TALLADEGA SPRING CLASSIC (March 16-21, 2021)
The show goes on at Talladega! Next month the CMP will host a series of rifle and pistol matches at the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama. The March 2021 Spring Classic event at Talladega includes a mix of both new and traditional rifle matches, along with pistol competitions, and training courses. There will be many new events not previously held at Talladega. CLICK HERE for full details.
NEW EVENTS include First-Ever Benchrest Garand Match
The Talladega Spring Classic will feature traditional matches plus innovative NEW EVENTS. Debuting this year (for the first time at Talladega) will be a Benchrest Garand Match, Mid-Range 3×600 Rifle Match, and Pistol 2700 Match. Along with the new events, there will be CMP staple events including Rimfire Sporter Rifle Match, .22 Rimfire Pistol EIC, Service Pistol EIC, and GSMM (Garand/Springfield/Vintage and Modern Military) Rifle matches.
There will also be multiple training sessions including: Long Range Rifle Clinic, Team CMP 600-Yard Clinic, Rifle Marksmanship 101 Course/M16 Match, and Pistol Marksmanship 101 Course/M9 Match. These classes allow participants the opportunity to learn marksmanship from skilled, certified instructors.
COOL VIDEO — This 22-second drone video shows the Talladega Rifle Range — Worth watching!
Electronic Targets + No Pit Duty = More Fun
Competitors will be firing all matches on electronic targets for pistol and rifle matches. Each firing point of the 500-acre facility is equipped with a state-of-the-art, KTS electronic target and scoring monitor. Located beside the shooter, on the firing line, each monitor allows the competitor to see his/her shot value in a matter of seconds. Spectators can view the results in real time on large monitors.
Off of the firing line, the Club House holds a fully-stocked Pro Shop that includes a collection of rifles, ammunition, marksmanship accessories and CMP memorabilia.
NOTE Regarding Health and Safety: Although it is CMP’s hope to hold our upcoming events, please keep in mind that we may have to cancel due to COVID-19 issues. For those events that we do conduct, we will follow the appropriate state’s guidelines and recommendations. We continue to monitor the venue states’ guidelines and adjust our procedures based on those guidelines and common sense. As always, the safety of our customers and employees is our priority.
In April 2020, the National Rifle Association (NRA) launched NRAWomen.com, a website dedicated to the fastest-growing group of firearm owners — America’s women. This website serves the increasing number of female gun owners, huntresses, and competitive shooters. Female involvement in firearms is growing significantly. Consider these numbers: Statistica estimates that 19% of women in the USA owned firearms in 2020, while 23% of women surveyed in a 2011 Gallup Poll stated they owned a gun.
Here are three excellent Articles from the NRAWomen.com website, all worth reading. For each example, Click the Photo or direct link to read the full article on NRAWomen.com.
1. Flying with Firearms — What You Need to Know
We recommend that any gun owner, female OR male, should definitely read this article. It is one of the better discussions on the web of airline travel with firearms, covering international travel as well as domestic flights. The article notes that you should obtain U.S. Customs Form 4457 before flying overseas with a firearm.
“Flying with a gun is actually a lot easier than you’d probably expect. You need a couple of specific gear items, and you need to know the proper procedure, but it’s a relatively simple process. I’ve flown with long guns and handguns dozens of times around the country and around the world. The process is generally the same, but with some additional steps and maybe additional hassle depending on the airport [and personnel.]” READ FULL ARTICLE on NRAWomen.com.
2. Modular Safes — Smart Option for Easier Moving
The second article features a great video showing how to assemble a modular safe in under 30 minutes. This article also explains the benefits of modular gunsafes — primarily easier transport and installation.
“Modular safes have been around for a few years now and are becoming more popular. Here’s why: The safe comes delivered to you in panels, so you can bring them into your home one at a time and put it together anywhere you like. This makes it easy to carry up and down stairs, onto elevators or anywhere! Security — Is it as secure as one that comes pre-assembled? The answer is, absolutely.” READ FULL ARTICLE on NRAWomen.com.
3. Rimfire .22 LR Handguns for Self-Defense
This article looks at a wide variety of .22 LR pistols and revolvers. The author discusses the pros and cons of a rimfire defense gun, concluding that while the stopping power is limited, having some protection is better than going unarmed.
“Over the last few months we’ve seen the launch of new handguns chambered for .22 LR that sport the same looks and features as center-fire handguns designed for daily concealed carry. The models I’ve had a chance to work with so far include the compact Taurus TX22 semi-automatic pistol, the pocket-size Ruger Lite Rack LCP II, Kel-Tec’s P17 semi-automatic and the Taurus 942 8-shot snubnose revolver.” READ FULL ARTICLE on NRAWomen.com.
Above: FN’s new 509 LS Edge is a 9mm Long Slide “factory custom” with Low-Profile Optics-Mounting System, slotted slide, and 5″ hammer-forged target-crown barrel.
In the latest February 2021 edition of Shooting Industry Magazine you’ll find Part III of the publication’s 2021 New Product Showcase. This latest installment of SI’s features over 40 new products, all presented with photos and product details.
If you missed the previous showcases, visit ShootingIndustry.com to see the December 2020 and January 2021 issues or click the links above. Across all three editions, hundreds of products from more than 120 companies were featured in Shooting Industry’s 2021 New Product Showcase.
From the Shooting Industry Part III Showcase, we present four notable handguns:
1. Colt Mfg. and Davidson’s — Engraved 6″ Stainless Python
Davidson’s has collaborated with Colt’s Manufacturing on a special edition Colt Python revolver. Automated Finishing has created a deluxe engraved version of Colt’s new 6″ barreled stainless Python. The engraving is armory-grade cut and encompasses the barrel, full underlug, frame and backstrap. The top of the rib is left matte stainless to cut glare while sighting. The special Python is chambered in .357 Magnum, and has a walnut grip, red-ramp front sight and adjustable rear sight.
2. Volquartsen Black Mamba-X .22 LR Pistol
The Black Mamba-X .22 LR Pistol from Volquartsen features a LLV-4X upper with multiple mounting locations allowing for red dot sights. The pistol has a 1/2×28 threaded stainless steel 4.5″ barrel with stainless steel laser-hardened breech in a type III hard-anodized aluminum shroud. Additional features include the Volquartsen Accurizing Kit for a 2.25-lb trigger pull, DLC coated Volquartsen Competition Bolt and Volquartsen Single-Port Compensator. The LLV-4X Upper will be available as a stand-alone product and is compatible with both the Volquartsen Competition Bolt as well as the Ruger MK IV factory bolt.
3. Heckler & Koch VP9L 9mm Pistol
Combining optics-ready features for competition use, the Heckler & Koch (HK) 9mm VP9L OR (Optics Ready) is based on the popular VP9 platform. HK supplies an O-Ring bushing on the longer 5″ barrel to tighten the lockup, aiding accuracy. This ships with 20-round magazines provide additional rounds for longer stages. A machined slot in the slide accommodates most popular red dot pistol sights with one of 5 available mounting plates (sold separately).
MasterPiece Arms now offers the Freedom Gunworks double-stack 1911 pistol line. The handsome 9mm DS9 Hybrid Pistol shown above is machined from barstock and billet. It boasts an FGW slide serrations with slide lightening cut, Koenig hammer/sear, with a 2-lb. trigger pull. Notably, Each FGW pistol is hand-built, including lapping the slide/frame interface, and comes in a custom MPA single pistol case with one MPA 140mm magazine. A variety of configurations are available, including iron sights or optics-ready models.
Every month, GunGenius.com publishes a Top Selling Report. This reveals the Best Selling Guns for each category of firearms sold on GunBroker.com. This culminates in a GunGenius year-end report on the Top Selling Firearms of the Year in a dozen categories, both new and used. As a special Feature, GunGenius now offers the “Top 20 of 2020″ for each category.
Here are the top-selling handguns for the year 2020, with the Top 20 Semi-auto pistols and Top 20 Revolvers listed separately (all first-time sale, not used). Visit the GunGenius Top 20 Page for more details.
Top 20 Handguns for 2020 (Semi-Auto Pistols and Revolvers)
Buying a Handgun? See What Others Choose
Looking to acquire a handgun for personal protection of home and family? There are countless options on the market. Your buying decision may be simplified by seeing what other consumers have chosen, as revealed by nationwide sales trends. You can check firearms sales figures using “Gun Genius”, a new data-crunching service of Gunbroker.com. On GunGenius.com you can select any type of firearm (handgun, rifle, shotgun) and see the top sellers for that category.
Along with pistols and revolvers as shown above, there are separate categories for: semi-auto rifles, bolt-action rifles, lever-action rifles, single-shot rifles, pump rifles, semi-auto shotguns, pump shotguns, over-and-under shotguns and more. You can also filter for sales trends (upwards and downwards). Drill down to see detailed product specifications and current prices.
Do you know someone getting started in the shooting sports? Or perhaps you know shotgun or rifle shooters who want to improve their handgun skills because they have obtained CCW pistol permits? Then here is a good resource for those shooters-in-training. Smith & Wesson GUNSMARTS is a new video series that covers the key points of firearm ownership, from purchasing a pistol, to shooting techniques, gun safety, and storage. While this 38-part series does include some rifle-centric videos, it is mostly focused on handgun training, as you might expect from Smith & Wesson.
The GUNSMARTS series has 38 different videos covering gun safety, gun operation, marksmanship, maintenance, and secure storage. There are both general videos about gun handling and very specific videos about topics such as sight alignment, magazine loading, optics and more. Here are six of the best videos in the series. You will find 32 more on the Smith & Wesson Gunsmarts Playlist Page.
10 Tips for Your First Visit to the Range
Shooting Fundamentals — Sight Picture and Sight Alignment
Handgun Skills — Grip Pressure
Concealed Carry Positions and Holster/Belt Options
Rimfire benchrest rifle of Forum member Peebles24.
With the variety of rimfire disciplines, from cowboy action to Olympic three-position smallbore, there are countless different rimfire designs on the market — bolt guns, lever guns, single-shots, toggle-links and more. These may shoot the same ammo, but they certainly vary in looks and ergonomics. This is testimony to human creativity.
In our Shooters’ Forum, you’ll find a long-running thread showcasing rimfire rifles for plinking, hunting, 3P Target Shooting, Silhouette, Rimfire F-Class, NRL22 and more. Here are some of the notable rifles in that Forum thread, with brief build/component details.
Anschutz BR-50 Benchrest Rifle with Upgrades
This is member BHarvey’s rare Anschutz 2013 BR50, with upgrades. This is actually a factory BR-50 stock, but the owner fitted a custom Benchmark barrel, along with a Fudd barrel tuner. That massive butt-plate is three POUNDS of custom-crafted copper, which helps with balance. This rifle was also featured in our popular Guns of the Week collection.
Rimfire F-Class Rig with Curly Maple Stock
This handsome, ultra-accurate Smallbore F-Class rig belongs to member RMist of Team Pro-Shot Products. It has a Holeshot (Stiller) 2500X, stunning Cerus Curly Maple wood stock, Nightforce scope. Up front is the joystick co-axial SEB Joy-Pod.
How does this impressive rimfire F-Classer shoot? Amazingly well. That target at right shows TEN (10) rounds fired at 100 yards. Most centerfire rifles would have trouble beating that level of accuracy.
Rimfire Tactical Rig with CZ Action and McRees Precision Chassis
Here’s a modern chassis rig built with a CZ 455 action. Forum member A-Rob upgraded the CZ 455 with a SCAR 2-stage trigger. This rifle features a Keystone Accuracy-fitted glue-in barrel, Athlon 10-40x scope and McRees Precision chassis. As you can see from the target, it shoots great. Note: CZ has replaced its 455s with the new CZ 457 series with available metal chassis precision model. CLICK HERE to see full target sheet with six 5-shot groups at 50 yards, averaging 0.270″.
IR 50/50 Sporter with 2500 XS Action and Muller 7R Barrel
Here is member doclu60’s Holeshot Arms (Stiller) 2500XS IR 50/50 Sporter. It features a polished action, barrel, rings/bases, trigger guard, and bolt knob. There are premium components: Bix ‘N Andy trigger, Peightal stock, and Muller 7R barrel. The optic is a Leupold Custom Shop VX3i 6.5-20x40mm wearing Rick Averill custom leather scope caps.
Rampro .22 LR Pistol by Gre-Tan
This is a very rare .22 LR bolt-action silhouette pistol. It is a RamPro 22 LR single-shot crafted by Greg Tannel of Gre-Tan Rifles. Member Tonedaddy says this is the only .22 LR Rampro bolt-action pistol built by Gre-Tan in existence. Not the beautifully-figured wood stock.
Benchrest Rimfire with Turbo V3 Action and Owner-Crafted Stock
Member J.J. Coe reports: “Here is a little side project I recently finished. It features a
Turbo V3 action, Benchmark 3-groove barrel chambered by Mark Penrod, Jewell trigger, and Leupold 40X barrel in Harrell’s offset rings.” Notably, J.J. made the 5-piece laminate stock himself. Nice work! Yes this gun is very accurate as you can see from the match target. Below that is another one of J.J.’s rimfires, an Anschutz 54 in another handsome stock he made himself. This guy has talent!
SAKO P94S Rimfire Trio
This trio of SAKO P94S rimfire rifles belongs to Forum member “Thomasconnor”. He tells us: “The one in the middle is probably the most accurate .22 LR rifle I’ve owned. It was about 6 pounds (without the scope or rings) before I made a heavy buttplate for it. In its current configuration it’s under 8 pounds with a giant scope and steel rings. It now has a Jewell trigger, Benchmark barrel, oversized action screws, and Alex Sitman stock”.
Springfield Model 1922s
Member SnapDraw posted: “Here are my Springfield Model 1922s. One is an M1 I got from a shooting club back East. It has an NRA stock with upgraded M2 bolt and Lyman super target spot 15X scope. And the other (below) is an unmolested (except front sight) M2 with military stock. Both are amazing shooters!”
Benchrest Modified Anschutz 2013
Member Esk308 Picked up this pre-owned rifle in the summer of 2020. Along with the Anschutz 2013 action it features a 27″ Lilja barrel, laminated Shehane stock, and Nightforce 15-55x52mm scope in Kelbly rings. On the end of the barrel is a Harrels tuner with Don Blue tube. Esk308 now uses a John Loh front rest with SEB Bigfoot rear bag.
Anschutz 2013 in M. Werks Stock
Here is another Anschutz model 2013, but in a completely different configuration. This is a rimfire prone match rifle upgraded with a Bartlein gain-twist barrel and an M. Werks tuner stock. Note how the barreled action is secured. This handsome rig belongs to Forum member Jeffrey.
Factory-Class Ruger with Big Bipod
Forum member DavidJoe from Texas put together this rig for a local factory-class rimfire series. He reports: “There’s a discipline where a factory rifle under $1000.00 gets to shoot at a bigger-ringed target. I’m going to try out this new Ruger combination in those limited matches, weighed down with an enormous Valdada scope on a Sinclair bipod.”
Wood-Stocked Trio — Two Remingtons and a Kimber
Here are three .22 LR rigs belonging to member Alamo308. Note the competition iron sights on the middle rifle, a Remington M37 which features a Custom Birdseye Maple stock. The Kimber 82G was sold directly by the CMP as a training rifle. These CMP Kimbers were often extremely accurate.
Marlin 980S Custom with Owner-Crafted Stock
The rifle is based off a Marlin 980S action with a Green Mountain 20″ fluted barrel. The action was bedded with a one-piece aluminum bedding block and Devcon 10110. Owner Kakotoch tells us: “Trigger is a Rifle Basix I took down to just over 16 oz. by using a different pull weight screw. The scope is a Japanese-made Tasco 36x that I picked up NIB for $100 and is surprisingly clear. The stock was my winter project — it’s laminated carbon fiber and walnut, finished with Tru-Oil. I cut, shaped, and polished the buttplate by hand.”
Do you know someone who recently purchased his/her first handgun and is getting started in the shooting sports? Or do you need to brush up your own pistol skills? Then check out a new FREE video training series from the SIG Sauer Academy: Shooter’s Edge — Learning to Shoot.
Here is the Second Video from the Shooter’ Edge series, covering Basic Rules of Firearms Safety:
This video series features foundational handgun classes at the SIG Sauer Academy in New Hampshire. The ten-episode series takes viewers into the classroom and onto the range as the instructors walk through the fundamentals of handgun safety, shooting techniques, practice and training exercises, along with instruction in equipment options and handgun selection. The series was shot on location during several of the Academy’s introductory classes.
Click Below to Access Full Video Series on SigSauer.com:
The Shooter’ Edge Series includes the following episodes: Learn to Shoot at SIG Sauer Academy; Basic Rules of Safety; Types of Handguns and Ammunition; Foundational Shooting Techniques; How to Practice and Train Effectively; Choosing the Right Gun; Equipment and Its Purpose; Holsters — Presentation and Recovery; Magazines — Loading and Unloading; and What Happens After Learning to Shoot.
We really like rimfire revolvers here at AccurateShooter.com. A good .22 LR wheelgun will be fun, accurate, reliable, and inexpensive to shoot. Rimfire revolvers also offer much less recoil and noise than a centerfire pistol. Your Editor has owned a Smith & Wesson Model 617 for over 15 years. That old S&W has probably fired more rounds than all the other handguns I own, combined — yet it still runs flawlessly and still delivers excellent accuracy.
Ruger offers a big stainless .22 LR wheelgun to compete with the S&W Model 617. This rimfire wheelgun is based on Ruger’s trusted GP100 platform. The Ruger GP100® chambered in .22 LR looks to be a good firearm — strong, versatile, and intelligently engineered. In the video above, the late Jeff Quinn of Gunblast.com tests the Ruger revolver and gives it high marks: “It’s a good hefty gun [42.6 oz.], but not overly large or heavy for a good trail gun. It’s just a really nice, well-made revolver from Sturm Ruger.” The gun Jeff tested had a 3.7-lb SA trigger pull and a 9.8-lb DA pull.
The .22 LR GP100 features a windage and elevation adjustable rear sight with a white outline, a light-gathering fiber optic front sight and the original full-size GP100 rubber grips with hardwood inserts. With all stainless-steel construction, the rimfire GP100 is easy to maintain. Just keep the cylinder chambers and barrel clean and this gun should run forever.
This Review of the .22 LR GP100 by Hickok45 has over 6.6 Million Views:
The 10-shot Ruger GP100 in .22 LR is a durable, well-engineered wheelgun. Ruger’s engineers optimized the GP100’s innards to deliver a smooth double-action pull: “The new GP100 has an improved fire-control system that uses a lighter mainspring than previous Ruger double-action .22 LR revolvers. A number of changes have been made to the GP100 to handle .22. One of which is we’ve done a lot of development on the firing pin location and geometries so that we’re able to put a lighter trigger pull in this gun than you would find in other .22 LR [handguns]. We’ve got a half-underlug barrel, and it’s a smaller diameter so the gun balances real well. We’ve added a narrow-spur hammer and a smooth trigger for comfortable shooting. This is a really comfortable gun to shoot”.
This video from Ruger explains the basic features of the .22 LR GP 100:
Jessie Harrison — one of the greatest female pistol shooters on the planet. In the video below, Jessie offers good tips on safe handgun mag changes.
In this Pro Tip Video, Jessie Harrison talks about Dry-Fire Pistol Training:
One of our Forum members asked: “Are there any good books on pistol marksmanship? I’m looking for a book that covers techniques and concepts….” Here are eight recommended titles that can make you a better pistol shooter. These books run the gamut from basic handgun training to CCW to Olympic-level bullseye shooting.
Good Guidebooks for Pistol Shooters
There are actually many good books which can help both novice and experienced pistol shooters improve their skills and accuracy. For new pistol shooters, we recommend the NRA Guide to the Basics of Pistol Shooting. This full-color publication is the designated student “textbook” for the NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course.
If you’re interested in bullseye shooting, you should get the USAMU’s The Advanced Pistol Marksmanship Manual. This USAMU pistol marksmanship guide has been a trusted resource since the 1960s. Action Shooters should read Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals by Brian Enos, and Practical Pistol by Ben Stoeger. Brian Enos is a well-known pistol competitor with many titles. Ben Stoeger is a two-time U.S. Practical Pistol shooting champion. Julie Golob’s popular SHOOT book covers pistol marksmanship, along with 3-Gun competition. Julie holds multiple national pistol shooting titles.
This is one of the best new pistol accessories we’ve seen in the last decade. The Leupold DeltaPoint Micro is a capable Red Dot optic that mounts on the back of a pistol slide, fitting the normal rear sight slot. That’s very clever. This Micro is much smaller than a typical red dot sight, making this a viable option for a concealed carry pistol. That is a very big deal. You can aim considerably faster because you don’t need to worry about front/rear sight alignment. Plus the battery-powered Red Dot gives a gun owner the ability to aim effectively in dark conditions. Just put the 3 MOA Red Dot on your target.
DeltaPoint Micro Features:
Low Profile Design. Sits so low on the slide that it replicates the same sight plane of iron sights, making it more intuitive to use and more concealable. Fast and Easy to Mount. Mounts directly to rear dovetail — no need to have slide milled or altered. Circular Optic Ring. Acts like a ghost ring sight if the battery dies. Smart Shut-off. Built-in motion sensor shuts off Red Dot after 5 minutes of inactivity, preserving battery. Adjustable Brightness. The 3 MOA Dot has multiple brightness settings. Enclosed Diode. Placed inside the housing, the diode is protected from moisture, dirt, and debris. Lifetime Guarantee. Unlike most electro-optics products, the DeltaPoint Micro is guaranteed for life.
The DeltaPoint Micro is 2.25″ long and 1.25″ tall, while weighing just 1.1 ounces. It’s a direct replacement for the rear factory iron sight and mounts at the same height. Keeping the same height makes it easier for iron sight shooters to adjust to a new system. The Red Dot also aligns with the front sight, making target acquisition fast and intuitive.
Tim Lesser, Leupold’s V.P. of Product Development, is proud of the new DeltaPoint Micro: “No red dot on the market is more compact; its low height-to-bore replicates the same sight plane that iron-sight shooters are used to, allowing for intuitive target acquisition.”
CCW Holders are the “target market” for Leupold’s new, low-profile Red Dot product: “For shooters who need a red dot sight for their personal carry pistol, the DeltaPoint Micro is a rugged reflex sight that delivers rapid target acquisition, increased accuracy … in a sleek, low-profile design.” This is not an inexpensive accessory. The MSRP is $519.99 for either Glock or S&W versions.
Leupold currently produces DeltaPoint Micro optic models for Glock and Smith & Wesson M&P pistols, with more versions (for other guns) likely to be released later in 2021.
Real World Review from The Shooting Wire Shooting Wire Editor Jim Shepherd got a DeltaPoint Micro for testing, and quickly saw its potential: “I decided to mount [the DeltaPoint Micro] on my first-generation M&P Shield. The inability to put an optic on it had become a real problem. To the point it was resting in my safe, not riding in the holster where it accompanied me for several years. The problem wasn’t the Shield, it was my aging eyeballs. I can’t see the sights well enough to shoot [the M&P Shield] accurately.
Even without a lot of range time in on the DP-Micro equipped-Shield, I’ve shot it enough to realize I’m more accurate — and considerably faster — than with iron sights. No more ‘searching’ for a front sight. Now, I’m using dry-fire practice to ‘re-learn’ the Shield with this new optic.” READ FULL Report.
This handsome, ultra-accurate Smallbore F-Class rig belongs to member RMist of Team Pro-Shot Products. It has a Holeshot (Stiller) 2500X, stunning Cerus Curly Maple wood stock, Nightforce scope. Up front is the joystick co-axial SEB Joy-Pod.
Good Guidebooks for Pistol Shooters
Real World Review from The Shooting Wire
