Prickly Pear Sportsmen's Association

08/06/2026

Get ready for hunting season!

Join PPSA and Capital Sports this Saturday for an exciting morning at the range. COMPLETELY FREE

📅 Saturday, August 8
⏰ 8:00–11:00 AM
📍 PPSA Range in Helena

Check out a great selection of hunting ri**es, premium optics, suppressors, and am******on from top brands, including R***r, Bergara, Weatherby, Leupold, Vortex, Nightforce, SilencerCo, HUXWRX, and more.

Don’t miss the Nosler ballistic gel demonstration for an up-close look at am******on performance.

Whether you’re preparing for hunting season, considering new equipment, or simply want to learn from knowledgeable people in the field, this is an event you won’t want to miss.

Bring a friend and spend a great morning with fellow outdoor enthusiasts. We’ll see you at the range!

Event details:
https://ppsamt.com/event/ppsa-and-capital-sports-range-day/

Big thank you to Capital Sports for doing this with us. We encourage all of our members to shop local with them!

08/05/2026

Two Great PPSA Events in the Books!

We recently wrapped up both the 2026 Vintage Military Fun Match and the 2026 Ladies Shoot, and a great time was had by all!

The Vintage Military Fun Match brought together 11 shooters using an impressive variety of historic military ri**es, including M1 Garands, Swiss K31s, Swedish Mausers, a Springfield 1903A3, a British Enfield, and a Mosin-Nagant. Congratulations to this year’s winners:

🥇 1st Place: John Vore — Schmidt-Rubin K31 — 344/400
🥈 2nd Place: Gary Burton — Schmidt-Rubin K31 — 265/400
🥉 3rd Place: Jason Swant — Springfield 1903A3 — 245/400

Congratulations also to Chad Adams and Mike Burke, who each won a $50 gift certificate in the participant drawing!

The 2026 Ladies Shoot was another wonderful morning at the range, with 12 ladies joining us for relaxed shooting at paper and steel targets. Thank you to Colleen Phillips, Keeley Radakovich, Jennifer LaPointe, Annette Rinehart, Janean McGuire, Becky Atkinson, Leslie Bass, Alison Clennon, Cortney Bahny, Kenslee Bahny, Divina Sundberg, and Cynthia Moore for participating!

A special thank-you goes to 406 Range for generously donating nine passes for free one-hour range sessions, as well as to the many individual volunteers and contributors who helped make the Ladies Shoot possible.

Thank you to everyone who participated, volunteered, donated, or helped organize these events. We appreciate the great sportsmanship, fellowship, and enthusiasm shown by our PPSA community—and we look forward to seeing everyone at the next shoot!

Keep shooting, stay safe, and make ’em count!

07/07/2026

Range Impact Update: Lead Mitigation Work
PPSA now has confirmation that lead mitigation work will continue through July 22, 2026. Potentially longer.
The contractor will be working from range to range, so certain ranges will be closed as needed throughout the day. Please expect range closures at different times during the day if you plan to visit.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as this important work is completed. Please keep up to date by following our event page here:

PPSA will begin lead mitigation work on the long range beginning Monday, June 22. This work is expected to continue for roughly two weeks. All ranges may be impacted on different days during this project. At this time, we do not have an exact schedule for each individual range closure. Members shoul...

07/05/2026

PPSA and Capital Sports Range Day is coming up!

Join us Saturday, August 8, 2026, from 8:00 to 11:00 AM for a morning focused on hunting ri**es, optics, suppressors, and am******on performance.

This year’s event will feature:

Suppressors from SilencerCo, BANISH, HUXWRX, Faxon, and more
Ri**es from R***r, Bergara, Christensen, Weatherby, and more
Optics from Leupold, GPO, Vortex, Nightforce, and more
A ballistic gel demonstration from Nosler

This is a great opportunity to learn more about suppressor use in the field, see am******on performance up close, and check out quality optics and fi****ms before the 2026 hunting season.

We hope you’ll join us!

Saturday, August 8, 2026
8:00 to 11:00 AM

Keep tabs on it here:

Join PPSA and Capital Sports for Range Day on Saturday, August 8, 2026, from 8:00 to 11:00 AM. See hunting ri**es, optics, suppressors, and a Nosler ballistic gel demonstration before hunting season.

06/09/2026

PPSA Member Update from Board Chair Cory Olson

As we move into summer, we want to thank our members for helping make PPSA stronger than ever.

During the first half of 2026, we have completed several improvements at the range. The downrange light system is working smoothly, the cameras are up and running, new range markers are in place on the pistol range, new benches have been installed, and PPSA is on track to exceed 2,000 members for the first time.

We are also in the middle of our 2026 Postal Shoot competition, and Saturday, June 13, is our 3rd Annual Ladies Rimfire Shoot. Ladies, there is still time to sign up.

You may have also noticed that our website has been completely rebuilt. One of our board members has upgraded and improved the site, modernized the PPSA logo, and helped give the membership better and faster communication.

A few reminders for members:

Please remember that the main gate is not automatic. It needs to be secured open when entering or exiting, and physically shut once your vehicle is through.

Please review the updated rules regarding forced reset triggers, binary triggers, and bump stocks. Only handguns are allowed on the handgun range, and only rimfire fi****ms are allowed on the rimfire range.

Guest passes are required for guests. Each member may bring up to two guests per visit, and members are responsible for their guests’ behavior.

Beginning Monday, June 22, PPSA will begin extensive lead mitigation work on the long range. This work is expected to continue for roughly two weeks, and all ranges may be impacted on different days. Some ranges may be closed for a few hours, a full day, or possibly longer while this work is completed. Please plan ahead to potentially use a different range if you intend to go to the range during this time period, as your ideal one may be closed for the day while we fix mitigate the current problem.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue investing in the range, respecting the environment, and caring for the land we are fortunate to use.

Have a great summer, and we’ll see you at the range.

Cory Olson
PPSA Board Chairman

06/08/2026

Range Impact Update: Lead Mitigation Work

PPSA now has confirmation that lead mitigation work will begin early in the day on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.

The contractor will be working from range to range, so certain ranges will be closed as needed throughout the day. Please expect range closures at different times during the day if you plan to visit.

There is a chance the work could continue into the next couple of days, although we hope it will be completed on June 10. No impact is expected before June 10.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as this important work is completed.

05/29/2026

PPSA RANGE NOTICE: June 8–12

PPSA members,

Lead mitigation work is expected to take place at the range sometime during the week of June 8 through June 12, 2026.

This does not mean the entire range will be closed all week. At this time, we expect only certain ranges may be impacted on some day or days during that window. No full range closure is currently expected.

We know this is short notice. The vendor and Forest Service coordination have only provided us with the general weeklong window so far. We will share more specific details as soon as we know the exact day, time, and affected ranges.

Please check the website and Facebook before heading to the range that week.

Thank you for your patience.

PPSA Board of Directors

05/08/2026

🎓 PPSA Scholarship Final Deadline Coming Soon

The final deadline to apply for the Prickly Pear Sportsmen’s Association scholarship is almost here.

PPSA will award two $500 scholarships to successful candidates.

Applications must be postmarked no later than Monday, June 1, 2026.

Applicants should carefully complete the full application packet, include all required attachments, and make sure the application is physically signed. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Mail completed applications to:

Prickly Pear Sportsmen’s Association
Scholarship Committee
PO Box 5025
Helena, MT 59604

Download the application from the PPSA Education page -

Explore PPSA education opportunities—scholarships and fi****ms training. Download the scholarship application and get concealed carry class info.

05/07/2026

Final reminder: PPSA Ladies Shoot -- (signup is required).

Join us Saturday, June 13, 2026, on the Rim Fire Range for a fun morning to meet, greet, and shoot.

This event is open to PPSA members and spouses of members. Space is limited to 20 ladies, so please reserve your spot now. We are nearly full.

Available time slots:

8:30–9:45 AM
10:00–11:15 AM

This is not a competition and not an instructional event. Just a fun shoot! Participants will shoot at paper and steel targets at different distances.

Please bring your favorite .22 pistol or .22 r***e, iron sights or optics, a bag or case for your fi***rm, 50–150 rounds of am******on, and eye and hearing protection.

Each participant will receive a swag bag at the end of the event.

To reserve your preferred time slot, call Sue Little at 602-541-0123.

Space is limited, so don’t wait!

05/07/2026

--- Important PPSA Range Policy Updates ---

Effective immediately, forced reset triggers, binary triggers, bump stocks, and similar devices designed to increase the rate of fire are not approved for use on any PPSA range.

The PPSA Board of Directors strongly supports the shooting sports and the Second Amendment. However, recent incidents involving rounds leaving the intended backstop area, damage to range equipment, liability issues, distractions, and interference with other shooters have made this policy necessary.

The board had no choice but to implement this new prohibition due to these incidents. Safety comes first on all PPSA ranges. This policy applies to all members and guests, with no exceptions.

Pistol caliber carbines are also no longer allowed on the pistol range. PCCs may be used on the Sight-In Range or the 100-Yard Range only.

We have also had an uptick in inappropriate (unsafe) transfer of fi****ms between benches. Please remember to case and uncase all fi****ms at the bench or table provided. Do not walk between the back wall and the bench or table with uncased fi****ms.

Thank you for helping keep PPSA safe and enjoyable for everyone.