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May 15th, 2007
 Gary Eliseo of Competition Shooting Stuff, has come up with a cool new product for prone and F-Class shooters–a complete wind station (with digital display), that mounts on a spotting scope stand. It provides a constant, real-time output of wind velocity with an indicator of wind direction. At the top of the stand, a spinner measures velocity and sends its readings via wire to a remote display. A balanced plastic wind vane shows the wind angle. This is clamp-mounted so you can adjust the vane’s height–low for easy viewing, or high to avoid “ground effect” variations.
A small digital display clips on to the front bell of your spotting scope so you can see wind velocity without changing your shooting position. The display also has a stopwatch function. Gary tells us his Vortex 1200 anemometer is great for prone or smallbore competitors or team coaches. The unit offers 0.5 mph resultion and the battery should last up to one year according to Gary. A tripod mounted version of the shooter’s wind station is also available for benchrest shooters. This mounts to any camera tripod.
Note: Shooters should check competition rules for their discipline to see if this wind station can be used during actual matches. See comments. If match rules prohibit such devices, the wind station is still a valuable tool for practice days between matches.
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May 15th, 2007
Here’s a great deal folks. MidwayUSA just knocked $40.00 off the price of the RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 Combo, item #772151. The ChargeMaster Combo was the top-rated unit in our Electronic Powder Dispenser Comparison Test, and in 2006 the design was upgraded for improved reliability and charge-weight accuracy. When load accuracy was tested with a Denver Instrument lab-grade scale as a control, 95% of charges were within the claimed +/- 0.1 grain accuracy. The ChargeMaster works with all types of powder–it doesn’t skip a beat even with the long-grain extruded powders that can be problematic in manual powder throwers. The RCBS ChargeMaster throws charges from 2 to 300 grains and stores up to 30 favorite loads in memory for fast recall. MidwayUSA’s $259.99 sale price is good through May 31, 2007.
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May 14th, 2007
Bryan of Powder Valley has advised us that he has some exciting new product arrivals: IMR 4007 SSC (in stock now) and Russian primers from Wolf (ETA first week of June).
NEW IMR 4007 SSC
First, a shipment of the new IMR 4007 SSC has just arrived. This is a medium burn rate powder with characteristics suitable for a wide variety of cartridges. Price is $17.25 for 1 pound or $116.00 for 8 pounds.
Hodgdon, which distributes IMR powders, reports: “IMR 4007 SSC falls between IMR 4350 and 4064. ‘SSC’ refers to the new ‘Super Short Cut’ grain shape.” With its short powder kernels, Hodgdon says, 4007 SSC meters better than long-grain extruded powders. Accordingly, charge weight consistency is improved. Hodgdon claims that the enhanced load density of 4007 SSC will allow velocity gains compared to longer extruded powders. Hodgon reports: “the shortened grain drops smoothly into small case necks making it perfect for classic varmint cartridges like the 22-250, 220 Swift and 243 Winchester. Users of popular big game cartridges such as the 30-06, 300 WSM and 7mm WSM can attain top velocities typical of extruded powders, with the precision metering inherent in this new product.” Click HERE for a .pdf file with IMR 4007 SSC product info and some suggested loads.
Wolf (Russian) Primers
Bryan said Powder Valley is expected to receive Wolf Primers in the first week of June, 2007. Many top shooters such as David Tubb believe these primers give great accuracy and low ES. These new Wolf Primers are from the same Russian manufacturer as the “Russians” formerly sold by PMC.
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May 14th, 2007
Top Silhouette shooter Mark Pharr has developed a pair of advanced silhouette stocks, suitable for both centerfire and rimfire competition. There is a full-forend R/T model for those who prefer to rest the forearm on the palm of their hand or fingertips. Mark has also created an innovative narrow-forend R/T-S model for shooters who prefer a “split-finger” hold.
Mark sent us photos of the handsome stocks, built by Robertson Composites in Canada. Mark notes: “A full range of colors is available, including granites and fades. You can go to Robertson’s website or a print shop to view a pantone ink chart and send me the numbers of the colors you pick. The stocks are made with black carbon fiber and will be harder to cover the seam on the bottom of stock with the light colors so please keep that in mind. A base color and one granite color is $285 for a flat top (non-inletted). Two-color granites (my favorites) are $30 extra. There are two different fades. A true fade has the solid color in the forend on the bottom, and costs an extra $60, while a granite fade is available for the base $285 price. We can do a camo dip now or texture paint for an additional $80. Go to BellandCarson.com to see the camo/texture finishes.
For more information, contact Mark Pharr at Tumbleweeds Custom Rifles, (512) 246-7563. Mark also smiths custom silhouette and precision rifles, both rimfire and centerfire. You can also order Pharr/Robertson stocks and other silhouette gear from Chicken’s Shooting Supply.
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May 13th, 2007
 Among the many helpful and FREE services offered by Sierra Bullets, is the “X-Ring” Technical Newsletter. With contributions by bullet designers and Sierra’s team of tech experts, the X-Ring provides some great info on bullets and general reloading matters.
Here are Questions answered by Sierra’s Carroll Pilant in the X-Ring.
Q. [Why do] some cases chamber easily, while others you almost have to crush them into the chamber when they are all the same batch of cases and all been full length sized?
A. The expander ball is pulling the neck / shoulder area up as it pulls out of the case. It usually squeaks as it comes out. Cure–Lube the inside of the case neck better, or slightly decrease the diameter of the expander ball ( about .003 under bullet diameter at the most ) and polish or both.
Q. I have a rifle that has a long throat and it doesn’t shoot boat tail bullets very well at all.
A. Try a flat-base bullet. They will often shoot better in a long throated or a worn throat gun than the boat tail bullets.
Q. Why do my case necks have a lot of smoke residue all the way down the case neck?
A. This usually comes from a mild load that doesn’t have enough pressure to seal the case neck against the chamber wall or the case necks have work hardened and aren’t sealing. Cure–Bump the powder charge up if it is a mild load; and, if the case necks have work hardened, either anneal the brass or replace it with new.
And here are some of Carroll’s Reloading Tips:
● When using a collet style case trimmer, try to tighten the collet down equally each time to keep lengths uniform. If you tighten it down hard, the case will be longer than one you tighten down lightly.
● A little lube on the pilot and cutter on a case trimmer every few cases will help keep it from trying to gall in the case mouth and helps keep the blades sharp and cutting smoothly. It makes trimming an easier task.
● Just because two bullets weigh the same doesn’t mean they can be loaded the same. The amount of bearing surface can vary drastically.
Editor’s Note: This last point by Carroll is something we have to emphasize often to novice reloaders. Not only do same-weight bullets vary in bearing surface, but you can have variances in shank diameter up to .001″ among bullets of the same weight and nominal diameter. Yes there are “skinny” bullets and “fat” bullets. Obviously the fatter bullets (given similar bearing surface) create more drag in the bore and this will affect the appropriate load.
SIERRA BULLETSMITHS — 1.800.223.8799
Back Row: Robert Treece | Carroll Pilant | Rich Machholz
Front Row: Duane Siercks | Paul Box | David Brown
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May 13th, 2007
 Cabela’s has a great sale going on right now in its “Bargain Cave” online discount store. A variety of quality sandals from major makers are discounted up to 60% off. Out here in the Western states, where daytime temps are already up into the 80s, sandles are the footwear of choice for casual wear.
Buyers have given rave reviews to Cabela’s $24.88 Mud Springs sandles, and the Keen Newport. For casual use this editor recommends the Mud Springs Slide OG-823606. It is comfortable, durable, and is easy-on, easy-off. For hiking and trail use however, you’ll want a heavier sandle with toe protection and an ankle strap, such as the Keen.
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May 12th, 2007
A friend of ours recently took delivery of a new barrel which was chambered by a smith who had done the original build on the rifle, but who had not headspaced the barrel on the action itself this time. The smith headspaced based on his old records. Our friend happily screwed on his nice, new barrel and headed to the range. After the first few rounds, with known, safe loads, he was seeing deep craters on his primers, and then he even pierced a few primers with loads that should never have done that. Interestingly, the brass was not showing any of the other pressure signs. This was with bullets seated .015″ out of the rifling.
We were thinking maybe too much firing pin extrusion or maybe he got a hot lot of powder. Then I asked him to email me dimensions off his fired cases compared to new, Lapua brass. He emailed me that his shoulder moved 0.0105″ forward. I sent an email back saying, “hey, that must be a typo, you meant 0.0015″ right–so your shoulder moved one and a half thousandths correct?” The answer was “No, the shoulder moved over TEN thousandths forward”. Ahah. This explained some of the cratering problem in his brass. His cases were able to bounce forward enough in the chamber so that the primer material was smearing over the firing pin. And now he has brass that is “semi-improved”.
The point of the story is always check your headspace when you receive a “pre-fit” barrel, even from the smith who built the rifle. Purchase Go/No Go gauges for all your calibers. Headspace is not just an accuracy issue, it can be a safety issue. Pierced primers are bad news. The debris from the primer cup can blow into the firing pin hole or ejector recess causing a myriad of problems.
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May 12th, 2007
New Englanders, head up to Woodcock, MA for some fun shooting on May 27th. Roy Bertalotto tells us: “Get them varmint and target rifles out and join us to scramble some eggs at 100, 200 and 300 yds. Savage Arms has donated a 50% off gift certificate for the winner of the 200-yard factory rifle class. Lots of other door prizes to be given away. There are even rimfire class for the youngsters. The range is located in Southeastern Massachusetts, 30 minutes from Cape Cod. One hour south of Boston. Bring the “other half”! A number of women shoot in this event. And there is great outlet shopping within 10-15 minutes plus a Whaling Museum. Click HERE for directions to the Woodcock range.
Want more info?
— Here Roy explains “What the heck is an Egg Shoot“.
— Find your questions answered on the Egg Shoot Q & A Page.
Roy reports: “Rebarreled, custom varmint rifles are quite popular now. But any Savage or Remington 700 / 40X with a fine tuned handload can hold it’s own. Remember, factory barrels shoot against factory barrels, aftermarket barrels against aftermarket barrels. Here are some hints–Bring two guns, or only shoot at one distance. If you shoot 200 yards and tie but then resight your gun for 300 yards you will need to resight for 200 to compete in the sudden death. I’ve seen guys really blow it messing around with those scope turrets.”
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May 11th, 2007
Premium front pedestal rests for “pure” Benchrest competition keep getting bigger and heavier. The Farley Co-Ax, SEB Rest, and John Loh rest are impressively massive. That’s a good thing when you need maximum stability, but varminters and field shooters may be willing to sacrifice a little stability for a handier, more portable front rest.
There are a variety of relatively inexpensive light-weight front rests on the market, such as the Shooters Ridge Steady Point , but frankly, their controls leave much to be desired, and the rest tops tend to be flimsy or wobbly. On this writer’s personal “high-mileage” old-model blue Midway rest, the rest top had to be epoxied to the elevation post to eliminate annoying wobble.
Sinclair Int’l has a new front rest that offers high-quality controls and stout construction in a light-weight (6-pound) format. The components are strong and rust-resistant: machined billet aluminum body, stainless steel mariner handwheel, stainless steel center post, and stainless steel leg screws. The legs are low and straight–this is good when you want to place conventional sandbags on the legs for extra stability. Sandbags lay nice and flat when draped over the legs of the rest.
Sinclair tells us: “We have had numerous requests to produce a high-quality lightweight shooting rest for shooters needing more portability. Varmint shooters, hunters, and F-Class shooters have all been asking for a quality-built lightweight rest. Our latest Sinclair rifle rest weighs under 6 lbs. with top and filled bag. Our larger Sinclair rests weigh over 17 lbs. in comparison. We also had customers asking us for a more economical rest with the same Sinclair quality we put into all of our rests.” The Sinclair lightweight front rest costs $119.00 with basic top, or $147.00 with either multi-purpose top (shown in photo), or RT-3 top (for sporter fore-ends.)
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May 11th, 2007
We know this is a “guys’ site”, but all guys have mothers. Yep, it’s that special day Sunday. Don’t forget to remember Mom (and the mother of your kids). If she likes shooting, then take her to the range. If she doesn’t, well, treat her to a Sunday brunch and be a good sport and take her to her favorite activity even if that means, god forbid, shoe shopping.
If you haven’t bought a special gift yet, here are some quality online vendors all offering special Mothers’ Day promotions. Each one of these outfitters (Cabelas, Orvis, Woolrich, and Herrington Catalog), donates to this site, based on a percentage of sales.
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May 10th, 2007
Robert Whitley provides this report on Lapua’s new factory-loaded 6.5×47 ammunition:
Lapua (through Grafs.com) sent me some 6.5×47 factory ammo to test out. Recently, I’ve tested it for velocity and accuracy in my MAK repeater Tube Gun (with 1:8.5″ Brux barrel). I can affirm this ammo is outstanding.
Chrono Testing:
100 gr BTHP Scenar, 2846 fps, ES 54, SD 21 (Very mild)
108 gr BTHP Scenar, 3020 fps, ES 12, SD 5
123 gr BTHP Scenar, 2903 fps, ES 11, SD 5
139 gr BTHP Scenar, 2780 fps, ES 25, SD 9
The two bullets that I feel are best for the 6.5×47 Lapua are the 108 and the 123 Scenar. They both gave excellent velocity and chrono numbers, as well as excellent accuracy. With the 139s running close to 2800 fps, that’s a lot of velocity for that big of a bullet in that small of a case. The picture below shows the four different loadings. Left to Right, the 100 gr BTHP Scenar, the 108 gr BTHP Scenar, the 123 gr BTHP Scenar, and the 139 gr BTHP Scenar.
Accuracy Testing:
After the chrono testing, I shot one 10-shot test group (prone with sling and scope) using the Lapua 123gr factory ammo. This produced a 10X clean. For factory ammo, it does not get any better than this! At 2903 fps with an ES of 11 and an SD of 5, this is great. When I can shoot a group like that prone with sling, it tells me the gun is shooting better than 0.5 MOA.
Powder Inspection:
I pulled down some rounds for inspection and measuring. Here’s what I found:
100gr Scenar Ammo: OAL 2.728″, 29.3 gr. of powder
139gr Scenar Ammo: OAL 2.728″, 35.8 gr. of powder
123gr Scenar Ammo: OAL 2.725″, 36.1 gr. of powder
108gr Scenar Ammo: OAL 2.719″, 34.2 gr. of powder
I am not sure what powders Lapua is using in the ammo. The powder in the 100gr and 108gr ammo had a finer grain than that used in the 123gr and 139gr ammo. All of the ammo, from 100 to 139 grains, worked well in my chamber, which was cut with the .160″ freebore reamer listed on the 6mmHOT.com website. The 100gr bullets need to jump a fair amount, but the others only jump around .015″.
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May 10th, 2007
MidwayUSA currently has Ballistol Sportsman’s Oil on sale through the end of May. “Oil” is a bit of a misnomer, because Ballistol is a non-toxic, all-natural product that serves a multitude of purposes. It is very popular with black powder shooters because it is not petro-chemical based. Accordingly it will not alter combustion or affect a “seasoned” muzzleloader or black powder cartridge gun, though it cleans black powder residues very effectively.
Centerfire shooters will find that Ballistol does a very good job cleaning powder fouling off case necks and case bodies. As a lube, Ballistol is clear, not waxy or chalky, and it is very slippery. Ballistol is this editor’s preferred lube for full-length sizing PPC and BR cases. It is easy to apply with fingers or a damp patch and it wipes off quickly with a paper towel. All you need is a very thin sheen on the case and your brass will run through the sizer die like a dream. Since Ballistol is non-toxic, you need not be concerned with getting it on your fingers–in fact Ballistol even has antiseptic properties.
 
The sale item is the large, 16-ounce liquid, MidwayUSA item 164428 (left above). This will last a long time. It is marked down to $7.99 from $9.99, through May 31, 2007. For .223 Rem, 6BR, and PPC case sizing, we prefer the 6-ounce Aerosol version, MidwayUSA item 831231, regularly priced at $6.99 (right above). The Aerosol is easier to apply–a thin mist is all you need. NOTE: for heavy case forming and necking-up duties, we do recommend you employ a thicker lube, such as Imperial Die Wax. For regular neck- and body-sizing of small to medium-sized cases, however, Ballistol works great.
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