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April 10th, 2009
 On the eve of the new competitive shooting season, the rulemakers of the International Benchrest Shooters (IBS) issued two decisions that will affect the short-range benchrest game.
On March 31st, the IBS Executive Board took the following actions:
Modification of Bolts-Out Rule
In order to safely allow competitors to check seating depth, et. al. in the loading area, the E-Board voted to allow the allow insertion of bolts in the loading areas. However, placing the bolt in the gun while in the loading area is permitted ONLY under the following circumstances (read carefully).
1. Competitor strips the bolt of the fire control system.
2. Competitor uses a dummy round without primer or powder.
3. Competitor inserts a NRA “chamber flag” or other IBS-approved indicator inside the bare bolt.
4. Competitor displays all of these items to those around him.
NOTE: Violation of the above rules will result in an immediate disqualification from the tournament. According to the IBS Executive Board: “The change in the bolts-out rule will not take effect until we establish the exact type of bare bolt indicator that will be readily available to competitors. A likely date of inception is June 1, 2009. Until that time, the existing ‘bolts-out rule’ applies.”
Approval of Current Beggs Stock
An IBS member asked the Executive Board to rule on the legality of the Gene Beggs’ modular stock for competition. This stock (shown below) features a separate, clamped bag-riding forearm rather than a conventional one-piece stock. The Excutive Board determined: “After consulting the Group and Score Committees there was a consensus among board members that the rules really did not envision a stock of this type. In the interest of not inhibiting innovation, the E-Board approved the Beggs Stock as currently configured, for HV, LV, SP, and VFS (as appropriate) competition in 2009. So that similar innovations can be more readily assessed, the Executive board will do a comprehensive review of the stock configuration rules prior to the July 1 deadline for agenda item submission.”
April 9th, 2009
Among its many features, AccurateShooter.com offers a searchable Event Calendar. We try to include a wide variety of competitions, shooting events, and major gatherings (such as the NRA National Meeting next month in Phoenix, AZ). Where possible, our event listings include web links and match registration info.
Hey Guys — You Can Submit Major Events for Calendar
We solicit reader contributions to our event calendar. While we can’t list typical weekend club events, we’ll try to include major championships and special annual events, such as “Extravaganza of Silhouette” in California, and the Williamsport “World Open”. Please include the dates of the event, a one- or two-sentence summary, plus a link to a descriptive webpage. You can also attach an event logo, range map, and/or photo. Please limit submissions to important events of significant regional, state, or national interest. Please send your calendar listings to mailbox [at] 6mmBR.com.
NRA Event Calendar
The NRA, through its Shooting Sports USA publication, offers a comprehensive calendar of shooting matches nationwide. This covers all the NRA disciplines: pistol, black powder, silhouette, air rifle, smallbore, F-Class, and High Power. The Shooting Sports Calendar is updated regularly, and can be downloaded for free in .pdf format. Click the link below to download the latest version of the NRA’s competition calendar.
CLICK HERE to download Shooting Sports USA Events Calendar
April 8th, 2009
 On today’s broadcast of ShootingUSA television, Jim Scoutten and his crew feature a recent Three-gun Challenge Match at Fort Benning, Georgia. In this event, hosted by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), both Army and civilian shooters compete with pistol, rifle, and shotguns in a multi-stage, timed course of fire. ShootingUSA airs Wednesdays on the Outdoor Channel at the following times:
* 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
Stages Re-Create Medal of Honor Scenarios
Each of the eight stages in the three-gun match recalls the actions of a Medal of Honor recipient with portions of each citation read to the competitors as the explanation of the course of fire. This annual three-gun match helps advance the Army Marksmanship Unit’s mission of improving skills throughout the Army, according to AMU Commander, LTC Frank Muggio, “This type of competition is exactly what we want our soldiers to be able to do in the field. They identify a target, they choose the right weapon system to engage the target, and they take out the target, and not anything around the target.”
The video clip below (not from ShootingUSA) shows Erik Lund’s Stage 5-winning performance at the 2008 Fort Benning 3-Gun Challenge.
April 6th, 2009
A Brady won the Hickory Groundhog and Egg Shoot this year, but it wasn’t Terry, IBS world-record holder. This year Terry’s son Chris Brady earned top honors among 186 registered competitors, shooting a 91 with his dad’s Borden-built 6 Dasher to win the match overall. This was the combined score for 100, 300, and 500 yards. At the Hickory shoot, one is allowed to shoot two rifles. Doing that, Chris Brady also took 4th place overall with a “super-modified” 33-lb 6BR that Terry built just for events like the Hickory. Greg Cooper took second overall. Tommy McKee was the first to break an Egg. There were only 2 or 3 broken during the day as the wind was tricky and switching left to right.
Conditions, though warm and sunny, suprised the competitors, according to Terry Brady: “All week long it had been cloudy and cold, and that’s what we were tuning for. But it was sunny and warm on Saturday.” Though Terry and Chris were expecting big things from the 33-lb 6BR, it turns out that Terry’s old black Borden (re-chambered from 6BR to 6 Dasher) shot the best. In the black Dasher, the Bradys used a fairly moderate load of 32.5 grains Reloder 15 with Berger 105gr bullets. Terry finished 10th overall.
IBS 600-yard Shooter of the Year Sam Hall praised Chris Brady’s performance: “Just got word that Chris Brady (Terry Brady’s son) won 1st place overall at the Hickory Shoot with a 91. He also got 4th place with his second rifle (the 33-pounder). [Chris] has been in the top 5 or better several times. I’m tickled to death he finally won it! Way to go Chris.”
Chris gave credit to his fellow competitors and suggested that you’ll see him on the firing line again soon: “There was alot of talent on the range today. The wind was a constant battle and the topic of every discussion. All you could do was shoot and pray. Thanks goes out to Dad for all his help (every year), Berger Bullets, D&B Supply, and Bulls Eye Sporting Goods for hosting this competition every year! See everyone at Piedmont sometime soon….” For his 1st Place and 4th Place finishes, Chris won a 50% off certificate for a Nightforce Scope and a D&B Supply (Shehane) Tracker stock.
March 29th, 2009
Spc. Tyrel Cooper of the USAMU won the individual championship at the South African Bisley Union (SABU) 80th Anniversary Match. For the past two years, Ty has been one of the best long-range shooters in the world. In 2008 he won the Target Rifle Overall Aggregate at the Spirit of America Match. Congrats to Ty for outstanding shooting in South Africa!
Shooting in very challenging wind conditions, the host South Africans took first place in both the Invitational 8-man team match (score: 2314-209v) and the SABU Int’l Anniversary 12-man team match (score: 3516-350v). The United States 12-man team finished second with a 3469-303v score. Reporting on the Anniversary Team Match, Walt Walter reported to the NRA Blog: “At 800 meters, South Africa extended their lead in ‘very very difficult’ wind conditions. Almost all of the time allowance was used with sighters from later firers being fired early to assist the coaches with their wind calling. Once again, South Africa used their local knowledge to increase their lead with some excellent shooting and equally good wind calling. Going back to 900 meters, the wind remained just as tricky and with the South Africans averaging solid 70s scores, they finished an impressive 49 points of the USA.”
| Individual Ranking |
TEAM Ranking Anniv. Match |
1. Ty Cooper (USA) 208-20v
2. Alwyn McLean (Ireland) 208-15v
3. Jane Messer (England) 207-25v
4. Andy Wilde (England) 206-22v
5. David Luckman (England) 206-20v |
1. South Africa 3516-350v
2. USA 3469-303v
3. England 3461-293v
4. Ireland 3442-274v
5. Wales 3419-255v |
Note: In South Africa, the “v”-count is equivalent to the “X”-count in North America.
March 26th, 2009
The Larue Tactical 3-Gun Match, the NRA’s first officially-sanctioned, multi-gun match will be held March 28-29, in Waco, Texas at the Tiger Valley training facility.
At the LaRue Three-Gun match, competitors will shoot multiple stages using pistol, rifle, and shotgun. This is action shooting, with lots of movement … shooters must negotiate obstacles, run to firing positions, and engage targets from multiple positions, often firing through ports or around barricades. There will be a wide variety of targets placed at distances from a few yards to over 300 yards (for the rifle stages).
Larue’s Match Director Greg Coker says both speed and precision will be key: “We are utilizing the new NRA Tactical Police Competition targets and I have implemented a new scoring system that will reward the competitor with accuracy and speed while penalizing them heavily for making a poor [decision to shoot].”
Other 2009 NRA-Sanctioned Multi-Gun Matches
Multi-gun matches represent one of the fastest growing competitive shooting disciplines. The NRA will promote multi-gun competition by sanctioning three other big matches in 2009:
 Sabre Defense Blue Ridge Mountain 3-Gun Match, April 24-26, 2009
Johnson 3-Gun Match, June 27-28, 2009
Rocky Mountain 3-Gun Match, NRA Wittington Center, Raton, NM August 6-8, 2009.
For more information on the LaRue Tactical Three-Gun Match, or future three-gun competitions, contact Janet Raab in the NRA Competitive Shooting Division by email, jraab@nrahq.org or by phone at (703) 267-1479.
March 25th, 2009
 The United States National Rifle Team, supported by the NRA, has traveled to South Africa to participate in the South African Bisley Union matches and their national championships, held at Bloemfontein, South Africa, March 26 – April 4. This year marks the 80th Anniversary of the South African matches. This will be a fullbore competition for Target Rifle class and F-Class at distances from 300 to 900 meters. There will also be a series of .303 club matches as well as Junior matches.
The team is led by Team Captain Dennis Flaherty of California; Vice Captain Dan Simpson of New Hampshire; and Vice Captain Tom Whitaker, also from California. SFC Emil Praslick III, U.S. Army, will function as Head Coach during this tour. Ian Cheesman and Robert Steketee round out the team officers with Ian as Adjutant and Robert functioning as the South Africa Touring Trip Team Adjutant.
During the first week there will be individual matches culminating in a 12-man team match to determine the top National team in the 80th Anniversary matches. After an overnight in Johannesburg the Team traveled to Bloemfontein on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday will be training days with the individual matches to begin on Thursday, March 26th.
CLICK HERE to download 80th Anniversary Match Schedule and Info Forms.
This report is courtesy the NRA Blog and H.J. “Walt” Walter, NRA Board Member.
March 24th, 2009
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), in partnership with the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) has launched a new pistol-shooting discipline for high school and collegiate shooters — the Scholastic Steel Challenge (SSC). The Scholastic Steel Challenge program is being modeled after the highly successful NSSF-developed Scholastic Clay Target Program. The NSSF will help launch this new discipline with a $50,000 grant to the SSC, administered under the USPSA.
 SSC Format Based on Steel Challenge
The SSC competition format is based on the Steel Challenge, a popular action pistol competition that attracts some of the world’s best shooters. The scholastic version has been designed so it can be enjoyed by both novices and experienced shooters. Competitors will engage targets from a low-ready position and not from holsters as is done in the Steel Challenge.
SSC Will Have Two Divisions: Junior (Age 14-16) and Senior (Age 17-20)
SSC is open to all eligible youth shooters. There is a Junior Division for 14 to 16-year-olds and a Senior Division for 17 to 20-year-olds. Scores and rankings will be posted online, and championships will be awarded in both divisions.
“We thank the NSSF for its support and for providing an outstanding model for our Scholastic Steel Challenge program,” said Scott Moore, director of SSC. “Our goal is to introduce the thrill and action of shooting steel targets to the youth of America through a program that is grounded in safe gun handling principles.”
“Developing new target shooters through programs that teach safe and responsible handling of firearms is a priority of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and we’re proud to help a program get off the ground that holds so much potential for introducing new shooters to a lifetime sport,” said Steve Sanetti, NSSF President.
March 20th, 2009
Here’s a great deal on a functional shooting mat. The MidwayUSA Competition Shooting Mat (item 169107) is currently on sale for just $24.99. That’s marked down $25.00 from the normal $49.99 price. The mat features padding for both knees and elbows, plus corner grommets so the mat can be staked down. It rolls up to a compact 6″ x 27″ package.
• Bottom of mat is constructed of textured, non-skid, water-resistant material
• Roughly .325″ thick at the elbow pads and .350″ thick at the knee pads
• Legal for Highpower/CMP rifle matches and smallbore competition
• Dimensions (unrolled): 69″ Long x 27″ Wide
• Includes handle and shoulder strap
March 14th, 2009
The dates have been set for many of the more important 2009 shooting sports events and matches. Listed below are some key dates for major events this year. Mark your calendars. You can find schedules for other State Championships and other regional events on the NRA Tournament Calendar Page.
April 17-18
Brownell’s Gunsmith Career Fair
The Meadows Events & Conference Center
Altoona, IA
April 24-26
NBRSA 600-Yard National Championship
Sacramento Valley Shooting Center
Sloughhouse, CA
May 15-17
NRA Show and Annual Meetings
Phoenix Convention Center
Phoenix, AZ
May 20-23
Firearms Industry Super Shoot
Kelbly’s Inc. Range
N Lawrence, OH
June 27-28
East/West Show-Me Shootout
Benchrest Club of St. Louis
Wright City, MO |
July 13 – August 15
Camp Perry National Matches
Camp Perry Training Site
Port Clinton, OH
July 27-31
Varmint Hunter Jamboree
VHA Club Range
Pierre, SD
August 17-22
IBS 100/200 Yd Group Nationals
Union County Sportsman’s Club
Millmont, PA
September 20 – 26
NBRSA 100/200 yd Group Nationals
Benchrest Club of St Louis
Wright City, MO
September (Dates Pending)
National F-Class Prone Championships
Camp Butner
Butner, NC |
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