This is just one example. This deal works with ANY Lapua bullets purchased from Grafs.com. You can mix and match, as long as you buy at least $100 worth of Lapua bullets.
Lapua makes great bullets. Bryan Litz writes great books. And now you can get both with this special promotion from Graf & Sons. Here’s the deal — if you buy at least $100.00 worth of Lapua bullets at Grafs.com, you’ll get a free Applied Ballistics book authored by Bryan Litz.
You can mix and match any types of Lapua bullets — as long as the bullet order totals $100.00 or more. The book may be one of various Litz titles, such as Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting or Ballistic Performance of Rifle Bullets. NOTE: You do NOT get to pick the book title — you get what’s available. You want to move quickly on this deal — books are limited to supply on hand.
If you order now, you can get the bullets to shoot, and give the book to Dad for a late Father’s Day gift.
Lapua Bullets — Accuracy & Consistency If you haven’t tried Lapua bullets yet you should. The Scenar-L bullets we have tested have proven extremely consistent in weight and base-to-ogive measurement.
And they shoot. We have a couple rifles that prefer Scenars over all other match bullets we have tried. We have won club matches with the 6mm Scenar-L 105s in a 6mmBR, while the 6.5mm 123gr Scenar and 136gr Scenar-L work superbly in our 6.5 Creedmoors.
Another legislative attack on the firearms industry is being pushed in Congress by Democratic party politicians. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reintroduced legislation this week that targets the gun industry, allowing persons to sue the makers of firearms that were used by criminals to cause injury. Currently, such lawsuits are blocked by the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) enacted in 2005.
The new Democratic legislation, the “Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act”, would repeal the PLCAA. If the PLCAA is repealed, then gun-makers could potentially be sued for the actions of criminals using firearms — even if the guns were stolen. If bad guys cause harm with guns, the Democrats want the gun-makers to pay, and keep paying. The goal is to eventually bankrupt the gun industry and put companies such as Colt, Ruger, and Smith & Wesson out of business.
The Democrats have gone after the PLCAA before. NPR reports: “The effort to repeal PLCAA by Democrats on Capitol Hill is not new. Schiff first introduced the measure in 2013, and it has been reintroduced at least two other times without gaining traction.”
The real goal of this legislation is to cripple the gun industry. GunAmerica Digest explains: “One of the primary goals of anti-gunners is to bankrupt the gun industry by repealing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA).”
The sponsors of the new legislation claim their legislation is needed to protect citizens. Congressman Schiff (D-CA) declared: “This bill would pierce the gun industry’s liability shield by putting an end to the special protections the gun industry receives when they shirk their fundamental responsibility to act with reasonable care for the public safety.”
GunsAmerica Digest says don’t believe this: “Schiff and Blumenthal are grossly mis-characterizing the purpose of PLCAA. It does NOT protect members of the gun industry from product liability suits for manufacturing or design defects or certain types of negligent conduct. It merely prohibits lawsuits against gun makers for damages resulting from the third-party criminal misuse of their firearms.”
It’s clear what the sponsors of this legislation really want. They seek to destroy the U.S. gun industry through waves of lawsuits — “death by 1000 cuts”. The anti-gunners may not be able to remove the Second Amendment from the Bill of Rights, but if they succeed in bankrupting all the major gun-makers, then the “Right to Keep and Bear Arms” won’t be worth much.
Practical/Tactical fans, mark your calendars. The Precision Rifle EXPO is back for its second year, running September 28-29, 2019 at the Arena Training Facility in Blakely, Georgia. Last year, over 800 attendees came to the two-day event. This year, manufacturers will be showing off actions, optics, ammo, reloading equipment, stocks, chassis, electronics, supporting equipment (bags and tripods), rifles, triggers, suppressors, and much more. There will be training sessions on precision handloading, wind reading, marksmanship, ballistic devices, and introduction to competition.
The event lets precision rifle enthusiasts connect with top manufacturers, rifle instructors, and leading tactical competitors. You can Pre-Register for $35, or pay $50 at the door in September. Registration includes access to the exhibition tent and the range locations, plus the educational classes for both days.
Video Showcases Last Year’s Precision Rifle EXPO:
All Types of Products Will Be on Display
The Precision Rifle EXPO offers a unique opportunity to check out the latest products from dozens of top companies all in one place. We expect over 40 companies will be at the EXPO, displaying complete rifles, actions, triggers, stocks, optics, reloading gear, ammo, electronics, rangefinders, chronographs, ear protection, support bags, bipods, tripods, and all manner of accessories.
Nick Gadarzi in Utah NRL match with Leupold Mark 5HD™ 5-25×56mm, TMR reticle
Precision Rifle EXPO 2018 Exhibitor List
NOTE: There may be some changes for 2019, but there should still be 40+ Exhibitors.
Accurate Ordnance
Alpha Munitions
Atlas (B&T Industries)
Area 419
Armageddon Gear
Barrett
Berger
Bushnell
Cole-TAC
Curtis Custom
Defiance
Federal
GA Precision
Hunts Long Range
Kahles
Kelbly’s
Kestrel
Knights Armament
Lapua
Magnetospeed
Manners Stocks
MasterPiece Arms
McMillan Stocks
McWhorter Rifles
MDT Chassis
Nightforce
Proof Research Barrels
RCBS
Really Right Stuff
Rugged Suppressors
Schmidt & Bender
Sierra
SK Ammo
Stillers Precision
Swarovski
Timney
Trigger Tech
Vortex
Vudoo Rifles
Warnes Scope Mounts
West Texas Ordnance
Whidden Gun Works
Arena Training Facility — 2300 Acres
The 2300-acre Arena Training Facility is a premier shooting facility with multiple shooting ranges from 50m to 2100m. Arena’s 1000-yard covered Known Distance range offers multiple benches, steel and paper targets out to 1000 yards. On Arena’s UKD (unknown distance) range shooters can engage steel out to 2300 yards. This 2100m UKD range boasts a 3-Story Shooting Tower, Air-Conditioned Shoot House, and multiple Positional Challenges.space.
The Arena Training Facility is located approximately two hours from the Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta, Georgia and is centrally located in the Southeastern USA.
In response to a Bulletin story about Norma powders at Midsouth Shooters Supply, one of our Forum members asked: “I’m having trouble finding Reloder 15 for my 6.5×47 Lapua — should I consider running Norma 203B instead?” As we’ve explained before, these two powders, both made by Bofors in Europe, are very, very similar. Here are some hard numbers that should demonstrate how virtually identical these powders really are.
Target Shooter Magazine writer Laurie Holland compared Norma 203B and Reloder 15 using data from QuickLOAD. Laurie also checked load manuals to see how listed charge weights varied for the two propellants. Laurie concluded there was very little difference between Norma 203B and Reloder 15.
Norma 203B vs. Alliant Reloder 15 Commentary by Laurie Holland
Running [203B and RL15] through QuickLOAD doing a ‘charge table’ run for a 130gn Berger VLD at 2.700 COAL in 6.5X47 Lapua, gives very similar positions in the table [for both powders]. The charge required to achieve 62,000 psi estimated pressure varies by a mere 0.2 grains between the pair, Norma 203B being the heavier of the two. The estimated Muzzle Velocity (MV) also varies by a mere 2 fps, RL15 estimated to produce 2,946 fps MV compared to 2,944 fps for N203B at 62,000 psi (with the parameters I used).
If they aren’t the same thing, they’re so close as to make no difference and as Forum Boss points out, they’re made by the same people (Bofors) in the same plant.
[The Berger Reloading Manual includes data for both powders] for the .308 Winchester and heavier bullets (185 to 230 grains). Maximum charges and claimed MVs are not always identical, but are so close as to be marginally different production lots of the same thing, or maybe the result of minor testing variations.
.308 Win Max Charge Weights in Grains (RL15 / N203B) (Berger Manual)
MVs [for the four bullet types] are close but not identical, the largest difference being for the 210s which shows RL15 producing 2,428 fps MV v 2,383 for Norma 203B.
Norma 203B Chemistry
According to the Norma Reloading Handbook #1, Norma 203B has the following composition:
85% Nitrocellulose
7.5% Nitroglycerin
2.0% surface coating
4.6% Various chemicals
0.9% Water
3,957 J/g specific energy
890 g/l specific density
For comparison, the 7.5% NG component compares to 15% in Viht N500 series powders and 10% in Ramshot TAC / Big Game / Hunter.
SFC Brandon Green is a shooting superstar. Green won his third NRA National High Power Rifle Championship last year at Camp Atterbury. He dominated the HP Championship cycle, finishing eight points and ten Xs ahead of his nearest competitor. Brandon also won the High Power National Championship in 2015 and 2013. And in 2017 he set a record at the CMP’s National Trophy Matches at Camp Perry. When he’s “on his game”, SFC Green is very hard to beat. He has no weaknesses, excelling at all positions, both rapid-fire and slow-fire.
Wicked Fast and Smooth…
Brandon Shoots Bolt Gun, Rapid-Fire
In this remarkable video, Brandon shows why he is tough to beat in rapid-fire. Using a Tubb 2000 bolt-action target rifle, Green displays amazing speed working the bolt and then immediately recapturing a rock-steady hold. Our reaction when viewing this video was: “Wow… this guy is beyond good.” We think you’ll agree. Anyone who has shot prone with sling should appreciate the remarkable skills which make Brandon one of the USAMU’s top shooters. Watching this man in action is like watching Michael Jordan in his prime. You’re seeing one of the very best ever…
SFC Brandon Green — 300m Rapid Fire Prone Training with Tubb 2000:
SFC Green at World Shooting Championship — The Need for Speed
While he’s a master of serious Across the Course match rifle shooting, SFC Green also enjoys speed shooting events. And he’s no slouch. Here’s footage of SFC Green at the 2015 NRA World Shooting Championship (WSC) in West Virginia. Brandon shows some serious speed with the little semi-auto. Brandon’s comment was: “10/22s are just too much fun!”.
Watch SFC Brandon Green speed through a steel plates stage with a Ruger 10/22:
Competing at the Camp Perry National Matches is a “bucket list” item for every serious marksman. The National Matches were first held in 1903, moved to Camp Perry, Ohio, in 1907 and continue to take place every summer at Camp Perry. The National Matches have become a huge, national shooting sports festival with well over 6,000 annual participants.
Year 2019 Camp Perry NM Competition activities begin with NRA/CMP pistol matches on July 8-14, 2019. The CMP Junior Rifle Camp, USAMU SAFS, and Smallbore matches run the next week, with the hugely popular Rimfire Sporter Match on July 21. High Power Rifle events kick off on July 23 with the 4-Man Team Match and rifle events run continuously for the next two and a half weeks.
Here are some key dates for RIFLE events:
July 27 – CMP/USAMU Rifle SAFS
July 29 – President’s 100 Rifle Match
July 30 – National Trophy Individual Rifle Match
July 31 – National Junior Team Match
August 1 – National Trophy Team Match, National Carbine Match
August 2 – National Trophy Infantry Team Match (“Rattle Battle”)
August 3 – M1 Garand Match, Springfield/Vintage Bolt Rifle Match
August 4 – M1A Match, Springfield/Vintage Bolt Rifle Match
August 5 – CMP Vintage Sniper Rifle Match
August 5-8 – CMP Long Range Individual Matches
August 9 – Camp Perry Palma Match
Applied Ballistics, LLC is proud to announce that its founder and owner Bryan Litz, has received the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) 2019 Carlos N. Hathcock II Award. Bryan was given this honor on June 4, 2019 at the NDIA Forum in Virginia.
The Hathcock Award honors an individual who, in the opinion of the Small Arms Committee Executive Board, has made significant contributions in operational employment and tactics of small arms weapons systems which have impacted the readiness and capabilities of the U.S. military or law enforcement.
Not just a brilliant ballistics expert, Bryan Litz is also a Championship-winning marksman.
Litz’s contributions to the U.S. Military include his numerous publications to help snipers understand complex external ballistic problems, promoting the advanced G7 ballistics model vs. the older G1 drag model, and developing Applied Ballistics solvers for Kestrel weather meters and other devices in widespread use by snipers for the U.S. Military and NATO allies. Bryan is also a frequent speaker at DoD forums and conducts ballistic seminars across the country.
Bryan stated: “It is truly humbling and deeply gratifying that my work has value to our nation’s Armed Forces. Being selected for the Hathcock award is the highest honor I’ve received in my career.”
Bryan received the award on June 4, at the NDIA 2019 Armament Systems Forum in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Past winners of the Hathcock Award include Todd Hodnett, Buford Boone, and SGM Pete Gould (U.S. Army Retired).
Bryan Litz helped develop global-leading ballistics solutions for civilian and military marksmen. Now Applied Ballistics solvers are integrated into Kestrel Weather Meters as well as advanced electro-optical devices. Bryan also helped create the successful Applied Ballistics APPs for iOS and Android smartphones.
Imagine if a man was asked to leave a restaurant for wearing a Gay Pride shirt. Or if a women was refused service because she was wearing a headband with a #MeToo message. The mainstream media would be in a frenzy. The incident would make national news. Liberal politicians would be holding angry press conferences, and CNN talking heads would be loudly demanding new legislation.
But guess what, there is another kind of discrimination in our society, a form of intolerance that the mainstream media actually emboldens — hatred towards gun owners. Intolerance towards those who support the Second Amendment — even those who have served their country in uniform.
Recently in Maui, HI, a restaurant manager demanded that disabled Vietnam veteran Jimmy Barber and his wife leave the establishment solely because Jimmy was wearing a shirt that said “Ultimate Reloader” and included a logo with the outline of a cartridge between the letters U and R.
Jimmy Barber served in Vietnam as a Navy Seabee “in-country” from 1970-71. He now suffers from heart disease because of exposure to agent orange. And the Maui eatery demanded that he (and his wife) leave the premises simply because his shirt said “Ultimate Reloader”. That’s despicable.
Isn’t it ironic that this intolerance occurred in Hawaii? Were it not for the sacrifice of American service men and women in the Pacific during WWII there is a good chance that the Hawaiian islands would no longer be part of the United States.
In a letter to Gavin Gear of UltimateReloader.com, Jimmy revealed: “My wife and I are in Maui. We were asked to leave a restaurant because I was wearing one of your t-shirts. I did not make a scene and I was very proud to leave.” Jimmy, by the way, is a dedicated pistol and rifle shooter who reloads a dozen cartridge types.
After learning of this incident, Gavin Gear contacted Starline Brass. Starline has decided to send Jimmy 250 new brass cases — just a way of saying “thanks” to Jimmy for his service to his country.
How to Stand Up for Your Rights
We all need to do our part to preserve our gun rights. Gavin Gear has collaborated with The Gun Collective on YouTube to explain what we can do to preserve our gun rights. Gavin states: “I do appreciate everyone out there in the gun community that is fighting for our rights. We need to stand together! And thanks Jimmy for ‘representing’ Ultimate Reloader!”
Shooters from across the nation and many foreign competitors will compete this year at the CAAFTC held at the Rochester Brooks Int’l Skeet and Trap Club.
Upstate New York heats up in the summer with the largest field target event in the country — the Crosman All-American Field Target Championship (CAAFTC). This very popular airgun event takes place June 21-23, 2019 in upstate New Yorkat the Rochester Brooks International Skeet and Trap Club in Rush, New York. 0ver 100 air rifle and air pistol competitors will participate in the big event hosted by Crosman. This event attracts top Airgunners from across the nation (and some foreign countries). Along with regular Field Target matches, there will be specialty side matches, plus a factory tour. The event is free to the public.If you are a Field Target Shooter and want to attend, don’t hesitate — registration closes soon.
After getting squared away with check-in and some practice rounds on Friday, take part in the pistol match and the Quigley Bucket Challenge (see video below). For the Quigley Bucket Challenge, competitors must try to hit a 1.75″ target from 55 yards away, using open sights (no scopes).
The three-day competition features multiple shooting matches including the main two-day rifle event. There are four divisions for competitors: Open, Hunter, WFTF, and Pistol. In addition to the main rifle event, this year will also feature a pistol match, the Quigley Bucket Match and the Pyramyd Air Gunslinger match. The Bucket match re-creates famous scene in the movie Quigley Down Under in which the lead character shoots a bucket at 700 yards. Here the distances are scaled down a wee bit (wink). Competitors, using iron sights only, get 5 shots at a 1.75″ bucket placed at 55 yards.
Tech Talk: Why the Big Side-Wheels on the Scopes?
Field Target rifles shoot pellets propelled by compressed air. These light-weight, low-BC projectiles drop very quickly, with a looping trajectory. In order to hit targets at distances out to 50 yards or so, you have to adjust your scope to compensate for pellet drop. But you can’t set the scope correctly without knowing the precise range to the target. This is the function of the big wheels on the side of the scope. Field Target Competitors use the parallax adjustment on high-magnification scopes to determine target range. The big wheel allows quick, yet precise parallax adjustment. Markings on the wheel show the shooter the scope settings required for the distance “dialed-in” via the over-size parallax wheel.
The CAAFTC is sanctioned by the American Airgun Field Target Association and is a featured AAFTA Grand Prix event. The 120-shot match has competitive rifle divisions based on allowable gun and support equipment. Here are the main air rifle classifications:
Hunter Division – rifle fires at a maximum 20 foot pounds of energy (FPE), shooter may use a non-attached bipod, non-restrictive clothing, and sitting stool. Open Division - maximum 20 FPE maximum rifle, shooter may wear a body harness, no bipod, 6″ maximum height seat. World Field Target Federation (WFTF) – similar to Open but shooters compete according to international standard of maximum 12 fpe for rifles. Freestyle Division – 20 FPE maximum rifle, no other restrictions. (This is new for 2016).
The pistol competition includes similar divisions based on shooting styles. Both rifle and pistol divisions include sub-classes based on the air rifle powerplant: piston driven or pre-charged pneumatic.
“If you want to see some of the country’s finest airgun shooters, this is the hottest event of the summer and it’s free for the public,” says Chip Hunnicutt, Marketing Manager for Crosman. “Alongside the world-class shooters, we’ll have enthusiasts simply having a good time and even parents bringing their kids for some good fun outdoors.” (NOTE: Click framed images below to zoom.)
Here’s an interesting statistic — according to an NSSF survey, the percentage of gun owners who are female has increased dramatically since 2005. Seven years ago (in 2005), just 13% of U.S. gun owners were women. By 2012 that number had risen to 23% — a huge increase in less than a decade.
The vast majority of first-time female gun buyers acquire a handgun for defensive purposes. However, the statistics also show that many new female gun owners are also getting involved in sport shooting and/or competitive shooting. That’s a good thing.
In the video below, NRA News host Cam Edwards interviews Celia Bigelow, who has written about the rise of gun ownership among ladies on the Townhall.com website. Celia explains why American women are arming themselves, and why the Second Amendment safeguards a key fundamental right.
Celia writes: “As the number of proposed gun-control measures increase rapidly across the country, the amount of women purchasing guns is increasing even faster. While folks in the media are blaming the spike on the guns-and-glam advertising, women — including myself — have a different reason. It’s self-defense, stupid. [T]he logic is simple: Women want to protect themselves and their family, and guns are the great equalizer between sexes[.]”
Celia notes that liberals propose that women defend themselves using “call boxes, ball-point pens, whistles, buddy systems … as long as it isn’t very sharp and doesn’t have a trigger.” Celia is not convinced: “As a young, 22-year-old, 140-lb woman, I know that call boxes, pens, and whistles won’t do much good if [I am] ever faced with a crazed man twice my size. What frustrates these male elitists the most is that women are arming themselves, and it’s working.”
If you haven’t tried Lapua bullets yet you should. The Scenar-L bullets we have tested have proven extremely consistent in weight and base-to-ogive measurement.
Norma 203B vs. Alliant Reloder 15
SFC Brandon Green is a shooting superstar. Green won his third NRA National High Power Rifle Championship last year at Camp Atterbury. He dominated the HP Championship cycle, finishing eight points and ten Xs ahead of his nearest competitor. Brandon also won the High Power National Championship in 2015 and 2013. And in 2017 he set a record at the CMP’s National Trophy Matches at Camp Perry. When he’s “on his game”, SFC Green is very hard to beat. He has no weaknesses, excelling at all positions, both rapid-fire and slow-fire.
Upstate New York heats up in the summer with the largest field target event in the country — the Crosman All-American Field Target Championship (CAAFTC). This very popular airgun event takes place June 21-23, 2019 in upstate New Yorkat the Rochester Brooks International Skeet and Trap Club in Rush, New York. 0ver 100 air rifle and air pistol competitors will participate in the big event hosted by Crosman. This event attracts top Airgunners from across the nation (and some foreign countries). Along with regular Field Target matches, there will be specialty side matches, plus a factory tour. The event is free to the public.If you are a Field Target Shooter and want to attend, don’t hesitate — registration closes soon.
Celia writes: “As the number of proposed gun-control measures increase rapidly across the country, the amount of women purchasing guns is increasing even faster. While folks in the media are blaming the spike on the guns-and-glam advertising, women — including myself — have a different reason. It’s self-defense, stupid. [T]he logic is simple: Women want to protect themselves and their family, and guns are the great equalizer between sexes[.]”
