Thinking about getting a Savage rifle? With the Save on a Savage Rebate you can save up to $100.00. Here’s how the promo works: Get a Savage Model 12 or 10/110 LE Series rifle and claim a $100 mail-in rebate, or choose any Model 25, Trophy Predator Hunter, or AXIS Heavy Barrel and get $50 back. Rimfire shooters who purchase any Mark ll, Model 93, 93R17 or B.MAG will be eligible for a $25 mail-in rebate. To qualify for the rebate, you must purchase the rifle before May 31, 2015, and submit a rebate form before June 30, 2015.
Read the Fine Print — Details of Offer
Firearms must be purchased between February 1, 2015 and May 31, 2015. Rebate coupon must be received by June 30, 2015. Trophy Hunter XP and Trophy Predator Hunter XP models eligible in U.S. only; Int’l Trophy Hunter XP and Int’l Trophy Predator Hunter XP models eligible in Canada only. This rebate of Federal Firearms Excise Tax is paid for the benefit of our vendee as a reduction in their original purchase price of the article. Offer valid in U.S. and Canada; U.S. funds only.
Story Tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submission.
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You may not have heard of Vista Outdoor (NYSE: VSTO), but you’ll know many of the brands under its corporate umbrella: Alliant Powder, Blackhawk, Bolle, Bushnell, CCI, Federal Premium, Outers, RCBS, Savage Arms, Simmons, Speer, Weaver. To learn more about Vista Outdoor’s operations and products, visit www.vistaoutdoor.com or Vista Outdoor’s Facebook Page.
So what is Vista Outdoor? This corporate giant used to be the sporting division of ATK (Alliant Techsystems*). In February of this year, ATK split into two separate companies. The outdoor sports/hunting/shooting brands (with annual revenues of $2.3 billion) were consolidated into Vista Outdoor. The aerospace/military contract operations of ATK were continued in a second company, Orbital ATK. Vista Outdoor, now head-quartered in Clearfield, Utah, is a standalone, publicly-traded outdoor sports and recreation company with approximately 5,800 employees worldwide.
In a recent interview with GearJunkie.com, Vista Outdoor’s Chairman/CEO Mark DeYoung revealed that Vista Outdoor will release scores of new products in 2015:
Q: Looking ahead for this year, what to-be-released products are you most excited about?
A: Bushnell has a rangefinder for golf that is innovative. We introduced it at the PGA Show. The A17 rifle from Savage is big news — we sold out of a whole year’s capacity at the SHOT Show. Overall, there are about 130 new products coming this year from our brands[.]
Vista Outdoor Started Trading as VSTO on February 10, 2015
Vista Outdoor “went live” as a separate, publicly-traded company on the New York Stock Exchange on February 10, 2015. Here is the official press release:
Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE: VSTO), which previously operated as the Sporting Group of Alliant Techsystems Inc. (“ATK”), announced today the successful completion of its spin-off from ATK (NYSE: ATK) into a standalone, publicly traded outdoor sports and recreation company.
On February 9, 2015, ATK distributed to its stockholders two shares of Vista Outdoor common stock for every share of ATK common stock held as of record on February 2, 2015. Vista Outdoor common stock will begin “regular-way” trading under the symbol “VSTO” on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) today, February 10, 2015, when markets open.
“Today marks the creation of a new leading commercial and consumer-products company focused on innovative solutions, strategic customer partnerships, execution excellence and creating long-term shareholder value,” said Mark DeYoung, Vista Outdoor Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Our consumers depend on our products to deliver quality and performance in a variety of outdoor environments and activities. Our mission is to bring the world outside, and to support and facilitate the success of outdoor enthusiasts as they strive to achieve their own rugged independence.”
About Vista Outdoor Inc.
Vista Outdoor is a leading global designer, manufacturer and marketer in the growing outdoor sports and recreation markets. The company operates in two segments, Outdoor Products and Shooting Sports, and has more than 30 well-recognized brands that provide consumers with a wide range products in the ammunition, firearms and outdoor accessories categories. Vista Outdoor is headquartered in Utah and has manufacturing operations and facilities in 10 U.S. States, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada.
*Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) came into being as an independent company in 1990 when Honeywell spun off its defense businesses to shareholders. ATK got into the ammo business in 2001 when it acquired Blount International. ATK grew with later acquisitions of Weaver Optics (2008), Blackhawk (2010), Savage Arms (2013), and Bushnell (2013).
Story tip by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
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In our Shooters’ Forum thread about Portable Shooting Benches, Forum member John H. of New Mexico (aka “Skratch”) showed off a nicely-crafted mobile shooting bench that he can haul with his ATV. This trailer-mounted, movable bench is built on a central tubular spine that also serves as the tongue for the trailer, which attaches to a standard hitch. The bench offers two (2) shooting positions so it works for both left-handed and right-handed shooters.
Up front, for storage, a surplus .50-Cal ammo can is secured to the trailer frame. The V-shaped middle section of the wood benchtop looks to be reinforced with a metal stiffener frame on the underside. The front section of the bench is supported by twin tubular uprights attached to the box-section axle housing. The two wooden bench-style seats (on left and right) ride on a cross-tube. At the ends of that cross-tube are adjustable legs for additional support.
Great Rig for New Mexico Varmint Hunting
There are plenty of great varmint hunting areas in Skratch’s home state of New Mexico — you’ll find some huge prairie dog fields there. But to get the best results on a varmint-hunting field session, you need a solid shooting station that can be easily hauled to new locations as needed. It looks like John (aka “Scratch”) has come up with an outstanding “War Wagon” for his New Mexico varmint safaris.
Hoping to impress consumers (and possibly secure a major military contract or two), Beretta has introduced the APX, a new striker-fired 9mm handgun. The APX borrows elements from the Glock, HK VP9, and S&W M&P pistols. The grip looks very ergonomic, with an extended rear overhang on the top (like the M&P) and contoured grooves on the front (like the VP9). The most distinctive feature of the new Beretta would be the prominent machined ridges on the slide designed to aid in racking the pistol.
The APX is built with a chassis system. This means that the internal sub-frame is the serialized part. The new APX features a reversible, ambidextrous magazine release. The magazines themselves have a prominent plate on the bottom for easier insertion/extraction. To better fit various hand sizes, three different backstrap inserts can be fitted to the grip.
Beretta hopes many of the world’s armies will adopt this new pistol, which was released at IDEX (International Defense Exhibition & Conference) in late February. According to Gear Scout:
“The pistol is designed specifically for the military market, and Beretta says it’s destined to become the company’s entry into the Army’s Modular Handgun System. But, the Army has yet to release the final requirements for that program to industry. The US Army contract might be the gold rush of pistol contracts, but it’s not the only tender happening at the moment. No doubt, getting the APX out at IDEX was a way to show worldwide (and cash-flush Middle East) defense ministers the major features of the pistol while the company finishes up development on the US military/LE and eventual commercial configurations that will hit the US market soon.”
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Here’s a dream gun industry job for a skilled engineer. Weatherby, one of America’s leading firearms manufacturers, is seeking an experienced Design Engineer. The Design Engineer is responsible for the development of new and existing firearms products, and equipment from concept to production. This includes R&D, design, testing, troubleshooting, improvements, procedure development, and documentation.
If you have an engineering degree and at least six (6) years of experience in firearms design and product development, you may want to apply for this job at Weatherby’s facility in Paso Robles, CA. Weatherby offers competitive compensation with healthcare and 401K plans. As for the venue, we can assure potential candidates that Paso Robles is a great place to live and work. (There are some great shooting ranges nearby.) If you are interested, and meet the guidelines, send a cover letter and current resume to Jalene John, jjohn [at] weatherby.com .
Additional Qualification requirements include the following:
· CAD experience in two-dimensional drafting and three-dimensional solid design. Extensive experience with SolidWorks CAD software. A high level of proficiency is required.
· Familiarity with manufacturing processes including machining, metal finishing, heat treating, plastic & metal injection molding.
· Ability to travel domestically and internationally to industry trade shows and vendor factories to support production and product development.
· Strong communication, presentation and organizational skills. Ability to work independently as well as in a team environment.
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Germany is the center of the gun world this week. Now through March 9, 2015 Nuremberg (Nürnberg) hosts the IWA Outdoor Classics trade show, Europe’s largest gun-related exposition. Nearly 1400 exhibitors will be displaying new guns, shooting accessories, and hunting gear. We know many of our readers would love to experience the IWA trade show first-hand, but traveling to Europe is impractical. Well for you guys, here are the keys to the castle. Just follow the tips below and you can preview thousands of products currently on display in Germany.
4707 Products in 2015 IWA Product Showcase
If you want to see all the guns and gear featured at the 2015 IWA show, visit the IWA Products Page on the web. There you’ll find descriptions of 4707 featured products, everything from ballistics software to safari rifles. Click on the “New Products” link to see 554 featured new items. You can browse all new products, or Choose Product by Category. For the main product categories (Such as Guns, Ammo, and Optics), you can further search by subcategory (e.g. Guns > Rifles, or Optics > Rangefinders).
Newcon Optik 12,000-meter LRB 12K Night GPS-Enabled Smart Rangefinder:
The LRB 12K and LRB 12KNIGHT from Newcon Optik are built to outperform any handheld laser rangefinder binocular available today. Features include: A 12,000m (NATO target) measuring range, built-in digital magnetic compass, built-in GPS receiver, and in the LRB 12KNIGHT a Gen 3 night-vision channel. Through USB and RS-232 interfaces, the LRB 12K and LRB 12KNIGHT can be operated remotely, and transmit data to external GPS systems and ballistic computers. Both units can communicate with Android™-based smartphones and tablets.
Alexander Arms Ulfberht .338 Lapua Rifle:
Here is the Ulfberht semi-automatic, .338 Lapua Magnum rifle from Alexander Arms. The rifle features a custom-designed gas piston operating system, steel receiver, 27.5-inch chrome moly barrel with 1:9.3″ twist, three-prong flash hider, folding Magpul PRS stock, and Geissele SSA® two-stage, match-type trigger. The rifle is 41.25 inches long with the stock folded and 50 inches long with the stock extended. Total rifle weight is 19.8 pounds.
Bluetooth-Enabled Ear Muffs with Retractable Microphone.
The Swedish-designed Hunter SMART Active Hearing protection system lets a hunter communicate with his guide or hunting companion. This works with reachargeable AA batteries and it can also play music. These electronic muffs boast bluetooth connectivity, with a retractable mic, and mini-USB port.
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In the video below, Forum Member Thomas Haugland (from Norway) shows how to install a Picatinny-type rail on a Sako action. Every stage of the process is illustrated — removing the barrel from the action, drilling/tapping the action, aligning/attaching the rail, and finally mounting the scope and test-firing the rifle. Note that the action is removed using a large adjustable-end wrench with brass disks to protect the finish. This is possible because this particular Sako action has a flat bottom and top. With a different action you’ll want to use a custom action wrench.
In the video, Thomas and his assistant actually fabricate the rail from scratch. That’s probably beyond the ability of most do-it-yourselfers. You can purchase precisely machined Picatinnny rails from Seekins Precision and other sources instead. Still, it is interesting to see the milling of the rail. Note that, before screwing the rail to the top of the action, Thomas applies a marine epoxy (timeline 3:18). This effectively beds the rail to the top of the action and provides a more secure installation.
You can find more interesting gunsmithing, hunting, and long-range shooting videos on Thomas Haugland’s YouTube Channel.
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The IWA Outdoor Classics trade show, aka “Euro SHOT Show”, opened today, March 6th, in Nuremberg, Germany. For the next four days (March 6-9), 1383 exhibitors will show their products at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre. This is a hugely popular event — last year’s IWA Outdoor Classics trade show attracted 39,244 visitors from 117 countries, and attendance should be even higher this year. IWA is Europe’s biggest combined trade show for the hunting, shooting, and civilian/military security industries. And this year, IWA Outdoor Classics was coordinated with EnforceTac, a two-day Law Enforcment/Security trade show held in Nuremberg March 4-5, 2015.
IWA even features an indoor Archery Range. For many years, the Archery Range (located in Hall 5) has been a popular gathering place where exhibitors and visitors can practice their skills and learn about the latest archery products up close and personal.
About the IWA Outdoor Classics Trade Show
What is now the IWA Outdoor Classics trade show began 42 years ago as Germany’s national product show for gunsmiths and gun retailers. That product show started modestly in 1973 with less than 100 exhibitors. Over the past four decades IWA Outdoor Classics has grown into a massive event, drawing the major players in the hunting, security, and shooting sports industries. In the firearm universe, the IWA event is second only to America’s SHOT Show in importance. This video (produced in 2013) shows IWA highlights from the past four decades:
Photos by IWA NürnbergMesse
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For guys who want an ultra-high contrast target with a square box in the center, Birchwood Casey offers ultra-bright neon green targets with box centers and spike-style extended vertical and horizontal lines. The manufacturer explains: “These newly designed adhesive Target Spots come in highly-visible Atomic Green. The crosshair design fulfills the needs of open-sight shooters along with scope users. Easily line up your open sights on the center square or lay the crosshairs along the vertical and horizontal diminishing lines.” You can also rotate the Atomic Green Target Spots 45° to create a diamond center with the crosshairs in an “X” pattern.
We like these targets. The Atomic Green background is a true “day-glo” color (like safety signs) so these circles appear very bright on a target backer. These work well in low light. NOTE: Atomic Green spots are NOT “splatter” targets — a contrasting color does NOT appear around your bullet holes.
Multiple Sizes Offered
Birchwood Casey sells the new Atomic green circles in various sizes. You can order a Combo Pack with sixty 1″-diameter spots, thirty 2″-diameter spots, and twenty 3″-diameter circles.
You have to love this — a shooting facility in Western Pennsylvania has its own ammo vending machine. This is the same kind of machine normally used to sell snack foods. But at the Beaver Valley Rifle & Pistol Club (BVRPC), you can get .38 Specials instead of Pretzels. The vending machine offers a wide assortment of pistol cartridges, packaged in 50-round bags. Fifty 9mm Luger rounds cost $21.00 and yes the machine takes credit cards.
The machine was installed by Sam Piccinini, owner of the Master Ammo Company. Sam says the machine is a convenience for club members, who had trouble finding ammo that complied with Club rules prohibiting jacketed bullets: “Most conventional commercial ammunition manufactured today is jacketed, and jackets can separate from the lead when it hits the backstops in gun ranges.” All the ammo in the vending machine features non-jacketed bullets. Piccinini states: “The machine sells pretty much everything — from .22 long rifle to .45 Long Colt and every standard caliber in between except .32 and .25 automatic. It’s got 380, 9, 38, 40, 45, .357 SIG.” (Source BeaverCountian.com)
Mainstream media reports of the ammo vending machine have spurred controversy. ATF rules prohibit an ammo-maker from selling handgun ammunition to persons under 21 years of age. The machine is located inside a locked, private facility restricted to persons over 18. On the machine is the warning: “You must be over 21 to purchase handgun ammunition from this machine.” BVRPC President Bill Fontana states: “It’s nobody’s business, it’s our club, we can do as our members allow us. Legally there’s nothing anybody can do about it.”
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CMP Board Members and a few CMP staff members enjoyed a visit to the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park yesterday. They fired a few shots downrange from the 200-yard line. Here’s an image from the Kongsberg electronic target system. Shot impacts are precisely triangulated with sonic target sensors, then shot locations (and scores) are displayed on monitors placed next to each shooter. For more information on the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park, visit http://thecmp.org/competitions/talladega-marksmanship-park/.
The 13,000-square-foot CMP Park Club House overlooks the 600-yard range. Panoramic windows look out towards the firing line and the Alabama woodlands beyond.
Register Now for Inaugural D-Day Match at Talladega
The first official matches at the new CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park will be fired on the weekend of June 6-7, 2015. The celebration is a two-day event which includes tours of the facility. A special John C. Garand “D-Day Anniversary” Rifle Match On Saturday, June 6th will officially open the facility. On Sunday there will be an EIC Service Rifle Match, EIC Service Pistol Match, and a CMP .22 Rimfire EIC Pistol Match. The inagural event is limited to the first 350 Competitors, so register soon via the CMP’s Competition Tracker website.
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You probably know by now that the ATF is seeking comments on a proposed regulation that would ban the importation and sale of M855 steel-core 5.56x45mm ammunition. The ATF has proposed banning this “green-tip” ammo (and similar products) on the grounds that it is “armor piercing”.
Nobody knows whether the proposed ban will actually go into effect. The ATF is solicting comments through March 16, 2015. The mere possibility of a ban has spurred a feeding frenzy of ammo sales. If you are looking for genuine M855-type Green Tip ammo, suitable for use in AR-platform rifles, Creedmoor Sports recently obtained a large supply. Creedmoor just located quantities of Lake City-produced, American Eagle-brand XM855 in cardboard boxes: “Our team found another source for 5.56 mm XM855F Federal Lake City Green Tip Ammo. This ammo is becoming almost impossible to source the closer we get to the [March 16th end] of the ATF comment period.”
Lake City M855 5.56 62gr Green Tip Ammunition (300 Rounds)
Product Description
High-quality 5.56x45mm ammo made in the USA by Lake City. This is “XM855″ ball ammo with a steel penetrator in the core, surrounded by a copper jacket. The projectile is color-coded with a green-painted tip as is traditional with US-made M855.
Product Specifications:
* Manufacturer: Federal / Lake City
* Model: XM855
* Caliber: 5.56 NATO (5.56x45mm)
* Grain Weight: 62 Grains
* Type: Full Metal Jacket with Penetrator
* Units per Case: 300 (in two 150ct boxes)
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Here’s a dream gun industry job for a skilled engineer. Weatherby, one of America’s leading firearms manufacturers, is seeking an experienced Design Engineer. The Design Engineer is responsible for the development of new and existing firearms products, and equipment from concept to production. This includes R&D, design, testing, troubleshooting, improvements, procedure development, and documentation.
