Competing at the Camp Perry National Matches is a “bucket list” item for every serious marksman. The National Matches were first held in 1903, moved to Camp Perry, Ohio, in 1907 and continue to take place every summer at Camp Perry. The National Matches have become a huge, national shooting sports festival with well over 6,000 annual participants.
Year 2019 Camp Perry NM Competition activities begin with NRA/CMP pistol matches on July 8-14, 2019. The CMP Junior Rifle Camp, USAMU SAFS, and Smallbore matches run the next week, with the hugely popular Rimfire Sporter Match on July 21. High Power Rifle events kick off on July 23 with the 4-Man Team Match and rifle events run continuously for the next two and a half weeks.
Here are some key dates for RIFLE events:
July 27 – CMP/USAMU Rifle SAFS
July 29 – President’s 100 Rifle Match
July 30 – National Trophy Individual Rifle Match
July 31 – National Junior Team Match
August 1 – National Trophy Team Match, National Carbine Match
August 2 – National Trophy Infantry Team Match (“Rattle Battle”)
August 3 – M1 Garand Match, Springfield/Vintage Bolt Rifle Match
August 4 – M1A Match, Springfield/Vintage Bolt Rifle Match
August 5 – CMP Vintage Sniper Rifle Match
August 5-8 – CMP Long Range Individual Matches
August 9 – Camp Perry Palma Match
Applied Ballistics, LLC is proud to announce that its founder and owner Bryan Litz, has received the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) 2019 Carlos N. Hathcock II Award. Bryan was given this honor on June 4, 2019 at the NDIA Forum in Virginia.
The Hathcock Award honors an individual who, in the opinion of the Small Arms Committee Executive Board, has made significant contributions in operational employment and tactics of small arms weapons systems which have impacted the readiness and capabilities of the U.S. military or law enforcement.
Not just a brilliant ballistics expert, Bryan Litz is also a Championship-winning marksman.
Litz’s contributions to the U.S. Military include his numerous publications to help snipers understand complex external ballistic problems, promoting the advanced G7 ballistics model vs. the older G1 drag model, and developing Applied Ballistics solvers for Kestrel weather meters and other devices in widespread use by snipers for the U.S. Military and NATO allies. Bryan is also a frequent speaker at DoD forums and conducts ballistic seminars across the country.
Bryan stated: “It is truly humbling and deeply gratifying that my work has value to our nation’s Armed Forces. Being selected for the Hathcock award is the highest honor I’ve received in my career.”
Bryan received the award on June 4, at the NDIA 2019 Armament Systems Forum in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Past winners of the Hathcock Award include Todd Hodnett, Buford Boone, and SGM Pete Gould (U.S. Army Retired).
Bryan Litz helped develop global-leading ballistics solutions for civilian and military marksmen. Now Applied Ballistics solvers are integrated into Kestrel Weather Meters as well as advanced electro-optical devices. Bryan also helped create the successful Applied Ballistics APPs for iOS and Android smartphones.
Imagine if a man was asked to leave a restaurant for wearing a Gay Pride shirt. Or if a women was refused service because she was wearing a headband with a #MeToo message. The mainstream media would be in a frenzy. The incident would make national news. Liberal politicians would be holding angry press conferences, and CNN talking heads would be loudly demanding new legislation.
But guess what, there is another kind of discrimination in our society, a form of intolerance that the mainstream media actually emboldens — hatred towards gun owners. Intolerance towards those who support the Second Amendment — even those who have served their country in uniform.
Recently in Maui, HI, a restaurant manager demanded that disabled Vietnam veteran Jimmy Barber and his wife leave the establishment solely because Jimmy was wearing a shirt that said “Ultimate Reloader” and included a logo with the outline of a cartridge between the letters U and R.
Jimmy Barber served in Vietnam as a Navy Seabee “in-country” from 1970-71. He now suffers from heart disease because of exposure to agent orange. And the Maui eatery demanded that he (and his wife) leave the premises simply because his shirt said “Ultimate Reloader”. That’s despicable.
Isn’t it ironic that this intolerance occurred in Hawaii? Were it not for the sacrifice of American service men and women in the Pacific during WWII there is a good chance that the Hawaiian islands would no longer be part of the United States.
In a letter to Gavin Gear of UltimateReloader.com, Jimmy revealed: “My wife and I are in Maui. We were asked to leave a restaurant because I was wearing one of your t-shirts. I did not make a scene and I was very proud to leave.” Jimmy, by the way, is a dedicated pistol and rifle shooter who reloads a dozen cartridge types.
After learning of this incident, Gavin Gear contacted Starline Brass. Starline has decided to send Jimmy 250 new brass cases — just a way of saying “thanks” to Jimmy for his service to his country.
How to Stand Up for Your Rights
We all need to do our part to preserve our gun rights. Gavin Gear has collaborated with The Gun Collective on YouTube to explain what we can do to preserve our gun rights. Gavin states: “I do appreciate everyone out there in the gun community that is fighting for our rights. We need to stand together! And thanks Jimmy for ‘representing’ Ultimate Reloader!”
Shooters from across the nation and many foreign competitors will compete this year at the CAAFTC held at the Rochester Brooks Int’l Skeet and Trap Club.
Upstate New York heats up in the summer with the largest field target event in the country — the Crosman All-American Field Target Championship (CAAFTC). This very popular airgun event takes place June 21-23, 2019 in upstate New Yorkat the Rochester Brooks International Skeet and Trap Club in Rush, New York. 0ver 100 air rifle and air pistol competitors will participate in the big event hosted by Crosman. This event attracts top Airgunners from across the nation (and some foreign countries). Along with regular Field Target matches, there will be specialty side matches, plus a factory tour. The event is free to the public.If you are a Field Target Shooter and want to attend, don’t hesitate — registration closes soon.
After getting squared away with check-in and some practice rounds on Friday, take part in the pistol match and the Quigley Bucket Challenge (see video below). For the Quigley Bucket Challenge, competitors must try to hit a 1.75″ target from 55 yards away, using open sights (no scopes).
The three-day competition features multiple shooting matches including the main two-day rifle event. There are four divisions for competitors: Open, Hunter, WFTF, and Pistol. In addition to the main rifle event, this year will also feature a pistol match, the Quigley Bucket Match and the Pyramyd Air Gunslinger match. The Bucket match re-creates famous scene in the movie Quigley Down Under in which the lead character shoots a bucket at 700 yards. Here the distances are scaled down a wee bit (wink). Competitors, using iron sights only, get 5 shots at a 1.75″ bucket placed at 55 yards.
Tech Talk: Why the Big Side-Wheels on the Scopes?
Field Target rifles shoot pellets propelled by compressed air. These light-weight, low-BC projectiles drop very quickly, with a looping trajectory. In order to hit targets at distances out to 50 yards or so, you have to adjust your scope to compensate for pellet drop. But you can’t set the scope correctly without knowing the precise range to the target. This is the function of the big wheels on the side of the scope. Field Target Competitors use the parallax adjustment on high-magnification scopes to determine target range. The big wheel allows quick, yet precise parallax adjustment. Markings on the wheel show the shooter the scope settings required for the distance “dialed-in” via the over-size parallax wheel.
The CAAFTC is sanctioned by the American Airgun Field Target Association and is a featured AAFTA Grand Prix event. The 120-shot match has competitive rifle divisions based on allowable gun and support equipment. Here are the main air rifle classifications:
Hunter Division – rifle fires at a maximum 20 foot pounds of energy (FPE), shooter may use a non-attached bipod, non-restrictive clothing, and sitting stool. Open Division - maximum 20 FPE maximum rifle, shooter may wear a body harness, no bipod, 6″ maximum height seat. World Field Target Federation (WFTF) – similar to Open but shooters compete according to international standard of maximum 12 fpe for rifles. Freestyle Division – 20 FPE maximum rifle, no other restrictions. (This is new for 2016).
The pistol competition includes similar divisions based on shooting styles. Both rifle and pistol divisions include sub-classes based on the air rifle powerplant: piston driven or pre-charged pneumatic.
“If you want to see some of the country’s finest airgun shooters, this is the hottest event of the summer and it’s free for the public,” says Chip Hunnicutt, Marketing Manager for Crosman. “Alongside the world-class shooters, we’ll have enthusiasts simply having a good time and even parents bringing their kids for some good fun outdoors.” (NOTE: Click framed images below to zoom.)
Here’s an interesting statistic — according to an NSSF survey, the percentage of gun owners who are female has increased dramatically since 2005. Seven years ago (in 2005), just 13% of U.S. gun owners were women. By 2012 that number had risen to 23% — a huge increase in less than a decade.
The vast majority of first-time female gun buyers acquire a handgun for defensive purposes. However, the statistics also show that many new female gun owners are also getting involved in sport shooting and/or competitive shooting. That’s a good thing.
In the video below, NRA News host Cam Edwards interviews Celia Bigelow, who has written about the rise of gun ownership among ladies on the Townhall.com website. Celia explains why American women are arming themselves, and why the Second Amendment safeguards a key fundamental right.
Celia writes: “As the number of proposed gun-control measures increase rapidly across the country, the amount of women purchasing guns is increasing even faster. While folks in the media are blaming the spike on the guns-and-glam advertising, women — including myself — have a different reason. It’s self-defense, stupid. [T]he logic is simple: Women want to protect themselves and their family, and guns are the great equalizer between sexes[.]”
Celia notes that liberals propose that women defend themselves using “call boxes, ball-point pens, whistles, buddy systems … as long as it isn’t very sharp and doesn’t have a trigger.” Celia is not convinced: “As a young, 22-year-old, 140-lb woman, I know that call boxes, pens, and whistles won’t do much good if [I am] ever faced with a crazed man twice my size. What frustrates these male elitists the most is that women are arming themselves, and it’s working.”
TALLADEGA, Alabama — The Annual D-Day Anniversary Matches will be held June 6-9, 2019, at the CMP’s Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama. The event commemorates the Anniversary of the Allied landing at Normandy in June, 1944. In 2015, the $20-million-dollar Talledega Park celebrated its Grand Opening with its first D-Day Match. That was a great success, and the 2019 D-Day Match promises to be even better. This has become a hugely popular event — recently there were over 250 competitors. For many, this match was their first opportunity to shoot on electronic targets. That speeds up relays AND eliminates the need to do Pit Duty.
It’s not too late to join the fun — there are still slots available for the event. You can register online. For more information, email shall [at] thecmp.org or phone 256-474-4408 ext. 414.
EDITOR: Worth Watching! Guys, this nicely-produced video shows multiple disciplines (including Service Rifle, Carbine, Pistol, and Vintage Sniper) and lets you see how the electronic targets work. We highly recommend you watch this video.
Electronic Targets + No Pit Duty = More Fun
Competitors will be firing all matches on electronic targets. The John C. Garand Range has a huge firing line with monitors at all shooting stations. These connect to three banks of electronic targets positioned at 200, 300, and 600 yards. Spectators can view the results in real time on large monitors.
INVITATION: The CMP’s John C. Garand D-Day Anniversary Match is a big event with many different competitions for rifle and pistol shooters. Along with the signature M1 Garand event, a Vintage Sniper Match, EIC Service Rifle Match, .22 Rimfire Pistol Match, EIC Service Pistol Match, and .22 Rimfire Pistol matches will be conducted.
State of the Art Shooting Facility in Alabama
The 500-acre CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park is one of the most advanced outdoor shooting facilities in the Western Hemisphere. The facility includes a 600-yard rifle range, a 100-yard multi-purpose range, and a 50-yard pistol range, equipped with Kongsberg electronic targets and scoring monitors that allow shooters to see their shot locations/scores in a matter of seconds. Since the 54 targets at each line register hits and calculate the scores, no pit duty is required at Talladega.
Bruce Piatt was born in a typical 1961 suburban family, the youngest of 4 boys. Living in New Jersey, Bruce took an interest in his grandfather’s guns. Sometime around age 10 or 11, he began asking his father to take him hunting and shooting.
Fast forward five decades — Bruce Piatt is now one of the world’s best shooters, a World Shooting Championship winner, and the 2019 Bianchi Cup overall match winner. This was Bruce’s sixth Bianchi Cup Victory. Now in his late 50s, Bruce definitely proves that Old Guys Rule!
Last week Bruce Piatt won his sixth NRA Bianchi Cup National Action Pistol Championship with a 1920-179X score. He secured his latest Open Class title one year after shoulder surgery and on the 10th anniversary of his previous Bianchi Cup win. Piatt’s prior Bianchi Cup victories were in 1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, and 2009.
The Bianch Cup competition has four events: the Practical, Barricade, Falling Plates and the Moving Target. Competitors shoot all four events at varying distances and times, prone and standing, use both strong and weak hand. It is very challenging.
Commenting on the pressures of Bianchi Cup compeition, Piatt observed: “When you’re into your final stage with other competitors in contention of winning, the tension is high. That’s when I have to keep the fight between me and the targets.” Piatt added “All of my equipment ran flawlessly[.]”
Bruce Piatt 2019 Bianchi Cup Equipment
Firearm: Caspian Arms 1911 .38 Super customized for Open Division
Optics: Burris Optic Red Dot XTS-135
Bullets: Sierra 115 grain JHP
Brass: Starline .38 Super
Powder: Vihtavuori N320 Powder
Did you overlook your Memorial Day weekend shopping? There were some great bargains to be had at many of the USA’s best online vendors. But don’t fret. Many sales are still running, so you can take advantage of great sale prices. Here are SIX SALES that run through May 28th at 11:59 pm (or even later). But don’t hesitate too long.
1. Brownells — 10% Off $99+ and FREE Shipping
Brownells is effectively extending its Memorial Day Sale by 24 hours. Through 11:59 PM CDT on May 28th, you can get 10% Off Orders $99+ with Free Shipping. this applies to ALL products — Use Code PTD.
2. SWFA — 10% Off EVERYTHING — Optics, Rifles, Ammo & More
SWFA carries most of the top optics brands including Vortex, Schmidt & Bender, Kahles, Swarovski, Zeiss, U.S. Optics, Leupold, Leica, Nikon, Burris, IOR Valdada and more. SWFA also has a wide selection of rifles and pistols Everything in the store is 10% off through 11:59 PM CST 5/28/19. Plus FREE Shipping for $99.99+ purchases with code SHIP99.
3. Palmetto State Armory — 10% Off Guns and Ammo
Save on AR components, accessories, and ammo with Palmetto State Armory’s Memorial Day Sale running through 11:59 pm on May 28th (Tuesday). Get a stripped lower for just $39.99, or a complete lower with MagPul stock for just $149.99. There are dozens of other great deals.
4. Precision Reloading — $10 Off $100 or $30 Off $300
Through the end of the day today 5/28/19, at PrecisionReloading.com you can save $10 with Promo Code MD191 (for $100+ purchase) or $30 with Promo Code MD193 (for $300+ purchase).
The Memorial Day Sale at Creedmoor Sports is still underway. You get Free Ground Shipping and 10% Off Creedmoor-brand items. In addition, many other items are on sale.
6. Cabela’s — $10% Off Tuesday for Entire Order
This is a regular Cabela’s Promotion. Club members get 10% OFF the entire order with Code 19CLUB528. NOTE: You must be a Club Member.
Each year, on the last Monday in May, Americans honor the sacrifices of military men and women who paid the ultimate price in their service to our nation. More than one million American men and women have died in military service during wartime, including more than 666,000 battle deaths. On May 27, 2019, we again pay tribute to these men and women and remember their service to their country.
This is what Memorial Day symbolizes — a time Americans take a clear look at both our past and our future. One day each year, when we acknowledge the debt we owe to those men and women who — because they so cherished peace — chose to live as warriors.
Could anything be more contradictory than the lives of our soldiers? They love America, so they spend long years in foreign lands far from her shores. They revere freedom, so they sacrifice their own that we may be free. They defend our right to live as individuals, yet yield their individuality in that cause. Perhaps most paradoxically of all, they value life, and so bravely ready themselves to die in the service of our country. — Deborah Y. Parker
Moment of Remembrance
Memorial Day Observances will range from parades to memorial ceremonies and organized moments of silence. The Memorial Day National Moment of Remembrance honors America’s fallen warrriors. Established by Congress in 2000, the “Moment” asks Americans, wherever they are at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day, to pause for one minute, in an act of national unity and respect for the fallen.
What Is Memorial Day?
Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the men and women who died while serving in the country’s armed forces. The holiday, which is celebrated every year on the last Monday of May, was formerly known as Decoration Day and originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the war. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service.
On Memorial Day, the United States flag is traditionally raised to the top of the staff, then solemnly lowered to half-staff position until noon, when it is raised again to full-staff for the rest of the day. The half-staff position is to remember the more than one million men and women who have given their lives for this country.
Flags and flower leis adorn each grave in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in observance of Memorial Day, 1991. (U.S. Navy photo by OS2 John Bouvia, released).
Many people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries.
“The fallen warriors we honor on Memorial Day cherished liberty and freedom enough to lay down their lives to preserve our way of life,” said past Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We owe them eternal gratitude and we must pass those sentiments on to future generations.”
While 100/200 yard benchrest competitors have been drilling tiny groups at the Kelbly Super Shoot this week, other folks, with MUCH bigger rifles, have been shooting at very long range in Raton, New Mexico.
This week the NRA Whittington Center at Raton hosts the Fifty Caliber Shooting Association (FCSA) annual Extreme Long Range (ELR) Record Match. Some of the most talented long-range shooters on the planet are there, including past King of Two Miles Derek Rodgers, along with his Team Global Precision team-mates Mark Lonsdale and Paul Phillips.
Here is Mark preparing to shoot on the first day of the FCSA 1.5 Mile ELR Match with Paul and Derek spotting and calling wind. The cold bore 10″ gong was at 1,040 yards and all three men nailed it. From there the six steel targets ranged from 1,180 yards, up the side of the mountains, to over 2,600 yards.
Site of Day 1 for the FCSA ELR match at Raton, NM. Targets at 2,300, 2,585, and 2,725 yards. Weather cleared up but wind was brutal.
After Day 1 of the FCSA 1.5 Mile ELR match, Derek was in 2nd place, Mark in 3rd, and Paul in 5th. Mark reported: “Today we had winds gusting well over 15 mph from 6 o’clock, but as they hit the base of the mountains, they created an updraft that caused shots out past 2,000 yards to go high. But just when you had that wind doped, it would switch to a gusting 9 o’clock (left to right) pushing bullets 20 feet to the right. A very challenging day but good practice for Ko2M next month.”
These gents are shooting big rigs with jumbo-sized cartridges. Mark is campaigning a .416 Barrett with Cutting Edge Bullets. Below is his ELR rifle, which features jumbo BAT action, Bartlein barrel (with brake), McMillan stock, and Nightforce scope. Mark posted: “Getting the .416 Barrett ready to shoot in the FCSA 1.5 Mile ELR Match. Weather is definitely warmer than yesterday’s match but wind is howling today.”
TECH TIP — Barrel Life in the ELR Game
Mark Lonsdale posted this interesting commentary on barrel life in the ELR game: “How long a barrel lasts has a lot to do with how hot you run your loads and resultant chamber pressures, but it can also be poor cleaning technique. That said, if you are into ELR or long range precision shooting, and you shoot a lot, you need to think of match-grade barrels as a consumable item — just like the tires on your car. You change your tires when they show excessive wear, so you change your barrel when the accuracy drops off. Similarly, you buy tires that best suit your needs, street or off-road, so you buy a barrel that meets your requirements for weight, accuracy and muzzle velocity.”
“Accuracy is also subjective based on the needs of the shooter. Hunting big game does not require the same pin-point accuracy as long range varmint hunting, and having fun at local club matches does not require the same accuracy as aspiring to be a national champion. With accuracy comes cost, but when compared to the cost of ELR ammo in .338, .375 or .416, a new barrel is actually an affordable consumable. Just remember, ‘the only good rifle is an accurate rifle’.”
Upstate New York heats up in the summer with the largest field target event in the country — the Crosman All-American Field Target Championship (CAAFTC). This very popular airgun event takes place June 21-23, 2019 in upstate New Yorkat the Rochester Brooks International Skeet and Trap Club in Rush, New York. 0ver 100 air rifle and air pistol competitors will participate in the big event hosted by Crosman. This event attracts top Airgunners from across the nation (and some foreign countries). Along with regular Field Target matches, there will be specialty side matches, plus a factory tour. The event is free to the public.If you are a Field Target Shooter and want to attend, don’t hesitate — registration closes soon.
Celia writes: “As the number of proposed gun-control measures increase rapidly across the country, the amount of women purchasing guns is increasing even faster. While folks in the media are blaming the spike on the guns-and-glam advertising, women — including myself — have a different reason. It’s self-defense, stupid. [T]he logic is simple: Women want to protect themselves and their family, and guns are the great equalizer between sexes[.]”
Bruce Piatt was born in a typical 1961 suburban family, the youngest of 4 boys. Living in New Jersey, Bruce took an interest in his grandfather’s guns. Sometime around age 10 or 11, he began asking his father to take him hunting and shooting.
After Day 1 of the FCSA 1.5 Mile ELR match, Derek was in 2nd place, Mark in 3rd, and Paul in 5th. Mark reported: “Today we had winds gusting well over 15 mph from 6 o’clock, but as they hit the base of the mountains, they created an updraft that caused shots out past 2,000 yards to go high. But just when you had that wind doped, it would switch to a gusting 9 o’clock (left to right) pushing bullets 20 feet to the right. A very challenging day but good practice for Ko2M next month.”
