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March 14th, 2014
 Lapua has a very cool video — “eye candy” for any precision shooter. Definitely WATCH THIS VIDEO. This 12-minute video contains a surprising amount of “hard” info on Lapua products. As well, there are some amazing segments showing Lapua brass and rimfire ammo being produced. Watch carefully and you’ll see most of the processes used for forming and loading brass. Another short segment shows a Lapua technician inspecting a case for run-out. Neat.
The video spotlights some of the important American and international records set with Lapua ammo. You’ll see top 300m and Olympic rifle shooters in action, and there are also short comments from many champions, including American Benchrest legend Tony Boyer.
NOTE: This is long video — you may need to let it buffer (pre-load) for 10-20 seconds before playback. If that doesn’t work, let the entire video load, then hit the replay button.
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this VideoPress video.
Yes, this video is first and foremost a marketing tool, but that doesn’t lessen that fact that it is fascinating to watch. We suspect many of you will want to save the video to your computer for future viewing. That’s easy to do. Just click on the link below. (Note: After downloading, we suggest that PC users play it back through Windows Media Player. You can then drag the Media Player corners to expand the video viewing size.)
CLICK HERE to download 25mb Lapua Video (fast connection recommended).
March 12th, 2014
 NRA Media recently released a series of informative videos about the Science of Shooting. These videos feature high production values, with super-slow motion segments, as well as helpful computer graphics to illustrate the principles covered.
The videos are narrated by our friend Jessie Duff, a top action pistol shooter (and the first women ever to achieve USPSA Grand Master status). Jessie is assisted by talented shooters such as Top Shot Season 4 Champion Chris Cheng.
There are eight (8) videos in the Firearm Science Video Series. Here are two videos, with links to the rest below.
RECOIL — The Physics of Recoil Explained
While this video focuses on handguns, the principles involved apply to all firearms. The force of recoil is affected by the mass of the firearm, and by the speed and weight of the projectile. On a revolver, as shown in the video, there are various phases of recoil. Grip, and “compensation” porting can change the perceived force of recoil (though the energy is constant for any given ammunition specification).
VELOCITY — Calculating the Speed of a Bullet
This video shows a conventional chronograph with front and rear light sensors. The bullet first trips the front sensor and then the rear sensor as it flies over the unit. The difference in sensor time is used to calculate bullet speed. This is not the only kind of chrono in common use today. The popular MagnetoSpeed chrono works by tracking the bullet as it passes over two magnetic sensors mounted on a bayonet-style fixture on the barrel. Steinert Sensing Systems offers an Acoustic Chronograph that works by measuring the bullet’s supersonic shock-wave. This system has a much larger “sweet spot” than most optical chronographs. Last (but certainly not least) is the brand new Doppler Radar chronograph from MyLabradar.com. This can measure the speed of a bullet without the need to send the round directly over sensors.
Interestingly, this video also explains how, in the days before electric lamps, digital processors, and radar, scientists used a mechanical “Ballistic Pendulum” to calculate bullet velocity using Newtonian physics. The Ballistic Pendulum was first used in the mid 1700s. We have come a long way since then.
Other Firearm Science Videos
March 9th, 2014
There’s a very cool rifle for sale in our Forum Marketplace. Rick F. (aka “Greyfox”) just posted a listing for his Gene Beggs-built skeleton-style benchrest rifle. What makes this rig so highly desirable is the Cobra Drop Port action. A shorter version of Jerry Stiller’s popular Viper action, the Cobra drop port is highly coveted, and very hard-to-find (people have been waiting for years for new Vipers and Cobras). The gun employs a skeleton design, with the rear triangle attached directly to the action and an aluminum bag-rider secured to the barrel. It may seem radical, but this Editor has shot a Gene Beggs benchgun of this design. I can tell you it was extremely accurate and handled great on the bags. Here is the description of Greyfox’s rifle:
Stiller Cobra Drop Port, Right Bolt. Chambered in 220 Beggs .250 NK, 1:14″ twist, Jewell trigger, Beggs skeleton stock, Beggs Tuner. Built by Gene Beggs. Will shoot in .1s and .2s (can be verified). Includes 125 pieces of formed, fired brass, and sizing die. Scope and rings in photos are not included. $1900 insured & shipped in CONUS. CLICK HERE for details.
Even if you are not a benchrest competitor, this would make a wicked Prairie dog rifle to be shot off a portable bench. Having shot a Beggs “Tinkertoy” rifle with Gene himself, this Editor can tell you the “stockless” concept can work, and the Drop Port action is a joy to use (I own a Viper-action benchgun myself). The Greyfox rifle is a .220 Beggs so it is ultra-easy to form brass from the parent .220 Russian case. Whoever buys this unique, easy-to-shoot rifle will get a heck of a lot of accuracy for $1900.00.
See this Rifle in Action at the 2013 UBR Nationals
Note How Cartridge Drops Out Bottom of Action When Bolt is Retracted:
 220 Beggs
Simple, Accurate, Efficient
We were impressed with the 220 Beggs cartridge. It’s basically a plain 220 Russian with a sharper radius at the neck-shoulder junction. Gene Beggs has commissioned a 220 Beggs reamer with matching seating and full-length sizing dies. The little cartridge achieves 3600+ fps with a 52gr bullet, pushed by Benchmark powder.
From what we could tell during our visit with Gene Beggs in Texas, the 220 Beggs is easy to load for, and performs exceptionally well with either turned (.250″) or no-turn necks. The recoil was noticeably less than a 6mm PPC, making the gun a joy to shoot. This round, we felt, could also be an outstanding varmint cartridge. The velocity is there, and we don’t think any other 22-caliber varmint cartridge is going to beat it for inherent accuracy.
Photo shows bag-rider on Gene Beggs’s own .220 Beggs rifle that we shot in Texas.
March 4th, 2014
 A great episode of Impossible Shots runs tomorrow (March 5) on the Outdoor Channel. This particular episode won an award for Best Shooting Sports broadcast. To start off, the legendary Jerry Miculek tries out a new, high-capacity shotgun (used for 3-gun matches). Jerry takes his new scattergun (right out of the box), and sets a new speed-shooting record with it. Not to be outdone, in the next sequence, SSG Josh Richmond of the USAMU juggles and shoots multiple targets with his scattergun. SSG Richmond, USA Shooting’s Shotgun Athlete of the Year, has won Gold Medals at various World Cups around the world. He is one of the best double trap shooters on the planet.
Miculek Speed Drills with M&P 15
If you wonder how fast a self-declared “old guy” can be, watch this video of Jerry Miculek with a semi-automatic M&P 15 (AR-type) rifle he uses in 3-gun competition. Jerry puts five (5) rounds on target in just over one-half second. It sounds like full-auto fire, but if you watch the slow-motion playback sequences (timeline 0:50-1:12 and 1:34-1:53) you can see Jerry pull the trigger five times. Jerry’s “on-target” time for five shots was a mere 0.59 seconds (fifty-nine one-hundredths of a second)! To capture the rapid cycling of the rifle, the primary high-speed camera operated at 3600 frames per second. This allows “super slow-motion” playback that shows what really happens in the blink of an eye.
Jerry Miculek Fires Five Rounds in 0.59 Seconds
March 4th, 2014
Report by Lars Dalseide for NRABlog
There are a number of stereotypes out there when it comes to firearm ownership. Some are correct, most are wrong, and hardly any of them have anything to do with the role women play in the firearms community. That’s why the NRA came up with NRAWomen.tv.
Presented by Smith & Wesson, the NRAWomen.tv channel was made for female gun enthusiasts:
It’s a resource for news, education, events and more. And we’re telling more stories of empowered women like you. Come explore, connect, celebrate and unite with the women of NRA.
To learn what NRAWomen.tv has to offer, take a moment to watch this “New Energy” video trailer, featuring many of the USA’s top female shooters, including Julie Golob and Maggie Reese:
To view profiles of female shooters, get shooting tips from experts, watch featured videos, and access resources for lady shooters, visit the NRAWomen.tv website. It’s a modern, mobile-friendly site, with something for every female firearms enthusiast.
March 3rd, 2014
 Krieger Barrels Inc. is a family-run business. Founder John Krieger now works with two of his sons in the business, Andrew (“Andy”) and Mark. At SHOT Show 2014 we had a chance to chat with John and Andy. John told us that he is very proud to work with his two sons. He said that Andy, who has a degree in engineering, brings an important skill set and a new level of scientific expertise to the business. On his part, Andy says that his father is a “great boss… and the best teacher you could have”. Meet this father and son barrel-making team in this short video.
John Krieger and Andrew Krieger
How does Krieger Barrels produce such a great product year in and year out? It takes a lot of highly-skilled labor and some serious machinery to produce outstanding cut-rifled barrels. To illustrate the barrel-making process, Krieger has produced a fascinating video, filmed at Krieger’s production facility in Richfield, Wisconsin. This video shows the process of single-point, cut-rifled barrel-making start to finish. If you love big, powerful machines, you’ll enjoy this video. Its really quite amazing to see all that’s involved in the production of cut-rifled barrels.
How Krieger Barrels Are Made (MUST-WATCH video — one of the best we’ve ever featured).
For anyone interested in accurate rifles, this is absolutely a “must-watch” video. Watch blanks being cryogenically treated, then drilled and lathe-turned. Next comes the big stuff — the massive rifling machines that single-point-cut the rifling in a precise, time-consuming process. Following that you can see barrels being contoured, polished, and inspected (with air gauge and bore-scope). There is even a sequence showing chambers being cut.
Here is a time-line of the important barrel-making processes shown in the video. You may want to use the “Pause” button, or repeat some segments to get a better look at particular operations. The numbers on the left represent playback minutes and seconds.
Krieger Barrel-Making Processes Shown in Video
00:24 – Cryogenic treatment of steel blanks
00:38 – Pre-contour Barrels on CNC lathe
01:14 – Drilling Barrels
01:28 – Finish Turning on CNC lathe
01:40 – Reaming
01:50 – Cut Rifling
02:12 – Hand Lapping
02:25 – Cut Rifling
02:40 – Finish Lapping
02:55 – Outside Contour Inspection
03:10 – Engraving
03:22 – Polish
03:50 – Fluting
03:56 – Chambering
04:16 – Final Inspection
February 22nd, 2014
If you have a spotting scope, and a smartphone, you can now be a long-range videographer. One of the great things about digital cameras and smartphones is that, with a simple adapter, they can easily capture video through a spotting scope. This way you can record a string of shots on a target, or a shot on a game animal, or even record mirage for later review and study. Video can be a great training tool, and it’s also fun to record adventures at the range or on a hunt.
Digiscoping adapters hold your camera or smartphone at a fixed position, allowing the camera lens to faithfully record the view through the spotting scope’s eyepiece. Such set-ups work surprisingly well, and most are quite affordable. Phone Skope makes a Universal Digiscoping Adapter for iPhones. Able to adjust to different eyepiece diameters, this unit works with a variety of spotting scopes.
If you have a Swarovski spotting scope, and an Apple iPhone 5/5s, you’re in luck. Swarovski just released a new digiscoping adapter for the latest generation of iPhones. This can be used with a Swaro spotter or other brand of spotting scope with the same eyepiece diameter.
Along with iPhone adapters, Swarovski makes a variety of adapters for mounting digital cameras. Swarovski shows how to use these camera adapters in a “how-to” video (see below). One of the many tips in the video concerns focus. Many people attach the camera or iPhone and then forget to focus the spotting scope properly. Swarovski’s experts say you should focus in two steps: 1) set general focus; then 2) focus very precisely on the particular object (or surface) of primary interest.
Video Tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
February 14th, 2014
 If you’ve been following the Winter Olympics in Sochi, no doubt you’ve been watching Biathlon events. This combination of Nordic-style skiing and precision shooting is hugely popular in Europe. Biathlon requires great physical fitness levels, superior marksmanship skills, and of course, a very accurate .22 LR rifle.
This video shows biathletes at previous winter Olympics. Note how the straight-pull actions allow competitors to shoot rapidly without breaking their position (at the 1:00″ mark, the shooter takes five shots in ten seconds). Target racks are located 50m from the firing line. The targets, which flip from black to white when hit, are 45mm (1.8″) in diameter for prone, and 115mm (4.5″) in diameter for standing.
Watch Olympic Biathlon Competition (Archive Footage)
Biathlon rifles are sophisticated. The top competitors use rigs with slick, straight-pull actions, integrated magazine carriers, and ergonomic stock designs that work well for both prone and standing positions. The advanced slings use “bungee cords” to allow rapid deployment from on-the-back carry position (while skiing) to the shooting position.
One of the most popular Biathlon rifles is the Anschütz model 1827F Fortner. This features a straight-pull action with a two-stage trigger typically adjusted to 550 grams (19 ounces). The sprint version of the model 1827F weighs just 3.7 kg (8.16 pounds). Remarkably, even the magazines are optimized for “high-speed, low-drag” performance: “Shortened 5-shot magazines were laterally incorporated into the stock to reduce the surface on which the wind can act. Non-slip magazine bottoms make the handling of the loading process easier. An additional magazine release lever on the side makes an even faster exchange of the magazines possible.” (Anschütz brochure).
Credit Chris Cheng, Top Shot Season 4 Champion, for finding these photos of the model 1827F Fortner on the Anschütz website.
February 12th, 2014
 SHOT Show 2014.
Full 1-Hour Broadcast.
Tonight on the Outdoor Channel.
Lots and lots of new guns on display.
This is the episode of Shooting USA you don’t want to miss. Set your DVR for 2PM ET/1PM CT or watch the show at 9PM ET/8PM CT, on the Outdoor Channel. Host Jim Scoutten says: “John, Mike, and I are running 12 miles of aisles in the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas, with 60,000 gun dealers and buyers. It’s your first look at the new guns and gear that will be making news this year. Set your DVR. We have a lot to show you in non-stop new product presentations.” CLICK HERE to See Products Featured on SHOT Show Episode
New products showcased will include: Ruger American Rimfire Rifle, Glock 42, Colt 2012 Bolt-Action Rifle, New S&W Revolvers, Remington R-51, Bergara Barrels, Hornady Rapid-Safe and much more.
Shooting USA airs its annual one-hour SHOT Show Special today, Wednesday, February 12, starting at 2:00 pm Eastern Time. Other broadcast times are listed below.
The Shooting USA Hour on Wednesdays:
Eastern Time: 2:00 PM, 9:00 PM, 12:00 M
Central Time: 1:00 PM, 8:00 PM, 11:00 PM
Mountain Time: 12:00 noon, 7:00 PM, 10:00 PM
Pacific Time: 11:00 AM, 6:00 PM, 9:00 PM
February 12th, 2014
Valentine’s Day is almost here. To celebrate this romantic holiday, Kirsten Joy Weiss has devised a very special trick shot with her .22LR Volquartsen semi-auto rifle.
Braving winter weather, Kirsten manages to drill three shots into a heart shape on her target. This trick shot is performed, Kirsten adds, “for the love of shooting”. See more cool trick shots on Kirsten’s website, KirstenJoyWeiss.com.
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