Colorado Rifle Club

NEWSLETTER

December 2002

Work Bonds

Most members have a work bond responsibility of one day of work, or payment of $100. The work can be practically anything of value to the club. All shooting clubs that we know of in the Denver area have similar requirements and so far as we know, ours are the least demanding. The work is essential if the club is going to continue serving shooters and it is not fair for some individuals to do nothing while others do more than their share. The only way that we could afford to hire all of our maintenance and improvement work done would be to raise the dues by about four times what they are at present. Even then, we would need people to supervise and manage hired work. If you want to continue to have a quality shooting experience, you have got to help maintain the club property and the ranges, participate in running matches, etc.

In previous years members have had from January 1 until May 31 of the following year - a total of 17 months - to do the work bond for a given year. In 2001 the Board of Directors changed the rules so that, beginning in 2002, the work bond had to be fulfilled in the current calendar year. The change was made because the record keeping under the old system was a headache to everyone involved with it, and there was no good evidence that complaince was improved. This change was widely publicized in the newsletter. The penalty for not fulfilling one's work bond has always been dismissal from the club at the end of the allowed time. Over the years, we have typically dropped 25 to 40 members each year.

This year however, we have nearly 250 members who have not fulfilled their work bond - and we are close to the end of the year. Only about 15 people, instead of the usual 40, turned out for the October fall cleanup days. We DO NOT want to drop 250 members on December 31, but this is what we are faced with. Consequently, the Board has authorized members an extension of time to fulfill their work bonds FOR 2002 ONLY under the following conditions:

* If you elect to pay the $100, you MUST do so by December 31.

* If you elect to work, the work MUST be completed by March 31, 2003 AND you MUST CALL BEFORE DECEMBER 31 to arrange a firm date and the work to be done. Call one of the following: Dave John, 303-433-2780 (after 4pm) Jerry Davidson, 303-986-5740 Don Fabrizio, 303-424-4558

* If you do not do one of the above actions by DECEMBER 31, you will be dropped from membership immediately thereafter. If you make a date and do not keep it, you will be dropped on March 31. There will be spring cleanup days March 29 & 30, 2003. In order for those to count against your 2002 Work Bond, you MUST COMMIT BY DECEMBER 31.

Members who are delinquent will get a notice either with this newsletter or in a separate mailing. We have made mistakes, and sometimes work supervisors do not get the information to the DataBase Manager. If you think we have made an error and that you should have been credited with fulfilling your work bond, contact Bruce Benninghoff at 303-978-1284, or email bruce@prolynx.com. Be prepared to tell him what you did, when you did it, and who the work supervisor was. If you have paid the $100, please have the date of the check available.

Members are excused from work bond responsibility if they are 65 years of age or over, live out of state, or are disabled. We should note that some of our members in these categories faithfully fulfill their work bonds even though they are not required to do so. Others can be excused for illness, unusual job problems, contributions of useful property to the club, or services to shooting in other ways such as holding office in another club, etc. We are easy about excusing members for almost any good reason, but you need to call and ask for an exemption.

If you have some good ideas in this area, attend the annual meeting and bring them up, or contact any of the Board of Directors. Their names are on the top of every newsletter.

If we are gong to have a strong and active club, YOU MUST PARTICIPATE!

IMPORTANT CORRECTION!

If you are one of the approximately 207 members who received a mailed notice about your work bond responsibility, that notice has an incorrect phone number for Jerry Davidson. Jerry's number should be 303-986-5740. Also - Don Fabrizio's number should be 303-424-4558. Please note these corrections on the cards - and CALL THEM! Thanks.

HEAD ZUP!

The 2003 CRC Annual Meeting, dinner and election of three Directors will be held Saturday, February 15, 2003 at Captain. Bligh's Restaurant on the corner of 6th Avenue and Simms/Union in Lakewood. Mark this date on your calendar, and watch for more information after the first of the year!

The 2003 Match Director's Workshop is planned for Saturday, January 18. Everyone who participated in 2002 will be invited - but anyone else who wants to get in on the fun of running matches can come. Call Denny Reul at (303) 238-5696 after the holidays for details.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Wayne Harris is chairing the committee to nominate candidates for the CRC Board of Directors. The election will be held at the Annual Meeting on February 15, 2003. Three present Director terms expire at that time. They are Larry Kelly, Jerry Davidson and Jim Brummerstedt. If you want to be a candidate or have a good idea, call Wayne at (303) 431-4009. Members of the Board must have been club members for five years before their election and must give their consent to nomination.

Burning Down the House!

The Byers Fire Department is going to burn the old house on the Sporting Clay range in a training exercise on December 7th, weather permitting. They are also going to burn our trash pile at the same time. We could use a half dozen or so workers to pick up scrap lumber and debris to add to the fire. If you want to get in your work bond, call any of the three contacts listed in the work bond notice above. Meet your work bond and see the fire department in action!

SPORTING CLAY SHOOTERS!

Because of the Fire Drill, we've had to move most of the Sporting Clay equipment, and the practice traps will be temporarily unavailable until further notice. If you plan to shoot sporting clays in the near future, please bring your own throwing device! Thanks.

Stanley Bigham

It is with regret that we report the passing of member Stanley Bigham of Elbert, on November 13. Stan was born in 1935 and joined the club in 1998. He was an active Palma shooter and the club has made a memorial contribution to the U.S.A. Palma Team in his memory. There were no services.

LOST AND FOUND

Found: A leatherman tool on the Schuetzen range September 8th. Call Martin Everitt at 303-425-4450 if this sounds like it belongs to you.

Last Chance !

About 41 members have not paid their 2002 dues as yet. Those who have not paid up by December 31 will be dropped from the club on January 1. Don't forget to include the $20 late payment penalty with your check!

Shooters to the Rescue!

As many of you know, November 10th saw an extremely powerful line of storms sweep through much of the Midwestern U.S. Ottawa County Ohio - home to Camp Perry and the National Matches - was hard hit by one of these storms. Fortunately, Camp Perry itself sustained no damage, but in the town of Port Clinton, nearly 100 homes were damaged or destroyed. The Civilian Marksmanship Program received calls and inquiries from shooters around the country with concern for the hometown hosts of our National Matches. The CMP and the American Red Cross have organized an Ottawa County Tornado Relief Fund in the name of Camp Perry shooters. The Red Cross assures us that funds contributed will stay in Ottawa County. If you'd like to make a donation toward this effort, please make your check payable to American Red Cross Ottawa County Tornado Relief Fund and send it to CMP, Attn. Administrative Assistant to the DCM, P.O. Box 576, Port Clinton, OH 43452, or for more information, visit the CMP website at www.odcmp.com. Thanks from everyone who calls Port Clinton home!

THE WINNERS CIRCLE

CRC Members do well at Schuetzen Nationals

CRC was well represented and our members shot well at the International Single Shot Association National Matches at Raton, August 4-9. Of approximately 105 competitors, 10 were CRC members. Jack Odor was third in the Grand Aggregate (following his son Jeff, of Sheridan, WY.), and Burt Payne was 17th overall, in a week of shooting that featured a lot of tough, windy conditions and really difficult shooting. Don Fabrizio is as happy as the proverbial clam in high water, having shot his best ever at this match, winning his first medal in about fifteen years.

Among individual event standouts: In the Scope Bench Rest, Lowell Hamilton was 3rd in Class C and Don Fabrizio was 4th in Class D. In Scope Offhand, Jack Odor was 3rd in Class A and Connie Grims was 4th in Class D. (Connie celebrated his 80th birthday July 16!) In the Iron Sight Bench Rest match, Jack Odor was the winner in Class A, while Lowell Hamilton was 10th in that class. Burt Payne was 6th in Class B; Don Fabrizio was 3rd in Class C (his medal) and Connie Grims was 8th in Class D. The Iron Sight Offhand match did not treat us as well, but Jack Odor was 6th in Class A.

In the .22 Rifle Matches, Jack Odor won the Bench Rest event, with Lowell Hamilton a close second, and Fred Saltus was 5th in Class B. In the Offhand event Jack Odor was 5th in Class A and John Steinke was 3rd in Class C. Jack Odor took 4th place in the .22 Aggregate, and Fred got 15th.

CRC shooters also did well in the pistol events. Burt Payne won the Center-Fire Bench Rest match, with Lowell Hamilton 4th, Fred Saltus 7th, and John Steinke 10th. In the .22 Rim Fire Pistol event, Lowell Hamilton was the winner, Burt Payne second, Fred Saltus 6th and John Steinke 10th. Burt won the Pistol Aggregate, with Lowell in Second!

The .25 Caliber matches were shot in dreadful wind conditions, and a lot of those entered dropped out. Still, Jack Odor took 3rd in the Bench Rest event.

Great shooting guys - and way to make our club look good!

Black Powder

Due to bad weather on November 3rd, the Long Range Black Powder Match was held on it's alternate date of November 10th. It was a good decision, because conditions on the 10th were great and helped 6 of the 11 competitors turn in Master class scores - though only two of the shooters are officially Master classified!

The match is a 45 shot match allowing for a 450 possible score. The Match Winner was Brad Rice, with a score of 397-6x. His score of 134-3x at 1000 yards clinched the win. First Place was Tyrell Rice of South Carolina - with a score of 376-5x; Second was Jack Graves with 372-3x, and Third was Dave Carriker with a 364-3x. The highest score of the day was a 141-3x shot by Jack Graves at 800 yards. This was the final Black Powder match of the year. Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed a great day of shooting.

HIGHPOWER

The 80 Shot Regional Highpower Rifle match was held October 5th. 19 shooters avoided leaf-raking chores at home and came to shoot instead!

The Match Aggregate Winner was Jim Monserud, with a score of 760-15x, followed closely by First Master John Frank, with a score of 755-15x. First Expert was Jon Sutter, whose score of 198-7X in the second round was the highest of any match that day. First sharpshooter was Jim Harris and First Marksman was Dan Casey. Thanks to Jack Monturi, Paul Bash, Mick Marchi and of course Jerry Davidson for serving as match officers that day. This was the last Highpower match of the year.

PISTOL

The Pistol shooters held the Risk Taker 2700 Match (catchy name!) on October 6th. Eight shooters took part. The match consisted of Slow, NMC, Timed and Rapid-fire phases in Twenty-Two, Center-Fire and Forty-Five caliber events. In the .22 match, Master class shooter Brad Lightner won the first two stages, but Expert Dwight Thyarks came on strong in the second two, and won the aggregate for the match by one point. Consistency paid off for Sharpshooter Dave Goodlette, his second place finishes in all the but the Rapid Fire phase - where he took first! - earned him first place behind the match winner.

In the Center fire Match, Brad Lightner swept all but the Timed phase to clinch Match winner, followed by Doug Maxwell and Dave Goodlette.

Brad also nearly swept the Forty-Five matches and again won the aggregate in that event. Doug Maxwell and Dwight Thyarks took first and second respectively.

The Grand Aggregate winner was predictably Brad Lightner, with Dough Maxell and Dwight Thyarks following. That must have made the trip from Wyoming worth it for Dwight! Great shooting everybody!

FOR SALE

Just in time for your Christmas shopping list, Cal Cooper has the following items for sale. If interested, please call him at 303-794-2741.

1. Win M70 .308 match rifle, Obermeyer 5R fluted barrel (2352 rounds), Winchester marksman stock with adjustable buttplate, pillar bedded, excellent trigger, Nightforce long-range scope mounts, stripper clip block, handstop, iron sight blocks. $900
2. 30-338 Chanylnn stainless steel barrel (330 rounds), 27", 1 in 12 twist, threaded for Remington action. $125.
3. 30-338 brass, made from Win. 338 cases. Segregated by weight. Approx. 194 cases. $25 for the lot.
4. Redding Full Length die set for 30-338 $50
5. Wilson straight line bullet seater for 30-338 $30
6. Wilson headspace/case length gage (adjustable) for 30-338 $20
7. Approx. 235 30-06 Lake City 65 Match brass, once fired $35
8. Ammo can of mixed Lake City 30-06 brass (but mostly LC 65 Match), uncounted $35
9. Ammo can of .308 Lake City 81 Match brass, uncounted $35
10. 800 Sierra Matchking 220 gr. 30 cal. bullets $16 per 10
11. Gunsmithing Inc. position shooting stand, excellent condition, $75
12. Anschutz free rifle stock (off a 1413), including buttplate and palm rest, very good condition, glass bedded. $350.
13. Anschutz standard rifle stock, excellent condition, glass bedded, $200.

Lowell & Alice's Corner

Bill Hartman, CRC President 1980-1996, along with the Directors decided the range should be dedicated to Alice and I with a monument and inscription, so in 1991 Bill, along with the other Directors and members conducted the dedication of the range with the monument on the Smallbore Range honoring us. Peggy and Dick Klumker were the ramrods of the publicity and refreshments. Around 100 members, neighbors and guests attended. We were proud to be the force behind and a part of keeping the club together, and in helping provide the club members with the finest private club in Colorado and any of the surrounding States for that matter.

In 1992 Sporting Clays was introduced to CRC by member Paul Wilson. He constructed 10 stations with his helpers, just west of the "old, old" house. Trap mechanisms were purchased along with clays. Paul successfully ran the Sporting Clays for several years, including a couple of National events, until his work schedule became too demanding and he had to give it up. To keep it going, Don Fabrizio and Marty Everitt ran it for awhile, until Steve Kingcade came along and he has been running them ever since, and doing a terrific job!

Just a note of interest - Sporting Clays, High Power (both short and long range) and 1000 Yard Bench Rest have brought in the best revenue for the club on their matches. Clinics in different disciplines have been a big boost for the club, especially the HP Short and Long range, and the Smallbore League and Clinics.

Also late in 1992, Harold "Tony" Stahl Construction put in 10 High Power benches on the 1000 yard line so Bench Rest matches could be conducted. These matches have been very successful and have been run by Jim Brummerstedt, who is also doing a terrific job. He also has run a couple of National Matches.

It became evident somewhere around 1995 that Gateway Rifle and Pistol Club was going to be in need of a Silhouette Range and a place to shoot. They had expressed a desire to join CTC and build a Silhouette Range. The club then purchased one mile about 40' from Eberts, for a new entrance road off 96th Ave. (The old entrance at 112th Ave was then closed to members because the old range road was on the east edge of the proposed Silhouette Range.) A mile of new fence was put up on the west side of the new entrance road by Mark Burchfield, costing approximately $5,000. A contract with Gateway was concluded in October 1996. The club received $21,000 of their assets: $11,000 paid initiation fees and dues for 58 new CRC members from Gateway, plus dues for 14 Gateway members already belonging to CRC. This left around $10,000 to help with construction of the Silhouette range. The club also received from Gateway a John Deere tractor with bush hog for mowing, two cargo containers, metal targets and their equipment, plus a pick-up truck. The range was laid out by our new CRC members, formerly Gateway, and our original CRC members. Construction of the Silhouette Range cost around $25,000. This was mainly berm, road, and parking area dirt work. A toilet was put in later by Harold Stahl Construction for approximately $8,000. Members pitched in and made the stands for the metal targets and all the other necessary work needed to shoot and conduct matches. (In later years a Ted Shed for statistical work was provided along with a shelter to provide protection from the sun and weather), making the Silhouette Range cost somewhere in the vicinity of $40,000.

In 1995 trailer pads were installed by the road behind the Smallbore and Schuetzen Range. This meant bringing electricity from the pole in the southwest corner of the range to the pads and also to the statistical building on the smallbore range and the pistol range. The total cost for berm work, electrical work, etc. was approximately $17,000. Each pad has an electrical hook up. The club charges $5.00 per night for its use.

In 1996 NARCO, and oil company, wanted to buy a couple of acres of our land for a compressor station. The Directors decided they didn't want the hassle, traffic, etc., involved, so referred them to Eberts, owning the adjacent property on the west and south. They bought two acres from Eberts and then wanted to use our entrance road. A contract was made by our attorney, member Bob Lees, between CRC and NARCO. The club received $20,000 for use of our road, along with it being NARCO's responsibility to maintain the entrance road. Also obtained was a new set of Silhouette targets (approximate value $6,000) the club received for the new Silhouette Range. Thanks to Bob for his expertise in this matter. He got the club a lot more than we had expected.

More later ~~

From CRC to you

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!