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August 11th, 2009
Do you frequently need to trim lots of cases, but can’t afford a powered trimmer such as the $280.00 Gracie machine? For manual trimming we like the L.E. Wilson units, and now there’s an upgrade that promises to increase the efficiency of your Wilson trimmer.
Sinclair Int’l has introduced a new Carbide Cutter Upgrade Kit that installs in place of a standard Wilson case trimmer cutter and crank handle. Very hard and ultra-sharp, the carbide cutter cuts quickly on contact without grabbing and leaves a nicely finished, square case mouth that is ready for deburring. With the carbide tip and larger, more comfortable handle, you should be able to trim cases more quickly, with less effort. The carbide cutter should also hold its edge longer than regular tool-steel cutter tips. The upgrade kit (item 05-4600) costs $69.95 and works with all Wilson case trimmer models (excluding 50 BMG).
August 11th, 2009
Grafs.com is currently offering Prvi Partisan .223 Remington brass at very attractive prices. 100 cases cost just $22.99, and that includes shipping (but not the $4.50/order handling charge). Bulk orders of 500 or 1000 cases are even less. This is boxer brass, fully reloadable. The PRVI brass is very good brass for the price. We have tried it in the Prvi Partison loaded ammo as well as in reloads. The brass holds pressure well and is more weight-consistent than some brands of domestic .223 brass. This is a good choice for large-quantity varmint loads.
NOTE: Some lots of Prvi Partisan milsurp 5.56×45 loaded ammo have arrived in the US with crimped primer pockets. When reloaded, those cases may require prep with a primer pocket swager to ease primer seating. The unloaded, new .223 Rem brass sold by Graf & Sons is UNPRIMED and has not been crimped, so you should have no difficulty seating primers.
August 1st, 2009
Hornady has been selected as the official ammunition supplier for the 2009 National Springfield and Garand Matches, to be held August 7 and 8, in Camp Perry, Ohio. Hornady’s 30-06 Garand Match Ammunition will be issued to all shooters competing in the Springfield Rifle Match, John C. Garand Match, and the Vintage Military Rifle Match.
Hornady 30-06 M1 Garand Match Ammunition delivers a 168gr A-Max bullet at 2710 fps MV. Hornady’s Garand ammo is purpose-built for the Garand platform, employing medium burn-rate propellants that protect the M1 rifle’s gas port system, meeting all SAAMI guidelines.
According to Hornady, some 30-06 military surplus ammunition and current 30-06 commercial ammunition is too powerful for the gas operating system of the M1 Garand. “Permanent damage can occur while shooting standard [modern] factory-loaded 30-06 ammunition in the M1 Garand,” said Dave Emary, Hornady Chief Ballistic Scientist. “Typical factory loads contain propellants that when fired, result in port pressures and gas volumes that are too high, causing violent stress to the rifle’s operating rod, bolt, and receiver.”
July 31st, 2009
If you’re looking for hard to find reloading components, Darrell Holland reports that Holland Shooters Supplies has just received large shipments of powder, bullets, brass, and yes, primers.
Primer inventories now include: Remington, Winchester, and Wolf (small and large rifle; small and large pistol; plus Win shotgun primers). Popular powders in stock include: Hodgdon Varget (plenty), H335, H4895, H4350, H4831sc, H-1000, Retumbo; and Alliant Reloder 22
Holland’s has received substantial supplies of Lapua cartridge brass including: 223 Rem, 6mmBR, 6.5×47, 6.5-284, 308 Win, and 338 Lapua. In addition Hollands has Winchester brass for 223 Rem, 22-250, 243 Win, 6mm Rem, 308 Win, and 30-06. Nosler brass is available in 280 Rem, 280 Ackly, and 7mm STW
Darrell says he’s also got good supplies of Berger, Nosler, and Sierra Bullets: “lots of 308 caliber 168s, 175s, and 210s, plus 50-80gr 224s.” Holland’s also has 70-107gr 6mms in stock, plus 6.5mm and 7mm bullets.
 For these reloading components at Holland’s, there is no limit on quantity — first come, first served. A $25.00 Hazmat will cover up to 50 lbs of powder and primers. To order, call Holland’s, (541) 439-5155, 9am to 3:00 pm Pacific Time.
While you’re visiting Holland’s website, check out the new $30 Tactical Shooter’s Pouch on the products page. This unique, ballistic nylon bag holds ammo in elastic loops, plus it’s big enough to carry range cards, a mildot master, spare parts, or even a PDA with a ballistics program.
July 22nd, 2009
 Bruno Shooters Supply reports it has large supplies of Wolf Primers with no limits on quantities. Small Rifle, Small Rifle (223), Small Rifle Magnum (recommended for BR and 6-6.5×47), Large Rifle, and Large Rifle Magnum are all offered for $26.95 per thousand primers exclusive of the hazmat fee and shipping charges. Amy Bruno notes that these can only ship via FedEx Ground and that a signature WILL BE REQUIRED.
Powder Valley Inc. has Wolf primers in stock, including the desirable Small Rifle Magnum (one thousand, 1000-ct boxes in stock as of today, at $25.50/1000 plus hazmat and shipping). Also Large Rifle, Large Rifle Magnum, and Large Pistol are in stock.
Sinclair Int’l quickly sold out of the shipment of Remington 7.5 primers it received on July 21st and likewise sold out of Sellier & Bellot primers received on the 15th. Watch the Sinclair Int’l Reloading Press Blog for timely updates on primer and powder shipments.
Wideners has sold out of the last shipment of Wolf Small Rifle Magnum and Large Rifle Primers, but still has Wolf Small Rifle 223 Primers, Large Rifle Magnum Primers, and Large Pistol Primers in stock. As for the domestic primer brands — CCI, Federal, Remington, Winchester — Wideners is still completely out of stock.
July 16th, 2009
 Bryan Litz, chief Ballistician for Berger Bullets, has just released an impressive new, hard-cover treatise on external ballistics. While Bryan’s 536-page Applied Ballistics for Long-Range Shooting will surely take its place among the “classic” reference books on precision shooting, it does much more than explain theories of bullet flight. Using advanced equipment, Litz measured the actual drag of over 175 popular bullet types in the field. Armed with this new experimentally-derived data, shooters can now calculate their loads’ true trajectories with greater precision than ever before.
If you’re serious about long-range shooting, or just have an interest in bullet design and performance, you should buy this book. It is offered for $39.95 directly from Bryan’s website, AppliedBallisticsLLC.com.
In the video above, Litz explains some of the key features of his new book. (Watch the video — Bryan explains what you’ll get for your $39.95!) Don’t be fooled by Bryan’s youthful appearance. This guy is the Einstein of external ballistics. He holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and he was an honest-to-goodness rocket scientist who worked with the U.S. Air Force on air-to-air missile design for six years before joning Berger Bullets. What’s more, Bryan is an extremely talented long-range shooter. Bryan was the 2008 National Palma Champion, and he holds the all-time NRA mid-range iron-sight record (450-39X).
Even if you rely on a software program to calculate your come-ups, it is important to know how bullets are affected by wind and gravity, and how bullet ballistic coefficients are determined. If you’re looking to expand your knowledge of ballistics and the nuances of bullet design, you should find Bryan’s book informative and readable.
You don’t need an MIT degree to understand this book. It was Bryan’s goal to explain the important elements of exterior ballistics in a practical way that can be understood and applied by shooters. What you learn from Applied Ballistics for Long-Range Shooting can help you make better decisions about the bullet(s) and the caliber(s) you choose to shoot, and give you more confidence when taking those long shots in the field.
July 2nd, 2009
Here’s a good deal from Graf & Sons, www.grafs.com. Right now, if you purchase a 250-count box of Hornady 22-caliber, 55gr V-Max bullets, you’ll receive a FREE Hornady DVD ($9.99 value) or a FREE Hornady Reloading print magazine ($6.99 value).
The Hornady 55gr V-Maxs (item HRN22716) are priced at $37.99 for 250 bullets, delivered. That works out to $15.20 per hundred — a pretty good price for premium bullets that are know for excellent accuracy and impressive performance on varmints. To receive your free item, enter “Free DVD” or “Free Magazine” in the special notes section when placing your internet order.
June 24th, 2009
Lapua has used sophisticated Doppler radar to calculate the actual air drag of its bullets throughout the course of bullet flight. Drag coefficients derived from these continuous field measurements make it possible to calculate bullets’ trajectories with great precision. By using Doppler-radar derived drag coefficients, trajectories can be predicted much more accurately than when using the simplified one-number BCs provided by most other bullet-makers.
To enable shooters to calculate trajectories (with the Doppler bullet data) more effectively, Lapua now offers a FREE special edition of QuickTarget Unlimited (QTU) software tailored for Lapua bullets. QTU is a very sophisticated program that allows you to choose among 12 different drag models. QTU also allows you to compensate for rifle firing angle, rifle cant, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity.
Using this free software, you can calculate the trajectories of Lapua bullets to a great degree of certainty. With the QTU Program, as starting values, you need only bullet type and muzzle velocity (add windspeeds if known). The software will calculate bullet drop, velocity and energy as a function of distance and flight time. Complete QTU instructions are in the QTU Manual.
CLICK HERE to download QTU Software Manual. (Read the manual. QTU is complex with many variables and uses metric values by default. The manual explains how to set everything for yards and MOA, and how to input data for wind, temperature, rifle angle and other variables.)
How to Get the Software
To get the FREE QuickTarget Lapua Edition software, first go to the Lapua Ballistics Start Page. On that page, click the “Register” link. Fill in ALL the required info (user name, password, email etc.), and hit the “Create Account” button. Validation: Lapua will send a message to the email account you listed. Open that email and click the internal link to verify that you have an active, valid email account.
OK, now go back to the Ballistics Start Page. Fill in your user name and password, and click the “Login” button. A new page should open with the heading: “About QuickTarget Unlimited (QTU) Lapua Edition”. OK, now move your mouse pointer left and click on the words “Download Lapua Edition”. Now a new page will open.
Almost done. Scroll down and you’ll see a blue “Download Now” button at the bottom. Click that, then click “Agree” on the software license screen that comes next. After you click “Agree” a new page appears showing: “QuickTarget Unlimited Lapua Edition”.
Click the link for “qtulapua.zip” and a 6.1 megabyte .zip archive file will be downloaded to your computer. Open that .zip file and click the “SETUP.EXE” file to install the software.
June 9th, 2009
 You may have already heard this news, but we wanted to repeat it for our readers. Czech ammo-maker Sellier & Bellot was acquired in April by Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos (CBC) a Brazilian enterprise. CBC produces civilian and military ammunition in calibers up to 30mm, and CBC sells a small line of sporting arms. CBC also owns U.S.-based MagTech Ammunition and Metallwerk Elisenhutte GmbH (MEN) of Germany.
Founded in 1825, Sellier & Bellot has been a world leader in ammo production for over 180 years. It produces a very wide range of cartridge types, including pistol ammo, hunting ammo, and a large selection of both modern and “classic” military cartridges. CBC states that Sellier & Bellot will continue under current management, delivering Sellier & Bellot branded ammo through its current sales channels.
May 31st, 2009
Hornady’s 75gr A-Max BTHP bullet is among the more popular bullets used by service rifle shooters. The plastic-tipped projectile also works well in 22-250s and 22 BRs with 1:8.5″ (or faster) barrels. The 75gr A-Max boasts an excellent 0.435 BC, which is higher than the claimed BCs for both the Sierra 77gr MatchKing (0.372 @ 3000+ fps) and the Sierra 80gr MatchKing (.420 @ 2200+ fps).
High-BC 22 Cal Moly A-Maxs for under $20/100
Because Service Rifle competitors must shoot long strings of fire without cleaning, many prefer to shoot moly-coated bullets. Varminters likewise appreciate the fact that coated bullets may extend cleaning intervals. PrecisionReloading.com currently has moly-coated 75gr A-Maxs on sale for just $19.65 per hundred. That’s a good deal for bullets that are more than capable of winning Service Rifle matches. Consider that Sierra 77gr MKs are selling elsewhere for $25-$28.00 per hundred. If you have a fast-twist .224 and you like Moly, you may want to snap up some A-Maxs at this discounted price.
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