Fairfax Rod and Gun Club held its 73rd Bull Run Open on July 26-28, the final 5-gun shoot of the year at Fairfax. Coming off the Kolar U.S. Open in June, which was held at 16 clubs and hosted 653 shooters, this shoot was a fine end to the season for 58 members and guests at the beautiful club in Manassas. The shoot attracted 34 doubles shooters on Friday afternoon, with squads enjoying decent weather and a nice warm-up to the main events on Saturday and Sunday. Thomas Allen (FL) was champion, Bob Shelley (MD) was runner-up, and Jim Hickerson (VA) took third.

Saturday morning reflected the biggest number of shooters, with 53 12-gauge competitors battling it out. The shoot had attendees from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and even Oklahoma! When the dust settled after some good shoot-offs for the 99s, Sam Armstrong earned the Gun Champion title, Alessandro Vitale was runner-up, and Conor Stephens was third. Katie Fichtner was Lady Champ, with Hannah Goddard as runner-up, and Alyssa Gormisch in third. Class champs were Jim Hickerson (AA), James Reinhold (A), Ryan Steward (B), Kevin Baker (C), Chris Nevarr (D) and Jeff Bolster (E).

The 20-gauge event resulted in two 100s, with Conor Stephens and Alessandro Vitale lined up for a challenging shoot-off later in the day. Conor got the edge as Gun Champ after a clean station and Alessandro dropping a second target for a hard-fought runner-up. Katie Fichtner locked in third with the only 99 of the day in 20-gauge. Anthony Jones and Kevin Baker shot off personal best 98s in B class, with Anthony claiming B1 after two targets

Sunday got off to a nice start with 47 28-gauge shooters, all bested by John Snyder with a lights-out 100, which would prove to be the only one of the day. Three 99s came in by lunchtime, with competitors Sam Armstrong, Alyssa Gormish, and Derek Vacco nearing John’s perfection. A shoot-off locked in Sam as runner-up and Alyssa in third. Class champs were Mark Gay (AA), George Giammittorio (A), Derek Vacco (B), Clarence Jones (C) and Phil Jones (D).

The loved and hated .410 bore closed out the weekend on Sunday afternoon. Gil Traore and George Giammittorio posted the winning score of 98 and then fought it out in a shoot-off where Gil won after some tough targets. Sam Armstrong took third with the only 97 of the day. Class champs were Jim Hickerson (AA), John Wells (A), Robert Tinder (B), Anthony Jones (C), and Phil Jones (D). Lady champ was Katie Fichtner, First Responder was Jim Hart, and Retired Military was John Snyder.

HOA Champion was Sam Armstrong (392), runner-up was John Snyder (390) and third was Brown Cribbs (389). Thanks once again to the estate of Roy Winkler for providing high achievement awards to the winners. Of course, we couldn’t do these shoots without our wonderful referees, including Bud Hitchcock (chief), Lonny Evenson, Pepper Morgan and shooting referees: Katie Fichtner, Alyssa Gormish, Michael Johnson, Chris Nevarr, Lee Panella, James Reinhold, Bob Shelley, Conor Stephens, and Ryan and Ben Stewart.

For sure, a highlight of the weekend was seeing club member Brad Olson back at the club for his first 5-gun shoot since going through a serious health scare in 2022. Brad’s commitment to recovery has been nothing short of amazing, and an example for everyone. We’ll be seeing many more broken targets in Brad’s future!

The steak and chicken dinner was cooked to perfection by club president and pitmaster Jeff Bolster, with help from his assistant chefs Lee Panella, Mitch Ballweg, and T.W. Williams. Terri Bolster once again shot 100 straight, along with her banquet preparation, including shopping, chopping, and cooking fantastic sides. Special thanks to all who supported another great shoot at Fairfax. Becky Myers provided flawless shoot management with support from Joe Guadalupe. Jamie, Justin, and Michael kept the club running perfectly and the fields in ideal condition. Kudos to Andy Lawston for feeding a herd lunch in the canteen on Saturday and Sunday, and Bryan Cooper for keeping the Civilian Arms pro shop stocked and open for shooters needing to pick up supplies or ammunition.

– Kevin Baker