Mike Smith, in memory of....

[bluebaby]

It’s been a while since I have been in the shooting circles and didn’t know he was sick. I’m sorry to hear of his passing and he will surely be missed. Bamble Dam.

 

[Franklink]

It’s been a while since I have been in the shooting circles and didn’t know he was sick. I’m sorry to hear of his passing and he will surely be missed. Ramble Dam.

You've been missed.

 

[bluebaby]

You've been missed.

Thanks Cole. I miss the shooting crowd as well. I find it so difficult to work and maintain a home, play pickleball, exercise, drink wine and still have time to shoot. Maybe someday if I am ever allowed to retire I can get back into it. Life is short, time goes by and then it gone.

 

[RAMJET66]

RIP

 

[AJT]

One of the last trades I made with Mike before he got real sick was, I gave him a gun he wanted to set up for field target and give to a newbie. In exchange I said just make me a bad ass target. He delivered big time with SACHSQAUCH . A huge field target that will go down with a 177 hit at 75 yards and I can blast him with my .30. cal ! A great trophy I will cherish from a good friend. We will all miss him and his colorful commentary at our TRAC matches . RIP my friend.

 

[cavedweller]

With heavy heart I share that Mike Smith passed away earlier today, from complications from an ongoing battle with cancer.

He was what I refer to as "a field target friend" and that's the context I'm going to keep for this. I'll let his eulogy be at the funeral.

Mike was the man behind "Mike's Dandy Targets" (MDT Targets) which some of you likely own. These were the smaller version of the heavy duty targets that he and Ben Spencer sold as S&S Targets (I believe the S's were Smith and Spencer). And some of you likely own those too. They're the best field targets I've ever personally experienced. He also made and sold "KYL" Know Your Limits targets, and again, they were the best money could buy.

He was a perfectionist at making targets, and also a perfectionist at shooting. Whether it was field target, benchrest, ultimate field target, 10meter, etc, I can't think of anybody here in AZ that has had more perfect scores in ft matches than Mike. He used to shoot what we call "Unlimited" or "Freestyle" class, essentially using a tripod and a laser rangefinder. He shot a lot of perfect matches that way. Some folks gave him grief about the class he was shooting so he jumped over to Hunter class a couple years ago, trading in for a bipod and using his scope to range at 16x. And he shot a lot of perfect scores in Hunter class too. Folks knew that it was gonna get serious when he pulled out that green and gray Thomas, topped with the Khales scope. And that was one of the things I loved about Mike. He was a serious competitor, but still had lots of fun. He'd be laughing and joking and teasing and still get a perfect score. He was a fun guy to be squadded with. And I'll miss not ever getting to shoot a match squadded with him again.

Lots of texts amongst us Arizona field target shooters went out today, and some of them suggested I make a post about Mike, and other's shared a few thoughts about him. I'd like this to be that, a place for any of the field target crowd that would like to, to comment about him.

And I'll start with an experience that my older son still talks about. Mike and I were squadded together at a monthly match at the Perry Pit match site, just south of Flagstaff, AZ. This would have been around 5 years ago, making my son about 5 at the time. Colben hadn't started competing yet, but he'd keep score for me and my squadmate. Throughout the whole match Mike complimented Colben about how good of a score-keeping job he was doing. And of course it was a bit tongue in cheek, but a 5 year doesn't pick up on stuff like that. At the end of the match, Mike presented Colben with a $1 dollar bill and told him he deserved to be paid for keeping score for us the whole match. Coulda been $100 dollar bill for all that 5 year old cared, and Colben would have been just as ecstatic. Mike made Colben's day, and mine too. Since then, and at any match Colben attended with me, Mike would always walk up and shake Colben's hand and treat him like any other "field target friend" despite his young age. Mike was Colben's friend just as much as mine.

Me and Colben are gonna miss Mike at matches.

Mike IS the reason i got into field target.... i traveled from Mobile Al to Gilbert AZ to not only meet Mike but to buy 20 of his used targets. Mike then took me to a match the next day at Ben Avery Range and sat with me the whole match teaching me how to shoot field target with a gun i had never touched or shot before. Mike shall be missed.

this is the last target mike made for me: the Ghost with the heart KZ in pic.

 

[5Power]

Mike gave Barbara her nickname 5 Power…..She shot her very first EFT match with Mike as her partner. Barbara had the standing lane first and dialed her scope to 5X….Throughout the entire match she shot on 5 power forgetting to turn it up…Only on the last lane did Mike realize what happened. Next match Mike came up to her calling her 5 Power….Barbara had her new nickname…And she wears it proudly on her team shirt.

‘’Tony P

On that first standing lane Mike thought I was a ringer because I hit 3 out of 4. Then I proceeded to start missing on almost every lane! I kept telling Mike that I didn't understand this "kill zone" everyone was talking about. I didn't know what to shoot on the target because I couldn't see it. Finally by the last lane he is describing the kill zone precisely and asking "don't you see the bolts on the target?" I told him "no" and he finally asks....."What power is your scope on?!!" I had shot the entire match on 5 power! I at least got 14 of the 40 shots. He never called me anything else after that.... 5 Power stuck! LOL

 

[XSUltimate]

Barb,
That was Mike, he LOVED to have fun!!! The photo that Mark K posted says it all about Mike!
Thx
Dan