CZ (Česká Zbrojovka), the Czech arms-maker, produces some fine, affordable rimfire and centerfire rifles, including the popular CZ 452 (rimfire) and CZ 527 (small centerfire cartridge). CZ-USA now has a new version of its CZ 455 rifle that is ideal for tactical rimfire games and small-bore cross-training. The new-for-2012 CZ 455 Varmint Precision Trainer (VPT) features a CZ 455 action, with .866″ diam. heavy barrel, in a rigid, high-tech Manners Composite stock. Rounds feed through reliable (and affordable) detachable magazines.
The 455 VFT’s list price is $899.00 but expect street price to go lower. This rifle is brand new, so you may have to wait a few weeks on delivery. Stock-maker Tom Manners told us: “We just delivered the first production run of stocks, and CZ is putting the guns together right now”.
The 455 VPT offers the same look and feel of a full-size tactical rifle. This 455 uses a Manners MCS-T4 stock assuring a rock solid platform for the 455 barreled action. The outer shell of the MCS-T4 is made with carbon fiber and fiber glass in multiple layers. The stocks can be custom-ordered with a heavy fill to match your current rifle weight to truly duplicate its feel. Only one color, Coyote Tan, is currently available, but we think this will be popular with most shooters.
Manners Rimfire Varmint/Tactical Stock Sold Separately — Special 5% OFF Promo
Tom Manners noted that versions of the CZ 455 VPT stock design can also be purchased separately and used with other barreled actions: “The 455 VPT stock is based on our MCS-T4 design. We offer this, fully inletted with pillars, for a variety of rimfire actions: Sako Quad, Savage Mark II, CZ 452, CZ 453, along with the 455.” Inletting is complete, so this will be a drop-in solution if you already own one of the listed rimfire rifles.
Tom says: “With this stock, some guys will bed the rear area of their action, but that’s not necessary — you can pretty much bolt ‘em in and go”. Regular price for the Manners MCS-T4 rimfire stock is $475.00. However, if you mention AccurateShooter.com, Manners Composite Stocks will take five percent (5%) off that price through the end of January. That reduces your cost to $451.25 before options.
Field-Testing in the Works We really like the thinking that went into the CZ 455 VPT rifle. We believe there’s a market for a very accurate varminter/tactical trainer in a high-quality modern stock optimized for prone and bipod work. We hope to do a hands-on test of the CZ 455 VPT at SHOT Show Media Day next week.
The Swedish company Norma is making a major push to expand sales in the North American market. As part of this effort it is re-packaging Norma cartridge brass in affordable, 25-count boxes labeled “Norma USA”. At the 2012 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Norma USA will introduce a complete line of US, European, and Weatherby cartrige brass for the consumer market. The brass will be sold in 25-count consumer packs with new Norma USA branding and graphics. According to a Norma spokesman, “the idea behind the 25-count pack is to provide an affordable option. Folks can try the brass, see how good it is, and then buy larger quantities as needed.” Later, Norma plans to offer 100- or 250-count “Shooters Packs”.
Here’s the big news folks: Norma is finally getting its USA distribution system in order — at least that’s the plan. Norma USA will warehouse and fulfill all Norma products in all calibers by mid-February of 2012 with distribution through major US retailers. Hopefully this means product will be on the shelves and there won’t be long waits “for the boat to arrive”.
To support the Norma USA product line, a completely new, up-to-date Norma USA website will be launched mid-January 2012. In addition, the Norma USA product launch will be supported by an extensive advertising campaign in NRA publications. Norma reps will also attend the NRA Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, April 12 – 15, 2012. New loaded ammo offerings will be announced at the Annual Meeting. (Sorry, Norma won’t release any info on the new ammo at this time.)
If you’ve been to SHOT Show at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, you know that navigating the vast multi-level hall can be challenging to say the least. The lower-level booths are packed tightly together, and the numbering system in the upper halls is confusing. To make the SHOT experience less frustrating, we suggest planning ahead with the Online Show Planner. This provides searchable floor layouts with booth names and numbers. You can search for your favorite companies, then “connect the dots” to move efficiently from one location to another.
Begin mapping out your SHOT Show visit on the main Show Planner Page on your browser. This allows you to search exhibitors by company names and to create a personalized list of booths you want to visit (you must set up an account to save search results). There is even an integrated event calendar that helps you keep track of meetings, demos, and special appearances.
You can also move directly to the SHOT Show Floorplan and search for booth locations. This can help you visualized the placements of exhibits on different levels. Note locations of stairwells and escalators so you won’t have to cross an entire floor just to change levels. We suggest keeping a note pad as you jot down booth numbers. Then plot an “itinerary” one level at a time. We generally start on the ground floor and work upwards. That’s because many of the smaller, precision-focused companies traditionally exhibit on the ground floor. You’ll find the mega-sized booths for Leupold, Mossberg, Smith & Wesson etc. on the upper floors.
One last tip — some of the most accurate match and hunting rifles will be found in the clustered “co-op” booths for particular European countries. The interactive Show Planner may not necessarily list ALL the individual exhibitors from a particular nation. So if you’re looking for a small company from a particular region (e.g. Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland), you can often navigate to the host country’s central “encampment” and find what you seek.
Here’s a notable product for the truly hard-core gun guys out there. Bushnell Outdoor Products markets an Air Freshener with the classic scent of Hoppe’s No. 9 bore-cleaner. Brett and Kate McKay, authors of the book “The Art of Manliness” list Hoppe’s No. 9 as one of the top 15 manly smells. We kid you not…
Bushnell’s product Press Release declared: “In 1903, when Frank Hoppe developed a mix of 9 different ingredients to create the original Hoppe’s No. 9 gun solvent, he had no idea that history was being made. Over the last 107 years the smell of Hoppe’s No. 9 has evoked fond memories of fathers, grandfathers, memorable hunts and great days in the field.
In response to consumer requests, Hoppe’s now has an air freshener with the unique No. 9 smell. The freshener has a string for hanging it in your gun room, car, garage, or anywhere you want the nostalgic smell of Hoppe’s No. 9. The Hoppe’s No. 9 Air Freshener will be available at your favorite sporting goods and/or hunting store and will sell for a suggested retail price of $3.99.”
New Nosler Competition Bullets in 6.5mm, 7mm, and .308
For 2012, Nosler® is adding three (3) new projectile designs to its Custom Competition™ line of bullets: 6.5mm – 123gr, 7mm – 168gr and .308 – 140gr bullets. All three new bullet types will be offered in both 100- and 250-count boxes.
Nosler® has blended the accuracy of its Custom Competition™ bullet jackets with its own ultra-precise lead-alloy cores to create a match bullet design that should rival other premium bullets. These new Custom Comp bullets have a very small meplat for increased aerodynamic efficiency and a long boat tail for good BC and reduced drag.
Nosler Match Grade™ Ammunition
Nosler offer some new varieties of match ammo for 2012, and Nosler has re-packaged its Match Grade™ ammunition for 2012. All Nosler® Match Grade™ ammunition will now be sold in a black box. Here are the new-for-2012 cartridge/bullet combinations:
.223 Rem Match 60gr Ballistic Tip®
.223 Rem Match 69gr Custom Comp
.223 Rem Match 77gr Custom Comp
.308 Win Match 155gr Custom Comp
.308 Win Match 175gr Custom Comp
Product Tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
Realtree offers an iPhone application (“App”) designed for hunters that displays up-to-date radar images, current conditions, wind speed and direction on an interactive Google map. The Realtree Weather App for iPhone is now available on the iTunes store for $3.99.
Realtree Weather automatically detects users’ current locations with a blue pin. Browsers can also simply type in the name of a location of interest and the application drops a pin on the map, marking that location and providing current weather conditions, temperatures, forecasts and highs and lows.
The iMap-enabled Realtree Weather application, developed by weather leader Weather Decision Technologies, Inc., (WDT) detects the user’s location and provides local radar data, as well as current conditions, a 7-day forecast, humidity, wind direction and dew-point data. The Realtree application delivers severe weather information, including the latest US radar, IR satellite and lightning strikes. The Realtree App also provides direct access to national conservation and hunting news.
Radar Weather Data Updated every Five Minutes
Using the “pinch zoom” method to zoom in and out of the map, users can access detailed radar information, all the way down to street level. The radar can animate a continuous loop, allowing hunters to better predict storm paths. The radar data is updated every five minutes.
“Weather is a high priority for any hunter or outdoor sportsman,” said Mike Gauthier, vice president of sales for WDT. “With Realtree’s mobile application, we are bringing the most powerful, innovative and accurate weather, radar and satellite data available in the United States, transforming any iPhone into a reliable decision-making tool for the nation’s 23 million hunters.”
Bushnell Outdoor Products has expanded its “Bulletproof Guarantee” to include several lines of binoculars, riflescopes and spotting scopes and its entire line of hunting laser rangefinders. This now provides a “no-risk”, one-year, money-back guarantee for these Bushnell products.
Originally introduced with the Legend Ultra HD binocular product line in 2011, Bushnell’s “Bulletproof Guarantee” provides that if customers were not completely satisfied with the product, the company would buy it back, no questions asked, for up to one year from the original date of purchase.
For 2012, Bushnell’s Bulletproof Guarantee now covers the Elite, Excursion EX, Legacy WP, Legend Ultra HD and Trophy XLT families of binoculars; Elite, Legend Ultra HD and Trophy XLT families of riflescopes and spotting scopes; and all hunting laser rangefinders.
Additional Limited Lifetime Warranty on Many Products
In addition to the “Bulletproof Guarantee”, the majority of Bushnell sports optics products are covered by a Limited Lifetime Warranty. Bushnell guarantees those products to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for the lifetime of the original owner. Exceptions to this Limited Lifetime Warranty, mostly electronic products and red-dot type optics, are listed on the Bushnell Warranty Page.
To learn more about Bushnell Outdoor Products and its complete line of sports optics and outdoor technology, visit www.Bushnell.com or call 1-800-423-3537.
Magnum Research has released a new semi-auto .22LR rifle, the MLR22AT, that should be good for plinking, walk-around varminting, and rimfire gun games. MSRP for the MLR22AT will be $562. The rifles will start shipping in spring 2012.
The MLR22AT features a .22LR Benz target chamber optimized for semi-automatics. The black anodized receiver is CNC-machined from a 6061-T6 aluminum forging. The MLR22AT has an approximate weight of 4 ¼ lbs, barrel length of 17 inches, and OAL of 35.5 inches. This rifle utilizes the 10/22 trigger group and Ruger 10/22 rotary magazines — that means you have a wide choice of aftermarket upgrades.
The MLR22AT features a lightweight, ambidextrous thumbhole tupperware (polypropylene) stock. The stock material incorporates fiber stiffeners, but we still bet this stock is too flexy. Magnum Research claims the comb is high enough to shoot with optics. We just wish the fore-end was stiffer and came with a sling swivel stud for mounting a Harris bipod. Then this compact rifle would be good for rimfire tactical matches as well.
Graphite-Sleeved Barrel is Light, Stiff, and Runs Cool
The most trick feature on this rifle is the graphite-sleeved bull barrel, a Magnum Research exclusive. The barrel’s patented uni-directional graphite fibers, parallel to the bore axis, produce a lightweight barrel with exceptional stiffness. (Magnum Research claims the barrel has six times the stiffness of steel.) The graphite construction definitely saves weight — this barrel tips the scales at just 13-16 ounces, depending on barrel length. Magnum Research also claims the composite barrel dissipates heat up to 43% faster than steel. Sounds good, but heat isn’t as much of an issue with rimfire barrels, as compared to centerfire tubes.
Ruger is introducing a new USA-made bolt action rifle, the Ruger American Rifle (“RAR”). By external appearances, it looks like a Tikka T3 with a Savage Accutrigger. It even has a barrel nut just like a Savage! With a polymer-type synthetic stock, the RAR is light-weight — just 6.25 lbs. with a free-floated, hammer-forged 22-inch barrel (no optics). The RAR will be very affordable — MSRP is just $449.00. Obviously, Ruger hopes to compete with the Savage and Stevens lines of hunting rifles.
Three-Lug bolt, Barrel Nut, and Rotary Magazine
The RAR has some interesting design features. The bolt has three lugs (like a SAKO) with a 70° bolt lift. The action features a full-diameter bolt body and dual cocking cams for easy cycling (watch video below). And yes the RAR uses a barrel nut (like Savage) to secure the barrel to the action (and set headspace). Notably, the RAR comes standard with a rotary 4-round detachable magazine. The receiver comes drilled and tapped from the factory, and scope bases are supplied (but not pre-installed).
Built-in V-Blocks and Adjustable “Lawyer Trigger”
One notable feature of the RAR is a built-in bedding system with twin V-blocks. Ruger’s new patent-pending Power Bedding™ system employs stainless-steel bedding blocks fitted into the stock to positively locate the receiver. You’ll also notice that Ruger has adopted a new Savage-style trigger with a blocking tab on the trigger shoe. This new “Marksman Adjustable Trigger” is user-adjustable between three and five pounds. A tang safety, which can be placed “on safe” while the bolt is cycled, is complemented by a passive, trigger-mounted safety (similar to Savage’s Accutrigger).
It appears that, like the Tikka T3, the RAR has a single action length, designed to handle both medium- and long-length cartridges. Chamberings available initially are: .243 Win (1:9″ tw); .308 Win (1:10″ tw); .270 Win (1:10″ tw); 30-06 Springfield (1:10″ tw). Capacity is four rounds for all chamberings.
In this video, Ruger President/CEO Mike Fifer previews the new Ruger American Rifle…
Manners Composite Stocks has released a new series of folding tactical stocks, the MCS-TF (Tactical Folder) series. There are four TF versions: TF1 through TF4. These offer different fore-end and buttstock options, but share the same folding mechanism and hardware.
Tom Manners explains the new folding design: “The goal of this project was to create a lightweight, super strong folder stock, with a rock-solid hinge lock-up. We feel that we have got pretty close to that. The weights of the completed stocks are running from 4.5 to 4.8 pounds. If you run a mini chassis this will bring them up to about 4.9 to 5.3 pounds.”
Much work went in to the hinge design, which has been in development for more than a year: “We have created a simpler, lighter weight hinge, with … rock solid lock-up. The hinge is a combination of high strength chrome-moly steel and aluminum, which has been parkerized or hardcoated. It is manufactured by Badger Ordnance exclusively for us. The hinge itself is molded and cast into the stock shell. This means the shell wraps around the hinge, with no screws or attachment systems to become loose. The hinge design itself is very simple and basic; once closed, the back portion of the hinge wraps around and locks-up the front portion of the hinge to create a very solid system. To open [the hinge] all that is needed is a push on the checkered button on the left side of the stock.”
The Manners TF Series also locks back in the folded position, using a positive-locking steel pin. Tom explains: “In the butt, there is a push button on the right side behind the cheek, when it is depressed; it extends the locking mechanism out the left side of the stock. It is just a simple push of the button to close the system. Once closed, the button sits about .250” below the surface of the stock so that it can not be accidentally depressed. To open all you need to do is give it another push.”
Stock Specs and Options
All Manners TF-Series stocks will come standard with an adjustable cheek, full inlet, 1” Pachmayer Decelerator pad, and action pillars. These stocks will be offered with molded-in camo finishes or molded-in solid colors, with a textured surface in key areas. Available inlets include: All Rem-based actions, Winchester Model 70, Savage (and a few others — check website for details). These new TF series stocks will be on display at SHOT Show 2012 in Las Vegas. For more info, visit MannersStocks.com or call Tom Manners at (816) 283-3334.
Product Tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
The Swedish company 
If you’ve been to SHOT Show at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, you know that navigating the vast multi-level hall can be challenging to say the least. The lower-level booths are packed tightly together, and the numbering system in the upper halls is confusing. To make the SHOT experience less frustrating, we suggest planning ahead with the 
Here’s a notable product for the truly hard-core gun guys out there. Bushnell Outdoor Products markets an Air Freshener with the classic scent of Hoppe’s No. 9 bore-cleaner. Brett and Kate McKay, authors of the book “The Art of Manliness” list Hoppe’s No. 9 as one of the top 15 manly smells. We kid you not…
New Nosler Competition Bullets in 6.5mm, 7mm, and .308
Realtree Weather automatically detects users’ current locations with a blue pin. Browsers can also simply type in the name of a location of interest and the application drops a pin on the map, marking that location and providing current weather conditions, temperatures, forecasts and highs and lows.
