AR and Service Rifle Smiths — Sinclair's Recommendations

AccurateShooter.com has a list of Recommended Gunsmiths. Most of the smiths listed on our Gunsmith Page specialize in bolt-action rifles, for Benchrest, varminting, and long-range. While some do work on AR15s and “space-guns”, this is not their primary focus.

If you need a first-rate gunsmith for a service rifle, Sinclair International has compiled its own list of smiths including highly respected names. For service rifles (including AR types), Sinclair recommends the following:

Phil Arrington (Service Rifle)
Arrington Accuracy Works
1408 West Ross Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Phone: (623) 582-5066

Compass Lake Engineering (Service Rifle)
719 White Dr
Alford, FL 32420
Phone: (850) 579-1208

Fulton Armory (Service Rifle & Parts)
8725 Bollman Pl., #1
Savage, MD 20763
Phone: (301) 490-9485

Derrick Martin (Service Rifle)
Accuracy Speaks, Inc.
3960 N Usery Pass Rd.
Mesa, AZ 85207
Phone: (480) 373-9499

Scott Medesha (Service Rifle)
Medesha Firearms Ltd.
10326 E. Adobe Rd.
Mesa, AZ 85207
Phone: (480) 986-5876

Albert Turner (Service Rifle)
Turner Enterprises
2200 Seminole Ct.
Plano, TX 75074
Phone: (214) 424-8409

Bill Wylde (Service Rifle)
Wylde & Co.
PO Box 261
Greenup, IL 62428
Phone: (217) 923-3266

To Sinclair’s list we would definitely add John Holliger of White Oak Precision. John built the upper for the Smith & Wesson M&P AR with which Carl Bernosky won the Camp Perry High Power Championship in 2007. This marked the first time an AR-style semi-auto has won that event. John also builds many outstanding components for AR-style rifles, including windage-adjustable front sight bases, and the White Oak Precision Adjustable Buttstock (shown below).

John Holliger
White Oak Precision
101 South Perry
Carlock, IL 61725
Phone: (309) 376-2288

Dakota Arms Acquires New Equity Investors

Dakota Arms, LLC, an American manufacturer of custom sporting arms and components, has acquired equity financing which will provide additional capital for day-to-day operations. An investor group led by Patrick Gilligan, avid sportsman and former Chairman of the Board of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, will receive shares of Dakota Arms, LLC and two seats on the Dakota Board of Directors as a result of its investment. Gilligan, who will play an active role in the strategic direction of the company, will become the new Chairman of the Board.

New Cash Keeps Dakota in Business
Cash from the new investments will be used to expand production levels and speed up the delivery of current customer orders. “This new cash commitment validates the strength of the Dakota Arms brand in the market,” said Patrick Franklin, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Dakota.

The Dakota Business Model–Can It Work?
Dakota Arms has tried to establish itself as a high-end maker of hunting, sporting, and tactical rifles. The Dakota brands include Nesika, Miller Arms and Dan Walter Cases. Dakota has had trouble finding a place for itself in the market. It sells rifles that are substantially more expensive than Savages or Remingtons, but it has not been able to convince gun buyers that a Dakota Arms rifle is worth two to three times the cost of other brands.

Dakota hoped to follow the model of the high-end shotgun makers like Perazzi, but it is unclear whether that strategy will really work. Rifle shooters who want the highest levels of accuracy (and craftsmanship) have traditionally turned to small custom builders. Dakota has not, so far, really been able to establish its products as a viable alternative to the hand-built custom rifle. In a nutshell, shooters are telling us “For the money Dakota wants, I can have a custom built. And for less money, I can get a Cooper which offers guaranteed accuracy, and better customer service.”

Leupold Purchases Redfield Optics Brand

Leupold & Stevens, Inc. has acquired the Redfield brand of optics from Meade Instruments. Founded in 1909, Redfield was a leading U.S. producer of riflescopes, spotting scopes, and binoculars for many decades until it closed in 1998. In recent years, the Redfield brand changed hands several times, before being acquired by Meade Instruments, which sold the Redfield brand to Leupold.

Presumably, Leupold plans to develop and market a lower-cost line of riflescopes, binoculars, and spotting scopes to wear the Redfield name. We wouldn’t be surprised if some of these Redfield-branded optics are produced overseas, most likely in Asia — but we have not been able to confirm or deny that possibility.

Tom Fruechtel, President and CEO of Leupold & Stevens, declined to discuss the plans for Redfield under Leupold ownership, but did state: “For half a century, Leupold respected Redfield as a leading innovator and competitor in the sports optics industry. The opportunity… to rescue this American brand from dormancy could not be missed.”

Leupold & Stevens, Inc., a fifth-generation, American family-owned company, employs more than 650 people in its Beaverton, Oregon facility. Leupold’s product line includes rifle, handgun and spotting scopes; binoculars; rangefinders; and optical tools and accessories.

Top Guns Duel at NBRSA 600-Yard Nationals April 25-27

Many of America’s top shooters will compete this weekend at the NBRSA 600-Yard Nationals (Sloughhouse 600) held April 25 – 27, 2008 in Sacramento. This 3-day Match is hosted by the Folsom Shooting Club, at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center in Sloughhouse, California.

Among the “top guns” expected to attend are last year’s winner, Don Nielson, 2005 NBRSA 1000-yard champ Jerry Tierney, and Robert Hoppe. At the same Sloughhouse range last October, Robert shot a spectacular 0.5823″ 5-shot group with his 6mm Dasher, using Hodgdon Varget powder and 105gr A-Max™ bullets. Now certified as a NBRSA record, Hoppe’s group is the smallest 5-shot group ever recorded in registered 600-yard benchrest competition. Below is Robert’s amazing target. The 0.5823″ group is the equivalent of 0.09705″ at 100 yards. That’s right, less than 1/10th of an inch at 100. Given the accuracy of modern 600-yard BR guns, we expect other sub-inch groups to be shot at this weekend’s Sloughhouse 600 match.

NBRSA 600 Nationals Match INFO

Match fees are $65.00 per class (light gun and heavy gun). If you have further questions, or need forms mailed to you, contact match Director Ed Eckhoff via email: eckran [at] yahoo.com. Ed tells us that “good weather is predicted for all three days, and there is plenty of room for more entries, so come out and shoot with us.”

6mm Match Bullet Diameters

There’s been some controversy surrounding the “ideal” 6mm bullet diameter. This is compounded by the fact that 6mm match barrels are available with both .236″ and .237″ land diameters. It has become quite clear to us that bullet diameter is an important variable to consider when choosing the best projectile for your particular barrel. Some barrels prefer “fat” bullets while other barrels prefer “skinny” bullets.

Jason Baney measured 12 different sets of 6mm Match Bullets, including a couple different lots of the same bullet design. Interestingly, Jason did measure the “old” Berger 105 VLD, the “new” Berger 105 VLD (first lot from the new die), and the “new, improved” Berger 105 VLD from the new die, after it was polished. Ten (10) Bullets were measured per type. Each bullet was measured three times (3X) around the largest circumference, normally where a pressure ring would be located (some bullets have a pronounced pressure ring, others do not).

Download this CHART as an MS Word Document.

Columns one and two of the chart show the smallest and largest bullet diameters measured for each 10-bullet sample. The third column shows the extreme spread over each 10-bullet set. Note, these numbers are NOT averages, but represent the “low” and “high” diameters for each set. (FYI: Jason noted that while the Lapua Scenars measured very consistently the earlier 2005 “JEVDAK” lot had noticeably smaller meplats than 2007 and 2008 lots.) A Mitutoyo Micrometer was used, zero-checked for each bullet.

Washington State Provides Funding for Gun Ranges

Through its Shooting Range Program, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) offers supplemental funding to shooting facilities. Approximately $50,000 in competitive grants are expected to be awarded this year (2008), with individual awards ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. Shooting clubs and range operators have until June 30, 2008 to apply for federally-funded grants that can be used to construct, maintain, or expand public shooting-range facilities in Washington state.

The Shooting Range Program, established in 2002, supports development of not-for-profit shooting ranges with proceeds from the federal excise tax on archery equipment and firearms. Designed to help shooting ranges pay for construction or other building expenses, the program is managed on a reimbursement basis. Successful applicants are required to pay for construction and materials and are then reimbursed for up to 75% of the cost. The remaining 25% requires local matching money.

Applicants must complete a detailed application, including information on public range use, an environmental review, program narrative, user fees and charges. Information and applications for the grants are available through the WDFW website, or by contacting the Hunter Education program at (360) 902-8111,or huntered@dfw.wa.gov.

Leica Offers Limited Lifetime Warranty on Spotting Scopes and Binoculars

Leica Sport Optics announces a new improved warranty program for Leica binoculars and spotting scopes. Effective immediately, Leica will offer a Limited Lifetime Warranty for defects in materials or workmanship for all LEICA Ultravid HD, Ultravid BL, Duovid, Trinovid compact, Ultravid Compact binoculars, and the new Televid Spotting Scopes. In addition, owners of these products who register will be eligible for a 3-year “Passport Protection” policy (registration is mandatory for Passport coverage). “Passport Protection” covers functional failures, or any accidental damage to the covered equipment, including breakage, water damage or any accident (but not fire, theft, or loss.) Leica’s representatives claim that the new Leica Limited Lifetime Warranty Program, combined with 3-year Passport Protection, is the strongest warranty from any European manufacturer.

Enhanced Warranty Retroactive to 11/1/2007
It’s nice to know that the warranty provisions will extend backwards in time. This new warranty program is retroactive to all applicable products sold to dealers or purchased by consumers since November 1, 2007. Consumers will continue to be required to register product purchases to gain the advantage of the 3-Year Passport Protection Plan.

Laser RangeFinders and Geovids NOT Included
Warranties on the Leica Geovid products will remain a Limited 5 Year warranty for defects in materials and workmanship and CRF laser rangefinder will continue to have a Limited 2 Year Warranty.

Nosler Reloading Guide #6 on Sale

The much-anticipated Nosler Reloading Guide Number Six is now on sale for $19.95 at Powder Valley. The Nosler Guide has long been considered one of the better reloading guides in print, with good coverage of basic reloading techniques. The greatly expanded 6th edition features 848 pages of information, covering 117 cartridges. You’ll find freshly-fired data for the entire line of Nosler bullets, as well as data for many of the popular, new factory cartridges. Load data for each cartridge is presented in a graphic format, with starting, intermediate and maximum loads for each powder (and bullet weight) listed. Nosler’s system uses a simple, easy-to-read bar graphs to show velocity variation between powders.

Nosler introduces each cartridge section with personal commentaries and tips from some of the world’s best-known hunters, shooters and writers. This knowledgeable advice supplements the “raw data”, helping you select the right bullet and powder for your particular application. Nosler also offers “Comments From the Lab” for many cartridges. These Lab Comments, written by the Nosler ballistics team, assist in working up accurate, effective loads.