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Match report: Bowling Pins

2012-01-09T14:16:24Z

It was a clear, cold day with a light breeze. I don't know what kept the rest away, but only four shooters showed up to join me for the first bowling pin match of the year. There were a total of sixteen guns, and this time I brought two revolvers. That plan didn't work out so well.

First rounds went downrange about 8:20 on schedule, and we were finished before 11:00. I managed a come-from-behind win for Major over Jim Burnett. John Higgins won Minor against his only competitor, Jim, and then proceeded to beat me to be overall semi-auto champ. Jim redeemed himself by winning the revolver competition with his S&W .41 Magnum. (Note to self: practice hitting the pins.) Travis Higgins took the .22 class handily. The only competitor not to win a class was Rick Lavaty, but he won the random drawing and at least got his entry fee back plus a dollar, so everyone was a winner today.

Next month's match is February 12. Hope to see you there!

Kevin Baker

Match Report - Bowling Pins, 12/11

2011-12-12T14:54:49Z

It was a chilly morning, but at least this time it wasn't raining. Ten people showed up, four of us with revolvers, all but one with .22's. A bunch of regulars didn't make it, but several new shooters did, and one couple, the lovely and talented Capitalist Pig and his wife Mz. VRWC drove down from Phoenix to make the match. Once again, EUropellet shooters outnumbered those of us who prefer God's Pistol Caliber as designed by John Moses Browning (PBUH). And, once again, we had a variety of winners.

John Higgins once again took Minor with his EAA Witness. His son Travis took Revolver with his Python and unerring aim. (I have to work on the "unerring aim" part. Eight shots don't help if four of them are misses.) I took .22 rimfire again with my MkII Target, and Jim Burnett with his Clark Custom 1911 pin gun took Major and then beat John Higgins with his Witness to be overall match winner. 9mm is not always faster!

The match started on time at 0820, and we were all finished by 1100. I think it's safe to say that everyone had a good time. A big thanks to everyone who helped to set pins and tear down after the match.

Kevin Baker

Smallbore Silhouette Rifle match

2011-11-21T15:02:05Z

Today was a challenging match due to gusting winds and cowardly trigger fingers ! Although sunny, the wind never quit blowing and all who braved the weather to compete had to screw their hats on and buckle down to hit anything besides the dirt bank.

MW Ron A Calderone 35/60

AAA Mike Aiello 35/60 1st

Joaquin
Bustatmante 33/60

Jerome Grentz 18/60

Andres Wirichaga 27/60

AA Tom Porter 29/60 1st

Bob Stapleton 18/60

Juan Rubio 28/60

Felipe Zepeda 27/60

Jim Bertrand 24/60

A Richard Burton 17/60

Ed Hertfelder 8/60

Mike Pfander 18/60

Joan Salgado 24/60 1st

B Barbara Burton 12/60 1st

Ken Williams 11/60

Alan Rubio 10/60

Ron A Calderone , Match Director

A Dampness on the Pins - (Match Report)

2011-11-16T14:08:49Z

Or: Eight people can have a lot of fun in the rain.

Turnout was light Sunday due to the weather (and the NASCAR race in Phoenix). Bill and Elaine Tab rejoined us from the soon-to-be-frozen North, and Joe Lancaster rejoined us from his latest tour of the Sandbox. It drizzled on us off and on, and we had a downpour for a few minutes in the middle of the match, but eight of us in total showed up with nineteen guns. First rounds went downrange about 8:30, and we were finished by 11. The competition was pretty fierce, with several ties and several sets going four or more rounds.

The winner in Major was Jim Burnett with his Clark Custom 1911 pin gun. Minor and overall pistol champ was John Higgins with his EAA Witness 9mm. (In the eternal argument between .45 and 9mm, 9mm can be faster in pin shooting.) Revolver had only four competitors this month, and Jim won that one as well with his S&W .41 Magnum, squeaking by John and his Python. I learned firsthand that you should not try to reload your revolver with an EMPTY speed loader. It will cost you the round. I took the .22 rimfire class with my MkII Target. I had a couple of really good runs with it.

The next match is December 11. Hope to see you there!

Kevin

Match Report - Bowling Pins 10/9/2011

2011-10-10T00:09:35Z

What a beautiful day for a match! And what a change from two months ago. Including me, there were a total of ten shooters and twenty-five handguns. For once, .22 is not the most popular class with seven entries, compared to Major caliber pistol with eight. Minor caliber pistol only had four entries, and Revolver class had five. I'd planned on bringing my Smith Model 25 Mountain Gun, but discovered last night that I only had 26 loaded rounds. I was sure I had a box of 100 somewhere, but no.

We got started a little late, about 8:20, and finished right about noon. No one overall winner this time - Travis Higgins won .22, Cliff Reed won Revolver, John Higgins won Minor Caliber, I won Major, and I beat John for bragging rights in the last match, Major against Minor. There was some very close competition, a few malfunctions, a bunch of reloads, a couple of ties, and a lot of fun.

The next match is November 13. Start time will again be about 8:15. Hope to see you there!

Match report - Bowling Pins

2011-08-15T02:08:11Z

Well, this was the lightest turnout since I started running this match, only four shooters showed up. A year ago there were fourteen shooters besides myself. Hmmm....

Still, the five of us had a great time! This was the first month for a specific revolver class, and there were four of us with revolvers: Don M. came with a Ruger Super Redhawk with "bunny-fart" loads (though a couple of them sounded suspiciously loud), I brought my S&W Model 25 Mountain Gun in .45LC, Travis Higgins brought a beautiful 6" Colt Python (shooting .38s), and Cliff Reed brought a Taurus 65 (also shooting .38s). Four of us also had automatics, two 1911's, a Browning Hi Power, and a Sig 229, and four of us brought .22's - three Mk IIs and one MkIII.

Since there were so few of us, we competed in pairs until one shooter was eliminated, then finished the match with the top three contenders vying for the overall win. Travis won the inaugural revolver competition, and I took .22 and the auto classes. Travis had to beat me four times to win with his Python, and did so with relative ease. I need more wheel-gun practice. (Or a lighter .45LC load. That thing THUMPS.)

There will be no match in September - I will be at the sixth annual Gun Blogger Rendezvous in Reno, Nevada that weekend. The next match will be in the fall - hopefully a cooler and less humid October 9. We will have a revolver class again - that was fun!

Hope to see you there!

Match Report - Bowling Pins

2011-07-11T17:31:01Z

Turnout today was, to put it mildly, light. That's too bad, because while the humidity was up, the temperature just wasn't that bad. Five people showed up to join me, and between us we had thirteen guns - six of them .22 pistols.

Last month's centerfire winner John Higgins took it all this month, going undefeated with his Mk II and his 9mm Witness. Cliff Reed was the Major caliber winner with his Norinco 1911, but he couldn't outshoot John, and lost the final match, two to one.

At the urging of the few who did attend, next month we'll have a separate revolver class - .38 Special (or .357's shooting .38's) will be Minor caliber. .357 and larger will be considered Major. I'll be bringing my Model 25 Mountain Gun in .45 Long Colt. Hopefully there will be at least three other shooters with wheelguns.

The next match is August 14. Signup at about 8:00 AM, first rounds downrange by 8:20. See you there!

Kevin Baker

Match Report - Bowling Pins

2011-06-24T14:36:23Z

After a two-month hiatus due to the berm improvements on the Action range, we once again held our Second Sunday Bowling Pin match, June 12. Turnout was down, in part I think due to the last two matches being canceled and in part because of the fact that summer is here. It was warm at 7:30, and it got warmer - and windier - as the day went on.

Nine people including myself showed up to shoot the match, and between us we brought 17 guns. There were no new shooters.

Once again John Higgins went into the final rounds for centerfire and rimfire undefeated, but I managed to squeak a victory past him in the rimfire class, winning a particularly ugly final round. John took centerfire with his 9mm EAA Witness, beating all other minor and major caliber shooters, undefeated with that gun.

I need to get FASTER.

We finished up before 11:00AM, but even then we had winds enough to knock some pins down.

The next match is Sunday, July 10 - sign-in starting at about 7:45, first rounds downrange by 8:15 or so. See you there!

Kevin Baker

300 Yard Firing Line Rebuild Work Parties

2011-05-31T14:40:56Z

The 300 Yard Firing Line Rebuild Project is complete.

The firing lines at 200, 600, and now 300 are clear, flat, and level with evenly spaced firing points, plenty of room for gear and scorers, and smooth sloping ramps for easy access.

The work was on-time, on budget, and to design despite winds gusting to over 30MPH on Sunday which forced a delay in spreading the soil cement.

Doing the work were:

Bob Ahrendt
Jim Denovchek
Bill Gibson
Sean Hoffine
John Hoffman
Lee McKinney
Bill Orzechowski
Bob Pirisky
Ron Riga
Rick Smart
Wally Tang
Pete Wolf

In addition to working with shovel and rake, Bill O did all the behind the scenes work necessary to get this project off the ground and keep it going to completion and Sean supplied his Bobcat tractor which was indispensable on both days.

So the next time you lay down at 300 and you're not in a hole or on a rock or don't slip and fall getting up or down the hill, now you know who to thank.

Maury

Range Construction Improvements Starting April 4

2011-03-31T04:27:46Z

The Tucson Rifle Club will be starting dirt work on Monday April 4, 2011. The dirt work will be done on three ranges to comply with AZGFD safety improvements. Dirt work will start with the completion of the safety baffle on the High Power Silhouette Range, and should only be shut down for a couple of days. Equipment will then move to the Pistol Silhouette Range for the construction of a new side baffle. The bulk of the work will be the improvement and construction of side baffles and impact berm on the Action Range long bay.

Please call the Range Office for information on the current status of the ranges. Check with match directors for any match cancellations. We will do our best to keep everyone updated. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Bill O.

Range Improvement Committee Chairman

March Roy Dunlap Match

2011-03-22T14:38:40Z

Just a reminder,

Tucson Rifle Club's NRA approved Roy Dunlap 800-Aggregate Highpower Rifle Match will be held this coming Saturday 26 Mar 11.

Range gate opens around 0630. Squadding starts on the 200yd line after the pits are set up. This is the LAST MONTH OF WINTER START TIME - First round downrange at 0800. Summer hours start in April - Start time will be 0700.

Match fees: adults NRA Match $15; Practice Match $10. Juniors shoot both matches for free.

New for 2011 - An "NRA Any Sight Match Rifle/Tactical Rifle" division (NRA Rule 3.3.2). What this boils down to is you may now use optical sights and compete with others doing the same. There will be the standard prize of a $10 coupon if there are three or more competitors. Scores will be sent to NRA for classification if the shooter pays the $5 admin fee. Ask for a BLUE scorecard when squadding.

See you there,

Maury

Bowling Pin Match Report 3/13/11

2011-03-15T14:57:32Z

Well, we held the 10^th monthly Bowling Pin match at Tucson Rifle Club today (we took last September off while I traveled to the Gun Blogger Rendezvous). Today's turnout was light, only six people besides me came to shoot, but we still had a lot of fun. Because of the light turnout, we only ran two tables instead of three. The match started at just after 9:00AM and ran until about 12:30. I forgot my CCI Mini-Mag .22 ammo, but Larry Boykin let me shoot his Federal stuff, and it worked fine. I also brought my S&W M25 Mountain Gun chambered in .45LC and my Browning Hi Power.

When I hit the pins with the M25, they left the table. With extreme prejudice.

I really need to practice shooting that gun double-action. If you want to win, you can't miss twice. Reloads are slow.

Shooting borrowed ammo, I did manage to win the .22 class. Bill Tab won centerfire with his Kimber Classic Stainless beating me with my Hi Power in the last two rounds, but each of us had to beat last month's winner Jim Burnett to get there. He's a tough competitor with both his Clark Custom 1911 pin gun and his bone-stock Beretta 92. Jim took home the $17 from the drawing at the end of the match, though and he took second in .22.

Hopefully we'll have more turnout next month, Sunday April 10. The match will begin at the normally scheduled time - first rounds downrange at 8:00AM, not 9:00. It's already starting to warm up. And I'll be bringing three tables again, to help speed things along. Hope to see you there!

--Kevin Baker

3 gun match this Sunday at TRC

2011-03-01T16:22:24Z

Reminder everybody is invited to our 3 Gun Match on Sunday March 6, 2011 with set up beginning at 7:30 am at Tucson Rifle Club.

This match is a regular monthly event and growing. Bring your rifle, pistol, and shotgun and join the fun.

2011 Legacy Match

2011-02-23T16:15:14Z

The 2011 Legacy Team Match will be held on Sunday 13 March 2011 at Rio Salado Sportsman' Club in Mesa http://members.cox.net/azjrhp/legacy.htm

This is a four shooter 200yd reduced target team match with all proceeds going to fund the AZ Junior Rifle Team's trip to The National Matches at Camp Perry OH. That means the Juniors do all the pit pulling. The $25 per shooter entry fee includes lunch in the Rio clubhouse after the match.

Who wants to go?

There is a limit of 15 teams so entries need to be made ASAP.

After the rain-out of Washington's Birthday, here's a chance to double-down.

Maury

Bowling Pin Match Report 2/13/11

2011-02-15T14:31:45Z

Today's match went very well, though turnout was down, I believe, because of Valentine's Day. We had ten shooters with 22 guns, and everybody brought (or borrowed) a .22! I never expected the rimfire class to be the most popular, but it is.

We ran the match in the now-standard three-abreast mode, requiring one of the three shooters to win twice before moving on to the next group. If I didn't have three shooters, we just went head-to-head with two. You have to lose two sets to be eliminated from competition.

At the end of the day, we had an undefeated champion of centerfire, Jim Burnett. He won Major with his Clark Custom pin gun, a 1911 in John Moses Browning's (pbuh) .45ACP, and Minor with a Beretta 92 chambered for the Europellet, going undefeated in seven matches over a total of seventeen tables, including two ties. Since he couldn't shoot against himself for the spot of overall centerfire champion, we just gave it to him anyway.

In .22 class we had thirteen matches, and the finish was a doozy. After the first round, only two of us remained undefeated, Travis Higgins and myself. We lined up head-to-head, and I managed to eke out the win. At the end of the day, it was again me against Travis. To win the match, he would have to beat me on not two, but four tables.

He did.

But I had a lot of fun losing to him.

First round was downrange about 9:00AM, and we were packed up and leaving by about noon. Everybody had a good time. I'm looking forward to next month already!

--Kevin Baker