Author: Steven Gordon

We normally hold our Dog Days match in August, but this match certainly could have qualified from a temperature perspective. It could have also been easily called the Rust-Oleum and Naval Jelly match since it has been a full half year since any of our competitors have faced the pins. Nevertheless there were some fantastic scores. Courtney Bolze’s rocking new Kriss Vector sporting a new optical sight nearly edged Art Schoner despite a personal best and fastest string of 2.88 seconds. And a note of the passing of the torch to the next generation. Ellie Gordon smoked her dad in Carbine to place third overall in her first recorded pin match, of course using his gun to beat him.  Results are below. Our next match is August 1. See you there. Steven Category Rank Shooter String 1 String 2 String 3 String 4 Total Fastest String Carbine Art Schoner 4.12 6.54 4.18 2.88 17.72 2.88 Courtney Bolze 4.79 4.49 5.74 3.12 18.14 Ellie Gordon 3.45 9.72 4.60 2.80 20.57 Dennis Bondi 4.65 8.73 6.13 7.63 27.14 George Francis 8.36 10.41 8.08 9.60 36.45 Steven Gordon 2.98 4.01 25.00 4.77 36.76 Tom Aston 14.29 8.96 9.11 7.59 39.95 Amanda Aston 9.91 …

Yes Virginia, there is a bowling pin shoot. On July 4, 2020 we will gather at 9:30 AM for our inaugural 2020 Pin Match at the lovely ASC range in scenic Wakefield. Please bring a mask and work gloves for set up and take down. We will enforce social distancing on and off the line, but we expect to shoot without masks. We are also expecting lots of laughs. Nobody’s eyesight got a lot better over the winter and most of us have not had time or facility to practice. The pins will mock us and lay sideways on the table like they always do. But the pins don’t talk. Don’t worry, your friends will be there and this is your opportunity to taunt them! The rules and directions have not changed and are available the ASC web site www.airfieldshootingclub.org. Your associate deputy chief pinhead has not changed either, so reach him with specific questions at [email protected] See you at the match, Steven

Dear Fellow Shooters, We will not be holding a bowling pin match on June 13th . No, June is not be nice to bowling pin month. Your match directors have consulted with the Airfield Board of Directors and we have decided to delay for one month. A significant concern is the time it will take to hold the match. As many of you know, we usually occupy the range for five to six hours on match day. Given the amount of time that the range has been closed and our current limitations on attendance, we felt that the range should be open for all shooters for the next few weekends. Don’t worry, we expect to be back with a bang on the 4th of July. Until then, practice! Art, Courtney, and Steven

Greetings Fellow Shooters, Wow, I get really down when we cancel a match for weather. So this is a sad day for me. For the first time in the history of the Airfield Shooting Club, we are announcing cancelling a match due to pandemic. As you know, due to the Covid19 outbreak Governor Northam has instituted a ban on all gatherings of more than 10 people for both public and private organizations.  I suppose I may be flattering myself to think that nine other friends would show up, but in spite of my attendance we seem to be drawing reasonable crowds to the matches. Hopefully we will be back in business for the May match, but the safety of our shooters has to come first. I’ll be spending some quality time with my reloading presses family during the break. I hope you can find components time to do the same. Steven

We had an outstanding match to close our season Saturday. A baker’s dozen shooters competed while enjoying each others company. There was a lot of talk about potential untoward development from our new legislative regime in Richmond, but we did not let it dampen our spirits. Half of our group met for lunch at the Virginia Diner afterwards. As veteran pin shooters know, we can’t shoot in the dead of winter because the plastic coating on the pins is fragile during cold weather. Our next pin match will be April 4, 2020. Match results are below. Category Rank Shooter String 1 String 2 String 3 String 4 Total Fastest String Carbine 1 Steven Gordon 3.78 4.51 4.68 3.34 16.31 3.34 2 Art Schoner 3.54 5.82 3.54 4.13 17.03 3 Dale Mullin 4.38 4.36 4.06 4.28 17.08 4 Charles Lankford 3.94 5.42 3.27 5.46 18.09 5 Courtney Bolze 4.33 5.46 3.70 7.23 20.72 6 Gary Galumbeck 5.76 4.56 5.42 5.83 21.57 7 Scott Sampson 6.75 6.90 25.00 4.32 42.97 8 Kenneth Clark 7.14 6.88 5.71 25.00 44.73 Major NFS Frank Sanders 4.43 5.18 5.91 4.03 19.55 1 Frank Sanders 7.48 5.68 8.17 5.33 26.66 2 Courtney Bolze 4.85 8.58 8.21 8.53 …

Well Gentle Shooters, As I look back to last month, the biggest news for the pin match was that we had nice weather. Based on what we hear from the new leadership in the General Assembly, this month we hold what could be the last ever carbine bowling pin match at our range. Certainly pin matches will go on at the range. We have survived gun bans before and we can adapt the matches based on whatever legislation comes out of Richmond. But it just feels like this match will be special, kind of an old school throwback. I think we should all show up, plan to make a day of it. After the match, maybe a bunch of us go up the the Virginia Diner, who knows? Anyway, I do hope you will come out for our last match of the season. All of the normal particulars apply. We start at 9:30, rules and directions are on the web page www.airfieldshootingclub.org and specific questions go to the aged and decrepit pinhead at [email protected]. Hope to see you Saturday Steven

Wow, what a great day at the range. Beautiful weather and a group of safe shooters dedicated to having fun together. As you know, in our game, everyone does not get a trophy. The good, the bad and the truly ugly are listed below. We have one match left, December 7th. See you on Pearl Harbor Day. Category Rank Shooter String 1 String 2 String 3 String 4 Total Fastest String Carbine 1 Art Schoner 4.64 3.26 3.44 3.23 14.57 2 Bill Lewis 4.54 3.41 5.57 7.50 21.02 3 Charles Lankford 10.57 6.45 3.62 2.77 23.41 2.77 4 Paul Ruffle 5.26 7.13 5.23 6.01 23.63 5 Courtney Bolze 6.79 6.90 5.25 5.23 24.17 6 Steven Gordon 7.25 6.37 6.72 4.71 25.05 7 Kenneth Clark 6.18 6.90 6.79 5.33 25.20 8 Dennis Bondi 3.79 8.62 4.45 8.51 25.37 9 Allen Moran 7.21 4.99 8.34 5.00 25.54 10 John Claypool 5.20 5.94 7.85 11.05 30.04 11 Chris Covert 11.97 7.88 12.78 10.50 43.13 12 Tom Aston 11.84 12.83 12.36 8.38 45.41 Major 1 Tom Aston 4.34 7.76 6.50 5.45 24.05 4.34 2 Bill Lewis 5.84 10.52 7.64 8.70 32.70 3 Charles Lankford 10.71 8.05 7.91 7.72 34.39 4 Art Schoner 9.00 10.40 …

Greetings Gentle Shooters, The Airfield Shooting Club will hold its monthly Bowling Pin Match this Saturday, November 2, beginning at 9:30 AM. This is the second to the last match of the season, which concludes next month and resumes in April of 2020. The weather looks great for shooting and we hope you will join us. You can find directions to the range and the rules for the match at our web site www.airfieldshootingclub.org. For specific questions or if you just want to talk about shooting pins, you’ll need a pinhead. It just so happens that we have one, available at [email protected]. See you at the range, Steven

Thanks to all of our shooters who came out for a fabulous match. As noted below, there were a lot of quality scores that would win most of our matches. Our shooters should be proud of their scores. Despite that, the day boiled down to  Kenneth Clark and Paul Ruffle stopping by to interrupt what was otherwise the Bill Lewis show last Saturday at the range. Congratulations Bill on a dominating performance, winning the aggregate by over 45 seconds and taking first in everything but Major (Kenneth) and Minor (Paul). It was nice to see such a large turnout. A couple of shout outs this month. First of all, nice to see Paul Ruffle behind his gun again. Paul, it has been far to long. And I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Art Schoner came remarkably close to not leaving a pin for the entire match. You are just one pin away from perfection, Art. For the rest of us, we get another chance next month at the Get out the Vote Pin Match, November 2nd at 9:30 at the range. I will see you there. Steven Category Rank Shooter String 1 String 2 String 3 …

Fall into the October Bowling Pin Match this Saturday, October 5th at 9:30 at the Airfield Shooting Club Range in Wakefield. Conditions should be ideal for the match with temperatures topping out in the 70’s. For a detailed listing of the rules of the match as well as directions to our range can be found at www.airfieldshootingclub.org. For specific questions such as can I bring my flamethrower (uh, NO!)  please consult a pinhead. If you cannot afford a pinhead, one will be provided at no charge at [email protected]. Steven