Sorry you could not make it Jay, but we will see you at Hausmann’s. Also sorry some other regulars could not make it. On the other hand, it has been good to see some newcomers this year and a few who have not been in a while. It is Thursday and there is already a big crowd

I hope your having fun Mills. I really wish I could be there. I had a crazy, but great day at work today, which reinforced my decision not to travel.

Enjoy your time there and I am looking forward to seeing you at Hausmann's!

Jay

I hope somebody takes some pictures-especially the Parker Display of the small and big bores. I'm under the weather or I would have been there!

Congratulations to Team L C Smith for winning the 2022 Smith-Parker Challenge! More detailed results to follow.

Main Challenge
 

Smith won the main challenge 117 to 113 - a nail biter!

Adam Pickett was HOA

John Truitt was runner up

Mike Koneski took third in a shoot off with Don Shumaker

Danny Patton won the Oscar Gaddy Trophy

Jackson Truitt won high youth - proudly following in his father’s footsteps

Harry Morrison was runner up youth

Sarah Spartz was high lady. Runner up was a new lady, Orenda Love, from Team Smith

Hammer Gun Challenge
 

Team L C Smith won a decisive victory in the Hammer Gun Challenge.

Marshall Harrell was HOA with Steve Harutunian as runner up, both of Team Smith

Team Smith continues to dominate this event, so we will have to work extra hard between now and next year to take both events

Thanks Mills for what you do for the PGCA. It was great to see everyone

RU Lady is Orenda Love.

BTW, the difference between first and fourth was ONE bird.

Thanks Mike! Rick threw some challenging targets this year and had everyone on their toes. Thanks for remembering Ms. Love. She seemed awful nice and hope she comes back

To Whom it May Benefit: The value of attending an event like the Southern SxS
 

If you have never been to a major event like the Southern SxS, the NE SxS at Hausmann's, The Vintage Cup, or the shoot at Rock Mountain, you stand to gain a very valuable education by simply listening to, participating in, or eavesdropping on the endless conversations between people who have come to buy, sell, or simply learn about guns.

The sheer breadth and depth of knowledge and experience shared at these events is a priceless inventory of "lessons learned" in the SxS gun world. To wit, where would one go for a cocking slide lever for a 20 ga. A.H. Fox? Or a return spring for a 28 gauge Parker top lever? How about a forend latch return spring for 20 gauge L.C. Smith?

Similarly, bargains surface from the depths of dealers tables as they sell off the "cream" of their offerings and replace them with their "also rans". How about a 20 ga. A.H. Fox A grade 28" ejector gun with about 80% overall finish for$2300? Or a 28" 16 gauge Parker VH 0 frame with good dimensions and clean as a pin for the same money? Or the BE Fox 12 ga. that showed up with great wood and lots of original color and blue for $3200?? What about the ultra-rare A.H. Fox "The Sterlingworth Co." 'Pin Gun' with great colors and wood with ejectors for $1900???

Like Vegas. auctions, and the lotteries, you've got to play to win. BE THERE!!!

Okay, now I'm going to try to find you and follow you around.:)

It was indeed a great event. I always learn much, mostly about my own changing tastes, but Kevin, you are correct -- there are some interesting new things to learn and see.

Some of those target presentations were from Satan himself.

Rick Hemingway doesn’t pull any punches

Those#6 crossers i missed are probably still in flight

I shot 38/50 in the 2021 qualifier and 28/50 in 2022. I don't think it was just because I downgraded from an 8 gauge to a 12 gauge

I watched the shoot off from near the tree line on the right side of the course looking out and 3 of the targets looked brutal from there. The #1 target looked like an SR71 Blackbird going out. The target quartering away right to left also looked like a rocket and if you couldn't tak it early it started to arc down and the slower looping left to right target from the middle of the field was fine as a report pair but combined with one of the rocket targets in a true pair looked really challenging as well because it just wasn't in the air very long. It took great shooting by all of the participants in the event.

This year was my first experience in the main challenge event . My performance wasn’t great and wasn’t horrendous. But like anything else , I’m never really satisfied .

PHOTOS
 

Here are some photos from the weekend

https://parkerguns.org/forums/album.php?albumid=1035

16-20 Events
 

I don't believe this has been mentioned previously but Team Parker did win both the 16 and 20 gauge challenge events. I do not have the names of the qualifying individuals. Maybe someone else does. It was hotly contested, I believe the 16 gauge event was won by one bird while the 20 gauge event ended in a three bird differential.

Thanks for sharing your photos, Mills. It's nice to see the shooting participants.

Mills:

It was VERY cool seeing your young boy competing for Team Parker!

-Victor

I'd like to see the 16 and 20 scores along with who placed on both sides .

The 16 and 20 events are not put on by the organizations. In years past, someone has given me the scores and the trophies to announce and award but that did not happen this year. I did ask around and found out that Parker won both by narrow margins, 1 bird in one.

Rick H puts on the event. It is an official event just not run by PGCA or LCSCA. I saw the list of the top five for both events but I don't have a photo to post the names/scores. I know what I shot but I don't have the other four shooters for both events. Sorry.

PGCA won the 20g 134-131 and the 16g 132-131.

Thanks Mike.

Next year, we'll have to get the scores publicized better and award trophies Saturday after the main challenge as in years past.

Besides myself, PGCA members who took home bling are-
Jim Garrett, Matt Haney, Victor Wasylyna, Aaron Kibby, Randy Roberts, Anthony Pilotti, Stan Hoover, Danny Patton, Carvel Whaley, Chuck Devinne, Jackson Truitt, John Truitt, Brian Hornacek, Mal MacGregor, Ed Blake, Dan Christoffersen, Cyril Gulledge and Harry Morrison.

This is probably not a complete list but it does give kudos to our PGCA winning shooters who ground 'em up throughout the entire event.

Here is the "Big Board" after the Main Challenge Shoot-Off-

Thanks again Mike! I also added some more photos to my album, including the "board" for the Hammer Gun Challenge

https://parkerguns.org/forums/album.php?albumid=1035

NO, NOT THE HAMMER GUN BOARD!!!!! :shock: That was ugly!!

No kidding about that. We need a strategy for next year to win that event

Easy peasy, three of the five of us need to shoot better. Simple as that. :banghead:

Somebody needs to let Aaron borrow a Parker next year. Someone handed him a Smith and he shot their #4 score.

If we could get the Smith shooters to hang out at Drake's Landing all weekend like the Parker guys do, we could probably stand a chance. OK, I'll try out for the Parker team next year, but it won't do much good, the shape I'm in.

I've decided to pull the trigger (pun intended) on a hammer gun if anyone knows of a nice shooter available. I almost bought a beautifully restored 1860's english gun at the Southern but decided to look for a Parker instead. PM me with advice if inclined.

I was at Drake on Wednesday and I gotta say it was about 1000% better than trying to deal with the course at Deep River . I’ve had no less than a dozen folks visit me at the shop on Tuesday and today that said if they follow the program they had this year they’ll not go back . Personally I’m okay with Drakes on Wednesday and Five Stand the remainder of the time . I even went so far as asking Rick if he’d be up for adding a 10 gauge event to the challenge stuff , which he quickly said he saw no problem with .

Bill has been approached dozens of times every year to please change his SC course - maybe add a second course - but he has resisted every time. I don’t get it.
It’s under new ownership or new management now as I understand… let’s see if it changes now.





.

I have attended the Southern S/S for many years always enjoying all aspects including shooting. After traveling 650 miles and 10-12 hours I could not handle the "shooting environment" offered by Deep River this year. I will attend next year, but, if the shooting program has not dramatically improved I will just enjoy a good gunshow.
Bob Jurewicz

Buy a Parker! Leave the Eurotrash alone!!

Before everyone bashes DR for trying something new, they said next year will be under the old format of even/odd stations. They thought there would be a lower attendance but it was higher than usual. A few reasons were discussed but we were informed they will not be shooting all guns on the same stations again. Even with the backups, David D got 12 guns in and I got 10, all events on the course. I usually get to shoot 12-13 course events but just ran out of time this year. As for comments that they should add another course, unless they purchase adjacent property, there is no room to expand. We’ll be back next year and plan on shooting more events again. If we want to shoot for fun we can do that anytime. It’s all about the competition for some of us. 😎