Mirage shields really do help you hit your targets more reliably. Novice shooters may wonder “Why does that guy have a venetian blind attached to his barrel?” Here’s why. As the barrel gets hot, the heat from the barrel rises up, cooking and distorting the air directly in front of the scope’s front lens. In essense, the rifle creates its own nasty visual mirage, right in the worst possible place. You can have a $4000.00 custom rifle and a $2500.00 scope but if the air in front of your scope is distorted, it can literally move your apparent point of aim on the target relative to your cross-hairs, causing you to miss the shot.
As our friend Boyd Allen observed: “Varminters should use mirage shields. Think about it. You’ve invested thousands of dollars in a fancy varmint rifle and quality scope. You may have spent hundreds of dollars traveling to the varmint fields and spent dozens of hours loading up your ammo. Without a mirage shield on your barrel, once that barrel gets hot, you WILL get mirage effects that can make you miss a shot.”
So, we’ve established you need a mirage shield to shoot your best when the barrel gets hot. You can make your own shield from a scrap blind, or purchase a ready-made plastic or aluminum shield. Sinclair Int’l offers 2″-wide, white mirage shields in 18″ (#06-7200) or 24″ (#06-7300) lengths for $4.95. Shotmaster 10X offers a variety of Patterned Mirage Shields, starting at $6.00. These include a Patriotic theme and even Tiger Stripes:
Camo Mirage Shields for Tactical Shooters and Hunters
Though tactical shooters should use mirage shields for long-distance, slow-fire stages, for the most part, tactical shooters don’t bother. One reason is that mirage shields CAN detach if you’re crawling around in the bush. However, for many tactical shooting situations, a mirage shield IS both practical and recommended. And now, for the first time, tactical shooters can get mirage shields in camo patterns to match their rifles. These camo shields should also be popular with varminters and long-range hunters.
At the request of AccurateShooter.com, Shotmaster 10X created a line of camo-pattern mirage shields (see above). Made of 2″-wide aluminum strips, these are available in 18″, 20″, and 24″ lengths. The camo-pattern shields come complete with Velcro attachments, and start at $8.50 for the 18″ length. The 20″ models are $9.50, while 24″ shields are $11.00.
Today’s the day — Shooting USA airs its annual one-hour SHOT Show Special today, Wednesday, March 20th, starting at 3:00 pm Eastern (12:00 pm Pacific). Other broadcast times are listed below. You won’t want to miss this hour-long show filmed at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas where thousands of exhibitors had their wares on display. Jim Scoutten and his team of reporters feature new products introduced at SHOT Show.
You’ll see new pistols, new rifles, new optics, and other shooting accessories introduced this year. Featured products will include Bergara Barrels, Bushnell Scopes, Les Baer pistols and rifles, Ruger rifles, Savage’s new B.Mag in 17 WSM rimfire, beautiful new handguns from Smith & Wesson’s Performance Center, and many other products.
Here are broadcast schedules for all time zones. If you can’t watch Shooting USA’s SHOT Show Special today, the hour-long show will be re-broadcast early Saturday Morning (Friday Night Pacific Time).
The Shooting USA Hour on Wednesdays:
Eastern Time 3:00 PM, 8:00 PM, 1:00 AM
Central Time 2:00 PM, 7:00 PM, 12:00 AM
Mountain Time 1:00 PM, 6:00 PM, 11:00 PM
Pacific Time 12:00 PM, 5:00 PM, 10:00 PM
The Shooting USA Hour on Saturday Morning/Friday Night
Eastern Time 2:30 AM Sat
Central Time 1:30 AM Sat
Mountain Time 12:30 AM Sat
Pacific Time 11:30 PM Fri
Traditions™ Performance Firearms is bringing out a complete line of dummy training cartridges. These will meet SAAMI specs for dimensions, and the dummies are weighted so they handle just like the real thing. Training cartridges will be offered for all firearms types: Rifle, Pistol, and Shotgun. Forty different rifle cartridge types — everything from .17 Rem to 50 BMG — will be for sale later this year. Yes there is .22LR, but unfortunately, the 6PPC, 6mmBR, 6XC, 6.5-284, and .284 Win are not yet in the line-up.
Traditions™ Training Cartridges are the only training cartridges available that meet all SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufactures Institute) specifications for dummy ammunition. The Training Cartridges are weighted like real ammunition so they have the same feel when practicing. These training cartridges are intended for function testing, dry-firing, malfunction drills, and teaching demonstrations.
Traditions™ precision Training Cartridges have durable brass cases and rims so they won’t degrade like plastic dummies. Precision-assembled, these are available in over 60 chamberings and shotgun gauges. For most of the common rifle calibers, these training cartridges cost about $10 for a pack of two (2) dummy rounds. For more information or to view Traditions™ complete line of products, go to TraditionsFirearms.com, or call 1-860-388-4656.
Traditions Training Cartridge Types for Rifles
.17 Rem
.204 Ruger
.22LR
.22 Hornet
.222 Rem
.223 Rem
22-250 Rem
.223 WSSM
6mm Rem
.243 Winchester
.243 WSSM
.257 Roberts
.25 WSSM
.25-06 Rem
.260 Rem
6.5×55 Swedish
6.8 Rem SPC
.270 Winchester
270 WSM
7mm-08
7mm WSM
7mm Rem Mag
7×57 Mauser
.303 British
.30 Carbine
.30-30 Winchester
7.62×39
.308 Winchester
300 WSM
.30-06 Spr
.300 Rem UM
300 Win Mag
8×57 Mauser
.338 Rem UM
.338 Winchester Mag
35 Whelen
.375 H&H
.458 Win Magnum
.45-70
50 BMG
Legendary firearms engineer Merle “Mike” Walker passed away on March 6, at the age of 101. Walker was one of the most important gun and cartridge designers of the 20th Century, and he also was a leading proponent of benchrest shooting. Mike worked for Remington Arms Company for 37 years, as a lead designer and engineer. While at Remington, Mike created many of Remington’s most popular bolt action rifles. For many years, Mike served as Director of Research and head of the Custom Shop at Remington’s, Ilion, NY facility.
Mike led the development of many important Remington rifle designs, including the Rem m700, Rem 40X, Rem m721, and Rem m722. Walker held numerous patents, mostly for trigger designs.
“Without a doubt, the Remington Model 700 is the most popular commerical, high-power, bolt-action rifle in the world. The Model 700 is actually a product-improved Model 721 and Model 722 bolt-action rifle, the brain-child of Merle ‘Mike’ Walker and his Remington design team in the 1940s.” — Roy C. Marcot, The History of Remington Firearms
Mike was a major pioneer in modern cartridge design — he was the originator of the .222 Remington and the 6mm Remington Int’l rounds. According to Guns & Ammo: “Long-time Remington employee and benchrest competitor Mike Walker, who headed up the M722 design team, is largely credited with the development of the .222 Rem”. The .222 Rem (aka “Triple Deuce”) dominated short-range Benchrest competition until the advent of the PPC cartridges.
Walker also worked with Jim Steckl on the .30-cal wildcat that eventually evolved into the 6mm Bench Rest Remington. This cartridge demonstrated the accuracy and efficiency of the “short, fat” case design. When brass was eventually produced for the 6mmBR Rem, Mike convinced Remington to produce a run with a small primer pocket. Thanks to these pioneering efforts by Walker and Steckl, we now have the ultra-accurate 6mmBR Norma (with a small primer pocket), and the 30BR wildcat.
Mike was one of the “founding fathers” of the International Benchest Shooters (IBS), and he was in the early IBS leadership group. He was a talented (and dedicated) benchrest shooter. Remarkably, Mike shot in the 2010 IBS Nationals at age 99. Mike also played an key role in the creation of Precision Shooting Magazine. Still engaged in his passion for gun-building and firearm design, he worked in his shop even at the age of 101. He passed in a hospital on March 6, 2013 after hip replacement surgery.
IBS President Jeff Stover tells us: “The term ‘living legend’ is used in many sports and endeavors. Rarely, though, is that term used as accurately as when referring to Mr. Merle ‘Mike’ Walker. He developed the Rem 700, he helped invent the button rifling process and many other firearms innovations. Probably the last time he shot in competition was at the 2010 IBS Group Nationals at Weikert, Pennsylvania. He got around quite well — even at 99 years of age! He shot an older rifle in a beat-up stock, but he was there on the line with the rest of us. During one match Mike was having some problems and it was close to cease fire time. Our range officer could see that everyone else had finished. Mike kept shooting, trying to get five on paper. The range was quiet except for the reports from Mike’s rifle. When it was clear that all five were on paper, ‘cease fire’ was finally called. There were no questions as to what happened — all of us on the line realized it was a tribute to probably the only real Living Legend that any of us would meet, let alone shoot with….”
Mike Walker will be missed. As James Mock has written: “We in the shooting community are truly diminished. Mike was an icon of the innovative spirit of America.” Mike Walker was a true pioneer who has left an enormous legacy to all those engaged in the “pursuit of accuracy”.
Rest in Peace, Mike Walker. Thank you for your contributions to our sport.
On March 14, 2013, 550 employees of Colt’s Manufacturing Company traveled to the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, Connecticut. They came in strength to show support for Connecticut-based firearms manufacturing, and their message was direct: “Save our Jobs.”
Last week workers from two Colt operating companies (successors to the famed Colt Armory), boarded buses bound for the Legislative Office Building, in Connecticut’s state Capitol complex. They came to participate in a General Assembly committee hearing on a large number of gun-control measures under consideration in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy. Michael Holmes, Colt United Auto Workers Shop Chairman, testified at the hearing, as did NSSF Director Government Relations, State Affairs Jake McGuigan, Joe Bartozzi from O.F. Mossberg, and Mark Malkowski of Stag Arms. Though not all the proposed additional gun-control legislation will move forward for eventual votes, action on some of the measures is expected within days.
In the benchrest game, a rock-solid front rest with precise, easy-use controls, is essential. The Farley and Sebastian rests provide a joystick that allows the shooter to adjust both horizontal and vertical position with a single move. However, many top shooters prefer more traditional rests. When you’re centered up horizontally and just want to make a very tiny vertical adjustment, a rest with a separate vertical control is hard to beat. Likewise, separate windage controls ensure that you can move left to right without altering your vertical point of aim one tad.
Among the premium non-joystick rests we’ve tried, the John Loh (JJ Industries) rest and the Randolph Machine (Fulghum) rest stand out for quality of workmanship and the smooth, precise functioning of the windage and elevation controls.
In this article we review the Fulgham Front Rest, produced by Ken Fulghum of Randolph Machine in North Carolina. It offers a unique, belt-driven elevation control. This rest has been very successful in IR 50-50, ARA Outdoor, and RBA Indoor rimfire disciplines. (Ken Fulgham himself is a highly successful rimfire benchrest shooter.) But, when fitted with a conventional front sandbag top, the rest also works great with centerfire rifles.
NOTE: The test unit shown in the photos is fitted with a Fudd Rest Top. Randolph Machine no longer sells Fudd tops. Instead Randolph produces a similiar adjustable front top with thin sand bag sections. This cost $150.00.
Fulghum Rest is Beefy and Stable
The Fulghum Front Rest is rock-solid and very stable on the bench. A large knob on the left controls the windage. The entire center section of the rest slides left and right on precision-machined cross-shafts riding in bronze, oil-impregnated bushings. The movement is super-smooth, with no grabbing or jumping. As we’ve seen with the John Loh rest, horizontal tracking is superb, and you can easily make very fine sideways adjustments with ZERO vertical shift.
Belt-Drive for Vertical Adjustment
What’s really special about the Fulghum Rest is the vertical adjustment system. This uses a synthetic toothed belt that connects a large knob in the center of the rest to the ram which supports the rest top. The belt drive runs over sprockets that provide plenty of mechanical advantage. This allows you to effortlessly raise/lower even very heavy rifles. The up/down movement is very smooth. However, there is a little slack in the belt and you can feel the belt’s teeth engage the sprockets one by one. Once you get used to the feel of the belt and how it engages the sprockets, however, you can make very precise adjustments.
Importantly, after you’ve adjusted the vertical, there is enough drag in the system that it holds vertical perfectly. There’s no “post-adjustment” vertical slippage at all. You can take your hand off the vertical knob and shoot with confidence that your aiming point won’t shift.
Overall, this is an excellent unit. Since you have to adjust windage and elevation separately, it’s not as fast as a joystick rest, but it has its advantages. There’s none of the vertical notchiness we’ve seen in some joystick units. Unless you are 100% certain you want a joystick-type rest, you should definitely “test-drive” a Fulghum Rest and see how it suits you.
Rest Retails for $750.00 without Top The Fulghum Front Rest currently retails for $750.00 with no top. Randolph Machine offers two different tops for the unit: the $120.00 Randolph MK1 Top (User supplies owl-ear bag), or the $150.00 Adjustable MKII Top (see photo at right; similar to Fudd Top). Fulghum also offers a one-piece rest (front and rear support) for $750.00.
All Randolph Machine Rests are made one at a time, by hand, so you should call for availability. Normal delivery time is “about a month” once you place your order. Here’s the contact info:
Ken Fulghum
Randolph Machine, Inc. www.randolphmachine.com
P.O. Box 147, 1206 Uwharrie St.
Asheboro, NC 27204
Phone: (336) 625-0411
Fax: (336) 625-0410
Story based on report by Kyle Jillson forNRABlog
The University of Michigan Wolverines won the 2013 NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championships, with an Aggregate score of 4363 out of 4800. After winning the Air Rifle championships on Day One with a 2221 score, Michigan topped the field in the Day Two Smallbore event as well, with a 2142 out of 2400 team score. That gave Michigan the overall title, ahead of runner-up Penn State University.
Matthew Chezem from the University of Akron took the Aggregate overall individual championship, with a great smallbore performance on the last day. Matt won the smallbore match with a high of 565 of 600, leapfrogging competitors who had scored higher on Day One (during the Air Rifle Competition). Matt finished with 1132 out of 1200, to earn the individual title.
Ying Yi Liu Shoots Perfect 100 in Air Rifle Match
A highlight of the Match for the Wolverines was the stellar Air Rifle performance by Univ. of Michigan’s Ying Yi Liu. She shot a perfect 100 score (10 points on all 10 targets) in her final air rifle relay, to lead the Wolverines to a first-day win in the Air Rifle segment. That gave Univ. of Michigan a lead it never reliquished. Liu also won the individual Air Rifle Championship with a 565 score.
Looking for a high-quality laser rangefinder (LRF) at a great price? Well Eurooptic.com has slashed the price on the Leica CRF1000 compact LRF. You can now get the CRF1000 for just $469.00 — that’s deeply discounted from the previous price. Weighing just 7.8 ounces, the 4.5″-long CRF1000 is very compact and can stow easily in a vest or jacket pocket. It offers 7X magnification, and a LED read-out that automatically adjusts to the light conditions.
While not rated for as long a range as Leica’s top-of-the-line CRF1600B, the CRF1000 will work great for most users. In reality, very few people can hold a compact unit steady enough to range accurately on small objects past 1000 yards, now matter what the yardage rating. In fact, most users would have trouble holding their LRF steady enough to range a mule deer at 800.
The CRF1000 has proven to be durable and reliable. Mike, Editor of IReviewGear.com writes:
“I have been using the Leica 1000 CRF Range Finder for about six months. I have taken it on several hikes, hunting in Idaho… and on several Deer and Elk scouting trips. For the price of $599, I think the [CRF1000] is the best all around option for a range finder. Why do I say that? I can easily range animals out to 1000, just as advertised. It is EASY to use — push once to get the red box on target, push again and get an accurate range. It is durable.
I have a couple of other range finders that are advertised to range out to 1000 yards, well I cannot get them to do it. That is just simply not the case with the Leica 1000. It can be counted on to range accurately regardless of the condition out to the advertised range. To summarize: I have ranged many many items from 20 yards to 1000 yards with ZERO failures. This device is accurate, dependable, and just flat works!”
Leica CRF1000 vs. CRF1000-R
Along with range-to-target (in yards or meters), the CRF1000 model displays ballistics information for the user. It measures and displays both outside temperature and barometric pressure. It also displays recommended hold-overs for the ranged distance (based on load profiles selected from built-in tables). It will also measure and display the angle of shots above or below the horizontal. However, this unit, unlike the newer, more expensive CRF1000-R, does NOT automatically calculate the solution for angled shots, nor does it automatically figure environmental data into the hold-over. To get that functionality you’ll need the higher-priced CRF1000-R version. To reiterate — the CRF1000, on sale at $469.00, gives you temp/pressure data, and angle numbers, but you have to manually figure this into your shot. The model 40535 CRF1000-R costs $559 at Eurooptic.com.
Sale tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
The folks at F-TR Ireland send greetings from the Emerald Isle….
Wishing all our friends and fellow-shooters at home in Ireland and around the Globe all the very best. Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Beannachtai na Féile Phádraig! Hope you all have a great St. Patrick’s weekend and enjoy the festivities wherever you may be, whether be you Irish by birth, heritage, or aspiration!
Guns of EIRE
Here are the new custom guns for the FCWC 2013 F-TR Team Ireland. Compliments to Francie McFadden of NGSS and Edi Graeff of PSE Composites for the work. (Photo courtesy of the UK Varminting website.)
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to our readers around the world. As an Irish-American whose great-grandfather was born in County Donegal, I’m proud to wear green today. But lest readers think that Ireland is only a land of shamrocks, lucky leprechauns, and Riverdancers, be aware that Ireland has an active community of precision shooters. In 2011, the National Rifle Association of Ireland unveiled the beautiful new 1200-yard range in Tullamore, at the Midlands National Shooting Centre. Also in 2011 Tullamore was was the site of the first modern-era Creedmoor Cup Challenge Match between Irish and American Teams. The Yanks won that year, but that was just the beginning of a great rivalry.
Midlands National Shooting Centre of Ireland In the year 2000, the National Rifle Association of Ireland (NRAI) was formed. One of its primary goals was to promote fullbore target shooting in Ireland. The NRAI needed a home and that home was found on the bog of Derrymore in Blueball just outside Tullamore in County Offaly. In 2000, a 400-yard range was built on the site. Three years later the 600-yard “Windmill” range, the first of its kind in modern Ireland, was also built to allow for mid-range target shooting. The site was christened the Midlands National Shooting Centre of Ireland (MNSCI) and with it the story of Irish F-Class began. No sooner had the 600-yard range been built at the MNSCI, when the NRAI formed a national F-Class league bringing together like-minded shooters from all over Ireland.
Mirage shields really do help you hit your targets more reliably. Novice shooters may wonder “Why does that guy have a venetian blind attached to his barrel?” Here’s why. As the barrel gets hot, the heat from the barrel rises up, cooking and distorting the air directly in front of the scope’s front lens. In essense, the rifle creates its own nasty visual mirage, right in the worst possible place. You can have a $4000.00 custom rifle and a $2500.00 scope but if the air in front of your scope is distorted, it can literally move your apparent point of aim on the target relative to your cross-hairs, causing you to miss the shot.
Today’s the day — 
You’ll see new pistols, new rifles, new optics, and other shooting accessories introduced this year. Featured products will include Bergara Barrels, Bushnell Scopes, Les Baer pistols and rifles, Ruger rifles, Savage’s new B.Mag in 17 WSM rimfire, beautiful new handguns from Smith & Wesson’s Performance Center, and many other products.
Traditions™ Training Cartridges are the only training cartridges available that meet all SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufactures Institute) specifications for dummy ammunition. The Training Cartridges are weighted like real ammunition so they have the same feel when practicing. These training cartridges are intended for function testing, dry-firing, malfunction drills, and teaching demonstrations.
The Fulghum Front Rest currently retails for $750.00 with no top. Randolph Machine offers two different tops for the unit: the $120.00 Randolph MK1 Top (User supplies owl-ear bag), or the $150.00 Adjustable MKII Top (see photo at right; similar to Fudd Top). Fulghum also offers a one-piece rest (front and rear support) for $750.00.
The folks at 
In the year 2000, the 
