Smithmoor Schuetzen Match

[Cody Smith]

Fellow Shooters,

The first Wyoming Schuetzen Union match held at Smithmoor range was a success. The weather did prove to be rather brisk, but we were pretty comfortable near the wood stove of the shootin shed. A couple of times I did get a little chilled, but a trip over to near the stove for a few minutes thawed me out and got me back to shooting. Temperatures ranged from about 8 degrees to around 21. By Carpenter standards it was a rather calm winter day with winds hovering around the 10 mph mark. They gusted and changed enough that it made for some interesting shooting. Coralee made a big pot full of chili and fresh cornbread. It really hit the spot on the cold day. Marissa Mortiz thoughtfully sent some home made candy with Rick for the match. It was superb. I am rather surprised it survived the trip up from Denver. Thanks also to Michael Rix for suggesting the New Year's day match. What a great idea it was!

Shooting started a little after ten with five riflemen competing. Rick Moritz, Jack Odor, Michael Rix, Kevin Finney, and myself all shot and my Dad, Gary Smith, and Travis Purdum helped spot shots, helped change targets, kept the fire going, and in general cheered us on. I think we will see both of them eventually find the "one true way" and start shooting with us. We shot 30 shots from the bench on the small 200 yard WSU target, 30 shots for score offhand on the big WSU target, and a King match on the big WSU target. Jack Odor brought the offhand targets and that was very much appreciated. Rick, Jack, Michael, and I shot schuetzen rifles while Kevin used his trusty Pedersoli silhouette rifle in 45-70. A new CPA is on order, and after shooting yesterday he decided to order a schuetzen barrel with it. A twenty dollar entry fee was taken in order to provide cash prizes for the winners. Rick Mortiz ended up high bench rest with a 242, 247, and a 240. The 247 target was pretty impressive considering the amount of wind it was fired in. I ended up high in the offhand with a 664. All 30 offhand shots were fired on the same target. I also was lucky enough to win the King match with a 22. I was quite pleased with my shooting, but Jack deserves most of the credit as he helped me so much with the rifle, load, breech seater, and bullet mould. I think he was as pleased as I was at how well I shot. Thank you for all of your help, Jack.

All in all, it was an excellent way to spend a winter day. I can't help but feel 2016 will be great with the way that we started it out. Thanks to all who came out to shoot. I will keep on eye on the schedule and see where we can fit another few of these matches in over the next several months.

Shooter Bench#1 #2 #3 Offhand Aggregate

Rick Moritz 242 247 240 590 1319 High Bench
Jack Odor 238 244 243 610 1335
Michael Rix 240 235 241 395 1111
Kevin Finney 208 208 206 305 927
Cody Smith 231 241 240 664 1376 High Offhand and Aggregate


Hold Center,
Cody L. Smith
Smithmoor Range
Carpenter, Wyoming