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June 26th, 2007
Dateline: Montezuma, Iowa–6/26/2007
Late Breaking story–Today Frank Brownell confirmed that Brownell’s is acquiring the business and all the assets of Sinclair International, one of the leading vendors for the precision shooting market. More than a catalog and online retailer, Sinclair designs and manufactures many of its own specialty reloading products. Sinclair Int’l will function as a separate entity of Brownells, and Bill Gravatt will continue as the President of Sinclair Int’l. Sinclair will maintain its facilities and operations in Indiana, and will continue to sell its full product line as a Brownells-owned enterprise.
Here is the official press release:
“Brownells® Purchases Sinclair International
Brownells, the World’s Largest Supplier of Firearms Accessories and Gunsmithing Tools, is extremely pleased and proud to announce the acquisition of Sinclair International, Inc. Sinclair International is one of the most respected manufacturers and suppliers of high quality reloading tools and shooting accessories in the world. Sinclair International, located in Indiana, is in its 22nd year and provides products to customers around the world. Brownells, operating out of Iowa, is in its 68th year and also supplies customers world-wide.
The joining of these two highly-respected companies brings to the firearms world the top-quality selection of the very best products, the exceptional personal customer service and the absolute guarantee of customer satisfaction their customers expect. ‘It was a very natural decision,’ said Frank Brownell, President of Brownells, ‘for us to join with another very successful, highly regarded company with the same values, the same care and concern for their customers and the same quality and service standards we hold dear.’ Bill Gravatt, president of Sinclair remarked that, ‘With Brownells Sinclair will continue providing the very best products available, and will strengthen our product line for shooters of all disciplines. I’m extremely excited about the future for both companies.’
Sinclair International will function as a separate entity of Brownells, and Bill Gravatt, will continue as the President of Sinclair International. The focus of Sinclair International will continue to be on providing high-quality products to their customers along with exceptional, personal customer service. For more information, please contact Larry Weeks at (641) 623-5401 or larryw@brownells.com or Bill Gravatt at (260) 493-1858 or billg@sinclairintl.com.”
June 26th, 2007
Well folks, we don’t have to be shy about being shooting enthusiasts–you can join the crowd. A recent 3-year study shows shooting sports, including handgun, rifle, and shotgun disciplines, are more popular than many other highly advertised and promoted outdoor sports.
Photos courtesy NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) commissioned a long-term study by American Sports Data (ASD), a consumer research firm for the sporting goods, fitness and health club industries. Statistics gathered over the past three years show that target shooting–with rifle, handgun and shotgun–is actually more popular than many pastimes historically considered mainstays of warm-season recreation.
In fact, participation in shooting sports tops tennis, softball, jet skiing, water skiing, mountain biking, most team sports and virtually all of the technical sports like rock climbing and kayaking, according to the most recent numbers from ASD. ASD has tracked rifle and shotgun shooting participation for many years, and began tracking handgun target shooting in 2003.
ASD research shows more than 18 million Americans enjoy the shooting sports. In a 2006 survey commissioned by NSSF, 17 percent of Americans, or about 50 million people, said they had been shooting with a rifle in the past two years. Fifteen percent went target shooting with a handgun and eight percent with a shotgun.
In overall numbers, California is No. 1 with over 2.1 million shooters, including the most rifle, handgun and shotgun shooters of any state. Texas, Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio follow. Per capita, ASD shows Idaho as the most avid shooting state (18 of every 100 people participate), followed by Utah, Wyoming, Montana and Arkansas.
For more info on the ASD survey, visit the NSSF web site, huntandshoot.org. The NSSF also offers an interactive database showing shooting ranges and clubs nationwide (See AccurateShooter Bulletin, March 18, 2007).
June 25th, 2007
As of 11:00 am June 25, the folks at R.W. Hart report they have more Vihtavuori N133 powder in stock. Currently Hart has Eight 8-lb jugs ($149.99 per jug), and a couple dozen one-pound ($23.99/lb) containers. The N133 powder arrived 5 days ago and is going fast. If you are in dire need of Vihtavuori N-133, give Hart’s a call at 1-800-368-3656.
Act quickly. Hart’s expects this to sell out right away.
June 25th, 2007
Forum member Danny Reever gave the new Berger 108s (See Bulletin, 6/23/07) their first taste of competition this past weekend at Shippensburg, PA. Shooting his 6BR in the Heavy Custom class, Danny won the match. Along the way he posted an impressive 1.509″ group at 500 meters (547 yards). Here’s what Danny had to say: “Yesterday I shot the new 108s in Shippensburg’s monthly Ground Hog Match. Conditions were a bit rough with switchy, gusting winds in the 5-10 MPH range and some very heavy mirage at all yardages being particularly bad at 300 and 500 meters. In fact at 500 meters you couldn’t see the scoring rings on the target let alone bullet holes. At 500 meters (547 yards) I managed a 41 score and a real nice 1.509 group considering the conditions. My total score was a 140 out of a possible 150 which was good enough for first place in Heavy Custom class for the day. This was the 108’s initial baptism by fire so to speak and they came through with flying colors.”
June 24th, 2007
 We love the recoil reduction we get from muzzle brakes, but we don’t like the added noise and blast. And we’d rather not blow dust and dirt at our neighbors on the firing line. Chris Spera (Cowpuncher) of CP Muzzlebrakes has the answer to that–a brake that can be “turned off” with a simple twist of the brake housing. When the ports on the sleeve are aligned with the ports on inner section tube it works like any other muzzle brake. When the outer sleeve is turned 36°, this blocks the ports on the tube. That shuts off the brake, dramatically reducing the noise/blast it produces. CP Muzzlebrakes offers an unique and very precisely-machined product. Each brake is custom-fitted to the rifle, and Chris builds both straight and tapered versions, for $180.00 (blued or black finish). Stainless brakes, either straight or tapered, are $220.00.
Jody Calhoun of SavageShooters.com tested one of the brakes, and gave it high marks: “The effect it had on recoil was very noticeable. [My 30-06] performed very much like a medium load .308. Needless to say, I was impressed. I also liked the way it has the detent ball that allows you to go from “ON” to “OFF” in a split second without even looking. The brake stayed in position until I moved it. Operation is smooth with no slack between parts. It does have that typical muzzle brake flash and noise. Fortunately, its ports are angled in a much better fashion than most other brakes, making it less offensive[.]”
June 24th, 2007
Do you have a Wilson case trimmer but can’t afford the $84.00 to add the handy Micrometer upgrade (Sinclair Int’l item 05-4500)? Well Boyd Allen has come up with a clever use of a standard set of calipers that lets you set the cut length precisely within .001″. Just open the jaws of your caliper and put one jaw on the outboard end of the ring (with set screw) that holds the threaded length-adjusting rod. Set the other caliper jaw on the flat face at the end of the threaded rod that contacts the case rim. If you have a sample case set to the correct cut length, use that to set the position of the threaded rod. Then use your calipers to measure that length. This way you can repeat the cut length each time, or adjust the trimmed case precisely in .001″ increments.
If you change from one cartridge to another, just use your calipers to re-set the desired cut length. Alternatively, ReedG notes you can use the inside caliper jaws and measure directly from the end of the threaded rod to the cutter face. That’s a bit trickier, but it measures actual trim length.
June 23rd, 2007
 Our AccurateShooter Forum is a cornerstone of this website, attracting over 5,500 visitors per day, and generating nearly 700,000 page-views per month. For the past two years we offered the Forum in two formats–a standard format that fit within the same, general layout of the editorial pages, and a “full-screen” format that dispensed with the navigation buttons on left and top in the interest of providing more “real estate” for the readers.
We found that, once users became familiar with the Forum they almost universally preferred to use the wide layout version of the forum. This reduced the need to scroll around, and it also allowed you to view large photos better. In light of this user preference, we have now officially switched over to an “all-wide, all the time” Forum format.
In addition we’ve added some significant upgrades. A Forum FAQ + HELP section was added today. In addition, we have added a very powerful poll module. This allows us to run multiple, photo-illustrated surveys at the same time. The polls are set to randomly rotate each time the main forum page is refreshed. The ability to provide photos of products and allow users to voice their preferences should yield some fascinating results. At right (above) you see one of six polls actively running on the forum. Below is a screen shot of the new Forum displayed at nearly full extension on a 19″ monitor. As you can see, there’s lots of room. Hopefully readers will value this upgrade and the change will demonstrate that “bigger is better” when it comes to web pages.
June 23rd, 2007
Over the past few weeks, Berger Bullets has been evaluating three new tangent ogive (non-VLD) bullets, in 105, 107, and 108 grain weights. Berger sent samples to many top shooters, including Forum members Danny Reever, James Phillips, and Wm. Roscoe. The 107s shot the best for James (see Test Results), but Danny and many other shooters reported great results with the 108s, which seems to have a slightly shorter boat-tail than the other two prototypes. Here’s one of Danny’s targets, shot with an 8-twist 6BR with a .104″ freebore:
Yesterday, Michelle Gallagher of Berger announced that the 108-grainer had been selected as the design that will go into production. The 108s will start rolling off the bullet presses for general consumption very soon. The specs on the 108gr Berger are: 1.225″ OAL, .712″ base to ogive, .533″ bearing surface length, and 108.08 grains average weight (Measured with Acculab MXX-123).
Why is Berger bringing out this new bullet when the existing 105 VLD shoots so well? A tangent ogive bullet is generally considered to work well jumped (i.e. seated away from the lands), whereas secant-ogive VLDs typically (but not always) prefer to be seated in the lands. This new bullet should offer optimal performance for shooters who prefer to jump their bullets. Berger’s Eric Stecker has explained: “All VLD bullets (any brand) are made using a secant ogive. This results in a more abrupt transition into the ogive radius as compared to a tangent ogive (non-VLD of any brand). This abrupt transition on the secant ogive (VLD) bullets means that the ogive contacts the lead angle differently than a tangent ogive (non-VLD) will.”
June 22nd, 2007
This summer, the NRA and major sponsor Beeman Precision, is sponsoring a series of matches for marksmen with disabilities. This 4-event series, the Beeman Grand Prix Air Gun Tour, commenced June 2nd in Palmyra, PA at the Appalachian Wheelchair Games. Three more matches are scheduled.
On June 28-29, aptly named Nitro, WV will host the WV Wheelchair Shooting Championships. Three weeks later, on July 20-21, the Fresno Wheelchair Shooting Championship will be held in Fresno, CA. Lastly, the Glenda Horton Memorial Finals will take place August 21-25 at New Braunfels, TX. We wish all competitors good luck in these events, and applaud the NRA and Beeman for providing this competitive opportunity for disabled shooters. For more info, call NRA Disabled Shooting Services at (703) 267-1495.
 Profile of a Shooter
One great thing about the shooting sports is that disabled persons can not only participate, but, in many disciplines, they can compete on an equal basis with “normal” shooters, and even grab their share of trophies.
We applaud all those with disabilities who enjoy the shooting sports–whether their interest be prone shooting, F-Class, air rifle, or bullseye pistol. At left is John Campbell, a Britisher who participated in the U.S. F-Class Championships earlier this year. Though wheelchair bound, John remains an outstanding marksman who more than holds his own in tough international competition.
June 22nd, 2007
In an effort to reduce inventory (and expand its customer base), Remington Arms Co. announced a major product rebate campaign to commence August 1, 2007. Remington’s “Load Up on Savings” campaign will be the largest firearms-related consumer rebate program ever offered in a single season. (This is one of the first major moves by the new executive team recently installed at Remington by Cerberus Capital Management, Remington’s parent holding company.)
Remington hopes the promotion will stimulate sales during the fall and winter hunting seasons, as rebates will be offered on purchases from Aug. 1 through Dec. 31, 2007. A full list of rebate-eligible products (including rifles, shotguns, and ammo) will be posted on the Remington website. Our readers will be most interested in the following offers:
$50 rebate on Rem Model 700 and Model Seven Bolt Action Rifles (700 SPS™ and 700 ADL™).
$30 rebate on Rem Model 700 SPS, Model 700 ADL, Model 770, Model 710 and Model 715 Bolt Action Rifles.
$30 rebate on Model 798 and Model 799 Mauser Action Rifles.
$30 rebate on Model 870 Express Pump Action Shotguns.
Ammo: There will also be rebates on shotgun and rifle ammunition, including Express Core-Lokt ammo.
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