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March 10th, 2009
 Here’s a good deal if you’re looking for reliable, fixed-focal length optic for benchrest competition. MidwayUSA has knocked $43.79 off the price of Sightron SII 36x42mm BRD target scopes — they are now on sale for just $369.99. These same scopes sell elsewhere for up to $450.00. We’ve used this scope model on rimfire and centerfire benchrest rifles from 50 yards to 600 yards, and it worked well. The 1/8-MOA clicks were repeatable and the front-parallax adjustment worked “as advertised”.
Newer Model Available
The scope that is on sale is the SII model that has been available for quite some time. Be aware that Sightron recently introduced an updated “Big Sky” version of its 36-power target scope. This is officially the SIIB 36×42 BRD. This newer SIIB version is slightly longer than the earlier model, and the new model has a bit more eye relief. The main difference is that the earlier model has more elevation adjustment — 50 MOA vs. 40 MOA.
| Scope Model |
Length |
Weight |
Relief |
Elevation Travel |
Price |
| SII 36×42 BR D (older) |
15.3″ |
17.3 oz. |
3.4 |
50 MOA |
$369.99 on sale |
| SIIB 36×42 BRD (newer) |
15.6″ |
17.3 oz. |
3.7 |
40 MOA |
$580.00 average |
March 9th, 2009
Quite a few portable, electronic reloading scales have been introduced in the last year or so, and now Hornady has joined the game. Hornady’s new compact (3″x5″ footprint) GS-1500 portable scale will weigh up to 1500 grains — offering more capacity than most other portables. 1500 Grain capacity means that this compact scale can handle just about any reloading task for calibers all the way up to 50 BMG.
The GS-1500 scale features a 2.5″ x 3″ weighing platform, an aluminum measuring pan, and a 100-grain calibration weight. The scale will run on two (2) regular AAA batteries, which are included. The new GS-1500 scale is ON SALE this month for just $26.65 at Midsouth Shooters Supply, item 005-050107. This is a good deal. By comparison, MidwayUSA’s price for the GS-1500 is $34.99.
Editor’s NOTE: This product is so new that we have not yet been able to test it for function. Hornady usually can be counted on to do its homework before introducing new reloading tools. Hornady also stands behind their products when it comes to warranty repair.
CLICK HERE for Hornady 2009 Reloading Product Brochure
March 9th, 2009
Here’s a pretty cool offer. If you purchase two (2) boxes of CCI rimfire ammo, CCI will send you a FREE T-shirt (well, almost free… you do have to pay $3.95 for shipping). The T-Shirt is a handsome dark green color. On the back is the white outline of a dead prairie dog. Over the outline runs a broad yellow stripe, like the tape that police use to cordon off a crime scene. It’s a clever concept and the graphics are nicely done.
CLICK HERE to Download T-Shirt Offer COUPON.
How to Get Your T-Shirt
You must purchase at least two (2) boxes of CCI rimfire ammunition between April 1 and June 30, 2009. Then you need to fill out a coupon, and send it in, along with your original purchase receipt, and the UPC (universal product code) from the ammo boxes. The coupon, receipts, UPCs, AND $3.95 for shipping must be received by CCI no later than July 31, 2009. Mail everything to the address below. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.
Mail Coupon, Ammo Sale Receipts, UPCs and $3.95 to:
CCI T-Shirt Offer
Dept. 6135
P.O. Box 5009
Stacy, MN 55078-5009
March 9th, 2009
 Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, affirming a decision of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), has removed the gray wolf from protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, this ONLY applies to Idaho, Montana, the Western Great Lakes, and some (but not all) areas of Washington, Oregon, and Utah. Wolves in other parts of the 48 states, including the Southwest states, remain endangered and are not affected by Salazar’s ruling. Wolf hunters should check carefully to ensure that the area(s) where they intend to hunt are not subject to ESA controls. Wolves in Wyoming remain specifically protected.
Hunters are advised to wait before planning a hunt. Salazar’s ruling could be stalled by litigation from environmental groups. The Sierra Club has announced: “Aggressive wolf-killing practices, coupled with genetic isolation and plans to institute hunts in Idaho and Montana, could push wolf numbers dangerously low and reverse decades of recovery work. The Sierra Club, along with other conservation groups, plans to challenge the wolf delisting decision in court.”
Praise for Interior Secretary’s Decision
Safari Club International President Merle Shepard hailed the announcement, saying “This decision is the right one and we commend Secretary Salazar for reaching it so quickly. Delisting the gray wolf came about as a result of years of effort involving the states, tribes, landowners, academic researchers, sportsmen and other conservation groups, the Canadian government and many other partners.”
In making the announcement, Secretary Salazar reviewed the numbers behind the decision. “When it was listed as endangered in 1974, the wolf had almost disappeared from the continental United States. Today, we have more than 5,500 wolves, including more than 1,600 in the Rockies,” Salazar said. Gray wolves were previously listed as endangered in the lower 48 states, except in Minnesota where they were listed as threatened. The USFWS oversees three separate recovery programs for the gray wolf; each has its own recovery plan and recovery goals based on the unique characteristics of wolf populations in each geographic area.
March 8th, 2009
 We regret that the AccurateShooter Forum is still not 100% right, but there is progress. As of 1300 Pacific time the Forum could be accessed and we were able to open and read threads, but the formatting was still not completely right.
What’s been happening? On Saturday morning, the hosting company installed some new software. We were told the Forum would be up and running “within 2-3 hours”. Obviously the hosting company encountered more serious problems than it anticipated. The problems were caused by a software update that did not work properly. This update was initiated by the third-party hosting company and is NOT something we requested (or even knew was coming).
We understand there is a high level of frustration, and we have commenced the process of moving the entire forum to a new hosting system. Unfortunately, with thousands of members and nearly 100,000 threads, that is a process which needs to be done very carefully. Full conversion take some time.
March 8th, 2009
As shooters seek less expensive ways to shoot, rimfire competition of all types is becoming more popular. Silhouette shooting is fun because you get to knock down small steel targets, just like in a shooting gallery at a County Fair. But don’t let anyone suggest Silhouette is easy. All shots are taken from the standing position. If you haven’t tried that recently, you’ll find that your crosshairs will be dancing all around the target.
At an official match, you’ll shoot at least 40 shots, ten each at four sets of 1/5th size standard High Power Rifle Silhouette targets. The smallest targets, the chickens, are set at 40 yards, Pigs are at 60 yards, Turkeys are at 77 yards, and Rams are at 100 yards. (Alternatively, metric distances are used.) Though the rams are the largest targets, hitting them is far from easy, given the ballistics of 22 rimfire ammo. At 100 yards, a little bit of wind will blow you off the target.
Two classes of rifles are used in Rimfire Silhouette: Standard and Hunter Class. Standard rifles can weigh up to 10 pounds, 2 oz. (with sights) and have no restriction on trigger pull weight. The fore-end shall not exceed 2 1/4″ wide, and 2 1/4″ deep measured from the centerline of the bore. Bull barrels are common, and the gun of choice is the Anschutz 54.18 MS (Metallic Silhouette) or 1808 (thumbhole version of the 54.18). A 54.18, if you can find one, will set you back $1200.00 – $1700 depending on condition. The 54:18 is in limited production and even good used models are hard to find.
Hunter Class rifles must have a more conventional “sporter-style” stock, typically with a narrow fore-end. A high comb is used to provide a good cheek weld. Hunter Class Rifles are limited to 8.5 pounds (with scope), and the trigger pull weight shall not be less than 2 pounds. No bull barrels are allowed — you must use a conventional tapered hunting barrel. Among production rifles, the Anschutz 1712 is the rifle to beat. These guns are very accurate out of the box, and come with an outstanding two-stage trigger that breaks cleanly right at two pounds. Kimber and CZ also make factory silhouette rifles for the Hunter Class. Though not on a par with the Anschutz 1712, the Kimber and CZ are viable options for novices or shooters on a tight budget.
Many top silhouette shooters like Mark Pharr will shoot the lighter Hunter rifle in both classes. Pharr and others have found that accurized Hunter Class guns can be competitive even against the heavier guns. While a stock Anschutz 1712 Hunter is impressive, many competitors will hot-rod their gun, putting a 1710 or 1712 action in a Mark Pharr-designed stock. They will then add a match barrel from Lilja, Shilen or other top barrel maker. Shown below is an Anschutz 1712 action in Pharr stock.
If you want to learn more about rimfire silhouette, visit SteelChickens.com. To order a Mark Pharr stock (built by Robertson Composites), contact Chickens Shooting Supply.
CLICK HERE for Summary of Rimfire Silhouette Rifle Rules.
March 8th, 2009
We announced that a new shipment of Lapua cartridge brass is due to arrive within a couple weeks. Both importers, Graf & Sons and Kaltron, have ordered large quantities. However, some cartridge types, including 6mmBR, do not appear to be included in this container.
We’ve checked around, and most everybody seems to be sold out of 6mmBR, 220 Russian, and .308 brass. You may want to check with E. Arthur Brown, www.eabco.com. That company’s shopping cart system is still showing availability of Lapua brass of most types, including 6mmBR. No guaranties however — you may want to call E. Arthur Brown first before placing your order: (320) 834-3000, or for Orders Only, 1-800-950-9088.
March 8th, 2009
 The NRA Shooting Coach Education Program offers both basic and advanced technical and tactical skills coach training schools for rifle, pistol, shotgun and High Power rifle along with training camps and clinics. The Coach Education Program is a cooperative effort of the three major competitive shooting organizations in the United States: the NRA, USA Shooting (USAS) and the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP).
The NRA Coach Schools are taught by National Coach Development Staff who are Certified Coaches that have been carefully selected, based on their talents and expertise in the areas of sports, education, coaching, athletics, and shooting.
Don Sipes, NRA’s National Shotgun Coach Trainer, explains that the Coach training program has been very effective: “The growth has been phenomenal … we had 495 [NRA Certified Shotgun Coaches] as of July 1, 2007, and after [the March 2009 session], we’ll have over 1,500 coaches.” Looking to the future, Sipes hopes to have 1,800 NRA Certified Shotgun Coaches by the end of 2009.
Shooting Coach School
The 2-day coach school is the heart of the program. The instructors use up-to-date materials and PowerPoint presentations to present coaching methodology and a variety of learning activities for all participants. Each coach certification school involves two days of sports-specific lessons designed to teach coaching fundamentals. The following subjects are taught:
Safety and Risk Management
Competition Events
Rules
Equipment and Facilities
Fundamentals of Shooting |
Shooting Positions
Sports Psychology
Training Planning
Running Quality Programs
How To Conduct Tournaments |
If you are interested in becoming an NRA Shooting Coach, you can attend one of the 2-day clinics held at a dozen locations nationwide. Currently, most of the coaching schools are for ATA Trap and shotgun disciplines, but there are also sessions for Smallbore and Air Rifle disciplines scheduled from April through July. CLICK HERE for a list of Coach training seminars (with contact info). To learn more about Rifle or Pistol Coach Education, contact Marcus Raab (703) 267-1589 or mraab [at] nrahq.org.
March 7th, 2009
Notice for Forum Visitors:
Unfortunately, you may have trouble accessing our Shooters Forum during the next 24 hours. The third-party that hosts our forum, Website Toolbox, is installing a master “back-end” software upgrade today.
Predictably, something went wrong with the upgrade and access to the Forum may be sporadic today. Please don’t freak out. This is something that should be resolved shortly, and YES we know there’s a problem.
March 7th, 2009
Frank Green at Bartlein Barrels has announced that custom stocks can be painted by a member of the Bartlein “team”, Terry Bartlein, (aka “Squirt”). Terry can produce a wide variety of stock finishes and effects, including metallics, fades, gradient shifts, plus graphics, flames, and lettering. Terry is very talented. He owned his own body shop for 20 years and he really liked doing custom paint work on motorcycles. He has painted everything from cars to bikes to gun stocks. He’s even custom-painted refrigerators and mail boxes.
If you want to have your stock painted by “Squirt”, contact Terry at Bartlein Barrrels, (262) 649-1574, or email Terry at squirt-bartlein [at] sbcglobal.net .
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