolleyes:

I understand that burning gunpowder is a good preventative

The Mainstream Media has given us plenty of reason to believe they will take a molehill and make it a mountain, and for once, there is a very real situation they simply can't overstate, no matter how they spin it. History shows that every major outbreak of a new virus (Look up Spanish Influenza) was met with naysayers. Those who are winging that this is overblown are whistling past the graveyard.
My sister is a retired MD, and still has weekly responsibilities at Georgetown. She says the concern, and outright fear of where this is going is very weighty on the entire medical staff.
A single individual, exposed, can impact as few as none, if they go straight home, or, unsuspectingly carrying out their normal day, cause both direct, and indirect contact with 20-200 people in 24 hours. it multiplies exponentially from there.

Southern canceled. . . . Sad news
 

News . . . Such as it is

Given federal restrictions on travel from Europe and new North Carolina restrictions on outdoor events, it is with sadness that we announce the cancellation of this year’s Southern Side by Side Championship & Exhibition, which was scheduled for April 23-26, 2020.

The next Southern Side by Side Championship & Exhibition will be April 22-25, 2021. Although we have never had to cancel a show before, in the past when exhibitors have needed to bow out after committing we have “rolled over” their payments to the next show. Please allow us to roll over your 2020 payment to the 2021 show. We will be updating the web page with the new dates and you will have the entire year of exposure.

Thank you for your help in this troubled time. Stay well. -- Mary

.....and the PGCA Annual Meeting - gone too??





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Well that just plain SUCKS no trip to the Philippines and no trip to the Southern :cuss: I can just imagine what I’m most likely gonna end up loosing from flights and hotel reservations !

Wow I'm in shock and disbelief the way this is rolling out. Thanks Mills

Drakes Landing here I come!!