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October 26th, 2010
 By Brian Lepley, Michael Molinaro, Alexandra Hemmerly-Brown
Sgt. Sherri Gallagher of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, a soldier with 21 national rifle shooting records, added one more trophy: the U.S. Army’s Soldier of the Year award. This award is given to the top Soldier at the Army’s Annual Best Warrior competition. At the U.S. Army Assn. Annual meeting on Oct. 25th, Sgt. Gallagher was named Soldier of the Year by Kenneth Preston, Sergeant Major of the Army, and Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Army Vice Chief of Staff. Sgt. Gallagher was selected for SOY honors over 11 other Best Warrior competitors from the Army’s major commands.
Sgt. Sherri Gallagher’s young life has been one of high achievement. Gallagher, one of the nation’s top long-range rifle shooters, won the National High Power Rifle Championship this summer. Now the 26-year old rifle shooter/instructor for the Army Marksmanship Unit is the first female ever to win the Army’s Best Warrior competition.
“This is such an honor — I don’t think it has sunk in yet,” Gallagher said moments after the announcement here Monday. “Any one of us could have won the competition. I learned so much from everybody out here and loved every minute of this experience.” The Best Warrior event, held Oct. 18-22 at Fort Lee, Virginia, is a multi-faceted test of soldiery. This year’s competition included hand-to-hand combat, urban orienteering, detainee operations, casualty evaluation, weapons familiarization and night firing. “The reason I was successful is the training my sponsor, Sgt. 1st Class David Steinbach, developed for me,” said Gallagher. “He pushed me so hard that I was ready for everything during the competition. I wish that I could share this with him because it truly was a team effort.”
 CaptionWASHINGTON -- Sgt. Sherri Jo Gallagher, U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, stands with Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Army Vice Chief of Staff, and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston Monday after being named the 2010 Army Soldier of the Year by Preston during the Association of the United States Army annual meeting. Gallagher and 23 other Soldiers and noncommissioned officers competed in the 2010 Best Warrior Competition at Ft. Lee Oct. 18-22.
(Photo by Michael Molinaro, USAMU PAO) Sgt. Gallagher’s preparation was tested at every level during the week at Fort Lee. Following a board led by SMA Preston Oct. 18, competitors were tested on their knowledge in a written exam and essay. Three days of field exercises Oct. 20-22 came next. The candidates conducted urban orienteering Wednesday and each led a squad through simulated battle operations that included engaging insurgents, tending wounded soldiers on the battlefield, and a stress shoot while moving under ‘enemy’ fire.
One event Gallagher was expected to ace, of course, was M4 rifle qualification. “It was faster-paced, quick, reactive shooting, but all shooting’s the same,” she said, “Keep your sights aligned and you’re good. I’m always more comfortable with a gun in my hand.”
 In between preparing for her boards and Soldier competitions, Gallagher became the first U.S. military shooter since 1987 to win the Nat’l High Power Rifle Championship. She was only the second woman ever to win — the first being her mother, Nancy Tompkins.
Sgt. Gallagher’s family is legendary in U.S. shooting competition. Gallagher fired her first weapon at 5 years old. She spent her childhood summers touring shooting competitions with her parents, both competitive shooters, and now participates in the World Championships every four years. “My goal is to make the Olympic team,” Gallagher said, although long-range shooting is not yet an Olympic sport.
“My family is always there for me — we are really close,” Gallagher said. “Being named Best Warrior was that much more special since my mom was there sitting next to me today. I am who I am today because of my family. We have so much fun and live life that way.”
Sgt. Gallagher also gave credit to her fellow soldiers: “My Army family is awesome. My teammates on the service rifle team have always had my back. The entire unit went out of its way to support me in any way they could. Even the leadership at Accessions Support Brigade and Accessions Command would call me and offer help.”
This week begins a year of Gallagher representing the Army as its best enlisted Soldier. Next week, however, it’s back to training — Gallagher heads to Airborne School at Fort Benning, GA, before attending Warrior Leaders Course soon after that.
“How great is the Army?” Gallagher asked. “I just got to spend a week with some of the most talented people this Army has to offer, and in a few weeks I get to jump out of an airplane. Nothing is better than being a Soldier.”
Related Story from Prescott (AZ) Daily Courier (Interview with Sherri and family members.)
September 29th, 2010
by Kerrin Brinkman, NRA BLOG
Just a few days after his win at the 3-Gun Nation Championship (earning him a $25,000 prize), SGT Dan Horner of the USAMU won another 3-Gun event, the Adams Arms Ozark 3-Gun Championship in Missouri. There was plenty of excitement at the final shoot-off on Sunday afternoon. Eight top shooters competed in the shoot-off, with a $5,000 check on the line.
The first two competitors to face-off were famed 3-gunner Taran Bulter and SGT Dan Horner, still fresh off his big win at the 3-Gun Nation Championship. Known for his speed, Horner had the advantage out of the gate and knocked Butler out of the running.
The next pairing was seasoned shooter Kurt Miller and newcomer Bryan Ray. While Miller has been a strong presence in the world of iron sights for years, Ray recently broke onto the scene, capturing first place in the Heavy Metal class for his first win at a national-level competition. In the end, Ray was able to beat Miller after an incredible run and advanced to the semi-finals.
Up next were Clint Upchurch and Rob Romero of the Noveske Shooting Team, where Romero's blazing speed earned him a win into the semifinals. The final pairing was Surefire's Barry Dueck versus Chris Sechiatano, with Sechiatano edging out Dueck to secure a spot in the next bracket.
Horner and Ray were next to the line in a nail-biting run. The pairing of Horner, perhaps the fastest shooter the sport of 3-gun has ever seen, against Ray, a hard-charger who seemingly rose to the leaderboard out of no where, was exciting to say the least. Although Ray had an incredible run, Horner’s speed and accuracy gave the young Staff Sergeant the upper-hand. The finals came down to Horner and Romero. Despite his best efforts, Romero couldn’t match Horner’s speed. SGT Horner walked away with another 3-Gun win under his belt and a check for $5,000 in his hand.
September 20th, 2010
 by Michael Molinaro, USAMU
Sgt. Sherri Jo Gallagher set high goals for 2010. To say she met them is an understatement. The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Soldier recently won the National High Power Rifle Championship, is on the brink of competing to be the Army Soldier of the Year, and relishes every moment serving her country.
“I wanted to be in the military since I was very young — I was drawn to the challenge and excitement of it,” said Gallagher. “I wanted to learn how to be a leader and make a difference in life. Then I had the opportunity to join the USAMU and turn my favorite hobby into my daily life. Nothing could be more fun than that.”
Gallagher became the first service member since 1987 to win the high-power competition at the National Championships held annually at Camp Perry, Ohio. She set a new national record in the match with a 2396-161x, dropping only four shots during the entire competition. She shot 21 more “X”s than anyone else in the field, which included legends of the sport and past champions. She also became the second woman ever to win the championship — her mother, Nancy Tompkins, being the first.
“Mom won in 1998,” Gallagher said. “We were both competing that year so I didn’t get to watch her that much — but she wasn’t shooting high-power this year so she was able to watch me shoot. She brought me coffee every day. It was very nice.”
Gallagher grew up around the sport of shooting. Her stepfather managed a U.S. national rifle team, her mother is a living legend in the sport, and her sister is a three-time national high-power long-range rifle champion and finished third overall in the long-range event this year. “I started shooting when I was five,” Gallagher said. “My step-dad had us pulling targets by about seven and the best way to get out of the pits is if we volunteered to shoot. So it was good motivation.”
Gallagher currently holds 21 National records in rifle. In 2009, she won the National High Power Long Range Rifle Championship for the first time and credits her success on the firing line to some very simple advice she received at a young age.
“The biggest thing we learned growing up was to have fun and if you’re not having fun something is wrong,” she continued. “There is no point getting worked up over what you do because all you can do is your best.”
Gallagher took that advice to heart in training for the nationals this year because besides winning the coveted title at Camp Perry, she was named TRADOC Soldier of the Year just a few weeks prior. A process that started at the unit level back in the spring now has her set to go head-to-head against the best the Army has to offer at the 2010 Best Warrior Competition with the title of Army Soldier of the Year on the line.
“It’s been an awesome experience,” said Gallagher, who was promoted to the rank of Sergeant since competing at TRADOC (U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command). One of the reasons soldiers in her unit believe Gallagher is thriving is the approach she takes to every task she is given: “She has a ‘can do’ attitude about everything she does”, said SFC Kyle Ward, NCO-in-charge for the service rifle team. Gallagher hasn’t lost focus on the mission at hand for the USAMU: “The most important thing is training Soldiers, assisting with research and development, and helping the war fighter,” she said. “My goal for next year is to learn how to be a better instructor. I like to use everything I learn through competition to help train others. I get to use a skill I grew up using and help people with their marksmanship.”
August 16th, 2010
 Following SGT Sherri Gallagher’s record-setting victory in the 2010 NRA High Power National Championship, many readers have asked what caliber (chambering) Sherri was shooting. Well, Sherri was shooting a .260 Remington at all yardages, as confirmed by SFC Emil Praslick, USAMU rifle coach. Runner-up Carl Bernosky was shooting a 6mm Hagar in an AR-platform rifle.
To capture her first High Power Championship, with a record 2396-161X score, Sheri used a Tubb 2000 bolt gun chambered in .260 Rem. According to Praslick: “[the rifle has] the same barrel as last year. I believe it has close to 2000 rounds on it.” To our surprise, Sherri’s ammo was loaded in relatively inexpensive Remington brass. Praslick explained: “We use Remington brass, Federal 210Ms, and Varget powder. For the 300/600 yard lines we use the Sierra 142gr bullet. Her 300RF load is around 2650 fps, the 600SF load approximately 2750 fps. At the 200 [yard line], we use a reduced recoil load using the Sierra 107gr MK.”
 Accuracy Trumps Raw Velocity
Praslick noted that Sherri’s load, while not particularly fast, is ultra-accurate: “All these loads rely much more on accuracy than they do velocity. SGT Gallagher’s rifle has been tested repeatedly at 600 yards. It will easily shoot 3″ to 4″ groups all day long. This is evident by her X-count.” Praslick added: “I am a big believer in the .260 for High Power shooting. [It offers] easy load development, ballistic advantage, and long barrel life.”
.260 Rem Resources
To learn more about the .260 Rem, read Zak Smith’s article: 6.5mm Shootout: .260 Remington vs. 6.5×47 Lapua vs. 6.5 Creedmoor. Zak compares three popular 6.5mm cartridges, weighing the pros and cons of each. Zak himself shoots the Rem .260 loaded with 139gr Lapua Scenar bullets and Alliant Reloder 17.
Another great load for this cartridge is the 123gr Lapua Scenar pushed by Hodgdon H4350. That was the best overall performing load in this Editor’s .260 Rem. I was able to run the 123s at 2950 fps with great accuracy and extremely low ES and SD. Compare the 600-yard ballistics of the Scenar 123s at 2950 fps with Sherri’s 142gr SMKs launched at 2750 fps. You may be surprised. The 123s have less drop, and the 10 mph wind drift (at 600 yards) is very close: 23.9″ for the 123s vs. 22.8″ for the 142s. (Calculations done with JBM Online Ballistics Calculator using Lapua and Litz field-measured BCs, 59°, 500′ elevation.)
August 13th, 2010
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.
August 12th, 2010
 Sherri Gallagher, the 2009 NRA National Long-Range Champion, could add a High Power Championship to her list of victories, if she stays on pace. Only one woman has ever won the National High Power Championship — Sherri’s mother, Nancy Tompkins. All of Sherri’s fans nationwide all pulling for her to be the second-ever female High Power Champ. But the competition will be tough.
Sherri Gallagher is beginning to pull away in the X-Count, but she could still be overtaken by any of the shooters close behind her in the standings. Carl Bernosky, a multi-time National High-Power Champion, is just one point behind Sherri. Stephen Culpepper and Eric Swearingen are still in striking distance. Ten-time champion David Tubb is not far behind either. Shooting against those male “all-stars”, Gallagher has been very impressive and looks to continue her pace, but this isn’t over just yet. This year’s Championship could go down to the last shot of the last relay.
On the Service Rifle front, Eric Swearingen is in the lead for the Service Rifle Championship with a 1789-86X, but both 2009 Service Rifle Champion Grant Singley (1785-97X) and Troy Lawton’s (1785-70X) are just two points back.
For the latest news from Camp Perry, including High Power Championship standings, visit the NRA Blog. Here is the “leaderboard” after the High Power Rifle Championship’s third day, with one more to go. Tomorrow’s forecast is clear and sunny with no threat of rain.
| Match 400 – NRA National High Power Rifle Championship |
| Name |
Results |
| Sherri Gallagher |
1797-129x |
| Carl Bernosky |
1796-109x |
| Stephen Culpepper |
1790-91x |
| Eric Swearingen |
1789-86x |
| David Tubb |
1787-86x |
Late-Breaking News from Camp Perry
Steve Clark Reports: Sherri missed 1st last year from a crossfire. This year so far she’s shooting 71.6% Xs, dropping only 3 points out of 1800. Norm Houle (last year’s Champion) apparently cross-fired today, putting himself back a good number.
Carl’s shooting SOLID — again — this year with his 6mm HAGAR. He’s second, by ONE POINT, after 180 shots, but he’s down 20 Xs. Carl has won the High Power Championship 9 times so far, most recently in 2008 — the first victory with an AR15-platform rifle.
What a great show! Like last year, I think it’s going to come down to the last shot fired tomorrow afternoon to decide the winner.
Report and photo courtesy NRA Blog.
August 11th, 2010
 Report by Sommer Wood, CMP Online Magazine
The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) rolled through the 2010 National Trophy Rifle Matches with almost complete dominance. Shooters from the USAMU finished first in the National Trophy Individual Match (NTI), the Hearst Doubles, and, for the fourth year in a row, the National Trophy Team Match (NTT). The USAMU Team also reclaimed the top spot in the National Trophy Infantry Team Match (NTIT or “rattle battle”) after a shocking fourth place finish last year behind three civilian teams, including the historic win by the California Grizzlies O’Connell Juniors.
 The 2010 NTT was closely contested going in the last stage, with only a couple of points separating the top five teams, but at the 600-yard-line the USAMU finally pulled ahead to finish with a 2920-100X. The winning NTT team was comprised of Team Captain SSG Walter Craig, Team Coach SFC Emil Praslick III and firing members SSG Brandon Green, SGT Sherri Gallagher, SPC Augustus Dunfey, SFC Grant Singley, SFC Lance Dement and SGT Tryel Cooper. The USAMU Praslick Team edged out the California Rifle and Pistol Association-Coalinga civilian team, which finished with a 2910-84X.
What was the driving force behind the USAMU Praslick Team’s dominance this year? USAMU shooters SFC Lance Dement, SGT Brandon Green and SPC Tyrel Cooper all said that outstanding coaching was key to victory. This was particularly evident at the 600-yard-line where the Team pulled ahead of the pack during the 2010 National Matches.
 SGT Tyrel Cooper Wins
National Trophy Individual Title
After finishing a close second in 2009 National Trophy Individual Match, SGT Tyrel Cooper of the USAMU emerged victorious this year with a tough-fought, X-count win over his USAMU team-mate SFC Lance Dement. SGT Cooper finished the day with an impressive 495-23X, three Xs better than SFC Dement, who shot a 495-20X to claim second.
Entering the final stage of this year’s NTI, SGT Cooper tried not to focus on score and instead talked about wind strategy for the 600-yard-line with USAMU coach SFC Emil Praslick III: “I have lead in the past and let myself start thinking too much about scores…. I switched my focus to the strategy I wanted to use for the wind and followed my plan.” The plan worked and SGT Cooper shot a 197-9X at the 600-yard-line to secure first place.
August 5th, 2010
 At the 50th ISSF World Shooting Championship in Munich, American Joshua Richmond shot a perfect 50 in the finals to win the Double Trap World Championship. Shattering 50 out of 50 targets in the final stage, Richmond hit 196 total targets overall (out of 200 possible), equaling the current ISSF World Record record set last year. That record was set by China’s Hu Binyuan, who took the bronze in Munich, after Russia’s Vasily Mosin captured the Silver Medal in a tie-breaker shoot-off. Richmond’s victory secured an important Olympic Quota Place for Team USA. Josh is currently a member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) at Ft. Benning, Georgia.
You can watch Richmond’s amazing record-tying performance on the ISSF-Sports.org website. CLICK this LINK, then select “Final Double Trap Men” on the Right.
After Richmond’s final match he was surrounded by his American team-mates, who celebrated the first Olympic Quota won by the US Shotgun Team in this World Championship. Richmond told the ISSF press team: “It feels simply great! To win a World title, equaling the world record and securing Olympic Quota place… I still don’t know how I made it! I [was] Junior World Champion in 2005… to win a title in the open category five years later is a dream come true!”
Top photo courtesy USAShooting.com
August 5th, 2010
 The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s Service Rifle team dominated the 49th Interservice Rifle Championships. USAMU shooters won the coveted 10-man Interservice Rifle team championship and swept every major award at the Interservice tournament, held last week at Quantico, Virginia. USAMU teams also won the the 1,000-yard team match in both the service rifle and match rifle categories, setting a new match record in the service rifle category. With its performance at Quantico, the USAMU completed a sweep of all interservice marksmanship championships in 2010 — soldiers and teams from the USAMU previously won the shotgun and pistol interservice competitions, as a team and individually.
Individually, Staff Sgt. Brandon Green was the big winner during the week. He won six championships, including the overall individual championship — his second time winning the prestigious title. He also won the Coast Guard match, the Marine Corps match, the 600-yard match rifle, the 1,000-yard match rifle, and the match rifle individual long-range championship.
Members of the winning 10-man Interservice Rifle team were: Sgt. 1st Class Lance Dement, Sgt. 1st Class Grant Singley, Staff Sgt. Tyrell Cooper, Staff Sgt. Brandon Green, Staff Sgt. Joel Micholick, Staff Sgt. Scott Grant, Sgt. Sherri Jo Gallagher, Spc. Kevin Trickett, Spc. Augustus Dunfey, and Pfc. Amanda Elsenboss. Coaches were Sgt. 1st Class Emil Praslick and Staff Sgt. Walter Craig. Cooper was the high individual shooter during the match with a score of 497-21x.
June 11th, 2010
We know many of our readers will be headed off to Camp Perry, Ohio for the NRA National Rifle Championships soon. To succeed at Perry, given the high level of competition, you’ll need solid wind-reading abilities. We’ve found an article by Sgt. 1st Class Emil Praslick III, USAMU Service Rifle coach, that can help you make better wind calls in competition.
SFC Praslick is considered one of the best wind gurus in the United States, if not the world. He has authored an excellent two-part article on wind reading that is available on the CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program) website. Both articles contain helpful illustrations, and are “must-read” resources for any long-range shooter–not just Service Rifle and Highpower competitors.
Click to Read Articles:
Reading the Wind (Part One) | Reading the Wind (Part Two)
 Part One covers basic principles, tactics, and strategies, with a focus on the 200-yard stages. Emil writes: “There are as many dimensions to ‘wind reading’ as there are stages to High Power competition. Your tactical mindset, or philosophy, must be different for the 200 and 300 yard rapid-fire stages than it would be for the 600 yard slow-fire. In the slow-fire stages you have the ability to adjust windage from shot to shot, utilizing the location of the previous shot as an indicator. Additionally, a change to the existing conditions can be identified and adjusted for prior to shooting the next shot.”
In Part Two, Praslick provides more detailed explanations of the key principles of wind zeros, wind reading, and the “Clock System” for determining wind values: “The Value of the wind is as important as its speed when deciding the proper windage to place on the rifle. A 10 MPH wind from ’12 o-clock’ has No Value, hence it will not effect the flight of the bullet. A 10 MPH wind from ‘3 o’clock’, however, would be classified as Full Value. Failure to correct for a Full Value wind will surely result in a less than desirable result.”
Praslick also explains how to identify and evaluate mirage:
Determine the accuracy of the mirage. Mirage is the reflection of light through layers of air that have different temperatures than the ground. These layers are blown by the wind and can be monitored to detect wind direction and speed.
Focus your scope midway between yourself and the target, this will make mirage appear more prominent. I must emphasize the importance of experience when using mirage as a wind-reading tool. The best way to become proficient in the use of mirage is to correlate its appearance to a known condition. Using this as a baseline, changes in mirage can be equated to changes in the value of the wind. Above all, you must practice this skill!
Click HERE for more excellent instructional articles by Emil Praslick and other USAMU Coaches and shooters.
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