Eurooptic vortex burris nightforce sale




teslong borescope digital camera barrel monitor


As an Amazon Associate, this site earns a commission from Amazon sales.









August 29th, 2014

Accuracy Problems? Put Another Shooter Behind the Trigger to Rule Out ‘Driver Error’ Issues

When a rifle isn’t shooting up to it’s potential, we need to ask: “Is it the gun or the shooter?” Having multiple shooters test the same rifle in the same conditions with the same load can be very revealing…

When developing a load for a new rifle, one can easily get consumed by all the potential variables — charge weight, seating depth, neck tension, primer options, neck lube, and so on. When you’re fully focused on loading variables, and the results on the target are disappointing, you may quickly assume you need to change your load. But we learned that sometimes the load is just fine — the problem is the trigger puller, or the set-up on the bench.

Here’s an example. A while back we tested two new Savage F-Class rifles, both chambered in 6mmBR. Initial results were promising, but not great — one gun’s owner was getting round groups with shots distributed at 10 o’clock, 2 o’clock, 5 o’clock, 8 o’clock, and none were touching. We could have concluded that the load was no good. But then another shooter sat down behind the rifle and put the next two shots, identical load, through the same hole. Shooter #2 eventually produced a 6-shot group that was a vertical line, with 2 shots in each hole but at three different points of impact. OK, now we can conclude the load needs to be tuned to get rid of the vertical. Right? Wrong. Shooter #3 sat down behind the gun and produced a group that strung horizontally but had almost no vertical.

Hmmm… what gives?

Well each of the three shooters had a different way of holding the gun and adjusting the rear bag. Shooter #1, the gun’s owner, used a wrap-around hold with hand and cheek pressure, and he was squeezing the bag. All that contact was moving the shot up, down, left and right. Shooter #2 was using no cheek pressure, and very slight thumb pressure behind the tang, but he was experimenting with different amounts of bag “squeeze”. His hold eliminated the side push, but variances in squeeze technique and down pressure caused the vertical string. When he kept things constant, the gun put successive shots through the same hole. Shooter #3 was using heavy cheek pressure. This settled the gun down vertically, but it also side-loaded the rifle. The result was almost no vertical, but this shooting style produced too much horizontal.

A “Second Opinion” Is Always Useful
Conclusion? Before you spend all day fiddling with a load, you might want to adjust your shooting style and see if that affects the group size and shape on the target. Additionally, it is nearly always useful to have another experienced shooter try your rifle. In our test session, each time we changed “drivers”, the way the shots grouped on the target changed significantly. We went from a big round group, to vertical string, to horizontal string.

Interestingly, all three shooters were able to diagnose problems in their shooting styles, and then refine their gun-handling. As a result, in a second session, we all shot that gun better, and the average group size dropped from 0.5-0.6 inches into the threes — with NO changes to the load.

That’s right, we cut group size in half, and we didn’t alter the load one bit. Switching shooters demonstrated that the load was good and the gun was good. The skill of the trigger-puller(s) proved to be the limiting factor in terms of group size.

Permalink Shooting Skills 3 Comments »
August 29th, 2014

Leupold Offers Carhatt Jacket to VX-3, VX-3L, and VX-6 Buyers

Leupold carhartt jacket scope VX-3 VX-6 free offerHow would you like to get an exclusive Leupold-logo jacket? From September 1 to October 15, 2014, Leupold will send a limited-edition Carhartt jacket to everyone who buys an American-made VX-3, VX-3L or VX-6 riflescope. OFFER Details.

This distinctive, made-in-USA jacket will only be produced during this promotion and will not be available for sale anywhere. “Leupold is a uniquely American company,” said Bruce Pettet, CEO and president of Leupold & Stevens, Inc. “We’re proud of that fact and want to celebrate the American employees who design, machine and assemble our riflescopes right here in Beaverton, Oregon.”

CLICK HERE to Learn More about this Special Offer.

Leupold carhartt jacket scope VX-3 VX-6 free offer

The Leupold Warranty — As Good As It Gets
Those of us who own Leupold scopes (this Editor has four), know that the company stands behind its products 100%. The Leupold Full Lifetime Warranty is justifiably famous. For the life of the product Leupold will either repair your Leupold product or replace it free. No escape clauses, no BS. And warranty coverage is not limited to the original owner. I’ve had Leupold fix “previously owned” Leupold riflescopes no questions asked. That’s a great reason to trust in Leupold.

Permalink Hot Deals, Optics 1 Comment »