Author Archives: Hap Rocketto

About Hap Rocketto

Hap Rocketto is a Distinguished Rifleman with service and smallbore rifle, member of The Presidents Hundred, and the National Guard’s Chief’s 50. He is a National Smallbore Record holder, a member of the 1600 Club and the Connecticut Shooters’ Hall Of Fame. He was the 2002 Intermediate Senior Three Position National Smallbore Rifle Champion, the 2012 Senior Three Position National Smallbore Rifle Champion a member of the 2007 and 2012 National Four Position Indoor Championship team, coach and captain of the US Drew Cup Team, and adjutant of the United States 2009 Roberts and 2013 Pershing Teams. Rocketto is very active in coaching juniors. He is, along with his brother Steve, a cofounder of the Corporal Digby Hand Schützenverein. A historian of the shooting sports, his work appears in Shooting Sports USA, the late Precision Shooting Magazine, The Outdoor Message, the American Rifleman, the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s website, and most recently, the apogee of his literary career, pronematch.com.

The British .303

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

by Hap Rocketto Each one of the major allied powers of the 20th century has its iconic bolt action rifle. The United States fielded the Springfield 1903 and the Germans had the Mauser 98 family of rifles. The Mosin–Nagant armed … Continue reading →

Posted in Hap's Corner | Leave a comment

CT: Great Pumpkin Results

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

Those of a certain age fondly recall Charles Schultz’s Peanuts comic strip. Every year, Linus Van Pelt, the strip’s intellectual, holds vigil in a pumpkin patch waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear. Across Southern New England the same may … Continue reading →

Posted in Results | 1 Comment

Mrs. Montford Foreshadows Eley Packaging Protocol

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

by Hap Rocketto It was a bright spring morning and the usual suspects had, as is our habit, gathered at Mel’s Diner on Route 163 for Friday breakfast prior to a morning of smallbore shooting. Young Nash Neubauer, in an … Continue reading →

Posted in Hap's Corner | Leave a comment

The Wild Bunch

Posted on July 30, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

by Hap Rocketto Tickets in hand Larry Small, Stan Wujtewicz, Mike Franklin and I walked up the slight incline from the street level ticket box of the Garde Theater into the lobby. Passing through the double doors we took a … Continue reading →

Posted in Hap's Corner | Leave a comment

2017 National Smallbore Rifle Metric Position and Overall Championship Wrap Up

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

2017 National Smallbore Rifle Metric Position and Overall Championship Wrap Up (Caveat Emptor: This report is based on Preliminary scores) The final day of the smallbore championships could only be called bitter sweet for George Norton. The inaugural winner of … Continue reading →

Posted in Camp Perry | 2 Comments

2017 National Smallbore Rifle Conventional Position Championship Wrap Up

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

2017 National Smallbore Rifle Conventional Position Championship Wrap Up and Day One of the Metric Position Championship (Caveat Emptor: This report is based on Preliminary scores) The National Conventional Individual Position Champion is no stranger to the crown. George Norton fired … Continue reading →

Posted in Camp Perry | Leave a comment

2017 National Smallbore Rifle Conventional Position Championship Day One and Finale

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

2017 National Smallbore Rifle Conventional Position Championship Day One and Finale (Caveat Emptor: This report is based on Preliminary scores) The second and final day of the 2017 National Smallbore Rifle Conventional Position Championship opened with a strong prone showing … Continue reading →

Posted in Camp Perry | Leave a comment

2017 National Smallbore Rifle Conventional Position Championship Day One

Posted on July 16, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

2017 National Smallbore Rifle Conventional Position Championship Day One The 2017 National Smallbore Rifle Conventional Position Championship opened up with 40 shots prone on the A23 target with metallic sights. Just like the prone matches it took hard holding to … Continue reading →

Posted in Camp Perry | Leave a comment

Day Four, at long last, and Finale of the 2016 National Smallbore Conventional Prone Championships

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

Day Four, at long last, and Finale of the 2016 National Smallbore Conventional Prone Championships The third match of the fourth day was the Dewar won by Morgan Dietrich shooting a 400-36X and followed by Jared Desrosiers who put together … Continue reading →

Posted in Camp Perry | Leave a comment

Day Three 2016 National Smallbore Conventional Prone Championships

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

The anysight championship opened with a another set of 400-40Xs posted by match winner Shawn Carpenter and Mark Gould and Hank Gray. Carpenter continued his tear with a 400-39X followed my matt Chezem. Unfortunately the story must abruptly end here … Continue reading →

Posted in Camp Perry | Leave a comment

Day Two 2016 National Smallbore Conventional Prone Championships

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

  The second day of the 2016 National Smallbore Conventional Prone Championships was overcast, but hot and humid, with challenging winds from six  O’clock The 50 yard match was shot with the best conditions of the day as Kevin Nevius … Continue reading →

Posted in Camp Perry | 2 Comments

Day One 2016 National Smallbore Conventional Prone Championships

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

  The 2016 National Smallbore Conventional Prone Championships Opened under bright skies, switching mirage, and temperature in the mid 80s. The actual matches did not get underway until 10AM as a first shot ceremony was held. Conditions were relatively benign … Continue reading →

Posted in Camp Perry | Leave a comment

The Three Hundred Club

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

by Hap Rocketto Ken Girard, then editing the Rhode Island Rifle and Revolver Association section of The Outdoor Message, must have been pretty desperate to fill a few column inches. My well deserved reputation for pontificating on any shooting subject … Continue reading →

Posted in Hap's Corner | Leave a comment

RI: 3P Metric Regional Results

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

Competitors unpacked their gear under lowering skies… Continue reading →

Posted in Results | Tagged | Leave a comment

Rapid Fire

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

by Hap Rocketto It has been said that the United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language. While it may be true I, as shooter who has had some experience in Anglo-American marksmanship competition, tend … Continue reading →

Posted in Hap's Corner | Leave a comment

I Like Ike

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

  by Hap Rocketto For the first 13 years of my life I lived through the administrations of two of the most underrated Presidents of the United States. Born before Harry Truman defeated Dewey I was preparing to enter high … Continue reading →

Posted in Hap's Corner | 2 Comments

Day Two and Final of the 2016 10m Air Rifle JORC Women’s Championship

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

Day Two and Final of the 2016 10m Air Rifle JORC Women’s Championship Almost all of the New England ladies improved, or shot an almost identical score, to raise their standing during the last day of the  2016 10m Air … Continue reading →

Posted in Results | Leave a comment

Day One 10m Air Rifle JORC Women’s Results

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

Day One 10m Air Rifle JORC Women’s Results A baker’s dozen of New England ladies, representing every state in the six state region, competed in the first day 2016 Junior Olympic Rifle Championships at the Olympic Training Center at Colorado … Continue reading →

Posted in Results | Leave a comment

Day Two 50m Three Position Rifle JORC Women’s Results

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

Day Two 50m Three Position Rifle JORC Women’s Results The New England ladies rallied on the second day of competition at the 2016 50m Three Position Rifle JORC Women’s Championship with five of the six upping their scores. Massachusetts Mackenzie … Continue reading →

Posted in Results | Leave a comment

Day One 50m Three Position Rifle JORC Women’s Results

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

Day One 50m Three Position Rifle JORC Women’s Results The first of four days of women’s Junior Olympic Rifle Competition got underway with the first day of 50 meter three position rifle. Five of the 70 shooters on the line … Continue reading →

Posted in Other Smallbore Information | Leave a comment

Final Day of JORC Men’s Smallbore

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Hap Rocketto

Final Day of JORC Men’s Smallbore The men’s competition of the 2016 Junior Olympic Rifle Championship is now in the record books and New England shooters acquitted themselves well. The last day closed with finals in prone and 3X40 but … Continue reading →

Posted in Results | Leave a comment