Freedom Benchrest West Coast Nationals at Sacramento Valley Shooting Center

Mac
May 5
8 min read

Updated: May 7

Event coverage—including photos, video, and wind readouts—is available at:https://www.blackplagueprecision.com/portfolio

The Freedom Benchrest West Coast Nationals brought precision shooters from across the region to Sacramento Valley Shooting Center for a two-day, high-stakes 600-yard competition. I had the chance to attend Day Two—not as a competitor, but as media, capturing photos and footage of what turned out to be an incredibly well-run match. Despite some tough weather, the new firing line setup and tight performances made this one of the most memorable benchrest events I’ve seen in a while.

As someone who shoots F-Class, my respect for benchrest has only grown. The overlap in shooting technique, rifle setup, and—especially—reloading protocols is undeniable. What we do in F-Class is often built on a foundation pioneered by benchrest shooters. This event was a treat for me personally, especially after my last attempt to film a benchrest match got completely rained out.

Sacramento Valley Shooting Center

Sacramento Valley Shooting Center, located in Sloughhouse, California, is a benchmark facility for long-range competition. Home to ranges out to 1000 yards and host to events spanning PRS, F-Class, and benchrest, it was a fitting location for the West Coast’s biggest benchrest match. Range 12 featured a brand-new 600-yard system allowing to shooters to stay at the 1000-yard firing line canopy. The covered benches offered some much-needed protection on what turned out to be a rainy and wind-challenged weekend—a major improvement that competitors immediately appreciated. As someone who considers Sac Valley my home range, it was great to see investment being made in both infrastructure and shooter experience. The facility handled the event flawlessly.

What is Benchrest?

Benchrest shooting is all about accuracy. It’s a precision-driven sport where every component—rifle, rest, load, and shooter—must work in harmony to produce repeatable results. Competitors are famously meticulous, constantly experimenting to eliminate variables and push the limits of consistency. But “Benchrest” isn’t just one game. It’s a family of disciplines, each with its own equipment rules, scoring systems, and challenges. Today though, we will focus on long range benchrest.

Long Range Benchrest (600 & 1000 yards)

Long Range Benchrest (LRBR) is where the art of precision shooting is tested against time, distance, and wind. At both 600 and 1000 yards, this format combines the goals of both group and score shooting. Each match typically includes five or ten shots per target, fired from a bench. Competitors are scored on both:

Group Size – the distance between the furthest-apart bullet holes.
Score – how close the group is centered on the target bullseye.

Unlike Short Range Group, where it doesn't matter if you’re in the 9-ring or the X-ring, Long Range Benchrest demands both; tight clusters and centered hits. A small group off-center won’t beat a similar group in the X-ring. Final standings are often based on a combined performance across both metrics (group and score) over multiple targets. In this way, Long Range BR rewards the shooter who can manage both mechanical consistency and real-time judgment.

Gun classifications are as follows:

Light Gun: Must not exceed 17 lbs. with scope.
Heavy Gun: No weight limit—built for absolute recoil control and stability.

Long Range Benchrest isn’t about speed or flash—it’s about pushing the limits of what’s possible when every variable is controlled and every shot counts. At 600 and 1,000 yards, the margin for error is razor-thin. A puff of wind, a split-second delay, or a moment of doubt can unravel an otherwise perfect group. That’s what makes this discipline so unforgiving—and so rewarding. It’s a quiet pursuit of perfection. A test not just of equipment, but of patience, discipline, and mental clarity. And while it may not have the spotlight of other shooting sports, Benchrest remains the foundation of modern precision shooting. If you're looking for the edge—the real edge—it’s here, one measured group at a time.

The Match Format

This year’s West Coast Nationals followed Freedom Benchrest rules with a straightforward but unforgiving course of fire:

Unlimited sighter period followed by
4- five-shot Light Gun targets per day
4 - five-shot Heavy Gun targets per day
Two-day aggregate for scoring

All shots were scored using electronic targets (ShotMarker) , with real-time visibility for both sighters and record shots. Once a shooter began their record string, no additional sighters were allowed—a format that demands confidence and precise judgment. Bench rotation occurred between Day One and Day Two. The event also featured trophies for the top three finishers in each class, plus an overall Champion title, with sponsor-provided prizes rounding out the awards.

A Day Behind the Lens

I arrived early on Day Two, camera in hand, layered up and hoping the rain had finally let up. It hadn’t. By the time I got to the line, I was already hearing stories about Day One—a four-hour rain delay and match staff hustling to keep the event on track despite the downpour. Day Two wasn’t as bad, but the ground was still soaked, and we got off to a late start thanks to lingering drizzle and mud that made moving gear a chore.

Still, the mood was upbeat. Shooters had come in from all over. This wasn’t a weekend club match. It had the feel of a regional championship, and the commitment was clear on everyone’s face. Rifles were being checked, rests dialed in, and wind flags studied with intent. You could feel the focus in the air, even before the first shot went downrange. And the wind? Relentless. I set up a Wind Zero unit behind the firing line. Wind Zero is part of a modular wind meter ecosystem I’ve been testing that delivers real-time data during live fire. While I didn’t get to place any downrange the system still offered some valuable insights while I was filming. Even positioned about 15 feet below the flag line, it clocked wind speeds holding between 4 and 10 mph. But at the flags there where almost no calm breaks throughout the day. Looking at the flags it was clear the wind was much harsher staying well between 10 to 15 mph. It was the kind of wind that doesn’t just punish poor technique—it exposes it. The flags never stopped moving. Not once. Shooters had to read, hold, and send within tight windows. There were no freebies. I kept my coat zipped all day, and even then, it felt like the wind was trying to peel it off.

Despite the conditions, the match ran like clockwork. Credit to the organizers and range crew—they kept things moving, kept the targets up, and never let the weather derail the momentum. Squads rotated efficiently, and even in the worst of the mud, there was a rhythm to the day. You could tell most of the shooters had come prepared—not just with gear, but with grit. There were some incredible groups laid down despite the wind, and a few of the relays turned into real clinics on patience and precision. It was the kind of day where experience showed, but determination mattered just as much.

One of the standout performances of the weekend came from Mary, a local shooter who quietly laid down a five-shot group measuring just 0.530 inches at 600 yards—the day before I arrived. To put that in perspective: a standard golf ball is 1.68 inches wide. Mary’s group was less than a third of that, in wind that had challenged even the best shooters on the line

By the time I showed up, word was already making its way down the line. I kept hearing bits and pieces—Did you hear about Mary’s group? Might be a record. I finally found her and asked about it directly.

She just smiled and said, “I don’t know—but it was a personal best.”

You’ve got to love that kind of humility. That kind of precision doesn’t just win relays—it leaves a mark. The kind of group people remember. And honestly, that’s what stood out most from behind the lens that day. Not just the gear, the weather, or the data—but the people. Focused, soaked, grinning between relays. Stories like Mary’s didn’t just add to the event—they defined it. Even in the cold and chaos, there was pride. Camaraderie. A quiet kind of greatness. You could feel it between the shutter clicks.

A Personal Highlight

One of the more unexpected moments was spotting a Paragon action on the line—something I hadn’t seen in benchrest before. Actually, I hadn’t seen one up close at all. As I mentioned in a previous article, I’m building a dedicated F-Class rifle around the Paragon from FClassProducts, so it definitely caught my attention. Getting a closer look at how it performed in competition—and chatting with the owner—was a cool confirmation that this action is starting to make waves beyond just F-Class. It’s a great reminder that innovation moves across disciplines, and at the end of the day, precision speaks a universal language. That’s one of the things I love about events like this—you never know who you’re going to meet or what you’re going to see.

Final Thoughts

As someone who lives and breathes long-range precision, this event was a reminder of where many of our best practices come from. Benchrest is a technical playground—a place where the pursuit of perfection never really ends.

This was more than just another match to cover—it was a chance to learn, observe, and appreciate the roots of the precision game. I walked away with a deeper respect for the shooters, the discipline, and the tradition behind it.

If you’ve never seen a benchrest match up close, I highly recommend it. And if you’re looking for where the next great reloading breakthrough might come from—it’s probably already happening on the bench next to you.

Event coverage—including photos, video, and wind readouts—is available at:https://www.blackplagueprecision.com/portfolio

YOUTUBE PROMO VIDEO: https://youtu.be/-oJfNfku1Ik?si=AOxeUk-wonX4NodH

To learn more about upcoming events or to register for future matches, visit:https://www.sacvalley.org

Learn more about Wind Zero at http://windzero.store

Learn more about Fclassproducts at https://fclassproducts.com

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