Metal Madness Prize Event in Kentucky

[Studentofthegun]

Part 1:

Perusing this section and there’s lots of threads about stuff that’s not positive. Violence and whatnot. So I thought it was time for some positivity.

I’ve posted pictures from previous year events. But this year was something special.

The Metal Madness Prize Shootout was held in Grand Rivers Kentucky this weekend. There was lots of folks there from all over the country. Lots of families showed up to shoot this sport. This is really a shooting sport, not a competition. You don’t really “win” Metal Madness. You get classified and try to improve. It’s designed to be a gateway to competition shooting that provides a very laid back atmosphere.

It’s also VERY fun.

Many sponsors helped this be a success, such as Ruger (who donated several rifles and pistols that were given away) Tandemkross, Vortex, Creekside Customs, Krano Customs, Tippmann, Lancer Tactical, Mantis X, Hunters HD Gold, Grizzly Ear Pro, SASP, Hogue, and a whole lot more. The prize table was worth about $30k.

But the camaraderie was priceless.













At one point it got a bit damp.

 

[Studentofthegun]

Part 2:

There is a limit on how many pictures I can put in a post so here’s the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey used to say.

One of the shooting teams is called The Six Pack. Such a great group of people, most of which are new to the shooting sports. The team is for the kiddos. One of them was young Nelson Padilla. This is him at last year’s RCSA World Match.



He loved shooting Metal Madness more than any other event. It was great to see him getting started in the sport. Such a sweet kid.

However he tragically lost his life in a car accident a few months ago. He was eleven years old.



As you can imagine, his family was devastated. So was the Metal Madness family. A foundation was formed in his honor to help young kids get the things they need to get into the shooting sports. The Nelson Padilla Foundation raised money this weekend with assistance from some of the vendors and participants.

There is an annual award that is given to a deserving kid that, through their advocacy, brings other kids into the shooting sports. That award was given to Nelson’s best friend. She’s been such a great advocate and has really come along with her shooting.

Here is a couple pics from the awards ceremony. It was…emotional.


Most of the time I don’t shoot at the event. Mostly I press the button on the timer, call passes on the microphone, or do whatever else needs done. Normally I’m a sweaty hot mess with sore feet by the times it’s over. And of course that’s when everyone wants to take a dang picture with me.

There is no doubt that this is making a difference in the lives of a lot of young people. It’s showing them that the shooting sports have so much to offer. That firearms are enjoyable when employed responsibly.

Those kids had a blast and so did we.

Metal Madness has two different disciplines. One is Metal Madness and one is Metal Madness Unlimited. The Foothills Shooting Complex in Cherryville, NC will be having both of them. In fact we ran the first Unlimited match and it went very well. We had over 40 guns and some of those kids down Charlotte way were fast. I’m pretty encouraged that we will have a pretty good following and get people into the shooting sports. Whether they stick with Metal Madness or move onto Steel Challenge or IDPA, our mission will be complete.

For more info, Google up Metal Madness. This ain’t an advertisement. Just thought it would be good to see what is going on out there on a positive note.



Anyway, y’all get out there and take a kid shooting. It’ll be good for you and good for them.

 

[Stateih]

Thanks for sharing, this is awesome! The NC Wildlife Resource Commission youth tournaments is what got me started in shooting sports. Any events like these are so important to getting the next generation going.

 

[Slacker]

High five Ben. Thanks for doing the heavy lifting. It will pay off.

 

[Catfish]

Great job that’s fantastic

 

[Studentofthegun]

I almost forgot. Most of the time I end up with a lot of sunburn and some swag like a couple cool hats and so forth. This year I got a REALLY nice prize off the table. And for once, I don't think it is going to be given away to a young'in.

Now I'll be able to figure out how far away that there deer is from the blind. Figure this'll come in really handy. Vortex must have had two dozen prizes on the table.



My buddy got one of these. After checking it out…I ended up buying one from EuroOptic. Like it much better than the Holosun. So Vortex gave me a free range finder but they also will end up selling half a dozen of these Defenders. I’m gonna need 2-3 more for myself.

There is no such thing as saving money in this hobby. 😅