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October 19th, 2009
 We received this news from Chip Lohman, Managing Editor of Shooting Sports USA.
Chip tells us that: “Beginning in January, 2010, NRA Tournament News will be distributed as a bi-monthly newsletter of NRA-sanctioned tournament schedules and local match results from the free online edition of Shooting Sports USA magazine. Subscribers who prefer delivery [via] their traditional mailbox may purchase an annual subscription for $15. To order, please call 877-NRA-2000 or send a check (made payable to NRA) to: NRA Tournament News, c/o National Rifle Association of America, PO Box 420674, Palm Coast, FL 32164-0674 and provide the following subscription code: M9KTNEWS.”
Chris adds: “We’re excited about this, but hard-pressed to get the word out to those who need it the most -– those without a computer. Please ask readers to pass the word.”
October 18th, 2009
This past week, Remington held a new products seminar in Kerrville, TX. While Remington tried to impose a “news embargo” through November 15, details leaked out about many of Remington’s new guns.
The big news is the planned release of a civilian, semi-auto version of the Adaptive Combat Rifle (ACR). The Guns and Hunting Blog “spilled the beans”, revealing that Remington plans to sell a semi-auto ACR in the civilian market, starting in the first half of 2010. Based on a Magpul prototype, the ACR has been under development for two years, as a collaboration between Bushmaster and Remington. Price for the civilian ACR is expected to be under $2000, considerably less than the FN SCAR, a similar weapon now being tested by the U.S. Military.
The civilian version of the modular ACR will likely sport a 16.5″, 1:7″ twist barrel standard. Multiple barrel lengths can be fitted (see diagram above), and barrels can be changed without tools. Remarkably the entire gun can be field-stripped down to six major components in under 90 seconds. The ACR features integral rails on top of the receiver and on the forearm. The buttstock adjusts for length and also folds back using a hinge at the rear of the receiver. The charging handle is non-reciprocating. Weight with a 14.5″ barrel (no magazine) is 7 pounds.
Adam Heggenstaller of Guns and Hunting reports: “The consumer version will be offered with a 16.5-inch barrel, but Bushmaster will also be making barrels with lengths of 10.5, 14.5 and 18 inches. The first version of the ACR will be chambered in 5.56×45 mm, of course, but since a tool-less disassembly allows you to change bolt heads, barrels and magazines, the ACR can be user-configured to run with other cartridges as well. Ongoing development will focus on the 6.8 mm Rem. SPC, 7.62×39 mm, a yet-to-be-disclosed 6.5 mm round and the .30 Rem AR.”
October 18th, 2009
The New England Disabled Sports Paralympic Biathlon Academy (NEDS) recently sponsored a paralympic biathlon event, hosted at the Pemigewasset Fish & Game Club in New Hampshire.
 At the biathlon, disabled shooters competed alongside able-bodied competitors. While this was a Paralympic Academy event, the biathlon competition was open to both disabled and non-disabled. There were multiple divisions to accommodate everyone: mountain bike, running, walking and wheelchair. All stages of fire were off-hand (no prone), to equalize the match for wheelchair-bound competitors.
 NRA’s Disabled Shooting Manager Vanessa Warner attended the event, competing from a wheelchair (though she is able-bodied). This helped her experience some of the challenges that face disabled shooters. Vanessa reports: “The wheelchair course consisted of five loops with four stages of shooting. We did a loop first and then shot. Shooting in the biathlon is very difficult because the athlete shoots with the same arms [used] to propel the chair. Shooting from a seated position is hard enough but doing so with arms that were already stressed is more difficult than one can imagine.
An offhand biathlon target is about the size of a tennis ball and is shot from a distance 50 meters. No easy task when tired, out of breath, and with a racing pulse. Competitors fired five shots at each stage. If you missed, you were assessed a time penalty. I hit all five targets in only one of the four stages and hit as few as two. The final loop was the hardest. My shooting was finished but I still had to get to the firing line. By then my arms were rubber and my shoulders cramped in ways I didn’t know possible.”
Following the biathlon, NEDS conducted a shooting clinic for people with disabilities, followed by a short target competition. Jeff Krill was the champion with a 100-7X score.
Photos and story courtesy NRABlog.com.
October 17th, 2009
The Editor Speaketh: For the past two and a half years, every day I’ve prepared new Daily Bulletin postings for you guys. Rain or shine, without a single day off — 956 days in a row to be precise. But today’s my birthday, and, well, I decided to take a day off and go shooting.
Don’t fret — so dedicated readers don’t go through Bulletin withdrawal, here are quick links to some of our “Greatest Hits” from 2009 — the coolest videos and the most interesting stories. For each item, click the blue link to read the full, original story. NOTE: when you get to the bottom of the page, click “Older Posts” for even MORE Greatest Hits!
As for me … I’ll be sending some lead downrange.
Greatest Hits: Anschutz Photo Shoot Video — Babes ‘N Arms”
Great-looking blond handling state-of-the-art German firearams. What’s not to like?
October 17th, 2009
LINK: Savage Long-Range Rifle 1169-yard Shot
You have to love a company that demonstrates the accuracy of its product at 1169 yards. Cool video indeed.
October 17th, 2009
LINK: Shocking Video of Catastrophic Barrel Failure
Sweet Mother of Mercy, watch the barrel of this hunter’s Browning A-Bolt rifle peel back like a banana skin. Obstructed barrel? Probably… but whatever the cause, this is an amazing and profoundingly frightening video.
October 16th, 2009
 Krieger Barrels, respected maker of cut-rifled match and hunting barrels, announced it will offer 5R rifling for 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm, and .308 caliber barrels. This kind of rifling features 5 lands and 5 grooves, but the lands are angled (slanted) on the sides (rather than 90°) for a gentler transition between land and groove. Krieger’s 5R rifling slants BOTH the leading and trailing edge of the lands (unlike “ratchet” rifling which is angled on one side only). 5R rifling also places each land opposite a groove. Having lands opposing grooves, along with slanted sides on the lands, is thought to give a better gas seal and reduced fouling. Additionally, some folks believe 5R rifling reduces jacket deformation by displacing less jacket metal. Overall, proponents of 5R rifling say it helps a barrel foul less and deliver more velocity than conventional rifling.
5R rifling will add $30 to the cost of a Krieger barrel. Krieger will NOT offer 5R rifling for gas gun barrels. Additionally, 5R rifling is offered only for constant twist-rate barrels. So, you can NOT get a gain twist barrel with 5R rifling. At this time 5R rifling is limited to 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm, and 30 caliber bores, as listed in Krieger’s official announcement:
“Thanks to approval by Boots Obermeyer, Krieger Barrels, Inc. is now offering the true Obermeyer 5-R rifling pattern as an option on limited calibers with our barrels. We are very proud of the fact that Krieger Barrels was chosen as the only Obermeyer-approved maker of his style of 5-R rifling in North America. At this time we are limiting the 5-R option to the calibers listed below, but may offer others in the future as greater demand arises. There is a $30.00 up-charge to the base cost of the barrel for 5-R rifling. Currently available calibers:
– 6mm (.236″ & .237″ bore diameters, .243″ groove)
– 6.5mm (.256″ bore, .264″ groove)
– 7mm (.277″ bore, .284″ groove)
– .30T Palma (.3065″, .3070″ & .3075″ groove diameters)
– .308 cal (.300″ bore, .308″ groove)
5-R rifling is ONLY available in standard bore/groove dimensions listed and standard twist rates at this time. Please call if you have questions about availability of a certain caliber/twist combination. Please note, we are not, and have no plans to offer 5-R rifling in our finished ‘Gas Gun’ lines of M14, M1 Garand, AR-15, and AR-10 variants.”
5R Rifling in Production Guns
In the past, limited runs of Remington 700 tactical rifles, including some LE and SS (stainless special) models, have been offered with factory hammer-forged 5R barrels. These rifles have a reputation for shooting faster and more accurately than Rem 700s with conventional factory barrels. The Remington 5R barrels, though based on Obermeyer designs and similar to Mike Rock 5R barrels produced for the Army’s M24 sniper rifles, are NOT cut-rifled, but are produced in-house using the hammer-forging process.
Thompson/Center (T/C) Icon and Venture rifles currently feature 5R factory barrels. On T/C 5R barrels, the sides of each land are cut at a 65° angle vs. a 90° angle for standard rifling. See diagram. T/C claims that “because the edges of each land do not cut into and deform the bullet jacket… there will be less jacket fouling in the grooves”. T/C says this produces “greater bullet stability over multiple shots, and ultimately a rifle that’s easier to clean[.]”
October 14th, 2009
 RUAG Ammotec, one of Europe’s largest ammunition manufacturers, is teaming up with Florida-based Precision Ammunition LLC to distribute frangible ammunition and other products. In the past, RUAG has not seemed very interested in the US market, at least the American sport shooting market. That could change as RUAG works with Precision Ammo of Tampa, FL, which specializes in non-toxic, lead-free frangible ammo. Precision Ammunition, established in 2001, holds many patents for their Copper-Matrix NTF® Non-Toxic Frangible bullet.
RUAG’s primary goal in working with Precision Ammunition LLC is to grab a foothold in the lucrative military and law enforcement markets in the US. Cyril Kubelka, CEO of RUAG Ammotec, stated “[this alliance] establishes a US presence for the RUAG family of business to actively bid on US Government contracts.”
Florida’s Precision Ammunition LLC is best known for its Copper-Matrix NTF® Non-Toxic Frangible bullet. Copper-Matrix NTF is particularly well-suited for training law enforcement, military and security personnel, as well as being ideal for use in shooting ranges. “RUAG Ammotec and Precision Ammunition are a perfect fit for each other[.] The combination of innovative bullet design with large scale, high-quality component production reflects the increasing demand for non-toxic frangible ammunition”, added Kubelka of RUAG.
 More RUAG Products in the Pipeline?
Hopefully RUAG may use its new partnership (with Precision Ammunition) to expand distribution of its ammo and reloading components in the USA as well. RUAG Ammotec is the parent company of RWS, Rottweil, GECO, Norma and Hirtenberger. RUAG makes outstanding brass in many popular calibers, and the RWS brass is as good as it gets. It would be great to be able to purchase RUAG, RWS, and Hirtenberger products through regular commercial channels in the USA. Prior to the introduction of 6.5×47 Lapua, some American shooters tried to import RUAG 6×47 match brass on a “group buy” basis. All those efforts failed because RUAG demanded a minimum order in excess of 250,000 pieces, paid in advance.
RUAG Ammotec Ltd. has approximately 1,600 employees worldwide at production sites in Germany, Switzerland, Hungary and Sweden, and operates sales companies in Austria, the UK, Belgium and France. The Group’s holding company is based in Berne, Switzerland.
October 14th, 2009
 For the third straight year, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has provided $100,000 to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Shooting Sports Grant Program. “The future of shooting sports is bright in the Boy Scouts of America,” said Frank Reigelman, who oversees the grant program. “Shooting sports [are] among the most popular camp activities at all levels of the BSA and we are seeing an expansion of year-round programs. Today, many BSA councils offer weekend programs throughout the year. The BSA Shooting Sports Grant provides important funding to improve and expand opportunities to attract new members and retain the interest of our current Scouts.”
We applaud the NSSF in supporting Boy Scout marksmanship training. We need more programs that offer firearms handling and safety instruction to young people. Unfortunately, in some jurisdictions, gun-phobic politicians have sponsored legislation that would make it more difficult for Scout training programs to acquire ammunition or to conduct shooting clinics on public land. Hopefully, with the support of organizations such as the NSSF, we’ll continue to see young Scouts earning their Rifle Shooting Merit badges for many years to come.
CLICK HERE for Boy Scout Rifle Shooting Merit Badge Requirements
October 12th, 2009
 California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 962 yesterday. Consequently, effective February 1, 2011, Californians will have to provide complete personal information, plus a thumbprint, to buy pistol ammunition. In addition, the bill requires that all pistol ammo sales be “face to face”. This could effectively ban mail-order ammunition sales in California. Cabela’s, a leading outdoor retailer, has told customers that it will stop shipping ammo to California if AB 962 became law.
Though AB 962 was designed to control pistol ammunition purchases, it will also affect rifle ammunition sales because California law defining pistol ammo is broad and vague. Basically, AB 962 could be extended to virtually any ammo which has ever been used in a pistol. That certainly will include 22LR, 22 Magnum, .221 Fireball, and .223 Rem for starters.
Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed similar legislation a few years ago, based on the fact that a similar federal scheme had been tried and later abandoned as a complete failure. However, the Governor reversed himself, explaining: “Although I have previously vetoed legislation similar to this measure, local governments have demonstrated that requiring ammunition vendors to keep records on ammunition sales improves public safety. These records have allowed law enforcement to arrest and prosecute persons who have no business possessing firearms and ammunition: gang members, violent parolees, second and third strikers, and even people previously serving time in state prison for murder. Moreover, this type of record keeping is no more intrusive for law abiding citizens than similar laws governing pawnshops or the sale of cold medicine.”
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