Friedrich Shoots ARA 2500 with Calfee Pistol
This may be a first in ARA 50-yard competition. Using a Calfee-built Rem XP100 pistol with 20″ barrel, Joe Friedrich shot a perfect 2500 score at the Open Grove range in California this past weekend. His four-target total was 9650 (2350, 2450, 2500, 2350). The pistol was supported by a skeletal bipod in front with a conventional sandbag in the rear. The group was shot at night in very stable conditions. Joe told us: “This pistol is incredible. I’ve only had it a couple of weeks, and I’m still learning the technique.”
We find it very interesting that Joe was able to achieve this kind of accuracy with a relatively short barrel. Conventional wisdom (at least with rimfire rifles) dictates that one needs a barrel 25″ or longer to work optimally with the tuner systems. Many folks also believe that the longer barrels tend to “iron out” shot to shot velocity differences. It will be interesting to see if some ARA shooters now experiment with shorter barrels on their rifles.
Joe credits much of his recent hot shooting to a new wind indicator product he’s using: “Snuffy” Sail Tails. These use nylon ripstop sailcloth material and maintain a tubular shape (like a long cigar) when attached to a wind flag. They rise and fall with velocity changes, and are much easier to read. Joe says these don’t flutter around like conventional wind tails or surveyors’ tape. They are sensitive enough for small zephyrs but they don’t swing back and forth erratically giving potential false reads. You can order the Sail Tails from Howard “Snuffy” Smith in Macon, GA, (478) 477-2829. A set of five Sail Tails in a PVC tube is $24.50 delivered. Link to Advert.
