The National Matches at Camp Perry have wrapped up. That means it’s time to lay in a supply of practice targets so you can improve your skills during the off-season. Creedmoor Sports is now offering 20% off its inventory of targets and target pit supplies (spotters, spindles, and pasters). Creedmoor has a full line of official NRA High Power Targets, F-Class Targets, Smallbore Targets, Airgun Targets, and Pistol targets. You’ll find both full-size targets and replacement centers (which are much less expensive). To get your 20% discount on targets and target supplies, use Coupon Code TARGET11 during checkout.
IMPORTANT: The 20% off promo runs for a limited time — this offer is only good from August 19, 2011 through August 21, 2011, and the discounted prices apply to in-stock targets only (no discounted back-orders). So if you want to save 20%, order soon!
The Montana Northwest 1000-Yard Benchrest Association held its annual Championship match last weekend at the Deep Creek Range near Missoula, Montana. The match drew talent from across the nation. 57 shooters attended the two-day event, and many states were represented: California, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington — even Pennsylvania.
Dashers Dominate Two-Gun Results
Dashers ruled the roost for the most part, with four of the top five in the Two-Gun shooting 6mm Dashers. Leo Anderson (Dasher) finished first in Two-Gun, followed by Robert Hoppe (Dasher), Mike Thomas (Dasher), Richard Schatz (Dasher), and Don Nielson (6.5×47 Lapua). Leo Anderson also won the Heavy Gun Overall, followed by Dennis Peterson, and Robert Hoppe. Cody Finch topped the 17-pound class, ahead of runner-up Robert Hoppe, with Leo Anderson coming in third. Lonnie Anderson won the 11-Pound Sporter Class, ahead of Scott Nix and Kevin Watson.
Conditions Were Hot But Relatively Calm
Montana shooter Tom Mousel, who finished 6th in the two-gun overall, reports that: “It was a very calm, high pressure weekend, so much of the home field advantage wasn’t there. There was some mirage in the 90° heat, but mirage was really quite manageable. The stable conditions made for a very close match, with competitors from outside Montana giving the locals a run for their money.” As usual, the club had a rich prize table — there were over $27,000.00 worth of prizes and give-aways.
Highlights for the weekend included Barry Bluhm’s 3.624″/99 in Heavy Gun class on Saturday. Barry, who shots a 6-6.5×47 Lapua, proved you don’t have to run a Dasher to shoot small. Three perfect 100 scores were shot at the match. In Light Gun, Roger Hoppe fired a 100/5.947″ on Saturday, while Mike Thomas got his first perfect score with a 100/6.664″ on Sunday with his Light Gun. Deep Creek Ace Leo Anderson nailed a 100/5.432″ in the Heavy Gun class on Sunday.
Two-Gun Overall
1. Leo Anderson 15
2. Robert Hoppe 17
3. Mike Thomas 20
4. Richard Schatz 22
5. Don Nielson 23
6. Tom Mousel 26
7. Cody Finch 28
8. Bud Williams 28
9. Jack Peterson 30
10. Monte Foust 31
Heavy Gun Overall
1. Leo Anderson 6
2. Dennis Peterson 9 (5.876″)
3. Robert Hoppe 9 (8.3155″)
4. Mike Hern 9 (8.419″)
5. Tom Mousel 10 (7.083″)
6. Mike Thomas 10 (9.0685″)
7. Richard Schatz 10 (9.8235″)
8. Don Nielson 11
9. Vince Kruse 13
10. Lonnie Anderson 14
17-Pound Gun Overall
1. Cody Finch 7
2. Robert Hoppe 8
3. Leo Anderson 9
4. Mike Thomas 10 (7.1765″)
5. Bud Williams 10 (7.566″)
6. Jack Peterson 10 (7.609″)
7. Monte Foust 12 (8.690″)
8. Don Nielson 12 (8.787″)
9. Richard Schatz 12 (9.165″)
10. Ray Huffman 12 (9.294″)
11-Pound Sporter Class
1. Lonnie Anderson 6
2. Scott Nix 7
3. Kevin Watson 9
4. Cody Finch 10
5. Terry Hettich 13
6. Richard Schatz 13
7. Dirk Bluhm 15
8. Jack Peterson 17
9. Gary Christian 17
10. Bruce Bangeman 17
Leo Anderson Equipment:
Light Gun: 6mm Dasher, Stiller Viper drop port, Lawrence rifle barrel, Nightforce scope, Shehane stock, metal smithing by King Machine.
Heavy Gun: 6mm Dasher, Stiller Viper drop port, Lawrence rifle barrel, Nightforce scope, Bangeman stock, metal smithing by King Machine.
Dennis Peterson Equipment:
Light Gun + Heavy Gun (Dennis shoots one 17-pounder in both): 6mm Dasher, Defiance action, Lawrence rifle barrel, Nightforce scope, Shehane stock, smithing by Jeff Lawrence.
Match Sponsors Included: Bartlein Barrels, BAT Machine, Berger Bullets, Brownells, Burris, D&B Supply, Defiance, Dewey Mfg., Forster Products, Hodgdon Powder, Ron Hoehn, Lee Precision, Leica, Krieger Barrels, Lilja Barrels, Don Nielson, Nikon, Pacific Tool & Gauge, Pro-Shot, Sierra Bullets, Sure-Fire, Swarovski, Vortex Optics and Zeiss.
This fall, November 4-6, 2011, a new two-man tactical challenge match will be held at the Blue Steel Ranch in Logan, NM (site of the popular Steel Safari match). Sponsored by Competition Dynamics and Thunder Beast Arms, the 2011 Thunder Beast Team Challenge (TBTC) is a 3-day, 8-stage test of practical field rifle shooting and related skills. This will be a physically-demanding match! Two-man teams must navigate rugged desert terrain, recognize, locate, range, and engage multiple rifle targets from challenging shooting positions, and complete the 8-stage course under daily time constraints. Most targets will be steel plates, set at distances from 100 to 800 yards.
Skills used at the TBTC will include target recognition, range estimation, wind doping, trail skills, and marksmanship. The competition is designed to test a 2-man team’s skills shooting rifle and carbine to their effective ranges at practical targets in the natural terrain using what gear they can carry. One team member will use a precision bolt gun and while the other carries a tactical-style carbine. Targets for the carbine range from 20 to 400 yards, with some “move and shoot” assault-style stages. Bolt-gun targets are generally positioned at 150-800 yards
The TBTC is being run by Competition Dynamics, whose staff has a proven 10-year track record as practical field match organizers. Zak Smith is Match Director. The TBTC will be held at the Blue Steel Ranch, a private ranch near Logan, New Mexico. The Blue Steel Ranch, which also hosts the Steel Safari, offers some of the best geography for field shooting available anywhere.
The Thunder Beast Team Challenge costs $585.00 per team. To register, or to learn more about the match, visit the 2011 Team Challenge webpage. Or, email thunderbeastarms [at] gmail.com.
Many of the nation’s top shooters were honored Tuesday evening during the NRA Long Range Championship Awards Ceremony. Standing tall on the podium was David Tubb, 2011 Long-Range National Champion. This is the seventh time Tubb has won the Long-Range title. Last year’s Long-Range Champion, John Whidden, finished second. Notably, Rodrigo Rosa finished third — a superb performance by a relative newcomer to the competition. In addition to the Mumma trophy for the LR Championship, numerous other awards were given for the many separate long range trophy matches conducted over the past week. Among the award-winners were Rodrigo Rosa, John Whidden, Nancy Tompkins-Gallagher, Noma Mayo, and SGT Sherri Gallagher, 2010 High Power National Champion.
If you’re located near Texas, you may want to gas up the family vehicle and head out to Dallas this weekend. The NRA’s 16th Annual National Gun Collectors Show will be held in Market Hall on Saturday and Sunday, August 20 & 21. Hosted by the Dallas Arms Collectors Association, the Gun Show boasts over 2,000 tables of buy, sell, and trade goods. NRA Recruiters will offer free admission for those who sign up as new NRA members on site. The annual display competition and awards ceremony will take place at the show as well. The NRA will award $12,000 in cash awards for the winners of the annual display competition. The E. Andrew Mowbray Trophy for Excellence in Exhibitry will be awarded at a special banquet on Saturday evening with NRA’s Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre as the keynote speaker and guest of honor. CLICK HERE for Gun Show information and Map/Directions, or visit DACA’s Facebook Page for the latest updates.
Would you like to increase attendance at your matches and expand the membership of your shooting club? Then check out the latest issue of The Range Report, NSSF’s magazine for shooting facilities. The free digital edition can be viewed online, or downloaded for future reference. Feature stories include how to attract traditional shooters and re-enactment groups for traffic and revenue, one range’s strategy for maximizing exposure on a limited budget and how a statewide gathering sparked Wisconsin ranges to organize. To access more resources for shooting ranges, visit nssf.org/ranges.
David Tubb Won the Long-Range National Championship today, shoting a perfect 45 for 45 inside the 10-Ring during today’s Individual Palma Trophy Match. Tubb’s impressive performance secured David the 2011 Long Range High Power Rifle Championship, edging out 2010 LR Champion John Whidden. We believe this is David’s seventh individual long-range title. Tubb last won the Long-Range Championship in 2004, when he shot an “perfect” 1450-101X Aggregate, not dropping a point. Tubb has also won the NRA High Power National Championship 11 times.
Tubb Wins Title, Not Yielding to Whidden’s Strong Challenge
As he took his spot in the final round of the Palma Match, Tubb was stationed to the right of last year’s Long Range champ and 2011 runner-up John Whidden. Whidden, donning his favorite red cap, started with two well-placed sighting shots at 1,000 yards before jumping into the scoring phrase of the match. Tubb, waiting for the wind and that instinctive feeling that’s developed over time, took his first sighter after Whidden started scoring tens.
“Ten” shouted Whidden’s spotter. “X” rang out next. The race was on.
Tubb’s spotter echoed his counterpart’s calls with Tens and Xs of his own. But Whidden had the advantage … he was two shots ahead and two points behind. Scoring ten after ten after X, Whidden was applying the pressure to Tubb as he mounted a final charge. There was even a moment when The Pit mistakenly pulled Tubb’s target as he was about to fire. If there was ever an opportunity for a man to feel the pressure — this was it. I don’t know about the shooters, when when Whidden hit his 13th shot inside the ten ring, my heard started to pump a little bit faster.
The spotter’s calls grew louder and louder as the shooters kept firing and firing. Waiting for one to drop a point, slip outside the ten, make that fatal mistake that would allow the other a path to the championship. Ten, Ten, X, Ten … they just kept coming.
After Whidden Cleaned his Target, the Pressure Was On
Whidden finished clean. Tubb still had two shots to go. Whidden and his spotter silently shifted their scope and glasses to Tubb’s target. I inched a little closer. Hearing a noise, I turned to find an RSO peering over my shoulder to check on Tubb’s progress. The 14th shoot was an X. One shot left. A nine or ten meant Tubb would earn his first Long Range title in seven years. An eight meant we’d go to the X count and a seven or less would give the title to Whidden.
Whidden rose when the spotter cried out ten. The match and the championship was over. “Congratulations David. That’s some great shooting.”
Tubb accepted Whidden’s hand, allowed a smile and returned the admiration. Two shooters with almost a decade’s worth of Championships between them. But this one was for David Tubb. The end of a long road back to the title.
David Discusses his Championship-Winning Tubb 2000 Rifle
In the video below, David Tubb discusses his Tubb 2000 Rifle and the many records it has set. Over the past 11 years, Tubb 2000s have been used by 30 of the 33 “Top Three” finishers in the NRA High Power Championships — that’s a remarkable winning record:
David Tubb, 11-time National High Power Champion, won the prestigious Wimbleton Match at Camp Perry earlier this week, and David currently leads the field of competitors for the 2011 Long-Range Championship. John Whidden is close behind, but Tubb has been at the top of his game this year. Tubb credits much of his success to his wind-reading: “Honestly, my wind reading is the best it’s ever been and my prone skills are coming around.” If you want to learn more about David’s wind-reading methods and strategies, watch the video interview below, filmed at the 2010 SHOT show.
David Tubb on Reading the Wind
Tubb Wins Wimbleton Cup Match
David Tubb, shown below, earned his second Wimbledon Cup title after drilling ten shots inside the ten ring for a final shootoff score of 100 points with five Xs. The Wimbledon Cup is one of the oldest of all NRA trophies. First presented to the American rifle team attending the British matches at Wimbledon in 1875, the Cup now is awarded to the top shooter in a two-part, 1000-yard event. The highest scoring competitors from each initial relay are chosen to shoot in a second “shoot-off relay”. Shoot-off competitors fire three sighting shots and 10 record shots. In case of a numerical tie for winner, the winner is determined by a shot-by-shot elimination shoot-off without regard for Xs.
David Tubb looks downrange after scoring 100-5X in the shoot-off to win the Wimbleton Cup Title. The scoring board in the foreground replicates David’s shots on target. The yellow dots are for three sighters, while the red markers show David’s 10 shots for record.
Weaver Optics has just released two new illuminated, first focal plane (FFP) tactical optics, plus a line of accessories. The new scopes, a 3-15x50mm Long-Range Scope (part #800363) and a 1-5x24mm Intermediate-Range Scope (part #800364) were designed and built to survive rough handling. Made from aircraft-grade aluminum, they feature 10 illumination settings, fully multi-coated lenses and a one-piece, 30mm Argon purged tube. Weaver claims both scopes are waterproof, shockproof, and fogproof (at least on the inside). “We take our tactical optics very seriously,” said Marketing Manager Tom Knudtson. “Our optics experts have done a lot of work on these reticles, glass and overall scope design to meet the needs of law enforcement professionals, military officers and other precision shooters.”
AR-friendly Optics Accessories
To accompany the two new tactical scopes, Weaver has released four new accessories, designed to fit AR-type flat-top rifles. We like the new 30mm SPR optics mount that can be fixed in place without tools.
Full-length AR-15 Flat Top Riser Rail with +20 MOA of built-in elevation (part #99675).
Picatinny Riser Set Small (elevates optics to optimal height, part #99658).
Weaver SPR (Special Purpose Rifle) 30mm Optics Mount with hand knobs for no-tool installation.
AR15 Fixed Back-Up Iron Sight with both “Precision” and CQB apertures.
Modular Driven Technology (MDT) has created a new 6061-T6 aluminum chassis for Rem 700 actions (and Rem 700 clones). MDT’s new TAC21 chassis has four (4) main components: action housing, lower unit (with trigger guard and mag well), forearm, and a quick-detach buttstock adapter that mates with the action housing. The main section has a +20 MOA milspec Picatinny rail on top. The action is seated on a V-Block style base inside the action housing. The short action TAC 21 chassis employs AICS-style magazines for .223 Rem or .308 Win-sized cartridges. The fore-end/handguard allows for free-floating barrels up to 1.350″ diameter. The chassis is built to accept any AR15/M16 stock and pistol grip.
Purchase from Sinclair Starting at $849.99
Currently Sinclair Int’l is the exclusive USA distributor of MDT’s TAC21 chassis. Sinclair’s price for the short-action version (right-hand or left-hand) is $849.99, while the long-action version will be $942.99. At present, only short action-versions are in stock, but MDT will be making long-action versions soon, and Sinclair is taking pre-orders. NOTE: these prices do NOT include buttstock, barrel, action, trigger, or optics. For more information, visit www.mdttac.com.
TAC21 Performs Well for Varmint Hunting
Al Voth from the Coyote School Blog did a field test of a .204 Ruger rifle built with the TAC21 chassis and conventional wood buttstock. Voth was able to assemble the rifle in 40 minutes with the MDT chassis kit and “everything fit perfectly.” CLICK HERE to Read Coyote School TAC21 Review.
The National Matches at Camp Perry have wrapped up. That means it’s time to lay in a supply of practice targets so you can improve your skills during the off-season. Creedmoor Sports is now offering 20% off its inventory of targets and target pit supplies (spotters, spindles, and pasters). Creedmoor has a full line of official NRA High Power Targets, F-Class Targets, Smallbore Targets, Airgun Targets, and Pistol targets. You’ll find both full-size targets and replacement centers (which are much less expensive). To get your 20% discount on targets and target supplies, use Coupon Code TARGET11 during checkout.
The TBTC is being run by 
