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CIRCLE OF PRECISION GUN REVIEW Big Horn Armory’s Model 1889 .500 Lever Action

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A MERIC A N

SHOOTING JOURNAL Volume 3 // ISSUE 12 // August 2015 PUBLISHER

James R. Baker ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Dick Openshaw EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Andy Walgamott EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Danielle Breteau

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Kelly Baker PRODUCTION MANAGER

John Rusnak OFFICE MANAGER/ACCOUNTING

Audra Higgins ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Katie Sauro INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER

Lois Sanborn INBOUND MARKETING

Jon Hines CIRCULATION MANAGER

Heidi Belew DISTRIBUTION

Tony Sorrentino, Gary Bickford, Barry Johnston ADVERTISING INQUIRIES

ads@americanshootingjournal.com INTERN AND EDITOR’S GOPHER

Erica Deshaies

ON THE COVER Retired SWAT officer, avid hunter and writer Steve Meyer shares his stories of raising and training bird dogs in the vastness of Alaska, including the exploits of Winchester, one of he and partner Christine Cunningham’s English setters. (STEVE MEYER)

MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE P.O. Box 24365 • Seattle, WA 98124-0365 14240 Interurban Ave. S. Ste. 190 • Tukwila, WA 98168 OREGON OFFICE 8116 SW Durham Rd • Tigard, OR 97224 (206) 382-9220 • (800) 332-1736 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com • www.media-inc.com

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

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VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 12 • August 2015

CONTENTS ON POINT

136

The high cliffs and rugged terrain of coastal Alaska anchor one of this issue’s main features – hunting dogs. English setters, famed bird dogs, are a breed all their own, and when you couple whitetail ptarmigan hunting with impossibly steep peaks, you’ll want no other hound out in front of you, argues our man in The Last Frontier, Steve Meyer.

(STEVE MEYER)

features 47

SCATTERGUN: Welcome To The Posh Greenbrier Gun Club, Ya’ll Where can you indulge in life’s finer things, such as gourmet meals, superbly landscaped grounds, rooms fit for kings, trap and skeet ranges manicured to perfection and the hospitality of the Appalachians? Our Larry Case takes us to West Virginia, where hot springs and shotguns blend perfectly at The Greenbrier resort’s gun club.

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Hide-and-seek Heroes Dog teams are found globally, but it’s rare to find one in our backyard that represents that global presence in a single package. Meet Trace Sargent, SAR guru and dog-training expert, who travels the world to find lost loved ones – and might just come to your rescue here.

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BEHIND THE BADGE: K9 Heros Meet Loki, Trigger and Zippy, police dogs that specialize in bomb and narcotic detection, as well as patrol duties. They will not only impress you with their infinite skills, but warm your heart with their devotion.

100 TRAINING: ‘Circle Of Components’ Theory Of Long-range Shooting What does it take to be a precision rifle shooter? Whether this is your new passion or you’ve been a professional sniper for years, Caylen Wojcik, director of training for MAGPUL CORE, has something for you. Sit down, grab your pencils and stand by for everything you will need to develop the best base for accuracy – what Caylen calls his “circle of components” theory.

108 COMPETITION: Precision Rifle Series Exploding Nationwide If you want to combine accuracy, longrange shooting, high adrenaline and a racing heartbeat all into one challenge, this is it! Our competition fanatic Robin Taylor set out to meet with the movers and the shakers behind the PRS craze.

149 ROADHUNTER: Prepping Pooch For Upcoming Hunting Seasons Scott Haugen works with hunting-dogtraining pros to give us the best tips and tricks for getting your retrievers, pointers and hounds in the best of shape for fall’s seasons. If you plan on chasing game with man’s best friend, this article is not to be missed.

AMERICAN SHOOTING JOURNAL is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Ave South Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2015 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

CONTENTS Also inside 25 35 37 56 73 119 121 131 157 165

Time Capsule: The Long Quest To Build A Combat Shotgun PRODUCT FEATURE: Legacy Collectibles GUN REVIEW: Big Horn Armory’s Model 89 .500 Magnum American Shooting Journal’s 2015 TOP 10 holsters list is out!

Charity Focus: Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog Q&A: Short Action Custom Rifle’s Mark Gordon Speaks Rifle Accuracy By The Numbers BLACK POWDER: Taylor’s New Model #3 Kentucky High-power-rifle Champion Gabrielle Pitre PRODUCT FEATURE: Ready America

DEPARTMENTS 17 19 21 23 98

Editor’s Note Competition Calendar Gun Show Calendar Top Shots A Salute To America’s Armed Forces

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INSIDE BATTLE COMP

American Shooting Journal is proud to offer our readers an exclusive interview with Alan Normandy, owner and founder of Battle Comp Enterprises, maker of highly advanced suppressors. Who are the folks who drive the ideas and growth of this company? Alan shares.

(STICKMAN)

RECREATION, SURVIVAL, HOME SITES AND INVESTMENT! Seldom do you find this many opportunities in one property. This property includes 403.83 acres in two legal lots. With a lot line adjustment both lots would be buildable. Beaver Creek runs through the property. Beaver Creek is known for its vast population of Red Banded Trout. There are also several springs that have power and potentials. The property borders the Maulher National Forest for a half mile. There is a million acres of national forest in the vicinity. This area has some of the best trophy elk and mule deer hunting anywhere. Antelope also are plentiful. What a “way of life” opportunity!

And now the investment!! With a lot line adjustment each separately owned 160+ acres is eligible for two land owner preference tags for elk and two for mule deer. That would be four elk and four mule deer tags for the two parcels combined.

Eligible land owners reportedly have sold their available tags for $4,000 each for elk and $2,500 each for mule deer.

If HUNTERS were going to purchase available tags, which are often difficult to find, the cost savings, although it varies, could be around $26,000 per year. That equates to a 6.5% savings annually at a sales price of $395,000. This is an exceptional location for hunting.

The property taxes are $98.46 per year. This property is located about 40 miles east of Paulina, about four miles from pavement, on private roads and behind a gate for complete seclusion and privacy.

CONTACT: David Hemenway, Principal Broker ALC,CRS,GRI | RE/MAX Advantage Plus dave@hemenways.com | Office:541-942-0151 | Cell:541-954-0151 14

American Shooting Journal // August 2015

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americanshootingjournal.com 15

EDITOR’S NOTE hope everyone enjoyed a fantastic July and duly celebrated the 4th with all the fanfare that goes along with history, patriotism and love of country, wrapped into one profound day.

Going forward, we have dedicated August to a dual theme of long-range shooting and working dogs in America.

In the long-range corner, renowned Caylin Wojcik, former Marine Corps sniper, gives us insight into what it takes to make the perfect shot every time. We also interviewed movers and shakers in the Precision Rifle Series competition to help us understand just what it takes to make it through their grueling challenges. If you want to know how to make your rifle more accurate without breaking the bank, we’ve got that too.

In the other corner, everybody loves dogs!

We feature bomb dogs, patrol and narcotics dogs, search-and-rescue dogs and hunting dogs.

We have so many dogs, we had to buy a bigger

I

vacuum for the office!

Also in this issue, Alan Normandy of Battle Comp Enterprises, LLC, gives us an exclusive interview on the people behind the brand and the epic story of humble beginnings.

For folks interested in traveling to the hot springs areas of West Virginia, our own Larry Case visited The Greenbrier resort’s gun club, where posh meets Appalachian hospitality – and you don’t have to raise your pinky finger to shoot on their beautiful trap and skeet fields.

Our next issue will focus on prepping for hunting season, as well as an in-depth look at optics for every type of shooter.

Meanwhile, if you feel there are great people out there in the shooting industry and think we should know about them, send me a note at Dani@ americanshootingjournal.com. I would love to hear their story.

American Shooting Journal editor Danielle Breteau (ICHIRO NAGATA)

americanshootingjournal.com 17

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

Bradley Allen LRH Division Winner

COMPETITION C A L E N D A R

Aug 8 - 9 Woody’s Part 2 Match New Hill, N.C. Woody’s Hunting and Rifle Club

Aug 15 - 16 2015 K&M Precision Rifle Competition Finger, Tenn.

K&M Shooting Complex

Aug 15

The 2015 MGM Ironman competition was over the top this year. In one stage, the shooter had Dave Miller (pro-staffer fortoCZ-USA) made to choose one of three items take with them the next Guinness World in May to the stageBook – andOfskip withRecords it on their 2015 by shooting 3,653 flying clay targets in way. (PATRICK CAUGHRAN) one hour. (MIKE HYDE)

Zombietown Drive-by Shooting Knob Creek, Ky. Knob Creek Lower Range

Aug 8 - 9

Aug 15 - 16

Aug 22 - 23

Gunsmoke Ohio State Championship Wooster, Ohio Wayne County Fairgrounds

CMSA Iowa State Championship Iowa Falls, Iowa Ellsworth Equestrian Center

Virginia State Championship Doswell, Va. Meadow Event Park

Aug 7 - 9

Aug 7 - 9

Aug 7 - 9

Zone 3 Shoots St. Joe, Ind. St. Joe Valley Conservation Club

Zone 7 Shoots Stockton, Calif.

Stockton Trap and Skeet Club

Zone 4 Shoots Savannah, Ga. Forest City Gun Club

Aug 8

Aug 14

Aug 21 - 23

Mountaineer Classic Tier 2 Boone, N.C. Watauga Gun Club

Washington IDPA Championship Tier 3 Renton, Wash.

Renton Fish & Game Club

Michigan IDPA Championship Tier 3 Brooklyn Sportsman’s Club Brooklyn, Mich.

Aug 8 - 9

Aug 14 - 16

Aug 15 - 16

Family Shoot Friendship, Ind. Walter Cline Range

Pistol Match Friendship, Ind. Walter Cline Range

Black Powder Cartridge Friendship, Ind. Walter Cline Range

Aug 3

Aug 8

Aug 23

Texas Carbine 3Gun Corpus Christi, Texas Starry Shooting Range

3Gun Club Match Cleveland, Tenn.

Cleveland Hunting, Rifle & Pistol Club

Polo 3Gun Polo, Ill. Tri County Gun Club

Aug 2 - 4

Aug 6 - 8

Aug 6 - 16

Smallbore Rifle Championships Ridgway, Pa. Ridgway Rifle Club

High Power Rifle Championships Ridgway, Pa. Ridgway Rifle Club

World Trap Shooting Championships Sparta, Ill. World Shooting Complex

americanshootingjournal.com 19

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

PRIMER

GUNSHOW C A L E N D A R

This authentic M1911A1 Colt from World War II was manufactured in 1944 and is available at Legacy Collectibles. (ANDREW BARTLETT )

AuG 1 - 2 Collectors West Gun Show Pendleton, Ore. Pendleton Convention Center Washington Arms Collectors Puyallup, Wash.

Washington State Fair and Events Center The Great American Gun and Knife Show New Port Richey, Fla. All Sports Arena RK Gun Show Cartersville, Ga. Clarence Brown Conference Center

Florida Gun Shows Tampa, Fla. Florida State Fairgrounds SGK Gun Show Fredericksburg, Va. Expo and Convention Center

Aug 14 -16 The Big Reno Show Reno, Nev. Grand Sierra Resort Reno

The Real Texas Gun Show Brenham, Texas Brenham Firearms Center

Aug 15 - 16 RK Gun Show Jonesboro, Ark. State Fairgrounds Indian Territory Arms Show Konawa, Okla.

The Expo Center

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RK Gun Show Knoxville, Tenn.

Knoxville Expo Center

Prospector’s Gun Show Colorado Springs, Colo.

Rustic Hills Event Center

Lake County Gun Show Jefferson, Ohio Ashtabula County Fairgrounds C&E Gun Shows Monroeville, Pa. Monroeville Convention Center

Premier Gun Show Mesquite, Texas Big Town Event Center

Crossroads Of The West San Francisco, Calif.

The Cow Palace

Aug 22 - 23

Aug 28 - 30 Up In Arms Gun Shows Casper, Wyo. County Fairgrounds Wes Knodel Gunshow Centralia, Wash.

SW Washington Fairgrounds Florida Gun Shows Miami, Fla. Dade County Fairgrounds

Aug 21 - 23 Up In Arms Gun Show Rock Springs, Wyo. County Fairgrounds

Email Dani@americanshootingjournal.com to have your show listed here.

americanshootingjournal.com 21

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

PRIMER

TOP SHOTS 1.

With intense concentration, Xander Yarnold aspires to be a Precision Rifle Series marksman. (PAUL YARNOLD)

2.

During her first initiation with an AR-15, Liz Weickum shows no fear. (JOHN OLIVER)

3.

A Precision Rifle Series shooter takes unsupported aim across the vastness of a Western desert. (CHRIS REID)

4.

John Rusnak takes charge with a Benelli shotgun. (JOHN OLIVER)

5.

Larry Case, our scattergun guru, aims down an over-and-under’s barrel while visiting The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia. (LARRY CASE)

americanshootingjournal.com 23

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

TIME CAPSULE

COMBAT SHOTGUN’S IDENTITY CRISIS The Long, So-far Fruitless Quest To Build A Battle Scattergun STORY BY JOSEPH TREVITHICK he shotgun is an iconic weapon most often associated with the pump-action badassery of action films and video games. While awesome in fiction, its use in the real world is limited to close combat and breaching doors, not to mention bird and deer hunting. Despite its drawbacks, a mystique surrounds the weapon, and soldiers as well as law enforcement officers still use them.

The draw of the gun is so powerful that the Pentagon has spent several decades and millions of dollars to improve on the basic design.

T

IN THE LATE 1960S, the military and private companies started tinkering with prototypes for a super shotgun.

Three decades later, questions about the weapon’s purpose and practicality on the battlefield doomed the project.

The proposed super shotguns were revolutionary, but perhaps to a fault.

Since World War I, scatterguns have been a fixture in American military arsenals. In the trenches, where fighting could be brutal and often hand-to-hand, the short-range idea wasn’t a problem. In World War II, individual soldiers or Marines, especially in the Pacific, carried shotguns to help clear out bunkers or break up ambushes. The same situation persisted in both Korea and Vietnam, but even throughout these eras, the US Army and Marine Corps mostly issued the weapons to military

police officers on guard duty.

“The usefulness of the shotgun in combat has long been the subject of some controversy,” Carroll Childers wrote in the January-February 1981 issue of Infantry magazine.

“Unfortunately, a great deal of romanticism about its use prevails.”

At the time, Childers was an engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va., as well as an officer in the Virginia Army National Guard. In 1969, Childers started work on what he hoped would be a radical new design dubbed the special operations weapon, or SOW. Childers based his initial concept on the needs of and feedback from Navy SEAL teams and Marine reconnaissance troops. The shotgun’s

The Benelli M-1014 semiauto shotgun still has not completely replaced all of the classic-style pump shotguns. (MARINE CORPS)

americanshootingjournal.com 25

Time Capsule features made it an attractive weapon for specialized units that often had very specific requirements.

DURING THE VIETNAM WAR, Marines complained about how contemporary scatterguns needed to be constantly reloaded during firefights, couldn’t reliably hit anything — let alone kill — at even modest ranges and couldn’t stand up to the abuse of a patrol, according to Childers. The SOW prototype looked fearsome and crude, but it solved many of these key problems. The gun was fully automatic and fed from a 10-round, detachable magazine. Unlike the fixed tubular designs on most shotguns of the day, a shooter with an SOW wouldn’t need to reload one shell at a time, and they could swap out ammunition types — pellets, solid slugs and more — with relative ease. Childers’ gun was also compact compared to the other types of firearms troops took into the

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

In 1969, Carroll Childers, who was an engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va., started designing a shotgun specifically tailored to the needs of special warfare teams such as the US Navy SEALs and Marine Reconnaissance teams. It was known simply as the special operations weapon, or SOW. (JOE TREVITHICK)

ese jungle, at least in length.

Vietnamese With its simple stock folded — or removed — the SOW was shorter than the pump-action Remington Model 870.

Three years after the project got under way, Dahlgren patented the SOW. That same year, Maxwell Atchisson, a former Marine and private weapons designer, introduced his Atchisson Assault Shotgun.

Atchisson’s original weapon looked like an M-16 on steroids, but was clearly influenced by the same background as the SOW, and had a special recoil-absorbing system built in to make it less of a beast to shoot.

WHEN WASHINGTON SIGNED the Paris Peace Accords with North Vietnam and began pulling troops out of Southeast Asia, any interest in either design evaporated. In the years that followed, Pentagon budgets shrank across the board.

Unlike many other projects, the post-Vietnam drawdowns couldn’t kill the SOW concept. By the end of the decade, the Pentagon had started up an overarching effort to cook up new guns across the services called the Joint Service Small Arms Program, or JSSAP.

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Time Capsule A standard Remington Model 870, minus its barrel, that Carroll Childers modified to use a detachable magazine. (JOE TREVITHICK)

The new office declared that there was a need for an improved combat shotgun suited for military purposes.

“While the greatest threat is represented by Warsaw Pact forces in Europe, there is a growing belief that the most likely US military engagement will again involve third-world countries,” a May 1979 Pentagon memo stated. “Current shotguns are converted commercial weapons adopted under the pressure of wartime emergencies.”

If another small conflict were to break out, American troops would be in the exact same predicament they

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

had been in Vietnam. The Pentagon felt soldiers and Marines fighting in dense wilderness or urban areas needed better guns.

The work at Dahlgren caught the eye of the JSSAP. With Childers experience, the Navy led the development of RHINO — repeating, handheld, improved, non-rifled ordnance.

“I wanted to keep the name SOW, but that, being a female pig, never gained the support of those conferring program titles,” Childers wrote in a letter to Benjamin Schemmer in 1982. “RHINO was a little more catchy.” Schemmer, editor

of Armed Arm Forces Journal, had just publish published an article on the current state o of JSSAP’s project. Childers felt the piece had fundamentally misund misunderstood and misrepresented his work. wo The Pentagon had hoped the end result would w be a revolutionary gun, not limited lim like existing shotguns, but the JSSAP-sponsored JSS plans called not just for a new gun, but new projectiles to go w with it. The RHINO would spit out pellets, high-explosive grenades, signal flares, tear gas bombs and more.

Troops would use the weapon for house-to-house searches, combat and standing watch.

Tank crews would trade in their old WWII-era submachine guns for these new weapons. Even better, the resulting design could replace existing survival rifles, but plans for such a broad and sweeping firearm would run into trouble. Two years after JSSAP’s memo got the RHINO project going,

americanshootingjournal.com 29

Time Capsule the office renamed it the Multipurpose Individual Weapon System. A year after that decision, the Pentagon changed the moniker again to Combat Shotgun. Each shift reflected an internal debate about just what the new guns were actually supposed to do.

BY 1982, the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Ind., had taken over what was by then known as the Close Assault Weapon System, or CAWS. Much of the original logic for the new weapon was getting lost along the way. The CAWS requirements had largely dispensed with plans for a multi-purpose weapon. Ammunition development focused on trying to build pellet-filled shells that would be accurate at longer ranges. These new rounds would make a troop armed with the shotgun less of a liability to his comrades on a traditional battlefield, but no one had ever really expected a soldier to use the weapon in that

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

manner anyway. “I certainly wouldn’t want an automatic shotgun,” retired Army Col. Charles Beckwith, founder of Delta Force, told Schemmer in an interview. “I’d have to have four boys along just to carry the ammunition!”

Perhaps worst of all, the whole thing was becoming a political nightmare for everyone involved. “It is important that JSSAP show some development success [on CAWS] or lose credibility as a research and development vehicle,” Ray Thorkildsen, an ordnance expert in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, wrote the same

year. Thorkildsen wanted Crane to hurry up and build something. With Childers’ in-house project scrapped, private companies were eager to scoop up the now open contract.

THE AAI CORPORATION and Heckler & Koch took the lead. Like Atchisson’s shotgun, AAI’s prototype looked and handled like a beefed-up M-16.

H&K offered a more radical “bullpup” design, which had its magazine all the way in the rear. Pan Associates, a much smaller company, planned to offer an even more futuristic-looking

The AAI version of the CAWS Prototype (AAI)

americanshootingjournal.com 31

Time Capsule The Heckler and Koch and Olin Close Assault Weapons System (CAWS) prototype (H&K)

gun called the Jackhammer, but the Pentagon demanded all manufacturers have a line of specialty ammo ready to go with their submissions.

Despite a protest to the Government Accountability Office that held up the contract, Pan gave up trying to meet the goal. Atchisson also declined. A year after Thorkildsen sent his memo, H&K finally won out. The German gun manufacturer brought in Olin to design the new all-

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

metal shells full of shot made from a tungsten alloy.

For the next three years, the prototypes were put through their paces. The new buckshot was indeed more accurate and deadly, historian Kevin Dockery notes in his book Special Warfare Special Weapons.

But with the project’s supporters increasingly unable to explain who would use the weapons or why, the project finally came to a close. More

than a decade later, JSSAP chose a conventional semiautomatic as the Pentagon’s new scattergun, but the Benelli M-1014 still hasn’t completely replaced aging pump guns.

FOUR YEARS AGO, the Army started buying shotguns that fit underneath standard M-4 carbines. These M-26 Modular Accessory Shotgun Systems give troops an option for breaking down doors without having to lug a whole separate weapon around.

Still, private industry has refused to give up on the idea of a fully automatic shotgun. Over the years, many companies purchased the rights to Atchisson’s design. Daewoo in South Korea built a derivative of that shotgun, too, but without real interest from the Pentagon or any other militaries around the world, the various guns have spent far more time in Hollywood productions and video games than in actual combat. ASJ

americanshootingjournal.com 33

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

Product FEATURE

THE POWER OF HISTORY t Legacy Collectibles, we pride our work on customer satisfaction and the authenticity of our products. Our goal is to provide investment-grade collectibles by ensuring quality within the collector community. This is what makes us an industry leader.

Over time, our fine

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memorabiliaa is also a tangible asset, et, meaning ing you can hold it is something in your hand d and enjoy. These pieces quickly kly become the focal point of your ur office, den or man cave. ll, Legacy Collectibles seeks to Above all, honor thosee who fought and died for our ed freedoms. We are students hard-earned of history and enjoy exploring the past by researching our products and the people who owned them. We seek to preserve and honor these pieces of history in order to continue the legacy of those who sacrificed so much for our country.

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

gun reviews

LEVER-ACTION JURASSIC THUMPER Big Horn Armory’s Model 89 Chambers The .500 S&W Magnum For Really Big Game STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVE CAMPBELL

ver since the .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum came on the scene in 2003, there have been a bunch of folks trying to figure out how to cram this über-powered revolver cartridge into a rifle – especially a leveraction rifle. It’s been an American obsession ever since the cowboy days: A guy “needs” to have a lever-action rifle chambered for his handgun cartridge. Whether that need is real or not can be debated elsewhere, but the perception remains steadfast. Most of the popular revolver cartridges – from the .32-20 to the .45 Colt – have been made in a leveraction rifle. But there’s another advantage with the .500 S&W Magnum. In a rifle the .500 S&W begins to crowd the .458 Winchester Magnum in performance. Problem is, the .500 S&W Mag has a few dimensional issues to fit it into an established platform.

Frank Ehrenford, owner of Big Horn Armory, was one of those who dreamed of a lever gun in .500 S&W Magnum. In 2008 he partnered with Greg Buchel, master machinist and engineer, to see the project come to fruition. They tested a variety of lever-action rifles from the Marlin 336 to the Model 1895, but none were deemed suitable.

So a year later they decided to build their own rifle from the ground up.

As a starting point they chose the Winchester Model 1886, the Browningdesigned lever gun that features dualopposing locking lugs to contain powerful cartridges. The Model 1892 is the same action scaled down to handle pistol-caliber cartridges. Unfortunately, the Model 1892 is too small for the .500 S&W Magnum.

E

EHRENFORD, BUCHEL AND DAN BROWN, their

machinist, decided to upsize the Model 92 to harness the new ew chambering. One regular complaint about bout the Model 92 is the dinky loading gate. te. Especially with larger cartridges like the .44-40, .44 Special/ an become downright Mag and .45 Colt, it can painful to load the magazine gazine more than a couple of times a day. To address that issue, the team decided to adapt apt the loading gate design on the Model 86 to the new action.

Loading the Model 89 is not as challenging as it can be with a Model 92. ith is a rifle about What they ended up with halfway between the size off an 86 and an 92 niker Model 89.

Winchester, hence the moniker Parts for the rifle are made by stock removal re no investment on CNC machinery. There are cast parts in this rifle, nor aree there any forgings. As the company getss on its feet parts are made by an outside contractor eceivers are located in the United States. Receivers d the stocks manufactured in Wyoming, and mory began are made in Texas. Big Horn Armory 1. shipping completed rifles in 2011.

MY RANGE TIME showed me that a careful areful shot with superb eyesight might be able to stretch the range to as much as 300 tals, two yards, but for most of us mere mortals, football fields should be considered max. ong at I was able to hit an 18-inch square gong 300 yards about four shots out of ten from a benchrest. A younger shooter with better eyes probably might pick up perhaps three more of those dingers at that range.

My sample Model 89 showed superb b d workmanship throughout the metal and wood. I had some initial concerns that the he curved lever might prove painful under the stout recoil of the big .50 caliber, but

The Model 1889 was designed to be the intermediate solution between the Model 1886 and Model 1892 allowing it to chamber the .500 S&W Magnum cartridge.

^ americanshootingjournal.com meric 37

gun reviews

In terms of real-world practicality the Model 89 is something of a niche rifle. It most certainly is not the all-around deer, elk and pronghorn rifle so popular in the West now. Rather, it is a rifle designed to deliver a solid punch to large, tough animals at moderate range — say, 200 yards or less.

those concerns proved meaningless. There’s plenty of room even for my bratwurst-sized digits in the loop, and the pistol grip helps greatly in controlling the rifle.

The otherwise traditional look and lines of this rifle are melded with a couple of modernizations to help in its handling.

First, the traditional two-piece walnut stock is shod

38

American Shooting Journal // August 2015

with a 1-inch-thick Pachmayr decelerator recoil pad.

As a traditionalist, I normally tend to favor the old crescent-style steel buttplate – wickedly beautiful and equally wicked on the shoulder. Here is where good sense trumps tradition: the substantial recoil pad allows one to run this rifle without bludgeoning one’s shoulder into a massive hematoma. Too, a Marble receiver-

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gun reviews mounted aperture sight replaces the traditional buckhorn or semibuckhorn sight usually seen on a lever action.

This one is threaded in case you want to add a smaller, more precise peep to it, but the ghost-ring sight picture is perfect for this kind of rifle.

There are two basic versions of the Model 89 – rifle and carbine. Interestingly, because the rifle has a half magazine and the carbine is full length, the carbine holds two more rounds than the rifle. On the company’s website, BHA offers a plethora of options and upgrades. Buchel

SPECIFICATIONS OF THE MODELS 89, 90 AND 90A MANUFACTURER CALIBER ACTION TYPE RECEIVER BARREL RIFLING MAGAZINE SIGHTS TRIGGER PULL STOCK OVERALL LENGTH WEIGHT ACCESSORIES (EXTRA CHARGE)

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40

Big Horn Armory .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum (M89), .460 S&W Magnum (M90) and .454 Casull (M90A) Lever Hunter-black or matte stainless steel, blued or color case hardened upon request 22 inches (rifle); 18 inches (carbine) 1:24 inches right-hand twist (.500 S&W Magnum) Five (rifle); seven (carbine) Rear: aperture adjustable for elevation and windage; brass bead front post 5 pounds, 1 ounce American black walnut; hot wood maple or laminate upon request 41 inches (rifle); 37 inches (carbine) 7 pounds, 14 ounces (rifle); 7 pounds, 10 ounces (carbine) Hot wood maple stock or laminate stock available; sling swivels; fiber-optic front sight; butt stock cheek piece $2,449 (base price carbine)

American Shooting Journal // August 2015

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gun reviews The Model 89 comes as a 22-inch rifle or 18-inch carbine. The rifle magazine holds five rounds and the carbine magazine holds seven.

even showed me a prototype receiver with color case hardening for those customers who demand the most beauty in their guns.

AS LEVER ACTIONS GO, the stock on th Model M d l 89 is i straighter t i ht th the than on most other lever-guns – noticeably straighter than on a Model 94 Winchester, for example – and this helps with handling recoil. The drop at the comb is but ¾ inch.

Nonetheless, the Model 89 turned in a respectable average of 2¼-inch groups at 100 yards. That’s plenty good for the brush where 100 yards is a long shot.

The 7¾-pound weight isn’t

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

too much of a burden to pack, considering the power this rifle delivers. If I were traipsing around bear country in Alaska, the stainlesssteel version would be a very comforting companion. Last year Big Horn Armory added a couple of new versions of its flagship rifle, the Model 90 in .460 S&W Magnum and the Model 90A in .454 Casull. For more information and an exhaustive list of accessories and upgrades check out bighornarmory.com. ASJ About the author: Dave Campbell began his hunting career with a

spear off the southern California coast in the late 1960s, eventually graduating to the gun on land.

Campbell is the founding editor in chief of the NRA’s Shooting Illustrated magazine. He returned to his beloved Wyoming in 2007 as a freelance writer, though he usually refers to himself now as an “editor in recovery.”

You can keep up with Campbell at davecampbelloutdoors.com.

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scattergun trail

SHOTGUN NIRVANA The Gun Club At The Greenbrier Resort STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY LARRY CASE

aybe, just maybe, you are ready for a little help with your shotgun shooting. Like a lot of us, you have been banging around for years, and you are just OK. To be perfectly honest, maybe you seem to leave each session, whether in the field for birds or on the range for clays, with a feeling somewhere between disappointment and desperation. You know you can do better, you want to do better, but you just don’t know how.

If you have the collective eyesight, reflexes, strength and coordination of an eagle, a bull elk and a young mongoose all rolled into one critter, you won’t need to hear any of this.

Just take up your old shotgun, however ugly and ill-fitting it may be, and go out and shoot stuff. If you are not exactly in that category, maybe you want to read on.

Here is the deal: Not only am I going to talk to you about the benefits of taking up some shotgun instruction, I am going to suggest a place for you to go, and I think that

M

you are going to like it.

If you are a serious shotgunner and you haven’t heard about the gun club at The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., well, you should have. It is considered one of the top-tier, premier resorts in the world, and more locally it’s a National Historic Landmark.

Since 1778 guests have been visiting this beautiful area, and the Greenbrier, for the healing mineral springs found on the property. Today, The Greenbrier boasts over 55 activities on its 10,000-acre estate, and if I tried to tell you everything the resort had to offer, I would be in more trouble with the editor than usual. What we can talk at length about is their gun club.

Like the resort itself, their gun club has a long and fertile history. Since 1913, 26 presidents, royalty, captains of industry and celebrities have shot here – and you can too. If you are thinking, as I did, that you might be a little intimidated taking shotgun lessons at a world-class resort,

The Greenbrier resort is a National Historic Landmark located in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., and boasts one of the finest trap and skeet fields in the nation. (GREENBRIER RESORT) americanshootingjournal.com 47

SCATTERGUN TRAIL

The Greenbrier’s gun club offers house Beretta 686s for sporting clays and Browning Models BT99 or BT100 for trap and skeet.

don’t give it another thought. I had a sneaking suspicion I might be told to hold up my pinky finger while shooting; it wasn’t like that at all.

The staff and instructors at The Greenbrier gun club were wonderful, and made me feel at home right away. I was pleased to see that the instructors were from the area (they were all old grouse hunters), and I was impressed to learn that all of them had been trained by John Higgins and Justin Jones, world-renowned trap, skeet and sporting

48

American Shooting Journal // August 2015

clay professionals, from the British School of Shooting. So, what you have are instructors steeped in deep southern Appalachian hospitality, but trained as instructors in one of the premier shotgun schools in the world. What a mix!

If you don’t want to travel with your own firearms, they have house guns ready to use. For sporting clay enthusiasts they offer Beretta 686s, both the Sporting and Onyx models, and for the trap folks, visitors can use the Browning over-and-under Model BT99 and BT100.

americanshootingjournal.com 49

SCATTERGUN TRAIL The cadre of instructors are ready to take on all levels of shooters, and will make any experience on the field a success.

These gentlemen are highly trained yet maintain a warm Appalachian charm.

Author Larry Case demonstrating a proper stance.

50

American Shooting Journal // August 2015

Curtis Kincaid, Homer Bryant, Mike Adkins and Jimmy Fraley, the instructors I worked with the day I was there, were seasoned and clearly capable of instantly spotting a shooter’s mistakes; it was uncanny to work with them.

More importantly, while I was on the range with these guys, I had a great time. Teaching without preaching, learning while enjoying – this is the environment great instructors create.

On the sporting clays course with Kincaid, he, of course, picked up on some of my shotgun faults, which are legend. Kincaid addressed each problem patiently and

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SCATTERGUN TRAIL

The shooting fields at The Greenbrier resort are surrounded by hot springs.

systematically, explaining every step. More of the details from this formal lesson will have to wait for another time, but we can go over some of the basics.

Safety, safety, safety. I was happy to see that they stressed gun safety from the very beginning – muzzle control, fingers off triggers, making sure of targets, the whole nine and a half yards.

Stance and mounting the gun. Some of the information Kincaid provided, I had heard before, but not delivered

in such a simple, step-by-step manner, which is aimed at doing one thing: making the student a better shooter. We all know that if our stance is off, we will miss. Kincaid took the time to explain why, and demonstrated how to teach a beginner the proper method for mounting the gun and bringing it to bear on the target. Kincaid has the shooter do what he calls “mount and bow.” The student mounts the shotgun on their shoulder and aims upward approximately 45 degrees. Once in this position, he has the shooter bow

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HOLSTERS

SCATTERGUN TRAIL or lean forward, putting about 70 percent of their weight on the front foot. This is one of the very first things they teach to new shooters. It is the basis for everything that comes next.

Your eye is the rear sight. Big, bright front sights on your gun are counterproductive, according to Kincaid. You don’t look at your sights; rather, you look at the bird.

These are just small examples of the many topics we covered during my time there, and frankly, they can explain their techniques better than I can. There is so much more Kincaid and the boys have to share. Whatever your level, you will walk away a more proficient shooter without a doubt.

If you want to take your shotgun shooting to another level, be pampered at a world-class resort, and visit amazing countryside, check out the gun club at The Greenbrier. Tell the guys I sent you, but don’t believe half of the stories they tell about my shooting! ASJ Author’s note: You can visit the world-class Greenbrier resort’s website at greenbrier.com, and getting there is easy via Amtrak or flights directly into the Greenbrier Valley Airport. There is no excuse not to indulge.

(Left) The resort is world reknowned and spares no expense pampering guests.

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

HOLSTERS

DUTY Safariland ALS 6365 Why we love this holster: • Low-ride belt loop streamlining the draw and ease of access • Rides very close to the body • Straight-up draw for clean movement • No twisting or strange maneuvers to draw under extreme stress • Automatic locking system • Suede interior so your gun does not rattle around

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

HIDE-AND-SEEK HEROS

Trace Sargent And Her Dogs Help Save And Defend Our Lives STORY BY TATIANA WHITLOCK

ooks can be profoundly deceiving. At first glance, Tracy “Trace” Sargent could easily be a high-powered corporate CEO or lead a marketing firm. This petite Georgia blond with a commanding presence and the charisma and intellect to match, looks like she would fit elegantly at the head of a boardroom. You certainly don’t envision this refined, vibrant woman with a sweet Southern drawl to be out enthusiastically hunting lost persons, getting dirty, crawling through rubble, or chasing down fugitives by moonlight.

Yet that is exactly what she has been doing with her K9 partners for over 20 years, gracefully shattering stereotypes and saving lives along the way.

Sargent is one of the nation’s leading K9 handlers who specializes in search, rescue and recovery missions. It’s not something most people want to think about, but there is nothing more precious than a specialized K9 team when loved ones are lost or missing.

One conversation with Sargent and you realize that she is one of those extraordinary people who found her calling, changed her life’s path accordingly and never looked back.

A story in Reader’s Digest would depict her as someone who went from not knowing which end of the dog wagged to founding K9 Search and Rescue Specialists, Inc. (K9 SARS) in Georgia. Sargent has also been a program manager for Homeland Security, and has conducted search missions across the globe.

L

Chance. (DAVE MARTIN)

The article Sargent credits with starting it all was of a woman and her German shepherd Trace Sargent and Cinco, one of her search and who found a rescue dogs. (RALPH REICHERT) missing threeyear-old boy in the woods. The short story resonated with her. “If she could do it, dog gone it, so could I!” recalls Sargent. She could clearly see that having a specialized tool, a K9 partner, to help people in need was her calling in life. The switch was flipped and a dog enthusiast and her pet were transformed into a nationally acclaimed, lifesaving K9 team.

SARGENT’S METHODS FOR TEACHING her dogs, and herself, on how to find a human being would time and again prove successful, but the scope and depth of her knowledge in public safety didn’t stop there. After her initial beginning, Sargent asked herself, “What if I actually found somebody?

What am I going to do?” That’s when she became an EMT. Throughout her work, she noticed that most of the crews used specialty radios. “Everyone was using these funny radios,” Sargent notes, so she learned how to use them and became a certified HAM radio operator. As she was working with firefighters, police officers and emergency personnel, she asked, “Ya’ll get paid to have this much fun?” She then became a firefighter, police officer and certified in emergency management.

She has also earned several college degrees along the way, and continues her lifelong passion for learning, as evidenced by her recent certification as a forensic sketch artist, putting her naturally gifted artistic talents to work in the never-ending battle of good versus evil. Any one of these professions can define a

Cinco. (RALPH REICHERT) americanshootingjournal.com 61

Sargent and her K9 teams have been deployed on numerous highprofile cases, such as the search for Natalee Holloway, the teenager who disappeared in Aruba in 2005; the Casey Anthony case, a mother accused and acquitted of murdering her two-year-old daughter; and the runaway bride case, where Jennifer Wilbanks disappeared four days before her wedding. At any time Sargent can be found searching through the aftermath of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and tornadoes like the one that decimated Tuscaloosa, Ala., for survivors or human remains. (DAVE MARTIN)

career, but Sargent gracefully embodies them all.

Chance, Cinco and Drako are three of Sargent’s current K9 partners. All are highly trained in search, rescue and recovery, and are some of the most highly decorated dogs in the country. Cinco, a 10-year-old black German shepherd, is perhaps her most talented K9 partner. By the time he was a year old, he had received five national certifications.

His predecessor Brooke, a sable German shepherd, was the first dog licensed for SAR work in Georgia, and is honored in the Georgia Animal Hall Of Fame. Together, Sargent and her dogs have found lost children, Alzheimer’s patients and tracked down violent domestic terrorists such as Eric Rudolf, who was known as the Olympic Park Bomber and was responsible for a series of bombings across the South between 1996 and 1998.

THE GREAT AFFECTION and intense professional relationship between Sargent and her K9 partners is undeniable. While at home they are very much her “kids,” when it is time to get in the truck and respond to a call the dynamic shifts.

In the field the mutual respect and professionalism forged through thousands of hours spent working together appears to manifest in an almost telepathic connection.

For example, watching Sargent and Chance move through the debris of crushed homes in Tuscaloosa, it is clear the 62

American Shooting Journal // August 2015

dog’s tuned senses are an extension of Sargent’s instincts, and her ability to translate for her partner enables them to communicate what they find to those who simply don’t speak dog.

Like Sargent, her K9 teammates can’t be measured by first impressions. You might think that these exquisite breed specimens, with such skill and intelligence must be hand picked from very specific breeders – not the case! “They are all rejects,” says Sargent lovingly. Either a show dog with a cosmetic defect that left him unfit for the championship ring or castoffs in line to be euthanized at the local pound, Sargent’s team is made up of great minds, not pedigrees.

She admits, “Not every dog is meant for the kind of work and lifestyle that a SAR dog leads, and shepherds and Labs tend to be more naturally inclined for the job.” It takes a special personality and temperament as much for the dog as for their human to do the work and thrive in a work environment filled with death and destruction.

SEARCH AND RESCUE is not without its perils or personal sacrifice. Logan, one of Sargent’s first dogs, was killed in

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On a lake in Big Canoe, Ga., a fisherman’s boat was found drifting without the owner. There were no signs of the angler because the lake was so large. Sargent and her K9 team were deployed and alerted on a very specific area. The law enforcement divers found the fisherman in that exact spot. He had suffered from a heart attack, fell out of the boat and sadly drowned. Thanks to Sargent and her team, friends and family were able to give him a proper burial. (DAVE MARTIN)

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the line of duty. Although that was over 10 years ago, the loss is still one she can’t bring herself to speak about, except to say, “I have learned that it is OK to be afraid. You just can’t let that fear stop you from living.” Sargent even joined the front lines and served overseas in Iraq as a bombdog handler, contributing her array of skills in the fight against global terrorism and keeping Americans safe. While some calls result in the joy of finding a missing hiker or child who is still alive, other calls have a grim and emotionally taxing outcome.

On the lighter side, Sargent and her K9 team have been called to locations around the world. (RALPH REICHERT) Sargent is a trainer who developed and instructed an award-winning training program seeking this type of specialized training. She finds balance for the state of Georgia, has coauthored an internationally on her farm, which she describes as her sanctuary from published book titled How to train a human-remains detection the craziness of her life and the world. She also volunteers dog and conducts seminars and workshops for groups with her local Humane Society and has plans to launch a

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The dogs in Sargent’s team are made up of what she lovingly calls “rejects.” Some were scheduled to be euthanized and were instead saved from the pound, while others were considered cosmetically flawed to be considered as show dogs. (RALPH REICHERT)

new program training dogs to partner with our wounded warriors. Among all of this, she also founded STAR K9, a professional animal talent and wrangling business that trains

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and casts a Noah’s ark of varying animals and their handlers for the entertainment industry.

As much media and publicity as there is about Sargent

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Often it is what the dogs do not find that is just as important as what they do find. Suspects are known to give false information that wastes valuable resources and precious time. When Sargent’s team did not find the remains of a Georgia woman who had been missing for four months on the 25-acre farm where police had been told she was buried, they were able to immediately redirect their efforts and ultimately located the grave and her remains a county away. (RALPH REICHERT)

and her extraordinary dogs, she is a quiet and low-key person. Her dogs remain the keystones of all the interesting things that she has done over the years, from Iraq and TV reality shows to international searches and hometown cases. “It’s incredible to think that it all started with one little puppy. I still can’t believe I’ve been everywhere that I’ve been, had the adventures I’ve had and lived to talk about it!” says Sargent. By now Sargent’s family is comfortable with her ever-evolving career, though early on they were skeptical and worried for her safety. Her life is led not by what society expects her to do or be, but by the natural progression of

where her life’s passions have led her. She is often asked why she lives her life “outside the box,” and it is an easy question for her to answer.

“I want to end my life’s sentence with an exclamation point, not a question mark. I don’t want to have any regrets in my life, and if I should live to be a 100, I don’t want to look back and wonder, ‘What if?’ I’m gong to find those answers while I can, and live my life with passion and purpose,” she says.

It is the dedication and service of first responders like Sargent and her dogs that makes our country a safer and more compassionate place. ASJ

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IN-VEST-ING IN COPS’ K9 COMPANIONS Massachusetts Nonprofit Helps Provide Ballistic Vests, Training, Even Dogs To Police Agencies

BY KATHY HINDS - PRESIDENT OF MASSACHUSETTS VEST-A-DOG PROGRAM

ll too often, police dog K9 programs manage to operate on fragile, slim or wholly donated budgets.

You could be the one who makes the difference by implementing a K9 program in your community, or providing essential equipment that helps ensure a K9’s safety!

Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog has had the honor and privilege to support some of the Bay State’s police-dog K9 programs with an incredible team of volunteers and tremendously generous donors for over 15 years. Originally, we provided ballistic K9 vests and have since expanded our mission to include K9 equipment and funding for training and purchasing of police dogs. How did we go from providing the first K9 vest to 420 now, plus over $200,000 in equipment, training and dogs? Read on.

A

THE INSPIRATION In 2000, an 11-yearold girl named Stephanie Taylor was featured in The American Girl magazine as the founder of the national Vest-A-Dog program. My daughter, after reading the article, was compelled to vest a dog, as well and rallied her classmates.

MOVED TO ACTION The defining moment which inspired the actual creation of Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog was the tragic death of K9 Cero, killed in the line of duty on March 25, 2000. He was the devoted partner of Deputy William R. Niemi of the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Office in Jefferson, Ohio.

GETTING STARTED We met and chose a K9 team, learned what they did, what

Tuco, a nine-week-old puppy of patrol officer and head trainer Troy Caisey of the Boston Police Department’s K9 unit, will easily fit into this harness when full grown. (JONATHAN KOZOWYK)

equipment they needed and why they needed it. Our enthusiastic nucleus of middle-school students grew to include volunteers of all ages who were passionate about ensuring the safety of their public-safety K9s. They sold dog and cat jewelry, asked for donations, held a coin drive, attended events such as group dog walks, pet events and expos; they even invited press coverage and networked with other humane nonprofit organizations.

GROWING We created a website, established a board of directors, implemented bylaws, became incorporated and successfully earned the 501(c)3 nonprofit status, which is recognized by the IRS allowing for tax-deductable donations.

Once established, we held a multimedia campaign that included social media as well as radio and television public service announcements.

SUSTAINING In order to sustain momentum, we participate in about 50 events a year, hold an annual fundraiser, and now that we have just celebrated our 15th anniversary with a new line of merchandise, Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog

americanshootingjournal.com 73

continues to extend sincere gratitude to all donors and volunteers who give year and after year.

We know our efforts are helping to make a difference; a vest saved K9 Blitz’s life during a SWAT response; cruiser kennels and heat-alarmdoor popper systems have been activated; bite suits and sleeves have replaced dangerously old and overused equipment; and departments that were faced with ending their K9 program due to lack of funds, have now purchased a K9 and have a patrol dog on duty.

Our efforts are drawn from a strong desire to protect the dogs that help protect us and our tremendous gratitude to the K9 teams who lead the way. I hope you will consider reaching out to support your local K9 team(s). ASJ Editor’s note: You can visit MA Vest-A-Dog at mavestadog.org or like them on Facebook at facebook.com/mavestadog.

A vest saved K9 Blitz’s life. He and his handler Major Kenneth Ballinger are now retired from the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department in Massachusetts. (KATHY HINDS)

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WE DID IT FOR OUR WARRIORS, PROTECTORS AND GUARDIANS – THOSE WHO RUN TOWARDS THE BULLETS.

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American Shooting Journal // July 2015

STAYING ON

TARGET THE BATTLE COMP STORY STORY BY DANIELLE BRETEAU • PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF BATTLECOMP

The original BattleComp 1.0. (STRAIGHT 8 PHOTOGRAPHY)

Sometimes companies seem to appear overnight, or spontaneously come up with a solution to a problem you didn’t even know you had. In these scenarios people should remember that the spotlight only shines on those who have made the grade. The work, pain, risk, heart and drive to get to that point rarely attracts focus.

Battle Comp Enterprises, maker of compensators, is one of these companies, although I might be several years too late bringing about that point. Nonetheless, not only did they appear onstage in 2010, but they have managed, against all national economic challenges, to grow and continue providing products that cure problems you didn’t even know you had or, possibly, had been struggling with all along.

In an exclusive interview with Alan Normandy, owner, founder and co-inventor at Battle Comp Enterprises, I found out that Normandy is a fellow comrade from the thin blue line. Retired from the South San Francisco Police Department as a lieutenant with nearly 30 years in law enforcement, many of his activities included being a founding member of the SWAT team, founding the Peninsula Rangemasters Group and being a chief firearms instructor at his department from 2000 to 2007.

Highly educated, Normandy has completed graduate work from the University of San Francisco, as well as americanshootingjournal.com 77

(Left) John M. Stankewicz, Battle Comp Enterprises COO, watches over a student operator conducting one-hand shooting in order to demonstrate the lack of muzzle rise when a BattleComp compensator is in use. (Right) Todd Nielsen of Nielsen Training and Associates and Stankewicz demonstrating the need to practice movement, communication and awareness when utilizing a rifle with a partner. The BattleComps shown here are part of BCE’s new “Invisible” line. Stankewicz served as a police officer for 14 years in northern California, and also helped form the Peninsula Rangemasters Group, formed to bring consistent basic and advanced patrol rifle instruction to law enforcement officers. He also served in the US Navy as a gunner’s mate from 1986 to 1991, and is a veteran of the first Gulf War – Desert Shield and Desert Storm – with a total of three Middle East deployments. (JOHN M. STANKEWICZ)

Henley-Putnam University, a school specializing in counterterrorism and security management. Among his hobbies, Normandy sits on the board of directors for the Firearms Policy Coalition (a grass-roots organization that raises funds to lobby for American civil rights as gun owners), and is one of the original firearms safety consultants hired by the MythBusters TV show on the Discovery Channel. I really want to know how he got that cool gig!

Personally, I own two BattleComp compensators but knew nothing about the company. What I did know was that when I started using The BattleComp (their first product), my back-on-target speed increased dramatically due to some of the impressive features that reduce muzzle climb. I still remember walking onto the line at the range with my AR-15, taking a quick series of 15 shots and thinking “Whoa!” I have been a fan ever since.

I’m passionate about the people behind our gun industry and Normandy was gracious enough to provide this interview, as well as provide an inside look at the people who make it great.

INTERVIEW AMERICAN SHOOTING JOURNAL Hello, Alan, and thank you for talking to me.

If you had to describe Battle Comp in one sentence to people who do not know who or what you are, what would you say?

ALAN NORMANDY Battle Comp Enterprises is a veteran-owned small business made up of former military and law enforcement officers. The original BattleComp is a hybrid device intended to span the bridge between muzzle brakes (used for reducing recoil) and flash hiders (used for reducing muzzle flash or visual signature). We are also a strident supporter of the Bill of Rights and the Second Amendment.

ASJ I’ve mentioned that it is the people in the industry who I’m interested in – who are they, where do they come from and what fills their lives each day? What do you do and what fills

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your days?

AN My life is pretty steady and uneventful. I’ve never really liked being in the spotlight, since it isn’t about me. I didn’t even use my name on Facebook until I was forced to do so by their platform. My family is currently making the transition from suburban life to country living, and we are enjoying the freedoms we have in Arizona. My life outside of work includes hunting, fishing and running a working farm. We grow our own fruit and vegetables and raise chickens for eggs. My wife is a great cook and we love to experiment with cuisines and fuse cultures for fun. My wife makes a Korean and Mexican taco that would knock your socks off! In some ways, we are both like mad scientists.

ASJ Do you have children?

AN Yes! Two girls under the age of eight. They love to be outside in the high desert air. The whole family loves the peace and beauty of the outdoors, and we have camping trips and other outdoor activities planned. Everyone in our family shoots, and we are committed to being safe, proficient and responsible with all the tools we use.

We spend a lot of time playing cards – Euchre and poker – and board games with family and friends in an effort to

americanshootingjournal.com 79

build new memories of a bygone era when families actually spoke to each other and shared dreams. My kids love Calvin and Hobbes, as well as anything remotely involved with superheroes. It’s cool that our daughters appreciate the classic morality plays of good versus evil and power and responsibility, even at this tender age. Most of the time I’m really just the chauffeur.

ASJ Do you have any pets?

AN We have a seven-year-old female cocker spaniel named Popo, which means “kiss” in Korean. My wife is Korean and she chose the name.

Most folks think Popo is based on the urban slang for police, but my wife didn’t even know that when she named her. We raise chickens, but they’re not exactly pets. The kids name them things like Chicken Nugget, Noodle and Niblet. We will be getting some koi for our pond, and eventually want a goat as an organic lawn mower that acts like a dog. Maybe the kids will name her Feta or something.

ASJ When and what was the moment you first said to yourself, “I want to create something and I’m going to make the effort to do what it takes to make that happen?”

AN The BattleComp idea came from attending shoot-house classes, and having the notion that it was possible to create something that could live in between a muzzle brake and a flash hider. Since we had already spent years in the shop making and fabricating items, we wanted something that couldn’t be found commercially. The BattleComp started as just another project. After it was designed we had a lot of friends who had such positive reactions that they all told me if I didn’t sell the BattleComp to the public, I was being stupid. Even the name Battle Comp Enterprises was a fortunate accident – but that’s a story for another time.

followed. Sometimes it was painful.

We did have some money saved, so we self-started, but my wife was a little apprehensive when I told her we were going to take this risk. She asked, “Who is going to want this?”

ASJ A lot of folks have great ideas but never manage to get them out to the public. What were your first steps?

AN I didn’t know anything about starting a business, but I knew a lot of folks who did.

I spoke with all of them, especially my father, and followed their advice. The next thing we knew we had a glorified eBay business, and challenges soon

ASJ What about the people who make up Battle Comp and those who started with you?

ASJ That was probably the key question to the entire endeavor. It seems like everyone wanted it.

AN We would have been happy selling 500 units in our first six months. We sold 350 units in the first month, and at our peak we were selling over 2,500 units a month. Now, we have even more products to share. We hope these products solve problems like the BattleComp did.

After a two-day backpacking trip in Yosemite, Battle Comp’s Industry Relations Manager Kristine Sun takes in Half Dome, a granite dome at the eastern end of the California valley. Sun handles all of the industry relations for Battle Comp and is an avid hiker and backpacker.

She often visits the national park to hike with Holly, her corgi-husky-Queensland companion. (KRISTINE SUN)

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BattleComp on his rifle. We did it for our warriors, protectors and guardians – those who run towards the bullets.

Maybe that’s a little lofty, but that’s what we wanted. Our motto, beatus es proeliator, is Latin for blessed is the guardian. A few years ago, we got that call; a deputy who used his BattleComp went home safely after a dangerous encounter. That’s what made everything that has happened, good or bad, all worthwhile.

Alan Normandy with one of his daughters who is too little to hold the gun, but not so small she can’t put rounds cleanly on target with her perfectly compensated AR-15. (ALAN NORMANDY)

AN We had some relationships that were broken as the success came. We learned the hard way and that old adage, “we do not really lose friends in life – we just find out who our friends really are,” rings true. Friends stay with you when life gets tough.

Loyalty is measured in difficulty factor.

Successful ventures can make someone popular, especially when they’re buying the drinks. Everyone wants to sell your product when the product is selling itself. We worked hard to gain people’s trust and to earn their loyalty.

It’s a difficult balance, and some days it

{ 82

just doesn’t work.

Those who are still with us are team players. There are no solo acts and no task is too small. Anyone who was in it for themselves didn’t last too long. We are in our fifth year, and we hope to be here for many more, if we are lucky. A friend once told me, “Luck is just hard work and opportunity.” We knew we were onto something when the name BattleComp was available for trademarking and purchase. It took us over 25 years to become an “overnight success.”

ASJ So what happened? At some point you must have had expediential growth to be so big in such a short time?

AN Overall, what we really hoped for was that The BattleComp would solve problems for those who really needed it. For us, it was never about making money; it was really about getting a call some day that a good guy went home safe because he had a

IF WE AGREE LIFE IS PRECIOUS, WHY WOULD WE NOT ALLOW HUMANS THE TOOLS WITH WHICH TO PROTECT THAT LIFE.

American Shooting Journal // August 2015

ASJ Who are the people on your core team right now? Who makes up Battle Comp?

AN There are too many to name, but in short our COO is John Stankewicz, who runs daily operations. He is a US Navy veteran (gunner’s mate) from 1986 to 1991 and a 14-year law enforcement veteran from northern California.

Kristine Sun handles our industry relations and has been with us from the beginning. I met her at a shooting class.

She basically called me and created her own job.

We have a number of sales representatives and administrative support who work with us, either full time or on a contract basis. We have accountants, patent lawyers, shop foremen, machine operators and me; I just try to stay out of everyone’s way.

We play to the strengths of the players we have on the field.

We also enjoy solid friendships with some of the very best people in the industry, from manufacturers, writers and inventors to well-known trainers, and are constantly expanding those relationships. We would not be here if they didn’t believe in us. We try to be a family, and are just as dysfunctional as any other.

ASJ In my research I have found that most people who have tried or own a BattleComp compensator are impressed with the product, but I have also heard that some feel it is not as good a flash-hider as the A2 (an effective flash-hider design), for example. Can you tell me a little bit about those comments and reviews?

AN We wanted to provide improved

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muzzle stability over the A2 flash hider for quick follow-up shots without dramatically increasing the concussion or flash that normally attends muzzle brakes. The BattleComp is a balance of those two factors, and with this design we achieved a sweet spot that puts performance directly in the middle.

Independent testing by others always ends up with the same results – right in the middle. It is effective in 5.56mm

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it doesn’t really excel in any one area, but it was intended to be as wellrounded as we could make it. It needed to be acceptable in as many categories as we could affect.

This is the only titanium BattleComp “yet” produced and it’s called the Titan (how clever). This compensator weighs in at only 26 grams. (STICKMAN)

and even more effective with the larger calibers. It always seems that the best way to sell BattleComps is to simply let folks shoot it.

ASJ So your product, essentially, provides the best of both worlds, or as close to it as possible by addressing each action (recoil and flash) in one unit?

AN Yes, essentially, that’s what we designed it to do. Like all compromises,

ASJ What are you most proud of?

AN If anything, I would say the most rewarding aspect is learning about the process. In my case, I’m just an old warhorse who had to learn about manufacturing, marketing and demand.

There are really only two parts to any business: production and sales.

Overcoming the challenges of increasing production to meet demand was a journey, as is trying to market a product during economic downturns. The most rewarding aspect is surviving the changes and trends and being my own boss. It takes courage to take risks, and it takes fiscal responsibility to have the money saved to take those risks when the opportunity comes. Live lean, live simply, and try not get in over your head.

The reward comes from the process, and BCE put out four products: The

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BC1.0, the BABC, the BC1.5 and the BC2.0 in our first six months. That was a cool challenge. It also raised the bar, because it conditioned the market to expect that we would innovate

The BattleComp was designed to offer a perfect blend of flash hiding capability and recoil management.

(STICKMAN)

at that rate, but we simply couldn’t.

Development takes time. We believe the BattleComp is just as worthwhile as the first day we shot one.

ASJ What’s next for Battle Comp? You mentioned more products. Are you interested in growing in other ways?

AN In the bigger picture, we recognize we cannot validate shooting as a wholesome activity if our rights continue to erode or we lose the culture war through urbanization and the shrinking of the outdoors. We know that these things will become extinct if we do not steward them properly, and recruit more people into the activity.

Americans need to work together if we want to maintain our freedoms.

Too often we are treated like criminals just for exercising our rights to own a tool – a tool that could be used to preserve our most valuable gift: human life. If we agree that life is precious,

why would we not allow humans the tools with which to protect that life?

Metaphorically, the sword and shield [in our logo] work in conjunction. We believe in the golden rule: “Treat others the way we wish to be treated.” As a corollary, “Don’t start nothing, there won’t be nothing.”

As to new products, we are bringing some semicustom match slides online for Glocks, with some custom serrations and RMR/MRDS compatibility, match drop-in barrels for Glocks and some match and hybrid barrels for AR-15 rifles. We are also bringing in suppressor-adaptable units, like our BC51.0, as well as working with some industry partners for units compatible with their silencers, too.

ASJ What would you give as advice to our readers?

AN Learn. Grow. To become exceptional you must first choose to be. Wisdom comes from mistakes. Take care of yourself, and help others every chance you can. ASJ

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BEHIND THE BADGE

K9 OFFICERS AND THEIR WELLTRAINED HUMANS What It Takes To Make The K9 Grade STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY TROY TAYSOM

W

hen Odysseus returned from his 20-year absence, as told in Homer’s The Odyssey, he went unrecognized by his fellow Ithacans. Odysseus gazed upon his faithful dog Argos, the only one in the city to recognize him. The dog had waited faithfully for the return of his master. Old and sick, Argos laid listless, and upon seeing his master, was finally able to die in peace, having fulfilled his commitment to remain faithful.

Dogs have been part of the human experience since the beginning of time. At one time, wolves and humans even hunted in partnership – the wolf as the tracker, the human as the killer – and both shared the spoils. Domestication followed, and with that came the realization that a dog can be a loyal friend. Today, dogs are employed in various roles, including protectors and fellow officers in our law enforcement agencies.

POLICE DOGS Police use multiple breeds of dogs in their work. They choose them based on the animals’ ability to accomplish specific missions. Beagles, for example, are often used in airports as agriculture or bomb dogs; Labrador retrievers are great as bomb and cadaver dogs; bloodhounds are renowned as human trackers and German shepherds and Belgian Malinois (mal-in-nwah) are most often used as narcotics, patrol and bomb dogs.

Attributes such as high energy, aggressiveness and a willingness to do anything for a reward are essential for traits in these dogs. They all love to play, but when it comes time to apprehend a suspect or protect an officer, playtime is over. The loyalty they have for their human partners knows no limits, and many have given their lives protecting them.

Tagging along with several K9 officers from different departments around Utah, I was fortunate enough to watch Trigger and Loki in action. Trigger is a pure-bred, American Kennel Club-papered Malinois, and Loki is a German shepherd-Malinois mix. Both dogs came from the Czech Republic, where they received their initial bite training.

Interestingly, all of the commands the K9 officers used were

Loki, a German shepherd-Malinois mix K9 that was trained in the Czech Republic, sits in his kennel waiting for the command to exit.

in Czech. I asked Officer Scott Nielsen, Loki’s partner, if this was done so that suspects couldn’t confuse the dog with contradictory commands. Scott said, “That’s a benefit, but we mostly do it because that is the language the dogs were originally taught, so we try to keep it consistent.”

Both Trigger and Loki are dual-purpose dogs, having been trained in narcotics and patrol. Each discipline requires hundreds of hours of initial training and hundreds of hours each year in reinforcement training.

Their work does not leave room for error, and these partnerships train accordingly.

K9 DISCIPLINES AND TRAINING Each discipline, or area of expertise, requires unique and demanding training. Narcotics, agriculture, patrol and bomb specialties are the most common disciplines found within security or law enforcement agencies. Other disciplines include tracking, search, rescue and recovery to name a few.

A dog must be able to repeatedly find and hit on six different narcotics: marijuana, heroin, ecstasy, methamphetamine, cocaine and psilocybin mushrooms, magic mushrooms. The dogs must be able to find these drugs anywhere they are hidden, including areas where they can’t reach, such as a high shelf or deeply buried.

These dogs are also trained to differentiate and ignore americanshootingjournal.com 89

BEHIND THE BADGE prescription drugs, as well as find money that has the scent of narcotics, but ignore money that doesn’t.

When the dog performs the task correctly, they are rewarded with a bite toy. This toy means everything to them, so much so that dogs that are not “toy motivated” may not make the cut as a police dog. The toy is the reward and is only given if and when they signal correctly. If the officer conducts a search and no drugs are found, the dog does not get the toy. Even if the dog hits on the scent of drugs no longer there, no toy is given.

I asked Officer Nielsen if this was demoralizing for the dog or if it could hurt the dog’s effectiveness. “If we have a particularly bad day and Loki keeps striking out, then I’ll get out my scent-training kit and we’ll train to keep him excited and focused,” he replied.

In a training scenario, Officer Steven Brough frisked a “suspect” – Officer Mike Dutson of the Orem, Utah, PD – while his Malinois K9 partner Trigger stood by watching. When the suspect made an aggressive move towards Brough, Trigger charged, biting the suspect on the arm, and didn’t release until told to do so.

BOMB AND PATROL TRAINING Explosive devices have become a real threat, especially since the Boston marathon bombings a few years ago.

Bomb dogs are trained to detect 24 base chemicals and over 2,400 combinations of chemicals used to make bombs. For

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security reasons I will not list the base chemicals, but suffice it to say that many are common items found in most homes.

Agencies look for high-drive dogs to be bomb specialists, and they don’t do nearly as much obedience training as patrol dogs do. They want a dog that will be independent

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BEHIND THE BADGE and aggressive about searching for items without human restrictions.

These dogs also search for firearms because gunpowder, in all of its forms, is one of the scents a bomb dog is trained to recognize. While finding bombs is their main job, they most often find firearms.

The patrol discipline includes building searches, tracking people, suspect apprehension, obedience, searching for articles, and handler protection. This is a completely separate form of training and requires its own certification and criteria.

Each human officer is outfitted with an emergency-release button which “pops” the backdoor of their patrol vehicle. When this button is activated, the dog exits the vehicle and immediately runs to the officer and attacks whomever the officer is engaged with. Officer Steven Brough of the Provo, Utah, PD walks with Trigger.

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SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENT The initial cost of getting a dog is steep.

Each dog costs between $8,000 and $12,000, plus every K9-patrol vehicle must be equipped with a kennel, door poppers and a “hot-pop.” The hot-pop kit protects the dogs; once the interior of the vehicle reaches 98 degrees Fahrenheit, the lights and sirens are

activated, the windows roll down and a big fan turns on.

The training for these law enforcement agencies – at least the ones I interviewed – is free through the Utah POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) program, and it is a rigorous, eight-week-long course for each discipline, with a tough final exam. Just making it through the course is not enough.

WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A HANDLER Officer Nielsen said it best: “We’re the firemen of the police department.”

Everybody loves firemen and everybody loves K9s. In fact, the community donates much of the money required to operate a K9 unit.

Being a police officer is a commitment; being a K9 handler is life changer. As a K9 handler you take your partner home with you, and the dog becomes part of your family. All of the officers I met shared how much they

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BEHIND THE BADGE

K9 handlers undergo hundreds of hours of training with their dog each year. They work a regular shift like most cops, but are also on call in case a dog is needed for a job. Officer Scott Nielsen of the Provo PD poses with Loki.

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and their families loved their dogs.

K9 officers also spend time off the clock conducting demonstrations for schools, churches and other civic groups. When used correctly, these units are a wonderful communityoutreach tool. Who doesn’t love a dog? When I was a kid, police dogs were unapproachable and officers wouldn’t allow people to pet them.

Times have changed. Not only can you pet a police dog now, but the officers encourage it. The dogs are socialized from a young age and are excellent with people, especially children. All of the K9 handlers I met – Officers Brough, Nielsen, Lopez, Dutson and Arnoldsen – were kind and exemplary representatives of their respective departments, and were happy to share some great stories of when their partners made the day: Can I check your bags for you? Officer Nielsen was doing a good deed and driving two young ladies down on

their luck to the bus station. Once they arrived, the girls asked if they could see and pet the K9. Nielsen let Loki out of his kennel and the ladies petted and played with him while Nielsen unloaded the luggage. Loki was enjoying the extra attention until one of the suitcases was placed on the ground. Loki immediately sat down and starred at the case.

Nielsen gave him the command to search and Loki went to the suitcase, bit it and then sat down again.

Officer Nielsen told the ladies that Loki was a narcotics dog and that he had indicated that there were drugs inside the suitcase. Sure enough, one of the girls had a pound of marijuana, along with all the necessary paraphernalia. If the girls had never asked to pet the dog, they would never have been caught. These dogs are always working, even when they appear to be playing.

Hide and seek: Bomb dog Zippy, Officer Art Lopez’s Belgian shepherd,

BEHIND THE BADGE

Bomb-dog jobs include performing area sweeps for visiting dignitaries, sporting events, parades and other public events. The paradox of the bomb dog is that you hope he never finds what he is trained to find, while with a narcotics or patrol dog your hope is that he finds something every time he searches. Bomb dog Zippy sits beside Officer Art Lopez of the Orem, Utah, PD.

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has found firearms when patrol officers couldn’t.

“Zippy and I were called to search a car suspected in a drive-by shooting,” he recalled. “The officers had been searching the car for more than an hour, to no avail. Zippy found the gun in less than 2 minutes. It was a .38 Special revolver and had been hidden at the bottom of the car’s engine compartment. There’s no way the patrol guys would have found that gun, and without it they couldn’t have made an arrest.” Good dog!

You must have met my dog before ...: “We had a series of burglaries where firearms had been stolen,” Nielsen recollected. “The suspect was a known felon, with a distinctive tattoo on his neck. A few days later I made a traffic stop and immediately recognized the passenger as the suspect we were looking for, and who also happened to have a parole warrant. The suspect kept reaching

down between the seat and the door. After telling him three times to stop reaching down and to keep his hands where I could see them, I drew my gun and ordered him out of the car. He exited and immediately started fighting with me, then took off running. I warned him that I was going to release my dog, but he kept running anyway. I released Loki who, within a matter of seconds, apprehended the suspect by the ribs and then the calf. Nine months later, Loki and I ran into the same guy at a different call. This time, remembering who I was, he immediately surrendered.”

The next time you see a K9 officer and their partner, thank them for their service and ask about their dog.

I promise that they will be happy to tell you all about them, and may let you and your kids pet them and take pictures. It will be an experience you’ll never forget. ASJ

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TRADE

BEFORE TRICKS Caylen Wojcik Shares His ‘Circle Of Components’ Concept

STORY BY CAYLEN WOJCIK • PHOTOGRAPHS BY MAGPUL

As a precision rifle instructor and MAGPUL Core director, Caylen Wojcik (background) maintains a strong emphasis on the fundamentals of marksmanship and the “circle of components” concept while teaching. His student here is shooting a .260 Remington out of a lefty Remington M700 action set into an XLR chassis. The rifle is topped off with a Schmidt & Bender PM2 and a SPUHR mount.

begin every one of my precision-rifle classes with a simple statement to my students: “Too many people are trying to learn the tricks of this trade before they learn the trade itself.” It’s something I often see with new shooters when they decide to take the plunge into the very rewarding discipline of precision shooting. It generally goes one of two ways: a student using bare-bones minimum equipment, or another who spares no expense in their equipment selection. Surprisingly, the common-sense results one would expect while comparing these two situations doesn’t always hold true, and we’re going to discuss why.

Precision shooting isn’t just as simple as tossing a red dot sight on a carbine and hitting the range for an afternoon of fun or training. Consistency equals accuracy, and in order to extract the maximum potential from your precision-shooting system we have to understand the components that comprise that system. In precision shooting, components must be considered as variables, and we have to scrutinize each one so that we can maintain an understanding of how to control them. I call this the “circle of components,” and as you’ll see, if one component is missing or awry, the circle cannot be complete and consistency will suffer, resulting in degraded performance.

I

COMPONENT 1 – THE RIFLE The bare-bones rifle is our first component. The barrel, the action, bolt and stock are what we’re looking at here, and how each piece interacts with each other. It’s common knowledge that all rifles aren’t created equal. As such, the shooter should take an honest approach at what they’re looking to accomplish with their rifle. Are we talking about minute-of-angle targets or are we talking “minute of deer?” That requirement is going to drastically change your approach when selecting a rifle. If we’ve got a .25-MOA rifle, then that’s the level of accuracy we can expect to attain under reasonable circumstances and conditions. In a perfect world, that rifle is capable of putting a bullet into a target of at least that size at distance with consistency – mind you, in a perfect world.

On the other side, if we’re trying to take an off-the-shelf hunting rifle that is only capable of shooting 2 to maybe 1½ MOA, then trying to hit a target with consistency at distance under that size may be an act of futility. What plays into this? Lots! How was the barrel manufactured,

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and with what materials? To what tolerances were the threads and chamber cut, and how centered are those to the true center of the bore? How square is the receiver?

How square is the bolt face to the recoil lugs? All of these things play a significant role in how well a rifle will shoot.

Bottom line: Don’t ask for more than what your rifle will give you in terms of accuracy. Doing so will only cause frustration and insert unnecessary doubt into your mind.

COMPONENT 2 – THE OPTIC Probably the single most popular question I get asked by my students is, “What scope should I buy?” The problem with that question is simple: there’s no right answer.

But what we can put our finger on is what we absolutely need our optic to do for us.

Magnification and clarity are the best places to start.

A magnified optic allows us to bring what is far away, nice and close so that we can positively identify and have a precise point of aim on a target. I can’t stress the importance of that enough. Aim small, miss small is a real thing. If we can’t see it, we can’t shoot it.

Next, we need to understand the mechanics of that optic. A rifle scope is a mechanical aiming device and it needs to deliver consistent and repeatable elevation and windage adjustments. If I dial up to 8.9 milradians, or 30.6 minutes of angle, the mechanics of that optic should deliver that much elevation, precisely. Conversely, the mechanics of that optic should be able to return us to zero, precisely and every time. The same goes for windage.

Students at a Magpul CORE Precision Rifle 1 course prepare to validate trajectories and record data at the Magpul CORE range in Yakima, Wash.

ZA student carefully logs his data in preparation for the next round of long-range shooting. This student is shooting a .260 Remington with Barnes 127-grain LRX bullets. The rifle is a trued Remington Model 700 topped with a Bushnell HDMR rifle scope.

[Record your data or waste your ammo.

Taking the time to document each shot helps ensure consistency, a key element in precision shooting.

YStudents learn about ocular focus and parallax before zeroing their rifles. Being able to clearly identify both the target and the reticle is vital to precision. americanshootingjournal.com 103

The rifle scope should also maintain a consistent zero under normal use. Does this happen all the time? Nope. It’s another variable that we need to grasp and control in order to extract the maximum potential from our precisionshooting system. Bottom line: Your rifle scope needs to clearly magnify your target to give you a precise aiming point, maintain a zero, and provide you with consistent and repeatable adjustments. Everything else is gravy.

I’ll caveat the above paragraph by stating that rifle scopes are incredibly complex, and the points I’ve listed above are the bare-bones minimum of what you should be looking for. Other nice-to-have features are out there, and your options are more than plentiful when it comes to selecting your ideal rifle scope.

COMPONENT 3 – AMMUNITION Ammunition is obviously a huge player in the circle of components, and it goes hand-in-hand with the rifle. First we’ll isolate the ammo, and then talk a little bit about how it integrates with the rifle. You might be seeing a trend here, and if I’m beating a dead horse, you’re right. Consistency equals accuracy. We absolutely must have consistent ammunition if we’re to extract all of the precision potential from our shooting system. The difference between hunting and match ammunition is significant, and it all boils down to manufacturer tolerances.

Consistency in case dimension, primer selection, projectile selection, projectile seating

depth, concentricity, powder type and charge weight all play a huge role in how consistent a bullet is when it leaves the muzzle; this goes for speed and muzzle place in space.

Again, there’s a significant difference in ammunition that provides a .25-MOA group, and ammunition that proves a minute-of-deer group. Now, integrating the ammo into the rifle can be tricky. Commonly, most offthe-shelf rifles will be more sensitive to different brands of ammunition than a fully customized one. The reason for this goes back to how squarely the rifle components were assembled. You may be surprised to find that your offthe-shelf rifle likes one type of ammunition, and will flatout not shoot similar types anywhere close to the golden brand. Bottom line: Try different types of ammunition in your rifle, and you get what you pay for.

COMPONENT 4 – GUESS! If you’ve been paying attention – and surely you have if you’ve gotten this far – you should have a pretty solid guess as to what the final component in our circle is. You guessed it: the shooter. This is where the rubber meets the road.

How consistently can the shooter apply the fundamentals of marksmanship? How consistently can the shooter account for atmospheric effects? And lastly, but certainly not least, how well can the shooter interpret and compensate for the

Wojcik applies Loctite to a scope-mount base on a student’s rifle, which came loose during a Precision Rifle 1 course in Yakima. The rifle is a Proof Research .300 Winchester Magnum spun into a trued Remington M700 action and set into a Proof Research Terminus stock.

americanshootingjournal.com 105

effect of the winds? A solid foundation of the fundamentals of marksmanship is what takes a novice shooter to higher levels. After all, the only difference between an expert shooter and a novice shooter is that the expert has mastered the application of the fundamentals of marksmanship under just about any circumstance. Quality equipment can only take you so far in the game of precision shooting. We, as shooters, are the lowest common denominator in the circle. Generally speaking, if we’ve got equipment that meets all the mentioned criteria and something is still going wrong, there’s a pretty good chance that it’s us and how we’re applying the fundamentals Looking at the above components it should be clear that if one is missing or has gone awry, the whole circle will collapse on the void that’s been created. We can buy the finest rifle, optic and ammunition, but if the shooter cannot consistently apply the fundamentals, all you have is an expensive pile of metal and glass.

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Wojcik discusses the proper technique for employing a rifle from a barricade-supported position. The shooter’s ability to acquire a natural point of aim is the most important component in this scenario.

The same goes for all of the other components. If one isn’t performing, it’s most likely the weak link. You can use the circle as a general troubleshooting guide as well. We all know things don’t always go the way we want, especially in the world of precision shooting, and chasing that

troublesome variable can drive us mildly insane. Use the circle to isolate the components one at a time so that you can have a more conclusive result in your quest to solve the problem.

Bottom line: Consistency equals accuracy in the world of precision shooting. ASJ

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Hardcore ‘Practical’ Rifle, The Precision Rifle Series Competition STORY BY ROBIN TAYLOR

Long distances help make Precision Rifle Series matches distinct. Here, a shooter reaches out over the plains in Vantage, Wash. (COURTESY OF CHRIS REID)

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Looking down from atop a three-story shooting tower, 12 steel targets stand out along a green hillside, each one further away than the last.

They’re all challenging, and the furthest sits at 936 yards.

When the buzzer sounds, you’ll have three minutes to shoot all 12. The problem is, you can’t actually see the targets yet. You’re starting at the bottom of the tower’s stairwell, carrying 200 rounds of ammunition, a coat, a gear bag, a sling, sunscreen, elbow pads, bipod, and a heavy sniper rifle. By the time you get to the top of those stairs and see the targets for the first time, a minute will have disappeared. You’ll be breathing hard, and shooting fast.

This is a Precision Rifle Series match, where extreme accuracy, speed and physical toughness come together. Sniper matches have been around for a long time, but the PRS is gluing them together into a cohesive, Winston Cup-like string. There’s a $5,000 check at the end for the season points winner, and if you’re the top gun at the PRS National Finale, you could take home a $20,000 purse and prize package, just like last year’s winner, Ryan Kerr of California.

Unlike classic long-range events, PRS has a hard edge – like maybe a 3-Gun competition for sniper rifles. The organizers (notably Rich Emmons) drew ideas from 3Gun Nation, USPSA/IPSC, and the Bianchi Cup. The result appeals to practical riflemen everywhere.

“It started out as a way to test the practical use of a precision rifle in a military or law enforcement environment,” says Chris Reid at Benchmark Barrels. “From there it’s morphed into a kind of timed field shooting.”

At every match the courses change. The distances aren’t marked, and some of the targets move. Virtually everyone uses a detachable box magazine, or DBM, in a bolt-action rifle. Mounted to a fiberglass stock or a chassis system, the DBM allows for fast reloading of 10-round magazines.

Although shooting a semiauto sounds tempting, experts say the bolt-action rifles with DBMs are more stable in recoil. This platform helps the shooter watch bullet trace and impacts. Seeing the hit or miss guides the shooter to the proper aim for the next shot. Most of the top shooters americanshootingjournal.com 109

Short sprints are common in PRS, forcing you to balance the speed advantage of running against how out-of-breath you’ll be when you get there.

Jim See at the CORE training center in Florida preparing for the Precision Rifle Series. Note the big pillow-like pad under the forend, along with the fully adjustable stock and heavy barrel. Items like the pillow pad offer great stability on uneven surfaces like this rockpile.

(MICHAEL CAGE PHOTOGRAPHY).

use 6mm to 6.5mm cartridges, which aid in viewing impacts.

The 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5x47 Lapua, and the 6.5 Creedmoor are popular choices, but cartridges up to the .300 Winchester Magnum can be used. Most guns are heavy, but remember, you’ve got to carry it all day – up to 12 hours at a pop. You also carry everything else you’ll need to complete the event, just like you would if you were going afield. There is no going back to the car to resupply – it’s just you and your kit, dealing with changing weather, wind and lighting conditions.

Reid helps run matches in the state of Washington. The hikes from position to position are arduous enough that outof-shape shooters won’t finish.

“I’ve seen guys hang it up halfway through,” says Reid.

MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS Like the original 3Gun Nation series, PRS grouped together existing freelance events to make a larger contest. Each event has its own history and traditions, and a different local crew gives each its own special flavor; for example, some require pistol shooting. Scoring varies slightly, but course design varies a lot.

Pay close attention to the course descriptions, because sometimes you can make up a miss for partial credit, and other times, missing wipes out your entire score. If you’ve shot a little long range, or you’re into long-range hunting, you’ve already got most of the gear.

Jim See, who currently shoots for Team Surgeon Rifles, was building custom rifles in his own shop, Center Shot Rifles, when he first heard about the PRS series. He was “a rifle guy” but didn’t have much experience with practical longrange rifle. The PRS series had just started the year before.

“In 2012 I was busy raising kids and stuff, but I managed to place fourth at my first match,” he says. “That’s not the norm, but it shows you that it’s actually pretty easy to get oriented once you get started … I was hooked!”

Thanks to his day job, See rolled up to the line with an unusually good kit – a Surgeon Rifles action on a McMillan

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A3-5 stock, in 6mmXC. “That was a gun I had in the shop,” he says.

See’s friends pushed him to try to make the national PRS Finale, so he went for it, eventually placing 13th in the 2012 series. See won the 2015 Bushnell Brawl this year, making him one of the top guns in the sport. “I was 41 when I started, but I had a lot of experience in various kinds of shooting. If you’ve got some experience in long range, you’ll transition pretty easy.”

PRACTICAL APPLICATION Unlike the classic long-range events, PRS is 100 percent field based. Common firing positions include uneven rock piles, mock rooftops, kneeling in tall grass – nothing is easy.

“If you take a guy who’s a hunter and have him shoot PRS matches all year, he’ll be able to kill game out to 1,000 yards the following year,” says Reid. “The knowledge and the practicality of it is huge.” If you’re thinking “this isn’t for me,” you might be surprised. Hunters and 3-Gunners deal with unusual firing positions all the time. NRA Bullseye guys have the long-range part down, but often lack the flexibility that practical shooters take for granted.

“An F-class high-master will do great until they have to get into an unusual, nonstandard position,” says Reid.

“Without the ability to go prone, they struggle.” People like Shawn Carlock, owner of Defensive Edge, teach long-range hunting classes all over the country, passing on techniques that PRSers use. You’ll face the same challenges and more

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at each and every PRS regional. For someone interested in practical-rifle work, I can’t think of a better training lab than what John Gangl at JP Rifles calls “the anvil of competition.”

“You’re shooting strong-side, weak-side, doing dot drills, moving into and out of positions, and every shot counts,” says Reid.

GROWING PARTICIPATION In four years PRS has shot up from nothing to approximately 700 shooters nationwide. That’s a lot of new blood for this relatively close-knit world – enough to attract major sponsors. JC Targets, Bushnell, JP Rifles, Surgeon Rifles, GA Precision, Vortex Optics and Euro Optics LTD (among many) are throwing support behind each new series event.

“This year we have 400-plus guys actively participating in the Precision Rifle Series as competitors,” says See. “These matches cannot be run effectively without dedicated range officers.” ROs set the pace of the match and ensure all participants are safe and receive the points they earned with hits.

“It’s nice to travel the country and have fellow competitors volunteer to be range officers on their home ranges. Quality ROs are critical for a successful match,” adds See. A slick member website lays out everything you’ll really need to know about the PRS, including the dates and locations of all the regional shoots. You can visit it at precisionrifleseries.com. ASJ

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BUILDING THE BEST Short Action Custom’s Mark Gordon On Precision Shooting INTERVIEW BY STEVE JOSEPH • PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK GORDON

• Timney 520 Calvin Elite trigger • SAC Alpha 11 action chambered in .308WIN • Integral 20-MOA scope base and recoil lug • MMI Tru-Tec Melonite action and bolt • Bartlein .30-caliber, 1:10-inch-twist M40 contour 24-inch barrel • Manners T5A stock with a signature SAC rifle-pillar bedding • Accu-Shot BT17 bipod rail and quick-detach bipod • Desert-digital-camo finish by Custom Gun Coatings

he American Shooting Journal spoke with Mark Gordon, owner and founder of Short Action Customs. They build precision rifles specifically designed for the ultimate in discerning and elite shooters.

Gordon is also the lead sponsor for today’s top Precision Rifle Series shooter David Preston. Here is what Gordon had to say:

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AMERICAN SHOOTING JOURNAL How did you first get involved with the Precision Rifle Series?

MARK GORDON I got started with PRS as a precision-rifle builder to see what our rifles would have to go through. Most importantly, it was to see what the shooters demanded out of their rifles and what they needed to be successful. The bottom line is these rifles have to work every time without fail, be extremely accurate and practical to use in the field.

ASJ What is it that is creating such explosive growth with competition precision shooting?

MG I believe it’s because these shooters have a desire to be proficient with their equipment and they want to know their limits. With a mixture of classic prone shooting and demanding positional shooting,

the competitors are exposed to a large spectrum of disciplines at these matches. Lastly, the best place to do that is under strict time limits and lots of stress while other competitors watch. With many more club and national-level matches popping up all over the country, you can expect the sport to grow exponentially.

ASJ You currently sponsor the number one shooter in PRS. Tell us more about how that happened.

MG We started our first rifle build for David Preston in early 2014 after developing a relationship with him from previous PRS matches. At that time, Preston was familiar with our rifles and what they were capable of.

Luckily for me he wasn’t shooting for a team at the time. We spoke on a few occasions, and I offered him a position on our team. After many rounds fired, rifles rebarreled and matches shot, Preston really started shooting to his potential. We do our very best to keep reliable and accurate rifles in the hands of PRS shooters so they can do their job.

ASJ Your company, Short Action Customs, builds a lot of custom rifles. What is your favorite build?

MG There are two types of rifle builds that we love doing the most.

David Preston, Precision Rifle Series competitor sponsored by SAC

The first is when a customer tells us to just do what we think is best. This allows us to take all of the leading-edge technology and components that we would use on our own builds and build the rifle we would want. It is great to have that kind of trust and confidence with our customers.

The second type of rifle build that we enjoy is when customers have us build rifles using components from manufacturers that we have not been exposed to. The parts industry is growing so fast, and as with any rifle build, it’s only going to be as good as the foundation it’s built on.

So we really enjoy working with new components and learning about all the latest products.

My personal favorite rifle build is configured to be agile, medium weight and run smoothly. We run Defiance Machine integral scope base and recoil lug actions called the Alpha 11, Manners Composite Stocks T6A 100 percent carbon-fiber stocks and Remington Varmintcontoured barrels from Bartlein Barrels. We typically finish these rifles with custom paint from Custom Gun Coatings. ASJ Editor’s note: You can visit Short Action Customs at shortactioncustoms.com. americanshootingjournal.com 119

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

ACCURACYNUMBERS

BY THE

Four Steps To Increase Rifle Marksmanship STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY TOM CLAYCOMB III

Chris Reed with McRees Precision giving me some pointers on long-range shooting while using their McRees Precision BR10 .300WIN. Among his many accomplishments, Reed won season two of History Channel’s Top Shot TV show.

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ho wouldn’t like to own a nice custom-made $3,000 rifle? Unfortunately, most people have a budget, but if you can’t afford one, don’t slit your wrist quite yet. If you already own a decent rifle, there are four things you can do that will improve its accuracy, and these are not going to be earthshattering concepts or new revelations. I’m constantly surprised at how many people don’t do these simple steps. Just remember an old proverb: The simple things confound the wise.

CHECK YOUR OPTIC Are your mounts tight? Is your scope mounted properly? Is your scope tight? If not, you’ll hit all over the board.

The next thing to think about in this category is whether or not the scope is actually functional. You tend to get what you pay for in optics; however, regardless of scope quality ensure that it is at least functioning within the parameters of the value. I’m careful with my scopes. I don’t throw them in the back of my pickup truck or strap them onto my four wheeler. This type of activity can be detrimental to the internal components of a scope. Any scope.

These are all basic things you should check just on the optic, but before you take a sledge hammer to a seemingly

Many people like using a Caldwell Lead Sled coupled with double-ear protection to sight in their rifles. This helps reduce flinching. I wear Walker’s Power Muff Quads and foam ear plugs.

dysfunctional scope, let’s check three more items.

SHOOTER STABILITY You may not always have a good rifle rest while hunting, but it’s imperative that you are stable when sighting in your rifle.

I sight in on a steady table while using a Caldwell Lead Sled, a shooting rest used to brace the rifle, and it assists in recoil reduction. You don’t want 20 different factors affecting your shot, so you need to weed out the variables. At this point, we are just trying to determine what your rifle is capable of, americanshootingjournal.com 121

not the shooter. If you don’t have a CLS, then sand bags can work great as well, or if you’re on a really tight budget, use pillows or blankets.

Out in the field I prefer a Harris bipod. I like the bigger one with the three-adjustment extendable legs, which go from 13½ to 29 inches. Hunting out on the prairie laying down is difficult because the sagebrush and grasses will block your field of vision. In a pinch you can carry two dowel rods taped together 6 inches from the end to use as a bipod to see over these obstacles.

(Top) Chris Barger from Rise Armaments installed one of their RA-535 Advanced Performance triggers into my DPMS, making my accuracy considerably tighter. (Bottom) In real-life situations a Harris bipod is the ticket. I use them a lot when varmint hunting so I can shoot over the sagebrush, bitterroot and other vegetation.

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THE RIFLE’S TRIGGER To prove the importance of a good trigger I want you to try this: Make sure your rifle is unloaded and lay it on some pads. Make sure the safety is on, and go through the motions of actually taking a shot. You will often notice that you start pulling off to one side. That’s what happens if you have a subpar trigger. An example would be an 8-pound trigger with a lot of creep and rough spots.

If you can really concentrate, you can overcome these pitfalls, but it takes total concentration on every shot. Why put yourself through that? If you’re so focused on pulling evenly, by the time it actually fires you’ll need to gasp for air. It just takes too much concentration, and even then you won’t be able to totally overcome it.

The other day I went out to shoot my DPMS Bull 20.

The trigger was horrible, and it was really windy outside.

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I focused really hard and got a 1½-inch group at 100 yards, and figured that was about all it was capable of. Then I ran down to Rise Armament in Broken Arrow, Okla., toured their factory and headed out on a coyote hunt. While there, Chris Barger, president of Rise Armament, threw one of their RA-535 Advanced Performance triggers in my DPMS. The RA is a 3.5-pound trigger with no creep. As I alluded to before, my original trigger rated somewhere between horrible and the worst trigger ever. I have buddies who like light triggers, but a 3½-pound pull is about right for me in hunting conditions.

When I shot my DPMS again, from the same rest using the same Hornady match ammunition, I was able to obtain a three-shot, one-hole group. I was amazed! I can’t overstress the importance of a good trigger.

AMMUNITION CHOICE My hardcore reloading buddies will start wailing and gnashing their teeth, not to mention calling me a heretic, but reloading is not as critical as it was 50 years ago.

Granted, you might have to test out four or five different manufacturers and different grains of bullets to find which one shoots best in your rifle, but you should be able to find something that will help maximize your accuracy.

To shorten the learning process and save yourself from overshopping, call the manufacturer of your gun to see which bullet they say works best in your rifle. Usually, I

After installing a Rise Armament RA-535 Advanced Performance Trigger, I was able to shoot a onehole, three-shot group at 100 yards with my AR.

just talk to my friends at Hornady and tell them what rifle, caliber, and twist rate I have. They are the professionals!

After determining what shoots best in your specific rifle, sight it in using your chosen ammuntion. Sure, you may switch around if you’re varmint hunting one day and big-game hunting the next, but sight it in every time you switch bullets.

Don’t assume that a 40-grain bullet will probably shoot 2 inches higher than a 55-grainer. That would make sense though, wouldn’t it? I thought so too. I not only shot 2 to 3 inches inches lower, but also 3 inches to the left. So don’t shoot multiple brands and grains of bullets and expect to have any degree of consistency.

I promise that if you employ these suggestions, you should start getting tighter groups. ASJ

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BLACK POWDER

IT’S IN WITH THE NEW MODEL #3 Taylor’s & Co. Brings Back S&W Single Action, Circa 1878-1908 STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIKE NESBITT

here are some, perhaps several shooters, who say the old Smith & Wesson New Model #3 was the finest single-action revolver ever made, and I’m certainly one of them. I have had two of the originals, both in .44 Russian, and that’s why this new copy of the original New Model #3 feels Mike Nesbitt so good in my hands. Holding and shooting this version from Taylor’s & Co. is like shaking hands with an old friend.

Before telling you about this new gun, let me quickly present a little bit of S&W history. After the Russian Model #3 and the Schofield version of the Model #3 had been made, the New Model #3 was introduced in 1878. This single-action revolver proved to be fairly popular, although not as popular as their .44-caliber, top-break, double-action revolvers. S&W lengthened the #3’s cylinder from 1 and 7/16 inches to 1 and 9 /16 inches, adding an eighth of an inch to the length of the cartridges that could be used. This was meant to make their revolver available for the popular .44-40 cartridge, and like Colt, they called it their Frontier version. The S&Ws in .4440 did not prove to be as popular and several of their .44-40 single-actions and were converted back to .44 Russian. By 1908, the New Model #3 was discontinued.

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ONE OF THE BEST OPTIONS that could be found on the original S&W New Model #3 revolvers was target sights. Instead of having the tiny rear sight on the pivot point of the top latch, the target version had a very nice rear sight on the end of the top latch just over the hammer. Moving the sight to the back or rear of the top latch increased the sighting radius by over half of an inch, and it gave the shooter a very nice flattop rear sight with a deep notch. The rear sight on the target version is adjustable for windage by loosening the screws that hold the sight in its slot and sliding the sight to the right or left, which is quickly and easily done. The new Taylor’s version copies the original model and the easy-to-see rear sight can be appreciated all over again.

Taylor’s & Co. brings back the New Model #3 Frontier revolver in .45 Colt caliber. Taylor’s chose this chambering due to the cartridge’s popularity in the cowboy-action arena.

AUTHENTICITY IS VERY IMPORTANT to me and the profile of this New Model #3 is very good. Taylor’s selected the .45 Colt chambering because of that cartridge’s popularity in the cowboy-action aren; however, I loudly recommend they add more caliber options. For those of you who prefer maintaining authenticity, the original New Model #3 was made on special order and chambered for the .45S&W Schofield cartridge. In fact, in the book Smith And Wesson 1857-1945, there is a picture of an original New Model #3 with target sights and a 6½-inch barrel in .45S&W caliber, almost a twin to the replica we’re talking about now.

Even more important than authenticity is how well a six-gun shoots, and this revolver shoots pretty well. The first loads that I tried with this Colt .45 used 32 grains (by volume) of Olde Eynsford 1-1/2F under a 235-grain bullet.

With that black powder load, I quickly learned to grip the gun a little tighter because the recoil caused the gun’s trigger guard to hit my middle finger hard enough to really make it very noticeable. Also, somewhat because of my relatively loose grip, those shots went high and the sights needed to be held even lower than a typical six-o’clock hold.

It took a few shots to learn where the gun was hitting, and after that hits could be counted on.

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BLACK POWDER

Mike Nesbitt sits for a shot with black powder at a distant target. (JOHN WEGER).

(Inset) Five shots were fired across a benchrest using both hands. The sights were held at six o’clock on the bullseye and I’d say we achieved a really good group, even with the low flier that happened to go right through the X ring.

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BLACK POWDER JOHN “SEPP” WEGER was my partner for most of the shooting, and for him this six-gun shot much closer to his point of aim. John is younger, a lot stronger than me and he gripped the gun more firmly, which considerably decreased the muzzle’s ability to climb.

While most of our shooting was done using blackpowder loads, some tamer smokeless loads were also tried.

The smokeless loads had 77.55 grains of Unique g q under a 250-grain bullet, a comfortable load for the Colt .45. These bullets were cast from Lyman’s old standard mould, #454190, and even though we did not chronograph this load, it was definitely good for

cowboy-action shooting and general use with this Colt.

Some finer shooting could be done if the easily adjustable rear sight was moved just a touch to the right to correct the windage, but an even bigger improvement would be to give this gun a better trigger pull. While Uberti is known for making fine guns, they really do need to tone down their springs a bit. This Colt has a very stiff trigger pull which simply must be fixed. This is my only critical remark.

In addition to asking for softer springs and a lighter trigger pull, I will not hesitate to ask Taylor’s to follow a bit more in S&W’s footsteps and release this revolver in .4440 caliber as well as .44 S&W Russian, or even .44 Special.

Adding those chamberings, in my opinion, would increase the options for buyers to select from, and that could only increase this revolver’s popularity. I will conclude my begging by saying I hope their first New Model #3 Frontier made in .44-40 comes to me. ASJ A Author’s note: If you are ready to own a perfect replica of history that you can pick up for about $1,053, visit Taylor’s & Co. at taylorsfirearms.com.

This New Model #3 Frontier by Taylor’s and Co. has a 6½-inch barrel, although 5-inch ones are available, and the cylinder is removable after taking out the screw in the top strap.

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

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Watch Where You

Christine Cunningham and Hugo reveling in the wind on a barren outcrop along Turnagain Arm south of Hope, Alaska.

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Point That Thing WHERE BIRD DOGS BEGIN STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEVE MEYER

While driving through the night to beat the sunrise over the hunting grounds that were still a hundred miles distant, our furry hunting partner was tossing and turning in the backseat, dreaming of coursing over harsh terrain and climbing vertical rocky outcrops for a bird he has found. Occassionally he would rise to press his soft muzzle on our cheeks to nuzzle and make sure all was well.

Moments after reaching the entrance to the hopelessly barren and ominous terrain where nature has somehow orchestrated the survival of birds, Winchester is long gone, only visible by the GPS screen communicating his location. A half mile distant, and about 800 vertical feet above, his body goes rigid; only his tail “feathers” blow in the mountain air. You would think he was cast in stone.

Finally, after ascending to his position, I search for the small, fuzzy blobs of camouflage feathers that are surely there. Slowly I begin to doubt. I look again to Winchester for reassurance; he ignores me. I turn back and glimpse gray-and-white ghosts flying up the mountainside. Ptarmigan. Ah, no matter. Winchester has struck out again, up the mountain and is coursing the slopes with his head held high, a tireless hunter cast in the memory of his storied English setter ancestry. Moments in time.

ONE SUMMER DAY IN 2010, Winchester bravely made the trip from his birthplace in North Dakota to the Delta Airlines cargo office in Anchorage, Alaska, and forever changed our lives.

At seven weeks old he ran across the parking lot on his wobbly puppy legs and promptly pointed a songbird. After catching him, with the assistance of some friendly folks who were mesmerized by this black-and-white ball of energy, we immediately knew he was going to be special.

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THE EDGE OF NOWHERE, PLACES WHERE FEW HAVE BEEN OR WILL EVER GO WHERE EVEN HORSES CANNOT CLIMB

Christine Cunningham hopes to see a black bear emerge from a den on the slopes of the Kenai Mountains, in Alaska. Cogswell has her back.

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

Pointing dogs are not your typical gun dog, and big running setters are, similar to their only serious competition in the gun-dog world, English pointers, incredibly gifted physical specimens that astound the senses with their prey drive and bird-finding ability.

The wide-open spaces of high country become theaters as their human hunting partners are mesmerized by the ballet conducted before their eyes. The edge of nowhere, places where few have been or will ever go, where even horses cannot climb, these magnificent animals unfold a drama that can find us sentimental gun-dog folks teary-eyed, and grateful for the front row seat to the show.

WHEN WINCHESTER showed up at the trap and skeet range at nine weeks of age he had already been exposed to gunfire in a way that convinced him it was a good thing.

A fellow shooter asked, “What are you going to do with a bird dog in territory that has no birds?” It’s a common reaction we Alaskans with gun dogs hear. Most folks here are conditioned to the spruce grouse that are typically taken on the side of gravel roads where they come for grit to aid in digestion, and a dog is hardly required for success.

Most hunters, even bird hunters in Alaska, don’t consider ptarmigan as a viable proposition for the gun dog. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game concluded with annual surveys that 90 percent of ptarmigan are taken via snowmobile during the winter months when they can be easily found and shot with .22 rifles or pistols. When they flush they don’t flush far, and some hunters follow the flock, shooting until none are left.

THERE IS AN EXCEPTION to these standards: the whitetail ptarmigan. The smallest member of the ptarmigan family is also its wildest.

Whitetail ptarmigan inhabit country that is foreboding to any type of vehicle traffic, and they live where Dall sheep dwell, way up high. Just getting into these areas is an adventure in itself. If there is a perfect match for running gun dogs, it is this bird. Spreading out across the range they will inhabit a 2,500-acre mountain valley. Setters, with their physical gifts and ability to operate in cold environments all day long, are uniquely qualified to find the birds.

At six months old, Winchester was climbing into sheep country and finding whitetails as if he had been born doing it. Some gun-dog folks were critical of allowing Winchester to run around mountain country at such a young age.

Worried that we might be doing something detrimental, we called the breeder to inquire. He laughed and said, “Yeah, most folks don’t get what these setters are about. As long as he is happy and wants to go, let him go.” After the first year of watching Winchester unfold in the field, I was certain that he exemplified the qualities of an extraordinary gun dog – a true once-in-a-lifetime prospect.

BEFORE WINCHESTER’S FIRST birthday we had already decided another setter was necessary. In spite of their physical prowess, even the best of the best dogs cannot americanshootingjournal.com 139

hunt in the mountains day after day.

Winchester’s GPS collar showed his typical day in the high country covered 30 to 35 miles. So, with a dual purpose in mind, Parker arrived at the same Delta cargo office shortly after Winchester’s first birthday. Having come from the same kennel with equally magnificent bloodlines, she would be Winchester’s relief until she was old enough to breed, and then she would make more setters; two that would hunt with their papa into the foreseeable future. Best laid plans.

When Parker turned two the process of breeding started. Well, it could have started; Parker would have nothing to do Winchester. Parker was smitten with Red, our Irish setter who was neutered. For two cycles she avoided Winchester’s advances, and it seemed unlikely they would ever conceive, but just after her third birthday she came into heat again, and something changed because she was quite receptive. On June 30, 2014, the blessed arrival of the puppies quickly

turned into a nightmare because Parker was having extreme difficulties.

She was seen by the vet, who induced labor to get the process started. Her labor lasted for three days, bearing seven pups in the first 24 hours and then four more over the next two days.

It was a very large first litter, with one stillborn and several extremely small.

An emergency trip to the vet, lots of bottle feeding and hoping for the best wasn’t good enough; we lost five more.

The last little one was a beautiful tricolored girl who we held in our arms to comfort until she passed.

WE AREN’T BREEDERS, and although we had prior experience with litters, this was different. These puppies were special; losing so many was heartbreaking and life changing.

After that, any thought of letting the survivors go to other homes was unthinkable. Four boys – Colt, Hugo, Cogswell, Boss – and one little girl named Purdey would never have to leave their family. “Have you lost

Winchester holding point on a whitetail ptarmigan while I moved around to photograph.

This bird was left unmolested; he was just too cooperative to consider shooting.

your minds?” people would ask.

Granted, when you already have three chocolate Labrador retrievers (the duck hunters) and three setters it does appear to be a bit irrational.

We had the good fortune of unique circumstances which allowed us to foster the relationships that are so

IF THERE IS A PERFECT MATCH FOR RUNNING GUN DOGS, IT IS THE WHITETAIL PTARMIGAN.

Winchester owning all he sees while hunting whitetail ptarmigan in the high country of the Kenai Mountains.

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americanshootingjournal.com ame a am meeric m ric ri icans an a nssh n ho hoo oo o oti oti tiin tin ngj gjjo gjo ou urrrn urn nal al. a l.com l. cco om o m 141 141 14

(Top left) Colt, nine weeks old, hitches a ride with Cunningham after a long climb (for a puppy) on his first hunting trip to the Kenai Mountains.

(Top right) That’s Red on the far left; in the back are Hugo and Winchester; in the middle is Purdey; and in the front row are Cogswell, Colt and Boss. They all hang out with us in the loft, and their attention has nothing to do with treats. Setters love to be sung to and they will sit and listen like little kids.

important for four-legged hunting partners: my recent retirement coupled with enough space for them to run and grow, and an extraordinary love of dogs. Possible? Yes, if not a bit daunting.

TIMING FOUND THE PUPS too young for real hunting when the season rolled around in fall. The

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experiences with all of our dogs have shown that a critical element in building a relationship is taking them out of their comfort zone and into the field, where they learn that you will always be there for them.

Colt, because he looks so much like Winchester, went to the field first.

At nine weeks old he rode in his first bush plane to a mountain lake

that’s an ideal base to hunt ptarmigan from. Winchester had been injured earlier and could not make the trip, so we hunted with another fella who had a Lab and a setter. Colt ran the mountains with all his might. When he got tired he rode in a small backpack or my wife Christine’s game vest. He had the time of his puppy life, and the way he interacted with us showed the

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(Left) The puppies Boss, Purdey, Colt, Cogswell and Hugo, all named for gun makers, and keeping in line with Winchester and Parker, their parents.

(Right) Hugo jumped into Cunningham’s arms while playing.

strong bond that trip formed. A few days later, Boss ew into Redoubt Bay with the Labs, and donned camouage face paint to hide his little white setter face in the blind; he loved every minute.

Cogswell, Hugo and Purdey all made overnight camping trips before they were three months old.

There may be something better than a setter puppy snuggled into your sleeping bag, but whatever it is escapes me at the moment. It is said

that puppies that stay together, like ours have, will form a “superbond,� and be less bonded to their people.

That might happen, but for now they are ten months old, and there is no question who they would rather be with. The diďŹƒculty is refereeing the ďŹ ghts over who gets to lay in the recliners with us because they won’t all ďŹ t – we’ve have tried.

THE NEXT CHAPTER for these pups

will be written this fall when they follow their magnificent father’s lead into the high country for the season opener. The moment in time when he points the first bird and all of his pups back him up will be the reward of all time. The trouble, the vet bills, the chewed items and everything else that comes with a setter family will mean nothing, and that moment cannot come soon enough. ASJ

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BACK TO WORK, POOCH Now’s Time To Get Hunters In Shape Again

“SWIMMING IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO GET A DOG IN SHAPE SO THEY DON’T OVERHEAT.”

If you train your dog with a bumper, keep sessions short and focused, and always leave your dog wanting more.

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY SCOTT HAUGEN

sat back inquisitively, watching in amazement as Howard Meyer, a dog trainer, handled his dogs with utmost patience. “C’mon, Violet, get in, get in here,” Meyer encouraged in a soft voice. Sure enough, Violet waded into the water and got into the canoe on her own. As Meyer began paddling across the small river, two other adult dogs followed, swimming by his side. Two pups, eight-month-old brothers, hesitated at first, but their anticipation mounted the further away Meyer and the other dogs got.

“C’mon, hop in ... C’mon,” Meyer kept enticing the pups in his calm voice as he and the other dogs continued

I

paddling. Soon both pups were having their first swimming session, part of the training Meyer initiates in the spring and throughout the summer.

“The key is not to force them, but make it fun,” smiled Meyer as he pulled the canoe ashore. The training session lasted nearly two hours, and all five dogs did great, even the pups. During that time, Meyer didn’t raise his voice once.

Now is the time to be training your dog for the upcoming hunting season. As is the case with hunters, dogs need to be in shape for the hunt too, and just because summer days are hot doesn’t mean dog training should be delayed.

americanshootingjournal.com 149

ROAD HUNTER (Right) Running dogs while riding a bike gets both the hunter and dog in shape. Doing so on gravel will toughen the dog’s feet in preparation for hunting season. (Bottom right) Noted trainer Howard Meyer routinely exercises dogs in the water by getting them to swim by his canoe. This is a great conditioning tool, especially during the summer.

CLEAR COMMUNICATION Good training starts with clear communication. Meyer, who I’ve been working with over the past year, has been training dogs for over 40 years. For 25 years he was a professor of animal breeding and genetics at Oregon State University, and watching him patiently work his dogs is something to behold. His willingness to help me, a first-time hunting dog owner, speaks a lot of what kind of man he is. His eagerness and dedication is addicting, and his passion to see dogs succeed is admirable.

“The older I get, the more I’ve come to realize you don’t need to holler at a dog to get it to do something,” shares Meyer. “They just need to know what you’re expecting of them. If they don’t respond the way I want them to, it’s likely due to miscommunication on my part.”

I’ve been on several training sessions with Meyer and never once heard him raise his voice towards a dog. They always respond to him no matter their breed or age. Patience and keeping it fun and positive are key elements of Meyer’s training foundation, and a good starting point for all dog owners looking to build a better dog.

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ROAD HUNTER ELECTRONIC COLLAR OBJECTIVES I recently asked two noted dog trainers about Achieving perfect points like this, by Lon, a pudelpointer from Tall Timber Pudelpointers, starts with disciplined training and their take on e-collars. “I have them on every dog clear communication.

I train,” piped up one. “If a dog’s brought to me and I don’t need an e-collar to control it, then that dog doesn’t have enough drive.”

The other trainer took his answer in another direction. “If I have to use the shocking element of an electronic collar to train or control a dog, then I’m not doing my job as a trainer to clearly communicate to that dog. I do, however, use e-collars on all my dogs while hunting so that I can hear the beeps that tell me where they are. We’re often hunting with two or three dogs in tall cover, and I want to hear where they are at all times.”

Electronic collars have their place in the training and the hunting world, no doubt. The key is for each dog owner to figure out which of these Editor’s note: Scott Haugen is a full-time outdoor writer, high-tech devices best suits their needs.

TV host and lecturer. He speaks around the country and has With built-in beepers, GPS tracking ability and long-range authored over a dozen books on hunting and fishing. You can communication opportunities, e-collars make training and visit his website and learn more about where he is speaking hunting more efficient, and the chances of losing a dog, scotthaugen.com. almost zero.

SWIMMING LESSONS Meyer regularly swims his dogs all summer long. “Swimming is one of the best ways to get a dog in shape this time of year so they don’t overheat,” he notes. “You can’t get this kind of conditioning by repeatedly tossing a bumper into the water. In fact, when I’m training with a bumper, I’ll only toss it in four or five times – that’s it.”

Meyers’ swim training usually lasts a couple of hours. He’ll paddle the canoe to one shore, let the dogs get out to play and warm up, then do it again ... and again ... and again. He ends every training session on a positive note, with the dogs wanting more and this includes swimming.

FOOTWORK Jess Spradley, trainer and owner of Cabin Creek Gundogs, offered this advice when asked about summer training tips: “Get the dog’s feet in shape. Just like a human’s, a dog’s feet have to be in good condition for the hunt.”

Spradley’s favorite training surface 152

American Shooting Journal // August 2015

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The author’s son, Kazden Haugen, and their nine-month-old pudelpointer Echo with their first mallards. Getting your dog in shape and ready for hunting season starts now.

is gravel followed by pavement. This time of year, do it early or late in the day when temperatures aren’t overly hot. Be sure to have plenty of water for the dog to drink.

Shaving their coat this time of year will also help keep them cool, as will pouring water over them during training sessions.

KEEP IT BUSINESS “Don’t mix play and work,” Meyer advised me. “When training a dog for the hunt, make sure they know it. When playing with them for fun, make sure they know the difference. Don’t use training bumpers as fun toys or vice versa.”

Spradley points out that pointing breeds need to be regularly exercised, while Labs are happy with a stroll down the street. Spradley prefers to train dogs that have been exposed to at least one season of hunting and were taught basic guidelines by their owner. “When they bring a dog to me, I ask what they’ve done and they often say, ‘Nothing; we didn’t want to screw it up.’ That’s valid, but not a good idea as the pup’s gotta learn some basic guidelines in order to achieve a higher level of training.”

This summer, make time to start building a good hunting dog. Practice patience, clearly communicate your expectations and make it fun for your dog. When those elements are solid, everything else will fall into place. ASJ Author’s note: You can visit Howard Meyer with Chipewa Kennels at chippewa-gsp.com, and Jess Spradley with Cabin Creek Gun Dogs at cabincreekgundogs.com. americanshootingjournal.com 153

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SHE’S NO MIRAGE Gabrielle Pitre: Kentucky’s Champion Long-range Rifle Markswoman

STORY BY FRANK JARDIM PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY GABRIELLE PITRE

y first appearances, Gabrielle Pitre is a typical American teenage girl, but behind At 18 years old, Gabrielle Pitre is one of the youngest high-power rifle competitors to ever hold her bubbly good-humored a master’s classification in long-range shooting. demeanor there is intense personal discipline and mental focus that has allowed her to master competitive marksman fires a bullet at a 44-inch black circle not one, but three shooting disciplines. with a 10-inch center X a half a mile away, it takes that bullet At 18 years old she is one of the youngest high-power nearly 1.5 seconds to get there. A lot can happen in that time rifle competitors to hold a master’s classification in longand the competitor tries to predict its path. range rifle shooting. The long-range Palma course of Pitre told me that learning to get the dope (adjust your fire is shot with iron sights from the prone position at aim for range conditions) is the hardest part of long-range 800, 900 and 1,000 yards. That, by itself, is a significant marksmanship. Flags on the range are used to estimate wind accomplishment, but Pitre is also a high master (the highest speed and direction and shooters use high-quality spotting level of achievement) in midrange rifle competition. scopes to study the mirage. She explained her techniques to Without getting into the details of how it’s calculated, a illustrate the process. midrange high master scores 98.5 out of a 100 possible “I try to find one or two flags about halfway to the target points on average. Midrange is shot in the same manner as that are easy to watch. I want to be able to see every move long-range, but at 300, 500 and 600 yards. What makes this the flag makes up and down. I also watch for any changes in more amazing is that four years ago Pitre had never even the flag’s angle from the pole; all of this tells me if the wind picked up a match rifle. has changed direction. The flags that are closest to the firing There are many local clubs and match events, but the line do not matter that much because the bullet has just Camp Perry National and the Palma regional matches reign left the barrel at full velocity and can buck the wind pretty the highest in the US. The rifles, in this ultimate sport, well. The flags near the target do not matter because by that must use high-power and center-fire calibers, and since time it’s too late to do anything. By picking a flag around the Camp Perry was established in Ohio in 1907 for military middle I can split the difference.” marksmanship training, many of the events at the national “A mirage is the visual distortion of the target caused matches require shooters to use a military-service rifle. by heat coming off the ground. It varies with temperature, These rifles are typically modified for improved accuracy. humidity and ground cover. I use my spotting scope to Looking back over the last 108 years that the national evaluate it by looking at a flat surface like the top of a target matches have been held there, bolt-action 1903 Springfields, berm. The mirage makes the target blurry, and in the worst M1 Garands and semiautomatic M14 rifles rose and fell cases, it can completely wash it out. If that happens, I from dominance. For the past 15 years, variations of the rely on my natural point of aim to get my bullet on target.

M16 rifle have held competitive supremacy.

When I set myself up to shoot, it’s critical that my body is properly oriented toward the target so that my rifle is IN ADDITION TO A RIFLE capable of sub-minute-of-angle naturally aimed directly at the bull’s-eye when I lock into a performance, success at the highest levels of competition firing position. It doesn’t matter if I’m shooting at the 50- or requires keen eyesight, minute muscle control and the ability 1,000-yard mark, I always do this.” to judge and compensate for the effects wind and mirage There are so many variables to account for that longwill have on bullet impact. The average deer hunter seldom range shooting seems like a scientific discipline. To a degree thinks about bullet drop or wind because it simply doesn’t it is. However, as Pitre pointed out, the proof is in the matter that much at ranges less than 100 yards. When a shot. “Flags and the mirage can lie,” she says. “You figure it

B

americanshootingjournal.com 157

out after you take your shot. Then you adjust. Conditions can and do change in the time it takes you to move your eye from the flag to the sights. At times the sudden wind changes can be enough to blow you off the paper.”

THE REMARKABLE THING ABOUT PITRE is that she participates in these sports not to be the best, but instead to simply do her best. A person who finds delight in doing their best is never troubled by the ugly side of competition. They are too busy having fun to begrudge another competitor’s better scores.

Pitre also enjoys coaching new competitive shooters to develop good habits and improve their skills.

Born in Michigan, but moved to Alaska as an infant where she lived until she was thirteen, Pitre cannot recall a time when she wasn’t shooting. Some of her earliest memories are of riding over the empty tundra with her father on a four-wheeler. He let her shoot his pistol once they were safely away from inhabited areas. Though her father was a Marine Corps rifle instructor and competitive shooter, her older sister Natasha was actually the motivating force who drew Pitre into the shooting sports. As a kid, she wanted to do everything her big sister did. When Tasha took up competitive shotgun shooting, Pitre wanted to do it too. When she first tried out, she was only seven years old and could hardly hold the shotgun up. She missed every bird and the coach suggested she come back in a few years.

Instead she went home and started working out to build up

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American Shooting Journal // August 2015

Gabrielle Pitre became the top junior shooter in Kentucky by winning multiple championships.

arm strength with 3-pound weights. Three weeks later she tried again and broke all but one. By eight years old she was competing. Pitre and Tasha soon became a sibling shooting sensation in Alaska. This culminated for Pitre when she was selected for the Alaska all-state team to shoot sporting clays in the women’s division. It was extraordinary for a 13-year-

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old to be chosen for a slot normally filled by the best adult women shooters in the state. Pitre had found her passion on the sporting clay field.

HAD THE FAMILY STAYED IN ALASKA, Pitre and Tasha would still be shooting clay birds. However, work drew their family to Washington state, and an area with virtually no opportunity for them to continue shooting in shotgun competitions. Tasha gave up the shotgun sports and took up small-bore rifles, but Pitre refused to lose hope, and she was rewarded with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

It turned out that while in Alaska, her growing skill with a shotgun had not gone unnoticed. Shortly after the move she received an invitation to shoot in a competition for future Olympic competitors. Her first instinct was to pursue the sport she loved, but the timing was wrong.

Her family had just moved and the price of success would mean a huge disruption in their lives, including another move for her to the Olympic training camp. After a family discussion, Pitre concluded she was not willing to put herself or her family through those trials.

Instead, in 2011 she joined her sister at an NRA smallbore rifle qualification program. This is shot with .22 rifles from four positions (prone, sitting, kneeling and standing) at 50 feet. Within a year, both had reached the highest qualification, distinguished expert. Thanks to exceptional coaching and mentorship, Pitre was introduced to match

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rifle and long-range competition. Both sisters decided to take up the more sophisticated challenges of servicerifle competition, and so the family started an annual ritual of packing up to spend a month-long summer vacation at Camp Perry so the girls could compete in the national matches.

When the family moved to Kentucky, Pitre refined her long-range shooting skills and garnered sponsored support from Pelican cases, Nightforce optics, Lapua bullets and brass, Vihtavuori powders and ESS eyewear. She also started her own blog called From-the-line.com, where she freely shares her competition experiences. Her accomplishments are too numerous to list, but by the end of 2014 she was the Kentucky state long-range champion, long-range junior champion, midrange junior champion and took 1st place overall, making her the top junior shooter in the state. Thus far in 2015, in addition to several first place finishes in local matches, she attended the East Coast Palma Championships and took first in the master class and high junior overall.

When she graduates high school this year, Pitre plans on joining the Air Force to work in dog training and handling. She has a love of K9s that rivals her love of shooting sports and serving her country would simply continue a multi-generational family history of patriotic military service.

I think the USAF would do well to put her on their rifle team too. ASJ

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Ready America’s deluxe kit includes: 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Food bar (2,400 calories) LED crank headlamp Multi-function tool Stainless-steel bottle Bottle of H2O purification tablets (up to 25 quarts) Emergency lightstick (12-hour) Fire starter and fuel pouch 5-in-1 survival whistle Knit cap Complete first-aid kit

1 Emergency poncho 3 Water pouches 1 Carabiner clip 1 Duct tape (10 yards) 1 Cord (25 feet) 1 Survival blanket 6 Premoistened towelettes 1 Waterproof matches 1 Pack of pocket tissue 1 Biohazard bag 1 Camo backpack 1 Emergency contact card

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