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This lady can shoot! Lindsey Paul is now officially the top ELR ace on the planet. The talented Texan beat a large field of competitors, including many past KO2M Champions, all guys. We congratulate Lindsey on her outstanding performance, including 3 hits in 5 shots at the max distance, 2.0 miles (3520 yards). No other competitor had more than one hit at 3520 yards, and only four other finalists even had one hit at that distance. Lindsey was shooting a .375 CheyTac cartridge with Cutting Edge 400gr solids.
K02M runner-up Ryan Cheney was leading the field most of the event, being the only shooter to hit ALL his targets (without a miss) at 1692, 2097, and 2376 yards, along with 4 of 5 at 2727 — the best at that distance. But Lindsey came through spectacularly at the final 3520-yard distance. One observer noted: “Ryan had it in the bag before Lindsay got hot — three out of five at 3520 yards is HOT!”
This was an impressive year, proving that the ELR game continues to evolve, with ever-greater overall performances by the ranks of talented shooters. Match Directors posted: “Every year we get more hits at Two Miles and this has been the best ever — 3 of 5 from Lindsey and five shooters hitting the 2 mile target: Lindsey Paul, Ryan Cheney, Jay Dvorsky, Peter Renwick, and Curtis Roman”.
Here are Results from the K02M Finals held Wednesday, 9/29/2021:
FINAL RESULTS FROM 2021 KO2M
NRA Whittington Center, Raton, New Mexico
27-29 September, 2021
Congratulations to all shooters, spotters and teams that drove to Raton from all over the USA and even more to those that hit the targets. Special thanks to the sponsors that made the prize table possible.
A special mention to the King (Queen) of 2 Miles 2021 Lindsay Paul, along with Rei Hoang, and Jaclyn Bryan. [They] proved that women can be as good or better shooters than men. I hope that each year we have more and more women shooters.
Congratulations too for Ryan Cheney who shot so well that he nearly made it to King.
A special mention to all the spotters that drove their shooters to the targets and are always there in their shadow. They all deserve an applause.
We have proven the point, once again, that hits at 2 Miles are possible and not just luck.
Thanks to all for being at KO2M
King of 2 Miles Team
The Queen of 2 Miles Thanks Her Team and Sponsors
Here is Lindsey’s Report on her Achievement — being the first woman ever to win the King, oops, make that QUEEN of 2 Miles Competition.
“I don’t even know where to start! What a wild ride this year this has been. First and foremost thank you to my amazing guy Robert for being the best spotter I could ask for. He is responsible for making most of this happen with his great wind calls, corrections and support. Thank you to the rest of my team.
Jeff had tough conditions with shade on targets for his final round making spotting misses impossible but still finished with a super-respectable 6th place. Shane has come a long way in a short time and did great as well with a 19th place finish, just below the cutoff for the finals. I’m really proud of my performance as Robert’s spotter. He forgot to write down his dope for target 3 and I still managed to help him get on target and he finished in 26th. Jay we missed the hell out of you and hope you are back to 100% soon!
My Applied Ballistics PDM (Personal Drag Model) was nearly spot on out to two miles. Your contribution to shooting sports is beyond remarkable. We couldn’t do what we do without your support.
I was concerned about switching to an Accu-Tac bipod right before this match but I’m dang sure a believer now! I picked up a Nightforce scope of the prize table which was just what I needed as I was borrowing one. Thank you to them and all of the other sponsors who stepped up to support this match and the shooting community.
Lindsay added praise for her competitors: “Congratulations to all the shooters, NRA Whittington Center is my favorite place to shoot but it can sure be challenging. Ryan Cheney made me work for it, congratulations man, you shot excellent! Rei and Jaclyn how awesome was it to have three ladies in the finals?! Congratulations to both of you!”
Lindsey Set a FCSA Cold Bore World Record in August 2021
Lindsey is definitely a top talent in the ELR game. Back in August 2021 she set a new FCSA Cold Bore World record at 1.5 miles (2464 yards). Lindsey posted: “WHAT A DAY! I set a new cold bore world record with 3 impacts at 2464 yds! I’m so thankful for an awesome team and my damn fine Alamo Precision Rifles .375 CheyTac. The 400gr Cutting Edge Lazers shined as usual!”
Big news in the gun industry. Smith & Wesson (S&W) announced today it will move its headquarters out of Massachusetts and relocate in Tennessee. In addition, a large share of S&W’s manufacturing operations will be transferred from Massachusetts to the Second Amendment-friendly state of Tennessee. Smith & Wesson will also shut down facilities in Connecticut and Missouri, in connection with the Tennessee relocation.
The main reason for the move was recent anti-gun legislation in Massachusetts. According to Fox News: “The legislation, if enacted, would prevent Smith & Wesson from manufacturing products that accounted for more than 60% of its revenue last year.” Specifically, pending bill SD. 2588 (“An Act to Stop Mass Shootings”) would bar the manufacturing of “any assault weapon or large capacity feeding device”.
When the process is complete, S&W will have just three manufacturing and distribution facilities in the USA. S&W will continue to make revolvers in Massachusetts, however, and S&W Operations in Holton, Maine will continue without change. Approximately 1000 S&W jobs will remain in Massachusetts after the move. But 750 jobs will be re-located to the new S&W headquarters/production center in Maryville, Tennessee. The move is slated to take place in 2023 at an estimated cost of $138,000,000 to build new facilities and transfer tooling/machinery.
Manufacture of most S&W semi-auto rifles and pistols will be moved out of Massachusetts.
Fox Business noted that restrictive, Democratic Party-sponsored legislation in Massachusetts is compelling S&W to leave: “Gun maker Smith & Wesson Brands Inc. will relocate its headquarters to Tennessee next year due to proposed firearms legislation in its home state of Massachusetts. The legislation, if enacted, would prevent Smith & Wesson from manufacturing products that accounted for more than 60% of its revenue last year.” Smith & Wesson was founded in Connecticut in 1856, and has been headquartered in Springfield Massachusetts for most of its 165 years of operation. Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the “Smith & Wesson Revolver Company” in 1856.
A S&W press release cited these key factors in the decision to move:
1. Support for the Second Amendment
2. Business friendly environment
3. Quality of life for employees
4. Cost of living and affordability
5. Access to higher education institutions
6. Availability of qualified labor for its operations and headquarter functions
7. Favorable location for efficiency of distribution
Recently proposed legislation in Massachusetts, if enacted, would prohibit the company from manufacturing certain firearms in the state. Mark Smith, S&W CEO/President said:
“After an exhaustive and thorough analysis, for the continued health and strength of our iconic company, we feel that we have been left with no other alternative. These bills would prevent Smith & Wesson from manufacturing firearms that are legal in almost every state in America and that are safely used by tens of millions of law-abiding citizens every day exercising their Constitutional Second Amendment rights, protecting themselves and their families, and enjoying the shooting sports. While we are hopeful that this arbitrary and damaging legislation will be defeated in this session, these products made up over 60 percent of our revenue last year, and the unfortunate likelihood that such restrictions would be raised again led to a review of the best path forward for Smith & Wesson.”
Smith further praised Tennessee’s leaders: “The strong support we have received from the State of Tennessee… combined with the quality of life, outdoor lifestyle and low cost of living in the Greater Knoxville area has left no doubt that Tennessee is the ideal location for Smith & Wesson’s new headquarters. We would like to specifically thank Governor Lee for his decisive contributions and the entire state legislature for their unwavering support of the Second Amendment and for creating a welcoming, business-friendly environment.”
S&W’s Tennessee factory and headquarters construction will commence in the 4th quarter of this year and is expected to be completed by mid-2023.
You probably know by now that the NRA 2021 Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Houston was cancelled at the last minute. The big event, originally slated for September 3-5, 2021, was called off because of health concerns related to the COVID Delta Variant.
What you probably did NOT know, was that the NRA has rescheduled its official Annual Members’ Meeting for Saturday, October 2, 2021 in North Carolina. The rescheduled event is now set for a single day at the Sheraton/Le Meridien Hotel Complex in Charlotte, NC. Space is limited, but it appears registration is still possible for NRA members (with their membership number).
How to Register Online (NRA Membership Number Required)
To register for the event, you must first go to the NRA Annual Members’ Meeting Page, then click the blue button labeled “REGISTER NOW”.
Next, on the eTix Registration Start page that appears when you click REGISTER NOW, you must scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page, until you see a green tab labeled “Register”. Warning — this may be blocked by the cookie permission pop-up. On most browsers the green tab was NOT visible until the cookie warning was removed.
WARNING: Do NOT click on the blue link at the top of the page labeled “NRA Annual Member’s Meeting”. That will take you to an eTix dead-end that says “No Tickets Available”.
IMPORTANT: You must Scroll ALL the way down to the bottom of the page. Look for the “Number of Registrants” and GREEN button labeled “Register”. It looks like this on a large screen:
or like this on mobile devices:
Then select the number of tickets and click the green bar. You will be prompted to insert your NRA membership number(s) for the tickets you want. This should be a NINE digit number per member (do NOT use the first three zeros that may appear on some NRA communications).
If you do everything right, you should see this page:
Hodgdon Powder Company, on 9/27/2021, announced that it would be shutting down the GOEX Black Powder production center at Camp Minden in Louisiana. This was the last remaining black powder factory in the United States. This could mean “hard times ahead for traditional muzzle-loading and BPCR shooting” (source: NAMLhunt.com). Here is the official announcement on the Hodgdon website:
“Effective immediately, Hodgdon Powder Company, Inc. has made the decision to cease manufacturing operations at the company’s Camp Minden, Louisiana site while evaluating strategic options for the black powder business.
The business will wind down operations while an evaluation process on the future of the black powder business takes place. Strategic options for the GOEX and Olde Eynsford brands of black powder, along with the manufacturing capabilities, will include a potential sale of the business. All affected employees will be retained through December 31, 2021 to assist in an orderly closing of the site and receive severance commensurate with their years of service to the company.
The Hodgdon Powder Co., Inc has been honored to have been a part of the GOEX Powder legacy and sustains a fond appreciation for sporting customers who have enjoyed shooting GOEX powders.”
Ironically, the GOEX logo states “The Tradition Continues”.
With this announcement, GOEX might be gone for good.
The closure eliminates the only domestic source of blackpowder in the United States. According to a company press release, Hodgdon will evaluate “strategic options for the black powder business”, including a potential sale of the company.
GOEX Powder has a long, storied history that starts in 1802 with the building of a blackpowder plant on the Brandywine River in Delaware by E.I. Du Pont de Nemours. Production expanded with the building of the Belin plant in Moosic, Penn., in 1912, and the facility supplied military blackpowder during both world wars, as well as the Korean and Vietnam wars. In the 1970s, the Belin plant was incorporated into the GOEX family, and production moved to Minden, LA, in 1997. [In 1969] GOEX was purchased by Hodgdon Powder Company [which] spent years updating equipment at the Minden facility, enhancing employee safety and blackpowder quality.
Despite Hodgdon’s efforts, the GOEX facility at Camp Minden has a history of manufacturing incidents stretching back to 1998, including a June 2011 incident where 1,000 pounds of blackpowder exploded. The latest incident at GOEX occurred on June 18, 2021, when an explosion required the evacuation of 15 employees inside the facility. Nobody was injured, but the plant observed a 24- to 48-hour waiting period to ensure that nothing else at the facility ignited.
While the King of 2 Miles event kicks off today in Raton, New Mexico this week, another Extreme Long Range (ELR) competition just concluded in Trapani on the west coast of the Italian island of Sicily. The challenging Extreme Shot One Mile Italia in Sicily took place September 22-26, 2021.
Our British friend Gary Costello took top honors. He reports: “The end of a fantastic week in Sicily, competing at the Extreme Shot One Mile Italia competition. It was great to take home the win. All credit goes to my shooting partner/spotter Stuart who did the business! And congratulations to the other podium winners: Second Place Iacono Rosario and Third Place Rod Formosa. A big thanks to the organizers for a great competition. We made many new friends. See you all next year!”
Click below to watch Official Video of Extreme Shot One Mile Italia winner Gary Costello’s final string. The video records the shots in real time as his spotter was seeing it. This last string had steel targets at 1400m, 1500m, and 1640m. The 1400 and 1500m targets were 60x70cm plates while the most distant 1640m target used a 70x80cm plate. 1640 meters is 1.019 miles.
If you watch this video closely, you can see Gary’s 33XC bullets score hits, including a clear hit on the 1640m target (starting at 3:10 time-mark). Gary’s shots produced visible dark spots on the steel.
Gary was shooting the 33XC cartridge with Berger 300 OTM Bullets. His big ELR rifle, built by GS Precision in the UK, features a BAT ‘M’ RBLP action, Manners LRT carbon stock, and Benchmark 34″, 1:7.5″-twist, five-groove barrel. Gary notes that barrel only had 30 shots through it when the match began. The scope was a March 5-42x56mm HM FFP wide angle with MIL FML-3 reticle.
The event offered a long range challenge set in the beautiful Sicilian countryside with targets placed from 500m to 1640m (one mile is 1609.34 meters). We love the location, and participants praised the event.
Gary Costello’s Post-Match Report:
Q: How is the range in Trapani and what were the wind/weather conditions during the match?
Gary: The range is situated in a valley with distant tall hills. This makes a great backstop. The weather, as you would expect, was warm, usually 80-85 degrees F. The wind was strong, predominately from the left going up the valley. However, it was being affected by the topography. Some of the closer targets were as difficult as the long ones due to the conditions.
This shows the target locations at the Sicily range except for the cold bore and “surprise” targets.
Q: What do you like about ELR competition?
Gary: This was my first ELR competition. I have been ‘lurking’ for a while and made a trip to France for KO2M back in 2019 (just to watch). ELR is very different to F-Class. However the fundamentals are similar. I do like the longer ranges and the challenges these create to make contact. An accurate rifle is essential.
Q: How did you like Sicily and the hospitality of fellow competitors?
Gary: Sicily is fantastic, with super-friendly people. All the guys at the range and the organizers bent over backwards to accommodate and help. Plus there were fantastic lunches delivered daily! Logistics and COVID restrictions didn’t make the trip easy. However it was all worth it.
Today, September 25, 2021, is National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD). We’re proud to recognize how important hunting is for millions of Americans — as a source of food for families and as an important connection with nature and the outdoors. The NFHD website has helpful resources for hunters, and in this article we provide links for Where to Hunt, How to get Hunting Licenses, and Hunter Education.
This month we hope some of our readers can take new shooters afield and introduce them to hunting. Many hunters receive their first introduction to hunting from family or friends as a tradition passed down from generation to generation. There are over 9.2 million hunters in the United States. Join the millions of dedicated hunters to enjoy a fulfilling experience in the outdoors.
To have a successful hunt you must first get to areas where game thrives. Finding the right places to hunt is essential. The NSSF offers a nationwide Where-to-Hunt database of hunting areas. You can click on a particular state, then specify the specicies you wish to hunt. This is a very useful resource.
In most states, when hunting game animals, you’ll need a hunting license and/or zone permit. The Federal Fish & Wildlife Service has state-by-state listing for hunting licenses on FWS.gov. Click the box below to learn how to get hunting licenses in your region.
For all hunters, whether they have mentors to guide them or not, the most important first step into the woods begins with a state-certified hunter education course. Click the box below to see hunting education opportunities around the nation.
Game Resources — To learn more about different game species, click these NSSF links:
To help you prepare for a fall hunt, here is a free, printable Deer Practice target. Hone your skills on a trio of bucks with a red bullseye centered on the animals. You can print the targets in black and white, but they look best in color. Right-click the image below to download a FREE printable PDF file.
Do you have an Eliseo Tubegun that you use for sling-shooting competitions, but would like to try your hand at F-Class Open matches? Well here is a low-cost, yet very effective add-on that can transform your TubeGun into a serious F-Open rifle. The bolt-on rails also work great for load development if you want to use a front rest with 3″-wide front bag for greater stability and repeatability.
Competition Machine’s Gary Eliseo is a very smart designer as well as a talented shooter. The inventor/builder of the popular Competition Machine Tubegun chassis systems, Gary offers a bolt-on bag-rider accessory. Gary call this his PickleFork fore-end extension. The Pickleforks are rails that fit to the sides of the tubular fore-end/handguard on his chassis systems. This allows you to use a pedestal-style front rest for F-Class competition.
Pickleforks also provide a much more stable platform for load testing, varmint hunting, or any kind of rest-assisted precision shooting. These PickleForks transform a Tubegun into an ultra-stable, straight-tracking rig when used with a competition-style front rest.
Gary explains: “Now you can have the same super low-boreline, long ‘wheelbase’ and vertical sides of our innovative F1 F-Class chassis system for your tube chassis. The new PickleForks attach directly to the sides of the F-Class/Tactical fore-ends, no modifications are required. They are very rigid with no flex or twist and make the rifle track like it’s on rails.” The new Eliseo Competition Machine PickleForks are offered for a very reasonable $70.00 per pair, with Cerakote finish. (You get two metal units, one for each side of the fore-arm). For more information, visit www.GotXRing.com or call (928) 649-0742.
Product Tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
A legend in the shooting community has passed. And we are all diminished. Walt Berger passed away on September 19, 2021. A great innovator, a great benchrest competitor (with many Hall of Fame points), and a great friend to countless shooters, Walt will be truly missed.
Berger Bullets announced yesterday: “It is with our deepest regrets that we announce the passing of Berger Bullets & Ammunition founder, Walter Berger. Walt passed peacefully on Sunday afternoon September 19th, 2021, surrounded by friends and family at the age of 92.
‘If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right’, were words that Walt lived by. One could see it in how he treated friends and family, and in his impact on the shooting world. Walt’s legacy and dedication to quality is carried on by his grandson, David Hamilton, the Plant Manager of the Berger manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona. Walt’s philosophies and business practices are the guiding principles in our mission to ensure that products bearing the Berger name continue to be something Walt would be proud of. We celebrate his life and will do our best to live up to his example.”
Walt was a remarkable man who loved the sport of benchrest shooting. He was still competing at age 90+. Here he is in 2016 at the Cactus Classic in Arizona.
Many of our readers and Forum members knew Walt and shot with him at matches over the decades. Here are some of the expressions of sadness at his passing:
“Great man, he had a long run, and touched many lives.” — Boyd Allen
“A real gentleman and always there to help anyone that needed it. I’m blessed to have known him many years. RIP old Friend.” — Bill Shehane
“Now there is a man for ya! I remember talking to him and Eunice on the phone back in the 80s ordering some of their benchrest bullets. May God bless his family. Thank you Walt for the great bullets — I’ve watched them do some amazing things!” — Don Mild
“Walt was an iconic figure in accurate shooting for many many years. A gentleman in the game who traveled worldwide including Australia. He will be sorely missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. Rest assured men like Walt aren’t made any more. Thanks for everything Walt — your Australian friends will never forget you.” — Brad Ward
“When I first started chasing accuracy I used to buy bullets from Walt at his little shop on Camelback Road in Phoenix. He always had time to share his expertise and to help me. He and Eunice are together again, shooting at the big range in the sky where the weather is perfect with no wind.” — Doug Whitson
“My prayers go to David, Stacey, Eric, and the girls.
Walt was a truly special man and friend.” — Nancy Tompkins
“He was a Man of Legend. And Legends live forever.” — Ivan Lukashevych
About Walt Berger and Berger Bullets
Walt Berger shot competitive benchrest most of his adult life. Seeing that the bullets he could buy off-the-shelf were not up to his quality expectations, Walt decided that he could make better precision bullets than he could purchase. Walt started making his own bullets and proved their quality by winning competitions and eventually even earning his place in the Benchrest Shooters Hall of Fame. Other benchrest shooters saw his success and solicited him to make their bullets as well.
After years of crafting bullets by hand in his garage, Walt’s wife, Eunice, who was also a legend in benchrest competition, encouraged him to expand his hobby into a business. Together, they grew Berger into a large-scale precision bullet operation with exceptionally high quality standards.
.22 LR Rimfire Rifles and Air Rifles Shooting Side by Side — Same Match, Same Targets.
Air Rifles and .22 LR Rimfires Compete Together
There’s a new game in town — an innovative 50-yard benchrest discipline where .22 LR shooters and Air Rifle aces compete shoulder to shoulder. This new Rimfire + Airgun sport was created by the National 50 Benchrest League (aka “N50″) which now has 16 registered clubs in ten U.S. States.
The N50 League held its first-ever National Championship at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, NM earlier this month. This new organization has air rifles and rimfire rifles competing together. Notably, at the first-ever N50 Nationals, a purpose-built .22-caliber slug air rifle won against unlimited benchrest .22 LR rifles. We believe that may well be the first-ever airgun victory in a 50-yard benchrest match over serious rimfire competition.
Top Guns at Inaugural N50 Match
Lou Fontana took the overall victory in the match with a 2961 score. Lou shot both air rifles and rimfire rifles in the match, proving he’s a master of both types of guns. Ardey Vad finished second with 2957, while gun-builder Mike Niksch (Thomas Rifles) took third with 2952. Mike’s radical, advanced Thomas air rifle with electronic trigger is featured below. CLICK HERE for full N50 Nationals Results.
Lou, who hails from California, enjoyed the match, noting: “I have a good mentor and a better air rifle than me — my Thomas #33″. Lou added: “Thank you all that attended and special thanks for those that helped in any way to make this inaugural event a good time. We had nice weather, good temperatures, tricky wind, and a little rain. States represented were Washington, Colorado, Nevada, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.” Lou also praised Joseph Friedrich, one of the founding fathers of N50. Joe tirelessly scored the targets, with help from Mike Niksch’s wife Matti.
Commentary by Joe Friedrich, Open Grove Benchrest
The new National 50 Benchrest League (N50) is a unique shooting experience. We shoot air rifles with pellets and slugs alongside .22 LR Rimfire shooters. We currently have sanctioned clubs throughout the USA offering competition and good fellowship.
N50 has three Classes: Pellet, Sportsman, and PRO. The first Pellet Class is strictly for pellet airguns ranging in calibers from .177-.30 using Diabolo-style pellets from various manufacturers.
The second class is the Sportsman Slug/Rimfire. This combined class allows any factory air rifle shooting commercially-made slugs in calibers from .177-.30 to compete against any factory rimfire that utilizes a factory-barreled action with no attachments to barrel. Pellet air rifles may also compete in this class.
The third class is the PRO Class, and no you do not have to have some magic card that says “Professional” to compete. This class allows purpose-built air rifles, and what we call “unlimited” rimfire rifles to compete. Three types of loads are allowed in PRO Class: .177 slug air-driven, .22 slug air-driven, and any .22 LR ammunition.
Another point — in N50, competitors are allowed to move up in class — you aren’t restricted to a “lower” division. For example, Pellet Class shooters can also move up to shoot in Sportsman and Pro. In addition, Factory rimfires are allowed in Pro Class. This way shooters with the less-expensive rifles can shoot more relays and also see how they compete with the unlimited rigs. It’s all about having fun.
We wanted to make N50 as simple as we could combining air rifles with rimfire so folks who have a factory rimfire can participate and have fun. We also did not want a lot of classes, so combining the two gun types would be simpler. To be honest we were worried that the rimfires will outpace the air rifles, but that was not the case at this year’s Nationals.
National 50 Benchrest League Rules and Course of Fire
The official N50 website, National50.org, lists N50 rules, classes, courses of fire, and membership requirements. There are currently 16 affiliated clubs nationwide, with more coming soon.
General Rules — Here are some of the more notable N50 General Rules that apply to N50 matches:
Target Distance: 50 yards
Match Times: 20 minutes per target
Targets: Official targets produced and distributed by N50
Aggregate Score: Cumulative score of 3 targets shot in sequence on same day
Scoring: No competitor shall score their own target
As far as hardware, N50 is pretty open. For all 3 classes, any scope is allowed and any trigger is allowed. For all 3 classes, stocks are unrestricted, stocks may be bedded, and rifle weight is unlimited. However, the Sportsman Class must retain factory barrel and action. N50 competitors in all classes may use 1-piece rests, 2-piece rests, bags, or bipods — whatever they prefer.
Mike Niksch, owner of Thomas Rifles, won the PRO class with a very strong performance. What is remarkable, and perhaps even historic, is that Mike won with an air rifle, defeating all the high-end unlimited-type .22 LR rimfire rifles in the process. This may be the first time an air rifle out-performed high-end rimfire rigs in head-to-head competition, shooting the same targets in the same match. Overall Match Winner and PRO Class runner-up Lou Fontana observed: “The real significance of this weekend is that Mike Niksch and his brand new Thomas Slug air rifle outshot several unlimited .22 LRs in PRO class. This should be a paradigm shift for most. That may have never been done in competition before. I’ll add it was done at the NRA Whittington Center monitored by a NRA Range Officer.”
Look carefully at that photo. You’ll note Mike’s right hand is on a black box, NOT a conventional trigger. The wood-stocked air rifle Mike shot at Raton is equipped with a state-of-the-art electronic trigger of Mike’s own design. To fire a shot, Mike simply pushes a button that sends an electric impulse via a wire. This trips a mechanism inside the rifle’s action which releases the pressurized air. The system works very well and actually makes the Thomas air rifles simpler to build. The big advantage is that no movement is imparted to the rifle.
Thomas Air Rifle with Metal Stock
While Mike Niksch shot a wood-stocked rig at Raton, Mike also crafts a version of his rifle with an alloy stock and conventional trigger. We shot a video of Mike with this gun at the Open Grove Range in California (see above). Mike builds air rifles with the buyers’ choice of stock. He likes both the wood and the metal versions, and both shoot great — check out that 10-shot group Mike drilled at Open Grove.
A brilliant innovator, Mike has created a rifle design that sets new standards for airgun accuracy. At right is a 10-shot group Mike shot at 50 yards at the Open Grove range with the rifle in the video. Few centerfire rifles could match that accuracy. We asked Mike to demonstrate his rifle’s accuracy, and he sure delivered!
Custom .22-Caliber Slugs
Like many top N50 airgun competitors, Mike forms his own slugs, starting with strings of lead. The lead is cut in short sections then formed up in special bullet-making dies.
The finished .22-caliber slugs look very similar to rebated boat-tail centerfire match bullets. And boy do they shoot!
Mike has tried a wide variety of commercially-available slug designs in his sophisticated air rifles. But nothing has shot as well as the slugs he forms himself. One reason could be that Mike uses custom .22 LR barrels originally designed for .22 LR rimfire rigs. It may be that commercially-made slugs have not yet been optimized for these smallbore barrels. Whatever the reason, Mike’s home-made slugs shoot better than anything he can buy. He has shown us some 100-yard groups that would make centerfire shooters envious.
A legend in the shooting community has passed. And we are all diminished. Walt Berger passed away on September 19, 2021. A great innovator, a great benchrest competitor (with many Hall of Fame points), and a great friend to countless shooters, Walt will be truly missed.
Thomas Air Rifle with Metal Stock
Custom .22-Caliber Slugs
