Most of us have a single-stack pistol in our collection. If you want to see how quickly (and accurately) a single-stack can be shot, check out the two videos below showing Jessie Duff at the 2015 Single Stack Nationals, a big event with 400+ competitors. Jessie won the 2015 Ladies’ Division Single Stack Championship this past weekend. The victory marked Jessie’s third straight Single Stack Nationals title. Duff secured her “Three-Peat” with a dominant performance, winning 8 out of 14 stages!
With the end summer, the shooting season in full swing. When you head to the range you’ll want to be prepared. That means collecting all the gear you’ll need at the range. It’s easy to forget small, critical items, so we’ve provided a checklist of the small “extras” you should pack before you head out to the range. In addition to rifle, rests, ammo, targets, and cleaning gear, here are a dozen essentials you should include in your range bag.
• Shell-Holder — If you don’t have calipers, you can use a shell-holder to check for excessive case expansion from hot loads. If a fired case doesn’t slip into the shell-holder easily, your load is definitely TOO HOT.
• Extra Earplugs — Always use ear protection when shooting. We bring a 35mm film canister with extra sets of foam earplugs.
• Hex Wrench or Screwdriver for action screws — Action screws can work loose with time. Always bring the appropriate hex wrench or screwdriver whenever you go to the range.
• Small Wrench for Scope Rings — Check the tension of your scope base and ring fasteners before you go. Bring along a small Torx wrench for the ring screws (or other tool that fits your fasteners).
In the not-too-distant future, U.S. military snipers may be able to steer bullets right to the target, thanks to DARPA, the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency. Believe it or not, DARPA has developed a guided .50-caliber projectile fired from a conventional rifle action. DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) system combines a maneuverable bullet and a real-time guidance system to track and steer the projectile to the target. Inside EXACTO bullets are optical guidance systems, aero-actuation controls, and multiple sensors. The top-secret technology permits the trajectory of the bullet to be altered in flight, allowing the bullet to move left or right, or even fly in an arc around an obstacle.
Here’s an interesting product, offered by Creedmoor Sports. The innovative MOA Tactical Shooting Bag (MOA TSB) combines plastic pellets with an inflatable, inner air chamber to provide a very lightweight (and adjustable) rear support for your rifle, when shooting prone. Designed for “tactical” shooters, we think the MOA bag would work equally well for hunters and varminters. Costing $59.95, the MOA inflatable bag is priced competitively with basic rear sandbags, but it weighs much, much less than a leather or cordura bag filled with sand.
These MOA bags are built tough, with a durable inner air bladder, surgical-quality tubing, and rugged outer fabric. To help stabilize the bag, lightweight polymer (plastic) pellets are used inside. The air pump then inflates the air bladder to the degree of hardness/softness you prefer. An air valve allows you to deflate the MOA bag for more compact transport and storage.
Colt’s Maggie Reese with wicked-looking Vepr long-magazine shotgun.
North America’s top female action shooters converged on St. George, Utah recently for the Brownells Lady 3-Gun Pro-Am Challenge West Match. Dozens of competitors from the USA and Canada attended this event which featured some amazing stages. Check out the video of the Roller Coaster Stage — bet you never saw anything like THAT at a shooting match before. (This Roller Coaster side-match raised funds for Urijah Smith, a two-year-old boy suffering from cancer.)
Watch Roller Coaster Stage at Lady 3-Gun Pro-Am Challenge West:
Team Smith & Wesson shooter Julie Golob has a message for Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 10th). Julie writes: “While some are using Mother’s Day week to push a gun control agenda, I’d like to encourage moms to ‘Take a Moment’. Talk to your kids about firearms safety. Help them learn what to do around firearms and have an open, honest discussion about guns and gun safety.
I truly believe that, no matter if you are pro-gun or anti-gun, everyone should know and understand the basic rules of firearm safety. It is equally important for parents to have the discussion about guns and what to do if your child finds one. Both the NSSF’s Project ChildSafe and the NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program are excellent. They offer resources for parents, educators, and child care providers to help ensure kids stay safe.
In this video, Julie encourages parents to have “the talk” about firearm safety with their kids sooner rather than later, and provides tips for how to have a helpful discussion. Sherra Scott, a mom and a certified NRA instructor, agrees with Julie: “Whether you have firearms in your home or not, if you have children in your life, please watch this video and talk WITH them about firearm safety and what to do if they come into contact with a firearm.”
The Lee Breech-Lock Hand Press is a useful addition to a serious reloader’s tool collection. This handpress allows you to resize brass or seat bullets while at the range or away from your loading room. No it won’t replace your Co-Ax or Rockchucker, but this is a handy press to have. And right now it’s very affordable. Currently, Midsouth Shooters’ Supply is selling the Lee Breech-Lock Hand Press Kit for just $52.86. That’s a great deal.
This Kit comes complete with: Breech Lock Hand Press, Ram Primer fittings, Powder Funnel, Case Lube, and one Breech Lock Quick Change Bushing. Note: the maximum overall length cartridge the Lee Hand Press can accept is 3.650 inches.
Following Sierra’s introduction of Tipped MatchKing (TMK) bullets, Bryan Litz of Applied Ballistics LLC has received many requests to determine the Ballistic Coefficient (BC) of these bullets through testing. Below are Litz’s findings for four out of the six bullets he has able to acquire and test so far.
As you can see from the above table, when Sierra’s G1 BC is averaged for all speed ranges (which is representative of long range shooting) the results closely match the Applied Ballistics’ measurements of the same bullets, averaged from 3000 to 1500 FPS. The G7 BC doesn’t suffer nearly the velocity sensitivity as G1 and should be used for modern long range bullets when possible. Bryan tells us: “When I get the .22 caliber 77gr, and the .308 caliber 168gr tested, I’ll update the table.”
How do these Tipped MatchKings compare to standard MatchKings? According to Bryan’s measurements, here are some comparisons:
The 69gr TMK BC is +8% compared to the 69gr SMK
The 125gr TMK BC is -5% compared to the 125gr SMK (Litz believes this SMK was ‘pointed’)
The 155gr TMK BC is identical to that of the 155gr SMK (#2156, which is also pointed)
The 175gr TMK BC is +10% compared to the 175gr SMK
Bryan provided this additional advice for users of Ballistics programs: “Sierra’s stated BCs are measured by live fire, and are typically pretty accurate if the velocity bands are properly observed (7mm being the exception). A common error is to look at the BC that Sierra gives for your MV and just use that. Doing so overestimates the performance of the bullets over long range, and will cause you to hit low compared to your trajectory predictions.”
Jason Baney was one of the “founding fathers” of this website when we started out as 6mmBR.com a decade ago. Jason’s latest project involves an interesting wildcat, a mid-sized 7mm cartridge based on the 6.5×47 Lapua case. In this report, Jason (who now works at Eurooptic.com) talks about the 7×47 wildcat and his initial velocity (and feasibility) tests. To determine the 7×47’s velocity potential, Jason did a multi-stage test, cutting a barrel in two-inch increments. This process is illustrated in a video, embedded below. You may be surprised that the little 7×47 cartridge could drive a 180gr Berger Hybrid at 2770+ FPS with a 32″ barrel and Reloder 17. Max Velocity with H4350 (and 32″ barrel) was roughly 70 FPS slower. With a 24″ barrel length, the 7×47 was still able to propel the 180gr Hybrids over 2600 FPS with H4350. That’s impressive performance for a mid-sized cartridge pushing a very big bullet.
7×47 Lapua Part 1: Velocity Study
By Jason Baney, Eurooptic.com
The biggest enemy in long-range shooting is wind. This also happens to be the hardest to gauge and predict. The only way mere mortals can attempt to defeat the wind demons is to shoot a cartridge with the most ballistic efficiency, yet maintain a user-friendly combination of recoil and component consumption as well as performance on target.
The 7mm bullets tend to yield the best compromise of all of these aspects. Their BC-to-weight ratio is outstanding and 7mm bullets provide sufficient impact energy for most situations. In addition to that, the recoil of 7mm bullets can be more manageable than heavier/larger .30 and .338 caliber projectiles.
In cartridge design, of course you want the best case possible. Having used the 6.5×47 Lapua since its release in 2006, I felt this cartridge was the perfect choice to start with as I wanted a true short-action non-magnum round that gave the least possible wind drift to 1000 yards. The 6.5×47 parent case also allowed seating of the heavy 180gr class bullets completely out in the neck yet it maintained an overall length that would actually work in a factory Remington short action magazine.
Here’s great news for fans of wildcat cartridges and for any hand-loaders who need dies with custom dimensions. Redding Reloading Equipment will now be making custom dies again. The procedure for ordering dies is outlined below. You’ll need to provide a chamber reamer print or three fired cases.
Redding is now able to offer custom dies because it has expanded its manufacturing capabilities in recent years. Redding has more than doubled the number of its CNC machines, expanded factory floor space by 40%, and added many new skilled workers. This growth in production capabilities has allowed the company to again accept orders for new Custom Dies and Die sets.
With the end summer, the shooting season in full swing. When you head to the range you’ll want to be prepared. That means collecting all the gear you’ll need at the range. It’s easy to forget small, critical items, so we’ve provided a checklist of the small “extras” you should pack before you head out to the range. In addition to rifle, rests, ammo, targets, and cleaning gear, here are a dozen essentials you should include in your range bag.
• Shell-Holder — If you don’t have calipers, you can use a shell-holder to check for excessive case expansion from hot loads. If a fired case doesn’t slip into the shell-holder easily, your load is definitely TOO HOT.
• Hex Wrench or Screwdriver for action screws — Action screws can work loose with time. Always bring the appropriate hex wrench or screwdriver whenever you go to the range.
Here’s an interesting product, offered by 
Team Smith & Wesson shooter 
