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August 6th, 2013
 ATK (Alliant Techsystems Inc.), already a giant conglomerate, may soon get even bigger. Reuters reports that ATK “is in advanced talks to buy Bushnell Outdoor Products Inc. in a deal that could value the gun accessory maker at around $1 billion[.]” In addition to scopes, Bushnell makes rangefinders, binoculars, GPS units. Bushnell sells a myriad of other products for outdoorsmen through its brands Butler Creek, Hoppe’s, Millett, Night Optics, Primos, Simmons, Stoney Point, Tasco and Uncle Mike’s.
According to Reuter’s sources, ATK is engaged in high-level negotiations with MidOcean Partners, a holding company that currently controls Bushnell. Reuters cautioned that “a deal has not yet been finalized and negotiations could still fall apart”.
If the Bushnell deal goes through, this will be the second major acquisition for ATK in the past few months. In May 2013, ATK paid $315 million for Caliber Company, the parent company of Savage Sports Corporation which runs Savage Arms and Stevens. Savage is being integrated into ATK’s Sporting Group business which includes Federal Premium, Alliant Powder, CCI, RCBS, Speer, Weaver Optics, Champion Targets, and other outdoor sports brands.
ATK is also a major defense contractor, producing ammunition, weapons systems, aerospace products and much more. Currently valued at $3.1 Billion, ATK has been a top performer on Wall Street recently. ATK shares have more than doubled in the past 12 months, outpacing most stocks, even in a rapidly rising overall market. ATK shares were trading at $97.53 today, compared to $47.24 one year ago.
Bushnell was founded in 1948. The company makes scopes, binoculars, GPS units, laser rangefinders, GameCams, eyewear, and other outdoor gear. Bushnell is the parent of many other outdoor product brands, including: Bollé, Butler Creek, Final Approach, Hoppe’s, Millett, Night Optics, Primos, Serengeti, Simmons, Stoney Point, Tasco, and Uncle Mike’s. Last year the Bushnell group of companies had $100 million in earnings before taxes, interest, and depreciation.
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August 5th, 2013
The beautifully-made Pistol Dynamics (PD) Products Cartridge Caddy has become popular with many top shooters. USA F-Class Shooting Team members Shiraz Balolia, Kenny Adams and others rely on these caddies to access ammo and keep time. By providing a clear, unmistakable visual display of time remaining and rounds fired, these ammo caddies make life easier for shooter, scorer, and coach.
To celebrate the 2013 F-Class World Championship in Raton, New Mexico this month, PD Products, through its Formula-F Division, has introduced a limited run of sequentially-numbered World Championship Caddies with F-Class World Championship graphics and optional name engraving. Production of these 25-round caddies will be limited by the number of units sold to participants of the match and will cease after that point.
Caddies Custom-Fit Your Choice of Cartridge
Caddies are available for a variety of cartridge types from .223 Rem to 7mm Magnum. Some Caddies are multi-caliber capable. For example, the .308 block accepts .308 Win, .243 Win, 7mm08, and other .308 family variants. Limited-edition ‘World Shoot Caddies’ cost $140.00 (shipping included) with optional name engraving for $20.00 extra (at time of purchase).
Original Caddy Also Available for $110.00
PD Products’ original On-Time Caddy is still available for $110.00, including standard shipping within the continental USA. Custom name engraving is also available on this product. Both the original PD Products Caddy and the special Limited Edition World Championship Caddy come with a lifetime warranty on machined parts and one year on the timer.
To learn more about the special ‘World Shoot’ Caddy or the original On-Time Caddy visit the
PD Products website, call (321) 733-1266, or send email to: info [at] pistoldynamics.com .
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August 5th, 2013
 Checks totaling over $444,000 are in the mail to 163 shooting teams and clubs across the nation as the MidwayUSA Foundation wraps up its latest and most successful grant cycle to date. “The number of teams that apply and receive grant money continues to grow. The team applications were double what we saw in January,” explains Dick Leeper, Executive Director of the MidwayUSA Foundation. “This growth is a result of our fund raising partners and proves that it can be done. Teams are taking advantage of their endowment dollars and that is resulting in more opportunities for young shooters and the future of the shooting sports industry. It’s exciting; it’s what we set out to do.”
 MidwayUSA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization which works to provide long term sustainment funding to shooting sports in high schools, colleges and universities, as well as club teams not affiliated with a school, such as 4-H, through its Scholastic Shooting Trust Fund. Founded by MidwayUSA owners, Larry and Brenda Potterfield, the Foundation offers every constituent team the opportunity to apply for a grant that will give them 5% of their total team’s endowment annually. Teams can then use the funds for operational expenses such as the purchase of uniforms, ammunition, targets, competition entry fees, range fees and more.
“Competitive shooting teams provide wonderful opportunities for students to make friends, develop confidence, and learn discipline and leadership skills. However, most schools provide little or no funding for shooting teams, so it’s up to us to help,” says Larry Potterfield, MidwayUSA CEO. For more information about the MidwayUSA Foundation, Inc. and its Scholastic Shooting Trust, please visit Midwayusafoundation.org or call 1-877-375-4570.
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August 4th, 2013
 The 13th Edition of Cartridges of the World is a handy reference that contains illustrations and basic load data for over 1500 cartridges. The latest edition (released in October 2012) includes 55 new cartridges. This important reference guide can be ordered through Amazon.com for $24.73. Cartridges of the World, the most widely-read cartridge reference book, is now even more comprehensive, with 55 new cartridges added since the last edition including popular wildcats and new offerings for AR-platform rifles.
The 13th Edition of Cartridges of the World (ISBN: 9781440230592) includes updated cartridge specs, plus essays by leading writers on the topics of SAAMI guidelines, wildcatting, and new cartridge design trends. Cartridges of the World is the most authoritative cartridge reference guide in print. If you are a cartridge collector or are interested in the history of cartridge development, this book is a “must-have” resource.
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Cartridges of the World by author Frank C. Barnes was first published in 1965. The 13th Edition is edited by Richard Mann, a contributing editor for Shooting Illustrated and American Rifleman magazines. Frank Barnes (1918-1992) began collecting information on handgun cartridges at the early age of 12, thanks to his father, a police officer. Frank Barnes was an innovative cartridge designer, who invented the original 308 x 1.5″ Barnes, predecessor of the 30BR case. Before Frank began a law enforcement career, he was a college professor. Frank was also a pilot, and a race-car driver. Learn more about Cartridges of the World (13th Ed.) at www.gundigest.com. |
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August 4th, 2013
 If you want to win shooting matches you’ll need to gauge wind speed and direction. While many shooters use the excellent Kestrel pocket Weather Trackers, many top shooters are turning to the Windtronic 2, a German-made unit that measures wind speeds from any direction.
The Windtronic features rotating cups mounted on a vertical axis. With this design you don’t have to align the unit with the wind, unlike the Kestrel WindMeter or SpeedTech WindMate™ devices. Many users feel the Windtronic’s unique design allows it to read wind speeds more accurately; it certainly can respond to shifting winds more easily. The omni-directional functionality of the Windtronic allows it to be mounted on a stand or tripod and continuously display current wind speed, max wind speed, and average velocity.
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The Windtronic 2 doesn’t gauge temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, or density altitude, unlike the more advanced (and expensive) Kestrel 4000/4500 model pocket weather trackers. The Windtronic only records wind speeds, but it does that one task exceptionally well.
Made in Germany by Kaindl Electronics, the Windtronic 2 comes with a 2-year manufacturers warranty and retails for $99.00 on Amazon.com. (Amazon.com provides AccurateShooter a small commission on sales). Other vendors include Windtronic.us and Windpowersports.com.
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August 3rd, 2013
Story based on Report by Kyle Jillson for NRABlog
Second NRA championship in three years for Olympian McPhail
SSG Michael McPhail of the USAMU won the 2013 NRA National Smallbore Prone Championship with a 4798 out of 4800, only two points shy of a perfect score. That’s an amazing score when you consider the event is shot outdoors, in widely varied conditions, over the course of multiple days. McPhail showed world-class skill and “staying power”. This is the soldier’s second smallbore title — McPhail won the coveted Critchfield Trophy in 2011. (He did not shoot in the 2012 National Matches because he was competing with Team USA at the London Summer Olympics.)
Matthew Chezem, winner of the 2013 NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championship earlier this spring, placed second by three points with a 4795. In third was McPhail’s USAMU teammate SFC Eric Uptagrafft with a 4794.
The Smallbore Prone Championship is determined by the 480-shot Aggregate of the Metallic Sight Championship and Any Sight Championship; each championship comprising 240 shots spread out over six matches from distance of 50 meters and 100 yards. Reya Kempley, 2012’s overall silver medalist, won the Metallic Sight Championship with a perfect 2400. McPhail took the Any Sight Championship with a 2399 and 199 tie-breaking Xs, besting teammate SFC Jason Parker’s 2399-188X.
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August 3rd, 2013
 Need inexpensive .30-caliber major-brand bullets? Graf & Sons has you covered. Grafs.com just made available a large number of pull-down Sierra 175gr HPBT MatchKing bullets at a cost of just $21.99 per 100 bullets. This price includes shipping, but there is a single $6.95 handling fee per order. These .308 Sierra bullets are pulled down from Lake City LRM118 millitary ammo. Note, since these are pull-down bullets (taken from dismantled ammo), the bullets may exhibit scratches or pull marks. Still, if you are looking for a supply of .30-caliber bullets available right now at a great price, check out this current offer.
Product tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
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August 2nd, 2013
 One of the most remarkable shooting records — and one that has stood for four decades — is the 0.009″ five-shot group credited to Mac McMillan. The NBRSA Light Varmint Record of .009″ for five shots (at 100 yards) was set on 9/23/1973, forty years ago. Experts have considered that record “untouchable”, “unassailable” — in other words “unbreakable.”
Well records are meant to be broken. It appears that Texan Mike Stinnett has broken the “unbreakable” .009″ NBRSA record. Mike shot a .0077″ five-shot group at 100 yards in a registered short-range benchrest match at Denton, Texas. This will be a new NBRSA record (and all-time world record) if approved. Mike was shooting a .30-caliber cartridge, listed as a 30 PPC, but there’s some talk that the cases were formed from a Lapua 6.5 Grendel case. No matter — this is a mind-blowing accomplishment, particularly considering that Stinnett was shooting a .30-caliber gun, which has considerably more recoil than a 22 PPC or 6 PPC.
Forum member Wes J. (aka “P1ZombieKiller”) reports: “My buddy Mike Stinnett was just confirmed as having beat the world record LV group at 100 yards in a registered match. His group measured .0077″ and he did it with his 30 caliber.”
Wes adds: “Mike shoots thousands of rounds a year… I have sat on the bench right next to him several times, and he has rattled off five shots down range in a matter of 2-3 seconds, and the groups have measured in the .1s. The guy can flat shoot. His wind reading abilities are mind-blowing. When he gets the right condition, he is fast. REALLY FAST.”
NOTE: We will publish photos of Mike Stinnett and his target as soon as they are available.
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August 2nd, 2013
Our buddy Shawn McKenna from Colorado Springs has made the pilgrimage to Camp Perry this year. McKenna, a talented service rifle and High Power shooter, captured some striking images during this week’s matches, including some beautiful photos taken in the early light.
Off to a Great Start
Shawn and his shooting companions have been doing well so far. At the team match, Shawn observed: “[It was a] great way to start the Team Match at Camp Perry 2013 with a call ‘X’ [for my team-mate]!”
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August 2nd, 2013
 Want to work for a successful, big-name gun industry business? Well there are jobs to be had. Right now, Beretta, Brownells, FNH, Glock, Kimber, and Remington are all listing good gun industry employment opportunities. The National Shooting Sport Foundation (NSSF) has listed the following engineering, production, marketing, and technical jobs in the gun industry. CLICK HERE for more info and links to specific jobs.
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August 1st, 2013
 Louisiana has adopted a program we’d like to see state governments copy nationwide. From September 6th through 8th, 2013, Louisiana shoppers can buy guns, ammo, and hunting supplies without paying a penny of sales tax. The Sales Tax Holiday is authorized by a Louisiana statute that waives gun-related sales and use taxes each year on the first Friday through Sunday in September.
Now that’s a “stimulus program” all firearms owners can support. Don’t you wish your state had a similar Second Amendment tax holiday?
The sales tax holiday takes place Friday, September 6, through Sunday, September 8, pursuant to the Louisiana Second Amendment Weekend Holiday Act. This law provides a three-day exemption from state and local sales and use taxes on consumer purchases of firearms, ammunition, and hunting supplies. Tax-free items include: Guns, Ammunition, Game feed and Decoys, Camo Gear, Hunting Safety Gear, Knives, Bows, Arrows, Boats and Off-Road Vehicles. Get more information at Louisiana’s Department of Revenue Website.
Learn More About Louisiana’s Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday
Business Purchases Still Taxed
During Louisiana’s Sales Tax Holiday weekend, the sales and use tax levied by the state and its political subdivisions shall not apply to any consumer purchases (by individuals) of firearms, ammunition and hunting supplies. However, sales and use taxes will still be due on business purchases of guns and ammo. Also sales tax will still apply to sales of animals used for hunting purposes .
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August 1st, 2013
 The web-based JBM Ballistics Program is one of the most sophisticated and accurate ballistics calculators available — and it’s free. The latest version of the JBM Trajectory Calculator includes field-test-derived actual G7 BCs, as well as bullet drag data from Lapua’s Doppler radar testing. You can also change weather variables, and generate come-up tables for distances out to 3000 yards.
Whenever we have web access, the JBM program is our “go-to” resource for dependable ballistics calculations. In our experience, with most bullets, if you input all the correct variables for the JBM program, it should get you within 1/2 moa (2 clicks), at 600 yards.
New URLs for JBM Ballistics Calculators
With the release of the latest version of the JBM program, some URLs for the calculations pages have changed. You may want to update your bookmarks with the following web addresses:
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