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September 26th, 2013
 Colt Mfg. Co. (Colt) is bringing out two new bolt-action rifles with actions from Cooper Firearms of Montana. (So maybe we should call these “Colpers” or “Coolts”?) Two different versions of the new Colt M2012 solid-stocked bolt-action rifles have been announced: a .308 Win with a Manners composite stock (MT308T), and a laminated stock version chambered in either .308 Win (LT308G) or .260 Remington (LT260G). All versions feature fluted barrels, detachable box magazines, and single-stage Timney triggers. All new M2012 MTs and LTs ship with signed, numbered, and dated Colt test targets.
These rifles will be pricey for a factory rifle. The M2012MT308T in .308 Winchester carries a $3,195.00 MSRP. That puts you pretty close to the cost of a custom tactical build. The laminated-stock LT versions list for $2,795.00, making those considerably more affordable. So what do you get for your money with a M2012 bolt-action “Coolt”?
The M2012MT308T features a 1:10″-twist, 22″ fluted stainless barrel with factory muzzle brake. All-up weight, even with the lightweight Manners carbon/fiberglass composite stock, is 10.25 pounds. Overall length is 44″, making the rifle fairly compact, good for tactical games and hunting.
The laminated LT models (offered in .308 Win or .260 Rem), weigh just 8.5 pounds, making them nearly two pounds lighter than the Manners-stocked models. We presume the weight saving comes from the use of lighter-contour barrels. The LT308G features a 22″ chrome-moly 1:10″-twist fluted barrel, while the LT260G sports a 22″ chrome-moly 1:8″-twist fluted barrel. This enables the .260 version to shoot popular 138-142 grain 6.5mm match bullets. Again, muzzle brakes come fitted to the laminated guns, just like the composite-stock variant.
Will these new Cooper-actioned rifles find favor with shooters? We think that depends on how well they shoot. Given the asking prices ($2,795 for Laminated, $3,195.00 for Composite) these rifles are close in price to a gunsmith-built, custom rig with a super-premium barrel. Such a custom should deliver 1/2-MOA or better. Can the M2012 “Coolts” match that? Hard to say…
These new Colt M2012s might be a decent starter platform for an F-TR rifle, but the fore-arm is pretty short (for optimal bipod use) and the shooter might need to retro-fit some kind of raised cheekpiece for prone shooting. It may be that the real market for these rifles will be hunters who want the security of a factory warranty, in a product that is a step-up from a basic Remington 700, Howa, or Savage.
September 24th, 2013
Get into the NRA National Firearms Museum for free this Saturday, September 28, 2013. As part of Smithsonian magazine’s 9th Annual Museum Day Live! event, the National Firearms Museum will open its doors at no charge to those have downloaded a free event ticket from Smithsonian.com/museumday.
The NRA National Firearms Museum is the finest firearms collection in the Western Hemisphere. More than 2,700 of America’s most significant firearm treasures are showcased among 15 galleries spanning six centuries. On September 28th, Senior Curator Doug Wicklund will lead a guided tour of the galleries.
Museum Day Live! tickets can be downloaded at Smithsonian.com/museumday. Visitors who present a Museum Day Live! ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues for one day only. One ticket is permitted per household, per email address. To learn more about the NRA National Firearms Museum, visit nramuseum.org.
Participating museums emulate the policy of the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C. by providing free admission. Last year’s Museum Day event drew over 400,000 participants, and this year’s event expects record-high participation.
September 24th, 2013
 The National Shooting Sports Foundation has launched an improved, redesigned website at www.nssf.org — the organization’s hub for providing timely news and educational materials to industry members and consumers. The new site features improved navigation, better search functionality and quick access to news and information. The new site’s Responsive Template design also makes it mobile-friendly for those accessing it via smartphones or tablets. (A ‘Responsive’ website automatically formats the site layout to best fit the type of device used by the visitor.) The new site is now live. NSSF invites its regular visitors and new visitors to check it out at www.nssf.org.
September 22nd, 2013
Report for International Benchrest Shooters (IBS)
 On August 30-31, 2013, Robert and Chrissy Ross hosted this year’s 2013 IBS 1000-Yard National Championships at their Midwest Benchrest range in Yukon, Missouri.
This year’s format was run with all the Light Gun (LG) relays shot on Friday, followed by all the Heavy Gun (HG) relays on Saturday. The competition was very tight as the Two Gun Overall Champion, Henry Pasquet from Elsinore, Missouri, didn’t even realize he had won until his name was called out at the award ceremony. Henry, an active AccurateShooter Forum member, secured a well-deserved National Championship with strong performances in both classes. Henry registered a fifth place in LG Group along with tenth place in LG Score. Henry then finished first in HG Score along with eleventh in HG Group to earn the 2013 Two-Gun Overall Title.
IBS 2013 1000-Yard National Championships Results (PDF)
Matthew Kline traveled from Pennsylvania to take second place in the Two Gun competition. He garnered that honor with an eighth Place in LG Group and a fourth place in LG Score. Matthew followed up these with a ninth place in HG Group and eleventh place in HG Score.
Kansas’ Jim Bauer came in a close third in the Two Gun rankings, by finishing first in LG Score and 21st in HG Group, then adding a second place in HG Group and 16th place in HG Score. Jim’s wife Sally, last year’s IBS long-range Shooter of the Year winner, was the Top Female Shooter. Rory Jacobs, from Vapor Trail Valley Shooting Club in Spickard, MO was the Top Junior Shooter.
Hot Temperatures and Fickle Winds Challenge Shooters
The Midwest Benchrest range is literally in the Ross’ back yard and is cut right out of the middle of a Missouri forest, which gave the shooters new to the range a false sense of confidence, thinking the trees would block the winds. The shooters had to deal with temperatures in the upper 90s (and the shade trees offered little relief). With the incredible humidity present, it felt it was even hotter. Although the winds weren’t very high, they weren’t very cooperative either, as they were never consistent throughout both days. One minute it was directly behind the shooters and the next it was quartering to the right. A moment later it was to the left.
The early relay winners seemed to favor the end benches, while later in the day, they seemed to favor the middle benches. There was was nothing but bright sunshine for the two-day event. Cloud cover and cooler temps, which were earlier forecast for the shoot, finally showed up the day after the tournament. Needless to say, the “heat monkeys” were making small groups difficult at this year’s shoot. Most small groups that were shot, were followed up with larger groups, in both the LG and HG events.
All in all, everyone still had a great time competing, seeing friends and fellow shooters from other parts of the country, and enjoying the Ross’ hospitality. It wasn’t long after the shoot was over before everyone started talking about where the 2014 Nationals would be. Perhaps, Robert Ross said it best: “Ultimately, the competition yields to the resulting friendships, which are fostered as part of a common goal: Raising the bar in long range precision shooting.”
The two-day competition was run as smoothly as any monthly shoot is run. The weekend’s shoot really started off on Thursday night though. Jim and Sally Bauer, Hornady, and Midwest Benchrest, sponsored a fantastic fish fry for all the competitors and their spouses. This provided some neutral ground to meet up and catch up with both new and old friends alike before the actual shooting began. If possible we will add equipment lists and individual relay results to this story on Accurate Shooter.com.
Featured Hardware at the 1K Nationals (Click Photos to Zoom)
September 22nd, 2013
 It’s crunch time in Calfornia. Golden State gun owners need to band together and urge Governor Jerry Brown to veto extremely radical anti-gun measures that were recently passed by the California State Legislature. Along party-line votes, California legislators approved a series of bills that will severely restrict Californians’ Second Amendment rights, and curtail hunting statewide.
These bills will do everything from banning ALL semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines (even flush-mount mags in hunting rifles) to outlawing the use of traditional lead ammunition in hunting, the first such statewide ban in the nation. The anti-gun package of legislation was approved over the opposition of law-abiding gun-owners, hunting and shooting sports organizations, as well as many business and labor leaders. NSSF urges all sportsmen, gun owners and retailers to contact Gov. Brown and urge him to veto these these anti-gun/anti-hunting bills. For more info, See the NSSF Legislative Alert.
- AB 711 (Rendon) Hunting: nonlead ammunition
- SB 374 (Steinberg) Firearms: assault weapons
- AB 48 (Skinner) Firearms: ammunition: sales
- AB 169 (Dickinson) Unsafe handguns
- AB 180 (Bonta) Registration and licensing of firearms: City of Oakland
- SB 567 (Jackson) Firearms: shotguns
September 21st, 2013
Lapua has done extensive field testing of its bullets, using sophisticated Doppler radar equipment. Employing radar, Lapua has logged actual observed trajectories with a variety of bullet and cartridge types. And Lapua has just released updated radar data for Scenar-L bullets used with 6.5×47 Lapua, 6.5×55 Swede, and .308 Winchester chamberings. You’ll find this new data incorporated into Lapua’s product description tables for these three cartridge types.
 You will also find both G1 and G7 BCs for the new line of Scenar-L Bullets in Lapua’s updated Components Table. Ballistic coefficients are based on Doppler radar data and calculated by Quick Target Unlimited Lapua Edition.
To find the BC for a particular bullet, go to the Components Table, select the caliber (on the left) and then look for the G1 or G7 value on the right for particular bullets. For example, the BCs for the new 136gr 6.5mm Scenar-L are 0.545 (G1) and 0.274 (G7).
If you are looking for the most precise trajectory predictions, nothing beats real-world testing like this. Bullet BCs can be calculated, “on paper”, from bullet size, weight, and shape. However, in the ‘real world’ the actual aerodynamic drag forces acting on the bullet change with velocity and other variables. Therefore, a bullet’s BC is NOT actually constant at every point in its flight path. Doppler radar allows Lapua to observe the actual drop of bullets at multiple points along their trajectory.
How much more precise are Doppler-radar-based trajectory predictions than typical drop charts based on modeled BCs? Consider this… when you plug the radar-based numbers for a .338 Lapua Magnum into Lapua’s ballistics software, the error in elevation is less than 2.5 cm (1″) at 1,500 meters. By contrast, the error based on a traditional G1 BC model could be over 1 meter (i.e. more than 40 inches).
Free Lapua Ballistics Software for Android OS Devices
If you want to use Lapua’s Doppler Radar data for your own ballistics calculations — there’s a App for that. Lapua’s Quick Target Unlimited (QTU) software for Android OS can be downloaded for free from the Android Market. Predicted trajectories for this software are based on precise Doppler radar ballistic measurements of Lapua bullets, making this program much more accurate than other ballistic programs for mobile phones. Note, however, the Doppler Radar data is offered ONLY for Lapua-made bullets. This App does NOT include radar data for Berger, Sierra or other brands of bullets.
Product tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
September 19th, 2013
 The AccurateShooter.com Shooters’ Forum hit another membership milestone. We’ve surpassed 22,500 registered members. Now we hope to reach 25,000 members in the next few months. If you have considered joining our Forum, but haven’t done so yet, there’s no better time than now. As a Forum member, you’ll be part of an active community of serious shooters. You can get valuable advice on shooting and reloading from top shooters such as National Champions Larry Bartholome, Sam Hall, and Derek Rodgers. As well, many top tool-makers and barrel-makers visit the Forum regularly, such as Dave Kiff (PT&G), Frank Green (Bartlein Barrels), and John Perkins (21st Century Shooting).
If you haven’t sampled our Forum yet, cruise over to Forum.AccurateShooter.com and check it out. You’ll find a wealth of information shared by thousands of knowledgeable members, including many National Champions and record-holders. The boards are tightly moderated to prevent the ego battles common to some other internet forums. Our Shooters’ Forum maintains a high “signal to noise ratio”, with courteous and respectful exchange of ideas. To join the Forum, simply click the “Register” link and follow the prompts. There is no fee to join.
FREE Classifieds for Forum Members
Along with our informational Forum areas, we offer FREE CLASSIFIEDS for all registered forum members. You’ll find some great values in the Classifieds, and we provide a feedback system for buyers and sellers. Published feedback helps you buy and sell with greater confidence.
September 17th, 2013
Registration for the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s 2014 SHOT Show is now open for attendees. (Media and Exhibitor registration will open in the coming weeks.) The 2014 SHOT Show will be held January 14 through 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Sands Convention Center. While registering, attendees can easily add State of the Industry Dinner tickets, enroll in SHOT Show University and sign up for other educational offerings. CLICK HERE for Registration Page.
 Improved WI-FI at SHOT Show Venue
The Sands Expo & Convention Center recently completed installation of a new $1.6 million wireless LAN (WLAN) that Sands executives say will deliver seamless Wi-Fi coverage throughout the Sands Expo and Convention Center’s 2.2 million square feet of flexible exhibition and meeting space. That’s a good thing for media folks, but we can envision thousands of people bumping into each other as they walk around with eyes focused on their digital devices, sending “tweets” and scanning Facebook pages.
September 17th, 2013
 National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHF Day) takes place on Saturday, September 28th. The annual celebration serves as a reminder that conservation succeeds because of leadership and funding from hunters, shooters and anglers. National, regional, state and local organizations will run thousands of “open house” hunting- and fishing-related events around the country. Events will include Fishing Derbys, Hunting Expos, Wing-shooting tournaments, and much more. An estimated four million Americans will participate. For information on NHF Day, visit www.nhfday.org. To find an NHF Day event near you, click the link below.
National Hunting and Fishing Day Events (Listed by State)
September 14th, 2013
 Criterion Barrels, producer of high-quality, button-rifled barrels (with a heritage of barrel-making from Krieger barrels) has opened a large new production facility in Germantown, Wisconsin. Over the past year, Criterion has hired many new skilled technicians to work in the new 72,000 square-foot facility, and new high-tech machinery is on its way.
Criterion reports: “To successfully meet with the recent industry-wide surge in demand, we have increased our production levels with the intent of fulfilling orders in the timeliest possible manner. To meet these manufacturing goals while simultaneously fulfilling our commitment to produce of some of the finest quality rifle barrels available, Criterion has successfully relocated its operations to a new 72,000 square-foot production facility. The phased transition from our Richfield workspace to the now fully-operational Germantown building was completed in November of last year.
Criterion has increased the number of its production personnel by more than 75% over the course of the last year… The purchase of new machinery will also serve to complete orders in a more efficient manner, allowing for improved material handling and reduced turnaround times[.] [R]est assured that Criterion Barrels, Inc. will continue to make all possible efforts toward streamlining and expanding our production potential while retaining the level of quality and precision that our customers have come to expect from our barrels.”
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