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May 19th, 2014
 Here’s “feel-good” story for Monday. The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has handed out $160,000 in scholarship awards to graduating high school students who are active shooters. It’s great to see this kind of support for the next generation of marksmen.
Report By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer/Editor
In mid-April, Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) board members and staff sifted through a slew of CMP scholarship applications to determine which young scholar marksmen would receive CMP support for the coming academic year. After careful review, the CMP awarded monetary donations to over half of its scholarship applicants.
A total of 233 applications were received by CMP Headquarters for the 2014-2015 term – the most in the scholarship’s history. With 194 accepted and 160 awarded, the CMP granted a total of $160,000 from its scholarship fund. The $1,000 CMP Scholarships are available to graduating high school JROTC, 4-H, and other junior shooting club members.
 Scholarship committee members review applications. Boxes upon boxes of applications were considered carefully to determine who would receive the $1,000 scholarships.
May 17th, 2014
Click photo for full-screen image suitable for desktop wall-paper.
Field Report by Jeff Stover, IBS President
In IBS-land you know that spring has sprung when the Memorial Shoot at Weikert, PA comes along. This year was the 28th edition which honors the memories of Nate Boop and Rich Altemus. These two gentlemen started the benchrest program at the Union County Sportsmen’s Club. This is one of the finest ranges you will find anywhere in the country. Both the range itself and its setting are world-class.
Boop Shoot Match Results Summary (.XLS File) | Boop Shoot Top 10 Equipment List (.XLS File)
This year 42 shooters hit the benches at the Weikert range. Saturday’s 100-yard targets were shot in somewhat tricky, but shootable conditions — attested by four teen Aggs. Shooters enjoyed the readable conditions on Saturday but the 200-yard stage on Sunday was another matter — with strong breezes that switched on a thin dime. Red with tails out for 10 seconds, then green with tails out for 8 seconds. Then there was a nice mix of both — with tails erect all around. Some of us love to shoot tailwinds, which were there for a few fleeting moments. But there is a lot of target real estate — over an inch — between a tailwind with a wee bit of green and a tiny smidge of red.
Though Weikert is a gorgeous range, it has one drawback. The central Pennsylvania countryside only allowed for an east-facing range. So, on a sunny day, the first three targets or so are shot with most shooters hanging blue tarps from the range roof to block the sun. This works well and does not inhibit small groups.
Curtis Nelson lines up for first shot, with blue tarp sun shade in place.
The Light Varmint 100-yard stage looked to be all Harley Baker, one of the newest inductees into the U.S. Benchrest Hall of Fame. Harley arrives at any match with impeccably prepared equipment tuned to a knife’s edge. He is tough to beat at any range. He was cruising to yet another Agg win, with Smiley Hensley pretty far behind. To finish off with a flourish, Harley nailed a very nice .190 on his last target.
Many times at the last match of an Aggregate, shooters will banter, “last chance to be a hero”. It is so trite as to not get much reaction from the line. Well, some days a hero does emerge. Smiley shot a .071″ group in Match 5 to win the LV 100 Aggregate with a .1902. Harley settled for a flat .2 and second place. Smiley may have won the battle, but not the war, as we shall see.
 
Most Shooters Use 10.5-pounders Even in Heavy Varmint Class
In the Heavy Varmint class shooters could be shouldering a 13.5-pound rifle. Most, however, stick to their 10.5-pound Sporters (a Light Varmint rifle with a 6mm bore) for an entire weekend. Many times in the loading area you’ll hear, “what are we shooting?” Yes, there a few shooters that will pull out a favored “real” Heavy Varmint, but that is pretty rare these days.
The competition in Heavy Varmint 100 was pretty fierce. Small groups were shot. Teen Aggs were possible. Al Auman shot a fine .1808 to win the Agg. Other Aggregates under 0.2 were shot by Harley Baker (.1950) and master accuracy gunsmith Sid Goodling (.1990).
First Time’s a Charm for Troy Twist. Benchrest Novice Shoots 0.126″ Group.
Shooting a .126 group would make any Benchrest shooter happy. If you accomplish that feat the very first time you ever shot a bench rifle, and in a real match to boot, then you have Troy Twist’s story.
Troy works with Dale Boop and was always talking guns. Dale convinced Troy to show up for the 100-yard stage and Dale let Troy shoot one of Dale’s rifles. Troy performed like a champ, drilling a 0.126″ group — not too bad for a rookie! Nothing like a small group to get a new shooter interested in our game.
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Sunday was beautiful with sunny skies and pleasant temps. The wind was another matter. The Heavy Varmint 200-yard stage was conquered by Harley Baker with a .2689 Aggregate. No Match 5 heroes emerged to take away another Agg win from Harley. The only other Aggregate under 0.3 was posted by Jeff Peinhardt. Jeff is a newer shooter that is making a name for himself in Benchrest. Finishing off the top three in the Agg was Wayne Shaw. Wayne is sometimes more associated with score shooting, but he is a top-flight group shooter as well.
The afternoon was set for Light Varmint 200 while the kaleidoscope of rapidly-changing flag colors continued. Jeff Stover led the way with a .2602 Agg. He tried to shoot whatever tail wind was available, and do it as fast as possible. Jeff got away with this sometimes dangerous tailwind strategy for four targets; on the fifth he was not burned as bad as he might have been. Closing in towards the end was Russell Rains with a .2904. Canadian Andy Laidlaw snuck into third place with a .2937 with the only remaining Aggregate under 0.3.
Andy Laidlaw from Canada loads between stages.
In the overall 2-Gun, Harley Baker was the class of the field with a .2466 for twenty targets. Stover followed with a rather distant .2791. Steady Kent Harshman finished close behind with a .2833. Interestingly, both Stover and Harshman were shooting pull-down 8208 powder (from the Vietnam War era) rather than Vihtavuori 133 or the new kid on the block, Accurate Powder LT-32.
 Two-Gun Top 3: Kent Harshman (Third), Harley Baker (Winner), Jeff Stover (Second).
Moving backers are used in 100/200/300 yard benchrest competition.
Dale and Russ Boop, shown above, are the sons of Nate Boop, in whose honor this Match has been held for 28 straight years. The Brothers Boop have been shooting Benchrest since they were little kids. Russ is in the Benchrest Hall of Fame and Dale is currently only two points out.
Father and Son Team — The Peinhardts
Jeff Peinhardt from Quarryville, PA owns PR2 Racing Technology. His company does national level motorcycle race engine development and tuning. His operation is a sophisticated engineering facility with CNC and the latest equipment. He has brought this analytical outlook and expertise to Benchrest.
Jeff is relatively new to the game, but has already excelled. His 16-year old son, Wyatt, has now moved from Junior Shooter to Rookie to Tough Competitor. Wyatt now runs with the “big dogs”. His father says the tougher the conditions, the better Wyatt does; he is a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.
May 17th, 2014
Here is a ‘dream job’ for those of our readers with a marketing background…
 Berger Bullets just announced that the company is seeking a talented candidate to lead the bullet-maker’s sales and marketing efforts. Over the last decade, Berger Bullets has been blessed with strong growth. This has created opportunities for Berger to expand its operations. To lead this expansion, Berger is looking for a talented Sales and Marketing director.
Executive Vice President, Eric Stecker, who has been responsible to Berger’s sales and marketing efforts to date states, “when it comes to sales and marketing, Berger has a clear goal, a good plan and a great team. What we need is a quarterback to lead this effort into the future.”
The job opening is an upper management level position based in Fullerton, Californa. Candidates should have skills and related work experience in a variety of areas including leadership, communication, organization, industry and market knowledge, problem solving, budget review and planning.
Eric adds, “I regard Berger as a progressive company within the firearms industry. To that end we are looking for someone who will continue Berger down the path of growth success while at the same time bringing an open minded, outside-of-the-box perspective.” Berger will only consider applicants who have a career history in a leadership role within sales, marketing, or customer service. Candidates interested in this opportunity should email their resume to eric.stecker [at] bergerbullets.com.
May 16th, 2014
 Remington Outdoor Company (formerly the Freedom Group), announced some big changes yesterday. A half-dozen product lines were consolidated, some small manufacturing facilities were targeted for shut-down, and a host of jobs are being “relocated” to Remington’s new Huntsville, Alabama factory. In addition, certain product lines now being made in Ilion, New York, will be shifted to Alabama.
Remington spokesman Teddy Novin declared: “[On May 15, 2014] we announced the consolidation of multiple company plants into our Huntsville, Alabama facility. This was a strategic business decision to concentrate our resources into fewer locations and improve manufacturing efficiency and quality. We are working hard to retain as many [workers] from the affected facilities as possible.”
Doors Closing at Small Plants Around the Country
Numerous production facilities (currently operated by Remington sub-brands) will be shut down in multiple states, with business functions moved to Remington’s new 500,000-square-foot facility in Huntsville, Alabama. Most importantly, Bushmaster rifle production and the Remington 1911 production lines will be relocated from Ilion, New York to Huntsville. The DPMS plant in St. Cloud, Minnesota will be shuttered, with production shifted to Huntsville. Suppressor-maker Advanced Armament Corp. (AAC) will close its Lawrenceville, Georgia facility. Para-Ordance pistol production will halt in North Carolina and be shifted to Huntsville. Likewise,the Montana Rifleman (Kalispell, MT), TAPCO (Kennesaw, GA), and LAR Manufacturing (West Jordan, UT) production facilities will all be closed, with future production moved to Alabama. Below is a complete list of the consolidations and plant closures:
Sweet Home, Alabama — These Operations Will Be Moved:
- Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC, moved from Lawrenceville, GA)
- Bushmaster (moved from Ilion, NY)
- DPMS – Panther Arms (moved from St. Cloud, MN)
- LAR Manufacturing (moved from West Jordan, UT)
- Montana Rifleman (moved from Kalispell, MT)
- Para-Ordnance (moved from Pinevile, NC)
- Remington 1911 (moved from Ilion, NY)
- Tapco (moved from Kennesaw, GA)
We are also informed that some of the operations currently conducted at Remington’s Elizabethtown, Kentucky firearms plant and R&D facility will be moved to Huntsville, GA. However, we don’t have more specifics at this time.
The original Remington Arms Company was founded in 1816. Today’s Remington Outdoor Company, Inc. produces firearms, ammunition, and related outdoor products. The Firearms segment manufactures and sells sporting shotguns, rifles, handguns, modular firearms, and airguns under numerous brands including Remington, Bushmaster, Dakota, DPMS, Harrington & Richardson, Parker Gun, Marlin, Nesika, and Para-Ordnance. The Ammunition segment produces loaded ammo and bullets under Remington, UMC, Barnes, Dakota, and other brands. According to Businessweek, Remington Outdoor Company currently has 3,800 employees. George K. Kollitides is the Chief Executive and Chairman of the Board.
May 15th, 2014
Saving Private K-9, a new, original television show, debuts tonight on the Sportsman Channel. Hosted by ‘Gunny’ R. Lee Ermey, Saving Private K-9 features the dedicated working dogs who perform important tasks for the U.S. Armed Services as well as law enforcement agencies. For the 2,500 teams of canines and handlers who serve with America’s military and law enforcement organizations, the idea of a dog being “man’s best friend” is no overstatement.
Each episode of Saving Private K-9 highlights the featured dogs’ specialized training, battlefield accomplishments, and relationships with their handlers. Many episodes include inspiring accounts of courageous acts by military dogs, as told by those who fought beside them. Additionally, the show will focus on the dogs’ post-service lives, which often involve rigorous rehabilitation prior to adoption.
Watch ‘Saving Private K-9′ Trailer
Saving Private K-9 premiers Thursday, May 15 at 8:30 pm ET/PT. Hosted by actor and former Marine R. Lee Ermey, the series is part of Sportsman’s Salute to Service initiative.
May 14th, 2014
What do you call a shooting match that draws 125 competitors (ages 7 to 70), with 30 first-ever shooters, 36 ladies, and 17 juniors? We call that a rip-roaring success. Credit the Old Fort Gun Club in Arkansas for hosting such a successful event on April 26-27, 2014. The impressive turn-out shows the appeal of the NSSF Rimfire Challenge format, a fun match with FREE ammo provided by sponsors.
Video Shows Rimfire Challenge Fun Match.
The match attracted target shooters from 10 states. More than 30 participants said it was their first time competing in a shooting event. Thirty-six of the 125 competitors were female, 17 were juniors, and 17 were seniors. This is the kind of match that is fun for all age levels.
The NSSF Rimfire Challenge is a program of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. NSSF Rimfire Challenge was developed to introduce newcomers to target shooting by providing individuals and families with a safe, fun and exciting first-time experience using .22-caliber handguns and rifles and steel targets.
Awards were given to the top three finishers in Open and Limited Divisions, along with the top finisher in the Juniors, Seniors, Ladies, and Cowboy/Cowgirl categories. All registered shooters were also eligible to win sponsor-provided prizes.
Support for the match was provided by Volquartsen Custom, Brownells, Ruger, Hogue, and other companies. “I’d like to thank NSSF for supporting these matches,” said Bill Striplin, match director and Old Fort Gun Club president. “In my opinion, the NSSF Rimfire Challenge is the most fun shooting game in the world.” Learn more about the NSSF Rimfire Challenge at www.NSSF.org/rimfire. That web site also has a schedule of future Rimfire Challenge matches around the country.
May 13th, 2014
With so much attention given to the newest hardware, and most recent reloading innovations, we sometimes forget that Benchrest shooting, as a competitive sport, has been around for quite a long time. And some of those “old school” shooters managed to put together some pretty fine groups even without 21st Century gadgets and gear.
Click Photo to See Larger Version.
Here are some of the founding fathers of benchrest shooting, in a photo taken nearly six decades ago (4/3/1955). Men’s fashion has changed a bit over the years. Tony Boyer notwithstanding, you won’t find so many Stetsons at a shooting match these days. Courtesy of Sierra Bullets, here’s a “throwback” image of Benchrest shooters at the Brea, California “Round-Up” Shoot April 2 – 3, 1955. Left to right are: Frank Snow, (Founder of Sierra Manufacturing Company), John Moffit, K. E. “Smitty” Smith (NBRSA Director), Al Christie, E.F. Stewart, Jack Rice (sitting), I. F. Jack Williams, Lindsey King (behind Williams), Don “6mm” Smith, Frank Hemsted, and Art L. Elliott.
If you like this sort of “trip down memory lane”, visit Sierra Bullets’ Facebook page. Every Thursday morning, Sierra publishes a “Throwback Thursday” photograph from some decades past, together with a short featurette on the shooting-related item/person in the photo.
May 12th, 2014
Sierra Bullets is running a contest through the end of May, 2014. Here’s how it works. Shoot the free target shown below, and send your target to Sierra. One entry per person is allowed. 17 winners will be selected from all the targets submitted, regardless of score. The prizes are two (2) reloading manuals, five (5) Sierra T-Shirts, and ten (10) Sierra hats. CLICK HERE to download target as PDF File.
TARGET INSTRUCTIONS:
Starting with #1, shoot targets 1-5 for 1 point each. Shoot 6-11 for 2 points each.
How to Enter:
Photograph/scan your target and email the digital file to web [at] sierrabullets.com. Make sure you include your contact info! Alternatively, you can mail targets to:
Sierra Bullets, Attn: NRA Target
1400 W Henry Street
Sedalia, MO 65301
NOTE: Entries must be emailed or postmarked by 5 p.m., May 30, 2014. Mailed targets will not be returned. Void where prohibited.
May 11th, 2014
 Today we want to wish Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms around the world. All of us must remember that we literally owe our lives and our well-being to our mothers, who brought us into the world. Without the love, support, caring, and nuturing of our mothers, none of us would be here. So to mothers everywhere, we say:
“Thank you. Bless you. May your lives be filled with happiness today and everyday.”
Here is a photo of the one of the greatest moms in the shooting community, Nancy Tompkins, along with two of her little girls (who both turned into pretty good shooters themselves). On Nancy’s right is Michelle Gallagher, a top long-range shooter. On the left is Sherri Jo Gallagher, who was the second woman in history to capture the NRA National High Power Championship at Camp Perry. Who was the first woman ever to accomplish that feat? You guessed it — Nancy Tompkins, Sherri’s mom, was the first-ever female High Power Champion.
May 9th, 2014
 At most American shooting facilities, you’re lucky to have running water and an electrical hook-up. Those Germans, with their penchant for advanced engineering, have created an amazingly high-tech (and even luxurious) indoor shooting facility that is truly state-of-the art. The NRA is proud of its modern indoor range in Fairfax, Virginia, but the NRA range can’t hold a candle to the advanced Müller Schiess Zentrum Ulm (MSZU) facility in Ulm, Germany. This vast complex features an indoor benchrest range with video monitors, a full-sized trap/skeet hall, pistol ranges, and a “running game” hunting simulator that actually displays (in 3D view) the placement of your bullet strike in the moving animal prey. On top of this, the MSZU has a cafe, a restaurant, and a large shopping/retail facility.
We still prefer shooting outdoors, but for a country like Germany, where long, cold winters limit the opportunities for outdoor shooting, a deluxe indoor facility like this makes sense. German reader JPeelen adds: “The problem in Germany is not [just] the weather but density of population. Noise problems led to the closure of many outdoor ranges. Ulm is unique because it offers a 300 meter indoor range, not just 100 meters[.]” Overall, you have to hand it to the Germans for “raising the bar” to a whole new level. View the Müller Schiess Zentrum’s amazing facilities in the video below. The editor of The Firearm Blog wrote: “I have seen the future… and it is in Germany. If you don’t do anything else today, just make sure you watch this video.”
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