Election Day is just 61 days away. On November 3, 2020, Americans will head to the polls. For gun owners, this may be the most significant Presidential election in a generation. The Democratic Party, as stated in the DNC platform, intends to severely restrict gun rights, and ban whole classes of firearms.
Nearly 5 million Americans are first-time gun buyers. We hope they, along with ALL gun owners, will vote on November 3rd, and remember which candidates support the Second Amendment. As the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) states: “Current events across the United States demonstrate why the Founding Fathers 230 years ago had the foresight to recognize why the right to keep and bear arms would still be vital today.”
Smith & Wesson Contributes $500,000 to 2020 Gunvote Effort
#GUNVOTE is a vital NSSF campaign to encourage America’s gun owners to register to vote and vote for candidates who support the Second Amendment and gun rights. Go to Action.gunvote.org to learn how to register to vote in your state, and find your polling place.
Firearm manufacturer Smith & Wesson has contributed $500,000 to the NSSF’s #GUNVOTE® voter registration and education campaign. This is the largest donation the campaign has received to date.
“This election cycle marks a crossroads in the future of the firearms industry and of our very freedom to bear arms,” said Mark Smith, President and CEO of Smith & Wesson. “We must ensure the Second Amendment is protected at every level. It is critical that hunters, recreational target shooters, and all those seeking to exercise their constitutional right to protect themselves and their families be educated and vote in November. [Voters’] choices at the polls will impact the future of all Americans’ free exercise of their constitutional rights.”
Six Companies Will Match NRA-ILA Donations Dollar-for-Dollar
The NRA-ILA has joined forces with with six companies that have pledged to match $1 million in donations made to NRA-ILA through November 15, 2020. The six participating companies are: SIG SAUER, Kel-Tec, Credova, Rock Island Auction Company, Taurus, and Davidson’s Gallery of Guns. If you make a donation to the NRA-ILA, your donation will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by these six companies. If you give $50, they give $50. If you give $100, they give $100. The maximum matching is $1,000,000.
“These patriotic businesses are pledging vital resources to support and defend the Second Amendment because they understand that our right to own a gun in defense of ourselves and our families is on the ballot in November. By working together with such partners, our membership intends to defeat those … trying to strip our rights away”, said Jason Ouimet, executive director, NRA-ILA.
Through this Partners for Patriotism campaign, anyone who makes a donation to NRA-ILA between now and 11/15/2020 will have their donation matched. Folks can make donations of any size — whatever they can spare. Whatever individuals donate will automatically be doubled by the six participating companies.
With the Presidential election looming, the stakes have never been higher. Joe Biden and his VP candidate Kamala Harris have pledged to enact new laws that could result in rifle confiscation, criminalization of private sales, and banning of online guns and ammo purchases. In addition, Biden and Harris have called for new gun taxes, while Harris has advocated banning guns by Executive Action — rule by fiat, bypassing the legislative process.
Can’t find Hodgdon Varget on dealer’s shelves? then consider IMR 4166. This Enduron series powder is temp-stable and accurate. It also offers good load density and meters reasonably well. Importantly, it seems to be a good substitute for “unobtanium” Varget powder. On the official Hodgdon/IMR burn rate chart, IMR 4166 is between H4895 and Varget. Some of our Forum members have reported excellent results with IMR 4166 in cartridges that work with Varget, such as the 6mmBR, 6 Dasher, 6.5×47 Lapua, and .308 Win. One member wrote: “in my 6.5×47 … IMR 4166 gives speeds and accuracy pretty much exactly the same as Varget.” And other shooters have observed reduced copper fouling with Enduron series powders, so IMR’s Enduron anti-fouling chemistry does seem to work.
Where to Find IMR 4166 Powder Powder Valley Inc. (PVI) and Midsouth Shooters both have plenty of IMR 4166 in stock right now. IMR 4166 performs well in the .308 Win (for bullets up to 175 grains) and in 6mm cartridges running the heavier (95-107gr) projectiles. IMR’s press release states: “IMR 4166 [has] a perfect burn speed for cartridges like the 308 Win/7.62mm NATO, 22-250 Remington… and dozens more.”
IMR 4166 is one of IMR’s Enduron family of propellants. Enduron powders are formulated to reduce fouling and to be stable across a wide temperature range. If you commonly use Varget, Alliant Reloder 15, Norma 203B, IMR 8208 XBR, or Vihtavuori N140, you might want to try IMR 4166. It is available right now at Midsouth Shooters and Powder Valley in both one-pound and 8-pound containers:
British rimfire ammo-maker ELEY has created a new global match series. Shooters compete at there local ranges, and then scores are compared to other shooters around the world. There will be five Precision Club Masters competitions: Benchrest, Prone, 3-Position, Practical, and Pistol. At the end of the season, the top competitors will receive glory, and, yes, valuable prizes from ELEY.
ELEY is excited to launch its brand new ELEY Precision Club, allowing competitors from all over the world to compete against each other from their local shooting clubs. Scores will be tallied online through an exciting Masters series of events. Winners can be recognized as a World Champion. In addition, top shooters compete for valuable cash, ammunition, and clothing prizes.
ELEY states: “We love… to connect with shooters across the globe. With an uncertain future, and the current global situation restricting travel, the ELEY Precision Club hopes to provide shooters with a fun, safe alternative for competing. The fun must go on!” The ELEY Precision Club will provide shooters of all ages and abilities from a range of disciplines to compete on a global stage against other shooters internationally.
Here is our friend Joe Friedrich. Joe has set many benchrest records with ELEY .22 LR ammunition.
First Precision Club Event Will Be ELEY Benchrest Masters
The first competition to be hosted on the myELEY.com platform is the ELEY benchrest masters. Competitors will shoot six (6) 25-bull targets at a distance of 50 meters. Scores must be uploaded to the myELEY.com dashboard by 11:59 pm on November 1, 2020 (GMT). That’s just before midnight in the United Kingdom.
Image from National Rimfire Benchrest Association of Ireland (NRBAI).
How to Enter ELEY Precision Club Events
To participate, you first need to register on the ELEY Precision Club homepage. Once you register, ELEY will create a personalised myELEY.com competition dashboard for you and send you login details by email.
To get started: Complete the registration form. Once your competition dashboard is created you will have instant access to any future ELEY online competitions. The myELEY.com personalised dashboard compiles statistics and results and tracks your world ranking. Once your personal dashboard is created, you’ll get instant access to all future ELEY Precision Club online competitions.
To learn more about the 5-discipline ELEY Masters series, or to enter the first benchrest match, go to Eley.co.uk/precisionclub.
William “Tom” Collins earned the CMP’s Distinguished Rifleman Badge #2500 this July. Collins earned his final EIC points at the Washtenaw Sportsman’s Club in Michigan.
One of the highest honors in competitive shooting is earning the Distinguished Rifleman Badge. This Badge was created by the War Department in 1884 to recognize members of the U.S. Army for Excellence-in-Competition (EIC) with the Army’s service rifle. Other U.S. Armed Forces soon adopted a similar program and in 1926 civilians were authorized to participate. This story is about William “Tom” Collins, 50, of Maumee, Ohio, who earned his badge in July 2020. His achievement was a landmark — Civilian Distinguished Rifleman Badge number 2500.
Collins Earns Distinguished Rifleman Badge Number 2500
Story based on Report by Ashley Brugnone, CMP Staff Writer
For over 20 years, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has issued Distinguished Badges to competitors who collect at least 30 Excellence-In-Competition (EIC) “leg” points — earned by placing in the top 10% of an EIC match. This story is about Ohio shooter William “Tom” Collins, who recently earned Distinguished Rifleman Badge number 2500. [Editor: To learn more about the history of the Distinguished Rifleman Badge and what is takes to earn it, read Distinguished Rifleman — the Chase for Excellence by Jonathan Ocab.]
For Collins, this fulfilled a dream to join generations of elite marksmen before him. “The Distinguished Rifleman Badge has been a goal of mine since I learned about it,” Collins said. “I like to think back on the history of the badge … It makes me proud to be a part of that.”
Collins earned Distinguished Rifleman Badge #2500 in July. “Shooting is almost like meditation to me”, Collins said. “You really can’t think about anything other than the current shot. It’s very relaxing.”
He gives simple advice to other competitors hoping to one day earn a Distinguished Badge of their own: “Anyone working on it – quit thinking about it. Just shoot.”
Collins is congratulated by his friend Jamie Root after “going Distinguished”.
Collins has been shooting most of his life. Growing up in rural Ohio, he received his first BB gun around seven years old and his first .22 at age 11. It wasn’t until he joined the Army Reserves in 1987 that he received any formal marksmanship training. After he left the Reserves nine years later, he started looking toward organized shooting sports.
One day, back in 2014, he picked up his rifle and took the 45-minute drive to Fremont, Ohio, to fire in his first GSM (Garand-Springfield-Modern/Vintage Military) Match at the Sandusky County Sportsmen’s Club. It was there that he met Jesse Bragg, who was running the event.
Jesse Bragg, a retired staff sergeant from the Marine Corps Reserve Rifle Team, took Collins under his wing and showed him the ropes. Collins says Bragg seemed to want to teach more than run the match. In fact, Bragg was the one who introduced Collins to the idea of pursuing a Distinguished Badge. Collins admits that he had no clue what “going distinguished” meant. Bragg went over the terms – legging out, finishing “first leather” and other related expressions.
In 2015, Collins went to the National Matches at nearby Camp Perry, Ohio, and fired in his first President’s Rifle Match. Watching the elite shooters take their final shots inspired Collins: “Learning about the Distinguished Badge, learning about the President’s Match — I just knew that I had to get this Distinguished Badge on my way to, hopefully, getting into the President’s 100 or even the Top 20.” So Collins began traveling to GSMM competitions with his match rifle in tow, just to get in a little extra practice. It became his main focus. In June 2019, he earned his first set of six leg points at the CMP Viale Range 800 Aggregate and EIC Service Rifle Match at Camp Perry. It was a breakthrough.
When I first started, I was shooting the Garand and the M1A. [But] once I realized I wanted to get my Distinguished Badge, I said, “None of the wood guns. It’s all my match rifle until I go Distinguished”.
He went on to earn eight points at his next match in July, followed by eight more in August. With one more match left in 2019 and only seven points away from the required 30 to earn a badge, his goal was within sight. But it wasn’t until the EIC match at the Washtenaw Sportsman’s Club in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in July 2020 that he was able to conquer his nerves and earn his final points: “The most rewarding thing – it’s when you get there. When you finally earn it, everybody knows it. Everybody at the range celebrates with you. All of your friends are there with you. It’s just rewarding in itself. You’re part of that tradition that spans three centuries.”
Friendships Made on the Road to Distinguished
More so than the time, effort, and skill it took to earn the badge, the journey to become Distinguished was almost as rewarding as the badge itself for Collins, given the relationships he’s made along the way:
“These guys I’ve met and hung out with — we’ve given jobs to each other, we celebrate each other’s birthdays, we know each other’s families. It’s just been a great group of guys. You always are rooting for your friends, regardless of how well you’re doing. If you’re doing bad, you root for them even more.”
Distinguished Badge-Earning Marksmen Will Be Honored in 2021 at Camp Perry
Part of the tradition of earning a Distinguished Badge is walking across the stage at Camp Perry during the National Matches award ceremony. There, badge winners are formally pinned by their peers on a stage that has felt the footsteps of prominent marksmen for over a century.
“Last year, when I got the first points, I told myself, ‘I’m going to walk this stage at Perry next year'”. Collins and all others who earned a Distinguished Badge in 2019 or 2020 will still have the opportunity to take the stage next year at the 2021 National Matches — and that’s just what Collins plans to do.
With the 2020 Presidential election just 65 days away, and more riots in the streets, it may be time to think about getting that AR-platform rifle. Getting it while you still can. Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden and his VP candidate Kamala Harris both support banning of AR-type rifles. And Biden and Harris have praised Canada’s sweeping semi-auto gun ban carried out by Prime Minister Trudeau through dictatorial executive action (without parliamentary approval). The official Democratic Party Platform includes these provisions:
— Banning the manufacture and sale of ARs and modern sporting rifles
— Halting and criminalizing online firearm and ammunition sales
— Forcing states to require licenses for owning any firearms
— Instituting delay processes for background checks
— Criminalizing private firearm transfers
And during her Presidential campaign (before she was selected as Biden’s VP), Kamala Harris declared: “Upon being elected … I will give the United States Congress 100 days to get their [sic] act together and have the courage to pass reasonable gun safety laws. And if they fail to do it, then I will take Executive Action”. That’s a chilling threat…
Got the message? The Dems want your guns. And the first guns they want to take away are the “evil” black rifles. As Robert “Beto” O’Rourke said famously: “Hell yes we’re going to take your AR15″.
AR Purchase Option — Lower Receiver
The restricted part of an AR15 is the lower receiver. This is the section that must be purchased through an FFL, with a background check. You can later add an upper (or multiple uppers), which can be purchased directly from a supplier. But the lower is what you need. If you’re short on cash, but want to get an AR, grab a lower and then add a complete upper receiver later.
One leading vendor of AR lowers is Palmetto State Armory (PSA). PSA has plenty of stripped lowers and complete lower receivers in stock right now at attractive prices. Here are two offers on 8/29/2020:
Complete AR15 Lower Receiver — $209.99
This complete Palmetto State Armory lower receiver is fully assembled and ready for your complete Upper. This unit is machined from 7075-T6 Aluminum Forgings, hardcoat anodized. The lower comes with M4 Stock and Standard Carbine Buffer. The bolt and carrier fit .223 Rem/5.56×45 case heads.
Stripped AR15 Lower Receiver — $74.99
This PSA Stripped Lower Receiver is machined from 7075-T6 Aluminum Forgings, hardcoat anodized. It does NOT include trigger group and pins for operation. You must purchase those items separately. This is just the bare lower receiver.
This story is based on an article by Larry Keene of the NSSF
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has a new plan to deny the Second Amendment rights of NJ citizens — hit them in their pocketbooks, and hit them hard. Using the COVID-19 Pandemic as a pretext, Gov. Murphy, a Democrat, is calling for a massive increase in fees, taxes, and surcharges on gun owners:
1. Raise cost of Handgun Purchase Permit from $2 to $50 — 2400% increase.
2. Raise cost of Firearm ID Card from $5 to $100 — 1900% increase.
3. Raise cost of Handgun Carry Permit from $50 to $400 — 700% increase.
4. Raise fee for firearms manufacturer from $150 to $1500 — 900% increase.
5. Raise fee for firearms Retail Dealer License from $50 to $500 — 900% increase.
This shows how government taxes and fees can be aggressively used to restrict gun ownership. In California, another blue state run by a corrupt Democratic governor who likes to rule by Executive Order, we have myriad gun-related fees and taxes, and now must pay for a license in order to purchase ammo. This is how Democrats intend to use state taxing powers to defeat the Second Amendment.
Gun Control by Tax in New Jersey
Commentary by Larry Keene, NSSF
Democratic New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is… proposing “stronger gun control” in the Garden State. This time, he’s using the COVID-19 pandemic to raise taxes on law-abiding gun owners and those wishing to exercise their Second Amendment rights. Now it will be up to the state legislature to approve or reject his new antigun proposals. New Jersey residents shouldn’t hold their breath as antigun Democrats control both chambers by wide margins.
More gun control has been a pillar for Gov. Murphy since he took office in 2018. In his first two years in office, he pushed for and signed into law 10 more-stringent gun control laws in a state already known for having some of the strictest gun laws in the country. In 2020, the spreading Coronavirus pandemic gave him an opportunity to do even more[.]
Five Million New Gun Owners in the USA in 2020
Nearly 5 million Americans … purchased a firearm for the first time this year. The reasons were all around us. Reports of local law enforcement becoming stretched thin, criminals being released from jails and quickly committing violent crimes again, and now more recently violent riots and looting in cities and cries of “defund the police” have increased.
Gov. Murphy, who now wants to levy more fees and taxes to close the COVID budget gaps, actively worked to keep gun buyers out of stores. He shut down firearm retailers and related businesses, deeming them “non-essential” at a time when they were most essential. He faced immediate backlash and lawsuits, leading him to backtrack and allow retailers to open again. Gov. Murphy tried explaining his reasoning, stating “I wasn’t thinking about the Bill of Rights”.
Raising Taxes as Means for More Gun Control
New Jersey is already known as a high-taxed blue state operating in the red. Now, to address next year’s budget shortfall and seeing an opportunity to further squelch the Second Amendment, Gov. Murphy proposed massive taxes and fees on firearms and ammunition[.]
Gov. Murphy’s proposed antigun increases include raising the handgun purchasing permit fee 2400 percent from $2 to $50; the cost of a firearm ID card by 1900 percent from $5 to $100; the price of a handgun carry permit 700 percent from $50 to $400; the fee for a gun retail dealer license by 900 percent from $50 to $500; and the fee for a firearm manufacturer 900 percent from $150 to $1,500. There are, or course, additional fee increases as well.
Anti-Gun Birds of a Feather
Gov. Murphy isn’t alone in using the pandemic to infringe on the constitutional rights of lawful Americans. Gov. Murphy’s northern neighbor, New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, behaved similarly as did New Mexico Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. These three governors have something else in common. They all forced gun stores to close during the pandemic despite the Department of Homeland Security saying gun stores are essential business.
Folks — August is almost, and that means you need to act soon. Two great rebate programs are drawing to a close, so you may want to start shopping. You can save 10% on outstanding Lapua cartridge brass and bullets. Or get huge rebates on RCBS presses, powder dispensers, tools, and accessories (e.g. spend $400 and get $100 back — details below).
Lapua Sizzling Summer Savings Rebate Program
Need brass or bullets? Then take advantage of Lapua’s Sizzling Summer Savings Rebate Program. For purchases from July 15 through August 31, 2020 you get 10% Cash Back on qualifying Lapua Scenar bullets and cartridge cases. With this Summer Rebate you can get up to $200 back on your Lapua bullet and brass purchases. Note, to qualify, you must purchase at least TWO boxes of Lapua Scenar bullets or TWO boxes of Lapua rifle cartridge cases (brass). All sizes and configurations are eligible for 10% rebate.
Lapua brass is used by top shooters in all disciplines, and Lapua Scenar bullets show outstanding accuracy and consistency. We’ve had superb results with Scenar bullets in multiple rifles. Scenars are a popular tangent ogive, HPBT design that is extremely accurate with excellent base-to-ogive and weight uniformity.
Lapua products must be purchased from July 15 through August 31, 2020
You MUST include proof of purchase – original online order receipt or retailer cash register receipt showing retailer name and date of purchase.
For purchases made from July 15 through August 31, rebate request must be submitted by September 30, 2020.
RCBS Buy Green, Get Green Promotion
RCBS Buy Green Get Green promo is simple — buy ANY RCBS products worth $100.00 or more and you qualify. There’s no restricted list of “qualifying” products. Yes this applies to reloading presses, electronic powder dispensers, ultrasonic machines, beam scales, dies — everything RCBS makes. Buy from Midsouth or other retailer. The more you spend, the more you get back — up to $100.00 total.
Buy at least $400 worth of RCBS Products and get a big $100.00 rebate. Spend $250-$399 to get a $75.00 rebate. Purchase $100-$249 and get $50 back. If you are considering purchasing a single-stage press, electronic powder dispenser, progressive press, or a reloading kit, save big with this promo. It’s good for purchases now through August 31, 2020. Submit RCBS Rebate Forms HERE.
Product must be purchased between 7/9/2020 through 8/31/2020.
DEADLINE for mail-in or online submission is 10/31/2020
Range photo from Athena Gun Club in Houston, TX. Athena has 26-lane indoor shooting range.
A Girl & A Gun (AG&AG) is a club by women shooters for women shooters. With a network of instructors and affiliated ranges, AG&AG operates training clinics and competition events throughout the country. AG&AG recently sponsored a nationwide survey of 6000 club members. This survey revealed interesting trends in gun purchases by females. By way of background, a previous survey by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) estimated that about 40% of 2020 gun sales are to first-time buyers, and that roughly 40% of those first-time gun buyers were women.
AG&AG did a follow-up survey of club members who were first-time gun buyers. This showed that the leading motivator in gun acquisition were concerns over riots and civil unrest. This was followed by worries over the upcoming election and possible future gun bans.
There were some very interesting comments by AG&AG members, who expressed their personal reasons for buying guns and seeking firearms training:
Kathryn in Texas: “I’m a trauma surgeon and have treated a fair share of gunshot victims in Chicago and Houston. I have been pretty ‘anti-gun’ as a result up until COVID. At that point, I figured I might as well get comfortable with at least handling firearms in case I had to use one.”
Theresa in Nevada: “I’ve never felt the need to own a gun or want a one. However, with the extreme levels of crime, every individual should learn to protect themselves. With our political leaders allowing the police to be torn apart, this made me feel the need to step up and take measures for my protection.”
Jan in Michigan: “As a history teacher with 35 years of teaching experience I know that the first thing revolutionaries and tyrants do upon seizing power is to take away the public’s guns. As a child my family lived in inner city Detroit in the heart of the 1967 riots….More recently, the rioters came down my street after their burning and looting rampage downtown in my city of Kalamazoo, Michigan. I decided that I have to defend myself and not allow myself to be a sitting duck. “
Anonymous in Connecticut: “I [was] interested in joining A Girl & A Gun Club for a while and in the wake of the protests and defunding of police I thought this was extremely important. Being from the Northeast it is difficult to find others with the same ideals so I thought this would be the best place to start.”
About A Girl & A Gun
AG&AG is now moving into its 10th year of educating women on the safe use and storage of firearms, and promoting women’s interest and participation in training and competitive and recreational shooting sports. The club’s mission is especially relevant today and the organization is stronger than ever.
2020 has been a challenging year for the shooting sports. The CMP National Matches at Camp Perry and NRA National Championships at Camp Atterbury were cancelled due to Pandemic health concerns. Other major matches have been dropped from the calendar due to COVID-19. That’s why we are pleased to report that the IBS was able to conduct the 2020 Benchrest for Score 100/200 Meter National Championships. Attendance was solid, and competitors had a good time. Here is the match report from IBS member Todd Payseur.
IBS 100/200 Score Nationals at Mid-Carolina Gun Club
Report from Todd Payseur
The morning light breaks and shooters begin to set the final touches on their wind flags. Yes, it’s time for the Nationals! For what has been a crazy COVID-impacted year with a lot of cancelled matches, dates being changed, and some states still not able to hold matches, many shooters had cabin fever for the Nationals.
Several people had concerns beforehand with even having a match in August at the Mid-Carolina Gun Club because of how brutal our summers can be, but Mother Nature really blessed us with a calm weekend. Saturday started with overcast skies and projected highs around 87 degrees, which for August is almost unheard of. A few showers during the day, but nothing that really amounted to much or effected any of the relays. The winds stayed calm and 20 VFS shooters stayed clean and 2 Hunter guns went for 250-10X with Peter Hills creedmooring Ronnie Milford for the top 6-power at 100 meters. In VFS a familiar face, Wayne France shot a great 250-21X edging out rookie shooter Will Till at 250-20X.
Lisa Moore, grandmother of Gage and Remy Logsdon, prepares for the next relay with bolt removed.
This is Will’s second season in VFS and he has steadily improved. His second place finish at 100 meters is the start of many great finishes ahead for this young man. Speaking of young people, I’m pleased to say we had a great showing of Junior shooters this year and they all deserve to be mentioned. Defending rookie of the year Tori Allen (below right) was the top junior, followed by first-year rookie Remy Logsdon. Gage Logsdon rounded out the top three junior shooters. With such young talents coming into the benchrest game, we are very optimistic about the future of our sport.
Wayne France (Left) with 100-yard 1st Place Agg patch. Tori Allen (Right) was the top Junior shooter.
Sunday at 200 meters was the Lin Smith show! Lin shot both a Heavy and a Light Varmint rifle and turned in a very impressive 500-17X for the day. This fine work led him to two of the top three places at 200 meters and a first and fourth in the Grand Agg. I can’t say enough about how happy everyone is for Lin. He is one good man that those of us in the southeast region are honored to compete with and call a friend.
Grand Agg winner Lin Smith really put on a display of fine shooting this weekend.
In the 6-power Hunter Rifle class, Jim Cline turned in an impressive 249-5X at 200 meters for the win and that led him to his first place finish in the Grand Agg followed by a solid 245-4X by Ronnie Milford who took second-place in the Grand Agg.
Here are all the winners with their wood. Left to Right: Will Till, Gage Logsdon, Lee Martin, Tori Allen, John Bosley, Lin Smith, Peter Hills, John Ridgeway, Remy Logsdon, Wayne France, Jim Cline and Ronnie Milford.
CLICK Chart for Full Spreadsheet with Results for ALL Shooters
View back to the benches from the 100-meter targets at Mid-Carolina Gun Club. the Orangeburg swirl is lurking in those trees… just waiting to push bullets where they just shouldn’t go!
Great Competition, Great Food, Great Location
Overall we had a good turnout with 35 VFS guns and 8 V/VH guns on Saturday and 34 and 7 on Sunday. Competitors came from as far away as Maine and Michigan and everywhere in between. The food was outstanding with meals available both Friday and Saturday evenings at the range along with lunches Saturday and Sunday. One thing is for certain, if you enjoy great food and great company, then the IBS VFS circuit is something you should come check out, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!
About the Mid-Carolina Gun Glub in South Carolina CLICK HERE for more information on the Mid-Carolina Gun Club in Orangeburg, South Carolina. This club boasts a great facility with plenty of room for cleaning/loading, plus a large, covered eating area with serving line. There is also parking for campers on the club property. I would like to personally thank Jim Cline and the whole Mid-Carolina Crew for another great weekend and cherished memory!
Jerry Powers from the Ashe County gang setting up a SEB MAX. SEB rests, both MAX and NEO, are very popular with score BR shooters.
The inaugural Hornady Precision Hunter Steel Challenge took place in Colorado August 8 and 9. This unique competition involved lots of hiking with various shooting positions in challenging natural terrain. The unique match was hosted at the Cameo Shooting Complex near Grand Junction, CO.
There were 135 registered competitors — quite a turn-out for a physically demanding match in a fairly remote location. Congrats to Heavy Class and Overall Winner Brian Black who topped the field with 140 Match points (100% of possible). Brian shot a 6.5×47 Lapua with Berger 6.5mm 140gr Hybrids. Brian’s winning rig featured a Lone Peak Arms Fuzion action, Benchmark barrel, and XLR Element chassis. Behind Brian was Serger Ducourneau in second with 134 points (95.71%). Eric Anderson finished third overall with 129 points (92.14%).
Overall and Heavy Class winner Brian Black (center) with trophy.
The Hornady Precision Hunter Steel Challenge tests a rifleman’s fitness and skills as marksman and hunter. The stages were blind with a 4-minute time limit to move to the shooting area, locate, range, and engage targets. Shooters could choose between two rifle weight classes (light or heavy) and had to meet a minimum power factor cartridge requirement that helped even the playing field. The match featured a diverse course of fire with a good mix of prone and natural terrain shooting positions. Look at the images — this was no ordinary shooting match, and natural terrain features were employed much more than at any PRS match.
Hornady wanted to thank Match Director, Scott Satterlee, the Cameo Shooting Complex and all of the volunteers and sponsors that made this match possible.
Where to Find IMR 4166 Powder
ELEY is excited to launch its brand new ELEY Precision Club, allowing competitors from all over the world to compete against each other from their local shooting clubs. Scores will be tallied online through an exciting Masters series of events. Winners can be recognized as a World Champion. In addition, top shooters compete for valuable cash, ammunition, and clothing prizes.
