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April 7th, 2011
Today, April 7, the National Rifle Association’s 2nd Annual Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championships commence in Charleston, South Carolina. Clemson University is the official host, but the actual shooting will take place at the Citadel’s high-tech shooting range, which boasts electronic targets with large plasma-screen score displays. The Citadel is known more formally as The Military College of South Carolina.
This is the last big, multi-team match of the season. “What a fantastic way to wrap up the Collegiate Shooting season,” said National Collegiate Competitive Shooting Manager Torie Croft. “We started off in Georgia, made our way to Texas, and now we’re down here in South Carolina for the Rifle Club Championships. I can’t thank Clemson and The Citadel enough for their assistance in helping this come together.”
With Clemson serving as the official host, and The Citadel serving as the official site, the Championships are sure to provide each competitor with an abundance of that famous South Carolina charm. NRA’s Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championships are open to College Rifle Clubs, ROTC Teams, and independent shooters, for which there is currently no national championship. The First Shot Ceremony commences at 5:30 on Thursday followed by a Welcome Reception at 6:30.
April 7th, 2011
Camp Perry shooters, get out those computer keyboards. Online entry is now officially activated for the 2011 NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry. If you plan to attend the National Championships, CLICK HERE to submit your entry information online at www.nmentry.com.
The Online Entry Form for the 2011 National Matches has links to download Liability forms and Special Squadding Request forms for the Smallbore Rifle Phase. Please note that team entries must be made on-site at Camp Perry. Visit www.nmentry.com, for more info. If you have questions about online entry, email compadmin@nrahq.org.
April 5th, 2011
If you want to learn how to shoot accurately at very long-range, one of the very best places to learn is the Williamsport 1000-Yard Benchrest School. The next School session runs May 20, 21, & 22, 2011. Classes are held at the Original Pennsylvania 1000-Yard Benchrest Club Range, one of the best 1K ranges in the country. Classes are taught by top 1K shooters, including our Asst. Editor, Jason Baney.

While these Benchrest schools typically sell out, there were still eight (8) student slots available as of April first. If you want to grab one of the remaining slots for the 3-day school, don’t hesitate. To see what the 1K Benchrest school is like, watch the slide show/video below, produced by Sebastian Reist, an alumnus of the 2009 Williamsport 1000-yard BR school. Sebastian, a talented professional photographer, captured the highlights of his Williamsport 1K training weekend:
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this VideoPress video.
For more information or to sign up for the 2011 1000-Yard Benchrest Class this May, contact School Director Frank Grappone, or visit the Williamsport website, PA1000yard.com.
Photos and slideshow courtesy Sebastian Reist, www.sreistphotography.com.
April 4th, 2011
The 2011 ISSF Combined World Cup shooting competitions were held in Sydney, Australia on March 21-31. In Sydney, the world’s top shooters vied for coveted Olympic “Quotas” that would secure eligibility to compete at the 2012 London Olympic Games. 34 Olympic Quotas were awarded during the course of the 15 ISSF pistol, rifle and shotgun events in Sydney. Lead by its shotgunners, Team USA performed superbly in Australia, finishing with 8 total medals, including 3 Golds, more than any other country. China finished second in the medal count.

American Medal Winners:
Gold: Jamie Beyerle (Lebanon, PA), Women’s 50m Rifle Three Position
Gold: Kim Rhode (El Monte, CA), Women’s Skeet
Gold: Jon Michael McGrath (Tulsa, OK), Men’s Skeet
Silver: Matt Emmons (Browns Mills, NJ), Men’s 50m Rifle Three Position
Silver: Amy Sowash (Richmond, KY), Women’s 50m Rifle Three Position
Silver: SFC Eric Uptagrafft (Phenix City, AL), Men’s 50m Rifle Prone
Silver: Staff Sergeant Joshua Richmond (Hillsgrove, PA), Men’s Double Trap
Silver: Caitlin Connor (Winnfield, LA), Women’s Skeet
Young Americans Win Gold
The United States fielded one of the youngest teams in Australia. But the young shooters more than held their own. Team USA rifle shooter Jamie Beyerle dominated the Women’s 50m three-position event, to win Gold with a total of 685.3 points. Beyerle’s fellow American Amy Sowash finished second. Beyerle shot great in windy conditions that bothered many of her rivals. You can watch Jamie shoot in the first video linked below.
Another gold-medal performance was turned in by 18-year-old skeet shooter John McGrath, the current ISSF Junior World Champion. McGrath qualified for the Men’s Skeet Final by hitting 124 of 125 targets, and then “cleaned” all his 25 Final targets. In an exciting finish, McGrath took the Skeet Gold Medal by beating 2007 World Champion Georgios Achilleos of Cyprus in a shoot-off.
Highlights of the 2011 ISSF Shooting World are now available on the ISSF’s YouTube Channel. Linked below are videos of the Women’s 50m 3-Position Highlights and Men’s Prone 50m Air Rifle event. You can also visit www.ISSF-Shooting.org for the complete tournament results, interviews with shooters, and the latest international shooting news.
Women’s 50m 3-Position (Featuring Jamie Beyerle)

Men’s 50m Prone

Thanks to JoeF for sourcing this story.
March 29th, 2011
Tracy Barnes of Durango, Colorado beat the very best biathletes in the world in the Shoot-Out phase the Veltins World Team Challenge in Schalke, Germany. The World Team Challenge, held annually in the Veltins Arena, is the equivalent of the SuperBowl of Biathlon. Tracy grabbed top honors in the prestigious Shoot-Out event, a shooting competition for the top 20 biathletes in the world. In this invitation-only event, 10 women competed head-to-head in a four-stage shooting event duplicating the format for a regular biathlon race (two prone, two standing). In the final round of competition, the top three ladies from the preliminary round face off with the top three men from the mens’ first round. Tracy came in 1st for the women’s round AND 1st in the final competition!

Laser Rifles Used in Shoot-Out
This year, the athletes and the 50,000 spectators at the Veltins Soccer Stadium had to adjust to something new — this was the first time that laser-rifles replaced the traditional .22-caliber rifle. The athletes received their laser-rifles on Saturday and had only one day to practice before the World Team Challenge. Tracy and her U.S. teammate Tim Burke finished 9th in the pairs mass start and 10th in the pursuit race held the same day. Tracy’s personal support team (her husband Gary and her Dad) accompanied her to Germany for this major biathlon event. [Editor’s note: While we don’t want to diminish Tracy’s accomplishment in any way, we think it is unfortunate that event organizers mandated laser guns instead of .22 LR rimfire rifles. Biathlon started as a military training competition. To change from actual shooting to “lasering” is a step in the wrong direction in our opinion.]
Lanny Barnes Stars in Mammoth Lakes Biathlon Festival
Meanwhile, back in the USA, Tracy’s twin sister Lanny Barnes traveled to Mammoth Lakes, California on friday to help with biathlon clinics for several hundred new biathletes ages 10+ and competed in a race at a new biathlon course in Mammoth Lakes on Sunday. Due to the town receiving close to 10ft of snow during the week, flights were canceled and Lanny wasn’t able to make it in for the clinic. She helped with the kids, adults, wounded warrior, and disabled skier biathlon race on Saturday and competed in an elite race on Sunday. She won the race on Sunday that was filmed by Versus and Outdoor Channel and American Trigger Sports Network. Tracy was impressed by Mammoth Lakes — she says it is evolving into one of the best high-altitude biathlon venues in the country. With over 200+ volunteers that dug out the range buried by mountains of snow, the Mammoth Lakes crew put on one of the most professional and exciting biathlon events ever run in the United States.

Twin Biathletes Continue Training for Next Winter Olympics
The twins ended their seasons after those two events and will now take a two week break before starting up their training again for the 2011/2012 season. With three short years until the next Winter Oympics, the twin will be training hard in hopes of winning gold in Sochi, Russia in 2014.
Photos provided courtesy Tracy and Lanny Barnes, rights otherwise reserved by copyright holders.
March 26th, 2011
The entry/information forms are now available for the NBRSA 600-yard Nationals (Sloughhouse 600: April 20-21, 2011), 1000-Yard F-Class Bench Match (April 22, 2011), and 1000-Yard Nationals (Sloughhouse 1000: April 23-25, 2011). All three major events will be held at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center, located outside Sacramento, California.

There will be hot dogs for purchase April 20,21,22, and 24, while lunch will be catered on Saturday, April 23rd. Match Fees for the two Nationals Events are $50.00 per class (Light Gun and Heavy Gun), while the fee for the F-Class Bench Match (22-lb class) is $30.00. Make Checks payable to: Sloughhouse Benchrest Shooters Inc., 10607 Sacramento Road, Galt, CA 95632. More information will be available on the NBRSA website.
ENTRY FORMS (PDF Format)
NBRSA 600-Yard Nationals Sign-Up Form
F-Class 1000-Yard Bench Match Sign-Up Form
NBRSA 1000-Yard Nationals Sign-Up Form
March 21st, 2011
The 2011 15th Edition of the CMP Competition Rules is now available. These Rules govern Service Rifle, Service Pistol, and CMP Games shooting events. CLICK HERE to download the complete 2011 CMP Rule Book as a digital PDF file.
Here are highlights of the Rule changes:
NEW Vintage Sniper Rifle Team Matches
Rules for the new Vintage Sniper Rifle Team Match for two-person teams are now available in the 2011 edition of the CMP Competition Rules. This year, Vintage Sniper Rifle Team Matches will be fired at the Eastern CMP Games on 10 May, the National Matches on 3 August and the Western CMP Games on 18 October. In addition, any CMP-affiliated club that has 300- and 600-yard firing distances on their club range may now apply to conduct a Vintage Sniper Rifle Team Match as a CMP-sanctioned competition.
This match is for two-person teams. One team member shoots while the other serves as a spotter. After ten shots at either the 300- or 600-yard distance, the two change roles for another ten shots. Each shooter fires a total of 20 shots and team rankings are based on their 40-shot totals.

All teams are required to use as-issued rifles employed for military sniping purposes in 1953 or earlier. The M1903A4, the M1C, M1D and many foreign military sniper rifles are legal for this match. Rule 6.4.3 includes a Table with a complete list of the permitted rifles, which may be either originals or replica rifles. The Table also lists the allowed original scopes and permitted replica (non-issue) optics such as the Lyman Alaskan, Weaver K2.5 and K4 and Stith-Kollmorgen.
Service Rifle Rear Sight Inserts, Rule 6.1.2 (3)
The CMP approved two commercial rear sight inserts that serve as visual aids especially for older shooters for use in Service Rifle competitions. The rectangular rear aperture insert produced by ShootingSight LLC and the SR MicroSight produced by Stallings Machine are both now legal for use in CMP-sanctioned Service Rifle matches.
Bullet Button Magazine Locks, Rule 6.2.3 (15)
California residents only are now authorized to use AR-type service rifles equipped with Bullet Button or similar magazine locks that replace the standard magazine catch.
Quad Rails on M16/ARs, Rule 6.2.3 (14)
Service Rifle competitors must use rifles similar to weapons issued to military personnel. Since quad rails are now common on M16s used by military personnel, M16/AR competition rifles will also be allowed to have quad rails. This authorization is limited to the standard 12-inch military quad rail or its commercial equivalent. NOTE: the front sling swivel must still be attached to the front of the hand guard.
Repaired Stocks, Rule 6.3.1 (11)
Shooters of As-Issued Military Rifles frequently have to deal with cracked or broken stocks. Under previous rules no glue, epoxy or synthetic substances could be used anywhere in the stock due to concerns over the use of epoxy or fiberglass for bedding. This restriction has now been modified so that shooters can use “epoxies or other chemical adhesives” to repair cracked or broken stocks as long as this material is not used to bed the action or barrel.
How to Get 2011 CMP Rulebook
Download the new CMP Rulebook at http://www.odcmp.com/Competitions/Rulebook.pdf. You can also order printed copies ($3.00 each) from the CMP E-Store or contact: CMP Competitions Department, P.O. Box 576, Port Clinton, Ohio 43452, phone (419) 635-2141, ext. 1122.
March 20th, 2011
From March 15-19, the NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championships were held at Ft. Benning, Georgia. The tournament determined the National Collegiate Individual and Team Champions in NTA Intercollegiate Free Pistol, Standard Pistol, Open Air Pistol, Women’s Air Pistol and Women’s Sport Pistol. Both men and women competed shoulder to shoulder in Free Pistol, Standard Pistol, and Open Air Pistol events, but there were separate Ladies’ Only matches for Air Pistol and Sport Pistol. Men and Women shooters competed in separate divisions.
Navy beats Army in Ladies’ Sport Pistol and Air Pistol
There was a strong rivalry among the military academy teams in the Women’s Pistol Matches at the USAMU’s 25 meter range. In Women’s Sport Pistol, the U.S. Naval Academy earned its second Women’s championship this year with a score of 1626, topping the West Pointers by 24 point. In the individual Sport Pistol finals, Kirsten Asdal of the U.S. States Naval Academy took the win with a 655.3 score, edging West Point’s Heather Deppe (653.9 score). The Lady Midshipmen (Midshipwomen?) also won the Women’s Air Pistol Championship with a final team score of 1086. Arch-rival West Point finished second with a 1073 team Air Pistol score.
U.S.M.A. (West Point) Win’s Standard Pistol Team Championship
USNA, USMA, Ohio St., Citadel, Oregon St., USCGA, MIT, Texas A&M, Yale and USMMA were all represented in the team championship by shilled shooter however after the third stage had been fired the United States Military Academy had emerged victorious with a total team score of 2121. Tallying up another championship under his belt this year, Nick Mowrer of Pikes Peak Community College shot a 569 to claim the Standard Pistol Individual title.
Below, courtesy The NRA Blog, is a slide show from the NRA Intercolllegiate Pistol Championships.
March 18th, 2011
If you’re heading to Camp Perry this summer, the NRA has a new downloadable resource that should come in handy. The 2011 National Matches Information Guide (digital edition) includes all the essential information for the National Matches such as a map of Camp Perry, championship calendar, and schedules for important events. The guidebook 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.
The National Matches Ad & Information Guide also has a directory of our sponsors, many of whom are on vendor row. Check out the National Matches Ad & Information Guide online to see what’s happening at Camp Perry at the 2011 National Rifle and Pistol Matches.
March 13th, 2011

The 2011 NCAA Rifle Championships is history and two new individual Champions have been crowned. The Univ. of Kentucky’s Ethan Settlemires shoot superbly throughout the smallbore matches to beat West Virginia’s Nicco Campriani by just two points. But Campriani came right back to win the very competitive Air Rifle event, edging out his WV team-mate Petra Zublasing by 2.8 points.
Kentucky Wildcats Finally Win Team Championship
In team competition, the Univ. of Kentucky, lead by Heather Greathouse and Ethan Settlemires, won the overall team national title. This was Kentucky’s first NCAA Rifle team championship, though Kentucky had recorded 16 ‘Top-10′ finishes since 1994. After UK won the smallbore NCAA title on Friday in the first day of competition, the Wildcats held off West Virginia’s charge in air rifle on Saturday to secure the first national championship in program history, finishing with a 4,700 team total score.

You’ll find extensive coverage of both smallbore and air rifle competition on the NCAA sports website, including video highlights. CLICK HERE to visit the NCAA’s Rifle Championship web page.
Eathan Settlemires of Univ. of Kentucky Wins Smallbore Championship
The results for the smallbore portion of the 2011 NCAA Rifle Championship are in. With strong showings from the West Virginia University as well as Memphis and Texas Christian, it was the University of Kentucky’s Ethan Settlemires who came out on top.

Final scores for the top six Smallbore shooters are:
| 2011 NCAA Rifle Championship – Smallbore |
| Name |
School |
Results |
| Ethan Settlemires |
University of Kentucky |
691.0 |
| Nicco Campriani |
West Virginia University |
689.0 |
| Heather Greathouse |
University of Kentucky |
685.5 |
| Tom Santelli |
West Virginia University |
683.8 |
| Daniel Hermsmeier |
University of Memphis |
682.6 |
| Caitlin Morrissey |
Texas Christian University |
682.1 |
West Virginia’s Campriani wins 2011 NCAA Air Rifle Individual Title
Nicco Campriani of West Virginia University powered on through relay number three with an astounding score of 599. Though his teammate Petra Zublasing managed a higher score in the final round (105.2 to Campriani’s 102), it was enough to overtake Nicco’s initial run.

The top six shooters at the Air Rifle portion of the 2011 NCAA Rifle Championships (held in Columbus State University’s Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center) are:
| 2011 NCAA Rifle Championship – Air Rifle |
| Name |
School |
Results |
| Nicco Campriani |
West Virginia University |
701.0 |
| Petra Zublasing |
West Virginia University |
698.2 |
| Henri Junghanel |
University of Kentucky |
697.6 |
| Sarah Scherer |
Texas Christian University |
697.0 |
| Justin Pentz |
West Virginia University |
694.7 |
| Anna Hjelmevol |
Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks |
694.2 |
Report by KJillson courtesy the NRA Blog.
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