Shooters News for the MN Area -- the Week Ahead - 6/14/11

Shooters News for the MN Area - June 14, 2011

The Week Ahead    
This next Weekend offers great opportunities for both the Small Bore shooter and the Highpower shooter.

  HighPower shooters are first up and have an 80 shot Over the Course match to shoot on Friday, June 17.  This OTC match is part of the annual 3 day, 240 shot, Hunter Lake 2400. Yes, we'll be shooting 3 days of OTC matches at NorthWestern Gun Club, on shores of beautiful Hunter Lake, a little Northwest of Duluth. This tournament (June 17-19) is always one of the best match weekends of the summer and I hope to see all of you up there pulling some triggers. Click Here for Match Bulletin

 For those of you who just can't make it up to Duluth for the matches there, GRRC will be hosting a 50 shot "Fun" type OTC match on Saturday June 18th.
  From Kurt Borlaug: " GRRC is hosting a practice/warmup/fun/ match on the 18th of June for those who can't make it to ... (Duluth). We will have a plethora of activities;
1) 50 shot NMC. Sighters if you need 'em. 2 relays, score yourself.
2) Infantry practice/sight-in/warm-up BRING YOUR OWN IT AMMO!!!!! (75 or 77gr bullets only)
3) CMP sniper match warm-up. We will be selecting our ammo load and getting familiar w/ Tom's arsenal of 1903 and M1 sniper sticks. This is for those who have already committed to this match at Perry. There are a lot of items to flesh out so we won't have time for wannabees/wannatouchies/wannatellstories.
I will ask $5 from each participant to cover target and pasters. ALL TARGETS WILL BE FACED AT THE END OF THIS EVENT! If you are a member of GRRC I am requesting assistance with this. We will start promptly at 9am, be there by 8:15 for squadding etc.
Thanks and hope to see anyone who can't make it to NWGC, Kurt"

Traveling Highpower prone shooters can find a weekend of Mid Range prone shooting at the LaCrosse Rifle Club -- Just a couple hrs drive down the beautiful Mississippi river. 

June 18 and 19th Father's Day MR prone match at LaCrosse:
From Sandy Pagel:  Hello Everyone,
Can you believe that the June Father's Day Match is coming up this weekend?  I can't!  So, It's time to sign up for this weekends match.  All you need to do is e-mail me the following:  Saturday, Sunday or Both Days? Classification?  Type of Gun?
Try to let me know by Thursday.  Can't wait to see you all this weekend.  I believe the weather is going to be really good. 
Sandra L. Pagel    deadeyepagel@yahoo.com
LRC Secretary, HP Director,   4911 Scott Drive,  La Crosse, WI  54601-- 608-790-2867

Small Bore prone shooters will be heading to Mpls. Rifle Club on
Saturday, June 18  for an "Offhand league" match at MRC   -   Click here for match bulletin
Sunday, June 19 for the 2nd in the summer series of  1600 pt prone matches. Growing interest in Prone competition has led to almost full firing lines for these matches. Now that F-class and Seniors shooting scopes are part of the competition, we expect to see the numbers of competitors continue to increase. 8 targets of 20 shots each will be shot and that's a lot of great prone practice---especially for those heading to the Midwest Palma matches next week. Click Here for Match Program
 
Long Range competitors are gearing up to hit the road for Lodi, Wisc. following this weekends Local matches. 
June 20-24 will see dedicated long range shooters from all over the US gathering at the Lodi long range shooting facility in Southwest Wisconsin for the Mid West Palma Championships. Daily matches will be shot at ranges from 800 to 1000 yds. Along with the Rocky Mt. Palma matches, this MidWest Palma championship is the place to be for all aspiring Palma shooters before making their way to Camp Perry or to Canada for the Full Bore Nationals.

Last Weekend
Scheduled as a lead in to the MidWest Palma matches starting in just 6 days, the Long Range Regional at GRRC this past Sat and Sun proved to be a good training ground and a great long range match.  With a front having moved through the area the night before, gusty north winds greeted the shooters who came to shoot 1000yds.  Three 20 shot matches with iron sights were the order of the day for the sling shooters, while F-class shooters competed using scopes and rests, they shot the same course of fire but on very  tough 1 moa targets.

Saturday
  Match one turned out to be a test of patience as the wind was veering from 11 to 1 o'clock on the gusts and caught a lot of people getting the shot off a little too slow.  The only person cleaning the target was Stacey Tamulinas who somehow found a shooting window often enough to get all shots in the 10 ring.  Bill Lair, Rick Hunt, and Steve Erickson each dropped 4 or 5 pts and would find it hard to catch up.  Sam Hjort, returning to shooting after a long hiatus showed us all that he was still to be reckoned with by firing a match winning score in the F-class of 181. 
  Match 2 was more of the same difficult wind, with flags pointing in opposite directions all the the same time and shooters spending more time on the scope than on the gun. This time it was Larry Miller, last years National Match Palma winner, who drilled 19 out of a possible twenty  10 and Xs. Steve Erickson, Bill Lair, and Stacey T. all shot mid 190's so the leader board didn't change much.  In the F-class, John Andres fired the top score of 187 and was now a few pts ahead, but in this match Brenda LaValley took a 2nd place with an awesome 186-3 as she started warming up to the conditions. The boys would have to do their best to stay ahead to the end of the match.
 Match 3 saw the wind settling down a little bit, but 1000yds is a long way and its still a tough shot with iron sights off your elbows and no clean scores were fired.  After a 195 and a 196 on his first two targets , Bill Lair improved one more point on his last target of the day and shot a 197-7 to win this match. Not far behind was Rick Hunt with a 196-10x,  his best score of the day. Dale Wickstrom, down from Duluth for the matches, also had a good match with a 193-3. 
  In the F-class, Scott Brabec doubled up his 184 score of match 2, but this time it was good enough for a match win, with Dan Whalen just behind a pt. and Brenda 5 pts back.
 So Day one ended with Stacey Tamulinas ahead in the sling and Iron sight shooters group, and Scott Brabec leading Dan Whalen in the F-class group.  Brenda LaValley was just warming up today.
Slide Show of Pictures from this match --  Click Here 

Sunday
I wasn't at the match Sunday, but this in
From Stacey:
"Hi Jim:   Near perfect weather for Sun.  Partial overcast and 5 -10 mph winds from SSE.  The first relay was squaded with the leaders from Saturdays Aggregate.  There was very little wind and it was pretty much an aiming and holding contest.  The wind picked up and required paying attention to the flags.   Attached are the Pictures Chis Hazelton took during the awards ceremony.  As usual Cliff was generous with the cash.

 Stacey" 

Sunday was Any sight day for this Long Range match and most used scopes.
Match 4  While the conditions were great, Stacey T. was the only one who was ready to go right out of the gate and the only one to
to post a 200 in the first match of the day.  Other good scores included Jim Soderstrom 199-11, Steve Erickson with a 198-7, and Jay Johnson 197-8.  In the F-class, John Ryhus fired the match winning score 191-3. This was the highest score fired so far this weekend.  Brenda LaValley also shot her weekend best so far and scored a 189.
Match 5  Rick Hunt saved his best for the last match.  A good position, and good conditions were put to good use by Rick and his 198 score wins this match, with Larry Miller, just one back at 197-9x.   While Stacey T. didn't win this match, his 196 score was  consistent with his other scores for the weekend and his overall total of 987-45 was high enough to win the Regional Championship and the trophy that goes with it.

Congratulations to
Stacey Tamulinas --  MN Long Range Regional Champion -- gold medal

Silver medal and 2nd Place to Rick Hunt --  977-33x
Bronze medal and 3rd place to Steve Erickson. 977-31x
HM medal to Larry Miller,
Ex Medal to Dick Van Valkenberg
SS medal to Chris Hazleton
Top Junior -- Erick Hazelton --  fine score of 377 on Sunday.

  Note: Pictures of winners by Chris Hazleton

In the F-Class Brenda Lavalley wins Match 5 with the best F score fired all weekend - 192.  John Ryhus gets a 2nd place for the match with a 189 and Jesse Stimlen takes 3rd place with a 186.  Brenda's two good scores for the day also moved her into the lead of the weekends aggregate for the F-class. Even though this was the first time Brenda LaValley had shot past 600 yds, She wins the F-Class MN Long Range Regional.   Congratulations Brenda - 2011 Mn Long Range Regional Fclass Champ !!!
1st F class -- Brenda lavalley -  907-8x
2nd F class -  John Andres   -  905-13x
3rd F class - Danial Whalen     -  904-11

Brenda LaValley

Note: Brenda LaValley recently Set a National F-Class Record -  Click Here 

Notes:    The Minnesota National Guard shooting team, lead by Chief Roger Sorbin CW4  and SGT Al Schneider:
Eight Minnesota Army National Guardsmen competed in the MAC Region IV Combat Matches 10-12 June at Camp Perry, OH. Sponsored by the Ohio Army National Guard, The MAC Region IV Combat Match is designed to increase combat marksmanship skills, recognize individual and team achievement, and to develop marksmanship trainers. Combat matches enable Warriors to concentrate solely on  marksmanship training under competitive conditions. This match is open to all MAC Region IV Army and Air National Guard members. Each State may enter up to three teams, with a maximum of twelve firers. Teams consist of four members, with an optional team captain and/or coach. Teams must consist of at least 50% new shooters. (New shooters are defined as not having fired the Combat Team Match at a previous Marksmanship Advisory Council Regional or Winston P. Wilson National Guard Championship Match since 1 JAN 2007.) Individuals and teams from non-MAC Region IV states are permitted to attend at their own cost, with prior approval but compete for "honors only". Minnesota's A and B teams competed in five individual and four team matches over the course of the weekend pitting their rifle and pistol abilities against 64 MAC Region IV National Guard and Reserve shooters from Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana. Minnesota's attendees were, by team: A Team: B Team CW4 Roger Sorben, MN JFHQ (SARTS) SFC Chad Blake, MN JFHQ (SARTS) SSG Josh Zoccolli, MN JFHQ (SARTS) SSG Terry Polzin 682nd EN BN HSC SSG Aeren Nauman, 2-135 IN A Company SGT Chris Maag, 1-151st FA BN B BTRY SSG Al Schneider, 2-135 IN A Company PFC Dan McGrath, 851st EN CO (VER) While neither team shot as well as they would have liked, Minnesota A returned with some impressive hardware for the Minnesota Marksmanship Team trophy case, placing in four out of five team events. Engraved team plaques and individual medals were awarded for: 1st Place, Match RT 307: The National Guard Infantry Team Match 3rd Place, MATCH PT 300: General George Patton Combat Pistol Team Match 3rd Place, Match CT 301: Combined Arms Enemy Barricade Team Match 3rd Place, MATCH CT 345: Combat Match Team Champion Soldiers earning individual awards were: CW4 Roger Sorben, 2nd Place, MATCH PI 221: Combat Pistol Excellence-In-Competition CW4 Roger Sorben, 2nd Place, MATCH PI 310: Combat Pistol Match Aggregate SSG Al Schneider, Bronze Medal and 6 points towards distinguished designation in Match 321: Combat Rifle Excellence-In-Competition
The Minnesota National Guard Marksmanship Team is preparing to host the Minnesota State Marksmanship Sustainment Exercise (MNMSE) 15-17 July at Camp Ripley, MN.

From Hawkeye--I'm hoping that we all get a chance to shoot with these guys at the State Service Rifle championship.  Thank you for serving.  Let's all remember that MN guardsmen and women are now serving in dangerous places, a long way from home.  Keep them in your thoughts.

Two Weeks Out
June 25-26  80 OTC at MRC  -   click here for match program 
June 25-26  MR prone at Elk River Sportsman's Club -  Click here for match program

That's all folks
Hawkeye