Gun club activities pick up pace in May

The Bigfork Gun Club is gearing up for a variety of events and matches for rifle shooters young and old.

“Beginning in May, we’ll have activities for fun, education and improved marksmanship throughout the summer leading up to hunting season this Fall,” said L.D. Gross, a member of the club’s board of directors.

“These will include high-power or center-fire rifle matches as well as various activities for smallbore or .22 rimfire rifles.”

Gross explained that high-power or center-fire rifles include the typical hunting long guns or any rifle caliber with cartridges that can be reloaded. These matches will be held once a month on the first Saturday morning.

Such matches will consist of 32 shots, fired from the standing, prone, and sitting or kneeling positions. Targets are paper, reduced military bull’s-eyes, with 6-inch aiming black at 100 yards.

Wednesday evenings from about 6 p.m. throughout the summer are reserved for small-bore events. Small bore refers to the common .22-caliber rimfire rifles.

“Ammunition is cheap and generally pretty readily available,” Gross said. “We’re using only .22 LR or long rifle type cartridges. We generally don’t use Stingers, Hyper-velocity or such things, nor do we use the new .17 caliber-type rifles.”

Rimfire events include steel silhouette matches on the first Wednesday evening of the month; a Dewars or 50-yard and 100-yard prone paper target match on the second Wednesday; silhouette on the third Wednesday and a 200-yard prone long-range match on the fourth Wednesday.

Depending on interest, the third Wednesday silhouette match may be changed to an International three-position event, Gross said.

Modest entry fees will be charged typically, with pots split between the club and winning shooters. Participants need not be club members. Mandatory safety briefings are held before each event, and National Rifle Association range commands and management will be enforced, Gross said.

For more information, call Gross at 837-6800; Tom Gash at 837-6052; or Alda Pierce at  aldap@cfl.rr.com; or visit the club’s web site at www.bigforkgunclub.com.