We know many of our readers will be headed off to Camp Perry, Ohio for the NRA National Rifle Championships soon. To succeed at Perry, given the high level of competition, you’ll need solid wind-reading abilities. We’ve found an article by Sgt. 1st Class Emil Praslick III, USAMU Service Rifle coach, that can help you make better wind calls in competition.
SFC Praslick is considered one of the best wind gurus in the United States, if not the world. He has authored an excellent two-part article on wind reading that is available on the CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program) website. Both articles contain helpful illustrations, and are “must-read” resources for any long-range shooter–not just Service Rifle and Highpower competitors.
Part One covers basic principles, tactics, and strategies, with a focus on the 200-yard stages. Emil writes: “There are as many dimensions to ‘wind reading’ as there are stages to High Power competition. Your tactical mindset, or philosophy, must be different for the 200 and 300 yard rapid-fire stages than it would be for the 600 yard slow-fire. In the slow-fire stages you have the ability to adjust windage from shot to shot, utilizing the location of the previous shot as an indicator. Additionally, a change to the existing conditions can be identified and adjusted for prior to shooting the next shot.”
In Part Two, Praslick provides more detailed explanations of the key principles of wind zeros, wind reading, and the “Clock System” for determining wind values: “The Value of the wind is as important as its speed when deciding the proper windage to place on the rifle. A 10 MPH wind from ’12 o-clock’ has No Value, hence it will not effect the flight of the bullet. A 10 MPH wind from ‘3 o’clock’, however, would be classified as Full Value. Failure to correct for a Full Value wind will surely result in a less than desirable result.”
Praslick also explains how to identify and evaluate mirage:
Determine the accuracy of the mirage. Mirage is the reflection of light through layers of air that have different temperatures than the ground. These layers are blown by the wind and can be monitored to detect wind direction and speed.
Focus your scope midway between yourself and the target, this will make mirage appear more prominent. I must emphasize the importance of experience when using mirage as a wind-reading tool. The best way to become proficient in the use of mirage is to correlate its appearance to a known condition. Using this as a baseline, changes in mirage can be equated to changes in the value of the wind. Above all, you must practice this skill!
Click HERE for more excellent instructional articles by Emil Praslick and other USAMU Coaches and shooters.
Here’s an item that should interest 3-Gun and Multi-Gun competitors using AR rifles. Magpul Industries has filed for a patent on a new “quad-stack” magazine that may hold as many as 60 rounds, yet feed through a normal AR15 mag well. (In Multi-Gun matches, ultra-high-capacity magazines can provide a competitive edge in high-round-count stages.) While Magpul is renowned for its innovative engineering, we wonder if this new mag design was inspired, at least in part, by the Russians. Earlier this year, the Izhmash OJSC factory in Russia revealed a quad-stack 60-round magazine for the new AK-200 rifle, successor to the AK-47.
An explanation of how Magpul’s new quad-stack AR magazine works is found on The Firearm Blog, which reports: “The design is quite straight forward. A central partition separates two dual staggered round stacks. Two springs are used, a lower stronger spring and a weaker top spring[.]”
In the frame below, click-drag on the right-side scroll bar to view numerous technical illustrations included in Magpul’s 12-page patent application. You can also navigate by clicking the page arrows (at bottom of frame) or by clicking “tile mode”. Use the plus/minus controls to zoom in or out.
Ireland has adopted some very tough gun laws recently, but we’re glad to see that our Irish shooting friends are still “fighting the good fight” and bringing new shooters into the sport. In fact, Ireland’s National Association of Sporting Rifle and Pistol Clubs (NASRPC) has begun a training program for lady shooters.
The Irish Sports Council has scheduled a Women on Target program to encourage more female participation in sport shooting. Declan Keogh, an NRA-Certified Instructor, has scheduled his first clinic on Saturday June 19th, 2010. The class is being hosted by the Hilltop Shooting Club in Tithewer, Newtown Mountkennedy, County Wicklow. The clinic is a part of the Irish Sports Council’s Women In Sport program. The three-hour class will include basic pistol instruction and .22LR target shooting. Instructors will cover the NRA’s rules for safe gun handling and teach shooting fundamentals. The program costs €20, which covers ammo, program materials, and refreshments.
Since it was first released in 1965, Cartridges of the World by Frank Barnes, has been considered the definitive print resource on firearm cartridges. The current 12th Edition, edited by Holt Bodinson, was released late last year. The 568-page 12th Edition now describes over 1500 cartridges (from 0.1 inch to 0.95 inch caliber). This edition has interesting new articles on cartridge design and performance. The book includes dimensions, illustrations, a short history, and sample loading data for over 1500 different cartridges, including virtually every significant cartridge introduced since the early 1870s, with separate chapters on rimfires, shotgun shells, sporting rifle cartridges from the United States and Canada, Britain, and Europe, plus handgun cartridges, military cartridges, and limited production “wildcat” and “proprietary” cartridges. You won’t find all the narrow-focus or obscure wildcats, but the book is still a useful resource, well worth owning. It’s a “must-have” item for any serious cartridge collector.
Frank C. Barnes (1918-1992) began collecting information on handgun cartridges at the early age of 12, thanks to his father, a police officer. Frank Barnes was an innovative cartridge designer, who invented the original 308 x 1.5″ Barnes, predecessor of the 30BR case. Before Frank began a law enforcement career, he was a college professor. Frank was also a pilot, and a race-car driver.
Cartridges of the World was first published in 1965. It’s lived through 12 editions and can be found on many reloaders’ bookshelves today. Suggested retail for the book is $32.99, but MidwayUSA currently sells the 12th Edition for $19.99 plus shipping (Midway item 242319). Amazon.com offers the book for $21.77 with free shipping on combined orders over $25.00.
The NRA Blog has complete coverage of the 2010 Bianchi Cup, held this week at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club in Columbia, MO. The Bianchi Cup is one of the most prestigious handgun competitions on the planet. This year, the 32nd Annual MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup features over 200 of the best pistol and revolver shooters in the world, from the USA and six other countries.
The match continues through Saturday, May 29th, but results from the first two days of competition are available on the NRA Blog. NRA Media Relations has also posted a collection of 2010 Bianchi Cup photos online. CLICK HERE to view Bianchi Cup Photo Gallery.
The June 2010 digital edition of Shooting Sports USA has been released, and it’s definitely worth reading. The lead story is an interview with Sig Sauer Team Captain Max Michel, 3-time World Speed Shooting Champion and 5-Time USPSA National Champion. Max provides great “how-to” advice on pistol shooting, covering sight picture, grip, target acquisition, practice strategies and gun maintenance. Shooting Sports USA Managing Editor Chip Lohman has penned a detailed review of the Schneller stainless Range Cart. Bob Schneller supplies range carts to both the USAMU and U.S.M.C. shooting teams — that’s a strong endorsement. You highpower guys should definitely take a look at the Schneller carts.
The “must-read” article in this month’s issue is a detailed wrap-up of the 2010 F-Class Nationals written by F-Open Team USA member Larry Bartholome. Larry provides a day-by-day account of this Championship event, with coverage of both F-Open and F-TR classes.
In addition to the June issue, you can read previous month’s editions of Shooting Sports USA, by clicking on the “Archives” tab at the bottom of the page, after you’ve launched the June issue in your browser. Visit ShootingSportsUSA.com to request a free Digital Edition of Shooting Sports USA each month.
One of the most popular events at the Camp Perry National Matches is the Rimfire Sporter Competition. This fun, affordable, family-oriented event allows competitors of all ages to shoot inexpensive factory rimfire rifles. And the ammo is even free — thanks to Lapua. There are classes for both youths and adults, and open sighted rifles (O-Class) as well as scoped rifles (T-Class). New this year is a third class for Tactical Rimfire rifles. CLICK HERE for National Rimfire Sporter Match Official Program.
Each year Camp Perry’s Rimfire Sporter Match attracts hundreds of competitors, from grade schoolers to grand-dads. It’s not unusual to see three generations of family members participating. Registration for the 2010 National Rimfire Sporter Championship is now open. To register, simply fill out the CMP Online Registration Form. Entry in CMP Rimfire Sporter matches is open to all persons, male or female, any age, regardless of previous competition experience. For Juniors (born after 1990), entries are FREE, while adult entries cost $25.00 for one rifle class or $35.00 for two classes.
Hundreds of Rimfire Sporter Competitors Expected at Camp Perry
The Ninth Annual National Rimfire Sporter Match is expected to expand again in 2010 after eight consecutive years of increased participation. In 2009, 333 individual competitors made 421 event entries. This year the range will feature a full 125 covered firing points that can accommodate 500 event entries in four relays. If there are more than 500 entries, a fifth relay will be added.
New Tactical Rimfire Class
Now that several companies are manufacturing tactical .22LR rimfire rifles (both bolt-action and semi-auto), the CMP will include a new “Tactical Rimfire” class in the 2010 National Rimfire Sporter Championship program. Also new in 2010, if sufficient range capacity is available, competitors may be allowed to make a third event entry at the match. This would allow a shooter to compete in the new Tactical Class, as well as in both O-Class and T-Class (“T” for telescopic sights).
New Youth-Adult Partner Match
The 2010 National Rimfire Sporter Match will feature a new Youth-Adult Partner Match which combines an adult or older junior with a younger junior in a two-person team event. This will be a fun match to encourage multi-generation family participation and to get more adult shooters to mentor new and younger shooters. The CMP is considering special rules for this match that will give bonus points to teams that have both male and female members as well as to teams that have greater age differences between the two team members .
Lapua Provides Ammo to Competitors; Savage Awards Rifles
Lapua, a world-renowned ammunition manufacturer with plants in Finland and Germany, is once again the official ammunition supplier for the match and will provide 100 rounds of rimfire ammo for each competitor. Savage Arms is also sponsoring the Rimfire Sporter Match. Savage will present a Mark I or Mark II FVT rifle to the top O-Class and T-Class Juniors.
The latest May 2010 digital edition of Shooting Sports USA is available, and it is definitely worth reading. This May issue contains the much-anticipated sequel to Part One of Competitive Gun Cleaning. Part Two of the series on Gun Cleaning can show you how to clean more effectively, with longer lasting results. Shooting Sports USA Editor Chip Lohman explains that: “Advances in chemicals for the marine, auto, and airline industry have benefited shooting sports in general and competitive shooting specifically”. There are many new products that speed up the cleaning process, so you can spend more time shooting, and less time scrubbing barrels.
Also featured in Shooting Sports USA’s May Edition are:
A “must-read” profile of legendary High Power shooter Middleton (‘Mid’) Tompkins.
A Guide to the Distinguished Shooting Program for all 5 NRA disciplines.
An Introduction to .22LR Rimfire Benchrest Shooting, with resource links.
Complete schedules for NRA competitive matches nationwide — this covers a wide range of disciplines, including high power, smallbore, black powder cartridge, silhouette, cowboy silhouette, and pistol matches.
NBRSA Long-Range BR Hall-of-Famer Don Nielson earned his second NBRSA 600-yard championship this weekend in Sacramento, California. Don took the overall title, which counts score and group results for both Light Gun (LG) and Heavy Gun (HG). 6mm Dasher shooters Richard Schatz and Robert Hoppe finished second and third overall, respectively. Potential new records were set at the match, with possible new records by Nielson in LG Group Agg, LG Score Agg, and (possibly) 12-target Agg. Along with winning the Championship, Don placed first in LG Group, first in LG Score, second in HG Group, and second in Two-Gun Group Agg. Nielson also shot the smallest LG group, a 1.4″ group with four of five shots in slightly over 1/2 inch!
Don shot two 6.5×47 17-lb rifles, one in Light Gun and one in Heavy Gun. (He shot two near-identical rifles so he didn’t need to clean between LG and HG relays). For his pair of 6.5x47s, Don loaded Alliant Reloder 15 powder, with Federal 205M primers, and Berger 130 VLD bullets “right out of the box.” Don’s rifles featured Kelbly 1000-yard stocks, Bartlein 30″ barrels, and March 10-60x52mm scopes. Below Don Nielson is shown testing in 2008. Don shot this gun in the match, but it has a new Bartlein barrel.
The Match was well-attended — 46 of the nation’s top mid-range shooters competed. Don Nielson said conditions were “pretty nice until the third (last) relay on Sunday”. Don felt that winds didn’t top 10 mph until late on Sunday. Don credited both his guns for performing very consistently and he wanted to acknowledge his fellow shooters: “Richard, as usual, shot great with his Dasher. Robert (Hoppe) shot well as did Darryl Kightlinger and Everet Smith, whom we call the ‘Shasta Locomotive'”. Below are preliminary results provided by Lynn Dragoman.
Overall NBRSA National Championship
1. Don “The Pumpkin” Nielson
2. Richard Schatz
3. Robert Hoppe
4. Darryl Kightlinger
5. Everet Smith
6. Curt Mendenhall
7. William Hubina
8. Kenneth Schroeder
9. John Crawford
10. Lynn Dragoman Jr
Two-Gun Score
1. Everet Smith
2. Darryl Kightlinger
3. Richard Schatz
4. Curt Mendenhall
5. Don Nielson
6. Kenneth Schroeder
7. Lynn Dragoman Jr
8. Robert Hoppe
9. Stu Harvey
10. Lou Murdica
Two-Gun Group
1. Richard Schatz
2. Don Nielson
3. Robert Hoppe
4. Everet Smith
5. Curt Mendenhall
6. William Hubina
7. Kenneth Schroeder
8. Darryl Kightlinger
9. John Crawford
10. Greg Wilson
Three-Target Winners
Heavy Gun 3-Tgt Score — Darryl Kightlinger
Heavy Gun 3-Tgt Group — Robert Hoppe
Light Gun 3-Tgt Score — Robert Hoppe
Light Gun 3-Tgt Group — John Crawford
Light Gun Score
1. Don Nielson
2. Robert Hoppe
3. Darryl Kightlinger
4. Everet Smith
5. Curt Mendenhall
Light Gun Group
1. Don Nielson
2. Richard Schatz
3. Robert Hoppe
4. John Crawford
5. Darryl Kightlinger
Heavy Gun Score
1. Richard Schatz
2. Kenneth Schroeder
3. Everet Smith
4. Stu Harvey
5. Darryl Kightlinger
Heavy Gun Group
1. Richard Schatz
2. Don Nielson
3. Everet Smith
4. Curt Mendenhall
5. William Hubina
Sporting Classics, a specialty publisher, has released a new edition of 45 true-to-life Jack O’Connor stories from the pages of Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, Petersen’s Hunting and other popular magazines of his day. The new book, Classic O’Connor, is a sequel of sorts to Sporting Classics’ popular compendium, The Lost Classics of Jack O’Connor.
In the new 440-page book, Jack O’Connor recounts his worldwide hunting adventures, during which he pursued everything from ducks to grizzlies, pheasants to kudu. Classic O’Connor presents several of the author’s greatest gun stories and a large selection of never-before-published photographs of the celebrated sportsman and his family on hunting adventures around the world. The book is illustrated with 40+ drawings by acclaimed artist Ron Van Gilder. Hardcover with dust jacket, the book lists for $35, but it can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com for just $23.10, with an August 1st delivery date. To get the book a soon as possible, call Sporting Classics at (800) 849-1004 or visit www.sportingclassics.com.
Another O’Connor title worth reading is The Hunting Rifle, still considered one of the definitive works on selecting a hunting rifle and cartridge. One owner of The Hunting Rifle explains: “It would benefit every hunter to take the time and read this book. It offers a corrective to the spirit of things that have gripped the hunting scene lately. Today, if one reads a hunting magazine, [one is] offered the view that you need the fastest and loudest cartridges, rifles with special finishes and the most expensive of anything. Ole Jack reminds us that many have killed game with ‘lesser’ guns for a very long time, and that these new gimmicks will not make you a more lethal hunter.”
Part One covers basic principles, tactics, and strategies, with a focus on the 200-yard stages. Emil writes: “There are as many dimensions to ‘wind reading’ as there are stages to High Power competition. Your tactical mindset, or philosophy, must be different for the 200 and 300 yard rapid-fire stages than it would be for the 600 yard slow-fire. In the slow-fire stages you have the ability to adjust windage from shot to shot, utilizing the location of the previous shot as an indicator. Additionally, a change to the existing conditions can be identified and adjusted for prior to shooting the next shot.”
Here’s an item that should interest 3-Gun and Multi-Gun competitors using AR rifles. Magpul Industries has filed for a patent on a new “quad-stack” magazine that may hold as many as 60 rounds, yet feed through a normal AR15 mag well. (In Multi-Gun matches, ultra-high-capacity magazines can provide a competitive edge in high-round-count stages.) While Magpul is renowned for its innovative engineering, we wonder if this new mag design was inspired, at least in part, by the Russians. Earlier this year, the 
Ireland has adopted some very tough gun laws recently, but we’re glad to see that our Irish shooting friends are still “fighting the good fight” and bringing new shooters into the sport. In fact, Ireland’s 
Since it was first released in 1965, 
The 
The June 2010 digital edition of 
New Tactical Rimfire Class
The latest 
NBRSA Long-Range BR Hall-of-Famer Don Nielson earned his second NBRSA 600-yard championship this weekend in Sacramento, California. Don took the overall title, which counts score and group results for both Light Gun (LG) and Heavy Gun (HG). 6mm Dasher shooters Richard Schatz and Robert Hoppe finished second and third overall, respectively. Potential new records were set at the match, with possible new records by Nielson in LG Group Agg, LG Score Agg, and (possibly) 12-target Agg. Along with winning the Championship, Don placed first in LG Group, first in LG Score, second in HG Group, and second in Two-Gun Group Agg. Nielson also shot the smallest LG group, a 1.4″ group with four of five shots in slightly over 1/2 inch!
