The Owensville Gun Club will conduct a High Power Rifle Marksmanship Clinic at their facility on Sun., Mar. 15.
The clinic is being held for beginning/intermediate shooters who want to gain some knowledge of competitive shooting and range procedures. The instruction will be be at a level suitable for young people, age 14 and older.
The clinic is being presented at no cost to the participants and will be conducted in a one-day format consisting of classroom work in the morning and range firing in the afternoon.
Due to restricted room in the clubhouse for some of the practical work that will be required of the participants, only 15 people may register for the clinic. This will be on a first-come, first-served basis by contacting one of the clinic instructors.
Mark Ehlert, a gun club member and competitive shooter, will be the chief instructor and range master. Ehlert will be assisted by Kurt Emken, CMP expert shooter, and Jim Miller, field captain for small bore activities at the club and an M1 Garand expert.
The clinic will start at 8 a.m. with instruction by Emken on operation, care and cleaning, and handling of bolt action rifles and the M1 Carbine. This will be followed by operation, disassembly/assembly, care and cleaning, and handling of the M1 Garand rifle by Miller. Ehlert will cover competition equipment, range rules, commands and etiquette along with the AR-15 rifle.
Ehlert, with the help of the other instructors, will finish off the morning with an introduction to the shooting positions used in competitive shooting. Participants will then practice the positions and find their natural point of aim.
After a light lunch, that will be furnished by the club, participants will report to the range firing line. They will start by finding how to assume a comfortable position and reestablish their natural point of aim. This will be followed by dry fire practice in each position. They will then do a live fire drill in each position.
Instructors will reiterate safety, range procedures, proper use of the sling, placement of spotting scopes, and other fine points of trigger control. sight alignment/sight picture, breathing and position correction.
Slow fire and rapid fire drills will be conducted both as dry fire and live fire exercises. For all live fire exercises, participants must furnish their own ammunition. They should plan to bring along approximately 100 rounds.
“We will have access to a limited number of AR 15 rifles and ammunition that will be available to junior participants under 18 years of age,” said Don Merritt, field captain for high power rifle at the gun club.
Please contact Mark Ehlert at (573) 764-4653, Jim Miller at (636) 583-8613, or Kurt Emken at (573)732-4787 if you plan to attend this clinic or if you are a junior needing the club to supply a rifle and ammunition.