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February 10th, 2009
 The ladies beat the gents at the 2009 Arizona Long-Range Championship at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, AZ. Nancy Tompkins (photo left) triumphed over 50 other shooters to win the main 1K event with a spectacular 600-36X, followed by Michelle Gallagher (of Berger Bullets) who shot 598-28X. Trudie Fay was the top shooter in Palma (.308) class. Way to go ladies! In this event, competitors shot prone (with sling) at 1000 yards. There were 60 rounds for record over two days, with two “any sights” stages, and one “iron sights” stage; the second “iron sights” stage was cancelled due to a sudden and severe hail storm.
Savage Tubegun Wows the Crowd at Ben Avery
Tubegun builder Gary Eliseo finished third overall with 596-27X. Gary’s performance shocked many fellow shooters … not because Gary doesn’t have the skills, but because he shot a 200-12x and a 199-6X on Day One with a Savage-actioned rifle. That’s right, Gary was shooting a prototype S1 Tubegun built with an out-of-the-box Savage Target Action with factory Accutrigger. Gary told us: “To be honest, like everybody else, I was amazed at how well that Savage shot. And I did no modifications or accurizing to the action whatsoever. All I did was lap the outside of the action to the S1 chassis for a better fit.”
German Salazar believes the Savage Tubegun is a very important development: “Here’s an affordable long-range prone rifle that can be assembled by the shooter with simple tools. Get a prefit barrel with barrel nut and you don’t even need a gunsmith. You save money, and just as importantly, you save time — no more year-long waits to get your rifle built.”
Plenty of 6mm Rifles on the Firing Line
While the match winner and runner-up were shooting 6.5-284s, the majority of the remaining Top 10 finishers were using a 6mm cartridge of some kind. Gary Eliseo finished third shooting a 6BR Improved (BRX), Randy Tesseidre finished fourth, also with a 6BRX, and German Salazar finished fifth shooting a 6XC and four of the next five finishers also shot 6mm cartridges. This may evidence a trend towards the smaller caliber over the 6.5mm. Why are we seeing more 6mm cartridges used at 1000 yards? According to German Salazar: “The answer is pretty simple — higher scores. Many (but certainly not all) shooters have found their scores increase when shooting 6mm cartridges, as opposed to the 6.5-284 or even the 7mms. The reasons are more consistent vertical and less recoil, and those two factors are related. With less recoil it’s easier to maintain the precise hold needed to shoot 10s and Xs throughout the match.” Third-place finisher Gary Eliseo also feels that some of the 6mm cartridges may be easier to tune than the 6.5-284. “I shoot the 6BRX”, Gary explained, “it’s an amazing little cartridge–easy to load for. With Berger VLDs seated into the lands it’s super-accurate and really holds tight elevation.”
More Match Results on Desert Sharpshooters Website
Complete Match Results are available on the Desert Sharpshooters website. The Top Three F-Class shooters (in order) were Jim Murphy, Larry Bartholome, and Jeff Cochran, while John Brewer was F-Class High Senior. The Palma match for .308 rifles, held on Friday, was tightly contested. Among the 48 Palma competitors in Friday’s match (not part of the championship aggregate), the top five finishers were Eddie Newman (445-26X), Gary Eliseo (444-25X), David Littlefield (444-21X), Trudie Fay (443-29X), and Steve Cunico (442-26X). Trudie was the High Women shooter while Steve was High Senior.
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February 10th, 2009
Whatever your politics, you owe it to yourself to learn more about the restrictive firearm laws adopted in the United Kingdom and Australia. These have effectively banned hand-gun and semi-auto rifle ownership in the UK. In Australia self-loading rifles and even pump shotguns were banned, and hand-gun ownership was severely restricted. In this 10-minute video, gun owners in the UK and Australia tell their own story. The message is clear–without unified, organized opposition by sportsmen and hunters, gun rights will be taken away. In the UK, even shotguns and 22LR pistols used by Olympic competitors have been banned. Think it can’t happen here? Well already in California, new sales of semi-auto AR15-style service rifles are completely banned.
To further highlight the absurdity of gun laws in the UK, Great Britain agreed to construct a new indoor pistol-shooting venue — in order to win the right to host the next Olympic Games. But Olympic authorities have announced the shooting range will be demolished (at public expense) at the close of the games. Why? Because Brits aren’t allowed to own or shoot handguns. Today, even Britain’s Olympic pistol shooters are prohibitied from shooting in the UK and are required to do their training abroad. When London hosts the 2012 Olympic Games, Parliament will have to pass legislation allowing the athletes to import and fire their target pistols.
This is a “must-see” video. Click on the image below to watch the video, hosted by YouTube. CLICK HERE to watch other NRA-produced videos.
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February 9th, 2009
 The latest editions of Remington’s product catalogs are now available online. You can download the entire 2009 catalog (a 19.5 mb file), or select particular product lines: rifle, shotgun, ammunition, accessories. The Rifle Catalog features all the latest Remington rifles, including the new Model 700 ‘Target Tactical’ model. This 11.75-lb gun boasts a Bell & Carlson composite stock with ergonomic grip and adjustable LOP and cheekpiece. The Target Tactical is offered in .308 Winchester only, with a 26″ hammer-forged 5R barrel with triangular profile. MSRP is $1972.
Complete 2009 Catalog | 2009 Rifles Catalog
Ballistics Data for Dozens of Factory Loads
Remington also has a comprehensive Ballistics Data Sheet with ballistics information for all Remington loaded ammo — from 17 Fireball all the way up to the 45/70 Government. Even if you don’t use factory-loaded ammo, this is a very useful resource that allows you to quickly compare velocities, energy, wind drift, and drop among a wide variety of cartridges. Which shoots flatter… a .204 Ruger or a 22-250? Remington’s Ballistics Data Sheet provides a quick, reliable answer. Info is laid out in tables, with color coding for different bullet types.
CLICK HERE to download Ballistics INFO
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February 9th, 2009
 HPS Target Rifles Ltd., Britain’s leading competition shooting supply vendor, offers a new sling design that should benefit smaller shooters or those whose rifles have shallow fore-ends. The HPS AKTIV Flex Sling, made of non-stretch, reinforced PVC webbing, is designed to overcome the problems of the sling fouling on the trigger guard or rubbing on the underside of the stock. The section of the sling that runs under the rifle is replaced with coated wire. The wire center section can be positioned directly under the stock to give maximum clearance. The front strap can be adjusted to the size of hand and to clear the wrist. The arm cuff can be adjusted in length for arm size and position, while sling length is controlled by a buckle that positions the ‘tail’ of the sling so that there is no fouling under the rifle. The HPS AKTIV Flex Sling comes in three colours: blue (shown), dark green and black. The price is U.S. $95.87, or 74.84 Euros.
To view more products from HPS Target Rifles, including their innovative System Gemini Modular position stocks, visit www.HPT-TR.com, or click the link below to download the HPS catalog as a .pdf file.
CLICK HERE to Download 10 mb HPS Target Rifles Ltd. Catalog (10 meg .pdf file).
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February 8th, 2009
Doan Trevor is a master gunsmith and stock-maker who works in the old style. He still hand-crafts stocks from start to finish, and does all the metal-work on the custom rifles he builds. Starting with highly-figured woods, Doan carves and shapes his stocks largely by hand, with meticulous attention to detail. Each rifle he builds is optimized for its intended discipline, and custom-fitted for the customer.
With the help of his talented wife Sue (who does the photography and builds the web pages), Doan has created a wonderful website, DoanTrevor.com, that is a feast for the eyes. You can see beautiful wood-stocked rifles being hand-crafted. Doan also illustrates how he creates custom metal parts, and how he beds barreled actions into the finished stocks.
Set aside a few minutes and visit Doan’s website. Be sure to click on the site’s secondary pages: Rifle Building, Woodworking, and Metalworking. You’ll find dozens of high-quality photos and fascinating information on gun-building.
Doan Trevor Moving to New Mexico
California is losing yet another great “gun guy”. Doan announced in his Blog yesterday that he and Sue will be moving to Albuquerque, NM. Doan explains: “Moving under any circumstances is difficult … moving an entire machine shop without heavy equipment machinery movers is an undertaking. So far we have three pods (one and a half already loaded) and will probably need a 26 ft. truck. Yesterday Ray Del Rio and Gary Eliseo’s son Jeremy helped move the 3200-lb lathe. Any able bodies in Southern California are more than welcome to join the fun!” The video below shows the effort:
Photos © 2008-9 Sue & Doan Trevor, All Rights Reserved
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February 8th, 2009
 We have a friend who is a record-holding benchrest shooter. He recently decided to explore a new discipline — prone shooting with iron sights — and he has been practicing with a Suhl 150 three days a week. We gave him a copy of David Tubb’s twin-disc Modern Match Rifle instructional DVD, which contains over 4.5 hours of information and expert advice. Two days later, our friend reported: “The DVD is amazing. I watched it two times all the way through. There is so much information on those discs. It’s worth the money just to see how Tubb sets up his rifle and sling… but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve already put some of Tubb’s suggestions to work, and my scores got better.”
In his DVD, 11-time National High Power Champ David Tubb explains across-the-course positions (and the Approach Method in Offhand) and how to set-up the rifle for each position. He also also covers targets, set-up and use of aperture sights/diopters, and how to best place and use spotting Scopes. The DVD includes bonus footage of David shooting strings in all of the across-the-course positions. If you shoot Service Rifle, High Power, or prone, you can benefit from watching David’s DVD. The full 2-disc DVD is available for $49.95 from Creedmoor Sports or Superior Shooting Systems.
David has included highlights from that DVD in a shorter promo video, linked below. View the video and you’ll learn a great deal just by watching how David shoulders his rifle, and how he adjusts and maintains his shooting position. David demonstrates prone, sitting, and standing positions.
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February 7th, 2009
Larry Crow of Competitive Edge Gunworks has developed a new action that allows the rear of the receiver to float. The front of the action features a large block that secures the action in the stock. Though similar in appearance, this is NOT a barrel block. The barrel snugs up to a shoulder inside the front block, much like a conventional action. Though the oversized block does the “heavy lifting” in terms of securing the action to the stock, there are two (2) action screws. One threads into the underside of the block while the second is placed further back where it attaches to the underside of the normal-diameter section of the receiver. This provides an extremely secure mount while allowing the rear of the action to float free above the stock.
Crow has tested the rifle with a variety of calibers including large magnums. Crow explains: “Our action mounts [with] an extended front lug and allows the rear of the action to float. When fired the barrel harmonics travels back through the action with the back of the action floated. There are no bedding issues which cause vertical stringing. The action is 4340 Rockwell to 42 with 1.228″ X 1.0625″ X 16 T.P.I. barrel shank. The standard action comes with a 20-MOA Picatinny rail. Our bolts are one-piece with M16-style extractor under right lug for 3 O’Clock ejection. Bolts are 4140 Rockwell 42 with R60 hard chrome finish. This [delivers] true bench rest accuracy in a tactical platform.” Shown below is the new action installed in a laminated wood stock and in a McCree modular metal stock (lower photo).
One-Piece Bolt for New Action
For the new action, Crow has also developed a new, super-strong, one-piece bolt. The handle is integral with the bolt. This should be stronger (and more durable) than a conventional bolt handle attached only with silver solder or a spot weld. Shown below are prototype examples of the new one-piece bolt. Production versions will be fluted. Note how the M16-style extractor is integrated into the recoil lug.
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February 7th, 2009
READ THIS!! 4/1/2009 UPDATE: Bruno’s Wolf primers are sold out. Call for current availability of any primers.
Amy at Bruno Shooters Supply let us know that she just received 250,000 Wolf Small Rifle Magnum primers (i.e. 250 1K boxes). These are the Russian-made primers that work well in the 6BR and 6-6.5×47 cases. Note, the magnum version of the Wolf small rifle primer is much preferrable to the standard Wolf small rifle primer which has a fairly soft cup. Price is $23.50 per 1000-ct box.
Bruno Shooters Supply: Wolf Small Rifle Magnum primers (250 1K boxes in stock) as of 2/7/2009. Ask Amy or Lester — You won’t find these on the website yet.
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February 7th, 2009
 Credit German Salazar for this smart tip. 6XC dies tend to be pretty expensive. If you already have a 6BR neck-sizing die, you can use it to neck-size 6XC brass. Redding Reloading sells a set of three washers that raise the die in the press, part number 80901. Each kit includes three spacers: (.062) No-crimp or partial resizing, (.125) 44 Spl/44 Mag spacer, (.135) 38 Spl/357 Mag spacer. If you buy two sets ($7.11 each at Midsouth Shooters Supply) and use both 0.125″ spacers and one 0.135″ spacer then you can neck size 6XC cases with your 6BR neck sie without messing with the lock ring setting. You can also use the same spacers to switch pistol dies (e.g. between .38 Special and .357 Magnum). Hornady also sells inexpensive .135″ spacers to switch from .38 spl to .357.
Norma 6XC brass at Bruno’s
Speaking of the 6XC, Bruno Shooters Supply now has Norma-brand 6XC brass, item XCNB. Price is $0.68 per case, or $68.00 per hundred. This is very good brass that uses a large rifle primer, whereas the 6-6.5×47 Lapua uses small rifle or small rifle magnum primers.
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February 7th, 2009
One of the largest gun shows in the country runs next weekend, February 13-15, starting at 3:00 pm on Friday. Held at the Dulles Expo in Chantilly, Virginia, the Nation’s Gun Show will feature over 1000 tables of vendors and displays. The show floor covers the equivalent of two football fields, with over 1.5 miles of guns, knives, and accessories.
Free Admission with $25.00 NRA Membership Purchase
Admission is $18.00 for a 3-day pass, or $12.00 each day for adults. You can save $1.00 with the coupon below. Or, you can get FREE ADMISSION to the event if you join the NRA at the show, or renew your NRA membership at the show. (Offer valid on $25.00 or greater membership).
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February 6th, 2009
The Ben Avery Shooting Facility hosts the Arizona Long-Range Championship this weekend, February 7-8, 2009. This event will draw many of the top 1000-yard shooters from the Western states. Prior to the Long-Range Championships, a individual Palma match will be held today, Feb. 6th. The Palma match will have 15 shots for record at EACH of three distances: 800, 900, and 1000 yards.
 
Photos courtesy AZ Desert Sharpshooters.
On Saturday the 7th there will be two (2) Any-rifle, Any-sight 1000-yard matches (20 record rounds per match), followed by a 4-man team match with two shooters per realy. On Sunday the 8th, there will be two more Any-rifle, Any-sight 1000-yard matches (20 record rounds per match). The Championship will be determined based on combined Saturday and Sunday Aggregates.
CLICK HERE for Match Program and Schedule.
Member of the U.S. F-Class Open Team have been “working out” this week at Ben Avery, tuning their 6.5-284 rifles and working on team strategies. Many members of the Team will participate in the AZ Long-Range Championship this weekend. If you are in the Phoenix area, this is your chance to come out and meet team members and see some of America’s top long-range shooters in action.
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February 6th, 2009
Birchwood Casey Bullseye Challenge
It you want to burn some time on a cold winter evening (or in the daytime–just don’t tell the boss), have fun with this online flash shooting game from Birchwood Casey. It’s easy — just aim the crosshairs at the ten-ring when each bull pops up.
Warning: This game is loud, so you may want to turn down your sound levels before starting. Click the link below to go to the game page.
CLICK HERE to LAUNCH GAME
The game has multiple levels. After you get through level one, you’ll be prompted to play again.
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