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September 29th, 2008
Sophisticated electronic scoring systems (with acoustic targets) are used in Olympic and ISSF competition. Many such advanced systems have been installed at shooting ranges in Europe. The U.S. Army has also installed electronic targets at Ft. Benning, Georgia, but that range is restricted to military use except for a few special matches. Right now there’s just one facility with a full electronic target system that offers regular access to civilians, 12 months a year: AREA 52. In West Central Texas, southwest of Abilene, Spindler Arms LLC operates the modern AREA 52 Long Range Shooting facility. AREA 52 offers high-tech acoustic targets at four distances: 300m, 600m, 800m, and 1000 meters. Every shooter has his/her own target monitor for scoring. All target bays are on separate lines of sight, and shooters are spaced on a single line, so there is no conflict between 300m shooters and those shooting the longer distances.
 
Area 52 has scheduled three major, multi-distance competitions this fall. On October 11, AREA 52 will host a multi-distance Long Range Competition using electronic targets. The Course of Fire consists of 3 sighters and 15 record shots at each of the four metric distances (300m, 600m, 800m, 1000m). The cost is $70 per class. Max caliber is .338 Lapua Magnum. On October 25, the 3-6-8 SniperCup Challenge will be held. Limited to 50 participants, this match involves timed fire at 300, 600, and 800 meters. Thirty (30) record rounds total. There will be separate classes for semi-auto and bolt-action rifles, and the fee is $35 per class. Lastly, on November 1, Area 52 hosts a 4-distance Benchrest event with targets at 300, 600, 800, and 1000 meters. It is unusual for benchresters to be challenged at four distances this far apart, and it will be interesting to see the choice of calibers. Maybe a 6 PPC at 300 and a 300 WSM at 1000? Course of fire includes 3 sighters and 2 x 10 record rounds within 30 minutes at each distance. This is a “group-shooting” match with Score as the tie-breaker. Match fee is $ 79.00 per shooter/class/gun.
To learn more about Area 52 and the upcoming matches, visit SpindlerArms.com, or contact Wilhelm Spindler, AREA 52, 6555 N. State Hwy. 208, Robert Lee, TX 76945, phone: (325) 453-9166, email: info [at] spindlerarms.com.
September 28th, 2008
The 2008 Spirit of America (SOA) Match was a huge success. With International Team Competition on the menu this year, the SOA drew scores of top Palma shooters from around the world. Over 160 competitors came to the Whittington Range in Raton, New Mexico to compete for honors in both Full-bore Target Rifle and F-Class matches. Spc. Tyrel Cooper of the USAMU won the Target Rifle Overall Aggregate. Ty Cooper has “been on a roll lately, and has been shooting great”, according to Veteran Team member Jerry Tierney. On the F-Class side, Larry Bartholome shot consistently to top a very competitive field. Congrats to both Ty and Larry!
Team competition was a major highlight of the SOA. In the America Match* for national teams, The U.S.A. Team finished first, beating Australia (second place) and England (third place). Individual USA Team member scores are posted below. We’re pleased to see forum member Bryan Litz shooting well, and we salute Sherri Hurd. Not only was Sherri the top female shooter in the America Match, but her 597-36X score was the third best in the entire field, after England’s David Luckman (599-35X) and Team USA teammate Tyrel Cooper (597-40x).
The U.S.A. Veterans’ Team performed extremely well, actually posting the second highest team total overall. That’s right — the American veterans out-scored the National teams of Australia and the UK. “Not bad for a bunch of old guys, wouldn’t you say”, Tierney observed. For complete Match Results, visit the Bald Eagles Club website, BaldEaglesRC.org.
For the English perspective on the match, visit the Team England Website. It offers match results, tech info about the sport, and a Photo Gallery with dozens of images.
*The America Match is a major international Palma competition first hosted in 2002. Matches are held every two years. Each team is composed of eight shooters, two sub-coaches, a main coach, an adjutant, a captain and two reserves. It is a multi-distance event. Course of fire is: 2 sighters and 15 shots for record at 300, 600, 900 and 1000 yards (or 300, 600 yards and 800 and 900 meters as appropriate to the venue).
September 27th, 2008
Among our readers are fans of the ultimate “big boomer” cartridge, the 50 BMG. The fifty is popular with long-range shooters, many of whom compete in matches under the auspices of the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association (FCSA). The FCSA World Championship was held at Raton, NM in July, attracting shooters from around the globe. The Whittington Gun Club is holding a regional 50-caliber match at Raton this very weekend (Sept. 26-28). Other 50-caliber match dates are calendared on the FCSA website, www.fcsa.org. The FCSA site offers general info, match rules, a list of 50-cal friendly shooting ranges, plus a records archive.
50 BMG Components on Sale
If you’re a 50-Cal shooter, or are thinking about acquiring a Fifty in the near future, it’s not a bad idea to lay in a stock of reloading components. The Big Fifty has been banned in California, and there are efforts in Congress to extend that ban nationwide. Better to be prepared. Here are some good deals on 50 BMG components:
Wideners.com has brand new, primed Lake City 50 BMG Brass. This is 2006 production, with “LC 06″ headstamp. The brass is factory boxer primer w/ purple sealant, annealed case necks, and tar sealant* inside the case mouths. This is top tier brass that is fully reloadable. Widener’s is charging $52.50 for 25 cases or $200 for 100, item LC50BMG.
Natchez Shooters Supplies currently has a sale on primed, Winchester-headstamp 50 BMG brass (item WN50CALPB). The price is $34.70, marked down from $39.79. That works out to $173.50 per hundred — a good deal on new, WCC 06 Mil-Spec brass.
50bmgSupply.com also has Winchester-headstamp 50 BMG brass. This is NEW manufacture (WCC 06 and WCC 08) with neck sealant and sealed primer. Cases are boxer primed, and fully reloadable. The price is $195.00 for 100 pieces.
50bmgSupply.com also offers 2004-2007 once-fired Lake City or PSD head-stamped 50 BMG brass. (PSD is made in South Korea by Poongsan Metal Manufacturing. It is good brass.) This used brass has been tumbled clean, resized, deprimed, primer pocket chamfered (to remove military crimp), then trimmed to length. It is ready to reload. Prices is $100.00 for 100 unprimed cases, or $130.00 for 100 primed cases.
Polygunbag.com carries a wide variety of 50 caliber projectiles including Hornady 750gr A-Max match bullets, and Barnes “Banded Solid” 750gr match bullets. Both the 750gr A-Maxs and 750 Barnes Solids are priced at $37.00 per box of 20 bullets. The A-Maxs are very popular with long-range 50 Caliber match shooters.
*Regarding the Tar mouth Sealant, Widener’s notes: “This brass is ready to be charged and the bullet seated. If you want complete waterproofing, leave the tar seal in the mouth. If you do not want the tar, use a swab with XYLENE solvent and the tar can be easily removed. NOTE: Do not use an expander unless you remove the tar first as the tar will gum up on it.”
September 26th, 2008
 AccurateShooter.com’s Cartridge Guides are among the site’s most popular content features. Our .308 Cartridge Guide has been viewed nearly 350,000 times. By popular demand, we’re adding a new multi-cartridge 7mm Cartridge Guide. As planned, this will provide key information for: 7mm08, .284 Winchester, 7mm SAUM, and 7mm WSM (including 7mm-270 WSM). (We know there are many other popular 7mm cartridges, but we can’t do everything at once.)
Pet Loads and Tuning Advice Wanted
If you shoot one of the above calibers, and have developed a very accurate (and safe) load, please send us the specifics. We are particularly interested in successful match loads. Please include: bullet type and weight, brand of brass, powder charge, primer type, OAL (from base of rim to tip of seated bullet), and measured velocity (if available). Also include a sentence or two describing how this load performs, and the relevant info, such as: “1/2-MOA easy. Works good jammed or jumped. Good F-Class load. 2800 fps in 28″ barrel.”
Here is your chance to share your wisdom with a world-wide readership and help others “focus in” on a good load quickly.
September 26th, 2008
The Original Pennsylvania 1000-Yard Benchrest Club (Williamsport) marks 40 years of 1000-yard shooting this year. To celebrate Williamsport’s 40th year, and to raise funds for needed range improvements, a custom Commemorative Rifle will be raffled off. If you’re interested in taking a chance at winning this rifle, valued at $4000.00+, you have a couple more weeks to buy a raffle ticket. The winning ticket will be drawn at the Club’s annual banquet on October 18, 2008. The raffle is limited to 1000 tickets, priced at $20.00 each.
The rifle is chambered in 6mm Dasher. Components include: BAT action, Jewell trigger, Bartlein barrel, Baer stock, and a Nightforce BR scope. Many club members contributed time to fabricate the rifle, which would retail for $4000+. The rifle sports Bruce Baer’s innovative “Sidewinder” off-set stock. Mark King chambered the rifle. Springman Rifles pillar-bedded the stock, and Gary Hendrix applied the clearcoat. Engraved rifle components carry the Club’s logo and 40th Anniversary markings.
Please include a note with your payment stating that it is for 40th Anniversary Rifle Raffle. Raffle tickets can be purchased by mailing a check or money order (payable to “Original PA 1000-Yd BR Club”) to:
Original Pennsylvania 1000-Yard Benchrest Club
P.O. Box 1413
Williamsport, PA 17703
September 25th, 2008
 The 2008 Western CMP Games will take place at the Ben Avery Shooting Center north of Phoenix, Arizona on 11-19 October. The Western CMP Games Matches will take place on 11-14 October. The Creedmoor Cup Matches take place on 15-19 October. Together, these back-to-back competitions comprise one of the major West Coast events of the year for Highpower and position shooters, and there’s still time to REGISTER.
MATCH INFO PAGE | BEN AVERY Facilities MAP
These combined matches offer activities for virtually every highpower rifle shooter–from clinics for beginning shooters to less formal Garand, Springfield and Military Rifle Matches to CMP Excellence-in-Competition Matches to NRA Registered Service and Match Rifle Highpower events. The official program is posted at www.ODCMP.com/Competitions/WesternGames.htm. You can sign-up on-line for any of the Western CMP Games or Creedmoor Cup matches at this REGISTRATION PAGE. Just fill in your contact info and select the matches you want to shoot. All data is sent via the web so you don’t even need a postage stamp.
September 24th, 2008
 Precision Shooting magazine’s February ’07 issue featured an excellent write-up about Bartlein Barrels. Bartlein is producing some really outstanding barrels these day. Click HERE to read the story, by Robert Whitley. FYI, the barrel on Richard Franklin’s 300 Varminter in the featured story above was 32″, straight-contour, 15-twist Bartlein.
We were sufficiently impressed with reports about Bartlein barrels from top smiths such as Alan Warner, Grey Tannel, and Richard Franklin, that we chose Bartlein to produce two barrels for AccurateShooter.com’s 6×47/6.5×47 Lapua test gun now in the works.
The two founders of Bartlein are Tracy Bartlein and Frank Green. Both men worked at Krieger Barrels for many years. Bartlein employs advanced CNC machining techniques to produce barrels that are super-straight and dimensionally uniform. Alan Warner says the Bartlein barrel he installed on his wife’s 6.5-284 F-Classer shoots close to 1/4 MOA at 600 yards and cleans up easily. Richard Franklin told us the Bartleins he’s received have been outstanding. Robert Whitley has ordered eight Bartlein barrels, and he reports they are “great on the outside [and] when bore scoped, looked perfect on the inside as well”.
September 23rd, 2008
Legendary North Dakota shooter Richard Schatz, the “Duke of Dashers”, has done it again. Competing in challenging conditions at Byers, Colorado, against a field of top shooters, Richard took the two-gun championship. Glen Sterling also shot very well. Both Richard and Glen broke the existing NBRSA 6-target Light Gun Group Aggregate record. Glen posted a 5.3272″ Agg, while Richard had a 5.3702.” The previous record (6.125″) was set by Schatz at Byers in 2004. We’re waiting for final results, but there was some talk that Schatz may also have set a new 12-target Score record, but that is unconfirmed. Excellent performances were also turned in by Duane Capehart, Robert Hoppe, Daryl Kopriva, Dee Thompkins, and Joe Thielen.
Schatz shot his trusty 15.5-lb, 6mm Dasher in both Light Gun and Heavy Gun classes. This rifle features a Shehane Baby Tracker stock, Nesika Model ‘K’ RBLP, right-eject action, and a 27″ Krieger barrel. The chamber is basically a no-turn neck, but Richard does “clean up” his necks, turning them to a uniform .013″ neck-wall thickness. Richard’s match load was 33.0 grains of Reloder 15, CCI 450s, and 105gr Berger VLDs. This load runs 3020-3050 fps. Richard notes: “That’s the [velocity] spot where every barrel I’ve had likes to run.” Richard’s Krieger barrel now has about 2000 rounds through it. When the barrel was new, Richard seated his bullets just “kissing the lands.” He has not chased the lands over time so he thinks his seating depth is now at least 0.010″ off the lands but he hasn’t measured recently. “I don’t know [the exact depth], and I don’t care,” Richard told us, “because it still shoots great.”
Complete Match Results
Thanks to Forrest Foster, below we offer complete Match Results for the 2008 NBRSA Nationals in spreadsheet format. Right Click and “save as” to download the files. You will need MS Excel (or an Excel Viewer) to open the files.
NBRSA 1K Nationals Complete Score | NBRSA 1K Nationals Complete Group
The course of fire at this match was 12 total targets at 1000 yards, six targets for Light Gun and six for Heavy Gun. There are five (5) shots for record per target in LG, and ten (10) shots per target in HG.
September 23rd, 2008
Brownells has released its latest Catalog of AR-15 parts and accessories. This Third Edition has 76 pages of accessories, parts, tools and supplies for the popular semi-auto rifle platform. The new catalog lists 2000+ items, including 595 new products, plus almost 400 factory parts.
According to CEO Frank Brownell, “We matched the format of the big book (Catalog #61) making it really easy to find things. With the side bars, all the new products, the new custom-built guns, and the Made in USA flags, we think this is the best specialty book we’ve done so far.” Plus, for many products, there’s an online instructional video available.
You can order the FREE catalog at www.brownells.com or by phone at 800-741-0015 (mention code #PEG). Or, download a FREE .pdf version of the catalog by clicking the link below.
CLICK HERE to download Brownell’s AR-15 Catalog #3
September 20th, 2008
The Presidential election is shaping up as a very close contest. Depending on which poll you read, McCain or Obama has a slight lead in the popular vote. What many voters (and most newscasters) forget is that we have an electoral college system. Each state delivers a certain number of electoral votes (usually, but not always, “winner take all”).
According to Electoral-vote.com, if the election were held today, Obama would capture 273 Electoral votes, compared to 265 for McCain. 270 votes are needed to win. The charts display predicted electoral vote outcomes in all 50 states.
But the race see-saws — just yesterday, McCain had the edge in electoral votes, 265 to 252. The difference was Pennsylvania. Interestly, Pennsylvania (21 Electoral votes), just yesterday was listed as “exactly even”, meaning it could swing Democratic OR Republican.
In the latest poll Pennsylvania is “Barely Democratic”. As goes Pennsylvania, so could go the Electoral College. Ohio is another key state. In recent Presidential elections, the result in Ohio nearly always predicted the eventual winner. Ohio is “Barely Republican” right now.
Message to Voters in Key ‘Swing’ States (Pennsylvania This Means You!)
Important states like Pennsylvania and Ohio could swing on a few thousand votes. Pennsylvania has a large population of shooters and hunters. If the hunters and sportsmen come out and vote in large numbers, this could determine Pennsylvania, and that, in turn could put McCain in the White House rather than Obama.
Other key states where the votes of hunters and outdoor sportsmen could shift the balance are: Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire. These states are now listed as “Barely Democratic” with a 3% margin of error in the polls. Quite literally, if hunters and shooters go to the polls in strength, a few thousand more Republican (red) votes could change the election. And consider this, if the tiny state of New Hampshire (whose motto is “Live Free or Die”) swings from “Barely Democratic” into the Republican camp, the loss of those four (4) electoral votes would drop Obama from 273 to 269 votes — below the 270 required to win.
LESSON: In the key states, hunters, shooters, and supporters of gun rights CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. If just one “Barely Democratic” state swings the other way, that could determine the outcome of the election.
The differences between the two Presidential candidates are great. The path this nation takes in the next four (or even eight) years will be very different depending on who sits in the Oval office. Will that be John McCain or Barack Obama? Pennsylvania shooters — it may be you who answer that question!
Charts syndicated via electoral-vote.com. Visit Electoral-Vote.com for daily updates.
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