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April 13th, 2009
The 2009 NBRSA 600-Yard Nationals (Sloughhouse 600) will be held April 24, 25, and 26, at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center. This 3-day match is hosted by the Folsom Shooting Club, at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center in Sloughhouse, CA, a few minutes East of Sacramento. This event grows more popular every year as more and more top shooters are drawn to the relatively new 600-yard benchrest discipline.
Last year, Jerry Tierney (shown in VIDEO below) dominated the field, shooting a 6mmBR Improved in an Elesio R5 Tubegun. CLICK HERE to read an in-depth report on last year’s 600-yard Nationals, with lots of photos.
Match information plus range maps are available at www.sacvalley.org in the “Upcoming Events” section, or click the links below:
NBRSA 600 Nationals Match INFO
Download NBRSA 600 Nationals REGISTRATION FORM (.pdf file)
Match fees are currently $75.00 per class (light gun and heavy gun). If you have further questions, or need forms mailed to you, contact match Director Ed Eckhoff: (530) 661-6018; e-mail: eckran@yahoo.com.
RECOMMENDED: Read Feature Story on 2008 NBRSA Nationals
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April 13th, 2009
Kowa spotting scopes are highly regarded, particularly among High Power and long-range prone shooters. You’ll always find many Kowas on the firing line at High Power matches. Many shooters get their Kowas from retired Marine Msgt. Jim Owens, who offers excellent prices on his JarHeadTop.com website.
Kowa is replacing the venerable TSN-821M spotting scope with the newly redesigned TSN-82SV, which will be more compact with upgraded optics. The new TSN-82SV weighs 52.5 ounces, and is just 15.1″ long. The 82SV is waterproof and nitrogen-filled to to help eliminate lens fogging.
The 82SV has a 45-degree angled eyepiece (puchased separately). Four optional eyepieces are offered: TE-9Z, TE-14WD, TE-9WD, and TE-17HD. Specifications are listed in the chart below. Prone shooters will probably prefer the 27x TE-17HD long-eye-relief (LER) eyepiece. It offers a 2.0˚ real field of view (105 feet at 1000 yards), with about 1.25″ of eye relief.
The MSRP for the new TSN-82SV is $805.00 (body only), while the “street price” is currently about $650.00 without eyepiece. See: Eagle Optics, $645. By contrast, Kowa’s larger TSN 881 88mm spotter runs $999.00 without eyepiece.
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April 12th, 2009
Asst. Editor Jason Baney recently commenced load testing with our 6-6.5×47 Lapua project rifle. (Built as a dual-caliber, switch-barrel test bed, this gun also has a 6.5×47 barrel). Our goal at this stage is to find basic starting points and max loads for a variety of popular powders. This is important because the 6-6.5×47 is a wildcat cartridge and very little “official” load data is currently available from the powder makers. We initially hope to give our readers a starting point when loading for the 105-108gr class of BT match bullets. Later we’ll work up load points for both heavier and lighter bullets.
Thus far, Jason has tested 6 powders: Alliant Reloder 17, Hodgdon Hybrid 100V, Hodgdon H4350, Norma N204, and Vihtavuori N160 and N550. With these powders, Jason shot ladders with charges in 0.5 grain intervals. All initial testing was done with Berger 105gr VLD bullets. Jason will continue testing next week with other bullets, including 115gr DTAC, 107gr Sierra MK, 105gr Hornady A-Max, 95gr Berger VLD, and 80gr Berger FBHP. He will also try some faster powders (Varget and Reloder 15) with the lighter bullets.
 Reloder 17 Very Impressive and H4350 Performed Well
Thus far, the most promising powders, in terms of velocity, accuracy, and vertical dispersion, have been RL17 and H4350. According to Jason, “N204 was also very intriguing, displaying tight vertical, but it showed a lot of horizontal–though it was windy during that testing phase”. Shooting ladder tests at 200 yards, RL17 exhibited very tight vertical over a wide velocity spread, and 4 out of 6 loads went into a 1/2″ group at 200. Max RL17 velocity in our 30″ Bartlein barrel was 3199 fps. H4350 topped out above 3150 fps, but some pressure signs appeared at about 3120 fps. To top 3100 fps with H100V, Jason needed a compressed load. Velocities with N160 were quite slow compared to the other powders, and N550 maxed out at 3095 fps.
CAUTION: Jason was shooting with a 30″ barrel and a strong, custom BAT action. You may not be able to achieve the stated velocities in your barrel. When we’ve completed testing we will publish suggested starting loads for these powders.
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April 12th, 2009
 The 2008 Eastern CMP Games and Creedmoor Cup Matches will be held from May 2nd through May 10th at Camp Butner in Stem, NC. Three days of Garand, Springfield and Vintage Military Rifle Matches take place on 2, 4 & 5 May. The CMP Games Matches also include an “As-Issued” M1 Garand EIC Match on May 3rd, a Rimfire Sporter Match and As-Issued Military Pistol Match on 3 May 3rd, and an M1 Carbine Match on 4 May. Following that, the Creedmoor Cup Matches begin on Wednesday, May 6th, with an advanced clinic. The Creedmoor Cup Matches include a Practice Match, a NMC team match, the 80-shot Creedmoor Cup Match and an EIC service rifle-NMC match rifle event.
Both events feature special hospitality events and prize awards. All interested shooters, whether new shooters or experienced competitors, recreation-oriented shooters or national championship contenders, are invited to participate in these unique, national-level competitions. For more info, contact Laurie Mandell, (419) 635-2141 x1107.
CLICK HERE for CMP Games/Creedmoor Cup INFO Page.
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April 12th, 2009
 We wish you have the chance to spend this Easter Sunday with your family and loved ones. Perhaps take the time to contemplate the blessings we all have, despite the many challenges in today’s world. In Christian theology, this day marks resurrection and rebirth.
For all of us, regardless of creed, this day carries a message of hope and the possibility of a better future. In his Easter Sunday message from the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI declared: “At a time of world food shortage, of financial turmoil, of old and new forms of poverty, of disturbing climate change,… of growing fears over the future, it is urgent to rediscover grounds for hope.”
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April 11th, 2009
 Many of the major online vendors are offering special deals over the Easter Weekend (or through the end of April). Here are some of the better promos we found today. Check the home pages of Grafs.com, Midsouth, and MidwayUSA for other current bargains.
Grafs.com 7.62×51 Ammo
Right now supplies of .223 and .308 mil-surp ammo are in high demand. Grafs.com has obtained a large quantity of quality 1982-83 vintage FNM (Portugese) 7.62×51 ammo. This is NON-CORROSIVE, lead-core, Berdan-primed ammo. Graf’s item MSA762X511, the FNM ammo is priced at $12.99 per 20-round box. For those wanting large quantities, there are sealed plastic 200-round (10 box) “battle-packs”. A full 1000-round wooden cases contains five (5) 200-round sealed “battle-packs”. Note: this Berdan-primed ammo is brass-cased, but is NOT reloadable.
Midsouth Shooters Supply Turkey Load Rebate
Here’s a great deal for spring turkey hunters. Midsouth has teamed with Hevi-Shot to offer a cash rebate if you purchase Hevi-13 Turkey Shotshells. Max rebate is $15.00. Fill in the downloadable rebate form to receive $5.00 OFF per 5-round box of Hevi-13 Turkey Shotshells (Up to 3 boxes per household), or $7.50 OFF per 10-round box of Hevi-13 Turkey Shotshells (Up to 2 boxes per household).
CLICK HERE to download HEVI-SHOT Rebate Form (.pdf file).
MidwayUSA Barnes Varmint Bullets
MidwayUSA is running a sale right now on its entire inventory of lead-free Barnes Varmint Grenade Bullets, in .204, .224, and .243 calibers. Varmint Grenade bullets feature a frangible copper/tin composite core. They are accurate bullets that can be driven at very high velocities without coming apart, yet they fragment explosively upon impact. Varmint Grenades range in size from a 26gr .204-caliber all the way up to a 62gr 6mm.
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April 11th, 2009
 From June 5-7, the Original Pennsylvania 1000 Yard Club will host a multi-day, long-range benchrest school at its Williamsport range. For $200, up to 36 students will enjoy 1 night and 2 days of intensive training under the tutelage of some of the nations’ top 1000-yard shooters. On Friday night (June 5th), students will meet their mentors, including school director Frank Grappone, and will work on informal “homework” assignments.
Saturday morning (June 6th), the class moves to the range for a full day of hands-on technical training. Topics will include precision reloading, load development, gun handling, use of chronograph, analysis of shooting results, gun cleaning, and target analysis. The Williamsport Club will provide the rifles, plus all reloading components–powder, primers, and bullets. Saturday’s training sessions are followed by a steak dinner, included in the $200 seminar price.
On Sunday (June 7th), after an early training session covering bench set-up and match strategies, students will participate in a 1000-yard match, spending time both behind the trigger and in the pits. Instructors will explain how to read conditions, and will demonstrate target measuring and analysis after the relays. The program will wrap up before 4:00 pm on Sunday.
The 1000-yard Benchrest School is limited to 36 students. Gunsmiths Bruce Baer and Mark King, and many Williamsport Hall of Fame shooters will provide instruction. There should be no more than three students per advisor. Over the course of the weekend, trainees will receive 14-16 hours of quality “hands-on” instruction, plus actual match shooting time. This program is designed for novice to intermediate shooters. For more info, email School Director Frank Grappone, frankgrappone [at] sbcglobal.net.
Act soon, if you want to attend — the sign-up deadline is June 1st. Available slots are mostly filled already. If you’re interested, don’t delay — the classes fill up quickly.
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April 10th, 2009
 On the eve of the new competitive shooting season, the rulemakers of the International Benchrest Shooters (IBS) issued two decisions that will affect the short-range benchrest game.
On March 31st, the IBS Executive Board took the following actions:
Modification of Bolts-Out Rule
In order to safely allow competitors to check seating depth, et. al. in the loading area, the E-Board voted to allow the allow insertion of bolts in the loading areas. However, placing the bolt in the gun while in the loading area is permitted ONLY under the following circumstances (read carefully).
1. Competitor strips the bolt of the fire control system.
2. Competitor uses a dummy round without primer or powder.
3. Competitor inserts a NRA “chamber flag” or other IBS-approved indicator inside the bare bolt.
4. Competitor displays all of these items to those around him.
NOTE: Violation of the above rules will result in an immediate disqualification from the tournament. According to the IBS Executive Board: “The change in the bolts-out rule will not take effect until we establish the exact type of bare bolt indicator that will be readily available to competitors. A likely date of inception is June 1, 2009. Until that time, the existing ‘bolts-out rule’ applies.”
Approval of Current Beggs Stock
An IBS member asked the Executive Board to rule on the legality of the Gene Beggs’ modular stock for competition. This stock (shown below) features a separate, clamped bag-riding forearm rather than a conventional one-piece stock. The Excutive Board determined: “After consulting the Group and Score Committees there was a consensus among board members that the rules really did not envision a stock of this type. In the interest of not inhibiting innovation, the E-Board approved the Beggs Stock as currently configured, for HV, LV, SP, and VFS (as appropriate) competition in 2009. So that similar innovations can be more readily assessed, the Executive board will do a comprehensive review of the stock configuration rules prior to the July 1 deadline for agenda item submission.”
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April 10th, 2009
More than a week after we ran the story as an April Fool’s hoax, our feature about U.S. Army testing of dimpled “golf-ball” bullets at Aberdeen Proving Ground continues to delude readers on dozens of web forums. This is the spoof that won’t die. Posters on numerous websites continue to be “suckered-in” by this story despite many obvious “clues” that the story is a hoax. An active debate still rages on one forum as to whether the dimpled “golf-ball bullet” complies with the terms of the Hague Convention on munitions. On the Gunsnet Forum some posters have gone to great length to prove the dimpled bullets really work. One duped reader posted: “Looks awesome… where can I buy them?” Another lamented that this was “another example of great technology monopolized by the military, but not available to civilians.” But, eventually, in most of the threads, savvy shooters saw through the hoax. One reader asked: “Will Army snipers now get to claim a 2-shot handicap?” Another clever poster wrote: “I have been shooting [dimpled bullets] for years… as long as there’s no water or sand traps around they work[.]” On the Handloads.com Forum, a reader quipped: “I wonder if you can chip, slice or put backspin on these rounds?”
.338 Projectile with MIM Exo-Jacket
(3D-CAD Artist’s Rendering) |
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If you want to have some fun, check through these forums and read some of the posts by folks who remain convinced that dimpled bullets are real…
 FOOLED FORUMS…
24-Hour Campfire Forum
Longrangehunting.com Forum
TacticalUnderground Forum
AccurateReloading.com Forum
Spec Op Community Network
MDShooters Forum
Snipers Hide Forum
Firearms Talk
Gunsnet Forum
Handloads.com Forum
Refuge Forums
Many Obvious Give-Away Clues Overlooked
The golf-ball-bullet story had some clues that should have tipped off smart readers to the fact that it was an April 1st spoof. First, the last name of the development team leader was “Eldrick”. Hmm… sound familiar? Google “Eldrick”. That’s right, “Eldrick” is Tiger Woods’ actual first name. At the end of the story we quoted a make-believe Capt. Sarazen. Well, again, “Sarazen” is the last name of golf legend Gene Sarazen. We published a photo of what was purported to be “advanced Doppler Radar”. In fact, the equipment shown is a battlefield sonic sensor array (sort of electronic ears) that has nothing to do with radar. Interestingly though, some readers thought the story was false because Doppler Radar wouldn’t be used to clock bullet speeds. In fact, Doppler Radar IS used to measure bullet speeds over long range, and it is probably the most sophisticated system currently available for this task. Lapua recently released Coefficient of Drag (Cd) data for its bullets; this data was compiled by “continuous Doppler radar measurements”. CLICK HERE for explanation of Doppler-derived Cd with sample charts.
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April 9th, 2009
Now through April 30, 2009, MidwayUSA has the Hornady (formerly Stoney Point) Lock-N-Load Overall Length Gauge (item 570611) on sale for $25.99. That’s $4.50 off the regular price. Note, in addition to the Gauge itself, you’ll need a threaded modified case for each caliber you shoot, and we recommend having a comparator body with caliber-specific insert. The comparator allows you to measure from base of case to bullet ogive (rather than bullet tip).
OAL Gauge shown with Comparator to allow measurement from bullet ogive.
This Editor personally uses the Hornady Overall Length Gauge to find the distance to the lands for all his centerfire rifles. With practice, using the right technique, you can achieve measurements that are very repeatable. Here’s my method:
1. After screwing the modified case securely to the gauge, insert the case (with a bullet in neck) into the chamber. Make sure the modified (threaded) case goes ALL the way into the chamber. (Note: a heavily-fouled chamber can interfere with the seating of the modified case.)
2. Slide the gray pusher rod gently forward until you feel the first, slight resistance, then stop.
3. Now with the tip of your finger, tap the gray rod gently two or three times. This should give you a good, repeatable bullet contact with the lands, without going into the rifling.
4. You do NOT want to push hard on the gray rod. This will cause the bullet to engage the rifling. That will cause the bullet to stick, and you will end up with inconsistent length-to-lands measurements.
Some folks complain that this tool is not particularly repeatable. Well, if you use and practice the technique above, I think you’ll find the opposite is true. Using the Hornady OAL Gauge with a Berger bullet in a 6PPC, I recently measured length to lands five times in a row, with a couple witnesses to the procedure. Each of the measurements was consistent within .0007″ as recorded with a set of Mitutoyo Digital calipers. The key is using the same technique and pressure every time. CLICK HERE for a complete review of the Hornady OAL Gauge, with many photos
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April 9th, 2009
All turkey, all the time — that’s the concept behind turkey.realtree.com the new turkey hunting website created by Realtree. This content-rich site contains tons of info for turkey hunters, including gear reviews, hunting reports, video clips, and even a turkey trivia game. The gear archives cover everything a turkey hunter needs: firearms, clothing, footwear, decoys, turkey calls, and shooting accessories.
HD Video Webcasts of Real Turkey Hunts
The new website boasts impressive HD (high-definition) video content on “Turkey Television”. You’ll find multiple high-quality archived hunting videos. Each Friday the “Daybreak” webcast will feature a “semi-live” turkey hunt followed by a segment on the latest turkey hunting guns and gear. You can also download video “podcasts” to your home computer or media player. Topics include: Selecting the Right Turkey Gun, Choosing Turkey Optics, Sighting-In a Shotgun, and Mounting A Scope (or Fiber Optic Sights).
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April 9th, 2009
Among its many features, AccurateShooter.com offers a searchable Event Calendar. We try to include a wide variety of competitions, shooting events, and major gatherings (such as the NRA National Meeting next month in Phoenix, AZ). Where possible, our event listings include web links and match registration info.
Hey Guys — You Can Submit Major Events for Calendar
We solicit reader contributions to our event calendar. While we can’t list typical weekend club events, we’ll try to include major championships and special annual events, such as “Extravaganza of Silhouette” in California, and the Williamsport “World Open”. Please include the dates of the event, a one- or two-sentence summary, plus a link to a descriptive webpage. You can also attach an event logo, range map, and/or photo. Please limit submissions to important events of significant regional, state, or national interest. Please send your calendar listings to mailbox [at] 6mmBR.com.
NRA Event Calendar
The NRA, through its Shooting Sports USA publication, offers a comprehensive calendar of shooting matches nationwide. This covers all the NRA disciplines: pistol, black powder, silhouette, air rifle, smallbore, F-Class, and High Power. The Shooting Sports Calendar is updated regularly, and can be downloaded for free in .pdf format. Click the link below to download the latest version of the NRA’s competition calendar.
CLICK HERE to download Shooting Sports USA Events Calendar
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