USAMU shooter SFC Jason Parker, the 2011 Continental American Champion, won the 50m Three Position (3P) Rifle event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Rifle & Pistol World Cup in Milan, Italy. With an overall score of 1273.1 points, Parker topped runner-up Niccolò Campriani (Italy), by almost three points, earning the American soldier his fifth ISSF World Cup Gold medal. Jason apparently likes Italy — in 2001 SFC Parker won an ISSF World Cup Gold medal in Milan.
SFC Parker told reporters: “I won my first international medal ever here in Milan, so it’s great to be back on this podium. We have our national Olympic trials kicking off in a few days: the 2012 Olympic team will be decided there. It’s good to walk into the trials knowing that everything works fine, and that I can score well under pressure.”
Despite extremely windy conditions in Milan, SFC Parker shot a great match. Parket noted: “I am quite confident with the wind. I adjusted my sights with a couple of clicks and knew how to react. I had no problems.” Team USA shooting coach, Major Dave Johnson, praised Parker: “This was a vintage performance from Jason today. There wasn’t anything truly big or flashy about the way he shot, but he made no mistakes all day and was just very consistent.”
Watch Highlights from Mens’ 50m 3-Position in ISSF World Cup Milan
Twenty-one USA Shooting athletes, including 10 Olympians, are in Italy for their final International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup event before the London 2012 Olympic Games. The ISSF World Cup in Rifle and Pistol events continues tomorrow with Women’s 50m Three-Position Rifle, Women’s 25m Pistol and Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol. Through three days of competition, the USA Shooting Team has earned three top-10 finishes following a sixth-place finish for Sarah Scherer (Woburn, Mass.) and a 10th-place finish by Jamie Gray (Lebanon, Pa.) in Women’s 10m Air Rifle.
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.
Tikka has started to import its new T3 Sporter, which features an ergonomic, laminated stock, detachable magazine, adjustable cheekpiece and a nice, stiff action with integral dovetail and side bolt-release. The trigger adjusts from 2 to 4 pounds. The T3 Sporter will be produced with 20″ or 24″ barrels in a variety of popular chamberings: .222 Rem*, .223 Rem, 6.5×55 SE, .260 Rem, .308 WIN. We expect this rifle to be popular with tactical shooters and club-level match shooters who want a versatile rifle that can be used for hunting as well as target shooting. The stock is similar to the ISU “standard rifle” design used for 300m position shooting. As you’d expect, it works in all positions: prone, sitting/kneeling, and standing.
T3 Is Accurate With Smooth-Working Action
We first saw the new Tikka T3 Sporter in January, at the SHOT Show Media Day. The gun we sampled had a nice trigger, smooth bolt, and shot quite accurately with factory ammo. Watch the video below for an overview of the T3 Sporter. The Tikka T3 Sporter was developed in co-operation With Finnish hunting and sport shooting organizations. The design goal was to create a rifle that performs in competition, but can also be used for hunting. The ergonomic stock features an adjustable cheekpiece and adjustable buttplate (length of pull can be changed with spacers). An integral rail allows placement of hand-stops, bipod mounts, and attachments so the rifle can be carried with a double-sling, biathlon style. T3 Sporter weight (without scope) is 9 lbs. with 20″ barrel, or 9.7 lbs. with 24″ barrel.
EuroOptic.com Has T3 Sporters in Stock EuroOptic.com has T3 Sporter inventory in stock now, priced at $1695.00. Not all variants have arrived yet*, but we’ve been told that the following models are available: .308 Win 24″ barrel, .308 Win 20″ barrel, 6.5×55 24″ barrel, 6.5×55 20″ barrel, .260 Rem 20″ barrel. 20″ barrels are threaded with a cap (18×1 metric) while the 24″ barrels are unthreaded. View details on EuroOptic’s T3 Sporter Page (NOTE: EuroOptic’s web site may not show the latest inventory, so call (507) 220-3159 for availability.)
*Beretta, Tikka’s parent company, controls T3 Sporter imports. EuroOptic.com informed us that it “ordered all the versions we could from Beretta, but no .222 Rem was available in the USA at this time.” So, for the near term at least, it appears that the .222 Rem will be limited to the European market.
In a near-perfect performance, Sarah Scherer, a sophomore at Texas Christian University (TCU), claimed the gold medal in Women’s 10m Air Rifle at the ISSF World Cup Korea. Scherer entered the final round tied with Poland’s Agnieska Nagay, a two-time Olympian. Scherer then nailed an impressive 103.5 score in the final, to finish with 501.5 total points, winning by one point. Nagay finished with 500.5 total points (398+102.5) for the silver medal and a quota place for Poland. Finishing third was Serbia’s Ivana Maksimovic with 499.4 total points (397+102.4).
Sarah, an All-American and NCAA Champion shooter at TCU, wowed the crowd. National Rifle Coach Major Dave Johnson said, “Sarah was a focused machine. I was impressed with her control and determination.” You can watch Scherer shoot in the ISSF Video below (action starts after 35-second intro).
Not only is this a huge accomplishment for Scherer, she also brings home a much-needed 2012 Olympic quota for Women’s 10m Air Rifle. In an ISSF interview, Scherer said, “It has been my first time in a final, and it was a bit intimidating to shoot shoulder to shoulder with these experienced athletes. But I have been training hard to get here, so I was quite confident. It feels great to win a quota place for my country.” This was Scherer’s first ISSF Gold. But she is no stranger to the podium. Sarah was the 2010 NCAA National smallbore rifle champion and the 2010 USA Junior Olympics air rifle champion.
The 2011 ISSF Combined World Cup shooting competitions were held in Sydney, Australia on March 21-31. In Sydney, the world’s top shooters vied for coveted Olympic “Quotas” that would secure eligibility to compete at the 2012 London Olympic Games. 34 Olympic Quotas were awarded during the course of the 15 ISSF pistol, rifle and shotgun events in Sydney. Lead by its shotgunners, Team USA performed superbly in Australia, finishing with 8 total medals, including 3 Golds, more than any other country. China finished second in the medal count.
American Medal Winners:
Gold: Jamie Beyerle (Lebanon, PA), Women’s 50m Rifle Three Position
Gold: Kim Rhode (El Monte, CA), Women’s Skeet
Gold: Jon Michael McGrath (Tulsa, OK), Men’s Skeet
Silver: Matt Emmons (Browns Mills, NJ), Men’s 50m Rifle Three Position
Silver: Amy Sowash (Richmond, KY), Women’s 50m Rifle Three Position
Silver: SFC Eric Uptagrafft (Phenix City, AL), Men’s 50m Rifle Prone
Silver: Staff Sergeant Joshua Richmond (Hillsgrove, PA), Men’s Double Trap
Silver: Caitlin Connor (Winnfield, LA), Women’s Skeet
Young Americans Win Gold
The United States fielded one of the youngest teams in Australia. But the young shooters more than held their own. Team USA rifle shooter Jamie Beyerle dominated the Women’s 50m three-position event, to win Gold with a total of 685.3 points. Beyerle’s fellow American Amy Sowash finished second. Beyerle shot great in windy conditions that bothered many of her rivals. You can watch Jamie shoot in the first video linked below.
Another gold-medal performance was turned in by 18-year-old skeet shooter John McGrath, the current ISSF Junior World Champion. McGrath qualified for the Men’s Skeet Final by hitting 124 of 125 targets, and then “cleaned” all his 25 Final targets. In an exciting finish, McGrath took the Skeet Gold Medal by beating 2007 World Champion Georgios Achilleos of Cyprus in a shoot-off.
Highlights of the 2011 ISSF Shooting World are now available on the ISSF’s YouTube Channel. Linked below are videos of the Women’s 50m 3-Position Highlights and Men’s Prone 50m Air Rifle event. You can also visit www.ISSF-Shooting.org for the complete tournament results, interviews with shooters, and the latest international shooting news.
The USA Shooting Men’s Skeet Team, comprised of Vincent Hancock, Jon Michael McGrath, and Frank Thompson, tied the World Record in Men’s Skeet while capturing the gold medal at the ISSF World Cup recently held in Concepcion, Chile. Hancock is the reigning Olympic Gold Medalist in Skeet and Jon Michael McGrath is the 2010 World Champion in Men’s Junior Skeet. Out of a possible 125 targets (per shooter), Thompson nailed 123, Hancock hit 122, and McGrath shot 121 — for a combined team score of 366/375. That equaled the world record set by Team USA at the 2009 World Championship in Slovenia.
Jan Sychra Wins Individual Skeet Gold Medal with Perfect Score
At the same World Cup match in Chile, Jan Sychra (Czech Republic) won the Men’s Skeet event, scoring a perfect 150 hits out of 150 targets in the final, equaling a world record. The Czech shooter also secured an Olympic Quota Place, a qualification spot at the 2012 London Games.
“I did not believe the 150 record was possible!”, the Czech shooter said after the award ceremony. The record was first set in 2007 by American Vincent Hancock. Hancock’s record had subsequently been tied twice by Norway’s Tore Brovold. So Sychra is now the third man ever to shoot 150/150 in a skeet finals.
The USA team finished just short of individual medals. The USA Shooting Team has the youngest men’s team competing in the ISSF World Cup Series and at the World Clay Target Championships in Belgrade, Serbia later this year.
Next Stop — Sydney, Australia
The USA Team returns home for a few days before traveling to the next stop in the ISSF World Cup series March 22 – April 1, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. The Sydney World Cup has 64 nations represented with 721 competitors in the Olympic sports of rifle, pistol and shotgun.
The ISSF has issued new Rule Interpretations regarding shooting coats, pants, shoes, and headgear. Existing ISSF Rules limit how thick and stiff clothing can be. Shooting outfits have gotten progressively thicker over the years, and for 2011 the ISSF has adopted new procedures for policing clothing standards. In addition, the ISSF ruled that use of body taping (such as ankle taping) is illegal.
ISSF Statement Concerning Shooting Clothing
The ISSF urges all National Federations to study these rule interpretations carefully to ensure that their athletes and coaches who will compete in the 2011 World Cups are prepared for them. For rifle shooters whose shooting jackets, trousers and boots were in full compliance with ISSF Rules during 2010 competitions, these rule interpretations should not require them to make any significant changes.
For shooters who try to use jackets and trousers that measure at or near the maximum stiffness of 3.0mm, they will need to make sure their clothing is somewhat more flexible since stiffness measurements below 3.0mm and thickness measurements greater than 2.5mm are not acceptable. The small percentage of rifle shooters who have persisted in walking stiff-legged and flat-footed must learn to walk normally when they wear their trousers and boots. Competitors with any clothing item that has small panels or large pads that make it impossible to find a 60mm area to measure stiffness must be aware that measurements of those panels will now be made over the pads, seams or letters if necessary. Any athletes who may have tried taping techniques need to know that this is illegal and will be checked.
ISSF Clothing Standards:
1. Stiffness Rule — Jackets and trousers will be tested for stiffness both before competitions and after matches. The amount of flexibility must measure 3.0mm or higher in 60 sec. Clothing with stiffness factors below 3.0 will be rejected.
2. Thickness Rule — During Equipment Control jacket and trouser thickness testing, both before competitions and in post-competition checks, all clothing panels must measure 2.5mm or less in thickness. No measurements above 2.5mm will be accepted.
3. Trouser Limits — The top of the trousers’ seat pads must be at least 150mm below the top of the waistband/trousers. Stiffness may be measured over the seat pad if necessary. There can be a maximum of 7 belt loops with at least 80mm between belt loops.
4. Shoe Flexibility — A walking test to demonstrate the flexibility of the shooting shoes and trousers will be enforced by Juries anywhere on the range. Violators will first receive a warning, then a 2-point penalty for a second offence and disqualification for a third offence.
5. Body Support Taping Prohibited — Kinesio taping and medical taping is contrary to ISSF rules and is not permitted. Shooters will be subject to post-competition testing to ensure compliance.
6. Headgear — No part of a cap or visor may touch or contact the rifle sight or rifle.
The NRA has licensed Krüger Schießscheiben (Krüger) to produce official NRA targets for use in Europe and worldwide. Krüger, a family-run company based in Dillingen/Saar, Germany, was the smart choice. Since 2004, Krüger has been the official target supplier of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF). Krüger currently produces targets for a wide variety of disciplines: air pistol, air rifle, running target, 300m centerfire, and both rimfire and centerfire benchrest. Krüger also makes archery targets.
Mike Krei, the NRA’s director of competitive shooting, announced: “The Krüger Target Company and the NRA have signed a five year license agreement that allows Krüger to produce many of the targets used in NRA competitions. Company owner Mr. Andreas Krüger and Sales Manager Joachim Seibold flew in from Germany to work out the contract and now they will be manufacturing NRA targets both nationally and internationally”.
Browse Wide Selection of Krüger Targets
While Krüger specializes in competition targets, it also produces a large selection of fun targets and hunting targets as well. These can all be ordered through Krüger’s website (or via catalog), and yes, the targets can be shipped from Germany to the USA. Click on the catalog cover at left to download the current English-language Krüger Targets catalog as a 56-page PDF file (5.6 MB).
Here are some of the fun targets produced by Krüger. Click on the small images to see a larger version. After viewing, click browser “Back” button to return to this page. NOTE: These are NOT hi-rez images to be down-loaded and reprinted. However, Krüger’s fun targets may give you some ideas for creating your own specialty and holiday targets. See more targets on Krüger’s website, www.best-targets.com.
Krüger Fun Targets — Click to View
NOTE: After viewing larger target image, click browser “Back” button to return to this page.
Top airgun and smallbore shooters competed this past week at the 2010 ISSF World Cup Rifle and Pistol Finals. In this season-ending World Cup, Russia led the pack of nations, taking an impressive total of five medals (four gold and one silver) out of ten shooting events. The USA was second with two gold medals and one bronze, while Italy finished third with one gold, two silver and one bronze.CLICK HERE for the complete match results posted on the ISSF-sports.org website.
Team USA put on a solid performance with three medals and six finals appearances. U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Daryl Szarenski won the Men’s 50m Free Pistol competition, finishing 5.5 points above the silver medalist. In an interview with the ISSF’s Marco Dalla Dea, Szarenski said, “This has definitively been my best season ever!”
American Jamie Beyerle won the gold medal in Women’s 3-Position, 50m Rifle event. During the match, Beyerle shot an amazing 590 points to qualify in first place for the finals. Jamie also won the Air Rifle Champions Trophy (with a €500 prize from Sius Ascor), outdoing Germany’s Sonja Pfeilschifter. This was the second straight Champions Trophy for Beyerle, who also took the prize at the 2009 ISSF World Cup Final in Wuxi. In addition to her Gold Medal in 50m 3P, Jamie won Bronze in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle event.
Sgt. 1st Class Jason Parker was 1.5 points shy of medal contention in Men’s 50m Rifle Three Position. Parker finished fourth with a match score of 1170 points and the highest scoring final of 100.1 points. Teammate Sgt. Joseph Hein finished seventh in the Men’s 50m Rifle Prone event. Hein was in a four-way tie for third headed into the final, but fell short of a medal with a 101.8 point final for 698.8 total points.
In international 300m competition the top shooters use high-tech rifles shooting some of our favorite cartridges: 6mmBR, 6XC, and 6.5×47 Lapua. These chamberings all possess superb inherent accuracy, allowing great scores even when shooting with iron sights. This week, both men and women have been competing in prone and three-position 300m events. The level of competition has been high — Bettina Bucher of Switzerland tied the womens’ 599 score record in winning the women’s 300m prone event, and the 600-point mens’ record score has been tied twice in prone matches, once by France’s Josselin Henry, shooting factory 6.5×47 Lapua ammo. To see Bettina Bucher and Josselin Henry in action, visit the ISSF-Sports.org website. There you’ll find complete match results, as well as photos and videos of the action.
Right now there are three short videos covering 300m competition. CLICK HERE to access the videos. When the page displays, go to the scrolling menu (on right) and select: “300m Rifle Prone Women”, or “300m Standard Rifle Men”, or “300m Rifle Prone Men”. The video on the 300m prone womens’ competition features Switzerland’s Bettina Bucher who tied a World Record in the event. Note, in the 300m mens Standard Rifle highlights video, the American announcer incorrectly names the winner of the 300m Standard Rifle event as “Henry Josselin”. She got it backwards.
Josselin Henry Wins 300m Standard Rifle Event, But Three Shooters DQ’d
Marco Dalla Dea of the ISSF Media team reports that France’s Josselin Henry won today’s 300m Standard Rifle event, becoming the new world champion with a total score of 587 points. The French shooter, who had equaled the 300m Rifle Prone Men world record of 600 points two days ago, had never won an ISSF medal in this event before. Tomorrow, the 28-year old shooter from Paris will compete in the 300m rifle Three-Position event.
Three competitors were disqualified in the 300m mens’ Standard Rifle Finals. There are strict rules on the geometry and features of a “Standard Rifle”, in contrast to “Free Rifle” class which is pretty much “anything goes”. One shooter was DQ’d for an illegal front sight extension, another was tossed for having an “anatomical” grip, and a third shooter was sent packing because his buttplate had too much curve. In the standing position, a hook-style buttplate extension can provide a significant advantage. This hook configuration is allowed on Free Rifles only.
USAMU shooter SFC Jason Parker, the 2011 Continental American Champion, won the 50m Three Position (3P) Rifle event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Rifle & Pistol World Cup in Milan, Italy. With an overall score of 1273.1 points, Parker topped runner-up Niccolò Campriani (Italy), by almost three points, earning the American soldier his fifth ISSF World Cup Gold medal. Jason apparently likes Italy — in 2001 SFC Parker won an ISSF World Cup Gold medal in Milan.
At SHOT Show 2012 we met with Andreas Krüger, managing director of 
Tikka has started to import its new 
T3 Is Accurate With Smooth-Working Action
In a near-perfect performance, 
The 2011 ISSF Combined World Cup shooting competitions were held in Sydney, Australia on March 21-31. In Sydney, the world’s top shooters vied for coveted Olympic “Quotas” that would secure eligibility to compete at the 2012 London Olympic Games. 34 Olympic Quotas were awarded during the course of the 15 ISSF pistol, rifle and shotgun events in Sydney. Lead by its shotgunners, Team USA performed superbly in Australia, finishing with 8 total medals, including 3 Golds, more than any other country. China finished second in the medal count.
Young Americans Win Gold
The NRA has licensed 
American Jamie Beyerle won the gold medal in Women’s 3-Position, 50m Rifle event. During the match, Beyerle shot an amazing 590 points to qualify in first place for the finals. Jamie also won the Air Rifle Champions Trophy (with a €500 prize from Sius Ascor), outdoing Germany’s Sonja Pfeilschifter. This was the second straight Champions Trophy for Beyerle, who also took the prize at the 2009 ISSF World Cup Final in Wuxi. In addition to her Gold Medal in 50m 3P, Jamie won Bronze in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle event.
In international 300m competition the top shooters use high-tech rifles shooting some of our favorite cartridges: 6mmBR, 6XC, and 6.5×47 Lapua. These chamberings all possess superb inherent accuracy, allowing great scores even when shooting with iron sights. This week, both men and women have been competing in prone and three-position 300m events. The level of competition has been high — Bettina Bucher of Switzerland tied the womens’ 599 score record in winning the women’s 300m prone event, and the 600-point mens’ record score has been tied twice in prone matches, once by France’s Josselin Henry, shooting factory 6.5×47 Lapua ammo. To see Bettina Bucher and Josselin Henry in action, visit the 
