Olin’s Winchester Division has issued a Recall Notice for one (1) lot of its 5.56x45mm M855 62 grain PENE centerfire rifle ammunition. This notice applies only to Symbol Number ZGQ3308 with Lot Number WCC10M106-004. Other Symbol Numbers or Lot Numbers are not subject to this recall.
Symbol Number: ZGQ3308
Lot Number: WCC10M106-004
Winchester states: “Through extensive evaluation Winchester has determined the above lot of 5.56mm M855 ammunition may contain incorrect propellant. Incorrect propellant in this ammunition may cause firearm damage, rendering the firearm inoperable, and subject the shooter or bystanders to a risk of serious personal injury when fired.”
The ammunition Symbol Number and Lot Number are ink stamped on the outside of the 900-round shipping container, and on the outside of the 30-round carton as shown at right:
If you have Winchester Ammo with Symbol Number ZGQ3308 and Lot Number WCC10M106-004 immediately discontinue use and contact Winchester toll-free at 866-423-5224 for free UPS pick-up of the recalled ammunition. Upon receipt of your recalled ammunition, Winchester will ship replacement ammunition directly to you.
If you have any questions concerning this 5.56mm M855 ammunition recall please call toll-free 866-423-5224, write to Winchester (600 Powder Mill Road, East Alton, IL 62024 Attn: 5.56mm M855 Recall), or visit www.winchester.com.
Notice tip by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
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This is “NRA Weekend” at Cabela’s retail outlet stores across the country. On Saturday and Sunday, February 9th and 10th, the NRA will be offering seminars AND a special promotion. If you sign up for an NRA membership at a Cabela’s “brick and mortar” store, you’ll get a $25.00 Cabela’s gift card.
Here’s how it works. An NRA membership booth will be at every Cabela’s store. You’ll receive a $25.00 gift card if you join the NRA, renew your membership, sign up a friend/family member or add a year to your membership. That’s right, if you purchase a year-long NRA membership you’ll get most of your money back to spend at Cabela’s. The gift card is not available online, not available by phone, not available by mail-in request. You have to go to an actual Cabela’s store. Got it?
If you chose to visit a Cabela’s outlet, your time will be well-spent. At Cabela’s stores, the NRA will host a variety of special events, including ladies-only seminars, and informational sessions on home defense, concealed carry laws, and firearm maintenance.
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The National Shooting Sport Foundation (NSSF) has released its new Where2Shoot app for the Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch. The App — available for free in the iTunes App Store — puts North America’s most comprehensive directory of shooting ranges in the palm of your hand.
This free App provides the functionality of NSSF’s WhereToShoot.org website in a smartphone-friendly format. You’ll find listings of literally thousands of ranges and shooting clubs, in locations across the country. Listings are updated frequently with range information in every U.S. state and Canadian province. Click a button to find ranges near you or you can search by state, by zip code, or by keyword. You can also limit your search to specific types of facilities (such as indoor pistol ranges). The App provides specifics about each range, including shooting activities offered and contact information.
The Where2Shoot App also includes news, safety procedures, and firearms tips. New tips for hunters and shooters are also added regularly. Visit the App store to learn more about the Where2Shoot App or download it for free. You can also scan the QR code above with your device to download the free App.
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Report by Monte Milanuk
With the proliferation of wide bipods for competitive F-TR shooting, we’ve seen a lot of cool gear hitting the market. Whatever you can imagine, someone is either building now, or working on prototype plans. One new design that seems to have stayed under the radar thus far is the FLEX bipod by Dan Pohlabel.
The FLEX bipod’s designer, Dan Pohlabel, offers these instructions:
The bipod feet are shipped loose. Note there is a left foot and a right foot. Mount them as shown in the diagram above. Determine the balance point of your rifle and mount the bipod approximately two inches forward of that point. You may want to move it further forward after shooting. Experiment with its placement to minimize movement of the bipod. When setting up, first grab each foot and ‘dig’ them in to the shooting surface, dirt, gravel, grass, carpet — it doesn’t matter. After making sure each foot has a hold, raise or lower the bipod to your target and use the cant adjustment to level your rifle. Loading the bipod with your shoulder is the preferred method of position. Contact me with any FLEX bipod questions you may have: danielp123 [at] earthlink.net.
The FLEX bipod is a very simple design — no Mariner’s wheel for vertical adjustment, no joystick head, no changing width as it goes up and down. And the FLEX bipod is very light (as are most, these days), but also very durable. I haven’t actively tried to destructively test it, but so far it’s held up to being tossed in the back of the truck, hauled around to the range and everywhere else in between. It definitely has not been ‘babied’ in any way, and it’s not noticeably any worse for wear. An added bonus is that it breaks down very flat for airline travel. Once I take the feet off, remove the ratchet lever (with screw), the whole bipod nestles very nicely in the bottom layer of foam in my gun case (with cuts for the head etc. in the foam). I’m definitely not worried about it in there. If someone bashes the case hard enough to damage what is essentially a plate of spring steel, then I’ve got bigger worries.
This view (below) shows a bit of the adjustment controls. Each leg has independent control for height, and there is a ratcheting locking lever that controls the cant. Instead of being directly centered like most other designs I’ve seen, this one is off-set a little, allowing a fair amount of movement without allowing it to completely ‘flop’ over to one side. (By contrast, using other bipod designs, I’ve had guns literally flip over as they tipped over too far.) Also having the tilt control relatively close/tight to the bore of the gun helps with the stability as well.
Inventor Dan Pohlebel developed the FLEX bipod for use in his native Ohio, where apparently grassy firing lines are the norm. Here in the Pacific Northwest, I seem to encounter concrete or gravel more often, which is why I usually place a mat under the bipod to keep it from sinking in too far. On Dan’s newest models, the “feet” have teeth to give better traction on hard surfaces such as the hard-pack clay/dirt (beneath a skim layer of gravel) that you’ll find at Raton, NM.
Why would you want more traction? Well, not everyone wants a bipod that slides around like a hog on ice. Some people manage to get things tracking straight back and forth, almost like it was constrained by a front rest. Personally, I have a hard time doing that in a repeatable fashion. While the FLEX Bipod shoots quite well with a [loose] hold, it was designed for those of us who like to ‘lean’ into the gun a bit. Quite literally, the idea is that you get the feet to dig in slightly, and push against the rifle butt with your shoulder and the bipod will ‘flex’ or bow forward slightly. It is one of those things that sounds wonky until you try it. It may take a few times to get a feel for it, but once you do, it is surprisingly repeatable.
The system does have a few quirks to it. Personally, I wish the rail attachment had a ratchet lever like the pivot control. Currently you need a separate tool to take the bipod on/off the gun. Also, the FLEX bipod seems to work better mounted somewhat further back than other designs. Some experimenting may be necessary to find what works best. Then again, we all need more trigger time….
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It’s February, so it must be time for Berger Southwest Long Range Nationals again. Hosted by the the Desert Sharpshooters at the Ben Avery Range outside Phoenix, this popular event kicked off on February 5th, and runs through Sunday, February 10th. As always, there has been a huge turnout (200+ shooters from throughout the USA and Canada), and the match is very well-organized. We’ll provide complete results when the match is complete, but here are some early highlights…
In F-Open competition, Team Grizzly won the Palma (800, 900 and 1000 yards) 4-person team match at the Berger SW Nationals against some of the fiercest competition in the country. Trudie Fay served as coach and the shooters were Shiraz Balolia (team captain), Emil Kovan, John Myers, and Tony Robertson.
Congratulations go to the USA F-TR Team “Blue” for winning the Palma Team Match. USA Team Blue narrowly edged out an excellent Michigan Team coached by Bryan Litz. The top F-TR shooter of the day was Dan Pohlabel (creator of the FLEX Bipod) who shot an impressive 443-17X, edging Matt Schwartzkopf of USA F-TR Team “Red” who scored 443-14X.
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On our main Accurateshooter.com website, you’ll find a comprehensive review of the STM system for cleaning cartridge brass with stainless media. To clean brass with stainless media, start with five pounds of small stainless pins sold by StainlessTumblingMedia.com. Place these along with a gallon of water, a little liquid cleaner, and two pounds of cartridge brass in a rotary tumbler, and run the machine for one to four hours.
Forum Member Tests STM System
Our reviewer, Forum member Jason Koplin, purchased the STM media and a new Thumler’s Tumbler. He then tested the STM cleaning procedure on his own brass, including some extremely dirty and tarnished “range pick-up” brass. Jason was thoroughly impressed with how well the STM process worked — as you can see from the “before and after” photos below. Brass which looked like it was ready for the scrap heap was restored to “like-new” appearance. The process works equally well on both rifle brass and pistol brass. Jason observed that one surprise benefit of the STM cleaning procedure is a big reduction in noise. Jason said the water-filled rotary tumbler was much quieter than his vibratory tumblers.
You’ll want to read Jason’s full review which shows more before and after images. The full article features a “how-to” video created by Forum member Cory Dickerson, the young man who pioneered the stainless tumbling process and founded STM. The video shows how to load brass, media, and cleaner solutions into the tumbler, and how to separate media from brass once the tumbling is done.
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On or before April 15th, 2013, Creedmoor Sports will cease all operations at its current Oceanside, California location and relocate to newly acquired facilities in Anniston, Alabama. Creedmoor has dubbed this move “Operation Roll Tide”.
Creedmoor Sports has secured its new Alabama headquarters facilities already, so the change-over should be very smooth. Customers can continue to place orders with the Creedmoor website and continue to use Creedmoor’s toll-free order line, 1-800-CREEDMOOR.
Dennis DeMille, Creedmoor Sports General Manager, explained the reasons behind the relocation: “The decision to move was based on several factors including: business climate, proximity to greater number of customers, employee pool, and growth potential. Our new facilities are located aboard old Fort McClellan, ten minutes North of CMP Headquarters in Anniston. Morris Building of Anniston began construction and renovation February 4th on the existing building and on a new addition.”
Dennis adds: “We look forward to the increased opportunities this move provides and we appreciate your support during this transition. Many of our employees key to production and operations will be moving with us, thereby minimizing any potential disruption to service.”
New Creedmoor Sports Address:
Creedmoor Sports, Inc.
167 Creedmoor Way
Anniston, AL 36205
Creedmoor Sports will be very close to the CMP’s Anniston location and roughly 30 minutes (by car) from the CMP’s new 500-acre shooting facility (currently under construction).
Here is the entrance to Creedmoor Sports new Alabama facility, along with the new street sign on the nearest corner. You’ll find updates on Creedmoor’s “Operation Roll Tide” business move on the Creedmoor Sports Facebook Page.
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How Easy it is to Have Fun with Rifles and Equipment You Probably Already Have….
Forum member Rod Vigstol (aka Nodak7mm) has written a great Introduction to F-Class for shooters getting started in this rewarding discipline. Rod’s article, which appears in German Salazar’s Rifleman’s Journal website, covers F-Class basics and addresses concerns that “newbies” may have when trying a new shooting sport. Rod stresses that most guys who own a varmint-hunting or tactical rig likely have nearly all the gear they need to give F-Class competition a try.
Rod explains: “If you’re reading this, you have more than just a general interest in the shooting sports and in the awesome rifles that shoot tiny groups at insane distances. You probably even have friends that enjoy shooting as much as you do. The quandary you may find yourself in is your friends haven’t quite jumped into it head-first like you have and they haven’t spent a lot of money and time obtaining the equipment you have to go shoot these matches. But you know what? Your prairie-dog shooting buddy or coyote-hunter friend can attend these matches and shoot alongside with you. He or she more than likely already has the basic equipment needed to shoot a match.” Most varmint shooters already have a suitable, accurate rifle and the following equipment:
• A variable-power scope in the 4.5-14x range or higher.
• A front bipod like the trusty old Harris 9″-13″, or maybe even a basic pedestal front rest.
• A rear sand-bag or similar sand-sock to rest the butt stock.
• A basic shooting mat from Midway or at least a piece of carpet or canvas to lay on.
Rod also provides a handy checklist of items to bring to the range. These include: Canvas or carpet strip (to set under bipod), Notebook, Kitchen Timer, Cleaning Rod, Camp Chair, Elbow Pads, Shooting Hat, and Open Bolt Indicator (OBI). Along with rifle, bipod (or front rest), rear bag, and ammo, that’s pretty much all you need.
Rod encourages all shooters to give F-Class a try — even novices. Rod explains: “We have all been rookies, newbies, new kids on the block or whatever. So we all have a good idea of what may be going on in your mind, the questions and concerns you may have. I’m telling you this sport is full of fantastic people who deep down find it far more fulfilling to help a new shooter get started than running a clean target. You just have to take the first step to get involved.”
Having led one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the outdoor industry, Ron Coburn is stepping down as Chairman and CEO of Savage Sports Corporation. Ron’s retirement follows a 25-year tenure as CEO where he led the Company out of insolvency to the Company’s current position as one of America’s top rifle makers. Coburn took the helm of Savage in 1988 shortly after the Company filed for bankruptcy protection and Coburn guided Savage’s subsequent rise to market leadership.
“Everybody wants to go out on top,” Coburn said. “We’ve had many years of strong, sustained growth, and it seems like every year has been a new record year for Savage. The business has never been better positioned for the future. I’m turning 65 this year; the time is right for a transition.”
Coburn’s retirement has been in process for several years, as he has slowly delegated the day-to-day leadership to the Company’s management team. “Some people say that Ron Coburn rebuilt Savage Arms. That’s not true. I helped build a team and together we rebuilt Savage Arms,” Coburn stated. “The management team is still in place, and Savage is in very good shape with a very, very bright future.” Coburn will maintain a substantial personal financial stake in the company: “I may be moving out, but my money is staying. I can’t think of a better place to invest right now.”
Coburn Shoots What He Sells
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 Ron Coburn in the use of the Savage Palma rifle chambered in .308 Winchester. 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. 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“.
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Many visitors to the site ask us, “I’ve got a .223 and .308. What will a 6mmBR Norma (6BR) give me that I’m not getting already?” Well first you will probably average consistently smaller groups than your current .223 or .308 rifle (assuming the 6BR has a quality barrel and trigger). A good .308 Winchester can be superbly accurate, no question about that, but the lesser recoil of the 6BR works in the shooter’s favor over a long string of fire. Even with a Rem 700 or Savage action factory action, a 6BR with a benchrest stock, premium barrel, and a high-quality chambering job should deliver 5-shot groups in the high twos to mid-threes, provided you do your job. We have one 6BR rifle that shoots Lapua factory-loaded 6BR ammunition in the low twos and high ones. That’s exceptional, we admit, but it still shows how the 6BR is an inherently accurate cartridge, even with factory loads.
Compared to a .223, the 6BR offers a much better selection of high-BC projectiles, and will deliver considerably more power on the target. Compared to the .308 shooting 168gr MatchKings, a 6BR shooting 105-107gr bullets offers better ballistics all the way out to 1000 yards. Plus, for most people, the 6BR is just easier to shoot than a .308. Recoil is less than half of the .308 cartridge. Both the .308 and 6BR chamberings offer good barrel life, but the 6BR uses 15-18 grains less powder, saving you money. Here’s how the 6BR stacks up vs. a number of popular calibers:
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Would you like to write about guns for a living, and “call the shots” at a major gun magazine with a huge readership of shooters around the country? Well, here’s your opportunity.
NRA Publications is accepting applications for Managing Editor of Shooting Illustrated, NRA’s monthly newsstand magazine dedicated to personal protection guns, tactical firearms, concealed carry, and self-defense techniques. The Managing Editor will assist with the management of and provide editorial support essential to the daily operation of Shooting Illustrated magazine and ShootingIllustrated.com. He or she will ensure all work satisfies established quality standards and policies, and meets production deadlines. Candidates should have at least “five years experience in managerial level journalism”. The position is based at NRA Headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia. For a full job description and a list of required qualifications, or to submit your resume, go to www.careers.nra.org. Direct inquiries to NRA Human Resources, careers [at] nrahq.org.
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Congrats to 2012 Olympian Sarah Scherer who set an NCAA record with a 597 in smallbore this past weekend in a showdown with UTEP Rifle Team. She also tied the NCAA record with a 1,195 aggregate in leading the defending NCAA Champion TCU Women’s Rifle Team to their 22nd consecutive victory.
Sarah shot her record scores at a match at UTEP on Saturday. The TCU Horned Frogs topped the UTEP Miners 4,694-4,511. Sarah Scherer set an NCAA record in smallbore, firing a 597. Scherer added a 598 in air rifle to tie the NCAA Aggregate record with a combined 1,195. In smallbore, Sarah shot a perfect 200 in prone, a 199 in standing and a 198 in kneeling. In air rifle, she fired five perfect strings of 100, including the final four strings. Her lone 9s came in the second string of shots when she shot a 98.
Scherer’s record-breaking smallbore shooting lead TCU to victory in the rimfire competition, with the Horned Frogs winning 2,335-2,223 over UTEP. TCU had the top four smallbore shooters, and TCU also boasted five of the top six shooters in air rifle to help TCU to a 2,359-2,288 win. TCU will fire one more match before the NCAA Championships in March.
Winchester states: “Through extensive evaluation Winchester has determined the above lot of 5.56mm M855 ammunition may contain incorrect propellant. Incorrect propellant in this ammunition may cause firearm damage, rendering the firearm inoperable, and subject the shooter or bystanders to a risk of serious personal injury when fired.”
The National Shooting Sport Foundation (NSSF) has released its new 
In F-Open competition, Team Grizzly won the Palma (800, 900 and 1000 yards) 4-person team match at the Berger SW Nationals against some of the fiercest competition in the country. Trudie Fay served as coach and the shooters were Shiraz Balolia (team captain), Emil Kovan, John Myers, and Tony Robertson.
On our main 
On or before April 15th, 2013, 
Dennis adds: “We look forward to the increased opportunities this move provides and we appreciate your support during this transition. Many of our employees key to production and operations will be moving with us, thereby minimizing any potential disruption to service.”
Many visitors to the site ask us, “I’ve got a .223 and .308. What will a 6mmBR Norma (6BR) give me that I’m not getting already?” Well first you will probably average consistently smaller groups than your current .223 or .308 rifle (assuming the 6BR has a quality barrel and trigger). A good .308 Winchester can be superbly accurate, no question about that, but the lesser recoil of the 6BR works in the shooter’s favor over a long string of fire. Even with a Rem 700 or Savage action factory action, a 6BR with a benchrest stock, premium barrel, and a high-quality chambering job should deliver 5-shot groups in the high twos to mid-threes, provided you do your job. We have one 6BR rifle that shoots Lapua factory-loaded 6BR ammunition in the low twos and high ones. That’s exceptional, we admit, but it still shows how the 6BR is an inherently accurate cartridge, even with factory loads.
Would you like to write about guns for a living, and “call the shots” at a major gun magazine with a huge readership of shooters around the country? Well, here’s your opportunity.
