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December 7th, 2009
Adam Braverman of Nammo-Lapua just confirmed that Lapua, at the behest of the U.S. Palma team, has been quietly developing a NEW version of the .308 Winchester cartridge that has a small BR-style primer pocket. That’s right, this is no joke. Lapua has crafted small primer pocket .308 Winchester brass that will be introduced at SHOT Show in Las Vegas (Jan. 19-22).
The new .308 variant is identical to Lapua’s current .308 match brass with the exception of the primer pocket. The brass will be head-stamped “.308 Win Lapua Palma”.
FLASH HOLES: The flash-hole size for the current pre-production .308 Lapua Palma brass is 1.5mm (.059″), the same as Lapua 6mmBR and 220 Russian brass. Lapua spokesmen were not certain if the flash hole size will change for the regular production brass. Note: if you have a Redding .308 die, you can ask Redding for a smaller decapping rod tip (.057″) to use with the new brass.
Tests Reveal Better ES and SD with Small Primers
Initial tests of the small primer pocket .308 by U.S. Palma team members have been very promising. The small primer pocket case seems to have advantages in both accuracy and the ability to handle high-pressure loads. However, the primary improvement found with the smaller primer is reduced ES and SD. Palma Team members have found that, with almost every brand of primer tested (small vs. large), the smaller version has yielded reduced Extreme Spread and Standard Deviation. This pays dividends in 1000-yard shooting. Also, some testers believe that small primers are more consistent and require less sorting — and that there are more varieties of small primers that seem to work really well in the .308 case. Moreover, the small primer types are more uniform, from lot to lot, than are large primers, according to some testers. More info will follow later today.
November 19th, 2009
SFC Emil Praslick III sent us this report on the U.S. Palma Team tryouts at Camp Butner, NC. You can read other reports from Coach Praslick on the U.S. National Rifle Team Blog.
Last Tryout in the Books… On to the National Team
By Coach Emil Praslick
It was a hardy and intrepid group of US Palma Team hopefuls that braved the last vestiges of Hurricane Ida last weekend at Camp Butner, North Carolina. Camp Butner is the home range of the North State Shooting Club, which hosted the US Palma Team’s third and final tryout session. Temperatures in the 40s, winds from 20-30 mph, and a driving rain tested the mettle of both coaches and shooters.
 US Team Captain, Dennis Flaharty flung his net across the entire United States in a search for the best team shooters. By adopting a regional format for the tryouts, and separating the country into three areas (West Coast, Midwest, and East Coast), the team maximized the potential for attracting the best shots our vast nation has to offer. The three venues were: Sacramento, CA; Lodi, WI; and Butner, NC. At each venue, the top performers were invited to become members of the United States National Developmental Team.
New Team Tryouts Format
The format for the tryouts was different than any ever conducted by the United States. In the past, these events were held very much like individual matches. Shooters were evalauated by the scores they shot in a series of matches. While this undoubtedly picked the best individual shooters, those who experienced difficulty doping the wind, or those who simply shot during more difficult conditions, were often deselected early in the process. The current procedures call for shooters to be supervised by coaches at all times. This not only removes a shooter’s ability to negotiate wind from the process, it also gives the team management the opportunity to evaluate prospective coaches and to work on firing line procedures. Shooters are graded on their ability to shoot “elevation”, their speed, and their overall performance as part of the team.
The intent of forming a National Developmental Team was to establish a pool of skilled, international-quality shooters; not only for the upcoming 2011 Palma Match in Australia, but as the nucleus for future teams. The US National Team has an ambitious schedule for 2010, with trips to Canada, Camp Perry, Raton (NM) for The Spirit of America Matches, and Australia.
 The next milestone for the US National Developmental Team is to finish the processing of the shooter’s elevation data, and to begin planning which shooters will represent the United States at the planned events. Shooters will then be evaluated in match conditions and recieve further training/evaluation prior to the final Palma Team selection in the Fall of 2011.
I would like to thank all of the volunteers who assisted with the target pulling, scoring, running the firing line, and the host of myriad tasks that are necessary to conduct an event of this complexity. I would also like to thank the coaches who coached 400 rounds per day at 1000 yards with no complaint. It was a grueling (but very beneficial) exercise for them. We will announce the final US National Developmental team soon.
TWITTER: You can also follow the US National Team on Twitter. Visit www.twitter.com/usnationalrifle for the latest news.
November 10th, 2009
 It was “Ladies First” at the California State Long-Range Championship held this weekend at the Coalinga Range in central California. Palma ace Noma Mayo topped a field of 26 shooters (24 men and 2 women) to take the CA title with an impressive 787-34X score.
The diminutive senior lady shooter had the men saying “Noma, ‘No Mas'” by the end of the 3-day event. Using the latest (#2156) Sierra 155gr Palma bullets, Noma steered her .308 Win, iron-sighted Palma rifle to victory, displaying great consistency and superior wind-reading skills. Finishing second overall was Michael Dunio (782-29X), while Noma’s husband Marty Mayo took third with a 779-16X score. Marty teamed with Noma to win the two-person Team match on Saturday, with a combined 385-7X.
Shooting his trusty 6BRX, Peter White took the F-Class title with a strong 785-36X score. Taking second was our friend and Forum member Gary Wood, who shot a 778-28X with the 6.5-284 featured recently in the Daily Bulletin. Gary Childs placed third in F-Class (769-25X), shooting a straight .284 Win with a handsome stock he crafted himself. When comparing these scores to the iron sight shooters, keep in mind the F-Classers shot a target with much smaller ‘X’ and scoring rings. We want to give special thanks to Gary Wood, whose generous donation to AccurateShooter.com made it possible for this Editor and assistant Mark LaFevers to cover the event.
There were some beautiful long-range rigs at the match, including many Gary Eliseo tubeguns. (Gary competed at the event, and shot well on Friday and Saturday, but fell victim to shifty winds on the final day.) In addition to the high-tech tubeguns, many handsome wood-stocked Palma rifles were used, including a Bastogne-walnut-stocked beauty built and shot by gunsmith Tom Luhmann of TLC Gunworks in Clovis, CA.
An interesting “California-legal” AR Platform rifle caught Mark’s eye. It sported a handsome matte camo finish, but the chambering was the most noteworthy feature. This rifle was chambered as a 6mm Dasher, an improved 6mmBR with a shorter neck and 40° shoulder. Most of the AR match rifles we’ve seen have gone to a Grendel-based case, if they step up past the .223 Remington. The 6BR parent case uses a .308-sized bolt-face, whereas the Grendel case rim is smaller. Also, with its steep shoulder angle, the Dasher can prove challenging to feed. However, the gun’s builder Marcus Naslund said they had achieved good feeding and function by opening up the gas port and adapting a custom single-stack magazine, made from aluminum billet. Despite California’s Draconian gun laws, this rifle is legal for sale in the Golden state because a “tool” (which can be a bullet tip) is required to remove the otherwise “non-detachable” magazine.
September 8th, 2009
 Kelly Bachand, a 22-year-old electrical engineering student at the Univ. of Washington, recently ventured to the Canadian Fullbore Rifle Championships held August 13-22 at the Connaught Ranges in Ottawa. He arrived an unknown, relatively untested in international competition. By the end of the week, every shooter in Ottawa knew this young man’s name.
Kelly turned in a performance of historic proportions, out-shooting 300 other marksman to win many of the event’s most prestigious matches, including the Open Target Rifle Championship with a score of 1045-105V (the “V” is the Canadian equivalent of an “X” in the USA). Kelly also won the multi-day 21st Century Aggregate (1344-140V), the Harrison Aggregate, the MacDonald Stewart Aggregate (824-80V), the Polar Bear Aggregate, and he shot on the winning USA Young Eagles team in the Under 25 international team matches.
Among the various matches at the Canadian Championships, Kelly had eight (8) first place finishes, and twenty other Top 10 finishes. As you can see at right, Kelly harvested enough trophies to fill a truck. And to top that off, just after returning from Canada, Kelly won the 2009 Northwest Int’l Prone Championship. He did that all with his new Barnard-actioned .308 Palma rifle provided by MT Guns.
Years of Preparation Lead to Success
Though he’s only 22, Kelly has been shooting for over 16 years. He told us: “I began shooting when I got a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas when I was 6. I shot air rifle in high school and enjoyed it immensely. After graduating in 2005, I joined a Washington-based high power rifle team, the Bad Apples, which went on to win National Junior team titles. I began shooting long range with a Palma rifle towards the end of 2005 and was then the high junior at Camp Perry in the Leech Cup in 2006 and the Andrus in 2007 (both times shooting a borrowed Palma rifle). While I had been high junior and placed first in my classification a number of times, it was not until the weekend before the Canadian Championships that I earned my first overall match win — in a small local event with no more than 20 shooters. This match was, however, a huge success for me mentally; I did not crumble under pressure on my last string at 600 yards and ended the match with a perfect score, not dropping a single point.”
Special Challenge of Pair Shooting in Canada
Kelly reports: “The biggest differences about shooting in Canada are the 5-point V centered targets which are black and white (not buff) and the fact that shooting is done in pairs. I had been to the range in Connaught before in 2007 as a firing member of the World Champion Under 21 USA Young Eagles. The range there is beautiful and studded with flags between the firing line and the target bay. Unfortunately the flags were brand new this year and were unresponsive to wind for the first few days of shooting. It was sunny, cloudy, there was thunder, and there was rain so thick that the targets literally disappeared and shooting had to be paused. I had to be ready for anything.
After a few days of shooting I noticed my name was towards the top in a few Aggregates, but I focused my energy to avoid thinking about anything more than the next shot I needed to take. At one point I shot a perfect score but with a very low V count, and a friend asked me about it, I jokingly replied “it doesn’t matter how many Vs I shoot if I keep shooting cleans.” And that’s how I steadily moved up after each day of shooting. Beginning the final day in first place, I was paired with the second place Canadian shooter, who was just a point behind me, for the final 15 shots at 900m. I have never felt more pressure than when I was shooting side by side with my competition. Each shot I knew what I needed to do. Throughout the entire 15-shot string, that knowledge increased my heart rate but also my desire to win.”
MT Guns Provides Winning Match Rifle
As a “starving student”, a new Palma rifle was out of reach financially for Kelly … until MT Guns came to the rescue. Kelly explains: “When I was no longer able to borrow the match rifle I had used as a junior, I needed a new gun. As a college student paying for school with a part-time job, I couldn’t afford a competitive Palma rifle. Seeking sponsorship, I contacted Mac Tilton of MT Guns and asked if he could help me out. Mac generously offered to provide me with a complete rifle, and his crew at MT Guns produced an absolute tack-driver. My new MT Guns .308 Palma rifle features a Barnard 3-lug action, 32” True-Flight barrel, a Mastin Anschütz-style stock, Warner rear sight, and Riles 22mm front sight. This rifle fits me well and is a pleasure to shoot. The gun groups better than any other rifle I have shot. My load is 46+ grains of Varget pushing Sierra 155gr #2156 MKs with CCI BR-2 primers in Lapua brass. I have shot this load exclusively in every competition whether it was a Palma match or an any/iron match.” Interestingly, Kellly shot the entire Canadian Championship without cleaning his New Zealand-made True-Flite barrel. According to Kelly, he put “nothing but bullets through the barrel in Canada — well over 300 rounds including sighters and team matches”.
September 4th, 2009
Well I guess we’re all going to have to read Bryan’s book now…. Over the past few days in Raton (NM), Bryan Litz, author of Applied Ballistics for Long-Range Shooting, proved he has the trigger-pulling skills to match his technical knowledge. At the 2009 Spirit of America Nat’l Fullbore Prone Championship, Bryan put on a clinic, winning most of the individual fullbore matches, and leading his “Palma Red” Team to victory in the Cunico Team Match, Folsom Team Match, Sierra Team Match, and Galaxy Team Match. The “Palma Red” Team was ably coached by Steve Cunico. Bryan’s fellow “Palma Red” shooters on the team were David Crandall, Trudie Fay, and Noma Mayo, all of whom shot great. Congratulations to Coach Cunico, Bryan, and all the Palma Red team members.
Bryan Litz also lead the pack in all the individual Aggregate standings — Short Agg, Long Agg, and Grand Agg (1793-121X). Finishing second in Individual Grand Agg was Mitchell Maxberry (1788-108X), and Nancy Tompkins took third (1787-112X). Charles Ballard (2008 F-Class Nat’l Champ) was the overall top shooter in F-Class with a 1775-94X. Second-place finisher Danny Biggs (1770-83X) edged Larry Batholome (1769-103X) by one point, but Larry had the high X-count among F-Classers. Keep in mind that F-Class targets have smaller scoring rings than the full-bore targets.
There must be some good info in Bryan’s Ballistics book, because Bryan seemed to have an edge over all the other shooters at the SOA this year. Litz started strong and stayed strong throughout the week, winning three of four individual events. USAR Shooter Russel Theurer captured the Sinclair Int’l Individual Match with a strong 449-24X performance. Russ observed: “It’s interesting to see that every day’s Match was won with the Berger 155.5 bullet”. Complete results of the 2009 SOA can be found on the Bald Eagles Rifle Club website. Here are rankings from the individual events:
McGee Individual Match
Bryan Litz, 450-30X | Nancy Tompkins, 447-29X | Mitchell Maxberry, 446-27X
U.S. Air Force Individual Match
Bryan Litz, 449-31X | Trudie Fay, 449-25X | Michelle Gallagher, 448-28X
Sinclair Individual Match
Russel Theurer, 449-24X | David Crandall, 448-33X | Mitchell Maxberry, 448-26X
Sierra Bullets Individual Match
Bryan Litz, 448-30X | Michelle Gallager, 448-29X | Mark Andrew, 447-21X
SOA Grand Aggregate (Individual)
Bryan Litz, 1793-121X | Mitchell Maxberry, 1788-108X | Nancy Tompkins, 1787-112X
Praise for Bald Eagles Club
Bryan Litz had high praise for the folks who run the Spirit of America Match: “The Bald Eagles do a great job running a safe and efficient National Championship. There is an extraordinary amount of experience and common sense at work…. In my opinion, they’re a shining example of how things should be done. One example is squading the relays according to standings. I believe it makes for a more fair contest. If you enjoy midrange and long range shooting, then I highly recommend making the trip to Raton for the Spirit of America match next year. The range is beautiful, people are friendly, and you’ll get plenty of team and individual shooting in the 7 days.”
September 2nd, 2009
Phoenix Precision, based in Elk River, MN, crafts precision target sights for long range target shooters. Known for their outstanding reliability and repeatability, Phoenix rear sights are gaining popularity among competitors in prone, Palma, and High Power disciplines. Some of the top “sling and irons” shooters in the country have switched to Phoenix sights.
Gary LaValley, owner of Phoenix Precision, crafts his rear sights using advanced CNC machinery. The sight housings are anodized, aircraft-grade aluminum. For precise repeatability, the sights feature stainless guide pins and lead screws, plus oil-impregnated bronze guide and thread bushings. The sights offer 70 MOA of elevation, 60 MOA of windage, with 1/4-MOA clicks. Knob rotations for elevation and windage are either NRA match rifle (Counter-CW) or service rifle (CW). Quarter-minute clicks are standard, but on request for the Palma shooters, 1/2-MOA windage detent plates are available at no extra charge. Phoenix sights accept both Anschutz and Gehmann accessories.
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Phoenix Precision micrometer rear sights are offered in two basic models: top mount ($380.00), and side mount ($355.00). Both types are available in either right- or left-hand configuration (no extra charge for lefties). Top mount models are designed for use on rail-equipped AR flattops, tube guns, Tubb 2000s, and Gary Eliseo stocks. Side mount models are most commonly used on bolt action rifles, but they also work on Picatinny or Weaver-style rails with the use of an adaptor. So, if you have both an older-style Palma rifle and a new, rail-topped tube-gun, you can use the sight on both rigs. Many shooters do use the same Phoenix rear sight on multiple rifles, as shown in the video below. In the video, when real competitors talk about their Phoenix sights, you hear two things time and again: “quality” and “repeatability”.
For more information about Phoenix Target Sights and Scope Rails, visit www.PhoenixPrec.com, or call Gary LaValley at (763) 263-3327.
August 29th, 2009
 The Spirit of America National Fullbore Rifle Prone Championship is now underway at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, NM. Sponsored by the Bald Eagle Rifle Club, the Spirit of America (SOA) is a major match that draws many of the top prone shooters in the country. The match is for Target Rifles as well as for F-Class Rifles. “Target Rifle” is defined as “a rifle chambered for use with the unmodified 7.62×51 commercial or .308 Winchester cartridge [or] a rifle chambered for use with the unmodified 5.56mm commercial or .223 Remington cartridge.” In practical terms, “Target Rifle” is a class for .308 or .223 Palma rifles.
Fullbore rifle competition originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s as an offshoot of Service Rifle shooting and has gained popularity in the United States. Both team and individual matches are featured in the championship, in which competitors shoot from distances of 300 yards up to a maximum of 1000. The match is governed by the Fullbore Rifle Rulebook. Different sets of targets will be used by the two classes:
Target Rifle: 300 yds – MR63; 500 yds – MR65; 600 yds – MR1; 800, 900, 1000 yds – NRA LR
F-Class: MR63FC, MR-65FC, MR-1FC, and LRFC
Running for a full week, the SOA consists of a series of daily matches, each with their own awards and rankings. At the end of the week Aggregate awards are determined for Grand Aggregate (Target Rifle and F-Class), Short Range Aggregate (Target Rifle), Long Range Aggregate (Target Rifle), and SOA Team Match Aggregate.
Aug 28 — Cunico Automotive Team Match
Aug 29 — Folsom Shooting Club Team Match
Aug 30 — McGee Stocks Individual Match
Aug 31 — U.S. Armed Forces Indiv. Match
Sep 1 — Sierra Bullets Team Match
Sep 1 — Galaxy Glass Long Range Team Match
Sep 2 — Sinclair International Indiv. Match
Sep 3 — Sierra Bullets Indiv. Match
CLICK HERE for a seven-page Guide to the Match that includes rules, match information, and complete schedule.
August 19th, 2009
Savage spotlights ultra-long-range accuracy in an impressive new video clip. Most rifle manufacturers might show a one-inch, 3-shot group at 100 yards and brag about it. Not Savage. In its new TV spot, Savage moves the target way out to 1169 yards (two-thirds of a mile) to demonstrate true long-range accuracy. After a Savage Palma rifle makes the shot twice in a row, Savage Chairman and CEO Ron Coburn comments: “If you think this is the same old Savage… think again.” You tell ‘em Ron. We love it.
In the video, Savage Team Captain Stan Pate, firing prone from bipod, makes back-to-back shots on steel plates set at 1169 yards. You see the plates fall, then the camera zooms all the way back to the shooter, so you can see there’s no fakery. In fact, according to Bill Dermody of Savage: “Stan nailed this shot four takes in a row while we adjusted camera angles and sound levels”. Stan was shooting a Savage Model 12 Palma® rifile chambered in .308 Winchester. This gun features a RBRP Savage Target Action with Accutrigger, 30″ barrel, and laminated stock fitted with accessory rail and adjustable cheekpiece and butt-plate.
Rifle photo courtesy Darrell Buell, a member of Team Savage.
June 5th, 2009
 Forum member Kent Reeve (Cary, NC) is best known as a High Power and long-range shooter. Kent won the 2006 NRA National Long-Range Championships, edging out John Whidden by two points. However, Kent recently set a new NRA civilian record for smallbore metric prone shooting. Scoring 1,576 out of a possible 1,600 points, Reeve broke the record at the NC Smallbore Metric Prone State Championship held May 9-10 in Creedmoor, North Carolina. Kent used Lapua’s new X-ACT rimfire ammo.
Reeve’s accomplishment attracted the attention of the mainstream media. On June 4, Reeve was profiled by the News & Observer in Raleigh, NC. In that story, Reeve revealed that he shoots rimfire matches “for the training… it’s easier to find a 100-yard range.” Reeve also explained that smallbore shooting helps improve his centerfire marksmanship because the longer barrel time of the 22LR round makes a perfect hold even more important: “The .22 [rimfire] bullet stays in the barrel about three times longer than the .308, so any shot placement error is magnified.” Reeve recently headed to Wisconsin, where he will compete for a spot on the 2011 USA Palma team. Reeve has been a USA Palma Team member in the past, and we wish him luck in the team selection matches.
March 29th, 2009
Spc. Tyrel Cooper of the USAMU won the individual championship at the South African Bisley Union (SABU) 80th Anniversary Match. For the past two years, Ty has been one of the best long-range shooters in the world. In 2008 he won the Target Rifle Overall Aggregate at the Spirit of America Match. Congrats to Ty for outstanding shooting in South Africa!
Shooting in very challenging wind conditions, the host South Africans took first place in both the Invitational 8-man team match (score: 2314-209v) and the SABU Int’l Anniversary 12-man team match (score: 3516-350v). The United States 12-man team finished second with a 3469-303v score. Reporting on the Anniversary Team Match, Walt Walter reported to the NRA Blog: “At 800 meters, South Africa extended their lead in ‘very very difficult’ wind conditions. Almost all of the time allowance was used with sighters from later firers being fired early to assist the coaches with their wind calling. Once again, South Africa used their local knowledge to increase their lead with some excellent shooting and equally good wind calling. Going back to 900 meters, the wind remained just as tricky and with the South Africans averaging solid 70s scores, they finished an impressive 49 points of the USA.”
| Individual Ranking |
TEAM Ranking Anniv. Match |
1. Ty Cooper (USA) 208-20v
2. Alwyn McLean (Ireland) 208-15v
3. Jane Messer (England) 207-25v
4. Andy Wilde (England) 206-22v
5. David Luckman (England) 206-20v |
1. South Africa 3516-350v
2. USA 3469-303v
3. England 3461-293v
4. Ireland 3442-274v
5. Wales 3419-255v |
Note: In South Africa, the “v”-count is equivalent to the “X”-count in North America.
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