First there was F-Class, and now there will be E-Class, the “E” standing for “Economy”. The NRA Competitive Shooting Division has just approved a new form of rifle competition starting in 2025: E-Class. Unlike F-Class, E-Class will have tight rifle and gear cost controls. This is a clear response to rising F-Class costs, which have spiraled out of control. The first major E-Class National event will be a preview match held this summer at Camp Atterbury in Indiana.
The NRA’s sanctioning of E-Class competition makes sense. Let’s face it, top-level F-Class competition, both F-TR and F-Open, has become just too expensive. A modern F-Open rifle capable of winning a championship can now cost $9000.00 or more, including rest, premium trigger, and optics. Under the NRA’s new E-Class Rules, rifles can cost no more than $2000.00 total, including optics and rest (E-Open) or bipod (E-TR). In addition, new E-Class rules will recognize a special division, called E-Factory, that is limited to factory rifles, such as the Savage Axis II and Howa rifles. The E-Factory Class will also be restricted to .223 Remington to keep ammo costs down.
COST COMPARISON — F-Open, E-Open, and E-TR Factory
E-TR Factory Division
Complete Rifle
Savage Axis II: $1079 MSRP
Barrel: Included
Stock: Included
Optics: $500
Trigger: Included
Bipod: $150
Rear Bag: $50 Total: $1779.00
Under the new E-Class rules, TOTAL Cost for an E-Open or E-TR Rifle is limited to $2000.00, including optics, front rest or bipod, and rear bag. There are specific gear limits. Scope maximum is $500.00. Front rest or bipod is limited to $300.00. In the chart above you see how an E-Open rifle could be built for $1900 with a $400 action and a $400 optic. In the third column we’ve priced out an E-Factory rifle, based on a Savage Axis II Rifle, at $1779.00.
A top-of-the-line F-Open set-up like this can cost more than $8000.00 with custom stock, high-end optic, and coax front rest. All new E-Class rifles must cost less than $2000 including rests and scope.
These E-Class rigs cost less than a quarter of the price of a Top-of-the-line $8750.00 F-Open Rig. That’s a huge savings, that will allow more shooters to enjoy competitive shooting. E-Class combines the fun challenge of the F-Class course of fire, with a vastly lower investment. With the rising costs of taxes, food, fuel, and everything else, it’s high time we get serious about the money we throw away on competition rifles. We know the wives will approve!
Keeping on Lid on Expenses
In the Wings — Controls on Ammo Costs as Well
Shooters know that the price of the rifle, optics, and rests is only part of the cost equation. The price of ammunition is also significant. Currently, in F-Open, competitors can easily pay $1.40 per round just for the expendables — bullets, powder, and primers. Add in the cost of premium cartridge brass and the cost per shot goes up significantly. One competitor lamented “Shooting a match these days really empties your wallet. I cringe every time I pull the trigger, knowing what it costs.”
Therefore, the NRA is considering E-Class ammo restrictions. Starting in 2026, E-Factory class competitors would be required to shoot recycled bulk brass and blem bullets. Bulk Lake City 5.56 brass will be offered by ARMorAlly.com, and blem bullets will be offered by Midsouth Shooters Supply. Purists may complain about using surplus brass, but it only costs $199.99 for 500 cases! That’s a huge savings.
The Final Step — Claiming Rules for E-Class
As in every competitive endeavor, there may be temptation to bend or even break the rules. Predictably, some E-Class competitors may try to substitute more expensive components, such as high-cost triggers, or modified actions. To prevent this, the NRA plans to impose claiming rules for E-Class matches. This means that any rifle that captures first or second place in a major match can be claimed by another competitor for the fee of $2000.00. This procedure may seem radical but it is used in other sports to ensure parity among the competitors. If a shooter wins with a “cheater” $5000.00 rifle, he can be forced to sell it to a competitor for $2000.00.
A recent scientific discovery in Washington State suggests that areas in North America once harbored large colonies of giant, man-sized rodents — distant cousins to today’s prairie dogs.
In late 2024, while searching for ancient dinosaur fossils, a field team of Princeton University paleontologists has uncovered a startling find — the skull of a massive prehistoric rodent, along with other skeletal remains.
The skull, nearly the size of a horse’s head, is almost identical in form to the skull of a modern-era prairie dog, though it is is more than 50 times as large. Apparently today’s Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs had some very large predecessors. Based on the size of the skull and other bones, scientists estimate that the giant prairie dogs could stand up to 7′ tall and weigh up to 350 pounds. In other words, this critter was man-sized.
The giant rodents lived much like modern prairie dogs do today — grazing on vegetation and nesting underground in burrows. The giant skull was unearthed in Washington’s Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve. View More: Mima Mounds Aerial photo.
Mystery of Mima Mounds Finally Solved
Southwest of Seattle, near Littlerock, Washington, you’ll find the Mima Mounds, a vast field of clustered earthen mounds covering over 600 acres. Since their discovery (by whites) in the 18th century, the Mima Mounds have confounded scientific explanation — until now that is. The location of the giant prairie dog skull and bones inside one of the Mima Mounds indicates, with great certainty, that the mound field was created by a large colony of giant burrowing rodents. Scientists now believe that the Mima Mounds area is a prehistoric prairie dog field, created by the creatures scientists have nicknamed “Big Dogs”.
NW Indian Legends Spoke of Giant Prairie Dogs
The presence of the giant prairie dogs at Mima Mounds is confirmed by Northwestern Indian legends describing a giant burrowing beast that stood as tall as a man, when raised on its hind legs. Researchers, who transcribed oral histories of the Sauk-Suiattle tribe, have recorded numerous references to a large, man-sized creature that burrowed underground. In the Suiattle language the beast was called “Chok-lahtle-wachook”, which, literally translated, means “Standing Man-Mouse”. A number of ancient Indian carvings and artifacts have depicted this creature (see photo at right), but cultural historians had not understood their significance. For decades the historians presumed Chok-lahtle-wachook was a wholly fictional man-beast, not a real species. Such mythical hybrid creatures are commonly revered as important totemic spirits by many Native American cultures. However, it now appears that Chok-lahtle-wachook really existed, and did so in great numbers.
Can Science Revive the Giant Prairie Dog?
The discovery of the giant prairie dog has electrified the scientific community because it appears that bone samples may contain recoverable DNA. And that means — you guessed it — there is a small chance that Chok-lahtle-wachook could be cloned. Geneticist Amy Moorwall of the Univ. of Washington explains: “These are not 100-million-year-old dinosaur bones. This creature lived in relatively recent times, so there is much more genetic material remaining that hasn’t completely fossilized. Initial inspection of bone marrow samples suggest that there may be viable, complete DNA strands that could be recovered. If that’s true, this could be one of our first opportunities to revive an extinct species.”
Varmint Hunters Hope for Successful Cloning
Could Chok-lahtle-wachook once again stand tall upon America’s prairies through the application of modern genetic cloning technology? If so, that would be exciting news for the nation’s hunting community. Varmint hunting is hugely popular in North America, and the possibility of bagging a man-sized prairie dog would be a dream come true for avid varminters. Ryan Stanley of the Varmint Hunters’ Association (VHA) told us that his members hope that the giant prairie dog could be cloned successfully: “We would definitely support a cloning effort. Many of our members spend countless days, over many seasons, trying to earn a 1000-yard patch, signifying a confirmed varmint kill at 1000 yards. Getting that patch, for a varminter, is like a baseball player making it into Cooperstown. Needless to say, if VHA members have a chance to shoot at a 7-foot-tall, 300-pound varmint, instead of a puny little prairie dog, many more of our members will finally earn their 1000-yard patch.”
What’s a “Frankengun”? Well it’s a one-of-a-kind rifle that has been pieced together from a variety of different parts and components. It might be a little bit Bolt Gun mixed with a little bit AR-15. Or it might feature some home-made components unlike anything you’ve seen before. The end result is a unique rig you won’t find anywhere else.
We’ve selected these five Frankengun rifles from an older thread in our Shooters’ Forum.
Frankengun #1 — The EXO (as in Exo-Skeleton)
Forum member jm850 calls this tube-framed wonder the EXO (as in “exo-skeleton”). He says: “This is a prototype I designed around a few core concepts that stick out to me on a traditional configuration. Eliminating stresses, lowering recoil moment, and improved barrel cooling. I’m really happy with it so far.”
The EXO is a very unique rifle. We’ve never seen anything like this since the late Shelley Davidson’s famous Tinkertoy Rifle, a brilliantly innovative 30BR that actually won matches. (Sadly Shelley has passed away). The Tinkertoy, shown below, was truely radical, but it worked ! Could this have been an inspiration for jrm850’s EXO rifle?
Frankengun #2 — Mossberg MVG in LSS Stock with BipodeXt
Forum member BallisticXLR has created something very weird to say the least. It started out as a basic, bone-stock Mossberg MVP Varmint in .223 Rem. Then the transformation began: “I replaced everything except the receiver. It now has an LSS stock, PSG-1 grip from DPMS, XLR butt stock, PT&G lug and barrel nut, Columbia River Arms 26″ barrel with Sonoran coral snake Cerakote, A2 flash hider, Timney and Jard triggers (depending on what I’m doing), and a USO B17 which is now a USO 3.8-22×44.” That long extension tube under the chassis is a BipodeXt from Accuracy Solutions.
Frankengun #3 — A Chassis Rig in 25 Creedmoor
This Frankengun belongs to Forum member Geraldgee. This “black and blue” rig features a mag-fed Kelbly Atlas action in a McCree’s Precision G10 Chassis. The barrel is a Bartlein Rem Varmint Contour, 1:7.5″-twist 4 Groove, chambered for the 25 Creedmoor. There are some interesting .25-Cal bullets coming on the market now. You can make the brass by expanding 6mm Creedmoor, or necking down 6.5 Creedmoor.
Frankengun #4 — MDT Chassis, Fore-end Whittled by Spook
Here’s a real collection of odds and ends, but Forum member Spook says it shoots well, and is a great example of “Left-over parts made useful again”. This mix-n-match Frankengun features a Remington M7 action with PT&G bolt. The barrel is a stainless Pac-Nor chambered in 6mm SLR. The barreled action is carried in an MDT Chassis with rear folding buttstock. Up front is something unusual, a Delrin fore-end that owner Spook “whittled in the mill”.
Frankengun #5 — 6.5×47 in Accuracy Int’l Stock
CLICK photo for full-screen version.
Forum member CT10Ring kicked off the Forum Frankengun thread with this rifle. It’s actually not that shocking, but you rarely see a BAT action in an Accuracy International stock. The BAT VR action is mated to an AI Mag and set up in an AI folding stock. On top is an “old school” Nightforce Benchrest scope. The barrel is a very heavy Krieger chambered for the 6.5×47 Lapua. CT10Ring say the barrel alone weighs about 9 pounds, and the gun “shoots better than [he] can”.
Post Pictures of Your Frankenguns in our Forum
So do you have a favorite Frankengun resting in your gun safe? If you do, visit our Shooters’ Forum and post a description and some photos in the Frankengun thread.
The Making of MatchKings — How Sierra Produces SMKs
All Sierra bullets begin life as a strip of gilding metal, an alloy consisting of 95% copper and 5% zinc. To meet Sierra’s strict quality requirements, the gilding metal requires three times more dimensional and quality control standards than is considered standard in the copper manufacturing industry.
A blanking press stamps out a uniform disc and forms the cup that will be drawn into the MatchKing jacket. The cup is then polished and sent to a draw press to be drawn into a jacket that is longer than needed for the future MatchKing, thus allowing for the trim process. Press operators constantly check concentricity to ensures jacket quality. The jackets then go to a trimmer where they are visually inspected again.
After being polished a second time, the jacket travels to the bullet press. In the meantime, 80-pound lead billets are being extruded into lead wire for the cores where great care is taken so that the core wire is not stretched. The core wire is lightly oiled before continuing to the bullet press to be swaged.
The lead core wire and trimmed jacket meet at the bullet press where the first stage forms a boattail on the jacket. The lead core is then formed on top of the bullet press and fed down into the jacket. In one stroke of the press, the MatchKing is formed.
Quality control technicians pull samples from each lot of MatchKings to make sure they meet Sierra’s stringent standards. Samples are then sent to Sierra’s 300-meter underground test range (shown below) to be shot for accuracy on mechanical mounts referred to as “unrestricted return to battery rests” that Sierra designed and built in-house.
After inspection, the bullets are placed in the familiar green box along with reloading labels. They are then shrink-wrapped and shipped all over the world.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has vetoed two dozen anti-gun bills passed by the Democrat-controlled Virginia General Assembly. These bills would have curtailed individual gun rights and attacked gun dealers/manufacturers throughout the Commonwealth. The NRA and NSSF (National Shooting Sports Foundation) praised Governor Youngkin for standing up to those who want to destroy gun rights in Virginia.
The NRA praised Gov. Youngkin for his actions to preserve Second Amendment rights: “[We] thank Governor Youngkin for standing strong in his support for the Second Amendment by vetoing the litany of gun control bills pushed through the General Assembly this year,” said John Commerford, Exec. Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA). “For the second year in a row, [Virginia] gun control activists tried to enact dozens of radical, California-style laws that would have severely restricted the Second Amendment rights of gun owners in the Commonwealth. The NRA applauds Governor Youngkin for upholding his promise to protect our Constitutional freedoms.”
The bills vetoed by Governor Youngkin came from the long wish list of radical gun control activists. This included attempts to restrict the Constitutional rights of 18- to 20-year-old adults, dramatically expand gun-free zones that would have left law-abiding Virginians defenseless and enact a mandatory waiting period to take possession of a legally-purchased firearm. In addition, the vetoed legislation would have banned a wide range of common firearms used for hunting, competition, and self-defense
Notable anti-gun bills vetoed by Gov. Youngkin this year include:
SB 848 — Remove the right of anybody under 21 years of age to purchase certain semiautomatic rifles mislabeled as “assault weapons.”
SB 891 — Mandates 5-day waiting period of five days for the purchase and transfer of firearms.
SB 1181 and HB 1607 — Bans the sale of many semiautomatic firearms and bans magazines having a capacity of more than 10 rounds.
SB 1329 — Imposes restrictions on concealed carry and storage in vehicles.
SB 1450 and HB 1608 — Creates new civil liabilities for companies engaged in the sale, manufacturing, distribution, or marketing of firearm-related products.
CLICK HERE for the official list of Virginia legislation vetoed by Gov. Youngkin so far this year. This includes the two dozen anti-Second Amendment bills he recently vetoed.
The NSSF notes that the defense of Second Amendment rights by Governor Youngkin proves that Elections DO matter. All gun owners should register and VOTE to ensure that your rights are preserved. Take time to research candidates and support those who will protect your Second Amendment rights.
If you want to stay current with trends in the firearms industry, and see important new product releases before they hit dealers’ shelves, you should check out Shooting Industry magazine. While tailored for firearms/outdoor gear retailers and industry professionals, this monthly journal also provides valuable information for all gun owners. We read Shooting Industry to learn about sales trends, new products, and current gun laws issues.
READ for FREE — Shooting Industry Magazine is available in a digital format for FREE. The archives go back to January 2022 — giving you instant access to 40 FREE issues.
Get FREE Digital Shooting Industry Magazines for the Past 3+ Years
You can access, for free, three years of Shooting Industry back issues (2024, 2023, 2022), PLUS all the latest 2025 issues. CLICK HERE for the 2025 issues along with previous issues back through January 2022.
Below we’ve included quick links to the four most recent Shooting Industry editions — January 2025, February 2025, March 2025, and April 2025. These four monthly magazines can be read online for free. Also, as they are in PDF format you can easily print all or part of these monthly magazines. Simply click each cover to read full issue for FREE:
Along with the four 2025 issues, there are 36 more digital editions of Shooting Industry Magazine available for FREE on the web. Every monthly issue for years 2024, 2023, and 2022 is available online. Simply visit the Magazine Archive Page and scroll down top to bottom.
To access prior year monthly editions, CLICK HERE to access the Shooting Industry Digital Archives page with links for all 2024, 2023, and 2022 monthly issues.
SUMMARY: Powder can have a very long shelf life. You need to watch for changes in smell and color. A reddish tinge, almost like rust on the powder, is a bad sign, as is a foul odor, not to be confused with a normal chemical smell. Either of these signs indicate it is time to dispose of your powder by means other than shooting.
Ever wondered about the stability of the propellants in your reloading room? There are some important things you should know about powder storage, to ensure consistent powder performance and safety. Western Powders (which has been acquired by Hodgdon) published an informative Q & A series entitled Dear Labby: Questions for our Ballistics Lab. Here are some excerpts that pertain to powder storage and shelf life. Worried that your powder may be too old? Western’s experts explain how to check your propellants for warning signs.
Proper Powder Storage
Q: I live in southern Arizona where it is very hot. I am told powders will become unstable if stored in an area not air-conditioned. My wife says no powder or primers in the house. Can powder be stored in a refrigerator? What about using a fireproof safe? I would appreciate your ideas. — M.C.
Lab Answer: SAAMI guidelines are pretty clear on issues of storage. They recommend storing smokeless powder in containers that will not allow pressure to build if the powder is ignited — ruling out gun safes and refrigerators.
In their original containers, the lifespan of smokeless powders is quite long, even in hot, arid climates. In fact the lifespan is typically longer than the average handloader would need to store them. Stored safely in a garage or outbuilding, your powder should last years. If you see the powder developing a reddish tint, or giving off a foul odor, it is time to discard it.
Clumps in Powder Container
Q: I ordered some of your Accurate 1680 powder back about in December. I just now opened it … and it is full of clumps. My knowledge tells me that means moisture. Am I wrong? I just now broke the seal and it has been stored in a ammo can with desiccant packs around it and a dehumidifier running 14-16 hours a day. I can’t imagine this being my fault, if this does indicate moisture. I don’t know if the pink part on the label is suppose to be red or not, but it is definitely pink, so if it was red I am wondering if I was shipped an old container? I hope that this isn’t bad and I am stuck with it…
Lab Answer: All powder contains a certain amount of moisture. When the powder is stored or during shipping, it can go through temperature cycles. During the cycling, the moisture can be pulled to the surface and cause clumping. Clumping can also be caused by static electricity if too dry or the powder has limited graphite content. You can break up the clumps before metering and they shouldn’t be a problem. This will not affect the powder performance, so your product is fine. Accurate 1680 labels are designed in Pink. As a side note, specification for testing powder is at 70° F and 60% humidity.
Shelf Life and Packaging Dates
Q: Does powder ever get to old to use and what identifying marks does your company put on the canister for when it is made, You have helped me out a while ago when I asked about keeping my cowboy shooting under 950 fps and it works great less stress on the hand and the recoil is very minimum. — R.B.
Lab Answer: On one pound bottles, the number is on the corner in a silver box. If the powder was poured today, it would read 012815 followed by a lot number. The whole number would look something like 012815749. Eight pound bottles have a sticker on the bottom with an obvious date code. The lot number appears above the date.
In our Shooters’ Forum there is a popular photography thread. Along with some great nature and hunting images, you’ll find quality photos of handsome firearms. Among the many images were head-turning photos of some very impressive pistols belonging to Forum member Beiruty from Texas. He has some of the most handsome mag-fed handguns we’ve ever seen. Here are six of his favorite semi-auto pistols from his collection. Three of these handguns boast beautiful engraving.
FN Browning High Power Renaissance
This 9mm hand-engraved High Power with silver finish was made in Belgium in 1971:
NOTE: This is one of a near-matching pair of FN HP Renaissance pistols featured in the top photo.
Hämmerli .22 LR Model 208, Special Edition
This Special Edition, one of 500, marks 125 years of Hämmerli Sportwaffenfabrik (1863-1988):
The handsome grip is factory carved. This Model 208 pistol shipped in a fitted case, shown below.
Colt .45 ACP 1911 Commander
This 1975-vintage Colt Commander 1911 sports fully-engraved frame and slide:
Smith & Wesson .22 LR Model 41 Long Barrel
This target pistol features a 7-3/8″ barrel with factory compensator. Grip is custom:
Browning .22 LR Medalist Pistol
This handsome Browning Medalist, all factory standard, was made in Belgium in 1964:
The video below shows another Browning Medalist of the same design and relative vintage:
Stoeger Arms American Eagle Navy Model Luger
This stainless Stoeger Navy Model 6″ Luger Pistol is vintage 1978-1980:
One of our Forum members complained that he wasn’t able to set his primers flush to the rim. He tried a variety of primer tools, yet no matter what he used, the primers still didn’t seat deep enough. He measured his primers, and they were the right thickness, but it seemed like his primer pockets just weren’t deep enough. He was mystified as to the cause of the problem.
Well, our friend Boyd Allen diagnosed the problem. It was the decapping rod. If the rod is adjusted too low (screwed in too far), the base of the full-diameter rod shaft (just above the pin) will contact the inside of the case. That shaft is steel whereas your case is brass, a softer, weaker metal. So, when you run the case up into the die, the shaft can actually stretch the base of the primer pocket outward. Most presses have enough leverage to do this. If you bell the base of the primer pocket outwards, you’ve essentially ruined your case, and there is no way a primer can seat correctly.
The fix is simple. Just make sure to adjust the decapping rod so that the base of the rod shaft does NOT bottom out on the inside of the case. The pin only needs to extend through the flash hole far enough to knock the primer out. The photo shows a Lyman Universal decapping die. But the same thing can happen with any die that has a decapping rod, such as bushing neck-sizing dies, and full-length sizing dies.
Whenever you use a die with a decapping pin for the first time, OR when you move the die to a different press, make sure to check the decapping rod length. And it’s a good idea, with full-length sizing dies, to always re-check the height setting when changing presses.
There are a variety of decapping dies currently on the market, with models available from LEE, Lyman, Hornady, RCBS, Redding, and Sinclair Int’l.
LEE Universal Decapping Die Costs Just $11.49
Speaking of decapping tools, Midsouth Shooters Supply sells the LEE Universal Decapping Die for just $11.99 (item 006-90292), a very good deal. There are many situations when you may want to remove primers from fired brass as a separate operation (prior to case sizing). For example, if your rifle brass is dirty, you may want to de-cap before sizing. Or, if you load on a progressive press, things will run much more smoothly if you decap you brass first, in a separate operation.
Decapping Dies for Cases with Smaller Flashholes
TAKE NOTE: Some Euro Small Flash Holes are spec’d at 1.5mm or 0.059″, and max out at about .062″, so these need a smaller die pin.
The low-cost LEE Universal Decapping Die will work with cartridges from 17 Fireball all the way up to big Magnums. However, NOTE that the decapping pin supplied with this Lee die is TOO LARGE for LAPUA 220 Russian, 6mmBR, 6.5×47, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Win (Palma) and Norma 6 PPC flash holes. Because the pin diameter is too large for these brass types, you must either turn down the pin, or decap with a different tool for cases with .059-.062″ flash-holes.
Sinclair Int’l offers a Stainless Decapping Die that comes with BOTH .080 and .060 Pins. The $46.99 die ships with three decapping pins for standard .080″ flash holes, and two pins for .060″ flash holes.
Redding makes a Universal Decapping Die with an optional smaller-diameter decapping rod for the smaller .059-.062″ flash holes found on the BR and PPC cases. The use of this die is explained in the video below:
We know that Competition Machine (Gary Eliseo) makes great chassis systems and Pierce Engineering (John Pierce) makes great actions. But sometimes a project comes together even better than one can imagine. The folks at Pierce Engineering crafted an Eliseo Tubegun that displayed some mind-blowing accuracy during initial testing. This was a special rifle built to a client’s spec in .22 PPC.
After his team completed the rifle, John Pierce took the Tubegun to the range to make sure everything was working right. The rifle was chambered for the .22 PPC, a known accuracy cartridge. Would this cartridge shoot in this gun? Heck yeah was the answer! The first two shots out of the gun were touching. That was promising enough. But then John drilled a five-shot group that was basically one hole! Here is that target. First two shots upper left, then the five-shot group below and to the right. Chassis-maker Gary Eliseo commented: “that’ll do just fine…”
Disclaimer: John shot some more groups with this Tubegun that were definitely NOT one-holers. That first five-shot masterpiece could not be duplicated. However, we’re told that the rifle shot other groups in the 2s, 3s, and 4s — impressive performance for a rifle designed for prone and position shooting. This shows how well the Pierce action mates to the Competition Machine chassis.
And if the owner ever wants to show off a “wallet group” for his new rifle — well he’s got that, thanks to John’s great trigger-pulling and rifle-building. Using On-Target software we measured that five-shot group at 0.189″ (see photo at right). That’s crazy small for a new gun with zero load development. That’s also a testimony to the quality of the Norma .22 PPC brass.
Why the .22 PPC Chambering?
The customer owns other Eliseo Tubeguns, but wanted something that combined extreme accuracy with very low recoil. He also wanted to be able to shoot factory brass without fire-forming. Norma makes very high-quality .22 PPC cartridge brass that is an easy load and shoot solution. In fact the folks at Pierce Engineering custom-loaded a quantity of .22 PPC ammo for this Tubegun and shipped it off to the customer along with the new rifle. NOTE: Loading ammo is not something that Pierce normally does, but this was a special client request.
Norma .22 PPC Cartridge Brass is available from Bullet Central for $75.99 for FIFTY (50) cases. That works out to $151.98 per 100. Yep that’s pricey considering that 6 years ago this same Norma brass was just $88.88 per 100 cases. But we have seen significant inflation in nearly all premium brass offerings.
A recent scientific discovery in Washington State suggests that areas in North America once harbored large colonies of giant, man-sized rodents — distant cousins to today’s prairie dogs.
NW Indian Legends Spoke of Giant Prairie Dogs
Varmint Hunters Hope for Successful Cloning
Disclaimer: John shot some more groups with this Tubegun that were definitely NOT one-holers. That first five-shot masterpiece could not be duplicated. However, we’re told that the rifle shot other groups in the 2s, 3s, and 4s — impressive performance for a rifle designed for prone and position shooting. This shows how well the Pierce action mates to the Competition Machine chassis. 
