With April just two days away, we are well into the “swing of spring”. Here are six “fun and games” targets that can provide some fun springtime shooting opportunities, both indoors and outdoors. While each requires good conventional marksmanship skills — hitting a small aiming point — there are other strategies involved, such as playing darts or hitting the right combination of poker cards. Most of us started shooting as kids, just plinking for fun. Here’s an opportunity to be like a kid again — to spend a day at the range just having fun with friends and family members.
Dartboard Target with Colored Rings
This printable Dartboard Shooting Target has the numbers inside the outer dartboard ring to allow a larger target. With this target you can shoot for the center bull, or actually play pub-style dart games, aiming for numbers and particular rings. If you don’t know how to play traditional dart games, visit NiceDarts.com for complete darts rules. One popular game is “Around The World”. The object is to hit the numbered zones, starting with number 1. Then you try for 2, 3, and so on. After hitting all the numbers 1 through 20, then hit the bullseye to win. CLICK HERE for Other Dart Board Color combinations.
Atomic Target — Aim for Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons
The Atomic Target was originally created as a contest for our readers. The design is by Michael Forester of Auckland, New Zealand. First aim for the bigger green and red neutrons and protons, then try your luck with the smaller, more challenging blue electrons. You can also use the four black and yellow Atomic warning symbols as bullseye targets.
Poker Target — Get the Best Hand
Poker players will enjoy this target. With this playing card-themed poker cards target, each shooter takes five shots and the one with the highest hand wins. You can also shoot for four-of-a-kind, against the clock, fastest four (without a mistake) wins.
Slot Machine Jackpot Target
Enjoy a little Las Vegas-style fun on your next trip to the range. This cool Slot Machine Target has four sets of slot machine patterns each with three rows of three symbols. Connect three in a row to win — and hit the Jackpot! This is one of many colorful, free targets available from Targetz.com.
Flies in Circles Target
Now you can boast to your buddies that you hit a fly on your target — 16 times. On this target, 16 flies with bright red eyes are arranged in a inside circles, 16 to a page. There are various ways to use the fly targets. Some shoot to hit the head only — so aim for those red eyes. There are 11 other variations of this Fly Target available on the Targets.WS website.
Tic-Tac-Toe Fun Game Target
This Tic-Tac-Toe Shooting Game Target lets you challenge your shooting buddies at the range. One player can shoot the red triangles, while the other shoots the white zones, taking turns. You proceed just like a regular Tic-Tac-Toe game, alternating shots, with the goal of getting three of the same color in a row. This is a fun game for a parent and a young family member. You’ll find other fun targets on Targets4free.com.
Special BONUS — AccurateShooter.com Load Development Target
Our Load Development Target has been used by tens of thousands of shooters. It has proven very popular, since all your load data fits neatly in the boxes under each target. In fact this target is being employed by both rifle-makers (Bergara) and barrel-makers (including Criterion) to test their products. The target was designed for aiming efficiency. The red diamonds have 1/2″ sides and you can align your cross-hairs on the horizontal and vertical lines. It is a clean design that is easy to see even at 200 yards with a 20X scope. NOTE: When we test, we usually crank in a little elevation, setting the point-of-impact higher, so our shots fall in the gray circles. That way you leave the red diamonds intact for precise aiming.
The prone position demonstrated by two talented Service Rifle shooters. At top is SFC Brandon Green, multi-time High Power National Champion. Below is Tony Chow, a gifted match shooter. NOTE: Current Service Rifle rules allow the use of optics up to 4.5X.
Jay Christopherson, 2020 Southwest Nationals F-Open Champion, is one of the nation’s best F-Class shooters. When shooting F-Class, Jay uses a SEB Mini front rest and a large rear sandbag to support his big 22-lb F-Open rifle. Though he loves F-Class, Jay was also interested in Service Rifle competition where no external supports are allowed. You hold the rifle with your arms and a sling. Some Service Rifle competitions involve three position (Standing, kneeling/sitting, and prone), while others are prone only. Even in the prone position, the sling is a vital accessory.
Jay dramatically improved his Service Rifle “hard-holding” technique by enlisting the help of Emil Praslick III, former U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) rifle coach. Emil’s guidance and advice resulted in an immediate increase in Jay’s scores on target, as recorded by his ShotMarker electronic target system. Jay noted: “These targets show the difference between hacking it on your own, and spending an hour with someone who knows what they are doing and can tell you that you are doing it wrong.” These targets show Jay’s “before and after” Service Rifle results shooting slung up prone at 600 yards:
Service Rifle, Prone with Sling at 600 Yards
Here is Jay’s target BEFORE training with Emil Praslick — a 194-3X with lots of vertical.
And here is Jay’s improved target AFTER putting Praslick’s advice to work — impressive 199-8X with significantly less vertical.
You can see on this second target much improved vertical. All 20 shots were in a vertical range much smaller than the vertical height of the 10-Ring. Had shot 16 not gone wide left, this would have been a 200. Shot 16 was OUT of the 10-Ring to the left, but note that vertically it has almost perfect elevation.
Jay stated: “I was pretty amazed at not only the difference on the target, but how much difference the changes Emil suggested made to how my hold felt. The entire feel was different and a ton less stress in my neck and arms compared to what I was feeling before. I was actually feeling pretty good about that 194 yesterday, because I hadn’t slung up in two years and that was my highest score (by one point) after doing some load fixing. But having someone explain what you are doing wrong and why makes a world of difference.
Registration for the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) 2023 National Trophy Pistol and Rifle Matches at Camp Perry is now open! Held annually at Camp Perry in Ohio, the National Matches include the CMP National Trophy Pistol and Rifle Matches, the Pistol and Rifle Small Arms Firing Schools, the National Games Rifle Matches, the National Smallbore Matches and the National Mid-Range and Long Range Matches. These matches are conducted by a partnership of the CMP and Ohio National Guard.
Since their inception over a century ago, the National Matches have become a major shooting sports festival with over 4,500 annual participants. Held at the Camp Perry Nat’l Guard Training Base, the National Matches now include both indoor and outdoor events. Adult and junior athletes are welcome.
Story based on report by Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer
The National Matches is comprised of the CMP National Trophy Pistol and Rifle Matches, National Games Matches, National Smallbore Matches, National Air Gun Championships and the National Mid-Range and Long Range Matches. The month-long series also includes a variety of educational clinics for marksmen and women at all experience levels. All events are open to the public and spectators are welcome.
Rimfire Sporter Rifle Match
The first event of the 2023 National Matches will be the Rimfire Sporter Rifle Match. One of the most popular annual Camp Perry events, the Rimfire Sporter Rifle match features .22 LR competition in open sights (O-Class), telescopic (T-Class) and tactical/unlimited (TU) classes, fired at 25 and 50 yards. A CMP Rimfire Clinic will be held prior to the match.
High Power, Service Rifle, and Vintage Rifle Competition
The National Trophy Rifle series includes prestigious matches like the President’s Rifle, Hearst Doubles, Rattle Battle, National Trophy Individual, and National Trophy Team events. For juniors, a special paired Junior Team Match is also on the schedule. The CMP’s High Power (HP) Rifle Championship series will include a 4-man team event and three 80-shot matches and will be fired on electronic targets.
The CMP offers many vintage and modern military rifle events during the National Games Matches portion, including the John C. Garand, Springfield, and Vintage Sniper matches.
Mid-Range and Long Range Rifle Matches (Multiple Rifle Classes)
A Mid-Range 600-yard event will be held, along with Long Range matches open to Match Rifle, Service Rifle, Palma Rifle, F-Open, F-TR or AR Tactical categories. The Long Range matches will be fired on Camp Perry’s 1000-yard Viale Range.
Smallbore Rifle and Air Rifle Matches
For 2023, the National Smallbore and National Air Gun schedules have been combined to allow competition in both disciplines. Anticipated events for both smallbore and air rifle include a 3-member elimination team event as well as an Aggregate for those firing in air rifle and three-position smallbore matches. NOTE: For the first time, all National Smallbore events will be fired on electronic targets!
For air rifle or air pistol competitors – check out the National Air Gun Matches, held on the electronic target range within the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center. This series features training, followed by two days of 60-shot competitions.
Pistol Matches — Traditional and Modern Formats
This year’s National Pistol events will again include a mix of traditional matches along with a series of 900 Aggregate matches for .22, .45 and Center Fire Pistol. The 2023 Pistol matches will also see enhancements to the ranges, with target lines set at 25 and 50 yards to eliminate moving between strings.
Small Arms Firing Schools and Junior Camp
Small Arms Firing Schools (SAFS) will be held for HP rifle, smallbore, and pistol. All firearms and ammo are provided for the live-fire portion of the clinic. And a 5-day CMP National Matches Junior Camp will be open for young air rifle and smallbore competitors. Other clinics include the CMP/USMC Junior Rifle Clinic and the CMP Advanced Highpower Clinic.
Housing on Base and at Nearby Hotels
Housing for the National Matches is available on the Camp Perry grounds. On-base accommodations include four-person huts, cottages, barracks, RV spaces, and camp sites. There are also numerous hotels in the nearby Port Clinton, Fremont, and Sandusky areas. CLICK HERE for hotel lodging information.
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the CMP at (419) 635-2141 or email competitions@thecmp.org.
What’s wrong (or right?) with this picture? Does the “F” in F-class refer to “Fauna”? Look carefully at this Bisley Range photo taken by Australian R. Hurley while looking downrange through his March 8-80X scope. The photo was taken in 2015 at the Bisley National Shooting Centre in the UK.
The Story Behind the Photo
British shooter T. Stewart reports: “I was there when this photos was taken. All I can say was that Mr. Hurley was firmly reminded that should said deer accidentally jump in front of his bullet … he would spend five years ‘At Her Majesty’s Pleasure’.”
“That morning we had five deer moving across the targets, literally blocking the V-Bull. Since we were on the 900-yard Firing Point, and elevated for such, obviously the bullet would pass well above them. But they do NOT move or flinch at the noise or passing bullets since they are not hunted on the Bisley Ranges. Earlier this year we saw a herd of 20 or so deer grazing slowly across the Range.”
More Fauna Findings…
Apparently Bisley is not the only place were “the deer and the antelope play”. In Canada, on the Connaught Ranges near Ottawa, Ontario, shooters often encounter a variety of wildlife. William McDonald from Ontario says: “Animals are a common sight on the Range. Along with deer we see geese, turkeys, and coyotes on a daily basis.”
Likewise, E. Goodacre from Queensland, Australia often sees ‘Roos on his home range: “I shoot at Ripley, Australia, and shooting is regularly interrupted by kangaroos. Our last silhouette match was delayed by an hour while 30 ‘Roos dawdled across — silly buggers!”
R. Hurley wasn’t the first fellow to view deer through his F-Class rifle’s scope. After seeing Hurley’s photo from Bisley, B. Weeks posted this image, saying: “Been there, done that!”
The March 2023 issue of Shooting Industry Magazine was just released. This special 5th Annual Woman’s Edition focuses primarily on lady shooters and gun owners. There are some very interesting articles about products for women and increased female participation in the shooting sports. CLICK HERE to access the full March 2023 issue for FREE.
Women have become increasingly important in the shooting sports world. The NSSF notes that nearly 5 million Americans purchased a firearm for the very first time in 2020, and of that figure, 40% were women! If trends continue, nearly half of all gun sales will be to women. And the age span for lady shooters is significant — in Shoot Like A Girl’s Annual Report, of their 3,457 guests who participated in 2022, 67% were over 40 years old, and 17% were over 60 years old.
Gun shop owner and instructor Ava Flandell states: “In my experience, female-taught classes fill up much quicker than those taught by men, especially when it comes to entry-level classes.”
CLICK HERE for the four March 2023 Shooting Industry lead stories about women and the firearms trade. And CLICK HERE for dozens of other articles about firearms Products for Women.
In this NSSF video, Kay Miculek and Babes with Bullets camp director Deb Ferns explain eye dominance. First they explain how to identify one’s dominant eye. Then Kay — a cross-dominant-eye target shooter — explains how cross-dominant individuals can maintain a proper sight picture.
One notable female-centric shooting organization is A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League (AG&AG). This year’s major AG&AG event will be held April 27-30, 2023 in Grand Junction, Colorado. There will be workshops, live-fire training, fun matches, and other active.
We’re having a wicked winter in some parts of the nation. California is experiencing blizzards and snow-bound highway closures. In the middle of the nation, major snowstorms hit many states, and 470,000 customers lost electrical power after an ice storm in Michigan.
Rifle Transformed from Ordinary Varmint Rig to a Stunning F-TR Machine
As an antidote to these weather-related worries, for this Sunday GunDay we’re offering a bit of beauty amidst snow — a handsome rifle showcased in a white winter wonderland. This handsome rifle started life as a rather ordinary .204 Ruger Rem VSSF varmint rig. With a new barrel, a new stock, and a stunning flame-pattern hydro-dip coating, this is now an ultra-accurate .223 Rem F-TR competition rifle.
Flames in the Snow…
Forum Member Brandon Schlund (aka “Bois Blanc Boy”), photographed this handsome flame-themed F-TR rifle against the snowy background of Michigan’s Bois Blanc Island. Brandon posted this to our long-running Pride and Joy Rifle Forum thread. He notes: “This is my first F-TR build, which started out as a stock Remington .204 Ruger. I had the action blue-printed, firing pin was bushed by Speedy, and I had a new bolt handle and knob installed by John Pierce.” This rifle is now fitted with a 3-groove Pac-Nor 1:6.5″-twist barrel chambered in .223 Remington to shoot the 90gr Bergers. Other components are: Kelbly KTS stock, Phoenix bipod, and Sightron 8-32x56mm SIII scope. Brandon says: “It took a long time to get this gun where it is now but I’m truly happy with it!” Here’s the “before” photo:
The Transformation — F-TR Comp Rig Made from Rem .204 Ruger Varminter Report by Brandon Schlund
This rifle started out as a “plain Jane”, factory Remington VSSF II. I shot it on varmint hunts in factory configuration. Then I decided to transform the rifle into a .223 Rem F-TR gun. As the .204 has the same bolt face as a .223 made sense to go in that direction since I would be able to use the gun for varmint hunting as well as F-TR.
While I had shot some F-Class matches with my dad (Joe Schlund aka Bench on AccurateShooter) it wasnt much. When we did a PD hunt in Wyoming I primarily shot my .204 but I decided I wanted a cartridge that could reach out a little further and also do double duty — competition and varminting.
The first step in transforming this rifle was selecting a barrel. We ordered a Pac-Nor, 1:6.5″-twist, 3 groove, 30.5″ heavy Palma contour. This was then chambered with a PTG .223 ISSF reamer with 0.169″ freebore to run the .224 caliber heavies. I went with Pac-Nor because both my father and my brother Mark (aka Labrador2 on AccurateShooter) owned Kelbly-built F-TR rifles with the same barrels. Mark and my father couldn’t be happier with the results. Pac-Nor has great customer service along with a short wait time.
I sent the barrel and the factory Remington 700 action down to Kelbly’s where they did the chambering and cut the threads. While Kelbly’s had my action I had them blueprint it. A Kelbly KTS stock with the three-way buttplate and adjustable cheek piece came next. After getting behind Dad’s rifle and Mark’s gun there was no reason to look any further. With all its adjustments, the KTS stock fits very comfortably.
Loading for the .223 Rem with H4895 and 90gr Bergers
As a .223 Rem, this rifle has proven very accurate — it’s a bullet-hole cutter at 100 yards (low twos easy). Our best load is with Hodgdon H4895, 90gr Berger VLDs, CCI BR4 primers. This load is running at about 2835 FPS but YMMV (remember this is a LONG 30.5″ barrel). The Bergers are loaded .008″ into the lands with base-to-ogive of 2.035″.
Our loading technique may be tedious — with lots of sorting and measuring. But brother Mark, father Joe, and I all enjoy the steps. Our three .223 Rem match guns all love the same load which makes loading much easier. Believe it or not we use a Hornady Lock-N-Load progressive ammo plant, which is great when loading for three guns. Our consistency is fantastic with run-out a mere .001-.0015.
We also turn necks and weigh our primers. Does neck-turning and primer weighing really make a difference? Who knows but we try to eliminate more variables since we have to the time to do it, and we actually enjoy the procedures.
Pierce Engineering Installed Action and Modified Bolt
Being from Michigan, Pierce Engineering has done a lot of work for my family’s guns. For this project the Pierce team bedded the action and glued in a single-shot follower. The stock bolt handle/knob was too short for comfort in the KTS stock. Pierce added a longer handle and tactical knob to the bolt. I then installed a .223 Rem Lapua case base into the knob.
The complete .223 Rem rifle ready to shoot F-TR, as fitted with 8-32X56mm Sightron and Phoenix Bipod, weighs 17 pounds, 15 ounces.
Flame Graphics by Camo Creek Hydrographics
After the action was bedded by Pierce, the stock was sent to Camo Creek Hydrographics in Fenton, Michigan. I selected a flame-style design which Camo Creek applied through hydro-dipping. The stock went back to Pierce’s shop, which applied three coats of clear over the entire stock. The clear-coating really enhanced the flame graphics.
Firing Pin Bushed by Speedy
I sent the bolt to Thomas “Speedy” Gonzalez to have the firing pin hole bushed as otherwise the load could crater the primers pretty bad. Knowing I’d be shooting heavy-weight .22-Cal bullets with a stout load this was a good idea. Speedy also cut his trademark grooves into the bolt shroud which looks amazing. His work is top notch! There is zero cratering now, even with the hottest of loads.
Competition Components — 8-32x56mm Sightron and Phoenix Bipod
For an F-TR rig you need a quality high-magnification optic and a premium, wide-base bipod. I installed a 8-32x56mm SIII Sightron. This was another easy choice because of the attractive price and because my family has four other Sightrons that work great.
I installed a fore-end Picatinny rail to attach a Phoenix Bipod. I extended the Mariners wheel handles by adding short sections from an aluminum arrow shaft. This lets me adjust elevation without stretching forward. I also installed a Calvin Elite Timney Trigger set at 6 ounces.
$2500.00 Invested in Rifle Transformation and Upgrade
How much did this all cost? Brandon tells us “I have roughly $2500 into the rebuild of the gun from a .204 Ruger to the .223 Rem.”
Bois Blanc Island in Michigan
Here on Bois Blanc Island we don’t have many amenities, but we do have the ability to shoot 550 yards at our local gravel pit on state land. It’s snow-bound right now as you can see. But later in the year this will be our close-to-home training center.
Winter at Bois Blanc Island, Michigan — Here’s the gravel pit where we can load test during warmer weather. When I took this photo, it was a “balmy” 10-degree day.
Just last week hundreds of F-Class shooters competed at the Southwest Nationals in Phoenix, Arizona. The vast majority of F-TR shooters had rifles chambered for the .308 Winchester cartridge (7.62×51), but F-TR rules also allow the .223 Rem (5.56×45). There are some advantages to the smaller .223 Rem round — there’s notably less recoil, bullets and brass are significantly cheaper, and a lot less powder is required. For those who are considering campaigning a .223 Rem F-TR rifle, this story explains how an accurate .223 Rem load was developed. This load development was done by a father for his daughter who was getting started in F-Class competition.
Dad builds an F-TR Rifle for his Daughter and Develops Load
Jeremy Rowland decided to put together an F-TR rifle for his eldest daughter, who enjoys competitive shooting. For his daughter, Rowland chose the .223 Rem option because it has less recoil and components are less costly than the .308 Win. Here is Rowland’s account of how he developed a .223 Rem load. For more details (with data charts), read Jeremy’s FULL STORY on Sierra Bullets Blog.
Journey to Find a .223 Rem F-Class Load
by Jeremy Rowland, Reloading Podcast
My oldest daughter has been to several matches with me, and has even competed in several, using her .243. [A few seasons back] I decided, she would compete with a .223 Rem in F-TR. Looking for a good starter rifle, I settled on the Savage Axis Heavy Barrel since it has a 1:9″ twist. This would be a great little rifle for her to learn on. The rifle was shot unmodified, as it came from the factory. A Sinclair F-Class Bipod w/micro elevation adjustment was fitted to the front.
Next came finding the components I wanted to use for her match loads. After spending hours and hours running numbers on JBM stability calculator as well as in my iPhone Ballistic AE app, the 69 gr Sierra Tipped MatchKing® (TMK) looked really good. So that’s what I decided to go with. I jumped in head first and ordered a bulk pack of the Sierra 69 gr TMKs. I had settled on Hodgdon CFE 223 powder since it shows good velocity. I decided to go with once-fired Lake City brass with CCI BR4 primers.
Next came the testing. I decided to run a ladder test (one shot per charge from min to max looking for the accuracy node). The ladder test ranged from 23.5 grains to 25.6 grains, in 0.3 grain increments.
Bullet: 69 gr Sierra Tipped MatchKing®
Case: Lake City (mixed years, sorted by case capacity)
Primer:CCI BR4
Powder: Hodgdon CFE 223 (one round each from 23.5 to 25.6 grains)
Cartridge OAL: 2.378″
Base to Ogive: 1.933″ (.020″ off lands)
After his ladder test, Rowland settled on a load of 25.2 grains of Hodgdon CFE 223. He then fine-tuned his load with different seating depths: “I loaded up 5 rounds each at .020″ off lands, .015″ off lands, .010″ off lands, and .005″ off the lands. Here are the results from the best group for OAL/Ogive fine tuning. As you can see, I think I’ve found a winner in these 69 gr Sierra Tipped MatchKings.”
The Rimfire Challenge Shooting Association (RCSA) is now an official partner of the +ONE Movement, a mentorship program organized by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). “RCSA is looking forward to a long relationship with NSSF,” stated RCSA Board President Peter Swenson.
NSSF +ONE programs encourage mentorship related to firearm safety, firearm basics, shooting sports, and hunting. The +ONE program focuses on peer-to-peer development in shooting sports and hunting.
About the Rimfire Challenge Shooting Association
Designed to introduce new shooters to shooting sports in an exciting, family-friendly format, Rimfire Challenge matches focus on competition with .22 LR rifles and pistols. Matches are open to shooters of all shooting experience levels, with events conducted at ranges nationwide. The annual RCSA World Championship takes place each October. The RCSA promotes rimfire competition nationwide, supports beginning competitors and clubs, and solicits support for rimfire events from industry businesses.
Programs that inspire mentoring can make a huge difference. According to recent research, if just one out of three target shooters and hunters can introduce someone new to the shooting sports, we can help to secure a strong future for generations to come.
The NSSF encourages shooting sports enthusiasts and hunters to join the +ONE movement and invite someone to the range or afield. Learn more about the +ONE Movement by visiting LetsGoShooting.org and LetsGoHunting.org.
This article is Copyright 2023 AccurateShooter.com. No reproduction on any other site is permitted.
The 2023 Southwest Nationals (SWN) have concluded. Though there were very challenging wind/weather conditions this year, the 2023 SWN was a very successful mid-range and long-range event. There was some great shooting in F-Open, F-TR, and Sling divisions. We congratulate the 2023 Long-Range SWN Champions: Erik Cortina (F-Open, 1241-60X); Jeremy Newell (F-TR, 1221-49X); and Justin Skaret (Sling, 1233-50X). Notably, Skaret won Sling Division by 11 points — a big margin. SEE ALL 2023 Results.
The 600-yard champions were: Louis Buatt (F-Open, 600-39X), Luke Ramsey (F-TR, 596-31X), and Randy Teissedre (Sling, 597-33X). Buatt shoot a remarkable “clean” 600-yard match, not dropping a single point while amassing 39 “X”s. Superb performance by Louis!
Shown below is F-Open Long-Range (1000-yard) Winner Erik Cortina. Erik’s purple F-Open rifle was chambered for the new wildcat cartridge based on the 6.5 PRC necked up to 7mm. This drives high-BC 7mm Berger bullets at 2950 fps.
Our friend Gary Eliseo, maker of Competition Machine rifle chassis systems, said this was a tough match this year: “The 2023 SWN is in the books. This year we faced extremely challenging conditions with very strong erratic winds and cold temps but it was great catching up with so many friends from around the country, thank you all….”
The F-Class Worlds will be held in South Africa this year. The 2023 SWN offered good practice conditions for Team USA, which posted: “The USA F-Open team had two very successful days of practice for the upcoming World Championship in South Africa. We were also blessed to have five USA rifle team members in the top 10, with Erik Cortina taking the win and Bill Kolodziej taking silver.”
Here are the Long-Range TOP TEN for each of the three divisions. CLICK HERE for ALL results:
2023 Southwest Nationals Top 10 Long Range Competitors by Division
F-Open Class
Erik Cortina, 1241-60X
William Kolodziej, 1239-60X
Tim Vaught, 1236-59X
Noman Harrold, 1234-63X
Johnny Ingram, 1234-59X
Matthew Basalla, 1234-54X
Ken Dickerman, 1234-49X
Tod Hendricks, 1232-58X
Dan Bramley, 1232-49X
Doug Skogman, 1231-58X
F-TR Class
Jeremy Newell, 1221-49X
Luke Ramsey, 1218-47X
James Crofts, 1217-57X
Mark Fairbairn, 1217-47X
Allen Tampke, 1214-38X
Scott Fulmer, 1213-44X
Jennifer Bondurant, 1213-36X
Randy Littleton, 1211-39X
Alton Johnson, 1210-39X
Greg Barkley, 1206-44X
Sling Class
Justin Skaret, 1233-50X
John Friguglietti, 1222-37X
Amanda Elsenboss, 1220-55X
Curtis Bohlman, 1220-53X
Stephan Bunde, 1218-56X
Justin Utley, 1218-56X
Jon Rhynard, 1218-46X
Kent Shomber, 1217-46X
Joe Blacksmith, 1217-43X
Nate Guernsey, 1216-47X
The SWN was made possible this year through the participation of three dozen sponsors including Berger, Lapua, Vihtavuori, Applied Ballistics, SEB Rests, Lilja Barrels, F-Class Products, Forster Products, Sightron, PMA Tool, K&M, Creedmoor Sorts, McMillan Stocks, Nancy Tompkins, and many other companies.
Click the links below for full results, including Grand Aggs and day-by-day performances. You can also find further results plus a large collection of photos at SouthwestNationals.net.
The Berger SW Nationals is one of the few American events where sling shooters compete on the same firing line as F-Class competitors (though in separate groups).
Team competitions were closely fought. In the F-TR Division, Team USA Blue (2505-70X) edged Team Texas (2504-76X) to win by one point. In F-0pen, Team Rollin Coal (2558-129X) finished three points ahead of runner-up Team Grizzly (2555-102X). In the Sling Division, U.S. Palma Gold Team (2555-104X) took first-place, ahead of U.S. NRT Gold (2504-104X).
Reading the wind can be challenging at Ben Avery. What’s your wind call here?
Top competitors show focus and concentration in mid-range match 2022.
Stunning F-Open rifle with SEB Mini front rest with Blake Machine accessories.
Working in the pits is part of the Berger SWN experience.
Hundreds of Competitors from the USA and 8 Other Countries
Along with top American F-Class and sling shooters, the Southwest Nationals attracts competitors from around the world. Last year, on Day 1 of the 2022 SW Nationals, Nancy Tompkins posted: “We started the day off with National anthems for Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico, Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the USA.”
Photo by Nancy Tompkins near Ben Avery Shooting Facility in 2022. Nancy posted: “Thank you to all of the sponsors, volunteers, and shooters who have traveled from all over… to make this match so special.”
See you next year!
This article Copyright 2023 AccurateShooter.com. Any republication on a different website is unauthorized.
Shooting can be a frustrating sport at times, prompting shooters to say some funny things in the heat of the moment. Here’s a collection of humorous range ripostes, supplied by Shooters’ Forum members (who are listed after each quote). Enjoy.
“I paid to use all of the target and I’m getting value for money on all of the real estate!” (Macropod)
“At 65 years of age, 1000-yard benchrest is better than sex, because a relay lasts 10 minutes!” (The Viper)
“How did I do?” “Well the gun went off and nobody got hurt, we can build on that….” (Mr. Majestic)
“Treat that trigger likes it’s your first date, not like you’ve been married to it for 20 years.” (Jet)
“It’s a good thing broad sides of barns aren’t at many shooting ranges.” (Rocky F.)
Target photo by Forum member RyanJay11.
“It was an 0.2″ group! Well, err, except for that flyer….” (Dsandfort)
“It’s not the arrow, it’s the Indian.” (Rocky F.)
“I can’t understand it. That load worked good in my other barrel”. (Hogpatrol)
“You bakin a biscuit?” Said to me as I was sitting at the bench ready to shoot with a cartridge in the chamber of a hot gun, taking longer than necessary. (Ebb)
“Shooting groups is easy. Just put the last three between the first two.” (Uthink)
Shooter 1: “Hey you cross-fired on my target!”
Shooter 2: “Well you cross-fired on mine first!”
Shooter 1: “Yeah but you could have at least shot an X like I did on yours.” (At Raton — Rocky F.)
“I had a bughole going and my second shot dropped straight down!” (JDMock)
“The nut came loose on the end of my stock.” (TXDan)
“That’s a pretty eight.” (REastman quoting James Crofts)
“I almost shot a record.” (Jay Christopherson)
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