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December 24th, 2009
From Ivy League to smaller schools, the National Shooting Sports Foundation has provided 16 colleges and universities with early Christmas presents — grants to help more students get involved in the shooting sports. Among the grant recipients are Harvard University, Clemson University, the University of Vermont, and Hillsdale College. “NSSF is making these grants available in response to a growing interest in the shooting sports on campuses across the country,” said Zach Snow, NSSF’s senior shooting promotions coordinator. “Graduates of scholastic shooting programs like the NSSF-developed Scholastic Clay Target Program want to continue participating in their favorite sport when they go off to college, and once there, they’re eager to introduce new friends, classmates and faculty to this lifetime activity. At the same time, collegiate shooting programs help create a positive image for the shooting sports and firearms ownership.”
A total of $109,500 in grant money was awarded for new and existing shooting programs at the schools. Harvard University, for example, will use its grant to revive the Harvard Shooting Club, founded in 1883, and which has been dormant since 2003; raise awareness of the shooting sports within Harvard community and general public; and host firearms education events on campus. READ MORE about the 16 schools and their plans for their grant awards. Find more information on NSSF’s College Shooting Sports Initiative at www.nssf.org/college.
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December 24th, 2009
Ed’s Public Safety, a gunshop in Georgia, has published photos of the New “Gen 4″ Glock handguns. The much-ballyhooed design changes for the Gen 4 Glocks are interesting, but hardly revolutionary. As expected, the new Glocks will have interchangeable backstraps. That’s probably a good thing.
CLICK HERE for more Gen 4 Glock photos
Other noteworthy changes in the Gen 4 Glocks are a dual recoil spring, and an interchangeable magazine release that can be moved from right to left. The dual spring is a more modern design that may reduce perceived recoil somewhat. The mag release change is smart and makes the gun more user-friendly for southpaws. Glock is making new magazines for the Gen 4 Glocks that work with the interchangeable mag release. Older magazines can still be used with the new Gen 4 Glocks, but only when the mag release button is positioned on the left.
Design Change — Too Little, Too Late?
Unfortunately, with either of the two provided backstraps, Glock’s Gen 4 grip is still fat and blocky compared to many other pistols. Also the Gen 4 Glocks retain the prominent “backstrap bulge” or flare in the bottom 1/3 of the grip’s back edge. For many shooters this “Glock bulge” causes the gun to point poorly, and for this Editor, that bulge also causes the gun to twist more on recoil (since it pushes against one side of the base of the shooting hand). The first thing done by companies that modify Glock grips is to reduce the flare or bulge in the bottom of the grip. That makes the grip much more user-friendly for smaller hands. In this Editor’s opinion the bottom rear section of the Glock grip was an ergonomic mistake when it came out in 1982 and the Gen 4 redesign really does nothing to correct the flaw. The interchangeable backstraps are just a poor “band-aid fix” when a more fundamental redesign was needed.
Overall, we think that most of the Gen 4 design changes are positive, or at worst “neutral”, but this may be a case of “too little, too late”. We doubt if the redesigned Glock is sufficiently improved to grab much market share back from the Smith & Wesson M&P series and other handguns whose sales have cut into Glock’s lucrative police contracts and civilian sales. The Gen 4 Glocks offer a modest ergonomic improvement over previous models, but they still not as well-designed ergonomically as Smith’s M&P. We doubt that police agencies which have switched to M&Ps will find reason to go back to Glocks anytime soon — unless, of course, Glock radically drops its prices, which is unlikely.
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December 24th, 2009
The NRA’s NRA Women On Target Hunting Progam organizes a popular series of women-only outdoor adventures every season. Currently, there are 11 Women on Target hunts planned for 2010. For a woman looking for a “no-stress” hunting holiday guided by skilled outfitters, this is an excellent choice. Starting as $276 for a two-day duck hunt, many of these events are quite affordable, so they would make a unique Christmas present for a female family member or your favorite lady shooter. CLICK HERE for Women on Target hunt details and pricing.
NOTE: One spot is still available for the combo hunt at Addisson Ranch in Oklahoma. Ladies will have a chance to stalk and shoot Whitetail Doe, Wild Hog, Coyote, and Bobcat.
| 2010-2011 Hunting Excursion Schedule |
| Whitetail Doe, Wild Hog, Coyote & Bobcat |
Oklahoma |
January 1-3, 2010 |
| Feral Hog Hunt and Bass Fishing |
Texas |
January 22-24, 2010 |
| European Pheasant and Walk up Hunt |
Michigan |
March 5-6, 2010 |
| Rio Grande Tom Turkey |
Texas |
April 9-11, 2010 |
| Alaskan Black Bear, Wolf |
Alaska |
August 17-23, 2010 |
| Pheasant & Chukar |
Nebraska |
October 22-24, 2010 |
| Mallard & Wood Duck |
Michigan |
October 22-24, 2010 |
| Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, and Hogs |
Texas |
October 22-24, 2010 |
| Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, Rio Grande Turkey (Tom/Hen), Hog |
Texas |
November 12-14, 2010 |
| Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, Rio Grande Turkey (Tom/Hen), Hog |
Texas |
December 10-12, 2010 |
| Whitetail Doe, Hog, Coyote & Bobcat |
Oklahoma |
December 31, 2010 and January 2, 2011 |
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December 23rd, 2009
 At the current Biathlon World Cup event in Slovenia, American Tim Burke earned the yellow bib signifying that he is the current leader in the Biathlon World Cup. This is the first time an American has EVER been the overall leader in this prestigious Biathlon series. Tim now ranks among the elite biathletes who could win Gold at the upcoming Vanouver Olympic games. Tim Burke is a remarkable athlete who has overcome serious medical issues: “It wasn’t at all an easy way for me. But I think those down times were important as well for taking step by step forward to where I am now. I had a major hip surgery in 2002 and I wasn’t sure if I would continue to be a biathlete after that and [mononucleosis] took me out the whole 2004 season.”
CLICK HERE to learn more about the U.S. Biathlon team at biathlon.teamusa.org
Before Slovenia, Tim Burke made history twice at the previous World Cup event in Ostersund, Sweden. His silver medal performance in the 20km Individual competition tied the best World Cup finish ever for a U.S. Biathlete and Tim followed that performance by capturing the bronze medal in the Men’s 10km sprint event. Burke’s bronze medal marked the first time a U.S. Biathlete has ever reached the podium in the sprint competition — and the first time that Americans have won silver and bronze medals in the same competition.
In the major World Cup competition leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Team USA has gained world attention. The U.S. Biathlon team has been called the most improved team in the world by Olympic and Biathlon experts. Michael Dixon, Eurosport TV Biathlon Commentator, reports: “The United States Biathlon Team is the most improved in the world. It won’t be long before a moment of brilliance brings them to the podium for their first Olympic medal.” The YouTube slideshow below shows the USA Biathlon Team in action. NOTE: If you’re at work, you may want to turn down the speaker volume before playback.
“Biathlon is a sport that captivates and fascinates nearly all who see it”, commented Max Cobb, Executive Director of the U.S. Biathlon Association. “The world-class Biathlete attempts to combine the physically demanding sport of cross-country skiing with the intense precision of rifle marksmanship. The opposing disciplines collide with unique drama at the shooting range. With hearts pounding nearly three times a second, athletes struggle to control their breathing as they attempt to hold their rifles steady and squeeze off a successful shot, knowing that each shot, and the number of seconds it takes to make it, will determine who stands on the podium.”
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December 23rd, 2009
 A new digital powder dispenser just hit the market. Priced at just $205.99 (at Grafs.com), the new Smartreloader iSD Digital Powder Scale & Dispenser, is about $100.00 less expensive than RCBS’s popular ChargeMaster. Designed in Italy, the Smartreloader iSD dispenser has the ability to work with either 110 volt (American) or 220 volt (European) power supplies.
The new Smartreloader iSD has some impressive features, such as fast calibration and a selectable trickle function. We hope to get our hands on one soon so we can comparison-test it against an RCBS Chargemaster. You can learn more about this new powder dispenser at Smartreloadermfg.com. General specs are very similar to the Chargemaster: the iSD scale has a maximum capacity of 1,500 grains and has claimed accuracy of ±0.1 grains. You can store up to 50 loads in internal memory, and users can select four (4) different measurement units: grams, grains, carats, or ounces.
Where can you find this new powder dispenser? Supplies are very limited right now, but in the USA, Smartreloader-branded products will be carried by Cabelas.com, Grafs.com, Midsouth Shooters Supply, and Cabelas.com. The worldwide distributor of Smartreloader products is H.T. Helvetica Trading, a Swiss-based company. CLICK HERE for a list of Smartreloader vendors in other countries.
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December 22nd, 2009
 The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) has issued an interesting report charting gun sales by region. Southerners like handguns, and those in the Great Lakes states purchase the most shotguns by far. In 2008, southern Atlantic states led per capita in handgun purchases and also accounted for 31.4 % of all handguns bought in the United States. East north central states led per capita in shotgun purchases and accounted for 33.4 % of shotguns sold.
The Mountain states led per capita in rifle purchases and accounted for 10.7 percent of rifles sold. But the South Atlantic states’ residents buy the most rifles overall — 22% of the nationwide total. It is interesting that the Pacific states (California, Oregon, Washington) encompass 14.7% of the U.S. population, but that region accounts for only 10% of rifles and shotguns sold. On the other hand, Pacific states’ residents buy 14.2% of all handguns, the second highest figure among regions. Maybe all those crazy gun control laws in California haven’t made things any safer, and people feel the need to arm themselves.
Download Full Report on Firearm Sales by Region (PDF File)
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December 22nd, 2009
The Garmin Nüvi 855 GPS Navigator is Amazon’s gold box “Deal of the Day” for December 22, 2009. This is a highly-rated unit with Lane Assist, and speech recognition for commands. Today only, the price has been slashed from $189.99 to $159.99 with FREE Shipping. You can’t touch that price elsewhere for a Garmin with speech recognition. As this is the lowest price I’ve ever seen (by far), your Editor went ahead and bought one.
CLICK HERE for Best Price
Garmin nüvi 855 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator with Speech Recognition
The video below shows how the voice-activated navigation works on the Garmin 880, the predecessor to the model 885. It’s pretty cool. NOTE: To use the voice command feature, you need to have a small wireless control (included in the kit) clipped on your steering wheel.
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December 21st, 2009
 Grafs.com has received a large shipment of the new IMR 8208 XBR powder. This is good news as Powder Valley recently sold out. Grafs.com has both 8-lb jugs for $149.99 (item IMR82088) as well as smaller 1-lb containers for $21.99 (item IMR82081).
If you haven’t heard about IMR 8208 XBR, this is a very promising new powder that is very accurate, meters well, and is much less temp sensitive than other powders of similar burn rate. This powder should be ideal for many applications including .223 Rem, .204 Ruger, 6 PPC, and .308 Winchester. Will 8208 XBR work in a 6BR or Dasher with heavy bullets? We’ll let you know soon — we’re planning to test it ourselves with an 8-twist 6mm BR.
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December 21st, 2009
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This is potentially big news for short-range Benchresters and for varminters who shoot PPC variants. Norma has resumed production of 6PPC brass — at least on a prototype basis. NOTE: We don’t have many specifics. Norma has not firmly committed to exporting production 6PPC brass to the USA, nor has Norma announced a product release date. However, we received the following email today:
“After some work Norma has just started production of 6 PPC cases again. A new double-press has been installed which allows us to work-harden the case better. Internal tests are promising and we wonder if you would be interested to test a bunch.”
That’s it… we’ve shared all that we know for now. |
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December 21st, 2009
Based in Oceanside, California, Creedmoor Sports is one of the leading suppliers of equipment for High Power, Prone, Smallbore and Air Rifle shooters. Creedmoor’s General Manager Dennis DeMille is a former National Champion High Power Shooter. Dennis and his staff have the expertise to know what competitive shooters need.
Creedmoor has some good Holiday Specials running right now, and there is still time to order gift items for Christmas if you get your order in by midnight PST on December 21st. Creedmoor’s “affordable gift picks” for this Holiday season include instructional DVDs, Shooting Gloves, Rifle Slings, and Shooters’ T-Shirts.
 Jim Owens High Power DVDs — $16.00
Master Sgt. Jim Owens (USMC retired), aka “Jarhead Top”, has created a series of instructional DVDs for High Power, Position, and Service Rifle Shooters. Owens’ DVD titles include: Reading the Wind; Positions–Prone; Positions–Sitting & Offhand; Sight Alignment & Trigger Control; Service Rifle Sling; and M1 Garand Care & Cleaning. All these cost $16.00 (that’s 20% off), except the longer Reading the Wind DVD, which is $24.00 after 20% markdown. |
 Full-Finger Shooting Glove — $40.00
This glove is offered for both right- and left-handed shooters and meets all ISSF and NRA rules. It’s made of premium leather with rubber facings and ample padding. The rubber on the back of the glove is designed to eliminate sling slippage when locked into position. For the holidays, this glove is marked down to $40.00 from $44.95. |
 Ron Brown Service Rifle Sling — $60.00
Each sling is hand-stitched by Ron Brown in Lexington, KY. These slings are made from the highest-grade Hermann Oak leather, in saddle-tan or black. Slings are edged and creased, and holes are numbered. D-rings are oversized and parkerized. Frog hooks are made by Waterbury Buckles. All slings are treated with Neatsfoot oil guaranteeing years of use in the harshest conditions. According to Dennis, this is “the highest-quality service rifle sling money can buy”. Price is $60.00. |
 T-Shirts with Shooters’ Messages — $12.95
Creedmoor offers a selection of 100% cotton t-shirts printed with rifle images or clever messages that will appeal to serious shooters. In all there are over 30 gun-related designs available, including the ever-popular “Life’s Too Short to Shoot 9s” and “Got Ammo?”. |
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December 21st, 2009
 As many of you know, there is a concerted effort in the United Nations to adopt an international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) regulating civilian small arms. The Treaty would extend, and make binding, the restrictions of the U.N. Firearms Protocol adopted in 2004. This effort has been lead by the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), funded by billionaire George Soros. IANSA’s director is Rebecca Peters, a radical anti-gunner from Australia. Under Peters’ leadership, anti-gun coalitions convinced Australian politicians to ban semiautomatic rifles and shotguns, as well as confiscate and destroy nearly 700,000 weapons.
The proposed international small arms treaty has been pushed by representatives of many foreign nations. Related efforts to restrict civilian arms have been supported by European countries, such as Great Britain, which donated $2,000,000 to IANSA in 2001.
The details of this story are revealed in the video below, produced by NRANews. The video is an advocacy piece opposing interference by the United Nations and other countries in U.S. firearms policies. Keep in mind that this NRA video is deliberately alarmist — it intends to make the situation appear more dire than it may truly be… for now. Blue-helmeted storm troopers are not going to break down your door tomorrow.
Nonetheless, the video reveals many important facts which American gun owners should understand. This video includes interviews with leaders of gun rights groups in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. Their experiences are very telling… they have seen the effect of sweeping gun confiscations. The producers of this video believe that an international treaty could defeat Second Amendment rights in the United States. That may be an extremist view — the Constitution would still remain the law of the land. But the video is worth watching.
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December 20th, 2009
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) invites air rifle and air pistol shooters to participate in the 4th Annual Camp Perry Open. This year’s match will include a 3-position air rifle competition, an international air rifle (all standing) event, a pistol course of fire, and optional clinics. The match will be held on 15-17 January 2010 at the new CMP Marksmanship Center in Camp Perry, Port Clinton, Ohio. Visit the Camp Perry Open webpage for complete information including rules, fees, event schedule, and match descriptions/courses of fire.
The U. S. National Team coaches, Maj. David Johnson and Sergey Luzov, plan to bring some National Team members to shoot in the International event. The Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) is also sending some of their best to shoot in the International standing course of fire event as well. Members of many top NCAA rifle teams will also attend. This is a great opportunity to see some of the best shooters in the US compete.
Special Junior Clinic
In addition to the regular matches, on Saturday, Jan. 16th, there will be a clinic for interested junior shooters from 5:30pm – 8:15 PM. The cost is just $10, which includes a pizza dinner! This Saturday clinic is limited to 60 junior shooters — all those wishing to attend should pre-register. On-the-line training will be provided by the members of the U. S. National/Development Team, and members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Team (USAMU). The clinic will conclude with a 20-shot standing competition.
What to Bring
Shooters that use Sporter Class air rifles (Daisy M853/753/888/XSV40) should bring an air rifle for each shooter plus a sling, kneeling roll, and glove. You will not need spotting scopes. Shooting mats are provided at the range, but you may bring your own. Shooters using precision air rifles should bring them along with their shooting jackets and other equipment. Also, bring your own pellets. The CMP will have air tanks and CO2 available at the range. Please bring your own adapters.
How to Register
CLICK this LINK to Register for the Camp Perry Open. Competitors over the age of 18 must complete and sign a CMP Affidavit and Liability release prior to competing at Camp Perry. Shooters under the age of 18 must have a Parental Permission Form completed prior to competing at Camp Perry. The forms may be submitted to Katie Harrington at: CMP, P. O. Box 576, Camp Perry OH 43452. Alternatively, fax forms to 419-635-2565. Email inquiries may be addressed to kharrington [at] odcmp.com.
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