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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Monday, June 4, 2001
Locklar wins local shooting match
By SMOKEY BRIGGS
Staff Writer
Shooters from Alpine, Midland, Odessa and as far away as Austin competed
Saturday at a Service Rifle Match hosted by the Pecos Rifle and Pistol
Club.
Burleigh Locklar, Jr. of Midland took first place, Smokey Briggs of Pecos
took second, and Paul Evans of Alpine finished a close third out of a field
of 12 shooters.
Club Vice President Mike Mason said that this was the third match of the
year and that the Club planned to host a service rifle match every fourth
Saturday through October.
Mason said that official Service Rifle competition required shooters to
use weapons that were considered service rifles in the United States current
military inventory — M-1 Garands, and variations of the M-14 and M-16
rifles.
"We are not that strict and allow almost any rifle that has seen military
service.," he said. "We usually have a big variety of rifles on the line
— from World War I bolt actions to variations of rifles in current
use today in the world's armies."
Mason said that the only other requirements were that the rifle must be
equipped with iron sites and the shooter must be able to reload rapidly with
either a charging strip or magazine to compete in the rapid fire stages of
fire.
"We shoot two rapid-fire strings of ten rounds, and shooters must reload
once during each string," he said.
During the rapid-fire stages shooters have about one minute to assume
the proper position and fire ten rounds including the mandatory reload.
During the slow-fire stages shooters have about one minute for each shot.
At the match shooters fired 10 rounds slow-fire from a standing position
at 200 yards, 10 rounds rapid-fire from a sitting position at 200 yards,
10 rounds rapid-fire from a prone position at 300 yards, and 20 rounds from
a prone position slow-fire at 600 yards.
"Since we don't have regular target cradles we are currently using reduced
targets at 200 yards to simulate the size of the target at 300 and 600 yards,"
Mason said.
"We are working towards building the kind of target cradles and earthworks
you see at military ranges. When that project is completed we will be able
to move the firing line in relation to the targets, just like military and
larger civilian ranges do," he said.
Until then the club will continue to use the reduced targets to simulate
the longer distances.
"This was a good match. Everyone was very competitive and overall these
were the best scores we've had since we started holding these matches a year
ago," Mason said.
Mason said that the next match will be held on Saturday, June 24th at
the club range south of Maxey Park, the entry fee is five dollars, and competitors
should arrive by 7:45 a.m. to sign in.
"Everyone is welcome, either to compete or sit in the stands and enjoy
the event," he said.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
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