Work on the Cowboy Action Range

July 27, 2008

“Home, home on the range.” Yes, ladies and gentlemen (and children of all ages), the Dakota RoughRiders have a newe home. It is still at the same range, but we have completed enough work on the new annex to allow us to shoot there for our August 3rd match. We really need to thank some people for all the hard work: Cheval, Tom C, Doc Syn, Blake Stone, Heck Catcher, Sam May, Dean Murrey and his son Tyler, Dakota Dealer and that tall fellow, Joe. We also need to thank all of those whose planning and dedication in the beginning made this shooting annex possible. When you see these people, please shake their hand and say “thank you”. They put in a lot of work. It was a hot and dirty job (I think I washed an acre of dirt down the shower drain) but the results are going to be well worth it.


After the rain on Saturday night, not much got done on Sunday. Weeds were sprayed and timbers were cut so that we have enough material to finish the third and fourth shooting bays. The decision was made to use the two new bays for the rest of the year and to do more construction later when the weather is a little cooler. The fronts that were constructed over the winter were moved into place (Dave Shaffer’s Saloon went in first) so that we will have some all new stages to shoot in August.


I know that I have been pushing the lever silhouette matches, but it would be nice to have some more cowboy shooters make an appearance at these matches. They are really relaxing, no set up, no tear down, you can shoot in shorts and a ball cap, and you can use the cowboy ammunition you already have. There are some people that show up at these matches that I think we could corrupt and include in our sport. We will be doing the set up for our August 3rd match after the silhouette match on the 2nd. With the new bays in place, this should be an easier thing to do.


With that, I hope to see a lot of people at our next shoot, even if they just come out to look at what we have accomplished and see where things are going. To say we are excited about what is going on would be an understatement, so until next time shoot straight.


Dakota Dealer

January 18, 2026
Dear BMRPA Members, It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to let all of you know that the BMRPA has lost one of its founding fathers. Marlin Fried, the namesake of the Fried Family Marksmanship Center, passed away this week. He is survived by his wife Leanne, children and grandchildren. While Marlin has not been active as a shooter with BMRPA for several years, we would still occasionally see him at the outdoor range in his red Chevy pickup, tending to the trees he had planted. In years before, many of you might have known Marlin from Gun City, the shop he started on Main Street in Bismarck. For those of you have never made it to Gun City, it was the type of unique gun store we don’t really get to see anymore. Not all of the trees at the Fried Family Marksmanship Center were planted by Marlin but a great many of them were. He embodied the spirit of old men planting trees which they will never live to enjoy the shade of. It was that spirit of providing for future generations and his enthusiasm for marksmanship and firearms ownership that inspired Marlin to donate the land that the Fried Family Marksmanship Center sits on today. The BMRPA, a club founded by competitive shooters coming together never had its own facility before Marlin’s gift. It was that gift by Marlin and the Fried Family that was one of the greatest factors turning the BMRPA into an organization that provides opportunities for competitors, youth and female shooters and provides a space to exercise our freedom. For that gift, we are thankful and appreciate how uncommon an act such as that is.  So, Marlin and the Fried Family, we thank you! We also wish to express our condolences to the Fried family for their loss during this sad time. A memorial service will be held at 11:30AM on Monday, January 19, 2026, and visitation will be held Sunday, January 18, at 5:30PM at Bismarck Funeral Home, and 7pm prayer service. https://www.bismarckfuneralhome.com/obituaries/marlin-fried Tom Headrick President, BMRPA
November 25, 2025
2025-26 Junior Marksmanship Program
More Posts