You have to love a gun company CEO who actually gets behind the trigger. In this “behind the scenes” video made during the filming of a Savage Arms commercial in Utah, Team Savage Captain Stan Pate guides Savage CEO Ron Coburn in the use of the Savage Palma rifle chambered in .308 Winchester. Despite the somewhat wobbly shooting platform, Ron successfully hits targets at 1200 yards. Ron comes away smiling, as do members of the film crew who get “trigger time” at the end of the video.
The video has a very positive vibe and does a great job illustrating why it’s fun to shoot accurate rifles at long range. Hat’s off to Savage for putting its CEO behind the trigger. We love Stan Pate’s closing line. With a big grin, he says that the Savage rifle’s accuracy makes long-range shooting “So easy — even the Boss can do it“.
Eurooptics.com now carries the impressive Vectronix Terrapin Laser Rangefinder. The $1995.00 Terrapin is a high-grade, milspec device rated to 2400m, well beyond the stated ranges for LRFs in the $600-$1000 class. Field reports indicated that the Terrapin is very good. One field tester, using a Terrapin set on a tripod, said the Terrapin hit 16″ plates at 800 yards more reliably than a Swarovski Laserguide. Ranging a small object like that at 800 yards is a tough test for any LRF. The Terrapin performs well on smaller objects because it has extremely tight beam divergence (this means the beam doesn’t spread out like a wide cone at long range).
The reports we’ve received indicate that the Vectronix lives up to expectations created by its 2400m distance rating. Jason Baney reports: “This Vectronics is impressive. In the right conditions, these units can range well beyond 2000 yards. On a Snipers’ Hide Thread, Vectronix Terrapin owners have reported ranging successfully past 3000 yards on large objects.” Available in tan or green, the Terrapin has a rugged aluminum inner housing and is rated to be waterproof with 60 minutes of immersion. It is easy to hold, and weighs just 1.1 pounds. Efficient electronics allow the Terrapin to make over 7,000 ranging “shots” before the two CR123 batteries need to be replaced.
Now competing with major sponsorship from Taurus firearms, Jessie Duff (formerly Jessie Harrison) thoroughly dominated the ladies’ division of the recent U.S. Steel Challenge Nationals in Florida, winning the Steel Master title. It seems like you can put any makers’ firearm in Jessie’s capable hands, and she comes out a winner.
Jessie defended her 2011 titles in Ladies Limited, Open and Steel Master, making this her 6th year in a row to win the Ladies Steel Master title. “Competing for Steel Master is a lot more difficult than you would think,” Duff says. “You have to be just as proficient with all three guns, as someone would be with one. A lot of time goes into training for it, and thankfully it paid off this weekend!”
At the U.S. Steel Challenge Nationals, Jessie competed in three divisions: .22 Optic Rimfire, Limited, and Open. All three divisions qualify her for the Steel Master title, an Aggregate score of all three divisions. After the match Jessie commented, “This match was the first match of the year for me, and I wanted to kick the season off with a victory, especially with my new relationship with Taurus. I was very proud to come home with three national titles!” Mark Kresser, President and CEO of Taurus USA comments, “We are very pleased with Jessie’s performance. Jessie is … taking Taurus to a new level and breaking open the door of the competition world.”
Six decades after the introduction of the M16, Colt has added a gas piston system to the venerable AR15. Colt put a gas piston in this new AR-platform rifle in order to improve reliability and reduce fouling. The new gas-piston Colt AR, designated the LE6940P, will be sold to both civilians and law enforcement agencies. In selling a gas-piston AR, Colt is following the lead of Heckler & Koch (HK 416) and other manufacturers who have found a market among buyers seeking a lower-maintenance AR with significantly less internal powder fouling than the original direct-gas-impingement AR design.
Colt’s product press release declares: “Colt Defense LLC … has advanced its one-piece monolithic upper receiver to introduce the LE6940P. This modular carbine has an articulating link piston (ALP) operating system and offers shooters a highly accurate, lightweight and easy-to-clean AR-platform rifle with an extended lifespan. The advanced piston carbine (APC) is a lightweight, highly accurate alternative to the traditional direct gas impingement system found in most ARs. The LE6940P utilizes a unique articulating link piston (ALP) operating system, which reduces inherent stress in the piston stroke by allowing for deflection and thermal expansion. As a result, shooters are offered a highly accurate firing experience and the weapon’s lifespan is extended.”
Piston Design Developed for U.S. Military “The new LE6940P puts to use a new, improved version of a piston system that Colt originally pioneered for the U.S. Army,” said David Ridley, Vice President of Colt Defense LLC. Ridley added: “Colt was the first to put a piston system in an AR, and we have continued to improve on that system since. Now, any civilian shooter or law enforcement professional has the opportunity to shoot using this superior piston-operated AR.”
Monolithic Upper with Extended Rail
The LE6940P weighs just over 6.5 pounds, and measures 35 inches with stock extended. The rifle is chambered in .223 Rem (5.56×45 NATO) and uses standard AR15 magazines. Colt delivers the LE6940P with a full-length rail running from the rear of the upper receiver to the front sight. This allows many mounting options for sights and accessories. Colt has also includes a back-up iron sight (BUIS) and a folding front sight. The lower receiver is marked “Piston Carbine” and comes with a Colt/Rogers Super-Stoc M4 H-buffer stock kit with cam-lock lever, push-button QD swivel, and accessory kit. The standard barrel is a 16.5″-long M4-type contour with flash-hider. CLICK HERE for large photos of the internals, plus close-ups of the folding sights.
Here’s a interesting new ammo option for air rifle shooters. Gamo Outdoor USA has introduced new Bone Collector® lead pellets featuring dome tips and grooved skirts. Gamo claims that the rounded nose and grooved skirt makes these pellets more aerodynamic (with a higher ballistic coefficient), so they retain more energy at longer distances. That’s good news for Airgun varmint hunters. The .177 pellet weighs 7.56 grains while the larger .22-caliber version weighs 15.43 grains. Gamo claims that the high weight-to-caliber ratio and higher BC gives Bone Collector® pellets “more terminal penetration than standard lead pellets” and a stable flight trajectory. MSRP is $8.95 per tin (150 pellets/tin in .177 and 100 pellets/tin in .22). Whether the Bone Collector pellets really live up to the marketing hype remains to be seen, but it’s still good to see some new offerings among pellet-makers.
Nothing New Under the Sun?
While Gamo is claiming that its domed and skirted pellet design is an innovative new aerodynamic design, sharp-eyed Bulletin reader Julio from the UK points out the the Gamo Bone Collector is a dead-ringer for the RWS Superdome pellet, which has been available for quite some time. Check out the photos and you’ll see the similarity.
The RWS Superdome is available in three sizes: .177, .22, and .25. The Gamo Bone Collector pellets are a bit heavier in .22 caliber: Gamo’s .22-cal Bone Collector is 15.43 grains compared to 14.5 for the .22-cal Superdome. But the RWS .177-cal Superdome is 8.3 grains compared to 7.56 grains for the bone Collector. And Gamo has nothing to match the jumbo 31.0 grain .25-caliber Superdome.
In this NSSF Video, Ryan Cleckner, a former Sniper Instructor for the 1st Ranger Battalion, defines the term “MilliRadian” (Milrad) and explains how you can use a mildot-type scope to range the distance to your target. It’s pretty simple, once you understand the angular subtension for the reticle stadia dots/lines. Cleckner also explains how you can use the milrad-based reticle markings in your scope for elevation hold-overs and windage hold-offs.
Even if you normally shoot at known distances, the hold-off capability of milrad-reticle scopes can help you shoot more accurately in rapidly-changing wind conditions. And, when you must engage multiple targets quickly, you can use the reticle’s mil markings to move quickly from one target distance to another without having to spin your elevation turrets up and down.
GOOD RESOURCE: If you want to learn more about using Milliradians and Mildot scopes, we suggest the excellent article The Truth about Mil Dots by Michael Haugen. This article explains, in considerable detail, the use of U.S. Army and U.S.M.C. Mildot scopes. Haugen begins with basic definitions: 1 radian = 2 PI; 1 Milliradian (Milrad or ‘Mil’) = 1/1000th of a radian; 1 Milliradian = .0573 degrees.
Forum member Ed L. (aka itchyTF) owns one of the beautifully-crafted SEB NEO front joystick rests. These units are in short supply — creator Seb Lambang can’t keep up with demand. Anyone lucky enough to own a SEB NEO would naturally would want to keep it in perfect condition, and Ed is no exception. Ed put together a system to cradle and protect his SEB NEO during transport and storage. Ed tells us: “I decided to give my NEO its own home. I only wanted to remove the leg before storage so I decided on an empty Pelican Storm IM2450 case and added my own foam. This IM2450 case is a little wider than it needs to be, but I couldn’t find anything closer and still fit the other dimensions. The blue and white foam is more rigid than the typical gray foam. The Allen wrenches are placed in the rear piece of white foam.”
Ed found the Pelican Storm IM2450 case on the internet for $103 with free shipping. This same case is sold as the Hardigg IM2450 Storm Case. All-up weight, with the SEB NEO rest in the case, is 32 pounds. CLICK Thumbnails below to view larger images.
Creedmoor Sports recently released its new 2012 catalog — with 2011 NRA High Power Champion Carl Bernosky on the cover. Last year Carl won his NINTH National High Power Championship*. There is both a traditional print version of the new Creedmoor catalog, as well as a new digital version online. In the online digital catalog, you can flip the pages just like a real catalog, view page thumbnails, and easily print out catalog pages for future reference.
In the new Creedmoor Catalog, we found some cool products you guys may not have seen before. Of course this is just a small sample of the thousands of items in the current catalog.
Malcolm Hi-Lux M73G2 Rifle Scope
Item HL-M73G21, $399.95
Modern repro vintage-style scope ideal for Vintage Sniper Rifle Matches. If you shoot a 1903 Springfield or old Mauser in the sniper matches this is just what you need. Fine cross-hair reticle with multi-coated lenses. The M73G2 features internal 1/2-MOA per click elevation and windage adjustment, with 60 clicks (30 MOA) per full turn. Total adjustment for both Elevation and Windage is 50 MOA each, i.e, 25 MOA up and down and 25 MOA left and right from the reticle’s centered position.
Blank Eyepiece
Item C1038, $6.95
This semi-opaque eye-shield clips on your shooting eyewear on either right or left side. This allows you to shoot with both eyes open, reducing eyestrain and fatigue. For cross-dominant shooters who don’t want to hold their rifle or pistol with their weak-side hand, this device can be very helpful.
Holland’s Scope Level
Item HOL-LEVEL, $49.95
There are many leveling devices on the market, but we think this is one of the best designs yet (when mounted properly). The T-6 aluminum alloy level fits on your scope tube, with the bubble level set to the side for easy viewing when in firing position. The unit, offered in 1 inch, 30mm, and 34mm sizes, can be flipped so you can place the bubble on either the right side or left side. This unit is easier to see with your left eye than levels mounting in the center of the scope.
The Score Keeper and Pit Puller (by Jim Owens)
Item JOSKPP, $11.95 (Book on CD/DVD)
Can you explain the 11 Hit Rule, the Excessive Hits Rule, the Insufficient Hits Rule, and what to do for a withdrawn target? If not, and you compete in High Power matches, you need this DVD. This useful resource can help match directors and score keepers, and it is an effective training tool for new pit workers. The DVD features over 300 color slides and shows scoring situations from both the Pit Puller’s POV and the Score Keeper’s POV.
Anschütz Shaker Pellet Box
Item AHG-1001, $19.95
With this handy item airgun shooters can sort, count and arrange pellets. This is the best set-up for holding 100 match pellets in rows, and protected from damage. (It’s easy to ding the tails of pellets, which can really harm accuracy.) To quickly fill the box, just pour some pellets into the box, press down on the side tabs, and shake gently back and forth. If you sort pellets by weight (or other criteria), you can also place the pellets individually.
*Bernosky has won the High Power Championship in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1992, 2000, 2007, 2008, and 2011. *In 1981 Carl won the Match Rifle division, but D.I. Boyd, a Service Rifle shooter, had the highest overall Aggregate.
This past weekend, Forum member Ron Boyd shot a 1.462″ five-shot Light Gun group at 1000 yards in an IBS benchrest match at the MidWest Benchrest Club in Yukon, Missouri. Ron shot a 6mm Dasher with Bartlein barrel and PR&T stock. Ron’s 1.462″ group is 0.065″ off the existing IBS 1000-yard Light Gun record. Ron’s group also happens to be .011″ smaller than the current NBRSA 1K Light Gun record, 1.473″ shot by Bill Schrader in 2002. (But this is not counted by the NBRSA since Ron shot in an IBS match.) Ron’s group was shot in the first relay of the day, in good conditions. The group had three (3) shots clustered in under one-third inch (0.03 MOA)!
This is truly a spectacular achievement. We think this has to been one of the smallest five-shot groups ever shot at 1000 yards, and probably the smallest ever with a 6mm cartridge. At 1000 yards, 1 MOA is 10.47″. This means that Ron’s group measured in at 0.1396 MOA! To give you an idea of how small Ron’s group really was, at left is a 1.462″ circle shown at 100% scale, along with a quarter at 100% scale.* The circle represents the center-to-center distance of Ron’s five shots at 1000 yards. Total vertical dispersion was just under 1.2″ for five shots. The vertical for the top four shots (measured with OnTarget software) was just 0.398″! Shown below is a flat-bed scan of the actual target. Notice the tight cluster of 3 shots touching. That’s a dime in the photo added for scale.
Ron Boyd’s 6mm Dasher Load Ron loaded a stout charge of Long Range Match surplus powder with Spencer 103gr bullets seated about .010″ OFF the lands. The bullets were “right out of the box”, NOT pointed. This powder has burn-rate characteristics very similar to Alliant Reloder 15, and Ron used his regular RL15 charge, adjusted by half a grain or so. Ron was using no-neck-turn “brown-box” Lapua 6BR brass formed into the 40° improved 6mm Dasher case. The unturned, loaded case necks measure about 0.2695″, yielding .0015″ total clearance in a 0.271″ chamber. The brass used for the 1.462″ group had seven previous firings. Ron anneals his brass after every firing using a Benchsource annealing machine. Ron told us: “The Benchsource is the greatest annealing machine there is, as far as I’m concerned.” Ron ultrasonically cleans his brass and then tumbles his brass after the ultrasound process. He does NOT use an internal neck lubricant. He does NOT uniform his primer pockets and he does NOT ream his flashholes. Ron believes this load was running “right around 3000 fps”, but he has not chron’d it yet using the new Bartlein barrel.
Ron Boyd’s 6mm Dasher Light Gun
Ron’s 17-lb Light Gun featured a BAT SV Action, Bartlein 30″ 1:8″ twist, 0.237″ land barrel, and Precision Rifle & Tool “Hammerhead” benchrest stock with 5″-wide wings in front. This stock weighs 4 lbs 1 oz. with an aluminum butt plate and is about 36.5″ long with integrated rails on the bottom of the “wings”. Ron’s friends Rich Griffin and Jerry Kloeppel did the chambering and bedding. Ron recently put the Bartlein barrel on the gun. Ron estimates that the barrel had only 40 rounds through it when it produced the 1.462″ group. Ron tells us: “This new barrel is great, and the 5″ PR&T stock really works. I luckily pulled the trigger at the right time.” Ron told us that this rifle shot in the high ones/low twos at 100 yards during testing.
PR&T Hammerhead Stock (catalog photo)
*The circle and quarter should appear “true size” when viewed at the most common monitor resolution. If you are running a higher resolution on your monitor, the illustration will appear small than actual size.
Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk is a popular, nationally-syndicated radio show. FYI, Tom Gresham will be broadcasting live from the NRA Annual Meeting in St. Louis, April 12-15, 2012. We enjoy listening to Gun Talk radio, but we’ve found that Gun Talk is not widely broadcast in some areas of the country, or the radio broadcast times are not convenient for listening. Recognizing this, Gun Talk has recorded many of its popular broadcasts and offered them for FREE as downloadable .MP3 audio files. These “podcast” files can be played by any inexpensive media player (such as the Apple Shuffle), and many current vehicle GPS units can play .MP3 files so you can now listen to Gun Talk in your car whenever you please.
Gun Talk’s podcasts were downloaded over 2 million times in 2011 — proving this is a smart way to access Gresham’s popular radio sessions. To download Gun Talk podcasts, go to www.guntalk.libsyn.com, and simply right-click on each particular file’s “POD” icon to download. The latest 2012 broadcasts are available along with complete archives for 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, and 2006. Just click any year/month on the left to access older broadcasts. You’ll find hundreds of hours of free entertainment.
Now competing with major sponsorship from Taurus firearms, Jessie Duff (formerly Jessie Harrison) thoroughly dominated the ladies’ division of the recent U.S. Steel Challenge Nationals in Florida, winning the Steel Master title. It seems like you can put any makers’ firearm in Jessie’s capable hands, and she comes out a winner.
“The new LE6940P puts to use a new, improved version of a piston system that Colt originally pioneered for the U.S. Army,” said David Ridley, Vice President of Colt Defense LLC. Ridley added: “Colt was the first to put a piston system in an AR, and we have continued to improve on that system since. Now, any civilian shooter or law enforcement professional has the opportunity to shoot using this superior piston-operated AR.”
Nothing New Under the Sun?
In this NSSF Video, Ryan Cleckner, a former Sniper Instructor for the 1st Ranger Battalion, defines the term “MilliRadian” (Milrad) and explains how you can use a mildot-type scope to range the distance to your target. It’s pretty simple, once you understand the angular subtension for the reticle stadia dots/lines. Cleckner also explains how you can use the milrad-based reticle markings in your scope for elevation hold-overs and windage hold-offs.
Forum member Ed L. (aka itchyTF) owns one of the beautifully-crafted SEB NEO front joystick rests. These units are in short supply — creator Seb Lambang can’t keep up with demand. Anyone lucky enough to own a SEB NEO would naturally would want to keep it in perfect condition, and Ed is no exception. Ed put together a system to cradle and protect his SEB NEO during transport and storage. Ed tells us: “I decided to give my NEO its own home. I only wanted to remove the leg before storage so I decided on an empty Pelican Storm IM2450 case and added my own foam. This IM2450 case is a little wider than it needs to be, but I couldn’t find anything closer and still fit the other dimensions. The blue and white foam is more rigid than the typical gray foam. The Allen wrenches are placed in the rear piece of white foam.”
Malcolm Hi-Lux M73G2 Rifle Scope
Blank Eyepiece
Holland’s Scope Level
The Score Keeper and Pit Puller (by Jim Owens)
Anschütz Shaker Pellet Box
This past weekend, Forum member Ron Boyd shot a 1.462″ five-shot Light Gun group at 1000 yards in an IBS benchrest match at the 
This is truly a spectacular achievement. We think this has to been one of the smallest five-shot groups ever shot at 1000 yards, and probably the smallest ever with a 6mm cartridge. At 1000 yards, 1 MOA is 10.47″. This means that Ron’s group measured in at 0.1396 MOA! To give you an idea of how small Ron’s group really was, at left is a 1.462″ circle shown at 100% scale, along with a quarter at 100% scale.* The circle represents the center-to-center distance of Ron’s five shots at 1000 yards. Total vertical dispersion was just under 1.2″ for five shots. The vertical for the top four shots (measured with OnTarget software) was just 0.398″! Shown below is a flat-bed scan of the actual target. Notice the tight cluster of 3 shots touching. That’s a dime in the photo added for scale.
Ron Boyd’s 6mm Dasher Load
Ron loaded a stout charge of 
Tom Gresham’s 
