Calling all Jewish Archers!

This week I received an email from the Israel Archery Association. Please read their message below. If you know of any Jewish archers interested in getting archery back into the Maccabiah games, please contact them! I would also be interested in adding them to the blog along with our rifle and pistol athletes. Here is the message:

Archery in 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel?

Tel-Aviv June 2011

Shalom!

Every four years, the Maccabiah Games are held in Israel. They are the world´s largest and best Jewish athletic competition, drawing participants from every corner of the globe and in a great variety of sports, in an impressive display of Jewish unity and spirit.

Thus far, archery has not been included in the Maccabiah Games due to an insufficient number of participants. We, members of the Israeli Archery Association, have decided to remedy the situation and have our beloved sport included in the 2013 Games. In order to do so, at least four national teams of three-four archers must apply for participation no later than July 2012. To this end, we are seeking active Jewish archers throughout the world.

If you are an active Jewish archer and are interested in representing your country in this event, please contact us at archery.maccabiah@gmail.com.

We hope you will join us in helping Jewish and Israeli archery achieve the recognition it deserves.

Sincerely,

The Israel Archery Association

Black Hawk Bagel Boys Set to Storm Camp Perry

The NRA and CMP National Matches are fast approaching. Last year, we saw Jessica Levine do an awesome job representing the tribe in 3-position small bore. This year, we may be in for a special treat, as announced by Hap Rocketto:

Among the Black Hawk Rifle Club team entries planned for the 2011NRA Smallbore Rifle Prone Championships Perry will be a team named The Black Hawk Bagel Boys.

Organized by “Reb” Randy Schwartz, the entire cadre of the Chosen People who inhabit the Black Hawk Rifle Club membership rolls will compete as a team. The following Black Hawk kosher kids; Dennis Lindenbaum, Randy Schwartz, Don Lerner, Eitan Baranzani, Steve Rocketto and Hap Rocketto are penciled in for this event. Larry Hoffman will be Head of the Bagel Boys Lox Box (Peanut Gallery to the Gentiles) at Perry.

We believe that this is the first time a team composed entirely of the Sons of Abraham has competed for the Black Hawks and at Camp Perry.

There is some scuttlebutt that they may need a replacement shooter. If you know a great Jewish small bore prone shooter, let me know at jewishmarksman@gmail.com and I'll pass the word.

Leo Bletnitsky: President of the Las Vegas Jewish Shooting and Cigar Club

Today's interview is with Leo Bletnitsky, founder of the Las Vegas Shooting and Cigar Club. His club is the second I know of, with a very similar Jewish shooting club in Detroit. Below you can learn about Leo and his new club. We wish him good luck!

1. Where did you grow up, and where do you live now?

I grew up in San Francisco, college in San Diego and now live in Las Vegas.

2. What do you do for a living?

I’m an IT consultant for medical offices and small/medium companies. I am also a part-time Deputy Constable.

3. Who introduced you to firearms? How old were you the first time you went shooting?

My father and a friend of the family when I was 14.

4. Are you involved in any shooting sports? What shooting sports have you competed in? Have you earned any awards or classifications?

I have not competed other than with friends. Mostly with hand guns.

5. What do Jewish family members and friends think about your shooting?

Most are either curious or positive. A few have an issue, but they are not close friends so it does not matter.

6. What do you like most about shooting and the shooting sports?

It’s both challenging and useful at the same time.

7. Do you have any goals right now in shooting?

Just to continue improving marksmanship, both accuracy and speed.

8. What prompted you to start the Las Vegas Jewish Shooting and Cigar Club? How did you come up with the idea?

I am the president of the Las Vegas RJC Chapter and wanted to do something that would appeal to the whole community, and to enhance the ability of Jews to defend themselves and maybe that empowerment would counteract the strong liberal leanings in the community. I spoke to a friend who was a member in Detroit of a similar club and we decided to move forward. I spoke to some community leaders and all except one where supportive.

9. What are the goals of the club?

1. Create greater comfort for Jews with Guns and gun ownership.
2. Create a social outlet for enthusiasts.
3. Create new gun enthusiasts.
4. Increase gun safety for people in the community.
5. Child Safety programs.
6. Move people on the left a bit toward the center by turning something they fear into something they enjoy and respect.

10. Has there been a meeting yet? How did it go?

We had our 1^st meeting on May 16^th at an Orthodox Shule. We had about 50 people attend and all are eager to move forward. Many others apologized for missing it due to scheduling conflicts.

11. Have you "converted" any Jews into gun owners or shooters? Any interesting stories to tell about with that?

Not yet, but I’m actively working on it.

12. Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers?

Firearms are the great equalizer. They give a small woman the ability to resist a large attacker and just imagine what the Warsaw Ghetto would have been like if all the Jewish families had been armed either in the Ghetto, or before they were relocated. The world is often a dangerous place for Jews especially, and it is each person’s job to defend themselves and their family!In addition to the above, shooting is a lot of fun!

13. If someone is interested in your club, how can they learn more about it?

They can go to http://www.LVJCSC.com or Like us on Facebook
We are still working on improving the web site, as time permits.

Alan Ballew - Jewish Marksman

Using google searches, I sometimes come across Jewish shooters who have left this earth, and their passion for shooting sports was strong enough that their families felt it worthy of mention in their obituary. As I find them, I will schedule them in advance to post on the shooter's yahrzeit. I think these obituaries are interesting, because they show that Jews from all walks of life can have an interest in shooting sports.

Below is the obituary of Alan Ballew, who "attended Murray State University and was an award-winning marksman on the MSU rifle team:

Tuesday, 6/8/2004 - 19 Sivan 5764

Alan Ballew, 62, of Fairfield, California, passed away Monday, May 31, 2004, while at work. He was born in Malden, MA, and grew up in Paducah, Kentucky, where the family settled in his childhood. He attended Murray State University and was an award-winning marksman on the MSU rifle team. Mr. Ballew served honorably in the United States Army. He had been an active member of Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis, MO, holding various offices in the brotherhood.

He was preceded in death by his father, J.E. Ballew, and a brother, Leonard Ballew.He is survived by his beloved wife, Phyllis Crider Ballew; a son, David Ballew, daughter-in-law, Mary, and granddaughter, Paulena, all of St. Louis; a daughter,Jennifer Ballew of Vacaville, CA; his mother, Elsie Ballew of Louisville and formerly of Paducah; brothers, Ervin Ballew of Dallas, TX, and Michael Ballew of St. Louis; sisters, Suzanne Ballew of Chicago, IL, and Dr. Laurie Ballew of Louisville; and many nieces and nephews. Other survivors in Kentucky include his mother-in-law, Margaret Crider, and brothers-in-law and their wives, Carroll and Fay Crider and Allen and Karen Parrent.

His funeral service was held Thursday, June 3, 2004, at Bryan-Baker Funeral Home in Fairfield, with Rabbi Steve Vale officiating. A graveside service and burial will be held at 11 a.m. today (Tuesday), June 8, 2004, at Temple Israel Cemetery in Paducah.

Dan Lederman: Jewish Pro-2nd Amendment Politician (and Marksman)

Over the weekend, the Jerusalem Post did a piece on Dan Lederman, a Jewish, Republican state legislator in South Dakota who strongly supports Israel. I did a little research, and it turns out Lederman is very pro-2nd Amendment, and the NRA has given him a Defender of Freedom Award. He is quoted on his website:

“I am grateful the NRA awarded me an A+ rating. It is an affirmation of my firm belief and the belief of Second Amendment supporters across the state that our constitutional right to bear arms must be protected. This rating could not be timelier as pheasant season opens on October 16th. In time honored tradition, tens of thousands of South Dakota residents and hunters from around the country will travel across the state to exercise their Second Amendment freedoms. ... There is still more work to do to protect the Second Amendment, [r]ecent Supreme Court rulings in Heller and McDonald have laid the groundwork for states to reform laws to bring them in line with these rulings. If elected to the State Senate, I intend to bring forward a bill that would allow law abiding individuals to keep a fire arm in their locked vehicle while parked in an employer’s parking lot. Gun owners and gun rights proponents continue to be supportive of these efforts. Citizens’ Second Amendment rights should not be checked at the entrance to an employers’ parking lot.”

Dan Lederman seems like my kind of politician...pro-Israel and pro-Second Amendment....what more can conservative Jews ask for? It is great to see his success in a state with a small Jewish community, and hopefully someday soon we'll see him on the national scene. (I don't know much about his background in shooting sports, although the photo above at least proves he's gone shooting at least once!)

For my growing list of prominent Jews who support the Second Amendment, click here.

Remembering Jewish Troops on Memorial Day

"Men sleep peacefully in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."-George Orwell

Tomorrow is a day we remember and honor all of the troops in the US Armed Forces who have given their lives for all of our freedoms (including the right to bear arms...). If you are so inclined to pay special homage and support to our Jewish troops their are a few web sites you might want to check out:

Jewish War Veterans of the US (http://www.jwv.org/)

This organization once published a book called "Jews in American Wars," and I was lucky to find a copy recently. It covers Jewish service from the Revolution forward, a great read if you can find it! They also have a newsletter with great historical entries, and a recent edition identifies Jewish soldiers fallen in our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Kosher Troops Care packages to US Jewish Soldiers (http://www.koshertroops.com/index.html)

National Museum of American Jewish Military History (http://www.nmajmh.org/)

Jews in Green (http://www.jewsingreen.com/)

May G-d bless our troops.

Jewish Marksmen Need to Take a Stand

The primary focus of this blog is Jews who participate in shooting sports. There are other organizations with web sites that focus on gun rights, notably Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JFPO), so as a rule I try to avoid duplicating their efforts.

I need to make an exception to that rule and inform my readers about a controversy that has arisen in the most gun-unfriendly state in the Union, my native state of Illinois. The controversy was caused by the graphic above which was used by a gun rights group. In case you cannot clearly read the text, on the left it says, "Armed people fly their colors," and on the right it reads, "Disarmed, victims wear them." Apparently, the anti-gun crowd finds the graphic offensive. In fact, our fellow landsman, Illinois state senator Ira Silverstein had this to say: “It offended not only me but a lot of Jewish individuals and non-Jewish individuals who know the history of the Holocaust. [This group] should think before they print these things.”

Rabbi Dovid Bendory has written a letter to Mr. Silverstein, wherein he criticizes Silverstein's viewpoint (link at http://jpfo.org/rabbi/rabbi-silverstein-letter.htm). I strongly urge you to read Rabbi Bendory's letter to Silverstein, which also gives a little more of the background, and links to the newspaper article that kicked things off.

I strongly agree with Rabbi Bendory. Like Bendory, I am disappointed and ashamed that a fellow Jew like Silverstein learned nothing from the history and events that lead to the Holocaust. Note that Silverstein's quote says it offended "individuals who know the history of the Holocaust," not that Silverstein actually confirmed that any Holocaust survivors are actually offended by it. To borrow from Reagan, "the trouble with our gun-fearing Jewish friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so."

If you would like to write to Silverstein and express your views, his email address seems to be silverstein@senatedem.state.il.us It is important that we take a stand.

Robert Farago - (Best) Gun Blogger

Some time ago I discovered thetruthaboutguns.com blog, and it has quickly become my favorite destination for intelligent and honest discussion on most things gun-related. The Truth About Guns (TTAG) has a broad view of firearms, which I find refreshing. TTAG's blog posts are presented as point of view, as opposed to point of fact. So unlike most other gun blogs, TTAG does not suffer from annoying self-righteousness and self-certainty that makes other gun blogs unreadable.

After noticing a few passing references to Judaism, I began to wonder if TTAG's main editor was Jewish. As it turns out, Robert Farago, TTAG's Managing Editor and Publisher is indeed a member of the tribe. He graciously agreed to participate in a Q & A exchange about himself and his blog:

1. Where did you grow up, and where do you live now?

I grew up in Providence, RI. I live in Providence, RI. In between the two, I've lived in Boston, Atlanta and various parts of southern England.

2. What motivated you to start your blog, thetruthaboutguns.com? What motivates you to keep doing it? Are there any particular goals for the blog?

I started TTAG to combine my passion for writing and shooting (though not both at the same time). I did so after I sold my website www.thetruthaboutcars.com to a corporate conglomerate that had no more interest in nurturing artistic talent than raising ferrets (despite their ferret-like behavior). I'm motivated by OCD, low self-esteem, an inflated ego, a wicked sense of humor, a hatred for lousy editors and a love of the the truth. My goal for the blog is to A) make money for myself and my writers and B) reach 1m unique viewers per month to achieve A.

3. Who introduced you to firearms? How old were you the first time you went shooting?

I introduced myself to firearms. Hello firearms. Nice to meet you. I put the bullets where? Seriously, I just decided to take it up at the ripe old age of 50. OK, 51. I'd shot some as a kid. Plinking with a friend who had a gun. Hunted ducks with my Dad. Once. But it never really "took" until I started the website and got into the tactical and political aspects.

4. Are you involved in shooting sports? What shooting sports have you competed in? Have you earned any awards or classifications?

I've got no time for formal competition; I'm something of a Mr. Mom as well as a blogger. I take as much training as possible and shoot at least three times a week. Mostly defensive handgun (MOVE!) but also shotgun and rifle.

5. What do Jewish family members and friends think about your affinity for guns and your blog?

My Mom is a typical jewish liberal. But she's old enough now where she doesn't really care as long as I don't put on too much weight (go figure). My U.S.-based kids go to a Quaker school that preaches non-violence. Naturally, we have a semi-secret militia. Lots of parents shoot. As for my friends, they're all gun nuts too. Either that or they're not my friends, as I tend to be both reclusive and monomaniacal.

6. Have you “converted” any Jews to gun ownership? Any interesting stories about that?

I've certainly renewed some of my Jewish friends' acquaintance with firearms. They hadn't shot in years before I got them back to the range. There was one gentlemen who said he'd never fire a gun at another human being. After two targets, I put up a human silhouette. He drilled center mass and we talked about the difficulty of doing it in the heat of the moment. He now keeps a Kimber by his bed.

7. Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers?

I am the son of a Holocaust survivor. I am deeply shamed by the gun control perpetuated by Jewish politicians. They are our own worst enemies. God directs that we should defend our lives. To remove the single most effective instrument of that defense from ourselves and our people is to affront God with our ignorance and stupidity. This is the single most important issue we will ever face. Do not vote for any Jewish politician who favors gun control.

Go check out Robert and the other authors over at thetruthaboutguns.com. I have also added him to my list of prominent Jews who support the Second Amendment.

Marty Goodman - Jewish Marksman

This article is hopefully the first of many where I let Jewish marksmen tell us about themselves in their own words, prompted along by a few questions I sent over. Marty Goodman contacted me after seeing this blog, and graciously agreed to be the guinea pig. Hopefully some of you that have been on the sidelines will volunteer as well! So without further ado, let's meet Marty!

1. Where did you grow up, and where do you live now?

I was born in Brooklyn, NY Moved to Long Island (Massapequa Park) in 1966, Retired in 2005 and moved to Cookeville, TN.

2. What do you do for a living?

I was a Graphic Artist, Illustrator and Photo Retoucher, I owned my own company "Retouching Graphics, Inc."

3. Who introduced you to firearms? How old were you the first time you went shooting?

I started shooting informally in 1958 at 18 years old, my first rifle was a Enfield Jungle Carbine.
In 1968 I went to the Nassau County range and met a smallbore shooter that had been on the St. John's Rifle Team in college. We stated talking, he invited me to his club meeting, and the rest is history.

4. How did you get involved in shooting sports?

I was a line coach for rifle in the Army, training basic training troops, plus See #3

5. What shooting sports have you competed in? Have you earned any awards or classifications?

I started with smallbore 3 position, air rifle and prone. Made only expert in all 3. I competed in the Maccabiah Games in 1989, (13th)and earned 3 medals. I also shot high power rifle and made master, almost hi-master. I have won numerous awards, too many to count. I have competed at Camp Perry over 30 times, I am going this year also. My highest award and best performance was in the 1000 yard match at Camp Perry, I finished 14th overall out of over 700 entries. I beat many many top shooters. My best achievement is as a coach, I ran and coached the Roslyn Junior Rifle Club over a 30 year period, my goal was to prepare juniors to compete in college. Dozens of my kids competed on top college teams with many getting a scholarship in rifle. All three of my children went to college on a shooting scholarship. My oldest son and daughter went to Tennessee Tech and my middle son went to Jacksonville State University. My oldest son Manny was on the US Rifle Team. Because of a lung problem I can no longer shoot rifle, so I compete in bullseye pistol, tactical matches and SASS cowboy matches. I have numerous NRA, CMP and SASS ratings as instructor, coach and range officer. Shooting has been a major part of my life for 50 years now.

6. What do Jewish family members and friends think about your shooting?

I am very lucky, the largest portion of my family were not liberals, and got a lot of support from them.

7. What do you like most about the shooting sports?

Everything, it builds the best people who lead exceptional lives.

8. Do you have any goals right now in the shooting sports?

My only goal is to keep shooting as long as I can. At my age (over 70 now) goals are hard to achieve. I am in reasonably good physical shape, but age catches up to you. I still work out 3 days a week at the gym. Winning is no longer a need for me, just competing is enough. I also enjoy coaching, teaching and training shooters as much as I can.

9. Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers?

I could never understand why so many Jewish people are such liberals, our enemies know that a majority of Jewish people are against gun ownership. If the Jews in Europe all owned guns, there would be a lot more of us. Long live Israel....

Jewish Marksman Officially a Master

Today I received my Master classification card in NRA High Power Rifle. What's the secret to getting there? The same secret to make it to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, and more practice.

Last weekend I attended an NRA Smallbore Prone match. The match was run by a Jewish marksman, but more on him another time... For a great summary of the sport and its history, check out fellow Jewish marksman Hap Rocketto's piece here.

Smallbore rifle is a new challenge for me in many ways. I thought my prone game was pretty good, typically 97%+ in High Power. Well, it turns out that 97% barely makes the Sharpshooter class in Smallbore Prone, and that's exactly how I shot last weekend. It is also a 160 shot match, shot in 20 minute intervals of 20 shots at 50 yards, 50 meters, and 100 yards. I find it difficult to stay focused for what amounts to a five hour match, particularly when at this club 15 to 20 minute breaks are taken between stages..next time I'll bring something to read between stages!

There is a lot for me to learn and practice to begin to do well. First and foremost, I need to build a good position. Curiously, with the AR-15 service rifle I was able to build a stable prone position very quickly, even though most people don't love its ergonomics. My 9's in prone are usually trigger problems, not hold problems. However, despite my smallbore rifle's adjustable buttstock and comb, I can't get my head in a good, comfortable position, and find myself craning my neck down to see the sights. The result is a stable position for about five or six shots before the discomfort and strain breaks down the position and the hold falls apart. I am pretty sure that sight risers (blocks that allow a shooter to bring the sights up higher above the muzzle) will fix the problem. It stands to reason that the closer I get my smallbore rifle's geometry to my proven comfort behind the AR, the better I'll be. The other issue is a handstop too large for my hand, which becomes quite painful by around the twelfth shot or so. Lastly, I have trouble with the bottom row of targets for some reason.

Anyhow, my goals for the rest of the year will be to make High Master in High Power, and I think Expert in smallbore prone might be doable.

Another High Master Score for the Jewish Marksman

I had a good weekend match, shot 97% on the nose for a High Master score. I did not win the match (came in 3rd), but had a lot of fun because going into the final stage it was anybody's ball game, and the top three shooters were all one point separated from the next.

I also shot a 191 standing, which is a new personal best. If I can get over my start-of-match jitters, which last for about 10 minutes, I think I can improve on that even more....

I even had an alibi string during the match, my rifle jammed during feeding immediately after a magazine change during rapid sitting. I am not sure what happened, probably I did not slam the magazine home hard enough and the problem did not repeat. The situation distracted me a little more than it should have, and I shot a 193 whereas I usually shoot 197 and above for both seated and rapid prone. It carried over into my prone rapid with a 195. I got my act together in slow prone though.

I competed as a Master, even though the NRA still has me classified as a Sharpshooter!

Israeli Ice Hockey Players - Jewish Marksmen?

What does ice hockey have to do with marksmanship? Having played ice hockey as both a youth and adult, I can assure you that shooting a puck past a goalie takes a great deal of precision. A player can make a "wrist shot" with great precision, and also a "slap shot" which can travel over a hundred miles per hour. Either way, a good goalie will only a few inches for the player to hit, so learning to shoot a puck takes the same kind of mental practice and skill as rifle and pistol shooting.

Which brings us to the remarkable recent victories of Israeli youth hockey clubs. Israel's pee wee (11-13 year old) hockey team from Bat Yam won an international tournament in Quebec. Interestingly, as the article points out, many of the kids practice exclusively on roller blades. Another Israeli team from Ma'alot just won big tournament in Ohio, at the highest AAA level.

Mazal tov!

P.S. I think the Israeli national team jersey looks awesome.

Ruth Betty Blum - Collegiate Rifle Champion

Using google searches, I sometimes come across Jewish shooters who have left this earth, and their passion for shooting sports was strong enough that their families felt it worthy of mention in their obituary. As I find them, I will schedule them in advance to post on the shooter's yahrzeit. I think these obituaries are interesting, because they show that Jews from all walks of life can have an interest in shooting sports.

Below is the obituary of Ruth Betty Blum, who "was a champion on the college rifle team during her years at Oshkosh State Teachers College (now the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)":

Ruth Betty Blum

March 18th, 2005

Former longtime Oshkosh resident Ruth Betty Blum (nee Zimmerman) died in her sleep at her Sarasota, Fla., home March 1. She was 82.

Born at her grandparents’ home in Green Bay to Morris and Sarah (Miller) Zimmerman, Blum lived in Oshkosh from the age of six months through most of her life. While growing up, she worked in her family’s store, Zimmerman Clothing, on Main Street.

According to her family, she was a champion on the college rifle team during her years at Oshkosh State Teachers College (now the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh). She graduated with a double major in English and biology, then taught English, biology and driver’s education in Seymour, Wis., for two years.

On July 4, 1947, she married Dr. Harold J. Blum, who died in 1998. During their 51 years of marriage they traveled extensively to Europe, Israel, Mexico, the Far East and through the Panama Canal, among other places. In 1980, they began spending winters on Siesta Key in Sarasota, Fla. In 2001, she moved her summer residence to Monona, Wis.

She was a lifelong member of Congregation B’nai Israel and its Sisterhood, as well as Hadassah. She was an avid reader with a special fondness for mysteries, and an ardent Green Bay Packers fan. She also enjoyed boating, baking, Broadway plays, opera, dancing and chocolate, her family said.

She is survived by sons David Blum and Dr. Marc (Kathy) Blum, both of Oshkosh; daughter Carla (Dr. Ismor Fischer) Blum of Madison; sister Fern Lois Shapiro of Encino, Calif.; and seven grandchildren.

Religious director Gary Wolfman officiated at a memorial service on March 6 at Congregation B’nai Israel in Oshkosh.

Memorials to Congregation B’nai Israel, P.O. Box 904, Oshkosh, WI 54902-0904, would be appreciated by the family.

Alexander Danilov - Pistol Champion (and Ambassador for Shooting Sports!)

Alexander Danilov is an Israeli pistol shooter, and one of the best in the world. As his surname suggests, he is one of the many immigrants to Israel from Russia, and originally competed on the Russian team. His accolades are well documented Wikipedia (some highlights):

• Alexander Danilov (born Nov. 10, 1969) is an Israeli pistol shooter, who was a member of the Israeli shooting team at the 2000 Sydney Games and 2004 Athens Games.
• Danilov has been among the world elite in both the free pistol and air pistol shooting events.
• Danilov finished in 2nd place in the 50-meter free pistol at the 1995 European Championships.
• In 1997, Danilov (competing for Russia) finished 5th in the men's air pistol event at the Munich World Cup.
• Danilov then won the gold medal for Israel at the 1999 European Championships in the 10-meter pistol in Germany.
• Danilov won the air pistol event at the European Championship in Munich in 2000.
• He captured the bronze medal at the 2001 Atlanta World Cup.
• He finished fourth in the World Cup circuit 2002 tournament free pistol event in Finland, and second in the air pistol overall in the World Cup competition.
• He came in 9th in the 2003 European Championships in the 50 meter pistol.
• 2004 saw him come in 3rd in the Bangkok World Cup circuit event.
• On August 5, 2004, he won the Czech Grand-Prix meet with 668.7 points, a new Israeli record.
• In the 2004 Olympics Danilove came in 15th in the 50 meter free pistol.
• Danilov's wife, Olga Danilova, is a former short track speed skater who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics.

The picture above from the Sydney 2000 Olympics is the best I could find. If you look careful, you can see he is holding a free pistol.

Interestingly, via Google I found his name mentioned in an article that demonstrates one of the reasons I run this blog. The article was written in 2008 by Jane Herman for the online publication RJ.org, which describes itself as "News and Views of Reform Jews." Ms. Herman writes in her article about how discovering that Jews like Danilov and Guy Starik compete in shooting sports somehow contributed to her challenging her preconceived notions about guns. She begins her article describing how she originally harbored typical anti-gun sentiments shared by too many Americans, and too many American Jews in particular. She writes:

When I'd recovered enough to ask some questions, I learned that this particular gun owner doesn't hunt, but he does own both long guns and handguns that he uses for sport shooting. I subsequently learned that shooting is an Olympic sport requiring tremendous precision, skill and training. With a bit more help from Google, I also learned that Israelis Alexander Danilov and Guy Starek are both distinguished competitive marksman. The former, a pistol shooter, won the gold medal at the European Championships in Germany in 1999 and the latter, a free rifle competitor, placed 7th at the 1995 World Championships and 4th at the 1998 World Championships.

Even with this knowledge, I was extremely disconcerted, not so much because someone I know owns guns, but rather because I--so quickly and so wrongly--had jumped to the conclusion that the weapons are handguns and thus are "bad" in every way. I like to believe that I view the world through lenses that bring various shades of gray into focus, and I was distressed and disappointed in myself that, in this instance, I had seen it only in the starkest shades of black and white.

Now, I get the sense that Ms. Herman, aka "JanetheWriter" probably has not purchased a firearm or joined the competitive shooting sports. But her article points out the powerful example that we Jews in the shooting sports can set--we change the hearts and minds of our brothers and sisters who are simply misinformed about the nature of firearms and the shooting sports. Imagine the impact it would have had on Ms. Herman if this blog had been around in 2008 when she wrote her article; she would have discovered that not just Israelis compete at the top levels in the shooting sports, but plenty of American Jews as well.

Jewish Marksman likes SmartReloader Products

So far I am satisfied with some new reloading products I've recently acquired from a company called SmartReloader. Generally, when it comes to reloading supplies, I am pretty much a "Lee" man--I think Lee Precision makes great products and offers great service at great (i.e. cheap) prices. I do have a few products from other manufacturers, such as RCBS, but only because Lee didn't offer what I needed at the time. You can spend more on presses that (arguably) offer more features, but for pistol cartridge reloading in particular, Lee is tough to beat in terms of value. I had some concerns about whether my Lee Loadmaster press and Lee .223 dies were up to the task of reloading accurate rifle cartridges for NRA High Power, but that concern is gone given how well my ammo has performed off the Lee press, dies, and powder measure. I even use the Lee Zip Trim and other case prep tools. Can't argue with my recent Master scores, and the great groups I've been shooting in prone.

However, in the past year or so a new supplier has entered the market, SmartReloader. As far as I can tell they are a European company, that seems to have a "house" brand line of products. I noticed a few of their items were available at Natchez Shooters Supplies, one of my favorite online retailers. I first purchased the SmartReloader media separator, which is $10-$20 cheaper than other brands. Since then, I've picked up their funnel, case care kit, and trickler (although mine came in black, not yellow). All the SmartReloader gear is a little cheaper than the competitors. So far, I've only had a chance to use the media separator and case care kit (actually only the small primer pocket reamer and uniformer).

The media separator works fine, a nice replacement for the plastic pasta strainers I was using before. The primer pocket tools seem to work fine. I use them only when a primer gets mangled during insertion, or refuses to seat below flush. I lightly ream and uniform the pocket a bissel, which usually solves the problem for the one out of ten cases that have a primer seating issue during reloading.

All of the tools I have so far from SmartReloader are simple tools where precision is not critical and there aren't any moving parts. I'm not sure I would dive into one of their presses, and especially not their electric powder measure and scale unless I was sure that they offer robust US support. In the case of Lee, any issues I've had have been addressed with prompt emails and great customer service. So far, SmartReloader doesn't have much of a track record (or at least one I can find online), and I am not the kind to take the risks of an early adopter.

I'm certainly not disparaging any other line of reloading equipment. It's a little funny how loyal we shooters can be about our reloading equipment, and how many on-line flame wars break out in the forums about who makes the best reloading presses and dies. All I can say is that for my Bullseye pistol and High Power rifle needs, Lee has done the job at the lowest price. But keep your eye on SmartReloader for some of the accessories that Lee doesn't offer.

3/28/11 Update: I used the trickler and funnel tonight, both work fine.

Torah Portion Vayikra and Jewish Marksmanship

This week's Torah portion is parshah Vayikra, Leviticus 1:1-5:26. (Click here for the parsha in a nutshell from Chabad):

"In the Parshah of Vayikra, which opens the book of Leviticus, G-d speaks to Moses from the Tent of Meeting and begins His communication of the laws governing the bringing of the korbanot, the animal and meal offerings that are the central feature of the service performed in the Sanctuary."

Of particular note to target shooters is:

No leaven... [shall be present] in any offering of G-d (2:11)

The rabbis explain this passage as follows:

Leaven, which is dough that has fermented and risen, represents self-inflation and pride, and there is nothing more abhorrent to G-d. In the words of the Talmud, "G-d says of the prideful one, 'He and I cannot dwell together in the world.'"

I find that there is a direct correlation between my scores and humility. The more self-worth and self-importance we attach to our results on the target, the less likely we will shoot well and enjoy the sport in the long run.

Match pressure comes from caring about scores at a personal level. To care about a match score at a personal level implies your sense of self and identity is somehow tied into the results on paper. Maybe you think about how others will perceive you based on your score? Maybe how you perceive yourself is based on your score? It is very hard to do, but the key is to remember what is indisputably true: your score on the target has nothing to do with who you are as a person. If a high score is something you need to feel good about yourself, or to justify the time you've spent practicing, then your life priorities are out of balance.

That's easy to say, but tough in practice. But I do believe that at the core of match pressure, especially the kind that makes you shoot worse than you do in practice, is pride of some form or another. Match pressure still sometimes throws me off, especially when I start thinking about moving up in classification as a result of the score I hope to shoot that day. That means I still have some improvement to make as a person before I can improve as a shooter.

And with that, Shabat Shalom!

Hap Rocketto - Jewish Marksman and Marksmanship Historian

I was pleasantly surprised when Hap Rocketto contacted the site, not only because he is Jewish, but also because he gave a long list of additional competitive Jewish shooters I will be telling you about this year. Even better, he had a profile already composed, saving me time (I have so little of it lately!). First, Hap himself is a great rifle shooter:

Hap Rocketto was rated a Distinguished Rifleman in 1981. He is one of few who have been a member of both Service Rifle and Smallbore Rifle All National Guard Rifle Teams, where he served as both a coach and shooter. An NRA Smallbore Distinguished Position Rifleman he has earned Presidents Hundred honors three times, has been a member of numerous open and National Guard national championship teams, the 2002 Three Position Intermediate Senior National Champion, member of the 2007 US Championship Indoor Four Position Championship team as well as a multiple National Record holder. He is a member of the 1600 Club and has served as adjutant of the US Roberts Team as well as captain and coach of the US Drew Cup Team. Rocketto was a member of the 1973 and 1985 US silver medal winning US Maccabiah Rifle Team and a member of the Connecticut Shooters Hall of Fame.

Aside from his shooting accolades, Hap is well known shooting historian, and his articles appear in numerous publications as well as online sources. I particularly enjoy how his writing style brings his subjects to life, and he knows exactly which details to mention such that by then end of one of his pieces you feel as if you have personally met the person he covers.

I have previously cited to his work when I wrote about Morris Fisher.
But here are some sources for his other works, which I am sure you will enjoy:
http://pronematch.com/tag/hap-rocketto/
Hap's Corner on the Rifleman's Blog

Larissa Zuranowa - World Skeet Champion

Today we have another great Jewish shooter from the former Soviet Union, Larissa Gurvich (now Zuranova) I discovered she was Jewish through Google searches for female Jewish shooters, and found a source here and here. I then passed the name along to Ernst over at Backyard-Safari blog, who was able to tell us a little more about her. The following is his post translated with a little help from Google translate:

Larissa Semyonovna Gurwitsch, now Zuranowa, was born on May, 10 1947 in Bessporno. She studied at the Medical Institute in Rostov on Don. In 1963 she began with sporting shotgun under the guidance of her father in Yekaterinburg, now known as Sverdlovsk. She specialized in Skeet and with great success. Gurwitsch was four times world champion (1967, 1970, 1974, 1975), ten-time European champion (first published in 1965) and twelve times the USSR champion. In addition, she set several records. At that time she competed on the Army Sports Club .

Her favorite shotguns were the IZH-12 and IZH-25, which the Izhevsk factory customized for her, because at that time the Soviet-made guns were not popular among competitors. The otherwise delicate-looking woman shot more than 10,000 rounds per year through those guns.

Later she married the equally highly successful shotgunner Zuranow Yuri (1936-2008) and became Larissa Zuranowa. Both worked until the ends of their active careers in the mid-80s as coaches, first in Rostov and later in Yekaterinburg, which is one of the centers of clay target shooting in Russia. She currently lives and works in Novosibirsk . Her protégés include her son Konstantin Zuranow (b. 1972) among others, who participated in the Olympic Games in 2008 in Skeet.

Thanks again to Ernst, as Jewish shooters in the former USSR are very hard to research otherwise. Our newest shotgunning Jewish Marksman, Simms Pearl, has big shoes to fill. The other shotgunning Jewish Marksman we know of is filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

Post #101 and beyond!

To all the fans of Jewish Marksmanship, turns out this post is a milestone, post #101! Our "like" group on Facebook continues to grow. So what do the next 100 posts have in store?

1. Well, as mazal would have it, last week I received a great email from fellow Jewish marksman Hap Rocketto, who provided me a list of 20 top Jewish marksmen I probably would never have discovered. Profiling those shooters will keep me busy for a while.

2. I think a new logo for the blog is in order...any volunteers?

3. I STILL NEED YOU CLUB SHOOTERS TO VOLUNTEER TO BE PROFILED. How is that for asking nicely? This blog is not just about the top shooters in the game, but about any Jew who tries his or her hand at the shooting sports. Just drop me an email and we'll go from there.

And with that, I introduce a new Jewish Marksman, Simms Pearl of Massachusetts, who sent me this great email earlier today:

Hello,

I am new to clay targets and am starting out in the sport. As a Jew, I was curious about how many Jews are into shooting. I did a search and found your site. It is very interesting.

I am often disturbed by self defeating statements by other Jews about how 'Jews don't do this or that'. I totally reject the concept of the Jew as a mechanically inept, physically weak, over urbanized coward. These statements are neither historically accurate or fair. This image of the ghetto Jew was rejected by the early Zionists who wanted Jews to be strong and brave and return to the land.

In ancient times Jews were actually highly sought after as warriors because of their fighting skills.

Several years ago, there was an Israel celebration on the town green in my community. A Jewish friend of mine who is also an auxiliary police officer, volunteered to help police the event. An ultra-orthodox Rabbi and his wife came by. They saw his name tag and asked if he was Jewish. He told them that he was. They were shocked.

"A Jewish Policeman?" they exclaimed as if he was from Mars.

My friend told them that actually the chief of police as well as the assistant chief were also Jewish.

I guess these people thought they were still in 1850 Poland.

This type of thing really bothers me. We are not guests in this country living at the largess of some religious majority. Jews have always played a very important part in America's history. The have fought bravely in all of its conflicts and made contributions to all walks of life far in excess of their numbers.

Anyway, I am sure I am 'preaching to the choir" here but I did want to thank you for your site.

Sincerely,

Simms Pearl

Lev Weinstein: Olympic Champion

Gil Hebards Pistol Shooter's Treasury is a great book on pistol shooting (it must be a great book because I loaned out my copy and never got it back...), and is divided into separate chapters by different authors. One of the chapters is by Lev Weinstein, a former USSR shooting coach, and I wondered if he was Jewish based on his name. A while back, my blog was discovered by a blogger in Germany, who has some knowledge of competitive shooters in the former Soviet Union, and has already written about a few of them. The following is an excerpt on Weinstein from his blog, translated by Google, as my German is a bit rusty:

He was born on 03/12/1916 in Yekaterinburg born. Like most of his peers, he was in the war years a member of the Red Army and remained so even after the end of World War II, but then as athletes. Most recently, he wore the rank of Major aD (the accompanying picture shows him in officer's uniform). As his surname suggests, he was a Jew. Still, he seems to have somehow managed in the late Stalin onset persecution of Jews, in which many Jewish lost their positions to Soviet citizens survive time.

Weinstein at the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki in the truest sense of the word for "Shooting Star" of the shooting scene with the fifth free pistol at 50 meters and third parties with the gun outside to 300 m. This bronze medal he won as a total outsider, he was above all an ambitious handguns shot. This shows that one in fields can provide excellent results both well. Maybe he was just an exceptional shooter. ;-) He also has several world and European titles won and held five world records, two European records and 32 Soviet records.

Later, Weinstein has a trainer in the Central Army Sports Club (P / CSKA) worked and Moscow, where many trained. Handgun shooters in 1962 he was honorary title of "Honored coach of the Soviet Union" award. the Previously he had been the shooting sports departments (Army) sports club "Dynamo "in Tbilisi (1946-1950), Leningrad (1950-1953) and Moscow (1953-1955) belongs to.

He was still active into old age, his last book came out in 1998. On 12.25.2004 is Lew Weinstein, the 89th Years standing, died. To this day remember his students appreciate him.

In 1956 , he has little textbook for handguns written a shooter, in which he sums up his experiences and tips are many. Because of Weinstein's work has won international recognition also found. Since there are two German states were at that time, this book was published twice in German. First, in East Germany, entitled "Sport shooting with pistols and revolvers" (Berlin 1960) and the other in Germany as "Sporty shooting with handguns" (edited by the German Shooting Federation).

I have not been able to find much else out about Weinstein via Google. Once again danke to Ernst!

Jewish Marksman Shoots a High Master Score

It was a good weekend for the Jewish Marksman--I won my local club High Power Rifle match (100 yard reduced course) with a High Master score, 781-22. With that score, I should finally move up to Expert class.

Reloading Economics for the Frugal Jewish Marksman

From all reports, the firearms community is going through a reloading "revolution." By that, I mean that more and more folks are reloading their own ammunition. I thought I would present a brief analysis of the economics behind reloading, because the Jewish Marksman celebrates frugality.

Fixed costs: In order to reload ammunition, the shooter needs to invest in equipment to get the job done. A bare bones setup consists of a press, caliber-specific dies, and a powder scale. With a little ebay persistence you can spend anywhere from $100 to $1500, depending on the bells and whistles. A press and dies will last several lifetimes if care for. Possibly a table and other hand tools might need to be purchased, but any sturdy workbench will do.

Variable costs: A round of ammunition has 4 components: bullet, shell casing (a.k.a. "brass"), primer, and powder.

For our purposes I'll take a quick look at .223 rifle reloading for my High Power competitions.

• The most expensive component are the match-grade bullets, so first I'll discuss some of the options and issues. The main issue is that the heavier the bullet, the less susceptible it is to being blown by the wind. The wind is a big factor in the 600 yard stage of a High Power match, but not a big factor at the 100 yard reduced courses that make up most of the matches in my area to shoot. Heavier bullets cost more. The second major issue is quality and uniformity. I'm told this makes a difference, but I have not tested it myself. The idea is you buy from a quality bullet maker and you are assured your bullets will be closely uniform in weight, shape, etc. The overwhelming consensus among High Power competitors is that a 77 grain weight bullet is the right bullet for 600 yards. 77 grain bullets cost roughly $100 for 500. That works out to $0.20 a bullet. For 100 yard courses, many use a lighter 52 or 53 grain bullet, which cost about $80 for 500, or $0.16 a bullet. A cheap 55gr bullet can be found for about $0.08 to $0.10 in bulk, so I find this idea attractive but need to do some research if other shooters have had success with cheaper bullets at 100 yards. The only brand of rifle bullets I use currently are Sierra.
  
• Powder is cheap, an 8lb. tub will cost $130 or so, yield about 2400 charges for roughly $0.05 a round.
• Primers run $20 per 1000, or about $0.02 a round.
• Brass cost is a little tricky to analyze, because brass can be reused many times before it cracks or otherwise becomes unusable. If you pay $200 for 1000 pieces of new brass, it probably costs about $0.01 or less each time you fire a given piece. Also, cheaper once-fired brass can be bought in bulk, or your buddies who do not reload might just give it to you.
  

Summed up, we come up with a per-round cost of $0.25-$0.30 a round using match grade bullets (click here for a handy on-line calculator). (I did not account for shipping costs, but assume the buyer is buying in bulk, as most do, so the shipping costs become negligible per round). A High Power match is an 88 shot event with sighters, so it costs me roughly $25 in ammo to shoot a match. You can see my interest in determining whether I can get just as good results from a cheaper bullet at 100 yards, because if I get my bullet cost down $0.10, I save $8 a match.

What does factory manufactured .223 ammo cost? A lot depends on quality and application. Match grade ammunition is around $0.80 to $1.00 a round. Cheap bulk steel cased ammunition is about $0.20 a round, but steel cases cannot be reloaded (from what I hear), and bulk ammo is usually only 55gr. bullets which will not perform as well in the wind at a 600 yard match. The cheapest brass-cased bulk ammo, again usually 55gr., goes for around $0.32 a round.

So for a High Power competitor, the savings are $50-$60 a match by reloading ammunition when the heavier bullets are needed. For a 100 yard match, given the options I am still probably saving by reloading. It is hard to say because I don't know whether the cheapest bullets are an option for me or not. For shooters who are only shooting at 25 and 50 yards and where 1 MOA is not necessary, then certainly they will save money with cheap bullets by reloading, even compared to manufactured steel cased ammo, I would think.

For pistol reloading, the same principles apply except the brass can be used many more times, and bullets are cheaper. For example, an un-jacketed 200gr. .45ACP bullet I use in Bullseye competition is only about $0.07. I have not looked at pistol ammo prices in a long time, but I have no doubt one saves a ton of money by reloading pistol ammo as well.

Of course, there are the immeasurables. Time for one, as ammo does not reload itself. It takes most folks about an hour or two to crank out 100 rifle rounds, maybe half that for pistol. When you are buying equipment, some of the premium you pay for is time-saving. On the plus side is the fact that you end up producing ammo that is better than what just about any factory is producing these days, and you can fine tune certain variables to your firearm for maximum accuracy.

Jewish Marksman Shoots a Chai Match

18 is considered a lucky number in Judaism. The word for "life" in Hebrew is "chai." The Hebrew letters for "chai" are also numbers which add up to 18.

So given that, how could I resist a chance to shoot a real across-the-course (XTC) NRA High Power match this weekend? You see, the prone portion of the match is at 600 yards, which is 1800 feet!

I shot fairly well, all things considered. Besides being my first real XTC match (I normally shoot 100 yard reduced target matches), it was the first time I used my own hand loaded rifle ammunition, and I had no idea exactly how to zero my sights for the different yardages of the match (600, 300, 200) for that ammo, and you only get 2 sighting shots per stage. Take a look at the picture above, which are the 20 shots I made in the 300 yard prone rapid-fire stage (10 shots in 1 minute with a magazine change). The first 10 shots are marked in red, using the sight "come ups" recommended by a friend. They were centered but just a tad high and left, in what could have been a 97 scoring group if the shots had been centered. I guesstimated the elevation sight adjustment, then made the green group, which is the correct height but still off to the left, probably due to cant in my seated position which I haven't dialed in yet. Overall, I shot an 89%, which was pulled down from 90+ primarily to an abysmal offhand performance due to strong wind gusts. No, the wind wasn't really affecting my 77grain sierra bullets so much as it was blowing my barrel around and making it very hard to confidently get a shot off. I waited for breaks in the wind to hit my 10s and 9s, but impatience and a lack of experience in the wind got the best of me, and I let a few really bad shots off. All the other competitors' scores suffered offhand for the same reason, so I don't feel too bad about it.

I'm confident that next match I will shoot above 90% now that I have a much better idea of where my zeros are for the ammo I load. Every combination of powder, bullet, primer and barrel will have minor differences in velocity, which affects the bullet's travel time over distance, which gives gravity more or less time to pull the bullet down. So the only way to get consistently centered is through trial and error. Without a wicked wind I might even flirt with another master score...I do have an industrial fan in the garage, maybe I'll have it blow on me while I train with the Scatt this month!

In case anyone is wondering, I shoot in the Service Rifle division with an AR-15...everything must be (more or less) just like a standard issue military rifle. We do get to put in match barrels and triggers (4.5 lbs. but 2-stage is allowed), but everything else is standard-issue such as plain old rear aperture and front post battle sights.

Aaron Zelman, Zichrono LiVrachah

Sad news for the (Jewish) firearms community. As covered by Debbie Schlussel on her blog, the founder of the pro-second amendment organization Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership passed away. As my readers have come to learn, this blog focuses primarily on Jews in the shooting sports, and part of the reason for that is organizations like JPFO have/had the political bases covered. Note, I am unfamiliar with JPFO and cannot vouch for it, but if Debbie Schlussel endorses it, then very likely it is legit. Please visit her blog (click here), which will tell you more about Zelman and his organization. The JPFO is a good source of information on the theory behind private firearms ownership. For those of us who enjoy the shooting sports, it is sometimes easy to forget about the folks in second-amendment trenches who fight for the rights that are fundamental to our ability to compete in the first place.

Here's hoping that someone will pick up the torch and continue to be a loud Jewish voice in favor the right to bear arms. For now, this blog will remain as is, but we'll see what develops!

Resolve to Help Jewish Marksmanship in 2011

Although I have a few Jewish shooters on my list to write about in 2011, finding material for the blog is never easy. Please send suggestions my way in 2011. Any Jewish shooter who competes is interesting, and feel free to volunteer yourself even if you only compete at a local club!

Other than that, shana tova to everyone, and may all your shots find the X-ring in 2011!

P.S. Laura Spector's blog is active again lately for those that want to read about an American Jewish Markswoman training for the next Olympics!

Philo Jacoby - Champion Jewish Marksman

I previously covered Jewish Marksman and lawman Emil Harris, who lived in California in the 1800's. Today we have another great Jewish Marksman from that locale and era, Philo Jacoby. Philo Jacoby was born in Lebork, Poland, Dec. 5, 1837. In 1859 he immigrated to San Francisco, Calif. He was the editor and publisher of the San Francisco publication "The Hebrew." Jacoby was also an expert sharpshooter and strongman and started the California Schützen Club. Jacoby died March 25, 1922.

A schützen club is basically a precision shooting club. Jacoby was active in organizing shooting events in the US and took trips to Europe to compete (and win!). There is an excellent article discussing some of his accomplishments (click here) and one story about a shooting competition in Switzerland stands out:

Jacoby next contested one day at the Cantonal shooting a Zofingen where he won goblets and other prizes, and having bought Staub’s Vetter Ii, a splendid shooting rifle in Zurich for 150 francs, he became quite at home in the Numbers. The week following, the great eight-day Cantonal shooting festival in Solothurn took place. From Zurich , Jacoby took the train to the festival place; his car was an open one and when the train entered the station in Solothurn it ran straight into another train left standing on the same rails. All occupants of the open car jumped; Jacoby was one of the first, the fall did not hurt him much but a 200 pound Swiss mountaineer marksman who jumped upon him with the spikes of his boots tore a deep cut in his right hip. Jacoby was carried to the station house where doctors soon attended him, sewed up his wound and made arrangements to send him to a hospital. The accident happened about 11 A. M. and the Cantonal shooting was to begin at 1 P. M. The Swiss marksman (his name was Streif Luchsinger,) who was the innocent cause of Jacoby’s accident, remained with him and helped to make him as comfortable as possible. He said he would leave for the shooting range at 12:30 as he had entered for the first goblet contest. Of course, the writer felt double sore; on his hip and that he should not be able to be at the opening of the festival. He asked Streif Luchsinger to help him on his legs, and when Jacoby found that he could stand fairly steady, he insisted on accompanying his new comrade to the Schuetzen Platz in spite of the advice of the doctors. Streif Luchsinger called a carriage and soon they were at the range. Jacoby’s baggage and rifle had been left at the station and he was supplied with weapon and ammunition by his friend. The contest began for the first goblet. Streif Luchsinger scored the first 100 numbers, and won the honor. Jacoby although somewhat unsteady on his legs, kept pegging away, and when he finally won his goblet (he was 7th on the list) he could scarcely keep upright. Streif Luchsinger carried him, accompanied by great many marksmen, on his shoulders to the Gaben Temple , where the gritty Californian received his hard earned trophy under resounding cheers. Then the doctors got hold of him and brought him in a carriage to a hospital where for the next three days he laid in high wound-fever.

Post-Shabbat Reloading

This evening was spent doing some tedious .223 ammunition reloading (click here for a great Wikipedia summary). Why reload ammunition? From Wikipedia:

Economy, increased accuracy, and performance are common motivations for handloading cartridges. Reloading fired cases can save the shooter money, or provides the shooter with more, and higher quality, ammunition for a given budget. Reloading may not be cost effective for occasional shooters, as it takes time to recoup the cost of the required equipment, but those who shoot on a regular basis will see benefit. Besides economy, the ability to customize the performance of the ammunition is a common goal. ... Target shooters seek the best achievable accuracy, as well as the best shot-to-shot consistency. Many handloaders customize their cartridges to their specific firearms, usually in pursuit of accuracy: they can assemble precision ammunition using cartridge cases that have been fire formed in the chamber of a specific firearm.

The Jewish Marksman uses almost exclusively Lee brand reloading equipment because they are a great value! Reloading is not particularly difficult if you have the capacity to follow instructions, take your time, pay attention to detail, and observe common sense safety precautions.

If you shoot a rimfire cartridge, such as .22LR, those cases are not reloadable. However, the brass does have value...nowadays anywhere from $0.50 to $1.50 a pound depending where you go. Take it home, throw it in a bucket, but don't leave it at the range! At some clubs, it is customary to leave the rimfire brass at the the club as a 'donation', but it is perfectly acceptable to take home all of your centerfire brass! Someday you may want to reload it, sell it, or give it to a shooter who reloads. If you leave it at a commercial range, they will simply sell it as scrap metal.

Jewish Marksman Moves up in Classification!

Last weekend I shot a Master level score in High Power Rifle, 95%. It was a on a 100 yard reduced course, but nonetheless a good showing. I've been shooting Expert class scores, but the club sometimes doesn't get the scores into the NRA. But this score made it in, and moved me from Marksman to Sharpshooter. If my math is right I should get my Expert card next month if I shoot an Expert score (or better). Master by the end of 2011 might be a realistic goal! My second goal for 2011 will be to get to some real "across the course" matches which the 100 yard matches simulate. I've been swimming in the shallow end, as the real show is at 200, 300 and 600 yard stages. Considering I know absolutely nothing about reading or accommodating for wind, those should be a lot of fun! To read more about my journey up the NRA classifications, click here.

Dr. Dennis Lindenbaum - Neuropsychologist and Jewish Marksman

Our latest featured Jewish Marksman is Dr. Dennis Lindenbaum, who was recently chronicled in a Jewish community paper in Atlanta (click here to read it). Dr. Lindenbaum has become a highly accomplished shooter in a very short period of time, achieving a Master ranking and qualifying for the US Dewar Team. Dr. Lindenbaum is a good example of how precision shooting sports fit well with the personalities of Jewish professionals in the US, and why more Jewish doctors, lawyers and accountants ought to give it a try, from the article:

“He’s a trained professional and understands the scientific method, so he’s very analytical, and that carries over into his shooting,” said Tommy Steadman, a Club officer and good friend of Lindenbaum. “He’s very meticulous in the way he goes through this, and he’s most interested in functionality and performance, so that’s the way he went through selecting his equipment, and [he did it] very, very slowly.”

Precision shooting is all about precision, the scientific method, and self-discipline...natural talent or strength play no role (some say it's a sport that rewards mild o.c.d....). A perfect compliment to the schooling many American Jews have received in their professional careers.

Dr. Lindenbaum is also a great spokesperson for the sport:

“Not a bunch of guys in camo”

Dr. Lindenbaum would like to point out that the idea that shooting is a violent or unsafe practice is simply not true. Indeed, he calls the regulations at matches “borderline excessive” and has never seen or even heard of someone getting injured as a result of participation. Nor is the stereotype of a hunter, country bumpkin or delinquent to be tied to a shooter. The many young people he’s gotten to know courtesy of smallbore have all represented the sport with intelligence and responsibility. “It takes a certain type of discipline to be able to have this kind of focus,” he said. “These are kids who get together on weekends to either train or go to these competitions, and it’s really a wholesome, clean activity. And they’re learning certain mental skills I think will be helpful to them in their academic and work lives later on.”

Mrs. Lindenbaum also gets involved:

Reinforcing the idea that the culture here is just as family-friendly as bowling, baseball or board games is the support Lindenbaum gets from his wife, Barbara. Though she does not shoot, she has taken a keen and sincere interest, helps organize club matches and is just as much a part of the community as the man with the rifle.“It’s really great; you need to have somebody to partner with you,” he said. “I don’t know if I would even enjoy the matches…I can’t do it without her.”

Lastly, for all the Jewish parents out there who are on the fence, consider what you might be denying your child by not introducing them to the shooting sports at a young age:

“Dennis, had he gotten into this younger and pursued it like he has, I have no doubt that he would have an extremely good possibility of being an Olympian,” Steadman said.