The TCU rifle team used a dominating effort in air rifle to erase a five-point deficit to claim its second national championship in the last three seasons. TCU’s top-scoring Air Rifle shooter, Sarah Scherer, finished third in the air rifle individual finals, which was won by another lady shooter, West Virginia Mountaineer Petra Zublasing. Congrats to Petra!
In addition to the Team National Championship, the Frogs took home the air rifle title after firing a 2,353, topping West Virginia’s team score of 2,350. Kentucky finished the smallbore competition on day one in first place, but the KY Wildcats couldn’t hold off the TCU squad. TCU’s “Horned Frogs” fired a 2,353 in air rifle to record an impressive 4,676-4,661 overall victory over the defending champion Wildcats. Alaska-Fairbanks took third place overall in the team competition behind TCU and Kentucky.
Final NCAA Rifle Championship Team Rankings:
1. Texas Christian University (TCU)
2. Univ. of Kentucky
3. Univ. of Alaska – Fairbanks
4. U.S. Military Academy (West Point)
5. Univ. of Texas El Paso (UTEP)
6. West Virginia Univ.
7. Jacksonville State Univ.
8. Univ. of Nevada – Reno
Story by By Kyle Jillson forThe NRA Blog
The Kentucky Wildcats won the 2012 NCAA team smallbore championship yesterday, shooting a 2328 to win the Smallbore Title and secure a 3-point lead over 2nd place Army in the overall (combined smallbore and Air Rifle) 2012 NCAA Rifle Championships. Last year the Wildcats came into the second day’s Air Rifle competition with a 7-point lead and held on by three to claim the school’s first National Championship. Today at the French Field House Kentucky hopes to maintain the lead in the Air Rifle championship and take home a National Championship for the second consecutive year.
Heading into Saturday’s Air Rifle competition, here are current Team Scores and rankings::
1. University of Kentucky: 2328
2. U.S. Military Academy (West Point): 2325
3. Texas Christian University: 2323
4. Alaska-Fairbanks: 2312
5. University of Nevada Reno: 2306
6. Jacksonville State University: 2304
7. UTEP: 2303
8. West Virginia University: 2297
TCU’s Sarah Scherer Wins Individual Smallbore Championship
Friday afternoon the top eight shooters from the smallbore relays stepped up to the firing line for the 2012 individual smallbore finals. When the final scores were totaled, TCU’s Sarah Scherer was the victor, edging West Point’s Michael Matthews by just one point. Scherer, who recently qualified for the US Olympic Team, took the individual smallbore title with a 99.6 in the finals and a total aggregate of 688.6. This was her second win in smallbore; the first coming in TCU’s national championship run in 2010.
The nation’s top collegiate men and women shooters have converged on Ohio State University to compete in the 2012 NCAA Rifle Championships. The Championships run March 9-10 (Friday and Saturday) at the Converse Hall and French Field House in Columbus, Ohio. The undefeated Horned Frogs from Texas Christian University (TCU) look to upset the reigning champion Wildcats from the University of Kentucky (UK). You can follow the NCAA Rifle Championships on the NCAA.com website (rifle page). Event coverage will include live streaming video of some relays. The 8-minute video below includes profiles of top male and female shooters.
The following eight teams qualified (based on regular season aggregate scores) to compete in both air rifle and smallbore events: University of Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF), West Point Army, Jacksonville State, University of Kentucky, West Virginia University, University of Nevada, University of Texas El Paso (UTEP), and TCU. On Friday, March 9, the three-position smallbore shooters (both team and individual competition) will shoot 60 shots. The next day, air rifle competitors will take the line for 60 shots as well. According to NCAA rules: “the overall team champion will be determined by combining smallbore and air rifle team scores into one aggregate score for each institution.” The NCAA Rifle program has been in existence since 1980 and currently has 29 schools participating.
Individual and team competitions in smallbore three-position (60 shots) will be held Friday, March 9. Individual and team competitions in air rifle (60 shots) will be held Saturday, March 10. The overall team champion will be determined by combining the smallbore and air rifle team total scores into one aggregate score for each institution.
Looks like the days of manual target scoring are numbered — at least for airgun shooters. Effective April 23, 2012 (after this year’s Sectionals) the NRA will accept targets digitally scanned and scored with the new Orion Scoring System. Produced by Shooter’s Technology in Virginia, the Orion System exceeds the accuracy standards set by the ISSF, and routinely scores shots within .04mm. Currently the Orion scoring system can work with 5m BB gun targets, 10m Air Rifle Targets, 10m Air Pistol Targets, and 50-foot smallbore (.22LR Rimfire) targets.
50m Smallbore Capability in Development
Orion is working hard on more powerful software that will be able to score 50m smallbore targets — but that’s still many months away.
The makers of the Orion Scoring System claim it can score targets faster, more accurately, and more reliably than scoring by hand using calipers and target plugs. Orion 2.0 will score a 12-bull air rifle target in about 5 seconds — that’s up to five times faster than manual methods. Single-shot accuracy is consistently between .04mm and .10mm, even for low velocity sporter air rifles. Multiple-shot accuracy (when two or more shots overlap on a target) is between .10mm and .25mm.
The Orion Scoring System is a new technology that automates the scoring process. Shooters fire at specially-designed paper targets sourced from Orion. Once each stage of the match is completed, targets are collected and then digitized using commercial scanners. The Orion software reads the target image files, and scores each shot using an image processing algorithm.
Orion’s Dr. Erik Anderson explains how the system works: “Orion’s scoring process uses a computer vision algorithm known formally as ‘Visual Image Scoring’ (VIS). VIS works in a three-step process. First, VIS calculates the precise center of the aiming bull by extrapolating and using the edge of the aiming bull. Second, VIS locates the center of each shot using a similar process using data from the shot hole edge. Finally, the distance between these two locations, called the radial distance, is used to determine the score value. A key to Orion’s accuracy is using the complete shot hole edge. In comparison, manual methods of scoring only look at the inner most edge point and thus have a limited amount of data to determine the shot value.” Anderson says the Orion Scoring System can be as accurate as very expensive electronic targets, though the Orion requires a much smaller investment in hardware. The only special equipment a shooting club needs is a decent flatbed scanner for the targets. Orion says: “most flat-bed scanners manufactured in the last five years are likely to work with Orion.” Another advantage of the Orion System over electronic targets is that a physical copy of the target exists. The match results won’t disappear if someone fries a computer hard-drive.
Orion Match Management and Score Publishing Functions
The Orion Scoring System can generate ranked results and instantly post them online. Once a shooting facility links up to Orion’s Online Results Center, match results (and target scores) can be uploaded for later viewing on the web. If the range lacks a web connection, the Orion score data can be captured on a thumb drive and moved to a computer hooked up to the web.
How Accurate is Orion?
Orion is designed to meet or exceed the accuracy requirements set by the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF):
Air Rifle: 0.125mm radial error
Air Pistol: 0.40mm radial error
50ft Rifle: 0.122mm radial error
How Fast is Orion?
The time it takes to score a set of targets depends on scanner speed and computer processing power. On a dual-core 2.6GHz machine, with Canon DR-6010C scanner, Orion will score:
An air rifle 3×20 set of targets in 1 minute 25 seconds
A smallbore 3×40 set of targets in 1 minutes 55 seconds
A 60 shot air pistol course in 2 minutes 30 seconds
Orion is available from three sources: Shooter’s Technology, the makers of the Orion Scoring System, Gold Medal Shooting, and 10.9.com. Orion is licensed on an annual basis. The first year license fee is $398. The fee for the second year (and each subsequent year) is $78. Separate licenses are required for air rifle, air pistol and 50-foot pistol. Both the National Three Position Air Rifle Council and USA Shooting have approved Orion-based scoring for airgun matches.
Story based on report by Kyle Jillson in The NRA Blog.
Based on their showings in 10m Air Rifle Olympic trials, four athletes have been nominated to the U.S. Olympic Team. The Men’s 10m Air Rifle nominees are two-time Olympic medalist Matt Emmons and 2011 Pan American Games silver medalist Jonathan Hall. The two women nominated to the U.S. Olympic Team are Sarah Scherer and 2008 Olympian Jamie Gray. Olympic Team selection was based on the aggregate of four courses of fire and two best finals. All athletes nominated to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team must now be approved by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Matt Emmons, already nominated for Men’s 50m Rifle Three Position, led the selection with a total of 2587.7 points. Matt note: “I’m happy to earn another nomination to the team and shoot another event at the Olympics. At the same time, I know the scores that I shot throughout Trials are not going to be competitive at the Games and I know what I need to do to get there.” Close behind Emmons, Jon Hall finished the 2012 Trials with 2586.7 total points. Hall, a senior at Columbus State University in Georgia, finished third in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Airgun Trials, barely missing the team in 2008. Hall said that making the 2012 Olympics team is “a relief and an exciting moment — I’ve been working towards this my whole life.”
In Women’s 10m Air Rifle, 21-year-old Sarah Scherer and 2008 Olympian Jamie Gray received nominations to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team. Scherer is now the second member of her family to earn an Olympic berth. Scherer’s brother, Stephen, was a member of the 2008 Team, and passed away in 2011. “Honestly, thank you Lord. Without him I could not have made it through this match,” said Scherer who battled a severe head cold throughout the weekend. “The only thing that I had left in my shooting that was still me was my focus and concentration. I couldn’t hear or see as well as normal and my heart rate was all over the place. I’m just so thankful that I made it through.”
Gray, already nominated to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team for Women’s 50m 3P Rifle, is “looking forward to shooting two events [in London].” Jamie, the wife of USAMU SSG Hank Gray, will continue her training at the USAMU’s ranges in Fort Benning, GA, as well as the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado.
Airgun Course of Fire Explained
In airgun competition, male and female competitors shoot 60 and 40 shots respectively during a single course of fire at electronic targets 10m (32.8 feet) down range. The maximum number of points available is 600 for men and 400 points for women with 10 being the highest score possible per shot. Athletes qualify for the finals by placing in the top eight after an aggregate match score. The final for both events consists of ten shots. The scoring in the finals is unique because decimals are counted, so the maximum number of points a competitor can earn is 109 points with 10.9 being the highest score possible per shot.
In related news, two 10m air pistol shooters secured Team nominations at the Olympic Trials held at Port Clinton, Ohio this past weekend. Now set to compete with Team USA are three-time Olympian SFC Daryl Szarenski, and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Jason Turner. SFC Szarenski is the 2011 Pan-American Games Men’s 10m Air Pistol gold medalist. Daryl came into the weekend with an 18-point advantage over his nearest competitor and finished atop the standings with 2537.4 total points.
Crosman unveiled a great new product at SHOT Show — a dedicated upper that transforms your AR-platform gun into a .177-caliber air rifle. Smart idea. Crosman deserves praise — we wish this was on the market decades ago. This is great for service rifle shooters who can now practice at a fraction of the cost of centerfire ammunition. Since the lower is unchanged, and the sights are the same as on a service rifle, the shooter doesn’t have to adapt to a different trigger or sight height/radius.
As Crosman representative Mark Deboard explains: “With the [MAR 177 upper kit], you can take off your AR’s centerfire upper, replace it with the Crosman upper and go to your basement or garage to shoot .177 pellets. You’re getting great trigger time without going to the range and without buying .223 ammo. You can buy a tin of 500 pellets for about five bucks.” (With a good pellet trap you could practice in your basement — but first consult your state and municipal regulations).
The 7.4-lb Crosman MAR177 Conversion Kit replaces your existing AR/M4 style upper and converts it into a PCP .177-caliber competition air rifle with 21″ free floating Lothar Walther™ barrel. Designed to support 10-meter match air rifle competition, the MAR177 is also suited for service rifle shooters who want to practice indoors in winter. Fitted with a 10-shot rotary magazine, all the shooter has to do work the bolt back every time after firing. The air reservoir offers up to 120 shots per fill.
It looks like the Crosman MAR177 will be popular. Crosman’s Deboard noted that: “We took the MAR177 to Camp Perry last summer for the High Power Rifle Championships, shot it inside the 20 foot Crosman Trailer and everyone loved it.”
Price and Availability
The MAR177 starts shipping 1/25/2012. It is available initially at crosman.com, creedmoorsports.com, and pilkguns.com. Look for retail price around $700, though Creedmoor Sports has a pre-order price of $600.
At SHOT Show 2012 we met with Andreas Krüger, managing director of Kruger Premium Targets, a family-owned business that has printed high-grade targets for over 40 years. Andreas takes great pride in the quality of his company’s targets. Andreas explained: “My family’s name is on every target we sell, therefore we want the quality to be the very best”. Kruger is the official target supplier for the International Shooting Federation, and FITA, the International Archery Federation. And now Kruger is producing official NRA targets for American shooters.
Shooting competitions are often won or lost by fractions of a centimeter in shot placement. Accordingly, it is important to use high-grade targets that provide sharp-edged bullet holes that can be measured with great precision. We are fortunate that Kruger produces official NRA targets for a wide variety of shooting disciplines — air pistol, air rifle, smallbore pistol, smallbore rifle, and centerfire competitions. These targets can be purchased through Kruger-US-Targets.com.
Kruger uses the best paper stock, and operates state-of-the-art printing machines, including one automated printing press that cost over two million Euros. The high quality of Kruger’s 210-gram board made from short-fiber raw materials, ensures that shot-holes have clean, well-defined edges. This makes a big difference, particularly with the low-velocity pellets used in airgun competition.
The 2011 Pan American Games are underway in Guadalajara, Mexico, and American shooters have already distinguished themselves. The Games opened on October 14th and will continue through October 30th, though the last day of shooting is Saturday, October 22nd. The Pan American Games, always held the year preceding the Olympic Games, have attracted athletes from 41 North-, Central- and South-American nations. For the latest shooting results and news, visit USAShooting.org.
Americans have already won Gold Medals in the competition. On the first day of competition, Two-time Olympian SFC Daryl Szarenski, a member of the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program, won gold in the 10m Pistol event, setting a Pan American Games record for total points with 681.7 points.
On Monday, Oct. 17, Emily Caruso won the 10m Air Rifle Gold Medal, tying the Pan American record with a 396 score. In the Mens’ 10m Air Rifle, American Matt Rawlings set a new Pan American games record with his 696.7 score in the finals. (He had previously broken his own PanAm Games record in the qualifying round). Team-mate Jonathan Hall took the Silver Medal. Rawlings’ win and Hall’s second-place finish earned the USA two coveted quotas for next year’s Olympics. “I came here for the quota,” Hall said, “and I’m proud to bring it home to my country.”
The Trap and Skeet Shooters will be competing Oct. 18-21. The U.S. Team has high hopes for male Trap shooters Matt Gossett, and Jake Turner. Gossett, the current USA Mean’s National Champion, finished fourth at the 2010 World Championship. Olympic Gold Medalist Kim Rhodes competes in the Skeet event on Oct. 21, while fellow U.S. Olympic Team member Vincent Hancock goes for the gold on Oct. 22. Hancock won the men’s Skeet event at the 2008 Olympics. Also on the 22nd, the final day for shooting matches, Team USA shooters will compete in the Women’s 50m Rifle Three Position and Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol events. You’ll find complete match results on the official Pan American Games Website. In addition, USAShooting.org features shooter profiles, match reports, and Team USA photos.
For the next week (through September 20, 2011), Pyramyd Air is offering 10% off nearly its entire inventory of airguns and shooting accessories. To get your 10% savings simply enter code “AirgunsSep14-2011″ (without the quotes), during check-out. NOTE: This offer cannot be combined with free shipping offers.
Big Discounts on Close-Out Air Rifles
In addition, Pyramyd Air has deeply discounted some “close-out” air rifles, with prices up to 40% off. Here are some of the best deals:
Air Arms S400 MPR Left-Hand 10m Rifle: Now $795.95, reduced from $1050.00
This gun delivers 7 joules (5.16 ft-lbs) to meet international 10m match rules. The match trigger adjusts for first-stage length and second-stage pull weight, and the trigger shoe can be moved up or down and forward or back. The gun has an adjustable cheekpiece and spacers can be added to increase LOP. The gun comes complete with front and rear match sights.
Hammerli Pneuma PCP Air Rifle: Now $299.95, reduced from $556.30
Very powerful .177 hunting rifle with unique thumbhole stock & removable air tank with built-in pressure gauge. Integrated rail accepts Weaver or 11mm mounts.
Evanix Blizzard S10 Long: Now $599.99, reduced from $850.00
Powerful air rifle for hunting with 320cc air reservoir (2,900 psi). Right-hand or Left-hand stocks available (for same price). Built-in air pressure gauge (manometer). Two-stage trigger adjusts for LOP and position (3 positions). (Scope not included).
Congratulations to all of the 2011 winners and thanks to everyone who made the trip to Camp Perry for the competition this year. We would also like to extend our thanks to the staff, volunteers, and our friends with the Civilian Marksmanship Program and Ohio National Guard for their hard work that made this year such a big success.
2012 Championship Moves to Alabama
Match organizers hope to see everyone again in 2012 when the competition moves to Anniston, Alabama! Below is a slide show from Day 1 of the competition at Camp Perry in late June.
Story by Kerrin Brinkman and photos courtesy the NRA BLOG.
The TCU rifle team used a dominating effort in air rifle to erase a five-point deficit to claim its second national championship in the last three seasons. TCU’s top-scoring Air Rifle shooter, Sarah Scherer, finished third in the air rifle individual finals, which was won by another lady shooter, West Virginia Mountaineer Petra Zublasing. Congrats to Petra!
The nation’s top collegiate men and women shooters have converged on Ohio State University to compete in the 2012 
Looks like the days of manual target scoring are numbered — at least for airgun shooters. Effective April 23, 2012 (after this year’s Sectionals) the NRA will accept targets digitally scanned and scored with the new 
Based on their showings in 10m Air Rifle Olympic trials, four athletes have been nominated to the U.S. Olympic Team. The Men’s 10m Air Rifle nominees are two-time Olympic medalist Matt Emmons and 2011 Pan American Games silver medalist Jonathan Hall. The two women nominated to the U.S. Olympic Team are Sarah Scherer and 2008 Olympian Jamie Gray. Olympic Team selection was based on the aggregate of four courses of fire and two best finals. All athletes nominated to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team must now be approved by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
In related news, two 10m air pistol shooters secured Team nominations at the Olympic Trials held at Port Clinton, Ohio this past weekend. Now set to compete with Team USA are three-time Olympian SFC Daryl Szarenski, and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Jason Turner. SFC Szarenski is the 2011 Pan-American Games Men’s 10m Air Pistol gold medalist. Daryl came into the weekend with an 18-point advantage over his nearest competitor and finished atop the standings with 2537.4 total points.
The 7.4-lb 
At SHOT Show 2012 we met with Andreas Krüger, managing director of 
The 
On Monday, Oct. 17, Emily Caruso won the 10m Air Rifle Gold Medal, tying the Pan American record with a 396 score. In the Mens’ 10m Air Rifle, American Matt Rawlings set a new Pan American games record with his 696.7 score in the finals. (He had previously broken his own PanAm Games record in the qualifying round). Team-mate Jonathan Hall took the Silver Medal. Rawlings’ win and Hall’s second-place finish earned the USA two coveted quotas for next year’s Olympics. “I came here for the quota,” Hall said, “and I’m proud to bring it home to my country.”
The complete, official Results Bulletin from the 
