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September 24th, 2010
 It’s comforting to know that our U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) personnel are not only competent with firearms — some of them are among the finest shooters in the entire law enforcement community. At the recent National Police Shooting Championship held in Albuquerque, NM, USBP agents dominated the individual and team competition, outshooting LEO competitors from around the country.
Vadasz Wins Second NPSC Title
Senior U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Vadasz topped the field of over 400 competitors to secure his second National Police Shooting Individual Championship in three years. Vadasz dropped a mere 19 shots throughout the tournament, finishing with a 2981-221x score. Finishing second was Customs & Border Protection agent Doug Goff, with 2976-199x. U.S. Border Patrolman Kevin Worrell finished thrid with 2973-193x.
 “It’s an honor to be here, again,” said Vadasz. “Your gun jams, it slips off the post, your foot cramps, or your ammunition betrays you; there are a lot of things that can go wrong. This year, everything came together, and it feels great.”
In team competition, U.S. Border Patrol squads turned in great performances. USBP Teams finished first and second in the Open Class Revolver 4-Officer Event, with USBP Blue Team scoring 2372-163X, and USBP Gold Team finishing second with 2356-131X. In the Open Class Semi-Auto 4-Officer Team event, the USBP Blue Team scored 2357-147X to finish a close second to the winning CBP Blue Team, which took the title with a 2360-134X tally.
Photos courtesy the NRA Blog.
July 22nd, 2010
A “Dream Team” composed of four of America’s top lady shooters set a new national long-range Palma record at the Rocky Mountain Palma Championships at Raton, NM last week. The four-woman squad of Trudie Fay (Captain), Michelle Gallagher, Noma Mayo, and Nancy Tompkins shot brilliantly to establish a new National Palma record of 1796-112X, breaking the existing 1791-102X record held by the USAMU (Praslick) team.
Officially listed as “The U.S. National Team”, but dubbed “Team Estrogen” by one of the gals, this squad of four female High Masters was coached by Steve Conico, a veteran long range shooter from New Mexico. Michelle told us that Coach Conico did a great job calling the wind, and all the team members performed well: “Our strategy was simple: lay down, shoot, let Steve think for everybody. Steve’s a fantastic coach. We all just had a good day. All four trigger-pullers were on top of our game. The combination of good conditions (for Raton), great coaching, and good shooting allowed a memorable team performance. That combination is rare. It’s not going to happen again any time soon.”
SCORES: T. Fay: 448-39X | M. Gallagher: 450-35X | N. Mayo: 449-26X | N. Tompkins: 449-22X
For Michelle, competing in this match with a team of female all-stars (who are all close friends) was a dream come true: “We’ve been planning to have a womens’ team for 10 years and it finally happened. It’s fun getting everyone together. We’re all delighted it worked out so well. And I loved being able to shoot with my mom.” Michelle shot a perfect 450 in the match, not dropping a single point.
 Record-Setting Equipment
All four Dream-Teamers were shooting conventional single-shot .308 Winchester Palma rifles — no tube-guns in this arsenal. Nancy Tompkins’ rifle featured a wood stock, Stolle Panda action, and 30″ Krieger barrel. Michelle’s rifle was similarly configured but she used a fiberglass McMillan stock. Nancy and Michelle shot ammo loaded with Hodgdon Varget powder, Wolf (Russian) primers, and the 155.5gr Berger Palma bullet. The other two team members, Noma and Trudie, may have been using Sierra #2156 155gr Palma bullets but that’s not confirmed.
Loading for the 155.5gr Berger Palma Bullet
Michelle observed that the 155.5gr Berger Palma bullet doesn’t require any special tuning: “With the 155.5, it’s pretty easy to swap out any load you’ve used successfully with any of the other 155s. The 155.5 doesn’t require a lot of extra load development. As far as seating depth goes, some people are successful jumping them, some people are successful jammin’ them in. Personally I’ve always soft seated. I haven’t found them to be very finicky.” Editor’s note: “Soft Seating” refers to deliberately loading the bullets long, with fairly light neck tension, and then allowing the bullet to find it’s position as one closes the bolt. The potential benefit is that the bullet ogive is always in the same position relative to the start of the rifling.
Good Conditions Aid Record-Setting Team Performance
During the July 10 team match, the weather gods smiled, providing good conditions (by Raton standards) for the female Dream Team’s record-setting performance. Michelle observed: “Have you ever shot at Raton? It can be the devil. Raton can be really nasty, but it was a pretty benign day by Raton standards. The wind was switchy but not what I’d call ‘blow you off the paper’ wind. We were all able to concentrate on the mechanics — just ‘lay down and squeeze’. Steve did all the work.”
June 27th, 2010
The 2010 National Junior Air Gun Championships in Albuquerque, NM concluded yesterday. The new champions were crowned last evening at an awards ceremony. Here are the top three individual and team winners from both the Sporter and Precision classes. Note: these results are preliminary, and are not final until the challenge period has ended.
| Precision Rifle Division
Individual Aggregate (1200 possible points):
1. Landon Shankles, LaCueva HS, MCJROTC, 1179
2. Abigail Stanec, Ohio Rifle & Pistol Assn., 1177
3. Dan Lowe, Washington State Rifle & Pistol Assn., 1172
Team Aggregate (4800 possible points):
1. Ohio Rifle & Pistol Association, 4667
2. LaCueva HS, MCJROTC, 4634
3. Washington State Rifle & Pistol Assn., 4633
A record number of JROTC teams competed in this year’s championship. |
Sporter Rifle Division
Individual Aggregate (1200 possible points):
1. John White, Maryland State Rifle & Pistol Assn., 1106
2. Dahkota Hayes, Montana Rifle & Pistol Assn., 1094
3. Shaley Clements, Ohio Rifle & Pistol Assn., 1085
Team Aggregate (4800 possible points):
1. Montana Rifle & Pistol Assn., 4267
2. Venture Crew 123 Aloha Council BSA, 4223
3. Maryland State Rifle & Pistol Assn., 4156
This was the second year in a row than the Montana Rifle & Pistol Assn. won a team championship. |
June 23rd, 2010
 One of the best hike-and-shoot, field-style long-range rifle challenges is the Steel Safari match — a 3-day event conducted in New Mexico’s high desert. The Steel Safari is a contest that examines “practical hunting skills, including target recognition, range estimation, wind doping, trail skills, and marksmanship”, according to the match entry form. Competitors locate small and medium-sized steel targets, range them, and engage with one shot only, under a challenging time limit. Some movement on the clock is required, and shoot positions are always improvised. Shooters may have to go prone on a rock slab, shoot a steep angle down a gully, or lean out the side of a truck. Both the North course and the South course are approximately 3.3 miles in length starting and ending at the “front range”, and looping around the rim of different parts of elevated terrain features.
 The 2010 Steel Safari, held June 4-6, can be characterized by one word: HOT. Temperatures started ramping up on Friday for the Long-Range Side Match, reaching about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and peaked on Saturday with a high of 109. The shooting was hot too, with winning scores higher than ever before. Among the 36 competitors, Steve Mann finished first with an impressive 95 score. Close behind, with a 93, was B.J. Bailey. Jimmy Holdsworth and Tom Freeman, both scored 88s, but Holdsworth prevailed on the tie-breaker for third place. In the Long-Range Side Match, Jon Beanland took first with a 111 score, followed by Jim Jensen (109) and Brian Whalen (99).
Equipment List — Two-Thirds of Competitors Use 6.5s or 6mms
The most popular rifle/action make was Surgeon (28%), followed by Remington (22%), then Accuracy International and Stiller (11% each), then Savage (8%), Big Horn Arms (6%), and one each of Barrett, Borden, DTA, GAP Templar, and Howa. The 6.5mm caliber totally dominated with 39% of all rifles; 6mm was next with 28%, then .30 (22%), and then 7mm (11%). Chamberings of choice were: .260 Remington (25%), .308 Winchester (17%), 6.5×47 Lapua (11%), 6% for each of 6XC, 7mm WSM, 7mm RSAUM, .260AI, and then 3% each for .300 WM, 6mm-250, .30-06, 6.5-284, 6 Dasher, .243 Winchester, and 6CM/243.
Scopes: Nightforce (28%), U.S. Optics (25%), Schmidt & Bender (17%), followed by Leupold (14%), Vortex (6%), and 3% each for Hensoldt, Burris, Pentax, and Premier. Laser range-finders were dominated by Leica (50%), followed by Swarovski (19%), Zeiss (17%), Vector (8%), and 3% each Leupold and Newcon. Bipods were mostly Harris (78%), followed by Atlas, AI, Caldwell, and Sinclair.
Propellants: Hodgdon powders totally dominated (80%) with Alliant second (20%). Of the Hodgdon powders, H4350, H4831SC, and Varget were the most popular, while RL17 was the most popular Alliant powder by far. The most notable trend in powder choice is that RL17 has replaced H4350 and H4831SC for many shooters.
Bullets, Brass, Ammo: Sierra (31%), Berger (25%), Lapua (25%), and DTAC 6mm (11%). Winchester and Lapua cases dominated with 33% each, followed by Remington (16%), and then Black Hills, Norma, and Lake City (3%). Only 2 shooters used factory ammo: one was Federal GMM (.308) and the other was M118LR (7.62×51 NATO).
CLICK HERE for full, 6-page report on 2010 Steel Safari
June 14th, 2010
The 2010 NRA National Junior Air Gun Championships and Training Summit will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico from June 23-26, 2010. The competition will take place at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The event is open to ALL junior shooters under the age of 21, who are placed in Sub-Junior, Intermediate Junior, or Junior classes according to age. There are three equipment divisions: Sporter Air Rifle, Precision Air Rifle, and Air Pistol. Participants may shoot as individuals or as part of a four-person team. There are four team categories: School Team, Military Scholastic, Local club, or State Association. CLICK HERE for Rifle Match Program and Schedule.
This year 150 junior shooters from 15 states will travel to Albuquerque to compete and participate in the Training Summit. Open to shooters, coaches, and parents, the Training Summit offers informational seminars on a variety of topics including mental and physical conditioning, sports nutrition, position training, and collegiate shooting opportunities. “We’re excited to bring this year’s National Junior Air Gun Championship and Training Summit to Albuquerque,” said Jessica McClain, NRA Air Gun Coordinator. “We have competitors traveling from all across the country to see how they measure up to other air gun shooters on a national level.”
March 29th, 2010
The 2010 U.S. F-Class Nationals concluded yesterday. It was a big success, drawing nearly 120 individual competitors and 18 teams. Young Derek Rodgers (Sharpshooter Class, 1330-57X) from Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the new Open Class Champion, and Californian Lane Buxton (1302-42X) won the F-TR division using a .308 Win Palma Rifle with Sierra #2156 bullets. Forum member Ken Dickerman finished second in F-Open posting a 1325-57X. Past multi-time F-TR Champ Danny Biggs shot F-Open this year, finishing third with a 1324-67X. While we are still waiting to receive ALL the final official results, it appears Danny set the high X-count for the match, while shooting with a Sinclair bipod equipped with a vertical adjustment knob. (The Open-class guns work amazingly well off the wide-base bipods.) Charles Ballard, the reigning (back to back) F-Open champ, finished seventh in F-Open.
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New F-Open Champ Derek Rodgers was shooting a 300 WSM with 210-grain bullets. This heavy bullet/short magnum combo performed well in the windy afternoon conditions during Sunday’s afternoon matches. Most of the other top F-Open competitors were shooting a .284 Win or some other 7mm. Charles Ballard told us told us: “with so many guys shooting 7mms this year, the competition is tougher than ever. If I had a caliber advantage before… that’s gone. With the winds we had in the afternoons, I’m not surprised Derek Rogers did well with his 300 WSM and the heavy bullets. I want to congratulate Derek on his well-deserved win.”
The team event was hotly contested, with 18 teams on the line, most of which were in F-TR Class. In Open Class, the North American Shooters Team, coached by Bryan Litz won the Berger Trophy for the 600 + 1000-yard combined Aggregate, as well as the 1000-yard Team Match. The Sierra Spindle Shooters team took first place in the 600-yard Team Match. In F-TR Team shooting, Savage Shooters pulled off a clean sweep, winning the 600-yard match, the 1000-yard match, AND the Team Aggregate. Congrats to Savage Shooters!
NAS Team shooters (left to right): David Mann, Dean Morris, Bryan Litz (coach), Rick Jenson, Larry Tait.
F-Open Class Results
Winner: Derek Rodgers (Sharpshooter) – 1330-57X Nat’l Champion
Second: Ken Dickerman (High Master) – 1325-57X
Third: Danny Biggs – 1324-67X – High X Count?
Fourth: Jeff Cochran – 1324-28X
Fifth: Jeff Traylor – 1323-51X
High Woman: Brenda Hill – 1302-31X
High Senior: Larry Bartholome – 1321-51X
High Grand Senior: Danny Biggs – 1324-67X
F-TR Class Results
Winner: Lane Buxton – 1302-42X – National Champion
Second: Robert Lach – 1297-36X
Third: John Hayhurst – 1293-37X
Fourth: Jeffery Rorer – 1293-28X
High Senior: Robert Lach – 1297-36X
High Grand Senior: Peter Church – 1279-31X
Complete Results for Download
Check the attachments for all the scores. FCNAT2010OPEN.doc has all the F Open scores and FCNAT2010TR.doc has all the F-TR scores.
Download All F-Open Scores/Standings | Download All F-TR Scores/Standings
March 24th, 2010
This week’s episode of Shooting USA covers END of TRAIL, the World Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting. The episode was filmed last June at the 2009 Championship. Based on the number of shooters, End of Trail is the second largest rifle/pistol competition in North America, topped only by the NRA National Championships at Camp Perry, OH. End of Trail is held each year at Founders Ranch, located near Albuquerque, NM. The next End of Trail will be held June 21-27, 2010.
The first part of Shooting USA will cover the SASS Championship, while the second-half Sighting-In segment will feature The Women of SASS. While most shooting sports are dominated by men, none seems to be as female-friendly as Cowboy Action Shooting.
Shooting USA’s SASS Special airs today, Wednesday March 24, on the Outdoor Channel:
Eastern Time 4:30 PM, 8:30 PM, 12:00 Midnight
Central Time 3:30 PM, 7:30 PM, 11:00 PM
Mountain Time 2:30 PM, 6:30 PM, 10:00 PM
Pacific Time 1:30 PM, 5:30 PM, 9:00 PM
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