Milcun Training Center
June 2020
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We hope everyone is doing well. While I'm out cutting the grass on the ranges, Linda has been busy changing those administrative things that need to be changed in order to salvage something out of this year. Below are the initial ones:
The OSA website (www.osacanada.ca) has been updated.
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The COVID-19 announcements on the Home Page (and others) have been revised. You can now download the COVID Health Declaration form. Everyone is required to fill out, sign and submit this form before coming to our events... you'll be able to send it once, and it will apply through the season (until we revoke it).
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Note that we are re-opening gently with rescheduled OSA events starting mid-June. Linda is in the process of contacting (by email) everyone who was previously registered for events. The full revised schedule will be available soon. For now, you need to know:
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We've tried to maintain clinics and have sacrificed some practices for lack of time.
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The Long-Range Rifle Practices will now require shooter-spotter training, so we've added a Spotter Clinic.
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Tactical carbine events for civilians have been dropped.
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Service rifle events for civilians are being redesigned to include appropriate non-prohibited rifles.
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The 2020 Canadian 3-Gun Challenge and the 2020 Argyll Cup Sniper Challenge have been cancelled.
The Course of Fire for the Operational Pistol Matches has been updated to make a few minor corrections, and the revised version is downloadable on the OSA website at the bottom of the Events page.
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Below are the petitions that are currently being offered. Please make sure you get everyone in your household to sign them. They have already set new records for the number of signatures – be part of it. Remember, when you sign, wait for an email back from them for confirmation. Just wait for the email and do what they say, or your signature will not count. It's easy – even I can do it. If you are not sure which ones you have already signed, you can do as I did – try to sign them all again, and they will tell you which ones you have signed and which you have yet to sign:
https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-2574
https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-2576
https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-2582
It would seem that OFAH finally stepped up and said something to support the gun owners. They seem to go from one extreme to the other – before, we couldn't get them to say anything, and now they wrote a book - very long, and very detailed, and the strongest wording I have ever seen from OFAH. Please don't use them as an example when writing to politicians. Make your letter short and absolutely to the point. If you have more than one point, make the points in one sentence or send letters containing just one point in each one and send as many as required. Anyway, I didn't take the time to read the whole thing, but what I did read sounded good:
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Coming up in about a month, we have a couple of trial events. The first, on 4 July, will be our first get-together for the New/Old Service Rifle event. Since we are no longer allowed to use rifles that are the best-suited for these matches, we are trying to develop a program oriented towards bolt action rifles. However, since we didn't have that much interest in service rifle before, we're not expecting that much now, and we decided that if you want to shoot some old semi-auto, like an M1 Garand, then bring it out. All the timings and match conditions will be oriented towards the use of a bolt action rifle.
On this first day, we will discuss just what we want to do and how we want to make changes. Some discussion points are below:
These matches were all shot with the Lee Enfield back in the 50s, so we have some history there. Also, the US Across the Course/Service Rifle matches were shot with bolt action rifles and included rapid-fire from the sitting and prone positions to get some timings there. The deliberate matches could remain the same at 12 minutes for 12 shots 2-10. We could extend the snap matches by 5 seconds to account for reloading for the second shot. The rapids could be 60 seconds per the US – get into position and mag change. In the days of the Lee Enfield, they started in position and didn't have a mag change. The rundowns could go to 60 seconds to allow for a second shot at each distance and the irregular range floor (I'm always concerned about run downs on our range and the potential to twist an ankle). There is already a required mag change in each match, and I have found it's not as smooth with the bolt rifle as it was with the AR.
Rifles – I've been doing some experimenting with my deer hunting rifle – a 22-inch lightweight barrel in 308. It shoots as well as the FNC1s we used in the 70s. We don't want a heavy barrelled varmint/sniper-style rifle – we already have matches for these rifles; this is a service rifle type match. The rifle can be in any calibre, with any scope and requires a magazine to hold at least five rds.
Targets – the US shoots at bullseye targets, and I have made up a couple that we can look at. The other option is to go with the same ones currently used in the Service Rifle matches.
Support in the Prone – In the matches of yesteryear, no support of any kind was allowed in any position. Then came along the C7 rifles with their 30 rd mags, and we were allowed to set the mag on the ground. So, now the options are using a bipod, using a pack, or shooting off the elbows.
If you are interested in playing this game, let me know (again).
The next trial event is Running Boar. It will be on 5 July. It involves a moving target shaped like a… well… a boar. We have to figure out just how we want to conduct these matches. They will all be from the standing position, and we have to figure out the distance and speed of the target. Lots to talk about here, as well. Any rifle, any sight, any calibre. Let me know again if you are planning to attend.
Keith Cunningham CD, C3GC6, CSR4, CSP8, COP1
"When Success is the Only Option"
Milcun Training Center www.milcun.com
"Focusing On Performance"
Home of the Operational Shooting Association (OSA) www.osacanada.ca
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