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October 14th, 2009
 RUAG Ammotec, one of Europe’s largest ammunition manufacturers, is teaming up with Florida-based Precision Ammunition LLC to distribute frangible ammunition and other products. In the past, RUAG has not seemed very interested in the US market, at least the American sport shooting market. That could change as RUAG works with Precision Ammo of Tampa, FL, which specializes in non-toxic, lead-free frangible ammo. Precision Ammunition, established in 2001, holds many patents for their Copper-Matrix NTF® Non-Toxic Frangible bullet.
RUAG’s primary goal in working with Precision Ammunition LLC is to grab a foothold in the lucrative military and law enforcement markets in the US. Cyril Kubelka, CEO of RUAG Ammotec, stated “[this alliance] establishes a US presence for the RUAG family of business to actively bid on US Government contracts.”
Florida’s Precision Ammunition LLC is best known for its Copper-Matrix NTF® Non-Toxic Frangible bullet. Copper-Matrix NTF is particularly well-suited for training law enforcement, military and security personnel, as well as being ideal for use in shooting ranges. “RUAG Ammotec and Precision Ammunition are a perfect fit for each other[.] The combination of innovative bullet design with large scale, high-quality component production reflects the increasing demand for non-toxic frangible ammunition”, added Kubelka of RUAG.
 More RUAG Products in the Pipeline?
Hopefully RUAG may use its new partnership (with Precision Ammunition) to expand distribution of its ammo and reloading components in the USA as well. RUAG Ammotec is the parent company of RWS, Rottweil, GECO, Norma and Hirtenberger. RUAG makes outstanding brass in many popular calibers, and the RWS brass is as good as it gets. It would be great to be able to purchase RUAG, RWS, and Hirtenberger products through regular commercial channels in the USA. Prior to the introduction of 6.5×47 Lapua, some American shooters tried to import RUAG 6×47 match brass on a “group buy” basis. All those efforts failed because RUAG demanded a minimum order in excess of 250,000 pieces, paid in advance.
RUAG Ammotec Ltd. has approximately 1,600 employees worldwide at production sites in Germany, Switzerland, Hungary and Sweden, and operates sales companies in Austria, the UK, Belgium and France. The Group’s holding company is based in Berne, Switzerland.
October 14th, 2009
 For the third straight year, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has provided $100,000 to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Shooting Sports Grant Program. “The future of shooting sports is bright in the Boy Scouts of America,” said Frank Reigelman, who oversees the grant program. “Shooting sports [are] among the most popular camp activities at all levels of the BSA and we are seeing an expansion of year-round programs. Today, many BSA councils offer weekend programs throughout the year. The BSA Shooting Sports Grant provides important funding to improve and expand opportunities to attract new members and retain the interest of our current Scouts.”
We applaud the NSSF in supporting Boy Scout marksmanship training. We need more programs that offer firearms handling and safety instruction to young people. Unfortunately, in some jurisdictions, gun-phobic politicians have sponsored legislation that would make it more difficult for Scout training programs to acquire ammunition or to conduct shooting clinics on public land. Hopefully, with the support of organizations such as the NSSF, we’ll continue to see young Scouts earning their Rifle Shooting Merit badges for many years to come.
CLICK HERE for Boy Scout Rifle Shooting Merit Badge Requirements
October 14th, 2009
MidwayUSA has a sweet deal on Caldwell self-adhesive “orange peel” targets. Regularly priced at $16.99, this 50-sheet target pack is now just $6.99. That’s 61% off, a huge savings. NOTE: These are factory seconds so there may be small blemishes.
We’ve used these targets with both iron sights and scoped rifles and they work great. The 5.5″ bull is easy to see at 600 yards with a scope, and the contrasting yellow hit circles are highly visible at long range. For iron sights shooters, the 5.5″ black circle is a good size for 100-yard practice. (Note that the NRA official MR-31 100-yard High Power target has a 5.75″ bull.) And, when shooting offhand at 50 yards using a rimfire lever rifle with buckhorn sights, this target was just about ideal — not too big, not too small.
October 12th, 2009
 California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 962 yesterday. Consequently, effective February 1, 2011, Californians will have to provide complete personal information, plus a thumbprint, to buy pistol ammunition. In addition, the bill requires that all pistol ammo sales be “face to face”. This could effectively ban mail-order ammunition sales in California. Cabela’s, a leading outdoor retailer, has told customers that it will stop shipping ammo to California if AB 962 became law.
Though AB 962 was designed to control pistol ammunition purchases, it will also affect rifle ammunition sales because California law defining pistol ammo is broad and vague. Basically, AB 962 could be extended to virtually any ammo which has ever been used in a pistol. That certainly will include 22LR, 22 Magnum, .221 Fireball, and .223 Rem for starters.
Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed similar legislation a few years ago, based on the fact that a similar federal scheme had been tried and later abandoned as a complete failure. However, the Governor reversed himself, explaining: “Although I have previously vetoed legislation similar to this measure, local governments have demonstrated that requiring ammunition vendors to keep records on ammunition sales improves public safety. These records have allowed law enforcement to arrest and prosecute persons who have no business possessing firearms and ammunition: gang members, violent parolees, second and third strikers, and even people previously serving time in state prison for murder. Moreover, this type of record keeping is no more intrusive for law abiding citizens than similar laws governing pawnshops or the sale of cold medicine.”
October 12th, 2009
 This week’s episode of ShootingUSA television features a recent Three-Gun Challenge Match at Fort Benning, Georgia. In this event, hosted by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), both Army and civilian shooters compete with pistol, rifle, and shotguns in a multi-stage, timed course of fire. ShootingUSA airs Wednesdays on the Outdoor Channel at 4:30 pm, 8:30 pm, and 12:30 am, Eastern Time. Check local listings for show times in your area.
Stages Re-Create Medal of Honor Scenarios
Each of the 8 stages in the Three-Gun Match recalls the actions of a Medal of Honor recipient. Portions of each medal citation are read to competitors while explaining the course of fire.
 This annual three-gun match helps advance the Army Marksmanship Unit’s mission of improving skills throughout the Army, according to AMU Commander, LTC Frank Muggio, “This type of competition is exactly what we want our soldiers to be able to do in the field. They identify a target, they choose the right weapon system to engage the target, and they take out the target, and not anything around the target.”
The helmet-cam video clip below (not from ShootingUSA), shows Zak Smith shooting Stage 7 at the 2008 Fort Benning Three-Gun Match. This is a shotgun, rifle, and pistol stage with rifle targets at about 140 yards. Wearing a helmet-mounted camera, Zak starts in the back of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle and proceeds into a trench system to engage pistol targets. Zak has written feature articles and Bulletin reports for AccurateShooter.com. CLICK HERE to read about Zak’s 6.5×47 Lapua tactical rifle.
October 11th, 2009
 From October 17-25, the Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Association will host the 6th Western CMP Games and Creedmoor Cup at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, Arizona. Western CMP Games events will be held Oct. 17-20, while the Creedmoor Cup Matches take place Oct. 21-25. Registration deadline is October 14, 2009.
| CLICK HERE for Match Program and Schedule |
| CLICK HERE to Register for Match |
The Western CMP Games kick off with a New Shooter Clinic on Saturday, 17 Octobe in the morning. On Sunday, 18 October, there will be an As-Issued M1 Garand EIC Match in the morning where shooters lacking EIC points can earn introductory “4-point legs.” That afternoon, there will be a new event on the schedule, a Rimfire Sporter Match. The Rimfire Sporter Match is a low-key event that caters to all ages and skill levels.
For more information, or if you have questions, vist the Western Games Webpage, or contact Christina Leveck-Roguski, (419) 635-2141 x1114, croguski [at] odcmp.com.
October 11th, 2009
 The new Graf & Sons Fall 2009 Sale Flyer was just released. Log on to Grafs.com to download the 32-page Flyer and view the latest specials. Note: Grafs is now carrying Harrell’s Precision products (Flyer, p. 32), and RWS ammo is on sale (Flyer, p.6). Some of you guys may consider buying the 300 WSM or 375 H&H RWS ammo just to get the superb RWS Brass which is otherwise really hard to find.
CLICK HERE to download Graf’s Fall Flyer (PDF file)
October 10th, 2009
Here’s a new product we found on SWFA.com. Minox, famed maker of miniature cameras, has released the new Minox Weatherstation to compete with the Kestrel weather meters. The Minox is very compact and very light. It measures 4.68″ H x 2.28″ W and is just 3/4 of an inch thick. And it weighs just 2.36 ounces (67 grams)! This is definitely light and small enough to be carried in a shirt pocket.
 The Minox Weatherstation has all the functions you’d expect, plus a few more: Wind speed, Barometer, Altimeter, Thermometer, Hygrometer (Humidity), Windchill, Dewpoint, Clock, Stop-Watch, Alarm, Timer, Race Timer. Of course it can display both °Celsius and °Fahrenheit, and the Hygrometer reads from 1% Relative Humidity through 100% Relative Humidity. The barometer function uses five graphically arranged columns on the LC display to show not just the current air pressure hPa, but also changes which have occurred in the last 24 hours.
We like the fact that the Minox offers timing functions as well as weather data. This way the Minox can do double-duty as a match timer. That’s one less piece of kit to bring to the range.
 With a “street price” of $249.00, the Minox Weatherstation is priced on a par with the Kestrel 4000 and is about fifty bucks cheaper than Kestrels’ top-of-the-line 4500 model. How does the Minox stack up against the Kestrels? Well, the Kestrel 4000 outputs Density Altitude, while the Minox (apparently) does not. The Kestrel 4000 can also record data points and download these to a computer. The Minox doesn’t offer a PC interface. The more expensive Kestrel 4500 has a digital compass so it can plot wind directions (crosswind, headwind, tailwind). It seems then, that the main advantages of the Minox are compact size and light weight (2.4 oz. for Minox vs. 3.6 oz. for Kestrel 4000).
October 9th, 2009
Brass jags perform well for their intended purpose — with one hitch. Strong copper solvents can actually leech metal from the jag itself, leaving the tell-tale blue tint on your patches. This “false positive” can be frustrating, and may lead shooters to over-clean their barrels.
 There are now some good alternatives to brass jags. The best may be the Gunslick® Nylon Snap-Lock™ jags shown at left. These never leave a “false positive” and snap on and off quickly. Larry Bartholome, past USA F-Class Team Captain says: “The best spear-type jags I have used are the GunSlick black nylon tips. I have used the model 92400 for the last couple years in my 6BR and 6.5-284s. Unlike the white plastic jags, these are strong and there’s no brass to worry about.”
92400 22 through 270 calibers: $1.49
92421 30 through 375 Calibers: $1.49
If you prefer a metal jag, MidwayUSA sells Tipton Nickel-coated jags, both individually and as a boxed set. The vast majority of user reviews have been very positive. A few guys have complained that the nickel-plated Tipton jags run oversize, but we use a .22-caliber jag in our 6mms anyway, so this hasn’t been a problem for us. The 22-caliber nickel-plated jag (item 996840) costs $4.79. The complete 12-jag set (item 812503), covering .17 to .45 calibers, costs $24.49 including a fitted box, shown below.
K&M Stainless Jags
K&M Tools offers stainless spire-point jags in .22, .243, and .308 calibers. These are well-made and won’t produce false positives. However, with stainless jags, you MUST always keep the jag covered with a patch when inside the barrel. Otherwise you can rub steel against steel — not good. The downside of stainless is the potential for barrel scratching. On the other hand, according to Forum member Dans40x: “300 series stainless steel jags last a few lifetimes”.
Clear-Coating Your Brass Jags
If you’re reluctant to give up your collection of brass jags (after all they’ve worked pretty well so far), try covering the jag itself with a thin, transparent coating. Forum Member BillPA says: “I give the brass jags a coat of clear lacquer or acrylic; that works for me”. You may need to experiment to find a coating that stands up to your favorite solvent. BillPA says: “The only solvent I’ve found that eats the lacquer off is TM Solution. Butch’s, Shooter’s Choice, or Wipe-Out don’t seem to bother it. Most of the time I use rattle-can clear lacquer”. If you’re feeling creative, you could even color-code your jags by adding tints to the clear-coat.
October 8th, 2009
In our report about the new Tactical Rimfire discipline pioneered in California, we predicted that the major manufacturers would eventually develop rifles tailored for this fun, low-cost shooting sport. Sure enough, Ruger has released a new version of its popular 10/22 rifle that would be well-suited for tactical rimfire matches.
The new Ruger 10/22VLEH Target Tactical Rifle (TTR) features a Hogue OverMolded® synthetic stock, and a compact 16-1/8″ bull barrel (.920″ OD). The Hogue stock comes with double palm swells, a varminter-style forend, and sling swivel studs. Ruger’s TTR ships with a scope rail on top of the receiver, and Ruger includes an adjustable (non-swivel) bipod with the rifle.
Overall, there is nothing really ground-breaking about this rifle, but Ruger has included some useful upgrades (stock, scope rail, bipod), that make the rifle more suitable for gun games. Rather than buy a low-end 10/22 and toss the barrel and original stock, a shooter can now buy a 10/22 that’s pretty much ready to go (except for a trigger upgrade). Adults shooting the new 10/22 TTR will want to add buttpad spacers as the gun ships with a very short 12 3/4″ length of pull from the factory.
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