It’s big (40mm tube, 48 ounces), it’s powerful (52X max magnification), and it’s wickedly expensive ($3,695.00 MSRP). The new IOR 12-52x56mm “Terminator” is designed to “raise the bar” among rifle optics — to be the new Gold Standard. Is the new fat-tube 12-52X IOR really as “bad-ass” as its “Terminator” name implies? Well it does have some impressive features, starting with 100 MOA of vertical elevation travel (25 MOA per revolution). It also boasts ultra-high-grade Schott HD glass, digital illumination with auto shut-off, optional interchangeable BDC rings, and a Fast-Focus eyepiece.
But the real innovation is the Terminator’s proprietary Mid-Focus Parallax adjustment. Handier than old-fashioned front-adjusting objectives, this new mid-focus system dispenses with sometimes-troublesome side-focus knobs. Look at the photo below. You’ll see a wide ring about 3″ ahead of the turret housing. Rotate that to set the focus for your target distance — anything from 21.5 feet to infinity.
1/4″ Clicks and Tiny Exit Pupil at Full Magnification
With 52-power magnification on tap, you’d think IOR might offer 1/8th MOA clicks, at least as an option. However, the click value is listed at “1/4 inch”. Apparently, the Terminator scope, as launched, has one reticle choice, a new design, the “MP-8 EXTREME MOA-X1″. Below is a photo of the reticle taken by dealer Citadel Gun & Safe which has Terminators in stock for $3599.00. The reticle has 1 MOA stadia (hash marks), alternating in line length (taller vs. shorter). We’re informed that the markings are 1 MOA at 26X, so they’d be 1/2 MOA at 52X. It also has four sets of hold-over lines (set in +5 MOA intervals), with 1 MOA stadia running out from center. This will let you hold-off for windage, while simultaneously holding-over for elevation correction. We think this reticle is too “busy”, but it may appeal to some folks. Frankly, we are surprised that the front objective is only 56mm. This means that the exit pupil will be a tiny 1.08mm at 52 power. That’s really quite marginal. A 50+ power scope should have a larger front objective. CLICK HERE for More Photos (scroll to bottom of linked page).
Story Tip by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
Put this in the “it’s about time” department. We’ve long wondered why makers of polymer-framed handguns don’t serialize the internal sub-chassis, so owners can swap frames (shells) easily without legal issues. Currently, for example, if you have a Glock and need to replace a damaged frame, you must return the frame to the manufacturer. Glock then destroys the frame and replaces it with a new frame with the same serial number. That’s necessary because the unitized Glock frame/chassis together constitute the serialized part. If you don’t want to relinquish your original frame, the only way to get a second Glock frame is to buy a new gun, and do a new DROS with background check.
Beretta has come up with a better solution. Beretta realized that pistol owners might want to upgrade their frames, or have multiple frames for the same serialized handgun — one frame could have a short grip and while another has a full-sized grip. With its new Beretta BU-9 Nano subcompact 9mm pistol (to be released in October), the serial number is stamped on a separate, removable internal chassis. The polymer frame bears no serial number. As a result, Nano pistol owners can purchase additional frames without legal restrictions. Acquiring a new Nano frame would be just like buying a new recoil spring or other accessory. CLICK HERE for Beretta Nano Spec Sheet (PDF).
We hope other manufacturers follow Beretta’s lead. Removing the serial number from a handgun’s external polymer shell allows aftermarket companies to develop a variety of frames with different features. Aftermarket frames could even be custom-molded to fit the owner’s hand. Additionally, the gun manufacturer could package multiple frames with one chassis for the original sale. That would appeal to folks who want a stubby grip for carry and a full-size grip for gun games.
Along with its novel serialized “modular chassis”, the new Nano has some other interesting features, including a push-button “striker de-activator”. This allows the gun to be disassembled without pulling the trigger. Also both front and rear sights are secured with set screws. This allows a user to easily adjust (or change out) the sights without expensive tools. These features are explained in the video below.
Craigslist, the #1 classifieds ad service on the web, is a source for some great bargains. While you can’t purchase guns on Craigslist, you CAN find all sorts of hunting and outdoor gear, and shooting accessories. The only problem with Craigslist is that it’s very time-consuming to access a large region — you have to search one municipal area at a time. Well folks, there’s now a better way to use Craigslist.
Craigslist Search Helpers — SearchTempest and CraigsPal SearchTempest.com lets you search all the Craigslist ads in the whole country if you wish, or you can narrow it down to a state, or a designated distance from your zip code (you set the distance, such as within 50 miles or 250 miles). SearchTempest even lets you include eBay listings and Amazon.com listings. You can filter for price and exclude listings without photos. The SearchTempest interface is easy-to-use and intuitive. We use SearchTempest all the time and have found some spectacular bargains, all within a half-day’s drive.
SearchTempest is great, but there is an even more advanced tool for computer-savy bargain hunters — CraigsPal search helper software. Once installed on your computer, CraigsPal can search all Craigslist listings nationwide or you can choose any combination of multiple neighborhoods/city/state/countries and get results sorted in single screen. CraigsPal can remember your searches and even simultaneously run multiple searches for various items — that’s a huge time-saver. CraigsPal.com offers both a FREE Version of CraigsPal and an enhanced $29.99 Members Version. The deluxe Members Version can run “autopilot” searches in the background, sending you an alert when a specific item comes up for sale. Pretty cool. CLICK HERE to learn more about SearchTempest, CraigsPal, and other Craigslist tools.
Beyond Craigslist — The World of Claz.Org
If you can’t find the items you want on Craigslist, there’s another super-fast and powerful classifieds ads viewer, Claz.org. This service, which just released a completely updated (and speedy) search engine, scans over 200 web classifieds services. These include eBay Classifieds, BackPage.com, Job.com, Geebo.com, EasyAutoSales, RVTraderOnline, SportingShopper.com and scores of other regional classifieds services. By accessing multiple classifieds web sites, Claz.org lets you search through nearly 23 million different listings nationwide. You can geo-target your searches by zip code or city, or leave the location field blank to search the entire country.
We used Claz.org to search for “Leupold Scope”, and results came up instantly, with some great bargains. You should definitely check out Claz.org — it is a valuable supplement to eBay and Craigslist. Claz.org is fast and easy to use, and it can find bargains that don’t appear on Craigslist.
Forum Member Rod V (aka Nodak7mm) commissioned a full-bling “Extreme Make-Over” of his Bald Eagle Slingshot Front Rest. The visual change was dramatic — a benchrest version of “Pimp My Ride”. But Rod’s old Bald Eagle was also fitted out with new controls and new, large-diameter F-Class foot pads. Those hardware additions add more than flash — they improve function too.
Plain Jane Rest Becomes Black and Gold Beauty
The whole rest body was powder-coated black and the controls were finished in gold-tone. This has got to be the best-looking Bald Eagle in the galaxy. Rod says: “I had Bob Pastor of Viper Rests make me some F-Class feet for my Bald Eagle Slingshot rest. Since Bob does powder coating and such, I gave him the go ahead to make it look sweet. And he sure did!”
Rod adds: “Man do I have a ‘kick-butt’, hot looking rest for F-class now! Pastor did a great job and I really owe him a thanks for exceeding my expectations and for his craftsmanship. Bob is a great guy to work with. He is a top-shelf shooter too, so he knows what he wants in a rest and why.”
What’s involved in an “Extreme Make-Over” by Bob Pastor?
Here’s the description on Bob’s Website, www.ViperBench-rest.com:
Each rest is customized for the individual shooter. All the brass knobs and handles are melted down rifle cases from my foundry.
(Aluminum knobs and handles can be substituted of weight is a concern.)
Each knob and handle is individually knurled and turned on my lathe.
All threaded stainless steel rods, knob screws and knob extensions are used. These are all highly polished before installation.
The Viper Double-Edge F-Class Feet are 4″ wide, with a large tapered spike turned concentric to the center hole.
All corner stainless steel rods are ½ x 13 threads per inch for added stability.
All corner stainless steel rods have concentric points turned on the ends for use on a shooting bench.
All corner holes in base are drilled and tapped for ½ x 13 tpi., from 3/8 x 16 tpi. For better stability.
The base is stripped of any paint and all sharp edges and burrs are removed prior to powder coating.
The entire rest is either powder-coated or painted according to the material.
All threaded rods are burnished to remove any small burrs, before applying synthetic grease and assembly.
All brass is highly polished, unless a matte finish is desired.
Each rest is then packed in liquid hardening foam for safety during shipping.
To order an “Extreme-Makeover” visit www.ViperBench-rest.com, call Bob Pastor at (269) 521-3671, or email robpas [at] btc-bci.com . Bob says the Make-Over price “depends on the customer’s desires and is quoted before the rest is shipped to me.”
Plastix Plus, a Cypress, Texas-based business founded by a volunteer fireman, is a leading builder of custom storage systems for Fire Departments, Police Agencies, Emergency Response teams, and Federal Agencies such as the U.S. Marshals and the FBI. Using CNC design and thermal plastic welding technology, Plastix Plus can create an infinite variety of in-vehicle storage systems with trays, bins, boxes, shelves, and lockable secure storage. Below is a Plastix Plus storage system fitted in the back of an SUV. Note the AR-type rifles stored in a sliding compartment with fast-access locks.
Modern Plastics Are Superior to Wood or Metal for Vehicle Storage
While other companies offer storage systems for SUVs and trucks, these are usually fabricated from wood and metal. Plastix Plus President Mike Snow says that the Vycom Hitec HDPE ½ inch-thick plastic used by his company is a superior material. In an interview with Tactical-Life.com, Snow explained: “When you have a $7,000 item like a Jaws of Life tool, metal on metal is not a good combination when you are carrying it in the truck and deploying it. The tool gets destroyed by the metal bracket designed to hold it. Plus, you have high moisture situations with fire fighting, so you need to worry about rust. The Hitec material is moisture-resistant and very forgiving for emergency tool transport.”
Likewise the Hitec plastic is easier on fine gun finishes than metal boxes, and it won’t warp or absorb moisture like wood can. Snow says that his plastic storage systems will last for decades. By contrast, Snow says some fire departments that opted for wood storage systems have been forced to replace or rebuild their storage units after just a couple seasons.
Plastix Plus hopes to expand to the general consumer market, providing custom in-vehicle storage solutions for trucks, RVs, and SUVs. Plastix Plus can match the exact dimensions of your vehicle, providing your choice of drawers, bins, and locking compartments, including gun storage lockers. A custom Plastix Plus storage system is not cheap. But it may be a smart purchase — when you consider the value of the guns and gear you haul around. Your investment in multiple match rifles (with scopes), along with fancy rests, electronics, and accessories, could easily top $15,000.
Leatherwood/Hi-Lux Optics has added an 8X USMC-SNIPER Unertl-type scope to its William Malcolm Series of vintage-style, externally-adjusting riflescopes. Scopes of this design, with micrometer click external adjustment, were once favored by long range shooters. Today, a mint-condition, original USMC-marked scope can sell for as much as $5,000. And with the current interest in vintage sniper rifles, just a working standard model Unertl scope in good condition can still bring $2,000 or more.
Leatherwood/Hi-Lux already markets a variety of long-tube, external-adjusting scopes that are quite popular with BPCR shooters and vintage rifle fans. The new USMC repro scope, priced at $549.00, duplicates the original windage and elevation controls on the 50s/60s-era USMC scope. But the new Hi-Lux offers modern multi-coated lenses. Hi-Lux claims this scope offers the “brightest and sharpest optics ever in a riflescope of this design”. That’s quite a boast — the “real deal” Unertls were pretty darn good.
The 8X USMC repro scopes are marked with the “Wm. Malcolm” name over the USMC-SNIPER model designation, and each will be serial numbered — as were the original USMC models. The Marine Corps utilized this style of externally-adjusting scope on sniper rifles during WWII, Korea, and the early stages of the Vietnam conflict.
With its $549.00 MSRP, the Hilux USMC-SNIPER repro scope is far more affordable than a serviceable original. Like all Leatherwood/Hi-Lux Optics, the Wm. Malcolm USMC-SNIPER model comes backed with a limited lifetime warranty. If this scope proves to be of decent quality, we expect it will become popular for the growing Vintage Sniper Rifle discipline, which allows reproduction optics.
by Robert Whitley
I recently received some of the new Berger 6mm 105gr Hybrid Match Bullets for testing. There is much interest in these new 6mm Hybrids, so I thought I’d share my initial observations. A couple of things are very striking about these new bullets:
1. They appear to be very long, sleek and aerodynamic, while they still maintain a good bearing surface length (full-diameter shank). I like bullets with a sufficient bearing surface length because I find that it makes for bullets that are easier to shoot and tune. I also feel a good bearing surface length makes for a bullet that has a better potential for consistent performance over bullets with a short bearing surface.
2. The published ballistic coefficient (BC) numbers on these bullets are quite high. They have a stated G1 BC of .547 and a G7 BC of .278. Looking at the bullets themselves it’s easy to see why these BC numbers are so high. The front end of the projectile is quite long and similar to what you see on long-range VLDs, but the transition to the bearing surface has a blended appearance (the Hybrid part) vs. the sharp transition you typically see with most VLDs and secant ogive bullets. The 105gr Hybrid bullets also have a long boat-tail.
3. The new Berger 105gr Hybrid bullets measure right around 1.261″ OAL. By comparison, the many other 105gr to 108gr bullets I’ve measured all seem to run in the range of 1.210″ to 1.225″ OAL. The Berger 105gr Hybrid bullets are thus a fair bit longer than the others, which is why a true 1:8″ or faster twist is recommended for them. The bearing surface diameter of the new Hybrids was dead on at 0.243″. So these bullets are neither “fat” nor “skinny”.
4. The tips on these bullets are quite uniform, with the meplats closed up nicely. The Hybrids have nice small tips similar those on the Berger 108s (reasonably tight in diameter). While I sometimes like to point my match bullets, I like to shoot bullets that are ready to go “out of the box”, and these are just that. I’m hoping they will perform very well without meplat trimming or pointing.
Berger’s 6mm 105gr Hybrids Slated to Go on Sale in Late October
Berger has done its own in-house testing on these bullets and found them to be accurate and appropriate for release for additional testing by shooters out in the field. Unless this additional field testing reveals something that no one anticipated (which I doubt), I suspect these new projectiles will be one of Berger’s most popular bullet offerings. The planned official release date for the new 6mm, 105gr Hybrids has been tentatively set for mid- to late-October of 2011. So, barring some last minute changes, these 105s should be on dealers’ shelves before Thanksgiving.
This past weekend we reported that the NBRSA approved the use of the Gonzales cartridge feeder in registered benchrest matches. This device, supported by an arm attached to the front rest, holds 6PPC cartridges close to the loading port on the left side of the action. Using a remote (red) cable activated by the left hand, the cartridge feeder drops one cartridge at a time directly into the action. Now, thanks to Rick Pollock of Benchrest.ca, we can show you close-up photos of the device, so you can see how it is positioned and supported. Note that the Gonzales device does not touch the gun.
Watch Video to See Speed-Feeder in Action
The cases are gravity-fed, but the shooter has positive control over feeding. A cable with a push-button control runs from the magazine down to the rear foot of the pedestal rest. You just push the button to drop one cartridge from the magazine. Watch the video below to see how it works:
Last week, at the DSEi trade show in London, UK, Sako unveiled an all-new tactical rifle, designed from the ground up as a modular system, which can be user-configured in the field to shoot multiple calibers. By changing bolts and barrels, Sako’s new TRG M10 can be switched from a 7.62×51 NATO round to the .300 Win Mag, or the even larger .338 Lapua Magnum. With the capability of the TRG M10 to shoot both standard and magnum cartridges, Sako now has a product that can compete with other multi-caliber sniper rifles such as the Barrett MRAD, released last year. CLICK HERE for TRG M10 Spec Sheet.
Sako Breaks TRG Mold with New M10
The TRG M10 represents quite a departure from Sako’s current TRG models which use a composite shell over a metal chassis which holds the barreled action. There is no outer shell or “skin” on the TRG M10. The action bolts into a rigid, exposed metal chassis to which a rail-equipped metal forearm/handguard is attached. Bipods can mount directly to a bottom Picatinny-style rail or to a metal block clamped to the rail on the underside of the forearm (See Photos).
TRG M10 Previewed in London CLICK HERE to view more photos of the new TRG M10. These images, taken at DSEi in London, show the rifle both fully assembled as well as pulled apart into its major sections: action/barrel, folding stock, forearm, bolt assemblies, magazines. As the TRG M10 is designed to shoot multiple calibers, it employs two different bolt assemblies to fit both standard and magnum cases (of course this requires a barrel interchange as well).
For Military and Law Enforcement Only — for Now
Currently, the TRG M10 is marketed for “military and law enforcement only.” It will be interesting to see if Sako eventually decides to sell the TRG M10 to American civilian shooters. If Sako changes its mind about the civilian market, we would not be surprised if an announcement to that effect would be made at SHOT Show 2012 (to be held Las Vegas, NV, January 17-20, 2012). The TRG M10 system will next be displayed at the Milipol trade show in Paris, France on October 18-21, 2011.
There is an extensive discussion of the new Sako TRG M10 on the Snipers’ Hide Forum. Overall, the initial reaction of ‘Hide members has been positive. Quite a few of those who commented on the rifle stated they would purchase a TRG M10 if it was offered to civilians. Hopefully Beretta, Sako’s parent company, will recognize that popular demand for the TRG M10 would be sufficient to justify its release to the civilian market. Only time will tell….
Get ready for a major new technology that could change the benchrest game. Carlos (Carlito) Gonzales, a benchrest shooter (and Professor of Engineering) from Argentina, has perfected a horizontal, external “floating” cartridge loader that can reliably feed PPC cartridges as fast as you can work the bolt.
We have received a report that Gonzales’s fast-feeding device has been approved by the NBRSA for use in benchrest matches. Pascal Fischbach told us: “I had an email September 17th from Gene Bukys, [stating] that the board of directors of the NBRSA approved the use of the ‘[Gonzales] manual cartridge feeder’ for use in NBRSA competitions.” [Editor’s note: We don’t yet know if the device is approved for all NBRSA benchrest matches, or just short-range matches.] Pascal added: “The device was presented at the delegates meeting of the WBC11 in France and approved for use during the World Championships. The next step for Carlito will be to market it. He is also willing to license the concept, plans, and methods to a machinist capable of manufacturing it in the USA.” See Discussion Thread.
External Horizontal Cartridge-Feeder
The Gonzales loading device is an open-ended, covered metal tray situated on the left side of the action (but it does not touch the gun — it is supported by an arm attached to the front rest). This feeds into the left-side loading port. The cases are gravity-fed, but the shooter has positive control over feeding. A cable with a push-button control runs from the magazine down to the rear foot of the pedestal rest. You just push the button to drop one cartridge from the magazine. We don’t know exactly how the cartridge is released in the magazine itself, but in the video below you can see how the push-button works.
You push the button as soon as a spent cartridge ejects (watch Carlito’s left hand in the video above). It is a clever set-up that works very, very fast. The video shows Carlos running five cartridges through his action in just 9 seconds (time marker 00:31 – 00:40). That’s fast! On a repeat viewing focus on Carlito’s left hand to see how he works the push-button cartridge dispensing control.
Credit to Pascale Fischbach for sourcing this story and video link.
Plain Jane Rest Becomes
Sako Breaks TRG Mold with New M10
