This is the second issue of the Nationa14-H Shooting Sports Newsletter for State 4-H Shooting Sports Contacts. We hope that this Newsletter will provide up to date and timely information that will help you to be better informed about the program. We invite your ideas and suggestions for the newsletter, and encourage you to submit articles of interest concerning the program.
Ken Sabo, Guest Editor
4-H and NRA – A Winning Combination
By David Kulivan The National Rifle Association of America has a long history of working closely with numerous youth organizations. NRA's support includes material and staff assistance for projects, programs, and activities provided through the Education & Training Division as well as financial backing from the NRA Foundation, Inc. NRA is there to provide the tools, resources, and knowledge that these organizations need to facilitate success in their programs and ensure their solvency in-the future.
Perhaps no other organization has benefited from this partnership more than 4-H. NRA's dedicated staff have assisted with training 4-H leaders from across the country in the knowledge and skills they need to effectively instruct youth in preparation for 4-H Shooting Sports, including the new Reloading curriculum. Members of 4-H groups also enjoy a 4- H/NRA Postal Match program in Sporting Clays, 3-Position Smallbore Rifle, Air Rifle and .22 pistol. To learn more about this program, contact Dian Coleman in NRA's Competitive Shooting Division at (703) 267-1482.
Safety, education, and training are of particular importance to the NRA. We recognize that 4-H serves as an important conduit in developing these essential life skills in young people. NRA is very proud of this partnership and the valuable role it plays in promoting firearm safety, education, and the shooting sports.
NRA has also been instrumental in helping fund the activities of 4-H. Through the NRA Foundation, Inc. we have provided over $2 million in support of 4-H educational programs and continue to contribute more money to local 4-H groups than any other organization. For the year 2001 alone, 4.H was awarded more than $600,000 in grants through the NRA Foundation, Inc. If you would like to learn more about NRA's work with 4-H or how you can apply for an NRA Foundation, Inc. Grant, call NRA Youth Programs Department at 703-267- 1550.
NRA has been the largest single financial contributor to 4-H Shooting Sports and we anticipate more productive years of cooperative efforts between our organizations. At both the national and local level. the NRA and 4-H are a winning combination.
SCHOLASTIC CLAY TARGET PROGRAM
by Jim Smith The exciting and fast-paced shotgun sports are steeped in tradition and history. The first mention of trapshooting as a sport is found in a circa 1793 English publication titled "Sporting Magazine," but the sport predates this and is probably as old as shooting itself. As shooting developed, so did the interest in sport shooting, with targets mimicking the action of a freshly flushed pheasant or a -darting, diving dove. This search for an exciting pastime led to the development of three popular sports, trap, skeet, and sporting clays.
In America, the oldest organized shotgun sport is trap, which is governed by the Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA). Trap offers competitors the thrill of a five-position, multi-yardage event. Trap shooters celebrate their national championships at the Grand American World Trapshooting Championships each August, a 10-day event that attracts some 6,000 men, women and youth each year. "The Grand" is the largest and most renowned shooting tournament in the nation.
Skeet was developed in the 1920's in Andover, Massachusetts, by a small group of upland game hunters as a means of practicing their wing shooting. This eight-station, two-launching house event offers shooters the chance to shoot up to four different gauge shotguns. The National Skeet Shooting Association (NSSA) oversees the sport and activities at more than 1,000 affiliated shooting facilities.
Introduced in the United States in the early 1980's, Sporting Clays is commonly referred to as "golf with a shotgun." Targets simulate the flight of different game species such as teal, dove, quail, pheasant and bouncing rabbit, and competitors walk from shooting station to shooting station. The governing body of Sporting Clays is the National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA), which has almost 15,000 members nationwide.
All three are challenging, exciting sports for all ages and can be shot on an equal basis by participants of any stature, as well as the physically challenged.
To build upon this great shooting sports tradition, the Board of Directors of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has established the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP). Joining NSSF in this nationwide effort is the ATA, NSSA and the NSCA and their affiliated state associations, as well as state wildlife and natural resources agencies from across the country.
The Scholastic Clay Target Program offers middle school, junior high and high school-age youth an opportunity to enjoy the excitement of breaking clay targets with a shotgun in a safe and positive environment. The program has three primary goals:
Firearm Safety- The safe handling and use of firearms is a major program focus. Basic knowledge of safety and proper handling and storage is stressed.
Character Development-Team sports have long been known to mold youth into solid citizens. This program stresses the importance of commitment, responsibility, leadership, teamwork, self-confidence and self-discipline to both individual and team success.
Lifetime Sport- The Scholastic Clay Target Program offers a level playing field for all ages and both genders. There are rewards for those who seek competition as well as for those who prefer the recreation and social aspects.
The Scholastic Clay Target Program-A Benefit To All The Scholastic Clay Target Program provides middle, junior high and high school-age youth with the opportunity to participate in a supervised shooting sports program that emphasizes safety and skill development in clay target shooting. The program focuses on teaching sound shooting fundamentals and instilling a safe and responsible attitude towards firearms.
How The Program Works-
Teams:
All SCTP participants must be members of a team. A team consists of five or more members and a minimum of one adult coach. The team approach promotes a positive way for youth to work together to reach a common goal.
Participants may enter and compete from clubs, schools, churches, youth
organizations, or may form a team of at least five interested local individuals.
All middle, junior high and senior high school students in grades 6-12 that have not reached the age of 20 are eligible.
Team goals are placed above individual achievements.
Teams enter one of two SCTP divisions: The Junior Division for 6th, 7th and 8th grades, or the Senior Division for 9th through 12th grades in trap, skeet or sporting clays.
All team members must be registered with the Scholastic Clay Target Program. Once a youth is registered with a team, the participant must shoot for that team only during the current SCTP target year.
Teams will be classified in one of two categories within each division, Novice or Experienced. An individual, who has never shot registered targets in the discipline for which he or she is entered, will be classified as a Novice. Participants, who have previously shot registered targets in the discipline for which he or she is entered, will be classified as Experienced. Squads of five shooters entered in SCTP competitions having not more than one member classified as Experienced may shoot in the Novice Team Category. Squads with two or more members classified in the Experienced Category must shoot in the Experienced Team Category. The purpose for these categories is to allow teams with similar skill and experience levels to compete with one another on a more equal footing.
There can be no "blending" of team members or choosing "all-star" teams at the state or national championships.
Organizations may sponsor as many teams as they wish.
Coaches:
Coaches from sponsoring clubs organize and promote the team concept by stressing safety and good sportsmanship.
The NSSF conducts periodic coaching clinics across the country to enhance the skills and abilities of SCTP coaches.
State & National Events:
All SCTP State Championship and National SCTP Championship events are 200-target matches. In Trap, the event is a 16-yard singles competition governed by ATA rules. In Skeet, the event is a 200-target competition governed by NSSA rules. However, in Sporting Clays there may be an exception due to the amount of time required to complete the course of fire. The State Championship can range from 100 - 200-target events on a walk-through sporting clays course, a 5 stand course or a combination of the two. The National Championship will be a 200-target match, split between a walk-through and 5 stand course.
State-level competition will be conducted by the state's Trap, Skeet or Sporting Clays association which will run the State SCTP Championship during its annual state shoot or with approval by SCTP officials at a shoot specifically designated for the SCTP State Championship in each discipline.
Team members at their State SCTP Championship do not have to shoot on the same squad. However, it is recommended that teams stay together to enhance to teamwork concept they have developed during the shooting season. Team members must shoot together as a five-person squad at the SCTP Championships.
Additionally, local and regional SCTP competitions will be encouraged in order to provide all participants with the opportunity to hone their shotgun shooting skill in a competitive environment.
Junior and Senior division teams that win their state SCTP competition in Trap will be invited to attend the Grand American National World Trapshooting Championship to represent their state in that SCTP National Championship. State Skeet and Sporting Clays teams that win their state SCTP events in those disciplines will be invited to the Scholastic Clay Target Skeet & Sporting Clays National Championship. Winning state teams, in the Experienced Category, will be awarded travel scholarships by the NSSF to help offset the cost of attending the National Championships.
Club Support From NSSF:
The National Shooting Sports Foundation and its supporters make available a limited number of Program Support Packages to clubs sponsoring SCTP teams. Each package may include hearing and eye protection, shell pouches, ammunition and clay targets. These Program Support Packages are provided to clubs expressly for the purpose of introducing new shooters to the shotgun sports.
For current Support Package information go to the SCTP Web site at www.nssf/SCTP.
All registered SCTP competitors will also receive a specially designed "Field of Dreams" T-shirt and SCTP cap.
Clubs sponsoring SCTP teams will have the opportunity to participate the nationally recognized STEP OUTSIDE program, one of the shooting sports industry's premier recruitment programs. For more information about STEP OUTSIDE go to www.stepoutside.org.
REALIZE YOUR "FIELD OF DREAMS"
Access your "Field Of Dreams" by going to the NSSF home Web page at www.nssf.org and clicking on the SCTP icon. There you will be able to access additional information about the Scholastic Clay Target Program, register your team on line and download the Parental Consent Forms for the program.
You may also write, phone, fax or e-mail for an information packet that includes everything necessary to register a team. Contact:
Scholastic Clay Target Program
National Shooting Sports Foundation
11 Mile Hill Road
Newtown, CT 06470-2359
Phone: 203-426-1320
Fax: 203-426-1245
E-mail: smoore@nssf.org
Welcome to a new shooting sports opportunity that provides the beginning to a lifetime of enjoyment in the clay target sports.
FIELD & STREAM ANNOUNCES SECOND ANNUAL YOUNG WRITERS CONTEST
Complete 2002 Contest Details in the April Issue New York, NY, March 15,2002 - Field & Stream's Second Annual Young Writers Contest will be announced with the April issue. The essay competition, which is open to young men and women between 13 and 18 years of age, is designed to help young writers practice their craft and explore the larger role of the outdoor sports, this time through the subject: "My best day in the woods or on the water." The magazine's editors will select the winning essay, and the winner will have his or her essay published in a future issue of Field & Stream and receive $1,000.
"The response to last year's contest was inspiring," said Slaton White, Editor of Field & Stream. "We are not only encouraging the tradition of great outdoor writing, but also providing a forum for the next generation of hunters and anglers to express their passion for the outdoors."
The Field & Stream Young Writers Contest is open to U.S. residents between the ages of 13 and 18 years of age, with entrants not older than 18 on September 1,2002. No purchase is necessary to enter. Field & Stream's editors will select the winning essay within 90 days after the contest ends and will be evaluated equally on creativity, ' presentation, and marketability. The winning essay will be published in a future issue of Field & Stream (to be determined by Field & Stream) and the writer of that essay will receive $1,000.
All entries must be typed, double-spaced, on 8.5 x 11 -inch paper, using only one side of the paper, and must include the writer's name, address, telephone number, and proof of age (copy of birth certificate, driver's license or passport). One entry accepted per
person. Each entry must be original, non-published work, written in English, and the contest must be appropriate for a national magazine, as determined by the editors of Field & Stream.
Entries should be mailed to: Field & Stream Young Writers Contest, 2 Park Ave., New York, NY 10016 and must be postmarked by September 1,2002. Employees of AOL Time Warner Inc. and affiliated companies and members of those employees' immediate families are not eligible. Winning constitutes rights (except where prohibited by law) to use the winner's entry, name, hometown and likeness for purposes of advertising and promotion on behalf of Field & Stream without further compensation. The winner will
be notified by mail within two weeks of the selection of the winning essay, and must sign and return an affidavit or eligibility and release of liability before the prize can be awarded. Parents or guardians are responsible for completing the affidavit and release for any winner who may be a minor. All taxes are the responsibility of the winner and his or her family. Any claims relating to this contest shall be governed by New York law without regard to its conflict of law, rules, and any such claim must be heard in New York.
To read more about Field & Stream and the Young Writers Contest visit the web site at www.fieldandstream.com.
Field & Stream is published by Time4 Media, the world's leading publisher of leisure-time magazines. Time4 is a subsidiary of Time Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL
Time Warner. (NYSE: AOL).
Contact:
Stephan Pechdimaldji
212-779-5527
stephan.echdimaldji@time4.com
2002 Certified Instructor & Fund Raising Firearms Program Featuring Traditions Performance Firearms by Clay Games Inc.
By Joel Werner
Instructors Firearms Program
The intent of this program is to put high quality Firearms in the hands of qualified
Instructors at a reasonable price. This program i8 offered only to current IHEA. 4H, FFA, BSA & NRA Certified Instructors. Firearms in this program are limited to ~ of each model per
year per Instructor All orders must be prepaid and include a current copy of the instructors certification and a current FFL of a dealer that will accept the shipment.
Traditions SA210102 AL$ 2100 12 GA 28” Full Size Semi-Auto Shotgun $340.90
Traditions SA210100 ALS 2100 12 GA 24” Youth Model Semi-Auto Shotgun $340.
Traditions SA210200 ALS 2100 20 GA 24” Youth Model Semi-Auto Shotgun $340.90
Traditions AB8101228 ALS 2100 12 GA 28” Extra Barrel $120.90
Traditions SA21110211 ALS 2100 12 GA Hunter Combo 28” VR/24”RS Slug $439.90
Traditions SA21110221 ALS 2100 12 GA Hunter Combo 28” VR/24”Cant. Slug $450.90
Traditions Field Hunter O/U 12 GA 28" Shotgun $560.90
Traditions Field Hunter O/U 20 GA 26” Shotgun $560.90
Traditions S08221280 Sporting Clays II O/U 12 GA 28” Shotgun $798.50
NSSF Scholastic Clay Target Program This program will allow a registered Scholastic Clay Target program team purchase up to
6 Traditions ALS or Over & Und. shotgun8 per year at the above prices. NSSF team registration must accompany the order.
Banquet Fund Raising Program
This program will allow any 501 C3 fund raising group to purd1ase up to 1 of each of the above Traditions Firearms at the instructors price per. Copy of registered IRS status must accompany the order.
General requirements:
All orders must be prepaid with Check, VISA or Master Card.
Make checks payable to Clay Games Inc.
Send orders to Clay Games Inc. 55 Lane 240 Big Otter Lake. Fremont, IN 46737
Phone 888-465-CLA Y Fax 260-833-6649
Firearms generally ship within 10-14 working days after receipt of order.
All orders are freight prepaid to an FFL in the USA.
All orders must be shipped to an FFL.
The purchaser must meet all State and Federal firearms purchase requirements.
FFL Transfer fees and taxes are the responsibility of the purchaser.
YOUR 4-H SHOOTING CLUB CAN MAKE MONEY
WITH NO INVESTMENT OR RISK
Sign on today for the Protect What's Right Conservation Sweepstakes. It's your chance to make money for your club and protect our rights to shoot, hunt and fish, with no investment by your organization!
JOIN THE SWEEPSTAKES TODAY
Your only job is to sell tickets and make money.
The price for sweepstakes tickets is $5 each.
Your club keeps 50 Percent of the sweepstakes proceeds to use however you see fit. There's no
investment or risk by your club.
The U. S. Sportsmen's Alliance rounds up all the prizes. They handle all administrative chores - legal research, notification of prize winners, prize distribution, etc.
You just sell tickets to co-workers and friends keeping 50% of the money.
HERE'S HOW THE 2002 PROGRAM WORKS
You will receive promotional flyers, listing all of the fabulous prizes, to use as an aid in selling
tickets. You will also receive full instructional materials to explain the program to your people. . The prize drawing will take place on or about December 28, 2002.
To join, simply fill out the Participation Form on the reverse side. Send it in the envelope
provided as soon as possible. Your sweepstakes materials will be forwarded to you.
GRAND PRIZE: CHEVY SILVERADO 4 X 4 PICKUP!
(2 Year - 24,000 Mile Lease)
OR $10,000 Cash
FIRST PRIZE: $5,000 CASH!
FABULOUS PRIZES SELL TICKETS
Major firms are donating prizes because they know the danger of permitting the anti's to gain a foothold anywhere in the nation. Prizes include guns, binoculars, fishing gear, bows, ammunition, clay target traps and reloading equipment. This year's prize package is the most valuable in years.
Our 4-H club wants to participate in this opportunity. We understand that there is no cost to participate. Send us our 2002 Sweepstakes materials.
Send us 50 books of tickets *
Send us 100 books of tickets *
Send us more than 100 books of tickets *
The following person will be coordinating the sweepstakes program for our club. (U. S. Sportsmen's Alliance will ship all materials to this person. He or she will be responsible for all sweepstakes communication.)
* - Books will contain four tickets each. Price is $5 per ticket.
RETURN THIS FORM TO:
We proudly support Hunter Education and 4-H Shooting Sports
"What's a KaDOOTY ?
- Sam Fadala
"Testing for varying ramrod pressure effect on a load was actually a no-brainer. The key lay in standard deviation from the mean velocity. Standard deviation is a test for variance. A low number is good. A high number is bad. Because black powder is essentially inefficient, standard deviations are normally low for muzzleloaders, with slight differences in the exact powder charge making little difference in overall results. This is easy to understand. Consider Bullseye, a highly efficient smokeless powder. A mere .10 grain can be detected by a chronograph for some loads in certain firearms. On the other hand, black powder pet loads, such as 50.5 grains volume or 60.7, are a joke, because no muzzleloading rifle shoots great with 50.5 volume black powder but is not worth beans with 50.0 volume of the same propellant. The miniscule difference in powder charge is undetectable in either velocity or accuracy.
No chronograph I know of, regardless of quality, can tell the difference between 50.5 volume FFg against 50.0 or 51.0 volume in velocity. Black powder is simply too inefficient for that sort of result to take place, likewise 60.7 volume FFg, 60.0 or 61.0. The smaller the bore size, of course, the greater the sensitivity to minor powder charge alterations. We see this in modern cartridges as well as frontloaders. The .17 Remington is a prime example - small hole in barrel, big difference in velocity per powder charge. Likewise, a .32-caliber muzzleloader is more sensitive to powder charge variation than a .58 caliber, due to far smaller bore volume in the former, far larger in the latter.
Standard deviations in the five to 20 fps range (from the mean or average velocity) for muzzleloaders are relatively common, so why be concerned about varying ramrod pressure and improved results? Isn't that nitpicking? You bet it is, and nitpicking is what really good shooting is all about. Furthermore, standard deviation leaves the realm of nitpicking when ramrod pressure on the load is severely varied. Once again, we turn to modern cartridges for a comparison. The most accurate cartridges we have, across the board, are shorter rather than longer and somewhat on the fat side instead of slender. For supreme accuracy, they do best with 100 percent load density - a case full of powder. Benchresters consider part of the reason for this a matter of powder charge shape.
It's also a product of consistency. Rather than the charge lying in a trough in the case, it takes a specific shape (that of the interior) every time when the case is full. Frontloaders always have 100 percent load density - the powder charge is always compacted in the breech section, pushed into a column by the front-loaded projectile. Inconsistency enters, however, by how that charge is compressed - a little bit, a lot, or worse than either (accuracywise) varied pressure from one load to the next. Also, black powder burns most uniformly when compacted. This does not mean 100 pounds pressure on the loading rod. Since black powder is impact-sensitive, it's possible, at least in theory, to cause combustion through super compaction. I've never heard of this actually happening; however, it could.
As I studied varying loading rod pressure on a powder charge, I found that standard deviation dropped when this pressure was consistent. Conversely, it rose when ramrod pressure was haphazard. This is where the KaDOOTY tool comes in. It was invented by Chriss Pace and Ben Guillory of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Ben is a machinist. Chriss's field is systems analysis. Both are muzzleloader fans who found that varying ramrod pressure could make a difference in velocity consistency. So they set out to make a loading tool that would prevent the problem - a practical device embodying much more than powder charge regulation. It turned out to be the KaDOOTY , so-named because Chriss Pace used that term in place of "thing-a-ma-jig" when he couldn't think of the name of a tool. After the KaDOOTY was independently tested, the name earned a licensed trademark for a new company called KaDOOTY Manufacturing, LLC, and manufacture began in Lake Charles. So what is this new black-powder accessory?
In effect, it's a loading rod, but with a difference. Made of solid brass in the good old U.S.A. by union machinists, it comes as a kit - no, not to be put together like a bicycle from Sears - but five pieces boxed and ready to go to work. Each kit is made up of 16 pieces, including a slide assembly (five of the pieces), three rod sections and couplers, small combo seater, large combo seater, large and small bullet puller and an all-thread adapter. If the KaDOOTY were only a pressure-regulator, it would be good, but it's much more than that, which is better. It's versatile, running 24 inches for revolvers and pistols and 38 to 50 inches for rifles and shotguns.
Plus, there are two different sizes - smallbore and large. The first is called the smallbore KaDOOTY model; the second is the standard. The standard is for calibers .45, .50, .54 and .58, but will work on much larger calibers as well. The other is for .32, .36, .38, .40 and .44. Quality of workmanship is impeccable. What we have here is a sectional brass ramrod with weighted slide-hammer, plus the parts mentioned in general above, which are specifically three rod sections, three rod couplers, the slide (which can also be used as a T-handle), slide rod, bottom stop (one ring), top stop/crossover (10-32, two rings) thumb screw, all- thread ramrod adapter, small combo seater (four grooves), large combo seater (five grooves), small bullet puller and large bullet puller.
In my own tests, completed some time ago, I used several pressure regulators made for me by the late Chuck French, pen pal of many years. I found 45 to 65 pounds workable. Extensive testing by KaDOOTY showed 65 pounds more ideal than higher or lower pressure on the powder charge. I also found 65 pounds about right, although I tested all the way up to 90 pounds. The KaDOOTY slide handle achieves 65 pounds pressure on the charge due to the exact length of the slide rod providing specific " tamp pressure." By using a certain number of tamps, compaction of powder charge is regulated for consistency. Also, if we can believe tests, black powder burns best when under reasonable pressure, so the KaDOOTY should provide an optimum powder burn to promote full velocity from the charge.
Personal shooting tests are still recommended to find how many tamps a certain firearm "likes" best. This can be decided with a chronograph for velocity consistency (standard deviation), but more importantly, I feel, by shooting from the bench for accuracy, keeping careful records of successive targets until a clear group advantage is discovered. Along with these properties, the other aspects of the tool are prudent conical and roundball pulling using the screws provided. The most impressive part of projectile removal is the ease with which this tool does the job, due to design. The shooter doesn't have to be big and strong to extract a loaded projectile. The rod also works in cleaning the firearm after the shooting fun is over. Also, the KaDOOTY does not require a shooter to work over the muzzle, but rather from the side of the barrel.
As an extra, a "haversack" with long strap can be ordered with the KaDOOTY . It's styled after the Civil War model that soldiers carried, and works well as a shooting bag (called a possibles bag these days, although that's the wrong word). The interior of the haversack contains several well-designed pockets that accept KaDOOTY parts, but are also ideal for other accouterments. The container is a foot wide and 15 inches tall; it's made of heavy-duty, water and mildew resistant cotton canvas, and it closed with buttons. The haversack is also made in the U.S.A. There's a smaller "scabbard", 15 inches high but only 5 inches wide. It's ideal for holding the parts of the KaDOOTY compactly and intact. It's made of the same material as the haversack.
Impressively, the KaDOOTY was independently tested by the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, Louisiana. The work was supervised by Dr. Janardanan Uppot. Dr. Uppot's "Summary and Conclusions" stated that "using the recommended tamps from the table will provide near optimum compression and inevitably an efficient powder burn. As compared to the ramrod, the KaDOOTY did prove to be the superior method of achieving consistent blackpowder compression. Aside from consistent powder compression, the KaDOOTY also was effective as a projectile-extracting device."
The company offers a lifetime replacement warranty based on reasonable shooter care and employment of the tool. "Should any part break of fail due to poor workmanship or material flaws, all you have to do is return the damaged part(s) to us and we will send you new ones." If an individual part is lost, it can be purchased separately. That's clear enough. Now, what does this multi-tool cost? The multi-life-time KaDOOTY runs $150. It's one of those accouterments that you buy once and forget about replacing it - ever.
For more information write to KaDOOTY Manufacturing, 842 S. Tamela Dr., Lake Charles, LA 70605." - Sam Fadala
RIFLE Sporting Firearms Journal
July 1998
Volume 30, #4 (#178)
Pages 64, 65, 66, 67
Section - PRODUCT TESTS
Article by, Sam Fadala
Information - info@kadooty.com KaDOOTY Products - P.O. Box 4682 - Lake Charles, LA 70606 Phone - 337.562.9008 | Fax - 337.477.7502
Toll-Free Order Line - 1.888.TRU-SHOT (1.888.878.7468)
