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September 14th, 2019
The conquering Heroine! Trudie Fay poses with Fullbore Runner-up Oliver Milanovic (on ground).
 Congratulations to Trudie Fay, the Fullbore (Target Rifle) Champion at the 2019 Spirit of America Match. Trudie won yet another major title competing at the challenging NRA Whittington Range in Raton, New Mexico. With her great hard-holding skills and superior wind-reading abilities, Trudie shot brilliantly to finish at the top of a very strong field of competitors. SEE Spirit of America Fullbore Top 20 Results.
Trudie had a very impressive performance at Raton this past week. In her Fullbore (sling and irons) Division, she finished at 1781-105X, four points ahead of runner-up Oliver Milanovic (1777-102X). Trudie also had the highest score on two of the Four Days, and was the only shooter to record a 449 single-day score, which she managed on both Day 1 and Day 3. And as you’d expect, Trudie had the high X-Count for the match. This was another brilliant display of marksmanship by Trudie, who is also one of the best wind coaches in the country.
Trudie’s .308 Win Palma-type rifle was built by gunsmith and stock-maker Doan Trevor in Arizona. Doan commented: “I have had the privilege of building Trudie’s rifles for the last few years. Congratulations, my friend… You did it again!”
Blast from the Past — Trudie on All-Ladies Team at Camp Perry
Trudie is one of America’s greatest female shooters. A few years ago, she teamed up with four other legendary lady shooters for an all-female team at Camp Perry. Left to Right are: Michelle Gallagher, Trudie Fay, Nancy Tompkins (coach), Anette Wachter, and Sherri Jo Gallagher. Nancy was the first female National High Power Champion. And Sherri Jo was the second.
September 14th, 2019
Photo by Chevi Guy, for F-Class Shooting for Beginners Facebook Group. He declared: “We made it! Wind is howling 30 mph. Going to be fun.”
The nation’s most talented F-TR and F-Open shooters will be in Raton, New Mexico this week for the 2019 USA F-Class National Championships. The event, held at the Whittington Center, commences September 15th with the Mid-Range Nationals. The Long Range Nationals then run September 19th through 22nd.
The weather could be VERY challenging. There are been very strong winds at Raton recently, and on the range you can get winds from two different directions at the same time. At the F-Class Worlds in 2013, this reporter even saw dust devils spinning in the middle of the course during a team event.
CLICK HERE to watch a Facebook Video filmed yesterday at Raton. Windy enough for you?!
F-TR competitors in Raton at 2013 F-Class World Championships. It’s a beautiful, but challenging location:
The NRA Whittington Center is a very scenic venue with tall mountains behind the 1000-yard targets. You can fly into Denver in the North or Albuquerque in the South, then drive for about 3 hours. There are cabins “on campus” at the Whittington Center. Alternatively, shooters can stay in motels in Raton, about 20 minutes from the range. The location of the range is: 34025 US-64, Raton, NM 87740
September 14th, 2019
In case you didn’t think your mag-fed, semi-automatic rifle was being targeted for confiscation, think again. It’s not just bump stocks the anti-gun forces want. Given their druthers, the gun-control forces would seize and destroy all ARs, also known as “modern sporting rifles”. These would be banned in the USA, just as they have been banned in Australia and the United Kingdom…
The emphatic call for semi-auto rifle confiscation was made by former U.S. Congressman Beto (né Robert Francis) O’Rourke. At the latest Democratic Presidential candidates debate, Beto roared: “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47, we’re not going to allow it to be used … anymore!”
The National Shooting Sports Foundation commented: “The Democratic Presidential debate in Houston [addressed] firearms. Former U.S. Congressman Robert ‘Beto’ O’Rourke doubled down on his pledge to confiscate modern sporting rifles, of which nearly all candidates agreed to in previous debates. ‘Hell yes, we are going to take your AR-15, your AK-47, we’re not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore!’ O’Rourke said the [El Paso TX shooter] was ‘inspired to kill by our “President’, in his opening statement, and again blamed President Trump … in his closing statement[.] U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) joined the chorus shifting the blame of a murderer to President Trump saying, ‘[Trump] didn’t pull the trigger but he certainly has been tweeting out the ammunition’.”
The positions of Democratic Party candidates on gun control have become more extreme in recent months. Beto now wants to confiscate all ARs. But just last year, in 2018, Beto stated that AR owners should be allowed to keep them — as reported by Breitbart.com:
During an April 2018 interview on The Chad Hasty Show, Beto O’Rourke claimed people who own AR-15s ought to be able to keep them. Fox News quoted an exchange between O’Rourke and Hasty that began with the host saying, “I own an AR-15. A lot of our listeners out there own AR-15s. Why should they not have one?”
“To be clear, they should have them,” O’Rourke responded. “If you purchased that AR15, if you own it, keep it.”
After Confiscating ARs, What’s Next on the List?
O’Rourke has completely reversed his position, and now advocates mandatory confiscation of mag-fed semi-auto rifles. So, if ARs and semi-auto rifles are now on the chopping block (or should we say “confiscation list”), what’s next? Should semi-auto shotguns be banned? What about semi-auto pistols? This really is a slippery slope, and at some point the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Second Amendment will be lost.
AR-Platform Rifles are Widely Used in Marksmanship Competitions
AR-platform rifles are used in High Power and Service Rifle competitions around the country, such as the historic President’s 100 Match at Camp Perry (photo above). Semi-auto ARs are also used for 3-Gun matches, varmint hunting, and self-defense. Beto O’Rourke wants them banned and confiscated.
September 13th, 2019
The U.S. F-Class National Championships commence September 15 at the NRA Whittington Center in New Mexico. But, across the pond, the European F-Class Championships took place this past week (September 2-8) at the Bisley Range in the UK. Congrats to the big winners, Great Britain’s Dan Lomas, new European F-TR Champion, and Germany’s Ulrich Kwade, new European F-Open Champion. Team Great Britain RED, shown below, took the European F-TR Team Championship, while Team Italy won F-Open.
Team Great Britain RED won the F-TR Team Championship, with Ukraine Second, Great Britain BLUE Third.
Dan Lomas Wins F-TR Title on Home Turf at Bisley
Dan Lomas was excited about his F-TR Championship: “First place in Europe! Just finished five solid days shooting in the European Championships at Bisley. I ended up keeping my head, winning the Europeans 5 points clear! I also was given my first cap shooting for the country and, with my amazing team mates, won gold for GB by a clear 15 points. It was an amazing performance by the two coaches Jon and Ewen and captain David! Thanks, as always, to BorderBarrels/SassenEngineering for the barrel; Vicarage Ballistics for the smithing, Borden Accuracy for the amazing actions and PSE-Composites for one of the most forgiving carbon stocks!”
Germany’s Ulrich Kwade Wins F-Open Division
March Scopes Europe provided this report: “Congratulations to our good friend Ulrich Kwade of Hannover, Germany. Uli won the European F-Class Championship in F-Open class. Ulrich uses a March 10-60x56mm Highmaster scope. Uli mounted a BAT action with a Benchmark barrel chambered in 7mm/270 WSM, fitted by Stuart Anselm of GS Precision. The really amazing thing is this barrel was only delivered on the Tuesday of the competition. Uli had already made his ammo pre-prepared … that is confidence for you!”
Ulrich’s rifle has a cleverly-designed stock which he built from scratch himself. It boasts a recoil reduction system which Ulrich says removes 80% of felt recoil. Ulrich is a very talented engineer and stock-builder. We congratulate him on his win.
September 13th, 2019
The movie “The Patriot” gave us the phrase “Aim small, miss small”. While that’s a good mantra, aiming strategies for long-range competition are a bit more complicated, as this article explains…
U.S. F-Class Nationals Start Sunday, September 15th!
The U.S. Mid-Range and Long Range Nationals kick off September 15th at the NRA Whittington Center near Raton, New Mexico. Here are some tips that can help F-TR and F-Open shooters aim more precisely, and achieve higher scores. F-Class ace Monte Milanuk reviews reticle choices and strategies for holding off.
In our Shooters Forum, one newcomer wanted some advice on selecting a reticle for F-Class optics. He wondered about the advantage of Front (first) Focal Plane (FFP) vs. Second Focal Plane scopes and also wondered if one type of reticle was better for “holding off” than others.
In responding to this question, Forum regular Monte Milanuk provided an excellent summary of aiming methods used in F-Class. For anyone shooting score targets, Monte’s post is worth reading:
Aiming Methods for F-Class (and Long-Range) Shooting — by Monte Milanuk
 F-Class is a known-distance event, with targets of known dimensions that have markings (rings) of known sizes. Any ‘holding off’ can be done using the target face itself. Most ‘benefits’ of Front (first) focal plain (FFP) optics are null and void here — they work great on two-way ranges where ‘minute of man’ is the defining criteria — but how many FFP scopes do you know of in the 30-40X magnification range? Very, very few, because what people who buy high-magnification scopes want is something that allows them to hold finer on the target, and see more detail of the target, not something where the reticle covers the same amount of real estate and appears ‘coarser’ in view against the target, while getting almost too fine to see at lower powers.
Whether a person clicks or holds off is largely personal preference. Some people might decline to adjust their scope as long as they can hold off somewhere on the target. Some of that may stem from the unfortunate effect of scopes being mechanical objects which sometimes don’t work entirely as advertised (i.e. one or two clicks being more or less than anticipated). Me personally, if I get outside 1-1.5 MOA from center, I usually correct accordingly. I also shoot on a range where wind corrections are often in revolutions, not clicks or minutes, between shots.
Some shooters do a modified form of ‘chase the spotter’ — i.e. Take a swag at the wind, dial it on, aim center and shoot. Spotter comes up mid-ring 10 at 4 o’clock… so for the next shot aim mid-ring 10 at 10 o’clock and shoot. This should come up a center X (in theory). Adjust process as necessary to take into account for varying wind speeds and direction.
 Others use a plot sheet that is a scaled representation of the target face, complete with a grid overlaid on it that matches the increments of their optics — usually in MOA. Take your Swag at the wind, dial it on, hold center and shoot. Shot comes up a 10 o’clock ‘8’… plot the shot on the sheet, look at the grid and take your corrections from that and dial the scope accordingly. This process should put you in the center (or pretty close), assuming that you didn’t completely ignore the wind in the mean time. Once in the center, hold off and shoot and plot, and if you see a ‘group’ forming (say low right in the 10 ring) either continue to hold high and left or apply the needed corrections to bring your group into the x-ring.
Just holding is generally faster, and allows the shooter to shoot fast and (hopefully) stay ahead of the wind. Plotting is more methodical and may save your bacon if the wind completely changes on you… plotting provides a good reference for dialing back the other way while staying in the middle of the target. — YMMV, Monte
September 10th, 2019
We like to acknowledge excellence in marksmanship, particularly when a competitor manages to shoot a personal best, dropping five shots right in the middle of the target at 600 yards in windy conditions. That’s worth celebrating.
Recently Michael Bencivengo was competing in a 600-yard match at the White Horse Firearm & Outdoor Education Center in Philippi, West Virginia. Even with windy conditions during the match, Mike drilled an impressive 1.227″ group, all centered for a 50 score. And four of the five shots are clustered in about one-half-inch of vertical!
No this is not an IBS record, but it is a mighty fine group and a personal best for Mike. We think that’s worth acknowledging. As all of us get older, it is great to experience a personal best.
Posting on the USA Benchrest Facebook Group, Mike notes: “[I shot] my personal best and smallest group on a very windy day at the GBA 600-yard match 50-0X with a 1.227 inch group.”
We’d all be smiling after shooting a target like this at 600 yards…
The scenic White Horse Firearm & Outdoor Education Center is located at 127 White Horse Lane, Philippi, WV 26416. (Mailing address is White Horse Center, P.O. Box 2091, Buckhannon, WV 26201.) The White Horse range is close to many large East Coast cities:
September 8th, 2019
With the 6mm Dasher cartridge becoming popular with PRS/NRL competitors as well as the benchrest crowd, we thought it was time to re-visit a special rifle chambered for the 6mm Dasher wildcat. This gun has a great story behind it. Forum member Bob A. (aka “Killshot”) used his “Forum Classifieds Special” to beat all comers in the F-Class Division in the American-Canadian Match and the Long Range Regional Match in 2013 in Sacramento, CA.
Bob’s 6mm Dasher sports a blue-printed Rem 700 action. Who says you need a high-dollar custom action to run with the big dogs? In fact, this same gun, built with components sourced from AccurateShooter Forum Classified Ads, set a Sacramento F-Class range record of 200-17X a few years back. In this story, Bob talks about the build, and he explains his methods for loading ultra-accurate Dasher ammo.
Bob’s Budget-Build Dasher F-Classer
I wanted to build a proper rifle for F-Open but needed to keep it simple and, well, cheap. I found a solid “base” to build on in the form of a Dave Bruno-built, “pre-owned” 6-6.5×47 Lapua that I located in the AccurateShooter Forum classifieds in late 2011. The base action was a trued and blue-printed Remington 700 receiver circa 1971 with a spiral-fluted bolt. It was in a Shehane ST1000 stock painted sky blue and had a Jewell 1.5-oz BR trigger. I sent the bolt to Greg Tannel (Gretanrifles.com) to have the firing pin hole bushed and sleeved, the ejector removed and the hole filled and the face trued. I upgraded to Tannel’s Light Steel firing pin assembly while it was out.
Having the working bits completed, I needed a barrel. So I went to the AccurateShooter classifieds again and found a 1:8″-twist, 30″ x 1.25″ (diam.) Bartlein with a 0.236″-land bore. I called Dave Kiff and explained my pursuit and he recommended his PT&G “world record” 6 Dasher reamer (.2704″ no-turn neck and .104″ freebore). A month or so later the reamer and gauges arrived.
I had the barrel chambered by Marc Soulie of Spartan Precision Rifles (510-755-5293, Concord, CA). Marc is a great builder and I’m pleased to call him a friend.
The rifle got its good looks from a Pennsylvania artist named Kenny Prahl. His Prahl Designs shop (724-478-2538) added the white ghost-flames over the existing sky blue metallic paint.
Looks Great, Shoots Better
Fire-forming showed great promise — ten-shot groups of half an inch at 200 yards were typical. I lost only one case to a split neck and the “blow lengths” are good and consistent. This was followed up with load development which saw 100-yard, five-shot groups in the .1s and .2s as the rifle showed its preference for Reloder 15 over Varget powder, and for CCI 450s over all other primers. The bullet of choice was the ever-popular Berger 105gr Hybrid Target.
In February 2012 I began shooting the Dasher in monthly club matches at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center, the home range of a number of excellent F-Class, Benchrest and High Power shooters. Using a Farley Coaxial rest up front (also picked up from a WTB ad on AccurateShooter’s Forum) and an Edgewood bag in the back, I gradually improved my gun-handling to the point where I could shoot a respectable score. This was very different from the bipod shooting I’d done in the past in F/TR.
 Dasher Loading Tips
My chamber is set up for blue box Lapua 6mmBR brass. My case preparation is straight-forward. I fire-form with virgin cases right out of the box. I don’t size them but I will give the primer holes a good look and clean up the flash hole with a .058″ bit in a pin vise. To fire-form, I seat a Berger 108gr BT .030″ into the lands over a standard 6mmBR load of Varget.
For match loads, I use Alliant Reloder 15. While Varget is less sensitive to temp changes, RL15 has given me lower extreme spreads and better long range control. [Bob acknowledges that every barrel is unique, so a different powder, such as H4895 might work better for you.]
I clean my fired cases with stainless steel media in a Thumler’s rotary tumbler after every firing. I anneal after every other firing using a Bench-Source machine which is very well made and easy to operate. I use a Whidden full length bushing die with Redding bushings for sizing.
After sizing, I chamfer the inside of the neck with the K&M tool which has a pilot rod centered in the flash hole. Then I’ll give the neck and mouth a “once over” with some 0000 steel wool. I finish loading off with a Redding Competition Seating Die with the micrometer top.
 I use a carbide ball on the expander rod of the full length sizing die. I use a .266″ TiN-coated bushing and the ball just kisses the inside walls of the sized neck. I get very consistent neck tension this way and have had no issue with split necks.
Seating Depth Considerations
With fire-formed brass, the junction of the bullet’s bearing surface and boat-tail is above the neck/shoulder junction of the case, so I have no issues with donuts. You can see how a loaded round looks in the photo at left. For occasional trimming, I use a very nice little Possum Hollow trimmer that indexes on the case shoulder.
September 4th, 2019
Can’t get enough gun content on your home computer? Now you can stream informative audio broadcasts to your mobile device. In addition to its popular weekly TV shows, Shooting USA now offers podcasts on gun topics. These podcasts feature interviews with ace shooters, notable gunsmiths, and leading firearms industry executives. There are now 141 Shooting USA Podcast episodes available for streaming. Or you can download a podcast to your mobile device for later listening. All Shooting USA Podcast content is free. Use these links to access all Shooting USA Podcasts (123 audio shows):
Now you can listen to timely and entertaining Shooting USA Podcasts, hosted by Jim and John Scoutten. They are available on both Podbean and iTunes.
Here are five of our favorite Shooting USA Podcasts. These include interviews with G.A. Precision owner George Gardner, legendary shooter Jerry Miculek, and ace pistolero Max Michel, who may be the fastest handgunner on the planet. Click each graphic to launch the PodBean player page for that Podcast.
Watch Max Michel Speed Drill (This Guy is Blazing Fast!)
September 3rd, 2019
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Oklahoma Games are slated for October 7-13, a month away. Match shooters from the middle of the country should consider attending the popular annual event held at the Oklahoma City Gun Club. CMP OK Games Registration is still open! Note — this match is not just for seasoned competitors. There will be a Small Arms Firing School, and the Oklahoma Games will also feature a New Shooter Clinic for those who have never fired in a CMP Games match.
Previously held in April, the CMP Oklahoma Games will feature the popular M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, Springfield, Vintage/Modern Military, Rimfire Sporter, and Vintage Sniper Rifle matches. Pistol matches, such as the As-Issued 1911, Military & Police Service Pistol and .22 Rimfire Pistol will also be held throughout the week. The CMP Cup Matches will again be held at this Travel Games event. This include two days of invididual competition, followed by a 4-Man Team Match, and EIC Service Rifle Match.
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Oklahoma CMP Games Resources
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Electronic Targets Allow Faster Relays and No Pit Duty!
High Power competitions will be fired on CMP Targets, an electronic target system that plots shot placement in real time, and eliminates the need for pit duty — allowing quicker matches with less physical labor. Shot locations/scores appear on remote monitors placed at each shooting location.
Along with competitive matches, a rifle Small Arms Firing School (SAFS) is scheduled to instruct beginning and experienced marksmen in the classroom and on the firing line, with the help of CMP staff and certified instructors. Those in attendance will learn rifle handling, shot technique and safety, followed by firing in an actual M16 EIC match.
Match Awards will be distributed each day. All participants are invited to the annual BBQ where shooters can make friends and mingle with fellow participants and CMP staff. For some the Oklahoma BBQ is the highlight of the event.
About the CMP Travel Games
The CMP Travel Games are regional competitions held in different corners of the country throughout the year, featuring exclusive CMP rifle and pistol outdoor events. A common part of the CMP schedule for the last decade, the Games are centered around recreation-oriented competition and educational activities that are designed to accommodate experienced marksmen as well as those just beginning the sport.
September 3rd, 2019
Congratulations to John Mullins, the new 2019 NRA Smallbore Silhouette Hunter Rifle National Champion! Mullins tied for first place with fellow Lapua team member Dustin Flint. Then, in a dramatic shoot-off, Mullins shot 107/120 to edge out team-mate Flint. Notably, both men used Lapua .22 LR rimfire ammunition. Mullins’s ammo choice was Lapua Midas+.
The 2019 NRA National Silhouette Smallbore Championships took place August 4-6, in Ridgway, Pennsylvania. Matches consist of 3 x 120 round relays, all fired from the standing position. For each relay, shooters engage ten chickens at 40 meters, ten pigs at 60 meters, ten turkeys at 77 meters, and ten rams at 100 meters.
Champion Mullins Had Pre-tested His .22 LR Ammo at Lapua Test Center
When asked what was most critical to capturing the title, Mullins stated, “Lapua ammunition was the key factor in my success. I visited the Lapua Rimfire Test Center in Mesa, AZ and paired the most accurate ammunition with my rifle.” Mullins found that Lapua Midas+ outperformed all other options at 50 and 100 meters in the Lapua test tunnel, shown below.
Above is the Lapua Rimfire Testing Facility in Mesa, Arizona. This allows measurements at both 50m and 100m for the same shot. Later this fall Lapua will open a new Test Center in Marengo, Ohio with identical capabilities. For more information regarding ammo testing at Lapua’s USA Rimfire Test Centers, email Lapua here: rimfiretest [at] capstonepg.com
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