In order to promote gun safety, Glock has launched a program to promote the four basic rules of gun handling. Called Follow the Four, Glock’s social media campaign asks shooters nationwide to “take the pledge”, agreeing to follow the Four Rules of gun safety. This year’s #FollowTheFour movement coincides with June National Safety Month and will run from June 1, 2017 through June 30, 2017.
This video with R. Lee ‘Gunny’ Ermey Explains the Safety Campaign
Glock asks those who make the safety pledge to spread the word via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with hashtag #FollowTheFour. Those who take the pledge and promote the message via social media will be entered to win a Glock pistol. Visit Glock.com/safetyplege page to take the pledge and learn more about the Glock give-away.
Spread the Word, But Maintain Your Privacy
You don’t have to post an actual photo of yourself to enter the contest. In fact we recommend that you do NOT post a recognizable image of yourself. We advise gun owners to maintain their privacy whenever possible. This is doubly important in states with oppressive firearms regulations such as California. Here are social media posts that do not reveal the poster’s identity.
Each Wednesday, the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit publishes a reloading “how-to” article on the USAMU Facebook page. This week’s “Handloading Hump Day” article covers two basic case prep chores — uniforming primer pockets and deburring flash-holes. Visit the USAMU Facebook page for other tips.
Primer Pocket & Flash-Hole Conditioning
This week, we’ll address a question that frequently arises: “Do you uniform primer pockets and deburr flash-holes?” As we tailor our handloading methods to the specific needs of each instance, the answer, not surprisingly, is “Sometimes!” However, don’t flip that dial just yet, as what determines our approach may be helpful in deciding how to address one’s own techniques. Moreover, we have a buried “Easter Egg” morsel that may bring a chuckle, as well as useful safety information!
Generally, the USAMU Handloading Shop does not uniform primer pockets (PP) or deburr flash holes (FH) of our rifle brass. We’re certainly not against it… Rather, this reflects the very high volume of ammunition we load, the fact that very few cases are ever re-loaded for a second firing, and the types of brass we use. However, as a need is perceived, we DO deburr flash holes. Of interest, we have fired many very small, 1000-yard test groups and aggregates using weight-selected, domestic brass that had not had PPs uniformed or FHs deburred.
Before and After — On the left is a fired, deprimed 7.62×51 case with primer residue intact. On the right the primer pocket has been uniformed to SAAMI specs. Note the shiny finish at the bottom of the pocket — evidence of the the removal of metal when uniforming the primer pocket.
As to the type cases we use, many thousands of our long-range 5.56mm cases come to us from the arsenal with the primer of our choice pre-installed and staked-in, per usual practice. Obviously, we cannot uniform either FHs or PPs on this live, primed brass. However, after careful sorting, inspection and preparation, we do obtain match-winning results with it.
Shooters who reload their brass several times may decide to uniform PPs and deburr FHs, especially on their “300-yard and beyond” brass. Here, they will use the cases many times, while the uniforming is performed only once. Also, most handloaders only process moderate amounts of brass, compared to our multi-thousand round lots.
Having high quality Long Range (LR) brass helps. Many of the better brass manufacturers install their flash holes so that no burrs are created. Still, it does pay to inspect even THESE manufacturer’s products, as occasional slips are inevitable. Very rarely, some of the best makers will have a significant burr in, say, 1 per 1000 or 2000 cases, and it’s worth catching those.
Exceptions can always be found. Recently, we began processing a large lot of match brass from a premier manufacturer. We were startled to find that every case had a significant burr in the FH — something we’d never before seen from this maker. We then broke out the FH deburring tools and went to work.
Some observers have noted that it can be difficult to truly verify the contribution to accuracy of these procedures — particularly when firing from the shoulder, in conditions. Members of this staff, as individual rifle competitors, do often perform these operations on their privately-owned LR rifle brass. One could ascribe this to the old Highpower Rifle maxim that “if you think it helps, then it helps.”
However, a World Champion and Olympic Gold/Silver medalist here commented on his own handloading (for International competition, which demands VERY fine accuracy). He noted that he did seem to see a decline in accuracy whenever he did not uniform FHs, deburr FHs and clean primer pockets before each reloading. (One might be tempted to counter that only a truly World Class shooter could reliably detect the difference.) However, with the wisdom of decades experience, our Champion also remarked that “It could have been that I just wasn’t shooting as well that day.”
For those who do opt for these procedures, note that various tool models may have adjustable depth-stops; pay attention to the instructions. Some FH-deburring tools (which enter the case mouth, not the primer pocket) are dependent upon uniform case length for best results.
Above is a flash-hole deburring tool on an RCBS powered case-prep unit. These case prep machines can save a lot of pain and misery, helping one perform various functions quickly and efficiently.
Three Shots Standing at 400 Yards in 4.37 Seconds Could you hit a silhouette target at 400 yards, shooting offhand? Probably, with a little practice. Now try doing that three times in just 4.37 seconds, including picking up/mounting the rifle! Not possible? Watch the legendary Jerry Miculek do that in this impressive demonstration of rapid-fire rifle shooting.
Jerry Miculek — that name is synonymous with revolvers. But Jerry is also one heck of a rifleman, as he demonstrates in this video. Grabbing his rifle from the top of an oil drum, Miculek proceeds to put shots on three different steel targets at 400 yards — all in under 4.4 seconds. Most of us would be lucky to make one successful shot in that time limit. Miculek hits all 3 targets (and makes it look easy).
In this video, Jerry hits not one but THREE c-zone targets at 400 yards. And — get this — he does this in under 4.4 seconds starting with his rifle laying on a support (plywood on top of a barrel). It took Jerry two tries (on his first run he hit 2 out of 3 in 4.65 seconds). On the second attempt (see video starting at 2:19), it takes Jerry just 4.37 seconds to shoulder his rifle, aim, and fire three shots, each hitting a separate steel target. Wow. That’s truly remarkable. Most of us would need ten seconds (or more) just to get the scope on the first target.
Trust us folks, this ain’t easy. It takes remarkable marksmanship skills to shoot with this kind of precision at this kind of pace. As Jerry would say himself, “Not bad for an old guy who needs glasses”.
Wouldn’t it be great if your rifle case could do double-duty as a shooting mat? You’d have one less gear item to haul to the range. Well there is such a product — Uncle Mike’s Long Range Tactical Bag quickly and easily converts to a 78″ shooting mat. Measuring 50″ in length, with a 15″-tall main compartment, this bag is big enough to handle most tactical and F-TR rifles with optics and Harris-type bipods attached. A 30″ flip-out forward section includes a front load strap that allows shooters to pre-load the bipod legs while shooting prone.
The Long Range Shooting bag has four self-adjusting magazine pockets, which will hold magazine sizes from .223/5.56mm to .308/7.62mm. Conveniently, this new 50″-long soft case will fit inside the popular Pelican model 1750 hard case (for those situations where you need greater protection).
Fits Long-Range and Tactical rifles up to 49″ in length
Fold out front section has bi-pod front load strap
Would you pay over twenty-seven grand for a slightly-used Rem 700 bolt-action rifle and Nightforce scope? Well somebody did just that recently, paying the princely sum of $27,556.00 for a DARPA XM-3 Sniper Rifle system in a CMP Auction. In fairness the buyer did get a case, a PVS22 Night Vision Device (NVD), and some other accessories. Created for the USMC, only fifty-two (52) XM-3s were ever made, so this is a pretty rare rifle. But, honestly, is this thing really worth $27,556? What do you think?
This XM-3 system was recently sold by the CMP at auction (SEE Auction Photos). There was plenty of interest in this item, with 111 total bids for the rifle, case and accesories. Here is the CMP Auction product description:
DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECT AGENCY (DARPA) XM-3 Sniper Rifle S6533990
These XM-3 sniper rifles used by the United States Marine Corps. In mid-2005, DARPA worked with Lt. Col. Norm Chandler’s Iron Brigade Armory (IBA) to field items to expeditionary units in Afghanistan. Since they already had a great working relationship, DARPA contracted IBA to build and test lightweight sniper rifles that incorporated the improvements the snipers desired in combat. The mission was to be lighter and smaller than the existing M40s, while having better accuracy, clip-on night vision that did not require re-zero, better optics, and better stock, and it had to be suppressed. The barrel had to be short enough to allow maneuverability yet long enough to deliver a 10” group at 1,000 yards. If the barrel was too heavy, maneuverability would decrease, yet if the barrel was too light it would only be able to shoot a few rounds before the groups started to shift due to barrel temperature. IBA tested a number of barrel lengths, ranging from 16 to 20 inches and in different contours. Each rifle with a different length was assigned an XM designator starting with XM1 through XM3. In each case, everything on the prototype rifles was kept the same except the barrel.
During the final phases of testing it was found that the 18” barrels had no issues keeping up with their longer 20” brethren. The final barrel length was set at 18.5”, and the contour was a modified #7. The straight taper on the barrel was only 2” vs. 4” and the overall diameter at the muzzle was .85” vs. .980”. This helped reduce a lot of the rifle’s weight while not negatively affecting accuracy or effective range. A number of the groups at 1,000 yards were < 1 MOA. The Marines of I-MEF were the first to field test the rifles at Camp Pendleton. Shortly after I-MEF took receipt of the XM-3s, the first units in II-MEF took receipt of theirs. By mid-2006 there were dozens of XM-3s in Iraq. There were 52 XM-3s made.
More info on the XM-3 Sniper Rifle can be found at SteveReichertTraining.com.
Also included: Scope SN P06798; Sniper Data Book with some firing information; PVS22 Night Vision Device SN 2936D (NVDs function); appears complete tool/cleaning kit with cleaning rod; sling; suppressor case and wrap (SUPPRESSOR IS NOT INCLUDED!); bipod; cold bore shot target; instructions; iM3200 Storm case.
Never had a chance to hunt prairie dogs in the American west? Then check out this video. Dan Eigen (aka “Walleye Dan”), host of the We Love It Outdoors Television series, head to South Dakota for some varmint hunting. Dan teams up with Varmint Hunter Association President Jeff Rheborg to patrol some South Dakota Dogtowns where things get serious. In the video, you’ll see p-dog hits at distances from 70 yards to roughly 450 yards. The hunters were shooting from portable, wood-topped swivel rests, using AR-platform rifles on X-type sandbag rest. (Rifle zeroing session is shown at the 5:30+ mark.)
Multiple cameras were employed so you can see both the shooter’s POV and close-ups of the prairie dogs downrange. Watch the shooters having fun with a prairie dog cut-out and some Tannerite at the 9:00-minute mark. This guys are having a grand old time sending critters to Prairie Dog Heaven — we think you’ll enjoy the video.
Prairie Dog Hunting Starts at 2:00 Time-Mark in Video:
NOTE: This video actually covers three sequences: 1) Three-gun training; 2) Prairie Dog Hunting; and 3) Coyote Hunting. We’ve embedded the video so it plays back the Prairie Dog segment from 2:00 to 15:15. If you wish, you can slide the controls forward or back to watch the other segments.
Video found by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
You can now get $25.00 Off five of Lyman’s top-selling products: BoreCam, Case Prep Xpress, Gen6 Powder Dispenser, Cyclone Rotary Tumbler, and AutoAdvance Target. With Lyman’s Summer Mail-In Rebate Program, you can earn a $25 rebate per select item bought from any Lyman dealer, online or direct from the Lyman website. Items must be purchased between June 9 and August 31, 2017 to qualify. CLICK HERE for the Rebate Redemption Form.
Products included in this Sizzling Summer Rebate Program include:
Case Prep Xpress (Item #7810220)
Borecam Borescope (Item #04055)
Cyclone Rotary Tumbler (Item #7631550)
Gen6 Compact Digital Powder System (Item #7750550)
AutoAdvance Remote Control Target System (Item #4320051)
Just to be clear, the Lyman Products Rebate allows you to get $25 back for EACH qualifying product. For example, if you bought the BoreCam, Cyclone Tumbler, AND the Case Prep Xpress, you would get $75.00 back total. The original receipt and completed redemption form must be postmarked by September 30, 2017 and mailed to: Lyman Products Corp., 475 Smith St., Middletown, CT 06457, ATTN: Summer Rebate.
“With proof of purchase, our customers can receive $25 back per select item bought. All our customers have to do is send in the rebate form with receipt and they’ve got it all — great new gear AND money in their pocket!” said Elizabeth Friedmann, Lyman’s Marketing Sales Manager
Fine Print: The rebate offer is valid only when a customer purchases a qualifying product from an authorized participating dealer or online retailer. All information on the redemption form must be complete and legible for the order to be processed. If the product is returned, the amount of the rebate will be deducted from any refund or credit. Lyman is not responsible for late, lost or misdirected mail or typographical errors. This offer cannot be combined with any other offer, promotion or program. Delivery of the rebate check will occur approximately four to six weeks from receipt of the completed redemption form. Void where prohibited or otherwise restricted by law. Offer not valid for groups, businesses or organizations. This rebate is valid in the U.S. and Canada only, requiring a U.S. or Canadian shipping address.
Well it’s about darn time. FINALLY a major gun-maker is bringing the guns to the people — with a traveling road show that lets potential customers sample a variety of rifles. Smart idea, and we hope other manufacturers follow Savage’s lead. The 2017 Savage Trigger Tour is a series of free, open-to-the-public events hosted at ranges across the country. The Trigger Tour showcases several different models, all outfitted with Bushnell optics and fueled by Federal Premium and CCI ammunition. Savage Arms staffers will be on hand to answer firearms questions and help customers.
Firearms types will vary with location. The available Savage rifles may include these popular new offerings: 10 BA Stealth (.308 Win/6.5 CM), MSR 15 (AR15 platform), MSR 10 (AR10 platform), A22 .22 LR Rimfire, A17 Target Sporter 17HMR.
The Savage Arms Trigger Tour runs from June through October, starting with events in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Minnesota. Other planned locations are: Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota. CLICK THIS LINK for specific dates and locations. NOTE: Locations and dates may change or be added.
One popular rifle shooters can test is Savage’s model 10 BA Stealth, chambered in 308 Win. or 6.5 Creedmoor. Suitable for PRS factory-class comps, this rifle features a lightweight, modular chassis with adjustable rear section. The 6.5 Creedmoor version of the 10 BA Stealth has shown good accuracy in Defender Blog Field Tests.
Savage’s new AR15-Platform MSR 15 Recon could also be on hand. Chambered in .223 Wylde, the MSR 15 Recon offers a high-performance 16-inch barrel with 5R button rifling and zero-tolerance headspace. The Trigger Tour will also feature the MSR 15’s big brother, the new MSR 10 Hunter. Available in 308 Win. or 6.5 Creedmoor, this purpose-built, compact AR-10 platform is designed for deer hunting and general field use.
Trigger Tour events might also feature Savage’s popular A-Series semi-auto rimfire rifles. The A22 features a straight-blowback .22 LR action, user-adjustable AccuTrigger, thread-in headspace, button-rifled barrel, and composite stock. The A17 Target Sporter Thumbhole features a unique delayed-blowback action that delivers safe, reliable performance with standard 17 HMR loads.
For more information, including specific dates and locations of Savage Arms Trigger Tour stops, please visit www.savagearms.com/events.
Last month, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) hosted a suppressor demonstration at Elite Shooting Sports in Manassas, Virginia. Sig Sauer and Daniel Defense suppressor experts were presenters. Olin Corporation supplied ammunition.
The Daniel Defense representative noted that suppressors do not render a firearm silent (despite what Hollywood movies might show). The sound level of an un-suppressed AR15 firing is 165-175 dB. With a suppressor in place, the sound level for the same 5.56 rifle drops to around 135-140 dB. That is a significant noise reduction, but the rifle is still producing a noise louder than a jack-hammer (and hearing protection is still recommended). Watch the video below to learn other important facts about firearm suppressors.
NSSF Hosts Suppressor Demonstration for News Media
The objective of the NSSF demo was to give the news media more accurate information about hearing protection devices. In addition, the NSSF wanted to correct many popular misconceptions about suppressors. Mainstream media reports about sound suppressors are typically inaccurate, incomplete, and misinformed. For example, most media stories fail to acknowledge that suppressors are legal throughout Europe, and widely used by European hunters and target shooters. If you were to believe the typical news report on suppressors, silencers are evil and dangerous. The NSSF demo was designed to replace ignorance with facts.
We created this custom target in 5 minutes using PrintTargets.net. If you like it, DOWNLOAD HERE.
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. Shown below are just a few of the target designs you can create in minutes:
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.com home page.
Never had a chance to hunt prairie dogs in the American west? Then check out this video. Dan Eigen (aka “Walleye Dan”), host of the 
