Links

- Rimfire Rifle Competition IR 50/50: Minnesota 2008
- IR 50/50 Match/End of Season Reports
- 2005 State Championship Report

Rimfire Rifle Competition IR 50/50: Minnesota

It is almost warm enough to begin shooting our rimfire rifles.  It’s been a long and cold winter, so we are anxious to get at it again.  We encourage owners of .22 LR rifles to come out and either shoot with us or simply watch to determine whether they might like to join the competition.  We will shoot at Gopher on these 2008 Saturdays at 10:00 am – April 26, May 17, June 28, July 19, August 30 and September 13th.  If you are going to shoot, there are a few restrictions for official competition, but we are happy to waive them for first time competitors.  We charge only $8.00 per match and do not require you to join any national organization (United States Rimfire Assoc.)  We encourage youth shooters, too and do not charge them the target fee!  See you at the range!

Direct your questions to Dale Ross (rossclan@hutchtel.net) or Ray Wight (rwight08@mchsi.com).

At Gopher, once each month, usually the last Saturday, shooters from around the upper Midwest gather to compete with their highly accurate .22LR rimfire rifles. Gopher Campfire is one of four ranges in the MN/WI area to hold matches under the auspices of the USRA (United States Rimfire Association) otherwise referred to as IR50/50 which stands for International Rimfire 50 yards - 50 meters.

Anyone can compete and we encourage new shooters at every match. Except for a weight restriction in the Sporter class (7.5#), most all hunting rimfire rifles will meet the USRA standards. These standards are listed on the below.

Dates for 2008 matches are:

April 26
May 17
June 28
July 19
August 30
September 13

We start shooting at 10:00 am and finish up around 1:00 or 2:00 pm.

For more information, contact Dale Ross (rossclan@hutchtel.net) or Ray Wight (rwight08@mchsi.com).

The Game:
From a sturdy bench, using a front rest and rear sandbag, fire 25 shots in 30 minutes attempting to place each shot in the center of a 3/8” circle. .22 rimfire only. Wind flags permitted.

Gun Classes:
Sporter: A repeater .22 rimfire rifle weighing 7.5#’s maximum with its scope. Scope magnification during firing must not exceed 6.5x. Stock must be wood, unpainted, and must not exceed 2 ¼” width. It also must be slightly rounded, not completely flat.

Bench guns: There are two classes, alike except for the weight limitation. Basically, these are single shot, bolt action target rifles with flat 3” forends. Classes are 10.5# and 13.5#, scope is unlimited.

When:
Saturdays April 26, May 17, June 28, July 19, August 30 and September 13, 2008 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm each day.

Sundays at Minnetonka Game & Fish – April 6, May 4, June 29, July 27, August 24 and September 7, 2008.

The State Championship will be held at Minnetonka Game & Fish on July 27, 2008.

Where:
Gopher Campfire Conservation Club - 24718 Co Rd 7, Hutchinson, MN 55350-5631 (see map)
or contact Dale Ross at rossclan@hutchtel.net.

Cost:
$8.00 per match or $20 per day (3 matches)

IR 50/50 State Championship Report - June 11th, 2005

Hi everyone,

Maybe we should rename this match, the Hip Wader Championship, considering the ongoing rain that deluged the Hutchinson area for several weeks before and even during the match on Saturday. There was somewhere around 2” – 3” of standing water covering most of the range making setting flags and hanging targets a sloppy mess. It felt like we were shooting across a rice paddy!

We had a great turnout for the 2005 State of Minnesota Championships, despite the correctly forecasted downpour on Saturday. Twenty shooters showed up from several states to vie for the title. The class winners for Yards were: Sporter – Herb Smith; 10.5# - Bill Zaborowski; 13.5# - Terry Collins. Dave Weier finished fourth in the Thirteen and a half class, second in the Ten and a half class and fourth in the Sporter to take home both the Two Gun and Three Gun trophies. Considering the humbling conditions, Dave did a great job of consistent shooting.

Sunday’s sky turned out a beautiful azure blue with nary a cloud to spoil it. Everyone was revving their engines expecting to need a near perfect score with high X counts to win. Wrong! This range has a finicky side that it loves to use to trick shooters. It used every bit of its diabolical nature on Sunday. There was even one former school superintendent who, having failed to add to his Hall of Fame points, threatened to buy a Harley, get tattooed, grow a ponytail and beard and give up rimfire benchrest forever!

Rising from his self-appointed sabbatical of a couple of years, Rod Gilsrud showed up on Sunday, found something telltale in his flags and proceeded to “whup up on us” pretty good. (I think he has been practicing!) Rod turned in the best Sporter score, the only 240, held on for third in the 10.5# class and scored a win in the heavy gun with a 245 -10. It was a foregone conclusion when the trophies were passed out, that Rod would carry out the Two Gun and Three Gun awards also. Winning the “If-Only-Bridesmaid” award for the weekend was Kurt Westfall from SE Iowa. Kurt finished second in the Two Gun and Three Gun on Saturday along with second in the Two Gun and fourth in the Three Gun on Sunday. If there was a Six Gun title at State matches, Kurt would definitely have carried it home.

As Range master, I would like to thank several special people who helped make our 2005 Championships successful. Dale Ross, our Gopher Campfire liaison and general second in command; Kirk Darrow for running all the timer clock starting/stopping chores; Judy, my bride of 40 years, for preparing and serving our delicious lunches; Larry Fatheree for helping out with scoring duties while I was shooting; Mike Krogman and Josh “Target Crew” Ross for wading out to pull targets. Thanks, to all of you and the others who pitched in!

Attached are the scores on Excel spreadsheets:

Ray Wight, Rangemaster

Last Updated: 11-26-2008