THE SHARPSHOOTER
FORT HILL RIFLE & PISTOL CLUB NEWSLETTER
NUMBER 23
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February , 2007
Annual Club Meeting Highlights
The annual meeting of the Fort Hill Rifle and Pistol Club (FHRPC) was held on
Friday, February 2, 2007. The meeting was held at the Allegany County Career
Center for Technical Education on McMullen Highway. The topic of interest to
most members is membership dues. After much discussion, and a close vote,
dues for 2007 will be $40. The Great Guns Raffle will be divorced from
membership requirements. Fundraising will be chaired by Vic Merkel. Any
member who is interested in sharing their ideas, or who would like to assist with
fundraising should contact Vic. The complete minutes of the annual meeting are
contained within this newsletter.
Club Officers
FHRPC officers for the year 2007 are (1) President, Bill Lewis, 301-777-8180, (2)
Vice-President, Chris Bennett, (3) Treasurer, John Dowell, 301-724-5866, (4)
Executive Officer, Dave Thompson, 304-788-1346, (5) Executive Officer, Jim
Soulsby, 301-724-0724, and (6) Secretary, Roy Musselwhite, 301-697-4963
The club officers welcome your feedback. If you have any suggestions,
comments or concerns please feel free to contact any of your club officers
Save a Stamp Program
In effort to reduce cost to the club, the newsletter will be printed and copies
placed at the Morningside Drive Range clubhouse. With 400 members, at over a
dollar per mailing, the newsletter is quite a drain on the budget. Last year the
club spent $1975 on printing, coping, and mailing, the newsletter. A single page
mailing will go out for announcements, such as the annual meeting, and a billing
statement for the dues. Please let you fellow members know when the newsletter
is available, and pick up a copy for those you think may not be getting to the
range relatively soon. However, any member that wishes to still receive the
newsletter via US Postal Service may mail a request to:
Roy Musselwhite Jr.
898 State Park Road
Swanton, MD 21561
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DON’T RENEW YOUR NRA MEMBERSHIP
Without doing it through the club!
You can renew your NRA membership through the FHRPC and save money. A
$10 discount is given to renewals, and the NRA gives $5 to the club. Once a
month, the club will mail in NRA membership dues. Make your checks payable
to FHRPC and include your NRA membership application. Attached is a blank
NRA application. Keep a copy for your records.
John Dowell
12920 Gramlich Road
LaVale, MD 21502
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Featured League—SMALLBORE PRONE
My first experience with the club was back in the mid 1990’s. I started shooting with the
Saturday morning junior smallbore team, and eventually was invited to shoot the Friday
night matches. I started out with the club’s “#5” Remington 513 T. Those who are not
familiar with Remington’s target rifle would be surprised at the size of this 22. It is a
serious rifle, having a barrel longer than most high power rifles.
Back then there were a fair number of regular Friday night shooters. Equipment varied
from $200 CMP surplus rifles to top-of-the-line German rifles. I always enjoyed seeing
the odd looking scopes, stretching almost as long as the rifle’s barrel. Every now and
then, curiosity got the best of me, and I would ask if I could look through someone’s
scope, shoulder their rifle, or dry fire their trigger. My borrowed rifle was set up with iron
sights, and I was using a post as my front sight instead of the more common aperture. I
theorized it would help me with perfecting sight picture and alignment with the service
rifle. Later I was able to use a friend’s “spare” rifle and learned the benefits of the
aperture sight.
Now, nearly 15 years later, there are very few shooters that attend the Friday night
matches with any regularity. I am guilty of not being on the line as much as I would like
to, and hope to attend most of the matches this upcoming season. This past Christmas I
became engaged to be married, and ran this sales pitch by my fiancé regarding shooting
smallbore, and you may try it too (if you dare).
Smallbore matches are only $2 to shoot. Ammo for a match is only $2-4 per box. (No
reloading) The match only takes an hour or so. You only have to clean the rifle at the
end of the season (some may not agree with this, but it was the way I was taught). So for
the season, I only have $40 in ammo, and $40 in match fees, and 1 hour in cleaning.
Verses
Other disciplines of shooting require $5-10 match entry fees. I have 3 hours or so
reloading 50 rounds from scratch, and a cost of around $15-$25. The match takes the
better part of a day (a weekend at that, when I am supposed to be cleaning the gutters,
cutting the grass, ect.). It takes 2 hours to clean the rifle while stinking up the house with
Hoppe’s #9.
So in order for me to be a good family man, I have to shoot smallbore! This way, I save
money, have time to keep the house and yard in good order, and get to spend more time
home on the weekends. Now luckily for me, Julie occasionally enjoys the crack of a .22
herself, and to quote her “likes the way aperture sights surround the black”. Hopefully,
this logic may be appetizing to a few of you all, and we can start filling the line starting at
6pm on Friday nights at Morningside Drive Range. It really is very relaxing and great
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fun! Come out and try it. Call any officer for more details and information. Now, I just
have to work on justifying High-Power, Pistol, Bench Rest, Silhouette…. 
FHRPC youth compete at Ridgeway
By Cliff Bennett
Editor’s note: I have had the opportunity so watch Austin shoot during our Great Guns
raffle last fall. This young man drew quite a crowd making an offhand match into a
spectator sport. I have also shot with him on our New Year’s Day match. It makes you
feel good to see a young man do so well on the line, conduct himself in a mature and safe
manner.
This past June I had the opportunity to take two boys to the national Silhouette
Championship in Ridgeway, PA. Austin Bennett, my son, and Tyler Lease, both twelve,
competed in both standard gun and hunter gun classes. Austin fired an Anschutz 1416D
KL Monte Carlo in both classes. Tyler used a CZ American classic. Using the same
guns for both classes placed both boys at a disadvantage in the standard gun class where
most competitors used heavier guns. The competition consisted of six matches fired over
three days. Prior to traveling to Ridgeway both boys, accompanied by Bill Lewis, fired
sanctioned NRA matches at Tyre Hill where they qualified to compete in class A.
Thanks to Bill for his interest and help.
At Ridgeway, Austin accumulated a first place, two second place, a third place, a fourth
place and a fifth place. Tyler scored two fourth places, a seventh place, an eighth place,
and a tenth place. Tyler also “broke out” by shooting a score two classes above his
classification. For the remainder of the event Tyler had to shoot in class double A.
Aggregate awards were given for totals for the three days. Austin had two nail biting
shoot offs against much more experienced shooters. He won one and lost the other,
ending up with a second place award in standard class and third place in hunter class.
Tyler received a sixth place award.
Both boys also shoot for the Cumberland Outdoor Club, where Tyler has received a first
place in the state competition, and Austin received first place in the Sporting Class.
Austin also placed in the Smallbore event at the West Virginia Governors Cup.
I would like to encourage all club members to involve their kids and grandkids in the club
shooting events. Smallbore opportunities include; Silhouette, Prone, and Pistol shooting.
Unlike many other sports that kids give up after high school or college, shooting is a
sport they can enjoy all of their lives.
Lending a Hand-stop
At the annual meeting, Cliff Bennett discussed and requested permission to conduct some
form of fundraising for the juniors to help with expenses and equipment. Traveling to the
different matches, match fees, meals, and everything else that goes along with
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competitive shooting can get expensive through out the season. Any member that has
equipment they no longer use may want consider donating it to the club, or to individual
shooters. Cash donations can be made as well. The club has always been very generous
with helping juniors from loner rifles to scopes, ammo, stools, ect. To my knowledge,
the club never paid for the other associated expenses with general funds, but we could
create a special fund earmarked for junior needs, or donations can be made directly to the
junior’s sponsor. The club has helped me get started over the years, and members
supported me with the other various cost. These gestures are not forgotten, and truly
make a difference in a young person’s life.
Left the Range
Those of you that have known me long might remember my long hair days. This long
haired rock and roll pony tail shot smallbore prone every Friday night on firing point 13,
right next to retired Allegany County Sheriff’s Deputy Tom Alderman. Tom fired on
position 14. One warm summer evening, I offered to take Tom’s target to the 50 yard
line along with mine and save him a trip. It wasn’t until I made it back to the line that I
realized that I switched Tom’s and my target, putting his number 14 in front of me
(incase you have never shot smallbore before, the target frames are numbered). After a
fair amount of comments up and down the line about my issues with math, Tom and I
agreed to just shoot the target in front of us, and to ignore the numbers. I got in a good
solid position; dry fired once or twice, and then fired a sighter round. Tom looks through
his scope and yells out “Who’s shooting on my target?” After all the drama just minutes
beforehand, I knew that it wasn’t me, so I reply back, “NOT ME!” Looking through my
scope, and feeling good about my shots, I move on firing for record. Tom, who has not
fired a shot yet, calmly asks once again “Who is shooting on my target?” No one admits
to the cross firing, but I hear remarks from down the line “it’s gotta be Roy”. I am sure it
was not me, I figure it is Frank Snider just playing a joke. After I shoot my second shot
for record, Tom is starting to loose his patience. All of a sudden I realize I had been
shooting on target # 13, just like I have been doing for years, even though Tom and I had
worked out a “system”. Tom was good enough to agree to shoot on the target in front of
me and let me his target being that I had just fired two 10’s.
Tom passed away on New Years Day this year. He was not the only member the club
lost over the past year. David Burcaw died September 12, 2006. Gerald Schade died on
November 6, 2006. John Stark died in February on this year. Leo Wempe died in
January of this year. Dennis Belloff died on February 18, 2007.
If anyone would like to share a story of one of our late members, please contact me.
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WANTED TO BUY, SELL OR TRADE
This section of the FHRPC newsletter is reserved for membership advertising.
You can advertise your surplus sporting gear for sale (WTS, want to sell) or trade
(WTT, want to trade). Likewise, if you are looking for something to buy (WTB,
want to buy), you can advertise here. Sporting gear can be any type of shooting,
archery, hunting, fishing, or camping equipment. Examples include firearms,
ammo, reloading equipment and components, scopes, bows, boots, portable tree
stands, and tents. Forward your advertisements to Roy Musselwhite 898 State
Park Road, Swanton MD 21561.
UPDATED LIST
The FHRPC is not responsible for any sales, lack thereof, or compliance with any
federal, ATF, state, or local regulations.
1. WTS; Ruger Mini 30 SS, 2.5 wide range Leopold scope and ammo, only fired 15
rounds. Dan Moore 301-724-0151.
2. WTS; About 100 pounds of Soft Lead, $20. Two 5 round AR-15 magazines, $8
each. Jim Gift 301-359-3639.
3. WTB—Winchester Model 70 Long Action Pre-64 Type 270, 30-06, 25-06. Pete
Walsh 301-724-0841
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FORT HILL RIFLE & PISTOL CLUB (FHRPC)
ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES
Date: Friday, February 12, 2007
Time: 1800 (6 PM)
Place: Allegany County Career Center for Technical Education
Bill Lewis called the meeting to order at 1810 (6:10 PM).
Attendance. Twenty-Three (23) members attended the annual meeting. A list of
members in attendance is included at the end of these minutes.
Pledge of Allegiance. Lewis led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United
States of America.
Invocation. Lewis provided the invocation.
Meeting Minutes. Musselwhite read the minutes from the 2006 annual meeting.
A motion was made to accept the minutes as read. The motion was seconded
and unanimously approved.
Treasurer’s Report. Dowell discussed the financial condition of the club. The
beginning balance was $41,147. Expenses were $23,230. The ending balance
is $63,188. The newsletter cost the club $1975. A motion was made to accept
the Treasurer’s report. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.
League Reports. League chairmen provided the following reports.
Sight-In Days. Ken Fuller reported and thanked all those who
helped in 2006. Attendance was a little better than last year. Roy
Musselwhite volunteered to work with DNR marking office to
promote the club. Kenny was applauded for his work.
Smallbore. Bill Lewis reported. The smallbore prone rifle league
had 5 regular shooters in 2006. The league is looking for fresh
blood. Good practice for all shooters.
Highpower. No highpower report
Pistol League. Frank Snyder reported. Participation was good.
Snyder reminded all that the league shoots on Tuesdays, in both
the morning and evening. Only need a 22 long rifle to start.
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Silhouette Jim Soulsby reported, participation was down a little but
had good turn out. Shooting on new range, April 13th is a work day.
Muzzleloader. Jim Soulsby reported. Very informal, shooting at
Morningside.
Smallbore Juniors.
Chris Bennett reported.
Ten juniors
participated in 2006. Chris Bennett will again be league chairman
in 2007. The safety and marksmanship training is compatible with
4H and Boy Scouts programs.
BR50. Dan James reported. The league had 8 regular shooters,
plan to start up again on April 18th. Bench Rest style .22 rim fire
rifles, with 36 power scopes, sophisticated equipment, and tough
targets. Enjoy new benches.
Hunter Education. Brian Walkup reported. FHRP supported 3 courses
this year. FHRP team includes: Belloff, Walkup, and Musselwhite.
Supported Al.Co. CCTE law enforcement class. have reciprocity with
other states
OLD BUSSINESS
LTC. Gary Dawson reported. Range is still waiting for a decision, but plans to
reopen in March. May be excluded from noise laws, if they do loose, they may
be issued a 10 year Non-Conforming Use Permit. Cost so far is close to
$10,000.
NEW BUSSINES
Election of Officers. The following officers ran unopposed for 2007.
President,
William C. Lewis Jr
Vice President,
Chris Bennett
Treasurer,
John C. Dowell
Secretary,
Roy A. Musselwhite Jr
Executive Officer, David A. Thompson
Executive Officer, James C. Soulsby
1. . 600 Yard Matches
The continuing success of the 600-yard matches in 2006 was noted. One match
was cancelled due to rain. A motion was made to conduct 600-yard matches on
the first Saturday each month, from April to October, in 2007. Vic Merkel raised
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concern about the price of a match, and did not want members to pay the same
price as non members. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved
2. Fort Hill Rifle and Pistol Club Web Page
Shannon Peterson reported his research on the cost of creating a web site. He
reported that FHRPC.org is available. A motion was made to investigate internet
technology. The motion was seconded passed unanimously.
3. Membership Limits (decrease)
Vic Merkel proposed that the club lower the membership cap by 50 members.
Motion dies due to lack of second.
4. Dues
Vic Merkel proposed that the dues for 2007 be reduced to 40 per paying
member. Any attempt to create revenue be separate from membership dues.
Raffle tickets be sold on a volunteer basis only. The motion was seconded and
much discussion followed. Motion passed 13 for 10 opposed.
5. Raffle
Vic Merkel proposed a committee be formed armed with the membership roster,
to organize a raffle. Vic Merkel agreed to be the chairman, Shannon Peterson,
Deny, Mark Vantine, agreed to assist. The motion was seconded and passed
unanimously.
6. Adjourn
Motion to adjourn seconded and passed unanimously at 2048 (8:48 PM)
FORT HILL RIFLE & PISTOL CLUB (FHRPC)
2007 ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES
ATTACHMENT 1 – ATTENDING MEMBERS
1. Vic Merkel
2. K??????
3. Gregory Fletcher
4. ken Fuller
5. Roy A. Musselwhite Jr.
6. Frank Snyder
7. Bill Lewis
8. Bryan walkup
9. Shannon Peterson
10. Joshua McCullough
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11. Bill Gero
12. Dan James
13. Jay Cole
14. Chris Bennett
15. Mark Belt???
16. Russ Lease
17. Silvester Schultz
18. Roger Rowe
19. John Dowell
20. MD Harsh III
21. James Kahl
22. Joe Lechliter
23. Jim Soulsby
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