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October 25th, 2010
by Lars Dalseide, courtesy the NRA Blog.
A Model 52 rimfire target rifle with a storied history was recently added to the NRA National Museum Collection. With this rifle, one of America’s great marksmanship feats was accomplished.
 The 3000 Bullseye Rifle
Back in 1926, an 18-year-old Massachusetts shooter named Sam Moore took his Winchester Model 52 rifle in hand and began shooting. By the end of the day, he had set an amazing record in competitive shooting, totaling 3,000 consecutive bullseyes with his trusty Winchester.
The amazing feat received national attention, with Moore being presented with a gold medal by President Calvin Coolidge on behalf of the NRA. The engraving on the back reads:
Presented to L.S. Moore by the President of the United States in behalf of the National Rifle Association Junior Rifle Corps World Record — 3000 — consecutive bullseyes.
Moore went on to graduate from the US Naval Academy in 1931, helped develop the Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife, served in WWII as a USMC aviator and maintained his interest in shooting until his passing in 1982.
Moore’s rifle and engraved gold medal arrived at the National Firearms Museum earlier this week, donated by his son David. While unwrapping the bolt-action in the museum, I remember thinking that there is a lot of shooting history tied up in these two pieces. This suspicion was confirmed when one of the provenance documents received with the rifle revealed that Moore ceased shooting on the 3,000 bulls-eye day only because the heat of the rifle finally made it impossible to handle.
Moore rifle history provided by NRA Museum Curator Doug Wicklund.
October 25th, 2010
How would you like to own a piece of history… Hollywood history at least? The Firearm Blog reports that AIM Surplus is selling the Mauser M1871/84 11mm rifles used in the movie The Last Samurai. According to AIM: “Each ‘Samurai’ edition [rifle] is an original Mauser M1871/84 rifle that has been carefully cleaned, reblued, then had its receiver carefully polished as the original examples were. Minor parts such as the extractor, ejector and cutoff levers were replicated, as were the stocks and magazine tubes.” Price is $395.00 for these C&R eligible rifles.
According to Steve of The Firearm Blog, these rifles were warehoused after The Last Samuari was filmed in New Zealand: “After being used on location in New Zealand, they were shipped back to the U.S. and have been stored in studio warehouses for the past five years.”
More information is available on the Weapons Cache Forum. Photos from AIM Surplus
October 24th, 2010
 The 2010 Western CMP Games & Creedmoor Cup Match in Phoenix, AZ concludes this morning with an EIC Service Rifle Match. Over the past week, many of the nation’s best “iron sights and sling” shooters vied for honors with Match Rifles, Service Rifles, Vintage Military Rifles, and Rimfire Sporters. This major annual event has drawn hundreds of competitors to the Ben Avery Shooting Facility outside Phoenix. Competition has been fierce, with some matches decided by just a point or two after multiple days. Initial results are available for many of the matches, which are listed below. Complete results will be posted on the CMP Match Results Page.
 Congrats go to all the competitors in attendance. Ronald Zerr (HMaster) and Joel Sylvia (Master), both shot great to earn Creedmoor Cup victories in the Match Rifle and Service Rifle classes respectively. Creedmoor Cup High Junior was Tyler Rico, while the High Senior was Sgt. Jeremy Hafenyager. In the CMP Classes Glendale Rutherford put on a dominating performance, winning the Springfield Match, As Issued EIC Match, and Vintage Military Rifle Match. Rutherford’s strong shooting earned him Three-Gun Aggregate top honors — Rutherford finished 21 points ahead of runner-up Bill Poole in the Agg. Maury Krupp won the hotly contested Garand Match, which saw 129 shooters on the firing line.
October 23rd, 2010
The United States Palma Team and USA Veterans Team recently ventured downunder to Queensland, Australia to compete in the Australian National Championships, held October 11-16 at the Belmont Shooting Complex outside Brisbane. The US Rifle Team travels well. Overall the Yanks performed great, with outstanding team and individual performances. Complete Match Results are posted at www.nraa.com.au. Team USA shooter Bryan Litz provides this Match Report…
U.S. Teams at Australian National Championships by Bryan Litz
The first match was the President’s Match, a two-day individual Aggregate with 10-shot strings fired at 600, 600, 900, and 1000 yards. Between the US Rifle Team and the US Veterans Team, we had five shooters in the top 20 (out of 128 shooters). That was a promising start.
Day 3 was the Chairman’s Team Challenge, a 4-man team match in which U.S. Teams Blue and Red captured first and second place. Conditions were challenging — during the first three or four days of shooting it rained constantly. There were several cease-fires called each day because of rain. We all learned how to cover our equipment and sights to stay dry while shooting.
 Litz Tops Field in Queen’s Prize Match
Then began the 3-day Queen’s Prize match which is fired at 300, 500, 600, 800, 900, and 1000 yards. I managed to win this match, with a true come-from-behind performance. I went into the last day of shooting in 60th place. The extremely volatile conditions that last day (15-20 mph crosswind when shooting at 900 and 1000 yards) allowed me to make up so much ground on the leaders. For those who wonder, yes I shot “off the shelf” Applied Ballistics FULLBORE ammo to win the Queen’s Prize — the most prestigious match of the tournament. The winner is carried aloft in a ceremonial chair, proceeded by bagpipers and drums. You can see (photo right) that I enjoyed the pageantry.
The final individual event was the Royal Kaltenberg Challenge Cup, which is a shoot-off for an individual winner. The Cup was won by USA Shooter Noma Zinsmaster-Mayo. Congrats to Noma for a huge victory.
The President’s Challenge 4-man team match was swept by the Australian home team. The final event was an 8-man mini-Palma match which was won by Team USA.
 Preparation Paid Off for Team USA
It goes without saying that the recent adjustments made to the U.S. Rifle Teams program under Captain Dennis Flaharty are moving the team in a positive direction. Each of the U.S. Team wins in Australia were ‘come-from-behind’ victories where we made up ground at the longer ranges. That’s a testament to the coaching staffs’ skills and organization. The Sierra 2156 Palma MK bullet was used exclusively by the Americans in all Team events. Sierra’s 2156 MK continues to prove itself to be an outstanding bullet.
The 20 or so shooters on the US Veterans Team Captained by Eddie Newman also traveled
and performed very well in the tournament.
 Belmont Shooting Complex — World-Class!
The Belmont Range near Brisbane, Queensland is a beautiful facility. Firing mounds are maintained like golf greens and there are over 25 flags. With great facilities (and no pit duty!), it’s truly the lap of luxury for Fullbore shooting. Belmont is the largest shooting complex in the southern hemisphere and most target shooting sports are conducted there. Coordinates: 27°30 ’40″S 153°7’50″E. It is the home of the Queensland Rifle Association (QRA). (Editor’s Note: Click the tab below the photo to see larger image — it’s even more impressive.)
The Top 10 Grand Aggregate Results (President’s Match, Queen’s Prize, Kaltenberg Cup combined) are listed below. Australian George Edser of the Central Club had the best Aggregate score with 646-050. The top American was Noma Mayo, two points behind, with 644-059.
October 22nd, 2010
More than two dozen of America’s best tactical shooters gathered for three days of competition at the Fall 2010 Alleghany Sniper Challenge, October 9-11, held at Seneca Rocks (WV) along the Eastern Continental Divide. This event is the only one of its kind that offers all steel targets at distances up to 1,200 yards and at varying angles across mountain valleys.
FNH Supplies Rifles for All Competitiors
However, it was the support of FNH USA which made the 2010 Fall Challenge a unique and true first of its kind all-equipment-provided event. FNH USA provided each competitor with one of its FN SPR A5 .308 long range precision rifles with standard 20-inch fluted barrels, McMillan stocks, and a MIL-STD optical rail with +20 MOA elevation. Competitors were also issued identical scopes, rings, slings, and Corbon ammunition. Apart from bipods, competitors were not allowed any other equipment such as GPS units or laser range finders.
“FN’s support was absolutely instrumental in making this match possible,” said Rod Hansen, who run the match along with co-Director John Markwell. “This match places each competitor on a level playing field and represents the most extreme and complete test of each shooter’s skill and knowledge of ballistics,” said Hansen. For more info on the FNH equipment used, call Tes Salb at(703) 288-3500 ext. 125, or email tess@fnhusa.com.
50 Shooters Participate in Two-Weekend Challenge
The Fall 2010 Alleghany Sniper Challenge takes place over two weekends, essentially becoming two matches. The first weekend match took place in September, and FNH USA provided all the rifles for that first weekend as well. More than 50 shooters took part and used FNH rifles over the two weekends.
ASC Counts Misses, Not Hits
Since Hansen and Markwell designed the match from the ground up they also made changes they felt would improve the experience for the competitors. Shooters engage almost 50 targets and are allowed to fire up to 125 shots, but they only count misses, not hits. The shooter with the lowest score wins.
The winners from the first weekend were: 1st Kevin Mussack of upstate, NY, 2nd Geoff Martel of Mt. Morris, NY, and 3rd Eric Underiner of Ringoes, NJ. Winners of the second match: 1st Pete Pi, Jr. from Cor-Bon in Sturgis, SD (who provided all the ammunition used), 2nd Rich Grinn of Clarkston, MI, and 3rd Chris Soyka of Iona, MI. FNH donated two rifles to be awarded as prizes (all prizes are awarded by random drawing and the winner of the match is only guaranteed a trophy).
2009 Fall ASC — Report and Photos
If you are interested in learning more about the Allegheny Sniper Challenge, Ian Kenney has written a detailed report, complete report for the 2009 ASC match. Kenney’s journal features some great photos and even a 3D Google Earth map with a birds-eye view of the target locations. CLICK HERE to read Ian’s 2009 match report, found on ShootingVoodoo.com.
October 22nd, 2010
Many gun industry insiders report that sales are soft this year. However, a recent poll by HunterSurvey.com indicates that most hunters and shooters have not cut back significantly on their gun-related expenditures over the last year. When asked by HunterSurvey.com if they were buying more, less, or about the same amount of gun gear this year (compared to 2009), 40.0 percent of hunters said they were spending “about the same” amount of money this year. That is consistent with 2009, when 40.1% of shooters said their spending levels would stay the same.
No Big Change in Actual Spending Habits
The number of hunters expecting to spend more in 2010 dropped only slightly to 19.8 percent from 21.6 percent in 2009. Of those anticipating fewer purchases, 35.7 percent said they would be spending less compared to 33.5 percent in 2009. Considering the natural variation common to any poll, the differences are not considered significant.
 Pollster Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates, says: “This is decent news for sporting goods manufacturers and retailers who have been uncertain about the effects of the soft economy. While it appears a slow economic recovery is preventing some sportsmen from rushing out and spending at levels seen in 2007, it appears sales in 2010 will fair rather well, given the softness seen in other retail sectors.” Southwick Associates conducts the surveys at HunterSurvey.com and AnglerSurvey.com.
Big Sale on Hunting Gear Now at Cabela’s
If you’re looking for some excellent deals on hunting gear and accessories, Cabela’s is running a big Fall Hunting Sale right now. You’ll find savings of up to 50% on hunting apparel, knives, boots, ammunition, optics and more…
October 21st, 2010
On October 20th, CNBC broadcast “Remington Under Fire”, a story attacking the safety record of Remington model 700 rifles. CNBC’s report suggests that the Rem 700 is unsafe because it can discharge merely from moving the safety or lifting the bolt, even if the trigger is not pulled. The show, which aired last night, has already created a big stir in the gun industry. Jason Schauble, VP of Remington Defense Division, responded in an NRA News interview just hours after the “documentary” aired. Schauble attacked CNBC’s “irresponsible programming”, stating that the problems trumpeted by CNBC could not be replicated by the manufacturer (or even by plaintiffs’ lawyers). CLICK HERE for the Schauble interview. Schauble argued, “CNBC squarely placed us in their cross-hairs… [with] a loosely strung-together series of data points that relied more on an emotional pull than the facts[.]”
Remington Launches Remington700.TV Website to Defend Product
Remington has challenged CNBC’s report, asserting that the Rem 700 has an excellent safety record. Remington also argues that CNBC’s “experts” were biased and lacked proper qualifications and knowledge. An official response by Remington states: “CNBC ignored facts and information provided by Remington and instead relied on allegations, misleading anecdotes, and false claims.” Remington has also launched a dedicated web-page, www.Remington700.tv to counter the CNBC report. On that site Remington states:
For nearly fifty years, the Remington Model 700 rifle has been the preferred choice for millions of hunters, shooting sports enthusiasts and military and law enforcement personnel. Despite emotional reporting of baseless and unproven allegations and plaintiff lawyer assertions, several undisputed facts remain:
• The Model 700 is the most popular, reliable, accurate and trusted bolt-action rifle in the world, with over five million rifles produced and billions of rounds fired over nearly five decades.
• The Model 700 is the firearm of choice for elite shooters from America’s military and law enforcement communities, and has been the platform for the United States Marine Corps and the U.S. Army precision sniper weapon systems for over two decades, both of which specifically require the “Walker” trigger mechanism.
• The Model 700, including its trigger mechanism, has been free of any defect since it was first produced and, despite any careless reporting to the contrary, the gun’s use by millions of Americans has proven it to be a safe, trusted and reliable rifle.
• Both Remington and experts hired by plaintiff attorneys have conducted testing on guns returned from the field which were alleged to have fired without a trigger pull, and neither has ever been able to duplicate such an event on guns which had been properly maintained and which had not been altered after sale.
October 20th, 2010
This weekend, October 22-24, the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center hosts the NBRSA 1000-Yard National Championship (aka “Sloughhouse 1000″). Many of the nation’s best long-range shooters will be on the firing line. There will be two classes, Light Gun and Heavy Gun, with match fees of $75.00 per class. The Championship Match starts on the 22nd at 8:00 A.M. at Range 12. There will be a “sight-in & weigh-in” day on October 21st. On Friday and Sunday, food may be purchased from Jake’s Hot Dogs. On Saturday, lunch will be catered by Sierra Smokehouse Barbecue. (Sierra’s BBQ fare is truly superb!)
 This is the view from 600 yards. The 1000-yard firing line is fully covered and shaded. With blustery weather and moderate chance of rain predicted, it will be interesting to see how the 6mm Dasher aces like Richard Schatz do in tough conditions. This could be the weekend to shoot a big boomer in both classes. Past 1K NBRSA Champ Jerry Tierney will be there with his straight .284 Win. He is working on a 7mm RSAUM, but it isn’t ready for the event.
CLICK HERE for Entry Form/Information Sheet (PDF)
October 20th, 2010
 GunUp.com, a new website for gun enthusiasts, launched this week. The new site is thin on content at this stage, but it has the potential to be an interesting resource. GunUp’s home page features a “Gun of the Day”, plus posts from popular blogs such as Gunnuts and Guns, Holsters, and Gear.
Currently, the main attraction of GunUp.com is a huge, searchable database of pistols, rifles, and shotguns. On the site’s Research page, you’ll find photos and specs for thousands of firearms. You can search by manufacturer, caliber, action type, price, weight, and barrel length.
If you’re shopping for a handgun, shotgun, or factory rifle, this can be a real time-saver. Using the pull-down search menus, in a matter of seconds we located data for the Savage 6.5-284 F-Class rifle. That was impressive. However, the choice of calibers needs to be expanded. There is no entry for 6mmBR, or 6.5 Grendel, for example. And you won’t find any listings for boutique rifle-makers such as Cooper Firearms, or even McMillan.
But if you’re looking for a mainstream caliber from a big-name manufacturer such as Bushmaster, Marlin, Remington, Ruger and Savage, you’ll find the database very useful. With just a couple clicks you can comparison shop among thousands of different firearms.
Enhanced Features for Registered GunUp.com Members
GunUp.com invites readers to register. This gives readers access to “real-time” gun pricing, and the enhanced “Gunfinder” search tools. In addition, GunUp.com members can participate in discussions about various guns, or follow site updates via Twitter and Facebook. With so many gun forums already on the internet, we question the need for yet another venue to discuss “9mm vs. .45acp” ad nauseum, but we still think GunUp.com could be a popular site in the future. It has a sophisticated “back-end” database that allows the reader to access huge amounts of information quickly, and it’s nice to see highlights of multiple blogs collected in one location.
October 20th, 2010
The International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) has launched a new web-based training program for Hunter Education Instructors. The IHEA-approved online curriculum, developed in partnership with Remington Outdoor Foundation, features lessons designed to enhance teaching skills using animation, photos, video and narration offering expert advice.
 The more than 70,000+ volunteer instructors in North America “are the backbone of the Hunter Education Program,” said Jim Moore, president of Remington Outdoor Foundation. “The Foundation’s funding and technical support combined with the IHEA’s curriculum allowed us to create an online program that helps instructors renew their certification and encourages prospective mentors to help make hunting even safer and more enjoyable.”
To take the course as an individual and help uphold the future of hunting, visit www.IHEAtraining.com. This 90-minute, multi-media training program is available for $25/person. For an additional $5 you also can receive a discounted one-year membership to IHEA and help support safe and responsible hunting. This is a one-time offer for new members only.
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