On June 12, 2010, at the Piedmont Range in Rutherfordton, NC, Sam Hall, shooting a 6mm Dasher, set TWO new pending IBS 600-yard world records with a stunning 0.686″ five-shot group. The group was centered up in the Ten Ring for 50 points with two doubles! This group should give Sam both the single target IBS Light Gun small group record AND the Light Gun score record. Sam’s 0.686″ beats Paul Wagoner’s 0.711″ previous small-group record set in 2008 with a 6 BRX. Larry Isenhour previously held the IBS score record with a 50-3X (0.944″) group shot in August, 2007, also with a 6 BRX. NOTE: Sam had only one X, but the official tie-breaker for the score record is group size, not X-count. Therefore, if approved, Sam’s 0.686″ group establishes both new group size and score records. (We wish the IBS had some other official recognition for high X-count.)
Record-Setting Chambering, Load, and Hardware
Sam was shooting a 6mm Dasher with 32.0 grains of Norma 203B powder, Berger 105gr VLD bullets (unpointed), CCI 450 primers and Lapua brass, neck turned to 0.266″ for a 0.268″-necked chamber. Regarding the choice of powder, Sam says Reloder 15 gives the same accuracy and speed as 203B but he “just happed to have 8 pounds of [203B] and decided to use it in this rifle.” Interestingly, Sam was jumping his 105s about forty thousandths. That’s right, .040″ OFF the lands. The record gun has a BAT MB action, Shehane Tracker stock, and Krieger 29″, .237″ bore, 1:8″ twist HV barrel.
Here is Sam’s report from Piedmont:
Shooting the Record — Conditions and Strategy
The afternoon was slightly overcast with mild mirage. Winds were running left to right at approximately 5 mph. During the afternoon I noticed the wind would stay in one direction for several minutes then would make a complete reversal. On my record round I had made four (4) shots when I noticed the wind picking up in intensity slightly from left to right. I knew this because I saw my wind flag Daisy wheels start spinning faster. For the fifth shot I held left one inch from my previous four shots and let it fly. I was shooting the string as fast as I could and stay smooth. I was expecting a reversal because the wind has stayed constant for too long — it was about time for a reversal.
Evidently holding off was smart — otherwise the group might have been a 1.686″! This year I have been concentrating on learning more on wind and mirage reading. This game is getting more competitive every year. I figure the only way I can stay ahead is to work on my wind reading. If you don’t read the wind, you are eventually going to get bit.
About my Light Gun
I was shooting a BAT 1.550″ round, dual-port MB action with non-fluted bolt. The stock is a Shehane fiberglass ST-1000, pillar-bedded by Tom Meredith. Tom epoxied lead shot in the butt to bring it up to 16.94 lbs. with a Leupold 40x competition scope. The barrel is a 29″, 8-twist, .237″, HV contour Krieger with a Vais muzzle brake. This barrel, purchased three years ago from Brunos, came off the Terry Leonard-stocked rifle that earned me a lot of Shooter of the Year (SOY) points in 2009. It has about 700 rounds on it. It started life as a 6BR, but my reamer had gotten dull and left a rough chamber. So I gave the barrel to Mike Davis and told him this was a perfect excuse for me to try a 6mm Dasher. The barrel is now chambered as a 6mm Dasher with a .268″ neck with .124 freebore, the same as my Maxi-Tracker 6 Dasher.
Load Details — Yes I Was Jumping Berger VLDs a Country Mile
Last year, I could not get the Berger 105 VLDs to shoot like I wanted in this barrel, so I used Berger 108 BTs, jumped .015″. After last season, I tried the 105 VLDs again. I think they have a slight advantage in the wind compared to the 108s. But again the 105s would not shoot well at 600 jammed in the rifling as I normally do. I noticed this barrel was shooting better off the rifling. I kept backing the bullets off the rifling. I found a sweet spot 40 thousandths off the rifling. The gun was shooting 1 to 1.5 inch groups pretty consistently at 600 yards at my home range. The day I shot the record was the first time I had shot this load and rifle in competition. I believe it is a keeper! — Sam Hall
In December 2009, President Obama signed a transportation funding bill that included a provision allowing Amtrak passengers to bring firearms aboard trains — provided the arms are stowed in locked, checked baggage.
Amtrak’s gun ban was instituted after the 9/11/2001 terrorist attack. The 2009 legislation will restore rail riders’ rights that existed prior to “9/11″. Amtrak has until December to put the new law into effect, and Amtrak is obliged to deliver an implementation plan to Congress next week.
Amtrak officials have resisted the new policy on gun transport from the beginning, pointing to a shortage of funding. However, just last week, on 6/10/2010, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) removed any “wiggle room” for Amtrak. The GAO held that the legislation obligating Amtrak to carry firearms was “permanent law”, erasing doubts that Amtrak would have to comply. The amendment (to the 2009 funding bill) which obliges Amtrak to resume firearms carriage was authored by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS). Senator Wicker explained the purpose of his amendment: “Sportsmen who would like to use an Amtrak train for hunting trips cannot do so because they are not allowed to bring a firearm in checked luggage, something that is done every day at airports across our country.”
How does all this shake-out for shooters traveling by rail? Amtrak’s current policy still prohibits carriage of firearms on trains, and that won’t change until December, 2010. Below is the language of Amtrak’s stated rules regarding transport of firearms:
AMTRAK Baggage Policy — Firearms in Checked Baggage
Amtrak’s current policy prohibits all firearms, ammunition and other weapons aboard its trains. This includes any being carried on the person, in carry-on baggage, or in checked baggage. Please be advised that this policy remains in effect until Amtrak begins firearm carriage service by December 2010.
The Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010, enacted into law on December 16, 2009, requires Amtrak to implement the procedures necessary to provide storage and carriage of firearms in checked baggage cars and at Amtrak stations that accept checked baggage, within one year of the bill’s enactment. This requirement applies solely to checked baggage, not carry-on baggage.
In the wake of a tragic, multiple shooting in Cumbria, England, there have been renewed calls for yet MORE gun bans in the UK. But it remains to be seen how much further the Brits can go without banning virtually all firearms. The Cumbria shooter was armed with an ordinary shotgun. Britain has already banned handguns and revolvers, banned self-loading and pump-action rifles, and banned most shotguns that hold more than two shells. The Brits have even banned Airsoft-type toy guns. The UK’s Violent Crime Reduction Act of 2006 made it a crime to manufacture, import or sell realistic imitation guns, and doubled the maximum sentence for carrying an imitation gun to 12 months. In Britain, it is even against the law to fire an air weapon beyond the boundary of any premises.
Can Britain prevent future mass shootings by banning yet more classes of firearms (whatever that might be)? Recent history suggests the answer is no. In Europe, some of the worst multiple-victim shootings occurred in those countries with the tightest restrictions on firearms. In the UK, to acquire a shotgun, one must go through a police interview, show “good reason” to own the shotgun, and then obtain a police-issued certificate. The police then visit the applicant’s home to verify the shotgun will be securely stored.
Lott Says More Gun Bans Won’t Solve Problem
Professor John Lott, author of More Guns, Less Crime, has written an interesting essay for the National Review Online. In that article, Lott analyzes the history of recent mass shootings in Europe. What he has found is that virtually all of these shootings have occurred in locations where it is illegal for private citizens to wield guns for self-protection. Lott suggests, therefore, that the problem of mass shootings will not be solved by more gun control… so long as potential victims are rendered defenseless by laws restricting the right to armed self-defense. Lott writes: “Look at recent history… all of the [multiple-victim public shootings in Western Europe] occurred in gun-free zones — places where guns in the hands of civilians are outlawed.” Here is Prof. Lott’s summary:
Contrary to public perception, Western Europe, most of whose countries have much tougher gun laws than the United States, has experienced many of the worst multiple-victim public shootings. Particularly telling, all the multiple-victim public shootings in Western Europe have occurred in places where civilians are not permitted to carry guns. The same is true in the United States: All the public shootings in which more than three people have been killed have occurred in places where civilians may not legally bring guns.
Large multiple-victim public shootings are exceedingly rare events, but they garner massive news attention, and the misperceptions they produce are hard to erase. When I have been interviewed by foreign journalists, even German ones, they usually start off by asking why multiple-victim public shootings are such an American problem. And of course, they are astonished when I remind them of the attacks in their own countries and point out that this is not an American problem, it is a universal problem, but with a common factor: The attacks occur in public places where civilians are banned from carrying guns. — John Lott
Why is it vital to get more women involved in the shooting sports? Consider this: in recent state and federal elections there has been a significant gender gap in voting patterns. Compared to men, a much higher percentage of women (particularly unmarried women) vote for liberal anti-gun candidates. For example, 56 percent of women voted for Obama versus 49 percent of men. In recent years, anti-gun politicians have relied on this gender gap to secure electoral victories. If we want to reverse this trend, we need to increase the number of women who look favorably on Second Amendment rights and the shooting sports.
That’s why we were pleased to learn about a milestone reached by the NRA’s Women on Target (WOT) program which runs instructional shooting clinics for women. Women on Target Clinic Coordinator Elizabeth Hellmann recently revealed that the Women on Target program has passed the 50K mark: “As of [6/9/2010], more than 50,000 women have attended clinics… Please raise your coffee mugs and join me in saying, ‘Here’s to the next 50,000 happy customers!'”
With the increased activity in our AccurateShooter.com Forum, which now boasts nearly 11,300 members, we’ve added a new category for optics in our FREE Classifieds. Previously, ads for optics, sights, rings etc. were included in our miscellaneous category. The new optics Classifieds category can be used for sale, trade, and WTB listings for rifle scopes, sights, spotting scopes, red dot sights, laser rangefinders (LRFs), rings, bases, scope rails, scope level devices, target-cams, and all optics/sighting accessories. Our Forum Classifieds are very effective. Good products, at a fair price, sell fast.
Feedback System for Forum Classifieds Buyers and Sellers
With all our Classifieds categories, ads are free to registered Forum members*. For regular individual (non-business) members, there are no fees to advertise a product, and no fees on sales. To provide assurance to buyers and sellers, we have a Feedback System. When browsing ad postings, click the Trade Count number after a member’s name to read feedback on that user’s previous performance as both buyer and seller.
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If you missed the first episode of Top Shot on the History Channel, you can still watch it on Hulu.com. While the show’s “Survivor”-style battle of personalities disappointed some gun enthusiasts, Top SHOT is still engaging television that brings the shooting sports to a large audience. Over 2.1 million viewers watched the debut episode of Top Shot. Click below to watch in embedded flash player, and you can click an icon to zoom to full screen. (Advert may load first — be patient.)
The First Annual NRA National Gun Collectors Show & Conference was held in Nashville, TN, in 1996, and quickly assumed the title of “The Finest Gun Collectors Show in the Country”. The show is a program of the NRA’s National Firearms Museum. This year, the Museum has announced that the 15th Annual NRA National Gun Collectors Show & Conference will be held July 23-25 in Kansas City, Missouri.
At Collectors Show in Kansas City, there will be numerous awards handed out, including over $11,000 in cash prizes for the best exhibits. The event, which is open to the public, is hosted by the Missouri Valley Arms Collectors Association (MVACA) at the K.C.I. Expo Center, 11730 N. Ambassador, Kansas City, MO 64195. If you wish to be an exhibitor, contact MVACA Show Director Chuck Samuel at (913) 649-4248 ASAP. Sale/Trade tables are $90.00, while “Display-only” tables are $55.00 for 3 days. CLICK HERE for show information including Expo Center Map.
Kahr Arms has acquired firearms manufacturer, Magnum Research, Inc., of Minnesota. Magnum Research, founded in 1979, is best known for its super-sized big-bore Desert Eagle pistol, but it also sells a 1911-style pistol, compact “Baby” and “Micro” Desert Eagle carry pistols, BFR revolvers, and the Mountain Eagle™ MagnumLite® line of rifles. The Desert Eagle is a large-framed gas-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by Magnum Research in the USA, and manufactured primarily in Israel by IWI (Israel Weapon Industries, formerly Israel Military Industries, IMI). The Baby Eagle is based on the CZ75 design, updated by IWI.
Kahr Arms currently sells mostly striker-fired semi-automatic pistols, aimed primarily at the personal defense and concealed carry markets. The acquisition of Magnum Research gives Kahr a line of traditional hammer-fired pistols and revolvers. Now Kahr can also expand into the hunting and varminting markets with the Mountain Eagle series of rifles. These feature carbon-wrapped barrels fitted to “custom-tuned” Rem 700 actions in H-S Precision or Hogue stocks. The MSRP on Mountain Eagle rifles is $2173.00 — that’s expensive compared to a factory Remington, but the price is half what Christensen Arms charges for similar rifles with carbon-wrapped barrels. No doubt Kahr hopes to steal some of Christensen’s customers.
On a 43-10 vote, the California Assembly approved AB 1810, a bill by Democratic Assemblyman Mike Feuer (Los Angeles) that would require registration of all rifles and shotguns. Information on long gun sales would be permanently archived in a database that could be accessed by the Dept. of Justice (DOJ), law enforcement agencies, and, presumably, by other government officials. The database would include the buyer’s name, address, place of birth, phone number, gender, occupation, and other information. AB 1810 repeals existing law which expressly prohibits compiling a long gun database. AB 1810 requires the DOJ to create and maintain a Registration Database of ALL new long-gun purchases or private party transfers.
Under current California law, only handguns are included in a statewide database. AB 1810 would require that all transfers (new or used) of rifles and shotguns are recorded in the same way. This bill passed the California Assembly on Thursday and now moves to the State Senate. Because the Senate is dominated by Democrats, AB 1810 will probably be approved on a party-line vote and then sent to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s desk, perhaps as early as this summer. So take note — AB 1810 is not the law YET. But the bill is likely to get to the Governor barring something unexpected in the State Senate.
The NSSF reports that newly released documents show Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan was involved in forming Clinton Administration policy on gun control, including, apparently, proposing that President Clinton issue an Executive Order to prohibit firearm sales without prior police certification/approval. The Washington Post reports that Kagan helped formulate gun control measures during the three years she served as a domestic policy advisor for Clinton.
After analyzing documents turned over by the Clinton Library, the Washington Post revealed: “Kagan was immersed in initiatives on gun control. In deliberations about how the Clinton administration should respond to a Supreme Court ruling that the federal government could not force local or state police to conduct background checks on gun purchasers, she appears to support such checks.” One document revealed that Elena had suggested that Clinton might issue an Executive Order banning gun sales without prior police approval. Based on these documents, it appears Kagan showed a strong anti-Second-Amendment bias when she worked in the White House, advising President Clinton.
During the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings this summer, NSSF looks forward to a full exploration of Kagan’s involvement in gun-control issues during the Clinton administration, the most anti-gun administration in history.
In December 2009, President Obama signed a transportation funding bill that included a provision allowing Amtrak passengers to bring firearms aboard trains — provided the arms are stowed in locked, checked baggage.
In the wake of a tragic, multiple 
Why is it vital to get more women involved in the shooting sports? Consider this: in recent state and federal elections there has been a significant 
That’s why we were pleased to learn about a milestone reached by the NRA’s 
On a 43-10 vote, the California Assembly approved AB 1810, a bill by Democratic Assemblyman Mike Feuer (Los Angeles) that would require registration of all rifles and shotguns. Information on long gun sales would be permanently archived in a database that could be accessed by the Dept. of Justice (DOJ), law enforcement agencies, and, presumably, by other government officials. The database would include the buyer’s name, address, place of birth, phone number, gender, occupation, and other information. AB 1810 repeals existing law which expressly prohibits compiling a long gun database. AB 1810 requires the DOJ to create and maintain a Registration Database of ALL new long-gun purchases or private party transfers.
The 
