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October 1st, 2011
Pala, California Multi-Stage Varmint Silhouette Shoot
 About 24 miles east of Oceanside, California (near the Camp Pendleton Marine base) is the Pala Reservation. On that Native American land you’ll find a Casino Resort, plus an excellent shooting range. The first Sunday of every month, shooters come to Pala for the Varmint Silhouette Match. At five different yardages, ten steel “critter” targets are set as follows: 200 Meters – Field Mice (“pikas”); 300 meters – Crows; 385 meters – Ground Squirrels; 500 meters – Jack Rabbits; 600 yards – Prairie Dogs.
There’s a North County Shootist Association Varmint Silhouette match this Sunday, October 2, 2011. You’ll need an accurate rifle, and 80-100 rounds of ammo. You can shoot either rested prone (F-Class style), from bipod, or from a portable bench with front pedestal and rear bag. Any rifle 6.5 caliber or under is allowed, with no weight restrictions. Muzzle brakes are permitted. There’s a one-hour sight-in period starting at 8:00 am, and the match starts at 9:00 am sharp. The folks at Pala run a tight ship, cycling multiple relays efficiently, so everybody gets to shoot 50 targets (10 each at five different yardages), and the show is usually completed by 1:00 pm. (Then if you want… head over to the Pala Casino for gambling fun, or a spa treatment.) CLICK HERE for Match Info. Your Editor has shot with the folks at Pala, so I can assure any first-time participants that this event is well worth attending. The Fun Factor is very high.
September 29th, 2011
 The best action pistol shooters on the globe are heading to Philippsburg, Germany next September. Germany was chosen to host the 2012 World Action Pistol Championship (WAPC). This event takes place every other year — Australia hosted the last WAPC in 2010. Phillipsburg, site of Germany’s largest indoor/outdoor Shooting Range, is roughly 23 miles from Heidelberg. The Schiessanlage (shooting range) Philippsburg has previously hosted IPSC German and European Championships.
Shooting Range Philippsburg
76661 Philippsburg, Am Schießstand 1 (Prolongation of Street “Mittlerer Weg“)
Phone: +49 7256 9243889
E-Mail: info@sapb.de
Web: http://www.schiessanlage-philippsburg.de
The format of the World Championship is very similar to that of the Bianchi Cup; everything from the courses of fire to the evening activities. Each year, the host country determines how many shooters will represent each country from the various divisions (Production, Open, Metallic). Once that has been decided, scores from the two previous Bianchi Cups will determine who represents the United States. Competitors can also receive an invitation to be part of a Ladies, Senior, or Junior team.
At the most recent (2010) WAPC in Australia, Team USA dominated the competition. Amazingly, Americans Doug Koenig (1920-188X), Carl Bernosky (1920-181X), and Bruce Piatt (1920-177X) all shot “perfect” 1920 scores to finish first/second/third. We know the Europeans have been training hard, and we expect tough competition for the Americans next September in Philippsburg.
September 22nd, 2011
 The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) will host the 2011 Champion of Champions International Rifle and Pistol Match Sept. 24-30, 2011, at Fort Benning, Georgia. Shooting will be done on electronic targets at the Pool Range Complex and Phillips Range.
The Olympic-style match is a USA Shooting-sanctioned event and qualifies as a performance standard average (PSA) match. Additionally, USA Shooting may use these match scores as a partial tryout for 2012 World Cups. Qualifying PSA scores must be achieved before an athlete may travel with the U.S. Shooting Team to selected international competitions. Champion of Champions Match Awards will be given in the Open and Junior Categories. If you have questions, contact match director Michael Behnke, Michael.behnke [at] usaac.army.mil, or Fax: (706) 545-6252.
CLICK HERE for Match Program and Entry Form (PDF)
Ace Shooters Prepare for 2012 Olympics
USAMU and U.S. National Team members SFC Eric Uptagrafft, SFC Jason Parker, SSG Michael McPhail, SGT Joe Hein, and CPL Matt Rawlings are among the slew of competitors in the field. Uptagrafft has already been nominated for the 2012 Olympic team and will be competing in rifle matches. This is the final match of 2011 prior to the Olympic Trial matches which will determine Team USA spots for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
September 21st, 2011
 Mark your calendars, gents. The IBS 600-yard Nationals are slated for the weekend of September 30th through October 2nd. The event will be held at the Midwest Benchrest Range in Yukon, Missouri. The 2011 600-yard Nationals consist of an 8-target Aggregate match in Light Gun (LG), plus an 8-target Aggregate match in Heavy Gun (HG). There will be a total (LG + HG) of 16 record targets (5 record shots each [80 total]). After a safety meeting, the match begins at 9:00 am on FRIDAY September 30th, and continues on SATURDAY, October 1st. Sunday October 2nd is a reserve day if needed due to weather delays.
Sight-In and Practice Times on Thursday
Thursday, September 29 will be the last day to register. The range is also open on Thursday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm for sight-in and set-up. NOTE: Due to the nature of this event, practice/sight-in will not be available on match days (9/30 – 10/2) prior to the start of the matches.
CLICK HERE for IBS 600-yard Nationals Registration form (PDF)
For more information, visit Midwestbenchrest.com or contact Robert Ross, at (417) 247-2020 or
robert [at] midwestbenchrest.com.
Story Tip from Sam Hall. We welcome reader submissions.
September 18th, 2011
September 11-17, the Bald Eagles Rifle Club hosted the 2011 Spirit Of America rifle match, at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, NM. This match serves as U.S. National Fullbore Championships, but there are also F-Class divisions. The match consists of conventional sling (TR) class, as well as F-Open and F-TR, and the event is shot at distances of 300, 500, 600, 800, 900 and 1000 yards. Approximately 80 shooters, including about 20 F-classer attended the event.
Bryan Litz won the Fullbore TR (sling) competition with a 1782-105X overall score, with runner-up Andrew Wilde (1780-101X), just two points behind. Sean Morris finished third with 1776-85X, and Jim O’Connell shot 1772-81X to claim the High Senior title.
Photo by Randy Pike
In F-Open Class, familiar names topped the leaderboard. Larry Bartholome earned his chair ride as F-Open winner, shooting an impressive 1776-98X. Second in F-Open, five points back at 1771-96X, was past F-Class National Champion Danny Biggs. In the F-TR division, Michael Smith topped the field with a 1738-69X, followed by John Killen, who shot a 1720-52X. NOTE: F-Open and F-TR competitors shoot a target with smaller-diameter scoring rings than the Fullbore Target.
Conditions Were Mild… Then Wild
Bryan Litz tells us the conditions weren’t so bad … until the final day: “We dodged some rain throughout the week, but wind conditions were easy to moderate for the most part. That is until the last 1000-yard string of the last day when Raton finally showed its evil side! The most wind I had used all week was just over 3 MOA. That last relay on Saturday, it was running between 7 and 12 MOA with very quick changes. There were many misses, and just keeping all shots in the black was an accomplishment.” Rick Hunt concurred that the conditions were arduous on the final 1K stage: “At 1000 yards, there was a 9:00 o’clock wind running between 9 1/2 and 13 1/2 MOA. As seen by the scores, two shooters really nailed it. Other than that, it was pretty disastrous for most shooters with the really fast velocity changes.”
When the smoke had cleared, the standings were all jumbled up compared to what they were the rest of the week. Litz added: “An experience like that really drives home the importance of wind shooting skills. To be honest, I had no particular strategy going in other than to stay calm and positive no matter what. A big part of shooting in adverse conditions is managing yourself mentally. I dropped 10 points that last relay, more than I’d lost in the entire tournament up to that point. But given the conditions, I felt good about it, knowing I’d done my best.”
Berger 155gr Hybrids Work Well in Fullbore Competition
Bryan Litz credits his 155gr Berger .308-cal Hybrids for his strong performance: “I was shooting the new Berger 155 grain Hybrid bullets which played a part in saving some points in that nasty wind (on the last day). Due to their length, these bullets require a 1:12″ twist to stabilize and have a higher BC than any other .30 caliber 155 grain bullet. The hybrid ogive makes them length tolerant (insensitive to seating depth) and as the results of this tournament show, they are very effective”.
Complete Final Scores On SOA Blog
You’ll find complete interim and final SOA Match Scores linked from the Bald Eagles Match Blog.
Saturday and Final TR (Fullbore Sling) Class (PDF).
Saturday and Final F-Open and F-TR Class Results (PDF).
At the match the USA Young Eagles unveiled the new uniforms the American team will wear at the World Fullbore Championships in Australia next month. On opposite sleeves, the uniforms feature logos from both major bullet sponsors — Berger and Sierra. Bryan Litz observerd: “Historically teams have been sponsored by ‘one or the other’, but there’s no reason a team can’t enjoy sponsorship by multiple brands, and this is a very positive step in that direction.”
September 9th, 2011
 The 2011 IBS Nationals were held at the White Horse Center Range near Peeltree, West Virginia. This was a 3-target Aggregate match for both Light Gun (LG) and Heavy Gun (HG) with six (6) targets total. The big winner was Shooters’ Forum member Tod Soeby (aka 4Xforfun). Tod, who hails from North Dakota, drove a long way to the match, but his journey was well worth it, as he topped a large, highly-competitive field of 117 shooters. Soeby won BOTH the 2-Gun Overall as well as the Light Gun Group+Score Overall (In Light Gun, Tod was #1 for Group and #6 for Score, shooting a 6mm Dasher). Soeby’s Light Gun Group Agg was a remarkable 3.884″, nearly an inch smaller than the next best Light Gun Group Agg, a 4.724″, turned in by Salley Bauer. Gordy Gritters finished second in 2-Gun Overall, while David Powell secured third place in 2-Gun Overall.
Tod’s three, 5-shot Light Gun groups were: 4.489″, 3.760″, and 3.283″. That yielded an average of 3.884″ at 1000 yards. Think about that — Tod’s average is barely over one-third MOA, which is 3.49″ at 1000 yards — seriously small. Yes, those Dashers can shoot!
Wesley Springman was the top Heavy Gun Shooter, placing second in Group and third in Score, to finish first Overall in Heavy Gun class. Don Rabun was second in HG overall, with Eric Springman taking third in HG, edging Don Nagel on a tie-breaker (both Eric and Don racked up 14 Agg Rank Points). As noted above, Tod Sobey won the Light Gun Overall, with Donald Whitlock second in LG, and David Powley third. Notable other performances were Jeffrey Morten’s first place finish in LG Score, and Eric Springman’s outstanding Group shooting in Heavy Gun. Eric finished #1 in HG Group, with an impressively small 5.925″ Agg (that’s for ten-shot groups). And Sharon Ruben nailed the small group for the match, a mind-blowing 2.686″ on her second Light Gun (5-shot) target. For reference, one-quarter MOA at 1000 yards is 2.617″. Amazing.
Winning Rifles: 6mm Dasher Light Gun, 300 WSM Heavy Gun
Tod Soeby provided this equipment rundown for his Nationals-winning rifles.
Light Gun (6mm Dasher): Smithed by Greg Wahlstrom, Straightline Customs, in Ogilvie, MN. Greg also did the stock work and bedding. Action is a BAT “M” multi-flat, 8.5″-long, R-L-R dual port. Stock is a Shehane ST-1000. Barrel is 30″ Krieger 1:8″ twist, chambered as 6mm Dasher with 0.267″ neck. Optics are: Nightforce NSX 12-42X in BAT +20 MOA aluminum ring/bases.
Heavy Gun (300 WSM): Smithed by Clay Spencer. Action is BAT “L”, 10″-long, 2″-round, dual port. Stock is a Bruce Baer 5″-wide thumbhole, with custom rails by Greg Wahlstrom of Straightline Customs. The barrel is a Hart 1:10″ twist chambered in 300 WSM. Optics are: Nightforce 12-42X Benchrest model. Tod is not sure about the source of Picatinny rail and rings.
CLICK HERE for Full 2011 IBS 1K Nationals Results
117 Shooters Competed at 2011 IBS Nationals
Overall, shooters commented that West Virginia’s White Horse facility was a nice range, and many folks hoped that other major events might be hosted there in the future. Despite the predicted hot, humid weather, there was a great turn-out for the event, with 117 registered shooters in Light Gun and 115 Heavy Gun Registrants. The match organizers at White Horse did a good job with such a large field of shooters. The excellent turn-out proves there is a growing interest in long-range benchrest.
September 8th, 2011
Here’s a positive success story about a family that shoots together. Shooters’ Forum member Troy (aka ‘TTFreestyle’) is a competitive shooter whose 15-year-old daughter Michele is following in his footsteps. It looks like Michele is a born shooter, with exceptional natural talent — she won her first-ever F-Open match, shooting a 450-22x without dropping a point. Marksmanship definitely runs in the family. (Interestingly, Michele has a twin sister who also shoots, but according to Troy, “Michele’s twin doesn’t crave shooting the way Michele does.”)
Troy reports: “My daughter Michele shot her first F-Open match today at Chattanooga rifle club. It was a three-relay, mid-range match with 15 shots at 300 yards and two more 15-shot relays at 500 yards. Michele shot 450-22x out of 450 with her Savage 6BR.” Troy revealed: “I was worried that I had not done enough load development for her, but I but guess it was good enough!” Troy added: “I helped Michele get set up with the rest and rear bag. I told her to have fun and follow-through. She did the rest. We were fortunate that the conditions were favorable for her relays — not too breezy and with little mirage. The wind really kicked up later while we were in the pits.”
Michele’s Rifle Specs — a Hot-Rodded Savage 110
Michele’s winning rifle, which Troy just completed two weeks ago, has some key upgrades. The barrel is a 28″ 6mmBR pre-fit Criterion from Northland Shooters Supply. Troy noted: “My wife’s gun also has a Criterion pre-fit barrel. Both Criterions shoot great — 2.5″ at 600 yards with minimal load development.” The Savage 110 action on Michele’s rifle now sits in a a href=”http://www.sharpshootersupply.com/LRBR_Stock.html” target=”new”>Sharpshooter Supply Long Range Benchrest stock, pillar- and skim-bedded by Troy. One of the new Sightron tactical 8-32x56mm scopes rides on top on an EGW +20 MOA rail. The gun has the old three-screw Savage trigger with some tweaks done by Troy, who says “I prefer the old trigger (with some mods) to the new Accutrigger.”
Troy tells us: “Michele and I are both just starting in the mid/long range game. We have so much to learn and have met some very helpful friends. At Oakridge, I met Danny Biggs who gave us some advice I’ll never forget: ‘Matches are won in the reloading room’.” The load Troy developed for Michele was 30.2 grains Varget and 107 SMK into the lands running about 2850 fps.
Father, Mother, and Daughter All Love to Shoot
Troy is quick to credit Michele’s trigger-pulling skills: “Michele is solid — 45 shots in a row and she kept going. I don’t think I can out-shoot her.” Troy added, “My wife Tammy also shoots. In fact, at Chattanooga, Tammy also cleaned the 300-yard match with 150-9X but dropped a few points at 500. After seeing how well Michele and Tammy did, maybe I just need to put the guns together and watch.”
Congrats to Michele, Tammy, and Troy! A family that shoots together is a great inspiration.
September 8th, 2011
 The Original Pennsylvania 1000-Yard Benchrest Club (Williamsport) has cancelled its two-day match this weekend, September 10-11, due to severe flooding in the immediate area. The National Weather Service has advised that the Susquehanna River will crest at 25′ on Friday.
Our friend Jason Baney tells us: “The situation is as bad as I’ve ever seen it, but we expect the waters to recede in a few days. This weekend’s match, the 9th of the season, will be re-scheduled for a double match later in the month.” The re-scheduled Match 9 will be held concurrently with Match 10, on September 24-25, 2011.
September 4th, 2011
The 2011 International Sniper Competition and Symposium will be held September 26-30, 2011 at Fort Benning, Georgia. Two-man teams from all over the world will compete in 10 to 15 sniper-related events. The events will test competitors’ physical fitness and sniper skills including: target detection, target discrimination, stalking, land navigation, and marksmanship. The teams represent active-duty Army units, the Army National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve, U.S. Air Force, Pentagon Defense Police, the San Diego Police Department and the countries of Canada, Germany and Ireland.
The focus of the competition is to bring teams together to share battlefield lessons learned, provide training initiatives and ideas and to compete tactically and technically. The competition is preceded by a training symposium.
Public May View Sniper Competition
The competition will take place on firing ranges on Fort Benning and events will be conducted continuously over a 72-hour period. Many of the competition’s events are spectator-friendly. The event is open to the public (for viewing). There is no admission fee and parking is free.
September 1st, 2011
It’s time for pistol shooters to load up plenty of ammo and book their plane tickets. Three major pistol championships are scheduled to take place in the next five weeks. The USPSA, IDPA, and IPSC are all holding big events, starting in mid-September.
 First the USPSA National Handgun Championships will be held September 16-24 at the Desert Sportsman’s Rifle & Pistol Club in Las Vegas. We’ve shot at that range, tucked in the foothills on the northwest side of Las Vegas. It is a large, well-equipped facility. But it is also a dry, dusty location that can be hot as Hades in September. Bring plenty of water (along with plenty of ammo). Leading up to the USPSA Nationals, the USPSA has scheduled three of its eight regional championships over the first two weekends of September. This ensures competitors will be primed and ready for the National Championships.
 On September 21-24, the IDPA will conduct its first-ever World Championship Match at the Universal Shooting Academy in Frostproof, Florida. Because it does not require (or permit) expensive custom “race-guns”, IDPA competition has become very popular. IDPA matches emphasize the use of cover and other “practical” defensive techniques. The idea behind IDPA was to provide a competitive discipline which allowed shooters to perfect their skills with the actual guns they carry or use for home defense. The IDPA expects a big turn-out in Florida, including shooters from a dozen or more foreign countries.
Unfortunately, the IDPA World Championship will over-lap the last four days of the USPSA Nationals. Some shooters hope to compete in both events. In order to allow this, the USPSA and IDPA have worked out a compromise. The Shooting Wire reports: “The [scheduling conflic] was more a result of a lack-of-communication comedy of errors. Each organization announced their championship dates within a short time of each other — and quickly discovered the problem. But Robert Ray at IDPA and Michael Voigt, president of USPSA, quickly worked out a compromise. Shooters competing in USPSA’s Limited and Production division nationals in Vegas on September 21-24 will be allowed to shoot through the match in order to fly out to Florida and compete in the IDPA World Championship.”
 Greece Hosts IPSC World Shoot in October on Rhodes
The IPSC World Shoot XVI in Greece, takes place October 3-8, 2011 at the Kalamonas Shooting Range, on the island of Rhodes. This is a huge event — over 1,000 shooters are expected to attend. There will be five (5) divisions, based on handgun type: Open, Modified, Standard, Revolver and Production. In addition, awards will be handed out to five (5) categories of shooters within each division: Overall, Lady, Junior, Senior and Super Senior. The IPSC World Shoot features some spectacular stages based on Greek history and mythology. These include the Labyrinth Stage and the water-filled Colossus of Rhodes Stage, both shown below.
CLICK HERE for information about the Greek island of Rhodes, with map.
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