At the request of our readers, we have launched a “Deals of the Week” feature. Every Monday morning we offer our Bargain Selections. 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. Amazon — 34 NRR Top-Selling Ear Muffs
If you want serious hearing protection, and can tolerate large muffs, these Clear Armor earmuffs are hard to beat for the price. They seal very well and carry an unsurpassed 34db Noise Reduction Rating (NRR). These are the #1 Best Selling Safety Muffs on Amazon. Yes they are big and bulky — but you only have one set of ears. These are a good choice for loud magnum rifles and noisy indoor ranges.
2. Palmetto Armory — Complete AR15 Lower and Savage Axis Rifle
Palmetto Armory is running some spectacular deals today. Pick up a complete AR platform lower for just $154.99. Or get a Savage Axis .223 Rem Rifle (with scope) for just $249.99 (shipping included). These Cyber Monday Deals expire at Midnight on 11/30/2015, don’t don’t hesitate.
3. Amazon — Vortex 6.5-20x50mm Viper PA Scope
This is a very good deal on a quality 6.5-20X scope. Read the Amazon reviews — guys are comparing this scope to Leupolds that cost hundreds more. Reviewer Nomad says: “Unbelievably good scope for the money. This is one of the best, if not THE best, scopes you’ll find in this price range.” This particular 6.5-20x50mm PA Model features side-focus parallax and a Bullet Drop Compensating reticle.
4. Midsouth Shooters Supply — Platinum Series Rotary Tumbler Kit
Want to get your brass clean inside and out? This wet tumbling kit contains everything you need — even a big magnet to grab the stainless pins. The $199.99 tumbling bundle includes Platinum Series Rotary Tumbler, 10 pounds of Stainlesss Steel Media, and a Media Release Magnet. This kit will be offered by Midsouth Shooters Supply for a limited time only.
5. Grafs.com — Forster Co-Ax Reloading Press
If you’ve been patiently waiting to acquire a Forster Co-Ax® reloading press, now’s the time to strike. Grafs.com has Co-Ax presses on sale this week at $299.99. That includes shipping charges (with one flat $7.95 handling charge per order).
6. Leupold — Get $100 Cash Back with Any VX-3 Scope
Purchase any Leupold VX-3 riflescope from November 15th, 2015 to December 31st, 2015 and you can get a rebate in the form of a $100.00 check.
Now through 12/31/2015 you can get $100.00 back on any Leupold VX-3 Riflescope. The rebate applies to the entire VX-3 line. After purchase you can apply for the rebate online or by mailing in the Leupold VX-3 Rebate Form. For more info, visit www.Leupold.com/rewards.
7. Brownells.com — 10% Off All Orders of $150.00 or More
There’s still time to save big bucks at Brownells.com. Hundreds of items are on sale, plus you can take 10% off your entire order (of $150 or more) with Coupon Code L3X. Just use CODE L3X during check-out through 11:59 pm on November 30, 2015.
8. Cabelas.com — Cyber Week Hot Deals
Now through 12/5/2015, Cabelas.com is offering a wide selection of Cyber Week Deals. You’ll find deep discounts. Show above are some of the Cyber Week Specials. That’s a great price on the Garmin unit and the $9.99 gear bag is a steal.
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The Savage A17 17 HMR rifle is one of our favorite new products of 2015. The model we tested proved very reliable and quite accurate with the new 17 HMR ammo developed by CCI expressly for the A17. While the factory A17 stock is not bad, the Length of Pull (LOP) was a bit short for a full-sized adult and the short, narrow fore-arm was less than ideal when used with a front rest or sandbag.
Now, thanks to Boyds Gunstocks, there are some good, very affordable stock options for the A17. Boyds has introduced Savage A17 replacement gunstocks in multiple styles: Savage Classic, Featherweight Thumbhole, Heritage, Platinum, Prairie Hunter, Pro Varmint, and Varmint Thumbhole designs. Five of these styles are shown in the photos above. Nearly all of Boyd’s laminated wood Savage A17 stocks are just $129.00 with a few left-hand versions priced at $144.00 (still a bargain). For field use, we like the Varmint Thumbhole because it has a comfortable grip and a longer, straight fore-end that works well with either sandbags or bipod. For target work, we favor the Pro Varmint stock. This stock features a relatively straight toe on the buttstock that is very steady on a rear bag.
Boyds plans to offer a variety of options for their Savage A17 stocks. These will include new custom wood options, custom length of pull, and an adjustable comb. In addition, as with other Boyds stocks, a wide selection of laminated wood colors are available. Boyds recently released eight new laminate wood color options including Sage, Prairie Wind, Ripple Timber, Ripple Forest Camo, Ripple Blaze, Ripple Royal Jacaranda, Ripple Sky and Ripple Zombie.
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It’s official — the U.S. Army is now authorized to transfer surplus M1911 and M1911A1 .45 ACP pistols to the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) for later sale to the public. This development was the result of language in the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed by President Obama on November 25, 2015.
Section 1087 of the 2016 NDAA authorizes the CMP to sell surplus M1911/M1911A1 pistols and related parts/accessories to the public. This is a boon to gun collectors and should help the Army save money on storage for the 100,000 or so M1911 pistols it now stores at the Anniston (AL) Army Depot, near the the CMP’s regional warehouse and store.
Don’t expect an immediate flood of .45 ACP pistols on the market. The Army is not allowed to transfer more than 10,000 pistols per year, and the CMP says it will take a year or more to inspect/grade the pistols and ready them for sale. With roughly 100,000 pistols in Army hands currently, these guns could be available from the CMP for a decade or more. NOTE: This change in Federal law does NOT apply to surplus handguns held by the U.S. Navy, USAF, USMC, or federal law enforcement agencies. In addition, the NDAA does not compel the Army (at the behest of the Secretary of Defense) to commence pistol transfers. That must still be ordered by the Secretary.
Relevant Language from the 2016 NDAA:
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZED TRANSFERS.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary may transfer to the corporation, in accordance with the procedure prescribed in this subchapter, surplus caliber .45 M1911/M1911A1 pistols and spare parts and related accessories for those pistols that, on the date of the enactment of this subsection, are under the control of the Secretary and are surplus to the requirements of the Department of the Army, and such material as may be recovered by the Secretary pursuant to section 40728A(a) of this title. The Secretary shall determine a reasonable schedule for the transfer of such surplus pistols. ‘‘(2) The Secretary may not transfer more than 10,000 surplus caliber .45 M1911/M1911A1 pistols to the corporation during any year and may only transfer such pistols as long as pistols described in paragraph (1) remain available for transfer.’’.
Writing for Ammoland.com, gun expert Dean Weingarten expressed a wish that the language in the NDAA was more open-ended: “I would have thought that the wording could simply have been changed to include surplus ‘pistols’ not just 1911 and 1911A1s. Then surplus .22 caliber trainers, 9mm pistols, and .38 caliber revolvers would also have been available. Perhaps this is the best that the NRA felt [it] could get from this President.”
Story Tip by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
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Here’s an interesting project — using a second-hand barrel to upgrade an AR15. Our friend Erik Cortina decided to make his AR15, originally chambered in 6.8 SPC, into a 6.5 Grendel. Erik acquired a “pre-owned” 6.5-06 match barrel through our Shooters’ Forum. Erik inspected the barrel with a bore-scope and confirmed it was in good shape after the first few inches (past the chamber). The 6.5-06 barrel had more than enough length, so he trimmed off the chamber end, then contoured the barrel to fit his AR15. This is a smart way to upgrade a gun without spending $350 or more on a brand new barrel.
In the first video, Erik explains the process of converting his 6.8 SPC AR15 into a 6.5 Grendel: “I take the upper completely apart and pull barrel off which will be used to take dimensions for new barrel. The new barrel will be turned from an old competition heavy barrel. All the barrel reaming will be done using JGS reamers. I will also use JGS reamers to make a seating and F/L sizing die.”
In the second video, Erik contours the “pre-owned” barrel to fit his AR. He uses an old bolt-action 6.5-06 competition barrel and cuts it to 17″ long and contours it to fit his AR-15. The barrel is turned down on a manual lathe to .750″ outside diameter for the majority of its length in order to fit the gas system barrel block that is made for a .750″ barrel. After contouring, the barrel will be threaded and chambered.
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If you missed out on some steller deals this past Friday, fret not. Brownells.com still has many products on sale through the end of the weekend. What’s more, you can save an additional 10% by using Code LCX for purchases of $150.00 or more. Today’s daily bargain is an Aero Precision AR upper for $69.99. That’s a steal. Combine that with a $199.99 assembled Bushmaster Lower Receiver (with stock) for a very affordable package. If you don’t own an AR platform rifle, this is a great way to get started.
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Getting started in the shooting sports can be intimidating, especially for women. Thankfully, there are many training resources available. NSSF has compiled a series of target shooting tips for women, by women. These tips, presented by instructors Deb Ferns, Kay Miculek, and Lena Miculek-Afentul, cover basic shooting methods and safety. Topics include pistol grip, stance, eye dominance, and ear protection. These tips can benefit any novice shooter, not just the ladies.
Rifle Stance and Hold (for Action Shooting)
Champion 3-Gun shooters Kay Miculek and Lena Miculek-Afentul demonstrate rifle stance basics and how to properly hold an AR-platform rifle for action shooting.
Grip and Stance for Pistol Shooting
Mother/daughter team Kay Miculek and Lena Miculek-Afentul demonstrate proper grip and stance for shooting semi-automatic pistols in action disciplines.
Eye Dominance (and Hand/Eye Cross-Dominance)
Learn how to identify your dominant eye. Kay Miculek, a cross-dominant shooter, explains how other cross-dominant individuals can maintain a proper sight picture.
Ear Protection — Double-Up for Safety
Babes with Bullets Director Deb Ferns says the most common complaint among new shooters is, “It’s too loud!” Deb recommends “doubling up” — wearing muffs OVER soft foam earplugs. That’s “sound advice” for any shooter.
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A while back, Roy Bertalotto acquired a budget-priced Kimber 82G rimfire target rifle from the CMP. The Kimber comes with an oiled-wood stock that works fine for three-position training, but Roy wanted to shoot the gun for the bench. The original Kimber stock, with its narrow, radiused forearm, was not ideal for this purpose. Roy wanted a wide, flat fore-end, which is much more stable in the bags. Rather that spend hundreds on a new benchrest stock, Roy modified his Kimber’s original stock by slicing a section off the bottom of the stock and then replacing this with a 3/4″ X 2 3/4″ X 15″ piece of walnut.
WATCH Project Stages in Slide-Show Below:
Roy explains: “The modification I did on my Kimber 82G stock was done using a milling machine, hand planes, files, die grinder and sand paper. It can also be done with simple hand tools — it will just take longer. The first step is removing the wood on the bottom of the fore-end. This was accomplished in the milling machine. A scrap piece of 2X8 was mounted to the milling machine’s table and the surface milled to be perfectly flat. The Kimber stock was screwed to this 2X8 with two large screws and the bottom of the stock was milled flat. Once this was done, a piece of 3/4″ X 2 3/4″ X 15″ walnut was glued using West System epoxy to the cut out area. I use West System epoxy in boat building, but any good wood glue will work.”
After gluing the new bottom piece in place, Roy milled the sides to provide side flats with a radius to transition from the wider lower section to the narrower upper part of the fore-end. As a added enhancement, Roy contoured the rear of the fore-end to blend with the rear of the stock, adding what he calls “1965 Ford Mustang side scoops”. Roy then used a Die Grinder with a 1.5″ sanding wheel to modify the wrist area to provide more thumb relief.
Following the cutting, milling, gluing, and shaping, Roy sanded with 150 grit and 300 grit sandpaper before applying multiple coats of Tung Oil. Once the main stock was completed, Roy completed the project by crafting an extended buttplate from a couple pieces of 1/8″ aluminum and two 1.5″ aluminum tubes, “all polished to a slightly less than mirror finish”. NOTE: This metal buttplate assembly was made from scratch (other than the pad). This is not an aftermarket extension kit.
Overall the gun turned out very nicely. Log on to Roy’s RVB Precision webpage to learn more about this Kimber stock modification project, and view more photos of the building process.
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Looking for a great deal on a firearm, hunting gear, or reloading supplies? Well dozens of vendors nationwide are putting shooting sports products on sale this Friday, as part of the Black Friday/Cyber-Monday sellathon. But how do you find all the good deals without spending hours surfing the web? Here’s a tip: Slickguns.com has scanned multiple websites, assembling a vast collection of Black Friday Sales. To check out scores of upcoming bargains, visit the Slickguns.com Black Friday Sale Page.
Story tip by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
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If you’re thinking about acquiring a 17 HMR rifle, you should read the 17 HMR Two-Gun Comparison in our Gun of the Week Archives. This two-gun shoot-out compares the performance of a Volquartsen 17 HMR semi-auto and a Ruger 77/17 bolt-action. Glen Robinson, the owner of both rifles, has done some serious comparison testing with both guns, trying out a half-dozen varieties of 17 HMR ammo. The overall results may surprise you. The semi-auto out-shot the bolt gun by a significant margin, with all types of ammo tested.
Comparing the Qualities of the Two 17 HMR Rifles
By Glen Robinson
While the Volquartsen proved to be the more accurate of my pair of 17 HMRs, I still enjoy owning both rifles. Each gun has its strong points and weak points.
Ruger Strong Points: From any angle, the Ruger 77/17 is a nice-looking rifle with classic lines. I like the gray-finish stainless barrel — it goes well with the gray laminated stock. With the addition of the aftermarket sear, the trigger is crisp and the bolt function is smooth. The action is strong and dependable. The conventional “open rear” action allows you to clean “normally” with a bore guide, cleaning rod, and patches/brushes. I feel I can do a better job of cleaning with the Ruger than with the boresnake on the Volquartsen.
Ruger Weak Points: Accuracy is somewhat disappointing. The best 100-yard group the Ruger has shot was about 0.82″ and the gun averages well over 1.25″ for 5 shots. In fairness, I haven’t done anything exotic in terms of bedding the action/barrel, and I would expect that an aftermarket barrel, perhaps combined with a barrel pre-load (up-pressure) pad, could improve the accuracy.
Volquartsen Strong Points: The Volquartsen is a well-made, accurate, dependable rifle. The gun cycles very reliably and requires very little maintenance. To clean it, just pull a boresnake through the bore. The gun exhibits very nice machining, and the VX-5000 stock rides steady on a front sand-bag, even though it’s only about 1.75″ wide. Even without any tweaking the trigger is very good, and the pull weight is fine for varminting.
Volquartsen Weak Points: The VX-5000 stock is not ideal for bench work — the comb is a bit too high, though I like the feel of the vertical grip. This stock profile is really more suited for silhouette shooting, but this stock seemed to be the best option offered by Volquartsen that could be used for both paper-punching and varminting. The receiver design limits your options for barrel cleaning.
Conclusion — The Volquartsen Takes the Prize
Having shot both rifles extensively, if I had to pick one gun, it would be the Volquartsen. The Volquartsen is much more accurate and it offers much faster follow-up shots. For varminting the Volquartsen would be superior, no question about it. I’m happy I bought the Volquartsen and the VX-5000 stock. It is a fun, versatile gun that lives up to the accuracy claims.
We’ll here it is folks — “Black Friday”, the biggest selling day of the year. Many of our favorite vendors have put up some very special deals. CLICK HERE for the Special Black-Friday Deals from Midsouth Shooters Supply. All sale prices begin Friday 11/27/2015 at 12:01 am CDT and run through Midnight on Cyber Monday, 11/30/2015.
Black Friday X-Travaganza Contest — Enter to Win
Along with the special deals, Midsouth is running a Sweepstakes. You can enter via email, Facebook, or Twitter. Winners will be chosen on December 1, 2015. Prizes include a Hornady Lock-N-Load Progressive Press Package, and a Lyman/Sierra Bundle with digital Borescope, Ultrasonic Cleaning machine, and 1000 Sierra Bullets. To enter, CLICK HERE and then scroll to the bottom of the page.
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Geissele Automatics, respected maker triggers and firearm accessories, is offering some very attractive specials on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. On Friday 11/27 get 25% AR triggers. On Monday get a complete Geissele AR 2-Stage Trigger (GS2) for just $115.00. These normally retail for $165.00, so you save fifty bucks. In addition to these great deals, you can get 50% off Geissele gear, and 30% off Reaction Blocks (used for assembling AR platform rifles).
This Deal is Available on FRIDAY 11/27/2015 ONLY:
This Deal is Available on MONDAY 11/30/2015 ONLY:
Other Black Friday Geissele Specials:
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OK, you’re feelin’ fat and happy after the traditional Thanksgiving Day feast and you need to kill some time. Sure you could rake the leaves or wash the dishes, but why not have some mindless fun targeting turkeys with this online video game? Be forewarned, the sound effects (gobbling, annoying music, and loud bangs) may frighten your pets and annoy your family members. Also the game gets rather manic near the end, with multiple gobblers popping up all over the screen. That said, have fun, and enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday! CLICK HERE to access Turkey Attack Game.
WARNING: Very Loud Noises, Shooting Sounds, and Annoying Music. NOT Recommended for Work! We suggest you turn down your speakers before playing.
Turkey Attack Game Tips:
1. Center your aim after moving left or right.
2. Some turkeys have armor on them and need to be shot twice.
3. When two turkeys are overlapped you can hit both with one, single shot.
4. The turkey with the white flag is fair game and will increase your point total.
5. Click in the upper right hand corner of the game screen to mute the obnoxious music.
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