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Sporting Rifle High Power Match May 27, 2009
Pocatello Idaho May 27, 2009
Gate City Sport Shooting Association
We had eight shooters for our first match of 2009. Seven were among the usual suspects from 2008. Our new shooter was Ben Woods. Ben is a new First Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Before officer's candidate school, he was an enlisted man in the Army. He is reporting back to Quantico, Virginia at the end of the mouth. We all wish him good luck.
Ash's Mosin-Nagant 1990-30 is not a recent import. It has no country of origin stamping. In times past, the hand guard was shortened but the barrel was still 30 inches long. Last year he had shot it with iron sights and indifferent results. Ash was not put off by his scores because he knew his rifle had potential. He shoots his scoped air rifle well in air rifle field target, so he decided to scope the Mosin-Nagant. With an electric hand drill and JB Weld he mounted a scope and a new bolt handle, "It took me over 12 hours". With the rifle scoped, he arrived an hour early to sight in. He still had to correct a couple of MOAs during the match, but it all paid off. His scores in prone rapid fire and standing are competitive.
Over the 10 years we have been shooting Sporting Rifle there has been a steady shift from bolt actions of wood and steel to plastic and alloy. This shouldn't be too much of a surprise when you realize that the M-16 (and its variants) has been the service rifle for 40 years. Wood and steel has its place. The second place score was shot with a Ruger 77-22 in .22 Hornet.
In the last few years we have offered the option to shoot a .22 rim fire at 50 yards. This match Circe Selders shot a Ruger 10-22 with a 4X Nikon scope. Shooting the course with a rim fire is a good way to try out the course. In addition to shooting there is a social aspect to our matches. She can say "You got whooped by a girl" with a smile that makes it all good fun.
Next month we shoot on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday. The second Wednesday of July is our bolt action battle rifle match. This match is for bolt action military rifles with issue iron sights. Of course you can come with any rifle and get a place on the firing line.
David Read is a National Match shooter, he shoots 10 shot strings while the rest of shoot 8, so his possible score is 400 rather the 320 for Sporting Rifle. The four scores are prone slow fire, prone rapid fire, sitting rapid fire and standing slow fire.
| David Read | NM | 94 | 95 | 98 | 86 | total 373 | |
| Ron Gill | scope | 73 | 69 | 78 | 67 | total 282 | |
| Ben Woods | irons | 54 | 71 | 62 | 52 | total 239 | First irons |
| David Craven | scope | 78 | 75 | 64 | 59 | total 276 | |
| Ash Covey | scope | 60 | 71 | 43 | 66 | total 240 | |
| Troy Mahl | scope | 79 | 79 | 75 | 63 | total 296 | First scope |
| Joel Johnstun | scope | 73 | 62 | 69 | 57 | total 261 | |
| Circe Selders | .22 RF scope | 77 | 67 | 73 | 63 | total 280 | First .22 RF |