Shooter Spotlight: Kevin Nevius

Posted on September 22, 2009 by H

The purpose of the “Shooter Spotlight” is to help shooters get to know their fellow competitors a little bit better. We cover a wide range of shooters from “Marksman to Master.” This is the fifth interview in the series.

Kevin Nevius

Kevin Nevius

Kevin Nevius
Gibsonburg, OH

How long have you been shooting?
Smallbore since 1989, Long Range HP since 1993

How did you get involved in shooting competitively?
My dad would not allow my siblings and I to have any firearms, so I started really late (you know what happens when you tell a child they CAN’T have something!!). My brother got me into long range varmint hunting and I started building my own guns very early. I had a hunting friend who shot indoor smallbore who started me in three position and I was hooked. I have focused on prone shooting primarily the past few years (smallbore and LR high power) pretty much because my standing scores were awful!

What is a little known fact about yourself that your fellow competitors might not know?
I play piano (keyboards) and persued a career in that field in my youth. I am a structural engineer and have been with the same firm for 24 years.

What do you consider your finest shooting achievement.
Winning the smallbore prone National title in 2008 (definitely!!), the Roberts team to England this year and the Sierra trophy Palma aggregate in 2005 and 2006.

What is your favorite pre-match meal?
I adore pasta! (that’s amore!)

What is your favorite post match drink?
Any dark beer is good!

Do you have a favorite shooting range?
I have one at home so that would definitely be it!

Do you have any short term and/or long term goals?
I was blessed to win the Nationals, and I don’t know if lightning strikes twice (but I would love to try!). I would love to make the Pershing team in four years, maybe the Roberts team again (in eight years)

What shooting skill are currently focusing your energy on?
My first love will always be smallbore prone – I devote a very large part of my building / testing and training time to it.

Thanks Kevin for sharing a little bit about yourself with the pronematch.com community!

Posted in Shooter Spotlight | 7 Comments

NY: Rotterdam 3200 Prone Match

Posted on September 20, 2009 by H

Complete results to follow but here are the preliminary results for the Rotterdam 3200 Regional  in New York  this past weekend.

Irons Winner: Justin Tracy 1598-117

Any Sights Winner: Peter Fiori 1600-134

Overall Results:

Justin Tracy 3195-256x

Erik Hoskins 3194-245x

Terry Glenn 3192-225

[flickr-gallery mode=”photoset” photoset=”72157622424451810″]

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MA: Taunton JR 3P Match

Posted on September 20, 2009 by H

by James Lee

Congratulations to the overall smallbore match winner of the Taunton JR 3P Freedom Match  Alex Zadrozny with a 556. Second overall went to Mackenzie Martin with a 545 and third overall went  to Kelly Rosales with a 542.  Awards for Juniors…Jessica Mondillo 1st with a 514, Jessica Liston 2nd with a 507, and Kevin O’Reilly 3rd with a 501.  Intermediate Juniors…Sarah MacLagan 1st with a 538, Margot Lee 2nd with a 530, and sub Juniors Sonya May 1st with a 436, Marc Benjamino 2nd with a 256 and Gennaro Ciatto 3rd with a 239. Marc, a 9 year old, shooting less than 1 year was cheered on by his mother and father, 2 grand parents and a coworkers of his fathers.

In Air Rifle,  Jessica Liston took first with a 89.75, Alex Zadrozny the solo male took second with an 88 and Sarah MacLagan took third with a 86.25.

excel 2009-ma-taunton-jr-3p

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Foliage Match T-Shirt Deadline TODAY

Posted on September 18, 2009 by H

Today is the LAST day to Register for the Foliage Match and get a T-Shirt. http://pronematch.com/fall-foliage-regional/foliage-match-registration/

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Smallbore Clinic in Southeast MA

Posted on September 18, 2009 by H

There will be a smallbore rifle clinic on Tuesday, September 29th from 6-9pm at Ames Rifle and Pistol in North Easton, MA. The clinic is designed to help new shooters improve their skills and also introduce shooters to the Southshore Rifle League (a smallbore 3P league that shoots once a week in the winter months). Contact Kevin Winters for more info at amesjuniors@comcast.net or 508-846-8844

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Brand New Range at Michigan State University

Posted on September 17, 2009 by H

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Michigan State University is hosting an International 3P and Air Rifle match in order to welcome shooters to their brand new shooting facility. The full match program can be downloaded here.

The John and Marnie Demmer Shooting Sports Education & Training Center is scheduled to be open October 5th. To learn more about the new shooting facility you can go to their website at www.demmercenter.msu.edu

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A Short History of Camp Perry and The National Championships

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Hap Rocketto

A Short History of Camp Perry and The National Championships
By Hap Rocketto

Seven men stood looking north over swampy hummocks and cattails at the white capped surface of Lake Erie on a cold rain swept day, early in April of 1906, some forty miles east of Toledo, Ohio near the small town of Port Clinton. Eight months earlier the group’s leader, Ammon B. Critchfield, had surveyed all of northern Ohio’s lakefront searching for a new training camp to replace the Ohio National Guard’s facility at Newark, Ohio. The United States had learned many valuable military lessons in the recent encounter with the Spanish Army in Cuba in 1898. One result of the four month long Spanish American War was the development of a new rifle to replace the inadequate Krag-Jorgensen carried by the regular Army troops. The bolt action Krag had a low muzzle velocity, poor penetration power, lacked a method to rapidly reload its magazine, and had a single locking lug on the bolt. It was very much inferior to the Spanish 7mm Mauser rifles. The new rifle and cartridge, built along the lines of the Mauser at the Springfield Armory, also had greater range than the Krag, making the camp at Newark unsafe and obsolete. Continue reading →

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Shooter Spotlight: Joe Graf

Posted on September 15, 2009 by H

The purpose of the “Shooter Spotlight” is to help shooters get to know their fellow competitors a little bit better. We cover a wide range of shooters from “Marksman to Master.” This is the fourth interview in the series.

Joe Graf

Joe Graf
Glocester, RI

How long have you been shooting?
I received my first rifle, a Savage .22 long rifle lever action rifle, the day I was born.  I started shooting it when I was about 6 years old.

How did you get involved in shooting competitively?
My cousin, who lived next door, had been shooting competitive smallbore for a year or so and asked me if I wanted to go and try it.  I was 17 at the time and instantly enjoyed it.

What is a little known fact about yourself that your fellow competitors might not know?
I was a Red Sox fan until I entered the 7th grade.  I was lured to the dark side as many of my good friends were Yankee fans.  About two years later I successfully escaped the dark side and returned to being a dedicated Red Sox fan.

What do you consider your finest shooting achievement.
Becoming the RI Metric Prone State Champion in 2008 where I also earned my first step toward the NRA Distinguish Prone Award.

What is your favorite pre-match meal?
A blueberry muffin, banana, and milk before a morning match, a hamburger and fries before an evening match.

What is your favorite post match drink?
Water, Diet Coke.

Do you have a favorite shooting range?
Camp Perry for the National Championships.  It is a place and time where I learn so much, both from participating and hearing advise from the other competitors.

Do you have any short term and/or long term goals?
My short term goal is to refine my positions with the new rifle.  Long term, earn NRA distinguished shooter award in both smallbore prone and position.

What shooting skill are currently focusing your energy on?
Now that the summer prone matches at Hopkinton are done, I am focusing on my hold in standing.  I purchased a new coat, pants, and boats at the end of the 2008-2009 winter season. This is the first time using pants and boots.  I want to improve my offhand scores and feel this is the first step.

Thanks Joe for sharing a little bit about yourself with the pronematch.com community!

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CT-State Prone Championship Results

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Erik Hoskins

UPDATE: Complete results are now available
excel 2009-ct-outdoor-prone-state-championship

Claudia Duksa took the CT Prone State Championship at Blue Trail Range with a score of 3196 (shooting a rifle built by her father, Rich Duksa). Rich Duksa took second and Jacob Costa took third overall. We will post the complete results and scores as they become available. Congratulations to Claudia for taking the CT state prone title!

Claudia Duska. Photo by Erik Hoskins

Claudia Duksa on her way to winning the CT State prone title. Photo by Erik Hoskins

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MA-Berkshire Hills 3-Position Rifle Tournament

Posted on September 13, 2009 by H

The October Mountain Sharpshooters hosted the Berkshire Hills 3-Position Rifle Tournament on Sunday, September 13 at the Lenox Sportsmen Club in Lenox, MA. Congratulations to Mrgot Lee for taking first place, Erik Johnson for claiming second, and Brady Kerr for tird place honors. This was the first smallbore 3P match run by this club and they did a great job and are planning to run more smallbore matches in the future! Complete results can be viewed here.

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Training vs Firing a Shot

Posted on September 11, 2009 by H

Over at smallbore.co.nz they posted a nice, succinct article by Kim Fraser on training vs just shooting a bunch of shots down range. You can read the article here and you can also follow the New Zealand folks on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ShootingTalk.

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2009 Nite Owl Prone League Final Results

Posted on September 10, 2009 by H

The Nite Owl League is a smallbore prone league that shoots 40 shots at 100 yards, each week, throughout the summer. Scores are submitted weekly to the the Nite Owl statistician and the results are posted on http://pronematch.com/all-results/nite-owl-league/ so you can see how you match up against shooters in four or five different locations including Connecticut, New York, and Canada. The final results from the 2009 season have been posted and can be viewed here.

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Canadian Airgun Grand Prix

Posted on September 10, 2009 by H

The Canadian Airgun Grand Prix is being held in Toronto Canada in February.  You can learn more about the match and download the match program here.

Posted in Other Smallbore Information | 1 Comment

The Good Old Days

Posted on September 9, 2009 by Hap Rocketto

by Hap Rocketto

When I made my first trip to Camp Perry I was overwhelmed by the long awaited and anticipated experience.  Day after day of shooting, free meals three times a day in the Mess Hall, a Spartan but adequate bunk in a hut, the company of like minded souls, and Commercial Row. I was living large.  Yet, as great as it was I was constantly reminded that I was a late comer and had missed the ‘Good Old Days’.  Now that I am in what I call my ‘anecdotage’ I fondly recall my ‘Good Old Days’ to the distress of today’s youngsters.

In expectation I dove into musty issues of The American Rifleman from the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, submerging myself in the aura, history, and lore of Camp Perry.  When I finally got there shooting veterans wistfully told me of the days before a politically correct Congress stripped away Federal funding, a time that  that would never be seen again.  I had missed the military bands tooting and banging away, the columns of soldiers, sailors, and Marines marching to the pits to pull targets or act as scorers, and merchandise freebies doled out by the big gun and ammunition manufacturers.

Still, it was quite a place.  Almost everyone lived “on post.”  There were hundreds of huts, long gone, where modules and barracks now stand.  Commercial Row was alive with a frenzy of activity and noise reminiscent of a carnival midway.  People paraded up and down Donahey Road renewing friendships, making new ones, all the while exchanging greetings and stories of the day’s shooting.  Some gathered under the golden glow of street lights, along with the moths and May flies, to exchange gossip and tall tales on the benches set up outside the buildings. Others roamed in and out of the many commercial establishments manned by the likes of Old Man Hogue, Al Freeland, and the nattily uniformed staff of Colt, Winchester and Remington. Continue reading →

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Shooter Spotlight: Rick Curtis

Posted on September 8, 2009 by H

The purpose of the “Shooter Spotlight” is to help shooters get to know their fellow competitors a little bit better. We cover a wide range of shooters from “Marksman to Master.” This is the third interview in the series.

Rick Curtis

Rick Curtis

Rick Curtis
Phoenix, Arizona

How long have you been shooting?
I’ve been shooting smallbore since 2006, but I have a background in highpower.

How did you get involved in shooting competitively?
Through the USMC. I made the Marine Corps Rifle Team in 1979 and stayed on as a permanent member through 1986.

What is a little known fact about yourself that your fellow competitors might not know?
I have re-occuring bouts with trigger fear and only very recently have developed a mental strategy to overcome the fear and get the shots going smoothly again.

What do you consider your finest shooting achievement.
Winning the Mentor Match with my junior at Perry in 2008. I had my first Dewar 400-40X. I overheard my junior tell her Dad that I had shot my very best for her.

What is your favorite pre-match meal?
Steak and Eggs.

What is your favorite post match drink?
Water, beer and a taste of some 100 proof.

Do you have a favorite shooting range?
Camp Perry.

Do you have any short term and/or long term goals?
I strive to eliminate the the bad shots caused by laying on the gun to long. I’m getting better but I still will have a few every now and then.

What shooting skill are currently focusing your energy on?
xSmallbore through November and then LongRange through the winter. I hope to be able to shoot both at Perry next year.

Thanks Rick for sharing a little bit about yourself with the pronematch.com community!

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CT: The Great Pumpkin Match

Posted on September 7, 2009 by H

The 2009 Great Pumpkin Match is just around the corner on October 17th and 18th in Connecticut. This match is a metric 2400 and the match program can be downloaded here.

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1st Annual “No Excuses” Indoor 2400

Posted on September 4, 2009 by H

The 1st Annual “No Excuses” Indoor 2400 prone match is filling up fast! This is a unique opportunity to shoot 100 yards indoors!

There are only 12 spaces left for this unique match in North Carolina. Download the match program here and reserve your spot.

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Taunton, MA Junior 3P and Air Match

Posted on September 4, 2009 by H

The Taunton Rifle & Pistol Club will be hosting the Junior Freedom three position smallbore/air rifle match on September 19th. You can download the match program here.

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The Feng Shui of the Shooting Mat

Posted on September 3, 2009 by Hap Rocketto

by Hap Rocketto

It was a typical early morning ride to a rifle match.  As the sun was breaking free of the horizon I was at the wheel, as always.  My brother Steve was riding shotgun and was awash, as usual, in an ocean of sleep in which he would, like a great Sperm whale occasionally broach the surface, sputtering an incoherent word or two out of his blowhole, and sound deeply into his state of unconsciousness like a harpooned Moby Dick.  Shawn Carpenter and Mark Wujtewicz were riding in the back seats both wrapped tightly in the arms of Hypnos.  I have paradoxically spent uncountable solitary hours journeying to shooting events in a van full of snoring companions.

About the only break I ever get in this routine is when we return from Perry and my traditional front seat partner is Charlie Adams, a man who lives to drive.  After a full breakfast we perform a little Kabuki dance. I start out in the driver’s seat and, as the eggs, side meat, hash browns, and toast draw the blood from my brain to my stomach I carefully watch Charlie out of the corner of my drooping right eye.  It doesn’t take long before I sense him feeling me become drowsy and he begins to mentally double clutch, switch lanes, and try with all of his might to resist asking me to pull over so he can steer us home.  As soon as decently possible we stop, ostensibly for gas or a bladder break-but we both know the real reason, and I casually toss the keys to a relieved Charlie who happily take command while I, just as happily, nap away as much of breakfast and the endless Interstate 80 as I can. Continue reading →

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The Fall Foliage Match makes the trip to Bisley, England.

Posted on September 2, 2009 by H
Hap

Hap Rocketto displays his Fall Foliage Match pride on the ranges of Bisley, England. Thanks for the picture, Hap!

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USA Shooting Sanctioned Prone Match, Harvard MA

Posted on September 2, 2009 by H

Harvard Sportsmen’s in Massachusetts will be hosting a USA Shooting sanctioned 60 shot prone match on September 26th. Relays are 9 and 11am. This is a good warm up match for the Fall Foliage 3200 the next weekend. The match program can be downloaded here.

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