The NBRSA 100/200 yard Nationals will be conducted September 19-24, 2011 at the Midlands Shooters Assn. Range, located at 3212 E. County Road 136, Midland, TX 79706. There are still places available for the Nationals. Fees are: $190 for 3-gun (SP,LV,HV), $250 for 4-Gun, and Juniors shoot for half-price. There is a $40 late fee for registrations received after August, 20, 2011.
NBRSA Membership Meeting on August 22, 2011
The NBRSA’s Annual General Membership Meeting will also be held in Midlands, Texas, in conjunction with the Nationals. The meeting, scheduled for Thursday, September 22, 2011, will be held after the day’s shoot and before the Awards ceremony. All active NBRSA Full Members are welcome to attend, whether they compete in the match or not.
Story Tip by EdLongrange. We welcome user submissions.
The White Horse Center Range near Peeltree, West Virginia, will host the 2011 National IBS 1000-Yard Nationals from September 3-5, 2011. The good news is that the match directors have lowered the fees in response to the week economy and high gas prices. If you register before August 8th, the match fee is only $80.00 per gun.
Match Schedule and Fees
The 1K Nationals will be a 3-target Aggregate match for both Light Gun (LG) and Heavy Gun (HG) with six (6) targets total. Membership in the IBS, NBRSA, or Williamsport organizations is required — bring your membership card. The match will run Saturday, Sunday, and MONDAY, September 3, 4, and 5. Practice and Sight-in will be available Wednesday (8/31), Thursday (9/1) and Friday (9/2), starting daily at 8:00 am. NOTE: There will be a $10.00 per target fee during practice days and the shooter must furnish his/her own target puller.
Match fees for the Nationals are $80 per gun ($40 per gun for Juniors), if post-marked before August 8, 2011. Thereafter fees go to $90 per gun ($45 per gun for juniors). All registrations MUST be received by 3:00 pm Friday, September 2nd. No walk-up registrations will be accepted on match days.
How to Get There
The Center is located 9.7 miles south on State Route 20 from I-79, exit 115 or 10.1 miles north of Route 20 from Buckhannon. Look for a brown and yellow Dept. of Natural Resources sign on Route 20. Take Crouse Road to the next sign, turn right at the sign, and proceed up the hill to the Center. Map coordinates are: 39°, 7′, 11″ North latitude; 80°, 13′, 4″ West longitude. The White Horse Center website has information on area hotels and campgrounds.
Story Tip by EdLongrange. We welcome submissions from our readers.
A SEB MAX front rest, with the ability to handle wider rifles, was unveiled today by Forum member Ernie Bishop (aka xphunter). This is a prototype, and production versions will hopefully be offered in 2012. Weighing roughly 35 lbs. (16 kg), The new SEB MAX rest fits forearms up to 8″ wide. Without side plate assembly and special front bag, the SEB MAX can accept a 9″-wide stock. The Center-to-Center distance between the posts is 300mm (just a bit less than 12″). This makes the SEB MAX 100 mm wider than the SEB NEO, allowing for 275mm clearance between posts. The bottom plate of the top is 265 mm long (almost 10 1/2″). The side plates assembly with side bag is about 1.25″ thick. Net space is approx 8″ . Posts and height are the same as the SEB NEO, which already has a huge amount of elevation travel. For more info, visit www.SEBCoax.com, email Ernie Bishop at ernieemily[at]yahoo.com or call Ernie at (307) 257-7431. Ernie is the U.S.A. distributor for SEB products.
Ernie Bishop reports: “The new SB MAX is very smooth! I have used it out to 1000 yards so far and am very pleased. I do not know the price yet.” For more information, read this FORUM thread. As set up in the photos below, the SEB MAX is set for the 6″ forearm on Ernie’s 7mm WSM specialty benchrest pistol.
If you’re curious about Ernie’s 7mm WSM handgun, here are the details. Eric Wallace smithed this specialty handgun, as well as the stock. It is a 7mm WSM built on a BAT action fitted with 1:8″ test Bartlein barrel, with Wallace muzzle brake. The rig uses a Sightron S-III, 8-32 scope, and Jewel trigger. The gun was set up to shoot in the Heavy Pistol Class at the annual Long-range Handgun shoot run by the MOA Corporation. Ernie Bishop tells us: “When I have the time, it will also be used for light gun rifle matches at 600 and 1000 yards. I also have a McRee handgun chassis stock so I can use it for more huntng or field shooting.” Ernie does not have the load “fully tweaked yet”, but he’s currently running H1000 behind 180gr JLKs in prepped Winchester 7mm WSM brass, with Federal 210M primers.
The faster a benchrester can send his rounds down-range, the better his chances to complete his 5- or 10-shot group in the same conditions before a major change. Shooting fast is NOT always the best strategy, but many world records have been set using this technique. Even if you’re a “picker”, there are times when you’ll benefit from shooting fast. With current benchrest hardware you still have to manually load each cartridge, even if you have a drop-port action or if you have an ejector that kicks out the fired case. To speed up the loading process, benchrest shooters employ elevated loading blocks that place the cartridges inches away from the loading port. That speeds things up, but you still have to manually pluck your cartridge and stuff it in the action… until now. Get ready for a major new technology that could change the benchrest game.
External Horizontal Benchrest Magazine
Carlos Gonzales, a benchrest shooter (and Professor of Engineering) from Argentina, has perfected a horizontal, external “floating” magazine that can reliably feed PPC cartridges as fast as you can work the bolt. This is interesting because, in 2009, this Editor discussed an attached horizontal feeding tray with three different action makers. All of them dismissed the idea as impractical or too radical. Well guys, it looks like Carlos pulled it off.
The Gonzales “magazine” is actually an open-ended, covered metal tray situated on the left side of the action (but it does not touch the gun — it is supported by the rest). This feeds into the left-side loading port. The cases are gravity-fed, but the shooter has positive control over feeding. A cable with a push-button control runs from the magazine down to the rear foot of the pedestal rest. You just push the button to drop one cartridge from the magazine. We don’t know exactly how the cartridge is released in the magazine itself, but in the video below you can see how the push-button works.
You push the button as soon as a spent cartridge ejects (watch Carlos’s left hand in the video above). It is a clever set-up, and as you can see, the magazine system works very, very fast. The video shows Carlos running five cartridges through his action in just 9 seconds (time marker 00:31 – 00:40). That’s fast! On a repeat viewing focus on Carlos’s left hand to see how he works the push-button cartridge dispensing control.
Kudos to Carlos for his great new invention. According to Pascale Fishbach: “Everything Carlos makes is of extreme quality. The magazine loader will be available just after the world championships in France, where hopefully a couple of them should be put to work.”
Now the question remains… will the official benchrest “powers that be” allow this device, or will they, fearing change, say it is forbidden under current rules. We would like to see the Gonzales magazine ruled legal for both domestic (American) and International competition. But, we acknowledge that Carlos’s invention could raise the cost of competition. The Gonzales mag would be one more “go-fast” item that serious benchresters would have to purchase.
Credit to Pascale Fischbach for sourcing this story and video link.
Report by Forum member James Mock
Not only did Gene win the 2-gun at Chippewa SS Warm-up, and the “Heartbreak award for one bad group that cost him last year’s SS; BUT he has now won the BIG ONE. The 2011 Super Shoot champion is Gene Bukys. He persevered after shooting a 1 1/4 inch group at 200 yards. Congratulations to Gene! — James
Further Super Shoot Results will be provided as soon as available. Photo courtesy James Mock.
Benchrest Hall of Famer Speedy Gonzalez has prepared a comprehensive Guide to Benchrest Competition. It covers all aspects of the game: gear selection (hardware), reloading methods and tools, plus shooting skills and strategies. All of this is available on the web for free, thanks to Speedy and the Swedish Benchrest Shooters Association (SBRSA).
Speedy’s article is a gold-mine of info on shooting components and specialized reloading tools. It is also richly illustrated with high-quality photos showing gun components and reloading gear. Many of the photos show tools that have been sectioned so you can view the internal components.
Speedy also covers bullet design, and load tuning. There are thoughtful sections on Time Management and Target Management that will benefit all competitive shooters, no matter what their discipline.
At most American shooting facilities, you’re lucky to have running water and an electrical hook-up. Those Germans, with their penchant for advanced engineering, have created an amazingly high-tech (and even luxurious) indoor shooting facility that is truly state-of-the art. The NRA is proud of its modern indoor range in Fairfax, Virginia, but the NRA range can’t hold a candle to the advanced Müller Schiess Zentrum facility in Ulm, Germany. This vast complex features an indoor benchrest range with video monitors, a full-sized trap/skeet hall, pistol ranges, and a “running game” hunting simulator that actually displays (in 3D view) the placement of your bullet strike in the moving animal prey. On top of this, the Müller Schiess Zentrum Ulm (MSZU) has a cafe, a restaurant, and a large shopping/retail facility.
We still prefer shooting outdoors, but for a country like Germany, where long, cold winters limit the opportunities for outdoor shooting, a deluxe indoor facility like this makes sense. German reader JPeelen adds: “The problem in Germany is not [just] the weather but density of population. Noise problems led to the closure of many outdoor ranges. Ulm is unique because it offers a 300 meter indoor range, not just 100 meters[.]” Overall, you have to hand it to the Germans for “raising the bar” to a whole new level. View the Müller Schiess Zentrum’s amazing facilities in the video below. The editor of The Firearm Blog wrote: “I have seen the future… and it is in Germany. If you don’t do anything else today, just make sure you watch this video.”
Ray Bowman of Precision Rifle & Tool LLC (PR&T) has a new stock design, the Low Boy Benchrest, that combines the successful features of PR&T’s F-Class stock with a rear end better suited to shooting from the bench. As you may know, PR&T’s F-Class stock, in the hands of Charles Ballard and others, has been hugely successful in F-Class competition. The new Low Boy Benchrest stock borrows the same low-profile front end, but it is different from the tang rearward.
While the Low Boy F-Class stock is designed so you wrap your thumb around (like holding a pistol), the Low Boy BR stock is designed so you can slip your hand along the side, with thumb rested lightly behind the tang, in a central position. Unlike the F-Class stock, which is designed for full grip “hard-holding”, this stock is designed for shooting with a “light hold” style (or even free recoil). These stocks are very straight dimensionally, so they track well.
We think this stock will work very well for 600-yard and 1000-yard Light Gun Benchrest competition. This Editor likes the stock enough that I am considering using a Low Boy Benchrest stock for a future Light Gun project with a Stiller Viper Drop-Port. The Low Boy BR stocks are affordable — starting at $330.00 for an un-inletted version with a 3″-wide fore-end. Inletting adds just $25.00 to the total. PR&T can also pillar-bed your action in the stock for an additional $225.00.
Handsome Bat-Action BRX in Low Boy BR Stock
The blue-stocked rifle in the photos belongs to FORUM member Bo W. (aka “Sighter”). It is a 6BRX with a BAT MB, multi-flat action. The finish and painting work on the PR&T Low Boy BR stock was done by Tuck. Sighter rates the stock highly, but he thinks the standard configuration sits a bit high in the back: “I like the stock and it tracks fine, but I feel the F-Class style height causes it to ride a bit higher in the bags than needed. I talked about this with Ray Bowman [PR&T owner] and have since ordered two more Low Boy BR stocks. With the last two, Ray cut about 3/4″ off the bottom of the stock butt and kept about a .67″ flat so a double-stitch bag will work. It is now more similar to a Tracker.” Shown below is a Low Boy BR stock with the reduced height option.
How do you haul a heavy front rest, jumbo rear sand-bag, ammo boxes, and all the miscellaneous gear you need for a Benchrest or F-Class match? Stanley makes an inexpensive, lockable Pro Mobile Tool Chest (product 033023R) with a 25-quart capacity that holds plenty of gear.
This wheeled tool chest is big enough for large joystick rests, and rolls on large rubber-coated wheels. Two feet long and 16″ deep, the cargo compartment has lots of space for the big stuff, and the included yellow tool tray will hold smaller components such as dies, priming tools, and loading blocks. On the left and right side of the top lid are two small transparent parts compartments that can store small parts, bullets, ear-plugs, nuts and bolts. Overall, it’s a very handy, versatile rig.
The Stanley Pro Mobile Tool Chest, model 033023R, is available online and through major home hardware stores. Amazon.com sells the Pro Mobile Tool Chest for $48.68. And if you want even more storage space, Stanley makes an even larger 19″x29″x18″, 24-gallon-capacity wheeled chest (product 029025R) that sells for $70.49.
Australian Robert Carnell uses this rolling tool chest to haul his SEB rest and other gear: “Below is the Stanley cart I modified to use for carting all my various gear around from bench to bench at a match. By cutting out one of the pockets in the liner, my SEB rest fits in nicely on its side, with lots of room for the rear bag and pads etc. I also often pack all the various loading gear around this as well. Then I wheel it into the loading room, drop the loading stuff on the bench, then park it outside on the line behind my first bench.”
We are sad to announce the passing, on April 11, of Master Gunsmith and cartridge designer Ferris Pindell. Co-inventer of the 6 PPC cartridge with Louis Palmisano, Pindell was a legendary figure in the benchrest community. A member of the Benchrest Hall of Fame, Pindell was revered as a great machininist and a true pioneer in the pursuit of ultimate rifle accuracy. The short, fat PPC cartridge he helped design has proven to be the most accurate cartridge ever created. For decades it has dominated the sport of Benchrest for group and the PPC holds virtually all the major 100- to 300-yard group accuracy records.
We are all diminished by the passing of Ferris Pindell. As Tim Oltersdorf wrote on Benchrest Central:
“I wish to express my sadness at the passing of Ferris. He was a great innovator and master craftsman. His time on earth was too short for someone with so much to give. He is either wildcatting with God or giving Satan lectures on machining; come to think of it — given Ferris’ gifts — probably both.”
Palmisano is in Poor Health
Lou Palmisano, shown below (on left) with his friend and colleague Ferris Pindell, is ailing. Patti Palmisano posted this request on Benchrest Central this morning:
Just to let everyone know that Lou is in extremely poor health. I know it would mean a lot to him to hear from shooters. He loved shooting and shooters more than anything throughout his lifetime. Please…just [send] a card or note… or even a call in the afternoon. He is 80 now and very frail… asking you to please reach out to him at this difficult time.
The NBRSA 100/200 yard Nationals will be conducted September 19-24, 2011 at the Midlands Shooters Assn. Range, located at 3212 E. County Road 136, Midland, TX 79706. There are still places available for the Nationals. Fees are: $190 for 3-gun (SP,LV,HV), $250 for 4-Gun, and Juniors shoot for half-price. There is a $40 late fee for registrations received after August, 20, 2011.
The White Horse Center Range near Peeltree, West Virginia, will host the 2011 National IBS 1000-Yard Nationals from September 3-5, 2011. The good news is that the match directors have lowered the fees in response to the week economy and high gas prices. If you register before August 8th, the match fee is only $80.00 per gun.
Match Schedule and Fees
At most American shooting facilities, you’re lucky to have running water and an electrical hook-up. Those Germans, with their penchant for advanced engineering, have created an amazingly high-tech (and even luxurious) indoor shooting facility that is truly state-of-the art. The NRA is proud of its modern indoor range in Fairfax, Virginia, but the NRA range can’t hold a candle to the advanced Müller Schiess Zentrum facility in Ulm, Germany. This vast complex features an indoor benchrest range with video monitors, a full-sized trap/skeet hall, pistol ranges, and a “running game” hunting simulator that actually displays (in 3D view) the placement of your bullet strike in the moving animal prey. On top of this, the Müller Schiess Zentrum Ulm (MSZU) has a cafe, a restaurant, and a large shopping/retail facility.
How do you haul a heavy front rest, jumbo rear sand-bag, ammo boxes, and all the miscellaneous gear you need for a Benchrest or F-Class match? Stanley makes an inexpensive, lockable 
We are sad to announce the passing, on April 11, of Master Gunsmith and cartridge designer Ferris Pindell. Co-inventer of the 6 PPC cartridge with Louis Palmisano, Pindell was a legendary figure in the benchrest community. A member of the Benchrest Hall of Fame, Pindell was revered as a great machininist and a true pioneer in the pursuit of ultimate rifle accuracy. The short, fat PPC cartridge he helped design has proven to be the most accurate cartridge ever created. For decades it has dominated the sport of Benchrest for group and the PPC holds virtually all the major 100- to 300-yard group accuracy records.
Just to let everyone know that Lou is in extremely poor health. I know it would mean a lot to him to hear from shooters. He loved shooting and shooters more than anything throughout his lifetime. Please…just [send] a card or note… or even a call in the afternoon. He is 80 now and very frail… asking you to please reach out to him at this difficult time.
