Junior Shooters

Posted By admin on December 4, 2010

By: Andy Fink

Are you looking for a gun cart? Well, one of the best places around is Rugged Gear. Rugged Gear was established in 1994 as a manufacturer of quality hunting and shooting products. They have a vast array of products that hold or stow your hunting/shooting equipment while on the go!

(Right: Dallin & Hayden Hixson at the MGM Ironman 2010 with the four-gun gun cart they used during the match)

Junior Shooters magazine received both a two-gun cart and a three gun cart. Both of these were used by our juniors during the MGM Ironman 2010. The juniors, and the adults, that used them thought they were great! They held the firearms securely, had places for ammo and cleaning gear and were very easy to move up and down the range. The shooting experience is a lot more fun if you gun haul your guns from one stage to the next in an easy manner.

(Left: This cart is packed -five guns with ammo & gear!)

This is especially true at large 3-Gun competitions such as the Ironman where the distances from one stage to the next can be a long way and you do enough huffing and puffing just running the stages.

Accessories include gun covers, cart covers, gear bags, gun mounts, and even a conversion from a 4-gun cart to a 6-gun cart. and more. You really should check these out at www.ruggedgear.com.

(Right: The carts are even available in a variety of colors.)

Category: Guns & Acc., Miscellaneous, Modern 3 Gun | No Comments »
Tags: 3 gun 3-gun, carts, competitive shooting, cowboy action, gun carriers, gun carts, 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, rugged gear, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, youth shooting

Posted By admin on November 30, 2010

By: Terry Bowers

I have come to the conclusion that I need to expand my vocabulary as well as that of all my shooting buddies who have seen the AirForce Talon SS for the first time. You see, my goal is simple — have others help me write this article by seeing and shooting this marvelous new rifle. But all I can get out of them is “Wow!” And, after they shoot all of my pellets, again, “Wow!” is all I get. You’d think their vocabulary didn’t include any other words beyond “Wow!”

The AirForce Talon SS has to be the best concept in compressed air rifles to come along in some time. It incorporates some very innovative ideas. Available in .177 or .22 caliber, it is really an eye-catcher. With its high-capacity air tank with a fill pressure of 3,000 psi and a fill capacity of 490 cubic centimeters, it has a variable velocity capability from 400 to 1,000 feet per second depending on caliber and pellet weight. It also comes with a choice of two barrel lengths.

The adjustment for velocity is a thumbwheel that is recessed into the barrel above the forend. It is easy to adjust and has a sliding scale on the left side of the rifle.

First let’s look at the air tank. The ingenious rear stock, air-tank design has a rubber coating that has a comfortable and durable feel. It threads into the frame of the rifle easily and smoothly. Once in place, the butt plate can be tightened to the correct orientation with the Allen screw that holds it in place. I found that once I had the butt plate where I wanted it, I didn’t have to readjust it, meaning that the tank threaded into the same point each time. I liked this for all of the obvious reasons. And of course, this shows the quality of the parts. The tank is easy to fill with the K-valve and a standard SCUBA tank. Follow all of the rules of safe gun handling and high pressure fill tank usage at all times. The owner’s manual is a great reference.

The heart of any firearm is the action. I found the Talon’s top center, cocking knob handle very accessible and smooth. No sharp or out-of-place edges. Opened, the action gives good space to place the pellet into the chamber. Once in place, closing the breech was also a snap. Simply pull back on the cocking knob. The automatic safety engages every time the bolt is pushed forward to the locked position. This surprised me at first, but I found I really like this feature. The safety is a small lever in front of the trigger, yet inside the trigger guard. It has good resistance to forward pressure and a very distinct “click” when disengaged.

One noticeable feature of the Talon is the built-in scope mount rail. Although I don’t think it was designed to be a carry handle, I found it a convenient one-hand carry point. It isn’t perfectly balanced carrying that way, but it is very easy to manage safely.

Discussing the barrel is, of course, a must. Looking at the outside, you will see a top and bottom rail system. These rails can accommodate fixed or laser sights on the top and a bi-pod on the bottom. My Talon came with a bi-pod, and I found myself using it regularly when varmint hunting. However, the real innovation is the muzzle cap. The design reduces sound and air turbulence. This probably increases accuracy, particularly in a crosswind. Although accuracy wasn’t a problem for this rifle, good groups were achieved every time. However, as with any compressed air system, consistency will be affected by pressure. Tank pressure below 2,000 psi can cause widely varying velocities. That is the only thing I wish this rifle had—a way to see the remaining air pressure in the tank. So air up before you go to the field or take the optional hand pump with you.

I like the scope. It was easy to adjust power and focus. It had good light transfer and the eye relief works well for me, standing or prone. After sighting in the 3-9x AirForce scope at Snake River Sportsmen’s, Vale, Oregon, range, my first target came into view just 24 yards away—a furry and very destructive ground squirrel who had been destroying the area around our pistol pits. One well-placed shot, and problem solved.

In my view, the Talon is as at home on the range or in the field. Although the AirForce target scope we received for testing had target turrets with crisp ¼-minute adjustment and adjustable objective, my time shooting squirrels and helping my friend eliminate the pigeon problem in her hay barn proved to me that this combination was accurate and deadly. I also found this aspect of the Talon good for some point and snap shoot training with the scope on low power.

I have used this rifle around my place for pest control, in the field, for hunting, and for target practice. I think it’s at home wherever you choose to put it to the test.

Also watch the video that comes with the Talon. Like most of us, you might be more inclined to watch a video than read the manual, but don’t overlook the video as merely promotional. It isn’t. It will take you through all of the basics about this rifle, and if you’re like me, you’ll learn something new at the same time. But fair warning: Your vocabulary, too, may be reduced to a one-syllable exclamation—“Wow!”

AirForce Airguns: www.airforceairguns.com

Category: Airgun, Guns & Acc., Rifle, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tags: air force airgun, air rifle, airforce, airforce airgun, Airgun, airgun hunting, competitive shooting, Hunting, huntingwith an airgun, 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, pellets, plinking, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, varmint hunting, youth shooting

Posted By admin on October 24, 2010

By: Jessie Privett (14)

Hi. I’m Jessie Privett, this is a short story about my life. Since I’m only 14 there’s not much to tell. I was born in 1996 to Greg and Phobie Privett. My dad was a chicken farmer who liked driving race cars; my mom was a police detective up until I was born. I guess that explains why I like to go fast with guns.

I am from Portales, New Mexico. I first became interested in firearms at the age of 11 when my dad taught me how to shoot a Ruger Mark II. The bullet marks were scattered across the target, with very few in the bull’s-eye, but I was so proud of that piece of paper that I hung it up on my bedroom wall for everyone to see. Shortly after that I began to practice with my dad in the small shooting pit he dug behind our home. Those practice sessions gave way to my first match at the age of 12. I was shaking, either from nerves, adrenaline, or a combination of the two. Finishing last didn’t bother me, I was hooked and I have never looked back.

Competitive shooting is not the only hobby that I have. I enjoy sports and am on the volleyball and tennis teams and participate in performance drama at Portales High School. I am also a certified junior open water diver. Coupled with performance drama, I have competed in a state-wide team event known as Destination Imagination and placed 1st once and 2nd twice in our division. Keeping my grades up are a must to be allowed to take part in all of these activities. I finished my 8th grade year as an all A honors student. This year I am the Freshman Class President. Sometimes it seems like I never slow down, but this is what I love to do so I will keep on doing it, no matter how busy I get.

My family and friends are always there supporting me. I have one sister, Ryann, and she is 12 years old. She plays sports like volleyball and basketball, but doesn’t seem to be interested in shooting. My dad works at Privett Hatchery, a family owned chicken hatchery that my grandpa started in 1960. My mom is a retired police officer, substitute teacher, and stay at home mom. My friends, well, they are the craziest people I have ever met and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As for my plans for the future, I am going to college. I would usually have a career plan to tell all about, but now that I have begun to look into it more seriously I have realized that I don’t know what I want to do. That’s just fine with me; I don’t think I should have to know right now. On the horizon is the AMU/MGM junior camp. I thought that it would be the highlight of my year, but right after I was accepted I found out about the MGM Ironman and my fantastic opportunity to work with Junior Shooters magazine. I would never have dreamed that I would be so blessed.

Editor’s Notes: 1) The AMU/MGM junior camp is put on by The Army Marksmanship Unit and is sponsored by MGM Targets and the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA). Two full days of training are conducted and the third day is shooting competition. Life skills are also taught as well as shooting skills. Juniors from all over the country are eligible but first time attendees have to write an essay to get accepted. It costs $250 which includes the hotel room and the course. Scholarships are also available so all you have to do is apply. Check it out at: www.juniorshootercamp.org or go to the article on the 2008 camp at: www.juniorshooters.net/2008/12/28/who-ra-clang-clang-the-mgmusamu-junior-camp/. The camp normally takes place the end of October or the first part of November. 2) The MGM Ironman is a heart-pounding, tough 3-Gun match and one of the best in the country where you can easily shoot 1,400 rounds in three days. It has a tower and a zip line. Jessie is one of the five juniors in2011 that will be shooting for Junior Shooters magazine in the match. It is held in Parma, Idaho the 2^nd week in June. Check out the article and video at: https://www.juniorshooters.net/2008/12/29/a-junior-girl-shoots-the-mgm-ironman/.

Copyright & Published by Junior Shooters magazine & Junior Sports Magazines Inc. October 2011

Category: Action Pistol, Miscellaneous, Modern 3 Gun, Pistol / Revolver, Plinking Fun | No Comments »
Tags: 3 gun, 3gun, competitive shooting, jessie privett, 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, pistol, plinking, profile of a junior shooter, Rifle, shooting, shooting sports, shotgun, three gun, usa shooting, youth shooting

Posted By admin on October 13, 2010

2011 .40 S&W and 1911 .45 ACP

By Travis Gibson

Anyone who has picked up a recent copy of a Front Site magazine has probably seen the ads for STI’s signature series USPSA limited division guns. If you haven’t, you should check it out. This is a sharp looking unit.

Right: Travis Gibson holding the STI Signature Series USPSA .40 S&W.

Below: Right side of STI 2011 .40 S&W Signature Series USPSA factory pistol with slide locked back.

FIT AND FEEL

The STI signature series USPSA model is all stainless and comes with a fiber optic front site and adjustable rear sight. Some of the other upgrades are a custom STI trigger and ambidextrous safeties. I’d guess the trigger to be about 3.5 lbs with a very crisp reset. This thing just screams SPEED!

Right: Close up of right side of grip, safety, trigger, and magwell.

I have to be honest. The gun I use for USPSA competition is a custom SV Infinity, but it took me about two rounds out of the STI .40 to know it wasn’t going to be hard to get used to! Just because I don’t shoot a lot of single stack, it took a minute to get used to the grip diameter of the .45 1911, but it was very easy to get used to.

Most of the time when I pick up an unfamiliar gun, there is something about it that just doesn’t seem to fit. It might be the fact that the trigger guard wears a hole in my middle finger on my strong hand. Or the safety accidently gets put BACK ON after the draw as I am pushing the gun out to the target because of my fat hands, or…the list goes on and on. I never had any of these problems with either of these guns.
Above: Left side of STI 2011 .40 S&W Signature Series USPSA factory pistol with slide locked back. Shown with box of Sheep Dog Ammo.
The grip was great and there wasn’t any place that felt uncomfortable. The safety on the strong side seemed to be a bit thinner than the weak side which kept me from accidentally putting it back on. All around these were very comfortable guns.

Out of the box there were only three things that I would have changed before I shot the .40 at any major match.

1. Replace the red fiber optic front site with green.

2. Grip tape on the both sides of the grip.

Above: Bottom of magwell of STI Signature Series USPSA .40 S&W.

3. 5 -round Magazine extensions for three of the magazines. Grams Engineering base pads will get them up to 20 round capacity.

As you can see, the list is pretty short, and two of the three are simply personal preference. Putting two hundred rounds down range one weekend and winning a match the next wouldn’t be hard to do.

ACCURACY AND FUNCTION

Right: Wolf 180 grain FMJ .40 S&W taken at 15 yards offhand – 1.00 inches!

We tested about five different types of ammunition with the .40 which I have listed below. All of the shots were fired from 15 yards offhand. I know what you are thinking. “How accurate of a test could they do if they weren’t firing from a bench?” I thought the same thing too, but then I said to myself, “How often do I shoot from a bench in USPSA?” The answer was pretty simple…NEVER! That is why we chose to shoot offhand.

I was once told by an old long range shooter that shooting groups of five doesn’t really give you a true reading of what the gun is capable of. He said 7-10 rounds really show how things work. So with that in mind we shot groups of 10. As you can see, some were better than others, and I had at least two self induced “flyers” with every type of ammo we tested out of the .40.

Left: Federal 150-grain Hydrashock JHP 1.00 inches for best five shots.

• Black Hills 180-grain Hollow Point: 1.375 Inches
• Federal 150-grain Hydrashock JHP: 1.000 Inches
• Sheep Dog 180-grain FMJ FP: 1.250 Inches
• Wolf 180- grain FMJ: 1.000 Inches
• Tite Group 5.1-grains: 1.000 Inches Montana Gold 180-grain    

As you can see, the groups ranged from 1.000”-1.375”. As far as I’m concerned at 15 yards, that isn’t half bad…plenty good enough to hit an A zone or a popper at 50 yards if you had to.

During our testing and the one match that I shot with the .40, I only had one malfunction. I don’t know if I’d call it a “stove pipe” as it was more of a failure to feed. I have no reason to believe this was caused by the gun. It was probably more likely due to the fact that I hadn’t cleaned or oiled the gun…ever!

Above: Slide back and loaded magazine with the thumb on the slide lock ready to push it down to release the slide forward and load a cartridge into the chamber. Notice the red fiberoptic front sight.

Because we shot the .40 offhand and were really happy with the results, we decided to “stretch the legs” of the .45 so we did shoot it off a bench. With the quality STI is putting out on these guns, we didn’t think the accuracy was going to get any worse with the .45. We shot the same 10-shot groups with this gun and here is what we came up with.

Above: Sheep Dog Ammo FMJ .45 acp with STI .45 taken at 15 yards offhand.

• Black Hills 230 FMJ: 1.000 Inches
• Sheep Dog 230 FMJ: 1.250 Inches
• Winchester 230 FMJ: 2.000 inches
• Wolf 230 FMJ: 0.500 Inches
• Not too shabby!

Right: Winchester 230 grain FMJ at 15 yards. 2.0 inches

All in all, this was a great test, and I was tickled to do it. The guns ran great, and for the price, this is a great value. If you are getting serious about your shooting and are ready to advance to the next level, this gun will take you as far as you want to go.

We also had one of Junior Shooters junior testers try it out. Dallin Hixson (16) says, “The STI 2011 USPSA .40 S&W is one of the best guns I have ever used. It is lightweight, yet it still has a bulky, powerful look to it. It has a really great grip, perfect for all types of shooting sports. It is an overall awesome competition gun, great for USPSA. When I first shot this gun I was surprised at how little recoil there was, but it is still very powerful. It is also extremely accurate. This gun is perfect for all competitors involved in USPSA or Steel Challenge shooting. Its lightweight, easy to maneuver design, will help you to achieve an overall better time, and allow you to get more points in your USPSA match or Steel Challenge Match. STI makes an outstanding firearm, and I would recommend this gun to all who are serious about the shooting sport.”

Adios,

TG

Editor’s Note: Travis Gibson is an outstanding USPSA, Steel Challenge, and 3-Gun competitor with a wealth of knowledge. He is also one of the main principles of MGM Targets & the Match Director for the MGM Ironman 3-Gun event in Parma, Idaho.

Category: Action Pistol, Pistol / Revolver, Plinking Fun | No Comments »
Tags: 1911, 1911 .45 acp, 2011, 2011 .40 S&W, 2011 gun, 2011 model handgun, 40 S&W 45 acp, 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, Sheep Dog Ammo, shooting, shooting sports, signature series, sti, sti international, sti signature series, tite group, travis gibson, usa shooting, winchester ammo, wolf ammo, youth shooting

Posted By admin on September 25, 2010

Updated 10-24-10

Finding colleges which offer shooting programs or determining where you can get information on shooting scholarships can be difficult. We have included some helpful links below and if you find any others please let us know so we can add them to the list.

Safe shooting,
Andy Fink
Editor-In-Chief
Junior Shooters

Junior Shooters: Articles published on Junior Shooters website or in the print magazine:

https://www.juniorshooters.net/2010/05/31/remington-outdoor-foundation-and-national-archery-in-the-schools-program-award-scholarships-to-college-bound-students/

https://www.juniorshooters.net/2010/04/02/scholarships-to-nasp-from-the-remington-outdoor-foundation/

https://www.juniorshooters.net/2009/11/21/cmp-jrotc-scholarship-program-u-s-army-junior-open-air-rifle-state-championship-postal-competition/

https://www.juniorshooters.net/2009/04/29/scholarships-shooting-researching-shooting-scholarships/

https://www.juniorshooters.net/2009/01/30/scholarships-kids-and-the-shooting-sports/

https://www.juniorshooters.net/2010/02/25/from-ivy-league-to-smaller-schools-shooting-gets-a-boost-at-colleges/

National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF):

http://www.nssf.org/eNewsletters/membernews/Links/0510/0510-DeadlineNears.cfm

NSSF usually offers 20 $1,000 shooting scholarships each year. Check out the link above.

http://www.nssf.org/CSSI/ This link is to NSSF’s Collegiate shooting programs.

National Rifle Association:

The NRA has an excellent look up program for finding colleges with shooting programs. Check it out at:

http://www.nrahq.org/compete/college_lookup.asp

Other:

If you are involved in cowboy action shooting you should also check out the SASS Scholarship Fund.

http://www.sassnet.com/Scholar-Main-001A.php

Category: Associations, Clubs & Teams, Miscellaneous, Scholarships | No Comments »
Tags: collegiate shooting, education and shooting, education 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, nasp, nra, NSSF, Olympics, scholarships, shooting, shooting programs, shooting scholarships, shooting sports, usa shooting, youth shooting

Posted By admin on September 13, 2010

By: Cody Leeper (15)

I recently had an opportunity to use and test a Horus Vision Talon during the MGM Ironman, the toughest 3-Gun match in the country. The Talon is an extremely effective optic for close to mid-range engagements from close quarter distances to approximately 500 yards and even beyond. The 1-4×24 Talon reticule consists of a “ghost ring” with a modified Horus Vision reticule within the ghost ring. Like all Horus Vision optics, the reticule is in the first focal plane, so the milliradian-based reticule can be used for ranging at any magnification.

(Right: Cody at stage 3 of the MGM Ironman, the 3-Gun Nation stage, shooting the Next Generation Arms MP 168 using a Horus Vision Talon Scope. The sling is a Viking Tactics sling from Brownells. He has a 4th generation Glock 17 pistol and is using magazine pouches from 3-Gun Gear. Ear protection by Radians.)

(Cody getting comfortable with the Horus Vision Talon on the Next Generation Arms MP 168. Notice the nice eye relief.)

The Talon’s medium distance eye relief is such that the shooter can quickly acquire a sight picture with both eyes open with alignment onto the target virtually instantaneous. I found that for distances of up to 75 yards 1x works great and when targets are inside 25 yards all you need to do is get the target in the "ghost ring" and pull the trigger.  At mid-ranges out to 250 yards the magnification should be increased to either 3 or 4 if there is a dramatic wind and the windage marks are needed. Any farther than that and you will need 4 power. During stage three of the MGM Ironman, I was able to use the Horus Reticule to easily drop all four rounds onto the "flag" portion of an IPSC target at 400 Yards.

(“I was able to use the Horus Reticule to easily drop all four rounds onto the”flag” portion of the IPSC target at 400 yards.” Rifle is Next Generation Arms MP 168. Sling is a Viking Tactics from Brownells as is the bipod and belt. The magazine pouches are from 3-Gun Gear.)

One thing that I found, in my opinion, needs changed, is the illuminated reticule that you can only see in very low light. It would be nice to see a day and night setting for it because in some situations you need something that your eyes can pick up on quickly.

The Talon features numbered “lead markers” on the horizontal crosshair that indicate a fast walk, a running man, a sprinting man, and the 20-mph cross-country speed of a tracked vehicle.  This was one thing I wasn’t able to try out with the reticule, but I do believe if used right they would perform just as good as the other features.

(A close up of the 1-4×24 Hours Vision Talon scope on the Next Generation MP 168 as Cody makes adjustments.)

I was very pleased with the Horus Vision reticule for its versatility and ease of use. Unlike mildot reticules that require some math to calculate distance of a target and bullet drop, the Horus reticule is very simple. If someone was to want to use it to calculate the range of the target, there are a couple steps you can use to do it. For example, if you wanted to use the scope for hunting deer then what you can do is take an 18"x18" piece of plywood or cardboard and paint it white. Go to the range and start at 100 yards. Look through the scope and write down how many lines tall the white marker is. Repeat this for the rest of the yard increments you want. Then, when in the field count how many lines tall the mid section of an adult deer is and what ever number of lines on your chart is the closest is your range.

While at the range sighting in you can easily find the hold you need at different ranges. All you need to do is set up a target next to your marker. I used a six-inch reactive popper with great results. Another thing that really helps is using white paint or chalk below the target to see bullet impact. Then, once you’re at your desired range, use a center hold on the target and shoot. If you hit low, take the same sight picture and find what line the bullet impacted at and write it down. (Stage 9 of the Ironman offered the chance to put the Talon through its paces in the off-hand position. I couldn’t have been more pleased.)Now, use that hold and shoot at the target again to confirm that hold. If it is correct, then you now have your holdover for that range. I used these methods for the Ironman and together they worked great, granted, I did memorize the chart I had so as not to burn up time.

This is a scope I recommend for any 3-gun shooter or sportsman that wants to have that "universal gun". In the end, I was very happy with this scope and look forward to new scopes and products that Horus Vision comes out with in the future.

(Cody on stage 9 of the MGM Ironman picking off 8” poppers.)

Editor’s Note: Cody has exceptional shooting skills and his placement at 30 out of 103 participants in the Scoped Tactical class at the MGM Ironman 2010 was remarkable. A lot of that is due to the Next Generation Arms model MP 168 5.56 NATO rifle combined with the Horus Vision Talon 1.5 x 4 scope that he was using.

Horus Vision: www.horusvision.com

• Brownells: www.brownells.com
• Radians: www.radians.com
• Next Generation Arms: #
• 3-gun Gear: www.3gungear.com

Horus Vision Talon 1-4×24 Dangerous Game Optic

“This scope and reticule are designed for hunting in conditions of contrasting light in brush, wooded areas, grass or steep terrain. Imagine your Talon™ set at 1x. You are prepared for a close encounter of a dangerous kind with a bear. Your cheek weld is ingrained into your reflexes so when you bring your weapon up, your eye instantly sees the bear and a bold ring: put the bear in the ring, and you’ve got the shot. Your Talon scope also allows you to accurately engage targets out to 800 yards depending on your rifle. You don’t waste time turning knobs. Place the target on the Horus reticule grid, hold for drop and drift, and pull the trigger.”

Reticule: H50
“The H50 easily switches between eliminating close threats using the bold aiming ring, and engaging long range targets (to 800 yards) using the grid: a versatile combination for an incredible speed and distance advantage. Marks on the main horizontal provide approximate leads for walking, running, and sprinting targets.”

Copyright Junior Shooters magazine & Junior Sports Magazines Inc. September 2010

Category: Events, Guns & Acc., High Power, Hunting, Rifle | No Comments »
Tags: 3 gun gear, cody leeper, horus vision, horus vision talon, hunting optics, hunting scopes, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, mp 168, next generation armas, Olympics, optics, precision shooting, rifle scopes, scopes, shooting, shooting sports, tactical optics, tactical scopes, talon, usa shooting, youth shooting

Posted By admin on September 6, 2010

By: Cody Leeper (16)

Are you interested in a single stack 1911 in 9mm? A pistol carried for law enforcement or used for defense must be dependable. Safety, accuracy, and power are important, but dependability is paramount.

(Right: Kimber’s 1911 Tactical Pro II 9mm with Zero Ammunition’s 115-grain JHP .)

Such dependability and accuracy is also important when competing. A jam or malfunction can cost you seconds in a steel challenge or USPSA event, and seconds mean winning or losing.

(Above: Kimber Tactical Pro II 9mm with extra magazine and box of Wolf ammunition)

Kimber Tactical models were designed with that in mind. They have made a model that is the good ‘ol M1911 only it can come in 9mm. I know who wants a 1911 in 9mm. Well, sir, I do. It does fill a useful niche. Like some other Kimber models, the frame of each Tactical is machined from proven 7075-T7 aluminum. These frames are dramatically lighter than those cut from steel yet every bit as strong. Light pistols are easier to carry, and 1911 pistols with aluminum frames weigh about seven ounces less than those with a steel frame.

(Right: Cody, author, shooting the Kimber 1911 Tactical Pro 9mm in a the weekly steel challenge matches in Idaho. He is using a Center Of Mass (COM) competition holster.)

The Custom Shop’s Premium Aluminum Trigger breaks between four and five pounds with minimal creep or over travel. Kimber trigger quality is without peer in production semi-automatic pistols, and a great trigger makes a huge contribution to accurate shooting.

(Above: The Kimber 1911 Tactical Pro II has a machined aluminum frame, an outstanding trigger breaking about four and half pounds, and ambidextrous thumb safeties.)

Another great contribution to the design is the ambidextrous thumb safety. This is a great addition because of the fact that anyone can shoot it. You lefties also won’t have to pay anything extra for a gun that is made for a left-handed shooter. The Tactical Pro II comes with a four-inch bushingless, match-grade barrel, which is also available in 45ACP. No, I’m not getting into the endless 45 ACP vs. 9mm debate. I will say one thing about it –over the last several years, ammo makers have come a very long way in making the 9mm a much more effective load than it was even ten years ago. With all the new different types of pistol bullets out there, along with +P ammunition, if you put those rounds where they need to go, a 9mm will do the job just as well as a 45ACP.

(Left: Sarah bowers shooting steel challenge with the Kimber Tactical Pro ii 9mm. Holster is a Ted Blocker “Wild Bunch” holster legal.)

These days there is certainly one reason for using a 9mm that has nothing to do with the caliber debate, and that is the cost of shooting. At MidwayUsa, 500 rounds of 45 ACP cost $126 whereas 9mm is $76 for 500 rounds. That is a considerable savings, which makes all the difference for those of us that don’t have limitless bank accounts. The Kimber holds 9 rounds of 9mm in the magazine with one up the pipe. This means you have ten rounds at your disposal in a lightweight, highly concealable 1911. What more could you ask for in a daily carry gun that will ride with you eight or ten hours a day? Juniors can’t carry concealed, but many of us do compete in International Defense Pistol Association (IDPA) competitions which do require concealment, so this makes the perfect pistol.

(Left: Kimber in COM holster using a Safariland belt. Above: A Safriland rig is great for steel challenge, USPSA or IDPA competition.)

The three-dot adjustable sights are easy for the eye to focus in on to get that quick first shot count. I used this pistol last summer to shoot steel challenge matches in my hometown of Emmett, Idaho. This pistol was provided to me by Junior Shooters magazine and was provided by Kimber Firearms to test it out and see how I liked it. Well, I am here to say it is an amazing nice pistol for steel challenge events, as well as competing in USPSA in the Single Stack Division and in IDPA events. I was very pleased with how user friendly and easy to operate it was. I also loved the low recoil it had compared to other 9mm pistols despite the light weight.

(Above:  Cody smiles when shooting the Kimber Pro 9mm.)

Accuracy was excellent, and its function was perfect. It operated every shot without any jams. I was very pleased with how well this pistol performed and look forward to testing other models from Kimber.

Accuracy: Five-shot group at 15 yards from sandbag rest. Note: Each firearm usually has specific ammunition that it prefers, providing the best accuracy for that firearm.

(Above: A 1 and 1/8th inch five-shot group using Zero Ammunition 115-grain JHP ammunition at 15 yards.)

Ammunition                                      Group Size

• Zero Ammunition 115-grain FMJ         1 and 1/8 inch
• 3.4 grains of 700x                            1 and 1/8 inch
  Zero 115 –grain JHP bullet (Note: if you plan on reloading, don’t use this powder load. Though the accuracy was outstanding and it cycled fine, the case would not eject.)
• Winchester 115-grain FMJ                1 and 7/8 inch
• Black Hills 117-grain sub-sonic           2 and 1/8 inch

Kimber:  www.kimberamerica.com
Black Hills Ammunition: www.black-hills.com
COM Center Of Mass: www.comholsters.com
Safariland: www.safriland.com
Ted Blocker Holsters: www.tedblockerholsters.com
Winchester Ammunition: winchester                             (Above: Ted Blocker holster)
Zero Ammunition: www.zerobullets.com

Published by Junior Shooters magazine & Junior Sports Magazines Inc. September 2010

Category: Action Pistol, Guns & Acc., Pistol / Revolver, Product Reviews | No Comments »
Tags: 1911, 1911s, competitive shooting, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, kids, kimber 9mm, kimber pro tactical, kimner, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, Olympics, plinking, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, youth shooting

Posted By admin on August 7, 2010

USA Junior Trap Team Takes Silver at the

World Shooting Championships in Munich, Germany 2010

By: Katie McGinty (USA Shooting)

MUNICH, GERMANY– Yesterday’s Men’s Junior Trap was a high scoring and competitive event at the World Championships run by the International Sport Shooting Federation (ISSF, with a dramatic shoot-off for fourth place.

(Right: Matthew Gossett shows off his excellent form.)

The Men’s Junior Team of Matthew Gossett, Casey Wallace, and Morgan Harbison climbed the podium for a team silver medal. Individually, Harbison (Farmersville, Texas) finished 42nd with 107 total targets and Wallace (Castaic, La.) finished eighth with 116 total targets. Gossett (Springville, Ala.) was in a three-way tie for fourth place at 118 targets. This required a shoot-off to determine a clear winner.

(The junior trap team proudly displays their silver team medals with National Coach Bret Erickson.)

Facing Valero Grazini of Italy and Martin Dvorak of the Czech Republic, Gossett stepped up to the line after the Men’s Trap shoot-off where the first three contenders missed their targets. Leading the trio, Gossett nailed target after targets for ten straight birds. Finally, Dvorak fell after his ninth target and left Grazini and Gossett in a sudden-death showdown. With amazing nerves of steel and the same two-shuffle approach to settle into his shooting stance, Gossett banged away for sixteen straight targets! As Grazini brought his gun down from his sixteenth shot, Gossett fist pumped in victory at his competitor’s miss. Gossett said, I’m happy to be here at my first World Championships and pleased with my performance in fourth…I’m also very excited about our team’s silver medal.”

(Jake Turner ready to hit his flying clay bird.)

Jake Turner of Richland, Wash., has every reason to be proud of his first international final performance. Turner made the finals in the Men’s Trap event after a seven person shoot-off for only two slots–fifth and sixth. Tied at 121 targets, Turner watched as the first three shooters missed their chance to enter the finals. Shooting fourth, Turner stepped up to the line and cleanly broke his target. In a much shorter miss-out than the junior men, Turner and Spain’s Alberto Fernandez advanced to the final round after the second target. In a very low-scoring final, Turner (along with three other competitors) shot 18 targets; yet coming in one short, he couldn’t make up the deficit and remained in sixth place with a final score of 139 targets. Also finishing for the USA was Dominic Grazioli (San Antonio, Texas) and John Mullins (Port Orchard, Wash.), both at 118 targets.

In Men’s 10m Air Pistol, SFC Daryl Szarenski (Seale, Ala.) was the highest scoring American in a very difficult field. Szarenski shot for 578 points with 21 center hits. His teammates Brian Beaman (Selby, S.D.) and Jason Turner (Rochester, N.Y.) finished 40th and 91st respectively.

Will Brown (Twins Falls, Idaho) was the highest placed American in the Junior Men’s 10m Air Pistol event. Brown finished in eleventh place with a total of 573 points and an impressive 20 center hits. Alexander Chichkov (Temple Terrace, Fl.) and Christopher Hudock (Raleigh, N.C.) finished 61st and 62nd respectively, with 552 and 551 points.

Finally, in Junior Women’s 25m Pistol, Resident Athlete Hannah Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) scored 547 total points for 38th place. Lauren Brester (Bozeman, Mont.) finished with 524 points for 48th place and Taylor Gallegos (Prosper, Texas) shot for 478 points and 49th place.

For complete scores and rankings, please visit the ISSF Website:
www.iss-shooting.org

Category: Events, Shotgun Sports | No Comments »
Tags: competitive shooting, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior trap team, junior writers, juniors, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, Olympics, plinking, shooting, shooting sports, shotgun, trap, usa shooting, world shooting championships, youth shooting

Posted By admin on August 4, 2010

Shooting Products

for all Occasions

By: Andy Fink

Competitive Edge Dynamics used to be known mostly for their shooting electronic products such as timers & chronographs, this company has really expanded its products.

(Right: Cody Leeper, 15, checking velocity on loads used in Remington’s R-15 Varminter with a Burris 3×9 scope and a Burris red dot using a WARNE “RAMP” mount.)

They now have a variety of shooting accessories such as shooting mats, loading tools, knives, shooting rests, magazine pouches, range bags, IPSC targets, hearing protection, spotting scopes, red dot scopes, reloading products, and a variety of other products associated with the competitive shooting sports. These are all outstanding items.

received a CED 7000 Timer and a CED M2 Chronograph System to test. Wow! These are two great products. The CED 7000 is advertised as “The Smallest, Most Advanced Shot Timer Ever!” It certainly is that. We use this timer constantly for Steel Challenge, 3-gun, and United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) matches and especially in practice for all types of action shooting. It works all of the time, every time. I really like that fact that is rechargeable so we don’t have to worry about batteries. Just charge it up before going to the range. Some of its features include: Junior Shooters

• Built-in rechargeable battery.
• Memory storage/recall for 10 strings and unlimited number of shots.
• Dual forward & reverse functions.
• Date & time displays.
• Combined Comstock, repetitive & countdown modes, and auto-start.
• Stopwatch mode.
• Optional RF remote capability.
• Wrist & neck lanyards.

If you really want to know where your bullet should be hitting out at long ranges, you need to know its’ velocity. Many companies that produce factory ammunition publish the velocity information for their products. However, they usually do not do so at various elevations and in different conditions. Hand loading your own ammunition can be fun and rewarding, but you definitely need to know the velocity of your load. Many events actually chronograph the loads you are using. This can make the difference between major or minor class at a USPSA event.                                        (Above: Close-up of main portion or M2 chronograph.)

The CED M2 Chronograph is an outstanding chronograph. It comes packaged in a small box and assembles & disassembles easily which saves time on the range.

(Left: Chronograph and display on table with Ruger R-15 using Sheep Dog 55-grain .223 ammunition.)

We used this chronograph extensively during practicing for the MGM Ironman 2010 and and continue to use it on a regular basis. Remember, don’t have the chronograph to close to the muzzle of the firearm. Some of its functions include:                                     (Below right: Close-up of display & control unit.)

• A new keypad
• Advanced software
• Fast performance
• Over 1,000 shot capacity with a 500-string memory
• Records velocities 50 – 7,000 Feet Per Second (FPS)
• High, Low, Average & high-average velocity readings
• Extreme spread & deviation
• Built-in calculator
• IPSC/IDPA factor function
• Meter or feet recording
• Voice chip technology
• USB interface
• New data collector software program included

These are great products and there are many more at CED. Please check them out at www.CEDhk.com.

Copyright & Published by: Junior Shooters and Junior Sports Magazines Inc.

Category: Guns & Acc., Sponsers | No Comments »
Tags: ballistics, CED, chronograph, Competitive Edge Dynamics, hand held timers, 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, shooting, shooting products, shooting sports, shooting timers, timers, usa shooting, youth shooting

Posted By admin on August 3, 2010

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation has awarded grants totaling $231,796 to nine shooting facilities through its Range Partnership Grant Program. New marketing strategies designed to motivate individuals, particularly youth and inactive shooters, to go target shooting and hunting dominated this year’s winning proposals.  (Above: Teaching people to shoot for the first time is always rewarding and what range improvement is all about.)

“With target shooting participation at a record high, this is the perfect time to encourage millions of active shooters to share their passion for our sports with a youngster or adult newcomer,” said Steve Sanetti, president of NSSF, trade association for the firearms industry.

(Above left: Teaching youngsters firearm safety and an appreciation for the shooting sports is so important.) 

“Shooting ranges serve as learning and training centers for our sports, and these grants help ranges remind people in their communities that they can get a supervised, safe introduction to shooting close to home.”

(Young or old, learning to shoot safely is an experience each will treasure.)

Said Melissa Schilling, NSSF’s manager of recruitment and retention, “We’ve seen how successful these grants can be in fueling growth at shooting ranges around the country. More people are interested in shooting than ever before, and the proposals NSSF has funded remind them to give shooting a try.”

The following shooting facilities received grants:

• The Wyoming Antelope Club, St. Petersburg, Fla., $25,717.50, to fund the “Classic Rimfire Shooting Gallery” for recruiting new, young shooting participants by channeling their attraction for video games into a shooting arcade experience, conducted in a controlled environment that teaches firearms safety and the principles of marksmanship.

• Corry Rod & Gun Club, Corry, Pa., $3,500, for recruiting youth and their parents to shotgun sports, teaching safety and proper gun use. The goal is to make youth and their parents realize that recreational shooting and hunting are safe, fun, family-oriented, lifetime activities.

• Tripoli Triggers Firearms, Williamsport, Pa., $78,750, to introduce new shooters, lapsed shooters and in-home teams such as husbands and wives to training programs for handguns and personal protection, including the laws related to handgun ownership, shooting techniques and responsible firearms ownership. This program works with the region’s top businesses and the general public, providing a valuable community partnership.

• Cardinal Shooting Center, Columbus, Ohio, $31,185, for a marketing initiative to attract new shooters with an emphasis on youth and their families. This proposal includes promotion of a new sporting clays and                  (Shooting for the first time is exciting and fun!)
  5-Stand ranges and publicizing the underutilized international bunker trap. Newcomers will be provided quality instruction and a positive experience — the keys to building lifelong participants.

• West Coast Armory Indoor Range, Bellevue, Wash., $33,936, for a regional marketing effort to promote shooting in a fun and contemporary manor to new firearms owners, youth and women. The strategy will utilize advertising training seminars and other programs in nontraditional media.

• A&S Indoor Pistol Range, Youngswood, Pa., $29,198.44, for a New Shooter Education Campaign. This multi-faceted marketing campaign will attract new shooters to the facility, with the expectation of increasing female participation by 40 percent and the retention rate of new shooters from 30 to 50 percent.

• Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Lansing, Mich., $16,510.00, to utilize Facebook and Google ads to raise awareness of shooting ranges in the state. The ads will link to DNRE, which is committed to helping grow the shooting sports and improve hunter skills and safety through practice at shooting ranges.

• St. Maries Gun Club, St. Maries, Idaho, $3,000, for a program to introduce youth to the proper safety of firearms and trapshooting while providing an opportunity for first-time adult shooters (parents or mentors) to shoot a round of trap free. This effort is being created to reactivate membership to a dormant club. 

  (Right: An opportunity for first time shooters to shoot a round of trap for free.)                 

• Rushton Gun Club, Inc., West Monroe, La., $10,000, for the “Fathers Afield” program intended to introduce young men and women under the age of 15 to shooting, and then hunting, by working with mentors. The goal also is to recruit inactive hunters and shooters to serve as mentors, encouraging them to do so via a media marketing campaign.

This is the third year that NSSF has distributed funding to qualifying target ranges through its Range Partnership Grant Program. A total of 30 proposals were submitted for consideration.

Learn more about NSSF’s yearly Range Partnership Grant Program at www.nssf.org.

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 5,500 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

Category: Associations, Clubs & Teams, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Tags: fund for ranges, funding for shooting ranges, grants, 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 Shooting Sports Foundation, NSSF, Olympics, range grants, shooting, shooting sports, usa shooting, youth shooting

Posted By admin on August 1, 2010

By: Corey Shaw (17)

I was incredibly excited to hear that FNH (Fabrique Nationale Herstal) wanted a junior on their team at the 2010 FMG (Firearms Marketing Group) Shooting Industry Masters. I test products and write for Junior Shooters magazine. Andy Fink, Editor-In-Chief, told me that FNH wanted me to shoot with them on their pro team.

(Top right photo: Corey, front right, with FNH USA’s Pro Team: Back left: Tommy Thacker, back middle: Tasha Hanish, Back right: Mark Hanish, front left: Dianna Liedorff. Corey is holding the FNH SLP competition shotgun the FNH USA team used in sporting clays.)

I was so thrilled that I almost drove the car into the ditch. I am 17 years old and have been shooting USPSA (United States Practical Shooting Association) and steel challenge for just over a year now, so this was one very awesome opportunity.

I have known Andy for a while now. When he told me that he was putting a group of juniors together to shoot the MGM Ironman this past July, the toughest modern three-gun competition in the country, of course I said I wanted to shoot it, too. Andy told me that FNH USA agreed to sponsor Junior Shooters magazine by providing firearms for some of the juniors to shoot in the MGM Ironman.

(Left: Corey on the move on stage 6 of the MGM Ironman 2010. He is using a FNH SCAR .223 with a Swarovski 1 X 6 scope. Below: Corey shooting slugs out of his FNH SLP shotgun on stage 9 of the MGM Ironman.)

Fabrique National is a Belgium firm created in 1889 that produces some of the best small arms for military and sporting users worldwide. Andy was really excited about them sponsoring Junior Shooters magazine as they are the only company that manufacture all four firearms used in modern three-gun competition: semi-auto rifle, pistol, shotgun, and the long–range, bolt-action rifle. Andy had selected me to shoot all four firearms in the MGM Ironman. After the Ironman was over, FNH talked to Andy and told him that they wanted a junior on their shooting team at the Shooting Industry Masters.

The Shooting Industry Masters is put on by FMG Publications who publish Guns, American Handgunner, Personal Defense, COP, and Shooting Industry. The Shooting Industry Masters is a large conference for manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and accessories where the Academy of Excellence presents awards, and teams from the manufacturers compete in a three-gun shooting event. FMG Publications has a group of people called the Academy of Excellence who analyze each year’s products and vote on companies and people that have contributed the most to the shooting industry in the last year. Companies field teams made up of company personnel for the industry team, and both company and outside shooting pros for the pro team. They enjoy two days of shooting together and competing against all of the other teams.

The FNH teams consist of one industry team (employees,) and one pro team (professional shooters.) I was on the pro team, and I couldn’t believe that they wanted me on their pro team. Now that I’ve hung out with them for two days, I definitely feel like part of the team.

(Safety meeting: Corey in a white & blue FNH shirt & FNH hat to the left of some of the FNH team members in blue FNH shirts.)

The first day of the Shooting Industry Masters began at 7:00 at the Grand Island Shooting Park in Nebraska. The FNH USA pro and industry teams met in front of the clubhouse, where we signed our waivers and received name tags and product bags from the events many sponsors. We then had a safety briefing and shooter’s meeting. Finally, we grabbed our schedule and took off on FNH’s Polaris RZR to our first part of the event. The pro team went to shoot sporting clays while the industry team ran the FNH three-gun side match for the morning.

Sporting clays is a shooting sport where the shooter shoots from a stand and fires at birds (clays in the air) or rabbits (clays rolling across the ground). Birds or rabbits come from different directions to simulate actual hunting conditions. We started shooting at around 8:30 at stage five.

(Top: Corey getting his bird on stage 6 of the sporting clays round. Corey got 57 out of 100 birds for the round and had never shot sporting clays before. Right: Mark Hanish, FNH USA pro team had an excellent round of 87.)

The Grand Island Shooting Park has a sporting clays area where there are ten stations. You shoot ten shells at each station. It took around two hours to shoot all ten stages, and at the end I had hit 57 of 100 clays thrown. Not great, but I had never shot sporting clays before. I really enjoyed shooting sporting clays. My favorite shots were the rabbits. I wish there had been more. I shot the FNH SLP competition shotgun.

After completing the sporting clays event, the team went to the tent for lunch. Following lunch, the pro team headed over to the FNH three-gun side match. The side matches are mini three-gun, cowboy action, rifle, and shotgun events where the shooter buys a $5.00 ticket to get into the event. All the money from the side matches goes to the First Shot program run by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF.) The First Shot program is designed to promote and support ranges across the country that put on a First Shot event. These events are for the specific purpose of getting people out to shoot who have never shot a firearm.

After lunch, we relieved the industry team at the FNH side match so that they could eat and shoot the same stages we had shot in the morning.

(Left: Corey shooting seven knock down targets in the second bay of the FNH 3-gun side match. He was using an FNH SLP competition shotgun.)

I thought it was great seeing so many people trying three-gun for the first time, and when they were done, they’d laugh about how they should have done this or that.

Saturday, the FNH team shot the two revolver matches and a .223 bolt-action gun match. The first revolver stage contained three ten-shot .22 Long Rifle Smith and Wesson revolvers. The guns were placed on three different tables.

(Top right: Dianna Liedorff, FNH USA pro team, cleaned this stage with an excellent Time. Dianna won the Top Female shooter award for the whole match! Bottom left: Corey shooting the .22 revolver stage.)

The objective of this stage was to shoot the first revolver twice at five steel targets while sitting in a seat. Then the shooter would jump out of their seat and run to the next table and pick up the gun and shoot the same targets from the standing position. You would then run to the next table and complete the same course of fire. I think the stage was really cool. I got to shoot 30 rounds out of a revolver without having to reload.

The next revolver stage was named “Wheel Guns are Real Guns”. I loved this stage. It was a flurry of fast shooting and precision.

(Right: Tommy Thacker, FNH USA pro team, cleaned this stage with an excellent Time. Bottom left: Corey shooting the S&W .38 Special revolver stage.)

The course of fire required you to start with the .38 Special Smith and Wesson revolver in your hands while standing. You would shoot the six targets with one shot each, then ground the gun, and run to the next two tables and do the exact same thing.

(Tasha Hanish, FNH pro team made every shot count with the S&W Model M&P 1522.)

The third stage we shot Saturday was called “Rockn’ Rimfires”. The course description sounded something like: AR-Styled .22 rimfire rifles. Two strings of 10 rounds each at reactive steel plates at 25 yards from the off-hand position (standing unsupported).

(Right: Corey rocked on the Rockn’ Rimfire stage.)

I enjoyed this stage because I blew it away. The rifle was a Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22 which weighs five–and–a–half pounds. Then they strap an awesome red dot scope on it. I shot the first string in around seven seconds clean – no misses. The next string I shot in six seconds and some change, clean.

(Top Tasha Hanish, FNH USA pro team, as she was practicing prior to her first round of four. Corey watched each of other member ons the pro team: Tasha, Tommy, Mark, and Dianna, shoot and operate the FNH bolt-action TSR-XP USA before he had to take his turn.)

The last stage we shot was named “Hunter’s Haven”. We used the FNH TSR-XP USA. It’s an extremely accurate .223 bolt gun with a short action. The course of fire was to shoot four strings of four shots at reactive steel placed at 100 yards as fast as you could.

(Above: Corey did very well on the Hunter’s Haven stage shooting FNH’s TSR-XP .223 USA.)

I enjoyed this stage. I rarely get the chance to shoot a bolt-action rifle so this stage was just fun because I got to shoot an amazing one.

After those required stages, the team shot their own FNH three-gun side match. I had been working the FNH side match stage for two days, and it was finally my turn to take a shot at it. Just like everyone else, I started in the outhouse with the door closed sitting on a seat. When the buzzer sounded, I sprinted out the door to the wishing well where I picked up the FNH SCAR-16 mounted with a Weaver scope.

(Left: Corey setting up the 10 bowling pins on the first part of FNH USA 3-gun side match. Below: Corey placing the FNH SLP shotgun on the right side of the Mache cave and sprinting for the entrance to pick up an FNH FNX-9 pistol to shoot the pistol targets.)

I shot the 10 bowling pins placed about 50 yards with 10 rounds (none standing; no penalty). I grounded the rifle and sprinted to the next bay where I picked up the FNH SLP competition shotgun out of the barrel it was placed in. I charged the shotgun and shot the first seven steel plates on the run. Then I transitioned to the last shotgun plate on my right, blasted it, and tossed the shotgun onto the Mache cave that was built for this event. I sprinted into the cave and grabbed the 9mm FNX pistol lying on the table and shot the last five steel pepper poppers with five rounds. I finished the stage in 41.59 seconds with no penalties. At the end of the day, Tommy Thacker, pro shooter on the FNH team, showed me a list of the 200 plus shooters that had shot the stage in the last two days and their times. Out of the 200, I got 5^th place. Wow, was I happy!

The only other side match I shot was the Hornady Cowboy Action Shooting stage. There was a .38 Special lever–action rifle, a double–barrel shotgun and a Ruger single-action revolver. I liked the cowboy action so much I shot it twice. I think my favorite part of the stage was shooting the lever-action rifle at the plate rack.

The Industry awards and dinner was a dinner for everyone in the shooting events. The Academy of Excellence, run by FMG Publications, voted for their favorite products of 2010. The winners were then revealed and given a trophy for their achievements. You can check out the winners at: www.shootingindustry.com/Pages/2010SIMasters.html

I truly treasured being at this year’s Shooting Industry Masters and shooting on the FNH pro team. I honestly felt like part of the team and want to come back next year and do it all again with the amazing ladies and gentlemen from FNH USA. I’m very happy to have been the first junior ever to have shot on a pro team.                    (Above: Corey hands off the FNH SLP competition shotgun to Tasha.)

A special thank you goes to FNH and Junior Shooters magazine and also to FMG Publications for putting on such a fun event.

Contact Information:

• FMG Publications: www.fmgpublications.com/
• FNH: www.fnhusa.com
• Grand Island Shooting Park: www.grand-island.com/index.aspx?page=44
• National Shooting Sports Foundation: www.nsssf.com
• Shooting Industry Masters: www.shootingindustry.com/Pages/2010SIMasters.html
• Swarovski: www.swarovskioptik.us
• Check out this article with more photos and a video of the event: at www.juniorshooters.net

Editor’s Note 1: A junior on a shooting industry team as part of this event is a milestone in promoting the shooting sports and encouraging juniors and their families. Junior Shooters magazine thanks FNH for their support and willingness to accept a junior as part of their pro team. Note 2: Though the shooting stages portion of the Industry Masters 2010 event is made up of pistol, rifle, and shotgun stages, it is not what typically is referred to as a three-gun competition. Three-gun competitions normally have all three guns being used on almost every stage.

_________________

Category: Action Pistol, Events, Modern 3 Gun, Pistol / Revolver, Rifle, Shotgun Sports, Sponsers | No Comments »
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Posted By admin on July 29, 2010

By: Andy Fink

This museum is something else. If you ever get to Rogers, Arkansas you have got to go there. This year, 2010, Daisy arranged a tour of the museum and their manufacturing plant as part of the Daisy National BB Gun Championship 2010. Friday was not only practice day for the BB gun championship, it was also tour day.

(Right: The Washington County Jaycees BB gun team in front of the Daisy mural on the side of the Daisy museum in downtown Rogers, Arkansas.)

(Left: Shader Brown kneeling. One of the participants at the Daisy BB Gun Championship 2010. He is shooting the Daisy Avanti 499 competition BB gun.)

Most of the participants picked either the morning or afternoon to go practice at the local high school. This gave them the opportunity to visit both the Daisy museum and the Daisy plant where they saw Daisy Red Ryders actually being manufactured. Daisy provided a bus that shuttled back and forth from both locations. These tours were fun and very interesting. I was very impressed with how friendly all of the Daisy personnel were.

 
(“In 2009, Daisy replicated 1,000 of the first model Daisy which the Daisy Museum sold to collectors.” First model BB gun shown above in museum display.)

A replica of the first Daisy BB gun was displayed at the Daisy Airgun Museum in historic downtown Rogers along with almost every model made and the history of the company. Specials on some of Daisy’s products were also available for purchase, so if you go to the championship, you really want to stop by the museum.

(Above: Lewis & Clark’s Air Rifle taken on their expedition west in 1803.)

(Pneumatic rifle circa 1770 from Denmark.)

(Left: Red Ryder with two Daisy Red Ryder BB Guns slung in scabbards.)

The Daisy Museum is a separate non-profit corporation, established to protect and display to the public an amazing collection of airguns and Daisy memorabilia. Museum displays include antique airguns dating to the 1700s as well as just about every model of Daisy made.  Antique artwork, most of which was used in past Daisy advertising, adorns the walls.

The Daisy Museum gift shop markets the complete Daisy product line as well as some limited edition collectibles which are exclusively available through the museum (or www.daisymuseum.com)! In 2009, Daisy replicated 1,000 of the first model Daisy which the Daisy Museum sold to collectors.  This pre-patent "wirestock" gun was first made in 1888 by the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company in Plymouth, Michigan.

(Right: The home of the first Daisy BB gun, the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company 1888 in Plymouth, Michigan)

(Above left: girl with the Independence BB Gun. Above right: boy with a replica of the first Daisy BB gun. Below left: Girl with Daisy Red Ryder BB gun. Below right: girl with camouflage patterned BB gun.)

(Above: Daisy model 85 pump action 100 anniversary BB gun.)

(Left: Boy with the “Duke” model Daisy BB gun.)

Everyone visiting the museum seemed to enjoy it. The antique artwork and displays really showed off all of the airguns displayed. I was extremely interested in some of the antique airguns from the 1700s and 1800s. I took the opportunity provided by having so many of the juniors there to take a ton of photos of different airguns held by some of the participants in the event. If you want to see more photos of the museum and juniors who visited, click on:

             THIS LINK.

DAISY PLANT TOUR

Going through a manufacturing plant is always interesting. The Daisy plant was certainly that and fun as well.

(Left: Daisy Winchester Model 94 receivers waiting to be put together in on of the icon rifles of the Old West.)

Many of the juniors couldn’t bear to move past the huge barrels filled with BBs where they kept running their hands through them before the BBs get packaged into tubes and bottles.

(Right: They loved the BBs in the BB barrel.)

One of the things I didn’t know about Daisy is that Daisy supplies drill rifles to JROTC units of all service divisions.  These are non-firing replicas.

(Left: One of the participants with Daisy’s non-firing 1903 Springfield replica drill rifle.)

Daisy guns are subjected to quality evaluation and rigid testing. It was very interesting to observe the process. They are even tested to ensure they meet velocity requirements.

(Above right: Each gun is tested to meet velocity specifications. Below – left & right: cutouts of Red Ryder with faces of a couple of the BB gun participants.)

Daisy had a cut-out of Red Ryder that I took advantage of to take photos of some of the athletes that were with the tour I was part of. If you want to go check out more photos of the plant and BB gun participants taking the tour then click on:

THIS PLANT TOUR LINK.

Want to build your own BB gun? Two adults, coaches out of each plant tour group, actually got to build their own Red Ryder BB guns and take them home. The coaches really seemed to enjoy it and taking home their own Red Ryder that they made was a real thrill.

(Above right: Coach making his own BB gun. Below: “Oh, yeah! I made it and I’m taking it home!”

So, don’t forget the Daisy Museum and plant tours when visiting Rogers, Arkansas. I guarantee it will be a pleasurable experience.

(Right: Placing the saddle ring on the Red Ryder receiver.)

www.daisy.com.

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