2018 IBS 100/200 Score Nationals in North Carolina
Report by Boyd Allen, IBS Vice President
Over the weekend of October 27-28, 2018 forty-four shooters competed at the IBS 2018 Score Nationals held at the Ashe County Wildlife Club in Laurel Springs, North Carolina. The match had been rescheduled from its original, earlier date because of Hurricane Florence. Forty-three shooters shot Varmint for Score, and two of those also shot Varmint Hunter. One competitor strictly shot in Varmint Hunter class, for a total of three in that category.
Despite challenging winds and weather, there were some impressive performances. Brud Sheats won the VFS Grand Aggregate with 499-35X, with Richard Sissel second, 499-24X. Brud also topped the 200-yard VFS field, while Chris Gibby was the leading 100-yard VFS shooter.
This photo was taken on the cold and damp Saturday morning. Ashe County Wildlife Club’s 30 benches are generously proportioned and extremely well-built.
The Weather/Conditions
According to my source, Saturday morning was cool and cloudy, after a morning low of 40 degrees the day would only get up to a high of 48. As you can see from the picture of the firing line there was a little rain. The wind light and shooting conditions generally good, but on Sunday things changed. The wind became a more significant factor. According to my good friend Lee Martin, who shot the match and was kind enough to send me many good pictures, “Sunday brought 20 mph gusts that switched constantly.” Weather records show that the temperature ranged from an early morning low of 39 degrees with an eventual high of 56 and just a .01” of rain.
Photos by Clint Johnson and Lee Martin.
The Ashe County Wildlife Club
This impressive rural facility is far more than just a benchrest range. It has a Trout Pond, Skeet Field, Sporting Clays, 5-Stand Sporting, Wobble tower, Trap field, 300-yard Rifle range with 30 covered benches, and a 50-yard Pistol / Rimfire range. The 300-yard benchrest range has a newly constructed firing line and loading/multipurpose building that any club would be proud of. The firing line runs along the north east wall of the building and is covered by its extended eave.
Top Shooters, Results, and Equipment List
The above photo includes most of the “top guns” at the 2018 IBS Score Nationals. Shown, from left to right: Dean Breeden – 1st 100 Hunter, High X-Count Hunter & 2 Gun Grand Agg Hunter; Wayne France – 5th 200 & 4th Grand Agg; Dewey Hancock – 2nd 100; Chris Gibby – 1st 100 & 5th Grand Agg; John Cascarino – 4th 200 & 5th Grand Agg; Rick Hudak – 3rd 100 plus 2017 defending Grand Agg Winner; Brud Sheats – 1st 200 & 2018 Grand Agg Winner; Nick Breeden – 1st youth; David Richardson – 3rd 200; Orland Bunker – 1st 200 Hunter & 1st Grand Agg Hunter; K.L. Miller – 2nd 100 Hunter; Richard Sissel – 2nd 200 & 2nd Grand Agg. (Anything not designated as Hunter refers to VFS.)
CLICK HERE for Complete Match Results and Equipment List »
Brud Sheats, 1st @ 200 & 2018 VFS Grand Agg Winner; Right — Richard Sissel, Grand Agg Runner-Up.
See More Match Photos from the 100/200 Score Nationals
If you want to see more photos from the Score Nationals, here are links to two web photo albums with many more images from the event: