Williamsport 1000-Yard BR School Hits the Mark

The Second Williamsport 1000-Yard Benchrest School wrapped up on June 7, 2009 after two days of great weather. The weather cooperated just long enough to complete the school and send everyone on their way. Then it proceeded to rain for a few more days! According to student feedback, it seems this one-of-a-kind, long-range Benchrest Clinic at the Original Pennsylvania 1000-Yard Benchrest Club was a success.

Photo by Sebastian Reist, www.sreistphotography.com.

A full class of 36 “students”, ranging in age from 20s to late 70s, came from all over the USA (from as far as Oregon, Georgia, and Missouri), to attend the second-ever Williamsport 1000-Yard Benchrest School. With the help of more than a dozen Williamsport regulars and record-holders, along with generous support from vendors such as Berger Bullets and Forster Products, the school finished up with nary a hitch.

Students were taught brass prep, reloading methods, bench setup, gun handling and cleaning, along with other finer aspects of the 1K benchrest game. Saturday after the lectures and a good meal from the grill, students tried their luck on some 1040-yard clay birds on the back bank (as well as some shots on paper), and basically familiarized themselves with gun-handling and sandbag tracking. Sunday was the day for them to try all their newly-acquired skills and knowledge by shooting a mock 1000-yard competition under real match conditions. The students obviously caught on quickly because there some very small groups (6″ and less) were shot by folks new to the long-range game.

In addition to the classroom sessions and practice on the firing line, the clinic’s “curriculum” included pulling “pit-duty”. While working the pits, students got a look at Williamsport’s brand new, state-of-the-art pits, complete with an extended concrete ceiling! Williamsport’s targets are no longer at 1022 yards like they always have been, but are now at 1003 yards. The new pits now meet or exceed the NRA guidelines for pit construction. These will surely be as safe as or safer than any pits in the country. There will be more photos and details to follow on this once the construction is totally finished.

Below is a slideshow/video created by Sebastian Reist, a “student” at the 2009 Williamsport 1000-yard BR school. A talented professional photographer, Sebastian did a superb job capturing the highlights of his Williamsport 1K training weekend. In the video you’ll see a “shooter’s eye view” of the targets and a view from the pits as a 10-shot group actually forms up on the target.

Hey guys–watch this video! Sebastian did a great job and this is probably the best multi-media video we’ve ever run on this site.

Photos and Video © 2009 Sebastian Reist, used with permission.