First, we’d like to wish all our readers a happy, safe, and prosperous New Year. We hope that, in 2009, you’ll have time to enjoy your precision rifles, and spend more time at the range, hopefully with good friends that share your “addiction to accuracy”.
We are working on a major site upgrade for 2009. This should make the site faster and easier to navigate (with better access to the archives). The Forum, Bulletin, and site content will be better integrated. Plus we can make the Classified Ads section in our Forum much more user-friendly. We also plan more product tests. We have a brand new 6-6.5×47/6.5×47 switch barrel rifle ready for testing. This will help us provide data for a planned 6.5×47 Cartridge Guide. We’ve also assembled six chronographs for a chrono comparison “shoot-out”. And we will continue to showcase a wide variety of accurate rifles in our ongoing “Gun of the Week” feature.
But to do all that, we need your support.
As your Editor, Moderator, Photo Guru, Videographer, and Site Programmer, I’m maxing out on the number of hours available in each week (I work 7 days a week on the site). For the site to continue to expand its content, we need to bring in paid helpers. Right now, Google Analytics estimates the site reaches over 50,000 shooters every WEEK. If the majority of those users could provide a small donation every year, we could deliver MORE stories, MORE tests, MORE Gun of the Week features, and provide more of the photos and videos everyone enjoys. (Yes commercial sponsors help greatly, but their contributions alone won’t do the job.)
In the past quarter a couple dozen guys have generously donated to the site. I want to again thank all those who have contributed. But that still leaves tens of thousands of users who use the site regularly without contributing one penny.
Here’s my proposal. First, if you have used our FREE Classifieds to successfully sell your rifles or shooting gear, consider sending in a dollar or two from your sale proceeds. Second, for those who use the site regularly, consider donating One Dollar a Month. That’s less than the price of a cup of coffee and much less than many websites now charge for their “premium content areas”. Consider this — what do you pay for a movie ticket these days? Probably $7-8 dollars for 90 minutes of escapism. For a buck a month you can help this site provide a YEAR’s worth of info, tests, and shooting news that you won’t find anywhere else.
Making a donation to the site is simple and easy. Just scoll down to the bottom of this page and click the DONATE Button to make a donation. You don’t need a Paypal account to contribute. Any sum is welcome — donations need not be large. If 20% of our readers gave even $5.00 a year we could hire a staffer to do research, create videos, and help with field tests.
If you don’t like Paypal, you can send a check. Make the check payable to our Asst. Editor Jason Baney, list your Forum Name (if any), and mail the check to:
Molded polymer stocks are light and inexpensive. However, they tend to be flexy and hard to bed. Savage has engineered a solution to this. The new Savage “AccuStock” employs an aluminum inner section combining a bedding block with a “spine” in the forearm. According to Savage: “With its integral aluminum spine that runs from the action down the length of the forearm, the AccuStock is the most rigid factory polymer stock in the marketplace. No matter how hot the weather or the barrel, the forend stays rock-solid and the barrel remains free-floating.”
The aluminum cradle surrounding the action is more than a conventional bedding block. The AccuStock uses a wedge bolt to push the recoil lug back into the aluminum spine to prevent any movement forward and aft, while the bedding cradle squeezes the action from the sides when the action screws are tightened. That is something new, and it seems like a promising design. Savage explains: “Pillar-bedded and v-block stocks, as good as they are, only apply bedding pressure on one axis, up and down.” By contrast, the new AccuStock is designed to grip the action from the sides as well as the bottom.
The AccuStock bedding block system will be initially offered in just two Savage models, the Model 10 FCP, and the Model 10 Precision Carbine. The 10 FCP comes in .308 Win and .223 Rem, and features a 24″ fluted, heavy barrel, a detachable Box Magazine (DBM), and a new (for Savage), factory muzzle brake. The Model 10 Precision Carbine will also be chamberd in .308 and .223. It will have a 20″ medium-contour barrel, detachable box magazine, but no muzzle brake.
Smith & Wesson has announced a recall of the bolts of all i-Bolt rifles manufactured by Smith & Wesson prior to December 1, 2008. This applies to all i-Bolt rifle chamberings. The potential problem is a flaw within the striker mechanism that would allow discharge without pulling the trigger. S&W’s recall notice explains: “A condition that may exist with the bolt supplied with some rifles that would allow the striker to become disengaged from its locking tabs during cycling of the bolt, allowing the rifle to fire without the trigger being pulled. In the interest of consumer safety, we are initiating this recall to allow for the prompt inspection and, if necessary, the repair and replacement of each bolt.” Owners need not return the entire rifle, but you may be asked to return your bolt assembly for inspection, and (if necessary), repair.
Smith & Wesson advises all i-Bolt rifle owners to contact Smith & Wesson directly at 1-800-331-0852 or send email to ibolt@smith-wesson.com to arrange for the inspection and repair, if necessary, of your bolt. You may also use THIS LINK to enter your i-Bolt return information. Smith & Wesson can then provide a prepaid UPS shipping form and shipping instructions.
2008 was a remarkable year in terms of global events. From the on-going conflict in the Middle East to the spectacle of the Beijing Olympics, this was a year to remember. The Boston.com website has collected some of the year’s most remarkable images from around the world. You’ll find many of the photos to be amazing, although be fore-warned, some are shockingly graphic — showing the aftermath of terrorism. There are three sets of images. All three sets are worth viewing. We wish we could give you a preview but all these images are copyrighted, so you’ll just have to click on the links. We predict your reaction will be “Wow… amazing.”
To raise funds for this website, we are putting our 20 Practical AR “Ultimate Varminter” up for auction. This is a proven tack-driver, a one-of-a-kind special that you can’t buy from anyone else. Bushmaster, DPMS, Remington, Stag, Fulton Armory etc. can’t deliver a rifle with a Bartlein barrel that absolutely hammers, and nobody else can give you a gun complete with bag-riders, side-charging handle, Jewell trigger, and GG&G extended site rail. The gun is essentially new, with less than 100 test rounds through the barrel.
Send Bids to Mailbox@6mmBR.com. Minimum Bid is $1700.00. Auction Ends 1/9/09.
If the truth be known, this rifle would be sitting in MY safe if California allowed me to purchase an AR15. But my loss is your gain. Minimum bid for this rifle is $1700.00. You’d have to pay a lot more just for the components. This rifle is a “dream to shoot” according to Robert Whitley. Robert says: “the recoil is almost non-existent. With the bag-riders, the gun tracks like it was on rails. No problem seeing your hits. And it’s incredibly easy to shoot really small groups. The last 5-shot group through the gun went into a measured 0.257″ and that’s with almost no load development.” In the video below, you can watch Robert shoot the rifle.
The Auction closes midnight Eastern time, January 9, 2009. As noted, minimum bid is $1700.00, and an FFL is required for delivery. If you have any questions, send email to mailbox@6mmBR.com.
Major Website Upgrade Planned
We are currently involved in a major site upgrade that will provide many benefits for our readers. Older articles will be easier to find. Pages should display faster. The Bulletin will be more closely integrated with the site (with popular articles linked to the home page). The Forum area will be updated with a more sophisticated classifieds area. To put this all in place will cost many thousands of dollars. That’s one reason for this auction. Proceeds from the sale of the 20 Practical AR will be used to help pay for the site upgrade.
This fall, David Waters of Glenbrook, New South Wales, Australia, became the first non-American to earn the Distinguished Rifleman Badge. To accomplish this feat, Waters said he spent $45,000, traveled over 100,000 miles, and shot over 6,000 rounds of ammunition during 50 actual days of competition. That’s dedication! In fact, the born and raised Australian highpower shooter is the first non-U.S. citizen to achieve Distinguished Rifleman status according to contemporary records. Prior to the mid-1980s, National Match and Excellence-In-Competition (EIC) matches were open only to U.S. citizens. It’s believed that the regulation was relaxed when the military draft was replaced by an all-volunteer military.
Waters clinched the prestigious award at the Texas State Rifle Association’s Excellence-in-Competition Match on 26 October, hosted by CMP and the Texas Army National Guard.
The 37-year old Waters is the founder and president of the Australian International High Power Association (AIHPA). He began shooting at age 10 and fired his first competitive shot at 19. Waters holds include several regional, national and world records primarily in high power and benchrest events. Waters began shooting internationally when he was 26. He shoots nearly every weekend at home and leaves Australia to compete overseas about six times a year. Waters explained: “I mainly shoot high power rifle now, which has been the case for about six years. [But] I also shoot Olympic trench shotgun and police (service) pistol.”
We wish all of our readers a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. We hope you’re enjoying time with your family today, whether you’re basking in the sun in Australia, or shoveling snow up in Finland near the Arctic Circle.
We want to take this opportunity to thank all the folks who have generously donated to the site over the past year. (Please, if you’ve donated and are a Forum member, tell us your Forum “nickname” so we can acknowledge your contribution).
We also want to thank the many individuals who help this site by donating time and effort and/or writing articles. This includes Jason Baney, Vince Bottomley, John Brewer, Mike Bryant, Brand Cole, Richard Franklin, Speedy Gonzales, “Graymist”, Dan Lilja, Bryan Litz, Chris (“Techshooter”) Long, Larry Medler, Danny Reever, German Salazar, Jerry Tierney, and members of the USAMU. We also want to acknowledge the dozens of fine shooters who have helped us with the Guns of the Week features. They have spent much time and effort to bring you their stories and photos. And we want to say thanks to our commercial sponsors that have supported the site through advertising or donated items for auction this year.
AccurateShooter.com sends our best holiday wishes to our many readers worldwide. (According to Google Analytics, over 50,000 shooters worldwide access our site every week.) To make the holiday season a little more festive, we found a promotion that will give you FREE Beck’s BEER. That’s right, if you pay for a six-pack of Beck’s beer, the brewers will refund your purchase price up to $9.00*.
What’s the catch? You have to purchase the beer first, then mail in your sales receipt, the barcode (UPC) label from the package, and a Rebate Form. Mail-in deadline is 1/19/2009. Also, in some states the offer is not valid (Sorry Guys… complain to your state legislators). But otherwise, this is a bonafied deal. Free beer for the holidays… what’s not to like?
*Via mail-in rebate. Rebate amount will be equivalent to purchase price, excluding sales tax, not to exceed $9.00. Purchase must occur between 12/8/08-1/5/09. Offer good to residents of AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, MA, MD, MI, MN, MS, MT, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TN, VA, VT, WA, WI, and WY only. Request must be received by 1/19/09.
The NSSF, through its “Step Outside” program, suggests you invite someone to go hunting or shooting this Holiday season. For those last-minute shoppers struggling to find a gift, there’s always the gift of hunting and shooting. Through NSSF’s StepOutside.org web page, visitors can now deliver that gift in the form of an invitation to go hunting or shooting. Your e-mail invitation will feature an outdoor photograph with a personalized message from you.
If you go on a shooting excursion before the end of the year (Dec. 31, 2008), you can enter the Step Outside Sweepstakes, and get a chance to win one of five $1,000 gift certificates to Bass Pro Shops. To be eligible, you must “mentor” a new shooter and complete a survey describing your experiences. Submission Deadline is January 1, 2009.
Yep, there’s only two more shopping days left before Christmas. If you didn’t order months ago, Santa probably won’t arrive with a new gain-twist barrel, carbon-fiber stock, custom action, and 10-40×56 Benchrest scope on Christmas day. The expensive goodies required advance planning. However, there’s still time to do some online shopping for other gun gear, with delivery later this week.
Here are a few suggestions for Stocking Stuffers:
Handy Tools:
• Hood Kwik Estimator — Use this handy $2.50 tool to measure your 6mm groups. Bracket the group within the diverging lines of the Kwik Estimator to get a close approximation of group size.
• Hornady Comparator body with Comparator — This simple device, mounted on your calipers, lets you measure the base to ogive of your bullets, or bottom of rim to ogive of your loaded rounds. A “must-have”.
• Pin Vise with #53 Bit — This will let you clean up the flash hole of Lapua PPC and BR cases. The number 53 bit measures .0595″, the perfect size for the .059″ BR flashholes.
Solvents and lubes:
• Ballistol — Extremely versatile, non-toxic case cleaner/lube. Use this to remove the carbon from the necks of your cases. It is also an outstanding case lube for regular resizing of small cases.
• CARB-OUT — The product name explains its function. The stuff plain works on carbon–as well or better than anything out there.
• Eezox — This product outperformed Break-Free and most other rust preventatives in our tests. It displaces water and leave a dry barrier on the surface of metal. Use it on your barrels, dies, and tools.
• Kroil — A classic penetrating lube, Kroil has myriad uses in the reloading room and home workshop. It can be combined with other solvents and used for bore cleaning.
• KG12 — Tests have shown KG12 to be a super-effective copper cleaner. It works fast and there’s no ammonia smell. Should you dump your other bore cleaners? No. But we recommend you give KG12 a try.
Full Holiday Buyer’s Guide
For more Holiday shopping ideas, check out our 2006 Holiday Buyers’ Guide. In that story we recommended dozens of products ranging in price from $1.99 to over $2000.00. While prices have changed since 2006, you’ll still find many bargains among the featured items in the Buyers’ Guide.
In the past quarter a couple dozen guys have generously donated to the site. I want to again thank all those who have contributed. But that still leaves tens of thousands of users who use the site regularly without contributing one penny.
2008 was a remarkable year in terms of global events. From the on-going conflict in the Middle East to the spectacle of the Beijing Olympics, this was a year to remember. The 
We wish all of our readers a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. We hope you’re enjoying time with your family today, whether you’re basking in the sun in Australia, or shoveling snow up in Finland near the Arctic Circle.
Yep, there’s only two more shopping days left before Christmas. If you didn’t order months ago, Santa probably won’t arrive with a new gain-twist barrel, carbon-fiber stock, custom action, and 10-40×56 Benchrest scope on Christmas day. The expensive goodies required advance planning. However, there’s still time to do some online shopping for other gun gear, with delivery later this week.
