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March 28th, 2008
Larry Crow of Competitive Edge Gunworks in Missouri has created a new, patented, full-floating action sleeve for benchrest and tactical rifles. This is an innovative, new design unlike previous action sleeves or barrel-block systems. The barrel is attached conventionally to the receiver and does not touch the stock or sleeve. The sleeve wraps around the action and mates with the stock. This design allows the entire barreled action to float free above the stock. The system greatly simplifies stock inletting and bedding.
Initial bench testing with a 6.5-284 Light Gun and a .338 Lapua tactical rifle have been extremely promising, showing that the new system is capable of exceptional accuracy. The 6.5-284, fitted with a Broughton 1:8″ twist barrel, produced multiple 5-shot groups, at 100 yards, under 0.20″ in size (Note: this is not a competition aggregate; some groups were larger, but the typical group, in good conditions, was well under 1/4 MOA.). That is remarkable for a fast-twist barrel shooting long, boat-tail bullets. At longer ranges, the 6.5-284 displayed extremely low vertical spreads. A 12-twist .308 Win rifle fitted with the floating action sleeve was recently tested by U.S. Army shooters using factory ammo. Larry Crow reports that his Army testers said the gun “was the most accurate rifle they’ve ever tested using factory loads”. The Army also tested a .338 Lapua with the sleeve system, and it shot a 4″ group at 1000 yards. Larry also notes that a respected 1000-yard shooter is building a rifle with the new action-mounting system to use in IBS registered competition this season. It will be interesting to see how it performs against more conventional designs.
Tim North of Broughton Barrels was very impressed with how the .338 Lapua performed with the new action sleeve design. “Those who have tried the .338 Lapuas at 1000 yards have traditionally had trouble keeping vertical under control. The bullets have great BC so your horizontal is good, but the vertical would get you. I think Larry Crow is really on to something here. His .338s are showing greater consistency with much reduced vertical spreads for full 10-shot strings. His invention may be a major step forward for the big calibers.”
For more information, contact Larry Crow at Competitive Edge Gunworks, (660) 731-5124.
March 27th, 2008
 The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Board of Governors has announced that Steve Sanetti has accepted the position of president and CEO of NSSF, effective May 1, 2008. At the NSSF Board of Governors meeting last month, Doug Painter, president and CEO of NSSF for the last six years, requested a change of position to become senior advisor and trade liaison. Painter praised the choice of Sanetti as his successor: “Steve has a tremendous knowledge of our industry and a real passion for our sports. He is a true believer in our cause.”
Sanetti will be leaving Sturm, Ruger and Company after 28 years of service. Sanetti was hired by Bill Ruger in 1980 to be Ruger’s first general counsel and rose through the executive ranks to become President and Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. Sanetti has been a member of the NSSF Board of Governors and the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) Board of Directors. A founding member of the Firearms Litigation Support Committee, Sanetti helped direct the successful response to municipal lawsuits that threatened the firearms industry in the late 1990s.
AccurateShooter.com is pleased that Sanetti is an active target shooter with an interest in rifle competition. Sanetti was a three-year member of his college rifle team and later the team’s coach. He captained Ruger shooting teams at industry competitions. Sanetti says his favorite hobby is target shooting with his family. A 1971 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, Sanetti earned his law degree from Washington & Lee University Law School. He served as a captain in the U.S. Army from 1975-1978.
March 25th, 2008
This week, American Rifleman Television continues its coverage of John Moses Browning, America’s prolific gun designer. You will not want to miss “The Greatest—John M. Browning, Part II,” which focuses on John Browning’s legendary military arms designs — from the ’97 trench gun, to the timeless m1911, and light and heavy machine guns. When you consider that Browning designs are still being used both in combat (.50 BMG machine gun) and competition (1911 pistol), a century after their inventions, it’s clear that Browning was nothing short of a genius as a firearms designer.
Part of the Outdoor Channel’s “Wednesday Night On The Range” lineup, American Rifleman Television airs each Wednesday at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, (7 p.m. Pacific). The show repeats on various days and times throughout the week. For a complete listing, or to find out how you can receive Outdoor Channel, go to OutdoorChannel.com.
March 24th, 2008
Dave Emary, Chief Ballistic Scientist at Hornady Mfg., was named one of the “Outdoor Life 25″ by Outdoor Life magazine. This annual award honors leaders, innovators, and conservationists who have impacted the outdoor sports in a positive and significant way. Emary was one of the principal designers for the AMAX™ and FTX™ bullets, the 17 Mach 2 and 17 HMR rimfire ammunition, the popular .204 Ruger cartridge, as well as the new 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge.
CLICK HERE to hear Dave Emary Discuss 6.5 Creedmoor
Emary is quick to share credit for his accomplishments. “I would not have been able to accomplish what I have done without the hard work and help of other people,” he said. “I’m most excited about the attention this brings to Hornady and the affirmation that we are doing good things in the industry.”
Emary holds Bachelors of Science degrees in Physics and Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering from Bowling Green State Univ., and the Air Force Institute of Technology. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1981 to 1987, achieving the rank of Captain, with service at the Ballistic Missile Office of Norton AFB, and the Pentagon. As a civilian he developed and tested ballistics at the Los Alamos Laboratory (NM), and the Olin Corporation (FL).
March 21st, 2008
 The CMP has finalized its 2008 rules for service rifle, service pistol and as-issued military rifles. The 12th Edition (2008) of the CMP Competition Rules is now posted on the CMP web site and can be downloaded for free. Printed copies of the 2008 rulebook can also be ordered from the CMP. DCM representative Gary Anderson reports that “just like in 2007, there are not a lot of rule changes, [and] nothing in the 2008 rules is going to substantially change any CMP courses of fire or the way competitions are conducted. There are some rule changes, however, that are designed to address issues that have come up or to respond to recommendations that were received from match sponsors and competitors.”
CLICK HERE for a Summary of all the New Rules
CLICK HERE to download CMP RULEBOOK
ECIs now Required for Rimfire AND Pistol Classes
One noteworthy change in the 2008 CMP rules is that ECIs (empty chamber indicators) confirming that firearms are unloaded and safe are now required in ALL rifles and pistols in both CMP and NRA matches at all times except during preparation and firing periods. Highpower and air rifle shooters quickly accepted the mandatory use of ECIs for centerfire rifles and CBIs (clear barrel indicators) for air rifles, but smallbore and pistol shooters resisted. Now several years of experience have demonstrated how effective these safety flags are in allowing range officers to quickly confirm that guns are cleared. Accordingly, the use of ECIs is now mandatory in all classes.
March 20th, 2008
Cartridges of the World, 11th Edition by Frank Barnes, is considered by many to be the definitive print resource on firearm cartridges. The most recent 552-page edition describes over 1500 cartridges, including the latest wildcat and military cartridges. It also describes many historical or obsolete cartridges, making it useful for antique firearms collectors. This important reference features detailed photos, dimensional drawings and loading data.
Now through the end of March, 2008, MidwayUSA has Cartridges of the World (item 743700) on sale for $16.99, marked down from $19.99.
About the Author, Frank Barnes
Frank Barnes (1918-1992) began collecting information on handgun cartridges at the early age of 12, thanks to his father who was a police officer. Most people don’t know that Frank had a Masters degree in Justice and served as college professor, a pilot, and a racecar driver. He was an innovator, and came up with the original 308 x 1.5″ Barnes, predecessor of the 30BR case. Decades ago Barnes started working with different cartridges and decided to publish a manual for all of them. Cartridges of the World was first published in 1965, and is now in its 11th Edition.
March 20th, 2008
In a commentary appearing in the Boston Globe and Washington Times, Robert A. Levy, one of the lawyers for Dick Heller, explains the key issues in the landmark D.C. v. Heller Case. We recommend you read Levy’s essay, offered on the CATO Institute website.
CLICK HERE to read Levy Commentary.
Levy explains how, if the Supreme Court finds that the Second Amendment accords an individual right to ALL citizens, then restrictions on that right should be subject to “strict scrutiny” under established principles of Constitutional law. Levy notes that, if the High Court accepts the District Columbia’s view of the Second Amendment, then this would effectively render the Second Amendment a “dead letter”. Based the comments of the Justices during the oral arguments on March 18, we believe at least a majority of the Supreme Court is not willing to go that far. However, Levy warns:
“If D.C.’s outright ban on all handguns, in all homes, at all times, for all purposes, is determined by the court to pass muster, it will mean the Supreme Court intends to rubberstamp just about any regulation a legislature can dream up — no matter whether the government has offered any justification at all, much less a justification that would survive strict scrutiny. That would, in effect, excise the Second Amendment from the Constitution. A right that cannot be enforced is no right at all.
At root, the Heller case is simple. It’s about self-defense: individuals living in a dangerous community who want to protect themselves in their own homes when necessary. The Second Amendment to the Constitution was intended to safeguard that right. Banning handguns outright is unconstitutional.”
March 20th, 2008
Please send in your events for the Calendar. We have about 40 event listings and we’d like to triple that number. While we don’t have the resources/space to put in all clubs’ regular monthly events, we want to include:
A. Major National and Regional Championships
B. Popular Special Competitions and fun shoots, such as Hickory Groundhog Shoot
C. Interesting Special Events, such as Industry Trade shows, BR school, or multi-discipline shoot.
Please provide a 100-word summary of event with dates, cost, list of classes (gun types), and a phone # and web link for further information.
Send Photos and Range Maps
Our Calendar software allows us to display photos, club logos, or range maps, so you can attach those to your submissions. Please send your calendar items to: mailbox@6mmBR.com . Please put “EVENT” in the email subject line. Thanks!
We reserve the right to edit any entries.
March 19th, 2008
Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral auguments in the landmark D.C. v. Heller case. It appeared, based on the questions posed by the Justices, that the High Court may strike down the D.C.’s ban on handguns. But we’ll likely have to wait until May or June for a final decision.
Head Count: It looks Like 5:4 or 6:3
Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Alito, and Justice Scalia all seemed to favor the view that the Second Amendment confers an individual right to keep and bear arms. Roberts made his views clear right from the start, asking the District’s lawyer: “If [the Second Amendment] is limited to state militias, why would they say ‘the right of the people’?…In other words, why wouldn’t they say ‘state militias have the right to keep arms’?” Justice Thomas did not speak at the argument, but he can be expected to align with Roberts and Scalia. Justice Kennedy may be the swing vote needed to overturn the D.C. ban. Kennedy said the Second Amendment confers “a general right to bear arms quite without reference to the militia either way.” That leaves four justices who may vote the other way: Breyer, Ginsburg, Souter, and Stevens. Stevens might also vote with the majority for a 6-3 decision.
Most legal observers, including our correspondent, Robert Whitley, believe there will be at least 5 votes to overturn the D.C. ban. Whitley cautions however: “I think there will be a recognition of the individual right, and the D.C. ban will probably be invalidated, at least in its current form. But this isn’t the end of the controversy… there will be many more battles ahead. The court will likely try to decide the case narrowly, and many of the justices seem to favor some kind of ‘reasonableness’ test for gun laws that will only lead to more legal challenges in the months and years ahead.”
Richard Heller, the Man in the Middle
After the oral arguments, Robert Whitley interviewed Dick Heller, the plaintiff in the historic case. Robert observed: “Heller is a normal guy, like you and me. He’s a nice guy who simply felt the D.C. gun ban was wrong.” Heller lives in a small apartment in the heart of the District. One day, observing a bullet hole in the frame of his front door, he decided he wanted to keep a handgun to protect himself.
Heller works as a security guard in a Federal building. Heller told Whitley: “To me, the case is simple. I go to work, and I’m told to carry a gun to protect Federal employees. Yet when I go home, the District of Columbia says the value of my own life is not worth protecting. That’s just wrong.”
Jim Shepard, covering the case for The Outdoor Wire, recorded a remarkable exchange between Heller and reporters:
“… A reporter interjected: ‘the Mayor (DC Mayor Adrian M. Fenty) says the handgun ban and his initiatives have significantly lowered violent crime in the District. How do you answer that, Mr. Heller?”
The initial answer certainly wasn’t expected – Dick Heller laughed. Ruefully.
Pointing at the Mayor who was making his way across the plaza, surrounded by at least six DC police officers, Heller said, ‘the Mayor doesn’t know what he’s talking about.’
‘He doesn’t walk on the street like an average citizen. Look at him; he travels with an army of police officers as bodyguards – to keep him safe. But he says that I don’t have the right to be a force of one to protect myself. Does he look like he thinks the streets are safe?'”
When it comes right down to it, that’s what this case is really all about — an individual citizen’s basic, fundamental right to defend himself and his home. That’s a right the founders surely intended to guarantee in adopting the Second Amendment.
CLICK HERE for NBC News Video Report
March 18th, 2008
This morning, March 18, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the D.C. vs. Heller case, the most important gun rights case to be heard by the High Court in nearly 70 years. The transcript of the Argument is linked below:
Transcript of D.C. v. Heller Oral Argument
Comments from the Justices — Breaking Report
Analysis of the Arguments — Justices Skeptical of D.C.’s Arguments
The key issue in the Heller case is whether the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides an individual right to have firearms or whether that right is limited to those who are members of the “militia”, or what is, today, the National Guard. The current case started when plaintiff Richard Heller sued the District of Columbia after it rejected his application to keep a handgun in his own home for self-defense. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the D.C. District agreed with Heller, and struck down the D.C. handgun ban as unconstitutional. The District of Columbia appealed the Appellate Court’s decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, lawyers for both sides presented their arguments, starting at 10:00 am Eastern Time.
While we can’t predict the results of the hearing, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. asked rhetorically: “What’s reasonable about a total ban on gun possession?” One key “swing-vote” justice, Anthony Kennedy, stated his view that the Second Amendment “gives a general right to bear arms.” Justice Scalia seemed to clearly believe the Second Amendment confers individual rights:
“JUSTICE SCALIA: I don’t see how there’s any, any, any contradiction between reading the second clause as a personal guarantee and reading the first one as assuring the existence of a militia, not necessarily a State-managed militia because the militia that resisted the British was not State-managed. But why isn’t it perfectly plausible, indeed reasonable, to assume that since the framers knew that the way militias were destroyed by tyrants in the past was not by passing a law against militias, but by taking away the people’s weapons — that was the way militias were destroyed. The two clauses go together beautifully: Since we need a militia, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
Bush-appointed justice Justice Samuel Alito seemed to come down on the side of gun rights, opining that the D.C.’s restrictions on long guns (not just pistols) were overly restrictive. Justice Alito further noted that it makes no sense that the Second Amendment would ONLY protect a militia from being disarmed, because the Congress could do that separately:
“JUSTICE ALITO: Your argument is that [the Second Amendment’s] purpose was to prevent the disarming of the organized militia, isn’t that correct?
MR. DELLINGER: That is correct.
JUSTICE ALITO: And if that was the purpose, then how could they — how could the Framers of the Second Amendment have thought that it would achieve that… because Congress has virtually plenary power over the militia under the militia clauses?”
Lining the street in front of the Supreme Court building were scores of interested citizens. Both sides in the debate were represented. Two days ago, a line to get into the Supreme Court for the historic arguments began forming; the line extended more than a block this morning. Second Amendment supporters held signs saying “Support the Constitution” and “Guns Stop Crime”, while gun control advocates held anti-gun placards.
Representing AccurateShooter.com at the hearing today was attorney (and highpower shooter) Robert Whitley. Robert is attending the hearing as an observer. He will listen to the questions posed by the members of the Supreme Court and try to discern which way the justices will lean in the case. No one can really predict how the High Court will rule in D.C. vs. Heller, though the majority of top legal scholars, including Lawrence Tribe of Harvard Law School, now favor the view that the Second Amendment confers rights to individual citizens, just like the First Amendment.
The final ruling in the case is expected in June. At least one legal scholar, Prof. Nelson Lund of the George Mason Univ. Law School, predicts that the Supreme Court will invalidate the District of Columbia’s ban on handguns, but it will do so with a narrowly-drawn ruling: “Because this would be the first case in history in which the federal courts invalidated a gun control statute under the Second Amendment, the Court would probably write its opinion narrowly.” Lund notes that: “If the Supreme Court accepts D.C.’s principal contention–that civilians have no constitutional right to possess firearms except in connection with militia service–the Second Amendment will essentially become a dead letter.” The High Court, Lund believes, would be reluctant to effectively extinguish part of the Constitution. CLICK HERE for Lund’s Analysis.
Robert Whitley will be filing his report by phone will us soon, so check this Daily Bulletin for updates. It may be many weeks, or even months, before the U.S. Supreme Court actually issues its ruling in this case. For more information on the D.C. vs. Heller case, click these links below.
MSNBC Report–On the Scene in Washington
Top 10 Facts in the D.C. v. Heller Case (American Rifleman)
Background of the Second Amendment (NSSF Amicus Brief)
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