Want to learn long-range benchrest skills from the best in the business? Then head to Williamsport, PA this June. The registration period for the 2019 PA 1000 Yard Benchrest School is now open. This year’s session will be held Saturday and Sunday, June 8-9, 2019, with a “Meet and Greet” on Friday night, June 7. Classes, taught by top 1K shooters, are held at the Original Pennsylvania 1000-Yard Benchrest Club Range, one of the best 1000-yard ranges in the country. The school will be limited to 24-30 students with one instructor for every two students.
Praise from a 1K Benchrest School Grad
Here’s a testimonial from a recent graduate: “I can attest to the knowledge that you gain. I went last year and loved it. Have renewed my membership in the Club and would love to go this year. I would love to take the course again. In the photo above I am in the back row, fourth from the right — sunglasses and blue shirt.” — Bob, Class of 2016
Participants will learn all aspects of long-range benchrest shooting from some of the most skilled marksmen in the country. Much time is spent at the loading bench and on the firing line. Classes cover load development, precision reloading, bench skills, and target analysis. You don’t even need guns and ammo — all equipment and ammunition will be provided.
School instructors tell us: “This year’s benchrest school will be a 2-day weekend event. (There is also an optional ‘Meet and Greet’ gathering Friday evening). The school is a beginner class designed to teach the fundamental skills needed to be competitive at at 600 and 1000 yards. Saturday will be spent in class covering a range of topics including reloading ‘dos and don’ts’, load development and equipment handling. Sunday we will shoot an actual match to see what you’ve learned.”
After taking this class, you might be the guy who shoots an amazing 100-8X at 1000 yards like this:
Cost for the class is $475.00 including lunches on Sat/Sun and dinner on Saturday. Act soon if you want to attend the 2019 school — the program fills quickly. The classroom is limited to only 24 (possibly 30) students and instruction is one instructor per two students. A one year membership is included with the cost of the school.
If you have any questions regarding the school send email to: amurtagh6mm [at] gmail.com.
Andy Murtagh
Vice President and Public Relations Officer
Original PA 1000 Yard Benchrest Club
How well can the little 6mm Dasher perform at 1000 yards when the conditions are good, and the shooter is riding a hot streak? Well here’s a shot-by-shot record of Scott Nix’s 4.554″ ten-shot group shot at Missoula, Montana at the Northwest 1000-yard Championship a few years back. All 10 shots were centered for a 100-6X score. That’s about as good as it gets. If Scott had stopped after 5 shots, his group would have been under three inches.
Video Demonstrates Amazing 1000-Yard Accuracy
Watch the video. You can see the group form up, shot by shot. It’s pretty amazing. Scott’s first shot (at the 45-second mark of the video) was right in the X-Ring, and four of Scott’s first five shots were Xs. That’s drilling them! This video was recorded from the pits at the 1000-yard line, during record fire.
There’s a formidable new option for PRS Production Class. MasterPiece Arms (MPA) is bringing out a new tactical/practicalcompetition rig, officially called the MPA BA PMR Competition Rifle. This new rifle has a $1999.99 price tag, making it suitable for Production Class. It will be offered with Curtis Action fitted to an X-Caliber, hand-lapped 26″ match barrel. Three chamberings will be available: 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Winchester.
This rifle is designed specifically for the Production Class requirements of the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) and has been approved for use within this division. It includes many competition-related features while staying under the $2,000 price limit for this class. It is available in either a Black or Tungsten Cerakote® finish. Accuracy is helped with a very good barrel — an X-Caliber, hand-lapped 416R Stainless premium barrel with a polished finish. The chamber is indicated within 0.0001” or less to the bore of the rifle.
The MPA BA PMR Competition Rifle utilizes the MPA BA Ultra Lite Chassis, CNC-machined from 6061 aluminum. The V-bedding system provides additional clearance for glass bedding action and straight section of the barrel. The chassis also includes a built-in inclinometer, thumb notch, lower mounted Picatinny Rail, 20 MOA Scope Rail, A2 Style Pistol Grip and is R.A.T. System compatible. The MPA Buttstock comes with an adjustable cheek riser and length of pull that are locked in position with a series of set screws that are embedded into the buttstock body. This is the same system MPA uses on its Standard BA Chassis, but without the thumb wheels.
CMP Competition Rulebooks that will govern all CMP sponsored and sanctioned competitions in 2019 have now been approved by the CMP Board’s Rules Committee and posted on the CMP website. Significant changes in this year’s rulebooks include dividing the former Service Rifle and Pistol Rulebook into two separate rulebooks, the establishment of a new program to give persons with disabilities an opportunity to earn Distinguished Badges, and the creation of separate unlimited classes for Modern Military Rifles and Rimfire Sporter Rifles. 2019 CMP Competition Rulebooks are effective immediately and can be downloaded from the CMP website by using the following links:
CMP Games Competition Rules, governs As-Issued Military Rifle, Modern Military Rifle, Vintage Sniper Rifle Team Match, Rimfire Sporter Rifle and As-Issued Pistol
LINK: http://thecmp.org/wp-content/uploads/CMPGamesRules.pdf
Here are key 2019 CMP Rule Change Highlights. For a more complete list of important changes, read the official CMP 2019 Rule Change Summary.
New Distinguished Marksman Program For Shooters with Disabilities
A major new CMP program being introduced in 2019 is the Distinguished Marksman Badge Program for competitors with medical or physical limitations or disabilities. To implement this program, the CMP is establishing a new Distinguished Badge called the Distinguished Marksman Badge. Any rifle or pistol competitor with a disability or limitation that previously prevented them from fully meeting rules requirements for earning EIC credit points is invited to apply to the CMP for a “Distinguished Marksman Authorization” (contact acantu@thecmp.org or phone 419-635-2141, ext. 602).
Electronic Scoring Target Rules
New electronic target (EST) installations at the Talladega Marksmanship Park and CMP Travel Games necessitated special rules to govern irregular shot entries that may appear on electronic targets. CMP EST rules were updated this year, based on EST experiences. CMP Rules now define EST complaint resolution processes for: 1) a protested shot value; 2) a missing slow-fire shot; 3) a missing rapid-fire shot; 4) an extra slow-fire shot and 5) an extra rapid-fire shot.
Highpower Rifle Rule Changes
Separate Highpower Rifle Rulebook
Until this year Service Rifle and Pistol events all had the same rulebook. As a result, rules frequently skipped from rifle to pistol and back and this often caused confusion. Now there are two separate rulebooks, one for Highpower Rifle and a separate rulebook for Pistol.
Long Range Rifle Classification System
The CMP brought Long Range Rifle competitions at 800, 900 and 1000 years back to Camp Perry and the National Matches in 2018. This successful new program attracted 182 competitors who made 454 event entries. This year’s change features the introduction of a Long Range Rifle classification system that will expand the CMP Highpower Rifle classification system implemented in 2018 (HP Rule 3.11.4).
National Matches Program
The 2018 National Matches Program that introduced CMP Cup Matches, Long Range Rifle Matches and the Roosevelt Match (for U.S. Krag and M1903 rifles) will be unchanged in 2019. All of the highpower rifle events that were on the 2018 National Matches Program are already in this year’s National Matches Schedule. If you have not done so already, download the 2019 National Matches Calendar.
In 2019, the “Standard Modern Military Rifle” will return to its original rules for AR-type rifles that featured a 7.5 lbs maximum weight and metallic sights only. In 2019, AR-type rifles that weigh more than 7.5 lbs or that have optical sights will compete in a separate Unlimited Class. In addition, Modern Military Rifles with optical sights will now all be in the Unlimited Modern Military Rifle Class. Free-floating handguards will be allowed in both the Unlimited and Standard Modern Military Rifle Classes.
CMP Games Rule Changes
The CMP Games Rulebook that governs As-Issued Military Rifle and Pistol events as well as Rimfire Sporter Matches has some of the most significant 2019 rule changes. These include the establishment of an Unlimited Modern Military Rifle Class and the expansion of the Rimfire Sporter Tactical Class to become a combined Tactical and Unlimited Class (TU-Class). Changes in this rulebook are.
Modern Military Rifle
For 2019, after much debate and inputs from many, the CMP decided to return the first Modern Military Rifle Class to its original rules as a Standard Modern Military Rifle and to establish a separate Unlimited Modern Military Rifle Class. The Standard Modern Military Rifle will go back to its original 7.5 lbs. weight limit for AR-type rifles and 9.0 lbs. for M1As. Standard Modern Military Rifles will be restricted to metallic sights only. Rifles that weigh more than 7.5 lbs. or 9.0 lbs. or that have optical sights will now be in the Unlimited Modern Military Rifle Class. Restrictions against float tubes or metallic sights with finer adjustments were removed for both classes.
As-Issued Military Rifle Events
The core of the CMP As-Issued Military Rifle program is the ever-popular Garand-Springfield-Vintage Military Rifle triad. Those events and the Carbine Match, which accompanies them on many match programs, remain unchanged.
At long range, small bullet holes are much easier to see “in the white” than in the black center of the normal High Power target. When you’re practicing at long range using a scoped rifle, one way to enhance your ability to see your bullet holes is to print a “negative” version of the regulation bullseye target so that your black center is now white.
How do you create a “negative” of a target image? Many image programs, including the FREE Irfanview software, have a “Negative” function in the pull-down menu. If you don’t see a “Negative” menu option in your program, look for a “substitute colors” option. Many printers also have a “reverse colors” function. If you can’t find a solution with your computer or printer, just take a normal bullseye target to a copy shop, and the staff can easily print you a set of targets with white centers in black fields.
Forum member Watercam has a Pentax PF-80ED spotting scope that allows him to see 6mm bullet holes in the white at 600 yards. However, 6mm holes in the black are only visible out to 400 yards or so. Accordingly, Watercam uses a modified “reversed” black-to-white target for 600-yard practice. Watercam explains: “[Using the Pentax] With my 6mm and limited mirage I see defined, 6mm holes in the white out to 600. In the black, however, I can see bullets holes at about 400. I now use reverse-color targets for training without a pit partner at the 600-yard line.”
The Hi-Viz Solution — Day-Glo Pasters
If you’re not concerned with official scoring rings, you can use an all-white target with a bright, fluorescent target dot in the middle. A 2″- or 3″-diameter stick-on target dot is highly visible at 600 yards. Birchwood Casey Target Spots® assortment #33928-TSA offers neon orange target dots in 1″, 2″, and 3″ diameters.
TARGET TIP — Use Chart Paper
For practice backers for the Day-GLo pasters at long distance, use Flip Chart Paper (aka Easel Pads) marked with graph lines at 1″ intervals. Available either regular or self-stick, one sheet can hold 4-8 pasters and the white paper allows for easy spotting of the holes and quick estimation of group size. Get Flip Chart Paper at Amazon.com, Staples, or Office Depot.
Brits Use White-Field Target for F-Class
In the UK, some ranges are now using a “reverse-style” target with a mostly white area. Laurie Holland says this allows shooters to see shots much more easily. Laurie reports: “Here’s a photo of the 500/600 yard F-Class match target we use in PSSA comps at Diggle Ranges with club members Chris Hull (L) and Terry Mann (R). We now use this target form at all ranges up to 1K for F-Class, and, yes you can often see your hits at 600 yards on the target before the markers pull it. Regards from England — Laurie”.
Sometimes everything comes together — a great barrel, the right load, good bullets, and, of course, a gifted trigger-puller. Check out this target from Forum member Mike Ezell. That’s five (5) shots at 100 yards from Mike’s 30 Major benchrest rifle. When this group was shot a while back, Mike reported: “I fired a few groups in the great weather. No surprises — it did VERY well! My little wildcat, the 30 Major, has always been a shooter. That target was not a fluke — I shot a few groups today and Agg’d a high One.” Mike is a Kentucky gunsmith who builds his own rifles.
30 Major is Based on 6.5 Grendel
What’s a “30 Major” you ask? This is Mike’s own wildcat, a 6.5 Grendel necked up to .30 caliber. Mike writes: “The 30 Major is essentially a .070″-long 30 PPC. With the great 6.5 Grendel brass available from Lapua, all you need to do is neck-up and turn the necks to prep the brass.” Mike says it is very much like a 30 BR, but you just start with 6.5 Grendel brass instead of 6mmBR brass.
The cartridge has one major benefit — it utilizes a PPC-diameter bolt face. That makes it easy to convert your group-shooting 6 PPC to shoot score with .30-cal bullets. Mike explains: “If you have a PPC, to shoot score, all you have to do is chamber up a [.30 caliber] barrel and screw it on your PPC.”
From 7.62×39 Russian to 30 Major — Full Circle
Arms expert Neil Gibson has an interesting perspective on the lineage of the 30 Major. He reminds us that this wildcat has returned to its roots: “Start off with the 7.62×39 Russian [cartridge]. The Russians then modify it, necking it down to .223 for deer hunting. The U.S. benchrest guys then modify that, necking it up to 6mm and blowing the case out making the 6mm PPC. Someone takes that case, necks it out to 6.5 mm, making the 6.5 PPC. Alexander Arms takes that and makes the 6.5 Grendel. Then finally Mike Ezell takes the Grendel and necks it up to 30 caliber, making the 30 Major. From 30 caliber, back to 30 caliber. OK, the original uses .31 caliber bullets, but the bore is still .300. Talk about almost coming round full circle!”
7.62×39 Russian
v
.220 Russian
v
6mm PPC
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6.5 PPC
v
6.5 Grendel
v
30 Major
The 7.62×39 Russian was the Grand-Daddy of the 30 Major…
Great Accuracy Restored after Solving Mystery Problem
To get his 30 Major rig shooting this well, Mike had to solve a mysterious problem that cropped up last year. Mike explains: “Two years running, I have finished in the top 15 in IBS points shooting [the 30 Major], but last year’s benchrest season was tough.” Mike was having some accuracy issues that defied explanation. But he figured it out: “The front action screw was bottoming out against the barrel extension – just barely. A simple fix brought the gun back to life. It’s a Stiller Viper Drop Port. The action is screwed and glued into the stock, so I was a bit surprised … especially after having checked for [that issue] while looking for the problem. I’m just glad to have found the trouble so I can begin to re-instill some confidence in the gun and myself, after last year.”
Top to bottom – Remington firing pin assembly with ISS, Tubb SpeedLock alloy-composite system without ISS (current versions have dual, opposite-wound springs), and Remington short action firing pin assembly without ISS.
The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit regularly publishes technical articles on the USAMU Facebook page. One informative USAMU article covered mechanical issues and related ignition irregularities that can cause vertical fliers even with good ammunition in an otherwise excellent rifle. We highly recommend you read this article, which offers some important tech tips.
Vertical Dispersion: Mechanical/Ignition Issues?
Poor or inconsistent ignition has long been known to be one of the “usual suspects” when one encounters vertical fliers that just shouldn’t be there. By having a sense of some of the basic principles involved, and a few basic areas to check, the shooter may avoid colsiderable frustration, not to mention time, expensive loading components and barrel wear.
Is your well-built rifle of high-quality components plagued with vertical fliers across more than 1-3 handload combinations? Consider the bedding, crown and scope/sight mounts. Are they correct? If so, then you might check for ignition issues before boldly undertaking an extensive, expensive, and quite possibly fruitless quest for the “magic handload”.
SEEING IS BELIEVING: While the author had been aware for many years that poor ignition should be considered and ruled out when dealing with vertical fliers in an otherwise-excellent rifle, actually seeing the problem and its almost instantaneous cure really drove the lesson home.
He was working with a “dot” rifle – a .22 LR match rifle that really stacked bullets into little piles at 50 yards and beyond. With one lot of ELEY Tenex, it produced consistent “bughole” groups at 50, but with another, selected lot of Tenex, similar groups were regularly ruined by single, vertical fliers that did not appear in other rifles. Rather than spending days burning up expensive, select ammunition looking for “magic lots”, he contacted a well-respected rimfire gunsmith and explained the situation.
Without so much as batting an eye, the highly-experienced ‘smith tore into the rifle’s action, and quickly found the cause(s) of the problem. He discovered a demonstrably weak firing pin spring, plus a chip out of the face of the firing pin where it contacted the cartridge rim.
After replacing and tuning the offending parts, the rifle immediately began shooting tiny, bughole groups with the previously “unacceptable” lot of Tenex. Centerfire rifles can also benefit from ensuring positive, consistent ignition. A wise riflesmith is literally worth his weight in gold!
So, what are some issues we as shooters can inspect in our rifles to help determine if ignition woes could be part of our problem? At the club level, ask yourself if that “experienced” Remington, Winchester 70, or even Springfield-based match bolt gun you’re using is still running its’ original 40-80 year-old factory striker spring? If so, a new replacement is cheap insurance against current or future problems. (And BTW, it might be best to stick to the normal, factory-spec spring weight. A super-powerful spring can cause vertical, just as a weak one one can.) Along with that, a routine check for proper firing-pin protrusion is a quick preventive measure that can rule out potential issues.
Other areas to consider are the centering and consistency of the firing pin’s operation in the bolt. Admittedly, with the increasing use of precision-machined custom actions, this is becoming less an issue every day. Below is the firing pin assembly from a custom BAT action:
However, particularly with factory actions, a very quick and easy check is to remove the bolt, let the firing pin go forward, and look at the firing pin tip through the firing pin hole. Is the tip off-center in the hole, and possibly striking it as it moves forward? Is the hole out-of-round or burred from being struck repeatedly? If so, a trip to the riflesmith is likely in order.
Similarly, machining issues in the bolt/firing pin system can lead to rough and erratic firing pin movement, in which the firing pin drags against an internal surface of the bolt. In high-quality rifles these issues are relatively rare, but not unheard-of, and it takes mere minutes to rule them out. It may be worthwhile to remove the cocking piece/firing pin/spring assembly and look for any unusual gouges, dings, peening, burrs or signs of abnormal wear.
This task is especially easy with Winchester 70s, Springfields, and the similar Mauser 98s, involving little more than the push of a button and unscrewing the cocking piece assembly. This is just one of the many reasons these tried-and-true actions have earned such a loyal following in the field, among hunters who must maintain their rifles away from a shop.
Particularly with older rifles, watch for and remove excess grease (or even Cosmoline!) from both the firing pin assembly and inside the bolt. This can help improve firing pin speed and consistency. Other bolt-action designs may need a take-down tool or other measures.
As part of this inspection, AFTER ENSURING THE RIFLE IS UNLOADED, slowly cock the rifle, dry-fire, and repeat several times. Listen carefully near the action for inconsistency in the sounds it generates. Does the striker falling make the same sound each time? Do you hear or feel grinding upon operation? If so, where?
Be sure to check the operation of the cocking piece (bolt shroud), firing pin within the bolt shroud, the cocking piece cam and the rear of the bolt body where the cocking piece cam operates. As with our examination for abnormal wear marks discussed above, look for marks indicating roughness or a possible need for light polishing. Then, clean and lightly grease the bearing surfaces while you’re at it.
Remington 700 bolt shroud and cocking cam
These are relatively easy checks that shooters can undertake to perform a preliminary inspection on their own. Other mechanical issues can also cause ignition issues, chiefly centered around the action of the trigger, sear and sear spring. If these are suspected, a trip to an experienced, qualified riflesmith for diagnosis is recommended. We hope you find this information helpful! Join us again next week, and in the meantime, enjoy the shooting sports safely!
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. 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.
At Western CMP Games, veteran rifle competitors Leon Rutherford, left, and Don Rutherford, demonstrate how to score targets at the GSM new shooter clinic. Note the use of a separate Target Center, which is available from many of the vendors listed above.
Here Todd Jarrett nails three steel targets and a pop-up orange clay bird. Watch full video below.
If you are a fan of 3-Gun competition, tune in to Shooting USA this week. The latest episode, which airs Wednesday October 4, features the 2018 USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals in Boulder City, Nevada. You can see many of the nation’s top 3-Gun shooters attacking some very challenging stages with pistols, rifles, and shotguns. CLICK HERE for TV Schedule.
Multi-gun competition has evolved considerably since it started 30 years ago. The firearms are more sophisticated, the optics are better, and the stage times are much faster. Still, the challenge remains the same: How fast can you shoot multiple targets, with the score determined by speed and accuracy? For the best in the sport, the answer is very fast indeed, but Match Director Pete Rinsing has a few tricks up his sleeve to challenge competitors on never-before-seen courses of fire at the USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals held in April 2017.
Todd Jarrett highlights from 2017 USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals. Check out 300-yard prone rifle at 00:30, and blazing rifle-pistol-shotgun transitions at 00:50:
Most people compete in the Tactical Division, including 8-time Champion, Daniel Horner. Horner rose to the rank of Sergeant First Class with the USAMU. Now a civilian, Horner currently shoots with Team SIG. Competitors in the Tactical division are not allowed a bipod, so many competitors utilize structures on the stage to stabilize their long gun. Regardless of division, the USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals is a true test of manipulating three different weapons, under pressure, on run-and-gun courses of fire. And the pressure is definitely on when a National Championship is on the line.
The National Rifle League (NRL) conducts tactical, multi-stage field matches around the country. Along with the Precision Rifle Series (PRS), NRL matches attract many of the top tactical/practical shooters in the country. In addition, the NRL offers serious prizes donated by major sponsors such as Nikon, Kelbly’s, Howa, Benchmark Barrels, and Manners Composite Stocks,
The NRL recently announced its Official 2019 Match Schedule. This includes 18 national level 2-day matches across the nation, culminating with the NRL Championship match. It features NRL representatives in locations from past seasons such as Arizona, Nebraska, Idaho, Oklahoma, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington, and Wyoming. The schedule also announces new locations in states such as Texas, South Dakota, Iowa, and Kentucky. The 2019 NRL Season is set to kick-off on February 16th, 2019 in Arizona. Here is the list of events, with date, location, and match directors.
National Rifle League (NRL), is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to the growth and education of precision rifle shooting. In 2019 the NRL looks to continue the League’s growth and success. “The NRL Executive Board of Directors is honored to have these exceptional match directors as part of the 2019 season who are committed to bringing quality events and help lead the way into the future of the precision rifle community,” stated Travis Ishida, Founder of the NRL.
For more information and the entire 2018 season schedule, visit www.nationalrifleleague.org. 2019 sponsorship opportunities are available for this new season.
Location Date Match Director / State Representative
1. Axisworks Long-Range Challenge – Wikieup, Arizona Feb. 16 – 17, 2019 Christ Tressler, Rusty Ulmer
2. Rifles Only – Kingsville, Texas Feb. 22 – 23, 2019 Jacob Bynum
3. Big Horn Steel Classic – Omaha, Nebraska March 9 – 10, 2019 Chaz Macrander
4. PRSID Gem State Stand Off – Vale, Oregon March 23 – 24, 2019 Nate Lauerman, Seth Howard
5. Silent Night – Ninnekah, Oklahoma April 6 – 7, 2019 Justin Watts
6. South Dakota Steel Classic – Orient, South Dakota April 27 – 28, 2019 Michael Kane
7. JC Steel Targets Challenge – Ritzville, Washington May 4 – 5, 2019 Jake Vibbert, Sean Johnson
8. Prairie Rock Shoot Out – Broadwater, Nebraska May 18 – 19, 2019 Lee Anderson
9. The Vortex Rampage – Mt. Auburn, Iowa June 1 – 2, 2019 Jim See
10. Dog Valley Precision Challenge – Nephi, Utah June 8 – 9, 2019 Cole Quarnberg
11. New Mexico Smith Ranch Shootout – Bloomfield, NM June 22 – 23, 2019 Dusty Brixner, Scotty Freidline
12. The Revolution at Rockcastle – Park City, Kentucky June 29 – 30, 2019 Adam Vaught
13. Mile High Shootout – Craig, Colorado July 13 – 14, 2019 Robert Quigley
14. Heatstroke Open – Camargo, Oklahoma July 20 – 21, 2019 Matt Clem, B.J. Bailey
15. Rock Lake NRL Steel Challenge – Cheney, Washington Aug. 31-Sept. 1, 2019 Doug Glorfield
16. Monster Lake Mayhem – Cody, Wyoming September 27 – 28, 2019 Phillip Velayo, Caylen Wojcik
17. West Coast Showdown – Pala, California October 19 – 20, 2019 Jorge Ortiz, Scott Satterlee
18. 2019 NRL Championship – Navasota, Texas December 6 – 8, 2019 Dave Ferguson, Prentice Wink
Want to learn long-range benchrest skills from the best in the business? Then head to Williamsport, PA this June. The registration period for the 2019 PA 1000 Yard Benchrest School is now open. This year’s session will be held Saturday and Sunday, June 8-9, 2019, with a “Meet and Greet” on Friday night, June 7. Classes, taught by top 1K shooters, are held at the Original Pennsylvania 1000-Yard Benchrest Club Range, one of the best 1000-yard ranges in the country. The school will be limited to 24-30 students with one instructor for every two students.
How well can the little 6mm Dasher perform at 1000 yards when the conditions are good, and the shooter is riding a hot streak? Well here’s a shot-by-shot record of Scott Nix’s 4.554″ ten-shot group shot at Missoula, Montana at the Northwest 1000-yard Championship a few years back. All 10 shots were centered for a 100-6X score. That’s about as good as it gets. If Scott had stopped after 5 shots, his group would have been under three inches.
Forum member Watercam has a Pentax PF-80ED spotting scope that allows him to see 6mm bullet holes in the white at 600 yards. However, 6mm holes in the black are only visible out to 400 yards or so. Accordingly, Watercam uses a modified “reversed” black-to-white target for 600-yard practice. Watercam explains: “[Using the Pentax] With my 6mm and limited mirage I see defined, 6mm holes in the white out to 600. In the black, however, I can see bullets holes at about 400. I now use reverse-color targets for training without a pit partner at the 600-yard line.”
Is your well-built rifle of high-quality components plagued with vertical fliers across more than 1-3 handload combinations? Consider the bedding, crown and scope/sight mounts. Are they correct? If so, then you might check for ignition issues before boldly undertaking an extensive, expensive, and quite possibly fruitless quest for the “magic handload”.
