Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club

Remember these words:

“Natural Point of Aim”; “Bone on bone support” and “I CAN DO THIS!”

These were some of the “take aways” that Dave Schnelle shared with our Junior Shooters at a training session on Saturday, March 26th.  The session was an advanced training session, and while he did work with the Juniors on position and mechanics of shooting, his primary emphasis was that High Power Shooting is as much a mind exercise as a physical or equipment exercise.  He cautioned the Juniors not to get caught up in the “better bullet, different powder, better case preparation” trap that beginning shooters often get caught into.  He stressed; “Learn your equipment, improve your technique, and if you doubt your equipment, have a really good shooter use it and verify that the problem is not in the rifle or ammunition, it is the shooter.”  He reminded us of Lynn Richter’s advice; “You can’t buy a better score, you have to practice.”

Dave also stressed the importance setting goals; short term, medium term and long term. For a Junior shooter a short term goal might be to shoot an Expert score by the end of May.  A medium term goal would be to achieve Expert classification by the end of the 2022 season and a long term goal would be to achieve Distinguished status.  Then, once you have set these goals – write them down and put them in a place that you can see them and remind yourself of them.  (His suggestion to make a duct tape frame and write them in marker on the painted wall probably would not be well received by most parents.)

But shooting is more that motivational speaking and Dave brought along a tool to help with training.  Dave had applied for and received an NRA Grant for Indiana Junior Shooting that allowed him to purchase two SCATT Training systems.  This is a dry firing system that visually shows the trace a shooter makes as he or she settles in on a shot, commits to taking the shot, breaks the shot and the after shot follow through.  All of the Juniors were able to use the system to evaluate their offhand positions and Emma, Kileen and Marshall used it in looking at their prone positions. Even in the short session we were able to have on Saturday, several issues were noted and corrections suggested (such as eye position on the scope, eye relief on the scope, hand position on the fore end) to improve scores. Dave left one of the systems with us at FWRR and we will be using it with the Juniors at Thursday practices prior to our first match in April.

The remainder of the NRA Grant is available to buy shooting coats for the Juniors.  There are enough funds to buy four or five Creedmor coats to be distributed across the state and we spent a good amount of time trying on coats and figuring out just what sizes we needed for which shooter.  What we did discover is that girl shooters are shaped differently that guy shooters (well, duhhh …) and we have to take that into consideration as we figure out coat sizes!  Now that we know more about our shooters, we can work with Creedmor to get the coats we need.  (We definitely need a coat for a left handed shooter.)  Dave also had an assortment of shooting gloves and he gave a couple to the Juniors who were there.  The gloves and coats are long term loans like all of the items we are supplying to the Juniors and they will come back to us if they decide to quit shooting.

Thanks to Dave Schnelle for coming up to Fort Wayne to hold the session, thanks to Marty Didion for a heroic effort to get us heat for the session (it would have been a miserable day without it) and thanks to Becky Beardsley for bringing us lunch and making cookies as a treat.

As a closing note:

There is an upcoming training opportunity for New Shooters and Junior shooters at Camp Atterbury on June 11-12. This is an ISRPA sponsored event and it is unusual to be able to dedicate time at a facility like Atterbury to a New Shooter/Junior focused event.  This is a rare opportunity to have new shooters and Juniors get an opportunity to shoot on an electronic target, 600-yard range.  Affordable housing is available on base.  Look at your schedules closely and try to take advantage of this chance.

FWRR Club Meeting

The next meeting of the Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club will be held on Monday, April 4, 2022. Meeting Place: VFW Post 857, located at 2202 West Main Street in Fort Wayne. Meeting Time: 7:00 p.m. Agenda: Standard meeting format.

Cleanup Day projects will be discussed as a New Business topic. 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.

Membership Information Update

As of March 15th, the number of members in good standing is 363. Three members have resigned their memberships for various reasons, two members have passed away, and twelve members have failed to respond to membership renewal reminders.

Dues received with postmark dates after March 1st, but on or before March 31st, are subject to a $25.00 late fee. Dues received with postmark dates after March 31st will be returned with a notice indicating that:

1) The party’s membership has been terminated
2) Future membership requires submission of a membership applications and payment of new member fees (c.f., Bylaws Article IX, Section 2).

Dues paid with an NSF check are subject to a $25.00 returned check fee.

If personal hardship prevents timely payment of dues, contact a club officer who may arrange either for dues to be waived or for payment to be deferred.

Individuals who were accepted as members on or after October 1, 2021 are not required to pay membership dues tor the 2022 calendar year; nevertheless, they do need to return the renewal form with proof of current NRA membership.

Donations

Sincere thanks to the many members who have made donations this year. Donations exceeded the astonishing sum of $6,000.00.

It deserves special mention that one, traditionally very-generous, long-time member donated $500.00.

Membership generosity provides funds for facility improvements and aids the club in managing recurring expenses (e.g. insurance, property tax, building and facilities maintenance, and property upkeep).

Newsletter Delivery

Approximately 80% of the membership receives the newsletter via e-mail. Those members who have e-mail accounts and who currently opt for postal delivery are asked to consider receiving the newsletter via e-mail. To sign up for the E-News just send an E-Mail to billmac099@gmail.com with FWRRC E-News in the subject line and your Name somewhere within the body of the E-mail. You will also receive Flash E-mails of any club news.
Doing so will save printing expenses (newsletter and mailing labels), postage, envelope cost, the time and fuel spent traveling to/from the printer, and the manual labor associated with stuffing, labeling, stamping, and mailing envelopes.
( Note: at the bottom of any broadcast FWRRC E-Mail will be an Opt-out button.)

Maintenance Activities

Thanks go to Dave Fritz for painting the new target number boards that will replace the weathered boards on the 300 yard range. This is the third set of boards that Dave prepared in the last 25 or more years.

Reminders

Clay targets are only to be shot from the hut at the south end of the 25/50/100-yard portion of the Main Range. Take care to ensure that clay targets, wads, and shot land on club property.

Lock Combination Change

The combination that opens the locks at the gate, the Weidman Building, and the building on the 25/50/100-yard portion of the Main Range will be changed on Cleanup Day, 23 April 2022. The combination that appears on your 2021 Membership Card will be valid until that date. It is suggested that members either keep their 2021 cards until Cleanup Day or record the 2021 combination on their 2022 membership cards.

Sad News

It has come to the club’s attention that two members have passed away: Marc Lansky and Garry Leavitt. Marc joined the club in January of 1960. As best as can be determined, Marc holds the record for membership longevity, 62 years.

Cleanup Day Projects

Cleanup Day will be April 23, 2022. Work typically commences at 8:00 a.m. Lunch will be served to all who participate.

Tentatively scheduled projects include the following:

1.

Installing a drain at the 100-yard firing line on the 300-yard portion of the Main Range. A volunteer or volunteers are being sought to perform some preliminary work related to this tasks. This work includes picking up a tractor, trencher, and pipe. If you are interested in helping with these aspects of the project, come to the April 4th club meeting and volunteer or contact Marty Didion at martindidion4@gmail.com or Mike Miller at fwrrsect300@gmail.com.

2.	Graveling and grading the Pistol Pit and roads.

3.	Installing a gutter, pipe, and a base for a cistern system to provide water for chemical mixing and grass watering.

4.	Repairing the 300-yard number board frames.

5.	Removing the Porta-jon from the 300-yard pit.

If you have an idea for a project that you would like to see accomplished or started on Cleanup Day, please present your suggestion at the April 4th club meeting.

Mowing Schedule

The 2022 Mowing Schedule is currently being prepared. Dates are tentative, depending on weather and ground conditions. Mowing times vary according to volunteer availability. Efforts will be made to provide mowing dates and times on the website.

The Main Range is closed during mowing and other range maintenance activities. It is recommended that members check the website for updates.  If you are interested in joining the mowing crew, contact Marty Didion at martindidion4@gmail.com prior to April 1st.

2022 Program Schedule

The 2022 Program Schedule is now present on the FWRRC website.
Click URL to open link to Schedule: https://fwrrclub.org/index.php/fwrr-2022-schedule/

Hard copies of the schedule have been mailed to postal newsletter recipients.

For Sale

Once-fired 5.56 x45 (.223) brass for sale. The brass has been sized and trimmed, and the primer pockets have been swaged.
Price $125.00. Contact Darrell Fish at (260) 615-1046.

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

The Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club, in conjunction with the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) will present a High Power Rifle Clinic for new shooters and as an outreach program to Junior shooters (13 years or older) at our local range off Indiana Highway 37, north of Harlan, Indiana.

WHEN/ WHERE:   Saturday, May 7, 2022.  Registration opens at 7:30 AM. Class begins at 8:00 AM and lasts until approximately 3:00 PM. There is a lunch break, but no lunch available on site – bring a sack lunch.  Drinks will be provided.  Early registration is requested and recommended. The Clinic is held at the Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club range located at 15715 Rupert Road; Harlan, IN 46743.

WHAT:   Approximately 6 hours of classroom instruction on safety, handling, aiming, ballistics, positioning and shooting M1 Garand and AR-15 rifles.  Instruction will be provided by CMP Certified Master Instructors.  There is no live fire conducted during this Clinic.

WHO:  The Clinic is open to citizens of good character and good mental focus. Priority will be given to Junior Shooters (age 13 to 20 years). The Clinic is limited to 25 shooters.

HOW:   Contact the Ft. Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club High Power Director at FWRRHPDirector@aol.com.

COST:   $25.00. Cost includes classroom instruction, student guide handout materials and certificate of participation which will qualify participant to purchase an M1 Garand from the CMP. Participants will receive reduced Match fees for 2022 FWRR Matches.

CMP GAMES MATCH:   Participants will not be charged entry fees for the CMP Games Match that will be held on Saturday, May 14, 2022.  Participants in the Match must complete CMP and FWRR Releases of Liability.  Participants under 18 years of age must have Liability Release signed by parent or guardian.

The 2021 – 2022 Winter Offhand season ended up with a Bang and a Brrrr.  Seven shooters showed up for what was arguably as cold and bitter a day as we had all winter.  It was somewhere in the neighborhood of 17 or 19 degrees, a 10 – 15 mph wind from about 2 o’clock in the shooters faces and intermittent sunshine and blinding lake effect snow squalls through the morning. 

Watery eyes, runny noses and cold fingers were the order of the day, but we adapted, improvised and overcame.  Of the group, no one said they should have stayed home – so it was a good day.

Notably, three of the seven shooters were the Junior girls.  They put on their dad’s bibs, their Carhartts, their wooly caps and their warm boots (well most of them put on warm boots..) and they went about the task of shooting.  According to one of these delicate little flowers;  ”Real women just bundle up and go on with business.”  Good work Ladies!

Considering the weather, scores were pretty good, as usual. Mike and Mark abandoned us for warmer climates, they were at Malabar in Florida shooting the Orange Blossom Tournament this week. But, my sources in Florida tell me that it was a wet, windy day there – so they had their own weather issues.

The high shooter for the day was Doc Habel with a 359-3X.  Mark Walters was second, shooting a new (to him) iron sighted gun, with a 350-1X.  Third for the day was Gary Mabis, 347-3X.  The High Junior was Kileen Shaffer with a 295-1X.

This was the last match of the year, so we have the season results ready … drum roll please:

Top Division                                        Anchor Division                           Payout

First:  Mike King              1155-24X    Marshal Rohrbach     1084-11X     $45.00

Second:  Mark Richard  1112-18X      Kileen Shaffer             939-  2X     $30.00

Third:  Mark Walters     1105-13X       Aaron Kohler                 672- 4X      $15.00

Thanks to everyone who came out and shot with us this winter.  As usual, there were adventures – I don’t think I have ever seen a match called off because the targets blew away and the target stands broke off from the wind!

Who knows what we may have next winter – maybe a Snownado?

Our next match is the first 50/80 Match of the year on April 9th.  Registration and setup open about 7:30, we put the first shot downrange at 9:00.  I’m looking forward to seeing you there!