Singer takes six fans to Cambodia to see the sights and ranges

Fairfax, Virginia - Singer, songwriter, NRA Life Member, world traveler and professional shooter. All labels applicably applied to our Australian mate Steve Lee. Now we can add tour guide to the list.

More on Steve Lee's "I Like Guns" Cambodia tour ...

Georgia's John Whidden won the 2011 Queen's Prize rifle title

You know what was happening this time last year? We had a contingency of Americans travel to Australia for the 2011 World Long Range Rifle Championships at the Belmont Shooting Complex.

What you're witnessing above is the celebration following the Queen's Prize match. American John Whidden is hoisted in the air after winning with a score of 399-046X.

See all the coverage from the 2011 World Long Range Rifle Championships here.

Dave Cloft, a member of the U.S. Palma Team and a shooter for the US Army Reserve, sends NRAblog another report on the World Rifle Championships.

Brisbane, Australia - There was very, very stiff competition and the conditions on the range tested our coaches and shooters thoroughly. After two long days of shooting, we found ourselves bested by Great Britain and South Africa. While we did not win gold, this was still a tremendous accomplishment for our team, and it was an honor to be among the best rifle shooters in our country and from around the world.

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Dave Cloft, a member of the U.S. Palma Team and a shooter for the US Army Reserve, sent NRAblog the following report on the World Rifle Championships.

Brisbane, Australia - The Palma Match, or the World Championship of Long Range Rifle Shooting, is the most prestigious team event in the shooting sports. Shooters worldwide train and compete for four years for the honor to represent their Nation both as Individuals and Team members. The first Palma Match was held in 1876 at Creedmoor range in New York, and resulted in a win for the United States.

The Palma Trophy is a 7 ½ foot tall Tiffany creation with a copper eagle and silver laurel wreath atop a panel mounted on an ornate steel shaft, bearing the word “PALMA.” The original trophy sat outside the U.S. Secretary of Defense’s office; however when the Palma matches were suspended between the Great Depression and World War II and with the move the Pentagon in the 1940’s the original trophy was somehow lost. A replica now exists and travels around the world every four years. The trophy is presented “in the name of the United States of America to the rifleman of the world,” for which an official Palma match must require USA among the competing Nations.

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Brisbane, Australia - Great Britain's Richard Jeens won the Individual World Long Range Rifle Championships with a final score of 725-049X. Ceremonially hoisted in the air by his fellow competitors at the Awards Ceremony (thanks again to US Palma Team member Dave Cloft for the above picture), Jeens was all smiles with a title that remains in his position until the next Championships in 2015.

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Brisbane, Australia - You can never be too careful when you're in the lead. Especially if Sgt. Sherri Jo Gallagher is breathing down your neck. It's the same tenacity that landed her a spot on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and made her the U.S. Army's 2010 Soldier of the Year that'll make her push and focus until her shot is just right. Exactly what she did on day three of the International Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Associations' World Individual Championships in Brisbane, Australia.

Heading into the final day of of the Individual Championships, Gallagher leads fellow American Trevor Massey by 1 point and 1 X ... and the rest of the field isn't too far behind.

Per the competition's website, the final day is comprised of a 900 and 1,000 yard match. The top ten then advance to a 20 shot match at 1,000 yards. With a handful of American's still within striking distance of the top ten, it could be anybody's game.

Brisbane, Australia - With only a few days left at the World Long Range Championships at the Belmont Shoot Complex in Brisbane, it's time to battle it out for the Individual title. Reports suggest that weather came into play again as rain fell upon the range during the 800 yard match. That's when things got interesting.

As competitors moved on to the 900 yard match, the wind began to pick up. The scores, however, still hovered at the 74 (out of 75) point mark. As it says on the competition's website, "The strong frontal wind was more than just tough it was down right cruel at times. Changing quickly in angle as well as in strength magpies and outers were commonplace across the range." Now that does sound like fun.

Here are the scores as of 8:50pm (6:50am est) in Brisbane:

Brisbane, Australia - There are a number of constants when it comes to Nashville, Georgia's John Whidden. He's always got a smile. He always wears a that ratty red ballcap when shooting, and he always shoots pretty darn straight. Each and every one of those things were true earlier today when he shot a 100-13x on the final day of the Queen's Prize to win the three-day aggregate match with a 399-046x. A day one score of 150-012x and a day two of 149-021 were enough to overtake early leader and Palma Teammate Norman Anderson for the title.

As per the custom, fellow competitors carried Whidden and his green John Deere-sashed rifle to the awards ceremony in a litter/chair. And as per usual, the only thing missing from the scene was his ratty red baseball cap. The above photo comes courtesy of fellow Palma Teammate Dave Cloft. Here's how the top ten finished:

Brisbane, Australia - On the right in the "Coach" outfit we see Norman Anderson. Norm is a long range high power shooter for the U.S. Army Reserve Shooting Team. Today is a special day for Norm for a few reasons. First, he's in Brisbane for the 2011 World Rifle Championships at the Belmont Rifle Range. Second, he's currently in first place as day three of the National Queen's Prize match is about to begin. Third, it's his birthday ... happy birthday Norm.

The Queen's Prize is a three day match shot at 300, 500 and 600 yards on day one, 500, 800 and 900 yards on day two followed by 900 and 1,000 yards on day three. So far, Norm has yet to drop a shot on any target. But that doesn't mean he's in the clear as there are plenty of competitors nipping at his heels. And then there's the weather.

"It's windy as heck," said fellow Army Reserve Shooting Team member Dave Cloft. "There's been some rain and the forecast calls for more."

Sounds a little like Camp Perry, aye?

Birthday or not, now's the time for Norm to focus. With more than forty shooters within three points of the lead, including 2009 Long Range High Power champ Sherri Gallagher (298-041x), 2010 Long Range High Power winner John Whidden (see below) and Cloft (297-028), he's sure to have his hands full once day three begins.