Jessie Duff won her 8th Ladies Class Title at the 2017 U.S. Steel Nationals in Daytona, Florida.
It’s drag racing with guns! Draw your gun then shoot five steel targets as fast as humanly possible. The U.S. Steel Nationals is the fastest action pistol sport on the planet. Splits are blazing fast — in the top tier of shooters, standings are settled by hundredths of a second. The Steel Nationals has recently has also expanded to include rimfire firearms, and that’s lowered the cost of competing. In this week’s episode of Shooting USA, John Scoutten and Tony Pignato have the highlights of the final round of the 2016 U.S. Steel Nationals, held in Daytona, Florida.
Watch Full Episode of Shooting USA
Air Times by Time Zone
Eastern Time: Tuesday 3:00 PM; Wednesday 9:30PM, 1:00 AM
Central Time: Tuesday 2:00 PM; Wednesday 8:30 PM, Midnight
Mountain Time: Tuesday 1:00 PM; Wednesday 7:30 PM, 11:00 PM
Pacific Time: Tuesday Noon; Wednesday 6:30 PM, 10:00 PM
The show airs tonight on the Outdoor Channel on cable TV. If your cable service doesn’t include the Outdoor Channel, you can watch the entire episode on your computer or mobile device right here. Just click the above video to start the 47-minute show.
Pro Shooter Experience in Las Vegas
Along with the U.S. Steel Nationals Coverage, this week’s episode features the Pro Shooter Experience (PSE) in Las Vegas (starting at 32:22 in video above). Participants enjoy three days of training with three world Champions: Max Michel, JJ Racaza, and Travis Tomasie.
Max explains: “The whole premise was to get three world champion shooters together [who are] great ambassadors of the game, and really give back…” Max and Travis are both former USAMU shooters with multiple championship wins. JJ is one of the fastest pistoleros on the planet. The PSE features 1-on-1 training sessions, shooting competitions, speed drills, and some very impressive shooting by the pros.
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Did you know that American women are the fastest-growing segment of gun owners? Whether it’s for self-protection, hunting, or target shooting, women are showing more interest than ever in owning firearms. Moreover, women are taking steps to train and educate themselves, and to get involved in hunting, recreational shooting, and firearms competition. This is now a significant trend — women are becoming an important and vital part of the shooting community. Nearly one-quarter (23%) of American women now own at least one firearm.
The numbers of women participating in the shooting sports has grown dramatically in recent years. in fact, in the decade from 2001 to 2010, the number of female target shooters has risen 43.5%:
“Koenig” means “king” in the German language. Well, Doug Koenig certainly proved to be King of the Bianchi Cup this past week at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club in Hallsville, Missouri. Coming into the event as the reigning champion, Koenig added an 18th Bianchi Cup Open Championship title to his resume, remaining the winningest shooter in Bianchi Cup history. The win earned Koenig a $10,000 check to go with his trophy.
Report by NRABlog.com
Koenig posted strong scores in all four Colt Championship Final events, including perfect 480-48 scores in the Barricade and Plates runs. While perennial contender and five-time Bianchi Cup champ Bruce Piatt bested Koenig in the opening Practical event and kept it close, Koenig narrowly edged out his longtime friend and rival, finishing the Colt final event with a 1920-184 over Piatt’s 1920-181.
Here are the top four women shooting the Practical Event during the Colt Championship Final. From top: 2017 Bianchi Women’s Champion Cherie Blake, third place SFC Katie Bahten, second place Anita Mackiewicz, and fourth place Jessie Duff. Shooting Sports USA Photo
SFC Sokolowski Shoots First-Ever Perfect Score in Metallic Class
There were some other great performances. The USAMU’s SFC Adam Sokolowski made history of his own in Hallsville, shooting the first-ever perfect score of 1920 in the Metallic Division. Last year’s Production Champ, Adam switched to Metallic this year — it seems like it was a good choice. Cherie Blake was the Women’s Champion, and noted shooter Rob Leatham won the Production Division. In the Junior Division, it was a family affair — Tim Yackley was a repeat winner, while younger brother Sean Yackley finished second.
Not to be outdone by the youngsters, 80-year-old John Sanders won the Grand Senior Championship with a score of 1908-135X. Impressive — we hope we’ll still be competing in our 80s!
For more complete coverage of the 2017 NRA Bianchi Cup, see John Parker’s Shooting Sports USA 2017 Match Report. Shooting Sports USA will publish the full results of the 2017 NRA Bianchi Cup National Action Pistol Championship in a future edition of the digital magazine.
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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!
RCBS 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. 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, it’s easy to prime 20 or 40 cases at a time, and then switch to another type of primer for comparison testing.
The APS priming system also works with press-mounted priming tool, bench-mounted tool, and APS hand-tool. EdLongRange uses the press-mounted tool: “I also like the APS approach but use the press-mounted unit (saves your hands/wrists — and I haven’t had a need for a progressive press in over 20 years). Loading the primers in the strips is a bit of a PITA but very manageable. As with all tools there is a learning curve.” CLICK HERE for video showing strip-loading tool and press-mounted APS tool. The press-mounted tool is no longer in production, but you can still BUY IT HERE.
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The team at Varminter.com just completed an extensive test of Winchester’s new LEAD FREE 17 WSM ammunition. During multiple sessions, Varminter.com shot the ammo using no less than nine different rifles. Four, 5-shot groups were shot with each rifle from the bench at 100 yards. Results were impressive. Average group size for a 1:9″-twist heavy barrel Savage B-Mag was a remarkable 0.5005 inches. Group size averages for seven of the eight other 17-cal rifles* ranged from 0.755 to 1.03 inches at 100 yards — pretty impressive for factory rimfire rigs. A LOT of time was invested in this test, and we recommend you read the full report on Varminter.com.
Fastest Rimfire Cartridge Ever
If you’re not familiar with this cartridge, the 17 WSM is the fastest, flattest-shooting rimfire round you can buy. It stomps the .22 LR, and even offers significantly better ballistics than the popular 17 HMR. This lead- free version is impressively flat-shooting. With a 100-yard zero, it drops only 4.3 inches at 200 yards. Compare that with a .22 LR which can drop 18 inches or more from 100 to 200 yards (based on 1150 fps MV).
Zinc Replaces Lead in Winchester’s Eco-Friendly 17 WSM
For folks who live in areas where lead ammo is restricted, such as California, the arrival of this Lead Free 17 WSM is good news. Winchester’s new 17 WSM ammunition features a Zinc-cored, polymer-tipped 15-grain bullet with 0.118 G1 BC. The ammo is rated at a speedy 3300 FPS velocity. Winchester says that the zinc core and “thin alloy jacket with engineered sidewall profile” deliver “explosive fragmentation.”
*The ninth rifle, a Savage BMAG with original thin-contour barrel, was the “odd man out”. Accuracy was mediocre, averaging 1.763 inches.
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Flags placed in Arlington National Cemetery by members of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, the “Old Guard”.
Today, Memorial Day, Americans will honor the sacrifices of military men and women who paid the ultimate price in their service to our nation. More than 1.2 million American men and women have died in military service during wartime.
“The fallen warriors we honor on Memorial Day cherished liberty and freedom enough to lay down their lives to preserve our way of life,” said past Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We owe them eternal gratitude and we must pass those sentiments on to future generations.”
What Is Memorial Day?
Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the men and women who died while serving in the country’s armed forces. The holiday, which is celebrated every year on the last Monday of May, was formerly known as Decoration Day and originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the war. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service.
On Memorial Day, the United States flag is traditionally raised to the top of the staff, then solemnly lowered to half-staff position until noon, when it is raised again to full-staff for the rest of the day. The half-staff position is to remember the more than 1.2 million men and women who have given their lives for this country.
Flags and flower leis adorn each grave in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in observance of Memorial Day, 1991. (U.S. Navy photo by OS2 John Bouvia, released).
Many people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries.
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At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Monday morning we offer our Best Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on firearms, 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 — Plano Double Rifle Case with Wheels, $101.99
This Plano Double Scoped Rifle Case is an Amazon Best Seller for good reason. It offers the functionality and durability of an SKB-type hard case for HALF the money. This is now just $101.99, while the equivalent SKB is around $240.00, so you can buy two Planos for the price of one SKB. The 51.5″ interior will fit most scoped competition rifles up to about 29″ barrels (measure your own rifle to make sure). This is big enough for many F-Class and Palma rifles. The handles are convenient and beefy and the wheels make this case easy to move through airports and parking lots. A good choice for air travel, this is a very tough, roomy case for the money (plus there’s Free Shipping for Prime Members).
2. Brownells — Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm, $209.99
Here’s how you can get a nice Smith & Wesson 9mm (9x19mm Luger) carry pistol for just $209.99. Brownells sells this M&P Shield 9mm pistol for $314.99. Use Code L9Q during online checkout to save $30.00 and get free shipping. That knocks the Brownells price down to $284.99 delivered. But it gets better — Smith & Wesson is offering a $75.00 mail-in rebate. That lowers your net cost to just $209.99 — less than half what you’d pay for a 9mm Glock or HK. Good reason to buy American, and S&W’s warranty is rock solid. Combining Code L9Q with the $75.00 mail-in rebate, your net cost for the M&P 9mm Shield is only $209.99, not counting a $10.00 FFL processing fee.
3. Natchez Shooters Supply — 10% OFF Everything in Stock
Natchez Shooters Supply boasts very competitive “every day” pricing on ammunition, reloading tools, and optics. And now you can get 10% (ten percent) off everything Natchez sells online with no limits, no minimums. This Sitewide 10% Off deal is good through 11:59 pm ET on May 30, 2017. To get the 10% off your order(s), use code 10MEM17 during checkout. We suggest you look at reloading presses, scopes, and hunting gear. The 10% Off, combined with already low pricing, makes for some exceptional bargains. But don’t hesitate — this deal runs out soon. NOTE: Offer is available on INTERNET ORDERS ONLY. Shipping/Handling and Hazmat fees still apply.
4. Amazon — 22000 mAh 3 Port Battery Pack, $36.99
The one item your editor takes on EVERY visit to the range, every business trip, and every holiday is a battery pack with USB outputs. This handy gadget lets me keep my smart phone and other devices charged (it even runs the LabRadar chrono). This new Akeem 22000 mAh portable charger is Amazon’s top new release in this category. It can power up to 3 USB devices at once. A big plus is that it gets fully charged pretty quickly — in 1/3 the time of some other 22000 mAh battery packs. It even has its own solar charging panel. Unfortunately that solar panel is “more show than go”. To get a full internal charge you still MUST plug the Akeem into the wall. Still this is a very popular unit — read the buyer reviews on Amazon. It has a 24-month warranty.
This won’t range small objects at 1000 yards like the very best rangefinders, but then it only costs $159.99. For a typical hunter, this compact little RX-650 Leupold LRF may be all you really need. The money you save (vs. a premium LRF) can buy your next hunting rifle. The unit offers 6X magnification, Scan Mode, and one-click Fast Focus. This week MidwayUSA has the RX-650 for just $159.99 with FREE Shipping. Or get it from Amazon.com for a few bucks more, $164.00 with FREE Shipping.
6. Midsouth — CCI Quiet-22 Rimfire Ammo, $3.49/50 Rounds
Name-brand rimfire ammo is once again available at very affordable prices. This CCI 40gr ammo is just $3.49 for 50 rounds, less than seven cents per round. Rated at a modest 710 fps, the CCI Quiet Ammo is a good choice for shorter-range target work and pistol plinking. The low sound signature also makes it great for shooting with a suppressor. While it should work with most semi-auto rifles, we recommend this for bolt guns. One purchaser writes: “Very quiet and very accurate. Quieter than subsonics and far more accurate than rounds like Colibri. With my CZ trainers and ultralux… they shot approx 3/4″ groups at 50 yards. The rounds drop more than High Vel at 50 yardds and beyond, but that’s pretty easy to compensate for by sighting in the rifle. If used with a suppressor, the sound of the firing pin is louder than the report.”
Here’s the best deal we’ve found on an excellent product in high demand. The Lyman BoreCam is an electro-optical borescope with a digital display. You can record “stills” on a SD card. This is one of the hottest products on the market right now — and users really like the BoreCam (although some wish the digital view-screen was larger). Amazon.com now has the Lyman BoreCam for $199.99. Grab it while you can at that price. Other vendors are charging a LOT more. For example, MidwayUSA’s price is $259.99!
8. Stocky’s Stocks — Composite Stock with Bedding Block, $179.99
Here’s a killer deal on a versatile Stocky’s Long Range Stock with aluminum V-block bedding system. For just $179.99, order this for Rem/Rem Clone long actions or short actions, with either narrow or wide (varmint/tactical) barrel channel. This would be a good choice for a varmint rifle. This is also offered with a matte black, tan, or olive baked-on textured finish for $199.99.
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Berger Bullets’ much-awaited 200.20X bullet is now available at Midsouth Shooters Supply for $54.65 per 100*. That’s not inexpensive, but this new design could well prove to be the “bullet to beat” for F-TR competition with the .308 Win cartridge. With a high Ballistic Coefficient (0.640 G1, 0.328 G7), the new 200.20X Hybrid Target projectile (Part #30417) should have less wind drift than other .30-caliber bullets in its weight range. The new 200.20X is even more slippery than Berger’s own older 200gr Hybrid (Part #30427), which has a 0.316 G7 BC. The 200.20X bullet has a shorter bearing surface than Berger’s 200gr Hybrid, which should allow higher velocities, and (perhaps) enhanced barrel life. The shorter bearing surface also makes this bullet easy to load and shoot in standard chambers, which means you don’t need a special long-throated reamer to make it work.
The new 200.20X has a 0.328 G7 BC compared to 0.316 G7 for the older 200 grain .30 caliber Hybrid. That’s a significant, 4% reduction in drag. Recommended twist for the new bullet is 1:10″, same as with the earlier 200-grainer.
Tested and Endorsed by U.S. Rifle Team (F-TR)
Developed with extensive testing by U.S. Rifle Team members, Berger’s new 200.20X bullet is optimized for F-TR competition with the .308 Win cartridge. Compared to the standard 200 grain Hybrid Target, the 200.20X has a longer boat tail, longer nose, and a shorter bearing surface. The longer nose and tail of the 200.20X allow the bullet to fly with less drag and a higher BC, which means fewer points lost to wind. Like other Berger Hybrid designs, this bullet is more “forgiving” about seating depths that pure VLD designs. Shooters should find that the 200.20X works well at various OALs, both “jumped” and seated into the lands. Bryan Litz recommends starting with this bullet .020 or more off the lands. When the bullet is jumped a bit, the accuracy should hold pretty well even as the throat moves out.
After extensive field testing at 600-1000 yards, the U.S. Rifle Team (F-TR) has named the Berger 200.20X as the Team’s official bullet of choice. Shown above are Dan Pohlabel and Bill Litz (shooter).
*Grafs.com ($52.99/100) and PrecisionReloading.com ($53.99/100) will also sell this new bullet, but both these vendors are currently awaiting delivery. We’re told that supplies should arrive soon.
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TALLADEGA, Alabama — The 3rd Annual D-Day Anniversary Matches will be held June 2-4, 2017, at the CMP’s Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama. The event commemorates the 73rd Anniversary of the Allied landing at Normandy in 1944. In 2015, the new $20-million-dollar Talledega Park celebrated its Grand Opening with its first D-Day Match. That was a great success, and the 2017 D-Day Match promises to be even better. This has become a hugely popular event — last year there were over 250 competitors. For many, this match was their first opportunity to shoot on electronic targets. That speeds up the relays and nobody complained about not having to do pit duty.
It’s not too late to join the fun — there are still slots available for the event. You can register online. For more information, email shall [at] thecmp.org or phone 256-474-4408 ext. 414
Watch Prone Stage from the Inaugural Talladega D-Day Match in 2015
Electronic Targets + No Pit Duty = More Fun
Competitors will be firing all matches on electronic targets. The John C. Garand Range has a huge firing line with monitors at all shooting stations. These connect to three banks of electronic targets positioned at 200, 300, and 600 yards. Spectators can view the results in real time on large monitors.
INVITATION: The Civilian Marksmanship Program would like to invite you to join us for a very special match weekend event at the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park. The CMP’s John C. Garand D-Day Anniversary Match is a big event with many different competitions for rifle and pistol shooters. Along with the signature M1 Garand event, a Vintage Sniper Match, EIC Service Rifle Match, .22 Rimfire Pistol Match, EIC Service Pistol Match, and .22 Rimfire Pistol matches will be conducted.
State of the Art Shooting Facility in Alabama
The 500-acre CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park is one of the most advanced outdoor shooting facilities in the Western Hemisphere. The facility includes a 600-yard rifle range, a 100-yard multi-purpose range, and a 50-yard pistol range, equipped with Kongsberg electronic targets and scoring monitors that allow shooters on the firing line to review shots in a matter of seconds. Since the 54 targets at each line register hits and calculate the scores, no pit duty is required at Talladega.
State-of-the-art Kongsberg target systems are used at the CMP’s Talladega Marksmanship Park.
Talladega Marksmanship Park also contains 15 action pistol bays, a trap field with a 5-stand overlay, and a 15-station sporting clay field. The crown jewel of the Park is the 13,000-square-foot CMP Park Club House, featuring indoor and outdoor viewing areas, a CMP Pro Shop operated by Creedmoor Armory, classrooms, and lounge areas. To learn more about the CMP’s Talladega Marksmanship Park visit: Talladega Marksmanship Park Webpage.
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Applied Ballistics is running a big promotion this Memorial Day weekend, to honor those who served their country. There are significant savings on top-flight, category-leading products, such as the Sig Kilo 2400 LRF, and Kestrel Elite. Check out these deals…
Starting Saturday and ending Monday (72 Hours) Applied Ballistics offers these DEALS:
No coupon code is needed, discounts will automatically apply at checkout. Sale pricing while supplies last, NO back-orders.
The folks at Applied Ballistics also asked to note that military and LEO personnel qualify for discounts all the time: “Active Military Members and Law Enforcement (Including Allied Nations) get a 10% discount off MSRP with proof of current active service 365 Days a Year!”
FREE Hazmat Fees at Grafs.com
Now through Monday May 29 at 11:59 pm CST, you can order powder and primers from Grafs.com with no Hazmat fees. To qualify for FREE Hazmat, you must order at least sixteen (16) pounds of smokeless powder. You can add other items to the shipment — up to 50 pounds total of hazmat products. This deal will save you $20.00 if you order this weekend. NOTE: standard $7.95 fixed-rate handling fee applies, and this offer is good for in-stock items only (no back-orders).
FREE Shipping at Bruno Shooters Supply
Now through Tuesday, May 30th at 8:00 am PT, you can get FREE Shipping on all products in stock at Bruno Shooters Supply. This is a great offer because the free shipping applies to everything in stock — actions, stocks, barrels, optics, reloading components, tools and more. But there are some qualifications:
1. Free Shipping requires a minimum order of $150.00, or $299.00 for powder and primers.
2. The Free Shipping offer applies to in-stock items only — no back-orders. Also this does not cover gunsmithing or complete rifles.
3. Hazmat orders will still have a $32 hazmat fee.
Sale Tips from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
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This is a very interesting development. Federal will produce a line of Federal Gold Medal ammunition loaded with Berger Bullets match projectiles and GM Match primers. The new Gold Medal Berger ammo will initially be offered for: .223 Remington, 6.5 Grendel, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .308 Winchester. We expect this ammo to attract the attention of tactical and PRS shooters — Berger projectiles are currently favored by top PRS competitors. Depending on caliber, three different high-BC bullet types will be used: BT Target, Hybrid OTM, or Juggernaut OTM. These all feature a boat-tail design with a high BC for bullet weight. The 6.5 calibers will use Berger’s popular 130gr Berger Hybrid OTM bullet while the .308 Win uses the 185gr Juggernaut.
This new Gold Medal Berger ammo uses Federal Gold Medal match primers, Federal brass, and specially-formulated propellants. All the ammo is well under SAAMI-spec max OALs to function 100% in magazines. Federal says this ammo will “adhere to Federal Premium’s strictest specifications for accuracy, pressure and velocity”. This new GM Berger ammo line could be a match-worthy alternative for guys who don’t want to hand-load. We’re going to try some in 6.5 Creedmoor and see how it performs in terms of accuracy, ES/SD, ballistics, and temp stability. Should be an interesting test…
FEATURES of Gold Medal Berger Ammo:
• Most popular bullets at Precision Rifle Series events
• High ballistic coefficient
• Less wind drift and drop (than typical factory ammo)
• Excellent long-range accuracy
• Gold Medal match primer
If you’re one of those folks who doesn’t wear eye protection, you need to check out the LuckyGunner Labs Eye Protection Test. For those who DO wear safety glasses — don’t assume that everything is OK. Just because you purchased name-brand “safety glasses” doesn’t mean that you are getting truly effective protection. In fact, many forms of protective eyewear sold today are flimsy, or poorly made. Consequently, they won’t stop even low-energy, slow-velocity fragments.
Two years ago, LuckyGunner Labs conducted very extensive field tests of 28 types of eyewear, ranging in price from $7 to $220. Remarkably, some of the most expensive safety eyewear performed no better than $10 items. Many of the products failed shockingly — with the lenses coming right out of the frames when hit with pellets. LuckyGunner recorded these kind of failures even with ANSI Z87-“approved” eyewear. The reason is that the Z87 test is not tough enough: “The basic ANSI standard is referred to as Z87, and you’ll see this marked in a number of locations on most eye protection marketed to shooters. However, the Z87 impact standard involves a .25″ steel ball traveling at 150 fps — this is fine for protecting eyes from debris that might fall or be thrown, but is not extremely relevant to shooters, who are dealing with objects traveling at much higher velocities.”
Standard
Impact speed
Caliber/Size
ANSI Z87.1-2003
High Velocity
150 feet/second
45 meters/second
0.25″ diameter steel ball
(25 caliber)
Mil-PRF-31013
Vo ballistic test
640-660 feet/second
195 meters/second
0.15 inch diameter steel projectile (15 caliber)
The testers recommend you select eyewear that meets military specification (above and beyond ANSI Z87). The MIL-PRF-31013 Standard covers projectiles up to 650 feet per second. This is much more stringent. Additionally, you want to replace often-used protective eyewear every year or so. Long-term exposure to UV radiation can weaken polycarbonate and lessen its ability to withstand impacts.
SUMMARY — What to Look for in Protective Eyewear
THE GOOD — Eyewear Protects Against Direct Hit with .22 Short Bullet
APEL Revision Sawfly eyewear was shot with a .22 Short, pushing a 29 grain bullet at 710 fps. That’s not powerful by modern firearm standards, but this might be fairly representative of a ricochet bullet fragment. The Sawfly lens stopped this 29gr bullet with minimal damage to the cheek area.
THE BAD — Remington Eyewear Lenses Separate. Right Lens Enters Eye Socket
The most gruesome example was the cheap Remington eyewear which shed both lenses back towards the eyes, one of which embedded itself into the eye socket. The real-world implications of this action are disturbing to say the least.
THE UGLY — Prescription Glasses Failed Miserably
Many ranges don’t see any need for protective eyewear beyond prescription glasses. However, most prescription lenses offer little if any protection. If the prescription lenses are glass, this can create more problems. As shown below, these prescription glasses offered no ballistic protection, and, in fact, proved more dangerous to the eyes due to the flying glass shards.
Results Chart, Video Clips, and Photos copyrightLuckygunner.com.
Summary and Conclusions:
For faster-moving projectiles such as ricochet fragments, you need high quality, tested eye protection. LuckyGunner recommends eyewear with a single (one-piece) lens for any activity where your face might be struck by small, fast-moving objects. Individual lenses detach from the frames once a certain level of force is reached, and they are driven back into the eye sockets, where considerable damage may be done. There are good examples of protective eyewear with two separate lenses, but a broad, one-piece lens distributes force much better.
A wide, comfortable, and preferably soft rubber nosepiece is critical. Along with good “arms”, this will serve to keep the eye protection in place and will also reduce the chances of the lens being driven down or back into the face with enough force to damage the orbital bones.
A frame that connects across the top of the lens, not individual arms which attach to the outside corners of the lens, is recommended. This will reduce the chances of the lens detaching from the frame under impact (it’s still possible, just less likely). Some types of eye protection actually use the frame to absorb impact and distribute force.
NOTE: Andrew, the author of the LuckyGunner Eyewear report, was a former Navy Corpsman. Accordingly, he is familiar with health and safety matters.
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“Koenig” means “king” in the German language. Well, Doug Koenig certainly proved to be King of the Bianchi Cup this past week at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club in Hallsville, Missouri. Coming into the event as the reigning champion, Koenig added an 18th Bianchi Cup Open Championship title to his resume, remaining the winningest shooter in Bianchi Cup history. The win earned Koenig a $10,000 check to go with his trophy.
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.
