Welcome!
The United States welcomes the participants of the 2024 World Field Target Championship. The competition will occur in Mesa, Arizona, a suburb of the Phoenix area, the third largest city in the state. The course location is in the beautiful Sonoran Desert, just outside the city in a protected state park area. The course presides on the grounds of the Arizona Department of Game and Fish-owned shooting area, which Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club manages. This area is a lush desert region full of unique plants and cacti found nowhere else on the planet.
The courses are situated in two areas of the range, approximately 500m apart. The flagship course is located on the south side of the campus, and the new courses are on the north side. It was designed and developed in 2015 by Garrett Kwakkestein and has served as the club’s main FT course. It has 32 shooting lanes generally south-facing and sits atop sixteen acres (6.5 hectares) of range property. The course meanders through a forest of giant saguaro cacti, and some are speculated to be about a thousand years old.
The two new courses under development are located near the arial marker of the giant “<PHOENIX” sign. They are just east of that sign, sharing the same mountain. These courses will have one facing west and the other facing east. Both share some shots that will be facing north, shooting up the mountain. Due to the slightly elevated position, you will enjoy views of the city below. The east-facing course will enjoy challenges involving shooting over a small, intermittent streambed area. Winds will sneak up this area and provide unique terrain features to influence your shots. The west course will shoot over an expanse with uniquely wind-protected and open spaces. There will be mild angled shooting both upwards and downwards on both courses. Both upper courses are about 300m long, and the lower course is about 260m in length.
The elevation of the range is approximately 2,000- 2,190 ft (609 to 667m). The humidity is generally low all year, fluctuating around the 10% mark. Temperatures are anticipated to be in the lower 50s, warming to the mid 70s by day’s end (10 to 25ºC). The estimated temp of the match should be in the mid-’60s (15ºC) in the morning hours.
Two standard-type ranges are available for sight-in. Both measure about 70m wide, and go out to about 100 meters deep. We will have the full array of paper practice targets, and a variety of spinner types on the range. Paper will be in five-meter increments between 15 to 50m, and at 9m, 10m, and 12m distances.
At the trailhead of the (south) Field Target course is our indoor airgun range, officially called the OETC (Outdoor Education and Training Center). Recently erected, this building contains a 24 lane indoor 10m airgun range to be converted to our meeting area. It also houses our club’s massive Coltri air compressor, capable of filling a handful of 300 BAR tanks in just minutes. We plan on approximately nine to twelve 310 bar, 100 cubic-foot large (12L) carbon fiber tanks for the match.
We are still determining the location of the official hotel and banquet area. These will be located about 15 to 20 minutes from the range. Transportation services will be evaluated based on needs declared at registration. We strongly recommend renting a vehicle, as the area is spread out.
The Phoenix metro area is home to two major airports. The Phoenix International Airport (PHX) and a more regional airport, Gateway (IWA). There are flights serving Europe direct daily. Many locations around the world are reachable with only one stop. Arizona has many attractions both locally and within a day’s drive. The Grand Canyon is the most notable among many. See our Attractions page for more details of destinations that are not-to-miss while you are here.
We know that you the shooter, take this sport seriously. We recognize this and are wholly committed to providing a safe, well-run, professional, fun, challenging, world-class course and event. As your host, we know that you invest a lot of time and money to attend, so we are incredibly dedicated to meeting and exceeding your expectations in every way. We hope to set the bar in many respects. I can promise you that this will be an event you won’t want to miss.
Sincerely,
Garrett Kwakkestein
Match Director
