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November 25th, 2007
Check out our enhanced VIDEO VAULT. We have added streaming digital video in Flash Format. You’ll find a slick new Flash Player that lets you watch videos with just one click. There are over 35 Videos in the collection, and we’ll be adding new Videos every week. Flash Videos are highly compressed, so they stream in real time if you have a fast internet connection–no more waiting for long downloads.
Using YouTube technology, we’ve built a playlist with lots of entertaining videos. And, we can add videos from our readers to our Video Vault. Just send your videos to Mailbox [at] 6mmBR.com, or upload your videos directly to YouTube.com and email us the link.
Create Your Own Videos Easily
If you have a recent digital “point and shoot” camera, chances are you can shoot your own videos and add them to the site. It’s pretty simple. Select the “Video” setting, usually indicated by a movie camera icon on the mode dial or menu. Then depress your shutter release (just like taking a still picture) to start the video. Click the shutter release a second time to stop the video. You upload videos to your computer the same way you do for stills. Windows users can then use the FREE and easy Windows Movie Maker software to edit the video or add titles or soundtracks. Here are some resources that can help you make your own videos.
An inexpensive digital still camera, such as this Canon A550 ($140.00), can take excellent video, complete with sound. Try it–you’ll get great results!
How to Take Video with Your Digital Still Camera
Note, this video tells you to upload your video to Vimeo.com. That’s not necessary. Just send your video to us (keep it under 6 megabytes), or upload directly to YouTube.com.
How to Use Windows Movie Maker
Move-Maker Basics
November 22nd, 2007
 In the USA, Thanksgiving is one of our most cherished holidays, a time families re-unite and spend “quality time” together. Increasingly, in our society, families are spread apart, with parents separated from children by thousands of miles. We hope that today, you have a chance to be with your loved ones.
For our many overseas readers, you can celebrate Thanksgiving in spirit. Here at AccurateShooter.com, we have our own “family” of sorts–a community of sportsmen and women linked by a love of fine firearms and extreme accuracy. To all our readers (we have more than 40,000 “unique” site visitors every month), we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, and we hope that, on this day, you can be with your family. For those who are traveling, we wish you a safe trip and godspeed.
“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” — Jane Howard
“Other things may change us, but we start and end with family” — Anthony Brandt
November 22nd, 2007
A joint effort of the Nat’l Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA), and National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), the “Families Afield” program works to expand the opportunities for young hunters with adult mentors. The goal of the program is to increase the number of young people getting involved in hunting. For every 100 adult hunters today, only 69 youth hunters are coming up to take their place. “Families Afield” works to reverse that trend. Thanks to the work of many dedicated groups and individuals concerned about the future of hunting, several states that were restrictive to youth hunting have signed into law “Families Afield” legislation. These new laws make it possible for young hunters and their families to enjoy hunting traditions together. CLICK HERE to learn more.
November 21st, 2007
 The U.S. Supreme Court has granted certiorari in the much-discussed District of Columbia v. Heller case (Docket 04-7041), previously known as Parker vs. District of Columbia. This means the High Court WILL review the decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals striking down the D.C. statute banning residents from owning handguns. The Court of Appeals held that the District of Columbia’s anti-gun law violated the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In reaching its decision, the Appellate Court found, as a matter of law, that the Second Amendment provides an individual right to keep and bear arms. This was a “breakthrough” finding. Other Circuit Courts of Appeal have held that the Second Amendment merely confers a “collective right” to keep and bear arms. In practical terms, this means that the Second Amendment applies to an organized militia (i.e. the National Guard), but not to individuals.
The High Court’s decision to hear D.C. v. Heller is historically significant. This will represent the first time the Supreme Court rules directly on the meaning of the Second Amendment since the U.S. v. Miller case in 1939. The decision in Miller was poorly reasoned and left many basic issues unresolved, including the key question “Does the Second Amendment confer an individual or collective right?”
The “collective right” interpretation of the Second Amendment is disfavored among legal scholars, despite what anti-gun advocacy groups claim. Many of the nation’s most respected law professors, including Lawrence Tribe of Harvard Law School, Akhil Reed Amar of Yale, William Van Alstyne of Duke, and Sanford Levinson of the Univ. of Texas, have strongly argued that the Second Amendment secures an individual right to keep and bear arms.
BACKGROUND
The mayor of Washington, D.C., Adrian M. Fenty, filed the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, setting the stage for the High Court to rule. According to FBI statistics, Washington D.C., despite its gun ban, ranks as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States and maintains one of the highest per-capita murder rates in the country.
In March, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, in striking down the District’s gun ban, held in Parker, et al., v. District of Columbia that “The phrase ‘the right of the people’ . . . leads us to conclude that the right in question is individual.” This was the second time in recent history that a Federal Circuit Court upheld the view that the Second Amendment was an individual right. In 2001, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in the case of U.S. v. Emerson that “All of the evidence indicates that the Second Amendment, like other parts of the
Bill of Rights, applies to and protects individual Americans.”
November 16th, 2007
Gunsmith Mike Sosenko and long-time 6mmBR.com supporter John Adams have been using a modified .243 Winchester case with great success in California Varmint Silhouette matches. Officially called the “243 BR-K” (and informally dubbed the “6BR Long”), the wildcat is basically a .243 Winchester with less body taper and a 30-degree shoulder. The design essentially grafts a 6mmBR Norma “top end” to the .243 Winchester case. After fire-forming, Mike and John can reload this case using normal, unmodified 6BR neck-sizing and seater dies.
Compared to a .243 Winchester, the 243 BR-K’s body length is about .006″ longer, and the shoulder is about .0055″ wider. The main difference is the shoulder angle (30° vs. 20°), and the location of the neck-shoulder junction (“NSJ”). Based on reamer prints, the base to NSJ dimension is 1.718″ on the 6BR Long, compared to 1.804″ for the .243 Winchester. Neck length is a bit shorter because “the neck shrinks a little when the shoulder blows out” according to Sosenko. We’ve provided a mock-up diagram of the 243 BR-K, but you should check with Dave Kiff of Pacific Tool & Gauge for exact dimensions. Dave created the reamers for both the 6mm and 22-caliber versions of this wildcat. Ask for the “22 BR-K” or “243 BR-K” reamer designs.
Wicked Velocity with Stable Brass
The main advantage of the 243 BR-K is serious velocity in a case that is very stable. Mike’s favorite load is the 95gr Berger VLD pushed by Reloader 22. With a stout load of RL22 and Federal 210m Primers, Sosenko is getting 3450 fps with the 95-grainer, with no bullet blow-ups. This is with a 1:8.5″ twist Broughton 5R barrel finished at 28.5″. The cases are holding up very well. Mike has a half-dozen loads on his brass and he hasn’t had to full-length size yet. Mike runs a .262″ tight neck, but there is also a no-turn version of the case (see illustration). Accuracy is excellent. Mike says the round delivers repeatable 1/4 MOA groups at 100 yards in testing. He has also experimented with N160, but, thus far, Reloader 22 has delivered smaller groups with better ES and SD.
VIEW 243 BR-K REAMER PRINT (No-Turn Neck)
John Adams shoots a no-turn (.274″) neck 243 BR-K with 105gr Berger VLDs. He’s getting about 3230 fps using Reloader 22. John says he can push the 105s faster, but 3220-3240 fps “seems to be the sweet spot.” John notes that “after about 5 reloadings on a case, it gets a little tight”. John then full-length sizes with a custom Hornady FL bushing die. “The Hornady custom shop dies work great” according to John. Adams also shoots a version of this wildcat necked down to 22-caliber. It has demonstrated outstanding velocity and good accuracy in initial testing with a 9-twist barrel. Using the 80gr Amax bullets, John is getting 3570+ fps speeds. John feels that his 22 BR-K needs some more development work. “The 243 BR-K is proven. We know what works. With the 22 I want to try different seating depths, experiment with a few different bullets, and fine-tune the velocity.”
243 BR-K in Competition
John Adams and Mike Sosenko developed the 243 BR-K Wildcat for use in monthly varmint silhouette matches at the Pala range in Southern California. Shooting prone with front rest (as in F-Class), participants engage metal targets at multiple distances out to 600 yards. It can get very windy at Pala, so you need a cartridge with great inherent accuracy, plus good wind-bucking ability. With its capacity to drive the .514 BC Berger 95s at 3450 fps, the 243 BR-K has what it takes to win at Pala. Shooting his 243 BR-K wildcat, Mike Sosenko has won many relays at Pala, and he is the only shooter to have shot a perfect 50 score, knocking down every target. Interestingly though, John tells us that “Mike’s five best scores this year, including his perfect 50, were shot using my guns with no-turn necks.”
How good are the ballistics for the 243 BR-K? Consider this… launched at 3450 fps, the 95 Bergers drift just 18.57″ in a 10 mph crosswind at 600 yards. By contrast, a 105gr Scenar shot from a standard 6BR at 2900 fps will drift 22.95″ at the same distance. The 243 BR-K exhibits nearly 20% LESS DRIFT at 600 yards–clearly enough to make the difference between a hit and a miss. (Ballistics calculated with Point Blank software for 70° temp, 1000 feet elevation, using manufacturers’ BCs.)
Click HERE for GIANT SIZE Range Photo.
November 15th, 2007
As we predicted some months ago in the Daily Bulletin, Remington Arms has released an AR-15 platform rifle. The new gun, called the R-15 VTR™ Modular Repeating Rifle, is based on Bushmaster parts and engineering. Remington Arms and Bushmaster Firearms are both owned by parent Cerberus, a large holding company. We felt it was only a matter of time before Bushmasters were rebranded with the Remington name. Well that time has come.
The new R-15 VTR™ is available in two calibers, .223 Rem and .204 Ruger. Three models will be offered, all flat-tops. There is a 22″-barrel rifle, plus two shorter-barreled carbines, one with collapsible stock. It appears that the carbines have 18″ barrels, but specs won’t be released until December 1st. Perhaps to avoid the “politically incorrect” black rifle image, all three models come draped in Advantage MAX-1 HD camouflage. From a technical standpoint, the R-15 VTR™ is hardly innovative, though these “RemMaster” AR-clones feature a new trigger assembly engineered by Remington. Remington’s R-15s ship with a 5-round magazine, but all AR15 mags, including 20- and 30-rounders, will fit the new rifles. MSRP is $999 for the 22″ R-15, and we expect the first units to ship before the end of January.
CLICK HERE for LARGE PHOTO
CLICK HERE for Remington’s R-15 VTR™ SNEAK PREVIEW
November 15th, 2007
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) was presented with the “Firearms Manufacturer of the Year” award by the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers. This award, presented at the Association’s Annual Meeting in Reno, Nevada on November 7, recognizes Ruger’s efforts to provide innovative products, quality customer service, and profitability for distributors of Ruger products. In presenting the award, Mike Brown, Chairman of the NASGW Board of Directors, praised Ruger for its business ethics and “promoting an American-made culture in our market.”
Ruger’s Wall Street Woes
This is a welcome achievement for Ruger which otherwise has stumbled recently. In recent weeks, Ruger’s stock price has been soundly hammered, with the company losing over half of its book value. On Wall Street, optimism about Ruger’s future has been replaced by pessimism. We understand why…
In one firearms product area after another, Ruger has “missed the boat” giving up market share to competitors. Unlike Savage Arms, Ruger has done nothing noteworthy to supply the growing market for precision target and varmint rifles. In the thriving cowboy action market, Ruger is still the dominant pistol maker, but it failed to develop lever actions and suitable shotguns, giving up the lever action market to Uberti and Marlin, and the cowboy shotgun market to Stoeger, a Beretta company. Ruger failed to recognize the popularity of AR-platform rifles and has nothing to offer in that segment, despite the fact that ARs and AR accessories are “driving the rifle market” at present. Ruger recently launched a new 9mm pistol, the SR9, but it may be a case of “too little, too late”, in its effort to compete with Glock and Smith & Wesson. S&W’s new M&P pistols have been very successful, winning major law enforcement contracts.
 Hopefully, Ruger’s executives have “seen the writing on the wall” and the company will listen to shooters, enhance the quality and durability of its products, and roll out improved rifles and shotguns that better match the current preferences of hunters, target shooters, and shotgunners. Thankfully, at least not ALL Ruger execs have their heads in the sand: Chris Killoy, VP of Sales and Marketing for Ruger, states: “There are many changes taking place at Ruger — changes that will allow us to do business more efficiently and will benefit the many independent distributors that help bring our products to market. These changes reflect the desires and needs of our customers.”
November 14th, 2007
 Our friend Boyd Allen recently tested the new Carb-Out™ product from SharpShoot-R Precision Products on a rifle that had stubborn carbon fouling. Boyd had previously applied conventional solvents which did a good job of removing copper and conventional powder fouling. However, when examining the barrel with a borescope, Boyd saw heavy “burned-in” deposits of carbon. In this situation, Boyd observed, scrubbing with an abrasive such as Iosso or JB would normally be required. But Boyd had recently received a sample of Carb-Out™ from Terry Paul, owner of SharpShoot-R. Boyd decided to give it a try: “After working with a nylon brush and patches, getting all that I could out, I was able to see heavy carbon next to the lands, extending forward. This I removed by wetting the bore with the nylon brush, letting it soak for 20 minutes, and brushing with a bronze brush. I did this twice. Previously I would have expected to have done a lot of strokes with an abrasive to get the same result, since this was a worst case situation. Being able to to remove hard carbon without the use of abrasives is a ‘great leap forward’ to steal a phrase”.
Using this regimen, Boyd was able to remove the stubborn carbon. “Carb-Out™ really works”, Boyd told us. “This was that baked-on black stuff that normal solvents won’t touch. After a good soak, the Carb-Out™ on a wet brush knocked it out.” Boyd observed, “Others may differ, but after using this stuff, I think abrasives may be a thing of the past.” Boyd also observed that a very prominent Hall of Fame Benchrest shooter recently retired his Iosso Paste and bought a carton of Carb-Out (which he uses with a brush): “If this guy, who has been at the top of the BR heap for years, believes in the stuff… that’s significant.”
While Boyd used Carb-Out™ with a bronze brush, Terry Paul says the product is designed to work well without brushing. For the typical type of carbon fouling seen in barrels, Terry says: “You simply put it on a patch or a mop and swab it thru the barrel. Carb-Out also leaves behind a protective coating that prevents future carbon adherance. This coating is less than 100th of a micron in thickness, so it will not affect first shot accuracy.” For more info, visit SharpShootR.com, or call (785) 883-4444.
November 11th, 2007
This Sunday, Veterans Day, we honor the veterans, living and dead, who have given so much to protect our country. Formerly known as Armistice Day, Veterans Day (November 11) is celibrated on the same day as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world. (On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, World War I formally came to an end with the German signing of the Armistice.) This is a day we honor all those who have served in the military, from 1776 to the present, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.
“They fought together as brothers-in-arms
They died together and now they sleep side by side
To them we have a solemn obligation.”
— Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
Joseph Ambrose, a World War I veteran, attends the dedication day parade for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1982, holding the flag that covered the casket of his son, who had been killed in the Korean War. Ambrose, now deceased, was 86 years old in 1982 when this photo was taken. There are now just three surviving American WWI Veterans. Related STORY.
November 10th, 2007
While devotees of this site are hard-core accuracy addicts, who normally shoot tiny groups with sophisticated Benchrest and Varmint rifles, we should not overlook the pure fun of shooting a simple rifle at reactive targets.
Nailing a nice, tight 1/4-moa group is very satisfying. But for pure unadulterated shooting fun, it’s hard to beat a slicked-up “race-ready”, Winchester-clone lever gun. In fact, this editor’s favorite rifle for “fun shooting” is my 20″ Uberti Model 1866 “Yellowboy” Lever gun. Shooting light-loaded 38 SPL rounds at steel targets from a standing position offers old-fashioned shooting satisfaction. On the “fun meter” this tops the scale. My rifle features a slicked-up action and lightened trigger. After a “CodyMatic” action job by cowboy gunsmith Cody Conagher, my Yellowboy’s lever can be cycled with just one finger. Trigger pull is about a pound and a quarter. The high-gloss, blued octagonal barrel is very accurate and the mirror-finish bore cleans up easily.
Based on the Model 1866 Winchester, Uberti’s Yellowboy, and its Model 1873 “older brother”, feature a toggle-link action that is extremely smooth. The toggle action design also keeps the linkages separate from the chamber so the gun runs extremely clean. After firing a hundred rounds or more, all you need to do is wipe off the bolt and breech-face with some solvent and run a bore-snake down the bore a few times. To be honest, the Yellowboy is more fun to shoot at steel than my AR Carbine. And maintenance-wise, for every minute I spend maintaining the 1866, I’ll spend an hour detail-stripping and cleaning the AR. The shooting to cleaning ratio favors the lever gun by orders of magnitude.
These Italian-made Winchester clones are very handsome, with nicely figured wood under a durable clearcoat. You can polish the brass receiver to keep it shiny, or leave it alone to develop an authentic, dulled patina. Uberti’s Model 1873 features a steel receiver with gorgeous color case-hardening.
After the fun factor, what’s the nicest quality of Uberti lever guns? Resale value. I can sell my 1866 for quite a bit more than I paid for it. With the steady decline of the U.S. Dollar compared to the Euro, the price of Italian-made Uberti lever guns has been steadily rising. This means that older rifles fetch a premium on the used market.
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