PMA Tool offers Euro-style, black-on-white, oval stickers that look cool on your car, truck, SUV, RV, or camping trailer. As PMA says: “Let your shooting buddies know what you shoot, while leaving your non-shooting neighbors scratching their heads.” Place the stickers in the corner of a rear window or slap ‘em on a bumper. They also look nice on a range box or plastic rifle case.
There are currently five cartridge sticker versions,”5.56″, “7.62”. “6BR”, “PPC”, and “Dasher”, priced at $5.95 per sticker. There is also a “PMA sticker”. PMA Tool may produce stickers for other chamberings if there is sufficient demand. What other cartridge types would you like to see? Perhaps generic “6mm”, “6.5mm”, and “7mm” stickers?
“Shooting Chrony” is a product name. “Shooting Chrony” should not describe (post-mortem) what you have been doing to your chronograph. Sooner or later all of us may make a mistake, and ventilate our chronograph. With luck, the bullet just “wings” your chronograph, and the damage is minor. But if you hit the unit smack dab in the middle, you may have to retire your chrono for good.
A while back, Forum member Jeff M. (aka “JRM850″) experienced a “low blow” that put his Shooting Chrony out of commission. With tongue firmly in cheek, Jeff started a Forum thread entitled Chronograph Not Picking Up Shots in Bright Sunlight Anymore. Looking at the photo below, the problem is obvious.
This was Jeff’s first chrono kill in 23 years of use, so we shouldn’t be too critical. Jeff explained: “I didn’t realize a friend was shifting from a 300-yard target to 100 yards.” The agent of destruction was a low-traveling 58gr V-Max running at 3415 fps. What happened? Well, when one is shooting at 300 yards, the trajectory will be higher than at 100 yards. We should say, however, that this may have been a low shot, or the 100-yard aiming point may have been placed lower to the ground (closer to the bottom of the target frame), as compared to the 300-yard aiming point.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) this week learned that United Parcel Service (UPS) has apparently changed its policy regarding the shipment of firearms suppressors. According to the NSSF, a new policy is in effect at UPS facilities nationwide. This new policy states that UPS will no longer ship suppressors, even between Federal licensees.
NSSF representatives are now trying to find out why UPS has changed its shipping policies:
“NSSF is working with UPS executives to determine what prompted the enforcement of this unwarranted policy. We are unaware of any thefts or losses that would explain the shipping company’s sudden decision to enforce a prohibition against shipment. NSSF will keep you apprised of developments. Separately, NSSF is also working with the U.S. State Department to achieve a change of policy to allow export of suppressors.”
Well it looks like Gunbroker.com may (finally) have some competition. A new gun auction site, eGunner.com, has just been launched by Bud’s Gun Shop, a major retailer. eGunner.com was created to help gun stores sell their firearms inventory. But the site is not limited to commercial dealers. Private gun sellers can also list pistols, rifles, shotguns, and other shooting hardware.
Flat Fee Listings — Pay $10 or $15 When Gun Sells
eGunner.com has a very simple fee structure. It cost nothing to list an item for sale. There is a flat fee at the close of a successful auction: $10 for guns under $500 and $15 for guns $500 and up.
For many riflemen, reading the wind is the toughest challenge in long-range shooting. Wind speeds and directions can change rapidly, mirage can be misleading, and terrain features can cause hard-to-predict effects. To become a competent wind reader, you need range-time and expert mentoring. In the latter department, Frank Galli, founder of Sniper’s Hide, has just released a new digital resource: Wind Reading Basics for the Tactical Shooter.
Wind Reading Basics is much more than an eBook — it has charts, instructions for ballistic calculators, and even embedded videos. Galli explains: “We break down the formulas, walk you through using a ballistic computer, and give you all the information in one place. From videos, to useful charts, we make it simple to get started. It’s all about having a plan, and we give you that plan.”
Galli’s Wind Reading Basics, priced at $11.99, can be downloaded from iTunes for iPads, iPhones and iOS compatible devices. Here are sample sections from the eBook (which includes videos):
The Remington 700 is the most popular bolt-action rifle in America, at least according to Gunbroker.com sales figures for new and “previously-owned” rifles. So, chances are that you (or a close family member) may have a Rem 700 of some vintage sitting in the gunsafe. But do you have a copy of the latest Remington 700 product manual in digital PDF format? Probably not. And do you have the official Rem 700 factory target? Again, probably not.
In the not-too-distant future, U.S. military snipers may be able to steer bullets right to the target, thanks to DARPA, the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency. Believe it or not, DARPA has developed a guided .50-caliber projectile fired from a conventional rifle action. DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) system combines a maneuverable bullet and a real-time guidance system to track and steer the projectile to the target. Inside EXACTO bullets are optical guidance systems, aero-actuation controls, and multiple sensors. The top-secret technology permits the trajectory of the bullet to be altered in flight, allowing the bullet to move left or right, or even fly in an arc around an obstacle.
Colt’s Maggie Reese with wicked-looking Vepr long-magazine shotgun.
North America’s top female action shooters converged on St. George, Utah recently for the Brownells Lady 3-Gun Pro-Am Challenge West Match. Dozens of competitors from the USA and Canada attended this event which featured some amazing stages. Check out the video of the Roller Coaster Stage — bet you never saw anything like THAT at a shooting match before. (This Roller Coaster side-match raised funds for Urijah Smith, a two-year-old boy suffering from cancer.)
Watch Roller Coaster Stage at Lady 3-Gun Pro-Am Challenge West:
Team Smith & Wesson shooter Julie Golob has a message for Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 10th). Julie writes: “While some are using Mother’s Day week to push a gun control agenda, I’d like to encourage moms to ‘Take a Moment’. Talk to your kids about firearms safety. Help them learn what to do around firearms and have an open, honest discussion about guns and gun safety.
I truly believe that, no matter if you are pro-gun or anti-gun, everyone should know and understand the basic rules of firearm safety. It is equally important for parents to have the discussion about guns and what to do if your child finds one. Both the NSSF’s Project ChildSafe and the NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program are excellent. They offer resources for parents, educators, and child care providers to help ensure kids stay safe.
In this video, Julie encourages parents to have “the talk” about firearm safety with their kids sooner rather than later, and provides tips for how to have a helpful discussion. Sherra Scott, a mom and a certified NRA instructor, agrees with Julie: “Whether you have firearms in your home or not, if you have children in your life, please watch this video and talk WITH them about firearm safety and what to do if they come into contact with a firearm.”
Jason Baney was one of the “founding fathers” of this website when we started out as 6mmBR.com a decade ago. Jason’s latest project involves an interesting wildcat, a mid-sized 7mm cartridge based on the 6.5×47 Lapua case. In this report, Jason (who now works at Eurooptic.com) talks about the 7×47 wildcat and his initial velocity (and feasibility) tests. To determine the 7×47’s velocity potential, Jason did a multi-stage test, cutting a barrel in two-inch increments. This process is illustrated in a video, embedded below. You may be surprised that the little 7×47 cartridge could drive a 180gr Berger Hybrid at 2770+ FPS with a 32″ barrel and Reloder 17. Max Velocity with H4350 (and 32″ barrel) was roughly 70 FPS slower. With a 24″ barrel length, the 7×47 was still able to propel the 180gr Hybrids over 2600 FPS with H4350. That’s impressive performance for a mid-sized cartridge pushing a very big bullet.
7×47 Lapua Part 1: Velocity Study
By Jason Baney, Eurooptic.com
The biggest enemy in long-range shooting is wind. This also happens to be the hardest to gauge and predict. The only way mere mortals can attempt to defeat the wind demons is to shoot a cartridge with the most ballistic efficiency, yet maintain a user-friendly combination of recoil and component consumption as well as performance on target.
The 7mm bullets tend to yield the best compromise of all of these aspects. Their BC-to-weight ratio is outstanding and 7mm bullets provide sufficient impact energy for most situations. In addition to that, the recoil of 7mm bullets can be more manageable than heavier/larger .30 and .338 caliber projectiles.
In cartridge design, of course you want the best case possible. Having used the 6.5×47 Lapua since its release in 2006, I felt this cartridge was the perfect choice to start with as I wanted a true short-action non-magnum round that gave the least possible wind drift to 1000 yards. The 6.5×47 parent case also allowed seating of the heavy 180gr class bullets completely out in the neck yet it maintained an overall length that would actually work in a factory Remington short action magazine.
Team Smith & Wesson shooter 
