Match Results

Wyoming State BPTR Mid-Range Championship Worland, Wyoming - June 6-7, 2020
Worland Shooting Complex

The 2020 Wyoming State BPTR Mid-Range Championship saw some unique challenges this year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the match itself was an on-again/off-again event. It was finally decided at the last moment (about two weeks before) to hold the match as planned. There were a lot of last minute arrangements that needed to be accomplished such as getting the awards completed in time and obtaining all of the cleaning and sanitizing supplies that are necessary to follow COVID-19 guidelines for a gathering of more than 10 people.
I believe that the number of shooters was down due to personal concerns about attending. There were a few cancelations at the last minute, but the positive news was that we were able to hold a successful match and hold it as planned.
We had 16 shooters with one of them being a first-time junior shooter. She ended the first day on the 200-yard and 300-yard matches in second place among the women. The second day at 600 yards was more of a challenge, as it was for all of the shooters.
According to the National Weather Service, weather conditions were as follows:
Saturday, June 6
• Wind Gusts up to 53 mph
• High Temperature of 87° Fahrenheit
• Rain of .05 inches
Sunday, June 7
• Wind Gusts up to 41 mph
• High Temperature of 77° Fahrenheit
• Rain of .15 inches
The interesting thing about our range is that you never know from which direction the wind will be blowing. It can be in your face from the North, then an hour later may be coming at you from the South, East or West. These conditions make for an interesting competition. Even with that, we had a good match and great camaraderie.
At the awards ceremony, we decided to continue holding this event on the first weekend of June for 2021. The dates for the 2021 match will be June 5-6 at the Worland Shooting Complex.
I would like to thank the BPTRA LLC, Dixie Gun Works, Midway USA, Montana Vintage Arms, Rocky Mountain Cartridge LLC, Schuetzen Powder LLC, Shiloh Sharps Rifle Co., SPG Sales, Starline Inc., John Walters Wads and the Wyoming State Shooting Association for their donations. They all stuck with us this year in a time of uncertainties. Without their support and contributions, we just could not have the successful match that we had.
    This was our first year of being affiliated with the BPTRA LLC. Everything went smoothly with them and Robert gave us all the support that we asked for. We hope to continue this alliance in the future. We hope to see more of you at the 2021 Wyoming State BPTR Midrange Championship. - Tom Outland

Equipment List:

George Bonefield: .45-90 Shiloh Sharps, 535-grain Buffalo Arms bullet, range lead alloy, SPG Lube, 80 grains Swiss 1½Fg, .030 Walters wad, MVA LR Soule rear sight.
Linda Bonefield: .45-70 Shiloh Sharps, 540-grain P. Jones bullet, range lead alloy, SPG Lube, 70 grains Goex 2Fg, .030 Walters wad, MVA sights.
Randy Ellingrod: .45-90 Ballard High Wall, 550-grain Sagebrush Elliptical bullet, 1-16 alloy, NASA Bullshop lube, 85 grains Swiss 1½Fg, .030 poly wad, .030 Walters wad, MVA sights.
Loyce Ellingrod: .45-70 Winchester High Wall, 530-grain P. Jones Money bullet, 1-16 alloy, 68 grains Swiss 2Fg, NASA Bullshop lube, .030 poly wad, .030 Walters wad, MVA sights.
Tom Outland: .45-90 Remington Rolling Block, 520-grain Buffalo Arms Money bullet, 1-20 alloy, DGL lube, 70 grains Swiss 1½Fg, .030 Walters wad, MVA LR Buffalo Soule rear sight, MVA #111 front sight.
Cheri Outland: .40-50 BN Shiloh-Sharps, 400-grain Buffalo Arms M4 bullet, 1-20 alloy, DGL lube, Olde Eynsford 1½Fg, .030 Walters wad, MVA 3000 28-inch scope, MVA Schuetzen mounts.
Doug Weichmann: .45-90 Sharps, 450-grain Hoch bullet, SPG Lube, Walters wad, Swiss powder, Kelly sights.
Cecile Weichmann: .40-65 Sharps, 410-grain Hoch bullet, 1-25 alloy, SPG Lube, Swiss powder, Walters wad, Kelly sights.
Eddie Hayes: .45-90, 530-grain Kal paper patch bullet, 1-30 alloy, 90 grains Swiss 1½Fg, .060 SN .120 lube wad, .029 card wad, Parts Unknown sights.
Emily Hayes: .45-70, 520-grain Saeco bullet #645, 70 grains Olde Eynsford 2Fg, .030 Walters Wad, Kelly Soule sights.
Kenny Wasserburger: .40-70 Shiloh Sharps 1874, 400-grain and 450-grain Buffalo Arms Money bullets, 1-15 alloy, White Lightning lube, 63.5 grains and 65.5 grains Swiss 1½Fg, .060 poly wad, .020 card wad, MVA 23-inch scope.
Cody Smith: .40-65 Shiloh Sharps, 450-grain Fred Leeth bullet, 1-20 alloy, Rice lube, 67 grains Swiss 1½Fg, .030 poly wad, Baldwin sights.
Jack Odor: .45-90 Winchester High Wall, R. Long bullet, 1-16 alloy, homemade lube, 74 grains Swiss 1½Fg, Walters wad, DZ scope.
Bryan Youngberg: .40-70 SS Shiloh-Sharps 1877, 405-grain and 450-grain P. Jones Money bullets, 1-20 and 1-15 alloy, White Lightning lube, 68 grains Swiss 1½Fg, .040 Poly wad, .030 fiber wad, MVA Buffalo Soule rear sight, MVA #113 front sight.
Don McDowell: .40-70 Remington Hepburn, 410-grain S. Brooks paper patch bullet, 1-16 alloy, 69 grains Olde Eynsford 1½Fg, .030 Walters wad, 1⁄8 inch dry lube felt wad, MVA Buffalo Mid-Range Soule rear sight, Baldwin front sight

Long Range BPCR Match
Promontory, Utah - June 6-7, 2020
Golden Spike Buffalo Range

Below are the results of the Golden Spike Long Range Buffalo Match, held on June 6-7, 2020. The weather was not too favorable, as a cold front passed through on Friday bringing cool temperatures, wind and rain. Day One saw Ken Myers make 10 hits with his .45-90 on the buffalo and he took third place. Eric Halter made 13 hits with his .40-65 for second, and Michael Oliver got 14 hits using a .45-70 to win first place.
In the Creedmoor Match, Ken Myers again finished third, with a score of 27 and seven Center hits. Michael Oliver shot a score of 27 with nine Center hits using his .45-70 to take second place, and Brady Gordon and his .45-70 came out on top with a score of 35 and 11 Center hits.
Day Two brought more wet weather, but the shooters waited it out and finally got the break they needed to begin the match. Ken Myers turned in a score of 55 with four Center hits using his .40-82 to earn third place. Brady Gordon shot a score of 59 with seven Center hits using his .45-70 to take second and Michael Oliver came in on top with a score of 59 and nine Center hits using his .45-70.
Top gun for the weekend was Michael Oliver with an aggregate score of 100. Ken Myers was the lucky draw winner (finally) of the custom knife this time.
Thanks to all for coming out to brave the weather. Special congratulations go out to young Brady Gordon for shooting in his first Long Range BPCR match and doing so well. Terry and Suzie Phillips are proud grandparents, I’m sure. Hope to see you all in September. Until then, get to casting, loading, and hold steady. - Denny Wilcox

Father’s Day Matches
Carpenter, Wyoming - June 20-21, 2020
Smithmoor Range

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, right? After the folks in Montana had to cancel their Father’s Day Weekend “Quigley” Match, we had some shooters looking for a place to go…so we decided to hold a match at Smithmoor. We shot BPCR silhouette on Saturday and .22 BPCR on Sunday. We had a great turnout, super food, and some challenging shooting. It was definitely a success.

I think the conditions on Saturday were the most challenging that we have seen at Smithmoor so far. There is often a stiff breeze here, but it is often quite readable and shootable. Not Saturday! The breeze only hit highs of 10 to 15 mph, but it constantly changed directions and intensities. It was really tough spotting and left more than one of us pulling our hair out. As usual, there is always a shooter or two that gets it mastered. Ed Himelhoch shot an awesome 55⁄8 inch, five-shot group on the 500-meter gong. It was nothing short of amazing! It is a new Smithmoor Record and we will make sure we record it. Great shooting, Ed! That gong is sure a challenge, and as you can see on the scoreboard, not many were even able to keep five shots on the 36-inch gong, even after sighting in on a separate gong.

Dick Hennebry shot a 15/40 to be first in A Class, while Kenny Wasserburger turned in a 22/40 to be first in AA Class. The AAA Class title went to Mark Pachares with a 25/40 and Brad Rice took Master Class with a 26/40. Sometimes, I think Michael Rix has some sort of “super power” to see wind changes. He can’t always access it, but when he does, watch out! He called me into nine turkeys in one of the worst relays of the day. We made large windage changes for every shot. It was sure fun, and Mike’s excellent spotting led to a 27/40 score with a Match Winner pin for myself. Whatever you do, don’t look at the scoreboard and scoff at the somewhat lower overall scores. It took some serious skills to post these scores in those conditions.

The .22 BPCR match went off without a hitch. We used the backers and shot the match at Smithmoor West. The black targets against the large white backer makes for an unbeatable sight picture. The misses are also visible on the backer, so it makes spotting easier. They are very popular among the shooters. Eight people on the line allowed for four relays and a fast match. The winds were much lighter on Sunday, but still very “switchy” and tricky. More than a couple of shooters were bewildered by some strange conditions.

Steve Belzer shot a solid 22/40 in A Class, while Sammie Rice shot an excellent 28/40 to win AA. The AAA Class went to Greg Bybee with a 26/40, while the Master Class went to Steve Anderson with a 33/40 and Grand Master went to Rick Moritz with a 34/40. Kenny Wasserburger spotted me into the Match Winner position with a 35/40. We were quite pleased to give out two “Clean Prone” pins today as well. Rick Mortiz cleaned the prone targets with Jack Odor doing the spotting, and Steve Anderson cleaned the prone animals with a bit of a “committee” of spotters helping him out. Somebody commented that is the first good thing to ever come out of a committee! Great shooting, guys; that was some tough shooting and spotting. I bet those “Clean Prone” pins are kept someplace special.

The meals seemed to really top our matches off…Dad and Momma Lorraine did not disappoint. The “Cream Can” dinner on Saturday, and the roast beef on Sunday were super. With the addition of homemade cookies, brownies, lemon bars, beans, fresh fruit, and several other things, I am sure I am forgetting some, but we had a regular smorgasbord! Thank you, Mom and Dad, for the fantastic food! I know all the shooters appreciated it.

There are a few tickets left for the knife raffle. Contact us if you are interested at: smithmoorrange@gmail.com or call 307-630-6816. This year’s knife promises to be extra special. A huge thank you goes to Jim Rodebaugh for all of his generous help. I also want to personally thank those that brought doughnuts for the morning snack. Living out in the country, doughnuts are a bit of a luxury I don’t often get… I happen to really like them.

We have some fun matches coming up at these ranges:

• Cheyenne Rifle and Pistol club, Wyoming: contact Dick Hennebry at 307-421-7577 or cheyennerifleandpistolclub.org.

• Golden Gun Club, Watkins, Colorado: monthly matches contact Michael Rix at 970-948-1488 or rmrix@hotmail.com.

• Colorado Rifle Club, Byers, Colorado: BPTR matches contact Robert Garibay or www.bptra.org.

We are truly blessed here in the area to have so many great matches to attend so close to home. - Cody Smith