April 2006 Newsletter

Match Report

It's finally springtime in Piru and a superb shooting day for a change. As expected, a bumper crop of shooters getting current on classifications. This in sharp contrast to the week before when only a hardy 5 souls turned out for the Rimfire Steel match. (see below) It was satisfying to see new ICORE members Fred and Sharon come up to shoot with us. They arrived early and also helped set up the stages. Thanks to both. Also welcome to new shooter Jaime who Cedric recruited. Some familiar faces reappeared - even Joe got a day off to come out and get current. An extended absence did not appear to hurt Mike's shooting speed as he finished 4th overall. Thank you to each and every shooter who took the time to come out and support the club.

The stages: CS-003 Bill Drill to the Third Power; Just like it sounds. 3 papers arrayed in very close spread. Starting with hands up, put 6 rounds only in each target with mandatory reload between targets. Emphasis on reloading and keeping your trigger finger from cramping up. Mike Denney claimed this Shots Limited stage with a fast clean run. CS-022 Phoenix Triangle; Three boxes and 7 paper targets arranged in two diagonals with 1 target centered at max distance to fill in the 3rd leg of the triangle. Standing with hands down, shoot the left diagonal, reload and shoot the right diagonal. Move and shoot the nearest 2 targets and the rear center one. Move to the last box and shoot the farthest targets and the center one. 24 Shots Limited rounds if you were counting. Derek was both fast and accurate as won by a comfortable margin. Fast Near & Far; Nelson's interpretation of the classic Far & Near. Shooter stands still and the targets are set at distance. Each target gets 6 rounds, so get the sight picture and just drill holes. Same shot count as F&N, but one continuous string. Optional to go prone for the lone 50 yard target. A balance of speed and accuracy which Derek solved best with his 28 x-count. Only his 50 yard target was shot without an X. New shooter Jaime didn't bring enough ammo to the line and ran out after the first 5 targets. Encouraged by RO Dan, Jeff loaned him a 7-shot clip and Jaime flopped down to complete the stage for practice only. CS-020 Vic's Brain Dead; A rare Shots Unlimited stage, designed to tempt the careless. 5 targets behind a barricade with a box half way downrange, 3 more off to one side. Start in the barricade box, holding on for dear life. Engage the 5 targets 2 rounds each, move to the side box and engage only the 3 targets with 2 rounds each. Move to the last box and each of the 5 gets a single round. Plus any "make up" shots. The 8 shooter crowd had an advantage on this as the first two boxes could be done with only 1 reload. Derek used this to his advantage with the top time. It would have been even faster without the reluctant round which forced him to cycle the cylinder completely around to get the last one to go bang. CS-016 Dam dem Feruns; Deceptively simple Shots Limited stage. Another barricade and a single box. Three targets, three strings. Simple enough - just shoot the targets 2 rounds each. First around the left, then around the right, then from the box. Oh, did we mention the distance was 25 yards? Hence the origin of the "Okie speak" name which translates to Far Ones. Art actually aimed while shooting fast to get the stage win with an A score.

Lost and Found - a handful of moonclips on Bay 2. If you can identify the ammo type and the moon clip round count you can reclaim at the next match. Ron W has them secured.

April Rimfire Match
Believe it or not, the April rimfire event actually happened. Early bird Ron J was turned away at 7 am because the skiploader had not yet made the road passable. Later arrivers found it bumpy and muddy at 8am but good enough and held the match anyway. Dan struggled across the wash with his 2wd truck - sheer determination and much wheel spinning was required to get up the hill. The 4wd folks had it a lot easier. By noon it was dry and nice. Hopefully we are going to see the rain diminishing, altho it is good for the ground water replenishment.

May Rimfire Match
Rimfire steel will be offered again on May 6. Our standard format with 3 stages of pistol/revolver, then repeat with an extra plate using rifle. Juniors pay only $5 so bring the youngsters. Newbies are $10 as usual. Regulars $15. A really good time and lots of fun.

May ICORE Match
Presently planned to have "normal" Far & Near plus the 4 stages from the original Feb match that Ron and Pete were going to run.

June ICORE Match
Last chance at Far & Near practice plus some challenging stages to get you tuned up for the IRC on the following weekend. On the 10th.

Stage Contribution Contest
A reminder to put on your match director hat and put in some stage designs for the remainder of the year. Each stage contributed and set up at a match gets a token in the annual drawing. Last year Dan walked away with a Franklin and Ron J got the Grant. The monetary reward is not much, but you earn the respect and admiration of your fellow shooters. That's of inestimable value. We look forward to a surfeit of stages.

Upcoming Championship Matches
SWRRC on April 22 hosted by Team Lopez.
Rimfire Steel on May 27 at Lopez Canyon.
IRC on June 16-18 at the Hogue Range near San Luis Obispo.

More Shooting in the Southern Cal Area
Hidden Valley Revolver Club Looking for a home . . .

Central Coast Wheel Gunners have monthly matches at the Hogue Action Pistol range in San Luis Obispo, the home of the IRC for 2006. On the third Saturday of the month.

Team Lopez has 4th Saturday monthly ICORE matches in the northern Los Angeles area. The morning ICORE match is followed by an afternoon rimfire steel event. Double fun!