Now here is an example of truly impressive marksmanship skills and amazing aiming from a USAMU soldier. From a standing position, SPC Ivan Roe shoots a tiny aspirin pill off the top of a balloon — without breaking the balloon. In fact, he does this twice … with iron sights no less.
Watch Video to See Aspirin Pill Shot Twice off Balloon:
The first time the pill sits on a small piece of tape just millimeters above the upper edge of the balloon (Time mark 00:40-45). But the second time, the aspirin pill lies flat on the top on the balloon — an even tougher challenge. Watch Ivan nail that flat pill again without hitting the balloon at 00:59. No that is truly impressive — and remember it was done from standing with Iron sights!
SPC Ivan Roe was using a German Feinwerkbau, an elite precision air rifle favored by Olympic and World Cup competitors. Originally from Montana, SPC Roe is a member of the USAMU International Rifle Team.
Did you like this demonstration of Trick-Shot marksmanship? Then visit the USAMU’s Facebook Page. The USAMU often releases shooting skills/marksmanship videos on Facebook and YouTube, with the Trickshot examples featured on Tuesday. CLICK HERE for another USAMU trick-shot video — hitting a poker chip on a fast-moving target frame with a pistol. Very impressive.
Do you enjoy watching gun videos on YouTube or reading gun Blogs? Then here’s your chance to vote for your favorite video hosts, firearms instructors, and celebrity shooters. The 2022 Gundies Awards program is taking votes now. Modeled after the Oscars/Emmys, the Gundies Awards focus on the world of guns, shooting, and hunting. The annual community-voted Gundies awards spotlight notable firearms-centric content creators — shooters who do videos, gun reviews, and Second Amendment commentaries.
Vote and Get a Chance to Win Prizes
Voting is now open for the 3rd Annual Gundies Voter Choice Awards. You can cast your votes online through 1/32/2022. Voters can vote each day throughout the month of January to earn entries towards prizes valued upwards of $2,000. The final Gundies Awards “ceremony” will be streamed live on February 19th at 9:30 EST at TheGundies.com.
Voting gives you a chance to win category prizes, plus ALL voters are also automatically entered towards the GRAND PRIZE, a trip to attend the Gundie Awards & Range Day.
2022 Gundies Award Categories
This year features five new categories: Top Voices of the Second Amendment, Firearm Instructor of the Year, Best Guns of Hollywood, Most Dapper Influencer and Pro Gun Celebrity.
Here are four leading candidates in the Gundies Best Shooter Category. There are 47 shooters vying for this honor overall. CLICK HERE to cast your vote for “Best Shooter”.
Sponsors of the 2022 Gundie Awards include: Brownells, Gallowtech, Henry Repeating Arms, Savior Equipment, Walker’s Ear Pro, Retro Rifle, Heckler & Koch, X Products, CMMG, Eotech Optics, Timney Triggers, Crossbreed Holsters, True Shot Gun Club, Primary Arms Optics, and Midwest Gun Works. These companies will provide prizes.
How the Nomination and Selection Process Works
The Gundies leave the decision to the public to choose the official nominees in each category. Fan voting opens on January 1st, 2022. The top five contestants in each category with the most fan nominations will automatically be chosen as one of the category nominees.
The previous Gundie Awards saw over 140,000 voters, over 1 million votes and over 20,000 viewers of the Award Ceremony. For more information go to TheGundies.com.
Mixed Bag of Nominees — Some Good, Some Laughable
Best Shooter candidate Kirsten Joy Weiss was a top-level NCAA 3-position rifle competitor in college. She is VERY skilled with firearms and just happens to be very attractive as well. However, to be honest, some of the female “influencers” are just narcissistic social media queens who trade on their looks. They get dolled up in revealing outfits and lots of make-up for posed shots with guns. And on the male side there are plenty of tattooed tactical poseurs with almost no technical knowledge. But there ARE some solid nominees, especially in the Best Shooter and Best Gun Reviewer categories.
Today’s feature story showcases an impressive 6.5×47 Lapua benchrest rifle crafted by Gavin Gear of UltimateReloader.com. A gifted writer, video producer, and gear reviewer, Gavin has also acquired some serious gunsmithing skills over the past few years.
For this project, the multi-talented Mr. Gear did ALL the work himself — barrel chambering, muzzle crowning, stock inletting, action bedding, and yes even the stock painting. That brilliant red design with white and black stripes is an “homage” to the famous “Frankenstrat” guitar played by Rock N’ Roll legend Eddie Van Halen (EVH). That red/white/black guitar was the inspiration for this tribute rifle.
Gavin explained: “I decided to build a benchrest rifle as a tribute to Eddie Van Halen as I’ve been inspired by his guitar playing, his energy, and himself as a person. This is my first benchrest rifle build. And when I set out to build this rifle I was looking around at what other people were doing in the benchrest community in terms of stock graphics, and I decided I needed to do something ‘loud and crazy’ and when I thought about that, the first thing that came to mind was Eddie Van Halen’s iconic Frankenstrat guitar.”
Here it is! My first all-out benchrest build! This rifle will serve as a test bed for the evaluation of different cartridges and components. In this multi-part series, I’ll walk through the … process of building this rifle including the barrel work, stock inletting, stock bedding, and some paint work that will be “a little different”. — Gavin Gear
Rifle Components — BAT Action, Krieger Barrel, Wheeler Stock, Sightron Scope Bat Model B Action, .308 Win Bolt Face (modular), octagonal profile, integral recoil lug
Bix’n Andy Remington 700 Competition Trigger (from Bullet Central)
Wheeler Engineering LRB Stock with 4″ fore-end and steerable buttstock rudder
Sightron SV 10-50x60mm ED SFP Scope (FCH Target Dot Reticle) in 34mm BAT Rings
Painting the Eddie Van Halen Tribute Rifle
Gavin told us: “I’ve long been inspired and impressed by Eddie Van Halen (EVH). He changed the game for guitar in the late 1970s, and the world took notice! I’ve been a Van Halen fan for a long time, and that’s where the inspiration for my latest rifle build came from. Benchrest rifles are known for their loud and vivid paint jobs, and that made me think: ‘I need to do an EVH Frankenstrat paint job!’. In this video I share my experiences putting together this automotive-style rifle paint job.”
Gavin painted the stock himself with red/black/white graphics inspired by the rock legend’s famous guitar. Gavin actually has some serious painting skills learned decades ago. When Gavin was 16 he was “hell-bent on learning auto body prep and paint work”. He managed to score a job with a local shop, and did his first complete professional paint job (on a Toyota Supra) when he was just 17 years old.
The EVH tribute stock was painted in multiple stages, with masking to create the stripes after the bright red was applied. For the finishing touch, the entire stock was sprayed with Omni clearcoat: “This [clear-coating] is when things really start to look good because you’re covering up all those masked transitions between the striping and the backgrounds.” Gavin says the key to clear-coating is “seeing the reflection of the light on the surface. This gives you visual feedback”. Watch the video above to see the entire painting process. CLICK HERE for Gavin’s full write-up on the stock painting job with many photos.
Barrel Break-In and Load Testing
The rifle showed great accuracy right from the get-go. In fact, the very first three shots through the barrel formed a 0.298″ group at 100 (see video at 05:35)! Then the gun produced a series of good three-shot groups (high 2s and low 3s), demonstrating the quality of the Krieger barrel and Gavin’s chambering work. CLICK HERE for testing target showing multiple groups.
Gavin selected top components for his loads: Lapua 6.5×47 brass, Berger 140gr Hybrid 6.5mm bullets, and Hodgdon Varget powder (unobtanium these days). To find promising starting loads, Gavin went straight to the best 6.5×47 Lapua resource on the web — AccurateShooter.com’s 6.5×47 Cartridge Guide. Researched by the 6.5 Guys (Ed and Steve), our Cartridge Guide includes recommended accuracy loads for a wide variety of bullets and powders.
Stock Work and Bedding
In this Part 2 video, Gavin reveals the extensive work he did to prepare the stock for the barreled action. This video shows multiple operations: barrel channel and receiver inletting; machining of custom pillars; stock bedding, and trigger guard installation. Yes, Gavin did all the final inletting using his own machines, and he even created his own precision pillars. Watch the above video to see the entire inletting job followed by the action bedding process. Gavin’s skills are impressive.
This Alex Wheeler LRB stock has some very innovative features, such as the adjustable “rudder” (or keel) on the bottomside of the buttstock. This helps ensure great tracking. Alex has noted: “This stock tracks exceptionally well due to the adjustable rudder system and 4″-wide fore-end. Aluminum rails in the front prevent rocking on the front bag as well as form small trenches to aid tracking. The adjustable rudder in the rear allows you to fine tune the bag riding surfaces until exactly parallel. The 4″-wide fore-end is legal in Benchrest and helps control torqueing in the bag.”
Chambering the Barrel for 6.5×47 Lapua
Gavin did ALL the gunsmithing for the project, including chambering the Krieger barrel, and headspacing it for the BAT M Action. Gavin also crowned the muzzle. He did this all on his own advanced Precision Matthews PM-1440GT Lathe using Triebel Guntools 6.5x47mm body/neck finisher reamer, 6.5x47mm throater reamer, and Go and No-Go gages.
Clearly, this is not your average DIY project — Gavin performed ALL the most critical and demanding gunsmithing tasks. He trained himself to do these tasks working with ace gunsmith Gordy Gritters. You can see all the chambering and barrel-fitting functions in this revealing video:
Muzzle Work — Cutting Threads and Target Crown
This photo shows the finishing of the barrel’s muzzle end. Gavin notes: “For the muzzle end, I again used the True Bore Alignment System. Above you can see the SSG Range Rod I used which features two tight-fitting bushings that ride on the barrel lands. This makes for quick barrel dial-in! I then cut an 11-degree target crown, as recommended by Gordy Gritters.”
The next step with this EVH Tribute rifle will be fitting the barrel for an Erik Cortina (EC) tuner, and proceeding with further load tuning. But that will have to wait for spring, when the snow has melted….
As a 2022 New Year’s bonus for our Bulletin readers we decided to showcase 10 of our favorite gun tech, reloading, and shooting technique videos for our readers. These videos were created by top YouTube content providers: F-Class John, Gavin Gear, Keith Glasscock, Erik Cortina, Thomas Haugland, and Pieter Malan. Consider this like an all-star gun channel collection. These videos will help you load more accurate ammo, improve your “mental game”, and shoot better in matches. Enjoy!
Do you use an AR15 for service rifle, 3-Gun, or tactical competitions? Then you should consider dry-fire training. Many top competitors spend an hour (or more) dry-firing for every minute they shoot live cartridges in competition. The allows effective training without spending a fortune on live ammunition (which can run $1.00 per round or more).
There is a handy new system that resets the trigger on AR-platform rifles — the Mantis Blackbeard (see videos below). This permits you to make multiple successive shots without having to alter your grip and manually recycle the charging handle. This two-part system employs a replacement bolt carrier/bolt and replacement magazine. With these two components installed, your AR can automatically reset the trigger instantly after you pull the trigger. It works, it’s effective, and it’s affordable at $219.00 MSRP.
The Blackbeard system is used by the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army (including Special Forces), so you know it works. During training the Mantis Blackbeard allows unlimited, repetitive Dry Firing without resetting the charging handle. That eliminates a tedious task that requires altering your hold on the rifle.
No Gun Modifications
Same Trigger Weight, Break, and Reset
Installs in under a minute
Up to 10 shots per second
Up to 100,000 Shots per Charge
Save on Ammunition Costs
In the video below Top Shot Champion Dustin Ellermann shows how to use the Mantis Blackbeard. He vividly demonstrates the clear advantage of the Blackbeard compared to manually pulling the charging handle over and over (See 00:02 – 00:20 time).
Dustin Ellermann Review of Mantis Blackbeard Trigger Reset System
This next video, from the manufacturer Mantis, shows how to install the Mantis Blackbeard, how to set the zero, and how to operate the unit with your AR-platform rifle.
The easy-to-install-Mantis Blackbeard replaces your bolt carrier and magazine in less than a minute, allowing easy training transitions. The magazine battery pack is good for 100,000 shots per charge and the Blackbeard is rated to reset as quickly as 10 shots per second, allowing rapid fire training for 3-Gun and tactical competitions.
Americans love AR-platform rifles. However, they can be maintenance-intensive, as hot gasses are directed right back into the action to operate the bolt. Because ARs have a somewhat unique (and dirty) semi-auto operating system, we think all AR owners should learn how their rifles operate — from the inside out. This feature provides an “inside look” at the AR, with X-Ray and Cutaway views created through advanced 3D computer modeling.
AR15 Functions Revealed with 3D Computer Animation
Ever wondered how the parts inside an AR15 work together? Just exactly how does the reciprocating bolt carrier feed rounds from the magazine? How do the elements in the trigger group work and reset after each shot? How does the gas system bleed gas from the barrel and operate the bolt carrier? These and other questions are answered in this eye-opening video from 45Snipers. Using “cutaway” 3D computer animation, this 5-minute video shows all features of an AR15 inside and out. This fascinating firearms animation allows the viewer to look inside the upper and lower receivers, into the bolt carrier, chamber, barrel, and magazine.
This video starts off slow and has annoying background music, but it is well worth watching if you own or shoot any AR-platform rifle. It illustrates all the key operations during the charging, loading, firing, and ejection processes. The cutaway animation shows how rounds are stripped from the magazine and then chambered. It then shows how every part of the trigger group works, and how the firing pin strikes the primer. You can even watch the bullet move down the barrel before the empty shell casing is removed from the chamber and tossed out the ejection port. Here are sample frames from the video:
How AR-Platform Rifles Work — General Introduction
To help reader understand the general operation of AR-type rifles, this video shows the control functions of an AR and how the upper and lower sections work together.
Cutaway 3D Animation of AR15/M16 Action — Watch Video
Here is an excellent “cutaway” animation by Thomas Schwenke that shows how an AR-15 functions — how the entire loading cycle works from start to finish.
AR platform rifles are semi-automatics version of the M16. These feature distinctive upper and lower receivers which can be readily separated via front and rear pins. The upper includes the barrel, handguard, forward gas tube, and bolt assembly, while the lower contains grip, trigger group, fire selector, and mag well. In addition the lower is attached to the stock which encloses the buffer assembly.
The original ArmaLite AR-15 was a select-fire, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed rifle designed by American gun manufacturer ArmaLite in 1956. It was based on Armalite’s AR-10 rifle chambered for the 7.62×51 NATO (.308 Win). In 1959, ArmaLite sold its rights to the AR-10 and AR-15 to Colt. Some key modifications were made — most notably, the charging handle was re-located from under the carrying handle to the rear of the receiver. The redesigned rifle was adopted by the U.S. military as the M16 carbine, which went into production in March 1964.
The past couple weeks we have had the privilege to test an impressive new First Focal Plane riflescope from ZEISS. Our tester, Jim See of Elite Accuracy LLC, received the ZEISS LRP S5 525-56 optic, Milrad version, and took a quick look at it. Jim was immediately impressed by the bright, clear markings on the turrets, and the positive clicks. He liked the lever-equipped zoom control, the positive zero-stop on the elevation knob, and he believed the lockable windage turret can have definite benefits in the field.
After doing his first inspection, Jim quickly installed the LRP S5 525-56 on his 6mmBR PRS/NRL rifle, which features a red J. Allen Chassis and Impact Precision action. Jim placed the scope in high-quality Zeiss rings with integral bubble level. He then took the rig out into the field and completed an initial Tall Target test. That test confirmed the precision and repeatability of the 0.1 MRAD elevation and windage click values.
Jim also liked how positive the clicks felt with both elevation and windage knobs. Jim told us: “The scope operates well, it tracks well, and the turrets are accurate in their movements. All the functions work well — elevation, windage, parallax. This LRP scope has a quality feel — similar to other ZEISS products I have used.” Jim also noted that the ZEISS LRP S5 scope resisted solar flare very well: “This is important in PRS matches where we get that low sun in the afternoons”. Jim had high praise for the highly visible numbers on the dials: “With my eyes, I can’t read the numbers on most scopes, but with this ZEISS LRP S5 scope I CAN read the numbers.” Overall, Jim believed this ZEISS 5-25x56mm optic “will fit well in its intended market”, namely PRS/NRL and long range hunting.
Scope mounted in ZEISS rings with bubble level. Optional sunshade is attached in front.
Stay Tuned for Full Field Test of ZEISS LRP S5 525-56 Optic
The past few weeks Jim See has been testing the impressive new 5-25X ZEISS scope in the field, with the optic fitted on his PRS/NRL competition rig. Even in cold winter weather, the optic has performed very well, with positive adjustments and good results in the tall target test. Jim is now doing field tests with targets from 100 yards to 1200 yards and beyond.
To test ruggedness and weatherproofing, Jim is putting the Zeiss LRP through its paces in harsh winter conditions. He’s using a tripod here to keep off the snowy ground. The tripod mount also allows smooth traversing to view a wide selection of terrain and objects near and far.
Advanced Optical Technology — ZEISS LRP S5 Features
The ZEISS LRP S5 525-56 has many notable features, including a lockable windage turret, adjustable reticle illumination, and a HUGE amount of elevation travel — 40.7 Mils in the MIL model and 140 MOA in the MOA version. That gives this optic the ability to shoot at extreme range without requiring holdovers.
F-Class ace Erik Cortina recently interviewed noted author and Olympic Gold Medal-winning shooter Lanny Bassham. For his popular video channel, Erik asked Lanny about his book With Winning in Mind. The two talented shooters also broadly discussed the “mental game” in the shooting sports and Lanny’s program for visualization of a winning performance. Lanny explains that after you have mastered your rifle skills, and learned to read the wind, it is important to adopt a winning mentality and to visualize success. Lanny should know. He won a shooting Gold Medal in the Olympics along with 22 world individual and team titles.
Watch Full Video Interview
Here is the wide-ranging and fascinating hour-long Lanny Bassham interview hosted by Erik Cortina. If you are looking to enhance your motivation, discipline, and “mental focus” when competing, this video is worth watching:
Visualization is a process of mental preparation that is done before you get to the range. Many of the greatest shooting champions have used this technique to get ready for big matches, and to optimize their performance during record fire. If you want to enhance your “mental game” through pre-match visualization, we strongly recommend Lanny Bassham’s book, With Winning in Mind.
As a competitive smallbore 3P shooter, Bassham developed a mental management system. Using this system, Lanny Bassham won 22 world individual and team titles, set four world records, and captured an Olympic Gold Medal in Montreal in 1976. His techniques have been embraced by professional and Olympic athletes in many sports. With Winning in Mind covers a complete system of “mental management” techniques used by Olympians and elite champions.
Putting principles into practice — Anette Wachter
Our friend Anette Wachter, aka “30CalGal”, did a series of videos for the NRAWomen.com site. In one episode, Anette talks about the “mental game” in competition. Specifically she explains how to “visualize success”:
I have found that a lot of my success in competition has come through what I call a ‘mental rehearsal’. I actually visualize every stage of the match and I visualize the success of the match and winning the match.
I actually visualize that round going downrange into the target, and the target coming up with a dead-center ‘X’. I visualize this over and over. If you visualize success you will achieve success.
Headed to SHOT Show in January? It will be a huge event, with a new twin-building layout. As before hundreds of exhibitors will be in the Venetian EXPO Center. But next door, the new Caesar’s Forum building will house scores of other exhibitors, and there is a new Outdoors Pavilion. Check it out:
This animation shows the layout of SHOT Show 2022, with the multiple buildings and levels. At the end you can see the new elevated walkway connecting the Venetian facility with the new Caesar’s Forum building. NOTE: This video will auto-run once. Click the button lower left to replay or pause.
FREE SHOT Show 2022 Mobile Apps
As in years past, FREE Mobile Apps are available for both iOS and Android users. These handy Apps provide interactive maps, schedules of seminars, plus a full directory of exhibitors. One of the best features of the App is that you can plot the most efficient route among multiple booths. That saves considerable time. To download the SHOT Show Mobile App for Android (Google) and iOS (Apple), go to SHOTmobile.com.
This 59-page digital resource contains the full list of exhibitors, along with maps, activity schedules, resource links, and much more. If you will be attending SHOT Show in January, this Notebook provides a wide collection of important information all in one place.
There is a special website with detailed maps of all the exhibitor locations. IMPORTANT: You can type in the name of a vendor, such as LAPUA, and this page will display that vendor’s booth on the appropriate floor map. This is very helpful for planning. CLICK HERE to search vendors on Floor Plan.
Sinclair International has created a series of instructional videos illustrating the basics of metallic cartridge reloading. The 8-Part series starts with reloading basics and provides step-by-step, how-to instructions that will help new reloaders get started. Detailed, animated illustrations show you what happens inside the chamber when shooting, and inside the dies during each step of reloading. The videos can be viewed on Sinclair International’s YouTube channel. Shown below is the first video in the series:
Each of the Sinclair videos is hosted by then Sinclair Int’l President Bill Gravatt (now with Creedmoor Sports). Bill doesn’t just show you “how”, he tells you “why”. The how-to segments cover case inspection, proper die set up, case sizing, primer installation, powder measuring, bullet seating, crimping, and even goes into the record keeping needed for the handloader. “We wanted to give shooters who haven’t reloaded a look at all the advantages of creating your own ammo and how easy it is to get started,” said Gravatt, “without telling them they had to have any certain brand or type of equipment to do the job.”
The Eight Video Topics Are:
Part 1 — Intro to Video Series
Part 2 — Intro to Reloading Safety
Part 3 — Metallic Cartridge Components
Part 4 — The Firing Sequence
Part 5 — Tools for Reloading
Part 6 — Loading Bottle-Neck Cartridges (2 videos)
Part 7 — Loading Straight Wall Cartridges
Part 8 — Reloading Series Conclusion
Reloading Tools
Shown below is Part 5 of the video series, covering the tools used for precision reloading.
We also strongly recommend the Part 4 Video to readers who are getting started in reloading. This “How Things Work” segment covers the sequence of events inside the chamber (and barrel) when the cartridge is fired. The video includes helpful graphics that show what happens to the primer, powder, cartridge, and bullet when the round is fired. The video also illustrates “headspace” and explains how this can change after firing. We think this video answers many common questions and will help reloaders understand the forces at work on their brass during the firing process.
After doing his first inspection, Jim quickly installed the LRP S5 525-56 on his 6mmBR PRS/NRL rifle, which features a red 
F-Class ace Erik Cortina recently interviewed noted author and Olympic Gold Medal-winning shooter Lanny Bassham. For his popular video channel, Erik asked Lanny about his book 
Our friend 
