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June 9th, 2013
 Nosler, Inc. has acquired Silver State Armory (SSA), an ammunition and cartridge brass manufacturer in Washington state. Nosler’s goal in taking over SSA’s product line and manufacturing capacity is to increase production in response to the current high demand for ammunition and reloading components.
According to Nosler’s President/CEO, Bob Nosler: “The Silver State acquisition provides a strategic opportunity for Nosler to increase capacity at this unique time in the history of our industry.”
Located in Packwood, Washington, Silver State Armory makes a wide variety of ammunition, loaded in its own cartridge brass with a variety of name-brand bullets (such as Nosler, Barnes, and Sierra). Primary ammo types are 5.56mm/.223 Rem, 6.8 SPC, and 7.62×51 ammo. SSA’s catalog also lists cartridge brass for: 6mm PPC, 5.56x45mm, 6.8mm SPC, .243 WIN, .260 REM, 7.62x51mm, and .308 Win, .270 Win, and .300 Win Mag.
Founded in 1948, Nosler is a family-owned company located in Bend, Oregon. Nosler, best known for its Partition® and Ballistic Tip® bullets, manufactures premium ammunition as well as component bullets and brass. Nosler also produces semi-custom rifles for domestic and international customers. In March of 2012, Nosler became ISO 9001:2008 certified.
June 8th, 2013
Take heed — if you want to compete at the 2013 U.S. F-Class Nationals and F-Class World Championships this July in Raton (NM) you need to register right away. Don’t delay! Individual registration for both of these events will close on June 15, 2013. That’s just one week away. Match organizers tell us that: “No entries will be accepted after that date.” Also Team entries for the F-Class Worlds will be closed as of June 15, 2013. There will be no late entries accepted at the range.
CLICK HERE for Individual Application for F-Class World Championships
CLICK HERE for TEAM Application for F-Class World Championships
However, per program announcements, Team entries for the F-Class Nationals (not the Worlds) will be accepted at the range. But individuals MUST still register by June 15, and Teams for the World Championships must be registered by that date also. Currently, 31 teams have registered for the event: 6 F-Open National Teams, 13 F-Open 4-man teams, 7 F-TR National Teams, and 5 F-TR 4-man Teams.
The 2013 F-Class Nationals and World Championpships are being hosted by the Bald Eagles Rifle Club. Click the links below to download further information on the U.S. F-Class Nationals and World Championships at Raton, NM:
Program for 2013 USA F-Class Nationals
Program for 2013 F-Class World Championships
Information Packet for 2013 F-Class World Championships
June 8th, 2013
 The 2013 Remington-Bushmaster Long Range Regional was a smashing success at the Reade Range (Fallen Timber, Pennsylvania) last weekend. Some 98 competitors filled out four relays on the 25-target range.
This match has grown into a premier shooting event at one of the finest rifle range in the East. Paticipants shared $7000.00 worth of door prizes. In addition, nine Remington firearms (along with $5000 in cash prizes) were awarded to winning shooters and teams.
Everything went smoothly thanks to the dedicated involvement of so many people including Jennifer Litz, Amanda Litz, and Michelle Gallagher. Jennifer has been helping Michelle run the Berger Southwest Nationals for the last several years, so this year Michelle returned the favor by traveling to Pennsylvania to assist with Jennifer’s match.
The Friday morning practice session was well-attended, as was the team match. The range heated up to 90+ degrees Friday afternoon, but there were still fourteen, 4-shooter squads that stayed to compete in the afternoon including three full F-TR teams from Michigan.
$7000 Worth of Door Prizes Handed Out
Saturday opened with a greeting from Remington representative Ken Roxburgh and Range officer Tom Ferarro. Shooting commenced, and at the end of Day 1, the leaders had made themselves known. After the day’s shooting, food was served by the range. Following the meal, Applied Ballistics presented the door prizes. There were over $7000.00 worth of prizes. That means that every one of the 98 competitors took home an item from the prize table.
Sunday began with a sprinkle of rain in the morning. Bill Litz hit the F-TR class hard Sunday morning with an impressive 198-8X, which he followed up in the second match with a 194-6X to take the lead. In F-Open, Tom Delovich, Jim Murphy, and Tony Robertson all had strong starts and it was anyones match. In the Sling class, North Carolina all star Kent Reeve shot his Palma rifle in the masterful way that he does to the tune of 599-31Xs which won the day shooting against any rifles on the any-sight day. This was tremendous shooting by one of the worlds best.
Remington Provides Nine Long Guns to Top Shooters
Dinner was served as final results were being compiled and then final performance-based awards presented. In all, Remington awarded nine (9) firearms to the winners, who also received medals, and over $5,000 in cash winnings.
Organizer Bryan Litz states: “Based on this year’s attendance and success, the event is likely going to fill up next year and will be limited to 100 competitors. Remember to get your registration in early.”
June 7th, 2013
Darrell Buell recently posted a photo of the oh-so-scenic Alliance Rifle Club Range in Malvern, Ohio. This is where Darrell and the U.S. F-TR Team will be practicing this week. Wow — what a beautiful place to shoot. The Alliance Range looks more like a top-flight Championship golf course than a mere shooting range. All that green grass, rimmed by trees, looks like heaven to a Westerner accustomed to ranges that are hard-packed dirt, dust, and gravel. This Editor now has a new item on his “bucket list” — get out to Ohio and shoot a match with the Alliance Rifle Club.
Photos by Darrell Buell and Alliance Rifle Club.
June 7th, 2013
Justin Tracy wasn’t prepared to be standing on top of the podium at the USA Shooting Championsihps. The 37-year-old from Farmington, NY, didn’t start competitive shooting until well after his college years and only had minimal military experience as a part-time member of the New York Air Guard.
Yet the relative newcomer to the sport beat a field of competitors dotted with Olympians and World Cup medalists to find himself atop the podium with a National Champion title in the Men’s Prone Rifle event at the USA Shooting National Championships. Tracy has a two-day aggregate score of 1256.9 points and has earned himself a spot on the National Team as well.
“I was one of the few shooters in yesterday’s final that was in today’s final so that gave me a real advantage and I just ran with it!” said Tracy. “Before Spain I’m going to need to definitely work on shooting under pressure- I saw some weak points I had, getting a shaky trigger finger with nerves, so I’ll need to work on things like that!”
Rounding out the podium in second place is four-time Olympian and U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) shooter Jason Parker with a score of 1253.5. Parker took gold in the Men’s Three-Position Rifle event earlier this week. In third was National Junior Team member Daniel Lowe with 1251.3 points.
Two other new National Champions in prone rifle shooting were also crowned. On the Women’s Prone Rifle side, National Team member Sarah Beard took home her second medal of the week with a first-place finish of 1248 points. In the Junior Men’s Prone event, Kevin Sui took gold with 1246 points.
New members to the National and Developmental Paralympic teams were welcomed at events yesterday and today with eight new athletes being named to the Paralympic Development Team and one new athlete named to the Paralympic National Team.
Rifle Competition in rifle now moves to Men’s Air and Women’s Three-Position over the next two days. View all photos from the USA Shooting National Championships for Rifle & Pistol at www.flickr.com/usashooting. To view results for all disciplines, CLICK HERE for USA Shooting Championships scores.
All Photos courtesy USAShooting.org, All Rights Reserved.
June 6th, 2013
 Sixty-nine years ago today, on June 6, 1944, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy as part of Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious invasion in history. The ultimate goal was the liberation of Europe. The Normandy invasion began with overnight parachute and glider landings, massive air attacks, and naval bombardments. In the early morning, amphibious landings on five beaches, code-named Juno, Gold, Omaha, Utah, and Sword commenced. During the evening the remaining parachute divisions landed. The D-Day Normandy landings were the first successful opposed landings across the English Channel in over eight centuries.
Thousands of soldiers, sailors, and aviators gave their lives on June 6, 1944, so that Europe could be liberated. We should remember those brave men, and never forget that freedom is not free — it requires continuing vigilance and sacrifice.
June 4th, 2013
June 15th, 2013 is National Take Your Daughter to the Range Day. This is a great way to spend “quality time” with your daughter, and teach her the basics of firearms safety. At ranges nationwide, girls six and up will be able to try out a rifle, pistol, or shotgun. This event introduces young women to a sport that may become a life-long hobby, continuing a shooting tradition that helped make this country great.
Event co-founder and firearms instructor, Lynne Finch, believes it’s time to tear down the stereotypes and get those young ladies out to the range where they belong. “Boys learn to shoot in Scouts or with their Dads. Often, the girls are left behind because shooting isn’t ‘girly.’ Well, we can, and do shoot, and well. Learning to shoot gives young women confidence, helps to build self-esteem, and introduces them to a sport they can participate in their whole lives.”
The inaugural Take Your Daughter to the Range Day was held June 9, 2012, with 37 ranges in 15 states participating. The event is held each year on the third Saturday in June. Lynne Finch got the idea for the event after reading Julie Golob’s Book SHOOT, learning how Golob grew up going to the range with her father. Finch also learned from many other women how much they enjoyed going to the range with their parents during their youth. Sponsor support has made this event possible. 2013 Contributing Sponsors include: Brownells, Midway USA, Henry Rifles, Charter Arms, Front Sight Firearms Training Institute, and other organizations.
June 3rd, 2013
 In late May, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a lawsuit filed by the radical anti-hunting Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and six other groups demanding that the EPA ban traditional ammunition containing lead components. NSSF filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit last August. The court agreed with NSSF that EPA does not have the authority to regulate traditional ammunition under the Toxic Substances Control Act. EPA had already twice denied attempts by CBD to have the agency ban traditional ammunition, and the court had dismissed an earlier case brought by CBD seeking the same relief.
Traditional ammunition (with lead elements) represents 95 percent of the U.S. market and is the staple ammunition for target shooters, hunters and law enforcement, with more than 10 billion rounds sold annually.
“We are gratified that the court has found this second frivolous lawsuit, which is essentially the same as the one dismissed last year, was equally without merit,” said Lawrence G. Keane, senior vice president and general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. In addition to NSSF, the National Rifle Association and Safari Club International intervened in the case.
“No sound science [shows that] the use of traditional ammunition has harmed wildlife populations or that it presents a health risk to humans who consume game taken with such ammunition,” said Keane. “Banning traditional ammunition would cost tens of thousands of jobs in America and destroy wildlife conservation that is funded in part by an 11 percent excise tax on the sale of ammunition. The protection and management of wildlife is properly handled by the professional biologists in the state fish and game agencies, as it has been for over a hundred years.”
May 31st, 2013
 The USA Shooting National Championships for Rifle and Pistol will be held June 3-9, at the home of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) in Fort Benning. More than 500 competitors will vie for national titles in rifle and pistol disciplines. This year’s National Championships serves as a World Cup selection match with the top-three finishers in each Olympic event open class earning a berth in the upcoming World Cup in Granada, Spain in July.
Many talented athletes will visit Fort Benning next week, including 2012 Olympian and Prone National Champion Michael McPhail and Olympic and USAMU teammate Eric Uptagrafft. 2012 Olympians Jason Turner and Keith Sanderson will be returning to defend their titles in Men’s 10m Air and 25m Rapid Fire Pistol. On the women’s side, 2012 Olympian Sarah Scherer looks to repeat as National Champion in 10m Air Rifle. Other standouts include National Rifle Team members Emily Holsopple, Sarah Beard, and Amy Sowash.
More information can also be found on the USA Shooting website (USAShooting.org) by clicking on the ‘Match Information’ link located under the ‘Events’ tab. Look for scores on USA Shooting’s match results page following each competition. Photos will be posted on USA Shooting’s Flickr photo gallery.
CLICK HERE to download the complete 2013 National Championships Schedule (XLS format).
May 30th, 2013
 Story by Amy Rosewater for TeamUSA.org
As soon as SFC Josh Olson fired his first shot at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, he made history: he became the first active-duty U.S. soldier to compete in the Paralympic Games.
Olson lost his right leg after being attacked while on patrol in Iraq in 2003 but has been able to remain on active duty at Fort Benning, Georgia and is a part of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU). He trains alongside of many Olympic soldiers there and now has several other Wounded Warriors along with him as well. The Army announced late last year the expansion of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit to include 24 Wounded Warriors as members of its Paralympic and instructor sections. According to SFC Armando Ayala, there are now nine Wounded Warrior shooters (including SFC Olson) as part of the program and two coaches. SFC Ayala, who has been at Fort Benning for eighteen years and served in Afghanistan, has been training the Wounded Warriors.
“Without a doubt [Josh has] inspired folks,” Ayala said. “He might have lost a limb but he’s achieved a world-class level of competition and that says a lot to the Army soldier. It’s amazing how these guys can overcome those obstacles. I’m really excited about this team.”
The Army spread word of the program through advertisements and social media and was able to recruit several soldiers to the program. All nine of the shooters currently in the program happen to be leg amputees, although soldiers can participate in the program with other injuries. Currently, all of the soldiers in the program are men although some women have come to Fort Benning to try it.
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