The 2022 Southwest Nationals are history. This was a very successful mid-range and long-range event, with 330+ participants and some great shooting in F-Open, F-TR, and Sling divisions. We congratulate the 2022 SWN Champions: Tod Hendricks (F-Open, 1243-73X); Keith Trapp (F-TR, 1233-62X); and Kimberly Rowe (1231-63X). Shown below are Sling Winner Kimberly Rowe, and F-TR Champ Keith Trapp.

Here are the TOP TEN for each of the three divisions. CLICK HERE for ALL results:

Click the links below for full results, including Grand Aggs and day-by-day performances. You can also find further results plus a large collection of photos at SouthwestNationals.net.

ALL F-Open Results | ALL F-TR Results | ALL Sling Div. Results

The Berger SW Nationals is one of the few American events where sling shooters compete on the same firing line as F-Class competitors (though in separate groups).

Reading the wind can be challenging at Ben Avery. What’s your wind call here?

Top competitors show focus and concentration in mid-range match.

Stunning F-Open rifle with SEB Mini front rest with Blake Machine accessories.

Looking downrange during Team Match.

Here is the 1000-yard firing line on the final day of competition.

Competitor’s Thoughts about the 2022 SW Nationals
Our friend John Masek (“F Class John” in our Forum) shot great to finish 4th overall in the F-Open division. Here is his “take-away” from this year’s SWN:

The 2022 SWN saw what I can only describe as the largest collection of tight-shooting guns I’ve even seen. As we approached the 800-yard line for the first day of the Long Range program, it was absolutely dead calm and everyone knew some high scores were going to get posted. By the end of the 800-yard match, the vast majority of the 134 F-Open shooters shot a clean 150 with a staggering eight of them shooting a perfect 150-15X (even 11-year-old Ethan Blake). By the end of the day, after shooting 15 rounds each at 800, 900, and 1000 yards, the entire first page of F-Open shooters was separated by only 7 points — a crazy tight margin.

On the following day we started with a very difficult 10-15 mph headwind that derailed many shooters. After the dust settled, there were 22 points separating the first page of shooters but still just 9 points spread among the top 20. The final day was fairly mild and it was anyone’s game, but there was just enough wind to keep shooters on their toes, giving many a chance at redemption from the previous day.

At the end of the day, Tod Hendricks, Tim Vaught, and Ken Dickerman kept their heads in the game and held onto their leads to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively in F-Open. Tod shot an amazing 200-15X in his final round, proving that he was indeed deserving of the F-Open gold medal after three days of fierce competition.

As always, this match, along with the F-Class Nationals and V2 Finale, bring out the finest shooters in the country (and others from around the world). I highly encourage anyone who is able to attend these matches to do so. It’s an experience like no other. No matter your score, you’ll leave with more experience and certainly more friends than you arrived with.

There was construction behind the Ben Avery Range. Note the many tall cranes.

Competitors being transported for their sessions pulling targets in the pits.

Working in the pits is part of the Berger SWN experience.

Over 300 Competitors from Many Countries
On opening day of the 2022 SW Nationals Nancy Tompkins posted: “We started the day off with National anthems for Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico, Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the USA. We have 282 shooters today and 333 for the Long Range portion of the match. It is fantastic seeing so many targets up and so many competitors after the last two years.”

Photo by Nancy Tompkins near Ben Avery Shooting Facility the evening before the Southwest Nationals. Nancy posted: “Thank you to all of the sponsors, volunteers, and shooters who have traveled from all over… to make this match so special.

Parting Shot: Norm Harrold Target, 200-17X

Paul Phillips posted: “Today I pulled a target for Norm Harrold. This was his 1000-yard target that scored 200-17X. This was the best F-Class score I ever pulled for. It sure is nice when they’re all in the X-Ring. Nice shooting Norm! This is a 5-inch X-Ring.” NOTE: This was from the first 20-shot competition on Day 2 at 1000 yards. We believe Norm had the second highest score for this particular 20-shot match, behind Steven Zock who shot an amazing 200-19X.

See you next year!

The Berger Southwest Nationals officially starts on Wednesday, February 9, 2022. However there will be Open Practice today at the Ben Avery Benchrest Range. If you’re shooting the Match and need to confirm your zero after travel, or perhaps do some last-minute load testing, you may want to take advantage of today’s testing session. This is also a chance to test out new equipment — such as a new rear bag, or new front rest — and ensure everything is working right. It’s also a good idea to make sure your scope is aligned properly and working 100% correctly.

Matt Schwartzkopf, Ben Avery Range Director, posted this welcome message on our Shooters’ Forum: