IFG - USA meet 2012

[shooterz]

Thanks for the update and info Timmy,

There are some great sites to see in that area. Didn't know that Sturgis was so close. Would definately like to see the Little Bighorn. This could be a big blast. later, Troy

[xl_target]

Shooterz,
The actual State Park that we considered is Custer State Park in the Black Hills/Badlands area of South Dakota. Very Close to the Wyoming/SD border, it is near Rapid City and there is a National Guard Range nearby that is open to the public. However, it will not warm up there till July/August. So considering that the summer in India starts much earlier, we might have to move this thing south. We have a couple of offers.

To answer your question, I live in Minnesota.


To anyone who is interested in attending from India, please let us know which months would be the most appropriate for you. The location of the meet might depend on that.

Archer, we would be glad to have you

Lets get more of the details finalized, especially the location.

[timmy]

shooterz, as an OT, the Little Bighorn Battlefield is certainly something to see. It is very similar to the way it was when Custer was defeated there. There are many perceptions about that battle that have found their way into myth, but because no white man survived from Custer's 5 troops, the eyewitness accounts are limited to the Native Americans. Some claim that they slanted their stories to please the white man after the battle for a variety of reasons. There are people from all over the world who study the battle, and since there's no way of actually knowing exactly what happened, there's plenty of room for discussion.

In broad terms, here is what I think happened:

Custer had earlier struck a large Native American village with varying success. The idea seems to have been that, even if he was heavily outnumbered, putting even a large number of Native Americans into a rout would make an attack possibly successful. Some criticize Custer for not waiting for Terry and Gibbon's forces before attacking, but the Sioux had soundly whipped a similar infantry force led by Crook only days before on the Rosebud -- even a large infantry force was no guarantee for success.

It seems that Major Reno did not press home his attack in the way Custer wanted, and certainly Benteen was not at all interested in budging from the hills Reno had retreated to. It also appears that Reno had some sort of breakdown and that Benteen was in actual command during part of this time. There was a considerable amount of animosity between these officers and Custer.

Custer was also looking for a victory, as he was a Democrat who had testified about Orville Grant's (the President's brother) and Sec. of War WW Belknap's corrupt dealings with Indian and Army supplies. A victory by Custer would have made him a hero and politically untouchable by the President.

It seems that, once Custer's attempt to cross the Little Bighorn was repulsed by Native American forces who were freed by Reno's retreat at the south end of the village, Custer retreated to the heights above the river and attempted to form a defensive square, a favored tactic at the time and the same one the British employed at Isandlwana during the Zulu War. Where the British Square failed because it was too dispersed to meet the Zulu onslaught, Custer's square apparently failed because Native American forces were able to penetrate and flank one side by using a coulee (ravine) to escape Custer's fire.

Every time I've been there, my reading provides enough historical background for me to conjure up all sorts of mental images, and this, combined with the undeveloped and quite scenic view with the Bighorn Range in the far distance, to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I don't believe in ghosts, however, the most appropriate word I can think of is "spooky".

There is a visitor's center there, where National Park Service rangers give very meaningful and interesting interpretations and background of the battle.

At the Cody Wyoming Winchester museum, I saw a necklace when I was a kid, made of about 30 or 40 human index finger bones, supposedly made from the trigger fingers of Custer's men. It was common practice for the Native Americans to gouge the thighs of bodies, to keep them from running, cut off genitals, pierce ears to allow the white men to hear, and pluck out eyeballs and set them on rocks. There are Native American accounts of body mutilations at the Battlefield, and I suspect that the necklace part is true. However, it's no longer on display. I suppose some do-gooder was offended.

One interesting thing is that when the nude body of Capt. Miles Keogh was found, it was not mutilated, and the Gold Medal he had been decorated with for his service in the Papal Armies was still around his neck. An Irish soldier of fortune, it seems Keogh had taken a fearsome toll of Native Americans before he was killed, and out of respect to a valiant enemy, they left his body alone.

There is a whole bushel of history on this, but I've only sought to whet your whistle with a tidbit of it.

[shooterz]

XL,

Here is a suggestion, Las Vegas, Nevada? We don't have to worry about the weather for most of the year. It is already one of the destinations for a lot of our International friends. They are a very gun friendly State. Or even the Reno-Sparks area of Northern Nevada. Lord knows we can get cheap rooms in either city, and they have the capacity to hold us all. Just an idea. What say anyone else? Troy

[MoA]

Well if and when I am in the general area, I should be able to bring a few weapons. Lets see how things pan out.

[Hammerhead]

Member: National Rifle Association, Canadian Shooting Sports Association, International Defensive Pistol Association
Range Safety Officer
Certified Tactical Pistol Instructor
Licenced for Concealed Carry: 34 U.S. States

Torontofan

Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:33 pm
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
-----------------------------------------------------------------^impressive resume

Regarding ( ;- Torontofan ,
To be certified by CSSA and IDPA takes some time and lots of efforts and to become Range Safety Officer by them.
I be glad if I could find such a member but the said person never came to this site for quite some time - Haji

[conty1]

Mark, first of all thanks for offering your place for the get together. Others, Mark has a VERY big and very gun friendly place since he owns it. An ex-IFGian Mehul couldnt stop talking about it after he came back to Chicago from his visit there. Also for out of towners, I can rent a minibus or something from here in Chicago and bring them with.

Again, I am open to other venues, but Mark's place is a great idea.

[shooter]

ill be in vegas at the end of feb. i dont expect the meet date to be decided around my trip but if there is a remote possibility that it'll be held when i'm there, then count me in.

[Vikram]

I dearly wish to join you gents.However I see the chances are very slim this time. One day hopefully.


To others, whoever can make it, do not let it pass. You will surely have an unforgettable experience.



Best-
Vikram

[xl_target]

Gentlemen,
We are still working out the details on this. We are investigating one more venue. Before I go any further, let me assure you that Mark's incredibly generous offer of opening up his private land to us is still on the table.

The other venue that we are looking at is not that far from Mark's place but it gives us several ranges; one of them will allow us up to 200 yards for rifle shooting. It will also allow us access to a very large number of guns, some of them quite unusual.

Tim and I are really excited about this. I have also been talking to Baljit who is a certified Range Master. He has come up with some exciting ideas for shooting competitions and has also consented to act as Range Master. There are many members who are very familiar with guns but a few of the members who have expressed interest have intimated that they are not that familiar with guns. Baljit's presence will assure us that they will be taught the fundamentals safely. We want everybody to have fun but above all we want to be safe. This is not just for us, it is also for the benefit of our hosts.

The main thing that we have to do is to set the dates. Once we get the dates firmed up we can get hotels and campgrounds booked. If anyone has any date related issues, please chime in now so we can take that into account while planning this.

[Mark]

I dearly wish to join you gents.However I see the chances are very slim this time. One day hopefully.

To others, whoever can make it, do not let it pass. You will surely have an unforgettable experience.

Best-
Vikram

Vickers,

Get together or not, there will always be some extra cartridges laying around here for you to use up should you find yourself on this side of the planet!

[Vikram]

Vickers,

Get together or not, there will always be some extra cartridges laying around here for you to use up should you find yourself on this side of the planet!

Mark, You are kind.Thank you for the kind thoughts.



Best-
Vikram

[xl_target]

It looks like we have a schedule. I need some input from prospective attendees. Is this a good time for you. If we have issues with the time, the next opening in the area will be in May but it will be warmer and the campsite will be fuller. TN State Parks doesn't accept reservations for their campsites. Its on a first come first served basis.
Location: Cedars of Lebanon State Park in Lebanon, TN
There is room for tent camping and RV camping here. This park has a large number of sites available.
The ranges would be about half an hour or so away.

Dates: Last week of March (24th through the 31st). Anytime in between would be fine.
Oleg Volk is organizing some different and unusual firearms for us to shoot. US members are requested to bring anything they want to shoot and are willing to let others shoot.

Costs: Everyone pays for their own campsites and food. If you want to stay in a hotel, that's fine too as Nashville, TN is very close by. I'll bring some ammo if we want to shoot large amounts, we can pool our money and purchase all we want.

Oleg Volk is organizing some different and unusual firearms for us to shoot. US members are requested to bring anything they want to shoot and are willing to let others shoot. We will be able to shoot some of his suppressed guns too.

Those who are interested, please let me know as soon as you can.

Mark, Conti, TIm...? Any questions or comments?

[Baljit]

Thank's xl, these are the final dates between 24th to 31st of March? if so then i am going to book my time off from the work but let me know ASAP,also about closest airport so i can start working on my flight.


Baljit

[xl_target]

Thank's xl, these are the final dates between 24th to 31st of March? if so then i am going to book my time off from the work but let me know ASAP,also about closest airport so i can start working on my flight.


Baljit

Baljit, yes, Those are the dates. Once we find out when the majority can get there, we can make more arrangements about the timing of the different events.
The closest major airport is Nashville Tennessee.