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December 22nd, 2013
Christmas is just a few days away. If your’re looking for a good gift for a serious shooter, consider a book. A well-written book can serve as a valued resource for many years. Right now Creedmoor Sports is running a special Holiday Sale on many popular book titles. Here are 12 book items on sale, and you’ll find more discounted books at CreedmoorSports.com.
Shooting Books on Sale at Creedmoor Sports
Shots Fired In Anger, $20.00 on Sale
(Reg. $27.95), Item BK-SFA
Hatcher’s Book of the Garand, $24.00 on Sale
(Reg. $29.95), Item BK-HBG
Ways of the Rifle, $59.00 on Sale
(Reg. $74.95), Item C1289
Handloading for Competition, $31.00 on Sale
(Reg. $34.95), Item C1286
David Tubb’s Highpower Rifle, $24.00 on Sale
(Reg. $29.95), Item C1251 |
Service Rifle Slings, $13.00 on Sale
(Reg. $14.95), Item BK-SRS
Air Rifle Shooting, $59.00 on Sale
(Reg. $73.95), Item AHG3980
Precision Shooting with M1 Garand,
$9.00 on Sale, (Reg. $12.95), Item C1270
Mental Training in Shooting, $39.00 on Sale
(Reg. $48.95) Item AHG8299
Slings and Things, $18.00 on Sale
(Reg. $19.95), Item BK-SAT |
December 21st, 2013
 Norma is making a big push to expand its presence in the North American market. As part of this effort, Norma is introducing seven (7) new types of cartridge brass for 2014. We’re pleased to report that Norma-USA will be importing top-quality brass for the 6.5 Grendel, and 6.5 Creedmoor, two popular target cartridges. In addition, for 2014, Norma will offer 7mm RUM, 7mm Blaser Magnum, 300 AAC Blackout (300 BLK), .300 RUM, and the .338 Blaser Mag. The Norma brass we have shot in other chamberings (6 PPC, 6mmBR Norma, 6XC, .243, 7mm RSAUM) has all been excellent, giving good accuracy. Case weights were very consistent and the neck-wall thickness was very uniform, particularly with the PPC and BR brass. The new 300 BLK brass is an important offering for AR shooters. (NOTE: You can also make 300 BLK cases from Norma or Lapua .221 Fireball brass).
Though the annealing “shadow” may not be as visible as with Lapua brass, the case necks of Norma brass cartridges are indeed annealed near the end of the manufacturing process. This assures more consistent neck tension — something critical to accuracy. Most of the new cartridge brass offerings should be be available at vendors by early April, 2014. You can get Norma brass from Bullets.com, Grafs.com and Midsouth Shooters Supply, as well as many other online vendors.
New Norma-USA Brass Offerings for 2014:
- 6.5 Grendel
- 6.5 Creedmoor
- 7mm RUM
- 7mm Blaser Magnum
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- 300 AAC Blackout (300 BLK)
- .300 RUM
- .338 Blaser Magnum
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Product Tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
December 21st, 2013
It’s nice to see a leading firearms industry company fund “good works” and help charitable organizations. Hornady Manufacturing recently donated $38,009 to GRACE Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving cancer patients, cancer survivors, and their families. Founded in 1949, Hornady is a family-owned business in Grand Island, Nebraska. The donation came from proceeds of the sale of Hornady® Critical Defense® Lite™ ammunition from November 2012 to November 2013.
“We at Hornady Manufacturing wanted to play an active role in the fight against cancer,” said Renae Waltemath, Director of Sales. “By donating a portion of the proceeds of each box of Critical Defense Lite ammunition sold over a 12 month period, we can directly assist organizations devoted to that cause. Choosing GRACE Foundation to receive a donation was easy since they help so many people in the Grand Island area, some of whom may be Hornady employees or family members affected by cancer.” Lisa Willman, co-founder of GRACE Foundation, said the gift significantly expands the number of people the organization can serve. “To give you an idea of what this means,” Willman explained, “the GRACE Foundation gave out over $21,000 in assistance over the entire third quarter of 2013. So a gift of $38,009 from one source is a huge help.” The Hornady gift is the largest single donation the organization has ever received.
December 20th, 2013
The 300 AAC Blackout (300 BLK, or 7.62x35mm) was created by Advanced Armament Corp. and Remington in order to provide the military with a way to shoot .30-caliber bullets from the M4 carbines with only a barrel change. It has since become popular with AR shooters for a wide range of uses including hunting and home defense. With the increased popularity of this cartridge, folks have been looking for reliable 300 BLK load information. Now, thanks to Sierra Bullets, we have some good load data for the 300 AAC Blackout. Sierra has released a FREE 6-page Load Guide for this cartridge, as part of the Sierra Reloading Manual (5th Edition).
CLICK HERE for Sierra 300 AAC Blackout Load DATA (PDF Format).
Here is ONE of SIX Pages in the Sierra Load Sheet for 300 AAC Blackout
About the 300 AAC Blackout (300 BLK)
The 300 AAC Blackout cartridge shares case-head dimensions and body taper with the .223 Remington. Not only does this allow for compatibility with existing magazines and bolts, but it allows reloaders to form their own brass from cut-down 5.56×45 mm or .223 Rem cases. You can also form 300 Blackout cases by necking-up .221 Fireball brass. Take Note: Lapua has started producing .221 Fireball brass — this should be available in the USA by early April.
The 300 AAC Blackout is a similar concept to previous wildcats, such as the 30-221 and 300 Fireball, as well as the proprietary 300 Whisper®, except that 300 BLK was the first to be a SAAMI-approved cartridge and any company is free to make firearms or ammunition.
300 AAC Blackout is also finding use with hunters, who may not have been able to legally hunt with .223 in their state, and who prefer .30 caliber bullets for medium-sized game. It provides similar effectiveness to the 7.62×39 or the slightly more powerful .30-30 cartridges except works in the more up-to-date AR-platform rifles. Effective hunting range is about 150 yards. Some innovators, such as Dave Whitford, have also experimented with the 300 BLK for Across-the-Course competition. READ Whitford story in Rifleman’s Journal..
December 20th, 2013
 Here’s good news for target shooters and hunters — there’s a new supplier of quality, match-grade ammo. Creedmoor Sports will be manufacturing .30-06, .308 Win, and .223 Rem ammunition beginning in May of 2014. It will be sold as “Creedmoor Ammo”, with hunting and match versions.
Help Design the Box — Get a Free CASE of Ammunition
Creedmoor Sports is looking for help designing the packaging for its new ammo line. If you successfully come up with the best graphics to be printed on the box, you’ll receive a cases of ammunition. Dennis DeMille, Creedmoor’s General Manager explains: “The person whose artwork we use, or slight variation thereof, will receive their choice of the very first case of one of those three calibers of ammunition.” Dennis adds: “Look at these boxes as your blank canvas. The ammunition, all calibers, will be in boxes of 50, and in cases of 100 (two boxes of 50)”.
Creedmoor’s Box Design Goals (Things to Keep in Mind):
The packaging design needs to appeal to competitive shooters, recreational shooters, and hunters alike. While any one package might not appeal to all groups, we don’t want one group to look at the box and think “That’s not for me”.
The ammunition WILL be match quality (we don’t want to give away any more details just yet), but changing the projectile would make it a match quality hunting round. Ideally what we want is one box design that will be suited for all applications.
The name of the Ammo will be “CREEDMOOR AMMO”, however, we don’t want to use the Creedmoor bursting bomb logo. If you have ideas for a new logo, please share those concepts with us at Creedmoor.
Send your ideas directly to Dennis DeMille, at demille [at] creedmoorsports.com. Please put “NEW AMMO BOX DESIGN” in subject line so that it doesn’t get lost among the many emails.
December 19th, 2013
Vihtavuori powder fans can rest a bit easier now…
 Breaking News: Just hours ago the Nammo Group announced that it has acquired the Finnish company Eurenco Vihtavuori OY, which produces Vihtavuori powders. This deal was finalized through the signing of a Share Purchase Agreement today, December 19, 2013.
The official press release adds that: “The agreement is subject to approval by French authorities. Filing is done and approval is expected to be granted within short time.” CLICK HERE to read Nammo/Eurenco Press Release PDF.
December 19th, 2013
 On his Riflemans’ Journal blog, German Salazar wrote an excellent article about cartridge Case-Head Separation. We strongly recommend that you read this article. German examines the causes of this serious problem and he explains the ways you can inspect your brass to minimize the risk of a case-head separation. As cases get fired multiple times and then resized during reloading, the cases can stretch. Typically, there is a point in the lower section of the case where the case-walls thin out. This is your “danger zone” and you need to watch for tell-tale signs of weakening.
The photo below shows a case sectioned so that you can see where the case wall becomes thinner near the web. German scribed a little arrow into the soot inside the case pointing to the thinned area. This case hadn’t split yet, but it most likely would do so after one or two more firings.
One great tip offered by German Salazar involves using a bent paper clip to detect potential case wall problems. Slide the paper clip inside your case to check for thin spots. German explains: “This simple little tool (bent paper clip) will let you check the inside of cases before you reload them. The thin spot will be immediately apparent as you run the clip up the inside of the case. If you’re seeing a shiny line on the outside and the clip is really hitting a thin spot inside, it’s time to retire the case. If you do this every time you reload, on at least 15% of your cases, you’ll develop a good feel for what the thin spot feels like and how it gets worse as the case is reloaded more times. And if you’re loading the night before a match and feel pressured for time — don’t skip this step!”
December 19th, 2013
Since 2010, Lapua has shipped its quality cartridge brass in sturdy blue plastic boxes. Here’s a handy tip for you — don’t toss the plastic boxes when you load up your brass! These are double-duty containers. If you’re not familiar with “Blue Box” Lapua brass, you may not realize that the boxes are designed to serve as 50-round carriers for your loaded ammo and fired cases. (Yes we know some folks who’ve been tossing out their blue boxes without knowing how the boxes work as caddies.)
Snapped in place under the box lid is a rectangular plastic grid that fits in the bottom of the box. Pop the grid loose and slide it into the box with the smooth side facing up. Side supports molded into the lower section hold the grid in place.
Voilà, instant Ammo Box! Each grid contains holes for fifty (50) loaded rounds or empty cases. The convertible plastic container/ammo box is a great idea that Lapua executed very nicely. Now you have even more motivation to purchase your cartridge brass from Lapua.
December 18th, 2013
 Here’s a special one-day offer that can save you $20 – $30 (or more) on a big order from Sinclair International. Here’s the deal — TODAY ONLY, December 18, 2013, Sinclair is offering FREE SHIPPING on ALL orders (large or small — no minimum amounts). To get your FREE SHIPPING today, use Discount Code EC7 during checkout. CLICK HERE.
Here is your chance to buy those one or two small items you really need, but hesitated to buy because of shipping costs. Likewise, today’s the day to buy barrels, pedestal rests, reloading presses, and other heavy items that are normally expensive to ship. Free Shipping could save you a bundle on big items. NOTE: Sinclair has Bartlein and Krieger match-grade barrels in-stock right now in .22, 6mm, 6.5 mm, and .308 calibers. AR-15 barrels from Criterion, Krieger, and White Oak Armament are also in-stock.
December 18th, 2013
Report based on Lars Dalseide story in NRAblog
 If you watched the position and prone shooters at the 2012 London Olympic Games, you couldn’t help but notice the exotic rifles competitors were shooting. There were wood stocks, metal stocks, off the shelf rifles and customized specials. Why are there are so many different design features and stock types? To answer this question, the NRAblog’s editors called on Jessie McClain of the NRA Competitive Shooting Division.
“The customized rifles, like the Anschütz you showed me, can make a real difference in a shooter’s performance,” explained McClain. “I went from a decent shooter to making the varsity shooting team my freshman year because of the rifle.” As Jessie explained, one new feature out there is the adjustable stock, which she called the Porsche of the shooting world. Fully adjustable from the butt plate to the check piece to the hand stop and risers and bolt knobs, this component is fully customizable to the athlete … which can be a huge advantage. “Every person is different … a customizable rifle fits anyone. A rifle team can purchase four of these and field a shooting team for years.”
Not for Novices
The one warning she did have is that these are not for the novice shooter. Get a couple of years of shooting under your belt and then think about moving on to a customized rifle. That way, you can learn the basics before investing in the high dollar equipment. “You wouldn’t give your 16 year old a Ferrari for his first car, would you?”
The Modern Anschütz Position Rifle
Smallbore match rifle makers are using modern materials in response to the need for greater adjustability (and enhanced accuracy). One of the popular new designs is the Anschütz model 1913 position rifle with a “1918 ALU Precise” brushed aluminum stock. This looks like it has been crafted in an aircraft plant.
Story by Lars Dalseide, courtesy the NRA Blog.
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