Story by Kyle Jillson for theNRA Blog.
After a day of steady shooting while those ahead of him faltered, Carl Bernosky regained the lead in the 2012 NRA National High Power Rifle Championship. Sporting a 1195-66X at the halfway point in the competition for the Mumma Trophy, Bernosky is ahead of the pack, but that lead could change with a single shot out of the 10-Ring. And bad weather is expected, increasing the chances of a missed shot. Thunderstorms are predicted today — that means rain, gusty winds, and range delays. Blustery winds will prove particularly challenging during today’s Air Force Cup match, shot at 600 yards.
Gallagher and Bernosky Are Neck and Neck
SGT Sherri Gallagher, who started the morning one point ahead of Bernosky, increased her lead to two following the Navy Cup. Following a practically clean round of 199 (Bernosky fired a 198), Bernosky made up a point each in the Coast Guard match and the afternoon’s Army Cup. Their point totals tied, it came down to an X-count. That’s where Bernosky holds the lead … by seven. Behind only a handful of Xs, Gallagher sits in second, for now.
Close behind the two leaders is SSG Brandon Green of the USAMU. Green’s 1194-67X score places him in third place, down just one point of the current leader. And Forum Member Rodrigo Rosa, currently in fourth Place with 1193-70X, is just two points off the lead. Note that Rosa has the highest X-count among the top five — this could come into play in the days ahead. Yesterday’s leader, SSG Tyrel Cooper, slipped a couple points, but is still in the running at fifth. And as the highest Service Rifle shooter, Cooper holds the lead in the Service Rifle Championship. It’s remarkable that Ty Cooper is right up with the leaders, shooting a AR-platform rifle with standard buttstock and military sights.
There are still two full days of shooting in the High Power Rifle Championships. A lot can happen to shift the standings on the leaderboard. Here are the specific matches scheduled today, August 9th:
Appreciation Cup — Rapid fire match shot in the sitting/kneeling position at 200 yards.
Report by By Kyle Jillson for theNRA Blog
Four days of NRA individual High Power shooting began this morning as shooters started their long race for the prestigious Mumma Trophy. Weather is slated to be another perfect day with clear skies and temperatures not getting too hot. In 2011, Carl Bernosky won his ninth High Power title after shooting a 2393-160X. Will Carl make it an even ten this year? Maybe a new shooter will take top spot on the podium in 2012?
Today’s matches are the NRA Member’s Trophy, Scott Trophy, and Coast Artillery Trophy. The Scott Trophy Match is shot rapid fire from 200 yards in the sitting/kneeling position while the Coast Artillery Match is a 300-yard rapid-fire event shot prone. The Member’s Trophy match is shot slow fire from 200 yards in the standing position.
Early Match Results
The preliminary results for the Member Trophy and Scott Trophy matches are in. The first and second relays for the three matches are all wrapped up. Previous High Power National Champions Sherri Gallagher (2010), Carl Bernosky (2011) and David Tubb (most recent 2003) all took part in relay one. The results posted below are preliminary. The scores for relays three and four are still be recorded and tabulated at this time. With all matches expected to end around 3:00 pm, the NRA Blog will provide updates from the NRA High Power Championships in Camp Perry as they become available.
Members Trophy Match
1. Sherri Gallagher 199-5X
2. Carl Bernosky 198-9X
3. Tyrel Cooper 198-5X
4. Gus Dunfey 198-5X
5. Brandon Green 197-10X
Scott Trophy Match
1. Carl Bernosky 200-18X
2. David Tubb 200-18X
3. Sara Rozanski 200-16X
4. Tyrel Cooper 200-15X
5. Rodrigo Rosa 200-14X
The 2012 CMP Eastern Games and Creedmoor Cup took place May 5-13, 2012 at Camp Butner, NC. CMP events ran May 5 through May 8, followed by the Creedmoor Cup matches May 9-12. In the Creedmoor Cup segment, SGT Sherri Gallagher won the overall individual Championship (and Match Rifle Division), shooting 2386-138X out of a possible 2400. Just one point behind was fellow USAMU shooter SSG Brandon Green, with 2385-123X. Sherri also won the Creedmoor EIC match. Sherri proved, once again, that she’s hard to beat when she’s “on her game”. Top Service Rifle shooter was Army Reservist CPT Samuel Freeman (2375-106X), followed by SSG Tyrell Cooper (2370-94X). USAMU Team Praslick won the 4-person Team Match Rifle Championship, while USAMU Team Peters won the 4-person Team Service Rifle Championship. CLICK HERE for complete 2012 Eastern Creedmoor Cup Match Results.
Creedmoor Sports’ General Manager Dennis DeMille was “Top Shot” at the CMP Games. Dennis won the Garand Match by six points, and Dennis also took the coveted Three-Gun Aggregate Trophy. Glendale Rutherford won the Springfield Match, while Sean Leighton won the Vintage Military Match. The M1 Carbine Match had a high turn-out, with 99 shooters. William Bowling (360-4X) took top honors by one point over William Aten (359-2X). In the popular Rimfire Sporter Match, Jacob Guay (594-41X) edged Ron Villanueva (594-39X) on X-Count to win the title.
In another tightly contested match, the team of Douglas Armstrong and Kenneth Clowdis (390-13X) won the Vintage Sniper Team Match by one point over Paul Patel and Howard Burrill (389-16X) of team ‘Hardleg 1′. However, Paul Patel topped a huge field of 122 shooters to win the Individual Vintage Sniper Rifle Match, with a two-point margin over runner-up Doug Armstrong.
Nancy Tompkins will be bringing out a new Second Edition of her popular book: Prone and Long-Range Rifle Shooting. Nancy hopes to have Second Edition books available by mid-June, 2012. The enhanced Second Edition will feature updates to the current chapters, more photos, plus an entirely new chapter on F-Class Shooting. The Second Edition will be issued as a hardback only, for increased durability. Price isn’t set yet, but Nancy hopes to keep the price “under $40.00″. The book will be available from Sinclair Int’l and direct from Nancy who plans to have a new website for the book running by the end of May.
While visiting the new Lapua Rimfire Test Center in Mesa, Arizona, we had a chance to chat with Nancy, and learn about the Second Edition of Prone and Long-Range Rifle Shooting. Watch the video to hear Nancy talk about her plans for the updated version of her book.
Tompkins Book a Must-Read for Long-Range Shooters
Nancy’s updated treatise is a must-read for serious Palma, F-Class, and High Power shooters. The sections covering Mental & Physical training and Reading Wind & Mirage will benefit all precision shooters, regardless of discipline. Other topics include Shooting Fundamentals, International Competition, and Loading for Long Range. Nancy Tompkins has won the National Long Range Championships four times, and is the first woman ever to win the National High Power Championship. (The second was Nancy’s daughter SGT Sherri Gallagher.) Nancy has also won the prestigious Wimbledon Cup, and is a 5-time Leech Cup winner. Nancy has been on six Palma Teams (as both a shooter and a coach). (Note: photo shows First Edition of book.)
Great Britain’s Richard Jeens won the Individual World Long Range Full-Bore Rifle Championship in Brisbane, Australia with a final score of 725-49V. (A “V” is a center-ring hit, equivalent to an “X” in American matches). Ceremonially hoisted in the air by his fellow competitors at the awards ceremony, Jeens was all smiles, having earned a title he’ll retain until the next World Championships in 2015. Jeens topped a field of 374 shooters from seven countries. Andre Du Toit of South Africa took the Silver Medal after a shoot-off for 2nd/3rd position against bronze-medal winner David Luckman of Great Britain. CLICK HERE for complete results.
Finishing 5th overall in the Three-Day Aggregate, Jeens had to rely on his shooting skills (plus a little bit of luck) to win the shoot-off (the top ten competitors after three days of competition advance to a final shoot-off.) The little bit of luck came by way of the winds during the 1,000-yard phase of the competition. Long Range shooters usually deal with all sorts of conditions, but the day’s wind was enough to knock a few of the favorites (such as SGT Sherri Gallagher) out of the Top Ten. Nonetheless, it was a well-deserved win, and we congratulate Richard on his achievement. Looking at Richard’s winning rifle, we surmise his victory settles the question whether a thumb-hole stock will work for long-range prone shooting — it seemed to suit Jeens just fine.
Jeens wasn’t the only hot-shooting marksman from Great Britain in the competition. Fellow Brit David Luckman shot a 723-68V, matching South African Andre Du Toit for the second highest score (Du Toit then prevailed in a shoot-off for second place). Only 4 Vs behind her team-mate Luckman, Great Britain’s Jane Messer finished fourth with 723-62V. Notably, three women finished in the Top 10, led by Messer, with Americans Trudie Fay and Nancy Tompkins in sixth and tenth, respectively. Heading into the final day of the Individual Championships, Nancy’s daughter SGT Sherri Gallagher was in the lead, but she dropped points in the very windy conditions on the last day.
With the individual side of the competition complete, all that remains is the Palma Match. Here are the final individual scores:
Photo Credit: US Palma Team member Dave Cloft. Report by Lars Dalseide for The NRA Blog.
Ninth High Power Title for Bernosky
Carl Bernosky has won the 2011 NRA National High Power Rifle Championship with a final Aggregate score of 2393-160X. Rodrigo Rosa finished second, just three points behind, but Carl had a huge edge in X-Count, 160X for Carl vs. 132X for Rosa. Over the course of the past week, while amassing his winning Aggregate, Carl won a number of trophy matches without dropping a point, including the Scott Trophy Match (200-15X), Appreciation Cup Match (200-18X), Crescent Cup Match (200-15X), and the Crowell Trophy Match (200-17X).
One of his most impressive accomplishments this year was tying a National Record for slow fire standing from 200 yards. The record, a 200-15X, was originally set by Gary Anderson in 1971 in the Navy Cup. “When I shot that 200 with 15X standing, that was discipline. I didn’t shoot a bad shot,” Bernosky said. “That was the best target I’ve ever shot, including practice.”
Shooting for Team SOG in 2011, this win marks Bernosky’s Ninth National High Power Championship*. This was a sweet victory for Carl, as last year he finished just one point behind 2010 Champion SGT Sherri Gallagher. As far as we can tell, Carl’s 2393-160X was the second highest National High Power Championship Winning Agg in history, exceeded only by Gallagher’s 2396-161X record set last year. Congratulations to Carl for his impressive victory! Now a nine-time champion, Bernosky has won the High Power Championship in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1992, 2000, 2007, 2008, and 2011. *In 1981 Carl won the Match Rifle division, but D.I. Boyd, a Service Rifle shooter, had the highest overall Aggregate.
The top five finishers in the 2011 NRA National High Power Rifle Championship were:
1. Carl Bernosky, 2393-160X
2. Rodrigo Rosa, 2390-132X
3. Brandon Green, 2385-126X
4. Sherri Gallagher, 2383-146X
5. Norman Houle, 2381-114X
Watch Bernosky in Action in Video
In this video from the 2011 Crowell Trophy Match segment of the National High Power Championships, Carl Bernosky (in maroon shooting coat) shoots prone with his AR spacegun. Note the minimal recoil after shots.
Bernosky Explains How to Read the Wind
Below is a video interview with Carl Bernosky recorded at the 2010 Shot Show. Carl explains when you need to shoot fast, and when you need to be patient and wait for the conditions.
The 2011 CMP Eastern Games and Creedmoor Cup Matches took place the first week of May at Camp Butner, NC. The overall winner (no surprise) was current NRA National High Power Champion SGT Sherri Gallagher, who tallied a spectacular 797-50X. Finishing second was fellow USAMU shooter SSG Tyrell Cooper, with 794-41X. Sherri also had the highest individual score, 499-29X, in the 4-person Team Event. Sherri showed, once again, that she leads the field in High Power Match Rifle shooting. When Sherri is “on her game”, she’s hard to beat. You can see a large collection of Eastern Games photos from the Garand and Springfield matches (on Day 1) at the CMP online photo archive.
Sean Leighton won the Garand Match (289-3X) AND the Springfield Match (290-9X), and had the highest Three-Gun Aggregate with an 870-15X combined score. Great shooting Sean! In other specialty matches, Ken Lygren won the Carbine Match (356-1X), Doug Armstrong won the individual Vintage Sniper match (194-6X), and William Flagg Jr. won the Rimfire Sporter match. In 4-person team competition, USAMU teams took both Service Rifle (Craig Team, 1967-74X) and Match Rifle Divisions (Praslick Team, 1991-103X).
SGT Sherri Gallagher of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit had a spectacularly successful 2010. First she won the National High Power Championship convincingly, setting records in the process. Then young Sherri earned the title of “Soldier of the Year”. Sherri is the first women ever to be honored as the U.S. Army’s Soldier of the Year.
When we learned Sherri was staffing the USAMU booth at SHOT Show, we headed straight there with the hopes of chatting with America’s premier lady rifle shooter. Our correspondent Kelly Bachand was eager to talk to Sherri, as they are friends who once shot together on the U.S. National Junior team. You should really take the time to watch this video. Sherri is very open and candid about her shooting accomplishments, and she offers advice that will help any shooter.
SGT Sherri Gallagher, winner of the 2010 NRA High Power Rifle Championship at Camp Perry, was recently named the U.S. Army’s Soldier of the Year (SOY). SGT Gallagher, who comes from a family of champion shooters, is the first female to win the SOY Award. The Soldier of the Year competition is an intense 12-month event evaluating simulated battle operations, urban orienteering, first aid, marksmanship, and other soldiering skills. In October, 2010, Sherri beat a talented field of other soldiers at the final stage of the SOY Competition — the ‘Best Warrior’ event held at Fort Lee, Virginia.
Last week, Sherri appeared on the Fox News show Fox and Friends to discuss her Soldier of the Year accomplishment as well as her background in competitive shooting. SGT. Gallagher began shooting at the age of five, as part of America’s leading family of rifle shooters. Sherri’s older sister Michelle Gallagher, mother Nancy Tompkins, and step-father Mid Tompkins have all won major championships. Only two women have ever won the National High Power Championship. The first was Nancy Tompkins, and the second was her daughter, Sherri.
SGT. Gallagher Deploys to Afghanistan Soon
Sherri is getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan where she will help train Afghanistan National Army soldiers in marksmanship. As part of a U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) training group, SGT Gallagher will pass on some of the rifle skills that have made her a champion. As she heads off to the Afghan war zone, we wish her (and all U.S. Service personnel) a safe and successful deployment.
SGT Sherri Gallagher captured her first NRA High Power National Championship by firing an incredible 2396-161X, a new record score! Competing at Camp Perry, Ohio, Sherri dropped just four points out of 2400 (240 shots). An amazing 67% of Sherri’s shots were Xs. Congratulations Sherri!
Carl Bernosky was second, just one point behind, with a 2395-140X. Carl and Sherri BOTH shot scores well above David Tubb’s Championship Record of 2389-138X, a record set in 2003. Congratulations to Sherri, Carl and all the outstanding shooters in this year’s competition.
Sherri is now the second-ever female winner of the NRA National High Power Championship. The first female High Power Champion was Sherri’s mother, Nancy Tompkins, who won in 1998. It’s all in the family, we guess….
This was an especially sweet victory for Sherri, who had the 2009 Championship slip from her grasp. In last year’s NRA High Power Championship, Sherri was leading the field comfortably, shooting at a record pace, only to suffer a cross-fire which dropped her out of contention for the Championship. That cruel 2009 crossfire is now forgotten as Sherri finally earns the National title she richly deserves.
Hardware UPDATE: We are informed that Sherri’s T2000 match rifle was chambered in .260 Remington, and she shot that cartridge at all distances in the High Power Championship. We’ll try to get more load data soon.
The 2012 CMP Eastern Games and Creedmoor Cup took place May 5-13, 2012 at Camp Butner, NC. CMP events ran May 5 through May 8, followed by the Creedmoor Cup matches May 9-12. In the Creedmoor Cup segment, SGT Sherri Gallagher won the overall individual Championship (and Match Rifle Division), shooting 2386-138X out of a possible 2400. Just one point behind was fellow USAMU shooter SSG Brandon Green, with 2385-123X. Sherri also won the Creedmoor EIC match. Sherri proved, once again, that she’s hard to beat when she’s “on her game”. Top Service Rifle shooter was Army Reservist CPT Samuel Freeman (2375-106X), followed by SSG Tyrell Cooper (2370-94X). USAMU Team Praslick won the 4-person Team Match Rifle Championship, while USAMU Team Peters won the 4-person Team Service Rifle Championship. 
Creedmoor Sports’ General Manager Dennis DeMille was “Top Shot” at the CMP Games. Dennis won the Garand Match by six points, and Dennis also took the coveted Three-Gun Aggregate Trophy. Glendale Rutherford won the Springfield Match, while Sean Leighton won the Vintage Military Match. The M1 Carbine Match had a high turn-out, with 99 shooters. William Bowling (360-4X) took top honors by one point over William Aten (359-2X). In the popular Rimfire Sporter Match, Jacob Guay (594-41X) edged Ron Villanueva (594-39X) on X-Count to win the title.
Nancy Tompkins will be bringing out a new Second Edition of her popular book: Prone and Long-Range Rifle Shooting. Nancy hopes to have Second Edition books available by mid-June, 2012. The enhanced Second Edition will feature updates to the current chapters, more photos, plus an entirely new chapter on F-Class Shooting. The Second Edition will be issued as a hardback only, for increased durability. Price isn’t set yet, but Nancy hopes to keep the price “under $40.00″. The book will be available from 
Tompkins Book a Must-Read for Long-Range Shooters
Ninth High Power Title for Bernosky
The top five finishers in the 2011 NRA National High Power Rifle Championship were:
Last week, Sherri appeared on the 
SGT Sherri Gallagher captured her first NRA High Power National Championship by firing an incredible 2396-161X, a new record score! Competing at Camp Perry, Ohio, Sherri dropped just four points out of 2400 (240 shots). An amazing 67% of Sherri’s shots were Xs. Congratulations Sherri!
