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January 16th, 2010
If you have $300.00 invested in an RCBS ChargeMaster Electronic Scale/Powder Dispenser, you don’t want dust, dirt, and grime to accumulate on the unit. It makes sense to keep your ChargeMaster covered when not in use, particularly to keep dust and grit out of the sensitive load cell area.
Some guys just put a cardboard box or grocery bag over the top of their ChargeMasters between uses. That works (sort of), but there is a more elegant solution. Forum member “John Doe” from Nevada sells a custom-fitted green ChargeMaster cover for $24.00. He says the items are sewn by his neighbor. If you have a family member who knows how to run a sewing machine, you could put together this kind of cover for a couple dollars. But even at $24.00. the item seems popular with our readers so we’re featuring it here. To order a ChargeMaster cover, send email to Guns45s@aol.com .
January 16th, 2010
 Forum member David K. (aka “mongochicago”) displayed a handsome 1919-vintage 1885 Winchester High Wall in our Forum Rimfire Gallery. The 91-year-old rimfire has been transformed from stem to stern with a new barrel, engraving on the receiver, and stunning exhibition-grade walnut fore-arm and buttstock.
The beautiful wood comes from Ballard Rifle & Cartridge Co. of Cody, Wyoming. Shilen Rifles provided the new blued octagon barrel (chambered in 22 Magnum). David tells us: “This is an 1885 Winchester made in 1919 that I customized for prairie dog shooting. The gunsmith was Mark Stratton, and the engraving was done by Darrel B. Nelson.” |
January 15th, 2010
 Here’s a little-known bit of information about Trijicon optics. Did you know that, for many years, Michigan-based Trijicon Inc. has discretely placed references to Bible passages on Trijicon optics products? Look carefully at the codes on the side of Trijicon optics and you’ll note Biblical references “hidden in plain sight” next to manufacturer product numbers.
ACOG Scope — ACOG4X32JN8:12
John 8:12 — “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'”
RMR Red-dot — RM01 2PE1:19
2 Peter 1:19 — “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts[.]”
There are discrete Scriptural references such as these on every optics product Trijicon sells. It’s an interesting feature, we bet few of you knew about… until now.
January 15th, 2010
 Some of the nation’s finest shooters, including 8-time National High Power Champion Carl Bernosky, will be at the Hornady booth (#12332) at SHOT Show next week. If you’re attending SHOT Show, don’t miss a chance to meet and chat with Bernosky, Max Michel, Doeg Koening, and other top shooters who have won multiple National Championships. Despite his remarkable competitive record, Carl is a very modest, approachable guy. If you have a chance to talk to him, we guarantee you’ll learn things that can help your shooting.
Carl Bernosky |
Doug Koenig |
Team Hornady® shooters Carl Bernosky, Sean Dexter, Tony Gimmellie, Doug Koenig, Dave Neth, Max Michel, Kelly Neal, Dave Neth, Adam Popplewell, Mike Voigt are all scheduled to appear at the Hornady booth during SHOT Show. (See schedule below). These “top guns” will be on hand to sign autographs, chat about guns, and offer competition tips for their particular disciplines.
January 15th, 2010
 Florida-based Tactical Rifles has just released its new “Chimera” series of 30mm Titanium Tactical Rings. Precision machined from advanced billet alloys and titanium, these sturdy, wide-body rings offer 50% increased surface area, with no fewer than twelve (12) 8-32 torx screws per set.
Though the Titanium Chimera rings weigh just 2.6 ounces each, they are rugged and durable, and provide a secure mount for even the heaviest tactical riflescope. Three different exterior colors are offered: Desert Tan, Matte Black, and Olive Drab. The Black finish is hard anodized, while the tan and olive colors are a moly epoxy finish. (NOTE: Prototype rings are shown in the photos; the interior section of production rings will be anodized matte black.)
Each ring set is serial numbered as a matched pair, and are available for pre-orders now. Suggested retail price is $229.00 per set, your color choice. For more information, visit TacticalRifles.net or call 1-877-811-GUNS (811-4867).
January 14th, 2010
We thought we’d seen the upper limit of riflescope magnification with the new 10-50x60mm Sightron SIII, the 12-50x56mm Schmidt & Bender PMII, and the 10-60×52mm March variable. Now March has raised the magnification bar — with a zoom scope boasting Eighty times (80X) magnification at max power.
That’s a lot of magnification for a spotting scope, much less an optic designed to sit on top of a rifle. We wonder how useful the 80X max power will really be. At 80-power the exit pupil is a tiny 0.7 mm — what we consider the very lower range of usability. A very small exit pupil makes the viewer’s head position ultra-critical; you’ll need to get your head aligned just perfectly. Still, the extra power may prove useful for ultra-long-range shooting or at middle distances when conditions are ideal (no mirage).
The new March 8-80x56mm Tactical/Long Range scope features 1/8 MOA clicks, a 34mm maintube, and 60 MOA of elevation. Weight is a reasonable 29.8 ounces (845 grams), while scope length is 16.0″ (shorter than many 40-power scopes). Five (5) different reticles are offered: 1/8 dot, 3/32 dot, 1/16 dot, MTR-1, and MTR-2.
In addition to the new 8-80x56mm, March will offer another tactical scope with a 10 times zoom range. The new March 5-50x56mm also has 1/8 MOA clicks, 60 MOA of travel, and comes with the same five reticle choices. At 15.67″ OAL and 29.3 ounces, the 5-50X is slightly smaller than its 80-power big brother.
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We’ll learn more about the new March ultra-zooms at SHOT Show next week, when we visit the Kelbly’s booth. We’ll try to get a good look at the 8-80×56 and let you know how all that power works in the real world. Stay tuned for our SHOT Show reports staring January 19th.
CLICK HERE for March 8-80x56mm and 5-50x56mm Specifications Sheet.
January 14th, 2010
 If you’re planning on purchasing a tactical rifle soon, consider this FREE Training promotion from McMillan Firearms. Those who place an order for any McMillan TAC-series rifle will receive a FREE 2-day Marksmanship Training Course. The course is taught on McMillan’s own ranges in Arizona and covers firearms operation, maintenance, application of fire, and a basic tactical overview for civilians.
Each class is taught by McMillan instructors, experienced military and/or law enforcement operators with impressive credentials. The course is split between classroom and range time. This promo applies to all rifles in McMillan’s TAC series: Tac-308, Tac-300, Tac-338, and the mighty Tac-50.
For more information or to place an order, visit McMillanusa.com or call (623) 582-0536, M-F 7:00 am – 3:30 pm MST.
January 13th, 2010
Blaser, popular German builder of deluxe straight-pull hunting rifles, has released a new rifle with a unique, to say the least, detachable magazine system. The magazine is integrated with what would be the trigger guard/bottom metal on a conventional rifle. Pull out the R8’s magazine and the trigger guard and trigger shoe come with it — it’s all one unit.
This short video illustrates how the unique magazine/trigger works:
Presumably, combining the external trigger linkage with the magazine offers a safety advantage. This way, if you have a round still in the chamber, even after removing the magazine, you can’t pull the trigger to fire the round. Blaser states: “When removing the magazine, the R8 automatically de-cocks and once the magazine is removed, the cocking slide cannot engage anymore. Today, this is a very important safety feature securing the rifle against misuse by unauthorized persons.” It sounds like a good idea, but we wonder how practical this system is. Murphy’s law dictates that some hunter will travel half way around the world for his “hunt of a lifetime” only to find he forgot his magazine and now he has a rifle without a trigger. Most conventional rifles with detachable magazines can still be used as single shots even without the magazine.
The one real advantage we see to the R8 design is that the whole action/receiver is extremely short, allowing a more compact rifle length. Blaser claims: “The design of the R8 magazine above the trigger allows the overall length of the rifle to be 9 cm (3.5 inches) shorter than conventional bolt action rifles.” Another nice thing about the R8 is that the trigger pull is crisp and light right out of the box. The Blaser R8’s trigger breaks at just 1 5/8 pounds, and lock time is extremely fast. And the R8’s cocking mechanism is something new. According to Blaser, the R8 does not rely on a spring to reset the trigger after firing. Instead it uses a “desmodromic trigger mechanism” for improved reliability in wet or dusty conditions. (For those of you who don’t ride desmo-valved Ducati motorcycles, a “desmodromic” design typically employs a rocker arm and cam lobe to achieve reset.)
All the interesting new features of the Blaser R8 are illustrated on Blaser’s German website via an interactive Product Gallery. CLICK HERE to view the Product Gallery.
Starting in February 2010, the Blaser R8 will be available from Blaser dealers in a variety of models: Professional, Jaeger, Luxus, Attaché, Baronesse, Safari PH and Safari Luxus. In addition a custom-engraved R8 Custom class model will be offered. For more information, visit Blaser-usa.com.
January 13th, 2010
 Make no mistake about it, despite the tough economic times, gun sales are still going strong. In 2009, Americans purchased over 14,000,000 firearms, based on NICS Background Check statistics from the FBI. The FBI logged 14,033,824 NICS checks in 2009, a 10% rise from the 12,709,023 checks in 2008.
The raw number of NICS checks may actually under-count the total number of guns sold last year. This is because when a buyer purchases multiple firearms at the same time, a single NICS check can apply to multiple sales.
Shooting Sports Are Big Business
Let’s compare gun sales with other sporting items. According to the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA), Americans spend more on guns than on ski equipment or tennis equipment. Moreover the $5.5 billion shooters and hunters spend each year on guns, ammo, and equipment dwarfs the $3 billion golfers spend on equipment. Given the BILLIONS of dollars that shooters spend, why are shooting sports largely ignored (or trivialized) by the mainstream media? The answer appears to be political/philosophical bias. The general news media simply refuses to acknowledge that sporting use of firearms is a widespread, popular activity in our culture.
The Important Truth Revealed by Gun Sales Statistics
Ironically, while the mainstream news media attempts to marginalize the shooting sports as a “niche” activity by “unprogressive” elements in society, Americans are buying more guns and ammo than ever. What is the message behind verified gun sales statistics? First, gun ownership is hardly a niche activity. Secondly, gun ownership is so widespread that gun owners need not be apologetic about exercising their Second Amendment rights. While the “talking heads” on news networks may mock “gun-totting rednecks”, the reality is that all segments of society own and use firearms for sport, hunting, and self-defense. Be proud to be a gun owner, along with tens of millions of other law-abiding Americans.
January 12th, 2010
You can quickly access loads for Alliant powders via Alliant’s Online Reloading Guide. There you’ll find hundreds of recipes for rifle loads, pistol loads, and shotshell loads. While it’s great to have web-based reloading info when you have a live internet connection, you can also download the Alliant Reloaders’ Guide in PDF format. That way you can archive the guide on your computer, or keep the file on a portable computer for use in the field or workshop.
CLICK HERE to download ALLIANT RELOADER’S GUIDE (PDF format).
Alliant’s 47-page PDF Reloader’s Guide includes recipes for shotgun, pistol, and rifle. This guide includes important safety instructions, plus reloading data for most popular cartridges. The guide includes Alliant’s new Reloder 17 and Power Pro powders. Unfortunately the listed loads for centerfire rifles only include Speer bullets.
FREE Reloader’s Guide Print Version Offered
You can also CLICK HERE to order a FREE printed version of the 2010 Alliant Powder Reloader’s Guide. Just fill out your name and address. Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.
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