|
  
  As an Amazon Associate, this site earns a commission from Amazon sales.  |
June 22nd, 2015
Handguns at 500, 750, and 1000 Yards in Wyoming
The MOA Long Range Handgun Match was held June 18-20, 2015 near Sundance, Wyoming. This three-day event features handgun shooting at 500, 750, and 1000 yards. Shooters start at 500 on the first day, and then move to 750 on Day 2, and 1000 on Day 3. Sierra Bullets Media Relations Manager Carroll Pilant joined the action this year (as he has every year since the event’s inception). Here is his report… (more…)
March 26th, 2015
If You Could Hunt Anything, Anywhere…. Where Would You Go?This article originally appeared in the Sierra Bullets Blog Photo courtesy Kirabo Safaris, South Africa. Africa topped the list of “dream hunting locations” by a landslide. Canada and Alaska were both picked twice, with other destinations each favored by one staffer: Africa 6 votes (Kudu, Eland, Cape Buffalo, Leopard, Lion, Plains Game) Carroll Pilant (Ballistics Technician): “Back to Africa for kudu and eland.” Rich Machholz (Ballistic Technician): “African Cape Buffalo with my longtime friend Lloyd in Zimbabwee.” Tommy Todd (Chief Ballistician): “Free Range African plains game” Matt Reams (VP Sales & Marketing): “Probably a leopard. Africa is cool to see and that is a pretty scary/dangerous hunt that would be very thrilling.” Photo courtesy Namibia Hunting Safaris. Dan Mahnken (Production Resource Mgr.): “Africa and the African lion. More exciting that way it’s a 50/50 chance for both of us.” Brad Vansell (Toolsetter): “Anything in Africa, or Australia.” Philip Mahin (Ballistic Technician): “Canadian Moose” Duane Siercks (Ballistic Technician): “What? I can’t make a list! My next hunt that I dream about would be to go to Canada for a very large black bear.” Photo courtesy Alaska Dall Sheep Guides. Paul Box (Ballistic Technician): “Alaska – Dall Sheep.” Craig Westermier (Machine Shop Lead): “Dall Sheep in Alaska.” David Palm (Process Engineer): “Elk anywhere in the Rockies.” Gary Prisendorf (Ballistician): “Doves in Argentina.” Chris Hatfield (Production Manager): “Anything in Australia would be cool.” Darren Leskiw (Plant Engineer): “I’ve been hunting one time near Douglas, Wyoming and it was beautiful country. I’d love to go back and spend more time there and tag another antelope.” Hunting in Wyoming SNS Outfitters & Guides is the largest pronghorn antelope outfitter in North America with over 750,000 acres of leased land. SNS boats a 96% success rate on antelope hunts.
April 8th, 2014
NRA Long Range Hunting/Shooting School in WyomingThe NRA Outdoors Long Range Hunting/Shooting School returns to the Queen Mountain Ranch in Evanston, Wyoming for three sessions (two in May and one in June). The Long Range Hunting One course teaches proven long range shooting techniques for long-range hunters. There are still a few spots offered for the May sessions, and a June session just openeed. Cost of the class, which includes meals and accommodation, is $2,000. Video Shows 2013 Long Range Hunting/Shooting School The Course will cover: Ammo selection, Range Estimation, Zeroing, Ballistics, Effects of Weather, Reading the Wind, MOA and other Reticle Calibration, Bullet placement on big game for high kill percentage, Alternate Shooting Positions, trigger control, Spotter Skills, When to engage a moving target. The course will also cover some general topics, such as: Firearms maintenance, Range Safety, Rifle Building, and Scope Theory.
“The success of the first NRA Outdoors Long Range Hunting/Shooting School was a result of the combination of our excellent instructors [and] the first-class facilities at the Queen Mountain Ranch that made this class unlike anything else in the industry and a must for any serious western big-game hunter and shooter,” said NRA Outdoors President Greg Ray. The course offers access to a wide variety of terrain from the base location of Queen Mountain Ranch: “We have 1 million acres of terrain spread out over Wyoming and nearby Utah. We have all the angles covered: high desert, mountains, cross canyon and all points in between.”
Course fee of $2000.00 per student includes:
January 12th, 2014
Magpul Moves Manufacturing Operations to Wyoming
Richard Fitzpatrick, Founder, President, and CEO of Magpul Industries, said that Magpul had no choice but to leave when Colorado outlawed Magpul’s “core products”. The company began a nationwide search for a new base of operations after legislation was enacted in Colorado that restricted the sale of firearms accessories — the core of Magpul’s business. Magpul plans to transition 92% of its current workforce outside of Colorado within 12-16 months and will maintain only limited operations in Colorado. “Moving operations to states that support our culture of individual liberties and personal responsibility is important,” explained Fitzpatrick, who added: “This relocation will also improve business operations and logistics as we utilize the strengths of Texas and Wyoming in our expansion.”
May 29th, 2013
7th Annual MOA Long Range Handgun Match in WyomingThe 7th Annual MOA Cold Turkey Long Range Handgun Match will be held June 20-22 in Sundance, Wyoming. This is a 3-day Specialty Handgun competition with targets at 500, 750, and 1,000 yards. On the firing line, you’ll find a variety of precision handguns including the Remington XP-100, Savage Striker, MOA Maximum, Freedom Arm’s New Single-shot, as well as numerous custom and semi-custom rigs (typically set up with a 14″ to 18″ barrel, and muzzle brake). Popular cartridges include .243 AI, 6×47 Lapua, 6mm-284, and 6.5-284 Win. While many shooters use pistol scopes, in recent years, many competitors have switched to igher magnification rifle scopes. Sundance-based lead sponsor MOA Corporation is a respected maker of Specialty Handguns for hunting and target shooting. CLICK HERE for Specialty Handgun Shoot INFO Flyer 
Over the years, the MOA Specialty Handgun event has expanded to include new disciplines. There is now an IHMSA-style Freestyle pistol event, shot for group at 500 yards with categories for both iron (metallic) sights and scoped optics. In addition there is a popular “Roving Field Course” competition. This is a hunting-stalking-tactical style event shot on steel at distances generally from 300 to 600 yards. This Roving Field Course event is open to both individual and two-man shooter/spooter teams. You can use ANY handgun or optics type and any technologies to range targets and gauge wind speeds.
Two-Day Prairie Dog Shoot Before MOA Handgun Match
January 22nd, 2012
SHOT Show: Stukey Sturdy Shooting Bench
If you want a good, solid portable bench that doesn’t wobble, or move unpredicatbly from shot-to-shot, consider the Stukey Sturdy Shooting Bench. No it doesn’t spin, and it doesn’t have an attached seat. But the very simplicity of the Stukey bench is why it works so well. The legs lock up absolutely solid, and there is no attached seat to bounce the bench. As Royal told us: “I don’t like hookin’ my butt to my reticle”. If you have a seat attached to your bench, a slight movement of your body on the seat can impart a wobble to the bench top. That’s no good if you’re trying to shoot 1/4-MOA groups or hit varmints at very long range. As Royal says: “You’re never going to tag that 900-yard prairie dog is you have any wiggle in your bench. It just translates to too many minutes of angle out there.” Makes sense. The Stukey bench has a patented leg attachment system — a floating nut plate/socket/collar arrangement that assembles quickly without tools. The patented connection provides a rock-solid lock-up between the legs and frame. And these benches are strong — check out the photo of Royal’s pick-up truck supported by four of his benches.
Currently, the Stukey bench does not have adjusting leg heights. However Royal says that the triangle leg design accommodates most terrain. He just takes a level with him into the field and adjusts the bench orientation until the top is not tilted. Stukey benchtops have cut-outs on both sides, so they fit both right- and left-handed shooters. Simply move the seat to your preferred side. Total bench weight is roughly 65 pounds (30 lbs. for the top and 35 lbs. for the legs.) For more info, visit Royal’s website, www.ShootingBenches.com. The Stukey bench costs $545.00 (without shooting stool).
November 2nd, 2009
Hornady Team Wins Int'l Tactical Rifleman's Championship
The match is a grueling three-day event held for teams of two marksmen. The event challenges each two-man team with multiple scenarios involving pistol targets to 50 yards, carbine targets to 500 yards, and precision rifle targets to 1,000 yards. One partner ranges and calls shots while the other shoots, with roles interchanged during the stages. Typically, the long-range rifle targets are at “unknown” distances, requiring ranging skills and excellent communication between spotter and shooter. This year, the long-range field courses involved pistol, carbine, and rifle targets. First one or both team members engaged pistol targets out to 50 yards. Then, one shooter engaged the medium range (0-500 yards) carbine targets. Next his partner shot bolt-action rifle at targets from 0-1000 yards. In addition to the long-range stages, this year’s IRTC included a shorter-range (Gully) pistol + rifle event, a “Scramble” event for carbines with targets out to 550 yards, a timed Team vs. Team event, plus a 500-yard ‘Egg Shoot’ for bolt rifle. CLICK HERE for a full ITRC Course of Fire and Rules
All ITRC courses of fire demand movement from the team across varied rugged terrain and even obstacle courses. ITRC matches typically offer “shoot while moving” stages, which can include shooting from a raft on a lake, shooting from a helicopter in flight, or shooting from the back of a moving Humvee. Overall, the ITRC is a very challenging event that places exceptional demands on both equipment and shooter skills. Below is an ITRC highlight video showing event stages. 
DISCLAIMER: This video (@ 4:00) shows two pistols that are covered in dirt or mud and then fired before the barrels were carefully checked for obstructions. This is a UNSAFE practice.
February 12th, 2009
TechShooter's Black Hills Prairie Dog AdventureSite contributor Chris Long (aka “TechShooter”) has crafted a report about his July, 2007 Prairie Dog Expedition in Wyoming. Ralph and Lenora Dampman of Trophy Ridge Outfitters served as guides for the trip. Trophy Ridge runs ‘Dog hunts near the town of Carlile in the NW range of the Black Hills, near Devil’s Tower National Monument. Primarily big game outfitters, Ralph and Lenora have access to thousands of acres of private ranch land. They run guided prairie dog hunts during their off-season. Chris reports “The terrain is beautiful, a welcome change from the South Dakota prairie, with lots of hills and Ponderosa pine trees. [These] ranch lands are home to some prodigious dog towns.” Chris continues: “The goal of this trip (besides having a great time) was to get in some long range (1000+ yard) opportunities, and possibly even a shot over 1500 yards, in order to qualify for the VHA 1500 yard certification. I had worked up some really good loads for the 6.5-284 TubeGun and the .260 AI using the new 130 grain Berger VLDs, and wanted to see how they performed at these extreme ranges. I also wanted to see how the trusty 6 Dasher performed as a long range varmint cartridge.”
Chris Long was joined by two friends who came all the way from Virginia. Chris reports, “Our plan was to get in four days of intense, long-range shooting. We were not disappointed! The shooting was from 100 to over 1000 yards, and the dogs were everywhere. There were plenty of targets close in, so there was a lot a variety. It is especially challenging to move in and out in range by these extreme amounts. It gave me a lot of practice estimating range and wind conditions, then seeing if I could get the come-ups and windage right on the scope for the first shot at the new range. By the end of the trip, I was getting it pretty close, with some 1-shot hits out to about 600 yards.”
Chris’s primary long-range rifle was his 6.5-284 Tube-gun (photo above) running 130gr Berger VLDs at 3165 fps. Chris reports the 130s can be shot at 3165 fps with no excessive pressures, and “scary, one hole, 5-shot 100-yard group accuracy.” With a B.C. of about 0.6, the 130s shoot flatter and exhibit less wind drift than the 140gr class bullets at 2950 FPS. Chris’s second gun was a more conventional bolt-action in a Franklin LowRider stock, set up with both 6mm Dasher and .260 AI barrels. Chris notes: “The Dasher has proven itself in spades as an extremely accurate cartridge for F-Class Open competition, and I was anxious to see how it performed as a varmint cartridge. The performance was excellent, with many hits out past 1000 yards. This rifle is set up as a switch-barrel rig, and is the platform for the 260 AI. I made a portable barrel vise that mounts in the trailer hitch receiver on the Suburban. That, with a rear entry action wrench, makes barrel changes a 5 minute affair. I would shoot until the barrel got a bit hot, then switch and proceed with the other caliber.” CLICK HERE to read the complete story. It contains more load data, details of hits made out to 1330 yards, and many great photos of the Wyoming scenery. For .260 AI and 6 Dasher tech tips, visit TechShooter’s Shooting Pages.
Photos and quotes copyright © 2007 Chris Long, All Rights Reserved, used by permission. 
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 2024 Accurate Shooter
Available Course Dates
After Colorado banned full-capacity magazines, 
Late this summer, the 
Zak Smith of 
