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, optics, 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. Weatherby Rifles — Save up to $200
Weatherby rifles and attention to detail go hand in hand but it’s always at a cost but that’s about to change. For a limited time you can pick up a Weatherby rifle and save $100 or $200 with factory rebate. It’s as simple as heading to your favorite Weatherby dealer, purchase an approved rifle, complete the Weatherby rebate form and mail it in. With 25 models to choose from there’s no better time to pick one up. Some qualify for $100 rebate; other models have a $200 rebate.
2. EuroOptic — MASSIVE Nightforce Scope Sale, May 23-28
We’ve seen Nightforce scopes on sale before but never this many for this cheap. Head over to EuroOptic.com and check out what is easily the best Nightforce Optics sale we’ve seen in a long time. You can pick out any of the new NXS scopes for an amazingly low 20% off. Deals like this don’t come often on Nightforce and especially the newest models so if you’re in the market don’t hesitate to jump on this deal. NOTE: The 20% OFF discounted prices will not appear on the website until May 23, 2019!
3. Graf’s — Buy 8-lb keg of select powder, get FREE 1-pounder
This is one of the best Powder Promos of the year. Right now at Graf & Sons, if you buy an 8-lb keg of select Hodgdon or IMR powders, you get a FREE one-pound or 14-ounce container of the same powder. This deal works with fourteen (14) popular Hodgdon and IMR powders. So if you’re running low and need to stock up on your favorite powders, here’s your chance to cash in on some savings. That free one-pounder can be worth up to $32.00. CLICK HERE for POWDER DEAL.
4. Grizzly Bald Eagle — Great rifle Case and Range Bag Sale
Grab one of these Bald Eagle rifle cases or range bags at up to 50% off. These are way better than typical too-skinny rifle cases or flimsy fabric bags. The rifle cases have plenty of storage for your match needs and the padding is very good. The box-style range bags have thick closed-cell foam panels in the base, top, and sides. That gives these bags good “wall strength”, so they don’t collapse like typical range bags. These are more like a quality camera-case.
Here’s a very handy gun cradle that helps you clean and maintain your rifles while at the range. The Compact Range Vise folds and collapses to 11-1/4″, so it is easily transported. Two padded “V” brackets hold the rifle while protecting the finish during cleaning/maintenance operations. Made from solvent-resistant polymer, the Compact Range Vise is durable and should last for years. Note this is not suited for wide-forearm benchrest or F-Open rigs, but for typical hunting and varmint rifles it works well. This is really a great option for travel because it is so light and compact when folded.
6. Amazon — CVLIFE 6-9″ Adjustable Bipod with Adapter, $18.99
Do you have multiple rifles that are all sharing one bipod and you’re tired of switching it back and forth? Grab a couple of these CVLIFE 6-9″ Tactical Rifle Bipods for the crazy low price of $18.99 and outfit all your rifles properly. At that price you can even give some bipods to your buddies as gifts. Though inexpensive, this CVLIFE bipod has earned a 4.5 Star rating with more than 3,800 buyer reviews.
7. Graf’s — Hornady Ammo with FREE Vest, Targets, Ammo Can
With this promotion, when you buy Hornady ammo from Grafs.com, you get free stuff — lots of free gear. Here’s how it works — first purchase $100 or more of select Hornady tactical ammo. Then when you view your shopping cart you’ll automatically see a FREE Tactical Vest, FREE ammo can, and FREE targets. You even get FREE shipping. This deal applies to 44 varieties of Hornady ammunition.
8. Creedmoor Sports — Barrelcool Mini Brass Drying Tray, $40.95
If you wet-tumble or ultrasonically clean your brass you’re always left with wet brass that needs to be dried before you can reload. People use a variety of processes to dry their brass, but most take a lot of time, or use a lot of space. The people over at Barrelcool have come up with a brass dryer that’s compact and effective. This brass drying tray holds 50 pieces of brass and runs off a simple USB plug. It delivers high air flow in a small footprint. With most people struggling for bench space that’s a win-win for most reloaders.
9. Bullet Central — 10% off cleaning supplies and accessories
You can’t shoot without having to clean your guns, and nobody likes paying too much for cleaning supplies. Now you can save on gun cleaning products with the Bullet Central’s Spring Cleaning Sale. Save 10% off all cleaning supplies and accessories. Simply spend $30 or more, enter Code SPRINGCLEAN19 during check-out and you’ll save 10% on all your cleaning supplies.
If you’re shopping for a new varmint or hunting rifle this summer, Remington wants your business. Right now Remington is offering $75 Cash Back on all Model 700 Varmint rifles purchased from May 1st through the end of July, 2019. Many different configurations are available. For example you can choose either a synthetic stock or a wood laminated stock.
NOTE: This Rebate Offer is valid on Rem 700 Varmint rifle purchases made from 5/1/19 through 7/31/19. All requests must be postmarked by 8/31/19. Important — Firearms Consumer Rebates are MAIL-IN ONLY. You MUST include your original cash register receipt AND the barcode from your owners manual (no exceptions). CLICK HERE for REBATE FORM (PDF).
NOTE: Remington is also offering $75 Cash Back on all Remington 1911 R1 handguns. The terms of this 1911 Pistol Rebate is similar to the Varmint Rifle Rebate — Purchase from 5/1/19 through 7/31/19, and submit Pistol Rebate Form by mail.
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. We have run this story before, and we will continue to run it every year, as a caution to our readers. This mistake is easy to make, but the consequences can be dire. Always, always double-check your powder labels before you start the hand-loading process. If you don’t, you may not have a hand to load with next time…
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.
Firing an “off-the-rack” M1903 Springfield, using GI-issue “tin-plate” ammunition, George Farr shot 71 consecutive bullseyes at 1000 yards (70 for record), a record that has never been broken.
Today’s Sunday GunDay story is, literally, a blast from the past — 1921 to be precise. We feature a “magic rifle” that set one of the most impressive records in history — one that has never been broken. Here is George Farr’s legendary .30-06 M1903 Springfield. This story is provided courtesy the NRA Blog with photos supplied by the NRA Museums.
An Old Man at the National Matches:
‘Dad’ Farr’s Golden Afternoon at Camp Perry by Doug Wicklund, NRA Museums Senior Curator
It was 1921. Warren Harding was President of the United States, and “The War to End All Wars” was less than three years past. The nation was getting back to a normal routine, and for competitive shooters, that meant an annual pilgrimage through the state of Ohio to the shores of Lake Erie, where the National Matches had been held since 1907 at Camp Perry. In those lighter days of the “Roaring Twenties”, marksmen from states banded together to make the journey, housing together in tent clusters on green lawns well behind the firing points.
The silver plate affixed to George Farr’s M1903 Springfield states: “With this rifle and using issued ammunition Mr. G.R. Farr of Seattle Wash in the Wimbleton Match, 1921, Camp Perry O., made 71 consecutive bulls eyes at 1000 yards”.
But one man at the 1921 National Matches stood out amongst the rest. George “Dad” Farr was a 62-year-old man from the state of Washington, and this was his first time heading east to shoot in the “big leagues”, as some of his fellow Evergreen State friends termed the annual competitions.
Aptly nicknamed, “Dad” was a good bit older than the average shooter during that late summer season, striding forward hesitantly clad in a khaki shirt and dungarees. He wasn’t a practiced High Power shooter — he showed up at Camp Perry without a rifle, and relied on a crude monocular for a spotting scope that he had fashioned from a pair of French opera glasses.
Counting his second sighting shot, George Farr fired 71 consecutive bullseyes at 1,000 yards using an unfamiliar rifle plucked from an ordnance rack earlier that day. It was an amazing feat.
At the previous day’s shooting, he had experienced issues with the initial .30-06 rifle he had chosen from the rack, a Model 1903 Springfield that didn’t seem to hold a consistent zero. This day, he chose a different gun, just another off-the-rack rifle no different from the one next to it. Though he didn’t realize it, George Farr had just made the best selection of his life.
Farr readied his bolt-action and prepared a clip of five rounds of Government Issue ammunition, then went to his position. He was ready to fire on a 1,000-yard target with a rifle he had never shot before.
Perhaps he had resigned himself somewhat to the outcome — after all, it was the last relay of the day on September 9. Off to the west, the sun was beginning its slow trip down to the horizon. But Farr shouldered his Springfield and prepared to fire. The time was 4:30 p.m. Shooters nearby were puzzled by this shooter who squirmed and shifted repeatedly, but were amazed as he made his first hits on paper. Farr was shooting Frankford Arsenal tin-plate ammunition, the standard G.I. .30-06 rounds. More experienced marksmen, like Marine Sgt. John Adkins — who had just won the Wimbledon Cup — were using commercial Remington match ammunition and had spurned the government ammo.
The Historic String of Bullseyes
At that distant 36-inch target, Farr scored two hits for his two sighters, with the last sighter being a bullseye. He then prepared to fire 20 shots for record. Each of those 20 shots went into the center. Each scored as a “5”. At the end of this amazing string, Farr gathered up his monocular and prepared to depart. His fellow shooters quickly advised that match rules required him to continue firing until he missed “the black”, the inner 5-Ring bullseye at the center of the target. Farr had only brought one box of ammunition with him to the firing line, and had run out. As he waited for more of the tin-plate ammo he had been using, the sun continued its retreat. Farr continued his shooting, racking up growing strings of bullseyes – 30, 40 50, 60 – each impact on target being carefully recorded on his scorecard in the growing darkness.
Then, at the 71st shot with daylight completely gone, the bullet strayed outside the target center, and Farr’s incredible string came to its conclusion. But counting his second sighting shot, George Farr had fired 71 consecutive bullseyes at 1,000 yards using an unfamiliar rifle plucked from an ordnance rack earlier that day. It was an amazing feat, one immediately recognized by those in attendance. His fellow shooters quickly took up a generous collection, contributing in recognition of Farr’s natural skill and enabling him to purchase that bolt-action Springfield he had worked magic with on that distant target. Enough funds remained that a silver presentation plate, inscribed with the names of the states whose competitors had contributed, was ordered and mounted on the side of the rifle’s buttstock.
The next year, the Civilian Team Trophy was re-designated as the Farr Trophy, and George Farr’s record, fired on the old target system, was never beaten. Farr’s rifle went home with him to Washington and remained there, never again traveling eastward to Camp Perry. In 2011, The Farr family donated this legendary piece of shooting history to the NRA National Firearms Museum collection.
In 2013, as NRA Museums curators began assembling the collection for display at the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Missouri, the museum staff created a unique exhibit featuring George Farr’s Model 1903 Springfield rifle and its special place in competitive shooting history. Alongside the rifle rests Farr’s simple monocular, another mute witness to Camp Perry history made on that September evening in 1921.
Farr’s Springfield… is one of thousands of historically significant firearms found in the NRA Museums collections on display across three locations. To view the collection and learn more about the incredible stories behind each gun, visit the NRA Museums in person or browse the NRA Museums website.
Shooting Industry Magazine has released a helpful blog article concerning airline travel and firearms. Written by well-known shooting instructor, gun writer (and part-time police officer) Massad Ayoob, the article covers key points travelers must understand before carrying firearms into an airport zone. In his article Flying with Firearms, Ayoob warns travelers that “State gun laws change frequently” and that “our country is a 50-piece patchwork quilt of gun laws”.
Here are some of the recommended resources gun-toting travelers should consult before they head to any airport in the United States:
Flying with Firearms — Familiarize Yourself With The Laws by Massad Ayoob
State gun laws change frequently, including reciprocity on concealed-carry permits even in the gun-friendly “red states.” Here are a few sources I recommend for you and your customers.
Online, the best and most up-to-date source of gun laws I’ve found is www.Handgunlaws.us. For smart phones, the best app I can recommend is Legal Heat (www.mylegalheat.com).
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are the authoritative sources on flying with firearms.
The controlling TSA regulation can be found at www.tsa.gov, search “Firearms.” The FAA’s controlling regulation is 108.11. To view the FAA’s controlling regulation, visit www.govinfo.gov, click “Advanced Search” and enter “14 CFR 108.11” — the first result contains the report.
The world’s top pistoleros head to Missouri next week to compete in the 2019 NRA Bianchi Cup, the USA’s most prestigious action pistol match. Also known as the NRA National Action Pistol Championship, this year’s Bianchi Cup event runs May 22-24, 2019 in Hallsville, Missouri at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club. There will be Competitor Registrations Tuesday and Wednesday May 21-22, along with a Multi-Gun Aggregate on Wednesday. Then Championship competition begins at 8:00 am on Thursday, May 23rd.
Due to the high accuracy required in each stage of the Bianchi Cup, the tournament is widely considered one of the most difficult handgun championships on the planet. To finish on top, you have to be near-perfect. Ace shooter Carl Benosky explains: “To Win a Bianchi Cup you’ve got to be consistent. You’ve got to shoot good ALL the time… you can’t make any mistakes.”
Over the past 30+ years the Bianchi Cup has become the richest handgun event in the world, with cash and prizes for the best scores on four stages of fire for both revolver and semi-auto pistol divisions.
At the Bianchi Cup, each round is the aggregate of the four (4) fired events: Practical, Barricade, Falling Plate, and Moving Target Events. Each of the four events requires 48 shots to complete. 480 points possible on each event. Three of the four are scored on the NRA tombstone P1 target. You must hit in the 10-ring or inner X-Ring on EVERY shot to shoot a “clean” 1920.
27 Years ago Doug Koening, who has won the Bianchi Cup 18 times, set the standard with a 1920 score. Since then, every Open shooter knows that he or she must “clean” this match (i.e. score a “1920”) to have a chance to take the title of “Champion”. The X-Count is the tie-breaker.
18-Time Bianchi Cup Winner Doug Koenig
Women of the Bianchi Cup
Bianchi Cup Family Affair — Chris Cerino Family in 2015
Story based on Report by NRA-ILA
The U.S. Supreme Court has taken up a challenge by an NRA state affiliate to a New York City gun control scheme that effectively prohibits lawfully-licensed handgun owners from leaving the city with their own firearms. In the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. City of New York, NY case, the plaintiffs raise objections to the N.Y. City law, particularly that it violates the Second Amendment.
Few laws in the history of our nation, or even in contemporary times, have come close to such a sweeping prohibition on the transportation of arms. — U.S. DOJ Brief challenging N.Y. City law
Given the uniquely oppressive and bizarre nature of the challenged restrictions, many observers believe the real question in the case isn’t whether New York City will lose but on what grounds and how badly. The City itself, in fact, recently made a desperate attempt to avoid a ruling on its laws by claiming to the court that it was in the process of revising the regulations to address the issues raised in the case. The court rejected that gambit, and proceedings in the case have continued.
The Trump administration, through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), has filed a brief in support of the plaintiffs. The DOJ argues that the New York City regulation is unconstitutional, because the “transport ban infringes the right to keep and bear arms guaranteed by the Second and Fourteenth Amendments.” The DOJ’s brief states the Second Amendment does not end at the property line of one’s own home.
“The Second Amendment guarantees both the right to ‘keep’ and the right to ‘bear’ firearms”, the brief states. “Read naturally, the right to ‘bear’ firearms includes the right to transport firearms outside the home; otherwise, the right to ‘bear’ would add nothing to the right to ‘keep’.”
Here’s a cool new product offering from Field & Cave Outfitters (FNC). For years, FNC has offered very high-quality steel targets made from tough AR550 and AR500 armor steel. New for 2019, Field & Cave is offering 10″-diameter steel Gongs with printed designs. Multiple design options are offered including an IBS-type 600-yard blue/white bullseye, 4-bullseye red/white pattern, and a version with seven (7) crosses with diamond centers, based on AccurateShooter’s popular load development target.
These cool new 10″ printed gongs are all reasonably priced. The cost is $22.99 with 3/8″-thick AR500 armor steel, or $31.99 with heavier, 1/2″-thick AR550 armor steel. And for just $2.00 more per plate, you can get printing on BOTH front and back sides of the gong.
Field & Cave Outfitters can also print a custom design with the name of a range, or a specialized graphic. This could include the title of a match or sanctioning organization and be awarded as a TROPHY. We love the idea of a Gong Trophy — an Steel Gong is WAY more useful than a wood plaque that will just gather dust in the closet. We predict Gong Trophies will become popular with shooters and match directors alike.
How long does the printed pattern last? Well that depends on how many hits you make and the calibers you shoot. FNC’s Travis Frazer explains: “Sure, you’re gonna shoot the printed designs and paint over them eventually, but we aren’t charging much for the printing service, either — just $3.00 for one side, $5.00 for both. Compare our printed prices to others without it, and I think you’ll agree.”
Pricing for Customized Trophy Gongs
Travis tells us: “We’re also offering printed gongs as trophies for match directors. Pricing will be about $50 per LOT for the artwork and about $5.00 each to print, plus the price of the gong itself. It should be about the same or less than what guys pay for plaques or trophies, and in my opinion, much cooler and more useful. Contact us through the website for more details.”
Don’t worry — you can get this gun in eight different Cerakote colors: black, bronze, flat dark earth, gunmetal, marine red, NRA blue, green, and tungsten.
To succeed at the PRS game you need position shooting practice — and lots of it. Thankfully you can train affordably using a .22 LR rimfire rig. Decent rimfire ammo can be purchased for 7 to 10 cents per round, an order of magnitude cheaper than centerfire ammo. For the best results, you’ll want your rimfire trainer to sport the same ergonomics and “feel” as your centerfire match rifle. You can get just that Masterpiece Arms 22BA, a “turn-key” PRS rimfire cross-training rig. The MPA 22BA Bolt Action Rifle combines the proven CZ 455 action with a custom Spencer barrel and modern MPA modular chassis. With this chassis you can easily adjust length of pull, butt-pad height/cant, and cheek riser position. Chambered in .22 LR, the MPA 22BA Bolt Action Rifle can change to .22 WMR and 17 HMR through a simple barrel change. So, this gun can do double duty as a .22 LR trainer and a 17 HMR varmint slayer. Basic MSRP is $1850.00.
The MPA 22BA Bolt Action Rifle is available with numerous rugged Cerakote finishes: black, burnt bronze, flat dark earth, gunmetal, marine red, NRA blue, sniper green, and tungsten. Custom Cerakote colors cost $135 extra for the chassis body and/or $65 for the barreled action.
The CNC-machined MPA chassis has some very cool features: enhanced vertical grip, thumb notch, built-in bubble level, MPA trigger shoe, and spigot mount with lower-mounted Picatinny rail. The rig comes with a D.I.P. +25 MOA Picatinny scope base and you can add side Picatinny rails, as well as increase the distance from the spigot-mounted bipod to the rear support. The chassis is also compatible with a barricade stop system, an extra-cost option.
Why rimfire cross-training? Because this stuff is ten cents per round. Premium handloads can run $1.00/round (counting brass depreciation), and the best factory ammo can cost over $2.00/round.
A Rifle is Only As Good As Its Barrel
The key to accuracy for any rimfire rifle is a great barrel. The MPA 22BA Bolt Action Rifle includes a precision drilled, reamed, and honed Spencer / MPA rifle barrel made from 416RQ stainless steel. The hand-lapped barrel is inspected with a video borescope. The chamber is indicated within 0.0001” or less to the bore of the rifle.
Need primers? Here’s a great way to save on primers this summer. Now through August 15, 2019, There is a 25% factory rebate on Winchester primers. Here’s how it works. If you purchase at least $80 worth of Winchester-brand primers, you qualify for a $20 manufacturer’s rebate. That works out to a 25% savings ($20 is one-quarter of $80). Money saved is money earned!
And if you buy a larger quantity of primers you save even more. For example, if you buy $100 worth of Winchester primers, you get a $25.00 rebate. If you buy $200 worth of Winchester primers you get the maximum $50 back under this promotion.
This Winchester Rebate is good on purchases made on or before August 15, 2019, so you have plenty of time to shop. The rebate offer applies to virtually ALL Winchester brand primers – pistol, rifle, and shotshell. While we use Federal and CCI primers for most of our rifle hand-loads, we’ve favored Winchester pistol primers for many of our pistols. We’ve found Winchester pistol primers to be very reliable with all types of pistols and revolvers, and they work great with progressive reloading presses.
Here’s a very handy gun cradle that helps you clean and maintain your rifles while at the range. The Compact Range Vise folds and collapses to 11-1/4″, so it is easily transported. Two padded “V” brackets hold the rifle while protecting the finish during cleaning/maintenance operations. Made from solvent-resistant polymer, the Compact Range Vise is durable and should last for years. Note this is not suited for wide-forearm benchrest or F-Open rigs, but for typical hunting and varmint rifles it works well. This is really a great option for travel because it is so light and compact when folded.
