Bowling Pin Match Report, 12/2010

Twenty-Two Rabid Beavers

We held the December Bowling Pin match at Tucson Rifle Club today.  Last month, fourteen people showed up, and the round count got a bit out of hand, so I decided to separate the "Major" (.40S&W and up) from the "Minor" (smaller than .40) groups in an effort to cut down the number of matches.

That laughing sound you hear is fate toying with me.

Twenty-two people showed up.  With 37 guns.  Not including me and the two guns I brought.

Twelve people shot Minor.  Thirteen people shot Major.  And fourteen people shot .22 rimfire.

Last month, we shot a total of 133 matches - 105 centerfire and  28 rimfire.  My tables looked a bit chewed-on.  Instead of building new ones, though, I re-skinned them with 1/4" plywood.  Today's match went on so long seven or eight people left early. 

We shot (even with the DNFs) 156 matches, not including the reshoots on three (3) ties.

The tables didn't come home with me.  What's left of them resides in the dumpster at the range, minus what looks like the output of twenty-two rabid beavers remaining on the ground at the action range.  And we picked up the bigger pieces.  In addition, twenty perfectly harmless bowling pins gave their all for our entertainment.  About eight of them will live on as pin tops for the .22 class.

The plan had been to shoot all the minor shooters against each other, and all the major shooters against each other, then the two winners against each other for an overall victor. About 2:30PM, that idea went right out the window.  So here are your winners:

.22 rimfire:  Tie -  Travis Higgins with a Ruger MkIII and me, your humble host with a MkII; nine wins each.  Third place goes to Jim Burnett with a Browning Nomad and eight wins.

Minor:  Tie - Jim Burnett with a Beretta 92 and Larry Boykin with a Rock Island 1911 seven wins each. Third place is also a tie - Jim Walters with a EAA Witness and Ken Cabrera with a Springfield XD; six wins each.

Major:  Here we have a clear winner - Cliff Reed and his Norinco 1911with ten wins.  Second place  goes to Jim Burnett and his Clark Custom pin gun with six, and third place is a tie between me with my Kimber and Elaine Tab with hers and four wins each.

The lopsided win count is due to the number of shooters who left early. It's a lot of fun, but next month we've GOT to cut down on the number of matches.

Elaine and Bill Tab have promised me pictures, so those will be going up when I receive them.  Thanks to everyone who came, thanks especially to everyone who again helped set up, set pins, and tear down. Oh, and John Higgins won the drawing and the $37 pot.  Again.

Next month there will hopefully be FOUR tables to help speed things along. And an air-horn as a starting signal.  Sunday, January 9. Sign-up at 8:30, first round downrange at 9:00. See you there!