Mark your calendars for the “Mother of all Airgun Matches”. The 33rd Annual Canadian Airgun Grand Prix, the largest airgun competition in North America, will be held in Toronto on February 6 – 8, 2015. Competitors from several countries will be in attendance. All events will take place in the International Plaza Hotel conveniently located only 5 kms from the Toronto Pearson airport.
70-Position Shooting Range with Electronic Targets for Finals
The main shooting range for the Canadian Airgun Grand Prix features 70 positions for air rifle and air pistol, including positions designated for access by adaptive athletes, with electric target carriers on all positions. This will provide state-of-the-art hardware for the competitors.
See How Electronic Targets Work:
The Grand Prix Finals will be shot on SIUS electronic targets and will follow the new ISSF format. The top 8 in each of the Men’s and the Women’s events, including International Juniors and Sub-juniors will compete in Finals to determine the “Open” winners. For more info and updates, visit the Canadian Airgun Grand Prix Facebook Page. Competitors can register at: http://nfap.ca/cagp/cagp.nsf.
AccurateShooter.com has added something NEW to our Shooter’s Forum. We recently launched a new Ballistics & Bullets Board, with Bryan Litz as the “Guru in Residence”. Bryan and his team at Applied Ballistics will help answer your questions about bullet trajectories, wind drift, BC values, bullet sorting methods, meplat trimming/pointing, and other general ballistics matters. This is your chance to get your questions answered by Bryan, a expert ballistician, and an ace long-range shooter. In addition, our new Ballistics Forum area features free excerpts from Applied Ballistics’ respected publications, including Applied Ballistics for Long Range Shooting, and Bryan’s new book, Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting. CLICK HERE for FREE Samples.
If you have a ballistics question, or are simply curious about subjects such as bullet pointing, trajectory prediction, ballistics programs, ballistic coefficients, etc., then visit our Shooters’ Forum and join the discussion in our new Ballistics & Bullets Board.
Get $5.00 Off Applied Ballistics Books
As a special benefit for AccurateShooter.com Forum members, Applied Ballistics is offering $5.00 off Books and DVDs. If you haven’t acquired one of Bryan’s books yet, here’s a way to get with the program and save five bucks in the process. CLICK HERE for $5.00 discount info.
Get Answers from the Man Who Literally
‘Wrote the Book’ on Ballistics…
As an aerospace engineer, Bryan worked six years for the government on air-to-air missile designs. He is now owner of Applied Ballistics and Chief Ballistician for Berger Bullets. Bryan is also a champion long range shooter, so he brings a great deal of practical knowledge and experience to the table regarding the science of accuracy.
A Place to Share Knowledge and Advance the Science of Ballistics Applied Ballistics is pleased to sponsor AccurateShooter.com’s new Ballistics & Bullets Board: “The new Ballistics Forum area provides an established place for shooters go and discuss ballistics-related issues in general. In addition to this basic objective of connecting shooters to each other, the staff of Applied Ballistics will frequent the Forum to provide expert advice on ballistics, and the use of ballistics programs. Bryan Litz will regularly visit the ballistics Forum, looking for ways to help shooters with ballistics questions. Beyond that, we’re eager to take suggestions on what kinds of tests we might consider for the AB Laboratory. We’re here to advance the science of ballistics, and we’d like to do that in ways that benefit the greatest amount of people. The ballistics forum gives us a place to explore these questions. We can answer the questions that we know, and formulate tests to explore those questions we don’t understand as well, then share the results online for everyone to see.”
How to Find the Ballistics & Bullets Board
To join in the discussions, visit our Shooters’ Forum. Scroll down until you see “Ballistics & Bullets Board, Presented by Bryan Litz and Applied Ballistics”. Just click on the orange title and you’re “in like Flynt”.
Guests can read all the topics. However, if you want to post or start a thread you’ll need to REGISTER with our Forum. There’s no charge (membership is FREE), and registration only takes a few minutes.
This is a grim tale. A man almost lost the use of his right hand, and did suffer terrible injuries to his fingers. All because he picked the wrong bottle of powder off the shelf.
Similar Labels, Disasterous Consequences
The shooter, Denny K., was assembling some rounds for his brand new 7mm-08 Savage hunting rifle. He thought he was loading with Hodgdon Varget. Instead he had filled his powder measure with Hodgdon TiteGroup, a fast-burning pistol powder. The labels are similar, so the mistake is understandable. But the results were devastating. Here’s what 41 grains of TiteGroup can do in a 7mm-08:
Posting on the Firing Line, in a thread entitled “Lucky to Be Alive”, Denny writes:
“This is the hardest post to post. I know if I had read it a week ago my comment would have been: ‘You have no business reloading’. I had everything perfect, except pouring the wrong powder in the powder measure. I type this slowly with my left hand, embarrassed but … possibly saving someone else a tragedy or, like me, a long drive to the Emergency Room and surgery to save my finger.”
The Still-Sealed Bottle of Varget
Denny did not initially comprehend exactly why the kaboom happened. He thought maybe his new Savage rifle was at fault. Then, on his return home, he discovered something…
Denny wrote: “The seven-hour period it took to go to ER, transport to Trauma Center and surgery made me think it was a Savage rifle issue. Brand new rifle, new brass, triple-checked loading data. The next day I was humbled when I realized the Varget powder was still sealed.
I knew what powder to use. I thought [Varget] was what I used. Not until the following day did I realize the Varget was still sealed.”
At that point, Denny realized what caused the accident — “operator error”. He knew he had to warn others about using the wrong powder: “I knew I needed to share my mistake, even though it is embarrassing, just to remind people. I’ve been reloading for 30 years…”
Editor’s Comment: Denny was not a novice reloader. His experience demonstrates that this kind of mistake can be made by any hand-loader, even one with decades of experience. Be safe guys, take your time when you load your ammo. Remove powders from measures after your loading sessions (pistol powders can look very similar to rifle powders). And by all means CHECK the LABEL on the jug. As the TiteGroup label says: “A little goes a long way.”
It’s not a bad idea to separate your pistol powders from your rifle powders, or perhaps even load for pistol in a separate part of your workshop.
Get an inside look at the how ammunition is made with this step-by-step production guide from Hornady. The video begins by showing the stages in production of a lead-core jacketed bullet with exposed tip, such as the Hornady Interlock. Next, at the 1:38″ time-mark, the video shows how cartridge cases are made, starting with small brass cups (photo right). The brass is lengthened in a series of stages involving annealing, drawing, polishing, and the formation of the case head with primer pocket. Finally, at the 2:40″ time mark, the video shows how bullets and powder are seated into cartridge cases on the Hornady assembly line. In the final production stages, the completed ammunition is tested and packaged.
Steve Johnson, editor of The Firearm Blog (TFB), has launched a new website featuring innovative gun-related technology and products: the TFB Patent Blog. Steve explains: “I have wanted to have a sub-blog showcasing all the new gun and gun-related patent applications issued by the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office (USTPO). Finally my dream is a reality. I hope the [TFB Patent Blog] will be a useful feature for hardcore enthusiasts, industry engineers, and small gun business owners.”
The TFB Patent Blog will offer comprehensive coverage of new, gun-related inventions, complete with links to official patent documents: “We will be featuring all the new patents issued, as well as new patent applications, as soon as they are published by the USTPO (or as soon as we notice they have been published). We are also embedding the patent document itself (click the red button at the bottom of the patent post to see the embedded patent) as well as offering a download link in case you want to download an offline PDF copy.”
Here Are Interesting Products Now Featured on the TFB Patent Blog:
TFB Contributing Editor Nathaniel F. will oversee the TFB Patent Blog. One of his primary tasks will be to match patents and patent applications with the product inventors and the organizations owning the patent. This is not always obvious. If you find a featured patent on the TFB Patent Blog that was not labeled correctly, or was credited to the wrong organization, please send email to: nathaniel.f [at] staff.thefirearmblog.com.
Sometimes superlatives really aren’t necessary. Just look at that target. Yes that is FIVE shots (although it truly appears like one hole). And it is centered! This remarkable group, measured at 0.039″, was shot by Lou Murdica in Phoenix on January 3, 2015. Lou drilled this group with his 6 PPC railgun. Rounds were loaded with Accurate LT-32 powder and Berger 65gr BT bullets. The target will be submitted to the NBRSA as a potential new 100-yard Benchrest record in the Unlimited (Railgun) Class. The current NBRSA record small group (Unlimited) is a 0.049 shot by Hall-of-Famer Gary Ocock in 2009.
This is a file photo with a different railgun.
This wasn’t the only tiny group shot by Lou over the weekend. Murdica shot a sizzling 0.1262 five-target 100-yard Unlimited Aggregate. That 0.1262 Agg will also be submitted for consideration as a possible record. Here are the individual group sizes: 0.104, 0.183, 0.201, 0.104, 0.039. At this match Lou won both the Unlimited and Sporter class. “It was a great weekend” Lou reported.
About the Gun
What kind of rifle can put five shots in one hole? Lou was shooting an Unlimited-class railgun. This return-to-battery rig (a Kensler railgun) allows the shooter to focus on firing at the perfect time for the conditions. Lou’s Kensler railgun (see below) features a Kelbly top-loader Grizzly action, Shilen 6-groove barrel, and March 10-60X scope. The Shilen is chambered for the 6 PPC cartridge. But there’s something special about this particular 6 PPC — read on….
Click photo for larger version:
Radical New Reamer Design from PT&G
Lou used a new chamber reamer from Pacific Tool & Gauge (PT&G) with special geometry in the leade/throat section. Called a “Bore Rider” (or sometimes “bore-runner”), this new reamer design cuts a staged, variable taper in the leade/throat area that is quite different than the taper in a typical throat. It’s a little hard to explain, so we’ve included the 6 PPC Bore Rider reamer print below. (Download the PDF file for a better view.) Experts should look at the leade angle(s), freebore, and throat dimensions. You may be surprised. Dave Kiff of PT&G says this Bore Rider design has worked successfully for other cartridge types/calibers as well. Apparently this design helps the bullet center up smoothly in the bore before the bullet engages “hard” in the rifling — or so we’ve been told.
What can happen when the bottom-most primer in a primer feed tube goes off? A big bang, that’s what. Some or all of the primers in the vertical feeding tube can go off in a chain detonation. That’s exactly what happened to Dustin Ellermann, Top Shot Season 3 Champion. Scary experience, but thankfully Dustin was not injured. He writes: “Super thankful that I was wearing my Wiley X eye protection this weekend when I was reloading some .223 rounds. My press detonated nearly 100 small rifle primers. Shown here is the magazine feed tube. Not fun but it could have been much worse. Stay safe!”
When working with progressive reloading presses, you should definitely wear eye protection. Dustin’s chain detonation experience proves that — without a doubt. Remember you only have one set of eyes!
APS Strips — Alternative to Primer Tubes When you stack a column of primers in a single metal tube, you’re asking for trouble. As Dustin Ellermann learned, when one primer fires, the entire column can follow suit in a chain detonation. Thankfully, you do have options when it comes to primer feeding on a progressive press. RCBS developed an innovative primer system for its Pro-2000 progressive press. Instead of being stored in a vertical tube, primers are placed in flat, plastic “APS” strips, with a ring of plastic separating each primer. Moving horizontally, primers are never stacked, so the chance of a chain detonation is reduced dramatically. The re-usable APS strips are color-coded for different primer types. You can buy CCI “pre-loaded” primer strips, or you can insert any brand of primers into strips using an RCBS strip-loader tool.
RCBS Pro-2000 with APS Strip Priming System
AccurateShooter.com Editor Uses Strip Primers
This Editor owns an RCBS Pro-2000 progressive press (manual-indexing version). The RCBS strip-priming system was one key reason I selected the RCBS Pro-2000 over similar-priced progressives from Dillon and Hornady. I believe the strip primer system is safer, more positive, and easier to use. Before I purchased my RCBS progressive, I “road-tested” the competition. I loaded hundreds of rounds on each of four different progressives: Dillon 550B, Dillon 650, Hornady Lock-N-Load, and RCBS 2000. I was concerned about the primer feed tubes on the Dillons, and I found the RCBS rotary powder measure was much more precise (and easier to adjust) than the sliding bar system on the Dillon machines. The RCBS priming system was definitely more fool-proof than the system on the Hornady press (a first-generation L-N-L that had issues with primer feeding). After “test-driving” blue, red, and green brand progressives extensively, I settled on the RCBS Pro-2000. A decade later, I still think I made the right choice. I like the APS strips for big jobs, and I can also use them in the RCBS hand-priming tool (shown below). With the strips, its easy to prime 20 or 40 cases at a time, and then switch to another type of primer for comparison testing.
It’s much easier to see bullet holes “in the white” than in the black center of a High Power or F-Class Target. That’s why some shooters use “negative” black-to-white targets for practice sessions. Also, even those who compete at 800-1000 yards find it useful to practice at 300 yards. At that shorter distance, you can, on most days, see bullet holes with a good spotting scope. (Forget trying to see bullet holes at 1000 yards with any spotting scope, no matter how expensive).
The only problem with practicing at 300 yards is finding a correctly “shrunken” version of the target actually used in long range competition. Well guys, you’re in luck. One of our Forum members, Sleepygator, has produced “reduced-distance” targets (with black ring-lines on white background) for practice use at 300 yards. Only the center 10 and X rings are black, so you can see bullet holes easily “in the white” on most of the target (and this uses less ink when printing). There is an official reduced-distanced standard for 300-yard F-Class matches. This utilizes the NRA No. MR-63FC – F-Class Target Center which is pasted over the MR-63 target. It provides a 1.42″ X-Ring, 2.85″ 10-Ring, and 5.85″ Nine-Ring. (The dimensions of F-Class targets are found in the NRA High Power Rules, Sec. 22, part 4.)
To duplicate the 300-yard target, Forum member SleepyGator has prepared a printable version of the MR-63FC Target Center, along with a pair of training targets with two bulls and five bulls. The two-bull and five-bull targets mirror the scoring rings on the MR-63FC, but they display only the innermost three rings and two rings respectively. All three targets are Adobe Acrobat files that can be easily printed. You may need to adjust the scale (sizing) on your printer to get the dimensions exactly correct. As noted above, when printed, the 10-Ring on all three targets should measure 2.85″. This should provide some handy practice targets you can use between matches. Thanks to SleepyGator for providing these targets. You can download all three as a .Zip archive. After downloading the .Zip file, just click on the .Zip archive to extract the individual targets.
Gun Binders for Safes and More
Here’s a new way to store handguns in your safe — no racks required. These handy Multi-Gun binders hold up to three handguns (two regular size and one compact), along with magazines. Stack the binders vertically or horizontally in your safe. And at around 12” tall, they’ll easily fit on most gun safe shelves. Customizable I.D. sleeves on the binder spines allow you to identify the contents. That way its easy to locate the gun you want quickly. You don’t have to sort through unmarked bags or boxes.
Use Binders for Handgun Transport Also
Binder exteriors are tough, ballistic polyester. Soft interior pockets cushion and protect your pistols. Heavy-duty, lockable zippers run around the binder, securing all the contents. With their lockable zippers, these binders can do double-duty as discrete gun cases for transport to the range.
Important Long-Term Storage Tip
The polyesters used in soft gun cases can retain moisture. We recommend you treat your handguns with an anti-corrosion product such as Eezox or Corrosion-X before putting them in these binders for extended storage. Also we specifically caution against storing handguns in foam-lined plastic boxes, such as the small Doskocil cases. These can be rust magnets.
This week’s episode of Shooting USA TV, the first of the new year, is definitely worth watching. The lead story focuses on the 35th Annual Bianchi Cup — the richest and most prestigious match in the handgun shooting sports. Competitors shoot four stages over a three-day period, and everyone aims for that perfect score: 1,920. Watch this episode on Wednesday, January 7, 2015 to see the world’s best handgunners in action.
The Legendary Lee Enfield
This week, Shooting USA also features the Lee Enfield MK III, also known as the SMLE for “Short Magazine Lee Enfield”. Introduced in 1907, the SMLE was the primary British infantry weapon during WWI. The Lee Enfield’s speed of cycling, versatility, and reliability made it one of the great 20th-Century battle rifles. “I’ve never read a disparaging word by a WWI British soldier against his Enfield,” says Firearms Historian Garry James. “His government [gave] him a really good firearm.”
Julie Golob Talks About Carry Handguns
In the Pro Tip segment of the January 7th broadcast, Smith & Wesson Pro shooter Julie Golob offers advice for first-time gun buyers. Julie reviews various options among revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. She discusses factors to consider: weight, balance, firepower, ease of use and concealability.
Get an inside look at the how ammunition is made with this step-by-step production guide from Hornady. The video begins by showing the stages in production of a lead-core jacketed bullet with exposed tip, such as the Hornady Interlock. Next, at the 1:38″ time-mark, the video shows how cartridge cases are made, starting with small brass cups (photo right). The brass is lengthened in a series of stages involving annealing, drawing, polishing, and the formation of the case head with primer pocket. Finally, at the 2:40″ time mark, the video shows how bullets and powder are seated into cartridge cases on the Hornady assembly line. In the final production stages, the completed ammunition is tested and packaged.
When you stack a column of primers in a single metal tube, you’re asking for trouble. As Dustin Ellermann learned, when one primer fires, the entire column can follow suit in a chain detonation. Thankfully, you do have options when it comes to primer feeding on a progressive press. RCBS developed an innovative primer system for its Pro-2000 progressive press. Instead of being stored in a vertical tube, primers are placed in flat, plastic “APS” strips, with a ring of plastic separating each primer. Moving horizontally, primers are never stacked, so the chance of a chain detonation is reduced dramatically. The re-usable APS strips are color-coded for different primer types. You can buy CCI “pre-loaded” primer strips, or you can insert any brand of primers into strips using an RCBS strip-loader tool.
It’s much easier to see bullet holes “in the white” than in the black center of a High Power or F-Class Target. That’s why some shooters use “negative” 
Gun Binders for Safes and More
