March 27, 2012

Greetings Everyone,

I am happy to announce the first match of the season for the Idaho Panhandle Practical Shooting Club, Inc. 

The first match of the year will be on April 21^st at the Shoshone County Public Shooting Range in Smelterville Idaho.

We will have 4 stages which will include a classifier.  Be sure to bring at least 150 rounds.  You can always take home what you don’t shoot.

Please come early and help set us.  Being a new club we need all the help we can get.

Directions to the range are as follows:

Take I-90 to Smelterville. (Exit 48)  Turn south.  Go until the 3-way stop and turn left (east) for about ½ mile and turn right (south) on Government Gulch Rd.   Drive up the canyon for 2 miles and you are there.

Match Schedule is:

0700 – match setup

0830 – registration

0900 – shooter meeting and stage walk through

0930-0945 – shooting begins

1400-1500 match ends 

March 6

 Our last match of the winter season will be held at Sharp on Sunday, March 11.  There will be four stages:  a classifier, a 24 round Repeatable Standards course, and two 24 round "run and gun courses".  Bring about 125 rounds.  Fee is $15 and we'll be out before noon.  Hope to see you there; doors open at 7AM and we're usually shooting by 7:30.

February 5, 2012

We will hold a Special Classifier Match on Sunday, February 12, 2012.  There will be four stages.  For those not yet classified in USPSA, the four scores will result in a preliminary classification.  Thereafter, the best six or the most recent eight classifiers will be used to establish your classification.

 Since USPSA charges us extra for the scores submitted, the charge for all shooters will be $20.  We decided to subsidize those not yet members of the Sharp Range - for whom we are charged $10 each - just to encourage greater participation in the classification effort.  This is our next to final match for the season (assuming decent weather in April), so come out and get classified! 

December 17, 2011

 Had a good match today, with 20 shooters.  Managed to complete four stages and clear the range by the imposed deadline of 11AM.  That's not easy to do, as shooters will attest!  Things have to go smoothly and everybody has to stay tuned to re-set duties and be ready when called in order for us to finish on time.  I appreciate the help of those who pitched in, especially  RO's and Score Keepers.  We'll improve our efficiency with each match.  Our standard will be to have the RO call out times and scores loudly and clearly, with the Score Keeper being equally loud and clear in affirming what was heard.  That way, the shooter knows what the call was and the Score Keeper knows that what was recorded was what was called.  It's helpful if the Score Keeper can total scores given, although there is no point in bogging down if things are moving fast.  However, by totaling, errors in assigned points will be caught and I won't have to guess later.  The speed of the match comes from the combination of fast reset, and shooter vigilance in preparing to come to the start-box when called.  Matches are a social event, too, and I don't want to discourage people from enjoying that aspect of the event.  However, be mindful of your primary responsibilities so we don't lose time.

 Thanks again and we look forward to seeing you all in January.  Haven't decided yet whether or not to run a special classifier match.  They are more expensive and can be slower, unless we use only single string courses, which are short and fast.  I will ask for input from the email group.  Stay tuned! 

December 8, 2011

 Our next match is on December 17, 2011.  That's a Saturday.  Doors open at 7AM and we'll  be shooting by 7:30AM in order to clear the range by 11 or so.  We'll plan for four stages.  Entry fee is $15, for those who are members of the Sharp Range.  If not, the fee will be $20.  The club is charged $10 for each non-range member, so we split the difference.  Hope to see you there!

 Also, since we're already looking forward to outdoor shooting with the Idaho Panhandle Practical Shooting Club, in Smelterville, Idaho, thought I'd post the probable match dates for next season so that you can get them on your calendar.  We'll start on April 21 (weather permitting) and follow up with regular matches on May 19, June 23, August 18, September 22, and October 20 (also weather permitting).  The Eddy Brown Memorial Metal Match will be held on July 21.  This is a trophy match, and will take up the entire range, as it did this year. 

 We all look forward to developing the Smelterville range to its full potential - which is considerable - so do plan to attend as many matches as your schedule allows.  More information regarding the matches, charges, start times, etc. will be posted as we finalize plans.