Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (“Smith & Wesson”, Nasdaq SWBI), a U.S.-based leader in firearm manufacturing and design, today announced that it has acquired Savage Arms (“Savage”) by merger from an indirect subsidiary of JDH Capital I, L.P. (“JDH”). The price of the acquisition is listed at $160,000,000 in stock value and cash.

The transaction combines two iconic American firearm manufacturers with leading capabilities across distinct segments of the firearms market. Savage’s strength in hunting and bolt-action rifles is highly complementary to Smith & Wesson’s leadership position in handguns and growing presence across other long gun categories, creating a broader product portfolio.

Savage has been producing firearms for more than 130 years and is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of hunting, competition and target shooting centerfire and rimfire rifles and shotguns.

According to Shooting Times: “The combined company [S&W plus Savage Arma] will immediately rank as the largest commercial firearms manufacturer in the United States, with a full-line product offering spanning handguns, revolvers, rifles, shotguns, and suppressors. Savage brings roughly $160 million annual net sales and a dedicated, skilled workforce of approximately 500 to the Smith & Wesson family, strengthening the combined company’s position at a moment when consumer demand for American-made firearms across every category remains strong.”

Mark Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Smith & Wesson, commented, “The acquisition of Savage is a transformative step for Smith & Wesson and an important milestone in our strategy to be the undisputed market leader in the firearm industry. Savage’s brand heritage, culture, and longstanding reputation for performance and innovation align closely with our own, and the business meaningfully expands our presence in the hunting category. By bringing these two companies together, we have created a broader, stronger platform with significant opportunities to better serve our customers, accelerate innovation, realize operating efficiencies and drive long-term value for our stockholders.”

Michael Fertitta, Managing Director of JDH, commented, “Savage has a storied history spanning more than 132 years, and we are incredibly proud of the business and brand the Savage team has built. Smith & Wesson is a natural partner for Savage given the complementary strengths of the two companies and their shared commitment to quality, innovation and serving the firearms community. We are excited about the potential of the combined business and look forward to participating in its continued success as a significant Smith & Wesson stockholder.”

Transaction and Company Details

• Acquisition Date: October 21, 2026
• Deal Value: $160 million in cash and stock
• Previous Owner: JDH Capital I, L.P. (which becomes a Smith & Wesson stockholder)
• Savage Headquarters: Westfield, Massachusetts
• Savage Workforce: Approximately 500 employees
• Annual Net Sales (Savage): Roughly $160 million

Strategic Impact

• Product Complementarity: Merges Smith & Wesson’s handgun leadership with Savage’s footprint in bolt-action and hunting rifles.
• Market Scale: Creates one of the largest combined commercial U.S. firearm manufacturers, spanning handguns, revolvers, centerfire/rimfire rifles, shotguns, and suppressors.

The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit regularly publishes technical articles on the USAMU Facebook page. One informative USAMU article covered mechanical issues and related ignition irregularities that can cause vertical fliers even with good ammunition in an otherwise excellent rifle. We highly recommend you read this article, which offers some important tech tips.

Vertical Dispersion: Mechanical/Ignition Issues?

Poor or inconsistent ignition has long been known to be one of the “usual suspects” when one encounters vertical fliers that just shouldn’t be there. By having a sense of some of the basic principles involved, and a few basic areas to check, the shooter may avoid colsiderable frustration, not to mention time, expensive loading components and barrel wear.

Is your well-built rifle of high-quality components plagued with vertical fliers across more than 1-3 handload combinations? Consider the bedding, crown and scope/sight mounts. Are they correct? If so, then you might check for ignition issues before boldly undertaking an extensive, expensive, and quite possibly fruitless quest for the “magic handload”.

SEEING IS BELIEVING: While the author had been aware for many years that poor ignition should be considered and ruled out when dealing with vertical fliers in an otherwise-excellent rifle, actually seeing the problem and its almost instantaneous cure really drove the lesson home.

He was working with a “dot” rifle – a .22 LR match rifle that really stacked bullets into little piles at 50 yards and beyond. With one lot of ELEY Tenex, it produced consistent “bughole” groups at 50, but with another, selected lot of Tenex, similar groups were regularly ruined by single, vertical fliers that did not appear in other rifles. Rather than spending days burning up expensive, select ammunition looking for “magic lots”, he contacted a well-respected rimfire gunsmith and explained the situation.

Without so much as batting an eye, the highly-experienced ‘smith tore into the rifle’s action, and quickly found the cause(s) of the problem. He discovered a demonstrably weak firing pin spring, plus a chip out of the face of the firing pin where it contacted the cartridge rim.

After replacing and tuning the offending parts, the rifle immediately began shooting tiny, bughole groups with the previously “unacceptable” lot of Tenex. Centerfire rifles can also benefit from ensuring positive, consistent ignition. A wise riflesmith is literally worth his weight in gold!

So, what are some issues we as shooters can inspect in our rifles to help determine if ignition woes could be part of our problem? At the club level, ask yourself if that “experienced” Remington, Winchester 70, or even Springfield-based match bolt gun you’re using is still running its’ original 40-80 year-old factory striker spring? If so, a new replacement is cheap insurance against current or future problems. (And BTW, it might be best to stick to the normal, factory-spec spring weight. A super-powerful spring can cause vertical, just as a weak one one can.) Along with that, a routine check for proper firing-pin protrusion is a quick preventive measure that can rule out potential issues.

Other areas to consider are the centering and consistency of the firing pin’s operation in the bolt. Admittedly, with the increasing use of precision-machined custom actions, this is becoming less an issue every day. Below is the firing pin assembly from a custom BAT action:

However, particularly with factory actions, a very quick and easy check is to remove the bolt, let the firing pin go forward, and look at the firing pin tip through the firing pin hole. Is the tip off-center in the hole, and possibly striking it as it moves forward? Is the hole out-of-round or burred from being struck repeatedly? If so, a trip to the riflesmith is likely in order.

Similarly, machining issues in the bolt/firing pin system can lead to rough and erratic firing pin movement, in which the firing pin drags against an internal surface of the bolt. In high-quality rifles these issues are relatively rare, but not unheard-of, and it takes mere minutes to rule them out. It may be worthwhile to remove the cocking piece/firing pin/spring assembly and look for any unusual gouges, dings, peening, burrs or signs of abnormal wear.

This task is especially easy with Winchester 70s, Springfields, and the similar Mauser 98s, involving little more than the push of a button and unscrewing the cocking piece assembly. This is just one of the many reasons these tried-and-true actions have earned such a loyal following in the field, among hunters who must maintain their rifles away from a shop.

Particularly with older rifles, watch for and remove excess grease (or even Cosmoline!) from both the firing pin assembly and inside the bolt. This can help improve firing pin speed and consistency. Other bolt-action designs may need a take-down tool or other measures.

As part of this inspection, AFTER ENSURING THE RIFLE IS UNLOADED, slowly cock the rifle, dry-fire, and repeat several times. Listen carefully near the action for inconsistency in the sounds it generates. Does the striker falling make the same sound each time? Do you hear or feel grinding upon operation? If so, where?

Be sure to check the operation of the cocking piece (bolt shroud), firing pin within the bolt shroud, the cocking piece cam and the rear of the bolt body where the cocking piece cam operates. As with our examination for abnormal wear marks discussed above, look for marks indicating roughness or a possible need for light polishing. Then, clean and lightly grease the bearing surfaces while you’re at it.

Remington 700 bolt shroud and cocking cam

These are relatively easy checks that shooters can undertake to perform a preliminary inspection on their own. Other mechanical issues can also cause ignition issues, chiefly centered around the action of the trigger, sear and sear spring. If these are suspected, a trip to an experienced, qualified riflesmith for diagnosis is recommended. We hope you find this information helpful! Join us again next week, and in the meantime, enjoy the shooting sports safely!

Looking for a superb illustrated coffee table book about guns? Yes there is such a thing, a great book we highly recommend — The Illustrated History of Fireams (2nd Edition). This full-color 320-page hardcover book features more than 1,700 photos compiled by NRA Museums curators Jim Supica, Doug Wicklund, and Philip Schreier. This Second Edition includes 300 photos more than the original, plus dozens of new profiles of important persons who influenced firearms development.

This follow-up to the best-selling original NRA Museums book is loaded with great images, historical profiles, and technical data on old, new, and currently-manufactured firearms that have changed history. Covering the earliest matchlocks to modern match-grade superguns and everything in between, The Illustrated History of Firearms provides a fascinating education on how guns evolved, where they originated and how they worked.

The Illustrated History of Firearms, 2nd Edition

– Price: $49.99 (MSRP); $29.33 on Amazon

The Illustrated History of Firearms, 2nd Edition is available from Amazon direct for $29.33. You’ll also find the book at major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, but it’s probably easier to purchase online.

Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Guns If you like big, illustrated hardback gun books, there’s a second title we recommend: The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Guns. This hefty 516-page book covers “Pistols, Rifles, Revolvers, Machine And Submachine Guns Through History”. This major resource is illustrated with 1100 photographs, and covers the whole spectrum of guns. Priced at $35.00 on Amazon (hardback), this book would make a great gift for a gun collector, and could be a nice addition to a local gun club library. The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Guns has proven very popular with buyers, earning 83% five-star ratings on Amazon among verified purchasers.

Historic American Arms — Teddy Roosevelt’s Lever Guns
These two lever action rifles, owned by President Theodore Roosevelt, are part of the NRA Museum collection. First is a Winchester 1886 rifle known as the tennis match gun because Roosevelt used winnings from a tennis match to buy it. Below that is a suppressed Winchester model 1894 rifle. Roosevelt liked to shoot varmints around Oyster Bay (Long Island, NY) with this gun so he wouldn’t disturb his neighbors — the Tiffany and Du Pont families.

About the NRA Museums
The NRA opened the original National Firearms Museum at its Washington DC Headquarters in 1935. In 2008 the Francis Brownell Museum of the South West opened at the NRA’s Whittington Center in Raton, NM. Then, in 2013, the National Sporting Arms Museum opened at the Bass Pro Shops store in Springfield, MO. Every year, at these three museum facilities, over 350,000 persons visit to see the impressive exhibits and many of America’s most famous firearms. For more information, visit www.NRAMuseum.org.

The late Bill Myers was recognized as one of greatest rimfire smiths who ever lived. Myers crafted many match-winning, record-setting rimfire benchrest rigs. Here we feature one of Bill’s most interesting creations — a Clamping Action that allows a rimfire barrel to be indexed (rotated) around the bore axis.

Bill was a creative thinker, and his own exhaustive testing has convinced him that barrel indexing can enhance accuracy in rimfire benchrest guns. Myers did acknowledge that, particularly with a very good barrel, the advantages of indexing may be subtle, and extensive testing may be required. Nonetheless, Myers believed that indexing could improve rimfire accuracy.

Indexing with the Myers’ Clamping Action
To index the barrel, Myers simply loosens the three clamping-bolts and rotates the barrel in the action. Because there is no thread to pull the barrel in or out, the headspace stays the same no matter how much the barrel is rotated. In other words you can rotate the barrel to any position on the clockface and the headspace remains unchanged.

The Challenge of Barrel Indexing
With a conventional barrel installation, employing a shoulder with a threaded tenon, it is difficult to index the barrel. Even with a cone breech (photo right) that eliminates the problem of extractor cuts, you’d have to use shims to alter the barrel index position, or otherwise re-set the shoulder each time you screwed the barrel in further.

Clamping Action Allows Barrel to Be Rotated to Any Position
Bill has come up with a masterful solution to barrel indexing. He designed and built his own prototype custom action that clamps the barrel rather than holding it with threads. The front section of the action is sliced lengthways, and then clamped down with three bolts. A special bushing (the gold-color piece in photos) fits between the barrel and the action. By using bushings of different inside diameters, Bill can fit any barrel up to an inch or so diameter, so long as it has a straight contour at the breech end. To mount the barrel, Bill simply places the fitted bushing over the barrel end-shank, then slips the “sleeved” barrel into the front end of the action. Tighten three bolts, and the barrel is secure.

NOTE: We are sad to announce that, on September 27, 2026, Jim Borden passed away from pancreatic cancer. Jim, who founded and operated Borden Accuracy, was a great shooter as well as a designer/builder of superb actions and complete rifles. Jim won 11 National Benchest Championships, was a Benchrest Hall of Fame member, and served six terms as President of the International Benchrest Shooters (IBS).

About Jim Borden and Borden Accuracy
Jim began shooting high power silhouette and benchrest matches in the mid 1970s while working for a Fortune 500 company as an engineer. In the early 1980s he began building rifles for himself and then for others. Jim excelled as a mechanical engineer, action-maker, gunsmith, machinist, hunter, and benchrest competitor.

In benchrest competition Jim set 10 world records and won 11 National Championships, earning a place in the Benchrest Hall of Fame. Jim served 6 terms as International Benchrest Shooters (IBS) President. Jim ran Borden Rifles/Borden Accuracy with wife Joan, sons Jim Jr. and John, daughter Andrea Mecca and son-in-law John (Mike) Mecca.

Interview with Jim Borden 12/31/2025

At 1:17:50 time-mark Jim explains how he wishes to be remembered: “…Good shooter, good family man, somebody who shared his knowledge and left his legacy in the shooting sports to be followed.”

From the Borden Accuracy Facebook Page
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of James F. Borden, founder of Borden Accuracy Inc., after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Jim built Borden Accuracy on a foundation of precision, quality, integrity, and craftsmanship. His dedication to the shooting community and to producing products our customers could trust was something he took great pride in.

As Jim’s health changed, he thoughtfully put plans in place for the future of Borden Accuracy. In recent years, he had transitioned into more of a guidance role while his wife, Joan Borden, his oldest son, Jim Borden Jr., his daughter, Andrea Borden Mecca, and his son-in-law, Mike Mecca, took on the day-to-day operation of the business.

Borden Accuracy Inc. will continue forward as Jim intended, maintaining the same precision, quality, and commitment our customers have trusted for years.

While we mourn the loss of our husband, father, grandfather, mentor, and founder, we are incredibly proud to carry on Jim’s legacy and the company he worked so hard to build. We sincerely appreciate the kindness, support, and prayers shown to Jim and our family throughout his illness. His legacy will continue in every Borden product that carries his name.”

Memorial Ceremony Will Be Held October 24, 2026
Family and friends are invited to attend Jim’s Celebration of Life which will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 3:00 PM from the Marcho, Sheldon, and Kukuchka Funeral Home & Cremation Care, 73 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock, PA 18657. A visitation will be held from 12:00 PM until the time of service on Saturday.

Interview with Jim Borden and Erik Cortina
In this video Erik Cortina interviews Jim Borden. This is one of the best long interviews on Erik’s YouTube Channel. You’ll learn quite a bit from watching the video. The full video runs over two hours, so you may want to watch in segments over a couple of days.

All in the Family
Jim’s grandfather was a gunsmith who taught Jim the trade when Jim was very young. Jim’s father and grandfather ran a country business that included an auto repair shop, welding, a small lathe, and a forge. Jim earned a degree in Mechanical engineering at Penn State University. For 23 years he worked for Procter and Gamble (P&G) as an engineer and as an engineering manager/project manager.

Tributes from AccurateShooter Forum members:

Jim was a friend and he will be missed. He had a mind that could solve complex problems and he used it to build some of the best rifle actions available. We are diminished with the loss of this great engineer and Hall of Fame shooter. — James Mock

Jim Borden — Sharer of knowledge, maker of great stuff, mentor, icon, Champion of, and for, bench-rest, and precision shooting. RIP. — RGRobinett

Jim was a great person, he would take time to call you back to help with your rifle project. Smart, honest, hard working. I built numerous rifles both hunting and target rifles using Borden actions. Jim will be missed. — RustyStud (Nat Lambeth)

I love his products but that pales compared to Jim as a human being. He was one of the greats and he’ll be greatly missed. — M. Ezell

It’s not what we take with us but what we leave behind.
RIP Jim Borden, you have left behind a legacy. — ElfGuns

Borden Accuracy/Borden Rifles Success Story
Borden Accuracy/Borden Rifles has been a source for precision benchrest and hunting rifles for many years. Jim started doing his own gunsmithing while competing in benchrest and high power silhouette matches. Jim launched his business in 1987, working nights and weekends while still employed at P&G.

The business became full-time in 1995 with Jim and his wife Joan doing the work. The business was expanded in 1999 with the construction of the new Springville, PA facility and the addition of sons Jim Jr. and John to the staff. Son-in-law John Mecca came onboard in January 2000. Now the Borden shop continues to make some of the finest rifles and actions in the world.

Jim and company began making Rimrock benchrest and Rimrock hunting actions in 2001. They added Borden Alpine and Timberline actions in 2006. These actions are made in an advanced manufacturing facility. To learn more, visit BordenRifles.com

Jim Borden Was Also a Great Photographer

A great engineer and gunsmith, Jim was also a gifted outdoor photographer with a large portfolio of wildlife and landscape images. Jim was truly a Renaissance man. Here are some of his remarkable photos:

NOTE: We are sad to announce that, a week ago, Jim Borden passed away from cancer. Jim, who founded and operated Borden Accuracy, was a great shooter as well as a designer/builder of superb actions and complete rifles.

Jim won 11 National Benchest Championships, was a Benchrest Hall of Fame member, and served six terms as President of the International Benchrest Shooters (IBS). Today’s featured rifle features the outstanding Borden BRMXD action that Jim designed and crafted.

2026 F-Class National Championships Coming Soon to Ben Avery
The 2026 National F-Class Mid-Range and Long Range Championships will be held later this month at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility, in Phoenix, Arizona.

F-Class Mid-Range National Championship: October 25-28
F-Class Long Range National Championship: October 29 – November 1
Program & Registration: www.desertsharpshooters.com/2026-f-class-nationals

To help mark this event, today’s Sunday GunDay story features an American-crafted F-Open rifle campaigned by Sebastian (“Seb”) Lambang at the USA F-Class Nationals in 2023. Seb, the brilliant creator of SEB rests, joystick bipods, and rear bags, competed at the 2023 NRA F-Class National Championships, also held at Ben Avery. For that 2023 event, Seb commissioned a handsome, state-of-the-art F-Open rifle built by Blake Barrel and Rifle. Above is Seb’s F-Open rifle on the firing line at Ben Avery.

Seb Lambang’s impressive 7 FCP rig is chambered for the 7 FCP cartridge, an “improved” 6.5 PRC necked up to 7mm. This handsome rifle was crafted by Blake Barrel and Rifle using a 7mm, 1:8.5″-twist Blake barrel chambered in 7 FCP fitted to a Borden Accuracy BRMXD action. Mated to the Borden action is a Bix’N Andy Competition Benchrest trigger. On top is a March 10-60x56mm HM scope.

The handsome laminated wood XR stock is made by Cerus Rifleworks. The XR stock boasts a R.A.D. recoil reduction system in the rear, and a metal bag-rider system at the forward end of the stock. The rig employs an adjustable F-Class Products F-Open Barrel Tuner.

Seb Lambang is a talented shooter as well as a great craftsman. On the side of his March X scope it states: “Sebastian Lambang, QRA Queens 2022, F-Open Winner”.

To see more images of this rifle, visit Seb Lambang’s Facebook Page.

Sebastian Lambang — Founder and Chief Designer of SEB Rests
When he is not competing, Seb works hard producing SEB Front Rests, SEB Neo-X Rests, SEB Mini-X tripod rests, and the class-leading SEB JoyPod-X joystick bipod, favored by F-TR shooters worldwide. Here are products at Seb’s warehouse, getting ready to be shipped out.

About the 7 FCP — New 7mm Cartridge Derived from 6.5 PRC

The 7 FCP was a cartridge designed from the ground up by F-Class Products out of Phoenix, Arizona in the fall of 2022. The developers believe it is the “ultimate cartridge” for the F-Class Open Division competition. F-Class Products notes: “We wanted a cartridge that [had] an efficient case capacity [matching] the 7mm Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum. The 7 RSAUM has proven to be the most winning cartridge in world F-Class competitions and many nationals and finale events. The problem with the RSAUM is brass availability. Remington stopped making brass for the RSAUM years ago and recently Norma has also stopped producing brass for it. The only option now is ADG. While the ADG brand of brass is good, it is quite expensive and also is only run in short runs and is hardly ever available.”

So the 7 FCP was developed from the 6.5 PRC, which has high-quality Lapua brass available. The 7 FCP was designed to shoot the 180 grain Berger Hybrid bullet at 2960 FPS out of a 30″ barrel without excessive pressure. SEE: 7 FCP Cartridge INFO FAQ Page.

7 FCP Cartridge — Wildcat Based on 6.5 PRC Necked up to 7mm

How Does the 7 FCP’s Case Capacity Compare?
F-Class Products states: “The parent case of the 7 FCP is a 6.5 PRC. The 6.5 PRC is a magnum case that has a head diameter of 0.532″ and has a overall length of 2.020″. It is the same overall length as the 7 RSAUM but with a smaller diameter body. Hence, without improving it, you will get not get the case capacity of a 7 RSAUM case, and therefore you will not get the velocities that the 7 RSAUM produces either.” F-Class Products has compared the capacity of cases commonly used in F-Open competition:

.284 Winchester = 63 grains of water capacity
.284 Shehane = 66.5 grains of water capacity
6.5 PRC = 65 grains of water capacity
7-6.5 PRC = 66.5 grains of water capacity

As you can see by the data above, the 6.5 PRC that is simply necked up to a 7mm does not provide more case capacity than the .284 Shehane. That is why the PRC has the shoulder moved forward.

What Powders Work Well in the 7mm FCP?
F-Class Products has tested many powders with the 7 FCP: “Any powders that work well in a .284 Win, a .284 variant or a 7 RSAUM and/or variant, can work well in the 7 FCP. We have tested many different powders and many show to work excellent. Here is a list of the powders we have tested that work well in our testing and in our customers’ testing:

This is just a short list of what we believe are the core powders that will burn and work efficiently in the 7 FCP. There are plenty of other powders that also can work, yet they may be temperature sensitive and or not burn efficiently in the case.”

What Velocities Are Optimal?
F-Class products observes: “With the 180 grain Berger bullet we see accuracy from 2920-2980 FPS muzzle velocity. With the 190 grain Hornady A-Tip bullet we see accuracy from 2860-2900 FPS.”

What Twist Rates Do You Recommmend?
F-Class Products recommends a 1:8.5″-twist barrel. An 8-twist can work, yet the accuracy nodes may be narrower than the 8.5 twist. A 9-twist barrel can also work if you are shooting a 184 grain bullet or less. These twist rates are recommended for lead cored bullets. If you are planning on shooting a solid copper bullet, consult the bullet manufacture for recommended twist rates for that particular bullet.

What Is the Parent Case?
The parent case of the 7 FCP is a 6.5 PRC. The 6.5 PRC is a magnum case that has a head diameter of 0.532″ and has a overall length of 2.020″. It is the same overall length as the 7 RSAUM but with a smaller diameter body, hence without improving it, you will get not get the case capacity of a 7 RSAUM case, and therefore you will not get the velocities that the 7 RSAUM produces either.

Rifleshooter.com does some great original research — providing “hard data” you can’t find anywhere else. Here are the eye-opening results of Rifleshooter.com’s 6.5 Creedmoor barrel cut-down test. You may be surprised at the results. Read on…

What do you get when you cut a 6.5 Creedmoor-chambered barrel down to just over 16 inches? A lot more velocity than you might think. Our friends at Rifleshooter.com performed a barrel cut-down test with 6.5 Creedmoor test rifle, shortening the barrel from 27 to 16.1 inches in one-inch increments. Surprisingly, with a 142gr Sierra MK, the total velocity loss (as measured with a Magnetospeed) was just 158 FPS, an average of 14.4 FPS per inch of barrel length. With the lighter 120gr A-Max bullet, the total velocity loss was 233 FPS, or 21.8 FPS average loss per inch of barrel.

» CLICK HERE to SEE All Velocity Values at All Barrel Lengths

To perform this velocity test, our friend Bill, Rifleshooter.com’s editor, built up a 6.5 Creedmoor rifle using a Remington Model 7 action, 1:8″ twist Green Mountain CM barrel, and MDT LSS Chassis, all obtained from Brownells.com.

Test Procedure
Five (5) rounds of each type of cartridge were fired at each barrel length and the velocity data was recorded with a MagnetoSpeed V3 barrel-mounted chronograph. The rifle was then cleared and the barrel was cut back one inch at a time from 27″ to just over 16″. NOTE: During this winter test, the air temperature was a very chilly 23° F. One would expect higher velocities across the board had the outside temperature been higher.

» Read Full Story with All Test Results at Rifleshooter.com

The photo below shows how the barrel was cut down, inch-by-inch, using a rotary saw. The barrel was pre-scored at inch intervals. As the main purpose of the test was to measure velocity (not accuracy) the testers did not attempt to create perfect crowns.

6.5 Creedmoor vs. Other Mid-Sized 6.5mm Cartridges
The 6.5 Creedmoor is a very popular cartridge with the tactical and PRS crowd. This mid-size cartridge offers good ballistics, with less recoil than a .308 Winchester. There’s an excellent selection of 6.5mm bullets, and many good powder choices for this cartridge. When compared to the very accurate 6.5×47 Lapua cartridge, the 6.5 Creedmoor offers similar performance with less expensive brass. For a tactical shooter who must sometimes leave brass on the ground, brass cost is a factor to consider. Here’s a selection of various 6.5mm mid-sized cartridges. Left to right are: 6.5 Grendel, 6.5×47 Lapua, 6.5 Creedmoor with 120gr A-Max, 6.5 Creedmoor with 142gr Sierra MK, and .260 Remington.

When asked to compare the 6.5 Creedmoor to the 6.5×47 Lapua, Rifleshooter.com’s editor stated: “If you don’t hand load, or are new to precision rifle shooting, get a 6.5 Creedmoor. If you shoot a lot, reload, have more disposable income, and like more esoteric cartridges, get a 6.5×47 Lapua. I am a big fan of the 6.5×47 Lapua. In my personal experience, the 6.5×47 Lapua seems to be slightly more accurate than the 6.5 Creedmoor. I attribute this to the quality of Lapua brass.” Now that Lapua offers 6.5 Creedmoor brass with small primer pockets, the 6.5 Creedmoor is even more attractive.

The creator of Rifleshooter.com also operates a Custom Rifle Building enterprise and gun shop in Long Island, New York: 782 Custom Guns Ltd.. He tells us: “We offer an unparalleled level of gunsmith machine shop services in the Long Island region. From precision rifles (USMC M40A3/A5/A6 XM3 clones) to customized Remington 870 and Mossberg 590 shotguns, and customized 1911s, chances are if you can dream it, we can build it!”

Hunting season is here (9/26/26 was officially National Hunting and Fishing Day). There are many challenges with hunting — choosing your territory, finding your prey, and also carrying lots of heavy gear many miles into the backcountry.

We know that many hunters would like to carry less weight in the field, but still want an accurate and rugged rifle. In our Shooters’ Forum, there’s an interesting thread about a very light hunting rifle. Featuring a Defiance ultra-light action, this 6.5×57 Lapua lightweight tips the scales at just 4.93 pounds including scope and rings! And it is just 4.2 pounds without the mounted optic. For reference, a half-gallon of milk weighs 4.3 pounds, so this rifle is LIGHT! Here’s a report from the proud owner who built the rifle for a future Kodiak Island Alaska mountain goat hunt.

Ultralight Rifle Report by Forum Member Dave

I decided I wanted the challenge of a Mountain Goat hunt after I turn 60. It was the perfect excuse to put together an ultralight, something I had wanted to do for years. I wanted to see how light a bolt action rifle could actually be. My goal was to stay under 5 pounds, without going to a Titanium action, including rings and scope. I knew this would be difficult but I did manage to achieve the goal.

I started with a Defiance anTi model Rem Model 7 short action. This is an extremely smooth action that weighs just 19.2 ounces in this size. I had Carson Lilja of Lilja Barrels program a barrel taper to my dimensions for a 6.5mm 1:8″-twist stainless, 3-groove 22″ barrel. As fitted in the rifle, the barrel is free-floated except for the first inch or so forward of the action.

Other rifle components are: Bix’N Andy Dakota trigger, aluminum trigger guard, blind magazine with an aluminum follower, titanium action screws, and a Leupold 3-9X lightweight optic in Talley rings. I also had an aluminum adapter installed in the for-end to accept a magnetic mount Javelin carbon fiber bipod.

The rifle was chambered up in 6.5×47 Lapua by my friends at Sportsman’s Outfitters in Knox, Pennsylvania. Then I sent the barreled action to Wayne at Oregunsmithing (Pendleton, OR) to have a Kevlar stock built. The stock weighs a whopping 14 ounces! When it came back I had everything Cerakoted (see bottom photo before coating). This stock was a full custom, built around my barreled action. Wayne’s work was reasonably priced with a 3-month turn around.

Excellent Accuracy — 5/8″ Three-Shot Groups at 100 Yards
Now it was time to shoot the rifle and I was not disappointed. It shoots both Barnes TTSX 100s or Swift Scirocco II 130s into 5/8″ at 100 yards. Off a bipod at 400 yards, three go into 3″ or so. This thing is crazy light even though it wears a 22″ barrel.

Without scope and rings, before Cerakoting the action and barrel, this 6.5×47 rifle tipped the scales at a mere 4.20 pounds (67.2 ounces). (NOTE: The barreled action is now matte black after Cerakoting, see above). Check out this 4.2-lb rig without optics:

Sunday GunDay BONUS: FREE ZEISS Hunting App

iPhone/iPad Hunting App (iOS) | Android Hunting App (Google)

KEY FEATURES: Ballistics Solver, GPS Tagging, Weather Forecast, Field Notes with Photos

ZEISS offers a FREE mobile Hunting APP for both Apple and Android systems. The ZEISS Hunting App offers many practical functions: full-featured ballistics calculator, field notes with photo archive, compass function, GPS tagging for documentation of hunting experiences, and a detailed weather forecast service. The Hunting App is offered as a FREE download for Android and iOS (iPhone/iPad) mobile devices.

Hunt Log and Photos
The Field Notes function can do many things. You can log all your shots and hits, and you can plot game sightings during the hunt. Events can be augmented with photos and GPS data. With the Field Notes mapping function, you can even locate game populations in the hunting territory. A compass and automatic night mode round off the list of smart features.

NOTE: The rifle featured in this story was built for an Alaska Mountain Goat Hunt. The ZEISS Hunting App can provide info by species type, including deer, elk, and yes, Mountain Goats.

ADDING ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT — Bix’N Andy Rem 700 Competition Trigger
By Les Voth

An accomplished shooter buddy of mine is going to Tennessee for a family visit, but with the priorities a guy’s gotta have, he’s going to stop off at a F-Class match in Indiana on his way there. F-TR is his chosen corner of that discipline.

A Krauger Arms action is the rifle’s anchor/foundation, with a 28” Heavy Varmint MullerWorks cut barrel, Richards Microfit self-finished stock, Vortex scope, Leupold rings, Sinclair bipod makes up the equipment. He’s running Lapua brass and Berger 185 Juggernaut Target bullets. The powder? VV N150.

Benefits of a Trigger Upgrade
What we are encouraged to do as competitive shooters is run what we brung until some part of that is clearly holding us back. But sometimes some don’t know if something will, actually, make them better. Anyone who has already won their division in a F-Class match, and consistently scored right up at the top, must know their equipment and what that package brings to the target. My buddy knew, said so, and I believed him. But if there was a way to help even incrementally, I was after that increment.

Pulling out a used Bix’N Andy Remington 700 Competition trigger, I handed it to him and said, “I built this out of the used parts bin. Put it into your gun. Shoot it in Indiana, and give it back to me when you get back home.” Buddy put it in his gun and went to the underground range and shot it at 100 yards that night.

This target is the result of the use of the borrowed trigger. In the first group, on the left, the 30 cal hole on the bottom is the cold bore shot, out of a newly cleaned barrel. The group above the cold bore shot is seven rounds. The second group, on the right, is also seven rounds, shot immediately after the first group.

Buddy said, “I’ve done that before — but it’s never been that easy before! It’s always taken everything I’ve had to get those results!” Here’s how he described his first experience with this trigger: “Effortless”. For him to see the result of his ongoing lack of effort was exciting and exhilarating. It was easier than it had ever been. The kicker was that he did not have to concentrate on the trigger at all. He said he could concentrate on fundamentals more completely, and was not distracted by anything trigger-related.

Comparing Previously Installed Trigger
I will not mention the brand of trigger this Bix’N Andy Comp trigger replaced, but he brought it in the next morning so we could use our measuring device/fixture to compare pull force with the Comp trigger. To his astonishment the trigger force required to between the Bix’N Andy Competition trigger and what he had been using was within an ounce and a half. The difference was in the inner mechanisms of each trigger. The Bix’N Andy felt effortless. With the other, it felt like he had to “overcome” something.

Conclusion
I’m glad he’s happy with the Bix’N Andy Rem 700 trigger. I’ll get the used-bin trigger back when he gets home, but he’ll acquire a brand new Bix’N Andy Remington 700 Single Stage Competition trigger from Bullet Central as soon as he relinquishes that borrowed piece.

Use Q-Tip for Barrel Inspection
To find out if you have a burr or damage to your crown, you can use an ordinary Q-tip cotton swab. Check the edges of the crown by pulling the Q-tip gently out past the edge of the crown. If you have a burr, it will “grab” the cotton and leave strands behind.

Larry Willis has another way to use a Q-Tip: “Here’s a neat trick that will surprise you with how well it works.” Just insert a Q-Tip into your barrel (like the picture below), and it will reflect enough light so that you can get a real good look at the last half inch of rifling and the crown of your barrel. In most cases you’ll find that this works much better than a flashlight. Larry tells us: “I’ve used this method about a jillion times. Q-Tips are handy to keep in your cleaning supplies anyway. This is a good way to judge approximately how well you are cleaning your barrel when you’re at the range. It’s also the best way to examine your barrel when you’re in the field.”

Larry Willis is the inventor of Innovative Technologies’ Belted Magnum Collet Resizing Die. Larry explains how this die works, and offers other reloading tips on LarryWillis.com.