Shooters news for the Minn Area - July, 28, 2014

The Week Ahead   
Prone shooters are on the move. The National Championship Service Rifle matches, and the NRA OTC matches are over. Now the nations best prone shooters are on their way to Camp Perry, Ohio to compete in the Long Range Championships, and after that the Full Bore Championship matches.
  Those service rifle shooters back from Perry, the Small Bore competitors back from the Bristol, Tenn National Matches, and the NRA OTC shooters back from Perry can all take a break this weekend as there are no rifle matches scheduled for the Minn area. So rest up  guys and gals, there are some great matches scheduled for the following weekend - Aug 9,10th.
  That weekend there will be Small bore matches at MRC, both 3P and Prone matches
            Click here for Saturday 3P match program
            Click here for Sunday Prone match program  
  High Power shooters will be heading to Northwestern Gun Club near Duluth for the two day Atkinson/Leubke Invitational OTC matches.
            Click here for Aug 9,10 match program

Last Weekend 
I did receive some great news from the Camp Perry Nationals. Minnesota shooters, Larry Weidel, and Morgan Dietrich both had some great success. After many years of competition and practice, Larry Weidel earned a spot on the Presidents 100 list by firing 284-10x with a Service Rifle in the Presidents 100 match. This is a high honor that only the top service rifle shooters will ever earn.
 Congratulations Larry ! Well Done !!  

Remember 2014 ---This was the year that Morgan Dietrich and Eric Hazleton rose to the top ranks of all the shooters that took to the field at the Small Bore National Championships held this year at Bristol, Tenn. 

 "On the Firing Line Report"  
From Morgan Dietrich 
Jim: 
Returned from Bristol yesterday, what a trip!

    MN was very well represented!  First match out of the gate Eric “Skippy” Hazelton fires a 400-34 in Meter match for the Match Win!  Eric is now a Master and showed us all why he earned that designation even though he is only an Intermediate Junior!  When you are ahead of names like Nevius, Gideon, Uptagrafft and DelCotto you know you are in excellent company.  The second match, I turned things on in the Dewar and fired a 400-34, but Uptagrafft shot 1X better for the match win, I would have to settle for 2nd OA.  For the Day I was down 2, good enough for 7OA, Eric was down 3 and sitting in 11th.  We would see what day two brought us for our chances at the Dewar Team. 
    Day two dawned another beautiful day, starting again at 50M I had a sudden case of the “stupids” after firing a 200-19 on the first card, 199-17.  399-36 gets you 15th place, ouch...Eric had it figured out with another 400-33 6th Master.  Moving on to the Dewar, I got all the points with a 400-35, guess what 4th?  I got creedmored for 3rd OA.  Eric had a little trouble at 100 and 2 nines showed up, he was still hanging hard for the aggregate.  100yrd match to go, I lost another for a total of 2 down for the day.  Eric had a 198 on his first card, but got real tough on the second for a clean and ended with a 398.  

Morgan's 200-18x metric 

Target

To make the Dewar team, scores were really high.  I was down 4 points and ended up in 9th place!  Eric was down 7 (as were 6 others), but he had the X’s (183) to take the 17th spot on the 20 person squad- his first Dewar team!  We were all pretty excited for him!  Ross Ewert fired a 2389-138 and Matt Griffin came in with a 2380-148.  

Next day we moved on to the Anysight Aggregate.  Again starting at 50M, there were 4 400-38’s at the top of the leaderboard.  My lowely 400-35 got me 16th, tough crowd...Ross Ewert was clean with 33 and Skippy got them all with 30X.  But somebody woke up Matt Griffin, he had a solid 18X on card one and then went REALLY clean with a 20X on card two to have a 400-38 and get into an unbreakable tied with Dan Lowe for the match win.  That is two match wins at Nationals for Matt and he is still in the Expert class??? On to the Dewar, 400-38 was what it took for a win, my 35 would settle for 6th.  Eric again working the 10 ring hard with a 400-28 tied with Ross.  Then it happened, my drought of Match Winner at Nationals finally was over.  I fired a 400-34 in the 100yrd match and creedmored Terry Glenn who also had 38 with me ending with a 18X card to his 16X.  Eric again kept them all in the 10 ring and had another 400-28, you know what that means?  He and I both had 1200’s for the day!  My 1200-104 was Second OA behind Dan Lowe of the AMU’s 106x.  We shot next to each other during the conventional champs.
     After day 3 we had two people tied at 1 down for the aggregate, Kevin Nevius and Eric Uptagrafft.

The final day started as the others, 50M.  I had some poor group placement and my first target and fired a 19X, and anther 19X on the second card for a 400-38.  3rd place OA with a 400-38, toughh crowd!  There were 40 400’s just in the master class!  Ross had 35X and got 13th Master.  Eric got the points and finished with a 400-30.  Now the Dewar, I got my 2nd 20X card of the champ with a 200-20 at 50y, then moved back to 100 and could only muster a 19X for a 400-39!  New personal best, and a great time to do it for anther match win!  There were 5 19X cards at 100, Ross Ewert got one too and had a 400-34 for 4th Master.  Eric had one get away from him at 100 and finished with a 399-27.  We are on to the final match of the championship.  I am clean for the Anysight, Eric down 1.  Bristol range decided to give us the hardest conditions we had all week, switching mirage and gusty winds.  You needed a little luck and some serious skill.  Eric Hazelton showed us all how to do it in blistering speed.  He fired one of only 6 400’s in the match for 3rd OA.  I got through card one with a 200-16, I tried my best but fired in two unlucky puffs on the second card and lost 2 nines for a 198-14.  My chance of a clean ansight agg was over, but I was happy to be done!  Kevin Nevius was the only shooter to clean the anysight, with a excellent 2400-196!  There were 4 2399’s and our own Eric Hazelton had one of them with 168.  Darn Junior beat my 2398-211.  I had the X’s, but needed the points!  Ross finished with a 2394-182, Matt G had a 2394-173. 

That's a nice Trophy, Morgan !

It was all over, Kevin Nevius fired a 4799-390 for the OA win, Eric Uptagrafft ended with a 4797-407 for second and Mark DelCollo was also 3 down with 390X’s for 3rd.  Dan Lowe and Erin McNeil were first and second service with 4796’s and then I came in with high civilian with a 4794-400.  If I had gotten those two points at 100 I would have moved into 4th OA, but still very happy with my placement and I had the second highest X aggregate behind Uptagrafft.  Eric Hazelton showed all the other Intermediate Juniors how to shoot with a Scope and fired a 4792-351 for 9th over all!  He did great!  Ross Ewert finished in 14th Master, not a bad finish.  Matt Griffin finished 4th Expert. 

The conventional champs were over, we moved on to Metric.  Bristol again showed us it could be a difficult range, I bled points most of the day as did many others.  The ISU targets are hard at 50M and 100Y.  After day one I was in 9th place, disappointed in my performance in all matches.  Day two dawned, with a scope there is hope!  I started out pretty hard with a 199-15 on that tiny 50m card, but I followed it up with a 200-18!  I attached that picture.  I fired in order of 2, 4, 3, then bull one.  That is 15 straight X’s before I fired 2 tens on the last bull.  There were 4 other 399’s but my 200 on the final card netted me the match win.  

   On to the Dewar, I fired a 198 at 50M and then a 199 on the 100.  New personal best for me, but several others did better.  Final match at 100 I got a little loose in the switchy conditions and lost 4 points on both targets.  Finishing with a 1188-78 for the day, Uptagrafft got me by a point for the aggregate with a 1189-70.  When it was all over Eric U was national champ, Kevin Nevius second and then myself moving up from 9th to 3rd place OA and a spot on the podium.  Eric H had fired all the position matches before the prone, his scores dropped a bit I think he was just getting tired, it is hard to keep such a great performance going after shooting so well in the 4 days of conventional prone. 
All in All MN was well represented in the prone phase at the National Champs!
Morgen       

Thanks Morgan for the match report, and congratulations on your great shooting at the Nationals. All that hard work and practice is paying off for you. Uptagrafft, Nevius and those other folks better watch out next year!  

Two Weeks Out   
Aug 9th - Sm Bore 3P & prone at MRC    Click here for Saturday 3P match program
Aug 10th - Sm bore Prone outdoor 1600 --  Click here for Sunday Prone match program  
Aug 9,10 - Highpower OTC at NorthWestron Gun Club -           Click here for Aug 9,10 match program 

That's All Folks !
Hawkeye

Shooters News for the Minn Area - July 23, 2014

Next Weekend
This coming weekend the action shifts back to the Elk River Sportsman Club's 600 yd rifle range just a few miles Northwest of the Twin Cities in Elk River MN. This nicely appointed shooting facility will host the Midwest Mid Range F-Class Championship. Competitors will be coming from all over the 5 state area to test their skills against other top area shooters in both the F-Tactical Rifle class and in F- Open Class.  Each day shooters will fire 4 matches of 20 shots each from ERSC's well groomed grass firing line. Shooters must have good 600 yd zeros as only 2 sighters are allowed per match and shooters not able to hit the target on the first shot will be disqualified.  This match is a good opportunity to win some Bullet money as there will be 'up to' $1500 in prizes if shooters fill the whole line.
       Contact match director Rick Sievers for Info -- f-classer@hotmail.com
       Click Here for Match bulletin      Weather forecast--click here
I hope someone at this match takes a picture and sends us in a match report 

Last Weekend    

It's a nice day to be shooting at Eau Claire

  I finally made it over to Eau Claire National Rifle Club last Saturday to shoot a match after not having shot at that range for at least 10 years. It was well worth the trip.  Besides being able to say hi to a few old friends like Ron Berg, and Larry Milbow, Eau Claire is just a great place to shoot. The Saturday event that I went over for, was a Mid Range match shot from Eau Claire's 600 yd line. The turnout was smaller than usual for an Eau Claire match because so many competitors were off to Camp Perry for competition at the National Championships.

Larry Milbow  at the 600 yd line

   While the numbers were small many of the heavy hitters were there getting in one more local match before heading to Perry for the Long Range and Full Bore Championships.
   I was pretty shakey in the first match but managed a 198-11x.  My 6mm BR was drilling holes in the target right where I pointed it. The conditions were good all day and plenty of good scores were shot.  Randy Gegory, Steve Knutson, Larry Milbow, and Elliot Zunich all were in contention for top spot, but Stacey Tamulinas led the way at the end after dropping only 3 pts all day and getting the most X's---(I think 797- 44x).  I put one 10 on someone else's target, but had a competitive score otherwise and maybe 2nd most X's with 36 posted.
   Sorry,  I do not have the results to post.

Elliot Zunich shooting 10 and Xs

Note:  One of the shooters I was scoring for at this match was having some difficulties hitting the 10 ring.  He was shooting a nice round group all around the 10 ring in the 8's and 9's but few tens.  This looked to me like the classic example of someone using too large a rear aperture and having Sight Alignment problems. When I asked him what size he was using, he replied "2.4mm".    No wonder he was having trouble.  This is way too large for the conditions we had, and I believe causing his problems with sight alignment. Other shooters confirmed that they (and myself) were using about a 1.0mm apperature that day, which is generally normal for most folks. 

Excerpt From my post on:

"Old Eyes and Iron sights Series" --  Part 3  Click Here

....... As I posted last spring, I had been having a lot of trouble getting a good sight picture, and good sight alignment now for some years as my eyes have gotten older (71 in Dec).  Discussions on this problem with German Salazar, and Mike Toliver convinced me that opening the rear sight aperture, for more light was exactly the wrong thing to do. I had been using a rear aperture setting of 1.6mm to 1.9mm in order (I thought) to see better.  The guys convinced me to snuggle up to and "turn down" the rear aperture till I could just barely see through it and then pretty much forget about the rear app, while concentrating on the Front aperture, and getting the shot off as quickly as possible.  German S. says that if the Rear Aperture is small enough it will be almost impossible to misalign the sights, as your eye must be on the proper axis to even see through the sight. Well, I'm here to tell you that this works for me and my scores have gone up about 10 pts (Sm bore) since changing my method........." 

Using a smaller rear aperture also works like a using smaller F-stop on a camera lens to increase your "Depth of Field". This helps you get that front sight more in focus while being able to see a sharper bullseye.  
So --- Go Small and see if it helps.

News From Camp Perry     
Rumors have it that:
Larry Weidel made the President's 100.  Congratulations Larry!!! 
Morgan Dietrich is burning up the Small Bore Prone Championships at Bristol, TN.         

Morgan's 3rd day 100 yd match win !

Two Weeks Out   
Aug 9         - Small Bore 3P and prone match at MRC  -Click Here for match bulletin
Aug 10       - Small Bore Outdoor Prone 1600 at Mpls, Rifle Club - Click here for match program  
Aug 9,10    - Atkinson/Leubke OTC at Duluth -- Click Here for match bulletin   
Aug 16,17  - OTC and Barbeque at MRC    --  Click Here for match bulletin 

That's all folk's
Hawkeye

Shooters news for the Minn Area - July 15, 2014

Next weekend    
The great scores from the Minn Long Range Championships are in the book. Wow, what a weekend it was!
This coming weekend it's off to the Eau Claire Rifle Club for another great weekend of shooting in the beautiful upper Midwest.  There will be both an OTC match and a Mid Range Prone match to tempt area shooters. I'll be heading over on Saturday (July 19) for the Mid Range match.  I am really looking forward to it as I haven't been at Eau Claire for at least 15 years.  Saturday's match will all be shot from the 600 yd line, and each shooter will fire four 20 shot matches for record.  Shooters may use Iron sights for all 4 matches or may use "Any" sights for two of their trips to the firing line. 
"Over the Course" aficionados will have their turn on Sunday, July 20. The normal OTC format will be used, with each shooter firing a 20 shot offhand match from 200 yds, and then a Rapid Fire matches from 200 and 300 yds, finishing with a 20 shot prone competition at the 600 yd line.
  So, as you can see there is a little something for everyone.  See you there?
            Click Here for Match bulletin   Click Here for weather forecast

 For those of you trigger pullers out there that are in the Southern end of our state, you might want to head to the River City Rifle and Pistol Club near Mason City, Iowa. That rifle club will be hosting the Iowa 300yd prone Mid Range Championship this weekend, July 19, 20. Saturday shooters will form up teams of two for a 2x20 shot prone match starting at 1200 hrs.   On Sunday the 300 yd MR prone champ will be crowned after the 4x20 shot championship matches. 
            Click Here for match bulletin

Last Weekend

 *** On the Firing Line Report** --  Minn Long Range State Championship 

  From: Erik Rhode  7/15/14  

The 2014 MN State Long Range and Palma Championships were held on July 12^th and 13^th at the Gopher Rifle and Revolver Club in Harris, MN.   The schedule for the weekend promised 3x1000 yard matches on Saturday, followed by a 20-shot, 2-man team match.  Sunday was the Palma match, with shooters shooting 15 shots for record on the NRA LR target from the 800, 900, and 1000-yard lines.
  

Note: complete Results posted below at end of Video

The conditions on Saturday were about the best I have ever seen for a long range match.  The mirage was hard to see, but the flags spoke the truth to those who watched them.  We shot under a light overcast sky for most of the day, with winds maxing out around 3-4 mph.  These were not gusty winds either, so sight adjustments were few and far between.  Once you figured out what the condition was worth, you could proceed to shoot as many 10's and X's as your skill level would allow.  

In match #1, my skill level allowed for twelve 10's and 8 X's, and a match winning score of 200-8x.  Not to be outdone, Stacy "The Surgeon" Tamulinas put up a blistering 200-14x in Match #2, which tops the MN state 1000-yard record set just last year by “Mighty” Morgen Dietrich.  Congrats Stacy, that’s going to be a tough one to beat!  In Match #3, wily vet Bill Lair led the pack and missed tying Stacy’s new record by a single point with his 199-14x to win that match.

Speaking of Mr. Dietrich, He didn’t win a single match all day, but he was 1^st High Master in all 3, and his consistent scores gave him the day’s top aggregate score of 596-30x to make him the MN 1000-yard champion for the 2^nd year running.  Great shooting as usual, Morgen!   I finished 3 points back with a 593-25x for 2^nd place, and Bill Lair’s 591-26x locked up the #3 spot.

Capt. Bob Peasley

Despite ignoring all previous zeroes and making major changes to sights, rifle, sling, coat, and attitude, Expert-ranked Lil’ Dickie VanValkenburg managed fine scores all day to lead the combined Master/Expert/Sharpshooter class by a wide margin.  His 584-21x day placed him squarely in HM territory.  Better buy a new rifle, Dick!

Up on the big end of the range, the F-Class gang wasn’t letting the great conditions go to waste either, with some very impressive scores being turned in.  In F-TR, “Magic” Mike Lehmeier maintained the high standard he’s been setting this year by winning the day from the Sharpshooter class with a fine score of 581-15x. 

I’m not sure how John “Machine Rest” Rykus is still in the Expert class, but he left his Expert classmates in the dust to finish the day with a 595-25x including 200-11x in Match #3.  That put John in 2^nd place for the day, behind only the unclassified Mike Jones and his enchanted 6 Dasher.  Mike’s score of 598-35x included 2 clean 200’s, most notably a 200-15x in match #2.  This is a pending National Record for 1000-yard F-Class.  Congrats Mike, it doesn’t get much better than that. 

The 2-man team match got done quickly and smoothly, thanks to volunteer target pullers.  Our esteemed Match Director Mark “Rottweiller” Rohmann took one for the teams, and did yeoman’s duty keeping 2 different targets in the air for a total of 88 shots.  4 F-Class and 3 sling teams competed in their classes for the team title.  In F-TR, the Laitinen/Olson connection carded a 379-3x to top the class.  They had no direct competition in F-TR, but their score being only 3 points behind the winning F-open team tells me that they would have fared just fine against any challengers.  In F-Open, the team of Loepffe and Bauer put up the top score of 382-11x for the match win.

On the sling side, the juggernaut of Team RhoNak was unstoppable.  Masterful wind calls and rock-solid holds put Brian “Short Pants” Mrnak and myself at the top of the heap with a team score of 397-11x.      

Picts and Video from Minn Long Range Champs - Complete Results at end of video

  

 Watch at U-tube --Select full screen, 1080HD and turn up the volume!

Sunday’s Palma match offered a little more challenging condition, but still manageable.  Competition was tight in the sling division, with 3 shooters still clean going back to the 1000-yard line.  Morgen Dietrich and Bill Lair only dropped 4 points each back there, but Morgen’s 446-28x for the day topped Bill’s 446-23x for the match win.  That makes Morgen Dietrich the 2014 MN Palma Champion, and combined with his win on Saturday, makes it a clean sweep for the 2014 MN Long Range Championship.  That’s 3 trophies returning to Morgen’s house – hopefully his wife has the feather duster warmed up!  Since Bill Lair was shooting 155 class bullets, his score in the Palma match earned him the Wadekamper Palma trophy for his mantle.  Great shooting guys! 

Familiar names topped the F-Class boards again on Sunday, with Magic Mike Lehmeier topping the F-TR field with a score of 430-14x.  Winning both days aggs makes Mike the 2014 F-TR LR Champion!  I have to think that this will be Mike’s last match as a Sharpshooter.

In F-open, It was no surprise to see John Rykus again on top of the Expert class with his 441-14x.  North Star Rifle Club’s Big Bad Ben Winget won the day with a tough score of 446-14x to win the match, and the 2014 F-Class Palma trophy.  Mike Jones was right behind him with a 444-24, and this score allowed him to hold onto his Saturday lead to win the weekend aggregate, and the 2014 MN Long Range Championship Trophy.  Great shooting boys!

Looking over the scores for the weekend, I can’t help but notice that the top scores in F-class and sling are almost identical.  While many of us enjoy some good-natured ribbing between the disciplines, it’s pretty clear that these are both extremely competitive and challenging games.  If you want to win matches in either one, you’re going to need to get up early and pack a lunch.  It’s great to see the influx of F-Class shooters making these matches such a great success. 

Champions--Morgan Dietrich, Bill Lair, Mike Lehmeier and Mike Jones

All in all, this was a great weekend of shooting, one of the best in recent memory.  A good time was had by all, fistfights were averted (narrowly), and the weather was perfect.  Thanks to Mark Rohmann and the GRRC volunteers for putting on a top-notch match.  Looking forward to returning to GRRC this fall for Fullbore matches on September 14^th, and again on October 4^th and 5^th.  Anyone planning on shooting the Fullbore World Championship at Camp Perry in 2015 would be unwise to miss these matches.

Best Regards,  Erik Rhode  

  Erik, Thanks for taking the time to write us that report. We know time is short when getting ready for Camp Perry. Good Luck to you and all the rest of our local guys and gals heading out to the National Championships!  Also - working with match director Mark Rohmann at this match was a real pleasure.  Mark's hard work in preparations made this great championship event.  GRRC'c top notch shooting facility was a showcase for these type of events.

Note: from Erik Rhode
 One of my roommates for Camp Perry just called to let me know that due to a staffing emergency caused by an injury at his work, he is not going to be able to go. 

As such, I have a space in a very nice condo in Port Clinton right on the shore of Lake Erie that I am looking to fill.  The condo is a 2-story, with a master bedroom and bath upstairs(mine) and a bedroom on the main floor with 2 beds - one of these 2 is available.  There is another bathroom with shower on this floor, as well as full kitchen/dining room, clothes washer and dryer, air conditioning, cable TV, wifi - pretty much all of the comforts of home.  You can walk out the back door onto the sand and jump right into the lake if you so desire, or cook dinner on the BBQ grill. 

I have the unit reserved from Thursday, July 31 through Monday, August 11th.  I will be shooting the 2 Palma days at the end of Long Range on 8/2 and 8/3, and then the Fullbore national championship matches from 8/4-8/10.  I'd like to get $600, which is just under $55/night.  Luxury accommodations at flea-bag rates.  Anyone interested can contact me via e-mail at: erhode_1@charter.net

It's a long shot, but maybe someone is still on the fence about going out for full bore week.

Thanks,

Erik

 

Two Weeks out         
July 26,27  - Mid West F-Class Championship at Elk River Sportsman's Club -   Click here for match program
Aug 10       - Small Bore ourdoor prone 1600 at Mpls, Rifle Club  -  Click here for match program  

That's All Folks

Hawkeye

Shooters News for the Minn Area - July 8, 2014

Next Weekend  
 Highpower 
This weekend, it's time to put away that trusty Service Rifle and dig out your Long Range prone guns.  You will also need about 150 rds of well crafted ammo -- ammo good enough to reach out and touch the target almost a Kilometer away.  It's "Long Range Weekend" at Gopher Rifle and Revolver Club's 1000 yd shooting facility just North of the Twin Cities at Harris, MN.  The folks at GRRC will be hosting the 2014 Minn Long Range/Long Range F Class State Championships  July 12-13th. Shooters are expected to come in from around the five state area to contest this championship, as GRRC has the long established reputation of putting on a great match weekend at their top notch 20 position 1000yd rifle range.  We all know that when you shoot Long Range at GRRC, the sky is always blue, the wind fair, and the grass is green on the firing line. What more could you ask??
Saturday, July 12 shooters will be firing 3 twenty shot matches with unlimited sighters all at the 1000 yd line.  These 3 matches will determine the Individual 1000yd champion in both the traditional Sling Class and in F-class. The 4th match of the day will be Team Match championship.  Teams of 4 shooters will be made up, and take to the line with each shooter firing twenty shots toward the team aggregate score with coaching from the team captain and wind coach. 
Sunday, July 13 will again see the competitors at the long lines firing a "Palma" match in the Palma State Championship.  The course of fire this day will start with 15 shots for record from 800 yds, after which shooters will move back to the 900 yd line for another 15 shot match, and then it's all the way back to the 1000yd line again, for the final 15 shot match of the day.  The top score of the day will determine the State Palma champ, and the top aggregate score from both days will determine the 2014 Minn State Long Range Championship.  The forecast (click here) is for probably good weather with a light breeze from the SW, so we hope to see you all there. It will be top competition and fun shooting all weekend.      Click Here for Match program and entry info

For the Service Rifle shooter who wants a "fun" match to shoot -- head on over to the East side of the Cities on Saturday, July 12th to Oakdale Gun Club for a CMP Military Rile Match. The course of fire for this match is CMP course A  --30 shots for record from the 100yd line, starting with 5 sighters from the prone position, and then followed by 10 shots prone for record, then 10 shots prone rapid fire, and finishes with 10 shots from the Offhand position. Contact match director Tom O'mara at  tomara@enclos.com for info.
             Click Here for Match program and entry info

300 Meter International  

From: Brian Shiffman

The July Minneapolis Rifle Club 300 meter match will be held this Sunday, July 13^th.  There will be two relays scheduled; the first starts at 10 AM and the second at noon.   Registration begins Sunday June 1.

Register yourself at http://edfpages.com/mgfc/match.php.  Read the instructions.  Pay attention as you fill in the boxes and make selections from the drop down lists.  There is room for only 14 shooters per relay.  The box at the top of the list shows the number of shooters for each relay. 

Last Weekend  
It was 2 great days for a Service Rifle matches at GRRC last weekend.  Tom Torberg and the other GRRC guys offered up a CMP games match on Saturday July 7th and drew about 20 shooters to this fun event. I finally got to get out the AR and shoot one of these matches after having missed the first 3 CMP matches that Rifle Club. These matches are all shot at the 200 yd line and are only 30 rds for record, so it was great for me get in some service rifle shooting after not having shot a SR match (or any OTC match) since last June. I found that I could still see the service rifle sight well enough to get a 99 on the easy SR1 target for the prone slow fire stage.  Then a rifle jam cost me two saved rds. on the rapid fire stage and my quest for a match winning score was over. The last 10 shots are fired from the standing position and with fortunately good trigger breaks, I scored a 90 and was amazed that I could still hit the ten ring once in a while.
  After the morning match was over, the shooters split up into 2 man teams for the afternoon, sniper type match.  Out came the old Springfields, Enfields, M1Ds, and even a Swiss K-31 Schmidt Ruben carbine. They were topped off with the old Redfield, Unertl, and other old scopes and  the shooter teams each fired  at 300 and 600 yd for score.
   It was good to see some new shooters on the line and I hope that some of them might become full time competitors.  These CMP games matches are important in bringing in new shooters to our sport and should be supported by all of us.

 a few picts from the sniper match

Sunday, July 8th  
It was a "fun match" on Saturday, but on Sunday morning the mood was changed. The fun was over - This days match was a Leg Match, and coveted Leg Points were on the line.  If you ever win enough Leg points (30) in your shooting career, the CMP will award you a Distinguished Rifleman's Badge. This is the most sought after award in Shooting and non-distinguished shooters will travel almost anywhere for the chance to pick up those last few points. This quest for a DR Badge will occupy many shooters for years as they try to get their scores up high enough to win some of these elusive award points. Many shooters are overwhelmed with emotion when they finally 'Leg Out' --- It's a Big deal !

From:  Kurt Borlaug
  GRRC hosted an EIC "Leg" Match on Sunday July 6th. The morning broke with rain and cloudy conditions but by the first prep period the match was underway and we had hot and humid conditionsfor the duration of the day. This was for many a first match of the season, as well as for others their first match EVER!! There were several new shooters experiencing the challenges of Highpower Rifle competition for the first time and it was a welcome sight.
  Off hand started the match and there were several shooters who broke the 90 mark with Kurt Borlaug at 92-2x, followed closely by SSGT Al Schneider (MN ARNG) with a 91-1x and Greg McCarty at 91-0x.
  The two rapid-fire stages began to sort out the standings. Mark "Monard" Schoess had the high sitting score with a 98-1x followed by Borlaug at 98-0x......donuts anyone? Right behind was Scneider at 95-1 and Larry Weidell at 94-0x. The wind was beginning to pick up and the classic GRRC fishtailing winds had many shooters questioning what to use for wind at 300 yards. A few figured the best call and held hard. Borlaug at 98-3x, Schoess at 97-2x and McCarty at 96-1x. Still shooting consistantly was Scneider at 95-3 and Weidell at 95-2.


 Select "full Screen" and 1080 HD -- turn up the volume! 

  The 600 yard line beckoned next and after a walk in the increasing heat the shooters gathered to where the final standings would emerge. The conditions were not as extreme as they appeared and most shooters had a few lost points due to over-doping the wind out the left side. Making quick recoveries and carefully watching the flags as the mirage was hard to pick up through the spotting scopes, the competitors waited out conditions and counted on quick pit service to shoot when their condition returned. 
  At the end of 600 yards, Mark schoess had the high score of 189-3x followed by Weidell at 187-5x. Tim Thole showed his wind doping skills with a 186-5 and McCarty carded 185-2. Still in the hunt was Schneider at 184-5x.
The big winners (and very happy shooters) for the day are--
Mark Schoess who earned an 8 point Leg, and
SSgt Al Schneider Who earned a 6 pt leg.
Neither of these shooters "Legged Out", but both are well on their way to earning the greatest prize in shooting.
Kurt
     Thanks, Kurt for that report.
  Click Here for a 'You Tube' video of the GRRC Leg Match

Two Weeks Out
July 19     - Mid range prone at Eau Claire Rifle Club -- Click Here for match program  
July 20     - OTC matches at Eau Claire Rifle Club  --  Click Here for match program
July 26,27 - Minn Mid Range F-class Championship - Click Here for match program  

That's All Folks!
Hawkeye

Shooters News for the Minn Area - July 1, 2014

Next Weekend

I let my M-1 do the talking

   While we all get ready to celebrate our nations Independence Day Friday July 4th, service rifle shooters wanting to exercise their veteran M1 Garand, and M1A rifles will be heading to the Eau Claire Rifle Club to pull some triggers in that Club's annual 4th of July rifle match.  First up to the firing line in the morning will be the M1 Garand shooters competing in a 50 shot match. All shooting will be done from the 200 yd line will issued Ball Ammo.  The course of fire will be CMP course B.  Prone slow fire will be shot first so shooters can get good zeros for the rest of the match. 10 shot rapid fire matches, and a 10 shot standing match will follow.  Click Here for match bulliten.
this coming
  After a lunch break the match for M1A rifles will commence about 1pm.  Again the course of fire will be the 50 shot CMP course B, but this time all firing will be from the 300 yd line on the SR-3 target.  Click here for Match program

Dale Hanson at GRRC CMP Games

Closer to home for me will be the CMP Games match for service rifles at Gopher Rifle and Revolver Club to be held on Saturday, July 5th. I shot a couple of these fun matches last year at GRRC, and now finally I'll be able to get to shoot one this year. This is the last in GRRC's summer series of CMP matches, and I want to get to this one.  I'll be shooting in the "modern military"  with an match AR, so no prizes for me, but I do get to have some fun and shoot with the guys. This will also be a morning match using CMP course A (30 shots) at the 200 yd line from 3 positions. I'm ready !  Click here for match program and entry info.
  In the afternoon, there will be a second match for those who want to shoot the older "sniper" rifles (or whatever they have).  The shooters will split up into teams of two and fire 10 shots each at 300 and 600 yds -- alternating between shooting and coaching wind.  This should be a fun match.

Now let's get serious. 
All right, we tuned up our service rifles at the CMP games matches--It's time for some serious shooting -- an EIC Leg Match.  On Sunday, July 6th, the action is back at the GRRC range near Harris, MN., with the "must make" service rifle match of the year. Shooters will be competing for "Leg Points" with the top 10 percent earning another step up the ladder towards the coveted lifetime award of a"Distinguished Rifleman" Badge. These elusive points can only be earned at Leg Matches, and shooters are only allowed to enter 4 Leg matches per year. So, you can imagine the competition is hot and heavy between those who travel long distances to get their last few leg points, and any local shooters who aspire to be the best of the best.  Every Service Rifle shooter should attend the Leg match in your area. Even if you are just a beginner, you learn the most by shooting with the best shooters.
  Get a 'Leg' up on the competition!    Click Here for Leg match bulletin and entry info
 
Last Weekend  
"On the Firing Line Report"  --  State NRA Championship 

 From: Erik Rhode   

 2014 MN State Highpower Championships

June 29-29, 2014   

This past weekend, Minneapolis Rifle Club in St. Francis hosted the 2014 Highpower Championship matches.  This was the first time in recent history that MRC has hosted a major HP match, but judging by the way things went, it won’t be the last.

For the individual match, match director Mark Rohmann added the interesting twist of making it a 1000-pt aggregate instead of the usual 800.  The additional 200 points were scheduled to come in the form of a 2^nd prone slow fire stage at the end of the day.  Matches at MRC always run very quickly due to the reduced course, and a 1000 point match usually takes about as long as an 800 at most other ranges.     Would it end up being a factor in the match?  Only time would tell.

This match has more history than any other in the MN shooting sports, and there is serious hardware at stake.  There are historic traveling trophies that go to the winners of the standing, sitting, prone rapid, prone slow, high service rifle, senior and grand senior categories, as well as the overall match winner.    The top prize is the “Governor’s Cup”, a trophy first presented to the winner of the state championship matches in 1940 by then-MN Governor Harold E. Stassen.  The winner of that first match was a gentleman named Owen B. Emswiler, undoubtedly a hard-holder.  Looking at the names of the next 75 years of winners is like reading a who’s who of MN shooting history.  Local legends like Sandager, Wadekamper, Sailor, Erickson, and Barth all have a part of their legacy engraved into this brass cup. 

We were unsure of what kind of turnout to expect, as an ominous weather forecast was keeping fair-weather shooters like Duluth’s Lil’ Dickie VanValkenburg and Dale “Weatherman” Wickstrom at home in their pajamas curled up by the fire.  The weather turned out to not be a factor, as temps stayed in the mid-80’s all day with high humidity and gusting winds from the south.  Nothing we in MN can’t handle. 

As it turned out, 27 shooters braved the forecast to test their mettle against MN’s best.  It looked like the trophies were going to have to be earned, as among those 27 shooters were 6 different High Masters who already had their names scratched into the Governor’s Cup at least once.  As has been the trend this season, there was a healthy mix of classifications at this match, with 8 Masters, 8 Experts, 2 Sharpshooters a Marksman and 2 shooters not-yet classified.  It has really been great to see the recent influx of newer shooters breathing some life into the sport here in MN.   

Head Line officer Chris Hazelton called relay #1 to the line at 9:00 am sharp to get things underway.  As always, the day started off with the 20-shot standing match.  This is considered by most HP shooters to be the most daunting part of any match, and has driven many former OTC competitors into the ranks of prone-only shooters.  Keeping your shots inside of a 6” 10-ring at 200 yards from standing is no easy task, and small mistakes in technique or concentration can lead to disastrous results.  It’s also a very quickly diminishing skill set, as I continue to prove to myself this season by not practicing standing like I have in years past.  I managed to ruin a fairly decent string with one of the above-mentioned mental errors – my brain locked up my trigger finger mid-pull, and by the time it finally broke, the sights had passed just out of the 5-ring and into zero point territory.  That miss left me with a score of 180-2x for the standing match, and basically out of the running.  Oh well, at least the pressure was off and I decided to have as much fun as possible the rest of the day.  Jim “Big Match” Biles came out of hiding once again and followed up his recent Regional Championship Gold medal by winning the standing match with a fine score of 189-2x.  Topping the Master class was 2013 Service Rifle champ Scott Brabec with his 186-1x.  Rich Boyarski was the class of the combined Ex, SS, MM class with 180-1x.

In the 200-yard sitting rapid-fire match, I thought I had a chance to take that trophy home for the 2^nd year in a row with my 199-7x, until “Tiny” Tim Thole blazed away for a blistering 200-10x to lock up the win.  Kevin Kuehl headed up the combined class with a commendable 194-06. 

When we got back to the 300 yard line for the prone rapid-fire match, things started to get a little dicey.  The wind was gusting from 15 to 20 mph and some relays were caught in mid-string switches.  Some shooters managed the conditions better than others, and again, Big Match Biles relied on his years of wind-reading experience and hard-holding to win that match with score of 198-7x.  New Master Jim Fernandez was hot on his heels, shooting a 198-6x to take the class win.  “Dynamite” Dean Gillette’s 192-4x rounded out the class winners by winning the combined group.

Next it was time for slow-fire on the reduced MR63 target.  Some might assume that shooting slow fire at 300 yards is only half as difficult as the full-course 600.  Those people would be wrong.  The 10-ring is only 5.85” across, and it takes full concentration to keep all 20 shots inside it.  The wind was still strong and gusty, but with time to evaluate the flags and mirage between shots, some good scores were posted.  Stevie “Wonder” Erickson put up the top score in the first slow fire match with an excellent 200-13x.  Right behind him was our match director Mark “Rottweiler” Rohman, missing the top spot by a single X, and winning the Master class with his 200-12x.  Ahh, now I’m starting to get why Mark likes having the extra slow-fire stage at the end!  Rich Boyarski won the combined class with a score of 184-5x. 

The second stage of the slow prone was when things got interesting.  A brief mini-storm swelled up and dumped heavy rain on the High Master relay for 5 minutes or so before blowing through.  This made me feel right at home, as I have been rained on at matches in each of the last 5 weekends.  Steve Erickson didn’t let it bother him either, dropping only a single point in the monsoon to win the second stage with his 199-12x.  Winning both slow fire prone stages earned him a 399-25x, and he will be adding his name one more time to the Prone Slow Fire trophy.  Mark Rohmann won the Master class handily with his 398-21x performance, once again proving that he is not to be taken lightly in the prone game.  Rich Boyarski’s name once again came up on top of the combined class, shooting a solid 193-4x for that class win. 

Jim Biles had a solid lead over the rest of the field going into the last stage, but got caught in the rain and dropped more points than he would have liked, finishing with a 193-3x.  Would it be enough to hold on?  As the High Master relay headed for the pits to finish out the day, all were comparing scores and doing mental mathematic gymnastics to try to sort out how it was going to end.  It was a long 2 relays in the pits waiting to get back up to the 300 meter building to get the official results and fill our bellies with barbecued pork chops. 

When Mark and Steve “Stat Man” Knutson got the official scores posted on the big computer screen, Dean Gillette was the winner of the combined EX, SS, MM class with his score of 923-13x.  Rich Boyarski took second with his 911-14x, with class wins in 4 of the 6 possible matches along the way.  Jim Soderstrom led the Master Class with consistent scores in the mid-190’s all day after getting off his feet.  Craig Bennis turned in a 958-19x for second in class. 

The High Service Rifle shooter in this match is presented with a traveling trophy consisting of a large hand-painted jug commemorating our fallen soldiers.  This relatively new trophy has been in the hands of MN’s best SR shooters, and this year is no exception.  Tim Thole wins the 2014 Service Rifle trophy and will get to keep this beauty on his mantle until he has the chance to defend it in 2015.  Great shooting Tim, and congratulations on your win. 

Click for complete results

Erik Rhode 2014 State Champ

In a surprising turn of events in the High Master Class, Jim Biles’ second stage of the prone slow fire match dropped him down to second place for the day with a score of 968-23x.  Worth mentioning in 3^rd place, was Grand Senior “Ancient” Omer Hamer with a 966-20x.   Omer has been a competitive shooter since before smokeless powder was invented, so finishing a state championship only 3 points out of the lead is no mean feat.

Tim thole Service Rifle champ

After my minor catastrophe in the standing match, this humble shooter managed pretty good scores for the rest of the day and squeaked past Jim at the end by 1 point  My 969-34x was the top for the day, so yours truly is the 2014 MN State Highpower Champion.  I am very happy with this unexpected win, and am proud to be able to put my name on the Governor’s Cup again. 

2014 trophy winners:   

 Standing Champion: Jim Biles    

Sitting Rapid Fire Champion: Tim Thole

Prone Rapid Fire Champion: Jim Biles

Prone Slow Fire Champion: Steve Erickson

Senior Champion: Jim Biles

Grand Senior Champion: Omer Hamer

Service Rifle Champion: Tim Thole

2014 State Champion: Erik Rhode

On Sunday, 4 teams assembled to vie for a chance at the 85-year old team championship trophy.  Teams from host club MRC, Gopher Rifle & Revolver Club, and one pick-up team led by past Service Rifle champ Phil Carlson were ready to challenge the returning champion North Star Rifle Club Screaming Weasels.  Weather was beautiful, and good time was had by all.  Upsetting the Weasels was not in the cards though, as their combined team score of 3100-86x left the competition in the dust.  This is the 5^th consecutive state championship for NSRC, and we don’t plan on breaking that streak anytime soon.  If any other clubs want to see this trophy in their clubhouse, I’d suggest getting your team together early!

 

2014 MN State Highpower Rifle Team Champions:

North Star Rifle Club 'Screaming Weasels' 

Firing members:   

Kevin Bangen

Bob Peasley

Omer Hamer

Erik Rhode

  

Thanks to Mark Rohmann, Chris Hazelton, Steve Knutson, and everyone else who helped to make the 2014 state matches a success.  Can’t wait to get back to MRC for the next match!

 Best regards,    Erik Rhode

 
Thanks Erik for that Great Report.  You sure have stepped up to the plate this year helping write these reports on matches.  These reports of yours are read on the blog by 20 plus people a day from all over the country and those folk are learning about Minn shooting with your help. This helps promote shooting in our state and promotion keeps our sport going. I hope sometime we could get an F-class shooter on line writing rpts on that part of our sport and a Sm Bore position shooter.

Two weeks out 
July 12  --  CMP games match at Oak Dale - Click Here for Program
July 12,13  --  Long Range, Palma and F-class St. Championships -  Click Here for match program

That's All Folks !
Hawkeye