The popular NRA All Access TV show is coming back for a second season on Outdoor Channel starting July 2. If you liked Season One, you’ll definitely enjoy Season Two. Hosts Matt and Jessie Duff return, with some great new feature stories (and a lot of shooting footage). Ace shooter Jessie Duff reports: “We have a lot of great episodes this season and haven’t even scratched the surface of NRA’s programs.” NOTE: NRA All Access is moving to a new time slot, Wednesdays at 10:30pm ET/PT.
Check out the Season Two sizzle reel for a sneak peek of upcoming episodes:
Here’s a fun Season One highlight, with Matt and Jessie on the West Coast:
Waterloo Labs is a group of engineers from National Instruments and other self-declared “nerds” from Austin, Texas. These folks conducted an interesting demonstration using electronic accelerometers to plot bullet impacts from a suppressed Ruger MKIII .22LR pistol. The accelerometers respond to vibrations caused when the bullets hit a drywall target backer. By triangulating data from multiple accelerometers, each shot’s exact point of impact can be plotted with great precision. These point-of-impact coordinates are then fed into a computer and super-imposed into a Flash version of the Half-Life video game (which is projected on the drywall board). The end result is being able to “play” a video game with a real firearm.
Do-It-Yourself Electronic Target System?
Now, we are NOT particularly interested in shooting Zombies in a video game. However, the technology has interesting potential applications for real shooters. Waterloo Labs has published the computer code, used to triangulate bullet impacts from multiple accelerometers. Potentially, a system like this could be built to provide display and scoring of long-range targets. Sophisticated electronic target systems already exist, but they use proprietary hardware and software, and they are very expensive. The Waterloo Labs experiment shows that shooters with some computer and electronic skills could build their own electronic scoring system, one that can be adapted to a variety of target sizes and materials.
In addition, we imagine this system could be utilized for military and law enforcement training. The walls of structures used for “live-fire” room-clearing exercises could be fitted with accelerometers so the bullet impacts could be plotted and studied. Then, later, the impact plots could be combined with a computer simulation so that trainees could “replay” their live-fire sessions, viewing the actual location of their hits (and misses).
After politicians force citizens to register their firearms, what comes next? Laws requiring permits to purchase ammo (with mandatory registration and finger-printing). We kid you not. Right now in California (no surprise), legislators are considering legislation (Senate Bill 53) that would require purchasers of ammunition to register with the state Department of Justice (DOJ) prior to purchasing any ammunition, and to obtain an ammo-purchasing permit.
You would think such a law would be rejected as an extreme “prior restraint” and hence, a violation of Californians’ Constitutional rights. But heck no, quite a few politicians (you guess the party) believe that it is perfectly fine to require pre-purchase registration of ammo buyers. Last week, anti-gun Senate Bill 53 passed in the California Assembly Public Safety Committee by a 5 to 2 vote. SB 53 will now go to the Assembly floor where it could be considered at anytime.
SB 53 would require ammo buyers to register with the state Department of Justice (DOJ) prior to purchasing any ammunition. The registration process would require the submission of fingerprints, background check results, and fees to the DOJ. On top of that, SB 53 would require gun owners to obtain a costly ammunition purchaser permit every two years. In addition, at time of sale, ammo purchasers would have to provide a thumbprint for all ammunition purchases.
It Gets Worse — California Legislation Would Also Ban Mail-Order Ammo Sales
This onerous legislation, SB53, does more than mandate registration of ammo purchasers. It would also ban online and mail-order sales of all ammunition, including hunting ammunition.
The inimitable Jerry Miculek has produced a clever, yet thought-provoking video about concealed and open carry options. If you ever carry a handgun for protection (whether open or concealed), you should watch this video. Jerry offers sensible advice about concealment, gun retention, holster choice, caliber selection, and handgun safety.
Jerry also demonstrates practice drills that help you draw your gun safely and get a round on target quickly. Jerry points out that a gun in your pocket may be useless in a risk scenario if you can’t draw it out quickly and smoothly. Jerry also offers advice on open carry rigs that you might use around a ranch or farm. Miculek believes “ranch carry” rigs should have positive retention so that the gun won’t fall out when the user is climbing in and out of vehicle or doing physical tasks.
Many of our readers have been interested in learning how modern bullets are made. While a “boutique” bullet-maker, supplied with appropriate cores and jackets, can craft bullets using relatively simple hand dies and manual presses, factory production is different. The major bullet-makers, such as Barnes, employ huge, complex machines to craft their projectiles on an assembly line.
Modern hunting bullets are made with a variety of sophisticated (and expensive) machines, such as Computer Numerical Control (CNC) lathes, giant multi-stage presses, and hydraulic extruding machines that draw lead ingots into lead wire. Barnes offers an “inside look” at the bullet production process in a series of videos filmed at its Mona, UT factory. We’ve embedded four videos from the series here. These videos can also be viewed on the Barnes Bullets YouTube Channel.
Milling Slots in TSX All-Copper Bullet
This video shows how the slots (between the drive bands) in the TSX all-copper bullet are cut. The slots reduce the bearing surface that contacts the rifling. This helps reduce friction and heat, extending the life of barrels used with all-metal, drive-band bullets:
Varminator Bullets Produced in Jumbo Transfer Press
Here is the transfer press used in the production of Varminator and MPG Bullets. The process begins with a giant spool of flat copper material. The copper is stamped into jackets and eventually the formed Varminator bullets are ejected one by one into a bucket.
CNC Lathe Turns Bullets Automatically
In the video below, a Bar-Feed CNC crafts mono-bloc bullets from metal bar stock. Barnes uses a small CNC lathe to turn .50-caliber bullets from brass bar stock. We’re not sure which bullet is being made in this video. The material looks to be sintered metal. In the close-ups you can gold-colored shavings from when the machine was previously used for CNC-turned brass bullets.
Accuracy Testing in 100-yard Tunnel
Barnes regularly tests bullet samples for accuracy. In the video below, a Barnes technician loads sample rounds and tests them for accuracy in a 100-yard tunnel. The rounds are shot through a special fixture — basically a barreled action connected to parallel rods on either side. This allows the testing fixture to slide straight back on recoil (see it move back at 1:07-08 minute mark). Note how the tester actuates the trigger, which is oriented upwards, just the opposite of a normal rifle. The technician taps the upward-pointing trigger shoe lightly with a metal rod. Could this upside-down trigger orientation be useful in benchrest shooting — perhaps with railguns? It could make for an interesting experiment.
Story suggestion by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
BAT Machine recently launched a completely updated and upgraded website at www.batmachine.com. The new website is much easier to navigate, and the site features more and better photos.
Click on the Actions Pull-Down Menu for detailed descriptions of all the action types with zoomable images. There is also a helpful Action Selection Guide that can help you chose the right configuration for your next rifle build. And BAT fans can now purchase BAT rings, tools, parts, and logo gear through a secure BAT online store.
Helpful “How-To” Maintenance Videos from BAT
BAT’s revamped website features an impressive new Video Archive. There you’ll find many informative videos about bolts, ejectors, action maintenance, and other technical matters. Here are two examples:
How to Grease and Maintain Your BAT Action and Bolt:
How to Remove (and Re-Install) Firing Pin Assembly:
More Helpful Information on the New BAT Website
One thing that people might easily miss is the large spreadsheet that details the specs of all BAT Machine actions. To download that .xlsx spreadsheet to your hard drive, Right Click (and “Save As”) this link: ACTION CONFIGURATION PART LIST. After opening the spreadsheet, on the “ACTION” worksheet, you’ll find action model, body shape, weight, bolt faces available, and tenon spec among several other items. Note that there are two worksheet tabs (look down at the bottom left). Use these spreadsheet tabs to switch between “Action” and “Accessories”.
Also, on the BAT website FAQ page, you’ll find prints for barrel tenon machining, firing pin sizes, torque specs, and tons of other very helpful info. This is well worth a look. — ELR Researcher.
Story Tip from Boyd Allen and EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
It is an iconic American firearm design — the Thompson submachine gun, or “Tommy Gun”. Here’s your chance to add the real thing to your firearms collection. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLPD) plans to auction off twenty-nine (29) historic Tommy Guns. These 1920s-era .45-caliber weapons have been stored in a vault for decades. The SLPD is selling the highly-collectible submachine guns to raise money for new service pistols for its officers. The auction will take place later this year, but no exact auction date has yet been set.
A Million Dollars Worth of Full-Auto Firepower
The Tommy guns are expected to fetch from $15,000 to $40,000 each, putting a estimated value of the whole collection at as much as $1,000,000. According to the Washington Times: “The collection was appraised by a local dealer in 2012 at $770,000, but police and some collectors believe it could sell for much more. The collection includes rare 1921 and 1927 Colts and a model made in 1942.”
SLPD chief Sam Dotson stated: “We’re told [that] outside of the military and federal government we have the largest cache of Thompson machine guns.”
Because these are fully-automatic “Class III” weapons, subject to the National Firearms Act (NFA), purchasers much fill out the proper paperwork, pass background checks, and obtain a Federal Tax stamp for each Tommy gun purchased. The SLPD expects the majority of the firearms will be purchased by wealthy collectors or museums.
California’s loss is Alabama’s gain. Great things have been happening since Creedmoor Sports left California and moved its operations to Anniston, Alabama. Creedmoor has started a match ammo loading operation, and just yesterday Creedmoor announced that it will open its first Creedmoor Armory “brick and mortar” retail store on June 21, 2014. This store is located at 5400 McClellan Blvd., Anniston, AL, 36205 (see map below).
The Creedmoor Armory store will carry a complete line of firearms, ammo, and shooting accessories. The store will sell pistols and shotguns as well as rifles. We think this store will prove to be a big success, and a nice complement to Creedmoor’s catalog business and online webstore.
“Gunny” R. Lee Ermey will be on hand to great new customers when the Creedmoor Armory store opens its doors for business on June 21st. There will be a rifle raffle and free food for the first 200 customers.
Our friend Anette Wachter, aka “30CalGal”, stars in a new video from NRAWomen.TV. In this episode of Tips & Tactics, 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.
If you liked the above clip, here’s another video in which Anette offers tips for shooting with bipod:
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.
About 30CalGal Life is short. Go Shoot! — Anette Wachter
Along with being a talented competitive shooter, Anette has her own Gun Blog, 30CalGal.com, and she writes for several gun publications including GunUp Magazine, Shooting Sports USA, Sure Shots Magazine, and Wide Open Spaces. She also designs and crafts custom jewelry items, many of which utilize cartridge cases or other shooting-themed components. You can purchase Anette’s jewelry through her AW Collections webstore.
Imagine you’re out in the field and your scope fails or you have a malfunction with your iron sights (maybe the front blade snaps off). You’d think that means you can’t shoot anymore. Well think again. In fact, as Kirsten Joy Weiss demonstrates in this video, it IS possible to shoot a rifle without a scope or conventional sights — and one can do so with surprising accuracy. Trick shot artist Kirsten shows how you can align a corner of your action with a spot at the end of the barrel to aim at your target. With no sights, Kirsten manages to shoot a very respectable group — drilling 4 of 7 shots in one ragged hole.
Watch Kirsten Put 4 of 7 Shots in One Ragged Hole with No Sights
Kirsten created another video earlier this year, where she also did some precision shooting without sights, hitting a pair of bottle-caps at 25 yards. CLICK HERE for Kirsten Bottle Cap Video.
The popular NRA All Access TV show is coming back for a second season on Outdoor Channel starting July 2. If you liked Season One, you’ll definitely enjoy Season Two. Hosts Matt and Jessie Duff return, with some great new feature stories (and a lot of shooting footage). Ace shooter Jessie Duff reports: “We have a lot of great episodes this season and haven’t even scratched the surface of NRA’s programs.” NOTE: NRA All Access is moving to a new time slot, Wednesdays at 10:30pm ET/PT.
Do-It-Yourself Electronic Target System?
The inimitable Jerry Miculek has produced a clever, yet thought-provoking video about concealed and open carry options. If you ever carry a handgun for protection (whether open or concealed), you should watch this video. Jerry offers sensible advice about concealment, gun retention, holster choice, caliber selection, and handgun safety.
Many of our readers have been interested in learning how modern bullets are made. While a “boutique” bullet-maker, supplied with appropriate cores and jackets, can craft bullets using relatively simple hand dies and manual presses, factory production is different. The major bullet-makers, such as 
It is an iconic American firearm design — the 
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