2006 August Gazette

IMPORTANT MEETING

SEPTEMBER 19, 2006

As many of you already know, the Board of Directors have been negotiating with a developer that has purchased the 98.6 acres to the west and north of our 18-acre original shooting range. These negotiations began February 2003 and in July of this year we agreed on the terms of an agreement with the developer.

In the regular meeting on September 19th, the Board will present the terms of the agreement and explain what OMGC has to do to meet our commitment of the agreement. The Bylaws of the Orchard Mesa Gun Club REQUIRE THAT THE MEMBERSHIP APPROVE THIS AGREEMENT. You need to attend to cast your vote!!!!

Also an update on the berm placement and potential time frame for the construction of these berms, will be covered. During the construction of the berms, the current range will be CLOSED.

Tentative plans to begin development of the 3.5-acre parcel that was recently purchased will be discussed. Your comments are welcome and encouraged.

Plan on being at the meeting September 19, 2006 to understand and to vote on the future of the Orchard Mesa Gun Club!

OMGC Board of Directors; Tom Matthews, Lee Boren and Russ Weber

COMBINATION CHANGE

The combination on the locks at the range will be changed on September 1^st 2006. Somewhere within the confines of this publication in parentheses and in italics is the new combination.

MUSINGS OF THE PRESIDENT

On Saturday, June 17, I find myself sitting in my favorite chair, having coffee and reading the paper. Then I wonder what is happening at the OMGC range. I see where a Light Rifle Match is being held.

Not knowing much about the Light Rifle Match, I decide to run out and see what goes on. Upon arriving, I find that Allan Chicon (Light Rifle Coordinator) has everything set up. The participants begin to arrive.

I am amazed at the fun these people are having, shooting 22 RF at various positions. Not thinking to bring my 10/22, I just watch. Next year, however, I intend to participate and urge you to do the same in any or all of the sponsored matches.

Irv

President OMGC

CONCERNING SAFETY

It really should be the concern of every single member of OMGC. It should be so much of a concern that members will not violate the rules of the club and will not allow visitors or other members of the club to violate these safety rules.

One Saturday I was out at the range doing some shooting in the old pistol pit. What do you suppose I found down range? An old tire and rim that had obviously been used as a target. It has been a rule at OMGC that steel & Junk are not allowed in the pistol pit, Who is it that flagrantly violates the rules, showing a complete lack of consideration of the other members of the club and club property? Who is it that figures that the OMGC range property is just as good a place as any other to dump old junk that they are too lazy or cheap or both to haul out to the landfill?

NRA MEMBERSHIPS

It is imperative that all Orchard Mesa Gun Club members maintain their NRA membership. In order to make this easier for club members, OMGC has joined the NRA recruiter program. You can renew your NRA membership when you renew your OMGC membership. If you choose to renew your NRA membership through the OMGC, OMGC will reduce your NRA dues by $5.00. In order to take advantage of this option, when your OMGC renewal notice is returned to us please include $30.00 to cover your NRA membership . ( ****) If you wish to change magazines make a note on the OMGC renewal notice. Remember that only the bottom 1/3 of the renewal notice needs to be returned, please keep the rules section for your recollection & review. Please include a mailing label from your NRA magazine or a copy of your current NRA membership card. These contain your NRA membership number, which will smooth out the renewal process when included on the NRA renewal form.

Badges MUST be worn on your person when using the OMGC range.

ORGANIZED MATCHES OFFERED AT THE OMGC RANGE

CHECK YOUR CALENDAR AND PARTICIPATE

LIGHT RIFLE

Each year the Orchard Mesa Gun club sponsors a Light Rifle Tournament for .22 caliber rimfire rifles, held in accordance with NRA Provisional Light rifle rules. Designed to encourage participation in competitive target shooting, the match is limited to .22 caliber rifles, weighing less than 8 ½ pounds and having a trigger pull not less that two pounds. Each match consists of a total of 60 rounds shot at 50 yards; 20 rounds in each of the prone, kneeling and off-hand positions.

HIGH POWER

The club conducts a series of High Power Matches approved by the NRA. The National Match Course; reduced to 200 yards. This is a four stage 50 shot match with sighters; standing slow fire, sitting rapid fire, prone rapid fire and prone slow fire. Competitors will be placed in one of five classes depending on their scores. Shooters can become eligible to purchase M1 Rifles and other products through the CMP by participating in these matches.

HUNTER BENCHREST

This is a informal non-sanctioned benchrest competition using bullseye targets. 50 shots total; 25 at 100 yards and 25 at 200 yards. Sighting targets are provided. The limits are no rifle over .30 caliber and maximum 6X scope.

AXIS VS ALLIES BATTLE RIFLE

This is a informal non-sanctioned match. 40 shots at 200 yards using only unmodified military rifles. Scoring is by hits in the 13-inch bullseye target. Shooters are allowed and encouraged to wear military uniforms and gear.

SCHUETZENFEST

This modern day match is a near reenactment of the great rifle matches of 100 years ago. Shot at 200 yards using strictly plain base cast bullets and single shot rifles, it requires patience, precision techniques and a steady off-hand stance.

JUNIOR SHOOTERS

OMGC sponsors a Junior-shooting group that shoots from September to May. The group meets at the DOW Hunter Education range. From Memorial Day to Labor Day the 4-H shooters use the outdoor range every Wednesday evening. The Mesa County Fair shooting competition is held in July during fair week.

THE FOUR BOXES OF FREEDOM

SOAPBOX, JURY BOX, BALLOT BOX, & CARTRIDGE BOX

AT THE JULY MEMBERSHIP MEETING

Lee Boren made the following motion:

Orchard Mesa Gun Club Shall increase its membership dues at the following rate: Regular membership will be elevated by $20.00, and associate membership be elevated by $10.00. These increases are to be made effective on August 1 ^st 2006.

Al Chicon seconded this motion.

There was much discussion of the dues increase.

Motion passed by a show of hands with only one or two members present voting against the motion.

“ A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Second Amendment to the Bill of Rights,

United States Constitution.

WWW.OMGunclub.org

WWW.Packing.org

WWW.NRA.org

OMGC RANGE SAFETY RULES

These rules apply to all persons on the range, irrespective of the location on the firing line.

This means that the pistol pit will comply with the listed range safety rules.

No person will go forward of the concrete firing line before declaring that the “LINE IS SAFE “ and all people at the firing line have acknowledged that the LINE IS SAFE.

The LINE IS SAFE means the following:

x All Firearms are unloaded.

x Bolts are open, slides are open or lever action are open.

x ALL magazines are empty or removed from firearm.

x Only after this is done, can the person responsible for the firearm acknowledge that the LINE IS SAFE

After the line is acknowledged to be safe. NO PERSON SHALL TOUCH A FIREARM for any reason! This includes putting firearms into a case or removing from a case. All firearms shall remain holstered or remain “as is” on the bench.

After all persons have returned to the firing line, one person shall yell “MAKE THE LINE HOT”. Each person on the firing line, responsible for a firearm, shall acknowledge that the “LINE IS HOT” . Only after ALL persons on the firing line have complied with the acknowledgment, may persons handle their firearms and commence firing.

No firearm shall have shells in the chamber, magazine or cylinder, except when the LINE IS HOT and in the actual firing position.

MUZZLE CONTROL: Always keep the barrel pointed in a safe direction. Recommended position is UP for both handguns and rifles when carrying and pointed down range when at the firing line .

Always keep your finger of the trigger until ready to fire at the firing line.

These Safety Rules are in effect at all times, unless a Match or Range Officer at a scheduled event or match deems that different accepted safety rules shall be in effect for the duration of the event or match. The Match or Range Officer shall make all participants aware and acknowledge the Safety Rules for the duration of the event or match. The Safety Rules for the event or match shall be posted at three (3) or more locations in the firing line for the duration of the event or match.

When any of the safety rules are violated, club members are obligated to report the violator’s name and/or vehicle license to any club officer or to the club in writing at P.O. Box 4354, Grand Junction, CO 81502-4354.

PISTOL PIT REGULATIONS

All firing must be done from the firing line.

Position targets so that you are shooting from the firing line; NOT IN FRONT OF THE FIRING LINE!

PISTOLS OVER .44 MAGNUM ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE PISTOL PIT.

Pistols with a caliber larger that .44 magnum, i.e., 454, 50AE, etc. are required to fire at distances of 50 yards or more on the rifle portion of the range .

ABSOLUTELY NO LONG GUNS OF ANY CALIBER OR GAUGE IN THE PISTOL PIT.

(If you are present with one, it is assumed that you are in violation of this regulation)

SHOOT ONLY AT APPROVED TARGETS! NO GLASS. NO METAL TARGETS OF ANY KIND. NO JUNK. NO ROCKS. Pistol shooters are allowed to place metal targets at firing positions 1 & 2 on the rifle portion of the range at 50 yards or less.

Violation of Pistol Pit regulations and/or OMGC Range Safety Rules is a serious breech of range safety and will result in the permanent termination of your OMGC membership.

You MUST wear your OMGC membership button when using our range!

Grand Valley Marksmen

State Champion!

Kyle Bartels wins the 2006 Colorado State Junior High Power Rifle Championship

Information provided by Matt Healey, GVM Head Coach

The information and picture contained herein may be freely reproduced and/or republished, in whole or in part, by another individual or organization.

Grand Valley Marksmen (GVM) junior high power rifle shooter Kyle Bartels, 15, from Glade Park has returned from the 2006 Colorado State High Power Rifle Championship as the new State Junior Champion.

Bartels, along with five of his teammates from the Grand Valley Marksmen shot in the Championship matches held at the Buffalo Creek Gun Club Range, near Bailey, Colorado this past week. The State Championship is a series of matches held over three days in early July. The first two days of competition are used to determine the overall State High Power Rifle, Service Rifle, and Junior Champions.

The competition saw 75 of the best adult and junior shooters from not only Colorado, but around the nation as well. The list of competitors included four former national champions, as well as the US Marine Corps Reserve and US National Guard “All Guard” rifle teams.

The first day of competition was the Colorado State Service Rifle Championship, where GVM team shooter and defending State Junior Champion, Kellen Alstatt, 19, from Fruita, shot well to lead the pack of junior shooters at the end of day. Alstatt, fired a score of 761 out of a possible 800 that day to take high junior honors for the Colorado State Service Rifle Championship. Frank Becky, 19, of Boulder was two points behind Alstatt for second place in the junior category, while Bartels fired a score of 758 to take third. During the sitting rapid fire stage of the match, Alstatt fired a perfect 200-13X score on his target, and beat out all of the other adult and junior competitors in that portion of the competition.

The second day of competition featured the Colorado High Power Rifle Championship match. Alstatt shot well and maintained his lead amongst the other junior shooters until the 600 yard prone portion of the match, where he dropped 18 points by the end of his 20 shot string of fire. Difficult wind conditions on that relay blew the competitors’ bullets off of the center of their targets causing them to receiver lower scores than shooters who fired on other relays that were not as affected by the wind. Bartels, however, shot on a relay where the wind stayed constant and was able to fire a 194-10X, which gave him the lead over the other junior competitors in the tournament and placed him solidly in the lead for the junior championship.

“I knew that I could pick up at least 15 points in my overall aggregate score from the first to the second day of competition,” said Bartels. “My goal was to shoot at least a score of 773 on the second day of competition, and while I didn’t think that I’d be able to beat (Alstatt), I still wanted to give him a run for his money in the overall aggregate for the Junior Championship.” Bartels did that and more, picking up 20 points on the second day for a score of 778 in the Colorado State High Power Championship. Combined with his first day’s score, his two-day aggregate total was 1536, which put him in first out of all the other junior competitors, earning him the State Junior Champion honors. This is Bartels’ first state championship title, which is made all the more impressive considering he is only in his second season of competitive high power rifle shooting. Bartels was awarded the Alan Meacher Trophy for his accomplishment.

The final day of competition saw GVM shooter Stephanie Fiegel, 15, of Grand Junction, finishing second overall in the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Excellence-In-Competition (EIC) Rifle Match. Fiegel earned eight points towards her Distinguished Rifleman Award. Stephanie now has 22 of the 30 required points for the award and hopes to earn her final eight points before the end of summer. Kyle Bartels was third overall in the EIC match and earned his first six points towards Distinguished Status.

It takes an individual a minimum of 30 points to earn the Distinguished Rifleman Award. Points towards that goal may only be earned at CMP sanctioned EIC or “Leg” Matches, which are normally held as part of state or regional championship tournaments. A shooter may fire in no more than three EIC matches per calendar year, and normally will earn either six or eight points towards Distinguished status if they finish first out of all non-distinguished competitors in the matches.

Next up for the members of the team is their trip to the National Championship Matches, which will be held at Camp Perry, Ohio in early August. En-route to Camp Perry, the team will also stop to shoot at a regional championship tournament which will be held at Milan, Illinois. Several members of the GVM team shot at the Illinois regional match last year and performed well. GVM shooter Kyle Fiegel took third overall out of 60 adult and junior competitors, winning the bronze medal at the same tournament last year.

The Grand Valley Marksmen is a junior rifle team composed of twenty youth shooters from the greater Grand Junction area. The Orchard Mesa Gun Club, the Western Colorado Precision Marksmanship Society, and the NRA Foundation are the primary sponsors of the Grand Valley Marksmen team.

SCHEDULED ROUTINE WORKDAY MAINTENANCE