Impressive engraving by Jesse Kaufmann. Note how the scope rings have been engraved to perfectly match the engraving pattern on the Remington 547 action.
Who says fine craftsmanship is dead? There’s a fellow up in South Dakota, Jesse Kaufmann, who produces some of the most handsome engraving we’ve seen. Jesse, who operates Black Hills Gunstocks and Engraving LLC, is a true master at metal engraving and he also does superb stock checkering. Here are some examples of Jesse’s engraving work:
About Jesse Kaufmann, Master Engraver
Jesse Kaufmann was a professional stockmaker for Dakota Arms for over a decade. In 2009, he was inducted in the American Custom Gunmakers Guild as a checkering specialist. In January 2017, Jesse was awarded his Master Engraver certification by the Firearms Engravers Guild of America. With his broad skill set, Jesse is able to offer his clients a unique and complete package of stock work, finish, checkering, and engraving for a custom package that is all completed under one roof by his own hands.
Jesse Kaufmann’s work has been featured in American Rifleman, American Hunter, FEGA’s The Engraver, Sports Afield, Waidmannsheil Journal of German Gun Collectors Assn., Gun Digest 71st Edition, Modern Custom Guns Volume 2, Dangerous Game Rifles 2d. Edition. For more info, visit BlackHillsgunstocksandengraving.com, email blackhillsgunstocks [at] gmail.com, or call Jesse at (605) 499-9090.
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In setting a Women’s record at the 2019 Nat’l Trophy Individual Match, Sara beat 987 other shooters. Only four competitors, all men, had higher scores.
This lady can shoot! At this year’s National Trophy Individual Match (NTI) at Camp Perry, the very talented Sara Rozanski sent an all-time record for female competitors. Sara shot a stellar 496-22X, a new record score for lady shooters. That record-breaking performance won Sara the Women’s Trophy at the CMP National Matches.
“It felt amazing to be able to pull it together and perform well”, Rozanski told reporters. Rozanski’s performance eclipsed the previous women’s record of 496-19X set by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s Amanda Elsenboss in 2017. Sara finished fifth overall in the 2019 NTI.
“It’s an honor to set a new women’s record since the level of competition is so high. It gives one a sense of accomplishment knowing you are competing against the best competitors this sport has to offer”, Rozanski said. By stages, Rozanski scored 100-2X standing, 98-2X rapid sitting, 99-6X rapid prone, and 199-12X prone at the 600-yard line.
Camp Perry includes rifle ranges out to 1,000 yards. Camp Perry boasts one of the longest continuous firing lines in the world.
Among all NTI competitors, Sara finished fifth overall after tie-breakers, just one point out of first place and four points from a perfect score of 500. Only four other competitors (all males) beat her 496-22X tally. A total of 992 competitors fired in this year’s NTI match, so Sarah finished ahead of 987 other shooters. That is mighty impressive!
A native of Toledo, Ohio, just 28 miles from Camp Perry, Rozanski has been competing in High Power rifle events since she was 16 years old, when she started with the M1A, the semi-automatic civilian equivalent of the Army’s M14 rifle. Rozanski serves as the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s High Power rifle program coordinator in Port Clinton, Ohio.
National Trophy Individual Match
The NTI course of fire has no sighters. It starts with 10 shots standing slow fire at 200 yards, followed by 10 shots sitting (or kneeling) rapid fire in 60 seconds at 200 yards. This is followed by 10 shots prone rapid fire in 70 seconds at 300 yards. The match concludes with 20 shots prone slow fire with a time limit of 20 minutes at 600 yards.
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Do you like the Chris Byrne bench at left? For more details, CLICK HERE.
FREE Bench Plans on the Web
Building your own portable shooting bench is a great do-it-yourself project. You can build a sturdy bench for well under $100 in materials. Compare that to some deluxe factory-built benches which may cost $600.00 or more. You’ll find a wide assortment of home-built shooting bench designs (both portable and fixed) on the internet. Renovation Headquarters has links to FREE Plans and building instructions for fourteen (14) different shooting benches. There are all-wood shooting bench designs as well as benches that combine a wood top with a metal sub-frame or legs.
Heavy Wood Bench That Converts to Three Sections for Transport
In addition to the fourteen benches mentioned above, here is an interesting break-down bench design. Call it a “semi-portable” bench. The legs and frame are made from stout 4×4 post segments so the bench is fairly heavy. However, this bench can break down into three (3) sections for easier transport to and from the range. Dado-cut channels assure proper top alignment. This might be a good choice if you plan a multi-day excursion to a location without fixed benches. This three-leg bench design can be made from easy-to-locate materials. Note: The dimensions of this bench are are larger than typical fixed benches to accommodate 50 BMGs and other big rifles. CLICK HERE for more details.
by Sierra Bullets Ballistic Technician Gary Prisendorf
Occasionally someone will ask, “Why did I get a flyer that didn’t go in with the rest of my group?” If I had an answer that would stop flyers from happening, I would be rich.
There are many reasons why this can happen. Everything from gripping a forearm differently to variations in the brass casing, the list goes on and on. Most of the time the flyer is usually shooter induced and sometimes what you may think is a flyer, is just part of your group. There are a lot of shooters, that go out and test a load and they may shoot a 3/8” group at 100 yards and think that load is good. But I have seen far too many times that you can shoot another group, same load, same rifle and the next time you may get a 1 ¼” group.
The total opposite can also occur. You may shoot a 1 ¼” group and turn around and follow it with a 1/2″ group without changing anything. If you only shot the one group, you might decide that load wasn’t any good and move on to something else without really knowing what that load was capable of.
To really determine how a particular load is performing we need to shoot multiple groups and take an average of the group sizes to really see what that rifle/load combination is really capable of.
I suggest shooting a minimum of three 5-shot groups and averaging the group sizes before deciding if the load is acceptable or not. Obviously the more rounds you shoot for a group and the more groups that you shoot, you will get a much better representation of what that particular combination can do.
Now I’m not saying to go out and shoot 30 groups with 50 rounds in each group to determine how well your load is shooting. That would be a bit pointless, in some cases it would be time to re-barrel your rifle before your load development was finished.
In most cases, I feel that three to five, 5-shot groups will give you a pretty good representation of how a load will perform in that specific firearm.
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Need targets — not just any old targets, but the correctly-sized targets for specific shooting disciplines (such as NRA Smallbore, F-Class, and 1K Benchrest)? Well you won’t find them at your neighborhood Wally World store. Precise, dimensionally-correct competition targets are producted by a half-dozen specialty printers. In this article we provide links to the leading target sellers, with a chart showing “who’s got what”. Look for your particular discipline and the vendors will be specified.
Sources for Official Shooting Competition Targets:
AccurateShooter.com offers dozens of FREE, printable targets for target practice, load development, and fun shooting. We also offer a few of the most popular NRA Bullseye targets. One or more of these printable targets should work for most training purposes. However, some readers have asked: “Where can we get the real targets… exactly like the ones used in NRA, IBS, and NBRSA shooting matches?”
All these vendors carry nearly all the NRA High Power and Smallbore targets, including the new, smaller F-Class targets. National Target has the F-Class and High Power targets, including 100-yard reductions of the 200, 300, and 600-yard military targets.
Germany’s Kruger Targets sells all the important NRA targets, and international (ISSF) air rifle and smallbore targets too.
Orrville Printing currently sells IBS targets for rimfire (50 yard) benchrest, short-range centerfire Benchrest (100, 200, 300 yards), Hunter BR Rifle (100, 200, 300 yards), plus the official 600-yard and 1000-yard IBS targets. National Target Company also has most of the IBS targets. NBRSA short-range, 600-yard, and 1000-yard benchrest targets are available directly from the NBRSA Business Office. Call (307) 655-7415 to order for the season.
Need Steel, Cardboard Silhouettes or specialty targets? ALCO Target Company in Duarte, California is the USA’s leading producer of the full spectrum of shooting targets including paper targets, cardboard targets, steel targets, and target stands.
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The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF), through the Scholastic Clay Target Program and Scholastic Action Shooting Program, awarded 126 youth athletes over $100,000.00 in college Scholarships for this upcoming academic year. The funds were awarded to qualifying applicants. In addition, some young competitors received special sponsor scholarship checks at the 2019 National Championships in Marengo, Ohio last month (see below). CLICK HERE for all scholarship winners.
National Director Tom Wondrash noted, “this is the first time our combined programs were able to award our Youth Athletes and their families over $100,000 in college scholarships. We could not have done it without the generous support of our program sponsors who continue to step up and support this initiative”.
In addition to the scholarships awarded to SCTP and SASP youth athletes who apply for these awards, at this year’s National Championships special scholarships were awarded by Browning, Beretta, and Blaser USA. In order to be eligible, athletes must have shot a Browning shotgun in 16-yard singles trap, a Beretta shotgun in the skeet event, or a Blaser shotgun in the sporting clays event.
The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation is 501(c)(3) public charity responsible for all aspects of the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) across the United States. For more information, visit SSSFonline.org.
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I absolutely love using this press stand. I use it with my Forster Co-Ax as well as my Dillon 550. The stand mounts those presses at the right height to minimize fatigue and maximize torque. Some products I merely review and return but this one is a keeper and won’t be leaving my bench anytime soon. — F-Class John
Lyman Universal Press Stand REVIEW
Product Review by F-Class John
Positioning your press at the optimal height is one of the oldest problems in reloading. Most presses sit low off the edge leading to uncomfortable arm strain or inconsistent pressure being applied while using. Lyman has set out to fix that problem with a reasonably-priced ($53.99 at Midsouth) press riser that works with the vast majority of reloading presses. This unit will raise just about any press up off your bench securely, allowing you to working more comfortably from a standing position. This also frees up vital bench space UNDER the press.
I have used a variety of presses over the years. At times I’ve run into issues mounting a press at a level that doesn’t promote arm or hand strain during normal operations. In the past I’ve used blocks of wood or even tried other brands’ proprietary stands. But I had very limited success with those options. Accordingly, I was very excited to give the Lyman Universal Press Stand a chance.
Lyman’s Universal Press Stand comes complete with side plates, two different top plates, and a large collection of mounting hardware. The two top plates are pre-drilled for numerous popular Single Stage or Progressive presses. Helpful diagrams and instructions show which side of the top plate you need to use. The pre-drilled holes accommodate a variety of presses from RCBS, Dillon, Lyman, Redding, and Hornady. But surprisingly, the plates are not pre-configured for the Forster Co-Ax Press.
CLICK to WATCH VIDEO Showing Lyman Universal Press Stand
Setting up the stand was very simple. The two sides bolt to the lower shelf unit at which point you attach the top plate. All the supplied bolts made this a breeze and once everything was snugged down, I was able to place it on my bench where I wanted it and mark the drill holes to mount it. After securing the stand to my bench it was time to mount my press.
Lyman Universal Press Stand with Dillon 550 Press
Adapting Lyman Universal Press Stand for Forster Co-Ax
At the time of testing I was primarily using a Forster Co-Ax press. With no pre-drilled Co-Ax configuration for either Lyman top plate, I decided to customize the blank side of one of the top plates. I opted to position the mounting holes so that the press could sit 100% on top of the mounting plate and not just off one edge. I found this process simple to execute. Mark your drill holes, then drill the plate. This can easily be done with regular drill bits although using a step-bit worked faster and cleaner to help enlarge the holes just a little when I needed some extra clearance.
Lyman Universal Press Stand Is Stable and Strong
Once set-up, I found the stand to be incredibly stable. The design allows for full force to be applied to the press no matter what the operation. Having used this Lyman Press stand regularly over the past few months with both my Co-Ax and a Dillon 550c, I still find myself loving it. The height is perfect and allows me to load as much as I like without straining my arm or getting fatigued. With an attractive price point (under $55.00 street price) and a simple design, I feel this is a great system for those looking for a secure and raised platform for their reloading presses.
The Universal Press Stand comes with two plates. If you have different presses that fit each plate you could easily swap presses just by changing plates while leaving the presses attached. It’s less functional if you have two presses that share one plate and would require removing one press before installing the next one.
Lyman Press Stand Unboxing and Set-Up (KFW Video Review):
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Just in time for hunting season, the ZEISS Field Days Promotion is back and includes special offers for all ZEISS V4 and V6 riflescopes, Victory RF rangefinding binoculars, ZEISS Harpia and Gavia spotting scopes, and the Terra ED binoculars. The ZEISS Field Days promo starts August 1st and ends December 31st, 2019. CLICK HERE for more INFO.
Buy a new Conquest V4 or V6 riflescope and get a FREE gift. Choose either: A) Custom ballistic turret (Kenton Industries); or B) ZEISS accessory package with Throw Lever, Deluxe Lens Cleaning Kit, and five ZEISS Ballistic DOPE Cards. Retail value of either option is $120.
Here’s another great offer — buy a new Victory Harpia spotting scope in either 85mm or 95mm objective size, and you’ll get a free ZEISS eyepiece (retail value: $800.00). That is a heck of a deal. The Harpia series is as good as anything on the market.
Alternatively, if you purchase a a Conquest Gavia spotting scope or Victory RF rangefinding binocular with Bluetooth connectivity, you’ll receive a free Terra ED 10×42 binocular — a $499.99 retail value.
Finally, there are instant rebates for all ZEISS Terra ED 32mm and 42mm binocular purchases. Customers immediately save $50.00 while in the store or shopping on-line.
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RCBS has announced the successor to the venerable RCBS Trim Mate. The New-for-2018 RCBS Brass Boss features six rotating stations that handle all your brass neck-brushing, chamfering, deburring, and pocket uniforming chores. The new Brass Boss includes tools for all six stations: inside VLD chamfering tool, outside deburring tool, primer pocket cleaners (small/large), military crimp removers (small/large), primer pocket uniformers (small/large), case neck brushes (four diameters), and a tub of dry case neck lubricant. MSRP for the Brass Boss, RCBS SKU 90390, is $189.95. Current “street price” is around $190.00.
This machine has two different rotation speeds for the toolheads. Four stations run at 350 rpm, while the two other stations run 57% faster, at 550 rpm. That give you a choice of spin speeds. You can work fast for tougher chores like military crimp removal, and slow down for inside-neck chamfering, which should be done carefully.
Larger and taller than the older RCBS Trim Mate, the new Brass Boss has one more station (six vs. five), plus a more powerful motor. This should make the Brass Boxx more competitive with the popular Lyman Case Prep Express.
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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, 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.
This Stack-On Sentinel Security Cabinet holds 18 rifles up to 54″ tall or nine firearms with extra storage. Adjustable, padded shelves can be placed on either right or left side. This unit features a 3-point locking system for greater security. No this safe is NOT as strong or secure as a quality, thick-walled gun-vault, but this 55″x21″x18″ Security Cabinet can work well as a secondary safe for your workroom, vacation cabin, or even an RV. Right now Walmart has “Roll-Back” pricing — $159.99 with FREE delivery. That’s right — pay just $159.99 for the safe delivered to your home or the nearest Walmart.
2. Bruno Shooters Supply — Berger Bullets at Great Prices
Match season is in full swing — so make sure you don’t run short on bullets. One of our go-to sources for reloading components is Bruno Shooters Supply. Bruno’s just recently updated its website, so you should check out the new features. While you’re there, look at Bruno’s selection of Berger bullets advertised at “lowest prices on the internet”. Berger match bullets are in high demand, but Bruno’s is offering great prices on many popular calibers and bullet weights.
3. EuroOptic — Sale on Vortex Strike Eagles, $299.99
Need a good basic optic for your hunting or varmint rifle? Have a tight budget but still need good glass and adjustable parallax? Then check out these Vortex Strike Eagles. Save $140-$150 now at EuroOptic.com. Sale price is just $299.99 for the 4-24x50mm and also $299.99 for the 3-18x44mm. EuroOptic’s Jason says these scope are a “killer value” with “target turrets, parallax adjustment close enough for rimfire, and good zoom range”. These Strike Eagles are also fairly short and light-weight, so they are good for hunters. Both these Second Focal Plane scopes offer 1/4-MOA clicks and nice EBR-4 illuminated reticles.
4. Bullet Central — Kelbly Atlas Tactical Action, $895
Kelbly actions are excellent. The Atlas series are rugged actions for practical/tactical and hunting use. This action features a Black Nitride finish so you can run minimal lubrication. The Atlas action comes with +20 MOA integral Picatinny Rail plus a nice fluted bolt. We also like the super-reliable TG mechanical ejector. This mag-fed Kelbly Atlas action takes Accuracy International and AI-type single-stack magazines. This fine Kelbly Atlas Tactical Action is now on sale at Bullet Central for the low price of $895.00.
Versatile and totable, this compact Samsung Galaxy 7″ tablet computer is just what you need at the range to run your Ballistics Apps, get WiFi images from your Target Cam, or “talk” to your LabRadar. The Galaxy Tab A 7.0 inch can also get internet weather reports and email. This is a modern device with myriad capabilities — all for under $130.00. It has a micro-SD slot so you can easily add more storage. You won’t find more bang for the buck in a digital device, and it even comes with free Tech support. NOTE: This is WiFi only — it is NOT a like a cellphone. It works via an internet connection (and blue-tooth).
6. Walther — PPQ and PPS Pistols, 30-Day Money Back Guarantee
We’ve heard of money-back guarantees on household products, and even pizzas. But never firearms. This is quite a unique offer. Walther is so confident that you will fall in love with Walther PPQ or PPS pistols that the German gun-maker is offering a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee.
Shoot it, if you like it, keep it. But if you don’t, you can send it back to Walther for a full refund. Walther even pays shipping! For more info visit www.WaltherArms.com. This offers applies to ALL Walther PPQ and PPS models.
7. Grizzly — Bald Eagle Priming Press, $80.97
Any serious competitor will tell you that consistent primer seating is one of the most critical steps in reloading. There are lots of choices out there for bench and hand-held primers but NONE of then match the Grizzly priming press which can be found for $80.97. It features a beautifully-made system that is click adjustable to .002″ and incredibly repeatable. If you’re in the market for something that’s easy on the hands and works like units that cost hundreds more give this one a look.
If you have been waiting to get a Magnetospeed… wait no longer. Priced at just $153.74 at MidwayUSA, the Magnetospeed Sporter model costs less than half as much as Magnetospeed’s V3 models. This chronograph attaches directly to your barrel so you don’t have to go downrange to position tripods and set up skyscreens. For most people the Sporter Model contains all the features they need. Using Magnetospeed’s XFR adapter (sold separately), data can be transferred easily from the display module to your mobile device. READ Magnetospeed Sporter Review. NOTE: You need to add the item to cart to see the $153.74 price. This typically sells elsewhere for around $180.00.
This versatile funnel system works with nearly all cartridge types, from 17 Remington up to 500 S&W. Even if you have a fancy metal funnel, it’s worth having one of these RCBS Kits on your reloading bench. The RCBS Quick Change Powder Funnel Kit features five (5) adapters that match case mouth diameter for specific cartridge ranges: 17-20 caliber, 22-264 caliber, 27-284 caliber, 30-375 caliber, 40 caliber and higher. The Funnel Kit includes a handy 4-inch drop tube. Price is $11.04 at Amazon with free shipping on orders over $25 total.
10. Amazon — Two Rolls of 3″ Neon Target Stickers, $12.99
We like these bright, Neon EasyShot 3″ target stickers. They are big enough to see easily at 600 yards, giving you a 1/2 MOA target center at that distance. For $12.99 at Amazon.com, you get 250 3″-diameter self-adhesive centers (125 targets per roll) that stick to almost any surface The high-contrast fluorescent red/orange color provides an excellent HI-VIZ aiming point, along with good contrast for bullet holes that fall within the 3″ circle. To help line up your reticle cross-hairs, the target centers feature black markers at 3, 6, 9, and 12 0’Clock. NOTE: These stickers qualify for FREE Shipping.
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The folks at Applied Ballistics have a new toy — a large trailer filled with all the latest and greatest tech gear for testing long-range ballistics. Bryan Litz reported: “The maiden voyage for the AB Mobile Lab in Texas this week was a huge success! We look forward to supporting more long range shooting events.” Mitchell Fitzpatrick was there in the Lone Star state with fellow Applied Ballistics staffer Christopher Palka. The Applied Ballistics team will be trailering the Mobile Lab to Indiana where it will be on hand for the NRA National Championships at Camp Atterbury this month.
Ten rifles, heaps of cables, huge Doppler Radar unit, military-grade Laser RFs on tripods, spare barrels, safety gear — all ready for action in Texas.
About the Applied Ballistics Mobile Lab
Q: What is the basic purpose of the Applied Ballistics Mobile Lab?
Mitchell Fitzpatrick: The Mobile Lab allows us to effectively carry out ballistics testing in the field and at events. It has most of the capabilities of our normal lab, but on wheels.
Q: What hardware and electronics are carried in the Mobile Lab? What are its capabilities?
Bryan Litz: The Mobile Lab will transport most everything that’s in the main lab including the Doppler radar. This rig is new and we haven’t fully outfitted it yet. The load-outs will be somewhat flexible depending on the venue we are supporting.
The three rifles on the left are Barrett MRADS, $6000-$6154 MSRP, before optics.
NOTE to Readers — Check back at the end of the day. We will have more technical information from Bryan Litz and the Applied Ballistics team…
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Today, August 5, the Vintage Sniper Team Match is taking place at Camp Perry, Ohio. This unique event is a two-man team competition using scoped rifles of WWI and WWII Vintage. This has become of of the most popular CMP rifle matches held at Camp Perry, with over 200 teams competing in recent years. Many competitors use some version of the M1903 Springfield, but you’ll also see scoped M1 Garands, K31s, Mausers, and even a Lee-Enfield or two. There are both bolt action and semi-auto classifications, with each division being scored separately.
Over 200 teams are vying for the Vintage Sniper Trophy today. Two-person teams will fire 10 rounds in 20-second intervals from scoped vintage military rifles set on sand bags. One team marksman shoots from the prone position at 300 and 600 yards, while the other serves as a spotter to relay shot position. Marksman and spotter switch positions on the firing lines, allowing each teammate to play both roles. Scores are then combined for an Aggregate team total. CLICK HERE for Sniper Match Results on the CMP Website
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About Jesse Kaufmann, Master Engraver
This lady can shoot! At this year’s National Trophy Individual Match (NTI) at Camp Perry, the very talented Sara Rozanski sent an all-time record for female competitors. Sara shot a stellar 496-22X, a new record score for lady shooters. That record-breaking performance won Sara the Women’s Trophy at the CMP National Matches.
This machine has two different rotation speeds for the toolheads. Four stations run at 350 rpm, while the two other stations run 57% faster, at 550 rpm. That give you a choice of spin speeds. You can work fast for tougher chores like military crimp removal, and slow down for inside-neck chamfering, which should be done carefully. 
