The 2019 Berger Southwest Nationals, one of the biggest (and best) rifle competitions of the year, kicks off Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at the Ben Avery Range outside Phoenix, Arizona. The big match continues through Sunday, February 17th. This match attracts the top F-Class and sling shooters in the country, along with many talented foreign competitors.
Talk to the competitors and many will tell your that the SWN is their favorite match of the year. For those in Northern states, the chance to enjoy some Arizona sunshine is a big draw, along with the quality of the competition, and the camaraderie.
The Berger SW Nationals are made possible through the principal support of Berger Bullets and Lapua, both part of the Capstone Precision Group, which also distributes Vihtavuori powder and SK Ammunition in the USA. Berger and Lapua both generously donated product prizes for 2019 SWN competitors.
Here’s a cool video from the 2016 Berger SW Nationals. This includes drone footage of the range:
Event Schedule for 2019 Berger SWN
Wednesday, 13 February 2019, 9:00 AM
Mid-Range Match – Three 20-shot matches at 600 yards. (Divisions – Palma, Any Rifle-Any Sight, F-Open, F-TR)
Thursday, 14 February 2019, 9:00 AM
4-Man Palma Team Match – 15 shots for record at 800, 900, and 1000 yards. (Divisions – Palma, F-Open, F-TR)
Friday, 15 February 2019, 8:30 AM – Start of Grand Agg
Individual Palma Match – 15 shots for record at 800, 900, and 1000 yards. (Divisions – Palma, F-Open, F-TR)
Swap Meet at 1000 Yard Line after conclusion of Day’s Match
Saturday, 16 February 2019, 8:30 AM
Individual 1000 Yard Matches – Two 20-shot matches at 1000 yards. Any Rifle-Iron Sight (Any sight for F-Class shooters). (Divisions – Palma, Any Rifle-Iron Sight, F-Open, F-TR)
4 Man Team Match – 20 shots at 1000 yards. Any Rifle-Iron Sight (Any sight for F-Class shooters). (Divisions – Palma, Any Rifle-Iron Sight, F-Open, F-TR)
Banquet Dinner – Approximately 5:00 pm at Indoor Range.
Sunday, 17 February 2019, 8:30 AM
Individual 1000 Yard Matches – Two 20-shot matches at 1000 yards. Any Rifle-Any Sight (Any sight for F-Class shooters). (Divisions – Palma, Any Rifle-Any Sight, F-Open, F-TR)
Awards Ceremony at the Indoor Range.
Sling Shooters in Palma Division
There will be many Eliseo tubeguns in the hands of the sling shooters. For the Palma division, the cartridge of choice is the .308 Winchester (7.62.x51). This versatile cartridge is still capable of extreme accuracy. Never underestimate a skilled sling shooter with a good Palma rifle.
Forum member David Christian will be attending the Berger SW Nationals this week. He has an impressive new F-Open rig and a top-flight SEB rest to bring. David’s Open-class rifle features a beautiful laminated stock, with Borden action and Kahles optic. With rest, and spotting scope, you’re looking at $6K easy, so David has packed his gear very carefully:
Need pistol ammo? Want to save money? Then check out the latest promotion from Federal and other Vista Outdoor ammo brands. With this rebate you get $2.00 back for every 50-round box of centerfire ammo you buy, except for 9mm Luger (9x19mm) — that qualifies for a $1.00/box rebate. Now through March 31, 2019, rebates are offered for all these participating brands: Federal, Speer, Blazer, American Eagle, and Independence. You must buy at least 250 rounds (5 boxes) to qualify. CLICK HERE for qualifying ammo.
NOTE: Qualifying purchases must be made December 3, 2018 through March 31, 2019. The DEADLINE for mail-in or online submissions is April 30, 2019. To redeem online, visit Promotions.vistaoutdoor.com.
SHOT Show is the largest gun/hunting trade show in the world, with tens of thousands of products and accessories on display. For a gun guy, going to SHOT Show is like being a kid in a candy store.
We’ve seen that the SHOT Show 2019 videos we’ve showcased thus far have been very popular with our readers. So today we are bringing you five more SHOT Show videos, featuring products from Accuracy International, Proof Research, Savage, Thompson Center (T/C), and five pistol-makers.
Proof Research — Hi-Tech Barrels and Rifles
Here our friend Gavin Gear of UltimateReloader.com learns about the carbon-wrapped Proof Research barrels. Being lighter than conventional barrels, these Proof Research barrels definitely offer an advantage for hunters packing into the wild.
The Proof Research carbon barrels have also performed very well in PRS/NRL tactical competitions. There is a lot of technical information shared in this interview, so it is definitely worth watching.
Thompson Center Arms (T/C) — Value Leader
Thompson Center Arms (T/C), a Smith & Wesson Company, is known for value-priced rifles that offer great “bang for the buck”. We’ve regularly featured T/C rifles in our Deals of the Week. There are some impressive guns in the T/C line-up, including the T/C LRR (Long Range Rifle).
With an $1100 street price, this rig is a great value choice for PRS factory class. The rig balances well and we like the thumbwheel adjustments for LOP and cheek height.
Accuracy International $19.5K ASR with 3-Barrel Deployment Kit
If T/C guns are bargains, then the Accuracy International (AI) line of rifles is at the other end of the spectrum. At SHOT Show this year AI displayed its Advanced Sniper Rifle (ASR) which will be submitted for SOCOM’s multi-caliber rifle program. This rig costs a hefty $19,544.00 as a “deployment kit” including three barrels (.308 Win, .300 Norma Mag, and .338 Norma Mag), two bolt bodies, key spare parts, magazines and a MilSpec transport case.
The AI ASR employs a QuickLoc barrel change system for rapid caliber swaps. The rifle features a new two-position, AR-type safety and redesigned 2.5-lb trigger. The fore-end tube includes an RRS™-compatible rail, integrated top rail, and M-Lok™ mounting interface.
Savage Hunting Rifles — Model 110 High Country
For 2019 Savage unveiled some handsome, versatile rifles for backcountry hunters. These rigs feature nice camo finishes, adjustable AccuFit cheekpieces and buttpads, and barrels threaded at the muzzle for brakes or suppressors.
We liked these new rifles, particularly the Model 110 High Country featured above. It has a tough corrosion-resistant finish and spiral-fluted barrel for weight savings.
Handguns — Some of the Best New Pistols for 2019
In this video, The Firearm Blog (TFB) presents its five favorite new-for-2019 handguns. TFB praised the new KelTec CP33, a VERY impressive new .22 LR rimfire target pistol, boasting a 33-round clear magazine. On Media Day, we shot the CP33 with a suppressor and were extremely impressed. The gun balances well, and the trigger is EXCELLENT — really surprisingly good. Glock attracted attention with the new Glock 43X and 48 silver-slide models. The 43X does offer more capacity (10 rounds) with a longer grip vs. the Glock 43. Buyers may be attracted by the silver PVD-finished slide. Frankly, that’s nothing more than cosmetics and the Glock still retains not-so-great ergonomics and a mediocre trigger. There are better striker-fired, DAO polymer-framed pistols out there, for less money.
New KelTec CP33 is a high-capacity winner, with a great trigger.
Splatterburst 1″ circles, 62 per sheet, 10-pk $8.99. These can be pasted on other paper backers.
We’ve all seen conventional splatter targets with a single large black bullseye. When a shot hits the target, a halo (usually neon yellow) appears around the bullet hole. This makes it easier to see your shot placements indoors, or at long range outdoors. Today we feature a variety of other targets that also offer the cool halo/splatter effect. We’ve found grids, multiple bull targets, sheets with 62 one-inch circle pasters, handgun training targets, and even white background splatter targets (that produce black halos). Try out some of these targets for fun (kids love plinking with splatter targets).
This helpful video from our friend Kirsten Joy Weiss explains how to avoid “scope bite”. This can occur when the scope, on recoil, moves back to contact your forehead, brow, or eye socket area. That’s not fun. While common sense tells us to avoid “scope bite” — sooner or later this happens to most shooters. One viewer noted: “I have come close. I had a Win Model 70 in .375 H & H Mag and I was shooting over a large rock in a strange position. The scope hit my eye glasses hard enough to bend the wire frames and cause a little pain on the bridge of the nose from the nose piece. [That] made a believer out of me.”
Kirsten offers a good basic principle — she suggests that you mount your rifle-scope so that the ocular (eyepiece) of the scope is positioned at least three inches or more from your eyeball when you hold the rifle in your normal shooting position. From a technical standpoint, optical eye relief is a property of the scope, so you want to purchase an optic that offers sufficient optical eye relief (meaning that it allows you to see the full circle of light with your head at least three inches from the eyepiece). Then you need to position the optic optimally for your head/eye position when shooting the rifle — with at least three inches of eyeball-to-scope separation (i.e. physical eye relief).
NOTE: You should mount the scope to provide adequate eyeball-to-scope separation for the actual position(s) you will be shooting most of the time. For an F-TR rig, this will be prone. For a hunting rifle, your most common position could be sitting or standing. Your head position will vary based on the position. You can’t assume the scope placement is correct just because it seems OK when you are testing or zeroing the gun from the bench. When shooting from a prone or kneeling position you may find your eye considerably closer to the eyepiece.
Ultimate Reloader’s Gavin Gear is working on the most comprehensive reloading press comparison video.
UltimateReloader.com is a leading website showcasing reloading hardware and methodologies. Ultimate Reloader’s founder, Gavin Gear, regularly tests the latest and greatest reloading gear, including presses, case prep centers, cleaning systems and more. Gavin, shown above, is currently hard at work on “the mother of all” reloading press comparisons. He has secured 14 single-stage presses and set them up in his workroom/studio. This will be the most comprehensive reloading press video ever created.
Last week, Gavin was working hard in SHOT Show 2019 in Las Vegas, finding new products, and interviewing some important folks in the shooting sports industry. Here are four videos Gavin released this week for his Ultimate Reloader YouTube Channel.
New Products from Ruger for 2019
Gavin says: “I’m a big fan of Ruger rifles, in fact my first rifle was a Ruger 10/22! Since then I’ve published a lot of stories covering the Ruger Precision Rifle, and other Ruger products. While at the SHOT show this year I visited the Ruger booth, and got the scoop on the latest rifle offerings from Ruger.” Below is also an Ultimate Reloader preview video of the Ruger American Rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor and “Go Wild Camo” livery.
Here are some interesting comments from Gavin’s YouTube viewers:
“It’s amazing how low price [Rugers are] while still being made in the USA. Great job Ruger!” — J. Allen
“I own the RPR in 6.5, 5.56 [.223 Rem], .22 rimfire. The rifles are cheap it’s the bi-pods, rings, optics that make you dig deep in the wallet.” — 2d Amendment
“I am really digging the Ruger American Go Wild Camo, what an absolutely beautiful gun[.] I had a friend … with the 22 inch barrel and is hitting solid MOA groups out to 200.” — F. Earnest
New Products from Lyman for 2019
Lyman Products rolled out three impressive new reloading presses last year. This included an 8-station turret press, a beefy O-frame press, and a versatile C-Frame compact press.
Following up on last year’s successful product launches, for 2019 Lyman is releasing some impressive new tools and gear, including a cool new case trimmer and a deluxe shooting mat. In this video, Gavin interviews Lyman engineer Spencer Karoll, who discusses Lyman’s new product offerings.
Interview with Hornady President Steve Hornady
Gavin reports: “One of the great things about going to the SHOT Show is the people you get to talk with. At last year’s SHOT Show, I met Steve Hornady and talked for a few minutes. This year I [wanted] to have a conversation with Steve on camera! Steve was game, so here it is– a discussion about Hornady’s history, Hornady’s business philosophy, and Steve’s thoughts on new products like the 300 PRC.”
.224 Valkyrie Status Report — Info from Federal
Since its debut just before SHOT Show last year, the new .224 Valkyrie cartridge has been a “hot topic” in the gun industry. In this video interview Gavin covers the .224 Valkyrie’s first year. This video reveals key facts, clarifies misconceptions, and explains how Federal Premium has worked with the shooting community to realize the full potential of this cartridge.
We are big fans of the .17 HMR round. It’s just about perfect for ground squirrels, and is effective on prairie dogs out to about 200 yards. The two main .17 HMR producers have been CCI and Hornady. Now we have a new player in the .17 HMR world — Norma — and that’s a good thing. For 2019, Norma® has expanded its rimfire line-up with the introduction of its new .17 HMR V-MAX. A great round for varmint hunters and small game hunters, the Norma .17 HMR V-MAX delivers fine accuracy and hard-hitting performance all the way out to 200 yards.
Norma’s .17 HMR V-MAX is engineered to deliver high energy upon impact combined with good accuracy. With a 2560 FPS muzzle velocity rating, this ammo features a 17gr polymer-tipped V-MAX bullet designed for rapid expansion. MSRP for a 50-round box is $12.78. Expect “street price” under $10.00.
“The .17 HMR has a very loyal following among hunters and target shooters alike,” said Paul Lemke, General Manager for RUAG Ammotec USA. “With outstanding accuracy and excellent energy transfer, Norma’s new .17 HMR V-MAX lives up to the reputation of this … rimfire caliber.”
What rifle would you feed Norma’s new .17 HMR ammo? How about the new .17 HMR version of the Ruger Precision Rimfire Magnum. Here’s an informative video on that new modular bolt-gun, which is also available in .22 WMR. Reviewer 22 Plinkster gets good accuracy at 100 yards shooting 17gr CCI .17 HMR ammo. (The 20gr ammo was much worse).
About Norma — A company from Sweden
Norma is a registered trademark of RUAG Ammotec, a RUAG Group Company. Established in 1902 and based out of Amotfors, Sweden, Norma has built a reputation world-wide for its dedication to quality, precision and reliability For more information, visit Norma-ammunition.com.
In the video below, Forum member (and F-Class ace) Erik Cortina shows how to install a Jewell Benchrest trigger into a Kelbly F-Class Panda action. You could follow the same simple procedure to install a Jewell in a standard Panda action. Kelbly’s sell both standard and long versions of the F-Class Panda action. Both versions feature integral recoil lugs in the front.
To see more detail in this “how-to” video, you can zoom it to full-screen size. Simply click the full-screen icon (4-cornered frame) just to the right of the YouTube logo in the lower right.
Everyone should own a nice .22 LR rimfire pistol. The Browning Buck Mark is a classic, and for good reason. These pistols are reliable, well-balanced, have a good trigger, and they are very accurate. We have nothing but praise for the bull-barreled Buck Marks. And now you can get one for a super-low price. Sportsman’s Guide has the Browning Buck Mark Camper UFX with 5.5″ Barrel on sale for $299.99 ($284.99 member price). But it gets even better — if you use Code “WARRIOR” during check-out, you save $20.00, putting your total price at just $279.99 (or $264.99 for SG members). That’s a great deal on a very solid rimfire pistol that can serve you well for decades.
The accurate and ergonomic Buck Mark Camper UFX was selected as an NRA Gun of the Week last year. This video explains the pistol’s features in detail.
This video shows how to Field Strip and disassemble the Buck Mark Camper UFX. To Field Strip the pistol, you need to remove three screws.
Browning Buck Mark Camper UFX Features:
• Blowback, Single Action Only
• Tapered 5.5″ Bull Barrel
• Alloy receiver w/matte black finish
• Overmolded Ultragrip FX ambidextrous grips
• Pro-Target™ adjustable sights with Fiber Optic
Caliber/Cartridge: .22 LR (22 Long Rifle)
Capacity: 10+1
Safety: Manual
Sights: Fiber Optic
Weight: 2.12 lbs
One of the most interesting new pistols at SHOT Show 2019 was the SIG Sauer P320 XCompact, the latest in the P320 X-Series. What is most noteworthy about this pistol (and other X-Series guns) is that the TRIGGER GROUP, not the frame, carries the serial number. That means that after you process one SIG P320 X handgun through an FFL, you can put that same trigger group in different frames. So you could have a full-sized pistol for slow-fire target work, plus a compact version for concealed carry. Or you can have a 9mm AND a 40 S&W version of the same pistol. SIG calls this “unprecedented modularity”. We agree — this is very, very clever. Glock, Walther, Ruger — take note!
SIG’s P320 XCompact is a modular, striker-fired pistol with a serialized trigger group that makes it adaptable to multiple calibers, size, and grip options. The P320 XCompact is available in 9mm and features X-RAY3 day/night sights, a flat trigger, and night sight rear plate making it optic ready. There are both a striker safety and a disconnect safety. The P320 XCompact comes standard with two, 15-round magazines.
P320 XCompact is Comfortable in the Hand, Like Classic P226/P228 Pistols
At SHOT we tried the P320 XCompact and found it very comfortable in the hand — with ergonomics similar to our much-loved metal-framed P226. SIG says the XCompact has a “completely redesigned grip module with an improved beavertail and fastback profile, contoured magwell, and a deep trigger guard undercut”.
“The P320 XCOMPACT redefines what a compact pistol should be by combining concealability with full size XSERIES features. Through extensive end-user feedback, the P320 XCOMPACT provides for smoother handling and optimizes the user experience,” said Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales.
