Hosted by the Forsyth Rifle & Pistol Club, Forsyth, Montana Territory
Quigley 2013
Forsyth Rifle and Pistol Club President Dave Gamble presents the 2013 Quigley Match Champion plaque to Edward Tilton of Columbia Falls, MT.
The big turnaround in conditions in the Forsyth area provided some of the nicest match weather for a recent Quigley Match. The weather provided two clear days with temperatures in the high 70's and only moderate winds on Saturday and light and variable (very variable) winds on Sunday. The crowd of shooters was down in numbers to 568, but up in enthusiasm and enjoyment of a match that went quicker with less pressure to get shooters through the match. There were participants from 30 states and five international countries.
This year's match was won by twelve-time Quigley shooter Edward Tilton. He managed 43 hits of his 48 shots for score. Ed was the 2nd Place shooter at the 2010 Quigley Match. Second place was taken by John Venhous of Sandpoint, ID with only one less hit and a score of 42. Five shooters achieved scores of 41 hits with their respective places determined by most off-hand hits, then hits at the longest range targets. First time Quigley shooter Curt Hardcastle of Silver City NM took third place in the match, Joe Kalus, Jr. of Afton Wyoming took 4th, and Ritchie Tilton of Columbia Falls, MT took fifth place. Robert Saathoff, Prior Lake, MN and Mike Hoft, Chanhassen, MN took sixth and 7th places to round out the 41-hit shooters. The final three places in the top ten went to shooters scoring 40 hits in the match. They were Ray Hanson from Twin Valley, MN in 8th place, local shooter Buz Coker of Forsyth, MT in 9th place and 2001 Quigley Champion John Fuller of Whitefish, MT taking home the 10th place Quigley plaque.
(to be continued)
Quigley 2012
Mike Buchholz, Quigley Champion 2012, 39 of 48 hits in tough conditions. Congratulations Mike!
Shooting target #3 in Sunday's dust bowl conditions. The target line disappeared in the distance with high winds whipping up the dust on the firing line.
Quigley 2012 had a distinct "dust bowl theme" this year with extremely dry conditions and wind gusts exceeding 30 mph during the second day of shooting. It was highly recommended by a number of shooters that we try to find some middle ground for future match conditions between last year's flooding and this year's drought. This year 635 shooters gathered from forty states and four foreign nations to take on the challenge of shooting eight shots for score at each of the six gong targets that make up the course of fire.
The 2012 match champion is Mike Buchholz of Hot Springs, SD. Mike was a top ten shooter in the 2010 match and put together 39 hits of 48 shots for score to take the match this year. He used a Browning BPCR High Wall rifle in 45-70 caliber and a black powder load using Swiss 1 1/2. The second place shooter was 1996 Quigley Champion Ed Schleichardt of Sheridan, WY with a score of 37 hits. Third place went to Spencer Anderson of Ashland, MT with 35 hits over the match. The next five places went to shooters with an overall score of 34 hits. They were 4th Place- Linda Clendenen, Amidon, ND; 5th Place- Roger Young, Gulfport, MS; 6th Place- Buz Coker, Forsyth, MT; 7th Place- Dave Gullo, Sand Point, ID and 8th Place- Pat Taylor, Payson, AZ. Rounding out the top ten with scores of 33 were 9th Place- Dick Savage, Keystone, SD and 10th Place- Blaine Smith, Arlington, VA. Tie scores are broken based on the most hits on the off-hand target and then the 805 yard buffalo target. Equipment lists and load data of the top ten shooters will be published in the Black Powder Cartridge News and on this website at a later date.
The top lady shooter was once again Linda Clendenen who claimed her eighth Crazy Cora title in a row with her score of 34 hits. One shot behind her this year was Sarah Coker of Forsyth, MT with 33 hits and an overall match finish of 14th place. Third place lady was Tiffany Sage of Sidney, NE another shot back at 32 hits. The top Senior shooter was Ed Schleichardt of Sheridan, WY with his score of 37 hits; the White Buffalo (72 yrs+) went to Roger Young of Gulfport, MS with 34 hits; the top Junior shooters (13-16 yrs) were Kelsey Nichols, Coralville, IA, 28 hits, Dustin Irgens, Baker, MT, 26 hits and Kelly Liebers, Whitehall, MT, also 26 hits. The Small Fry winner (12 yrs and younger) was Nick Molitor of Havre, MT with 20 hits. A special award was presented to junior shooter David Schroeder of Pequot Lakes, MN. He received the autographed photo of Tom Selleck for hitting 7 of 8 on the off-hand target. Other categories and winners can be found on the Match Results page of this website.
There were five different rifles given away by drawing at the end of the Quigley competition. Shiloh Sharps of Big Timber, MT provided an 1874 Sharps prize rifle for the 20th consecutive year and it was won by Carl Shaw of Bridgeport, NE. Davide Pedersoli and Co. donated an 1885 High Wall rifle, their 10th rifle donation, and it was won by Scott Rollins of Louisville, NE. C. Sharps Arms of Big Timber, MT donated an 1875 Sharps for a youth shooter for the fourth year and it was presented to Taylor Swogger of Miles City, MT. A special drawing was held among the Small Fry shooters for a pellet rifle donated in memory of Jim Wilcox, a long time Quigley shooter and shooting sports encourager. At the 2009 Quigley Match he was the patriarch of four generations of shooters participating in the match. This special pellet rifle was won by Sade Sutten of Lewisville, TX. Carter Eighmey of Waterloo, IA was the happy winner of a 22 caliber bolt action sporter rifle drawn among youth shooters and donated by a member of the Forsyth Rifle and Pistol Club.
During the shooting of the first target of the match, Sharon Matney of Bozeman, MT was injured when her rifle blew up. The medical response was superb by shooters who are doctors, by EMTs and by other shooters at the site. The match was suspended until the onsite ambulance evacuated her to the local hospital. Sharon's most significant injuries were to her left hand and she was sent to specialist surgeons in Salt Lake City. She has had successful surgery and the prognosis is excellent with an expectation that she will regain most of the use of the injured hand. Information will be posted as it is received regarding the rifle involved and the load that was used. This was an unfortunate accident but on the positive side showed the excellent support of the Quigley shooters in every circumstance. Our best wishes to Ron and Sharon as the recovery process continues.
The 2012 match champion is Mike Buchholz of Hot Springs, SD. Mike was a top ten shooter in the 2010 match and put together 39 hits of 48 shots for score to take the match this year. He used a Browning BPCR High Wall rifle in 45-70 caliber and a black powder load using Swiss 1 1/2. The second place shooter was 1996 Quigley Champion Ed Schleichardt of Sheridan, WY with a score of 37 hits. Third place went to Spencer Anderson of Ashland, MT with 35 hits over the match. The next five places went to shooters with an overall score of 34 hits. They were 4th Place- Linda Clendenen, Amidon, ND; 5th Place- Roger Young, Gulfport, MS; 6th Place- Buz Coker, Forsyth, MT; 7th Place- Dave Gullo, Sand Point, ID and 8th Place- Pat Taylor, Payson, AZ. Rounding out the top ten with scores of 33 were 9th Place- Dick Savage, Keystone, SD and 10th Place- Blaine Smith, Arlington, VA. Tie scores are broken based on the most hits on the off-hand target and then the 805 yard buffalo target. Equipment lists and load data of the top ten shooters will be published in the Black Powder Cartridge News and on this website at a later date.
The top lady shooter was once again Linda Clendenen who claimed her eighth Crazy Cora title in a row with her score of 34 hits. One shot behind her this year was Sarah Coker of Forsyth, MT with 33 hits and an overall match finish of 14th place. Third place lady was Tiffany Sage of Sidney, NE another shot back at 32 hits. The top Senior shooter was Ed Schleichardt of Sheridan, WY with his score of 37 hits; the White Buffalo (72 yrs+) went to Roger Young of Gulfport, MS with 34 hits; the top Junior shooters (13-16 yrs) were Kelsey Nichols, Coralville, IA, 28 hits, Dustin Irgens, Baker, MT, 26 hits and Kelly Liebers, Whitehall, MT, also 26 hits. The Small Fry winner (12 yrs and younger) was Nick Molitor of Havre, MT with 20 hits. A special award was presented to junior shooter David Schroeder of Pequot Lakes, MN. He received the autographed photo of Tom Selleck for hitting 7 of 8 on the off-hand target. Other categories and winners can be found on the Match Results page of this website.
There were five different rifles given away by drawing at the end of the Quigley competition. Shiloh Sharps of Big Timber, MT provided an 1874 Sharps prize rifle for the 20th consecutive year and it was won by Carl Shaw of Bridgeport, NE. Davide Pedersoli and Co. donated an 1885 High Wall rifle, their 10th rifle donation, and it was won by Scott Rollins of Louisville, NE. C. Sharps Arms of Big Timber, MT donated an 1875 Sharps for a youth shooter for the fourth year and it was presented to Taylor Swogger of Miles City, MT. A special drawing was held among the Small Fry shooters for a pellet rifle donated in memory of Jim Wilcox, a long time Quigley shooter and shooting sports encourager. At the 2009 Quigley Match he was the patriarch of four generations of shooters participating in the match. This special pellet rifle was won by Sade Sutten of Lewisville, TX. Carter Eighmey of Waterloo, IA was the happy winner of a 22 caliber bolt action sporter rifle drawn among youth shooters and donated by a member of the Forsyth Rifle and Pistol Club.
During the shooting of the first target of the match, Sharon Matney of Bozeman, MT was injured when her rifle blew up. The medical response was superb by shooters who are doctors, by EMTs and by other shooters at the site. The match was suspended until the onsite ambulance evacuated her to the local hospital. Sharon's most significant injuries were to her left hand and she was sent to specialist surgeons in Salt Lake City. She has had successful surgery and the prognosis is excellent with an expectation that she will regain most of the use of the injured hand. Information will be posted as it is received regarding the rifle involved and the load that was used. This was an unfortunate accident but on the positive side showed the excellent support of the Quigley shooters in every circumstance. Our best wishes to Ron and Sharon as the recovery process continues.
Top ten Quigley 2012 (L to R and back to front) Mike Buchholz (1st), Ed Schleichardt (2nd, high Senior), Spencer Anderson (3rd), Linda Clendenen (4th, Crazy Cora) Roger Young (5th, White Buffalo), Buz Coker (6th), Dave Gullo (7th), Pat Taylor (8th), Dick Savage (9th) and Blaine Smith (10th)
History of the Quigley
The idea for the Quigley Match was born on the drive back home to Forsyth from Miles City, MT, by Al Lee and Earnie Cornett after seeing the movie "Quigley Down Under" starring Tom Selleck. With an active gun club in Forsyth, there were a number of members already shooting single shot black powder cartridge rifles. The first Matthew Quigley Buffalo Rifle Match was held in 1991 with twenty-nine shooters.
Since that first match, "The Quigley" has grown to be the largest match of its kind in the world with over 600 competitors from 37 states and four foreign countries. It has evolved into a two-day competition with eight shots for score on six steel silhouette targets at ranges from 350 to 805 yards.
The Quigley's success can be attributed mainly to the camaraderie of its shooters who gather annually for an event where the shooting competition is often secondary to the opportunity to visit with old friends and make new ones. Consider joining us for Quigley 2012 on Father's Day weekend, June 16th and 17th.
Since that first match, "The Quigley" has grown to be the largest match of its kind in the world with over 600 competitors from 37 states and four foreign countries. It has evolved into a two-day competition with eight shots for score on six steel silhouette targets at ranges from 350 to 805 yards.
The Quigley's success can be attributed mainly to the camaraderie of its shooters who gather annually for an event where the shooting competition is often secondary to the opportunity to visit with old friends and make new ones. Consider joining us for Quigley 2012 on Father's Day weekend, June 16th and 17th.
Lee Ranch yearling steers gathered and moved across the Quigley firing line for delivery, September 2011.
Quigley 2011
Entrance to Quigley Match Site on morning of registration 2011
Quigley 2011 was cancelled due to weather conditions at the match site. It was the first time in twenty years that the match could not be held. Forsyth received record rainfall for May and June and the ranch was saturated so that even minimal rainfall turned the match site into a gumbo mud mess. The pasture where the match is held could not support the level of vehicle or pedestrian traffic for the match under those conditions. With a National Weather Service forecast of 100% chance of heavy rain the night before registration day and 70% chance continuing on Friday with additional rain forecast for both days of the match it was determined the best course of action was to cancel the match and evacuate the range while it was still possible.
One of the reasons for this website is to provide a source of information to shooters enroute to the Quigley since the most difficult task was to inform shooters of the cancellation. We are sorry that it was necessary to cancel the match and particularly regret those we were unable to notify and who arrived only to find the match cancelled. We now have Quigley 2012 on the way and hope to have the weather cooperate. Please note the weather possibilities as listed in the information flyer and be prepared for whatever comes our way.
One of the reasons for this website is to provide a source of information to shooters enroute to the Quigley since the most difficult task was to inform shooters of the cancellation. We are sorry that it was necessary to cancel the match and particularly regret those we were unable to notify and who arrived only to find the match cancelled. We now have Quigley 2012 on the way and hope to have the weather cooperate. Please note the weather possibilities as listed in the information flyer and be prepared for whatever comes our way.
Quigley 2010
Top Ten Quigley shooters for 2010
The twentieth annual Matthew Quigley Buffalo Rifle Match was conducted on June 19th and 20th. There were 631 shooters in attendance from thirty-seven different states and four foreign nations. Eight shots were taken for score at six different targets ranging from 350 to 805 yards with a possible score of 48.
The match was won by Keith Lay of Bay Springs, MS, shooting a score of 43 with his 1874 Shiloh Sharps in 45-90 caliber. 'Doc' Lay was also the Quigley Champion in 2006. Second place went to Edward Tilton of Columbia Falls, MT, who was one shot behind the leader with a score of 42. The other shooters in the top ten all scored 41 hits on the target array. They were: 3rd- Tom Burns, Bowman, ND; 4th- Spencer Anderson, Ashland, MT; 5th- Greg Childress, Broadus, MT; 6th- Mark Sackett, Sheridan, WY (top Senior Shooter); 7th- Mike Buchholz, Hot Springs, SD; 8th- Barry Anderson, Miles City, MT; 9th- Dave Gullo, Sand Point, ID; and 10th- Rick Lupcho, Rawlins, WY. Placement was based on who had the most hits on the 350-yard off-hand target and then the 805-yard buffalo.
The top lady shooter was Linda Clendenen of Amidon, ND, who won the 'Crazy Cora' title for the seventh year in a row with a score of 37. The first place Small Fry Shooter (11 years and younger) was Ian Timmins of Sparks, NV, with 21 hits. The Junior title was won by Carter Eighmey of Waterloo, IA, with 37 hits. The White Buffalo Award for 2010 went to Jim 'Tonto' Taylor of Owego, NY, as the best marksman of the shooters 72 and older. His score was 37. Other categories and winners can be found on the Match Results page of this site.
Drawings were held among the match participants for four different rifles. The Shiloh Sharps rifle was won by Renae Christensen of Omaha, NE. A Quigley Sharps provided by Davide Pedersoli & Co went to Ray Chambers of Bloomington, IL. Among youth shooters a drawing was held for a C. Sharps rifle and it was won by Gunner Gordish of Orange Park, FL. Koree Bulkley of Clancy, MT, won the drawing for a youth Winchester .22 rifle donated on behalf of the Forsyth Rifle and Pistol Club.
The match was won by Keith Lay of Bay Springs, MS, shooting a score of 43 with his 1874 Shiloh Sharps in 45-90 caliber. 'Doc' Lay was also the Quigley Champion in 2006. Second place went to Edward Tilton of Columbia Falls, MT, who was one shot behind the leader with a score of 42. The other shooters in the top ten all scored 41 hits on the target array. They were: 3rd- Tom Burns, Bowman, ND; 4th- Spencer Anderson, Ashland, MT; 5th- Greg Childress, Broadus, MT; 6th- Mark Sackett, Sheridan, WY (top Senior Shooter); 7th- Mike Buchholz, Hot Springs, SD; 8th- Barry Anderson, Miles City, MT; 9th- Dave Gullo, Sand Point, ID; and 10th- Rick Lupcho, Rawlins, WY. Placement was based on who had the most hits on the 350-yard off-hand target and then the 805-yard buffalo.
The top lady shooter was Linda Clendenen of Amidon, ND, who won the 'Crazy Cora' title for the seventh year in a row with a score of 37. The first place Small Fry Shooter (11 years and younger) was Ian Timmins of Sparks, NV, with 21 hits. The Junior title was won by Carter Eighmey of Waterloo, IA, with 37 hits. The White Buffalo Award for 2010 went to Jim 'Tonto' Taylor of Owego, NY, as the best marksman of the shooters 72 and older. His score was 37. Other categories and winners can be found on the Match Results page of this site.
Drawings were held among the match participants for four different rifles. The Shiloh Sharps rifle was won by Renae Christensen of Omaha, NE. A Quigley Sharps provided by Davide Pedersoli & Co went to Ray Chambers of Bloomington, IL. Among youth shooters a drawing was held for a C. Sharps rifle and it was won by Gunner Gordish of Orange Park, FL. Koree Bulkley of Clancy, MT, won the drawing for a youth Winchester .22 rifle donated on behalf of the Forsyth Rifle and Pistol Club.
