Competitors' Corner: November

In July 2016, all of our Silhouette Championships will be held at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, NM. This is a fantastic shooting facility in a beautiful part of the country that is rich in history.

Years ago, the Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Silhouette Championships and the Black Powder Target Rifle Championships were conducted back-to-back. Somehow these events got separated and we were asked to rejoin them. However, the schedule at the NRA Whittington Center caused us some problems in doing this up until 2016. Since the Black Powder Target Rifle dates, usually in September, were not available for 2016 other dates had to be looked at. It turns out that we will be able to conduct both events in July. Black Powder Cartridge Rifle will be held July 16-22, and Black Powder Target Rifle July 24-30.

As long as I’m talking about Silhouette, please keep an eye out for the dates for the Air Gun Silhouette Championship in Louisiana. I continually get praise from competitors on how well it is run and how much they enjoyed themselves.

Next, the 2016 World Action Shooting Championship will be held in New Zealand, with projected dates in October or November. Action shooting competitors who wish to attend should contact me, so I can get a gauge on financial matters.

Additionally, the Bianchi Cup, presented by MidwayUSA, will have a format change for 2016. Everyone will complete the normal 1920 aggregate. The top individuals will compete in a second Championship Event to determine the Cup winners. This change will not affect anything won in the first aggregate and the only competitors affected are the top individuals. In addition, the two-gun aggregate and the Colt Speed Event have been eliminated to accommodate the new format. More information will be published soon for a better description.

Earlier this year, NRA and CMP both agreed that the current rules for Service Rifle were outdated and new rules needed to be written. CMP has provided the NRA with their rules so that we have a blueprint for the High Power Committee when they meet this month.

Lastly, the NRA President, Allan Cors, has challenged the competitive shooting committees to come up with new shooting programs with new equipment and new courses of fire. He wants more people out there shooting, and the programs don’t have to be competitive. The new America’s Rifle Match is one of those new programs. Larger events are being planned, including a possible National Championship.

And, if you need a little instruction in proper use of your rifle, you can also look at the America’s Rifle Challenge at arc.nra.org, which is usually held as a precursor to America’s Rifle Match events.