Sat Jan 6 Business Meeting and Dinner, 5PM Heritage Cafeteria
Saturday Activities at Dalton Range – All Matches Start at 8AM
| Date | Range | Match |
|---|---|---|
| January 20th | Dalton Range | Reloading Clinic |
| February 17th | Dalton Range | Fun Shoot |
| March 10th | Dalton Range | Position Clinic** |
| April 21st | Dalton Range | Beginner’s Any Rifle |
| May 12th | Dalton Range | John C. Garand |
| May 26th | Dalton Range | Carbine |
| June 9th | Dalton Range | RimFire Sporter** |
| July 21st | Dalton Range | M1 Rattle Battle** |
| August 18th | Dalton Range | Bolt Gun |
| September 1st | Dalton Range | Garand Rules |
| October | Dalton Range | John C. Garand |
**These matches are tentative and could be replaced with other types of matches. See also swampworks for updates.
Our Match Direction, Steve Kemm, has come through in fine style, and we have essentially the same schedule of days that we had in 2006 for shooting at the Dalton Range. Thanks Steve!! Our next formal activity will be our business meeting and dinner in January. When we have a date finalized, we will announce it. Please watch the web page for news.
On more mundane matters, you are undoubtedly aware that. Steve Kemm had to do some fancy negotiating with the Conservation Department about our dates for next year at the Dalton Range. They informed him early on that he could only depend on 2 days for 2007 because of budget cuts. Even though things worked out just fine after all, it might be good to think a bit about the coming years. It feels like our honeymoon with the Dalton Range might be coming to an end. All that concrete must have cost a bunch.
In the long term it might be possible to hold matches at the Aim Rite Range in Miller, or the Marshfield Range (into which we poured over $1,000 and a good deal of elbow grease). Right about now the firing line at Marshfield would only accommodate a half-dozen shooters, whereas Miller can handle about double that. With some time, work, and money, we could probably develop a working relationship with the people at the Marshfield Shooting Club. It might even be easier if we all joined the club (strong hint). For a membership application for the Marshfield Shooting Club, send $60 to:
Kent Ward, Secretary
Marshfield Shooting Club
201 W. State St.
Nixa, MO 65714
I would like to reinforce the idea of using the Marshfield Club, because they recently got the lawsuit dismissed that was putting them in jeopardy of closing. The owner of the land has indicated that now that the lawsuit is done, he will deed the land over to the club. These accomplishments could go a long way towards making the Marshfield range a worthwhile investment for the future.
Of course, Leroy Kelley at the Aim Rite Range in Miller has been very cooperative with us, and I enjoy working with him and shooting at his facility.
In the very long term, is anyone interested in buying land and “investing” in a shooting club? I figure we could do it for about $200,000.
For most of us there won’t be much difference in 2007, given that our schedule is almost identical to last year’s, but even as we speak, Steve Milholland, our Membership Director and Web Page major domo, is being evaluated for surgery on this neck and spine, hoping to find relief from the pain caused by a very old whiplash injury. As Steve put it, they basically have to remove his head, re-align his spine, and then screw his head back on. It gives one pause to think of the pain, uncertainty, fear, and anticipation that must come with such a serious procedure. If all goes well, Steve will lose the headaches and pains that have plagued him for so long. Unfortunately, he will probably also lose the ability to shoot from the prone position. Of course, miracles can happen, and we should all celebrate with Steve when he becomes pain-free. As of now, there is no definite date for the surgery, but sometime around Christmas or New Years is a good guess for the date. Keep him in your prayers.
As you are undoubtedly aware, the Osage Orange web page hasn’t been updated in a while, largely because of Steve Milholland’s new job as the sole proprietor and manufacturer of JLK Bullets the best long-range bullets in the world. Being a sole proprietor means that when he isn’t actually manufacturing the bullets he’s traveling to places to talk about them with folks, or discussing their needs over the telephone. These things don’t leave much time for additional work on the web page. Steve and I have discussed it a great deal, and, at least for the short term, we feel we can get by simply by updating the match scores on a more regular basis. We believe that if I send him the match scores in a web-friendly format he can just post the file and be done with it. This we intend to do. In the very long run, though, if we can find a volunteer who wants to work assiduously on the web page and add new, interesting items, here is a job opportunity. We’ll pay you double what we pay him. Volunteers?
Shooters often get very comfortably set in their ways about doing certain things a certain way. Certainly your President finds it very efficient to always plan the same events and give the same prizes every year. But I sometimes get the notion that a little change might be good. During the past year, our participation has decreased significantly; we averaged 27 shooters per match in 2005 and only 22 per match in 2006. Our last John Garand Match had only 18 competitors, and I think we need to try a few different ideas during the 2007 season.
It is the hallmark of people in the field of education that we view change as improvement even though it is rarely the case that newer or different is better. But, on the other hand, all over the country, participation in the shooting sports is declining. I know we can’t change that in any huge way, but if we can just make a difference with one or two people close to us, just a person here and there, we can do our own small part. Think globally, act locally. So I am trying to think of things that will increase participation at our monthly events. In order to do that, I want to take two routes: first, make our matches more attractive to the current membership; second, make our matches more attractive to other folks who think they might want to shoot with us but haven’t taken the plunge.
I need your help to find out what might be improvements from your point of view in how we do things. Off the top of my head, I can think of two things worth talking about: first, the type of match we shoot, and, second, prizes. In the last three years we have had three very different prize schedules. We have had cash, medals, and paraphernalia given as awards for our monthly meetings, and we have had a couple of different medal schedules for our John C. Garand Matches. Finally, the change to our own “Classification System” seems to have been a success, and I intend to continue that.
But I would like to hear from members: what you think about prizes for our monthly matches? Do you like medals, cash, paraphernalia, something different, or nothing at all? From a match directors point of view, cash is the easiest, and medals are pretty easy too. The downside of medals is that, given our classification system, it is necessary to have on hand sufficient medals for all possibilities, which means that we generally have a few extra at the end of the year which go wasted. A medal generally runs about $5 or so, and we have wasted anywhere from 5-8 each year. Paraphernalia I think makes fun prizes, but if you don’t get something you like, you may disagree. Also, it is pain to purchase 50 awards per year and still try to be a bit creative.
The issue of prizes is one of compromise. We have tried to stimulate competition by giving more prizes and grouping folks by classification. But from a match director’s point of view, coming up with many prizes (say, first and second in each of 4 classes) each month becomes a logistical headache. Any suggestions you have will be greatly appreciated.
If left to my own devices, I intend to go back to medals this year and have them engraved with the date of the match.
For the John C. Garand matches, I intend to continue the same thing we did in October, which is give larger medals for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, and smaller medals for 4th, 5th, and 6th. (Our previous arrangement gave a variable number of gold, silver, and bronze medals depending on score, but we usually didn’t have high enough scores to give many medals. Giving 6 medals no matter what the score makes sure that anyone shooting a good score gets a medal, and a bunch of folks will medal…in previous matches we sometimes gave only 3 medals, and I don’t care for that.)
I have had more than one member mention to me that he liked the pure Garand matches or Carbine matches because it leveled the playing field. We have a significant cadre of shooters who are hard-core accuracy fanatics. We like shooting the AR-15 because it shoots a center shot more often than any other rifle. The genesis of our club as a CMP entity, however, was based on shooting the .30 caliber service rifle, and many of our members would like to return to those roots. I can sympathize with that feeling. I propose that one of our monthly matches be a turnbolt rifle match, and another one be .30 Carbine only. As in the past, we can share rifles, and I think we should enforce the use of GI ammunition at these matches.
I would like to have another .22 Rimfire Sporter match too, but the ones we’ve had were not particularly well-attended. I am open to all suggestions, especially so on the rimfire matches. Let me know what you think. Finally, we could turn one any of these matches into a formal John C. Garand Match, charge an entry fee, issue ammo, and give prizes. I have marked the June and July meetings (Rimfire Sporter and Rattle Battle) as tentative, because if there is enough desire for another John C. Garand Match, it would replace one of those matches.
The idea is to have monthly matches that our members want to shoot. I want you to look forward with great anticipation to the Saturday shoot, knowing that you will have fun and maybe win a prize. The worst thing that can happen is to have a member say, “I don’t want to shoot in that match,” or, “I’ll never win a prize.” Anticipation, hope, optimism, these are the hallmarks of human existence; these are what make life worth living. If we can do anything better to increase your satisfaction, let me know.
Finally, along the same lines, I am toying with the idea of separating the AR-15 (and M1A) shooters for prizes. The separation wouldn’t be as elaborate as a few years ago where we tried to keep track of every type of rifle used, but I think using the Osage Orange classification system ONLY for John C. Garand-legal rifles and the NRA system for AR-15 shooters might work out. In actuality, we usually have NRA Masters shooting the AR-15, or so few shooters in other classes that they would be combined into one class for prize purposes. I think it would work out. It’s really just a matter of how much record-keeping I can force onto our Chief Statistician (yet to be named).
In an attempt to increase participation in the John C. Garand matches, I propose that we give an M1 Garand rifle away as a door prize. Tell me if you think this is foolish. If we increased our entry fee to $40 and we had 30 shooters, we would break even. My guess is that if we advertised this match and the clinic far in advance, we could get a bunch of new participants. What do you think? Would a $40 entry fee get you in trouble at home? What if you went to a shooting match and brought home a “new” rifle; how will you explain that to she-who-must-be-obeyed?
Finally, what shall we do to increase participation at the clinic (currently scheduled for March 10)? Should we try to hold a match that afternoon? Should we try to move our clinic later in the Spring so we could shoot in the afternoon in Miller? Should we rent a hall one Saturday for the clinic and then shoot the match the next Saturday? Should we focus more on the basics of shooting such as slings, scopes, and practice drills? Tell me what you want.
The National World War I Museum (www.libertymemorialmuseum.org) has opened in Kansas City. Its single purpose is to educate people on World War I (even though ABC News called it a WWII museum in their story). It has been reviewed as the best interactive learning environment ever assembled on World War I, and I want to go see it soon. It is open daily except for Mondays, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. I think it would be worthwhile to take a field trip there sometime in December or January.
What do you think about a field trip to Kansas City for a Saturday? Those of us in Springfield can car pool. Upcoming Saturdays would be December 23, 30, or January 7. I propose that we meet in Kansas City at the museum mid-morning (at some agreed upon time between 9-11), do the museum (probably a couple of hours), and then adjourn for discussion and a late lunch at a local restaurant. You’d be home by 5 or 6 pm at the latest. If you want to do this, let me know which day is best for you
And Finally
We really will have new stick-on decals this year. Really, we will.
Most of this newsletter is pie-in-the-sky thinking out loud. None of it will get done unless you do it or make me do it.
I don’t know about you, but the winter is a tough time psychologically for me. I duck hunt a bit, reload for the shooting season, practice in my basement, and dream of warmer days. Like everyone, I have things I should do, but many of the things I want to do can’t be done for a few months. Consequently I consider myself to have a lot of free time to devote to the discussion of shooting and the Osage Orange Sharpshooters. (Other people who live at my same address or hang out in the same place I work would disagree with some of those assertions.) If you have something you want to talk about, something about which you feel strongly, something you think could make the club better, let’s get together and talk. I’ve got time.
If everything works right, the 2006 scores and 2007 classifications should follow along on the next page. Enjoy.
Any questions?? Contact… Bill Corcoran (417) 862-861 or send me an email