Kootenai Valley Rifle Clubs start new season
—Courtesy photo Four young sharpshooters pose for a photo at the indoor Gun Range on Highway 2. From left to right: James Leach, Josh Gallegly, Nick Westbrook and Spencer Wells.
Rifle shooting is not just for hunting or plinking. For some dedicatd Boundary County residents, it is a serious sport of precision. A group of these sharpshooters meets weekly from October to May to participate in the sport of small-bore target shooting.
Using .22 caliber rifles and shooting at a distance of 50 feet, they aim for a ten ring not much bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. Senior shooters, age 21 on up, use a scoped rifle and shoot from prone, sitting, kneeling and standing positions while junior shooters, age 12 to 20, learn Olympic style, 3-position shooting with open sights.
The teams compete from their home range on Highway 2. They also travel for competitions in Sandpoint, Spokane, Wash., Davenport, Wash. and Missoula, Mont.
Over the last few years, the senior team has made its mark at the national level. Breaking into the top 10 nationally, team member Walker Mead placed third in the Master class, while Tom Daniel was ninth. In the Expert class, Bill Leach placed 11th.
Proving that some of the best shots in small-bore shooting can be found in Idaho, two of the top three teams were from our state several years ago. The National Champions were from Nampa, Idaho and only eight points behind and placing third was our local team from the Kootenai Valley Rifle Club.
The senior team meets on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and the junior team meets on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. If you would like to learn more about the sport, stop by the rifle range located on Highway 2, three miles east of Three Mile Junction, and see what it is all about. Men, women, boys and girls are all welcome.