Matt Karstetter Memorial Match – A Challenging Match for a Great Cause

One of many the many scenic match stages..

The Matt Karstetter Memorial Match is unique because it combines a challenging course of fire across a beautiful landscape, and the proceeds go toward a very worthwhile cause. Now in its third year, this match was organized as a memorial tribute to Matt Karstetter and helps fund the college education of his children. He had a passion for shooting and his former shooting partners helped organize the memorial match.

Matthew Karstetter was a native of Yakima, Washington and after high school joined the Marine Corps as a Tow Gunner. Following the Corps, Matt worked for Bonneville Power Administration and died September 20, 2012 in a work related accident in Montana. Matt is survived by his wife Kara, daughter Danielle, and son Matthew.

The Karstetter match has grown in popularity since it’s debut in 2013 and is destined to become one of the “must attend” matches of its type. The 6.5 Guys have created a video with stage by stage coverage of the third annual Matt Karstetter Memorial Match. Our goal is to give a sense of what it was like to have attended and to inspire our viewers to add the match to their calendars.

The event was advertised as a “field” type match and it incorporated a number of natural props such as fences and rubble piles. Pistols were also included in a number of the stages. There were no equipment restrictions – if you could carry it you could use it. The time allotments were quite reasonable so shooters were able to focus on the challenges presented by the wind and finding a stable position in some rough terrain.

Sustained wind speeds up to 25 MPH were encountered and at one point some hail was mixed in for good measure. Such wind speeds would present a challenge at any venue, but the terrain with its hills and valleys made things every more difficult. There were updrafts as well as situations where the wind at the shooter and the target were blowing in different directions.

The video below provides coverage of all 10 stages. We also interview shooters after each stage and they all had some interesting perspectives to share. You can also find some photos from the match in our photo gallery.