Wouldn’t it be great if hunting clothing could adapt itself to the environment, changing colors to match the season. Sound like science fiction? In fact, this technology actually exists. Read on to learn about a new technology for hunters — color-shifting camouflage clothing.
Cabela’s exclusive “ColorPhase” camo gear is temperature-sensitive. As the temperature declines, ColorPhase clothing migrates from greens to browns and then to grays. This is achieved with a special rapid-reacting, temp-sensitive die. According to Cabela’s, ColorPhase camo is printed with “rapid-change, temperature-activated dye.” Under normal conditions, ColorPhase camo will begin changing colors at 65deg; Fahrenheit. So, with the cooler temperatures in the late hunting season, the gear should better match the grays and browns that dominate late October and November This would allow hunters to better blend in with their surroundings. At least that’s the theory….
Watch Video to Learn More about ColorPhase Camo Clothing
Thinking of trying out the Precision Rifle Series, starting off with a gas gun? Well Gavin Gear of UltimateReloader.com did just that, competing in his first-ever PRS match up in Washington State. With its timed stages (some just 90 seconds long), Gavin learned that PRS is about speed as well as accuracy. As a PRS newbie, Gavin found the competition fun but challenging. Gavin’s account of his experiences, set forth in two articles with accompanying videos, will help other novice PRS competitors prepare for PRS-type matches and assemble the right equipment.
What PRS is All About
PRS is all about pushing your rifle skills to edge. You may have to hit targets at four different distances in 90 seconds- and dial in your dope between each shot. These kinds of challenges are super-difficult, but with enough experience and practice, it’s amazing what you can do. I saw guys that were so smooth, steady, fast, and accurate, it was mind blowing! It doesn’t come easy, and the guys at the top of the heap are super-dedicated. — Gavin Gear
This video has cool Aerial Drone footage, and in-depth explanation of stages:
Gavin’s First PRS Match: The Experience
By: Ultimate Reloader
Gavin told us that he’s wanted to try out the PRS game: “For a long time I’ve talked with friends about trying out a PRS-style match. Life has been busy, but when the right opportunity came, I decided to give it a try. My friend and shooting partner Jim Findlay offered to help me prepare, and told me it would be ‘fun to shoot gas guns together’. I decided I would shoot an AR-15, and thought that would be an ideal opportunity to try something new — the 22 Nosler. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was getting myself into, but that’s typically the way things happen when you’re really trying something new. It was a great experience, and it taught me a lot about shooting. I also made some great connections and friends during the match. If you are at all interested in PRS (Precision Rifle Series, or just Precision Rifle in general) I would suggest you enter and compete in a match. You most likely won’t regret it.”
Gavin enjoyed his first match: “Overall, the match was more fun and more laid back than I thought it would be. The guys in our squad were all really helpful, and even loaned me gear to try out when they noticed my gear wasn’t right for a particular shooting activity. One such case was when Ken Gustafson (of KYL Gear) offered to loan me one of the bags he had made. Below you can see me shooting off the infamous unstable tippy tank trap with a KYL Gear bag, and I’ll have to say [the bag] was amazing. It helped me lock down my rifle and get on target. What a great feeling!”
Gavin did experience issues with his “stout” 22 Nosler loads: “I did run into some trouble — I had loaded my 22 Nosler rounds to max charge weight with Varget powder and experienced some failure-to-feed issues during the match. Initially I thought my bolt needed more lubrication, but [it was] between 96 – 100°F during the hottest part of the Match day.” With the ultra-high ambient temperatures, Gavin experienced over-pressure. Word to the wise — “Test everything you plan to use on match day, and take into account things like weather conditions as well”.
Gear Choices and Selection
Gavin tells us: “In order to be successful in a PRS match, you need a rifle that is accurate enough, extremely reliable, has great ergonomics, handles well, and fits your budget.”
22 Nosler AR-15 rifle used by Gavin in the PRS match
18″ 1:8-twist 22 Nosler Upper
Two Stage Match Trigger – .154″ Hi-Speed DMR (GEISSELE AUTOMATICS)
Hogue AR-15 rubber grip
Magpul PRS stock
Harris S-BRM 6-9″ bipod
Vortex Viper HS-T 6-24x50mm scope
Action Type — Bolt vs. Semi: While most PRS competitors use bolt-action rifles, there are classes of competition that specifically call for semi-automatic actions to be used. Even so, in Open Class where you can pick which action type you’d like to use, there’s a split between the two for various reasons. I used an AR-15 in my first match, and for comparison, I think I’ll use a bolt-action rifle in my next match!
Support — Bipods and Bags: I think the first thing I said when trying to shoot from a barricade was: ‘You have to be kidding’. For someone used to prone shots from a bipod (when shooting long-range) this new challenge seemed impossible. My reticle was literally all over the place trying to shoot a target at 400 yards. But over time things improved drastically! Part of this improvement came from practice and technique, and part came from using the right support systems, such as the Game Changer Bag from Armaggedon Gear:
Photo Courtesy Accurate Ordnance.
All the Gear Items You Need — Bags, Bipods, Optics and More
UltimateReloader.com’s PRS Gear Summary covers Rifle Choice (gas gun vs. bolt-action), chambering options, optics, support systems (bipods and bags), dope cards, accessories and much more. Both novice and experienced PRS competitors will find this article well worth reading.
Christensen Arms just unveiled a new rifle for PRS competitions and tactical applications. Christensen’s innovative Modern Precision Rifle features an all-new, proprietary chassis system and weighs less than seven pounds (for the 16″-bbl .308 Win version). The Modern Precision Rifle sports high-tech features, such as carbon fiber handguards/fore-end and cheek-piece, and black nitride-coated bolt, receiver, and muzzle brake. The rifle comes complete with a +20 MOA scope rail and a true folding stock with magnetic closure. The Christensen MPR carries a $2295.00 MSRP. That’s a grand more than a Ruger Precision Rifle, but the Christensen MPR’s action runs smoother and the gun is much, much lighter. The fore-end also feel better in the hand and the Christensen Arms rifle balances better than the Ruger.
The Christensen MPR is made from top-quality materials throughout. The chassis is machined from 7075 billet aluminum and features V-block bedding to promote superior accuracy. Other features include an adjustable folding stock with a locking hinge mechanism, and oversized, fluted bolt knob. The Modern Precision Rifle is built with a carbon fiber-wrapped barrel, free-floating handguard, and adjustable comb. The rifle is guaranteed to shoot sub-MOA.
Initial chamberings include 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Winchester in a variety of barrel lengths. Additional calibers, including long-action offerings, are expected in 2018. The Modern Precision Rifle will hit dealers’ shelves within the next 6-8 weeks with an MSRP of $2295.00.
Carbon Components Keep Weight Down
Visit the Christensen Arms website for full specifications, technical drawings, and more photos.
Up until now, 147 grains was the high end of 6.5 mm (.264 diameter) match bullets offered by major bullet-makers. Now Sierra has “raised the bar” — releasing a 150-grainer with a killer 0.713 G1 Ballistic Coefficent (BC). You read that right — 0.713! Compare that to the 0.626 G1 BC for Sierra’s well-known 142gr MatchKing, 0.697 for the Hornady 147gr ELD Match, and 0.607 for the Berger 140gr Hybrid Target. To increase (and uniform) the BC, Sierra’s new 150-grainer is pointed at the factory. Recommended barrel twist rate is 1:7.5″.
Sierras’ product announcement states: “Shooters … will appreciate the accuracy and extreme long range performance of our new 6.5 mm 150 grain HPBT (#1755). A sleek 27-caliber elongated ogive and a final meplat reducing operation (pointing) provide an increased ballistic coefficient for [reduced wind drift] and velocity retention. To ensure precise bullet-to-bore alignment, a unique bearing surface-to-ogive junction uses the same 1.5-degree angle commonly found in many match rifle chamber throats. This bullet requires a twist rate of 1:7.5″ or faster to stabilize.”
Sierra’s new 6.5 mm 150 grain HPBT MatchKing bullet is available in 100-count boxes (#1755) for $50.98 MSRP, and 500-count boxes (#1755C) for $226.45 MSRP.
We’ve used these Defender Flip Caps on varmint rifles and they work great — and having your ballistics dope inside the flip cap is brilliant. The E-10 eyepiece Flip Cap is “stretchable” to fit eyepieces with outer diameters of 40-46 mm (1.57-1.81″)*. The caps for the front objective come in a variety of sizes from 24mm to 56mm. The spring-loaded E10 eyepiece cap offers three stop positions: The first is the vertical position, which will put your optional dope disk “front and center” for easy viewing. The second position is 45° back from vertical and the third is at 90° from vertical, laying flat back.
Introduced last year, the Vortex Defender Flip Cap is already a “best seller” on Amazon.com. Most purchasers have been quite happy with this product, which have proven very durable. Here is a typical review: “I’ve used scope caps from different manufacturers but these are by far the best! The fact that they can be stretched to fit eyepieces of varying size puts them over the top. Besides the fact that they are indestructible.”
Make Your Own Custom Dope Disk
Vortex Dope Disks cost $9.99. These are truly “custom” — you enter your own ballistics data on the Vortex Website to create an insert that fits inside a Vortex E-10 eyepiece flip cap. Disks are made from a durable plastic, custom laser-engraved with user-specific ballistics data. Choose single-column, two-column, or reticle-style display (shown above), and select the font size (big fonts help older eyes). CLICK HERE for Dope Disk Data Entry Page.
This video explains how to create a Dope Disk:
*Note: The E-10 eyepiece cap sleeve may cover the in/out eyepiece focus adjustment on some scopes, so you should set that adjustment before installing the cap.
Savage Introduces 10/110 Stealth Evolution in Six Popular Chamberings
Savage has just introduced the new 10/110 Stealth Evolution Chassis Rifle in six chamberings, including the PRS-pleasing 6mm Creedmoor and 6.5 Creedmoor. This rifle will be offered in right-hand and left-hand models. Big Boomer fans can order a .300 Winchester Magnum or the .338 Lapua Magnum.
The 10/110 Stealth Evolution pairs a heavy fluted 5R barrel with a monolithic aluminum chassis finished in bronze Cerakote. The hard polymer-ceramic coating resists abrasion, corrosion, and impact damage. The rifle features a factory-blueprinted 10/110 action, matched with user-adjustable AccuTrigger. The Stealth Evolution comes standard with an extra-long top rail and factory muzzle brake. MSRP for standard calibers is $1799.00 (.300 Win Mag $1999.00 MSRP; .338 Lapua Magnum $2149.00 MSRP).
AccurateShooter Comment: We like the availability of the 6mm Creedmoor chambering, which is finding favor among many PRS shooters. The 6mm CM has less recoil and a flatter trajectory — plus 6mm bullets are cheaper. Savage did the 6mm version right. At 26″, the barrel is long enough, and the 1:7.5″ twist can stabilize the new 110gr SMKs. That Magpul PRS GEN3 stock looks good — controls are tucked away and the toe can be used with a sand-bag. Some other tactical stocks have rails and/or other “pointy bits” that snag on a rear bag. In .223 Rem or 6mm Creedmoor, this rifle would be a good choice for Prairie Dog safaris. We do wish Savage offered a front sled for bag use though.
Report based on story in theNRA Blog
The 2017 NRA World Shooting Championship was a big success. Attendance was strong — nearly 300 competitors shot the three-day event at the Peacemaker Nat’l Training Center in Glengary, West Virginia. Both pros and amateurs competed in 12 challenging stages with a broad spectrum of firearms — rifles, shotguns, and handguns. This is the richest multi-discipline shooting event in the world. With $250,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs, competition was tough. Rankings were based on a “blend” of time plus points — you had to shoot fast AND accurately. Congrats to Pro Greg Jordan who took home the $25,000 first prize as overall winner. John Chambers finished first in the Amateur Division, Lena Miculek was High Lady, and Michael Davis was High Junior.
Greg Jordan – 2017 NRA World Shooting Champion
John Chambers – NRA World Shooting Championship – High Amateur
Lena Miculek – NRA World Shooting Championship – High Lady
Michael Davis – NRA World Shooting Championship – High Junior
(Overall winner Greg Jordan seconed from left. Photo courtesy Jim Powell)
Big Turn-Out in Amateur Division
Unlike typical matches, the NRA World Shooting Championship allows those interested in the shooting sports to compete among some of the best shooters in the world all while using the same firearms and equipment. This year, 232 competitors participated in the Amateur Division — some who had never competed in a shooting competition before!
Here are the final scores for the top 10 shooters from each division:
We want to add a special congrats to Sean Murphy of Nightforce. Sean finished 9th overall in the Pro Division, an impressive showing for an industry executive with limited time to attend matches. Sean says: “I had a great time at the NRA World Shooting Championship this weekend. It’s a 12-stage match featuring 12 different disciplines, with all equipment provided. You have to adapt to each set of rules and equipment and then shoot and be competitive. This is a fun format for both new and experienced shooters, and gives some insight [into] other disciplines. I finished at 9th place in Pro, hitting my goal of a Top 10 finish. Congratulations to Greg Jordan on the overall win, don’t spend that $25k all at once!”
WSC Highlight Video with Competitor Interviews (Past Event):
Seen at the WSC: VuDoo Gunworks Tactical .22 LR Rimfire Rifles
The WSC included a side-match featuring Vudoo Gunworks .22 LR rimfire tactical rigs. Shooters were impressed with the V-22 rifle, which looks and feels like a centerfire rig, but with a rimfire repeater action running full-size mags.
Vudoo states: “Our V-22 also runs a full-size short action bottom metal (DBM) and our V-2210 magazine has a [full-size] AICS form factor. The V-22 is the only controlled-round-feed .22 LR receiver out there. The bolt has full capture control of the cartridge from the time it leaves the magazine until it ejects the spent round out the ejection port.” That means the round never touches anything during feed travel so the bullets won’t be nicked/dented during rapid cycling. Sean Murphy of Nightforce enjoyed shooting the Vudoo Gun Works .22s: “I’ll probably end up with one of their rimfires as it is a sweet setup.”
An outfit in Washigton State, Box to Bench Precision, has developed an oversize (23.5″ x 30″) precisely-scaled target designed for load development and scope testing. This target is very innovative. On the target you’ll find various clusters of aim points for various tasks. Upper left are orange aiming spots for testing various powder charges. In the upper right quadrant are more red aim points to be used when testing bullet seating depth. Running down the center of the target is a vertical line with horizontal marks showing precise MOA and Mil heights at 100 yards — use this feature to verify your click values.
And there’s more. In the lower right quadrant (far right) are three black targets to be used for chrono work. With these you can record cold velocity, hot barrel velocity and a “Final Velocity”. Over in the lower left quadrant, in the left-most column, are three dot targets for zeroing and recording group size with load data. Finally, four more black/white targets can be used for a scope box test (aka “shooting the square”). With a box test, you move from target to target, clicking in sequence to each corner of the square in sequence, evenutally returning to your original aim point. If your scope tracks correctly, the last box test shot should end up right on top of the first shot.
Record the Entire Load Development Process on One Target
For those used to shooting at conventional bulleyes or benchrest targets, this target may seem confusing, but it can really help organize and simplify the process of load development. We like the idea of having a single, durable target that performs double-duty — serving for load development as well as scope checking. And we like the fact that the target is pretty strong — the maker says: “The target is Tear-Resistant and Water-Proof”. We’d expect a maker based in the Pacific NW to design a target that can handle wet weather.
How to Order
So how much does all this target technology cost? A single, 23.5″ x 30″ target costs $6.99. A pack of three targets costs $19.47, while a five-target pack runs $29.95 (which works out to $5.99 per target). Targets ship in a durable cardboard tube. If you like what you see and want to order these targets, visit the Box To Box Precision Online Store.
OK, we admit that this is kind of a crazy gimmick, but we also know many of our readers would love to have one of these very unique shot glasses which have a real .308-Cal bullet molded into the side. The “Point of Impact Shot Glass” is available, for a limited time, from the NRA Store for $14.95.
Ultimate Conversation Starter
Looking for a conversation starter at your next gathering? Or a unique gift? The NRA Point-Of-Impact Shot Glass is a great gift item for a firearm enthusiast.
Featuring a genuine .308 caliber bullet molded directly into the glass, these glasses are a perfect blend of firearms and fun. Each 2 oz. shot glass is handcrafted in the USA and displays an NRA imprint.
Technical Specifications:
• Size: 2 oz. Shot Glass
• .308 bullet molded into glass
• Hand wash only
• Made in USA
Wouldn’t it be great if rifle-makers offered demonstration days, where shooters could try out various rifles — with ammo provided? Yep, that would be nice. Well that’s exactly what Bergara Rifles USA has been doing with its Bergara Experience. We commend the company for offering these free “test drive” sessions, giving shooters a chance to test some impressive factory rifles.
This video covers the First Bergara Experience, held in North Carolina
Bergara hosted three shooting demo sessions last month (August) in the Southeast USA. The first event took place at Woody’s Hunting and Rifle Club in New Hill, North Carolina on August 5th. Next Bergara’s team hosted an event on August 19th at the White Feather Precision Shooting Range in Ardmore, Tennessee. The final Bergara Experience in August was held on the 26th at the Barbour Creek Shooting Academy in Eufaula, Alabama.
The video above was filmed at the inaugural Bergara Experience, in North Carolina. Shooters fired a variety of rifles both prone and from the bench. A crowd favorite was the precision B-14 HMR (see below) chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor — both with and without suppressors.
Here’s video from the Barbour Creek Academy. This is an excellent facility with a covered shooting house and a range that runs out to 1,580 yards. At Barbour Creek, shooters got to test the long range capabilities of Bergara rifles.
“It’s one thing to say your rifles are serious long-range precision rifles and to claim accuracy out hundreds of yards in your advertising, but we wanted to prove it,” noted Ben Fleming, Bergara’s VP of Sales and Marketing. “The concept behind the Bergara Experience was to give the public the opportunity to experience long distance shooting… these shoots show that the performance of these rifles is not just ad-talk, it’s built-in.”
Bergara rifles all come with a test target (above). We thought it was interesting that Bergara uses a target we originally designed right here at AccurateShooter.com.
This target features a central red diamond, with lines for your cross-hairs, thicker on the horizontal. Our version includes boxes to enter load data, MV, and group size below each aiming graphic. CLICK HERE to Download Target.
Watch Video to Learn More about ColorPhase Camo Clothing
Ultimate Conversation Starter
