The 2012 Summer Olympics in London begin July 27 with shooting events starting the 28th and wrapping up August 5, 2012. NBC has already launched a full-featured website dedicated to the London Olympics at NBCOlympics.com.
We visited NBCOlympics.com this morning and were pleased to see that NBC has already launched a content-rich “homepage” dedicated to Olympic shooting. This includes Latest Shooting News, Tech Info, Event Schedules, Shooter Profiles, and Feature Stories with Video. There’s an excellent Video Interview with Sarah Scherer (10m Air Rifle), and you’ll even find a ‘Glamour’ Photo Shoot with Smallbore 3-P Shooter Amanda Furrer. In the NSSF video below, Amanda chats about the challenge of making the U.S. Olympic Team:
Fifteen (15) shooting events are featured at the 2012 London Olympic Games
Rifle
Pistol
Shotgun
Men's 10m Air Rifle
Men's 50m Rifle Prone
Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions
Women's 10m Air Rifle
Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions
Men's 10m Air Pistol
Men's 25m Rapid Fire Pistol
Men's 50m Pistol
Women's 10m Air Pistol
Women's 25m Pistol
Men's Trap
Men's Double Trap
Men's Skeet
Women's Trap
Women's Skeet
Olympic Television Broadcasts and Online Webcasts
NBC TV will broadcast many shooting events as part of its 2012 Olympics coverage. Supplementing that broadcast coverage will be Live Extra WebCasting. The Live Extra option provides real-time or delayed coverage of EVERY Olympic event. That’s right, you can watch every single Olympic event on the web. The Live Extra service does require viewers to register online for the service. In addition, you will need to verify that you subscribe to a cable, satellite, or telecom video tier that includes CNBC and MSNBC on the NBCOlympics.com website. CLICK HERE to learn more about Live Extra services.
History of Shooting in Modern Olympics
One of the original events featured at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, the shooting sports have been present in all but the 1904 and 1928 games. The United States leads the field in shooting sports medals, having racked up 103 all-time, including 50 Gold. China is second with 42 total shooting medals and 19 Gold. The Chinese had the top showing at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, taking home eight shooting medals, five of which were Gold. (In Beijing Team USA garnered six shooting medals, including two Gold.)
A custom, high-end Benchrest, F-Class, or High Power rifle can cost upwards of $4000.00. Some of the latest scopes (March, Schmidt & Bender) cost $2000-$2800 by themselves. If you’re transporting three or four “ultimate rifles” with premium scopes to the range, you could be hauling $16,000 worth of firearms. Bring along a rangefinder, Co-Axial rest, spotting scope, and chronograph, and that could push the total closer to $20,000.
How do you safeguard that kind of investment (without driving around in a Brinks armored truck)? One of the best storage systems available is the Truck-Vault, built in Washington state. Truck-vaults are custom-fitted, locking storage cabinets that fit in a Pick-up truck bed, SUV, or station wagon. Various designs are available, including a waterproof “Extreme Series.” Both single-drawer and multi-draw layouts are offered with lengths up to 60″ overall, and top-load capacity of 2000 pounds. A variety of interior configurations are available.
For transporting scoped match rifles, we suggest Truck-Vault’s “Magnum Line”, which has two drawers with 10.5″ of vertical clearance. This offers two primary sliding compartments (on roller casters), plus smaller storage boxes where you can keep valuable gear securely out of sight.
Truck-Vault Video Showing Break-In Attempt
Truck-Vaults carry a big price-tag. SUV models start at $1355.00, but expect to pay closer to $2000.00 for a unit with all the bells and whistles. Balance that cost against the value of the all firearms and accessories you are transporting. If you spend much time on the road with a pricey collection of guns, optics, and accessories, a Truck-Vault may be a wise investment. This editor first saw a Truck-Vault on a Chevy Suburban belonging to an Arizona gunsmith who does a lot of work for the military. It was not unusual for him to haul $50,000 worth of Class III weapons. For him, the Truck-Vault was an essential security feature. For more info, visit TruckVault.com or call (800) 967-8107.
On July 4th, 2012 the AccurateShooter.com Shooters’ Forum hit another membership milestone. We surpassed 18,000 registered members on Independence Day — a good omen we think.
If you haven’t sampled our Forum yet, cruise over to Forum.AccurateShooter.com and check it out. You’ll find a wealth of information shared by thousands of knowledgeable members. The boards are tightly moderated to prevent the ego battles common to some other internet forums. Our Shooters’ Forum maintains a high “signal to noise ratio”, with courteous and respectful exchange of ideas.
Along with our informational Forum areas, we offer FREE CLASSIFIEDS for all registered forum members. You’ll find some great values in the Classifieds, and we provide a feedback system for buyers and sellers. Published feedback helps you buy and sell with greater confidence.
Unlike benchrest shooters, hunters need to be able to make shots with significant up-angles or down-angles. That whitetail buck may be poised on a ridgetop above you, or in a valley below. When making an angled shot, the hunter faces a complex ballistic solution. This is because the angle of the shot alters the effective ballistic distance to the target. Whether you shoot up-angle or down-angle, you must adjust your elevation “clicks” as if you are shooting a shorter distance. See the diagram below. The drop of your bullet is a function of gravity, which remains constant. When you shoot at a steep angle, the actual bullet travel over the ground will be less than the sloped distance to your target.
But how do you determine the flat-line or “gravity-corrected distance”? There’s a simple tool that will do the job: the patented Angle Cosine Indicator (ACI®) invented by U.S. Army Veteran Ward Brien.
When you aim your rifle at an angle, the ACI shows the cosine value of your intended shot by means of a highly visible index mark. You simply multiply the true, sloped distance to your target by the cosine value (as a percentage), to get the corrected, flat line distance to target, i.e. the bottom leg of the triangle. Then set your scope’s elevation accordingly. For example, if you range the line of sight distance to your target at 400 yards, and the ACI shows a cosine value of 0.87 (for 30 degrees), then your flat-line “gravity-corrected distance” is 400 x 0.87 = 348 yards. Now Dial your elevation for 350 yards (from your come-up table).
This simple multiplication method works well for typical 100-300 yard hunting distances, but it’s not perfect. For longer-range shots, out to 1000 yards, some other factors come into play. The most accurate method for long ranges is to input the cosine number into ballistic software, such as Exbal Ballistic Targeting Software, that runs on a PDA or smart phone. The software takes into account the fact that, during an angled shot, the bullet must still travel the full distance to target, and will have a longer time of flight than when covering the flat line distance. At very long ranges there can be as much as eight (8) MOA difference between the simple multiplication method and the solution generated by the ballistic software. NOTE: ACI Inventor Ward Brien has posted a Comment to this article which explains in greater detail why inputting the ACI value into a ballistics program is the “preferred method”.
The Angle Cosine Indicator costs $145.95 from Sniper Tools. The ACI is made from aircraft grade aluminum, anodized flat black. Angles are laser-engraved onto the body in five (5) degree increments. The lens is water-resistant, shatter-proof, and shock-proof. Completely mechanical, there are no batteries or electronics to fail. For more info, visit SniperTools.com, or call (818) 359-0512.
SniperTools.com also offers an Angle Degree Indicator (ADI) for $114.95 (Civilian model). This shows the actual angle from horizontal. If you have a mobile ballistics solver, you can simply input the angle and the ranged yardage and the solver will provide the flatline “gravity-corrected Distance”. Some shooters find it easier to think in terms of the actual angle deflection from horizontal.
There are several ways to mount an ADI or ACI. We prefer a 90° slotted mount attached to a Picatinny rail. SniperTools.com sells a Badger Ordnance ACI/ADI Rail Mount for $60.00.
Today, July 4th, we are celebrating a special birthday — the launching of a new nation that would become the world’s greatest exemplar of freedom and democracy. With our current concerns about the troubled economy, it is easy to lose sight of the challenges that faced our fore-fathers, and the continuing burdens we all share, as Americans, to maintain freedom at home and stand as an example to other peoples engaged in the struggle for democracy overseas. It is more important than ever that we remember the ideals on which the nation was founded, and remember that our nation became great through the efforts and talents of a free citizenry, not through an all-powerful central government.
In the Beginning — Overcoming Great Odds
In a July 4th speech, Navy Lt. Ellen Connors wrote: “Our nation declared its independence in order for our families to live free –- not just for one generation but for future generations. And what odds [the founding fathers] faced. It must have seemed impossible. Our forefathers went up against the world’s most colossal empire since ancient Rome. No colony had ever successfully left a mother country to set up a self-governing state.”
The Price of Freedom… The Pride of A Nation
Here is a selection from Daniel Webster’s July 4th, 1851 Oration. His words ring true even now:
On the 4th of July, 1776, the assembled Representatives of the United States of America in Congress declared that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, FREE and INDEPENDENT States. This Declaration, made by most patriotic and resolute men, trusting in the justice of their cause and the protection of Heaven, and yet made not without deep solicitude and anxeity, has now stood for seventy-five years, and still stands. It was sealed in blood. It has met dangers, and overcome them; it has had enemies, and conquered them; it has had detractors, and abashed them all….
Every mans’ heart swells within him… as he remembers that seventy-five years have rolled away, and that the great inheritance of liberty is still his — his, undiminished and unimpaired, his in all its original glory; his to enjoy; his to protect; and his to transmit to future generations.
You can download a high-resolution version of the above image from Fireworks.com.
Sinclair Int’l is running a great promotion right now through midnight (11:59 pm) on July 4th. If you use CODE DS6 during check-out, you’ll get FREE Shipping on all orders of $99.00 or more. Remember this offer runs out Wednesday night. You can find current featured items on sale on Sinclair’s Sale Page. Among the items discounted currently are the Sinclair Competition Shooting Rest ($599.99 on sale), the Edgewood MiniGator rear bag ($124.99 on sale), and the Sinclair Cleaning Cradle ($44.99 on sale).
Benchrest shooter Bill Gammon offers a nice product that helps prevent solvents and oils from marring the finish of a fine wood stock, or a painted fiberglass stock. The STOKBOOT also prevents solvents from softening the bedding, while guarding against nicks and scratches. Gammon’s STOKBOOT fits over the rifle stock during cleaning of the barrel. The quilt on the outside soaks up the solvent before it reaches the stock and holds it until it evaporates. A twin layer of vinyl on the inside stops any solvents from getting through, but Gammon cautions that you should not leave the STOKBOOT on overnight, because solvents could soak through. The basic colors are Red, Wine, Black, Blue, and Green. Typical retail price is about $17.00.
Gammon explains how he came up with the STOKBOOT: “My wife Barbara and I started this business in 1992 as a means to support a very expensive sport, namely Bench Rest. My wife had been in the sewing business for many years. Her experience included sewing, layout, cutting, and management, so it was only logical that the next step was opening our own business. I had complained about having to use a rag over my stock to prevent solvents that I was using from ruining the paint job on the stock, and also seeping into the bedding area and softening up the bedding. So between her expertise in the sewing world and my practical knowledge, we came up with our first STOKBOOT.”
Gammon sells wholesale only. His STOKBOOTs are available through popular retail vendors including: Accuracy Arms, Borden Rifles, Bruno Shooters Supply, Russ Haydon’s Shooters’ Supply, Sinclair International. European dealers are: Reloading Solutions (UK), and Heinz Henke (Germany).
Bryan at Powder Valley Inc. (PVI) let us know that Powder Valley is offering a “Freedom Special” on July 4th. You get free shipping (exclusive of hazmat and insurance) for online orders (over $150) placed on July 4th. Bryan explains: “In celebration of Independence Day and the wonderful men and women who have fought for our great nation Powder Valley is offering free freight (does not include hazmat and insurance) on all orders over $150.00.”
IMPORTANT: To qualify, Orders must be placed ONLINE between 12:01 AM and 11:59 PM ET on July 4, 2012.. Don’t forget that, where required, hazmat fees and insurance costs will still charged with shipments.
Those of us over-40 types can use some help when shooting iron sights. As one gets older, your eyes lose the ability to rapidly adjust to different points of focus. In practice, when shooting a rifle, this means the target image may be sharp but the sights are blurry, or vice-versa. Or you may be able to see the target and front sight reasonably well, but the rear sight is a complete blurr. (That is this Editor’s problem when shooting a rifle, such as a Swedish Mauser, with a notched blade rear sight.) Even if you are using a rear peep sight, you may see a blurry rear circle (or two circles if you have astigmatism). Placing a diopter on your shooting glasses can help many people see open sights better, when shooting both handguns and rifles.
Merit Corp. in Schenectady, NY, offers an adjustable metal diopter that attaches to shooting glasses with a rubber cup. Though primarily intended for pistol shooters, the Merit diopter can also be helpful when shooting rifles with open sights, such as military bolt actions. Priced at $65.00, the Merit device features a shutter-style adjustable aperture iris.
Merit explains: “The human eye, whether or not prescription glasses are required, cannot focus on both sights and the target at the same time. The eye will constantly shift focus from the sights to the target trying to ensure proper alignment. Unfortunately, as we age, the eye loses the flexibility which allows it to do this; thus, sights and target begin to grow fuzzy. There is a simple way to combat this by increasing your eyes’ depth of field (range of focus). If you look through an aperture or pinhole of the correct size, you will be able to see both sights clearly, and the target will be clearly defined as well.”
In addition to diopters for eyeglasses, Merit produces a variety of adjustable iris sight products for rifles, including the Variable Iris Aperature for AR15s. Visit MeritCorporation.com or call (518) 346-1420.
Cheaper Diopter from Lyman
If you can’t afford a Merit adjustable diopter, Lyman offers a similar all-plastic device for under $20.00. The Lyman Hawkeye Shooting Aid mounts directly to your eyeglass lens with a rubber suction cup. The diopter section is made of plastic, and aperture diameter is non-adjustable.
Though it is simple and inexpensive, the Lyman Hawkeye works for many shooters, if positioned properly. (Don’t think this is anything close to the Merit Diopter in quality though!) Currently, Cabelas.com has the Lyman Hawkeye on sale for just $12.88, item # IK-229094. MidwayUSA sells the Lyman Hawkeye for $18.99, item # 936878. One MidwayUSA customer reports:
“This thing really works! I have it on my shooting glasses, and it has made a significant improvement in my ability to keep the front sight and target in focus at the same time. If you are older and find that you are having a hard time keeping the target in focus over ‘iron sights’, then this may be the answer to your problem. Mine works equally well for both pistol and rifle, although I do have to change the device’s position on my shooting glasses when changing weapon types.”
Every summer at Camp Perry, Ohio, prior to the National Rifle and Pistol Trophy Matches, soldiers from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) take time to pass their knowledge on to the next generation of American shooters. The Small Arms Firing School (SAFS) was instituted in 1918 by the Dept. of Defense. SAFS is now run by the USAMU, with help from other U.S. Military and National Guard personnel.
The SAFS is divided into pistol and rifle programs. The Pistol SAFS will be held on Monday, July 9, 2012, while the two-day Rifle SAFS will be held July 28-29, 2012. There are two divisions for rifle shooters — a basic program for novice/intermediate shooters, plus an Advanced Service Rifle Course for experienced marksmen. Both rifle programs finish with special M16 EIC Matches.
The SAFS program is very popular, drawing over 1,000 participants to each year’s rifle and pistol classes. Fees for the Rifle School or Pistol School are a modest $45.00 for adults and $30.00 for juniors. The USAMU provides semi-auto-only M-16A2 rifles for the students to use. The USAMU also supplied pistols and ammo for the pistol students. CLICK HERE for registration and more information.
The day starts with classroom instruction and covers everything from the functioning of the weapon to proper positioning. The instructors, such as 2009 National Pistol Champion SFC James Henderson, are among the best in their respective shooting disciplines. After a few hours in the classroom, the students trek to the range and get a feel for the weapon in dry-fire simulation. There are two students per military instructor. Upon their return from lunch, students go to the range for live-fire practice.
SFC Jason St. John, USAMU, explained: “The advanced class … covered mental management training, preparing for a competition, and basically what it’s going to take to get to that next level”. Splitting the rifle class into two divisions based on shooter experience has proven to be effective and popular. Said SFC Lance Dement, USAMU: “In previous years we had around 400 students or less (for the rifle class) and now we’re close to 700. With the price of ammo going up, the cost of fuel, the economy the way it is, and people are still coming — that’s a good thing. They are the future of the sport.”
Shooters of All Ages Attend Firing Schools
Persons from all walks of life, young and old alike, have participated in the pistol and rifle Firing Schools. The students range in age from 12 to 70. (Minimum age for Rifle SAFS students is 12; minimum age for Pistol SAFS students is 14.) State junior shooting teams showed up, families planned their family vacations around the trip to Perry, and others flew long distances to learn from the elite marksmanship instructors.
“It’s such a great thing,” said Jim Davis from Indiana. “This is the best place in the country, maybe the world, to learn about shooting and everything that goes with it.” Davis took his son and three other kids from the Dekalb County 4-H Club to the rifle class, stressing how valuable the instruction is to them now and down the road. “I still remember when I came to this school as a teenager,” he said. “I tell my kid that this is something that you’ll always remember.”
This story is based on a report by Michael Molinaro, USAMU public affairs officer.
The 2012 Summer Olympics in London begin July 27 with shooting events starting the 28th and wrapping up August 5, 2012. NBC has already launched a full-featured website dedicated to the London Olympics at NBCOlympics.com.
How do you safeguard that kind of investment (without driving around in a Brinks armored truck)? One of the best storage systems available is the Truck-Vault, built in Washington state. Truck-vaults are custom-fitted, locking storage cabinets that fit in a Pick-up truck bed, SUV, or station wagon. Various designs are available, including a waterproof “Extreme Series.” Both single-drawer and multi-draw layouts are offered with lengths up to 60″ overall, and top-load capacity of 2000 pounds. A variety of interior configurations are available.
When you aim your rifle at an angle, the ACI shows the cosine value of your intended shot by means of a highly visible index mark. You simply multiply the true, sloped distance to your target by the cosine value (as a percentage), to get the corrected, flat line distance to target, i.e. the bottom leg of the triangle. Then set your scope’s elevation accordingly. For example, if you range the line of sight distance to your target at 400 yards, and the ACI shows a cosine value of 0.87 (for 30 degrees), then your flat-line “gravity-corrected distance” is 400 x 0.87 = 348 yards. Now Dial your elevation for 350 yards (from your come-up table).
SniperTools.com also offers an Angle Degree Indicator (ADI) for $114.95 (Civilian model). This shows the actual angle from horizontal. If you have a mobile ballistics solver, you can simply input the angle and the ranged yardage and the solver will provide the flatline “gravity-corrected Distance”. Some shooters find it easier to think in terms of the actual angle deflection from horizontal.
Today, July 4th, we are celebrating a special birthday — the launching of a new nation that would become the world’s greatest exemplar of freedom and democracy. With our current concerns about the troubled economy, it is easy to lose sight of the challenges that faced our fore-fathers, and the continuing burdens we all share, as Americans, to maintain freedom at home and stand as an example to other peoples engaged in the struggle for democracy overseas. It is more important than ever that we remember the ideals on which the nation was founded, and remember that our nation became great through the efforts and talents of a free citizenry, not through an all-powerful central government.
Bryan at Powder Valley Inc. (PVI) let us know that Powder Valley is offering a “Freedom Special” on July 4th. You get free shipping (exclusive of hazmat and insurance) for online orders (over $150) placed on July 4th. Bryan explains: “In celebration of Independence Day and the wonderful men and women who have fought for our great nation Powder Valley is offering free freight (does not include hazmat and insurance) on all orders over $150.00.”
IMPORTANT: To qualify, Orders must be placed ONLINE between 12:01 AM and 11:59 PM ET on July 4, 2012.. Don’t forget that, where required, hazmat fees and insurance costs will still charged with shipments.
Merit Corp. in Schenectady, NY, offers an 
Merit explains: “The human eye, whether or not prescription glasses are required, cannot focus on both sights and the target at the same time. The eye will constantly shift focus from the sights to the target trying to ensure proper alignment. Unfortunately, as we age, the eye loses the flexibility which allows it to do this; thus, sights and target begin to grow fuzzy. There is a simple way to combat this by increasing your eyes’ depth of field (range of focus). If you look through an aperture or pinhole of the correct size, you will be able to see both sights clearly, and the target will be clearly defined as well.”
Every summer at Camp Perry, Ohio, prior to the National Rifle and Pistol Trophy Matches, soldiers from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) take time to pass their knowledge on to the next generation of American shooters. The 
The day starts with classroom instruction and covers everything from the functioning of the weapon to proper positioning. The instructors, such as 2009 National Pistol Champion SFC James Henderson, are among the best in their respective shooting disciplines. After a few hours in the classroom, the students trek to the range and get a feel for the weapon in dry-fire simulation. There are two students per military instructor. Upon their return from lunch, students go to the range for live-fire practice.
