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April 12th, 2010
Last month we profiled the new, affordable Savage Edge hunting rifle. Though starting MSRP is just $329.00, this new Savage has many nice features, including a detachable box magazine, free-floated barrel, and handy thumb safety on the tang. The bolt copies the Savage 10/110 floating-head design and the Edge uses the familiar Savage barrel nut to secure the barrel and set headspace.
Jeff Quinn of Gunblast.com got his hands on the new Savage Edge. He was impressed with the gun, which he called “an excellent rifle at an amazing price.” Despite its low cost, Quinn’s test gun delivered sub-MOA accuracy with a variety of .243 Winchester factory loads: “Several [three-shot] groups were fired that measured under one-half inch, but the five-eighths inch group shown was typical for the day. No groups measured in excess of the magical one-inch mark.”
CLICK HERE to read complete Gunblast.com Review (many photos).
Overall, writer Jeff Quinn praised the Edge as a good, solid hunting rifle that offers great value: “There were no surprises in the handing of the Edge; it balances and handles very well. There were no surprises in the accuracy of the Edge; it shoots where you point it. There were no surprises in the reliability of the Edge; it fed, fired, and ejected perfectly. The surprise is in the price. As of this writing, the Edge has an MSRP of only $329 US. For only fifty bucks more, you can get the Edge with a 3 to 9 power scope already mounted and bore-sighted.”
April 12th, 2010
For many firearms owners, the answer to the question “Why own a .50 BMG?” is simply “because I can.” There is also a very active group of .50 BMG shooters who compete in long-range tournaments. At the 2009 Fifty Caliber Shooters Assn. National Championships, Lee Rasmussen shot an amazing 1.9557″ 5-shot group in Heavy Gun Class, breaking Skip Talbot’s 2.600″ single-group record set in 1999. That demonstrates the remarkable accuracy possible from .50-caliber firearms.
Steyr Knocks $1300 Off Price of HS .50 and HS .460
If you’re looking to acquire a .50 BMG, and don’t want to go the custom rifle route, Steyr Arms has a deal for you this month. Steyr Arms has drastically reduced the price of its big-bore, ultra-long-range HS .50 and HS .460 rifles to $3,995 for the entire month of April — or while supplies last. This promotional sale represents a savings of nearly 25 percent off the previous $5,299 price for HS .50 and HS .460 rifles. To learn more, visit www.SteyrArms.com, or call Steyr at (205) 655-8299.
Both the Steyr HS .50 and HS .460 rifles are single-shot bolt-actions, featuring 33″ fluted, free-floated barrels fitted with large, three-chamber muzzle brakes. The modular metal chassis allows easy disassembly for cleaning and transportation. Note how the +20 MOA scope rail is attached directly to the barrel block. This prevents loss of zero when the rifle is disassembled for transport or storage.
The .460 Steyr Chambering — Bigger than the .416 Barrett
While most of you are familiar with the legendary .50 BMG chambering, you may be curious about the “.460 Steyr”. This cartridge was developed by Steyr to provide superb ultra-long-range ballistics with less recoil than the .50 BMG. Like its .50 BMG big brother, the .460 Steyr can launch bullets that stay supersonic well past 1500 meters. The .460 Steyr was designed by Horst Grillmayer (Austria) in 2002, and the projectiles were designed by Guido Wasser (Switzerland). Production of rifle and cartridge started in 2004. The .460 Steyr was a way to offer an ultra-long range, sporting/sniper rifle and cartridge in juridictions which banned 50-caliber rifles. As with the .416 Barrett cartridge, the .460 Steyr cartridge was developed by shortening and necking down the .50 BMG case; however, the .460 Steyr is longer than the 416 Barrett. Loaded ammunition for the .460 Steyr is offered by Ammo-one.com, which provided the image below.
April 11th, 2010
Gene Beggs operates his own 100-yard indoor tunnel and rifle testing facility just outside of Odessa, Texas. Gene provides instruction and “tunnel time” for serious benchresters looking to improve their skills and optimize the accuracy of their rifles. Along with teaching the fine points of short-range benchrest, Gene has been developing two radical new rifles, one chambered in 220 Beggs, a slightly modified 220 Russian, and a second chambered in 6mm Beggs, a necked-up version of the 220 Russian that retains the original body taper and shoulder angle.
Both rifles share a skeleton design which uses the Stiller Cobra or Viper action as a central load-bearing member. Remarkably, there is no conventional fore-arm at all. Gene has bolted, directly to the barrel, a 3″-wide bag-riding aluminum sled. The sled was not designed as a mid-barrel tuner, but it might have some beneficial effects in that regard. However, the tuning functions are handled by two concentric rings threaded to the muzzle. Gene believes that with minor rotations of his front tuning rings, he can dial the gun into tune and the tune can be easily adjusted as conditions warrant.
 Do Mr. Beggs’ guns shoot? Absolutely. We had the chance to visit Gene in Odessa. We shot both the 220 Beggs-chambered rifle, and its 6mm Beggs-chambered cousin. Both rifles are nearly identical, though the Heavy Varmint-weight 220 has a longer, 27″ barrel compared to 22″ for the Light Varmint 6mm.
In the tunnel, the 220 HV, with a no-turn-neck 220 Beggs chamber, produced three-shot groups in the low ones and zeros right out of the gate, even before the tuner was optimized. With a barrel with over 1000 rounds through it, after firing 40 rounds without cleaning, Gene produced a tiny 5-shot group in the low ones. The first shot was slightly high (a common occurence in the tunnel according to Beggs). The last 4 shots, rounds 42-45 since the barrel had been cleaned, went into 0.084″. This rig, though radical in the extreme, certainly appears fully competitive with more conventional BR rigs, and it tracked superbly, with no hopping or rocking on the bags.
220 Beggs — Simple, Accurate, Efficient
We were also very impressed with the 220 Beggs cartridge. It’s basically a plain 220 Russian with a sharper radius at the neck-shoulder junction. Gene has commissioned a 220 Beggs reamer with matching seating and full-length sizing dies. The little cartridge achieves 3600+ fps with a 52gr bullet, pushed by Benchmark powder.
 From what we could tell during our short visit, the 220 Beggs is easy to load for, and performs exceptionally well with either turned (.250″) or no-turn necks. The recoil was noticeably less than a 6mm PPC, making the gun a joy to shoot. This round, we felt, could also be an outstanding varmint cartridge. The velocity is there, and we don’t think any other 22-caliber varmint cartridge is going to beat it for inherent accuracy.
As for the 6mm version, Gene told us: “The 6mm version of the cartridge performs best with Hodgdon’s H4198 Extreme, but the 220 has proven it will shoot well with just about anything you put in it including N133, H322, Benchmark, 8208, Norma 200 etc. It is the most trouble-free, user friendly cartridge I have ever worked with and will compete heads-up with anything. It’s also very easy on the shoulder.”
How to Learn More
Gene sells components (reamers, dies etc.) for the 220 and 6mm Beggs, and also offers training/testing sessions in his West Texas Tunnel on an appointment basis. For more information, or to schedule a session, email genebeggs [at] cableone.net.
April 11th, 2010
For many folks, a fly-in trip to a remote Alaskan fishing lodge would be a “vacation of a lifetime”. Serious anglers spend $5,000 per week (or more) at some of the exclusive Alaskan lodges.
 What does this have to do with precision shooting? Well, Shooters’ Forum member Mark W. (aka warrbuk) purchased a $3,200 Alaskan fishing holiday at a Safari Club Int’l (SCI) event, but he’s unable to make the trip this year. Mark wants to trade the trip for a rifle, scope or other shooting gear. Mark posted: “I would like to get $750 out of it, or trade for gear of that value.” If you want to make an offer to Mark, CLICK HERE for Mark’s Forum thread.
So, here’s your chance to get a trip of a lifetime for a fraction of the going price. The trip is a 6-day fully guided fishing holiday at the MacDougall Lodge in Lake Creek, AK. Lake Creek starts at the base of Mt. McKinley and runs 65 miles to the Yentna River. MacDougall Lodge sits approximately 1.5 miles from the mouth of Lake Creek. All five species of Pacific salmon run Lake Creek at different times of the year. Rainbow Trout, Grayling and Northern Pike can be caught year round. MacDougall Lodge was recently featured on the Outdoor Channel (see video below).
April 11th, 2010
 There’s a big cash incentive for first-time female competitors at this year’s NRA Bianchi Cup, May 26-29, 2010, in Columbia, Missouri. Larry and Brenda Potterfield of MidwayUSA have donated big bucks for first-time female competitors, using a production handgun, who achieve the highest Aggregate score of all four championship events (moving target, falling plate, barricade, and practical). A qualifying production handgun must be “right out of the box”, unmodified, with no customizations.
First Place in the 1st time women’s category will receive $2,500, Second Place $1,500 and Third Place $750. Right now, with six weeks to go before the match, few women registrants meet the requirements to win this first-time shooters’ award. So, ladies, here’s a chance to win serious money. And guys, if you know a skilled female shooter, encourage her to sign up. For more information on the 2010 NRA Bianchi Cup, call 703-267-1451 or email BianchiCup [at] nrahq.org.
April 10th, 2010
 The 2010 14th Edition of the CMP Competition Rules for Service Rifle, Service Pistol and As-Issued Military Rifle shooting has just been released. These new rules go into effect immediately. The new rulebook can be downloaded from the CMP website. Printed copies of the new rules, which can be purchased from the CMP for $3.00 each, will be furnished to each match sponsor and National Matches competitor.
CLICK HERE to download 2010 CMP Competition Rules (14th Ed.)
There are fewer changes this year than there have been in any of the past 10 years — a sign that military rifle and pistol rules have stabilized. Most competitors in CMP-sanctioned Service Rifle, Service Pistol, and As-Issued Military Rifle Matches will NOT have to adapt to any significant changes this year. But there are a few changes to rules regarding AR15 stocks, rapid-fire time limits in Garand matches, and coaching during Military Rifle Matches. To learn more, read the CMP website’s point-by-point Summary of 2010 Rule Changes
April 10th, 2010
The MidwayUSA Competition Range Bag is on sale, through April 20, 2010, for $39.99. That’s $20.00 off the regular $59.99 price. With 14 total pockets or pouches, this 22″L x 15″W x 10″H bag has plenty of carrying capacity. This is a BIG bag, nearly twice as wide as some other range bags. We saw many of these Midway Range Bags in use by top shooters at the recent 2010 F-Class Nationals. Don’t be fooled by the discount price — this is a quality piece of kit that is very versatile, thanks to the removable components inside the large main bag. These include a removable stage bag/ammunition carrier, two removable pistol rugs and a removable fired brass or ammunition carrying bag.
The bag has earned consistent “five-star” reviews from owners, who praise the bag’s ruggedness and ability to haul lots of gear. B. Schue of Minnesota wrote: “This bag is huge. The inside bag is bigger than most of those low-priced range bags sold elsewhere. I carry everything to the range in this bag. The zippers are top quality, and so is the stitchery.” Here are some other comments:
“I love the removable ‘bag’ within the bag. You can load up and take out only what you need at that moment. The material is light weight but very sturdy. I don’t think they make a bigger/better bag for the money. Definite buy!” – R. Sebastian, FL
“I ordered the bag after reading several favorable reviews. Other reviewers were right. Well-made bag with lots of pockets for magazines, etc. Even has a bag within a bag, outside water bottle pocket, a detachable mesh bag for brass, a couple of flat pouches that can double as gun mats, etc. — and it is big. If you can’t fit it in this bag, you don’t need it. A great value.” – D. Moard, WI
NOTE: The bag is currently back-ordered, but it should be back in stock by 4/18/2010. The $39.99 special price applies to black-colored bags. Also, a handsome new olive drab version will be offered for $59.99, with availability in mid-summer, 2010.
April 9th, 2010
We know many of our readers have a Ruger 10/22 for varminting, fun shooting, or rimfire tactical competition. Here’s an affordable new product for the Ruger 10/22 that will fit the highly-accurate Volquartsen rimfires as well. The new TriMag™ magazine coupler secures three standard, 10-round 10/22 rotary magazines together, giving you extra ammo capacity with full factory reliability. Yes there are long, banana-style magazines for the 10/22, but a TriMag 3-mag assembly won’t interfere with prone or off-hand shooting. And when varminting, you won’t have to set your tripod super-high to provide clearance for a long single-column magazine. This is ideal for rimfire tactical matches.
Designed and crafted by Alangator of Hayden Lake, Idaho, the $9.95 patent-pending TriMag™ is a clever, U.S.-made invention that any 10/22 or Volquartsen owner can afford. Puchasers give the TriMag™ high marks. One Cabela’s customer writes: “One of the best 10/22 products ever! As everyone who owns a 10/22 knows, aftermarket or non-factory extended capacity 10/22 magazines perform terribly. This product resolves that issue because you have 30 rounds available using your perfectly-functioning factory magazines.” Another buyer adds: “IMO one of the best accessories for the 10/22… one of those things that you can’t go without. An added bonus is that when you set your gun on a bench it holds it up right.”
Where to Buy
The TriMag™ is currently offered by Cabela’s, Volquartsen, and other vendors starting at $9.95. Volquartsen says the device fits all Volquartsen .22 LR semi-auto rifles.
April 9th, 2010
.223 WSSM and 6mmBR Disaster — Report by Dr. Jim Clary
Under most circumstances, shooters don’t have to worry about chambering the wrong cartridge into the wrong rifle. After all, the cartridges are well marked and we all know which rifle we are shooting on any given day. In many cases, incorrect cartridges cannot be chambered — larger cases will not fit in smaller chambers, for example. No problem! That being said, I can tell you that even an experienced, careful and normally safe shooter can make a mistake.
The following is an account of just such a mistake that could have resulted in death or dismemberment. Fortunately, the shooter was not hurt, but the rifle was completely destroyed.
Last year, a friend purchased a Savage Precision right bolt, left port, single shot bolt action in 6mmBR Norma. It was an incredible prairie dog gun and he spent the summer burning powder and busting dogs. In October, he purchased a stainless steel Browning A-Bolt Varmint in .223 WSSM. The weather in the upper Midwest turned sour by the time he got the brass tuned up and he only got to fire it a few times before he was “socked in” for the winter. Thus, he spent his evenings loading ammo for the spring thaw.
During a break in the weather, he grabbed both rifles and a couple of bags of .223 WSSM and 6mmBR cartridges and headed to the range to check out his new loads. In case you are not familiar, the 6mmBR is smaller in diameter and a mite shorter than the .223 WSSM. Because of this, it will chamber in a .223 WSSM, but the .24 caliber bullet is too big for the .22 caliber bore. That is what happened to my friend.
The rest is history; when he squeezed the trigger, all hell broke loose. The entire bottom of the rifle blew out, including the magazine assembly. The explosion actually cut the stock into two pieces. However, the bolt held and amazing as it may seem, the .243 bullet was “swaged” right out of the .223 barrel.
6mmBR (left) and .223 WSSM (right) cartridges above the remains of Browning A-Bolt rifle.
One Small Mistake Is All It Takes
Now, realize that my friend has been shooting all manner of firearms, safely, for over half a century. He is meticulous, thorough and conscientious in his approach to reloading and shooting. However, he made one mistake. He put some lose 6BR cartridges in a baggie as he packed up from a prairie dog hunt last summer, without noticing that the baggie was marked .223 WSSM in black marker. Then, when the break in his winter weather came, he grabbed the bag, believing it to be the WSSM cartridges and didn’t check the head stamp.
Couldn’t happen to you? How many times have we emptied our pockets of cartridges and dropped them into a plastic container on the shooting bench? How many times have we set down to a marathon reloading session, loading several calibers in a row? How many times have we put the wrong bullets, cases or primers into the incorrect container? My point is that even the safest of us can make a mistake. So, look at the picture above and take a bit more time when you reload your ammunition at home or chamber a round in the field. It might save your life.
Story and photo © Dr. Jim Clary, All Rights Reserved.
COMMENT: In a thread inspired by the above story, the moderator of another gun forum wrote:
“There was a rifle (or what was left of it) mounted above the door of a range I used to go to. The story behind it was of a guy who was shooting a .30-06 and set it aside to shoot his .25-06 instead. He didn’t bother putting the larger cartridges away first and of course one found its way into his gun. The explosion took three fingers off his left hand, two off his right and stuck a piece of the bolt in his face. He recovered but was never the same again. The pieces of the gun were gathered and mounted to show others why it pays to be mindful of what you’re doing. It was effective as there was never another such accident at that range.”
April 7th, 2010
Congratulations to Carl Boswell, Vince Bottomley, Andy Dubreuil, Laurie Holland and all the staff at Target Shooter online magazine. Target Shooter has released its April 2010 First Anniversary issue, and it may be the best yet. The hardware photography is high quality and there is something for everyone — from Benchresters to Tactical shooters. You can view the 110-page April issue for FREE at www.targetshooter.co.uk.
Carl tells us: “Yes, this is our first anniversary issue and we have it packed with articles.” Here are some of the recommended articles in the April Anniversary Edition of Target Shooter:
- Loading for the .308, Part 6 — Laurie Holland continues his informative reloading series.
- SEB Neo Coaxial Rest — Vince Bottomley reviews one of the most impressive rests on the market. This is a very thorough review which compares the old SEB Coax with the SEB NEO side by side.
- Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest — Carl Boswell looks at these rapidly evolving disciplines.
- Gallery Rifle 1500 — Gwyn Roberts continues his course on Gallery Rifle Basics.
- New GBR Custom Action — A New Rem 700-footprint action made in the UK.
- Steyr LG110 Field Test — Tim Finley reviews the Steyr LG110 rifle for Field Target.
Definitely check out the latest edition of Target Shooter magazine. Laurie Holland is one of the best technical gun writers in the business, and when Vince Bottomley reviews a product, he delivers intelligent conclusions you can “take to the bank”. As a special bonus, this April edition includes exclusive reports from the IWA Expo in Germany — the “Euro Shot Show”.
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