At the action of the Board of Directors of the Midland County Sportsman’s Club and in observance of Governor Whitmer’s executive order on COVID-19 the club is CLOSED until March 31, 2020.
As a result this match is canceled. If the club reopens in April, we will conduct the three Winter League matches (4th, 11th, 25th) planned.
Once again we had seven (7) shooters come out for a Winter Mid-Range Prone match. The weather was better than the last one by about 6 degrees F. Moreover, we noticed no COVID-19 virus beastie’s in the area. We did however, shake hands by banging elbows.
The conditions were very good for shooting with just a little drift noticeable. The high F-Open was Mike Ruhlman with a 390-15X. He was closely chased by Tony Dekelaita with a 388-11X. High Palma Rifle shooter was Ray Gross with a 399-28X. Leo Cebula was chasing Ray until he fired a shot on Ray’s target. Then it was time to test loads with the 85.5 Bergers. Velocity looked good, but can’t seem to get two of them to hit the same hole.
Notably, we had two new shooters, Dave Monette, and his son Jake. They fired F-Open for their first match. I suspect we will see a singular improvement when they come up for their second shoot.
This is the first results for the Winter Mid-Range League you will find. We tried to shoot once previously, but were snowed out (couldn’t see the targets).
Today we had seven (7) shooters. Frankly, we had a good time. The temperature outside was about 28 F. Inside we guesstimate it was in the 50’s F. No cold hands, stocking hats unnecessary, no shivering. Just a pleasure to shoot inside.
However, outside the winds of February were switchy enough to cause sling shooters to fire eights. The high F-Open was Tony Dekelaita with a 391-10X, High F-TR was Tom Fisher with a 377-8X, and high Palma Rifle was Ray Gross with a 393-21X.
Well, we tried. Under normal circumstances we would have started shooting at 9:00 AM. However, because this is the Winter Mid-Range we started at 10:00. Unfortunately, by 10:00 AM the snow had started, and after just a few shots, the targets were no longer visible. We waited until after 11:00 AM, and from the weather maps things were not going to get better.
The Midland County Sportsman’s Club will be running their annual Winter Mid-Range Prone League again this year. The matches are unlimited sighters, and twenty (20) shots for record at 600 yards on electronic targets (Shot Markers).
As in years past, weather will dictate whether or not the match will be run on any particular date. However, no longer will temperature be the primary reason that matches will be canceled. Due to the large tent we are able to fire on points three (3) to seven (7) from a heated tent. However, we will cancel in the case of rain to preserve the targets and electronics. Additionally, hazardous driving conditions may cause cancelations, too.
The dates chose are: February 1, and 29; March 14 and 28; April 4, 11, and 25.
Once again we will test Mother Nature, and plan a New Year’s Eve Rifle Match.
This will be a 2×600, and be fired from our heated tents on the 600 yard line. We will not cancel due to temperature (we ran at -5 F one year). However, extreme driving conditions could cause a cancelation.
We had a small turnout for today’s match. Only four (4) competitors. We were greeted with low 40’s and high winds. Aside from that, it was a pleasant shoot….
We had one each F-Open and F-TR, so those shooters are the high in their category: F-Open – Tony Dekeliata with a 386-10X, F-TR – Charley Hayes with a 374-8X. In the sling category (Target Rifle) we had two Luddites (using metallic sighted Palma Rifles). Ray Gross was high with points with a 397-17X, and Leo Cebula with high with “X’s” with a 396-18X. I guess you could argue that everybody won today.
On December 31, 2018 eight (8) shooters made it to the Midland Sportman’s Club for the annual New Year’s Eve Rifle Match. Unlike last year where the starting temperature was -5 F, this year we had relatively pleasant temperatures in the low 30’s, and inside the tent it was probably approaching 50 F (nearby the heater, of course).
High Sling Shooter was Ray Gross with a 397-21X. High F-TR was Tom Fisher with a 398-23X. High F-Open shooter was Tony Dekelaita with a 397-21X (I suppose we could be caty and mention that he was the only F-Open shooter, too).
That was our last match of 2018 (there wasn’t anything left of the year). We will likely begin the Winter league in March. The program and dates are available here: 2019 Winter Mid-Range Prone League Program.