We received some nice photos from the NRA showing some of the winners from the recently completed 2010 National High Power Matches and wanted to share them with you. Congratulations again to the winners but also to all of the shooters that competed in the National Matches. Also, thanks again to the volunteers that made it happen!

Shooters on the podium for the National Match Rifle Championship: (center) 1st Place -Sgt Sherri Gallagher, USA 2396-161X, (left center) 2nd Place – Carl Bernosky 2395-140X, (right center) 3rd Place - Stephen Culpepper 2382-121X. Award presenters alongside the podium, (left) Bill Gravatt – President, Sinclair International and (right) Gunny R. Lee Ermey, USMC and fellow shooter. (photo courtesy of the NRA Competitive Shooting Division)

Shooters on the podium for the National Service Rifle Championship: (center) 1st Place -Sgt Eric Swearingen, USMC 2381-103X, (left center) 2nd Place – SSG Tyrel Cooper, USA 2377-108X, (right center) 3rd Place - SFC Grant Singley, USA 2372-121X. Award presenters alongside the podium, (left) Bill Gravatt – President, Sinclair International and (right) Gunny R. Lee Ermey, USMC and fellow shooter. (photo courtesy of the NRA Competitive Shooting Division)

Center: Sgt Sherri Gallagher, USA – 2010 National High Power Champion (2396-161X). New National Record. Right: Gunny R. Lee Ermey, USMC – presenter (service rifle competitor) Left: Bill Gravatt, President, Sinclair International – presenter (long-range competitor) (photo courtesy of the NRA Competitive Shooting Division)

I asked members of our staff that worked at our Commercial Row store at the NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships to jot down some thoughts about their experience this year. I thought it would be interesting to you to see how they view it from their perspective. They live out of a suitcase and are away from their families for awhile but they really seem to enjoy the experience and the chance to meet a few of the customers they help on the phones and internet. They are a great crew and truly love helping people get the most out of their hobby – shooting!

Bill Gravatt
President – Sinclair International

This year was my first Camp Perry experience. I enjoyed the experience more than I thought because it was a different aspect of work that I don’t normally see. It was good to finally put a face to some of the customers that I speak with quite often. I also enjoyed seeing the shooting range in action and learning about different shooting disciplines. I’d have to say my favorite thing about Camp Perry was learning about the history from Bill. I appreciate Camp Perry much more after the history lessons and exploring the grounds. Overall, it was a great experience and I would jump on the chance to return next year.
- Becca

My experience is definitely a lot different than those employees who are shooters and reloaders. However, I think all of us who have worked the store feel the same. It is nice to be able to go to Camp Perry and put our name out there and meet old customers as well as those who are just starting shooting and ordering from Sinclair. It is nice to be able to put a face with a name. Speaking for myself I always love going to Camp Perry to work the store and to hear customer stories when they come in to say “Hey!”. I have noticed a lot of people over the years come in our store for advice and help with issues they have or help getting their rifle working correctly before their next match. You get one feel of how we work when you are sitting at a desk helping customers but it is a different ball game when you are out there actually seeing it with your own eyes. It is an experience that I am glad I get to do, as well as being part of a team doing what we can do to help our customers and friends.
- Kerry

I think the part I enjoy the most about Camp Perry is meeting people that I have shot with and customers I have helped in the past Camp Perry visits. I had several customers come in and say hello and thank me for the advice from past years. This year the weather was consistent; hot and humid with rain on Wednesday. I had a fair year this year. I shot my low averages but for the weather, I was consistent and averaged 93-94%. I had a good time and am looking forward to next year.
- Ron

I really enjoy going to work in the store at Camp Perry. It gives me a chance to match faces to names with the customers that I speak to on the phone. Each year I attend I gather more and more of an appreciation for the competitive shooting sport. This year I even got a chance to observe some of you shooting out on the line and it was an amazing experience. It has really drawn me and made me want to look into getting started with competitive shooting.
- Amanda

This year was my first experience at the Camp Perry National Matches. While I did not get a chance to do any shooting, working in the Sinclair store was a great experience. It was nice to be able to make a deeper connection to our customers and have some face-to-face interactions with them. I liked the change of pace compared to the daily interactions encountered in the office. I loved hearing the stories from shooters and was even able to share a couple of my own. I am eagerly awaiting next year’s matches for a chance to return!
- Corey

Things were a little slow during NRA week due to the economy. We saw a lot of old friends in the store that were there for the last week of high power and the long range championship August 14-18. R. Lee Ermey (the “Gunny” from the History Channel’s Mail Call show) was in to buy some items along with Dennis DeMille, Michelle Gallagher, and Nancy Tompkins. I was stretching my old bones and getting “into position” for extended periods of time in the morning and evenings to be ready for the long-range matches. Sinclair participated in the Team matches. Our team consists of Bill Gravatt (Sinclair), Gary Duda from Michigan (coach and shooter), Mark Walters (a Fort Wayne police officer), Larry Remsnyder (from Michigan also) and myself, Phil Hoham (Sinclair Tech, Team captain). We competed in the open team category master division Palma Rifle. I will have a future article on this unless the results are too embarrassing. Stand by and good shooting!
- Phil

Camp Perry was again this year another great experience. I had the opportunity to set up the store and then work the opening week during the pistol phase of the event. My favorite thing about working this event is the chance to meet shooters from all corners of the US and those who come from abroad. The shooting community shares a bond that stands out from others, which is always evident at Camp Perry. As a competitive rifle shooter, and occasional pistol “plinker”, I had the chance to talk to the pistol competitors and learn from them to help expand my knowledge of the discipline. I have to give the pistol shooters a ton of credit, since the true knowledge, skill, patience, and discipline is one of the hardest to learn and most challenging of all shooting sports. Thank you to all of the great people I got the chance to meet and talk to at the Sinclair Store during pistol week. I will see you next year!
- Pete

I had a chance to meet some of the bench rest shooters that live close to Camp Perry that have been wanting to meet me and we finally managed to do that and I was able to help them with some of their needs. I also had a great conversation with a young man who works at the CMP Air Rifle range and he asked us if we would consider having some reloading classes next year during the Nationals next year. That would be interesting to do.
- Bob

As usual, Camp Perry was a fun time to see familiar faces and meet new shooters. It is always rewarding to see a new competitor and be able to help him or her find the right parts or products to keep them up and running during the matches. The online ordering with free shipping was a big hit with many customers as well. It was great to see many people even with the economy as it is. Good shooting, and I hope to see you all next year!
- Rod

Each year when I pull into the main gate at Camp Perry for the NRA Nationals I get a sense of coming home. I am sure a lot of you get that same feeling when you pull into a range where you have spent a lot of time or a favorite hunting area. I usually try to drive over to Camp Perry on weekends and mingle with customers in our commercial row location. The opportunity to talk with customers in person is rewarding as I can find out what their needs are and what we can do to provide them with better service. Attending the NRA Award Ceremonies is always enjoyable because you get a chance to share in the recognition of shooters who have put together an incredible effort to make it on the stage. Finally, during long-range I was able to shoot, serve my time in the pits, and enjoy the hot, humid weather while wrapped up in a sweatshirt and coat. For once, we only had a tiny delay during the start of one string when a low flying plane apparently got too close for the range officer’s liking. I look forward to pulling into the main gate next year and seeing old friends once again.
- Bill

I am not sure the shooting industry is really yet aware of the outstanding performance put on by two highly respected individuals during the NRA High Power Rifle Championship (August 10 thru August 13) held at Camp Perry, Ohio. Sgt Sherri Gallagher US Army (AMU Shooting Team) and Carl Bernosky put on a performance that may never be equaled in the NRA High Power Championship. Sgt Gallagher shot a 2396-161X to claim the title of NRA High Power Champion and Carl came in second with a 2395-140X. Both Gallagher’s and Bernosky’s scores shattered the old National Record of 2389-138X set by G. David Tubb in August 2003.

For those of you that are not aware of the composition of the NRA High Power Championship, it consists of 3 – 20 shot matches in 200 Yard Slow Fire Standing, 3 – 20 shot matches in 200 Yard Rapid Fire Sitting, 3 – 20 shot matches in 300 Yard Rapid Fire Prone, and 3 – 20 shot matches in 600 Yard Slow Fire Prone. The course of fire is shot over 4 days and totals to 240 shots with a total possible score of 2400-240X. Sgt Gallagher dropped only 4 points over 4 days of shooting with 161 shots finding the X ring (67%). Sherri won 7 of the 12 individual matches and had an unbreakable tie in one of the others. I believe Sherri was shooting the 260 Remington.

Carl Bernosky dropped only 5 points over the 4 days with 140 X-ring shots (58%) and won 2 of the 12 individual matches. Carl has won the NRA High Power Championship 9 of the 15 years he has entered including this year if I have my figures straight. He recently won the NRA High Power Championship in 2007 and 2008 and lost by one point last year to Norman Houle. Both Sherri and Carl are incredible shooters, amazingly modest and really great all around individuals.

Here are just a few of the things Sherri did in this significant accomplishment:
1. Set a new National Record with an overall score of 2396-161X
2. She won 7 of the 12 individual matches outright and dropped all 4 of her points in 3 matches that she still won
3. She tied in an unbreakable tie for one individual match
4. She lost 4 matches by a total combined X count of 7X’s (she didn’t lose any matches on points).
5. She was High Woman in every match
6. She won all three 200 Yard Slow Fire Standing matches
7. She lost all three 200 Yard Rapid Fire Sitting matches (by a total of 6X’s).
8. Her biggest margin of loss in any of the four individual matches she didn’t win was 3X’s in the Coast Guard Trophy Match when she shot a 200-15X against the winner SGT Eric Swearingen who shot a 200-18X.
9. She shot several individual National Records
10. Sherri is the 2nd woman to ever win the NRA National High Power Championship. The first woman to win the Championship was in 1998 by her mother Nancy Tompkins. You think it runs in the family?

In the Service Rifle High Power Championship, SGT Eric Swearingen USMC shot the fantastic score of 2381-103. He was only 15 points behind the overall winner and he was using a service rifle. SGT Swearingen also won the Coast Guard Trophy outright with a score of 200-18X beating out all of the match rifle shooters. Eric finished 5th overall with only 4 match rifle shooters ahead of him. This is incredible shooting with a Service Rifle in any type of conditions especially when the shooting is stretched out over a four (4) day period. Congratulations SGT Swearingen! Incidentally, Eric’s dad Don is one of the volunteers that works the firing line during the National Matches. We couldn’t have the National Matches without the volunteers – they are the ones that really make it happen!

During the NRA Award Ceremonies I was very fortunate to be asked to go up on stage with Gunny R. Lee Ermey USMC and present the awards to the Championship winners. Regardless of how they finished up, they should all be congratulated for such outstanding performances with a rifle.

NRA National High Power Championship
1st Place             SGT Sherri Gallagher – Fort Benning, GA 2396-161X
2nd Place            Carl Bernosky – Ashland, PA 2395-140X
3rd Place             Stephen Culpepper – Sharpsburg, GA 2382-121X

NRA National Service Rifle Championship
1st Place              SGT Eric Swearingen, USMC – El Cajon, CA 2381-103X
2nd Place             SSG Tyrel Cooper, USA – Fort Benning, GA 2377-108X
3rd Place              SFC Grant Singley, USA – Fort Benning, GA 2372-121X
High Overall          Tyler Rico – Tucson, AZ 2360-94X
Junior (under 21)

NRA Long-Range Championship

Immediately following the NRA High Power Championships, the NRA Long-Range Championship began. The Long-Range Championship consists of four days of long-range concluding with the Palma individual on the fourth day. The first three days are all 1000 yard, 20 shot courses of fire and the Palma is shot with 15 shots each at 800, 900, and 1000 yards. The total long-range aggregate is based on the total of 125 shots for a total possible score of 1250-125X. There are separate divisions and trophies for Any Rifle (metallic sights and any sights depending on the match), Service Rifle (metallic sights only), and Palma Rifle (metallic sights only). The Palma matches can be shot with either a .223 Remington or .308 Winchester.

NRA Long-Range Day One
Day One (Saturday, August 14) of the Long-Range Championship began with the Remington “Band of Brothers” Match, which was any sights for the Any Rifle division. The second 1000 yard match of the day was the Mustin Trophy Match which is metallic sights only. Fairly nice weather held for most of the day until the afternoon when a quick rainstorm caught the shooters on Relay 1 (third relay because of the mid-day pit change) in the Mustin Match. Fortunately it cleared up for Relay 2 (last relay of the day).

Each of these 1000 yard matches features a 10 shot shoot-off which includes the top shooter for each relay and each rifle (division). In the Remington “Band of Brothers” Match some drama unfolded when Michelle Gallagher and John Whidden tied in the overall shoot-off, both with 100-8X scores. A tie in the shoot-off forces a sudden death shoot which puts the two shooters on the line each taking a shot. The targets are then ran up and if there are identical scores the sudden death continues until one shooter fails to match the other shooter’s score. This sudden death ran until John shot a 9 on the 13 shot of sudden death providing Michelle Gallagher with the win.

After 23 total shots in the shoot-off for the Remington “Band of Brothers” Match, John had to get ready for a second shoot-off from his performance in the Mustin Match. He won this one outright with another 100-8X.

Day One Winners
Remington “Band of Brothers” Match (any sight for the Any Rifle category)
Any Rifle           Michelle Gallagher                  200-13X (230-8X shoot-off)
Palma Rifle        SGT Eric Smith USA                 199-4X (99-4X shoot-off)
Service Rifle      SPC Kevin Trickett, USA          197-7X (99-3X shoot-off)

Mustin Match (metallic sights)
Any Rifle           John Whidden               198-11X (100-8X shoot-off)
Palma Rifle        SGT Eric Smith USA        199-4X (99-4X shoot-off)
Service Rifle      LCPL Justin Moses         189-7X (99-1X shoot-off)

NRA Long-Range Day Two

Day Two seemed even more humid than Day One. Day Two consists of the Leech Cup (Any Rifle – metallic sights), Porter Cup (service rifle), and Edward D. Andrus Trophy Match. Once again John Whidden prevailed winning the Leech Cup with a score of 200-14X and a 100-7X in the shoot-off. The Roumanian Trophy Team Match followed in the afternoon.

Leech Cup
Winner – John Whidden                              200-14X (100-7X shoot-off)
Porter Cup (Service Rifle)
Winner – SFC Grant Singley USA                 196-7X (98-1X shoot-off)
Edward D. Andrus Memorial Trophy
Winner – David Cloft                                  198-12X (98-3X shoot-off)

NRA Long-Range Day Three

Day Three delivered beautiful skies, cooler temperatures and a little pickup in the wind conditions. By the time the team matches started some shooters were experiencing 10 to 11 MOA windage corrections of left windage for the wind coming mainly out of the west. This day’s matches consist of the Wimbleton Cup (any sights), the Farr Trophy (service rifle), and the Herb “Doc” Aiken Memorial Trophy (Palma rifle), all fired concurrently. Some new names appeared in the winner’s circle on Day Three with Richard Kussman from Forest Hill, Maryland winning the Wimbleton Cup with a score of 199-6X and a shoot-off score of 99-3X. The Herrick Trophy Team Match was held in the afternoon.

Wimbleton Cup (Any Rifle – Any Sights)
Winner – Richard Kussman                              199-6X (99-3X shoot-off)
Farr Trophy (Service Rifle)
Winner – SFC Jeremy Mangione USA                195-8X (97-3X shoot-off)
Edward D. Andrus Memorial Trophy (Palma Rifle)
Winner – SFC Norman Anderson USA                198-10X (99-4X shoot-off)

The Sierra Cup is also wrapped up on Day 3; it is an aggregate that consists of scores shot in the Edward D. Andrus Memorial Trophy Match and the Herb “Doc” Aiken Memorial Match. Maximum score is 400-40X. Both of these matches are shot with the Palma rifle.

Sierra Cup
1st Place – Trevor Massey               397-18X
2nd Place – David Cloft                   396-21X
3rd Place – Kevin Nevius                  396-18X
High Junior – Michael Storer             395-15X

NRA Long-Range Day Four (Palma individual)

Day Four is Palma Day where everyone has to shoot either an unmodified .223 Remington (5.56 NATO) or a .308 Winchester (7.62 NATO) in either a rifle with metallic sights or in any service rifle with metallic sights. As mentioned earlier the Palma Match is shot with 15 shots each at 800, 900, and 1000 yards for a total of 45 shots with a maximum 450-45X score.

Approximately 253 shooters stayed to shoot the Palma Individual. Bob Gustin cleaned the Palma course with a 450-33X just holding off Bob Steketee who shot an excellent 449-24X. Kelly Bachand finished in 3rd place with a 447-27X. Great shooting guys.

Palma Individual (450-45X possible)
1st Place – Bob Gustin              450-33X
2nd Place – Bob Steketee          449-24X
3rd Place – Kelly Bachand          447-27X

This day also wraps up the NRA Long-Range Championship and the Canadian Cup. The 2010 NRA Long-Range Champion was John Whidden with a total combined score of 1243-75X. The Canadian Cup consists of the Leech Cup, Wimbleton, and Palma Individual scores and was won by Bob Gustin with a 847-57X.

Canadian Cup (850-85X possible)
1st Place – Bob Gustin                           847-57X
2nd Place – John Whidden                     845-52X
3rd Place – Michelle Gallagher                843-50X
High Junior – Michael Storer                   835-34X

NRA National Long-Range Championship (1250-125X possible)
1st Place – John Whidden                                          1243-75X
2nd Place – SSG Brandon Green USA                           1240-60X
3rd Place – Michelle Gallagher                                    1238-70X
High Junior – Michael Storer                                       1221-45X
High Service Rifle – SFC Grant Singley USA                  1209-39X

I hope I spelled everyone’s name right and got the scores transferred correctly. I didn’t list all the champions such as High Police, High Civilian, High Service Member, etc. but if you would like to see all the results go to http://www.nrahq.org/compete/champ3.asp and click on the specific match or aggregate.

Good Shooting,

Bill Gravatt
President – Sinclair International, Inc.

What a fantastic weekend! I just got back from the Shooting Industry Masters a two day shooting event put on by FMG Publications. You know them better by their magazine titles, “Guns Magazine”, “American Handgunner”, “American Cop”, and “Shooting Industry”. Every year they put on an industry shoot with teams entered from Brownells, Sinclair, Remington, Hornady, Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Colt, and DPMS, just to name a few. The two day shoot is comprised of shotgun, pistol, and rifle stages. There is an Open Division for the pro shooters and an Industry Division for the casual shooters.

This year, the event was held in Grand Island, Nebraska at the Heartland Shooting Park. What a great facility the folks in Grand Island have built for shooters. The entire city welcomed us with open arms. You don’t know how great it is to walk into your hotel (Best Western) and have the front desk staff welcome you with your firearm, hospitality package, and a smile. That warm reception was typical of the response we received throughout Grand Island.

I arrived on Thursday having drove over during the morning with Pete Brownell, the president of Brownells, Inc., our parent company. Pete and I joined up with several other Brownell guys at the Hornady Manufacturing facility (maker of premium bullets, ammunition, and reloading tools). We were greeted by Steve and Jason Hornady who gave us a personal tour of their facility. Each time I visit Hornady, I am impressed by their growth but also by their continued commitment to quality and customer service. Even though I have toured it several times it continues to fascinate me to watch the bullet go from lead billets and flat copper sheet to the finished product. Hornady has also been making quite a bit of their own brass in the past decade and that is an enjoyable process to watch as well.

After touring Hornady, we all returned to the hotel and got cleaned up for the welcoming dinner co-sponsored by the Grand Island Economic Development group, the Grand Island Sports Council and Hornady. This warm reception reinforced our earlier impression that guns are definitely welcomed in Nebraska.

The next day we got up early and headed to the range. Our team consisted of Frank Brownell, the CEO and second generation of Brownells; Matt Buckingham, the Chief Operations Officer; our captain Monty Crain, the head of Brownells technical group; and myself. The other folks from Brownells also split into four-man teams. The day was extremely hot and humid and our team was scheduled to shoot a 100 round sporting clays course. Fortunately we didn’t start until 10:30 am which gave the temperature some time to really get nice and pleasant (read this with sarcasm!). We all did fairly well with the sporting clays range except for one very tough station that had two crossing shots that we eventually figured out had the lead of about a Suburban. The throwers were mounted up on tall poles way off the ground and threw straight across in front of you at a pretty fair distance. It was really difficult to force yourself to put that much lead on a bird. I was actually pretty happy with my own performance in shotgun not having shot it much. Oh Bill, don’t worry there is still pistol tomorrow.

The best part of the day other than shooting was getting to meet a lot of friends from the industry and also make some new ones. The high point for me was meeting the guys from Team HAVA. HAVA stands for Honored American Veterans Afield. We kept bumping into these guys on the shotgun stages and then naturally kept seeing them over the two day event. What a fun bunch of guys. They were tickled to be there and having a blast shooting up the course. Obviously, these guys could really shoot. These gentlemen were a great representative of our United States military and we were glad they were able to join us for a couple of days of fun shooting. It amazes me how someone can classify an overpaid athlete or actor as a hero. I’m telling you, these guys are true American heroes and it was an honor and privilege to shoot beside them.

That night we had the Academy of Excellence Awards presented by the FMG team. A couple of awards that were particularly noteworthy; 1) Brownells won the Accessory of the Year for their AR15 Builder program, this is the online program that allows you to configure your AR with different accessories and see what it looks like before you order it. 2) Brownells also won Distributor of the Year, which was quite an accomplishment. Brownells works hard to take care of their dealers and the industry definitely agreed. 3) Hornady won Ammunition of the Year for their Superperformance Ammo. 4) The hands down sentimental award was for Industry Citizen of the Year, which went to our friend Hewitt Grant, the CEO/President from Ellett Brothers. He is a fine representative of the shooting industry, a classic gentleman and very worthy of this honor. Along with the awards, we had a very enjoyable dinner and a few adult beverages.

Day 2 started out with completely different weather – cool and breezy. Our team moved over to the rifle range and shot two different courses of fire that were timed events. Clangers at 100 yards and then short range plates with a S&W M&P 1522. Our team did pretty well with the rifles – good hits but not blazingly fast. Then we moved to the short gun ranges – pistol. This year was all about the wheel guns. We shot double actions in .38 Special at plates in a timed event (three stations and two run-throughs) and then did the same with double actions in .22 LR on a slightly different course. The best part was watching the pro shooters eat up the plates. It amazes me how fast they can move on the targets. I did better on the pistol than last year but still have a long way to go before I could be considered a pistol shooter. Then we started to shoot some of the side matches. Those are just for fun and not part of the team competition. Some of our guys shot the 3-Gun Side match and did fairly well. Frank Brownell and I headed over to the long-range match which was being shot for group. Frank and I both chose to shoot 6.5 Creedmoors. The groups were being measured with acoustical measuring devices which I hadn’t used before. You got one sighter and 5 shots for group. It was a little breezy and we really didn’t have much wind reference (no flags). Frank shot a 2.85” and I shot a 2.92” group, I hate to lose! Nice shooting Frank!

That night we had another dinner and more adult beverages and passed out the awards. First place in the Industry Division was Smith & Wesson Team III. First place in the Open (pro) Division was Team Hornady. Then a raffle was held to sponsor the First Shots Program ($32,000 raised) and some firearms were auctioned to help sponsor the USA Shooting Team (some of their members were present).

In all, it was a very enjoyable event and a good way to meet your industry peers in a non-business setting. Thanks go to the FMG team for outdoing themselves, it was a well ran event. Also, thanks to Hornady for doing all they did to make the even successful. I know they shut down a lot of presses and had a lot of their own staff working out on the range both days. Thanks guys for your support out there.

Good Shooting,

Bill G

One of the values we take great pride in at Sinclair is the personal experience and numerous years our tech staff has in shooting and reloading. We have decided to ask them a few questions on a few areas of reloading and shooting to reveal some of their secrets and favorite products they personally use. We will continue this in future Reloading Press editions from time to time.

Q: What is your favorite cleaning solvent, and why???

Phil Hoham: “Bore Tech Eliminator is my favorite solvent. Why??…Because it works. It removes both Carbon and Copper fouling while not emitting any strong scent. One great thing is that you can leave it in your barrel for extended time to work on the fouling without worrying about the chemical harming it”.

Pete Petros: “ I also have been using the Bore Tech products, but I actually use two of their solvents in my cleaning regiment. I first use the C4 carbon remover and run a few wet patches in the bore and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. I then use a nylon brush to help loosen stubborn carbon deposits, and follow with dry patching it out. I then follow up with the Cu2 Copper Remover to remove any copper in the barrel. I run a few wet patches then let it sit as long as over night, following up with dry patching it out. These two get the job done well, and without the strong smell and little effort! However, like most of us I still love the smell of Hoppes #9, brings back memories!”

Ron Dague: “I prefer to use Butches Bore Shine. It is a good all-around solvent, works fast, and has worked for years! It removes all carbon, and copper, and will not harm the bore if you want to soak it for extended time.”

Rod Green: “I have to agree with Pete. Last year at the F-Class Nationals Pete and I used the Bore Tech C4 and Cu2 Solvents on a daily basis during practice and the match. We were so impressed, that they became new favorites!”

Bob Blaine: “ I have been using TM Solution for some time now. At the time the solvent was being developed, we (at Sinclair) had the chance to help Tom Meredith do the research and design of the final product. I was very impressed then, and still am to this day, on how well it works on both carbon and copper. It is one of the most efficient carbon removing agents available to shooters as well. I also like the fact it is water based and ammonia free with a lighter smell than other solvents. For stubborn copper fouling I use Montana Extreme Copper Killer (50 BMG). It is easy on barrels and can be left in to soak for extended time without drying out the metal.

If I was to go into your reloading room at home, what is the main reloading press I would find. Why have you chosen this press over others?

Phil Hoham: “I have a few presses I use at my bench. I have a Hornady Lock-And-Load Auto Progressive Press I use for my .45 ACP, and .223 Remington for my 3-Gun Shooting. For my precision reloading, I mainly use a Redding Big Boss II for resizing, and decapping. I like the leverage that it offers, and the angled frame design makes it really easy to work with and get around. It is a super-soIid press. I do most of my seating with the Sinclair Arbor Press and Wilson Seater Dies.”

Pete Petros: Well up until recently the main press I have been using is the same exact press that I learned on as a child. It is an original RCBS Rock Chucker that was originally my father’s. It has seen its share of reloading over the years, and still performs as if it were new. I bet it’s over 35 years old. I did recently acquire a new Redding T-7 press, and enjoy having the dies set up ready to go with the ability of rotating the turret head for a quick change. However the “chucker” still is set up ready to go!”

Ron Dague: I also have a “vintage” RCBS Rock Chucker that I bought in 1974. It has been working great since day one. I have used it to reload pistol loads in my Bullseye Pistol Days, all the way to my rifle loads I currently use in my NRA Highpower rifles.”

Rod Green: My press is a Dillon AT-500. I have it set up in single-stage with removable tool heads, and a powder die/funnel that I use for charging my loads. It is a solid press with good leverage. I have found that I get minimal run-out on my long range loads with this press as well. One thing I like is the ability to have separate tool heads for each cartridge I load. All I have to do to switch up from one cartridge to another is swap out the tool head and I am set!”

Bob Blaine: Ask anyone who has asked me about this topic and they should remember that I have a Forster (Bonanza) CO-AX press. The one big plus about it is it allows the case and dies to self center since it has a unique functional design unlike any other press out there. Also changing out dies is a snap since it is not a traditional threaded press. The dies simply slide in and out of the slot while utilizing Forster lock rings.

What do you feel is the one-most crucial step in precision reloading?

Phil Hoham: “ I feel that when working up a load do not go too high or too low in your powder charge. Stay away from “suggested loads” you hear at the range, or on the internet. Always be sure to use a published reloading manual that presents not only minimums and maximums, but also pressure, velocity, and a proper range of powders used. Do not get distracted in the reloading process, and remain focused at all times during each step involved.”

Pete Petros: “This could be a very broad topic, but if I were to pick one, it would be making sure to pay close attention, and weigh each and every powder charge to ensure that each load is exact and consistent. This is important not only for accuracy, but also for safety reasons.”

Ron Dague: “ I feel that the most important step(s) in reloading for accuracy are in the initial case prep. Uniforming the primer pocket to the same depth to ensure consistency in primer seating is a crucial step. Additionally de-burring the flash holes, each in the same way to clean up and chamfer the inside is important. It ensures that the ignition from the primer is uniform and flows out in the same consistent pattern. Doing so will create uniform ignition of the powder and tighten up your extreme spread of velocity.”

Rod Green: “ I feel that bullet seating is the most important step. If you had focused on making sure all prior steps (case prep, powder charge, etc.) of the process have been carefully taken to ensure uniformity, bullet seating is the last step, and can mean all the difference in the world in terms of consistency. Making sure that the bullet is seated to the same depth each time, and time is taken to ensure that true aligned seating can make the load.”

Bob Blaine: “ I agree with Rod. I strongly feel that consistent bullet seating depth is the most important step in creating the most accurate hand loads. I have seen the results in both my bench and long range rifles. Taking the time to ensure exactness in the seating process is by far, the number one most important step in my book.”

**Do you have a question that you would like to hear the vies from the entire Sinclair Tech Staff? If you would like to see answers, or opinions let us know at support@sinclairintl.comor on the Sinclair Blog. We may use them in future Reloading Press Newsletters!

“Cease Fire – remove bolts from rifle, the range is closed”, announced Ian Kelbly, the rangemaster at the Firearms Industry Super Shoot. These words concluded four (4) days of concentrated shooting this past May at the granddaddy of all benchrest matches in the world

Held every year in late May at Kelbly’s range outside of North Lawrence, Ohio the Super Shoot draws competitors from all over the world and all over the United States. This year 16 countries were represented by shooters with 57 shooters from abroad. The official total of 310 consists of most of the top benchrest shooters in the world.

Competitive benchrest is a game of working the most out of your rifle in load development, having a great barrel, and being able to not only read the wind but know how to shoot in the varying wind conditions facing the competitor. Bench techniques play a big part with successful shooters including the ability to shoot fast if you see a condition that you like. Most Super Shoot competitors choose to use the 6mm PPC as their cartridge although you will occasionally see someone shooting a variation of a 6mm BR or even a .22 caliber cartridge. High power scopes are the norm with 36X probably being the lowest power on the line in current years.

In group shooting, like the matches held at the Super Shoot, competitors shoot five (5) shot groups at 100 yards and 200 yards. Groups are measured in thousandths from center to center of the two most extreme shots in the group. The small group at 100 yards this year measured .077” and was shot by Mr. Eddie Harris of Tennessee. The small group at 200 yards was shot by Mr. Stan Bowerman of Michigan and measured .163”. Competitors shoot five groups for record in each rifle class (10.5 lb guns – light varmint and 13.5 lb guns – heavy varmint) and the aggregate of the five, five shot groups determines the winners for each rifle class, yardage, and 2-gun winners.

Kelbly’s range features 60 benches so this year’s event consisted of 6 relays to accommodate all of the shooters. There are wind flags of every shape and color setup by various shooters and spread out over the 200 yards in front of every bench. It is a virtual sea of wind flags with each shooter having a favorite set of flags to watch for changing wind conditions.

Not a drop of rain marred the competition this year although some rain occurred a few days prior to the start of the matches. This is two years in a row that the competition was rain free. Usually, most of us are used to several days of rain at Kelbly’s during the matches. Many competitors arrive days and even as much as a week ahead of time to practice and get used to the wind and range conditions. Sinclair had our commercial tent running and staffed by Larry Caston, Rod Green, and Bill Gravatt (yours truly). We were very fortunate to have a lot of help during the week from our friends Steve Theye and Victor Potts. Mr. Ken Harrington representing Gradient Lens worked in our tent for several days inspecting barrels with the Hawkeye borescope (Part #HS17FE-K). I think Ken inspected over 150 barrels during the days he was present. Gradient Lens was kind enough to enter all the competitors that had barrels inspected into a special drawing for a brand new Hawkeye.

The Super Shoot is a sport that many of us enjoy but I think many of us that attend enjoy the camaraderie among friends just as much. It is a time to re-new acquaintances and make new ones. Shooting is one of those few sports where fellow competitors don’t mind helping a new shooter learn the ropes or working with them when they are struggling. Your days are filled with shooting, reloading and cleaning. Nights are for having dinners with friends or gathering around the campers swapping stories.

One night I had dinner with long-time friends Walt Berger and Eric Stecker from Berger Bullets. Walt is the founder of Berger Bullets and one of the finest gentlemen I have ever known inside and outside of shooting. He is always willing to help someone out at a match but always challenging you with good questions – and always working to make a better bullet.

Another night I had a one on one session with our good friend Jim Carmichel, the now retired but long time Shooting Editor of “Outdoor Life” magazine. I’m not a big drinker so why I let him talk me into having that second martini I’ll never know but I think the decision was influenced by the first one. Jim makes a very strong martini and swore that he was giving me the good stuff. Jim defines the words – “country gentlemen” and it always makes my day to see him at the NRA Annual Meetings, the SHOT Show, or at a shoot like the Super Shoot. Spending a few hours with Jim in his trailer is really an enjoyable evening. Jim is one of the great writers who just loves to shoot just about any discipline and usually excels at them like he did this year at the Super Shoot winning the 200 yard Heavy Varmint Aggregate. It is such a privilege to have friends like this that are truly legends in the industry but yet just fellow shooters.

After four (4) days of intense shooting, Mr. George Carter of Ontario, Canada finished on top with a winning aggregate of .2233”. Congratulations George – that was a fantastic performance. The list of winners below was provided by Jim Kelbly. Incidentally, Kelbly’s, Inc. build the world famous Stolle line of bolt actions in addition to being the long-time host of the Super Shoot. They are a three generation family with many members of the family participating in the business. I have seen Ian Kelbly grow from working on the target crew to running the target crew to now taking the lead role of running the line and the matches as rangemaster. He took over the job from his father, Jim Kelbly, last year and did a magnificent job.

Light Varmint (10.5 lb)
100 yard Agg. Winner – Bart Sauter (.1874”) (Bart’s Custom Bullets)
200 yard Agg. Winner – Steve Theye (.1964”)
LV Grand Agg. Winner – Steve Theye (.2161”)

Heavy Varmint (13.5 lb)
100 yard Agg. Winner – Smiley Hensley (.1774”)
200 yard Agg. Winner – Jim Carmichel (.2161”)
HV Grand Agg. Winner – George Carter (.2176”)

2 – Gun Aggregate Winners
1st Place – George Carter (.2233”)
2nd Place – Gene Buckys (.2243”)
3rd Place – Bart Sauter (.2295”)
4th Place – Bob Scarborough, Jr. (.2296”)

Look at the 2-Gun winners and look how close the aggregate score of 20 groups is between competitors. Only .001” difference between 1st and 2nd place after four days of shooting.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that each year any new inductee to the Benchrest Hall of Fame is presented to the attendees in a formal ceremony traditionally held after the third day of shooting (Friday). This year our good friend and long time customer Mr. Jack Neary was inducted into the Benchrest Hall of Fame. You can only get in by shooting your way in and many shooters never even get one of the ten points required for admission. This is a great feat by any shooter and we congratulate Jack on his accomplishment. It was a lot of hard work and an investment of his time and energy to accomplish this feat. Way to go Jack!

Sometime in the third week of May 2011, shooters along with their trailers and campers will start driving the back roads of Ohio to gather at the Kelbly range once again to begin those four days of intense concentration to see who will hold the title to the coveted Super Shoot. I sure hope to see you there.

Good Shooting,

Bill Gravatt
President – Sinclair International, Inc.

Name: Bob Blaine – Senior Reloading Technician

Years Shooting: 50 Years

Years Reloading: 50.5 Years

First Rifle: It was my grandfather’s first rifle that was handed down to me as my first rifle. It is a Winchester Model 2 single shot in .22 Long Rifle. It has since been handed to my nephew as his first rifle. The first rifle that my father gave to me is a Winchester Model 270 pump action in a .22 Long Rifle, and I still shoot this rifle to this day.

First Reloading Press and Dies: My first press was a MEC 310 Super, set up for 12 Gauge that I started with at age 6 1/2. My father would have me sitting on his lap so that I could iron out the case mouths of the paper shot shells that were still being used at that time. The other “important” job that I did to help was to position the “H” wads and the over powder nitro cards so that they could be loaded into position over the powder. Looking back, I would bet that it made a lot of sense to have me do this with my hands being a lot smaller than dads. Just thinking back to those days brings back the great memories that were shared with my father, and the smell of the wax wafting from the ironed hulls. My first reloading press for metallic reloading was a Lyman 310 “nutcracker” and it was set up with .38 Special dies, which is the first metallic cartridge that I learned to reload.

Favorite Cartridge: This is a tough one to answer since all of the cartridges that I shoot are “favorites”. If I have to pick just one, I would have to go with my .243 Ackley Improved. I am getting ready to shoot it with my fifth barrel this coming spring. It is also the cartridge that I used to join the Varmint Hunters 500 yard club while shooting prairie dogs out in North Dakota with my friend, Dick Deutscher.

Favorite Rifle: This would have to be my Ruger M-77V. This was the first rifle that I had bought for myself. It was chambered in .243 Winchester.

Favorite Discipline: This one is a toss up. I love shooting Trap & Skeet and shooting IHMSA with handguns. I used to shoot a lot of Trap & Skeet with my dad while I was going to college and where I had been working part time at the local Winchester Gun Club. I love shooting IHMSA for the challenge of shooting handguns at extended ranges.

Favorite Shooting Memory: This one is easy. It would be the time that my father came along with me to see his first bench rest match and to see me shooting in it. This was just shortly after I had first started working at Sinclair. This was important to me since I could never compete in physical sports in school due to having had Polio as an infant. My dad did not say much to me at the match other than I needed to pay attention to what I was doing. I never worked my tail off so hard simply because dad was there to critique. Luck was sure with me that day because I managed to win my first bench rest match, as well as setting a 100 yard range record by shooting my first “screamer” group during the match. After I let the last round go and saw that I had kept it in the group, I looked back, and saw dad looking through a spotting scope and he looked at me with the all knowing smile that I had finished the match very well and that he was pleased. Even though he has since left the range, seeing that smile in my mind still makes that day one of the best shooting memories that I will always carry with me.

Accomplishments in Shooting: I like to look at my personal accomplishments in shooting as being able to help others within the sport who have not had the opportunities to learn to enjoy shooting and reloading, the way that I have been able to. It gives me the ability to repay those shooters in my past that would take me under their wing and would not take anything for their efforts to impart knowledge, other than to help you to do well. It gives meaning to the time that my trap coach, Ralph Braden, would say that someone has to “pass the torch” to keep our sport alive.

What do you like about working at Sinclair: I have been at Sinclair for just over 17 years now. I like working at Sinclair since it has given me the opportunity to expand my knowledge of what I know about reloading and shooting, and then use it to help so many of the people that I have had the pleasure of helping over the years while talking on the phones. Working at Sinclair has been like being part of an extended family and for that I am always grateful for working with a great bunch of folks here at Sinclair and that has expanded to being part of the Brownell family. I always look forward to coming into the office every day since I do enjoy talking to all of the folks that call in to give an order or simply need some advice to get through a problem that they are having with their reloading. The Sinclairs, and the Brownells, have been such good people to work for, and with. I have never been able to say this about anywhere else that I have worked in the past. It is great to be treated as “family” by these folks and that is part of the reason that I have been with them so long, and hope to continue as long as they will keep me!

Advice to people new to reloading: This one is pretty simple. Always make sure that you put SAFETY FIRST! Use good old-fashioned common sense. Do not be afraid to ask questions if you are not sure, no matter if it might sound stupid to you. I would rather answer the stupid question because it is being asked. Make sure you have fun and enjoy what you are doing.

Bob Blaine
Senior Reloading Technician
Sinclair International, Inc.
Certified NRA Metallic Reloading Instructor

I love going to the NRA Annual Meetings every year and this year was no different at the meetings held in Charlotte, North Carolina. The SHOT Show which is dealer oriented is a great show also, but the NRA Exhibition Hall lets you relax and interface with other shooters in a very informal manner. Shooters and hunters attending are predominately from the region where the show is held but many attendees come from much further.

The convention was held in the Charlotte Convention Center in downtown Charlotte which is really a beautiful downtown area. The NASCAR Hall of Fame was right next door to the convention center and was visited by many of the attendees. Attending the NRA Annual meetings as an exhibitor requires a long day but an attendee has an equally long day with trying to see all the exhibitors (over 400), attending special seminars, and attending some of the evening festivities.

The Sinclair booth was right up front with some of our neighbors being Lyman, Brownells, and MEC Reloading. Berger Bullets were right down the aisle and Hornady was right around the corner so we had a lot of friends nearby. We had a lot of visitors to our booth with Saturday being the big day as usual. This year we had even more visitors interested in learning about reloading and wanting to know how to get started. The last two years we have setup a demonstration table showing the basic steps of metallic cartridge reloading – sizing, priming, powder dispensing, and bullet seating. People thinking about getting into reloading find it helpful to see the process demonstrated and most of the time we have them go through the steps themselves. The most rewarding time is when we get to show a younger shooter a little about what it takes to make up a loaded round – they always enjoy working the press.

The NRA Annual Meetings are a great way for shooters and hunters to see first hand the guns and gear they have read about in magazines and the internet. In today’s world we rely on catalogs and websites to show us the tools we need for our hobby but there is nothing like getting to pick up the tools and see how they work. Visitors comment that it is one of the most satisfying parts about visiting the NRA Show and the Sinclair booth. They get to handle the firearms that they have been considering buying, try out many of the tools, and talk to many of the people that are legends in the business.

Pete Brownell, the president of Brownells, Inc. (Sinclair is part of the Brownell family of companies), was inducted as a member of the NRA Board of Directors during the week. Congratulations Pete! The NRA Board of Directors have a really long week being there for all of the festivities throughout the week, and then they remain for at least two days after the show for their own business meetings.

All of us at Sinclair will be looking forward to the next NRA Annual Meetings to be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the end of April, 2011. The last time we were in Pittsburgh we had a really good crowd and expect the same in 2011. Hope you get a chance to visit the show sometime.

Good Shooting,

Bill Gravatt
President – Sinclair International, Inc.

Check your mailbox for our new 2010 Spring Flyer the next few days. Or, if you’re too impatient to wait for the mail, download your 2010 Spring Flyer here. We’ve added hundreds of new products this spring and plan to continue expanding our offerings at our customer’s request. Please keep your product suggestions pouring in to our Reloading Technicians.

Our guys in the manufacturing division have been working long hours and have recently developed some great new products such as the Sinclair Competition Shooting Rest, and the Sinclair Stainless Ultimate Trimmer.

The Sinclair Competition Shooting Rest was a culmination of years of competition shooting experience – both our employees and customers. We incorporated the best design ideas, materials, and craftsmanship to create a shooting platform that rivals any unit on the market today. It utilizes a 1” thick steel base plate, ambidextrous windage design, and enough adjustments to accommodate shooters of nearly any discipline. Because of the unit’s massive 30 pound weight, we machined a built-in handle for easy transport.

The Sinclair Stainless Ultimate Trimmer has been a request from the accuracy crowd for quite some time. The unique design of the L.E Wilson trimmer has always been one of their favorites. Easy set-up, fast, simple, and always trimming case after case to exacting tolerances. However, the carbon steel materials used for manufacturing the trimmer make its maintenance a front and center issue. Otherwise, without careful attention, you’ll begin to see rust in some areas – an enemy of all our reloading tools. Problem solved with the Stainless Steel construction of the new Ultimate Trimmer.

We have a huge number of other new product offerings and special pricing in the 2010 Spring Flyer from manufacturers such as Hornady, Nosler, Nikon, Burris, Edgewood, Accurate, and more. Products include ammunition, shot shell reloading, powder, optics, cleaning, etc. Remember, keep those suggestions coming so that we may continue to expand our product categories and meet all of your reloading and shooting needs.

Click to browse the online pdf version of our 2010 Sinclair Spring Flyer

5/10/2010-  We are proud to announce that Sinclair International is the exclusive source of the Berger .338  300 Grain Match Hybrid bullet through May! Sinclair International has been Berger’s technical supporting partner for over a year, conducting the Berger phone tech service.  Starting about year ago, there has been much talk and excitement in the long range community about a super high ballistic coefficient .338 bullet coming out of Berger’s Fullerton, Ca. facility.  The web forums were buzzing about this mythical bullet, and our reloading technicians and Berger’s tech line were flooded with calls inquiring about the timing and release of it.  It is now here!!!

The first of Berger’s .338 bullet line up that is available is the new 300 grain Match Hybrid.  To explain what a “Hybrid” design is, according to Berger’s Master Bullet Smith, Eric Stecker;  “Our hybrid bullets combine a tangent ogive and a secant ogive to produce the highest possible BC with the least sensitivity to seating depth essentially giving the shooter the best of both designs.”

This Bullet has an overall length of 1.820”, with a bearing surface of .550”.  With a sectional density of .375, and a G1 BC of .891 (G7 .455), this bullet will shoot flat and buck the sharpest of winds better than anything else in a standard jacketed bullet available before!  A 1-10” twist or faster barrel is needed to stabilize these long sleek projectiles.  With many opting to chamber their rifles in .338 caliber magnums for long range accuracy, this bullet can make a large difference in overall accuracy and performance.  This first addition to the Berger .338 caliber line-up is designated as a match bullet with a slightly thicker jacket than the soon to be released hunting bullets in this caliber.

In a .338 Lapua Magnum shooting these bullets at 2750 FPS the below information from Berger’s Ballistic Software (download for free at www. bergerbullets.com) reflects expected drop and wind drift with a zero at 300 yards and a 10MPH 3 O’ Clock crosswind.  Impressive to say the least!

They are available in 50 count and 250 count boxes. Our part numbers are 18-33401 for the 50 count ($34.50), and 18-33701 for the 250 count ($164.99). Keep posted for announcements on the future additions to the Berger .338 Family!

Our certified reloading technicians can answer any of your questions on these bullets. (800-717-8211). We are also proud that our tech staff also answers the Berger tech line calls. Load data is in the works, and will be available shortly.

If you have been playing around with a .338 and want to maximize the overall accuracy and performance, these bullets could be your answer! Give them a shot! Additional information, ballistic information, and a free software download may be found at www.bergerbullets.com. A video with Eric Stecker describing the bullet’s development, and a detailed article by Ballistician Bryan Litz are available on the home page.

Good Shooting!

Pete Petros
Lead Reloading Technician
Sinclair International