Creedmoor Sports has recently expanded and updated the Creedmoor Sports InfoZone. This web resource contains valuable information about reloading, rifle maintenance, marksmanship skills, and gunsmithing. In addition, the InfoZone has Competition Reports, numerous Gear Reviews, and general Shooting Sports News.
For this Saturday Showcase, you’ll find five InfoZone Videos hosted by Bill Gravatt, President of Creedmoor Sports. There are over 85 other videos on the Creedmoor Sports YouTube Channel. Bill Gravatt is an expert on reloading processes and gear. He developed many of the popular tools for Sinclair Int’l, and now he directs operations for Creedmoor Sports.
Reloading Procedures with Bill Gravatt
Here are five helpful videos Bill Gravatt created for the Creedmoor Sports InfoZone. These videos cover a variety of essential processes for handloading. In addition Bill Shows how to find the exact twist rate in your rifle barrels.
How to Determine a Barrel Twist Rate
Bill Gravatt of Creedmoor Sports demonstrates an easy method to determine your barrel’s twist rate. Knowing the twist rate is essential to selecting suitable bullets for your discipline.
How to Seat Bullets with Inline Press
Many top Benchrest and F-Class shooters favor inline presses for bullet seating. With good hand dies (such as Wilson) and a inline Arbor press (such as a 21st Century), you can get great results with super seating depth consistency and very low run-out.
How to Trim Cases with L.E. Wilson Trimmer
There are many ways to trim cartridge brass. If you need to trim hundreds of cases it may pay to have a dedicated power trimmer. However, for most rifle shooters, a good hand trimmer will do the job very well. We regularly use a Wilson trimmer to trim our cases, as demonstrated in this video.
How to Clean Cartridge Cases
It is important to regularly clean cartridge brass. There are many different means. Wiping the outside with a solvent is a good start. For more thorough cleaning inside and out tumbling or wet-tumbling will do the job. After tumbling in media, you should always check the primer pockets and flash holes before loading.
How to Clean Reloading Dies
Cleaning your reloading dies is something that many who reload often neglect. In this 60-second Tech Tip, Bill Gravatt provides some tips on cleaning your reloading dies.
BONUS Video: How to Fine Tune Seating Depth
Now that you’ve learned Reloading Basics from the Creedmoor Sports videos, here’s a great video from our friend Keith Glasscock that will help you get optimal results when seating bullets. Keith is one of America’s greatest F-Class competitors, with multiple podium finishes at F-Class National Championships. With over 213,000 views, this is the most popular video Keith has created for his Winning in the Wind YouTube Channel.
About Creedmoor Sports — 45 Years of Service to Marksmen
For the past 45 years, since 1979, Creedmoor Sports has been supplying quality equipment and supplies to avid shooters in a wide variety of disciplines: Rimfire, F-Class, PRS/NRL, Silhouette, Service Rifle, Benchrest, and more. Specializing in competitive centerfire, smallbore, and air rifle accessories, as well as reloading components and tools, Creedmoor Sports seeks to provide its customers with the right gear to help them achieve their personal shooting goals.
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Today is Good Friday and Easter will be celebrated Sunday, March 31, 2024. In connection with this Easter weekend, many companies are currently offering Easter-themed discounts and promotions. Here we list some of the top bargains and discounts you can get.
There is a good list of Easter Weekend Sales on the PewPewTactical.com website. You’ll find a selection of ammo bargains for .22 LR, 9mm Luger, .223 Rem/5.56, and Shotgun Ammunition.
Now through Monday, April 1st at 12:00 pm Central Time, you can get FREE Ground Shipping on all Creedmoor Sports purchases over $99.00. Use CODE EASTER24. NOTE: Certain exclusions apply.
Palmetto State Armory Easter Deals
Palmetto State Armory is running a pretty big Easter-themed sale. You’ll find complete AR-15 Blem lower starting at just $149.99, major discounts on S&W, SIG Sauer, and Taurus handguns, plus significant discounts on a wide variety of major-brand optics.
Brownells Discount Codes for March 2023
For the month of March, Brownells has three special discount codes. These codes can save you up to 15% on a major purchase:
$20 Off Orders $200+. Use Code MARCH20
$55 Off Orders $500+. Use Code MARCH50
$152 Off Orders $1000+. Use Code MARCH120
In addition, there are other current Brownells Discount Codes running which may be available for longer periods (no specific expiration date — may end soon).
10% OFF $150+. Use Code TTB10
$10 Off $100+. Use Code GIFT10
15% OFF Select Optics. Use Code OPTICS15
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Can sustained rapid-fire shooting with no cool-down period wear out a quality barrel more quickly? The answer is “Yes” according to Forum member LCazador, who did an interesting comparison test with two .243 Winchester barrels. He started off with two, identical, match-grade HV taper stainless barrels. Both were NEW at the start of testing, and LCazador shot the same load through each: 95gr match bullets with 38 grains of Hodgdon Varget. After giving both barrels the same, gentle 20-round break-in, 300 rounds were then fired through each barrel — in very different ways. Barrel condition and wear were monitored with a borescope.
Barrel One — Slow Fire, Cool Down Periods, Cleaning Every 50 Rounds
At the end of the 300-round test, Barrel One looked brand new. There was none of the severe fire cracking found in Barrel Two. This barrel was shot no more than 10 times without a cool down and firing was done at a much slower pace. Cleaning for this barrel was done every 50 shots.
Barrel Two — Fast Firing, No Waiting, Cleaning Every 100 Rounds
The second barrel, which received hard use and minimal cleaning, was severely damaged with severe fire cracking at the leade and throat. As a result, the barrel had to be re-chambered. This barrel was shot 100 rounds at time without cleaning and was shot up to 20 times in succession without a cool down.
LESSON LEARNED — Heat Kills Barrel Life
Don’t let your barrel get too hot, and keep it clean. One afternoon can ruin a barrel!
Monitoring Barrel Wear with Borescope
Some folks worry too much about what their borescopes reveal — many barrels do not have to be “squeaky clean” to perform well. In fact some barrels run better after ten or more fouling shots. However, a borescope can be very helpful when your barrel starts losing accuracy for no apparent reason. Forum member FdShuster writes:
“A borescope is a positive way of backing up your suspicions when the rifle starts to throw an occasional (soon followed by more frequent) wild shot. Using the scope is also an excellent way to determine that the cause is barrel wear and not simply a need for a concentrated cleaning session to remove built up copper and more importantly, carbon fouling.
I’ve had a few barrels that gave every indication of being shot out. But I ‘scoped them out and found the cause to be nothing more than requiring a good cleaning. They then returned to their usual performance. There’s no guessing involved when you are able to get ‘up close and personal’ using the scope. The borescope also provides an excellent view of the all-important condition of the crown. My borescope is one of the most valuable investments I’ve ever made.”
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He who dies with the most toys wins — right? Well Sinclair has another interesting gadget you can add to your reloading bench. The Sinclair Case Neck Sorting Tool lets you quickly sort brass by neck-wall thickness. For those who shoot “no-turn” brass, this can improve neck-tension consistency. Large variances in neck-wall thickness can cause inconsistent neck “grip” on the bullet. Generally, we’ve found that more consistent neck tension will lower ES and (usually) improve accuracy. We know some guys who shoot no-turn 6mmBR brass in competition with considerable success — but their secret is pre-sorting their brass by neck-wall thickness. Cases that are out-of-spec are set aside for sighters (or are later skim-turned).
Watch Case Neck Sorting Tool Operation in Video
How the Case Neck Sorting Tool Works
Here’s how the Sinclair tool works. Cases are rotated under an indicator tip while they are supported on a case-neck pilot and a support pin through the flash hole. The unit has a nice, wide base and low profile so it is stable in use. The tool works for .22 through .45 caliber cases and can be used on .17- and .20-caliber cases with the optional carbide alignment rod. The MIC-4 pin fits both .060 (PPC size) and .080 (standard size) flash holes. Sinclair’s Case Neck Sorting Tool can be ordered with or without a dial indicator. The basic unit without dial indicator (item item 749006612) is priced at $59.99. You can also buy the tool complete with dial indicator (item 749007129) for $89.99. IMPORTANT: This sorting tool requires caliber-specific Case Neck Pilots which must be ordered separately.
Editor’s Comment: The purpose of this Sinclair tool is rapid, high-quantity sorting of cartridge brass to ascertain significant case-neck-wall thickness variations. Consider this a rapid culling/sorting tool. If you are turning your necks, you will still need a quality ball micrometer tool to measure neck-wall thickness (to .0005) before and after neck-turning operations.
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PMA Tool offers lightweight yet sturdy cleaning cradles that are handy, affordable, and easy to transport. PMA’s popular single-gun cradle, priced at $99.95, is ideal for benchrest and F-Class rigs. It measures about 17″ in length and weighs about one pound. You can choose among 2.25″, 3″, 4″, 5″, and 6″-wide saddles (U-shaped padded supports) to match your forearm width.
PMA also offers an excellent double cradles for $149.95. These twin cradles have 2.5″, 3″, or 4″ saddles, or a combo of 3″ / 2.25″ front saddles. All these cradle types secure your rifle(s) in a muzzle-down position that allows easy cleaning and prevents solvents from running back into the action. The front saddles and all contact surfaces are covered by thick silicone rubber padding which grips the rifle securely yet protects the stock and components from scratches.
These cradles are most commonly sold with a 3″-wide front saddle for Benchrest and F-Open style stocks, or a 2.25″-wide front saddle for rifles with narrower fore-ends such as those found on F-TR, Hunter Class, and varmint stocks. In addition, you can get 4″-wide, 5″-wide, and even 6″-wide saddles for the big, long range benchrest rifles.
Double Rifle Cradle is a Smart, Versatile Design
PMA’s double rifle cleaning cradle was was designed from the ground up to work perfectly for two rifles side-by-side. Using the same tie bar and protective saddles found on the single cradel, PMA widened the base and created new uprights to support the saddles, making the cradle as narrow and light as possible, while retaining all the protective and non-slip features from our single unit.
This PMA Tool double cradle unit is available with twin 3″ front saddles, double 2.5″ front saddles or combination 3″ / 2.25″ front saddle configurations to accommodate different classes of benchrest rifles.
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Coalinga Range in California. At dawn we could clearly see 7mm and .30 Cal bullet holes at 1000 yards.
While attending the CA Long Range Championship a few seasons back, we had the opportunity to test the performance of a high-magnification (63X) spotting scope in near-ideal conditions (maybe the best I’ve ever witnessed). On the event’s last day we arrived at 5:45 am, literally as the sun was cresting the horizon. I quickly deployed our Pentax PF-100ED spotting scope, fitted with a Pentax SMC-XW 10mm fixed-power eyepiece. When used with the 100mm Pentax scope, this 10mm eyepiece yields 63X magnification. Befitting its $299.00 price, this eyepiece is extremely clear and sharp.
At the crack of dawn, viewing conditions were ideal. No mist, no mirage, no wind. The first thing this Editor noticed was that I could see metal nail heads on the target boards. That was astonishing. As soon as the first practice targets went up, to my surprise, I could see 6.5mm, 7mm, and 30-caliber bullet holes in the white at 1000 yards. No lie…
That’s right, I could see bullet holes at 1000. I know many of you folks may not believe that, but there was no mistaking when I saw a 7mm bullet cut the white line separating the Nine Ring and Eight Ring on the target in view. (I was watching that target as the shot was fired and saw the shot-hole form). And when I looked at the 30-cal targets, the bullet holes in the white were quite visible. In these perfect conditions I could also make out 3/8″ bolt heads on the target frames.
The Human Factor — Good Vision Required
When viewing the bullet holes, I was using my left naked eye (no safety glasses or magnification). I also had a contact lens in my right eye (needed for distance vision). To my surprise, while I could see the bullet holes without much difficulty with my left eye, things were fuzzier and slightly more blurry with the right eye, even when I re-focused the scope. That contact lens was degrading the fine resolution.
Then I invited 3 or 4 shooters to look through the scope. One younger guy, with good eyes, said immediately: “Yeah, I can see the holes — right there at 4 o’clock and seven o’clock. Wow.” Some older guys, who were wearing glasses, could not see the holes at all, no matter what we did to the scope’s main focus and diopter adjustment.
The lesson here — if you have to wear glasses or corrective contact lenses, just that extra bit of optical interference may make a difference in what you can see through the scope. Basically anything that goes between the scope eyepiece and your eyeball can degrade the image somewhat. So… you may be better off removing your glasses if you can still obtain good focus sharpness using the diopter adjustment and focus ring. I did the left vs. right eye test a half dozen times, and I could definitely see small features at 1000 yards with my naked eye that I could not see with my right eye fitted with a contact lens. (I did have to re-focus the scope for each eye, since one had a corrective lens while the other did not.)
Mirage Degrades Image Sharpness and Resolution
The “magic light” prevailed for only an hour or so, and then we started to get some mirage. As soon as the mirage appeared I was no longer able to see raw bullet holes, though I could still easily see black pasters on the black bulls. When the mirage started, the sharpness of the visible image degraded a huge amount. Where I could see bullet holes at dawn, by mid-morning I could barely read the numbers on the scoring rings. Lesson: If you want to test the ultimate resolution of your optics, you need perfect conditions.
Chromatic Aberration Revealed
As the light got brighter and the mirage increased I started to see blue and red fringing at the edges of the spotting disk and the large numerals. This was quite noticeable. On one side of the bright, white spotting disc you could see a dark red edge, while on the other side there was a blue edge (harder to see but still present).
The photo below was taken through the Pentax spotter lens using a point and shoot camera held up to the eyepiece. The sharpness of the Pentax was actually much better than this photo shows, but the through-the-lens image does clearly reveal the red and blue fringing. This fringing is caused by chromatic aberration — the failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same point. Chromatic aberration, most visible at high magnification, causes different wavelengths of light to have differing focal lengths (see diagram). Chromatic aberration manifests itself as “fringes” of color along boundaries that separate dark and bright parts of the image, because each color in the optical spectrum cannot be focused at a single common point on the optical axis. Keep in mind that the Pentax does have “ED” or low-dispersion glass, so the effect would be even more dramatic with a cheaper spotting scope.
If you wonder why top-of-the-line spotting scopes (such as the $3470 Swarovski ATS-80 ) cost so much, the answer is that they will deliver even LESS chromatic aberration at long range and high magnification. With their exotic apochromatic (APO), ultra-low-dispersion glass, a few ultra-high-end spotting scopes can deliver an image without the color edging you see in the photo above.
The Pentax PF-100ED is a heck of a spotting scope. Any scope that can resolve bullet holes at 1000 yards is impressive. But if you want the ultimate in optical performance, with minimal chromatic aberration, you may need to step up to something like the 88mm Kowa Prominar TSN-88A Prominar with Flourite Crystal lenses ($3699.00 with 25-60X eyepiece), or the 82mm Leica APO ($3598.00 with 25-50X eyepiece).
EDITOR’s NOTE: The purpose of this report is to show what is possible… in IDEAL conditions. With this Pentax 100mm, as well as a Swarovski 80mm, we can often resolve 6mm bullet holes at 600 yards. But again, that performance requires really good viewing conditions. By 10:00 am at my range, even with the 100mm Pentax at 75 power, seeing 6mm bullet holes is “iffy” at best. So don’t go out and mortgage the house to buy a $4000 optic with the hope that you’ll be able to spot your shots at 1000 yards. If conditions are anything less than perfect, you’ll be lucky to see bullet holes at 500 yards.
The real solution for very long-range spotting is to set up a remote target cam that broadcasts a video picture to a screen at your shooting station. Among the target cams on the market, we recommend the LongShot LR-3 2-mile UHD. This modern target cam system boasts excellent resolution and incredible range. The LongShot LR-3 target cam is used in major ELR competitions. The Longshot LR-3 currently sells for $899.00 on Amazon.
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GunGoddess.com features a variety of products and shooting accessories especially chosen for lady shooters. You’ll find colorful apparel, carry purses, holsters, and even jewelry crafted from bullet castings.
GunGoddess.com was started by Athena Means, an active IDPA and USPSA pistol shooter. Athena, whose husband Mike served 20 years in the military, was inspired to create the site after searching in vain for shooting apparel and accessories in colors other than black, green, and tan. Athena wanted something with more appeal to the feminine eye: “I set out to find fabulous products that women shooters would love, and bring them all together here. Ladies who love to shoot will find all the traditional gear they need, but in neon pink and leopard print instead of traditional black!”
GunGoddess.com Has Gift Items for All Members of the Family
Though it specializes in products for women, GunGoddess.com also offers gift selections that will work for gun guys as well. If you’re looking for a gift for a guy, you’ll find unisex holsters, range bags (for pistols), compact gun safes, ear muffs, shooting glasses, indoor concealment furniture, and more. There are many unique items on the GunGoddess webstore that will make great holiday gifts.
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Forest of Windflags at World Benchrest Championships in France in 2011
There’s a simple, inexpensive “miracle device” that can cut your groups in half. If you’re not using this device, you’re giving away accuracy. The “miracle device” to which we refer is a simple wind indicator aka “windflag”. Using windflags may actually improve your accuracy on target much more than weighing charges to the kernel, or spending your life savings on the “latest and greatest” hardware.
Remarkably, many shooters who spend $3000.00 or more on a precision rifle never bother to set up windflags, or even simple wood stakes with some ribbon to show the wind. Whether you’re a competitive shooter, a varminter, or someone who just likes to punch small groups, you should always take a set of windflags (or some kind of wind indicators) when you head to the range or the prairie dog fields. And yes, if you pay attention to your windflags, you can easily cut your group sizes in half. Here’s proof…
Which Windflag to buy? For starters, MTM makes a simple, inexpensive flag sold on Amazon for $17.99. For more sophisticated flags CLICK HERE for Benchrest Central windflag vendors.
Miss a 5 mph Shift and You Could DOUBLE Your Group Size
The table below records the effect of a 5 mph crosswind at 100, 200, and 300 yards. You may be thinking, “well, I’d never miss a 5 mph let-off.” Consider this — if a gentle 2.5 mph breeze switches from 3 o’clock (R to L) to 9 o’clock (L to R), you’ve just missed a 5 mph net change. What will that do to your group? Look at the table to find out.
Values from Point Blank Ballistics software for 500′ elevation and 70° temperature.
Imagine you have a 6mm rifle that shoots half-MOA consistently in no-wind conditions. What happens if you miss a 5 mph shift (the equivalent of a full reversal of a 2.5 mph crosswind)? Well, if you’re shooting a 68gr flatbase bullet, your shot is going to move about 0.49″ at 100 yards, nearly doubling your group size. With a 105gr VLD, the bullet moves 0.28″ … not as much to be sure, but still enough to ruin a nice small group. What about an AR15, shooting 55-grainers at 3300 fps? Well, if you miss that same 5 mph shift, your low-BC bullet moves 0.68″. That pushes a half-inch group well past an inch. If you had a half-MOA capable AR, now it’s shooting worse than 1 MOA. And, as you might expect, the wind effects at 200 and 300 yards are even more dramatic. If you miss a 5 mph, full-value wind change, your 300-yard group could easily expand by 2.5″ or more.
If you’ve already invested in an accurate rifle with a good barrel, you are “throwing away” accuracy if you shoot without wind flags. You can spend a ton of money on fancy shooting accessories (such as expensive front rests and spotting scopes) but, dollar for dollar, nothing will potentially improve your shooting as much as a good set of windflags, used religiously.
New Wind Reading App — High Power Wind Lab
There is an innovative new Wind-Reading App, the High Power Wind Lab, that can help you figure your hold-offs in all wind conditions. This is available now for iOS devices, and an Android version is coming soon. In this video, our friend F-Class John reviews this sophisticated new Wind App:
More and more folks are using Burris Signature Rings these days. These unique rings feature polymer inserts. That allows you to pre-load some elevation in your scope set-up, or you can center-up the windage. Additionally, the polymer inserts hold your scope securely without leaving marks on the tube. Lastly, some folks believe that Signature rings may offer advantages for benchrest competition. Rodney Wagner shot a world-record 600-yard group using Burris Signature Zee Rings (“Zee” denotes the Weaver-rail model). James O’Hara set multiple IBS 1000-yard records using Burris Signature Zee Rings. James will tell you he thinks “all his guns seem to shoot best with these rings”.
IBS World Record Set with Signature Zee Rings
Are Signature Zees good enough for competition? Absolutely. Some folks scoff at these Burris rings, given their modest price. A set of 1″-diameter Sig Zees cost $40.89 at Midsouth. But consider this, in 2013 Rodney Wagner shot the then-smallest 600-yard group in history, a 0.336″ 5-shot stunner, using Signature Zee Rings on his IBS Light Gun. It took five years for a smaller 600-yard group to be shot, a 0.311″ by bullet-maker Bart Sauter, using his IBS Heavy Gun. (See IBS 600-yard Records.) Here’s Rodney with his record-setting rifle, fitted with affordable Signature Zee 30mm rings.
Vendors Have Burris Signature Rings in Stock Now
Various models of Burris Signature Rings are available from many online vendors. NOTE: You may have to check with more than one seller to get the exact size, height, and model you prefer. But right now these vendors have pretty good selections of Signature Zees in stock now, including the popular 30mm High and 30mm Extra High models (each currently $56.36 at Midsouth). If you check all three sellers, you’ll probably find what you need.
From time to time, we all encounter a primer that doesn’t go off. It’s normal to attribute the problem to a bad primer. But sometimes there are other explanations. George S., one of our Forum members, experienced a couple failures to fire, but he learned that the issue was his priming TOOL, not his primers. Here’s what George told us. There’s a lesson to be learned:
“I had issues with CCI 450s when I had my first 6BR barreled. I had probably three or four out of 20 rounds that failed to fire. the primers were dented but didn’t fire. I called CCI since I had bought a case of them. The tech was decent enough but had the audacity to tell me I was not seating the primers all the way in the pocket. I proceeded to let him know I had been reloading longer than he had been alive and I knew how to seat a primer.
Turns out that I did and I didn’t! I was using the RCBS primer tool I had used for years and the primers felt just fine to me. I finally decided to check the tool and since I had a new one I took the seating pins out and measured them. The seating pin on the tool I had been using for years was shorter by a few thousandths! I then used the pin from the new primer tool and darned if the primers that didn’t seat down to the bottom of the cup.
I switched to a K&M primer tool for seating the CCI primers and have not had a problem since. It was the combination of harder cup and lack of proper seating. I did call the CCI tech back and apologized for being an idiot.”
Another Forum member witnessed a problem cause by misuse of a priming tool: “I did … see a failure to fire on a Rem 9 1/2 primer only a week ago. That was in the new Rem muzzleloader that uses a primed case to ignite the pellets. After watching the muzzleloader’s owner seat his primers, I believe that it was operator error not the primer. He was seating the primer and then squeezing the priming tool so hard that his hands hurt after a few. We got that corrected.”
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This 600+ page resource covers rifles, shotguns, handguns, muzzleloaders, airguns, optics and more. We like the print edition, but there is also a Kindle eBook version for $19.99 on Amazon. Both paperback and Kindle versions provide hundreds of photos plus new product roundups, in-depth product tests, and scores of articles and stories. FYI, the upcoming Gun Digest 2025 (79th Edition) will be released in late August 2024. Pre-order price is $39.63.
There are dozens of photo-illustrated feature articles. Among the notable stories are a guide to the new Hornady 7 PRC cartridge, a detailed history of .45-70 Gov’t rifles (from 1878 to the present day), an extensive review of single-shot falling block rifles, and a feature on custom and engraved rifles.
Gun Digest 2024 Editor-in-Chief Phil Massaro has assembled a large team of respected industry authors for the new book, including Kristin Alberts, Joe Arterburn, Craig Boddington, Joe Coogan, Rick Hacker, Jay Leyendecker, Robert Sadowski, Ron Spomer, Patrick Sweeney, Wayne van Zwoll, and many more.
Gun Digest 2024 covers hunting, personal defense, target shooting, gunsmithing, and collecting. There are Updated Ballistics Tables, and the catalog section shows off the newest offerings in rifles, handguns, shotguns, muzzleloaders and air rifles. The new 78th Edition has a vast collection of gun histories, in-depth reviews, and new product roundups. Written by top gun writers, the feature stories cover every aspect of guns and shooting — hunting, personal defense, target practice, gun making, and collecting. In addition to this, the Gun Digest 2024 book includes gun field tests, ballistic tables and more.
Reports from the Field cover the newest firearms and accessories. A Testfire section brings readers up to date on product performance. And there are over 30 feature stories, including the Guns of Western Movies/TV, Rimfire Handguns, and Hunting rifles.
Other Good Books from Gun Digest Media
Gun Digest Media produces numerous other quality books for rifle, pistol, and shotgun owners. Here are four books we recommend. These are offered in both paperback and eBook versions:
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The Gathering is a special event presented by Palmetto State Armory that allows gun writers and regular shooters to try out a variety of firearms and accessories. The Gathering 2024 runs March 22-23, 2024 in Clinton, SC. There will be live-fire demonstrations along with opportunities to try various products. Guns on display included firearms from SIG Sauer, Glock, Springfield Armory, Taurus and more.
The Gathering is a Firearm Range Day and Expo presented by Palmetto State Armory. The Gathering brings together the firearms community, media and public to showcase new and existing firearms, optics, and accessories. This year’s event is held at The Clinton House Plantation, a 2000-acre facility that houses 17 live-fire shooting bays, two clay courses, a 1000-yard range, and a mile-long range.
At The Gathering 2024, Silencer Central will have live-fire demonstrations suppressors. CEO of Silencer Central, Brandon Maddox notes: “We’ve reinvented the process of buying a silencer and are thrilled to showcase… our products at The Gathering[.]” Attendees will be able to purchase a silencer, have required ATF ID logged, generate their free NFA Gun Trust, and digitally sign their ATF application all at the event.
The pandemic-caused cancellation of the 2021 SHOT Show range day inspired Palmetto State Armory to launch its own Industry Range Day called The Gathering. The first Gathering was a big success in 2021. In 2022, PSA had its second Gathering which was even bigger and better — see the video above. And last year, the 2023 edition of The Gathering was held with great success. See the video below:
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Creedmoor Sports has recently expanded and updated the Creedmoor Sports InfoZone. This web resource contains valuable information about reloading, rifle maintenance, marksmanship skills, and gunsmithing. In addition, the InfoZone has Competition Reports, numerous Gear Reviews, and general Shooting Sports News.
Monitoring Barrel Wear with Borescope
He who dies with the most toys wins — right? Well Sinclair has another interesting gadget you can add to your reloading bench. The Sinclair 
While attending the CA Long Range Championship a few seasons back, we had the opportunity to test the performance of a high-magnification (63X) spotting scope in near-ideal conditions (maybe the best I’ve ever witnessed). On the event’s last day we arrived at 5:45 am, literally as the sun was cresting the horizon. I quickly deployed our 
Then I invited 3 or 4 shooters to look through the scope. One younger guy, with good eyes, said immediately: “Yeah, I can see the holes — right there at 4 o’clock and seven o’clock. Wow.” Some older guys, who were wearing glasses, could not see the holes at all, no matter what we did to the scope’s main focus and diopter adjustment.
Chromatic Aberration Revealed
There’s a simple, inexpensive “miracle device” that can cut your groups in half. If you’re not using this device, you’re giving away accuracy. The “miracle device” to which we refer is a simple wind indicator aka “windflag”. Using windflags may actually improve your accuracy on target much more than weighing charges to the kernel, or spending your life savings on the “latest and greatest” hardware.
More and more folks are using Burris Signature Rings these days. These unique rings feature polymer inserts. That allows you to pre-load some elevation in your scope set-up, or you can center-up the windage. Additionally, the polymer inserts hold your scope securely without leaving marks on the tube. Lastly, some folks believe that Signature rings may offer advantages for benchrest competition. Rodney Wagner shot a world-record 600-yard group using Burris Signature Zee Rings (“Zee” denotes the Weaver-rail model). James O’Hara set multiple IBS 1000-yard records using Burris Signature Zee Rings. James will tell you he thinks “all his guns seem to shoot best with these rings”.
