At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Sunday afternoon or 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.
NOTE: All listed products are for sale to persons 18 years of age or older. No products are intended for use by minors.
Natchez — SIG Sauer Optics Sale
⏺️ » Big discounts through 12/19/2025 — Optics and more
Riflescopes from SIG Sauer Optics offer great value for the price. SIG optics have high-quality glass, a wide variety of reticles, and many zoom options. On sale now at Natchez, SIG optics are known for their optical clarity, durability, and great value for the price. With these discounts, this is a great opportunity to buy.
EuroOptic — Outdoor Apparel & Gear Sale
⏺️ » Great deals on jackets, boots, bibs, vests, gloves, packs and more
If you need quality outdoor clothing and gear, check out EuroOptic’s Outdoor Apparel and Gear Sale. There are excellent jackets, vests, gloves, boots, bibs, winter hats and other clothing on sale with major discounts up to 80%. In addition, hunter backpacks and carry packs are on sale. With top brands like Sitka and Stone Glacier you’ll find rugged, comfortable, quality gear at some of the lowest prices of the season.
As an Amazon affiliate, this site can earn revenues through sales commissions.
Forum member 1LessDog calling in coyotes in a cold North Dakota winter landscape.
Forum member DNorton posted: “I live way up north where our white sandy beaches look like this!”
There is a nice thread in our Forum appropriately entitled “Winter Time”. You’ll find some great backcountry images taken by our Forum members. Winter is a special time in the outdoors. Forum member JDP explains: “Winter is the best time to shoot! One of the few of life’s ironies that works in my favor. The range is empty and barrels keep cool, no bugs, no waiting on people, no mirage. Yup, this world needs more thin blooded snow birds. This cool weather is terrible and dangerous, tell your friends! Do people get lonely while shooting or something? It’s the true holiday season in multiple ways.”
These two images come from Forum member Bill K on a winter varmint safari. He posted: “This was Varmint Shooter’s truck [showing the outside temperature] when we set up.” Brrrr… that’s cold.
The above photo is from Forum member 1LessDog, who posted: “The mound behind the Coyote is a Indian burial mound. There are six of them within a half mile of this one. I would really like to know how many coyotes I have shot off the mound. I would guess 4-5 a year over 35 years. It is one of my favorite spots to call from… any time I have a South to Southeast wind[.]”
Forum member Bojo posted images of his hunting trip in Northwestern Pennsylvania last week. Bojo wrote: “It was an early winter for us — temps from low 20s to mid 40s through a week’s swing. Our cold hits hard in January/February.”
The Vortex Blog contains an interesting article featuring recommended gear for a coyote hunting trip in late winter/early spring. This Vortex article covers all the items you’ll need: rifle, optics, shooting sticks, insulated clothing, Laser Rangefinder, game calls, carry packs and more.
In the article intro, Vortex notes: “Winter snow and cold temps don’t get Vortex’s Bill Krivanek down. In fact, quite the opposite. This time of year, he’s fired up about calling coyotes and putting a little fur on the ground. “There’s so much to love about these crafty critters”, said Bill. “They nearly always have the advantage. When you get one to come in to shooting range, you’ve really accomplished something. It’s as exciting as hunting gets.” CLICK HERE to read the FULL Article with a complete description of each item, shown in the lead photo above.
If you want to compete in top handgun competitions such as the CMP matches at Camp Perry, you’ll need good ammo that has low ES, consistent powder charge, uniform cartridge OAL, and consistent crimp. Every with action pistol matches you’ll want ammo that is very uniform. One miss on steel can mean losing a match. The following USAMU article provides rock-solid pistol reloading advice, explaining how to load accurate, reliable handgun ammo.
The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) fields pistol teams as well as rifle and shotgun competition squads. Consequently the USAMU’s Reloading Shop loads tens of thousands of pistol rounds every year. In this article, the USAMU’s handgun experts talk about reloading for handguns — with smart tips on how to achieve superior accuracy with 100% reliability. This article, which offers important insights on COAL, primers, crimps and more.
Precision Pistol Reloading — Recommended Methods
Optimize the Taper Crimp
One often-overlooked aspect of handloading highly-accurate pistol ammunition is the amount of crimp and its effect on accuracy. Different amounts of taper crimp are used with various handloads to obtain best accuracy. The amount is based on bullet weight, powder burn rate and charge, plus other factors. It is not unusual for our Shop to vary a load’s crimp in degrees of 0.001″ and re-test for finest accuracy.
Use Consistent Brass
Brass is also important to pistol accuracy. While accurate ammunition can be loaded using brass of mixed parentage, that is not conducive to finest results, particularly at 50 yards. It is important for the serious competitor/handloader to use brass of the same headstamp and ideally one lot number, to maximize uniformity. Given the volumes of ammunition consumed by active pistol competitors, using inexpensive, mixed surplus brass for practice, particularly at the “short line” (25 yards), is understandable. However, for the “long line” (50 yards), purchasing and segregating a lot of high-quality brass to be used strictly for slow-fire is a wise idea.
Importance of Uniform COAL
Uniformity of the Case Overall Length (COAL) as it comes from the factory is also important to achieving utmost accuracy. More uniform case lengths (best measured after sizing) contribute to greater consistency of crimp, neck tension, ignition/burn of powder charge, and so on. Cartridge case-length consistency varies from lot to lot, as well as by maker. Some manufacturers are more consistent in this dimension than others. [Editor’s note: It is easy to trim pistol brass to uniform length. Doing this will make your taper crimps much more consistent.]
Primers and Powders — Comparison Test for Accuracy
Pay attention to primer brands, powder types and charges. Evaluating accuracy with a Ransom or other machine rest at 50 yards can quickly reveal the effect of changes made to handload recipes.
Bullet Selection — FMJ vs. JHP
Bullets are another vital issue. First, there is the question of FMJ vs. JHP. A friend of this writer spent decades making and accuracy-testing rifle and pistol bullets during QC for a major bullet manufacturer. In his experience, making highly-accurate FMJ bullets is much more difficult than making highly-accurate JHPs, in large part due to the way the jackets are formed. Small die changes could affect accuracy of FMJ lots dramatically.
The CMP now allows “safe, jacketed ammunition” in Excellence-in-Competition (EIC) Service Pistol matches, although wadcutter ammunition is prohibited. Thus, the option to use very accurate JHP designs simplifies the life of CMP Service Pistol shooters in pursuit of the Distinguished Pistol Shot badge.
Hopefully, these tips will be helpful to any pistol shooters interested in accurate handloads, not just “Bullseye” shooters. Small tweaks to one’s normal routine can pay big dividends in improved accuracy and make practice and competition more rewarding. Stay safe, and good shooting!
The Tikka T3x Ace Target was named the 2026 American Rifleman Golden Bullseye “Rifle of the Year”.
The Tikka T3x ACE Target rifle has been named the 2026 American Rifleman Golden Bullseye Rifle of the Year, a highly coveted award presented annually by NRA Media. This impressive factory rifle is a great choice for PRS/NRL competition. It boast a good chassis with full-length ARCA rail, modular magwell, and adjustable cheekpiece. The action is smooth with a nice fluted bolt and big bolt handle knob. On top of the action is a +20 MOA Picatinny rail which helps with long-range shooting. This rifle has shown very good accuracy with factory ammo, aided by an excellent 2-stage trigger that adjusts from 2 to 4 pounds.
Available chamberings are .223 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .308 Win with prices starting at $1799.00 at EuroOptic.com. The 6.5 Creedmoor with 26″ barrel would be our choice for PRS/NRL competition.
SPECIAL REPORT: NEW Tikka T3x Ace Target Rifle for PRS/NRL
Tikka is best known for its rugged and accurate hunting rifles. But recently Tikka has introduced an impressive new line of T3x Ace Target chassis rifles. These 10.6-lb rigs have impressive alloy chassis stocks, with modular M-LOK and Arca-Swiss compatible fore-ends, and interchangeable magwells. Optimized for PRS/NRL competition, the Tikka T3x Ace Target has a fine 2-stage adjustable trigger, plus a rear stock section with adjustable cheek-piece and nicely-designed attached lower bag rider. NOTE: Tikka also offers the rimfire .22 LR Tikka T1x Ace Target rifle for practice and competition. This is cool because NRL-22 Matches are now very popular.
Accuracy Testing Results Rifle Shooter, a leading UK gun publication, did extensive accuracy testing of the Tikka T3X Ace Target. This testing is featured in the above video. Shooting from a bench with rear bag and front tripod, the test rifle delivered MOA (or better) accuracy with five out of six types of factory ammo. The best group, 0.68″ for 5 shots, was shot with Lapua ammunition with 167gr Scenar bullets. Here are the test results:
In another test of a Tikka T3X Ace Target, top F-Class shooter Erik Cortina achieved half-MOA or better groups with SAKO 6.5 Creedmoor ammo. Watch Erik shoot the Tikka T3x Ace Target in the video below, starting at 8:22 time-mark.
Tikka T3X ACE Target Rifle Features
2-Stage Adjustable Trigger (2-4 lbs)
Spiral-fluted Bolt with Coned Head
+20 MOA Picatinny Scope Rail
Free-floating Hammer-Forged Barrel
Adjustable Cheekpiece and Buttpad
10-shot steel CTR/Tac-style Magazines
23.6″ or 26″ Heavy Barrels with 5/8″-24 threaded muzzles
Full-length RRS ARCA Swiss Rail with barricade stop, M-Lok & QD Sling Mounts
Optional Factory External and Internal Weights
Two Colors: Black or Cerakote Midnight Bronze
Optional Cerakote coating
According to Rifle Ready: “The new Tikka T3X Ace lineup exploded out of SHOT Show 2025 and instantly became one of the most talked-about precision rifles of the year — and for good reason. With multiple testers recording sub-half MOA groups and even extended 15-shot strings under 1 MOA, the Ace is delivering near-custom accuracy right out of the box. Built on the legendary T3C action and paired with a full competition-ready chassis, the Ace Target and Ace Game rifles blend Finnish craftsmanship with modern modularity in a way Tikka fans have waited years for.”
Want to learn more? A Rifle Ready video released this month showcases Tikka T3X features. It covers real-world accuracy tests, reviewer impressions, and the differences between the Target and Game variants. This video does help explain why some shooters say the Ace “beats rifles triple its price”.
In promoting its rifle, Tikka posted: “The T3x Ace Target, crafted with Tikka’s legendary attention to detail, was developed for precision shooters seeking an out-of-the-box competition-ready platform. With its optimized barrel profile, enhanced ergonomics, and refined trigger system, the Ace Target embodies the advanced engineering and shooter-focused design Tikka is known for.” The video below features a test of the .223 Rem variant.
There are some major brand rebates that expire at the end of the year. To qualify for the big savings, purchases must be made no later than 12/31/2025* or, for some brands, 1/1/2026 (January 1st, 2026). With these listed rebates you can save up to $100 on rifles and handguns. There are other December rebates of $200 or more. Some of the rebates activate on sales, while others provide a prepaid card from the manufacturer. Here are the top deals, with deadlines noted.
Winchester 2025 Holiday Rebate (End date 12/31/2025) » CLICK HERE
Browning 2025 Holiday Rebate (End date 12/31/2025) » CLICK HERE
Smith & Wesson 2025 Rebate (End date 12/31/2025) » CLICK HERE
Kimber 1911 Redemption Rebates (End Date 12/31/2025) » CLICK HERE
* There are some other shooting products rebate programs that allow purchases through 1/1/2026 (January 1st, 2026). If you see a rebate you like, be sure to check the deadline.
Many visitors to the site ask us, “I’ve got a .223 and .308. What will a 6mmBR Norma (6BR) give me that I’m not getting already?” Well first you will probably average consistently smaller groups than your current .223 or .308 rifle (assuming the 6BR has a quality barrel and trigger). A good .308 Winchester can be superbly accurate, no question about that, but the lesser recoil of the 6BR works in the shooter’s favor over a long string of fire. Even with a Rem 700 or Savage action factory action, a 6BR with a benchrest stock, premium barrel, and a high-quality chambering job should deliver 5-shot groups in the high twos to mid-threes, provided you do your job. We have one 6BR rifle that shoots Lapua factory-loaded 6BR ammunition in the low twos and high ones. That’s exceptional, we admit, but it still shows how the 6BR is an inherently accurate cartridge, even with factory loads.
Compared to a .223, the 6BR offers a much better selection of high-BC projectiles, and will deliver considerably more power on the target. So it’s a better choice for hunters and 600-yard benchrest shooters. Compared to the .308 Win shooting 168gr MatchKings, a 6BR shooting 105-107gr bullets offers better ballistics all the way out to 1000 yards. Plus, for most people, the 6BR is just easier to shoot than a .308 Win. Recoil is less than half of the .308 Win cartridge. Both the .308 and 6BR chamberings offer good barrel life, but the 6BR uses 15-18 grains less powder, saving you money. On the other hand the .308 Win is the designated cartridge for F-TR and Palma shooting, so it may be a more versatile chambering for Long-Range competition. So which would we choose between the 6BR and the .308? Actually we think you should have both. The 6BR is a favorite cartridge out to 500 yards, and we like the .308 Win for F-TR. The .308 Win has shown outstanding accuracy, as displayed last week at the NRA F-class Nationals in Arizona.
NRA Media has announced the winners of the 2026 NRA Golden Bullseye Awards. Now in their 24th year, the Golden Bullseye Awards recognize outstanding innovative firearms, optics, shooting products, and ammunition. And there are also Golden Bullseye Awards for top shooters and for individuals who support the gun industry and Second Amendment rights.
Every year the NRA announces Golden Bullseye Award winners for various product categories (rifle, shotgun, handgun, optics, accessories, gear etc.). These awards are like the Oscars for the shooting industry. There are separate Golden Bullseye prizes awarded by different NRA Magazines — including American Rifleman, Shooting Sports USA, and American Hunter. The 2026 Golden Bullseye Awards will be officially awarded during the April NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Houston, Texas.
Golden Bullseye product awards are selected by the staff of the NRA’s American Rifleman and American Hunter magazines, with multiple categories recognized by each magazine. The selections are then reviewed by NRA Media management. To qualify for consideration for a Golden Bullseye Award, the product must have been: 1) Recently introduced; 2) Innovative in design/function; 3) Tested by a NRA Magazine/media staffer; 4) Reliable in the field; 5) Recognized as good value; and 6) Styled in a manner “befitting the shooting and hunting industry”.
American Rifleman 2026 Golden Bullseye Product Awards
The Tikka T3x Ace Target rifle is an affordable tactical rig capable of winning PRS and NRL matches right out of the box. It is offered in three chamberings: .223 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .308 Win. Two barrel lengths are available: 23.6″ and 26.0″. Standard features include two-stage trigger, adjustable cheekpiece, and forearm rails. The Tikka T3x Ace is available for $1799.00 – $1959.00 at EuroOptic.com.
In this video (above), our friend Erik Cortina tests the Tikka T3x Ace Target rifle, shooting from 100 to 1000 yards. The 6.5 Creedmoor T3x showed superb accuracy with Sako TRG Precision factory ammo. Erik stated he was “very impressed” (2:30 time-mark).
The 2026 Shooting Sports USA Golden Bullseye Competitor Award goes to four-time Olympic Gold Medalist Vincent Hancock. He has been one of the greatest skeet shooter in history. He is also recognized for coaching and mentoring Team USA shooters.
The NRA Media 2026 Golden Bullseye Freedom Award goes to noted attorney, scholar, and author Stephen P. Halbrook. In his legal practice Halbrook has won cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, and his scholarship has contributed to Second Amendment historical knowledge.
The NRA Publications 2026 Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award recipient is Anthony Imperato, the founder and President of Henry Repeating Arms. Imperato has been a strong supporter of the NRA and the Second Amendment rights.
The 2026 Golden Bullseye Woman of the Year winner, nominated by the editors of NRA Women.com, is Tanisha Moner. As a dedicated instruction, Tanisha brought firearms training to thousands of women through the Legally Armed in Detroit (L.A.I.D.) organization.
With snow on the ground and sub-freezing temperatures in much of the country, we hope our readers are staying warn indoors with family members this Christmas Eve day. To provide a bit of entertainment we’ve found six videos that combine a holiday theme with the shooting sports.
In this fun video, YouTube host 22plinkster plays a holiday tune on steel plates. Using a Henry Golden Boy .22 LR lever gun, 22plinkster performs a plate-by-plate musical rendition of Jingle Bells. To hit each tuned plate in the right order takes considerable skill and concentration. But we thank 22plinkster for offering this special holiday shooting range concert.
Here we have 22plinkster once again. He wanted to see how many Christmas ornaments could be penetrated by one .22 LR round. To answer that burning question, he lined up 40 plastic Xmas bulbs in a row and then fired a single round of CCI .22 LR Velocitor ammo through the bunch, using his Henry Golden Boy lever action rifle. Did the bullet penetrate a dozen ornaments? Two dozen? What do you think? Watch the video to find out the surprising answer.
From a modest .22 LR rifle we move on to the real big boomers — military canons. This holiday-themed video shows multiple large-bore artillery pieces. The video is accompanied with a background tune based on the classic “12 days of Christmas”. If you’re a fan of military hardware and history, you should enjoy this clever video from the Matsimus YouTube Channel.
Christmas Gifts for Gun Guys and Gals
Need to do some last-minute shopping for your shooting buddies and/or gun-friendly family members? Here are three videos that provide gift recommendations for gun guys and gals. Suggestions include hunting accessories, knives, reloading equipment, and some handsome handguns and rifles. Warning — you may find a few items you end up buying for yourself.
Sierra and Barnes Bullets have released a new FREE Ballistic Calculator App, called TrueData™. With Doppler-verified ballistics, precise environmental inputs, and tools that match real-world performance, TrueData™ equips hunters and shooters with the ability to make confident shot decisions and achieve data-driven accuracy. The TrueData App has many notable features including the ability to access atmospheric data reports and a unique Virtual Rangefinder that helps you estimate distances. The App also holds multiple rifle profiles. Visit Sierrabullets.com or Barnesbullets.com to learn more.
This impressive new TrueData App is available for both Android and Apple (iOS) mobile devices. The TrueData App is FREE on Android and Apple stores and can be found by searching for “TrueData Ballistics” in the App stores.
Doppler-Verified Ballistic Library: Instant access to accurate Doppler-verified data for Sierra and Barnes Bullets. Select from multiple drag models, including Doppler-measured curves for supported bullets. These curves capture true bullet behavior across the flight path far beyond the approximations of G1 or G7. With 80+ Doppler profiles and ongoing expansion, the solver adapts to exact projectiles. G1/G7 values autofill for all bullets where Doppler data is not yet available.
Ballistic Coefficient (BC) and Velocity Truing: BC and velocity truing tools to align ballistic predictions with real-world impacts.
Multiple Rifle Profiles: Stores multiple rifle profiles so users can switch guns without re-entering data.
Intuitive Heads-up Display: A unified interface brings together trajectory data, environmental updates, and shot solutions in an intuitive HUD. Every adjustment is instantly reflected on screen.
Bluetooth Connectivity: Automatically imports precise atmospheric data from external meters like WeatherFlow and Skywatch BL for shooters who demand exact inputs without manual entry.
Virtual Rangefinder: App helps users estimate distance when scouting terrain or setting targets without a physical laser rangefinder.
Target Card: Build and store preset targets with their distances and holds, helping the shooter move efficiently between known landmarks or steel targets.
Live Environmental Inputs: Pulls real-time atmospheric data from current locations to keep ballistic solution aligned with actual conditions.
Ammunition Library: App has detailed ballistic profiles for Barnes factory-loaded ammunition.
Stage Timer: Simple countdown timer for practicing transitions, positional shooting or timing drills.
About the Creation of the TrueData App — and Future Updates
“2025 was a big year for product development at both Sierra and Barnes. The TrueData app has been a long time coming — we built, we tested, we refined and we think this App is the most complete and user-friendly ballistic calculator available. We ask that everyone download it, put it through the paces and submit feedback to help us make this thing even better.” — Andrew Sparks, Sierra V.P. of Marketing & Business Development.
The following article by Tom Alves describes a very practical approach to physical training for those of us who are not as young and spry as we once were. Tom shows us how to give our bodies at least some of the maintenance we give our rifles. While we all realize that our rifles will outlive us, let’s see if we can’t narrow the margin a bit with some personal maintenance that just might help the shooting too!
This article originally appeared in German Salazar’s Rifleman’s Journal, and appears with permission. Sadly, German passed away in 2022. This was a very sad loss of a distinguished-class marksman and a great shooting sports writer. This Editor counted German as a close friend, who helped this site in many ways.
A Suggested Training Approach for Older Shooters
By Tom Alves Most articles and discussions regarding competitive shooting center around equipment. Now and then one will come across an article about physical training such as the USAMU piece on Physical Conditioning for Highpower Shooting. If you break the articles down they often discuss “core strength” and durability. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on those points with a bit different perspective. Many of the articles you will read in books about position shooting and the one mentioned before are directed more toward the younger generation of shooters in their 20s. If you look down the line at a typical high power match these days you are likely to see quite a few folks who are in their middle 30’s and up. Many people in that age range have had broken bones and wear and tear on their joints so a training program needs to take that into account. For instance, while jogging for an extended period for heart and lung conditioning — often called cardio exercises — may be the recommended approach for younger folks, it may be totally inappropriate for older people. The procedure to repair meniscus tears in knees is one of the most frequently performed operations in this country. Another approach one often sees in training to improve core strength is the use of weight machines which isolate certain muscle groups in their operation. I would like to suggest an alternative approach that not only does not require special equipment but uses the body’s muscles in a coordinated fashion in the same way they are used in our natural movements. So, let’s set down some criteria:
1. The approach has to be low impact to conserve joints.
2. One goal is to improve the strength of the core muscles which are the muscles of our trunk that keep us erect and from where all movements initiate.
3. Along with core strength we need flexibility and full range of motion.
4. We want to improve our lung and heart function so we can have a good flow of oxygen going to our organs and muscles to reduce the rate at which we become fatigued during a competitive event.
Before I continue I believe it is appropriate for the reader to understand that I am a fellow shooter and this is a program I have designed for myself based on considerable reading and experience over a number of years. I am not a medical doctor, a formally trained exercise professional or any other type of specialist in the field. Consequently, this information is offered with the advice that you consult your medical advisor or similar authority before you embark on this or any similar regimen.
I will start with core strength and flexibility. Pilates exercises are resistance exercises that can incorporate the use of resistance bands, light weights and the weight of your body parts in order to strengthen the muscles in the abdomen, back, hips, chest and shoulders. The exercises can be performed alone but I recommend attending classes put on by a certified instructor who will ensure that you perform a balanced routine meaning you work on the front and back and both sides of your trunk. As to flexibility, yoga complements Pilates exercises and they are often taught together. In practical terms yoga strengthens through resistance using the weight of the body and increases flexibility by stretching the various muscle groups in a coordinated fashion. Some yoga exercises also work on balance which is helpful in position shooting and life in general. Again, I suggest attending formal yoga classes since an instructor can help you address such things as a joint misalignment. As an example, my right leg healed improperly after the femur was broken and my right foot splays out putting undue load on my left knee. There are a number of books available on Pilates and yoga and some of them get pretty involved; I leave that to the reader to explore. I will list some reference material at the end of the article that I have found useful.
Finally, heart and lung improvement. In order to exercise the heart and lungs while not abusing the joints, particularly the knees and hips, one has to resort to something other than jogging. Walking, bicycling, elliptical machines and swimming may be alternative methods you’d like to consider. Based on my reading, in order to get the most benefit it is important to exercise so that the pulse rate becomes elevated for periods of time rather than kept at a constant rate. The process I use, called PACE, is promoted by Al Sears, MD, http://www.alsearsmd.com/. It is interval training for the non-athlete. In simple terms one exercises, using whatever equipment one desires, to achieve a heart rate in which you are slightly above your ability to bring enough oxygen into your body to sustain the activity for an extended period. This is similar to wind sprints for a sprinter or a football player. After each episode you must rest until you have achieved recovery, meaning you can catch your breath easily. A series of three sets is recommended which covers a total time of about 20 minutes.
Report from the Author — Yes, Training Helps
As a result of this training program I have experienced increased strength in my legs and trunk, less joint stiffness, lower blood pressure, and lower resting pulse rate. The Pilates/yoga classes are usually attended 2 to 3 times a week and the interval training performed twice a week. [The author was 64 when this was first published. He is now 75, and still shooting Palma and Smallbore prone.]
Before I close I would like to touch briefly on two other related subjects: hydration and visual training. When one is exerting oneself, the body produces perspiration to keep the body’s temperature at an acceptable level. As one perspires the blood gets thicker and the ocular fluid in one’s eyes thickens as well. The heart has to work harder to supply oxygen and nutrients to the body so visual and cognitive functions degrade and fatigue sets in rapidly. Essential chemicals called electrolytes are also carried out of the body with the perspiration. As a result, it is necessary to replace moisture and electrolytes to maintain basic health and a competitive level of performance. If one goes on the Internet there is a multitude of articles on hydration. Due to the kindness of my lead Pilates/yoga instructor, Ms. Annette Garrison, I have a pretty comprehensive article on various aspects of hydration that I have included, http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/hyponatremia-other-side-hydration-story , for your information.
Last I want to mention visual performance training. The New Position Rifle Shooting, A How-To Guide for Shooters and Coaches by Bill Pullum and Frank Hanenkrat mentions sports vision training amongst other aspects of vision in competitive shooting. [Used book under $40.00 on Amazon]. If one goes on the Internet you will find training programs directed at golfers, baseball and football players. There is one site that has a demo which, if one looks at it for long, it is obviously very similar to a shooting gallery video game. The training involves rapid recognition and hand-eye coordination. Another source of visual training exercises, along with a wealth of other information, is the book Prone And Long Range Rifle Shooting by Nancy Tompkins.
Hopefully, I have provided some information which will be helpful in improving shooting performance and extending the time you can participate at a competitive level. It is important that you proceed at your own pace. I have pushed myself too hard in the interval training and now have to back off a bit. In closing I would like to thank Annette Garrison and German Salazar for their help, patience and encouragement.
Additional Reference Material
1. Framework by Nicholas A. DiNubile, MD This is required reading for anybody who has suffered an injury like a torn meniscus or has muscular skeletal issues. This is the book that led me to Pilates/yoga
2 P.A.C.E., The Twelve Minute Fitness Revolution by Al Sears, MD The approach I use to interval training. I am sure there are other sources.
Use Consistent Brass
Many visitors to the site ask us, “I’ve got a .223 and .308. What will a 6mmBR Norma (6BR) give me that I’m not getting already?” Well first you will probably average consistently smaller groups than your current .223 or .308 rifle (assuming the 6BR has a quality barrel and trigger). A good .308 Winchester can be superbly accurate, no question about that, but the lesser recoil of the 6BR works in the shooter’s favor over a long string of fire. Even with a Rem 700 or Savage action factory action, a 6BR with a benchrest stock, premium barrel, and a high-quality chambering job should deliver 5-shot groups in the high twos to mid-threes, provided you do your job. We have one 6BR rifle that shoots Lapua factory-loaded 6BR ammunition in the low twos and high ones. That’s exceptional, we admit, but it still shows how the 6BR is an inherently accurate cartridge, even with factory loads.
Most articles and discussions regarding competitive shooting center around equipment. Now and then one will come across an article about physical training such as the USAMU piece on 
Last I want to mention visual performance training. The 
