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January 20th, 2009
Tom Manners of Manners Composite Stocks had a wide selection of stocks on display at SHOT Show. The Manners stocks, with carbon-fiber layup, are extremely durable and stiff. The fit and finish is excellent, better than you’ll find with most fiberglass stocks. The designs work really well when shot from bipod, making the Manners T-Series stocks (T, T1, T2, T3, T4, GAT, T50) ideal for tactical use. Jason reports: “These are extremely strong stocks. I really like the T 2/3/4 stocks. The T2 is my favorite. It features a McMillan A5-style front with an A3-style rear.”
New Low-Profile ‘Fish Belly’ F-Class Stock
Jason was impressed with the new Manners F-Class stock. Tom says: “The shell is 100% carbon fiber with a molded-in action and barrel area. This design features a very long, stiff fore-end. From the back of the action to the tip of the fore-end the stock measures 27″ long which is around 7 1/2″ longer than our T4 stock.” The idea is to provide a “longer wheelbase” to better balance the long, 30-32″ barrels favored by many F-Class competitors. The front half of the fore-end is very thin (from top to bottom) to achieve a low profile on the bags. Much thought has gone into controlling fore-end flex. Manners’ design achieves greater vertical rigidity (less deflection under load) through an innovative “fish belly” design. The rounded undersection, like a canoe hull, strengthens the fore-end considerably.
Rimfire Stock for Tactical Cross-Training
Tom also had on display a new stock set up for the SAKO Quad switch-barrel rifle. Finished in “digital camo”, this stock has the “fit and feel” of Manners’ T-Series centerfire stocks. This lets you maintain the shooting position of your centerfire tactical stock when you switch to the SAKO Quad rimfire for low-cost training sessions.
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January 20th, 2009
Seekins Precision produces a wide variety of expertly-machined products such as scope rings, picatinny rails, and sling rails. Seekins products are priced competitively, but give up nothing in quality to some more expensive brands.
At SHOT 2009, Glen Seekins unveiled some cool, new products, including a new AR15 lower with many unique features. The Seekins SP223 lower features flutes on the magwell front face for improved grip, plus an enlarged triggerguard allowing use with gloves. The new lower takes standard milspec mags as well as MagPul P-Mags. It should be available in April 2009, with a price of about $350. Glen tells us that a Seekins AR upper design will follow “down the road.”
Seekins also announced new Remington 700 bottom metal. The Seekins R700 bottom metal assembly is made from 7075-T6 Aluminum allow — very tough stuff. The R700 is currently offered for .223 Rem, .308 (and other standard short action rounds), and .338 Lapua. A WSM version will be available soon. This bottom metal works with 5-round magazines, but Seekins will be offering 10-round .223 and .308 mags in the summer.
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January 20th, 2009
Jason interviewed Terry Paul of SharpShoot-R™ Precision Products. Terry is the inventor of the Wipe-Out brushless bore cleaner, Carb-Out carbon remover, and Patch-Out, a formulation that works like Wipe-Out but without the foam. This Editor has been using Wipe-Out for more than two years now, and I’m very happy with the results. While some barrels (and cartridge/bullet combos) DO need brushing, some wet patches and Wipe-Out every 40 rounds or so is all my Pac-Nor 3-groove 6BR barrel has needed to stay competitive for nearly 1000 rounds. That barrel has stayed clean with no brushing and there has been very little throat erosion.
Terry Paul announced that SharpShoot-R has improved the formulation of Wipe-Out. The foam cleaner is now 25% stronger than before. Wipe-Out is now sold with an applicator tube and chamber plug. This makes it easier to apply Wipe-Out from the breech. (However, in our tests, the hard plastic chamber plug worked well in a 6.5mm chamber, but was hard to seat in a .223 Rem chamber. We would rather see a longer, softer tip with an O-ring.)
Carb-Out is another SharpShoot-R product popular with Benchrest shooters. Terry revealed that Tony Boyer, the all-time BR Hall of Fame points leader, uses and endorses Carb-Out. Tony believes the product helps remove harmful carbon deposits while reducing the need for abrasives or aggressive brushing. Watch the Video below to learn more about Wipe-Out and Carb-Out.
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January 19th, 2009
 Kelbly’s rolled out a remarkable new March benchrest scope at SHOT 2009: a completely new 36-55x52mm zoom, quite unlike anything on the market. Produced by Japan’s DEON Optical, the design was inspired, in part, by suggestions from ace shooter Lou Murdica. Lou looked at the current benchrest disciplines, from point-blank (100/200) BR, all the way to the 1000-yard game. He found that most benchresters (both short-range and long-range) rarely dialed their scopes below 30-power, and most wanted more magnification than their current scopes offered, for times when the conditions were good. Lou asked DEON’s designers if they could build a high-quality BR scope with about a two-times zoom ratio. But he also wanted the reticle to be super-stable, so it didn’t move at all when adjusting the magnification.
Six months later, DEON (March) sent Lou a prototype. It was very different that other scopes on the market because the zoom function is done in the eyepiece — similar to a spotting scope. In fact DEON dubbed the new scoped the “EP” zoom, with the “EP” referring to “eye piece”. Lou has tested the new March 36-55X and he says “The cross-hair absolutely doesn’t move when you zoom because everything is taking place behind the cross-hairs at the eyepiece. For a benchrest shooter this is a BIG deal — if you don’t like the mirage, you can change from 55 power to 36 power in the middle of your group, and know that point of impact will not change.” The other great feature of the scope is the near-constant eye relief — it changes only about 1/2″ from 36 power to full 55X magnification. Lou says, “you can zoom through the entire range and barely need to move your head at all.” Lou has worked with all the March BR scopes, from the early 40X through the lastest zooms. He feels that the new 36-55 may be the best yet for short-, medium-, and long-range benchrest shooters. As Lou explains: “It takes care of 100 to 1000-yard shooting with one scope. What more would you ever need?”
Click Here to download March 36-55×52 Spec Sheet.
Revolutionary March 1:10 Ratio Zooms Amaze Optics Experts
March pulled off a major coup at SHOT Show. The new March 1-10x35mm and 2.5-25x42mm zooms were the talk of the Show. This is the first time ANY major manufacturer has been able to achieve a 10 times zoom ratio. March’s booth was mobbed as engineers from other optics companies came to see how March “achieved the impossible”. And the optics guys had to fight past a line-up of military personnel — from the USA, Canada, Israel, and Germany. Lou Murdica was there and he reports: “Once word of these scopes hit the show’s Tactical area, March had more military and law enforcement people from the U.S. and other countries than you could imagine.”
 Apparently, the U.S. Military has been asking domestic manufacturers to perfect a 1-10X zoom for years, and the response was always: “It can’t be done.” Well, starting from a blank page, the engineers at Japans’ DEON Optical Design Corp. (makers of the March), figured it out. For the military this is a HUGE technical breakthrough because a 1-power optic is ideal for close quarters combat (or house-clearing) while 10-power is a good setting for long-range sniper work. The two 1:10 ratio zooms both feature 1/4 MOA clicks, illuminated plex or MTR2 reticles, 30mm tubes, and a huge elevation range: 180 MOA for the 1-10×35 and 100 MOA for the 2.5-25×42. Both these scopes are slated for June 2009 deliveries. The 1-10×35 scope is expected to sell for $1500.00 while the 2.4-25×42 will cost about $2400.00.
We are told that David Tubb will be working on adapting a specialized long-range reticle for the 2.5-25×42. Representatives of the U.S. Navy SEALs showed great interest in the 2.5-25x42mm March. In addition to the two smaller tactical scopes, March displayed 5-32x52mm and 10-60x52mm tactical scopes. These feature 1/8-MOA clicks and an MTR1 reticle.
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January 19th, 2009
27-year-old Matt Emmons has been one of the top American shooters in international Smallbore Rifle and Air Rifle competition. Matt, a member of the U.S. Olympic Team, won a Silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in mens’ prone and won Gold at the Athens Olympics in the same event. He is a co-holder of the 50m rifle prone world record (600 points), and has been a multiple-event winner at the ISSF World Cup.
In 2007, Matt married Czech shooter Katerina Kurkova. “Katy” earned fame as the winner of the first Gold Medal in the Beijing Olympics (see photo below). A husband and wife “dream team”, Matt and Katy are probably the most famous couple in the shooting sports. Matt is currently training for the 2012 Olympics. Wife Katy is now pregnant, but she’ll rejoin Matt in training after the baby’s born.
Jason Baney has a chance to talk with Matt at SHOT Show where Matt appeared on behalf of USA Shooting, the U.S. national governing body for Olympic Shooting Sports. Jason notes: “It was great to talk to Matt about shooting, though we practice very different disciplines. At 27 Matt is the same age as me, and we’ve both recently been married, so we had things in common. Matt is a very cool, humble down-to-earth guy.” If we can clear it with Matt’s sponsors, we’d love to have Matt test some match rifles for AccurateShooter.com.
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January 19th, 2009
RCBS makes a fine progressive press, the RCBS Pro 2000. This Editor owns one. I can tell you it is very solid, and the strip primer-feeding system has proven virtually fool-proof, something that can’t be said about some competitive progressive presses. I also believe the micrometer-equipped powder measure is superior to the Dillon alternative. Nonetheless, Dillon still dominates the progressive press market. One reason is that Dillon has long offered a reliable case-feeding system, and GSI International and Gaspari USA offer after-market bullet feeders for the Dillon 650 and 1050. Until now, with an RCBS Progressive, you needed to manually insert a bullet into each case. Well, at SHOT 2009, RCBS unveiled a new bullet-feeding system.
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RCBS says its new automatic bullet-feeder will work with Dillon (blue) and Hornady (red) progressives as well as the RCBS 2000. The unit mounts to a sturdy vertical support, with a flexible tube that connects to the bullet-seating station. It looks well-designed, and during a demo by RCBS manager Kent Sakamoto, the bullet-feeding system worked flawlessly. Kent showed us the pistol-bullet feeder, but a second version for rifle bullets will be offered by mid-2009. The rifle-bullet feeder should be just the ticket for varminters who need to load large quantities of .223 Rem, 22-250, or .204 Ruger rounds. Sakamoto explained that the automatic bullet feeder can significantly boost your reloading output whether you have a blue, red, or green progressive press.
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January 19th, 2009
 Every year, the high-end Spotting Scopes from the major optics-makers seem to get bigger, better, and, unfortunately, more expensive. Leica rolled out its new flagship spotting scope, a black-bodied 82mm Televid with APO glass. A smaller version with a 65mm front objective will also be available in Spring 2009. These babies are expensive — the 82mm (body only, no eyepiece), carries a $3,195.00 MSRP, while the 65mm (body only, no eyepiece) retails for $2,295.00.
What justifies the high price is Leica’s superb APO (apochromatic) glass. This is formulated to give enhanced light transmission with less chromatic aberration. Other manufacturers offer “ED”, “HD” or “LD” low-dispersion glass, but the Leica APO glass is probably about as good as it gets. (Both the new 65mm and the 82mm are offered at a lower price with HD flouride glass, with APO lenses an extra-cost upgrade.) Leica claims the optical performance of the new spotting scopes is significantly better than the preceding models. The High Definition (HD) versions use specialized glass in a newly designed lens arrangement for improved clarity and contrast.
Jason checked out the new 82mm Televid with angled body. It was fitted with a 25-50x Wide Angle eyepiece. Jason noted the eyepiece offered good eye relief, and the clarity and sharpness was outstanding. The scope is fairly compact (front to rear) for an 80mm-class optic. Is the 82mm APO Televid better than the Big Zeiss or Swarovski (or the new ED-glass Kowa)? Only field tests can reveal that. “You’d have to get the Leica 82mm in the field with a couple other premium spotters with low dispersion glass and see how they perform side by side.” The Leica Televid 82 and Televid 65 spotting scopes are both available with straight or angled eyepiece housing, with either HD or APO glass.
Leice also announced that, for 2009, it will offer HD (High Definition) lenses in its popular Geovid Laser-Range-Finding Binoculars. MSRP on the HD Geovids starts at $2395.00.
For more information, visit www.leica-camera.com.
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January 18th, 2009
Anschütz, the legendary German arms-maker, harvested a ton of Gold Medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with its latest match rifles (both rimfire arms and air rifles/pistols). In addition to its state-of-the-art bullseye target rifles, Anschutz produces Biathlon rifles and hunting rifles. At SHOT Show 2009, company President Jochen Anschütz was on hand to show his company’s latest wares, including the designs that won gold in Beijing. Jason Baney met with Jochen and got this exclusive Video Interview:
CLICK HERE to watch full-width VIDEO in Higher Quality
In the interview, Jochen noted that Anschütz has introduced a new Model 1770 hunting rifle, chambered in .223 Remington. This features a new six-lug action — the first all-new action design from Anschütz in 30 years. Below, Jochen holds the top-of-the-line Anschütz biathlon rifle. Designed for Olympic-caliber biathletes, this gun has a straight-pull Fortner action that can be cycled nearly as rapidly as a semi-auto.
High-Tech Aluminum-stocked Position Rifle
Among the Anschütz designs on display at Shot Show was the new Anschütz model 1913 position rifle with a gorgeous “1918 ALU Precise” brushed aluminum stock. It looked like it had been crafted in an aircraft plant.
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January 18th, 2009
Some months ago, AccurateShooter.com ran a feature story on the new Rimfire Tactical discipline that has become hugely popular on the West Coast. A Rimfire Tactical comp is a challenging “fun match” using both bolt-action and semi-auto 22LR rifles at distances from 20 to 200 yards. You engage a wide variety of static and reactive targets, shooting from prone, kneeling, and standing positions. It’s fun, challenging, and affordable. Competing in Rimfire Tactical matches is also a great way to develop skills that carry over to centerfire shooting. By “cross-training” with rimfire 22s you get more “trigger time” and improve your wind-reading skills without spending a fortune on ammo or burning out your centerfire barrels.
As the Rimfire Tactical discipline evolves with more matches, and more participants, we’re learning what kind of hardware it takes to win. Thus far all sorts of rifles have turned in winning performances — Savage Mark IIs, CZs, “Souped-up” Ruger 10/22s, even Anschütz Silhouette and Biathlon rifles. What will prove to be the “Ultimate” Rimfire Tactical rifle? It just might be the impressive “Fusion” from Volquartsen Custom.
The Volquartsen Fusion has the right components for Rimfire Tactical. There’s a stiff, free-floating tubular shroud (like an AR15 spacegun). This provides a rigid support for the bipod, and works well when shooting from barriers. The action features an integrated Picatinny rail so you can easily swap optics from your centerfire tactical rifle to the Fusion. The trigger is clean and crisp — WAY better than the standard trigger on a Ruger 10/22. The rear stock section has a near-vertical style grip and a high comb that work great when shooting prone. An integral comp on the barrel allows quick and precise follow-up shots, which is important because many Rimfire Tactical “scenarios” are on the clock.
What’s also really cool about the Fusion is that you can swap barrels in under a minute with no special tools. So, you can shoot 22LR ammo in a tactical match, then switch to a 17 Mach 2 barrel to shoot varmints with the same rifle. (There is also a .17 HMR/.22 WMR model.) The switch-barrel design also allows the rifle to be broken down quickly and easily for compact storage. Watch the Video below. The last minute of the 3.5 minute video shows how easy it is to remove and swap barrels.
Fusion Take-Down VIDEO. Barrel Removal Starts at 2:25.
How much? The Fusion semi-auto, with BOTH .22LR and 17 Mach 2 Barrels, retails for $1,807.00. For more info, visit Volquartsen.com.
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January 18th, 2009
Alliant Powder is well-known among precision shooters. Reloder 15 has set many world records in the 6BR and 6BR Improved cartridges, and the new Reloder 17 powder offers dramatically increased velocities in cartridges such as the 6XC and .284 Winchester.
At SHOT Show 2009, Alliant unveiled its new Power Pro™ series of canister, spherical powders. There are five (5) new powders: Magnum Pistol, Varmint Rifle, Medium Rifle, Large Rifle, and Magnum Rifle. Each powder has a burn rate optimized for the particular application (Medium Rifle is a bit slower than RL15, Large Rifle rate is similar to H4350, Magnum is similar to H4831). Alliant claims that “Power Pro powders deliver improved velocity and density for more efficient reloading and help reloaders duplicate certain factory loaded ammunition.” Alliant engineer Dick Quensenberry said reloaders can expect to get +50 fps more from the Power Pro series than with most other, comparable ball powders.
 New Powder for 50-Caliber Applications
Alliant also recently introduced Reloder 50, a new powder designed for long-range, 50 caliber rifle shooters. Burn rate is “a little slower than Winchester 860.” The powder is showing excellent lot-to-lot consistency and the load density is optimized for the 50 BMG and similar cases. Like Reloder 17, Reloder 50 employs a process which staturates/penetrates the kernels with the burn rate controlling chemical. This should allow a longer, flatter pressure curve, allowing more velocity than conventional powders can deliver. Alliant says that Reloder 50 offers “superior velocity and the ability to burn cleaner (with less residue).” Reloder 50 will be available in both 1-lb (#150527) and 8-lb (#150528) containers.
On the Horizon — More Alliant Powders like Reloder 17
Reloder 17, made in Switzerland by Nitro Chemie, is a unique propellant that offer a smoother, longer energy release because the burn rate controlling chemicals are saturated into the kernels rather than just applied to the outside. This can provide extra energy over the course of the burn, with the result that Reloder 17 can deliver more velocity than any other powder with a similar burn rate and density. The demonstrated high performance of Reloder 17 has created demand for similar formulations, but with faster or slower burn rates. The good news is that Alliant’s Reloder 50 (see above) has the new burn rate control chemsitry, and Alliant is working right now on at least two new powders that will use the Nitro Chemie’s new powder technology. One powder (Reloder 16?) will be faster than RL 17, and one will be slower — possibly in the H1000 range. Stay tuned to AccurateShooter.com for future updates.
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January 18th, 2009
 Hornady recently introduced its new multi-function case prep center. (We call it the “Tower of Power”). This machine trims cases to length, chamfers the case mouth (inside and out), and cleans the inside of necks and primer pockets. On the top part of the case prep center you fit your case in a shell-holder then lower it down on a powered cutter. It’s sort of like a drill-press, except the cutter turns rather than the brass. On the bottom of the prep center are six (6) horizontal power take-offs. These can be fitted with inside and outside chamferers, a neck brush, and primer pocket brushes.
The new Hornady Case Prep Center, product No. 050012, is available at vendors now. MSRP is $431.67, with expected “street price” around $300.00. You should definitely watch the Video linked below, as it shows the case trimmer in action. If our written description of the inline vertical trimmer left you confused, it will quickly become clear once you watch the video.
NOTE: You can see tool details better on YouTube.com, which will display the widescreen version of the video taken at SHOT Show. You can also select “high quality” playback on YouTube.com.
CLICK HERE for Widescreen Hornady Case Prep Center Video.
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January 17th, 2009
Stiller’s Precision Firearms showcased a variety of NEW custom rifle actions at the 2009 SHOT Show. Trust us, this is BIG News for builders of precision rifles, both rimfire and centerfire. Jerry Stiller has released no less than four (count ‘em FOUR) new stainless actions this year. They are all impressive, and we predict the new rimfire actions will sell like hotcakes.
New Custom 40X-Clone Rimfire Action
Stiller Precision’s show-stopper is a new 22 rimfire action based on 40X Remington design. Called the Predator 25X, this 40X-clone will be offered both as a single-shot AND a repeater. This is a much-awaited product. We predict huge demand for Stiller’s rimfire actions. There is nothing else like it on the market. The repeater will be perfect as the basis of a rimfire silhouette action or a “tactical rimfire” gun. Stiller’s rimfire actions cost $800.00 and should be available by mid-2009.
Predator V — RBLP Ejectorless Action
The second offering, sure to be popular, is the new “Predator V” action, described by Jerry as “an affordable BR-style action aimed at the varminter.” It is offered in right bolt, left port only, with a cone bolt and no ejector. It’s optimized for bench use for precision varminting, though it certainly could be used in a 600-yard BR comp gun or F-Class rifle. Jerry tells us: “The Predator V is a RBLP version of our Predator line with a few special features. It has a Sako extractor on a coned bolt with no ejector. There is about a .003″ fit on the bolt with a pinned trigger. The main market is high-performance varminting or benchrest. Shown below is our new ‘full bling’ polished Predator V model featuring a blue-accented Picatinny rail, knob and shroud. It is also available in matte or black finish without rails.” The Predator V is IN STOCK NOW and costs $850.00 with rail.
P-1000 Long Range Action
The third new action unveiled by Jerry Stiller is the strong and versatile new P-1000 long range action. This is a RBLP, right-eject only unit with a beefy a 1.55″ diameter. The stainless P-1000 is offered in both short and long actions, with either .308 or magum bolts. The P-1000 is a very rigid action aimed at the long-range benchrest market. NOTE: the P-1000 short action will eject 284s and the long action will eject magnums such as the 300 RUM. The price for a P-1000 (with rail) is $850.00, and P-1000s should start to ship in late February, 2009.
New .408 Cheytac Action
Last but certainly not least is Stiller’s new TAC 408 action. This is a new long action with a .408 bolt-face. It is optimized for the .408 CheyTac and similar high-capacity, big-rim super-sized cartridges. This action should prove popular with ultra-long-range shooters. Call Jerry Stiller at (972) 429-5000 for price and availability of the TAC 408 action.
Spec, features, and options for Jerry Stiller’s other stainless and aluminum actions can be found on ViperActions.com.
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