While at SHOT Show, Dave Kiff showed us some nice bottom metal PT&G crafts for R+D Precision. Designed for tactical rifles with Detachable Box Magazines (DBMs), this R+D bottom metal features dual trigger-finger, quick-release latches (photo below). This permits very quick mag changes. This bottom metal is a product of R+D Precision and can only be ordered through R+D Precision, www.RDPrecision.net, (626) 806-4389. R&D also makes a $24.95 RAD TACLatch retro-fit for Badger bottom metal. The ambidextrous, dual-lever TACLatch allows the shooter to drop the mag with one hand. Note: All rights and patents associated with these items belong to R&D Precision.
Dave Kiff, President of Pacific Tool & Gauge (PT&G), showed us some great new products his company will offer in 2011. First Dave showed PT&G’s new Rem 40X rimfire bolt. This is a complete bolt that will “drop in” to rimfire 40X actions. So, if you’ve picked up a surplus 40X from the CMP that is lacking a bolt, you can complete the rifle with one of Dave’s $199.00 40X bolt assemblies.
Next Dave showcased his new one-piece Remington bolts with integral handle. Factory Rem bolt-handles are silver-soldered on to the main bolt assembly. With hard use, the bolt handles can break or separate. PT&G has cured that problem with an integrated bolt/bolt handle assembly that is CNC-milled from a single piece of billet. Dave says this produces a bolt-handle that “even the sniper guys can’t break”.
Last but not least, Dave showed some new bottom metal options. PT&G now offers handy Oberndorf-style bottom metal with a convenient push-button release in the front of the trigger-guard (see Video for demo). With a more ergonomic and positive latching system than the standard Rem bottom plate release, the Oberndorf bottom metal is very popular according to Kiff.
McMillan unveiled a new stock that should appeal to readers who like McMillan tactical stocks but want something with greater versatility for sitting, kneeling, and standing shots. The new McMillan A3 Sporter combines the popular features of the A3 tactical stock with a redesigned fore-arm, plus a buttstock with more drop at the rear. For a tactical shooter, the feel of the handgrip and comb will be familiar. However, the buttstock will fit the shoulder better when standing. Also a flared beavertail has been added along the fore-end to provide more secure placement for your front hand.
McMillan’s Dick Davis explained: “Our tactical stocks — the A2, A3, A4, A5 — are designed as prone stocks. The comb is very high and very straight, and they have very little drop at heel. They’re made to shoot when laying down on the ground. They don’t shoot well standing up offhand as a hunting stock”. Davis added: “The tactical shooters have been bugging [us] for years for a hunting stock they can shoot offhand”. For its new A3 Sporter, McMillan has modified the butt and the fore-arm to create a better platform for hunters. Now, Davis says: “We have a good off-hand stock with a vertical, tactical-style pistol grip that the tactical guys are used to shooting”.
Benchrest Stocks — Good for Varminters As Well
In addition to the A3 Sporter, Dick Davis explained some of the differences between the older style McMillan Benchrest stock design, and the more modern Edge stock. Both stocks can work very well in a competitive benchrest gun, but they can also function very well for a varmint rifle shot from a front sandbag or pedestal rest. For a varmint gun, we actually really like the older benchrest stock. It has a comfortable hand grip and the round toe on the buttstock works well for bag-squeezers. Davis confirmed that this stock is quite popular with varminters: “Over 1/3 of McMillan benchrest stocks are used in field varmint rifles”. Shown below is the original McMillan benchrest stock.
The new Stiller Precision Rimfire Benchrest action is on the verge of entering production. This high-tech Copperhead rimfire action, in development for over two years, has DUAL firing pins at 6 o’clock and 12 o’clock for improved ignition. It also has an Anschutz-style feed ramp and other features for enhanced performance. The action’s footprint matches a Rem 40X so it should fit many existing rimfire stocks. Priced at $1150.00, the new Copperhead action should be available in spring 2011.
Jerry Stiller tells us 10 Copperhead prototypes are currently being assembled for final testing. Stiller hopes to have 50-100 actions built for retail sale in two to three months. A lot of experimentation and careful design work has gone into this new action. If Stiller’s Copperhead lives up to its promise it could become the new action of choice for smallbore benchrest competition. With the popularity of precision rimfire games, we expect this action to be in high demand, once word gets out. You may want to contact Stiller Precision Firearms, (972) 429-5000, and get on the waiting list to ensure delivery this year.
In addition to the new Copperhead action, Stiller Precision continues to produce a wide variety of high-quality centerfire actions in stainless, as well as aluminum with steel insert (such as the original Viper). Shown below is a selection of Stiller stainless actions, including the rare stainless Viper:
New March 3-24x42mm FFP Tactical Scope
Every year, a visit to the Kelbly’s booth is one of the highlights of our SHOT Show experience. This year, Jim Kelbly showed off an impressive new First-Focal-Plane 3-24x42mm March Tactical Scope. We were impressed with this new scope. It offers a wide range of magnification in a compact design. As first glance you think you’re looking at a 4-12X optic, not a scope with 24-power on tap. The scope is intelligently laid out — with mil clicks to match the mil reticle. Notably, the elevation turret delivers a full TEN mils per revolution. That is the same as Nightforce’s “high-speed” mil turret, and the ten mils of “up” should get you all the way to 1000 yards with most popular cartridges. If you’re a tactical shooter looking for a mil-mil scope you should check out the new 3-24X March. We think it is very competitive with anything out there, and it is a lot more compact than many scopes in the 20-24X power range.
Kelbly’s Also Builds Complete Rifles
Along with March scopes and Kelbly/Stolle Actions, the Kelbly booth had a stunning F-Class rifle on display, with a 10-60X March scope on top. This red and black beauty belongs to Jim’s son, Ian Kelbly. It features a polished Stolle Panda F-Class action, pillar bedded to a Precision Rifle & Tool laminated F-Class stock. This was the stock design Charles Ballard used to win back-to-back U.S. F-Class Championships. Jim noted that Kelbly’s continues to offer a full range of gunsmithing services, from barrel chambering to building complete rifles — with your choice of Kelbly stocks or third-party stocks.
For the past few years, tactical rifles have been a hot item at SHOT Show. While in the past ARs and AR variants grabbed the headlines, this year, tactical bolt-guns enjoyed the spotlight, with many manufacturers showcasing new tactical rigs built on modular stocks. The user-configurable chassis systems on these rifles provide myriad mounting options for scopes and accessories. Here are new offerings from Surgeon Rifles, G.A. Precision, and Remington.
SURGEON RIFLES
At the Surgeon Rifles booth, Preston Pritchett (Surgeon’s owner), displayed an impressive rifle built on the all-new Accuracy International AX folding-stock chassis. The AX is completely different than previous AI chassis designs. Preston told us that only 11 of these AI AX modular stocks have been manufactured so far, and he received this example just two days before SHOT show. He immediately installed a Surgeon action and barrel — but the display rifle has not even been shot — that’s how new this design is. The AX chassis features an adjustable folding stock, and a forearm slotted for rails on all SIX sides.
There is a nice over-molded, polymer gripping piece forward of the magwell. The pistol grip is nicely designed — comfortable to hold. The hexagonal AX forearm, with slots for rail-attachment, is slimmer than the handguards found on some other “black rifles” which have multiple, heavy full-length rails permanently attached to the fore-arm. Having non-removable full-length rails really is overkill. The AI AX chassis lets you mount accessory rails on six surfaces if you really need that capacity. But otherwise, you can leave the rails off. We like that flexibility. When not in use, rails are just extra weight. These new-generation tactical rifles are heavy enough as it is.
April ETA for Complete AX-Chassis Rifles from Surgeon
So when can you get one, and how much will it cost? Preston expects to have chassis units ready for builds in “about two and a half months”. The AI AX chassis system will cost $1299.00 by itself. For a complete AX-equipped Surgeon custom rifle, in addition to the chassis cost, add the price of a Surgeon action ($1295.00 MSRP), a custom barrel, and chambering. That’ll put you close to $3200.00, depending on barrel and action choice.
AX338 from Accuracy International
If you want to buy a turn-key factory rifle using the new AX chassis, Accuracy Int’l now produces the AX338, shown below. This features an Accuracy Int’l action fitted in the new AX chassis. Right now the AI-built gun is available ONLY in .338 Lapua Magnum. AI’s complete AX338, produced in the UK, will cost thousands more than a rifle built by Surgeon on the AX chassis.
G.A.P.’s New Sabre-Stocked Rifle
Our friend George Gardner of G.A. Precision (G.A.P.) showed off his latest and greatest rifle for tac comps. The gun features a G.A.P. Templar action in the new Ashbury Int’l Sabre Chassis. The Sabre chassis has lots of trick parts to reduce overall weight. For example, the handguard is made from super-light carbon fiber. The central chassis (holding the action), is made from aluminum and there are many ultra-light titanium components.
GAP’s prototype rifle was chambered in .260 Rem, but other chamberings, including .308 Win, will be offered in the future. We were impressed with the Ashbury Int’l design — some smart thinking went into weight reduction. It is not brutally heavy like some other metal-stocked tactical rifles. We like that fact that the Sabre comes in two versions, the simple “Mod 0″ with minimal rails, and the “Mod 1″ for those guys who need to attach a full set of accessories.
George also showed us one of G.A.P.’s semi-automatic AR10s. These have shown outstanding accuracy, frequently delivering 1/2-MOA or smaller three-shot groups with premium factory ammo. While George still recommends that novice tactical shooters employ a bolt-gun, he remarked that a semi-auto can be very effective in timed, “target-rich” tactical matches.
Remington Police/Military
Remington Shows Off New M24E1
Remington displayed its new XM2010 — the winner of the contract to replace the U.S. Army’s M24 Sniper Rifle. The gun, designated the M24E1, offers all the features the Army wanted… but it is a beast. The Army’s new M24E1 sniper rifle will share the Rem 700 long action (receiver) and trigger from the currently-fielded M24, but little else. (The Army specifically required that the M24E1 be built around the same 700 series long action and fire control system.) The M24E1 is considered a “total conversion upgrade”, by which the barrel, stock, magazines, muzzlebrake, suppressor, and even the optics will be changed. The M24E1 will carry a 6.5-20×50 variable power Leupold scope with a first focal plane (FFP) reticle that includes .300 Win Magnum bullet-drop compensation markings.
New Leupold Scope for M24E1
A key component of the M24E1 system is the new 6.5-20x50mm Leupold Mark 4 Extended Range/Tactical (ER/T) M5 riflescope (34mm locking version). This scope features First Focal Plane (FFP) Horus ranging reticles (H27 or H58), side parallax adjustment, and a beefy 34mm maintube.
Other notable features of the new ER/T include M5 windage and elevation adjustment dials with audible, tactile 1/10 (0.1) milrad clicks to match the mil-based Horus reticles. An elevation zero-stop helps prevent under-rotation in high-stress situations. The eyepiece offers long eye relief and it employs a “lockable” fast-focus design to ensure that the reticle remains in sharp focus. The scope has an auto-locking elevation adjustment.
Remington MSR Sniper Rifle on Display
At SHOT Show, Remington also showcased its new Modular Sniper Rifle (MSR), Remington’s entry into the competition for the new SOCOM Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR). Remington’s MSR competes directly with Barrett’s new MRAD, profiled earlier this week in the Daily Bulletin. The MSR features a beefy new titanium receiver with the ability to handle multiple chamberings up to .338 Lapua Magnum. The MSR was designed from the ground up as a switch-barrel rig, with a floating handguard, and folding, adjustable buttstock. The whole system is modular. By exchanging bolt-face, barrel, and magazine, the gun can switch from .308 Win (7.62×51), to 300 Win Mag, to .338 Norma Mag, and to .338 Lapua Mag.
For quite some time Whidden Gunworks has offered an excellent V-Block designed for Remington 700, Rem Model 7, or XP100/ XR100 actions. Whidden’s machined aluminum V-Block allows you to use multiple barreled actions in the same stock (provided action length and screw positions are the same).
Now Savage owners can benefit from a V-Block set-up. Whidden Gunworks has started selling a new V-Block especially designed for Savage actions. Models are offered for the Savage Target action, Palma action, and Savage Short and Long Actions. You can’t really tell from the photo (at left), but the V-Block does have a milled recess for the Savage recoil lug.
Whidden’s V-Blocks have slightly raised ridges the run parallel to the barrel. These help provide a solid grip on the action, so you normally do NOT need to skim-bed the V-Block. Because V-Blocks have a flat bottom and straight sides, it is easy to inlet a stock to take a V-Block — nothing’s tricky. Whidden’s Savage V-Blocks are made of 6061-T6 aluminum, surface milled for epoxy adhesion, and individually inspected. John Whidden believes that a properly installed V-Block “is easier to install, simpler to inlet, more accurate, and more versatile than any action-mounting system available.” We don’t know about the accuracy part, but a V-Block can certainly help you leverage your stock investment by running multiple barreled actions in the same stock.
Right now, Whidden’s Savage V-Blocks are in short supply so you should order directly through Whidden Gunworks, by calling (229) 686-1911. You can order Whidden’s Rem-type V-Blocks for $113.95 through Creedmoor Sports or $109.95 through Brownells.com.
The makers of Cerakote have a cool interactive web application that lets you preview various colors and camo finishes on your firearm. Cerakote’s color preview page is similar to what car-makers are doing these days. For example, you can go to the Ford website and click through nine available colors for a 2011 Mustang GT. Hey, if it works for cars, it should work for guns, right?
Mix and Match 33 Colors with Virtual Gun Coater
NIC Industries, the company that produces Cerakote ceramic firearms finish, offers an interactive “colorizer” web app. This Cerakote Virtual Gun Coater lets you select from 33 solid and camo colors to “paint” the slide and frame of a Glock pistol. Mix and match slide and frame colors to your heart’s content. Available colors include digital camo, titanium, red orange (law enforcement only), coyote tan, and mil spec green. These are all real colors you can actually order. You can even e-mail your buddy a photo of your favorite color scheme. Give it a try!
X-Treme Shooting Products will roll out a new series of Titanium-bodied receivers at SHOT Show 2011 in Las Vegas. These new repeater actions will come in three (3) sizes: Short Action (SA), Long Action (LA), and .338 Lapua Magnum. The Short Action and Long Action versions have a Rem 700 footprint so that they should fit any stock with Rem 700 inletting. The .338 version has been designed to fit the Accuracy International AICS CIP (large) chassis system — providing a perfect “drop-in” solution for tactical shooters looking to upgrade to the .338 LM.
Exclusive American-Made Titanium Custom Actions
X-Treme Shooting is currently the only US-based company offering custom Titanium actions for the general public. X-Treme Shooting’s new Ti actions feature a body CNC-milled from titanium billet, fitted with a conventional steel bolt. Even with the steel bolt, all the Titanium actions are significantly lighter than equivalent chrome-moly or stainless steel actions. The Titanium Short Action should be nearly 1/2-pound lighter than a steel action, while the Ti Long Action should be 10 oz. lighter than steel. The .338 LM action will be “much lighter than steel” according to Tom Myers of X-Treme Shooting.
At SHOT Show, X-Treme Shooting will display the first production runs of titanium Short Actions and Long Actions. These will be priced at $1350.00. Price has not yet been set for the bigger .338 actions. All these actions are constructed as repeaters with bottom cut-outs for internal magazines. The Short Action and Long Action will work with standard Remington bottom metal. In the second half of 2011, X-Treme Shooting may offer solid-bottom versions of these actions for benchrest use.
Benefits of Titanium Construction
Why Titanium? In addition to being much lighter than steel (by volume), Titanium is extremely strong, and very corrosion-resistant. That is why it is used for critical parts in jet airplanes and spacecraft. Titanium is as strong as steel, but 45% lighter. It is 60% heavier than aluminum, but twice as strong. Titanium has the highest strength to weight ratio of any common metal. Titanium does requires special milling tools and techniques for production. However, it is otherwise a near-perfect material for rifle actions because it is light, strong, and corrosion-resistant.
Future Solid-Bottom Receivers and 17-4 Stainless Actions
Weight-conscious benchrest shooters have wanted a benchrest-grade Titanium action for some time. Shedding a half a pound is huge when you’re trying to build a Light Varmint at 10.5 pounds including scope and rings. In response to this demand, X-Treme Shooting hopes to offer solid-bottom Titanium actions for benchrest use. Look for these to appear in the second half of 2011. In addition, X-Treme Shooting plans to offer a line of custom actions made from super-high-quality 17-4 stainless.
To learn more about these new Titanium actions, or to order, call (513) 313-3464 or email ctmyers [at] x-tremeshooting.com. View other X-Treme Shooting products at X-TremeShooting.com.
Disclosure: X-Treme Shooting Products Advertises with AccurateShooter.com
Pacific Tool & Gauge, makers of reamers, replacement bolts, bottom metal and other specialty gun tools and parts, has announced its 2011 SHOT Show Specials. These specially-discounted items, listed below, are on sale during show days, January 18 – 21, 2011 only. IMPORTANT: These special prices are limited to on-site SHOT Show attendees or readers of 6mmBR.com | AccurateShooter.com ONLY. If you order by phone or email, you MUST mention AccurateShooter.com | 6mmBR.com AND Promo Code SS121 to qualify. Remember, the sale prices are valid Jan. 18-21 only. On those days, call (541) 826-9244, and mention this website and PROMO CODE SS121.
Reamers
Solid Pilot Finish Reamer – $66.00ea
Removable Pilot Finish Reamer – $125.00ea
Carbide Reamers – $167.00ea
Bottom Metal
Remington 700 – SA and LA & Model 7 Bottom Metal
Aluminum – $75.00 | Steel – $99.00
Winchester Bottom Metal
Aluminum – $75.00
Special Sales Prices limited to Jan. 18-21 purchases, and limited to SHOT Show Attendees or 6mmBR.com | AccurateShooter.com Readers ONLY. Prices subject to change without notice.
At the 
G.A.P.’s New Sabre-Stocked Rifle
New Leupold Scope for M24E1
Now Savage owners can benefit from a V-Block set-up. Whidden Gunworks has started selling a new V-Block especially designed for Savage actions. Models are offered for the Savage Target action, Palma action, and Savage Short and Long Actions. You can’t really tell from the photo (at left), but the V-Block does have a milled recess for the Savage recoil lug.
Benefits of Titanium Construction
