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July 23rd, 2008
The first-ever World Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest Championship will be held from July 27 to August 3 in Milan, Italy. The event will be hosted at the Tiro a Segno Nazionale di Milano shooting club and the event will be conducted in association with the UK Association of Rimfire Benchrest Shooting International. The match will be administered under the Rules of the European Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest Shooting Federation (ERABSF RULES).
This International Match is open to all shooters and organizations that shoot for Score similar to the RBA, IR50/50, UKBR22, .22 Hunter, BR50, or UITS. A standardized common target will be used and the match will be conducted under ERABSF RUles. For more info, visit the European Rimfire & Air Rifle Benchrest Shooting Federation website, www.erabsf.org.
CLICK HERE for Championship SCHEDULE of EVENTS
CLICK HERE for Match Rules
July 22nd, 2008
Bob Boch, current captain of the U.S. F-Class Open Rifle Team, has posted a new multi-distance F-Class record, a fantastic 449-32x. The new record was shot at the Forbes Rifle & Pistol Club in New York state. This was the “long-range” Palma-style match with targets at 800, 900, and 1000 yards. The Palma course of fire is 15 shots at 800 yards, 15 shots at 900 yards, and 15 shots at 1000 yards. Unlimited sighters precede the 800-yard stage, there are two sighters for 900, and two sighters for 1000.
Bob was shooting a 6.5-284 with a 30″ Bartlein barrel, 5R rifling, 1:8.5″ twist, 1.250″ straight contour. Barrel fitting and metal work was done by Warner Tool Co. in Keene, NH. Bob says: “My 6.5-284 load consist of the best bullet ever made, the 140 grain Berger VLD, behind 48.4 to 49.0 grains of H4350, depending on the particular barrel I am shooting. I have been shooting Norma brass in the past six months.
 Setting the Record — Just one “9”, On the Very Last Shot
Bob reports: “The conditions were good in my opinion, but conditions are like beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder. It was hot and humid, over 90 degrees by the time we got to the 1000 yard, with probably 90% humidity. Lots of grumbling on the line. The wind was light, but the flags are in the trees on the Forbes range. Very little if any use. It was overcast at 800, sun breaking in/out at 900 and very sunny by the 1000. Mirage varied between boiling, running and disappearing. The 9 was my 45th shot. The rifle/ammo performed superbly, the 9 was operator error for sure. Last-shot-itis or missing the change, you take your pick.”
Congratulations to Bob for setting an impressive new mark for the F-Class open division. A retired mechanical engineer, Bob was born in Hungary and moved to the United States in 1964. He has been involved in all kinds of shooting including pistol silhouettes, IPSIC and combat sniper rifle in various parts of the country. He has been shooting F-Class since 2001. Bob won the 2007 U.S. F-Class Open National Championship in Raton. He was a member of the 2005 U.S. F-Class Team and placed 7th in the individual World Championship, plus was a member of the 4-man team that won the Rutland Cup at the World Championship in South Africa. Bob also won the McDonald Stewart Grand Aggregate in the F-Class final of the 2007 Canadian Fullbore Championship.
July 20th, 2008
Last week, the third annual Southern California Precision Rifle Competition (SCPRC) was held. This match takes place each year in July at the West End Gun Club, 20 minutes west of San Bernadino, CA. Match director Mark Archuleta, aka “Spaniard”, ran a great match, with a diverse and challenging course of fire. Mark reports: “This was our third SCPRC, and we had 34 shooters from all over the US.” Mark posted a match report in our FORUM with lots of photos. CLICK HERE to read Mark’s full report. Below are some pictorial highlights from the Match, with Mark’s commentary:
Vu Pham from Nor-Cal, shown below, hit both his cold bore shots on day 1 & 2. This year’s Day Two cold bore shot (CBS) reprised our 2006 CBS. There was a 3.5″ Clay pigeon set at about 325 yards, with roughly a 10° down angle. In 2006, 7 out of 22 shooters made the hit, this year 12 out of 34 shooters made the hit. Some folks don’t think that the 10°-15° slope makes a difference, but it does.
Below Phil demonstrates textbook bipod shooting: working the bolt, maintaining a solid cheek weld and keeping an eye on the next target. Good job Phil. [Editor’s Note: the “pucks” on the bipod legs are “PodPaws” from Zephyr Dynamics]
One of the stages was shot from a squatting position with rifle supported by saw-horses. This stage obviously favored the shorter guys.
The match included timed stages. The challenge was how to record times for multiple shooters. I purchased a timing system and did some modifications to it so each shooter had his own stop button. It worked great and I could shoot whole teams all at once. This made the lines move very fast. It’s will be a part of all my future matches, local and not so local. Below, just like on Jeopardy, Scott Cochran stops the clock.
At the request of Kurt Stone (LV Steel Targets), a standing stage was added. It’s not easy to shot a heavy tactical rifle off-hand! Here, representing the United States Marine Corp., is SSgt. Tony Palzkill — a real professional and a nice guy too.
July 17th, 2008
This 7.5 minute professionally-produced video covers the Olympic Shooting disciplines. Created for Chinese TV, it offers good footage of air pistol and air rifle, 22 LR pistol and rifle competition, and the shotgun sports. You probably won’t understand the Chinese-language voice-over, but the video clips depict the action very well — even without English subtitles. If you’ve ever wanted to see Olympic-caliber shooters in action, this video is worth viewing start to finish. Gun content starts at the 35 second mark.
Click directly on video below to watch VIDEO from this page.
OR CLICK HERE to watch VIDEO on YouTube.
July 11th, 2008
The website for the U.S. F-Class Open Team has been completed revamped and updated. It now includes many new features, including a “Gallery of Guns”, F-Class FAQ, and a summary of F-Class Rules. Team bios will be added in the fall after the final team selection is made for the 2008 World Championships. The next F-Class World Championship will be held in Bisley, England in July, 2009. This is a true international event that has numerous countries from all over the world with close to 350 shooters participating.
Current Team Officers are: Bob Bock, Team Captain; Shiraz Balolia, Vice Captain; and Roger Whitney, Adjutant. The team is coached by some of the best wind gurus in the business: SSGT Emil Praslick (Head Coach), Bob Mead, Mid Tompkins, and Nancy Tompkins.
The U.S. F-Class Team competes in Open Class, using rifles up to 22 pounds with benchrest-style front rests. The other class shot at F-Class matches is F-TR, which stands for F-Class “Target Rifle”. F-TR is limited to .223 or .308 calibers, and is normally shot prone with bipod support.
F-Open
Caliber limit of .35 and under.
Rifle weight of 10 kg (approx. 22 lbs.)
Adjustable front rest and rear bag allowed.
Rail guns not allowed.
3″ wide fore-end (max).
F-T/R
Caliber limited to .223 or .308 (unmodified).
Sling and/or bipod allowed.
Rifle weight limit of 8.25 kg (approx. 18.18 lbs)
July 8th, 2008
At our request, 2008 IBS 600-yard National Champion Samuel Hall has prepared a 9-minute VIDEO showing his techniques for shooting from the bench. Sam covers a number of topics including bag set-up, body position, bolt manipulation, and loading skills. He also explains the importance of having a relaxed, comfortable posture and keeping your head in the same position shot to shot.
CLICK HERE to watch SAM HALL VIDEO
If you’re serious about accurate benchrest shooting, at ANY distance, you should watch this video. Sam’s tips can really help you. We guarantee it. While the video itself is grainy and wind noise affects the audio, you can still glean many great points from the video. From minute 8:00 on Sam shoots a 5-shot string on camera with his BAT-actioned, Leonard-stocked 6BR. Though he was fighting blustery, 20-mph winds Sam achieves a half-inch group at 200 yards. Quarter-MOA in such conditions is good shooting.
July 5th, 2008
If you want to test your long-range shooting skills against some of the best shooters in the country (including our own Jason Baney), head to Pennsylvania next weekend for the Williamsport World Open. Shooters will compete in Light Gun and Heavy Gun classes for a host of prizes including scopes, actions, and barrels. Sponsors include Nightforce Scopes, BAT Machine, and Bartlein, Hart, and Krieger barrel-makers, among many others. In addition, the Original Pennsylvania 1000-Yard Club will give $1000.00 CASH to anyone breaking the match time current Light Class or Heavy Class Ten-Shot Benchrest World Record during this event. (Award limited to person shooting smallest group of the weekend.)
The schedule of events will be: Saturday Morning – Light Gun Match One; Saturday Afternoon – Heavy Gun Match One; Sunday Morning – Heavy Gun Match Two; Sunday Afternoon – Light Gun Match Two. Complete Event info, including Course of Fire, Rules, and a list of nearby motels, is found on the World Open Webpage, or contact Matt Dienes, 724-479-0790.
CLICK HERE for World Open APPLICATION
The deadline for entry to the World Open at 7:00 pm Friday night. Rotations will be drawn at this time so please get your entry fees in before that time. NO LATE ENTRIES will be accepted on Match Day. The cost is $60.00 per Class for the two day event ($120 for both Classes both days). The Pig roast held Saturday evening is included in this fee.
June 23rd, 2008
Sam Hall of Boonville, NC has been the man to beat at 600 Yards this season. It looks like he nailed yet another IBS record with that hot-shooting 6BR of his. On June 14, at the Piedmont Gun Club in Rutherfordton, NC, Sam fired a 0.913″ five-shot group with his 28-lb 6BR Heavy Gun. The group was fully centered up, scoring a 50-5X on the new, smaller 600-yard target. Sam told us: “I believe this group is the smallest 50 ever shot in competition — with 5Xs to boot.” The previous record, we believe, was a 50 (1.174″) by Terry Brady.
Sam tells us: “This was the first group of the morning at Piedmont. Conditions were good …. I put 11 MOA elevation into my new March 50X scope (mounted just the day before) and almost hit the 2 1/4 inch skeet sighter on the first shot. On my last two shots on the skeet, I could see my shots hit dead center, so I knew I was on.
During record fire, I relaxed, took my time, because conditions were not changing, and let the rifle do what it was capable of. (I feel this rifle can hold 1.5″ at 600 pretty consistently, in windless conditions.) At the end of the 5 shots, my spotter, Brian Moore, and myself could see a little cluster in the middle of the bull. When that target was posted, man was I one happy fellow!”
GUN INFORMATION — HALL’s HAMMER
Action: BAT MB, RB-LP-RE. 1.40″ diameter.
Barrel: 31″ Lilja, 1.25″ straight, fluted, 1:8″ twist, 4 groove, .236 bore
Cartridge: Standard 6mmBR Norma, .268 neck, .104 freebore, Kiff Reamer
Stock: Shehane fiberglass ST-1000, orange and white, with “lots of lead” in buttstock. Gun is 28-lbs overall.
Scope: New March 50X, Target CH, Kelbly X-high rings.
Gunsmith and Stocker: Leonard Baity.
RELOADING DATA:
6BR (standard) with .268″ neck (.267″ loaded round), Berger 105 VLD (from last year’s orange box) +.010″ into rifling, 31.0 grains Reloder-15, CCI BR-4 Primers, Lapua Brass. Velocity, about 2970 fps.
WARNING: This load IS TOO HOT for most rifles.
Sam’s 6BR Heavy Gun Holds Multiple Records
NOTE: This combination holds three IBS 600-yard world records at this time: A 192 Score, a two-gun (LG and HG) group agg. of 1.955″, and now a score record of 50-5X, 0.913″. Also, this gun shot an 0.870″ at Oak Ridge, TN in March (the Record, at that time, was 0.861″ by Terry Brady).
June 19th, 2008
Dennis DeMille is a past Camp Perry National Champion, and one of the nation’s top High Power shooters. Since retiring from the U.S. Marine Corps, Dennis has served as the General Manager of Creedmoor Sports in Oceanside, California. We recently had the chance to interview Dennis at the Creedmoor offices. With his decades of competitive experience, Dennis has a wealth of knowledge. In this 3-minute interview, Dennis shares insights into the High Power shooting game. He discusses the most effective ways to train for competition, the fundamentals of good marksmanship, and how to recognize and perfect your natural point of aim. Dennis also offers solid advice on how to get the best “bang for your buck” when choosing shooting accessories for High Power and Across the Course competition.
CLICK HERE to WATCH DeMille Interview VIDEO
During our visit to Oceanside, Dennis gave us a tour of the Creedmoor facility. He confirmed that all the new Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor components are in stock: dies, bullets, brass, and loaded ammunition.
Dennis also explained the manufacturing process for Creedmoor’s popular shooting coats. All these shooting jackets are hand-crafted in Oceanside by experts with years of experience. Special templates are used to ensure each coat perfectly fits its new owner.
June 9th, 2008
Competing at the NRA Long-Range Regionals this weekend, Charles Ballard of North Carolina shot a new, pending F-Class Open record of 200-13X at 1000 yards. Charles also won the Regionals. Charles was shooting a straight .284 Winchester with 180gr Bergers and H4831sc powder. His rifle was smithed by Ray Bowman of Precision Rifle & Tool.
Charles told us: “It was about 103 degrees when I shot the 200-13x. The wind was running left to right, with 3-4 mph let-offs. But the velocity changes were pretty easy to read from the mirage. I dialed down the scope to 25-power and really locked into the mirage. Then, I got in a zone. I had a lot of confidence in what the mirage was telling me and I never took my head up and looked around at the flags. As soon as the spotter came up and it looked right, I broke the next shot — no hesitation. I probably shot the whole string in under 9 minutes. At about round 15, I started thinking that this might be a record and my heart really started pounding.”
The .284 Win for F-Class
Charles reports: “This rifle project began several years ago. I wanted a cartridge that would launch the high-BC, 180gr 7mm bullets with barrel life superior to that of a short mag. I read the article on this site about Jerry Tierney’s .284 and the cogs began to turn. After speaking with Mr. Tierney at the 2006 F-Class Nationals I decided this was the caliber I was going with, despite several shooters telling me I would not be able to obtain the desired velocities.
The action of choice was the 1.55″ round BAT MB. The MB model’s extended front end (allowing more barrel support and more bedding surface) was also a determining factor. The barrel is a 32″, 1.250″ straight contour Broughton 5C. As my gunsmith Ray Bowman says, “the Broughtons just shoot”. The chamber was cut with a reamer made for Lapua 6.5-284 necked up, throated for the 180s. The laminated stock is Precision Rifle & Tool’s F-Class. This low-profile stock has full adjustment and an extended, super-stiff fore-end. It rides the bags better than any stock I have ever shot.
Berger 180s at 2900 FPS, with Single-Digit ES
Ballard’s match load, 54.5 grains of H4831sc with Berger 180s, runs 2900 fps with an ES of 7 and SD of 2. Charles noted: “It took a lot of development work to get to that ideal load, but the velocity consistency really helps at 1000 yards.”
Charles noted that his gun likes to shoot well-fouled. “This Broughton barrel seems to shoot best at 50-150 rounds after it’s been cleaned. The vertical tightens up. Since the last cleaning, I had about 60 rounds through the barrel when I shot the record string. I credit Jerry Tierney for giving me the idea to go shoot an entire match without cleaning.”
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