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September 20th, 2010
 by Michael Molinaro, USAMU
Sgt. Sherri Jo Gallagher set high goals for 2010. To say she met them is an understatement. The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Soldier recently won the National High Power Rifle Championship, is on the brink of competing to be the Army Soldier of the Year, and relishes every moment serving her country.
“I wanted to be in the military since I was very young — I was drawn to the challenge and excitement of it,” said Gallagher. “I wanted to learn how to be a leader and make a difference in life. Then I had the opportunity to join the USAMU and turn my favorite hobby into my daily life. Nothing could be more fun than that.”
Gallagher became the first service member since 1987 to win the high-power competition at the National Championships held annually at Camp Perry, Ohio. She set a new national record in the match with a 2396-161x, dropping only four shots during the entire competition. She shot 21 more “X”s than anyone else in the field, which included legends of the sport and past champions. She also became the second woman ever to win the championship — her mother, Nancy Tompkins, being the first.
“Mom won in 1998,” Gallagher said. “We were both competing that year so I didn’t get to watch her that much — but she wasn’t shooting high-power this year so she was able to watch me shoot. She brought me coffee every day. It was very nice.”
Gallagher grew up around the sport of shooting. Her stepfather managed a U.S. national rifle team, her mother is a living legend in the sport, and her sister is a three-time national high-power long-range rifle champion and finished third overall in the long-range event this year. “I started shooting when I was five,” Gallagher said. “My step-dad had us pulling targets by about seven and the best way to get out of the pits is if we volunteered to shoot. So it was good motivation.”
Gallagher currently holds 21 National records in rifle. In 2009, she won the National High Power Long Range Rifle Championship for the first time and credits her success on the firing line to some very simple advice she received at a young age.
“The biggest thing we learned growing up was to have fun and if you’re not having fun something is wrong,” she continued. “There is no point getting worked up over what you do because all you can do is your best.”
Gallagher took that advice to heart in training for the nationals this year because besides winning the coveted title at Camp Perry, she was named TRADOC Soldier of the Year just a few weeks prior. A process that started at the unit level back in the spring now has her set to go head-to-head against the best the Army has to offer at the 2010 Best Warrior Competition with the title of Army Soldier of the Year on the line.
“It’s been an awesome experience,” said Gallagher, who was promoted to the rank of Sergeant since competing at TRADOC (U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command). One of the reasons soldiers in her unit believe Gallagher is thriving is the approach she takes to every task she is given: “She has a ‘can do’ attitude about everything she does”, said SFC Kyle Ward, NCO-in-charge for the service rifle team. Gallagher hasn’t lost focus on the mission at hand for the USAMU: “The most important thing is training Soldiers, assisting with research and development, and helping the war fighter,” she said. “My goal for next year is to learn how to be a better instructor. I like to use everything I learn through competition to help train others. I get to use a skill I grew up using and help people with their marksmanship.”
September 20th, 2010
 Do you know of a great new shooting or reloading product? Here’s a chance to acknowledge quality new products. Shooting Sports USA Magazine, the NRA’s Competitive Shooting Journal, is collecting nominations for the best competitive shooting products of the year. The finalists will be featured in the magazine’s SHOT Show issue, which will be handed out at the NRA booth at the Las Vegas tradeshow in January, 2011. Send one or two nominations, high-resolution photograph, and 200-word description to shootingsportsusa@nrahq.org with 2010 PRODUCT as the subject line. The deadline is October 20, 2010, one month away.
September 19th, 2010
 Trudie Fay continued her outstanding shooting from earlier this week to win the Spirit of America Fullbore Championsihp with a Grand Agg score of 1781-104X, edging Tom Whitaker by one point. That’s as close as it gets — Tom finished with 1780-105X. He had one more ‘X’ than Trudie, but one less point, and it is the total score that decides the Championship. Trudie shot brilliantly right out of the gate, winning the Sunday Agg with a 450-33X. Tom almost matched that later, winning Thursday’s Agg with a 450-31X, but ultimately, Tom was unable to overcome Trudie’s early lead. Congrats to Trudie and Tom, and all the shooters who performed so well at the 2010 Spirit of America Match.
 Biggs Wins F-Open Division
Multi-time F-Class National Champion Danny Biggs won the F-Open Division with an impressive 1777-88X, three points ahead of Ryan Pierce (1774-87X), a master-level shooter who finished ahead of all the High Masters except Danny. Ryan is clearly a rising star in the F-Class world. Third overall with high X-Count for the match was Jim Murphy who scored 1766-90X. Placing fourth overall was Larry Bartholome, whose 1763-78X score also earned him High Senior Honors. (Photo at right is a file photo when Danny shot F-TR at the 2010 Championships.)
Michelle Gallagher of Berger Bullets won the F-TR division with a 1717-62X score. Michelle eged runner-up Laura Perry (1717-57X) on X-Count. Bill Watts finished third in the F-TR Division with a 1710-60X score.
Final Results have not yet been published for the team competition. But so far, in Fullbore Competition, the U.S. National 4-man Team, coached by Tom Whitaker, is in first place, while the 8-person United States Rifle Team, also coached by Whitaker, has a solid lead over the Bald Eagles Team. U.S. Rifle Team members are: Norm Crawford, Trudie Fay, Wayne Forshee, Johnie Franklin, Boyd Goldsby, Noma Mayo, Kent Reeve, and John Rhynard.
Berger 4- and 8-man Teams Lead in F-Class Team Competition
In F-Class Team events, the 4-Man Team Berger (Larry Bartholome, Danny Biggs, Robert Bock, Jim Murphy) has a 6-point lead over Team Sierra Spindle Shooters. In the SOA 8-man F-Class Team event, the Berger Right-Left Team, coached by Mid Tompkins, has a solid lead over the Insane Clown Posse, coached by Mid’s wife Nancy Tompkins. (It’s all in the family we guess.)
CLICK HERE for latest SOA Match Results
September 19th, 2010
If you’re looking for some pre-loaded .223 Rem ammo for a Prairie Dog hunt, give MidwayUSA a call. Right now, Midway USA is running a clearance sale on Black Hills Remanufactured .223 Rem Ammo. This is good ammo loaded with 36gr Barnes Varmint Grenade HPFB bullets. Barnes’ Varmint Grenades employ a lead-free design. That may be useful when hunting in areas (such as parts of California) with restrictions on lead bullets. The price for a 1000-round case (20 Boxes of 50) is $579.38, marked down from $747.99, item # 785740. That’s a $168.61 savings. Act quickly, as quantities are limited.
September 18th, 2010
 September 12th at the Original Pennsylvania 1000 Yard Benchrest Club (Williamsport) range Matt Kline set a new 10-shot Heavy Gun World Record with a 2.815″, 100-4X.
Breaking the 3″ mark (for 10 shots) is big news in the 1K benchrest game. The existing IBS 10-shot, 1000-yard record is 3.044″ set by Joel Pendergraft in 2009, while the NBRSA 10-Shot, 1000-yard record is 4.322″ set by Dave Tooley in 2006. Counting this 100-4X target, Matt also set a new 6-Match Heavy Gun Score Aggregate of 99.000. With Williamsport Match 10 still to shoot, Matt could push the HG Score Agg even higher.
Record Set with 300 WSM and 210-grainers
Matt Kline shot a 300 WSM with 210gr Berger VLD bullets. This confirms the accuracy of the short magnum, which may prove to be the new “go-to” cartridge of choice for those who want to shoot the high-BC, heavy 30-caliber bullets. Matt’s gun featured a BAT action, 30″ Broughton barrel, and a Nightforce 8-32x56mm BR scope. The rifle was smithed by Mark King Rifles.
Matt shared some details of his reloading process with Assist. Editor Jason Baney. This may surprise you. Matt anneals his 300 WSM brass after every firing. The necks are turned to .0135″ wall thickness for a .338″-neck chamber. Interestingly, Matt does not meplat-trim or point his Berger bullets. However, he pre-sorts the bullets very thoroughly, segregating them by .001″ variance in both bearing surface and overall bullet length. You need extremely consistent bullet-to-bullet BCs to shoot record groups like Matt did.
September 17th, 2010
The Spirit of America Match (SOA), one of the nation’s most prestigious long-range tournaments, has been underway this week at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico. Turn-out has been good, with 111 competitors: 67 Fullbore (Palma) shooters and 44 F-Class competitors, including 31 F-Open and 13 F-TR shooters.
Thus far Trudy Fay won the Camaraderie Trophy match, the Aggregate of last Sunday’s two Matches. Tom Whittaker won US Armed Forces Trophy Match, the Aggregate of Tuesday’s two individual matches. On Thursday the 16th, Match 7 (300, 500, and 600 yards), plus Match 8 (900 yards) were fired. We will provide Thursday results as soon as available. You can check the Bald Eagles Club website for the latest SOA Match Results.
Today, Friday the 17th, the Angel Fire 4-Man Team Match will be held at 300, 500, 600 and 1000 yards. Team matches were previously held on Monday (Raton 8-Man Match) and Wednesday (Cimarron 4-Man Match). The Spirit of America Match will conclude on Saturday with Match 10 (300, 500, 600 yards, sponsored by Sinclair Int’l), and Match 11 (900 yards, sponsored by Lapua). The combined Aggregate of Match 10 and 11 constitutes Match 12, The End of the Trail Trophy match. CLICK HERE for Match Schedule & Class Rules.
The Fullbore National and Spirit of America Championship will be awarded based on the Grand Aggregate of the four Daily Aggregates: Matches 3, 6, 9, & 12 in Target Rifle and F-Class Categories. There are also separate SOA Short Range Championship and Long Range Championship Trophies.
 Sunday Aggregate — Camaraderie Trophy Match
——- HM ——-
TRUDIE FAY W HM 300-25 150-8 450-33 *MW*
MICHAEL STORER J HM 299-18 149-10 448-28 2MW
NANCY TOMPKINS W HM 299-18 149-4 448-22 3MW
NOMA MAYO SW HM 300-25 147-5 447-30 1HM
KELLY BACHAND HM 300-18 147-9 447-27 2HM
——- MA ——-
CARLTON HARDIN MA 300-17 147-3 447-20 1MA
DOUG FRERICHS S MA 298-10 147-6 445-16 2MA
RICK CURTIS MA 299-19 145-4 444-23 3MA
Tuesday Aggregate — US Armed Forces Trophy Match
——- HM ——-
TOM WHITAKER S HM 300-21 143-5 443-26 *MW*
ALLEN ELLIOTT S HM 296-12 146-5 442-17 2MW
JON RHYNARD S HM 296-17 145-4 441-21 3MW
KENT REEVE HM 300-18 141-1 441-19 1HM
TRUDIE FAY W HM 299-20 141-5 440-25 2HM
——- MA ——-
ANDREW DONEY MA 299-17 141-2 440-19 1MA
BILL LAIR S MA 298-12 141-4 439-16 2MA
NICK MOWRER MA 299-11 140-4 439-15 3MA
September 17th, 2010
To celebrate 10 years of AR-50A1 production, ArmaLite offers a new, Limited Edition of its metal-stocked .50-caliber rifle with bundled hardware including scope mount, scope rails, bipod, and monopod.
The total production run for the Anniversary AR-50A1 is just fifty (50) rifles. All will have a custom, silver-black crackle powder-coated finish. The anniversary dates are laser-etched on the upper receiver. Each Anniversary AR-50 is part of a special package including an ArmaLite 30mm scope mount; Armalite +15, +30, and +50 MOA scope rails; a bipod, a monopod; 100 rounds of once-fired USGI 50 BMG brass; and a certificate of authenticity. For more information, visit Armalite.com. The base-model Armalite AR-50A1 (without the Anniversay upgrades) has an MSRP of $3,359.00.
September 17th, 2010
A new web vendor for loaded ammunition has just opened its doors to the online public. BulkAmmo.com launched its new secure web-store earlier this month. To celebrate its grand opening, BulkAmmo.com is offering our readers a special promotion: $25 off their first order over $200. To take advantage of this special offer, use Coupon CODE “GrandOpening” during check-out.
Steven, one of the BulkAmmo.com principals tells us: “We have a lot of inventory available and it’s all ready to ship.” BulkAmmo.com currently stocks major brands including Aguilla, CCI, Federal, Fiocchi, PMC, Remington, Tula, Winchester, and Wolf. You’ll find a wide selection of pistol, rimfire, and centerfire rifle ammo, plus shotgun shells. Brands of .308 Win brass-cased ammo include: Hornady (Interlock), Federal (GMM), and PMC.
September 16th, 2010
 The History Channel’s new TOP SHOT television show was a big success, attracting more than two million viewers each week. The show, which featured equal amounts of “Reality TV” and head-to-head competition with a variety of weapons, had a winning formula that captured a large audience. The competitors in this gun-friendly series became instant celebrities of sorts, none more so than Iain Harrison, the ex-pat British Army officer who was “the last man standing” on the show’s final episode. Iain was a fast learner who had no real weaknesses with any weapons — from throwing knives to AR15s. He was a popular and deserving champion who came away with the show’s $100,000 prize and bragging rights to the title of “Top Shot”.
Iain Harrison was recently interviewed by the NRA’s American Hunter magazine. In his interview, Iain gave away a few TOP SHOT secrets — including “behind the scenes shenanigans”. To read the complete interview with Iain, visit AmericanHunter.com. In his closing comments, Iain had this to say about the overall experience:
If you ever get the chance to participate in one of these shows, my advice is to go for it. So long as you and your family can handle the separation, it will present a great opportunity to see behind the scenes of a TV show, shoot a few unusual guns and make some lasting friendships. Just remember that the show’s audience is comprised of mostly non-shooters, and whether you like it or not, you are acting as an ambassador for the sport we all love. Your behavior reflects on all gun owners. Don’t screw it up.
CLICK HERE for Harrison Interview.
Iain Harrison photo courtesy NRA Blog.
September 16th, 2010
 The Ojai Valley Gun Club (OVGC) hosts a 600-yard Registered Benchrest match this Sunday, September 19. Beat the heat and come up to this beautiful location in the Coastal Mountains. There will be both Light Gun (17-lb) and Heavy Gun (unlimited weight) matches (three record targets each class), and the cost is just $25.00 for a full day of shooting. Shooting starts at 8:00 am sharp, so get there early. Under NBRSA Rules, the Light Guns will shot 5 record rounds per target, while the Heavy Guns shoot 10 rounds per target.
Match director Barry Bluhm says: “We welcome all shooters, even if their rifles don’t make the 17-lb weight limit for Light Gun. F-Classers and other guys who don’t have a true Light Gun can shoot their heavier rifles in both stages and all targets will be scored, but Light Gun official awards will be limited to the 17-pounders.”
While there is time to load between matches, it’s wise to come pre-loaded with at least 75 rounds. A total of 45 record rounds will be shot, and you’ll need sighter rounds. If you’ve never shot at 600 yards before you’ll need +11-14 MOA elevation from a 100-yard zero for most popular calibers.
As the Ojai range is located at about 3,350 feet, temps can be “brisk” in the morning. Bring a sweater or jacket as it could be under 40° when the match begins. Highs should be in the 70s by mid-day. The weatherman predicts excellent conditions for Sunday, so we could witness some record-setting performances. When it is cool, calm, and still in the early morning, it’s very possible to shoot quarter-MOA groups at Ojai. We’re still waiting for a sub-inch group to be shot in Registered 600-yard competition at Ojai — maybe this will be the weekend.
For match information, call Barry Bluhm at (805) 798-2473. The range is located off CA Route 33 about 35 minutes’ drive north-east of Ventura, California (see map below).
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