There’s a new effort underway to support the Michigan Junior Shooters. The fund-raising campaign hopes to raise $500.00 by Christmas time. Bryan Litz is helping with the effort, donating $4.00 from the purchase price of copies of his book, Applied Ballistics for Long Range Shooting.
Bryan explains: “Funds raised in this campaign will be used to support all disciplines of rifle shooting for Michigan juniors including High Power, Long Range, and Smallbore. Funds will be used to offset costs of team T-shirts, entry fees, travel, housing, and so on. Basically, we are hoping to defray the expenses of competing at a higher level — costs which juniors often cannot cover on their own. I’ll be updating the ‘thermometer’ image as we approach our goal of $500.” Visit the Michigan Rifle and Pistol Association – Juniors WebLog to learn about the juniors’ participation in recent competitions.
The $4 donation per book applies for books sold directly from the Applied Ballistics website. Ordering direct is also the only way to order ‘autographed’ copies of the book.
Bryan adds: “Please consider this as a gift option for a fellow shooter, and to help support young people involved in the shooting sports.”
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In the firearms business we are justifiably proud of the machining quality of high-end components. For example, a multi-flat BAT action with diamond fluted bolt is an impressive piece of machining. But if you want to see a truly amazing example of modern automated machining, watch the two videos below.
5-Axis Milling Magic
In the videos below, a modern, computer-controlled 5-axis milling machine produces a complete motorcycle helmet shell start to finish. Yes, the motorcycle helmet was milled out of one solid 120kg block of aluminum.
Every feature of the aluminum helmet was cut by machine — even the side vents and rear “50th Anniversary” logo and mesh grill”. The machines in use are 5-Axis hyperMILLs produced by Daishin Seiki Corp. of Japan.
Full-Process Start to Finish
5-Axis Milling in Real Time
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Smith & Wesson is going to produce an AR15-type rifle chambered for the .300 Whisper cartridge. This will be an addition to S&W’s Military & Police (M&P) Rifle series. As the first production rifle in the AR platform to be chambered in .300 Whisper (and .300 AAC Blackout), the new rifle offers both sub-sonic and supersonic capabilities. Originally developed and pioneered by J.D. Jones of SSK Industries, the 300 Whisper is based on the .221 Rem Fireball case necked up to .308. Notably, S&W says its M&P15 .300 Whisper is compatible with both the .300 Whisper and the .300 AAC Blackout (BLK) cartridges. The latter is a SAAMI-standardized, trademark-free variant of the .300 Whisper.
Manufactured on the M&P15 (AR-clone) platform, S&W’s new semi-automatic .300 Whisper rifle features an 1 in 7.5” twist, 16″ chrome-moly barrel. Both the forged 7075 aluminum upper and lower receivers have been coated with a Realtree APG camo finish. Standard features include forward assist and a six-position, collapsible CAR stock. MSRP for the complete rifle is $1,119. A separate .300 Whisper AR flat-top upper will also be offered, with an $819.00 MSRP.
“As the popularity of the modern sporting rifle continues to grow, more hunters are seeing the advantages of taking these firearms into the field,” said Mario Pasantes, S&W Senior Vice President of Marketing. “The M&P15 300 Whisper gives consumers the ability to use either lightweight or heavy cartridges during hunting or recreational applications without changing rifles or barrels.”
Is Hunting the Real Market for S&W’s .300 Whisper M&P15?
Editor’s Comment: If this gun is intended for hunting, we’re not sure Smith & Wesson got this one right. While the .300 Whisper is an interesting cartridge, it was originally designed to run sub-sonic, or be used with a suppressor. At sub-sonic velocities, the cartridge doesn’t pack much punch — not much more than a heavy pistol round. So you’re carrying around an 8-lb rifle (with optics) that only hits like a pistol. On the other hand, it can be loaded up to supersonic velocities, yielding ballistics similar to the .30-30.
But if you run it supersonic, why mess with this oddball cartridge at all? There are many other proven, game-killing chamberings for which a huge variety of inexpensive hunting ammo is widely available. (In fairness, .300 Whisper factory ammunition does exist. Hornady now offers both 1200 fps sub-sonic and 2375 fps supersonic .300 Whisper Ammo.)
Now the use of a .300 Whisper with a suppressor is intriguing. But, realistically, how many American hunters are going to get fingerprinted and pay the $200 tax for a suppressor, not to mention the hefty cost of the suppressor itself? As for the rifle configuration, a 16″ barrel is quite short for a hunting gun, and a wobbly first-gen collapsible stock that rattles is the last thing we’d want to take hunting.
Our guess is that most purchasers of this rifle will simply use it for plinking or tactical games, where the low recoil and long barrel life associated with the .300 Whisper will be welcome. One source suggests that the .300 Whisper has become popular with metallic silhouette shooters due to its low recoil and high accuracy. However we doubt you’ll be seeing many M&P15s on the silhouette course, given the funky, collapsible buttstock and short sight radius. (Under NRA Rules, AR15-type rifles are eligible for metallic silhouette competition under rule 3.1.2, but they must use “standard type stock[s]”.)
Story Tip by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
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Highly Recommended. Here’s a great video interview with current F-TR National Champion Jeff Rohrer. At the recent F-Class Nationals, Jeff won the F-TR division (individually), and Jeff also was a member of the winning F-TR squad, Team Sinclair (photo below). In this video interview, Jeff talks about his background in shooting, and explains some of the strategies and techniques that have made him a Champion. Jeff then discusses precision reloading and the equipment used in F-Class competition. Jeff also explores the differences between shooting as an individual and shooting in a team event. There’s a lot to be learned from Jeff’s interview — long-range competitors should take the time to watch it.
Jeff is a modest guy, but very, very talented. Forum member Mark H (aka “Deadlyswift”) tells us: “I have had the pleasure of shooting with Jeff, and against him at Camp Butner. Jeff is not just a great shooter, he’s a great guy! He sets a fine example for fellow shooters to follow. He is always helping out new shooters that come out to shoot with us at Camp Butner. He even lent his own rifle to a newcomer to shoot a relay, because the newcomer’s rifle and load just couldn’t make it to the target at 1000 yards. I have learned a great deal from Jeff. The way he handles himself, and treats people on and off the range, is great for our sport!”
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Savage has confirmed that, for 2012, it will add a 17 Hornet chambering to its line-up of Model 25 varmint rifles. Savage’s decision to produce Model 25s in 17 Hornet was inspired by the release of 17 Hornet ammo from Hornady (see video below). This new rifle and ammo combo provides an affordable, centerfire option for varminters who want something more powerful than the 17 HMR. Though it has low recoil, the 17 Hornet cartridge offers plenty of speed. Hornady says its new 17 Hornet ammo will push a 20gr V-Max at 3,650 fps — that’s 1300 fps faster than a 17 HMR loaded with 20-grainers.
The 17 Hornet is based on the venerable rimmed .22 Hornet case. However, the case is not just necked-down from .22 caliber. The case designers reduced body taper, moved the shoulder, and changed the shoulder angle to 25°. This effectively modernized the old .22 Hornet case, improving efficiency while retaining the max OAL, so that the 17 Hornet can work in any action big enough for the .22 Hornet.
Hornady claims that its new ammo will push a 20gr V-Max bullet at 3650 fps. Dave Emary, Hornady’s Senior Ballistician, says that “This is just a very efficient little cartridge. It uses half the powder of the 17 Remington, has less fouling, more barrel life, and has the felt recoil of about a .22 Magnum.” Learn more by watching the video above.
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Hornady just released a new video that showcases Hornady’s new products for 2012. These include: Critical DUTY® Pistol ammo (9mm and 40 S&W), 17 Hornet® (loaded with 20gr V-Max), and Heavy Magnum® Turkey Shotshells.
The Critical Duty ammo was designed to perform well in FBI protocol tests which demand excellent penetration PLUS reliable bullet expansion to 1.5 times bullet diameter. Hornady achieves this using a “Flexlock” bullet design with a polymer insert in the front of the bullet. The Flexlock plug helps prevents the kind of clogging and nose deformation suffered by conventional hollowpoints when shot through barriers. This allows reliable expansion even after penetrating clothing and other barriers.
New 17 Hornet Varmint Ammo
The new 17 Hornet ammo features a 20gr V-Max bullet in a necked-down 25°-shoulder version of the 22 Hornet parent case. Claimed velocity for this rimmed cartridge is 3650 fps — an impressive number considering the 17 Hornet uses about half the powder of the 17 Remington. Hornady declares that its 17 Hornet ammo will be very reasonably priced, providing an “easy, inexpensive way to get into varminting.”
Last but not least, Hornady’s new Heavy Magnum® Turkey Shotshells pack 1.5 ounces of nickel-plated shot in a full, 3″ 12-gauge shell. This provides exceptional knockdown power for turkey hunters. Notably, these shotshells do NOT require special turkey chokes for your shotgun. Hornady’s proprietary “VersaTite” wad provides a tight shot pattern without special chokes.
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With larger-caliber rifles, manual bore-sighting (with your eyeballs) is not that difficult. Just remove the bolt, and look through the bore at the target. It helps to have a well-illuminated, high-contrast circle target about 8″ to 12″ in diameter. When you’ve got the target centered, then stabilize your gun on the rest so it doesn’t move from that position. Because bore-sighting the old-fashioned way is not that difficult with larger calibers, we’re not sure laser bore-sighters and other gadgets are really needed.
However, with smaller calibers (.17, .204, .223), manual bore-sighting is not so easy. Much less light makes its way down the smaller-diameter bore, and it’s more difficult to find the target on the background. That’s why we welcome two new products from Sightmark. This Texas-based company has developed in-chamber laser boresights for 17 HMR and .22LR rimfire guns. The tiny boresights are correctly dimensioned so they fit in rimfire chambers just like normal 17 HMR or .22LR cartridges. With the boresight in place, simply flick a switch on the battery pack and the laser dot shows exactly where the rifle is aimed. The dot is roughly 2″ in diameter at 100 yards.
Sightmark rimfire boresights are made from brass, so they are gentle on your chambers. The separate battery pack holds two (2) AAA batteries, which will power the laser for about 30 hours. We like the fact that the battery pack is separate. That makes it easier to swap in new batteries, AND, importantly, the battery pack makes it obvious when the boresight is in use. That lessens the chance that someone could mistakenly try to chamber a live round with the boresight in place.
Sightmark Rimfire Boresights Developed After Extensive Comparison Testing
“We tested every competitor’s chamber boresight for the 17 HMR and .22LR currently on the market and found that they did not work well, so we decided to create one that would,” said James Sellers, president of Sightmark. “Our Sightmark 17 HMR and .22LR boresights are as accurate as our other award-winning chamber boresights, so there’s no guessing if you’re on target”. Sightmark 17 HMR and .22LR Rimfire boresights retail for $47.99 and can be ordered directly from the Sightmark Online Catalog.
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The 2012 NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championships and NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championships will be held at Fort Benning, Georgia in March. These events run simultaneously. Dates are March 13-17 for the Pistol Championships and March 13-18 for the Rifle Championships. These Championship matches will be conducted as part of the U.S. Army’s Army Strong Collegiate Shooting Championships.
Participation by Invitation Only
Both the Pistol and Rifle Championships are invitation-only events — the Top 30 ranking individuals in each discipline and the Top Ten ranking team in each discipline are invited to attend. Learn more about these events by downloading the NRA’s 2012 Intercollegiate Championship Online Program, a PDF file. There you will find competition Schedules, Courses of Fire, Training Summits and more. Pistol event coverage starts on page 1 while Rifle information begins on page 17.
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Today, Savage Arms will post previews of its new 2012 product line-up throughout the day, starting at noon Eastern Time. Items will be posted one-by-one. For the “first looks” at new Savage guns, go to Savage’s official Facebook Page, http://www.facebook.com/savagearms. We will publish the new product descriptions here, as they are revealed.
NEW Item Five: Model 11/111 Lady Hunter
The New Model 11/111 Lady Hunter has a female-friendly geometry that features a shorter length of pull, higher comb, shorter reach from pistol grip to trigger, slimmer fore-end and lighter front-end weight.
NEW Item Four: Left-Hand Model 220 Slug Gun
For southpaws, Savage had added a left-hand model 220 20 gauge Slug Gun. Suggested retail is $549.00. This seemed to stir quite a bit of interest among Savage’s Facebook fans.
NEW Item Three: “Rascal” Compact Bolt-Action Rifle for Kids – Just $174
Savage says: “You’ve seen other micro-sized guns but not one like this. It is safer (manual safety, accutrigger and can be unloaded without pulling the trigger). It’s easier to use (feed ramp, cocks on bolt lift) and it’s more accurate — given its accutrigger and adjustable peep sights. The “Rascal” will be available in several colors, to be determined later. Suggested retail is a mere $174.00.
NEW ITEM Two: Stevens Model 320 Shotgun
This is the new Stevens Model 320 Security Pump. It features a pistol grip stock, rotary bolt and Ghost Ring sights. Suggested retail is $260. Whoa — at that price, Savage is going to sell a ton of these if it proves reliable. People will be jazzed by the pistol grip stock and Ghost Rings. If you want a standard stock (which is actually more ergonomic for many folks), Stevens offers that as well (lower photo).
Click Images to Zoom
NEW ITEM One: Trophy Hunter XP Packages
These come with a 3-9×40 Nikon BDC scope, which is a considerable upgrade over previous packages we have offered. These scopes are compatible with Nikon’s proprietary Spot-On ballistic software. We anticipate actual sales prices to be $499.00 to $599.00 for the blue/syn, $549.00 to $649.00 for blue/wood and $599.00 to $699.00 for stainless/synthetic.
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Amazon.com just listed 15 more Pentax PF-80ED Angled spotting scopes at $684.95 with FREE Shipping. While this price does NOT include eyepiece (20-60X zoom costs another $320.00 or so), this is a great deal on a high-quality 80mm spotting scope with great glass. You need to spend $2000.00 or more for a spotting scope that will significantly out-perform the Pentax PF-80ED. Also the Pentax eyepieces (purchase separately) are outstanding. READ MORE here.
Disclosure: AccurateShooter.com has an affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.
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The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has released the results of its latest online survey of active hunters and target shooters. Each month the NSSF surveys shooters’ buying preferences for particular types of merchandise. In August, the NSSF asked shooters to rank the brand(s) of rifle ammo they had purchased most often so far in 2011. Remington lead the way, followed by Federal, Winchester, Hornady, and CCI (in that order).
The NSSF also asked hunters and shooters about their overall spending patterns for the year 2011. Respondents were asked: “Do you think you are buying more, less, or the same amount of hunting equipment so far in 2011 as compared to 2010?”
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Sinclair Int’l is now selling a new line of O-ring-equipped aluminum jags made by The Custom Shop (TCS). These unique TCS O-Ring Jags are crafted from aluminum so they won’t react to solvents. The O-rings hold the patch firmly against the bore surface to efficiently clean powder, lead, copper, and plastic fouling. There are shapes and sizes for pistols, rifles and shotguns. Rifle jags come in sizes .22 (J22), .243 (J2436mm), .257 (J25725Cal), .270-6.8mm (J27068mm), .284 (J2847mm), .308 (J30RP), .338 (J338RP), and .50 Cal (J50). The “RP” models do double-duty for large-caliber rifles and pistols.
We haven’t tried these jags yet, but we think the O-rings may be a good idea. As with any aluminum-bodied jag, be sure to keep the jags clean, as hard particles and debris can become embedded in the aluminum surface. You don’t want to drag embedded debris across your delicate rifling. The TCS jags range in price from $9.95 to $10.95.
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5-Axis Milling Magic
But if you run it supersonic, why mess with this oddball cartridge at all? There are many other proven, game-killing chamberings for which a huge variety of inexpensive hunting ammo is widely available. (In fairness, .300 Whisper factory ammunition does exist. Hornady now offers both 1200 fps sub-sonic and 2375 fps supersonic 
Our guess is that most purchasers of this rifle will simply use it for plinking or tactical games, where the low recoil and long barrel life associated with the .300 Whisper will be welcome. One source suggests that the .300 Whisper has become popular with metallic silhouette shooters due to its low recoil and high accuracy. However we doubt you’ll be seeing many M&P15s on the silhouette course, given the funky, collapsible buttstock and short sight radius. (Under 
The Critical Duty ammo was designed to perform well in FBI protocol tests which demand excellent penetration PLUS reliable bullet expansion to 1.5 times bullet diameter. Hornady achieves this using a “Flexlock” bullet design with a polymer insert in the front of the bullet. The Flexlock plug helps prevents the kind of clogging and nose deformation suffered by conventional hollowpoints when shot through barriers. This allows reliable expansion even after penetrating clothing and other barriers.
New 17 Hornet Varmint Ammo
However, with smaller calibers (.17, .204, .223), manual bore-sighting is not so easy. Much less light makes its way down the smaller-diameter bore, and it’s more difficult to find the target on the background. That’s why we welcome two new products from 
The 2012 NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championships and NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championships will be held at Fort Benning, Georgia in March. These events run simultaneously. Dates are March 13-17 for the Pistol Championships and March 13-18 for the Rifle Championships. These Championship matches will be conducted as part of the U.S. Army’s Army Strong Collegiate Shooting Championships. 
