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August 26th, 2013
 K&M Precision Shooting Products has two very handy products you may not know about yet. The first, a brilliantly simple device that lets you see your case necks as you expand them, can be used by anyone who necks-up brass (with a compatible expander die body). The second new product is a specialized “fat grip” holder that will make neck-turning easier for those of you out there who use K&M neck-turners.
 K&M Expand Mandrel Window Riser
This is a simple threaded extension placed between your expander die body (K&M Expand Iron) and the top of your press. It carries the expander mandrel higher, above the press, and has a cut-out view port so you can see the mandrel as it passes through the neck. Smart, eh? This provides visual feedback during the process of expanding your brass. The patent-pending view riser costs $20.00. Will it expand necks faster, or reduce run-out? We doubt it, but we still would like to have one, if only to eyeball the mandrel to control the neck-entry rate more consistently from case to case.
Installation: Thread the Expand Mandrel Window Riser into the top of your loading press, then thread the K&M Expand-Iron (Expander Die Body) fully into the top of the window riser and adjust each so you can stroke out the press completely without driving the case mouth into the press adapter. This allows you to view the expanding operation which is typically blind under the press. The riser also eliminates the need for the stop screw in the expander mandrel. LINK: Expand Window Riser Instructions (PDF).
 Ergo Holder for K&M Neck-Turning Tool
K&M’s rounded, oversized Ergo Holder lets you hold the K&M neck-turning body more securely (and with less hand cramping). Priced at $35.00, it is an expensive accessory, but we suspect many guys with K&M neck-turners will spring for an Ergo holder just because it gives you a more secure and comfortable grip on the small, square-edged K&M neck-turner.
Customer Feedback Inspired K&M’s Ergo Holder
The folks at K&M told us that their new Ergo Holder was produced in response to customer requests: “[Customers reported that] the neck turner can be hard to hold due to its compact size, especially in high-volume use. The Ergo Holder is machined from aluminum, providing a fatigue-proof grasp of the neck turner. Its mass works like a heat sink to help dissipate heat from the pilot during the turning process. The neck-turner body easily assembles into the Ergo Holder and is held in place with one set screw. The Ergo holder is also designed with the dial indicator in mind and actually makes its use more convenient”.
LINK: Ergo Holder Installation/Use Instructions (PDF).
August 26th, 2013
 Here’s a shocker — Leupold has built a 7-42X long range scope. This new scope has a 34mm tube, and target turrets with a zero stop for BOTH windage and elevation. That’s right, there’s a zero stop on the windage turret.
We were shown this new 7-42X Leupold by USA F-TR Team Vice Captain Mike Miller. Mike literally grabbed this editor’s arm and said “You’ve got to see this new Leupold — it’s fantastic.”
First Field Tests Show Great Promise
Mike has compared this new Leupold 7-42X scope on his rifles with high-magnification scopez from Nightforce and March and he told us: “You’re going to love this Leupold. It’s bright, really, really sharp and it has a great field of view”. Mike said that the new Leupold, when compared to a Nightforce at similar magnification, has a wider field of view: “I can see more of the range, more flags, with the Leupold.” Mike also praised the new, unique Windage Zero Stop: “With a stop on the Windage, I can just move back to my baseline and never worry that I’m off a full turn — that’s important for competition.”
How the Windage Control Works
Mike Miller explained that, while Leupold has used the terminology of “windage zero stop”, the feature is more an adjustable windage center. You can still go both ways (left and right) after setting the stop. However you have the ability to adjust the horizontal turret markings so the zero indicator on the windage dial is at true horizontal center — for your gun and barrel. That way you can dial to zero on the windage dial and know that your horizontal POI will be dead center for a no-wind condition. But you do have the ability to adjust both left and right. It is not an end-of-travel “zero stop” as that term is used for elevation turrets.
The new 7-42X is not in production yet. Mike reports: “Leupold has built just six (6) of these new scope and we’ll be testing a couple here at Raton.” We don’t know the exact weight of the new scope — Leupold has not provided detailed specifications. However, we couldn’t help but notice the big 34mm tube. Mike says there is over 50 MOA of elevation available. As for price — your guess is as good as ours. This is still a prototype, so we have no idea what the scope will cost, or when it will hit the market. But we can say that Leupold now has a scope to compete directly with the high-magnification scopes from March and Nightforce. We presume that the new 7-42X Leupold will eventually sell for less than the Nightforce 15-55x52mm Competition scope. Stay tuned for more information.
There’s a new Leupold VX-6 Long-Range Scope to compete with the Nightforce Benchrest and NXS Models. In a surprise unveiling, Leupold send a couple prototype 7-42X scopes to Raton.
August 26th, 2013
 Congratulations to American shooters Kenny Adams (F-Open) and Nikolas Taylor (F-TR), newly crowned F-Class World Champions.
The Individual half of the F-Class World Championships (FCWC) has concluded and Americans dominated the Top Ten Standings in both classes (see Agg Charts below). Conditions were very difficult on both days of the competition, which included a thunderstorm on Day One. On Day Two, winds were switchy with velocities that seemed to change by the minute. The men and women who performed well in these conditions certainly deserved their trophies.
As F-Open Champ Kenny Adams told us: “You might look at the scores and think it was easy. But actually conditions were very, very challenging. And with the quality of this field, if you dropped just one point you could fall way down in the standings.”
F-Open World Champion Kenny Adams Talks About His Hard-Fought Victory
Kenny won the F-Open Title is an tough battle with Australian shooter Marty Lobert that went down to the wire on Sunday. Both men finished with identical scores of 466, but Adams had the edge in V-Count, 51 Vs compared to 43 Vs for Lobert. We talked with Marty after the match, and he told us: “It was tight, but Kenny deserved the win — eight more Vs.” Still Marty said that a tight finish like this causes one to think about the “what ifs”: “Losing on Vs — well it makes you think — what if I got one more point in that first relay on Day One, what if I’d held off a little further on just one shot.”
Nikolas Taylor Wins F-TR Championship, Simmonds Second, Buell Third
In F-TR Class, Nikolas Taylor (450-33V) edged the UK’s Russell Simmonds (449-31V) by one point. Simmonds, a past F-TR world champion, shot great on Sunday, picking up five points on Taylor, but that left Russell just one point short. Taylor had built a six-point margin over Simmonds on Day One, and that was enough to secure the victory. F-TR Team USA shooter Darrell Buell finished third with a 445-29V score.
FCWC — Two-Day Grand Aggregate, F-Open and F-TR
FCWC Individual Results August 24 — F-Open and F-TR
FCWC Individual Results August 25 — F-Open and F-TR
FCWC F-Open GRAND AGG TOP 10
Competitor | DAY-1 | DAY-2 | GRAND AGG
KENNY ADAMS: 221-26V 245-25V 466-51V — World Champion
MARTIN LOBERT: 222-17V 244-26V 466-43V
BOB MEAD: 222-24V 243-29V 465-53V
HERBERT EDWARDS: 220-27V 244-19V 464-46V
KEN DICKERMAN: 216-20V 245-29V 461-49V
FREDDY HALTOM: 216-20V 245-26V 461-46V
ALAN FRASER: 214-17V 246-28V 46-45V
BOB SEBOLD: 220-18V 239-22V 459-40V
WILLIAM WITTMAN: 217-15V 242-19V 459-34V
DON NAGEL: 217-13V 242-19V 459-32V
FCWC F-TR GRAND AGG TOP 10
Competitor | DAY-1 | DAY-2 | GRAND AGG
NIKOLAS TAYLOR: 221-18V 229-15V 450-33V – World Champion
RUSSELL SIMMONDS: 215-16V 234-15V 449-31V
DARRELL BUELL: 214-14V 231-15V 445-29V
HILIP KELLEY: 210-11V 235-17V 445-28V
JAMES CROFTS: 215-19V 228-12V 443-31V
BRAD SAUVE: 208-14V 233-15V 441-29V
TRUDIE FAY 215-16V 226-10V 441-26V
KEVIN CHOU: 208 9V 233 11V 441 20V
DEREK RODGERS: 215-12V 226-8V 441-20V
DARYL BARLOW: 207-9V 232-11V 439-20V
F-Open Silver Medalist Talks About the .284 Winchester
August 26th, 2013
This week, the popular Guns & Gear TV show reviews one of our favorite types of varmint ammo — the Varmageddon line-up from Nosler. In addition, this week’s show features the Ruger M77 Hawkeye, Smith & Wesson’s legendary Model 41 .22LR pistol, plus 9mm XDs from Springfield Armory. Watch show segments, learn more about the products, and get the latest news at Gunsandgeartv.com
Guns & Gear TV, now in its fifth season, showcases new gun products every week. Each episode delivers in-studio interviews, field and range demonstrations, and tips from top shooting instructors. Guns & Gear TV airs on Pursuit Channel on Mondays at 8:30 a.m. ET, Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. Eastern, Fridays at 10:30 p.m. ET and Sundays at 1:30 a.m. ET.
August 25th, 2013
We’re halfway through the F-Class World Championships, with the individual matches completed. We should be able to announce the winner very soon, when the final individual scores have been certified. We can report that this match went down to the wire, with the top two places decided on V-Count (the international equivalent of our X-Count). Final results of both Individual and Team FCWC matches will be posted at: fcwc-usa.org/results.
One Very Patriotic Shooter at the F-Class World Championships.
It has been a very tough two days for most competitors. One late relay on Saturday faced a rain squall that resulted in many off-target misses. On Sunday, from mid-morning on, the wind was switching angles all the time with ups and downs in wind speeds. There were apparent lulls that seemed steady, but quite suddenly the wind angle could switch 40° or more, while gusting. Nonetheless, shooters turned in some great performances. During his 800-yard relay, Australia’s Marty Lobert shot a perfect 75-15V for fifteen shots (max shot value at the Worlds is a five).
The individual F-Open and F-TR World Champions will be crowned tonight. Team competition begins tomorrow (Monday). We’ll post video interviews with the top shooters soon. Here are some photo highlights from Sunday at the F-Class World Championships.
August 25th, 2013
There’s a new score game in town — it’s called Ultimate Benchrest (UBR). You don’t have to purchase a membership to compete, and the rules are designed to equalize calibers, so you can shoot a .223, a 6mm (.243), or a .30 caliber benchrest gun — all with an equal chance to win. There’s a special class for factory guns, so you can have fun with Savages, Coopers, Kimbers, and Remingtons. The next step up is the Modified Class — this is for factory guns that have been re-barreled or had the action moved to a flat-bottom, Benchrest-style stock. The Custom Class is for guns with custom actions, benchrest stocks, and premium barrels. Max weight is 13.5 lbs for Factory, Modified, and Custom Class rifles. Any rig over 13.5 lbs competes in the Unlimited Class. Here pretty much anything goes, including one-piece rests.
Ultimate Benchrest Equipment Rules | Ultimate Benchrest Equalized Target System Rules
Next month, the Ultimate Benchrest Nationals will be held September 27-28 at the Buck Creek Range in Kentucky. There’s no limit on shooters and all classes can compete. This two-day event features 100-yard matches on the 27th, with 200-yard competition on the 28th. Many prizes will be awarded, including products from 21st Century Shooting, Benchmark Barrels, Berger Bullets, Cooper Firearms, Krieger Barrels, PMA Tools, Shilen Rifles, and Sinclair/Brownells. If you’re in the area, you should check it out. There’s a class for everyone, and hot food (and cold drinks) will be provided.
For more info, visit UltimateBenchrest.com or email George Coleman, georgeky [at] live.com. To register for the UBR Nationals, call jackie stogsdill at 606-382-5152 or send email to: jackie_stogsdill [at] hotmail.com .
Watch Video Highlights from the 2012 UBR Nationals
August 24th, 2013
 The F-Class World Championships are now underway at Raton, New Mexico. The turn-out is impressive — 17 different countries are represented by roughly 425 shooters. There will be two (2) days of individual competition, followed by the “Battle of the Nations” — the two-day team competition. It is warm and clear today, with a slight chance of a late thunderstorm. The weather gurus are predicting sunny skies for the remainder of the event, with peak temps in the high 80s and 10-20 mph winds.
LINK to Detailed Raton Weather Report.
The F-Class World Championships commenced with opening ceremonies this Saturday morning. At right, Dan Pohlabel and Mike Miller are shown raising the US flag during opening ceremonies. Let the competition begin!
Here are the Schedule and Course of Fire
for the World Championships:
Sat 24 August 2013 — Day 1 of FCWC Individual Championships
2 convertible sighters and 15 for record @ 800 yards
2 convertible sighters and 15 for record @ 900 yards
2 convertible sighters and 15 for record @ 1,000 yards
Sun 25 August 2013 — Day 2 of FCWC Individual Championships
2 convertible sighters and 15 for record @ 800 yards
2 convertible sighters and 15 for record @ 900 yards
2 convertible sighters and 20 for record @ 1,000 yards
Mon 26 August 2013 — Day 1 of FCWC Team Championships
2 convertible sighters and 15 for record @ 800 yards
2 convertible sighters and 15 for record @ 900 yards
2 convertible sighters and 15 for record @ 1,000 yards
Tue 27 August 2013 — Day 2 of FCWC Team Championships
2 convertible sighters and 15 for record @ 800 yards
2 convertible sighters and 15 for record @ 900 yards
2 convertible sighters and 15 for record @ 1,000 yards
Photos courtesy U.S. F-Class Rifle Team (F-TR).
August 24th, 2013
 One of the easiest ways to build a portable target stand is to use PVC pipe and connectors. Utah .308 Shooter “Cheese” has created a simple yet sturdy target frame, and he’s shared his design so you can build a similar frame easily and at low cost. The components are wood furring strips, 2″-diameter PVC pipes (and connections), and a 2’x3′ sheet of cardboard. The PVC base can be glued together, or, for easier transport and storage, you can leave some or all of the connections free. “Cheese” tells us: “I didn’t glue any of it together so I could disassemble it, shove it in a bag and take it anywhere.”
“All the parts are just pushed together and not glued. That way I can break it down and carry it all in a bag. Also, if a buddy (not me!) happens to shoot the stand, I can easily replace just the damaged piece. The last 6 inches of the furring strips are wittled-down a bit so they can be pushed into the upright pipes with a little friction. The cardboard is 2 x 3 feet, and I use a staple gun to attach it to the furring strips. Then I just staple the target onto the cardboard and go at it.
Of course you can modify the dimensions as desired. I chose the black ABS pipe over white PVC simply for cost — black ABS is a little cheaper. You can also glue some or all of the parts together, it’ll just be larger for transporting. In windy conditions, the thing likes to come apart. Duct tape might work well.
For weight, I thought about filling the two end pipes with sand and gluing test caps on each of their ends. The test caps still allow the pipes to slip into the elbows.”
Add Anchors or Internal Weight for Stability
On a very windy day, a PVC stand can shake or even topple over. There are a couple solutions to this. Some people fill the PVC pipe sections with sand to add weight, or you can put short sections of Re-BAR inside the long legs. One GlockTalk forum member noted: “I built [a frame] almost identical to this. I also take four pieces of wire coathanger bent into an inverted “U” shape to anchor the frame to the ground. It is so light that wind will knock the stand over [without anchors].”
Assembly Diagram with Dimensions
The photo below shows all the components of the base, with dimensions. The overall maximum assembled dimensions are roughly 26″ wide, 41″ deep, and 66″ tall (the cardboard is 2 x 3 ft).
You can find photos of a similar home-made PVC target stand (with a slightly different rear section) on the Box of Truth website. This also employs a PVC tubing base with wood uprights. We’ve also seen all-PVC target stands, but we’ve found that it is easier to attach the cardboard to wood strips than to PVC pipe. Also, if the upper section is wood, you can fit different height targets, while using the same base.
August 23rd, 2013
Browning is jumping into the “value-priced” rifle market. Browning has introduced a new bolt-action rifle, the AB3 (A-Bolt III) which will compete price-wise with Ruger, Savage, and Howa rifles. The AB3’s $599.99 sticker price is notable, because Browning’s regular X-Bolt and A-Bolt rifles cost hundreds of dollars more. Despite the low price, the new-for-2013 AB3 has some nice features. The button-rifled barrels are all “individually finished with a hand-reamed chamber for tighter tolerances and more precise headspace.” The trigger has a 3.5-lb pull — just about right for a hunting gun. A clever bolt-unlock button lets you unload the gun even with the safety engaged.
Browning announced: “Browning is pleased to announce the introduction of the AB3 bolt-action rifle. For 2013, the AB3 will be available in a Composite Stalker model in four different calibers. The new AB3 features a bolt-lock-override button that allows shooters to unload the firearm while leaving the top-tang safety in the on safe position. The steel receiver has a matte blue finish and is drilled and tapped for scope mounts. A free-floating, hand chambered barrel with target crown is featured. The AB3 also has a removable box magazine. The composite stock is matte black and features textured grip areas. An Inflex recoil pad reduces felt recoil. Sling swivel studs are included.”
Designed as a durable, affordable hunting rifle, the AB3 Composite Stalker model comes in four popular hunting chamberings: 270 Win, 7mm Rem Mag, .30-06 Springfield, and 300 Win Mag.
Video Shows Features of Value-Priced AB3
August 23rd, 2013
The dust has settled and all the scores have been tabulated at the 2013 U.S. F-Class Nationals. This was a hugely successful event with 350 shooters on the firing line. After three days of individual matches, concluding with blustery conditions on Thursday, we have two new USA F-Class Champions, Larry Bartholome (F-Open) and Derek Rodgers (F-TR). Both men shot great matches from start to finish — we congratulate both on their well-deserved victories.
CLICK HERE for Final F-Open Full Results | CLICK HERE for Final F-TR Full Results
Derek Rodgers (Team Sinclair) is the 2013 U.S. National F-TR Champion. Posting a 1270-44X final score, Derek edged runner-up Lige Harris (1268-44X) by two (2) points, both men finishing with identical X-counts. John Chilton was third with 1264-35X, with Trudie Fay (1263-33X) and James Crofts (1261-33X) rounding out the top five. Lige finished as High Senior, while Trudie was the High Lady.
Fellow F-TR shooter (and past National F-TR Champion) Brad Sauve praised Rodgers:
“Derek is the only person that has won both the F-TR and F-Open U.S. National Championships. Derek just dominated those Raton winds in every match and must have ice in his veins to go into that last match knowing he was tied for first and [still] pull out another great performance.”
In F-Open class, Larry Bartholome won the 2013 National Championship, besting an extremely strong field packed with talent. Larry shot great on all three days, holding on to his lead even in extremely challenging conditions on Thursday. Larry took the F-Open title with a 1283-59X score. The next three positions were decided on X-Count, with three shooters, second-place Kenny Adams (1281-66X), third-place Freddy Haltom (1281-52X), and fourth-place William Wittman (1281-50X) all finishing with 1281 point totals. Kenny’s impressive 66X was the high X-count for the match. Steven Blair finished fifth with a 1280-52X score.
Here’s One of the Next Generation of Champions…
Stormy Conditions on Thursday
On Thursday, the wind started out calm for the first couple of relays. Conditions started to get a little switchy by the 3rd through the 6th relays and then with a storm front coming in, the 7th and 8th relays got a bit wild. Our reporter at Raton, Jeff Williams, reports: “We had dust devils dancing between the line and the targets. Rain held back until after all shooters had finished.”
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