This one's a bit shorter than usual, but we wanted to get it out in time for the annual meeting. Also, we continue to report that we'll publish all match dates AS WELL AS match results. I didn't receive a single match results bulletin since the last newsletter, other than the match articles received from Harold. Come on folks, we all like to see how the matches go. A match results bulletin is nearly always prepared to send back to the competitors. Why not send me a copy to MSSA as well and get it published. Finally, you may not be inclined to write articles yourself; many people are not. However, you can always send a note telling a subject you would like to see an article written about. And as always, we like to get feedback. You can send comments or input for a future newsletter to either: P. Fitzgerald at [email protected], or B. Sliger at [email protected]
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Tournament Sponsors: Get those match dates turned in to MSSA if you want them published. Match results also--we will try to publish every match results bulletin we receive.
Next MSSA Meeting: The association's annual member meeting will be Sat November 8, 10AM, and the Board of Directors meeting will follow immediately. New Directors will be elected at the annual meeting, and it will be held at the Runge Nature Center, which is located on Hwy 179 just around the corner from MDC Headquarters, in Jeff City. All MSSA members are welcome AND ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND!!
Annual Awards Banquet: The annual awards banquet will be held on Sat November 8, 6:30PM at Viet's Restaurant in Jefferson City. Cost is $12 per person.
Newsletter: The next issue of THE SHOOTER will go out near the end of January 1998. The cutoff date for material to be sent to the editor & included is January 15, 1998.
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Bucksnort Range was ready with three recently added target positions for 36 competitors to fill the range. One competitor was even turned away. This was the largest SB match held at Bucksnort and one of the largest in the state for over 25 years. Included in the group were 4 ladies and 5 juniors, a good representation for these groups.
The competition began on Saturday with light to moderate rain falling. As there was minimal wind and the covered line was adequate protection for shooters and equipment, it was decided to start on time. Most of the first two matches were fired with rain falling. The rain eventually stopped and partly cloudy skies produced some quickly shifting mirage. The mirage contributed to numerous nine's being shot. When the 100 yard match was finally competed and the Iron Sight Aggregate tallied, Bob Crouch of Norwalk, Iowa had only dropped 3 points in 160 record shots. Right behind were three Missouri residents with 1596's. The best X-count belonged to Paul Villmer of Potosi with 122. James Schwarz of Ironton followed with 105. Sheri Volberg of St. Louis was in there with the guys, having 100 X's. With close scores like these, it is usually the shooter who can remain focused and minimize distractions who will prevail in the end.
Villmer is one of those shooters who can do this. He went through Sunday's Any Sight Aggregate without dropping a point. This earned him the honor of being only the second person ever to shoot a 1600 on Bucksnort Range. Needless to say, with others dropping a few points, Villmer was the tournament winner and the new resident champion. His 3196-254X is a new range record for a two day aggregate. Schwarz was second, 4 points behind, and Crouch was third with one less point than Schwarz. Ms. Volberg proved better than the other ladies and will be Missouri's latest Lady Champion. Rebecca Masser, a member of the UMKC rifle team from Kansas City will be the current Junior Champion.
It has been a tradition at recent SB State Championships to shoot a 200 yard Any Sight match on Sunday after the other matches are completed. This match is fired on the Highpower range using the pit operated targets. This allows for shots to be spotted by the target operator so the shooter is aware of where his shots are going. This makes a very fun sort of match without any fear of any foul-ups affecting the other aggregates. Sixteen of the 36 eagerly joined in this match. In the end, it was again Paul Villmer who came out on top with a 195-5X. There were several 194's to make it close.
There has been a small group of competitors, mostly in the Expert class, who had informally made a local chapter of "Sandbaggers International" (for the unaware, a sandbagger is one who always seems to have an average score just under the reclassification point). This group will need to undergo some reorganization as several of them did score high enough to move up in class. Names will not be mentioned about who went up, though it should be noted that Jim Schwarz is still chairman of this "Local."
It was a great weekend for shooting. The light rain was not too distracting or uncomfortable. It seemed as though everyone had an enjoyable outing at a shooting event. That is what makes shooting a great activity, being with great folks and doing what many of us enjoy, SHOOTING.
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H.R. 339, the "right to Safety and Personal Protection Act" is steadily picking up co-sponsors. Previously the pro-gun bill had 45 co- sponsors. However, thanks to gun owners calling their U.S. Representatives, six new co-sponsors have signed onto the bill bringing the total up to 51.
It is our strong contention that the more co-sponsors H.R. 339 receives, the sooner we can expect the House to take action on this pro- gun bill. Please call your U.S. Representatives at (202)-225-3121, and encourage them to sign on as a co-sponsor to H.R. 339.
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Meeting called to order by President McGhee at 10:05AM in the Runge Center. Present were Miederhoff, Chester, Corbett, Fitzgerald, Giarratano, and Leinberger. Grace Leinberger was a guest.
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Few people in the mainstream of competitive shooting have ever heard of these games, but they happen to be the second largest sporting event in the world after the Summer Olympics. This years games were held from June 27 through July 5 in Calgary, Canada, and had 8,100 registered athletes, a record. The games are held every two years.
The first games were held in 1985 in San Jose, California, and had 5,000 competitors. In 1999, they will be held in Stockholm, Sweden.
I competed in Large bore and Smallbore Rifle, and PPC Pistol, winning a Gold medal in Large Bore Team event, and a Bronze medal in Smallbore Team event.
Large bore was shot over a two day period using iron sights and a bolt action rifle in 308 Nato. The first day was 300 and 500 meters, and the second day was 300 and 600 meters. Smallbore was also shot over two days. The first was a 60 shot English match at 50 meters, with the second day being a 60 shot 3-position match at 50 meters.
The Gold medal our team won in Large bore rifle was for Division B (Marksman and Sharpshooters), while the Bronze we won in Smallbore was Division A (Experts and Masters). I have always been a pistol shooter at heart, but after experiencing the fun of competitive rifle shooting, I'm afraid I'm hooked, and am planning on going to Stockholm in 1999! That being the case, I am in the market for a good used smallbore rifle with iron sights. If you know of one for sale, give me a call...
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It was another great weekend to be outdoors on the rifle range. Fifteen competitors showed up at Bucksnort range to enjoy the mild fall weather and do some rifle shooting.
For the Iron Sight Aggregate, Steve Powell from Edmond, Oklahoma showed why he is considered a top college prospect with an outstanding score of 1108 out of 1200. This put him 16 points ahead of Charles Daniels from Lincoln, Nebraska. Among the residents, Jim Schwarz of Ironton was leading with a 1086. Len Remaly of St. Louis followed with a 1070. Paul Villmer was in contention with a 1051.
In 3- Position shooting, the lead can change quickly as the standing and kneeling position scores can be widely dispersed. Nothing strange happened on Sunday even though Remaly won with an 1101 to Powell's 1100 and Daniels's 1100. Powell had more than enough to take the Grand Aggregate with a 2208. For the residents, Schwarz came in with a 1090 and Villmer with an improving 1094 to make a close finish. Schwarz was dominant with a Grand Aggregate of 2176 to Remaly's 2171 for his first State Championship since coming to Missouri. Past Champion Villmer, could not overcome his low Iron Sight score to be a serious factor.
It should be noted that individual match winning was spread among 6 different shooters and 11 of the 15 competitors placed in their class in at least one match. Rebecca Masser, a UMKC rifle team member, earned resident Junior honors. this was her second in two weeks, as she did the same thing in the prone championship. Although the attendance was not as great as the recent Prone Championship, the 15 competitors was the best turnout in recent years.
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The following is the American Association of Retired People (AARP) position on gun controls as published in their Nov-Dec 1996 issue of Modern Maturity:
"For more than a decade the Association has urged the federal government to control the availability of handguns because their frequent use in violent crime. Handguns continue to present a serious threat to citizens of all ages. Every year more than 13,000 Americans are murdered by handguns, and medical costs to treat all shooting victims are least $2 billion annually. In addition, many older people have become virtual prisoners in the homes because of violence in some neighborhoods."
"Increased criminal activity involving automatic and semi-automatic weapons persuaded the Association in 1989 to expand its earlier policy to include these weapons. AARP's policy now reads: ' The federal government must continue to control the availability of handguns and semi-automatic and automatic weapons."
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Paul Villmer, a MSSA board member and "Distinguished" Smallbore rifle competitor, has recently accepted an appointment to the NRA's Smallbore Committee. This committee is charged with review of rules and search of methods to generate more interest and attendance at smallbore competitions.
A recently made innovation will be having the "Mentor" team matches at NRA Prone Regionals. This is a team match where a junior and senior (mentor) team up with a coach for the competition. This match was introduced at the 1997 National Championships and proved to be highly successful. The juniors seemed to be thrilled to shoot a team match with someone they consider an outstanding shooter. With a good coach for the team, the junior and sometimes the mentor have an opportunity for learning. The course of fire is the Dewar course with both 50 and 100 yard shooting.
Anyone with questions may contact Paul at [email protected].
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A course entitled "Refuse To Be A Victim (RTBAV) will be offered on Nov 8 at the Runge Nature Center, in conjunction with the annual meeting. The course is described as, "Common sense tactics to provide a good start for personal safety strategy. The three hour course discusses in detail the numerous safety measures and options needed to develop a complete personal safety strategy for home, phone, automobile, and physical security, as well as discussion on physical training, personal protection devices, and making a decision on firearm ownership.
There is normally a $20 fee for this course, but this particular presentation will be free of charge. The next RTBAV program will not be offered until Spring 98. Registration is not required but appreciated (and encouraged) for a head count.
The presenter is Lisa Ledbetter of Rolla, MO. She has a BS in Criminal Justice and Psychology. She is currently working for the Phelps County Juvenile Office. She became interested in this program after working at the Univ of MO - Rolla in the Police Dept and observing many female students become victims of attack by simply not having a strategy to be safe.
For more information or to register, contact Gracie Leinberger.
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Match results are shown below for a PPC pistol match conducted on Oct 11 at
the Busch Wildlife Area Range, Weldon Spring, MO.
Name 3 Yd 7 Yd 15 Yd 25 Yd Total
Mark Aubuchon 118-9 118-8 168-2 163-3 567-22
John Hrenak 119-7 114-7 169-6 157-2 559-23
K Braucksick Sr. 118-5 118-4 152-1 146-0 534-10
Don Panassow 119-4 117-5 166-2 111-1 513-12
Jon Hopson 89-3 90-2 168-3 157-3 504-11
Larry Greene 120-6 115-2 138-1 108-0 481-9
Paul Fitzgerald 115-1 102-0 147-0 99-1 463-2
Ken Meyer 117-3 58-1 133-0 150-0 458-4
K Braucksick Jr. 106-0 107-3 149-2 87-0 449-5
Chuck Vohsen 118-4 99-0 105-0 87-0 409-4
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I had a dream the other night I did not understand. There was a figure walking through the mist with a flintlock in his hand. His clothes were torn and tattered, as he stood there by my bed. He took off his three cornered hat, and speaking low, he said:
"We fought a revolution to secure our liberty, and we wrote the constitution as a shield from tyranny. For our future generations, this legacy we gave, in this the land of the free, and the home of the brave. The freedom we secured for you, we hoped you'd always keep.
But tyrants labored endlessly while your parents were asleep. Your freedom gone, your courage lost, you're no more than a slave in this land of the free and the home of the brave.
You buy 'permits' to travel, and 'permits' to own a gun, 'permits' to start a business, and 'permits' to build a house. You live on land you believe to be your own, but you pay a yearly rent, just to keep a home. Your children attend a school that doesn't educate, and your moral values can't be taught, according to the state.
You read about news in a very biased press, and you pay a tax you do not owe to please the IRS. Your money is no longer made of silver or of gold; you have traded your wealth for paper, so your life can be controlled.
You are just a number, there's no family honor that you hold. You've given government control to those who do you harm, as they padlock your businesses and steal the family farm.
Can you regain the freedom for which we fought and died? Or don't you have the courage or the faith to stand with pride? Just what would you fight to save? Are you sick of being just a government slave?
Sons of the Republic, arise and take a stand! Defend our Constitution, the supreme law of the land. Preserve our great republic, and each God given right! And pray to God to keep the torch of freedom burning bright."
As I awoke he vanished in a mist from whence he came. His words were true, we are not free, and we have ourselves to blame. For even now as tyrants trample our God given rights, we only stand and tremble, too afraid to stand and fight.
If he stood by your bedside in a dream while you were asleep, and asked you what had happened to the rights he died to keep, what would be your answer if he called out from the grave? "Is this still the land of the free and the home of the brave?
by Karl (Two Hawks) Burdick and a friend.
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It has been widely reported that the CMP will raise the price of their M-1 Garands from $310 to $400 starting in September 1997. However, they have recently issued a letter that the price will remain at $310 until Jan 1998. So get those forms filled out and sent in if you want to get your M-1 at the old price.
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At the Oct 3rd Long Range Highpower match at Marshall, Dennis Ludwig, Bill Ingalls, and myself performed a demo on shooting black powder cartridge rifles at 600 yards. The purpose of the demo was to show the folks at Marshall that the old smoke poles can really shoot at longer distances, without raining bullets on the people in the pits.
We went out on Friday which is used for sight-in day prior to the match. Bill and Dennis each used C. Sharpes rifles in 40/65 caliber. About 15-20 rounds were fired by each shooter, and in general they were able to hold 8-ring. It only took a couple of shots from each to find the target black, as each shooter has fired previously at 600 yards in the National LRBP matches in Raton, New Mexico.
Phil Daniels assisted with spotting and pit duty, and Phil reported that the sounds in the pit from the slow moving slug were quite a bit different than those from highpower centerfire rifles, which give a distinct "zing." The blackpowder slugs gave a splat when they hit the target.
The demo was part of the preparation to hold a full course Long Range Black Powder (LRBP) match at Marshall in the fall of 1998. The proposed match will be NRA Registered, and fired at the same targets as is used for highpower, and at the same distances; standing at 200 yards, sitting with cross sticks at 300 yards, and prone with cross sticks at 600 yards. The match will be a 60 shot event, with an additional 20 shots fired at 600 yard prone (probably). Most likely the event will be structured much like high power matches are done, with the range being open on Friday for sight- in and finding zero's, and the match being conducted on Saturday. However, since all of the shooting is done slow fire, and with the potential of four relays, after allowing the time prescribed in the NRA rule book for each stage, it is unlikely that all of the Individual matches will be completed on Sat with Team matches on Sun. For this reason, most likely we will not have team matches; instead, shoot the 200 and 300 on Sat, with 2 matches of prone fired on Sun. Watch for more on this match in future issues of THE SHOOTER.
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(Note: the following quotes were taken from an article in The Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Assoc, The Bullet Trap, July-August, 1997.)
I've been reading a lot of articles lately on the growing swell of people (AND THE MEDIA!!) who are distorting what the 2nd Amendment means; namely, that it doesn't really guarantee "individuals" the right to own their own firearms, but rather, applies to organized military groups. Well, let's take a look at what some of the founding fathers said, and see if we can tell what it was they meant when they wrote the 2nd Amendment:
No free man shall be debarred the use of arms - Thomas Jefferson
The Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms - Samuel Adams
Little more can reasonable be aimed at with respect to the people at large than to have them properly armed - Alexander Hamilton
Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - James Madison
The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun - Patrick Henry
I don't know about you, but it seems pretty clear to me what they meant when they penned the 2nd Amendment.
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