The second season of the History Channel’s hit TV series Top Shot debuts tonight (2/8/2011) at 10:00 pm (9:00 Central). The second year’s package of shows, aka “Top Shot Reloaded”, will follow the first year’s format for the most part, with team and individual challenges involving a variety of weapons, both historical and modern. Sixteen new contestants, including our friend and 3-Gun Ace, Maggie Reese, will compete for a $100,000 prize. View the Top Shot Season 2 Sneak Peak Video below:
New Guns, New Challenges, and a “Whole Lot of Explosions”
Producers say that the new show will have “more action, less talking”, more pyrotechnics, and some startling new challenges. Top Shot Host Colby Donaldson says: “In the first five minutes of Episode One [Season 2], everyone’s going to see that this is a very different season. We had to go above and beyond to create challenges that would actually take [competitors] out of their comfort zone”. There are new weapons (including Thompson machine guns and Barrett 50s), and a “whole lot of explosions”. But don’t expect the show to depart too far from its Survivor-style “reality-TV” origins. Remember this is ratings-driven Hollywood fare; the interpersonal conflicts and shifting alliances appeal to mainstream TV viewers. Nonetheless, if you enjoyed watching TOP Shot Season One you should definitely tune in for Top Shot Reloaded (Season Two) tonight at 10.
At its January 15, 2011 Annual Meeting, the International Benchrest Shooters (IBS) adopted some new rules affecting both long-range and short-range competition. First, by a significant margin, IBS long-range shooters voted to allow muzzle brakes in Heavy Gun class. This will allow the Light Guns (which often have muzzle brakes) to compete in both classes. The purpose of the change is to draw more competitors, and allow those shooters, who can only afford one rifle, to shoot in both classes.
Muzzle brakes are now allowed in both Light and Heavy Gun Class in IBS Long Range events.
This change, which applies to both 600- and 1000-yard matches, was supported by the Long Range Committee and endorsed by the Executive Board. Comments in the recent IBS Survey also showed broad support for this rule change. A few folks grumbled that allowing muzzle brakes in HG events will make Heavy Gun relays more noisy, but since Light Guns already employ brakes, most shooters have learned to live with the nuisance.
Temporary Rule Changes Adopted
Both temporary 2010 rule changes were soundly passed with about 90% of the mail ballots in favor. All shooters will be effected by a change that allows recognition of all record-breaking efforts, regardless of match or relay. Short-range shooters must now comply with tighter restrictions on placement of wind flags — once an Agg begins, the flags must stay put.
Wind Flag Location Regulations
Flags will be essentially restricted to the lane in front of shooters. After an aggregate commences, wind flags cannot be moved except by range personnel, and never for the shooters’ convenience or advantage.
Multiple Record-Breakers on Same Day
If multiple competitors break a record on a given day, regardless of the match they attended or the relay on which they shot, each one is given full credit for breaking the record. The best score shot on that day is recognized record going forward. This Rule, as adopted, is NOT retroactive
The NRA Competitive Shooting Division has launched a new webpage to distribute its digital publications. Currently available are the latest versions of the NRA Sanctioned League Handbook, NRA Tournament Operations Guide, NRA Junior Programs Guide, NRA Collegiate Shooting Guide, and the 2011 Bianchi Cup digital brochure. All these publications can be read online (like a digital magazine), or downloaded for future reference. More digital publications will be added in the future. Log on to www.issuu.com/compshoot to read or download content.
The Berger SW Nationals at the Ben Avery Range outside Phoenix concluded this weekend. Congratulations to: Bryan Litz (Overall Champion — sling), Trudie Fay (Palma Rifle Winner, 2nd Overall), Danny Biggs (F-Open Winner), and John Hayhurst (F-TR Winner). Among sling shooters, Bryan shot a 1441-77X, Trudy scored 1432-63X, and Gary Eliseo and Leo Ahearn tied with 1430-74X, with Gary getting the 3rd place spot on a tie-breaker.
Photos Courtesy Rick Curtis. CLICK HERE for more match photos.
Bryan Litz and Gary Eliseo Loads
For the Palma matches, Bryan Litz was shooting a .308 Win with 185gr, .30-cal LRBT Berger bullets, seated .015″ off the lands in Lapua brass. The load, pushed by Hodgdon Varget and CCI BR2 primers, ran slightly over 2800 fps. For his “Any Rifle” stages, Bryan shot a straight .284 Winchester at “about 2850 fps”, using 180gr Berger Hybrid match target 7mm bullets seated about .015″ off the lands. Bryan’s .284 Win load used Hodgdon H4831sc powder, CCI BR2 primers, and Lapua 6.5-284 brass, necked-up to 7mm. While Bryan favored a 7mm “Any Rifle” chambering, Gary Eliseo did well with a 6mm solution. Gary told us that, except for the Palma match, he was shooting his regular Across-the-Course load: 6mm BRX, 107gr Sierra MK jumped .025″, running about 2940 fps. This is a mild load for the 6BRX and it proves the little cartridge can be competitive at 1K even in tough conditions.
Biggs Breaks F-Class Record
In winning the F-Open Division, Danny Biggs broke Charles Ballard’s 1000-Yard F-Open National record twice with two 200-15X scores. This was an amazing performance by Danny, who finished with 1439-76X Agg, five points ahead of runner-up David Mann. Forum member TonyR, who shot in the match, reports: “The big story is really Danny’s second 200-15X. He shot that through several big switches and most of us can’t figure out how he did it. I shot the same relay he got the first one on and I wasn’t surprised that someone broke the record on that one, but I was scoring another shooter on the relay when he set the second one and I was just amazed that he did what he did under those conditions.”
Sierra Spindle Shooters Top F-Open Team Events
In the team events, the Sierra Spindle Shooters’ Team did very well, winning both the Palma Match and the 1000-yard Team Match, and scoring 2558-102X overall. Team Berger (2550-97X) finished second in the Team Aggs, with Team Berger member Larry Bartholome posting a 645-24X, the best individual performance in the Team comps. In the photo below (left to right), are Spindle Shooters team members Jeff Cochran, Bret Solomon, Shawn Ahrens and Jeff Traylor. Jeff reports: “The medals are for winning the F-Open Team Agg. In the last few years we’ve won the F-Class Nationals with Nancy Tompkins or Emil Praslick coaching. At this match both of them had other obligations so Bret and Shawn co-coached. They did a great job working together beating out several teams with world class coaches. We hold both the 600 and 1K F-Open team records with and had a good shot at the Palma record in this match but came up a bit short. I think if Nancy wasn’t tied up with the U.S. Palma team we might have beat the record. She’ll be with us again soon at the Nationals this fall in Lodi, Wisconsin.”
Photo courtesy Jeff Cochran.
Three Shots under 1″ at 1000 yards
As a demonstration of the potential accuracy of these long-range rifles, Dennis Selfridge fired a three shot group under an inch at 1K yards with his 6.5X47 in conditions! Check it out:
The ISSF has issued new Rule Interpretations regarding shooting coats, pants, shoes, and headgear. Existing ISSF Rules limit how thick and stiff clothing can be. Shooting outfits have gotten progressively thicker over the years, and for 2011 the ISSF has adopted new procedures for policing clothing standards. In addition, the ISSF ruled that use of body taping (such as ankle taping) is illegal.
ISSF Statement Concerning Shooting Clothing
The ISSF urges all National Federations to study these rule interpretations carefully to ensure that their athletes and coaches who will compete in the 2011 World Cups are prepared for them. For rifle shooters whose shooting jackets, trousers and boots were in full compliance with ISSF Rules during 2010 competitions, these rule interpretations should not require them to make any significant changes.
For shooters who try to use jackets and trousers that measure at or near the maximum stiffness of 3.0mm, they will need to make sure their clothing is somewhat more flexible since stiffness measurements below 3.0mm and thickness measurements greater than 2.5mm are not acceptable. The small percentage of rifle shooters who have persisted in walking stiff-legged and flat-footed must learn to walk normally when they wear their trousers and boots. Competitors with any clothing item that has small panels or large pads that make it impossible to find a 60mm area to measure stiffness must be aware that measurements of those panels will now be made over the pads, seams or letters if necessary. Any athletes who may have tried taping techniques need to know that this is illegal and will be checked.
ISSF Clothing Standards:
1. Stiffness Rule — Jackets and trousers will be tested for stiffness both before competitions and after matches. The amount of flexibility must measure 3.0mm or higher in 60 sec. Clothing with stiffness factors below 3.0 will be rejected.
2. Thickness Rule — During Equipment Control jacket and trouser thickness testing, both before competitions and in post-competition checks, all clothing panels must measure 2.5mm or less in thickness. No measurements above 2.5mm will be accepted.
3. Trouser Limits — The top of the trousers’ seat pads must be at least 150mm below the top of the waistband/trousers. Stiffness may be measured over the seat pad if necessary. There can be a maximum of 7 belt loops with at least 80mm between belt loops.
4. Shoe Flexibility — A walking test to demonstrate the flexibility of the shooting shoes and trousers will be enforced by Juries anywhere on the range. Violators will first receive a warning, then a 2-point penalty for a second offence and disqualification for a third offence.
5. Body Support Taping Prohibited — Kinesio taping and medical taping is contrary to ISSF rules and is not permitted. Shooters will be subject to post-competition testing to ensure compliance.
6. Headgear — No part of a cap or visor may touch or contact the rifle sight or rifle.
The CMP has now approved two commercial rear sight inserts for use in Service Rifle competitions: the SR MicroSight, and the ShootingSight. The SR MicroSight produced by Stallings Machine of Senoia, GA is now legal for use in CMP-sanctioned Service Rifle matches beginning with the 2011 shooting season. The CMP also approved a rectangular rear aperture insert produced by ShootingSight of Ohio.
Formalizing the CMP’s action on sight inserts, the following two rule changes will be incorporated into the 2011 CMP Competition Rules that are due for release in March. Anyone with questions should contact CMP Headquarters at Camp Perry.
6.1.1 (4) Front and rear sights: Must be of U.S. Army design (either service or match). Front sights must have square-topped posts. Any modifications to the front sight, rear sight or rear sight hood must be specifically authorized in Rule 6.1.2.
6.1.2 (3) The dimensions of the rear sight aperture (internal diameter) and the front sight post (width) may vary from standard military dimensions. The rear sight hood diameter may not be longer than 0.70″ or larger than 0.50″ in diameter. The rear sight aperture may have a fixed, non-adjustable round, square or rectangular aperture insert. A corrective lens or multi-focal lens system may be inserted in the rear sight hood.
MicroSight Inventory Sells Out Quickly — But More Coming
The SR MicroSight is available through Creedmoor Sports. Creedmoor has been quickly selling through its inventory. However, Creedmoor will have another 100 delivered by the supplier on February 1st. If you want a MicroSight, order soon, because they won’t be in stock long!
At SHOT Show we had the pleasure to talk with Lanny Barnes, a member of the U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team. Along with her twin sister Tracy Barnes, Lanny hopes to compete for Team USA at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Lanny and Tracy, who hail from Durango, Colorado, learned to shoot before they could ski. That is unusual in biathlon, a sport dominated by Nordic skiing specialists who typically take up shooting only after they have started winning ski races. Under the tutelage of their father, an avid hunter, Lanny and Tracy started shooting at a very young age. Lanny and Tracy were both crack shots before they became competitive skiers. Lanny still enjoys hunting in the Colorado backcountry.
Biathlon is Hugely Popular in Europe
Lanny gave us some new insights into the biathlon game. While biathlon is not widely followed in the United States, it is the most-watched winter sport in Europe according to Lanny. We were also surprised to learn that top-level biathletes do not try to slow their heartbeats during the shooting segment of the competition. Lanny explained that the best competitors train so they can shoot with their hearts beating about 180 times per minute.
Remarkably, with that rapid heart-rate, the movement of the muzzle is more of a flutter than a distinct, heavy rise and fall. Learning to control the amplitude of the muzzle movement with the rapid heart-beat is one of the secrets to success, Lanny tells us. An ultra-accurate, fast-cycling rifle is also very important. Like most top biathletes, Lanny shoots an Anschütz with a straight-pull Fortner action. Lanny tells us that the straight-pull action has made a big change in the sport, speeding up the firing times dramatically. But since all the top competitors can shoot so quickly with modern rifles, that has put a premium on marksmanship. Miss a shot and you may have to do a penalty loop, which can change your standing from front-runner to back of the pack.
Check out the Twins’ Website (Donations Welcome)
Learn more about Lanny and Tracy Barnes on the twins’ website, www.twinbiathletes.com. Though biathlon is a winter sport, Lanny and Tracy train year-round. This requires great commitment and dedication. The Barnes’ quest to compete at the 2014 Winter Olympics also demands a significant budget. If you wish to help Lanny and Tracy in their bid to represent the USA in 2014, you can make a donation (via PayPal) on www.twinbiathletes.com.
AccurateShooter.com’s coverage of SHOT Show showcases products and vendors we think would be of greatest interest to our readers. We visited close to 200 exhibits in four days. But there is much, much more that we don’t have time to cover. At the 2011 SHOT Show, there were nearly 1,600 exhibitors, who collectively occupied 630,000 square feet of booth space (the equivalent of 11 football fields). To get the full SHOT Show experience, check out these photo collections from The NRA Blog. These and other photo collections are found on the NRA Blog’s Picassa Public Photo Gallery.
The big news at the Nightforce Optics booth this year involved Nightforce’s “High-Speed” turret design. First introduced on select models in 2010, now the “high-speed” turrets will be installed as standard equipment on Nightforce’s full line of NXS riflescopes (except compacts). The “High-Speed” turrets basically double the amount of elevation (or windage) travel you get with one full revolution of the turret. Previously, a Nightforce elevation turret delivered 10 MOA of elevation adjustment with one 360° turret rotation. Now, with the “High-Speed” turrets, Nightforce scopes will yield twenty (20) MOA of elevation travel with one full revolution. The “High-Speed” windage knobs will now give 10 MOA of travel in each direction. For mil-based turrets, the amount of elevation travel (per revolution) has been increased from 5 mils (per 360° spin) to 10 mils.
The doubling of adjustment travel (per revolution) really is an important upgrade that should make Nightforce scopes more user-friendly and fool-proof. For most popular cartridges, you should be able to go from 100 to 1000 yards within one 360° spin of the elevation turret. This means you no longer have to worry about which revolution you’re on. There are highly visible index numbers on the turret, so you should be able to just dial an index number (e.g. 9, 12, 18) to zero at any distance from 100 to 1000.
New Velocity 600 and Velocity 1000 Ballistic Compensating Reticles
Nightforce will also introduce two new “Velocity” reticles in the summer of 2011, one for 600 yards max, and the other for 1000 yards max range. These will initially be available for the 3.5-15X and 5.5-22X scopes only. Both NF “Velocity” reticles are basically Bullet Drop Compensating reticles that provide hold-over lines for particular yardages. But, you might ask, “How does Nightforce know the ballistic drops for my particular cartridge?” Here’s how it works — the customer sends in his bullet type, bullet BC, and muzzle velocity. Then Nightforce picks one of five (5) calibrated “Velocity” reticles, selecting the hold-over reticle design that most closely matches the actual trajectory of your loads. For most hunters using a common cartridge, one of the five Nightforce “Velocity” reticles should provide a good fit to your load’s ballistics. This isn’t revolutionary — Burris, Leupold, and Zeiss all offer something similar, but it’s good to see Nightforce add this reticle option to its lineup.
We had a chance to chat with Team Smith & Wesson Captain Julie Golob at SHOT Show. Julie is one of the finest action pistol shooters in the world, so she knows a thing or two about shooting competitively on the clock.
Kelly Bachand, our SHOT Show correspondent, is primarily a Palma shooter. In that discipline there’s ordinarily plenty of time between shots. But Kelly, a popular contestant on the TOP SHOT TV series, hopes to branch out into action shooting and multi-gun competition.
Julie gives Kelly some great advice on how to succeed in speed games by finding the “acceptable” sight picture. Julie explains that you need to abandon the “pursuit of perfection” and find a zone of “acceptable” accuracy that lets you to score points while running the stage as fast as possible. As Kelly puts it, you need to find out “what you can get away with” in terms of sight picture. Kelly and Julie also discuss equipment for 3-Gun matches and the differences between open and tactical classes.
At its January 15, 2011 
Biggs Breaks F-Class Record
MicroSight Inventory Sells Out Quickly — But More Coming
At SHOT Show we had the pleasure to talk with Lanny Barnes, a member of the U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team. Along with her twin sister Tracy Barnes, Lanny hopes to compete for Team USA at the 2014 Winter Olympics in 
We had a chance to chat with Team Smith & Wesson Captain 
