Washington Woman is big gun at NRA Championships

To take a phrase from 30 Cal Gal, which is the name of her blog, Anette Wachter is "an unusual woman in an unusual sport." After all, it's not often that you run into a six-foot brunette with a custom Palma bolt action rifle who competes in Long Range High Power. And the best part about her adventures in high power is that she's only been shooting for six years.

"My husband got me started when we first met," explained Wachter. "I decided to give it a try and two years later I caught up to his Master level."

Over the course of her budding shooting career, Anette has successfully transitioned from across the course service rifle to mid range to long range. But don't think that means she's an old hand at running the 1,000 yard courses. In fact, Camp Perry is only her fourth long range high power tournament.

"I was in the first two shoot offs, so things are going pretty well so far," said Wachter.

Firearm recognition

In her professional life, Anette owns and runs Pet Elegance. Described as a boutique pet accessory, Pet Elegance designs and manufactures luxurious collars, leases, identification tags and more for cats and dogs. While the business is doing well, Anette claims to have received more recognition from her blog.

"I didnt' realize how many people were reading it," said Wachter. "Complete strangers come up to me to say they love 30 Cal Gal."

Her first long range tournament was earlier this year in Arizona. She rose to the challenge with a 200-14x.

"Conditions were perfect," explained Wachter. "It's different reading the wind at 600 and 1000 yards. When it's really calm conditions, I can zing them in. But I'm still learning the wind."

Making her feel at home

At her home range in Eastern Washington, learning the wind is essential. There shooters battle 18 minutes of wind on a good day, so the winds at Camp Perry are a welcome surprise.

"Rattlesnake (her range) can be tough at times," said Wachter. "Camp Perry is really nice in comparison."

There is only one more match on the Wachter calendar for the rest of the year -- the Northwest International in Seattle, Washington. Then there is time for a break, perhaps a vacation, before before she jumps back into the high power pool. But that doesn't mean Anette is going to stay the course.

"I'm going to pick up the match rifle for across the course," she smiled. "The iron sites of the AR aren't my favorite right now. I think it's about time to play with the big bolt gun."