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May 31st, 2011

Ruger Launches “Million Gun Challenge” to Benefit the NRA

Sell a million guns in a year — and then send a million bucks to the NRA. Sounds simple, eh? Well Ruger issued an interesting challenge last week. Officials of Sturm, Ruger & Co., pledged to donate $1,000,000 to the NRA if one million new Ruger firearms are sold between the 2011 and 2012 NRA Shows.

Is this a publicity stunt or could Ruger really hit the mark? According to Ruger, “no company has ever sold one million firearms in a 12-month period. With the help of our loyal customers, we hope to make history.” Can Ruger do it? On the positive side, gun sales continue to rise, and Ruger continues to roll out popular new carry pistols. On the negative side, the economy remains weak, and many of Ruger’s recent releases have been the subject of embarassing product recalls. We think Ruger is going to have to ramp up its Quality Control before it grabs much more market share from the likes of Glock, Sig Sauer, and Smith & Wesson.

“Our goal is to present the NRA with a check for one million dollars during the 141st NRA Annual Meeting in St. Louis next April,” said Ruger CEO Mike Fifer. This substantial donation would reflect a record-breaking feat in the firearms industry. We wish Ruger well in its quest — it certainly won’t be easy to reach the goal. To follow the progress of the “Million Gun Challenge,” visit www.Ruger.com or Facebook.com/Ruger.

Permalink News 2 Comments »
May 30th, 2011

Gene Bukys Wins 2011 Super Shoot

Report by Forum member James Mock
Not only did Gene win the 2-gun at Chippewa SS Warm-up, and the “Heartbreak award for one bad group that cost him last year’s SS; BUT he has now won the BIG ONE. The 2011 Super Shoot champion is Gene Bukys. He persevered after shooting a 1 1/4 inch group at 200 yards. Congratulations to Gene! — James

Further Super Shoot Results will be provided as soon as available. Photo courtesy James Mock.

Permalink Competition, News 1 Comment »
May 29th, 2011

Violent Crime Falls as Gun Ownership Numbers Grow

While the two trends are not necessarily linked, it is interesting that serious crime continues to decline while firearms ownership expands with each passing year. Last week, the FBI released its Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report for 2010, showing a decrease of 5.5 percent in the number of violent crimes brought to its attention in 2010 compared to the previous year. Violent crime, which includes murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault, decreased in all four regions of the country and in both cities and non-metropolitan areas. For decades, violent crime in the United States has been dropping. Final figures for 2009 showed violent crime at its lowest level since 1984. At the same time, firearms ownership and use has been increasing, as right-to-carry legislation has been passed in 80% of U.S. States. There are now 40 Right-to-Carry States: 37 have “shall issue” laws, requiring that carry permits be issued to applicants who meet uniform standards established by the state legislature. Two have discretionary-issue carry permit systems. Vermont respects the right to carry without a permit. Alaska and Arizona have “shall issue” permit systems and have allowed concealed carrying without a permit since 2003 and July 2010, respectively. The largest surge in firearms sales occurred from late 2008 into 2010, and, according to an NSSF report, an estimated 34.4 million people went target shooting in 2009, the largest number ever.

shall issue carry states

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May 29th, 2011

Satern Custom and Liberty Barrels Halt Grendel Barrel Production

Starting June 1, 2011, Satern Custom Machining and Liberty Barrels will no longer produce 6.5 Grendel and .50 Beowolf barrels, as both barrel makers declined to agree to a new, more onerous licensing agreement with Alexander Arms. Satern had produced cut-rifled 6.5 Grendel and Beowolf barrels for the past five (5) years under license to Alexander, while Liberty crafted button-rifled Grendel and Beowolf barrels under license. It may be hard to replace Satern, a highly regarded cut-rifled barrel-maker, as other top-quality barrel makers may likewise reject Alexander Arms’ licensing demands.

Satern Machining Grendel Barrel

Alexander Arms’ Policies Have Impeded 6.5 Grendel Development
Radford, VA-based Alexander Arms continues to paint itself in a corner with respect to the 6.5 Grendel cartridge. Alexander Arms (AA) has aggressively protected the 6.5 Grendel cartridge design, threatening legal action against companies that planned to sell 6.5 Grendel AR uppers, chamber barrels for this cartridge, or even merely offer 6.5 Grendel reamers. One can understand Alexander’s desire to protect its design rights, but many industry experts believe Alexander Arms has gone overboard. Many gun builders and parts markers view the 6.5 Grendel cartridge as a “lawsuit in the making” so they stay away from it. As a result, this accurate and efficient cartridge is not growing in popularity as rapidly as it might otherwise. Alexander Arms has simply made it too difficult to comply with its demands, so many gun makers have decided that they would rather build anything other than a 6.5 Grendel.

Ironically, many shooters have chosen to build guns based on 6.5 Grendel parent brass, but necked down to 6mm. Robert Whitley pioneered a very effective 6mm-6.5 Grendel wildcat he calls the 6mmAR. It shoots great in AR platform rifles, as does a higher-capacity derivative, the 6mmAR “Turbo”. To learn more, visit 6mmAR.com.

Permalink Gunsmithing, News 11 Comments »
May 29th, 2011

Check Out Remington Custom Shop Website

Remington Custom ShopAmong Remington rifles, Custom Shop products have long enjoyed a solid reputation, though the quality control has declined in recent years. Remington is looking to return its Custom division to the glory days. As part of that effort, Remington has produced a dedicated Custom Shop website: www.remingtoncustom.com. On the Remington Custom Shop website visitors can browse through series of highly-specialized rifles and shotguns: Hunter Series, Target/Tactical, Historical, Rimfire, 40-X™ Series and High Grade. Within each series, the user can click on a specific model for an overview, features, specifications and images of the selected firearm of interest. The Custom Shop Showcase features high-quality photos illustrating the hand craftsmanship that goes into premium Custom shop arms.

Remington Custom Shop

Remington Custom Shop

Permalink Gunsmithing, News 12 Comments »
May 28th, 2011

Koenig Captures 2011 Bianchi Cup Overall Championship

While a few specialty events will be held this afternoon prior to tonight’s Awards Ceremony, the 2011 Bianchi Cup category winners have been named. Congratulations to Doug Koenig, the 2011 Bianchi Cup Overall Champion. Jessie Abbate of Team Smith & Wesson won the Women’s Division, while Rob Leatham was the Production Champion. Other divisional Champions are listed below:

  • 2011 Bianchi Cup Champion: Doug Koenig
  • Production Champion: Rob Leatham
  • Womens’ Champion: Jessie Abbate
  • Metallic Champion: Rob Vadasz
  • Junior Champion: Tiffany Piper
  • Senior Champion: Chuck Thomey
  • Service Champion: Kevin Worrell, USMC
  • Lawman Champion: Bruce Piatt
  • Newcomer: Nigel Gordon

In the video below you can watch John Pride, four-time Bianchi Cup champion, shoot the Moving Target Event yesterday. Pride shot a 474-28x in the event and went on to finish with a 1822-133x overall in this year’s Bianchi Cup. (Warning: Loud volume — turn down your speakers in work setting.)

In the next video (below), Heribert Bettermann and teammate Dirk Borchardt of the German National Team compete in the Falling Plate event. Heribert finished with an excellent 480-66x. The Bianchi Cup draws many competitors from outside the United States. Teams from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Germany made the long journey to Columbia, Missouri to compete in this prestigious competition.

Permalink - Videos, Competition No Comments »
May 28th, 2011

6.5mm, 129gr Bonded Blem Bullets at Midsouth — $13.54 per 100

OEM Blem Bullet 6.5mmForum member Ron W. (aka FClassRon) let us know that Midsouth is offering some high-quality, polymer-tipped 6.5mm bullets at half the normal price. Ron told us: “Midsouth is running a great sale this weekend on 6.5mm bullets with polymer tips: $13.54 per 100! I ordered similar bullets in 7mm a few weeks ago and the only blem I saw was light staining on the jackets (as shown in Midsouth’s description).” The bullets, (item 285-26209B100), are listed as: “6.5MM .264 DIA 129GR BIG GAME BONDED 100 CT BLEM”. Current sale price is $13.54, marked down from $27.08 — That’s a full 50% off normal price.

If you shoot a 6.5×47 Lapua, a 6.5×55 Swede, Rem .260, or 6.5×284, this bullet should work well for you. Here’s a chance to get a versatile, high-BC bullet that can be used effectively for BOTH both hunting and paper-punching. These blem bullets have cosmetic defects only. If you don’t mind some staining on the bullet jackets you can save a bundle compaired to normal pricing.

CLICK HERE for 129gr 6.5mm Blem Bullets at $13.54 per hundred

Permalink Bullets, Brass, Ammo, Hot Deals 3 Comments »
May 27th, 2011

Speedy’s Guide to Benchrest Competition

Benchrest Hall of Famer Speedy Gonzalez has prepared a comprehensive Guide to Benchrest Competition. It covers all aspects of the game: gear selection (hardware), reloading methods and tools, plus shooting skills and strategies. All of this is available on the web for free, thanks to Speedy and the Swedish Benchrest Shooters Association (SBRSA).

CLICK HERE to read Speedy’s Guide to Benchrest Shooting.

Benchrest Speedy PPC

Speedy’s article is a gold-mine of info on shooting components and specialized reloading tools. It is also richly illustrated with high-quality photos showing gun components and reloading gear. Many of the photos show tools that have been sectioned so you can view the internal components.

Speedy also covers bullet design, and load tuning. There are thoughtful sections on Time Management and Target Management that will benefit all competitive shooters, no matter what their discipline.

Permalink - Articles, Reloading, Shooting Skills 4 Comments »
May 27th, 2011

Home-Built Bullets — A Success Story from Al Nyhus

Forum regular Al Nyhus has tried his hand at bullet making, producing custom 30-caliber projectiles for his 30 BR match rifles. With guidance from his “guru”, bullet-smith Randy Robinett of BIB Bullets, Al has produced some very impressive bullets. This demonstrates that with patience, determination, and the right tools and components, amazing results are possible, even for a novice bullet-maker.

Al writes: “Thought I’d post some updated info on my 30 Caliber bullet making adventure. It’s been a lot of fun and a real learning experience. I’d like to thank Randy Robinett for all his patient teaching and guidance. The bullets have been working well in competition, being used to win the Varmint for Score portion of the IBS Wisconsin State Two Gun Championship [in 2007].”

The Targets Don’t Lie — These Are Quality Bullets
Here are two photos from bullet testing. In the 100-yard, 15-round target, the wind velocity was purposely ignored and the group was fired only with the same flag angle, trying to determine how they worked in the wind. Winds were 12-18 mph from 4 o’clock.

Nyhus 30 BR bulletsNyhus 30 BR bullets

This 200-yard group was fired in near perfect test conditions — overcast, early in the morning, with no mirage. We usually have a small window of what I call ‘Happy Hour’ before the winds crank up.”

NOTE: Al’s 30 BR rifle was smithed by Stan Ware of SGR Custom Rifles.

Measuring Group Size
Note how Al measures his groups. Look at the top photo. You’ll see Al starts with the extreme outside edge of the hole, including the gray edge or ring. Then Al subtracts .290″, the TRUE size of one bullet-hole in the paper, as opposed to .308″, the nominal bullet diameter. If you simply subtract a full bullet diameter you will get a smaller number for your group size. That’s good for your ego, but Al’s method is more accurate because a bullet normally cuts a hole that is smaller than the actual bullet diameter.

Permalink Bullets, Brass, Ammo, Gunsmithing 2 Comments »
May 26th, 2011

Challenging Steel Safari Match in New Mexico, June 3-5

The kickoff of the 2011 Steel Safari is just a week away, and things are heating up! Temperatures at this long-range field match are always right around 100-degrees, but this year there will be more competitors than ever (38) and a better prize table than ever before. Match organizers expect strong competition this year, as there will be many seasoned Steel Safari “alumni” competing, including recent Steel Safari Top-5 finishers. The Steel Safari takes place this year on June 3rd, 4th, and 5th at the Blue Steel Ranch located near Logan, NM. Zak Smith is the match director. You can learn more about match details and courses of fire at www.SteelSafari.com.


A true field match with no “square-range” in sight, competitors may need to use improvised and non-standard shoot positions to make shots.

The match showcases practical rifle shooting in the field. Competitors locate small and medium-sized steel targets (often hidden), range them, and engage with one shot only, under a challenging time limit. Some movement on the clock is required, and shoot positions are always improvised, the best you can do while on a reverse incline, over a rock face, shooting down a gully, or leaning out the side of a truck. To add to the challenge, these shooting stations are distributed over two different 3-mile courses in rugged desert terrain. Despite this simple general description, there are a host of individual skills that a competitor must master to place well at this match.

Besides being a test of rifle shooting skill, it also stresses rifle and gear setup and reliability, and individual concentration and mettle. After hiking around in the desert for six hours, it takes talent, determination, and good field skills to find six targets out in the terrain, range them accurately, and then quickly make the shot from sometimes very difficult shooting positions.


Rugged precision bolt rifles such as this Accuracy International are typical at the Steel Safari. The .260 Remington is one of the most common cartridges in the Winner’s Circle.

A variety of rifles, calibers, and scopes will be used at the match, but most competitors employ more or less similar gear. First, an accurate rifle is critical. Bench-rest accuracy is not required; one MOA is sufficient, but one-half-MOA is preferred. Almost everyone shoots their own hand-loads with premium bullets from Sierra, Berger, or Lapua. Ballistic data, or “dope,” completes the triad with the rifle and ammunition. Most shooters laminate a small card and tie it to their rifle or scope, or use a retractable “pathfinder” available from Allison Machine Tool or Leupold. Long-range ballistic data isn’t useful unless the target distances can be determined, and the best tool for that is a laser range-finder. Since many laser range-finders are monocular units with limited field of view, a good set of binoculars can be a life-saver when trying to find that hidden target.

Permalink Competition, News No Comments »
May 26th, 2011

Cheap 100gr FB 6mm Bullets at Widener’s

Speer discount 100gr 6mm BulletsIf you are looking for inexpensive, 6mm bullets for fire-forming chores (say if you have a Dasher, BRX, or .243 AI), Widener’s offers 100gr Speer Flatbase bullets at very low cost. Sold in 500-ct bulk packs, the Speer 100-grainers cost just $59.00 for five hundred bullets. That works out to just $11.80 per hundred, less than half the cost of most match bullets.

Varminters who load large quantities of ammo for prairie dog trips might also appreciate this value offering — although the bullets are a bit on the heavy side for prairie-dog size prey.

These soft-point bullets have a fairly long shank and a cannelure. CLICK HERE to order these bullets (item #SE75557) online via Wideners.com

Permalink Bullets, Brass, Ammo, Hot Deals No Comments »
May 25th, 2011

New AR-Comp Powder Starts Shipping This Week

AR-Comp Alliant PowderAlliant is introducing a new extruded powder, AR-Comp. AR-Comp is an advanced re-formulation of Reloder 15, a double-base Bofors powder. There are changes to internal and external chemistry to provide much better pressure/velocity stability across a wide range of temperatures. The main difference between AR-Comp and Reloder 15, is the AR-Comp has a slightly faster burn rate, and AR-Comp is much LESS Sensitive to temperature changes. AR-Comp is a small-kernel, double-base extruded powder like Reloder 15, so it will continue to meter just like Reloder 15. The load density should be the same as Reloder 15.

AR-Comp should be at Grafs.com in a Couple Weeks
Here’s the good news — Alliant will start shipping AR-Comp to Grafs.com later this week. Dick Quesenberry, Alliant Powder Product Manager, told us: “I just received the AR-Comp packaging labels and we hope to send off the first shipments to Grafs this week.” With transit time, expect the powder to be available from Grafs.com by the second week of June. You can go ahead and place advance orders for 1-lb and 8-lb containers of AR-Comp on the Grafs.com website.

AR-Comp Offers Uniform Velocities over a Wide Temp Range
Tests were done with .223 Rem and .308 Win ammo, loaded with AR-Comp and maintained at temps from -20° F to +160° F in a controlled test center. The ammo itself was heated or cooled to targeted temps before testing. Across that entire range of temperature, -20° F to +160° F, the ammo loaded with AR-Comp showed a variation of only 20 fps in muzzle velocity. The primary bullet type tested was a 77gr .224 bullet and the secondary was a 175gr .308 bullet.

Burn Rate Like Varget
Though this is a reformulation of Reloder 15, the burn rate of AR-Comp is slightly faster than Reloder 15. Alliant told us: “Reloder 15 is slightly slower, in burn rate, than Varget. The new AR-Comp, with the enhancements, ended up slightly faster than Reloder 15, so it is now very close to Varget in burn rate”. This is the result of the “tuning” of the powder to be much less temp-sensitive.

AR-Comp First in Series of New Alliant Temp-Stable Powders
AR-Comp will be the first in a series of “new generation” temp-stable powders from Alliant. Quesenberry noted: “Our goal was to provide a powder that offers stable pressures in all temperatures. Shooters want to be able to stay with the same load in winter and in summer, in cold or in hot conditions.” Quesenberry added: “We’ve been working on this quite a while. AR-Comp is the first example and we hope to extend this to other rifle powders. It’s a tough job. You have to balance the performance carefully. We worked very hard to do just that and we think shooters will be impressed with the results.”

Reloder 15 Will Stay in Production
Fans of Alliant’s Reloder 15 don’t need to worry. Alliant will keep Reloder 15 in production. “We don’t drop powder lines”, said Quesenberry.

Permalink New Product, Reloading 5 Comments »
May 25th, 2011

Weaver Extends $50.00 Rebate on Super Slam Scopes

Now through the end of the year, purchasers of Weaver Super Slam® scopes can get a $50.00 rebate. Purchases must be made by Dec 31, 2011. Weaver will give $50 cash-back on Super Slam scopes purchased between April 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011. Completed rebate coupons must be received by January 30, 2012. Coupon with box UPCs and original cash register receipts must be submitted together. Limit one rebate request per name, address and household.

CLICK HERE for printable rebate coupon (PDF File)

Super Slam Weaver Rebate

If you haven’t tried them, the Super Slam Scopes are pretty good for the money. We’ve used them on some varmint rigs and they worked fine. The tracking was consistent, the reticles were straight, and the optics were pretty bright. five reticle options are available. The higher magnification Super Slams (3-15×50 and 4-20×50) feature side-focus parallax adjustments. CLICK HERE to check out the Super Slam lineup at www.weaveroptics.com.

Permalink Hot Deals, Optics No Comments »
May 24th, 2011

Protect Your Barrels with New Polymer Jags and Brush Guides

German Salazar has found some innovative and smartly-engineered new cleaning accessories that can benefit any shooter who wants to maintain the accuracy of his precious (and expensive) barrels. Here’s German’s report on the new Bore Rider Jags and Bore Rider Brush Guides.

Good Stuff: Bore Rider Barrel Care Products by German Salazar
We see new bore cleaning solvents introduced with some regularity, but cleaning hardware evolves more slowly. I’ve been using some new jags from Don Leidich’s Bore Rider Barrel Care Products for a few months and am satisfied that they are a genuine improvement over anything else I’ve used. Don began making these items for the black powder cartridge shooters as their cleaning needs are serious and frequent. He has now expanded the line to include popular bore sizes for modern centerfire barrels.

Bore Rider Jags Brush Guides

Modern Jags and Brush Guides Made from Acetron Polymer
Don’s Bore Rider enterprise makes jags as well as companion Brush Guides for use with bore brushes. These are all made from Acetron® GP, an acetal polymer material similar to Delrin, but with greater lubricity. Bore Rider Jags and Brush Guides minimize any damage that might occur to the crown when the jag or brush exits the bore. With conventional jags and brushes, when brushing or patching your barrel, the cleaning rod shaft falls to the bottom of the bore as the patch or brush exits. Over time, that can result in excessive wear at the lower edge of the bore (6 O’Clock position) in the last few millimeters on the muzzle end. In extreme cases you can even wear a slight groove in the lip of the crown (i.e. the very end of the rifling at the muzzle). Another advantage of Bore Rider Jags over conventional brass jags is that you don’t get “false positive” green/blue patch colorations from solvent reactions with the metal jag itself (as opposed to actual copper fouling in the barrel).

Bore Rider Jags Brush GuidesThe Bore Rider Jag has an extra-long shank so that when the patch exits, the Acetron (polymer) shank is the only thing that makes contact with the crown. This way you don’t have a metal rod tip riding over the delicate crown. The Bore Rider Jag shank diameter is also a close fit to the bore to avoid uneven wear. The Brush Guide is an Acetron extension that fits between your brush and the end of the cleaning rod. This extension protects the crown when you brush, allowing you to push the brush completely out of the barrel without dragging metal connections over the edge of the crown. [Editor’s Tip: While the polymer material used in the Bore Rider Jag and Brush Guide is “kinder” to crowns, be sure keep the Acetron shanks clean from small particles and debris. These particles can embed themselves in the polymer. Wipe off the Jags and Brush Guides regularly.]

If protecting your barrel’s crown was all that these items did, that would be enough to merit their use. However, what’s more interesting about the jags is that they are made for a very tight fit in the bore and as a result, they truly get the patch working to scavenge the grooves of all the residue possible. The fit is so tight that Don was concerned that not all patches might work properly, as some extra thick ones might not enter the bore at all on this jag. I’ve used the jags with patches from Sinclair, Bruno’s Pro-Shot and a couple of no-name bags and all have worked flawlessly. Also, the jags are designed so that the segments that hold the patch material can never come in contact with the crown while pulling it back into the barrel. My borescope examination of the barrels shows that the job is getting done right.

Bore Rider Jags Brush Guides

Source for Bore Rider Jags and Brush Guides
The .223, .243, .264 and .308-caliber jags sell for $15.00 and the Brush Guides sell for $13.00. Other caliber jags start at $22.00 for jags and $18.00 for Brush Guides. These are threaded and chamfered to fit appropriate Dewey rods. The opposite ends on the brush guides have 8-32 female threads. Customers can buy adapters (from other vendors) to fit other brands of cleaning rods. Don can also customize Jags to fit a customer’s rod specifications if you don’t want to deal with an adapter. Don’s custom made Jags and Brush Guides cost $25 and $18 respectively.

Bore Rider Barrel Care Products
Don Leidich
18855 Nelson Rd.
St. Charles, MI 48655
989-642-5036 evenings
brbcp@yahoo.com

Permalink Gear Review, New Product 5 Comments »
May 24th, 2011

International Revolver Championship June 2-5 in California

International ICORE Revolver ChampionshipMany of the world’s best wheelgunners will be in California the first week in June. The 20th Annual Smith & Wesson Int’l Revolver Championship (IRC) takes place June 2-5 at the Hogue Action Pistol Range in San Luis Obispo, CA. This is the 12th consecutive season that San Luis Obispo Sportsmen’s Assn. hosts the IRC, the highlight of the ICORE revolver shooting season. Nearly 200 ace revolver shooters, from the USA as well as 6 foreign countries, are expected to compete. According to Ron Joslin, IRC match director: “This is the highlight of our competition season. It’s where everybody in ICORE comes together to determine who is the best. This is our Superbowl, and it’s been that way for [two decades] now.”

The man to beat in Open Class will be legendary pistolero Jerry Miculek of Team Smith & Wesson. Jerry has won every IRC in which he has competed. When it comes to wheelguns, Miculek is the fastest man on the planet. Also competing will be past Ladies Open Division winner Julie Golob, and past Limited Division Champion John Bagakis.

Along with the adult classifications, the IRC features divisions for Junior shooters. The junior events are always crowd-pleasers. Some of these youngsters are definitely future champions in the making. The video below shows the 2009 IRC Junior Shoot-Off for the overall Junior Title.

YouTube Preview Image
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