NSSF Members Come to Aid of South African Palma Team
CORTLAND, New York - The National Shooting Sports Foundation recently learned that several of its member companies have come together to help a team of world-class shooters whose opportunity to compete in the Palma Match and Long Range World Championships at Camp Perry had been abruptly jeopardized. As a way to thank those members, who have set an outstanding example of what it means to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports, the exclusive story of their camaraderie appears here.
According to Robin Sharpless, Executive Vice President of Redding Reloading, who was first contacted by Geoff Esterline, Product Category Manager at Brownell's, the shipment of match ammo for the South African F/TR rifle team had been seized at its U.S. port of entry by U.S. Customs and ATF agents. Word about the seizure made its way to the captain of the U.S. F/TR rifle team, Ray Gross, who took it upon himself to reach out to Esterline and enlist his help in rallying other industry members to come to the aid of the South African team. Esterline immediately turned to Sharpless for help, and the two began digging through their inventories and spreading the word.
"I won't go into the full list of presses and accessories we've gathered up, but I can say it's extensive," Sharpless told NSSF. "A member of the U.S. F/TR team who lives near Camp Perry has agreed to take our shipment and those from Brownell's and the other companies providing brass, powder and bullets so that, when the South African team arrives in the U.S. during the last days of July, they can get started immediately on handloading. The U.S. team is even building benches for the press setups, so the South African team should be able to knock this out and get to the more important task at hand, and that is shooting at Camp Perry."
"We are so proud of our member companies and the U.S. F/TR team for coming together to help other shooters in their time of need," said Steve Sanetti, NSSF President and CEO. "They have set a fine example of sportsmanship and teamwork, and we wish both teams the best of luck in the National Matches."
The U.S. F-T/R Team, which stands for Farquhorson Target Rifle (or F-Class, as it's more commonly known), is home to two World Championships, earning the high spot in the 2013 Worlds held in Raton, New Mexico, and the 2009 Bisley Cup held in Bisley, England. The 2015 Palma Match and Long Range World Championships are part of the six-week-long Camp Perry National Matches, a joint effort of the National Rifle Association and the Civilian Marksmanship Program. This year's Palma and Long Range World Championships will be held Aug. 3-14.