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February 27th, 2010
Vihtavuori (VV) has started producing N570, a new high-energy, double-base powder suited for magnum cartridges. The burn rate of N570 is similar to Vihtavuori N170 and Hodgdon H870, making it somewhat faster than 24N21 or Retumbo. The new N570 has the slowest burn rate of the five powders in N500-series of high-energy propellants. N570 is an extruded tubular powder with a large kernel size (similar to VV 20N41 and 20N29) and a high bulk density.
The characteristics of this slow burning, high-energy powder are well-suited for large volume cases like the 6.5-284 Norma, 300 Winchester Magnum, 300 Remington Ultra Mag, 338 Lapua Magnum or the 30-378 Weatherby Magnum.
 Reloading Data for the new N570 Powder is available in the latest edition of the Vihtavuori Reloading Guide. (PDF).
CLICK HERE for Vihtavuori Reloading Guide (8th Ed.).
The new N570 was developed at the request of magnum cartridge reloaders. Vihtavuori told us: “Powder users have repeatedly asked for a powder suited to the needs of the largest magnum rifle cartridges. We have developed our new N570 High Energy powder to meet this special need in the market. N570 was developed to bring out the very best performance and velocity in large volume magnum rifle cartridges.”
VV Recommends Weighing N570 Charges
Because N570 has very large kernels, Vihtavuori advises that reloaders should always WEIGH N570 charges rather than rely on throws from powder measures: “We recommend that charges of this high-energy N570 powder be weighed, as measures do not always deliver consistent charges. This is especially true when the powder being used is of such a large kernel configuration. This may lead to a potential for either under- or over-charged cases, if the charges are thrown straight from the measure and not weighed.”
Vihtavuori Powders are imported in the USA by Hodgdon Powder Company and Kaltron Outdoors, and are marketed worldwide by Nammo Lapua, www.lapua.com.
February 27th, 2010
Military veterans make up a significant part of the NRA’s membership and Board of Directors. They shoot in the NRA’s competitive matches and often become NRA-Certified Instructors to teach gun safety and basic marksmanship.
In appreciation of the sacrifices made by members of the military, the NRA now offers a FREE one-year membership to all active-duty servicemen and women. The complimentary military membership provides all regular member benefits, including a subscription to one of three print magazines: American Hunter, American Rifleman, and America’s 1st Freedom. This offer applies to personnel currently serving with the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, or Coast Guard.
CLICK HERE for FREE NRA Membership for Armed Services Personnel.
 
Other Programs for Active Military and Veterans
The NRA conducts many more programs of interest to the military, from tactical competitions to tuition-free armorer schools. The NRA has also supported many Wounded Warriors Hunts. A free Veteran’s Day shoot has been held for several years at the NRA Range in Fairfax, Virginia.
February 26th, 2010
Jeff Stover, President of the IBS (International Benchrest Shooters) just sent us the final rules and safety guidelines for AR benchrest competition under the IBS. Jeff noted: “Shooters should understand that the ranges and clubs will determine whether to allow AR rifles in their particular IBS benchrest matches.” This program is not mandatory, and each club will decide, based on its own priorities, whether ARs will be allowed to compete. When they ARE “invited”, AR-platform rifles will run in their own separate class.
Click the links below to download two .PDF files:
DOWNLOAD: IBS AR Benchrest Final Rules
DOWNLOAD: IBS AR Benchrest Safety Checklist
February 26th, 2010
MidwayUSA has just launched a special, exclusive promotion for AccurateShooter.com readers. It’s a very attractive offer: $10.00 off any order of $50.00 or more. There are a few limitations — for example you can’t use the promo for back-ordered items, but basically this deal can save you 20% right off the top of a fifty-dollar order. To get the $10.00 off promo code, click the link below. Be sure to tell your friends. This limited time offer ends midnight March 15, 2010.
February 24th, 2010
The NRA announced that MidwayUSA has collected more than $5 million through the company’s “Round-Up” program, bringing MidwayUSA’s total giving to the NRA to over $8 million.
 Created by MidwayUSA founders Larry and Brenda Potterfield in 1992, the “Round-Up” program asks customers to “round up” their order amount to the next highest dollar. The proceeds are then sent to the NRA-ILA’s National Endowment for the Protection of the Second Amendment. “Round-up” donations are held in trust, as an “endowment”. The NRA-ILA utilizes the interest from the account for fighting anti-gun legislation across the United States. “We’re proud the Round-Up Program has been so successful,” said Mr. Potterfield. “It’s an easy way to offer customers the opportunity to make a big difference in the future of hunting and shooting.”
Larry and Brenda Potterfield have been active patrons of the NRA for years, supporting programs such as “Round-Up,” the Bianchi Cup, Friends of NRA, the Keystone Endowment, and The NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits to name a few. “We can’t thank the Potterfields and MidwayUSA customers enough,” said Wayne LaPierre, NRA Exec. Vice President. “In the history of the NRA, no other company has given so generously to support the Second Amendment. Larry and Brenda’s idea for the Round-up program was pure genius[.]”
February 23rd, 2010
It’s time to get ready for the 5th Annual Shilen Swap Meet. Rain or shine, the Swap Meet will be held from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturday, March 20th, in the Shilen parking lot (Ennis, TX). The event is open to “all comers” — both buyers and sellers. Anyone can set up a table or just back their truck up and drop their tailgate. There are NO FEEs or costs. And there will be FREE FOOD –complementary chili, frito pie and water, tea, or coffee.
Shilen does request advanced notice from Swap meet attendees, especially folks selling shooting gear: “Please call (972) 875-5318 if you plan on attending so we can have a rough head count. If you want to put up a table please call, fax or email us and let us know. We will add you to the list of vendors.”
Big Discounts on Barrels
Shilen’s ‘Swap Meet Barrels’ will be BACK. These are first-quality barrels built for customers who requested a specific contour, twist rate, or caliber, but later changed their minds. Shilen let these customers modify their orders, but some of these custom-ordered barrels remain in inventory. These pre-ordered “orphan” barrels will be sold at deeply discounted prices at the Swap Meet. NOTE: All warranties still apply; these are NOT lower quality or factory seconds.
Factory Tours will be given again in 2010. During the morning tours — 8:00 am until 11:00 am — the drill, ream and rifle machine will run. Tours will continue in the afternoon but no machines will run then.
February 22nd, 2010
We had fun testing the new Barrett Model 98B (Ninety-Eight Bravo) at Media Day before SHOT Show last month. In the video below, Jason shoots a 98B, after trying its bigger brother, the Barrett model 82A1. The new 98B, chambered in .338 Lapua, has some very nice features and it certainly is a sturdy beast. We predicted this gun would be popular, and attract considerable media attention.
That prediction was right on. Barrett’s 98B rifle in .338 Lapua Magnum has been named the American Rifleman magazine “Rifle of the Year”, earning a coveted Golden Bullseye® Award. This year the Barrett Model 98B was selected by a seven-member committee who considered a variety of factors including reliability, accuracy, design innovation, styling, and “perceived value” to the purchaser. As the “Rifle of the Year”, the 98B was chosen over other recently introduced long-gun offerings from major manufacturers.
Barrett will be presented with the Golden Bullseye Award for 2010’s Rifle of the Year at the 2010 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits in Charlotte, North Carolina. There Barrett CEO and founder Ronnie Barrett will also be personally honored as the NRA’s 2010 Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award winner. In addition, the Barrett Model 98B will be featured in the NRA’s print magazines, in the May issue of American Rifleman and American Hunter®, and the June issue of Shooting Illustrated.
In the video below, Barrett engineers explain the technical features of the Model 98B and show how to field-strip the rifle.
February 20th, 2010
Starting Monday, February 22, 2010, you can bring loaded firearms into most U.S. National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges, provided this is allowed by state law. The new federal Park and Refuge policy applies to all firearms, whether long guns (rifles, shotguns), or pistols (including concealed handguns allowed under state permit). All Federal firearms statutes otherwise apply. The new law lifts a 94-year-old ban on guns in National Parks unless they were unloaded or unassembled. The new law, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (Oklahoma), and backed by the NRA, only addresses possession and has no impact on authorized uses of guns.
The new “gun-friendly” policy was announced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on February 18th, as a result of new legislation enacted by Congress. Starting on February 22nd, the law allows an individual to lawfully possess a firearm within the boundaries of a National Wildlife Refuge or National Park in accordance with federal, state and local firearms laws. The new gun policy applies to all 551 units of the National Wildlife Refuge System, as well as National Monuments and nearly all the 392 units of the National Park System. Under previous regulations, tight restrictions were imposed on guns in National Parks.
CLICK HERE for Official USFWS News Release on Gun Policies
 The USFWS and National Park Service will look to the laws of the state and locality in which the Park, Monument, or Refuge is located to govern possession of firearms therein. Visitors will be allowed to possess firearms on National Wildlife Refuges provided they comply with applicable provisions of federal, state and local law. Persons with firearm “carry” permits will be able to possess firearms on a refuge in accordance with the provisions of the state-issued permit. The USFWS stated that the new law applies throughout the National Wildlife Refuge System, and the National Park System. However, the Associated Press reported that loaded firearms will still be restricted in 20 of the National Parks and that, generally, “guns will not be allowed in visitor centers or rangers’ offices, because firearms are banned in federal buildings.”
Predictably, the Brady Campaign assailed the new policy. “It really is sad that we’ve become such a paranoid society that people want to take guns pretty much everywhere — including National Parks”, stated Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke. Conversely, the NRA, which lobbied to have firearms allowed in National Parks, announced: “This common-sense measure will enhance the self-defense rights of law-abiding Americans and also ensure uniformity of firearm laws within a state”.
New Policies Do Not Alter Hunting Regulations in Wildlife Refuges
The USFWS stressed that: “While the law will change the application of rules regarding possession of firearms, it has no impact on the authorized uses of firearms on National Wildlife Refuges. This new law does NOT change or expand hunting opportunities on National Wildlife Refuges or exempt hunters from state or federal hunting regulations. Each person who hunts on a National Wildlife Refuge must have the required state license(s) required by the Refuge, as well as any permits and/or user fees.”
Visitors wishing to possess firearms on any unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System should carefully read and understand the laws of the state in which the refuge they plan to visit is located — as well as applicable local and county laws and ordinances that derive from that respective state’s law. For more information on hunting within National Wildlife Refuges, go to: http://www.fws.gov/refuges/hunting/.
February 19th, 2010
 Bushnell Outdoor Products has sued Leupold & Stevens for infringing on two Bushnell U.S. Patents covering the Bushnell Angle Range Compensation™ (ARC™) and Rain™ Mode laser rangefinder technology. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas on February 9, 2010 and alleges that Leupold is infringing on Bushnell U.S. Patent Nos. 5,926,259 and 7,658,031.
Angle Range Compensation is important for both rifle shooters and bow-hunters. When a shooter or archer takes a shot at an extreme up or down angle, there will be less drop than with a non-angled shot (given the same line of sight distance to target). By fitting an inclinometer to its rangefinders, Bushnell is able to plot the shot angle and display the “effective ballistic distance” to the target. You can then quickly calculate the hold-over you actually need.
 Bushnell pioneered the sportsman-oriented laser rangefinder, and Bushnell was selling rangefinders long before Leupold even entered the laser rangefinder market. Bushnell earned U.S. Patent No. 7,658,031 for its rangefinder technology that provides hold-over info for angled shots.
“Bushnell has invested an enormous amount of time and resources into developing our patented technology and we will vigorously enforce our rights against all infringers,” said Phil Gyori, Executive Vice President of Marketing at Bushnell Inc. “While we prefer to resolve disputes with our competitors without resorting to litigation, we felt we had no choice but to defend our intellectual property against Leupold’s infringement.”
February 19th, 2010
 MidwayUSA has started to ship the 33rd edition of its Master Catalog. As you’d expect from MidwayUSA, one of the nation’s largest shooting products vendors, the new catalog is huge. As big as a phone-book, and nearly 1000 pages long, the new Master Catalog really does have “just about everything”:
• Over 27,000 Products for Shooters
• Over 24,000 Products for Reloaders
• Over 32,000 Products for Gunsmiths
• Over 7,000 Products for Hunters
“Customers tell us every year they look forward to seeing this catalog in the mail,” says Aaron Oelger, VP of Marketing. “A lot of work goes into the Master Catalog to ensure great product selection, quick and easy navigation and the best possible product information. Every year we improve the Master Catalog.”
MidwayUSA started mailing Master Catalog #33 to current customers in February. For new customers, Master Catalog #33 is free with the first order. Otherwise, to get a copy of Master Catalog #33, visit www.midwayusa.com or call 1-800-243-3220.
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