In many respects the future of individual American freedoms and the Second Amendment will turn on the results of this election. YOUR VOTE COUNTS.
If you have not already voted — either by mail or via early in-person voting, VOTE today.
— If you are set to vote in-person, drive to the polling place and VOTE.
— If you have a vote-by-mail ballot, be sure to fill it out, verify it (as required) and take it to the Post Office or official ballot pick-up location in your area.
Who Should You Vote For?
Every American should vote for the candidate he or she believes is best qualified to run the nation for the next four years. In making that decision, VOTE for POLICIES not Personalities. Who supports the Constitution? Who supports the Second Amendment? Who supports Religious Freedom? Who supports hard-working small-business owners? Who supports Lower Taxes? Who supports vital U.S.-based industries? Who stands against Antifa agitators who want to burn our cities down?
This is a very important juncture in our nation’s history.
Because of the cancellation of SHOT Show 2020, a big revenue-generator, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) faces funding challenges in the months ahead. Thankfully, some companies are stepping forward to help. On October 30, 2020, the day SHOT Show was cancelled, SIG SAUER, Inc. announced it would donate $500,000. The half-million dollar donation will support the important work the NSSF does on behalf of the shooting, hunting, and outdoor industry. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NSSF defended the gun/shooting industry. That helped ensure that both manufacturers and gun retailers were declared essential to personal safety and America’s defense. According, firearms makers were able to keep factories running, and retailers remained open in most states.
Tom Taylor, SIG’s Chief Marketing Officer and Executive VP (Commercial Sales) declared:
“In the absence of SHOT Show, SIG is pleased to announce a $500,000 donation to support the NSSF’s ongoing work in education, safety initiatives, compliance and security resources, import/export guidance, consumer activation initiatives, government relations, and operational needs for 2021. It’s disappointing that we will not be able to gather as an industry in 2021 at SHOT Show. However, given the recent rise in COVID-19 cases… we fully support the difficult decision of the National Shooting Sports Foundation to cancel SHOT Show.”
We thank SIG Sauer for its generous donation to NSSF, and organization that provides vital services and leadership for the firearms industry and shooting sports.
The 2020 NRA F-Class National Championships are now complete. We hail the new Champions Pat Scully (F-Open), and Ian Klemm (F-TR). We also give congratulations to all the competitors who dueled often-tough conditions at Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, Arizona, with periods of very high winds. CLICK HERE to see all 2020 F-Class Nationals Results for all participants.
Top-Ranked Shooters at 2020 NRA F-Class National Championships
F-Open Top Competitors
1. Pat Scully, F-0pen Champion, 1575-73X
2. Keith Glasscock, 1575-60X
3. Tod Hendricks, 1574-83X
4. Eric Wuestenhoefer, 1572-59X
5. Tim Vaught, 1565-76X
6. Patrick Fulghum, 1564-60X
7. Ken Dickerman, 1563-64X, High Senior
8. Bret Solomon, 1562-58X
9. Emil Kovan, 1562-53X
10. Erik Cortina, 1561-70X
Christine Harris, 1543-60X, High Lady
Kaycie Blankenship, 1517-35X, High Junior
Larry Bartholome, 1541-53X, High Gr. Senior
F-TR Top Competitors
1. Ian Klemm, F-TR Champion, 1561-56X
2. Keith Trapp, 1555-47X
3. Brad Sauve, 1553-40X, High Senior
4. Luke Ramsey, 1551-42X
5. Scott Harris, 1551-39X
6. Nancy Tompkins, 1550-44X, High Lady
7. James Crofts, 1546-52X
8. Henry Rockhill, 1543-37X
9. Brian Harder, 1539-37X
10. Nick Abbott, 1535-45X
Morgan Abbott, 1495-34X, High Junior
Raymond Weaver, 1534-30X, High Gr. Senior
Pat Scully (right) is 2020 F-Open National Champion while fellow team-mate Tod Hendricks (left) finished third overall, just one point back.
In tough conditions, the top shooters put on impressive performances. Competition was tight and it went down to the wire. After multiple days of shooting, F-Open Champion Pat Scully and runner-up Keith Glasscock ended up tied on points (both scored 1575), but Scully did have a huge edge in X-count with 73X vs. 60X for Keith. In F-TR, LR Champion Ian Klemm posted an impressive 6-point win. Ian also recorded high X-Count (56X) among all F-TR shooters. Phil Kelley posted: “Ian is now only the second 3-Time F-TR National LR Champ and he has won 3 of the last 4 years — an amazing run.” Phil also observed that his fellow Team USA shooters took 7 out of the top 10 F-TR places.
Overall, the “top guns” in both divisions performed amazingly well given some very tough conditions. Forum member ShootDots noted:
“On the last day I was on the line with Keith Glasscock [Second Overall] on my immediate left. I was scoring for Pat Scully [F-Open Champion]. With wind conditions that would make a brass monkey flinch, these two gents made it look easy! I have shot with some REALLY good shooters over the years [but] these two are at a different level altogether!
I do not know Ian Klemm BUT I do know how he shoots! When you are surrounded by the finest, you get a first hand view of what REAL shooting is all about. My hat is off to the winners and to those who came within a hairsbreath of them! A B-I-G hearty CONGRATULATIONS to them!”
Our Forum tech staffer Praveen (who shot F-Open) concurred, praising the top-finishing Open-class competitors, noting that 3rd-place Tod Hendricks amassed an amazing 83 Xs. Praveen posted: “Congratulations… I witnessed some really fine shooting this year while experiencing some very tough wind conditions. Pat, Keith, and Tod — hats off to you. And Tod — so many Xs!” Forum member RonatSpokane also noted Tod’s stunning X-Count: “Sheesh Tod, you’re … bogarting those Xs. With 83 Xs, more than 50% of your shots were under 1/2 MOA. In those kinds of conditions, that’s nothing short of stunning.”
Forum member Carlsbad noted that the final day was very tough: “What a match. Every day had different challenges. The last day was challenging. We had one guy clean the afternoon string on Friday and then shoot 180 in the afternoon string on Sunday. That was tough. I don’t know how guys shot high 190s in those conditions. Congratulations to Ian Klemm and Pat Scully.”
Three National Titles in Four Years for 2020 F-TR Champ Ian Klemm
Ian Klemm has now won three National F-TR Championships in four years. Ian captured back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, winning at Lodi, WI in 2017, and Raton, NM in 2018. Ian also finished second at the 2019 Nationals. Ian put on another great performance to win in 2020 under very challenging conditions.
This Sunday we mark the passing of a prolific writer, High Master marksman, good father, respected colleague, and reloading guru. Glen Zediker, author of many leading treatises on reloading, gun maintenance, and shooting skills, passed away on October 1, 2020, one month ago today. We mourn this loss. Glen helped this website with advice many times and Glen’s classic Handloading for Competition remains one of our favorite reloading resources. Glen was a “leading light” in the shooting sports world for decades. His books and technical articles have helped countless shooters and hand-loaders. His knowledge of the AR15 platform was unrivaled. He will be missed. Rest in Peace Glen.
In 2015 Glen started a series of articles for the Midsouth Shooters Blog, the Reloaders Corner. Here is a section from his introduction to that series:
Glen Zediker — Author and High Master Marksman Glen posted this in 2015…
“I’ve been ‘at this’ for over 40 years now, and ‘this’ is shooting, handloading, and writing about it for the past 25. My background is competitive shooting, primarily NRA High Power Rifle. From that followed my exploration of handloading and education therein. As an NRA High Power Rifle competitor, I earned a High Master classification, and I did it competing in Service Rifle division.
The whole reason I started writing about all this came about because I couldn’t find anything to read that put the pieces together — all the pieces that all the better shooters knew. I wanted to learn more, and I spent a lot of time and effort doing so. I continually got answers from winners and those who built rifles for winners. Unfortunately, those answers were not the same as I had been reading, and none of the authors of the other material I had read had won any championships. I thought there must be others who would appreciate some short cuts, and that’s how I started my publications career.
I think I’ve helped a few folks along the way.”
From Glen Zediker’s Reloaders Corner
Here is Glen’s advice about loading from his first “Reloaders Corner” Blog article in 2015:
“So, the advice that accompanies this first installment is to consider or reconsider your standards, and your evaluation of what is a good load. When I’m testing I choose the best group out of whatever it was I was testing. However, when it’s decision time, I choose the best, worst group. Let me explain. I really don’t consider what the very best any combination can show me is, but rather what is the worst the combination has shown me. Exceedingly tight groups are all too often a combination of luck and a little more luck. We got lucky in our judgment to choose the combination and the bullet fairy tipped her tiara. The more rounds anyone shoots, the bigger the groups are going to get. That’s just math. However, if three or four 10-shot groups are showing X-Ring accuracy, I’m going to ignore the group measurement, pay more attention to the chronograph, and pay very close attention to any over-pressure indicators. I don’t want to see anything outside a golf-ball sized circle at 300 yards, and I’m hoping to keep it that way.
Speaking of which — years ago, I was a golf pro… a legendary golf instructor, Percy Boomer (real name) had a line, ‘The difference between the amateur and professional is not in the quality of their best shots, but in their worst.’ That’s it. The difference between a good load and one that’s almost a good load is that also. The good load stays tight, throughout. A ‘flyer’ is grounds for disqualification. That’s a shot that strays from the herd. Don’t ignore it.”
Glen Dwight Zediker Obituary
June 17, 1959 – October 1, 2020
Glen Dwight Zediker, died on October 1, 2020, at home in Oxford, Mississippi, with his sons at his side.
Glen was born on June 17, in Rifle, Colorado, to Lloyd and Marie Zediker (both deceased) of Grand Valley (now Parachute), Colorado. He attended K-12 in Grand Valley, studied at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and graduated from the University of Mississippi with a B.A. in English.
Glen spent most of his professional career combining his expertise in target shooting with his skill at writing. He became an NRA High Master known for pinpoint accuracy. He wrote and published several books on target shooting and reloading which are highly respected in the precision shooting community.
Glen spent many years in Mississippi and embraced southern culture from the food to Faulkner, but at his core, he remained a Westerner. He loved nothing more than riding over red dirt hills and hiking in the Southwest.
Glen’s two sons, Matthew and Charlie, were the center of his life. In addition to his sons, he is survived by his sister, Diane Zediker-Pastore (Victor) and his former wife, Kris Kunkler Zediker. See more life history and photos on Glen’s Memorial tribute site.
Read Glen Zediker’s Articles on Reloading and Gun Tech
If you haven’t read any of Glen’s works, you will find a selection of shorter articles on the Midsouth Shooters Blog. This is a good way to sample the scope of Glen’s knowledge of reloading, AR15 technical matters, and service rifle shooting. We’ve enjoyed reading Glen’s articles and we know you will too.
In addition, Glen’s website, Zediker.com, has 20 older articles which you can read in PDF format for free. You can find these at Zediker.com/articles/articles.html. Here are three examples:
By Glen Zediker. Folks who read Handloading For Competition know most of this material, but here it is encapsulated for those who want. It’s the run down on how to load at the range, on the spot, and radically improve your success in working up an ammo recipe.
By Glen Zediker. A lot has changed since the original MKII, but then some things really haven’t. There are new triggers on the market and this article will run down what they are and what I think of them. Drop-ins, pins, and lock-time get their spaces too.
By Glen Zediker. There are three articles on this topic that are separated into barrel cleaning, cleaning and lubrication of the rest of the rifle, and a full component on how to run an AR15 as well as store it unharmed.
Royalties from Glen Zediker’s Books go to his surviving sons/family members. Consider purchasing one now:
NOTE: Most of these books are also available from Midsouth Shooters, some at lower cost.
Yesterday was the 1000-yard Team Match Day at the F-Class Nationals in Phoeniz Arizona. It was also Halloween, and there were some very creative costumes on display at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility. First, for the serious stuff, we want to congratulate the two winning teams — Team Lapua/Brux/Borden in F-0pen and Team Texas in F-TR. CLICK HERE for updated F-Class Nationals Results.
Team Lapua/Brux/Borden (LBB) (1590-84X) took the F-Open title by six points (and 4 Xs) over runner-up The Long Shots (1584-80X), with Team Grizzly (1580-58X) third.
In F-TR, Team Texas topped the field with 1572-63X, winning by an impressive 17 points (and 5 Xs) over Team USA Independence (1555-58X). Team USA Freedom was third with 1553-44X. Team Texas’s Randy Littleton turned in a stunning individual performance in the first match, shooting 200-14X, best among F-TR shooters. F-Open competitor Jeff Cochran of Team Spindle Shooters also drilled a 200-14X in that first match, the top F-Open individual 20-shot performance.
“Team Texas (center) had plenty of silver and bronze medals in previous national championships, but today earned their first gold medal. Very talented USA teams finished second and third.” — Skip Barkley
NO SHOT Show in 2021. This major firearms industry event has been cancelled completely. All official SHOT Show events, including Media Day at the Range, are cancelled. Here is the official notice issued this morning, October 30, 2020, by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF):
NSSF Announces 2021 SHOT Show Cancellation
Statement from NSSF President/CEO Joe Bartozzi:
Due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the world, NSSF, the firearm industry trade association, today makes the difficult announcement that the 2021 SHOT Show has been cancelled.
NSSF has remained in constant communication with Nevada officials throughout the year in our planning for the 2021 show. While there has been a concerted effort to expand the allowable levels for large gatherings by the county and state, with positivity rates peaking during our key planning period we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 show. Sadly, these spikes are currently transpiring worldwide. Given the sheer complexities, diminishing timeline and immense logistical planning required to conduct a trade show as large as SHOT, NSSF simply could not move forward at this point with so many unknowns and variables. We truly appreciate the guidance of Nevada and Las Vegas officials in allowing us to communicate this news to our exhibitors and attendees well in advance of the show. We would also like to thank the Sands directly for their help and efforts to navigate this unprecedented situation.
The planning and work that has gone into the 2021 SHOT Show has been nothing short of remarkable. Since the pandemic began in early 2020, the NSSF staff and our show partners have been working around the clock to plan our largest show in history while keeping the health and safety of all involved as paramount. The support of our show exhibitors this year has also been nothing short of remarkable. With three months to go until the show, floor space for both the Sands Expo Center and our expansion to the new Caesars Forum was nearly sold out, with more companies than ever before… at the SHOT Show.
All of this positions us for a 2022 SHOT Show that will be undoubtedly the best in our industry’s history, and we look forward to bringing our entire community together again at a show that will be one to remember. During the coming year, NSSF asks for our industry’s unwavering support as we continue our fight to promote, protect and preserve our industry in these unsettling times.
Throughout this year, NSSF has remained at the forefront for our industry. As thousands of businesses across the country were shuttered as being “non-essential” during the pandemic, NSSF worked nonstop to have firearm retailers, ranges, manufacturers and distributors listed as “essential” which allowed them to remain open for business.
FOR INFO about REFUNDS, HOTEL CANCELLATIONS, and other Event Matters, CLICK HERE.
During the coming year, NSSF asks for our industry’s unwavering support as we continue our fight to promote, protect and preserve our industry in these unsettling times. NSSF is your trade association. Everything we do—from education, safety initiatives, compliance and security resources, import/export guidance, consumer activation initiatives, government relations, and the SHOT Show — is aimed at helping businesses in our industry succeed. Now, more than ever, we need your continued support.
Big news for F-Open competitors, long-range tactical shooters, and big game hunters — Lapua will offer four (4) new types of ultra-premium cartridge brass in the spring of 2021. The four new Lapua cases are: 6.5 PRC, .284 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum, and .300 PRC. The .284 Win cartridge still dominates the F-Open game, so this is good news for F-Class shooters. Lapua is excited about the PRC offerings: “The new Lapua 6.5 and .300 PRC cartridge cases provide competitive shooters, hunters, and accuracy enthusiasts a premium selection for precision hand loads, an option that’s been missing from the market since the PRC’s inception.” The venerable .300 Winchester Magnum remains a top choice for hunting.
Here Is Product Information from the Lapua.com website:
The 6.5 PRC Case
The 6.5 Precision Rifle Cartridge (PRC) was originally designed for long-range hunting, but it has also been popular for long-range precision shooting. The 6.5 PRC’s case capacity enables velocities up to 262 FPS (80 m/s) faster than the 6.5 Creedmoor or 6.5×55 SE. By design, the cartridge features a long neck enabling the use of today’s popular, high-BC projectiles. The 6.5 PRC case works well with relatively slow burning powders. It is a great choice for heavy bullets (up to 150+ grains) with excellent retained energy and terminal performance.
The .300 PRC Case
The .300 PRC was designed for long range shooting with heavy, high-BC bullets. Its superior ballistics and modern, beltless case design with modern long, high-BC .30-caliber bullets . With its ability to load heavier bullets, the .300 PRC can out-perform the .300 Winchester Magnum and many other .30-Cal Magnums. The .300 PRC is also an excellent choice for long distance hunting of mid-to-large sized game, pushing bullet weights exceeding 15.8 g / 245 grains.
The .284 Winchester Case
The .284 Winchester and “Improved” variants such as the .284 Shehane, have dominated F-Open competition for many years. From time to time a Big .30 will win a major match, but most top competitors are running the .284 Win or some improved .284. Now top shooters, including the members of the Lapua-sponsored U.S. Rifle Team, will have great Lapua brass without having to neck-up 6.5-285 cases. The .284 Winchester’s rebated rim design enables a large powder column, yet easily functions through medium-length actions making it desirable for custom rifles. With its accuracy and good velocity with heavy bullets the .284 Win is also a great hunting cartridge.
Jerry Tierney, who sadly passed away in 2015, pioneered the .284 Winchester in F-Open competition, which was previously dominated by the 6.5-284. The original “straight .284″ offers superb accuracy plus much better barrel life than its 6.5mm little brother.
The .300 Winchester Magnum Case
The .300 Winchester Magnum has been a staple within the firearms industry, widely used by hunters, target shooters, military, and law enforcement agencies since its development in the early 60s. It is still used for competitive target shooting, hunting, and Mil/LE snipers. It delivers excellent long-range performance with a wide range of bullet weights from 165 to 230 grains and more. Lapua’s .300 Win Mag case will be a great addition to Lapua line given the huge selection of bullets available for this caliber. And there is a great choice of factory hunting rifles chambered for the .300 Win Mag.
CLICK HEREfor CBS4 Indy report on Walmart policy moving guns and ammunition out of stores.
10/31/2020 UPDATE — Walmart Reverses Decision
Walmart has decided to put guns and ammo back on shelves in most stores nationwide. Walmart concluded that incidents of looting and rioting were “geographically isolated” so it was no longer necessary to move firearms and ammunition to secure areas. Walmart spokesperson Kory Lundberg stated that “as the current incidents have remained geographically isolated, we have made the decision to begin returning these products to the sales floor today (10/30/20).”
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Thanks to rioters and looters and “mostly peaceful” BLM demonstrators, Walmart has decided to remove guns and ammo from thousands of its stores nationwide. Inventories may remain in some stores, but will be removed from the sales floor area. Why is Walmart doing this? “We have seen some isolated civil unrest and as we have done on several occasions over the last few years, we have moved our firearms and ammunition off the sales floor as a precaution for the safety of our associates and customers”, stated Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg on October 29, 2020. Walmart has not indicated when it will return firearms and ammunition back to retail shelves in stores.
The Wall Street Journal reports: “Walmart Inc. has removed all guns and ammunition from the sales floors of its U.S. stores this week, aiming to head off any potential theft of firearms if stores are broken into amid social unrest. The retail giant, which sells firearms in about half of its 4,700 U.S. stores, said customers can still purchase guns and ammunition upon request even though they are no longer on display.”
Walmart pulled guns and ammo from store shelves, after concern over violent protests, rioting and looting. Walmart still is a major vendor of long-guns and ammunition and will continue to stock these products. However it stopped selling handguns and certain types of ammunition in September 2019.
Walmart Action Likely Inspired by BLM-Agitated Looting and Rioting in Philadelphia
According to the Washington Post, Walmart “did not specify the incidents to which it was referring. But according to local media in Philadelphia, at least one Walmart store was ransacked after rioting broke out after the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr., a Black man whose family said he was in the midst of a mental health crisis. Walmart took similar measures in June after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked widespread protests around the country.”
Allegedly Peaceful Protests Become Violent Yahoo News reported: “The move comes in the wake of peaceful protests that gave way to skirmishes and looting in Philadelphia following the fatal police shooting of a Black man, Walter Wallace Junior. Police [reported] that ‘a large crowd of [approximately] 1000 is looting businesses’ in the Port Richmond area of the city. Earlier in the evening, news helicopter footage showed people appearing to break in and take items from a Foot Locker store and another business in that area.”
NOTE: Walmart, which claims to be the world’s largest retailer, stated that, on special request, at some stores, customers would still be able to purchase firearms and/or ammunition.
Mid-Range Competitors Battle Tough Conditions at Ben Avery Report by F-Class John (competing at the Nationals)
The Mid-Range Nationals at Ben Avery in Arizona have been completed, and many competitors are breathing a sigh of relief. Winds were howling and conditions were VERY tough. We congratulate all the competitors who battled the high winds. This year all shooting at the Mid-Range Nationals was done at 600 yards (the simplified course of fire was adopted in 2019). I think I can safely say everyone is excited and ready to move on to Long-Range portion of the championships.
The Top 10 in each division are listed below. New F-Open Mid-range Champion Tim Vaught put together a very impressive performance, dropping just 14 points in very challenging conditions.
The fact that F-Open winner Tim Vaught dropped just 14 points across nine 20-shot relays is INSANE given the incredibly tough conditions. He deserved his title without a doubt. F-TR Mid-Range Champion Andrew Cyr also had an impressive performance, winning by 9 points over a very tough field, including past National F-TR Champions and Nancy Tompkins, past NRA High Power and Long Range Champion.
The F-TR division was won by Andrew Cyr. His gunsmith, Bryan Blake, said this rig has some unusual features, including barrel twist rate. Stay tuned for a full tech report…
Challenging Conditions at F-Class Mid-Range Nationals
Conditions were pretty incredible and by no means typical for Ben Avery for the Mid-Range portion of the USA F-Class National Championships. We started on Sunday with dead calm conditions on relay one and by the end of shooting, it was challenging but certainly not anything outside the normal for most of the people. We woke up Monday to crazy strong winds that just tore apart those who were ‘lucky enough’ to be on the first relay and it throughout the day it went from horrible to manageable and it was just dumb luck if your relay got hit or spared. The uncharacteristically strong winds met us Tuesday morning again for the final day of Mid-Range.
Video has highlights from three days of Mid-Range competition.
Before the first relay I measured gusts that were almost 24 mph with the constant wind hovering in the high teens. It calmed down from there but still remained very challenging until the end. Overall it was quite the fight for first with Tim Vaught earning the F-Open win with Dan Bramley and Tod Hendricks taking a respective second and third place out of a field of 66 High Masters and 13 Masters. These guys all shot superbly in some of the most challenging conditions ever witnessed at the Ben Avery range in Arizona. Mighty impressive…
New York, the state that brought suit to dissolve the NRA, has lost yet another important gun business. Firearms maker Kimber Manufacturing Inc. (Kimber) is leaving New York and heading south to Alabama. The primary reasons for the move are the anti-gun policies of New York, high state corporate taxes, and high costs of living for New York-based workers. Put together, New York had become a hostile environment for Kimber so it is moving to Alabama. Good riddance, New York.
Kimber is an American company that designs and manufactures firearms for individual, sporting, law enforcement, and military markets. Known primarily today for its handguns, Kimber also makes hunting rifles. In fact Kimber got its start building .22 LR sporting rifles. Kimber was originally founded as “Kimber of Oregon” in 1979 by Jack Warne and son Greg Warne in the small town of Clackamas, Oregon. It went through several ownership changes before relocating to New York and New Jersey.* Now Kimber will get a new start in Alabama.
Kimber issued this press release about its Relocation:
Kimber Mfg. is pleased to name Troy, Alabama, as its official corporate headquarters and to announce it is hiring aggressively in all departments. After a carefully planned shift of leadership, R&D and manufacturing resources, Kimber has made substantial progress in the transition to its new, state-of-the-art headquarters in Troy, Alabama. [The facility is] situated on 80+ acres with more than 225,000 square feet of space and is now home to industry-leading design engineering, product management, and manufacturing capabilities.
After an exhaustive search, Troy was chosen for a multitude of reasons including its proximity to top-tier engineering schools as well as gun- and business-friendly support from the city of Troy and the great state of Alabama. Kimber’s Alabama expansion is well ahead of schedule, having filled hundreds of its planned Troy-based positions.
Kimber Is Hiring Employees in Alabama
Kimber is seeking qualified applicants including CNC technicians, machinists, quality control specialists, design engineers, compliance analysts, customer service representatives, materials planners, maintenance technicians, finishing operators, and assembly technicians. Interested job applicants can CLICK HERE.
“Kimber is a great place to work, especially if you love firearms,” said Pedi Gega, director of assembly and product finishing. “We have two indoor gun ranges, one outdoor range, a state-of-the-art design and prototype fabrication center, and a dynamic team of professionals who pride themselves in producing firearms with unmatched attention to detail, design and performance.”
* An Australian, Jack Warne moved to Oregon in 1968 after Portland-based Omark Industries purchased the Australian firearms manufacturer, Sporting Arms (Sportco), he had founded in South Australia. Following its founding in 1979 by Warne, Kimber of Oregon built a reputation for .22 LR rimfire rifles, and then Kimber expanded to produce excellent centerfire rifles. After some setbacks, Kimber of Oregon filed for bankruptcy. In 1990, several Kimber employees, including Dan Cooper, left to found Cooper Firearms of Montana. But then in the mid-1990s, Greg Warne revived Kimber with the help of Les Edelman. The two founded Kimber of America. Edelman was also involved in New York-based Jerico Precision Manufacturing, which produced tools and mechanical components for the defense industry. Edelman combined Jerico Precision’s existing manufacturing capabilities and Kimber’s network of dealers to sell a line of M1911-style handguns. He eventually moved Kimber’s production line to Jerico’s facilities in New York, ending Kimber’s presence in Oregon. The company now will move from New York to Troy, Alabama.
“I’ve been ‘at this’ for over 40 years now, and ‘this’ is shooting, handloading, and writing about it for the past 25. My background is competitive shooting, primarily NRA High Power Rifle. From that followed my exploration of handloading and education therein. As an NRA High Power Rifle competitor, I earned a High Master classification, and I did it competing in Service Rifle division.
“So, the advice that accompanies this first installment is to consider or reconsider your standards, and your evaluation of what is a good load. When I’m testing I choose the best group out of whatever it was I was testing. However, when it’s decision time, I choose the best, worst group. Let me explain. I really don’t consider what the very best any combination can show me is, but rather what is the worst the combination has shown me. Exceedingly tight groups are all too often a combination of luck and a little more luck. We got lucky in our judgment to choose the combination and the bullet fairy tipped her tiara. The more rounds anyone shoots, the bigger the groups are going to get. That’s just math. However, if three or four 10-shot groups are showing X-Ring accuracy, I’m going to ignore the group measurement, pay more attention to the chronograph, and pay very close attention to any over-pressure indicators. I don’t want to see anything outside a golf-ball sized circle at 300 yards, and I’m hoping to keep it that way.
