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March 26th, 2011
The entry/information forms are now available for the NBRSA 600-yard Nationals (Sloughhouse 600: April 20-21, 2011), 1000-Yard F-Class Bench Match (April 22, 2011), and 1000-Yard Nationals (Sloughhouse 1000: April 23-25, 2011). All three major events will be held at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center, located outside Sacramento, California.
There will be hot dogs for purchase April 20,21,22, and 24, while lunch will be catered on Saturday, April 23rd. Match Fees for the two Nationals Events are $50.00 per class (Light Gun and Heavy Gun), while the fee for the F-Class Bench Match (22-lb class) is $30.00. Make Checks payable to: Sloughhouse Benchrest Shooters Inc., 10607 Sacramento Road, Galt, CA 95632. More information will be available on the NBRSA website.
ENTRY FORMS (PDF Format)
NBRSA 600-Yard Nationals Sign-Up Form
F-Class 1000-Yard Bench Match Sign-Up Form
NBRSA 1000-Yard Nationals Sign-Up Form
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October 20th, 2010
This weekend, October 22-24, the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center hosts the NBRSA 1000-Yard National Championship (aka “Sloughhouse 1000″). Many of the nation’s best long-range shooters will be on the firing line. There will be two classes, Light Gun and Heavy Gun, with match fees of $75.00 per class. The Championship Match starts on the 22nd at 8:00 A.M. at Range 12. There will be a “sight-in & weigh-in” day on October 21st. On Friday and Sunday, food may be purchased from Jake’s Hot Dogs. On Saturday, lunch will be catered by Sierra Smokehouse Barbecue. (Sierra’s BBQ fare is truly superb!)
This is the view from 600 yards. The 1000-yard firing line is fully covered and shaded. With blustery weather and moderate chance of rain predicted, it will be interesting to see how the 6mm Dasher aces like Richard Schatz do in tough conditions. This could be the weekend to shoot a big boomer in both classes. Past 1K NBRSA Champ Jerry Tierney will be there with his straight .284 Win. He is working on a 7mm RSAUM, but it isn’t ready for the event.
CLICK HERE for Entry Form/Information Sheet (PDF)
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April 27th, 2010
 The final results of the 2010 NBRSA 600-Yard National Championship held at the Sac Valley Shooting Center on April 23-25, 2010, are now available. Click the link below to download an MS Word file with complete scores.
Official Scorer Jim O’Connell reports: “On Friday Billy Copelin was presented his NBRSA Long-Range Hall of Fame Jacket. He joined a very elite group of shooters. Congratulations to Billy. The weather was fairly nice and the wind (light brezze) was manageable. Robert Hoppe and Don Nielson both broke the 6-target Light Gun score record with a 278-3X. Don beat Robert because Don had the smaller group. Richard Schatz broke two records, the 6-target Heavy Gun group (3.045), and the twelve target Two-Gun group (2.782). Don Nielson was the 2010 National Champion with a score of 12 (8-Heavy Gun Score, 2-Heavy Gun Group, 1-Light Gun Score, and 1-Light Gun Group). Congratulations to Don. Thank you all for your participation and support of the Sloughhouse Benchrest Shooters. Hope to see you all at the NBRSA 1000-Yard Nationals.”
CLICK HERE to Download 2010 NBRSA 600-Yard Nationals Scores (MS Word file)
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April 26th, 2010
 NBRSA Long-Range BR Hall-of-Famer Don Nielson earned his second NBRSA 600-yard championship this weekend in Sacramento, California. Don took the overall title, which counts score and group results for both Light Gun (LG) and Heavy Gun (HG). 6mm Dasher shooters Richard Schatz and Robert Hoppe finished second and third overall, respectively. Potential new records were set at the match, with possible new records by Nielson in LG Group Agg, LG Score Agg, and (possibly) 12-target Agg. Along with winning the Championship, Don placed first in LG Group, first in LG Score, second in HG Group, and second in Two-Gun Group Agg. Nielson also shot the smallest LG group, a 1.4″ group with four of five shots in slightly over 1/2 inch!
Don shot two 6.5×47 17-lb rifles, one in Light Gun and one in Heavy Gun. (He shot two near-identical rifles so he didn’t need to clean between LG and HG relays). For his pair of 6.5x47s, Don loaded Alliant Reloder 15 powder, with Federal 205M primers, and Berger 130 VLD bullets “right out of the box.” Don’s rifles featured Kelbly 1000-yard stocks, Bartlein 30″ barrels, and March 10-60x52mm scopes. Below Don Nielson is shown testing in 2008. Don shot this gun in the match, but it has a new Bartlein barrel.
The Match was well-attended — 46 of the nation’s top mid-range shooters competed. Don Nielson said conditions were “pretty nice until the third (last) relay on Sunday”. Don felt that winds didn’t top 10 mph until late on Sunday. Don credited both his guns for performing very consistently and he wanted to acknowledge his fellow shooters: “Richard, as usual, shot great with his Dasher. Robert (Hoppe) shot well as did Darryl Kightlinger and Everet Smith, whom we call the ‘Shasta Locomotive'”. Below are preliminary results provided by Lynn Dragoman.
Overall NBRSA National Championship
1. Don “The Pumpkin” Nielson
2. Richard Schatz
3. Robert Hoppe
4. Darryl Kightlinger
5. Everet Smith
6. Curt Mendenhall
7. William Hubina
8. Kenneth Schroeder
9. John Crawford
10. Lynn Dragoman Jr
Two-Gun Score
1. Everet Smith
2. Darryl Kightlinger
3. Richard Schatz
4. Curt Mendenhall
5. Don Nielson
6. Kenneth Schroeder
7. Lynn Dragoman Jr
8. Robert Hoppe
9. Stu Harvey
10. Lou Murdica
Two-Gun Group
1. Richard Schatz
2. Don Nielson
3. Robert Hoppe
4. Everet Smith
5. Curt Mendenhall
6. William Hubina
7. Kenneth Schroeder
8. Darryl Kightlinger
9. John Crawford
10. Greg Wilson |
Three-Target Winners
Heavy Gun 3-Tgt Score — Darryl Kightlinger
Heavy Gun 3-Tgt Group — Robert Hoppe
Light Gun 3-Tgt Score — Robert Hoppe
Light Gun 3-Tgt Group — John Crawford
Light Gun Score
1. Don Nielson
2. Robert Hoppe
3. Darryl Kightlinger
4. Everet Smith
5. Curt Mendenhall
Light Gun Group
1. Don Nielson
2. Richard Schatz
3. Robert Hoppe
4. John Crawford
5. Darryl Kightlinger
Heavy Gun Score
1. Richard Schatz
2. Kenneth Schroeder
3. Everet Smith
4. Stu Harvey
5. Darryl Kightlinger
Heavy Gun Group
1. Richard Schatz
2. Don Nielson
3. Everet Smith
4. Curt Mendenhall
5. William Hubina |
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March 30th, 2010
 We just got the complete F-Class Nationals match results from Jim O’Connell of the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center. Jim provided two (2) MS-Word documents, one for F-Open and the other for F-TR. Jim added: “Thanks to the California Grizzlies (target pullers) for all their work and helping to make the Saturday and Sunday shoots more enjoyable. Thank you all for your support of the Folsom Shooting Club and we hope to see you at future matches.”
DOWNLOAD 2010 Nationals F-Open Scores
DOWNLOAD 2010 Nationals F-TR Scores
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March 29th, 2010
2010 F-Open Class Champion Derek Rodgers, a young shooter from Albuquerque, New Mexico, proved that youth and skill can triumph over age and experience. Though Derek had placed third in F-TR class at the 2009 Nationals, this was Derek’s very first year competing in Open Class at the Nationals, and his NRA Classification was “Sharpshooter”. Derek’s win was a great victory for an unheralded newcomer. On the last day of the competition, Derek put together three superb 1000-yard matches, out-shooting High Masters and past National Champions to secure the Open Class title. Derek finished with 1330-57X, five points ahead of runner-up Ken Dickerman (1325-57X).
Ironically, Derek only decided to shoot in Open Class only because his favorite F-TR rifle is currently being upgraded by his gunsmith, and so the rifle wasn’t ready for the Nationals. (We suspect some F-Open competitors wish that gunsmith had finished Derek’s F-TR rifle a bit sooner).
 Derek brought a 300 WSM to the Nationals, a “big boomer” by F-Class standards. A fan of “heavy bullets”, Derek loads his 300 WSM with high-BC, 210gr JLK bullets. In Derek’s home state of New Mexico, strong winds are the norm. Shooting in those conditions has shown Derek the effectiveness of heavy 30-caliber bullets at long range. Derek’s load certainly shot well in the windy conditions during the final 1000-yard match on Sunday. While some of Derek’s success can be attributed to his wind-bucking WSM (built by Score High Gunsmithing in New Mexico), he also is a careful reloader who “goes the whole nine yards” to produce the best possible ammo. Derek anneals, weight-sorts and neck-turns his Remington brass. He weight-sorts and ogive-sorts his 210gr JLK bullets, and he points up the tips for uniformity. He spared no effort in loading for the Nationals because he knew “those other guys are really, really good.”
The Sierra Cup (at left) is presented each year to the U.S. F-Open Class National Champion. This year Derek Rodgers’ name will be placed on the trophy alongside other F-Open Champions including John Brewer (2004), Jeff Cochran (2005), Eric Bair (2006), Robert Bock (2007), and Charles Ballard (2008, 2009).
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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
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March 24th, 2010
The 2010 U.S. F-Class Nationals kick off tomorrow, March 25th in Sacramento. Match dates are: March 25, 26, 27, and 28. The venue is the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center range in Sloughhouse, California, just east of Sacramento. The F-Class National Championship is one of the biggest long-range shooting events of the year. Match organizers expect upwards of 150 competitors from the USA and other nations including Great Britain, Canada, Australia and (possibly) South Africa.
If you have questions about the range facilities or driving directions, call Sac Valley Shooting Center at (916) 354-9668. The Center is located approximately 15 miles South/East of the city of Sacramento. To navigate to the range, take a look at the map above. The Sac Valley staff cautions: “Do not use GPS or Map Quest to get to the range. On the Dillard Road side is an unpaved, nearly impassible rock road. Use Ione Road to approach Meiss Road [from the east]“. You can also get detailed, turn by turn directions (from main approach highways), on the Sac Valley Shooting Center website.
UNITED STATES F–CLASS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2010
DATES: March 25, 26, 27, 28, 2010
LOCATION:
Sacramento Valley Shooting Center
P.O. Box 1407
15501 Meiss Road
Sloughhouse, California
Ph. 916-354-9668
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March 6th, 2010
It’s already March 6th, and that means the 2010 U.S. F-Class Championships is less than three weeks away. That’s right, this year the F-Class championships will be held in March instead of October. The venue is the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center range in Sloughhouse, California, just east of Sacramento. 2010 Match dates are: March 25, 26, 27, and 28.
We know you east-coasters may still be shoveling snow, but it’s time to pack up those F-Class rifles, start loading ammo and get prepared for one of the biggest long-range shooting events of the year. There will be shooters from across the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, and likely from Australia and South Africa. Match organizers expect upwards of 150 competitors.
 This year the course of fire is at two distances: 600 and 1000 yards. There will be three days of individual competition and a one-day team match. Lunch will be served at the range each day, and a huge barbecue is included for Saturday. The awards for placing high in the standings will be great, but the prizes drawn randomly from all of the competitors participating will be even better.
If you’re curious about the location and how the Nationals are run, check out this report on the 2006 F-Class Nationals previously held in Sacramento.
UNITED STATES F–CLASS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2010
DATES: March 25, 26, 27, 28, 2010
LOCATION:
Sacramento Valley Shooting Center
P.O. Box 1407
15501 Meiss Road
Sloughhouse, California
Ph. 916-354-9668
Web site: www.sacvalley.org
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October 27th, 2009
Billy Copelin dominated the 2009 NBRSA 1000-yard Nationals in Sacramento, winning the National Championship and setting four pending records in the process. Billy used a 17-pounder in Light Gun Class, and a bigger rifle in Heavy Gun Class, but both were chambered for the 6mm Dasher. The little case, an improved version of the 6mmBR Norma, performed brilliantly in Billy’s hands. Along with his overall championship, Copelin won Two-Gun Group Agg (6.566″), Two-Gun Score Agg (840-8X), Light Gun Group Agg (4.611″), Heavy Gun Group Agg (8.522″), and Heavy Gun Score Agg (561-4X).
Jim O’Connell, official match scorer, observed: “It was Billy Copelin’s weekend as he won just about everything that wasn’t nailed down. On his way to winning the 2009 National Championship, Billy set four new records and earned himself a spot in the Hall of Fame (joining Jerry Tierney and Don Nielson). Congratulations to Billy…that was some fine shooting!” Copelin’s four pending records are: 3-Target LG Score (147-3X); 6-Target LG Group (4.611″); 2-Gun 12-Target Score (840-8X); and 2-Gun 12-Target Group (6.566″). Below is a video of Copelin shooting at the 600-yard NBRSA Nationals in 2008.
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this VideoPress video.
Generally Good Conditions Prevail
Fairly nice weather conditions prevailed for the 2009 NBRSA 1000-Yard National Championship. As a result, some fine scores were fired. Ventura, CA shooter Barry Bluhm, who won the Light Gun Score title with an impressive 279-6X, told us “There was nice weather most of the time all three days. Winds were 3 to 6 mph, but they didn’t stay the same. During some relays, winds got twitchy and would switch from side to side. If you missed a wind call, you could get burned.”
Barry, who does testing for AccurateShooter.com as one of our elite “designated trigger pullers”, noted that while Copelin “pretty much cleaned everyone’s clock with his Dashers”, a lot of guys shot big cartridges in Heavy Gun Class. George Tompkins was shooting 300gr bullets from a massive, metal-stocked Maxi chambered for the .338 Lapua Magnum.
Jerry Tierney finished second overall in this year’s NBRSA 1K Nationals. Jerry, the 2008 NBRSA 600-yard Champion, brought his .284 Winchester to the match, “making LG weight by an ounce or so.” Tierney, who is renowned for his wind-doping skills, tells us “he was rooting for the wind to blow, but it was Dasher weather.” Jerry added that the big boomers did not distinguish themselves: “The true heavies made a lot of noise but were not really in the running in these conditions. It was strictly a Dasher weekend, and a really great shooter [Copelin] behind a Dasher finished on top.” Tierney added that Copelin really deserved the championship: “Billy’s been at it many years; we all knew he was going to win the big one someday.”
Great Shooting by Many Competitors
Though Copelin hauled away the biggest trophies, there were many impressive performances by other shooters. Jay McMunn shot an amazing 2.445″, five-shot Small Group in Light Gun, and Stu Harvey wasn’t far behind at 2.473″. Charles Greer nailed two ten-shot 99s in Heavy Gun and one was a very small 6.649″ to boot. Robert Hoppe and T. Johnson both had 10-shot HG groups under 5.5″ (though Copelin shot smallest of all with a 4.907″ in HG).
Overall Rankings, using the NBRSA scoring system, which counts placements for both score and group, are listed below (lowest total wins). CLICK HERE to download complete results with group and score rankings for all events. We send a big “Thank-You” to Jim O’Connell from providing these match results so quickly.
National Champion — BILLY COPELIN (5 total points)
Second Place — GERALD TIERNEY (24)
Third Place — KENNETH SCHROEDER (26)
Fourth Place — CHARLES GREER (31)
Fifth Place — BARRY BLUHM (33)
Sixth Place — GREG WILSON (44)
Seventh Place — ROBERT HOPPE (46)
Eighth Place — LOU MURDICA (47)
Ninth Place — T. JOHNSON (54)
Tenth Place — GARY NOBLE (55)
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October 22nd, 2009
The 2009 NBRSA 1000-yard Nationals (Sloughhouse 1000) will be held at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center in Sacramento, California on October 23, 24, & 25th.This event is being hosted by the Sloughhouse Benchrest Shooters Club. The NBRSA 1K benchrest Nationals should draw many of the nation’s top shooters. This is one of the major long-range events of the year on the West Coast. Match organizers invite all long-range benchresters to attend, even if you have not tried 1000 yards before. A good 600-yard gun can be quite competitive at 1000 when conditions are favorable. Two classes will compete, Light Gun (17-lb max weight) and Heavy Gun (Unlimited Weight). The current match fee is $75.00 per class, so it will cost $150.00 to shoot both classes.
CLICK HERE for the match Sign-Up and Registration form (PDF file).
Sacramento Valley Shooting Center 1000-yard range (seen from 600-yard line).
There are RV/camping facilities adjacent to the range, and moderately priced hotels can be found within a 20-minute drive of the range. If you camp you should bring water, food and all essentials as the range is pretty far from a store. Do note, however, on Saturday, October 24th, a catered lunch will be served and on Friday, October 23rd and Sunday, October 25th, a hot vendor will be available on the grounds so that shooters may purchase lunch.
If you have questions about the range facilities or driving directions, you can call Sac Valley Shooting Center at (916) 354-9668. The Center is located approximately 15 miles South/East of the city of Sacramento. The physical address for the range is 15501 Meiss Road, Sloughouse, CA 95683. To navigate to the range, take a look at the map below. The Sac Valley staff cautions: “Do not use GPS or Map Quest to get to the range. On the Dillard Road side is an unpaved, nearly impassible rock road. Use Ione Road to approach Meiss Road [from the east]”. You can also get detailed, turn by turn directions (from main approach highways), on the Sac Valley Shooting Center website. CLICK HERE for directions to range.
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April 28th, 2009
Taking first-place overall, Robert Hoppe was the big winner at the NBRSA 600-yard Nationals (Sloughhouse 600). Robert was shooting a 6mm Dasher (6BR Improved) with (reportedly) 103gr Spencer bullets. Robert had previously set a 600-yard small group record with his Dasher and 105 A-Max bullets. In the Interview below (from the 2008 Sloughhouse 600), Robert Hoppe gives tips on loading for the 6 Dasher:
Second Place overall went to Billy Copelin (also shooting Dashers in both Light Gun and Heavy Gun), and Third Place went to past 600-yard Champion Don Nielson (also shooting a Dasher in LG and HG). Don also won 12-Target Score. East-coaster Eric Stanton took 4th shooting a borrowed 6BR while Tommy Johnson rounded out the top five.
Overall Winner Robert Hoppe (holding plaque), with Match Director Craig St. Claire (far left).
CLICK HERE to download Complete NBRSA 600-Yard Nat’ls Match Results (MS Word file).
Though conditions were very difficult (shifty variable winds with horrendous mirage), Forum member Roger Amos set a new 3-target, Light Gun score record of 145-4X. Last Year’s NBRSA 600-yard Champ Jerry Tierney told us: “Conditions were really tough. Big changes in velocity and direction. You might get a good group but chances are it would not be centered. Mirage was bad. Many guys had trouble staying on paper when the conditions were the worst.” Despite the conditions, Tierney recorded the best Light Gun 6-Target Group Agg, an impressive 2.589″.
Lynn Dragoman provided this report, on Benchrest Central: “The shooting was very tough. We had plenty of switchy winds and so much mirage my 12-42 Nightforce never got off of 12 power. Lou Murdica lent Eric Stanton a 6BR [belonging to Connie, Lou’s wife] with ammo Lou loaded up. Eric won a box of plaques and shot the smallest LG group of the match [1.407″, (48-0X). Barry Bluhm, shooting a 6-6.5×47 had the Heavy Gun 10-shot small group, 2.513″, (92-1X)]. Turnout was 50 shooters despite the depression we are seeing in the economy and a good time was had by all in attendance. It doesn’t get much better than three days shooting on the bench next to Lou Murdica, Don Nielson, and Eric Stanton. The new March 36-55X is a very nice scope. A big thank you goes out to our new Match Director Craig St. Claire. He ran it like a true pro. The scoring was done by Gary Childs and Jim O’Connell and the results were done before anybody had finished eating lunch.”
Many leading manufacturers supported the NBRSA Nationals/Sloughhouse 600 as sponsors. Bill Shehane of D&B Supply donated a very nice Tracker stock. Mac Tilton of MT Guns donated a $250.00 discount certificate for new Barnard action. Mac specified that this should go to one of the “non-podium” shooters, and Rick Duncan was the lucky fellow receiving the certificate. Other participating sponsors included: Bartlein Barrels, Cabela’s, Dewey Products, Forster Products, Russ Haydon, Krieger Barrels, Lee Reloading, MidwayUSA, Shilen Rifles, and Redding Reloading.
Photos by Barry Bluhm. Results provided by Jim O’Connell.
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