There was another great ending to a shoot that was first started back in the early 1980s at the Kern County Gun Club in Bakersfield, California. Perfect targets and a perfect background always make for good scores, and this year was no different. A near-perfect 99 won the .410 bore, and 100s were needed in all the other guns.
The highlight of the shoot was 14-year-old Cooper Gerecke breaking his first 100 straight in 12 gauge and going on to win the gun championship. Talk about excited! All-American shooters Dan Lewis and Dan Jones took the HOA championship and runner-up.
Over $20,000 was paid out this year, with some gunners getting over $2,000. This is due to the fact that there is big money given for gun and HOA champs, plus guaranteed money given to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places for every class in every gun, over and above the regular class money entry fee payback. It really works and makes this event one of the top money shoots across the nation.
We were visited by NSSA president John Haugh, who participated and donated some of his winnings to the 2019 Ken Barnes Open. Our thanks to John.
We would love to see more of you next year, so put this event on your bucket list.
– Contributed by Ken Barnes
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