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October 8th, 2014
Forum member Rick Curtis, a shooter from the Phoenix area, put together an interesting video showing some of the F-Class shooters at a recent club match at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility. Rick notes: “As you can see (hear) at the beginning of the video the first relay was fired in a ‘frisky’ headwind.” (Don’t worry about the awful wind noise — it moderates 35 seconds into the video.) It is interesting to see the different shooting styles, and the wide variety of hardware on the line.
Watch F-Class Shooting Video from Ben Avery Range in Phoenix, AZ
One fellow who watched the video made an interesting comment: “A couple of those shooters sure do a lot of moving around before and after the shot. I shoot sling and jacket and definitely try to minimize my movement. Is minimizing movement as important in F-Class?”
Rick Curtis replied: “I sent some of the individual videos back to the shooters who were in them with some recommendations that included minimizing movement, spotting scope placement, shot routine suggestions and a few other observations.”
October 1st, 2014
Accuracy 1st Development Group, a training operation based in Texas, will soon release a new instructional video: Long Range Made Easy. This training video features Bryan Litz, author of Applied Ballistics for Long Range Shooting. Many of the shooters shown in the video use the new ABM ammo developed by Bryan’s Applied Ballistics lab for Berger Bullets. Check out the preview “trailer” for Long Range Made Easy.
Watch Trailer for “Long Range Made Easy”
Accuracy 1st Scope Levels
Accuracy 1st also sells some interesting products for precision rifle shooters. Check out this unique, curved-vial scope leveler ring. More precise and sensitive than other scope levels, the Accuracy 1st leveling device can detect 1° of cant. Displayed line increments represent 2.5° of cant.
You may wonder: “Why are these scope levels better than other similar products?” Accuracy 1st explains: “Our levels are of the highest quality and accuracy. Some scope level manufacturers use plastic housings, air bubbles and sub-par glass in their vials. In lieu of a straight bubble vial, Accuracy 1st utilizes a custom curved vial featuring medical-grade glass and a ceramic ball. The use of the ceramic ball eliminates the inherent flaws associated with air bubble levels, which at higher temperatures and pressure will compromise the bubble size causing level inaccuracies. Typically air bubble levels require 3° to 5° [tilt] to even register movement. By contrast, the Accuracy 1st custom level will read movement at a minimum of 1° and will extend measurements out to +/- 10°.”
September 23rd, 2014
The 2014 IBS 600-Yard Benchrest Nationals will take place this upcoming weekend in Memphis, Tennessee at the Memphis Sport Shooting Assn. (MSSA) Range. The match runs Friday, September 26th through Saturday, September 27th. Set-up and practice sessions will be held on Wednesday and Thursday. The for-record matches will commence with the Light Gun division at 8:05 am on Friday. Heavy Gun matches will be held on Saturday.
IMPORTANT — You can still join in the fun. It’s not too late to register for this event. You can register at the range up to 6:00 pm on Thursday, September 25th. Mike Moses is the Match director. The MSSA Range is located about 25 miles northeast of Memphis, TN. Click here for directions and hotel links.
 IBS 600-YARD NATIONALS – 2014
Memphis Sport Shooting Association
9428 Old Brownsville Road
Lakeland, TN 38002
Light Gun Competition – Friday, Sept. 26th.
Sign in by 7:30 A.M. Firing will begin 8:05 A.M.
Relays will fire in sequential order #1, #2, #3 & #4.
Heavy Gun Competition – Saturday, Sept. 27th.
Sign in by 7:30 A.M. Firing will begin 8:05 A.M.
Relays will fire in the order of #3, #4, #1 & #2.
Practice and Set-Up Sessions:
Wednesday Sept. 24th – 12:00 Noon until 6:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 25th – 8:05 am until 6:00 pm
Registration and Fees
The current Match Registration fee is $200. (This includes lunch for both days). Registration deadline is 6:00 pm, Thursday, September 25th.
If you will register on site, fees may be paid to Mike Moses (Match Director). The organizers say: “If a competitor is delayed en route and is not pre-registered, please let us know as early as possible! We’ll make every effort to allow a late entry.”
Mike Moses, Match Director
Phone: 901-493-1687
Email: ashlinmetalworks [at] bellsouth.net
4224 Coleman Rd.
Memphis, TN 38128
10-year-old Rory Jacobs competed at last year’s IBS 600-yard Nationals in St. Louis, Missouri.
Event tip by Samuel Hall. We welcome reader submissions.
September 6th, 2014
 ShooterReady.com offers an excellent computer simulation that lets you “shoot” three different calibers at virtual ranges out to 2000 yards–complete with sound effects and realistic scenery. You view the target through a 10-20x zoom scope and adjust windage and elevation as with a real scope. A FREE Online Demo is available that lets you practice with a 175gr .308, and also Windrunner .338 and .50 BMG. Atmospheric conditions and range distance change with each stage, so there is plenty of challenge. Warning–if you’re at work, this can be addictive once you get the hang of it.
You can practice Mil Dot ranging on 3 targets: A 12″ X 12″ swinging plate, a 30″ X 18″ knock-down plate, and a regulation 72″ X 19″ knock down plate. Each caliber has 70 range exercises, plus an advanced stage with 25 timed hold-offs, and moving targets.
The CD also includes “Interactive Classrooms” that teach you how to use Mil-Dot scopes and how to use a range card. The presentation on reading Mils and calculating target distances is very well done. It is much easier to learn interactively than by just reading a static manual. Below is a screenshot from the Mil-Dot Ranging “Classroom”.
Trust us, you can learn a great deal from the Free Demo. This is not just a shooter video game. The demo offers a variety of scenarios–enough to keep you occupied for quite some time. If you want to learn more, the full CD, with hundreds of scenarios, and five bonus stages, costs $43.95 from ShooterReady.com.
August 21st, 2014
Report by Anette Wachter for 30CalGal.com
Click Here for full article
 I have spent the last two weeks at Camp Perry for the U.S. Long Range and Fullbore Nationals. This year at Perry the format was quite different than in years past. An International Fullbore week was added after the Long Range week. This was meant to act as a practice and tryout for members of the U.S. Rifle Team in preparation for the World Palma Championship in 2015.
The Long Range Nationals consist of shooting all matches at 1000 yards and one day of Palma which is fired at 800, 900, and 1000 yards. Each string at 1000 is a separate match in itself and then there is a grand Aggregate of all for the week. Each match has a shoot-off of the top scorers in each relay to determine the winner. In years past I have made it in to at least one shoot-off but I was not so lucky this year. I did however have success in my team events.
All Ladies Team for Perry
Last year I was coached by Nancy Tompkins on a coed team to an overall win. I called Nancy again this year to set up a new team — an all-ladies squad. What a squad it was, with Nancy, her daughters Michelle and Sherri Jo, and Trudie Fay (along with myself). I cherished getting to know all of these ladies better. Sherri Jo Gallagher has been a USAMU shooting super star for many years. She is now a super star Golden Night (U.S. Army Parachute Team member). She took some time off to come back to Perry to shoot for fun and hang out with her family. Our squad had the best time. Lots of laughing. And Xs! We won the Palma division and placed second overall for the Roumanian Trophy. We won overall Palma team for the Agg for the week. Way to go girl power!
Anette came home with four medals. During the Long Range phase, Anette’s all-female team won Open Palma in the Roumanian Trophy and the Silver Medal in the overall of the Roumanian. During the Fullbore phase her team earned the Silver Medal in the Commodore Perry Cup. And then Anette’s 4-person team, U.S. Team Skaret, won a Gold for the Open Palma.
CLICK to READ MORE
August 9th, 2014
Most of us can figure out how to zero our rifles at 100 yards. But do you know how to get a solid zero at long range — as far as 1000 yards? You need to know your ballistics, otherwise you may waste a lot of ammo “sprayin’ and prayin'”. You definitely need to know your exact muzzle velocity, within a few FPS. This is not as simple as it seems, because it is not uncommon for chronograph results to be off by 10 to 20 fps or more, just through calibration error. Accordingly, you may want to test with a pair of chronos and record the results from each (you may be surprised at the variances).
 Video Illustrates Zeroing Process
The process of zeroing rifles for long range is covered in a new “Firearm Science” video from the NRA. This video features George Reinas, a popular competitor on the Top Shot TV Show. George demonstrates how to adjust his scope to compensate for bullet drop at long range. Our friend Dennis Santiago was involved in the making of this video, which was filmed at the Burbank Rifle & Revolver Club in Southern California. The video is narrated by the talented Jessie Duff, one of America’s best action shooters.
 When zeroing at long range, you should first consult a good ballistics program. Select your baseline zero distance (such as 100 yards), then plug in the MV along with salient environmental factors: Altitude, Air Pressure, Temperature, Humidity. After you enter bullet BC, your ballistics program will calculate the drop to the target, expressed in MOA or Mils. Some programs will actually list the number of clicks up from your current zero.
You can print out the data from your ballistics solver as a “drop chart” that can be attached to your rifle stock. If you shoot at various altitudes you may need multiple drop charts.
August 3rd, 2014
Story based on report by Lars Dalseide for NRA Blog
 An epic mother-daughter duel came down to a single X, with Michelle Gallagher besting her mom, Nancy Tompkins, by the slimmest of margins. To accomplish that feat, and win the Long Range National Championship, Michelle had to shoot a superb final match at 1000 yards, not dropping a point. Congratulations to Michelle, for her impressive win.
Finishing with 1096-66X, Gallagher took the LR title with Tompkins (1096-65X) in second and SSG Brandon Green (1096-59X) in third. Thomas Colyer was forth with 1096-56X. Remarkably, the top four shooters all finished with the same point total, only separated by X count!
Michelle (Left) is ‘all smiles’ with sister Sherri Jo Gallagher (Right), a former National Champion.
900-Yard Phase Cancelled By Lightning Storm
Michelle Gallagher shot a perfect 300-19X in Saturday’s Palma Match to win the 2014 National Long Range Rifle Championship. Beginning the day two points down, Gallagher racked up fifteen 10s at 800 yards along with another fifteen 10s at 1,000. Though Palma traditionally includes a 900-yard phase as well, that portion of Saturday’s match was cancelled due to the morning’s lightning storm.
“Talk about an exciting finish,” said High Power Rifle Match Director Sherri Judd. “She hung in there after dropping a few points in the early rounds and finished strong.”
“After finishing at 1,000, I knew it was going to be close by I had no idea it would be that close,” Gallagher said.
Other notable performances were turned in by Waylon Burbach, James (Jim) O’Connell, and SFC Joel Micholick. Burbach, as a Junior, shot a superb 1091-55X to beat all but six of the 282 competitors. Jim O’Connell, as a Grand Senior, proved he still has what it takes, finishing sixteenth overall with 1086-52X. “Man, that old guy can shoot!” was often heard on the firing line. Micholick proved the capability of the AR platform, recording a 1074-34X with his iron-sighted M110 to be the top Service Rifle shooter.
NRA 2014 National High Power Rifle Long Range Championships
| Competitor |
Score |
Competitor |
Score |
| 1. Michelle Gallagher |
1096-66X |
6. Philip Crowe |
1093-60X |
| 2. Nancy Tompkins |
1096-65X |
7. Waylon Burbach |
1091-55X |
| 3. SSG Brandon Green |
1096-59X |
8. Norman Crawford |
1091-50X |
| 4. SSG Thomas Colyer |
1096-56X |
9. SGT Eric Smith |
1090-58X |
| 5. SSG Shane Barnhart |
1095-60X |
10. John Whidden |
1089-64X |
CLICK HERE for Complete Long Range Championships Results
August 2nd, 2014
by Lars Dalseide for NRABlog.com
There are five days in the NRA’s National Long Range High Power Rifle Championship. Five days of firing round after round at 6’ by 6’ targets up to 1,000 yards away. Five days of Camp Perry’s wind bouncing off Lake Erie while the sun fights to break through the occasional cloud.
This report was filed on Friday, August 1, 2014. CLICK HERE for the latest results.
Two sets of relays have already taken their respective Shooter Shuttles out to the pits, home of those 6’ by 6’ targets. There competitors take their turn at lifting and lowering the behemoth squares with every shot. Once fired upon, the target is lowered, scored, and raised back into place.
[As of Friday morning], only one round of relays is in the score books. Already, this is shaping up as a tightly-fought match. Only one point (and X-count) separates the top five shooters. Philip Crowe is currently in first with 798-47X. Just one X back, at 798-46X, is past champion Nancy Tompkins. A point behind Nancy are USAMU Shooter SSG Brandon Green, the legendary David Tubb, and Waylon Burbach. Nancy’s daughter Michelle Gallagher is in sixth. The other “Gallagher Girl”, SSG Sherri Jo Gallagher (below) is also competing this year.
CLICK HERE for Latest 2014 Long Range National Championship Results.
Photos courtesy NRABlog.com.
July 16th, 2014
 If you’re wondering what is happening when at the NRA National Rifle and Pistol championships, here is a calendar of all the scheduled events. The pistol matches concluded last week. Smallbore (rimfire) events are underway this week (in Bristol, Indiana), while the High Power events commenced yesterday (July 15) with clinics. The popular CMP Garand match is held July 19, while the NRA High Power National Championship commences on Saturday, July 26.
Click the calendar image below to see a large size version (that’s easier to read). You can also download a PDF file with the complete National Matches Event schedule for 2014.
CLICK to DOWNLOAD 2014 National Match Calendars
June 22nd, 2014
Report based on story by Kyle Jillson for NRA Blog
 The 2014 Remington and NRA National Rifle & Pistol Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio are just a couple weeks away. You can still register for one or more of the matches. Just click the orange “Register” button (below) to register online.
Many of the finest civilian and military marksmen in the United States will square off for weeks of rifle and handgun competition while vying for the NRA’s historic and prestigious trophies. From pistol, to smallbore rifle, high power rifle, and long-range high power rifle, the National Matches have something for just about everybody.
Head on over to the Camp Perry sign-up page and get started on this year’s application.
Smallbore Matches Will Be in Indiana This Year
If you’re a smallbore shooter, these next two years will be a little different. In 2014 and 2015, the NRA National Smallbore Position Championships and the NRA National Smallbore Prone Championships will be held at Chief Wa-Ke-De Range in Bristol, Indiana. This change of venue for the Smallbore Championship Events was made to accommodate the 2015 World Palma Rifle Championships at Camp Perry. (The change was made in 2014 because the World Palma teams will be practicing at Camp Perry this summer, a year before the big event.) The Chief Wa-Ke-De Range is an excellent location that has hosted the NRA National Metric Championships for the past few years.
The NRA National Rifle & Pistol Championships are the pinnacle of target shooting in the USA. If you’re itching to try out some new equipment or are looking for an excuse to buy some more accessories, the National Matches are the perfect excuse. Use the links below to register for the National Matches, or to view the 2014 program brochures (in PDF format) for the High Power, Fullbore, and Pistol disciplines.
Click Here to Sign Up for Camp Perry
2014 National Matches Calendar (Draft)
2014 High Power Program
2014 Fullbore Program
2014 Pistol Program
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