Junior Shooters

Posted By admin on December 29, 2011

Prepare for Your Next Family Trip with the New Camp Trivia Game

Increase your knowledge of the great outdoors as you race back to the campfire.

Few experiences help bond a family together more than spending a few days in the outdoors roughing it without the comforts of modern life and technology. But, when you cannot take the time to get away there is a new game from Outdoors Education that brings the feeling of the great outdoors into your living room called Camp.

From the level one Tenderfoot to the level four Nature Enthusiast, Camp is an outdoors trivia game designed to challenge the knowledge of every member of the family. To play, each person chooses their piece and places it on a seat around the campfire. During their turn players draw a card and attempt to answer the trivia question that corresponds with their skill level. If the correct answer is given, the player rolls again. If not, the next player takes a turn as they race around the board to be the first to arrive back in camp.

The Camp game includes: 1 game board, 199 game cards (400 questions, and 99 fun facts), 1 decoder, 8 game characters, 1 die, 16 level cards, and 1 compass card. For more information on the game, including rules, visit www.educationoutdoors.net. Camp board game retails for $24.99 and can be purchased at Bass Pro Shops, Cabelas, Books a Million stores and specialty retailers nationwide.

About Education Outdoors

An avid outdoorsman, Tim Paczesny grew up at his family’s log cabin resort in Northern Michigan. As an adult with children of his own, Tim wanted to create a way to share his knowledge of the outdoors with his children and his “city” friends. He came up with the idea of creating games that would be able to teach families about the outdoors through trivia questions and fun facts. For more information, please visit www.educationoutdoors.net.

Category: Miscellaneous, Product Reviews, Tips For Shooters | No Comments »
Tags: board games, camp, camp game, competitive shooting, education outdoors, games, 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, outdoor games, outdoors, plinking, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, youth shooting

Posted By admin on December 21, 2011

(Right: Katlyn Bass, of Daleville High School Army JROTC, Alabama, set six new national records at the Gary Anderson Invitational in the sporter air rifle class. She is one of several outstanding shooters who have represented Daleville over the years.)

Daleville’s Katlyn Bass Establishes Six National Records in Her Coach’s Final Event at Gary Anderson Invitational in Anniston

 
ANNISTON, ALABAMA & CAMP PERRY, OHIO – Katlyn Bass, 16, of Daleville High School Army JROTC, Alabama, established six new sporter air rifle records at the 2011 Gary Anderson Invitational three-position air rifle championship on 9 &10 December. Bass fired her record scores in Anniston against regional competitors while dozens of others from northern regions participated simultaneously at CMP’s Ohio facility at Camp Perry.

Bass’s qualifying score of 574-28 surpassed the open/overall 3×20 sporter record of 573 set by Micaela Jochum in 2006. In doing so, Bass also set the Army JROTC record previously held by her former Daleville High School JROTC teammate Mikaelah Atchley (570-31). She also broke the records of Jochum and Atchley in the open/overall and Army JROTC 3×20 plus final with a combined score of 669.7, shattering the former mark by 5.9 points. Lastly, Bass broke both of Jochum’s Age Group II (15 & 16) records in the 3×20 and 3×20 plus final.

(Katlyn Bass concentrates as she prepares to fire her record-breaking final at the 2011 Gary Anderson Invitational.)

She fired a 197-12 in prone, 184-6 in standing and 193-10 in the kneeling position for a total qualification score of 574-28. Her final score of 95.7 ensured her the record-setting victory in the match. Brianna Sawyers, 16, of Ozark, Missouri, finished second overall with an aggregate score of 653.1 and Leigh Yarbrough, 17, of Waxhaw, North Carolina, placed third with a 643.7.

It was the last match for Daleville coach, LTC Ralph Aaron, U.S. Army (ret.), who retired six days later after leading the Daleville Army JROTC air rifle program for several years.

(Daleville High School Army JROTC coach, LTC Ralph Aaron (far right), retired following the Gary Anderson Invitational. Among his teams’ achievements in his 13-year career as coach, were several individual and team championships. In 2011, his sporter team (pictured here) took home the silver medal at the National JROTC Championship.)

“I have been coach for 13 years and it has been the highlight of my life, watching these young people grow and excel, reaching their potential,” LTC Aaron said.

During his tenure the sporter team won JROTC bronze in the 2009 postals and that same year David Hall set four national precision air rifle records at Camp Perry, he said. In 2010-11 the team won sporter silver at the JROTC Nationals. Along the way Mikaelah Atchley set eight national records in sporter air rifle.

The sporter team won the gold at the Army JROTC service championship in 2011 at Anniston, Alabama and again at the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s Jr. Championships. The team set two national records of 2223 in 2011 for Army JROTC and open class. The team also won the NRA Alabama state championship in 2011 while establishing the NRA JROTC national record of 2166.

The team has won 18 state championships in the past 13 years, winning both categories several times, LTC Aaron said. Daleville High School has announced that it has hired LTC Christopher Miller to replace the retiring LTC Aaron.

For complete results of the 2011 Gary Anderson Invitational, log onto http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=7565. To view photos from the event, log onto http://cmp1.zenfolio.com/.

Category: Airgun, Clubs & Teams, Events, precision shooting | No Comments »
Tags: air rifle, Airgun, camp perry, civilian marksmanship program, cmp, 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, national air rifle records, Olympics, plinking, shooting, shooting sports, sporter air rifle, sporter rifle, usa shooting, youth shooting

Posted By admin on December 5, 2011

To: ALL MEDIA

For immediate release

December 5, 2011

For more information contact:

Bill Brassard Jr.

203-426-1320

Hunting Is Safer Than Golf and Most Other Activities

(Not to Mention Football, Basketball and Soccer)

View NSSF’s Hunting Injury Fact Sheet

NEWTOWN, Conn. — Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise: Hunting with firearms is safe; in fact, hunting with firearms is one of the safest recreational activities in America.

With hunting season in full swing across the country, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry, has compiled data that shows hunting ranks third in safety when compared to 28 other recreational pursuits, ranging from baseball to wrestling. Hunting with firearms has an injury rate of 0.05 percent, which equates to about 1 injury per 2,000 participants, a safety level bettered only by camping (.01 percent) and billiards (.02 percent). For comparison, golf has an injury rate of 0.16 percent (1 injury per 622 participants), while tackle football topped the list of activities with an injury rate of 5.27 percent (1 injury per 19 participants).

"Many people have the misconception that hunting is unsafe, but the data tells a different story," said Jim Curcuruto, NSSF’s director of industry research and analysis. "Comprehensive hunter education classes that emphasize the basic rules of firearm safety and a culture of hunters helping fellow hunters practice safe firearms handling in the field are responsible for this good record."

To put hunting’s safety standing into perspective, compared to hunting a person is . . .

• 11 times more likely to be injured playing volleyball
• 19 times more likely to be injured snowboarding
• 25 times more likely to be injured cheerleading or bicycle riding
• 34 times more likely to be injured playing soccer or skateboarding
• 105 more times likely to be injured playing tackle football.

The number of hunters who went afield last year is estimated at 16.3 million. Of that total, approximately 8,122 sustained injuries, or 50 per 100,000 participants. The vast majority of hunting accidents–more than 6,600–were tree stand-related. Though recent accurate figures on fatalities related to hunting are not available, statistics from 2002 show 99 fatal hunting accidents.

It’s not just in the hunting fields that firearms are being used safely either. The most recent data (2008) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that firearms constitute just 1/2 of 1 percent of all unintentional fatalities in the United States, including those in the home,.

The injury data NSSF used to compile this hunter-safety report comes from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System of the Consumer Products Safety Commission 2010 and the International Hunter Education Association’s Hunter Incident Clearinghouse. Activity participation figures are from the National Sporting Goods Association Sports Participation in 2010 report.

See NSSF’s full Hunting Injury Fact Sheet.

-30-

About NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 6,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

Category: Associations, Events, Hunting, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Tags: competitive shooting, hunter safety, Hunting, hunting statistics, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, NSSF, Olympics, plinking, Safety, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, youth shooting

Posted By admin on November 18, 2011

Category: Airgun, Associations, Clubs & Teams, Events, Olympics & USA, precision shooting, Rifle | No Comments »
Tags: air gun, air pistol, air rifle, Airgun, civilian marksmanship program, cmp, competitive shooting, dixie double, 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

Posted By admin on November 5, 2011

 Juniors Reload Too!

By: Cody Leeper (16)

Beginners and novices alike would enjoy this kit. It arrives at your bench with everything except dies and components. It just does not get any simpler to get involved in reloading. Pick up a set of dies and some components, and you’re ready to start cranking out loaded rounds.

(The Rockchucker kit is a great kit for juniors and adults and can be used to teach the art of reloading, provide hours of fun and reduce the cost of ammunition.  Includes: Rock Chucker Supreme Press, 5-0-5 Mechanical Scale, Hand Priming Tool, Uniflow Powder Measure, Case Lube Pad, Case Lube-2, Case Neck Brushes, Case Loading Block, Powder Funnel, Hex wrench set, Debur tool and Speer Reloading Manual.)

Well, okay, it is a little more complicated than that. You will have to do some reading, but there are complete directions included that will walk you through setting up the equipment. The kit even includes a Speer reloading manual that will pump you full of helpful information as well as supply you with quality loading data. While you are picking out dies and components, you will want to pick up a quality caliper to measure cases, as this is the only thing that is not included.

The press is a single-stage, O-frame design that will handle most cartridges. The press operates smoothly with its long handle that provides plenty of leverage. It has a primer arm that can be hand-fed. There is also a hand-priming tool that can handle small and large primers. A spent primer catcher is held in place with a plastic clip and is easily removed for dumping. Though the press is solid enough to provide a sensitive feel for seating primers, I still prefer to use the hand-priming tool. The ram is designed to accommodate removable shell holders which are held in the ram with a spring clip, no set screws. Just snap in a shell holder and you are ready. These don’t come with the press and will need to be purchased separately. You can find shell holders to accommodate a giant range of cartridges.

(Though a single-stage press, the Rockchucker is extremely versatile.)

A Uniflow powder measure is included in the kit that can speed up the loading process dramatically. I am not sure how long RCBS has been producing the Uniflow, but it has proven itself for years. The measuring screw protrudes from the back of the measure and can easily be adjusted to throw the exact charge you are seeking. It has a lock ring designed to be tightened with thumb pressure and it stays put. The bushing that carries the measuring screw runs in a cast groove in the measure body, which allows for smooth, consistent operation with a solid stop at each end of the crank travel. Extruded powder has the normal shearing effect expected with this type of powder measure, however ball and flake powders feed through it smoothly.

The 5-0-5 powder scale is a beam-type scale that uses magnetic damping to stop swing quickly. Zeroing the scale is accomplished with a large leveling foot at the left end of the scale. Simply rotate the foot to bring the beam to zero and you’re ready to go. The beam has a high contrast finish, which makes it easy to read the graduations. It uses three poises, 1 in 10-grain increments, 1 in single-grain increments, and 1 in 10^th of-a-grain increments. The scoop or powder hopper rests on a base that hangs from the right end of the beam instead of being cradled on a wire. This makes it simple to set on the scale and quicker. A powder funnel included in the kit gives you a big target when pouring powder into the cases.

(Cody Leeper (16) next to his Rockchuker kit that he reloads for competitive rifle and pistol competitions.)

Included in the kit is a deburring/chamfering tool that works great. It is big enough to grip and yet does not fatigue your hand. The kit also includes a Case Lube Kit that works great. 
  (Right: Side view of single-stage press) 
There are two nylon neck brushes and one handle, a bottle of lubricant, and a lube pad with cover. Simply put a teaspoon of lube on the pad and spread it around. Select the proper brush for your case neck, roll the brush across the pad a couple of revolutions, and then push it into the case neck. You can do two or three cases, and then pick up more lube on the brush. Do eight or ten cases and then lay them all on the pad. Roll them back and forth with light pressure once or twice, and you’re ready to size them. The pad material is firm enough that unless you roll the cases too hard, no lube will get on the shoulder of the case. I have tried spray on lubricant and was not impressed. RCBS makes a spray on, but I did not try it. The pad system works better than any other method I have tried.

I think the package is an excellent buy. The kit contains nearly everything a beginner needs to get involved in reloading without draining the bank account. Shop around; prices seem to vary on the kit, but I have seen them on the Internet for under $250 plus taxes and shipping. So in the end, the RCBS Rockchucker kit has it all for the beginning reloader and will definitely teach you the basics of reloading but is still serious enough for the avid reloader.

Editor’s Note: Cody reloads all of his own rifle ammunition for his competitions and tunes his load to his rifle. He is currently using a Next Generation Arms (NGA) X7 .223/5.56 for 3-Gun competitions provided by Junior Shooters magazine and NGA. His cartridge components include CCI primers, 26 grains of Hodgdon Varget powder, and Sierra 69-grain Match King bullets. He says this combination of rifle and load is perfectly matched and has contributed greatly to his success.

Category: Guns & Acc., Merchant Links, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Tags: atk, cody leeper, competitive shooting, Hodgdon, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, juniors and reloading, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, Olympics, plinking, rcbs, reloading, reloading and juniors, reloading kits, reloading presses, rocky mountain three gun, rockymountain 3 gun, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, varget, youth shooting

Posted By admin on October 23, 2011

The 2011 Pan American Games

Parker, Rhode & Wallace Put USA on the Podium 

NEWS RELEASE                                                Contact: Katie Yergensen

October 21, 2011                                            719-866-4896

 USA Shooting                                    katie.yergensen@usashooting.org

Courtesy USA Shooting

GUADALAJARA, Mex. 

Four-time Olympic medalist Kim Rhode (El Monte, Calif.) added yet another gold star to her resume today at the Pan Amercian Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.  Rhode ran her first round with a perfect 25 targets in Women’s Skeet.  The number one ranked Women’s Skeet shooter in the world continued to shine with two rounds of 24 targets for a total of 73 targets headed into the final.  With a six target cushion Rhode, the first American nominated to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team (pending approval by the United States Olympic Committee), set a new Pan American qualification and final record with 98 total targets.  The silver medalist was Francisca Crovetto of Chile with 89 total targets and the bronze medalist was Gil Melisa of Argentina with 88 targets.   Above: Kim Rhode

Rhode, who switched from Women’s Double Trap to Women’s Skeet after her original event was removed, has medaled in every major world championship in both events. Rhode’s grandmother passed away while the team was en route to Guadalajara and Rhode said, "This Pan American Games had a lot of sentimental value for me because my grandmother passed away while I was flying down here.  I’d like to dedicate this medal to my grandmother because she taught me to work hard and stick with it." 

In Men’s 50m Rifle Three Position Sergeant First Class Jason Parker (Columbus, Ga.) won the gold medal in a very interesting match.  Five shots into the kneeling position, Parker’s target failed-it was not properly reporting his shots.  After a protest, he was moved to another firing point while the jury deliberated at what point his original target failed.  Parker was awarded two additional shots and ended up with 1155 qualification points.  "I was taking my time (I shot a lot of sighters), so when I got up and had to move firing points, I felt rushed because the wind was switching and I had several shots left," added Parker.  He weathered the storm and scored 94.1 points in the final for 1249.1 total points for his second Pan American medal-this time gold.  Additionally, he secured the second Men’s 50m Rifle Three Position quota for Team USA.  "Out on the range it was a fairly disappointing day in terms of scores, but at the end of the day, it was nice to come home with a gold medal and a quota for our country," said Parker.   Above: L to R: Wallace, Parker and Heck

Teammate Matt Wallace (Fairbanks, Alaska) entered the final in third place with 1150 points and shot his way up for the silver medal with 97 points in the final for 1247 total points. Wallace said he prepared for the Pan Am Games by "working a lot with the USOC’s sports psychologist Peter Harberl on ‘winning ugly’ because we knew it would be a different set of conditions down here and the quota was on the line." The bronze medalist was Brazil’s Bruno Heck with 1245 total points.  The medalists were honored by the presence of the Chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee, Larry Probst, who cheered them on during the finals and distributed medals (pictured).  The shooting athletes of Team USA have continued to amaze the crowd with 15 total medals, eight gold and five quotas.  The shooting events conclude tomorrow with final competition in Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol, Men’s Skeet and Women’s 50m Rifle Three Position.  
                       Above: L to R: Parker, Rhode, Probst and Wallace

Please navigate to the official Pan American Games website for complete results. Highlights of the Pan American Games can be found at http://bit.ly/q4UwBR and http://es.pn/mW8QeW. For updates and news, please visit USA Shooting’s Website, Facebook and Twitter.

About USA Shooting:

USA Shooting, a 501c3 non-profit corporation, was chartered by the United States Olympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the sport of shooting in April 1995. USA Shooting’s mission is to prepare American athletes to win Olympic medals, promote the shooting sports throughout the U.S. and govern the conduct of international shooting in the country. Check us out on the web at www.usashooting.org and on Twitter at twitter.com/USAShooting.

Category: Airgun, Associations, Clubs & Teams, Events, Olympics & USA, Shotgun Sports | No Comments »
Tags: 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, pan american games, pan american games 2011, parker, plinking, rhode, shooting, shooting sports, shotgun, skeet, usa shooting, wallace, youth shooting

Posted By admin on October 20, 2011

Pro Ears – Safety – Youth Hearing Protection

Safety is certainly the most important item in the shooting sports, for all ages and all shooting disciplines. It is imperative when starting a junior in the shooting sports to emphasize hearing and eye protections. It is also important that the first time shooter is comfortable and enjoys the experience. This is sometimes difficult with hearing and eye protection for small youth shooters as they tend to move around fit too big, and are just not comfortable. This can end up providing a negative shooting experience rather than the positive one that is desired.

Now, Altu Brands – Pro Ears has developed new hearing protection designed for youth shooters! Take a look at their new product.

PRO EARS® PROTECTS KIDS WITH COOL NEW ReVO™ HEARING PROTECTION.

More than ever, the youth of the world face potential hearing loss from a wide variety of sources. Now the professionals at ALTUS BRANDS have introduced an exciting new product, the ReVO™ line of hearing protection ear muffs specifically designed for smaller heads and smaller ears.

Altus Brand’s EVP Charlie Ricci made the announcement: “Our children have been at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to quality hearing protection. Most “youth” hearing protection is either very uncomfortable or more of a children’s toy. With the hundreds of ways kids are exposed to hearing damaging noise levels, especially in the formative years, we at Pro Ears were determined to create a product kids would want to wear AND that provided an adult level of protection. Our new ReVO line of passive hearing protection muffs are made to fit smaller heads comfortably, offer protection and with knock out graphics every kid will want to wear. ReVO Hearing Protection is a major advancement for all our children exposed to dangerous noise levels such as the shooting sports, rock concerts, auto racing and many other circumstances where high or constant noise levels can cause progressive hearing damage.”

NEW ReVO™ Passive Muffs:

• NRR 26 Protection
• Adult level of protection with smaller interior circumference ear seals for a better fit on smaller head and ears
• Tighter, adjustable radius headband
• Super-Sized ProForm™ leather ear cushions reduces potential gaps around smaller ears
• Exciting graphics kids will love.
• One Year Warranty
• Made in the USA

Pro Ears quality and rugged dependability in hearing protection designed for the smaller sports enthusiast.

In addition to Pro-Ears, Altus Brands also owns Benchmaster, Cass Creek, Rifleman Hearing Protection, CrossFire Slings, Bughats, Woodland Whisper, Harmon Scents, Heart Stopper Lures and American Bison Leather Products.

For more information please contact:

Pro Ears

484 W. Welch Ct

Traverse City, MI 49686,

800-891-3660 – fax 800-973-1741

www.pro-ears.com

Rich Walton

HAWK ASSOCIATES Marketing Inc

2322 W. Labriego Dr. Tucson, AZ 85741 * 520-742-4862 * hawk60@comcast.net

Category: Guns & Acc., Product Reviews, Safety | 1 Comment »
Tags: altus brands, competitive shooting, hearing protection, hearing protection for juniors, hearing protection for youth, 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, pro ears, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, youth hearing protection, youth shooting

Posted By admin on October 4, 2011

NSSF Launches Redesigned

WhereToShoot.org

(On September 26, 2011, NSSF announced their redesigned their Where To Shoot web page. This is an outstanding resource and can be used by anyone. I get a lot of calls from parents about where to take their juniors shooting and always refer them to this site. Go check it out.)

FIND RANGES, TIPS AND OTHER RESOURCES FOR SHOOTERS . . . The National Shooting Sports Foundation today launched a newly redesigned WhereToShoot.org, the web’s most comprehensive and frequently updated listing of shooting ranges. The site allows anyone to search for a place to shoot in their area. Visitors simply enter their state or zip code and a list of shooting ranges is created. Searches can be further narrowed by selecting which shooting discipline you are interested in. In addition to its popular search capability, the site now offers a number of other resources for shooters, including links to video tips, free printable targets, news about local shooting events and opportunities, safety information and more. If you own a shooting range or if you’ve recently changed locations, NSSF encourages you to enter or update your range information free of charge. Coming soon: NSSF is currently developing a WhereToShoot.org-themed iPhone app, which will be available later this fall.

Category: Associations, Clubs & Teams, Events, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Tags: 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, NSSF, Olympics, plinking, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, where to shoot, youth shooting

Posted By admin on September 25, 2011

By: River Vorse (13)

Front Sight is an amazing experience for shooters of any age. Whether or not you are extremely experienced or just beginning, even the beginner class will teach you a lot. My experience at the front Sight Youth Achievement class was stellar.

(Right: River on the pistol range.)

From day one, to day four, you are learning. The two main things you learn about is the ropes course and guns. In addition, the class also delves into martial arts, situational awareness, public safety, gun safety, night sight (especially in the Fourth of July night course), and wilderness survival.

(Left: Poppy shooting a Uzi.)

(Going across the canyon on the rope bridge.)

In the ropes course you run through the Odyssey Rig, climb the rock wall, and walk across the Burma Bridge hanging 82ft above the canyon. The Odyssey Course consists of moving wooden platforms which you have to jump onto or face your shins getting smacked by the thick log platforms.

(left: River learning how to shoot a bow.)

The rock wall is a standard 50 foot wall with different levels of difficulty. But there is one twist. Some of the pieces twist and fall off.  And the Burma Bridge is a high-wire suspended 82 feet above the canyon floor. It’s designed to improve your balance and help you overcome your fear of heights.

In the gun activity, they work on your stance and grip, as well as introducing you to the Uzi sub machine gun. The martial arts course is very informative.

It goes over basic principles of self-defense. 

(Right: River learning the shotgun.)

All of this was a lot of fun and taught me a lot although my favorite part of Front Sight was the people I met. I met so many different people from different places, different backgrounds, all with great personalities. There are kids of all ages so you won’t be alone. You will meet quality people that will teach you new skills. Some of the most brilliant people in the gun world are there. My twin sister Poppy (13) and I had  a blast.

So zip out to Nevada and try it out. It may be the most rewarding experience you’ve ever had.

Check it out at wwwfrontsight.com

Category: Action Pistol, Archery, Events, Modern 3 Gun, Pistol / Revolver, precision shooting | No Comments »
Tags: competitive shooting, firearms training, front sight, 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, self defense, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, uzi, youth shooting

Posted By admin on September 2, 2011

Logan wearing his new Rudy Project shooting glasses.

Another Junior won the Rudy Projecy shooting glasses Photo Contest Giveaway.

Logan Dunlap won the July photo contest at www.juniorshooters.net!. Logan is a top junior skeet shooter. He says,

"By far, these are the best shooting glasses I have ever wore. Not only do they look good, but they perform even better" Logan Dunlap

Check out all of the Rudy Project shooting glasses at www.e-rudy.com/shooting.

Category: Guns & Acc., Merchant Links, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Tags: 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, perscription shooting glasses, plinking, rudy project, rudy project shooting glasses, safety glasses, shooting, shooting glasses, shooting sports, usa shooting, youth shooting

Posted By admin on August 11, 2011

August 3, 2011 – By: Paul Erhardt

Courtesy of The Shooting Wire – www.shootingwire.com

Between The Berms: Where There’s A Wills

A fundraising effort for the Wounded Warrior Project is underway in the Area 8 region – the Mid-Atlantic states – of the U.S. Practical Shooting Association.

To date, some 17 fundraising teams have raised just over $7,800 since February, and all because of a letter from a little boy named Lee Wills.

(Lee Wills was recognized as the youngest competitor at this year’s Single Stack Nationals. Photo by Julie Golob)

If the name Lee Wills sounds familiar it’s probably because the 11-year-old was the youngest competitor at this year’s USPSA Single Stack Nationals, which we spotlighted earlier in Between The Berms.

Besides being a single stack shooter in USPSA, and a constant needler of older brother Jesse, a 16-year-old wheelgunner, Lee is a frequent visitor to one of the nation’s most recognized military facilities, the recently closed Walter Reed Medical Center.

The son of retired Army officer LTC Richard Wills, Lee has been a regular at Walter Reed because of a condition called Bilateral Syndactyly/Polydactyly which left him at birth with 14 fingers and webbing in between.

Since his first eight-hour surgery at just four months of age, Lee has been in and out of the hospital undergoing a total of 10 surgeries.

Doctors scheduled an 11th for this winter and say more can be expected until the time he stops growing.

It’s hard enough going through repeated surgeries. Add to that the stigma of his condition and nobody would blame Lee for being quiet and closed off, especially from strangers.

But Lee is just the opposite. While older brother Jesse is the quiet, shy one Lee is outgoing, even flirtatious according to his mom, Karla, who attributes much of Lee’s confidence from competitive shooting.

(Cliff Walsh with his ‘best buddy’ Lee. Photo courtesy Cliff Walsh}

"Lee has a level of confidence he never had before. He’s made many friends and gets an overwhelming amount of support and encouragement from pro’s like Julie [Golob] and Kippi [Leatham]," explains Karla.

Lee’s closest friend from competition is 2009 USPSA Revolver National Champion Cliff Walsh who describes the two as "best buddies." The pair even started their own tradition of hitting a Hooters restaurant after a match to celebrate. (No doubt mom just loves that.)

"He’s been able to endure and overcome with style and grace. Lee’s tough as nails," brags Karla.

As tough and confident as Lee might be, even the sad reality of Walter Reed can’t be pushed away.

Lee often visits with wounded soldiers when he’s at Walter Reed and shows them his hands and talks about what he’s been through. He’s seen soldiers with missing limbs, and even those missing part of their face.

(Lee was a regular at Walter Reed Medical Center and is up to 10 surgeries, and counting. Photo by Karla Wills)

It was during a visit prior to surgery number 10 in February that prompted Lee’s fundraising effort. He and mom Karla watched as a soldier, missing a leg, fell to the floor in front of them and screamed in agonizing pain as he lay in the hallway.

The sight of someone so strong and brave reduced to screaming helplessness in the hospital hallway saddened and horrified son and mother, and brought both to tears.

That day had a profound effect on Lee and, whether out of compassion or maybe sheer ignorance of what an 11-year-old can and cannot do, he took on what responsibility he could to do something about the plight of soldiers like the one he saw.

First Jesse placed a call to Harry Foltz, the USPSA Area 8 director, to explain the situation, and clear the way for Lee as only a big brother can.

Then Lee wrote a letter to Foltz explaining what he’s witnessed at Walter Reed, ending it with this simple appeal, "Do you think USPSA will help the soldiers, I will help and Jesse will too."

You can read Lee’s letter to Foltz which is linked below, but when you do I suggest you may want to close the door to your office. The words of a child can have their own profound effect, one you might want to experience in private.

Click here to read Lee Wills’ letter)

After receiving Lee’s letter, Foltz put the wheels in motion to build a fundraising effort for the Wounded Warrior Project starting with an

Area 8 Team page to coordinate the overall effort.

(With the help of Lee’s and Jesse’s sponsors, momentum quickly built for their WWP fundraising effort. Photo courtesy Karla Wills)

From there momentum quickly built as sponsors Zero Bullets, EGW and Hogdon Powder – yes, Lee and Jesse Wills have sponsors – kicked in donations. Julie Golob donated, proving that Lee’s flirting really does pay off.

Karl McKeever at GT Target Stands, another Wills Brothers sponsor, donated steel for a WWP side match at the 2011 EGW Area 8 Championship, while Volquartsen Custom made donated gift certificates.

Then Area 8 clubs joined the effort hosting their own fundraising matches starting with one at Topton Fish & Game then York Izaak Walton #67, Lower Providence Rod & Gun Club, Southern Chester Co. Practical Shooters, East Huntingdon Practical Shooters, Fredericksburg Practical Shooters, Tenafly Rifle & Pistol Club, Lewistown Pistol Club, Pardoe Sportsmen Association, Roanoke Rifle & Revolver Club and Eastern Shore Practical Shooters.

Karla, who’s good friends with Tommy Thacker at FNH USA, and Foltz pitched Thacker on a shotgun donation. The result is a donated FN SLP Mark I Shotgun to be raffled off at the EGW Area 8 Championship, with raffle tickets sold at several of the WWP matches.

And as recently as this week Nevco Targets has jumped on the bandwagon with a donation of Steel Challenge stage targets.

That’s a ton of support in a short period of time, and the fundraising is still ongoing.

Now…Lee Wills hasn’t won any major titles. He isn’t a pro shooter. He’s not on the ‘Super Squad.’ He’s not a USPSA Grand Master, a Master or even an A Class shooter – yet.

However, this 11-year-old little boy is proving to be one of the most influential shooters in the U.S. Practical Shooting Association with a small army of shooters rallying to his cause.

All because what Lee saw he didn’t like, so he thought he’d try and do something about it.

…Where there’s a Wills, there’s a way.

– Paul Erhardt, Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network

Got shooting sports news, or somebody that deserves to be in the spotlight? Send us an email at info@shootingwire.com?subject=Between The Berms" target=_blank>info@shootingwire.com?subject=Between The Berms" target=_blank>info@shootingwire.com?subject=Between The Berms">info@shootingwire.com.

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Posted By admin on August 10, 2011

Juniors have to be 21 years old before they can get a Concealed Carry Weapons permit. In many states juniors can NOT have a firearm in their possession without the written permission of their parent or guardian. However, in most states this does not apply to pepper spray. Having pepper spray available may be one way to save yourself from attacks and Ruger has a new one that is really nice. Check it out – just click on the graphic below.

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Tags: 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, pepper spray, plinking, Ruger, ruger pepper spray, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, youth shooting