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August 26th, 2008
If you’re a fan of hunting in scenic, far-away places, you’ll enjoy Petersen’s Hunting Adventure Television. While the plots are predictable (Gun Mag writer hunts with local outfitter), the scenery is often stunning, worthy of Nat Geo. The producers have put highlights of some of their best shows online. You’ll find 4-minute clips of leopard hunting in Namibia, Ibex hunting in Spain, and a Cape Buffalo safari in Zimbabwe. Our favorite clip features a hunt for Dall Sheep in Alaska’s glacier country near the southwest border of Canada’s Yukon Territory. Legendary hunting writer Jack O’Connor hunted this area, near the headwaters of the White River. During the stalk, the hunters do some serious high-altitude trekking through spectacular mountains. This 4-minute featurette is worth watching for the photography alone.
CLICK HERE to watch Alaska Dall Sheep Hunting VIDEO.
Short, 1.5 minute previews of 2008 broadcasts are also offered online. Featured videos include: Tanzania Plains Animals (classic safari), East Africa Mtn. Buffalo (dangerous game), British Columbia horsepack hunt for Mtn. Goat, Sitka Deer Hunt in Alaska Islands, and Winter Elk hunt in Colorado.
August 5th, 2008
Zak Smith, an experienced practical/tactical shooter and 3-gun competitor, has prepared a video of the 2008 Steel Safari. This match is a unique test of practical shooting skills, conducted in “wild” field environments. Competitors must range and make shots at unknown distances, and sometimes at extreme angles. As you have to cover significant distances carrying rifle and gear, the match can also be a physical challenge. This is certainly no Benchrest match!
The Steel Safari demands a variety of practical rifle skills, including target recognition, range estimation, wind doping, trail skills, and marksmanship. Competitors must navigate through rugged terrain, then locate and range targets, and make first-round hits in often difficult field conditions. To learn more about the Steel Safari, visit Zak’s website, www.DemigodLLC.com, and read his MATCH REPORT.
Steel Safari Bloopers (Rifle Reliability) Video
If you enjoyed the match highlights video, you’ll also enjoy Zak’s “Bloopers” video. In this compilation from the Steel Safari, you’ll see a variety of firearm malfunctions in the field. Thankfully, none of the problems caused injury, but in this video you’ll see bolt actions that refused to feed or eject, or simply wouldn’t go bang. If you think bolt action rifles are fool-proof, this “bloopers reel” may change your opinion. Watch the video and you’ll see that even $4,000+ rifles sometimes give their owners fits.
August 3rd, 2008
Looking for a joystick-type front rest at a bargain price? Now through the end of August, 2008, the Caldwell Fire Control Rest is on sale at MidwayUSA for just $179.99 (product #956104). That’s a $20.00 savings.
This Caldwell Fire Control Rest costs hundreds of dollars less than a Farley Co-AX or a SEB coaxial rest, though the function is very similar. We’ve tried the Caldwell. While we much prefer the more costly Farley and SEB units (they have better bases and much better bags), the Caldwell does a creditable job. Movement of the rest head is fairly smooth in all directions. The rest can be adjusted so the control arm doesn’t “droop” or move even if you remove your hand. The one knock on the product is most people think the supplied front sandbags are not good enough for competitive benchrest. But for a varminter looking for the ability to adjust both vertical and horizontal aiming point quickly, this unit should suffice. Below is a video we created at the 2008 SHOT Show.
CLICK HERE (or on VIDEO frame) to watch Fire Control Rest DEMO Video
To view another Caldwell-produced short video showing the basic Fire Control Front Rest plus a full-length version that supports the rifle at the front AND rear, click the link below:
VIDEO — Caldwell Fire Control Front Rest and One-Piece Rest (with stock cradle)
July 17th, 2008
This 7.5 minute professionally-produced video covers the Olympic Shooting disciplines. Created for Chinese TV, it offers good footage of air pistol and air rifle, 22 LR pistol and rifle competition, and the shotgun sports. You probably won’t understand the Chinese-language voice-over, but the video clips depict the action very well — even without English subtitles. If you’ve ever wanted to see Olympic-caliber shooters in action, this video is worth viewing start to finish. Gun content starts at the 35 second mark.
Click directly on video below to watch VIDEO from this page.
OR CLICK HERE to watch VIDEO on YouTube.
July 8th, 2008
At our request, 2008 IBS 600-yard National Champion Samuel Hall has prepared a 9-minute VIDEO showing his techniques for shooting from the bench. Sam covers a number of topics including bag set-up, body position, bolt manipulation, and loading skills. He also explains the importance of having a relaxed, comfortable posture and keeping your head in the same position shot to shot.
CLICK HERE to watch SAM HALL VIDEO
If you’re serious about accurate benchrest shooting, at ANY distance, you should watch this video. Sam’s tips can really help you. We guarantee it. While the video itself is grainy and wind noise affects the audio, you can still glean many great points from the video. From minute 8:00 on Sam shoots a 5-shot string on camera with his BAT-actioned, Leonard-stocked 6BR. Though he was fighting blustery, 20-mph winds Sam achieves a half-inch group at 200 yards. Quarter-MOA in such conditions is good shooting.
July 8th, 2008
 The RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 has been our top-rated electronic powder dispenser. It is very popular with precision centerfire rifle reloaders who benefit from weighing every charge. It’s a very versatile tool that can make your reloading much more efficient.
MidwayUSA has slashed the price on the RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 Powder Scale and Dispenser Combo, item 772151. The selling price is now just $272.46, marked down from $309.99. That’s a $38 savings.
Is the Unit Worth Buying?
Most RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 owners have been very happy with the devices. If you click the “Reviews” Tab on MidwayUSA’s ChargeMaster Page, you can read 87 reviews. The vast majority of the reviews are five stars. However, as with all electronic products, a small number of ChargeMasters have required repair or replacement. We do think RCBS now has most of the bugs worked out, and they are generally quite reliable (provided incoming voltage is uniform and the device is leveled properly.)
The units we tested showed excellent dispensing accuracy, delivering the desired charge within + or – 0.1 grain, 48 out of 50 times with H4350. (Weights were confirmed with a high-end digital laboratory scale.) The ChargeMaster works especially well for long, extruded powders, which are favored by long-range shooters. You can also speed the dispensing process by starting out with a scoop of powder on the pan (below your desired weight), and letting the ChargeMaster “top off” the charge.
ChargeMaster VIDEO
CLICK HERE to watch an excellent short video demonstrating the RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 in action. It shows how to calibrate the machine, how to weigh powder, and how to remove powder when you’re done.
June 19th, 2008
Dennis DeMille is a past Camp Perry National Champion, and one of the nation’s top High Power shooters. Since retiring from the U.S. Marine Corps, Dennis has served as the General Manager of Creedmoor Sports in Oceanside, California. We recently had the chance to interview Dennis at the Creedmoor offices. With his decades of competitive experience, Dennis has a wealth of knowledge. In this 3-minute interview, Dennis shares insights into the High Power shooting game. He discusses the most effective ways to train for competition, the fundamentals of good marksmanship, and how to recognize and perfect your natural point of aim. Dennis also offers solid advice on how to get the best “bang for your buck” when choosing shooting accessories for High Power and Across the Course competition.
CLICK HERE to WATCH DeMille Interview VIDEO
During our visit to Oceanside, Dennis gave us a tour of the Creedmoor facility. He confirmed that all the new Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor components are in stock: dies, bullets, brass, and loaded ammunition.
Dennis also explained the manufacturing process for Creedmoor’s popular shooting coats. All these shooting jackets are hand-crafted in Oceanside by experts with years of experience. Special templates are used to ensure each coat perfectly fits its new owner.
June 17th, 2008
AccurateShooter.com has teamed with Robert Whitley and Carl Bernosky to develop a new AR15-based, 20-caliber rifle optimized for varminting. The chambering is a 20-223 with a PT&G (Kiff) reamer, aka the “20 Practical”, a name coined by Warren Brookman*. The cartridge uses standard .223 Remington brass. Case forming is simple — just neck down the brass (Robert did this in two steps, with .233″ and .225″ bushings). You do NOT have to move the shoulder back as with the 20 Tactical. You can even use your existing .223 Rem Redding dies by swapping out some internal components.
CLICK HERE to Watch 20 PRACTICAL AR VIDEO
While Carl is still working on special (top-secret) “furniture” to help the 20 Practical AR ride the bags, Robert was able to test the first complete 20 Practical AR upper built with a Bartlein barrel. Without any special load development, the gun has proved very accurate, putting 5 rapid-fire shots in a dime-sized group at 100 yards. Robert was using H335 with 40gr bullets. This load runs 3750 fps and Robert thinks more velocity may be possible with H335. We will also test other load recipes for both both 40gr and 32gr bullets. H322 should also be a good choice for both bullet weights. Quickload predicts H322 will send the 32-grainers past 4000 fps, and Warren Brookman says: “For both 32gr and 40gr bullets, Vihtavuori N133 is just about the perfect powder for the 20 Practical. It burns clean, delivers great accuracy and good velocity.”
Robert reports: “I loaded up some new brass today (Winchester brass, factory primed). I only used H335 and the Berger 40 gr BTHP bullets at about .010″ off the lands (2.228″ OAL). The thing is very accurate. First group shot off the bench after sight-in is shown in the video. Keep in mind this was done with no load work-up and I shot fast to ensure the video was not too long. The load was with 26.0 grains of H335 and the Berger 40-grainers going right around 3750 fps.”
If you shoot a .223 Rem currently it’s easy to load for the 20 Practical. You will need a Redding Type ‘S’ neck-bushing full-length sizing die, and Robert recommends a Redding Comp Seater. Then you’ll need some extra bits of kit:
1. Powder funnel that fits .20-Cal case mouths
2. Two neck bushings: .233″ and .225″
3. 20-Caliber cleaning rod with brushes, jag, patches, etc.
4. Decapping rod assembly for 20 Cal (a 204 Ruger one works perfectly — about $15)
*The 20 Practical chambering, a modern 20-223 Wildcat, was popularized by Warren Brookman, whose 20 Practical bolt gun was featured as our 61st Gun of the Week. In that 20 Practical Article, Warren explains the thinking behind the cartridge and shows how to adapt .223 Rem Redding dies.
June 5th, 2008
The short videos we have produced for this site have been very popular, and readers have requested more (and better) video offerings. Thanks to Adorama, a large camera and optics retailer, we will be getting a new Canon FS10 video camera. With the new Canon we will be able to shoot higher resolution videos, with better colors, and much improved audio quality.
 The Canon FS10 is part of Canon’s new line-up of Flash-memory video cameras. There are no tapes to fuss with, and you don’t have to worry about internal hard drives or DVD systems. The new Canons record to Flash memory cards so there are no moving parts. This has numerous benefits. Flash-based cameras are less sensitive to shock and vibration and the camera can start recording almost instantly. Importantly, with Flash memory, batteries last much longer since there are no electric motors to run. And the FS10 can record up to 5 hours of video on an 8 Gig SDHC memory card.
After looking at a wide variety of camcorders, we chose the Canon FS10 because it has a number of important features. First, of course, is the Flash memory. Second it has a “microphone in” jack. Using an external microphone will help us reduce background noise when filming interviews or shooting sessions at the range. Third, the camera offers internal image stabilization, and a built-in movie light. Both those features will produce better quality in low light situations. Adorama.com sells the Canon FS10 (item CAFS10) for $419.95, with FREE shipping.
The model FS10 records in standard definition both 4:3 and 16:9 (wide) aspect ratios. We considered Canon’s new High Definition camcorders but these cost twice as much and the AVCHD video files they produce are not yet compatible with most video editing software. Also true High Definition video files are “overkill” for the web — they need to be highly compressed for web use. However, if you’re looking to playback your videos on a High Definition television then Canon’s HD option makes sense. We recommend the Canon VIXIA HF10 for those who want High Definition output. It’s available for $819.95 at Adorama.com.
Adorama has provided a Canon FS10 to AccurateShooter.com in return for promotional considerations.
May 8th, 2008
Newcon Optik, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, produces many optics products for the Canadian military including laser rangefinders, image stabilizers, and night-vision gear. Newcon Optik also sells a line of laser rangefinders for consumers. Newcon claims that its rangefinders offer performance comparable to Leica, but at a much lower cost. The Newcon Optik LRM2000 Pro is designed to function out to 2000 meters, with a “reliable, all-conditions range” of at least 1500 yards. The LRM2000 Pro sells for $499.95 at SWFA.com, making it considerably cheaper than comparable models from Leica and Swarovski.
AccurateShooter.com has not been able to field test the LRM2000 Pro ourselves. For that reason it was not included in our Review of Laser Rangefinders done in 2007. However, we’ve handled the unit at SHOT Show and there are many features we like. First, it has a selectable reticle, offering a choice between a small rectangle and a cross-hair. By contrast, the $890.00 Swarovski Laser-Guide only offers a rather large aiming circle. Some hunters have complained the Swaro’s reticle is just too big for deer-sized animals out past 600 yards or so.
FEATURES
1 – Measurement result
2 – Units of measurement (Yards, Meters, Mils, Degrees)
3 – Low battery indicator
4 – Over 100m indicator (LRM 2500, LRM 2500CI Models only)
5 – Laser active indicator
6 – Target quality indicator (optional)
7 – Reticle (cross or rectangular selectable)
We also like the Newcon Optik’s shape and ergonomics. Sized 4.72″ x 4.8″ x 2.36″, the Newcon is flat and easy to hold, with non-slip rubber grip sections on both left and right sides. You can hold the brick shape securely with two hands, horizontally, like using binoculars.
 By contrast, Leica went to an ultra-compact, vertical design for its latest CRF1200 rangefinder. The CRF’s small size makes the Leica easy to carry, but it is more difficult to hold the Leica stable when precise aiming is needed. With the Newcon Optik, you can set it flat on top of a case or rucksack and it’s easier to maintain a solid grip. The LRM2000 Pro also offers a built-in digital compass, a nice feature for anyone in the outdoors.
In the video below, Alex Rudi of Newcon Optik explains the features of the LRM2000 Pro model:
CLICK HERE to watch NEWCON OPTIK VIDEO
How do the Newcon Optik rangefinders perform in the field? Do they live up to the claims of Leica-class performance? We invite our readers who own or use Newcon Optik rangefinders to add their comments.
CLICK HERE for LRM2000 PRO SPECS SHEET (.pdf file)
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