Let it not be said that Gun Guys aren’t creative. Some of them have considerable artistic talent — witness this unique wall map of Ohio created from used ammunition boxes. This one-of-a-kind wall decor was created by Forum member “MrBottleneck”.
Here’s the story behind the Ohio Ammo Box Map:
“My son and I have been just goofing around creating wall art (if you consider it that). We shoot every weekend and when we see pristine discarded ammo boxes in the trash we have been saving them.
The range officers thought we were funny (or possibly nuts). We originally just had enough to make a square. However, after a few months of scrounging, we finally had enough boxes to expand our square into the state of Ohio as planned. The Ohio Map now proudly hangs in the man cave downstairs, and goes well with our rifle/ammo hobby. I think it’s pretty cool and it cost zero to make.” — MrBottleneck
Another Ohio-based forum member, Adam, found his location on the map: “Hey, I live at the top right corner of the Remington box on the right side.”
MrBottleneck’s Ohio map inspired Forum member JohnB to create something similar. John, who lives in New York State, says: “That is very cool indeed, now maybe I can make one in the shape of New York minus New York City.” Yes, John, that would be a vision of New York we Gun Guys could appreciate.
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The third annual Pyramyd Air Cup attracted nearly 100 amateur and professional shooters from around the nation, making it the best-attended AAFTA Grand Prix Field Target event in the USA this year. Hosted September 9-11 at the Tusco Rifle Club in New Philadelphia, Ohio, the Pyramyd Cup featured multiple airgun shooting disciplines including Field Target, the rapid-fire GunSlynger benchrest event, and the PayDay Challenge. Watch this video to see all the events:
Reigning AAFTA National Champion Ken Hughes stated: “What a weekend! The Field Target courses were challenging, and the wild, rapid-fire style of the Gunslynger event was difficult in its own right. It was great getting to meet new airgun buddies and check out the new gear from the many vendors in attendance. I really enjoyed the PA Cup!”
Field Target Discipline Is Challenging
“Field Target is one of the most difficult shooting disciplines out there,” says Pyramyd Air Cup Match Director, Tyler Patner. “Combine the multiple skills required to rise to the top of your game, with the myriad of factors you take into account at each lane, and you’ve got a challenging sport.”
“Targets are small, metal silhouettes of animals that consist of a kill zone and a colored paddle,” explains Patner. “Placed at unknown distances from between 10 yards to as far as 55 yards, the targets have kill-zones ranging in size from 3/8 inch to 1 1/2 inches. When the pellet passes through the kill zone and hits the paddle, the target falls and you’re awarded a point. It’s a game of precision and practice. You range-find with your scope, dope for distance, take the wind into account, and then you have to execute. There are different restrictions based upon your selected class, but the challenges remain the same. Wind-doping, range-finding, and remaining mentally tough over the entire course of fire are the biggest hurdles competitors face.”
Huge Prize Table for Competitors
Competition prizes were donated by many airgun and optics manufacturers including: AirForce Airguns, Air Arms, Beeman, Crosman, Birchwood Casey, Diana, Feinwerkbau, H&N, Hawke Sport Optics, JSB, Leapers, Plano, Predator, Umarex, UTG, and Walther. “You’d be hard-pressed to find an airgun competition with a better selection of prizes for its winners,” says says Pyramyd Air CEO, Joshua Ungier. “Our winner’s packages help assure shooters that if they’re limited to traveling to only one competitive shooting event, they recognize the Pyramyd Air Cup as the industry’s premier event.”
The Camp Perry “campus” is better than ever, thanks to millions of dollars in site improvements in recent years. Key grounds and buildings improvements have been made at the historic Camp Perry base, which boasts America’s largest rifle range. Over the past five years, the base has poured more than $10 million into facility enhancements. These projects are funded with a mix of Federal and state monies, as Federal facilities are operated on state (Ohio) lands.
Roads Have Been Sealed to Reduce Dust
In 2015, Camp Perry took on more than 20 projects, totaling over $900,000. The renovations included chipping and sealing of the range roads to keep dust off of the ranges. That’s a big deal that will benefit all visitors to Camp Perry. In addition, new HVAC systems were installed throughout the complex. That will be welcome in the hot summer months. Also in 2015, the lighting on Scorpion Road by the clubhouse was upgraded. For 2016, there will be additional improvements to the Camp Perry site. Approximately 20 more projects are slated for the current year, with a similar budget (around $1 million).
Major Building Upgrades
Major upgrades are taking place this year on the Petrarca Range and the North Barracks. New walls and lighting (along with new garage doors) are being installed in Petrarca Range buildings to create a more “classroom-type” setting for soldiers and National Match competitors. “When soldiers come here in the winter time, they’ll have a place to work under cover in a classroom environment, but still be able to work with weapons on the ranges,” explained CPT Michael Yates, Camp Perry Base Operations Supervisor. “It worked out nicely that it benefits our partners for the National Matches so the clinics will have a nice area to work with too.”
Two North Barracks Buildings renovations are almost complete. Those Barrack facilities were closed during the 2015 National Matches, but will be up and running for the 2016 National Matches — allowing even more housing options right on the Camp Perry base.
“Everything that we’re doing here at Camp Perry is continually improving what we have. This facility has been around for over 100 years now, so she is always needing some updates,” said said CPT Michael Yates, Base Operations Supervisor of Camp Perry. “We did a big sanitary update in the ’90s, water in 2010, and electric in 2011. Now we’’re coming up on the life cycle of those things, so we’re doing life-cycle updates.”
Camp Perry range photos courtesy Shawn McKenna.
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The 17 Winchester Super Magnum Rimfire (aka Win Super Mag or WSM) is the fastest, most potent modern rimfire round you can buy. This cartridge, which uses a modified nail gun casing, drives 20gr bullets at 3000 fps. The 17 WSM offers superior ballistics to all .22 rimfires, and is a clear step ahead of the 17 HMR. That makes this round a potential “game-changer” in the varmint fields. To guage the capabilities of the 17 WSM, Varminter.com tested the cartridge in the new Ruger 77/17 bolt-action rifle. Click HERE for Varminter.com Ruger 77/17, 17 WSM Review.
17 WSM shoots faster than the 17 HMR, so the 20gr bullets don’t drift as much in the wind:
Varminter.com reports: “The much-anticipated Ruger 77/17 chambered in the 17 Winchester Super Magnum (17WSM) has been released. Our Review Editor, William Chambers, put it through a full range test with all four currently-available ammunition loads. Afterwards, he took it on a short groundhog hunt[.] We put a lot of rounds through the guns we test, at targets, through chronographs and out in the field. This report includes all currently available 17 WSM ammunition and a sneak peek of the really nice Nikon Prostaff 5 riflescope.” READ REVIEW.
As part of the Ohio Day at the Range program, CMP volunteers provided training in Air Rifle shooting and Archery for persons with disabilities. For the participants, some wheel-chair-bound, this was a special event. Though they may not be able to run or jump, they CAN shoot a rifle from a rest. This type of event gives disabled youngsters and adults a chance to enjoy a sport just as able-bodied persons do. We commend the CMP and all those who helped make the Day at the Range a memorable event.
As reported in the BCSN Blade Blog, this program gave participants a chance to learn outdoor skills: “The whole purpose of this is to show that anybody has the ability to hunt, fish, camp — do anything they want to do in the outdoors,” said Tory Thompson, Outreach Director for The Ability Center of Greater Toledo, Ohio. “We want these individuals and their family members to see that the opportunity is there. It will be very gratifying to see that moment when they get to experience something they thought they would never be able to do because of their disability — We hope this opens their eyes and lets everyone see past the stereotypes.”
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The National Matches were first held in 1903, moved to Camp Perry, Ohio, in 1907 and continue to take place every summer at Camp Perry. The National Matches have become a huge, national shooting sports festival with well over 6,000 annual participants.
The National Matches include the CMP National Trophy Rifle and Pistol Matches, the Pistol and Rifle Small Arms Firing Schools, CMP Games rifle events, and the NRA National Pistol Championships, High Power Rifle Championships, Long Range High Power Championships, and Smallbore Championships. NOTE: For the next two (2) years, the Smallbore Championships will be held at the Chief Wa-Ke-De Range in Bristol, Indiana instead of Camp Perry, Ohio.
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The National Rifle Association celebrates its 142nd birthday this month. First chartered in New York state in November, 1871, the NRA was originally created to train citizens in marksmanship. Here’s an interesting account of the history of the NRA in the late 18th and early 20th century:
How the NRA Got Started in the 1870s
Dismayed by the lack of marksmanship shown by their troops, Union veterans Col. William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate formed the National Rifle Association in 1871. The primary goal of the association would be to “promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis,” according to a magazine editorial written by Church.
After being granted a charter by the state of New York on November 17, 1871, the NRA was founded. Civil War Gen. Ambrose Burnside, who was also the former governor of Rhode Island and a U.S. Senator, became the fledgling NRA’s first president.
An important facet of the NRA’s creation was the development of a practice ground. In 1872, with financial help from New York state, a site on Long Island, the Creed Farm, was purchased for the purpose of building a rifle range. Named Creedmoor, the range opened a year later, and it was there that the first annual matches were held.
Political opposition to the promotion of marksmanship in New York forced the NRA to find a new home for its range. In 1892, Creedmoor was deeded back to the state and NRA’s matches moved to Sea Girt, New Jersey.
The NRA’s interest in promoting the shooting sports among America’s youth began in 1903 when NRA Secretary Albert S. Jones urged the establishment of rifle clubs at all major colleges, universities and military academies. In February 1903, an amendment to the War Department Appropriations Bill established the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice (NBPRP). This government advisory board became the predecessor to today’s Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Firearms Safety, Inc. that now governs the CMP. The 1903 legislation also established the National Matches, commissioned the National Trophy and provided funding to support the Matches. By 1906, NRA’s youth program was in full swing with more than 200 boys competing in matches at Sea Girt that summer.
Camp Perry Site Acquired in 1906
Due to the overwhelming growth of NRA’s shooting programs, a new range was needed. Gen. Ammon B. Crichfield, Adjutant General of Ohio, had begun construction of a new shooting facility on the shores of Lake Erie, 45 miles east of Toledo, Ohio. The original land for Camp Perry was purchased in 1906, and the reservation was named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the American naval commander who won the Battle of Put-in-Bay during the War of 1812.
On August 19, 1907, Cpl. L. B. Jarrett fired the first shot at the new Camp Perry Training Site. And that year, 1907, Camp Perry held its first National Pistol and Rifle Championship events. This location has hosted the annual NRA National Matches ever since. Today, over 4,000 competitors attend the National Matches, making it the most popular shooting competition in the western hemisphere.
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Darrell Buell recently posted a photo of the oh-so-scenic Alliance Rifle Club Range in Malvern, Ohio. This is where Darrell and the U.S. F-TR Team will be practicing this week. Wow — what a beautiful place to shoot. The Alliance Range looks more like a top-flight Championship golf course than a mere shooting range. All that green grass, rimmed by trees, looks like heaven to a Westerner accustomed to ranges that are hard-packed dirt, dust, and gravel. This Editor now has a new item on his “bucket list” — get out to Ohio and shoot a match with the Alliance Rifle Club.
Photos by Darrell Buell and Alliance Rifle Club.
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Ready for the Super Shoot? The 41st Annual Firearms Industry Super Shoot will be held on May 22-25, 2013, at Kelbly’s Rifle Range in North Lawrence, Ohio. This annual event draws some of the best 100-yard and 200-yard benchrest shooters in the world. Last year’s Super Shoot had almost 300 competitors from the USA and 14 other countries (about 15% of the competitors come from overseas).
2012 Super Shoot Highlights Video (Watch This — It’s Very Well Done!)
If you’ve never attended the Super Shoot before, and don’t know what to expect, former Sinclair International President Bill Gravatt offers some insights into this great event:
Super Shoot — What It’s All About
The excitement and anticipation leading up to a Super Shoot can be hard to explain to those who haven’t been to one. Every year, some shooters arrive at the Super Shoot a week early to dial in their rifles, learn wind conditions for the range, and enjoy the camaraderie of their fellow shooters. As the match draws closer, campers and RVs fill the area behind the range, and shooters stake out turf all over the property with their reloading and cleaning equipment setups.
Many shooters choose to load cartridges in the main barn directly behind the 60-bench firing line, while others decide to work in pop-ups, campers and other outbuildings around the facility. Benchrest shooters tend to load in small batches, and some most load cartridges between each match. Many shooters clean their rifles after each match, while others sometimes go two or three matches between cleanings, depending on the number of rounds they fire.
Another part of high-level benchrest competition that will amaze first-time attendees is the quality and amount of equipment benchrest shooters use. Just in front of the shooting benches and the targets, range flags of all kinds sprout up, from the typical “daisy wheel” flags to very sophisticated velocity indicators that show varying wind intensity. Shooters adjust their flags to align with the particular target in front of a specific bench, just slightly below the path of the bullet but still partially visible in the high-powered scopes.
The rifles represent a variety of actions, usually custom, with heavy benchrest barrels by various barrel makers. The most popular cartridge used is the 6mm PPC, but occasionally you will run into someone using a 6mm BR or a slightly modified 6mm BR, and as well as a few other cartridges. Rifle rests used are typically heavy tripods or plate rests. You see a lot of Sinclair rests, Farley rests, and a variety of others, including a few homemade rests. Bags are typically Edgewood or Protektor.
Super Shoot — Runners, Pickers and the Pursuit of Perfection
The techniques vary between shooters, and they are interesting to observe. Some shooters “run” their targets and will shoot a quick sighter and then run all 5 shots as fast as they can before conditions change. Others are “pickers” and shoot each shot carefully, going back and forth between the record target and the sighter target to verify wind conditions and bullet drift. These guys will sometimes shoot up to 10 sighters and use the full seven minutes. Both styles of shooting work and many shooters use both techniques depending on the match conditions[.]
Anyone who attends the Super Shoot will come away with a greater appreciation of precision benchrest shooting. Experienced benchresters already know there will be windy days that drive them crazy, and less experienced shooters can get completely lost when… holding off a shot in the wind. But the reward is worth it. It’s very satisfying to hold off a full inch at 100 yards because the wind changes during your string and drop your fifth shot into a sub 0.100″ group with only seconds remaining on the clock. And that’s what the Super Shoot is all about.
The Super Shoot begins with the Light Varmint Class, for guns that weigh 10.5 lbs or less, and consists of a Warm-Up match and five Registered Matches at 100 yards. Shooters are assigned to one of at least six relays and rotate through 12 benches between each of the registered matches. The rotation ensures each shooter faces various wind conditions found at different parts of the range. Competitors can fire an unlimited amount of sighter shots into the sighter target square. The shooters use these sighters to check changes in wind conditions and determine the amount of hold-off, if necessary.
Once the match starts and the “Commence Fire” command is given, shooters have seven minutes to fire five shots into the record target square. These five shots comprise their “group” score for the match. The groups are gauged using a target measuring device with a magnifier and measures the two outermost shots in the group from center point to center point. This group size is the shooter’s score for that match. The laymen’s way to calculate group size is to measure outside edge to outside edge and subtract the bullet diameter. Both procedures achieve roughly the same results. The group sizes for the five record matches comprise their 100 yard Light Varmint Aggregate. Obviously, the smallest aggregate wins.
The second day repeats the process, only competitors are shooting the Heavy Varmint Class rifles, weighing up to 13.5 lbs, at 100 yards. On the third day, the targets are moved to 200 yards and the Heavy Varmint Class is shot at that yardage. The reason for staying with the Heavy Varmint Class is that shooters who switch to heavier barrels can leave them on after shooting 100 yards. On Saturday, the final day of the match, the shooters compete with the Light Varmint guns at 200 yards.
There are winners for each yardage and gun: Light Varmint 100, Light Varmint 200, Heavy Varmint 100, and Heavy Varmint 200. There are also winners for each gun with the two yardages combined. The grand champion of the shoot is the Two-Gun Champion who has the lowest overall group aggregate for the four days of shooting.
For more information, email jim[at]kelbly.com or call (330) 683-4674. You can register onsite (at the Kelbly’s range) or CLICK HERE for 2013 Super Shoot Registration Form. NOTE: After May 10, 2013 registration fees are $130 per gun — no exceptions.
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The NRA National Pistol and Rifle Championships are coming to Camp Perry, Ohio in just a few months. And now you can read all about this year’s Camp Perry activities online. The official Program for the 2013 NRA National Pistol and Rifle Championships is now available as a FREE 158-page eZine.
The Official 2013 Camp Perry Program covers match schedules, rules, range locations, scoring procedures, and much more. You’ll fine a comprehensive calendar (pp. 24-25) plus separate sections for each of the major championships: Pistol, Smallbore 3-Position, Smallbore Prone, High Power Rifle, and Long Range High Power Rifle.
Camp Perry Registration
If you plan to go to Camp Perry this year, you can register in a few weeks. Online entry starts in early April, 2013. To sign up, visit www.NMEntry.com and submit your information. Then you can be part of one of histories greatest marksmanship competitions. The NRA explains: “For over 100 years, shooters in the United States have made the pilgrimage to Camp Perry for the NRA National Matches, and the honor to shoot shoulder-to-shoulder with the best.”
2012 Nat’l High Power Champ Carl Bernosky. Photo courtesy NRABlog.com
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Story based on report by By Kyle Jillson forNRABlog.com West Virginia University (WVU) won its 15th NCAA Rifle Title this past weekend. The WVU Montaineers, the winningest team in NCAA Rifle competition history, finished with a final score of 4679 out of 4800 (combined air rifle and smallbore scores). The Mountaineers overcame a one-shot smallbore deficit and outshot the field in air rifle, scoring 2363. The WVU Mountaineers’ 4679 final point total is the second-highest in NCAA Rifle Championship history, bettered only by Kentucky’s 4,700 in 2011. Kentucky, always near the top, finish second this year with a 4670 score, while defending champ TCU took third with an aggregate score of 4,664.
WVU’s Petra Zublasing Wins both Smallbore and Air Rifle Titles
On a rifle team with many skilled shooters, WV’s Petra Zublasing proved to be the “best of the best”. At the 2013 Championships, Zublasing dominated the competition, winning both the Smallbore and Air Rifle individual events. Hailing from Appiano, Italy, Zublasing won the Mountaineers’ first Individual Smallbore Rifle Championship since 1997. After winning the smallbore event in a close match, in the air rifle competition she shot a 598 (99-100-100-100-100-99) — two points shy of a perfect score. That remarkable performance gave Petra the win, completing Zublasing’s sweep of the 2013 individual championships. Zublasing is the first shooter to win both NCAA titles at one championship since Alaska-Fairbanks’ Matthew Emmons took the victories in 2001. “Winning an individual title in both guns is just great, but I’m most happy that the team won,” says Zublasing.
Over the summer Zublasing shot for Italy in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. It was an eye opening experience she explained: “After the Olympics, I realized I actually like shooting. I don’t do this because I have to or because I’m good at it. I actually enjoy it and try to help everyone else realize they should just have fun.”
Watch Interview with Petra Zublasing
National Championship Celebration at WVU Coliseum on Monday, March 11th
West Virginia University fans are invited to attend a celebration for the national-champion rifle team Monday, March 11, from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm in the Jerry West Lounge at the WVU Coliseum. Mountaineers Shooting Team members and team coach Jon Hammond will be available to greet fans and pose for photos. Fans can also take pictures with the team’s 15th NCAA Rifle Championships trophy.
West Virginia Squad Features Shooters from Many Nations
WVU Coach Jon Hammond, a Scot who still competes with Great Britain’s national team, has built the nation’s top shooting program by recruiting top young shooters from around the world. (Hammon himself shot for WVU during the 2002-2003 season.) The Mountaineer’s squad features talented shooters from both sides of the Atlantic. 2013 National Air Rifle and Smallbore champion Petra Zublasing is from Appiano, Italy. Sophomore Meelis Kiisk is from Paide, Estonia. Sophomore Maren Prediger is from Petersaurach, Germany. Freshman Garrett Spurgeon is from Canton, Missouri, Sophomore Taylor Ciotala is from Pasadena, Maryland, and Sophomore Thomas Kyanko, is from Wellsburg, West Virginia.
In leading her team to victory in 2013, Zublasing followed in the footsteps of another great foreign-born shooter, WVU All-American and Italian native Nicco Campriani. This talented young man, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist in the 3-P 50-meter event, literally re-wrote the record-books during his two collegiate seasons (2009-10 and 2010-11) with West Virginia.
“Nicco changed the level of shooting in U.S. [Collegiate rifle competition],” Hammond said. “He came over here and started shooting world-record scores — 590 and 600 in air rifle, which really hadn’t been done before. That raised the bar for us.”
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The NRA National Matches at Camp Perry, first held in 1903, have become a huge, national shooting sports festival with well over 6,000 annual participants. The National Matches include the CMP National Trophy Rifle and Pistol Matches, CMP Games rifle events and the NRA National Pistol, Smallbore Rifle and Highpower Rifle Championships. The matches are conducted jointly by the CMP, NRA and the Ohio National Guard.
For those planning to shoot at Camp Perry this summer, we’ve assembled some valuable resources to help with your planning.
You’ll also find some valuable tips from a current Camp Perry Thread in our Shooters Forum. Those who have attended in years past offer advice on lodging options:
Q: I was told the 4-person huts are very primitive. Are they really that bad?
A: FDShuster replied: “Yes, they really are that bad. Nothing more than a plywood, particle board “shelter” sitting on a concrete slab. Sitting out in the middle of an open field, in July and August, the temps in the huts will be very high. Plug-in electric outlets are available, so some bring a portable window air conditioner. If you would be able to reserve one of the newer units it would be closer to that of a motel room, a big jump up from a tent, and a whole ‘nuther world from the huts. My last times [at Camp Perry], I reserved an off-post motel room. Made the whole trip much more enjoyable, and I was actually able to sleep at night”.
RonD added: “The huts were made to house German WW II POWs. Take a sheet of plywood 1/2 or 3/4″ the size of the military bunks, or you’ll be sleeping on the floor( spring sag). I took a sleeping bag that I placed on top of the mattress, and put my sheets inside. Take your own pillow. You’ll need screw-in fuses for the outside exposed fuse block. Take 15-20-25-30 amp so you’ll have a variety. There is one light bulb in the center of the ceiling. Take a few spare bulbs. I took a box fan, cooler, card table, clothes line and clothes hangars, duct tape.”
Q: What about staying in the Modules or the Barracks?
A: The newer Modules, we’re told, are not available this summer. But the modern Barracks provide a good alternative. KenO writes: “They built new Barracks recently, and some of the shooters stayed in them last year and said they were real nice. Four beds to a room, and air conditioned. Same price as the huts.” KenO added: “I’ve stayed in the huts many times, but since they built the RV park, I have been staying there.”
CMP Resources for National Matches
To help serve those shooters, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has a web page dedicated to the National Matches at Camp Perry. The CMP’s National Match Page offers easy-to-use links to Registration Forms, Match Schedules, Rules, and event photo galleries. It’s very handy to have all these links in one place. If you are thinking of visiting Camp Perry this year, whether as a shooter or a spectator, you should bookmark this page.
CMP No Longer Issuing Ammo at CMP Matches
The CMP will no longer issue ammunition to competitors for the Garand, Springfield, As-Issued Garand, Carbine or any other CMP matches. This includes the National Matches and all Regional Games Events (Eastern/Western Games, Oklahoma Games, Georgia Games, etc.). Competitors may purchase ammunition at the match or bring their own. Ammunition will be for sale at all CMP National Matches at a special discounted match price. For the 2012 National Rimfire Sporter Match, Lapua will donate 50 rounds of .22LR ammunition to every competitor.
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