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April 12th, 2007
 The Davidson Star-D tripod is a solid, all-metal rig that is sturdy enough to be used for movie cameras. Star-Ds feature convenient rotary cam (collet) leg height adjustments and all-metal tilt and pan controls that lock solidly. The center post is clamped with a big locking ring that adjusts for tension. The rugged, machined-aluminum Star-D tripods are no longer in production but you can find good “previously-owned” models for sale on eBay. This tripod is ideal for use with a chronograph or spotting scope (for viewing in sitting or standing positions). Right now there are three nice Star-Ds on Ebay, items 170099554007, 230114024777, and 230114022708. If these units sell out, watch for the newer Star-Ds with all-silver heads and cam-locked legs. You can often pick them up for under $25.00. Look for the latest versions, as shown in the picture.
April 11th, 2007
Summer’s approaching and temperatures are starting to heat up. For all-day sessions at the range, it’s a good idea to wear a hat that shades your ears and neck from the sun. At the 2006 F-Class Nationals, we noticed that many of the top competitors, including winner Eric Bair and runner-up Alan Warner, sported wide-brimmed hats. Alan even wore his hat while shooting.
Cabela’s sells excellent brimmed hats that feature 50+ UPF sun protection ratings and moisture-wicking sweatbands. These are similar to boonie hats, but are more comfortable, better ventilated, and have a slightly broader and stiffer brim. The Yellowstone Breezer Hat, our favorite, has a mesh top, and is on sale right now for $19.88, item OG-951124. A DeLuxe Breezer Hat, with fully-vented top, is $29.95.
Cabela’s RiverGuide Series hats, shown below, are also on sale for just $19.88. The San Juan Packable Hat (item OG-951125), available in Sage (green-gray) or Natural tan is soft, well-ventilated, and packable. There is also a canvas version (item OG-951126) with a foam crown insert so it floats–great if you use the hat when boating or fishing. To order any of these summer hats, click this Cabela’s LINK and type in the item number.
April 11th, 2007
You need a strong gun case for valuable rifles. One of our forum members recently shipped a costly match rifle via UPS. When it arrived the fancy stock was broken in half. Replacement cost? $961. We’ve also found that the inexpensive plastic cases with foam padding can put a serious side load on your scope turrets or iron sights that can affect the zero. We’ve seen a Redfield Olympic rear sight actually bend from the side pressure in a cheap plastic rifle case. The best systems for gun transport, in our view, are the expedition cases that store rifles vertically, side-by-side. This puts no bending or lateral pressure on the gun or scope/sight mounts. Also, with this “toaster”-style layout you can place the gun case on the ground with the lid open, and the rifle and optics are still shielded from dust and blowing sand.
 The very best side-by-side gun cases are built by Ziegel Engineering, (562) 596-9481. Featuring heavy-gauge aluminum with welded corners, Ziegel cases are beautifully made, but expensive. Ziegel’s Double Expedition Box with cam locks retails for $639.95. A similar product is offered by Cabela’s for much less money. The “bullet-proof” Safari case, made from .063″ marine-grade aluminum with welded corners, costs $359.99 for a 2-gun version, and $379.99 for a 3-gun version. Click THIS LINK and type in “226585” for the Cabela’s item number. NOTE: The interior slots, from foam edge to foam edge, are 50.75″ long. That should fit rifles up to a 30″ barrel unless you have an extended buttstock or bloop tube.
April 10th, 2007
The new Bushnell 4200 Elite 6-24x50mm “Tactical” SF has been released. It features a 30mm main tube, 45 MOA of elevation (top to bottom), 12 MOA per turret revolution, and side-focus parallax adjustment. The scope weighs 22 ounces, eye relief is 3″, and the multi-coated lenses feature RainGuard weather-proofing. A number of vendors have the new scope in stock at prices ranging from $530.00 to $580.00. Currently, befitting its “tactical” name, the scope only comes with a MilDot reticle. Ranging is performed at 12X power, indicated by a red dot on the zoom ring.
Mike of CSgunworks.com reports: “The glass is good. The finish is nice and the turrets feel really positive. I like the fact that it ranges at 12x not 10x, and the side parallax is well-marked all the way down to 25 yards. The crosshairs on the Mil-Dot reticle are a little thicker than I would like, but not too bad. Overall, for the price this scope is hard to beat. I like it more than the Burris TAC scopes.” Mike plans to comparison test the new Bushnell vs. other mid-priced tactical scopes–watch this Bulletin for updates. You can purchase the new 30mm Bushnell 6-24×50 SF at Csgunworks.com, SWFA.com, and The Optic Zone.
April 8th, 2007
This website is all about precision rifles, and achieving the Nth degree of accuracy. But sometimes we should remember the simple pleasures that made shooting fun to begin with. Today, on Easter Sunday, it’s worth contemplating rifles that allow all members of the family to have fun, without a lot of expensive gear or costly ammunition.
I spent a few hours yesterday testing big-buck rimfire bench rifles, shooting through a 36-power scope from a thousand-dollar, one-piece rest. Before heading to the range, I spent two full hours sorting my ammo by run-out, OAL, rim thickness, and weight. The whole afternoon, I strained to deal with the scope’s ultra-critical eye-relief and miniscule 1mm exit pupil. While shooting, my partner and I would grumble and groan if we had a single shot leak out of a group at 50 yards. Then we’d second-guess our wind call, or speculate whether Juenke-sorting the ammo might take 0.10″ off the average group size. The standard of accuracy we demanded made this “Saturday at the Range” more work than play. At day’s end, I realized I had a stiff neck, a tension headache, and a lingering sense of dissatisfaction. Then I thought, wait a minute, shooting is supposed to be fun.
What was missing from Saturday’s “all-business” shooting session was a time-out for some stress-releaving fun stuff. Typically when I go to the range I’ll bring a pistol, or a lever gun, or a factory 22 to shoot steel. It’s very rewarding to stand up on your hind legs with a lever gun and “ring steel” at 50 or 100 yards, using iron sights or a low-power scope with forgiving eye relief and a bright image. When I bring my Marlin 39A to the range, invariably a fellow shooter asks to give it a try, or says “mind if my boy tries your 22?” After sending a dozen rounds of inexpensive ammo downrange at steel targets, they’d hand back the rifle with a big grin saying “Now THAT was fun.” Kids especially love shooting a light, well-balanced 22 offhand and getting instant gratification from the “ping” of a well-placed shot.
In our obsession with precision, we can forget to involve the family in the shooting game, and fail to allow needed diversity into our shooting. It’s OK for a Hall of Fame BR shooter to stand up and shoot iron sights now and then. We BR-aholics can actually benefit from trying different shooting disciplines. I find that taking a break from the serious bench stuff and shooting from a standing position with iron sights loosens up the body and clears the mind, so when I go back to shooting from the bench, my performance improves.
Here are three great plinking rifles that combine low cost with surprising accuracy. The Marlin 39A is a classic, with the heft and feel of a centerfire lever gun. The Micro-groove barrel provides “best in class” accuracy. The CZ 452 Varmint is a versatile sporting gun with a comfortable stock and quality action. With a Brooks trigger upgrade, it’s good enough to win a club-level silhouette match (or you can get a model 453 with factory set trigger). The Izmash “Biathlon” basic offers a fast-cycling Fortner-style toggle action (kids love them), a heavy barrel, and 1.3-lb trigger pull out of the box. Often priced as low as $349.00, this rifle, from Russian American Armory, is hard to beat from a price/performance standpoint. For more info (including accuracy test results), read this Review of Biathlon Basic. Here are some 50-yard targets shot with the Biathlon Basic by Tod at GunTech.com.
April 7th, 2007
Signature Zee rings are inexpensive and effective. The inserts allow you to mount the scope with no binding or misalignment, and no lapping is required. Using the offset inserts you can pre-load up to +20 MOA elevation, allowing you to shoot out to 1000 yards without a costly inclined rail. The polymer inserts ride between your scope tube and the metal ring, so you can mount/unmount your scope without marring the finish. If you have a Weaver or Picatinny rail on top of your rifle, these rings are hard to beat for the price–that’s why Burris Signatures are on all of this editor’s long-range rifles. Currently, 1″ diameter Signature Zee “High” rings are on sale at MidwayUSA for $28.99, item 612622.
April 6th, 2007
Roger Ahrens’ One-piece Rest is a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship that functions as well as it looks. The machining is second to none. Used mostly by rimfire shooters, the Ahrens Rest will also work with PPCs and other light-recoiling centerfires. The rest is milled from 6061 T6 Aluminum, with Delrin slide points and skid plates. The entire front column/forearm platform rotates on bearings and is linked to the rear stock support, so as you adjust windage, the front and rear stock-contact points remain in perfect alignment. The controls are conveniently placed in the center, and can be switched easily for left-handed shooters. Roger Ahrens crafts each unit individually with mill and lathe. Production is very labor intensive, so you may have to wait a while for delivery. Price is $850.00 plus about $45 for shipping. Many top rimfire shooters feel the Ahrens Rest is the best of its kind currently available. Click HERE for BIG PHOTO.
April 3rd, 2007
 We receive many reader inquiries about gunsafes. We often hear: “Look, I know I should get a bigger, more expensive safe, but I just can’t spend more than $750″. For those on a tight budget, Granite Security builds a quality 60″x30″x20″ Winchester Club Safe sold at Sam’s Club for just $599.99 (Pick-up Only price). Weighing 575 pounds, this will be much more secure than the thin-walled “gun lockers” that can cost $300-$400. The interior is about 56″ high, long enough for 30″-barreled guns if you use the pass-through in the top shelf. You can use both sides for guns or have rifles on one side and shelves on the other. The safe has a claimed 24 long-gun capacity, but realistically, figure 8-9 per side.
At 575 pounds, the safe is heavy enough that it would be difficult for a thief to move. The safe comes pre-drilled with holes for anchor bolts, plus a dehumidifier access hole. The safe has a UL-listed electronic lock, but we recommend upgrading to an S&G or LaGard commercial-grade digital lock (or dial lock). Commercial grade locks offer higher-quality keypads with much enhanced long-term reliability. We’ve talked to many gunsmiths who say the Sam’s Club safe (by Granite), is hard to beat for the price. Click HERE to read comments from many folks who own the Sam’s Club gunsafe. One owner writes: “The Sam’s Club Winchester safe is essentially a Granite Security Ranger, minus about $300. Probably one of the best values in the safe market today.” For general info about gunsafe features, read our Gun Safe Buyers Guide.
April 2nd, 2007
If you mount a large, high-magnification scope on an AR15, AR10, or AR-based space-gun, you’ll need to set the scope well forward to allow proper eye relief while retaining normal length of pull. (Buttstock extensions will move you far enough away from the rear eyepiece, but then you may have to reach too far to the trigger.)
Robert Whitley, who regularly uses scoped ARs and spaceguns, recommends the GS-1 extended rail from GG&G. This allows you to put the front scope ring out front of the receiver. The rail fits any flat-topped AR receiver with a picatinny mount, and retails for $89.95 at 6mmAR.com and other vendors.
April 2nd, 2007
 Credit Joe Friedrich for this simple yet effective accessory for your benchrest rifle. Joe shoots a .22LR with a tuner. When he added weights to his tuner, he found his rifle no longer balanced well. He wanted to add a substantial amount of weight in the rear without drilling holes in the stock. He also wanted the weight to be removable, and easily placed on another rifle in his stable.
At a local sporting goods shop Joe found a 1.5-lb ankle weight that comes in a padded, tubular elastic cover. It’s like a 1.5-lb sausage in a soft, stretchy nylon cover. (Imagine a really fat, heavy bungee cord). Joe simply attached a plastic zip tie at the end to make a loop that fits perfectly over his buttstock. To “tune” the rifle’s balance, Joe just slides the ankle weight fore and aft on the stock. Yesterday we tried it on a variety of different BR stocks (including a McMillan Edge) and it worked perfectly. This is a great invention, and would work with sporter rifles and ARs just as well. Click HERE for big photo.
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