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February 11th, 2014
The 6-day-long Berger Southwest Nationals has drawn to a close. And what a week it was. National records were set, $60,000 worth of prizes were distributed, a talented newcomer took the F-TR title, the Arizona sun was warm, and fun was had by all. Congratulations to the individual Grand Aggregate winners: Larry Bartholome (F-Open, 1238-61X), Bryan Litz (Sling/TR, 1239-64X), and Radoslaw Czupryna (F-TR, 1216-37X). Topping the team competition were: Team Grizzly (F-Open), Team Michigan (F-TR), and USA-National-Tompkins (Sling/TR).
Here are some “Take-Aways” from the 2014 Berger Southwest Nationals.
- Heavy .30-caliber bullets (200-215 grains) have become the “hot ticket” in F-TR.
- In F-Open, the 7mm caliber is still King of the Hill (it hasn’t been overtaken by the 30s quite yet). At least in the relatively calm conditions this week, and in the capable hands of Larry Bartholome, a 7mm cartridge still came out on top. The 7mms deliver competitive ballistics, great accuracy, and less recoil than the big 30s.
- F-Open front rests are so good now that folks are looking to rear bag set-ups for improvements in tracking/stability. Any old rear bag won’t cut it anymore.
- In Sling/TR class, the 155s can still do the job. The London Scottish team finished second overall shooting 155s in their .308s. (Members: Michael Barlow, Angus McLeod, Lindsay Peden, Ian Shaw).
- Eric Stecker is more than a “master bulletsmith”. The man can flat-out shoot. Eric finished second overall (1213-51X) in the F-TR Grand Agg, ahead of past National Champions. But as for the cash/bullets prizes, Mid Tompkins joked: “Eric can now pay himself with his own money and wait in line for bullets like everyone else.”
- Many top shooters in F-Open and F-TR are cleaning their barrels less — a LOT less, shooting long strings between cleanings, and then doing very little brushing, letting Wipe-Out and solvents do most of the work.
- We saw HBN-coated bullets, but there were very few moly-coated bullets in the ammo caddies on the firing line. Are black bullets a thing of the past?
- Men dominate sling shooting by weight of numbers. But there are some incredibly talented ladies in this discipline. Ladies such as Trudie Fay, Nancy Tompkins, and Anette Wachter are world-class competitors who set a great example for young female shooters starting out.
- If there is a better-run mid-winter long-range match, at a better location, with a bigger prize table, it must be in another galaxy far, far away.
Top Shooters
| Sling/TR Top Five |
F-Class T/R Top Five |
F-Open Top Five |
Bryan Litz, 1239-64X
Trudie Fay, 1235-65X
Nancy Tompkins, 1232-68X
Tom Whittaker, 1232-51X
Alan Thomas, 1231-60X |
Radoslaw Czupryna, 1216-37X
Eric Stecker, 1213-51X
James Crofts, 1212-48X
Kevin Scott Harris, 1211-32X
Alton Britt, 1211-29X |
Larry Bartholome, 1238-61X
Freddy Haltom, 1238-54X
David Gosnell, 1237-66X
Kenny Adams, 1235-69X
Robert Bock, 1230-48X |
Top Teams
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F-TR:
1. Michigan F-TR TEAM, 2532-78X
2. USA F-TR Dev Team, 2525-93X
2. True North, 2514-97X |
F-Open:
1. Team Grizzly, 2574-135X
2. Team Berger, 2573-127X
3. Long Shot, 2566-125X |
Sling:
1. USA Nat’l-Tompkins, 2580-132X
2. London Scottish, 2566-128X
3. Competition Machine, 2557-112X |
Winning Sling/TR USA National Team
Get Complete Match Results
Here are the Grand Aggregate Scores, for all matches and all divisions, in MS DOC format. For a Complete listing of ALL scores for ALL matches, click the link for full results. This is a zip file with 18 MS Word documents, six for each discipline.
CLICK HERE for SLING Results | CLICK HERE for F-TR Results | CLICK HERE for F-OPEN Results
CLICK HERE for FULL RESULTS (.zip file)
Newcomer Scores Big F-TR Victory
If there was a crowd favorite among the big winners, it was Radoslaw (“Radek”) Czupryna, the overall F-TR winner. Competing as an “Expert”, Radek outshot all the Masters and High Masters to win the F-TR Title convincingly. We’re told Radek also set a new SWN High Score for F-TR in the process. The sky’s the limit for this talented young man. He has only been competing seriously for three years or so. Originally from Poland, he now lives in Chicago. New talents like Radoslaw represent the future of the sport. Watch out for this guy at the 2014 Nationals. While Radek is built like an NFL linebacker, there’s a soft spot inside that tough exterior. Radek dedicated his victory to his daughters: “When I travel to matches, I can’t be with my daughters. So I want them to know, this win is for them.”
Radek shoots a .308 Win rifle built by John Pierce using a Pierce Titanium Action. Radek loads Varget powder behind 215-grain Berger bullets jumped .015″. I asked Radek if Ben Avery offered any “cruel surprises” this week. He nodded, saying: “Yes, a few times I got some vertical out of nowhere, but I think everybody had the same problem.”
Patience was a virtue at Ben Avery this week, according to Radoslaw: “Conditions looked stable, but that [could be] deceptive. Conditions were changing out of nowhere. So the key, I think, was being patient, and just waiting for the right conditions to come back.”
He offered this advice for other relatively inexperienced shooters: “Don’t be scared to compete. Just come out and do your best. Don’t be nervous, don’t be shy. It’s there… just go and get it.”
Over the next few days, we’ll post additional highlight reports from the Berger SWN featuring competitor and team profiles, video clips, and plenty of photos. Our media team shot over 2000 still images during the week-long match. Credit Steve Fiorenzo for most of the photos in today’s article.
February 10th, 2014
 For top-level competitors, hand-loading is truly the “relentless pursuit of perfection”. To build ammo capable of winning major long-range matches, you’ll need the best tools — and an almost obsessive attention to detail. The bullets must be ultra-consistent, powder charge weights must be “dead on”, seating depths (as measured from base of case to ogive) must be precise, and neck-tension must be the same for every round that goes in the chamber.
When you get it all correct, when every phase of the reloading process has been carried out perfectly, then you have rounds that can set records and win world titles. So what does championship-grade ammo look like? Take a look at the photo below. This is the 7mm RSAUM ammunition used by Kenny Adams at the Berger Southwest Nationals (SWN). Kenny is the 2013 F-Class World Champion. And he was also a member of Team Grizzly which won the SWN F-Open Team Grand Aggregate, setting a new National record in the process. Does your ammo look this good?
Kenny’s World-Beating 7mm RSAUM Load
For his 7mm RSAUMs Kenny loads Hodgdon H4350 powder and Federal 215m primers into Nosler or Norma RSAUM brass. In the RSAUM he runs Berger 180gr Hybrid bullets seated “just touching” the lands. Kenny is very precise with his charge weights. Using a Sartorius Magnetic Force Restoration scale, Kenny tries to hold his powder charges to within 1-2 kernels charge-weight consistency.
February 10th, 2014
At the Berger Southwest Nationals, innovative F-Class hardware was on display. In F-TR, bipods are continuing to evolve, with new variations at every match. (We saw the Flex bipod in action and it operates very differently than anything else out there). But with F-TR bipods and F-Open front rests having evolved to such a high level, the weak link in the rifle support chain may now be at the rear.
In both F-TR and F-Open, it seems that shooters are turning their attention rearward — devising new ways to stabilize (and elevate) the rear sandbags. We saw a variety of “sub-platforms” designed to give rear bags more lateral stability, and also raise the bags up off the ground. A few shooters have moved away from a conventional rear sandbag to a hybrid support that almost looks more like a front bag attached to a rigid block. Here are a couple rear bag set-ups we saw at Ben Avery in Phoenix. These should give you guys some ideas:
Check out this simple but effective Do-It-Yourself rear rest. The “base” is a large, flat piece of particle board. Above that is a sizable block of wood with carpet tacked to the base. It appears that the carpet may be affixed to small velcro squares on the flat base. The most clever feature is on top. A V-style leather front bag has been adapted to support the rear of the rifle. This solution looks both effective and affordable.
February 10th, 2014
 Multi-gun competition is fast, fun, and exciting. But most 3-Gun matches are stag parties, with a small share of female competitors. Brownells is looking to change that situation and get more women involved in 3-Gun competition. Next fall, Brownells will sponsor the Lady 3-Gun Pro-Am Challenge, the first-ever all-ladies national 3-Gun major match. The event will run October 31 through November 1, 2014 at Atlanta’s South River Gun Club. Over $130,000 worth of prizes will be awarded.
“I have been in this game for 30 years, and we have never been able to sustain a high number of women in the shooting sports. This match will serve as a stepping stone to create an exclusive 3-Gun division for ladies, giving them a sustainable interest in the action shooting sports.” – Kay Miculek, Team Smith & Wesson, Brownells Ladies 3-Gun Assistant Match Director
200 Lady Shooters Will Attend
This 9-stage match, sanctioned by 3-Gun Nation and operated under the Regional Series Rules, is expected to attract 200 lady shooters from around the Nation. It will be set up on a Pro-Am format, with experienced 3-Gun lady shooters in the “Pro” class, and other competitors in the Amateur division. Competitors are assigned to one of three hardware divisions: Tac Optics, Tac Irons, or Open Divisions. This match boasts a prize table valued over $130,000.
Who will be the “leading ladies” at the Brownells match this fall? Certainly Kay Miculek is a favorite. But Kay’s daughter Lena Miculek will undoubtedly challenge for the match win. Raised by two legendary shooters, Lena has winning in her genes. Lena is the current women’s IPSC World Shotgun Champion and the 2013 3-Gun Nation Lady’s Champion. (Lena also won the $25,000 Ladies’ top prize at the 2014 3-Gun Nation Shoot-Off.) We also expect that our friend Maggie Reese and Team FNH Shooter Tasha Hanish will challenge for the podium. You can see Tasha in action in the video below.
Team FNH Competitor Tasha Hanish at 2010 3-Gun Nation Finals:
February 9th, 2014
AccurateShooter.com has something no other website has — an IT guy (and database guru) who can lay down tens and Xs at 1000 yards. This past week, Jay Christopherson (aka ‘JayChris’) has been competing at the Berger Southwest Nationals. During Saturday’s 1000-yard individual competition, Jay scored 388-12X. For the day, that topped a number of high masters, including a couple past F-Class National Champions. Not bad for a self-declared “computer geek” competing in his very first major match against national-level competition.
UPDATE: On Sunday, Jay did even better, finishing with a 392-14X for the day. Again, he out-shot many of the more experienced High Masters. Good on you Jay!
Congrats to Jay, who may be the world’s most accurate IT guy. We have to respect a man who can SHOOT and COMPUTE. To explain, Jay is the guy who keeps our servers humming, and who maintains the databases that drive our Forum, Daily Bulletin, and main website. AccurateShooter.com couldn’t run smoothly without Jay’s brain-power, coding skills, and dedication. He is truly the “genius behind the scenes” who makes it all possible. All of us are fortunate to have Jay on the team.
Jay reports: “After a rough start on Day One, I came back to take third place (2nd MA is a fancy way of saying third) in my class for Day Two 1000-yard matches, in windy conditions. Far as I can tell, I’m currently somewhere around 16th out of about 80 shooters overall (all classes), but won’t know for certain until they post the Aggregate results. I’m not likely to catch the leaders, but I think this was a decent showing so far for my first National-level match.”
How did Jay become such a good shooter? He revealed: “Actually, I’ve learned a ton of stuff from some of the smart guys on the Forum. But you also have to have good equipment, and good reloading techniques, and you have to put in the range time.”
Here is Jay (on right) with your Editor Paul McM (aka “Forum Boss”) on left.
February 9th, 2014
It’s a new year, and that means there are updated NRA Competition Rules. The NRA has just made available PDF files with updated 2014 rules for all the NRA competition disciplines (both rifle and pistol classes). You can download free digital versions of all NRA rifle and pistol competition rules via the NRA’s RULE BOOKS webpage.
Below are links for the competition rifle classes (except muzzle-loaders). You can download the 2014 Rule Changes or complete NRA Rule Books in PDF format. Updated changes to the rule books are effective now, as passed by the NRA Board of Directors in January 2014.
High Power Rifle | Download 2014 Rule Changes | Download Rule Book
High Power Sporting Rifle | Download 2014 Rule Changes | Download Rule Book
Int’l Fullbore Rifle Prone | Download 2014 Rule Changes | Download Rule Book
Int’l Rifle (includes Air Rifle) | lDownload 2014 Rule Changes | Download Rule Book
Precision Air Rifle Position | Download 2014 Rule Changes | Download Rule Book
Smallbore Rifle | Download 2014 Rule Changes | Download Rule Book
Silhouette Rifle | Download 2014 Rule Changes | Download Rule Book
Black Powder Target Rifle | Download 2014 Rule Changes | Download Rule Book
Bound copies of all NRA Rule Books (except HP Sporting Rifle and Int’l Fullbore Rifle Prone) may be ordered online from the NRA Store at http://materials.nrahq.org.
February 8th, 2014
When the targets rose for the 1000-yard relay at the Berger Southwest Nationals on Thursday, there was a surprise in store for two talented young lady shooters, Riley J. and Samantha Huhtala. Both juniors were celebrating a birthday on Thursday, and match directors had something special cooked up for the two girls.
On each the two girls’ targets (#60 and #62), a dozen or so brightly-covered balloons were attached. As the two birthday girls looked downrange — at first they didn’t know what to think. Samantha Huhtala, who had just reached the ripe old age of 18, turned to a fellow shooter and said “what’s that stuff on my target”? He replied: “Oh that’s chromatic aberration Samantha”. But she knew better — she broke out into a big smile realizing that she had been given a very special birthday surprise.
This little diversion from an otherwise serious event was cooked up by Michelle Gallagher, Bryan Litz, and some other folks from Berger. By the way, the balloon birthday surprise may have brought good luck for Samantha (it certainly didn’t break her concentration). Sam finished as the high-scoring shooter (447-10X) for the 4-member Michigan F-TR team than may have established a new F-TR record for the 800/900/1000 yard Palma Course of Fire. The team total was 1764 – 63X. Match directors are now trying to confirm that Samantha and her Michigan team-mates have set a new team record. Stay tuned.
Balloon photo by Steve Fio.
February 8th, 2014
The winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia is not just about skiing, skating, sledding, and snowboarding. It’s also about shooting. The Biathlon competition, conducted over the course of 15 days, combines Nordic skiing with position rimfire shooting. It’s a challenging sport, requiring world-class fitness along with superior marksmanship skills.
“This year, the two favorites for gold are Martin Fourcade of France for the men and Tora Berger of Norway for the women. However, they still have stiff competition. Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway, nicknamed ‘The Cannibal,’ has already won 11 Olympic medals in the biathlon, 6 of which were gold. Russian competitors Anton Shipulin, Eygeny Ustyugoy, and Olga Zaitseva could enjoy a distinct home advantage. Overall, Norway is expected to take the medal lead in biathlon, with Russia and Germany as their toughest competitors.” — Chelsea Smith for WideOpenSpaces.com.
Biathlon is a hugely popular sport in Northern and Eastern Europe. Athletes from Norway, Germany, and Russia have dominated, winning over two-thirds of Olympic biathlon medals. WideOpenSpaces.com has an excellent overview of the Olympic biathlon events and the U.S. biathletes that will be competing. CLICK HERE to read more.
February 8th, 2014
We know you guys like do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. And we also know that our readers like anything that helps a rifle sit more securely in the bags, and track better on recoil. Here’s a little accessory you can make yourself for pennies that will help rifles with conventional (non-benchrest) stocks ride the rear bag better.
This DIY Bag-Rider is simple in design and easy to make. The invention of Forum member Bill L. (aka “Nomad47″), this is simply a short section of PVC pipe attached to the bottom of a wood stock with a couple of screws. The back half of the PVC tube is cut at an angle to match the lower profile of the stock. Nomad47 painted the PVC Bag-Rider black for sex appeal, but that’s not really necessary.
In the top photo you can see Nomad47’s bagrider attached to a Savage varminter. In the bottom photo, the PVC bag-rider tube is fitted to an F-TR style rig with a green, laminated thumbhole stock. This rifle also features a Savage action with a custom barrel and “wide-track” bipod. (Note: to be legal in F-Class competition, the muzzle brake would have to be removed.)
To learn more about this PVC Bag-Rider and other similar gadgets for the rear of your stock, read this Forum Thread.
February 7th, 2014
The wind gods smiled on the shooters at the Berger Southwest Nationals on Thursday. For most of the day, the wind flags were hanging straight down or barely moving. Many shooters managed to go through the 800-yard stage without dropping a point. Conditions got tougher for the 900-yard and 1000-yard stages but it was still a day of low winds and high scores.
Team Grizzly made the most of the good conditions in the F-Open Division. Coached by Trudie Fay, and anchored by 2013 World Champion Kenny Adams, the four-person team shot brilliantly, scoring 1786 with 104 Xs. That beats the existing 800/900/1000 Palma course National record by five (5) points and ten Xs. The previous record, 1781-94X, was set by Team Berger in 2008.
During the match we had a chance to chat with Shiraz Balolia as he was getting his .300 WSM ready for the 1000-yard stage. Since stepping down as the captain of the USA F-Open Team, Shiraz had told us that he planned to shift his priorities, and devote more time to non-shooting activities. But here he was, back in the thick of competition. Shiraz smiled and said “You’re right, I was planning to get away from shooting a bit. But I just couldn’t miss this match … I guess I have the bug”. When a man’s this good at long-range shooting, you can’t keep him away from the firing line for long. Shiraz serves as Captain of Team Grizzly.
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