Story by Chad Adams for3GunNation.com Blog
Eight Multi-Gun Competitors will be competing for the $50,000 top prize at the 3-Gun Nation (3GN) Championship in Las Vegas on January 18, 2012 (during SHOT Show Week). Eight competitors punched their tickets to Las Vegas for the 3-Gun Nation Finale by winning elimination matches held at Peacemaker National Training Center (Glengary, WV) earlier this month. The winner of the 3GN Shoot-Off Finale will receive a huge payday — $50,000 from Leupold Tactical Optics and NBC Sports.
Rustin Bernskoetter, Taran Butler, Jeff Cramblit, Mark Hanish, Tyler Payne, Phil Strader,Tommy Thacker, and Mike Voigt all qualified for the 3GN Shoot-Off Finale via wins during the elimination round. Thacker was paired against current 3GN Champion Dan Horner of the USAMU. Horner finished the course faster, but the young soldier later conceded the match to Thacker after footage showed that Horner had failed to knock down one of the targets. In another notable one-on-one 3GN elimination at Peacemaker NTC, our buddy Taran Butler knocked off legendary Jerry Miculek. Anytime Jerry Miculek doesn’t make it into the finals, you know the competition is tough.
The road to the 3GN Championship began last September, as competitors have compiled series points at major 3-gun matches across the country. The top 64 competitors were invited to compete in the 3GN Championship Match (at Peacemaker NTC), a one-day Tactical Optics event that featured four stages of fire—each with all three guns.
In what most are calling the deepest 3-gun field ever assembled, the top 16 advanced into the Shoot-Off elimination round. Now the Las Vegas eight will compete for the highest cash payout in the history of the sport, with $50,000 going to the 3-Gun Nation Champion, courtesy of Leupold and NBC Sports. To learn more about 3-Gun competition, watch the video below in which Jerry Miculek, Mike Voigt, and Maggie Reese discuss the 3-Gun Nation shoot-off and the struggles of head-to-head competition.
Editor’s Note: Sometimes proven old designs are just as good as the latest technology. In the capable hands of Robert Vadasz, the scratched and well-used 11-year-old Smith & Wesson revolver shown below has won three PPC National Championships and the 2011 National Police Shooting Championship (multiple guns used). Here’s a profile of a great shooter and his trusty old wheelgun.
Story by Lars Dalseide, for The NRA Blog
When I first approached U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Vadasz about profiling the guns he used to win the 2011 National Police Shooting Championship — his third in four years — he had just completed the final stage of the Revolver 1500 Match. A match that he won with a score of 1490-117X. A match in which he used his Bob Jones PPC revolver.
“It’s a .38 Special Smith & Wesson,” said Vadasz. “My Bob Jones PPC revolver. The very first competition gun that I ever had built … probably back in 2000″. Fitted with Hogue Monogrip, the .38 hasn’t been tinkered with since the day it arrived. “Exact same gun,” said Vadasz. “It’s never been worked on. It’s never been changed. I won all three of my PPC National Championships with this gun. It’s real special to me.”
In a 2001 NRA Law Enforcement Division Newsletter, gunsmith Bob Jones talked about his work on PPC pistols: “I started working on pistols in the Navy, and it kind of stuck — it was something I really enjoyed doing,” said Bob, thinking back to his days as a Naval armorer who tinkered with .45s.
Bob’s typical modifications to a Smith & Wesson revolver include fitting a Shilen barrel, bobbing the hammer (cutting off the cocking spur), adding an Aristocrat Sight Rib, tuning and smoothing the trigger, and installing a trigger stop. The Shilen barrel increases accuracy, adds some additional weight for stability, and its increased size (and surface area) helps with heat dissipation.
There’s a new effort underway to support the Michigan Junior Shooters. The fund-raising campaign hopes to raise $500.00 by Christmas time. Bryan Litz is helping with the effort, donating $4.00 from the purchase price of copies of his book, Applied Ballistics for Long Range Shooting.
Bryan explains: “Funds raised in this campaign will be used to support all disciplines of rifle shooting for Michigan juniors including High Power, Long Range, and Smallbore. Funds will be used to offset costs of team T-shirts, entry fees, travel, housing, and so on. Basically, we are hoping to defray the expenses of competing at a higher level — costs which juniors often cannot cover on their own. I’ll be updating the ‘thermometer’ image as we approach our goal of $500.” Visit the Michigan Rifle and Pistol Association – Juniors WebLog to learn about the juniors’ participation in recent competitions.
The $4 donation per book applies for books sold directly from the Applied Ballistics website. Ordering direct is also the only way to order ‘autographed’ copies of the book.
Bryan adds: “Please consider this as a gift option for a fellow shooter, and to help support young people involved in the shooting sports.”
Highly Recommended. Here’s a great video interview with current F-TR National Champion Jeff Rohrer. At the recent F-Class Nationals, Jeff won the F-TR division (individually), and Jeff also was a member of the winning F-TR squad, Team Sinclair (photo below). In this video interview, Jeff talks about his background in shooting, and explains some of the strategies and techniques that have made him a Champion. Jeff then discusses precision reloading and the equipment used in F-Class competition. Jeff also explores the differences between shooting as an individual and shooting in a team event. There’s a lot to be learned from Jeff’s interview — long-range competitors should take the time to watch it.
Jeff is a modest guy, but very, very talented. Forum member Mark H (aka “Deadlyswift”) tells us: “I have had the pleasure of shooting with Jeff, and against him at Camp Butner. Jeff is not just a great shooter, he’s a great guy! He sets a fine example for fellow shooters to follow. He is always helping out new shooters that come out to shoot with us at Camp Butner. He even lent his own rifle to a newcomer to shoot a relay, because the newcomer’s rifle and load just couldn’t make it to the target at 1000 yards. I have learned a great deal from Jeff. The way he handles himself, and treats people on and off the range, is great for our sport!”
The 2012 NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championships and NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championships will be held at Fort Benning, Georgia in March. These events run simultaneously. Dates are March 13-17 for the Pistol Championships and March 13-18 for the Rifle Championships. These Championship matches will be conducted as part of the U.S. Army’s Army Strong Collegiate Shooting Championships.
Participation by Invitation Only
Both the Pistol and Rifle Championships are invitation-only events — the Top 30 ranking individuals in each discipline and the Top Ten ranking team in each discipline are invited to attend. Learn more about these events by downloading the NRA’s 2012 Intercollegiate Championship Online Program, a PDF file. There you will find competition Schedules, Courses of Fire, Training Summits and more. Pistol event coverage starts on page 1 while Rifle information begins on page 17.
Editor’s Note: We told you last week that Dustin Ellermann was the best natural marksman among Top Shot Season 3 competitors, and sure enough Dustin proved it, with a totally dominating performance in the final head-to-head battle. And before that Dustin made what was probably the most difficult rifle shot ever on Top Shot — hitting a golf ball with a .22LR rifle at 100 yards — with no sighter shots and no windflags. You try that sometime. It ain’t easy, even with a rimfire benchrest rifle and $15/box ammo.
In winning the Top Shot Season 3 title, Dustin, a self-taught shooter in his first-ever real competition, beat 15 other skilled marksman, most with much more impressive “shooting resumes”. Displaying poise, speed, and superior accuracy, Dustin proved he had the “right stuff”. Time and time again, Dustin sent “big name” shooters (with years of competition experience) packing. And throughout the Top Shot season, Dustin, a Christian Camp Director, exhibited good sportsmanship, unlike one foul-mouthed ex-Navy SEAL. Bravo, Dustin — you deserved this victory.
Dustin Ellermann from Zavalla, Texas Wins $100,000 Top Shot Prize
The good thing about being sent to the elimination round on the The History Channel’s Top Shot TV show is that you get to shoot some pretty cool weapons. Everything from full-auto pistols to Gatling Guns. Bad news is you could be going home. For Dustin Ellermann, that possibility almost became reality during the first round of the season finale. Escaping elimination, Ellermann went on to win the overall title in a rout, soundly trouncing second-place “Big Mike” Hughes.
In the closing credits, Dustin said: “I came, I shot, I won. My victory proves that, hey, normal everyday people can be good shooters and can have fun doing it. I actually won this thing!”
Starting with a Glock 34s and a dueling tree, Ellermann took the lessons he learned from the first round and sent Chris Collins home with a perfect 12 for 12 as time ran out.
Next was the shooting gallery. With an assortment of firearms and targets, Dustin started things off by nailing a golf ball with a Volquartsen .22LR rifle at 100 yards. Mike and Gary couldn’t match that. The competition continued until Mike called for shooting an AK-47 with one hand. Mike and Gary were successful while Dustin was not. Then Gary, down by one point, failed to hit his final “called” shot (with a .40sw pistol at 25 yards), so Gary was eliminated.
That set up Dustin with Mike Hughes for the final one-on-one elimination round. This required the two men to move rapidly through multiple stages, using a variety of weapons: 1875 revolver, Benelli slug-gun, re-curve bow, semi-auto rifle, and so on. Mike and Dustin were pretty much even with the 1875, with Mike having a slight edge. But then Dustin “dusted” Hughes on the shotgun stage. Dustin was fast and accurate, while Mike struggled big time. Mike literally lost his sights. Using the notch instead of the front sight to zero in on the target, Mike spent the rest of the challenge killing the jars, never getting beyond the Benelli stage.
Meanwhile, Dustin was methodically cleaning the course in record time. He made his bow-and-arrow trick shot on the first try. From there it was two rapid shots with the Vltor TS3 (AR-type rifle), a quick thumbs up to the wife and a few more rounds through a Smith & Wesson 500. One final Tannerite flash from the S&W 500 target signaled Dustin’s dominating victory. Dustin Ellermann became Season 3’s Top Shot. And it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
It’s too late to audition for Top Shot Season 4, but if you want to learn some of the skills required to be a Top Shot, then sign up for a class at http://nrainstructors.org/ near you.
Carl Bernosky and Tyler Rico Top Field at Creedmoor Cup
Congratulations to Carl Bernosky (Match Rifle) and Tyler Rico (Service Rifle) — winners of the 2011 Western Creedmoor Cup, held October 19-23 at the Ben Avery Range outside Phoenix, AZ. Carl shot 2376-101X while Tyler tallied 2344-83X overall. Tyler was also the High Junior shooter for the match. If you see these guys, give them a pat on the back — they did a great job. Other Creedmoor Cup Category Winners were: Matthew Pitchon (High Senior, 2285-40X) and Sara Rozanki, (High Woman, 2325-56X).
CMP Western Games Winners included:
Western Games Garand Match: Brian Dobish, 284-6X
Western Games Springfield Match: James Denovchek, 285-8X
Western Games Vintage Military Match: Glendale Rutherford, 289-5X
Three Gun Aggregate Results: Glendale Rutherford, 852-12X
SSG Daniel Horner of the USAMU used the new 300 AAC Blackout (300 BLK) cartridge to win first place overall in the Tactical Optics division of the 2011 USPSA Multigun National Championship, held outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Horner’s choice of cartridge allowed him to satisfy “Major Power Factor” requirements while using his regular AR15 rifle and magazines. The only important change was replacing the 5.56mm barrel with a .30-caliber barrel.
The 300 AAC Blackout was created by Advanced Armament Corp. and Remington primarily for the military as a way to shoot .30-caliber bullets from the M4/AR15 platform while using standard magazines. As explained by Robert Silvers, AAC’s R&D Director: “Now there is a way to shoot 30 caliber from your AR while still using normal magazines with full capacity. Even the bolt stays the same, and all that changes is the barrel.” For more information visit www.300aacblackout.com and download the 300 BLK Cartridge Information Guide (PDF).
The concept of putting a .30-caliber bullet in a shortened 223 case has been done before, but not as an industry-wide standard that anyone can make products for, royalty-free. SAAMI, the industry standards organization, adopted and standardized the AAC 300 Blackout earlier this year. The SAAMI diagram for the 300 BLK is shown below.
Affordable Factory 300 BLK Ammo is Available
Remington now sells a variety of 300 BLK ammo: 1) 125 grain open-tip match with a custom Sierra bullet; 2) 220gr subsonic, and 3) 125gr AccuTip (photo below). While the 300 BLK is easy (and inexpensive) to reload, Remington and AAC recognized that most people are not reloaders. So Remington will be budget-priced UMC-brand 300 BLK ammo through at just $12.99 per box — that’s less than most other rifle cartridges than are more powerful than the .223.
The 300 AAC Blackout has been touted as an important new hunting round, but we see it more as a specialized “rule-beater” 30-cal option that lets 3-Gun competitors “make major” with a low-recoil cartridge that also offers long barrel life. For those who need to run a .30-caliber cartridge from a standard AR15 platform (as opposed to the AR10), the 300 AAC Blackout makes some sense. But for hunters using a bolt gun, there are any number of tried and true options, such as the 7.62×39, .30-30, and, of course, the .308 Winchester (7.62×51 NATO).
Dave Kloft, a member of the U.S. Goodwill Team and a shooter for the U.S. Army Reserve, provided this report at the conclusion on the World Long Range Rifle Championships held at the Belmont Range outside Brisbane, Australia. The U.S. Palma Team finished third, behind Great Britain (1st Place), and South Africa (2nd Place).
There was very, very stiff competition and the conditions on the range tested our coaches and shooters thoroughly. After two long days of shooting, we found ourselves bested by Great Britain and South Africa. While we did not win gold, this was still a tremendous accomplishment for our team, and it was an honor to be among the best rifle shooters in our country and from around the world.
We were overwhelmed by the hospitality demonstrated by all the great folks in Australia during the past three weeks. It was definitely a wonderful experience. With any luck, this won’t be my last time visiting this amazing country.
The 2015 World Championships will be hosted by the USA. The planned location is currently Camp Perry, Ohio following the US National Championships in August. The next U.S. Team Training event is the South African National Championships in October of 2012.
Summary by Lars Dalseide and Cloft report courtesy The NRA Blog.
It’s Sunday, October 22nd in Australia, on the other side of the International Dateline. That means that the World Long Range Rifle Championships (WLRC) has concluded. The last major event was the Palma Cup Match, the most prestigious event in full-bore competition. The 2011 Palma Match has been completed with Team Great Britain the clear winner with a total Aggregate of 7027-651V. That’s 35 points ahead of South Africa which took second with a score of 6992-651V. (Interestingly had exactly the same V-count, for Center hits). Team USA captured the Bronze Medal, finishing third with a total of 6980-655.
Yanks Finish Third
Our friend Kelly Bachand, one of the Team USA Palma shooters, reports: “I’m a very proud member of the 2011 bronze medal winning USA Palma Team! There was very, very stiff competition and the conditions on the range tested our coaches and shooters thoroughly. After two long days of shooting we found ourselves bested by Great Britain and South Africa. While we did not win gold, this was still a tremendous accomplishment for our team, and I was very proud to shoot alongside the best rifle shooters in our country and from around the world.”
Link for Match Results
Preliminary results for the Palma Team Match and all the 2011 World Championships events are available online. For results for both individual and team events, visit the WLRC Results Page.
Rustin Bernskoetter, Taran Butler, Jeff Cramblit, Mark Hanish, Tyler Payne, Phil Strader,Tommy Thacker, and Mike Voigt all qualified for the 3GN Shoot-Off Finale via wins during the elimination round. Thacker was paired against current 3GN Champion Dan Horner of the USAMU. Horner finished the course faster, but the young soldier later conceded the match to Thacker after footage showed that Horner had failed to knock down one of the targets. In another notable one-on-one 3GN elimination at Peacemaker NTC, our buddy Taran Butler knocked off legendary Jerry Miculek. Anytime Jerry Miculek doesn’t make it into the finals, you know the competition is tough.
Story by Lars Dalseide, for 
The 2012 NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championships and NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championships will be held at Fort Benning, Georgia in March. These events run simultaneously. Dates are March 13-17 for the Pistol Championships and March 13-18 for the Rifle Championships. These Championship matches will be conducted as part of the U.S. Army’s Army Strong Collegiate Shooting Championships. 
Editor’s Note: We told you last week that 
Next was the shooting gallery. With an assortment of firearms and targets, Dustin started things off by nailing a golf ball with a Volquartsen .22LR rifle at 100 yards. Mike and Gary couldn’t match that. The competition continued until Mike called for shooting an AK-47 with one hand. Mike and Gary were successful while Dustin was not. Then Gary, down by one point, failed to hit his final “called” shot (with a .40sw pistol at 25 yards), so Gary was eliminated.
It’s Sunday, October 22nd in Australia, on the other side of the International Dateline. That means that the World Long Range Rifle Championships (WLRC) has concluded. The last major event was the Palma Cup Match, the most prestigious event in full-bore competition. The 2011 Palma Match has been completed with 
Yanks Finish Third
