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March 24th, 2010
This week’s episode of Shooting USA covers END of TRAIL, the World Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting. The episode was filmed last June at the 2009 Championship. Based on the number of shooters, End of Trail is the second largest rifle/pistol competition in North America, topped only by the NRA National Championships at Camp Perry, OH. End of Trail is held each year at Founders Ranch, located near Albuquerque, NM. The next End of Trail will be held June 21-27, 2010.
The first part of Shooting USA will cover the SASS Championship, while the second-half Sighting-In segment will feature The Women of SASS. While most shooting sports are dominated by men, none seems to be as female-friendly as Cowboy Action Shooting.
Shooting USA’s SASS Special airs today, Wednesday March 24, on the Outdoor Channel:
Eastern Time 4:30 PM, 8:30 PM, 12:00 Midnight
Central Time 3:30 PM, 7:30 PM, 11:00 PM
Mountain Time 2:30 PM, 6:30 PM, 10:00 PM
Pacific Time 1:30 PM, 5:30 PM, 9:00 PM
March 22nd, 2010
 The Burbank Rifle and Revolver Club (BRRC) hosts a major SoCal tactical two-gun match this weekend — the 2010 BRRC Team Challenge I. This event is for two-person teams; each shooter needs a rifle and pistol or revolver. Money prizes will be offered to the top teams. The event is limited to twelve teams and there are just two (2) more team slots open so sign up soon if you’re interested. To pre-register, email Gary Eliseo, spraynandprayn [at] socal.rr.com .
Match Director Martin Tardif says: “Break out that tactical rifle and home defense pistol, put on your Mall Ninja/Sniper/Operator Khakis and get your buddy down to Burbank Rifle and Revolver Club north of Los Angeles Saturday March 27th for the 2010 B.R.R.C. TEAM CHALLENGE I.” The linked Match Bulletin details the course of fire, equipment list, and rounds needed.
If you’ve attended the BRRC Team Challenge before, there will be some changes this year to make the event more fun. The field stage is different, there will be more steel targets, more cardboard silhouettes, and more Unknown Distance shooting. But Tardif notes, this won’t be too physically demanding: “If you’re worried about too much running and not enough gunning… trust me, you could shuffle through this stage and still be competitive.”
Required Equipment: Scoped rifle (.30 cal or under) with extra magazines/ammunition and sling for carry during the field course, pistol with extra magazines and holster for field course carry.
Recommended Equipment: Spotting scope, binoculars, compass and shooting mat are useful. Note: No laser rangefinders will be permitted at any time during the match.
CLICK HERE for Match Bulletin
CLICK HERE for Directions to BRRC Range (Los Angeles area)
March 20th, 2010
From April 30 – May 2, the Original Pennsylvania 1000 Yard Club will host a multi-day, long-range benchrest school at its Williamsport range. For $250, up to 36 students will enjoy 1 night and 2 days of intensive training under the tutelage of some of the nations’ top 1000-yard shooters. There are still some spots available for the class, which is designed for novice to intermediate shooters. The sign-up deadline is April 25th.
On Friday night (April 30), students will meet their mentors, including school director Frank Grappone. Saturday (May 1), the class moves to the range for a full day of hands-on technical training. Topics will include precision reloading, load development, gun handling, use of chronograph, analysis of shooting results, gun cleaning, and target analysis. The Williamsport Club will provide the rifles and all reloading components. Saturday’s sessions are followed by a steak dinner, included in the $250 seminar price.
On Sunday (May 2), after an early training session covering bench set-up and match strategies, students will participate in a 1000-yard match, spending time both behind the trigger and in the pits. Instructors will explain how to read conditions, and will demonstrate target measuring and analysis after the relays. The program wraps up before 4:00 pm on Sunday.
The 1000-yard Benchrest School is limited to 36 students (with less than 3 students per advisor). Intructors include Gunsmiths Bruce Baer and Mark King, our Asst. Editor Jason Baney, and many Williamsport Hall of Fame shooters. For more info, email School Director Frank Grappone, frankgrappone [at] sbcglobal.net.
March 19th, 2010
 The NRA Competitive Shooting Division has issued its updated Rules for 2010, complete with a quite a few notable changes. Download updated Rules by clicking the link below.
CLICK HERE to Download 2010 High Power Rule Changes (8 page PDF file; changes only).
Competitors should download and read the changes. There are some interesting changes. For example, the eligibility rules have been changed so that foreigners can win NRA matches: “2.1.1 Non-US Citizens — Non-US citizens may compete and are eligible to win any NRA Sanctioned tournament, unless further restrictions are imposed by conditions stated in the program.”
There are also a series of small changes to the Service Rifle (3.1), Any Rifle (3.2), and NRA Match Rifle (3.3) Rules. For Service Rifles, rifle descriptions have changed from separate numbers to Rule 3.1 alpha-subsections, (i.e. 3.1 (a), (b), (c), (d)). Notably, the new 7.62mm M-110 Service Rifle, first approved in 2009 under (then) Rule 3.1.6, is now incorporated under the general service rifle definition as new section 3.1 (d). For Palma competitors, the 2010 Rules have further codified the rifle eligibility standards: “3.3.1 U.S. Palma Rifle — (a) A rifle with metallic sights chambered for the unmodified .308/7.62 or .223/5.56 NATO cartridge case; (b) Any service rifle with metallic sights chambered for the unmodified .308/7.62 NATO or .223/5.56 NATO cartridge case.” There are no 2010 changes for the “Any Sight Match Rifle/Tactical Rifle”, adopted in 2009 under Rule 3.3.4.
If you have questions about any of the rule changes, contact Jan Raab at jraab@nrahq.org. CLICK HERE to sign up for the FREE monthly Competitive Shooting E-Newsletter. The hard-copy High Power Rule book (without 2010 revisions) can be purchased on the NRA Website.
March 15th, 2010
Texas Christian University (TCU) won its first-ever NCAA Rifle Championship, on its home floor at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. In this coed sport, the all-female TCU team triumphed over the all-male Alaska-Fairbanks squad. In the 31-year-old history of NCAA rifle shooting, this is the first time an all-women squad has captured the National title. Way to go girls!
The men from Alaska-Fairbanks did win the .22LR segment of the competition, but the TCU ladies’ superior air rifle shooting secured the overall team title. TCU’s Sara Scherer also won the Individual NCAA Smallbore Championship. (CLICK HERE for team profiles.) TCU (4,675 points) won in its fourth NCAA appearance after previous finishes of third, fifth and fifth. Alaska-Fairbanks was second with 4,653 points, followed by 14-time NCAA champion West Virginia at 4,641.
 TCU alumni nationwide are celebrating this NCAA championship, TCU’s first NCAA team title since 1983 (women’s golf). TCU won football national titles in 1935 and 1938, but those years are distant memories.
The TCU “Horned Frogs” all-female rifle team is coached by Karen Monez, a former world and national champion air rifle shooter. In a few short years Monez built a championship-level squad, five members of which were named All-Americans this week. Sarah Scherer, Sarah Beard and Lorenzen were honored as both smallbore and air rifle All-Americans, while Simone Riford and Caitlin Morrissey garnered All-American honors in air rifle. Senior Erin Lorenzen was honored as the MVP of the championships by the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association.
CLICK HERE for TCU Rifle Team Media Guide
CLICK HERE for Full Match Report
March 13th, 2010
The NCAA Rifle Championships are being broadcast LIVE right now on the NCAA.com Broadband channel for college sports. There will also be live broadcasts on March 14th and 15th. To access the future broadcasts, go to the NCAA TV website, click the “Event Guide” tab and search for “Coed Rifling”. Note: To view streaming video you may need to install the Microsoft “Silverlight” plug-in for your web browser. CLICK HERE for Live NCAA Rifle Championships Coverage.
March 12th, 2010
Multi-Gun goes Hollywood. 3-Gun Nation, a new cable TV series, is set to launch in July 2010. Sponsored by FNH USA, 3-Gun Nation will cover a series of multi-gun matches hosted at venues nationwide. The first match runs March 25-28 at Superstition Mountain, Mesa, Arizona.
If you’re a 3-Gun shooter interested in competing, there is still time to sign up. You don’t even need guns and ammo. FNH provides all the firearms AND ammunition! To be eligible for the big money prizes, 3-Gun Nation shooters must compete in at least 3 out of the 5 qualifying events. The best three scores determine who qualifies for the FNH USA 3-Gun National Championship.
CLICK HERE for 3-Gun Nation Rules and SIGN-UP form (PDF)
Overseen and run by the National 3-Gun Association (N3GA), 3-Gun Nation gives competitors a chance to win a $5,000 purse per event culminating in a championship prize of $25,000 for first place, $10,000 for second place, and $5,000 for third place. Each episode features a dramatic conclusion in which the top five competitors go head to head for the fastest stage time. Watch the video below to see 3-Gun Shooters in action.
The show will be hosted by country music star Mark Wills and American Rifleman magazine field editor Chad Adams. 3-Gun Nation will air on the Versus cable Network Mondays at 7:30 a.m. EST and Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. EST.
For more info, visit 3GunNation.com. There you’ll find the Event Description and Sign-Up Form. As soon as the matches start, 3GunNation.com will have news, feature stories, photos and professionally produced videos of the events and competitors.
2010 FNH USA 3-Gun Nation Schedule
1: March 25-28, 2010 Superstition Mountain Mesa, AZ
2: April 23-25, 2010 Blue Ridge Mt – 3 Gun Park City, KY
3: May 21-23, 2010 FNH USA Midwest 3-Gun Fayette, MO
4: June 10-12, 2010 MGM IronMan Parma, ID
5: Aug. 5-7, 2010 Rocky Mountain Raton, NM
CHAMPIONSHIP: September 13, 2010 USPSA Nationals Boulder City, NV
March 11th, 2010
The 31st Annual National Collegiate Men’s and Women’s Rifle Championships will be held this weekend, March 12 & 13, at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.
In team competition, shooting powerhouses West Virginia and Alaska-Fairbanks are favored to win team championships, but one of the other six schools could pull off an upset. The eight teams who qualified for this year’s team championship are:
Murray State University
Texas Christian University
University of Alaska-Fairbanks
University of Kentucky
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
U.S. Military Academy
U.S. Naval Academy
West Virginia University
If you want to follow the action, the NRAblog.com will have reporters in Fort Worth providing updates, photos and interviews from the championships.
March 11th, 2010
 The International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts (ICORE) announced that Smith & Wesson will sponsor the organization’s annual International Revolver Championships and six ICORE regionals across America.
The 19th Annual Smith & Wesson International Revolver Championships will take place June 4-6 at the Hogue Action Pistol Range in San Luis Obispo, Calif. This match is the highlight of the revolver shooting season. More than 250 top revolver shooters, from the USA as well as foreign countries, are expected to compete.
ICORE Regionals Start March 20 in Louisiana
The ICORE revolver competition season commences March 20 and 21 when the Southern Shooting Center (Thibodaux, Louisiana) hosts the Southern Regional Revolver Championship. The remaining regional matches are as follows
April 10 — 13th Annual Southwest Regional (San Luis Obispo, CA).
May 1-2 — Rocky Mountain Regional (WCFW High Plains Range, Galeton, CO).
May 2 — New England Regional (Hartford Gun Club, East Granby, CT).
July 18 — Central States Regional (Bend of the River CC, Buchanan, MI).
Sept. 26 — East Coast Regional (Ontelaunee Rod & Gun Club, New Tripoli, PA).
To learn more about on ICORE’s National and Regional Championships, visit www.icore.org.
March 9th, 2010
Gary Eliseo of Competition Shooting Stuff (CSS) builds great TubeGun rifle kits and he’s a superb shooter to boot. This past weekend Gary won the California State Palma Championship in Coalinga, California. Gary was shooting his CSS BN1 tubegun with a Barnard action, Krieger 1:13″ twist barrel, and Berger 155.5gr bullets.
Gary reports: “Conditions went from super easy to pretty vicious. The scores haven’t been published yet but mine was 889, and I think the next three were: Lane Buxton 886, Martin Tardif 883, and Jim O’Connell 881. I was using one of my B1 rifles, Barnard P action, Krieger 13 twist barrel, Berger 155.5s. My load was N150 with Winchester .308 brass weight-sorted to 1%. This was the same rig I used at Phoenix (AZ) but I wasn’t completely happy with the performance at 1000 yards. Then, in German Salazar’s Rifleman’s Journal Blog, I read that Mid Tompkins was ‘soft-seating’ the same bullet in his Palma gun. So, I gave that a try for Coalinga and the results were much better. Elevation at 1000 was excellent — the gun holds X-Ring elevation with ease.
The way soft-seating works is that I load long with pretty light neck tension. The bullet moves back about .010-.012 as the bolt is closed. If I extract the round I can barely see any engraving mark on the bullet. But be careful when extracting a soft-seated round because it is possible for the bullet to stick in the rifling. Anyway, the results with soft-seated bullets were much better. So this is a method which works with the .308 case and the Berger 155.5s and my well-worn throat. I don’t necessarily recommend this with other bullets, calibers and throat configurations. And if your discipline often requires you to extract loaded rounds, soft-seating is not advised.”
Top Row: Gary Eliseo (far left), MartinTardiff, unknown, John Giles | Bottom row: Randy Tesseidre, Marco Rojas, Allan Morita. Note that nearly all the rifles are CSS (Eliseo) tubeguns.
To learn more about shooting with Eliseo’s innovative CSS stocks, read German Salazar’s article: Adjusting the TubeGun Stock.
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