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July 17th, 2013
The Ruger® Guide Gun has been awarded a 2013 “Best of the Best” Award from Field & Stream magazine. The current Ruger Guide Gun combines features of several of Ruger’s most popular rifles in a versatile, general-purpose hunting rifle.
The Guide Gun features a stainless action and barrel, removable muzzle brake, safari-style iron sights, adjustable length-of-pull (with three 1/2″ spacers), barrel band sling swivel, and a Green Mountain laminated wood stock. The new Ruger Guide Gun is available in .30-06 Spr, .300 Win Mag, .338 Win Mag, .300 RCM, .338 RCM, and .375 Ruger. A left-handed configuration is available in .375 Ruger.
 Removable Muzzle Brake/Weight
The Ruger Guide Gun includes a removable, radial-port muzzle brake that significantly reduces felt recoil. If you don’t need the brake, it may be replaced by a dynamically-matched muzzle weight, provided as part of the system. Ruger claims that: “switching between the brake and the weight will not change the bullet’s point of impact. The included thread protector may be used if neither the brake nor the weight is desired.”
Video Explains Ruger Guide Gun Features
The Ruger Guide Gun has Mauser-type controlled feeding (with claw extractor), three-position safety, and Ruger scope rings that install on the integral mounts. All Ruger Guide Guns feature windage adjustable shallow “V” notch rear sights and large white bead front sights for instant sight alignment.
Guide Gun May Be Rugged and Versatile, but Accuracy is Disappointing
The Guide Gun tested by Field & Stream had a heavy trigger and mediocre accuracy, but the Magazine’s editors still praised its hunting capabilities: “On our .375 Ruger test rifle, the trigger broke at 4 pounds, 8 ounces with a very slight creep. The mechanism is an open design that will not collect water or debris. Our groups averaged 1.40 inch at 100 yards, fine for a rifle of this type. The removable muzzle brake does a good job of suppressing recoil, but if you don’t care for the noise it can be removed and replaced with an unported dummy brake of identical weight that allows you to keep your zero.”
Editor’s Comment: Field & Stream may be satisfied with a one-and-a-half MOA rifle for hunting purposes, but frankly, we expect better accuracy from a gun with an $1199.00 MSRP. Is this really “Best of the Best”? At that price, we don’t think so. The Guide Gun does have some interesting features, but you’ll pay a premium for that trick muzzle brake and the safari sights.
July 17th, 2013
Brownells is helping a new gunsmith training program get started in Iowa. Brownells is sponsoring the Iowa Valley Community College District’s newly-created Gunsmith Technology Program, conducted at the Iowa Valley Grinnell (IVG) satelllite campus. Last week, Brownells’ CEO Pete Brownell (right) presented a check for $75,000 to MaryAnne Nickle, (left) Dean of Iowa Valley Grinnell (IVG), and Gunsmithing Instructor Dave Bennetts, (center) a former Brownells Gun Tech. The money will be used to purchase machinery and equipment for the program’s workshop.
“We proudly support a number of educational institutions and programs across the country,” said Brownell. “Our involvement with Iowa Valley is extra special because it’s right in our own backyard, and pairs our support of education with our longtime passion for helping gunsmiths. It’s also great to see a Brownells Gun Tech, Dave Bennetts, move on to fulfill his lifelong dream of teaching others his craft. We wish everyone at Iowa Valley the very best.”
“This is a major donation,” said Nickle. “It would’ve taken much longer to get this program up and running without it. It’s very nice to align our program with an industry leader like Brownells.”
Iowa Valley Community College’s Gunsmith Technology program still has openings available for its classes beginning August 26, 2013. IMPORTANT: The registration deadline for the fall 2013 program is July 26, 2013. To learn more about Iowa Valley’s new gunsmithing program, visit the IVCCD website.
CLICK HERE for Gunsmith Technology Program Admission Requirements
CLICK HERE for Iowa Valley Grinnell (IVG) Gunsmith Tech Application Form
July 16th, 2013
This weekend, at Kelbly’s Rifle Range, the crew at Kelbly’s will be hosting a Savage Demo shoot. Come out to the range in North Lawrence, Ohio, and have some fun — guns and ammo are provided. Ian Kelbly tells us: “It is all free, so come check out Savage rifles and get to shoot them!” The demo shoot runs from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday, July 20th. The Demo Day is open to the public and admission is free. Visit Kelbly.com for more information and directions. Shooting slots are limited, so please RSVP to ian [at] kelbly.com.
July 14th, 2013
Report by Samuel Hall (AccurateShooter.com Field Editor)
July 13th was a great day for breaking records. Three shooters have potentially broken four IBS 600-yard records (pending final approval) at the Piedmont Range in Rutherfordton, NC. Conditions were excellent and three shooters had outstanding multi-target performances. Mike Hanes, Chad Jenkins, and Randy Peele were tuned in and took advantage of the great weather. The entire day was overcast with a slight 3-5 MPH breeze, misting rain at times. It was one of the only days I can remember we could see bullet holes all day!
Chad Jenkins Shoots a 199 Four-target Score at 600 Yards
In Light Gun, Chad Jenkins posted a 199 Score Agg, just one point shy of a perfect 200 score for four targets. Consider this — at 600 yards, Chad put 19 out of 20 shots into a circle 2.8″ in diameter, dropping just one shot out of the 10-Ring on four consecutive targets. That’s impressive. We believe this is the highest 4-target Score Agg ever shot with any rifle. (In Light Gun, Stephen Hall posted a 198 in 2012, and in Heavy Gun class Eric Wilson had a 198 in 2011). Chad took advantage of the good conditions to post his 199 score (with 1.954″ group size tie breaker). Chad was shooting a standard (not improved) 6mmBR with no-turn necks. Chad’s Light Gun features a BAT MB dual-port action, Shehane ST-1000 stock, Krieger 1:8″ twist barrel, and Leupold 45X scope. Chad has several hundred rounds on this rifle and has one other record with it. Chad has done a lot of winning the last couple of years with his 6BR. He shoots Berger 105gr Target VLDs in blue box Lapua brass, pushed by 30.3 grains of Varget and CCI 450 primers. Chad shoots with a modestly-priced Caldwell joystick front rest. Chad proved that you don’t need the most exotic equipment to set records.
Mike Hanes Sets New Light Gun and Two-Gun Group Agg Records
Mike potentially broke the Light Gun (LG) four-target group aggregate record with a 1.496 Agg, bettering the old record of 1.5009 shot by Chad Jenkins in 2012. Mike also potentially broke the eight-target, Two-Gun (LG and HG) Group Agg record with a 1.7885 Aggregate. The old record was 1.8120 shot by Charlie Macke in 2012. In LG Mike was shooting a no-turn-neck 6 Dasher with a Brux 1:8″ twist barrel and Shehane ST-1000 stock. On his Light Gun, Mike was using one of the new Nightforce 15-55x52mm Competition scopes. I looked through it and I will have to say it is great glass! Mike’s load was: Berger 105 VLDs, with 32.7 grains of Reloder 15 powder sparked by CCI 450s. In Heavy Gun class, Mike shot a 6mm Dasher in a true heavy chassis — a 55-pound aluminum Gary Alvey stock formerly owned by Mike Davis. (See this beast below. This same stock had set a record in the hands of Mike Davis.)
Randy Peele Ties Heavy Gun 4-Target Score Record
Later in the afternoon in the Heavy Gun division, Randy Peele was on fire. Randy posted a first in group (1.894″) and a first in 4-target score (198) against some fierce competition. This ties the HG score record and is just off the tie-breaker group by a few thousandths. It will be submitted to the IBS Record Committee also. Congratulations of some fine shooting guys!
July 12th, 2013
Story based on report by Kyle Jillson for NRABlog
NRA Competitive Shooting’s big event of the year, the National Matches, has commenced. The Remington/NRA National Rifle and Pistol Matches are considered the World Series of the shooting sports. Here you will find the nation’s top pistol, smallbore and high power rifle shooters (and many elite shooters from overseas as well). The six NRA championships, Pistol, Smallbore Position, Smallbore Prone, High Power Rifle, High Power Rifle Mid-Range, and High Power Rifle Long Range are broken up into five legs with High Power and Midrange held simultaneously.
This week’s Pistol Championship sees competitors jockeying for the coveted Harrison Trophy, the aggregate of a Preliminary Pistol Championship, .22 Caliber, Centerfire, and .45 Caliber championships. The all-time winningest shooter of the National Pistol Championship, with 11 titles, is Brian “Gunny” Zins, a featured contestant on the History Channel’s Top Shot All-Stars TV show.
Thunderstorm Halts Preliminary Pistol Event
With the Preliminary Pistol Championship (PPC) cancelled due to a tremendous thunderstorm, the national championship’s standings (thus far) are based on the .22 Caliber Championship completed on July 11th. Leading the way at this stage in the Pistol Championships is Chad Ranton with a 879-42X. There’s still plenty of shooting left to do as Friday (July 12) ushers in the Centerfire Championship and Saturday (July 13) brings the .45 Caliber Championship.
Photos courtesy GOnraMedia. See more photos from the NRA National Championships at the GOnraMedia Photo Archive.
July 12th, 2013
 If you’re wondering what is happening when at the NRA National Rifle and Pistol championships, here is a calendar of all the scheduled events. The pistol matches kicked off earlier this week. Smallbore (rimfire) events start July 16th, while the High Power events commence on July 26th. Click the calendar image below to see a large size version (that’s easier to read). You can also download a PDF file with the complete National Matches Event schedule for 2013 AND 2014.
CLICK to DOWNLOAD 2013 and 2014 National Match Calendars
July 10th, 2013
 On July 4th, the Walking Tools Laboratory released the Gun Geo Marker App for Android OS Devices. This App lets users anonymously tag the locations of gun owners: “The Gun Geo Marker operates very simply, letting parents and community members mark, or geolocate, sites associated with potentially unsafe guns and gun owners. These locations are typically the homes or businesses of suspected unsafe gun owners, but might also be public lands or other locations where guns are not handled safely, or situations where proper rights to own or use any particular type of firearm may not exist.” The App’s creators add: “[Y]ou should mark any location about which you have a gun-related concern.” View Gun Geo Marker Website.
This tagging process is disturbing. As the Free Patriot website explains: “The applications’s entire purpose is to document and map the personal addresses of people who own guns. The ‘irresponsible’ part of that is completely at the discretion of the person [doing the tagging].”
The App’s developers encourage users to tag locations anonymously: “Happy Independence Day to all! What better way to spend your holiday than by exercising your first amendment right and making your neighborhood a safer place simply by anonymously marking the locations of any guns or owners of concern?”
The App developers have a clear anti-gun agenda: “If enough members of your community take the time to mark dangerous gun sites and owners, then this crowd-sourced data may … perhaps even influence national policy. It is a shame that this kind of ‘tattle ware’ is necessary, but it may be the only option….”
 App Threatens Gun Owners
This geo-tagging App can be abused in many ways. First, the “tags” violate the privacy of law-abiding gun owners. Second, while the stated purpose of the App is to identify “potentially unsafe guns and gun owners”, there is no standard for determining “potentially unsafe”. Persons or businesses can be tagged solely to intimidate or harass. By pinpointing the location of gun owners, the tags also provide a road map for thieves. As one App reviewer states: “This app does nothing but invade the privacy of legal gun owners, and put them at risk of home robberies”.
Critical Comments from Google App Store Users:
“The makers of this app should be ashamed. The makers are asking people to rat out their neighbors. Thieves can use this app to know which houses to rob when the owners are off at work. Yes, the developers of this app have given criminals another excellent tool….”
“Anyone can mark anyone whether they own a gun or not. This is not reliable and only serves to invade the privacy of law-abiding citizens. It should be removed at once and never made available again.”
“Crime Magnet — This is dangerous and invasive. Dangerous because it allows criminals to determine where they might steal firearms. This has already happened thanks to a newspaper in New York.”
“Purely subjective and wrought with potential for abuse both by person doing marking AND potential criminals. This kind of app should be banned!”
“Great app for sheeple and criminals wanting to know which houses from which to steal firearms. Wonderful for attempting to stifle the 2nd Amendment rights and assisting Big Brother with violating the 4th Amendment as well.”
App Developed with Tax-Payer Money?
The Gun Geo Marker App was developed by Walking Tools Laboratory, which is affiliated with the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). Associated with Walking Tools is Brett Stalbaum, “a full-time lecturer and coordinator for the Interdisciplinary Computing in the Arts Major (ICAM) at UCSD”. We assume, therefore, that this App was developed, at least in part, by persons receiving tax-payer dollars through UCSD.
July 9th, 2013
We reported yesterday that Hornady, in an effort to increase overall production, will suspend production of 150 bullet types and 150 ammunition types for the balance of 2013. Upon reading this story, many readers grew concerned, perhaps because they did not realize that Hornady is actually stepping up production of its most popular bullets and ammo types. By temporarily suspending production of less-popular products, Hornady can reduce assembly line change-overs and thereby increase production. Hornady explains that this strategy allows it to: “focus our efforts on the most popular and highest-demand products and ship more total product.” In the months ahead, Hornady will continue to produce over 270 different projectiles and over 140 types of loaded ammo. As Steve Hornady says: “There is something in there for everyone….”
 Upon seeing ten-page-long list of suspended products, readers may have become overly concerned because they did not realize that Hornady will continue to churn out hundreds of bullet types and ammo types — and, in fact, the most popular products will now be manufactured in greater-than-ever quantities. Readers asked “So what products will Hornady continue to produce?” On its website, Hornady now lists all the high-demand bullets and ammo types that remain in production for the balance of 2013.
CLICK HERE to View Updated Bullet and Ammunition Production List
CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD Updated Bullet and Ammunition Production List PDF File
Steve Hornady Talks to Customers
In this video, Hornady President Steve Hornady explains the decision to suspend production of some items in order to increase production of Hornady’s high-demand bullet types and ammunition types.
Steve Hornady Explains New Production Strategies (July 8, 2013):
On its website, Hornady has posted a Product Availability Update, which explains why Hornady is suspending production of some products:
One area that we have identified that will enable us to increase production, is the minimization of machinery downtime. The largest period of downtime our machines experience is during change over and retooling to convert a machine from manufacturing one bullet or cartridge to another. Under normal market conditions, we can keep the supply chain full by making popular items on a regular basis and keeping specialty or less-used products on a seasonal basis. However, with demand at record levels, it has become difficult to justify shutting down a machine to change it over to produce a product of less demand. Therefore, we are temporarily suspending some items in order to focus our efforts on the most popular and highest demand products and ship more total product.
We realize that many of the suspended items are going to disappoint some of our customers. We have painstakingly reviewed our order status and order history and unfortunately had to make some tough decisions. It wasn’t easy, but we know that we will do a better job of servicing the industry as a whole by focusing on the items of highest demand.
We are not alone; this is effectively already happening throughout our industry, but is accomplished through selective manufacture with no notification to the industry. We are simply making every effort to be up-front about our plans to maximize production.
Again, this is only temporary. This is not a permanent suspension. We will continue to push as hard as we can to meet the demand of our industry and will produce our full catalog of items as soon as we can. Please know that nobody wants to produce more and get our product to into your hands more than we do.
July 9th, 2013
Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. (Ruger) announced on July 8, 2013, that it plans to open its third manufacturing plant, a 220,000-square-foot facility in Mayodan, North Carolina. This will be the company’s first major expansion in over 25 years and it is expected to be finalized in August. Ruger currently employs over 2,000 people in its two plants in Newport, New Hampshire and Prescott, Arizona.
At a time when we see unprecedented demand for firearms, ammunition, and reloading components, it is good to see a major company step up and invest in a big new factory. This should allow Ruger to boost production to meet increased consumer demand for Ruger pistols and rifles, including the top-selling Ruger 10/22, one of the most popular rimfire rifles ever made.
View Larger Map
July 8th, 2013
 In order to increase deliveries of its most popular types of ammunition and bullets, Hornady announced that it will temporarily suspend production of 150 bullet types and 150 ammo types. IMPORTANT: These bullet and ammo products are NOT being discontinued. Rather, these less-popular, suspended items will simply not be produced for the remainder of 2013. By doing this, Hornady can reduce tool/machinery changes and thereby increase production of products in highest demand. On July 2nd, Hornady issued this statement:
Dear Hornady Customer:
As you are aware, 2013 has been one of the most challenging years ever in the sporting arms industry. We are proud of the increases in production we have achieved this year, but we are still faced witha demand that exceeds our ability to produce.
In efforts to increase production, we have reviewed everything, refining procedures, adding people, and equipment when possible. One area that will help us produce more: cutting the number of changeovers in our production machinery.
In order to reduce changeovers, we are announceing the temporary suspension of over 150 ammunition items and 150 bullet items, for the balance of 2013.
Attached you will find the list of items that will be suspended. Our plan is to remove the orders for these items from our system, beginning July 10th, and notify you of the cancellations. We will continue to monitor and update this list as the market conditions change.
Our goal is to try to deliver more to every customer, and while this may impact certain categories, our overall delivery should improve.
Hornady has listed the suspended bullet/ammo items in ten pages of attachments sent out to Hornady wholesalers and retailers. One representative page (covering 6mm, 6.5mm, and 7mm bullets) is shown below. This is NOT the complete list — there are TEN (10) pages! Click on each link below to see suspended items listed by caliber, small to large.
 Suspension List Contents by Page
1. Suspended Bullets .17 -.25 Caliber
2. Suspended Bullets .270 – .32 Caliber
3. Suspended Bullets .338 – .475 Caliber
4. Suspended Bullets 6mm – 7mm (See at right)
5. Suspended Bullets 8mm – 9mm and Suspended .17 – .223 Ammo
6. Suspended Ammo, .223, .243, 25-06, 270 Win, 280 Rem, 30 Carbine
7. Suspended Ammo 300 Wby Mag, 300 Win Mag, 30-06 Spr, 303 Brit
8. Suspended ammo 6.5 Creed, 6.5×55, 6.8 SPC, 7mm Rem Mag, 7×57 and larger metric
9. Suspended ammo 30-30, .308 Win, .338 Lap, .338 Win Mag, 35 Whelen, .357 Mag
10. Suspended ammo .357 Sig, 38 SPL, 380 ACP, 40 SW, 41 Mag, 44 Mag, 45 ACP, 45 Colt, and rifle 375 H&H, 404 Jef, 45-70 Govt
Notable Bullets on the Suspended List:
22832 – 22 Cal .224 80gr A-Max
22420 – 6mm .243 75gr V-Max
24562 – 6mm .243 105gr A-Max
26101 – 6.5mm .243 100gr A-Max
29402 – 7mm .284 162gr A-Max
29405 – 7mm .285 162gr BTHP Match
30314 – 30 Cal .308 155gr A-Max Moly
30715 – 30 Cal .308 178gr BTHP Match
30733 – 30 Cal .308 208gr BTHP Match
33102 – 338 Cal .338 200gr SST
Note, the above selection of “notable bullets” is just a “short list” of items that caught our attention. Remember 150 bullet types are being suspended for the balance of the year. With some items on the list, partial orders will be filled, or current orders will be filled, but no new orders taken.
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