Eric Stecker
New member
I am a product of short range BR shooting. My first job with Walt was as the range master for the matches held at Ben Avery in Phoenix, AZ. It was a few years later when I started working in the shed in Walt's back yard making bullets. Within a year after that I had a Stolle action, Six stock and Hart barreled BR rifle and gave up my job as range master to become an active shooter. The history between then and now has led to my recent change to the position of President of Berger Bullets. Having been blessed with this good fortune is compelling me/allowing me to pursue some deliberate efforts about which I feel strongly.
In recent months, Berger has decided to do whatever it can to support and grow short range BR. I personally believe that short range BR group shooting is at the heart of BR competition. I know there are many other types of BR shooting but I believe that if we can make short range BR stronger, then the other BR areas will gain in strength as well. To this end I wanted to relay what we are doing now and to announce a few changes that we are making today to further this effort.
As many of you already know, Berger has assumed control of the Arizona Benchrest Shooters club which runs the group shooting BR matches at the Ben Avery Range. We are pleased that last month we ran our first match since 2000. Based on the feedback we received during and after the match I believe we are heading in the right direction with running a well organized match with various efforts toward enhancing shooter comforts. This effort will continue as planned with our next match being the Sporter - Unlimited 5 shot second half of the Arizona State Championships held on Nov 8th and 9th. I hope to see you there.
A few months ago, we partnered with a professional software company with a deliberate plan to produce updated and upgraded match operation software. We are early in this process but I am encouraged by the progress. The plan will involve a few deliberate steps. The first of which is to produce a software that operates properly and easily for match directors. The second step is to integrate this software with an NBRSA database. The software will be set up to download match results into the NBRSA website so that all match results can be posted and reviewed quickly. This will also include a means through which individual shooters can track their scores over their BR career. There are other features and adaptations being discussed but the good news is that Berger will move this project forward as quickly as we can with no cost to the match operators, affiliated clubs or NBRSA.
The final phase of this project is to produce a system that will measure targets consistently from range to range using an optical system. Ultimately this optical system will feed the scores into the software for quick, easy and uniform scoring. This is a tall task that will require a lot of cooperation between several match directors to ensure that it functions properly. We will continue to pursue this effort until we are successful or it is clearly determined that it is an impossible task (which I seriously doubt it is). If we are successful, Berger will be providing these measuring systems over time to all NBRSA affiliated and active clubs at no cost.
Lastly, it is my opinion that part of Berger being actively involved in strengthening BR means providing products that the BR community can use successfully. We spent considerable effort and time developing the BR Column bullet. This is one BR bullet we make among several others that are being shot today. We also produce the J4 precision jacket that has been a staple in the BR community for decades.
In a deliberate effort to further support BR shooting I am pleased to announce that we are making a change to the pricing of the J4 jackets most commonly used in short range BR. My recent position change has given me the authority to adjust the pricing of specific jackets to levels that are more consistent with historical norms as part of our effort to support short range BR competition. The jackets that will have price changes effective immediately are:
22 cal .705 long - New Price = $0.0623 each or $161.98 per bucket of 2,600
6mm .790 long - New Price = $0.0736 each or $147.20 per bucket of 2,000
6mm .825 long - New Price = $0.0739 each or $133.02 per bucket of 1,800
30 cal .925 long - New Price = $0.1218 each or $133.98 per bucket of 1,100
30 cal 1.000 long - New Price = $0.1223 each or $122.30 per bucket of 1,000
For all active jacket back order as of today (10-20-14) the prices have already been changed for these jackets. The price for all J4 jackets not listed above will remain the same until the end of the year at which point the cost for the jackets not listed above will be going up 3%.
It is my sincere hope that short range BR starts to turn away from its path toward decline. These are the things that we will be doing to help reverse this trend.
To clarify why we are doing this, if Berger were to obtain ALL of the business from the BR community it would produce an amount of sales that would be less than 2% of our total revenue. My reason for doing this is simple and it is not about making money (clearly). In a way, I regard myself as alumni of the school of short range BR competition. This is the school I attended as a young adult. It taught me many things that have helped me and Berger be successful. I believe it is right and necessary to give back to the group that gave me so much. Also, at Berger's core we are a benchrest bullet company. I intend to stay identified strongly with this core. We make many different bullets but they are all made the same way. The BR way, Walt's way. By doing these things I am not only able to give back to the group that gave me so much, I am also honoring our roots and Walt Berger's passion and commitment to BR shooting.
If we are successful, at the very least, those who enjoy BR will have a better experience. At best we may even be able to get a few more shooters excited about BR shooting and build our numbers back to much healthier levels.
Regards,
Eric
In recent months, Berger has decided to do whatever it can to support and grow short range BR. I personally believe that short range BR group shooting is at the heart of BR competition. I know there are many other types of BR shooting but I believe that if we can make short range BR stronger, then the other BR areas will gain in strength as well. To this end I wanted to relay what we are doing now and to announce a few changes that we are making today to further this effort.
As many of you already know, Berger has assumed control of the Arizona Benchrest Shooters club which runs the group shooting BR matches at the Ben Avery Range. We are pleased that last month we ran our first match since 2000. Based on the feedback we received during and after the match I believe we are heading in the right direction with running a well organized match with various efforts toward enhancing shooter comforts. This effort will continue as planned with our next match being the Sporter - Unlimited 5 shot second half of the Arizona State Championships held on Nov 8th and 9th. I hope to see you there.
A few months ago, we partnered with a professional software company with a deliberate plan to produce updated and upgraded match operation software. We are early in this process but I am encouraged by the progress. The plan will involve a few deliberate steps. The first of which is to produce a software that operates properly and easily for match directors. The second step is to integrate this software with an NBRSA database. The software will be set up to download match results into the NBRSA website so that all match results can be posted and reviewed quickly. This will also include a means through which individual shooters can track their scores over their BR career. There are other features and adaptations being discussed but the good news is that Berger will move this project forward as quickly as we can with no cost to the match operators, affiliated clubs or NBRSA.
The final phase of this project is to produce a system that will measure targets consistently from range to range using an optical system. Ultimately this optical system will feed the scores into the software for quick, easy and uniform scoring. This is a tall task that will require a lot of cooperation between several match directors to ensure that it functions properly. We will continue to pursue this effort until we are successful or it is clearly determined that it is an impossible task (which I seriously doubt it is). If we are successful, Berger will be providing these measuring systems over time to all NBRSA affiliated and active clubs at no cost.
Lastly, it is my opinion that part of Berger being actively involved in strengthening BR means providing products that the BR community can use successfully. We spent considerable effort and time developing the BR Column bullet. This is one BR bullet we make among several others that are being shot today. We also produce the J4 precision jacket that has been a staple in the BR community for decades.
In a deliberate effort to further support BR shooting I am pleased to announce that we are making a change to the pricing of the J4 jackets most commonly used in short range BR. My recent position change has given me the authority to adjust the pricing of specific jackets to levels that are more consistent with historical norms as part of our effort to support short range BR competition. The jackets that will have price changes effective immediately are:
22 cal .705 long - New Price = $0.0623 each or $161.98 per bucket of 2,600
6mm .790 long - New Price = $0.0736 each or $147.20 per bucket of 2,000
6mm .825 long - New Price = $0.0739 each or $133.02 per bucket of 1,800
30 cal .925 long - New Price = $0.1218 each or $133.98 per bucket of 1,100
30 cal 1.000 long - New Price = $0.1223 each or $122.30 per bucket of 1,000
For all active jacket back order as of today (10-20-14) the prices have already been changed for these jackets. The price for all J4 jackets not listed above will remain the same until the end of the year at which point the cost for the jackets not listed above will be going up 3%.
It is my sincere hope that short range BR starts to turn away from its path toward decline. These are the things that we will be doing to help reverse this trend.
To clarify why we are doing this, if Berger were to obtain ALL of the business from the BR community it would produce an amount of sales that would be less than 2% of our total revenue. My reason for doing this is simple and it is not about making money (clearly). In a way, I regard myself as alumni of the school of short range BR competition. This is the school I attended as a young adult. It taught me many things that have helped me and Berger be successful. I believe it is right and necessary to give back to the group that gave me so much. Also, at Berger's core we are a benchrest bullet company. I intend to stay identified strongly with this core. We make many different bullets but they are all made the same way. The BR way, Walt's way. By doing these things I am not only able to give back to the group that gave me so much, I am also honoring our roots and Walt Berger's passion and commitment to BR shooting.
If we are successful, at the very least, those who enjoy BR will have a better experience. At best we may even be able to get a few more shooters excited about BR shooting and build our numbers back to much healthier levels.
Regards,
Eric
