Dave Diana is a clever fellow. He not only fabricated his own wireless Target Cam system, but he invented a mount that places the receiver/monitor unit conveniently next to his bench rifle. The hooded view-screen actually mounts to his SEB front Rest via a bracket. The monitor unit includes wireless receiver and a short directional antenna (see below):
Dave says his new CCTV monitor bracket on the SEB NEO rest is “working as planned”. However, after taking these photos, Dave did make a modification. Dave explained: “I found moving the monitor over to the left-hand side was more shooter-friendly. I can stay in a natural shooting position, look at the screen, see my windflags and shoot with little movement. The next task is to add a coffee cup holder somewhere to house my group tightener double expresso!”
Target Cam Monitor Has Built-In Receiver
Dave built a very nice system. He tells us: “The security camera is a 27x power zoom camera housed in a weather proof case that also houses the wireless transmitter. The monitor has a built-in receiver, and I am running spiral polarized antennas on both ends. The system will run all day long on the waterproof-cased, game-camera batteries.”
Here are the internals of the wireless camera system. Note the antenna at right.
Here is the entire system, with monitor/receiver placed conventionally on a tripod. Batteries are housed in waterproof plastic cases.
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Looking for an affordable “Truck Gun”, or a light-weight, “carry-around” varmint rifle? Consider the Howa Mini Action series. With receiver (and bolt) that are nearly an inch shorter than regular short actions, these Mini Action rigs weigh just 5.7 pounds without optics. This makes for a nice, compact (and very shootable) varmint package.
The Howa Mini Action rifles come with 10-rd detachable box magazines and an adjustable HACT 2-stage trigger. Synthetic stocks are offered in black, OD green, and Kryptek Highlander camo colors. You can buy a complete Mini Action rifle package, including 3-9x40mm Nikko scope, for under $590.00.
Barreled Actions Available from Howa
If you are looking to build your own project rifle, you can purchase Howa Mini Barreled Actions separately. When fitted with a #1 contour lightweight barrel, the Mini Barreled action weighs just 3.77 pounds. Barreled actions are currently offered in .223 Rem and .204 Ruger chamberings. Lightweight and heavy barrels measure 20 inches, while standard barrels are 22 inches long.
Video Shows Features of Howa Mini Action Rifle:
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Ask 10 shooters about barrel cleaning and you’ll get 10 different opinions. This reflects that fact that different fouling problems demand different solutions. For example, solvents that work well for copper may not be the best for hard carbon (and vice-versa). To come up with the right solution, first you must understand the nature of the fouling in your barrel.
The debate about the proper care of a match barrel is a hot one, spiked with folklore and old wives’ tales, Lohman said. He and his staff set out to set the record straight: “We tried to interject some science into the discussion of cleaning a match barrel,” he explained. In his article, Lohman writes:
Why worry about a little barrel fouling when the throat is subjected to a brutal 5,600° F volcano at 55,000 PSI? To investigate these and other questions about taking care of a match barrel, we spoke with a dozen experts and share their knowledge in this first of a series of articles.
After listening to folks who shoot, build barrels or manufacture cleaning solvents for a living, we concluded that even the experts each have their own unique recommendations on how to care for a match barrel. But they all agree on one thing — the gun will tell you what it likes best. Because the life expectancy of a match barrel is about 1,500 to 2,500 rounds, the objectives of cleaning one should include: preserve accuracy, slow the erosion, and remove fouling — all without damaging the gun. This article doesn’t claim that one cleaning method is better than the next. Rather, we set out to interject a little science into the discussion and to share some lessons learned from experts in the field.
For more Shooting Sports USA articles, visit www.ssusa.org.
John Krieger Interview with AccurateShooter at SHOT Show:
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Jay Christopherson (aka “JayChris”), Accurateshooter’s IT guru, is a heck of a good shooter as well as a computer wizard. Jay recently won the F-TR division of the NW Long Range Regional held at the always-challenging Rattlesnake Shooting Range. To top the F-TR field, Jay had to battle extreme wind conditions that required double-digit windage corrections (and a hold-off) just to get on paper. Jay said: “The wind was 25 to 35 mph, switching between half and full value. I had 18.5 minutes on. Some of the sling shooters were [running] 24-36 minutes.”
MUST WATCH Video! Wicked, INSANE 25-35 mph winds at Rattlesnake:
Jay reports: “The typical Rattlesnake range caveats apply with regards to scores. This was a Long Range Regional, here in Washington State. This was also the first time I’ve ever had to put on double digit windage on at a match. Yesterday at 1000 yards, I had to put on 15 minutes AND hold another 3.5 to the edge of the target board to get on paper. I probably owe a great deal of thanks to Monte Milanuk for convincing me that (after my third sighter off the target board) dialing in that much wind was, in fact, NOT insane.
Because I didn’t come to the match armed with enough ammo and I couldn’t afford to be shooting more sighters… it was a close thing as it was. Even some of the well-known wind ninjas shooting sling were having some difficulty with the conditions.
Jay was modest about his win: ‘I did a poor job of shooting at 800 yards on both days, in fairly decent conditions, but made up for it at 1000 on both days. I happened to dope the wind on the last relay better than the guy leading me.
Really, the wind is the story — on the last relay of that first day (shown in the video), the storm rolled in, along with a wildfire that started up on one of the hills behind us. We were all watching that pretty closely, but they contained it pretty quickly.”
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Our friend Dennis Santiago was doing pits duty during the Small Arms Firing School (SAFS) phase of the CMP Western Games. Here are some views from the pits at the Ben Avery Range in Phoenix, Arizona. Dennis also took a video from the pits during live fire. Listen to rounds zip over-head and impact into the berm beyond the targets, in the video below.
Watch Video with rounds flying over the pit zone:
Dennis reports: “Here’s a slice of life at the receiving end of live fire. This is a rapid fire stage as seen from the target pits at the 2015 CMP Western Games. The targets are placed up in the air. The bullets go through them over the heads of competitors protected behind an earth berm. The bullets land in a designated impact area (berm) beyond the target frames.”
At the CMP Western Games, participants shoot, score and do pit service. The pit workers are positioned on a catwalk behind a concrete wall. There is a thick, earth-works berm on the other side.
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Verizon announced last week that Verizon FiOS will no longer carry the Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel. These channels offer Shooting USA, NRA All Access, NRA Gun Gurus, and American Rifleman programming, plus many hunting TV shows. If you’re a subscriber to Verizon FiOS, you’ll be losing access to the most popular shooting and hunting TV shows.
“Our partners, advocates and viewers of outdoor lifestyle programming are very disappointed with Verizon’s actions,” said Jim Liberatore, CEO and President of Outdoor Sportsman Group Networks. “It should concern all Americans that one company can silence the only relevant voice of an entire industry with the flip of a switch.”
Verizon claimed that the move was a response to rising content costs. Verizon suggested that FiOS customers view other cable channels (such as Discovery or History) to find “similar content”. That’s not really a solution in our view. Other “mainstream” cable channels do not provide the same kind of content for hunters, sport shooters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts. On mainstream channels there is nothing like Shooting USA, which covers major shooting matches and SHOT Show.
If you are concerned about loss of the Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel, you can call Verizon FiOS at (800) 837-4966, or email Verizon FiOS. Ask Verizon to restore the Outdoor and Sportsman Channels to the FiOS TV programming mix. You can also switch television content providers. Time-Warner, Direct TV, and Dish Network still offer the Outdoor Channel. CLICK HERE for more info on switching to a new television provider.
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At the request of our readers, we have launched a new “Deals of the Week” feature. If this proves popular, we’ll try to run this every Monday. Here are some of the best deals on hardware, reloading components, and shooting accessories. Be aware that sale prices are subject to change, and once clearance inventory is sold, it’s gone for good. You snooze you lose.
1. McGowen Barrels — Halloween Deal 20% Off Barrels
As a “Spooky Savings” promotion for AccurateShooter.com readers, McGowen Barrels is offering 20% off Custom and Pre-fit barrels (not valid on other products/services). This discount is good through October 31, 2015. To save 20% visit McGowenBarrel.com and use CODE “OCTOBER” at check-out.
2. Bullets.com – Bald Eagle Rest with Windage Top
Bullets.com is offering aluminum-base front rests, with flex-shaft remote windage adjustment, for just $165.00! These front rests originally retailed for over $400.00 (with windage drive). But Bullets.com is having an “overstock” sale so you can get blow-out pricing on these rests.
3. Grafs.com – Hornady Lock-N-Load Classic KIT
On sale this week at Grafs.com, this Hornady Reloading Kit comes with everything you need to turn out accurate handloads: Lock-N-Load single stage press, L-N-L Powder Measure, Digital Scale, Rotary Powder Measure, Powder Trickler, 7th Ed. Reloading Handbook, three (3) L-N-L die bushings, Hand Priming Tool, Reloading Block, chamfer/deburring Tool, Primer Flip plate, and One Shot Case Lube.
4. Mr. Gun Dealer — Savage A17 Rifle (17 HMR)
Savage’s new A17, chambered for the 17 HMR cartridge, is accurate and tons of fun. The model we tested was 100% reliable and ran like a sewing machine. Some of the early production models need a little attention to the trigger (and some fluff ‘n buff) — but nothing major. We think this is the most significant semi-auto rimfire of the decade. And now you can snag one for under $365.00!
5. Amazon.com – 8x30mm Military Marine Binoculars, $239.99
Your editor has used Steiner Military Marine Binoculars on many ground squirrel and prairie dog adventures. What I really like about these Steiners is that you don’t have to fiddle around with the focus. Once you set the eyepieces correctly, everything from about 25 yards to infinity is in focus. Honest. That’s great when you’re glassing a P-Dog field all day long. The armor is also very tough. Downside? Well with 30mm objectives, the Steiners can’t possibly match the low-light performance of true high-end ($1500+) binoculars. But then the Steiners cost a mere $239.99.
6. PrecisionReloading.com – MTM Range Box
This versatile MTM Shooting Range Box is on sale for just $28.69 at PrecisionReloading.com. It sells elsewhere for $42-$50. This box has a removable top section with small compartments for jags, patches, and small parts. Snap-in cradles provide a secure support for cleaning your rifle. NOTE: The MTM Range Box on sale is RED (though the photo also shows a green box).
Need a simple, easy-to-use drop chart for your rifle? Something you can tape right to the buttstock? Then check out Hornady’s handy Online Ballistics Calculator. This user-friendly calculator will compute your drops accurately, and output a handy “Cheat Sheet” you can print and attach to your rifle. Simply input G1 or G7 BC values, muzzle velocity, bullet weight, zero range and a few other variables. Click “Calculate” and you’re good to go. You can select the basic version, or an advanced version with more data fields for environmental variables (altitude, temperature, air pressure, and humidity). You can also get wind drift numbers by inputing wind speed and angle.
Conveniently, on the trajectory output, come-ups are listed in both MOA and Mils — so this will work with either MOA clicks or Mil-based clicks. There are more sophisticated ballistics solvers available on the web (such as the outstanding Applied Ballistics Online Calculator), but the Hornady Calculator is very simple and easy to use. If you just want a basic drop chart, you may want to check this out.
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If two barrels are better than one, then why not three? That’s the thinking behind the exotic new BD14 from Blaser, unveiled at the 2014 IWA Show in Germany. This “bockdrilling” three-barrel firearm works as a shotgun, large-caliber rifle, and small-caliber rifle all in one. Even with all those barrels, the BD14 is relatively light, at 3.3 kg (7.26 lbs) without optics. That makes this a nice, carry-around gun for stalking. As you’d expect from Blaser, the twin triggers are crisp and precise, with a pull weight of just 1.43 lbs (650 grams). The front trigger is for the large-caliber rifle barrel, while the rear trigger works both the shotgun and small-caliber barrels, via a tang-mounted selector. Sorry, we don’t yet have a USA-market price on this example of gun-making exotica, but you can bet it will be expensive.
Here’s what Blaser USA has to say about its unique three-barreled BD14:
“The ‘Bockdrilling’ is, put simply, an over/under (O/U) rifle-shotgun combination with a smaller caliber rifle-barrel… on the side. The barrel arrangement [allows] for an extremely slender receiver, making the BD 14 exceptionally huntable.
The brand new Vertical Block Lockup…has been filed for patent. It combines an extremely compact and solid block lockup in a closed system within the monoblock with the comfortable handling of a classic break-action rifle.
The double lock permits, if needed, a rapid second shot, the front trigger always releasing the large rifle-caliber. The … barrel selector actives the shotgun barrel when in position ‘top’ and activates the smaller rifle caliber in position ‘bottom’.”
Story idea from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
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Here’s something that could benefit your local shooting club. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has a Steel Target Grant Program to help shooting ranges that plan to begin or expand NSSF Rimfire Challenge target-shooting events. With support from Action Target, 20 steel target grant packages (valued at $2100.00 each) will be available. The targets are suitable for both indoor and outdoor target shooting ranges (rimfire only). CLICK HERE for more information.
Who May Apply: Any NSSF member ranges that plan to host public NSSF Rimfire Challenge events at least 4 times a year may apply for a target grant. NSSF range members shall be given priority. Ranges can use the steel targets for other matches, such as centerfire pistol competitions, or any other competitions the range wants to create for which the targets are suitable.
GRANT OPTIONS:
Packages will consist of 12 targets, with which participating range recipients can set up two (2) Rimfire Challenge stages. Each grant package will include:
Grant recipients will receive the Evil Roy target stand with their steel target package. If a range needs stand heights taller than 3′ recipients can inform Action Target of this upon confirming their orders. The awarding of grants and the number of grants available is at NSSF’s discretion. The steel target package is valued at $2,100. The Steel Target Grant Program is a cooperative effort between NSSF and Action Target, which provides steel targets to NSSF at a discounted rate.
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AccurateShooter.com has a HUGE collection of FREE downloadable PDF targets. We offer a very wide range of target designs: Load Development Grids, NRA Bullseye targets, Official-Size BR targets, Realistic Varmint Targets, Silhouette Shapes, Fun Plinking Targets, and even specialized tactical training targets. If our collection of free targets isn’t enough, or if you want to create a new kind of target — you’re in luck. There’s an Australian-based interactive website, PrintTargets.net that allows you to create your own customized, printable PDF targets.
CLICK Graphic to Create Your Own Targets.
Just follow the step-by-step instructions to set paper size, layout, bullseye color, line thickness, number of rings and diameter. You can even add Score Numbers to your target rings. PrintTargets.net is easy and fun to use. It’s much faster to create targets this way than to try to draw a series of circles with PowerPoint or MS Paint. Power-User tip: PrintTargets.net even offers a handy diamond-grid calibration diagram that you can add to your custom target designs. You’ll find the calibration grid as option #15 when you design your target — just scroll all the way down the PrintTargets.net home page.
Readers often ask us: “Is there an inexpensive way I can get started in position shooting?” The answer is “yes” — across the country CMP-affiliated clubs host Rimfire Sporter matches. You can use a wide variety of .22LR rimfire rifles — manual actions (such as a Winchester model 52) or semi-automatics (such as a Ruger 10/22). There are prone, sitting/kneeling, and standing stages. CMP rules provide separate classifications for scoped rifles, open-sighted rifles, and aperature-sighted rifles. The matches are fun, the ammo is inexpensive, and everyone has a good time while improving their marksmanship.
Our friend Dennis Santiago recently helped run a CMP Rimfire Sporter Match in Southern California. Dennis reports: “You want something challenging? Well that X-Ring 50 yards away is the diameter of a 50 cent piece, and there are people out there that can womp that thing with iron sights.”
The rapid-fire sitting or kneeling stage of a CMP-sanctioned .22 Sporter Match consists of two, 5-shot strings. A manually-operated or semi-automatic rifle may be used for this match. Below is a video Dennis made that shows a sitting/kneeling rapid fire stage.
Dennis notes: “There are six (6) stages of fire on a tough little target. Notice the rifles that can be used run the gamut from pump and bolt actions to variations on the semi-auto theme. All still require a good eye and a steady hold to earn one’s bragging rights for the day. A match takes about an hour and a half per relay. The slowest part of the match is initial sighting in. It’ll take longer than the allocated 5 minutes for the typical first timer coming to a club match.”
At Dennis’s Burbank Rifle & Revolver Club (BRRC), procedures are modified a little bit: “What we typically do at BRRC is run two relays. Experienced competitors shoot per the full rulebook. New shooters are afforded a bit more relaxed environment to make the experience more fun and inviting. We do the same thing in our M-1 Garand Clinic/Match series.”
Rimfire Sporter Match Basics
The CMP Rimfire Sporter Rifle Match is an inexpensive, fun-oriented competition using .22 caliber sporter rifles (plinking and small game rifles) commonly owned by most gun enthusiasts. To compete, all you need is a basic rifle, safety gear, and ammunition. No fancy, high-dollar rifles are required.
The event is shot with standard sporter-type, rimfire rifles weighing no more than 7 ½ lbs, with sights and sling. Rifles may be manually-operated or semi-automatic. Shooters with manually-operated actions are given extra time in the rapid-fire stage to compensate for the difference. (See Video).
There are three classes of competition — the standard “O Class” for open-sighted rifles, “T-Class” for telescope-sighted and rear aperture-sighted rifles and “Tactical Rimfire” class, which is a .22 caliber A4 or AR15 style rifle. Firing for all classes is done at 50 and 25 yards on a target with a 1.78″ ten-ring and an 18″ outer one-ring. Even new shooters can get hits on this target, but it’s still tough enough that no one yet has fired a perfect 600×600 score.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has a CMP Guide to Rimfire Sporter Shooting. This FREE, 50-page digital publication covers equipment, positions, course of fire, rules, scoring and much more. You’ll find helpful “how-to” sections on aiming, sight picture, hold control, and trigger control. Reading these instructional sections can benefit any prone or three-position competitive shooter.
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Jay reports: “The typical Rattlesnake range caveats apply with regards to scores. This was a Long Range Regional, here in Washington State. This was also the first time I’ve ever had to put on double digit windage on at a match. Yesterday at 1000 yards, I had to put on 15 minutes AND hold another 3.5 to the edge of the target board to get on paper. I probably owe a great deal of thanks to Monte Milanuk for convincing me that (after my third sighter off the target board) dialing in that much wind was, in fact, NOT insane.
“Our partners, advocates and viewers of outdoor lifestyle programming are very disappointed with Verizon’s actions,” said Jim Liberatore, CEO and President of Outdoor Sportsman Group Networks. “It should concern all Americans that one company can silence the only relevant voice of an entire industry with the flip of a switch.”
Our friend Dennis Santiago recently helped run a CMP Rimfire Sporter Match in Southern California. Dennis reports: “You want something challenging? Well that X-Ring 50 yards away is the diameter of a 50 cent piece, and there are people out there that can womp that thing with iron sights.”
