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January 17th, 2009
SHOT Show Report: Latest SHOT Daily Available
January 16th, 2009
SHOT SHOW Report: Day 1 DiscoveriesSHOT Show 2009 officially opened yesterday, with thousands of gun industry professionals, wholesalers, retailers, and media persons streaming through the gates of the Orlando Convention Center in the morning. Check out the SHOT Flickr PhotoStream for a bird’s eye view inside the Convention Hall. CLICK HERE to see the crowd on opening day.
No “Super-Zoom” From Sightron
Jason also met up with Gordy Gritters, one of our recommended gunsmiths. As he did at last year’s SHOT Show, gunsmith Gordy was holding forth in the Grizzly booth, demonstrating chambering and barrel-fitting to a wide-eyed crowd of on-lookers. In cooperation with Grizzly Industrial, Gordy is working on a series of gunsmithing DVDs. These will be a far cry from the typical smithing videos that show you how to tap a receiver or install a buttpad. Gordy’s DVDs cover the advanced methods used to produce precision competition and varmint rifles. In one video segment, Gordy shows how to chamber and headspace a match barrel using a Grizzly G0509G 3-Phase Gunsmith Lathe. Below is a segment from the DVD showing Gordy fine-tuning the headspace as he fits a BAT Machine ‘MB’ action to the barrel. Working with precise indicators, you can see Gordy set the headspace to within a few ten-thousandths of an inch. 
Ken Lunde — The Ansel Adams of SHOT Show
Photo copyright Ken Lunde, used by permission.
January 16th, 2009
SHOT Show Report: New Bullets and BCs from BergerJason’s first stop on his 2009 SHOT Show tour was at the Berger Bullets booth. Our readers know that Berger manufactures some of the best varmint and match bullets in the world. Eric Stecker, Berger’s master bulletsmith, announced that Berger is organizing its production into three main lines: Varmint bullets (flat-base and standard boat-tails), Target bullets (both Tangent Ogive and VLD designs) with thicker jackets, and Hunting bullets (low-drag VLD with standard J4 jackets).
A design effort is underway to optimize the “long range” bullet shapes, centering around a tangent ogive BT design with shorter than normal bearing surface. This allows a longer nose shape with a better BC. It should also be easier to tune, given the tangent ogive design. Berger’s designers are also working with a double ogive shape for big bore bullets. This will feature a tangent ogive immediately above the bearing surface to allow a smoother transition into the lands. Then the shape transitions to a secant ogive for better BC and a smaller meplat. New 20 Caliber Bullet is Ready and Two .338 Projectiles in the Works Big-bore shooters will be pleased to learn Berger hopes to release both 250gr and 300gr .338-caliber bullets by the end of 2009. While design work is on-going, Berger expects to offer tangent ogive, secant ogive, and double-radius .338 projectiles in both 250gr and 300gr weights. So you’ll have a choice of three different bullet shapes, each in two weights. That’s good news for hunters and ultra-long-range shooters. Bullet Ballistic Coefficients (BCs) to Be Analyzed and Updated 
January 16th, 2009
SHOT SHOW Report: New Zeiss Laser RangefinderIn AccurateShooter.com’s 2007 comparison test of Laser Rangefinders, the Swarovski Laser Guide came out on top, though the Leica CRF 1200 drew praise for its light weight and extremely compact format. There may be a new challenger to the Swaro for top honors. Zeiss has come out with a completely new, high-quality rangefinder, the Victory 8×26 T* PRF. Zeiss claims this is “the world’s first premium monocular with digital laser rangefinder, LED display, and integrated Ballistic Information System (BIS™).” Looking at the new product, we like the ergonomics, the centrally-located viewing lens, wide field of view (330′ at 1000 yards), and the superb optics. The “T*” in the title indicates a scratch-resistent, high-light-transmission lens coating.
The Zeiss Victory has a “street price” of about $700.00 and is currently instock at Adorama.com, Binoculars.com and other major vendors.
January 16th, 2009
SHOT Show Report: New Products from LapuaFor precision rifle shooters, Lapua brass is about as good as it gets. It is definitely the preferred cartridge brass for short-range benchrest, 600-yard benchrest, and F-Class competition. Jason visited the Lapua booth to find out what new products the Finnish manufacturer will offer in 2009. In the video below, Sales Manager Adam Braverman reviews Lapua’s new offerings. 
Lapua Revives .222 Remington Line
NEW 300gr, .338 Scenar Bullet
New BC Data Available for QuickTARGET
No luck this year for .260 Rem and Short Mag Shooters
January 15th, 2009
SHOT Show Daily E-Zine Available
CLICK HERE to Download SHOT DAILY 2009, Part One In today’s edition of the SHOT DAILY is a 20-page Guide to the New Rifles of 2009. It is organized alphabetically, covering manufacturers from Anschütz to Winchester. According to the 2009 Rifle Guide, “New lever-actions and bolt-actions dominate the scene this year, but tactical rifles remain strong sellers. In the bolt-action arena, every major maker is offering new models in both light and heavy versions, as well as updates and caliber introductions to existing models” One of the featured rifles is the handsome new Anschütz Model 1770 Hunter in .223 Remington. A mag-fed, centerfire repeater, the model 1770 features a new six-locking-lug action — the company’s first completely new action in three decades. This new design boasts a short 60-degree bolt lift for fast cycling. The receiver has a dovetailed rail on top, but is also drilled and tapped for scope mounts.
This issue of the SHOT DAILY also includes lengthy sections dedicated to new shotguns and new handguns, plus discussion of gun buying trends and new developments in gun range management.
January 15th, 2009
SHOT Show Media Day Report: Savage Palma and Tactical RiflesOn the day before the official opening of SHOT Show, members of the media were invited to the Orlando Sheriffs’ Range to “test-drive” some of the latest offerings from major manufacturers. As precision rifles are AccurateShooter.com’s primary focus, two new guns from Savage Arms drew the attention of our Asst. Editor (and resident “hot-shot”) Jason Baney. After meeting with Savage Chairman/CEO Ron Coburn, and Marketing Mgr. Bill Dermody, Jason got the chance to try out Savage’s new .308 Palma Rifle, and the radical new, metal-chassis model 10 BAS Tactical rifle.
The handsome Savage Palma Rifle features a gray laminated stock with triple pillars. It boasts an adjustable cheekpiece, and adjustable length of pull (LOP) via spacers. Fitted with the Savage Target action, 30″ stainless barrel, and (4 – 12 oz.) Accutrigger, the gun promises outstanding accuracy. As you can see on the second half of the video below, Jason shot a 1/2″ group at 200 yards with the Savage Palma Rifle. Jason said the stock was ergonomic and the gun balanced well even with the long tube. The Savage Palma Rifle action is drilled and tapped for top or side-mount peep sights, so it can be fitted with either iron sights or scope. Savage is taking orders right now. MSRP is $1798, but the “street price” will be quite a bit less. 
Bold & Black — Savage 10 BAS Tactical Rifle
On this T-version stock, the buttplate adjusts for length of pull (LOP) and cant angle and the cheek-piece adjusts both vertically and fore and aft using a rail and a rotary locking knob.
What’s our take on the radical 10 BAS rifle? For police and military applications, the rails offer great versatility. For tactical comps, we liked the ergonomic grip, 10-round detachable magazine, and the easily-adjustable LOP. The 10 BAS will initially be offered in .308 Winchester only. Based on the model 110 action, the 10 BAS comes with a 24″ barrel and a proprietary muzzle brake. It even accepts most AR15 buttstocks. We don’t know of any domestic manufacturer offering a “tactical” bolt gun with all the features found on the 10 BAS. We expect this rifle to cause quite a stir when SHOT Show doors open this morning.
Photos by J. Baney, copyright © 2009 AccurateShooter.com, All Rights Reserved.
January 15th, 2009
SHOT Show Media Day Report: Spec-Rest Field Test
Testing the New Spec-Rest (Tripod and Quad-Base)
For more information, visit LoneStarFieldProducts.com, or call Lone Star at (972) 276-3110. 
January 15th, 2009
SHOT Show: Help Us Provide Feedback to Manufacturers
Jason heads to the show armed with a long list of things to do, from product evaluations to interviews with folks like Jochen Anschütz, David Tubb (Superior Shooting Systems), and Dave Kiff (Pacific Tool & Gauge). We plan to have a look at some new custom actions to be released in 2009, plus the latest optics from Bushnell, Leica, Leupold, March, Premier, Schmidt & Bender, Sightron, Swarovski, and Zeiss. Help Us Share Your Ideas with Industry Big Shots
• Do you have a particular product you want to see covered? Post your ideas by clicking the “Comments” link at right. >>>>>>>
January 14th, 2009
Range Association Offers Plans for Outdoor Gun RackThe National Assn. of Shooting Ranges (NASR), a division of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), has made available a complete guide to constructing a sturdy, six-gun, outdoor rifle rack. On its website, the NASR offers a step-by-step Rifle Rack Building Guide, printable .pdf project instructions, plus a Web Video that covers the whole building process.
The article explains: “This rack stands 36 inches tall and extends 18 inches from the wall. Most rifles and shotguns fit comfortably well within these dimensions. The slots for the butts are two inches wide and five inches from front to back. Both the larger shotguns and smaller rifles we tested for fit rested in the rack securely. An outdoor gun rack can be constructed of readily available materials for $60 or less. The legs are 2x6s cut to length. A gun-butt carriage is assembled of 1×4 and 1×6 pine boards and short pieces of 2×4 lumber. The rack’s top cradles the muzzles between 2×2 blocks of cedar. Felt helps protect the guns’ finishes.” Gun Rack Project Resources
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Copyright © 2025 Accurate Shooter
The latest SHOT Daily is now available for FREE online. The latest edition, dated Jan. 17th, covers SHOT Show events, and includes gear and hardware reviews. This issue spotlights knives, camouflage clothing, and hunting accessories. The issue also has a feature story about the Brownell’s Gun Industry Career Fair. Click the link below to download the Jan. 17th SHOT Daily as an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file.
Our Asst. Editor Jason Baney continued his quest for cool, new stuff at the 2009 SHOT Show in Orlando. Sadly, he had to report that the rumored 10-50×56 Sightron competition scope was nowhere to be seen. We know that Sightron is working on a 10-50X and maybe even 10-60X zoom scope as a followup to its very popular 8-32×56 scope unveiled at the 2008 Shot Show. However, the ultra-high-power zoom is still in the development stages. There ARE prototypes, we know that, but when (and if) the Sightron “super-zoom” gets finalized is still uncertain. Given the outstanding performance of the 
During gaps in his busy interview schedule, Jason was able to meet with some of our “friends of the site”. At left, Jason meets Jim Scoutten, host of the very popular ShootingUSA TV series. This past year, AccurateShooter.com helped connect the ShootingUSA production team with leading long-range benchrest and F-Class shooters. We look forward to continued cooperation with ShootingUSA and other leading shooting sports broadcasters.
If field tests show that the new Zeiss ranges as well as the Swaro and Leica, the Zeiss Victory 8×26 could hold the edge because it delivers ballistic drop info, while the others do not. With the Victory’s minimal beam divergence, Zeiss claims measuring accuracy of ± 1 yard at ranges up to 600 yards and ± 0.5% at ranges beyond 600 yards (max claimed range is 1300 yards). If those claims are real, the Zeiss Victory should “hit” your ranging target at long distances more easily than most other rangefinders on the market. (As laser beams extend over distance they spread out in a cone. That’s called beam divergence. The greater the beam divergence, the greater the risk of false readings, or getting no reading at all.)
Each day during SHOT Show, the NSSF publishes a magazine-style E-Zine, the 
Among the highlights of Media Day were the impressive portable field rests showcased by 
What would you like us to tell shooting industry professionals representing Hornady, Lapua, Leupold, RCBS, Savage, Sierra Bullets, and other companies? Do you have specific product questions you’d like us to get answered at SHOT Show? You can post your suggestions as a comment to this thread. Or, you can email Jason directly at JB1000BR [at] Yahoo.com.
