The NRA has set the dates and locations of the 2009 National Championships for many of its popular disciplines. Events have been set for both rifle and pistol categories, along with air gun, smallbore, and centerfire disciplines. Here are the major upcoming events in 2009:
• National Collegiate Pistol Championship – March 16-20 at Fort Benning, GA
• National Junior Air Gun Championship and Training Summit – July 1-3 at Camp Perry, Ohio
• National Action Pistol Championship (Bianchi Cup) May 20-23 at Columbia, MO
• National Muzzle Loading Championship – Week of June 15 – 21 at Friendship, IN
• National Black Powder Target Rifle Championship/Creedmoor – August 10-11 at Raton, NM
• National Black Powder Target Rifle Championship/Mid-Range – August 13-16 at Raton, NM
• National Outdoor Pistol Championship – July 16-18 at Camp Perry, OH
• National Smallbore 3-P Championship – July 23-25 at Camp Perry, OH
• National Smallbore Prone Championship – July 26-30 at Camp Perry, OH
• National High Power Rifle Championship – Aug. 11-14 at Camp Perry, OH
• National High Power Long Range Championship – Aug. 15-19 at Camp Perry, OH
– Palma Team Match (New) August 15
– NRA Palma Individual Match August 16
• National Silhouette Championships, June 29 – August 2 at Raton, NM
– Cowboy Lever Action – June 29 – July 2 at Raton, NM
– Black Powder Cartridge Rifle – July 13-16 at Raton, NM
– Black Powder Cartridge Rifle/Scope – July 17-18 at Raton, NM
– Smallbore Rifle – August 2-4 at Raton, NM
– High Power Rifle – August 6-8 at Raton, NM
In addition, here are some major non-NRA-affiliated events scheduled in 2009:
• Super Shoot Benchrest Match – May 15-23 at Kelbly’s Range, North Lawrence, OH
• World F-Class Championships, July 27-30 at Bisley, England (UK)
• Varmint Hunter Jamboree, July 27-31 at Pierre, SD
• Tri-Gun Challenge DPMS/Brownells, Aug. 21-23, at Saint Cloud, MN
• IBS 1000-Yard Benchrest Nationals, Sept. 5-7, at Pella, Iowa
• NBRSA Benchrest 100/200 Group Nationals, Sept. 20-26, at Saint Louis, Missouri
• IBS Benchrest Nationals, Aug. 10-14 at Weikert, PA
AccurateShooter.com has many readers outside of North America. One of those is Robert Chlapek, a precision rimfire shooter from the Czech Republic. Robert shoots a variety of smallbore disciplines, including many ‘Czech Specialities’ with innovative and challenging targets.
The “Best Rifle” for just $250.00
Robert uses an amazingly accurate old Suhl 150 for many events. With his Suhl, Robert has harvested many trophies and awards (see photo at left). Robert obtained the rifle for a song — just $250.00 in US dollars. Robert explains how he acquired this wonderful rifle: “For my disciplines, I needed a very accurate rifle, without too many modifications. And because of my financial situation, I needed a cheap one. One day I met with Mr. Zdenek Jerabek (father of Tomas Jerabek, Czech sport shooting and Olympic representative) and he offered to sell me his old Haenel Suhl 150. He asked about $250 (it was not very good price, because in that time, normal price of Suhl 150 here in Czech Republic was about $100-150). And the rifle stock and finish were in very bad condition. But he said to me, ‘Robert, this is maybe the best Suhl in Czech Republic’ and he shows me the amazing history of top scores by this rifle, so I made a decision and bought it. I put a new stock and new finish on it, bought a Weaver 4-16×42 V16 scope — ideal optics for my disciplines, and started to compete with this wonderful rifle. I have best results with RWS R50 ammunition, perhaps the best for this East German rifle.”
Czech Rimfire Disciplines — Beyond the Ordinary Bullseye Game
In addition to regular bullseye matches, Robert shoots a couple disciplines that are popular in his country. Robert explains: “In Czech Republic, we have national discipline (organized by Czech shooting federation) named ‘Disappearing targets to 50 meters’. This is a 22LR rimfire discipline with two categories. First is with scoped rifle, the second with iron sights. This old discipline has three stages:
1) Shooting 20 rounds at classic round targets at 50 meters.
2) Shooting at disappearing targets from 17 meters to 50 meters.
3) Shooting at disappearing targets at 33 meters and after that, shooting five (5) running targets at 50 meters.
For the ‘Disappearing Targets’ event, maximum score is 460 points. All targets are shot from the prone position. With iron sights, you can use only your rifle sling. In scoped rifle class, you can use a front rest, but the scope magnification is limited to 4X power.”
Smallbore Sniper Matches
Robert’s second discipline is “Smallbore Sniper”. Chlapek told us “This is a new discipline we organized with some friends three years ago and it is now very popular for smallbore shooters in Czech Republic. We have no restrictions on the rifle used. Our stages are very interesting, but a little difficult I think. This discipline is much better than benchrest in my opinion, but we don’t have comparable benchrest tradition as in the USA.” To learn more about Smallbore Sniper discipline, CLICK THIS LINK for match results, photos, and much more.
Shown below are some other interesting targets shot in Czech Club competitions. We love the match-stick targets … now, that’s challenging!
If you want to see Olympic-class shooters in action, head to Colorado this weekend. Approximately 220 rifle and pistol airgun shooters from across the United States as well as Canada, France, Great Britain, South Africa and Sweden will gather at the U.S. Olympic Shooting Center in Colorado Springs, CO, December 5-7 to compete at the 2008 USA Shooting 3 X Air Match. This three-day event serves as a qualifier for the Bavarian Airgun Match to be held in Munich, Germany in January 2009.
Among the athletes competing will be two-time Olympian Jason Turner, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in Men’s Air Pistol. Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center Resident Athletes and 2008 Olympians Jamie Beyerle and Emily Caruso will compete in the Women’s Air Rifle event. Vying for titles in pistol will be 2008 Olympians Brian Beaman and Brenda Shinn.
NRA President John Sigler has established a committee to consider NRA sanctioning of Multi-Gun (3-Gun) competitions. The new Special Committee on Multi-Gun Competition met initially on October 25, 2008 at NRA Headquarters. Task Force members include: NRA Pres. John Sigler, Chairman, Bill Allen, Vice Chairman, Gregory Coker, Andrew Horner, Denise Johnson, John Gangl, David Power, Steve Sutherland, Mr. Randy Luth, and Aaron Hampton, SFC. Committee members were chosen from Multi-Gun match organizers and firearms manufacturers with specific products for multi-gun competition.
Multi-Gun competition is a fast-moving action shooting sport employing rifle, pistol and shotgun or any combination of these firearms. Multi-Gun matches feature scripted “stages” in which competitors move from target to target with loaded firearms, engaging both paper and reactive targets. Multi-Gun matches sanctioned by the NRA would be a major change from the traditional bull’s-eye precision competition normally associated with the NRA. There are a number of large Multi-Gun tournaments bidding for NRA sanctioning. With these tournaments as a base, the NRA could introduce this exciting tactical competition to local affiliated clubs across the USA.
Multi-Gun matches feature “fast and furious” action. In the video below, Chris Tilley competes at the 2007 USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals.
The Winchester/NRA Qualification Program has courses of fire designed to take shooters from beginning skill levels (Pro-Marksman, Marksman) through intermediate levels (Marksman 1st Class, Sharpshooter, Expert) up to a nationally recognized skill level — Distinguished Expert — the pinnacle of the program.
By the time a shooter completes the Distinguished Expert rating, he or she has attained a proficiency level paralleling that of a competitively classified Sharpshooter.
Complete information on the Winchester/NRA Qualification Program, with program outline, scoring standard, and sources for program materials and targets is available on the NRA Website Qualification page. If you have questions not answered by the web resources, call the NRA Qualification Coordinator at (703) 267-1505.
Maybe, like fine wine, good shooters get better with age. This weekend, at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center, 80-year-old Ken Schroeder shot a brilliant 50 (4X) at 600 yards. Pending approval, this will be a new, NBRSA 600-yard, single-target Light Gun score record. The group was a very small 1.680″, well-centered.
Ken was shooting the standard (unimproved) 6mmbr cartridge, with Lapua brass, Hodgdon Varget powder and Sierra 107gr MatchKing bullets. Ken’s tack-driving rifle was built by California smith Stu Harvey. The gun features a BAT action, Bartlein cut-rifled barrel, and a McMillan stock.
Forum member Ron Tilley was also competing in Sacramento on 11/23/2008 when Ken shot the pending record. Ron reports: “Ken is the kindest gentleman you will meet AND one of the toughest competitors. He is 80 years young and still kickin butt! Ken is always at the top when the dust clears and he can be hard to catch. All of us at Sac Valley are honored to shoot with Ken and support his accomplishments. I personally hope to be able to do what he does at his age.” For the match, Ken earned many honors. The record group was also Light Gun single target small group for the day. Ken won the two-gun, 6-target score Agg. with a 420 (10X), and Ken placed second in Heavy Gun score Agg. with a 282 (5X).
Congrats to Ken! He proves that we better watch out for those sharp-shootin’ octogenarians!
Daryl Kopriva, a Kansas-based gunsmith and long-range competitor, proved he sure knows how to build (and shoot) precision, long-range rifles. At the October club match at the Colorado Rifle Club (CRC) in Byers, CO, Daryl shot a potential new NBRSA 6-target, 1000-yard record. This is a two-gun, 6-target aggregate record, combining 3 targets in Light Gun (LG) with 3 targets in Heavy Gun (HG). Daryl’s LG 3-target Agg was 5.782″, while his HG 3-target Agg was 5.779″. If approved, the combined Agg will be a new 6-Target NBRSA record. Nice shootin’ Daryl. Congrats!
Darryl used two rifles he smithed himself. (A talented gunsmith, Daryl operates DARA Rifles in Grainfield, Kansas). The Light Gun is a 6.5-06 Improved with a 35° shoulder. Components include an 8.5″ BAT action, Shehane ST-1000 “Tracker” fiberglass stock, Bartlein barrel, and Nightforce scope. At this CRC match, Daryl was shooting 6.5mm Berger 140 BTHP “thick-jacket” bullets for the first time. Obviously the Berger “thicks” worked well!
Daryl’s Heavy gun features a Shehane Maxi-Tracker stock, BAT 8.5″ action, and a heavy-contour Bartlein barrel clamped in a barrel block. The gun is chambered for a wildcat Daryl calls the “30 DARA”. This is a 300 Win Mag modified with a 30° shoulder. Daryl uses his 30 DARA cartridge to drive Berger 210gr VLDs close to 3000 fps.
The photo below shows Darryl shooting his Shehane-stocked Heavy Gun at the 2007 IBS Nationals in Quantico, VA. Note the ultra-wide forearm and barrel block fitted ahead of the BAT action. The scope is a Nightforce NXS. For more information about Daryl’s rifles and gunsmithing services, visit DARArifles.com, email info[at]dararifles.com, or call (785) 938-2367.
The Yanks won most of the hardware at the recent recent NRA World Action Pistol Championship held at the Hamilton Pistol Club in New Zealand. Doug Koenig took first place in Open Class with an impressive 1920-181X. Carl Bernosky (2008 Camp Perry High Power Rifle Champion) was a close second with 1920-175X, Carl’s highest-ever score in this event. Carl Bernosky and Bruce Piatt secured the team championship. Competing for the USA amongst six other teams, Carl and Bruce will proudly keep the title for two years. Carl’s teammate Bruce Piatt won the Iron Man Match. He is now a two-time “Iron Man” World champion, and four-time Iron Man National Champion. Vance Schmid of the USA won the Metallic Sights class, edging out Piatt (2nd Place), and the legendary Jerry Miculek (3rd place).
Carl Bernosky is one of the few humans on the planet capable of winning national and international Championships in both pistol AND rifle disciplines. One can certainly make the argument that Carl is one of the greatest all-around marksmen who ever lived. This year, at Camp Perry, OH, Carl won the Overall National High Power Championship for the second year in a row. That marked 9 National Championships in 14 tries for Bernosky. Although Carl obviously enjoys both pistol and rifle disciplines, he says that rifle shooting is more challenging: “Camp Perry is a lot more difficult to compete in than…[the NRA] Bianchi Cup. You’re out here [at Perry] shooting an 8-hour work day. You’ll be shooting 60 shots in an hour. With the Bianchi Cup, you’ll shoot 10 shots in 60 seconds, and then you’ll be done for the day.”
The question is often asked “what’s the best cartridge for 1000-yard Benchrest”. This immediately stirs a debate between fans of the “Big Thirties”, 6.5mm and 7mm advocates, and a few staunch 6mm defenders. In truth, a wide variety of cartridges, from the 6mmBR all the way up to .338 Lapua magnum, can do well at 1000 yards.
However, there is clear statistical evidence that magnum-class 30s are still the top dogs in the 1000-yard game. Steve Shelp, who shoots with the Hawks Ridge Gun Club in North Carolina, has amassed statistics from years 2000 through 2006, recording all the calibers and chamberings used in the matches of the North Carolina 1000-yard Shooters Association. The data is further sorted by Light Gun (LG) and Heavy Gun (HG) classes. Steve has even been able to filter the data to include Relay Winners and Shootoff Participants. Steve has also created tables that show the Top 30 Groups and Scores in both LG and HG classes.
Below is a table showing the Top 15 Chamberings among shootoff participants, for combined LG and HG Classes from 2000-2006. We have totaled the Big 30s in this group of 15, and the large 30 Calibers (red dots) represent 66% of the total. There are 2064 entries in this set of Top 15, and 1355 are 30 Calibers.
The next chart includes ALL LG and HG Relay Winners from years 2000-2006. Steve has sorted the data by bore diameter. The two dominant calibers among Relay Winners are: 30 Caliber (.308) at 60%, and 6.5mm (.264) at 27%. Presumably most of the 6.5mms are 6.5-284s, but there are some larger 6.5mm wildcats as well. NOTE: When you look at Light Gun Relay Winners only, the percentage of 6.5mms rises while the percentage of 30 Cals falls. Overall however, the big bore 30-Caliber rifles are still “King of the Hill” in 1000-yard competition.
Steve Shelp’s data is contained in three Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Click the links below to download the collected 2000-2006 data.
The 2008-2010 7th Edition of the National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules, with changes approved by the National 3P Air Rifle Council, are now available in printed version or as a downloadable file. The complete new rules (in .pdf format) can be downloaded via the CMP website. Printed copies of the new rulebook may be ordered from the CMP at a cost of $2.00 each.
The 2008-2010 rules are effective immediately and will remain in effect until September 2010. There are not many major changes this time, although a Council decision to cap prices on approved sporter air rifles is potentially significant. The Council has already adopted a policy mandating that no sporter class air rifle may be used in sanctioned competition unless the Council approves that specific model. The current approved sporter list includes the AirForce Air Guns Edge, Daisy M853/753/953/853CM (pneumatic), Daisy M888/887 (CO2), Crosman M2000 (CO2), Daisy XSV40 Valiant (compressed air) and the Air Arms T200 (compressed air) with NON-adjustable cheek-piece and butt-plate. The Council decided that if the price of any approved rifles rises above $525.00, that air rifle will lose its approval (but if you purchased such a gun before the price rose too high, it would still be legal.)
AccurateShooter.com has many readers outside of North America. One of those is Robert Chlapek, a precision rimfire shooter from the Czech Republic. Robert shoots a variety of smallbore disciplines, including many ‘Czech Specialities’ with innovative and challenging targets.
The 
Maybe, like fine wine, good shooters get better with age. This weekend, at the 
Daryl’s Heavy gun features a Shehane Maxi-Tracker stock, BAT 8.5″ action, and a heavy-contour Bartlein barrel clamped in a barrel block. The gun is chambered for a wildcat Daryl calls the “30 DARA”. This is a 300 Win Mag modified with a 30° shoulder. Daryl uses his 30 DARA cartridge to drive Berger 210gr VLDs close to 3000 fps.
However, there is clear statistical evidence that magnum-class 30s are still the top dogs in the 1000-yard game. Steve Shelp, who shoots with the 
The 2008-2010 7th Edition of the National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules, with changes approved by the National 3P Air Rifle Council, are now available in printed version or as a downloadable file. The complete new rules (in .pdf format) can be downloaded via the 
