Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club

We don’t often shoot a match at 100-yards on the really small reduced target faces, but the State 100-yard reduced range State Match is on Saturday, so we did shoot a 100-yard match as a warm-up for that match.  Impressively, for a Thursday afternoon session, we had 14 shooters show up – so we had to run a nearly full two-relay match.

It was almost like we shot two separate matches.  The first relay started out and pretty soon we had clouds and some rumbles of thunder, but no lighting.  Then the rain started – just a mist at first and after a bit it settled into a steady drizzle.  Several of us noted that during the week at Camp Perry we never got rained on during range time (even though we were drenched and drowned several other times) and once we got home we got our match in the rain. 

During the first relay one of the resident groundhogs wandered out onto the range, so I called a cease fire to take care of the problem.  Before my designated marksman was able to take care of the critter, another shooter took the shot and missed – but the beast knows he should look for another range to undermine.

Then, while we were doing the relay change, the sky cleared and shooters in the second relay had to deal with humidity from the rain and the sun in their eyes as it settled in the west.

The scoring rings on the 100-yard reduced targets are really close together, but we had some impressive scores posted.  The top eight shooters were separated by only seven points.  The top score was posted by Mike King with 489-18X followed by Mark Richard with 485-15X.  Gary Mabis took third place with 484-13X just edging fourth place 13-year old Junior girl Aria Hobbs with a 484-11X.  Great Shooting Aria!

We are starting the State Match season.  The 100-yard State Match is at Fall Creek on Saturday, August 31st, the 300-yard State Match is at Wildcat Valley on September 6th and the two-day full course Championship Matches are at Camp Atterbury on September 13 and 14th.  I encourage FWRR shooters to go and shoot at any of these matches.  You will meet a group of people who share our interest in high power shooting and you will discover that the great majority of these folks really want to help new shooters improve their skills.

Our next FWRR match is on September 13th – I will give an excused absence to anyone who wants to go shoot at Camp Atterbury that day.

The rifle ranges will close at approximately 10:00 AM on Thursday for mowing.

Mowing should be complete by 2:00 PM.

Please schedule range your range usage with these activities in mind.

The Leonard Johnson Memorial Match, as its name implies, honors Leonard Johnson – a long time member of the Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club and collegiate small-bore champion shooter.  The Match is an acknowledgement of our FWRR family and this year‘s match was unique in the family aspect.

For those who do not know the course of fire of the match, we claim it to be the Toughest Team Match in the Country.  Just what makes it so tough?  Well to start the match we shoot on the MR-42 target which is the 300-yard SR3 target reduced to a 200-yard size.  So what makes that so hard?  We shoot at that reduced target with .22 rimfire rifles.

Then, we move back to 300-yards, switch from rimfire .22’s over to center fire rifles and do it again – shoot the same 200-yard reduced target at 300-yards.  Those scoring rings get really close together at 300-yards!  It makes for a challenging and fun match.

We had a good turn-out; eight teams – sixteen shooters.  Of those eight teams, four were father and son teams and one team was a Leonard Johnson Match first – a husband and wife team.  Another first was that a team of our Junior shooters shot in the match.  And, one more aspect of family history – at least three shooters came out and shot rifles that represented two to four generations of family history.

Fathers and Sons – left to right:

Jess and Patrick Jessup, Brian and Killian Grimm, T.J. and Ashton Hovey and Jerry and Doug Johnson

Jerry and Doug Johnson; son and grandson of Leonard Johnson

A father and son team took top honors in the match. Jerry and Doug Johnson (Johnson and Johnson) took first place with a team aggregate of 750-19X.  Doug Johnson also took top honors in both the .22 rimfire stage (a double clean 200-8X) and the center fire stage (196-8X). Jerry Johnson shot a Ballard .22 rimfire rifle that traces its history back to his grandfather around 1920.

Second and third places went to our Buckeye visitors.   Bob Schwiebert and Tom Nagel took second place with a team aggregate of 746-10X followed by Tom Easley and Norb Norbert with a 738- 6X aggregate.

The high Junior team was Killian Grimm and Ashton Hovey with a 483-2X aggregate.  Ashton and Killian shot a generational rifle – using Killian’s mother’s Ruger 10-22 with fixed iron sights.  Using the iron sights with Kentucky elevation and windage made for a really challenging match – but Killian said it was fun as well.

Killian with his mother’s Ruger 10-22

Ashton at 300-yards with his AR

Ashton’s dad (TJ) , shooting with Killian’s dad (Brian) as a team, gave another generational rifle a try.  He gave his great-uncle’s Stevens Model 26 “Crackshot” rifle (estimated age about 1920(?)) a try at 200-yards, but the very rudimentary sights were overwhelmed by the distance and the senior Hovey/Grimm team reverted to the Ruger 10-22 for their match as well. (Sorry about the poor picture quality – the camera did something foolish).

TJ Hovey with his great-uncle’s Stevens Model 26 “Crackshot”, circa 1920.

Another family team, husband and wife Joe and Teri Bakies, marked the first time that Teri had participated in a high power match.  Joe had just returned from the Bisley Shooting Ground matches in Brookwood, England and somehow he persuaded Teri to give high power shooting a  try. 

Joe and Teri Bakies

Teri ‘s first high power match

Teri shot a respectable 168-1X at 200-yards with the .22, but at 300-yards the heat got to her and she faded a bit. Your correspondent would not want to make a definite judgment, but from Teri’s comment as she left the line at 300-yards – hot, tired and drenched in sweat from the heavy shooting coat – I don’t think she sees the great attraction we have for this particular sport. (But, in cooler weather it might grow on her).

The match was a fun day.  The format of the match challenged shooters, but everyone had a good time (even if it was hot and muggy) and most folks indicated that they would try it again next year.  We’re looking forward to it!

We had a really good turn-out for the match on Saturday August 9th, especially considering that the Camp Perry matches had just completed and it promised to be a hot, humid day.  We had two full relays with a single shooter on a stand-along overflow target.

For the first time we also had three shooters shoot a 100-shot, a 1000-point aggregate match.  It was hot – it was muggy.  We didn’t have much wind to speak of and everyone sweated a lot – but nobody seemed to have any heat issues.  

It’s nice to have a full line!

In the 100 round match, Gary Mabis took the top place with a 962-25X, followed by Mike King with 957-32X.  In the 80-round match, Marshall Rohrbach took first place with 785-23X (which should complete his 240-round string to make him a CMP Master).  Mark Richard was second with 774-24X and Dan Wigel took third with 745-17X.  Kileen Shafer was the top Junior in the 80-round group with a722-12X.

Charlie Novak scores while Tayt and Kileen shoot

We had five 50-round shooters; Jack Bushong (a new Junior shooter) took top 50-round honors with 482-14X and the high 50-round Junior was Aria Hobbs with 469-4X.

Brian Grimm and the Range Officer confer while Killian shoots

Our next match is Saturday August 16th, the Leonard Johnson memorial Match.  This is “The Toughest Two-man Team Match in the Country”; .22 rimfire rifles at 200-yards and center fire rifles at 300 yards fired on the MR-42 target.

The main range will be closed between 8:00 A. M. and 11:00 A. M. next Wednesday (8/13) for mowing.

Times and dates may change due to weather and volunteer availability.

National Matches are just winding down, but there is still a lot of shooting to be done here at home.

On Saturday, August 9 we will hold a 50/80 or for those who still have the urge to shoot – a 100 round match.

Gates open up about 7:45 for registration and setup with the first shot going downrange at 9:00 A. M. sharp. Match fees are $15.00 for members, $20.00 for non-members and Juniors shoot free.

If you want to pre-register to request a particular relay or firing point, let me know at FWRRHPDirector@aol.com and I will try to oblige reasonable requests.

Larry Beardsley; High Power Range Officer

FWRR Club Meeting

The next meeting of the Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club will be held on Monday, August 4, 2025. 

Meeting Place: VFW Post 857, located at 2202 West Main Street in Fort Wayne. 

Meeting Time: 7:30 p.m.  

Meeting Agenda:  Standard meeting format.

Mowing Schedule

 Mowing dates in the July-September time frame are as follows: 7/23, 8/6,8/20, 9/3 and 9/17. 

The complete 2025 Mowing Schedule is posted on the Club’s website. 

Mowing dates are tentative, depending on weather, ground conditions, and grass growth.  Mowing times vary according to volunteer availability.  Efforts will be made to provide mowing date and time updates 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. https://fwrrclub.org/

 Driving Off Road

IT IS NOT PERMISSIBLE FOR ANY MEMBER TO DRIVE OFF ROAD TO THE 100 YARD TARGET FRAME.   Some members are still ignoring this restriction after repeated reminders.

Soil conditions permitting, it is permissible to drive on the grass down range west of the 100 yard firing mound on the 300 yard portion of the range to access the 200 yard target frames. (Do not drive across the 100 yard firing mound.)  It is permissible to park and drive on the grass in other areas, soil conditions permitting.

Reminders

All targets, with the exception of shotgun patterning boards, are to be posted on the target frames at 25, 50 100, 200 and 300 yards.  The use of any member-provided rifle or pistol target holders is not permitted.  Use of member-provided, wood-frame, shotgun patterning boards is permitted.

Do not intentionally allow bullets to impact the target frames.  Bullets should pass through the 2’ x 2’  backers (card boards etc  to which targets are attached) and impact on the backstops.

If staples are used as an auxiliary means of securing backers to the target frame cross members, please remove the staples to avoid injury to other users.  If cross members are taken down, as a matter of common courtesy, please reinstall them.

New Members

Please welcome new member, John Kurtz. John was inducted as a full member at the June, 2025 meeting.

DISCIPLINE REPORTS

ACPDL (Allen County Practical Defense League)

ACPDL matches are scheduled for August 2nd, September 6th, and October 4th, 2025.  Only ACPDL members are permitted to shoot.  The pre-match meeting begins at 9:00 A. M.  and shooting commences at 9:30 A. M.  Observers and those persons interested in becoming ACPDL members are welcome. Matches are typically finished by 12:00 noon. 

USPSA (United States Practical Shooting Association)

USPSA matches are scheduled for July 20th, August 17th, and September 21st.  Match start time is 10:00 A. M.  Match fees are $15.00 for members and $20.00 for nonmembers.  Practice sessions are scheduled for August 7th, September 4th, and October 2nd.  Practice sessions begin at 5:00 P. M. 

PCSL (Practical Competition Shooting League)

PCSL matches are scheduled for August 10th and September 14th, 2025.  Match time is 10:00 A. M.  Registration starts at 9:30 A. M.  New shooter orientation begins at 9:50 A. M.  Rifles in caliber .223 and pistols in calibers 9 mm,  .40 ,and .45 are used in this competition.  Rounds counts are 120/match for rifles and 60/match for pistols. Matches are typically finished by 2:00 P. M. 

Cowboy Action

Cowboy action matches have been removed from the 2025 schedule.  These matches are expected to resume in 2026.

High Power (HP)

The HP “Mid-summer” Madness Weekend ran from Friday, June 13th through Sunday, June 15th.  “Madness” was kicked off by a 50-round NMC match held at 4:30 P. M.. on Friday.  The 800 aggregate, Junior State High-Power Rifle Championship was held on Saturday, June 14th and a 50/80 Match was fired on Sunday, June 15.

 Nine Junior Shooters and 11 Seniors participated in the State Championship Match.  Marshall Rohrbach became the 2025 Indiana State Junior High Power Champion, shooting a score of 778-21X.  That was Marshall’s final “at-bat” as a Junior.  Logan Becker took Second Place with a score of 763-23X, besting third place winner Mia King’s 763-17X by virtue of X-count. 

In the Senior Category, Geoff Branson took first place with a score of 786-34X, followed by Jim Jackson’s 778-27X and Mike King’s 770-31X.

A luncheon and awards ceremony followed the Championship Match. After the awards ceremony, at approximately  1:00 P. M.  shooters were invited to participate in a Garand Match.  Mike King and Gary Mabis took Gold Medals in the Unlimited Modern Military Class, and Mark Walters (who had a stiff leg as a result of a recent knee surgery), earned a Silver Medal in the As-issued Class.  Seven Bronze Medals were awarded in the M1, 1903 Springfield, and Modern Military Classes.

50/80 Matches will be shot on August 8th and September 13th.  Registration begins at 8:00 A. M. with firing commencing at 9:00 A. M.

HP Practice Matches are held on Thursdays from May through October 15th, unless otherwise noted.  Practice matches begin at 3:00 p.m., at which time the Main Range is closed to informal practice.  The pistol Pits remain open.

The Leonard L. Johnson Memorial Match will be shot on Saturday, August 16th, 2025.  This match is a two-man team match. The match is shot at 200 and 300 yards using the SR-42 target (300 yard target reduced for 200 yard use).  Electronic targets will not be used at this match.  Caliber .22 RF rifles are used for the 200-yard stage of the match, while center fire rifles are used during the 300-yard stage.  Team member coaching is allowed. Twenty rounds are fired at each distance with unlimited sighters in a time limit of 25 minutes per shooter. Traditionally, there have been separate categories for iron and telescopic sights. Match registration begins at 8;00 a.m. and firing commencing at 9:00 a.m.

Schedule Notes

At the June, 2025 meeting, by membership vote, the Main Range was closed on June 29th, 2025 between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. to provide Concordia High School Junior Shooters the opportunity to receive an introduction to HP shooting.

The 3 x 20 300 yard Match that was scheduled for October 11th has been moved to the following Saturday, October 18th, 2025.

For Sale

16 ft Fiberglass Canoe; Green exterior,  hardwood trim. Comes with two Ash paddles.

Price: $500.00. Contact John Halter at (260) 249-8810.

Vortex Strikegale Scope, 1-6 x 24, SFP, NIB. Price: $ 250.00.  Burris MSR Scope,  4.5 -14 x 42,Used.Price: $75.00.   Contact Britt Parker at (305) 793-9392.

Springfield M1 Garand (1955),  Shoots well; Pictures available.  Price: $1,100.00.  Contact Dave Jenks at (614) 546-5776 or drjenks@hotmail.com.

Caliber .223, 77 gr. and 80 gr. Sierra MatchKing Bullets. Boxes of 500. Price:  $160.00/box .  

Gingher-built, double-lug M1A.  POR.  

DMPS AR-15-configuration  22 RF Rifle, Unfired (with two magazines). Price:  $700.00.  

Garand and M1 Carbine stocks.  Price: Negotiable.  Contact Marty Didion at martindidion4@gmail.com.

Members who wish to sell shooting-related items may send ad information to Marty Didion at martindidion4@gmail.com  Ads must be received three weeks before meetings in order to appear in the next newsletter