3-Gun Nation and Samson Manufacturing announced the first-ever professional lady tournament series in practical shooting. The 3GN Lady Pro Series Tour will feature a dozen of the game’s top females, all competing for cash payouts and a slot in the 3GN Lady Championship Shoot-Off where the winner will be crowned champion and take home $25,000 from Samson Manufacturing.
3-Gun Nation Lady events will take place concurrently with the 3GN Pro Series Tour. The ladies will shoot the same courses of fire, and in front of cameras for 3GN Television. 3GN President Pete Brown stated: “This tour will not only show the top ladies are good, but that some of them can even challenge the top guys in the sport.”
You can watch the 3GN Lady Pro Tour and the 3GN Pro Series Tour by attending the following events: April 13, Glengarry, WV; May 18, Tulsa, OK; June 22, Tulsa, OK; Sept. 7, St. George, Utah; Jan. 15, 2014, Las Vegas. To learn more about event locations, or broadcast dates for 3-Gun Nation Television, visit 3GunNation.com.
Berger Bullets has launched a great new web resource, the Berger Bullets Events Calendar. This online calendar highlights important shooting matches and other shooting-related events (such as trade shows). We commend Berger for developing this Calendar, which will make it easier for shooters to locate match information and plan ahead. Berger states: “The main goal of this project is to help people get involved in the shooting community and build lasting relationships between shooters. A strong community is the best way to ensure that the shooting sports continue for future generations to enjoy.”
How to Use the Calendar
The Events Calendar employs different colors for different event types — Berger Yellow for Target Matches, Tan for Tactical Competitions, Light Orange for Varmint Competitions, Blaze Orange for Hunting Competitions, Blue for Tradeshows, and Forest Green for Fundraisers.
CLICK Image to Access LIVE Calendar
Click Event on Calendar to See Detailed Information
If you click on an event in the calendar grid, a window pops up showing details for that event — match date, match location, match description, and contact(s) for match registration. Here is an example for the Berger Southwest Nationals.
Map Links and Links to Match Websites
On the window that pops up when you click on a calendar item, you’ll notice one or two colored buttons (the colors correspond to event type). The View Map button links to a map of the match venue, so you can find the shooting range and plan your travel. If there is web page for the event, you’ll see a second colored button linking to that website. Simply click the Event Link for more information.
Berger invites readers to submit events for the Berger Events Calendar. Visit the Calendar Submission Page to provide information on an upcoming event. Note: Berger may not list all submitted items, particularly where there are conflicts with previously listed major events.
Story tip by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
To celebrate its 90th Anniversary, Lapua has developed a special new web site with many cool features including contests, product videos, and an interactive shooting game. You’ll find an interesting historical timeline recounting the history of Lapua starting in 1923. The timeline covers development of the factory, important product releases, competition successes, and other important milestones.
Submit your “Best Shot” and Win Prizes
On the site, Lapua invites readers to submit a short description of their “best shot” made with Lapua ammo or components: “Sometimes things just click. When did you have your moment of absolute precision? Share it with us…” Prizes will be awarded each month for the most impressive “best shot” stories submitted by readers. CLICK HERE for more info.
Play Interactive Biathlon Game
Site visitors can play an interactive shooting game featuring Biathon rifles and Lapua Polar Biathlon .22LR Ammo (other rifles and shooting disciplines will be added in the future). You’ll want to visit the Biathlon Game Page to see all the features, but we’ve embedded a sample here so you can see how it works. NOTE: you may have to use the scroll bars at the bottom and right sides. (This is because the game format is larger that our Bulletin “real estate”).
Here’s great news for IBS members. The IBS has announced its affiliation with AccurateShooter.com, the premier website dealing with all types of rifle accuracy. The IBS and this website will work together to provide prominent media coverage of IBS events. IBS President Jeff Stover explains: “The IBS leadership was faced with an unexpected dilemma in late 2012 with the loss of our print media outlet. We think the partnership with Accurateshooter.com will present the IBS (and the sport of benchrest) front and center before a large, global audience of shooters interested in small groups and high scores from 100 to 1000 yards.”
Building its internet presence will benefit the IBS and its members says Stover: “Benchrest shooting has earned a highly respected position among the shooting disciplines. Most, if not all, innovations in rifle accuracy technology have been derived from benchrest. Nevertheless, it has been a ‘niche’ shooting sport. We in the IBS feel that AccurateShooter.com will help us achieve two major goals. The first is to give our members (and the matches they shoot) increased exposure. AccurateShooter.com has a worldwide audience with over 130,000 visitors every week. Secondly, we hope this website will present benchrest shooting as approachable and a mature discipline that is ready to welcome new shooters.”
IBS President Jeff Stover Talks About IBS Match Coverage on AccurateShooter.com
[haiku url=”http://accurateshooter.net/Video/jeffstovertalks.mp3″ title=”Jeff Stover Talks about IBS”]Click “Play” to Hear Audio
Beyond the major match coverage at AccurateShooter.com, the IBS website (Internationalbenchrest.com) will remain the IBS’s primary online resource for schedules and match results for every registered IBS match, be it short range or longrange.
Looking Ahead — What the IBS Plans
In the future, the IBS envisions further synergies with AccurateShooter.com. Together we are exploring ways to enhance the way benchrest matches are scored and reported. AccurateShooter.com provides a new media platform that will allow both the match results and the human side of the competitions to be brought to life. There will be a dedicated area on this website for important IBS match reports (and special IBS features). We foresee a system being developed that will standardize the match scoring software that would be used at the range and then quickly be made available on the web. Match reports will evolve from a simple set of scores and equipment reports to rich content with lots of photos, audio reports, and even video clips.
Watch IBS Slide Show
AccurateShooter Teams up with IBS for Event Coverage
At AccurateShooter.com, we’re delighted to team up with the IBS. We plan to provide enhanced IBS match coverage in the months ahead. With luck, we’ll kick off our IBS coverage with three upcoming matches: the 1000-yard Match at Whitehorse WV (April 20), the Pennsylvania State Score Championships in York, PA (April 27), and the Boop/Altemus Memorial Shoot at Weikert, PA (May 11-12, group match). And of course, we’ll be covering the major IBS National events later in 2013.
We want to provide the “full story” of matches with photos, equipment features, and interviews with top shooters. Where possible, we hope to include audio interviews with the “Top Guns” and some videos of the matches. Our IBS Match Reports will feature the latest benchrest hardware, including some of the most accurate rifles ever made….
Our IBS Reports will show the ranges where benchrest dreams are chased, and world records are set.
And our Match Reports will feature the great people (of all ages) who make IBS Benchrest shooting such a great sport and rewarding pastime.
BAT .50 BMG — Now That’s an Action!, by GAS
A while back, I stopped into Bruno Shooters Supply for a jug of powder and looked into the display case where the new actions are kept. Amid the usual array of BAT Machine, Stolle and other actions, there was something unlike any action I’d seen before — all I can call it is the BIG BAT. I wasn’t too surprised at the weight (a beefy 13.7 lbs.), but until you lift it it’s hard to appreciate how solid, chunky, hefty, massive (pick your favorite adjective) this thing really is. The action is a 2.5″-diameter, 12″-long BAT for the .50 BMG cartridge. It is simply the biggest, slickest custom action on the planet. In order to give you some sense of scale, I photographed the action alongside a conventional BAT action for short-range Benchrest shooting and I put a .220 Russian case and a .30-06 case into the picture. I’ve handled and fired other .50 BMG actions/rifles before, but this BAT puts them all to shame, as far as fit and finish go.
The action is actually quite conventional in design and execution. The bolt is fluted and has two front lugs with a conventional, although super-sized, firing pin assembly. Any Remington-style trigger will mount by way of a normal trigger hanger, allowing for simplified maintenance or replacement in the field. The loading port is 5.5″ long and the barrel threads are 1.5″ x 16 tpi — nothing about this beast is small! There is a conventional rocker-type bolt release on the left side of the receiver body and a recoil lug is built into the bottom of the receiver. In reality, the action is very similar to any other BAT except for the size and it adheres to all of BAT’s high standards for quality of design, manufacture, fit, finish and just plain good looks. Slide that bolt back and it feels as tight as a small Benchrest action!
Given the BIG BAT’s $3,285.00 sticker price (2011 pricing), not many of us will ever have the opportunity to own or shoot one of these beauties (I certainly won’t). However, it is nice to know they exist and can be bought and enjoyed in many places.
Just about every competitive or recreational shooter has someone who helped introduce them to the shooting sports or helped them develop their skills. For many competition shooters, a coach is the person they credit for helping them train successfully and win.
The NRA’s Coach Education Program helps train shooters to become capable mentors. Each year, hundreds of people become NRA Certified Coaches by attending a Coach School. Available for a variety of shooting disciplines including Shotgun, Air Gun, Smallbore, and Pistol, Coach Schools teach the necessary methods for encouraging shooters and developing their skills.
Throughout the year, Coach Schools are offered for a variety of disciplines. Two Coach Schools will be held very soon, one in South Carolina next week, and another in Ohio in April. Information on these two coach schools is in the table below. More coach school sessions are added regularly, so check the Coach Education Program website for updates. To learn more about the Coach Education Program or to hold a Coach School in your area, contact Samantha Olsen at (703) 267-1504 or solsen [at] nrahq.org.
Who Teaches the Coach School?
The NRA Coach Schools are taught by National Coach Development Staff who are Certified Coaches that have been carefully selected, based on their talents and expertise in the areas of sports, education, coaching, and shooting. In addition, these coach school instructors have attended special training on how to conduct informative and enjoyable schools.
How Can I Sponsor a School in my Area?
The NRA is accepting requests to sponsor smallbore and air rifle, pistol, shotgun and high power rifle coach schools. For information on how you or your organization can sponsor one of these events, click here for a Sponsor’s Guide. For questions about the Coach Education Program, email coaching@nrahq.org.
Mark your calendars for May 3-5, 2013. Those are the dates for the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, to be held this year in Houston, Texas.
As ever, there will be plenty to see and do at the NRA National Meetings/Exhibits. There will be seminars, celebrity appearances, and priceless collections of firearms. Virtually all the major gunmakers in the country should have their latest products on display. In fact, there will be over 550 exhibitors whose displays will cover 400,000 square feet of exhibit hall space. In addition to fireams, you can see knives, wildlife art, shooting accessories, hunting gear, ATVs, and much more. You’ll even find an airgun range on site where you can shoot air rifles provided by Pyramyd Air.
Photo from Previous NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits.
No doubt you’ve heard of CraigsList.com, the hugely popular FREE classifieds website on which Americans sell everything from household appliances to Harley-Davidsons. CraigsList ads are now more widely used in many communities than are newspaper “white pages” classifieds. Unfortunately, however, you aren’t allowed to sell firearms on CraigsList.
ARMSLIST.com offers FREE Gun Classifieds
Now there’s a similar free online classified service, ARMSLIST.com, that lets you list pistols, rifles, shotguns, ammo, and shooting accessories for sale. There are also categories for archery, fishing, and hunting gear, and even a category for vehicles. Just like CraigsList, listings are free*, including Want to Buy (WTB) listings. You can search ads by state or product type — and once within the rifle category, you can filter by manufacturer or action type (e.g. bolt action, semi-auto, lever action). ARMSLIST.com has only been around since 2009, so it doesn’t have as many listings as Gunbroker.com, but we expect ARMSLIST.com to grow in popularity once more gun-sellers realize how much they can save with ARMSLIST’s free listings. If you put a gun up for auction on Gunbroker.com or AuctionArms.com, but you’ll pay $40 or more in auction fees on a $2000.00 rifle. Also, many potential buyers simply don’t like the auction process, given the unpredictable outcomes and the delays involved in “closing the deal”.
As ARMSLIST.com grows in popularity, this service will really benefit both buyers and sellers of firearms. You can’t argue with free classifieds* — they allow you to sell low-price items easily with zero out-of-pocket costs. And as a buyer, in many respects we prefer the ARMSLIST.com listing system to an online auction with its inherent uncertainty.
* ARMSLIST.com does offer Vendor Accounts for “Power Sellers”. The fee is $20.00 per month. FFL-holders and commercial sellers can benefit from having a Vendor Account.
CZ has introduced a new version of the CZ-455 rimfire rifle featuring a black-finished, laminated wood stock. This new gun, dubbed the Varmint Tacticool by CZ-USA, features a 5-round detachable magazine and adjustable trigger. The new CZ-455 Varmint Tacticool was built as a affordable tactical trainer with the ergonomics and “feel” of a full-size centerfire tactical rig. The Tacticool’s stock looks similar to the Manners Composites stock on CZ’s 455 Varmint Precision Trainer, but the wood-stocked ‘Tacticool’ version is much less expensive. The CZ 455 with Manners stock retails at $899.00 MSRP while the new ‘Tacticool’ model lists for just $522.00 MSRP. The $377.00 you save will buy a lot of ammo (or a scope).
We like the looks of the CZ-455 ‘Tacticool’, and the stock has some nice features. The butt-hook stock has ambidextrous palm swells on the grip and a raised comb to provide a comfortable cheek weld for shooting with a scope. The fore-end features a wide, beavertail swell for greater stability on a front sandbag. There are two (2) sling swivel studs so you can attach both a sling and a bipod.
Here’s a Ballistics Trivia challenge, put together by Bryan Litz of Applied Ballistics LLC. Bryan is Berger Bullets’ Ballistician and the author of Applied Ballistics for Long Range Shooting. Bryan posed the following Ballistics Question about Kinetic Energy and Aerodynamic Drag:
Consider a .30 caliber 175 grain bullet with a G7 BC of .259 (Berger 175 OTM) fired level at a muzzle velocity of 2650 fps in standard (ICAO) sea level conditions.
As this bullet flies downrange, it loses velocity due to aerodynamic drag. As the velocity of the bullet decays, so does its Kinetic Energy (in ft-lbs). The Kinetic Energy lost by the bullet in a given amount of time can be defined in terms of power.
Another way to think about this is that the aerodynamic drag on the bullet can be expressed in terms of power, calculated from the projectile’s change in Kinetic Energy over flight time.
Question: How much power (expressed in Watts) is applied to the bullet by aerodynamic drag on average over:
A) 500 yards?
B) 1000 yards?
C) 1500 yards?
Guesses are welcome, but this one can be calculated exactly.
3-Gun Nation and Samson Manufacturing announced the first-ever professional lady tournament series in practical shooting. The 3GN Lady Pro Series Tour will feature a dozen of the game’s top females, all competing for cash payouts and a slot in the 3GN Lady Championship Shoot-Off where the winner will be crowned champion and take home $25,000 from Samson Manufacturing.
Here’s great news for IBS members. The IBS has announced its affiliation with 
Just about every competitive or recreational shooter has someone who helped introduce them to the shooting sports or helped them develop their skills. For many competition shooters, a coach is the person they credit for helping them train successfully and win. 
Mark your calendars for May 3-5, 2013. Those are the dates for the 
Consider a .30 caliber 175 grain bullet with a G7 BC of .259 (Berger 175 OTM) fired level at a muzzle velocity of 2650 fps in standard (ICAO) sea level conditions. 
