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August 1st, 2012
Long-range benchrest shooter Scott Weber had a pretty decent day at the range last Saturday — to put it mildly. Shooting his 6mm Dasher in a Williamport (PA) 1000-yard match, Scott recorded two new Light Gun world records, breaking a record set by Scott’s own father (Frank Weber) in the process.
Early in the day, Scott shot a 3.746″ (99-1X) 10-shot group which beat the existing group-size record, a 3.835″ group shot at the Montana Deep Creek Range in 2006. Then, in the shoot-off, Scott drilled a 100-6X score to top the existing score record held by his father Frank Weber. Interestingly, Frank’s 2012 record was also a 100-6X, but Scott has the smaller group — 4.007″ vs. Frank’s 4.237″ — so Scott will be credited with the record. Well at least he kept it in the family!
Scott reports: “It’s unbelievable to set one record but two in one day on different relays — it doesn’t seem real. All I wanted to do was win the shoot off since I never won one since I’ve been shooting. My dad is happy for me , but he told me ‘don’t look back’ because he is coming to get his record back!”
INSIDE STORY — Rifle Specs and Load Details
Scott Tells us: “Mark King built the rifle. It is similar to my dad’s Light Gun that Mark also built. It has a Sitman (Master Class) stock with 2-inch rail in the back, BAT 3-lug action, Broughton barrel with Mark King brake, and a Jewell trigger. My scope is a Leupold 8.5-25X, MK IV.” The Broughton barrel is chambered for the 6mm Dasher with a 0.266″ neck. Scott turns his necks to about 10.5 thousandths thickness and runs 0.261″ neck tension.
Two Loads for Two Records
Scott used two different loads during the match: “The load I used for the group record was 32.7 grains Varget with CCI primers, 107gr VLD custom bullet, seated +.010 into the lands. These 107gr VLDs were experimental bullets I just recently received. I used a different load in the shoot-off when I broke the score record. That load was 33.7 grains Varget, CCI primers, 105 Berger hunting VLD, seated +.010 into lands. The Bergers were trimmed and pointed hard with a Hoover pointing die.” [Editor’s Note: The 33.7 grain load is very stout and may be UNSAFE in some Rifles. Both listed loads should only be used with fully-formed Dasher cases.]
August 1st, 2012
 Target Shooter Magazine has just released its August edition, which you can read for FREE online. The 110-page August 2012 issue includes target shooting news from around the world, along with articles of interest to all shooters. The online “eZine” version of Target Shooter Magazine offers a handy index, plus full two-page spreads, and flip-page viewing — just like a print magazine.
August issue highlights include: a report on GB F-Class competition at the Bisley Ranges, along with coverage of the 2012 CZ Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition. Chris Parkin reviews the Zeiss Victory Diavari FL 6-25 x 72mm scope, and our friend Vince Bottomley tests a UK-compliant Armscor 38 Special Revolver. Regular readers will appreciate the final installment of Laurie Holland’s series on building an affordable FT-R rifle. The latest issue of Target Shooter Magzine of course includes UKPSA News.
CLICK HERE to Read August Target Shooter eZine
July 31st, 2012
 SGT Vincent Hancock of the USAMU shot a 148/150 to win the Gold Medal today in men’s skeet at the London Olympics. Hancock has now won back-to-back Golds in skeet shooting at two successive Olympics. (Hancock also won Gold at Beijing in 2008). Finishing second with a 146 score, was Anders Golding of Denmark. Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiya won a shoot-off over Russia’s Valery Shomin for the bronze at the Royal Artillery Barracks. Read Related Story on ESPN.com.
After setting a new Olympic Record by hitting 123 out of 125 clays in Tuesday qualifying, Hancock entered the medal round with a one-target lead. He then shot a perfect final round score of 25 for a total of 148 out of 150, which was also a new Olympic record. He is the first men’s skeet shooter in Olympic history to win two Gold Medals.
Hancock is a “young gun” in a field of more experienced competitors. At age 23, he is the youngest in the men’s skeet competition by five years. (The average age of medal-round-qualifying skeet shooters in London is 37 years.) Hancock almost missed the 2012 Olympics altogether. After his 2008 win in Beijing, he thought seriously about retiring from the sport. But after some months considering the options, he resumed his training with a vengence and now he is on top of the world. Hancock’s victory, combined with the Gold-medal performance of team-mate Kim Rhode in women’s skeet, gives Team USA a sweep of the Skeet events at the 2012 Olympics.
Olympics Finals photos by Tim Hipps, IMCOM Public Affairs.
July 30th, 2012
 According to the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, a group of Democratic U.S. Senators is seeking to slip a ban on full-capacity firearm magazines into the “Cybersecurity Act” (S. 3414) currently being considered in Congress: “The U.S. Senate will take up the ‘Cybersecurity Act’ starting Monday, July 30, but a group of Democrat Senators lead by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is looking to add an anti-gun amendment to the bill. Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), joined Schumer in an effort to resurrect the failed 1994 magazine ban.”
The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) reports that: “Democrat anti-gunners could force a ‘Magazine Ban’ vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate as early as today [Monday, July 30, 2012]. They’re attempting to ban magazines used commonly for self-defense and sport shooting by burying an amendment deep inside the ‘Cybersecurity Act’ (S. 3414).” The NAGR recommends that concerned gun owners contact their U.S. Senators and ask them to OPPOSE S. 3414, the so-called “Cybersecurity Act”, and S.A. 2575, the Schumer “Magazine Ban” amendment.
July 30th, 2012
 Close to 1,300 service rifle competitors will fill the firing lines today (Monday) at Camp Perry for the CMP President’s Rifle Match. At this prestigious event, conducted annually during the CMP National Trophy Rifle Matches, the top 100 competitors (after 30 shots) will be named the 2012 President’s 100. The top 20 shooters will then be invited to a mid-afternoon Shoot-Off today. The Shoot-Off winner will be awarded the President’s Rifle Trophy (photo right). CLICK HERE to learn more about the history of the President’s Match.
CMP program coordinator, Lue Baxter, fired the cannon this morning at Camp Perry to start the day’s matches. Lue works with the CMP Camp Riflery program, National Match Air Rifle program, Junior Highpower Clinics and CMP Marksmanship Center at Camp Perry. The CMP provides updates and match results on its website, www.odcmp.com.
CLICK HERE for Results of 2012 National Rifle Trophy Matches (Posted when available).
July 30th, 2012
 The CMP Marksmanship Center at Camp Perry (Port Clinton, Ohio) is open to the public during the National Matches. The CMP invites Camp Perry visitors to come by the Center and participate in the National Match Air Gun Events or just fire some pellets down range!
The scheduled CMP Air Gun events provide additional competition opportunities for National Matches pistol and rifle competitors as well as for anyone who wants to shoot in the National Matches with their air pistols or air rifles.
All of these events will take place at the Camp Perry Marksmanship Center on MegaLink electronic targets. Below is a schedule of remaining events at the Marksmanship Center.
July 29th, 2012
 Kim Rhode “delivered the goods” on Sunday, winning the Gold Medal in women’s skeet shooting. By earning Gold in 2012, Rhode became the first USA athlete to win an individual medal in five (5) successive Olympic games. Congrats to Kim, who earned her 2012 Gold medal with a spectacular performance, scoring 99 out of 100. This tied the all-time World Record and set a new Olympic record.
Kim hit 65 clays in a row before her first miss. She went 25-for-25 in her first two Qualifying sessions, finishing 74-for-75 in Qualifying, also a new Olympic Record. This gave Rhode a 4-point lead heading into the finals. Not flinching under pressure, Rhode “cleaned” her final run, hitting all 25 Clays without a miss to secure a well-deserved Gold Medal.
“It’s just been an incredible journey,” said Rhode. “And ultimately, I couldn’t be happier for bringing home the gold for the United States.” This is the fifth time Rhode has earned a shotgun shooting medal at the Olympics. As a teenager in 1996 she won the double-trap gold medal at the Atlanta Olympic Games. At the Sydney Olympics four years later she took bronze in double trap. Kim then topped all double-trap competitors to win gold at Athens, Greece in 2004, and Kim took the silver medal in skeet at Beijing in 2008.
At the 2012 London games, Rhode won Gold in dominant fashion, as she went 99 for 100 to win by four points while smashing the old 93-point Olympic Record. Wei Ning of China took silver with 91 points and Danka Bartekova of Slovakia took the bronze in a shoot-out with Marina Belikova of Russia after Danka and Marina tied with 90 points.
Photo Courtesy USA Shooting.
July 28th, 2012
At the U.S. Armed Forces Interservice Championships held earlier this month in Quantico, Virginia, USAMU Team Praslick set a new 1000-yard Team Record, with a spectacular 1197-68X score, beating the existing 1192-66X record set way back in 1997. The course of fire was 20 shots by each of six shooters, 120 shots total. This record was doubly impressive because it involved mandatory paired firing. The squad was divided into three pairs. When each pair went to the firing line, the two shooters would alternate shots. Team Coach, SFC Emil Praslick, had to make a wind call for one shooter, and then the other, shot by shot — that’s not easy. The record-setting squad was an all-star contingent of USAMU shooters: SGT Sherri Gallagher, SPC Amanda Elsenboss, CPL Matt Rawlings, SSG Shane Barnhardt, SSG Brandon Green, SSG Ty Cooper. Praslick said he was “very proud of my shooters.”
 The 1197-68X record was set in “Any Sights / Any Rifle” competition using bolt guns chambered for the 7mm Remington Short-Action Ultra-Magnum (RSAUM), and fitted with Nightforce scopes. Coach Praslick says the USAMU is very pleased with the performance of the 7mm RSAUM: “Our 7mms can deliver very tight vertical spreads at 1000 yards.” Praslick also praised the work of USAMU armorers who build the rifles and load the ammo for USAMU teams: “We’ve got world-class gunsmiths. That’s our advantage. All the guns are tested at distance with match ammunition. We can count on the guns and the ammo to perform shot after shot. This is a big confidence builder for our USAMU shooters.”
New 1K Service Rifle Record
Along with the great performance by USAMU Team Praslick, USAMU Service Rifle shooters coached by SFC Jeremy Mangione set a new Service Rifle record. Using .308-Caliber AR10-type rifles with 185gr Berger bullets, the Team posted a 1154-33X Aggregate, a Service Rifle Team Record. That’s amazing considering these shooters were aiming with military-style iron sights with a post front sight. One of the squad’s shooters, SPC Augustus Dunfey, recorded a 200-10X. Coach Praslick called this a “spectacular individual performance”. Praslick told us that Dunfey’s 200-10X “is definitely the highest [20-shot] Service Rifle score shot in Interservice 1000-yard competition. And, as far as anyone can remember, it is the highest [20-shot] 1000-yard score ever shot with a Service Rifle anywhere.” SPC Dunfey was shooting at a target with a 20″ 10-Ring, and 10″ X-Ring. This means, using a stout-recoiling .308 rifle with sling (no rest) and relatively crude sights, Dunfey put half his shots inside one MOA and did not drop a single point. That’s impressive….
July 28th, 2012
 The 2012 Olympic Games kicked off last night in London. And the first gold meal awarded at the 2012 Game went to a shooter — Yi Siling of China. The top-ranked Chinese Air Rifle shooter edged Slywia Bogacka of Poland to win Gold in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle event. The South Korean shooting squad also captured its first Gold Medal of the games as Jin Jong-oh won the Men’s 10m Air Pistol event. Jin had won silver in the last Olympics at Beijing, China.
CLICK for Shooting Events Schedule | CLICK for Air Rifle Match Photos
Visit NBCOlympics.com for complete online coverage of the Olympics. On that website, in the upper left-hand corner (next to the London 2012 logo), you’ll find a “Select a Sport” button. That button opens a menu with links to all the different sports. There is a dedicated page for the Shooting Sports. CLICK HERE to visit the Shooting Sports Page at www.nbcolympics.com/shooting/.
July 27th, 2012
 A number of interesting jobs in the firearms industry have become available in recent weeks. The NSSF maintains a regularly-updated listing of employment opportunities with gun-makers and shooting sports organizations. On the NSSF’s job board right now there are gunsmith openings, engineering offerings, sales and marketing positions, and even high-level legal and executive career opportunities. Here are some of the jobs we found this week posted on the NSSF Website. CLICK HERE for a complete listing (many more jobs).
Firearms Industry Jobs — Current Openings
| Location |
Company/Organization |
Opening/Title |
| Prescott, AZ |
Proforce Law Enforcement |
Vice President Sales |
| Sunland, CA |
ISS |
Gunsmith |
| Washington, DC |
Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation |
Director of Finance |
| Springfield, MA |
Smith & Wesson Firearms |
Legal Counsel |
| Springfield, MA |
Smith & Wesson Firearms |
Brand Manager – S&W |
| Accokeek, MD |
Beretta USA Corporation |
Product Marketing Manager – Shotguns & Rifles |
| Accokeek, MD |
Beretta USA Corporation |
Production Manager – CNC Machining |
| Exeter, NH |
SIG SAUER |
Tool Designer |
| Exeter, NH |
SIG SAUER |
Quality Inspector |
| Exeter, NH |
SIG SAUER |
Senior Design Engineer |
| Exeter, NH |
SIG SAUER |
Business Analyst |
| Delaware, OH |
Black Wing Shooting Center |
Outdoor Range Associate/Safety Officer |
| Not Specified |
Crimson Trace Corporation |
Regional Sales Manager (TX, OK, W-AR, W-LA) |
| Beaverton, OR |
Leupold & Stevens, Inc. |
Director of Sales – US |
| Fairfax, VT |
Century International Arms, Inc |
Gunsmith |
| Fairfax, VT |
Century International Arms, Inc |
Sales Coordinator |
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