NRA Cancels WSC and NRA Police Shooting Championships Due to COVID-19
No big money this year at the NRA World Shooting Championship — the event has been cancelled. And Likewise the NRA Police Shooting Championship will not take place in 2020. This is the Year of Pandemic, and two more major shooting events have fallen victim to COVID-19.
Yesterday the National Rifle Association (NRA) issued the following statement:
Due to the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the many ensuing federal and state safety regulations and mandates, the NRA has made the difficult decision to cancel the NRA World Shooting Championship and the NRA National Police Shooting Championships. Both events were scheduled to be held in mid September 2020 in West Virginia and Mississippi respectively.
We share your disappointment that both these competitions that attract participants from across the globe had to be canceled. The NRA wishes everyone good health and the best of luck. Stay safe and healthy.
The WSC was a big deal. It attracted top multi-gun competitors such as Jerry Miculek, Dan Horner, Doug Koenig, and Bruce Piatt. The winner took home a fat check for $25,000. This unique 3-day multi-gun match tests competitors’ skills across twelve challenging stages involving nearly every major shooting discipline for rifles, shotguns, and pistols. This major match attracted both sponsored Pros and “regular Joes”. Shooters were split into two groups: a Professional Division for sponsored shooters, and the Amateur Division for non-sponsored competitors. All firearms, optics, and ammo were provided by match sponsors for both divisions.
This video shows features of past NRA World Shooting Championship
All Equipment Was Supplied at NRA World Shooting Championship
“What makes this event very unique, especially to a professional shooter, is all the equipment is supplied. You have to leave your ego at home and just try to adapt as best you can to the equipment that you have supplied.” — Jerry Miculek
WSC stages encompassed everything from trap to bullseye pistol to PRS-style precision rifle. There was even a cowboy action stage with Henry “Golden Boy” lever-action rifles.
CCRKAB Hopes Millions of New Gun Owners Can Aid Second Amendment Battle
First concern over the COVID-19 pandemic spurred a huge increase in gun purchases. And the civil unrest, rioting, and looting that followed the death of George Floyd caused countless citizens to seek armed self-protection. COVID-19 and the riots convinced millions of Americans to become gun owners for the first time. These citizens wanted to protect their families, homes, and businesses. The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA.org) hopes that these new gun owners may aid the fight to preserve the Second Amendment and gun rights in the USA.
“Look at all of the new people who suddenly decided to exercise their Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms”, observed CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “We’ve witnessed something that is nothing short of a sea change… about gun ownership. We’ve heard anecdotal reports from all over the country about people flocking to gun shops who had never before owned a firearm. Now that they are gun owners, we expect them to be very protective of their rights”.
March, April, and May 2020 saw record numbers of background checks, according to FBI data and information from industry sources. For example in April 2017, gun sales set an all-time record — up 71% from the pervious year.
Gottlieb added: “We welcome all of these new gun owners to the firearms community… many of them are minorities, especially black and female citizens … from all age groups. They can… gain a new understanding of our efforts to protect the one fundamental right that actually protects all of the other rights.”
“This new wave of gun owners could become a formidable force during this year’s election,” Gottlieb noted. “From now on, we expect millions of new gun owners to pay closer attention to candidates, and reject those who would trample on their Second Amendment rights. With legions of new gun owners ready to protect these newly-discovered rights, it could be a pretty scrappy election year…”
What you see above is what happens when you shoot the wrong powder in a muzzle-loader. Specifically, a charge of smokeless powder was used instead of black powder or black powder substitute. The difference in energy (by weight and volume) between black powder and modern smokeless powder is huge. You should never, ever run smokeless powder in a black powder recipe. The result can be catastrophic. In this case the hapless shooter lost a couple fingers. So he got a free twin-digit amputation, thanks to his reloading mistake. The lesson to learn here is to always double-check your propellant before loading. And never “re-bottle” smokeless powder into a different container with a different label (or worse yet, no label at all).
This incident happened in Indiana a couple years back. As reported by the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR), this was a classic case of “user error”: “Corporal Eric Doane worked a firearm accident last night in Martin County that resulted in the shooter losing a couple fingers. This is what can happen when you shoot smokeless powder out of a muzzle-loader designed for black powder.”
Yes, there WILL be a Precision Rifle Expo in 2020! With the economy reopening, event organizers have confirmed that the popular gathering WILL take place in September. This year, the PRE will be held September 26-27, 2020, at the Arena Training Facility in Blakely, Georgia. Registration is now open.
The Precision Rifle Expo (PRE) has opened registration for its 3rd annual, 2-day event featuring top brands in the tactical/precision rifle market. Manufacturers will showcase actions, optics, ammo, reloading equipment, stocks, chassis, electronics, supporting equipment (bags and tripods), rifles, triggers, suppressors, and much more. There will be training sessions on precision handloading, wind reading, marksmanship, ballistic devices, and PRS competition.
The event will continue to offer hands-on instruction plus demonstration of rifle systems at long range, along with displays from 50+ important companies. At last year’s event exhibitors included Applied Ballistics, AMP Annealing, MPA, Vudoo Gunworks as well as many action builders and optics manufacturers.
Attendee Registration for Event
Attendees may register now for the 2020 PRE. Pre-registration is $35 with onsite registration at $50. Pre-registrants will not receive a ticket and are asked to proceed to the Check-In Tent where a wrist band will be provided for admission. This year, attendees will not have to pre-register for any of the classes. Classes will be posted on the website and at the event.
PRE organizers state: “2020 promises attendees an outstanding opportunity to access the exhibitor tent, attend multiple education classes taught by leading names in the precision rifle category, and various range experiences. Novices and professionals, competitors, and industry experts, all converge on one of the Country’s premier shooting facilities to learn from each other and test their skills[.]”
Here is a video covering last year’s event:
Exhibitor Companies Can Still Register with the 2020 Precision Rifle Expo
Would you like to exhibit your company’s products at the 2020 PRE? There are still Exhibitor spaces available. Contact Phil Cashin at 770-401-3572 or precisionrifleexpo@gmail.com for more info or to reserve your exhibit space.
Arena Training Facility — 2300 Acres with Ranges out to 2100m
The 2300-acre Arena Training Facility is a premier shooting facility with multiple shooting ranges from 50m to 2100m. Arena’s 1000-yard covered Known Distance range offers multiple benches, steel and paper targets out to 1000 yards. On Arena’s UKD (unknown distance) range shooters can engage steel out to 2300 yards. This 2100m UKD range boasts a 3-Story Shooting Tower, Air-Conditioned Shoot House, and multiple Positional Challenges.
At the 2018 EXPO, Long-Range Clinics were held on the 1000-yard Range:
Do you enjoy 3-Gun competition or other types of “Action Shooting”? Then you should visit the USAMU Facebook Page today Friday, June 19th at 2:00 pm Eastern.
There will be a LIVE Q & A session today. Members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) will answer questions about Action Shooting, about the USAMU in general, and about the U.S. Army. This is a great opportunity to communicate directly with some of the top 3-gun shooters in the nation. If you have specific questions, then post a comment on the USAMU’s Facebook page before the session.
Want to learn more about Action Shooting? This Virtual Tour Video first tours the USAMU training center. Then team members show the rifles, pistols, and shotguns they use in Multi-Gun competition.
SFC Daniel Horner — Greatest 3-Gunner Ever?
Though now a civilian competing for SIG Sauer, SFC Daniel Horner was a USAMU superstar. One of the best 3-Gun competitors in history, Horner was blazing fast (and wicked accurate) with all three guns.
As a soldier with the USAMU, Horner was a true phenom with rifle, pistol, and shotgun, winning multiple 3-Gun titles against tough competition. When he was on his game, no one on the planet was better in the 3-Gun arena. His record of major multi-gun championships may never be rivaled. He has won over 125 major events/titles at the world, national, regional, and state level.
Daniel Horner Major Titles
10-Time USPSA Multi-Gun National Champion
4-Time 3-Gun Nation Pro Series Champion
2014 NRA World Shooting Championship Winner
2-Time Int’l Sniper Competition Team Winner
2-Time IDPA National Champion
IPSC Shotgun National Champion
Rifle Grip, Stance, and Body Position for Action Shooting Competition
In this action-packed video, SFC Horner gives tips on how to properly handle a semi-automatic rifle, including grip, stance and body position.
Winchester Ammunition has been selected for a $38 million contract by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). This contract will be for 9x19mm (9mm Luger) handgun ammunition. The selected 9mm frangible ammunition will be used for close-quarter battle (CQB) combat and indoor/outdoor CQB training.
Since World War I, Winchester has been the U.S. Army’s largest commercial supplier of small-caliber ammunition. Currently, Winchester is the largest supplier of certified U.S. mil-spec small-caliber ammunition to the U.S. military. Winchester will assume full operational control of the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in October 2020. Lake City is the largest small-caliber ammunition military production facility in the United States. Winchester is a world leader in production of small caliber ammunition.
U.S. Military’s 9mm Handguns — SIG Sauer M17 and M18
How will all that Winchester 9mm ammo be used? This ammo will be loaded into the U.S. military’s latest M17/M18 handguns from SIG Sauer, as well as remaining older Beretta M9s. The SIG Sauer M17 and M18 are striker-fired service pistols. In 2017 the U.S. Army announced that a modified version of the SIG Sauer P320 had won the Army’s XM17 Modular Handgun System competition. The U.S. Air Force has also adopted the M17, while the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy will be issuing the smaller M18 pistols.
The M17 is the full-sized model while the smaller-sized carry model is designated M18. Both M17 and M18 service pistols are striker-fired handguns with polymer frames. The M17/M18 have proven reliable and popular with U.S. military personnel. The smaller M18 successfully completed a MHS material reliability test, which consisted of firing three M18 pistols to 12,000 rounds each for a total of 36,000 rounds.
The M17/M18s feature a coyote-tan PVD coated stainless steel slide, coyote-tan controls, a coyote-tan grip module. SIG offers both 17-round and 21-round magazines. These handguns can be equipped with SIGLITE sights (orange rear & green front). Models are available with removable night sight rear plates that can adapt to electro-optic red dot sights.
Good news — shooting clubs can once again hold NRA-sanctioned matches at their facilities. The NRA is now accepting tournament registrations for events to be held July 1, 2020 or later. This is good news for high power competitors, smallbore shooters, silhouette shooters, air rifle competitors, BPCR marksmen, and target pistol shooters.
The NRA has announced that beginning June 15, 2020, the NRA Competitive Shooting Division will begin accepting tournament registrations for sanctioned matches taking place on or after July 1, 2020. Clubs and match directors are urged to comply with federal, state and local guidelines regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The NRA will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and/or make additional statements as needed. Please contact the NRA Competitive Shooting Division at comphelp@nrahq.org, visit the website at Competitions.NRA.org.
You’ll find current news, event info, and shooting tips on the NRA Competitive Shooting Facebook Page. There is also a large photo archive and many videos showing shooters in action at matches. Topics are shown on the left below:
Click Image to visit NRA Competitive Shooting Facebook Page.
NRA Sanctioned Tournaments are a series of matches covered by an official program. Such matches may be all individual matches, all team matches, or a combination of both. They may be all fired matches or a combination of fired and aggregate matches. A tournament may be conducted on one day or successive days.
Registered Tournaments, Approved Tournaments, Regional Championships, Sectional Championships and Sanctioned Leagues may be authorized by the NRA after application has been filed by a local group or organization. See the NRA rules for specific rule questions.
A multi-time F-TR National Champion, James “Jimmy” Crofts is one of America’s top F-Class competitors. And now this F-TR ace has a stunning new rifle in his arsenal. AccurateShooter Forum member CigarCop, head honcho of KW Precision LLC, recently completed a new F-TR rig for Crofts. This handsome, state-of-the-art rifle features top-tier components: Borden action, twin Brux barrels, Cerus RifleWorks F-TR Stock, and Jewell trigger, all resting on a wide-base Phoenix Bipod.
James Crofts photo by Kent Reeve.
Have a good look at these photos below. Yes, envy is the appropriate reaction. With the smooth operation of the Borden action and the predictable accuracy of Brux barrels, we bet James’s new rig will shoot as good as it looks.
CigarCop actually chambered two barrels for James, with different fluting patterns — conventional linear flutes for one tube, and lines of staggered ovals for the other. Finished length for both barrels is 30″. Yes it looks cool, but the fluting was done mainly to save weight with the 30″-long lengths. CigarCop tells us the complete rifle, without scope and rings, weighs just under 15 pounds. Max allowed weight for an F-TR rifle, with scope, is 18.18 pounds (8.25 kg).
When James Crofts is not shooting his .308 Win F-TR rig,
he often trains with a .22 LR Rimfire rifle. Read on…
Rimfire Training for F-Class Competitors
2014 and 2012 U.S. National F-TR Champion James Crofts is one of America’s top F-Class shooters. A member of 2013 World Championship-winning F-TR Team USA squad, James knows a thing or two about long-range shooting. But you may be surprised to learn how James sharpens his shooting skills at relatively short distances. You see, James often practices with a .22 LR rimfire rifle at distances from 50 to 200 yards. James tells us: “Shooting my F-Class rimfire trainer saves me money and improves my shot process and wind-reading abilities.”
Remington rimfire 40X barreled action in PR&T LowBoy stock with PT&G bolt.
Rimfire Training Teaches Wind-Reading Skillsby James Crofts
Training with the rimfire is extremely useful and can be done from 25 yards out to 200 yards. I am lucky and can shoot 50 yards right off my back deck. That is far enough that any miscue on rifle handling will show up on the target. I use a two dry-fire to one actual shot routine for my practices. This gives me much more positive reinforcement without any negative reinforcement.
Wind reading is extremely important with a .22 LR rifle. I use a set of smallbore flags to aid my wind calls. The smallbore flags are a must and force you to look at the flags and mirage on each and every shot.
This Rimfire rifle features a CMP-sourced Rem 40X barreled action, PR&T Low Boy stock, Jewell trigger, and Phoenix bipod. The gun was built by Ray Bowman of Precision Rifle & Tool. James Crofts told us: “The project turned out awesome — the rifle was a hammer from the beginning even with the stock barrel.”
Rimfire Training Is Cost-Effective
Rimfire ammunition is much less costly than centerfire ammo. Though .22 LR prices have risen, you can still get a 500-round brick of very good .22 LR match ammo for around $75.00. That works out to fifteen cents a round. That’s a fraction of the cost of handloading .308 Win match ammo. The top match-grade, .308-cal centerfire bullets can cost around $60 per hundred. Then you have to figure in brass, primers, and powder. Finally you have to consider your precious centerfire barrel life lost to practice.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has announced that the 149th Annual Meeting of Members, previously scheduled in Nashville, TN in April, has been rescheduled for Saturday, September 5, 2020 in Springfield, Missouri. The 2020 NRA Annual Meeting will be held at the Springfield Expo Center. The NRA has not yet released a full schedule of events. But this will be a meeting of members only — not a large trade show with entertainment and celebrity guests.
We’re told that this will be a much smaller event than originally planned for April 16-19 in Nashville. The rescheduled NRA Meeting will take place in Halls A/B/C at the Springfield Expo Center at 635 E. Saint Louis Street, Springfield, Missouri. The meeting will sart 9/5/20 at 9:00 am Central Time. All NRA members are invited to attend.
The Springfield News Leader reported that this event will NOT be a large trade show. It will be a meeting of members only — there will be no large trade show with hundreds of exhibitors.
Dana Maugans with the Springfield Visitors and Convention Bureau, said that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NRA had to cancel the large NRA Convention originally scheduled for April in Nashville. “But with their bylaws, [the NRA] still has to have the membership meeting,” Maugans said. “They are going to have their membership portion of the meeting here. But it will not be nearly as large as the Convention/Trade Show that was planned.” Maugans revealed that, to allow for social distancing, the NRA reserved double the amount of space normally need for the 1,000 to 1,250 people expected to attend.
SIG Sauer Eckernförde fireams production facility. Photo credit Alexander Losert, SIG Sauer
The parent company of SIG Sauer USA and SIG Sauer Germany will be shutting down a production facility in Eckernförde, Germany. SIG Sauer firearms production will continue elsewhere. One big reason for the shutdown, experts report, were the anti-gun policies of the current German government. In addition, because SIG Sauer is a multinational enterprise owned by Lüke & Ortmeier Holding Gruppe (L & O Holding Group), it was excluded from many German military and police contracts. Also the economic effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic hurt the company. SIG executives* stated:
“The locational disadvantages in Germany for SIG Sauer do not economically allow for manufacturing of sports and LE/military firearms in the future. Legislation is increasingly restricting the use of sports firearms. When awarding public contracts, both the German police and the Bundeswehr prefer a few local producers. SIG Sauer is systematically excluded from tenders due to its international orientation, most of its developments originating from the USA. In addition to the existing problems, there are the current effects of the Corona crisis, which place an additional considerable economic burden on the continuation of business operations in Eckernförde”.
So what SIG Sauer guns have been produced in the Eckernförde factory? German website All4Shooters answered: “A large part of [SIG Sauer’s] European catalog products comes from Eckernförde, Germany. In addition to the complete P220 and P226 X series, this includes the P210 series, various classic P226/P229s, as well as the SSG 3000 and STR rifle lines.”
What is the Future for SIG Sauer USA?
The Shooting Wire noted: “With L&O Holding Group’s announcement [that] SIG Sauer GmbH division in Eckernforde, Germany was being shut down, the speculation began almost immediately as to what the impact might be on SIG Sauer’s operations in Newington, NH. Since the U.S. operation has recently celebrated scores of defense and law enforcement contracts, any disruption in that operation could have a significant impact on the status of our military and many law enforcement agencies.” However, SIG’s official release affirmed that SIG Sauer USA will “continue business as usual”.
SIG Sauer Official Statement about USA Operations:
L & O Holding group has announced that it is closing its SIG SAUER, GmbH (Germany) division in Eckernförde, Germany. L&O Holding owns and operates numerous business units in the defense and hunting market including SIG SAUER, GmbH (Germany), SIG SAUER, Inc. (U.S.A.), and German Sports Group, GmbH (GSG), among others.
SIG SAUER, Inc. operations in the U.S. will continue business as usual. The U.S. based division, headquartered in Newington, New Hampshire, has over 2,300 employees throughout 9 facilities in New Hampshire, Arkansas and Oregon where the company designs and manufactures firearms, ammunition, optics, suppressors and air guns[.] SIG SAUER, Inc. markets and distributes its U.S. made products in 88 countries. The SIG SAUER, Inc. International Sales Team, based in Europe, will expand its responsibilities to include the German market.
SIG Sauer Rifle and Pistol Production Will Continue in the USA
What Went Wrong in Germany for SIG Sauer?
Why did SIG Sauer Suffer Business Setbacks in Germany? The Firearm Blog (TFB) suggested multiple issues: “A number of factors have led to the downturn in SIG Sauer GmbH’s fortunes, [including its] exclusion from Bundeswehr small arms programs due to ITAR restrictions (as the company’s firearms are principally developed in the US, by SIG Sauer, Inc). The impact of the European Union’s increasingly hampering firearms legislation and recent legal issues have also been factors. The ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic has also no doubt played a part with sales slowing significantly in 2020.”
SIG Sauer Company Background and Organization
SIG Sauer was created in 1976 as a partnership of Swiss company Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (SIG) and German enterprise J.P. Sauer & Sohn. SIG Sauer products were sold in the USA under the SIGARMS brand for some years, and then SIG Sauer Inc. was created in 2007. Currently, under L & O Holdings, SIG Sauer runs as three entities: SIG Sauer, GmbH (with Eckernforde facility), SIG Sauer, Inc. (U.S.A.) and SIG SAUER’s International Sales Team (based in Europe).
* In a press release to German media, SIG Sauer Mng. Dir. Tim Castagne declared that “SIG Sauer [GmbH] is systematically excluded from the tender because of its international orientation.”
