Kootenai Valley Rifle & Pistol Club shooters have won local and state matches, earned college scholarships, a place on the line at the Junior Olympics, and produced nationally recognized NRA individuals and teams. If you are 12 or older, your Olympic journey could begin at the Kootenai Valley Rifle Range on Highway 2.
The Club will have an open house to introduce you to the shooting sports at 6 p.m. Thursday, October 3, and pistol will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, October 8. Ages 12 and older are welcome. If you shot before as a Junior and want to get back into the sport, come on down! We would like to see you again!
If you want to learn more about the Olympic sports of smallbore rifle, air rifle or pistol, be ready for a challenge! These are sports of precision!
For rifles, the team shoots single shot, .22 caliber rifles at a distance of 50 feet. To score a ten, you must hit a dot not much bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. Ten shots at each target in the kneeling, prone and standing positions is what will get you on your way to your Olympic dream!
For air rifle, the target is placed at 10 meters down range, but you must hit the same size target as smallbore rifle and only in the standing position.
Junior shooters are anyone from 12 to under the age of 21. They use peep sights on their rifles, and with practice, can qualify for the Junior Olympics, college scholarships, and the Olympics. Senior shooters are anyone 21 years and older. They use peep sights or scopes on their smallbore rifles. If using peep sights, they too can qualify for scholarships and beyond.
Pistol shooters use .22 caliber pistols, again at a target 50 feet down range. The pistol is operated with one hand while the other hand is in your pocket for stability, just like the teammates from Turkey who went viral on the internet during the Olympics.
The junior rifle team meets at 6 p.m. Thursdays beginning October 1 at 6:00pm. The pistol team meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays starting October 8, the senior rifle team at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays starting October 9.If you would like to learn more about these sports, stop by the range located on Highway 2 three miles east of Three Mile Junction and see what it is all about. Men, women, boys and girls are welcome.
The teams compete from their home range on Highway 2 and also travel to Sandpoint, Coeur d’Alene, Spokane and Missoula.
And for those who have shot in the past and have put that equipment away, dust it off and come join us! For more information about shooting, a sport for a lifetime. contact Don at (208) 610-0226.