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September 21st, 2011
 Mark your calendars, gents. The IBS 600-yard Nationals are slated for the weekend of September 30th through October 2nd. The event will be held at the Midwest Benchrest Range in Yukon, Missouri. The 2011 600-yard Nationals consist of an 8-target Aggregate match in Light Gun (LG), plus an 8-target Aggregate match in Heavy Gun (HG). There will be a total (LG + HG) of 16 record targets (5 record shots each [80 total]). After a safety meeting, the match begins at 9:00 am on FRIDAY September 30th, and continues on SATURDAY, October 1st. Sunday October 2nd is a reserve day if needed due to weather delays.
Sight-In and Practice Times on Thursday
Thursday, September 29 will be the last day to register. The range is also open on Thursday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm for sight-in and set-up. NOTE: Due to the nature of this event, practice/sight-in will not be available on match days (9/30 – 10/2) prior to the start of the matches.
CLICK HERE for IBS 600-yard Nationals Registration form (PDF)
For more information, visit Midwestbenchrest.com or contact Robert Ross, at (417) 247-2020 or
robert [at] midwestbenchrest.com.
Story Tip from Sam Hall. We welcome reader submissions.
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September 16th, 2010
 The Ojai Valley Gun Club (OVGC) hosts a 600-yard Registered Benchrest match this Sunday, September 19. Beat the heat and come up to this beautiful location in the Coastal Mountains. There will be both Light Gun (17-lb) and Heavy Gun (unlimited weight) matches (three record targets each class), and the cost is just $25.00 for a full day of shooting. Shooting starts at 8:00 am sharp, so get there early. Under NBRSA Rules, the Light Guns will shot 5 record rounds per target, while the Heavy Guns shoot 10 rounds per target.
Match director Barry Bluhm says: “We welcome all shooters, even if their rifles don’t make the 17-lb weight limit for Light Gun. F-Classers and other guys who don’t have a true Light Gun can shoot their heavier rifles in both stages and all targets will be scored, but Light Gun official awards will be limited to the 17-pounders.”
While there is time to load between matches, it’s wise to come pre-loaded with at least 75 rounds. A total of 45 record rounds will be shot, and you’ll need sighter rounds. If you’ve never shot at 600 yards before you’ll need +11-14 MOA elevation from a 100-yard zero for most popular calibers.
As the Ojai range is located at about 3,350 feet, temps can be “brisk” in the morning. Bring a sweater or jacket as it could be under 40° when the match begins. Highs should be in the 70s by mid-day. The weatherman predicts excellent conditions for Sunday, so we could witness some record-setting performances. When it is cool, calm, and still in the early morning, it’s very possible to shoot quarter-MOA groups at Ojai. We’re still waiting for a sub-inch group to be shot in Registered 600-yard competition at Ojai — maybe this will be the weekend.
For match information, call Barry Bluhm at (805) 798-2473. The range is located off CA Route 33 about 35 minutes’ drive north-east of Ventura, California (see map below).
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June 13th, 2010
On June 12, 2010, at the Piedmont Range in Rutherfordton, NC, Sam Hall, shooting a 6mm Dasher, set TWO new pending IBS 600-yard world records with a stunning 0.686″ five-shot group. The group was centered up in the Ten Ring for 50 points with two doubles! This group should give Sam both the single target IBS Light Gun small group record AND the Light Gun score record. Sam’s 0.686″ beats Paul Wagoner’s 0.711″ previous small-group record set in 2008 with a 6 BRX. Larry Isenhour previously held the IBS score record with a 50-3X (0.944″) group shot in August, 2007, also with a 6 BRX. NOTE: Sam had only one X, but the official tie-breaker for the score record is group size, not X-count. Therefore, if approved, Sam’s 0.686″ group establishes both new group size and score records. (We wish the IBS had some other official recognition for high X-count.)
Record-Setting Chambering, Load, and Hardware
Sam was shooting a 6mm Dasher with 32.0 grains of Norma 203B powder, Berger 105gr VLD bullets (unpointed), CCI 450 primers and Lapua brass, neck turned to 0.266″ for a 0.268″-necked chamber. Regarding the choice of powder, Sam says Reloder 15 gives the same accuracy and speed as 203B but he “just happed to have 8 pounds of [203B] and decided to use it in this rifle.” Interestingly, Sam was jumping his 105s about forty thousandths. That’s right, .040″ OFF the lands. The record gun has a BAT MB action, Shehane Tracker stock, and Krieger 29″, .237″ bore, 1:8″ twist HV barrel.
Here is Sam’s report from Piedmont:
Shooting the Record — Conditions and Strategy
The afternoon was slightly overcast with mild mirage. Winds were running left to right at approximately 5 mph. During the afternoon I noticed the wind would stay in one direction for several minutes then would make a complete reversal. On my record round I had made four (4) shots when I noticed the wind picking up in intensity slightly from left to right. I knew this because I saw my wind flag Daisy wheels start spinning faster. For the fifth shot I held left one inch from my previous four shots and let it fly. I was shooting the string as fast as I could and stay smooth. I was expecting a reversal because the wind has stayed constant for too long — it was about time for a reversal.
Evidently holding off was smart — otherwise the group might have been a 1.686″! This year I have been concentrating on learning more on wind and mirage reading. This game is getting more competitive every year. I figure the only way I can stay ahead is to work on my wind reading. If you don’t read the wind, you are eventually going to get bit.
About my Light Gun
I was shooting a BAT 1.550″ round, dual-port MB action with non-fluted bolt. The stock is a Shehane fiberglass ST-1000, pillar-bedded by Tom Meredith. Tom epoxied lead shot in the butt to bring it up to 16.94 lbs. with a Leupold 40x competition scope. The barrel is a 29″, 8-twist, .237″, HV contour Krieger with a Vais muzzle brake. This barrel, purchased three years ago from Brunos, came off the Terry Leonard-stocked rifle that earned me a lot of Shooter of the Year (SOY) points in 2009. It has about 700 rounds on it. It started life as a 6BR, but my reamer had gotten dull and left a rough chamber. So I gave the barrel to Mike Davis and told him this was a perfect excuse for me to try a 6mm Dasher. The barrel is now chambered as a 6mm Dasher with a .268″ neck with .124 freebore, the same as my Maxi-Tracker 6 Dasher.
Load Details — Yes I Was Jumping Berger VLDs a Country Mile
Last year, I could not get the Berger 105 VLDs to shoot like I wanted in this barrel, so I used Berger 108 BTs, jumped .015″. After last season, I tried the 105 VLDs again. I think they have a slight advantage in the wind compared to the 108s. But again the 105s would not shoot well at 600 jammed in the rifling as I normally do. I noticed this barrel was shooting better off the rifling. I kept backing the bullets off the rifling. I found a sweet spot 40 thousandths off the rifling. The gun was shooting 1 to 1.5 inch groups pretty consistently at 600 yards at my home range. The day I shot the record was the first time I had shot this load and rifle in competition. I believe it is a keeper! — Sam Hall
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April 27th, 2010
 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.”
CLICK HERE to Download 2010 NBRSA 600-Yard Nationals Scores (MS Word file)
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