11/29/2010

Each summer during July and August, 3,000 shooters and volunteers register to be a part of the “World Series of Shooting.” Centrally located in Port Clinton, Ohio, the National Guard at Camp Perry hosts both returning veterans and new shooters for this unique sporting event that has been a tradition since 1907, when Theodore Roosevelt was in office. More beginning and entry-level shooters participate than masters and high masters, so don’t get the impression that the matches are only for the pros. Whether your trigger time is spent at the 25-yard line in bullseye pistol, 50 yards in smallbore or 1,000 yards in long range rifle, there is still much more to do each afternoon—such as attending small arms training school, picking-up spares from top shooting supply companies or discussing your needs with on-site gunsmiths from the military marksmanship teams. What follows are highlights of the 2010 Championships, which produced several new match records.

For complete coverage of competitive shooting, including schedules for more than 10,000 matches each year, subscribe to the free digital edition of NRA’s competitive shooting journal, Shooting Sports USA, at www.shootingsportsusa.com.

NRA National High Power Rifle Championships
Unusually calm weather favored the more than 500 shooters who participated in this year’s high power championships and may have contributed to a new match record. But the favorable shooting conditions were only part of the reason for the tremendous scores. The U.S. Army’s Sherri Gallagher and civilian Carl Bernosky both shot personal bests with exceptionally consistent performances all week. Gallagher won eight first-place awards this year of the 12 events that constitute the tournament. Although Gallagher has many match trophies in her collection, this was her first Camp Perry win. Perhaps fueled by the memory of a crossfire in 2009, Gallagher looked as focused as ever as she methodically executed her shot sequence more than 250 times during the across-the-course match. Using the same cartridge and equipment as the year before, she improved her score by 14 points with 13 additional Xs, setting a new national record in the process. Her score of 2396-161X replaced David Tubb’s 2003 record of 2389-138X.

An afternoon rainstorm on the second day resulted in a re-shoot of the 600-yard slow-fire event because, as NRA Rule 9.11, Matches Not Complete, states: “When a match or stage is not completed by all competitors in accordance with the tournament schedule, the match or stage may be rescheduled or cancelled.” Rather than cancel it, the entire field re-fired at the end of the next day’s scheduled matches, resulting in a very long day that began before dawn and finished after 5 p.m. While it had no effect on his ultimate standing, second-place finisher Carl Bernosky was able to regain two points as a result of the re-fire. Bernosky improved his score this year by 9 points over his 2009 showing, achieving a personal best. “That’s what it’s all about—doing your best,” said Bernosky. Steve Culpepper took third in the overall match rifle category.

In the service rifle match, Army SFC Grant Singley returned to the winner’s podium this year in the number-three position, having raised the bar last year by establishing a new national record of 2385-102X, which still stands.

Marine reservist Sgt. Eric Swearingen won it this year, bettering his 2009 score of 2363-87X by 18 points. Swearingen, a 2001 graduate of Toledo Christian High School, is stationed at El Cajon, Calif. Army Marksmanship Unit’s SFC Ty Cooper took second place.

This year introduced an Any Sight Match/Tactical Rifle category to the championships, and Albert Wood of Merrillan, Wis., won the new category with a 2308-44X.

High Power Rifle Championship
Winner—Sgt. 1st Class Sherri Gallagher—161X
Second—Carl Bernosky—2395-140X
Third— Steve Culpepper—2382-121X

Service Rifle Championship
Winner—Sgt. Eric Swearingen—2381-103X
Second—Staff Sgt. Ty Cooper—2377-108X
Third—Sgt. 1st Class Grant Singley—2372-121X
High Woman—Pfc. Amanda Elsenboss—2347-76X
High Senior—Jim O’Connell—2346-88X
High Junior—Tyler Rico—2360-94X

National Pistol Matches
NRA National Championships are run like clockwork, and the pistol matches are no exception. The daily 7:30 a.m. starting cannon shot, the commanding voice of the tower talkers and the watchful eye of each volunteer line official is all part of a time-tested system of classification and squadding that allows shooters of all skill levels to compete shoulder-to-shoulder. Tyros (new shooters) are welcomed by fellow sportsmen who help explain certain tasks, such as how many targets to take to the line, or provide tips on filling-out score cards. In fact, there are more marksmen and unclassified shooters than masters, and attendance continues to grow. Shooters from across the United States and 16 foreign countries participated in this year’s match.

Brian Zins returned to the podium this year to claim his 10th win, a record of “most wins” that began with his seventh in 2005. Zins’ score of 2650-134X this year surpassed the 2009 winning score of 2646-141X fired by Zins’ fellow shooter and friend, SFC Jim Henderson of the USAMU. Judy Tant of East Lansing, Mich., won her third consecutive national title and sixth overall with a consistent 2565-69X. (Her 2009 title was won with a 2566-72X.) Eighteen-year-old Bryan Layfield of Clarksburg, W. Va., swept nine of the Junior and Collegiate categories in the .22- and .45-cal. matches, as well as the overall junior aggregate. Having begun shooting only two years ago, Layfield is a natural.

Pistol Championship
Winner—Brian Zins—2650-134X
Second—Capt. Phil Hemphill—2643-128X
Third—Staff Sgt. Scott Park—2634-116X
High Woman—Judy Tant—2564-69X
High Junior—Bryan Layfield—2598-94X

NRA National Long Range Rifle Championships
With flags flying “straight out,” this was the year for wind shooters to excel. Attendance at this year’s Long Range matches was up by 11.2 percent according to NRA National High Power Rifle Manager Jan Raab, who said, “We almost filled the Palma Individual Match to range capacity this year. It’s really great to see the interest in long range shooting increasing as we look forward to the World Long Range Championships next year in Amsterdam, and again in 2015 when the United States will host this prestigious event.” Of the 354 long-range entrants, about half of them came to Camp Perry to compete in this weekend portion of the tournament. The remaining competitors also participated in the across-the-course high power matches the previous week.

John Whidden returned for his third Long Lange victory at Camp Perry, having won previously in 2007 and 2008. A new course was established in 2007, prior to which David Tubb was the record holder and five-time champion. Recently retired CMP Director Gary Anderson also won this event in 1980.

If the name Brandon Green sounds familiar, it may be because second-place Sgt. Green won six championships this year, including the overall individual championship during the inter-service matches at Quantico, Va. Green was also the first recipient of CMP’s Junior Distinguished Badge back in 2001. He later became double distinguished while competing with the Army Marksmanship Unit.