Patriots Day weekend 2026! Eight shooters, some new, many returning, joined us this weekend at the Butte Gun Club to celebrate Liberty, Marksmanship, and History. The morning was solidly below freezing in the morning but we were all warm inside by the fire as we heard the start of the Paul Revere's midnight ride. By the time we were ready to shoot, the sun was up and warming up the range quite nicely. Two shooters hit the shingle with their cold bore shots, but most of the group were around the 100 & 200 yard redcoats. A good starting point with room for improvement, which the shooters absolutely did. All weekend the strings of fire went exactly to schedule and shooters were happy to be spending their weekend at the range - some even skipping & dancing their way through our 'happy gate'. On Saturday some shooters got tired sooner than they thought and packed up a bit early, so we were left with four shooters for the hits count, but of those four, three were engaging the 300 yard target and the other the 400 yard. A small, but very skilled group!
Sunday brought April 19th proper, and our full group of shooters back after a night of rest. Again two shooters hit the shingle, and most of them were now successfully clearing up to the 300 yard target. Shooters moved efficiently and with excitement, allowing us to get an AQT and a whole bunch of historical presentations in before lunchtime. After lunch, we started the AQT grind, and the sun was out in force! It noticeably was wearing on the shooters and volunteers, so we paced ourselves appropriately with longer breaks in the shade, perfect for more special edition history. The memorial volley was especially impactful for all who attended, including a few folks who came by just to observe and see what we were all about. In the Parker's Revenge challenge, team "Domonators" took the win with a 21/75 points, going with the strategy of focusing on the smaller/higher value targets in the column. As the day wore on, shooters started slowing, but their scores did not drop significantly as we usually see. With one AQT to go, Nora, demonstrating just how persistent a Rifleman is, qualified on the final regular AQT of the weekend with a 211, and took the highscore for the event. I'm told she is the first woman to qualify at the Butte range! We were all very excited to see her succeed, and look forward to welcoming her as an Instructor in Training. We rounded out the day with a rapid fire AQT and a final hits count target which seemed to be enjoyed by all.
Thank you to all shooters, volunteers, and the Butte Gun Club for making this 251st anniversary event a success. As we approach July and the 250th anniversary of our written Declaration of Independence, please think of those who gave all to allow us such freedoms, and what you can do to ensure those freedoms are preserved for our posterity. I hope to cross paths with you all again.