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January 8th, 2011
 Report by Dave Conrath
In the last week of December, 2010, two pending FTR records were set at the annual Snowbird X-Miss Match hosted by Florida’s Port Malabar Rifle and Pistol Club. Competitors traveled from as far North as Michigan (through heavy snow). At the match, conditions varied over the four days of shooting from 25-mph winds, to below freezing temperatures and frost, to burning swamplands including falling ash. In a superb performance given the conditions, Kent Reeve was Palma rifle and overall winner with 1799-99X (dropping only one point over the 3-day event). Keith Perry was overall iron sight winner with 1781-107X.
 New NRA 600-Yard Service Record Set by SSG Emil Kovan
SSG Emil Kovan (USAMU) and SFC James Gaston (BNX Rifle Team) took turns setting and resetting the NRA 600-yard individual NRA Service record. SFC Gaston shot a 198-11X, only to be bettered by SSG Kovan with a 200-11X.
Kovan uses a GA Precision-built, Surgeon-actioned, .308 Win rifle. It has a 26″, 11-twist barrel for tactical competitions, plus a 29″, 10-twist twist tube for F-T/R, both chambered in .308 Win. The 26″ BBL is chambered for 175-190 grain bullets, while the 29″ is throated for 210-grainers. Kovan shots moly-coated Berger 210gr VLDs in the longer barrel. He reveled that he loads “bullets long so they get soft seated .010″ when [closing] the bolt”.
In F-TR class, SSG Kovan won for the second year with a 1772-75X, Nik Taylor took second overall with 1769-69X, SFC Gaston took third place 1739-75X. In an extremely tight race in F-Open Class Michael Dana was first with 1765-36X, Mark Finizio took second with 1764-68X, Tom Goodman finished third with 1763-62X.
BNX Rifle Team Sets Pending F-TR Team Record
During the team matches on the final day, the BNX rifle team from Coastal Carolina Rifle Club at Camp Lejeune shot a new, pending F-TR 4-Man Team National record with a 794-37X. Shown below are BNX Team members (left to right), SFC James Gaston (200-9X), Tony Robertson (199-11X), Dave Conrath (197-7X), Tom Goodman (Asst. Coach/Scorer), Nik Taylor (198-10X) — Team Captain and Wind Coach.
December 19th, 2010
Two Oregonians, Joe Huddleston and John Weil, have developed one of the most sophisticated bipods you can buy. The new Center Shot carbon-fiber bipod is ultra-light, weighing just 19 ounces (0.55 kg). John Weil used a prototype version at the 2009 F-Class world championships in Bisley, England. John was a member of the USA Team which won the F-TR Team Championship.
The Center Shot bipod offers a very wide “wheelbase” for stability. The bipod’s long feet, shaped like helicopter skids, help the rifle recoil straight back, rather than hop or twist. The bipod is designed to attach securely via a standard accessory rail on the bottom of the rifle’s forearm. The bipod can easily be adjusted for height and cant (tilt angle), allowing the bipod to adjust to uneven terrain. The height adjustment also allows shooters to easily adapt the bipod to their rear bag height and shooting style.
The Center Shot Bipod comes in two versions. The basic model costs $450.00, while for $465, you can get one with the shooter’s national colors on the top rod assembly (see photo below). For more information, email joe [at] censhot.com or john weil at jhw1 [at] ix.netcom.net. You can also call (503) 622-3815, or write: Center Shot Engineering, 26810 E. Elk Park Rd., Welches, OR 97067.
Centershot Bipod Specifications
Weight: 19 ounces
Full height to rail: 9.25 inches | Foot Print at 9.25 inches: 16.3 inches
Lowest height to rail: 4.5 inches | Foot Print at 4.5 inches: 20.5 inches
Materials: Aluminum, carbon fiber, stainless hardware
Continuous adjustment from lowest to highest setting.
September 3rd, 2010
by Lorne Cooper
This past weekend at Quantico MCB Range 4, the Quantico Shooting Club hosted its 3rd NRA Registered Tournament for 2010. This was a match for the ages, with a total of seven (7) pending National Records set in Individual and Team Competition. The 34 competitors in this 2-day match had to cope with hot, 95° weather, but otherwise conditions were generally mild — helping the marksmen record some spectacular scores.
300-Yard F-TR and Service Rifle Records Broken
Match One consisted of the 300-yard, 15-shot Individual Prone Course. In the F-TR Class, Brian Santucci fired a 150-7X to break the 149-8X record set by Joseph Sturtevant and GySgt Daniel Borowiecki fired a 141-5X to set a new record for the Service category. In the F-Open Class (Senior), David Dye fired a 150-10X to tie the record set by Jim Murphy. On the High Power side, Nathaniel Guernsey placed 1st with a 149-8X.
 New National F-TR Team Record: 1744-61X
Match 2 was a 4-man team fire of the Mid Range Prone Course (45 shots per member), 15 shots each at 300, 500 and 600 yards. In F-TR, the winning Camp Butner F‐Troop team set a new National Agg Record of 1744-61X. The team consisted of Joseph Conley (436-15X), James Croft (438-11X), Phil Kelley (426-13X), and Jeff Rorer (444-22X).
New Iron Sights Team Records
For High Power Metallic Sight, Team VFEMI set a new record with an aggregate score of 1767-82X. Team members were Carl Lindezweig (432-20X), John Badger (444-18X), Nathaniel Guernsey (447-28X) and Jack McKinney (444-16X). The USMC Gold team also set a new National Record in the Service Category with a score of 1765-76X. The team members are: Sgt Sean Morris (442-16X), GySgt James Otto (440-14X), and Sgt Joshua Peterson (435-17X), and Sgt Emily Windmassinger (448-39X). The Long Range Palma Course of Fire (Match 3) was shot on Sunday. GySgt Daniel Borowiechi broke the record he set back in June in the F-TR Service category with a 399-5X.
Special thanks go to GySgt Chris Stephens for running a smooth and efficient Line! Our next match will be a Fullbore match to be held on September 25th & 26th. Come out to Quantico for what is expected to be another fantastic weekend!
Note: The National Records reported here are based upon the latest information available and are still subject to verification. Photos courtesy of Doug Hurst.
August 10th, 2010
Report by Laurie Holland
Blair Atholl’s Glen Tilt range in the Scottish Highlands has a worldwide reputation for being difficult thanks to constantly-varying winds influenced by the venue’s steep, irregularly-contoured terrain. Nevertheless, three new GB F-Class Association League 1,000-yard competition records were set at Glen Tilt over the weekend of August 7th and 8th. The new records were shot in Round 5 of the F-Class Association’s championship program. The event comprised five matches, three on Saturday with 20 score shots and two on Sunday with 15 for a maximum possible score of 450-90V. (UK and British Commonwealth targets score five for the Bull). Targets were the usual international F-Class design, a modified Palma type with a half-MOA white aiming mark that also scores as the ‘V’ (‘X’ in American terminology), one-MOA bull and score rings spaced a half-MOA apart.
Looking downrange at magnificent but fiendishly difficult Blair Atholl range in Perthshire, Scotland.
 
New 1K Records in F-Open and F-TR
In Match 1, John Carmichael of HPS-Target Rifles Ltd. used one of his own creations to shoot a 100-6V. A new record, this was the first-ever 1,000-yard, 20-shot match F-Open ‘possible’. John Cross almost immediately followed with a new F-TR record score of 96-3V, just edging Spanish F-Class competitor Ramon Fito. In the photo below, John Carmichael plots another Bull or V while shooting a record 1,000-yard score, with his RPA / HPS-TR System Gemini 7mmWSM rifle.
Sunday morning initially saw unusually light winds which no doubt helped Osprey Rifles proprietor Stuart Anselm set a new 15-shot, 1,000-yard F-TR record score of 75-4V in Match 4, using a rifle he had built himself on a Savage 12 Target action (photo below).
British F-Class competitive standards continue to rise in both classes, perhaps more markedly in F-TR which is seeing very sharp competition in 2010 as well as increased numbers of entrants. The overall winners were Peter Hunt (439-17V) in F-Open, and Stuart Anselm (424-12V) in F-TR. Blair Atholl also saw the first use of a .223 Rem caliber F-TR rifle in a 1,000-yard GB national league event with Laurie Holland taking seventh with 412-11V using 90gr Berger VLDs.
July 29th, 2010
 Charles Ballard, two-time U.S. F-class Open Champion, has been working with Precision Rifle & Tool on a new F-TR (Target Rifle) stock. Charles designed the stock to combine the adjustability of the better F-Open designs with a nice rigid fore-end for bipod use. Charles has shot the new stock in competition and he says it tracks really well. When fitted with a wide-base bipod, the stock is super-stable, with minimal hop on recoil.
The new stock is officially called the “Ballard LowBoy F-Class Target Rifle (F-TR) Stock”. This new design is available immediately, in a variety of laminated colors, starting at $325.00 (without hardware). The stock can be inletted for Rem 700 actions, Rem 700 clones, the Savage Target Action, and most custom actions.
Key Features of the new Ballard F-TR stock are:
- Extended front to provide proper balance with long barrels.
- Low profile design for a lower, more stable center of gravity.
- Buttstock has a 1/2″ machined flat on the bottom and angled sides to provide superior tracking in the rear bag.
- Buttstock has a slight angle to allow minor elevation adjustments.
- Optional adjustable buttplate and optional adjustable cheekpiece.
Stock Delivery Options Dictate the Price
Precision Rifle & Tool can deliver the Ballard LowBoy F-TR in any state of completion the customer desires. The basic stock costs $325, inletted for your action, but unfinished and without hardware. Complete with removable/adjustable cheekpiece, and adjustable buttplate, the stock costs $900.00 ready to be bedded and finished. Clear-coating or oil finish is available at extra cost.
In the video, Charles Ballard gives you a “walk-around” of the stock and explains the stock’s design features. The high-tech, carbon fiber bipod is made by Center Shot Engineering in Oregon. For more info, or to order a Ballard LowBoy F-TR stock, visit PrecisionRifleSales.com, or call (336) 516-5132. Charles Ballard himself can talk you through the options.
May 25th, 2010
 This July, Trinidad State Jr. College (TSJC) in Colorado will offer a unique 5-day instructional course on F-Class equipment and shooting skills. Slated for July 5-9, 2010, the F-Class Seminar will be taught by F-Class guru Larry Bartholome, Captain of Team Berger/Norma and current member (and past Captain) of the U.S. F-Class Open Team. Spots are still open for the course, but you should register right away.
Trinidad’s course will cover every aspect of F-Class shooting: selecting the best equipment and caliber, load development and ammo testing, reloading for long range, how to shoot a match, doping the wind at long-range, team shooting, mental conditioning, and match-winning strategies. While most of the course will consist of class work on the Trinidad campus, there will be range sessions July 8 and 9 at the NRA Whittington Center Range (Raton, NM), located just 20 miles south of Trinidad, CO. During these sessions there will be demonstrations and students will practice their long-range shooting skills at distances out to 1000 yards.
Larry told us: “This is not a gunsmith class, but rather a class that will cover all aspects of F-Class shooting. I think this will be a good opportunity for a person who wants to learn F-Class from the ground up, to do so in a short period of time. I feel a person could come into the class knowing next to nothing about F-Class and long-range shooting and leave [the seminar] knowledgeable enough to be very competitive at even a world level.”
The Rocky Mountain Palma Championships and Long-Range Regional will be held at the NRA Whittington Center July 10-15, 2010 and students may want to compete in all or part of those matches after the class concludes. Whittington charges $15/day range fee for any non-members who use the range.
 Openings Still Available for July F-Class Course
There are still some places available for the F-Class seminar. If you’re interested, sign up soon by contacting Trinidad State Jr. College at 1-800-621-8752, ext. 5541, or log on to NRA.Trinidadstate.edu. No tools are required for the seminar. However, while a couple of F-Class rifles will be available for limited range use, students may want to bring their own rifles and ammo. All students should contact Larry Bartholome to confirm the students’ rifles are appropriate for use at 1,000 yards as F-Class rifles. Email Larry at: Lbart [at] elp.rr.com.
Trinidad State Jr. College summer courses cost $325.00 for continuing education and $393.90 for out-of-state Credit. On-Campus Housing is offered for a reasonable $100.00 per week. CLICK HERE for the TSJC/NRA Summer Course Registration Form (PDF).
March 30th, 2010
 We just got the complete F-Class Nationals match results from Jim O’Connell of the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center. Jim provided two (2) MS-Word documents, one for F-Open and the other for F-TR. Jim added: “Thanks to the California Grizzlies (target pullers) for all their work and helping to make the Saturday and Sunday shoots more enjoyable. Thank you all for your support of the Folsom Shooting Club and we hope to see you at future matches.”
DOWNLOAD 2010 Nationals F-Open Scores
DOWNLOAD 2010 Nationals F-TR Scores
March 24th, 2010
The 2010 U.S. F-Class Nationals kick off tomorrow, March 25th in Sacramento. Match dates are: March 25, 26, 27, and 28. The venue is the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center range in Sloughhouse, California, just east of Sacramento. The F-Class National Championship is one of the biggest long-range shooting events of the year. Match organizers expect upwards of 150 competitors from the USA and other nations including Great Britain, Canada, Australia and (possibly) South Africa.
If you have questions about the range facilities or driving directions, call Sac Valley Shooting Center at (916) 354-9668. The Center is located approximately 15 miles South/East of the city of Sacramento. To navigate to the range, take a look at the map above. The Sac Valley staff cautions: “Do not use GPS or Map Quest to get to the range. On the Dillard Road side is an unpaved, nearly impassible rock road. Use Ione Road to approach Meiss Road [from the east]“. You can also get detailed, turn by turn directions (from main approach highways), on the Sac Valley Shooting Center website.
UNITED STATES F–CLASS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2010
DATES: March 25, 26, 27, 28, 2010
LOCATION:
Sacramento Valley Shooting Center
P.O. Box 1407
15501 Meiss Road
Sloughhouse, California
Ph. 916-354-9668
March 6th, 2010
It’s already March 6th, and that means the 2010 U.S. F-Class Championships is less than three weeks away. That’s right, this year the F-Class championships will be held in March instead of October. The venue is the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center range in Sloughhouse, California, just east of Sacramento. 2010 Match dates are: March 25, 26, 27, and 28.
We know you east-coasters may still be shoveling snow, but it’s time to pack up those F-Class rifles, start loading ammo and get prepared for one of the biggest long-range shooting events of the year. There will be shooters from across the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, and likely from Australia and South Africa. Match organizers expect upwards of 150 competitors.
 This year the course of fire is at two distances: 600 and 1000 yards. There will be three days of individual competition and a one-day team match. Lunch will be served at the range each day, and a huge barbecue is included for Saturday. The awards for placing high in the standings will be great, but the prizes drawn randomly from all of the competitors participating will be even better.
If you’re curious about the location and how the Nationals are run, check out this report on the 2006 F-Class Nationals previously held in Sacramento.
UNITED STATES F–CLASS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2010
DATES: March 25, 26, 27, 28, 2010
LOCATION:
Sacramento Valley Shooting Center
P.O. Box 1407
15501 Meiss Road
Sloughhouse, California
Ph. 916-354-9668
Web site: www.sacvalley.org
December 1st, 2009
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The latest issue of Target Shooter online magazine has been released and you should definitely check it out. The December issue of Target Shooter is really good — maybe the best yet. READ it here: www.Targetshooter.co.uk.
This month you’ll find an outstanding article by Vince Bottomley, “Building a Rifle for F/TR Class”. Whether you’re shooting F-TR now, or have an F-TR rifle in the works, this story is a “must-read” that will help you choose the right equipment and wring the best performance from it.
The six-page “Hand-loading for the .308 Winchester (Part 2)”, by Laurie Holland, is a fact-filled article that all .308 shooters shoot read and archive. Holland carefully measured various brands of .308 brass, recording weights and neck thickness (see chart below). Even if you are an experienced .308 reloader we guarantee you’ll learn something new from this article. |
The December Target Shooter is chock full of other content covering a wide array of shooting disciplines — from Air Pistols to Black Powder Cartridge Rifles. There’s even something for collectors of historic military arms — Nigel Greenaway’s guide to the Enfield No.4 (T) sniper rifle. This issue also includes a 6-page holiday shopping guide featuring interesting new products as well as low-cost “stocking stuffers”. You can read Target Shooter online via a browser plug-in, and print pages you want to save. In addition, you can now downline the entire month’s content as a handy .pdf file for off-line reading.
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