Weather gave us a break Saturday for our last official Rimfire Steel Match of the 2021 season. Five participants showed with enough .22 ammunition to complete 5 Stages in record time. One of our regular shooters, from Brookings, was in Texas (land of the free) to be with family. Hope he comes back. Another double booked the weekend.

“The Shooter”: she once again showed all of us how it’s done. One of her strings, with her rifle, was under 2 sec. for 5 Steel plates. 1.98 seconds. Think about that for a moment. Range record!

“The Bottom’s Lady”: been shooting for less than a year did right well for herself Saturday. Plagued with malfunctions (our .22’s can get cranky in cold weather) she still came away with a smile. “I only look at the positive things and a lot of good things happened today”. She posted low 2 sec. strings. She’s getting close to breaking into 1 sec. time.

“The Professor”: an interesting study. Shoots the only non Ruger 10/22 and non standard .22 handgun. He’s fast, best time for the guys, but not fast enough to out score the 2 leading Ladies. Had his issues with his equipment this weekend also.

“The Old Guy”: shows up for Matches and donates his match fee ‘to the cause”. Keeps looking for some other Seniors to show up so he can have a class he can shoot in. I can think of two other senior shooters that need to get their act together and get out and shoot. Need 3 senior shooters to have a class. Next year?

“The Revolver Guy”: a Grand Master shows up with his revolver. Draws from his holster for practice. The more you shoot the easier it is to maintain your edge. He also helps with PractiSore which keeps our matches moving smoothly. Thanks.

“The Time Keeper”: thanks Paul for showing up every Saturday and learning PractiScore to record times and keeping our match moving along smartly. A key player for sure.

Reflections- Past and Present
It’s been a challenging year for Rimfire Steel. .22 ammunition has been like hen’s teeth. Supply issues have put a damper on participation. Trying to find a reliable reasonably priced supply has been difficult if not impossible. .22 ammunition is slowly coming back on shelves; however prices have given many sticker shock. Price is slowly coming down. I’ve heard of a Brick of Western going for $25.00 in Idaho recently. (Verified) However a Brick of Remington still at $39.95 on next shelve down.

Looking Ahead
Participation next year looks promising. Same enthusiastic shooters will be back next year plus a rumored serious junior. Junior shooter (10 yrs.) has custom fitted rifle and handgun. One of our regular shooters has traded his tube loader for a 10/22 for next season. Next year we’re allowing Junior shooters the option of only shooting a rifle if that is what they are most comfortable with. Safety rules will be strictly enforced, specifically muzzle control. Parent or coach must accompany shooter at firing line unless shooter has demonstrated prior safe gun handling practices.

Time to super clean equipment and get ready for next season that starts 4th Saturday, January 22, 2022 @ 8:30am.