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May 31st, 2009
 The 2009 World Benchrest Championship (WBC-10) will be held at the Krokodilspruit Range in Pretoria, South Africa June 22-29, 2009. WBC-10 includes matches at 100m, 200m, and 300m. Complete information on the upcoming event are available at the WBC10 website, wbc10.co.za. A handy FAQ Page provides answers to questions about accommodation, transport, and South African firearms laws. CLICK HERE for WBC10 Event Schedule.
Listed below are the names of the team members who will represent the United States at the 2009 World Benchrest Championship (WBC-10) in South Africa this June:
Team 1 – Ed Adams, Wayne Campbell, Gene Bukys, Tony Boyer
Team 2 – Larry Costa, Mike Ratigan, Bill Summers, Joe Krupa
Team 3 – Chris Harris, Don Nielson, Cecil Peterson, Tim Oltersdorf
First Alternate: Gary Sinclair
Honorary Team Captain: Walt Berger
Krokodilspruit is a modern multi-purpose shooting range situated approximately 23 kilometers north of Pretoria and is the home range of the Gauteng Benchrest Shooting Association. June is the first month of winter in South Africa, but this area has little rainfall in winter.
Something New for 300 Meter Stage?
Most American short-range Benchrest matches are shot at 100 and 200 yards only. WBC-10 includes a 300m match on Saturday, June 27th. As South Africa is known for strong and challenging winds, it will be interesting to see if some competitors try heavier, higher-BC bullets at 300m rather than the typical 60-70gr flatbase 6mm bullets used at 100 and 200.
May 29th, 2009
 As the start of Camp Perry draws closer, we’d thought you might want to learn the history behind the trophies awarded at the National Shooting Championships. First on the agenda is the Leech Cup. The trophy is awarded to the highest-scoring competitor in one of the 1000-yard events at Camp Perry. The Leech Cup winner is determined through a 10-shot shoot off, after shooting 20 shots at 1000 yards slow-fire prone. The Leech Cup was once the only 1000-yard “any rifles” match shot with iron sights at the National Championships. Currently, there are five matches, held over four days, which count towards the National Long-Range Championship. The overall winner of these five matches receives the Thompkins Trophy as the National Long-Range Champion.
 The Leech Cup, awarded during the National Matches at Camp Perry every year, is the oldest trophy offered today in competitive target shooting in the United States. Its history reaches back well over a century into the first days of the NRA itself.
In 1873, the Irish Rifle Team, flush with victory after their first win in the British National Rifle Championships, were anxious to embellish their worldwide reputation and challenged America to field a team in the spirit of international friendship. The group to answer their challenge was the Amateur Rifle Club of New York, which picked up the gauntlet and managed to beat the heavily-favored Irish at the NRA’s Creedmoor Range on Long Island in September, 1874. The American who cemented his team’s 1874 victory was Colonel John Bodine, who, needing only a hit on target to win, scored a 4-point bullseye with his last shot.
To commemorate the event, the Irish team captain, Major Arthur Blennerhassett Leech, presented the Americans with a handsomely ornate sterling silver tankard –- The Leech Cup. A masterpiece of the Irish silvermaker’s art as practiced in the Victorian period, it is heavily-embossed and surmounted by a representation of an ancient tower in ruins. The trophy has been an award for long range marksmanship ever since the “International Rifle Match” between the Irish and the Americans. The Leech Cup was presented to the NRA by the Amateur Rifle Club of New York in 1901. It was lost after the National Matches of 1913, and went missing for 14 years until being recovered in 1927.
Story courtesy NRA Blog.
May 27th, 2009
 Jorge Ballesteros of Spain captured the coveted Steel Challenge title at the 2009 European Speed Shooting Championships held May 22 and 23 in Winterswijk, Netherlands. Facing Europe’s best shooters, Ballesteros won the Open Pistol title with a time of 61.31 seconds, besting last year’s top time by over two and a half seconds. Jan ter Borg of the Netherlands finished second while Germany’s Oliver Damm placed third for the second year in a row. Defending 2008 champion Saul Kirsch of the Netherlands finished fourth.
The European Steel Challenge drew 135 top speed shooters from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and the United States, all vying for their share of $40,000 in cash and prizes and the title of Europe’s Fastest Gun. The match was shot indoors and featured six of the eight stages used in the USA Steel Challenge: Smoke & Hope, Five to Go, Roundabout, Speed Option, Accelerator and Outer Limits.
“The European Steel Challenge is growing in popularity thanks to the hard work of match director Hans Wigger and, with so many strong competitors, it’s only a matter of time before we see a squad of top Europeans competing at the World Speed Shooting Championships here in the U.S.,” said Dave Thomas, executive director of the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA).
Fierce Competition Among Wheel-Gunners
In the Open Revolver division, shooters from the Netherlands ran the table with Mario Siemeling leading the way and defending his 2008 win by posting a time of 68.99. Harry ter Borg, who finished third in 2008, moved up to second shooting a time of 77.00 seconds. In third, with a time of 78.35, was Jan ter Borg. Below is a video from the 2008 ESC showing Harry ter Borg, Mario Siemeling (at 4:00 minute mark) and other wheel-gunners in action.
May 24th, 2009
Super Shoot Final Report
by Eric Stecker, Berger Bullets
Greetings from Sunny Ohio. Normally calling the weather “sunny” in North Lawrence, Ohio is sarcasm. During the last two days of the Super Shoot the word “sunny” is the best description of what shooters faced from Mother Nature. Day 3 provided some cloud cover in the morning which lasted for a while but was soon turned into bright and clear skies. High 40° temperatures and mid 80° highs was more of the same for those who were expecting the rains to come eventually. In case you haven’t heard yet, Tony Boyer was the big winner at this 37th Super Shoot. Congratulations to Tony Boyer for another impressive performance. Tony sets the bar for benchrest excellence.
 Boyer Wins Two-Gun and HV Grand Agg
Tony Boyer, already the top Benchrest Hall of Fame shooter in history (by quite a margin), won the Two-Gun Aggregate (Agg). Tony shot very consistently, with top five placements in most events. But he really hammered the HV 200-yard stage, with a brilliant 0.1846 Agg. Combined with his fine 100-yard HV shooting, that gave Tony an 0.1997 for the HV Grand Agg win. Lee Hachigan was the LV Grand Agg winner with a solid 0.2235. Lee finished third overall in the Two-Gun, behind Larry Costa:
1. Tony Boyer – .2191 Two-Gun Agg
2. Larry Costa – .2307 Two-Gun Agg
3. Lee Hachigan – .2503 Two-Gun Agg
4. Bill Symons – .2581 Two-Gun Agg
Tie 5. Larry Scharhorst – .2589 Two-Gun Agg
Tie 5. Bill Forester – .2589 Two-Gun Agg
Competitors tackled the Heavy Varmint stage at 200 yards on Friday. 200 yards is usually where Grand Aggs are won and lost during most BR matches and the 2009 Super Shoot this would be no exception. The following are the top five finishers in the Heavy Varmint 200-yard stage:
1. Tony Boyer – .1846 agg
2. Stan Bowerman – .2045 agg
3. Larry Costa – .2148 agg
4. Jim Carmichel – .2329
5. Chris Harris – .2343
Once the 200-yard stage was over the Heavy Varmint Grand Agg was determined. See if you don’t spot a few of those who did well at 200 yards in the following list of the top 5 of the Heavy Varmint Grand Agg.
1. Tony Boyer – .1997 HV Grand Agg
2. Larry Costa – .2235 HV Grand Agg
3. Stan Bowerman – .2432 HV Grand Agg
4. Greg Reed – .2461 HV Grand Agg
5. Wayne Campbell – .2464 HV Grand Agg
By the time the last day started the shooters were commenting on how the Super Shoot had not seen four clear, dry days in a row since 1995. There is little question that this year’s Super Shoot provided some of the best weather conditions we’ve had for some time. Temperatures were similar to previous days and winds continued to be tricky but not extreme.
The Light Varmint 200-yard stage gave us all a chance to break out the 10.5-lb guns again after two days of getting spoiled with the 13.5-pounders. Most folks were ready to shoot at 200 yards but a few shot flags indicated that some BR shooters still are working on which way to turn the knobs when the distance increases. The following is a list of the top 5 shooters who were on top of their adjustments for the Light Varmint 200-yard stage.
1. Steve Turner – .2085 agg
2. Jeff Stover – .2120 agg
3. Jeff Summers – .2137 agg
4. Tony Boyer – .2159 agg
5. Larry Costa – .2217 agg
Lee Hachigan Wins LV Grand Agg
The completion of this final stage provided the Super Shoot with not only a Light Varmint Grand Agg Champion but also a Two-Gun Champion. For those who have been keeping track of the top five in the lists so far some of the names you see below will be no surprise. Here are the top five in the Light Varmint Grand Agg.
1. Lee Hachigan – .2235 LV Grand Agg
2. Dave Coots – .2263 LV Grand Agg
3. Bill Symons – .2365 LV Grand Agg
4. Larry Costa – .2379 LV Grand Agg
5. Tony Boyer – .2385 LV Grand Agg
Final Thoughts — 1/4 MOA ‘All Day Long’
Another thought crosses my mind as I look at these scores. I hear many times how shooters who do not compete in Benchrest matches say that their rifles are capable of “1/4 MOA… all day long”. Take a look at these scores you will see that 1/4 MOA accuracy “all day long” would put you in the top three of the largest and (arguably) most competitive BR match in the country.
May 22nd, 2009
Super Shoot Report — First Two Days
Report by Eric Stecker, Berger Bullets
[Editor’s Note: At our request, Eric Stecker, Berger Bullets’ Master Bulletsmith, is sending us late-breaking news from the Super Shoot. Here is Eric’s report, hot off the wire.]
Heavy Varmint Top 20 Match Results CLICK HERE (.pdf file)
5/23 Update: Tony Boyer Won the HV Grand Agg (0.1997) and 200-yard Agg. Tony finished 2nd in 100-yard HV Agg, behind Gene Bukys.
Greetings from (or near) North Lawrence, OH and home of the Firearms Industry Super Shoot. Benchrest shooters from all over the globe are here to participate in this highly anticipated event. The Super Shoot is the largest BR match in the world. Opening Ceremonies started at 8:30 am Wednesday morning. Hall of Fame shooter Allie Euber was on hand to offer words of prayer for the event, shooters, our families and those in BR who we’ve lost over the year. Allie also offered some gracious comments about one of the PPC inventors, Ferris Pindell, who was able to be here and visit all his many friends.
The Super Shoot is ripe with tradition and most things are as they have been for some time. One exception is that long-time Range Master Jim Kelbly has been replaced by his son Ian Kelbly. After Ian called several matches I mentioned to Jim that if he lets Ian keep this up then Jim would be out of a job. He smiled and said “I sure hope so.” Ian is doing a fantastic job running the match.
Hachigan Tops 100-Yard LV Field
Wednesday greeted shooters with 45° temperatures which quickly warmed in Sunny Ohio to the mid 80s. Winds were present and shifty as they tend to be but not too much to be unpleasant but definitely enough to give most shooters fits. The folks listed below handled these winds and their rifle well and are the top five for the Light Varmint 100-yard stage. The record for the Light Varmint 100-yard Agg was set in 1999 by Bill Forrester at .1706. Bill’s record was safe but the 5-shot small group record of .046 set by Mike Walker in 1994 was seriously threatened by Bill Goad with a small group for the day of .048.
1. Lee Hachigan – .2094 agg
2. Dave Coots – .2154 agg
3. Andy Shifflett – .2194 agg
4. Milt Craven – .2264 agg
5. Larry Scharhorst – .2278 agg
Bukys Edges Boyer in HV 100
Conditions on Thursday for the Heavy Varmint 100-yard stage was much the same as Wednesday with a low in the morning of 47° which warmed up to the high 80s. Winds were also similar with tricky gusts and changes but nothing so strong that stuff was blowing off the benches. The top five after the Heavy Varmint 100-yard stage are below. Larry Kopper definitely shot well but finishing the 5th match with a small group for the day of .083 certainly helped push him into the top five. (The HV record is .062 by Hobbie Bonds.)
1. Gene Bukys – .2020 agg
2. Tony Boyer – .2148 agg
3. Greg Reed – .2158 agg
4. Bob Hammond – .2210 agg
5. Larry Kopper – .2282 agg
Many shooters here would say Thursday was a tough day and they are glad that the 100-yard stages are behind them. Friday the 22nd starts with the 200-yard Heavy Varmint where some 300+ shooters will try as best they can to rise to the top of the list for the HV Grand Agg win. More to come….
Photo of Borden Rimrock Benchrest Rifle courtesy Borden Rifles.
May 20th, 2009
“Shooters Ready? Commence Fire!”. This morning the nation’s top “point-blank” Benchrest shooters heard those commands as Kelbly’s Super Shoot kicked off. The Firearm Industry Super Shoot (FISS), the largest short-range benchrest match in North America, runs for four days, May 20-23, 2009 at the Kelbly range in North Lawrence, Ohio. This is a LV/HV match only. Here’s the shooting schedule: May 20 10.5-lb 100 yards; May 21 13.5-lb 100 yards; May 22 13.5-lb 200 yards; May 23 10.5-lb 200 yards. For more information, call (330) 683-4674 or click this Map to Range.
Hall of Famers Share Super Shoot Strategies
A while back we surveyed a number of top benchrest shooters, asking them for their advice on “How to Succeed at the Super Shoot.” CLICK HERE to read what Jim Borden, Wayne Campbell, Mickey Coleman, Allie Euber, Speedy Gonzalez, and Bart Sauter have to say.
READ Interviews with Top Benchrest Shooters
Famed bullet-maker Sauter (photo below) offered this advice for newcomers to the Super Shoot: “Go ahead and sign up for the cash option! A lot of new shooters don’t do it. A new shooter will often shoot several small groups, because they’ve worked hard on tuning their rifle. And one really small group could pay for their whole trip. I know a few shooters personally who did not sign up and lost some money.”
To do well at Super Shoot, Bart added: “It helps to get shots downrange quickly. I can usually send five in 15 seconds, and sometimes 12 seconds. That helps beat the conditions.” Good brass is very important: “Most of the better shooters will have a new set of brass for the match. The guys that shoot the same 100 pieces all year don’t normally win. I’ll use practice brass for tuning. The brass I take to a major match will have just 2-3 firings on it. You can’t win with brass that is less than optimal”.
May 17th, 2009
One of the most popular activities at the 2009 NRA Annual Meeting was target shooting at an on-site air rifle range at the Phoenix Convention Center. There, shooters of all ages (and abilities) lined up to try a variety of air rifles and pistols at 10 meters (about 33 feet). Airguns were provided by Crosman, Beeman and other manufacturers.
From elementary school kids to senior citizens, a wide cross-section of visitors came to the air rifle range. It was great to see three and even four generations on the firing line. For many of the youngsters, this was their first opportunity to shoot a quality air rifle. A dedicated crew of volunteer range assistants provided instruction and ensured that safety was paramount.
NRA Disabled Shooting Services
In addition to the able-bodied, a number of shooters with disabilities or impairments joined the fun at the air rifle range. The NRA provided adaptive equipment that allowed shooters in wheelchairs or with limited arm strength to get (and stay) “on target”. Our friend Vanessa Warner, Manager of Disabled Shooting Services for the NRA, was helping out at the airgun range. When we arrived on Saturday morning with the cameras, Vanessa was helping Wayne, a wheelchair-bound, disabled veteran. Due to health problems, Wayne, a natural righty, was learning to aim with his left eye and pull the trigger with his left index finger. Switching from righty to left isn’t easy, but Wayne pulled it off.
Using a rifle rest, Wayne shot superbly, ripping out the center of the target. It turns out Wayne had learned a thing or two about marksmanship in his younger days — while in the military in the ’60s Wayne qualified as expert with four different weapons. He certainly demonstrated that even disabled shooters can enjoy the shooting sports, given the kind of adaptive support the NRA is providing under Warner’s leadership. In the video below, Vanessa explains what the NRA offers for disabled shooters.
May 16th, 2009
 Lones (pronounced “lon-ess”) Wigger is the first and only American shooter to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. At the NRA annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, we were privileged to chat with Wigger at the Eley booth where he is answering questions and providing information about Eley products.
We discussed many topics, ranging from Cold War politics (he was not allowed to shoot in the 1980 Moscow Olympics due to the U.S.A. boycott), to barrel tuners. Wigger is a true legend among American shooters, having participated as shooter or coach with five USA Olympic teams. He also set many world records during his long shooting career. In the video below, Wigger talks about his Hall of Fame Olympic accomplishments, and offers advice to young persons getting started in competitive shooting.
May 15th, 2009
 From June 5-7, 2009, the International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts (ICORE) conducts the 18th Annual International Revolver Championships (IRC) at the Hogue Action Pistol Range in San Luis Obispo, California. The IRC is the highlight of the revolver shooting season and more than 230 of the nation’s top revolver shooters, as well as several from outside the United States, are expected to compete and negotiate their way through 12 stages of fire putting more than 70,000 rounds down range.
CLICK HERE for MAP to Hogue Action Pistol Range.
The Hogue Action Pistol Range, site of this year’s ICORE Int’l Championships, is the premier action pistol range on the West Coast. A modern facility with 10 shooting bays, the Hogue Range is part of a large complex of shooting sports facilities operating on a former U.S. Army test range located between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay, California. The public rifle range, located just North of the Hogue Action Pistol Range, is shown below. This is a beautiful place to shoot, with moderate weather year-round. You’ll find good hotels and excellent campgrounds nearby. The San Luis Obispo region is a great weekend destination for the whole family, with beaches and tourist attractions nearby. Visit the San Luis Obispo Sportsmen’s Assocation (SLOSA) website for more information on the Hogue Range and adjacent shooting facilities.
ICORE — All Revolvers, All the Time
The International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts (ICORE) was founded in 1991 by Mike and Sharon Higashi, long time active shooters in all the handgun sports. Envisioned as an alternative to the “arms race” that was occurring in the other action shooting sports at that time, a revolver-only competition would allow even the most basic equipment to be used and still provide enjoyment and satisfaction. For further information on ICORE or the 18th Annual International Revolver Championships, visit www.icore.org.
May 13th, 2009
 Dennis DeMille of Creedmoor Sports reported that the 2009 Eastern CMP Games and Creedmoor Cup was a rousing success, setting new attendance records. Over 184 shooters competed in the individual Creedmoor Cup on Saturday, May 10th. Complete Results are posted on the CMP website.
Sherri Gallagher-Hurd was the overall match winner (and match rifle class winner), firing a score of 790-34x. SFC Grant Singley of the US Army Marksmanship Unit was the high service rifle shooter with a score of 788-38x. High Senior was Doug Morrison, a former US Army Reserve service rifle shooter, who has made the transition to match rifle. Doug fired a fine score of 785-31X. CWO3 Peter Burns won the M1 Garand Match and the Vintage Military Rifle Match. The USAMU Praslick Squad won the 4-man Service Rifle Team event. William Flagg, Jr. won the Rimfire Sporter event, shooting an excellent 590-33X.
The shooter who traveled the furthest to compete in this match was William Ellis, from England. William was able to bring his rifle to shoot in the matches, but had to buy ammunition in the US upon his arrival.
Match Report courtesy the NRA Blog. Hurd file photo from NRA Media Relations
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