Lone Star Outdoor News Shooting Sports Texas Annual 2022

Shooting Sports texas A N N UA L 2 02 2

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SHOOTING SPORTS ANNUAL 2022

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UPGRADE YOUR EQUIPMENT AND YOUR SKILLS Even after you upgrade to a new HK VP9, with its best-in-class trigger pull and ergonomic, customizable grip, you’re not quite done yet. You still need a couple of important accessories. And we’re not talking about holsters, lights and optics either. Training and Practice – They are two different things and we all need more of both. Look into it … andYour go doLocal the work!

Visit Texas A Place to Shoot San Antonio, 210-628-1888 Abilene Indoor Gun Range Abilene, 325-698-4224 Able Ammo Huntsville, 936-295-5786 AJC Sports Clute, 979-265-4867 Ally Outdoors Midland, 972-332-3700 Richardson, 972-332-3700 Alpha Armory Houston, 888-932-7660 Alpine Shooting Range Ft Worth, 817-478-6613 Americana Arms, LLC Beeville, 361-362-3673 Athena Gun Club Houston, 713-461-5900 BPS Outfitters Sherman, 903-832-2227 BTO Range Conroe, 936-588-3333

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Buck & Doe’s Mercantile, LLC San Antonio, 830-980-3637 C.A.C Tactical Southlake, 888-211-8191 Caroline Colt Company LLC Abilene, 325-232-7501 Carroll’s Gun Shop Whaton, 979-532-3175 Carter’s Country Houston, 713-461-1844 Houston, 281-879-1466 Pasadena, 713-475-2222 Spring, 281-443-8393 DFW Shooting Sports Bedford, 817-285-0664 Champion Firearms College Station, 979-693-9948 Collectors Firearms Houston, 713-781-5812 Danny's, Inc. McAllen, 956-687-4692 Defender Outdoors Fort Worth, 817-935-8377

DFW Gun Club Dallas, 214-630-4866 Dury's Gun Shop San Antonio, 210-533-5431 Field & Streams Sporting Goods San Angelo, 325-944-7094 Fun Guns Waco, 254-755-0080 Gibson’s Weatherford, 817-594-8711 Glick Twins Pharr, 956-787-429 GRITR Sports N. Richland Hills, 817-200-7470 Grabagun.com Coppell, 972-552-7246 Guard & Defend Firearms Silsbee, 409-201-9468 Guns Warehouse LLC Cedar Park, 512-986-7330 Hoss Arms, LLC New Braunfels, 830-609-8891

John Doe Investigations, LLC Lewisville, 214-773-0129 Kirkpatrick Gun & Ammo Laredo, 956-723-6338 Marksmen Firearms Mansfield, 817-453-8680 McBride's Guns Austin, 512-472-3532 Misson Ridge Range & Academy San Antonio, 210-504-9000 Mister Guns LLC Plano, 214-901-7429 Modern Pawn & Guns Corpus Christi, 361-993-9390 Nagel's Gun Shop, Inc. San Antonio, 210-342-5420 Nardis Gun Club San Antonio, 210-369-9199 Omaha Outdoors Rosenberg, 713-703-4648 Past & Blast Antiques & Firearms Whitesboro, 903-564-5444

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www.hk-usa.com • 706-701-5554 Point Blank Sporting Goods Pharr, 956-992-8799 Primary Arms Houston, 713-344-9600 Ranger Firearms of Texas Inc. San Antonio, 210-822-4867 Ray's Hardware & Sporting Goods Dallas, 214-747-7916 Red’s Indoor Range - North Pflugerville, 512-251-1022 RifleGear The Colony, 972-292-7678 SK Arms Flowermound, 972-628-6200 Midland, 432-704-5127 Sharp Shooters Knife & Gun Inc Lubbock, 806-791-1231 Southwestern Firearms, Inc. Midlothian, 972-617-7056 Sportsman's Finest Austin, 512-263-1888 Spring Guns & Ammo Spring, 832-299-1950

Superior Outfitters Longview, 903-212-2200 Tyler, 903-592-4006 Texas Gun Club Stafford, 832-539-7000 Texas Gun Expierence Grapevine, 817-285-5664 Texas Ranch Outfitters Yantis, 903-383-2800 The Arms Room Dickinson, 232-226-5252 Wheeler Feed & Outfitters Boerne, 830-249-2656 Xtreme Guns & Ammo Richmond, 832-363-3783 Visit Your Local Texas HK Premium Dealer to Learn More!

FOR THE FIELD OR BACKCOUNTRY WHATEVER YOUR ADVENTURE IS, WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED.

FIND YOUR NEW RIDE AT HOFFPAUIR 2 1 1 4 G O L D T H W A I T E ,

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Need an archery range?

ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST PUBLIC RANGES AND EVENT CENTERS LOCATED IN HOUSTON, TEXAS

Maybe you have noticed archery ranges are missing from most city and state parks in Texas, and, that it’s illegal to shoot in your backyard in many municipalities.

TEXANS ARCHERY CLUB offers multiple ranges for ONE MEMBERSHIP! The 30,000 square-foot Texas Archery Academy includes a network of outdoor ranges and several small neighborhood 24/7 indoor Shooters Clubs.

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Turnkey day-to-night precision from Leica Leading German optics brand Leica Sport Optics has unveiled its first premium riflescope with the revolutionary new Calonox Sight clip-on thermal combo — the Trinity. Combining Leica’s outstanding pedigree in imaging and riflescope design with an innovative clip-on thermal addition, hunters and shooters can benefit from the same exceptional image quality when stalking day or night and in adverse weather conditions such as rain, fog and light snow.

By pairing Leica’s 3-18x44mm Amplus 6 riflescope with its Calonox thermal sight, using the correct Rusan adapter, customers are offered arguably one of the best turnkey, day-tonight optics on the market.

Alone, the Leica Calonox Sight can be used for observation as a thermal camera, or connected to your riflescope, but in either case, no details remain hidden, even at great distances (>2000 yards). Not only will hunters benefit from a perfectly clear optics experience, but they will have great nighttime shooting capability thanks to the thermal clip-on.

This new adaptation to the revolutionary Calonox line sees Leica continuing its long and successful track record in digital image optimization and extends its excellent reputation as a camera manufacturer. Leica’s innovative image processing (Leica Image Optimization – LIO) improves the image using special algorithms, to achieve particularly sharp, detailed color gradations, excellent contrast and high-detail resolution.

Stalking at night, in low light or in suboptimal conditions presents hunters with some of the most challenging outings possible, but with the Leica Calonox Trinity the odds are greatly improved. With impressive detail recognition at long range, hunters can detect, recognize and identify game safely, using one of four field-tested color modes: Red Hot, White Hot, Black Hot and Rainbow. The Leica Calonox Sight can detect targets up to a distance of 2,000 yards, and easily recognize targets up to 700 yards.

Calonox thermal cameras have an astonishingly large field of view: for a better overview when shooting from blinds or stalking. The Leica Calonox Sight is ideal for use with a riflescope and is therefore equipped with 1x magnification.

Thanks to its one-piece construction, the Calonox Sight offers outstanding reliability and a consistently precise, repeatable point-of-impact, and is backed by the Leica’s best-inclass 10yr-30yr passport warranty. These benefits, coupled with an intuitive design allows the hunter to focus entirely on the shot, making it a must-have for anyone serious about their sport.

LEICA SPORT OPTICS LEICA-SPORTOPTICS.COM

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CALONOX TRINITY MASTER THE NIGHT

The Leica Calonox Trinity thermal package combines Leica’s unmatched history in imaging and riflescope design with an innovative clip-on thermal addition to give hunters the same outstanding image quality when hunting day or night and in any weather conditions. The Calonox Sight can easily be taken off and used in “hand-held” mode for thermal detection past 2000 yards. Maximum precision and shot repeatability thanks to a one component construction!

Key Features: • Four field-tested color modes • Astonishingly large field of view • Leica Calonox app integration

• Leica Image Optimization (LIO) • Repeatable point-of-impact

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www.leica-sportoptics.com SHOOTING SPORTS ANNUAL 2022

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GET THAT NEW GUN

Custom Fitted

By Craig Nyhus

Lone Star Outdoor News

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Buying a new shotgun for sporting clays, skeet, trap or even hunting? A custom fitting isn’t just an advantage that will improve your shooting. It’s a must.

“Everyone is built differently,” said the Dallas Beretta Gallery’s Manager of Business Development Dakotah Richardson, also a former World Cup shotgun competitor. “Arm lengths are different, cheeks are different, eye positions are different.”

At the Beretta Gallery, buying a gun and getting it custom fitted all happens right at the shop.

“You want to make sure the gun is just yours, and it’s perfect for you,” Richardson said. “You’ll shoot better and you’ll feel less recoil.”

Richardson said master gunsmiths, like the Gallery’s Scott Mays, look for three main things — length of pull, cast and pitch.

Beretta Length of pull is the distance from the back of the center of the butt plate or recoil pad to the trigger; cast is a left and right adjustment and pitch is an up and down adjustment.

Sometimes, no adjustments are necessary.

“Scott can take a look at a shooter’s setup and know right away,” Richardson said. “The guns dimensions are an average based on decades of information, so it’s less likely that major adjustments will need to be made.”

Richardson said he enjoys watching Mays perform fitting adjustments.

“It’s incredible to watch,” he said. “Scott can physically bend the wood up, down, left or right. He does it old school in a hot oil bath.”

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YOUR TOP CHOICES FOR SPORTING CLAYS SHOTGUNS Beretta’s top-of-the-line competitive shotgun, the DT11, has won more Olympic medals that any gun made.

At the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in the shotgun disciplines, all but four medals were won with the DT11.

What sets it apart?

Dakotah Richardson at the Dallas Beretta Gallery said a number of factors makes the DT11 the best.

“The Steelium Pro Barrel is tapered from the back of the receiver to the choke,” he said. “It lowers recoil and it patterns better.”

Ease of maintenance is also important.

“You can swap out triggers in seconds,” Richardson said.

The center-mass of the DT11 is designed to be low and coaxial with the bottom barrel, giving the shotgun unmatched stability and greatly reducing muzzle rise. And the highgrade stock can be tailored to the customer’s specifications.

The redesigned top lever improves the grip, reduces stress and provides more comfort for both right- and left-handed shooters. Also, the shape of the safety selector has

been redesigned for a better grip and smoother operation, keeping the competitor’s mind where it matters – without any fatigue or distraction.

At a cost of about $12,000, the DT11 may not be for all competitive shooters — especially new ones.

Beretta has those shooters covered though, with the A400 Xcel Sporting.

“It’s our top entry-level shotgun for sporting clays,” Richardson said.

“It’s a little heavier, which is good for sporting clays. It slows the gun down.

And it’s faster-cycling, softer-shooting and better balanced than anything else on the market.”

Built on the revolutionary A400 action, the Xcel delivers follow-up shots 36 percent faster than any other brand, while its advanced recoil-reducing systems make it pleasant to shoot, even on demanding all-day competitions.

The shotgun features the unique Blink technology, a gas-operating system that is capable of delivering two shots in less than half a second, while also integrating an easymaintenance self-cleaning piston.

Furthermore, the action has sleek

lines and a low profile, meaning that the vertical distance between the dominant eye and the supporting hand is reduced to a minimum. The result? A gun that follows your swing like an extension of your body and eyesight--and many more broken clays.

The A400 Xcel incorporates several recoil-reducing systems operating simultaneously to make recoil virtually negligible (70 percent overall reduction). One is a hydraulic shock absorber that softens the rearward energy from the action’s moving parts, which minimizes felt recoil while reducing wear within the receiver. Another is a MicroCore buttpad that all but neutralizes the recoil generated by the power of the cartridge. Finally, the A400 is designed to recoil parallel to the comb, meaning no thump to the cheek and minimal muzzle rise.

Starting at $1,699, the A400 Xcel is an incredible value for both new and experienced competitors.

“It’s the best package for a person getting into sporting clays and competition,” Richardson said.

BERETTA GALLERY

☎ (214) 559-9800 BERETTA.COM

888.767.2529 | WWW.PROMATIC.BIZ | FOR THE DEALER NEAREST YOU SHOOTING SPORTS ANNUAL 2022

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HIGHER STAKES IN THE DOVE FIELDS We’ve all heard about the influx of Eurasiancollared dove in Texas. There is little known about this invasive species who seem to be taking over in many parts of the state. The folks at Texas Dove Hunters Association (TDHA) have started a program collecting data on the Eurasian-collared dove thanks to the help of hunters in Texas.

For the last four years, TDHA has been collecting data from the Texas Banded Bird Challenge (TBBC) to develop field studies on migration habits and regional habitat preferences to learn more about the invasive species that is growing in numbers. Each year TDHA traps, bands and releases 800 more Eurasian collared dove.

Over 3,000 birds have been banded and released since 2018, with another 800 that will be banded and released later this summer.

Data collected since 2018 has proven to be informative but also unpredictable. There have been birds that have traveled a very short distance from where they were released over a long period of time, as well as birds that have traveled a very long distance over a short period of time. Perhaps the most interesting finding so far has been that not one bird in four years has been reported from outside the state of Texas which is strange, since they are released all across the state. It appears that the birds are happy in Texas and are not migrating out. This finding and the fact that Eurasian-collared dove have three to four clutches per year with two eggs per clutch is contributing to

rapid increases in their populations.

Being an invasive species, there is no bag limit on them when hunting nor a special season. With this, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department advises hunters who fill their bag (15 game birds) and also harvest a few Eurasians, to leave a wing on the collared dove to be able to show they are not game birds.

As an incentive for hunters to report the bands when they harvest these birds, TDHA offers prizes to those who are entered in the TBBC. Entry is $20, and everyone who enters and harvests a banded bird is guaranteed to win a prize. If you harvest the bird with a predetermined band number, the top prize is a new truck provided

by Hoffpauir Auto Group. Guaranteed prizes are a new Polaris Ranger from Hoffpauir Outdoor Superstore, an exotic game hunt at RecordBuck Ranch or G2 Ranch, a new gun and many other great prizes.

The bands do not expire from one year to the next, increasing the chances of winning with 800 more birds being released every year. In 2021, 61 bands were reported but only 16 of those hunters were entered in the contest and collected a prize.

Friends don’t let friends go to the field without their TBBC entry!

All hunters must be entered by Aug. 31 in order to be eligible for the 2022 Texas Banded Bird Challenge. Go to texasdovehunters.com to sign up.

Jay Schwisow

TEXAS DOVE HUNTERS ASSOCIATION

☎ (210) 764-1189 TEXASDOVEHUNTERS.COM

D F W ’ S P R E M I E R S P O R T I N G C L AY S R A N G E

D efe n d e r O u td o o r s C l ay S p o r t s Ranch is a 150-acre shooting s p o r t s o a s i s j u s t m i n u te s f r o m d ow n tow n F o r t Wo r t h , T X .

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8270 Aledo Rd Fort Worth, TX 76126

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S P O R T I N G

REDESIGNED RECEIVER AQUATECH SHIELD & ENGLARGED CONTROLS

BLINK GAS OPERATED SYSTEM 36% FASTER FOLLOW-UP SHOTS

STEELIUM OBHP STUNNING BARREL ACCURACY

THE FASTEST, LOWEST-RECOIL CLAY BUSTER. BERETTA A400 XCEL SPORTING

Built on the revolutionary A400 action, the newest iteration of the Beretta A400 Xcel Sporting features enlarged controls, the innovative Blink gas operating system for 36% faster follow-up shots, and Beretta’s Kick-Off recoil reduction system for enhanced stability, comfort, and control for faster target acquisition.

B E R E T TA G A L L E R Y D A L L A S - H I G H L A N D PA R K V I L L A G E - 2 1 4 5 5 9 9 0 0 0

INFO.BERETTA.COM/A400-XCEL 12 |

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