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April 7th, 2010
Congratulations to Carl Boswell, Vince Bottomley, Andy Dubreuil, Laurie Holland and all the staff at Target Shooter online magazine. Target Shooter has released its April 2010 First Anniversary issue, and it may be the best yet. The hardware photography is high quality and there is something for everyone — from Benchresters to Tactical shooters. You can view the 110-page April issue for FREE at www.targetshooter.co.uk.
Carl tells us: “Yes, this is our first anniversary issue and we have it packed with articles.” Here are some of the recommended articles in the April Anniversary Edition of Target Shooter:
- Loading for the .308, Part 6 — Laurie Holland continues his informative reloading series.
- SEB Neo Coaxial Rest — Vince Bottomley reviews one of the most impressive rests on the market. This is a very thorough review which compares the old SEB Coax with the SEB NEO side by side.
- Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest — Carl Boswell looks at these rapidly evolving disciplines.
- Gallery Rifle 1500 — Gwyn Roberts continues his course on Gallery Rifle Basics.
- New GBR Custom Action — A New Rem 700-footprint action made in the UK.
- Steyr LG110 Field Test — Tim Finley reviews the Steyr LG110 rifle for Field Target.
Definitely check out the latest edition of Target Shooter magazine. Laurie Holland is one of the best technical gun writers in the business, and when Vince Bottomley reviews a product, he delivers intelligent conclusions you can “take to the bank”. As a special bonus, this April edition includes exclusive reports from the IWA Expo in Germany — the “Euro Shot Show”.
April 1st, 2010
Just days after surprising the firearms industry with the announcement that the Marlin Firearms factory in North Haven, Connecticut would be shut down, executives of Remington Arms today dropped another bombshell concerning the fate of Marlin, a Remington subsidiary. This morning, Remington released a statement declaring that Marlin would be “re-constituted” as a multi-product outdoor gear manufacturer, with a primary focus on fishing tackle and equipment.
In the wake of Remington’s decision to shut down the North Haven plant by mid-2011, laying off all 265 Marlin employees in the process, many questions remained as to the fate of legendary arms-maker Marlin, which has been building firearms in Connecticut continuously since 1870. When the Marlin plant closure was announced, Remington, part of the Cerberus Freedom Group of companies, would neither confirm nor deny that Marlin firearms, particularly the popular lever-action rifles, would still be produced. Sources inside Remington were quoted as saying that Marlin rifle production would be relocated to Remington’s Ilion, New York facilities.
Now it appears that Remington has other, quite radical plans for Marlin, which surely reflect the strategic goals of Remington’s parent, Cerberus Capital Management, a private holding company. Cerberus has no doubt “seen the writing on the wall”, recognizing that gun sales are in a steep decline following the buying frenzy precipitated by the Democratic election victories in 2008. To protect its investment in Marlin, Cerberus saw the need to shift Marlin into a whole new market. That’s certainly a bold strategy, but is it wise?
AccurateShooter.com was able to reach one high-level Remington insider with insights into the latest Marlin transition. Our source confirmed that “most of the Marlin firearms line will survive, but not every product will be staged into production right away. Only the most popular rifles will be transitioned into immediate production at Remington plants in Ilion, New York and elsewhere.” Our source explained that building Marlin rifles outside Connecticut is not easy: “Understand that most of the machines and tooling in North Haven were quite antiquated. It’s not even worth moving most of the big equipment. We have to figure out how to replace that junk before we can start building lever guns again.”
“Marlin’s real focus”, our source continued, “will be the fishing stuff — and that’s where 90% of our resources will be allocated. Our market research shows we can sell more rods and reels, at a higher profit margin, than we can old-fashioned rifles. Demographically, fishing is growing while rifle shooting has become a cultural anachronism — a hobby for old white guys. With the Marlin name and trademark, we realized we had a perfect platform to get into the fishing market. Ask most Americans what a Marlin is… nine out of ten will say it’s a fish, not a rifle. Since most consumers already connect the name Marlin with fishing, it made perfect sense to change the company’s focus. And now’s the perfect time to do it, what with the imminent North Haven plant closure.”
While devotees of Marlin rifles may lament the passing of yet another storied American gunmaker, anglers nationwide, who outnumber rifle shooters by nearly 3 to 1, have reason to celebrate. The “rebirth” of Marlin as a rod, reel, and tackle manufacturer promises to offer fishing enthusiasts a wide range of new products, proudly marketed with the “Made in USA” legend. Shown above is Marlin’s new “Fish Eagle II” Rod and Reel combo, complete with Marlin’s signature lever action. The fishing gear industry is currently dominated by foreign manufacturers. Marlin’s movement into the fishing market gives anglers a chance to “buy American” again.
March 27th, 2010
No matter how you feel about the new Health Care Reform Act, there is at least ONE aspect of the legislation that should please you, thanks to the Gun Owners of America (GOA). Here’s the deal — at the insistent request of the GOA, a special provision was added to the health care reform bill that expressly FORBIDs any “wellness program” (public or private) from collecting (or distributing) any information about gun ownership. Why is this important? If such information was collected, health care providers could pass on the information to insurers who might then charge gun-owners higher rates based on perceived “unhealthy lifestyles” or higher risk factors.
In addition to the ban on information collection, the GOA, through the efforts of Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, added a second critical protection to the new legislation. According to the Slate Blog, the GOA “won another provision forbidding private insurers participating in the bill’s exchanges from charging higher premiums, or denying coverage, or denying wellness discounts on the basis of gun ownership.” The “exchanges” mean the state-level insurance pools from which citizens may purchase health insurance if they are not currently covered.
Will this make a difference? You bet. One web reader, commenting on the Slate story, explained: “I’ve worked as a consultant to insurance companies and I can promise you they [the insurance companies] will not only use that data to charge you and your family more for insurance (dangerous activities), but then also pool their data and sell their data to any company or government agency that has the cash to pay the price. Is that what you wanted from health care?”
Obviously there are many other controversial issues associated with the new Health Care Reform Act. However, thanks to the GOA and Nevada Senator Harry Reid, at least firearm owners can take some comfort that health care providers and insurers will NOT be asking questions about our guns, and using the answers to raise our rates… or worse.
March 18th, 2010
Experienced marksmen know they should keep their rifles level when shooting. But they may not understand exactly what happens if they allow their rifle to be canted (tilted left or right), even a few degrees. While the physics are complicated to explain, here’s what you need to know: if you cant your rifle to the left, your shots will impact to the left, and lower, than your point of aim. Likewise, if you cant your rifle to the right, your bullets will impact low and right.
Effects of Rifle Canting
The effects of rifle canting are explained in great detail on the Long Shot Products Ltd. website. There, you’ll find a technical discussion of the Physics of Rifle Canting, plus a page with Sample Targets shot with canted rifles.
Referring to the above illustration, the Long Shot Products article explains: “Notice how the trajectory of the vertical hold stays within the vertical plane, so when the projectile drops, it drops into the line of sight and down to the center of the target. The trajectory of the cant hold does not achieve the same height as the trajectory of the vertical hold and the projectile diverges from the line of sight, thereby missing the target.”
The Long-Shot article makes two other important points. First, cant error increases with distance, and second, cant-induced windage errors are worsened by mounting your scope high above the bore axis:
“This component of cant error becomes more significant at more distant targets due to the increased original included angle between the line of sight axis and the bore axis (more elevation compensation) at the vertical hold.”
“Use of large-diameter objective scopes, mounted high off the barrel, exacerbates the cant error problem. To keep the scope elevation knobs centered for maximum adjustment, precision shooters sometimes use elevation-compensated scope mounting rings or bases. Although this solves the adjustment problem, it greatly exaggerates cant error because the distance between the bore axis and the line of sight axis increases and the included angle between the sight axis and the bore is larger, producing more windage error when canting.”
Test Targets Reveal Cant Errors
The Long Shot Products Ltd. website also displays actual Test Targets showing the effects of canting error. These targets were shot with air rifles and rimfire rifles, but the same effects can and will occur with centerfire rifles. Shown below is a target shot at 50 yards with a Feinwerkbau .22LR match rifle using RWS Match ammo (1012 fps MV). As you can see, canting the rifle 20 degrees to the left produced a huge movement of the point of impact. The shots from the canted rifle impacted 1.81″ Left, and 0.6″ below the point of aim.
CLICK HERE to view more Canted Rifle TARGETS.
March 15th, 2010
Texas Christian University (TCU) won its first-ever NCAA Rifle Championship, on its home floor at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. In this coed sport, the all-female TCU team triumphed over the all-male Alaska-Fairbanks squad. In the 31-year-old history of NCAA rifle shooting, this is the first time an all-women squad has captured the National title. Way to go girls!
The men from Alaska-Fairbanks did win the .22LR segment of the competition, but the TCU ladies’ superior air rifle shooting secured the overall team title. TCU’s Sara Scherer also won the Individual NCAA Smallbore Championship. (CLICK HERE for team profiles.) TCU (4,675 points) won in its fourth NCAA appearance after previous finishes of third, fifth and fifth. Alaska-Fairbanks was second with 4,653 points, followed by 14-time NCAA champion West Virginia at 4,641.
 TCU alumni nationwide are celebrating this NCAA championship, TCU’s first NCAA team title since 1983 (women’s golf). TCU won football national titles in 1935 and 1938, but those years are distant memories.
The TCU “Horned Frogs” all-female rifle team is coached by Karen Monez, a former world and national champion air rifle shooter. In a few short years Monez built a championship-level squad, five members of which were named All-Americans this week. Sarah Scherer, Sarah Beard and Lorenzen were honored as both smallbore and air rifle All-Americans, while Simone Riford and Caitlin Morrissey garnered All-American honors in air rifle. Senior Erin Lorenzen was honored as the MVP of the championships by the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association.
CLICK HERE for TCU Rifle Team Media Guide
CLICK HERE for Full Match Report
March 5th, 2010
We recently received a prototype version of the new NEO rest from SebCoax.com. Designer Sebastian Lambang’s new rest is an engineering tour de force. Your editor can say, straight up, that this is the best joystick rest I’ve ever used. It is butter smooth in horizontal travel. The NEO does not suffer from the jerky, or jumpy vertical movement of some other joystick rests. With a 17-lb gun on the rest, yes there is more resistance in the vertical plane than in the horizontal, but you can still move the crosshairs up smoothly in one motion. You don’t have to “over-shoot” and then come back down on your aiming point. If you’ve used other coaxial rests, you know that the upward movement can be jerky if the resistance is set so that the joystick does not droop when you let go. Not so with the NEO. Seb Lambang has fitted the NEO rest with expensive, new German-made internal bearings. These new teflon liner bearings, plus two additional internal leaf springs for weight support, make all the difference.
The upward movement is MUCH smoother than before. In this Editor’s opinion, the NEO is smoother (with less jumpiness) than the Farley. It is also easier to set joystick tension on the NEO rest that on the previous (Gen 1) SEB rest. Before you had to fiddle with hex-head bolts. On the NEO rest, SEB has provided two, large diameter knobs. It is easy to set the tension so the joystick doesn’t fall on release, but travel is still smooth and positive in all planes.
Make no mistake, joystick movement on this rest is smooth and fluid, even in straight upwards motion with a 17-pound rifle. No more of the jumpiness or stacking found on lesser designs. SEB has got a winner here. Just as a top-fuel dragster lives or dies on quarter-mile speed, a coaxial rest is judged, foremost, on its ability to move quickly and precisely to point of aim in ONE MOVEMENT. Here the NEO rest shines. It may be the smoothest-functioning coaxial rest ever produced. And it also has the unique feature of adjustable front bag width (see videos). That’s great if you shoot both wide benchrest rigs and narrow-forearm rifles. Also, when disassembled, the NEO rest packs up very compactly — a big plus when traveling. If you didn’t like joystick rests before, the SEB NEO may make you a believer.
Triple-Sandbag Configuration and Vibration Damping
How about shooting performance? The rest is rock-solid, with no wobbly movement, so no mechanical flaws should prevent match-winning performance. However, the NEO rest has three separate, fairly thin bags. This configuration has been used with success in rimfire benchrest. Some European centerfire rests use a similar tri-bag arrangement. However, we are concerned that the smaller, separate bags could behave differently than a conventional front bag. There may be differences in vibration damping and how the bag responds under recoil. We have NOT done enough testing to judge how the NEO’s tri-bag system performs compared to a conventional one-piece sandbag. But it’s something to consider.
NEO Rest Offers More JoyStick Travel
The SEB NEO rest has a very wide range of travel. Running the joystick to max travel, we placed shots 43 MOA apart vertically and 48 MOA apart horizontally. That’s four FEET of horizontal travel at 100 yards using JUST the joystick! If you need more than 43 MOA of vertical travel, the whole coaxial carriage moves up and down on two large columns, delivering a bag height range from about 5″ to 10″ above the bench top. That’s a HUGE amount of travel. The gross height is adjusted with two large knobs, one on either side of the carriage. This movement is very smooth — as if the carriage is on ball bearings.
The geometry of the NEO Rest is somewhat unique. Although the NEO can be positioned in either direction (i.e. it is reversible), it is designed to have the long, narrow foot out front, on the target side. This opens up the entire area behind the rest, so there is no interference with the joystick’s movement. “But what about my vertical speedscrew?” you may be saying. Well, with the SEB NEO’s 43 MOA of vertical travel, you really don’t need a vertical adjustment screw on the shooter’s side of the rest when aiming your rifle. There ARE two adjustment screws on the left and right rear sides, but these are intended to level the rest only.
Overall, we were very impressed with the quality, range of adjustment, and versatility of the NEO rest. It has more than enough joystick travel to shoot an ARA rimfire target with 25 bulls. It has enough gross vertical adjustment for 1000-yard F-Class use, even if the target is way up on a hill or down in a valley. And, the rest is relatively easy to transport, with a fairly small footprint and a convenient carry handle built into the “back” side of the rest.
NEO Rest Specifications
- Reversible base configuration: Rest can work with joystick tension adjustments in front, or in rear, per user preference. If you want the single long foot on the “driver’s side”, that is also possible.
– Size assembled: Approx. 13″ wide x 14″ long, 8.6″ tall.
– MOA adjustment (joystick travel): At least 40 MOA (vertical) x 44 MOA (horizontal).
– Net weight: approx 9.3 kgs (20.5 lbs), with standard aluminum base and filled bags.
– Bag Width Range: 200 mm (approx 7.874″) between posts CTC. This allows a max forearm width of about 4″ (four inches).
– Height Range (from bottom of base to top of horizontal bag): Approx. 5″ (lowest) to 10″ (highest).
– Sand Bag Thickness: Approx. 3/4″ for the “horizontal’ bag, approx. 1/2″ for the side chambers.
– Construction: All metal throughout. Base is cast aluminum. Rack gear posts and pinion are stainless steel (SUS 420J). Coaxial body, rest top, forearm stopper are made from aircraft grade alumunium.
– Price: Not yet set, but probably $675.00 to $750.00 US.
NEO Rest vs. SEB Standard Rest
Seb told us: “The NEO rest is NOT designed to replace the regular SEB rest. It’s only for people that need faster elevation adjustment, and a rest that can be set to a lower level overall or a higher lever overall. On the production NEO rests, the ‘body’ of the coaxial unit will be polished, just like the current (Gen 1) rest. The current (Gen 1) rest will remain in production, so don’t worry if you prefer that design. I haven’t established the final price of the NEO rest yet, but I think it will be about $675.00 to $750.00. Yes, it will be somewhat more expensive because of the extended travel capability and increased cost of materials.”
Further Enhancements for Production Model?
The NEO we received is a prototype model and SEB tells us that he may add or modify some features in the final production version. What changes would we like? First, we think a front rest in the $700+ price range should have a built-in level. Obviously you can buy a bubble level and stick it on, but Seb should include one. Second, we’d like to see some variations on the side sand chambers. They tend to plump up in the middle. For stocks with side flats, such as the McMillan Edge, the thickest part of the side bags is a bit too high. Also the side tension knobs push the bags inwards well above the contact point with the stock. We also would like to have more forearm stop travel. As made, the front forearm stop has a good range of adjustment. But an optional, longer extension for the stop would better suit rifles that balance/shoot best with the rest placed well back on the forearm.
Included Cord Helps Rest Alignment
Included with the NEO rest is a nylon cord with metal ends. Just pop one end of the cord in a hole in the middle of the forearm stop and draw the cord back in line with the target, running the cord through the ears of your rear sandbag. This allows you to center and align the rear bag optimally. The cord is a thoughtful accessory provided by SEB.
Review Disclosure: SebCoax.com provided the Seb NEO rest for testing and evaluation. The rest’s manufacturer is not currently advertising with AccurateShooter.com.
March 3rd, 2010
Those interested in the landmark McDonald v. Chicago Second Amendment case can now read the complete transcript of the Oral Arguments conducted yesterday before the U.S. Supreme Court. We added the link to the transcript late in the day on Tuesday, so you might have missed it. (FYI, the written opinion in this case is not expected until June, 2010).
CLICK HERE for transcript of Oral Argument
(PDF file, 77 pages, 342kb).
To learn more about the plaintiffs in this case, click the link below to read a profile in the Chicago Magazine website. The ‘name’ plaintiff is Otis McDonald, a 76-year old retired maintenance engineer (and grandfather). The son of sharecroppers, McDonald grew up in Louisiana, then moved to Chicago at age 17. Now he simply wants the right to have a handgun to defend himself in his home.
Chicago Magazine Story on McDonald v. Chicago Plaintiffs.
March 3rd, 2010
GunsAmerica.com, a leading gun classifieds website, has launched a web magazine to complement its firearms for sale listing. Featured in the new webzine is a lengthy profile of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, authored by Michael Molinaro, USAMU PAO. This article is full of interesting facts, and the video below is definitely worth watching.
Located at Ft. Benning, Georgia, the USAMU includes many current world and Olympic champions. Members of the unit compete in every major international shooting competition. They very often win, and for that reason the USAMU is referred to as “The Home of the Champions.” When not training, or competing in shooting events, USAMU soldiers serve as marksmanship trainers for other U.S. Army units and even allied forces overseas. Recently, a USAMU group was deployed to Afghanistan where they worked with allied Afghan (ANA) units to improve the ANA troops’ shooting skills.
The USAMU also conducts numerous clinics throughout the year. The USAMU teaches more than a thousand novice and experienced shooters at the small-arms firing school every summer at Camp Perry, Ohio. The International Rifle, International Pistol, and Action Shooting teams all host popular youth camps each summer.
USAMU is composed of six competitive shooting sections: Service Rifle, Service Pistol, Action Shooting, International Rifle, International Pistol, and Shotgun. International Rifle, International Pistol, and Shotgun are Olympic sports. The USAMU’s world-class facilities (for both training and competition) consist of 260 acres with 7 ranges and 18 buildings.
Since 1956, members of the USAMU have won hundreds of individual and team national titles, more than 40 World Championships, and 23 Olympic medals. Two noncommissioned officers in the unit, Sgt. Vincent Hancock and Sgt. Glenn Eller, are current Olympic Champions. Sgt. 1st Class James Henderson is the reigning National Pistol Champion and holds countless records in service pistol shooting. Sgt. Daniel Horner is the National Multi-Gun Champion. Spc. Joe Hein is the National smallbore prone Champion.
CLICK HERE to Read the Complete Story….
March 2nd, 2010
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in McDonald v. City of Chicago, a major Second Amendment case that will determine whether cities and states must honor the Constitutional Right to keep and bear arms, set forth in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It will be argued that the protections of the Second Amendment should extend to state and local government activity, based on the provisions of the 14th Amendment.
The key words from the 14th Amendment are “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . . . ”
You can consider McDonald v. City of Chicago as the sequel to the 2008 landmark case — the District of Columbia v. Heller — in which the Supreme Court reaffirmed that the Second Amendment is an “individual” right to keep and bear arms. The Court’s decision, however, applied only to areas regulated by the federal government, such as the District of Columbia. As a result the Heller decision inspired further legal attempts to clarify how the right to keep and bear arms applies to citizens nationwide.
After Heller, many lawsuits were filed to overturn municipal and state laws that prevented individuals from owning handguns. In Chicago, several residents brought suit challenging the city’s long-standing gun ban. These residents, among them 76-year-old Otis McDonald, wanted a handgun to protect themselves and their families. McDonald, interviewed by ABC News, lives in a crime-ridden neighborhood and wants a gun to defend himself in his home: “If I’ve got a gun, and if others have guns in their homes to protect themselves, then that’s one thing that police would have to worry about less.”
How broadly or narrowly the Second Amendment will be applied to state regulations is the key question in today’s hearing in McDonald v Chicago. Today, one hour has been set for oral arguments. Attorney Alan Gura, who won the Heller case, will argue for the petitioners Otis McDonald, et al. Former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement will argue for the NRA, which is also a party to the case. Chicago’s defense will take up the remainder of the time.
Final Decision is Months Away
Legal experts will attempt to predict how McDonald v. Chicago will be decided, based on the questions/comments of the Justices during oral argument. However, we will have to wait many months before the Supreme Court’s actual written ruling. In a case of this significance, we can expect a lengthy written opinion (with dissents), that may not be issued until summer 2010.
Report and Photo Courtesy NSSF
February 15th, 2010
Starbucks has rejected a request from the Brady Campaign to prohibit gun owners from openly carrying firearms in the company’s California stores. In a response to the anti-gun group’s request, the company said, “Starbucks does not have a corporate policy regarding customers and weapons; we defer to federal, state and local laws and regulations regarding this issue.”
While it is difficult to obtain permits for concealed carry in most California counties, open carry of UNLOADED firearms is permitted by California state law. Members of Bay Area Open Carry (BAOC), a group of open carry advocates, have been meeting in restaurants and coffee houses in Northern California. The sight of unloaded handguns on the hips of patrons aroused the ire of the national Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Peet’s Coffee and California Pizza kitchen caved in to anti-gun pressure, banning openly-carried firearms on their premises.
However, Starbucks has defied the Brady group, continuing to welcome Open Carry advocates at its many coffee centers. NRA instructor and BAOC member Brad Huffman declared: “We definitely applaud Starbucks for allowing law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and we will continue to patronize them as long as they do.”
The Starbucks Open Carry situation attracted national attention when the NRA emailed its millions of members, urging them to support Starbucks. The email was entitled Maybe Brady Campaign Should Switch To Decaf.
You can read more about this story in the D.C. Gun Rights Examiner Blog, which has a cogent (and amusing) commentary by Mike Stollenwerk, of OpenCarry.org.
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