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August 16th, 2009
Can you outshoot the 2008 National High Power Champion — with an air rifle? That was the challenge facing over 220 competitors at the inaugural Carl Bernosky Challenge at Camp Perry. Two able shooters proved up to the task, Paul Kerr and USAMU marksman SGT Brandon Green. This popular event introduced shooters to the new Creedmoor-Anschütz NMAR air rifle. The Bernosky Challenge, with $1000.00 in prize money up for grabs, attracted a large crowd, including ‘Gunny’ R. Lee Ermey, the retired Marine who hosts the new Lock N’ Load TV Series on the History Channel.
With over 220 entries, Paul Kerr out-shot all of the competitors to win the Bernosky Challenge event with a 197-8X score. USAMU shooter Brandon Green finished a close second, scoring 197-3X. Nine-time NRA High-Power Champion Carl Bernosky was just one point behind, scoring 196-4X.
CLICK HERE to view the Bernosky Challenge Finals PHOTO GALLERY.
The new National Match Air Rifle discipline was developed by the CMP to simulate High Power rifle across-the-course shooting and provide adults with an air rifle discipline that builds on the popular junior three-position air rifle program. This NMAR discipline is ideal for High Power competitors looking for indoor or off-season shooting opportunities. NMAR targets are scaled down High Power SR and MR targets. Courses of fire simulate High Power matches, but at shorter distances.
Thirty-five (35) Creedmoor Sports NMAR rifles were available for competitors to use during this competition. To learn more about the NMAR air rifle, visit CreedmoorSports.com.
August 15th, 2009
 Norman Houle of West Warwick, Rhode Island, is the 2009 NRA National High Power Champion. Congrats to Norm! His come-from-behind, one-point victory marked his third High Power National Championship. His previous wins coming in 2004 and 2006, Norman was unable to shoot in last year’s competition.
The National Champion is the person with the highest aggregate of scores fired in the Vandenberg Cup, Nevada Trophy and Clarke Trophy Matches, and they receive the Mumma Trophy, a footed sterling silver urn with an ornate top, side handles and spout.
Houle scored 2387-124X, just one point more than last year’s champion Carl Bernosky (2386-125X). David Tubb finished third with 2385-133X. This year was the closest point differential Norman could recall. High Woman Shooter, and the early leader in the competition, was SPC Sherri Gallagher. Sherri, who finished with a 2382-148X score, has the highest X-Count total among all competitors — by a wide margin.
 Houle, Tubb, and Gallagher are all teammates, along with Ronald Zerr, on Team Creedmoor, coached by Dennis DeMille of Creedmoor Sports. Team Creedmoor won the 2009 RNDC Team match, one of four team events that is part of the championships. Two other events, The Enlisted Men’s Trophy (for military teams of four firing members) and The Rumbold Trophy (for civilian teams whose members belong to the same club or state association), are fired concurrent with the RNDC. The fourth event, The Whistler Boy Trophy (for teams of two, junior-category firing members who represent a state association), is fired during a separate day of competition.
In other Camp Perry Results, SFC Grant Singley (2385-102X) won the NRA National Service Rifle Championship, convincingly over USAMU teammate SGT Brandon Green (2370-90X). Dennis DeMille was High Civilian, posting a 2359-99X. Though she missed out on the big prize, SPC Sherri Gallagher won the Army Cup Match, the Crowell Trophy Match, the Centenary Trophy (Agg), and the Vandenburg Cup. Her 800-53X score in the Vandenburg Cup broke a National Record.
Complete NRA National High Power Championship RESULTS.
August 15th, 2009
 If you want to win shooting matches you’ll need to gauge wind speed and direction. While many shooters use the excellent Kestrel line of pocket Weather Trackers, many top shooters are turning to the Windtronic 2, a German-made unit that measures wind speeds from any direction.
The Windtronic features rotating cups mounted on a vertical axis. With this design you don’t have to align the unit with the wind, unlike the Kestrel WindMeter or SpeedTech WindMate™ devices. Many users feel the Windtronic’s unique design allows it to read wind speeds more accurately; it certainly can respond to shifting winds more easily. The omni-directional functionality of the Windtronic allows it to be mounted on a stand or tripod and continuously display current wind speed, max wind speed, and average velocity.
The Windtronic 2 doesn’t guage temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, or density altitude, unlike the more advanced (and expensive) Kestrel 4000/4500 model pocket weather trackers. The Windtronic only records wind speeds, but it does that one task exceptionally well.
Made in Germany by Kaindl Electronics, the Windtronic 2 comes with a 2-year manufacturers warranty and normally retails for $99.00 on Amazon.com. Other dealers include Windtronic.us and Windpowersports.com.
August 14th, 2009
Many readers already have a gunsafe, but if you’re like most gunowners, your safe is completely filled with guns, scopes, and personal valuables. Wouldn’t it be nice to have additional secure storage for items such as shooting rests, barrels, tripods, and expensive tools? Here’s a useful item that can safeguard your tools, outdoor gear, and shooting accessories. In a pinch, it can augment the storage capacity of your gun safe, though we recommend a conventional gun safe with UL-rated locking mechanism for long-term firearms storage.
The Better Built® 48″ Steel Job Site Safe is now on sale at Lowe’s for $249.00, marked down from $288.00. Offering 17.5 cubic feet of storage space, the Site Safe (Lowe’s item # 195894) will hold tools, barrels, tripods etc. up to 48″ in length. It is 25″ high, 24″ front to back, and is built of powder-coated 14 gauge steel. The design includes recessed lift handles to assist in installation. In the front are two lock ports which can be secured with padlocks.
This unit can be very handy in your garage or workshop to secure expensive tools and other equipment. Also, its low, horizontal design allows it to fit in places where a conventional, vertical style safe will not fit. Better Built® also offers 36″-wide (item 37224145), and 60″-wide (item 37224142) Site Safes, but these products are not currently sold at Lowe’s.
August 12th, 2009
 U.S. Army SPC Sherri Gallagher just set a new national record (and National Matches record) of 800-53x in an 800 point match for the Vandenburg Cup. She broke the old record set by Troy Lawton by 15 Xs. Way to go girl! Remarkably, in 2009, Gallagher has set six (6) national records. In June, Gallagher broke the oldest record in High Power shooting: the 1000-point Aggregate. Gallagher shot a 999-66x to win the Remington-Bushmaster Open, breaking Eric England’s 41-year-old record of a 998-45x.
In other Camp Perry news, here are scores from today’s Army Cup, Navy Cup, and Coast Guard Trophy Matches. Note Sherri Gallagher also won the Army Cup with an impressive 200-18X.
Army Cup: 20 shots at 600 yd, slow fire, prone
Sherri Gallagher – 200-18x
Stephen Culpepper – 200-16x
Ronald Zerr – 200-13x
Hugo Adelson – 200-13x
Navy Cup: 20 shots at 200 yd, slow fire, standing
Carl Bernosky – 199-6x
Lance Hopper – 198-9x
Stephen Culpepper – 196-5x
Troy Lawton – 196-5x
Coast Guard Trophy: 20 shots at 200 yd, rapid fire, sitting/kneeling
Dennis Demille – 200-17x
David Tubb – 200-16x
Joel Micholick – 200-16x
Kevin Trickett – 200-16x
Report Courtesy the NRABlog.com.
August 12th, 2009
Virginia Gunsmith Richard Franklin sold his stock-making business to Greg West, but Richard is still making stunning, one-off custom rifles using laminated fancy woods such as Crotch Claro Walnut, Turkish Walnut, Curly Maple, Bloodwood, and burls. One of Richard’s favorite sources for fancy woods is Northwest Timber, based in Oregon. NW Timber has one of the largest collections of highly-figured Claro Walnut and fancy Maple blanks in the country, including many “book-matched” sets that are ideal for a three-layer laminated stock. The two, mirror-image, book-matched pieces form the outer layers, with a central spine of contrasting wood.
When shopping for fancy wood for a laminated stock application, be sure to consider the length and thickness required. For a tri-laminated benchrest stock with a 3″ forearm, you’ll need a block at least 2.5″ wide and 32″ to 35″ long (depending on overall stock length). After sawing that will give you two 1 1/8″-wide slabs, so that a contrasting 3/4″-wide section of wood can be placed in the middle. Thinner blocks of fancy wood can be used in a 5-layer laminate. If you can’t find a block at least 32″ long, a contrasting end cap could be placed on the fore-end. However, Richard prefers to work with blanks that are long enough for the whole stock.
Above is a book-matched set from Northwest Timber in Crotch Claro Walnut. Note how there are two matching pieces, top and bottom.
This above photo shows how spectacular Quilted Maple can look when stained and finished with contrasting highlights. A popular material for fine musical instruments, Quilted Maple can look just as good on a gunstock (below).
For more information, contact:
Northwest Timber
3229 Jefferson-Scio Drive
Jefferson, OR 97352
(541) 327-1000
August 12th, 2009
 If you were to guess the percentage of Americans who favor Right-to-Carry laws, what you would you say? 30%? 40%? Remember there are more people living in liberal “blue states” than in conservative “red states”.
Well, you may be surprised, but over four-fifths of Americans support Right-to-Carry Laws. A new poll shows that 83 percent of Americans support laws allowing handgun carry by citizens who have passed background checks. The poll also revealed that support for Right-to-Carry crosses party lines, with 86% of independent voters and 80% of Democratic voters supporting Right-to-Carry.
Conducted by Zogby International and The O’Leary Report, the poll looked at Americans’ opinions on some key issues related to the Second Amendment. One of the questions asked: “Currently, 39 states have laws that allow residents to carry firearms to protect themselves, only if they pass a background check and pay a fee to cover administrative costs. Most of those states also require applicants to have firearms safety training. Do you support or oppose [such a] law?” 83% of respondents said they would support such Right-to-Carry laws.
August 11th, 2009
Do you frequently need to trim lots of cases, but can’t afford a powered trimmer such as the $280.00 Gracie machine? For manual trimming we like the L.E. Wilson units, and now there’s an upgrade that promises to increase the efficiency of your Wilson trimmer.
Sinclair Int’l has introduced a new Carbide Cutter Upgrade Kit that installs in place of a standard Wilson case trimmer cutter and crank handle. Very hard and ultra-sharp, the carbide cutter cuts quickly on contact without grabbing and leaves a nicely finished, square case mouth that is ready for deburring. With the carbide tip and larger, more comfortable handle, you should be able to trim cases more quickly, with less effort. The carbide cutter should also hold its edge longer than regular tool-steel cutter tips. The upgrade kit (item 05-4600) costs $69.95 and works with all Wilson case trimmer models (excluding 50 BMG).
August 11th, 2009
This time of year, many of our readers are traveling far and wide to shooting events, including the National Championships at Camp Perry. Security is vital on those long trips when you’re hauling lots of guns and shooting gear. A custom, high-end Benchrest, F-Class, or High Power rifle can cost upwards of $4000.00. And that’s without optics, which can run another $2000.00 per rifle. If you’re transporting three or four match rifles with premium scopes, you could be hauling $16,000 worth of firearms. Bring along a rangefinder, Co-Axial rest, spotting scope, and chronograph, and that could push the total closer to $20,000.
 How do you safeguard that kind of investment? One of the best storage systems available is the TruckVault, built in Washington state. TruckVaults are custom-fitted, locking storage cabinets that fit in a pickup truck bed, SUV, or station wagon. Various designs are available, including a waterproof “Extreme Series”. Both single-drawer and multi-draw layouts are offered with lengths up to 60″ overall, and top-load capacity of 2000 pounds. A variety of interior configurations are available.
For transporting scoped match rifles, we suggest TruckVault’s “Magnum Line”, which has two drawers with 10.5″ of vertical clearance. This offers two primary sliding compartments (on roller casters), plus smaller storage boxes where you can keep valuable gear securely out of sight.
TruckVaults carry a big price-tag. SUV models start at $1485, but expect to pay closer to $2000.00 for a unit with all the bells and whistles. That’s serious money, but you have to balance that against the cost of the firearms and accessories you are transporting. If you spend much time on the road with a pricey collection of guns, optics, and accessories, a TruckVault may be a wise investment. This editor first saw a TruckVault on a Chevy Suburban belonging to an Arizona gunsmith who does work for the military. It was not unusual for him to haul $50,000 worth of Class III weapons. For him, the TruckVault was an essential security feature. For more info, visit TruckVault.com or call (800) 967-8107.
August 11th, 2009
Grafs.com is currently offering Prvi Partisan .223 Remington brass at very attractive prices. 100 cases cost just $22.99, and that includes shipping (but not the $4.50/order handling charge). Bulk orders of 500 or 1000 cases are even less. This is boxer brass, fully reloadable. The PRVI brass is very good brass for the price. We have tried it in the Prvi Partison loaded ammo as well as in reloads. The brass holds pressure well and is more weight-consistent than some brands of domestic .223 brass. This is a good choice for large-quantity varmint loads.
NOTE: Some lots of Prvi Partisan milsurp 5.56×45 loaded ammo have arrived in the US with crimped primer pockets. When reloaded, those cases may require prep with a primer pocket swager to ease primer seating. The unloaded, new .223 Rem brass sold by Graf & Sons is UNPRIMED and has not been crimped, so you should have no difficulty seating primers.
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