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April 26th, 2007
The folks at Williamsport have completed a new 600-yard range and will be running 600-yard matches through the spring and summer of 2007. Match dates are: May 19, June 2, June 16, June 30, July 28, and August 25. This match is not affiliated with IBS, though IBS Light Guns are welcome. Either light or heavy or both can be shot. Light gun configuration is similar to IBS specifications (17-lb maximum, 3″ max fore-arm width). Sight-in and shooting will be done on a new berm constructed this spring. 10 benches are available. Four targets will be shot in two relays. The winners for group and score will be determined by Aggregate of the four targets. Anyone who has shot at Bridgeville will find this format familiar. The refreshment stand will be open and offering dinner specials after the conclusion of the match. This is a fun match, run by club members. Everyone is welcome. A non-member can shoot twice without joining. However, the third shoot will require a membership. Plaques will be awarded for each category, and an Aggregate winner for the year will receive a special award. For more info and directions to the range, visit the Original Williamsport Club Website, PA1000yard.com.
April 25th, 2007
 Olympic-class shooters will be competing April 25-May 3, in Sydney, Australia as part of the ISSF World Cup series of shooting competitions. At World Cup events, hosted at various sites around the world, shooters can earn points towards Olympic elegibility for the next Olympic Games. In Sydney, air pistol and air rifle shooters, and small-bore (rimfire) rifle and pistol shooters will compete in individual and team competition at 10, 25, and 50 meters. To learn more about World Cup shooting, visit ISSF-Shooting.org, or log into the Australian Int’l Shooting Ltd. website.
April 23rd, 2007
The NBRSA 600-Yard Nationals (Sloughhouse 600) wrapped up yesterday in Sacramento, CA. The top performers were Don Nielson (overall champion), Ron Tilley (Second Overall), and Lou Murdica (Third Overall). Conditions were fairly challenging during the match. On Friday the first relay started very calm, but then the winds picked up later in the day. It was windy Saturday and Sunday, and a big storm on Saturday night actually carried away the cover over the shooting benches. Don truly shot a great match, leading right from the start. After the first day he shot his 6.5×47 in both light and heavy classes. Don was worried about the increased winds on Sunday but “despite my fears, I shot 90s on Sunday which is what I needed to win.” In addition to winning the overall Championship, Don took top honors in Two-Gun Score, Two-Gun Group, Heavy Gun 3-Target Score, and Heavy Gun 3-Target Group. Don also posted the Heavy Gun single target High Score for the match (98-3X). That same target produced the Heavy Gun Small Group, 1.776″, which is a new NBRSA 10-shot record. During the match, Don established three other new score records for the new, smaller 600-yard target.
Ron Tilley ruled the Light Gun Class, finishing first in both Score (276-5X), and group (2.414″ Agg), and Ron had the best LG 3-target Group Agg. (2.023″). Ron was shooting a 6BR smithed by Stu Harvey. Bert Seltzer nailed the Light Gun Small Group, a 1.7″ (49-2X). Lou Murdica, shooting a 6BR with 95gr Bergers, shot the Light Gun High Score (50-3X) on a target which also produced an impressive 1.745″ group. (Lou shot a 6.5×55 in Heavy Gun.) In Heavy Gun class L. Dragoman Sr. shot well as did Billy Copelin.
 We spoke to Don Nielson this morning and he had some interesting observations. He started off the match shooting his 6.5×47 in Heavy Gun and 6-6.5×47 in Light Gun. Both rifles weigh 17 lbs. and use Panda actions in Kelbly 1M stocks. But, after his 6.5×47 produced the 1.776″ group on Day 1, he shot that Hart-barreled rifle in both classes for the rest of the match. On Sunday it was very windy and Don had two larger-caliber rifles in his truck, a 280 Rem Improved and a big 30. Don thinks “the 6.5×47 is the ideal cartridge for 600 yards, but when it really blows you may want something bigger.” Don attributed the accuracy of his rifle to careful brass prep: “If you don’t have perfect brass, you might as well go home.” Don reamed the 6.5×47 flash holes to .0625″ with a Ron Hoehn tool, and turned the necks to .010″ wall thickness using his Pumpkin neck-turning tool. In the 6.5×47 he shot a “moderate” load of RL15 with new JLK 130gr bullets from Swampworks.com. He uses Federal 205m primers and he says he has had absolutely no ignition problems. In the 6-6.5×47, Don used H4350 with original, Jimmy Knox produced 105gr JLKs. FYI, if you want some of those Swampworks’ 130s, you better get in line. Don just ordered another 3000.
We noted that Don and Lou Murdica are both veteran short-range benchrest shooters. We asked Don if his short-range experience gave him an edge in the 600-yard game. He replied: “Well both Lou and I are used to holding off as the conditions change. I never clicked once I had a group going–I held off as conditions dictated. I also tried to shoot sighters in all conditions that might occur during record fire, and noted how these impacted on the target. That way I felt I knew how to compensate with my hold no matter which way the conditions went.” Lou Murdica noted that his new March 40X ED scope made it easier to hold off: “Most of the time I had no trouble seeing 6mm bullet holes at 600 yards in both the white and blue areas of the target. Most of the other guys had trouble seeing their bullet holes with other scopes.”
Congratulations to all the competitors. We also credit Ed Eckhoff and his crew, who, as usual, did a great job running the match at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center.
April 17th, 2007
 Launi Meili, Olympic Gold Medalist (Barcelona 1992), and 7-time National Champion in three-position rifle, has been named head rifle coach at the Air Force Academy. Meili comes to the academy from the University of Nebraska, where she led the Cornhuskers to a No. 2 national ranking this season and earned “Coach of the Year” honors in 2006. “Coach Meili brings a wealth of experience as not only a proven NCAA Division I head coach, but a world-class competitor as well,” said Col. Billy Walker, the Air Force Academy’s Assoc. Athletics Director. “I’m quite certain Coach Meili will develop us into one of the elite programs in the country.”
As a shooting competitor, Meili shot with the U.S. Shooting team for 10 years. In that time, Meili participated in two Olympic Games, two Pan American games and a World Championship. During her career, she produced three world records, three Olympic records, a world team championship and the Olympic Gold medal in Barcelona in 1992, becoming the only American woman to ever win gold in smallbore. She has written the Advanced Coaches Certification Program in use by the US Shooting Team and the NRA to certify coaches at the highest level. She has also created the “mental training workshop” taught to athletes, coaches and business personnel in the US and Japan.
April 16th, 2007
 The NBRSA 600-yard Nationals will be held this week, April 19-22, at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center Range in Sloughhouse, California. Weigh-in and Sight-in Sessions will be held Thursday the 19th, with the Match commencing Friday the 20th at 8:00 am. Ed Eckhoff notes: “The new smaller 600-yard target will be used. The Firing line will be covered for the Sloughhouse 600. Just be sure no one does ANYTHING to PO the range gods and we’ll have good conditions. On-site overnight parking available for RVs at $10/night. If you have questions, contact me at (530) 661-6018.” There will be practice sessions throughout this week. The Schedule is:
Mon April 16: Normal BR and F-Class Practice day 600
Tues April 17: Palma and F-Class Practice day 800, 900, 1000
Wed April 18: Range normally closed BUT can be available 600 yd.
Thurs April 19: 600 Nat’ls day for sign-in/weigh-in/sight-in
Fri, Sat, Sun, April 20-22: Sloughhouse NBRSA 600 Nationals
Sat April 21: Catered BBQ immediately after the match
Click HERE to download the NBRSA Rules. For weather reports, go to Weatherunderground.com. In the search box at the top, enter Zip Code 95683. That provides an extended forecast for the whole week. Under each day of the week click on the blue “Detail” link for more wind and humidity info. Click HERE for Map and Directions to the range.
April 14th, 2007
 Winchester Ammunition has pledged $500,000 to permanently endow the NRA’s Marksmanship Qualification Program. The gift allows Winchester to become the exclusive, permanent sponsor of the program, which will now be formally known as the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program. The original NRA Marksmanship Qualification program is based on the Winchester Junior Rifle Corps, started by Winchester in 1918. Winchester transferred this program to the NRA in 1926, where it was merged with its existing youth training offerings.
The Marksmanship Qualification Program provides attractive pins, patches, and certificates to participants as they achieve progressively higher shooting standards. More than 200,000 such awards were distributed in 2006 alone, and 1,700 shooters reached the program’s highest level, “Distinguished Expert.” Although originally designed for youngsters, the program has grown to include beginning adult shooters and hunters as well. To learn more about the program, Click HERE to view the program summary, or call the NRA Qualification Coordinator at (703) 267-1505.
April 13th, 2007
Competitors should note that there have been quite a few changes to the official rules for 2007. Click HERE to download a handy .pdf file (from ShootingSports USA), with ALL NRA rule changes, complete with detailed info on the new targets. This is a “must-have” update.
Larry Bartholome of the USA F-Class team also notes that specific 2007 F-Class and Highpower rule changes are now posted on the NRA web site:
Highpower changes (F-Class starts on page 6, Section 22):
www.nrahq.org/compete/rules/rul_hpr_07.pdf
Complete Fullbore rules (F-class on page 42, Section 22):
www.nrahq.org/compete/rules/fullbore_07.pdf
2007 Fullbore changes only (F-Class on page 2):
www.nrahq.org/compete/rules/rul_fb_prone_07.pdf
Changes for other NRA shooting disciplines:
www.nrahq.org/compete/rulechanges.asp
CLICK HERE for the Camp Perry Nationals sign-up form.
April 9th, 2007
Al Nyhus and Stan Ware have created a radical short-necked “Wolf Pup” wildcat that won a number of matches in 2006. Al and Stan started with a 30BR design and blew the shoulder forward until the case had enough water capacity to satisfy the Hunter Benchrest rules. The Wolf Pup neck is only about .080″. Even with the ultra-short case neck, the Wolf Pup displays uniform neck-tension, long case life, and great accuracy. During testing, groups in the ‘teens were routine with several powders and the case appears to every bit as tuneable as the 30BR. Tuning is simple as “max accuracy and max velocity occur simultaneously”, according to Stan.
Left to Right: Lapua 6BR case; 6BR case necked-up to .30 caliber; neck-turned case ready to fire; fire-formed 30 Wolf Pup case; loaded 30 Wolf Pup round.
Al tells us: “This is a radical new case that myself and Stan Ware (SGR Custom Rifles) are trying in IBS and NBRSA Hunter Bench Rest (HBR) competition. The cartridges used in HBR must hold at least 45.0 or 45.5 of water, depending on whether you’re reading the IBS or NBRSA rulebook. The Wolf Pup holds 45.7 grains of H20, so it’s legal under either set of rules. When you look at the ratio between case capacity and bore size it is almost identical to a 6PPC.
Our Wolf Pup cases (.080″-.085″ neck lengths) show similar loaded round runout figures to our other .30 caliber cases with .320″ and .250″ neck lengths. We set the throat to position the base of the bullet well below the neck-shoulder junction. Obviously, the throat is quite a bit longer on this setup than the freebore length that we’ve been running with our more traditional neck lengths…that is, freebore lengths in the .000″ to .035″ range for bullets based on the 1.00″ long jackets and weights in the 118-125 range. We worried about bullet misalignment in that short neck, but jamming the bullets into the lands seems to take care of that–provided the chamber has as little runout as possible, is well-centered to the bore and the cases are sized aggressively enough to allow a bit of ‘wiggle room’ in the chamber.
 We’re still learning–remember that the concept was not to have a short neck, but the short neck was the consequence of blowing the shoulder forward enough to reach legal case capacity for Hunter Benchrest class rules. But as we got into the project, we decided to take a fresh approach to the neck length issue. Like everyone, we’ve been amazed that this ultra-short neck works so well. The 30 Wolf Pup has been one of the most fun and interesting projects we’ve ever worked with. It delivers great accuracy, easy tuning, and long case life.” (Target shown was a 5-shot group fired 4-8-06 at 100 yards on the Wolf Pup’s first outing.)
April 5th, 2007
2007 marks the 27th year for the Hickory Shoot, the nation’s most popular groundhog shooting competition. There were 242 entries last year and the number could top 300 this year. The match will be held in Vale, North Carolina. Every year valuable prizes are awarded for the top shooters. In the past, 6BRs, 6BR Improveds and the mid-size 6mms have been the calibers to beat. To see what it takes to win, read this article about Harold Seagroves’ Spencer-built 6BR, which has won the Hickory Shoot multiple times.
The range will open for practice April 9th through 13th. The match will start 8 o’clock sharp Saturday morning the 14th. If you have any questions call Larry Willis, Bulls Eye Sporting Goods, (704) 462-1948. This year the targets will be at known distances, 100, 300, and 500 yards. That should be a cake walk for you 1000-yard shooters.
March 28th, 2007
Southern Californian Joe Friedrich achieved the “Holy Grail” of ARA 50 rimfire shooting, a perfect 2500 score, and set a pending new 4-target Aggregate Record this past weekend. By most accounts, only a half-dozen or so perfect 2500s have been shot in ARA competition, but Joe’s Agg (2450, 2500, 2450, 2450, total 9850, average 2462.5) may be even more impressive. Top rimfire shooters agree this “will be the benchmark to beat for quite some time”. Joe, who is also the 2006 ARA Aggregate Champion, was shooting a custom rifle smithed by Bill Myers of Winchester, Virginia.
 ARA 50 targets have 25 bulls with a center 100-Ring. “Worst edge” scoring is used, meaning a “100” must fall completely within the center ring plus the line separating it from the 50-Ring. See ARA Rules. You can’t just clip the 100-Ring from one side. Click HERE for official ARA target. The Aggregate is the total combined points of the day’s four targets divided by four.
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