|
|
August 14th, 2007
Just last week the 38th IBS Group National Championships concluded, hosted by the Benchrest Club of St Louis (Wright City, Missouri). During this marathon, 6-day event, 118 shooters competed in four different classes: Heavy Bench, Sporter, Light Varmint, and Heavy Varmint. The match saw some very impressive shooting, with small groups in the .060+ range in many events. Joe Krupa was the big winner in St. Louis. Joe won top honors in Three Gun, and Four Gun, and also placed first in Sporter Class Grand Agg, and Heavy Bench Grand Agg. Lowell Frei captured the Two Gun title, followed by Billy Stevens and Krupa. Benchrest legend Tony Boyer took the HV Grand Agg with an impressive 0.1850 Aggregate, while Bill Goad won the LV Grand Agg, edging runner-up Joe Krupa by a mere .0054! We offer a hearty congratulations to big Joe and to all the shooters who made this a great (and hotly contested) event.
 Four-Gun Overall Results:
1. Joe Krupa 0.2478
2. Tony Boyer 0.2689
3. David Reynolds 0.2690
4. Larry Costa 0.2731
5. L. Hottenstein 0.2733
Heavy Bench Grand Agg:
1. Joe Krupa 0.2934
2. Lee Hachigian 0.3126
3. David Reynolds 0.3176
4. Jay Lynn Gore 0.3188
5. Bill Goad 0.3229
Sporter Grand Agg:
1. Joe Krupa 0.2155
2. Larry Scharnhorst 0.2301
3. Larry Costa 0.2320
4. David Reynolds 0.2323
5. Steve Robbins 0.2331
Light Varmint Grand Agg:
1. Bill Goad 0.2214
2. Joe Krupa 0.2268
3. Billy Stevens 0.2493
4. L. Hottenstein 0.2540
5. Ira Rolley 0.2621
Heavy Varmint Grand Agg:
1. Tony Boyer 0.1850
2. Lowell Frei 0.1993
3. Donal Powell 0.2181
4. Lee Euber 0.2199
5. Bill Symons 0.2219
August 10th, 2007
On August 5, over 500 shooters vied for honors and $25,000 in cash and prizes at the first-ever NRA/Springfield Armory M1A Rifle Match at Camp Perry, Ohio. Held as part of the Centennial NRA National Rifle Championships, this was the first dedicated M1A match of its kind at Perry.
 With $25,000 of awards up for grabs, thanks to Springfield Armory, the match drew large numbers of competitors and rekindled interest in the M14-style .308 rifles for match competition. (AR15-style “Black Rifles” currently dominate regular NRA Service Rifle matches.) The course of fire was five sighter shots and 50 shots for record at 300 yards using the new MR-65F target. Shots for record consisted of: 20 shots slow fire in the prone position; 10 shots rapid fire in the prone position; 10 shots rapid fire in the kneeling or sitting position; and 10 shots show fire in the standing position.
The match was shot under rainy skies, but competitors still shot some impressive scores. The overall Match Winner was Ryan Castonguay of New Hartford, Connecticut, a 17-year-old shooter. Despite the fact that he was relatively new to the Springfield M1A rifle, Castonguay took top match honors with a fine 463-8X score. David Chase of Tujunga, California, won the First Place Civilian title with a score of 447-8X, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Allen Spiker of Philomath, Oregon, took the Armed Services title with a 456-4X. U.S. Navy Lt. Commander Yvonne Lyda of Woodbridge, Virginia, was top female shooter with a 428-5X, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Albert Wood of Merrillan, Wisconsin, was top Senior with 446-6X, while Chad Kurgan of Murphys, California, took High Junior honors with his 434-4X.
Prior to the M1A Match, on July 13, 2007, Co-CEO of Springfield Armory Dennis Reese announced that Springfield Armory will provide $1,000,000 to kick-off the NRA’s new Competitive Shooting & National Championships Endowment. Reese challenged other firearms manufacturers to contribute to the Endowment: “Springfield is committed to ensuring that competitive shooting is alive and thriving for years to come. By supporting this endowment, we are giving back to the sport that is such an important part of our lives…. We hope that others in the industry will join us in supporting the future of competitive shooting.”
The Competitive Shooting & National Championships Endowment supports a wide range of programs offered through the NRA’s Competitive Shooting Division. Each year, the NRA sanctions over 10,000 shooting tournaments and sponsors over 50 national championships. Over 125,000 men, women, and juniors compete in NRA Approved and Registered matches annually.
August 7th, 2007
Is it time for the precision shooting community to “raise its sights” and explore ways to attract more shooters and increase major manufacturer and sponsor involvement? Does it make sense to look at ways our sport can be more “media-friendly” and attract big corporate sponsors the way golf and tennis does?
Right now we have three different 1000-yard Benchrest organizations, operating under three different sets of rules. A recent 1000-yard “National Championship” attracted less than 80 shooters, with almost no media coverage, and the prizes totaled less than $8,000 in collective value.
 Consider what’s happening in the shotgun world by contrast. This month, From August 6-18, the 108th Grand American World Trapshooting Championships will be held at the new Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois. This year’s “Grand” will consist of 26 events spanning over 12 days. New events that have been added to this year’s Grand American include the Budweiser Handicap, and the Federal Premium shoot-out. In addition, all events from previous years will return. Collectively there will be over $1,000,000 in event monies/trophies and $100,000 in promotional give-aways.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if rifle shooting managed to attract that kind of prize money, and major participation by Fortune 500 companies? Should there be a “Grand American” for rifle shooters? Something that, unlike Camp Perry, could include Benchrest shooting, 3-Gun, Varmint comps, and maybe a combination of position and bench shooting with a true “factory class”?
There are MORE rifle shooters in America than there are trap and skeet shooters. Way more. So why can the Grand American Shotgun event attract seven-figure sponsorship and prime-time television coverage, while most major rifle events generate no such interest. Likewise, we should ask ourselves why is Cowboy Action Shooting growing so rapidly (77,000 registered members of SASS and counting), while participation levels in some of our precision shooting disciplines are declining?
Is there a way we could create a “Super Championship” where top shooters of various disciplines could compete in the same venue? Would it draw media attention to have Tony Boyer, David Tubb, and the 600-yard and 1000-yard Shooters of the Year all in the same place? Perhaps shooting the same type of rifle marketed by a major manufacturer such as Remington, Beretta (SAKO), or Springfield Arms?
Please understand, I am NOT advocating that existing disciplines be erased. However, when you look at what the shotgun world has accomplished, there are lessons to be learned. Trap and Skeet shooting is widely perceived as a high-prestige pastime–a sport associated with successful (read wealthy) men and women who have leadership roles in our society. I think the precision rifle sports could benefit by cultivating the same kind of perception for our activities.
This is important because rifle shooters currently face some very real challenges. Every year politicians pass more restrictive regulations, and more of our rifle ranges are closed. We can start to reverse these trends if we do a better, more creative job in promoting our sports and making rifle shooting more interesting and palatable for the average citizen as well as corporate marketers.
People may say “Who cares what the shotgunners do? We don’t need the likes of Budweiser and GMC at our matches, and the Kelbly Firearms Industry SuperShoot and Camp Perry National Championships are plenty big already.” I understand that sentiment, but I still think it makes sense to study the shotgun sports (and the golf industry). The shotgunners have been very, very successful in cultivating the right image for their sport, an image that attracts new shooters, placates politicians, and makes the big corporate sponsors want to affiliate their companies with trap-shooting.
We could learn some important lessons from that. We need to look at the big picture, explore ways to exhance the general appeal of competitive rifle shooting, and bring the various disciplines together.
August 6th, 2007
The Northwest 1000-Yard Benchrest Club holds its annual Championship this upcoming weekend at the Deep Creek Range in Missoula, Montana. The Championship Match will be held on August 10th, 11th and 12th, 2007. August 10th will be a practice day. Bench positions will be drawn on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Many valuable prizes will be awarded including a BAT Action, three Nightforce scopes, and numerous custom barrels (including 4 Kriegers, 2 Lawtons, and 2 Harts).
Many world records have been set at this range, including Smallest Light Gun 10-Shot Group 3.835″ by Cody Finch, and Light Gun High Score 100 (5.185″) by Barney Lawton, set just last month.
If you can spare a weekend and the travel time, this is a great event to attend, and all long-range bench shooters are welcome. The new rules instituted last year will continue, allowing 17-lb IBS and NBRSA guns in the 16 1/2 lb. and Heavy Gun Classes. This will apply to the Championship Shoot only. However, only guns 16.5 lbs (or less) will qualify for World Records under Pennsylvania Rules (The Montana Club is affiliated with Williamsport, PA). All guns will be qualified for prizes. To be eligible to compete in the Championship Shoot competitors must be members of the Northwest 1000 Yard Club and yearly dues are $30.00. Shooting fees for the Championship Shoot will be $30.00 each gun, each day. There will be a steak dinner on Saturday night for $5.00 per person. Camping spots (with electricity) are available at the club for $5.00 per night (call in advance to reserve).
For more info, Click Here, or contact Pat Capehart at 406-821-3737 or pat[at]accessmtwildblue.com. Related Article.
August 2nd, 2007
 Sergeant Shane M. Barnhart of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) based in Fort Benning, Georgia, won his third National Smallbore Rifle NRA Three-Position Championship with a score of 2267-74X. Sgt. Barnhart also won this championship in 2005, and his current win occurred during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first National Matches held at Camp Perry, Ohio.
Weather conditions played a big part in the overall competition this year. Scores were down slightly due to heavy rain during the Metallic Championships and strong winds during the Any Sight Championships. However, many of the competitors said the always-changing conditions make the National Matches one of the most enjoyable championships in all of the shooting sports.
Commenting about the weather conditions, Sgt. Barnhart said, “It wouldn’t be Camp Perry if it were not for the weather. The wind got to be very hectic during the Any Sight Championships, but I did better that day than during the Metallic Championships. I had a better day because I was allowed to use a scope. The scope helped me because I felt just a little more comfortable shooting with the scope than when I was using metallic sights.” Sgt. Barnhart also won in the Service Champion category.
August 1st, 2007
James Mock reports that Joe Krupa shot his way into the Benchrest Hall of Fame at the IBS Nationals now underway in St. Louis: “Joe used his great shooting Jay Young rail gun to win three more Hall of Fame points. These three points gave him 11 total. That means that he is our newest member of the BR Hall of Fame. Congratulations Joe.” Joe’s Agg for the Unlimited Class 200-yard Heavy Bench gun was .2866, while his Grand Agg was .2934″. For more information, read this thread on Benchrest.com.
July 31st, 2007
 The International Benchrest Shooters (IBS) Nationals kicked off July 30th in St. Louis. The event, which draws top 100/200 yard shooters from around the nation, continues through August 4th. Hosting the Nationals this year, is the Benchrest Rifle Club of St. Louis, 2045 Kohn Rd, Wright City, Missouri.
IBS 100/200 Score Nationals are also held this month, August 18-19, at the Canastota Conservation Club, Warners Road
Canastota, New York. The IBS 200/300 Score Nationals follow a month later, September 22-23, at the Thurmont Conservation & Sportsman’s Club, 11617 Hunt Club Rd., Thurmont, Maryland. For more info about these IBS events, visit the IBS website and click “Featured Events”.
Shown below are the top shooters from last year’s 2006 IBS 100/200 Group Nationals held at Canastota. Top row (L to R) are Rob Sarbrough, Mike Ratigan, Joe Krupa and Russ Boop. Wayne Campbell is in front. Photo courtesy IBS.
July 25th, 2007
Soldiers of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit have scored major victories recently, including First, Second and third in the just-completed Service Rifle Championship at Quantico. The Service rifle team competes, primarily, with an accurized version of the M16A2 rifle at distances of 200 to 1000 yards. Select members of the team also compete with bolt-action rifles equipped with both telescopic and aperture sights from 800 to 1000 yards. Below are recent winning performances by USAMU team members. USAMU shooters and coaches will also be competing in the Centennial matches at Camp Perry in the next few weeks.
Interservice Highpower Rifle Championships
Quantico, Va., July 16 to 24
USAMU service rifle shooter Sgt. 1st Class Lance S. Hopper won the Overall Individual Interservice Rifle Championship, followed by Sgt. 1st Class Grant L. Singley in second place and Sgt. 1st Class Kyle A. Ward in third. Singley won the Navy Match and Staff Sgt. William T. Pace won the Marine Corps Match. The USAMU Service Rifle Team coached by Staff Sgt. Emil Praslick III won the 2007 Interservice Rifle Championship Commanding General Team Match; shooters were Hopper, Green, Singley, Ward and Sgt. 1st Class Lance D. Dement and Spc. Matthew T. Sigrist and the team captain was Spc. Tyrel L. Cooper.
National Smallbore Rifle Matches
Camp Perry, Ohio, July 19 to 21
Sgt. Shane M. Barnhart won the National Smallbore Three Position National Championship; Lt. Col. Robert E. Harbison took third place. Barnhart also won the Three Position Any Sight Championship, in which Spc. Nicole M. Cooper finished third; Cooper also won the Women’s Championship. Second Lt. Lucas F. Leinberger placed second in the Three Position Metallic Sight Championship. The USAMU Team of Cooper, Staff Sgt. Armando R. Ayala, Cpl. Henry L. Gray and Spc. David R. Sprecher won the Three Position Any Sight Team Match and the USAMU Team of Harbison, Leinberger, Barnhart and Maj. Michael E. Anti took the Three Position Metallic Sight Team Match.
Pan-American Games
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 15 to 21
Sgt. 1st Class Jason A. Parker won Gold Medals in the Air Rifle and Three Position Free Rifle matches. Sgt. 1st Class Thomas A. Tamas received the Gold Medal in the Free Rifle Prone competition, in which Spc. Michael D. McPhail got the Silver. Spc. Joshua M. Richmond received the won the Gold Medal in the Double Trap match, followed by Spc. Jeffrey G. Holguin with the Silver. In the Skeet competition, the Gold Medal went to Pvt. 2 Vincent C. Hancock and the Silver to Sgt. 1st Class James Todd Graves.
July 24th, 2007
This may be a first in ARA 50-yard competition. Using a Calfee-built Rem XP100 pistol with 20″ barrel, Joe Friedrich shot a perfect 2500 score at the Open Grove range in California this past weekend. His four-target total was 9650 (2350, 2450, 2500, 2350). The pistol was supported by a skeletal bipod in front with a conventional sandbag in the rear. The group was shot at night in very stable conditions. Joe told us: “This pistol is incredible. I’ve only had it a couple of weeks, and I’m still learning the technique.”
We find it very interesting that Joe was able to achieve this kind of accuracy with a relatively short barrel. Conventional wisdom (at least with rimfire rifles) dictates that one needs a barrel 25″ or longer to work optimally with the tuner systems. Many folks also believe that the longer barrels tend to “iron out” shot to shot velocity differences. It will be interesting to see if some ARA shooters now experiment with shorter barrels on their rifles.
Joe credits much of his recent hot shooting to a new wind indicator product he’s using: “Snuffy” Sail Tails. These use nylon ripstop sailcloth material and maintain a tubular shape (like a long cigar) when attached to a wind flag. They rise and fall with velocity changes, and are much easier to read. Joe says these don’t flutter around like conventional wind tails or surveyors’ tape. They are sensitive enough for small zephyrs but they don’t swing back and forth erratically giving potential false reads. You can order the Sail Tails from Howard “Snuffy” Smith in Macon, GA, (478) 477-2829. A set of five Sail Tails in a PVC tube is $24.50 delivered. Link to Advert.
July 22nd, 2007
 The 2007 NRA National Rifle & Pistol Championships are underway now at Camp Perry, Ohio. This year promises to be one of the best-attended Championship series in Camp Perry’s 100-year history. More that 4000 shooters will be competing in a variety of disciplines. The smallbore 3-Position event concludes today, July 22nd, to be followed by Smallbore Prone from July 23-27. CMP Rifle matches run August 1-4. The High Power Rifle competition will be held August 6-10, while the High Power Long Range match runs August 11-14. Visit the Camp Perry web site for Camp Perry History, driving directions, and lodging information.
Complete match scores and standings are compiled daily and posted on the NRA Nat’l Championship Results webpage.
 
Camp Perry is a 640-acre Ohio National Guard Training Site located on the southern shores of Lake Erie. Ranges and Training facilities include three automated firing ranges, ballistic shoot-house and multiple field training areas. An article covering the history of the Camp Perry matches, written by Philip Schreier, Senior Curator, National Firearms Museum, is on the NRA’s National Rifleman website. Click the graphic below to read the article.
Illustration ©2007 National Rifle Association
|
