Blake Manning Shooter Ready….Standby!

It is getting very close to World Shoot 2011!

I have been practicing daily and shooting as much as I can while still finding a good balance for keeping up with my school work! We leave on September 28 to start the long journey to Greece and I am still collecting funds for the trip. We still have a ways to go to pay for the trip and Trijicon had graciously donated a brand new TA-11F ACOG for me to raffle off to finish the funding of the trip! You can find all of the details by clicking on the Raffle ticket link here! The optic will be raffled off the day before we leave on September 27, 2011!

Thanks so much to Trijicon for the assistance and thanks to all that have made donations so far!

Last month I had the great privilege of competing in the 2011 USPSA Alabama State Sectional. This was my first major match of the 2011 season and it was held for the first time at the East Alabama Gun Club in Phenix City, AL. The match was very dynamic and the stages were well versed for a range of shooting capacities.  I had a great time shooting the match and I won the A Class in the Open Division and High Overall Junior. I would like to thank EAGC and Mark K for a great match and range experience. – Blake

This past weekend I shot in the USPSA Area 8 Championship in Fredericksburg, VA. This was my first national match to compete in the Open division with my new ‘A’ classification and with a brand new open gun I had just received the week prior to the match. The match was very challenging and the stages presented some new learning opportunities, but I had a great match and won the ‘A’ classification of the open division and, in doing so, earned a return trip to the USPSA Nationals in 2011!

Next on my schedule is the USPSA GA State Championship and my first national sniper competition. In addition, both the IPSC and USPSA Nationals are quickly approaching next month before my three gun season kicks into full swing! – Blake

Here is a video from the match!

This past weekend I shot in the USPSA Area One Championship in Idaho Falls, ID. The weather was fantastic and the stages were some of the best I have seen to date. Mr. Tim Egan and his staff did an excellent job with the match direction. I had an awesome time, placed 2nd in the open division, got my first stage win at a level III match and I scored high enough to move into the ‘A’ class in the Open division! In addition, I shot with my fellow Cameron’s Custom Guns team members and learned some great lessons that I will be practicing in the coming months. Next month we hit the road again to Tulsa, OK for the USSA Pro Am before a major double header in August with both Area 3 and Area 8 USPSA Championship matches. Thanks to all of you for your continued support!

This past weekend was the 2010 USPSA Area 4 Championship in Princeton, LA. I was very excited about shooting this match because it was the first time I would get to shoot with the members of the Cameron’s Custom Guns Shooting Team. I had a great starting day at the match, but I had a few mental errors on the second day and those really lowered my score. In the end I placed 2nd in the B Class, Open division, but most importantly, I acquired a ton of great knowledge and tips from my teammates. I will be practicing these new goals very diligently over the next month before my next championship match at the end of June. Thanks to Cameron’s Custom Guns for a great match and to CED for the match entry fee! – Blake

May has been an extremely busy shooting month for me. After coming home from LaRue, on May 14, 2010 we traveled to the Magnolia Shooting Club in Byram, MS for the 2010 USPSA Mississippi Classic. I shot this match last year and won high junior and the C class in the Open division. This year I returned as a B classified shooter and won the B Class in the Open division and was again the highest scoring junior in the match! Thanks to John Heiter and staff! – Blake

This past weekend was the Larue Tactical Multigun Championship in Millican, TX. This was my third multigun event and it was by-far the most difficult to date, but also a lot of fun! I had to crawl through tunnels, shoot off-hand and through barrels with my SCAR, and shot my shotgun from the flatbed of a moving truck! I had one bad stage where I had an equipment issue, but pulled through hard on the other stages and captured the highest scoring junior spot. I had a great squad to shoot with and learned a great deal of information for my next three gun match in August in Raton, NM: The Rocky Mountain Three Gun!

This past weekend we were in Wichita Falls, TX for the 2010 USPSA Double Tap Championship. When we arrived on Friday the temperature was a balmy 72 degrees and the weather was perfect for shooting! The only problem was that I was shooting the next day!

When we arrived at the range the next morning the temperature had dropped to 31 degrees and snow was blowing sideways from the north at 30-35 mph. This presented many challenges that I had never shot in before, but I had a great match and placed 3rd in the B class, open division, behind two shooters that both shot on Friday!

This match will be one of my favorites for a long time to come! Thanks to Mr. Robert Porter for a great Double Tap 2010. Blake

This past weekend we traveled to Hoover, AL for the 2010 USPSA Alabama State Championship. The match was great with some very challenging stages! I had a great start and hit a small bump in the middle of the match, but shot hard and finished as the highest scoring junior and won B Class in the Open Division! Many thanks to Randall Webb and company for a great match!

Next weekend we are off on a return trip to Wichita Falls, TX for the 2010 Double Tap Championship. This year promises to be a great match and I am ready to get there! – Blake

The time for Rest and Relaxation is over! It has been a great off-season and I have been practicing and breaking in the new equipment. I have made some great adjustments from last year’s season based on the lessons I learned from the many matches I shot and great mentors I met along the way. I have added 3-Gun and multi-gun competitions to my schedule this year and I am working on a new long range rifle build that I may include in this year’s shooting season too!

My season kicks off in March with the Alabama State Sectional and then its on to the 2010 Double Tap Championship! April and May find me shooting three USPSA Level III matches and the Larue Tactical 3-Gun before we hit the road to New Mexico for the 2010 High Desert Classic. I am very excited about this upcoming season and I hope to see you on the range! – Blake