The NW shootout was held Near Olympia, WA in an abandoned quarry called "the pit". The pit offers a multitude of targets but was not suited for long distance shooting. We were able to launch spuds and golf balls over the trees which were about 100 yards away. In attendance were Freefall, Aaron (golfball king) and Latke. Aaron's friend Sig also showed up with his gas powered compressor. On this last warm weekend of spring, the pit was host to a multitude of shooters with traditional firearms. Everything went as planned except a stray round from an AK-47 which narrowly missed all 3 IPLA members and instead put a large hole in our tent.

Aaron and Latke setting up camp. 6 or 7 launchers were brought in, both combustion and pneumatic. 70 pounds of russets and over 500 golf balls were available as were tennis balls and PVC rockets.

Freefall setting up the BBQ purchased just for this event. Freefall was later afflicted with some monkeypox after eating a questionable burger.

IPLA VIP Sig gave life to pneumatics at this event.

Latke with the L1 and Freefall shooting the L3 with an SDR/PVC golfball barrell..and no earplugs. Other pit visitors can be seen in the background with machine guns.

Aaron takes aim with his pneumatic golfball rifle. Aaron makes these barrels by sleeving SDR-2? pipe inside sch80 PVC. This provides an incredible fit for golfballs which resulted in impressive, if unrecorded distances.

Freefall setting up his monster pneumatic cannon for more initial testing. The piston in this cannon was previously damaged. Freefall made some repairs and brought it along on this trip unsure if it would fire.

Sig expertly worked the controls but the cannon refused to shoot. Later, air was used to disengage the solenoid valve from the T-fitting which had become stuck. This valve flew from the rear of the cannon into the forest providing the best shot of the day for this beast.

Warming up the BBQ amid a sea of shells, some of them live. Burgers, fish and junk food were consumed as were a ton of sodas. The only thing in short supply was water. Water to drink and water to cool down and clean up with. Next time there will be plenty water, it might even rain.

Aaron's rifle with a standard barrel. This design allows the shooter to sight directly down the barrel for improved accuracy.

Latke blasting a barrel with a BBQ sparked L1. The BBQ igniter worked great and fired most every time.

Sig and Freefall retrieving tennis balls and rockets during a break in the action.

Aaron with his pneumatic BB machine gun. This thing is a blast as you can see the BB's coming out like a stream of water.

Freefall shooting the fur covered L3 combustion and golfballs.

Aaron, a long time pneumatic enthusiast, gave the thumbs up to combustion's ease of use and reliability.

Sig and Aaron enjoying the September sun. A rare event in the Northwest.

Latke with a local's modified Bushmaster rifle. With the right technique, this thing will fire as fast as any machine gun.

Freefall lets loose with the Bushmaster.

The day ended with freefall shooting tennis balls as 'pigeons' as Aaron attempted to shoot them out of the air with a spud. Aaron's excellent shooting put him repeatedly within inches but fell short of this incredible feat.

The partial Northwest crew in a group photo. This event was a blast. Hopefully everyone in the Northwest can get together soon for another Northwest shootout. Check the IPLA section of SpudTech.com for local events in your area or visit http://ipla.quibble.com for more information.