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July 10th, 2022

Sunday Gunday: Bauer Power — Jim & Sally Bauer IBS Legends

Sally Bauer IBS 1000 yard heavy gun
Sally Bauer Heavy Gun

Bauer Power. Today’s Sunday Gunday story features Jim Bauer and Sally Bauer, a “power couple” in the International Benchrest Shooters (IBS) mid-range and long-range benchrest game. Jim and Sally both compete at 600 yards and 1000 yards, and both have been VERY successful. A decade ago, in 2012, Sally was the IBS 1000-yard Shooter of the Year. She had a great season, piloting her impressive Stars & Strips Heavy Gun (shown above). Sally now serves as the IBS Treasurer.

Jim Bauer has also been a top IBS performer shooting a similar, wide-forearm Maxi-Tracker Heavy Gun, with beautiful Eagle-on-black paint scheme. Jim Bauer won the IBS 2015 1000-Yard Nationals shooting a 6mm Dasher in both Light Gun and Heavy Gun classes. And Jim holds the IBS 1000-yard 20-Target Light Gun Aggregate Score Record. He set the record in 2021 with 47.15 Agg Score and 5.4171″ group average — that’s very close to half-MOA for 10-shot groups at 1000 yards!

Sally Jim Bauer IBS 1000 yard heavy gun
Photos courtesy Virginia1000.com.

Jim Bauer Wins 2015 1000-Yard Title with Duel Dashers

Jim Bauer won the IBS 2015 IBS 1000-Yard Nationals shooting a 6mm Dasher in both Light Gun and Heavy Gun Classes. Here’s his match-winning Heavy Gun. Smithed by Gordy Gritters, Bauer’s Heavy Gun featured a BAT action, Krieger barrel (in barrel block), Shehane HG stock, and Nightforce scope.

Jim Bauer IBS 2015 National Champion 1000 Yards

Hawks Ridge IBS Benchrest Shooters International 1000 Yard 1K Championship North Carolina 6mm Dasher

At the 2015 1000-Yard Nationals, Jim Bauer was both Two-Gun Champion and Overall winner. Bauer shot great in both Light Gun (LG) and Heavy Gun (HG) matches, posting Top 10 finishes in both classes. Bauer ran 6mm Dashers in both Divisions (LG and HG) with Vapor Trail bullets.

Sally Bauer Honored as 2012 IBS 1000-Yard Shooter of the Year

Sally Bauer IBS 1000 yard heavy gun

In 2012, Sally Bauer became the first (and only) lady to win the title of IBS 1000-yard Shooter of the Year. Sally earned that honor through hard work, dedication, and a burning desire to “be all she can be”. While helping her husband Jim rise to the top of the 1000-yard benchrest game, Sally was taking notes and working toward her turn at the top. Well friends, Sally took no prisoners in 2012 and earned Shooter of the Year honors. Sally’s handsome 67-lb Heavy Gun, “Stars & Stripes”, is painted with an American flag theme.

IBS 1000 yard shooter of year Sally Bauer

Sally Bauer and the IBS 1000-Yard Heavy Gun Record
A decade ago, in 2012 Sally Bauer set a then-pending International Benchrest Shooters (IBS) Score Heavy Gun (HG) record for 1000-yard competition. Her score was 100-5X with a 3.495″ tie-breaker group. Though that record has been surpassed (with a smaller tie-breaking group), Sally was the first lady ever to post a pending IBS 1000-yard benchrest record.

Sally Bauer IBS 1000 yard heavy gunSally’s Amazing 1K Group
At the end of the Heavy Gun match #10 Sally was directed by Range Officer Gordy Mitchell to leave all of her equipment and rifle setting on her bench. Sally was perplexed by Gordy Mitchell’s direction but he assured her “It is a good thing”. Rumors swirled and Dave Holland was summoned to the pits.

Dave and Gordy brought the target back to the scoring shed and had club officials and some respected competitors measure and sign the target. All agreed Sally had just shot an IBS record score. Sally’s rifle and equipment were measured and photographed and the target sent off to the IBS for final measurement and verification.

Sally Jim Bauer IBS 1000 yard heavy gun

Sally’s Heavy Gun Specifications
Sally’s 67-lb Heavy Gun was originally purchased from Bill Shehane, and it uses Bill’s Maxi-Tracker stock. The gun was originally chambered for the 6-6.5×47 Lapua Improved. But the gun didn’t shoot like the Bauers wanted, so it was rechambered to 6mm Dasher by Gordy Gritters. The action is a 2″-diameter, round, chrome moly, 3-lug, 7 ½” BAT. The barrel is a 28″, 1:8″-twist Krieger, with 1.45″-diameter straight tube. The barreled action is secured in the stock with a 9″-long barrel block. The gun uses a 12-42x56mm Nightforce BR scope and a Jewel BR trigger. Gordy Gritters smithed the rifle. Jim Sauer states: “We have known Gordy for years now and trust every phase of our gun projects — all of them are mechanical works of art. When we get our guns from Gordy we know we can put our focus on brass prep and load development and don’t have to worry about the guns being right. That really helps save time.”

Editor’s NOTE: The following information was for the original 2012 load Sally ran in her IBS Heavy Gun. Load details and procedures may have changed now, a decade later.

Reloading Procedure for Sally’s “Stars & Stripes” Maxi by Jim Sauer
With every new rifle we start with new brass. The first step is to run them through a full length sizing die, then over an appropriate expander mandrel. Since we use a .270 neck on our 6 Dasher chambers, neck turning amounts to a 80% cleanup of the new Lapua brass necks. We do the normal primer pocket and flash-hole uniforming.

We fire-form two times to make sure we get nice sharp shoulder corners before competition. We then separate them according to weight using 1/10th of a grain differences for each box. Much of our loading process is geared around time savings. We look for easy-to-use, consistently good products and don’t vary from them unless we have a problem or results aren’t to our standards. We have chosen to shoot Clay Spencer’s 103gr 6mm bullets. We weight-sort and bearing-surface sort them and that’s it. I gave up trimming and tipping simply because it didn’t improve how Clay built them. We also use only one primer, the CCI 450.

We use one of four different powders. Our “go-to” powder is RL15, next we try Varget, then IMR 8208, and if that doesn’t work we try H4895. We have found that these bullets usually shoot best at 2970 fps. This is not an absolute, just what normally works best. We always try higher and lower velocities looking for that special load. Once we find the powder and quantity that works the best we play with the seating depth. Usually this is a fine-tune method and most of the time 15 thousandths into the rifling works the best. But don’t be afraid to jump the bullets as much as 0.100″. When we use this procedure we usually find a combination that will shoot nice, round ¾” groups at 400 yards.

Our reloading regimen starts with ultra-sonic cleaning our brass, then tumbling until shiny. We anneal the brass every time. We proceed to full-length resizing, repriming, and lubing the inside of the necks with graphite. We then charge with our selected powder and seat the bullets. We measure for concentricity, [shooting] the best ones for the record and the others for sighters. The load that Sally shot the record with is 33.0 grains of IMR 8208 XBR, CCI 450 primers, Spencer 103gr bullets, Lapua brass, bullet seated 15 thousandths into rifling, Velocity 2980 fps.

Sally Jim Bauer IBS 1000 yard heavy gun

About Sally Bauer – In her “formative years” of competitive shooting, Sally listened to proper and basic instruction and learned at her pace. She developed her own style and discipline. Not wanting to be dependent on others Sally learned to set up her rests and carries Stars & Stripes to the bench by herself.

Jim Bauer reports: “Sally and I would like to thank the kind people we have met in this crazy frustrating game of shooting. For the most part fellow competitors have been helpful and giving of the time, experience and knowledge. Every range owner and operator we have come across has treated us like family and friend. I can think of no other sport where the participants give so freely.”

Bauer Power in Action at the 2017 IBS 600-Yard Nationals

Bauer heavy gun 600 Yard nationals van truck transport slide-out wood caddy

Would you like to see this IBS “power couple” in action? Here are videos of Jim Bauer and Sally Bauer shooting at the 2017 IBS 600-yard Nationals in Memphis, Tennessee.

Jim Bauer sends 5 record rounds down range with his “Eagle” HG in Maxi-Tracker stock

Sally Bauer shoots sighter rounds with her Stars & Stripes HG in Maxi-Tracker stock

Transporting Big Heavy Guns in Style with Slide-out Carriers

The Bauers have created a very smart and clever system for transporting their rifles to matches. The Bauers have a great transport set-up, with custom, slide-out rifle carriers fitted to their van. You can see Jim’s and Sally’s Heavy Guns in the lower drawer.

Bauer heavy gun 600 Yard nationals van truck transport slide-out wood caddy

And here is a close-up of the Light Gun in the Bauer’s second slide-out carrier (top in photo). The patriotic “We the People” message is welcome.

Sally Jim Bauer IBS 1000 yard heavy gun

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November 28th, 2012

SEB MAX Coaxial Front Rest — Field Test by Sam Hall

[haiku url=”http://accurateshooter.net/Video/samhallmax.mp3″]Click PLAY to hear Sam TALK about SEB MAX
coaxial joystick rest.

“It’s a keeper” — that’s what Sam Hall, 4-time IBS 600-yard Shooter of the Year, told us after he test-drove the new SEB MAX coaxial front rest. Over the past two months, Sam has been testing the new SEB MAX with his competition benchrest rifles, with a variety of forearm widths from three inches to eight inches, and weights from 17 to 61 pounds.

Did Sam like the SEB MAX? He did indeed — in fact he was so impressed with the MAX rest that he is selling his current front rest and he will be using the SEB MAX for both LG and HG matches.

SEB Coaxial MAX Rest Sam Hall

In designing the SEB MAX rest, Sebastian (“Seb”) Lambang set out to build a rest that would handle true heavy guns up to 45kg and also adapt to lighter rifles with a variety of forearm widths. This was quite a challenge, but he pulled it off. The SEB MAX quickly adapts to fit narrow, medium, and wide forearms, with a simple adjustment of the side plates on the three-piece front bag. You can change from 3″ to 5″ to 8″ width in seconds. If you prefer a conventional one-piece front sand-bag, SEB offers one-piece bags sized to fit various forearm widths from 2.5″ to 8″.

SEB Coaxial MAX Rest Sam Hall

The SEB MAX also adapts to different rifle weights through the use of a front counter-weight for the heavy big boomers. With a standard 17-lb Light Gun, you can run the MAX with no counterweight. The joystick control movement is very smooth and with the internal springs tuned right, you can shoot with your hand off the joystick. When you want to switch to a true Heavy Gun, simply attach the counterweight arm to the front of the gun. SEB can supply custom counter-weight “donuts” tuned to your specific Heavy Gun. Sam Hall reviews the features of the SEB MAX in the video below.

Watch SEB MAX Video Review (Part 1 — Light Gun)

Does the SEB MAX retain its smooth movement even with a true Heavy Gun on the front bags? Absolutely. Sam reports that “When shooting my 61-pounder, with the counter-weight in place, the joystick movement is smooth and predictable — it feels just like the Light Gun”.

To prove how well the counter-balancer works with a true Heavy Gun, Sam put his 61-lb Maxi-Tracker on the SEB MAX, attached the appropriate counterweight, and then shot a group at 600 yards without touching the joystick during a four-shot string. To Sam’s amazement, the gun produced a 4-shot group under 1.5″. Sam says: “That was in mid-day with some mirage. That’s about the best this gun can do in those conditions. It was impressive to be able to run a string with a 61-pounder and not touch the joystick.” You can see this in the Part 2 Video below.

Watch SEB MAX Video Review (Part 2 — Heavy Gun)

Superior Build Quality, Unique Versatility, and Outstanding Performance
Sam had high praise for the workmanship, fit, and finish of the SEB MAX: “This rest is a work of art. I’m not easily impressed by most products, but this is one fine machine.” Sam added that the SEB MAX is not just pretty — everything functions very well: “The sideplates have quick-release handles so you can change widths quickly. The course elevation control is very smooth and easy to use. With the course elevation locked, there is plenty of vertical travel (elevation) and plenty of side-to-side travel with just the joystick.” Sam was also impressed with how well the 61-pounder tracked on the SEB MAX: “I’ve been playing with it… and the gun seems to track perfect.”

SEB Coaxial MAX Rest Sam Hall

SEB Coaxial MAX Rest Sam Hall

SEB Coaxial MAX Rest Sam Hall

SEB Coaxial MAX Rest Sam Hall

Sam also praised the micro-fiber fabric SEB uses for both the three-piece and conventional one-piece front bags: “This micro-fiber is great. You don’t need to use any silicon or powder or anything to slick it up, yet the forearm slides on it better than anything I’ve ever seen.”

Sam likes the modular construction of the SEB MAX. Sam found that, when he was just shooting a Light Gun, he could remove the rear foot, making the rest easier to move around. Like the SEB NEO rest, the MAX rest breaks down into flat modules so it packs more compactly for shipping.

SEB MAX rests are currently in the final stages of production. Price for the USA market has not yet been set. You can get on the pre-order waiting list by contacting Ernie Bishop in Gillette, Wyoming. Call (307) 257-7431, or email ernieemily [at] yahoo.com. For other markets consult dealer list on www.SebCoax.com.

Weight: The MAX weighs approximately 18.4 kg (40.5 lbs) without the counter-weight, with bags empty. Sam’s rest with full bags and counter-weight is about 45 pounds.

Rest Size: Side to side footprint (center to center of leveling screws) is approximately 13.78″. Dimension from back to front is about 14.17″.

SEB Coaxial MAX Rest Sam Hall

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