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June 20th, 2008
Berger has introduced a new type of 6.5mm bullet. This 140gr design features a thicker J4 jacket and a tangent (non-VLD) ogive. The thicker jacket should provide increased bullet durability when shot at high velocity through 6.5-284s and the short magnums. Berger’s testing showed that the 30-32″ barrels used on many long-range rifles produced increased frictional heat compared to 26-28″ barrels. The new, thick-jacket 140s should handle that heat better. The new bullets have a claimed BC of 0.593 and are designed for 1:9″ twist (or faster) barrels. These new bullets should work very well in 6.5-284 and 6.5×55 match rifles. (Berger does not recommend using its thick jacket bullets for hunting.)
Robert Whitley recently received some of the new bullets. He reports: “The 140gr ‘Thicks’ look great in all respects and I have no doubt they will shoot well based on their design and the obvious quality of manufacture. When you hold a Berger 140gr BT Thick Jacket bullet next to a Sierra 142gr MatchKing, the two look rather similar in length and shape, although the meplats of the Berger 140 gr bullets are closed up tighter.”
The nice, tight meplats on the new Berger 140gr BT “Thicks” should give these bullets an edge in BC compared to other tangent-ogive bullets in the same weight range. Additionally, based on our testing with bullet pointing tools, the small meplats should provide better BC consistency from bullet to bullet. With non-plastic-tipped bullets, we’ve found that the smaller the meplat, the better the BC uniformity.
More Thick Jacket Designs Coming — Including 7mm
The 6.5mm 140gr BT Thick Jacket is the first of a line-up of Thick Jacket bullets to be introduced by Berger in the coming months. Thick-jacketed match bullets will be offered in most of the popular calibers. Long-range shooters will be interested in the new 180gr BT Thick Jacket 7mm bullet. With a claimed BC of 0.642, this should be ideal for 1000-yard and F-Class shooters with .284 Win, 7mm WSM, and 7mm SAUM rifles.
June 19th, 2008
Dennis DeMille is a past Camp Perry National Champion, and one of the nation’s top High Power shooters. Since retiring from the U.S. Marine Corps, Dennis has served as the General Manager of Creedmoor Sports in Oceanside, California. We recently had the chance to interview Dennis at the Creedmoor offices. With his decades of competitive experience, Dennis has a wealth of knowledge. In this 3-minute interview, Dennis shares insights into the High Power shooting game. He discusses the most effective ways to train for competition, the fundamentals of good marksmanship, and how to recognize and perfect your natural point of aim. Dennis also offers solid advice on how to get the best “bang for your buck” when choosing shooting accessories for High Power and Across the Course competition.
CLICK HERE to WATCH DeMille Interview VIDEO
During our visit to Oceanside, Dennis gave us a tour of the Creedmoor facility. He confirmed that all the new Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor components are in stock: dies, bullets, brass, and loaded ammunition.
Dennis also explained the manufacturing process for Creedmoor’s popular shooting coats. All these shooting jackets are hand-crafted in Oceanside by experts with years of experience. Special templates are used to ensure each coat perfectly fits its new owner.
June 19th, 2008
The Supreme Court convened today, with members of the media anxiously awaiting decisions in many major cases, including D.C. v. Heller, the landmark Second Amendment case. The court did issue five decisions, but did not announce its decision in the Heller case, or the other pair of major cases before it: Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker (Exxon Valdez punitive damages), and Kennedy v. Louisiana (death penalty for non-homicide rape.)
We will now have to wait until next week for a decision in D.C. v. Heller, one of 10 cases still remaining for the Supreme Court to decide. A Heller ruling might be issued Monday, or another day next week.
June 19th, 2008
On the Guns & Ammo Magazine website, there is a feature article, America’s Rifle: the AR, that AR15 shooters will enjoy. The article contains dozens of links for AR15 components and accessories, including barrels, upper and lower receivers, sights, optics, grips, stocks and more. You’ll find photos of many of the more propular add-ons such as folding stocks, accessory rails, and red dot sights.
For those times when the AR stumbles (yes, it does happen), the article provides a helpful Jam-Clearance procedure. You’ll also find an excellent Trouble-Shooting Guide for the AR’s five most common problems: insufficient extractor tension, loose carrier keys, improper headspace, failure to eject (FTE), and primer issues from hot loads.
If you’re a black rifle shooter, definitely check out this story. It’s worth the read for the extensive product/vendor links alone, not to mention the fix-it tips.
June 18th, 2008
This is important news for wholesalers, gunsmiths, and FFLs who ship firearms to California. Starting July 1st, 2008, FFLs wishing to send a firearm to a California FFL must first register with the California Dept. of Justice (CA DOJ), submit the details of the transaction(s), and then wait for the CA DOJ to issue a “Firearms Shipment Approval” letter. The letter must be enclosed within the gun shipment and the receiving FFL in California must retain the letter for three (3) years. Curios and relics are exempt, but otherwise this applies to all firearms — handguns, rifles, and shotguns.
To obtain approval, the shipping FFL must have the California FFL’s five-digit Centralized List number and fill out an application and provide the invoice number and quantity of long guns and handguns to be shipped. The application process will be available to FFLs online and via facsimile or telephone once the FFL is enrolled in the CFLC program. NOTE: This law only imposes burdens on FFLs. It is still legal for a private party in another state to ship a gun to a California FFL-holder (if the shipper otherwise complies with Federal law).
Bad Law Applies Even to Intra-State Shipments
The Democrat-controlled California Legislature has produced some bad gun laws before, but this is one of the worst ever. It is extremely burdensome. An FFL wishing to ship guns to California must obtain an approval letter with EVERY shipment. This law even applies to a California-based FFL wishing to ship in-state to another California FFL. The new regulations are administered as the “California Firearms Licensee Check System (CFLC)“, authorized by AB 2521, a terrible piece of legislation signed into law by Gov. Schwarzenegger in 2006.
CA DOJ’s official summary of the CFLC system:
“As of July 1, 2008, California Penal Code Section 12072(f)(1) prohibits all Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs), other than Type 03 or 06 FFLs, from shipping firearms to an FFL in California unless, prior to delivery, the FFL intending to deliver, sell or transfer the firearms obtains a verification approval number from the California Department of Justice (CADOJ) Bureau of Firearms. This includes transfers that occur at gun shows.
The verification approval number, which the Bureau of Firearms provides in a Firearms Shipment Approval letter, confirms that the intended recipient of the firearm shipment is properly licensed and listed in the state’s database of persons/entities authorized to receive firearm shipments. If the intended CA FFL recipient is not listed in the state’s database, the transaction will result in a Do Not Ship letter, and it is a crime for the intended recipient to receive the firearms (Penal Code Section 12083(c)(1)).
As a courtesy to impacted FFLs, the Bureau of Firearms has established an Internet application that is available to FFLs nationwide 24 hours a day 7 days a week (24/7) to obtain Firearms Shipment Approval letters. All Internet transactions will be handled on a secure server, and the information provided will be used solely for the purposes associated with the administration of the CFLC program. For FFLs that do not have Internet access, the Bureau has established a telephone service that allows nationwide FFL shippers to enroll and obtain Firearms Shipment Approval letters via telephone or facsimile prior to shipping firearms to a California FFL. However, the telephone service availability will be limited to Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
California FFL holders (other than Type 03 or 06) must enroll in the California Firearms Licensee Check (CFLC) Program to ship firearms to another California FFL. They must also be listed on the State of California Centralized List as either a dealer, manufacturer, or exempt. Once enrolled in CFLC, California FFLs will be able to obtain Firearms Shipment Approval letters to ship firearms to other FFL holders within the state.
For additional information regarding this new program, please refer to our CFLC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).”
CLICK HERE for GENERAL INFO and LINKS
New System Imposes Useless Red Tape
The author of AB 2521, CA Assemblyman Dave Jones, claims the new system is designed to “protect the consumer” by ensuring gun shipments are not sent to recipients whose Federal Licenses are not in good standing. That, of course is nonsense. Current Federal law already requires a shipping FFL to confirm that the shipment’s recipient has a valid license. No, the real purpose of the new law is to impose a wall of red tape blocking gun shipments to California. The new law has already had a chilling effect. We’ve seen notices on gun auction boards from dealers stating: “Due to new regulations, we will NOT ship this firearm to California.”
New Law Needs to Be Challenged
On its face, California’s new Approval Letter System probably cannot withstand legal scrutiny if it is challenged in court. First, insofar as it regulates and changes the record-keeping duties of Federal Firearms License holders, the CFLC should be 100% pre-empted by Federal Law. California is adding an additional layer of duties and responsiblities on FFLs in OTHER STATES, and then imposing criminal penalties if California’s new rules aren’t followed to the letter. Avoiding this kind of mess is precisely why we have uniform federal regulation in the first place. In addition, the California law may be Constitutionally invalid as a restraint on interstate commerce. We hope the NRA or NSSF immediately challenges California’s Firearms Licensee Check System.
June 18th, 2008
Laminated wood stocks offer an excellent combination of price and performance, and they can be obtained in a myriad of styles to suit your discipline — hunting, benchrest, tactical, silhouette, or high power. Laminated stocks can be a little trickier to finish compared to a hardwood such as walnut, as laminates are often delivered in bright or highly contrasting colors. Traditional wood finishes can alter the colors. Also, filling the pores in laminated stocks is an issue.
Automotive clearcoat products have become popular for finishing laminated wood stocks because they won’t alter the stock’s colors, and the clearcoat provides a durable weather-resistant finish. Clearcoat is also easy to “touch up” and it fills pores better than some other alternatives. Mike Ricklefs has written a comprehensive article on stock painting that includes a special section on clearcoating over laminated woods. If you want to clearcoat a stock, Mike’s article is a must-read!
In that Stock Painting Article, Mike offers these tips:
When finishing laminated stocks with clear-coat, you need to prepare the wood carefully, and build up quite a few thin layers one at a time. Begin by sanding, with progressively finer paper, all the way to 400 grit. Certain laminated stocks are so rough when they come from the stock-maker, that you may have to be very aggressive at first. But be careful with angles and the edges of flats. You don’t want to round these off as you sand.
After sanding, use compressed air to blow out all dust from the pores of the wood. This is very important to avoid a “muddy” looking finish. If you don’t blow the dust out with air before spraying the clear it will migrate out as you apply the clear. Also, after each sanding session, clean your painting area to remove excess dust. I also wet down the floor of my spray booth to keept the dust down.
Some painters recommended using a filler to close the pores. That’s one technique, but the filler can detract from the clarity of the final finish. Rather than use a pore-filling sealer, I use a high solids or “build” clear for the initial applications. This is slightly thicker than “finish” clear and does a good job of sealing the pores. Three (3) fairly heavy coats of “build” clear are applied. If you get a thick spot or a run in the finish at this point, it is not the end of the world but this does create more sanding work.”
There is a current thread in our Shooters’ Forum that discusses the use of clear-coating on laminated stocks. Member BHoges offered this advice: “Stick with Diamont, Glassurit, and Spies. If anyone has questions, I painted cars for a long time.”
Forum member Preacher, whose bolt-action pistol is shown in the photo below, states: “I buy my two-art Clearcoat from the local NAPA dealer. They recommended Crossfire mixed 4:1. Ireally like the end results. There are six coats on that stock that were sanded down to bare wood for the first two, and then 600 wet sanded for the other four coats. Two to three coats would be sufficient if the pores were filled first, but I would rather fill em with the clear as it seems to make it appear deeper and I have the time to devote to it. I have PPG’s Deltron DC 3000 clearcoat on a few stocks of mine, but I like the NAPA better price wise, and it seems to hold up just as good as the Deltron.”
June 17th, 2008
AccurateShooter.com has teamed with Robert Whitley and Carl Bernosky to develop a new AR15-based, 20-caliber rifle optimized for varminting. The chambering is a 20-223 with a PT&G (Kiff) reamer, aka the “20 Practical”, a name coined by Warren Brookman*. The cartridge uses standard .223 Remington brass. Case forming is simple — just neck down the brass (Robert did this in two steps, with .233″ and .225″ bushings). You do NOT have to move the shoulder back as with the 20 Tactical. You can even use your existing .223 Rem Redding dies by swapping out some internal components.
CLICK HERE to Watch 20 PRACTICAL AR VIDEO
While Carl is still working on special (top-secret) “furniture” to help the 20 Practical AR ride the bags, Robert was able to test the first complete 20 Practical AR upper built with a Bartlein barrel. Without any special load development, the gun has proved very accurate, putting 5 rapid-fire shots in a dime-sized group at 100 yards. Robert was using H335 with 40gr bullets. This load runs 3750 fps and Robert thinks more velocity may be possible with H335. We will also test other load recipes for both both 40gr and 32gr bullets. H322 should also be a good choice for both bullet weights. Quickload predicts H322 will send the 32-grainers past 4000 fps, and Warren Brookman says: “For both 32gr and 40gr bullets, Vihtavuori N133 is just about the perfect powder for the 20 Practical. It burns clean, delivers great accuracy and good velocity.”
Robert reports: “I loaded up some new brass today (Winchester brass, factory primed). I only used H335 and the Berger 40 gr BTHP bullets at about .010″ off the lands (2.228″ OAL). The thing is very accurate. First group shot off the bench after sight-in is shown in the video. Keep in mind this was done with no load work-up and I shot fast to ensure the video was not too long. The load was with 26.0 grains of H335 and the Berger 40-grainers going right around 3750 fps.”
If you shoot a .223 Rem currently it’s easy to load for the 20 Practical. You will need a Redding Type ‘S’ neck-bushing full-length sizing die, and Robert recommends a Redding Comp Seater. Then you’ll need some extra bits of kit:
1. Powder funnel that fits .20-Cal case mouths
2. Two neck bushings: .233″ and .225″
3. 20-Caliber cleaning rod with brushes, jag, patches, etc.
4. Decapping rod assembly for 20 Cal (a 204 Ruger one works perfectly — about $15)
*The 20 Practical chambering, a modern 20-223 Wildcat, was popularized by Warren Brookman, whose 20 Practical bolt gun was featured as our 61st Gun of the Week. In that 20 Practical Article, Warren explains the thinking behind the cartridge and shows how to adapt .223 Rem Redding dies.
June 17th, 2008
We are very sad to announce that Texas shooter, Shelley Davidson, passed away this morning. He had cancer. Shelley was a great individual, and one of the most innovative and creative spirits we’ve ever seen in sport of Benchrest. In our conversations with Shelley, he was always full of interesting new ideas and concepts. And he always had a positive, forward-thinking attitude. He wasn’t satisfied with the status quo and was always thinking about new ways to “build a better mousetrap”. Butch Lambert notes, “you may remember Shelley as the builder of the Tinker Toy rifle. He developed the tuner that my company sells. Shelley really pushed the 30BR and its off-springs. He tried opposing magnets on the end of his barrels, he used an electric motor with a sensor to operate his powder measure, and many other things.”
Shelley Davidson’s Tinker Toy Rifle
Shelley will be missed but not forgotten. He was a credit to the sport, and we feel privileged to have been able to show some of Shelley’s innovations to the world.
June 16th, 2008
Does the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution give individual citizens a right to “keep and bear arms”? If so, does that right override local regulations controlling firearms? These questions were presented to the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court by the D.C. v. Heller case.
Heller, a security guard and District of Columbia resident, was prohibited from keeping a handgun in his home by the DC’s strict anti-handgun law. Heller challenged that law and his case went all the way to the Supreme Court. Oral arguments were heard on March 18. At that time it appeared that a thin majority of the Justices , including Chief Justice Roberts, favored the view that the Second Amendment applies to individuals, not just state militias.
The High Court is expected to issue its written decision on the case on Thursday, June 19, when it reconvenes. This is a landmark decision that may impact local gun laws throughout the nation. There was some hope that the Heller decision would be issued yesterday, June 16, but the High Court ruled on only two cases (not including Heller) during its Monday session, so we’re still waiting on the Heller outcome.
Stay tuned to this column and to Fox News or C-Span for updates on the case. We will link to the printed decision as soon as it becomes availalbe.
June 16th, 2008
Your editor wins the dunce of the week award, but he learned an important lesson. This weekend I shot the Varmint Silhouette match at Ojai, California. In preparation for the match, I (wisely) went to a range on Thursday to chronograph my match load and confirm my 100-yard, no-wind zero. All went well there, and after three sighters I put three rounds into 0.260″ right at point of aim. So far, so good.
| Editor moves his scope AFTER zeroing. End result? Zero shifts 2 MOA up and 11.5 MOA right. Yikes! |
 But, while testing, I noted that the scope, having been positioned for prone shooting, was much too far forward. It needed to be moved back about an inch for comfortable shooting at the bench.
No problem I think… I take the gun home, get my Leupold Torx wrench and loosen the rings. Now, I use Burris Signature rings, the ones with the plastic inserts that provide elevation preload: +10 in the rear and a -10 in the front. These are net values, created with pairs of +05 (thicker) and -05 (thinner) half-ring inserts. In the back the thicker +05 insert is on the bottom and thinner -05 on top, while in the front the thicker insert is on the top with the thinner on the bottom.
First thing I note when moving the scope is that it was hard to set the inserts in exactly the same spot (though I tried). I also note that the inserts seemed to flatten out or squeeze down more when I re-tensioned the ring bolts.
I figured I might have to make a minor correction to my zero at the range, so I wasn’t too concerned. Boy was I wrong.
Windage off Six Feet at 600 Yards
At the match, I dialed in my 600-yard come-up and aimed at a steel gong we use for sighter shots. Normally I can “certify” my 600-yard zero in three shots. This time, my spotter couldn’t even see the hits. “WTF”, I think… Then another shooter notes that my bullets are impacting about SIX FEET to the right of the Gong and about a foot too high.
I had to dial in 46 clicks (11.5 MOA) of left windage to get back on the Gong. At 600 yards, one MOA is 6.282 inches. My 600-yard Point of Impact had shifted 72″ to the right — a full six feet! That’s huge. That’s like being off a foot at 100 yards.
LESSON LEARNED: If you make ANY change to your scope, you should re-zero.
SIGNATURE RING LESSON LEARNED: If you are running the Burris Signature Rings, with plastic inserts, the change in POI when you move the scope can be extreme — way more than you’d expect with conventional rings. The plastic inserts take a different “set” each time you tension the rings, even if you do your best to maintain the inserts’ orientation in the rings. No matter how careful you are, those plastic inserts aren’t going to hold the scope in exactly the same place.
So, if you don’t want to win the Dunce Award like I did, make sure you re-test your scope’s zero AFTER you move the fore-and-aft position, and EVERY time you re-tension Burris Signature Rings. It’s worth noting that the ring set in question is five years old and it held zero perfectly until I decided to move the scope back. This was done because my club recently built benches at the 600-yard line so we now shoot from the bench rather than prone, F-Class style.
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