Based on Report By Kyle Jillson forthe NRA Blog
Over the past few days, the NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championship has been held at Fort Benning, Georgia, home of the United States Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU). The rifle competition began with Air Rifle matches. The USAMU’s indoor range was large enough to accommodate every rifle shooter into one relay. Lead by Amos Peck (590), Tyler Luce (577), and Clayton Peck (566), Michigan State took the Air Rifle Team Title with a 2285 Aggregate, followed by Penn State (2216) and Michigan (2201). Amos Peck (photo below) was the top individual Air Rifle Shooter.
Spartans Win Smallbore Title
The next phase was the Smallbore Rifle Championship. Although heading into the finals of team competition with a 69-point lead, Michigan State needed strong performances from Tyler Luce and the Peck brothers if the Spartans were going to win the 2012 NRA Smallbore Rifle Championship. The Spartan shooters delivered. Amos Peck finished first in smallbore, edging Michigan’s Anne Sullivan by one (1) point. Amos Peck’s win, combined with strong showings by teammates Tyler Luce and Clayton Peck, carried Michigan State to victory in the smallbore Team event.
Michigan State Wins Both Team and Individual Combined (Air Rifle/Smallbore) Titles
That smallbore victory, on top of the Spartans’ impresssive win in the Air Rifle event, secured Michigan State the overall title. Michigan State took the combined Intercollegiate Rifle Championship with a final score of 4457 — 96 points better than second place Penn State (4361). Michigan again finished third with a 4306. Michigan State’s Amos Peck took the Aggregate individual title, with a score of 1149, following by Spartan Teammate Tyler Luce with an 1130 total score.
2012 Rifle Team Championship
1. Michigan State – 4457
2. Penn State – 4361
3. Michigan – 4306
4. Clemson – 4155
5. Wisconsin-Oshkosh – 4135
6. Purdue – 4026
7. North Dakota State – 3857
8. Indiana U of Penn – 3416
2012 Individual Aggregate Championship
1. Amos Peck – 1149 Michigan State
2. Tyler Luce – 1130 Michigan State
3. Abi Winegarden – 1129 UNC-CH
4. Anne Sullivan – 1128 Michigan
5. Clayton Peck – 1118 Michigan State
6. Tonya Kocher – 1110 PSU
7. Kyle Freeley – 1095 PSU
8. Brandon Godbout – 1094 NDSU
9. Rebecca Picone – 1093 PSU
10. Kevin Tuten – 1085 Clemson
The TCU rifle team used a dominating effort in air rifle to erase a five-point deficit to claim its second national championship in the last three seasons. TCU’s top-scoring Air Rifle shooter, Sarah Scherer, finished third in the air rifle individual finals, which was won by another lady shooter, West Virginia Mountaineer Petra Zublasing. Congrats to Petra!
In addition to the Team National Championship, the Frogs took home the air rifle title after firing a 2,353, topping West Virginia’s team score of 2,350. Kentucky finished the smallbore competition on day one in first place, but the KY Wildcats couldn’t hold off the TCU squad. TCU’s “Horned Frogs” fired a 2,353 in air rifle to record an impressive 4,676-4,661 overall victory over the defending champion Wildcats. Alaska-Fairbanks took third place overall in the team competition behind TCU and Kentucky.
Final NCAA Rifle Championship Team Rankings:
1. Texas Christian University (TCU)
2. Univ. of Kentucky
3. Univ. of Alaska – Fairbanks
4. U.S. Military Academy (West Point)
5. Univ. of Texas El Paso (UTEP)
6. West Virginia Univ.
7. Jacksonville State Univ.
8. Univ. of Nevada – Reno
Story by By Kyle Jillson forThe NRA Blog
The Kentucky Wildcats won the 2012 NCAA team smallbore championship yesterday, shooting a 2328 to win the Smallbore Title and secure a 3-point lead over 2nd place Army in the overall (combined smallbore and Air Rifle) 2012 NCAA Rifle Championships. Last year the Wildcats came into the second day’s Air Rifle competition with a 7-point lead and held on by three to claim the school’s first National Championship. Today at the French Field House Kentucky hopes to maintain the lead in the Air Rifle championship and take home a National Championship for the second consecutive year.
Heading into Saturday’s Air Rifle competition, here are current Team Scores and rankings::
1. University of Kentucky: 2328
2. U.S. Military Academy (West Point): 2325
3. Texas Christian University: 2323
4. Alaska-Fairbanks: 2312
5. University of Nevada Reno: 2306
6. Jacksonville State University: 2304
7. UTEP: 2303
8. West Virginia University: 2297
TCU’s Sarah Scherer Wins Individual Smallbore Championship
Friday afternoon the top eight shooters from the smallbore relays stepped up to the firing line for the 2012 individual smallbore finals. When the final scores were totaled, TCU’s Sarah Scherer was the victor, edging West Point’s Michael Matthews by just one point. Scherer, who recently qualified for the US Olympic Team, took the individual smallbore title with a 99.6 in the finals and a total aggregate of 688.6. This was her second win in smallbore; the first coming in TCU’s national championship run in 2010.
The nation’s top collegiate men and women shooters have converged on Ohio State University to compete in the 2012 NCAA Rifle Championships. The Championships run March 9-10 (Friday and Saturday) at the Converse Hall and French Field House in Columbus, Ohio. The undefeated Horned Frogs from Texas Christian University (TCU) look to upset the reigning champion Wildcats from the University of Kentucky (UK). You can follow the NCAA Rifle Championships on the NCAA.com website (rifle page). Event coverage will include live streaming video of some relays. The 8-minute video below includes profiles of top male and female shooters.
The following eight teams qualified (based on regular season aggregate scores) to compete in both air rifle and smallbore events: University of Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF), West Point Army, Jacksonville State, University of Kentucky, West Virginia University, University of Nevada, University of Texas El Paso (UTEP), and TCU. On Friday, March 9, the three-position smallbore shooters (both team and individual competition) will shoot 60 shots. The next day, air rifle competitors will take the line for 60 shots as well. According to NCAA rules: “the overall team champion will be determined by combining smallbore and air rifle team scores into one aggregate score for each institution.” The NCAA Rifle program has been in existence since 1980 and currently has 29 schools participating.
Individual and team competitions in smallbore three-position (60 shots) will be held Friday, March 9. Individual and team competitions in air rifle (60 shots) will be held Saturday, March 10. The overall team champion will be determined by combining the smallbore and air rifle team total scores into one aggregate score for each institution.
As the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of Olympic-style shooting in the United States, USA Shooting (USAS) welcomes the dialogue created by the recent article in the Wall Street Journal by Mark Yost titled: Taking Aim at an Old Debate: Can female athletes compete against men?. In shooting, yes — but not in the Olympics. In this article, Yost points out several interesting facts and observations about our sport. This dialogue allows us to engage the shooting community, expand our thinking and establish pathways for bettering our sport for the future.
You will get little argument from many of today’s top shooters, both male and female, as to the shooting abilities of women throughout USA Shooting’s ranks. The success of the collegiate programs like TCU and many intercollegiate programs in the U.S. only echo these beliefs as do some of the sport’s elite shooters like Kim Rhode, a four-time Olympic medalist in trap and skeet shooting, or Katy Emmons, a three-time Olympic medalist from the Czech Republic who is married to [U.S. Olympian] Matt Emmons.
“I am a born competitor and whether it is men or women I want to win,” said Jamie Gray, a 2008 Olympian in Rifle. “In a sport that is equal between men and women I would most definitely enjoy the competition. I started out only knowing that men and women compete against each other. It wasn’t until I learned shooting was an Olympic sport that I realized men and women didn’t compete against each other. It is exciting to me that there are still sports out there that men and women can be equal, however for other reasons it may be better that there are different categories for each.”
From 1968 through the 1980 Olympic Games, Olympic shooting events were mixed, with opportunities for women and men to participate regardless of gender. At the 1980 Games in Moscow, there were six shooting events contested. At the upcoming Games in London, there will be 15 events contested. Opportunities for women to compete in Olympic shooting have not shrunk with the dissolution of “mixed” events, but rather have grown as a result not only in our brand of shooting but across all platforms of the shooting sports. In Olympic competition, 14 women got the opportunity to compete in shooting at the 1980 and 1976 Olympic Games combined. Since that time, the numbers have risen from 77 in 1984 to 145 female competitors at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Shan Zhang Won Gold in 1992
Recent history also suggests that woman can perform alongside men in shooting competitions. At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, female competitor Shan Zhang of China became the Olympic gold medalist that year in mixed-event skeet, topping a field of both men and women. Over two days of competition she produced a score of 373 out of 375, a new Olympic and world record. She also became the first woman in the history of the Olympic Games’ shooting competition, to beat all the male shooters in her event. Since that time, no mixed events have been held in an Olympic shooting competition.
“As a proud American female citizen, participating in a sport where gender-specific characteristics are not advantageous, I would overwhelmingly favor a chance to compete in a mixed event — or at least a women’s event with an equal number of targets as the men,” said Kelsey Zauhar, a USA Shooting National Team member in Shotgun.
“I think that anytime you have competition where size or strength is not a factor, females can absolutely compete with the males,” said USA Shooting National Team Pistol shooter and USAS Board member Sandra Uptagrafft. “The fundamentals of executing a good shot work the same regardless of gender, size or age. The question of why females no longer compete with males or why we have differing number of shots in the same events comes up often when I explain our sport to new people. It does seem sexist, but the fact that we have separate events from males in the Olympics actually is a good thing since more females can compete this way. There can only be so many people on the shooting line at one time. I personally am just happy to have a sport like shooting in which I can excel.”
FACTOID: Research by the National Sporting Goods Association shows female participation in target shooting grew by 46.5% between 2001 and 2010. And an October 2011 Gallup Poll found 23 percent of women own a gun. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, from 2001 to 2010, female participation in hunting grew by almost 37 percent.
How would you like to be able to shoot a rimfire rifle or pistol that only makes 25% as much noise as a standard .22 LR gun? And no, we’re not talking about a suppressor-equipped firearm. CCI claims that its new Quiet-22 rimfire ammo “generates one-quarter the perceived noise level of standard velocity .22 LR rounds.” So this stuff is very quiet indeed, and it’s also affordable — a 50-round box sells for under $4.00 at major online vendors.
CCI’S 710 fps Quiet-22 Ammo only produces 68 Decibels (dB) of sound at the shooter’s ear (compared to 132-139 dB for a standard .22LR). How do we put that in perspective? Consider this: 68-70 dB is the noise level inside a typical family sedan cruising at 70 mph. For additional comparisons, a typical alarm clock ringer produces 80 dB of noise, while a hair dryer can deliver 90 dB. The sound levels at rock concerts can top 115 dB, and a chain saw can hit 125 dB.
To achieve its low sound levels, CCI’s Quiet-22 ammo sacrifices both speed and energy. Rated velocity is just 710 fps, and the 40gr LRN bullet only has about 36 ft-lbs of energy at 100 yards. So this ammo may not be a great choice for varminting, except for very small prey. On the other hand the ammo could be ideal for short-range plinking and fun shooting. For paper punching, CCI notes that Quiet-22 ammo offers better performance than an air rifle with similar noise levels. CCI’s Quiet-22 Ammo may also be perfect for areas where shooting is allowed, but noise pollution is a concern.
Do You Need To Wear Muffs?
CCI says you can shoot this ammo without hearing protection. The 68 dB report of this ammo is well below the 85 dB(A) noise level at which OSHA requires hearing protection in the workplace. However, remember that, when you’re at a range with other shooters, you must shield your ears from the noise produced by other firearms. So even if you use Quiet-22 ammo, you’ll need muffs/plugs if other shooters nearby are using conventional rimfire and centerfire ammo.
Many readers will be considering purchasing a rimfire rifle this season for a young family member, or grandchild to use as his/her “first gun”. Of course you can source a 10/22 or other bargain-basement firearm from Walmart, but why not acquire a rifle your boy or girl can use for a lifetime? If you get a high-quality, used bolt-gun, you’ll be providing a rifle that will deliver years of shooting enjoyment, and that will remain competitive as a young shooter’s skill level advances over time.
Where can you find a very high-quality, match-grade rimfire rifle at an affordable price? You can spend weeks watching the auction boards, or you can save time and money by contacting MT Guns in California. Run by Mac Tilton, MT Guns has the nation’s largest selection of quality used rimfire match rifles.
Vast Inventory of Target Rifles
Mac, owner of MTGuns.com, has hundreds of “previously owned” rimfire rifles in inventory, including scores of Anschütz models. Most have model 54 or 64 actions in prone or position stocks. Mac also stocks many BSA Martini and Walther match rifles. For a young shooter Mac recommends an Anschütz model 64 action rifle or a model 1407 with a 54 action. Another good choice, according to Mac, is the Walther KK ISU model. Mac’s gunsmiths can cut down the buttstocks of these rifles to fit young marksmen.
Rifles Sourced from Europe
In recent years, Mac has acquired hundreds of match rifles from Europe. Among these were a couple dozen Anschütz prone rifles that are essentially “as new”, still “in the wrap”. Most of the rifles have seen more use, however. For more info, call Mac at (805) 720-7720, from 10 am to 5 pm, Eastern Time.
By Steve Cooper, CMP Writer Calm conditions and sunny skies prevailed as three previous champions set new national records in all three classes in the 2011 National Rimfire Sporter Championship fired here Sunday, 24 July. Charles J. Opalewski II, Lucas Boord and Ron Villanueva, all past champions, once again reached the top of the podium at this year’s event which also brought out a record 480 match entries. Opalewski, Boord, and Villanueva ALL set new National Records in their respective classes.
Record-Setting Performances in ‘O’, ‘T’ and Tactical Classes
Opalewski, 21, of Vicksburg, Michigan, won the open sights class (O-Class) with a national record aggregate score of 586-21X in the six-stage, 600-point, three-position match. He fired a clean 100-3X in the standing slow-fire stage en route to the win. The 2010 champion, CSM Steven Slee, U.S. Army Reserve, 47, of Dimondale, Michigan, finished one point behind Opalewski with a 585-19X performance. Opalewski surpassed Slee’s 2010 record score of 584-25x.
Lucas Boord defended his 2010 telescopic class (T-Class) championship with a total score of 597-39X, smashing his own national record of 593-34X in the process. Boord, 21, of New Stanton, Pennsylvania, fired perfect 100s in prone slow-fire and rapid-fire, sitting slow-fire and standing slow-fire, dropping one point in sitting rapid-fire and two in standing rapid-fire.
In junior shooting, Amos Peck, 18, of Leslie, Michigan, won the overall O-Class competition with an aggregate score of 570-5X, followed by Aaron Ward, 18, Ypsilanti, Michigan (554-8X) and Stephenie Sabin, 17, of Curtice, Ohio (542-7X).
Ron Villanueva captured the Tactical Rimfire Class title at the 2011 National Rimfire Sporter Championship. Villanueva, a perennial rimfire finalist, also ranked third in this year’s T-Class. Villanueva set a new National Record Agg of 590-27X while winning his first tactical rifle class championship. Villanueva cleaned his first three stages of fire and also fired a 99-4X in standing rapid-fire.
Increased Interest in ‘Tactical Rimfire’ Class
This was the second year for the tactical class at the national event. The tactical rimfire category is growing rapidly, as this year’s entry of 55 shooters more than doubled last year’s 22. Legal tactical rimfire rifles must comply with the requirements for overall weight and trigger pull and have a configuration that is similar to common AR and modern military rifles. Tactical rimfire rifles may have either aperture or optical sights (no higher than 6X).
Congratulations to USAMU member SSG Michael McPhail, winner of the 2011 Smallbore Rifle Prone Championship. SSG McPhail won three matches and took the 1st Daily 1200 Aggregate as he shot consistently throughout the week to finish with 4796-401X. Coming in second place overall was Mark Delcotto with a 4796-380X and CPT Christopher Abalo, SSG McPhail’s teammate on the AMU, finished third with a 4795-388X.
With so many talented shooters participating in the championship, SSG McPhail’s commanding X-score ended up as the deciding factor as his point total of 4796 was matched by two other shooters, Mark Delcotto (Civilian Champion), and Paul Nordquist (Any Sight Champion). McPhail shared credit for his victory: “I’d like to thank the commander of the AMU, all the solders and support staff at AMU — coaches, other shooters, my teammates — and also the NRA and the volunteers. Without the volunteers this match would never even happen.”
Held July 24-29, the Smallbore Rifle Prone Championships are a part of the NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships held at Camp Perry, Ohio each year. Comprised of a Metallic Sight and Any Sight championship, competitors take 480 shots over the course of 12 matches from distances of 50 meters and 100 yards to determine who will take home the Critchfield Trophy.
Special Category Winners
Paul Nordquist shot a 4796-371X to match McPhail’s point total and secure the title of Any Sight Only Champion. Renowned shooter Nancy Tompkins won the High Woman award with a 4794-375X. Reya Kempley shot second (among women) with a 4794-352x and Sarah Beard of Texas Christian University took third with a 4790-351x. Kempley also won the Metallic Sight Championship with her aggregate of 2400-182x.
Civilian Champion: Mark Delcotto – 4796-380X
Any Sight Only Champion: Paul Nordquist – 4796-371X
Woman Champion: Nancy Tompkins – 4794-375X
Senior Champion: Peter Church – 4791-352X
Intermediate Senior Champion: Larry Parker Sr. – 4788-349X
Collegiate and Junior Champion: Sarah Beard – 4790-351xX
Intermediate Junior Champion: Katie Bridges – 4784-340X
Sub-Junior Champion: Sammy Richardson – 4751-270X
Service Champion: SSG Michael McPhail, USA – 4796-401X
High Visitor: Keigh Ridgeway – 4785-340X
The Randle Trophy match is smallbore international postal match with women competitors only. The Randle Trophy match was shot July 26th at Camp Perry immediately after the Dewar Trophy match. The course of fire for the match is a Dewar Course, where each shooter fires 20 shots at both 50 and 100 yards in the prone position. Below is a slide show with photos of the match.
Started in 1952 for International Women’s Team Competition in memory of former NRA President Thurman Randle, participating teams must be from an English-speaking country and field a team of 10 firing members, two alternate shooters, a captain, and a coach. Earning a position on the U.S. team is not easy, members must be one of the 12 top-scoring shooters in the Metallic Sight Aggregate competition at Perry to be invited. Below are the talented members of the 2011 Randle Trophy Team.
Spartans Win Smallbore Title
The TCU rifle team used a dominating effort in air rifle to erase a five-point deficit to claim its second national championship in the last three seasons. TCU’s top-scoring Air Rifle shooter, Sarah Scherer, finished third in the air rifle individual finals, which was won by another lady shooter, West Virginia Mountaineer Petra Zublasing. Congrats to Petra!
The nation’s top collegiate men and women shooters have converged on Ohio State University to compete in the 2012 
Shan Zhang Won Gold in 1992
How would you like to be able to shoot a rimfire rifle or pistol that only makes 25% as much noise as a standard .22 LR gun? And no, we’re not talking about a suppressor-equipped firearm. CCI claims that its new 
Many readers will be considering purchasing a rimfire rifle this season for a young family member, or grandchild to use as his/her “first gun”. Of course you can source a 10/22 or other bargain-basement firearm from Walmart, but why not acquire a rifle your boy or girl can use for a lifetime? If you get a high-quality, used bolt-gun, you’ll be providing a rifle that will deliver years of shooting enjoyment, and that will remain competitive as a young shooter’s skill level advances over time.
Vast Inventory of Target Rifles
Calm conditions and sunny skies prevailed as three previous champions set new national records in all three classes in the 2011 National Rimfire Sporter Championship fired here Sunday, 24 July. Charles J. Opalewski II, Lucas Boord and Ron Villanueva, all past champions, once again reached the top of the podium at this year’s event which also brought out a record 480 match entries. Opalewski, Boord, and Villanueva ALL set new National Records in their respective classes. 
In junior shooting, Amos Peck, 18, of Leslie, Michigan, won the overall O-Class competition with an aggregate score of 570-5X, followed by Aaron Ward, 18, Ypsilanti, Michigan (554-8X) and Stephenie Sabin, 17, of Curtice, Ohio (542-7X).
Congratulations to USAMU member SSG Michael McPhail, winner of the 2011 Smallbore Rifle Prone Championship. SSG McPhail won three matches and took the 1st Daily 1200 Aggregate as he shot consistently throughout the week to finish with 4796-401X. Coming in second place overall was Mark Delcotto with a 4796-380X and CPT Christopher Abalo, SSG McPhail’s teammate on the AMU, finished third with a 4795-388X. 
