The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil are coming up soon. The Rio Olympic Games will include rifle, pistol, and shotgun competitions. Shooting events will be held in Brazil’s ultra-modern Olympic Shooting Center, originally created for the 2007 Pan-American Games at a cost of $53.5 million. Perhaps the most challenging Olympic rifle discipline is the 50m three-position (3P) smallbore match. In this article, American Olympian Matt Emmons provides expert tips on three-position shooting.
Here Matt Shows the Kneeling Position. The other two positions are Standing and Prone.
Matt Emmons will compete in the Three-Position Event at the Rio Olympics, seeking his fourth Olympic medal. Rio marks Matt’s fourth Olympic appearance — he has competed on the U.S. National Team since 1997, medaling in three Olympic games: Gold in 2004 in Men’s 50m Prone; Silver in 2008 in Men’s 50m Prone; and Bronze in 2012 in Men’s 50m 3X40. Although his specialty is Men’s 3-Position rifle, Emmons’ World Championship and Olympic Gold are in Men’s 50m Prone. He usually shoots an Anschütz or Bleiker .22LR rifle, with Eley Tenex ammo.
Here are shooting tips from Matt, courtesy Anschütz. Click image below to launch a large PDF file. Right-click the image and “save as” to download the poster-sized PDF.
CLICK Photo to Load Large PDF File
Three Sets of Hardware for Three Positions
You may be surprised to find that Matt often totes three complete sets of rifle parts to important matches — three buttplates, three cheekpieces, and three Centra sights with adjustable irises. Matt told Shooting Sports USA that he travels with “three sets for three positions. Our final is so fast that I need three sets of everything to allow a fast change-over between positions.” Matt carries his gear in an an Anschütz sport bag: “It’s similar to the big Ogio duffels with wheels, but lighter. I’ve worked with AHG/Anschütz for many years and I like their bag because all of my junk fits in it.”
Emmons, who will be competing in Rio this upcoming August, also carries something for good luck: “My wife Katy gave me a little figurine of a Czech fairytale character a long time ago for good luck and I always have it with me when I shoot.”
Shooting really well with a lightweight bipod requires good technique. One thing you want to do with most field-style bipods is to “pre-load” the bipod with forward pressure. In a helpful “how-to” article, Accuracy-Tech Blog Editor Rich offers some good advice on bipod technique, explaining how to pre-load your bipod before each shot. Hunters and practical/tactical shooters may want to read this article.*
Rich explains: “The purpose of loading a bipod is to take any and all slack out of the shooter and rifle system. If the shooter … doesn’t have a solid position behind the rifle it will jump around more.” With good technique and a solid position, Rich explains, you should be able to tame the recoil pulse and eliminate the dread “bipod hop” which can force you to re-establish your position.
Rich offers two methods to load the bipod before each shot:
“Method number one is to get into position behind the gun, bring the stock up to your shoulder and relax. Then slowly, pressing off the tips of your big toes with your feet, shimmy your entire body as a unit forward slightly against the rifle. You don’t want to move it, you just want to put a little pressure against it.”
“The second method is to get into position, and then lift your chest up off the ground with the muscles in your back. You want to do a little sea otter impression here. As you lift your trunk up slightly, pull the rifle stock up into your shoulder pocket. Then as you relax push the gun forward in front of you but stop short of removing all the forward pressure against the rifle. If you push too far it won’t have any pressure against it. You don’t have to make large movements here, just a small lift, pull the rifle in, then relax back against the gun.”
Here’s a video of Rich shooting from bipod. You can see how his Atlas Bipod is pre-loaded. Watch how the gun recoils with no “bipod hop”. Rich shows very good form on the gun with smooth follow-though. Regarding follow-through, Rich says: “Don’t slap the trigger, don’t play gopher head[.] You want to remain motionless behind the rifle until the recoil impulse is over. If you lift your head between shots on the same target, you are hurting your chances of making a hit on subsequent shots.”
* The techniques recommended here are for lightweight, field-type bipods such as the Harris and Atlas models. You may want to use a completely different technique with large, wide-track F-TR and joystick bipods, allowing them to slide backwards on their sled feet during recoil.
Can a human, with a sling, shoot as well as a mechanical rest? The answer is “yes” (at least once in a great while) IF that sling shooter can deliver a record-breaking performance. Here’s an interesting tale of man vs. machine from our archives…
The USAMU posed an interesting challenge — could one of their shooters match the performance of a mechanical rest? Who would win in this battle between man and machine? You might just be surprised. At 600 yards, with an AR-platform rifle, the results can be remarkably close, based on targets provided by the USAMU. When clamped in a test rig, a USAMU M16A2 produced a 200-18X group with handloads. The USAMU says this was “one of our better 20-shot groups at 600 yards, testing ammo from a machine rest”. Can a human do better?
Remarkably, a human soldier came very close to matching the group shot from the machine rest. The photo below shows a 20-shot group shot by a USAMU marksman with sling and iron sights, using USAMU-loaded ammunition. The score, 200-16X, was nearly the same. As you can see, the USAMU rifleman didn’t give up much to the machine rest, even at 600 yards!
In fairness, this was no ordinary human performance. The 200-16X score was a new National Record set in December, 1994. This was fired by PFC Coleman in an Interservice Match at Okeechobee, Florida. Brilliant Performance.
Report based on Story by Kyle Jillson inNRAblog.
Air Rifle Shooters — Do you dream of winning the NRA Indoor National Championships or competing in the Olympics some day? All that may be a few years off, but you can work on becoming an NRA Distinguished Shooter in Sporter and Precision Air Rifle right now…
Making Distinguished in Air Rifle shooting is a goal that can be accomplished by a skilled, dedicated shooter in a few seasons. The discipline you learn along the way will help your overall accuracy with just about any gun. Two separate medallions and lapel pins can be earned by each individual who successfully completes the requirements for both 3-Position Precision and Sporter. Shooters who earn both awards will also receive a Double Distinguished pin.
Are you fed up with all the “Tacticool” nonsense? Do you wonder about guys who are more into “macho” fashion statements than actually learning effective gun-handling skills? Are you tired of the whole “tactical lifestyle” silliness? Well so is respected firearms trainer David Spaulding. In this refreshingly frank and candid video, Dave speaks the “plain truth” about firearms training, pistols in particular.
Great “No-BS” Video — David Spaulding Calls Out Firearms Training Nonsense:
David explains that you don’t need to dress up like a Spec Ops Warrior. You don’t need a beard and you don’t need to wear tactical pants and combat boots. Jeans and sneakers work just fine.
David also says that too many people are caught up in hardware “one-upsmanship”. Get the pistol that works best for you — it doesn’t matter if it’s not the one used by Delta Force. Likewise, get the holster that fits YOU best, even if it’s not on the cover of Guns & Ammo magazine.
Most importantly, David says that, to be truly proficient with any firearm, you must TRAIN with that firearm in real life. Surfing the web won’t substitute for actual training time, David says. AccurateShooter.com agrees wholeheartedly — while this website provides a wealth of info on reloading, marksmanship, and other topics, you still need to get out to the range and train. There is no substitute for actual trigger time, preferably under the guidance of a competent mentor or instructor.
“The fact remains [that] if you really understood the psychological and financial trauma that occurs to someone when they take a life, you won’t want to do it. So the fascination with war-fighting, and gear, and killing people just does not make sense.
I’ll have people that contact me and say ‘What kind of trousers were you wearing?’ Who cares! They’re [just] a pair of pants…” — David Spaulding
Story based on article by Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer
This story is about two shooters who have shown dedication, courage, and the ability to overcome physical limitations. 18-year-old Taylor Farmer has cerebral palsy. Her mentor and shooting coach, Greg Drown, has multiple sclerosis. But working together, Taylor has shown amazing abilities in competitive shooting. Taylor hopes someday to compete for the USA as a paralympic shooter in the Olympics.
Taylor Farmer was born to persevere. Her entire life, cerebral palsy (a neurological condition that limits muscle coordination) has forced her to work harder than others to achieve her goals. The effects of the disease on her body cause her to walk with crutches and to use a wheelchair for longer distances — but that hasn’t slowed her down.
As a teenager, Taylor began shooting rifle with her dad and her older brother. She never let the cerebral palsy get in the way of her desire to shoot. “I didn’t really think of it as being a challenge. I just wanted to do it…” she said.
Taylor built her marksmanship skills shooting rimfire rifles with a junior 4-H club. Her 4-H coach, Mary Ann Miller, recognized Taylor’s talent and introduced her to Greg Drown, a past State Champion shooter. That was the beginning of a great partnership…
Shooting Champion Doesn’t Let Multiple Sclerosis Stop Him
Greg Drown, 56, was a member of the Ohio State University Rifle team from 1980-1984, serving as team captain and earning numerous shooting honors. He competed in the 1984 Olympic Team Tryouts in Los Angeles and has been a State Champion in Three Position Air Rifle and Smallbore Prone. But a greater challenge lay ahead…
From 1995-2000, Greg gradually developed multiple sclerosis, a disabling condition of the central nervous system. His disease placed him in a wheelchair, but his determination kept him moving further into his shooting career (and winning a slew of gold medals and championships).
“It was a daunting task to re-learn the positions, not to mention shooting out of a chair with an attached table,” he said. “I had my trials and tribulations, but it took three or four years to become competitive again.” With determination, Greg reached the pinnacle of his career by winning the 2009 3P Any Sight Para National Championship at Camp Perry. He also made it to a Para World Cup in 2011.
Greg and Taylor Work Together
In September 2015, Greg and Taylor connected for the first time during the Ohio Day at the Range at Camp Perry. This event, held annually at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center, is conducted for children and adults with disabilities and their families.
“I grabbed a sporter rifle off the rack and Taylor began shooting off the foam rests,” Greg said. “She consistently put 20 or so shots in the 10 ring.”
Taylor then asked Greg if she could get rid of the rest and shoot out of the adapted standing position while seated in her wheelchair. To Greg’s amazement, she continued to put shot after shot in the 9 and 10 ring — all without a coat and glove.
After the success of its winter Ballistics seminar in Michigan, Applied Ballistics has taken its show on the road. Right now Bryan Litz and his team are running a seminar in Texas, and there will be two (2) more seminars this year — one in Michigan and one in North Carolina. These seminars cover a wide range of topics, with the primary focus on basic to advanced ballistics principles as applied to long-range shooting. Bryan uses a multi-media approach: “Everyone learns in different ways — some by reading, others process graphics better. The Applied Ballistics seminars offer a chance to engage industry professionals directly in person, and to ask your questions directly, in live conversation. This format is the best way for many shooters to learn the science of accuracy.”
AUDIO FILE: Bryan Litz Reports from the Ballistics Seminar in Texas on May 23rd. (Sound file loads when you click button).
To learn about upcoming seminars, watch a preview video, or get more information, CLICK THIS LINK. NOTE: If you want to get involved, places still remain for the summer and fall seminars. SEE Registration links below:
Full House in Texas — Ballistics Seminar is a Big Success
As you can see, this week’s seminar has been hugely popular, with over 130 shooters in attendence. Bryan Litz tells us: “Engagement at the Dallas seminar is great. With so many participants (130+), there’s a lot to discuss! Our content covers a lot of the aspects of long range ballistics, and the guys take the conversation into various applications such as hunting, competition shooting, and Military/LE applications as well. On Day One we covered basic and advanced trajectory features, Ballistic Coefficients, and laser rangefinder performance — all before lunch. In the afternoon we discussed wind from academic and practical standpoints. The afternoon session included a briefing by former USAMU team coach Emil Praslick, one of the best wind coaches in the world. After dinner there were informal break-out sessions with myself and guest speakers. Day Two (Tuesday) will be just as full — we’ll cover a lot of ground.”
The annual NRA convention kicks off today in Louisville, Kentucky. One of the most enjoyable things to do at the show is shooting airguns. For the 7th consecutive year, the NRA Competitive Shooting Division and Pyramyd Air will operate an Airgun Range during the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits. You’ll find the Pyramyd Air Airgun Range at Kentucky Exposition Center Booth #2684. The range opens at 2:00 pm on Thursday, May 19th and operates through Sunday, May 22nd.
Pyramyd Air Airgun Range Schedule, May 19-22, 2016:
Thursday, May 19:
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 21:
8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Friday, May 20:
8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 22:
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
“Pyramyd Air is thrilled to sponsor the Airgun Range again this year [as] we are also celebrating our 20th Anniversary,” said Pyramyd Founder/CEO Joshua Ungier. The Airgun Range in Booth #2684 is open to all ages (minors must be accompanied by an adult). The firing line is supervised by NRA Certified Instructors. The range is stocked with airguns appropriate for all ages along with ammo and interactive targets. Products from Air Arms, AirForce, Ataman, Air Venturi, Beeman, BSA, Crosman, Evanix, Gamo, Sam Yang, Sig Sauer, Stoeger and Umarex will be available at the Airgun Range.
Pyramyd Air Celebrates 20th Year in Business
May, 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of Pyramyd Air. In the past two decades, Pyramyd Air has grown from a 3-person basement operation into a multi-million-dollar company with 60+ employees. Pyramyd Air is now the largest online airgun retailer in the world.
Twenty years after purchasing his first shipment of air rifles from England, Pyramyd Air CEO Joshua Ungier recalls the struggles of entrepreneurship: “In order to expand I needed a lot more money, so naturally I went to the bank seeking a loan. When I told the bank manager what I needed the money for he simply stared at me. At that point I knew it was futile and I would need to find a different way.” Ungier approached his wife, and after borrowing from her, he outgrew his basement and moved to a small warehouse. “Within a few years I moved to a larger warehouse, then another. Twenty years and 60,000 square feet later, we’re a far cry from my basement,” Ungier said with pride.
“Building an environment that provides good lives for my people and their families has been an honor,” says Ungier. “We value the voice of our customers and strive to provide them with superior customer service, provocative products, and a staff of experts that provide a resource of knowledge that is second to none regarding every single product we carry.”
There are two segments on Shooting USA this week that are well worth watching. On Wednesday (May 18, 2016), Shooting USA features a lengthy segment on the Bushnell Brawl tactical match. This is followed by an “Impossible Shoots” episode featuring top USAMU shooter SSG Daniel Horner.
This Wednesday, May 18th, Shooting USA TV features the Bushnell Brawl, a tactical competition that draws top long-range shooters from the military, law enforcement and the civilian shooting communities. The match is held at the famed Rifles Only range in Kingsville, Texas. The Brawl is a one-of-a-kind physical and mental challenge that tests each shooter’s ability to read wind, figure ballistics, and adapt to difficult shooting scenarios. There is even a helicopter stage.
Shooting from a helicopter, shooting off of a wire, and shooting from the physically demanding maze called the Mouse Trap. These are just a few of the unique courses of fire at the Bushnell Brawl, part of the PRS series. Over the course of two days, competitors tackle more than a dozen stages, and this year Bushnell hosted a special one-day event for the new PRS Production Class. This new division should attract new shooters by limiting the cost of equipment — making PRS competition affordable.
New PRS Production Division — Lowering the Cost of Entry
The Production Division is a new PRS classification. Under Production Division rules, the rifle and scope must cost under $3,000, combined. All other accessories, such as bipod, rear bag, and the sling, can be added at the shooter’s own discretion. By lowering the cost of entry, PRS organizers hope to get more shooters involved: “There’s a lot of gear out there that’s not that expensive that you can use to get into this and start to play the game,” says Production Division Match Director Jacob Bynum.
Shooting USA’s Impossible Shots — Threading the Needle
This time, SSG Daniel Horner has combined with the Army Marksmanship Unit Gunsmiths to set up the ultimate Impossible Shot. Horner attempts to send one bullet through two barrels to pop a balloon.
This challenge is definitely demands the ability to “thread the needle”. In other trick shot challenges this week, Randy Oitker switches to a crossbow to set up his Annie Oakley-style, over the shoulder challenge. Julie Golob is your guide to some of the most amazing exhibition shots ever seen.
Shooting USA Hour on Wednesday Nights
Eastern Time – 3:00 PM, 9:00 PM, 12:30 AM Th
Central Time – 2:00 PM, 8:00 PM, 11:30 PM
Mountain Time – 1:00 PM, 7:00 PM, 10:30 PM
Pacific Time – 12:00 Noon, 6:00 PM, 9:30 PM
Also on Saturdays Prime Time:
Eastern Time – 12:30 AM
Central Time – 11:30 PM
Mountain Time – 10:30 PM
Pacific Time – 9:30 PM
The NRA will debut a new long range training program this summer at the Peacemaker National Training Center in West Virginia. Registration is now open for the National Rifle Association’s Precision Long Range School. Three summer sessions will be offered: July 2-3, August 13-14, and September 3-4, 2016. Price is a painful $1900.00 per two-day session. That does include guns, ammo and instruction, but NOT lodging. (Think about that — for $1900.00 you can buy a pretty nice rifle and practice on your own. Likewise that $1900.00 will buy a very high-quality scope.)
The NRA Precision Long Range School is designed to teach students how to hit very small targets out to (and beyond) 1,100 yards, and how to make hits on the first shot. Sessions will be lead by some of the nation’s best long range instructors and students will be provided with top-of-the-line guns, ammo, optics, and all necessary gear.
This unique school covers a spectrum of long range shooting disciplines. Students will learn long-range competition “best practices”, tactical long-range methods, and long-range hunting techniques. This school will be taught in MILS. Specific techniques covered will include: Dialing, Holding Off, Target Transition, Advanced Long Range Marksmanship, Suppressor Usage, and Long Range Speed Shooting.
The school will also cover Advanced External Ballistics, Advanced Wind Reading, and Applied Ballistics Software Usage. For these subjects, seminar-style instruction will be combined with range practice to put learned skills into practice at long range.
The NRA Precision Long Range School will provide top-quality hardware to participants: Surgeon rifles built on Modular chassis systems, chambered for the .260 Remington cartridge. These rifles will be fitted with Nightforce ATACR MIL-R optics and AWC Silencers suppressors. The Top-of-the line Swarovski spotting scopes and range-finding binoculars will be employed, along with Kestrel wind meters with Applied Ballistics software. Nexus-brand .260 Rem ammo completes the package available to Long Range School attendees.
To register, or obtain more information about the NRA Precision Long Range School, visit the Long Range School Webpage or call (844) 672-6883.
Matt Emmons will compete in the Three-Position Event at the Rio Olympics, seeking his fourth Olympic medal. Rio marks Matt’s fourth Olympic appearance — he has competed on the U.S. National Team since 1997, medaling in three Olympic games: Gold in 2004 in Men’s 50m Prone; Silver in 2008 in Men’s 50m Prone; and Bronze in 2012 in Men’s 50m 3X40. Although his specialty is Men’s 3-Position rifle, Emmons’ World Championship and Olympic Gold are in Men’s 50m Prone. He usually shoots an Anschütz or Bleiker .22LR rifle, with Eley Tenex ammo.
This Wednesday, May 18th, Shooting USA TV features the Bushnell Brawl, a tactical competition that draws top long-range shooters from the military, law enforcement and the civilian shooting communities. The match is held at the famed Rifles Only range in Kingsville, Texas. The Brawl is a one-of-a-kind physical and mental challenge that tests each shooter’s ability to read wind, figure ballistics, and adapt to difficult shooting scenarios. There is even a helicopter stage.
