|
|
January 15th, 2009
 SHOT Show in Orlando, Florida commences Thursday, Jan. 15th at 08:30 am. AccurateShooter.com will be covering the show, including the preliminary Media Day-at-the-Range on Wednesday the 14th. Our correspondent at SHOT 2009 will be Jason Baney, aided by his wife (who’ll help with cameras and computer stuff).
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
Jason will be talking directly to important shooting industry decision-makers and product designers. We would like to share ideas and product feedback from our readership. What do YOU have to say to the guys who build the products you buy?
 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.
• Do you have a particular product you want to see covered?
• Do you have suggestions about new products? (For example, what new cartridge would you like to see Lapua produce?)
• Are there questions you’d like to ask manufacturers such as Sierra Bullets, Hornady Mfg., and Hodgdon Powder?
• Do you have feedback on current products and product options? (For example, we know our readers love the new Sightron 30mm scopes, but they want more reticle choices.)
Post your ideas by clicking the “Comments” link at right. >>>>>>>
Share the post "SHOT Show: Help Us Provide Feedback to Manufacturers"
January 14th, 2009
The 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
Materials You’ll Need | Step-by-Step Directions | Printer-Friendly .PDF Layout
Share the post "Range Association Offers Plans for Outdoor Gun Rack"
January 14th, 2009
The NRA has officially embraced the popular multi-gun or ‘three-gun’ competition discipline. The first NRA-sanctioned, multi-gun match will be the Larue Tactical 3-Gun Match held in Waco, Texas, March 28-29, 2009. This event was recently expanded to 160 entrants (after “selling out” the first 120 places), so it is still possible to register.
A ceremony marking the NRA’s official sanctioning of Multi-Gun Competition will take place at this year’s SHOT Show in Orlando, FL. “Three-gun competitors are a welcome addition to an already outstanding group of competitive shooters,” said Kayne Robinson, Executive VP of NRA’s General Operations.
Three other 2009 multi-Gun matches have been sanctioned by the NRA:
 Sabre Defense Blue Ridge Mountain 3-Gun Match, April 24-26, 2009
Johnson 3-Gun Match, June 27-28, 2009
Rocky Mountain 3-Gun Match, NRA Wittington Center, Raton, NM August 6-8, 2009.
Over the next few months, the NRA will work with multi-gun event organizers to develop uniform rules and approved courses of fire. Mike Krei, NRA Competitive Shooting Division Director, explains: “The Special Committee on Multi-Gun Competitions will assist the NRA in developing rules for the competition, developing the stages of fire necessary to run an NRA-sanctioned competition, and training NRA staff to better serve three-gun competitors.”
For more information on the LaRue Tactical Three-Gun Match, or future three-gun competitions, contact Janet Raab in the NRA Competitive Shooting Division by email, jraab@nrahq.org or by phone at (703) 267-1479. To learn more about the NRA’s Competitive Shooting Division or sponsorship of three-gun matches visit www.nrahq.org/compete.
Share the post "NRA to Sanction Tactical Multi-Gun Competitions"
January 13th, 2009
Forum regular Al Nyhus has tried his hand at bullet making, producing custom 30-caliber projectiles for his 30 BR match rifles. With help and guidance from his “guru”, bullet-smith Randy Robinett, Al has produced some very impressive bullets. This demonstrates that with patience, determination, and the right tools and components, amazing results are possible, even for a novice bullet-maker.
Al writes: “My 30 Caliber bullet making adventure [has] been a lot of fun and a real learning experience. I’d like to thank Randy Robinett for all his patient teaching and guidance. The bullets have been working well in competition, being used in the Varmint for Score portion of the IBS Wisconsin State Two Gun Championship win a few weeks back.
NOTE: Al’s 30 BR rifle was smithed by Stan Ware of SGR Custom Rifles.
Here are two photos from recent testing. In the 100-yard, 15-round target, the wind velocity was purposely ignored and the group was fired only with the same flag angle, trying to determine how they worked in the wind. Winds were 12-18 mph from 4 o’clock.
This 200-yard group was fired in near perfect test conditions — overcast, early in the morning, with no mirage. We usually have a small window of what I call ‘Happy Hour’ before the winds crank up.”
Measuring Group Size
Note how Al measures his groups. Look at the top photo. You’ll see Al starts with the extreme outside edge of the hole, including the gray edge or ring. Then Al subtracts .290″, the TRUE size of one bullet-hole in the paper, as opposed to .308″, the nominal bullet diameter. If you simply subtract a full bullet diameter you will get a smaller number for your group size. That is good for the shooter’s ego, but Al’s method is more accurate because a bullet normally will cut a hole that is smaller than the actual bullet diameter.
Share the post "Bullet-Making — Producing Winning Bullets on Your Own"
January 12th, 2009
Virginia’s Bill Myers is recognized as one of the top rimfire smiths in the country. We featured one of his “Spec Rifles” in a recent Gun of the Week story. Built on a blue-printed Suhl 150-1 action, Bill’s Bubinga-stocked benchrest rig proved to be a winner right from the start.
Bill is a creative thinker, and his own exhaustive testing has convinced him that barrel indexing can enhance accuracy in rimfire benchrest guns. Myers does acknowledge that, particularly with a very good barrel, the advantages of indexing may be subtle, and extensive testing may be required. Nonetheless, Myers believes indexing can improve rimfire accuracy.
The Challenge of Barrel Indexing
With a conventional barrel installation, employing a shoulder with a threaded tenon, it is difficult to index the barrel. Even with a cone breech that eliminates the problem of extractor cuts, you’d have to use shims to alter the barrel index position, or otherwise re-set the shoulder each time you screwed the barrel in further.
Bill has come up with a masterful solution to barrel indexing. He designed and built his own prototype custom action that clamps the barrel rather than holding it with threads. The front section of the action is sliced lengthways, and then clamped down with three bolts. A special bushing (the gold piece in photos) fits between the barrel and the action. By using bushings of different inside diameters, Bill can fit any barrel up to an inch or so diameter, so long as it has a straight contour at the breech end. To mount the barrel, Bill simply places the fitted bushing over the barrel end-shank, then slips the “sleeved” barrel into the front end of the action. Tighten three bolts, and the barrel is secure.
Indexing with the Myers’ Clamping Action
To index the barrel, Myers simply loosens the three clamping-bolts and rotates the barrel in the action. Because there is no thread to pull the barrel in or out, the headspace stays the same no matter how much the barrel is rotated. In other words you can rotate the barrel to any position on the clockface and the headspace remains unchanged.
Right now Bill has no plans to start building his own indexable rimfire actions for sale. However, he is involved in serious experimentation with barrel indexing, in cooperation with Gene Beggs and others. Over the course of the next year we may see a “semi-production” action offered that incorporates aspects of Bill Myers’ indexable, barrel-clamping receiver. For more information, contact Bill Myers, wzmyers [at] comcast.net, (540) 778-1782.
Share the post "Bill Myers’ Indexable Rimfire Action"
January 12th, 2009
Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk®, a nationally-syndicated radio show, will now be available on the Sirius satellite radio system in the U.S. and Canada. Sirius merged with XM satellite radio last year, and Gun Talk, which has been airing on XM, now has been added to Sirius. Gun Talk now will be carried on the “Sirius Too” channel, which is found at channel 108 on the Sirius system, and channel 139 on XM receivers. A complete list of stations carrying Gun Talk, as well as links to streaming audio and download sites, can be found at www.GunTalk.com.
Guns and Shooting Interest Millions of Listeners
The combined subscriber base of Sirius-XM is 19.1 million listeners. “The merger of Sirius and XM forced a lot of programming changes,” said Tom Gresham, host of the show, “and many fine talk shows have been dropped. We’re delighted that we not only remain on XM — where we have a huge group of loyal listeners — but the addition of the Sirius system to Gun Talk’s distribution is huge.”
How Gun Talk Radio Started — An Idea Born at SHOT Show
Back in January, 1995, Tom was attending the SHOT Show, the huge annual trade show for the firearms industry, when a casual conversation lead to the idea of a radio talk show about guns. Only six weeks later he was on the air, being beamed to three satellites and 20 radio stations.
 One famous radio industry consultant told Tom the show would be lucky to be on the air for a year. He didn’t know Tom…or how many gun owners there are in the U.S. (there’s a gun in almost half the homes in the country). Now, 14 years later, Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk® is carried in 50 markets across the U.S., on Sirius and XM satellite radio services, and is heard by thousands every week via web streams. Gresham has been included in Talkers Magazine’s list of 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts In America!
Share the post "Gun Talk Syndicated on Sirius Satellite Radio"
January 11th, 2009
Some months ago, Forum member Corbin S. told us he was putting together a new, full-custom 1000-yard rifle. When he sent some photos of the maple-stocked masterpiece, our collective jaws dropped. This is one handsome rifle, built with all-premium components and a stunning Curly Maple thumbhole stock with adjustable cheekpiece. The rifle is chambered in .243 Winchester. It features a custom stainless RBRP action Nesika R action, with keycuts in the bottom instead of recoil lug. A Grünig & Elmiger trigger has been specially modified (milled and pinned) to work with the Nesika action. The barrel is a 30″ Broughton 5R Palma-contour tube, and there is another 30″ Broughton 6BR barrel that Corbin uses at shorter ranges. The trigger guard, fore-arm rail, cheek adjuster, and 4-way adjustable butt assembly are all custom metal, designed by Dan Gleason. The stock is cut from exhibition-grade fiddleback maple (from Cecil Fredi Gunstocks in Las Vegas) with a Gaboon Ebony tip wood and butt-plate spacer.
Fast and Accurate
Corbin tells us the gun will put five shots into the size of a quarter at 300 yards “when he does his part.” Corbin shoots pointed Berger 105gr VLDs and 45.5 grains of H4831SC. That load runs 3180 fps. He can push it faster, but “that’s where the node was and where it shoots best”, according to Corbin.
Forum member Jim Hardy has seen (and shot against) this beautiful rifle. He reports:
“A casual observer might think that the trigger guard, cheek plate and butt plate hardware are Anschutz — as the stock takes on the Anschutz prone pattern. However, this is ALL custom metal. The G&E trigger breaks like a glass rod and will makes my BR triggers feel inferior at best. I had the pleasure of holding, shouldering, and lusting over this gun at Camp Perry last year, and it is even more impressive in person. The killer is that there is yet ANOTHER one in a beautiful, dark figured walnut owned by Corbin’s shooting partner. BTW, both guns will hammer at 1000 yards prone.”
Share the post "Corbin's Maple Marvel — 1000-Yard Prone Rifle"
January 11th, 2009
 Many readers have asked, “Is there an ammo case that holds BR and PPC cases securely without a lot of extra space?” Yes, the J & J BR-100 Ammo Case fits BR-sized cases just right, and costs just $4.38. Available in semi-transparent Blue, Red, White, Smoke, and Camo, you can purchase different-colored cases to suit different loads. Or keep your match ammo in one color case, and your varmint ammo in another color box.
The J & J cases aren’t your only option of course. Many folks use the large green/red MTM 100-round ammo boxes for transporting 6BR and 6PPC ammo. The big MTM boxes work fine with loaded rounds, but not so great with fired cases. If you tip the MTM box on its side, the empties can spill out. That’s frustrating if you’ve meticulously sorted your cases. You can put a layer of foam over the empty brass to avoid the problem, but the J & J cases are a cheaper, more compact solution. J & J’s 100-round BR-100 ammo case has tighter vertical clearance, so your empties won’t come out of their slots if the case tips over or is stacked upside down.
In addition to the BR-100 case, varminters who need to carry large numbers of loaded rounds should check out J & J’s 175-round Rifle Ammo Case. This foam-lined ammo transporter, item LR-175-2, costs $16.54 and is the largest-capacity ammo case we’ve found. For more info go to JandJProducts.Com.
Share the post "J & J Ammo Boxes for BR and PPC Cartridges"
January 10th, 2009
We’ve been doing a lot of bipod shooting lately with the Anschütz 64R Biathlon rifle we’ve received for testing. (Great little rifle by the way — accurate, ergonomic, versatile. It’s a definite winner for the Rimfire Tactical game.)
 Shooting off the ground with bipod has taught us the importance of a good, comfortable shooting pad, with non-slip areas for the ‘pod legs and sufficient length (and thickness) to cushion our middle-aged hips and knees. Creedmoor Sports offers a high-quality Shooting Pad for $75.00. This mat, popular on the High Power rifle range, has a waterproof vinyl bottom and a marine finished top with extended textured non-slip pads for elbow placement. Interior jute padding provides ample protection for the shooter in the shooting position. The Creedmoor pad measures 29.5″ X 68″.
ChampionShooters.com offers a similarly-sized shooting mat with some additional features. The 27″x72″ Champion Deluxe Roll-up Mat is soil-resistant canvas with a vinyl waterproof bottom. It has a 25″ X 21″ rubberized section added to the shooting area. To provide additional protection there are leg flaps on either side at the bottom, together with a dust flap in the front. This pad weighs 8 lbs. and costs $74.00.
Desired Upgrades for F-Class Shooting
For F-Class shooting, one thing we’d like to see from the pad manufacturers is a second no-slip, rubberized section in the middle of the mat for the rear sand-bag. We’ve seen some pads that have been modified with a rubber-covered aluminum plate in the middle of the mat for the rear sandbag. That provides great stability for the rear bag, but a hard plate demands that you fold the mat, rather than roll it up.
Share the post "Shooting Mats for Bipod and Prone Shooters"
January 10th, 2009
 The 2009 Membership Meeting of the International Benchrest Shooters (IBS) will be held January 23-24 at the Harrisburg Holiday Inn & Conference Center in New Cumberland, Pennsylvannia. Zip (for finding directions) is 17070. On Friday, the 23rd, there is a social get-together starting at 7:00 pm. Serious business commences Saturday morning, the 24th, at 9:00 am sharp. For hotel reservations, call (717) 774-2721, and ask for the special “International Benchrest Shooters” (IBS) rate.
Active IBS members in the region should attend if possible. Many important topics are set for discussion on the 2009 Meeting Agenda. IBS President Jim Borden also reminds members that annual dues are now $50.00 for regular members and $15.00 for associate memberships.
CLICK HERE to download the Full Agenda for the IBS Meeting. (Adobe .pdf file)
Share the post "IBS Annual Meeting Jan. 23-24"
January 9th, 2009
 QuickLOAD is a unique software product that draws upon a vast database of cartridges, bullets, and powders to analyze (and predict) load pressures and velocities. While QuickLOAD data should NOT be substituted for careful, conservative load recipes based on powder manufacturers’ recommendations, QuickLOAD is still a remarkable tool that can save you time and money. QuickLOAD can help you identify the most efficient powders for a particular cartridge/bullet combination, and it can also predict how changes to barrel length or seating depth can affect velocities and pressures. We recommend that serious reloaders consider investing in QuickLOAD, a $149.95 product from Neconos.com. To learn more about QuickLOAD, read our SOFTWARE REVIEW.
CLICK HERE for AccurateShooter.com QuickLOAD Review and User’s Guide
Update Your QuickLOAD Software
New Bullet, Cartridge, & Powder Data in Ver. 3.4 — Including Reloder 17
For $14.95, QuickLOAD verion 3.0 – 3.3 users can also purchase a CD-based upgrade to the latest version 3.4. The upgrade provides complete data for many more bullets and cartridges, plus it includes hundreds of cartridge diagrams and photos. We think the upgrade to version 3.4 is well worth the cost for the updated bullet info alone, and the cartridge diagrams are a great new feature. And yes, the latest update includes Alliant Reloder 17 powder. If you are shooting a 6XC, 6-6.5×47, Rem 260, .284 Win, or a Magnum cartridge–Reloder 17 may boost your velocities significantly.
If you are a current owner of QuickLOAD version 2.9 or earlier on floppy disk, you can upgrade to the new CD-ROM for $50.00 + S&H. The latest CD offers more powders (218 total), cartridges (1200+) and bullets (2500+). Order through Neconos.com or call 800-451-3550.
NOTE: If you have QuickLOAD 3.0, 3.1 or 3.2 and want to use QuickLOAD with Windows VISTA you need a VISTA-compatible version. Send in your old CD and Neconos can replace it with a Vista-compatible CD (also works with Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP) for $14.95 plus S & H.
Share the post "QuickLOAD Software Updates Available"
January 9th, 2009
Attention High Power and Air Rifle Shooters — The CMP is introducing a new event called “National Match Air Rifle”. This new discipline features two courses of fire similar to the High Power rifle standing and John C. Garand courses of fire. These stages will be shot with air rifles on reduced High Power 200- and 600-yard targets on 10-meter ranges. There will be three rifle classes: sporter, match/precision and AR-type air rifle.
Initial Test Match at Camp Perry This Weekend
Here’s your chance to get involved in the launch of a new shooting sport. The CMP will hold a test match at the Camp Perry Marksmanship Center on 10 January. This inaugural match will be held at the CMP’s new Camp Perry Marksmanship Center that offers 80 firing points equipped with state-of-the-art electronic targets and an electronic display system.
The CMP invites both experienced High Power shooters and recreational air gun shooters to participate in the test match. Shooter feedback from test matches will help the CMP finalize the rules and course of fire. At the match, the “prototype”, 10-bull paper AR-SR and AR-MR Nat’l Match targets will be displayed. You’ll also have a chance to view new industry prototype AR-style air rifles. There will also be a Novice Prone Match that can be fired by younger juniors who are just getting started in target shooting (see Match Program .pdf for details).
CLICK HERE for Match Registration Form.
CLICK HERE for Test Match Program .pdf and Event Schedule.
Share the post "CMP Launches National Match Air Rifle Program"
|
