Sun River
Rangers Shooting Society
Newsletter
May, 2011
Greetings,
With any kind of
luck, we’ll get to shoot a regular match before the State Shoot gets here!
We have
accomplished a few things between rain drops.
New RV parking spots: Thanks to Kid Colt for taking
his tractor to the range and leveling several RV spots between the gate and the
hotel. He also made and graveled a nice path that leads from the range to the
field above where shooters camp. This path is right behind the registration
building and will make it easier to walk from one level to the other and get
gun carts back and forth. Thanks again for a great job.
Gun Show: Thanks to all who manned the table at the gun show:
Sidekick, Deadeye, and Lil’ Skeeter each worked two shifts; Lil’ Elmer, Sister
Mary Margaret, Wapiti Willie, Wrangler, and Kid Colt each worked one shift; and Rascal J covered the whole day on
Sunday. I’m not sure if we attracted any
new shooters but at least we let folks know we’re here.
New Shooters Orientation: Despite handing out flyers at
the gun show, taking the flyers to Big Bear and Big R and placing an
announcement in the Thursday Outdoor section of the Great Falls Tribune, the
only guest we had show up for the orientation was Ryan Hall of the Tribune who
wrote a great article for us. I want to thank Jughead, Wrangler, Charlie
Whiskers, and Jeb’s Lady who showed up ready to help with any new visitors and
show them what our club is all about.
Target Sale: We once again will have some 5-piece sets of
targets to sell. We have had several
people express interest in buying old targets so we will selling the target
sets by written bid. If you would like
to submit a bid, please send it to PO Box 3665, Great Falls, MT 59403. Winners
will be contacted.
Long-range shoot: The next long-range shoot is
scheduled for June 4 and will begin at 9:00 a.m., depending on range condition,
of course.
Cowboy Shoots: Our next
scheduled shoot is May 28, the fourth Saturday and the first Sunday June shoot
will be on June 5.
Longest Day Shoot:
This shoot will be at 5:30 p.m. on June 24 and we’ll shot until we can’t
see anymore. Dinner will be a potluck
with the club providing hamburgers, condiments and table service. Please let Jeb’s Lady know what you plan to
bring so we can try to have a fairly balanced meal. Phone: 727-7625.
Range Work Days: We have work days scheduled for
June 25 and 26 to prepare the range for the State Shoot. We’ll begin about
9:00. Please bring rakes.
Board Meeting: The next Board Meeting will be June 15, 6:30
p.m. at the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Building in Great Falls. Everyone is welcome.
President’s Comments: At the last Board Meeting, it
was brought up that there was a comment at the Gun Show that the shoots are not
fun anymore. When we asked who made the comment and if they had been shooting
regularly, a name was not provided.
For the past five
years we have had the privilege of having two very dedicated Rangemasters,
Prairie Dog and Jughead, who have tried very hard to make our shoots fun and interesting
while adhering to SASS guidelines and safety requirements. We have on many occasions
asked at meetings and requested in the newsletter that any member who has an
idea or suggestion to please come forward. To my knowledge, only Charlie
Whiskers and maybe one other person has ever stepped up. We have continually
asked for ideas, suggestions and critiques.
We have heard several complaints but never from anyone who has been
mature enough to come to talk with us face-to-face, it has always been behind
our backs.
In the future, if
you do not make your complaint to me or a Board member in person and agree to
let your identity be known, don’t bother to complain. Your complaint will not be given any
consideration. If you are not an active shooter, meaning that you have shot at
least half the shoots in the past year or have volunteered to work at the State
shoot or to maintain the range, please don’t complain about the range or the
scenarios. If you are not an active member of the club, you have no right to
complain.
The Board and a few
of our active members have tried for the past five years to make the club a fun
experience for all. The thanks we have received are complaints, turmoil and
problems. If you are willing to come out and shoot with us, have fun and enjoy
the sport, we would love to have you. If
you aren’t, please join another club.
As always, if you
have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 727-7625 or 868-9737.
Jeb
Rangemaster’s
Corner: Just a note on stage design from the SASS Match
Director's Guide:
“The Bottom Line
for stage design is keep it safe, interesting, have some action, but not
strenuous or athletic. A good stage is a balance of action and shooting, with
the action well within the range of all shooting categories. Design stages with
the average shooter in mind – the top shooters will be competing at another
level, so don’t try to design the perfect stage that makes the average shooter
equal to the legends of the game. It takes greater skill to design a simple, challenging
stage than a complicated one. Complicated and highly “choreographed” scenarios
are not fun for most average shooters, and being complicated can lead into
unsafe situations for some. Most of us are just average folks, so never turn
your stages into an intelligence test – you shouldn’t have to have a
photographic memory to enjoy COWBOY ACTION SHOOTING™. And, after all, that’s
what we’re here for – to be safe and have a good time.”
As always, I'm open to suggestions. I
got an interesting one from J Bar on using the Texas Star so please keep them
coming.
Jughead
750-0132