Another Montana Score: Col. Falls Gong Match

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The North Fork Valley Sportsman Club puts on a small gong match each spring and fall, the weekend before Memorial Day and the weekend following Labor Day. A fun little match normally with 8 to 12 shooters with ranges out to 465 yards. Shot from a seated position only except for the chickens at 100 yards which is shot offhand from a standing position. Sight-in period first thing in the morning starting about 10:00 am, then we start the match about 11:00 or so when everyone is happy with their sighters. Several club members are there to help call your shots and then are the ones who call hits and misses.

The first four animals are shot five times each with each shot taken in turn with the whole line. They are chicken, pig, turkey, and ram at 100, 200, 300, and 400 yds, then the chicken, pig, and turkey are moved to 200, 300, and 400 yards and the final target is usually a buffalo target at 465 yds up on a hill for three shots and the final two shots at a 15 inch square. This year the buffalo had been knocked down by someone shooting a large smokeless rifle of some sort so we shot all five on the 15 inch square. Visibility on these two targets in the morning for sighters is terrible but you can usually see them pretty well in the afternoon when we are shooting for score.

The weather for this fall's match was very nice with a little bit of wind to keep you on your toes. We had nine shooters this year. Here's a link to the scores:

http://www.mtbpcr.com/2017ColFallsSept.html