The display target is a copy, for spectators, of the larger, official target. The actual X-Ring is 10″ at 1000 yards. Amanda shot without a bipod, using only a sling to support the rifle, and aperture sights (no scope).
Congrats to Amanda Elsenboss for winning the 2019 NRA National Long Range Championships held this month at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. This completes her season of dominance, winning the Interservice, CMP, and NRA Long Range Championships. Amanda finished off her campaign with a win in the Mustin match and a shoot-off score of 100-9x. She also won the Leech Cup with a 200-15X, and 100-6X shoot-off score. Great job, Amanda!
Before his retirement from the U.S. Army, Emil Praslick III coached Amanda as a shooter with the U.S. Army Markmanship (USAMU) team. Emil was impressed with Amanda’s skill and dedication. Emil posted: “[Amanda is] by far the easiest shooter to coach I’ve ever worked with. A machine.”
Amanda expressed gratitude: “Thank you to everyone who supported me during the 2019 CMP Long Range Matches. Everyone’s support and encouragement helped me along the way, fan club included. Especially, a huge shout out to past and present AMU members for pointing me in the right direction. When the moment of confusion happened I always knew who I could count on to get me back on track. So, Thank you to everyone on and off the range who was cheering me along!”
Amanda Helps Train Young Competitors
When Amanda is not shooting matches or practicing with the USAMU, she helps train new shooters. Here SSG Amanda Elsenboss offers pointers to a Liberty University Service Rifle shooter at a CMP Small Arms Firing School (SAFS). Amanda Elsenboss hails from Woodbury, Connecticut and holds the military occupational specialty of small arms repairer. Elsenboss started shooting when she was 13, and soon became an avid rifle competitor. She now serves as a shooter/instructor on the USAMU Service Rifle Team.
Video Interview with SSG Amanda Elsenboss
This video, featuring SSG Amanda Elsenboss, was created by the USAMU to mark Women’s History Month. Amanda talks about her career in the military, and her love of competitive shooting. This is a great video, well worth watching. There are images from many shooting ranges around the nation.
SSG Amanda Elsenboss. CLICK Speaker Icon to Hear Sound!
New Cartridge, New Rifle for the King
Paul Phillips is the reigning King of 2 Miles. The founder of the Global Precision Group, Paul is one of the top ELR marksmen on the planet. He has also been a team-mate of past K02M winners.
Paul recently put together a new rifle for the 25-lb max, .338 caliber-or-under ELR Class. This is chambered for the 33XC, an efficient new cartridge devised by 11-time National HP Champion David Tubb. With promising initial testing at 500 yards, it looks like Paul’s 33XC project will be a success. The rifle’s first match will be the NRA Extreme Long Range Championship, to be held August 21-23, 2019 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.
Paul reports: “The 33XC is ready for the NRA ELR Nationals. I have tested loads from 3100-3450 FPS and and will settle on a load around 3250 FPS [which is] my most accurate load so far. The Peterson Cartridge brass is really working well.”
Paul states he would like to look for a higher node from 3300-3400 GPS: “Next stop is with the Applied Ballistics LLC mobile labratory and radar testing with a PDM for the Nationals.” Paul cautions: “I encourage everyone to start low and work up. Every chamber, barrel, and components are a little different.”
During initial testing, Paul’s 33XC put three shots in 0.27″ at 100. Then, at 500 yards, the rifle produced a 3-shot group around 1/3-MOA with just 1.22 inches of vertical. That’s pretty impressive for early testing. Paul will also be trying some Berger bullets soon. When he determines the most accurate load, Phillips will stretch the rifle’s legs, shooting out to 2500 yards and beyond.
Quote: “The Cutting Edge Bullets are not the highest BC but they are very stable and consistent at ELR (sub-sonic) ranges and that’s the most important factor in finding the best ELR bullet. I actually test all my bullets at sub-sonic speeds to make sure they are consistent and stable. Finding a good load at 500 yards is just the first part. The real test is shooting them at sub-sonic speeds and see how consistently they group. This is what gives you the highest percentage to impact at 2 miles and beyond.”
This rifle features a BAT action mated to a 34″ Bartlein barrel chambered for David Tubb’s new 33XC cartridge. Paul Phillips is currently running Cutting Edge 275gr Lazer solid bullets. Paul notes: “I also have a .338 Lapua Magnum barrel and 300gr Berger bullets for the restricted class in France.” Paul gave special thanks to Alex Wheeler for doing the metal work and Alex Sitman for doing the bedding.
Rifle Component List
Action: BAT Machine CTH dual-port action
Trigger: Bullet Central Bix’N Andy
Barrel: Bartlein 1:8″-twist barrel (34″)
Chambering: 33XC for Peterson brass
Stock: McMillan A6 Super Mag, Bedding Alex Sitman
Scope: Nightforce Optics 7-35x56mm F1 ATACR.
Bipod: Duplin Rifles
Paul Phillips notes: “Alex Sitman has been bedding rifles stocks for most of his life. I believe that [bedding] is a very important … to keep consistent accuracy and repeatable zeros after traveling all over the globe.”
Even with the TacomHQ Charlie Tarac scope prism in place, the rifle makes the 25-pound weight limit with Duplin Rifles bipod. Paul says: “I love it when a plan comes together!! I’m under by 2 ounces!”
About the 33XC (eXtra Capacity) Cartridge
David Tubb invented the 33XC cartridge because he thought the CheyTac cases were too much trouble — requiring a larger action, oversize presses, and ultra-expensive dies. The 33XC was designed to fit .338 Lapua Magnum-size actions and use normal reloading presses.
The 33XC (eXtra Capacity) has 137.5 grains of H2O capacity with over 125 grains of usable powder capacity while leaving the 0.393″ neck unfilled for bullet seating.
The 33XC has a .338 Lapua Magnum lineage. Think of it as a better, 35°-shoulder .338 LM. David explains: “The 33XC uses standard reloading dies along with a 7/8″ x 14 TPI reloading press. There is no fire-forming — all case ‘improving’ has already been done with a production case that has 20 grains more powder capacity, 35-degree shoulder, and longer neck compared to a .338 Lapua Magnum. This puts the various .338 Lapua wildcats and the Rem Ultra Mag Improved into the ‘also ran’ category. They simply can’t compete with the velocities attainable with the 33XC.”
The 33XC is based off of a .580″ bolt head. Tubb states that “A fired case will extract with little effort when using a properly-polished chamber with a maximum powder charge after resizing with the Superior Shooting Systems FL sizing die.” Tubb’s 33XC die reaches the case head which is important for accuracy. Peterson Cartridge produces the 33XC brass for Superior Shooting Systems. This high-quality brass costs $115 for 50 cases (or $2.30 per case), and can be purchased directly from Superior Shooting Systems.
F-Class shooting (both F-Open and F-TR) is one of the fastest-growing forms of rifle competition. Each season many new shooters hit the line and attendance at the big matches increases every year. But if you’re new to the game, you may ask “Where can I shoot an F-Class match?”. Well, Forum member Rod V. (aka Nodak7mm) has compiled a useful list of 112 ranges throughout the USA where F-Class matches are held. With venues from Alabama to Wyoming — you should find an F-Class program not too far from home. The list, in Excel spreadsheet format, provides range locations and weblinks (where available). Click the link below to download the F-Class Range List (.xls file):
Note — this list, now in its 20th Revision, is a treasure trove for F-Class shooters. No claim is made that the list is comprehensive. But it still covers the the lion’s share of the important F-Class venues nationwide. If you know of a range that should be added to the list, please post the location on our F-Class Range List Forum thread. Rod will update the list as new range info is received. Rod writes: “Range information is wanted and welcomed. I would like your help on collecting specific info on Clubs/Ranges where known F-Class matches are held.” Here’s a partial sample from Rod’s list:
NOTE: This is a photo of Ronald Zerr from a Team Match, 600-yard stage. Photo by SSUSA.org.
Congratulations to Ronald Zerr, the 2019 NRA National High Power Rifle Champion. Competing at Camp Atterbury, Indiana against hundreds of the nation’s best High Power shooters, Zerr finished with an impressive score of 2374-107X, five points ahead of runner-up Kenneth Lankford (2369-116X). Finishing third overall was SSG Sean Morris (U.S. Army Reserve) with 2366-87X.
Kerr, who hails from Tucson, Arizona, is a civilian shooter, a dedicated sling-shooting competitor for many years. Kerr shot a great match to earn the National High Power title, a Mumma Trophy plaque, plus gift certificates from Geissele Automatics, Krieger Barrels, and Sierra Bullets.
Notably Morris shot the match with a AR-15 type service rifle shooting 5.56×45 ammo. His strong showing earned him the service rifle championship, and the Dupont Trophy plaque. Denise Loring shot 2340-84X to earn the service rifle High Woman award.
About the NRA National High Power Championship
The NRA National High Power Rifle Championship is the aggregate of three matches: the Vandenberg Cup, Nevada Trophy and Clarke Trophy matches, which themselves are comprised of numerous events. Next year, along with the High Power Championships, Camp Atterbury will host the NRA Precision Pistol and Smallbore Rifle Championships.
A full match report from the 2019 NRA High Power Rifle Championship will be published in a future issue of the Shooting Sports USA digital magazine.
In the late fall of this year (2019), Lapua will open a second USA Lapua Rimfire Test Center at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio. The new Test Center will offer rimfire shooters the opportunity to match individual lots of Lapua ammo to their match rifles and pistols. All of the capabilities of the new test center will replicate Lapua’s current USA Rimfire Test Center in Mesa, Arizona.
Patterned after the world-renowned Lapua Test Center in Germany, the new Ohio center affords shooters the opportunity to test different types and lots of Lapua ammunition, in their own firearms, under tightly controlled conditions. At the heart of each operation is the 100 meter test range. Fully instrumented, with state of the art Meyton/Bollman electronic targeting systems, the centers can record ammo accuracy at both 50 and 100 meters with a single string. Customers have the option to send their rifles in for testing or schedule an onsite appointment. Customers interested in testing at either USA Lapua Rimfire Test locations (Arizona or Ohio), should call (480) 898-2731 or email rimfiretest@capstonepg.com .
Lapua Hires Ace Smallbore Shooter to Manage New Testing Facility
Lapua has appointed Luke Johnson as manager of the new Rimfire Test Center. Johnson, a native of Marysville, PA, is a long-time competitive shooter and hunter. Luke recently became the NRA Smallbore Silhouette Standard Rifle National Champion and he was a USA Junior National Champion in 50m rifle. At the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Luke was a 4-year letterman for the University’s D1 Rifle Team.
Luke says, “I’m excited to join the crew at the new Lapua testing center in Ohio. I have trusted Lapua for many years in my own competitive experiences and look forward to helping others improve their performance and confidence. The new test center will open up more opportunities for competitors to use Lapua ammunition.”
“We’re very fortunate to have Luke join the Capstone family in this very important role. We’ve watched Luke for many years in his competitive shooting, and while that was a key in his selection to this position, his people skills are even greater. His outgoing personality and eagerness to help others excel are exactly the qualities we sought in filling this new position,” stated Adam Braverman, Capstone Precision Group Director of Sales & Marketing.
About Capstone Precision Group
Capstone Precision Group produces Berger Bullets and Ammunition, and is the exclusive distributor of Lapua components and ammunition, Vihtavuori Powders, and SK Rimfire ammunition. Capstone Precision Group is a Part of Nammo Group. For more information, visit Capstonepg.com.
In setting a Women’s record at the 2019 Nat’l Trophy Individual Match, Sara beat 987 other shooters. Only four competitors, all men, had higher scores.
This lady can shoot! At this year’s National Trophy Individual Match (NTI) at Camp Perry, the very talented Sara Rozanski sent an all-time record for female competitors. Sara shot a stellar 496-22X, a new record score for lady shooters. That record-breaking performance won Sara the Women’s Trophy at the CMP National Matches.
“It felt amazing to be able to pull it together and perform well”, Rozanski told reporters. Rozanski’s performance eclipsed the previous women’s record of 496-19X set by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s Amanda Elsenboss in 2017. Sara finished fifth overall in the 2019 NTI.
“It’s an honor to set a new women’s record since the level of competition is so high. It gives one a sense of accomplishment knowing you are competing against the best competitors this sport has to offer”, Rozanski said. By stages, Rozanski scored 100-2X standing, 98-2X rapid sitting, 99-6X rapid prone, and 199-12X prone at the 600-yard line.
Camp Perry includes rifle ranges out to 1,000 yards. Camp Perry boasts one of the longest continuous firing lines in the world.
Among all NTI competitors, Sara finished fifth overall after tie-breakers, just one point out of first place and four points from a perfect score of 500. Only four other competitors (all males) beat her 496-22X tally. A total of 992 competitors fired in this year’s NTI match, so Sarah finished ahead of 987 other shooters. That is mighty impressive!
A native of Toledo, Ohio, just 28 miles from Camp Perry, Rozanski has been competing in High Power rifle events since she was 16 years old, when she started with the M1A, the semi-automatic civilian equivalent of the Army’s M14 rifle. Rozanski serves as the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s High Power rifle program coordinator in Port Clinton, Ohio.
National Trophy Individual Match
The NTI course of fire has no sighters. It starts with 10 shots standing slow fire at 200 yards, followed by 10 shots sitting (or kneeling) rapid fire in 60 seconds at 200 yards. This is followed by 10 shots prone rapid fire in 70 seconds at 300 yards. The match concludes with 20 shots prone slow fire with a time limit of 20 minutes at 600 yards.
Need targets — not just any old targets, but the correctly-sized targets for specific shooting disciplines (such as NRA Smallbore, F-Class, and 1K Benchrest)? Well you won’t find them at your neighborhood Wally World store. Precise, dimensionally-correct competition targets are producted by a half-dozen specialty printers. In this article we provide links to the leading target sellers, with a chart showing “who’s got what”. Look for your particular discipline and the vendors will be specified.
Sources for Official Shooting Competition Targets:
AccurateShooter.com offers dozens of FREE, printable targets for target practice, load development, and fun shooting. We also offer a few of the most popular NRA Bullseye targets. One or more of these printable targets should work for most training purposes. However, some readers have asked: “Where can we get the real targets… exactly like the ones used in NRA, IBS, and NBRSA shooting matches?”
All these vendors carry nearly all the NRA High Power and Smallbore targets, including the new, smaller F-Class targets. National Target has the F-Class and High Power targets, including 100-yard reductions of the 200, 300, and 600-yard military targets.
Germany’s Kruger Targets sells all the important NRA targets, and international (ISSF) air rifle and smallbore targets too.
Orrville Printing currently sells IBS targets for rimfire (50 yard) benchrest, short-range centerfire Benchrest (100, 200, 300 yards), Hunter BR Rifle (100, 200, 300 yards), plus the official 600-yard and 1000-yard IBS targets. National Target Company also has most of the IBS targets. NBRSA short-range, 600-yard, and 1000-yard benchrest targets are available directly from the NBRSA Business Office. Call (307) 655-7415 to order for the season.
Need Steel, Cardboard Silhouettes or specialty targets? ALCO Target Company in Duarte, California is the USA’s leading producer of the full spectrum of shooting targets including paper targets, cardboard targets, steel targets, and target stands.
The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF), through the Scholastic Clay Target Program and Scholastic Action Shooting Program, awarded 126 youth athletes over $100,000.00 in college Scholarships for this upcoming academic year. The funds were awarded to qualifying applicants. In addition, some young competitors received special sponsor scholarship checks at the 2019 National Championships in Marengo, Ohio last month (see below). CLICK HERE for all scholarship winners.
National Director Tom Wondrash noted, “this is the first time our combined programs were able to award our Youth Athletes and their families over $100,000 in college scholarships. We could not have done it without the generous support of our program sponsors who continue to step up and support this initiative”.
In addition to the scholarships awarded to SCTP and SASP youth athletes who apply for these awards, at this year’s National Championships special scholarships were awarded by Browning, Beretta, and Blaser USA. In order to be eligible, athletes must have shot a Browning shotgun in 16-yard singles trap, a Beretta shotgun in the skeet event, or a Blaser shotgun in the sporting clays event.
The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation is 501(c)(3) public charity responsible for all aspects of the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) across the United States. For more information, visit SSSFonline.org.
The Modern Smallbore Silhouette Rifle
Smallbore rifle silhouette is a shooting discipline that can really test a shooter’s ability and fundamentals. The saying in silhouette is “the bench proves the rifle, standing proves the shooter”. To be able to stand and shoot a rifle at targets ranging from 40 meters to 100 meters is no small feat, especially when the 100 meter ram target is just a little bigger than a large potato.
Of course, you need a good rifle. The CZ 455 has been at the top of the starter rifle list for a long time, however, a few newcomers such as the Tikka T1x are definitely challenging that spot. The gold standard in the silhouette discipline seems to be the venerable Anschutz 1712. With a fantastic two-stage trigger, smooth operation, great balance, and consistent accuracy it’s one of the most popular rifles, just look through the equipment survey from the U.S. Nationals and you will see what I mean. Even though the Anschutz is a great rifle, there are those competitors who want more. Enter Erich Mietenkorte, a Master silhouette shooter from Ellensburg, Washington and his P-51 Mustang-inspired .22 LR silhouette rifle.
The P-51 Mustang artwork was masterfully painted by Perry Mallet of Spokane, WA from a basic theme sketched out by Erich. This is one of the coolest gunstock paint jobs we’ve ever seen. Bravo Mr. Mallet!
Erich’s Smallbore ‘Silhouette Slammer’
Report by Erich Mietenkorte
At the heart of my .22 LR “Silhouette Slammer” is a Sako P94s Finnfire action. I chose this action due to its incredibly fast lock time. Mated to that is a tight-bore Lilja 4-groove barrel finished at 24 inches. This has a Winchester 52D chamber. The barrel and chamber combination were suggested by Loren Peter of Vancouver, WA, a long time silhouette shooter and gunsmith, and it definitely works! The rifle easily and consistently shoots under one inch at 100 meters with good ammo.
Finnfire Fitted with Modified Anschutz 2-Stage Trigger
The Finnfire was originally equipped with a single-stage trigger but I decided that a two-stage works better for me. There weren’t any available options at the time so I took an Anschutz 5109 trigger from a model 1712 and machined a new sear and mated it up to the action.
CLICK to Zoom Photo Click Image for large, full-size photo showing details of paint-work.
The rifle wears a Leupold FX-3 25-power optic, a scope favored by many silhouette shooters for its clarity, magnification, and relatively light weight. To make weight in Hunter Class, the rifle may weigh no more than 8.5 pounds total with optic! The last component that makes up this winning rifle is the amazing work of art that is the stock. All of these components rest in a custom fiberglass stock made specifically to push the limits of the NRA stock jig that all competition silhouette rifles must fit. The stock was constructed by Steve Wooster, a long-time silhouette shooter from Chehalis, WA. The P-51 Mustang artwork was masterfully painted by Perry Mallet of Spokane, WA from a sketch I did. Perry took an idea and used his artistic abilities to create a masterpiece that looks as good as it shoots.
Getting Started in the Silhouette Game
Erich’s advice for anyone wanting to get started in the fun and challenging discipline of silhouette is to take any .22 LR scoped rifle you have and simply show up at a silhouette match. On many occasions Erich has helped newcomers and has even loaned out his own rifle for novices to try. “One of the best things about silhouette is the generosity and friendliness of the competitors. Silhouette is a shooting sport that you don’t have to be intimidated, all shooting abilities are welcome and everyone has an opportunity to be successful.” To learn more about silhouette shooting, or locate a silhouette match near you, visit Steelchickens.com, a popular silhouette-centric web forum.
In this Video Erich Mietenkorte Shoots Rams at 100M with his .22 LR Silhouette Rifle:
Note the bullet impact locations on those 10 turkeys — that would be about a 1″ group. Great shooter with a great rifle. In Canada two weeks ago, Erich set a new Ram “long run” record, hitting 30 in a row.
The Three Amigos — Along with his P-51 paint job smallbore rifle, here are two of Erich’s centerfire silhouette rigs. Erich notes: “The green rifle is my High Power silhouette standard rifle (class weight limit 10 lbs. 2.0 oz.). This features a Defiance Machine Rebel action with a Lilja #6 Contour barrel finished at 26″. This rig is chambered in .260 Bobcat (aka 6.5×250, i.e. 250 Savage necked up to 6.5mm). This cartridge has the same energy as a .260 Remington but much less felt recoil. It is very efficient and makes a big difference when shooting a lot of rounds in a match.” Stock by Steve Wooster.
The brown rifle (upper right) is a blueprinted Remington 700 action with a Lilja #5 Contour barrel finished at 26″, also chambered in .260 Bobcat. Erich tells us: “I won Second Place at the U.S. National Championships last year with this rifle. Stock made by Wooster. This rifle is for the hunting rifle category (9-lb weight limit). For Hunter rifles in smallbore and High Power the trigger must have a safety and a pull weight at least two pounds. (By contrast, a Standard rifle may have any weight trigger with/without a safety.) Because you can shoot a Hunter rifle in the Standard rifle class, I started my High Power silhouette journey with this rifle and then added the Standard rifle later. I’ll be replacing this rifle this upcoming season with a Defiance Rebel action and barrel chambered in 6mm BR.”
Many of the best rifle competitors in the United States will be heading to Indiana next week to compete at the 2019 NRA National High Power Rifle Championships which commence Monday, August 5, 2019. The Across-the-Course Championship, Mid-Range Championship, Long Range Championship, and Extreme Long Range Championship will all take place August 5-21, 2019 at Camp Atterbury, near Edinburgh, Indiana.
Day By Day Planner for 2019 Nationals at Camp Atterbury
Monday, August 5 will be the First Shot Ceremony, and squadded practice will also begin.
Tuesday, August 6 marks the beginning of the Team Matches. They will conclude on August 7.
Thursday, August 8 is the start of High Power Across the Course competition. They last until August 11.
Monday, August 12 is the Mid Range Team Championship, lasting until August 13.
Tuesday, August 13 is the first day of the Mid Range Individual Championship. They last until August 16.
Saturday, August 17 will be the Palma Team Match day.
Sunday, August 18 begins the Long Range Championship which continues through August 21.
Wednesday, August 21 is the registration day for the NRA Extreme Long Range Championship. The match will be fired over the next two days, finishing on August 23.
Lodging at Camp Atterbury and Nearby
Camp Atterbury offers on-base lodging — rooms and cabins will be available to all competitors 18 and over. Camp Atterbury lodging includes suites and standard rooms as well as the MWR Campground and the MWR Cabins. Lodging is controlled by the Camp Atterbury Lodging Office, not by the NRA. Entry fees DO NOT include lodging costs. There are also a number of hotels nearby, including Charwood Suites. Nearby campground Johnson County Park also offers special rates for High Power competitors.
With the CMP hosting important matches next year at Camp Perry, many rifle competitors will be “commuting” between the two venues this summers, driving 4.5 hours from Indiana to Ohio.
New Cartridge, New Rifle for the King
This lady can shoot! At this year’s National Trophy Individual Match (NTI) at Camp Perry, the very talented Sara Rozanski sent an all-time record for female competitors. Sara shot a stellar 496-22X, a new record score for lady shooters. That record-breaking performance won Sara the Women’s Trophy at the CMP National Matches.
