FWRR Dominates Dan Ireland Match – Again

For the second straight year, The Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club was well represented at the Dan Ireland Match held at Camp Atterbury last weekend.

Mark Richard and Mike King with their Dan Ireland Match Awards

On Saturday, Mark Walters won the day’s 80-round match with an aggregate of 776.  Mike King won the 800-yard match shot that same day with a 199.

On Sunday, Mark Richard shot a 199 in the 300-yard rapid prone stage with a 778 aggregate for the match.

For the weekend, Mike King ended up 2nd overall in the two-day aggregate score and Mark Richard followed him in 3rd place.

Thanks guys; you make us proud!

June 2021 Newsletter

FWRR Club Meeting

The next meeting of the Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club will be held on June 1, 2021.  Meeting Place: FWRR Range.  Meeting Time: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.  Agenda: Standard meeting format.     Please try to attend as a quorum is required to conduct club business.  Bring a comfortable chair. Beverages will be provided.

Cleanup Day

A total of only 11 members (3 % of the membership) participated in Cleanup Day activities.  Thanks to all who participated!

The work that was accomplished included the following:  general cleanup of the Pistol Range and the building on the 25/50/100 yard portion of the Main Range, repair of target frames on the 25/50/100 yard portion of the Main Range, brush trimming along the lane between the 300 yard and 200 yard mounds, and an entrance gate improvement.

Events Schedule

The 2021 Events Schedule is posted on the FWRR website.  Copies of the schedule were mailed to members who elected to receive the Newsletter via US Mail.

Main Range Maintenance Closings

Mowing is scheduled for the following Wednesdays: 6/9, 6/23, 7/7, 7/21 and 8/4.   The Main Range is closed while mowing is being performed; however, the Pistol Range will remain open.  Mowing times vary depending on volunteer availability.  Dates may vary depending on weather and ground conditions.  If dates change, an effort will be made to post updates on the website.  Checking the website before traveling to the range is always recommended.

The Main Range will be closed while work is being performed to replace the bridge on the 25/50/100 yard portion of the range.  The Pistol Range will remain open. Dates will vary depending on volunteer availability and weather/ground conditions.  It is expected that work will commence in late May and extend through the end of June.  Check the website for information updates before going to the range.

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 of place objects to be shot on the frames.  All shots should go through the cardboard backers on which targets are posted. 

Newsletter Editor

The club is still seeking a volunteer to serve as Newsletter Editor.  The editor is responsible for collecting inputs from club officers and ROs, preparing the newsletter, and distributing it via email or USPS (per member preference) two weeks prior to club meetings. Interested members may contact Marty Didion (martindidion4@gmail.com) to volunteer and/or to receive additional information.

Sad News

The Club has been notified of the passing of member Gary Guesbeck.   Gary became a member in August, 2015.   Please extend condolences to his family and friends.

2021 New Members

The following individuals became FWRR members in April:  Chris Harmon, Jonathan Wright, and Richard Busch.  Welcome, gentlemen!

Sale Items

Gun Powder.  Quanity: 15 lbs.  No further details were available at publication time.  Contact Clem Swaidner [(260) 750-6831] for further information.

Centra and PMW receiver sights for sale.  Contact Marty Didion at martindidion4@gmail.com.

FOR SALE- SHOP OR GARAGE HEATER

Several years ago we replaced the heater in the new building at the range thinking it had bad controls or a bad gas valve.  It turned out to be a defective regulator on the LP-gas tank and we had replaced a perfectly good heater.  The heater has been sitting for two winters now and it is time for it to go to a new home.

It is a Mr. Heater Model MHU-50:  https://www.mrheater.com/50-000-btu-big-maxx-natural-gas-unit-heater-1336.html. A new one is priced at over $500.

It is a 30,000 BTU propane heater with a blower and it requires a vent.  If you have been in the new building when the heater is running, you know it can put out a lot of heat.

If you are interested in buying this heater, contact Marty Didion at:  martindidion4@gmail.com and make him an offer he can’t refuse!

Junior Practice – May 6th

We had the first High Power Practice yesterday, May 6th.  I have set the first Thursday of the month aside for a dedicated Junior session so we can work with them on basics and fundamentals or try to solve any particular problem they are having.

But – it had started raining about 2:00 yesterday and we had to change our plans.  Instead of practicing a CMP Games Match, we went up under the porch and worked on breathing, sight pictures and trigger control and just handling their rifles using benches and sandbags at 50-yards.  Our goal was to give the shooters confidence in their ability for them and their rifles to put shots on target at the point they were aiming.

We had three Juniors shoot and we had three experienced shooters to watch them and coach as needed.  Thanks to Greg, Jess and Larry for their help.  We shot a bunch of the Lake City ammo that Mark had donated as we shot for group consistency – not necessarily for centered groups. OPA (other people’s ammo) is as good as it gets.

What we gained from the session was that all three of the shooters have a better knowledge of applying what we had talked about at the High Power Clinic and they are a lot more familiar with the rifles they will shoot on Saturday at the CMP Games Match.  They finally got to make them go BANG!

All three Juniors were able to easily shoot 10-ring sized groups, load and unload the rifles safely, change magazines smoothly and improve the skills they need for a live match.  Even with the rain, it turned out to be a good day.

We hope to see everyone Saturday for the CMP Games Match!

FWRR At Camp Perry

FWRR Members Carl Johnson, Dean Didion, Marty Didion and Denny Shook grace the entry page to the CMP Clubs web page. We believe that this picture dates to 2009.

Check it out at thecmp.org/clubs/

This is the FWRR Club Team stepping out at the 600-yard line for the Rattle Battle. We’re not sure just who is hidden at the far end, but Brock Bell, John Halter and Mike Toscos are candidates for those last two spots.

High Power Clinic; May 1st

Is he going to get his thumb mashed?

Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club CMP High Power Clinic participants, held on May 1, watch closely as CMP GSM Master Instructor Larry Beardsley demonstrates the proper way to close the bolt on an M1 rifle.  All of the participants successfully demonstrated their ability to close the M1’s bolt and no “M1 Thumbs” were experienced.

“You keep your finger out of the trigger guard until you are on your target…”
“Getting ready to close the bolt; watch closely now”

CMP Games Match – Saturday, May 8th

It’s Shooting Season again!

This Saturday, May 1, will be the High Power Clinic for new shooters.  Normally we would shoot a Garand Match as part of the Clinic, but after doing this a number of times I have figured out that trying to do both on the same day makes me hurry through the class and skip some things I want to cover – or run too long with the class and then I have to hurry through the match.

Saturday 8 May, our normal second Saturday Match, will be a CMP Games Match this year.  It will be shot in the Garand Match format; 5-sighters and 30-shots for record at 200-yards.  I am going to reserve the first two relays for the new shooters who attended the Clinic so we can work with them as they shoot their first match. 

Experienced shooters will be squadded on Relays 3 and higher.  This is a re-entry match, and as usual we will have entry categories for just about any high power rifle you want to shoot.  Bring as many rifles as you want to!

Match fees are $20 for FWRR members or members of affiliated clubs, $25 for non-members.  The first re-entry match is a flat $15 for everyone and if you want to shoot a third match, that will be $10.

I strongly suggest that you pre-register for the match so we can assign relays and firing positions in advance.  We will be using the Silver Mountain Targets, so bring your tablets, smart phones, iPads or whatever for a scoring device.

There will be M1 Garands available for loan and M2 Ball ammunition is available for sale at $20 for a 35-round Match pack.  Contact FWRRHPDirector@aol.com if you would like to use a loaner Garand for the match.

Summer 2021 Range Mowing Dates

Mowing dates are subject to weather conditions.  The times when mowing occurs are a function of volunteer availability.  The main range is closed during mowing but the pistol bays will remain open.

Mowing Dates:

April 28                  August 4

May 12                   August 18

May 26                   September 1

June 9                    September 15

June 23                  September 29

July 7                     October 13

July 21                   October 27

Mark, Mark and Mike at Camp Atterbury

Mark Richard, Mark Walters and Mike King shooting in the rain at Camp Atterbury

Either these Old Guys are tough enough to shoot on a drizzly damp day – or they don’t have enough sense to come in out of the rain.

I suspect they just like to shoot that much – and they’re determined.

Addition: After I posted this, I received this in an email from the Indiana State Rifle and Pistol Association:

“Congratulations to Saturday Match Winner Mike King, 784-25 … .

That’s a 98% score – well into the High Master range!

Congratulations Mike

FWRR Receives 2021 CMP Affiliation Certificate

FWRR has been certified as a CMP Affiliated Club for 2021. This means that an FWRR Member can use their membership card to verify that they are eligible to purchase an M1 Garand or other CMP merchandise. Participants in CMP Matches who are not members may use their certificates of participation for CMP merchandise as well.

Saturday, April 10 – First 50/80 High Power Match for 2021

The first 50/80 High Power Match of the year will be on Saturday, April 10th.

This Match can be fired as either an NRA 50 or 80 – round Match, or a CMP 80 – round match.  It is an either/or choice, not both.

It will be fired on Silver Mountain electronic targets, so make sure your display device is working.  We will shoot with seven persons per relay – two relays in the early session at 9:00 and two relays in the late session at 11:00.

Registration for the first session will open at 7:30.  I will need folks to execute CMP Liability Releases since we are shooting as a CMP Affiliated Club.

First shot will be at 9:00 – we don’t get good light until then this early in the year.

Match fees are $20.00 for FWRR Members and members of affiliated Clubs and $25.00 for non-members.  Juniors under 18 are $15.00.  I will waive NRA processing fees for the first three matches so shooters can get the required 240 shots to establish a classification. Later in the year I will charge a $5.00 NRA Processing fee since the NRA charges that to put scores into their system.

I know the COVID situation has eased considerably since last year, but please respect people with possible susceptibilities and wear a mask while you are in the Clubhouse registering or just hanging out.

For more information or if there are questions, contact Larry Beardsley at FWRRHPDirector @aol.com

April 2021 FWRR Newsletter

A Winter Offhand Morning

April 2021 FWRR NEWSLETTER

FWRR Club Meeting

The next meeting of the Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club will be held on April 6, 2021.  Meeting Place:  New Haven Community Center, 7500 SR 930 East. (Enter at the east end of the building).  Meeting Time: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. (The building must be vacated by 8:00 p.m.)  Venue Restrictions: No alcohol or firearms on the premises.  Please try to attend as a quorum is required to conduct club business.  Attendees are asked to wear masks and to observe social distancing protocol.

Agenda: Standard meeting format.   Clean-up Day activities will be addressed under the heading New Business. Please feel free to bring up ideas for work that you would like to see accomplished or started on Clean-up Day.

Election Results

The Club election was held on February 2, 2021.  Election results are presented below.

President: Jim Sweeney

Vice President: Matt Hice

Secretary:  Mike Miller

Treasurer:  Martin Didion

Director:  Tim Wunderlich

Program Manager:  Ryan Brammer

Safety Officer:  Larry Beardsley

Events Schedule

The 2021 Events Schedule is posted on the FWRR website.  Members who have elected to receive the newsletter via USPS will find copies of the schedule enclosed with this newsletter.

2021 Dues

Members who have not sent in renewal forms, proof of current NRA membership, and fees have until March 31st to pay their dues.  Please note that a $25.00 late fee must now be paid.   After March 31st, delinquency will result in membership termination.  Terminated members must reapply for membership and pay the new-member initiation fee if they desire reinstatement.  If personal hardship prevents timely payment, contact a club officer who may arrange for dues to be waived or payment to be deferred.

Newsletter Editor

The club is still seeking a volunteer to serve as Newsletter Editor.  The editor is responsible for collecting inputs from club officers and ROs, preparing the newsletter, and distributing it via email or USPS (per member preference) two weeks prior to club meetings. Interested members may contact Marty Didion (martindidion4@gmail.com) to volunteer and/or to receive additional information.

Clean-up Day

Clean-up Day is scheduled for April 24th.   

Sad News

The Club has been notified of the passing of two members:  Alan Abramow and Mark Heuer. Alan’s membership date was December, 1999.  He passed away on July 3, 2020.  Mark, a member since October of 1996, passed away in January 16, 2021.  Please extend condolences to their families and friends.

Mowing Crew

Thanks go to the members who served on the mowing crew during the past year. Anyone interested in becoming a member of the mowing crew should contact Marty Didion (martindidion4@gmail.com) to be placed on the 2021 Mowing Schedule.  A mowing schedule will be posted on the club website sometime in April.  Typically, mowing is performed on Wednesdays. Dates may vary due to weather conditions and grass growth rates.

2020 New Members

The following individuals  became FWRR members at the February club meeting: 

Bryan Bankert

Jarrod Dietel

Aaron Kohler

Michael Loeffler

Ross Loeffler

Brian Meyer 

Mike Doran is a returning member.  Welcome, gentlemen!

2020-2021 Winter High Power Offhand Matches

HP RO Larry Beardsley reports that the Winter HP Offhand season closed Saturday March 13, 2021.  Twenty-three shooters participated in the matches.  Division winner season results are presented below.

TOP DIVISION
Shooter Number of Matches Aggregate for Matches Fired Aggregate (Best Three Matches)
Mark Richard (High Master) 4 1555-40X 1171-29X
Mike King (High Master) 4 1516-17X 1147-12X
Mark Walters (Master) 4 1474-18X 1111-14X
ANCHOR DIVISION
Shooter Number of Matches Aggregate for Matches Fired
Gary Mabis (Sharp Shooter) 3 1052-7X
Joe Freiberger (Marksman) 3 880-2X
Aaron Kohler (Expert) 2 644-6X

Sale Items

Shotgun Shells for Sale:  12 gauge and 16 gauge field loads and 16 gauge rifled slugs.  Contact Mike Miller at (260)  467-0640.

Winter Offhand Series Closes Out – Saturday 13 March

The Winter 2020-2021 Winter Offhand season closed out on Saturday, 13 March, 2021 with the final match of the season. It was a bright, brisk morning and as usual – the crew showed up ‘way before shooting time.  We had the range set up by 8:10 AM and at 8:15 we had a full relay, so the first 12 shooters went to the line and started banging away.

By 8:45 the first relay had completed their first string of fire and we had another set of shooters ready for the second relay.  We followed the usual sequence of shoot and repeat.  At 9:45 we were done and by 10:00 or so we had put everything away, replaced the moveable target frames and were ready to pack up and leave.  All that was left to do was for the Stat Office to run the numbers, count the money and figure out just who got what.

Winter Offhand pays half the match fees back as an award pot, with awards to the top three shooters in the Top Division (High Master, Master and Expert classifications) and the Anchor Division (Sharpshooter and Marksman classifications).  The total award pot was $246; $123 to each division. First Place paid $ 61.00, Second $41.00 and Third $21.00.  The division winners were as follows:

REVISION: Even at National Matches, the results are not final for 24-hours after results are posted to allow for shooters to review results and make protests. Well, I missed a score and a protest was made and upheld – so the Anchor Division standings were revised to add the score I missed.

Top Division

Shooter              # of Matches      Winter Aggregate       Best Three Matches

Mark Richards            4                      1555-40X                                 1171-29X

Mike King                    4                      1516-17X                                 1147-12X

Mark Walters             4                      1474-18X                                 1111-14X

Anchor Division

Shooter              # of Matches      Winter Aggregate       Best Three/Two Matches

Gary Mabis            3                           1052-7X                            1052-7X

Joe Freiburger           3                             880-2X                           880-2X

Aaroh Kohler              2                             644-6X                              644-6X

Thanks to everyone who came out and participated.  We had a good season in spite of the WooHooFloo/COVID mess and starting in April we will have our first 50/80 Match of the year.  I hope to see you there!

Concrete Target – Not a Good Idea!

I’ve been Safety Officer for several years now, and I thought I had seen just about every safety infraction, but I guess people are just more inventive than I give them credit for.  I was doing a walk-about at the range today and I saw something laying on the berm between the high power targets number boards and the pit area. 

I thought at first it was a piece of plastic that had blown off the burn pile, but when I went over – it turned out to be a piece of cast concrete that someone had used for a target at 300-yards.  They had hit at least once because it had shattered and there was spalled concrete scattered about.

Concrete Target, 10 March 2021
BAD IDEA!

This is a violation of any number of Range Rules and just everyday common sense!  For example:

Range Procedures

6. All firing is to be done only from the direction of the firing line toward the backstop. All projectiles must impact only on Club property!

Violations and Fines

Targets are to be placed so that bullets will impact the backstop. Bullets will pass over the backstop if targets are placed too high. Targets placed too low results in bullets hitting the ground short of the backstop may ricochet off the Range, especially when the ground is frozen in winter or packed hard as it sometimes is in the summer. If for some reason you wish to place a target close to the ground, walk up to the backstop and place the target at or near the base of the backstop.

Fine: $100.

PROHIBITED ITEMS AND OR ACTIONS

Hard metallic targets such as but not limited to gongs, bells, dueling trees, etc. are to be used only during Club sanctioned events due to the possibility of ricochets.

(Concrete blocks fall under this provision)

Any ricochet has the potential to shut down the range.

FINE:  $100.00

DUH!

March Pistol Match – Just What Did We Do?

The various Pistol Matches are not all the same format month after month. Folks often wonder “Just what do you guys do at a Match?” Well, here is a description of what happened at the March 2021 Match from Bruce Bunting.

STAGE ONE:    Red or Green     

This stage made use of 10 paper targets, five with a red head and five with a green head. Ranges to all the targets was 7 – 10 yards.  The shooter started with his/her back to the target area, weapon loaded, and holstered. Just prior to the start signal being given the RO randomly chose either Red or Green.

At the signal the shooter then turned, drew, and engaged the targets designated while proceeding into the rectangle. After engaging the initial color the shooter then regressed back through the rectangle while engaging the other color targets, 20 rounds, 20 hits for a perfect accuracy score.

With 20/20 we had two shooters, Dan Boyle and Tim Wunderlich, three shooters, Gary Walker, Brandon Carroll, and Steve Vinson scored 19/20 and Jay Wehrle and Emily Burdick shot 18/20.

STAGE TWO:   4 Target El Prez     

There were 4 targets in a line about 10 yards away. At the signal the shooter drew and fired 2x2x2x2, reload, 2x2x2x2. Score the targets and bring up the next shooter. To add some difficulty to the mix there were a couple of no shoot targets on a couple of the shoot targets.

The shooter did a draw practice and one reload practice. 16 rounds total for this stage. Only one shooter, Steve Vinson,  went 16/16. With 15/16 we had three shooters;  Tim Wunderlich, Jay Wehrle, and Emily Burdick. Bringing up my third place ranking with 14/16 were Brandon Carroll and Doug Burdick.

STAGE THREE: Accuracy      

This stage made use of three targets but no timer.

The shooter was focused on shooting accurately under different handling conditions.  The first part of the stage used strong hand only for all the shooting, the second part used weak hand only for all the shooting, and the third part used freestyle for all the shooting.   

Scoring was for points only. The shooter started in a shooting box located on the left side of the bay. At the signal the shooter drew the weapon using the strong hand only. The shooter then engaged a target located about three yards away, but covered by a no shoot target such that the only portion visible was the head of the shoot target.  From this same location the shooter engaged a second target located about 10 yards away with one shot only. The shooter then began walking toward the right side of the bay.

 Located in the middle were a pair of barrels.  While passing between the two barrels the shooter engaged a target at about 7 yards with one shot while moving. The shooter continued moving to the right side of the bay where a second shooting box was located. From this box the shooter engaged a target at about 5 yards with one shot to the body and one shot to the head.

The shooter then switched to the weak hand and reversing direction engaged the targets in reverse order with one shot only while using only the weak hand. Having returned to the original starting box the shooter switched to freestyle and headed back to the right, engaging the targets as before with one shot only but using freestyle for all shooting – a total of 15 rounds.

The shooter practiced one draw and one handed accuracy shooting. Given the handling difficulty scoring well was difficult for this stage. The best shooter was Ryan Boyle who managed to put 13/15 in the A zone of the various targets. Next best were a group with 11/15, including Chris Harmon, Steve Vinson, and Bruce Bunting. Then, with 10/15 were Adam Hyder and Terry Thoma.

STAGE FOUR: Tactical Reload Drill

Every now and then we have a stage with a different skill to practice rather than the standard “shoot the bad guys” stage. This was one of those stages in which the skill being practiced is the tactical or what I also call the no magazine left behind reload drill.

Since we shouldn’t know what is around the next corner the intent of this drill was to remove the most immediate threat, reload before moving from the safe location, and keep the partially spent or maybe even empty magazine just in case it is needed later on. This stage made eventual use of nine shoot targets spread out in three “encounter” locations.   Each target would be engaged with a minimum of two rounds so 18 rounds minimum would be needed. Prior to moving to the next encounter the  shooter performed a reload and then kept the spent magazine.

The shooter started in a start box, three magazines loaded with 8 rounds maximum (24 rounds maximum carried by the shooter), handgun loaded with one of the magazines, back to the most immediate targets, and in the surrender position. At the signal the shooter turned, drew, and engaged two targets (one at 5 yards and one at 10 yards).   Since this was an exposed location the shooter then moved to some barrels for cover and engaged another target at 10 yards. After engaging these first three threats the shooter reloaded, retained the magazine, then moved to the next cover position where another 4 targets were encountered.

These targets were from 2 yards to 10 yards. After engaging these four threats, the shooter reloaded, retained the magazine, then moved to the last cove rposition where the final 2 targets were encountered. The shooter could fire more than 2 rounds if desired but the best 2 were counted for score. The shooter practiced drawing, two tactical reloads, and the use of cover.

The distance to each target was not excessive but to add some level of difficulty a fair number of no shoot targets were present. A large portion of the group met the accuracy criteria. With 18/18 we had Tim Wunderlich, Brandon Carroll, Steve Vinson, Doug Burdick, Emily Burdick, and Chuck Glover. With 16/18 we had Ken Buckland, Dan Boyle, Adam Hyder, Ryan Boyle, and Chris Harmon. Finally, with 15/18 were Cody Wunderlich, Jay Wehrle, Terry Thoma, and Bruce Bunting.

STAGE FIVE:   BonusTime

This stage made use of four papertargets and one steel target. The steel target used was the new torso steel target we purchased last year. Two shoot targets flanking a no shoot target were arranged at 5 yards to the left of the shooter. Two shoot targets flanking a no shoot target were arranged at 8 yards to the right of the shooter. The steel torso target was placed 11 yards from the shooter in the middle.

The shooter started with 8 rounds loaded. At the signal the shooter drew and engaged the 4 paper targets with 2 rounds each. The shooter then reloaded and engaged the 4 targets with 2 rounds each. The shooter then engaged the steel torso target with 1 round only.

If the shooter hit the center cut-out area of the steel torso, 5 second bonus was awarded to the shooter. 17 round total expended. The shooter practiced one draw and one reload with this stage. Hitting all 17 “A” hits we had Steve Vinson and Emily Burdick.  Hitting 16/17 we had Brando nCarroll. With 15/17 there was Dan Boyle and Chris Harmon. And as honorable mention with 14/17 we had Jay Wehrle, Tim Wunderlich, and Doug Burdick.

It should be noted that Jay Wehrle was shooting with a handicap that day.  Jay came to the match with his strong hand in a sling and semi-rigid support. He did all his shooting one handed and weak handed to boot  –  but was still able to maintain high level of accuracy. Good work Jay!

Next month will probably be a different setup, so come out and join us!