The Disabled Shooting Services of the National Rifle Association will host the second annual Open Range Day at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 8, 2010. Open Range Day is an all-inclusive event where certified trainers and instructors introduce a variety of shooting sports to people with physical disabilities. Sponsors provide shotguns, rifles, pistols and air rifles for the participants.
“We had a huge response from first-time shooters last year,” said Disabled Shooting Services Manager Vanessa Ross. “Registration for 2010 is already twice the size of last year’s class, and we can’t wait to get things started.”
Open Range Day begins with a safety clinic led by NRA Certified Instructors. Participants then have the opportunity to learn the proper way to shoot shotguns, rifles, pistols, and air guns. “The important thing is for everyone to explore their personal potential on the range and simply have fun,” explained Ross.
“We wouldn’t be able to hold such an event without our corporate sponsors,” said Ross. “Ruger, Savage, and Davidson’s are donating the use of their firearms, White Flyer Targets and Birchwood Casey are donating targets, while Kowa Optimed, Pyramyd Air, Lapua and Remington are donating spotting scopes and ammunition.” For more on Open Range Day, contact Vanessa Ross at (703) 267-1495 or email disabled_shooting [at] nrahq.org. CLICK HERE to learn more about NRA’s disabled shooting programs. If you’d like to volunteer as an Open Range Day assistant, click the link below.
At a Capitol Hill breakfast briefing today, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) released a newly commissioned report detailing the significant economic impact the firearms and ammunition industry has on the nation’s and each state’s economy. The numbers were impressive. Overall, the firearms industry had an economic impact of $27.8 BILLION dollars in 2009. The firearms industry generated $8.2 Billion in workers’ wages and $4.4 Billion in tax revenues. “During difficult economic times and high unemployment rates nationally, our industry actually grew and created 16,800 new, well-paying jobs,” said NSSF President Steve Sanetti. “Our industry is proud to be one of the bright spots in this economy.”
The economic growth America’s firearms and ammunition industry experienced last year was driven by an unprecedented number of Americans choosing to exercise their fundamental right to keep and bear arms and purchase a firearm and ammunition. Also cited in the Economic Impact Report were the significant taxes paid by industry member companies to federal and state governments and the Pittman-Robertson excise tax — a major source of wildlife conservation funding in America. “In 2009 our industry increased its contribution to wildlife conservation by over 37.6 percent, which translates into sportsmen contributing more than $7.5 million dollars daily to conservation efforts,” said NSSF General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane.
Hey guys, here’s your chance to buy Berger Bullets at super-low prices. Berger has arranged an exclusive “Bullet Sell-Off” promotion for AccurateShooter.com readers. These bullets are not blems or damaged. They are mostly first-quality overruns. After yesterday’s sale, what’s left are primarily 22 caliber. Some are moly-coated but most are not. The prices are insanely low on these sell-off bullets. You can save $10 per 100 (or more) on some types.
Eric Stecker, Berger’s Master Bulletsmith, explains: “Over time we accumulate bullets that are either discontinued, overruns or were part of a test that is completed. These bullets are Match Grade and every bit the same as any Berger. Circumstances specific to each lot available is compelling us to release these bullets for very low prices. Below I’ve listed the quantity, description, lot, price and a brief explanation on why they are available for such a low price.”
Berger will sell these bullets for the next few days. To purchase the Special Sell-Off bullets, call Berger’s main line at (714) 447-5456 to place the order. Doing this will help keep things sorted out as the calls come in — first call, first served. UPDATE: The 17 Cal just sold out.
One of the great things about ordering an M1 Garand or rimfire Target Rifle from the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is that, if you satisfy all the purchaser requirements, the gun can be shipped directly to your home (in most states). You are NOT required to receive a CMP surplus rifle through an FFL, at least in most jurisdictions.
Unfortunately, that situation has changed in New Jersey. The State of New Jersey is now requiring that CMP guns be first shipped to Federal Firearms License-holders who also have a current New Jersey State License.
New Jersey Now Restricts CMP Firearms Transfers
Orest Michaels, CMP Chief Operating Officer, reports: “On April 12th, CMP representatives met with representatives of the NJ State Police and the NJ Attorney General’s office. At issue was the fact that CMP customers were receiving rifles at their home and not from a firearms dealer licensed by the state. It was the opinion… of both the NJ State Police and the AG’s office that NJ requires all firearm transactions be face to face and the transfer of a rifle be made to the customer by a NJ licensed dealer. Therefore, NJ residents cannot certify paragraph K on the CMP order form that reads: ‘I further certify that I will not be in violation, by reason of my receipt or possession of a rifle, of any state law or published ordinance applicable where I reside’.”
Effective immediately, rifles sold and shipped to NJ residents must be shipped to NJ licensed firearms dealers. Customers should provide the CMP with copies of the dealer’s FFL and NJ State license, along with the CMP order form. This applies to all rifle orders the CMP has already received and not yet shipped. [However], New Jersey residents who visit either CMP store may purchase and pick up rifles without the necessity of going through a NJ licensed dealer.
If you compete in matches with time limits for record fire, a timer with both count-down and stopwatch functions comes in very handy. Creedmoor Sports sells a nice, basic battery-powered match timer for $26.95, item C1033. If you don’t want to pack an extra piece of kit, and want something more versatile, consider a watch with a count-down timer and stopwatch.
Right now BlingDaily.com is selling a Casio Waveceptor Watch with an easy-to-use countdown timer AND a chronograph stopwatch. For the next 9 hours only, the price on this watch is just $13.99! Typical selling price is about forty bucks. One cool feature of this Waveceptor watch is that it automatically sets the correct time, to the second, by “tuning in” to the official “Atomic Time” radio signal (in both the USA and the UK). The watch also displays world time in 48 different cities around the globe. That is handy for travelers. SORRY — WATCH is SOLD OUT!
Act now if you want the watch for $13.99. The offer expires this afternoon. This Editor owns another Waveceptor watch. The auto time-check feature really works. For months, my Wavecepter has been accurate, to the second, when checked against the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) atomic clock.
The final results of the 2010 NBRSA 600-Yard National Championship held at the Sac Valley Shooting Center on April 23-25, 2010, are now available. Click the link below to download an MS Word file with complete scores.
Official Scorer Jim O’Connell reports: “On Friday Billy Copelin was presented his NBRSA Long-Range Hall of Fame Jacket. He joined a very elite group of shooters. Congratulations to Billy. The weather was fairly nice and the wind (light brezze) was manageable. Robert Hoppe and Don Nielson both broke the 6-target Light Gun score record with a 278-3X. Don beat Robert because Don had the smaller group. Richard Schatz broke two records, the 6-target Heavy Gun group (3.045), and the twelve target Two-Gun group (2.782). Don Nielson was the 2010 National Champion with a score of 12 (8-Heavy Gun Score, 2-Heavy Gun Group, 1-Light Gun Score, and 1-Light Gun Group). Congratulations to Don. Thank you all for your participation and support of the Sloughhouse Benchrest Shooters. Hope to see you all at the NBRSA 1000-Yard Nationals.”
One of the nation’s major multi-gun competitions took place this weekend at the new Rockcastle Shooting Center in Park City, Kentucky. The Sabre Defense Blue Ridge Mountain 3-Gun Championship attracted scores of top shooters, drawn by over $250,000 worth of gear and certificates on the prize table. The “Blue Ridge” is a hugely popular match — probably the biggest 3-gun event in the country.
This is the second year for the event at the Rockcastle Shooting Center, an impressive addition to the Park Mammoth Resort. With roughly 250 shooters this year, attendance was up over 42% since last year. One reason the Blue Ridge 3-Gun match is so popular is its unique terrain. Match Director Andy Horner explains: “The BRM3G has several characteristics for which it is known. First of all, being one of two major matches held over natural terrain, the match uses features of the land to create interesting and challenging courses of fire. Stage design also sets the BRM3G apart. The stages are physically demanding and have a higher-than-average round count. This is not a stand-and-shoot match. We strive to create stages that require competitors to get out of their comfort zone and have their abilities tested. This is accomplished through requiring significant movement, unusual shooting positions, unusual presentation of targets, and occasional longer shots.”
Despite rainy weather, the competitors fought through 10 stages over three days. On Sunday, among the top stage performers, 32 shooters were selected for the shoot-off. These 32 dueled in elimination matches until just two competitors were left: Taran Butler and Erik Lund. Erik and Taran then battled against the clock in a final stage run. When the dust settled, Taran Butler took the championship by a few seconds, earning a $5000.00 check from Leupold. As the Blue Ridge 3-Gun Champion, Butler earned a spot at the 3-Gun Nation Finals in September, which will be held in conjunction with the USPSA 3-Gun Nationals. Below are images from the 2009 Blue Ridge Mountain 3-Gun event.
NBRSA Long-Range BR Hall-of-Famer Don Nielson earned his second NBRSA 600-yard championship this weekend in Sacramento, California. Don took the overall title, which counts score and group results for both Light Gun (LG) and Heavy Gun (HG). 6mm Dasher shooters Richard Schatz and Robert Hoppe finished second and third overall, respectively. Potential new records were set at the match, with possible new records by Nielson in LG Group Agg, LG Score Agg, and (possibly) 12-target Agg. Along with winning the Championship, Don placed first in LG Group, first in LG Score, second in HG Group, and second in Two-Gun Group Agg. Nielson also shot the smallest LG group, a 1.4″ group with four of five shots in slightly over 1/2 inch!
Don shot two 6.5×47 17-lb rifles, one in Light Gun and one in Heavy Gun. (He shot two near-identical rifles so he didn’t need to clean between LG and HG relays). For his pair of 6.5x47s, Don loaded Alliant Reloder 15 powder, with Federal 205M primers, and Berger 130 VLD bullets “right out of the box.” Don’s rifles featured Kelbly 1000-yard stocks, Bartlein 30″ barrels, and March 10-60x52mm scopes. Below Don Nielson is shown testing in 2008. Don shot this gun in the match, but it has a new Bartlein barrel.
The Match was well-attended — 46 of the nation’s top mid-range shooters competed. Don Nielson said conditions were “pretty nice until the third (last) relay on Sunday”. Don felt that winds didn’t top 10 mph until late on Sunday. Don credited both his guns for performing very consistently and he wanted to acknowledge his fellow shooters: “Richard, as usual, shot great with his Dasher. Robert (Hoppe) shot well as did Darryl Kightlinger and Everet Smith, whom we call the ‘Shasta Locomotive'”. Below are preliminary results provided by Lynn Dragoman.
Overall NBRSA National Championship
1. Don “The Pumpkin” Nielson
2. Richard Schatz
3. Robert Hoppe
4. Darryl Kightlinger
5. Everet Smith
6. Curt Mendenhall
7. William Hubina
8. Kenneth Schroeder
9. John Crawford
10. Lynn Dragoman Jr
Two-Gun Score
1. Everet Smith
2. Darryl Kightlinger
3. Richard Schatz
4. Curt Mendenhall
5. Don Nielson
6. Kenneth Schroeder
7. Lynn Dragoman Jr
8. Robert Hoppe
9. Stu Harvey
10. Lou Murdica
Two-Gun Group
1. Richard Schatz
2. Don Nielson
3. Robert Hoppe
4. Everet Smith
5. Curt Mendenhall
6. William Hubina
7. Kenneth Schroeder
8. Darryl Kightlinger
9. John Crawford
10. Greg Wilson
Three-Target Winners
Heavy Gun 3-Tgt Score — Darryl Kightlinger
Heavy Gun 3-Tgt Group — Robert Hoppe
Light Gun 3-Tgt Score — Robert Hoppe
Light Gun 3-Tgt Group — John Crawford
Light Gun Score
1. Don Nielson
2. Robert Hoppe
3. Darryl Kightlinger
4. Everet Smith
5. Curt Mendenhall
Light Gun Group
1. Don Nielson
2. Richard Schatz
3. Robert Hoppe
4. John Crawford
5. Darryl Kightlinger
Heavy Gun Score
1. Richard Schatz
2. Kenneth Schroeder
3. Everet Smith
4. Stu Harvey
5. Darryl Kightlinger
Heavy Gun Group
1. Richard Schatz
2. Don Nielson
3. Everet Smith
4. Curt Mendenhall
5. William Hubina
After Olympian Kim Rhode, Ace handgunner Jessie Abbate is probably the most popular and marketable female shooter in America. A member of Team Glock for many seasons, Abbate split with the Austrian pistol-maker after Glock refused to allow her to wear a secondary sponsor’s logo on her competition jersey. Now all the major action shooting sponsors will be vying for Jessie’s services. Smith & Wesson will likely pursue Abbate, but Jessie might end up with Sig Sauer whose team is lead by multi-time National Champion Max Michel. If Sig can sign Abbate, Sig Sauer would arguably have both the #1 male shooter and #1 female shooter on the same squad.
On DownRange.TV, Paul Erhardt notes: “Now that the women’s division shooting powerhouse has said Auf Wiedersehen to the Haus of Glock, the question is who will [sign her]?
Smith & Wesson — This is the obvious #1 choice. If I were [S&W’s team managers], I’d be hell bent for election to sign Jessie. The 158 year-old juggernaut has already assembled a very strong shooting team, the largest of any firearms company. They are still smarting from having lost out on Max Michel who went to Sig due to bad timing with S&W’s budget year.
Sig Sauer — This company finally got into the competition world with Max Michel who promptly won the USPSA Open Nationals and the Steel Challenge. He’s a lock for both titles in the future. Jessie would bring titles in Production, Limited-10, Steel Challenge, Single Stack and Open if they build a Sig Open gun for her on an STI body.”
On Wednesday, April 28, the Shooting USA TV show reprises its special “Old Sniper” broadcast. In this popular episode, 84-year old WWII veteran Ted Gundy, who served as a U.S. Army sniper in the Battle of the Bulge, meets with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) at Fort Benning. For a week, the “Old Sniper” (and his son) were honored as VIP guests of the USAMU at Fort Benning.
At the end of the show Gundy received a new replica of the 1903 Springfield A4 Sniper rifle. The rifle, complete with vintage-type scope, was presented by Val Forgett of Navy Arms. Then, shooting from a rucksack rest, Gundy proceeded to hit steel at 300 yards. CLICK HERE for Full Story with details.
This Shooting USA Special broadcast helps viewers remember our remaining WWII veterans, while showing the dedication and hard work of the modern-day USAMU. Broadcast times (on the Outdoor Channel) are shown below (check your local listings).
The Disabled Shooting Services of the National Rifle Association will host the second annual Open Range Day at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 8, 2010. Open Range Day is an all-inclusive event where certified trainers and instructors introduce a variety of shooting sports to people with physical disabilities. Sponsors provide shotguns, rifles, pistols and air rifles for the participants.
At a Capitol Hill breakfast briefing today, the 
Hey guys, here’s your chance to buy 
One of the great things about ordering an M1 Garand or rimfire Target Rifle from the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is that, if you satisfy all the purchaser requirements, the gun can be shipped directly to your home (in most states). You are NOT required to receive a CMP surplus rifle through an FFL, at least in most jurisdictions.
The 
One of the nation’s major multi-gun competitions took place this weekend at the new Rockcastle Shooting Center in Park City, Kentucky. The Sabre Defense 
NBRSA Long-Range BR Hall-of-Famer Don Nielson earned his second NBRSA 600-yard championship this weekend in Sacramento, California. Don took the overall title, which counts score and group results for both Light Gun (LG) and Heavy Gun (HG). 6mm Dasher shooters Richard Schatz and Robert Hoppe finished second and third overall, respectively. Potential new records were set at the match, with possible new records by Nielson in LG Group Agg, LG Score Agg, and (possibly) 12-target Agg. Along with winning the Championship, Don placed first in LG Group, first in LG Score, second in HG Group, and second in Two-Gun Group Agg. Nielson also shot the smallest LG group, a 1.4″ group with four of five shots in slightly over 1/2 inch!
After Olympian Kim Rhode, Ace handgunner Jessie Abbate is probably the most popular and marketable female shooter in America. A member of Team Glock for many seasons, Abbate split with the Austrian pistol-maker after Glock refused to allow her to wear a secondary sponsor’s logo on her competition jersey. Now all the major action shooting sponsors will be vying for Jessie’s services. Smith & Wesson will likely pursue Abbate, but Jessie might end up with Sig Sauer whose team is lead by multi-time National Champion Max Michel. If Sig can sign Abbate, Sig Sauer would arguably have both the #1 male shooter and #1 female shooter on the same squad.
On 
