Friday was a notable day for the NRA, with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, addressing the faithful at the NRA-ILA Forum. Trump gave a stirring speech in Dallas, renewing his administration’s commitment to the Second Amendment and the rights of law-abiding citizens to own firearms.
This morning the major event of the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits (NRAAM) takes place — the Annual Meeting of Members at 10:00 am Central Time in Ballroom A of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. After that, there is a very full schedule of events, seminars, and celebrity appearances all day. This evening there is a big concert, featuring Travis Tritt and the Gatlin Brothers. For the full schedule of events, visit www.NRAAM.org.
Annual Meeting of Members
Open to All NRA Members
Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Ballroom A
Event starts at 10:00 am
Country Music Event
Honoring Charlie Daniels with Guests Travis Tritt and the Gatlin Brothers.
Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Arena
Event starts at 7:00 pm
The main action is in the Exhibit Hall — with over 800 exhibitors including big companies like Ruger, Smith & Wesson, and Remington. If you thought yesterday had a jam-packed schedule, check out what’s going on today at the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits The show opens at 9 a.m. and there’s plenty more to do and explore! Don’t forget to download the show’s MOBILE APP to have everything accessible at your fingertips.
Show Features
NRA Booth, Booth #8833
NRATV, Booth #8839
Pyramid Air Air Gun Range, Ballroom C2
NRA Store, Ballroom C3 & C4
Wall of Guns, Lobby C – Booth #109
Featured Product Center, Lobby D
NRA Country Sound Stage, Lobby F
If you have a rifle chambered in .260 Remington, you may be wondering if the Lapua .260 Brass is worth the money compared to domestic-made brass. Well, the answer is “yes” if you demand consistent weight and dimensional uniformity (including neckwall thickness).
Mike Harpster of Dead Center Sports took the time to weigh and measure Lapua .260 Rem brass. His test show this brass to be extremely uniform. Weight variance was less than one (1) grain in a 20-case sample. And case neckwall thickness was very consistent.
Report by Mike Harpster: Lapua .260 Rem Brass Test Results (with Comparisons)
I pulled twenty (20) pieces randomly from one Lapua box to do some measurements. I weighed them on my Mettler-Toledo digital lab scale and here are the individual weights of each case. Remarkably, the Lapua brass had less than one grain total weight variance among all 20 cases!
While checking the Lapua brass I remembered I had just received some Winchester brand .308 brass, so I thought it would be interesting to do a comparison between the two brands. I again pulled 20 cases at random from a bag of 50 and repeated the same measurements. The results are shown in the right half of the table below.
Weight Variance Lapua .260 Rem Brass vs. Winchester-Brand .308 Win Brass
LAPUA .260 Rem Brass
Winchester .308 Win Brass
Average: 172.20 grains
ES: 0.94 grains
SD: 0.259
Average: 158.49 grains
ES: 2.64 grains
SD: 0.678
Winchester Brass Further Inspection
The flash holes on the majority of the Winchester brass were not round or centered and they had large burrs inside. The neck wall thickness was pretty consistent, varying only .0015″ (.0125″ – .014″). As you can see in the photo (right) many of the Winchester cases were badly dented while the Lapua brass showed very few minor dents. The annealing on the necks of the Lapua brass was clearly evident while the Winchester showed no signs of being annealed. [Editor’s note: Winchester tumble-polishes its brass before shipping — so you would not notice annealing coloration if annealing had been done.]
Lapua Brass Further Inspection
With sample Lapua .260 Rem cases, I also measured the neck wall thickness in four places with calipers, not the most accurate method but I feel confident that the thickness did not vary more than .001″ over the 20 cases (.0145-.0155). The inside diameter of the neck measured .260 which would give .004 of neck tension out of the box. I visually checked the flash holes and I did not find any flakes of brass or burrs inside, the holes were round and centered.
Summary — This Lapua Brass is Impressive
I have never done these measurements on any other brass so I don’t know how they compare, but I am very impressed with the overall quality of the Lapua .260 brass. If they prove to hold up to the repeated firings I get from my Lapua 6BR brass I believe .260 shooters will be very happy.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industries, Board of Governors today unanimously voted to expel Dick’s Sporting Goods from membership for conduct detrimental to the best interests of the Foundation.
Dick’s Sporting Goods recently hired a Washington D.C.-based government affairs firm, for “[l]obbying related to gun control.” Dick’s Sporting Goods CEO Edward W. Stack announced earlier this year the retail chain would end sales of modern sporting rifles, voluntarily raise the age to 21 to purchase firearms in their stores and called for more restrictive legislation. Dick’s later announced they would destroy the remaining modern sporting rifle inventory. NSSF responded that business decisions should be individually made, but was nonetheless disappointed and the decision does not reflect the reality of the vast majority of law-abiding gun owners.
It’s Friday, which means the exhibit hall of the 147th NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits (NRAAM) opened today at 9:00 am at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. Check out the 800+ exhibitors, seminars, workshops, special events, and celebrity meet and greets all in one spot. Here’s a quick glimpse of what’s happening today, Friday, May 4. The NRA Show runs Friday through Sunday. The Exhibit Hall is open 9:00 am – 6:00 pm on Friday and Saturday, and then 10:00 am through 5:00 pm on Sunday, May 6th.
For more info on events and exhibitors, visit www.nraam.org or download the NRAAM Mobile App.
President Donald Trump will speak today at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum.
Daily Events NRA Booth, Booth #8833 NRATV, Booth #8839 Pyramid Air® Air Gun Range, Ballroom C2 NRAstore, Ballroom C3 & C4 Eddie Eagle, Lobby D – Booth #130 Wall of Guns, Lobby C – Booth #109 Featured Product Center, Lobby D NRA Country Sound Stage, Lobby F
Celebrity Appearances Lena Miculek – Booth #6220 – 11:30am-12:00pm, 2:30pm-3:00pm, 5:00pm-5:30pm Max Michel – Booth #6220 – 10:30am-11:00am, 1:30pm-2:00pm, 4:00pm-4:30pm Sergeant Sammy L. Davis – Booth #10150– 10:00am-6:00pm Mykel Hawke – Booth #10150 – 12:00pm-6:00pm Norris Jernigan – Booth #10163– 9:00am-6:00pm Lou Ferrigno – Booth #8627 – 12:00pm-1:15pm John “Tig” Tiegen – Booth #8627 – 1:30pm-3:00pm Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko – Booth #8627 – 10:00am-11:30am John Correia – Booth #8623 – 2:00pm-3:00pm Corinne Mosher – Booth #4323 – 1:00pm Jerry Miculek – Booth #8555 – 11:00am-12:00pm, 2:00pm-3:00pm Jim & John Scoutten – Booth #8555 – 10:00am-11:00am Cheyenne Dalton – Booth #9556 – 10:00am-11:00am Anthony Amantine – Booth #9556 – 11:00am-12:00pm Jerry Miculek – Booth #9556 – 1:00pm-2:00pm The Gould Brothers – Booth #9556 – 2:00pm-3:00pm Black Rifle Coffee Company – Booth #7733 – 9:00am-6:00pm
Click here for a complete list of celebrity appearances!
Here’s something you may not have seen before — a left-port, side-charging AR15 Upper. This unit was developed by John Scandale of Keystone Accuracy. While this was designed for left-handed High Power shooters, the lefty upper also works well for right-handed F-TR shooters. This design allows a prone shooter to single-load with his left hand, an efficient system for a right-handed shooter. Here is a review of the lefty upper from GS Arizona, who created the Rifleman’s Journal website. Like John Scandale, GS is a southpaw.
The Lefty AR Upper from Keystone Accuracy
by GS Arizona
We left-handed shooters are always the last to get the benefit of new firearms developments, or so it seems to us most of the time. There is no rifle more popular today than the AR15, whether for competitive shooting or plain recreational use; but even for that ubiquitous black rifle, left-handed items are few and far between. However, Keystone Accuracy run by left-handed High Power shooter John Scandale has some good stuff for us.
John is a long time High Power shooter, a member of the National Guard’s All-Guard rifle team and a Distinguished Rifleman. He knows exactly what makes a good High Power rifle — unlike many of the mail-order parts and pieces you see offered for sale by someone who only shoots his computer keyboard… John is a real shooter, I’ve known him for many years and trust his work.
The most interesting item from Keystone is the left-hand billet upper receiver for the AR15 match rifle. This thick-wall, CNC-machined piece appears to be very durable and fits all existing AR15 lower receivers.
When the AR15 was becoming popular in High Power shooting in the mid-1990s, I had a match rifle built on one. To solve the left-hand problem, I had a second port milled into the left side to allow me to load the rifle comfortably in slow-fire, single-load matches. Unfortunately, sometimes the round I flicked into the left port would fall right out of the right port! That was a bit frustrating and this receiver, along with an appropriate left-handed bolt assembly will work for the lefty just as we desire.
I’ve seen quite a few AR15 based rifles in F-TR at our local club matches over the past year. This upper would be a good choice for many right-handed shooters using the AR for F-Class as it allows loading with the left hand while the right hand remains on the pistol grip and ready to fire when the target appears. In light of the fact that the bolt release is on the left side, that makes life a lot simpler than using the right hand! So if you’re a left-handed shooter or even a right-handed F-Class shooter, give this some thought, it might be just what you’ve been waiting for and didn’t even know it!
Looking for some interesting reading material? How about ten-and-a-half years of Shooting Industry Magazine? One hundred twenty-five issues of this popular magazine are available online in Shooting Industry’s digital archives. The latest May 2018 issue was just released. CLICK HERE to read the latest issue, which is available for FREE online (along with all back issues for the past ten years). NOTE: If you have any trouble with the Chrome browser, access the archives with this link using a different browser, such as Firefox: https://shootingindustry.com/digital-version/
Get Free Digital Magazines, 2008-2018
You can access, for free, ten years of Shooting Industry back issues, plus all the recent 2018 issues. CLICK HERE for the full index of all Shooting Industry back issues for the past decade (2008-2018). The newest issues are at the top, and you can scroll down all the way to 2008. Here are some highlights:
In the September 2017 issue there is an informative article on varmint and predator hunting. This talks about popular equipment for both coyote hunting and prairie-dog safaris.
And in the January, February, and March 2018 issues you’ll find Shooting Industry New Product Showcases. These monthly, multi-page articles highlight dozens of new rifles and shooting products introduced in recent months.
The March 2018 issue also has an interesting article on long gun sales trends. As you might expect, there is an over-supply of AR-platform rifles, which has led to deep discounting by some manufacturers. One vendor lamented: “That [MSR] market is flat-lining… the bottom has really dropped out of the market”. Shotguns remain the top home defense choice. In the bolt-action rifle market, 6.5 Creedmoor rigs are hot sellers, with sales of both competition and hunting rifles in this chambering. For the general hunting market, .30 Cals remain popular: .308 Win, .30-06, and big .300-class magnums.
Ever shot a straight-pull (aka toggle-link) action rifle? We like these action types, which were developed for Biathlon competitors who needed to shoot fast, but were not allowed to use semi-auto actions. The biathlon-style toggle action features a lever on the side of the action. Pull the lever back with your index figure to open the bolt, then push forward with your finger to close the bolt*. It’s fast and efficient. With some practice, you can cycle the action in a couple of seconds — nearly as fast as a semi-auto.
The Volquartsen Summit .22 LR rifle is based on a concept originally developed by Primary Weapons Systems. Designed for both competition shooting as well as small game hunting, this unique rifle features a straight-pull, toggle-style action with a Ruger 10/22 profile. That means you can run 10/22 magazines, swap into stocks inletted for the 10/22, and even use after-market 10/22 barrels. The CNC-machined receiver features an integral 20 MOA Picatinny Rail. The Magpul stock adjusts for length of pull. Weight is 5.8 pounds, so this is easy to carry in the field.
The Summit features a lightweight carbon fiber-wrapped barrel, threaded 1/2×28 at the muzzle to be suppressor-ready. One of our favorite features on this little rifle is the trigger — which has a light, crisp 1.75-lb pull weight. Watch the video above to see the Summit .22 LR in action. The tester, 22 Plinkster, was impressed with the rifle’s ease of use and accuracy. The Summit delivered a 0.277″ group at 50 yards, shot from the bench.
Tech Analysis of PWS-designed Action as used in Summit
Check out the Summit at NRA Show in Dallas
Volquartsen will have the new Summit straight-pull rifle on display, along with a wide variety of rimfire firearms, at its booth at the NRA Annual Meetings in Dallas this week. The Exhibit Hall opens May 4, 2018. You’ll find Volquartsen at booth #2520.
Big Names at Volquartsen Booth at NRA Show
Volquartsen has invited a number of notable shooters to the NRA Show, including 22Plinkster, who did the video review of the Summit included in this story. Here is the list of celebrity guest appearances at the Volquartsen booth (#2520) this week:
Friday May 4, 2:00 – 3:00 pm — 22Plinkster will be there to discuss all things rimfire. 22Plinkster has a great YouTube channel that boasts over 472,000 suscribers.
Friday May 4, 3:00 – 4:00 pm — Team Volquartsen shooters Cheyenne Dalton and Cole Busch talk about rimfire steel shooting
Saturday May 5, 11:00 – 12:00 pm — Fox News commentator and best-selling author Katie Pavlich will discuss Second Amendment issues.
Saturday May 5, 1:00 – 2:00 pm — Multi-time world champion shooter KC Eusebio will answer questions about action shooting.
* Biathlon shooters cycle their Fortner toggle actions even faster, using their THUMB to close the bolt. This allows them to get the index finger on to the trigger blade faster. The whole process takes maybe a second — as fast as you can say “snick-snick”. To use the thumb effectively, you need a stock with a more vertical pistol grip. The Magpul stock on the Summit moves your thumb a bit too far back to use comfortably to close the lever without shifting the hand.
The NRA has launched a program to encourage new shooters. Guided by NRA President Pete Brownell, the NRA Mentor Initiative is designed to bring new participants, of all ages, into the shooting sports. The aim is to expand interest in firearms, with the goal of fostering hunting, competitive shooting, and support for Second Amendment rights.
NRA President Pete Brownell states: “May has been designated NRA Mentor Initiative month. We are calling on each of our 5-million-and-growing NRA members, and everyone else in the firearm community, to find someone who has never fired a firearm before, take them to the range and help them put their first rounds on target. It’s been my experience that within minutes of the safety briefing, a lesson on marksmanship and the first pull of the trigger, all of the preconceived notions and media-fueled biases melt away…”
There’s no better way to inform Americans [about] the Second Amendment than to provide a positive, first-hand experience.”
AccurateShooter.com supports the goal of introducing newcomers to the shooting sports. Marksmanship is a fun activity that teaches concentration and self-discipline. It is also a great way to make new friends and get outdoors. While our focus is on precision rifle shooting at targets, we support all firearms disciplines — pistol, rifle, and shotgun.
The NRA has a good resource for mentors (and their students). The NRA’s A Guide for New Shooters contains essential safety information and range etiquette instructions. You’ll want to download this PDF to share with your trainee(s).
Click photo to download PDF Guide for New Shooters.
The NRA has produced a series of helpful, short videos for new shooters. Here are two videos covering basics, with a focus on shooting pistols indoors. We actually prefer to start novices at an outdoor range, shooting .22 LR rimfire rifles. Indoor ranges tend to be dark and noisy. The outdoor experience is more like a day at the park.
Apparently reducing static charges on and around electronic scales can reduce their propensity to drift, lessening the problem of “wandering zero”. Just how and why static charges interfere with scale performance is unclear, but many shooters have noticed that static electricity can cause electronic scales to behave strangely. So how do you reduce static charges around your digital balance? GS Arizona, creator of the Rifleman’s Journal Blog, has found a very simple solution — an anti-static aerosol spray — that, by all indications, actually works. When this “spray-can solution” was suggested to GS by a fellow shooter, GS was skeptical. However, he tried the stuff and he says that it really does help the scale maintain zero over time, with much less observed drift.
Static Guard Reduced Scale Drift
GS Arizona explains that the use of “Static Guard” spray helped mitigate the problem of a drifting zero on his Ohaus Navigator electronic scale. He writes: “My electronic scale… suffers from drifting zero (as they all seem to). I’ve read dozens of forum posts about drift and how to minimize its occurrence, so I know this problem isn’t limited to my scale or my workshop. Sometime last year, John Lowther mentioned the use of anti-static spray as a solution to the drift problem. John stated that the spray had virtually eliminated drift for him.”
GS Arizona found that the Static Guard actually worked: “The spray works great, just as John said it would. I spray all surfaces that I touch with my hands and arms as well as the pan (top and bottom), the metal tray on which the pan rests and the table under the scale. In six months or so of using the spray I’ve re-applied it about two or three times; it certainly isn’t something that you need to do each time you sit down to load. Before using the spray, it was not uncommon for me to re-zero the scale 10 times in the course of loading 72 rounds; now it might need it once during a session.”
Vista Outdoor Announces Strategic Business Transformation Plan
Big news. Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE: VSTO) may be selling off gun-makers Savage and Stevens, declaring it will “explore strategic options” for those brands. However, Vista Outdoor will retain its businesses that produce ammunition and reloading components: Alliant Powder, CCI, Federal Premium, and Speer. The sell-off of Savage and Stevens is not a sure thing yet, but Vista’s new CEO Chris Metz has been looking hard at the “bottom line” and he says that the gun-making brands have not been as profitable as expected. This is not just an exit from gun-making. Vista Outdoors executives have analyzed the company’s full portfolio of brands, and decision-makers have targeted other brands for sell-off. READ Vista Outdoor News Release.
The Wall Street Journal reported: “The company [Vista Outdoor, VSTO, -13.07% on 5/1/18] said Tuesday it would pare its brands to focus on business lines including ammunition and shooting accessories, water bottles and packs and outdoor cooking ware. It will explore the sale of several brands including Bell bike helmets, Giro snow goggles, Blackburn handlebar tape, Jimmy Styks paddle boards, and Savage and Stevens firearms[.]”
Notably, Vista Outdoor remains fully committed to the ammunition and components businesses. In an official news release, CEO Metz stated: “Vista Outdoor is excited about the potential of each of our core businesses, particularly ammunition, which is our largest core business. An increased focus on our heritage ammunition business will manifest itself in more innovative and breakthrough new products introduced over the next few years. We also anticipate that by prioritizing this business, we will be able to invest more capital to further enhance and expand our global leadership position.” Metz denied that the sell-of of Savage and Stevens was a response to a boycott by the REI outdoor retail chain. The CEO said that REI represents less than 1% of the company’s total sales.
CEO Metz acknowleged that revenues were down substantially for the past fiscal year (ending 3/31/18), and reduced gun sales were one reason: “Sales were $2.3 billion, down 9% from the prior year. The decline was caused by lower volume in Shooting Sports across all ammunition categories, lower pricing across the portfolio, and lower firearms sales as a result of decreased demand impacting the shooting sports industry. Additionally, Outdoor Products declines were caused by market conditions affecting shooting-related categories, including hunting and shooting accessories, optics, and tactical products.”
Vista Outdoor currently has a large portfolio of brands, including guns, gear, eyewear, ammunition, camping equipment, and much more. Top brands for guns and shooting, after Savage and Stevens, are: Alliant Powder, American Eagle, Blazer Ammunition, Bushnell, CCI, Federal Premium, RCBS, and Speer.
If you have a rifle chambered in .260 Remington, you may be wondering if the Lapua .260 Brass is worth the money compared to domestic-made brass. Well, the answer is “yes” if you demand consistent weight and dimensional uniformity (including neckwall thickness).
Winchester Brass Further Inspection
NRA President Pete Brownell states: “May has been designated NRA Mentor Initiative month. We are calling on each of our 5-million-and-growing NRA members, and everyone else in the firearm community, to find someone who has never fired a firearm before, take them to the range and help them put their first rounds on target. It’s been my experience that within minutes of the safety briefing, a lesson on marksmanship and the first pull of the trigger, all of the preconceived notions and media-fueled biases melt away…”
Apparently reducing static charges on and around electronic scales can reduce their propensity to drift, lessening the problem of “wandering zero”. Just how and why static charges interfere with scale performance is unclear, but many shooters have noticed that static electricity can cause electronic scales to behave strangely. So how do you reduce static charges around your digital balance? GS Arizona, creator of the Rifleman’s Journal Blog, has found a very simple solution — an anti-static aerosol spray — that, by all indications, actually works. When this “spray-can solution” was suggested to GS by a fellow shooter, GS was skeptical. However, he tried the stuff and he says that it really does help the scale maintain zero over time, with much less observed drift.
