April 23, 2016 Winter Mid-Range Results

We had fourteen (14) shooters, and utilized four (4) e-Targets for the match. For four (4) relays it took us the better part of four (4) hours to shoot a 2×600. Still faster than if we had done it pulled, but not as fast as if we didn’t spend time fumbling along. However, we are getting better with this equipment. I believe a few more matches and we’ll be the “duty experts” on the Silver Mountain Target software.

Today, in the sling any rifle category, Jake Bondy showed us how to do it with a 398-21X. He was distantly chased by Chris Whitney with a 396-14X. It is notable that there were no cleans even on the “Helen Keller” targets today. A puffy wind with heavy mirage dominated the conditions.

Josh Moore out paced the F-Classers shooting a 393-18X with his F-TR rifle. Notably, John Roethlisberger (apparently no relation to Ben) shot a 392-14X to place second. His was John’s first Mid-Range match. He used John Pierce’s Rifle, and most handily beat John with it. I’ll bet Mr. Pierce makes him buy an action to build his own….

And lastly, Leo Cebula learned that it is smart to tighten the guard screws before shooting a match for the second time in less than 12 months….

2016 Winter Mid-Range Prone Match 2

In our continuing efforts to show a little local color each match, below is one of Bob Lorenz’s plots for today.

Match 1 – Bob Lorenz Plot

2016 Winter Mid-Range Results

Finished target with microphones installed and calibrated.
Finished target with microphones installed and calibrated.

Well, finally we did it. We actually completed a Winter Mid-Range Prone match in 2016. We had only five (5) shooters, but as a group we enjoyed a nice spring day. You never needed gloves, and there wasn’t really much wind.

We installed three targets using the SMT system. Shooting two relays we completed two twenty shot matches by 10:36 after starting at 9:00. In general the electronic target system earned a payment on its cost this morning.

Early in the season, but some decent scores:

2016 Winter Mid-Range Prone Match 1

The better of Brad’s two plots:

brad2

Observations:

1) The targets represent a different distraction. A shooter is used to glancing into their spotting scope to see the location and value. The scope doesn’t tell anything now. You have to glance at your “device”.
2) You need a device that you can comfortably see. I tried a small one (8*) and a standard sized one. The standard sized won hands down.
3) You need to configure your device to avoid the screen saver from invoking during the string. It is inconvenient to have to unlock the device during a string.
4) If you are planning to shoot the MWP, or the F-class nationals, SMT targets will be used. You need to learn how to deal with the device and the targets before you head to Lodi.

2016 Snow Country Shoot-Off Results

SC-Logo2

The 2016 Snow Country Shoot-Off was conducted on April 9, 2016 at the Jackson County Sportsman’s Club in Jackson, Michigan.  Mom Nature almost caused a reschedule.  Northern Ohio had upwards of 10″ of snow, Jackson had 3-5″ of snow, and the rest of us had zero to a dusting.  Make for a difficult ride.

However, eight (8) of the ten (10) invitees made it, and we had a good match.  We used Orion targets and machine scored.  There were no challenges, everyone was scored equally tightly.

Kevin Nevius won again with an 1192-86X.  His victory was once again by a significant margin.  The real contest was who would be second and third.  The next three shooters were separated by one point and a few Xs.

leo-kevin2
Leo Cebula presents Kevin Nevius the $100 check for winning the Snow Country Shoot=Off.
Name Irons Xs Any Xs Agg Xs
Kevin Nevius 595 39 597 47 1192 86
Leo Cebula 577 23 591 37 1168 60
Ken Potter 582 25 586 23 1168 48
Matt Gorby 588 29 579 27 1167 56
Dan Altman 584 25 576 21 1160 46
Jason Piatek 575 28 583 29 1158 57
Gary Duda 563 19 584 27 1147 46
Dick Pardini 561 9 574 20 1135 29

Our 2016 competitors and their equipment:

2016 Winter Mid-Range

Okay, we did do it.  Maybe not terribly successfully, but we did do it.

I guess that I should have been suspicious when I ran into the “white out” in Flint in I-75 while driving to the range.  Maybe when it happened again on US 10 driving towards Midland.  I think I should have taken the hint.  Mother Nature doesn’t like me, or the Winter Mid-Range, or the Midland County Sportsman’s Club.

However, we didn’t take the hint.

Didn’t have a lot of shooters (they must have read the weather report better than I did).  But we shot 2 F-classers, and 2 sling shooters.  Neither of the F-classers did enough shots to report a score, but Jake Bondy nailed a 199 with sling, and I did a 148 for 15 shots with sling.

We ultimately had only one target operational.  We are coming to the conclusion that we are doing something wrong.  Moreover, we had a tough time trying theories due to several “white-outs”, where we could not see the targets.

For your chuckles I have some pictures below:

Electronic Targets at Midland

On Good Friday, March 25, 2016, we installed our five Silver Mountain Targets at the Midland County Sportsman’s Club.

For any of you southern boys looking at our pictures, the white stuff is snow. Midland had been graced with a late season snow fall the day before we had scheduled to install the Targets.

We are planning to “Go Live” (as they would say in SAP land) with the targets for a league match on April 2, 2016, providing Mother Nature cooperates.

We thank all those who helped with the process!

2016 Snow Country Results

The league for 2016 is complete except for the Shoot-Off.  Please review the scores for the individual matches and report any issues.

2016 SC Match 1 – Irons

2016 SC Match 2 – Irons

2016 SC Match 3 – Irons

2016 SC Match 4 – Any

2016 SC Match 5 – Any

2016 SC Match 6 – Any

The Shoot-Off will be held on April 9, 2016 at the Jackson County Sportsman’s Club (See Events for directions and maps).  We will start at 9:00 AM, but will try to have the range open at 8:00 AM.

First Last Aggregate X's
Kevin Nevius 2397 196
Dan Altman 2348 115
Gary Duda 2348 115
Leo Cebula 2343 101
Ken Potter 2340 105
Richard Pardini 2335 106
Matt Gorby 2327 92
Josh Moore 2308* 90*
Jason Piatek 2308 85
Larry Remsnyder 2306 80
Jamie Root 2299 78
Jacob Bondy 2267 65
Jay Baker 2212 42
Steve Jones 2204 49
Joe Kennedy 2203 25
Dylan Lockard 2149 35
John Clark 2117 40
Harold Pangilinan 1762 105
Shane Russell 1660 34

Shoot-Off qualifiers are: Nevius, Altman, Duda, Cebula, Potter, Pardini, Gorby, Piatek, Remsnyder, and Root.

*F-Class

2016 Match Schedule

The 2015 Match Schedule for the Midland County Sportsman’s Club is now posted. Click on the “Events” tab and the matches are arranged by date.  Included are the Winter League (mentioned in a previous note), the Suburban Mid-Range League (summer), the Michigan Fullbore Championship, the Michigan Mid-Range Prone Championship, the Halloween BSA Charity Match, and the Annual Foul Weather.

We believe the majority of these matches will be held using Silver Mountain Targets. We ask that you bring devices that can be used to access the computer system to use during the match.  Both the shooter and the score keeper will require devices.

From our past experience most (almost all) Smart Phones (iPhone, Androids, etc.) can be used, as well as iPads, and other tablets.  By the time the majority of these matches are held we hope to be able to support the “Paper White Kindles”.  Those have the advantage of being more visible in bright light.

We believe we have a good program for matches this year.  Moreover, with the addition of the electronic targets we believe we will be able to run matches quickly and accurately.

Hope to see you on the line!

2016 Winter Mid-Range Prone League

Tentative dates for the 2016 Winter Mid-Range Prone League are:

March 5, 2016; March 19, 2016; April 2, 2016; April 23, 2016; April 30, 2016

The program is available here:  2016 Winter Mid-Range Prone League Program

Remember these dates are tentative until you see on this site a notice that the match will be run.  Those postings are normally made on the Friday morning prior to the match on Saturday.  The decisions to shoot or not are based upon the weather forecast.  

Hopefully, Mother Nature will be kind to us this year!

2015 New Year’s Eve Match – Cancelled

Just like Christmas, this comes but once a year.  We are once again scheduling a New Year’s Eve shoot.

And once again, we are cancelling.  Per Weather.com the temperature at 10:00 AM will be 29 degrees F, and the wind chill will drop it to about 21 degrees F.  Those temperatures are below our minimums, so we are cancelling.

I will admit some of our most spectacular New Year’s Eve matches have fallen on days where we decided to ignore the minimums, but given our track record this year, I suspect we might see weather even colder than advertised.

Watch this spot, we’ll be scheduling the winter league matches starting in March.

Have a Happy New Year!

 

Annual Foul Weather Rifle Match Results

“Weather shows over 30 degrees F at 10:00 AM and only minor windchill.  So, load up some ammo, grab your gear, say good-bye to the in-laws, and come on out!  Be sure to dress warmly!”

The weatherman was a liar.  I suspect it got over 30 by the time we finished, but before that it was just plain cold.  Like damn cold.

However, we had seven (7) shooters, four (4) F-Class, and three (3) Sling.  It may be a sign of the apocalypse, but John Pierce shot this match with a Palma Rifle. Yeah, really with a sling and everything.  He didn’t get the sling on his arm correctly at first, but finally caught on.  I suspect this will be like my trips to Grayling.  You have to go every 3-5 years just to remember why you don’t go.

Had a couple of good scores during the match, Doug Boyer, firing a .223 F-TR Rifle fired a 400-18X.  Chris Whitney fired a 395-19X with a couple of any rifles (sling).  Given the frozen fingers, both scores were outstanding.  With the lack of cleans with F-TR, Doug’s score is doubly impressive.

2015 Annual Foul Weather Rifle Match Results

On a closing note, hopefully everyone noticed that MSU beat PSU 55-16 to win the East Division of the Big Ten in football.  Off to the Big Ten Championship next weekend.  The other Michigan team lost (I was politically correct here, and didn’t refer to them as the AA from Ann Arbor).  Go Green!