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.
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.”
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.
Story by Amy Rosewater forTeamUSA.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.
In one of the closest margins of victory ever, Gene Bukys won the Two-Gun Overall Aggregate at the Kelbly’s Fireams Industry Super Shoot (FISS). Gene’s final Two-Gun Agg was 0.2728, with Jeff Gaidos just .0001 behind at 0.2729. That’s about as close as it can get, and other shooters were not far behind. In third place, at 0.2765, was Jeff Summers, followed by Tony Boyer (0.2827) and Larry Costa (0.2924). Looking at the numbers, only 0.0196 separated the Top Five in the Two-Gun.
Two-Gun Overall, Top 20
1. Gene Bukys, 0.2728
2. Jeff Gaidos, 0.2729
3. Jeff Summers, 0.2765
4. Tony Boyer, 0.2827
5. Larry Costa, 0.2924
6. Bob Scarbrough, Jr., 0.2943
7. Wayne Campbell, 0.2989
8. Lou Murdica, 0.3020
9. Steve Theyes, 0.3078
10. Larry Sharnhorst, 0.3104
11. Ken Hottenstein, 0.3111
12. Joe Hynes, ).3121
13. Dave Coots, 0.3123
14. Cristian Rando, 0.3140
15. Bud Welsh, 0.3193
16. Jeff Graves, 0.3253
17. Geoff Esterline, 0.3254
18. Dean Ekstrom, 0.3315
19. Dave Bruno, 0.3326
20. Bob Brushingham, 0.3339
Conditions were very challenging throughout most of the Super shoot, with strong and often fast-changing winds. Jerry Sharrett posted: “We had some interesting conditions. By the ends of the aggs many of the tails were caught up in the Daisies. For example, during the HV 200 in bench 9 the last three flags were bound up and useless. And many of the front flags, [were the] same way, especially on the right end.” Here is an audio recount of Days 1 through 3 by Ian Kelby (right click to “save as”):
Fellow Shooters Praise Winner
Here are some comments posted on Benchrest Central.com:
“Congratulations to all of you guys in the top 20, especially to the Grand Master from Texas. Special congrats to my friend Dr. Cristian Rando from Buenos Aires, Argentina, shooting his Argentine CGM1 Thunderbolt, made by gunsmith Carlito Gonzalez.” — Pascal Fischbach
“Congratulations to the great Gene, this guy understands the [wind] conditions and rifle tuning better than anybody.” — Carlos Gonzalez
“A close margin of victory in any sport is a true indicator of the level of competition. In Track and Field,it would be called a ‘photo finish’. The best effort won a hard-fought match. It will be remembered because the margin was so close: 0.0001.” — G. Chism
“I ran the Blue Bonnet match earlier this month and from the range officer’s seat, was fortunate to observe Gene at his best. He just sits and waits for his preferred condition and then just rips off five in about thirty seconds. From his past performances in the last few years, he continues to cement a great legacy in the benchrest world.” — Virf
The 7th Annual MOA Cold Turkey Long Range Handgun Match will be held June 20-22 in Sundance, Wyoming. This is a 3-day Specialty Handgun competition with targets at 500, 750, and 1,000 yards. On the firing line, you’ll find a variety of precision handguns including the Remington XP-100, Savage Striker, MOA Maximum, Freedom Arm’s New Single-shot, as well as numerous custom and semi-custom rigs (typically set up with a 14″ to 18″ barrel, and muzzle brake). Popular cartridges include .243 AI, 6×47 Lapua, 6mm-284, and 6.5-284 Win. While many shooters use pistol scopes, in recent years, many competitors have switched to igher magnification rifle scopes. Sundance-based lead sponsor MOA Corporation is a respected maker of Specialty Handguns for hunting and target shooting.
Over the years, the MOA Specialty Handgun event has expanded to include new disciplines. There is now an IHMSA-style Freestyle pistol event, shot for group at 500 yards with categories for both iron (metallic) sights and scoped optics. In addition there is a popular “Roving Field Course” competition. This is a hunting-stalking-tactical style event shot on steel at distances generally from 300 to 600 yards. This Roving Field Course event is open to both individual and two-man shooter/spooter teams. You can use ANY handgun or optics type and any technologies to range targets and gauge wind speeds.
Two-Day Prairie Dog Shoot Before MOA Handgun Match
In conjunction with the MOA Shoot, on June 17-18, Ernie Bishop will host a two-day Prairie Dog shoot near Gilette, Wyoming. Located on a private ranch with a large prairie dog population, this shoot will afford a target-rich environment that is only occassionally hunted. This is open to pre-registered, paid participants for the MOA Long Range Handgun Match. The donation of $50 per shooter (covers both days) goes entirely to the landowner, as our token thank you for his generosity in allowing us access for this 2-day event. This is a fraction of what it would cost to go on a two-day PD Safari with a professional guide service. For more info, send email to ernieemily[at]yahoo.com or call Earnie at (307) 257-7431 (9:00 am – 6:00 pm Mountain Time).
To celebrate its 90th anniversary, Lapua invited six of its shooting team members to visit the firm’s ammunition factory in Lapua, Finland. The team members hailed from six countries around the world: Kevin Nevius (USA), Eva Friedel (Germany), Josselin Henry (France), Charlotte Jakobsen (Denmark), Kim-Andre Lund (Norway), and Peter Sidi (Hungary). Watch the video to follow these six shooters as they tour the Lapua ammo factory, and then compete in a 100m/600m fun match at Lapua’s test range.
See Lapua Ammunition Factory from the Inside
After being greated by Nammo Lapua CEO Raimo Helasmäki, the six lucky shooters got to tour production facilities, visit the old cartridge factory museum, and share ideas with Lapua R&D engineer Tommi Tuuri. The engineer observed: “No matter how much you calculate, there are always some surprises — things you can only know from the test runs.”
Competition at 100m and 600m
The trip finished with a friendly “bragging rights” match at Lapua’s own Ampumarata Shooting Range. These six champions had to quickly master two very different rifles, a Panda-actioned 6PPC benchrest rig for 100m and a SAKO TRG-42 in .338 Lapua Magnum for long range (600m). Kim-Andre Lund from Norway won the benchrest match with a 0.157″ (3.98mm) group. Not bad for a position shooter not familiar with this kind of gun, or this rest configuration. Kim observed: “I think maybe I’m in the wrong discipline, maybe benchrest is the thing for me”. Check out his target at right.
The USA’s own Kevin Nevius posted the top score with the big .338 LM. Kevin had a great time: “I’m a bonafied gun nut… so to come to a factory that manufactures ammunition is a dream come true.”
This video features a factory walk-through showing bullet-making, cartridge forming, and bullet packaging. Near the end (at 5:40 time-mark) is a fascinating sequence showing the high-speed robotic arms that pick loaded ammunition from the assembly line.
Beautiful Lapua 6.5-284 brass awaits packaging and shipping.
Hornady has received an inaugural Gold Predator Xtreme Readers’ Choice Award for its Superformance® Varmint™ 17 Hornet Rifle Ammunition. The 17 Hornet is currently available in 15.5gr NTX® and 20gr V-MAX™ offerings.
Hornady’s 17 Hornet employs Hornady Superformance® propellant technology. Hornady claims that, in the 17 Hornet, its Superformance powders can deliver 100 to 200 fps more velocity than other commercially-available propellants. As a result, Hornady’s Superformance® Varmint™ ammunition shoots flatter, drifts less in the wind, and retains more energy out to a practical range of 300 yards. And many varminters have praised Hornady’s low-recoil 17 Hornet, saying this new cartridge is economical, accurate, and fun to shoot. 17 Hornet ballistics are far superior to the 17 HMR, as you can see:
Hornady’s 17 Hornet was derived from the 22 Hornet parent case. Claimed velocity with 20-grainers is 3650 fps — an impressive number considering the 17 Hornet uses about half the powder of the 17 Remington. The 17 Hornet is based on the rimmed .22 Hornet case. However, the case is not just necked-down from .22 caliber. The case designers reduced body taper, moved the shoulder, and changed the shoulder angle to 25°. This effectively modernizes the old .22 Hornet case, improving efficiency while retaining the max OAL, so that the 17 Hornet can work in any action big enough for the .22 Hornet.
Predator Xtreme Readers’ Choice Award
The Predator Xtreme Readers’ Choice Awards, sponsored by Predator Xtreme magazine, honors the best new products for varminters and predator hunters. A Gold award is the highest honor bestowed in a number of shooting categories. Products are chosen for award recognition based on surveys of magazine readers, so this is truly an “people’s award”.
The 2013 MidwayUSA NRA Bianchi Cup is in the books. Congrats to the Top Guns of the men’s division: Doug Koenig First Place (center), Carl Bernosky Second Place (left), and Bruce Piatt Third Place (right). Though Koenig finished on top, we have to credit Carl for his versatility. Bernosky is the reigning (and 10-Time) NRA High Power Rifle National Champion. Few humans can rival Carl’s skills with a rifle, and he’s just proven that he is one of the very best with a pistol as well.
54 county sheriffs in Colorado are leading the fight to overturn anti-gun legislation recently passed in Colorado, filing a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Colorado. The NSSF, the Colorado Outfitters Association, Magpul Industries, and firearms retailers have joined the Sheriffs in a broad-based legal challenge to Colorado’s recently enacted gun-control laws. Notably, all but 10 of the state’s 64 sheriffs, who are elected officials, have joined the suit as plaintiffs.
“From the perspective of the sheriffs this legislature had an agenda rather than good public policy in mind when they rushed these bills through and in this rush to pass new laws they didn’t bother listening to the people charged with enforcing them,” explained Weld County Sheriff John Cooke.
“In addition to Constitutional infringements and unenforceable requirements regarding magazine capacity, as the sheriffs have pointed out, we believe it will be impossible for citizens to comply with mandated firearms ‘transfers’ through federally licensed retailers,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “Colorado’s federally-licensed firearms retailers are being asked to process these transfers as if they were selling from their own inventory and to monitor both seller and buyer through a state-administered check process that can take hours or even days. They will not be able to recoup the actual cost of providing the service, which is capped at $10, but they will be liable for paperwork errors and subject to license revocation. For this reason and the many others detailed in our joint action with our fellow plaintiffs, these laws need to be struck down,” Keane said.
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.
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.
Story by Amy Rosewater for 
Competition at 100m and 600m
Hornady has received an inaugural Gold Predator Xtreme Readers’ Choice Award for its Superformance® Varmint™ 17 Hornet Rifle Ammunition. The 17 Hornet is currently available in 15.5gr NTX® and 20gr V-MAX™ offerings.
54 county sheriffs in Colorado are leading the fight to overturn anti-gun legislation recently passed in Colorado, filing a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Colorado. The NSSF, the Colorado Outfitters Association, Magpul Industries, and firearms retailers have joined the Sheriffs in a broad-based legal challenge to Colorado’s recently enacted gun-control laws. Notably, all but 10 of the state’s 64 sheriffs, who are elected officials, have joined the suit as plaintiffs.
