It’s time for the NRA National Matches, which means that hundreds of Service Rifle shooters will be converging on Camp Perry, Ohio. It also means that AR shooters may need some expert help to tune up their rifles, and maybe fit a new barrel or trigger to improve accuracy. AccurateShooter.com has a list of Recommended Gunsmiths. Most of the smiths listed on our Gunsmith Page specialize in bolt-action rifles, for Benchrest, varminting, and long-range. While some do work on AR15s and “space-guns”, this is not their primary focus.
If you need a first-rate gunsmith for a service rifle, Sinclair International has compiled its own list of smiths including highly respected names. For service rifles (including AR types), Sinclair recommends the following:
Phil Arrington (Service Rifle) Arrington Accuracy Works
1408 West Ross Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Phone: (623) 582-5066
Compass Lake Eng. (Service Rifle)
719 White Dr
Alford, FL 32420
Phone: (850) 579-1208
Derrick Martin (Service Rifle) Accuracy Speaks, Inc.
3960 N. Usery Pass Rd.
Mesa, AZ 85207
Phone: (480) 373-9499
E-mail: ask-derrick@accuracyspeaks.com
Medesha Firearms (Service Rifle)
10321 E Adobe Rd
Mesa, AZ 85207
Phone: (480) 986-5876
E-mail: medeshafirearms@aol.com
Website: www.medeshafirearms.com
Albert Turner Enterprises (Service Rifle)
38327 W. Mountain View Road
Tonopah, AZ 85354
(623) 696-5843
ajturner@juno.com
Bill Wylde (Service Rifle)
Wylde & Co.
PO Box 261
Greenup, IL 62428
Phone: (217) 923-3266
To Sinclair’s list we would definitely add John Holliger of White Oak Precision. John built the upper for the Smith & Wesson M&P AR with which Carl Bernosky won the Camp Perry High Power Championship in 2007. This marked the first time an AR-style semi-auto has won that event. John also builds many outstanding components for AR-style rifles, including windage-adjustable front sight bases, and the White Oak Precision Adjustable Buttstock (right).
John Holliger White Oak Precision
101 South Perry
Carlock, IL 61725
Phone: (309) 376-2288
If you are looking for ultra-accurate, high-quality 6mm uppers for ARs and Spaceguns chambered for the 6mmAR and 6mmAR Turbo (based on the 6.5 Grendel case), contact Robert Whitley at AR-X Enterprises, (215) 348-8789. Robert’s uppers are built from the highest grade components and he uses premium barrels. Robert’s uppers shoot extremely well.
On Thursday, February 28, the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association (supported by the NRA-ILA), held a rally to stand up for the Second Amendment and protest New York’s recent passage of the so-called S.A.F.E. Act. The rally drew more than 10,000 law-abiding gun owners. According to the New York State Police, it was one of the largest rallies ever held at the State Capital in Albany, New York.
NRA President David Keene was the featured speaker and told attendees that NRA is committed to helping repeal the S.A.F.E. Act, saying NRA would do “whatever is necessary”–including going to court–to defend the Second Amendment. For the latest updates on efforts to repeal New York’s S.A.F.E. Act, visit www.NRA-ILA.org
Applied Ballistics also supports youth education. During “March is Reading” month, $1.00 from each book sold will be donated to the 100 Libraries in 100 Days campaign. This crowd-funding campaign was established to provide book donations to libraries across the country.
Applied Ballistics invites readers to enjoy a discount on these two respected shooting books, while at the same time supporting libraries which encourage young people to read good books.
High-Tech Hits the Road
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has a portable air gun range that travels around the country in trailer rigs. The CMP’s new $425,000 mobile range features 60 electronic targets, automated target lifts, target monitors (for 60 stations), and jumbo viewing screens for spectators. Positioned on tables along the firing line (photo below), the 60 MEGALink color screens show scores in real time. The high-tech electronic targets provide quick and accurate results, and spectators can watch a “live feed” on eight big-screen LED television monitors. The entire system is controlled by a trio of computers which do the scoring and operate the targets, lifts, and TVs.
The CMP’s state-of-the art, mobile air gun range boasts 60 electronic MEGAlink targets produced in Norway. MEGAlink is the same target system used at CMP North and South stationary air ranges. The MEGAlink target “boxes” are each connected to a lift system than can raise and lower the targets for 3-position shooting. All of the components are designed so that the range can be quickly constructed using as few as three people. A large trailer can haul all 60 targets plus all the related monitors, computers, tables, chairs, and hardware in one load-out.
“With travel being difficult for competitors to make it to Ohio or Alabama, the idea of the mobile range arose to transport electronic targets to the shooters instead of them coming to us,” said James Hall, CMP Program Outreach Supervisor. Because of its versatile design, the range can be used as either a 60-point range or broken down into three sets of 20 targets or two sets of 30 targets. “The range can be set up in almost any combination of targets, which allows small gyms and conference centers to host a match with maximum target use,” said Hall.
The first “trial” match of the Mobile Range was at the Montgomery Bell Classic in Nashville, TN in October 2012. “The match was a success, not only for the Montgomery Bell Academy, but also for the CMP,” Hall said. “The targets ran well, and we received a positive response from spectators.” Other CMP events where the range has been put to the test include the 5th Brigade Championship in Kerrville, TX in December 2012 and the Bass Pro 600 in Leeds, AL in January 2013.
All packed up and ready to go, the CMP’s Mobile Range will roll on to future events, including the JROTC Service Championship in Salt Lake City, UT, 4H Nationals in Grand Island, NE, the American Legion Championship in Colorado Springs, CO and various CMP summer camps and clinics. “The Mobile Range has generated a great response,” Hall admitted. “We hope it continues to give shooters out west and other areas of the United States a chance to compete.”
The Transportation Safety Authority (TSA) is relaxing its rules on small, keychain-style knives. Starting April 25, 2013, the TSA will allow passengers to carry very small pocket knives on board aircraft. Small knives are allowed if they have “retractable blades shorter than 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) and narrower than 1/2 inch at the widest point.” The TSA has decided to allow these small knives to align TSA polices with International Civil Aviation Organization standards and European airport regulations. However restrictions on large knives, lock-blade knives, and box cutters remain in effect. Important — any knife with a “fixed blade [or one that] locks firmly when is use” is still forbidden even if it has a short blade. Likewise ALL Box cutters (of any size) and razor blades will still be banned.
To learn more, CLICK HERE for TSA Changes to Prohibited Items List (PIL) Notice. This PDF document shows what is and is NOT allowed. Remember the rule change does not go into effect until April 25, 2013 — and don’t “try your luck” with any locking-blade knife, no matter how small.
Got a billion dollars burning a hole in your pocket? Bushnell Outdoor Products (Bushnell) is up for sale according to Reuters. Bushnell, which has annual revenues of $450 million, is going to be sold off by its current owners, MidOcean Partners (private equity firm). Reuters reports that Kansas-based Bushnell could be sold lock, stock and barrel in a billion-dollar deal. The potential buyer(s) have not been revealed.
Bushnell was founded in 1948. The company makes scopes, binoculars, GPS units, laser rangefinders, GameCams, eyewear, and other outdoor gear. Bushnell is the parent of many other outdoor product brands, including: Bollé, Butler Creek, Final Approach, Hoppe’s, Millett, Night Optics, Primos, Serengeti, Simmons, Stoney Point, Tasco, and Uncle Mike’s. Last year the Bushnell group of companies had $100 million in earnings before taxes, interest, and depreciation.
Earlier this week, the Washington Times published a special 12-page feature on gun rights. This special section was funded and sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF).
The section includes reprints of articles from other sections of the Washington Times, plus commentary by SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. Also included is Ted Nugent’s famous open letter to Vice President Joe Biden, several articles by Washington Times Senior Editor for Opinion Emily Miller, commentary from Col. Oliver North, and SAF’s Alan Gottlieb, public service advertisements from SAF and a commentary by Dr. Michael Brown with Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership and more.
This special section also features essays by Texas Congressman Kevin Brady and William Perry Pendley, president of the Mountain States Legal Foundation.
“Our special section should provide readers in the Washington metro area that includes the White House, Congress and key opinion makers, a new and enlightening perspective on Second Amendment issues,” Gottlieb observed, “It is important for citizens to understand what the Second Amendment means to them as individuals, and as a community”.
The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 600,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.
In California, you can get a “Save the Whales” custom license plate. Meanwhile in the great state of Pennsylvania, you can now get a handsome, custom plate that helps raise money for the shooting sports. Thanks to Friends of NRA committees throughout Pennsylvania, PennDOT now offers NRA-specialized license plates. The Keystone State joins a growing list of states with NRA-themed plates. Revenues from the plates (after PennDOT takes its share) will help fund NRA Foundation programs.
Proceeds go to the NRA Foundation, the country’s leading charitable organization in support of the shooting sports. Since its inception in 1990, the NRA Foundation has awarded more than $140 million in grants. Grants awarded by the foundation provide essential program funding for youth education, law enforcement training, hunter education, conservation, firearms and marksmanship training and safety, and much more.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has produced a video in which management and employees of three Connecticut-based companies, O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Stag Arms, and Ammunition Storage Components, talk about the importance of their jobs and how their companies contribute to the Constitution State’s economy.
This video was produced in response to Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy’s recent call for severe new gun control laws. An NSSF statement noted: “We are troubled by the Governor’s apparent change in attitude[.] We do not believe a rush to quick-fix legislation is likely to produce real public safety solutions, while it holds the clear potential to hurt good-paying manufacturing jobs in our state.”
NSSF and member companies based in Connecticut and western Massachusetts have been working for several weeks to help educate legislators, the media and the public not only about the economic impact of the firearms industry in the Constitution State, but also what measures are most effective at keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals and unauthorized individuals. To that end, NSSF President Steve Sanetti authored an op-ed in The Hartford Courant, entitled “Focus on Gun Access, Not Gun Ban”.
Connecticut has a long tradition of arms-making. In 1848, on a site overlooking the Connecticut River in Hartford, Samuel Colt built the Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company factory. A larger factory, called the Colt Armory, was added in 1855. The 1850s were a decade of phenomenal success for Colt’s Connecticut-based enterprise.
Colt’s Mfg. was the first to widely commercialize the total use of interchangeable parts throughout a product. A leader in assembly line practice, the company was a major innovator and training ground in manufacturing technology. Colt’s armories in Hartford trained several generations of toolmakers and machinists, who had great influence in American manufacturing. Prominent examples included F. Pratt and A. Whitney, and Henry Leland (who would end up at Cadillac and Lincoln).
Many of our readers want a custom rifle that looks as good as it shoots. When it comes to wood stocks, one of the most prized materials is fine Turkish Walnut. You’ll find a wide selection of Turkish Walnut blanks at the HunterBid.com website. Hundreds of selections are available at auction. Prices start as low as $150.00. The finest blanks sell for $1,000 or more. You’ll find both one-piece blanks (for rifles) and two-piece blanks (for shotguns). Most blanks are 36″ or shorter, but some longer Mannlicher blanks are available. Here are two examples from past auctions. The first is an exhibition-grade blank, the second a low-priced blank that still exhibits excellent figure.
New blank selections are added to the website every other day. The operators of HunterBid report: “If you are interested in any of our blanks in Hunterbid auctions, but you do not like the bidding process, please give us a call (603) 433-8908 or send us an e-mail. We will help you choose a blank that suits you, and even close the auction for you and ship your purchase the same day.” HunterBid.com is run by Chiron Inc., which is 100% owned by the Ergin family who are of Turkish origin. Chiron maintains warehouses in Dover, NH and Istanbul, Turkey.
To Sinclair’s list we would definitely add John Holliger of White Oak Precision. John built the upper for the Smith & Wesson M&P AR with which Carl Bernosky won the Camp Perry High Power Championship in 2007. This marked the first time an AR-style semi-auto has won that event. John also builds many outstanding components for AR-style rifles, including windage-adjustable front sight bases, and the White Oak Precision Adjustable Buttstock (right).
Story based on report by Ashley Brugnone for 
“With travel being difficult for competitors to make it to Ohio or Alabama, the idea of the mobile range arose to transport electronic targets to the shooters instead of them coming to us,” said James Hall, CMP Program Outreach Supervisor. Because of its versatile design, the range can be used as either a 60-point range or broken down into three sets of 20 targets or two sets of 30 targets. “The range can be set up in almost any combination of targets, which allows small gyms and conference centers to host a match with maximum target use,” said Hall. 
Earlier this week, the Washington Times published a special 12-page feature on gun rights. This special section was funded and sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF).
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has produced a video in which management and employees of three Connecticut-based companies, O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Stag Arms, and Ammunition Storage Components, talk about the importance of their jobs and how their companies contribute to the Constitution State’s economy.
