2023 Montana State Championship Silhouette Match
Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2023 11:53 am
The 2023 Montana State Championship Silhouette Match was held over the four days of June 22 to June 25. We had 16 BPCR and 2 HP shooters attending on Saturday and 14 BPCR and 2 HP shooters attending on Sunday. Shooters from Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming were in attendance. The weather started on Thursday being quite blustery with the threat of rain in the forecast for all four days. The wind was switching from the south to the north and back again with upwards of 10 or more minutes each way. Luckily the rain held off during the matches but the skies opened up Friday evening with hail and wind but it didn't last for very long. Just long enough to eat a chicken fried steak over a Sparkies Garage in Butte. The wind switched over Saturday and Sunday to being predominantly head winds to occasional tail winds. Saturday there was a short rain storm that we let pass and then resumed shooting. All in all not terrible weather to be out and shooting for the whole event.
Thursday for day one of the scope match had the high shooter going to Bill Huxtable shooting a 31 with 4 chickens. Johnny Spratling was 2nd with a 28 and 3 chickens, and 3rd was a tie with Ted Tompkins and Thom Moore both shooting a 27 with 3 chickens each. Ted is a master and Thom is only AA in scope, however... Friday had the high shooter going to Mike Mondlock who is only AA in scope and shooting a 31 with 6 chickens which puts him in AAA for his next scope match. Ted Tompkins was 2nd with a 27 and 2 chickens. Dave Heninger and Butch Ulsher both tied for 3rd with 26 but Butch got 3 chickens and Dave shot 2.
The overall Scope champion and winner of the MVA Scope was Bill Huxtable shooting an aggregate score of 56, 2nd Overall went to Ted Tompkins shooting a 53, and 3rd Overall was AA shooter Thom Moore shooting a 52. 1st Master was Dave Heninger with a 49, 2nd master was Butch Ulsher with a 47 and 3rd master was Del Niemeyer shooting a 47. 1st AAA went to Johnny Spratling shooting a 47, Dan Smrdel was 2nd with a 46, and Penny Huxtable was 3rd with a 41. Mike Mondlock with his stellar shooting on Friday was 1st in AA shooting an aggregate of 49. Following close behind was Mary Huxtable who was high woman shooter with a 45. High HP shooter was Jeff Ault with a 32.
The Saturday Iron match had the high shooter going to Dave Heninger shooting a 33 with 4 chickens and missing his Grand Slam by one Ram, 2nd went to Johnny Spratling shooting a 31 with 3 chickens and missing his Grand Slam by two Rams, and 3rd went to Del Niemeyer shooting a 27 with 1 chicken. Sunday had the high shooter going to Del Niemeyer shooting a 30 with 5 chickens, 2nd went to Ted Tompkins shooting a 28 and 3rd was a tie between Dave Heninger and Johnny Spratling both shooting 27's but Johnny got 4 chickens and Dave got 3.
The overall Iron champion went to Dave Heninger shooting an aggregate score for the weekend of 60. 2nd Overall went to Johnny Spratling shooting a 58 and 3rd Overall went to Del Niemeyer shooting a 57. 1st Master went to Ted Tompkins and 2nd Master was Butch Ulsher with a 40. 1st AAA went to Dan Smrdel shooting a 46, 2nd AAA was JC Gier with a 41 and 3rd AAA was Gene Davids with a 37. 1st AA was Flint Barger with a 38. 1st B was Kurt Hanson with a 32. The High HP shooter was Rick Amgove shooting a 65 and a Grand Slam with 4 chickens on Sunday.
Montana Vintage Arms supports our state match by giving away a scope to the high Scope Overall winner as well as an Iron Sight certificate to the high Turkey shooter in the Iron Sight Match. As mentioned above, Bill Huxtable won the Scope for High Overall Scope Champion. For the Iron Sight award, four of us tied with high Turkey count of 16. The shooters were Johnny Spratling, Dan Smrdel, Dave Heninger, and Del Niemeyer. The tie was decided by a shoot-off offhand at Turkeys. We all missed the first shot with Johnny, Dan, and myself firing fairly early kind of together and Dave taking his time and shooting well into the one-minute time allotted but also missing. My first shot was just over the back of the turkey so I dropped my sight one minute and for the second one-minute shooting period, my shot came first just ahead of Johnny and Dan and I hit the turkey just under the top of the back. Johnny and Dan came close but missed and Dave, taking his time, took his final shot and missed giving me the win for the Iron Sight certificate!! Don't you just love shoot-offs!!!
On a serious note, the Butte Gun Club Range is being encroached upon by a local couple where they have cut in a road and a hole for a house in hill almost behind the pig line 600 to 700 yards from the shooting line. The excavation guy that had left his cat in the house excavation showed up on Thursday and got it the hell out of harms way. Not sure what these people are thinking but the picture shows what is going on... This picture was taken on the end of the pig shooting line looking east out onto the range.
Thursday for day one of the scope match had the high shooter going to Bill Huxtable shooting a 31 with 4 chickens. Johnny Spratling was 2nd with a 28 and 3 chickens, and 3rd was a tie with Ted Tompkins and Thom Moore both shooting a 27 with 3 chickens each. Ted is a master and Thom is only AA in scope, however... Friday had the high shooter going to Mike Mondlock who is only AA in scope and shooting a 31 with 6 chickens which puts him in AAA for his next scope match. Ted Tompkins was 2nd with a 27 and 2 chickens. Dave Heninger and Butch Ulsher both tied for 3rd with 26 but Butch got 3 chickens and Dave shot 2.
The overall Scope champion and winner of the MVA Scope was Bill Huxtable shooting an aggregate score of 56, 2nd Overall went to Ted Tompkins shooting a 53, and 3rd Overall was AA shooter Thom Moore shooting a 52. 1st Master was Dave Heninger with a 49, 2nd master was Butch Ulsher with a 47 and 3rd master was Del Niemeyer shooting a 47. 1st AAA went to Johnny Spratling shooting a 47, Dan Smrdel was 2nd with a 46, and Penny Huxtable was 3rd with a 41. Mike Mondlock with his stellar shooting on Friday was 1st in AA shooting an aggregate of 49. Following close behind was Mary Huxtable who was high woman shooter with a 45. High HP shooter was Jeff Ault with a 32.
The Saturday Iron match had the high shooter going to Dave Heninger shooting a 33 with 4 chickens and missing his Grand Slam by one Ram, 2nd went to Johnny Spratling shooting a 31 with 3 chickens and missing his Grand Slam by two Rams, and 3rd went to Del Niemeyer shooting a 27 with 1 chicken. Sunday had the high shooter going to Del Niemeyer shooting a 30 with 5 chickens, 2nd went to Ted Tompkins shooting a 28 and 3rd was a tie between Dave Heninger and Johnny Spratling both shooting 27's but Johnny got 4 chickens and Dave got 3.
The overall Iron champion went to Dave Heninger shooting an aggregate score for the weekend of 60. 2nd Overall went to Johnny Spratling shooting a 58 and 3rd Overall went to Del Niemeyer shooting a 57. 1st Master went to Ted Tompkins and 2nd Master was Butch Ulsher with a 40. 1st AAA went to Dan Smrdel shooting a 46, 2nd AAA was JC Gier with a 41 and 3rd AAA was Gene Davids with a 37. 1st AA was Flint Barger with a 38. 1st B was Kurt Hanson with a 32. The High HP shooter was Rick Amgove shooting a 65 and a Grand Slam with 4 chickens on Sunday.
Montana Vintage Arms supports our state match by giving away a scope to the high Scope Overall winner as well as an Iron Sight certificate to the high Turkey shooter in the Iron Sight Match. As mentioned above, Bill Huxtable won the Scope for High Overall Scope Champion. For the Iron Sight award, four of us tied with high Turkey count of 16. The shooters were Johnny Spratling, Dan Smrdel, Dave Heninger, and Del Niemeyer. The tie was decided by a shoot-off offhand at Turkeys. We all missed the first shot with Johnny, Dan, and myself firing fairly early kind of together and Dave taking his time and shooting well into the one-minute time allotted but also missing. My first shot was just over the back of the turkey so I dropped my sight one minute and for the second one-minute shooting period, my shot came first just ahead of Johnny and Dan and I hit the turkey just under the top of the back. Johnny and Dan came close but missed and Dave, taking his time, took his final shot and missed giving me the win for the Iron Sight certificate!! Don't you just love shoot-offs!!!
On a serious note, the Butte Gun Club Range is being encroached upon by a local couple where they have cut in a road and a hole for a house in hill almost behind the pig line 600 to 700 yards from the shooting line. The excavation guy that had left his cat in the house excavation showed up on Thursday and got it the hell out of harms way. Not sure what these people are thinking but the picture shows what is going on... This picture was taken on the end of the pig shooting line looking east out onto the range.
