FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5
Local
Photo courtesy of Cold Bore Ops
Some of the world’s top marksmen gathered last weekend at The Powder River Sportsmen’s Club to compete in the Oregon Sniper challenge.
Oregon
Sniper
Challenge
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Little by little, the park-
ing lot filled with vehicles
bearing the insignia of
various law enforcement
agencies—rigs from the
Sherman County Sheriff’s
Department and Baker Ru-
ral Fire among the earliest.
Competitors came in from
the Seattle SWAT, Ft. Ben-
ning, Georgia, and rangers
from Ft. Lewis, as well
as two California SWAT
teams among others. The
undersheriff of adjoin-
ing Grant County, Todd
McKinley, also competed;
he came in at 32nd.
The event has grown
considerably since its orig-
ination, and now stands
apart from other shoots due
both its international flavor
and law enforcement/mili-
tary focus.
Competitors include
military, former military,
law enforcement—includ-
ing those who have been
or are currently involved in
special ops or counterter-
rorism. The 50 slots were
filled after Huisman and
his team invited par-
ticipants, and also hand-
selected them from among
applications received.
Though a competi-
tion, the camaraderie was
palpable and the greet-
ings effusive—this is an
environment in which even
visiting reporters receive a
hug or two.
From Afar.
As the vendors contin-
ued to set up, Huisman’s
father, Dan, pointed out the
targets set up a paltry 600
yards up the hill. Paltry,
because the Powder River
Sportsman’s Club boasts
one of the few ranges in
existence with a 1,000-
yard capacity—one key
factor in its selection this
year.
Dan Huisman introduced
John McQuay III who had
driven from “southern In-
diana” to compete. Along
with his father, the pair
drove 16 hours the first
day—12 hours the next.
McQuay is no stranger
to the event. “I’ve shot this
every time since 2009. I
won it the first year and
placed, I’d say, in the
upper half the rest. The
competition here is getting
better and better and bet-
ter.”
McQuay, who appears
fairly laidback upon first
glance, gives away his
intensity upon closer look.
A former Marine Corps
Scout Sniper—1st bat-
talion, 2nd Marines—Mc-
Quay has both his time
there as a sniper and later
as the member of a SWAT
team to his credit. He is
currently an active Law
Enforcement Officer who
also owns 8541Tactical.
com. His blogs and videos
are there.
McQuay looks at the
event as hard-core compe-
tition and as a chance to
hone his own skills.
“Steve doesn’t set up
an easy course,” he said
with a nod. “Nothing but
respect.”
McQuay’s weapon of
choice? An Accuracy In-
ternational AT with a Proof
barrel, which was provided
in a sponsorship by that
manufacturer. Proof barrels
are carbon fiber-wrapped
rather than old-school
steel.
Accuracy International
Rifle Systems seemed the
prime choice for many of
the competitors.
McQuay took home 6th
place this year.
From Abroad.
Not getting into their
specific backgrounds and
preferring to be identified
by first names only, John
and Pat were two more
competitors—they placed
23rd and 12th respective-
ly—stating only that they
were with a “municipal
police force in Canada,”
according to John.
Their employer paid for
the two to attend the com-
petition, which John calls
“significant training.”
“This exposes us to new
shooting conditions that we
don’t experience every-
day,” said Pat.
John said that in their
line of work, “a shot may
often be just across the
street. Or maybe 60, 70
yards.” He explained that
at 1,000 yards “anything
you’re doing wrong is
amplified.” A slight miscal-
culation in aim at a close
range is more forgiving.
“It puts us out of our
comfort zone,” Pat said.
For a while, the two
discussed the cultural dif-
ferences, with most eastern
Oregon citizens and some
media more gun-friendly
than what they experience
in their homeland from
time to time.
Those same cultural dif-
ferences were on the minds
of Team Ireland as well.
“We don’t have a second
amendment,” said Graham
Murry with a clear lilt that
fascinates the American
ear. “Ireland’s gun laws are
very, very strict.”
Murry traveled a solid
24-hours with his fiancée
Brenda, and teammates
Michael Ward and John
Taylor to reach Baker
City. While many in the
competition arrived early
on Wednesday to take in
the sights, the three Irish
competitors actually left
home that day.
The three also competed
in the last Oregon Sniper
Challenge, which was
held in the Portland area
in 2013. Ward placed 13th
at that event, favoring a
Remington .308.
(The major rules for the
challenge are: .308 caliber
rifles only, factory ammu-
nition only, muzzle veloc-
ity not to exceed 2750 fps,
no exceptions.)
This year Ward placed
28th, Taylor 20th, and
Murry 26th.
The three were quick to
point out the generosity of
Asym Precision Ammuni-
tion out of Arizona for
sponsoring the ammo they
needed for the challenge—
about 800 rounds, they
supposed. They gave credit
to Huisman for helping ar-
range that sponsorship.
Murry, Taylor and Ward
said they were excited
to shoot in a landscape
somewhat different from
Ireland.
Ward said, “It’s nowhere
near as open there. And we
don’t have the mountains.”
Murry agreed. “Long
range, the wind challenges
here are a lot different. The
wind seems to swirl here
straight from the ground
up.”
“It’s definitely more
arid,” Taylor said.
The Irish group is
composed of “civilians,”
as they put it. They prefer,
like many in the shoot, to
keep the details of their oc-
cupations off the record.
Their rifles were pur-
chased through Southern
Rife and Optics, owned
by a fellow named John
Green.
“It’s a very small shoot-
ing community in Ireland,”
Ward laments.
The three said they grew
up shooting in large part
thanks to their grandpar-
ents and parents maintain-
ing traditions of old in
their families—and those
traditions include hunting.
Because of Ireland’s gun
control laws, Murray says,
“We’re behind in technol-
ogy.” The Challenge is a
chance to check out the
latest.
The largest caliber hand-
gun available to anyone in
Ireland, they said, is a .22,
and that only after nearly
prohibitive fees and back-
ground checks. A .308 rifle
“is restricted,” they said
nearly in unison. Many
weapons were banned in
2008.
“Being here is an op-
portunity to learn,” Taylor
said.
In Irish Gaelic, their
motto, Ná géill choíche,
translates as “Never quit.”
And they didn’t.
Local Involvement.
After Friday’s public
opening, the range closed
to most spectators Saturday
and Sunday as the actual
challenge began.
The Baker Rural Fire
Department, primarily with
Chief Dan Weitz and Sean
Lee attending at various
times, were on hand Satur-
day and Sunday should an
errant spark set off a fire in
the dry conditions.
“We wouldn’t miss this,”
Weitz said.
Weitz, at 58, ended up
participating in the Chal-
lenge, finishing next to
last, but finishing. Several
others who had signed up
for the event withdrew
upon hearing SEALFit,
providers of an intense
physical fitness regime
utilized by Navy SEALs,
would be integrated into
the obstacle course. Weitz
was not to be intimidated,
and was given special
recognition in the end for
his fighting spirit.
New to the Challenge
was competitor Sgt. Mike
Regan from the Baker City
Police Department.
“This was definitely
a worthwhile challenge.
It was an honor to be
invited,” said Regan.
Regan attributes some
of his skill to “the Eastern
Oregon Regional SWAT
Team and sniper monthly
training” he receives in his
current position.
“These are a lot of highly
skilled competitors who
are invited,” he said “We
have special forces, army,
past marine corps. It’s in-
credible. A lot of dedicated
people.”
After two injuries among
competitors, Regan said,
the SEALFit portion of the
course, which Huisman
later said contained maybe
one-percent of what actual
SEALs may go through
over the course of training,
did get altered along the
way. (The movement of
120-lb. poles was removed
from the event.)
Regan pointed to the
“unknown distance” por-
tion of the challenge as
particularly helpful for
honing estimating and
engaging skills with targets
anywhere between roughly
100 and 500 yards, he
guessed.
While Regan predicted
he wouldn’t finish in the
top half on this, his first
try, he finished at a respect-
able 30th place.
Baker City’s Micah
Huyett had an impressive
performance, blowing the
competition away with a
third-place win, and claim-
ing a .308 AR-10 as his
prize. His wife, Lindsey,
was also given recognition
among the female shooters
who target practiced on the
side during the competi-
tion.
Like Ward from Team
Ireland, Huyett chose a
simpler model with which
to compete. Huyett’s
Remington 700 PSS, a
$1,000-rifle he said, was
pretty basic compared to
other setups he saw that
ran into the $9-10K range,
optics and rifle prices
considered together. “I was
putting rounds directly into
the barrel,” he said. “That
may have slowed me down
a little.”
Depending on the course,
competitors were scored on
accuracy, speed or both.
Huyett almost wasn’t
able to compete at all.
After hearing about the
Challenge from friends, he
said, “I called Steve and
asked about it, but all the
slots were full.”
When some of the men
withdrew due to SEALFit,
however, Huyett was of-
fered one of the openings.
He had specifically been
looking for a challenge that
incorporated both shooting
skills and physical fitness.
Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press
Marine legend, Chuck Mawhinney with wife, Robin,
attend the event every year. Mawhinney prepared
the BBQ, which fed the crowd.
Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press
Baker Rural Fire Chief Dan Weitz receives an award
for his “sticktoitiveness” from Steve Huisman (right).
Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press
Sgt. Mike Regan attended the awards ceremony
with wife, Shannon and daughter, Kara.
Huyett is a former
Marine Scout Sniper (shot
twice in the line of duty)
who began “as a grunt,” he
says, then worked his way
up through infantryman
to team leader, eventu-
ally becoming a sniper
and finally instructing at
a pre-sniper school. That
school prepared Marines
for actual sniper school.
“There’s something like
a 50% failure rate getting
through the school.”
He currently works in the
medical field in both Baker
City and La Grande.
Huyett didn’t leave
instructing far behind,
though.
Last year he opened Or-
egon Trail Defense, LLC
(www.OTDefense.com),
based here in Baker City.
While offering long-range
and carbine instruction,
lately handgun instruction
has been popular with the
law-abiding citizens who
come to him as customers.
“We start with safety and
handling—keep it simple
and work on up,” he said.
“We find a lot of people
have handguns but shoot
them maybe 10 times a
year and don’t really have
a foundation on how to
shoot them.”
Huyett provides that
foundation, which served
him well during the com-
petition.
“Our first shot was at 50
yards at a half-inch dot,”
he said.
Of the competition? “I
liked it a lot,” he said. “I
would definitely like to do
it again.”
Huyett said, “It’s like
Ecclesiastes. Time and
chance happen to them all.
Many of the shooters were
in the same league. Maybe
one of us made one better
wind direction call. That’s
not to say that shooter is
better. These are top shoot-
ers. I mean, there were
specs forces out there,
and these guys get paid to
shoot for a living.”
SEE SNIPERS PAGE 7