The 2025 Southwest Nationals kicked off yesterday at the Ben Avery Range outside Phoenix. The individual 600-yard match was held for F-Open, F-TR, and Sling shooters. There was a good turn-out, particularly in the F-Open class. Shooting was impressive, with 11 F-Open competitors recording 600 points over the course of three 20-rd sessions — not dropping a single point all day. F-Open Ace Peter Johns was the top finisher, with 600-47X.
Modern F-TR rifle looking down-range at Ben Avery Shooting Facility.
Tracy Hogg took the F-TR division with 598-36X. In the sling division, which had both “A” (Any Sight/Any Rifle*) and “P” (Palma) classes, David Luckman topped the field with a stellar 600-48X score. Robert Gustin (in “A” class) had the next highest score, 600-46X. That’s mighty impressive for a older marksman who competes as a Grand Senior.
Today, February 13th, there will be mid-range Team Competition at 600 yards. Expect this match to go down to the wire, and probably be decided on X-Count. CLICK HERE for a Squadding List of teams with target assignments.
Multi-time National High Power Champion Brandon Green is competing this week at Ben Avery. On his Facebook page, Brandon posted: “If anyone wants to follow along with the 2025 Southwest Nationals here’s the link: DesertSharpshooter.com/2025-southwest-nationals. An incredible amount of talent on the range this week! The individual Long Range Championship event will start this Friday.”
2025 Southwest Nationals F-Open, F-TR, Sling 600-Yard Top 10
F-Open 600 Top Ten
PETER JOHNS 600-47X *MW*
ALAN KULCAK 600-47X
TED WEDELL 600-45X
SHILOH PLUE 600-44X HiJr
PAT WOOD 600-42X HiSr
DAVID ROLLAFSON 600-42X
DAN BRAMLEY 600-40X
NORMAN HARROLD 600-37X
TIM VAUGHT 600-35X
AMOS WISHERD 600-34X
F-TR 600 Top Ten
TRACY HOGG 598-38X *MW*
ERIC BISSON 596-37X
BRAD SAUVE 596-35X HiSr
KEITH TRAPP 595-36X
RANDY LITTLETON 595-34X HiGS
ALAN BARNHART 595-33X
JEREMY NEWELL 595-31X
JOSH SIEPERT 594-30X
CARLTON BRAY 594-27X
SCOTT KYLE T 594-25X
SLING 600 Top Ten
DAVID LUCKMAN P 600-48X *MW*
ROBERT GUSTIN A 600-46X HiGS
CURTIS GORDON P 600-34X HiSr
TRUDIE FAY P 599-44X HiWo
BRANDON GREEN P 599-41X
OLIVER MILANOVIC P 599-37X
MICHAEL STORER P 599-36X
MATTHEW BUTTON P 599-32X
PARAG PATAL P 598-42X
KIMBERLY ROWE A 597-45X
The shooting by the top F-Open shooters was mighty impressive. The top 11 finishers all had 600 scores, not dropping a point. And the next dozen shooters finished with 599 scores, just one point back. Among the 599ers, Brandon Zwahr had a 599-47X, matching the X-count of F-Open 600-yard winner Peter Johns.
Stunning F-Open rifle with SEB Mini front rest with Blake Machine accessories.
Top competitors show focus and concentration in SWN mid-range match 2022.
Bird’s Eye Ben Avery — A Look at the Range
If you’ve never visited the Ben Avery Facility north of Phoenix, Arizona, here’s a video that shows the 1000-yard range (including drone footage). The desert range at Ben Avery is something special — check out this “birds-eye view”. This 2016 video also includes an interview with Derek Rodgers, F-TR World Champion, King of 2 Miles, and the only man who who has earned both F-Open AND F-TR USA National titles.
Sling Shooters in Palma Division
For the Palma division, the cartridge of choice is the .308 Winchester (7.62.x51). This versatile cartridge is still capable of extreme accuracy. Never underestimate a skilled sling shooter with a good Palma rifle. Below is multi-time NRA National Long-Range Champion John Whidden in action at Ben Avery a few seasons back. John’s rifle featured a centerfire action in an aluminum Anschutz small-bore stock.
* Brandon Green explains: “The ‘A’ is for Any rifle/Any sight (so basically unlimited up to .338 with either iron sights or optics). And ‘P’ is Palma division”, which is limited to iron sights rifles with .223 Rem (5.56) or .308 Winchester (7.62×51) chamberings.
This was one of our 25 Most Popular Articles in 2017. We’re repeating it for those of you who may have missed it the first time around. These diagrams were created by the South Texas Shooting Marksmanship Training Center (STMTC).
There was an excellent article about Mirage created for the South Texas Marksmanship Training Center (STMTC). This article explains what causes mirage and how mirage can move the perceived aiming point on your target. Most importantly, the article explains, in considerable detail, how you can “read” mirage to discern wind speeds and wind directions.
Mirage Is Your Friend
While hot days with lots of mirage can be frustrating, mirage can reveal how the wind is flowing (and changing). If you learn how to recognize and read mirage patterns, you can use that information to shoot higher scores. That’s why many leading long-range shooters tell us: “Mirage is your friend.” As the STMTC article explained: “A mirage condition is not a handicap, since it offers a very accurate method of perceiving small wind changes[.]”
Mirage Illustrated with Diagrams
With simple but effective graphic illustrations, this is one of the best explanations of mirage (and mirage reading) we have found on the internet. This is a “must-read” for any serious competitive shooter. Here is a brief sample from the article, along with an illustration. NOTE: the full article is six times longer and has 8 diagrams.
The term “mirage” as used by the shooter does not refer to a true mirage, but to heat waves and the refraction of light as it is bent passing through air layers of different density. Light which passes obliquely from one wind medium to another it undergoes an abrupt change in direction, whenever its velocity in the second medium is different from the velocity in the first wind medium; the shooter will see a “mirage”.
The density of air, and therefore its refraction, varies with its temperature. A condition of cool air overlaying warm air next to the ground is the cause of heat waves or “mirage”. The warm air, having a lower index of refraction, is mixed with the cooler air above by convection, irregularly bending the light transmitting the target image to the shooter’s eye. Figure 1 shows (greatly exaggerated) the vertical displacement of the target image by heat waves.
Heat waves are easily seen with the unaided eye on a hot, bright day and can be seen with spotting scope on all but the coldest days. To observe heat waves, the scope should be focused on a point about midway to the target. This will cause the target to appear slightly out of focus, but since the high power rifle shooter generally does not try to spot bullet holes, the lack in target clarity is more than compensated by clarity of the heat waves.
Story tip from Boyd Allen. We welcome reader submissions.
The 2025 Southwest Nationals (SWN) start 2/12/2025 at the Ben Avery Range outside Phoenix, AZ. The big event starts with a 600-yard Mid-Range Match. Many of the nation’s most talented F-Class and sling shooters will be there. But no matter what your skill level, it is still possible to make major mistakes that can spoil the day and/or put you out of the running for the entire match. This article aims to help competitors avoid the big errors/oversights/failures, aka “train wrecks”, that can ruin a match.
Photo by Sherri Jo Gallagher.
In any shooting competition, you must try to avoid major screw-ups that can ruin your day (or your match). In this article, past F-TR National Mid-Range and Long Range Champion Bryan Litz talks about “Train Wrecks”, i.e. those big disasters (such as equipment failures) that can ruin a whole match. Bryan illustrates the types of “train wrecks” that commonly befall competitors, and he explains how to avoid these “unmitigated disasters”.
Urban Dictionary “Train Wreck” Definition: “A total @#$&! disaster … the kind that makes you want to shake your head.”
Success in long range competition depends on many things. Those who aspire to be competitive are usually detail-oriented, and focused on all the small things that might give them an edge. Unfortunately it’s common for shooters lose sight of the big picture — missing the forest for the trees, so to speak.
Consistency is one of the universal principles of successful shooting. The tournament champion is the shooter with the highest average performance over several days, often times not winning a single match. While you can win tournaments without an isolated stellar performance, you cannot win tournaments if you have a single train wreck performance. And this is why it’s important for the detail-oriented shooter to keep an eye out for potential “big picture” problems that can derail the train of success!
Train wrecks can be defined differently by shooters of various skill levels and categories. Anything from problems causing a miss, to problems causing a 3/4-MOA shift in wind zero can manifest as a train wreck, depending on the kind of shooting you’re doing.
Below is a list of common Shooting Match Train Wrecks, and suggestions for avoiding them.
1. Cross-Firing. The fastest and most common way to destroy your score (and any hopes of winning a tournament) is to cross-fire. The cure is obviously basic awareness of your target number on each shot, but you can stack the odds in your favor if you’re smart. For sling shooters, establish your Natural Point of Aim (NPA) and monitor that it doesn’t shift during your course of fire. If you’re doing this right, you’ll always come back on your target naturally, without deliberately checking each time. You should be doing this anyway, but avoiding cross-fires is another incentive for monitoring this important fundamental. In F-Class shooting, pay attention to how the rifle recoils, and where the crosshairs settle. If the crosshairs always settle to the right, either make an adjustment to your bipod, hold, or simply make sure to move back each shot. Also consider your scope. Running super high magnification can leave the number board out of the scope’s field view. That can really increase the risk of cross-firing.
2. Equipment Failure. There are a wide variety of equipment failures you may encounter at a match, from loose sight fasteners, to broken bipods, to high-round-count barrels that that suddenly “go south” (just to mention a few possibilities). Mechanical components can and do fail. The best policy is to put some thought into what the critical failure points are, monitor wear of these parts, and have spares ready. This is where an ounce of prevention can prevent a ton of train wreck. On this note, if you like running hot loads, consider whether that extra 20 fps is worth blowing up a bullet (10 points), sticking a bolt (DNF), or worse yet, causing injury to yourself or someone nearby.
3. Scoring/Pit Malfunction. Although not related to your shooting technique, doing things to insure you get at least fair treatment from your scorer and pit puller is a good idea. Try to meet the others on your target so they can associate a face with the shooter for whom they’re pulling. If you learn your scorer is a Democrat, it’s probably best not to tell Obama jokes before you go for record. If your pit puller is elderly, it may be unwise to shoot very rapidly and risk a shot being missed (by the pit worker), or having to call for a mark. Slowing down a second or two between shots might prevent a 5-minute delay and possibly an undeserved miss.
Photo by Sherri Jo Gallagher.
4. Wind Issues. Tricky winds derail many trains. A lot can be written about wind strategies, but here’s a simple tip about how to take the edge off a worse case scenario. You don’t have to start blazing away on the command of “Commence fire”. If the wind is blowing like a bastard when your time starts, just wait! You’re allotted 30 minutes to fire your string in long range slow fire. With average pit service, it might take you 10 minutes if you hustle, less in F-Class. Point being, you have about three times longer than you need. So let everyone else shoot through the storm and look for a window (or windows) of time which are not so adverse. Of course this is a risk, conditions might get worse if you wait. This is where judgment comes in. Just know you have options for managing time and keep an eye on the clock. Saving rounds in a slow fire match is a costly and embarrassing train wreck.
5. Mind Your Physical Health. While traveling for shooting matches, most shooters break their normal patterns of diet, sleep, alcohol consumption, etc. These disruptions to the norm can have detrimental effects on your body and your ability to shoot and even think clearly. If you’re used to an indoor job and eating salads in air-conditioned break rooms and you travel to a week-long rifle match which keeps you on your feet all day in 90-degree heat and high humidity, while eating greasy restaurant food, drinking beer and getting little sleep, then you might as well plan on daily train wrecks. If the match is four hours away, rather than leaving at 3:00 am and drinking five cups of coffee on the morning drive, arrive the night before and get a good night’s sleep.”
Keep focused on the important stuff. You never want to lose sight of the big picture. Keep the important, common sense things in mind as well as the minutia of meplat trimming, weighing powder to the kernel, and cleaning your barrel ’til it’s squeaky clean. Remember, all the little enhancements can’t make up for one big train wreck!
The 2025 Southwest Nationals (SWN), one of the major long-range rifle matches of the year, kicks off next week in Arizona. Running from February 12th through 16th, the match commences with the Mid-Range event on Wednesday, February 12th, and concludes with the 2-day 1000-yard match on Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th. On Thursday and Friday there are team and individual Palma Matches at 800, 900, and 1000 yards. CLICK HERE for the official 2025 SW Nationals Program PDF.
For this Saturday Showcase, we provide videos from past SWN events, plus informative videos that explain how to prepare for the event and pack your gear for air travel and/or lengthy overland trips.
Tips for New Competitors at the Southwest Nationals
Headed to the SW Nationals for the first time? Never shot at the Ben Avery range before? Then definitely watch this F-Class John video. It provides a series of smart tips for SWN first-timers.
Highlights from 2024 SW Nationals with Past Champ Erik Cortina
This video follows long-range competitors at the 2024 Southwest Nationals. The video shows match preparation and competition. There are interviews with participants and highlights of the challenging conditions. The video concludes with the announcement of class winners. 2024 F-Open winner Jay Christopherson is interviewed starting at 12:18 time-mark.
Analyzing Conditions at 2022 SW Nationals
In this video past SWN Champion Erik Cortina and F-Class John analyze relays from the 2022 match, discussing shot holds for specific wind conditions. You can learn quite a bit from this dialog with two top F-Open shooters. Erik won the F-Open LR SWN event in 2023.
Packing Gear for Air Travel — Tips from F-Class John
It can be very challenging to travel via airline to a major shooting event because of all the gear you’ll need to bring, along with your rifle(s). F-Open shooters must bring a heavy, bulky front rest and rear bag, while F-TR shooters will need a large front tripod and rear bag. Then you’ll need to transport a spotting scope with its adjustable mount, plus a LOT of loaded ammunition. Some shooters will also bring a press and dies to do final seating of their ammo. That’s a lot of gear. In this video, F-Class John shows how to pack rifles, gear, and ammo efficiently so air travel can go safely and smoothly.
Southwest Nationals Video SHORTS
Bird’s Eye Ben Avery — A Look at the Range
If you’ve never visited the Ben Avery Facility north of Phoenix, Arizona, here’s a video that shows the 1000-yard range (including drone footage). The desert range at Ben Avery is something special — check out this “birds-eye view”. This 2016 video also includes an interview with Derek Rodgers, F-TR World Champion, King of 2 Miles, and the only man who who has earned both F-Open AND F-TR USA National titles.
Sling Shooters in Palma Division
For the Palma division, the cartridge of choice is the .308 Winchester (7.62.x51). This versatile cartridge is still capable of extreme accuracy. Never underestimate a skilled sling shooter with a good Palma rifle. Below is multi-time NRA National Long-Range Champion John Whidden in action. John’s rifle features a centerfire action in an aluminum Anschutz small-bore stock.
Ballistics wizard Bryan Litz shoots at the 2015 SW Nationals. Notice how steady he holds his rifle.
Many of our readers have never had a chance to shoot much past 600 yards. How far away does a 1000-yard+ target really seem to the naked eye? Well this short video answers that question. Gorilla Ammo, the video’s producers, used a camera-carrying aerial drone to fly downrange from the firing line all the way out to 1122 yards (and back again). Watch the drone footage at 0:00-0:07 and especially 0:48-1:03. The “bird’s-eye view” really gives you a sense of the distance. The “fly-back” at 0:48-1:03 time-mark is what makes this video worth watching.
The video features prone shooting at steel targets placed at 750 and 1122 yards. We do apologize for the lame, “oh so serious” voice-over which attempts to make this rather ordinary range session seem like some kind of life-changing experience. (Frankly, you may just want to turn the sound off — it’s that annoying.) It’s really not that big a deal to hit steel at 750 yards with a quality AR-15, chambered in .223 Rem, shooting Sierra 77 grain MatchKings.
Hitting Steel at 1122 Yards with 2540 FPS Ammo Can Be Challenging
The 1122-yard hits are a bit more impressive. Gorilla Ammo lists a relatively sedate 2540 fps Muzzle Velocity for its .223 Rem 77gr SMK ammunition. According to JBM Ballistics, at 1125 yards, that 2540 fps load has 68.3 MOA of drop from a 100-yard zero (firing at sea level and 80° F ambient). Moreover the bullet goes trans-sonic around 750 yards (losing stability) and is traveling just 933 fps at impact. And the wind’s the killer — at 1125 yards, with this bullet/load, a mere 2 mph, full-value wind change can move the Point of Impact over three feet!
This site is for and about accurate shooters. So today we feature the short-range group Benchrest game, where it’s all about shooting tiny groups in the ones and even “zeros”. Seeing the tiny groups 6 PPC aces produce, it’s easy to think the precision is all about the equipment. But there is a lot more involved. A talented human still has to watch the flags, run the gun properly, and tune his loads for the conditions. Here are some tips from one of the world’s best benchresters, Charles Huckeba.
Texan Charles Huckeba was the top individual shooter at the 2013 World Benchrest Championships (WBC) held near Sydney Australia in October 2013. In this video, 2013 WBC Two-Gun Overall winner Charles shoots a 1/8th MOA group at 200 yards — “a little bitty dot” as a fellow Team USA shooter observes. That’s impressive. If you can describe Huckeba’s style in a nutshell it would be “smooth, consistent, and rapid but not hurried”.
Charles also employed some unusual hardware. In the video, take a close look at the joystick on the Farley Coaxial front rest. There’s no knob at the end. In its place is a small, wood ammo caddy. Charles removed the standard knob from the handle of his Farley rest and replaced it with a home-made wood block that holds cartridges for the record target. The 10.5-lb Light Varmint rifle is chambered in 6PPC with a BAT Machine Action and a composite wood and carbon-fiber stock.
Watch Charles Huckeba Shoot 1/8 MOA, 200-yard group at World Benchrest Championships
Here is the actual 200-yard, 5-shot group Charles shot in the video. Photo (by Stuart Elliot) taken through the lens of Huckeba’s 50X March scope (reticle has 1/16th MOA Dot).
Analyzing the Fine Points — What Makes Huckeba So Good
Short-range benchrest shooter Boyd Allen saw some interesting things in Huckeba’s WBC performance, as captured on video. Boyd noticed Huckeba’s smooth gun-handling and efficient loading. But Boyd also spied some interesting equipment, including an innovative joystick “handle-caddy”.
1. Low Friction Bags — When Huckeba slid his rifle, there was very little apparent friction. The front bag features the new 3M material (ScotchLite) on the sliding surfaces. The rear Protektor bag has ears of the same low-friction material.
2. Pause Before Chambering — While he was watching the flags and deciding when to start firing, Charles kept his first round in the action, but out of the barrel’s chamber, probably so as not to heat the cartridge and change the round’s point of impact.
3. Ammo Caddy on Joystick Arm – Charles shoots a Right Bolt/Left Port action, so he pulls his rounds with his left hand. Note that Huckeba’s record rounds rest in a small, wood ammo caddy attached to the end of the joystick shaft. Look carefully, you’ll see the wood ammo block in place of the normal black ball at the end of the joystick. That allows Charles to pull shots with the absolute minimum of hand movement. Ingenious! Huckeba is very fast, with a great economy of motion. I believe that because his ammo was literally at hand, Charles was better able to keep his focus on aiming and the flags.
4. Smooth-Cycling BAT Action — Note how smoothly Huckeba’s action operates. When Charles lifts the bolt handle (to extract a round and cock the firing pin), this does not disturb the rifle. Likewise, as he closes the bolt, the gun doesn’t wobble. The smooth action allows Charles to hold point of aim even when shooting relatively quickly. Huckeba’s BAT action is chrome-moly steel. Some shooters believe this metal makes for a smoother action than stainless steel or aluminum.
5. Long-Wheelbase Stock — The wood and carbon fiber stock is light, long, and stiff. Yet, importantly, the stock is also well-damped. The longer-than-average stock length (with extended forearm) seems to help the gun track well without jumping or rocking. The longer forearm allows a longer “wheelbase”, effectively shifting the weight distribution rearward (less weight on the front, more weight on the rear). This places a greater share of the gun’s weight on the rear bag, as compared to a more conventional benchrest stock. Huckeba’s stock, built by Bob Scoville, is at the cutting edge of short-range benchrest design. Its light-weight balsa wood and carbon fiber construction provides a combination of stiffness and vibration damping that allows its relatively long fore-end to be fully utilized to increase the weight on the rear bag (always an issue with 10.5-pound rifles).
To learn more about this benchrest stock design, read the comments by stock-builder Bob Scoville in our PPC with Pedigree story in our Gun of the Week Archives. Bob observed:
“There is a lot more to the structure of the stocks than meets the eye. The carbon fiber skin with which I cover the stocks creates a light, tough exterior surface. However, this contributes very little to the overall performance of the stocks. The real strength and stiffness is the result of an internal beam utilizing balsa core/carbon fiber technology.
This type construction can be found in aircraft, race cars, powerboats, and sailboats. It is interesting to note, balsa has the highest strength to weight ratio of all woods and carbon fiber is one of the lowest stretch (modulus of elasticity) relative to weight of all materials. The marriage of these two materials is common in the high-performance world. Additionally, balsa is used commercially for vibration dampening and sound reduction.”
Video find by Boyd Allen. Video by Stuart Elliot of BRT Shooters Supply, Brisbane, Australia.
Here is a video every shooter should watch. It reminds us that our sport demands 100% attention. Lose track of individuals down-range and the results could be tragic. This video will give you chills (starting at about the 0:25 mark). We need to remember to follow all the firearms safety rules, and apply them all the time. At the range, all it takes is one brief moment of inattention to create a life-threatening situation. Never assume the downrange area is safe. Use your own eyes and ears.
This video shows a competitor shooting a stage at an action pistol match. He starts when instructed by the Range Safety Officer (RSO). But unbeknownst to both RS0 and competitor, a volunteer is downrange working on targets. Watch carefully. At 0:27 the shooter sweeps left to right, engaging a paper silhouette target to his right. Then, at 0:30, as he begins a mag change, his head turns downrange. A few yards away is a white-shirted range worker! The shooter yells “Hey what’s going on?!”
What’s going on indeed… The RSO should have ensured that nobody was downrange before the shooter even stepped up to the firing line. If other competitors standing to the side had been alert, they might have seen the worker changing targets and called for a halt. And the target-worker himself — even if he was wearing earmuffs, he should have noticed that live fire had commenced just yards away…
We also have to wonder about the stage design. This set-up made it very difficult to see downrange. The white panels (see 0:10-0:20) definitely hid the target worker from view. In hindsight, given the way the stage was laid out, this was truly an “accident waiting to happen”. It’s fortunate that no one got injured in this incident. But this chilling video provides a lesson to all shooters — “Safety First”.
How could this “near-fatality” have been averted? Post your comments below.
Allen Company offers Hardrock AR500 Targets. These are affordable steel targets suitable for rimfire rifles and pistols as well as centerfire pistols. Note, these targets are NOT designed for centerfire rifles (you can damage the targets with repeated impacts). Most Hardrock targets are supplied with frames with front legs that slide into the ground. But there are also separate hanging targets such as the 4″ diameter circle, just $19.99 from Allen. You’ll need to mount hanging targets to your own frame with chains.
Allen Hardrock Steel Target Systems
Allen’s Hardrock family of targets are constructed from heavy-duty 1/4″-thick AR500 hardened steel. They are all finished with a high-visibility cross/bulleye pattern that makes aiming easier. After a bit of shooting, however, you will need to paint the targets, and/or supply your own pasters. However we do like the red ring/black diamond/orange center graphics supplied on these Hardrock targets out of the box.
*To mount the Hardrock Gongs, Allen offers a Quick-set Steel Target Stand and a Rubber Strap Gong Hanging Kit, priced at $62.99 and $16.99 respectively.
As an Amazon affiliate, this site can earn revenues through sales commissions.
“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” — William Arthur Ward
Readers often ask us: “Is there a decent, easy-to-comprehend book that can help my wind-reading?” Many of our Forum members have recommended The Wind Book for Rifle Shooters by Linda Miller and Keith Cunningham.
New Edition — Hardback and eBook
The latest, updated edition of The Wind Book for Rifle Shooters was released in May 2020. This 144-page book, first published in 2007, is a great resource. But you don’t have to take our word for it. If you click this link, you can read book excerpts and decide for yourself. When the Amazon page opens, look below the book cover photo, and click the bar labeled “Read Sample”. This lets you preview chapters from the Wind Book, and view some illustrations. Along with the hardback edition ($22.99), Amazon offers a Kindle (eBook) edition for $14.99.
Other books cover wind reading in a broader discussion of ballistics or long-range shooting, such as Applied Ballistics for Long-Range Shooting by Bryan Litz. But the Miller & Cunningham book is ALL about wind reading from cover to cover, and that is its strength. The book focuses on real world skills that can help you accurately gauge wind angle, wind velocity, and wind cycles.
All other factors being equal, it is your ability to read the wind that will make the most difference in your shooting accuracy. The better you understand the behavior of the wind, the better you will understand the behavior of your bullet. — The Wind Book for Rifle Shooters
The Wind Book for Rifle Shooters covers techniques and tactics used by expert wind-readers. There are numerous charts and illustrations. The authors show you how to put together a simple wind-reading “toolbox” for calculating wind speed, direction, deflection and drift. Then they explain how to use these tools to read flags and mirage, record and interpret your observations, and time your shots to compensate for wind.
I believe this is a must-have book if you are a long-range sport shooter. I compete in F-Class Open and when I first purchased this book and read it from cover to cover, it helped me understand wind reading and making accurate scope corrections. Buy this book, read it, put into practice what it tells you, you will not be disappointed. — P. Janzso
If you have one book for wind reading, this should be it. Whether you’re a novice or experienced wind shooter this book has something for you. It covers how to get wind speed and direction from flags, mirage, and natural phenomenon. In my opinion this is the best book for learning to read wind speed and direction. — Muddler
NRA Media offers a series of 40 informative videos about the Science of Shooting, covering a wide range of topics, from eye dominance to long-range ballistics. These videos feature high production values, with super-slow motion segments, as well as helpful computer graphics to illustrate the principles covered.
The videos are narrated by Jessie Duff, a top action pistol shooter (and the first women ever to achieve USPSA Grand Master status). Jessie is assisted by talented shooters such as Top Shot Season 4 Champion Chris Cheng. There are forty videos in the Firearm Science Video Series. Here are five NRA videos, with links to others below. You’ll find all 40 NRA Firearm Science Videos HERE.
Eye Dominance — How to Determine Which Eye is Dominant
Host Jessie Duff and longtime shooter Krystie Messenger demonstrate how eye dominance affects aim and teach you how to determine your dominant eye in this edition of Firearm Science. There are very simple tests you can do to determine your eye dominance. This Editor is right-handed but left-eye dominant. All competitive shooters should check for eye dominance. If you are cross-dominant, you can alter your head position or put a paper patch on one frame of your shooting glasses.
Eye Protection — Effect of Different Color Lenses
No matter what you’re shooting, eye protection should always be worn. But with so many choices, what should you wear? In this edition of Firearm Science, two-time Olympic trap shooter Corey Cogdell explains lens color options for protective eyewear. Different colors may be selected according to the light conditions and the sport. For most rifle shooters using magnified scopes, clear lenses are probably the best choice, except on very bright summer days.
Iron Sights vs. Optics
Host Jessie Duff and shooter Krystie Messenger demonstrate the benefits and drawbacks of using iron sights and optics in this edition of Firearm Science. For AR-type rifles, choosing the right option depends on the intended use of the rifle and the rules of competition. For example, a “Standard military Rifle” for CMP competition must have iron sights. But current NRA service rifle competition (and CMP unlimited military rifle class) allows scopes. Olympic smallbore shooters and Palma shooters have shown that extreme accuracy IS possible with sophisticated target sights. Below is the iron-sights Palma rifle with which John Whidden (Whidden Gunworks) won NRA Long-Range National Championships.
Train Wrecks (and How to Avoid Them)
4. Wind Issues. Tricky winds derail many trains. A lot can be written about wind strategies, but here’s a simple tip about how to take the edge off a worse case scenario. You don’t have to start blazing away on the command of “Commence fire”. If the wind is blowing like a bastard when your time starts, just wait! You’re allotted 30 minutes to fire your string in long range slow fire. With average pit service, it might take you 10 minutes if you hustle, less in F-Class. Point being, you have about three times longer than you need. So let everyone else shoot through the storm and look for a window (or windows) of time which are not so adverse. Of course this is a risk, conditions might get worse if you wait. This is where judgment comes in. Just know you have options for managing time and keep an eye on the clock. Saving rounds in a slow fire match is a costly and embarrassing train wreck.
3. Ammo Caddy on Joystick Arm – Charles shoots a Right Bolt/Left Port action, so he pulls his rounds with his left hand. Note that Huckeba’s record rounds rest in a small, wood ammo caddy attached to the end of the joystick shaft. Look carefully, you’ll see the wood ammo block in place of the normal black ball at the end of the joystick. That allows Charles to pull shots with the absolute minimum of hand movement. Ingenious! Huckeba is very fast, with a great economy of motion. I believe that because his ammo was literally at hand, Charles was better able to keep his focus on aiming and the flags.
