ARCHIVE - ISSUE SIX- JAN  2014                                  COVER  -  FEATURED PICTORIAL  -   LIFESTYLE  -  REVIEWS                       ARCHIVE - ISSUE SIX- JAN  2014  

A Tac Girl! [continued from cover]

Picture
TAC Queen Mellissa Gilliland.



What really stood out to me about this calendar was the donation of monies going to Americansnipers.org. On top of that, the professionalism that Mike and Tony have is top-notch. They aren’t your sleazeball type of personalities that you might encounter with other girl-calendars.  I also really liked that they know their firearms and they pay attention to small details like trigger discipline.  So after meeting with them at SHOT 2011, they offered me the opportunity to be in their 2012 Calendar.  Of course I accepted, just from the standalone donations that they did for Americansnipers.org, which is a nonprofit 501c(3) that helped my husband and his sniper team back in 2005. They had sent them mission-essential kits such as Kestrels, scopes, hand-held laser range finders and comfort items. All donations to Americansnipers.org go directly to supporting our snipers serving overseas. There is no overhead and the volunteers do not make any money. Which is why I am a firm believer in this organization. My husband and I both are active volunteers. I believe in giving back and the guys/gals serving overseas deserve this. Anything I can do to help this great organization, I'm there!    
PictureMore than just a pretty face, Tac Girls calendars raise money for Americansnipers.org
I started my Facebook page  back in 2011 to help sell Tac Girl calendars and to promote my husband and the organization. He is 100% supportive of me, and if he had a problem with it, I wouldn't have done it.  He has seen the amount of money that the Tac Girl calendar has raised for Americansnipers.org, plus I think it gives him a bit of bragging rights!

However, as you can imagine, I get some negative feedback for being in the calendar. I do get hate mail and nasty comments. My response a lot of times to this is:
1. You see more exposure of skin at your local pool or beach.  
2. The fundraising portion of the calendar is the number one reason why I chose to model in it.
3. I'm not spread-eagle over the top of a car with my bare butt cheeks spread apart
4. I feel good about being a model in this calendar. It's classy, and some of the girls that model in it are actual shooters. I've been shooting all my life, and shooting competitively for over a year.  In my 2014 Tac Girl calendar shoot, I'm actually modeling a rifle built by my rifle sponsor, Ashbury Precision Ordnance.  From looking at my Tac Girl photos, one that doesn't know me would never guess that I am a serious sponsored precision rifle competition shooter. And, to be honest, I kind of like that, because it has shock factor and it goes back to the old saying, Never judge a book by its cover!

Sport Pistol by Alex Griffeth

PictureAlex shooting sport pistol in college.
I close my eyes, rocking slightly from my heels to the balls of my feet, which are exactly two and a half ammo boxes apart, and slightly splayed. I get settled, my weight evenly distributed. My left hand hangs relaxed, thumb hooked lightly over my belt buckle. I clench my right hand, tensing the muscles all the way up to my shoulder, feeling the textured wood of the pistol grip dig into my hand. Upon release, my hand now molds comfortably to the pistol, requiring little effort to hold.

Experimentally I raise the gun to shoulder height, arm out stretched, and open my eyes. I'm a little off target. I shift my left foot slightly, which turns my entire body to the right, close my eyes, take a few deep breaths, and repeat the process. This time, I'm settled onto the center of the target, my entire body naturally and comfortably on line.

Lowering the pistol to the bench before me, I close my eyes and start to focus. My earplugs drown out exterior noise, but the pounding of my heart is surprisingly loud in my ears. I inhale slowly, willing my heart rate to slow. Silently I count to two. I exhale, calm and controlled, and count again. Three. Four. Inhale again. Five. Six. My heart still beats quickly from anticipation but it's now in tempo with my steady breathing. When I get to ten, I open my eyes, and study my target. It's just a simple black circle about ten inches across, complex in its simplicity. Atop the target are two lights, one red, one green. The red light glows steadily. My mind is quiet, my breathing steady, as I wait.

The red light on top of the target switches to green. I raise the pistol, settling automatically into my shooting stance. The pistol is comfortable, a natural extension of my hand.

The front sight is crisp and clear in my vision, the rear sight blurry. I don't really look at the target; I know exactly where it's at. My finger tightens on the trigger, squeezing it back. With a crack, the pistol fires. The recoil travels up my arm, barely registered by my mind as I flow right back into my stance.

The light turns red.

I lower the pistol until it's pointing at the ground, but not quite touching the bench, keeping my firing arm straight the whole time. One, two. Three, four. Five - the light turns green, and my arm flies up again, the action smoothly crisp as I find the target center. I fire another shot. Everything occurs in an almost musical rhythm, my breathing underlying the thumping of my heart, the staccato sound of bullets flying down range, the lights changing to a 3/4 beat. My mind is blank, lost in the moment, drinking the thrill of shooting and savoring the tangy scent of cordite in the air. I'm outwardly calm, inwardly giddy, and there's no place on earth I'd rather be.

30 Cal Gal on the US Rifle Team
by Anette Wachter

PictureLong Range Shooting Pro Anette Wachter
I am often asked what type of long range shooting I compete in, what exactly is the US National Rifle Team, and how did I get in to this game? Long range rifle shooting is one of the oldest competitive shooting sports around. Yet many people have never heard of it. I had been on the US National Rifle Team development team for about five years and was very excited to have been accepted this year as an official member.

Did you even know there was a US Rifle Team? And what exactly is long range shooting? Let’s see if I can say this in one sentence... “Long range rifle shooting is target shooting at a paper bulls-eye with a single shot, bolt-action rifle, usually in 308 caliber in the prone position with sling support and with iron sights.” Whew! This is the traditional bulls-eye target shooting similar to small bore. Except instead of shooting to 50 feet we shoot anywhere from 300 – 1000 yards. Yes, with iron sights. Because of the high caliber we are no longer allowed to compete in the Olympic Games. But we do have a World Championship held every four years in a different host country.

There are several different categories of long range competition. The oldest and most traditional is Palma. This is what makes up the World Championship. Palma matches are shot at only 800, 900 and 1000 yards. The caliber must be 308. There are international team events that are shot in Full Bore format that can be at any range from 300 – 900 meters. There is an Any Rifle/Any Sight category that where, as you can guess, any caliber and optics are allowed. All rounds must be fired without any support other than a sling. The newest and fastest growing category is F-Class, which is prone, using a bi-pod and optics.
PictureMillion-dollar smile at 1000 yards.
Like any shooting sport there are preferred rifles, components and loads that everyone tries to outdo each other with. And like other shooting sports, this game is not cheap. The rifle setups alone can set one back $3000 - $6000. Then, on top of that, add all of the extra gear you need.  When it comes to the rifle and ammunition, certain brands of components are favored in this sport. Although the favorite brands are great quality for our game it makes the wait time for parts several months. And with that demand the price goes up. But this is a sport after my own heart. It is steeped in tradition and history, and I hope to be playing this game for a long time.
History:
In the late 1800’s, shooting in the civilian sector was catching on. Along with it was the start of a little gun club called the National Rifle Association associated with the Creedmoor Range on the East Coast. Great Britain, Scotland and Ireland would have their own long range matches (800, 900 and 1000 yards) in Wimbledon called the Elcho Shield. The Irish won this match for the first time in 1873 and went straight to the American’s to challenge them. The US Amateur Club accepted this challenge and it was held at Creedmoor in 1874. A huge audience of about 5,000 people watched as the Americans took the trophy away. 1 year later the US went to Ireland to compete and that time in front of 30,000 spectators and won again. 30,000 spectators! That is like a modern day sporting event. Now I can barely get my mom to come to watch me shoot. This was the start of Palma. This is a specific division of long range that requires a 308 caliber with no more than a 155 grain bullet and iron sights.  They did the same course of fire back then shooting at 800, 900 and 1000 yards with 15 rounds per string. In the late 1880′s-1890′s the Palma Match and the NRA became dormant. Not until 1901 did both come back with a vengeance. Of course to this day both are still going strong.
PictureIn 2011 Anette broke 3 national records at 300 yards
How did I get in to this game? I give all of the credit to my husband Charles for introducing me to the shooting sport of High Power. I also give him even more credit for being so supportive of my competitive path. Charles had been competing in Across The Course high power competitions, which is similar to long range in that we are shooting at bulls-eye targets, but there are three different positions and distances. He gave me basic instruction of the game and then threw me out there. My first match ever was the Washington State High Power Championship, and I was one of two women there out of 100 people. There were many military shooting teams as well. Talk about intimidating! That “other woman” was Kristen Schwartz, and she won the entire match. There is no women’s category and she won it outright. Right then and there I was hooked and held her high on a pedestal. After only two seasons I made Master class where my husband was. (Thanks, babe, for being supportive with that!) Then another shooter came to me and asked if I wanted to try the prone long range shooting. Knowing there was a US Team to strive for, I accepted and borrowed a rifle from him, and sighted it in and got familiar with it. My first match out of the gate I won my class, overall. “I like this!” I thought. I bought the rifle from him and I hit the pavement hard and traveled to every match I could get to for experience. After only 3 matches I received my NRA High Master card and after two seasons was invited to train and occasionally shot with members of the US Team. I was thrilled but still wanted that one invite. 2011 was the year I broke three national records at 300 yards and won the British Columbia Rifle Championship as well as many other trophies. 
PictureA rifle is a girl's best friend.
A group of 18 team members traveled to South Africa this April of 2013 for the South Africa Nationals. Every four years they invite other countries and we accepted since they were hosting the coveted America’s Match. This is always a big but friendly competition.  Eight people make up this team and I was chosen to be one of them. I was so honored, but very nervous! We performed well but the South Africans on their home turf ran ahead by 16 points. The US took the Silver medal and England the Bronze. My happiest moment was to find out that my contribution to the team was that I was tied for the highest-scoring member of the team with Brandon Green a super star AMU shooter. Upon our return home I had an email accepting me to the US Team. 

Thank you Hubby! I think Charles and I are very fortunate to have such a hobby that we can both take part in. For many of the matches we get to travel together and even compete against each other. And there are never any hard feelings no matter the outcome (at least that is what he tells me!). He has been the sweetest to load my ammo for me and clean my rifles. Now, of course, I help with both of those jobs. There is many a night we have an assembly line of loading 308 ammunition or cleaning stuff. Sounds romantic, I know. What I find amazing is that I can now speak the language of guns, their parts, calibers, components and ballistics without even realizing it. It gives me confidence when I am out in the field with mostly men and I can participate in the conversations as well as know how to test and review products for my website and other gun publications. I never thought in a million years I would be here today from only several years ago. I had never fired a gun before other than tin cans out in the woods. I started this game later in life. I am proof it is never too late to learn something new. Who knew I had such a talent for this? I make a point to soak up any and all advice from my mentors. With my experiences I have made so many life lasting friends in this industry. I thank Sure Shot Magazine for inviting me in to their circle and I look forward to more opportunities to share my experiences with you their readers and fans.

Anette Wachter aka 30CalGal is from Seatle, WA, married and has one four legged furry child named Kozmo. A member of The US National Rifle Team, she shoots a 308 bolt action rifle with iron sights to 1000 yards. Anette holds 3 national civilian records at 300 yards, an international championship and 3 team US national championships. 2012 was the first year shooting 3 Gun and recently Tactical Rifle. Anette is busy training with the US Team to prepare for US Nationals and Canadian Nationals in August of 2014 and will be trying out for one of the sweet 16 spots for the World Championship Team. The Worlds will be held in the US in 2015 at Camp Perry in Ohio. Follow Anette’s stories and product reviews at www.30calgal.com and her FB Page AnetteWachter – 30calgal

Words of Wisdom 
by WW of Rogue Gunfighter and Rogue American Apparel 

5 Ways to Maintain a Warrior Mindset

1. Training 
Everything reverts back to training. Only through continued training of firearms, physical fitness, and medical training will your chances of winning a fight be increased. Training can take place any time and any place. Dry fire in your home every chance you get, set up evacuation plans and "hard rooms" in your house, have your family practice with you. Do the same with your vehicle—practice drawing and or having your weapon accessible in the case you need it. Draw with a seat belt on, and know how to quickly get out of a seat belt. Be better prepared than the bad guy. 

2. Situational Awareness
Be aware of the situation. Be aware if there is a situation possibly developing. Have a plan. Your head should constantly be "on a swivel", not down looking at your phone. 

3. Posturing
Conduct yourself as a "hard target". Let people know you are awake, aware and ready. The bad guy will most likely pick the "easy target" over a person who looks prepared. 

4. Positioning
Always position yourself in an area that is in your advantage to prepare for any kind of situation. Know where the exit points are and position yourself accordingly. 

5. SWOT: 
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What opportunities do you have to better prepare yourself? What are the threats? The situation will always be different. Nobody can possibly be ready for any threat, but if we train and have some understanding of the the above, your chances for winning or avoiding a fight are better.

WW is a former Marine who has also served as a High Threat Security Professional and Executive Protection Specialist, in places like Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Europe and the United States.