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March 20th, 2012
 “Holy Mother of Mercy…” was this Editor’s reaction when I saw the “screamer” group shot by Forum member Tim Claunch this weekend in Memphis, at the inaugural MSSA 600-yard IBS match. Shooting his amazingly accurate 6BRX Light Gun, Tim nailed a 0.981″ group, centered up for an impressive 50-2X score. Conditions were favorable, with a light 3-5 mph wind and 70° temps. Shooting on the first target, first relay, Tim took his final sighter with 10 seconds to go, then drilled five shots “right down the middle” in about 20-25 seconds. The results were spectacular. Tim’s 0.981″ group works out to 0.156 MOA, and three of the shots clustered in about half an inch! This isn’t a new IBS small group record (Sam Hall holds that record with a mind-blowing 0.699″/50 shot in 2010), but it is still one of the best centered-up groups ever shot in IBS 600-yard competition.
Tim was shooting the same 6BRX we featured last month in the Daily Bulletin. It has a 26″ Bartlein 1.250″ straight contour barrel fitted to a Borden action in a Shehane fiberglass Tracker stock. Tim was running Varget powder with CCI 450 primers and pointed Berger 105gr VLD bullets. Tim anneals his Lapua brass after every firing though he does NOT uniform his primer pockets or ream flash-holes.
Just how impressive was Tim’s 0.981″, 50-score-value group?
Well, consider this comment from Forum member JeffG:
A .981″ group at 600 yards = .981/6.2832 = (H#LY $H*T) = .156 MOA…
Try doing that at 600 yards with wind and mirage and who knows how many little flying insects that might potentially disrupt the bullet… pulling the trigger when the crosshairs are at EXACTLY the same spot (give or take 1/10th the thickness of the crosshairs) EVERY TIME.
| CLICK Buttons to HEAR Tim Claunch Talk about Shooting his 0.981″ group. |
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With his 0.981″ small group, Tim did take top honors for Light Gun Group. However, he had one shot go wide on another target that raised his Light Gun Group Agg to 2.335″. You’d think that would be good enough to win, but a shooter from Birmingham, Alabama posted a 2.299″ Agg to claim the best Light Gun Agg for the day. Charlie Macke won Heavy Gun group and HG score. The Two-Gun Overall winner was Forum member Stephen Hall. Congrats to all the great shooters at the inaugural MSSA event.
October 5th, 2011
 The IBS 600-Yard Nationals was held this past weekend at the Midwest Benchrest Range in Yukon, Missouri. There was a good turn-out for the match, with 70 Light Gun (LG) entries and 68 Heavy Gun (HG) entries from all over the USA. Despite tough conditions (high winds on Friday, wicked mirage on Saturday), the top shooters turned in some impressive performances, including a 16-target average group size of 2.327 inches by overall Two-Gun Winner Sam Hall of North Carolina. No one was surprised to see Sam, a multi-time 600-yard Champ, come out on top. When he’s on his game, Sam’s hard to beat.
But the big story of the match was the superb shooting of Ryan Hunt from Missouri, a relative newcomer to the 600-yard benchrest game. Ryan finished second overall in the Two-Gun after finishing second in Light Gun (LG) group, third in LG score, and third in Heavy Gun (HG) group. Ryan’s average group size, for the entire match (both LG and HG) was 2.629 inches. That’s amazing marksmanship for a rookie… using a borrowed rifle!
CLICK HERE for Complete 2011 IBS 600-Yard Nationals Results with Equipment List (PDF).
Hunt Makes the Most of “Loaner” Rifle
What makes Hunt’s runner-up finish even more impressive is that, in both LG and HG, he used a borrowed gun, a 6mm Dasher in a new, 5″-wide Precision Rifle & Tools stock. Now get this — the very first time Ryan shot that gun was the day before the Nationals! Ryan told us the 5″-wide stock really tracked well, allowing him to shoot fast and accurately. Will we see more extra-wide stocks in Light Gun in the future? Ryan Hunt thinks so: “I think 5″ is the way to go. That’s all I’ll be shooting next year. The extra width really makes a difference in the way the gun tracks. You don’t have to worry about rolling or hopping. Just pull the trigger, slide her back and you’re on target. The biggest benefit from these 5″ stocks is that a Light Gun’s going to track like a Heavy Gun. When the mirage picks up, instead of following the dot, you can just trust the gun, the way it’s tracking. It really paid off last weekend.” It’s worth noting that Ryan did not use the old standby powders, Reloder 15 or Varget. In his Dasher, Ryan loads IMR 8208 XBR powder with Spencer bullets.
Sam Hall with his Heavy Gun
Match Winner Sam Hall, like most of the top performers at the 2011 Nationals, shot a 6mm Dasher in both classes. But unlike Ryan Hunt, Sam used a “true heavy” in HG class. Sam’s mammoth Heavy Gun, dubbed “Black Max”, is featured in a Gun of the Week Article in our archives. You can see Sam practicing with this rig above. Sam hauls out his “heavy artillery” once a year for the Nationals: “This rig won’t see daylight again until the next Nationals.” In Light Gun, Sam used the same 17-pounder he’s used to win previous championships. It features a BAT action, Krieger Barrel and Shehane ST-1000 fiberglass Tracker stock. Sam shoots Berger bullets with Alliant Reloder 15 powder.
Tough Conditions Both Friday and Saturday
Sam told us: “All eight LG targets were shot Friday. And the Heavy class shot all eight on Saturday. Friday had winds of 13 to 18 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Saturday was less windy, but was switchy. Mirage was some of the worst I’ve ever encountered. These conditions caused vertical groups.”
We asked Sam if he had any special strategies for the match: “My only strategy was to make sure I got my sighters right. Last year I misjudged some sighters on a gong. I thought I was centered but I was actually way high and right. I ended up shooting a small group, but the score was really bad. This year I made sure I knew where the sighters were actually hitting.” You can learn more about Sam and his rifles in a Gun of the Week Article from our archives.
Dashers and Cut-Rifled Barrels
 A quick glance at the above equipment list for the Top 10 Two-Gun finishers, reveals the winning formula: 6mm Dasher in a cut-rifled barrel. Eight of the Top 10 competitors shot 6 Dashers in both classes, while another shot a 6 Dasher in HG and a 6 BRX in LG. That’s “Dasher Dominance” for sure. Among the barrels, cut-rifled tubes from Bartlein, Brux, and Krieger were favored by most of the top shooters. It’s hard to argue with success.
CLICK HERE for Complete 2011 IBS 600-Yard Nationals Results with Equipment List (PDF).
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.
September 9th, 2011
 The 2011 IBS Nationals were held at the White Horse Center Range near Peeltree, West Virginia. This was a 3-target Aggregate match for both Light Gun (LG) and Heavy Gun (HG) with six (6) targets total. The big winner was Shooters’ Forum member Tod Soeby (aka 4Xforfun). Tod, who hails from North Dakota, drove a long way to the match, but his journey was well worth it, as he topped a large, highly-competitive field of 117 shooters. Soeby won BOTH the 2-Gun Overall as well as the Light Gun Group+Score Overall (In Light Gun, Tod was #1 for Group and #6 for Score, shooting a 6mm Dasher). Soeby’s Light Gun Group Agg was a remarkable 3.884″, nearly an inch smaller than the next best Light Gun Group Agg, a 4.724″, turned in by Salley Bauer. Gordy Gritters finished second in 2-Gun Overall, while David Powell secured third place in 2-Gun Overall.
Tod’s three, 5-shot Light Gun groups were: 4.489″, 3.760″, and 3.283″. That yielded an average of 3.884″ at 1000 yards. Think about that — Tod’s average is barely over one-third MOA, which is 3.49″ at 1000 yards — seriously small. Yes, those Dashers can shoot!
Wesley Springman was the top Heavy Gun Shooter, placing second in Group and third in Score, to finish first Overall in Heavy Gun class. Don Rabun was second in HG overall, with Eric Springman taking third in HG, edging Don Nagel on a tie-breaker (both Eric and Don racked up 14 Agg Rank Points). As noted above, Tod Sobey won the Light Gun Overall, with Donald Whitlock second in LG, and David Powley third. Notable other performances were Jeffrey Morten’s first place finish in LG Score, and Eric Springman’s outstanding Group shooting in Heavy Gun. Eric finished #1 in HG Group, with an impressively small 5.925″ Agg (that’s for ten-shot groups). And Sharon Ruben nailed the small group for the match, a mind-blowing 2.686″ on her second Light Gun (5-shot) target. For reference, one-quarter MOA at 1000 yards is 2.617″. Amazing.
Winning Rifles: 6mm Dasher Light Gun, 300 WSM Heavy Gun
Tod Soeby provided this equipment rundown for his Nationals-winning rifles.
Light Gun (6mm Dasher): Smithed by Greg Wahlstrom, Straightline Customs, in Ogilvie, MN. Greg also did the stock work and bedding. Action is a BAT “M” multi-flat, 8.5″-long, R-L-R dual port. Stock is a Shehane ST-1000. Barrel is 30″ Krieger 1:8″ twist, chambered as 6mm Dasher with 0.267″ neck. Optics are: Nightforce NSX 12-42X in BAT +20 MOA aluminum ring/bases.
Heavy Gun (300 WSM): Smithed by Clay Spencer. Action is BAT “L”, 10″-long, 2″-round, dual port. Stock is a Bruce Baer 5″-wide thumbhole, with custom rails by Greg Wahlstrom of Straightline Customs. The barrel is a Hart 1:10″ twist chambered in 300 WSM. Optics are: Nightforce 12-42X Benchrest model. Tod is not sure about the source of Picatinny rail and rings.
CLICK HERE for Full 2011 IBS 1K Nationals Results
117 Shooters Competed at 2011 IBS Nationals
Overall, shooters commented that West Virginia’s White Horse facility was a nice range, and many folks hoped that other major events might be hosted there in the future. Despite the predicted hot, humid weather, there was a great turn-out for the event, with 117 registered shooters in Light Gun and 115 Heavy Gun Registrants. The match organizers at White Horse did a good job with such a large field of shooters. The excellent turn-out proves there is a growing interest in long-range benchrest.
July 23rd, 2011
 The International Benchrest Shooters (IBS) has updated its Official Rules of Competition. The complete IBS rules, with all recent updates, are presented in the latest Rulebook #12a. This is updated through July 2011. Rulebook #12A includes 2010 rule changes and 2011 temporary rules. New rules are highlighted with red text. You can now download the updated Rulebook #12a, as a .PDF file, from the IBS website.
 Download IBS Rulebook #12A, Official Rules of Competition
Story tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
July 6th, 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.
CLICK HERE for IBS 2011 1000-Yard Nationals Registration/Entrance Form.
 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.
February 6th, 2011
 At its January 15, 2011 Annual Meeting, the International Benchrest Shooters (IBS) adopted some new rules affecting both long-range and short-range competition. First, by a significant margin, IBS long-range shooters voted to allow muzzle brakes in Heavy Gun class. This will allow the Light Guns (which often have muzzle brakes) to compete in both classes. The purpose of the change is to draw more competitors, and allow those shooters, who can only afford one rifle, to shoot in both classes.
Muzzle brakes are now allowed in both Light and Heavy Gun Class in IBS Long Range events.
This change, which applies to both 600- and 1000-yard matches, was supported by the Long Range Committee and endorsed by the Executive Board. Comments in the recent IBS Survey also showed broad support for this rule change. A few folks grumbled that allowing muzzle brakes in HG events will make Heavy Gun relays more noisy, but since Light Guns already employ brakes, most shooters have learned to live with the nuisance.
Temporary Rule Changes Adopted
Both temporary 2010 rule changes were soundly passed with about 90% of the mail ballots in favor. All shooters will be effected by a change that allows recognition of all record-breaking efforts, regardless of match or relay. Short-range shooters must now comply with tighter restrictions on placement of wind flags — once an Agg begins, the flags must stay put.
Wind Flag Location Regulations
Flags will be essentially restricted to the lane in front of shooters. After an aggregate commences, wind flags cannot be moved except by range personnel, and never for the shooters’ convenience or advantage.
Multiple Record-Breakers on Same Day
If multiple competitors break a record on a given day, regardless of the match they attended or the relay on which they shot, each one is given full credit for breaking the record. The best score shot on that day is recognized record going forward. This Rule, as adopted, is NOT retroactive
IBS 1/15/2011 Annual Meeting Summary (with Rule Changes)
December 25th, 2010
 2010 IBS 600-yard Shooter of the Year honors have just been announced. Sam Hall of Boonville, NC stole the show again this year, securing 100 points to earn another Shooter of the Year (SOY) Title. Congrats Sam! Not far behind was Dasher Ace (and a former Shooter of the Year) Richard Schatz with 86 Points. Brenda Hobbs was the Female Shooter of the Year with 7 Championship points, while Stanley Clarke’s 6 points him earned him “Rookie SOY” honors.
Here are the final standings, courtesy Dick Grosbier of the IBS:
IBS Shooter of the Year Rankings
1. Samuel Hall – 100 points
2..Richard Schatz – 86 points
3. Dan Hobbs – 50 points
4. Glen Sterling – 39 points
5. Rich Griffin – 32 points
Female SOY: Brenda Hobbs (7 points)
Rookie SOY : Stanley Clark (6 points)
Some months ago, Sam Hall revealed many of his shooting secrets and gun-handling tips in a short video. Because of windy conditions, the audio track is pretty poor, but if you pay attention you can learn some very valuable lessons from Sam:
December 11th, 2010
Jeff Stover, president of the International Benchrest Shooters (IBS), told us his organization is looking to grow the ranks of shooters in registered benchrest matches. As part of that effort, the IBS Executive Board has commissioned two online surveys to gauge the opinions of both active benchresters and the general precision shooting community. Below are links to the two surveys. The first is for current, or former, benchrest competitors and the second is for NON-benchrest shooters. Jeff adds: “The survey takes only a few minutes to fill out.” So have at it guys…
IBS Surveys (Click Link to participate):
For Benchrest Shooters | For NON-Benchrest Shooters
Results of the survey will be presented and discussed at the IBS Annual Meeting on January 15, 2010 in Harrisburg, PA. Details of the meeting, and the survey results, will be posted on the IBS web site within 48 hours of the meeting’s conclusion.
The Future of IBS Competition — Comments by Jeff Stover
The primary purpose for the surveys is determine how we can grow benchrest shooting. We realize there are a lot of shooters that were once into the sport but have drifted away. Why? Have they found something else, or are we doing something wrong?
The second group we want to reach are serious shooters that do not consider themselves to be benchresters. How do they view us? Are they interested in learning more? How can we help?
By design, the surveys contains some quite provocative and controversial questions. Some questions seek opinions on caliber-neutral scoring in Score and whether the two benchrest organizations should be combined. We even tackle the age-old questions about competitions for factory rifles and whether there should be shooter classifications.
 I have been thinking a lot about benchrest in comparison to the other shooting disciplines. In doing so, it is nearly impossible to avoid buzz words, such as “elite”, “ultimate” and “cutting edge”. Simply put, benchrest shooting CAN be described as such, because that is what we do. If that turns off some, so be it. The rifles that sit on the rests aimed at IBS or NBRSA targets from 100 to 1000 yards ARE the most accurate on the planet. Note I did not say “some of the most accurate”.
Probably the most challenging part of our game is there is NO room for error. A group or aggregate that measures, say .270″ is a far cry from a .170″. Point out a .10″ tick mark on a ruler to the average Joe and tell him that is the distance that represents the difference between great and average. I think the very nature of our discipline appeals to a particular type of individual. We are trying to place each shot in the same hole or on top of a small ‘x’. It is hard to dabble in benchrest. It is a bit of an “all or nothing” game.
Selling our sport can be a little difficult. Some of the uninitiated think it is either too complex or too easy (see the comments on this benchrest video on Youtube if you want to lose your lunch).
I don’t mind that we are a “niche” sport, but we need to be a critical mass to make sure the normal weekend shoots have healthy numbers. Interestingly, most of the really large shoots, such as both Nationals and the Super Shoot have held their own in recent years. So, maybe the economy does play into the number of shoots that a person attends. There is a question to that effect in the survey.
Recently, I had a call from a fellow that is building a sophisticated range here in the east. He was not a benchrest shooter, but wanted information on what we needed so that he can host registered matches. He directly told me that benchrest was important because that is where all the accuracy improvements were coming from and he felt his range needed to cater to our discipline. Enough said.
Comments can be directed to me at jstover33 [@] comcast.net. — Jeff Stover, IBS President
November 1st, 2010
 Here is the book we have all been waiting for. Tony Boyer, by far the greatest shooter in the history of short-range benchrest competition, has finally released his new 323-page book. It’s a beautiful product, full of color photos from cover to cover. Every serious benchrest shooter should read Tony’s book. He has dominated registered benchrest in a fashion that will never be duplicated. Tony Boyer has 142 U.S. Benchrest Hall of Fame points. That total is unprecedented. The next closest shooter, Allie Euber, has 47 Hall of Fame points.
The full-color book is 323 pages long, and there are color photos or color illustrations on nearly every page. The hard-cover first edition costs $42.50, while the soft cover version is $34.50. These are available from Bruno Shooters Supply, 1-800-455-0350. You can also buy directly from Tony Boyer’s publisher, Turks Head in Washington state, by visiting www.RifleAccuracyBook.com.
Special Limited Slipcase Edition, Signed by Tony Boyer — 500 Only
A total of 500 limited-edition, hardback versions of the Boyer book were printed. These 500 limited edition books are all signed by Tony Boyer. Cost is $64.50, and that includes a fitted external slipcase to protect the book’s cover. The Boyer-signed, limited edition books are offered exclusively through Turks Head. Call (206) 782-4164 (ext. 0) to order, or visit www.RifleAccuracyBook.com.
If you want a limited, signed edition, you should act quickly.
The Book Of Rifle Accuracy, By Tony Boyer
Hard Cover, Bruno Code: TBHC — Price: $42.50 | Soft Cover, Bruno Code: TBSC — Price: $34.50
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