Congratulations to Jared Perry, winner of the 2012 President’s Rifle Match! Jared fired a 98-3X in the shoot off for a new National Match Record of 398-6X. In related news, the National Trophy Individual Rifle Match will be fired today at Camp Perry. The overall winner will have his/her name engraved on the Daniel Boone Trophy, and 11 other trophies will be awarded today.
Birds-Eye View of Camp Perry Ranges
We know many of our worldwide readers may never have a chance to visit Camp Perry in person, but they are still interested in this historic facility on the shore of Lake Erie, near Port Clinton, Ohio. If you’ve always wanted to see what Camp Perry looks like, here are a series of “Birds-eye” photos taken from the Beach Tower.
Report based on story by Kyle Jillson for the NRA Blog
CPT Christopher Abalo of the USAMU won the NRA Smallbore Rifle Prone Championship at Camp Perry, claiming the prestigious Critchfield Trophy with a score of 4792-352X. Reya Kempley came in second, just two points back (4790-363X). Rounding out the top three was Michael Anti who shot 4787-350X
The “third time was a charm” for Abalo, who secured the title in his third appearance at the Camp Perry smallbore prone event. He was close to the top in the past two years. In 2010 Abalo finished second behind teammate SSG Shane Barnhardt, while in 2011 Abalo took third, behind teammate SSG Michael McPhail and Mark Delcotto. “It feels great,” Abalo said of his first win. “After coming in second and third the last two years, it feels great to be at the top of the podium this time.”
CPT Abalo shown during “Any Sights” stage of Smallbore Prone Event.
Comprised of a Metallic Sight Championship and Any Sight Championship, the Prone Championship saw improved weather from the previous week’s Position Championships. Conditions stayed dry for the most part, but the wind coming off Lake Erie was still a force to contend with and often made life difficult for the almost 300 shooters taking part in the matches.
Close to 1,300 service rifle competitors will fill the firing lines today (Monday) at Camp Perry for the CMP President’s Rifle Match. At this prestigious event, conducted annually during the CMP National Trophy Rifle Matches, the top 100 competitors (after 30 shots) will be named the 2012 President’s 100. The top 20 shooters will then be invited to a mid-afternoon Shoot-Off today. The Shoot-Off winner will be awarded the President’s Rifle Trophy (photo right). CLICK HERE to learn more about the history of the President’s Match.
CMP program coordinator, Lue Baxter, fired the cannon this morning at Camp Perry to start the day’s matches. Lue works with the CMP Camp Riflery program, National Match Air Rifle program, Junior Highpower Clinics and CMP Marksmanship Center at Camp Perry. The CMP provides updates and match results on its website, www.odcmp.com.
Kim Rhode “delivered the goods” on Sunday, winning the Gold Medal in women’s skeet shooting. By earning Gold in 2012, Rhode became the first USA athlete to win an individual medal in five (5) successive Olympic games. Congrats to Kim, who earned her 2012 Gold medal with a spectacular performance, scoring 99 out of 100. This tied the all-time World Record and set a new Olympic record.
Kim hit 65 clays in a row before her first miss. She went 25-for-25 in her first two Qualifying sessions, finishing 74-for-75 in Qualifying, also a new Olympic Record. This gave Rhode a 4-point lead heading into the finals. Not flinching under pressure, Rhode “cleaned” her final run, hitting all 25 Clays without a miss to secure a well-deserved Gold Medal.
“It’s just been an incredible journey,” said Rhode. “And ultimately, I couldn’t be happier for bringing home the gold for the United States.” This is the fifth time Rhode has earned a shotgun shooting medal at the Olympics. As a teenager in 1996 she won the double-trap gold medal at the Atlanta Olympic Games. At the Sydney Olympics four years later she took bronze in double trap. Kim then topped all double-trap competitors to win gold at Athens, Greece in 2004, and Kim took the silver medal in skeet at Beijing in 2008.
At the 2012 London games, Rhode won Gold in dominant fashion, as she went 99 for 100 to win by four points while smashing the old 93-point Olympic Record. Wei Ning of China took silver with 91 points and Danka Bartekova of Slovakia took the bronze in a shoot-out with Marina Belikova of Russia after Danka and Marina tied with 90 points.
At the U.S. Armed Forces Interservice Championships held earlier this month in Quantico, Virginia, USAMU Team Praslick set a new 1000-yard Team Record, with a spectacular 1197-68X score, beating the existing 1192-66X record set way back in 1997. The course of fire was 20 shots by each of six shooters, 120 shots total. This record was doubly impressive because it involved mandatory paired firing. The squad was divided into three pairs. When each pair went to the firing line, the two shooters would alternate shots. Team Coach, SFC Emil Praslick, had to make a wind call for one shooter, and then the other, shot by shot — that’s not easy. The record-setting squad was an all-star contingent of USAMU shooters: SGT Sherri Gallagher, SPC Amanda Elsenboss, CPL Matt Rawlings, SSG Shane Barnhardt, SSG Brandon Green, SSG Ty Cooper. Praslick said he was “very proud of my shooters.”
The 1197-68X record was set in “Any Sights / Any Rifle” competition using bolt guns chambered for the 7mm Remington Short-Action Ultra-Magnum (RSAUM), and fitted with Nightforce scopes. Coach Praslick says the USAMU is very pleased with the performance of the 7mm RSAUM: “Our 7mms can deliver very tight vertical spreads at 1000 yards.” Praslick also praised the work of USAMU armorers who build the rifles and load the ammo for USAMU teams: “We’ve got world-class gunsmiths. That’s our advantage. All the guns are tested at distance with match ammunition. We can count on the guns and the ammo to perform shot after shot. This is a big confidence builder for our USAMU shooters.”
New 1K Service Rifle Record
Along with the great performance by USAMU Team Praslick, USAMU Service Rifle shooters coached by SFC Jeremy Mangione set a new Service Rifle record. Using .308-Caliber AR10-type rifles with 185gr Berger bullets, the Team posted a 1154-33X Aggregate, a Service Rifle Team Record. That’s amazing considering these shooters were aiming with military-style iron sights with a post front sight. One of the squad’s shooters, SPC Augustus Dunfey, recorded a 200-10X. Coach Praslick called this a “spectacular individual performance”. Praslick told us that Dunfey’s 200-10X “is definitely the highest [20-shot] Service Rifle score shot in Interservice 1000-yard competition. And, as far as anyone can remember, it is the highest [20-shot] 1000-yard score ever shot with a Service Rifle anywhere.” SPC Dunfey was shooting at a target with a 20″ 10-Ring, and 10″ X-Ring. This means, using a stout-recoiling .308 rifle with sling (no rest) and relatively crude sights, Dunfey put half his shots inside one MOA and did not drop a single point. That’s impressive….
The 2012 Olympic Games kicked off last night in London. And the first gold meal awarded at the 2012 Game went to a shooter — Yi Siling of China. The top-ranked Chinese Air Rifle shooter edged Slywia Bogacka of Poland to win Gold in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle event. The South Korean shooting squad also captured its first Gold Medal of the games as Jin Jong-oh won the Men’s 10m Air Pistol event. Jin had won silver in the last Olympics at Beijing, China.
Visit NBCOlympics.com for complete online coverage of the Olympics. On that website, in the upper left-hand corner (next to the London 2012 logo), you’ll find a “Select a Sport” button. That button opens a menu with links to all the different sports. There is a dedicated page for the Shooting Sports. CLICK HERE to visit the Shooting Sports Page at www.nbcolympics.com/shooting/.
Held July 14-15 at the Original Pennsylvania 1000-Yard Benchrest Club, the 2012 Williamsport Word Open attracted a large field, with over 130 competitors. Brothers Bill Squires and Shawn Squires finished first and second respectively in the Two-Gun Overall Championship, making this year’s World Open a family affair. Both men campaigned a .300 WSM Heavy Gun and 6mm Dasher Light Gun. These rigs were smithed by the brothers themselves. The Squires boys really dominated this year. Bill ended up with 40 rank points, while Shawn had 44. Next best was Scott Weber, who had 71 rank points to finish third Overall. Shooting a 6mm Dasher, Weber also captured the Light Gun (LG) event, edging out LG runner-up John Buhay by a tenth of an inch in Aggregate Group size. (Buhay shot a Dasher in both LG and HG classes, finishing 8th Overall.)
It was “Ladies First” (and second) in the Heavy Gun (HG) class. Two talented ladies, Veronica Martin and Melissa Wagner, out-shot all the male competitors. Shooting a 300 WSM, Veronica took the HG title with an impressive 4.491″ Group Agg and 99 Score Agg. Melissa piloted her 6mm Dasher to second place in HG, with a 4.901″ Group Agg and 98 Score Agg. Finishing third in Heavy Gun was 300 WSM shooter Matt Kline, who racked up a “best in match” 99.5 Score Agg, along with a 4.997″ Group Aggregate.
As usual, the Williamsport Club put on a great event. This year there was a $40,000+ prize table — probably the best ever for a 1000-yard benchrest match. Two-Gun Overall runner-up Shawn Squires stated: “Yes it was a great weekend, even with the monsoon that occured during Day 2 of Light Gun. I would like to thank the Sponsors and Board, pit pullers and all who attended the 2012 World Open. The team at Williamsport always puts on a great event. Congratulations to Bill Squires (Two-Gun Overall), Veronica Martin (Heavy Gun Overall) and Scott Weber (Light Gun Overall). I guess if I had to lose Two-Gun Overall it might as well have been to my brother! Looking forward to the 2013 World Open.”
Shown above are the Top Ten Standings (and equipment lists) for the Two-Gun Overall, Heavy Gun Class, and Light Gun Class. For easier reading, click the “View Larger Image” link. Complete World Open Results for all 135 competitors are found on the Williamsport Club website at www.pa1000yard.com. The results are stored in an interactive database so you can search by class, event, or relay.
If you’re heading to Camp Perry this summer, the NRA has downloadable resources that should come in handy. The 2012 National Matches Information Guides (digital editions) include all the essential information for the National Matches. There are three separate digital Info Guides, one each for High Power Rifle, Smallbore Rifle, and Pistol Matches.
The Info Guides feature a map of Camp Perry, championship calendar, and schedules for important events. The guidebooks also includes ads from local businesses in Port Clinton, Ohio with information on restaurants, lodging, and more. There are special promotions and discounts for Camp Perry competitors.
You can access all three guides through the links below:
The 56-page High Power Guide, the “Official High Power Program”, is embedded below. Click right/left arrows to navigate from page to page. CLICK HERE to launch reader in new window.
The 2012 National Matches Information Guides also include directories of Match sponsors, many of whom are on vendor row. Check out all three of the digital Info Guides to see what’s happening at Camp Perry at the 2012 National Rifle and Pistol Matches.
Tarl Kempley is the 2012 NRA 3-Position Smallbore National Champion. Tarl combined a second-place finish in the Any Sights (scopes allowed) event with a fourth-place finish in the Metallic Sights event to end up winning the overall championship with a combined 2295-108X score. (The NRA 3P Smallbore National Championship is based on combined scores of the Metallic Sight Match and the Any Sight Match.)
NRA Smallbore Rifle 3-Position Championship (Combined Metallic Sight and Any-Sight)
Tarl has been a top smallbore competitor for many years. He won the 2011 NRA Metric 3-Position National Championship, and, in 2009, Tarl won the 3-Position Metallic Sight Championship at Camp Perry. This year he pulled it all together to win the 3-Position Overall Championship, chalking up high X-Count along the way. Interestingly, the next three finishers were women: Kirsten Weiss (2287-96X), Amanda Luoma (2281-92X), and Reya Kempley (2276-107X).
Weiss Shoots Iron Sights in Any Sight Match Yet Finishes Second Overall
Team Lapua’s Kirsten Weiss provided the come-from-behind story of the match. Shooting through extremely adverse conditions during the Any Sight Match on Day 2, Kirsten rose from eighth place to finish Second Overall and High Woman. This is particularly remarkable because Weiss shot the Any Sight Match with metallic (iron) sights! The majority of the other shooters opted for scopes. With the winds howling at over 20 mph, and the temperatures 25 degrees cooler than on Day One, Weiss shot consistently in the prone, kneeling, and standing portions. Weiss captured the standing segment and finished consistently near the top in prone and kneeling. Weiss uses a well-traveled Anschutz rifle with old-fashioned wood stock.
Weiss Used Ammo Tested in Lapua Tunnel
“I was very happy with my shooting, especially in the tough conditions on Day Two,” reported Kirsten. “Back in April I was at the Grand Opening of the Lapua Rimfire Service Center in Arizona and was able to comparison test some lots of Midas+ and X-ACT with my rifle.” Weiss says the lots of ammo she selected for her gun “performed great”, as her performance proved.
The 2012 London Olympic Games commence this Friday, July 27th. Among the thousands of Olympic athletes competing in London will be talented American rifle, pistol, and shotgun competitors. America fields a very strong team, and Team USA hopes to earn medals in many shooting events. To help fans back home follow our team members, USA Shooting has created an excellent 66-page guidebook that profiles America’s 2012 Olympic Shooting Team. This provides background info on all our 2012 U.S. Olympic/Paralympic shooting Team members. To view the USA Shooting Olympic Preview eZine, click the cover photo at right or the link below. Or, if you become a supporting member of USA Shooting, you can get a hard copy edition. USA Shooting, a 501c3 non-profit corporation, was chartered by the U.S. Olympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the sport of shooting in the United States.
Wounded Warrior Will Compete for Team USA at London Paralympic Games
The video below is an inspirational story about 2012 Paralympic Team USA member SFC Josh Olson. Now serving with the USAMU, wounded Iraq war veteran Josh Olson recently qualified to represent Team USA in shooting at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. In this video, Josh talks about his service in the military and the night in Iraq when he lost his leg during an ambush. Josh, who took up shooting as a sport during rehab at Walter Reed, hopes he can inspire other wounded veterans through his performance in London. Editor’s NOTE: This really is an outstanding video. I strongly recommend you take the time to watch it.
Birds-Eye View of Camp Perry Ranges
CPT Abalo shown during “Any Sights” stage of Smallbore Prone Event.
Close to 1,300 service rifle competitors will fill the firing lines today (Monday) at Camp Perry for the 
Kim Rhode “delivered the goods” on Sunday, winning the Gold Medal in women’s skeet shooting. By earning Gold in 2012, Rhode became the first USA athlete to win an individual medal in five (5) successive Olympic games. Congrats to Kim, who earned her 2012 Gold medal with a spectacular performance, scoring 99 out of 100. This tied the all-time World Record and set a new Olympic record.
The 1197-68X record was set in “Any Sights / Any Rifle” competition using bolt guns chambered for the 7mm Remington Short-Action Ultra-Magnum (RSAUM), and fitted with Nightforce scopes. Coach Praslick says the USAMU is very pleased with the performance of the 7mm RSAUM: “Our 7mms can deliver very tight vertical spreads at 1000 yards.” Praslick also praised the work of USAMU armorers who build the rifles and load the ammo for USAMU teams: “We’ve got world-class gunsmiths. That’s our advantage. All the guns are tested at distance with match ammunition. We can count on the guns and the ammo to perform shot after shot. This is a big confidence builder for our USAMU shooters.”
The 2012 Olympic Games kicked off last night in London. And the first gold meal awarded at the 2012 Game went to a shooter — Yi Siling of China. The top-ranked Chinese Air Rifle shooter edged Slywia Bogacka of Poland to win Gold in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle event. The South Korean shooting squad also captured its first Gold Medal of the games as Jin Jong-oh won the Men’s 10m Air Pistol event. Jin had won silver in the last Olympics at Beijing, China.
Tarl Kempley is the 2012 NRA 3-Position Smallbore National Champion. Tarl combined a second-place finish in the Any Sights (scopes allowed) event with a fourth-place finish in the Metallic Sights event to end up winning the overall championship with a combined 2295-108X score. (The NRA 3P Smallbore National Championship is based on combined scores of the Metallic Sight Match and the Any Sight Match.)
Weiss Shoots Iron Sights in Any Sight Match
