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“ T h e Al ibi ” Published for the Members of Bayou Rifles, Inc.

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2023 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE 2023 was a year of significant progress for Bayou Rifles. We’ve always been a club dedicated to advancing shooting disciplines and shooting opportunities, and I’m proud to say that effort continues today. As you’ve seen over the last year, the Board has focused on continuously improving our facilities and member activities with the goal of making our club both a safe and fun place to shoot as well as a fantastic shooters’ community.

There has been lots of changes to the Board of Directors this last year. Three Board members, Allen Corneau, Dave Winkleman, and Joe Regina elected to retire and Dan Wiemann moved to a new leadership role in the new Bayou Rifles Action Shooting Sports division.

I want to say a special thanks to these gentlemen. They dedicated many years of service to the club and made a significant impact on what Bayou Rifles is today. So, if you see them at the range please say thanks! Also, please help me welcome our new board members Tom Murphy (Director at Large #3), Bryce McKee (Membership Director), Robert Widok (Facilities Director), and Travis Mansfield (Treasurer). We appreciate these folks for stepping up to help lead the club.

We also completed several important construction projects. The Juliff ponds are gone leaving space for future range expansion. We upgraded the 1,000 yard berms and firing lines. We also added a new range long range class to help members qualify to shoot safely on the long range.

(Did you know that Bayou Rifles has one of the few 1,000 yard ranges in Texas?)

On the safety front, we completed the Juliff gate project as well as added cameras and safety lights at the Juliff ranges. At Addicks we got the road fixed up and added new precision shooting sports formats. Look out for an upgrade to the Addicks gate in the next few months!

Finally, thanks to everyone who filled out the member survey. Using the information we have received we will continue to expand and improve both Addicks and Juliff ranges in the coming years. We want all the members to have a voice in the future of our club and your answers on the survey is that voice.

Overall, the club goes into 2024 in good shape. The membership is very active in shooting and volunteering to make it all work. Thanks for your commitment to the club. It’s up to all of us to keep the ranges safe, maintain them in great condition, and prepare for the next generation of shooters. I look forward to seeing you on the range in 2024.

- Jack Shada, President

ANNUAL MEETING The annual meeting was held at the Addicks range on October 21st, 2023. The meeting was kicked off by recognizing the current and former Board members as well as a “year in review” report by president Jack Shada. Division chairs gave their reports of the highlights of each of the divisions, followed by reports from the Treasurer, Membership committee, RSO and Safety committee, the Juliff Land committee, and the Technology committee. ___________________________

Lifetime Memberships were awarded to eight BRI members for their longstanding service to the members of Bayou Rifles. These members include:

Gene Doggett Glenn Edgard Blake Lewis Tom Loesch Dave Schultz Patrick Wageman Andrew Werner Dave Winkelman Jack Shada and Dave Schultz

We want to thank these members for setting a high bar when it comes to showing the rest of us how dedication and selfless service can benefit us all. Thank you! ___________________________

President Jack Shada gave a report on the various initiatives and infrastructure projects that were completed during the year as well as plans for future projects for both Juliff and Addicks ranges. The Facilities committee and the Special Security committee also gave their reports,

and the Nominations committee presented the nominations for the slate of Board of Directors that were up for election starting in 2024.

After closing remarks everyone was treated to the tastiest part of the annual meeting… the barbecue lunch! Thanks to all those members that attended this important function of the club.

JULIFF PISTOL BAYS Tired of getting wet in the rain or picking up a pistol too hot to touch while trying to have fun at one of the Juliff pistol bays? Well, we have good news for you.

All Juliff pistol bays have been upgraded to include a movable target frame in each of the five bays. Now, you can shoot from the bench under cover, staying dry and avoiding the summer sun. The bench is now the firing line. You can position the movable target frame at any distance you wish… from 3 yards to 12 yards, or as always, the 15 yard target fence.

Additionally, we will soon be adding a second movable target frame to each of the five bays, allowing you to challenge your shooting skills at three different distances.

We hope these upgrades make your pistol shooting at Juliff safer and much more enjoyable.

Be Safe, have fun, and happy pistoling at Juliff.

- Robert Widok, Facilities Director

BEING SAFE AT THE JULIFF PISTOL BAYS As you know we installed camera systems at the Juliff range recently. Our goal was to monitor usage of the ranges and identify improvement needs in the areas of safety and general member experience. Last year we observed some rules violations and unsafe behavior in the Juliff pistol bays that we felt needed to be addressed. The most commonly observed rules violations and unsafe behavior include: • Not properly establishing a forward firing line and instead walking and shooting at different distances. This often led to…

• Individuals handling firearms when someone else is downrange • Shooters pointing firearms back towards the parking lot when walking back to the rear bench As a result we’re making a rules change effective January 1, 2024. It is no longer allowed to create a forward firing line at the pistol bays. All firing must take place from behind the rear benches at the concrete walkway. Moveable target frames have been added to the pistol bays to enable shooting at different distances.

We feel that this will reduce the chance of the unsafe behavior we’ve observed while still maintaining all the same fun and functionality of the pistol bays, and we can stay under the shade in the summertime!

We are asking all members for their help in making this change a success. Things to keep in mind when at the pistol bays…

• It is not allowed to draw and fire from a holster, your pocket, or from your waistband.

Similarly, do not holster a firearm when you are done shooting it or put it in your pocket or your waistband. When a firearm is not in use it needs to be placed on the rear bench, unloaded, slide/cylinders open and muzzle pointing downrange. See rule 1.2 for the correct protocol from going to and from a concealed firearm.

• Before calling the line “safe” to go downrange all uncased firearms should have their slides or cylinders open and an ECI inserted.

• All shots need to impact the backstop/berm. If your target falls to the ground do not shoot it! There are risks of ricochets in the pistol bays. Do not shoot at an angle where your shots impact the pistol bay side walls. Doing so is considered causing property damage and can result in expulsion from the club. See rule 3.2 for more information.

• If someone is downrange, either to put up targets or for any other reason, do not handle firearms. It is not ok to pick up a firearm to remove the magazine when someone is downrange. It is not ok to pick up a firearm to put it in a case when someone is downrange. Uncased firearms must not be handled when someone is downrange… period.

• Do not shoot from the hip. All firearms discharged at the pistol bays must be held at eyelevel. See rule 3.3 for more information.

• Do not shoot shotguns or centerfire rifle firearms (such as a 223/5.56 AR-15) in the pistol bays. See rule J5.2 for more information on what firearms and cartridges are allowed in the Juliff pistol bays.

• Only paper targets are allowed in the pistol bays. Do not shoot at shotgun clays, steel targets, or anything else besides paper targets. The only exception to this rule is during BRI sanctioned matches and events that are supervised by a BRI match director.

BRINGING GUESTS TO THE RANGE One of the great perks of being a member of Bayou Rifles is the ability to bring friends and family as guests to the BRI ranges. A day at the range with friends is a great experience and being able to introduce novices to safe gun handling and the shooting sports is a privilege.

With this privilege comes the responsibility of ensuring that your guests act in a safe manner and in compliance with the range rules while on the Bayou Rifles properties. Range Rule 4.3 spells this out explicitly: Rule 4.3: The member is fully responsible for their guests’ compliance with all rules of Bayou Rifles, and the member must closely supervise all guests at all times. Members must actively ensure that all guests can safely handle and control firearms. Members may not bring a guest who is a suspended BRI member or an expelled former BRI member.

If one of your guests violate range rules or act in an unsafe manner, you are responsible, the same as if you had violated the range rules or acted in the unsafe manner.

Members may have no more than six guests total with no more than two guests shooting at the same time. Members may not combine guests to create a larger group of guests. Approval for larger groups or organized events can be requested from variance@bayourifles.org. If two guests are shooting simultaneously the member may not shoot. If the shooting line is full, members have priority over guests.

Before going to the range with guests If bringing guests to the range, best practice is to give them an overview of the safety protocols prior to heading to the range. Some of the most important being: • Uncased firearms must never be handled when the line is safe • Protocols for transitioning between a hot and safe firing line. This includes explaining the use of ECIs and that ECIs must be inserted in firearms before the line is called safe • Ensuring that everyone has and uses proper eye and ear protection • Making sure every guest knows the 4 primary rules of gun safety • ALWAYS assume a firearm is loaded • ALWAYS keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction • ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot • ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use When arriving at the Juliff range with guests If the guests are arriving with you in your vehicle and you are not driving the vehicle, do not give your Personal Gate Code (PGC) to the person driving. If you are not driving the vehicle you need to walk around to the keypad and enter the code yourself. If you have a physical condition preventing you from doing so, let us know and we will be happy to work out a solution.

Similarly, if your guests arrive in a separate vehicle at a separate time from your arrival, you need to go to the gate keypad and enter your PGC to open the gate for them. Do not share your gate code with others.

Inform your guests that if they are the last vehicle entering or exiting through the gate they need to stop at the indicated sign and wait for the gate to close behind them.

When arriving at the Addicks range with guests Do not share the Addicks gate code with non-members. As such, you need to be the one who opens the lock at the gate. If you have a physical condition preventing you from doing so, let us know and we will be happy to work out a solution.

When at the range with guests The best practice is to go over the safety protocols with your guests again at the beginning of each range session. Even if both you and your guests are experienced shooters, reviewing the safety protocols is a good process to follow and reduces the risk of complacency.

Guests need to be supervised by you, and you are responsible for their behavior if they violate range rules or act in an unsafe manner.

One of the most common safety violations with guests is handling firearms when the line is “safe”. For inexperienced shooters that do not have firearms safety rules ingrained in them it can seem innocuous to pick up a firearm “just to take a look at it” when the line is safe or to start putting firearms back in their cases when people are downrange. You need to ensure that your guests know not to do so and to correct them if needed.

You also need to keep in mind that members have priority over guests if the line is full and that you cannot have more than 2 guests actively shooting at any point in time. If your guests are inexperienced with firearms and shooting sports, supervise them closely.

Who can I bring as a guest to the range?

The guest program at Bayou Rifles is intended to allow members to bring friends and family to the range. While ‘friend’ is a somewhat nebulous term the spirit of the guest program is that the people you bring to the range as guests are individuals that you know well.

It is a violation of the guest program to bring individuals that you do not know well as guests, and it is not allowed to organize classes or provide formal instruction. To illustrate, the following is not allowed as part of the guest program: • Posting to social media that you are arranging a “range practice day” and that you can bring up to 6 people for a day of fun, then bringing people that you only know from social media as guests.

• Arranging firearms proficiency classes, or self-defense classes, or any other types of classes, and bringing class participants to the range as guests. This is not allowed even if you do not charge the participants for the instruction. Only informal instruction for family members or close personal friends is permitted without prior written approval from the Board.

• Bringing a group of Scouts to the range for merit badge practice. The board fully supports and encourages the Boy Scouts shooting programs but any such organized events require a variance request to be submitted to the board for approval in advance of the event. Such events cannot be held as part of the member guest program.

If you do wish to have some sort of organized activity that does not meet the criteria of the guest program, you can send a request to variance@bayourifles.org. Include information on what you are looking to do and the request will be evaluated by the Board of Directors.

A day at the range with friends and family can be a very rewarding and fulfilling experience. It is a great opportunity to teach inexperienced shooters gun safety and how to shoot different types of firearms. It is your responsibility to ensure that your guests know and comply with the range safety rules and to supervise them and ensure they act safely when on Bayou Rifles property.

HIGH POWER NEWS 2023 was a busy year in the High Power Division. Here are some of the highlight from this previous year…

We hosted the 2023 TSRA Long Range match in April with 90+ shooters, many traveling from across the US to compete on our range. Our competitors were met with high winds on Saturday and then calmer conditions on Sunday. In the end we still had a very successful match. ___________________________

During the summer, while the range was mostly closed due to dirt being brought in to fill the ponds, we undertook a major project to rework the 1,000 yard protection berm. The forward berm was removed, the cantilevered targets were demolished, and then fixed ShotMarker target frames were installed near the ground.

This was done to lower bullet impacts on the impact berm and thus reduce the possibility of a round going over the berm and leaving the range. Twelve target frames were initially built.

Later in December we had a big work day with 20+ members building 11 more ShotMarker target frames to give us a total of 23 targets to use in matches.

Some of the events we are looking forward to in 2024 include…

We will continue to hold the Introduction to Long Range classes and a following LRQ once per quarter. Typically, these classes have filled up quickly due to lots of interest from members, so make sure to get your registration in early.

April 12-14 we will host the TSRA Long Range match again. Erik Cortina is taking over as TSRA Long Range Director and is making some exciting changes. There will be a catered banquet Saturday evening with a large tent on-site. All matches will be pair firing only. Only 96 spots will be available so make sure to get your registration in quickly once it has opened.

May 23-26 we will host the F Class Point Series (V2) Finale. This is an invitational match that shooters from across the USA will compete in. For the last 3 years these matches have been held at Dead Zero Shooting Park in Tennessee. We are excited to have the opportunity to host this match for all the top-level shooters from across the country!

October 4-6 we will again host the TSRA 600 Yard Midrange Championship match.

We look forward to a busy and exciting year!

- Neil Woody, High Power Chairman

RIFLE SILHOUETTE NEWS The Louisiana High Power Silhouette Championship was held Oct. 7th and 8th in Zwolle, LA. Chris Cawthorne, Allen Corneau, Bill Motl, and William Zander were in attendance representing BRI. On Friday the 6th, the inaugural NASSA High Power Silhouette Short Course match was held. This alternate format high power match consists of full-size Chickens (200m) and Pigs (300m) as well as half-scale Turkeys at 200m and half-scale Rams at 300m. After tying with Garin Hatch (LA) and a five-shot shoot-off, Allen Corneau was the match winner with a 28/40.

For the three 40-shot Standard Rifle matches on Saturday and Sunday, Chris Cawthorne was declared the state champion with a 92/120, just one point ahead of match director Dustin Flint.

Bill Motl took Second Master with an 85/120.

Allen Corneau won second place in AA-class with a 75/120.

State champion Chris Cawthorne

Allen Corneau and Dustin Flint.

Bill Motl shooting, Allen Corneau spotting

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In late October, the third and final match of the annual Lapua Monarch Cup North American Championship was held in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. This was the second year of the Monarch Cup where the top competitors from Mexico, USA, and Canada compete in Smallbore Silhouette to crown the North American champion! Chris Cawthorne and Allen Corneau represented the BRI Silhouette Team in all three matches of the series.

As was the case last year, Club Cinergetico Saltillo Safari, the hosting club, made sure the range was in perfect order and put on a fantastic match for all the compeitors.

This year, 19 year-old Jake Stine from west Texas won the championship with 323 points out of a possible 360. Hot on his heels was Gabriel Villareal (MX) with 321 points, and John Mullins (AZ) with 319 points.

Gabriel Villareal, Jake Stine, and John Mullins

In AAA-class, range host Jose “Pepe” Alfredo Valdez (MX) won first place with 268 points, Constantino “Tino” Davilo was second with 265 points, and Allen Corneau came in third with 259 points.

Tino Davilo, Pepe Valdez, and Allen Corneau

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On the second weekend in November, BRI hosted the Texas Smallbore Silhouette State Championship at the Addicks range #1. This year we hosted 57 competitors from across the southern states as well as 11 of our friends from Mexico. This was also the first state match to include the new Benchrest / F-class Silhouette with ten competitors participating.

Saturday was two 40-shot Hunter Rifle matches with Hector De La Cruz (MX) declared the Match Champion with a 73/80. In the Sunday 40-shot Standard Rifle match, Dustin Flint (LA) was the Match Champion with a 38/40.

In the end Ricardo Rueda (MX) and Jake Stine (TX), both having a combined score of 106/120, battled it out for State Champion. In the end Jake won the shoot-off to take home the State Championship belt buckle.

Hector de la Cruz, Jake Stine, and Dustin Flint

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The Dru Wands Invitational Lever Action Rifle Silhouette Championship was held Dec 9th and 10th in Arnaudville, LA. In attendance for BRI were Chris Cawthorne, Pat Steiger, and William Zander.

In windy conditions, Chris Cawthorne won the State Championship in the smallbore lever rifle with a 38/40, barely edging out Bruce Finley (LA) and John Mullins (AZ) by one point.

Congratulations Chris!

Dustin Flint and Chris Cawthorne

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Also on December 9th, the BRI Silhouette division held it’s end-of-year club championship.

This match consists of both the championship match as well as the final match in the yearlong Liberty Bell Championship which is a point-based system where competitors earn points at matches attended throughout the year.

The match winner and club champion was Elizabeth Steiger shooting a 72/80. Master class was won by Derek Zhong, AAA-class was won by Jack Shada, AA-class was won by Yang Huang, and Steve Joens took A-class. The Benchrest/F-Class winner was Merlin Orr. Derek Zhong was this year’s Liberty Bell Champion winner by collecting 137 points over the course of the year. Derek did this by attending every club match that we held in 2023 (except for the state match in November) and constantly improving his scores over the year.

Derek gets to display the Liberty Bell award at home until next year’s club championship match.

Congratulations Derek!

Derek Zhang, Liberty Bell Champion

BULLSEYE PISTOL NEWS We had 15 shooters for our final match of the year in November. Charles Yee won the match with a personal best of 2536.

For 2023 we had a total of 159 entries to shoot in 10 matches for an average of 16 shooters per match. This was by far the best average we have had in several years! Thank you to all those that participated in the Bullseye matches during the year. We will continue to strive to have an even better turnout in 2024!

Our “Introduction to Bullseye Shooting” class was a success and we will have another one this year, most likely in April. For anyone who has any interest in Bullseye Shooting be sure and look for the announcement to attend this class.

I hope everyone has a safe and successful shooting in 2024!

- Larry Rider, Bullseye Pistol Chairman

FROM THE OUTGOING EDITOR This is the last edition of The Alibi with myself at the helm. I am handing off the reins of this newsletter to Tom Murphy who is taking over from here out.

I have completed my full terms as Director at Large #3 and as Publications Editor for the Board of Directors and have elected to step down. Unfortunately, my competition schedules and travels to out-of-town matches, in addition to my wife at home and working a full-time job, have made it too difficult to for me to provide the time, effort, and attention that these Board positions deserve.

I will continue to make my contributions to The Alibi by way of the Rifle Silhouette Division reports, which I have written since before I was an official member of the Board.

I want to thank club president Jack Shada, and previously Greg Gudenburr, for the opportunity to serve the club in this particular capacity.

Be safe, shoot straight, and I hope to see you at the range.

- Allen Corneau, former Director at Large #3

2024 Bayou Rifles Board of Directors President: Jack Shada Vice President: Blake Lewis Secretary: Fredrik Sjodin Membership Director: Bryce McKee Director at Large #1: Bob Menius Director at Large #2: Bryan Grandy Director at Large #3: Tom Murphy Director at Large #4: Steve Rogge Director at Large #5: Rick Aurich

Treasurer: Travis Mansfield Facilities Director: Robert Widok Publications Editor: Tom Murphy Community Affairs: Dave Shultz Rifle Silhouette: Bill Motl High Power: Neil Woody Bullseye Pistol: Larry Rider Action Shooting: Dan Wiemann

You can reach any of the board members via email using their name formatted as such: “jack.shada@bayourifles.org" or “blake.lewis@bayourifles.org".

Board of Directors Meetings are held the second Monday of the month starting promptly at 5:30pm either at the S.P. Waltrip Lodge or online. If you would like to attend the monthly meeting please contact Jack Shada for instructions: jack.shada@bayourifles.org

Additional Help…

• Air Rifle Silhouette: Robert LaGrone, silhouette@bayourifles.org 281-960-0849 • High Power Rifle: Neil Woody, highpower@bayourifles.org 832-863-8768 • Bullseye Pistol: Larry Rider, bullseye@bayourifles.org • Pistol / Lever-Action Silhouette: Emmett Dibble, leversilhouette@bayourifles.org • Rifle Silhouette: Bill Motl, silhouette@bayourifles.org 281-435-2706 • 3P Smallbore: Jack Shada, nra3p@bayourifles.org • Plinkathon: Alan Ligh, plinkathon@bayourifles.org • BRI Steel Shoot: Dan Wiemann, dan.wiemann@bayourifles.org • Bayou Rifles Safety Officer: RSO@bayourifles.org • The Alibi editor: Tom Murphy, alibi@bayourifles.org

Emergency Assistance Telephone Numbers Addicks Range: 1300 North Eldridge Parkway, Houston 77077 Houston Police Dept. (713) 884-3131 - EMERGENCIES: 911 Juliff Range: 1803 County Road 57, Rosharon 77583 Brazoria County Sheriff’s Dept. (281) 331-9000 - EMERGENCIES: 911