Here is a ‘dream job’ for those of our readers with a marketing background…
Berger Bullets just announced that the company is seeking a talented candidate to lead the bullet-maker’s sales and marketing efforts. Over the last decade, Berger Bullets has been blessed with strong growth. This has created opportunities for Berger to expand its operations. To lead this expansion, Berger is looking for a talented Sales and Marketing director.
Executive Vice President, Eric Stecker, who has been responsible to Berger’s sales and marketing efforts to date states, “when it comes to sales and marketing, Berger has a clear goal, a good plan and a great team. What we need is a quarterback to lead this effort into the future.”
The job opening is an upper management level position based in Fullerton, Californa. Candidates should have skills and related work experience in a variety of areas including leadership, communication, organization, industry and market knowledge, problem solving, budget review and planning.
Eric adds, “I regard Berger as a progressive company within the firearms industry. To that end we are looking for someone who will continue Berger down the path of growth success while at the same time bringing an open minded, outside-of-the-box perspective.” Berger will only consider applicants who have a career history in a leadership role within sales, marketing, or customer service. Candidates interested in this opportunity should email their resume to eric.stecker [at] bergerbullets.com.
Remington Outdoor Company (formerly the Freedom Group), announced some big changes yesterday. A half-dozen product lines were consolidated, some small manufacturing facilities were targeted for shut-down, and a host of jobs are being “relocated” to Remington’s new Huntsville, Alabama factory. In addition, certain product lines now being made in Ilion, New York, will be shifted to Alabama.
Remington spokesman Teddy Novin declared: “[On May 15, 2014] we announced the consolidation of multiple company plants into our Huntsville, Alabama facility. This was a strategic business decision to concentrate our resources into fewer locations and improve manufacturing efficiency and quality. We are working hard to retain as many [workers] from the affected facilities as possible.”
Doors Closing at Small Plants Around the Country
Numerous production facilities (currently operated by Remington sub-brands) will be shut down in multiple states, with business functions moved to Remington’s new 500,000-square-foot facility in Huntsville, Alabama. Most importantly, Bushmaster rifle production and the Remington 1911 production lines will be relocated from Ilion, New York to Huntsville. The DPMS plant in St. Cloud, Minnesota will be shuttered, with production shifted to Huntsville. Suppressor-maker Advanced Armament Corp. (AAC) will close its Lawrenceville, Georgia facility. Para-Ordance pistol production will halt in North Carolina and be shifted to Huntsville. Likewise,the Montana Rifleman (Kalispell, MT), TAPCO (Kennesaw, GA), and LAR Manufacturing (West Jordan, UT) production facilities will all be closed, with future production moved to Alabama. Below is a complete list of the consolidations and plant closures:
Sweet Home, Alabama — These Operations Will Be Moved:
Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC, moved from Lawrenceville, GA)
Bushmaster (moved from Ilion, NY)
DPMS – Panther Arms (moved from St. Cloud, MN)
LAR Manufacturing (moved from West Jordan, UT)
Montana Rifleman (moved from Kalispell, MT)
Para-Ordnance (moved from Pinevile, NC)
Remington 1911 (moved from Ilion, NY)
Tapco (moved from Kennesaw, GA)
We are also informed that some of the operations currently conducted at Remington’s Elizabethtown, Kentucky firearms plant and R&D facility will be moved to Huntsville, GA. However, we don’t have more specifics at this time.
The original Remington Arms Company was founded in 1816. Today’s Remington Outdoor Company, Inc. produces firearms, ammunition, and related outdoor products. The Firearms segment manufactures and sells sporting shotguns, rifles, handguns, modular firearms, and airguns under numerous brands including Remington, Bushmaster, Dakota, DPMS, Harrington & Richardson, Parker Gun, Marlin, Nesika, and Para-Ordnance. The Ammunition segment produces loaded ammo and bullets under Remington, UMC, Barnes, Dakota, and other brands. According to Businessweek, Remington Outdoor Company currently has 3,800 employees. George K. Kollitides is the Chief Executive and Chairman of the Board.
The U.S. Army has seen the benefits of the hard-hitting .300 Winchester Magnum (.300 Win Mag) round, and now it wants more — a lot more. The Army has ordered twenty million dollars worth of .300 Win Mag ammo from ATK, to be used primarily in the Army’s M2010 sniper rifle.
ATK has announced a five-year, fixed-price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with the U.S. Army for the production of Mk248 Mod 0, 190-grain and Mk248 Mod 1, 220-grain .300 Winchester Magnum (Win Mag) rifle ammunition. The Army has selected this ammunition for primary use in its M2010 Sniper rifle. According to ATK’s press release, the award has an estimated maximum value of $20 million over the life of the contract. The ammunition will be manufactured at ATK’s Anoka, Minnesota, Federal Premium Ammunition factory. Said ATK’s Sporting Group President Jay Tibbets, “We are proud the U.S. Army has selected our 300 Win Mag ammunition.”
M2010 Sniper Rifle with Suppressor (Click to Zoom)
The U.S. Army first issued M2010s to snipers at the U.S. Army Sniper School in January 2011. Army snipers have been using the M2010 in combat in Afghanistan since March 2011. The M2010’s .300 Win Mag round extends the engagement range over the M24 from 800 meters to 1,200 meters, enhancing lethality and standoff. The M2010 fires .300 Winchester Magnum ammunition to provide approximately 50% greater effective range compared to the M24’s 7.62x51mm NATO. The U.S. Army hopes that the additional effective range helps their snipers in engagements in mountainous and desert terrain in which the war in Afghanistan is fought. Note: As originally developed by Remington, the rifle was called the XM2010. As officially adopted by the U.S. Military, it is now designated the M2010.
Saving Private K-9, a new, original television show, debuts tonight on the Sportsman Channel. Hosted by ‘Gunny’ R. Lee Ermey, Saving Private K-9 features the dedicated working dogs who perform important tasks for the U.S. Armed Services as well as law enforcement agencies. For the 2,500 teams of canines and handlers who serve with America’s military and law enforcement organizations, the idea of a dog being “man’s best friend” is no overstatement.
Each episode of Saving Private K-9 highlights the featured dogs’ specialized training, battlefield accomplishments, and relationships with their handlers. Many episodes include inspiring accounts of courageous acts by military dogs, as told by those who fought beside them. Additionally, the show will focus on the dogs’ post-service lives, which often involve rigorous rehabilitation prior to adoption.
Watch ‘Saving Private K-9′ Trailer
Saving Private K-9 premiers Thursday, May 15 at 8:30 pm ET/PT. Hosted by actor and former Marine R. Lee Ermey, the series is part of Sportsman’s Salute to Service initiative.
Each summer the Civilian Marksmanship Program sponsors a popular series of Junior Air Rifle Camps and Clinics to teach intermediate and advanced marksmanship skills to junior shooters. All camps are one-week-long, three-position air rifle camps, with the exception of the Outreach Clinics and the Advanced Standing Camp.
The CMP’s summer Rifle Training Camps are filling up fast. Many camps are now posted as full, and several more will be full soon. If you want to help a Junior get involved, act soon. Interested Juniors should sign-up today for one of the remaining CMP Camps or Clinics. These are great training options for the summer. For more information, visit: http://thecmp.org/3p/camp.htm.
What happens when a round goes off unsafely in an AR? Watch this video and see. At about the 00:40 time-mark the shooter has a malfunction (click no bang), with a round. He then removes the magazine, and clears the chamber (we think). On the next round, at 00:53 you hear a “Bang” and see a big puff of smoke coming out of the upper receiver (see photo at right). This has been called a “detonation” by the video-maker, but we’re not 100% sure what happened. What do you guys think? Watch the video carefully, and state your conclusions in the comment section if you wish.
What Caused this Malfunction? Watch Video…
In any event, the shooter is fortunate his upper did not completely fracture, launching shrapnel into his face or other body parts. This could have turned out much worse. Here are screen-shots from the video, showing details of the gun after the accident, along with the recovered brass case, which separated near the case-head.
What do you call a shooting match that draws 125 competitors (ages 7 to 70), with 30 first-ever shooters, 36 ladies, and 17 juniors? We call that a rip-roaring success. Credit the Old Fort Gun Club in Arkansas for hosting such a successful event on April 26-27, 2014. The impressive turn-out shows the appeal of the NSSF Rimfire Challenge format, a fun match with FREE ammo provided by sponsors.
Video Shows Rimfire Challenge Fun Match.
The match attracted target shooters from 10 states. More than 30 participants said it was their first time competing in a shooting event. Thirty-six of the 125 competitors were female, 17 were juniors, and 17 were seniors. This is the kind of match that is fun for all age levels.
The NSSF Rimfire Challenge is a program of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. NSSF Rimfire Challenge was developed to introduce newcomers to target shooting by providing individuals and families with a safe, fun and exciting first-time experience using .22-caliber handguns and rifles and steel targets.
Awards were given to the top three finishers in Open and Limited Divisions, along with the top finisher in the Juniors, Seniors, Ladies, and Cowboy/Cowgirl categories. All registered shooters were also eligible to win sponsor-provided prizes.
Support for the match was provided by Volquartsen Custom, Brownells, Ruger, Hogue, and other companies. “I’d like to thank NSSF for supporting these matches,” said Bill Striplin, match director and Old Fort Gun Club president. “In my opinion, the NSSF Rimfire Challenge is the most fun shooting game in the world.” Learn more about the NSSF Rimfire Challenge at www.NSSF.org/rimfire. That web site also has a schedule of future Rimfire Challenge matches around the country.
What does a 1000-yard target look like when viewed through a 25-power* First Focal Plane scope? Here’s the answer, thanks to our Dutch friend Jim de Kort. This interesting photo shows the Stickledown Range at the National Shooting Centre in Bisley, England.
Click any image for larger view.
Jim has published some other interesting images on his Facebook Page. Here is a view looking downrange at a 300m shooting facility. Jim says “It was nice to have 300m all to ourselves”. The overhanging baffles stop stray shots that might otherwise fly out over populated areas. This photo was taken at the Schietsportcentrum Emmen in the Netherlands.
How many of these cartridge types do you shoot? Jim has quite the collection of calibers.
Jim likes faithful canines and accurate rifles. We know the feeling, and we bet many of our readers share Jim’s “favorite two hobbies” — dogs and guns. Jim says: “Dogs are like guns…. They bark, smell, eat expensive food, need cleaning once in a while and you have to take them outside regularly.”
*NOTE: The scope in the top photo is a Premier 5-25x56mm ER-MOA with 1/4 MOA clicks, “set at 20x so [Jim] can watch both neighbors”.
With so much attention given to the newest hardware, and most recent reloading innovations, we sometimes forget that Benchrest shooting, as a competitive sport, has been around for quite a long time. And some of those “old school” shooters managed to put together some pretty fine groups even without 21st Century gadgets and gear.
Click Photo to See Larger Version.
Here are some of the founding fathers of benchrest shooting, in a photo taken nearly six decades ago (4/3/1955). Men’s fashion has changed a bit over the years. Tony Boyer notwithstanding, you won’t find so many Stetsons at a shooting match these days. Courtesy of Sierra Bullets, here’s a “throwback” image of Benchrest shooters at the Brea, California “Round-Up” Shoot April 2 – 3, 1955. Left to right are: Frank Snow, (Founder of Sierra Manufacturing Company), John Moffit, K. E. “Smitty” Smith (NBRSA Director), Al Christie, E.F. Stewart, Jack Rice (sitting), I. F. Jack Williams, Lindsey King (behind Williams), Don “6mm” Smith, Frank Hemsted, and Art L. Elliott.
If you like this sort of “trip down memory lane”, visit Sierra Bullets’ Facebook page. Every Thursday morning, Sierra publishes a “Throwback Thursday” photograph from some decades past, together with a short featurette on the shooting-related item/person in the photo.
For a few years now, Lyman has offered the Case Prep Xpress, an all-in-one case prep center that chamfers necks (inside and out), cleans and uniforms primer pockets, brushes the inside of case-necks, and uniforms flash holes. The unit can also ream out the crimps on military brass. However, the Lyman Case Prep Xpress does NOT trim cases.
The Lyman Case Press Xpress comes with all the necessary tools and attachments (listed below), so you don’t have to purchase extra accessories. The 5 gear-driven heads on the unit are powered by a high torque, low-speed motor ideal for case prep operations. Lyman’s Case Prep Xpress features handy storage areas for accessories, a removable brass shavings dump pan, and a handy clean-up brush.
Lyman Case Prep Xpress Includes:
Inside Deburr (VLD) Tool
Outside Deburr Tool
Flash Hole Uniformer
Primer Pocket Uniformer (Large & Small)
Primer Pocket Reamer (Large & Small)
Primer Pocket Cleaner (Large & Small)
Case Neck Brushes (25, 30, 38 & 45 Cal)
Case Neck Lube (Mica)
Removable Brass Shavings Dump Pan
Clean-up Brush
In the two years that this product has been on the market it has been a hot seller. We’ve used the Case Prep Xpress. If you’re prepping hundreds of cases, this unit will save considerable time and reduce hand/finger fatigue. While the Case Prep Express is not as sturdy as the metal-bodied Hornady prep center, the Lyman unit offers a lot of functionality for the price ($108-$125 at various vendors).
Video clearly illustrates all case prep functions. Worth watching.
You can find Lyman’s Case Prep Xpress for under $120.00, making it much less expensive than the larger Hornady Case Prep Center, which runs about $400.00. The Hornady unit is beefier, and will trim cases. However, we think the compact Lyman unit makes sense for guys who already have a good case trimmer, such as a Forster or Wilson. The Lyman Case Prep Xpress is hundreds of dollars less than the Hornady prep center. The money you save will buy lots of bullets and brass.
Case Prep Xpress $108.08 at Midsouth
The Lyman Case Prep Xpress is sold by most of the big vendors. The best current price we found was at Midsouth Shooters Supply, which sells the Lyman unit for $108.08.
Berger Bullets just announced that the company is seeking a talented candidate to lead the bullet-maker’s sales and marketing efforts. Over the last decade, Berger Bullets has been blessed with strong growth. This has created opportunities for Berger to expand its operations. To lead this expansion, Berger is looking for a talented Sales and Marketing director.
Each summer the Civilian Marksmanship Program sponsors a popular series of Junior Air Rifle Camps and Clinics to teach intermediate and advanced marksmanship skills to junior shooters. All camps are one-week-long, three-position air rifle camps, with the exception of the Outreach Clinics and the Advanced Standing Camp.
What happens when a round goes off unsafely in an AR? Watch this video and see. At about the 00:40 time-mark the shooter has a malfunction (click no bang), with a round. He then removes the magazine, and clears the chamber (we think). On the next round, at 00:53 you hear a “Bang” and see a big puff of smoke coming out of the upper receiver (see photo at right). This has been called a “detonation” by the video-maker, but we’re not 100% sure what happened. What do you guys think? Watch the video carefully, and state your conclusions in the comment section if you wish.
You can find Lyman’s Case Prep Xpress for under $120.00, making it much less expensive than the larger 
