Super Shoot Report — Early Results

The Firearm Industry Super Shoot is underway right now at the Kelbly’s Range in North Lawrence, Ohio. We’re told that Tony Boyer, the all-time Hall of Fame points leader, won the Heavy Varmint 100 on Thursday, with a “teen” Agg. For you non-benchresters, that means a 5-target, 5-shot per target average of 0.1300″- 0.1999″.

Lou Murdica, who dominated the Cactus Classic earlier this year, had a 4th and 5th going into Friday’s events, making him the current two-gun leader with a .2195″ combined Aggregate, after two days.

Conditions were not as blustery as in previous years. Shooters reported consistant, cool temperatures with considerable humidity but no rain. Wind so far have not been bad, with average speeds in the 3-6 mph range with some gusts to 15 mph. Stronger winds are predicted for the shooting today (Friday) and Saturday.

Simple, Low-Cost Length-to-Lands Gauge

RELOADING TIP: Andris Silins has come up with a simple way to measure length to the lands in your rifle:

“Here’s what I did to find length to lands for seating my bullets. I made four cuts into the neck of fire-formed brass. Then I pressed the bullet in lightly and chambered the entire gauge. As the cartridge chambers, the bullet slides back into the case to give you length to lands. It took less than five minutes to get it cut and working. A little light oil in the barrel just past the chamber helps ensure the bullet does not get stuck in the lands. It works great and is very accurate.

I made the cuts using a Dremel with a cut-off wheel. You can adjust tension two ways. First, you can make the cuts longer or shorter. Longer cuts = less tension. If you used only three cuts insted of four you would get more tension. The trick is to be gentle when you open and close the bolt. If you ram the bolt closed you may wedge the bullet into the lands. When you open the bolt it helps to keep a finger or two near by to guide the case out straight because the ejector wants to push it sideways.”

17 Fireball Ammo Wins Award

The 17 Remington Fireball has received the 2008 NRA Golden Bullseye Award for “Ammunition Product of the Year” from Shooting Illustrated magazine. This award recognizes innovative new products introduced in 2007 which offer outstanding performance in their respective category.

The 17 Remington Fireball is a necked-down version of the .221 Remington Fireball case. It is very similar to the popular 17 Mach IV wildcat, but the cartridge dimensions are NOT identical. If you want to shoot this cartridge we recommend you chamber your rifle specifically for 17 Rem Fireball rather than use a Mach IV reamer.

Along with the 17 Remington, the 17 Fireball is the ONLY factory-loaded 17-caliber centerfire round. As a cartridge for squirrels, gophers, and small varmints, the 17 Rem Fireball is a very efficient cartridge that achieves high velocities with a modest powder charge — roughly half the powder charge of a 22-250. When loaded with Remington’s 20gr AccuTip-V bullet, .17 Rem Fireball factory loads deliver 4000 fps, closely matching the velocity of the .204 Ruger. With the 17 Fireball, it’s easy to see your hits, even without a muzzle brake, as the 17 Fireball has 86% less recoil than the 22-250.

17 Fireball reloading recipes are now available at the Hodgdon Reloading Data Center.