July 2025 – Blanket Prize: Heat, Humidity, and Heroics
by John White
July 26, 2025
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Ohhh, the weather outside was frightful—not with snow, but with heat, sun, and a wall of humidity. Still, 24 brave souls showed up to shoot: 13 offhand and 11 bench shooters endured the sticky Georgia muck for a shot at a prized blanket item donated by a fellow marksman.
We welcomed one young lady shooting flintlock for the first time, four new shooters, and a returning shooter we hadn’t seen in at least two years. While many of our regulars were absent—off on summer adventures, no doubt—they were sorely missed. Then again, that just meant more plunder for the rest of us!
The day began with a safety briefing and shoot overview around 8:50 a.m. Shortly after, we started setting up targets at 50 yards, with folks choosing between bench and offhand. First caps popped at 9:05 a.m., and we were off—shooting, priming pans, snapping caps, and, before long, experiencing the occasional “flash in the pan.”
And of course, no TRBPS event would be complete without a visit from our not-so-welcome guest star: Dry Balls.
Our first relay used a five-bull, blue-ring scoring target, which stood out nicely in the shade of the berm—very helpful for those aiming long guns. With 24 shooters lined up, some “oopsies” occurred despite the use of numbered plaques—more than one shooter unintentionally drilled a neighbor’s target.
Heat-induced distraction took its toll, and soon the first major issue of the day arose: a wasp nest—cleverly hidden in the port-a-john, cozied up next to the TP. But fear not! James from Deer Creek Gun Shop came to the rescue, armed with white steel target spray paint. He declared it looked like bad graffiti when he was done, but hey—it was usable again!
For the second half of the shoot, we moved targets to the 25-yard line and took aim at crow and squirrel silhouettes—five shots each. The heat cranked up even more, but we pushed through and finished the shoot by 11:15 a.m. Scoring followed, and as always, everyone walked away with a prize, even those who DNF’d.
And the scoring is as follows:
Off-Hand:
1st – Jim Gravely
2nd – Dan Pressley
3rd – James Whitener
4th – Tracy Derrik
Bench:
1st – Tim Coleman
2nd – Charlie Russell
3rd – Bobby Witherington
4th – David Armstrong
Congrats to all who showed up and shot through the heat and humidity! Packed up and gone by noon—another great day for the Talking Rock Black Powder Shooters.
Enjoy the remainder of the images below and the video at the end.
Enjoy the video of the July 2025 monthly meet below: