Sad loss for IDPA and the shooting community
- Thread starter Steve David
- Start date
Steve David
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Oshawa, Ontario
You bet, I would not leave out the one guy that Ray always literally had to look up and and say "what a F**KIN big one you are" in his charming Irish accent.
I knew Ray and shot with him some 20 years ago. We all had some great times when he was around. He installed a beaver tail grip safety on my Para back then and when I got it back I said: "How much Ray" >>"Ah no charge it was my "Fuinn" pleasure."
It too was a pleasure to have known him.
It too was a pleasure to have known him.
Last edited:
I'm in.
For me the quintisential memory of Ray Canning was on the range, a half smile playing about his face and one muff pushed back from an ear so he could hear what you were saying while others were shooting.
Or, the expletive laden rant when he got out to an IDPA match and discovered he had left his mags at home.
Ray was a great guy, I had the oppertunity to sit down with him many days at his home, and look at This F****** gun or that ******* gun, and this POS or that F-ing POS !!! or cast bullets with him, and try new loads out.
I have thought of him lots, and how we smoked the carpet at his house with his old flit locks that he built by hand.
When Ray was on the Range everyone noticed, and showed the respect to him that he desreved.
Missed is is an not even close to what he will be.
I have thought of him lots, and how we smoked the carpet at his house with his old flit locks that he built by hand.
When Ray was on the Range everyone noticed, and showed the respect to him that he desreved.
Missed is is an not even close to what he will be.
Well said Jay.
I knew Ray for many years. I met him one day during an F-bomb laden rant about some anti gun group or another. Over the years he let me try several of his fine firearms. He gave me great advice about shooting. I still haven't implemented all the things he has shown me. Some of it really seemed like Jedi mind tricks. When I do try the things he showed me, I do notice being better.
He was a great supporter of my efforts to bring Cowboy Action to Orono. I only found out relatively recently that he was ill. Even then, he still encouraged me to continue trying to get Cowboy started. Every time a problem would come up, he would just tell me to keep at it. When he could tell that I was at my wits end with it, he reminded me why I was even bothering to try. That it was for the shooters, to build a comeradery and to build a stronger club. He started talking with me more and more about the Cowboy thing. I remember one of our last conversations about it, he seemed very excited. Nicole told me Ray was in the club house and wanted to talk to me. I felt like a kid getting called to the principal's office. He started asking me about all the equipment and everything, which was weird because it was usually me that would be asking him about things. He asked me if he could use his "Webley’s" which I soon discovered were some of his favorite guns. I told him he could. He told me that he wanted to use a strong side draw and a cross draw and wanted to know if I thought that would be good. I said it was and that a lot of shooters do that. He asked me if his SASS ID could be Louis Riel, I said sure. This all seemed to make him very happy. He asked me when and where the next match I was planning on attending was to be held. I told him about an upcoming one at the Barrie club.
He showed up at that match very early, and eager. I didn't recognize him right away, sitting on the couch in the Barrie club house. He told me he was just going to watch, which I guess should have been a clue to how ill feeling he was, and why I didn’t recognize him at first. He never just watched, he always led the pack. I introduced him and his wife to Jerome. I could tell Jerome was taken aback a bit with how enthusiastic Ray was, and how excited he seemed that he could use his Webley's. Ray proceeded to speak with Jerome for a good while on the specifics of those firearms. I could only stand there and listen; it was something to see, like two worlds colliding. Ray really liked the match; It was my personal best to date I think. I know a few people spoke with Ray and Nicole off to the side where they were sitting and watching. Someone came up to me and asked if that was my friend from Orono who was so eager about the Cowboy and helping me with it; I said yes and that he was a good guy and a great friend too.
For weeks after that, I discussed with Ray about upcoming matches, and he told me he was getting ready, getting his gear ready and that as soon as he felt up to it he would be out to shoot a match with me & Dad. The last time I saw him was at the Orono club where he was showing me a Ruger in 45 Colt that he had worked on and showed me his targets with around 1 inch groups at 25 yards. I thought that he might be getting out to the Barrie annual match. Then we got the news.
He must have made quite the impression on the folks in the Bar-E Cowboy league. When I mentioned to Jerome and Nancy, the match directors, in passing about Ray loosing his battle, they offered to make the match on Saturday July 10th in honour of/dedicated to Ray Canning. I was very happy they offered this after only meeting Ray once. They both asked if I would be willing to say a few words about Ray at the start of the match. I was very glad to accomodate.
I shot the match in honour of Ray, and I did pretty good. I shot the match as he wanted to shoot (with a cross draw rig), which was my first time competing with such a set-up. Because I was concentrating on the SASS procedures for using the cross draw, I didn't do so well on the first stage, but all the other stages I shot clean (no misses). In honour of Ray, I shot under the SASS alias he wanted, so Louis Riel got to be on a score card.
Bar-E Ranch Cowboy Match from July 10, 2010. Dedicated to Ray Canning
(can't figure out how to put in the picture, but here's where it would go)
Ray was a good guy and a great friend. He was a big deal in IDPA all around Ontario. He also forgot more about firearms than I will ever know. I found out after his passing that he was really into Judo, something I also practiced when I was younger. While Ray did give me my IDPA course and run IDPA at Orono and the TMC I believe, I will remember him more for the time I spent with him near the end, talking about Cowboy Action. He was a true gentlemen and a great ambassador to the shooting sports. With Ray, the time you got to spend with him was nothing if not memorable and I guess that speaks volumes about him.
Respectfully,
J.P.
SASS ID: Tuco.
He was a great supporter of my efforts to bring Cowboy Action to Orono. I only found out relatively recently that he was ill. Even then, he still encouraged me to continue trying to get Cowboy started. Every time a problem would come up, he would just tell me to keep at it. When he could tell that I was at my wits end with it, he reminded me why I was even bothering to try. That it was for the shooters, to build a comeradery and to build a stronger club. He started talking with me more and more about the Cowboy thing. I remember one of our last conversations about it, he seemed very excited. Nicole told me Ray was in the club house and wanted to talk to me. I felt like a kid getting called to the principal's office. He started asking me about all the equipment and everything, which was weird because it was usually me that would be asking him about things. He asked me if he could use his "Webley’s" which I soon discovered were some of his favorite guns. I told him he could. He told me that he wanted to use a strong side draw and a cross draw and wanted to know if I thought that would be good. I said it was and that a lot of shooters do that. He asked me if his SASS ID could be Louis Riel, I said sure. This all seemed to make him very happy. He asked me when and where the next match I was planning on attending was to be held. I told him about an upcoming one at the Barrie club.
He showed up at that match very early, and eager. I didn't recognize him right away, sitting on the couch in the Barrie club house. He told me he was just going to watch, which I guess should have been a clue to how ill feeling he was, and why I didn’t recognize him at first. He never just watched, he always led the pack. I introduced him and his wife to Jerome. I could tell Jerome was taken aback a bit with how enthusiastic Ray was, and how excited he seemed that he could use his Webley's. Ray proceeded to speak with Jerome for a good while on the specifics of those firearms. I could only stand there and listen; it was something to see, like two worlds colliding. Ray really liked the match; It was my personal best to date I think. I know a few people spoke with Ray and Nicole off to the side where they were sitting and watching. Someone came up to me and asked if that was my friend from Orono who was so eager about the Cowboy and helping me with it; I said yes and that he was a good guy and a great friend too.
For weeks after that, I discussed with Ray about upcoming matches, and he told me he was getting ready, getting his gear ready and that as soon as he felt up to it he would be out to shoot a match with me & Dad. The last time I saw him was at the Orono club where he was showing me a Ruger in 45 Colt that he had worked on and showed me his targets with around 1 inch groups at 25 yards. I thought that he might be getting out to the Barrie annual match. Then we got the news.
He must have made quite the impression on the folks in the Bar-E Cowboy league. When I mentioned to Jerome and Nancy, the match directors, in passing about Ray loosing his battle, they offered to make the match on Saturday July 10th in honour of/dedicated to Ray Canning. I was very happy they offered this after only meeting Ray once. They both asked if I would be willing to say a few words about Ray at the start of the match. I was very glad to accomodate.
I shot the match in honour of Ray, and I did pretty good. I shot the match as he wanted to shoot (with a cross draw rig), which was my first time competing with such a set-up. Because I was concentrating on the SASS procedures for using the cross draw, I didn't do so well on the first stage, but all the other stages I shot clean (no misses). In honour of Ray, I shot under the SASS alias he wanted, so Louis Riel got to be on a score card.
Bar-E Ranch Cowboy Match from July 10, 2010. Dedicated to Ray Canning
(can't figure out how to put in the picture, but here's where it would go)
Ray was a good guy and a great friend. He was a big deal in IDPA all around Ontario. He also forgot more about firearms than I will ever know. I found out after his passing that he was really into Judo, something I also practiced when I was younger. While Ray did give me my IDPA course and run IDPA at Orono and the TMC I believe, I will remember him more for the time I spent with him near the end, talking about Cowboy Action. He was a true gentlemen and a great ambassador to the shooting sports. With Ray, the time you got to spend with him was nothing if not memorable and I guess that speaks volumes about him.
Respectfully,
J.P.
SASS ID: Tuco.
Willy Tincup
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Owen Sound
A sad loss for sure, hadn't heard till reading this thread. I knew Ray 30 or 35 years ago when he lived in Kincardine and shot standard pistol in the WOHL and Silhouetes around the area. One of my all time favourite story tellers. A laugh, a sense of humour and an accent that were second to none. And a damn good craftsman as well. Rest in peace my friend..................wTc
