At the 2015 Media Day at the Range, I got to try our some sweet firearms. One was a handgun I’ve lusted after for a couple years, every since watching the killer video German arms-maker Korth created for its Pistole PRS. This video has some great exploded parts views and 3D animations, showing how the roller locking system works when a .45 ACP round is fired.
3D-Cutaway Shots from PRS Pistol Video
Video from 2014 Media Day
This Video was put together by another journalist last year, but we shot the same gun this year.
Opening day at SHOT Show is always overwhelming. Tens of thousands of visitors fill the Sands Convention Center. The rows of booths seem endless. Here are a few quick highlights from Day One.
So many booths, so many people. Yes it can boggle the mind…
Shilen had barrels galore on display (including AR barrels). Shilen also showcased triggers.
Handsome F-Class and Benchrest rifles were featured at Kelbly’s booth.
Labradar. Yes it is real. Yes it is FCC-approved. We’re told the first units should ship by mid-spring.
Bill Wiseman builds the massive text fixtures used by Remington, Sig Sauer, Lapua, and other big companies. This former USMC armorer is world renowned for the quality of his testing rigs.
Like father, like daughter. Steve Dahlke runs Criterion Barrels with expert help from his uber-smart daughter Stephanie, a talented young engineer.
QuickLOAD software has been updated with data for new powders, including Alliant and IMR powders.
The folks at Timney Triggers found a way to attract booth visitors — chocolate treats with Timney graphics. Yummy.
Bullets.com has contracted with Norma to produce 1,000,000 pieces of .284 Winchester and 6mm Dasher brass (500,000 of each type). This is big news for competitive shooters. The .284 Win cartridge is a proven winner in F-Class competition and the 6 Dasher is a record-setting mid-range benchrest cartridge. It’s tough to beat the Dasher at 300-600 yards, and the .284 Win is probably the most successful cartridge for F-Open shooters.
Bullets.com President Shiraz Balolia (left) and Norma Managing Director Paul-Erik Toivo “ink the deal”.
Shooters should be excited about these new offerings. Bullets.com’s contract with Norma calls for advanced production methods to make sure the new brass is truly “match-grade” and long-lasting. To ensure that primer pockets stay tight for many firings, the caseheads on the new brass will be double-stamped for improved hardness and strength. Additionally the new brass will go through an additional draw stage to ensure ultra-uniform casewall thickness. With these extra manufacturing steps, this new 6mm Dasher and .284 Win brass should be the best brass Norma has ever produced, as Bullets.com President Shiraz Balolia explains in the video below:
Shiraz Balolia Explains the Qualities of the New Brass
Shiraz reports: “Normally, Norma has about 25 steps of quality control (QC) during the production process of brass. They told us that our first shipments will have almost 30 steps to make sure that the brass is absolutely flawless when it leaves the factory.”
For illustration only — actual specifications may be slightly different.
6mm Dasher
.284 Winchester
6mm Dasher without Fire-Forming Hassles
Until now, if you wanted to shoot a Dasher, you had to go through the time-consuming and laborious process of forming brass from the parent 6mmBR Norma case. You had to blow the shoulder forward, either through fire-forming or hydro-forming. Now that’s all changed — you will soon be able to take perfect 6mm Dasher brass out of the box, and “load and shoot”.
The Deal is done. New Norma .284 Win brass will start arriving in the USA in March, 2015, while the new Dasher brass is expected in late summer 2015.
IMPORTANT — The above diagrams were made 4 years ago with QuickDESIGN. They are for illustration purposes ONLY. These are NOT reamer prints, and there may be small differences compared to the Norma .284 Win and 6mm Dasher brass ordered by Bullets.com. Do NOT spec reamers based on the above illustrations. Wait ’til we have the actual Norma brass to measure.
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The Kelbly clan had an impressive new action on display at SHOT Show. This new Kelbly Atlas Tactical action features a super-hard, durable black nitride external coating. This is a not a spray-on or bake-on finish. It is actually a surface layer treatment of the metal that increases the toughness of the finish to 84 Rockwell while making it super-smooth. This allows the action to work well with minimal lubrication.
Ian Kelbly says this action was designed with input from tactical gunsmiths and PRS competitors. The action comes standard with a fluted bolt, APA oversized bolt-knob, and a +20 MOA Picatinny rail on top. The fluted bolt helps keep channel dirt and dust out of the contact surfaces. Ian says this black nitride finish should provide superior function in sandy, dusty, or dirty environments because it can run with almost no lube/grease that attracts and retains grit. Visit Kelbly.com for action specifications and current pricing.
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Forum member Preacher recently crafted a nice varmint rifle for fellow Forum member Dave 0. (aka “Waskawood”). But rather than buy an off-the-shelf stock, Preacher crafted this stock all by hand, starting from a laminated blank panel. He calls this stock project his “Axe Job”.
CLICK for Full-size Photo
This stock is being used on a prairie dog rifle, chambered for a 17-caliber wildcat, the 17 VHA, which is based on an H&K 4.6x30mm parent case. With about nine grains of 300 MP pistol powder, the 17 VHA drives 20-grainers at about 3850 fps. (SEE details at end of article).
The ‘Axe Job’
Report by Preacher
I like carving with the laminates because all the lines are right there in front of my eyes, so it’s easy to follow along and get it just right, until it’s pleasing to the eye. I never use a template, I just keep checking the lines as I go along. I have all the needed equipment to power build one of these, but I really enjoy the time spent on the hand work. From start to completely ready-to-install, I’ll have about six (6) weeks into one of these stock projects. A lot of that is drying time for the clear coats.
A little work with the hand axe, after a trip through the band saw…
The majority of the laminated blank panels I use for my gunstocks are purchased directly from Cousineau Wood Products or from Rutply.com. You have to buy at least four full panels at a time, all the same color, but that will yield eight (8) stocks. Seems like I have a little over $150.00 in a blank large enough to start making a full-sized, benchrest-style stock.
A little work with a chisel…
A little work with a rasp. (Before I was rich and famous and could afford really good rasps, I used a good old horse shoe rasp.)
A little more work with the chisel…
Preacher’s Advice on Carving Your Own Stock
The one main advantage of being older that dirt, and tormented with MS the past 40 years, is lots of free time to enjoy what ever I can do these days, as long as I can set down to do it, and I can make a lot of wood chips setting down.
Any one can do this if they have the time to devote to it. All it takes is time and a good eye for details. I made a lot of firewood over the years, until I got the hang of it. Most all those problems were inletting, and screw hole spacing. Get those right the first time and you’re on your way….
A little more work with the rasp…
A few coats of Auto clear has it about buttoned up…
Micro 17 VHA Wildcat Here’s the finished rifle built by Preacher for Dave, using the ‘Axe Job’ stock. Dave tells us: “Preacher chambered the rifle for the 17 VHA, a wildcat based on the H&K 4.6x30mm MP7 PDW case necked down to 17 caliber. There are numerous articles in the Varmint Hunter’s Magazine about it. This efficient little round shoots 20gr ballistic tips at 3850+ fps. That’s not too shabby for ‘nine point something’ grains of pistol powder.”
“My intentions for my 17 VHA rifle are to plop down in the middle of a PD town with my swivel bench and shoot prairie dogs. I also thought it would be a nice platform to test the accuracy of the cartridge. If I like the little round as well as I think, I plan to build a more practical rifle that I can carry. I really want to thank Preacher for his patience with me through this project, as it was my first custom build.”
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Meeting old friends, and shooting new guns. That’s what Monday was all about at the annual Industry Day at the Range, a “hands-on” preview the day before SHOT Show opens in Las Vegas. Your editor met with old buddy Jason Baney at the crack of dawn and headed out to the Boulder City (NV) range.
We were not disappointed — there was plenty to see this year. On display were a bunch of new precision rifles, a slew of new handguns, and some very exotic optics. But Jason and I both felt that the star of this 2015 Industry Range Day was a modestly-priced little Savage — the new A17 in 17 HMR. Both of us wanted to own one of these compact new rifles. With a strong steel action, the A17 is accurate, fun, and ultra-reliable.
There were big rifles on display. Here’s the new Barrett 98B Fieldcraft, a lighter-weight version of the 98B. The Fieldcraft weighs just over 9 pounds. This is definitely an accurate rifle — shooting a 7mm magnum version from bench with bipod support, Jason managed 5 straight hits at 960 yards.
Among the many new precision rifles, there was one particularly patriotic model. Dolled up in Stars and Stripes livery is Ashbury Precision Ordnance’s new competition rifle. This is designed for F-TR and PRS competition.
We saw small pistols, big pistols, and pretty pistols. Here’s a fashionable pair of 1911-style semi-autos from Kimber. Jason said he’s bought one of these for Mrs. Baney.
This editor is a fan of big, accurate revolvers, and you won’t find many that are bigger, or more accurate, than the new Korth competition revolver. This prototype features a 4-position quick-adjusting rear sight, plus a slick system that allows the cylinder to be completely removed from the gun in seconds. (Note the little lever to the right of the hammer). The production version of this wheelgun is guaranteed to shoot 1.5″ or better at 50 yards.
Kimber displayed an impressive tactical rifle featuring a folding Manners Composite stock. This was a nice piece of kit. The Kimber action is a Mauser style with controlled feed. The rifle is offered in three chamberings: 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Winchester, and .300 Win Mag.
Last but certainly not least, we got a look at the final production version of the Leupold VX-6, 7-42x56mm scope. This is a winner folks. It has a nice, clear reticle with MOA-type hash marks on both cross-hairs. We zoomed it up to full 42X power and it was bright and sharp (all the way out to the edges). The main tube is 34mm allowing plenty of elevation adjustment. All controls worked smoothly. We think, once the word gets out about this scope (now at dealers), it will be very popular with F-Class shooters and long-range benchrest competitors. Street price is around $1900.00.
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Semi-auto 17 HMR — could this be the perfect light-recoiling fun gun and squirrel slayer? With its new A17, Savage has created a gun that should be hugely popular. If you like the Ruger 10/22, you’ll love the A17. It shoots a more powerful cartridge, and has a stronger action and a better trigger. With a beefy steel action that looks like it belongs on a centerfire, this gun is strong. With quality barrels (fitted, as you’d expect, with a barrel nut), the A17 is accurate. And with the capability to launch 17 HMR rounds as fast as you can pull the trigger this gun is a hoot to shoot. The ability to get a quick second shot (without disturbing the rifle by working the bolt) will be a game-changer in the varmint fields.
Watch Us Shoot the New A17 (Rapid-Fire at 1:50):
Star of the Show
Jason and I both felt that the star of this 2015 Industry Range Day was this modestly-priced little Savage A17 in 17 HMR. MSRP is $469.00 we were told. No one knows the “street price” yet but we expect that to be about $370.00. Both of us wanted to own one of these compact new rifles (Jason tried to buy one on the spot) — what does that tell you? With a strong steel action, the A17 is accurate, fun, and ultra-reliable.
Jason put the gun through three rapid fire drills — firing as fast as he could pull the trigger. We could not get the A17 to malfunction in any way. It just ripped through magazines like a sewing machine. Flawless operation. Bill Dermody of ATK says “this is one of the most thoroughly tested Savage rifles ever. We put over half a million test rounds through the rifle during development. That’s why it’s so reliable.”
The Magic Chicklet
Look below at the A17 bolt. The little black hardened metal piece (called a “chicklet” by the Savage engineers) is the secret ingredient. It works like a retracting lug, allowing the A17 to operate in delayed blow-back mode. That permits the A17 to function flawlessly with the energetic 17 HMR cartridge.
Optimized 17 HMR Ammo That’s 100 FPS Faster
CCI has developed new, higher-velocity 17 HMR ammo for the A17. Because Savage is now part of the ATK conglomerate, CCI is now Savage’s sister company. So, CCI and Savage cooperated during the development of the A17. CCI found a way to get more speed from the 17 HMR and Savage engineered an action and bolt that are strong enough to handle the new 17 HMR ammo, which runs 100 fps faster than other 17 HMR ammo on the market.
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SHOT Show kicks off tomorrow, January 20th. As a sneak preview, here are some new (or newly marketed) products that will be on display in Las Vegas. We’ve reviewed nearly 500 featured products and here are some cool items that caught our eye. The AMP annealing machine is a break-through technology, and we’d love to have one of those AG Composites Carbon stocks for an M1A. The Bix’N Andy trigger isn’t really new, though most American’s haven’t seen one yet. It really is a gem. Enjoy these product snapshots. We’ll provide more “hands-on” reporting over the coming week.
AMP Induction Annealing Machine
Source: Bullet Proof Samples LLC, AmpAnnealing.com
Annealing Made Perfect (“AMP”) is a pre-programmed, fully-calibrated induction annealer. Extensive metallurgy testing has laboratory verified the temperature/time program settings, allowing precise and repeatable neck hardness every time. The AMP can handle cases from .17 to .338 caliber. Change from one cartridge size to another in seconds. The sophisticated calibration eliminates guesswork, so you don’t have to just “burn-off” lacquers and a stop-watch. Just select the correct program, set the pilot, and start annealing. Proper annealing provides more consistent neck tension and that translates to lower ES/SD and better accuracy, particularly at long range.
X-15 Side Charged Upper (SCU)
Source: X Products
The standard AR rear-pull charging handle is annoying, particularly when shooting prone. The folks as X-Products have a smart solution, an upper with a side-charging handle. We’ve seen side-charge uppers before, but these were custom mods. The $299.00 X-15 Side Charged Upper is a turnkey solution that works with a standard AR-15 bolt and carrier. No machining or modification is needed. The elevated charging position allows the bolt carrier to be operated with a proprietary cam pin that is included with the upper. The manufacture claims its X-15 upper offers “Increased performance with a gas slide that covers the charging port preventing gas and debris from hitting the operator when suppressed”.
Bargain-Priced Composite Stock with Bedding Block
Source: Stocky’s Stocks
This $199.00 stock combines the latest glass-filled nylon composite technology with Stocky’s proven AccuBlock aluminum bedding technology for Remington 700 barreled actions. These stocks are offered in varmint, target, tactical, and hunting rifle models. All variants offer a “drop-in” solution for Rem 700 actions. The $199.00 price is makes this a bargain solution for hunters and varminters who want to upgrade from a flexy “tupperware” stock.
Bix’N Andy Match-Grade Triggers
Source: BulletCentral.com
Bix’n Andy is an Austrian company that crafts some of the best triggers on the planet. Gunsmith Andy Atzl uses a unique ball bearing mechanism that allows for incredibly precise trigger pull weight adjustments. BulletCentral’s owners says: “Andy’s work is consistently top quality and we are lucky to be the exclusive North American importer and distributor for his products.”
Peterson Cartridge Brass
Source: Peterson Cartridge Co.
We welcome any company that’s jumping into the brass marketplace. Competition among brass-makers is always a good thing. For 2015, Pennsylvania-based Peterson Cartridge Co. will offer “match-grade” rifle brass for four (4) cartridge types: .308 Winchester, 7mm Remington Magnum, 300 Winchester Magnum, and 338 Lapua Magnum. On Peterson’s website, you’ll find a page that illustrates each stage in the brass-making process, from cupping to final trim and annealing. If you’ve ever been curious about how brass is made, check out Peterson’s Cartridge Manufacturing Process Page.
AG Composites Carbon Fiber Components
Source: AG Composites LLC
AG Composites specializes in the design, development and production of high performance composite components. AG makes carbon fiber rifle stocks, handguards and buttstocks, and AG can also provide carbon fiber OEM components for manufacturers. Check this handsome AG carbon fiber stock on an M1A. That brings an old Battle Rifle design into the 21st Century.
Bulletproof Safari Vest
Source: Miguel Caballero
This “discrete” bulletproof Safari Vest was originally created for celebrities, VIP clients, and business executives. However, this product could also benefit those involved in firearms training or range operations. (It only takes one Accidental Discharge by a newbie to spoil your whole day.) This vest features light, flexible, yet strong ballistic materials that meet NIJ 0101.06 standards. The Safari Vest features a front overlap that functions as an anti-trauma plate protecting the thorax. For increased comfort, the vest is engineered to distribute the weight evenly front to back.
Smith & Wesson Ported M&P Pistols
Source: Smith & Wesson
New from the Smith & Wesson Performance Center are four new Ported M&P pistols. What makes these pistols unique is the fact that they have ported barrels for reduced muzzle flip, as well as an adjustable trigger stop. Stop by S&W SHOT Show Booth #13729 to have closer look at all the features.
Swab-Its 17-Caliber and 22-Caliber Bore-Whips
Source: Super Brush
The Swab-its folks have just made it even easier to clean .177 air rifles, .17 caliber rimfire or centerfire rifles, and .22 caliber lever action and semi-auto rifles. Bore-Whips feature a 45″ polypropylene cord tipped with a durable, reusable swab. This handy, pull-through design allows for cleaning the proper way, from breech to muzzle. The bright-colored Neon Orange (.17 cal) and Neon Green (.22 Cal) plastic cords do double-duty, acting as Empty Chamber Indicators (ECI) at the range. Swab-its Bore-whips are available in 3-packs for both .17 and .22 calibers. Check out samples at SHOT Show Booth #1241.
Thanks to Forum member M500 for Product Tips.
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Over the past few years, interest in F-Class competition has grown dramatically. SHOT Show opens tomorrow, so we thought we’d reprise an interesting interview captured two years back. At the 2013 SHOT Show we had a chance to talk about F-TR competition with U.S. National F-TR Team members Mike Miller and Stan Pate, two of America’s top F-TR shooters. We are reprising this interview for readers who may have missed it the first time around. If you shoot F-TR (even if you’re a High Master), we think you’ll learn a few things from this interview.
In this interview, Mike and Stan agreed to share their vast store of knowledge about long-range shooting. In a wide-ranging dialog, we discussed many topics of interest to F-Class shooters: position set-up, bipod shooting techniques (and hardware), gun-handling, and bullet selection. In addition, Mike and Stan offer some great advice on wind reading and precision reloading. These general tips will benefit all competitors, no matter what their discipline.
If you shoot F-TR or you are considering getting involved in this fast-growing shooting sport, definitely watch this 14-minute video interview from start to finish. Mike and Stan are true F-TR gurus whose knowledge of the F-TR game has been gleaned from years of top-level competition. If you shoot a .308 from a bipod, we guarantee you can learn much from Mike and Stan. If you follow their advice, we bet you’ll see your scores improve in future matches.
Watch Video for Tips from U.S. National F-TR Team Members Mike Miller and Stan Pate
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ELEY .22 LR ammunition has certainly been the choice of champions in high-level international smallbore competition. But ELEY is not resting on its laurels. ELEY’s engineers have worked hard to develop two new types of rimfire ammo — one fast (“force” high-velocity), one slow (“contact” subsonic). ELEY force and ELEY contact, the latest additions to ELEY’s product line, will be officially launched at SHOT Show in Las Vegas next week.
Black Casings — Not Just for Looks
Designed for power, ELEY force is a new, high-velocity .22LR round that delivers both superior energy AND accuracy. ELEY force features a new propellant with a distributed pressure curve. This provides more energy during the in-barrel “burn time”, accelerating the bullet to a high velocity. Force is optimized for semi-auto rimfire rifles.
The cartridge brass for ELEY force is matte black, the result of a patented oxidisation process, first used with Eley edge (introduced in 2013). ELEY force is now the second type of ammo with black cases, which are dark for a good reason. According to ELEY’s engineers: “The black oxidized case finish increases friction between the case and projectile. This regulates and controls the force required to release the bullet, stabilizing the projectile and increasing ballistic consistency and accuracy.”
ELEY Contact — The Subsonic Solution
ELEY contact is a subsonic semi-automatic .22LR round designed for extreme accuracy, reduced noise, and minimal recoil. The reduced recoil allows the shooter to recover his sight picture more quickly. This is especially important for rapid-fire shooting with semi-automatic rimfire rifles.
Both ELEY force and ELEY contact are engineered with a heavier 42 grain bullet for high energy and are coated in a specially-formulated paraffin wax to minimize build-up in actions and magazines.
ELEY’s History — A Success Story Spanning Two Centuries
A company with a rich heritage, ELEY has been making ammunition for 187 years. The company was first established in 1828 in London and was later moved to Birmingham, beginning a long and proud tradition. (Learn about ELEY’s history.) Over the years, ELEY has pioneered many technical innovations. ELEY now specializes in .22 LR caliber cartridges, and ELEY’s match ammo has a remarkable track record in competition. At the 2012 Olympics, 14 out of 18 smallbore shooting medals were won by shooters using ELEY ammunition.
ELEY Test Facilities in USA, UK, and Germany
ELEY tells us the “every current ISSF Smallbore World Champion uses ELEY Tenex ammo”. That success can be attributed (at least in part) to ELEY’s technical testing facilities in the UK, Germany, and the USA. At these test centers, competitive shooters can test ammo lots in their particular match rifle to ensure the best match of barrel and ammunition. To learn more about the ammunition testing facilities and ELEY products, visit www.Eley.co.uk.
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Can you fill a 30-round AR15 magazine in the blink of an eye — less than half a second? Well watch this video to see how it’s done, using the Israeli-designed Maglula Range BenchLoader™. In fairness, it takes about 20 seconds to fill the cleverly-designed device with thirty 5.56x45mm cartridges, but once they’re in place, a quick swipe of the hand is all it takes. Thirty rounds are zipped into the mag in 0.3 seconds (by our stopwatch). Don’t believe us? Watch the video. The magic happens at 0:42 and again at 1:17. Don’t blink — you’ll miss it.
Maglula Benchloaders are rugged CNC-machined tools designed to load 5.56/.223 Rem magazines in a single hand stroke. In the video below, a manufacturer’s rep demonstrates the speedloader, along with the “Lula” lever-action plastic loader/unloader.
Frankly, we prefer using the original straight 10-round and 20-round magazines in our ARs since they extract easier and feed flawlessly. But, if you use 30-round mags for 3-Gun matches or other tactical disciplines, these Benchloaders look like they can really speed up the loading process.
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Editor’s Note: We originally ran this story in 2010. Since then we have had many reader inquiries about using .22-250 Lapua brass for a 6mm cartridge. Well our friend Robert Whitley worked hard on that concept a few years back, when Lapua .22-250 brass first became available. He came up with a nice 30°-shoulder wildcat that matches the accuracy of the best mid-sized 6mm cartridges. Read all about Whitley’s 6mm-250 Imp 30 below.
Our friend Robert Whitley of 6mmAR.com has come up with a new, accurate 6mm wildcat based on the new Lapua .22-250 brass that has just started arriving. Robert provides this report:
“I just received a box of the new Lapua .22-250 cases — beautiful brass! My real desire with it was to make it into a 6mm version, preferably something that was ‘no neck-turn’ with a .308 Win-type body taper that would work well in bolt gun and semi-auto magazines and would have a capacity to allow superior velocities. I considered the 6XC, but since you have to bring a whole lot of the shoulder of the brass up into the neck (when you re-form the brass from .22-250 to 6XC) that would necessitate neck-turning it because with Lapua brass the shoulder metal is thicker than neck metal of the brass.
I wanted a simple ‘neck it up and shoot it’ approach so I made up a 6mm-250 Improved 30 cartridge (i.e. 6mm-250 Improved with a 30 degree shoulder) and this thing works great — just neck up the brass, load it and shoot it! The case is like a 6XC with a .030″ longer body and a .030″ shorter neck, which works out fine if you are going to be shooting mainly the 105-108 gr bullets (which it will do very well shooting 2950 – 3000 fps). If you want to hot-rod things, which I do not, I am certain the case can push the 105-108 gr bullets a fair amount faster.
I set it up and throated the reamer for the Sierra 107s and the Berger or JLK 105 VLDs (i.e. a .090″ free bore on the reamer) and it works great with them. If I was going to use it with the Lapua 105s or the Berger 108s I would add about .025″ – .030″ to the freebore of the reamer (i.e. make the freebore around .115″ to .120″).
The great thing is you can use a 6XC die set for it without modification, and all you need to do is keep the dies about .030″ up off the shell holder from their normal position and use them as is. You can make a spacer washer about .030″ thick that you can put on and take off the 6XC dies and use the dies for both cartridges (i.e. 6XC and 6mm-250 Imp 30).
6mm-250 Imp 30 Shows Great Accuracy
Fire-forming loads are real accurate. Here is a 10-shot group I shot prone at 100 yards shooting fire-forming loads with it — the group is the size of a dime. For fire-forming I use a milder, but still very accurate load: 32.0 grains of N140 with a Sierra 107 and a BR2 primer. For fire-formed cases you can jump up to N160 (around 38-40 grains — depending on lot) and it will push the 105-108 gr bullets real accurately in the 2950-3000 fps range, with low ES and SD. This cartridge has a neck length of .268″ which is plenty long for a 6mm shooting bullets with varying bearing surface lengths. The reamer diagram (link below) leaves about a .003″ neck clearance over a loaded round, which seems to work out very well for a ‘no-turn neck’ set-up.
So there you have it … the 6mm-250 Imp 30 is simple, easy to make, accurate as all get out, there are available factory die sets you can use, and it uses great new Lapua brass — what’s not to like!”
6mm Dasher without Fire-Forming Hassles
Here’s the finished rifle built by Preacher for Dave, using the ‘Axe Job’ stock. Dave tells us: “Preacher chambered the rifle for the 17 VHA, a wildcat based on the H&K 4.6x30mm MP7 PDW case necked down to 17 caliber. There are numerous articles in the Varmint Hunter’s Magazine about it. This efficient little round shoots 20gr ballistic tips at 3850+ fps. That’s not too shabby for ‘nine point something’ grains of pistol powder.”
Meeting old friends, and shooting new guns. That’s what Monday was all about at the annual Industry Day at the Range, a “hands-on” preview the day before SHOT Show opens in Las Vegas. Your editor met with old buddy Jason Baney at the crack of dawn and headed out to the Boulder City (NV) range. 
Over the past few years, interest in F-Class competition has grown dramatically. SHOT Show opens tomorrow, so we thought we’d reprise an interesting interview captured two years back. At the 2013 SHOT Show we had a chance to talk about F-TR competition with U.S. National F-TR Team members Mike Miller and Stan Pate, two of America’s top F-TR shooters. We are reprising this interview for readers who may have missed it the first time around. If you shoot F-TR (even if you’re a High Master), we think you’ll learn a few things from this interview.
Our friend Robert Whitley of 
6mm-250 Imp 30 Shows Great Accuracy
