NOTE: We are sad to announce that, on September 27, 2026, Jim Borden passed away from pancreatic cancer. Jim, who founded and operated Borden Accuracy, was a great shooter as well as a designer/builder of superb actions and complete rifles. Jim won 11 National Benchest Championships, was a Benchrest Hall of Fame member, and served six terms as President of the International Benchrest Shooters (IBS).

About Jim Borden and Borden Accuracy
Jim began shooting high power silhouette and benchrest matches in the mid 1970s while working for a Fortune 500 company as an engineer. In the early 1980s he began building rifles for himself and then for others. Jim excelled as a mechanical engineer, action-maker, gunsmith, machinist, hunter, and benchrest competitor.

In benchrest competition Jim set 10 world records and won 11 National Championships, earning a place in the Benchrest Hall of Fame. Jim served 6 terms as International Benchrest Shooters (IBS) President. Jim ran Borden Rifles/Borden Accuracy with wife Joan, sons Jim Jr. and John, daughter Andrea Mecca and son-in-law John (Mike) Mecca.

Interview with Jim Borden 12/31/2025

At 1:17:50 time-mark Jim explains how he wishes to be remembered: “…Good shooter, good family man, somebody who shared his knowledge and left his legacy in the shooting sports to be followed.”

From the Borden Accuracy Facebook Page
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of James F. Borden, founder of Borden Accuracy Inc., after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Jim built Borden Accuracy on a foundation of precision, quality, integrity, and craftsmanship. His dedication to the shooting community and to producing products our customers could trust was something he took great pride in.

As Jim’s health changed, he thoughtfully put plans in place for the future of Borden Accuracy. In recent years, he had transitioned into more of a guidance role while his wife, Joan Borden, his oldest son, Jim Borden Jr., his daughter, Andrea Borden Mecca, and his son-in-law, Mike Mecca, took on the day-to-day operation of the business.

Borden Accuracy Inc. will continue forward as Jim intended, maintaining the same precision, quality, and commitment our customers have trusted for years.

While we mourn the loss of our husband, father, grandfather, mentor, and founder, we are incredibly proud to carry on Jim’s legacy and the company he worked so hard to build. We sincerely appreciate the kindness, support, and prayers shown to Jim and our family throughout his illness. His legacy will continue in every Borden product that carries his name.”

Memorial Ceremony Will Be Held October 24, 2026
Family and friends are invited to attend Jim’s Celebration of Life which will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 3:00 PM from the Marcho, Sheldon, and Kukuchka Funeral Home & Cremation Care, 73 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock, PA 18657. A visitation will be held from 12:00 PM until the time of service on Saturday.

Interview with Jim Borden and Erik Cortina
In this video Erik Cortina interviews Jim Borden. This is one of the best long interviews on Erik’s YouTube Channel. You’ll learn quite a bit from watching the video. The full video runs over two hours, so you may want to watch in segments over a couple of days.

All in the Family
Jim’s grandfather was a gunsmith who taught Jim the trade when Jim was very young. Jim’s father and grandfather ran a country business that included an auto repair shop, welding, a small lathe, and a forge. Jim earned a degree in Mechanical engineering at Penn State University. For 23 years he worked for Procter and Gamble (P&G) as an engineer and as an engineering manager/project manager.

Tributes from AccurateShooter Forum members:

Jim was a friend and he will be missed. He had a mind that could solve complex problems and he used it to build some of the best rifle actions available. We are diminished with the loss of this great engineer and Hall of Fame shooter. — James Mock

Jim Borden — Sharer of knowledge, maker of great stuff, mentor, icon, Champion of, and for, bench-rest, and precision shooting. RIP. — RGRobinett

Jim was a great person, he would take time to call you back to help with your rifle project. Smart, honest, hard working. I built numerous rifles both hunting and target rifles using Borden actions. Jim will be missed. — RustyStud (Nat Lambeth)

I love his products but that pales compared to Jim as a human being. He was one of the greats and he’ll be greatly missed. — M. Ezell

It’s not what we take with us but what we leave behind.
RIP Jim Borden, you have left behind a legacy. — ElfGuns

Borden Accuracy/Borden Rifles Success Story
Borden Accuracy/Borden Rifles has been a source for precision benchrest and hunting rifles for many years. Jim started doing his own gunsmithing while competing in benchrest and high power silhouette matches. Jim launched his business in 1987, working nights and weekends while still employed at P&G.

The business became full-time in 1995 with Jim and his wife Joan doing the work. The business was expanded in 1999 with the construction of the new Springville, PA facility and the addition of sons Jim Jr. and John to the staff. Son-in-law John Mecca came onboard in January 2000. Now the Borden shop continues to make some of the finest rifles and actions in the world.

Jim and company began making Rimrock benchrest and Rimrock hunting actions in 2001. They added Borden Alpine and Timberline actions in 2006. These actions are made in an advanced manufacturing facility. To learn more, visit BordenRifles.com

Jim Borden Was Also a Great Photographer

A great engineer and gunsmith, Jim was also a gifted outdoor photographer with a large portfolio of wildlife and landscape images. Jim was truly a Renaissance man. Here are some of his remarkable photos:

Dominators — that’s what these blue-shirted guys were at the 2020 Berger Southwest Nationals (SWN). For the third straight year, Team Lapua-Brux-Borden won the coveted F-Open Team Grand Aggregate award at the Berger Southwest Nationals, finishing with a score of 2584-160X (out of a possible 2600). And Team Member Jay Christopherson (AccurateShooter’s System Admin) won the F-Open Overall title, while Team Member Tod Hendricks won the 600-yard Mid-Range Event. Mighty impressive…

Team members are Jay Christopherson, David Christian, Tod Hendricks, Pat Scully, and Jeremy Smith (alternate), with Bob Sebold serving as Coach and Erik Cortina as Captain. Remarkably Jay (1247-83X), Pat (1247-72X), and Tod (1245-81X) placed first, second, and third respectively in the F-Open Grand Aggregate individual awards. That’s right, three team-mates secured ALL the podium places. And all three were separated by only two points!

Record-Setting Performances by Team
Notably Team Lapua-Brux-Borden established a new Ben Avery range record along the way to winning the Palma Team Match with a score of 1791-113 (out of a possible 1800). We’re told that the Team’s 793-47X LR score was also a new match record. Jay set a LR Aggregate Record with 799-50X, while Tod set a LR individual relay record of 200-18X.

Photo by Sherri Jo Gallagher.

Team Lapua-Brux-Borden — Winning “Team First” Philosophy
Commentary by Jay Christopherson
For Team Lapua-Borden-Brux, winning gold is the entire focus. To that end, ego is the only enemy. Sure, we all have egos as individual shooters, but as a team, ego is subsumed into that one overriding goal. If you can’t do that, then you can’t shoot on Lapua-Borden-Brux. No matter how good you think your rifle is or how well you are shooting individually, the coach is the only arbiter — no exceptions. Every job on the team is focused towards that single goal of gold and no job is more or less important than another. Our plotter saves points by spotting high or low trends and calling that out, and ensuring we don’t lose points when a scorer misses a shot. Our back-coach saves points by spotting upcoming condition changes or making observations. Our target-puller strives to provide an example of the best possible target service. And our scorer focuses on providing attentive service to the team next to us. A failure in one job is a failure in all and we either win or lose together as a team. That is only possible when each individual understands that there is only one goal.

The Berger Southwest Nationals, hosted by the Desert Sharpshooters Rifle Club, took place February 5-9, 2020 at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, AZ with a sold-out roster of 400 competitors. America’s biggest rifle match west of the Mississippi, the Southwest Nationals is a “must-attend” event for long-range shooters competing in F-Open, F-TR, and Sling disciplines. Competitors from at least nine different countries were in attendance. The Grand Aggregate is the total score from firing points of 600, 800, 900, and 1,000 yards.

Praise from Team Captain
“I am very proud of the team”, stated Team Captain, Erik Cortina: “From setting a new range record to placing first in the F-Open Grand Aggregate, our success is directly attributed to Lapua’s premium components.”

About Lapua — Premium Brass, Bullets, and Ammunition
Lapua produces the highest-quality small caliber cartridges and components for civilian and professional use. Lapua is a part of the Capstone Precision Group, exclusive U.S. distributor for Berger, Lapua, Vihtavuori, and SK-Rimfire products. For more information, visit Lapua.com.