Although long over due, I finally have the highlights of our last Rimfire Match of 2008, which is match # 8, and the 2008 season average scores for those who shot in 3 or more Rimfire matches. First I’ll give you the shooting conditions for our last Benchrest match of 2008, then after, the season’s average scores, and standings for those who earned season points towards their 2008 Rimfire placements.

The eighth and final rimfire match proved to be the toughest of the season. Being that it’s held in mid October, the weather is colder, and it’s more like winter, than the summer matches we enjoyed just a few weeks earlier. The Rimfire Benchrest matches suffered more, by chance and weather wise, than our Centerfire Matches in the 2008 season. We had to cancel more Rimfire matches, 4 out of 12 scheduled, than our Centerfire matches, which managed to cancel only 2 matches. There appeared to be windier conditions for our Rimfire matches. Match # 8 had not only the hardest winds, but those currents that proved to be the hardest to predict changes in wind drift, in connection with point of aim. Another testimony to the difficult conditions, were fewer score of 400 points, the maximum possible.

For the first half of the match, held at 50 yards, we experienced a predominant left cross wind. However the wind direction was anywhere from a 6:00 tailwind to a 12:00 headwind. The forecast called for gale force winds, which we almost achieved at times, and then the breezes would drop to5-10 mph. If you had cranked on the full value wind, and then have it drop to 10mph, you`d have lost 1-2 points when the wind fell off.

The second half of the match, held at 100 yards was equally challenging, except the wind swung 180 degrees. This had the pre-dominant wind coming from the right, but with swings from 6:00 tailwinds, through 3:00 right cross winds, to 12:00 headwinds again. Once again if you had the average windage adjusted on your scope the lulls and gust would be enough to have the bullet drift out of the 10 ring into the 9 ring, if you were lucky.

This late in the year, gale force winds aren’t uncommon, neither are the ambient temperatures of 34 degrees, which dropped the wind chill into the teens. It also drops attendance, as only the hard core shooters are willing to endure match conditions, that aren’t near as much fun as eight weeks earlier. The core groups of shooters were the ones who had endured almost all of the other matches held, and would rather shoot, than sleep. The end of our shooting season is closer to winter, with colder temps and stronger winds, however it’s the only way we can get a decent length shooting season in both: Rimfire, and Centerfire. Those that attend then are the same folks that show up for all the matches, and have learned to cope better with the tricky winds, and biting cold.

In the past we’ve calculated average scores for Shooters who shot in 3 matches or more. However, a high average score doesn’t reflect a Shooters real accomplishment during the season, since some could

participate on only calm days, and those who attend more should be recognized for their more active participation. In years past, and with the Centerfire Matches, we rewarded a “Win” with 5 points, 2nd. Place with 4 points, 3^rd. Place with 3 points,4^th Place got 2 points ,and 5^th. Was rewarded with 1 point. Erik Berggren was the 1^st place Rimfire Shooter in 2007, and the season of his personal best score of 400-39X. This year it was again close as Erik’s average score was only ¼ point better than his wife, Rio.

However Rio had a better X count by 1 ¾ average more X`s. It doesn’t get much closer than that between 2 regular competitors. In the season point count, Erik & Rio were again very close, with Rio barely edging out Erik with better finishes, for the eight matches this year. Rio also shot her personal best score in Match # 7 with a 400-36X, and a win, that was good for 5 points. Every match, and every season, those that shoot the most, have the closest finishes, at the top. Noticeably Absent as a “Competitor” was Mike Haskins, who didn’t shoot, due to a back injury. Although help was available for him to set up his gear, like Doc & Myself receive, Haskins didn’t want to chance aggravating it any further.

Still we averaged over 6 entries for each of the 8 matches hosted. Special thanks to all those who helped set up target stands & wind flags before the start of each match, and reliably the Berggren’s could always be counted on to stow everything away after the shooting stopped. Without everyone’s help both before and after the matches, they wouldn’t be possible. The co-operation of everybody amazes me, and sure makes it more fun to shoot.

Thanks everyone for your help, this 2008 season, good shooting by all, Michael Kerwood!!!!!

Average Scores & Point Standings for Rimfire Benchrest, 2008 Season, at Kodiak Alaska.

Rimfire Match # 7

It presented the perfect conditions to try different kinds of factory ammo, since performance can change from lot to lot, and from brand to brand. Rimfire Shooters enjoy the luxury of not having to reload their ammunition, but must find a type or brand that’s compatible with their rifle. A certain brand may have the accuracy you’re looking for, until you change the production lot number, and then suddenly the accuracy changes also. The best time to find the right brand or lot number is a fairly calm condition, such as the back drop for our 7^th.match of 2008.

I took advantage of the calm, by trying different kinds of ammo, and experimenting with diverse tuner settings. Normally I would use the same tuner setting from match to match, and season to season, but some kinds of ammo showed potential when I spun the tuner to a new spot. All this extra shooting helped me find ammo and tuner combinations that would prove valuable in future tournaments but the extra fouling in the barrel without cleaning would handicap me for this match.

Due to placid, perfect weather, the scores would be higher for all of us, and it would take an above score to win. However the extra shooting I did produced ammo and tuner information, it fouled my barrel enough to affect the accuracy for the present match. It didn’t become apparent until the second record target of 4,at the 50 yard relay. With only 20 minutes of time to shoot the 50 yard stage, I didn’t have time enough to clean my rifle, and finish shooting the record targets. These kinds of mistakes are easy to spot in hindsight, as I know my rifle has this unusual quirk of shooting better when clean. Many 22 rimfire barrels made of chrome-moly prefer to perform better slightly fouled or seldom cleaned. Most of the field have those kinds of barrels, and were enjoying the higher scores the calm winds provided.

Rio Berggren capitalized the best that day on the tranquil breezes, and shot a personal best score of 400-36X. Surprisingly Rio and I were the only ones to shoot clean scores of 400 points. With the wind negated as a challenge I’d expected more clean scores, still some others dropped a point or two. The X or Bulls-eye count reflected the easier conditions to shoot in, but the 100 yard relay tests the ammo quality, with inferior rounds dropping out of the main group. This type of ammo caught Erik Berggren, and Jason Humphreys, as they shot clean at 50 yards but lost points at the longer distance. Shooting a clean 200 points at 50 yards was quite a feat for Jason, as he only recently started shooting competition. Dave Salzer was just the opposite, as he shot clean at the longer distance, but made self admitted mistakes at the closer 50 yard relay.

Hamilton Long joined us for the match but opted to shoot in the “Prone Class” by himself. It’s the only separate class we offer in our Rimfire matches, and seldom exercised by any competitors, but Hamilton likes doing things in his own style. Hamilton also did well, as he shot without any scope on his rifle, using only peep sights to compete. This requires a spotting scope to be used in conjunction at the same time for most shots, as you’re unable to witness the bullets impact on the target. By the time you check the impact with a spotting scope then get into position to shoot again the wind can shift, and your last shoot becomes a moot point as to the affect the wind had. Considering Jason Humphreys clean score at 50 yards, in his 1^st Rimfire match, we hope to see him in future tournaments.

Good Shooting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Michael Kerwood

Fall was beginning to show up, as we were greeted by cold winds, and yellow leaves swirling about at our 6^th Rimfire match of 2008.

Rain in the morning, once again dampened a lot of shooters enthusiasm about our ability to hold an evening match. Waking up to rain tends to make a lot of folks think of other plans than getting charged up for shooting events late in the day.

We were lucky enough to have the precipitation stop by late afternoon, but by then only Die Hard Shooters wouldn’t engage in alternate activities so that they could still compete in our 6^th Rimfire match of 2008. With one of the coolest Alaska summers on record, we’ve had to cancel four previous Rimfire matches, and the day started as if this would be another washout. There’s a few of us that wouldn’t plan for anything else, as we eat, sleep, and dream of shooting competition.

Dave has accepted his place of being high on the learning curve; however his thirst for knowledge is what’s creeping his scores and placement higher. Rain and wind don’t deter Dave or Erik & Rio for that matter, and henceforth when the down pour stopped they were ready to shoot, and the remnant cold winds just meant more long john’s underneath to cope with the seasons weather change. It would have taken more than brisk breezes to keep the core group of competitors away from attending, despite shooting with out any roof over us. Dedication & motivation show up in the form of higher scores, that’s the trail to improvement. Folks have remarked that it’s always the same names for the top 5 finishers, but that’s results of hard work, and lots of practice. Some folks think it`s an Equipment Race to win, but I’ve seen the best equipment finish poorly. Myself, as an example of having some of the best guns and accessories, finishing the match feebly on occasion.

Others who attend competitions infrequently with equal gear placing even worst. Developing basic marksmanship skills and reading the wind are the crucial tools needed to keep your name near the top. There’s a correlation between those who attend the most matches, and their name being at or near the top. That’s the secret to doing well, practice, along with regular participation, in all kinds of weather, and winds. Dave Salzer is becoming an example of someone who attends regularly in all kinds of weather, and is benefitting from the experience of it.

The truth is told most of us are present for the fun of it, and only in competition with ourselves. Then you only have yourself to blame when you make a mistake, and your score isn’t what it should be, that’s what usually happens to me. It was going to take more than cold autumn winds to keep most of us from showing up for Rimfire match # 6.

Rimfire Match # 5

The predicted winds were present, but other than a few sprinkles, the rain didn’t materialize.

The longer the evening wore on, the more the winds increased, and became very gusty. The direction also became more unpredictable, as the velocity increased, challenging the competitors to pick a condition to sight in for. 120 degree switches in the bearing of the currents were common; along with gust over 20 mph. My 4 wind flags placed out to 100 yards would show winds coming from almost opposite directions, and velocities from 10 to 20 mph, all at the same time. It’s tough to pick a time to shoot with currents like that, let alone how much to compensate for wind drift.

Surprisingly half the field of shooters didn’t drop any points at the 50 yard relay, but none could produce that result at the 100 yard distance. Needless to say, nobody turned in a clean score of 400 point totals, but the totals were still very close in deciding the final placements. That’s what makes our Benchrest Rimfire matches unique, in that most are all held at only 50 yards, and we shoot half of record rounds at twice that distance. Ammunition that’s match grade at 50 yards, proves to be only “Fair” at 100 yards, as a lot of vertical stringing shows up at the further distance.

The windage correction at 100 yards isn’t twice that of the 50 yard target, but sometimes three times as much. Considering the challenge of testing; Wind Reading, Ammo quality, and basic Marksmanship for half the total points earned at 100 yards, our whole field of shooters did pretty well despite turbulent conditions the bullet passed through for our 5^th. match of the year.

Good Shooting!!!!!!!!!!!! Michael Kerwood

Ominous dark grey clouds obscured most of the surrounding mountains making for a muggy atmosphere for our 4^th. Rimfire match of 2008. The humidity was made worse due to the lack of wind as the low fog clung to the hillsides. The still air made shooters easy targets for the biting insects that call Salonie Creek range home. Normally the wind at the range gives us a challenge, to keep our shots inside the center of the target, but it was a day we prayed for breezes to keep the bugs off. The feasting bugs were the worst I’ve ever witnessed, and I even lit 2 candles beneath my shooting bench to repel them while shooting.

Slapping my exposed forehead would produce a handful of mosquito corpses, as they collected in swarms. We were literally gagging as we breathed in clouds of flying insects that followed us around. I put up my Dining Canopy to repel the threat of rain and bugs. For some reason the biting hordes won’t fly under a low roof as much as they will in the open air. It also provided a place for folks to congregate when not shooting, to stay dry, and escape the bugs. Dining canopies is cheap compared to pitted barrels, as they keep some of the rain off our rifles.

Despite the calm winds there weren’t a lot of clean, 400 point scores, where the shooter didn’t drop any points. Official Scorer, Haskins announced that the separation between 1^st and 4^th place was just one point difference after the 50 yard relay, leaving the door open for anyone to win, before the 100 yard segment. Usually the top scores are 400 points with the “X” count being the tie breaker, and that’s exactly what happened in our 4^th. Match. Rio Berggren was one of 2 shooters that posted a clean score of 400 points, and was her personal best score to date, with 30 “X`s”. Despite her best ever score, Rio came in 2^nd. place, as the X count was used to determine the winner. It was the kind of evening where the wind couldn’t be blamed for any misses, or mistakes. The slight currents that did appear between us and the targets were only enough to move the bullet out of the bull’s-eye ring, as I discovered that I only had to shade the X ring one side or another, to compensate for the full wind.

It was the perfect match to experiment with my Tuner, and for the 1^st time in 3 years I moved the setting I’ve successfully used in the past. I normally use only one type of ammo for competition, but Federal Ammo Company has quit manufacturing the ammo I use, and I’m being forced to utilize other types to replace it. The ammo being produced currently isn’t normally as accurate as the old type I’ve slowly been running out of, but with the new tuner setting I found current ammo is almost as good. I came within 1 bull’s eye of tying my old course record of 400-40X, with new ammo and the new tuner setting. Now the trick is to hope that the new setting on the tuner has repeatable results, in different temperatures and humidity’s

Rookie Shooter, Dave Salzer, and Sarah Gustaveson showed up, and again amaze us at how well they improve with only a few matches of experience. Hopefully they will continue to attend, and improve with each shooting experience. I’m hoping that Sarah will participate in our Centerfire; “Varmint for Score” shoots to broaden her experience in Marksmanship. It won’t be long before she’s beating her Husband, Gus, consistently as she’s done in the past. Rio Berggren once again placed ahead of her husband, Erik, proving that competition shooting isn’t just a “Man’s” game, but truly a equal opportunity for both genders. I think that the reasons the Ladies do so well is that they tend to listen better, and don’t have ego’s that bruise easily, like the Boy’s do. You go Girls!!!!!!!!!!!

Rimfire Match # 3
July 20^th. 2008
Kodiak Alaska
            Due to an unusual wet summer, it took us until the 3^rd. week of July to host the 3^rd. official Rimfire match of 2008. The weather was perfect with partly cloudy skies, temperatures in the 60`s, and the wind from all directions. The maximum wind speed wasn’t over 10 mph, but it came from all points of the compass. At times the flags would hang limp then suddenly jump to life as if electrocuted. The unpredictable switches in direction and sudden spurts of velocity equally surprised the shooters as well. Only one shooter was able to shoot clean at the 50 yard relay, forecasting a tough time at the 100 yard stage.
            The 100 yard stage was extremely tough as only two shooters were able to shoot clean scores, of not dropping any points. The winds weren’t any more forgiving later in the evening, closer to dark, as they usually lay down. Rio Berggren managed to shoot clean at the 100 yard stage, with the highest “X” count, but she dropped points at the 50 yard relay that hurt her total score. Dave Salzer had his personal best score, despite the challenging winds. In the few matches Dave has attended, his performance has improved dramatically. Dave tied in points with experienced shooter George Kimball, but George broke the tie with a higher “X” count. Dave has shown quite an improvement in a short period of time.

            Special thanks to George for helping show up early to set up the match. The Berggren couple of Rio and Erik are to be thanked as they always take responsibility for putting everything away after the match. This enables us to hold these matches, as the labor provided is a big part of making them happen. Rio always takes it upon herself to grab everything and put away the target stands without asking. Thanks to everyone who helps out, and pitches in to help.
Good Shooting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Michael Kerwood
Rimfire Match # 3 Scores, July 20^th.2008, Kodiak Alaska
Place
Name
50yd
100yd
Total
Rifle/Gunsmith
Scope
Ammo
1^st.
M. Kerwood
200-20X
200-15X
400-35X
Anschutz/Hongisto
Leupold 36x
Fed. UM1
2^nd.
E. Berggren
199-12X
199-15X
398-27X
Kimber 82
Nikon 6-20x
Eley Match
3^rd.
R. Berggren
197-13X
200-16X
397-29X
Anschutz 54
Leupold 24x
Eley Match
4^th.
G. Kimball
198-12X
197-10X
395-22X
Winchester 52 D
Unertl 18x
Eley Tenex
5^th.
D. Salzer
197-10X
198-10X
395-20X
CZ 452
Weaver 36x
Eley Match

Rimfire Benchrest Match # 2

June 8^th2008

Kodiak Alaska

Out of the first six matches scheduled for 2008, half have been cancelled due to rain. Fortunately June 8th was sunny and we were able to hold our second rimfire match. Although the thermometer was reading in the high fifty-degree range, the winds once again kept conditions chilly, not to mention challenging. Few shooters managed to shoot clean (200 out of a possible 200 points) at either the 50 or 100-yard stage. No one managed to get a clean score of 400 for the match. The switching, gusty winds were a challenge for everyone, coming as they did from all points of the compass and gusting to 18 mph. Gusts of this speed are nothing remarkable at our range, but when the direction shifts 180 degrees in seconds, even the most experienced shooters have a challenge on their hands. With wind flags pointing in all directions and switching constantly, finding a predominate wind to sight in for, was impossible. There was no consistent condition that held long; as the wind couldn’t decide which direction it wanted to blow from.

Attendance was fairly good in spite of the conditions. New shooter Sarah Gustaveson gave a remarkably good performance for someone with no experience in this sport. As might be expected, Sarah's rifle was a small game hunting rifle and not a specialized target rifle. With a scope that topped out at nine powers, she might have been expected to have a real struggle seeing her shots at 100 yards. However a friend with a spotting scope calling her shots for her helped considerably, even if not the equivalent on a high magnification scope on the rifle. We've been lucky to have some very talented new shooters the last couple of seasons and we hope their interest continues.

Colin Spencer, one of last year’s talented new shooters, brought a new 10-22 he is building himself. In Colin's hands, this rifle proved to be very competitive in spite of still being a work in progress. Colin was one of only two shooters to shoot clean at 50 yards. And it wasn't too many years ago that Colin's score would have easily won a match in these conditions. You see, our desire to keep new talent coming back isn't entirely selfless. Competition is a process of continuous self-improvement that we all benefit from, not just the new shooters.

Speaking of continuous self-improvement, Erik Berggren, one of our most experienced competitors, was the only one to shoot clean at 100 yards. Being twice as far, you would think the 100-yard target was only twice as hard. It isn't, it's a whole lot harder than that. And in the conditions we had for this match, it took a real veteran not to drop a point at this toughest stage. Once again the tie in points was broken by the shooter with a higher “X” count, and there Erik came up short for 2^nd place overall. All of the Competitors are showing improvement, as shown by the total scores. Sarah showed a surprising performance for her first match, and will only get better with experience.

Good Shooting!!!!!!!!!!! Michael Kerwood

Rimfire Match # 2 Scores 6-8-08, Kodiak Alaska

Place	Name	50yd	100yd	Total	Rifle/Gunsmith	Scope	Ammo
1^st.	M. Kerwood	200-19X	199-16X	399-35X	Anschutz/Hongisto	Leupold 36x	Fed. UM1
2^nd.	E. Berggren	199-16X	200-9X	399-25X	Kimber # 82	Nikon 6-20x	Eley Match
3^rd.	R. Berggren	199-15X	199-13X	398-28X	Anschutz Mod. 54	Leupold 24x	Eley Match
4^th.	C. Spencer	200-10X	197-8X	397-18X	Ruger 10-22	Bushnell 24x	Eley Match
5^th.	G. Kimball	199-13X	196-9X	395-22X	Win. 52 “D”	Unertl 18x	Eley Tenex
6^th.	S. Gustaveson	196-13X	193-9X	389-22X	CZ # 453	Leupold 3-9x	RWS Target

Rimfire Match # 1

May 25^th. 2008

Kodiak Alaska

Our first rimfire match of 2008 wasn't the first one scheduled. As with our centerfire matches, the first Rimfire matches of the season were cancelled because of rain. We frequently have to cancel matches or have a low turnout because of not having a covered firing line. But since the club can't afford to build a covered firing line at the moment, we will just have to carry on as best we can.

The second rimfire match competed with Memorial Day weekend, and an annual celebration called “Crab Festival”. Although it was the last Sunday in May, the weather felt more like February or early March. The snow pack on the surrounding mountains also looked more like late winter. The chilly air coming off the mountains made it difficult to stay warm and keep our shots centered. It also kept all but the most dedicated shooters away.

Missing from our regular group of shooters was Mike Haskins, who is laid up with a back injury. Haskins rarely misses a match, is our official scorer, and normally provides a lot of the labor for setting up the matches. As with the first centerfire match, George Kimball stepped up and filled the void of the missing labor. It would be difficult to have a successful match without someone making the effort to help with setting everything up. That George not only stepped up, but did so in winter like conditions, was greatly appreciated.

I'd remarked to George before the match started that, due to the long winter lay-off and chilly conditions, I wasn't expecting anyone to put all forty record shots into the ten ring. I was proved wrong. Two shooters managed to shoot clean (400 points out of 400 possible) with the X count providing the tie breaker.

New rimfire shooter Dave Salzer got off to a strong start with a 194-7X score on the fifty yard stage. All the more impressive since Dave's rifle is set up for hunting and not for competition. However, his low powered scope proved not to be up to the task of spotting bullet holes on the 100 yard target. Having to guess where that little rimfire bullet went after passing through 100 yards of wind is a very frustrating experience, as Dave can now attest. Dave's first experience with competitive shooting was our first centerfire match of this season. In spite of being on the steepest part of the learning curve, Dave has made a good showing in his first two matches. His score would have been very competitive when compared to the scores from our first couple of seasons. We're expecting stiff competition out of him in the future.

Good Shooting!!!!!!! Michael Kerwood

Rimfire Match # 1 Scores, May 25^th. 2008 Kodiak Alaska

Place	Name	50yd	100yd.	Total Score	Rifle/Gunsmith	Scope	Ammo
1^st.	M. Kerwood	200-17X	200-16X	400-33X	Anschutz/Hongisto	Leupold 36x	Fed.UM1
2^nd.	G. Kimball	200-15X	200-14X	400-29X	Winchester 52 D	Unertl 18x	Eley Ten-X
3^rd.	R. Berggren	199-14X	199-12X	398-26X	Anschutz 54	Leupold 24x	Eley Match
4^th.	E. Berggren	199-14X	197-10X	396-24X	Kimber 82	Nikon 6-20x	Eley Match
5^th.	D. Salzer	194-7X	187-3X	381-10X	CZ-453	Leupold 3-9x	RWS Target

Rimfire Match # 8

Rimfire Match # 7

Good Shooting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Michael Kerwood

Rimfire Match # 5

Good Shooting!!!!!!!!!!!! Michael Kerwood

Rimfire Match # 3

Kodiak Alaska

Kodiak Alaska