HAMPDEN — Maine’s 53rd State Pistol Championship saw a new champion break 2600 for the second time in a week in a hotly contested 2700 match held Saturday and Sunday, June 8-9, at the Hampden Rifle and Pistol Club.

Larence Carter of Portland shot a 2600-85X match with nearly even scores across the .22, centerfire and .45 matches, scoring 866-28X, 867-35X and 867-32X, taking first place in each match among expert-class shooters.

Carter’s score was second-highest for the day because Army Staff Sgt. Norman Girardin, a master-class shooter from East Hartford, Conn., shot a 2630-109X, taking the first open slot but unable to hold the Maine title.

Carter, ironically, had beaten Girardin at a similar match held the previous weekend in Augusta, where he shot a 2613. Pine Tree State Rifle and Pistol Association Secretary Quirino “Skip” Lucarelli, also a high-ranking shooter at the state event, commented that he was glad a Maine shooter had been able to break the 2600 barrier, a coveted goal among pistol shooters, and had done so twice in one week.

Taking second place among the experts and third-high score in the match was John Hubbard of Bangor, the 1990 Maine title holder, who shot 2542-67X. Third expert was Richard Simmons of Friendship, with a 2538-70X.

Sharpshooters were led by Lucarelli with 2401-67X, Roger Sargent of Ellsworth, with 2309-41X, and John Rollins of Arrowsic, with 2239-36X.

Marksmen were James Pandiscio of Scarborough, with 2385-32X, George Grant of Owls Head, with 2308-37X, and Edward Upham of Buckfield, with 2162-14X.

Another master shooter who has frequently been a winner of state titles at Hampden was Frank Tilley of Van Buren, a retired U.S. Customs Service officer. Tilley shot a 2519-76X, taking second among masters. Other masters were James Mountain of South Portalnd, 2362-38X, and Wilbur G. Ricker of Blue Hill, who has shot at all 53 state championships and continues to be active in his Blue Hill club.

Ricker, a retired state fire marshal, has been a great help to new shooters. To Ricker, who has spent a lifetime shooting and teaching others to enjoy the sport and practice safe gun handling, competition is far from the reason most shooters take up the hobby. Shooting is one of the few sports where advice and equipment are given freely even if it means the person benefiting may win as a result. Ricker is proof there is an unwritten code of honor among het close-knit society of shooters, said Lucarelli.