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March 14th, 2007
Savage Arms plans to release a factory-built F-Class rifle later this year. The initial stock design was controversial to say the least. However, the new design looks excellent. It features a 3″-wide fore-end, with venting slots cut on the sides AND the bottom. The rear of the buttstock runs straight back from the grip area and features a bottom flat that looks to be at least 1″ wide. The complete rifle will feature a right bolt, left port action (and possibly a right/right), with a 6-ounce Accutrigger. There is a discussion of the new stock on Long-Range.com. For a larger photo, CLICK HERE. Thanks to Vanessa Warner for these photos.
March 14th, 2007
The long barrels and big scopes used on F-Class and long-range BR Rifles make it difficult to find a hard case long enough to fit the entire rifle. Our readers have asked “Where can we find a good, rigid, metal case (under $75.00) with built-in locks that will hold a rifle with 31″ barrel?” The BD505W model from Bulldog Cases fits the bill. 53″ long and 13″ wide, it will hold a rifle up to 52″ in overall length. While designed to hold two normal hunting rifles, if you have a big Nightforce on top consider this a one-gun case. But you can afford one for each of your long-barreled rifles. The BD505W costs just $59.39 from MidSouth Shooters’ Supply (item 208-BD505W).
March 13th, 2007
 Ace long-range shooter John Whidden has introduced a new bullet-pointing system that promises to improve the B.C. of match bullets significantly. John tells us that “tests have shown these bullets to have a typical B.C. increase of about 35 to 40 points as compared to bullets right out of the box,” and at 1000 yards, “we usually see them impact about 1-1.5 MOA higher. We have reports of .224 80-grainers shooting 2.5 MOA higher just by pointing.” The proof is in the shooting. Our own Jason Baney has experimented with Clinch Rivers that had the tips pointed up (not by John though). Jason reports: “Shot round-robin, with my 6BR, 5-shot group centers were 18″+ apart vertically. In other words, the pointed bullets flew 1.75MOA flatter to 1025 yards. This number has been repeated in matches at Williamsport.”
What about trimming meplats instead? Well, that does make bullet to bullet B.C. more consistent, but, unfortunately, it reduces the B.C. somewhat at the same time. Pointing the bullet tips with a special pointing die raises the effective B.C. and makes the B.C. more consistent by taking the ragged edges off the meplats. For more info, call John Whidden at (229) 686-1911 or visit WhiddenGunWorks.net.
March 13th, 2007
In August of this summer, the United States Under 21 and Under 25 Rifle Teams will be competing in the World Championships in Ottawa, Canada. The Young Eagles Team consists of 20 young men and women who will be competing for the title of World Champion. The total cost of travel and match fees for the team in 2007 will be no less than $95,000. Team members supply all their own equipment, rifles and ammunition and raise some of the money themselves. The Team is a long way from achieving its financial goal and needs your support.
To make a donation CLICK HERE. This will bring you right into the donations page. Be sure to designate the USA Young Eagles as the recipient. All donations are tax deductible through Palma Promotions. Additional information can be found at: USAunder25Team.org.
On behalf of the team, I thank you for your support. — Vanessa Warner, Fundraising Coordinator, 2007 USA Young Eagles Rifle Team.
March 12th, 2007
 Mike Ratigan, a top Benchrest competitor (and Super Shoot winner), has just released an outstanding new book, Extreme Rifle Accuracy. This book is valuable for anyone involved in precision shooting, though Mike’s principal focus is on 100/200/300 Benchrest competition. Other top shooters tell us Mike’s new book is a “must-have” resource:
Butch Lambert: “It is far and away the best BR book written. Very comprehensive, it touches on every aspect of our game.”
Tom Rose: “I have a copy of Glenn Newick’s Ultimate in Rifle Accuracy which was great. However, this [368-page] book appears to be the next step in defining the sport of extreme rifle accuracy. Great photos and explanations of our sport.”
Mike Marcelli: “This is by far the most comprehensive book on the sport ever released. Mike not only hits the major points, like rest alignment and bag set up, he even addresses the little issues such as making sure your rest feet are on a solid surface and checking to see if the bench is stable before shooting. He points out all the little things that can bite you.”
To order the book, priced at $34.95 for softcover and $42.95 for hardback, contact Mike Ratigan at (580) 256-2963, or fax/mail this ORDER FORM.
March 11th, 2007
Too often we rely on luck and “voodoo” to pick the best rimfire ammo. Shooters resort to testing batch after batch of ammo in hopes of finding the “holy grail”. What we’ve learned, in testing a 17 Mach 2, is that some of the accuracy issues with rimfire ammo CAN be quantified, and the “mystery flyers” can be explained. Using a Nielson Brothers Concentricity Gauge, we tested lots of 17 Mach 2 ammo from Eley and CCI. Most of the rounds had run-out of .002″ or .003″. However, we found some rounds had run-out as high as .009″ (See video). That’s shocking. A cartridge with .009″ run-out is a guaranteed flyer that will kill your group. Interestingly, when cartridge run-out was .004″ or higher, you could clearly see the bullet tip was way off-axis–confirming the results of the gauge. Using the Nielson Gauge we could quickly sort bullets in .001″ increments. For match purposes, you should cull anything worse than .003″ run-out. By sorting for .0015″ run-out or less, we were able to reduce our average group size by 30%. More importantly, we eliminated most of the unexplained fliers that were landing well outside the main group. The Nielson Gauge works for both 17 Mach 2 and 22LR. And, with different inserts, you can measure 17 HMR and 22 magnum rounds.
Click to Watch Rimfire Run-out Test Movie (1 mb .wmv file):
March 11th, 2007
Are you a rimfire shooter looking for an Anschutz action (or barreled action) to use in an after-market benchrest, silhouette, or prone stock (such as the new Elesio AN-1)? You can spend weeks watching the auction boards, or you can save time and money by just giving Mac Tilton a call. Mac, owner of MTGuns.com, has hundreds of “previously owned” rimfire rifles in inventory, including scores of Anschutz models. Most have model 54 or 64 actions–he rarely gets the 2000-series barrel-block style actions. But you can certainly build a match-winning rifle from a Model 54. Mac also stocks many BSA Martini and Walther match rifles. For more info, call Mac at (805) 720-7720, from 9 am to 5 pm, Pacific Time.
March 10th, 2007
Many of our Canadian readers were interested in John Loh’s new action sleeves because it is difficult for them to import custom actions. A sleeve stiffens a factory Remington action while increasing the bedding surface. Based on Speedy Gonzalez’ proven design, Loh’s new sleeves are CNC-machined from the highest grade Aircraft aluminum. The sleeves feature a Panda footprint, integral recoil lug, and built-in Davidson scope rail. To learn more, call John at (562) 602-5553, or email him at his website, JJ-Industries.com.
March 10th, 2007
 MidwayUSA now has Ramshot TAC powder on sale for $9.99 per pound, item # 230803. Ramshot TAC is a quality ball powder that meters like sand and shoots very well in both .223s and .308s. Because it packs tightly, TAC offers excellent velocities in small cases like the .223 Rem.
March 9th, 2007
In a major legal opinion based on the Second Amendment, a three-judge panel of U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia declared the DC ban on handguns to be unconstitutional. The decision, which could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, held the DC law void on the grounds that the U.S. Constitution guarantees individual citizens (not just “militia”) the right to keep and bear arms.
Senior Judge Silverman’s majority opinion declared:
“To summarize, we conclude that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms. That right existed prior to the formation of the new government under the Constitution and was premised on the private use of arms for activities such as hunting and self-defense, the latter being understood as resistance to either private lawlessness or the depredations of a tyrannical government (or a threat from abroad). In addition, the right to keep and bear arms had the important and salutary civic purpose of helping to preserve the citizen militia….Despite the importance of the Second Amendment’s civic purpose, however, the activities it protects are not limited to militia service, nor is an individual’s enjoyment of the right contingent upon his or her continued or intermittent enrollment in the militia.”
Download and Read Majority Opinion.
Link (with Video): MSNBC Report
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