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February 29th, 2008
Now through March 31, 2008, MidwayUSA has Eley 17 Mach 2 ammo on sale for just $3.99 per box (item 134258). This ammo, based on a 22 Stinger case necked down to 17 caliber, shoots a 17gr jacketed V-Max bullet at about 2050 fps. We’ve shot all the various brands of 17 Mach 2 ammo in a Hall-actioned BR rifle, and the Eley is as good as anything out there. What you’ll typically get with a 5-shot group in a good rifle is 3 or 4 shots in a tight cluster and then one out. This is caused by a lot of factors (run-out, crimp problems, OAL variations etc.), and is true of all the 17 Mach 2 brands you try. Still, the round is fun to shoot and the 17 Mach 2 will deliver sub-MOA groups at 100 yards even with the “flyers”.
Bang for the Buck
When you consider that most brands of the 2500 fps 17 HMR ammo now cost about $12.00 a box, the Eley 17 Mach 2 is an excellent value. The Mach 2 delivers the same 17gr V-Max bullet as the 17 HMR, but the Mach 2 just runs a little slower — 2050 fps vs. 2500 for the 17 HMR. For many shooters, it makes sense to use the 17 Mach 2 rather than a 17 HMR. With the sale-priced Eley just $3.99 a box, you can buy 150 rounds of 17 Mach 2 for the price of 50 rounds of 17 HMR.
Here’s what one shooter posted on RimfireCentral.com: “My brother has a 17 HMR, and I have the 17 Mach 2. I found Remington 17 M2 at Natchez for $3.59 a box by the brick, and Eley 17 M2 at [Midway] for $4.00 a box. The best buy I found on 17 HMR was $10.50 a box. Do the math: $3.59 X 3 = $10.77 When you can get 17 Mach 2 ammo at 1/3 the cost of 17 HMR which one kills paper better? My vote is for the one I can shoot for 1/3 the cost. The 17 Mach 2 is also quieter.”
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February 29th, 2008
The folks at Target.workz.us have created a nice do-it-yourself project. To create a sturdy, self-supporting target frame, all you need are some 2x4s, 1x2x48 furring strips, plus fasteners. The target holder, which supports an 18×24 inch cardboard target backer, separates from the base for easy transport.
Note: There is no cross-piece shown in the plan, but we do recommend putting wood crosspieces at the top of the target stand and about 18″ up from the bottom. This will make the frame more rigid, and will allow the frame to work even if the cardboard is badly “shot up”. Use a T-square to set the crosspieces before attaching them with screws.
CLICK HERE to download TARGET FRAME PLANS
If you like these plans, you also find a variety of fun shooting targets, plus shooting tips, at Target.workz.us.
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February 28th, 2008
Quite a few of our hunter friends have praised the DedNutz scope mounting system. This is a unitized one-piece base AND ring system. Because the rings are integral with the scope base, you won’t encounter any potential misalignment between the front and rear base. You also eliminate the need to keep the rings torqued securely to a separate base. The rigid DedNutz design has no moveable parts between the firearm and the scope.
Made of milled, anodized aluminum, the one-piece DedNutz scope mounting system is one-third the weight of most other one-piece base and ring mounts and it can’t rust. For target rifles with a Weaver or Picatinny-style base, we still advocate the use of Burris Signature Zee rings. However, if you are looking for a sturdy, more rugged scope-mounting set-up, the DedNutz system fits the bill. It would be a good choice for a walk-around varminter or a deer rifle. Because the front and rear rings are precision CNC-machined, DedNutz says that it’s not necessary to lap the rings. We still recommend you inspect the ring edges and lightly debur as necessary. If you choose to lap the rings, do it gently as the inside should be very concentric already and you don’t want to grind through the anodizing.
One DedNutz user, writing on huntingnet.com, comments: “I bought a pair of DedNutz for a Browning A-Bolt and a pair of Talley Lightweights for the same gun. I have to tell you that I think these DedNutz rings are some of the most rugged rings I have seen and yet are very lightweight. If you saw the length of the cap screws and the size of the base screw heads you would be amazed. The [DedNutz] have a superior finish to the talley lightweights … and they are better machined. I put a lapping bar on both and the talleys needed it but not the DNs.”
DedNutz scope mounts are available to fit dozens of different hunting rifles. They are offered in 1″ and 30mm sizes, in matte silver, matte black, or Realtree Camo finishes. DedNutz scope mounts start at about $50.00 and can be purchased from MidwayUSA.com, or direct from DedNutz.com.
CLICK HERE to watch VIDEO
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February 28th, 2008
 NRA-approved gunsmithing courses are conducted at four locations across the country. There is still time to sign up for most of the 2008 courses, which run in May through August. Classes offered at Trinidad State College in Colorado include Metal Finishing/Blueing, Stock Carving, and Handloading & Ballistics. Lassen Community College in Susanville, CA offers Law Enforcement Armorers’ School Classes for AR15s, Long Guns, and Sniper Rifles, an M1/M1A Accurizing Seminar, plus courses in Knifemaking, Engraving, and Metallic Cartridge Reloading. Montgomery Community College in Troy, NC offers August classes in Welding for Gunsmiths, Knifemaking, plus High-Grade European and American Rifles. For more info, log on to the NRA Gunsmithing School site. College information offices and current summer schedules can be found at MidwayUSA’s Gunsmithing School page. We know two people who completed Armorers’ classes at Lassen CC. They reported the program was excellent. Photo courtesy MidwayUSA.com.
Lassen C.C. | Trinidad St. | Murray St. | Montgomery C.C.
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February 27th, 2008
Many readers will be driving across multiple states this spring and summer to attend competitions. Other shooters will be heading out of state for a game hunt or to spend a week in the prairie dog fields. For $12.95 you can purchase a state-by-state Traveler’s Guide to firearms laws. Written by a lawyer, and updated for 2008, this 68-page guide covers all firearms types and all 50 states. It even has information for Canada and Mexico.
CLICK HERE for Sample Page.
 The Traveler’s Guide to the Firearm Laws of the Fifty States has sold more than 600,000 copies since it was first released in 1996. The book’s author, Attorney J. Scott Kappas, has written numerous magazine articles and has appeared on television, explaining the unexpected pitfalls that shooters may encounter when traveling with firearms. Along with being an attorney, Mr. Kappas serves as a director on the Board of the Kentucky Firearms Foundation, and Kappas is a Class III firearms dealer.
The Traveler’s Guide has proven especially useful for shooters traveling in RVs and motorhomes. One reader from Texas noted: “”I used to think that my RV was the same as my home when it came to gun carry….the Traveler’s Guide set me straight. Now I know my motorhome is subject to the same laws as any vehicle when it comes to guns”
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February 27th, 2008
Active web-surfers have come to rely on Google’s impressive search functionality. Google is the #1 search engine for a reason. It is fast, and more often that not, Google finds what you’re looking for quickly and efficiently.
However, Google has a dark side. Google uses “cookies” to track the activities of web users. Google also records your computer IP and archives the searches you perform and the links you click. If you don’t like that idea, you can use the Scroogle web service. What this does is create a separate IP that hides your computer from Google’s data miners, and prevents the recording of your search terms and search destinations. While Google keeps your search terms until 2038, the folks at Scroogle delete the logs after 48 hours and vow to keep no cookies.
Note: You still get to use Google’s powerful search engine. But you can maintain your anonymity by starting at the Scroogle web page. Using this search page, you’ll get the top 100 search results provided by Google, but with no ads, no cookies, and no search activity tracking.
Scroogle Search Page
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February 26th, 2008
The HuntingNut.com website offers Point Blank Ballistics and Reloading software free of charge. That’s right, the program is absolutely free, forever — not just for a trial period. We use Point Blank all the time, not just to calculate come-ups and windage for our rifles, but also to compare ballistics among various chamberings, or to compare different bullets. With Point Blank it is easy to just change your bullet BC value and instantly see the effect on windage and drop. Point Blank will even calculate muzzle energy and recoil force. Point Blank will also hold all your reloading info in a built-in database. You enter the caliber (chambering), bullet, powder, velocity, and other important variables. Then you can quickly access hundreds of different load combinations.
CLICK HERE TO download PointBlank Reloading & Ballistics Software v2.0 (ZIP Archive).
(Note: this 1.13mb file is for Windows computers; you need WinZip or other program to unzip the file archive.)
You can even use Point Blank to plot your shots on a test target. This way you can easily compare the accuracy of different “recipes” during load development. You can record up to 10 shots per target.
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February 26th, 2008
Top air rifle and air pistol shooters from around the United States will compete for spots on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team at the Olympic Shooting Team Trials, February 29 to March 3, which will be conducted at the U.S. Olympic Shooting Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The U.S. Olympic Team Trials is a collaborative partnership between the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Shooting, the national governing body for Olympic shooting sports in the United States.
 There are a total of five slots available for air rifle and air pistol on the U.S. Olympic team. There are two slots for Men’s Air Rifle and one slot each for Women’s Air Rifle, Men’s Air Pistol and Women’s Air Pistol. Competing for a spot on the Olympic Team in Men’s Air Rifle will be 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist Matthew Emmons, who has already secured spots on the U.S. Olympic Team in Men’s Prone Rifle and Men’s Three Position Rifle. Emmons will try for his third berth to the U.S. Olympic Team and is looking to bring home three medals from China, in August.
Also competing for an Olympic team slot in air rifle will be two-time Olympian Sgt. 1st Class Jason A. Parker of the USAMU and 2007 Pan-American Games Gold Medalist. Matthew Rawlings of Wharton, Texas, the 2007 Pan-Am Silver Medalist, along with 2005 Munich World Cup Gold Medalist Ryan Tanoue of Honolulu, Hawaii, are also top contenders looking to make the Olympic Team in Men’s Air Rifle.
CLICK HERE to download Nat’l 3-P Air Rifle Rules
CLICK HERE for info on ANSCHÜTZ Competition Air Rifles.
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February 26th, 2008
Recent visitors to the AccurateShooter.com site may not know that we have an entire set of FREE TARGETS. There are sight-in targets, load development targets, Benchrest Targets, NRA Highpower targets, Scope Testing Targets, even a special set of Fun Targets.
Most of the targets come bundled in .zip archives, so you can easily download multiple targets with one click. The targets are saved in .pdf format, so they are easy to print and the scale is correct no matter what your screen resolution.
Here Forum member FireMedic shows some fine shootin’ with our basic Accuracy Target. With small, red diamonds and extended black lines, this target allows very precise aiming at 100 and 200 yards. The gray dot on top provides a reference point for a 200-yard zero. FireMedic reports: “My 30″, 12 twist, 3 groove does pretty good for an old Savage chambered in .308 Win.” With an average group size of 0.208 inches we’d have to agree. Great Shootin’ FireMedic!
Here are two fun targets you might enjoy. The Atomic Target was originally created as a contest for our readers. The design is by Michael Forester of Auckland, New Zealand. Hit the bigger green and red neutrons, then try your luck with the smaller electrons. In the center, go for true “bug-holes” with our Fly Shoot Target. Watch out for the bio-hazard rings!
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February 25th, 2008
We just found this in the latest CDNN Investments catalog. Act quickly. When we called at 11:00am Pacific Time on 2/25/2008, CDNN had sold six (6) CZ 452s this morning and had just five (5) left. Call 1-800-588-9500 to order.
At $409.00 (regular price), the CZ 452 is a fine value. At $279.99 it is a steal. You get a nice walnut stock, excellent accuracy and reliability. The trigger can be brought down to about one pound with an inexpensive Brooks Trigger Kit.
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February 25th, 2008
 With the price of ultra-premium 22LR match ammo edging past $20 for fifty rounds, some dedicated bench shooters are turning to airgun technology to expand their shooting options. A tin of five hundred (500) RWS or JSB match pellets costs just $4 to $14. Compare that to spending $50 or more to shoot three 25-round target sheets with premium Eley or Lapua rimfire ammo.
While airguns are popular in prone, three-position, and Field Target disciplines, air rifle benchrest is a relatively new mode of competition. Joe Friedrich, 2007 ARA Aggregate Rimfire Champion, recently supervised the first air rifle benchrest match at his Open Grove range in Southern California. Joe reports: “After spending some time with everyone at the match, it appears there is a lot of interest, which is great. I had a wonderful time, and look forward to adding more matches to our schedule. We had 5 shooters show up despite the atypical cold, windy and rainy weather. We even had a guest from Alberta, Canada.”
Equipment list:
Glen R.– Walther 300 LG ALUTEC 10m .177
Dave L.–1ZH46M Russian Pistol .177
Doug M.–FWB P70 Modified Field Target .177
Brian D.–Air Arms SL 400 Field target .177
David R.–Theoben Rapid Field Target .177
 Shown above is Doug’s ultra-high tech FWB Field Target Rifle. (Be sure to click the large photo link to view the exotic hardware in detail.) Joe observed: “Doug’s FWB was one of the best looking rifles I have seen, and Doug can flat-out shoot. It was interesting to see how well these field target rifles perform. The two pellet types we’re using in the Field Target rifles are the 10.2gr JSB Exact Diablo Heavy, a round-nose design, and the Crosman Premier. These are both available from PyramidAir.com.”
Writing in Benchrest Central’s new AirGun Forum, Don M. explains: “The lack of recoil makes free recoil a non-issue. The springer class isn’t quite the same but the springer guys know this. The big wheel on the parallax adjustment of the scope [is used] as a range finder in the Field Target game. The wheel is calibrated in yards and when focused, will tell the distance to the target. With good balistic data, you can click in the elevation needed to hit your mark.”
Joe added: “Kudos goes to Dave shooting his little pistol at 340 fps. Dave did well, even though it seemed like it took awhile for the pellet to reach the target.”
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February 25th, 2008
Purist readers may blanch at this Bulletin item, but every once in a while we need a good laugh, right? Indulge your editor in this — I just couldn’t resist ruthlessly mocking the mentality found on some main-stream gun websites. I found this item on another popular web forum. In the post the owner was bragging about his new Kel-Tec PLR-16 .223 Pistol.
Mind you, he didn’t shoot at any targets, but he was overjoyed with the noise and flame his new toy produced: “Just got [my Kel-Tec] two days ago. I love it. The shock wave and sound coming out of such a short barrel is very impresive [sic]. I didn’t set up any targets, so I can’t tell you how accurate it is, but it is a blast to shoot!”
If you’re not shooting at any targets, one wonders why spend $500 in the first place. But maybe we should give Mr. Kel-tec Pistol some credit for his creativity….
Myriad Benefits of Shooting without Targets
When you think about it, maybe Mr. Kel-Tec could start a trend. Imagine the labor savings at highpower matches if we removed the targets–you’d no longer need a crew in the pits. And if “point-blank” benchresters no longer shot at targets, they could retire their forests of windflags. In the F-Class game, eliminating targets would promote the use of low-cost, low-recoiling calibers, such as the 22 Short, for 1000-yard shooting. If there’s no target, it doesn’t really matter if the bullet never gets there, right — you can still claim a perfect score every time! And if we didn’t shoot at targets, we wouldn’t have to keep ponying up more and more money for the latest and greatest $2000+ target scopes. Heck we wouldn’t need scopes at all….
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