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Fun Shoot By State Discussion Gate > Idaho Fun Shooting Events

Pocatello Airgun Shoots 2016 Schedule and descriptions

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I_like_Irons:
For all those in the South East Idaho region, the IAFTC (Idaho Airgun Field Target Club) hosts much more than a monthly field target match.  Our policy is that anyone is welcome to shoot.  If you don't have a suitable rifle or pistol of your own, but show up, you will find one thrust into your hands at some point, along with a bunch of pellets.   :D

Schedule

All matches are held at the Gate City Shooting Sports Association (GCSSA) Oregon Trails Shooting Range, and a complete schedule of all shooting events are available on its website here: http://www.gatecityssa.org/calendar.html  There is a map to the range on that site as well.

We hold an informal monthly indoor 10 meter match along with the English type bell target at 7 and 10 yards.  These are held on the second Thursday evening of each month throughout the year.  Set-up starts at about 5:00 pm, and usually goes to about 8:30. 

During the winter months and rainy days, we hold a second indoor match on the fourth Thursday.  During the late spring through early fall and good weather, this day is for outdoor benchrest matches, a speed silhouette shoot, and others as more interesting targets and games become available.  Rimfire rifles are also shot in these outdoor events as well.

A reduced NRA type Sporting Rifle match is going to be held on the first Thursday and the Friday following the third Thursday since the third Thursday is reserved for the GCSSA monthly meeting.   These matches will start on May 20, 2016 and run twice a month through Sept. 1, 2016.  Rimfire and airguns are shot at 50 yards while centerfire rifles shoot at 100 yards.

The first Saturday of the month is our Field Target day throughout the year.  However, if the weather is bad, we tend to go indoors to shoot 10 meter games.  Set-up begins at 8:30am after during daylight savings time, and 9:30am the rest of the year. 

Description of events

Indoor games

Ten Meter Rifle and Pistol are street clothes matches.  That is, your fancy shooting coats and pants are welcome but you might get teased a bit if you wear them.  Also, commentary from the gallery while shooting is encouraged so long as it is not malicious.  This is true with the bell target matches as well.  All shooting is done off hand.  Suitable accommodations are made for those with disabilities like allowing one to sit upright in a chair instead of standing up.

The rifle match is generally 20 shots:  two shots per bull on a AR-5/10 target.  The pistol match is 30 shots on the B-40/4.  The upper left bull is for unlimited sighting shots while the record bulls are shot at 10 times each.  There are no formal time limits, and range breaks occur at natural rhythms. 

Bell Targets are set at 10 yards and 7 yards.  Six shots are fired then scored at each range.  Shoot-offs are done to break ties (which happens often).   The 5 ring is a 3/8" diameter hole in which a bell is rung if the pellet goes through the hole.  Each successive scoring ring is engraved at 1" diameter intervals.  half or more of the pellet must go through the hole or into the scoring ring to score the higher value.  After scoring, the target is repainted with a non-drying paint.  With round nosed pellets the center has a well defined white spot.

Here is our club record.  It is a 30 at 7 yards which has only been shot once.  There  have been a couple times where it was close but one pellet showed a bit of a center mark. 



Iron sights should be used on all targets except for the 10 yard bell target.  That distance came about when we started the game because most of us had scoped rifles.  However, we almost all shoot that longer distance with irons now.

Other games are sometimes shot instead, especially on a Saturday in place of our Field Target Match.   We have shot  poker matches, silhouette, and even small field targets.  The field targets need to be placed in boxes to contain the lead splatter, so we do not do this often.

Outdoor Airgun and Rimfire

Benchrest matches using the green USBR targets are shot with airguns at both 25 and 50 yards.  The USBR rules are generally followed but not to the letter, especially with respect to time limits.  Rimfire rifles (or pistols if one chooses) are shot at the same target at 50 yards.  So far, no one has shown up with a centerfire rifle to do this but we would put the target out at 100 for them if they ever would. 

Airguns shoot two cards one at 25  the other at 50 yards.  Most  airgun shooters shoot a third rimfire card at 50 as well.  Those who exclusively shoot rimfire can generally shoot up to three cards.

Our range has some very strange wind conditions, and we lack wind flags.  This makes for lower scores, but a more interesting shooting experience. 

Silhouette Speed Shooting was introduced to us at the Extreme Benchrest Match.  The idea is to start with unloaded rifles and magazines, then knock down 16 silhouette targets as quickly as you can.  Our club currently is using the original distances of 60 yards for the Rams, 50 yards for the Turkeys, 40 yards for the Pigs, and 30 yards for the chickens.  The targets are the standard 1/5th scale rimfire silhouette size.

Texas Star is a newly acquired target by our club president.   How we are going to incorporate this airgun rated target is still undetermined.  However, the idea is to shoot off all the points (weighted plates) of a rotating star.  As the plates are shot off, the balance changes and the star starts rotating.   This is generally a timed game, but many variations exist, including number of full revolutions. 

Sporting Rifle

Sporting Rifle started out as a "deer rifle" friendly version of the NRA highpower rifle match. Like the parent match, one shoots in the following stages:  Standing Slowfire (one minute per shot); Sitting or Kneeling rapidfire (30 seconds for four shots and is repeated), Prone rapid fire (same procedure as before); and Prone Slowfire (one minute per shot.)  Eight shots are fired at each stage which is 32 shots for record.

The target used for centerfire rifle is the SR-1 at 100 yards for all stages. Rimfire and airguns shoot a 1/2 scale version of the SR-1 that we have printed locally on the reverse side of the SR-1 repair center targets.

Our club reverses things a bit.  We start with  Prone slowfire sighting shots.  Generally, five minutes is given for five (or more) shots at the beginning.  If more time and shots are required we accommodate, especially with shooters new to the game.  Once that stage is complete, new targets are posted and the bit more formal part begins.

Shooters are called to the line for Prone Slowfire.  Once it appears that everyone is in position, the traditional commands are called:  "Shooters, this is Prone Slowfire."  "You will have eight minutes for eight shots." "Shooters, with one round load."  "Is the line ready."  "The line is (is not) ready."  "Ready on the Right?"  "Ready on the Left?"  "All ready on the firing line."  "Commence firing." When the time limit is reached or everyone is done then "Cease Fire." is called. 

Following that the line break commands are made: "Make the line safe."  "Safety flags in Place."  "Is the line clear?"  "The line is Clear."  "Move forward and score the target to your right/left." (The target scoring is alternated between left and right between stages.)

Targets are scored, and new ones posted and pasted as needed.  Then the process is repeated for the rapid fire stages with the following changes. 

The changed commands for the rapid fire is: "Shooters, this is Prone(Sitting or Kneeling) rapid fire." "You will have 30 seconds for four rounds." "Shooters, with four rounds load." (Rapid fire for Sporting Rifle has the competitors start with loaded rifles and in position.  This is unlike the parent version which starts with rifles out of the shoulder and loaded magazines grounded or on the shooting stool.)  Thirty seconds are allowed for the four shots.  "Cease Fire." is called after the 30 seconds.  Note that shooting and the time does not start until the "firing" part of the command is given.  Once the first 4-shot string is completed, then the process repeats for the second 4-shot string.

The Standing Slowfire is pretty much the same as Prone Slowfire. 

One thing to note: There are an additional time schemes to make rapid fire accessible to those with singleshot rifles and spring guns.  Also, there is different target if you want to shoot a centerfire handgun.

The Maryland Challenge is something that we are going to try to add to this at the beginning before the sporting rifle match.  This consists of shooting 20 shots within two minutes on a reduced silhouette target at 50 yards.  It is supposed to be shot with iron or non-magnified red dot sights.  However, for this we will separate scores for those with scopes.  That is, scopes shooters will compete with  each other, while those with dots or irons will do likewise.

Fees

For all the matches listed above (not all those on the GCSSA calender, but just the ones for the IAFTC and Sporting Rifle clubs) is $5.00 per month.  Yes, you can shoot all these events I've described for only $5.00 a month plus $3.00 each day if you are not a GCSSA member.   The GCSSA range charges $3.00 for each day to offset insurance costs if you are not a range member.  However, the GCSSA range membership of $50.00 per year eliminates this additional charge.
 

UCChris:
I'm three hours south in Utah, but I'd love to come up once or twice to do the benchrest shooting. Are Utahns welcome?

I_like_Irons:
Besides Utahans we sometimes get folks from Montana.  Everyone is welcome, including my brother who comes up from Utah occasionally to shoot in the sporting rifle match.

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