Junior Shooters

Posted By admin on October 16, 2017

By: Ricky Marston (16)

Ricky aiming precisely down range with his 6.5 Creedmoor Ashbury Precision Ordnance (APO).  The scope is from Leupold with an MRAD reticle.

Recently, I attended the 2017 KWCBC Kennewick Washington cold bore challenge team rifle match. It was a two-man team, long-range, precision rife match. A shooter and a spotter made up the team and we traded off from shooter and spotter positions all day. It was awesome. It was a true blind-stage match so you wouldn’t be able to watch other teams in front of you. You also had to get your hide, dope and ranges on the clock and you only had eight minutes to engage all targets by both team members.

Ricky Marston, and Ben Moody working together during the KWCBC.

It was a wet rainy day on that Saturday morning. The first three stages were okay, but not our best ones of the match. The rest of the different blind stages were awesome and we cleaned house on most of them even when my rifle broke. My partner, Ben Moody (18), and I shared one gun on that last mover stage. We jumped back and forth to get all our engagements.

This match was a two-day match it ran Saturday and part of Sunday, but on Sunday morning, the fog was really thick and we couldn’t see any targets. We were hoping it would lift by 9 o’clock, but unfortunately it didn’t, so they decided to call the match at that point. Our team’s scores weren’t the best, but we did well for our first ever team long-range shooter/spotter match.

Ricky Marston, and Ben Moody using a barricade to assist in the steadiness of their shooting.

This match was awesome and I can’t wait to shoot it again with my team next year.

Category: Long Range, precision shooting, Rifle | No Comments »
Tags: Ben, ben moody, cold bore challenge, competitive shooting, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, kids, KWCBC, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, long range precision rifle match, long range precision rifle shooting, Olympics, plinking, Ricky, Ricky Marston, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, youth shooting, youth shooting sports

Posted By admin on September 28, 2017

By: Ashley Rumble ()

Ashley Knocking back an arrow in preparation to send it fourth down range.

Three years ago I was able to participate in The Scooters Youth Hunting camp held each May in Emmett, Idaho.  Scooters is a camp set up so that young kids can learn and experience firearms, survival, archery, knife sharpening, and gun cleaning.  It was a lot of fun and to pay back the camp in some way I decided to volunteer to help out.

Scooters call us volunteers “The Orange Army”.  All volunteers wear bright orange shirts with the camp logo.  

Everyone in the Orange Army is assigned a task, and mine has been archery for both years.  I enjoy archery a lot, so being at that station makes for an even better day. My dad has been on the .22 station showing kids how to shoot .22’s.  The gateway gun.  It’s how I got started in all this.

Tables set up with the random prizes given to the people whom came to/participated in the event. 

My duties are to make sure everyone is following directions, and retrieving arrows after each round.  It’s not glamorous, but it is fun watching kids shoot, and seeing their faces when they succeed.  As a bonus, between each group of kids we have some time to do other things, and this year I brought my own bow, and shot it as much as I could. There are some great 3D targets for me to practice on, and I was able to get more accustomed to my bow.

Another bonus is we get lunch like all the other campers.  If you leave this camp hungry, you’re doing something wrong.  In the morning there are donuts, and for lunch; burgers, hot dogs, finger steaks, and chicken wings.  There’s something for everyone, and enough for everyone to fill their stomachs to the max.

At the end of the day, there is a large drawing for prizes the campers can get.  All the kids walk away with an armload each year.  The prizes may be anything from a fully loaded Cabela’s camping set, guns, cleaning kits, fishing poles, almost anything outdoor related, and all useful.

Everyone who came to the event to participate or watch participants shooting.

All the junior volunteers get an envelope with money for us to buy our hunting and fishing license.  It’s really kind of them, and something that I took care of as soon as I could.

I feel honored to be a part of this camp.  I see it is for a good cause, and is a lot of fun.  I get to watch all sorts of kids try their hands at new things.  It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, scooters is a great place to be.  In the end, we hope the kids take what they learned and go outside on their own to use the new knowledge with their love of the outdoors.

About six weeks after the actual camp, and Scooter has had a chance to recover a bit, we have a volunteer BBQ and trap shoot to thank everyone for their help, and it all begins again for next year.

Category: Archery, Clubs & Teams, Events | No Comments »
Tags: ashley rumble, competitive shooting, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, Olympics, plinking, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, youth shooting, youth shooting sports

Posted By admin on September 24, 2017

Ben Moody (17)

The Hatsan Alfa is a must for back yard pests and plinking. Its compact design allows for easy storage and its lightweight for easy mobility. I found these features very useful while working at our farm. The Alfa is a break barrel pellet gun that uses .177 caliber pellets. The biggest advantage to this caliber is its availability, you can buy .177 at most sporting goods stores and even most hardware stores. And it is inexpensive, you can find two hundred and fifty rounds for as low as three bucks. That’s a cheap source of entertainment!

 

Ben Moody holding the Hatsan Alfa.

The crowning feature of the Hatsan is the adjustable trigger. I was able to take up trigger pre-travel, which increases the trigger pull, and vis-versa with one simple screw. The rifle also has a unique feature for a break barrel. Out of all the break barrel pellet rifles I have owned and tested none of them had a self-resetting safety. The Alfa safety resets when you break the barrel to reload. This added safety feature makes it great for

The precise first person shooter angle displaying     a wide range of shooters. The  the fiberoptic sights.                                                 accessories are also very good. The fiberoptic sights front and rear are easily adjustable. Both sights are very well made; the rear sight is solid with almost no wobble and the front sight is hooded to prevent breaking. The hood also doubles as a shield for the crown of your barrel, preventing damage to the crown and debris in the barrel.

The rifle looks great but how does it shoot?  The answer is pretty dang accurate. At twenty-five yards I was hitting a half

The left side of the Hatsan Alpha.                                    dollar sized target every time. Knock down power? The box claims that it runs about 495 Feet Per Second. Great for squirrels, mid sized birds, and other pests.

In the end, I would highly suggest the Hatsan Alfa for this year’s Christmas list whether for a new shooter or just something to plink cans with.

The right side of the Hatsan Alpha.

I would like to thank Junior Shooters Magazine and Hatsan for the opportunity to test this great product.

 

Category: Guns & Acc., Plinking Fun, Product Reviews, Rifle | No Comments »
Tags: Bend Moody, competitive shooting, Hatsan Alfa, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, Olympics, plinking, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, youth shooting, youth shooting sports

Posted By admin on September 19, 2017

By: Ben Moody (18)

Ben Moody’s Sunjack Portable Solar Charger from Gigawatt open for charging.

The importance of electronics in our daily lives has risen considerably in the past decade. In the shooting world, much of our equipment is now battery powered. Everyone has a cellphone and some ranges even use tablets for score keeping. How do you keep everything working at the range when heavy use drains your battery? The Sunjack Portable Solar Charger from Gigawatt is a great solution. Made to be compact and practical the Sunjack is useful in a wide variety of situations. In the precision, long-range discipline many shooters use a ballistic calculator on their phone or tablet to calculate their long range shots. Several matches involve hiking five miles from the truck with no way to charge your phone. The Sunjack folds out into four panels about twenty-six inches long and has clips at one end. The clips, chord, and battery zip into a mesh pocket on the back of the panels. The pocket is big enough for most smart phones as well. The best way to utilize the Sunjack system is to clip the package to your backpack while you’re walking or waiting to shoot. On a clear day, the external battery will charge in as little as five hours. The battery can fully charge up to four devices or sustain one device for an extended period. There is even a built in LED which can be used as a flashlight; very useful at night. The Sun Jack is the best way to keep all your devices running on the range or while traveling in remote areas. The Sunjack Portable Solar Charger is one piece of equipment which has become a staple in my pack. I would like to thank Junior Shooters Magazine and Deep Creek Public Relations for the opportunity to test this great piece of equipment.

Check it out at: https://www.sunjack.com/products/sunjack-14w-portable-solar-charger

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Category: Product Reviews | No Comments »
Tags: ben moody, competitive shooting, electronic charging device, Gigawatt, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, Olympics, plinking, shooting, shooting sports, Sunjack Portable Charger, usa shooting, youth shooting, youth shooting sports

Posted By admin on September 5, 2017

By: Grace Masa, my SASS alias is Raindrop Renegade.

The Raindrop Renegade’s first match as a shooter; she just turned 10.

I started shooting when I was 10 years old and have been competing ever since. The gun club that I shoot at is the Griffin Gun Club in Griffin, Georgia. My dad and my sister had been a part of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) since before I could talk. So ever since I can remember, cowboy shooting is just something that we did.  I waited and waited for the day I was allowed to start competing with my dad and my sister. The gun club’s age requirement was 8… so why didn’t I start when I was 8?

Well, when my sister, Lily, started shooting we lived in California, and the age requirement was 10. My sister insisted that I wait the same amount of time that she had to. So, when I turned 10, that very next match, I came in guns a blazin’. Ok. That’s not exactly true…. I was very timid at first. But very soon I got my bearings and was able to compete to the best of my ability. Another thing about first starting, was that I was very, very slow. But to compensate I was also accurate. To this day, I have more clean shoots than my dad. But no matter how slow, no matter how shy I was, my fellow shooters were always so supportive. And that’s what I love about this sport.

Grace’s actual first match, The Plainfield Raid in Sacramento Ca. She was a few months old.

Everyone, including people that I just met are always willing to lend a helping hand. They always have your best interests at heart. If there is something that you’re doing that is remotely unsafe, they are going to let you know. That’s another thing. The value on safety is held above anything else. In this sport, we want to have fun while competing, but you must be safe. In cowboy action shooting, we’re safe while we shoot, and we look cool while we’re shooting. That’s one part of the sport I have always enjoyed. Every piece of clothing and accessory from head to toe looks completely authentic. Well, as close as you can get. Even our guns and leather look straight out of a John Wayne movie.

Another shot of G at the first shoot she actually shot. She had her 22s, but was using her sister’s holsters.

Speaking of guns and leather, I started out with two 22 pistols, a 22 Henry rifle, and a 410 single-shot shotgun (which slowed me down a good bit).  And my leather was just an ordinary belt with two holsters to carry my 22s. But as I’m getting faster and starting to move up a category, I’m getting new guns and new leather. I am patiently waiting for a beautiful brand new pair of 38 Cimarron/Pietta pistols. And I have also received a whole rig from Mernickle Holsters.

The first Doc Holliday’s Immortals match she attended; she was 3.

Talking about Cimarron and Pietta, I was actually selected to be a Cimarron Young Gun for the year of 2017. I was super excited about this because, for one, I got to tell all of my friends. This is also a great way for me to help clear up some of the bad rep that guns and shooting get. In the news, all you hear is shooting this, and shooting that. I do my best to educate others about how firearms can be used for fun.

Like my dad always says, “Guns are tools, and like any tool, if you use it in the wrong way, you will end up hurting yourself or others. If you use it in the right way, it will serve its purpose.” In my case, its purpose is to be used as a tool for me to compete with.

 

Grace as the Givhans Ferry SASS Southeast Regional as the Buckarette Champion.

While I’m on the topic of competing, I would like to mention that I have competed at the South Eastern Regional, and placed first in my category. While I was there, I only knew one person on my posse coming in, but when I left I had made many friends. Like I said, people in this sport are always so friendly and helpful. Throughout the time that I have participated in this sport people have always supported me. The support of my friends, my fellow shooters, and my family are the reason I continue to shoot, besides loving what I do. My name is Grace Masa, my SASS alias is Raindrop Renegade, and I love Cowboy Action Shooting.

Category: Action Pistol, Clubs & Teams, precision shooting, Shotgun Sports, Uncategorized, Western Action | No Comments »
Tags: competitive shooting, Grace Masa, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, Olympics, plinking, sass, shooting, shooting sports, single action shooting society, single action shotgun, usa shooting, youth shooting, youth shooting sports

Posted By admin on July 10, 2017

By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer

Texas Hill Country Shooting Club earned the first place spot in the precision competition during the CMP National event.

 

 

 

 

CAMP PERRY, Ohio – Though only in the eighth grade, Katie Zaun, 14, of the Buffalo Sharpshooters from North Dakota, showed exceptional marksmanship maturity as she became the aggregate winner of the National Three-Position Championships after earning third place in the National Junior Olympic match and first over her fellow competitors in the National Civilian Marksmanship Program event.

She was full of smiles as she posed for photos in a USA Shooting jacket as the newest member of its junior team, which was the honor she received for winning the two-day precision aggregate. She was also humble standing next to her family, grateful for her win and still unable to comprehend beating each competitor around her – most much more developed in years.

Katie Zaun, at just 14 years old, became the winner of the USA Shooting precision aggregate competition and also earned her Distinguished Badge.

“It doesn’t really click in my mind,” she said of her win. “It’s crazy, shooting against really good people who are actually older than me – it really is. I’m still in shock.”

Zaun has been shooting since she was eight years old, beginning with BB gun before moving on to air rifle and smallbore, where she’s been practicing precision style shooting for almost five years now. This was her third trip to the Air Rifle Nationals event – and this time, she had goals in mind.

“All I wanted was to get into the finals because I was really close last year. I wasn’t expecting to place or anything,” she explained. “The previous years I’d get like seventh or eight in the finals, and I’d been really excited about that because it’s the finals – it’s important. This year I just kind of stayed in my zone and kept putting [the shots] down.”

Her strategy paid off as she earned qualifying rankings in the finals both days of the grueling three-position junior competitions.

The National Air Rifle Championships for junior precision and sporter air rifle competitors was held June 21-23 and June 24-26 at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center, located on the grounds of Camp Perry in Ohio. The event combines the National Junior Olympic (JO) match with the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) competition. Individual and team awards are presented to each day’s winners, along with an award for the overall precision competitor of the two-day aggregate, who receives an honorary place on the USA Shooting junior team.

Unable to settle for just a regular win, Zaun set the bar even higher as she fired a new Age Group 3 National Record for a 3×20 plus Final during her CMP Nationals win, with a score of 697.9 – passing the previous record by 0.6 points. She had also received her Distinguished Air Rifle Badge, needing only one final point coming into the weekend.

“I was pretty excited. I know it means a lot – I worked really hard to get it,” she said.

With an entire high school career ahead of her, Zaun plans to keep on shooting. She doesn’t quite have any set plans, but she knows she’ll enjoy every second of her journey.

“I just want to have fun right now and see where it takes me,” she said.

In the CMP precision match, Rebecca Lamb, 15, of the Arlington Optimist Acorns CJRC from Virginia followed Zaun in second place with a score of 694.4, as individual competitor Jared Eddy, 16, of Midland, GA, finished with an overall score of 692.7.

Graduated senior Jaycie Hoenig finished out her career with the overall win in the sporter CMP Championship match.

In sporter, the ladies of the Zion Benton team from Illinois claimed the top two places in the CMP event as Jaycie Hoenig, 18, passed her teammate, Hailey Smith, 18, with a score of 668.3 for the win.

A graduated senior, Hoenig embraced every bit she could of her final air rifle competition – ending on a clear high note.

“It was definitely one of the most stressful and emotional matches. I don’t think there was a time that I wasn’t crying over the fact that I’m leaving,” Hoenig joked. “But it was definitely one of the most memorable.”

On firing beside one of her teammates during the finals, as she did each day with Smith, Hoenig said, “I always feel confident when I’m with my other teammates. No matter what we place, I’m always proud of them for what they do. It’s never really a race with me.”

She went on to say, “I feel extremely proud to have been a part of this (Zion Benton) program for the last four years. And hopefully later on I can show other family members and other friends around me what the Civilian Marksmanship Program is and have them get involved because it’s such a great program.”

A regular at CMP Monthly Matches and major air rifle competitions, she made a point to give credit to the organization for the experiences she gained from her marksmanship career.

“You guys (the CMP) have given me so many great opportunities every time I’ve come here. So it’s truly been an honor,” she said. “I love it. You guys are the greatest.”

Hoenig will be heading to Carthage College in Kenosha, WI, in the fall to study nursing with plans to hopefully one day become a nurse practitioner.

Behind Hoenig, Zion Benton teammate Hailey Smith fired an aggregate score of 663.8, as last year’s sporter JO Champion, Levi Carlson, 18, of Nation Ford HS MCJROTC from South Carolina, secured the third place spot with a score of 653.6.

Hailey Smith dominated the JO sporter event and went on to earn second place in the CMP match.

Though Smith just missed out on the CMP Championship title, she had earlier made her mark when she fired an astonishing 10.9 on her last finals shot to become the overall winner of the JO competition with a commanding score of 666.8. She beat out last year’s CMP National Champ Emma Thompson, who squeaked by Hoenig by 0.3 points. The girls recorded scores of 656.5 and 656.2, respectively.

In an incredible comeback, Emma Thompson set a new finals record as she jumped from sixth to second place in the JO match.

During her JO finals performance, Thompson also set a new Navy JROTC finals record with a score of 98.5, impressively jumping from sixth place to second. She even fired a difficult 10.9 shot and finished with a 10.7 on her final pellet during her astounding comeback.

Past multi-time winner, Sarah Osborn, received a $1,000 CMP Scholarship to use during her first year at West Virginia University.

In precision JO action, Sarah Osborn, 18, of Patriot Shooting Club from Virginia, outshot her closest competitor by 0.2 points to become the overall champion – recording a score of 691.9.

Also a graduated senior, Osborn left a lasting legacy at the National Three-Position matches over her career. Back in 2013, at just 14, she became the first overall precision winner of the CMP 3P National Championship. She returned the following year to earn second in the event and first overall in the JO championship, earning herself a place on the USA Shooting junior team and setting multiple National Records. After a break from the event in 2015, she restored her place on the podium in 2016 – winning both the CMP and JO National matches.

Next year, Osborn will join the five-time reigning NCAA National Championship rifle team, West Virginia University.

Trailing behind Osborn in second with a score of 691.7 was Justin Kleinhans, 17, of Black Swamp Jr. Rifle from Ohio, followed by Zaun who stuck close with a score of 690.8.

In addition to performance awards, the CMP presents three $1,000 Scholarships to the high scoring seniors of the CMP match. Congratulations to graduated seniors Haley Castillo, Sarah Osborn, Mica Harr, Jaycie Hoenig, Hailey Smith and Levi Carlson in the precision and sporter classes who earned scholarships to use towards their furthering education.

 

Top 3 Winning Teams:

CMP Precision:

1. Texas Hill Country Shooting Club TX – 2345-162x
2. Arlington Optimist Acorns CJRC-Gold VA – 2341-157x
3. Dakota Sharpshooters SD – 2340-165x

JO Precision:

1. Arlington Optimist Acorns CJRC-Gold VA – 2342-162x
2. Patriot Shooting Club of VA – 2338-148x
3. Hellgate Junior Team MT – 2336-155x

Zion Benton was the overall winning team of the CMP match, with two of its members earning first and second place positions.

CMP Sporter:

1. Zion Benton Team Gold IL – 2210-78x
2. Nation Ford HS MCJROTC SC – 2203-77x
3. Gulfport MCJROTC Team 1 MS – 2197-71x

JO Sporter:

1. Nation Ford HS MCJROTC SC – 2207-84x
2. Zion Benton Team Gold IL – 2197-75x
3. Gulfport MCJROTC Team 1 MS – 2186-77x

For a complete list of results, visit https://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php?do=match&tab=results&task=edit&match=15618&tab=results.

To view photos taken at the event, both within the range and the photo studio, follow the link to the CMP Zenfolio album at http://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f380421275.

Thank You, MidwayUSA Foundation:

As in the past, the MidwayUSA Foundation provided an unparalleled amount of generous endowments to leading teams throughout the Three-Position competition series. The mission of the Midway USA Foundation is to help communities and organizations raise funds to support youth shooting teams and activities, beginning with the generosity of MidwayUSA Foundation president Larry Potterfield and his wife, Brenda. Those within the CMP send sincerest gratitude for all that the foundation has done for youth marksmanship and for the success of the sport for generations to come.

About the CMP Three-Position Air Rifle Championships:

The National Championship is a 3×20 air rifle match where competitors fire 20 record shots from three positions: prone, standing and kneeling. Junior JROTC, 4-H and club team precision and sporter marksmen involved in the competition began their journey with the CMP Postal Competition in November, where CMP-issued targets were mailed into Headquarters in Ohio for official scoring. Top shooters in the Postal Competition were invited to compete in the Regional Championships in March and April, with the overall high individuals and teams from that match qualifying for the National Championship.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.

Category: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tags: Ashley Brugnone, Ashley Brugnone CMP writer, competitive shooting, Emma Thompson, Jaycie Hoenig, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, Katie Zaun, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, National 3P Air Rifle Championships, National Air Rifle Championship, Olympics, plinking, Sarah Osborn, shooting, shooting sports, Texas Hill Country Shooting Club, usa shooting, youth shooting, youth shooting sports, Zion Benton

Posted By admin on June 27, 2017

 

Ashbury Precision Ordnance (APO) and two of Junior Shooters magazine’s varsity, long-range team members won first place “Junior Team” at the Sniper’s Hide Cup 2017 long-range match! This is a significant accomplishment won at a very difficult long-range match where participants enter as a two-person team. APO is the exclusive rifle sponsor for Junior Shooters’ varsity, long-range team. The varsity team also uses Leupold scopes provided through APO. Junior Shooters magazine fielded five juniors at this match, two two-person teams and a single junior varsity junior who shot with one of our coaches as his team-mate.

Cameron Burke (18) and Brock Lueddeke (15). Members of Junior Shooters’ shooting team and two members of the varsity long-range team. Congratulations Cam and Brock!

Junior Shooters magazine and APO, with Leupold, started their long-range efforts in early 2016 taking five of the top shooters Junior Shooters 3-Gun team and having them move into long-range as well. This varsity group has consisted of Ben Moody (18), Cameron Burke (18), Ricky Marston (16), Brock Lueddeke (15), and Tristan Woodbury (15) – current ages provided (Note: You shoot as a junior in long-range competition until you are 19.). Jack Burke, one of our junior varsity members also competed, and did extremely well. The long-range team is coached by Travis Woodbury and Brian Lueddeke.

Left-to-right: Ben Moody (varsity 18), Ricky Marston (varsity 16), Jack Burke (junior varsity 13), Frank Galli Sniper’s Hide Cup match director, Cameron Burke (18), and Brock Lueddeke (15). The ammunition used by the varsity and winning junior team was Hornady’s 140-grain ELD Match (Hornady’s big “H” logo is proudly displayed on the front of four of the jerseys in this photo).

 

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Posted By admin on June 9, 2017

By Ricky Marston (16)

Recently, I attended the 2017 KWCBC Kennewick Washington cold bore challenge team rifle match. It was a two-man team, long-range, precision rife match. A shooter and a spotter made up the team and we traded off from shooter and spotter positions all day. It was awesome. It was a true blind-stage match so you wouldn’t be able to watch other teams in front of you. You also had to get your hide, dope and ranges on the clock and you only had eight minutes to engage all targets by both team members.

It was a wet rainy day on that Saturday morning. The first three stages were okay, but not our best ones of the match. The rest of the different blind stages were awesome and we cleaned house on most of them even when my rifle broke. My partner, Ben Moody (18), and I shared one gun on that last mover stage. We jumped back and forth to get all our engagements.

This match was a two-day match it ran Saturday and part of Sunday, but on Sunday morning, the fog was really thick and we couldn’t see any targets. We were hoping it would lift by 9 o’clock, but unfortunately it didn’t, so they decided to call the match at that point. Our team’s scores weren’t the best, but we did well for our first ever team long-range shooter/spotter match.

This match was awesome and I can’t wait to shoot it again with my team next year.

Category: Events, Guns & Acc., Long Range, Miscellaneous, precision shooting, Rifle | No Comments »
Tags: 6.5 Creedmoor, apo, Ashbury Precision Ordnance, ben moody, cold bore challenge, competitive shooting, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, leipould, leupold VX-6, long range team, long-range, Olympics, plinking, precision rifle shooting, PRS, Ricky Marston, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, youth shooting, youth shooting sports

Posted By admin on May 25, 2017

By Ashley Rumble (14)

Three years ago I was able to participate in The Scooters Youth Hunting camp held each May in Emmett, Idaho.  Scooters is a camp set up so that young kids can learn and experience firearms, survival, archery, knife sharpening, and gun cleaning.  It was a lot of fun and to pay back the camp in some way I decided to volunteer to help out.

Scooters call us volunteers “The Orange Army”. All volunteers wear bright orange shirts with the camp logo.

Everyone in the Orange Army is assigned a task, and mine has been archery for both years.  I enjoy archery a lot, so being at that station makes for an even better day. My dad has been on the .22 station showing kids how to shoot .22’s.  The gateway gun.  It’s how I got started in all this.

My duties are to make sure everyone is following directions, and retrieving arrows after each round.  It’s not glamourous, but it is fun watching kids shoot, and seeing their faces when they succeed.  As a bonus, between each group of kids we have some time to do other things, and this year I brought my own bow, and shot it as much as I could.  There are some great 3D targets for me to practice on, and I was able to get more accustomed to my bow.

Another bonus is we get lunch like all the other campers.  If you leave this camp hungry, you’re doing something wrong.  In the morning there are donuts, and for lunch; burgers, hot dogs, finger steaks, and chicken wings.  There’s something for everyone, and enough for everyone to fill their stomachs to the max.

At the end of the day, there is a large drawing for prizes the campers can get.  All the kids walk away with an armload each year. 

The prizes may be anything from a fully loaded Cabela’s camping set, guns, cleaning kits, fishing poles, almost anything outdoor related, and all useful.

All the junior volunteers get an envelope with money for us to buy our hunting and fishing license.  It’s really kind of them, and something that I took care of as soon as I could.

I feel honored to be a part of this camp.  I see it is for a good cause, and is a lot of fun.  I get to watch all sorts of kids try their hands at new things.  It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, scooters is a great place to be.  In the end, we hope the kids take what they learned and go outside on their own to use the new knowledge with their love of the outdoors.

About six weeks after the actual camp, and Scooter has had a chance to recover a bit,     

we have a volunteer BBQ and trap shoot to thank everyone for their help, and it all begins again for next year.

Category: Archery, Clubs & Teams, Events, Hunting | No Comments »
Tags: ., Archery, army, Ashley, ashley rumble, competitive shooting, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, Olympics, Orange army, plinking, Rumble, scoters youth hunting camp, shooting, shooting sports, The Orange Army, The Scooter Youth Hunting camp, usa shooting, youth shooting, youth shooting sports

Posted By admin on May 6, 2017

By: Ben Moody (18)

Several manufacturers in the past few years have come out with air guns that shoot arrows. The Air Venturi representation of this product is the best on the market. Instead of building a whole new system dedicated to firing a bolt they have simply designed a bolt that can be fired from their existing platform. The platform is called the Dragon Claw, chambered in .50 caliber. The bolts themselves can be fired from any .50 caliber air gun with a barrel length twenty-two inches or over. It seems this line of their rifles follows the same look and high-quality feel. Although I have only tested one of their other rifles, the Dragon Claw shares all of the same main functions. This makes transitioning from one type of air gun to the other an easy process.

The greatest part of this design is that it is not limited to shooting air bolts. At any time, it can be shot using the original .50 caliber pellets. Loading the rifle with Air Bolts is much like a crossbow.  The bolts fletching, or arrows, must be bent clockwise in the same direction and then pushed down the barrel until only the point is visible. After cocking the hammer with the side charging handle, the rifle is hot. The safety is just like most traditional shotguns, located on the trigger guard behind the trigger. The first few bolts fired from the rifle were into a small haystack. Both of the bolts entered through a sideways row of bales and penetrated two and a half of them. The power was more than a crossbow! The fastest crossbow on the market will shoot a 400 grain bolt/arrow about 440 fps MAX. The Dragon Claw shoots a heavier, 430 grain Air Bolt at 500 fps.  Not only was I impressed with its penetration, but I would not hesitate to take game as large as a deer, boar, or black bear with an Air Bolt.

Unfortunately, finding the bolts after you fire them is a daunting task. I started with six bolts at the beginning of the test, and now only two remain.  Because of this, I was not able to confirm the accuracy of the rifle with these projectiles, but as far as I can tell from one target, it is more accurate than the crossbow. The sights are easily adjustable and are very well made.  The report from the rifle is louder than I expected and I would suggest wearing hearing protection when firing. The two air tanks contain enough air to fire roughly eight shots before needing to be refilled. I would definitely spend the extra money to get a prefilled tank to recharge the rifle. Pumping it by hand with a special pump is a thirty-minute workout.  

This is a serious airgun; I would only suggest for hunting purposes on mid-sized or larger game. It is far too powerful for pests in the back yard. In conclusion, the Dragon Claw is a great way to hunt mid-sized game and can be a bunch of fun.

I would like to thank Junior Shooters Magazine,, PYRAMYD AIR, and Air Venturi for making this article possible.

Get it at PYRAMYD AIR!

Category: Airgun, Archery, Guns & Acc., Hunting, Merchant Links, Miscellaneous, Rifle | No Comments »
Tags: 50 air rifle, air rifle, air venturi, airbolt, Archery, bolt rifle, competitive shooting, crossbow, dragon claw, Hunting, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, Olympics, plinking, pyramyd air, Rifle, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, youth shooting, youth shooting sports

Posted By admin on April 18, 2017

CIVILIAN MARKSMANSHIP PROGRAM

• Camp Perry Training Site, Bldg. 3
• P.O. Box 576, Port Clinton, OH 43452
• Tel (419) 635-2141
• Web site:  www.TheCMP.org
• On-Line Newsletter:  http://thecmp.org/communications/the-first-shot/

By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer

In a remarkable performance at the 2017 Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Regional Three-Position Air Rifle Championships, Kristen Hemphill, 17, of TX Hill Country Shooting Club, fired a new standing National Record score of 200-19x. To put it in perspective, she hit the x-ring, which is roughly the size of the head of a pin, 19 out of a possible 20 times in a row.

That same day, she mirrored her standing score by firing a prone score of 200-19x. Hemphill recorded her incredible scores on the CMP’s electronic target Mobile Range, which was assembled in Layton, Utah, April 6-8. Teams came from as far as Honolulu, Hawaii, and Anchorage, Alaska, to compete in the annual competition.

Regional events were also held concurrently at CMP’s north air gun range, the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center at Camp Perry, Ohio, and CMP’s south air gun range at the South Competition Center in Anniston, Ala., in March.

Her record-score of 200-19x equates to hitting the head of a pin 19 out of 20 consecutive times.

The match is a 3×20 air rifle event, where sporter and precision class competitors from 4-H, Scouts, American Legion, club or JROTC rifle programs fire 20 shots at each position: prone, standing and kneeling. Overall winners at each location include:

The top 3 precision juniors at the CMP Regional event at Camp Perry, in Port Clinton, Ohio. The top teams and individuals from all 3 regional events will compete in June at Camp Perry.

 

Hemphill received a standing ovation as she took the stage to be recognized for her outstanding accomplishment.

Layton, Utah:

Sporter:

• Aaron McCommon, Flowing Wells JROTC, AZ – 1196.1
• Kade Jackovich, Rio Salado, AZ – 1192.8
• Nathan Fahrenbrook, NE – 1189.2

Precision:

• Kristen Hemphill, TX Hill Country Shooting Club, TX – 1286.5
• Taylor Gibson, North Salem Sniping Vikings, OR – 1279.8
• Maya Boyle, Borealis Bullseyes, AK – 1279

Camp Perry, Ohio:

Sporter:

• Emma Thompson, Freeport High School, IL – 1219.1
• Jaycie Hoenig, Zion Benton High School, IL – 1216.9
• Hailey Smith, Zion Benton High School, IL – 1197.4

Precision:

• Calista Smoyer, Ontelaunee Jr. Rifle Team, PA – 1280
• Justin Kleinhans, Black Swamp Jr. Rifle, OH – 1276.2
• Mica Harr, Palmyra Junior Rifle Team, PA – 1273.5

Anniston, Ala.:

Sporter:

• Levi Carlson, Nation Ford High School MCJROTC, SC – 1217.2
• Rebecca Cook, Gulfport MCJROTC, MS – 1196
• Gabrielle Phelps, Gulfport MCJROTC, MS – 1195.4

Precision:

• Adrian Hickerson, Creek Wood High School, TN – 1275.8
• Makenzie Sheffield, Granbury MCJROTC, TX – 1272.2
• Ryan McAndrews, MCGC KATS, AL – 1270.6

Top teams and individuals will be invited to the 2017 CMP National Three-Position Air Rifle Championship, June 21-26, at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center in Ohio. The event is free and open to the public.

Guests will also be able to personally see CMP’s new air gun targets, installed in November 2016. The Kongsberg Target System (KTS) targets used in the range are powered by OpticScore technology, which are scored optically by internal LED lights. The range also features monitors at each firing point and large overhead monitors for spectators to keep track of scores.

Junior marksmen participating in the CMP National Championship will also automatically be entered in the USA Shooting National 3P Junior Olympics – fired at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center. Precision competitors will compete on June 22, while sporter competitors will follow on June 25.

For a complete list of results of the CMP Regional Championships, visit https://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php?do=match&task=edit&match=15054&tab=results. More information about the CMP 3P Air Rifle Championships can be found on the CMP website at http://thecmp.org/air/national-three-position-air-rifle-championships/.

Photos of the Regional events can be found on the CMP Zenfolio page at http://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f94018244.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.

Category: Airgun, Associations, Clubs & Teams, Events, precision shooting | No Comments »
Tags: air rifle, air rifle competition, Civilain Marksmanship Program, competitive shooting, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, Olympics, plinking, precision shooting, shooting, shooting sports, sporter class, usa shooting, youth shooting, youth shooting sports. CMP

Posted By admin on April 13, 2017

The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation is proud to announce the 2017 SCTP and SASP Scholarship Program. The scholarship program rewards deserving Scholastic Clay Target Program and Scholastic Action Shooting Program graduating seniors with needed college assistance. Through this program the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation has provided over $200,000 in scholarship funds in the last four years to assist high school seniors in pursuing higher education. The main objective is to award as many scholarships as possible to qualifying SCTP / SASP graduating seniors. The application deadline is April 17^th so, apply now using our online application form at sssfonline.org!

SSSF is establishing minimal guidelines for the selection procedure, thus allowing the final selection to be as simple as possible.

General Procedures:

• Each applicant must be a graduating senior within the year of the awarded scholarship and must be registered for college before the scholarship is awarded in that same year.
• Applicant must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative Grade Point Average through the most recent grading period ending on or before April 1, 2017.
• Each prospective recipient must be registered as a full-time college student before the scholarship is awarded and must provide the name of the post-secondary college or community/ junior college to receive the scholarship proceeds. Each scholarship check will be mailed to the appropriate college in the student’s name by October 1, The scholarship funds are to be used for tuition, fees, etc. This is a one-time, non-renewable scholarship.
• Applicants may not be in receipt of any “full” scholarship funds in order to qualify (i.e., athletics, military academy, academic, etc. ).
• Applicants must have participated during 2016-2017 in one of their SCTP / SASP State Championships, National Championships, or regional events in Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays, or Olympic Bunker; Olympic Skeet Championships, Pistol or Rifle.
• Applicants must be able to complete all parts of the application packet:
• Application / Personal Information Page:
  • One Page Student Resume or School and Non-School Activities and Honors
  • One Page Essay (see  Essay Guidelines)
  • Must attach current high school transcript or home school transcript!

  Funds will be awarded, if available, and the goal is to assist as many SCTP / SASP graduating high school seniors as possible.

Category: Action Pistol, Associations, Clubs & Teams, Events, Miscellaneous, Olympics & USA, Scholarships, Shotgun Sports | No Comments »
Tags: action shooting, clays, competitive shooting, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, Olympics, plinking, SASP, scholarships, Scholastic Action Shooting Program, scholastic clay target program, Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation, sctp, shooting, shooting scholarships, shooting sports, shooting steel, shotgun, shotgun sports, skeet, sporting clays, SSSF, trap, usa shooting, youth shooting, youth shooting sports