The 15th annual MGM Ironman Match drew 280 competitors — the largest field ever. Present were elite professional teams, privateers, juniors, ladies, top military and LEO teams, and shooters from as far away as Denmark. This challenging 3-Gun event, held June 3-9, 2012 at the Parma Rod & Gun Club in Idaho, featured 11 diverse stages of pistol, rifle and shotgun challenges.
The aptly-named Ironman match is one of the toughest 3-Gun matches on the planet. Over the course of three grueling days, competitors must complete 11 stages (segments), shooting in excess of 900+ rounds per shooter per segment. EVERY stage requires the use of ALL three guns. The Ironman is long, intense, and you shoot till you drop! Mike Gibson, the founder of MGM Targets, and the “inventor” of the Ironman, has said: “This match isn’t for weenies or crybabies”. Mike adds, “Over the past 15 years, I estimate over 4.5 Billion rounds have been fired in this event.” That’s a lot of lead going downrange!
MGM Ironman Has Unique Stage Designs
The MGM Ironman is an intense test of both shooter and equipment. Participants shoot a variety of classes and various scenarios including shooting from the back of a moving vehicle, from a 20-foot tower, while driving a golf cart, and while carrying a dummy. Of course there are plenty of MGM-made reactive targets (photo right). There’s even a 285-foot-long Zipline pistol stage. You don’t see that in the typical 3-Gun match!
With creative and challenging stage designs, high round counts, and a great RO crew the Ironman is truly a unique match. Every stage has a 10-minute time limit with an average shooting time of about 7 minutes per stage. This year, some of the times were hampered by a day of steady rain and wind, making it all the more challenging. Overall, great efforts and camaraderie made for a great event.
2012 MGM Ironman Match Winners by Class:
SCOPED TACTICAL CLASS – Daniel Horner; OPEN CLASS – Michael Voigt; LIMITED CLASS – Warren Becker; HEAVY SCOPED CLASS – Barry Dueck ; TROOPER CLASS – Ben Fortin; JUNIOR TS CLASS – Brian Nelson; SENIOR TS CLASS – Ralph Arredondo; LADY OTLH CLASS – Bethany Harris; MILITARY/LAW TS CLASS – Ben Fortin.
Here is a video from the 2010 MGM Ironman. It shows many of the multi-gun stages, including the Zipline stage, filmed from multiple camera angles.
FMG Publications, which publishes GUNS, American Handgunner, and Shooting Industry Magazines, has introduced a series of FREE online videos covering a variety of gun related topics. The series is hosted by Roy Huntington, editor/publisher of American Handgunner magazine. Currently, FMG offers nine Insider Tips Videos about handgun action types, gun cleaning procedures, and the process of purchasing used firearms (pistols, rifles, and shotguns). Over time, more ‘Insider Tips’ titles will be added. Embedded below is the “How to Buy a Used Rifle” video.
According to Roy Huntington, reader questions provided the impetus for creating this video library: “I get some great reader mail, and many of the questions have to do with basic gun handling skills. We created the series of ‘Insider Tips’ videos to build a library of easy-to-understand, quick videos to clear the air and dispel some of the myths circulating around”. Adds Huntington: “From buying used guns, to understanding sight picture, trigger control, grip and even stopping power, our videos are a fast and fun way to get up to speed on a host of topics that are a ‘must-learn’ for any shooter.”
Above are links to three “How to Buy” videos FMG Publications’ video tips series. You’ll find other helpful videos, including guides to gun maintenance, on the American Handgunner Insider Tips Page.
Texas stock-maker Wayne Young has created an innovative modular stock. The fore-end side-plates bolt on to an aluminum sub-chassis so you can alter the width, or run an offset on either side of center. You can transform the stock from 3″ wide to 5″ wide in a couple minutes. Or, if you want to experiment with offset (i.e. having more fore-end width on one side of the barrel than the other side), you can simply remove a few bolts, and stack up the sideplates on one side.
The ability to quickly (and inexpensively) transform a stock from 3″ wide to 5″ wide is a definite plus for shooters who want to use the same rig in both F-Class and benchrest. You can run your rifle at max-legal 3″ width for F-Class, then bolt on additional fore-end “wings” to run at 5″ for bench competition. The 5″-wide stocks are now legal for 600-yard and 1000-yard benchrest, at both IBS and NBRSA registered matches. Those folks who have tried out 5″-wide stocks on Light Guns have been impressed with the results. The extra width stabilizes the rifle on the bags, reducing perceived twist (torquing) and hop. There is less “Rocking and Rolling”. With the gun torquing less, the tracking during recoil normally shows an improvement as well. (But we should say that, even with the standard 3″ width, these stocks track great.)
Video Demonstrates Superior Tracking
How does a Wayne Young stock track? Straight and true — with virtually no hop. You can see for yourself. In the video below, Wayne shoots a test rifle chambered in .284 Winchester, a popular F-Class cartridge. The load is a 175gr Berger XLD bullet pushed at 3010 fps by Reloder 17 powder. That’s a stout, fast load — the recoil force easily meets or exceeds a typical F-Open match load. To better demonstrate the gun’s handling characteristics, Wayne deliberately shoots the gun free-recoil style — without gripping hard or shouldering the stock*. As you can see, the gun recoils straight back. The forearm and buttstock also slide perfectly in the bags, without “grabbing”. (Note: In the video, the rifle’s front bag-rider section is aluminum without polymer “wings”. This particular gun was built with a wider aluminum channel to fit a large-diameter, straight-contour barrel).
Stock Specifications and Design Features
Finished stocks weigh approximately 7 pounds, 4 ounces. If needed, stocks can be lightened to just under 7 pounds. Overall length is 36″. Length of pull is adjustable from 13 to 13.75 inches with standard two-way adjustable butt pad. The main chassis is machined from billet 6061-T6 (Tee Six) aluminum, while the fore-end chassis section is 6063-T5 (Tee Five). The black side sections, fore-end plates, and buttstock lowers are CNC-machined from high-grade HDPE, a rugged, chemically-resistant polymer.
The chassis for round actions features a “V-Block” seating area. There is a flat configuration for Panda and Stiller flat-bottom actions. With either the round- or flat-bottom configuration, actions can be mounted directly on the 1.25″-square aluminum chassis, using supplied action bolts. (Skim bedding is optional.) No inletting, pillar-installation, or stock finishing (painting) is required. Just bolt your barreled action into the chassis and head to the range.
Wayne’s stocks come with two-way adjustable butt-plate, adjustable cheekpiece, trigger guard, and all fasteners. If you consider all that standard equipment and the fact that Wayne’s gunstocks require no inletting and no finishing, these stocks are attractively priced. Wayne’s F-Open/Benchrest Stock, with 3″ fore-end, costs $499.00 plus $25.00 S/H. There is also a $499.00 F-TR version with a fore-end set up for bipod attachment. (Wayne produces an integral, adjustable and removable F-TR bipod for $75.00.) Add $100.00 extra if you want the aluminum components hard-anodized. With long actions or Savage actions, there is an extra charge to configure the central chassis to fit. For more information visit WaynesGunstocks.com or call (210) 288-3063 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday.
* If Wayne was shooting a .284 Win in an F-Class match, he would grip the gun and put some shoulder into it. But for demonstration purposes in the video, Wayne free-recoiled the rig so you can see how well it tracks with no holding or steering by the shooter.
Fans of the Top Shot TV series will soon be able to enjoy a Top Shot-style experience at the new Texas Triggers shooting facility. Created by Top Shot host Colby Donaldson and his brother Reid Donaldson, Texas Triggers is a “theme park” for shooters. Over the course of a 3-day ranch stay, you can sample a wide variety of weapons, including exotic military arms such as a full-auto M2 Browning Machine Gun, an M60, a Barrett m107 50-Cal, select fire AR-platform rifles, and even M79 grenade launchers. In addition, you can shoot a host of different handguns and shotguns in Top Shot-style challenges with a variety of reactive targets from 10m to 1000 yards. There will also be a selection of historic arms, such as Winchester lever guns, single action revolvers, and black powder rifles.
Promo Video for Texas Triggers (Click Gear Icon for 720p HD)
At Texas Triggers, paying participants get to shoot a vast arsenal of weapons, including guns that most people could never afford. And, if you live in a jurisdiction where select-fire weapons are not legal, Texas Triggers gives you the chance to taste the “forbidden fruit”. All that participants need to bring is their enthusiasm (and a checkbook). Texas Triggers supplies all the guns and ammo, along with on-site bunkhouse-style facilities. What does it all cost? Texas Triggers has not announced prices, but you can email email inquiries to: info [at] texastriggers.com. NOTE: The official www.texastriggers.com website is not yet ready, but should “go live” within a few weeks.
Visitors to Texas Triggers won’t be limited to punching paper. To make the experience more exciting, Texas Triggers has invested heavily in reactive targets, including automated LaRue rifle silhouettes, dueling trees, re-settable steel plate arrays, and arcade-style target bays. There is even an elevated zipline like you’ve seen on the Top Shot TV show. This is very much a “Shooters’ Disneyland” that can provide a once-in-a-lifetime firearms experience. Colby Donaldson says: “Texas Triggers is THE ultimate shooting experience. It’s an adventure. It’s the exclusive opportunity to come down to the ranch for three days and train with the world’s top marksmen, using the most impressive weapons ever produced.”
While serving as a U.S. Army Blackhawk pilot, Trevor Baucom lost the use of his legs after a serious helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Through hard work and dedication, Trevor has overcome his disabilities to become the first-ever sponsored shooter who competes from a wheelchair.
Trevor Baucom’s story is the focus of this week’s episode of Shooting USA, which airs tonight, June 13th, on the Outdoor Channel. This episode covers Baucom’s journey from a Blackhawk pilot/flight leader flying assault missions, to become the shooting industry’s first professionally-sponsored disabled shooter.
While serving with the Army’s 5th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade in Afghanistan, Baucom was paralyzed (from the waist down) in a helicopter crash. He was then medically discharged after 13 years of distinguished service. During his rehabilitation process, Baucom got involved in the shooting sports (Read Full Story). In short order, Baucom showed remarkable results, and now he is a sponsored member of Team Smith & Wesson. The first pro shooter who competes from a wheelchair, Baucom has also earned sponsorship from Atlanta Arms and Ammo, Ithaca Gun Company, Safariland, and Nevco Targets.
Baucom now serves as an inspiration for other wounded warriors as well as all disabled shooters. Trevor has competed in the Bianchi Cup, NRA Action Pistol events, the USPSA-operated Steel Challenge, and the IDPA Indoor Nationals. More shooting sports are on his schedule in the months ahead, including Trap and Sporting Clays, and NRA Bullseye Competition. Through this Shooting USA “Special Edition”, viewers will witness the positive impact Baucom has had on those around him. From Baucom’s return to the air as part of a special honor flight at Fort Campbell, KY, to his first competition at the NRA Bianchi Cup, this story gives credence to the “never-say-quit” attitude that is the hallmark of every United States serviceman and servicewoman. Watch Baucom’s passage from combat veteran to professional shooter today, June 13th on the Outdoor Channel. The show airs at 3 pm, 8 pm, and midnight EST.
Jim Scoutten Explains the Back-Story To learn more about Trevor Baucom, read The Story Behind Trevor’s Story by Jim Scoutten. Jim explains: “The credit for this story really goes to an accident of our office / studio location. We share a large office-warehouse building with a high-end physical therapy company. That’s where Chief Warrant Officer Trevor Baucom was heading in his wheelchair when we first struck up a conversation. I invited Trevor and his flying buddy, Apache Pilot CW3 Jeff Lamprecht, who had driven Trevor down from Clarksville, TN, in to tour our studio and offices and have a look at our inventory of firearms.” READ MORE…
Lapua has a very cool video — “eye candy” for any precision shooter. Definitely WATCH THIS VIDEO. This 12-minute video contains a surprising amount of “hard” info on Lapua products. As well, there are some amazing segments showing Lapua brass and rimfire ammo being produced. Watch carefully and you’ll see most of the processes used for forming and loading brass. Another short segment shows a Lapua technician inspecting a case for run-out. Neat.
The video spotlights some of the important American and international records set with Lapua ammo. You’ll see top 300m and Olympic rifle shooters in action, and there are also short comments from many champions, including American Benchrest legend Tony Boyer.
NOTE: This is long video — you may need to let it buffer (pre-load) for 10 seconds before playback. If that doesn’t work, let the entire video load, then hit the replay button. Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this VideoPress video.
Yes, this video is first and foremost a marketing tool, but that doesn’t lessen that fact that it is fascinating to watch. Lapua’s video also does a great job making our sport seem important and exciting — NRA take note! We suspect many of you will want to save the video to your computer for future viewing. That’s easy to do. Just click on the link below. (Note: After downloading, we suggest that PC users play it back through Windows Media Player. You can then drag the Media Player corners to expand the video viewing size.)
We all have friends or acquaintances who are just getting started in the shooting sports. These newcomers are often overwhelmed with questions: “What gun do I buy… What gear do I need… How should I begin my training?”. With the upcoming launch of the MyFirstGun.net, new shooters can soon access a dedicated website that can provide answers to all these questions.
Ranks of New Shooters Are Growing
Since the year 2008 the numbers of first-time gun buyers, particularly in the handgun market, have risen dramatically. Thousands upon thousands of men and women are purchasing or considering purchasing their first gun.
Set to launch on Monday, June 11, 2012, MyFirstGun.net is an online resource specifically designed to assist the recent gun buyer or someone who is about to make that decision. The new website will feature numerous instructional articles, plus many training videos hosted by professional firearms instructor Paul Markel. Topics will include foundational material such as choosing the correct gun for the task, understanding handgun actions, ammunition choices, seeking professional training and practice. My First Gun can be accessed at www.myfirstgun.net or www.firstimegunbuyer.net.
NOTE: You can bookmark MyFirstGun.net in advance. However, the website is still two days from launch — so the links in this article may not be active before June 11, 2012. Just be patient. MyFirstGun.net will “open its doors” on Monday the 11th.
First Handgun Choice — This Editor believes that a very good choice for a first handgun is a Smith & Wesson .22 LR revolver, such as the S&W model 617. The model 617 is extremely accurate, with a very crisp trigger (in single-action mode), and good sights.
You can learn all the fundamentals with this ultra-reliable handgun, shooting inexpensive .22LR ammo. The model 617 is rugged, durable, and can give you a lifetime of shooting fun. Once you have mastered the basics of shooting with a .22 LR, you can move on to larger caliber handguns suitable for self-defense. Below is a slide-show illustrating a S&W model 617 ten-shot, with 6″ barrel. S&W also makes a 4″-barrel version of this revolver. (See: Shooting Demo Video with 4″ model 617.)
The Bianchi Cup pistol competition concluded yesterday. Officially, the annual competition in Columbia, Missouri is known as the National Championship of NRA Action Pistol. But to everybody it’s the Bianchi Cup — the richest handgun tournament in the world. Overall and Men’s Champion was Doug Koenig. Team S&W Captain Julie Golob fought off a strong challenge from Jessie Rabb to win the Ladies’ Division. Robert Vadasz, a Border Patrol Agent, was crowned Metallic Champ, while Adam Lennert took home the Senior Champion Title. There were a number of skilled Junior shooters this year. The best of the lot was young Tiffany Piper.
Joyce Rubino, Larry and Brenda Potterfield, Junior Champion Tiffany Piper, Metallic Champion Robert Vadasz, Bianchi Cup Champion Doug Koenig, Women’s Champion Julie Golob, Senior Champion Adam Lennert and Production Champion Vance Schmid.
Bianchi Cup — Classic Four-Stage Course of Fire
The MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup is a combination of Speed and Accuracy. Competitors shoot from both standing and prone positions and are also required to shoot with both strong and weak hands at various stages. Stages may combine stationary and moving targets. As conceived by former police officer and holster-maker John Bianchi, the Bianchi Cup originated in 1979 as a Law Enforcement Training match. The Course of Fire consists of four separate matches:
The Practical Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at distances from 10 yards to 50 yards under varying time limits.
The Barricade Event: From within shooting boxes and behind barricades, a shooter fires at targets on either side of the barricade at different distances and under varying time limits.
The Falling Plate Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at 8 inch round steel plates arranged in banks of six at distances from 10 to 25 yards under varying time limits.
The Moving Target Event: From within shooting boxes at distances ranging from 10 to 25 yards, the shooter fires at a target moving from left to right with the target being exposed for only 6 seconds.
Multi-Gun fans should tune in to Shooting USA TV this Wednesday, May 23rd. This week, Shooting USA features the USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals held recently at the Desert Sportsman range in Las Vegas.
John Scoutten and Mike Irvine narrate the action and provide analysis of this exciting discipline, which requires mastery of rifle, shotgun, and pistol. In addition, this week’s episode of Shooting USA covers wheelgun competition at the Memphis Charity Challenge. Shooting USA airs Wednesday nights at 8:00 pm Eastern (check your local listings for other time zones).
Watch Video Preview of May 23 Shooting USA Episode
USAMU shooter SFC Jason Parker, the 2011 Continental American Champion, won the 50m Three Position (3P) Rifle event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Rifle & Pistol World Cup in Milan, Italy. With an overall score of 1273.1 points, Parker topped runner-up Niccolò Campriani (Italy), by almost three points, earning the American soldier his fifth ISSF World Cup Gold medal. Jason apparently likes Italy — in 2001 SFC Parker won an ISSF World Cup Gold medal in Milan.
SFC Parker told reporters: “I won my first international medal ever here in Milan, so it’s great to be back on this podium. We have our national Olympic trials kicking off in a few days: the 2012 Olympic team will be decided there. It’s good to walk into the trials knowing that everything works fine, and that I can score well under pressure.”
Despite extremely windy conditions in Milan, SFC Parker shot a great match. Parket noted: “I am quite confident with the wind. I adjusted my sights with a couple of clicks and knew how to react. I had no problems.” Team USA shooting coach, Major Dave Johnson, praised Parker: “This was a vintage performance from Jason today. There wasn’t anything truly big or flashy about the way he shot, but he made no mistakes all day and was just very consistent.”
Watch Highlights from Mens’ 50m 3-Position in ISSF World Cup Milan
Twenty-one USA Shooting athletes, including 10 Olympians, are in Italy for their final International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup event before the London 2012 Olympic Games. The ISSF World Cup in Rifle and Pistol events continues tomorrow with Women’s 50m Three-Position Rifle, Women’s 25m Pistol and Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol. Through three days of competition, the USA Shooting Team has earned three top-10 finishes following a sixth-place finish for Sarah Scherer (Woburn, Mass.) and a 10th-place finish by Jamie Gray (Lebanon, Pa.) in Women’s 10m Air Rifle.
MGM Ironman Has Unique Stage Designs
Fans of the 
Visitors to Texas Triggers won’t be limited to punching paper. To make the experience more exciting, Texas Triggers has invested heavily in reactive targets, including automated LaRue rifle silhouettes, dueling trees, re-settable steel plate arrays, and arcade-style target bays. There is even an elevated zipline like you’ve seen on the Top Shot TV show. This is very much a “Shooters’ Disneyland” that can provide a once-in-a-lifetime firearms experience. Colby Donaldson says: “Texas Triggers is THE ultimate shooting experience. It’s an adventure. It’s the exclusive opportunity to come down to the ranch for three days and train with the world’s top marksmen, using the most impressive weapons ever produced.”
While serving as a U.S. Army Blackhawk pilot, Trevor Baucom lost the use of his legs after a serious helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Through hard work and dedication, Trevor has overcome his disabilities to become the first-ever sponsored shooter who competes from a wheelchair.
While serving with the Army’s 5th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade in Afghanistan, Baucom was paralyzed (from the waist down) in a helicopter crash. He was then medically discharged after 13 years of distinguished service. During his rehabilitation process, Baucom got involved in the shooting sports (
To learn more about Trevor Baucom, read 
We all have friends or acquaintances who are just getting started in the shooting sports. These newcomers are often overwhelmed with questions: “What gun do I buy… What gear do I need… How should I begin my training?”. With the upcoming launch of the 
First Handgun Choice — This Editor believes that a very good choice for a first handgun is a Smith & Wesson .22 LR revolver, such as the S&W model 617. The model 617 is extremely accurate, with a very crisp trigger (in single-action mode), and good sights.
USAMU shooter SFC Jason Parker, the 2011 Continental American Champion, won the 50m Three Position (3P) Rifle event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Rifle & Pistol World Cup in Milan, Italy. With an overall score of 1273.1 points, Parker topped runner-up Niccolò Campriani (Italy), by almost three points, earning the American soldier his fifth ISSF World Cup Gold medal. Jason apparently likes Italy — in 2001 SFC Parker won an ISSF World Cup Gold medal in Milan.
