Topics discussed below:

• June 13 Tuesday evening practice
• June 17 Cowboy and Wild Bunch Match setup
• June 17 Wild Bunch Match
• June 18  Monthly Cowboy Match
• Stage 9 Rebuild update
• 2023 State Championship update

Welcome to this update – I’ll be as brief as possible. 

June 13 Tuesday evening practice:  As you know, we hold a 5:30 p.m. Tuesday evening practice on the 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday of each month during the spring/summer/fall, with our next Tuesday scheduled for Tuesday, June 13^th.  Attendance is restricted to Milan Rifle Club members and their guests.  HOWEVER, if you’re not an MRC member and would like to attend we can arrange for you to do so as a guest of a member that will be present.  Please note if a non-MRC member would like to routinely attend practice they should strongly consider becoming an MRC member.  Note:  MRC membership does NOT apply to our monthly matches where everyone may attend without regard for MRC membership.

June 17 Wild Bunch Match:  Illowa Irregulars will be holding a Wild Bunch Match on Saturday, June 14.  Registration opens at 10:00 a.m. with first rounds going downrange about 10:30 a.m.  Look for more information later this week. 

June 17 Cowboy and Wild Bunch Match Setup:  We will be   setting up targets for both the Cowboy and Wild Bunch Matches beginning at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, June 17.  Come on our and give us a hand if possible.  It’s always nice to have a few extra hands!

June 18  Monthly Cowboy Match:  Illowa Irregulars will be holding our regular monthly match on Sunday, June 18.  Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. with a Safety Meeting around 9:15 a.m.  Mountain Man Champ and Daisy Ann are writing the stages.  Look for more information later this week. 

Stage 9 Rebuild update:  The Stage 9 rebuild is nearing the end.  The structure is nearly complete.  We now only need to tie the two side sections back to the main deck and structure, paint, then add more rock base around the deck.  See the images below.

2023 State Championship update:  We have blown through 100 attendees heading to who knows where, with 10 weeks to go.  Check out our Who’s Coming page to see how many names you recognize. Awards given in every approved category with NO consolidation of categories. If you see a category, it’ll be recognized!

10 great stages on a shooter friendly range; Friday Side Matches including, among other matches, our Running Buffalo and Annie Oakley’s Shotgun Challenge, a free Friday night Pizza Party, an optional Saturday evening Riverboat Dinner Cruise on the Mississippi River aboard the Celebration Belle, and an Awards Banquet in an air-conditioned Community Center Sunday afternoon for your comfort.  Additionally, we will be doing something never done elsewhere – Identifying State and Club Record Holders for shooting our newly developed Stage Record Stage. Here’s your chance to set a record which you would hold until someone bests it at a future match. Again, a record will be set in every category.

It is shaping up to be a weekend you won’t want to miss, but you can’t experience it if you’re not registered. If you’ve not done so already, get your registrations in.   Click here for more information.   

Here is a short video featuring highlights from the 2023 Iowa State Championship, including a few video snippets of some Illowa Irregulars shooting a stage or two. Look closely and you’ll see Rootin Tootin, Dimpled Darlin, Whiskey Rick, and GI Jake in some of the video snippets, and Badlands Charlie, Rootin Tootin, Deadwood Kitty, Tulsa Tex, Daisy Ann, Special K, and Popcorn Kelly in a few of the photos.

PS. If you get a chance, please take a moment to subscribe to Popcorn Kelly’s YouTube Channel.

There is no Tuesday practice scheduled for tomorrow, June 6th. We hold Tuesday practices on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month, and tomorrow is just the 1st Tuesday of June. The next Tuesday practice will be held June 13th. We will, of course, hold our normal weekly Friday practice at 10 a.m., June 9.

June’s here so we thought a Stage 9 update is in order.  Work’s been progressing a little slower than in some of our previous rebuilds, but between our first monthly match and then the Iowa State Championship match, time to get out there has been in short supply.  HOWEVER, now that these events are over, we can turn our attention to the rebuild.

As you can see in the images below, our crew is working to get the roof in place.  What can’t be seen in these images is that the counter is already in place along the entire front edge of the stage.  Yes, you read that correctly – a counter along the entire front edge of the stage.  This is a style we’ve not been able to offer until now – an entirely open space from which to shoot.  This will be a nice addition to our set of stages.

There is still a lot of work yet to be done, but don’t fret, we’ll have it ready to go well before our 2023 State Championship.  Speaking of the State Championship, we’ve now over 100 registrants with several months to go.  If you’ve not done so already, get your registrations in soon.  Click here to download a registration form.  Click here to register and pay online. 

Several Illowa Irregulars attended the SASS 2023 Iowa State Championship match held May 26-28, 2023, hosted by Fort Des Moines Rangers.  It was a spectacular weekend with several Irregulars doing quite well. Click here to download the scores.

• GI Jake, 2^nd place and Iowa State Champion; Gunfighter
• Silver Spurs Charlie, 1^st place; Cattle Baron
• Tulsa Tex, 3^rd place; Cattle Baron
• Deadwood Kitty, 1^st place; Cattle Baroness
• Chancy Shot, 1^st place and Iowa State Champion; Frontier Cartridge
• Special K, 1^st place; Grand Dame
• Dimpled Darlin, 3^rd place and Iowa State Champion; Grand Dame
• Daisy Ann, 2^nd place; Lady Forty-niner
• Rootin Tootin, 2^nd place; Silver Senior Duelist
• Popcorn Kelly, 1^st-place and Iowa State Champion; B-Western

Additionally, several Irregulars took  home some prizes/awards.  Here is the list of what I have, but likely missed a few as well. 

• Daisy Ann; Spirit of the Game
• Popcorn Kelly; 100 Federal Primers
• Chancy Shot; 100 Federal primers
• Mountain Man Champ; Rugged Gear Coupon
• Chancy Shot took home the biggest prize of all when his number was drawn for a brand-new, Ruger 357. 

Thanks for Fort Des Moines Rangers for putting on another fine Iowa State Championship match.  Our hats are off to you.  Until next year! 

Here are just a few pics from the weekend.