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August 11th, 2013
New shooters are the future of our sport. If we want to “stem the tide” and resist pressures to close gun ranges and limit firearms use, we need to get new people involved in the shooting sports. And the first step in that process is getting first-timers to the range. One of the most successful efforts for enlisting new shooters is the NSSF First Shots Program. First Shots is a free introductory program of NSSF that teaches newcomers firearms fundamentals, safety and local regulations in a classroom setting, followed by a live-fire session with certified instructors. Around the country, First Shot Seminars provide free instruction by trained firearms instructors, with guns and ammo provided at no charge to participants.
First Shots Hosts 200 New Shooters at Houston Ranges
Last weekend, Houston, Texas hosted a successful series of First Shots seminars, as part of the First Shots “Big City Tour”. Four ranges in the Houston area — The Arms Room in League City, Spring Guns and Ammo in Spring, American Shooting Centers in Houston and High Noon Indoor Pistol Range in Crosby — welcomed more than 200 new shooters for training and some fun shooting. “A big thank you goes out to all of the participating ranges who gave a Texas welcome to the participants and the First Shots team,” said Tisma Juett, NSSF’s First Shots manager. Next stop on the First Shots Big City Tour is planned for Atlanta, Georgia. If your shooting facility is located in that vicinity and you’d like to be a host for this event, please contact Juett at tjuett@nssf.org. To find a First Shots Seminar near you, visit the First Shots Online Calendar Webpage.
August 10th, 2013
Brandon Green and Carl Bernosky Finish with Identical 2384-126X Scores, But Green Wins Based on 600-yard X-Count Tie-Breaker.
Story based on Reports by Kyle Jillson for NRABlog
In one of the closest finishes in NRA High Power Championship history, SSG Brandon Green of the USAMU captured the 2013 National Title, besting defending champion Carl Bernosky by tie-breaker.
“It Doesn’t Get Any Tighter…” Says SSG Green
For years, the NRA High Power national title had always been just out of reach for SSG Brandon Green. But finally, in 2013, after four tense days of shooting, Brandon Green is a National Champion. “It feels extremely good,” Green said after receiving his National title at last night’s awards ceremony. “It was a very tight match the whole way through. The weather conditions were so difficult but everybody still shot well.”
Brandon would have had enough to worry about with just the weather, but throw in a neck-and-neck race with defending champion Carl Bernosky and things get nerve-racking. Green observed: “It doesn’t get any tighter than it was today. It was too tight. Too close. I got some gray hair over it,” Green laughed.
 The fourth and final day of the championships began with Green and Bernosky each at 1789 points, but Green had six more tie-breaking Xs — 98 to 92. With three matches left to shoot, the two men were presented with an opportunity to break away from one another and add an additional 600 points to their scores. As the sun sat low in the early morning sky, competitors assembled at the 200-yard line for the first match, the Crescent Cup, whose 20 shots are taken slowly from the standing position. As fate would have it, both men stumbled during the match. Bernosky and Green each dropped four points and were now tied at 1985. Green managed to push his overall X-count lead to seven, posting eight to Bernosky’s seven.
The Cavalry Cup Match came next. Here, competitors would squeeze off 20 rapid-fire shots from 300 yards while in the prone position. Green and Bernosky both bounced back from their earlier tumbles and scored perfect 200s… once again remaining tied, this time at 2185. However, here in the Cavalry Cup, Bernosky was able to close the already-small gap between himself and Green. Scoring 14 Xs to Green’s 8 Xs, the two shooters would enter the final match with Bernosky down a single X.
“After watching [Bernosky] come off the 300-yard line with a 14X, I thought I was done,” Green said. “And then, of course, I shot a nine on my very first shot for record and knew I was done at that point.”
But Green didn’t buckle. He knew it would all come down to the Crowell Trophy, a slow-fire match shot in the prone position at 600 yards. Green would go on to finish the 20-shot match with all tens, posting a 199-12X. As it turns out, Bernosky had also dropped a point, scoring a 199, and had only shot 13 Xs – bringing the two to a dead tie. Their fate almost undeniably linked at this point, both shooters dropped a single point and scored 199s, cementing their tie-by-points at 2384 each. The winner would need to be determined by the X-Count. But Green, entering the match with a one-X lead over Bernosky, ended up with 12 Xs while Bernosky totalled 13 Xs. So the two men ended the final match tied with the exact same scores and same X-counts. Amazing.
 After the final shot at the final yardage in the final match, both Green and Bernosky were tied with identical scores of 2384-126X. What now?
In order to break the tie, the two scores would be compared by how well each man shot from the 600-yard line. If the tie persisted, the comparison would move to scores from the 300-yard line. From there the 200-yard rapid fire scores would be compared, followed by the 200-yard slow-fire scores. If the men were still equally matched, the tie-breaker would eventually count the point values of the individual hits — starting back at 600 yards — until a winner was determined.
Accounting for all shots taken at 600 yards, both men had scored 597 points, however Green had 35 Xs and Bernosky had 34 Xs. That sealed it — SSG Brandon Green won the 2013 National High Power Champsionship by having one more X at 600 yards than Carl. This was the slimmest margin of victory seen in a long time, but Green is officially the 2013 NRA National High Power Rifle Champion — his first NRA High Power title after years of finishing so close. SSG Green was crowned the 2013 champion at Friday night’s award ceremony (photo above right).
August 9th, 2013
While the mainstream media (and many politicians) call for new bans on firearms, ammunition, and magazines, not to mention further restrictions of Second Amendment rights, too little attention is being paid to the actual facts in the debate over gun control. Sponsors of new restrictions on firearms claim that gun crime is increasing. A majority of Americans also seem to believe that firearms-related crimes are on the rise. But is this really the case? You may be surprised….
 In fact, if you look at the hard facts, firearms homicides and other gun-related crimes have been decreasing for decades. That’s right — gun crimes are down significantly over the past twenty years. Since 1993, in the USA, the number of homicides committed with guns has dropped 39% even while gun ownership rates have increased. The number of “all other” crimes with firearms has dropped 69% in the same period. And the number of fatal gun accidents has declined 58% in the past two decades — that’s a big change.
The numbers don’t lie — over the past twenty years, there has been a significant reduction in actual gun-related crime while gun ownership levels have increased. But despite all this evidence that gun-related crimes have declined precipitously in the past two decades, 56% of Americans have the mistaken notion that gun crime is on the rise. Could that be because mainstream media outlets conveniently ignore the facts?
Actual, verified gun crime trends (based on Federal crime statistics) have been presented in an interesting “infographic” chart prepared by the NSSF. Click on the illustration at right to see the full-size version with data charts.
August 8th, 2013
Story by Kyle Jillson for NRABlog
(Camp Perry – August 7, 2013) Half way through the hunt for the 2013 NRA National High Power Rifle title, defending champion Carl Bernosky is in the lead with a 1193-69X. It is a narrow lead, but a lead nonetheless. One point behind Bernosky is 2009 champion Norman Houle at 1192-49X who himself holds off three very capable shooters by just one point.
With six matches completed and six more to go, the Championships are at the official half-way point. The High Power Championship involves a 12-match cycle, with 480 total shots for record. Two full days of shooting remain for competitors, who have already been thoroughly pummeled by Camp Perry’s notorious heat and rain. Whoever wins the High Power title will have earned it — the hard way.
Bernosky has been in this position before. The winner of ten national championships, he is more than aware of how close the race can get. All of the top shooters are veterans and capable of winning it all. At this point, with these scores, it’s nearly a blank slate when shooting begins again tomorrow morning. Will Bernosky hold on for number eleven, could Houle claim his fourth Mumma Trophy, or will a new champion step up on the podium?
August 7th, 2013
 We want to say “Happy Birthday” to Bryan Litz of Applied Ballistics LLC. Bryan came to earth from Planet Krypton on August 7, 1979, making him a ripe old 34 years of age today. (One more year and he’s over the hill).
In an industry where many products are conceived and marketed by folks who spend more time on the golf course than the shooting range, it’s reassuring to know that there are still guys like Bryan who shoot what they sell, and who put in the trigger-time to acquire (and maintain) world-class shooting skills. Bryan, who actually worked as a rocket scientist before founding Applied Ballistics, is one of the nation’s leading long-range sling shooters — with the trophies to prove it. As well, the bullets Bryan designed for Berger bullets, particularly the Berger Hybrids, are helping competitive shooters around the world shoot higher scores and win more matches.
Palma Match from a Shooter’s Perspective
For those of you who haven’t seen it before, here is a “shooter’s POV” video of Bryan shooting an 800-yard Palma match. In the video Bryan shoots a 149-12X over a 15-shot string. NOTE: This video was speeded up in editing to keep it to a reasonable length.
August 7th, 2013
 Daily Bulletin readers often tell us: “I saw a story in the Bulletin a while back, but I can’t find it now. How do I locate it?” In addition, some folks say: “There’s a Bulletin article that I want to share on my Facebook page. How do I do that?”
How to Use Search Features
Take heart, readers. There are quick and easy ways to locate (and share) Daily Bulletin Posts. First, on the right side of the Bulletin you can select stories by topic (e.g. Reloading) or by date. You can also use our SEARCH TOOL. Go to the top right-hand corner of the page, type your search term then click the RED SEARCH BUTTON. This will instantly search over 5,000 Daily Bulletin stories. Matching articles will appear in chronological order, with the newest articles at the top. For best results, try to be pretty specific in your search, and avoid common terms such as “bullet”, “rifle”, “barrel” etc. that may appear in hundreds of articles.
How to Share Daily Bulletin Articles on Facebook, Twitter, and Other Sites
Let’s say you’ve found an interesting article or gear review in the Daily Bulletin that you would like to share on your Facebook page or other social media sites. Or maybe you’d like to email the article URL (web address) to a shooting buddy so he could read the story too. It’s easy to share a story. Simply click on the small RED-ORANGE BOX at the end of the article marked “Share”. This will open up a small window with multiple choices. With your mouse, select “Facebook” to share on your Facebook page. Or, click the “email” or “gmail” icons to email the article’s web URL to your friends.
If you merely want to save the article URL (i.e. its web location), right click on the “Permalink” button at the bottom left of the article frame (look for the dark blue-gray border). When you right click, you’ll see a pull-down menu. Select “Copy Link Address”. Then you can paste this link anywhere you like, using the paste command (CTRL-P on a Windows computer).
August 6th, 2013
 ATK (Alliant Techsystems Inc.), already a giant conglomerate, may soon get even bigger. Reuters reports that ATK “is in advanced talks to buy Bushnell Outdoor Products Inc. in a deal that could value the gun accessory maker at around $1 billion[.]” In addition to scopes, Bushnell makes rangefinders, binoculars, GPS units. Bushnell sells a myriad of other products for outdoorsmen through its brands Butler Creek, Hoppe’s, Millett, Night Optics, Primos, Simmons, Stoney Point, Tasco and Uncle Mike’s.
According to Reuter’s sources, ATK is engaged in high-level negotiations with MidOcean Partners, a holding company that currently controls Bushnell. Reuters cautioned that “a deal has not yet been finalized and negotiations could still fall apart”.
If the Bushnell deal goes through, this will be the second major acquisition for ATK in the past few months. In May 2013, ATK paid $315 million for Caliber Company, the parent company of Savage Sports Corporation which runs Savage Arms and Stevens. Savage is being integrated into ATK’s Sporting Group business which includes Federal Premium, Alliant Powder, CCI, RCBS, Speer, Weaver Optics, Champion Targets, and other outdoor sports brands.
ATK is also a major defense contractor, producing ammunition, weapons systems, aerospace products and much more. Currently valued at $3.1 Billion, ATK has been a top performer on Wall Street recently. ATK shares have more than doubled in the past 12 months, outpacing most stocks, even in a rapidly rising overall market. ATK shares were trading at $97.53 today, compared to $47.24 one year ago.
Bushnell was founded in 1948. The company makes scopes, binoculars, GPS units, laser rangefinders, GameCams, eyewear, and other outdoor gear. Bushnell is the parent of many other outdoor product brands, including: Bollé, Butler Creek, Final Approach, Hoppe’s, Millett, Night Optics, Primos, Serengeti, Simmons, Stoney Point, Tasco, and Uncle Mike’s. Last year the Bushnell group of companies had $100 million in earnings before taxes, interest, and depreciation.
August 5th, 2013
 Checks totaling over $444,000 are in the mail to 163 shooting teams and clubs across the nation as the MidwayUSA Foundation wraps up its latest and most successful grant cycle to date. “The number of teams that apply and receive grant money continues to grow. The team applications were double what we saw in January,” explains Dick Leeper, Executive Director of the MidwayUSA Foundation. “This growth is a result of our fund raising partners and proves that it can be done. Teams are taking advantage of their endowment dollars and that is resulting in more opportunities for young shooters and the future of the shooting sports industry. It’s exciting; it’s what we set out to do.”
 MidwayUSA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization which works to provide long term sustainment funding to shooting sports in high schools, colleges and universities, as well as club teams not affiliated with a school, such as 4-H, through its Scholastic Shooting Trust Fund. Founded by MidwayUSA owners, Larry and Brenda Potterfield, the Foundation offers every constituent team the opportunity to apply for a grant that will give them 5% of their total team’s endowment annually. Teams can then use the funds for operational expenses such as the purchase of uniforms, ammunition, targets, competition entry fees, range fees and more.
“Competitive shooting teams provide wonderful opportunities for students to make friends, develop confidence, and learn discipline and leadership skills. However, most schools provide little or no funding for shooting teams, so it’s up to us to help,” says Larry Potterfield, MidwayUSA CEO. For more information about the MidwayUSA Foundation, Inc. and its Scholastic Shooting Trust, please visit Midwayusafoundation.org or call 1-877-375-4570.
August 2nd, 2013
 One of the most remarkable shooting records — and one that has stood for four decades — is the 0.009″ five-shot group credited to Mac McMillan. The NBRSA Light Varmint Record of .009″ for five shots (at 100 yards) was set on 9/23/1973, forty years ago. Experts have considered that record “untouchable”, “unassailable” — in other words “unbreakable.”
Well records are meant to be broken. It appears that Texan Mike Stinnett has broken the “unbreakable” .009″ NBRSA record. Mike shot a .0077″ five-shot group at 100 yards in a registered short-range benchrest match at Denton, Texas. This will be a new NBRSA record (and all-time world record) if approved. Mike was shooting a .30-caliber cartridge, listed as a 30 PPC, but there’s some talk that the cases were formed from a Lapua 6.5 Grendel case. No matter — this is a mind-blowing accomplishment, particularly considering that Stinnett was shooting a .30-caliber gun, which has considerably more recoil than a 22 PPC or 6 PPC.
Forum member Wes J. (aka “P1ZombieKiller”) reports: “My buddy Mike Stinnett was just confirmed as having beat the world record LV group at 100 yards in a registered match. His group measured .0077″ and he did it with his 30 caliber.”
Wes adds: “Mike shoots thousands of rounds a year… I have sat on the bench right next to him several times, and he has rattled off five shots down range in a matter of 2-3 seconds, and the groups have measured in the .1s. The guy can flat shoot. His wind reading abilities are mind-blowing. When he gets the right condition, he is fast. REALLY FAST.”
NOTE: We will publish photos of Mike Stinnett and his target as soon as they are available.
August 2nd, 2013
Our buddy Shawn McKenna from Colorado Springs has made the pilgrimage to Camp Perry this year. McKenna, a talented service rifle and High Power shooter, captured some striking images during this week’s matches, including some beautiful photos taken in the early light.
Off to a Great Start
Shawn and his shooting companions have been doing well so far. At the team match, Shawn observed: “[It was a] great way to start the Team Match at Camp Perry 2013 with a call ‘X’ [for my team-mate]!”
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