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The Michigan Rifle And Pistol Association Silhouette Division began the 2004 season on the trout season opener, the last weekend of April, on Range 10 at Camp Grayling. A work bee was held on Friday to ready the range for the first match of the year. Target repair, equipment inventory and set up were completed Friday afternoon so the Saturday sight-in and match could begin early for those competing. Two relays were fired on Saturday with decent weather conditions and some nice scores posted. In the first day of firing the top shooters were:
April Winners:

Match Winner Rich Franke 24

1st A Lewie Johnson 16

1st B Matt Regalia 13

As usual, after the competition, many of the competitors were testing new loads and taking part in informal long range competition along with lots of practice for those who felt they could improve their scores for the Sunday match.

Sunday morning the shooters who stayed on the base in the barracks awoke early to the sound of heavy rain pounding on the metal roof. The rain let up as the competitors cleared the barracks. After breakfast and the trek to the target shack and the range, the rain and wind began again. A competitors meeting was called to review the situation and, based on weather reports from the National Weather Service which predicted snow in the morning forecast, the decision was made to cancel the Sunday match.

The second High Power Silhouette Match was held the weekend of June 12th, and 13th. Once again, the range was set up on Friday afternoon after the sign-in at Range Control and pulling the barracks. We were pleased to find that the army crews who maintain the range had reinstalled the shooting benches at the east end of the firing line. The benches have been missing from the line for the last two seasons, as work on the firing line and general range improvements were being done, and their return is much appreciated by those who need to get their rifles zeroed before the match begins. Part of the afternoon was spent moving some of the rifle stands for silhouette competition and repositioning the seats for use of the benches. After that, the targets were set up to be ready for Saturday morning.

Saturday morning started with some light rain early and the decision was made to put up the rain/ sun/ snow canopy which was kindly donated to the Silhouette Division from Silhouette Ballistics Inc. The canopy was set up over the rifle racks to keep the equipment dry and for the comfort of the competitors. We were pleased to welcome new competitors Jerry Peel and Bob Sionkowski. The rain was light and steady with some strong and gusty wind until the beginning of the match and was very light off and on in the early relays fired. After that the sun returned but not without a price, as gusty winds prevailed and seemed to intensify. The wind caused enough trouble for some of the competitors in acquiring targets that the infamous Bronze Zero Award moved from Bruce the Yooper back to the Wolfman. This unfortunate state of events was enjoyed most soundly by the Yooper, but the Wolfman was able to regain some of his dignity coached by the current state champion with some good hits in the Sunday match.

During the firing of the match, many of the shooters changed their settings to accommodate the winds and spent a good portion of the informal shooting time after the match re-verifying their zero. During Saturday afternoon, Ron Ellis finally got to exercise his new .308 DPMS Panther which he had patiently awaited arrival of since the snows of winter along with others who, using their rifle of choice, fired an informal thousand yard competition to finish up the day at Range 10.

After the firing was completed the range was policed for spent brass and a target painting party was held in the sunny but still windy weather along with a check of the hits in the thousand yard firing.

The weather conditions were much improved on Sunday with calm winds and overcast providing competitors with the opportunity to put forth their best efforts. Results for the matches are as follows:

June Winner:

Saturday Match Winner Larry Medler

Sunday Match Winner Gary Dawson

Two Day Aggregate Results:

Match Winner Gary Dawson 46

1st AAA Larry Medler 44

1st AA Rich Franke 41

1st A Lewie Johnson 28

1st B Bruce Langridge 16

The next match is on the weekend of July 10th and 11th. The range report and match results will be made available in the next issue of the "Firing Lines". The State Championship will be held August 28th & 29th. Larry Medler is again collecting merchandise for the special coaster bucket event to be held during and after the cookout on Saturday afternoon.

As always, new and returning shooters are encouraged to join the competition on scheduled match weekends. Detail information (directions, etc.) is available on the MRPA Web site.

Respectfully submitted by Jerry Pond Silhouette Division Reporter, Mullet Lake, Michigan.

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2003 September - Volume 7, Issue 3, Silhouette Division Report in the MRPA The Firing Lines News Letter

The MRPA Silhouette Division enjoyed a fine 2003 season at Camp Grayling.

The weather has been pretty cooperative with dry conditions and warm weather for the competitions in June and July but severe wind conditions at the July match held the scores down on the first day of firing with many competitors not even getting anywhere near twenty hits on the targets which is a very rare situation.

At the May 31st/June 1st match Ron Ellis topped the list with match winner title and Rich Franke taking AA class. Lewie Johnson firing in Senior Class won the A slot and Jerry Pond took B position, only the second time for him on Range 10 at Camp Grayling. A number of five in a row pins were awarded to the shooters also despite gusty winds on Saturday. Two other special awards were also presented on Sunday from the weekend of competition.

The "Grand Slam" traveling trophy was won by Bruce Langridge, a new silhouette shooter from the Negaunee Michigan area and son of veteran competitor Doctor Phil Langridge who will retain it until the next time another competitor fires the perfect. The "Gorilla" award was won by Rich Chippa, a usual event for the past few matches and seasons of silhouette shooting.

The July 12th and 13th competition at Camp Grayling was held with a strong group of eager shooters anxious for a last chance to fire in competition before the National Silhouette Championships held in Ridgeway Pennsylvania.

Larry Medler edged Ron Ellis by one hit in a remarkable comeback to win on Sunday. Competitors fought probably the worst wind conditions silhouette ever experienced at Grayling. Other winners and awards presented were given to: Ron Ellis Weekend Ag and Saturday match winner, Lewie Johnson Class A, Gary Dawson AAA, Rich Franke AA and Bruce Langridge firing in B class completed the winners circle in the third match of the year.

The Michigan State Silhouette Championship of 2003 is now history with a new state champion and top class shooters declared from the September 6th and 7th weekend at Grayling. The weather and conditions were absolutely perfect with temperatures in the 50's at night and mid seventies during the day with clear skies and sun the entire weekend. Two relays were run with nice scores and many five in a row stages were fired during the first day of competition. In the afternoon a recreational/informal "Mouse Gun" match was held and all shooters participating were in almost a dead heat acquiring their targets and only a few shots apart on results. The annual steak fry was held on the range after the Saturday match.

For those who could not attend you missed the finest Special Event of that was ever put on by Larry Medler A.K.A. "Captain Graft" during the Silhouette shooting seasons. A host of awards were presented that were generously donated and graciously presented to those who did attend the championship. Silhouette would like to thank the following sponsors: Sierra Bullets, Lee Precision Dies, Numrich Arms Gun parts, Doskocil Gun Cases, Burris Optical, Redding Reloading Dies, Dixie Gun Works, Brownells Shooting Supplies, Accurate Arms Powder, Hodgdon Powder, Xtreme Clean Rifle Cleaning ,Precision Shooting Magazine and Timmney Triggers.

Sunday morning came early and the last day of firing to see who would be crowned the new state champ began at 8:00am. Again as on Sunday a number of five in a row were shot and a very first for Range Ten Silhouette in recorded history was a Long Run by Jeremiah Hoover of Grayling Michigan who fired on steel pigs getting his ten in a row! Hoover is a five year shooter in MRPA Division Silhouette and a regular at all the matches along with his father Wendel Hoover.

Larry Medler of Taylor Michigan, a long time veteran MRPA competitor is the new state champion who will reign as champion until the 2004 championship to be held on the last weekend in August of 2004. Ron Ellis from Northville Michigan, a multi-year shooter took AAA class division trophy; Rich Franke from Clinton Township Michigan took AA class. Mike Mace in his first ever trophy win who is another silhouette competitor of many years hails from the Alpena Michigan area won the A class trophy. Bruce Langridge from Negaunee Michigan captured the B slot in his second year of silhouette competition and to round out the top shooters for 2003, Lewie Johnson of Grayling Michigan took the senior class division trophy. In the special awards presentations for the year, Landridge was presented his perfect score traveling trophy. Congratulations to all the shooters for a fine job.

Respectfully submitted by Jerry Pond Silhouette Division Reporter, Mullet Lake, Michigan.

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2003 June - Volume 7, Issue 2, Silhouette Division Report in the MRPA The Firing Lines News Letter

The MRPA Silhouette Division held its first match of the season at Camp Grayling on Range 10 the last weekend of April 2003. The weather was good both days of the match with cool mornings and sunny afternoons. This was the first competition held under the capable and professional
direction of the new Silhouette Division VP Gary Dawson as OIC. Dawson was elected with unanimous support by the Silhouette Division members at the 2003 MRPA Annual Meeting held in February. He was assisted by Range Officer Rich Franke and they both conducted the two days event in a safety oriented and professional manner. Some excellent scores were posted and this first match of the year found more shooters on the firing line than in many previous seasons. Seems like it was a long winter and competitors were anxious to get back to Grayling to begin the 2003 Silhouette Season.

Larry Medler won the Aggregate and the Saturday Match and Gary Dawson won the Sunday Match. Many of the competitors showed up with new rifles and scopes which is typical of the silhouette game with shooters always trying to better their scores with new equipment and loads. Conditions are still a bit rustic with the army yet to finish black dirt and grass seeding on the new and improved firing line and replace the shooting benches removed for the earth work on the range improvement project.

Along with a new season for silhouette shooters firing at Camp Grayling, an additional rule put into place this year for those staying in the barracks was a stipulation that no ammunition is allowed in the cantonment area along with last year's regulation of no firearms in the same areas. Competitors have been using the alternate Arrowhead Road access to the range to comply with the regulations put forth by the Army and using the same security system for their equipment as last year for those who use the barracks on Friday and Saturday during the silhouette competition on Range 10.

The usual work occurred for the first match of the season in setting up the animals with the chicken line being the most intensive as with the misplaced berm, the original target stands are now behind it so the 30 stands and gongs have to be temporarily placed each match until the military, possibly this fall reconfigures the berm location so we can permanently set the stands on the regular target line for the correct distance from the firing point. Painting the animals took place as a normal routine before the matches. After the Saturday match as is usually the case, many of the competitors re-zeroed their silhouette rifles and checked settings on others that needed firing time on the course.

On Sunday morning, the final match of the weekend began at 9:00 am. after which scores were posted and then the match winner and class winners were announced and given their awards. A special recognition was given to Rich Chippa who along with Ron Ellis ran the silhouette matches for almost the last ten years. The range pickup was then completed and the animals and related gear were put back into storage to await the next match which was held beginning May 30th through June 1st. This shoot weekend was the changed date from the tentative date of the second week of June which liaison officer John Weir received from the military last year which was finalized and approved this spring. The report and details and official results from this match and the July competitions will be posted in the fall edition of the MRPA newsletter.

July matches will be held beginning on the 14th and 15th with the State Championship and steak fry held on September 6th and seventh which is the final match of the year. The year 2004 match dates are tentative as of now following the same weekends as this season except the state championship weekend looks like the third weekend of August at this writing but must be made official with approval by the military. We always look forward to new shooters and competitors at all the matches. Contact information is noted at the bottom of this article, the main contact being Silhouette Division Vice President Gary Dawson who may be contacted via e-mail at the following e-mail address Gdwoodbridge@ao1.com or telephone 1248-652-2089 for details.

In other Silhouette news in Michigan a new range has been built and in at the Alpena Sportsman's Club in Alpena Michigan and is being run by Ray LaCross, a veteran MRPA rifle shooter. Two matches have been held as of this writing with the next one planned on June 14th and a monthly match is scheduled there through September. Some of the regular shooters from Range 10 have fired there already this season and have reported a nice silhouette range in operation there. We always welcome new shooters at Range 10 for competitions and even if you've never fired it before it is a fun and challenging experience with plenty of help available from the competitors there.

Respectfully submitted by Jerry Pond Silhouette Division Reporter, Mullet Lake, Michigan.

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2002 Winter - Volume 6, Issue 5, Silhouette Division Report in the MRPA The Firing Lines News Letter

The Michigan Rifle and Pistol Association finished the 2002 Silhouette season with Gary Dawson of Rochester, Michigan as the new State Champion. The State Championship Match and final competition of the season was held at Camp Grayling, Michigan on the weekend of September 7th and 8th. The originally scheduled date for the third weekend in August was canceled, as the Army needed their facilities for expanded training that weekend.

Dawson had an excellent score of 50/80 and has been our State Champion many times. Congratulations Gary! Richard Ent :from Pennsylvania took first AAA with the score of 49/80. In past years, shooters from many states and Canada have joined in the competitions at Grayling. Rich Franke took first AA Firing 36/80, Todd Stanton captured first A with a score of 32/80, and Class B winner was Matt Regalia, a new silhouette shooter this season with a score of 26/80. A new award for this year: a trophy for High Senior class was won by Lewie Johnson of Grayling, Michigan with a score of 30/80.

The weather was excellent for the championship weekend. The annual steak fly and related activities were held on the range. This was necessitated by the new regulations concerning silhouette equipment in the cantonment area. We usually held it on the waters of Lake Margarethe. It actually worked out very well by getting our barbecue grills out of storage. Attendance was good in the 2002 season at all the matches with many new shooters, which was nice to see.

The official July match results were not available for the fall newsletter by the deadline so are being noted in this writing. The weather conditions were ideal for the July match.

In review of the July 13th and 14th, 2002 matches at Grayling, the match winner was Larry Medler firing 43/80, Gary Dawson class AAA with a score of 40/80, Rich Franke in Class AA shooting 33/80, Todd Stanton took first A firing a 28/80, and John Perry completed the winner's circle taking the class B position with 17/80.

The Army completed more work on the range by constructing an ammunition dispersal building behind the firing line. It also built a new guard rail parking area on the adjoining Range 11. The work to complete the seeding of the berms on Range 10 was expected to be worked on this fall.

In related silhouette activities in Michigan, the Alpena Sportsman's Club has completed its- new silhouette range by converting the previous 600 yd range to a metallic silhouette facility. This writer has visited the range during the progress and looks like an excellent place to shoot: full backstop, three sets of animals, plenty of parking, camping spots available, etc. In talking to Alpena Club members who are also MRPA Silhouette Division shooters, they were planning a test match to christen the new range in December, if the weather permits. The officials from the club are going to schedule their silhouette match weekends around existing MRPA silhouette activities in Michigan at Grayling, along with other matches at Dorr and Alma. Further details and contacts for the new range will be made available in the newsletter and the MRPA website as it is confirmed. With the close of the 2002 shooting season, many of the members will be participating in Michigan firearm deer season. They will get a chance to put their shooting skills to use.

After the Christmas holidays, silhouette shooters will again begin the process of loading match ammunition, tweaking their rifles and scopes and/or getting new ones in preparing for the 2003 match season. Confirmed match dates for Camp Grayling for 2003 (which are subject to . possible change by the army) are at the end of this article. Most of the base access problems encountered, due to heightened security at Camp Grayling, were able to be worked out by our Grayling liaison officer. This enabled our use of the range for competitions by the MRPA.

The annual MRPA State Association meeting will be held the :first Sunday in February and is also the time our division will be electing a new VP and officers. This is an important meeting and you are urged to attend. Most of the work to put on a silhouette match, especially at Grayling, takes place behind the scenes in getting and verifying range dates and complying with all of the army range use and safety procedures. As in any Organization, much of the work is left to the few while the many enjoy. The officers and committeemen slots are all volunteer positions and if the workload can be shared..... All of the participants am enjoy the competition with the least amount of work... something to think about while you're on the line knocking down an animal. We're looking forward to seeing you at the annual meeting.

Respectfully submitted by Jerry Pond Silhouette Division Reporter, Mullet Lake, Michigan.

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2002 Fall - Volume 6, Issue 4, Silhouette Division Report in the MRPA The Firing Lines News Letter

By the time you receive this newsletter, the 2002 Michigan State Rifle Silhouette Champion and class trophy winners will have been decided. This was due to the reschedule of the original date of the championship from August 16th thru the 18th to September 6th thru the 8th at Camp Grayling on Range 10. Due to expanded military use of the base facilities on the original weekend, the date was moved by the army to September with that being the only option to have the match and finish out the 2002 silhouette season. The State Championship was officially moved to these dates by Silhouette VP Rich Chippa and John Wier, Military Liaison Officer for MRPA

It has been a very successful season so far with excellent weather for the last two matches in June and July with the exception of the "Blizzard/Snow/Rain" match in April which ushered in the season. This abbreviated first competition weekend of the year was called off on the second day of firing due to extremely bad weather conditions creating unsafe match conditions for the competitors and range officers.

The new regulations that do not allow firearms in the barracks area that were put into effect this year have created some logistical problems in the safe storage and use of the silhouette equipment for competitors. Attempts to get a waiver for competitors' following the chain of command was met at least for the present with no success so competitors accessed Range 10 the back way via Arrowhead Road for the matches. This created some confusion until maps were posted to the web site "Silhouette Ballistics" which is run by silhouette shooter Larry Medler and info also posted to the official MRPA site for the new regulations with updates as they were made available for current information.

The access to the cantonment/barracks area for those who used the billets were smoothed out after the roster of competitors was given to security forces manning not only the main entrance but Howe Road and Military Road gates to Camp Grayling. Those shooters who came in the front gate who were on the list and were not given a vehicle pass could return to camp from the range each day to quarters at 328Q without driving all the way back around Arrowhead Road. All passes that were issued were turned in to the VP and given to the Range Control officers when the range was turned in after the 1 silhouette match. The competitors used the Arrowhead route to go home as they then had their firearms with them and could not go back thru the base transporting them.

The infamous 2002 terrible weather match which began the season was tallied and won in only one day of firing by Jeremiah Hoover AA class with a fine score of 26. Gary Dawson AAA shooter with a 19. Todd Stanton A class with an 18 and Dave LaVigne took B competition with an 8. This was fine shooting for one day only and if you were there you will recognize the effort with the bad weather the competitors had to deal with.

The conditions for the June match were excellent with a work bee Friday to install new posts to put the firing line rifle stands on during the relays. These were prepared and built by Ron Ellis and Rich Chippa on a rainy and cloudy day at Ron's house. This same crew put together steel stands for the chicken line as due to the new berm placement, our old posts are not visible for the time being until we move them and temporarily these chicken stands have to be taken out after each use at a silhouette match until the army finishes the work on topsoil and seeding on the new berms on Range 10.

This second match once again saw some fine scores with a highlight being the taking of the "Gorilla Trophy" to the north for a change by the Wolfman, for the first time in five long years; he had a good day on the silhouette firing line on Range 10. The top guns at the second match were - Gary Dawson AAA with a 42, Rich Franke AA with a score of 25, Todd Stanton A with a score of 31 and Frank Ingalls won B with 17 total hits.

The July match also brought good weather with- no rain and hot and dry conditions for the competitors at Range 10.The new regulations for access to the base and range were refined and although not ideal as they once were, are being managed well by the members firing on the range by using the back road to the range for the competition. There were good scores again posted with an unusual amount of shoot-offs taking place. There were some new competitors which is always nice to see and were made welcome as usual. This improves the level of competition at the matches and there are some fine shooters taking their first steps in the silhouette shooting game in the :MRPA Silhouette Division.

The final official verified scores and results for the July match were not available at the time of this writing but will be in the next newsletter along with the new state championship trophy winners and report on state weekend held at Range 10 on September 6th, 7th and 8th. There will be an election for new silhouette officers and VP at the spring annual meeting and make sure you mark the calendar for the first Sunday in February 2003 to attend and become an active part of the Silhouette Division, the bulk of the work to enable the competition at Range 10 takes place behind the scenes and it is not just looking downrange at the animals from the firing line. Sharing the workload .allows all of us to enjoy the great days at the range, Remember '''The Purpose of Shooting Is Hitting"

Respectfully submitted by Jerry Pond Silhouette Division Reporter, Mullet Lake, Michigan.

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2002 Summer - Volume 6, Issue 3, Silhouette Division Report in the MRPA The Firing Lines News Letter

The first match of the new season was held on Range 10 at Camp Grayling the last full weekend of April. Range preparation work had to be completed on Friday before the match could begin on Saturday. This was due to the berm work the Army is doing on the range. Now the stands for the chickens are invisible behind the new 800-yard berm when standing on the re-graded and higher 1000-yard firing line. As a temporary fix, the prairie dogs and their stands were pressed into service.

Chickens were shot on top of the 200yard berm instead of the normal 200 meters. Five of the prairie dog stands and five upside down prairie dogs were pressed into the ground on each bay for chicken stands. Then five of the prairie dogs were put head down and base up for a close ~ the ground stand compare to the p-dog stand. kind of a five up and five down shooting army. In all it worked pretty well. Minor sight corrections were required ~ the chicken zeros. The other animals shot at the same distance and position as before, the pigs had a little less stand showing and the turkey appeared a little higher above the 600-yard berm. The tops of all the new berms are still packed sand and topsoil has not been placed yet so the shooting conditions were more rustic than usual. The posts for the twelve silhouette shooting positions and shooting benches have not been installed on the re-graded l000-yard berm. So the silhouette match had somewhat of an appearance of a high power match with a bunch of little stools on the firing line. So it was a true offhand match with none of the refinements we were used to having.

Many of the shooters that had new scopes installed, came with new loads, or built new rifles had to start from scratch and improvised as best they could to get a chicken zero. Badthings had put together a nice solid portable shooting bench and Wolfman had his tarp and rest All these were put upon the floating sand dune (Firing Line Benn) for those who needed a solid starting match zero. All the other shooters fired their practice and fouling rounds on their two hind legs as usual.

The weather for the first match went from nice to good to horrible in that order. Friday, which was set up day and a work bee to enable the shoot, was sunny and nice. Saturday, after the mandatory safety briefing and target setting, setup and range check were completed, conditions turned cloudy and cool with just a little bit of wind early on. The wind picked up and the temperature dropped by the time the practice and zeroing were finished and the first match of 2002 was underway. Whether it was the new range conditions, the cool and windy 3 moa on the rams, weather or the just the shooters themselves, it was not a good day for scores for the best shooters. Former State Champions and masters of their craft all suffered low scores. The only thing it seemed to do was the level the scores in the B and A classes with the shooters being only an animal or two apart and last place in those two classes would have required a shoot off which is not usually the case at the range 10 silhouette matches. Only one shooter was on fire, took his nitro or whatever and had an outstanding day in the adverse conditions, Jeremiah Hoover who fired an amazing 26 score for the day and was match winner which included nine of 10 rams and looks like he will probably be moving up in class very shortly; Well done Mr. Hoover, practice certainly does pay off.

However, the Sunday match was an entirely different story. After the Saturday match the shooters went back to the barracks to cleanup and decide on a location to view the Red Wings hockey playoff game. Plan A was to go to the NCO Club, and with hardly anyone on the base, we would have the club just "about completely to ourselves. Well, due to the fact that it is still winter in the north and the game would have been viewed with noisy heating salamanders running, Plan B, the Margarethville, was selected instead Fine food and a few libations and the Wings taking another win, completed the evening. Some of the NCO Club regulars showed up at the Margarethville and told us the NCO was closed anyway because it was too cold Some of the staff came in to watch the game with us. When leaving to go back to the base there was a big surprise waiting outside......SNOW. At least three to four inches covered the vehicles. After hitting the tack before 11:00 p.m., about 4:00 a.m. the rain began to hammer down on the steel roof in the barracks. Those with any sense just hunkered deeper in their sleeping bags and the brave (or foolish ones) got up for breakfast as usual at 5:30 am. After the barracks were cleaned and cleared the shooters headed to the range. By then the rain was steady with more snow mixing in and the weather was turning worse. VP Rich Chippa held a meeting with MRPA committeemen and range officers and the decision was made to call off the day's shooting. This is not done lightly, however, as silhouette shooters are a tough bunch of competitors and will usually fire in almost any condition. As the weather was horrible on the firing line and in the staging area, the safety of the shooters was the first concern. It was felt by the range officers that the handling and use of firearms in these conditions would be unsafe. The decision was made to secure everything. load the animals in the storage building and call the weekend match complete for the first match of the 2002 season.

I believe that this is the first Silhouette match that has not been fired due to weather conditions since the silhouette division began competing again on Range 10. There were some new shooters along with the regulars making for a good competition with only the one-day of firing. All competitors are looking forward to the next match the first weekend of June, which should bring hopefully by that time, summer weather with no rain in sight.

The new system in place for base security seemed to work well for the competitors. Their names on a roster for access to the camp with visitor passes being issued and placed on the driver's side dashboard. The south gates, one located on the road through camp near the fuel storage area and the other which secures the base from small arms and pistol ranges off M-93, were under the control of the MRPA for the weekend, as we were the only group training on the base. That required a man or two to secure these gates for shooters. An attempt was made to designate a time beginning at 7:30 a.m. when the gate would be manned to allow competitors to the range. We are all there to shoot and compete and those who volunteer for gate duty should not be taken advantage of by those few who show up late for the match. The system will be refined at -the next match to streamline -the process. This will not be a problem if -there are troops mining on -the same weekend we shoot as they will probably be running -the south gate and will check your gate pass or name on the roster. These details will have to be worked out. This is a new process not only for us but the military. The MRPA officers who run -these weekend matches will appreciate everyone's cooperation and understanding. For those who would like to skip the checkpoints to get to the range, the bridge is supposed to be fixed on the Arrowhead Lake Road We will try to post a map to Range 10 on the :MRPA website. Camping, if you desire, is the same as before at the range. Please keep in mind the No Handgun Rules or CCW in the cantonment / barracks area. We're looking forward to seeing all silhouette shooters both old and new at our remaining three matches: the first weekend in June, the second weekend of July and the State Championship the third week of August For additional information on the range 10 matches see the contacts and Web sites listed below.

Respectfully submitted by Jerry Pond Silhouette Division Reporter, Mullet Lake, Michigan.

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2002 Spring - Volume 6, Issue 2, Silhouette Division Report in the MRPA The Firing Lines News Letter

Here we are again looking forward to another good year, of shooting matches for the Silhouette Division at Camp Grayling. The sunny and warm January got us thinking more about the coming shooting season. Then came a little reality setback in the last few days of January with some snow and ice storm in Lower Michigan and business as usual for the Northern shooters. The old saying goes: "Winter in Michigan"?
Wear Your Heavy Coat and Sunglasses.

The Annual Meeting was held in Waterford at the Oakland County Sportsman's Club on Sunday February 3, 2002. Attendance was good with about 150 shooters to take care of the non shooting items that have to be done in order to participate in competition each season, election and re-election of officers, annual reports etc. The Silhouette Division recognized John Weir for his many years of being the Camp Grayling Liaison Officer so we are able to fire on range 10. This position is more important than ever due to the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11,2001 in reserving the match dates. For this reason in light of increased security at the base, Weir will be the only official contact person from :MRPA for dates of matches and other military business related to our competition on Range 10. Match dates for the 2002 Silhouette season are April 27th and 28th, June 1st and 2nd, July 13, 14th, and August 17th and 18th. The final match is the State Championship Match.

Having your membership paid in advance is encouraged this year, so mail it in when you receive this newsletter. The base personnel must have a roster of all :MRPA Shooters before any of the matches. This is the only way the base may be accessed by competitors for competitive matches at military facilities from now on. If you are not staying in the barracks or do not want to go through the base, you may access Range 10 off M-72 by taking Arrowhead Lake Road south. You must know your way through the dirt roads to range 10. The Army is building another checkpoint on M-93 south on the way to the range, so if you elect to enter at the main gate you will have another checkpoint to continue to the match. This new security gate is for exiting or entering the facility at the last road on M-93 that leads directly into the camp or cantonment area. Either way or method will not let you escape from going past the target house. So keep a pair of gloves handy for getting the targets out and putting them away, the storage building is out of the secure area of the camp. This target handling time is really a sharing of ideas and helpful tips for the up coming match, sharing a bit of Work allows all the shooters to have a good time competing. The security measures will about eliminate casual spectators and those not specifically on the competitor roster for the various days of competition this season except those who know how to come in off Arrowhead Road

Further details of requirements new this season to access the base under new security regulations will be included in the flyer that is mailed out to previous competitors. This info will also be on the :MRPA web site under your division information. Every attempt is being made to gather all new regulations and to get this information out to the shooters in a timely manner. One very important item is the fact under Michigan's new CCW law. carrying of a concealed pistol is NOT allowed in the cantonment area as it is a Federal Facility. You may have a legally owned and licensed fully unloaded handgun in a locked case while in the barracks and secured areas in your vehicle but may it may NOT be removed while in these areas for any reason. So if you have a permit to carry please remember this. if you happen to be a law enforcement officer please contact MRPA for specific information that may apply to you in the carrying of your weapon.

The shooting will be much different on the Range 10 starting this 2002 Season as the Army finishes the berm work. The Silhouette Division will have to make some target adjustments to fire the matches. At present, it looks like the Chickens will shoot like the Turkeys have been. So now. all two legged animals will be hiding in the grass behind a bean. The higher firing line may help some on the Turkeys. That is a very small some. It may require some work on the day before the match and even the first day of shooting so try to be there on Friday if you can to help set the range for the 2002 Matches.

A Silhouette Division Raffle enhanced the annual meeting this year. A raffle of shooting related merchandise put together by the dedicated Larry Medler. alias "Captain Graft" to help raise funds for the Silhouette Division for range and target improvement and supplies. Graft spent untold hours glued to the computer and telephone to gamer the prizes. Fifteen different items, some items were six of each, were given away with a retail value of well over sixteen hundred dollars. The top prize was a wheeled customized hard shell waterproof Starlight gun case. Dave Evans, a High Power :MRPA competitor, won the Starlight Gun Case. Check the MRPA Web Site for pictures of the annual meeting. The web site also has the directions on how you may add 16 inch wheels to a Starlight Gun Case.

Most of the competitors are going through their gear and readying their ammunition for the coming season of Silhouette events at Camp Grayling. Those who procrastinate will be as usual loading up their gear the night before the match but I have never seen much difference in the shooting abilities, the prepared and the hurried do equally well on the range. There is always room for more shooters so if someone has been curious about the sport this is the time to mentor a new shooter and get them the information and sign them up to shoot this year. For the small match fee, which include lodging on the base and a bit of gas you, cannot afford to stay home and miss a good time shooting competition.

As in all matches sponsored by MRPA Silhouette Division eye and ear protection are an absolute requirement on the range firing line for competitors, spotters and coaches. A safety briefing for competitors and personnel shall be conducted before each day of shooting.
Course of fire reviewed, and rifle safety checks made before each match. All safety issues are under the direction of the Range Officer and are adhered to with no exceptions. Also keep in mind that membership in the MRPA is required for anyone engaging in competition or firing a weapon on the range for insurance purposes.

If you believe the printed word, various editions of the Fanner's Almanacs are predicting good weather for the Silhouette match weekends at Camp Grayling this season but we fire in competition like the mailman works, rain, snow sleet and heat It is always better in ideal conditions but the weather especially at Grayling provides an extra challenge for the competitors there.

We have enjoyed a good working relationship with the military in Michigan since the MRPA organized in 1905 and in competitive shooting at Camp Grayling and we hope to continue that good relationship in the years ahead. So far as the liaison officer John Weir and silhouette VP Rich Chippa have indicated, things should be running smoothly as in years past for our events there on the base. The Army seems to like us as a responsible organization of competitive shooters. The Army still has some "finishing touches" to do on the ''berm improvements" to enable better competitions and scores. Silhouette Division would like to ask the patience and co-operation of the members of the MRPA who would be competing at Camp Grayling. In light of the security changes on the base this year for entry and regulations pertaining to use of the base, just remember that how anyone acts, good or bad, reflects on all of us as a group.

We look forwards to seeing old friends again this season and new shooters also on Range 10. For other details and information go to the links on this page if you can access a computer, if not contact by phone the numbers listed.

Respectfully submitted by Jerry Pond Silhouette Division Reporter, Mullet Lake, Michigan.

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Revised: 12/01/2004