|
|
September 20th, 2008
Bad things can happen if your barrel gets too hot. First, with some barrels, the point of impact (POI) will shift or “walk” as the barrel heats up excessively. Second, even if the POI doesn’t change, the groups can open up dramatically when the barrel gets too hot. Third, if the barrel is very hot, the chamber will transfer heat to your loaded cartridge, which can lead to pressure issues. Finally, hot barrels wear out faster. This is a very real concern, particularly for varmint shooters who may shoot hundreds of rounds in a day. For this reason, many varminters switch among various guns, never letting a particular barrel get too hot.
How do you monitor your barrel temperature other than guessing by “feel”? Neconos.com offers Bar-L Benchrest strips that visually display heat readings from 86 to 140 degrees. Think of these strips as compact, unbreakable thermometers. With adhesive backing, they can also be used to monitor barrel heating. Put a strip on the side of the barrel and the barrel’s temp will be indicated by a stripe that changes from black to green. There is also a “general purpose” strip that reads to 196 degrees (bottom row). The Benchrest strip (86F to 140F) is in the middle. Bar-L temp strips cost $9.00, or $25.00 for a 3-pack.
Value-Priced Temp Strip 10-packs
If you have many rifles, McMaster.com (a large industrial supply house) offers the same reversible, 7 temperature, 86F to 140F strip (item 59535K13) for $11.86 per pack of ten (10) strips. That’s an excellent value. Thanks to reader Josh B. for this tip!
Controlling Ammo Temperature is Important Too
Keeping your loaded cases at a controlled temperature is vital for maintaining good ES and case life. At a late summer varmint match we observed pressure signs with cases that had been sitting in direct sunlight for about 15 minutes. As we were running a “moderate” RL15 load, the pressure indications were surprising. Testing over a chronograph, cases that had been sitting in direct sunlight showed velocities up to 70 fps higher than those that had been kept in the shade. Using QuickLoad’s temperature function, we calculated from the rise in velocities that case pressures had increased by over 4,000 psi–just from 15-20 minutes in direct sunlight!
September 19th, 2008
Which chronograph do you prefer? That’s the subject of a current thread in our Shooters’ Forum. Forum member Dennis (aka “Flatlander”) had praise for his CED Millenium unit. Dennis explained: “I bought an Oehler M33 back in 1985 and worked around its shortcomings for 20yrs. before buying a CED Millenium. Initially, I set both chronos up and fired some standard velocity 22 LR rimfire ammo over both sets of skyscreens to compare velocities. They were within less than 10fps of each other, and that’s the last time I’ve set the M33 up and used it.
CED Chronograph with Carry Case (sold separately)
While I feel I got good data out of the M33 (most of the time), its skyscreens were pretty sensitive to the lighting, and I got tired of having to check all six D cells before leaving for the range. If even one of the six had dropped below about 1.495 volts, I’d often get really weird readings (like 4200 fps with a 85BTHP out of a 243 Win), and/or a lot of missed shots – that’s kind of a PITA when you’ve loaded only five rounds of a new load you’re testing. The small LED display is also hard to read in direct sunlight.
The CED seldom misses a shot — when the light gets low enough to give problems, I’ve been able to remove the diffusers and get another 20 minutes or so of shooting. The original 9 volt battery is still working just fine after three years of regular use, and I can read the large LCD display without my bifocals.”
I’d like to have one of the newer M2 CEDs, but have gotten used to transcribing data by hand (if nothing else, it gives a rifle barrel a little extra time to cool between strings), and really don’t know what the other improvements CED has made to the M2 would do for me. Meanwhile, I’d like to use the M33 & CED together to get muzzle & downrange data to compute actual BCs of some of the bullets I shoot to compare to the maker’s claims.
[Note: Flatlander uses the First Generation CED Millenium. CED now sells the upgraded “M2″ model. The new M2 has more memory and can clock a wider range of bullet speeds -– from 50 fps all the way to 7000 fps. The upgraded M2 will record velocities at much lower light levels than the previous Millennium chronograph. The M2 also features improved software, and an USB interface. That offers simple “plug and play” compatibility with laptops and home PCs.]
CLICK HERE for more information on CED’s latest M2 Chronograph.
The CED M2 Chronograph is distributed by Competitive Edge Dynamics, (610) 366-9752. It is also sold by major vendors including Brownells, Dillon Precision, and MidwayUSA.
September 18th, 2008
Shooters Ridge®, a subsidiary of ATK, has introduced a new bipod (MSRP: $145.49) with some interesting features. With aluminum legs and a quick-release mount, the new Shooters Ridge Deluxe Bipod is lighter and easier to deploy than some competitive products.
Light Weight Plus Swivel/Cant Capability
The twist-lock bipod legs are crafted from aluminum for a 30% weight savings over conventional bipods. The twist-lock adjustment allows the legs to be set at any height the shooter prefers. The new bipod features dual thrust bearings. These allow the shooter to adjust the tilt of the rifle to keep the scope reticle level on uneven ground. Shooters Ridge claims the bearings also help hunters follow moving game, presumably by allowing some traverse.
Quick Attachment Feature
The Shooters Ridge Deluxe bipod features a rapid-mounting system. Affix the cam assembly on the forward swivel and the bipod slips on and off in seconds. Internal click locks keep the bipod snugly on the firearm while the push button release lets you remove the bipod quickly and quietly. This new bipod can be used with or without a sling and is available in both 9” – 13” (40455) and 13” – 21” (40457) models. For more info, visit ShootersRidge.com, and click on “New Products”.
NOTE: This product info was supplied by Shooter’s Ridge. We haven’t field-tested one yet. “Street Price” is $105-$129.00. At that price, it is more expensive than the Harris Swivel models which can be purchased for about $85-$90 at discount vendors.
September 17th, 2008
 Well, yes, that headline is a come-on. But there’s truth in the promise. The “miracle device” to which we refer is a simple wind indicator.
Remarkably, many shooters who spend $3000.00 or more on a precision rifle don’t bother to set up windflags when they shoot. Whether you’re a competitive shooter, a varminter, or someone who just likes the satisfaction of drilling small groups, a set of windflags is something you should take to the range every time. And yes, if you pay attention to your windflags, you can easily cut your group sizes in half. Here’s proof…
Miss a 5 mph Shift and Double Your Group Size
In the following table we show the effect of a 5 mph crosswind at 100, 200, and 300 yards. You may say to yourself, “well, I’d never miss a 5 mph let-off.” Consider this — if a gentle 2.5 mph breeze switches from 3 o’clock to 9 o’clock, you’ve just missed a 5 mph net change. What will that do to your group? Look at the table below to find out.
Values from Point Blank Ballistics software for 500′ elevation and 70° temperature.
Imagine you have a 6mm rifle that shoots half-MOA consistently in no-wind conditions. What happens if you miss a 5 mph shift (the equivalent of a full reversal of a 2.5 mph crosswind)? Well, if you’re shooting a 68gr flatbase bullet, your shot is going to move about 0.49″, nearly doubling your group size. With a 105gr VLD, the bullet moves 0.28″ … not as much to be sure, but still enough to ruin a nice small group. What about an AR15, shooting 55-grainers at 3300 fps? Well, if you miss that same 5 mph shift, your low-BC bullet moves 0.68″. That pushes a half-inch group well past an inch. If you had a half-MOA capable AR, now it’s shooting worse than 1 MOA.
If you’ve already invested in an accurate rifle with a good barrel, you are “throwing away” accuracy if you shoot without wind flags. You can spend a ton of money on fancy shooting accessories (such as expensive front rests and spotting scopes) but, dollar for dollar, nothing will potentially improve your shooting as much as a good set of windflags, used religiously.
Which Windflag to buy? Click here to view many windflag designs.
Video from Carbon River Windflags
Aussie Windflag photo courtesy BenchRestTraining.com (Stuart and Annie Elliot).
September 16th, 2008
High-School senior Paul Wagner set two potential IBS 600-yard Light Gun records this past weekend at the Piedmont Gun Club in Rutherfordton, NC. Paul started off with a .711″ 5-shot group for his first target in LG class. He ended up with a spectacular 1.6288″ 4-target Aggregate. In order, his four targets were: 0.711″, 1.848″, 2.191″, and 1.765″. We are told that both the 0.711″ group and the Agg are potential IBS records for the new 600-yard target. In the process of setting the records, Paul won LG class (group), beating some pretty good trigger pullers, including 2008 Nationals Winner Samuel Hall. Paul also out-shot his own dad, Rodney Wagner (aka “Eggman” on our Shooters Forum). Rodney reports: “My son Paul is pretty humble about his trigger-pulling abilities. As a Dad, I’m probably more excited than he is!”
Rodney Wagner tells us: “Paul started going to IBS 600-yard matches last year and actually shot his first match the end of 2006 season using a custom Savage model 12 with a SharpShooter Supply 20BR barrel. This year, when I built Paul a rifle he could call his own, he really started winning. Some even thought he had a chance of winning the IBS 600 Nationals at Oak Ridge this year. Several old timers have commented on his good ‘table manners’. I think his secret is he just doesn’t get excited, and takes everything in stride. He has been known to nap between relays with his IPod and earplugs in a folding chair. Paul shoots free recoil using a Protektor bag with medium high ears and a Bald Eagle front rest on a plate.”
Record-Setting Rifle Specs
The rifle features a Stiller drop-port Diamondback action, Jewell trigger, and a 28″, 8-twist Krieger barrel (heavy varmint contour). It was chambered as a “no-turn” 6 BRX by Mike Davis using his 6 BRX reamer. The stock is a Shehane Obeche Tracker II bedded and finished by Mike Isenhour who added his own weight system. On top is a Nightforce 12-42x BR scope mounted with Burris Signature ZEE rings. The load is just basic 6 BRX: 33.6 grains Varget, 105gr Berger VLD, CCI 450 primers, Lapua brass on the 7th firing. Rodney Wagner reports: “I sometimes sort bullets by bearing length but have not done that in a while as I have been getting really good bullets right out of the box from Berger.”
September 16th, 2008
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reports that, less than a decade after entering the ammunition market, Minneapolis-based Alliant Techsystems (NYSE:ATK) has become the nation’s largest ammo manufacturer. The company said it is on track to deliver 1.4 billion rounds of ammunition in fiscal year 2009. Yep, that’s BILLION with a ‘B’. ATK-made ammunition now generates more revenue than all other commercial ammo brands, including Winchester and Remington. While military sales make up almost 70 percent of revenues for ATK’s $1.6 billion Armament Systems Division, ATK is aggressively working to increase its sales to target shooters and hunters, according to Business Week:
“[ATK] pushed its way into small-caliber ammunition in 2000 with an aggressive bid to run the U.S. Army’s Lake City Ammunition Plant in Independence, Mo., that made it the military’s biggest ammo supplier. It has since moved swiftly into the civilian sphere, wooing hunters and police officers with creative marketing and bold promises of better performance. Military sales make up almost 70% of revenues for ATK’s $1.6 billion Armament Systems Div., one of ATK’s fastest-growing units. On Aug. 7 the unit reported a 32% increase in sales for the last quarter, to $442 million, while profits jumped 53%, to $44 million.”
ATK’s strategies are paying off, not only in the military sector, but in the civilian sport and hunting markets as well. As a result, ATK’s stock value has more than doubled in the last 5 years, showing robust growth when many companies’ stock prices are being hammered.
ATK Expands Lake City Production Facililty
ATK announced it has received an additional $104.3 million in military small-caliber ammunition orders from the U.S. Army. Work on the contracts will be performed by ATK at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) in Independence, Missouri. Working in partnership with the Army, ATK has expanded manufacturing capacity at the plant.
September 15th, 2008
The Colorado Rifle Club will be hosting the 2008 NBRSA 1000-yard Nationals at Byers, Colorado from Septermber 18-21. Many of the nation’s top long-range shooters will be competing. Thursday the 18th will be a practice day. Matches will be shot Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (9/19 through 9/21) with two light gun targets and two heavy gun targets each day. For match info and late registrations, call Jim Brummerstedt at (303) 772-5145.
Byers is located on the Colorado plains, east of Denver. The Byers facility, situated on 2080 acres, was founded in 1925. It is considered the best shooting range in the state. At the 1000 yard line (actually 1005 yards) there are 21 bench rest tables with additional benches at 300 yards and at 600 yards for load development. You can learn more about the range by visiting the Colorado Rifle Club website. Traditionally, Byers has been a challenging location, with unpredictable weather and sometimes very strong winds. Luckily, the Colorado Rifle Club has a dedicated weather page on the internet, with current conditions “web-cast” in real time.
CLICK HERE for current weather conditions in BYERS, COLORADO
September 14th, 2008
We recently followed an auction for a Cooper 17 HMR. Such a rifle (in normal trim) might typically sell for $1300.00 on Gunbroker.com. But the bids on this particular rifle soared, eventually closing at $3126.00! What made this Cooper so desireable? Well it did have a case-colored receiver, but the main attraction was custom-crafted stock from Stocks by Umberger. Shown below is a centerfire stock produced by Brent Umberger.
 Artisan’s Legacy Lives On
Brent Umberger practiced his trade as a master stockmaker for four decades. Sadly, he passed away a couple of years ago. However, the company he started, and the legacy of fine craftsmanship he created, are being carried on. In recent years, Brent worked with Adam Fraley and Jason Basham, training them in the fine arts of gunsmithing and stockmaking and sharing his expertise. After Brent’s passing, Adam and Jason purchased the business from Brent’s widow. Adam and Jason are now continuing the tradition of fine-crafted, hand-checkered wood stocks built from the finest woods available. Stocks by Umberger products are showcased on the website, StocksByUmberger.com.
Umberger rifles and shotguns have been featured in many publications including American Shotgunner, Gun Week, Peterson’s Shotguns, Sporting Clays, American Walnut Industry and Trap and Field magazines. Umberger guns have graced the cover of The Shooters’ Bible, and a fabulous Purdy sidelock shotgun stocked by Brent is on display at the ATA Hall of Fame.
September 14th, 2008
Readers often ask us: “What is a good, affordable hard-shell gun case for benchrest and varmint rifles with long barrels and wide stocks?” While there are many excellent options, many premium hard cases (such as the SKB) cost $150.00 or more. For about $30.00, the unique Plano AirGlide™ is a great choice. Right now the AirGlide, item WX2-110200, is on sale at Sportsmans’ Guide for just $29.97 (or $26.97 for SG’s Buyers’ Club members). Lockable and airline-approved, the Plano AirGlide offers excellent performance for the price.
Among injection-molded rifle cases, Plano’s AirGlide™ case is unique in holding a rifle vertically, in foam cradles. This allows ample room for the 3″-wide fore-ends on BR and Varmint rifles. The foam blocks front and rear can even be trimmed for a custom fit, and velcro webbing straps hold the rifle securely. The AirGlide’s hinged top-opening lid provides ample clearance for large target scopes, with no side load on the turrets. (We’ve found that some eggcrate foam-lined gun cases can put enough pressure on scope knobs to alter your zero.) Measuring 51 1/2″L x 7 3/4″W x 12 1/4″H, the AirGlide can easily handle rifles up to 50″ in length. That should hold BR rifles with barrels up to 29″.
September 13th, 2008
 How would you like a full-length sizing die perfectly fitted to your fired brass? At one time that required you to purchase a die blank, a special undersized reamer (a chamber reamer is too big), and send the work out to a skilled gunsmith. You could expect to have $250-$350 tied up in your custom die when all was said and done.
Now Hornady’s custom shop offers a much less expensive alternative. For $100-$120, plus shipping, Hornady will produce a custom-made die based on your reamer print, spec sheet or fired brass. (FL dies for cases up to 2.55″ COAL are $101.00; larger dies are $120.00) That’s the price for one (1) full-length sizing die. You can either order a conventional non-bushing FL die, or a FL die that uses bushings to size the case-necks. (Standard non-micrometer seaters are also available for another $20.00-$25.00.) To order, we recommend you send 3 or 4 fired cases along with a reamer print to Lonnie Hummel at Hornady Mfg., Box 1848, Grand Island, NE, 68802. Give Lonnie a call first at (800) 338-3220, ext. 208, to discuss design details and get an estimated delivery date.
Lonnie and his team of skilled machinists have produced custom dies for many top shooters. Scott Parker had Hornady produce a custom full-length die for Scott’s 6BRX. Scott reports: “The die is great. I’m very impressed. The die is a perfect fit for my brass and the sized brass has very low run-out.”
|
