This story first ran in 2010. But to mark our long-standing friendships with shooter Joe Friedrich and chassis builder Gary Eliseo, we wanted to reprise the article for the new year, with 2024 just hours away. Joe’s Eliseo-chassis 6mmBR rifle delivered some of the most amazing accuracy with factory ammo we’ve ever seen, in any rifle, in any caliber.
Amazing Accuracy from 6mmBR Tubegun
What kind of accuracy do you think a tubegun can deliver with factory ammo — during barrel break-in? Perhaps 0.6″ at 100 yards, half-MOA if the conditions are perfect? Well you may want to change your preconceptions about tubeguns — and factory ammo. This Eliseo R5 repeater, smithed by John Pierce with a Pierce CM action and Broughton 5C barrel, shot the Lapua 90gr factory ammo into flat ONEs during the break-in session. A day later, in tricky 8-14 mph winds, the gun nailed a witnessed and software-measured 0.174″ 5-shot group using the 105gr factory ammo. That would be impressive for a “full-race” benchgun with precision handloads. For an across-the-course rifle shooting factory ammo, it’s pretty amazing.
Eliseo Tubegun Shoots in the Ones
This accurate rifle belongs to our friend (and designated expert trigger-puller) Joe Friedrich. During the initial break-in session, since his reloading dies had not yet arrived, Joe decided to start with some Lapua factory-loaded 6BR ammo he had on hand. After doing a few two-shot-and-clean cycles (with patches and nylon brush), Joe decided to try a 3-round group just to see if the Broughton barrel had some potential. To his astonishment, the Eliseo R5 put three rounds in 0.100″ (photo below left). Joe then cleaned the barrel again, shot a couple foulers and tried a 4-shot group. The results were just as stunning — 4 shots in a mere 0.104″ but three in virtually one hole (photo below right).
You Can’t Believe How This Gun Shoots
Joe called your Editor and said “You can’t believe how this gun shoots with factory ammo!”. So we arranged a photo session for the next afternoon, where I could verify the rifle’s accuracy. Well it turned out the conditions were way more challenging than when Joe broke in the barrel the day before. Winds were running 8-14 mph and were swinging through 180 degrees half-way down the range. Joe fired a few 90s through the Oehler chronograph at my request, then opened a box of Lapua 105gr factory ammo. It took about four rounds for the barrel to settle in after being cleaned the night before. Then Joe got serious, and with your Editor looking over his shoulder, he drilled a 0.174″ five-shot group in switching winds, doping every shot. Joe felt the gun could have shot tighter but he missed one wind call.
Serious Accuracy with a Multi-Purpose Rifle
So there you have it — a tubegun that shoots in the ones with factory ammo. Joe says that, at least with the 90s, the Elesio R5 shoots as well as his 6 PPC. Joe stressed that “steering the tubegun is hard work. You really have to concentrate compared to a purpose-built bench gun like my PPC. With the tubegun, everything has to be perfect on every shot — hand position, cheek position, stock position in the bag. If you’re off just a little bit, it’s easy to steer the gun the wrong way and send a shot out of the group.”
Accuracy Great But Fouling Heavy and ES Could Be Better
Have there been any negatives to Joe’s 6BR tubegun experiment so far? Well, the Broughton 5C barrel, while phenomenally accurate, shows signs of being a bad fouler. Copper built up pretty quickly over the first 25 rounds or so. We saw best accuracy with a recently-cleaned barrel. Hopefully the fouling will lessen as the barrel polishes in with use. And the canted land barrel is slower than average with the factory ammo. Lapua rates its 90gr naked-bullet ammo at 2950 fps with a 26″ tube. In Joe’s 27.5″ barrel we only averaged 2901 fps. With the 105gr factory ammo, which is rated at 2790 fps, we averaged just 2694 fps. That’s quite disappointing. Also the ES on the factory ammo, slightly over 50 fps for both bullet types, wasn’t particularly good. Still, the overall results were stunning. This gun shoots better than many long-range benchrest rifles running carefully-developed handloads — and it does that with factory ammo, right out of the box.
Joe Friedrich is a superb benchrest shooter, who has won many matches and set National Records in ARA rimfire benchrest competition. Here is Joe with “Sweet Pea”, his favorite .22 LR rimfire rig. With over 100,000 rounds through the Benchmark barrel, this well-worn rifle set an ARA 4-target Aggregate record! READ about Sweat Pea Record HERE.
For many years, the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) regularly published reloading “how-to” articles on the USAMU Facebook page. In this article, the USAMU’s reloading gurus address a question frequently asked by prospective handloaders: “Should I buy a single-stage press, or a progressive?” The USAMU says the best answer is Solomon-esque in both its wisdom and simplicity: “Get BOTH!” However, there is definitely more to the issue, as the USAMU explains below.
Progressive Press Safety Considerations
by USAMU Staff
Many are the beginning handloaders who have asked a friend about their “setting up” a progressive press for them. The idea is that the newbie could then just feed in components and crank out buckets of practice ammo without needing to really learn much about handloading. Tempting though this might be, that’s simply not how it works. Such an approach might be ok if there were never a malfunction with either press or operator, but that’s unrealistic. Our hypothetical newbie would then lack the knowledge to problem-solve most situations.
Worse yet, several different handloading operations would be occurring at different stations on the progressive press at the same time. It takes an experienced operator to keep track of, and truly understand the significance of, all those potential mini-problems. Loading without this experience is a recipe for potential disaster – such as a double powder charge (especially with pistol cartridges) dropped while the loader was attending to some other function, etc. Progressives are an animal unto themselves, and while they offer many benefits, they do take some getting used to – even by experienced handloaders!
ILLUSTRATIVE HORROR STORY
Here, enter a 40-year veteran handloader who decided to jump onto the progressive bandwagon late in his career, having used only single-stage presses all his life. A High Master NRA High Power Rifle competitor, he had no background in competitive pistol shooting, where historically most progressive presses are found.
Experienced Action Pistol shooters have typically encountered multiple episodes in which shooters “skipped” a powder charge for some reason, leading to a squib round and a bullet possibly lodged in the bore. Thus, at matches, it’s reflexive for them to yell “STOP!” in unison if they see a shooter get a “click” vs. a “bang”, and rack the slide to keep firing. This writer has personally seen several pistols saved in just such scenarios over the years.
Click No Bang — What NOT to Do
Our High Master set up a popular progressive press and began turning out .223 Rem 100-yard practice ammo with abandon. He was using a moly-coated 52gr match bullet and an economical, fast-burning surplus powder that gave great accuracy. Once on the range, he began practicing strings of rapid-fire. All was well, until he heard “Click!” rather than “Boom”.
Lacking the above experience or onlookers to halt him, he reflexively operated the charging handle on his expensive, custom NM AR15 Service Rifle, and the next trigger squeeze reportedly registered on seismographs over at least a three-state radius. He sat, uninjured but bewildered, until the hail of expensive bits and pieces quit raining down around him.
When the smoke cleared, he immediately cursed the horrid, evil, demonically-possessed progressive press for this, his first-ever reloading mishap. His $1400 NM upper was ruined, but thankfully, his $800 pre-ban lower… and he had escaped injury.
This tale is told not to discourage the use of progressive presses, but to emphasize the need to EASILY and IMMEDIATELY KNOW what is happening with the press at each station, every time the handle is cranked. Not to do so is, as they say, “bad ju-ju.”
It illustrates why we at the USAMU Handloading Shop agree in recommending that new handloaders should begin with a single-stage press. Once one thoroughly learns the steps in each phase of handloading by repeated experience, then one will be qualified to move on to a progressive press.
The single-stage press will REMAIN virtually indispensable for one’s entire handloading career, even after having purchased a progressive press (or two). There are endless small projects that are best handled on a single-stage press, and a poll of USAMU’s Handloading staff reveals that not one would willingly be without his single-stage press, despite owning at least one progressive.
Here is a great winter project for readers with some wood-working skills. This is a wood rack that can hold a huge collection of sizing and seating dies. This was created by our old friend John Adams, one of our Forum’s very first members. Sadly, John passed away a decade ago. But we know he’d be pleased to see folks create a die rack like this.
John, a founder of IHMSA and a former owner of SAECO Tool Company, had a vast collection of dies and reloading tools. He had rifles of many different calibers so he needed a large selection of dies. While visiting John’s workshop, we were impressed with the wooden die rack he has constructed above his main reloading bench. This would be a great do-it-yourself project for your reloading room.
John’s Loading Die Rack is a simple flat plank of wood, about 3/4″ thick. It is mounted with wood side brackets to stand at eye-level above a tool chest. The Rack is set at about a 45° angle from vertical. This holds the dies securely, but they are still easy to move in and out of the rack. At the top rear is a flat section with a single row of dies mounted upright.
You can see that all the dies for a particular cartridge are arranged in a column, one above the other. The die sets’ respective cartridge types (e.g. 6 PPC, 6×47 Lapua, and 6XC) are marked with highly visible labels made with a label-printing machine. John also placed labels on many of the dies themselves.
Vintage RCBS Die Rack
Below is an older, metal die rack. These were once manufactured by RCBS, but they are no longer sold. John Adams managed to snag a couple from RCBS years ago. The design is handy, but you can achieve the same results with a home-made wood block (perhaps that’s why RCBS discontinued its metal rack).
Quick Access vs. the Rust Factor
WARNING: While it is handy to keep your dies in a rack, this leaves them exposed to the elements. If you reload in a basement or garage where it gets cold and damp, your dies will rust much more quickly out in the air than if they are kept enclosed in their original boxes, with a small desiccant pack. Always keep a thin layer of oil or corrosion blocker on your dies. We recommend Eezox or Corrosion-X for that task.
“Science tells us that exposure to continuous noise of 85 dB for eight hours is enough to cause permanent hearing loss, and worse, spikes of 130 dB and more can result in permanent hearing damage instantly.” Source: NRA Blog.
The Risk of Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can be progressive and irreversible. If you are a shooter, this is serious business. As the NRA Blog cautions: “You may not even realize you’re harming your hearing. Hearing loss occurs gradually, and can go effectively unnoticed until symptoms become severe. By then, the damage is done.”Effective hearing protection is a must whenever you are shooting firearms or when you are in the vicinity of gun-shots. For ultimate protection, we recommend a good set of tapered foam earplugs, topped by ear-muffs. However, there are situations when you may prefer lighter-weight hearing protection that can be quickly removed. For example, if you are standing well behind the firing line as an observer, or if you are working as a rangemaster or waddie some distance away from the shooters.”
Sound Levels for Common Noises:
9mm Luger pistol: 160 dB
Jet aircraft engine (near): 140 dB
.22 LR pistol: 134 dB
Normal human pain threshold: 120 dB
Noisy Nightclub: 110 db
Riding Motorcycle at 65 mph: 103 db
Power Lawnmower: 95 dB
Hearing damage possible: 85 dB (sustained for 8+ hours)
Ringing Telephone: 80 dB
Normal conversation: 60 dB
What about suppressors? If you use a suppressor is it OK to dispense with hearing protection? Not really. Even the most effective suppressors, on the smallest and quietest calibers (.22 LR), reduce the peak sound level of a gunshot to between 110 to 120 dB. To put that in perspective, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), that is as loud as a jackhammer (110 dB) or an ambulance siren (120 dB). For normal caliber handguns and rifles, suppressed sound levels routinely exceed 130 dB, just shy of OSHA’s “hearing safe” threshold of 140 dB. Accordingly, we recommend use of hearing protection even when shooting suppressed.
1. Ear Muffs — Max Protection and Compact Options
The highest current USA Noise Reduction Rating is 34 dB NRR. To get that kind of protection, you need pretty big muffs, but thankfully, you don’t have to spend big bucks. For under $15.00 you can buy quality ANSI-approved muffs with a 30+ dB Noise Reduction Rating. Chose the 34 NRR G&F Pro Muffs at $13.99 or the more comfortable 30 NRR Walker EXT Range Muffs for $14.97. Both products have padded head-bands which retract.
Many hunters and competitive shooters prefer low-profile ear muffs. As these typically have a lower Noise Reduction Rating, perhaps NRR 22-24, we recommend running earplugs under muffs, particularly when you are at a busy range or shooting a match. If you use low-profile electronic muffs, such as Howard Leight Impact Sport Muffs, you should still be able to hear range commands even with plugs underneath.
2. Electronic Plugs — New Technology with Adjustable Volume
For maximum hearing protection we still recommend good muffs over quality foam ear plugs, there is a new option available. A variety of companies now offer electronic ear buds that include small speakers so you can hear range commands and conversations. Please note — these MUST be specially-designed protective in-ear devices. Do NOT just use ear-buds designed for music playback!
Howard Leight recently introduced new Impact Sport In-Ear plugs with an impressive 29 dB Noise Reduction Rating (NRR). That NRR is better than most compact ear muffs. The plugs automatically compress amplification when loud impulse sounds (like gunshots) exceed 85dB. Internal amplification allows you to hear range commands and conversations. The cord connecting the plugs includes twin, handy volume controls. These plugs come with moldable earhooks with 3 different ear tip sizes. The deluxe model with quick-connect BlueTooth is available for $79.99 on Amazon. With this high-tech BlueTooth version you can take phone calls.
3. Foam Earplugs — Small, Inexpensive, but Essential
20 Pairs
50 Pairs
Quality foam earplugs offer great hearing protection at low cost. These Howard Leight NRR33 Max plugs are your Editor’s favorite foam earplugs. Between shooting, motorcycling and mowing lawns, I probably have Max plugs in my ears 3-4 days a week. These Leight Max plugs are very effective, easy to insert/remove (with the flared ends), and they seem to be less abrasive in the ear canal than some other brands. Right now you can get 20 pairs of these NRR33 Leight Max plugs for just $9.25.
Note, if you prefer thin, light-weight earmuffs, we recommend running earplugs underneath for double protection while shooting firearms (or when you’re on the firing line). Sound experts tell us that running plugs and muffs together can effectively improve your effective noise reduction by 4-7 dB NRR.
Hearing bands are inexpensive, lightweight, and are handy for special situations, such using hedgetrimmers and noisy power tools, when you may need to frequently remove the protection. These banded products are a also a very good form of hearing protection for hunters. You can keep them handy around the neck while spotting game, and then insert the plugs before shooting. We have tried two types of banded hearing protection, the Howard Leight Quiet Band (shown above) (25 dB NRR), and the Radians Rad-Band (23 dB NRR). The Leight Quiet Band is quite durable and the plugs can be replaced.
Radians Rad-Band is very light-weight, with Jelli™ Plugs that are comfortable, washable, and reusable — all for just $6.58 on Amazon. Peltor also offers Sport Banded Earplugs. These conveniently ship with 3 pairs of ear buds, all for $12.20 on Amazon.
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SHOT Show, the major gun industry trade show of the year, takes place next month in Las Vegas, Nevada. SHOT® stands for “Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade”. The event starts off with the Industry Day at the Range on Monday, January 22, 2024. Then the main show commences on Tuesday, January 23 and runs through Friday, January 26, 2024.
SHOT Show is a huge event, filling two major convention centers — the Venetian Expo and Caesar’s Forum. Over 2,500 companies will attend the event this year, showcasing their products. The 2023 SHOT Show had more than 800,000 net square feet of space reserved by more than 2,500 exhibitors. SHOT Show attracts buyers, retailer reps, and news media from 100+ countries. In years past over 50,000 persons attended SHOT Show, and we expect even more this year. The NSSF, SHOT Show’s organizer, expects this year’s event to draw some “52,000 industry professionals and 2,200 media representatives.”
CLICK EACH FLOOR LEVEL BELOW for More Details
If you’ll be attending the big event in Las Vegas next month, check out these floor plans. You can CLICK on each level to go to the official SHOT Show website. There you’ll be able to click on specific highlights, such as the New Product Center on Level One or the LE/Tactical Gear Section on Level Two.
Book Your Hotel Room Right Away — Don’t Delay
If you plan to attend SHOT Show in Las Vegas next month, be sure to get a hotel booked as soon as possible. Room rates are already jacked up for SHOT Show week, and will get higher the longer you wait. Click the box below to visit hotels and casinos that offer favorable rates for SHOT Show attendees.
From SHOT Show 2023 — 36 Interesting New Guns
If you’re curious about the SHOT Show experience, check out this video from last year. The popular Backfire YouTube Channel spotlights 36 new firearms featured at last year’s SHOT Show:
In 2019 CCI introduced a new type of .22 LR rimfire ammunition. CCI’s innovative Clean-22 Ammo features polymer-coated bullets. This is actually a pretty important development. The bullet coating on CCI’s Clean-22 ammo provides three main benefits:
1. Copper fouling in the barrel is greatly reduced.
2. Lead fouling in the barrel is greatly reduced.
3. Lead build-up in suppressors is reduced by 60-80%.
CCI has produced four versions of Clean-22 rimfire ammunition: Hyper Velocity (#954CC, 31gr, 1550 FPS MV), High Velocity (#944CC, 40gr, 1235 FPS MV), Subsonic (#934CC, 40gr, 1070 FPS MV), and Suppressor (#980CC, 45gr, 1000 FPS). These all feature lead bullets with polymer coatings. The Hyper Velocity ammo has purple-coated bullets, High Velocity ammo has red-coated bullets, Subsonic has blue-coated bullets, and the Suppressor version has black-coasted bullets. There was also a special 400rd Christmas pack of Clean-22 Hi-Vel ammo with Red and GREEN coated bullets, item #946XMAS.
Clean-22 Ammo with Polymer-Coated Bullets
Clean-22 uses an exclusive polymer bullet coating to greatly reduce copper and lead fouling in the barrel without leaving a residue. It also cuts lead buildup in suppressors 60 to 80 percent. Both the Sub-Sonic and High Velocity loads feature a 40-grain round nose lead bullet with geometry that’s been optimized for accuracy. With dependable CCI priming and consistent propellant, Clean-22 provides reliable cycling through semi-automatics and all 22 LR firearms.
Conventional brass jags work great — except for one thing. They can react to solvents, leaving a blue “false positive” on patches. In recent years, jag-makers have experimented with many different materials in an effort to cure the solvent-reaction problem. Today we have polymer jags, nickel-plated jags, and stainless steel jags. And the latest innovation is the aluminum jag from Dewey.
J. Dewey Mfg. offers a series of “Copper Eliminator” jags and brush adapters made from aircraft-grade aluminum with the same hardness as brass. Dewey claims that its aluminum jags will not become embedded with grit or particles that could harm your bore. At the same time, Dewey’s aluminum jags will not react to ammoniated bore solvents that can turn patches blue green when used with brass jags. Dewey aluminum jags are offered with either male OR female 8/32 threads. The $5.25 aluminum jags and $3.70 brush adapters are offered in a wide variety of calibers. You can order these products from Dewey Mfg. or Brownells.
Story Tip from Boyd Allen. We welcome submissions from our readers.
We think everyone should have a Garand in their gun collection…
Tomorrow is Christmas. In our AccurateShooter Forum, you’ll find a popular thread: “Anybody Get Gun Stuff for Christmas?”. One notable post featured a very special Christmas-week arrival — an M1 Garand barreled action. A Forum member received this CMP-sourced barreled action from a friend and then transformed it with a stunning wood stock and other components. We’d say this is a very successful and handsome holiday project. And get this — the skilled owner, who works as a volunteer armorer, assembled his new M1 Garand in record time: “Well, it took three weeks in-transit for my [Christmas] gift to myself to arrive, but I picked her up at 1400 hours yesterday. Had her built into a complete rifle by 1530….”
If you would like to put together a handsome M1 Garand like the Christmas rifle shown above, you’ll need to start with a barreled action. You can order these, as well as complete M1 Garand rifles, from the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). Below we explain how to order an M1 Garand from the CMP, and how to select the right grade for your needs and budget.
If you have questions about assembling a Garand, contact us and we will put you in touch with the builder of the Christmas M1 Garand rifle. He is a CMP-trained armorer who works to maintain ceremonial rifles for VFW, American Legion, and Disabled Veterans Posts throughout Kentucky.
Ordering an M1 Garand from the CMP — Qualifications
How to Order an M1 Garand from the CMP
To purchase an M1 Garand through the CMP, you must be an adult U.S. Citizen, and a member of an affiliated organization who has participated in a “Marksmanship Activity”. This basically means you need to join a gun club and participate in a clinic or match. Proof of club membership and citizenship is mandatory for all ages. However, the marksmanship requirement is waived for those over 60 years of age. M1 Garands must be ordered by mail or through official CMP Auctions.
It’s not that difficult to order an M1 Garand from the CMP. Along with mail-order sales, the CMP has two stores where M1 Garands can be ordered over the counter and then transferred via your FFL (in compliance with state law). The three CMP stores are located in Anniston, Alabama, Talladega, Alabama, and Port Clinton (Camp Perry), Ohio.
Ordering a Barrel — If you already have an M1 Garand, but the barrel has seen better days, you can order a pre-chambered Criterion barrel in .30-06 Springfield. Criterion tell us: “This is a direct replacement barrel for the M1 Garand rifle, manufactured to mil-spec print #6535448. It has the original G.I. contour and Parkerized finish. Receiver threads are timed, all milling cuts are made, and all M1 Garand barrels are hand-lapped.” NOTE: Each barrel is .010 short-chambered and should be properly headspaced by a qualified gunsmith. These Criterion .30-06 Springfield replacement barrels, priced at $295.00, are legal for use in Service Rifle and John C. Garand matches.
How to Maintain the M1 Garand
Once you have an M1 Garand in your collection, you’ll want to keep it in tip-top condition so it works flawlessly for vintage military matches and fun shooting. Below we’ve linked two good SSUSA articles on M1 Garand maintenance. Following that you’ll find two excellent videos covering M1 Garand Disassembly, Cleaning, and Lubrication. Finally there are links to recommended print manuals for the M1 Garand. If you need spare parts for your M1 Garand, we recommend visiting Garand Gear which carries many key items.
M1 Garand Service and Maintenance
Shooting Sports USA (SSUSA) published an excellent article on Service and Maintenance of M1 Garand Rifles. This offers some smart tricks, such as using smoke from burning masking tape to darken the front sight post. There is also an older SSUSA article that covers basic cleaning and servicing and also explains how to upgrade the performance of your Garands. READ Article HERE.
M1 Garand Disassembly, Cleaning, and Lubrication
This Brownells video shows how to disassemble your M1 Garand.
This TekMat video explains how to clean and lubricate your M1 Garand.
Recommended M1 Garand Service Manuals
Among the many M1 Garand manuals available, we recommend the CMP’s U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1: ‘Read This First’ Manual. This booklet covers take-down, reassembly, cleaning, lubrication, and operation. The manual comes with CMP rifles or can be purchased for $3.25 from the CMP eStore. The author of Garand Tips & Tricks says: “It’s one of the best firearms manuals I’ve seen and I highly recommend it.” The CMP also offers many other M1 Garand print resources including:
Do you own an M1 Garand, or have you always wanted to acquire one of these legendary semi-auto battle rifles? Well then here is a valuable new resource: The Essential M1 Garand: A Practical and Historical Guide for Shooters and Collectors. This new book by Jim Thompson covers the history of the M1 Garand, and offers practical advice for Garand owners, along with complete parts lists. The book includes annotated military and National Match manuals, a troubleshooting chart, and a section on hand-loading for the Garand. The final Section addresses common questions about the rifle and offers detailed instructions for maintaining this wartime classic. First published in February, 2020, The Essential M1 Garand is available in Print Paperback and Kindle eBook versions. View Table of Contents.
Thousands of new products will be on display at SHOT Show 2024, the major gun industry trade show held each January in Las Vegas. The official SHOT Show Product Planner offers a “sneak peak” at 255 new-for-2024 products for hunters and shooters. More will come in the weeks ahead. Here are eight interesting new products for gun owners and reloaders. Since these are all recently-released items, we haven’t been able to test them yet. Product profiles are based on descriptions provided by the manufacturers. We will run a separate feature on new pistols and rifles that will debut in 2024.
For the gun owner with multiple firearms, the Sportsman’s Range Box is the gun cleaning kit that has it all — and more. This universal gun cleaning kit provides all the necessary equipment for proper Breech-to-Muzzle® cleaning. It cleans all rifles, pistols, shotguns and inline muzzleloaders. This cleaning kit also features the B.O.N.E.® Tool which makes cleaning the bolt carrier assembly of MSR/AR style rifles a breeze, and Shooter’s Choice chemicals (0.5 oz and 4 oz bottle of FP-10 Lubricant Elite®, plus 10cc grease). Inside the Range Box are over 60 components including support brackets so the box can serve as a gun vise to hold your long guns while cleaning.
The Grippy Universal Cheekrest is a lightweight, adjustable cheekrest system that allows up to four levels of height adjustment from 0.35″ to 1.25″. The Grippy Universal Cheekrest comes with two stackable spacers which fit most scope setups but you can use up to four spacers to get the exact height you need. The product includes two plugs to cover up 2x screw heads on top of Grippy Cheekrest cap. If your stock is 1.45″ wide or less, this should fit your stock. This product is designed to fit many stock types: TITAN22 1022 Stock, Hogue 10-22 Overmolded Stock , Boyd’s Tacticool/Varmint Stocks, Bell & Carlson 10/22 Stock, Savage MkII OEM Stock, Savage B22 Stock, Tikka T3X OEM Stock, Manners CZ455 Stock, Winchester OEM Stocks, HS Precision Rimfire, Remington 870 / 1100 Sporter Stocks and many more.
The idea and SKILI Gear’s new Ghost and Phantom pack designs came from Navy SEAL operators with real world experiences. There was a need to efficiently carry a sniper rifle plus gear in a multi-purpose backpack. Developed through six years of collaboration and multiple design improvements, this system has grown from an effective “bare bones” sniper bag to a completely customizable pack. Hunters and outdoorsmen can used these customizable bags for hunting, fishing, or EDC. Whatever lifestyle you are pursuing, the Ghost or Phantom pack can adapt to your needs.
The Prime Vibe is an electric vibratory bowl primer tube filler. This patent-pending device handles both small and large primers. The system permits you to fill primer tubes faster and more reliably. A controller unit allows you to set the frequency and run time for perfect results with any primer brand. There is a set-and-forget feature with an adjustable auto-shutoff timer. The product includes Small and large primer conversions and tubes included, plus a quick-release Safety Shield. The Prime Vibe machine is compatible with other brand primer tubes. Price: $219.00
Magna Lens eyewear features a patented magnetic connection that secures your eye protection directly to your earmuffs. This eiminates discomfort associated with traditional gear which press eyewear frames against the head. The design also preserves the NRR of your earmuffs by 2 to 10 dB compared to users who wear eyewear under earmuff pads. The high-performance 2.9mm thick lenses provide exceptional optical performance and blast resistance. Magna Lens eyewear can be used with almost any brand of earmuffs. The patented magnetic design literally gives you THE most comfortable way to wear earmuffs with eye protection. This system should prove to be a game-changer for shooters with increase comfort. Price: $150.00
The Live Stream Pro Camera is a new trail cam with variable resolution and live streaming capability. Key camera features are:
•32MP/24MP/16MP/8MP/5MP Image Resolution
•1440P/1080P/720P/WVGA Video
•Fast video triggering＜0.6s
•4G LTE High Speed; Live video monitoring/surveillance
•Live stream monitoring
•PIR Detection + Smart motion tracking
•H.264 compressor, greatly reduce the video size
•Cloud Platform with Free APP (Android & iOS)
•2.4″ Color LCD
•SD Card support 2GB-128GB
The GPS shotgun buttstock with patented recoil system was invented by Sai Chiang through years of being a competitive shotgun shooter, and most importantly, listening closely to what shooters want of their shotgun stocks. Through years of development, we created an innovative shotgun stock that can custom fit 99.9% of shooters requirements. Also, the custom hand molded grip design increases the comfort and ergonomic control during target acquisition and firing of the shotgun. This stock offers pneumatic recoil reduction technology, delivering softer and faster recoil reduction without compromising power or performance. The system boasts the world’s largest air chamber, effectively reducing recoil. Six available grip sizes ensure optimal comfort and fit.
Simplify your inventory and reduce costs with the Paradigm Universal Holster by G-Code. Designed using cutting-edge overlay technology, this versatile holster fits almost any weapon and is truly top of its class. The Paradigm holster is durable, ambidextrous, and can be worn in or outside the waistband. Priced at just $29.95 MSRP, it’s a smart, cost-effective choice for concealed or regular carry. The benefit for owners is being able to have a single holster that fits multiple handguns and can be worn in multiple ways.
Make Your Own Length-to-Lands Gauge to Check Bullet Position
Here’s a tip we feature every year or so, because it is something that costs nothing, yet can be very useful in the reloading process. With a simple, easy modification to a fired case, you can determine the length to lands in your rifle barrel. As long as you set the tension right, the measurements should be repeatable, and you’ve just saved yourself $43.93 — the combined cost of a Hornady C-1000 commercial OAL gauge ($37.99) and Modified Case ($5.94).
To achieve best accuracy with a rifle, you must control bullet seating depth very precisely, so all bullets end up in the same place relative to the entrance of the lands, every time. There may be multiple cartridge OALs which prove accurate. However, with each, you first need to determine a “zero” point — a reliable, and repeatable OAL where the bullet is “just touching” the lands.
There are tools, such as the Hornady (formerly Stoney Point) OAL Gauge, that will help you find a seating OAL just touching the lands. However, the tool requires that you use a special modified case for each cartridge you shoot. And, while we find that the Hornady OAL Gauge is repeatable, it does take some practice to get in right.
Make Your Own Length-to-Lands Gauge with a Dremel
Here’s an inexpensive alternative to the Hornady OAL tool — a slotted case. Forum member Andris Silins explais how to create a slotted case to measure length to the lands in your rifle:
“Here’s what I did to find length to lands for seating my bullets. I made four cuts into the neck of fire-formed brass. Then I pressed the bullet in lightly and chambered the entire gauge. As the cartridge chambers, the bullet slides back into the case to give you length to lands. It took less than five minutes to get it cut and working. A little light oil in the barrel just past the chamber helps ensure the bullet does not get stuck in the lands. It works great and is very accurate.
How to Adjust Tension — Length and Number of Neck Cuts
I made the cuts using a Dremel with a cut-off wheel. You can adjust tension two ways. First, you can make the cuts longer or shorter. Longer cuts = less tension. If you used only three cuts instead of four you would get more tension. The trick is to be gentle when you open and close the bolt. If you ram the bolt closed you may wedge the bullet into the lands. When you open the bolt it helps to keep a finger or two near by to guide the case out straight because the ejector wants to push it sideways.”
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The Risk of Hearing Loss
CCI has produced four versions of Clean-22 rimfire ammunition: 
