Mary's Nipple Cup IV

Those of you who follow this blog know that September is the month the Mayfield Zimmerbixlers host the Mary’s Nipple Cup Zimmerstutzen match. This began four years ago when we were informed that the usual venue for our monthly match would be too crowded with hunters preparing for the fall season. Since several members have Zimmerstutzens but rarely have a chance to compete with them, I proposed the match and volunteered the venue­--my back yard. Like other great venues named for geographical locations such as Creedmoor, Bisley, and Walnut Hill, our match was named for the lofty peak that towers above our little town. It was also an opportunity to be a little naughty.
For those unfamiliar with the Zimmerstutzen, it is a .17 caliber target rifle meant for indoor shooting. They were, in the years prior to WW I, quite popular in Germany and particularly Bavaria. Although sometimes hard to find, ammunition is still manufactured and imported into the US. This match is shot at fifteen meters or about fifty feet.
This year’s match, taking place after breakfast and a sight-in period, consisted of a five-shot “Luck” target with random numbers on the back, three ten-shot targets for the main match, a one-shot “Honor” target, and a “Vogel” (bird) target that is shot at by each competitor in turn until someone hits the bulls-eye. The winner of the last match becomes our Zimmerbixler King. A “sporting” match followed for those shooters with nerves of steel and money to risk while the targets were being scored.
Awards were presented when the shooting died down. Gloria Bell who, alas, also qualified for the consolation prize for last place, received a “medal” provided by Schuetzenbruder Ingo Laue from his new enterprise (www.ilkom.de). Lucky Bill Flint won the Luck match and a genuine 316L stainless steel four leaf clover. As if he needed any more luck. The engraved silver Mary’s Nipple Cup went to perennial Top Gun Gary Nelson, who might still have won if he had skipped a target. Ron Bell shot nearest to center on the Honor Target thus claiming it as his own. While not quite a work of art, it will be a nice souvenir as all the shooters signed their mark. The Vogel Target, mounted atop a thirty foot mast, was shot in reverse order. Unlike last year when shooting continued until the center of the target fell out, Paul Lambert hit the bulls-eye in the second round, setting off about forty grains of black powder and becoming Zimmerbixler King. He was crowned with a garland of ivy rather than laurel since this was our IV match, you see.
A fine buffet lunch followed the awards, elk roast and home-made apple pie provided by Paul. Thanks to all who participated and contributed, especially Daryl Butler who took many of the pictures that can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/jon.cgs/20SEP09#.

June Match

Here are the scores from our June club match. To break the routine, we shot 20 shots at the bench targets and, to add some excitement, one of us double charged a few cases. What a riot. Our next match should be on July 11. The August match will be announced later as I expect our heroes to all be in New Mexico gathering glory for our club and frustrating our competitors.

We discussed our hosting of the ISSA Regional. Paul did an outstanding job and has earned a star in the UTSS firmament. He has also earned a permanent position. The good news is that we had good participation and we did not lose money.

Reason, Human Events, and Compassionate Conservatism

I recently came across a couple of places on the internet that I think will appeal to those of us who would like to see a reduction of violence in our society and a logical, rational approach to achieving this. The first is a blog that is chock-a-block with inspirational accounts of ordinary folks. The other is video and contains some naughtiness and may offend those of tender sensibilities but makes a compelling argument. All seem to verify Heinlein's famous statement that, "An armed society is a polite society." Really, who is against more civility?

May Match

Saturday, the usual suspects gathered for our May match. The weather was warm with a tricky wind. As usual, the ones who pay attention to things like that did better.

Utah Schuetzen Society Match May 16,2009
Schuetze/in	ASB	ASOH	IB	IOH	AGG
Paul Lambert	238	194.1	232.2	205.2	869.5
Gary Nelson	242.3	180	241.3	189	852.6
Gloria Bell	242.3	176	237.1	188	843.4
Gaylord Smith	233.1	155	242	182	812.1
Jaime Olney	238.2	203	216	152	809.2
Ron Bell	235.1	195.1	233	138	801.2
Bill Flint	237.3	155	214	176	782.3
Jon Spencer	235.3	142	221	164	762.3

Our next match will be the ISSA Match at the end of the month. One of the unofficial matches that we will have will be one for original German target rifles. It will be eleven shots and the winners will receive a special medal and a prize.

Match Announcement

One good match deserves another. We will be meeting for our monthly match on May 16, the third Saturday of the month. Besides our usual exciting matches, we will be going over plans for the ISSA Regional match at the end of the month. Please try to attend.

"Better" Saturday Match 4/11/09

Saturday, the weather was delightful except for the dark cloud cover that might have effected iron sight scores. Also, it did rain a bit and it never got much above fifty degrees but other than that we had a fine time. Scores are available here.

ISSA Rocky Mountain Regional

The 2009 ISSA Rocky Mountain Regional will be hosted by the Utah Schuetzen Society on May 29, 30, and 31. It will be held at the Lee Kay Center at 6000 West 2100 South in Salt Lake City. There will be prizes, food, camping at the range, and jaw-dropping displays of marksmanship. For more information and an advanced registration form go here. For more personal guidance call Paul Lambert at 801-943-7565 or 801-971-1034.

Match Announcement

Shooters! We will be a-gathering on Saturday at the Lee Kay Center for our first shoot of the year. We will begin at 9:00 a.m. We will shoot our usual forty round match. We will also be discussing your participation in the upcoming ISSA Regional match. So even if you are not shooting, we need to talk with you.