Leonard Johnson Memorial Match; Saturday September 25th, 2021

It’s 6:45.  I open one eye and I can hear rain rattling off the side of the house.  Oh well, we’ve had a really great summer of good weather, but it looks like our luck has run out.

But, I can’t just roll over and go back to sleep – I need to go out to the range and either wait out the rain or cancel the match.  While the coffee is brewing I checked the weather radar.  There is a green blotch of rain with a well-defined western edge moving across Ft. Wayne, but at the rate it is moving – it just might clear away by about 9:00.

So, I take my coffee and head out. Along I-469 it is just pouring.  At Harlan Donuts, it is a steady downpour.  I get to the range, open up the house, start the heat and wait and see if anyone is going to show up.  The rain sounds like someone is pouring gravel on the metal roof of the clubhouse – I am more convinced that this is going to be a rainout.

After I eat my fritter and drink my coffee, I start sweeping up the dead wasps, stink bugs, spider webs and dead grass. Then, Doc Habel shows up.  My comment to him; “Well, at least I’m not the only crazy person today.”  It starts to rain harder.

Then, about 8:15 Joe Bakies and Jack Baker from Lima Sabers walk in and just a few minutes later Mark Walters shows up also.  The rain slacks off a bit and we just sit around and swap stories about whatever comes to mind.  Then, about 8:45 it just pours again and just as suddenly quits.  We looked out the windows and there was a streak of light and a patch of blue sky off to the northwest.  By 9:00, our start time – the rain had quit, the clouds were breaking up and we decided; ”Let’s go do this.”

We had four people, two relays, so we set up the match as a FWRR vs. Lima Sabers head-to-head Club Match.  A coin flip decided that FWRR would shoot first and we decided to shoot all the way back with just one pit change.  By the time the FWRR shooters went to the line, the rain was gone and the sky was blue with fluffy cotton ball clouds floating by.

After a very doubtful beginning, we ended up with a fantastic day to shoot. It was cool enough that nobody got too hot and there was just a slight wind that fishtailed from about 2 o’clock to 10 o’clock to make the 200-yard rim fire stage a challenge. The fluffy white clouds were the biggest challenge as you could go from a target in bright sunlight to deep shadow in a matter of just a few seconds.

Mark Walters was very consistent over the day with 193-6X in the .22 rim fire stage and 193-5X at 300 yards for a 386-11X aggregate.  Joe Bakies made a good run at Mark’s score, but his 196-7X 300-yard score just did not quite make up for his 189-4X score at 200-yards.  His 385-11X fell one point shy of Marl’s 386-11X.

Doc Habel caught a couple of wind changes and a 7 and a pair of 8’s held him to a 181-1X in the .22 stage followed by a 188-2X at 300 yards.  Jack Baker, a Grand Senior, shot a very respectable 184-2X at 200-yards and a 169-2X at 300 yards.

But, The Leonard Johnson Match is the Toughest 2-Man Team Match in the country, so in the end it was the team scores that counted.  The Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club Team had a 755-14X and the Lima Sabers had a 738-15X, giving FWRR the bragging rights for the 2021 Leonard Johnson Memorial Match.

Doc Habel, Joe Bakies, Jack Baker and Mark Walters – 2021 Leonard Johnson Match competitors

Joe Bakies is considering holding a 200-yard  .22 rim fire/300-yard center fire match at Lima in the spring, so we could well end up with an inter-club competition here with a suitable traveling trophy at stake.

And – it turned out to be a great day and a good time was had by all…..

FWRR Meeting; October 4, 2021



FWRR Club Meeting (New Meeting Location)

The next meeting of the Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club will be held on Monday October 4, 2021. 

Meeting Place: Thanks to the efforts of Bill McEldowney, we will meet at VFW Post 857, located at 2202 West Main Street in Fort Wayne. 

Meeting Time: 7:00 p.m. 



FWRR Newsletter; September 2021

FWRR Club Meeting (New Meeting Location)

The next meeting of the Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club will be held on Monday October 4, 2021. 

Meeting Place: Thanks to the efforts of Bill McEldowney, we will meet at VFW Post 857, located at 2202 West Main Street in Fort Wayne. 

Meeting Time: 7:00 p.m. 

Agenda: Standard meeting format plus a reading of the minutes of a Special Meeting that was held on August 31, 2021.  Please try to attend as a quorum is required to conduct club business.  Food and drink will be available at very reasonable prices before and after the meeting.

Meeting Attendance  (A Letter to the Membership from the Club Secretary, Mike Miller)

At the last meeting, no business was allowed to be conducted due to lack of a quorum.  It is a shame that only 24 out of approximately 375 members of FWRR felt that attending a meeting was worthwhile.  As members, we all have a responsibility to provide some support to the club beside paying dues and using the range when we feel like it.

Attending a meeting is not a big deal.  Meetings generally last only an hour or so.  If each member would attend two out of the six annual meetings, we would always be able to conduct club business.  The officers, directors and discipline leaders spend a great amount of time making the club continue to function.  Doing these thankless jobs would be much more gratifying if more members would provide some support by caring enough to attend a meeting.  Having 24 people attend a regular meeting is really a sad situation. 

Special Meeting

A special meeting of the Executive Board and Directors was held on August 31, 2021 at the FWRR Range.  The purpose of the meeting was to conduct club business that has been delayed due to a lack of a quorum at regularly-scheduled meetings.  (A provision in the Bylaws allows for such a meeting.)    In summary, a total of eleven topics appeared on the meeting agenda. It was agreed that four improvements projects were to be funded and implemented this year.  The projects include: installing covered firing points on the Pistol Range, installing a walkway at the north end of the building on the 25/50/100-yard Range (to eliminate a winter-time slip/fall hazard), adding fill dirt and seeding the 100-yard mound on the 300-yard Range, and seeding and adding straw the area around the new footbridge. The minutes of the special meeting will be presented at the October meeting.

New Footbridge

A new footbridge has been installed across the ditch on the 25/50/100-yard portion of the Main Range. The bridge is composed of three steel trusses that are topped with two-inch-thick, hickory planks. The bridge is anchored to concrete footings. The construction involved welding mounting plates to the trusses, installing concrete foundations, mounting the trusses, acquiring and attaching the top planks, excavating around the bridge and seeding the area.

Bridge trusses were acquired from a local company at no cost to the club through the efforts of Greg Peck. Ted Smeltzer, Shannon Parks and Ted’s son (David, a non-member) handled the design and installation.  Be certain to thank these dedicated people for their efforts in making this major improvement.

Please note that the bridge is a footbridge, not intended for vehicular traffic.

Main Range Maintenance Closings

Mowing is scheduled for the following Wednesdays: 10/13 and 10/27.  The Main Range is closed while mowing is being performed; however, the Pistol Range remains open.  Mowing times vary depending on volunteer availability.  Dates may vary depending on weather and ground conditions.  Mowing may continue beyond 10/27, depending on grass growth. If dates change or if mowing is required after 10/27, an effort will be made to post updates on the website.  Checking the website before traveling to the range is always recommended.

Mowing Crew

The following individuals were members of the 2021 Mowing Crew: Bob Bausser, Marty Didion, John Halter, Jim Johnston, Dennie McNabb, Russ McCurdy, Ozzie Ostheimer, Shannon Parks, David Rinaldi, Rick Schwaiger, Jim Sweeney and Gary Walker.  Be sure to thank these gentlemen for their work.

New Members

The following individuals recently became FWRR members:  Dallas Colley, Will Doetsch Jr., Bill McEldowney, Mark Hagler, Chris Harmon, William Howard, David Jenks, David Kline, Gregory McClure, Jon Underwood, Mark Wager and Johnathan Wright.  Bryan Smith is a returning member.

Indiana State Junior High Power Championship

The Indiana Junior High Power Rifle Championship was held at the FWRR Range on July 10, 2021. Eleven young shooters participated, coming from as far away as French Lick, Indiana and Maumee, Ohio.  The First-shot Ceremony was conducted by Sue Mogel, ISRPA Executive VP, whose offhand shot was an “X” on the 200-yard target.  The match went exceedingly well and the weather was just about perfect.  Highlights follow:

STATE JUNIOR HP CHAMPION: 

Madelyn Schnelle with an outstanding 489-23X score.


CLASSIFICATION WINNERS: 

Master Class, Madelyn Schnelle (489-23X)

Marksman, Robert Stevens (466-14X)

MATCH WINNERS: 

Offhand, Marshall Rohrbach (95-1X)

Sitting Rapid Fire, Alex Becker (95-3X)

Prone Rapid Fire, Logan Becker (96-1X)

Prone Slow Fire, Emma Branson (182-6X).

Our flamboyant HP RO, Larry Beardsley, who is never at a loss for words, will provide further details at the October meeting, 

Hoosier Home Range Hundred Matches

Hoosier Home Range Hundred Matches are shot a various locations throughout the state.  When this information was received, 31 shooters had participated in more than 70 matches. The standings through September 5th are as follows:


High Master Class, Mike King (FWRR), 493-25X

Master Class, Paul Ellerseck (Wildcat Valley), 488-15X

Expert, Mike Habel (FWRR), 468-8X

Sharpshooter, Colton Eads, (FWRR, Junior) 474-4X

Marksman, Emma Branson (Wildcat Valley, Junior), 465-8X.

For Sale

Long-time member Jim Coleman passed away in March of 2018.  Some of his firearms are being offered for sale at Thomlinson’s Shooting Supplies in Churubusco.  The sale began Saturday, September 11th.  The list of firearms includes several DCM Garands, a 1917 Eddystone Enfield and a NIB Remington 541. 

While it is not the Club’s policy to list items for sale at commercial institutions, this notice has been posted for the benefit of Jim’s wife.

Adds may be sent to Marty Didion at martindidion4@gmail.com.  Adds must be received three weeks before meetings in order to appear in the newsletter.

Reminders

Police your brass and trash before leaving the range.  Brass can become a hazard to facilities and personnel during mowing.  Brass may be discarded in the buckets provided for that purpose.  The trash containers at the range are not intended for use by the general membership.  Take home all trash (e.g., used targets, drink containers, and – particularly- food wrappers and food remnants).  Failure to remove your trash causes extra, sometimes quite unpleasant, work for the few volunteers who empty trash containers.

Do not shoot target frames or place objects to be shot on the frames.  All shots should go through the cardboard backers on which targets are posted. 

Closing Comments

Be sure to thank the following members for their “above-and-beyond” service to the club:

Bill McEldowney for his assistance with the electronic distribution of the newsletter.

Chris Harmon for the donation of two very nicely-made Safety Tables.

Mark Walters and his wife, Michelle, who acted as luncheon caterers at the Junior State HP Championship.

Mark Walters for the many hours spent at the loading bench preparing ammunition for the FWRR Juniors.

All HP shooters who assisted with the planning and execution of the Junior State HP Championship.

Glenna and Michael Grannis for handling HP entries and functioning as Statistical Officers.

Governor’s Cup Match; 9 October 2021

The October 9 Mid-Range Match has been changed to an 80-round NRA Regional Match that will also be one of the matches that will count as the 2021 Governor’s Cup Match.

Due to conditions at Camp Atterbury, the ISRPA had to change the format of this year’s ISRPA State Championship matches. Instead of a two-day match at Camp Atterbury, the match is being shot at two sites; Wildcat Valley Rifle and Pistol Club and Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club and is being conducted in two one-day sessions.

The first set of matches for the 1600-point State Championship was conducted on 11 September (800-points) and on 9 October the second set of matches will be conducted at the same two sites. These two matches are also the 2021 Governor’s Cup matches.

Registration is now open – for more information or to register, contact Larry Beardsley at:

FWRRHPDirector@aol.com

Hoosier Home Range Hundred Update; September 4, 2021

The competition is picking up as rained out matches are made up and scheduled matches are shot.  So far The Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club and Wildcat Valley Rifle and Pistol Club have shot matches and turned in scores.

It is interesting to note that while “the usual bunch” of shooters show up in the leader standings in the top classifications, it is the Junior shooters who are making their presence noted in the lower classes – and in fact they are shooting well above their classifications.

In the Sharpshooter Class, Junior boy Colton Eads from FWRR is in the lead with a 474-4X and Junior Girl Emma Branson (shot at Wildcat Valley) is top Marksman with a 465-8X.  Congratulations to both of these upcoming Junior shooters!

As of sunset on September 4th, here are the overall first place leaders:

High Master               Mike King                    FWRR                           493-25X

Master                        Paul Ellerseck            Wildcat Valley             488-15X

Expert                         Mike (Doc) Habel       FWRR                          468-  8X

Sharpshooter             Colton Eads                FWRR                          474-  4X  Junior Boy

Marksman                  Emma Branson           Wildcat Valley              465-  8X  Junior Girl

But, as Yogi Berra said; “It ain’t over until it’s over”.  There are still scheduled matches at FWRR and Wildcat Valley and it’s not too late for everyone else to put together a match and get into the competition.  There is money to be won – so jump in!