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September 26th, 2014
 So, you want to put five shots through one hole at 100 yards? That may be asking a bit much, but with the right rifle, the right technique, and the right load, you might just be able to shoot “in the ones” (i.e. a group measuring 0.1 to 0.199 MOA). You could consume a lot of time and money trying to achieve this level of precision. Or you could learn from “the man”, Tony Boyer, unquestionably the most successful shooter in the history of short-range benchrest competition.
You can literally “go inside Boyer’s brain” by reading his 323-page treatise, The Book of Rifle Accuracy. First published in 2010, this is a beautiful book, full of color photos from cover to cover. Every serious benchrest shooter should read Tony’s book. He has dominated registered benchrest in a fashion that will never be duplicated. Tony Boyer has 164 U.S. Benchrest Hall of Fame points. The next closest shooter, Lester Bruno, has 48 Hall of Fame points. (Totals current 9/21/13).
The full-color book is 323 pages long, with color photos or color illustrations on nearly every page. The hard-cover edition costs $42.50, while the soft cover version is $34.50. Purchase from Amazon.com, or you can buy directly the publisher by visiting www.RifleAccuracyBook.com. The Boyer books are also available from Bruno Shooters Supply, 1-800-455-0350.
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Hard-Back Edition
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The Book Of Rifle Accuracy, By Tony Boyer
October 31st, 2013
There was “Thunder Down-Under” last week at the 2013 World Benchrest Championships (WBC 2013) in Australia. The event was held at the Silverdale Range, a 1.5 hour-drive west of Sydney, NSW. This event drew roughly 80 of the world’s best 100/200 yard Benchrest group shooters who competed both individually and on national teams. Squads from Australia, Canada, Finland, Italy, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the USA vied for WBC team honors. Both Australia and the United States fielded three teams, while New Zealand and South Africa each fielded two squads.
Conditions were vicious at times, with extremely high winds in a few relays. To show you how tough things were, legendary shooter Tony Boyer had a 1.560″ group during the LV 200-yard match, while Tom Libby shot a shocking 2.280″ group in the same relay. We can’t remember when we’ve ever seen groups like that posted by shooters of this skill level.
In team competition, the strong USA ‘A-Team’ finished first followed by South Africa A (second place) and Australia A (third place). Ed Adams, Tony Boyer, Gene Bukys, and Bob Scarbrough Jr. were the members of the winning USA A-Team.
In individual competition, Americans finished 1-2-3 in the Two-Gun. Texan Charles Huckeba topped the field, winning the Two-Gun Overall with a 0.2804 Grand Agg. Gene Bukys (0.2863) was second, and Bob Scarbrough Jr. (0.2881) finished third. In fourth place overall was South African Roland Thomsen (0.2919), while New Zealander Peter Haxell (0.2940) finished fifth. The top five for each of the LV and HV yardages are listed below.
Complete WBC 2013 Results have been posted on the Australian Benchrest Bulletin website. Scroll down and look for the blue “Latest Stuff” tab on the lower left. There you’ll find links for WBC 2013 events under the “Latest Results” header.
Light Varmint Grand Agg
1. Gene Bukys (USA-A) .2796
2. Todd Tyler (USA-C) .2817
3. Roland Thomsen (SA-A) .2952
4. Peter Haxell (NZ-A) .2971
5. Jan Hemmes (SA-A) .3024 |
Light Varmint 100 Yards
1. Freddie Botha (SA-B) .1936
2. Todd Tyler (USA-C) .2258
3. Wayne Campbell (USA-B) .2464
4. Peter Haxell (NZ-A) .2484
5. Gene Bukys (USA-A) .2486 |
Light Varmint 200 Yards
1. Jan Hemmes (SA-A) .2939
2. Gert Le Roes (SA-B) .2962
3. Roland Thomsen (SA-A) .2978
4. Gene Bukys (USA-A) .3106
5. Todd Tyler (USA-C) .3375 |
Heavy Varmint Grand Agg
1. Ivan Piani (ITA-A) .2389
2. Bob Scarbrough (USA-A) .2399
3. Ch. Huckeba (USA-C) .2424
4. Tony Boyer (USA-A) .2520
5. Ed Adams (USA-A) .2781 |
Heavy Varmint 100 Yards
1. Tony Boyer (USA-A) .1574
2. Ch. Huckeba (USA-C) .1722
3. C. Whittleton (AUS-B) .1872
4. Wyn. Campbell (USA-B) .1874
5. Bob Scarbrough (USA-A) .1900 |
Heavy Varmint 200 Yards
1. Ivan Piani (ITA-A) .2786
2. Ed Adams (USA-A) .2869
3. Bob Scarbrough (USA-A) .2897
4. Ch. Huckeba (USA-C) .3126
5. Jari Laulumaa (FIN-A) .3168 |
Photos by Todd Tyler, Tom Libby, and Scott Pieper, provided courtesy Aaron French.
May 29th, 2013
In one of the closest margins of victory ever, Gene Bukys won the Two-Gun Overall Aggregate at the Kelbly’s Fireams Industry Super Shoot (FISS). Gene’s final Two-Gun Agg was 0.2728, with Jeff Gaidos just .0001 behind at 0.2729. That’s about as close as it can get, and other shooters were not far behind. In third place, at 0.2765, was Jeff Summers, followed by Tony Boyer (0.2827) and Larry Costa (0.2924). Looking at the numbers, only 0.0196 separated the Top Five in the Two-Gun.
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Two-Gun Overall, Top 20
1. Gene Bukys, 0.2728
2. Jeff Gaidos, 0.2729
3. Jeff Summers, 0.2765
4. Tony Boyer, 0.2827
5. Larry Costa, 0.2924
6. Bob Scarbrough, Jr., 0.2943
7. Wayne Campbell, 0.2989
8. Lou Murdica, 0.3020
9. Steve Theyes, 0.3078
10. Larry Sharnhorst, 0.3104 |
11. Ken Hottenstein, 0.3111
12. Joe Hynes, ).3121
13. Dave Coots, 0.3123
14. Cristian Rando, 0.3140
15. Bud Welsh, 0.3193
16. Jeff Graves, 0.3253
17. Geoff Esterline, 0.3254
18. Dean Ekstrom, 0.3315
19. Dave Bruno, 0.3326
20. Bob Brushingham, 0.3339 |
Conditions were very challenging throughout most of the Super shoot, with strong and often fast-changing winds. Jerry Sharrett posted: “We had some interesting conditions. By the ends of the aggs many of the tails were caught up in the Daisies. For example, during the HV 200 in bench 9 the last three flags were bound up and useless. And many of the front flags, [were the] same way, especially on the right end.” Here is an audio recount of Days 1 through 3 by Ian Kelby (right click to “save as”):
May 23 Audio Report (WAV) | May 24 Audio Report (MP3) | May 25 Audio Report (WAV)
Fellow Shooters Praise Winner
Here are some comments posted on Benchrest Central.com:
“Congratulations to all of you guys in the top 20, especially to the Grand Master from Texas. Special congrats to my friend Dr. Cristian Rando from Buenos Aires, Argentina, shooting his Argentine CGM1 Thunderbolt, made by gunsmith Carlito Gonzalez.” — Pascal Fischbach
“Congratulations to the great Gene, this guy understands the [wind] conditions and rifle tuning better than anybody.” — Carlos Gonzalez
“A close margin of victory in any sport is a true indicator of the level of competition. In Track and Field,it would be called a ‘photo finish’. The best effort won a hard-fought match. It will be remembered because the margin was so close: 0.0001.” — G. Chism
“I ran the Blue Bonnet match earlier this month and from the range officer’s seat, was fortunate to observe Gene at his best. He just sits and waits for his preferred condition and then just rips off five in about thirty seconds. From his past performances in the last few years, he continues to cement a great legacy in the benchrest world.” — Virf
August 30th, 2011
 Here’s a follow-up on the World Benchrest Championship held last week in Volmerange-Les-Mines, France. As you may know by now, Gene Bukys was the two-gun overall winner, finishing just .001 MOA (0.028mm) ahead of fellow American Mike Ratigan. Tony Boyer finished third in the Two-Gun Aggregate. At least three new world records were set at the event:
LV 100m: 1.51mm (Steven Williams, South Africa)
LV 200m: 2.27mm (Carlos Pacheco, France)
HV 200m: 4.21mm (Larry DaCosta, USA)
Team USA ‘A’ won the team two-gun aggregate with a 5.881 mm (0.212 MOA) Aggregate. The next four teams in order were: Team USA ‘B’, Italy, Australia, and France.
For each class and yardage, here are the event winners and runners-up:
100m Light Varmint
Vera Carter, 4.912 mm (0.193 inches) | Carlos Costavich, 5.160 mm
200m Light Varmint
Mike Ratigan, 8.872 mm (0.349 inches) | Andy Shifflett, 10.948 mm
100m Heavy Varmint
Jack Neary, 4.064 mm (0.160 inches) | Cristian Rando, 4.518 mm
200m Heavy Varmint
Tony Boyer, 9.764 mm ( 0.384 inches) | Gene Bukys, 9.990 mm
To learn more about the 2011 WBC, visit the Federation Francaise de Tir website. There you’ll find Complete WBC Results and an extensive WBC Photo Gallery.
Story tip by Luc K., and photos courtesy Federation Francaise de Tir, © Crédit FFTir GDumery.
August 26th, 2011
Gene Bukys, reigning 2011 Supershoot Champ, racked up another prestigious title. Is this guy on a roll or what? We’ve just received news that Bukys won the Two-Gun Overall Title at the World Benchrest Championship (WBC) held in Volmerange-Les-Mines, France. James Mock reports: “Gene won the WBC Two-Gun Championship by outlasting Mike Ratigan (by .001 MOA) and Tony Boyer. Bukys and Boyer were also on the winning USA ‘A’ team. (Ratigan was on the USA ‘B’ team). Congratulations also go to all members of our three teams. Outstanding shooting was done by Larry Costa, Jack Neary, and Andy Shifflett. Our teams have ‘done us proud’.”
Since there are only two classes at the WBC, Light Varmint and Heavy Varmint, Bukys’ Two-Gun title essentially makes Gene the overall WBC individual Champion, giving Gene bragging rights as the best shortrange benchrest shooter in the world. WBC matches were conducted at 100m and 200m, equivalent to 109.4 yards and 218.7 yards respectively. There is one final 200m HV 10-shot group match to be held Saturday. That will be followed by the Awards Ceremony and Closing Ceremony.
August 22nd, 2011
The centerfire World Benchrest Championship (WBC) is being hosted in Volmerange-Les-Mines, France this year. Matches commence on Tuesday, the 23rd of August. Practice has been underway since August 18. The official WBC website includes an event schedule plus a list of this year’s WBC competitors. It appears that the number of shooters is down slightly this year, compared to the 170 participants who attended the 2007 WBC in Austria. However, it looks like there will be a record number of countries represented at this year’s Championship event, with first-ever attendees from nations such as Colombia and Ukraine. The WBC has truly become a “world” competition, attracting the “best of the best” from around the globe. The match will be held at the modern Eurostand facility, one of Europe’s best-equipped indoor/outdoor shooting ranges.
The three American squads attending the 2011 WBC will include many Benchrest legends:
Team USA ‘A': Tony Boyer, Larry Costa, Gene Bukys, Chris Harris
Team USA ‘B': Mike Ratigan, Jack Neary, Andy Shifflett, Wayne Campbell
Team USA ‘C': Larry Baggett, Robert Hammack, Dave Coots, Tim Oltersdorf
Story tip by Fergus Bailey. Photos courtesy Association Bench Rest France.
March 7th, 2011
In our Shooters’ Forum one member asked for an explanation of the free recoil shooting method. This style, or some variant thereof, is used by many successful short-range (100/200 yard) benchrest shooters. However, we must point out that there is a difference between “pure free recoil” and what you may actually see on the firing line of a registered benchest match. Different shooters may employ a slightly different style — perhaps shouldering the gun a bit, or maybe laying a thumb lightly behind the tang. Technically speaking, that’s no longer free recoil. Remember, there is no “best” technique for every caliber and every gun. And to shoot with a “pure” free recoil method, i.e. touching only the trigger, and not contacting the stock in any way, requires a well-balanced rifle and a highly optimized set-up of front rest and rear bag.
Tony Boyer Video
In the video below you’ll see Hall of Fame shooter Tony Boyer shooting his gun at the Shamrock tournament in 2009. Tony only touches the trigger, but he does index his right hand on the side of the stock. Note: there are some audio problems with this video when you view it at 360p resolution and the playback speed seems slowed down slightly. If the audio cut-outs bother you, try viewing at 720p (HD), or just turn down the volume and focus on Tony’s technique. The slight “slow-motion” effect actually makes it easier to see what Tony is doing. The video does seem to run best at 720p, if you have a high-speed connection.
Introduction to Benchrest Video
 In this second video, Birgir Runar Saemundsson of Iceland demonstrates free recoil technique near the start of the video. If you watch carefully you’ll see that only Birgir’s index finger touches the trigger. The rifle’s butt is not contacting Birgir’s shoulder when he pulls the trigger. This 11-minute video is part of an introduction to benchrest shooting that Saemundsson offers through his BRS Custom Rifles website. Birgir is a skilled shooter who set a 10-shot 200-yard IBS world record at the Kelbly Range in 1988. At right is Birgir’s 10-shot record target.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9194636798795391569
November 1st, 2010
Here is the book we have all been waiting for. Tony Boyer, by far the greatest shooter in the history of short-range benchrest competition, has finally released his new 323-page book. It’s a beautiful product, full of color photos from cover to cover. Every serious benchrest shooter should read Tony’s book. He has dominated registered benchrest in a fashion that will never be duplicated. Tony Boyer has 142 U.S. Benchrest Hall of Fame points. That total is unprecedented. The next closest shooter, Allie Euber, has 47 Hall of Fame points.
The full-color book is 323 pages long, and there are color photos or color illustrations on nearly every page. The hard-cover first edition costs $42.50, while the soft cover version is $34.50. These are available from Bruno Shooters Supply, 1-800-455-0350. You can also buy directly from Tony Boyer’s publisher, Turks Head in Washington state, by visiting www.RifleAccuracyBook.com.
Special Limited Slipcase Edition, Signed by Tony Boyer — 500 Only
A total of 500 limited-edition, hardback versions of the Boyer book were printed. These 500 limited edition books are all signed by Tony Boyer. Cost is $64.50, and that includes a fitted external slipcase to protect the book’s cover. The Boyer-signed, limited edition books are offered exclusively through Turks Head. Call (206) 782-4164 (ext. 0) to order, or visit www.RifleAccuracyBook.com.
If you want a limited, signed edition, you should act quickly.
The Book Of Rifle Accuracy, By Tony Boyer
Hard Cover, Bruno Code: TBHC — Price: $42.50 | Soft Cover, Bruno Code: TBSC — Price: $34.50
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