Shooters News for the MN area - 5/11/11

Shooters News for the MN area - May 11, 2011

The Week Ahead  
   For this coming weekend, prone shooters will have choices.  Traveling shooters that want to shoot a Long Range Highpower event will head on down to Lodi, Wisc. for the Wisconsin Long Range Regional.
    Prone shooters that want to stick closer to home will be heading on over to Mpls. Rifle Club on Sunday, May 15, for a Conventional Outdoor Prone 1600 Sm. Bore match.  Shooters will fire 4 ea 40 shot matches--- the DeWar match: -one targ

et each at 50yds and 100yds,  the 100 yd match: -2 targets at 100 yds,  the 50 m match:- 2 targets at 50 m , and the 50yd match: - with 2 targets at 50 yds. I like these Sm. Bore matches as there is no target pulling, and I don't have to load the ammo. This match includes F-class for the first time, and will also feature a "Senior Scope" class for those seniors who don't shoot Iron sights any more. 
   If you have a sm bore rifle and can shoot from the prone position, (sling or F-class) this is the match for you.  Rem ember--- the absolute best way to hone your prone shooting skills is by shooting sm bore.  All most all top long range shooters are small bore shooters as well. Click Here for Sm bore match bulletin

Last Weekend
The Bob Hall Match at GRRC
Traditionally, my first OTC match of the MN shooting season is the Bob Hall match at GRRC.  I planned this year to shoot my AR space gun, but that was not to be.  For the first time, I had left an important piece of equipment in AZ. I had left the sight base on my other upper receiver and now I could not attach the rear sight to the rifle.  Oh, well, I'd just have to shoot the Service Rifle and do my best with the battle sights.  I have found that I an shoot Standing and Sitting just as well with the service rifle as with the match rifle. Fact is, I can usually always get a higher score in Sitting rapid with the Service rifle.
  The day had been forecast for some rain showers, but turned out to be a glorious day -- 70 deg and sunshine.  It was the perfect day for a shooting match.  Fifteen shooters came out the enjoy a day at the range -- mostly service rifle shooters.
  Not having practiced Standing for a few months, my score suffered as I shot mostly in the nine ring with a few tens and got a low 180's score.  Next up was Sitting Rapid, and that started out great with a small group in the middle and a 99-7x . Another tight group on the 2nd string but high in the 10 ring made for a 195 -8x total.  Prone 300 yd rapid went well, but Prone slow fire at 600 yds  did not as I could not see the side edges of the front sight blade and kept shooting left and right for a low 183 score.
Click Here to see short Video of Erick Rhode shooting Sitting Rapid fire
Click Here to see short Video of Lee Sorenson shooting Sitting Rapid fire

Kevin Bangen - Winner of Bob Hall match

The long winter off didn't affect Kevin Bangen's skills in Over The Course shooting. Kevin fired an awesome 790 score at the GRRC's season opening Bob Hall match.  After dropping only 7 pts. standing, Kevin fired a 199 Sitting Rapid, and then a clean 200 score in the 300yd prone rapid fire matches. Even though Kevin had lock on the match winner by this time, he went into the prone 600 yd slow fire match looking to post what might be a range record, 792 score.  A couple of 2 min wind reversals cost Kevin 2pts in that match, but he came off the line with the highest score of 790-36x. 
  Kevin won all 4 of the matches on his way to the highest aggregate, but Mark Havlik came close in the sitting Rapid match with a 196-4x,  and in the 300yd prone Rapid match, Tim Boyle came close to taking that match away from Kevin with a 198-9x.  Dale Wickstrom posted a late comeback after some lower than average scores at the short line matches, and started nailing the 10 and Xring at 600 yds to finish 2nd with a great 195-6x in that match.
    Kurt Borlaug ran a great match as usual, and also as usual, the GRRC range was in perfect condition for this long running spring match --  even with a few extra puddles to contend with in the pits.  
  Click Here for slide show of pictures from Bob Hall Match.
  Click Here for match results  

300 Meter International  

 From Brian Shiffman:
It was a great day for shooting (may 8th); the right temperature and very slight and variable breeze.  For the most part the wind was near calm but there were occasional gusts that were enough to blow bullet about one ring over.  A few of us got caught asleep at the trigger because these were so few and far apart.  We finished shooting before it began to drizzle in the afternoon.  There was not a big turnout but it was still a good match.
The consistency award goes to Ed Facundo for 190’s across the board, in Prone.  Russ gets the award for most improved in a single match; every series was better than the previous one.  The first two series in F-Class had all three of us very close.  Aeren Nauman was shooting a very nice custom Surgeon in 6.5x47 while Chuck Bever was shooting a 6.5x284.  A little more noise than the 6BR’s.

 After working on iron sight alignment for months I decided to see if there was something in my ammo or barrel that had deteriorated over time and needed tweaking, so I shot F-Class with a scope.  Well, I think there is nothing inherent in the rifle or ammo that would justify my poor iron sight scores…even when using irons sights from a rest.  So there I am, left with other problems related to position and alignment, trigger handling, phase of the moon, tide clock or whatever.

Here is the link to the match scores for May:  http://www.edfpages.com/mgfc/results.php?match=5

The June match is scheduled for Sunday the 12^th.
Brian D. Shiffman   shiff004@umn.edu

Highpower Notes:
From Capt. Bob

HP SHOOTERS:

Attached find 2 programs for May 28-29 at North Star. Note especially the MRP SERVICE RIFLE ONLY (Click Here) program. North Star is planning on a BBQ after with Brats & Burgers. You supply your soft drink & or adult beverage.

It's important that you contact me by noon Wed. May 25 with your intention to be there for the BBQ so we can order enough chow.

I do not need your entry fee, just email me that you are going to shoot & stay for the food.  If we don't get at least a dozen for BBQ it will be canceled.

Sunday 29th is an NRA approved OTC match.  HOLDHARD,  Click Here for match bulletin

Bob      

Two weeks out
May 21st --  MRC -- Small Bore Off-Hand league - match bulletin click here

May 21-22  --  GRRC - Wadekamper Palma matches - match bulletin click here

That's all Folks!
Hawkeye