HIGH POWER RIFLE MATCH SCORES FOR THE 100 YARD MATCH HELD AT THE SPRINGS ROD & GUN CLUB March 2, 2014.

Service Rifle Match

Dan Gruver M1A 80-0X 89-0X 89-0X 192-2X 450-2X

Doug Sheets M1A 78-0X 69-0X 90-1X 186-5X 423-6X

Terry Sadler AR 15 79-0X 86-3X 73-0X 180-2X 418-5X

Nate Hunter M1 Garand 79-0X 73-1X 80-0X 181-2X 413-3X

Chip Davis M1A 73-0X 72-0X 78-1X 188-2X 411-3X

Ed Wineland M1A 60-0X 70-0X 81-0X 162-0X 373-0X

Pete Mathews M1 Garand 61-1X 24-0X 85-0X 184-3X 354-4X

Ed Capello M1 Garand 73-1X 46-0X 76-0X 108-0X 303-1X

Wow! I thought March would bring warmer weather. It was COLD today, I don't think the temperature rose above 15 degrees all day! We only shot service rifle targets today due to the weather.

When I got to the club I said to myself “nobody is going to come to a match in this weather”. I got things unlocked and the walk shoveled and here came a pickup with Dan Gruver driving. That ended my thoughts of going home and back to bed. We got the lane signs,targets and clamps in the wheel barrow and moved down range and started to mount the stuff and by the time we started back to the firing line there were more guys getting things set up there. We ended up with five guys in the first relay. Once we finished the morning relay and were eating lunch, I again thought nobody will come for the afternoon relay and Doug Sheets walked in, then Chip Davis. Then Terry Sadler walked in just before 1:30 so the afternoon relay was on too.

I experienced what could have been a tragedy today. When I loaded and fired my last round standing the rifle went click. I ejected the empty and thought I hadn't reloaded – it was cold - and I wasn't on top of things as I should have been. I went down range and found nine holes in my target, another missed clue as to what happened. I prepared to shoot rapid sitting and my first round wouldn’t chamber, I tried several rounds and none would chamber. After monkeying around we knocked a stuck bullet out of the throat of the rifle! If that bullet had been lodged further into the barrel I would have been on the way to the hospital or worse! I now know what happened. I checked powder charge weights several times while loading on my Dillion Press, I'll bet I messed up and didn't get powder in the problem round. You can bet I will take note of this warning and pay better attention while loading.

In spite of the conditions Dan Gruver finally topped the 450 mark with what else, but a 450! There were a bunch of M1A's in .308 shot today and they were shot well. Ed Cappello did not feel well after starting out and his scores progressively got worse. Pete Mathews had the stuck bullet and blew it in rapid sitting, but recovered to shoot sixteen nines in slow prone. Is that a record? How about extra points for surrounding the ten ring?

Nate Hunter said that John Kolacz figured he needed the extra sleep and didn't show – he must have stuck his hand out the window and made that decision! He dodged a cold day!

Dave Dunkle apologized for adjusting last week's scores. It seems arithmetic is not some of our shooters best skills.

Thanks for coming. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you guys didn't come there wouldn't be a match. That would not be good!

Check www.springsrgc.org for scores.

See you April 6^th. I promise it will be warmer.