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February 13th, 2009
 Bryan Litz recently assumed the mantle of “Ballistician” for Berger Bullets. Before joining Berger, Bryan was a missile design engineer working with the U.S. Air Force. An NRA High Master, Bryan also happens to be one of the country’s top long-range shooters. Bryan (aka “bsl135″ in our Forum) has written many ballistics programs and technical papers dealing with long-range flight dynamics of projectiles. Bryan has recorded some very impressive match performances recently. At the 2008 NRA National Championships at Camp Perry, Bryan beat 258 other competitors to win the Palma Individual Trophy Match. Bryan shot a remarkable 450/26x, not dropping a single point.
Palma Match — Caught on Video
Bryan recently crafted a cool video that puts the viewer “in the driver’s seat” as Bryan shoots an 800-yard match with his .308 Winchester, iron-sights Palma rifle. Watch as each shot is marked and scored. Bryan explains: “The inset target at upper right displays each shot location in sequence. The score card shows the windage used for each shot, as well as the windage that was ‘Required’ for that shot to be centered. Wind wasn’t very challenging in this string, only requiring between 2 and 3 MOA right. This particular match is the 800-yard phase of a Palma course fired in the summer of 2008 at Camp Atterbury, IN. NOTE: I’ve had to cut out some ‘pauses’, and speed up the film in order to meet YouTube’s size requirements, so that’s why we sound like chipmunks.”
CLICK SCREEN to WATCH VIDEO. Click Menu Button for High Quality (HQ) Option
Bryan also has his own website with a number of authoritative articles. Topics include: Bullet Design, Meplat Trimming, Gyroscopic and Coreolis Drift, Palma Bullet Analysis, How Ballistics Programs Work, and Ballistic Coefficient Testing. CLICK HERE to visit BRYAN LITZ Website.
February 10th, 2009
Whatever your politics, you owe it to yourself to learn more about the restrictive firearm laws adopted in the United Kingdom and Australia. These have effectively banned hand-gun and semi-auto rifle ownership in the UK. In Australia self-loading rifles and even pump shotguns were banned, and hand-gun ownership was severely restricted. In this 10-minute video, gun owners in the UK and Australia tell their own story. The message is clear–without unified, organized opposition by sportsmen and hunters, gun rights will be taken away. In the UK, even shotguns and 22LR pistols used by Olympic competitors have been banned. Think it can’t happen here? Well already in California, new sales of semi-auto AR15-style service rifles are completely banned.
To further highlight the absurdity of gun laws in the UK, Great Britain agreed to construct a new indoor pistol-shooting venue — in order to win the right to host the next Olympic Games. But Olympic authorities have announced the shooting range will be demolished (at public expense) at the close of the games. Why? Because Brits aren’t allowed to own or shoot handguns. Today, even Britain’s Olympic pistol shooters are prohibitied from shooting in the UK and are required to do their training abroad. When London hosts the 2012 Olympic Games, Parliament will have to pass legislation allowing the athletes to import and fire their target pistols.
This is a “must-see” video. Click on the image below to watch the video, hosted by YouTube. CLICK HERE to watch other NRA-produced videos.
February 8th, 2009
 We have a friend who is a record-holding benchrest shooter. He recently decided to explore a new discipline — prone shooting with iron sights — and he has been practicing with a Suhl 150 three days a week. We gave him a copy of David Tubb’s twin-disc Modern Match Rifle instructional DVD, which contains over 4.5 hours of information and expert advice. Two days later, our friend reported: “The DVD is amazing. I watched it two times all the way through. There is so much information on those discs. It’s worth the money just to see how Tubb sets up his rifle and sling… but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve already put some of Tubb’s suggestions to work, and my scores got better.”
In his DVD, 11-time National High Power Champ David Tubb explains across-the-course positions (and the Approach Method in Offhand) and how to set-up the rifle for each position. He also also covers targets, set-up and use of aperture sights/diopters, and how to best place and use spotting Scopes. The DVD includes bonus footage of David shooting strings in all of the across-the-course positions. If you shoot Service Rifle, High Power, or prone, you can benefit from watching David’s DVD. The full 2-disc DVD is available for $49.95 from Creedmoor Sports or Superior Shooting Systems.
David has included highlights from that DVD in a shorter promo video, linked below. View the video and you’ll learn a great deal just by watching how David shoulders his rifle, and how he adjusts and maintains his shooting position. David demonstrates prone, sitting, and standing positions.
February 6th, 2009
Birchwood Casey Bullseye Challenge
It you want to burn some time on a cold winter evening (or in the daytime–just don’t tell the boss), have fun with this online flash shooting game from Birchwood Casey. It’s easy — just aim the crosshairs at the ten-ring when each bull pops up.
Warning: This game is loud, so you may want to turn down your sound levels before starting. Click the link below to go to the game page.
CLICK HERE to LAUNCH GAME
The game has multiple levels. After you get through level one, you’ll be prompted to play again.
February 1st, 2009
CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight” featured a segment on gun-owner concerns about the Obama administration, bullet serialization and firearms microstamping. As a state Senator in Illinois, Obama supported a 500% increase in taxes on bullets and ammunition. NSSF Senior V.P. and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane was interviewed for the segment. Keane expressed concern that the Obama Administration favors microstamping of bullets and/or cartridge cases. Though scientists have declared that microstamping is not a viable technology at present, Democrats are still pushing for it. Keane worries that mandatory microstamping could make the shooting sports prohibitively expensive.
CNN’s Lou Dobbs also interviewed Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, a vocal critic of Obama’s selection of Eric Holder as U.S. Attorney General. Barrosso noted that Holder has stated that the Second Amendment does not recognize an individual right to “keep and bear arms”. While Holder has declared that the Obama administration “has no intention of doing anything that would affect a state’s regulation of firearms”, Dobbs pointed out that Holder left open the question of FEDERAL (as opposed to state) regulation of firearms.
January 31st, 2009
 Weatherby Rifles is currently running a video contest, with a variety of valuable rifles as prizes. For a chance to win, participants must submit a video explaining “Why I Want a Weatherby”, and viewers get to select the winners. Grand Prize is a visit to the Weatherby facility in California and a select Weatherby rifle from the Custom Shop. First Prize is a Mark V Deluxe or Accumark Rifle, and two (2) Weatherby Vanguard rifles will be awarded as Second prizes.
Vote for the Winners
Viewer voting on the Weatherby website will determine the winners of the “Why I Want a Weatherby” Video Contest. There are currently 66 finalists. You can watch the videos and pick your favorites. You are allowed to vote once per day for the video(s) of your choice between now and February 15, 2009. Note: In order to vote for your favorite videos, you must first register with Weatherby. Registration is FREE, but you do have to supply an email address. Winners will be announced on April 1, 2009.
CLICK HERE to view ALL the videos (use arrows to navigate). Shown below is one of the more amusing/entertaining video entries: “Every Man Wants a Weatherby Woman”:
And here is the current top vote-getter. This video was created by Dale Hagberg who was paralyzed 21 years ago in a diving accident. He wants to give the Weatherby rifle to his best friend Frank McDonald, who has helped care for Dale over past two decades.
January 25th, 2009
Jim Scoutten, host of the popular Shooting USA television show, has recorded a series of video interviews for the Outdoor Channel. During these six segments, Jim talks about trends in the shooting industry, including the current surge in gun sales, particularly for semi-automatic, military-style rifles. Jim talks about the effect of Obama’s election. Jim also offers his predictions as to what we can expect in the months ahead… both from gun manufacturers and from the politicians in Washington. It’s an interesting series of interviews, available via streaming video on the Outdoor Channel Website.
CLICK HERE to watch Jim Scoutten interviews (SIX Segments).
January 21st, 2009
Nightforce Benchrest and NXS scopes are very popular among our readers. The Nightforce 12-42×56 BR model is the scope of choice for top F-Class and 1000-yard shooters. It offers sharp glass, big-time magnification, precision parallax control (via a rotating front objective), plus a wide choice of reticles. The NXS offers these same qualities, but it uses a side-parallax adjustment. Many shooters building their first long-range rifle ask: “Which should I get–the Nightforce BR model or the NXS?” Nightforce Sales Manager Kyle Brown helps answer that question in the video below. Kyle explains the major (and minor) differences between the BR and NXS scope lines. You’ll find this video very informative.
CLICK HERE to download Nightforce Optics 2009 Catalog (Large 5mb .pdf file).
New First Focal Plane 3.5-15×50 F1 Scope
The new NXS 3.5-15×50 F1 was created at the request of U.S. military and other professional sharpshooters. They wanted a rugged scope that offers a choice of elevation/windage click values, plus a ranging reticle in the First Focal Plane (FFP). A reticle located in the first focal plane remains in the exact same ratio to the target across the scope’s entire magnification range. The FFP design (designated by “F1″) is optimal for rangefinding purposes, since the reticle’s markings remain consistent relative to target size at all magnification settings. The 3.5-15×50 F1 scope will be offered with three click-value options: 1/4 MOA, 0.1 Mil Radians, or 1.0 MOA elevation + 0.5 MOA windage clicks.
CLICK HERE to download NXS 3.5-15×50 F1 Scope Spec Sheet (.pdf file).
HOT NEWS: If you like the NXS 3.5-15×50 F1, take note that a Nightforce 5.5-22×56 FFP NXS is coming in the fall of 2009. Plus Kyle told us that the Nightforce Compacts and First Focal Plane scopes now have their scope bodies (main tubes) crafted in Idaho. So, you’ll notice that they are now stamped “Made in USA”.
New Ballistic-Compensating Reticles Offered for 2009
Nightforce will offer a variety of NEW ballistic reticles that provide “hold-over” hashmarks corresponding to the trajectories of popular hunting rounds. With these new christmas-tree style reticles, hunters and varminters can rapidly adjust to different ranges without cranking-in elevation with the top turret. The reticles also include horizontal hash marks corresponding to calculated wind drift in mph (not MOA or mils). There are three basic options, one each for low, medium, and high velocity cartridges. In addition, Nightforce may offer Horus ballistic-compensating reticles, and possibly the Holland ART reticle, later in the spring of 2009.
 New Ring-Top Bubble Level and Level/ADI
Nightforce has introduced the Top of Ring Bubble Level, a low-profile level built directly into the top half of a scope ring. This fits in place of the upper half of a Nightforce Ring (e.g. Unimount, Direct Mount, and Nightforce Mil-Spec). Like other anti-cant devices, the NF bubble level helps the shooter avoid canting his rifle left or right, which can throw off the shot significantly at long ranges. The level also helps ensure your reticle is plumb when mounting the scope.
The Top of Ring Bubble Level is available in three versions: 1) Ring Level alone; 2) Ring level with integrated mount for the Nightforce ADI (Angle Degree Indicator); 3) Ring level with mount plus ADI unit (complete system). You’ll want the ADI if you often have to make shots at steep angles. Calibrated in degrees, the ADI instantly gives the shooter the up or down angle for the shot. Plug that number into a ballistics calculator (or angle drop chart) and you’ve got your corrected drop for the true range to the target.
We definitely recommend an ADI for hunting, and for competition disciplines where up/down angle shots are required. The ADI is simple, robust, and requires no batteries. Mounting the ADI directly to the scope ring is the slickest installation yet for this useful device. This mounting set-up was a collaboration between Shawn Carlock (Defensive Edge), Ward Brian (Sniper Tools ACI), and Nightforce.
For more info, contact Nightforce Optics, Inc., 1040 Hazen Lane, Orofino, ID 83544, tel (208) 476-9814, or visit NightforceOptics.com
January 20th, 2009
Jason interviewed Terry Paul of SharpShoot-R™ Precision Products. Terry is the inventor of the Wipe-Out brushless bore cleaner, Carb-Out carbon remover, and Patch-Out, a formulation that works like Wipe-Out but without the foam. This Editor has been using Wipe-Out for more than two years now, and I’m very happy with the results. While some barrels (and cartridge/bullet combos) DO need brushing, some wet patches and Wipe-Out every 40 rounds or so is all my Pac-Nor 3-groove 6BR barrel has needed to stay competitive for nearly 1000 rounds. That barrel has stayed clean with no brushing and there has been very little throat erosion.
Terry Paul announced that SharpShoot-R has improved the formulation of Wipe-Out. The foam cleaner is now 25% stronger than before. Wipe-Out is now sold with an applicator tube and chamber plug. This makes it easier to apply Wipe-Out from the breech. (However, in our tests, the hard plastic chamber plug worked well in a 6.5mm chamber, but was hard to seat in a .223 Rem chamber. We would rather see a longer, softer tip with an O-ring.)
Carb-Out is another SharpShoot-R product popular with Benchrest shooters. Terry revealed that Tony Boyer, the all-time BR Hall of Fame points leader, uses and endorses Carb-Out. Tony believes the product helps remove harmful carbon deposits while reducing the need for abrasives or aggressive brushing. Watch the Video below to learn more about Wipe-Out and Carb-Out.
January 19th, 2009
RCBS makes a fine progressive press, the RCBS Pro 2000. This Editor owns one. I can tell you it is very solid, and the strip primer-feeding system has proven virtually fool-proof, something that can’t be said about some competitive progressive presses. I also believe the micrometer-equipped powder measure is superior to the Dillon alternative. Nonetheless, Dillon still dominates the progressive press market. One reason is that Dillon has long offered a reliable case-feeding system, and GSI International and Gaspari USA offer after-market bullet feeders for the Dillon 650 and 1050. Until now, with an RCBS Progressive, you needed to manually insert a bullet into each case. Well, at SHOT 2009, RCBS unveiled a new bullet-feeding system.
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RCBS says its new automatic bullet-feeder will work with Dillon (blue) and Hornady (red) progressives as well as the RCBS 2000. The unit mounts to a sturdy vertical support, with a flexible tube that connects to the bullet-seating station. It looks well-designed, and during a demo by RCBS manager Kent Sakamoto, the bullet-feeding system worked flawlessly. Kent showed us the pistol-bullet feeder, but a second version for rifle bullets will be offered by mid-2009. The rifle-bullet feeder should be just the ticket for varminters who need to load large quantities of .223 Rem, 22-250, or .204 Ruger rounds. Sakamoto explained that the automatic bullet feeder can significantly boost your reloading output whether you have a blue, red, or green progressive press.
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