February, 2014 The Voice of the National Benchrest Shooters Association

Transcription

1 February, 2014 The Voice of the National Benchrest Shooters Association Let s Go Hunting! In This Issue: Solving the Hunter Class Puzzle Hunter & Group Benchrest Halls of Fame Score Shooting & Group Benchrest World Records Ask The Pros...

2 2 Precision Rifleman Load up with one of Hodgdon s 27 smokeless powders. Match your gun, your game, the weather you ve got it bagged. Phone

3 February, 2014 Precision Rifleman 3 Concentric? During chambering, the barrel spins and the reamer remains stationary. Has a misaligned reamer left your chamber like this? The Hawkeye knows! Hawkeye Borescopes inspect firearms for defects that affect accuracy. Image rotation allows 360º examination of lands and grooves with the clarity of a medical endoscope. Adjustable Focus $895. View by eye, on a monitor, or computer. PRECISION BORESCOPES Designed, made and sold by precision shooters! Gradient Lens Corporation Advertising Index Hodgdon/IMR 2 Gradient Lens 3 PMA Tool 4 Darton International 5 Haverkamp Actions 6 Marsh Industries, LLC 7 Berger Bullets 7 Lilja Rifle Barrels 9 Accugauge/6mmPPC st Century Shooting 12 Hoehn Sales 14 Berger Cactus Classic 15 BAT Machine 20 Butch s Reloading 24 Benchrite, LLC Long Range Nationals 26 Anneal-Rite 27 East West Show Me Shootout 30 Kelbly s Back Page On the Cover: NBRSA 200 yard score targets. Photo by David Halblom. Table of Contents Arizona Benchrest s SW Regionals 2nd Leg 4 Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest 7 Solving the Hunter Puzzle, by Jason Stanley 8 Score Shooting World Records 10 Hunter Class Hall of Fame Standings 11 Sloughhouse 1000-Yard Benchrest 13 Columbus 600-Yard Benchrest 13 World Record Procedures, by David Halblom 14 US Group Benchrest Hall of Fame NBRSA Registered Match Schedule 16 World Records for Group Shooting 18 Ask The Pros, by Patrick Kennedy 19 Bart & Billy Battle at Brock s Gap 27 Ranges, Clubs & Contacts 28 NBRSA News 30 Officer & Director Contact Information 31

4 4 Precision Rifleman Arizona Benchrest Shooters SW Regionals: Murdica wins 4-Gun, Cottrell wins 3-Gun by Art Clegg & Ed Maxwell Neck Turning Equipment Powder Measures Rifle Maintenance We shot the 2nd half of the Southwest Regional Championship on November 2-3, 2013 at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix AZ. There were 25 shooters at the match. This was a Sporter and 10- shot Unlimited 100 yard match on Saturday and 200 yards on Sunday. We had nice weather and mild wind conditions for the entire weekend. Keith Cottrell won the 3-Gun and Lou Murdica won the 4-Gun. Pictured above are some of our shooters. From L-R: Larry White, Tom De- Bacco, George Lozano, Lou Murdica, Gary Ocock, Bob Brackney, Chuck Miller & Keith Cottrell. We would like to thank everyone for their continuing support of our matches. Don t forget the Cactus Classic Warm-Up is this month in preparation for the Berger Cactus Classic in March. This is a WBC13 qualifying event, so if you re planning to attend, please consider visiting us. Scope Rings & Bases Shooting Equipment Case Trimmers Sporter 100-Yards Keith Cottrell Gary Ocock Walt Berger Bob Brackney Garret Atkins Joe Pipola Dan Sutton Lou Murdica Larry White George Lozano William Marsh Jim Gardner Tom DeBacco Chuck Miller Dana Andrus Sporter 200-Yards Bob Brackney Lou Murdica Gary Ocock Larry White Chuck Miller Keith Cottrell William Marsh George Lozano Joe Pipola Gene DeLoney Walt Berger Jim Gardner Dana Andrus

5 Tom DeBacco Lowell Frei Sporter Grand Bob Brackney Lou Murdica Gary Ocock Keith Cottrell Larry White Joe Pipola William Marsh Walt Berger Chuck Miller George Lozano Jim Gardner Gene DeLoney Dana Andrus Tom DeBacco Dan Sutton Garet Atkins Doug Seib Unlimited 100-Yards Gary Ocock Bob Brackney Lou Murdica Tom DeBacco Gene DeLoney Dave Woodward Lowell Frei George Lozano Garret Atkins Larry White Dana Andrus Chuck Miller William Marsh Walt Berger Doug Seib Unlimited 200-Yards George Lozano Larry White Bob Brackney Dana Andrus Lou Murdica Tom DeBacco Chuck Miller Walt Berger Gary Ocock Gene DeLoney Dan Sutton William Marsh Jim Gardner Garret Atkins Dave Woodward Unlimited Grand Bob Brackney Gary Ocock Lou Murdica George Lozano Tom DeBacco Larry White Dana Andrus Gene DeLoney Chuck Miller Dave Woodward Garet Atkins William Marsh Walt Berger Dan Sutton Jim Gardner Lowell Frei Joe Pipola Hector Elias, Jr Doug Seib Two Gun Keith Cottrell Lou Murdica Chuck Miller Gary Ocock Dave Blazzard February, 2014 Precision Rifleman 5 Bob Brackney Dana Andrus Stephen Everson Joe Pipola Dan Sutton George Lozano Gene DeLoney William Marsh Scott Smith Tom Debacco Three Gun Keith Cottrell Lou Murdica Gary Ocock Chuck Miller Bob Brackney Dana Andrus Joe Pipola Dan Sutton George Lozano Stephen Everson Gene DeLoney William Marsh Larry White Tom DeBacco Hector Elias, Jr Four-Gun Lou Murdica Gary Ocock Chuck Miller Bob Brackney Keith Cottrell Dana Andrus George Lozano Dan Sutton Gene DeLoney Joe Pipola William Marsh Larry White PATENT PENDING Brass Grippers, the ULTIMATE simple solution you have been waiting for to hold cases for cleaning or uniforming primer pockets and cleaning or polishing the inside of the neck. Contact: Phone: (855) Fax: (760) sales@brassgripper.com See our demonstration video at

6 6 Precision Rifleman Ben Avery Range: Southwest Regional Championship 2nd Leg Equipment List November 2-3, 2013 Sporter Class: Name Action Barrel Stock Caliber GunSmith Stocker BulletWgt PowderWgt ScopePower Bob Brackney Marsh Krieger Brackney 6ppc Brackney Brackney Miller gr Leu 35 Lou Murdica LM-1 Shilen Larson 6ppc self self Column LT gr March - 50x Gary Ocock Marsh Krieger Brn-Mcm 6ppc Ocock Ocock Ocock BL - 55 Keith Cottrell Bat Bartlien Dickson 6ppc Ocock Dickson Rubright N-133 March - 40x Larry White Bat Krieger Scoville 6ppc Scott Scoville Miller LT-32 March Joe Pipola Bat 3-lug Krieger Brn-Mcm 6ppc Ocock Ocock Pipola March - 50xRR William Marsh Marsh Krieger Brn-Mcm 6ppc Marsh Ocock Berger 65bt gr Leu 45 Walt Berger Marsh Krieger Brn-Mcm 6ppc Ocock Ocock Column 64-6 T gr Nightforce Chuck Miller Marsh Krieger Brn-Mcm 6ppc Miller Ocock Miller 65bt gr Leu 45 George Lozano Bat Krieger Brn-Mcm 6ppc Ocock Ocock Miller 66 bt LT gr Leu 45 Unlimited Class: Bob Brackney Remington Krieger Brackney 6ppc Brackney Brackney Miller gr Leu 35 Gary Ocock Marsh Krieger Young 6ppc Ocock Young Ocock BL - 35 Lou Murdica Grizly Shilen Kensler 6ppc self self Column LT gr March George Lozano Bat 3-lug Krieger Young 6ppc Ocock Young Column LT gr Leu 45 Tom DeBacco Bat 3-lug Krieger Young 6ppc Ocock Young Miller Sightron -36 Larry White Marsh Krieger Young 6ppc Ocock Young Miller LT-32 Nightforce Dana Andrus Bat Krieger Hasecuster 6ppc Ocock Hasecuster Miller 65 LT32 28gr Leu-Brackney 45 Gene DeLoney Bat Krieger R.F.D. 6ppc DeLoney DeLoney Column LT gr Sightron - 55 Chuck Miller Marsh Krieger Miller 6ppc Miller Miller Miller 65bt gr Weaver 36 Dave Woodward Panda Bartlein Kenslar 6ppc Nielson Nielson Woodward 65 V 133 March - 50x

7 February, 2014 Precision Rifleman 7 Sahuaro 1000-Yd Benchrest December 14, 2013 Light Gun Aggregate Ross Herrick Hal Byrd Lon Persun Steve Everson Wayne McDonald Small Group Ross Herrick Heavy Gun Aggregate Steve Everson Ross Herrick Jeff Billotte Small Group Ross Herrick Light Gun Total Score Wayne McDonald Hal Byrd Steve Everson John Benz Jeff Billotte High Score Ross Herrick...47 Heavy Gun Total Score Steve Everson X Jeff Billotte Ross Herrick X High Score Steve Everson...96-X Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest December 14, 2013 Equipment List Name Caliber Action Barrel Gunsmith Stock Scope Case Powder Bullet/Wt Benz 6.5x284 Savage Savage Savage Savage Nightforce Lapua H Persun 30wsm McMillan Classic Wells McMillan Nightforce Norma H4831 Berger/210 McDonald 300wambo Sako Lilja Sam McMillan Nightforce Lapua Retumbo JLK/210 Everson (LG) 6.5x47 Panda Krieger Brackney Borden Leupold Lapua RL15 Amax/120 Everson(H/22) 284 Nesika Krieger Brackney McMillan Leupold Winchester H4350 Berger/180 Herrick 30Patriot Nesika Krieger Wells Tracker Nightforce Lazzeroni H4831 JLK/210 Billotte (LG) 6.5x57Lazz McMillan PacNor Lazzarini McMillan Nightforce Remington H1000 Berger/140 Billotte (H/35) 6.5x57Lazz McMillan PacNor Lazzarini McMillan Nightforce Norma H1000 Berger/140 Byrd 6.5/284 Remington Krieger Beginski Tracker Leupold Lapua H4831 Sierra/ N. Palm St. Fullerton, CA PHONE (714) FAX (714) These bullets are being tested by top BR shooters, with great success. Lou Murdica has won matches in both Florida and California, Don Nielson won Two Gun Aggs three weekends in a row and Tony Boyer shot a 200 yard HV Agg of.1928 at the 2012 East/West match in Missouri. The Berger 6mm BR Column Target bullet uses the physics of dispersion mitigation to provide BR Berger offers a full line of match grade rifle shooters with a reliable option that offers the widest and lowest tune valley. This means the bullet bullets for varmint, target, hunting and tactical shoots best in the widest variety of loads and seating depths. In this case, overall balance of the applications. Ask your dealer if they stock Berger bullet is more important than overall weight, so there is no listed weight. Rather, Bullets or visit our website for full details. the 6mm BR Column bullet achieves a specific internal lead column height, resulting in minor weight differences from lot to lot. Don t miss the Berger 6mm BR Column Bullet! Made Exclusively With J4 Precision Jackets SHOOT BETTER SHOOT BERGER Match Grade Rifle Bullets Varmint Target Hunting Tactical

8 8 Precision Rifleman Solving The Hunter Class Puzzle by Jason Stanley This writing is not meant to be a complete history lesson on the NBRSA Hunter Class. Rather, it is more like putting a puzzle together. Each piece has its own unique story and importance to Hunter Class. The pieces of this puzzle were found scattered all over the United States. Many thanks go to Randy Robinett from Iowa, Terry Meyer from Iowa, Lynn Wood from New Mexico, Al Nyhus from South Dakota, Wayne Corley from Missouri, Chad Schmidt from Wisconsin and to the late Bob Pease for writing a similar article which can be found on Bench-Talk.com. The purpose of this article is more of a discussion starter when shooters are socializing after a match. There are still many hidden pieces to the puzzle. Use this information along with other information to fill in some of those missing pieces or dive deeper into each piece. Sometime in the early 1960 s, small groups of hunters/shooters got together around the country and had some friendly competitions at their local clubs. Group shooting was already established by this time, so shooting off a bench was not a new concept. Each club had their own set of rules and targets. Mainly through the works of Precision Shooting magazine, the rules somewhat unified. In 1966, the NBRSA, which was the only benchrest organization at the time, adopted Hunter Class among its shooting disciplines. The original rules were simple and straight forward: 1. The scope could not exceed a magnification of The rifle cannot have a total weight of more than 10.0 pounds 3. Each rifle must have a magazine capable of holding 2 loaded rounds. 4. Each rifle must have a working safety. 5. The caliber must be 6mm or greater. 6. The cartridge must contain same or greater case capacity as a.30/.30 (later defined as 45.5 gr of water). The original intent of Hunter Class was to provide an economical way for hunters to try the sport of Benchrest. Hunters could bring their deer rifle to the range and compete. For those shooters to which shooting off a bench did not appeal, they could simply walk away with no serious loss of money or time; and those who enjoyed the sport could then upgrade their equipment and dedication. Early chamberings were.30/.30,.243 and.308 Winchesters and 6mm Remingtons. The.308 Win was favored because it made a bigger hole giving a slight advantage over the smaller bullet diameters. Of the 30 caliber shooters, 168 Sierra HPBT were the favorite choice. Remington actions were the staple along with laminated wood stocks. Steel-tube Weaver T-6 scopes were on top of most of these rigs. It did not take long for shooters to start customizing their equipment to gain a competitive edge. Remington actions were pillar bedded and trued. Many of these Remington actions were sent to Larry Smart in Meta, Missouri to work his magic. These super-accurate actions became known as Smart actions. Custom barrels were usually of the Hart or Shilen variety. McMillan and Lee Six stocks quickly became the choice of stocks. Wildcatters soon started making cartridges such as 6HLS and In short, it did not take long for the original intent of Hunter Class to be forgotten. In 1969 the split in the NBRSA happened. Hunter class dwindled in the NBRSA, yet flourished in the IBS. In the mid 1970 s, shooters started pushing for more of an influence of Hunter Class in the NBRSA. In 1977, NBRSA president Walt Berger came together with the very influential Bob Pease and agreed to world records and registered matches. The original world records were all set by Francis Broussard. On July 10, 1977 Francis shot X at 100 yards. Later that same year, Francis shot a X at 200. Combining that score with his 100 yard score earned Mr. Broussard the Grand Aggregate record of X. These records were all set using the old style 200 yard target. The 100 yard targets have remained the same. The old style 200 yard target is different from the currently used target in several ways. First, the X ring was 1/2, not the currently used 1/8 dot, making it easier to

9 score an X. Second, the ten-ring remained the same; however the subsequent scoring rings were spaced ¼ apart, making it harder to shoot a higher score. If someone shooting on the current 200 yard target has a wide nine it would most likely be a solid eight on the old target. Randy Robinett called the old 200 yard target a man s target! The currently used 200 yard target was not used in a National event until In 1978 Marcy Lyons became the new NBRSA Hunter Class Chairman and, largely through his efforts, the first ever NBRSA Hunter Class Nationals were held in New Braunfels, Texas in Carroll Green won the first NBRSA Hunter Nationals with a score (100/200 Grand) of X. In 1981, Carroll won the 2nd Hunter Nationals with a score of X. Carroll Green is the only person to win back to back Hunter National Championships. The 100/200 yard Grand Agg scores remained in the low 490 s until 1987 when custom bullets hit the scene. The late Guy Chism was one of the pioneers of the 30 cal custom bullet. Lois Gonzalas (wife of Speedy) and Ralph Council also started making custom 30 cal bullets shortly thereafter. Guy Chism s bullet dies are still in use by Chad Schmidt and Dick Baier of 10X Bullets. To give you an idea of how important custom bullets were to Hunter Class, of the first 7 nationals (100/200 Grand Agg winners) before custom bullets, there was only one year the Grand Agg winner shot a 250 at 100 yards. In the following 27 years National events, 20 Grand Agg winners have shot a 250 at 100 yards. It did not take shooters long to figure out that if you wanted a chance to take home some wood then you better shoot custom bullets. Another change that had some influence on higher scores was the use of lighter triggers. Early Hunter Class rifles were simply out-of-thebox rifles that had non-adjustable 3-4 lb triggers. Shortly after, shooters started using Burns, Saunders, or Jewel HVR 2 oz. triggers. Yet another factor to the higher scores was when scope manufactures started offering ¼ clicks then 1/ IBS Hunter Benchrest Nationals National Champion 200 L-R National Champion National Champion Long Range National Champion 4 Gun Top Gun National Champion Greg Swezey February, 2014 Precision Rifleman 9 clicks adjustments on their scopes. The original Weaver T-6 scopes were ½ minute clicks. The above mentioned changes along with the evolutional consequences of competition led to the outstanding scores we are seeing today. A quick look at the Hunter National equipment list shows an overwhelming majority of shooters picking one of the 30 cal varieties. The currently popular Hunter calibers, 30x44 and 30x47, really started becoming popular in the mid 1980 s. Many people use the date of 2007 when Lapua came out with 6.5x47 brass as the beginning date of the current version of the 30x47. However, it is very apparent that the 30x47 and its variants were in use long before this date. The exact date is hard to find. There were many wildcatters in the Hunter Class. Art Freund was making a.308x47. Larry Smart and Danny Jarvis were making their version of the 30x47 based off the 300 Savage case. Wayne Corley and Clark Greene had theirs. Many mid-westerners traveled to Louisiana to see what those shooters were doing with their version of the thirty. What one person was experimenting with in one area another was tinkering with in a different area. Several shooters independently made a variant of the 30x44 or 30x47. Not all shooters picked the popular thirty caliber, however; and in 2013, Randy Robinett used a 25 HBR to win the 100/200 National Grand Agg with a score of X. The last person to win a Hunter National with something other than a thirty was Huck Hutson in 1985 shooting a 6 HLS. This may become more common in upcoming years. In 2013 the NBRSA Hunter Class narrowly voted to delete the caliber restrictions and case capacity. This will allow shooters to use any caliber they want for a two year trial period. Early Hunter class numbers started out relatively low then flourished. At the 1994 Nationals there were upward of fifty shooters. At the 1996 Nationals there were over sixty. In 1997 there were over ninety. One of the highest attended Nationals was in 2000 where there were slightly over one hundred shooters. In the mid 2000 s there started a gradual decline in participation. Looking at it numerically, the decline of the 2000 s pretty much mirrors the incline in the 90 s. In 2007, there were around sixty shooters at the Nationals but by 2013, the numbers were down to thirty seven. Many late nights have been spent discussing the reasons for the decline If you want to shoot like a champion, choose Lilja! Lilja Precision Rifle Barrels, Inc. P.O. Box 372, Plains, MT Tel: Fax:

10 10 Precision Rifleman of shooters in Hunter Class. Some believe that numbers in all benchrest disciplines are decreasing. The numbers are just more noticeable in the relatively small Hunter Class. Others believe the root of the problem lies in the fact that more shooters are leaving due to age than new shooters coming in. The younger, new shooters have a hard time balancing finances, travel, and family commitments with shooting. Still others see a correlation between the decline in the TCL and six power shooters. Virtually everyone agrees that it is not one reason, but a combination of reasons for the decline in Hunter Class shooters. The same can be said about increasing the numbers in Hunter Class. It will not be just one thing that will increase the numbers. It will have to be a marriage of many pieces of the puzzle that will have to come together. The biggest piece of that puzzle lies in the shooters themselves. One area where this is already happening is in Van Dyne, Wisconsin. Van Dyne is the home of the Wisconsin State Hunter Championships. Despite having only twelve benches, this is the largest gathering of Hunter Class shooters other than the Nationals and is often called the Mini Nationals. Van Dyne consistently has around fifty shooters. Chad Schmidt believes they get so many participants because it is more than just a shoot. It is an event. Advertisement and entry forms are sent out months ahead of time. All shooters take home some type of prize. Many vendors donate great items to be given away. The target and scoring crews are top notch. The food is outstanding. The camaraderie before, during, and after the shooting is a major draw. It is not just one thing that makes the shoot as popular as it is. It is all the little things added up that make the WI State Hunter Championship an event worth returning to. Hunter Class shooting is tough. It always has been tough and will continue to be tough. The shooter is trying to hit something they cannot see. That defining characteristic of Hunter Class has not changed since This, however, is also the appeal. Hunter shooters embrace the challenge of the six power scope. They enjoy the camaraderie with others who share the same passion for doing something so incredibly difficult. Come on out and shoot a Hunter Tournament. Who knows? Maybe you will become a piece of the Hunter Class puzzle too. NBRSA WORLD RECORDS FOR SCORE SHOOTING CENTERFIRE BENCHREST Aggregates Hunter Varmint For Score 2-Gun 5 shot 100-yds 5 shot 200-yds 5 shot 300-yds X X 250-7X X-17W/O X 249-8X Craig Nagel Tom Hencken Bill Small Larry Kuse Lou Murdica Tim Naugle 5/13/2006 7/15/2012 6/29/1997 9/16/ /17/2013 8/22/2013 X X X Grand Aggregates Hunter Varmint For Score 2-Gun yds X X X Lee Keller Lynn Gibson Tom Peyton 9/13/1998 9/22/2013 5/13/ yds 498-9X X X Leroy Nethercott Tim Naugle Tim Naugle 5/2/2004 8/22/2013 8/22/ yds X X X Leroy Nethercott Greg Swezey Greg Swezey 5/2/2004 8/22/2013 8/22/2013 *Updated 12/18/2013

11 Name 1970's World Records Hunter Class Hall of Fame Standings 1980's World Records 1990's World Records 2000's World Records 2010's World Records 1980 to to 1999 February, 2014 Precision Rifleman to Total Points Year Inducted Wayne Corley Greg Swezey Cody Haslett Leroy Nethercott Bill Small Rich Carpenter Elzie Scott Carroll Green Marcy Lyons Roland Potter Richard LeBlanc T. K. Nollan Guy Chism R.G. Robinett Joe Hemkens Jim Angle 8 8 Ron Bertrand 8 8 Ron Hoehn Tim Naugle 8 8 Charlie Fajkus 7 7 Clark Greene Jeff Lotto Larry Smart Speedy Gonzales Steve Brewer 6 6 David Flaskey 5 5 Don Feltman Gary "Ben"Peters 5 5 Huck Hutson 5 5 James Lederer 5 5 Jim Hostetler 5 5 John Porter 5 5 Larry Bryant 5 5 Larry Kahle 5 5 Mike Bigelow 5 5 Paul Weller 5 5 Tom Hencken 5 5 Don Mulhall 4 4 Hon.2004 Marvin Roberts 4 4 Russell Walterman Bob Maedgen 3 3 Hon.2004 Bob Seymour 3 3

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13 February, 2014 Precision Rifleman 13 Sloughhouse 1000-Yard Benchrest November 24, 2013 Light Gun Group (3) Raymond Garric Jerry Tierney Ken Schroder Heavy Gun Group (3) Gabe Neola Jerry Tierney Bob Landis Light Gun Score (3) Jerry Tierney X Bob Dorton Ken Schroder Heavy Gun Score (3) Gabe Neola X Jerry Tierney X Ken Schroder X Two Gun Group Aggregate (6) Jerry Tierney Bob Dorton Ken Schroder Two Gun High Score (6) Jerry Tierney X Bob Dorton X Ken Schroder X Meet Billy Copelin. Billy holds the 1000 yard World Record in Light Gun 5-Shot Agg (4.6042), 2Gun Agg (6.5724) & 2Gun High Score X all set in He s also a member of the Long Range Hall of Fame. Want to know more about Long Rangers? Get the World Record and Hall of Fame information in March s issue! October 19, 2013 Light Gun 3-Target Score Fred Thruman X Donald Bucholtz X Tom Esser X Mark Merten X Bob Loepfe X Jeff Tomoro X Ron Kuhn X Light Gun 3-Target Group Fred Thruman Columbus 600-Yd Benchrest Tom Esser Jeff Tomoro Donald Bucholtz Bob Loepfe Mark Merten Ron Kuhn Heavy Gun 3-Target Score Tom Esser Fred Thruman Donald Bucholtz Mark Merten Bob Loepfe Heavy Gun 3-Target Group Fred Thruman Tom Esser Donald Bucholtz Bob Loepfe Mark Merten Factory Class 3-Target Score Donald Bucholtz Jeff Tomoro...99 Factory Class 3-Target Group Jeff Tomoro Donald Bucholtz Columbus 600-Yard Benchrest October Equipment List Name Caliber Action Barrel Gunsmith Stock Stocker Scope Powder Weight Primer Case Bullet Light Gun: Jeffrey Tomoro 6mmBR Savage Savage Savage Savage Savage Bushnell 8x32 Varget 30 CCI 450 Lapua Nosler 105 Ronald Kuhn n/a 1903 self Facan self Pentax Winchester Remington Horad Thomas Esser 6MM Dasher BAT Bartlein Stummeier McMillan Stummeier Nightforce H CCI 450 Lapua BIB 108 Robert Loepfe 6BRX Borden Muller Muller n/a Muller Nightforce Varget 33.5 FED 205 Lapua 105 hybrid Mark Merten 6mmBR n/a Shilen n/a Bell & Carlson n/a Weaver H Remington 7.5 Lapua Sierra 105 Don Bucholtz 6BR Nesika Muller Bucholtz Tracker Bucholtz Nightforce n/a n/a n/a n/a Berger 105 Fred Thruman 6BR Savage Krieger self SSS Self Nightforce IMR CCI450 Lapua Berger Heavy Gun: Thomas Esser 6MM Dasher BAT Bartlein Stummeier McMillan Stummeier Nightforce H CCI 450 Lapua BIB 108 Robert Loepfe 280 BAT Muller Muller MBR Muller Schmidt & Bender 4831 SL 55.2 CCI BR Lapua SMK Mark Merten 6mmBR n/a Shilen n/a Bell & Carlson n/a Weaver H Remington 7.5 Lapua Sierra 105 Don Bucholtz 6BR Nesika Muller Bucholtz Tracker Bucholtz Nightforce n/a n/a n/a n/a Berger 105 Fred Thruman 6BR Savage Krieger Self Self Self Nightforce IMR CCI 450 Lapua Berger Factory: Jeffrey Tomoro 6mmBR Savage Savage Savage Savage Savage Bushnell 8x32 Varget 30 CCI 450 Lapua Nosler 105

14 14 Precision Rifleman So You Think You Shot A World Record... Now What? by David Halblom First, let me say congratulations. Next let me say don t touch your targets. There is a very well defined submission process for potential world record targets, whether they are group, score or long-range. Mr. Match Director, prior to your match weekend, do yourself and the shooters a favor and print out the current records for the discipline you are going to shoot. They are on the NBRSA website. While it is the shooters responsibility to know the record he is breaking, it is never bad to have the most recent record list available to check. I have personally seen a potential world record go out the window because no one was aware and the targets left the range in the hands of the shooter. Nothing can be done with them at that point. The game is over. All of the various disciplines have similar processes for handling potential record targets, but I must stress that the initial responsibility for these targets lies with the shooter himself. The shooter cannot take custody of the targets or the chain of custody will be corrupted. If you think you have shot a record, make the match director aware BEFORE you take the targets off the wailing wall. If you are shooting a multiple day set of aggregates, the match director needs to take custody of the targets. Once it is determined that the targets are a potential record, a number of steps must be taken before they leave the range. For group targets, the target(s) and the moving backer(s) must be signed by 2 Match Officials, typically referees, and the Match Director. For score, the targets must be signed by 2 Match Officials and the Match Director. The same goes for Long-Range targets. The targets and a copy of the shooters match registration form, along with a completed World Record Submission Form for the particular discipline are to be sent on to the Regional Director in which the record was shot. The Regional Director then verifies the data on the various forms, inspects/measures the targets, and if it looks like they are a potential record, sends the targets and forms on to the Group, or Score or Long-Range Records chairman. The world record committee then determines whether the target or aggregates are records. This is the time consuming part of the process. Committee members are scattered around the country and it takes time to ship targets around as well as time to score them. The Chairman keeps track of where the targets are and when they arrive back. He then records the score/measurements of the target(s). If it is determined the target or aggregate is a new record, the Business Manager and President and magazine editor are made aware. The targets are returned to the shooter along with a letter outlining the measurement/ score. If no record has been shot, the Chairman sends the targets and scoring information to the shooter. All of this information is outlined on the NBRSA website. The various forms and instructions are under Forms. The current World Records are on the site under Recognition. I know that all of us try our best to make sure that the Records are up to date, but in the middle of the shooting season, there is potentially an overlap in the time a potential record is shot and when the new records are posted. No way to avoid it. That is why, even if a record only stands for 1 hour or 1 day, ALL records are recognized. If it looks to be a record based on what is posted on the website that day, start the process of submission. Match Directors, before the season gets rolling, do yourself a favor and take the time to look at the website and familiarize yourself with the submissions procedures for the disciplines your range competes. Shooters, the same holds true for you, especially since the responsibility to begin the records process is in your hands. Try to familiarize yourself with the various records. Better yet, print out a copy and stick it in your reloading box. You may be able to help someone by having a current list handy. Now for those of you who shoot score, go shoot lots of bug holes and lots of X s.

15 February, 2014 Precision Rifleman 15 US GROUP BENCHREST HALL OF FAME TONY BOYER 164 LESTER BRUNO 48 ALAN EUBER 47 GARY OCOCK 34 ED WATSON (D) 28 DON GERACI 26 RON HOEHN 26 TOM GILLMAN (D) 25 LOWELL FREI 25 WAYNE CAMPBELL 24 PERRY MORTON (D) 22 GENE BUKYS 22 DON POWELL 21 CHARLES HUCKEBA 20 WALT BERGER 19 JEF FOWLER (D) 18 LEE EUBER 17 RUSSELL BOOP 17 JACK NEARY 17 JACK DEMMING 16 JIM STEKL 16 PAUL GOTSCHALL (D) 16 JOE KRUPA 16 BOB SCARBROUGH, JR 16 L.E.(RED) CORNELISON (D) 15 SMILEY HENSLEY 15 BILL FORRESTER 15 RICHARD MARETZO 14 FERRIS PINDELL (D) 14 WARREN PAGE (D) 14 P.J. HART 14 JIM BORDEN 14 ALLEN ARNETTE 14 BART SAUTER 14 MYLES HOLLISTER (D) 13 ED SHILEN 13 DAVE HALL 13 TOM "SPEEDY" GONZALEZ 13 FRED HASECUSTER 13 REX RENEAU 12 PAT BYRNE 12 FAYE BOYER 12 LARRY COSTA 12 GERALD MASKER 11 HARLEY BAKER 11 RICHARD BAKER 10 JOHN BROWN JR. 10 DWIGHT SCOTT 10 MIKE RATIGAN 10

16 16 Precision Rifleman 2014 NBRSA Registered Match Schedule SOUTHWEST REGION Jan 4-5 LV/HV 100/200 Winter Warm Up Arizona Benchrest Shooters Jan 11 LG/HG 1000 Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest Three Points Range, Tucson, AZ Jan 26 LG/HG 1000 Sloughhouse Long Range Benchrest Feb 1-2 LV/HV 100/200 Berger Cactus Classic Warm Up Arizona Benchrest Shooters Feb 8 LG/HG 1000 Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest Three Points Range, Tucson, AZ Feb LV/HV 100/200 Visalia Group Match Visalia Sportsmen Association Feb 23 LG/HG 600 Sloughhouse Long Range Benchrest Mar 1 VFS 100/200 Short Range Club Championship Desert Sportsman s Rifle Club Mar 1-2 LV/HV 100/200 Sloughhouse Group Benchrest Mar 8 LG/HG 1000 Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest Three Points Range, Tucson, AZ March LV/HV 100/200 Berger Cactus Classic Arizona Benchrest Shooters Apr 5 VFS 200/300 Long Range Club Championship Desert Sportsman s Rifle Club Apr 5-6 LV/HV 100/200 Sloughhouse Group Benchrest Apr 12 LG/HG 1000 Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest Three Points Range, Tucson, AZ April April UNL5/ UNL10 100/200 Arizona Unlimited Match Arizona Benchrest Shooters SP/HV 100/200 Visalia Group Match Visalia Sportsmen Association Apr 22 LG/HG 600 Registration & Prep Day: 2014 Long Range Benchrest Nationals Sloughhouse Long Range Benchrest April LG/HG th Sloughhouse 600 Nationals Sloughhouse Long Range Benchrest Apr 25 F-Class nd Sloughhouse F-Class Bench April April LG/HG th Sloughhouse 1000 Nationals Sloughhouse Long Range Benchrest LV/HV 100/200 President s Cup Holton Gun Club May 3 VFS 100/200 Nevada State Championship Desert Sportsman s Rifle Club May 3-4 SP/LV 100/200 CA State Championship Part 1 Sloughhouse Group Benchrest May 3-4 SP/UNL 100/200 Central Utah Benchrest Club Utah State Championship Part 1 May 10 LG/HG 1000 Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest Three Points Range, Tucson, AZ May May LV/HV 100/200 Visalia Group Match Visalia Sportsmen Association LV/HV 200/100 Nevada State Championship #1 Palomino Valley Gun Club May 25 LG/HG 600 Sloughhouse Long Range Benchrest June 6-8 June 7-8 HTR/VFS 100/ Southwest Regional Two Gun Desert Sportsman s Rifle Club HV/UNL 100/200 CA State Championship Part 2 Sloughhouse Group Benchrest June 7-8 LV/HV 300/200 Long Range Varmint Nationals Palomino Valley Gun Club June 14 LG/HG 1000 Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest Three Points Range, Tucson, AZ June HV/UNL-5 100/200 Unlimited SW Regional Visalia Sportsmen Association June 22 LG/HG 1000 Sloughhouse Long Range Benchrest July 5-6 LV/HV 100/200 Sloughhouse Gun Challenge Sloughhouse Group Benchrest July 12 LG/HG 1000 Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest Three Points Range, Tucson, AZ July 27 LG/HG 600 Sloughhouse Long Range Benchrest Aug 2-3 LV/HV 100/200 Sloughhouse Group Benchrest Aug 2-3 LV/HV 100/200 Central Utah Benchrest Club Utah State Championship Part 2 Aug 9 LG/HG 1000 Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest Three Points Range, Tucson, AZ Aug 24 LG/HG 1000 Sloughhouse Long Range Benchrest Aug SP/LV/HV 100/200 Southwest Regional Championship Visalia Sportsmen Association Sept 6 VFS 200/300 NV State Long Range Championship Desert Sportsman s Rifle Club Sept 13 LG/HG 1000 Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest Three Points Range, Tucson, AZ Sept 28 LG/HG 600 Sloughhouse Long Range Benchrest Sept Gun 300 Palomino Valley 4Gun Palomino Valley Gun Club Oct 4 VFS 100/200 Silver State Shootout Desert Sportsman s Rifle Club Oct 4-5 LV/HV 100/200 Sloughhouse Group Benchrest Oct 4-5 LV/HV 100/200 Arizona State Championship #1 Arizona Benchrest Shooters Oct 11 LG/HG 1000 Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest Three Points Range, Tucson, AZ Oct Oct UNL-5 100/200 Visalia Invitational Visalia Sportsmen Association SP/UNL 200/100 Nevada State Championship #2 Palomino Valley Gun Club Oct 26 LG/HG 1000 Sloughhouse Long Range Benchrest Nov 1 VFS 200/300 Glitter Gulch Long Range Champ. Desert Sportsman s Rifle Club Nov 1-2 LV/HV 100/200 Sloughhouse Group Benchrest Nov 8 LG/HG 1000 Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest Three Points Range, Tucson, AZ Nov 8-9 SP/UNL5 100/200 Arizona State Championship #2 Arizona Benchrest Shooters Nov 23 LG/HG 600 Sloughhouse Long Range Benchrest Dec 6-7 UNL5/UNL5 100/200 Arizona Invitational Unlimited Arizona Benchrest Shooters Dec 13 LG/HG 1000 Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest Three Points Range, Tucson, AZ Dec 28 LG/HG 1000 Sloughhouse Long Range Benchrest NORTH CENTRAL REGION Apr 12 LV 100/200 Oak Hill Gun Club, Blue Grass, IA May 18 HV 100/200 Oak Hill Gun Club, Blue Grass, IA

17 February, 2014 Precision Rifleman NBRSA Registered Match Schedule June 14 LV 100/200 Oak Hill Gun Club, Blue Grass, IA June HTR/VFS 100/200 Wyoming State Hunter/VFS Match Casper Benchrest Shooters, WY July 13 LG/HG/Fac 600 Columbus Sportsmen Assn, WI July HTR/VFS 100/200 Trail Run Shoot Casper Benchrest Shooters, WY July 20 HV/UNL 100/200 Oak Hill Gun Club, Blue Grass, IA Aug 17 LV 100/200 Oak Hill Gun Club, Blue Grass, IA Aug 4-7 HTR/VFS 100/ / Hunter/VFS Nationals Casper Benchrest Shooters, WY Aug 17 LG/HG/Fac 600 Columbus Sportsmen Assn, WI Sept 20 LG/HG/Fac 600 Columbus Sportsmen Assn, WI Oct 11 LG/HG/Fac 600 Columbus Sportsmen Assn, WI Nov 8 LG/HG/Fac 600 Columbus Sportsmen Assn, WI GULF COAST REGION Feb 9 VFS 100/200 Southwest LA Rifle & Pistol Club Feb 4-GUN 100 Tomball Gun Club, TX (It s back!) Mar 23 VFS 100/200 Southwest LA Rifle & Pistol Club Apr GUN 200 Tomball Gun Club, TX Apr 27 VFS 100/200 Southwest LA Rifle & Pistol Club May 3-4 LV/SP 100/200 Central Texas Benchrest Shooters May UNL/HV 100/200 Texas State Championship Seymour Stool Shooters May 18 VFS 100/200 Southwest LA Rifle & Pistol Club May 31- June 1 June June LV/SP 100/200 Gulf Coast Region Showdown North Texas Shooters Assn UNL/HV 100/200 Gulf Coast Regionals Seymour Stool Shooters VFS/HTR 100/200 VFS/HTR San Jacinto Tomball Gun Club June 29 VFS 100/200 Southwest LA Rifle & Pistol Club July 5-6 SP/HV 100/200 Texas Shootout Midland Shooters Association July 4-GUN 200 Central Texas Benchrest Shooters July 27 HTR/VFS 100/200 Louisiana State Score Championship Southwest LA Rifle & Pistol Club Aug 17 VFS 100/200 Central Texas VFS Match Aug LV/HV 100/200 Buffalo Midland Shooters Association Sept 21 VFS 100/200 HTR & Gulf Coast VFS Regionals Southwest LA Rifle & Pistol Club Oct 26 HTR/VFS 100/200 VFS & Gulf Coast HTR Regionals Southwest LA Rifle & Pistol Club EASTERN REGION Apr LV/HV 100/200 Spring Tune Up WWCCA Apr LV/HV 100/200 President s Cup, Holton Gun Club May 3-4 LV/HV 100/200 Hog Roast, Fairchance Gun Club May LV/HV 100/200 Super Shoot Warm-Up, Chippewa May LV/HV 100/200 Kelbly s Super Shoot Jun 7-8 LV/HV 100/200 Wolverine Challenge WWCCA June LV/HV 100/200 Briar Hail Memorial Shelby County Deer Hunters July 4-6 LV/HV/UNL 100/200 Eastern 3-Gun Championship Fairchance Gun Club July July Sept Oct Oct LV/HV 100/200 PA State Championship Kane Fish & Game LV/HV 100/200 Michigan State Championship Holton Gun Club 4-GUN 100/ Group Benchrest Nationals Holton Gun Club, Holton, MI LV/HV 100/200 Fall Classic WWCCA LV/HV 100/200 Fall Finale Shelby County Deer Hunters MISSISSIPPI VALLEY REGION Mar 1-2 LV/HV 100/200 Benchrest Rifle Club of St Louis 10:30AM Sat, 8AM Sun Mar 16 HTR/VFS 100/200 Benchrest Rifle Club of St Louis April 6 HTR/VFS 100/200 Benchrest Rifle Club of St Louis April LV/HV 100/200 Benchrest Rifle Club of St Louis Sat 12 noon, Sun 8AM May 10 HTR 100/200 Van Dyne Sportsmens Club May 18 HTR/VFS 100/200 Benchrest Rifle Club of St Louis June 7 HTR 100/200 Van Dyne Sportsmens Club June 15 HTR/VFS 100/200 Benchrest Rifle Club of St Louis June 20 LV/HV 100/200 East-West Show-Me Set-Up Day June July LV/HV 100/200 Benchrest Rifle Club of St Louis East-West Show Me Shootout HTR 100/200 Van Dyne Sportsmens Club WI State Championship July 13 LG/HG 600 Columbus Sportsman s Assn July July HTR/VFS 100/200 Benchrest Rifle Club of St Louis MO State/Jarvis/MVR Chism LV/HV 100/200 Benchrest Rifle Club of St Louis Sat Night Match 5pm, Sun 8AM Aug 17 LG/HG 600 Columbus Sportsman s Assn Sept 13 VFS 100/200 Van Dyne Sportsmens Club Sept 20 LG/HG 600 Columbus Sportsman s Assn Oct 5 HTR/VFS 100/200 Benchrest Rifle Club of St Louis Oct 11 LG/HG 600 Columbus Sportsman s Assn Oct LV/HV 100/200 Benchrest Rifle Club of St Louis Mississippi Valley Regionals Nov 8 LG/HG 600 Columbus Sportsman s Assn SOUTHEAST REGION Mar LV/HV 100/200 Shamrock, MGGOA Apr LV/HV 100/200 River Bend Gun Club, GA Jul LV/HV 100/200 Unaka Rod & Gun Club, TN Aug GUN 100 Southeast Region Champ Leg 1 Brock s Gap Training Center Sept GUN 200 Southeast Region Champ Leg 2 Unaka Rod & Gun Club, TN Oct LV/HYV 100/200 River Bend Gun Club, GA

18 18 Precision Rifleman NBRSA WORLD RECORDS FOR GROUP SHOOTING CENTERFIRE BENCHREST Single Groups Unlimited Heavy Varmint Light Varmint Sporter 5 shot 100-yds inches inches inches inches Gary Ocock Ralph Landon Mike Stinnett Jerry Thornbrugh 10/17/2009 9/13/1975 6/8/ /21/ shot 200-yds Mark Walker Mark Buettgen Johnnie Stewart Tom Libby 7/3/2009 8/22/2009 7/17/2009 9/25/ shot 300-yds Jim McGowin Gary Ocock Brady Knight Robert Dodd 6/16/2008 4/5/1998 8/27/2005 7/17/ shot 100-yds Tom Libby 4/17/ shot 200-yds Fred Hasecuster 9/16/ shot 300-yds Larry Costa 9/16/2006 Aggregates X X X X X X X X X 5, 5 shot groups 100-yds Jerry Lahr Rex Reneau Jim Carmichel Dick Katchmar 8/18/2012 9/6/1982 5/11/2012 4/14/1985 5, 5 shot groups 200-yds Gary Ocock Dennis Thornbury Rabon Stewart Larry Cohen 9/1/2008 3/3/1996 5/2/ /26/2003 5, 5 shot groups 300-yds Lee Andrews Pat Byrne Bart Sauter James Carstensen 5/28/1983 7/17/2005 9/20/2003 6/13/1999 5, 10 shot groups 100-yds Jeffrey Yost 7/4/2008 8, 10 shot groups 100-yds Tony Boyer 9/21/2009 5, 10 shot groups 200-yds Rick Graham 7/3/2009 8, 10 shot 200-yds Lester Bruno 9/27/2005 5, 10 shot 300-yds Jeff Graves 9/20/2003 Grand Aggregates 5, 5 shot groups yds yds Eric Stanton Clarence Hammonds Tony Boyer Gene Bukys 7/10/2012 7/2/1995 9/25/ /9/2012 5, 5 shot groups yds yds Ben Peters Jeff Summers James Jarrett Tony Boyer 4/18/2009 9/1/1984 9/4/1982 9/3/1983 5, 5 shot groups , 200 & 300 yds Ben Peters Jerry Kloeppel James Jarrett Tony Boyer 4/18/2009 4/19/2009 9/4/1982 9/3/1983 5, 10 shot groups yds yds Tony Boyer X X X 9/2/2000 8, 10 shot groups yds yds Lester Bruno 9/27/2005 5, 5 shot groups yds yds Ed Watson 7/15/1984 5, 10 shot groups , 200 & 300 yds Walt Berger 6/26/1982 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

19 February, 2014 Precision Rifleman 19 Being a newer shooter bitten by the benchrest bug, I have gone to great lengths to learn more about the sport. It has become an obsession for me. I have spent hours reading books and whatever else I could find related to benchrest. I am a history buff and also have a love and obsession for history. Because of the marriage of these two loves, I enjoy learning where we have come from and anticipate where we are going. I truly believe to understand the future we must learn from the past. I have learned that shooting a match is much more that just shooting. It is the relationships we build with each other. One of my fondest memories happened not too long ago, as I was shooting a match and loading near Stan Buchtel. I remember time just listed by as I sat in amazement as Stan talked about Warren Page, matches that he attended and other things. I wish the moment would have never ended. As I thought about this later on, I thought that it would be great if such conversations could be put down in a magazine. I thought about the tiny library of benchrest books I have, I then thought about The Benchrest Primer and all of the articles I have read in Precision Shooting magazine. Then it dawned on me that my favorite articles were the surveys that Dave Brennan had put out, asking various shooters, gunsmiths, and others about subjects and then reading their responses. I thought maybe this could be the way to bring out these conversations; into a format that would be acceptable to a magazine. I got favorable responses to this idea, so I decided to go forward. I picked out four people that I admired and learned from. These people are ones that have helped me in various different ways. I asked these fine gentlemen two questions, with a few suggestive questions in-between. What I asked them was: Question #1 Please describe how you got into benchrest. Suggestive questions: Did you have a mentor? What equipment did you start out with? (ie: Powder, Bullets, Rest etc.) Are you still using any equipment Ask The Pros, by Patrick Kennedy that you started out with? Were there any hard lessons you had to learn? Was/is there anyone you admired? Is there anything you would have done differently? Any specific dates or significant events that changed you? Did you ever get discouraged? Was there anything someone told you that always played in the back of your mind? Question #2: During your time of shooting what aspect of benchrest do you feel has gotten better, or worse, or do you feel things are the same? Suggestive questions: Do you think that equipment used is better, worse, or the same from when you started until you finished/now? Is there anything that used to be made that you prefer to what is currently available? What makes these things better or worse? At what point do you feel that things changed the most? Were there any rule changes that you liked or disliked? Why are the old records still standing and so hard to beat? Is there anything you would like to change or improve upon? From when you started until now/when you last shot, do you think that it is easier or harder to get into benchrest? With that all being said, I give you the responses that I received from these gentlemen, in alphabetical order starting with Walt Berger, Thomas (Speedy) Gonzalez, Glenn Newick and finally Randy (RG) Robinett. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. Walt Berger s reply; Hi Patrick, Keep in mind I started shooting competitive BR in 1951 or 1952 and started making my own bullets in late 1953 or early My quest for accuracy started when I purchased a Model Roberts Super grade in 1948/49 to use as a varmint and hunting rifle. To make this happen, four of us my (brother and two cousins) got permission from a farmer to build some shooting benches along a creek bank and we were able to shoot to 300 yards. This humble beginning is now the Chippewa Rifle Club. I had no mentors the only class was the unrestricted class and it was the only class I shot until the early 70 s and it was a 222 Rem and the powder of choice at that time was BL-C(1) H335 and IMR The Beecher and Wichita rests were popular and there were some homemade rests and sand bags used. Sometime later the return to battery rest was brought into use. I shot very poorly but for some I reason never got discouraged. I enjoyed making bullets and the shooting and the fellow shooters were always friendly. I moved to the Kansas City area in 1959 and met LF (Bud) Carden who was an excellent unrestricted shooter with a good rifle and he played a major role in making me a competitive shooter. We both made our own bullets and his bullets shot better than mine I had a new base punch made for my core seater and I won the 100 yard and grand in the first match I shot them in. No question the equipment is better now than when I started shooting. From an equipment stand point there are so many good gunsmiths that can put together a competitive package that you should be competitive. Does this mean you will be competitive? Most likely not. This is a mental game and there is a lot of work required to tune that new equipment into a match winning piece of equipment. In my humble opinion, there is little difference in the way our matches are run now as compared to how they were run 50 years ago. Our components are better now then they were some years ago and this is as it should be as we, as group shooters are recognized as the elite accuracy oriented shooters and we should be making improvements in this area. Why are old records still standing? Think about this. This is the only sport that I know of that ONE mistake will keep you from winning. It is unlike any other sport score shooters can make a mistake and still win you can play golf and still win you can get knocked down boxing and get up and still win but you cannot make that mistake and win in group shooting. Take a look at the group and aggregate records

20 20 Precision Rifleman and think about what has to happen to make these kind of groups and aggregates happen and the smaller they become, the harder they are to break. Yes there is something that I would like to change and I have tried to get it changed but it has fallen on deaf ears. We complain about match attendance being down as well membership. What I feel we need is a classification for our new shooters so they do not have to beat the best group shooters in the world before they get to take something home to show the family. I do not feel a classification should be used for our National matches but for all other matches we need a classification for our new shooters. Take care, Walt Berger Thomas (Speedy) Gonzalez s Reply; Benchrest History 101 Question #1: Please describe how you got into benchrest. Wow Pat, you really want us to go that far back? I think Fred & Barney were carving out the first benches out of granite in those days and we had to watch out for pterodactyls flying across the range. Ok,it may not have been that long ago, 1975, August, Dietz Range in New Braunfels, Texas last match of the year, my first match and damn I shot small group of the year at 200 yards...a I was hooked. It may as well have been crack cocaine, because the thirst for extreme accuracy and precision to this day has never been quenched. I was fortunate to have two mentors in my entry into the sport of benchrest, Bob Pease a great competitor and gun writer for Precision Shooting magazine and Howard Dietz, owner of the Dietz range and a national level BR shooter of the time. Bob & Howard were instrumental in guiding my shooting career toward the first steps of my goal to become a member of the Benchrest Hall of Fame. My first BR rig that was competitive on a national level was an original Shilen round action. This rig was originally chambered in 6x47 (the 222 Rem. Mag. case necked up to 6mm) made popular by Harold Broughton when he won the 3-Gun Championship at the NBRSA Nationals with it in the late 70 s. This was the first time a 6mm bullet and cartridge had dominated the Nationals. The rifle was that original Shilen converted to 6PPC and engraved by Norvell Foster, an engraver from San Antonio, Texas. My philosophy has always been, If you can t shoot good, at least look good doing it! I came into benchrest in the transitional period between the old school BR rigs with wooden stocks, conventional pillar bedding and externally adjustable scopes such as the Unertls and Lymans and the introduction of the fiber glass stocks, internally adjustable light weight BR scopes, gluein bedding and the cartridge that changed the face of accuracy forever the 22 & 6mm PPC. The change was not easy for the old timers but for me, I embraced the wave of new products and technology with open arms. Speedy Gonzalez s first benchrest rifle: the Shilen round action

21 A funny example of how the PPC was shunned initially was, I ordered a Hart 2A action and asked Wally Hart for three bolts to go with it, a 222 bolt, a 308 bolt, and a PPC bolt, Wally said he would send me an invoice for the action. A week later the invoice came and along with the invoice was a note from Wally stapled to it saying he felt I should forego the PPC bolt because most veteran shooters felt it was going to be a flash in the pan. Little did we know the genie had been let out of the bottle never to return to it again with cartridges like the BR, WSM, RSAUM trying to mimic its performance. These times were not without their growing pains. With the new developments and technologies came the learning curve on how to assemble these into a winning combination and how the shooters would employ them in a manner that was consistently competitive. The old smiths were reluctant to build these new rigs and some just did not know how to. The ones that did were so back-logged that an entire season would pass without your new rig even near completion. This was the cause of me either learning to do it myself or to leave the sport that I had come to love. At this time I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time and Pat McMillan took me under his wing and explained the secrets of the BR Universe to me. He opened my eyes to the world of blueprinting, bullet making, a philosophy of competitive shooting I had not considered and methods of assembling a rifle that was a world class rig as opposed to a club match rifle. In the evolution of the BR game, Pat McMillan was the rare breed who looked at the emergence of the new cartridges and technological advancements of the components and built rifles that were ahead of their time. His skills as a barrel maker and his brother Gale McMillan s fiberglass stocks set the new bar of what the new modern BR rig was to become. Question#2: During your time of shooting what aspect of benchrest do you feel has gotten better, or worse, or do you feel things are the same? Hmmm. In the years I have been involved in benchrest, I have seen many products, techniques and methods improve; the sport rise, fall and become forgotten in the sands of time. Many were ahead of their time. Others were fantastic ideas and products but were marketed very poorly or with not enough finances to allow them to become widespread and eventually dying a painful death. From my observation the sport although many say has stagnated since the advent of the 6PPC cartridge, are more of observers looking into the window of benchrest, than true competitors. My reason for this statement is the fact that if you have competed in the sport over the years as I have, there are not too many matches that one attends that you don t see something new being introduced or campaigned on the line in an attempt to gain an advancement in accuracy. I can remember attending the BR matches held in Midland, Texas and every year a fellow Permian Basin shooter would bring out his latest version of an item he felt surely would change the art of accuracy for all BR shooters in the country and finally he hit on the right design. Some may have heard of him if they enjoy precision rifles; his name is Arnold Jewell. The rest is history. The entire range of shooting sports have benefitted from the BR game, I will give you a short list. Sinclair International started by Fred Sinclair, Butches Boreshine, Shooters Choice, February, 2014 Precision Rifleman 21 Speedy Gonzalez Berger Bullets, McMillan Stocks, Nesika (now Defiance Machine) Shilen Barrels, Hart Barrels, Lilja Barrels, Stiller Precision, Borden, Actions, SEB Products, Kelbly s Inc, John Loh s front rest, Farley Inc, BAT Actions and I could go on and on. The BR gunsmiths have given us the modern blueprinting techniques and methods of chambering that are now breaking records long thought to be unbreakable, and are now breaking records at distances of 1000 yards and beyond. The reloading methods and components have increased in precision unthought-of when I first purchased my first LEE Loader from Kenny Ekstrand at Nagel s gun shop in San Antonio, Texas back in I really splurged and bought the full set of LEE powder scoops to load those first rounds for my 30/30 Win. Mod. 94. Oh yeah! One-half inch groups at 50 yards with open sight, I was in heaven and still blame Kenny for the thousands I have spent since. We are still good friends and laugh about those days. I am sure you all have a similar memory. Where do we go from here? I feel the movements forward may not be as dramatic as the introduction of the PPC case by Lou Palmisanno & Ferris Pindell, but more incremental through better understanding of the principles and dynamics of accuracy. We are only

22 22 Precision Rifleman beginning to understand the effects of the harmonic displacements of bullets in the process of firing a round. We are looking at advanced powder dispensing techniques of volume vs. weight and results of shooting one vs. the other. Powder companies are striving to produce powders that deliver consistent performance and accuracy over extreme weather conditions and put it in the hands of veteran BR competitors such a Lou Murdica for verification in his underground 200 yard test facilities. Lou is the major contributor of test data for Berger Bullet s new reloading manual. I am just as excited today by what is around the corner for the sport of benchrest and always on the lookout for that new shinny gadget that is going to show up at the next benchrest match. If there is anything I could or would change about our sport, it would be to promote it on a grander scale to make more people aware of local and regional matches and invite them out to become part of the Brotherhood of Accuracy be it for their own personal enjoyment or to possibly achieve a dream of a lifetime to break a world record or become a member of the Benchrest Hall of Fame. Keep em Small, Speedy Gonzalez A coy picture of Glen Newick Glenn Newick s reply; I started in benchrest in a similar fashion to many shooters. I hooked up with a gunsmith able to produce the equipment needed to learn how to shoot. The group of us who hunted woodchucks spent weekends at a range in North Jersey. Mostly at 100 yards with 200 once or twice per year. The best thing to come out was finding a contact who hooked me up with Bob White in December Bob took me to a night 100-yard match in Englishtown, NJ. For those who remember those days, a January night match in the mud was something you will never forget. My range agg was in the.7 s, and that didn t include a penalty for one target with four shots. They felt sorry for me. I still have the target to remind me why I help new shooters at every opportunity. Bob became my mentor as we travelled to club and registered matches. He sold me a 6BR and 24X scope which shot dots. He took me to the 1981 Super Shoot, where 106th place (iirc) won a donated Hart barrel, which became my tack driving I-Beam Sporter. If I still had those rifles with the barrels they had when new, I think they would still shoot up a storm. The 6BR shot an agg in the.1 s at Johnstown back when.1 s weren t that common. It used H322 and the Bruno 68 grain boat tail. I still have several thousand of those boats and they still shoot a dot in my current rifles. The CPS I-Beam was a perfectly balanced Sporter rifle. With an 18 ½ barrel it didn t get velocity, but that stubby shanked barrel was stiff. It shot.125 s all day if I did my part. It shot my first zero at the 1981 IBS Nats. That doesn t sound like much now, but it range measured less than the IBS record at the time. As a note, I still have the stock and am rebuilding it right now with a Shilen DGA in 222 Rem Mag as a fun shooter and Prairie Dog whacker. The mentor was hugely important. All those drives back and forth to matches were filled with questions and answers about benchrest. With no suitable local range for practice the 38 range aggs I shot in 1981 were the foundation to build upon. It was one of the advantages in shooting IBS as there were so many ranges within a couple hours you could get to a club or registered match most weekends. That first year Bob and I went as far south as Staunton, VA and as far north as Stittsville, Ontario. The farthest West was the Super Shoot. One of the huge advantages current shooters enjoy is good equipment. When I started, there were shooters on the line with 308 s for goodness sakes. There were wood stocks and lots of sleeved Remingtons (like my 6BR). I know right now I can order parts and send them to many gunsmiths capable of building me a good rifle. Many of the advances have run costs up significantly, but items like rests, once you purchase the item it lasts. As an example: the Hart rest and Protector bags I currently use are the same as those I used in They could be replaced but still fit my needs. One of the things that is different now; without any extra money I replaced one barrel per year for the first six years I competed. The example is the I-Beam. Its round count was over 3500 before I had the barrel cut off and rechambered. That wouldn t work now unless the wind was blowing 40 mph. The good equipment continues with components. It might take some testing to figure your loads but you can find what you need to shoot dots. My best competitive days are behind me. I m teaching myself to shoot right-handed. Shooting several times a week while I work on a new book about hunting rifles, I still have the bug for accurate rifles. I ve been trying to get to several fun benchrest matches per year and have penciled in next year s Crawfish. Cheers, Glenn Newick Randy (RG) Robinett s reply; My earliest recollections of rifle shooting revolve around precision. I could never stand missing because of inadequate accuracy. I grew up in California where at that time there was excellent varmint shooting. Property owners would readily grant access to people to shoot on their land in order to control them. The quest for precision commenced. I began hand-loading at about 16 years old having shot exactly one box of [20] factory ammo in my entire life. That was in 1976, and then only to obtain some scarce.257 Roberts brass for a new.257 Ackley Imp. In July, Donna and I had moved the family to Deer Lodge, Montana, where I had been hired to operate printing presses at the Silver State Post. Being a non-resident of Montana at the time meant that I would not be eligible to hunt big game until the following season in No problem. Rock chucks, ground squirrels and coyotes abounded! More importantly to this discussion, there were turkey shoots--a good many of them!

23 Randy Robinett The shoots were hosted by the various town Chambers of Commerce. The shoots began about mid-july and ran most weekends until Labor Day. The format was pretty simple: $1.00 per shot. The shot closest to the center won usually 10 lbs of prime beef as opposed to a turkey! Those events were well attended and lasted from early morning through late afternoon. Using the aforementioned.257 Ack, I was able to win a few pounds of beef, but more importantly I was able to meet the local BR shooters: Dan Hanifen and Jim Monroe who invited me to participate in the local [club] $1.00 shoots--a buck a shot winner takes all deals. Even with my outclassed rig, I was able to at least break even. The following spring, I accompanied Dan to my first NBRSA registered Hunter Rifle tournament in Missoula, where I promptly took the bait and have enjoyed chewing on it ever since! After laying down $5, Match Director Bill Cote tracked me down and offered my money back stating, you don t know what you re up against to which I responded, I won t finish last...and I didn t. I became addicted to shooting the Hunter Class rifles and within my budget constraints, did well enough to stay involved until I could move up to competition rifles. I always like a challenge: the six power scope; ten pound weight limit; and 2 1/4 foreend width provide plenty of that! At that initial event, my rig was a Remington 700 (un-trued), featured a re-bored/rerifled factory barrel by R.G. West and Leupold fixed 6X scope (without parallax adjustment) in a self bedded (no pillars) Fajen thumb-hole, walnut stock. It was a little short of the competition but it was a GREAT shooter...just not great enough! Though the Ackley was a consistent sub.5 rifle, even in that era, a Hunter Class rig was something COMPLETELY different and remains so to this day. In that era, the order of the day called for a Remington 700 pillar bedded into a laminated wood stock, fitted with a Hart barrel (usually a 1:14 twist), chambered for the.308 Winchester. Under NBRSA rules, custom actions were not allowed: operable safeties and magazines were required which was quite different from the contemporary Hunter Class rifle! synthetic stocks, and trued actions were nowhere to be seen; at least not in Montana. That was soon to change. At the next event, my second registered Hunter tournament again 1977, Gene Streitz of Missoula displayed a new Fred Sinclair built Remington 700/.308, complete with a Lee Six fiberglass stock. Gene proceeded to shoot a 245-X, which at that time at 100 yards was quite good. So good in fact that before the call to the line for match five, the crowd was mumbling, if he can clean this last target, Gene will shoot a 245. My, how things have changed! Only a few years later, a 245-XX wouldn t even buy sympathy. I February, 2014 Precision Rifleman 23 know I m jumping around a bit. I ll try to stay focused. In retrospect, I have no regrets with how I began or ended up. Well at least to present. I do not recommend doing it my way, which was hard; not to mention expensive in the long run. I made due with what I could afford. Looking back, purchasing more than I thought I could afford would have prevented spending twice as much! On the positive side, by working with less than the best, I may have learned more about bedding, tuning, condition doping and execution than if I had purchased top of the line gear initially. I simply don t know, but for initiates, I have long advocated getting the best and crying once. What equipment did I start out with and am I still using it? Two for one as stated above, I began with a hunting rifle, chambered for the.257 Ackley. Improved using CCI BR4 primers, Winchester 785 and Speer Hot-Core 100 Gr. HP. I still own that action; restocked and re-barreled several times, still a.257 Ack. It s used only for mule deer, pronghorns and coyotes now, however, contrary to popular belief, I recently won both the 200 Yd. and the 100/200 Grand Aggregates at the NBRSA Hunter Nationals. Yep, shootin a.257 caliber cartridge. Circle completed, This rig is based upon a BAT action, bedded into a Lee Six stock and featuring a Bartlein barrel. A far cry from the ole Remington. Were there any hard lessons I had to learn? Wind doping and humility. As for who I admired, the late Don Judd of Minneapolis, MN. He was a great mentor and advisor. A true emissary for the benchrest game. Don provided my first killer barrel and also fit & chambered it to my action before he sold his barrel business and machinery to Dan Lilja. With that rifle, I garnered a pretty fair pile of fake wood. That particular barrel remains in the top three of my all-time best barrels list: it was chambered for Don s version of the 6HLS, which Don called the 6JBC. The difference between the JBC and the HLS being only the neck and over-all lengths: the JBC featured a 6PPC neck length, while the HLS used the 6mm Rem. neck-length. Regarding a.222 1/2 that he had barreled and sleeved for my initiation into the group shoot-

24 24 Precision Rifleman ing waters, Don advised, just shoot the 1/2 for a couple of years, paying attention to the flags before getting caught-up in the cartridge/caliber arguments and head games. To this day, sound advice! Valuable coaching from John Ambler, of Colorado stayed with me. Some of John s best advice was that there s plenty of time to admire an X while it s hanging on the wailing wall. Don t waste a good condition admiring the last X on a record target. Long-time friend Terry Meyer always provided inspiration and sound competition advice. He always peruses my groups accusing me of having score shooters mentality! During the mid 80s through the late 90s, Terry and I did a lot of traveling together, but focused on different disciplines. Group for Terry and Hunter Class for yours truly, but we often practiced together performing drills which honed our condition doping abilities. Do I feel benchrest has gotten better, worse or are the same? Of course, my opinions are slanted from an odd perspective, as I have been most involved in shooting in the NBRSA Hunter Class with a little group shootin thrown in when time permits. It remains puzzling that some still consider Hunter Rifles to be imprecise. I think that s a pretty un-savvy notion. I cannot say whether it is better or worse, but experimenters have become relatively uncommon. Most people want a rifle or cartridge which is all but guaranteed to work. Risk is not in the vocabulary. Equipment is monumentally better: actions, barrels, a plethora of suitable powders, bullets and scopes. Especially the first and last. The equipment playing field is much more level, however, it is much more difficult to win/place/ show as human ability has escalated at a pace at least equal to if not faster than the equipment. There are a surprising number of people so bent on winning that if they aren t spending their own money could be considered professional shooters. Way back when, there were few individuals so bent on winning. Until Y2K, I stayed with a Rem. 700 based Hunter Rifle incorrectly believing that the custom actions may scare off potential initiates. At the 2000 NBR- SA Hunter Nationals things changed. Shootin my trusty Rem (30x47HBR, PacNor barrel, Burris 6X scope), while I was fortunate enough to have won the 200 and the 100/200 Grand Agg, my Remington was one of only 3 or 4 non-custom actioned rigs, with a total gun count of 100 plus. That was the end of my Remington toting days. Once in a Blue Moon, I have dusted off the ole 700, but by the second or third match of an event was already longing for the BAT, with which I would have finished the card and removed the bolt while I m just inserting round number four and hoping the condition will hold a little longer. A trued 700 may shoot, but it won t run with a BAT, Borden, Kelbly. Prior to the popularity of the.30br for VFS and some group shooting, with the assistance of PacNor Barrels and our NBRSA Hunter Class rifles, some pals and I pioneered the just right twist rate some still call slow for the short/light weight thirty caliber bullets. Hunter shooters sometimes feel they are considered the village idiots of BR. By the time Ronnie Long brought up the possibility of using the BR case for VFS and southern Hunter tournaments, (unregistered club matches shot with rifles not conforming to NBRSA equipment rules), my minions and I, in NBRSA registered events, had amassed a decent pile of plaques shootin our 1:18 twist PacNor barrels, chambered for the 30x47HBR, and shooting gr. bullets. With these just right twist rate barrels, the hummer to bummer ratio is reversed. We expect 8 to 9 very good barrels out of ten as opposed to the 1 to 2 of the 6mm model. Getting the twist rate right remains a big thing. An area where group shooters still allow a little loose change to roll off the table. Long ago, two very smart men; Mike Walker and Dan Lilja advised that for the 6mm, the 14 twist-rate was too slow for the 68 gr. bullets based upon the.825 long jacket. Mr. Lilja suggested 1:13, while Mr. Walker simply stated that for a 68 Gr. 6mm bullet and 1:14 twist barrel, the finished bullet, 0.81 should be the maximum bullet length. So what s a mere 1/32nd of an inch in bullet length? In this case a 1 faster twist rate or 1:13! For about 25 years, 1/2 step (1:13.5 twist barrels) in the right direction, monkey see, monkey do has been pretty much SOP. A stagnation which I believe has restrained the 6mm model. Interestingly, the most common response to a faster twist argument is if it worked, everyone would be using it. But when asked when the last time was they tried it, none can offer an example. Benchrest shooters can be extremely judgmental and poor analyzers of data, often rulingout a concept on a sample size of one. Still, a growing number of people continue to purchase 10 or more barrels. Chamber them and keep the one or two hummers when a simple trip to the store and a return with a 1:12.5 to 1:13 may well reverse the bell curve. Putting bullets to sleep, especially in windy conditions, (the most frequent condition) is the lesser of two evils. Today there are few who will step out of line, so barrel selection has not changed much. It must be added though that a shift to a shorter jacket/bullet can produce the desired result, but then a 13 twist will put

25 February, 2014 Precision Rifleman 25 the shorter bullet sound asleep with no measurable depreciation of precision. Over the past 1/2 decade or so, the trend to 13.5 twist 6mm barrels is one reason for the much more frequent posting of teen aggregates and threats to many long standing records. Aggregates below 0.20 have become common, even expected. Fifteen years ago such aggs were still news. By nature records are difficult to achieve, however back in the day, most of the 6mm bullets were shorter and the popular Hart barrels of that era were somewhat faster than the nominal/default 1:14. Stability is a big deal. Regarding equipment, we have nearly reached the limit of precision. Our technology is mature. Only tweaks remain and/or the elimination of human error/control. Even rail guns require initial aiming then judgement in when to shoot. On bag guns, altering stock dimensions to eliminate/reduce the need for re-aiming between shots could improve aggs or at least make it easier for us to shoot smaller aggs, but even that won t guarantee more common assaults on the record book. The best competitors will still get most of the hardware. Collectively over the last decade and a half, we have gotten measurably better. The top individuals; those consistently in the Top 20 at the big group events, have gotten much better, but not for free. They worked at it. Why are the old records still standing and so hard to beat? Simply put, statistics. Probability, chance, averages, anomalies, etc. Not so simply, the aggregate records are very near the probable average of what can be accomplished with the best bullets, jackets and barrels if shot in a vacuum! Record aggregates are generally shot outdoors. We d need a statistician to sort the details. In the probability of besting a record, the number of attempts would be mind boggling. While an agg record does require a great deal of skill, it is none the less an anomaly. Otherwise it would be done every day and be much less amazing. From when I started until now/ when I last shot do I think that it is easier or harder to get into benchrest? I believe it is more difficult to entice initiates, especially younger people. Having said that I was a bit of a freak in that I began as a relatively young man (about 29) and stayed around. In well over thirty years of active participation, I have seen no change in the age of recruits. Most are 50+ years old; a 40 year old being a mere pup. Benchrest never has been, nor will it ever be widely appealing, or for that matter an enduring pursuit. The turn over rate is pretty high. One must have a passion for perfection and the objectivity to evaluate where he is, where he wants to go, and how to get there. Often this precludes winning at least on a regular basis for a several seasons. Then, even after attaining some degree of success, may entail suffering through entire disappointing seasons. For individuals with the winning is everything attitude, the turnover rate is higher than for those who set realistic goals, measuring progress as opposed to winning as success. The latter sort may stick around and become a competitor. Benchrest is very much like golf, but way easier. Me against myself and the conditions. It s about personal satisfaction, enjoyment, and recreation, not life and death; but golf course parking lots are full and registered benchrest events, not so much. I think it s easier to get into benchrest with top notch equipment but more difficult to win and if winning is everything to stay involved. Keep em on the X! Randy Robinett. Well there it is. All the answers to the posted questions. My hope is that this is a bit different than what is currently printed. I hope you enjoyed the responses as much as I. WBC-13 Qualifying Events Cactus Classic, Phoenix, AZ March Hog Roast, Fairchance, PA May 3-4 East-West Shootout, St Louis, June Rattlesnake, Raton, NM August Group Nationals, Holton, MI Sept 22-27

26 26 Precision Rifleman

27 February, 2014 Precision Rifleman 27 Bart & Billy Battle at Brock s Gap Birmingham, Alabama Brock s Gap Training Center held their 100-yard Four Gun on November 9-10, If you ve been reading this magazine for the last few months, you might remember several honorable mentions about this guy named Bart Sauter. Bart won the 2013 Iron Man competition back in August. At the Group Nationals in Fairchance, Bart won the Light Varmint 200 yardage and the Light Varmint Grand Aggregate. Back in October s issue, Bart was inducted into the Benchrest Hall of Fame. He s gone to flight school, has a black belt and served his country in the Iraq war. This is not a man of minimal accomplishment for sure. He and fellow shooting buddy Billy Stevens are the dynamic duo of Brock s Gap in this latest benchrest romp. Billy also deserves honorable mention as he is a former battalion commander; (that s Colonel Billy Stevens to you and I) and the two have served our country together from early days in Fort Hood to Germany and in the Iraq war. They are definitely a team and continuing their team behavior where one pushes the other onward and upward, just look at these match results. The only person who came between Bart and Billy was Buddy Ross from Florida...and what s with all these B s anyway? They obviously brought their A game. Congratulations Bart and Billy. Keep going strong in Unlimited 5-Shot 100-Yards Billy Stevens Bart Sauter Don Hardeman Gary Sullivan Danny Morgan Eddie Bowman Glen Nelson Johnnie Webb Randy Mitchell Rick Salsman Bud Crandall Buddy Ross Scotty Grimes Bill Greene Wayne Cree Heavy Varmint 100-Yards Bart Sauter Billy Stevens Bart shot every small group. Unlimited: Heavy Varmint: Light Varmint: Sporter: Buddy Ross Gary Sullivan Scotty Grimes Jeff Graves Bill Greene Bud Crandall Gary Morgan Danny Morgan Don Hardeman Glen Nelson Johnnie Webb Randy Mitchell Eddie Bowman Light Varmint 100-Yards Bart Sauter Billy Stevens Jeff Graves Gary Morgan Buddy Ross Johnnie Webb Bud Crandall Scotty Grimes Rick Salsman Gary Sullivan Glen Nelson Randy Mitchell Don Hardeman Eddie Bowman Danny Morgan Sporter 100-Yards Bart Sauter Buddy Ross Billy Stevens Jeff Graves Don Hardeman Gary Morgan Gary Sullivan Rick Salsman Bud Crandall Bill Greene Eddie Bowman Danny Morgan Scotty Grimes Glen Nelson Randy Mitchell Four-Gun Bart Sauter Billy Stevens Buddy Ross Gary Sullivan Don Hardeman Jeff Graves Bud Crandall Danny Morgan Gary Morgan Scotty Grimes Glen Nelson Johnnie Webb Eddie Bowman Randy Mitchell Bill Greene Southeast Region Top 10 Billy Stevens pts Buddy Ross Wayne Campbell Jeff Summers Jim Carmichel Steve Lee Gary Sullivan Don Hardeman Jeff Thompson III Jeff Graves

28 28 Precision Rifleman ER Eastern Region Camillus Sportsmens Club 5801 Devoe Road, Camillus, NY Club phone: Contact: Gerald Malerba East Pinegrove Rd, Cicero, NY Chippewa Rifle Club GPS: N W Contact: Gerry Jajowka Meadowbrook Blvd, Stow, OH Contact: Randy Perkowski Curtis Ave, Cuyahoga Falls, OH Fairfield Sportsmen s Assn 6501 River Rd, Harrison, OH Contact: Rick Browning Timberidge Ln, Okeana, OH Fairchance Rod & Gun Club GPS: N W Contact: Bill Reahard PO Box 156, McClellandtown, PA reahard@verizon.net Contact: Jerry Van Sickle Guthrie Rd, Smithfield, PA Holton Gun & Bow Club 6201 Crystal Lake Rd, Holton, MI PO Box 128, Holton, MI GPS: N W Contact: Bruce Torrey, Molly Blvd, Muskegon, MI Alternate: Nancy Scarbrough N Buys Rd, Muskegon, MI stocksunlimited@comcast.net Isabella County Sportsmans Club Corner of Winn & Millbrook Roads PO Box 383, Winn, MI Contact: Harry Ross South Summerton Rd Mt Pleasant, MI heross@charter.net Kane Fish & Game Dwight Rd, 1 mile N of Kane on SR Steve Timpano Group stimpano@verizon.net Ed Hanes - Group hanes329@comcast.net Kelbly s Rifle Range 7222 Dalton Fox Lake Rd N Lawrence, OH GPS: N W Contact: Jim Kelbly jim@kelbly.com Shelby County Deer Hunter Assn 7988 Johnston-Slagle Rd, Sidney, OH Ranges, Clubs, and Contacts Contact: John Petteruti jpetteruti@woh.rr.com WWCCA 6700 Napier Rd, Plymouth, MI Contact: Dana Raven Old 27N, Frederic, MI dana_raven@yahoo.com Contact: Bill Gammon Speight Blvd, London, ONT N5V 3J8 Canada Bill.gammon@rogers.com GC Gulf Coast Region Austin Rifle Club PO Box , Austin, TX Contact: Virgil Howarth Inridge Dr, Austin, TX vhowarth@sbcglobal.net Central Texas Benchrest GPS: N W Contact:Sammye Dietz Range Rd, New Braunfels, TX Contact: Kris Whitman Viewcrest, New Braunfels, TX kwhitman@gvtc.com Midland Shooters Association 4108 East County Rd 160, Midland, TX Contact: Mike Conry 3212 E County Rd 136, Midland, TX or MEConry@suddenlink.net North TX Shooters Association GPS: N W Contact: Michael Stinnett Blackjack Oaks Rd, Aubrey, TX mkstinnett@gmail.com San Angelo Gun Club 2231 West Beauregard Ave, San Angelo Contact: Dan Batko PO Box 3992, San Angelo, TX Labs1@zipnet.us Seymour Stool Shooters 448 Hwy 283 South, Seymour, TX Contact: John Horn Peterson Rd S, Iowa Park, TX John.Horn44@gmail.com Southwest Louisiana Rifle & Pistol Contact: Mike Guillot Cappy Dr, Lake Charles, LA Guillot4555@suddenlink.net Tomball Gun Club Contact: Dwayne Pullum: Richard Pullum by richardpullum@embarqmail.com NC North Central Region Buffalo Outdoor Rifle Club 462 N Burritt, Buffalo, WY Contact Pete Eisele Casper Benchrest Shooters Assn 2330 N Station Rd, Casper, WY Contact: Tim Naugle S Walnut St, Casper WY tnaugle@bresnan.net Council Bluffs Rifle & Pistol Club GPS: N W Contact: Gary Flury PO Box 1042, Council Bluffs, IA garysflury@gmail.com Contact: Ron Lee Miller Dupont St. Omaha NE ncnbrsa@cox.net Minnetonka Benchrest Association 8310 Hill n Dale Dr, St Francis, MN GPS: N W Contact: Scott Moser Abbott Dr, Brooklyn Park MN samoser@comcast.net Oak Hill Gun Club Coon Hunters Rd, Blue Grass, IA Contact: Cecil Peterson Cromwell Cir, Davenport IA peterson1@mchsi.com Prairie Dog Target Club Contact: Don Deckert HC 54, Box 3, Porcupine SD pdtc57772@yahoo.com MV Mississippi Valley Aurora Sportsmen s Club GPS: N W Contact: Allison Hartman PO Box 414, Aurora, IL office@aurorasc.org Bench Rest Rifle Club Of St Louis 2280 Kohn Rd, Wright City, MO GPS: N W Scott Pieper - Group Kohn Rd, Wright City MO pieper@shootingstl.com Wayne Corley - HTR/VFS Sheffield Ct, St Charles, MO waynecorley@sbcglobal.net Columbus Sportsman s Assn W10924 Bryer Road, Columbus, WI tabalding@gmail.com Contact Terry Balding W Main St #203, Sun Prairie, WI Van Dyne Sportsmen s Club or info@vdsc.org Contact: Dick Baier PO Box 8, Van Dyne WI NW Northwest Region Wenatchee Benchrest Club 2800 #2 Canyon Rd, Wenatchee, WA zaccs@televar.com Contact: Dan Zaccanti

29 Rogue Valley Shooting Sports Assn 6900 Kershaw Blvd, White City, OR Contact: Phil Grammatica Lewis-Clark Wildlife Club South Tom Beall Rd, Lapwai, ID Contact: Paul Gylling - HTR/VFS State Route 195, Colfax WA PGylling@gmail.com Denny Andrews - Group Snake River Rd, Asotin WA andrewslaw1@gmail.com Tacoma Rifle & Revolver Club 8503 Chambers Creek Rd W University Place, WA Contact: Jeff Lewis th Ave SW, Federal Way, WA varminthunter1@comcast.net Tri-Cities Metallic Silhouette Assn Hwy 12 to Pasco-Kahlotus Rd Contact: Rick DeGroat or rem10x308@aol.com Whittecar Rifle & Pistol Range 578 Blodgett View Dr, Hamilton, MT Contact: Jeff Jetter Foxy Ridge Rd, Stevensville, MT JLJ4HBR@msn.com Yellowstone Rifle Club 7212 Molt Rd, Billings, MT Contact: Russell Cree South 35th St, Billings MT RACreeMT@aol.com SE Southeast Region Brock s Gap Training Center GPS: N W South Shades Crest Rd Birmingham, AL Contact: Steve Lee Lee.Steven@att.net Manatee Gun & Archery Club 1805 Logue Rd, Myakka City, FL GPS: N W Contact: Buddy Ross Coronado Rd, Ft Myers, FL bross6mm@hotmail.com Middle Georgia Gun Owners Assn GPS: N W PO Box 4096, Dublin, GA Contact: Matt Walker mggoa1@gmail.com River Bend Gun Club 988 River Bend Gun Club Road Dawsonville, GA Ranges, Clubs, and Contacts GPS: N W Contact: Jim Andress Group/Score 3605 Blackwell Run, Marietta, GA jim@precisionrifles.co, benchrest@rbc.org or Rockingham County Gun Club 572 Long Branch Road, Reidsville, NC GPS: N W Contact: Roy Darnell Camp Betty Hastings Rd Walkertown, NC DarnellRM@embarqmail.com Unaka Rod & Gun Club 90 Furnace Rd, Johnson City, TN Contact: Matthew Keller Washington College Station Rd Limestone, TN mk6ppc4@yahoo.com MC Mid-Continent Region Land s End Benchrest Shooters 4 mi East of Hwy 50 on Reeder Mesa Rd Contact: Tom Stiner Divide Rd, Whitewater CO TSTooling@hotmail.com Mill Creek Rifle Club 7215 Gardner Rd, DeSoto, KS Contact:Larry Kuse - Group LRKuse@juno.com Contact:Ronald Shultz - Hunter/VFS Northern CO Benchrest Shooters CR 51, Eaton, CO Contact: Bud Schalles PO Box 83, La Porte CO budschalles@aol.com Okie Shooters Range Contact: Rex Reneau NW 28th Terrace, Bethany OK or rreneau1@cox.net Ouachita Sportsmen s Assn Contact: John Henry Maquire Ln, Pencil Bluff AR Ouachita Sportsmen s Assn Contact: John Henry Maquire Ln, Pencil Bluff AR Rio Grande Benchrest Shooters GPS: N W Shooting Range Access Rd NW Albuquerque, NM Contact: Ed Adams Victoria Dr NW, Albuquerque NM trished5@comcast.net Whittington Center US 64, Raton, NM Contact: Ed Adams Victoria Dr NW, Albuquerque NM trished5@comcast.net February, 2014 Precision Rifleman 29 SW Southwest Region Arizona Benchrest Shooters 4044 W Black Canyon Blvd, Phoenix, AZ GPS: N W Contact: Art Clegg W Mescal St, Glendale, AZ ahclegg@cox.net Central Utah Benchrest Contact: Dave Tunbridge Stacie Ave, Sandy UT drtunbridge@gmail.com Desert Sportsman Rifle Club W Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, NV GPS: N W Contact: Keith Myers - VFS keithmyers@yahoo.com or Ojai Valley Gun Club Contact: Barry Bluhm E Oak St, Ojai CA TwiLiteZ585@hotmail.com Palomino Valley Gun Club Washoe County Shooting Facility Pyramid Lake Hwy, Reno NV palominovalleygunclub.homestead.com GPS: N W Contact: Robert Hoppe - Long Range PO BOX 4251, Sparks NV RobH@saturnnet.com or Contact: Steve Archibald - Varmint 5017 Pleasant View Dr, Sparks, NV (h) or (c) nevadaswa@aol.com Sahuaro 1000-Yard Benchrest Contact: Karl Hunstiger E Cortez St, Phoenix AZ wfo13@aol.com Sloughhouse Benchrest Shooters Contact: Craig St Claire - Long Range galtshtr@gmx.com or Contact: Dan Lutke - Short Range lutke5@sbcglobal.net Contact: Bill Mellor - Short Range rollem11@att.net Visalia Sportsman Association 7398 Avenue 328, Visalia, CA Contact: Dennis Thornbury PO Box 105, Visalia, CA gunhandler@gmail.com EU European Region Benchrest Dolomiti Via Alemagna 1/a, Dobbiaco, Italy info@alpenfuchs.it Contact: Americo Angaran americo.angaran@gmail.com

30 30 Precision Rifleman * Flash * NBRSA News * Flash * NBRSA News * Flash * NBRSA News * Nomination Time Is Here Again Eastern Region Mississippi Valley Southeast, Southwest European If you reside in one of the above regions, it is time to send in your nominations for Regional Director. The deadline is Saturday, March 1, Mail nominations to PO Box 6770, Sheridan, WY or you can nbrsa.manager@gmail.com. What are the Qualifications? years of age or more. 2. NBRSA Member for 3 years or more. 3. Must reside in the region to which they are nominated. Who Can Nominate a Director? 1. Past NBRSA Regional Directors residing in the region. 2. NBRSA members submitting petitions containing signatures of 10+ members within that region. 3. Affiliated clubs within the region. Thank you for supporting NBRSA! Southeast Region Meeting Regional Director Wayne Campbell has scheduled the 2014 SER Meeting to follow the Shamrock match on Saturday, March 22 after the competition. The Shamrock is held at MGGOA in Dublin, Georgia. New VFS World Record Set Congratulations to Lynn Gibson from Burnet, Texas who set a new VFS World Record at Southwest Louisiana Rifle & Pistol Club at Lake Charles. He shot a yard Grand Aggregate of X. This supersedes the record set July 21st by Jerry Kloeppel of X. While we re on the subject of new VFS World Records, Lou Murdica has broken the 5 shot 200-yard record set on July 29, 2012 by Michael Louwien, which was X. Lou s score was set at Desert Sportsman s Club on October 17, 2013 during the VFS Nationals and was a X. Congratulations to Lynn & Lou. Well done! Bob Prather Passed Away It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of fellow shooter Bob Prather. Bob was an avid benchrest shooter for many years and was a member of the Mid-Continent region. He had many friends at Porcupine, Northern Colorado, Springville and Land s End ranges where he frequented the matches regularly along with his lovely wife, Mary. Our condolences and thoughts are with Mary and the rest of Bob s family.

31 Officers Dennis Thornbury, President 1114 S McAuliff St Visalia, CA H: C: gunhandler@gmail.com Term Expires 2014 Don Nielson, Vice President Hart St, Winnetka, CA H: pkin@sbcglobal.net Term Expires 2014 John Horn, Financial Officer 924 Peterson Rd South Iowa Park, TX C: Term Expires 2014 John.Horn44@gmail.com Committees World Records Committee: Group Gene Bukys, Chairman 2111 Silver Moon Trail Crosby, TX egb243@msn.com Kent Harshman, Committee Member Ron Hoehn, Committee Member Lowell Frei, Committee Member World Records Committee: Score David Halblom, Chairman 4315 Ashby Ave, Des Moines, IA DavidHalblom-BugTyer@att.net Dan Zaccanti, Committee Member Larry Kuse, Committee Member Rich Carpenter, Committee Member International Representative Wayne Campbell 264 Benchrest Ln, Concord, VA H: C: wcppc@icloud.com Varmint For Score Representative (Southwest Region) Keith Myers keithmyers@yahoo.com Long Range Measuring Committee Karl Hunstiger, Chairman wfo13@aol.com Regional Directors Eastern Region Exp 2014 Jack Neary 6204 Wild Oak Dr, North Olmstead, OH H: C: jrneary@hotmail.com Gulf Coast Region Exp 2015 Scott Hunter 1612 Buchanan St, Wichita Falls, TX H: C: Shunter@NTS-online.net Gulf Coast Alternate Mike Bryant 7761 FM 592, Wheeler, TX , mike@bryantcustom.com Mississippi Valley Region Exp 2014 Bud Mundy 5956 Old Hickory Trail Hillsboro, MO C: bcmundy@earthlink.net North Central Region Exp 2015 Terry Meyer PO Box 52 Thornton, IA H: C: tdmeyer6ppc@gmail.com North Central Alternate Rodney Brown PO Box 7218, Sheridan, WY C: rbrown@vanaire.net Mid-Continent Region Exp 2015 Butch Fjoser 7 Summerfield St, Woodward, OK C: W: butchsguns@att.net North West Region Exp 2015 Dan Zaccanti 1542 Tacoma Ave, Bridgeport, WA C: zaccs@televar.com North West Alternate Paul Holland PO Box 1498, Big Fork, MT plumbing@centurytel.net South East Region Exp 2014 Wayne Campbell 264 Benchrest Ln Concord, VA H: C: wcppc@icloud.net South West Region Exp 2014 Tom Libby Aster Dr. Palm Desert, CA B: C: tomnbrsa@outlook.com European Region Exp 2014 Philippe Riboulet 126 Avenue De La Timone Marseille, France priboulet@hotmail.fr February, 2014 Precision Rifleman 31 Staff Business Manager, NBRSA Editor, Precision Rifleman Magazine Advertising Sales Contact Audrey Brown PO Box 6770, Sheridan, WY W: C: nbrsa.manager@gmail.com Legal Representation Elliot Law Office Al Elliott, albertelliott@mail.com Change of Address: To change your address or report a damaged or undelivered magazine, write: NBRSA, PO Box 6770, Sheridan, WY Do not return damaged copies. Change of address should include both new address and a mailing label bearing the old one. In case of duplication send both labels. Contributors: The editor is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Advertisers: Rate cards and terms are available online at We appreciate your support! Safety Disclaimer: The publication, writers, organization officers, staff, and directors explicitly advise the readers that they make no representation of safety for any loads, techniques, and procedures if reported herein. The nature of participating in a shooting sport automatically requires caution at all times. Given the many variables present weather, equipment, and components the information presented is for your reading enjoyment. Printed in the USA Publisher: NBRSA, Inc. Printed By: Lithotech, Phoenix, AZ Advertising, Classifieds & Membership: Audrey Brown, Editor Precision Rifleman (ISSN X) is published monthly by NBRSA Inc PO Box US Hwy 87 Sheridan, WY Phone: nbrsa.manager@gmail.com for the benefit of its members. Membership dues is $60 per year US of which $40 is designated for a magazine subscription. Canadian postage add $25/ year. All other International postage add $60/year. For Membership inquiries call Copyright 2013, National Bench Rest Shooters Association. All rights reserved except where expressly waived. Periodicals Class Postage paid at Sheridan, WY & additional offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Precision Rifleman, PO Box 6770, Sheridan, WY

32 32 Precision Rifleman New KLP BR stock is a lot like a Scoville stock. The KLP features 1" forearm sidewalls, carbon fiber material and 24 ounces. New Sako ejector ready Panda action. Available in micro port or standard port.