The Tack Driver IV – November 2023 Story Based on Report by Bart SauterOn November 4-5 2023, the Mid Carolina Gun Club will host the highly-acclaimed Tack Driver IV in Orangeburg, SC. The Tack Driver is a must-attend annual event that has grown in stature and popularity. The rise in popularity of the match can be attributed a number of factors, including its organizer Jim Cline. He is known for his quick wit and larger-than life persona as well as his affinity for pranks. The Tack Driver is a popular and well-known match, and its popularity and status are further enhanced by its unique format. This involves shooting a mixture of group and score target at 300 meters. The generous 22-pound limit on rifle weight is open to all precision shooting disciplines. The event offers competitors the chance to compete against some of the best shooters in the world, have fun, enjoy great food, and find out if they are up to the challenge of earning the title of “Tack Driver”. What is the Tack Driver match? For those who are unfamiliar, the Tack Driver match is a 300 meter “take-all” match that is designed to answer an age-old question: which combination of calibers and shooting disciplines is most accurate. The rules are straightforward: All rifles must be fired from a table, the caliber must be less than.338 and there is no one-piece rest allowed. Over the course of two consecutive days, each competitor will alternately shoot 5 group targets and five score targets. These are the basic rules. There are some more, but these are the most important. The Tack Driver alternates between scoring targets and grouping targets. Competitors must therefore demonstrate both accuracy and precision. The group targets measure only the group size of 5 records shots. The score targets require accuracy, with the goal of hitting five separate bullseyes each measuring 1” in diameter with one shot (ideally obliterating that dot at the center). During the 7-minute match, each target has an area designated for unlimited sighters. The shooter who has the best combination of highest score and lowest group aggregate wins the match. Tack Driver IV – Cool Temps, Light Winds The 99 competitors who attended the match to compete for the title Tack Driver Champion were greeted by bright blue skies, light wind, and cool temperatures. Since its inception, the match has drawn a “Who’s Who’s” of precision shooting. World Record Holders and National Champions were in attendance, as well as Hall of Famers, Shooters of the year, and World Team Members. The “best of the worst” from UBR competitions, Score, Group, the 600-yard and 1000-yard competitions, and the Ground Hog were literally competing in this unique contest.
Wayne Campbell’s Tackdriver 6 PPC Winning Rifle Wayne Campbell was the winner of The Tackdriver IV using a modern 6 PPC. The components included: a BAT 3-Lug Action, a Bartlein barrel with 5-grooves, a Scarborough stock, nighforce scope, and bix ‘n Andy trigger. Wayne did the majority of the gunsmithing by himself. Results of the Tacdriver IV – Combined Grand Total Wayne Campbell is the Grand Total Winner for Tack Driver IV! Congratulations to Wayne Campbell, who was also the Tack Driver Group Shooting Champion. His aggregate was.7028! Wayne has won this award for the second consecutive year. Jeff Thompson wins the “agony” award. Jeff Thompson appeared untouchable after targets 3 and 4. Jeff’s uncharacteristic group of 1.031″ on target 5 allowed Greg Ellis and Wayne Campbell a surge to the front. Top 5 Group Results
1. Wayne Campbell.7028
2. Greg Ellis.759
3. Jeff Thompson.7758
4. Jeff Summers.794
5. Dewey Hancock.804 Fun Group fact: Jeff Summers, Wayne Campbell and only they were able to keep all five groups below an inch. Top 5 Score Results
1. Derick Loflin 245-2X
2. Stevie Salter 244-3X
3. Rober Seeman 244-3X
4. Dave “SuperMan’ Way 244-1X
5. Gavin Peinhardt – 243-2X Congratulations to Derick Loflin for being the new Tack Driver Scoring Champion with a score of 245-2X. Derick never lost the lead once he moved up to 1st (after target 4) was posted. Chambering Selections of Competitors – 6 PPC Most Popular Out of the 98 chambering types recorded for participants, 6 PPC had the most entries with 39. The 30 BR was next with 27 entries. There were 12 6 BRAs, plus 11 6mmBRs. There were three 22 PPCs, two each of 30 Dasher and 6×47 with one Grinch. Saturday Morning Tack Driver interviews with top shooters Click NAME for YouTube Interview Video: Jeff Peinhardt Tack Driver I Champion
Hall of Fame member Samuel Hall, 600 Yard Shooter
Three-Time National Champion Jeff Godfrey. Leading 600-yard competitor Alex Wheeler. Leading Long Range Gunsmith Roy Hunter. “The Renaissance Man” Andy Shifflett aka “Wayne Campbell’s SideKick” Jeremiah Keefe. Long Time Benchrest shooter Dave “Superman”. Best Group of the match. Here is the 0.337″ group shot by George Cabrera. George was using a 6mmBR with Panda action (right barrel, left port, without ejector), Kelbly Stock, Krieger 1/10”-twist bar, Jewell trigger and Nightforce 12-42x56mm BR Scope. George loaded his 6mmBR with Berger 90grHPBT bullets and H4895 powder. This 0.337’’ group is equivalent to 0.098 MOA at 300 meters (one MOA equals 3.435’’ at 300 meters). Saturday Night Cookout With Smoked Prime Rifle
After the range was closed and the targets were hung, family members and shooters began to gather at the pavilion (on the top of the hill) in preparation for the 6:30 meal. The main course was Smoked Prime Rib. The house was packed. The shooters had been treated to a low-country boil and grilled poultry the previous nights. The food at the event, both lunch and dinner is amazing. It’s a 5-Star Dining Experience served on paper plates and napkins. Here’s a video showing people enjoying the festivities. Prime Rib Night Video
Prelude — Tack Driver Lite (2 November 2023) The year began with a new event called “The Tack Driver Lite”, held on a Thursday morning. Two days before the regular Tack Driver. The match has two purposes: first, it gives early-arriving participants something to do. Second, it allows match director Jim Cline to come out from behind his PC and see how well he does against the competition. The Tack Driver Lite is a variation of the regular Tack Driver, but with a few changes. The match is made up of four targets (2 Score and 2 Group), instead of the usual 10. Each competitor was allowed one flag. Before drawing a bench, the shooter must state where he will place his flag. The competitors have seven minutes to shoot a Score and a Group target. The targets were hung upside down, one on top the other, rather than the usual straight up and downward. It shouldn’t have made a difference but it did, both visually and mentally. Twenty shooters were on the line with temperatures in the low 30s, and light and variable wind. Results of Tack Driver Light
After the dust settled, Roy “The Renaissance Man”, Hunter (photo below), was the winner of the scoring portion of the match. He had shot a clean 100 with a perfect score. Billy Stevens was the top dog, winning both the Overall Grand aggregate (combined group score and score) and the Group aggregate with a 0.689. Target by target Progress of the Main Tackdriver III Match Details
Targets 1 (Groups) and 2(Score)
Only.038 thousandths separated first and fifth place in the group competition. Joe Stewart shot a tiny five-shot group of.457 (remember, this is 330 yard distance which is more than 3 football fields). Greg Ellis was the winner of the competition by shooting a 50 and two Xs. Greg Ellis hit 5 of 5 bullseyes (one inch) and 2 of those 5 shots hit a 1/8 inch dot at the center of the bullseye. How do you decide who is first and who is fourteenth? The first factor is the number of Xs that the shooter made. Greg won the top prize by shooting 2 Xs. The next group of six competitors tied with 250-1X. The best group aggregate is used to break ties in scores and then rank order accordingly. This is done throughout the entire scoresheet. The TOP 20 Grand Aggs after Targets 1 and 2
Some of you may be wondering how to determine who wins. To get an overall ranking, the score and group of each competitor are combined. The competitor with lowest total wins. Ties are broken based on the group average. Both Dave Way and Michael Clayton have a score of 41. Dave’s 3rd ranking in group overrides Michael’s 28th, so it’s a tie. Targets 3 (Group), and 4 (Score).
The range began to come alive as the wind and mirage increased. Greg Ellis was the best at handling the conditions, with an impressive group of only.539 and an aggregate of just.517. Terry Holiday was close behind with a total of.554. Jeff Thompson, Kevin McGowan and Jim Chaney completed the top 5. All were within striking distance of first place. The Score Leaderboard was like someone shaking a globe to see what fell out. It is interesting to note that there were ZERO 50-point scores on target 4. This is a big change from target 2, where 14 targets scored 50. Gavin Peinhardt was at the top of page after the snow settled with a score 99-1X. He had jumped from 10th place to 1st. Dave Tooley moved up from 17th place to 2nd place with a score 98-2X. Mark Burns moved up to 3rd place with a score of 98-1X. The TOP 20 Grand Aggs after Targets 3 and 4
After four targets, Greg Ellis has established himself as a man to be beaten. He was the leader in his group and only fell 7 places in scoring. Gavin Peinhardt came in second. Gavin, who turned 20 in October, is the youngest competitor on the field. Gavin has a lot of shooting skills and is a promising competitor. Dewey Hancock was one of the top scorers in the country and came ready to stake his claim for Tack Driver Champion. He took 3rd place. Targets 5 (Group), and 6 (Score).
By the afternoon, the wind had settled. When the wind slows, the mirage appears, making it difficult to not only aim but also to see your bullets. I saw several shooters complaining that they couldn’t see the bullet holes. Jeff Summers fired an extra bullet at his score target when he couldn’t find a bullet hole. Jeff was lucky because the target had two bullet holes in the 10 ring when it was hung. To clarify, if there are more than one shots in a bullseye, the shooter receives the lowest score from the two shots. Let’s get back to the match. Greg Ellis had a little trouble with the target 5 shooting a 1.187 inch group, slipping from first to fourth place. Jeff Thompson took advantage by shooting a.669 to move into first place with a total of.706 Joe Stewart was only.002 thousandths behind with a.708 total. Wayne Campbell, Greg Ellis and Jack Neary completed the top five. Jeremiah Keefe was in the lead after the wind died down and the mirage became heavy. His score was 147. Derick Loflin was next with a score of 147. Dave Tooley, Wayne Campbell and Wes Johnson, all with 146, rounded out the top 5. I knew Dave Tooley would be serious about this match after I saw him practicing twice on the bench. Dave shooting so much is unheard-of! Overall TOP 20 Grand Agg After Targets 5 and 6
Wayne Campbell was the leader at the end day 1. Wayne was the lone shooter to rank in the top five for both group and score with a combined ranking of 7. Terry Holiday, who was ranked 8th before, moved up to 2nd with a score 22. Stevie Salter moved into 3rd place with a score 24. Joe Stewart is in 4th place with a score of 26. George Cabrera was still in 5th place with a score 28. Sunday Day 2 Targets 7, 8
The match began on Sunday with light winds, blue skies, and temperatures around 35 degrees. After the seventh target was posted, the top three in each group remained the same. Jeff Thompson was first, followed by Joe Stewart and Wayne Campbell. George Cabrera shot a new range-record of.337 to take 4th place, while Greg Ellis fell from 4th to 5th. Derick Loflin moved up to 1st place with a score of 196-1X, while Jeremiah Keefe fell from 4th to 5th. Jeremiah fell to second place with a score of 196 (but without the X). Terry Holiday, Stevie Salter and Dave Way all shot 50s to jump into the top 5. Overall TOP 20 Grand Agg After Targets 7 and 8
The stage was set for the final showdown. Wayne Campbell was still in first place with a ranking of 9, but his lead had been significantly reduced. George Cabrera is now in 2nd place, and within striking range with a ranking of 12. Dave Way is 3rd place with a ranking of 14. Terry Holiday has climbed into the top five at 4th with a 14-rank. Wayne France, the score shooting legend, moved up to 5th place with a ranking of 20. Tackdriver IV Award Ceremony
