The Satuit Nimrod

The Newsletter of the Scituate Rod & Gun Club
December 2021 — V28N12

News Around The Club

We have a busy month ahead of us in January. Apart from our normal activities we are hosting the annual DU Game Feed and the monthly meeting of the Plymouth County League add to that the cowboys' Brass Monkey Shoot and a Miss And You're Out pistol match and that all adds up to a busy month.

2022 Brass Monkey Cowboy Action Shoot

This shoot originated many moons ago when our intrepid band of Cowboy Action Shooters, the Gunnysackers, would put on a shoot in the dead of winter. This shoot was named the Brass Monkey Shoot after the term “It’s cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey”.

The 2022 Brass Monkey Shoot is scheduled for Sunday, January 16th starting at 9:00 AM. Experienced cowboy shooters and those with an interest in this fun shooting sport are invited to attend. Please contact SASS Yankee, aka Ron Rice, at 781-985-0183 or yankeesass266@gmail.com to register as headcount is limited. New shooters please let Ron know if you will need to borrow guns for this shoot.

Pistol

The Pistol Committee plans on holding a match in January the date and format of which had not been firmed-up at press time. An email will be sent to the membership when a date is known.

Trap & Skeet
The Skeet Committee held the annual Club Championship Match on December 26th. This was a 50-bird match shot in two separate 25-bird rounds to give each squad a chance to warm-up between rounds.

The title of Club Champion was taken by Chuck Pollard  who went 49 of 50 and shot a 25 straight on his second round . Coming in second was Jeff Patterson with a score of 47 and third place going to Eric Page who shot a 45. 

Plymouth County League of Sportsmen Meeting
The Plymouth County League is an organization that represents more than 18,000 sportsmen and sportswomen in Plymouth County and surrounding areas; SRGC is a member of the league.

On Wednesday, January 19th, we are hosting the monthly Plymouth County League meeting which includes dinner. All members are welcome to attend free of charge! We could use help setting up and with clean up.

Ducks Unlimited Game Feed

On Saturday, January 22nd, one of the best events of the year happens — KC’s Game Feed! This year marks the 42nd anniversary of this popular event staged by the Minots Ledge Chapter of Ducks Unlimited.

For you new members, it’s this simple — all you can eat and drink for $30!

This event is a fund raiser for Ducks Unlimited so there are bucket raffles, auction items and special gun raffles. The MA compliant guns available are displayed on a large banner all you need do is pick the one you want. As the guns are sourced from a distributor, there is virtually an unlimited supply of each gun.

There are events for the kids (under 21 free) that include hot dogs and soda!

This event ALWAYS sells out and there are no advance tickets sold. Plan on being at the club no later than 11:00 as entry to the event is closed when there is no more parking available.

Jam Packed

Grub's Up

I Want Some Mommy

Lobster Dinner Tonight

Quotes of the Month
The greatest danger to liberty today comes from the men who are most needed and most powerful in modern government, namely, the efficient expert administrators exclusively concerned with what they regard as the public good.”
- F. A. Hayek – 1974 Nobel Prize (Shared) in Economic Sciences 

"Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of an American."
- Pennsylvanian Tench Cox, Feb 1788 

Welcome Aboard
Scituate Rod & Gun Club welcomes these new members who have joined us recently:

Alex Clark Ken Morgan Jr

Conor Doherty Jennifer Panarelli

Wiliam Dresser Robert Panarelli

Joseph Dubovy Shane Perl

Jeremy Kanagie Garrett Poulin

John Lennon Kendall Poulin

The Truth Behind the Russian Ammo Ban

How do the political machinations putting the importation of Russian ammunition in question affect the American shooter?

Sourced from Shooting Illustrated

The price of Russian-made, usually steel-cased ammunition went up overnight with the Sept. 7 U.S. State Department announcement that new or pending applications for its importation will be denied. Although officially labeled as an expansion of sanctions in response to alleged violation of the “Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991,” industry experts warn stateside gun owners are the real victims.

Ammunition manufactured in the Russian Federation is an inexpensive and reliable alternative, often the first choice for budget-conscious enthusiasts who shoot in high volume. The number of steel casings at any range confirm that fact, and it won’t be long until those gun owners will be purchasing other brands—your favorite loads among them. The development jeopardizes supply that has only begun to emerge from the serious shortage of 2020.

However, it should be noted that imports are not yet completely halted. Days after the Federal Register announcement, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) clarified confusion in a bulletin it to its member retailers. “Working with Congress, NSSF has learned that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will honor all Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Form 6 permits approved on or before Sept. 6, 2021 and allow the import of Russian-made ammunition and firearms even if they arrive at a U.S. port on or after Sept. 7, 2021,” it stated. “The new State Department policy will only impact applications not yet approved by Sept. 7, 2021.”

Despite that fact, costs did increase almost immediately. “Prices have definitely gone up across the board for Russian-made rounds since late August, but in a lot of calibers,” LuckyGunner CEO Jake Felde responded in an e-mail. “We’ve seen the channels we go through to get Russian ammo dry up significantly. As you’d probably guess, 7.62x39 mm ammo demand was the most affected. Now, it’s a waiting game to see what can get on the water before permits start to expire, etc.”

Charles Brown, president of MKS Supply—an importer of Barnaul ammo—responded that, “We have seen a 15- to 20-percent increase in retail prices since this order came to light, obviously the consumers out there are worried about being able to get ammo in the future—as they should be.”

Asked if he’s currently experiencing difficulty in cartridge supply, Brown responded, “Not yet, but that time is coming. We have several approved Form 6s—this is the approval from our government to import ammo and the exact caliber/description and amount we can bring in—a Form 6 has a ‘lifespan’ of 2 years. If you do not fulfill the approved quantities by 24 months, the Form 6 ‘dies’ and you cannot use it anymore. All new Form 6s are being denied so from this point on we will be working off of those older approved forms … that is, until they expire.”

“Keep in mind, ammo manufacturers were struggling to keep up with demand prior to Russian import changes,” Felde said. “So, it wasn’t like there was an unlimited supply of this ammo ready to ship out to retailers for shooters to buy. The supply chain was already in a tight spot and this complicates and exacerbates that.”

ATF estimates the total number of Russian rounds arriving in 2020 was 765,487,845. Mexico came in a distant second place among importers, with more than 600,000,000. Opinions vary on what percentage of the market those cartridges represent. Brown estimates it reflects as much as 40 percent of all ammunition sold in the United States, although his figure is likely on the high side. Mark Oliva, public affairs director at NSSF said, “Our best estimate on Russian ammunition is that it comprises between 4 to 8 percent of the total ammunition in the U.S. market.” Felde preferred not to disclose LuckyGunner’s figure, but confirmed it’s somewhere between the two estimates.

Every company contacted was eager to reaffirm their dedication to fulfilling their respective customers’ needs.

Club Calendar

MONTHLY MEETING
Monday January 3rd – 8:00 pm
Monday, February 7th – 8:00 pm

DUCKS UNLIMITED GAME FEED

Saturday, January 22nd, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

PLYMOUTH COUNTY LEAGUE MEETING

Wednesday, January 19th, 7:00 pm

SKEET
Sundays: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Wednesdays: 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm

TRAP
Saturdays: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Tuesdays: 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm

PISTOL
In the planning stages, date TBA later via email.

COWBOY
Brass Monkey Shoot — Sunday, January 16th, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

SAFETY COURSE
Tuesday, January 4th – 7:00 pm & Thursday January 6th – 7:00 pm
Tuesday, February 1st – 7:00 pm & Thursday February 3rd – 7:00 pm

RANGE ORIENTATION
Sunday, January 9th – 9:00 am. Register here.

…And Finally

If 2021 Was A Scented Candle