2017 DIXIE NRA REGIONAL PISTOL CHAMPIONSHIP

With

Civilian Marksmanship Program Service Pistol & .22 Rimfire E.I.C. Match

 and

National Rifle Association Distinguished Revolver Match

Article with photos...

The 2017 Dixie Matches were held at Gateway Rifle and Pistol Club, Jacksonville, FL on April 21st - 23rd.   This annual National Rifle Association (NRA) Regional Precision Pistol Championship continues to be a highlight for many Florida Bullseye shooters and was also attended by military and civilian competitors from several different states.  On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the weather was near perfect, giving many of the 45 shooters the opportunity to post some very good scores over the three day match.  Jim Henderson, a familiar competitor from the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) at Ft. Benning, Georgia, fired a 2665-151X to take “Top Gun” honors, winning the NRA Regional championship, and being named Dixie Match Champion.  Coming in second, also from the AMU was Greg Markowski, firing a 2663-162X.  Chris Hudock, another AMU shooter, finished third with a 2614-116X.  Winning the High Master Class was Jason Hedrick, a member of the Marine Forces Reserve, and last year's Dixie Champion, with a 2600-114X.  Top shots in the Master Class (Service) was Joshua Kingery of the AMU with a 2538-68X and Master Class (Civilian) was Eddy Grove (Pasadena, MD) with a 2577-82X.  Taking the Expert Class was Noel Burkhead (Gainesville, FL) firing a 2463-55X.  The high Sharpshooter/Marksman combined was Russ Gill (Apopka, FL) with a 2419-54X.  Winning the .22 Caliber Only Aggregate was Lori Fredriksen (Valrico, FL) with a 2225-20X.   Special Category Awards for High Service and Open Division shooter went to Jim Henderson (Midland, GA), High Civilian and High Veteran shooter was won by Wes Fleming (New Philadelphia, OH), High Senior shooter was won by Mike Milen (Orland Park, IL), High Women shooter went to Kimberly Hobart Fleming (New Philadelphia, OH), High Grand Senior was won by Eddy Grove (Pasadena, MD).  Winning the Metallic Division was Curt Brandt (Safety Harbor, FL).   The AMU won the overall team match (a combination of scores from the .22, Centerfire and .45 team matches) with combined total of 3476-148X.  Taking second place was a Service team from the Marine Forces Reserve, firing a 3162-70X.   There were four  Civilian 2 person teams entered, with the winning team of Lee and Wes Fleming firing a score of 1705-53X.  The NRA Distinguished Revolver Match had 21 shooters competing.  Winning the match was Greg Markowski (Columbus, GA) firing a 278-7X, followed by Jason Hedrick (Williamsburg, WV) with a 278-5X and finishing third was Greg Kitchens (Charleston, SC) with a 272-6X.  The CMP Service Pistol Match had 26 shooters, and was won by Jim Henderson with a 296-14X, followed by teammates Greg Markowski shooting a 286-8X and Chris Hudock finishing third with a 284-11X.  In only its third year of existence, the CMP's .22 Rimfire E.I.C. Match had 30 shooters competing.  Winning the match was Greg Markowski with a 291-13X, followed by Chris Hudock shooting a 286-9X and Joshua Kingery with a 281-7X.  Finally, three new range records were set.  Jim Henderson broke his 2007 Center Fire Slow Fire record, by shooting a 198-11X and also broke his 2012 CMP Service Pistol E.I.C. record with a score of 296-14X.  Greg Markowski set a new Center Fire Timed Fire range record by shooting a 200-19X.  

The annual Dixie Match remains one of the best Bullseye matches in the southeast and continues to attract more shooters.  Among our first time competitors were collegiate shooters from The Citadel (Charleston, SC).  Match Director was Ted Carter.  Calling a superb line for all three days was Chief Range Officer John Michalski.  Assisting John to ensure a well run and safe line were Range Officers Marion Estes, David Poole, Larry Watkins and Dave Rifkin.  Randy Erickson assisted as Jury Chairman and provided logistical support for the match.  Recording and posting all scores were Chief Statistical Officer Sue Carter, assisted by Dana Baygents.  There were plenty of complements from the competitors on the excellent Bullseye facilities at Gateway and the friendly, professional and safety conscious staff.    

Many thanks to all the competitors for their support, some driving hundreds of miles to attend the match.  A special Thank You to Brownells Inc. and Rand CLP for generously providing merchandise prizes for our match.  Finally, a well earned thanks goes out to the Dixie match staff, the Gateway range officers, office staff and the range maintenance folks who made this another great shooting event.   Planning has already begun on the 2018 Dixie Match and we're looking forward to another exciting competition.

For a complete listing of scores and match photos, please go to: http://www.grpc-jax.com/disciplines/outdoor_pistol.html