|
|
August 11th, 2008
During past Olympic Games, it was difficult to find ANY coverage of shooting events, much less real-time video, or comprehensive match scores. In the past, the main broadcast channels might feature one or two events, but only if an American was likely to win a medal. For 2008, that has all changed. NBC has dedicated vast resources to providing in-depth, web-based coverage of ALL Olympic events, including shooting sports. On the NBC Olympics website, you’ll find the latest shooting event results, complete with scores, photos, and videos. There is even a special Inside This Sport section that provides technical information, with specifics on the firearms used, and the courses of fire. The NBC Olympics website is a treasure-trove of information, updated many times daily.
CLICK HERE for Main Olympics Shooting Web Page
OLYMPIC SHOOTING Feature Pages
INSIDE the SPORT (Rules, Equipment, Shooting Formats, Glossary)
SHOOTING VIDEO Page (Event Videos plus Background Stories)
NEWS and FEATURES (Late-Breaking News and Special Interest Stories)
RESULTS and SCHEDULES (Match Scores, Event and Broadcast Times)
August 11th, 2008
Over 200 of the world’s best pistol shooters from 19 states and 4 foreign countries will compete for the World Speed Shooting Championship at the 2008 Steel Challenge. The Shooting events take place August 14 through 16 (Thurs. through Sat.) at the Steel Challenge Range in Piru, CA, located about 15 minutes from Magic Mountain in Southern California. Spectator admission is free. Awards ceremonies are scheduled for August 17 (Sunday) in nearby Valencia, CA.
Considered by many to be the “ultimate” speed-shooting competition, the Steel Challenge draws the world’s best pro shooters, who compete for over $350,000 in cash and prizes. The 3-day event tests competitors with eight challenging courses of fire, all “on the clock”.
Courses of fire, or stages, are made up of five steel targets which are electronically timed to 1/100th of a second. Competitors shoot each stage five times with their slowest run eliminated. The combined time of the four best runs is their score for that stage. Championships will be determined in in several categories including Rimfire, Shotgun, Single Action Revolver, Revolver, Stock Pistol and Open Pistol.
CLICK HERE for Steel Challenge VIDEO Trailer
Original Video © 2007 DownRange Television
Photo courtesy SteelChallenge.com
For more information, visit www.SteelChallenge.com. The Steel Challenge Media website also has STAGE DIAGRAMS and PHOTOS from recent Steel Challenge matches.
August 10th, 2008
This week, Carl Bernosky captured his second straight NRA National High Power Championship at Camp Perry, Ohio. That is 9 championships in 14 tries for Bernosky. 11-time NRA High Power Champion David Tubb was second. Carl scored 2384-118X shooting his 6mm Hagar* in an AR-based “spacegun”. This back-to-back victory, Bernosky’s NINTH Camp Perry High Power Championship, establishes the modest Pennsylvanian as one of the greatest rifle shooters of our generation. Carl also won the Vandenburg Cup, and took second in the McCann Trophy Match, which was won by David Tubb. Tubb’s remarkable 1200-81X score broke the previous McCann Trophy Match record, set by David in 2003. Good Shooting David! Norman Houle took the Clarke Trophy Match, followed by David Tubb.
Final Standings Decided by X-Count
The National High Power Championship was tightly contested, with David Tubb and PFC Sherri Hurd “in the hunt” thoughout the match. Tubb and Hurd finished the 2008 National Championship with identical 2375 scores. The X-Count was used as the tie-breaker; David prevailed with 127X compared to Hurd’s 94X. Sherri was the top Service shooter and top woman. Fourth place was also decided by X-count tie-breaker, with Ronald Zerr edging Norman Houle by a single ‘X’.
Tyrel Cooper won the Service Rifle Championship with a 2362-101 score. The next four places, in order, were: Ron Fleischhacker (2359-79), Shawn McKenna (2358-83), Grant Singley (2351-94), and Daniel Duitsman (2350-89).
NRA Websites Offer More Info on Camp Perry Matches
For complete match results, visit the NRA Championships Results Page. Daily reports from NRA correspondents on the scene are offered on the new Camp Perry Live Blog.
*The 6mm Hagar resembles a 6.8 SPC with a .100″ longer body, 30-degree shoulder, and greater case capacity. It has a .420 rim diameter, and is formed from .30 Remington brass.
August 9th, 2008
Katerina Emmons, representing the Czech Republic, won the first gold medal of the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the women’s 10m air rifle competition. Katie was the only woman to shoot a perfect 400 score in the qualifying round. This equaled the World Record and set a new Olympic Record. The previous Olympic Record was 399. In the finals, Katerina posted a 103.5 score, giving her a final tally of 503.5, beating the previous Olympic record of 502.0 set by China’s Du Li in 2004. It was a stellar performance by a popular champion who started shooting at age 14, tutored by her father, Petr Kurka, a double world champion in three positions.
Photo courtesy Fédération Française de Tir
CLICK HERE for story on official Olympics website.
Photo 1: Katerina kisses Anschütz rifle
Photo 2: Katerina kisses husband Matt Emmons
Photo 3: Katerina celebrates with coach
Photo 4: Katerina holds Gold Medal
Katerina married USA Olympic shooter Matt Emmons last year. The two shooters met at the 2004 Olympics in Athens where she won her first Olympic Medal (Bronze, 10m Air Rifle) competing under her maiden name Katerina Kurkova. After winning gold in Beijing, Katerina moved to the front row of the gallery to embrace her father and then kiss husband Matt. It was a touching moment for the “First Couple” of the Olympic shooting world. “She did a fantastic job. I’m so proud of her,” Matt Emmons told Reuters.
CLICK HERE for full story on how Katerina met Matt Emmons.
New Gold Medalist Shoots Anschütz
Katerina was shooting an Anschütz compressed air rifle similar to the Anschütz model 9003 shown below. With sights mounted, a model 9003 is 42.5″ long and weighs 4.4 kg (9.68 lbs.).
COMMENTARY — Katerina’s First-of-Games Gold Medal a Boon to Shooting Sports
Katerina’s record-setting air rifle victory, being the first gold-medal performance of the 2008 Games, is exactly the kind of positive publicity the shooting community needs. Katerina is a perfect champion — modest, personable, and attractive. She has already become a “Cover Girl” for this Olympic games. And it is great that she is married to a fellow shooter.
 Hundreds of millions of TV and internet viewers worldwide were touched to see how she went to the stands to hug and kiss her husband after her shooting victory. We predict that will become one of the defining “video moments” of the 2008 Olympics.
Katerina’s highly-publicized Olympic win will help counter negative perceptions about the shooting sports. It also shows that shooting is not all about strength and brawn. Her success, we hope, should insprire many young women to try shooting. A diminutive 5’5″ and 118 pounds, Katerina has proven that shooting can be a sport for everyone, regardless of size, gender, age, or nationality. We salute her achievement and we think her Gold-medal win will help increase public interest in competitive shooting worldwide.
August 5th, 2008
Zak Smith, an experienced practical/tactical shooter and 3-gun competitor, has prepared a video of the 2008 Steel Safari. This match is a unique test of practical shooting skills, conducted in “wild” field environments. Competitors must range and make shots at unknown distances, and sometimes at extreme angles. As you have to cover significant distances carrying rifle and gear, the match can also be a physical challenge. This is certainly no Benchrest match!
The Steel Safari demands a variety of practical rifle skills, including target recognition, range estimation, wind doping, trail skills, and marksmanship. Competitors must navigate through rugged terrain, then locate and range targets, and make first-round hits in often difficult field conditions. To learn more about the Steel Safari, visit Zak’s website, www.DemigodLLC.com, and read his MATCH REPORT.
Steel Safari Bloopers (Rifle Reliability) Video
If you enjoyed the match highlights video, you’ll also enjoy Zak’s “Bloopers” video. In this compilation from the Steel Safari, you’ll see a variety of firearm malfunctions in the field. Thankfully, none of the problems caused injury, but in this video you’ll see bolt actions that refused to feed or eject, or simply wouldn’t go bang. If you think bolt action rifles are fool-proof, this “bloopers reel” may change your opinion. Watch the video and you’ll see that even $4,000+ rifles sometimes give their owners fits.
August 5th, 2008
 America’s top short-range Benchrest shooters will vie for honors next week at the 2008 IBS National Championship. The 100/200 yard competition will be held August 11-16 at the Kelbly’s Rifle Range in North Lawrence, Ohio. The Kelbly’s range is one of the best facilities of its kind, with over 60 covered benches, along with shaded loading areas. There are camping spaces available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Fees for the match are $54 for 1 gun, $108 for 2 gun, $160 for 3 gun, and $212 for 4 gun (there is also a $10 late fee imposed after 7/11/2008). Matches will be conducted as follows:
August 11 – Heavy Bench, Five 10-shot record matches, 100 yards
August 12 – Heavy Bench, Five 10-shot record matches, 200 yards
August 13 – Sporter and Light Varmint, Five 5-shot record matches, 100 yards
August 14 – Heavy Varmint, Five 5-shot record matches, 100 yards
August 15 – Light Varmint & Sporter, Five 5-shot record matches, 200 yards
August 16 – Heavy Varmint, Five 5-shot record matches, 200 yards
Photo of Kelbly’s Range by Turk Takano, used by permission.
July 29th, 2008
Members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Shooting team will be featured in an hour-long repeat special of Shooting USA on the Outdoor Channel on Wednesday, July 30 and Wednesday, August 20. The show will air at 4:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 12:00 midnight (ET). Check your local listings or visit www.shootingusa.com or www.outdoorchannel.com for more details.
Photos courtesy USAShooting.org
Shooting USA will profile the competitors and explain the various Olympic shooting disciplines: Air pistol, Air rifle, Smallbore pistol, Smallbore rifle prone, Smallbore rifle 3-position, Skeet shotgun, Trap shotgun. Among the featured competitors will be Olympic Gold Medalists Matt Emmons (Air rifle, Smallbore rifle), and Kim Rhode (Skeet/Trap).
Television and Internet Shooting Sports Coverage for Beijing Olympics
NBC will offer regular broadcast coverage of some Olympic shooting events. In addition, internet users can view live streaming video of shooting events from Beijing as part of 2,200 hours of coverage on NBCOlympics.com. The NBC Olympics website will cover Matt Emmons as he tries for double gold, and cover Kimberly Rhode in her fourth Olympics. If you miss a live television broadcast, more than 3,000 hours of on-demand access to full-event replays and extensive highlights, including daily recaps of key events, best-of montages, commentator analysis and athlete-specific clips and interviews, will be available on NBCOlympics.com. For more info, visit USAShooting.org.
NBC has prepared a complete broadcast schedule for the 2008 Olympic Games. The shooting events are highlighted in yellow. Click the Links below to download broadcast schedule and shooting events schedule as MS Word files.
Complete NBC Broadcast Schedule for the 2008 Olympic Games
Complete 2008 Olympic Shooting Competition Schedule
July 28th, 2008
The 2008 Interservice Rifle Match was held recently in Quantico, Virginia. Shooters of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) won EVERY team match of the competition. More than 125 shooters from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Reserve and National Guard competed in the rifle championships at Quantico Marine Corps Base.
 The Army Marksmanship Service Rifle Team won the prestigious Interservice Rifle 10-Man Team Match, winning the Service Rifle Interservice Championship Trophy. Team coaches were Sgt. Walter E. Craig Jr. and Sgt. 1st Class Emil Praslick III. Shooters were Sgts. 1st Class Lance D. Dement, Grant L. Singley and Kyle A. Ward, Staff Sgts. Joel S. Micholick and Tobie L. Tomlinson, Sgt. Brandon K. Green, Spcs. Tyrel L. Cooper, Calvin G. Roberts, Matthew T. Sigrist and Nathan J. Verbickas. Ward shot highest score of 495 points out of a possible 500.
The USAMU Team coached by Praslick beat 12 teams to win the Marine Corps Infantry Trophy Team Match. Team shooters were Cooper, Dement, Green, Pace, Singley and Ward. A second USAMU team coached by Tomlinson took second place.
ARs and 6.5×284 Bolt Guns for Long Range
In the 1,000-Yard Team Match, Praslick’s team won in the Any Rifle Any Sights Division by 52 points. Staff Sgt. Daniel J. Peters captained the team made up of Cooper, Green, Tomlinson, Dement, Roberts and Pfc. Sherri Jo Hurd. In the long-range matches, USAMU soldiers shoot modified M-16A2 rifles and the 6.5×284 match rifles with scopes or iron sights to hit a 10-inch X-ring target from the prone position at 800, 900 and 1,000 yards.
The USAMU also took home some individual trophies as well. Green won the Interservice Long Range Championship in the Any Rifle Category and Sigrist took the Service Rifle Category. Green was the winner in the Interservice 1,000-Yard Match. In the 600-Yard Match, Dement won the Any Sight Category while Craig won the Service Rifle Category.
July 25th, 2008
Shooting in the Unlimited (rail gun) class, James “Jim” McGowin shot a 0.355″ 5-shot group at 300 yards. This has now been officially “certified” as a new NBRSA record. McGowin’s group beat the previous 0.373″ shot by Art Freund in 1981. McGowin was shooting the 6mm Beggs cartridge in a match in St. Louis, MO. For his record group, Jim used his own 63 grain BT bullet, a 7.5 ogive made on J-4 .750 jackets in a Niemi die.
The 6mm Beggs cartridge is basically a 220 Russian necked up to 6mm, with a very small modification of the radius at the neck-shoulder junction. (Gene Beggs added a tighter radius to reduce case lengthening on repeated firings.) The 6mm Beggs, and its smaller cousin, the 220 Beggs, have slightly less capacity than a fire-formed PPC case. However, in a good BR gun, the “raw accuracy” of the Beggs’ cartridges can rival that of a 6 PPC. Indeed a standard, unmodified 220 Russian is competitive in the 100/200 yard BR game. Lou Murdica, a top shooter on the short-range BR circuit, has won many matches with a “plain-jane” unmodified 220 Russian.
July 24th, 2008
 Up-to-date results of the NRA National Rifle & Pistol Championships are available online at the NRA website. The Pistol events are concluded, the Smallbore (rimfire) 3-position matches finished on July 18, and the Smallbore prone events will wrap up today, July 24. The High Power Rifle Championships commence August 4th.
CLICK HERE for current Camp Perry Results
Daily updates, complete with interviews with shooters, are being published on the new NRA BLOG. This blog, with daily entries from two correspondents at Camp Perry, features plenty of photos, late-breaking news, a full schedule of events, and links of special interest. You should check it out.
|
