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November 13th, 2013
Steven Blair’s recent report on the .300 WSM for F-Class stirred quite a bit of interest. If you’re a serious F-Open competitor, you’ll definitely want to read that article, which covers the pros and cons of the .30-Cal WSM loaded with the ultra-high-BC 230gr Berger Hybrid bullets.
If you’re thinking about building a .300 WSM for F-Class, here’s a rig that can give you some design and hardware ideas. This eye-catching custom .300 WSM F-Open rig belongs to Forum member Keith T. (aka “KT”). With its striking “bumblebee” color scheme, it will certainly get noticed on the firing line.
Click Photos to see full-screen versions.
Bold Bumblebee .300 WSM for F-Class
Forum member Keith T. (aka “KT”) just got his hands on his new .300 WSM for F-Class and long-range competition. It’s a handsome brute, decked out in a “bumblebee” (yellow and black) laminated stock. Keith’s rifle features a Defiance Machine Deviant Long Magnum action (with Jewell trigger) in a Precision Rifle & Tool (PR&T) F-Class Lowboy stock. Keith has two 30″-long, 1:9″-twist barrels for the gun, one made by Brux Barrels, and the other by Bartlein. Both barrels have identical .300 WSM chambers cut with the same reamer. Keith will test both and then use the best-performing of the two in competition. Riding on top is a Nightforce 12-42x56mm Benchrest Model scope. All the work was done by Accurate Ordnance (AO), based in Winder, Georgia.
Keith reports: “This one took a while to get built due to parts availability issues, but I’m glad it’s done! Thanks to Accurate Ordnance and Nightforce and all their help.” NOTE: Accurate Ordnance tells us that a rifle like this can normally be completed in 6-8 weeks, once all key parts are in hand.
November 11th, 2013
Are you thinking thinking about a low-budget Remington 700 project? Perhaps you want to build a basic hunting rifle for a young family member. Or maybe you want to re-stock or re-barrel an old Rem 700 that’s sitting in the safe. Well here’s your opportunity. CDNN Investments has attained a large inventory of brand new “Take-Out” factory parts from Remington rifles. You’ll find triggers for $49.99, barrels for $49.99/$69.99, and synthetic stocks for $49.99/$59.99. If you already have a Rem 700 action, this will let you assemble a complete rifle for very little money. These are new Remington-made parts. NOTE: Though chambered as indicated, gunsmithing is required for installation of these barrels.
For more information, or to order, visit CDNNinvestments.com or call (800) 588-9500.
November 9th, 2013
Could your next metal scope rings, trigger guard, or muzzle brake be crafted with a 3D printing process? It’s possible. In fact, a wide variety of metal parts (even a complete handgun) can be printed using the latest 3D Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) process. The way this works is as follows: powdered metal is heated by a laser, causing the metal particles to fuse and solidify. This is progressively repeated, in vertically-stacked layers, until the entire metal part is complete. It’s like building a metal layer cake with the shape/size of each thin layer defined by a precise laser beam. The laser is guided by computer-controlled servos following a CAD “blueprint”.
This video demonstrates how metal parts are 3D printed using the DMLS process. This technology is offered by Solid Concepts, a leading rapid prototyping and manufacturing services company.
The Solid Concepts 1911 — World’s First 3D-Printed Metal Firearm
Solid Concepts has manufactured the world’s first 3D-printed metal gun using a laser sintering process and powdered metals. The gun, a .45 acp 1911 clone, has already handled 50 rounds of successful live-fire testing. A 1911 design was chosen because the “blueprint” is public domain. The gun is composed of thirty-three, 17-4 Stainless Steel and Inconel 625 components, crafted through the DMLS process. Even the carbon fiber-filled hand grips are 3D printed, using a Selective Laser Sintered (SLS) process.
Except for the springs, all the parts of this 1911 handgun were printed using the metal laser sintering process. Yes even the highly-polished slide, the barrel, the frame, and the hammer were printed. There are no forgings, castings, or conventionally-machined parts. With the exception of springs, all 30+ components in this prototype pistol were printed using Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) technology. Watch the video for a glimpse into the future of gun-making:
World’s First 3D-Printed Metal Gun Test Firing
Solid Concepts believes that its fully-functional, 3D-printed 1911 handgun proves the viability of 3D printing for gun parts, even highly-stressed components. Kent Firestone, V.P. of Additive Manufacturing at Solid Concepts, states: “We’re proving this is possible, the technology is at a place now where we can manufacture a gun with 3D metal printing. And we’re doing this legally. In fact, as far as we know, we’re the only 3D printing service provider with a Federal Firearms License (FFL). Now, if a qualifying customer needs a unique gun part in five days, we can deliver.”
Will we see complete 3D-printed metal guns on the market soon? That’s unlikely. It’s still more economical to produce complete guns the old-fashioned way. However, we may see 3D printing used for rapid prototyping. In addition, 3D metal printing has advantages for hard-to-machine parts with complex geometries. Solid Concepts reports that its 3D printed metal has fewer porosity issues than an investment cast part and better complexities than a machined part. It will be interesting to see what unfolds in the years ahead.
November 9th, 2013
 The first edition of Modern Custom Guns hit bookstores 16 years ago. Next month Gun Digest will release the long-awaited Second Edition of Modern Custom Guns. This is a richly-illustrated, 8.2″x11″ hard-cover book, with approximately 200 color photos. Written by Tom Turpin and published by Gun Digest Books, this 208-page volume is now available for pre-order, with a December 11, 2013 release date.
CLICK for FREE Preview of Modern Custom Guns
This 208-page Second Edition of Modern Custom Guns is not just a coffee-table book. In addition to the nice color photography, the book examines the processes and techniques used to craft ultra-high-end custom rifles. Author Turpin has interviewed many gifted rifle-makers and artisans who create showpiece rifles. Turpin explains how these craftsman work magic with wood and metal. Specific chapters are dedicated to: Stock-making, Metal-smithing, Actions, Barrels, Sights, Engraving/carving, and other topics. Chapter 10 spotlights two dozen master engravers, while Chapter 11 profiles 39 leading custom gun-builders. A helpful Appendix provides contact information for custom gun-makers and engravers.
About the Author – Tom Turpin has been a professional writer in the outdoor industry for over 40 years. He has written several hundred published articles, four books, and he is presently a contributing editor to the Gun Digest Annual.
In this new edition of Modern Custom Guns, Tom Turpin sought to showcase the exceptional craftsmanship found in high-end customs. Tom explains: “My preference runs to classic styling, and I follow the principle that if any one facet of a custom rifle immediately jumps out at you, it is surely overdone. Quiet elegance is best for me.”
October 29th, 2013
As a member of the World Champion Team USA F/TR squad, Paul Phillips regularly competes (and wins) at 1000 yards. Paul is also a long-range hunter. Here’s his story about developing his ultimate long-range hunting rifle. Chambered for the .338 Lapua Magnum, this rig is accurate out to 1800 yards.
The Long-Range Challenge By Paul Phillips
Being an avid big game rifle hunter, my goal was to build the most accurate long-range hunting rifle possible that would still be light enough to carry. My thought was to use the same type of high-quality components as what I used on my US F/TR Team Rifle, except in a bigger caliber — a caliber that would have plenty of knock-down power at very long ranges. After extensive research, including both ballistic data analysis, as well as discussion with top gunsmiths and champion long-range shooters, I chose the .338 Lapua Magnum. My past experience from being a member of a USMC Scout Sniper Platoon and a shooting member of two World Champion U.S. F-Class F/TR teams, I knew that this rifle was more than capable of performing the task. After establishing that the rifle had half-MOA accuracy at 600 yards, we wanted to see how far the rifle could maintain sub-MOA accuracy, to see what the cartridge and rifle could achieve. Could this gun shoot sub-MOA at a mile? That was our challenge.
Rifle Components and Gunsmithing
My rifle was built on a Stiller Tac-338 single-shot action. It has a 30″, 1:10″-twist Brux barrel, a McMillan A-5 stock with Magnum fill, a Sinclair Bipod, and a Remington X-Mark trigger set at two pounds. The rifle wears a Nightforce NXS 8-32x56mm scope in Nightforce rings on a +40 MOA rail. I chose David Tooley to install the barrel, custom brake, apply a Cerakote dark earth finish and bed the stock. After speaking with Mr. Tooley in great length, I chose his no-neck-turn match .338 Lapua chamber specifically designed for the 300 grain Berger Bullet. This rifle weighs 17 pounds and, with the muzzle brake, it recoils like a standard .308 Winchester.
Load Development and Accuracy Testing
I used the 600-yard range at the Midland County Sportsman’s Club. If I was going to have any chance of hitting small targets at a mile, I would need to find a load that could produce half-minute (0.5 MOA) or better accuracy. I found an accurate load that gave me consistent half-minute groups that chronographed at 2825 FPS. My load consisted of Lapua brass, Federal 215M Primer, Alliant Reloder 25, and Berger 300gr Hybrid OTM bullet. With the Berger 300-grainer’s listed 0.419 G7 BC, this load would be good enough to reach 1880 yards before going subsonic. This load’s calculated energy at one mile is 960 ft/pounds. This is similar to a .44 magnum pistol round at point-blank range.
With my +40 MOA scope rail, my 100-yard zero ended up with the elevation at the bottom of the tube and the windage just 2 MOA left of center. This left a full 65 Minutes of Elevation — enough to get out to 1800 yards. This gave me the capability to aim and shoot from 100 yards to 1800 yards with a projectile that is still supersonic at 1800.
Hitting a 10″ Balloon at One Mile
For a one-mile target, I chose a balloon inflated to 10″ in diameter. The balloon would be a challenging, reactive target that would show up well on video. I teamed up with a fellow long-range shooter, John Droelle and friend Justin Fargo to attempt this feat. Using my known 600-yard Zero, my ballistics program showed my come-up for 1783 yards to be 53 MOA. After two sighters that measured 4 inches apart, I adjusted up one minute from my spotter shot and nailed my 10″ balloon at one mile. This video was recorded with my iPhone attached to my 25-power Kowa spotting scope, so it may seem a lot closer than it really is. Below is a video of the shot. Needless to say I achieved my goal and was very excited.
Watch Hit on 10″-Diameter Balloon at One Mile with .338 Lapua Magnum
After my balloon shot, I let my friend Justin Fargo, a novice shooter, try his skills. Justin told me that he had never shot past 100 yards using a common deer rifle. Surprisingly, Justin not only kept all his shots under 1 MOA, he hit the 9-inch white circle in the middle of the target. This bullet hole measured only 4.3 inches from the center of where he was aiming. Truly amazing! The target below shows Justin’s shots at one mile. Note that All the hits are located within the 24-inch black circle.
What I Learned — With the Right Equipment, Even a Novice Can Make Hits at a Mile
The above results demonstrate that even a novice shooter with a high-quality, custom rifle and match-grade ammo can make extreme long range shots with great accuracy. It is very important to understand the ballistics of the bullet and the effect of wind drift to make precision, first-shot hits on your target. It is also important that you know your target, backstop and beyond when making these shots. To date, I have shot approximately 40 shots at a mile in calm conditions while averaging 3-shot groups between ½ to 1 MOA (1 MOA is about 18.5″ at that distance). My next experiment is to see how well these bullets perform traveling at subsonic speeds out to 1.5 – 2 miles. Stay tuned!
Special thanks to the following people that helped out with this project: Geoff Esterline, David Tooley, Dick Davis, John Droelle, Ray Gross and Bryan Litz.
Editor’s Comment: The point of this article is to show the kind of accuracy a precision rifle system can achieve, consistently, at extreme long range. Though this rifle will do duty as a hunting arm, Phillips is not advocating that a .338 LM be used to harvest animals at the full limit of its supersonic range. Because winds are hard to predict at extreme long range in a hunting situation, Phillips cautions that the practical distance at which he would shoot game with a rig like this is much, much shorter.
October 21st, 2013
Report by Boyd Allen
This pistol belongs to Dan Lutke, a Bay Area benchrest shooter who publishes the results for the Visalia matches to the competitors and the NBRSA. He has been an enthusiastic competitor for an number of years, at various ranges, notably Visalia and Sacramento. The action is a Remington XP-100, to which a Kelbly 2 oz. trigger has been fitted. On top is an old Japanese-made Tasco 36X scope (these were actually pretty darn good). The Hart barrel (a cast-off from Dan’s Unlimited rail gun) was shortened and re-chambered for the 6x45mm, a wildcat made by necking-up the .223 Remington parent case. The custom stock/chassis was CNC-machined by Joe Updike from 6061 Billet Aluminum to fit the XP-100 action and mount a target-style AR grip with bottom hand rest. The gun was bedded and assembled by Mel Iwatsubu. In his XP-100 pistol, Dan shoots 65gr custom boat-tails with Benchmark powder.
 
TEN Shots in 0.303″ at 100 Yards
How does Dan’s XP-100 pistol shoot? Look at that target showing TEN shots at 100 yards, with eight (8) shots in the main cluster at the top. The ten-shot group measures .303″ (0.289 MOA), as calculated with OnTarget Software. Not bad for a handgun! What do you think, can your best-shooting rifle match the 10-shot accuracy of this XP-100 pistol?
This diagram shows the most common 6x45mm wildcat, which is a necked-up version of the .223 Remington parent cartridge. NOTE: The dimensions for Dan Lutke’s benchrest version of this cartridge may be slightly different.
ACAD drawing by Peter Gnanapragasam CC by SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Title Added.
Story tip from Boyd Allen. We welcome reader submissions.
October 19th, 2013
 Rem 700 Action Sale
Need an action for your next varmint, hunting, or tactical rifle project? How about a brand new, short action Remington 700 receiver for $389.99? Sound good? Then visit Brownells.com to take advantage of this special offer. These .308-size-bolt, blued-finish Rem 700 actions have been marked down from $449.99 to $389.99 — a $60.00 savings. (Brownells also has Rem 700 Long Actions priced at $499.99). You should act soon, as supplies are limited. FFL is required for purchase.
Factory-Original, Current Production Actions with X-Mark Pro Triggers
These receivers are from a current factory production run and meet the latest design specifications and quality control standards at the Remington factory. The $389.99 versions have a .308-Win diameter bolt face. Each is precision-machined from either carbon steel or stainless steel barstock for uniform strength, drilled and tapped for scope bases, and ready to accept your choice of barrel and bottom metal. Remington’s bolt assembly features two, up-front bolt lugs for tight lockup and reliable pressure retention, plus 2-panel checkering on the bolt handle. A rivetless, circlip-type extractor and spring-loaded plunger ejector provide positive case extraction. Each action is equipped with Remington’s new X-Mark Pro trigger for improved trigger pull and easy adjustment. The easy-to-reach, two-position thumb safety engages quietly, and allows unloading while in the “safe” position.
EDITOR’s NOTE: The following commentary by Brownells explains why the availability of new production Rem 700 actions is unpredictable, and why Rem 700 actions are a good choice for a rifle build.
Remington 700 Actions — Availability
It’s been many years since Brownells has been able to offer Remington 700 actions in its catalog. The problem has been unsteady supply: Remington Arms Co. will release actions to the commercial market only when it is sure it has enough supply to satisfy its own production needs for complete guns. Now, however, through a new arrangement with Remington, we are able to offer both Long and Short 700 actions (but supplies are limited).
Why The Rem 700 Action?
It’s simple. For 50 years, the Remington 700 has been the flagship of commercial rifle actions, providing proven reliability, fine accuracy, plus the largest selection of aftermarket bolt action parts in the industry. The Remington 700 action has proven itself for hunters and target shooters alike. The Rem 700 action still ranks as the number one choice of custom gun makers. Consequently, you will find a large selection of Rem-700 inletted stocks, along with aftermarket triggers, bottom metal, scope rails, and other accessories.
When They’re Gone…
There is, indeed, a limited number of commercial suppliers for these actions, and we are proud to be one of them. Although steadier now, the supply is still not certain enough that we’re ready to catalog them in our Big Book. We can only offer what we have in stock — and simply cannot guarantee permanent availability in the future. If they sell out, we all may be back to scrounging the gun shows and searching the Internet for a lucky deal on something used, or pirating the action from a brand new gun.
October 18th, 2013
The National Benchrest Shooters Association (NBRSA) has adopted new rules, loosening restrictions on the Sporter Class of benchrest rifles. Now a Sporter fore-arm may be any width (or angle), and the underside of the buttstock can have any angle. Previously, fore-arm width was limited to three inches, and the bottom of the buttstock had to be angled up. (NBRSA Rules will continue to require this “up-angle” geometry for all Light Varmint (LV) and Heavy Varmint (HV) rifles). In addition, the NBRSA opened the Sporter Class to any caliber “no larger than .308 Winchester”.
The idea behind these changes is to allow greater innovation in at least one class of benchrest bag guns, and to avoid “redundancy”. Currently a 10.5-lb Light Varmint can be shot as a Sporter, so long as the LV complies with caliber rules. For practical purposes, that meant Sporter Class was redundant with the Light Varmint Class, and there was no real reason for the Sporter Class to exist anymore.
The Sporter weight limit remains unchanged at 10.5 pounds (including optics). All current LV and Sporter rifles will remain 100% legal under the new rule, so no one is forced to go out and build a new rifle to shoot in Sporter class. But if you want to try a more radical stock design, now you have the opportunity to do so. Here is the text of the new rule:
NBRSA Rule Book (New Sporter Rule)
B. Definitions: 2. Equipment (d) Sporter Rifle
A Sporter Rifle is defined as any rifle having a safe manually and mechanically operated firing Mechanism and must not weigh more than 10.5 lbs, inclusive of sights. The stock can be flat, or convex, but not concave. The Forearm can be any width and have any angle. The butt stock can have any angle including a reverse angle, the barrel shall not be less that 18″ long forward of the bolt face and can be any diameter or configuration including a straight taper or a reverse taper. The Sporter Rifle can be no larger than .308 Winchester. Sporter Rifles do not have to conform to the Varmint Rifles diagram. All sand bag rules apply to the Sporter Rifle.
View NBRSA Rule Book (Includes New Sporter Definition) PDF
| Bukys Explains the Thinking Behind the Sporter Rule Change
 On Benchrest Central, leading benchrest shooter Gene Bukys discussed the new NBRSA Sporter Rule Changes: “[This] does not create a new rifle or an experimental class — it simply removes most of the restrictive rules from the existing Sporter class. Every existing LV rifle and every existing Sporter Rifle in this whole world is still legal, and competitive, under these changes.
My purpose in all of this is to make the Sporter class, and the LV rifle, no longer redundant classes, and to have a class where we can have some innovation in Benchrest. If there is a better stock configuration out there or a better barrel profile shouldn’t we benchrest shooters be the leading edge of this innovation? Benchrest used to be the leading edge of virtually all accuracy innovation. I’m not sure if that’s true anymore. I would like that to be… true again.
For right now, I don’t see this as making any huge radical changes to benchrest, but given time and a venue to work in (Sporter Class) there may be some really meaningful innovation that comes about. Let’s have some fun with this.” |
Gene Bukys Commissions New Convertible Sporter/LV Stock by Bob Scoville
Under the new NBRSA Sporter standards, stock designers/fabricators can now experiment with a wider variety of stock shapes and geometry. Gene Bukys commissioned a new stock from Bob Scoville that shows what can be done under the new liberalized Sporter stock rules.
Gene’s latest NBRSA Sporter rifle features a stepped forearm that can fit a 5-inch wide bag rider plate. In the rear, this stock can run different size/shape “keels” (buttstock underbellies). The larger keel, shown attached in the photos, exhibits the flatter angle now allowed under the new NBRSA Sporter rule. (In fact, this keel may have a slight reverse angle, i.e. lower in the front than in the back). At any time, this Scoville stock can be switched back to a 100%-legal Light Varmint configuration by: 1) removing the 5″ front bag-rider plate; and 2) changing to the smaller, up-angled rear keel piece.
CLICK Photos to View Full-Screen Version
Photos and Links provided by Pascal Fischbach.
October 10th, 2013
Some folks think of laminated stocks as modestly-priced, “low-tech” alternatives for varmint and hunting rifles. In fact, for shooting disciplines that do not demand ultra-light weight, good laminated stocks give up nothing in performance to the most sophisticated composite stocks. And with laminates, it is relatively easy to fine-tune fit and ergonomics to suit the individual shooter. Available in a wide choice of colors, laminated stocks can also be very handsome.
In our Shooters’ Forum, you’ll find a thread showcasing laminated stocks. It’s worth viewing. There are many interesting designs, and a wide variety of rifles ranging from “walking varminters” to long-range prone rifles. CLICK HERE to View Laminated Stock Forum Thread
GRS Laminated Stock from Norway (Imported by Kelbly’s)
FalconPilot’s Shehane Tracker in Sierra Laminate with Clearcoat
20 Practical Varminter (UK Custom posted by PNSE)
Prone Rifle by Carl Bernosky (posted by 1Shot)
F-Class (Special) by Alex Sitman (posted by J. DeKort)
 Veteran’s Team Rifle #2 by Doan Trevor (posted by GermanS1)
October 8th, 2013
Here’s an interesting challenge that could earn you $5000.00 worth of guns. (You like challenges right?) Clever gun customizers out there have a chance to win $5k worth of Ruger products by designing a 50th Anniversary Special Edition 10/22. So go to it — put bells and whistles on a 10/22 and see if Ruger likes your concept. After Ruger selects ten finalists, Ruger’s customers will vote for the winning rifle design. CLICK HERE To enter the Contest.
Ruger wants its fans to help design a Ruger 10/22 rifle to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Ruger’s popular rimfire rifle. Just submit photos of your ultimate 10/22 and include info on the build (stock, barrel, muzzle brake etc.). After Ruger narrows the entries to ten (10) finalists, Ruger fans will then vote for their favorite design. The winning designer will receive a production version of his rifle, a trip to Ruger’s Newport, NH plant, and $5,000 to be used toward the purchase of Ruger products. The remaining nine finalists will each receive a standard catalog Ruger firearm of their choice.
Contest Entrants must submit up to three photos of their customized 10/22, provide a list of parts used, and give a brief description of their design. Submissions will be accepted October 7 through October 18, 2013. On October 21, Ruger will announce the ten finalists and fans can vote for their favorite design. For Official Contest Rules, visit www.Ruger.com/1022Contest.
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