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July 21st, 2007
SSG Emil Praslick, USAMU Service Rifle coach, is considered one of the best wind gurus in the United States, if not the world. He has authored an excellent two-part article on wind reading that is available on the CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program) website. Both articles contain helpful illustrations, and are “must-read” resources for any long-range shooter–not just Service Rifle and Highpower competitors.
Click to Read Articles:
Reading the Wind (Part One) | Reading the Wind (Part Two)
 Part One covers basic principles, tactics, and strategies, with a focus on the 200-yard stages. Emil writes: “There are as many dimensions to ‘wind reading’ as there are stages to High Power competition. Your tactical mindset, or philosophy, must be different for the 200 and 300 yard rapid-fire stages than it would be for the 600 yard slow-fire. In the slow-fire stages you have the ability to adjust windage from shot to shot, utilizing the location of the previous shot as an indicator. Additionally, a change to the existing conditions can be identified and adjusted for prior to shooting the next shot.”
In Part Two, Praslick provides more detailed explanations of the key principles of wind zeros, wind reading, and the “Clock System” for determining wind values: “The Value of the wind is as important as its speed when deciding the proper windage to place on the rifle. A 10 MPH wind from ’12 o-clock’ has No Value, hence it will not effect the flight of the bullet. A 10 MPH wind from ‘3 o’clock’, however, would be classified as Full Value. Failure to correct for a Full Value wind will surely result in a less than desirable result.”
Praslick also explains how to identify and evaluate mirage:
Determine the accuracy of the mirage. Mirage is the reflection of light through layers of air that have different temperatures than the ground. These layers are blown by the wind and can be monitored to detect wind direction and speed.
Focus your scope midway between yourself and the target, this will make mirage appear more prominent. I must emphasize the importance of experience when using mirage as a wind-reading tool. The best way to become proficient in the use of mirage is to correlate its appearance to a known condition. Using this as a baseline, changes in mirage can be equated to changes in the value of the wind. Above all, you must practice this skill!
Click HERE for more excellent instructional articles by Emil Praslick and other USAMU Coaches and shooters.
July 19th, 2007
On July 5-8, the 101-year-old Los Angeles Rifle & Revolver Club hosted the All-American Smallbore Championship. Many of the top rimfire shooters in the western USA attended the match. The overall match winner was German Salazar. Below is a one-minute video showing German shooting the 100-yard “any sights” stage. If you watch carefully you’ll see how steady German holds his rifle and how quickly/smoothly he cycles his bolt. You’ll see just a small lift of the muzzle as German pulls the trigger. German’s rifle features an Anschutz 2013 action in a fiberglass Master Class stock with an older Leupold 24X Target scope. It has a phenomenal 1.5 ounce Kenyon trigger–as smooth and crisp a trigger as we have ever sampled. Click HERE for large photo.
Other winners, by category, included:
First Master–Sam Thoman
First Expert–Mike Tuck
Top Woman–Dara Zachary
First SharpShooter–Amanda McMullin
(Amanda also posted the high score among Juniors)
First Marksman–Jennifer Smith
Highest Junior (After Amanda)–Shannon Draeker
The LARR ran a very efficient, professional match. Many legendary small-bore and position shooters were present as observers at the match, including former Olympian and world record 300m shooter David Kimes. Click HERE for Complete Match Results. You’ll also find a discussion of the match on ShootersJournal.com.
July 17th, 2007
Ever wondered what it was like to pilot a 60+ pound Heavy Gun in top-level competition? Want to see how fast a shooter can rip off 10 shots downrange? Check out this video of John Buhay shooting his 6 Dasher Heavy Gun at the Williamsport World Open on Sunday, July 15. John launches 10 shots in 26 seconds start to finish, even with multiple point of aim adjustments. John’s rifle employs a trued Remington Action in a Delrin and aluminum stock crafted by Buhay himself. If you cringe seeing John launch brass over his shoulder–he has a towel that catches his empties. Click the image below to download the 4.8 megabyte video. If you have the Media Plug-in, the video should launch when you double-click.
© 2007 AccurateShooter.com, All Rights Reserved
Video by Jason Baney
July 16th, 2007
Forum member Matt Dienes triumphed at this weekend’s Williamsport World Open, capturing the Two-Gun Overall Championship (9.215″ Group Agg, 91.250 Score Agg). Congrats to Matt, whose Light Gun and Heavy Gun were both chambered in 300 WSM. Matt’s new HG, smithed by Wes Springman, was just two weeks old. Eric Springman finished second in the Two-Gun, shooting a 30-330 in Light Gun and a 6mm BRXS in Heavy. Finishing Third Overall was William Kilpatrick, running a 6.5-284 in both classes. (Note: this data is from the equipment list; some competitors may have chosen to run their Light Guns in Heavy Class).
According to our 1000-yard Editor Jason Baney, “Conditions were really challenging. The wind was strong and switchy. On Sunday it was going crazy. In one of my relays we saw it go from prevailing full right to a full left during the course of fire. That can put you off paper at 1000.”
While many shooters were campaigning 6mms (including Jason), this seemed to be a weekend made for the big 30s. Piloting a 300 Weatherby Improved (with 240 SMKs), Scott Weber won the Heavy Gun Class (5.784″ Group Agg, 96.500 Score Agg) and shot the Heavy Gun Small Group, an impressive 3.488″ ten-shot cluster shown below. This was just one bullet diameter off the Williamsport record.
Jennifer Springman finished second in Heavy Gun with her 300 Win Mag, posting a 6.664″ Group Agg plus 92.500 Score Agg. Shannon Lowman won the Light Gun Overall Agg (8.601″ Group Agg, 91.00 Score Agg), shooting a 300 Win Mag. Andy Murtagh finished second in Light Gun (8.995″, 92.00), shooting a 6.5-284 Hoover. Complete match results are found on the Williamsport Website.
NOTE: We will update this Bulletin report later with more info and video. Check back tomorrow.
July 9th, 2007
Tom Sarver has entered the ranks of the Immortals. Shooting at the Thunder Valley (Ohio) Range on July 7th, Tom nailed a truly spectacular 1.403″ 5-shot group at 1000 yards. This represents a new IBS Light Gun group-size record that edges Rich DeSimone’s 1.564″, previously thought “untouchable.” What is even more amazing is that the group was centered, producing a 50-score with 5 Xs. That will be a new IBS Score record as well.
Tom was shooting a big 30 wildcat he calls the “300 Hulk”, a shortened 338 Lapua Magnum necked down to 30 caliber, pushing 240gr Sierra MatchKings (0.711 BC) at close to 3000 fps. Tom is using about 85 grains of H1000. He anneals the Lapua brass after every firing, and the brass that set the record was on its 58th firing! After the record Group/Score target on Relay One of Match 7 in the Ohio 1000-yard series, Tom added a 6″ group that secured the Light Gun class victory according to fellow Thunder Valley shooter Dan Wassum. Dan also notes: “Tom has been very close several times to records, but this time all five were in the right spot.” (J.P. Lucas was the 2007 Ohio Overall Two-Gun Champ at Thunder Valley this year.)
Rich DeSimone offered his congratulations to Tom: “Congratulations from the guy you ‘de-throned’. It could not happen to a nicer more deserving guy. Since I have known you, when you first started shooting benchrest at Hawk’s Ridge with a bi-pod and a .308 snipers rifle, you have come a VERY long way. This August 17th would have been five years since I beat the existing record by around .040″ and now you blew mine away by about .160″ and put five X’s with it to boot. Way to go Tom!”
July 6th, 2007
On July 20-22, the NBRSA 1000-yard Nationals will be held at the Palamino Range just outside Reno, Nevada. Competitors will shoot both Light Gun (17-lb max) and Heavy Gun (Unlimited) Classes. The format is SIX targets each day if you shoot two (2) classes, or THREE targets each day if you are shoot one (1) class. Friday the 20th is a sign-up, weigh-in, and practice day. If you need to shoot to practice or zero, there is a $10.00 range fee on Friday. For the match, the Entry Fee is $20 per day per gun.
You can still register and compete. However, pre-registration was required 30 days before June 20th. A $40 late fee will be applied for late registration. Match is July 21st and 22nd. Local information and Registration Form are found on the Palomino Valley Gun Club website. For more info contact Bob Hoppe at (775) 397-3358.
June 22nd, 2007
This summer, the NRA and major sponsor Beeman Precision, is sponsoring a series of matches for marksmen with disabilities. This 4-event series, the Beeman Grand Prix Air Gun Tour, commenced June 2nd in Palmyra, PA at the Appalachian Wheelchair Games. Three more matches are scheduled.
On June 28-29, aptly named Nitro, WV will host the WV Wheelchair Shooting Championships. Three weeks later, on July 20-21, the Fresno Wheelchair Shooting Championship will be held in Fresno, CA. Lastly, the Glenda Horton Memorial Finals will take place August 21-25 at New Braunfels, TX. We wish all competitors good luck in these events, and applaud the NRA and Beeman for providing this competitive opportunity for disabled shooters. For more info, call NRA Disabled Shooting Services at (703) 267-1495.
 Profile of a Shooter
One great thing about the shooting sports is that disabled persons can not only participate, but, in many disciplines, they can compete on an equal basis with “normal” shooters, and even grab their share of trophies.
We applaud all those with disabilities who enjoy the shooting sports–whether their interest be prone shooting, F-Class, air rifle, or bullseye pistol. At left is John Campbell, a Britisher who participated in the U.S. F-Class Championships earlier this year. Though wheelchair bound, John remains an outstanding marksman who more than holds his own in tough international competition.
June 19th, 2007
Allie Euber shot a potential new IBS Benchrest for Score World Record at the recent St. Johnsbury, VT match. In the Light Varmint (10.5-lb) class, Allie posted a two-day, 100/200-yard Grand Aggregate of 500 (the maximum point total), with 35 Xs. If this is certified, it beats the previous record of 500-33x set by B. Lembo way back in 1995. (The 100/200 meter record is R. Read’s 500-24X set in 2004.) We congratulate Allie on great shooting, and beating a long-standing mark.
 Allie told us: “I had won the 100-yard with my Heavy Varmint, and had strung together a high X-Count with the Heavy. I pulled out the Light gun and it shot even more Xs, especiallly at 200 yards. On that last 200-yard stage, the conditions were pretty good–cloudy, overcast (pre-rain).” Allie’s record-setting LV was a 30BR with a BAT action and 3-groove, 17-twist Lilja barrel, which he had chambered himself. Allie told us he “like to run ‘em hot”, so he used “a full case of H4198″ with his own 30-caliber 7.5 ogive, 117gr flatbase match bullets. To order these bullets contact Euber Bullets, No. Orwell Road, Orwell, VT 05760, (802) 948-2621.
Reed Garfield emailed us noting that this wasn’t the first major record set at the Caledonia Forest and Stream Club in St. Johnsbury: “FYI, in 2005 Greg Palman of Aurora, ME broke the long-standing HV 100/200-yard Grand Agg at this range with a 500/39X. Our little farmer’s cow pasture up in Northern Vermont is now the home of both the HV and LV records.”
June 19th, 2007
We recently did a story on ARA rimfire shooter Joe Friedrich from California. In March he was just the sixth person (at the time) to shoot a perfect 2500 score in ARA 50-yard competition. His other three targets were scored 2450, 2450, 2450, for a then-unheard of 9850 four-target Aggregate.
Joe has a new gun (another Meyers-built custom with Benchmark 2-groove barrel) and it appears to be at least as good (if not better) than his record-setter. Just this Saturday, in a night match, Joe shot another 9850 Aggregate, with one perfect 2500 target. Joe’s latest 2500 doesn’t leave any room for doubt–23 of 25 shots are clean (all in the white) and only two shots barely nick the inside edge of the 100-score blue ring. This target, shown below, did not need to be plugged. Congrats to Joe on fine shooting. He continues to “raise the bar” in ARA rimfire competition. Click HERE to read our feature story about Joe and his rifles. And here is a link to see large versions of Joe’s latest FOUR Record Targets.
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