More than 80 skilled long-range rifle shooters gathered last weekend at the Big Piney Sportsman’s Club near Houston for the annual International Benchrest Shooters (IBS) 600-Yard Nationals.
The event resulted in motels in Houston and Licking being full, as participants from 14 states and their friends and families descended on Texas County for the Saturday-Sunday competition.
“This is a big deal for us and the community,” said Big Piney Sportsman’s Club president Bob Roach. “The motels being full is only one thing – that doesn’t even include all the ammunition, food, gas and everything else being sold to all the people who came for this event.”
Top honors went to Jason Walker, of Bethany, Mo., who shot 16 targets with an average group size of 1.880 inches.
World record holder and Summersville resident Ryan Hunt helped run the event by being at the microphone and overseeing each relay.
“All competitors complemented how efficient the match was run and were very impressed with the facilities at Big Piney Sportsman’s Club,” Hunt said. “The club volunteers worked very hard to make this possible. We appreciate the community support for the club and look forward to bringing more recognition to the great shooting sports.”
The event was the first national level competition hosted by the club, which annually hosts numerous smaller events. Roach said that over the two-day match, an estimated 15,744 rounds were fired including those shot at sighter-plates during warm-ups and those shot during record fire periods.
For more information, log onto www.internationalbenchrest.com or www.bigpineysportsmansclub.com.
Participants and other attendees view the results on targets during the IBS 600-Yard Nationals Saturday at the Big Piney Sportsman’s Club near Houston.
“This is a big deal for us and the community.”
BIG PINEY SPORTSMAN’S CLUB PRESIDENT BOB ROACH