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August 15th, 2008
Grant, one of our Forum members from New Zealand, asked if there was a universal shell-holder that could hold cartridges securely for neck-turning, trimming, and case prep. He complained that the screwdriver-type case holder he was using didn’t center easily, was hard to tighten, and the case sometimes came loose during rotation. Another forum member agreed that he has experienced the same problems using a screwdriver-type case-holder.
This editor has found that a K&M screwdriver-type case holder CAN work securely if you tighten the locking mechanism tightly with the supplied wrench. But then you need the wrench again to get the case OUT. We were interested to see if there was a better solution that held the case securely, yet was easy to lock and unlock without tools.
Forum member Gunamonth provided a solution: “I use a Lee Zip Trim three-jaw case holder. With a little practice it centers the case quite nicely and holds just about anything. Chuck it in a cordless drill and have at it. It is much better than either the K&M or Sinclair [case-holder] in my opinion and the Zip Trim jaw is a lot cheaper (about $12.00). To use with power, you also need the Zip Trim three-jaw spindle, which is another $2.00.”
August 15th, 2008
USA F-Class Team Member Larry Bartholome reminds us that two major F-Class Championships are coming up soon. Larry notes: “Both matches will be large events with many international class shooters in attendance. You can learn a great deal from these people and gain bragging rights if you beat them. I hope to see you at both events.”
The first major event is the 2nd U.S. F-Class Fullbore Nationals which will take place in conjunction with the 7th SOA/2nd U.S. Fullbore Prone Championships. This match will be held September 7-13, 2008 at the Whittington Center in Raton, NM. With up to 100 target frames available the match is not likely to be over-subscribed.
CLICK HERE to download SOA/Fullbore Championships Match Program (.pdf file).
Two weeks after the event in Raton, the Fifth Annual U.S. F-Class Nationals will be held in Lodi, Wisconsin on October 1-4, 2008. Entries for this match have been maxed out for quite sometime, with 140 people signed up and a waiting list in case the gas prices get too high for some. However, it’s not too late to get on the waiting list.
CLICK HERE for 5th Annual F-Class Nationals Program (.pdf file).
F-Class Open Rifles
The Open Division of F-Class shoots scoped match rifles from the ground. Either front rest or bipod is allowed. There is no restriction on calibers, and 6mms, 6.5mms, and 7mm chamberings are all popular. The USA F-Class Open Rifle team all uses 6.5-284 rifles at this time. Shown below is Team member Brett Solomon’s gun. Photos courtesy USFClass.com.
August 14th, 2008
Michigan’s Ted Webster, a High Master F-Class shooter, has come up with a new bipod design. Ted’s beefy, 1.75-lb bipod, with 3″-wide feet, looks like it has many advantages over a conventional Harris-style bipod for F-Class comps. Though we haven’t had a chance to test the unit first-hand, photos show the Webster bipod to have much heavier construction than a Harris and we like the large, user-friendly knobs for adjusting height and swivel angle. The “Webster” bipod is available for $175.00. Email sapper299 [at] hotmail.com for more information.
Forum member Sapper299 (Dan Webster in KY) reports: “I have been using the new bipod. It has proven to be very stable and does not move out of position when the rifle is fired like the Harris does. It is easily adjusted while in position for height, and the 3”-diameter feet rotate freely, allowing you to adjust the rifle to a level position. Height adjustments are more than adequate for just about any firing point. I used it with a mounting system for the standard Anschutz rail, but it is mountable to any forearm style. The lock-up on the forearm was very tight and I just left the mounting stud on the rifle and removed the bipod itself by loosening the locking knob.”
August 13th, 2008
John Whidden won the 2008 NRA Long-Range Championship with an impressive 1239-65X score. This was the second straight Long-Range win for phenomenally skilled but modest Georgia-based shooter, who also took the title in 2007. On the way to the overall win, Whidden also captured the Canadian Cup (848-49X) and the Leech Cup (200-15X).
The NRA Long-Range Championship went down to the wire. Whidden secured the victory on X-count, with an edge of eight Xs over runner-up Robert Gustin of California who finished with 1239-57X. (Gustin was also high Senior.) Army Shooter Sgt. Brandon Green finished third at 1238-64X, just one point behind. Nancy Tompkins, popular author of the Prone and Long-Range Rifle Shooting book, was the top female shooter, posting 1231-59X.
After winning the 2007 NRA Long-Range Championship, John Whidden provided the following commentary to AccurateShooter.com (John regularly posts in our Shooters’ Forum). We’re not sure if he changed his equipment this year–we’ll provide updates on that as soon as possible.
Winning Camp Perry and the Mental Game
Winning the National Championship is a long-time goal realized. For me, being the National Champion was the single biggest shooting goal I had. I’m not sure exactly what will be my next shooting goal yet. If I had to summarize the mental game at this level of competition in one word, I would probably choose the word “Confidence”. You have to have the highest level of confidence in your skills, your rifle, and your ammo. There can’t be even a shadow of a doubt that all of your equipment is the best there is. No detail can be left undone.
Confidence is a far-reaching idea. It includes little things like making sure you have all of your equipment with you through the use of a checklist. Anything you can do to give yourself a higher level of confidence is worth doing.
Long-Range Hardware
In NRA Long Range, we shoot “Any Sight Rifles” and Palma rifles. The Palma rifles have to be .308s and they have to use Iron sights. The Any Rifles are used at different times with iron sights or scopes. They are also fairly unrestricted, as long as they are safe, .35 cal or under, and have no muzzle brake.
For the Any Rifle matches [in 2007], I shot rifles chambered in .243 Win. My iron sight gun is a Winchester M70 action, Broughton 1-8 twist 5C barrel, Anschutz trigger, Robertson Original stock, and Warner rear sight. My scope gun is a Stolle Panda action with an Anschutz trigger, Broughton 1-8 twist 5C barrel, Roberston Composites Original stock, and a Nightforce 8-32x BR scope. All of my rifles are proud products of the Whidden Gunworks custom shop. I shoot the same load in each: Berger moly coated 105 grain VLDs, Vihtavuori N160, Lapua brass, and PMC (Russian) primers.
August 13th, 2008
The August running of the Allegheny Sniper Challenge (ASC) will take place this Saturday and Sunday, August 16-17, at Seneca Rocks, West Virginia, right on the Eastern Continental Divide. This is a “practical” field competition requiring shooters to walk through the countryside engaging targets, many at unknown distances and at difficult up or down angles. Every day has a scored, cold bore shot (CBS) so your rifle better have a reliable zero. The terrain is challenging, with lots of hills to climb; elevation at the match site is about 3,500 feet.
Yes, that’s a row of shooters lined up on the hillside.
Match organizers describe the ASC as “Sniper Golf — it involves short walks (50-300 yards) between firing positions as you engage various targets. This approach allows us to take maximum advantage of the terrain and present a very wide variety of shooting challenges. You will be moving throughout the day so plan your load accordingly. Target options 50 to 60 steel targets of various sizes and shapes, perhaps ceramic tile and anything else we might decide to throw into the mix. Stress, in some form, might be an integral part of some shots.”
To give you an idea of the kind of shooting done at ASC, we’ve provided a video. Click the above photo to see a VIDEO showing Asst. Editor Jason Baney hitting multiple metal targets in a timed, rapid-fire sequence at last year’s ASC. Note how Jason has to swing the rifle around and adjust for angle and elevation changes. In this stage, Jason engaged seven targets from 200 to 600 yards, starting at 350, then moving out to 600 and back to 200. Jason says: “There was a 20 mph full-value crosswind running and we weren’t allowed to touch the scope. That’s a serious hold-off.” Jason was one of the few ASC shooters to “clean” this stage, hitting all targets.
For more information about the Allegheny Sniper Challenge, visit http://asc.riflemen.net/. Also check out this ASC BLOG PAGE covering 2005 and 2007 Sniper Challenge events. Click on the small thumbnail photos to see galleries with dozens of ASC photos.
August 12th, 2008
Competiting in his third Olympics, Spc. Walton Glenn Eller III of the USAMU has finally won Gold. Eller, a Texas native, set two Olympic records in the Men’s Double Trap competition today to win the Gold Medal — the first American shooting gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Games.
CLICK HERE to Watch Mens’ Double Trap Finals VIDEO. Eller clinches the Gold Medal at the 37’50”-minute mark in the video.
CLICK HERE for PHOTO GALLERY of Mens’ Double Trap with Award Ceremony
Eller, who finished 12th at the Sydney Games and 17th in Athens, entered the final round today four targets ahead of Italy’s Francesco D’Aniello with a qualification score of 145 — a new Olympic record. The previous Olympic record of 144 was set by Ahmed Almaktoum of the United Arab Emirates at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
photo courtesy USAMU
Slow Start in Finals then Another Olympic Record
After missing his first pair in the final, Eller ended up shooting 45 targets and finished with a total score of 190 targets, setting another Olympic record and taking home the Gold. “I was so happy after I won, but I didn’t know whether to cry, smile or jump up and down,” said Eller. “After my performances in the last two Olympics, I really wanted to come here and bring home a medal for the U.S. This is definitely one of the greatest moments of my life so far.”
D’ Aniello took the Silver with 187 targets, while the Bronze Medal was won by Hu Binyuan of China with 184 targets. Jeff Holguin of Yorba Linda, Calif., finished fourth. D’Aniello and Hu both hit 46 targets each, the best scores in the finals. Two previous Olympic Champions, Russell Mark of Australia and Richard Faulds of Britain, were also in the Finals.
For complete shooting results, visit the official Beijing 2008 Olympic Games website.
August 12th, 2008
 Brownell’s has released its 61st full catalog, the biggest shooting products catalog ever. The 576-page resource includes more than 36,000 products, 1100 of them new since last year. CEO Frank Brownell explained: “Every 10-15 years the Catalog Department shakes the catalog up and they’ve really done it this year. There’s a color-coded table of contents for the whole catalog with [indexes] on the first page of each section. With all the side tabs and little indexes, it should easy for folks to fine their favorites. I like to think of it as thirty, special, focused catalogs in one big binder.”
Just a few of the 30 sections include: Holsters and Mag Holders; General Gunsmith Tools; Specialty Rifle Tools, plus sections for Handgun, and Shotgun Tools; Shooting Accessories; Optics and Accessories; and Spray-On Finishes. Pete Brownell said “We’ve added icons to tell you if a product is made in the USA and another to let you know if we have an online instructional video available for that product.”
The new #61 catalog will be shipped to current, active customers starting August 1, 2008 and is now available for purchase through Brownells.com or by calling 800-741-0015, Dept. #P61.
CLICK HERE to go to CATALOG ORDER PAGE. Price is $5.00 ($10.00 Overseas), refundable on your first order.
August 12th, 2008
Sales by firearm and ammunition manufacturers were up 9.7% in the first quarter of 2008, led by a 17.3% increase in ammunition sales, a 5% rise in handgun sales and a 6.7% increase in long gun sales, according to the firearm industry’s best economic indicator. The statistics are taken from the latest Pittman-Robertson federal excise tax collection report. Excise taxes are calculated as a percentage of wholesale receipts, paid quarterly by firearm and ammunition manufacturers, and earmarked for state wildlife conservation and habitat restoration programs. These statistics are based solely on U.S. civilian sales and do not include sales to military and police. During the quarter, $76.8 million was generated for conservation through excise tax collections, compared to $70.1 million in the same period in 2007. From January through March, $19.9 million was collected for pistols and revolvers, $30.3 million for long guns and $26.4 million for ammunition. The latest tax collections suggest overall sales of $716.4 million, not including retail markup or final retail sales.
Story provided by National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).
August 11th, 2008
During past Olympic Games, it was difficult to find ANY coverage of shooting events, much less real-time video, or comprehensive match scores. In the past, the main broadcast channels might feature one or two events, but only if an American was likely to win a medal. For 2008, that has all changed. NBC has dedicated vast resources to providing in-depth, web-based coverage of ALL Olympic events, including shooting sports. On the NBC Olympics website, you’ll find the latest shooting event results, complete with scores, photos, and videos. There is even a special Inside This Sport section that provides technical information, with specifics on the firearms used, and the courses of fire. The NBC Olympics website is a treasure-trove of information, updated many times daily.
CLICK HERE for Main Olympics Shooting Web Page
OLYMPIC SHOOTING Feature Pages
INSIDE the SPORT (Rules, Equipment, Shooting Formats, Glossary)
SHOOTING VIDEO Page (Event Videos plus Background Stories)
NEWS and FEATURES (Late-Breaking News and Special Interest Stories)
RESULTS and SCHEDULES (Match Scores, Event and Broadcast Times)
August 11th, 2008
Over 200 of the world’s best pistol shooters from 19 states and 4 foreign countries will compete for the World Speed Shooting Championship at the 2008 Steel Challenge. The Shooting events take place August 14 through 16 (Thurs. through Sat.) at the Steel Challenge Range in Piru, CA, located about 15 minutes from Magic Mountain in Southern California. Spectator admission is free. Awards ceremonies are scheduled for August 17 (Sunday) in nearby Valencia, CA.
Considered by many to be the “ultimate” speed-shooting competition, the Steel Challenge draws the world’s best pro shooters, who compete for over $350,000 in cash and prizes. The 3-day event tests competitors with eight challenging courses of fire, all “on the clock”.
Courses of fire, or stages, are made up of five steel targets which are electronically timed to 1/100th of a second. Competitors shoot each stage five times with their slowest run eliminated. The combined time of the four best runs is their score for that stage. Championships will be determined in in several categories including Rimfire, Shotgun, Single Action Revolver, Revolver, Stock Pistol and Open Pistol.
CLICK HERE for Steel Challenge VIDEO Trailer
Original Video © 2007 DownRange Television
Photo courtesy SteelChallenge.com
For more information, visit www.SteelChallenge.com. The Steel Challenge Media website also has STAGE DIAGRAMS and PHOTOS from recent Steel Challenge matches.
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