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December 14th, 2009
There are a variety of ballistics programs that can be used with handheld PDAs, and even Apple iPhones. But Bryan Litz, author of the new Applied Ballistics for Long Range Shooting book, has come up with something bigger and better. Employing the powerful Texas Instruments (TI) Voyage 200 graphing calculator, Bryan has created a Mobile Ballistics Solution (MOBALL) that is more sophisticated (and accurate) than typical PDA-based programs.
MOBALL includes TI graphing calculator and ballistics software. Kestrel windmeter NOT included.
Bryan tells us: “The Mobile Ballistics Computer (MOBALL) was created for one purpose: to provide shooters with the most accurate and complete ballistic firing solution possible for application in the field.” MOBALL runs on a TI graphing calculator — a sturdy, stand-alone, non-network device. That means you don’t need long-term cell phone contracts, expensive data plans, or weekly OS “updates” and patches. The TI also delivers long run-time on ordinary AAA batteries. That’s a big advantage over most laptop computers, which run out of “juice” after only 4-5 hours in the field.
According to Bryan, what sets MOBALL apart from other “deployable” ballistics calculators is that: “MOBALL provides a complete ballistic solution, with the ability to account for every major and minor variable affecting a bullets trajectory. In addition to the standard variables like atmospherics, uphill/downhill angles and wind, MOBALL also has the ability to account for more subtle ballistic effects like spin drift, Coriolis effect, and multiple winds in up to 3 zones.”
Importantly, Bryan’s MOBALL device can employ Ballistic Coefficients (BCs) referenced to the G7 standard. Compared to the older G1 BC model, the G7 BC standard better matches the characterics of the long, boat-tail bullets actually used by long-range shooters. Trajectories calculated using the G7 BC are more accurate for long-range bullets because the G7 BC doesn’t vary with velocity like the conventional G1 BC.
 
The difference between G1 and G7 BCs is explained online in the Berger Blog article A Better Ballistic Coefficient. The subject is also discussed in detail in Chapter 2 of Bryan’s Applied Ballistics book.
 At $290.00, MOBALL isn’t the least expensive option for a mobile ballistics device, but that price includes the TI Voyage 200 graphing calculator, worth $180.00 by itself. Bryan adds: “As already mentioned, the feature set is extensive, and the software is much more sophisticated than most ballistics programs designed for PDAs. The solution is VERY accurate (CLICK to download MOBALL Accuracy Report). Also, the TI Voyage 200 is an impressive device itself, capable of solving advanced engineering and math problems. If you’re a high school/college student, engineer, etc, the TI Voyage 200 can be used for many school and work tasks unrelated to ballistics.”
Save $20 on MOBALL and Ballistics Book Combo
As a special Holiday Offer valid through December 31, 2009, you can save money when purchasing MOBALL and Bryan’s Applied Ballistics book together. The book and MOBALL unit are being offered as a Holiday Combo Set for $309.95. That’s a $20 savings over the $329.95 cost of purchasing both book and MOBALL unit separately.
December 13th, 2009
Looking for a position that lets you work from home and be involved with many of the leading organizations in the gun industry, such as Ruger, Smith & Wesson, and the USAMU? The U.S. Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) is seeking a coordinator for its annual Steel Challenge competition, held each summer in Southern California.
The Steel Challenge Coordinator will assist in producing the Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships. The successful candidate must be good with details, able to meet deadlines, have a good working knowledge of Excel spreadsheets, and have some event experience. The position also requires some Shooting Sports Industry experience and working with sponsors. The Coordinator will work from home but must be able to travel to the SHOT Show and the World Speed Shooting Championships. To apply for the job, send email to Scott Moore, SSC Director, scott@steelchallenge.com, or call (602) 687-9675.
December 12th, 2009
Texas discount vendor CDNN Investments has released its latest 2009-5 catalog (30 mb PDF file). As usual, the catalog features big discounts on handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Among the many bargains, we spotted two exceptional deals in the latest CDNN catalog….
 Half-Price Kahles Hunting Scopes
CDNN acquired a selection of 1″-tube Kahles Helia CL hunting scopes and is selling them at liquidation prices. Kahles is a highly respected Austrian optics-maker. We wouldn’t say that Kahles is on a par with Swarovski or Schmidt & Bender, but Kahles scopes are very high quality, with excellent glass, etched reticles (no reticle wires to drift or break), wide field of view, +2/-3.5 diopter eyepiece, and very good fit and finish. If you’re looking for a quality 3-9 or 4-12 hunting scope, here’s a chance to own a premium European scope for a “below wholesale” price.
CLICK HERE for CDNN KAHLES Scope Sale Order Page.
 Uncle Mike’s Holster for $9.99
CDNN is selling the Uncle Mike’s straight drop belt holster for half price — just $9.99. Models are available for popular Beretta, Glock, HK, Ruger, S&W, SIG, Springfield, and Walther pistols. The holster is made from injection-molded Kydex. Injection molding allows for a MUCH more precise fit than the typical folded-over Kydex holster. This editor has used this injection-molded Uncle Mike’s holster for my Glocks and HKs, and the fit is excellent. The handgun is secure but the draw is easy. Injection-molding allows nice straight corners, so the plastic doesn’t bind or grab as with many “hand-made” Kydex holsters. If you want an “on the belt” holster, I highly recommend this model. You may be surprised to see how much better it works than holsters costing 5 or 10 times as much.
Don’t be put off by the low price. This editor owns and uses Uncle Mike’s injection molded holsters for various handguns. I consider this the best outside-belt holster I’ve ever tried. It is clearly superior to a $85 Blade-Tech Kydex I had for an HK USP, and, I have to admit, it works better than the pretty $125 Milt Sparks leather holster I had custom-made for a 1911. The straight-drop is ideal for range use, and in a vehicle you can wear it on the left-side as a cross-draw (CCW permit required). These holsters fit close to your belt and all metal fittings are recessed or covered so they don’t scratch your gun. IMPORTANT: All plastic/Kydex holsters will cause some wear on high-gloss blued finishes. If your pistol is high-gloss blued, I suggest a soft leather holster instead.
December 10th, 2009
 Our recent post about Norway’s annual Landsskytterstevnet (Rifle Country Fair) marksmanship competition was very popular. American sling-shooters noticed how Norway’s marksmen used a different sling set-up and how the Norwegians were using their middle finger or ring finger to pull the trigger. This allows faster cycling of the bolt in rapid-fire competition.
CLICK HERE for more Landsskytterstevnet streaming videos
Unfortunately, some of our readers with slower internet connections were not able to stream the video from the Norwegian server. Here are two YouTube videos posted by reader ICECOOL from Norway. The first shows John O. Ågotnes shooting rapidfire in the Stangskyting discipline (25-second time limit). The gun is a Sauer 200 STR (Scandinavian Target Rifle) chambered in 6.5×55.
The second video, below, shows competitors in a 3-position (standing, kneeling, prone) shooting competition at the 2008 Samlagsskyting Finals. This provides good closeups of the Norsk sling arrangement. Note also the electronic scoring technology which instantly plots the shots on the target. This makes it exciting to watch the match… tension builds until the final shot. American clubs could benefit from electronic scoring which allows the crowd to follow the action.
 ICECOOL has posted more links to Norway shooting match videos on the Firing Line Forum. Many of these matches are actually broadcast live, in prime-time, by Norwegian Television.
One interesting fact about Norway’s shooting matches is that they are partly funded by the Norwegian government. On the Firing Line Forum, member UltimaThule noted that: “The National Rifle Assn. of Norway receives financial support from the Department of Defence — 1/10 of one per cent of the National defence budget. What would your anti-gun people say if the American NRA got $560 million dollars a year from the government?”
December 9th, 2009
Are you a crack shot and want to be a Hollywood Star? Pilgrim Films (producers of American Chopper, Dirty Jobs, Ghost Hunters, and The Ultimate Fighter) is casting a new television show about marksmanship for the History Channel. If you are skilled with a pistol, rifle or any other firearm, you could win $100,000 in prizes on Top Shot, a new marksmanship competition TV show. The History Channel is looking for anyone with “mind-blowing shooting skills and a big personality” for the new show. According to the producers, “As long as you’re in good physical shape, have mastered a firearm and can adapt to new weapons and demanding physical situations, you could be America’s first ‘Top Shot’.”
To apply, email TopShotCasting@gmail.com with your name, city/state, phone number, a recent photo of yourself and a brief explanation of why you are America’s “Top Shot”. For more info, call 818-728-3729. Deadline to apply is January 18, 2010.
December 9th, 2009
In Norway, the annual Landsskytterstevnet (Rifle Country Fair) is Norway’s largest shooting tournament. One of the most popular Landsskytterstevnet events is a rapid-fire competition. The objective is to achieve the most hits on multiple targets in the alloted time period (typically 25 seconds or less). In some stages, all targets are at the same distance, while in other stages the shooters engage targets at 3 or 4 different distances.
You would think that a semi-automatic rifle would dominate the rapid-fire matches, but that isn’t the case. In the video linked below, civilian shooters with mag-fed Sauer 200 STR bolt-action target rifles outpace Norwegian army personnel using HK select-fire rifles in semi-auto mode. You’ll be amazed to see how fast the civilians can shoot their target rifles. It’s a great video… be patient and let it load from the Norwegian server.
CLICK HERE to load MATCH VIDEO (May take 30 seconds or more to load page).
 Crowds Cheer Shooters
Equally amazing is the size of the crowd and the spectators’ enthusiasm. We’ve never seen anything like this in the USA. Over 1000 Norwegian fans are clapping, cheering, and singing during the match. You’d think this was a Big Ten Football game! Obviously the Norwegians love their shooting sports. Electronic scoring and big display screens allow the crowd to follow the fast-paced action.
Thanks to Gary Eliseo for finding this video. Gary says: “Check out how the boltgunners manipulate the bolt and operate the trigger, also how the gas gunners struggle to keep up! Looks like great fun, were going to try to put on a ‘Stangshoot’ like this at BRRC (Burbank Rifle & Revolver Club) next year.”
December 7th, 2009
Adam Braverman of Nammo-Lapua just confirmed that Lapua, at the behest of the U.S. Palma team, has been quietly developing a NEW version of the .308 Winchester cartridge that has a small BR-style primer pocket. That’s right, this is no joke. Lapua has crafted small primer pocket .308 Winchester brass that will be introduced at SHOT Show in Las Vegas (Jan. 19-22).
The new .308 variant is identical to Lapua’s current .308 match brass with the exception of the primer pocket. The brass will be head-stamped “.308 Win Lapua Palma”.
FLASH HOLES: The flash-hole size for the current pre-production .308 Lapua Palma brass is 1.5mm (.059″), the same as Lapua 6mmBR and 220 Russian brass. Lapua spokesmen were not certain if the flash hole size will change for the regular production brass. Note: if you have a Redding .308 die, you can ask Redding for a smaller decapping rod tip (.057″) to use with the new brass.
Tests Reveal Better ES and SD with Small Primers
Initial tests of the small primer pocket .308 by U.S. Palma team members have been very promising. The small primer pocket case seems to have advantages in both accuracy and the ability to handle high-pressure loads. However, the primary improvement found with the smaller primer is reduced ES and SD. Palma Team members have found that, with almost every brand of primer tested (small vs. large), the smaller version has yielded reduced Extreme Spread and Standard Deviation. This pays dividends in 1000-yard shooting. Also, some testers believe that small primers are more consistent and require less sorting — and that there are more varieties of small primers that seem to work really well in the .308 case. Moreover, the small primer types are more uniform, from lot to lot, than are large primers, according to some testers. More info will follow later today.
December 6th, 2009
 Women’s participation in hunting and the shooting sports is going up, according to new data from the National Sporting Goods Association. Between 2003 and 2008, the number of women hunting with firearms rose from 2.1 million to 2.9 million; women who bowhunt rose from 400,000 to 600,000; and women who target shoot increased from 4.1 million to 4.8 million. Guides and outfitters are seeing women as a growing market, and gun clubs seeking members are often shocked at how many women will sign up, if simply given some friendly instruction. There is now even a dedicated magazine just for lady hunters, Woman Hunter.
These nationwide figures are consistent with the participation trends NRA has seen in its Women On Target program, which began in 1999. Women On Target conducts women-only hunts and instructional shooting clinics. Both provide a venue for experienced women hunters and shooters to mentor newcomers.
 While the mainstream media may be surprised that women have any interest in guns, the Women On Target program proves otherwise. The number of clubs running Women On Target shooting clinics rose 37% from 211 in 2007 to 289 in 2009. A total of 6,066 women attended those clinics in 2007, and there should nearly 8,000 by the end of 2009—a 32% increase. The program’s women-only hunts are growing steadily. Ten hunts are planned for 2010. Click here for 2010 hunt schedule.
Editor’s Comment: Signing up more women members may be the single most important thing gun clubs can do to improve “public relations”. In mainstream media reports on firearms, the bias is too often negative. However, when women shooters/hunters are the focus of a media story, the overall slant is often very positive. The news media like stories about women who succeed in a male-dominated sport such as shooting. Moreover, women-only shooting events are usually shown to be fun and “empowering”, while women shooters are, more often than not, portrayed in a positive light.
December 5th, 2009
If you’re not familiar with the short-range benchrest game, and want to learn more about this most precise of all shooting disciplines, Canada’s Peter Cronhelm has prepared an excellent summary of Benchrest Basics. Cronhelm covers everything from the origins of the PPC cartridge, to the special lingo used at short-range benchrest matches.
Terminology
Bughole: Very small group.
Mothball: The 10-ring on the standard Benchrest Target.
Tomato Stake: A worn out or otherwise inaccurate rifle barrel.
Screamer: A group measuring less than 0.100″ at 100 yards or less than 0.250” at 200 yards.
Weather Report: A Group “scattered” as a result of poor wind doping.
Wailing Wall: Place where targets that have been scored can be viewed by competitors.
Dope the Wind: Ccompensate for the effects of wind by shifting aiming points on the target.
‘Ultimate PPC’ by Speedy with engraved Stiller Viper action.
Competition — Benchrest for Group
Matches are usually shot at 100 and 200 yards with some including the 300-yard distance. Individual scores are determined by measuring the actual size of the 5-round group[.] Aggregate scores are the average of all the groups shot over the course of the match. [In short-range benchrest for group] the placing of the group on the record target is not considered, only the size of the group.
At the top levels, 5-round groups are usually a single ragged hole in the target. To ensure that the competitors fire 5 rounds into the target, a moving backer paper is installed behind the record target. This way it is easy for the match officials to see that all 5 rounds were fired. For each target, there is normally no limit to the number of sighting rounds a competitor may fire, but there is a time limit for record fire.
A total of 5 groups (per class) are fired in a typical Benchrest match. Winning aggregate scores are commonly in the 2s (less than 0.3 inches), with individual groups in the 1s now common, and individual groups in the zeros (less than 0.1 inches) becoming more common.
How is it possible to fire a group measuring only 0.1 inches across with a bullet that is 0.243 inches in diameter? Group sizes are measured from center to center of the two widest bullet holes. As a result bullet size is removed from the equation and groups from different caliber rifles can be compared on equal terms.
If you want to learn about “point-blank” BR, give Peter’s well-written article a read. Found on the Canadian National Firearms Assn. website, Peter’s fact-filled summary provides a quick but thorough explanation of the rules, gear, and shooting styles used in the short-range benchrest game.
Black Rifle and Targets photos courtesy Jim Borden, www.BordenRifles.com. |
December 3rd, 2009
The CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program) Sales division has secured a limited supply of Remington Model 40X target rifles and 40X barreled actions. The rifles are single shot, bolt-action rifles returned to Army inventory by ROTC and JROTC units. What remains for sale are heavy-barreled target rifles with standard stocks (item R22M40XHB), plus 40X models with shortened stocks for juniors (item R22M40XHBSS). These rifles are missing the front and rear sights, handstops, slings, and the intermediate bases for mounting scopes. Otherwise, these rifles are complete and do function. Bases are present for the front and rear sights. The stocks have the typical dings, dents, gouges, and scratches, and may not be the original style with stocks possibly having aftermarket adjustable buttpads. In addition to the rifles, two kinds of 40X barreled actions are offered — either heavy barrel version or standard barrel. Prices start at $275.00 for item R22M40XBR, a stripped receiver and standard barrel (no other parts).
The Remington Model 40X is a single-shot, .22LR bolt-action rifle. Overall length is 46.5″, with a 28″, six-groove barrel (standard or heavy contour). The heavy barrel model has a barrel diameter at the muzzle of 7/8″ while the sporter model measures 3/4″ at the muzzle. All of these rifles are returns from JROTC and have been in use for decades. NOTE: Rifles are sold without sights. A limited number of sights are available (while quantities last) on the CMP Estore; click on the Part Surplus tab.
Estore Reservation Required Prior to Purchase
To order a surplus Remington 40X rifle or barreled receiver you must first reserve the item through the CMP’s Estore. Once you place this order your rifle will be reserved for the next 14 days — pending CMP receipt of your hard copy order and CMP eligibility verification. If you satisfy the eligibility requirements, you will receive a confirmation email. The Rem 40X rifles are listed under the Rifles Surplus tab. To place a reservation you must login with your CMP Estore ID or otherwise create a new account at https://estore.odcmp.com/Store/login/login.aspx.
Credit Forum Member Gary Wood for finding this Rem 40X sale opportunity. Thanks Gary!
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