|
|
October 9th, 2008
We often receive emails from shooters who are just getting started in hand-loading for precision rifles. These readers may have experience reloading for pistols or shotguns, but the fine points of producing precision rifle ammo are unfamiliar to them. Many readers seek advice on controlling neck tension, determining optimum bullet seating depth, and tuning loads. These are all key factors in rifle accuracy. Likewise we get many questions about using Wilson hand dies and arbor presses.
Sinclair International is now offering a new DVD entitled, “Advanced Handloading — Beyond The Basics”. This 45-minute DVD is hosted by John Barsness, contributing editor of Handloader Magazine and editor of Successful Hunter Magazine. Topics covered include correct case sizing, neck sizing, bushing selection, cartridge O.A.L. and many more. The tools and procedures needed to accomplish these tasks and measure the results are discussed in detail. This DVD was produced as a cooperative effort by Redding Reloading, Sierra Bullets, and Wolfe Publishing. Price is $19.95, Sinclair item 15-05978.
Gunsmith Richard Franklin, whose article on the 30-338 Wildcat is featured this week on our site, has also prepared a very useful instructional DVD. Richard’s two-hour-long Precision Reloading for Accuracy DVD explains many of the fine points of loading popular match and varmint cartridges. Richard demonstrates how to prep cases for best accuracy, how to neck-up or neck-down cartridges, how to turn case necks, and how to bump case shoulders properly. Richard’s DVD is a great resource if you need help with Wilson-type inline seating and sizing dies. Richard shows how to set up and use Wilson benchrest dies and to choose the right neck bushing for Wilson neck dies. Richard’s Precision Reloading DVD costs $24.00. Call 540-890-8649 to order, or email customrifles [at] hughes.net. For varminters, Richard also offers excellent DVDs on GroundHog hunting. A sequel to Richard’s popular “Death in the Green Grass” varminting DVD is scheduled for release very soon.
October 8th, 2008
 The NBRSA 100-yard and 200-yard Nationals have been underway since Monday, October 6 at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, Arizona. The match, which concludes on Oct. 11th, has drawn 120+ top shooters from around the country including Tony Boyer, Lester Bruno, Wayne Campbell, Don Nielson, Mike Ratigan, Bart Sauter, and Col. Billy Stevens.
Four classes will be contested at the NBRSA Nationals: Light Varmint (LV), Heavy Varmint (HV), Sporter, and Unlimited (Rail guns). The Unlimited (rail-gun) 100-yard and 200-yard Matches are complete and results are available. Results for the 100 and 200 Unlimited 10-shot group, 8-group aggregates are:
100-Yard Unlimited Agg
1. Tony Boyer 0.2198
2. Eric Stanton 0.2262
3. Mike Conry 0.2329
4. Wayne Campbell 0.2386
5. Lawrence Weisdorn 0.2440
6. Lester Bruno 0.2490
7. Don Nielson 0.2571
8. Billy Stevens 0.2626
9. Gary Sinclair 0.2735
10. Chris Harris 0.2750 |
200-Yard Unlimited Agg
1. Charles Huckeba 0.2598
2. Mike Ratigan 0.3057
3. Tony Boyer 0.3217
4. Don Creach 0.3371
5. Wayne Campbell 0.3401
6. Lawrence Weisdorn 0.3416
7. Mike Contry 0.3634
8. Bart Sauter 0.3715
9. Lester Bruno 0.3716
10. Tom Price 0.4004 |
Jeff Walker has taken some nice photos of the match. Here are photo links:
Tony Boyer and Wayne Campbell shooting Unlimited.
A Host of Hall-of-Famers on the Firing Line.
Stay tuned for more reports as we receive results for the HV, LV, and sporter classes. For more information, email match director Gary Ocock at onehole149 [at] aol.com. For NBRSA membership information and application forms, visit NBRSA.org.
October 8th, 2008
The troubled economy is beginning to affect firearms manufacturers and outdoor retailers. This week Sig Sauer (NH) announced a workforce reduction of roughly ten percent. Meanwhile large outdoor retailer Cabela’s (NYSE: CAB) President and CEO Dennis Highby has announced a ten percent reduction in the corporate staff based in Sydney, Nebraska.
Major firearms manufacturers Smith & Wesson (NASD:SWHC), and Sturm, Ruger & Co. (NYSE:RGR) are both making efforts to improve their market standing, after their stock prices have tumbled in the past year. Ruger, which has seen its common stock fall from $19.50 to $6.37 in the past year, spent $7.4 million in the third quarter to buy back 1.1 million shares at $6.50/share. The situation is not all bleak at Ruger, however — Ruger officials stated that the company has about $22 million in cash and no debt on its balance sheet.
Smith & Wesson has also experienced a massive decline in its stock price in the last 12 months, with company shares falling from $21.85 last October to $2.77 today, an 87% drop. In response, S&W has taken aggressive measures. In late September, the company shuffled some executive positions, laid off 80 workers at its Rochester, NH assembly facility, and reduced production of S&W and Thompson/Center Arms (T/C) rifles. To shore up the company’s finances, S&W recently filed SEC documents proposing to sell $250 million in debt securities, common and preferred stock, and other securities.
October 7th, 2008
In our new article on the 30-338 Wildcat, you’ll find expert advice on forming the cases from .338 Lapua Magnum brass plus tips on selecting powder and bullets. The story also features some great photos of a 30-338 custom Richard Franklin built for a California client. That rifle is designed as an Elk Gun, shooting the 190gr Berger VLDs with Reloder 22 powder. The laminated stock is made from exhibition-grade Claro Crotch Walnut and Dennis Smith (aka the Stock Doctor) provided beautiful checkering and a hand-rubbed oil finish.
 Ultimate Big Boomer for Varminters
Franklin has also pioneered an ultra-high-velocity varmint version of the 30-338. This cartidge achieves amazing 30-Cal velocities using long, very slow-twist barrels. Richard tells us: “I use 15- to 17-twist barrels with both the 300 WSM Varminter and the 30-338 Lapua Varminter. The 300 WSM easily gets 3900 fps with the Nosler 125 Ballistic Tip and the 30-338 Lapua will do 4150 fps easily with the same 125gr B-Tip. In the 30-338, the 130gr Barnes, a “ringed” bullet with grooves to reduce bearing surface, will get another 150 fps, topping out at 4300 fps. I find the 17-twist does a good job with the light bullets in the 30-338 but I’m going to try an 18-twist and a 19-twist to see if high velocity is a little more easier to obtain. I believe the 19-twist will beat any thing I’ve built to date for velocity and I also believe it’s going to be very accurate.”
The “Official” .300 Lapua Magnum
While nearly every 30-338 you see in the USA is a wildcat, manually formed by necking-down the .338 Lapua brass, there was an “official” version, the “.300 Lapua Magnum”. This was a factory 30-caliber cartridge based on the .338 Lapua Magnum parent case. Lapua produced enough factory ammo to get the .300 Lapua Magnum sanctioned as an official CIP-certified cartridge. QuickLOAD includes the .300 Lapua Magnum in its load database, and QuickDESIGN has complete CIP cartridge specifications. Unfortunately, the .300 Lapua Magnum is no longer in production. For you cartridge collectors, we’re not even sure if Lapua ever produced brass with a distinctive “300 Lapua Magnum” headstamp. However Vihtavuori does include .300 Lapua Magnum load data in the current Vihtavuori Load Manual. That reloading guide shows the .300 Lapua Magnum can drive a 220gr HPBT Sierra MatchKing at 2910 fps with a max charge of VV 20N29 powder. The .300 Lapua Magnum can push the 30-caliber 155gr Lapua Scenar at nearly 3500 fps with VV N170 powder. That’s impressive performance indeed!
CLICK HERE to download Current 2008 Vihtavuori RELOADING MANUAL (35-page .pdf file).
October 7th, 2008
Smith & Wesson Corp., announced today that the company will offer new consumer promotions through the end of the year (12/31/2008). The new fall/winter promotions include product offerings and consumer rebates for Smith & Wesson, Thompson/Center Arms and Walther products. For rifle buyers, there are $50.00 rebates offered on both the Smith & Wesson i-Bolt™ and the Thompson/Center Arms ICON™ rifle. Under the Fall Spectacular Hunting Promo, purchasers of a new S&W i-Bolt rifle will get a $50.00 rebate. Likewise, under T/C’s Get in the Hunt Promo, buyers of a new T/C ICON™ qualify for a $50.00 rifle.
CLICK HERE to Download i-Bolt™ Rebate Form
CLICK HERE for T/C ICON™ Mail-In Rebate Form
We were impressed with the T/C ICON™ rifles we handled at SHOT Show earlier this year. The upper end ICONs had really nice Ultra Wood™ stocks made from three pieces of hand-selected walnut laminated together with two sheets of carbon fiber. The actions are smooth and very strong, with integral (milled) Weaver-type scope mounts. Modern CNC production methods are used to manufacture the action and aluminum bedding block. The three-lug bolt has a short, 60° throw, a handsome jeweled body, and is easy to disassemble. Every ICON is factory-tested and the button-rifled barrels are guaranteed to shoot sub-inch groups at 100 yards. If you are looking for a US-made hunting rifle with modern engineering and state-of-the-art construction, the ICON is a good choice. We love the looks of the standard ICON with blued metal and glossy wood, but if you prefer a more rugged field rifle, the ICON is also offered in stainless with a Hogue® over-molded composite stock in matte black or camo finish. The Hogue stocks have a rubberized external finish that is very “grippy” in wet conditions.
October 6th, 2008
Forum member Charles Ballard, featured in our Gun of the Week section, just won the F-Class Nationals in Lodi, Wisconsin (Open Class). Charles shot a 1337-65X using his .284 Win with Berger 180gr bullets. With 135 shots for record, Charles dropped just 13 points to score 1337 out of 1350 possible points. Great shooting Charles! Congrats on your win. (Charles was “hot” in Lodi — he also won the preliminary “warm-up” match earlier in the week.)
CLICK HERE to Read Feature Story on Charles Ballard and his record-setting .284 Win (above).
In Open Class, Mike Downey was second at 1333-55X, and Larry Bartholome was third 1332-62X. Larry, who recently won the Spirit of America F-Class match at Raton, shot superbly and posted 27X on Day 1, the high daily X-count for the match. The best one-day Open Class performance was turned in by past Champion Robert Bock, a 449-22X, also on Day 1. (The Day 1 match was shot at 600 yards; Day 2 and Day 3 were at 1000 yards.)
F-TR Class winner was Danny Biggs with an impressive 1305-42X. Not far behind were Dale Rathwell (1300-42X) in second place, and Darrell Buell (1299-26X) in third. Multi-time past F-TR National Champ Brad Sauve finished fourth.
F-Open Grand Agg TOP TEN
Class Shooter Day 1 agg Day 2 agg Day 3 agg Grand Agg.
Open Charles Ballard 443.21 448.24 446.20 1337.65
Open Mike Downey 444.18 445.16 444.21 1333.55
Open Larry Bartholome 446.27 442.19 444.16 1332.62
Open Nikolas Taylor 447.17 445.16 437.17 1329.50
Open Jim Murphy 448.23 439.11 440.14 1327.48
Open John Brewer 443.21 440.14 441.17 1324.52
Open Shawn Ahrens 443.26 437.15 443.16 1323.57
Open Emil Praslick III 443.19 435.14 445.20 1323.53
Open Robert Bock 449.22 437.11 437.16 1323.49
Open Jeff Traylor 448.22 433.14 438.11 1319.47
F-TR Grand Agg TOP TEN
Class Shooter Day 1 agg Day 2 agg Day 3 agg Grand Agg.
F-T/R Danny Biggs 444.19 424.05 437.18 1305.42
F-T/R Dale Rathwell 440.20 427.08 433.10 1300.38
F-T/R Darrell Buell 432.08 434.10 433.08 1299.26
F-T/R Brad Sauve 436.10 426.07 431.07 1293.24
F-T/R Jeff Rorer 439.22 419.06 428.06 1286.34
F-T/R Peter Church 437.10 426.09 422.07 1285.26
F-T/R Warren Dean 435.14 425.06 424.07 1284.27
F-T/R William Lair 434.11 425.11 423.10 1282.32
F-T/R Dale Carpenter 436.20 414.06 430.09 1280.35
F-T/R Paul Phillips 434.12 425.05 420.05 1279.22
October 5th, 2008
Federal Small Rifle Primers, both standard (205) and match (205M) versions, have recently been in short supply. Grafs.com now has these in stock, at discounted prices. Graf’s has large supplies of Federal standard small rifle primers in both 1000- and 5000-primer lots. Price is $27.99 for a 1000-count box, or $131.99 for a 5000-count case.
For the hard-to-find small rifle 205M Match primers, Grafs.com is showing good quantities in 5000-count cases, priced at $157.99. Individual, 1000-count boxes of 205M match primers, priced at $33.59, are in low supply. Graf’s prices include shipping but not HazMat fees. Powder Valley Inc. is showing both 1000-count and 5000-count supplies of Federal 205M (small rifle match) primers in stock at $31.00 and $150.00 respectively.
Both Grafs.com and Powder Valley are out of stock on the Federal 210M LARGE Rifle match primers. However, Powder Valley has supplies of the standard Federal 210 (non-match) large rifle primers for $25.50 (1000-count) and $122.50 (5000-count). Grafs.com is nearly sold out of the Federal 210s, so grab the limited quantities while you can.
October 4th, 2008
Cooper Firearms and the 20 VarTarg cartridge are featured in Varmint Hunter Magazine, a publication of the Varmint Hunters Association (VHA). Author Thomas Tabor recounts the fascinating history of Dan Cooper’s successful Montana-based company. Tabor then field-tests a Cooper Model 21 Montana Varminter chambered in 20 VarTarg.
CLICK HERE to Download Cooper Firearms 20 VarTarg Story (.PDF File)
The 20 VarTarg is based on the 221 Fireball case necked-down to 20 caliber. Invented in 1995 by Todd Kindler (of Small Caliber News), the VarTarg is an accurate and ultra-efficient cartridge. With just 18-19 grains of powder the VarTarg can drive a 32gr bullet at 3750 fps.
Tabor explains the simple procedure for forming 20 VarTarg cases and compares the VarTarg to other popular 20 caliber cartridges. He notes that “the popularity of the 20 VarTarg is growing dramatically, particularly with both varmint hunters and [small caliber] target shooters. While the .204 Ruger offers about 200 fps higher velocity, Tabor argues that: “the 20 VarTarg is a superior cartridge in some ways to the 204 Ruger… based on the fact that the VarTarg is considerably more efficient.”
 Tabor visited the varmint fields to give the 20 VarTarg Cooper a real-world test: “As was expected, the 20 VarTarg was an exceptional performer on ground squirrels. Out to 250 yards both the cartridge and rifle were deadly accurate.” Tabor was impressed by the little VarTarg. He found that the VarTarg rivaled the larger .204 Ruger, while being kinder to barrels since the VarTarg burns much less powder.
Overall, this article is a “must-read” for all Cooper Firearms fans. There are many interesting anecdotes about the early years of the company, and the author provides a wealth of useful info for anyone thinking about buying or building a 20-caliber varmint rifle.
Photos © 2008 VHA, All Rights Reserved
October 3rd, 2008
 Looking for firearms and accessories on the web? You can spend hours cruising Forum Classifieds. Or, with one click, you can view items for sale on 20 different gun forums. Using robotic web spider technology, EliteDealSeeker.com collects active “for sale” listings from around the web, displaying them all on one page, sorted by site. The subject line for each ad is displayed as a clickable link. It’s a great system that makes shopping for bargains fast and easy. Most of the listings are for optics and accessories for AR15 or semi-auto style rifles, and for handguns, but you can still find a bargain out there and this technology can save you lots of time. You can set the time span for ads to display — from the last 24 hours (minimum) to the past 28 days (maximum). For starters, we suggest you search for the last 5-7 days of classified ads.
Our own AccurateShooter Forum Classifieds are spidered, and you’ll find other good deals on precision shooting stuff on the Accurate Reloading Forums, on RimfireCentral.com, and Snipershide.com. The chart below shows the complete list of spidered gun-related websites. A “webbot” visits all these sites daily, grabbing the latest sale items for you to review. You can set display preferences so your favorite sites appear at the top of the list.
6mmBR.com
24hourcampfire.com
1911forum.com
Accuratereloading.com
AKfiles.com
AR15.com
Defensivecarry.com
Falfiles.com
Glocktalk.com
Gunboards.com |
Gunsnet.net
HKPro.com
Rugerforum.com
Shotgunworld.com
Sigforum.com
Smith-Wessonforum.com
Sturmgewehr.com
theakforum.net
thefiringline.com
thehighroad.org
XDtalk.com |
October 3rd, 2008
 GLOCK, Inc. will donate $150,000 to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) and the Young Marines at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting on October 7th in Washington, DC. This will be the third consecutive year that GLOCK, Inc. will contribute money to organizations that provide assistance to armed service personnel, their survivors, or family members.
The SOWF’s mission has been to provide college education to the surviving children of Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps special operations personnel killed in combat or training. Currently there are more than 700 children in the foundation’s program and 120 students enrolled in colleges and universities across the country. The Warrior Foundation also provides immediate financial assistance to special operations personnel severely wounded in the war against terrorism. SOWF has been in operation for 28 years and has been awarded a four-star rating from Charity Navigator for the second consecutive year.
GLOCK Inc. will donate a total of $200,000 to charities in 2008 which will include the SOWF, Young Marines and the Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) Charity. The COPS donation will be made at the IACP (International Assoc. of Chiefs of Police) Conference in San Diego.
|
