Here’s an interesting factoid from Hodgdon Powder’s new Facebook Page:
The story of Hodgdon Powders begins with one number: 4895. Founder Bruce Hodgdon, a handloader and U.S. Navy veteran, knew that after WWI tons of surplus powder were dumped at sea. After WWII, rather than let it all go to waste, Bruce borrowed against his life insurance and bought 25 tons of 4895 from the U.S. Government. It was the perfect powder for the flood of surplus M1903 Springfield rifles chambered in .30-06. The rest is reloading history.
Shown below is the life insurance loan contract that funded Bruce Hodgdon’s Purchase of 25 Tons of 4895 Surplus Powder:
Meopta USA now offers additional versions of its award-winning MeoPix® iScoping Adapter to fit Swarovski, Leica and Zeiss spotting scopes and binoculars, as well as most popular mid-level optics brands. With this iScoping Adapter, you can use your iPhone to record still images or video of the view through your spotting scope. This is great for capturing views of your target, or to record mirage conditions and flag positions for later study.
Available in several eyecup diameters, the MeoPix® iScoping adapter correctly positions an iPhone® 4/4S to a spotting scope or binocular eyepiece. Proprietary technology provides a secure fit to the iPhone and precise alignment to the spotting scope or binocular eyepiece. Priced at $59.99, the iScoping Adapter is sold by Cabelas.com and major optics dealers. “The overwhelming responses and feedback about the MeoPix iScoping Adapter convinced us to make versions to fit most popular brands of optics” said Meopta USA GM Reinhard Seipp.
Vitaly Kuzmin is the creator of a popular military Blog in Russia. Vitaly recently reported on a Russian precision shooting competition held in conjunction with Russia’s Armourers’ Day.
Many interesting rifles were on display at this Sniper Match, including Russian designed-and-built ORSIS T-5000 rifles. A T-5000 chambered in 7mm RSAUM won the Armourers’ Day Match. This alloy-chassis ORSIS design has displayed outstanding accuracy shooting a wide range of chamberings from the .308 Win up to the .338 Lapua Magnum. In .308, the T-5000 looks like it would work well in F-TR competition and tactical matches. Read more on ORSIS Website (English language).
Vitaly writes: “Last year, The President of Russia signed a decree about the establishment of Armourers Day on 19th September. This Saturday on September 15th I visited Sniping competition devoted to the Armourers Day celebration. The event was organized by TSNIITOCHMASH, Promtechnologies Group (ORSIS trade mark), Club of Precision Shooting and National Federation of Precision Shooting.
The event was open for public and without fees for participation, and as a result the competition was more like a meeting of old friends. Participants and spectators created a wonderful atmosphere, and the organizers made excellent conditions for competition.
Although the event was purely civil, it was attended by the officers from several special units. So I decided to focus mainly on the sniper rifles they used. And, of course, ORSIS rifles. The overall winner shot an ORSIS T-5000 chambered in 7 RSAUM. The second place shooter fielded a Sako TRG-42 in .338LM, while the third-place shooter used a Russian SV-98 in 7.62x54R.”
15 WEEKS AWAY . . . Registration for the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s 2013 SHOT Show is now open for all attendees at www.shotshow.org. Believe it or not, the show — Jan. 15-18 in Las Vegas — is just 15 weeks away. While registering, attendees can order State of the Industry Dinner tickets, enroll in SHOT Show University, and sign up for other educational offerings. Media registration is also now open.
CDNN Investments has just released its new Fall 2012 Catalog (issue 2012-4). As usual, the Catalog contains impressive deals on handguns, rifles, shotguns, scopes, magazines, gun parts, and shooting accessories. CDNN acquires, at low prices, overstock and discontinued items from major manufacturers such as HK, Ruger, Sig-Sauer, and Smith & Wesson. CDNN then can sell this merchandise for well below typical retail prices. You can either view the CDNN Fall 2012 Catalog online or download a PDF version to your hard drive.
Among the very attractive deals in the latest CDNN Catalog are:
Howa 1500 Varmint Hunter in .204 Ruger, .223 Rem, or 22-250, just $389.99
Smith & Wesson iBolt Hunting Rifle in .30-06, just $349.99
Walther SP22 .22LR Target Pistol (6″ bbl) just $219.99
Sig SP2022 for just $389.99 (originally $613.00)
Bifocal Rx Shooting Glasses for Just $6.99
We saw something pretty interesting in this Fall Catalog — Prescription BiFocal Shooting Glasses for just $6.99. These Radians bifocals would be great for shooters who don’t want to spend $100.00 or more for prescription bifocal safety glasses. The magnification diopter is molded directly into the ANSI Z87.1-standard polycarbonate lens. Prescription ratings offered are 1.0X, 1.5X, 2.0X, 2.5X, 3.0X These shooting glasses can also be used when working with tools in the shop. The magnification would be handy when working with small parts. CDNN offers a wide selection of name-brand, non-magnifying protective eyewear as well.
Americans love their outlaws, and, apparently, collectors love outlaw guns even more. Handguns belonging to Bonnie & Clyde (the “first couple of crime”) and western legend Butch Cassidy recently sold at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The .38 Special Colt Detective Special recovered from Bonnie Parker’s bullet-ridden body fetched $264,000 at the RR Auction in New Hampshire this weekend. A Colt model 1911 .45 ACP handgun belonging to Clyde Barrow sold for $240,000. The auction house said this infamous 1911 was recovered from Barrow’s body by Frame Hamer, the lawman who organized the ambush that ended Bonnie and Clyde’s crime spree. The 1911 was found by Hamer tucked in Clyde’s waistband, while Bonnie’s snub-nosed Colt was taped to her thigh. According to RR Auction, “In those days, no gentleman officer would search a woman where [Bonnie] had it taped and there were very few women police officers.”
Watch Video Telling History of Bonnie and Clyde Guns
The winning bids for both guns significantly exceeded predictions, proving that, even in a down economy, collectors are willing to pay large sums for historically significant firearms. The guns were sold from estate of Robert Davis, who had acquired both Colts for roughly $100,000 in 1986. An un-named Texas collector was the winning bidder for both handguns. Read Related NBCNews story
Butch Cassidy’s ‘Amnesty Colt’ Sells for $175,000
In another auction this weekend, Butch Cassidy’s famous “Amnesty Colt” Revolver sold to a foreign museum for $175,000. The handgun was offered as part of a collection of Western guns and memorabilia auctioned in Casitas Springs, California. Accompanying the gun was a black holster and extensive documentation showing the revolver’s authenticity. Read Related Ventura Star story.
The “Amnesty Colt” has a fascinating history. This Colt Single Action revolver was surrendered by Butch Cassidy to Sheriff Parley Christison in 1899. Cassidy, whose real name was George LeRoy Parker, sought amnesty for the string of hold-ups and train robberies he committed with his gang. According to auctioneer John Eubanks: “The sheriff was a friend of a friend of Cassidy’s. Cassidy turned in his [Colt Revolver] and his Winchester rifle and the sheriff arranged a meeting with the governor [of Utah]. The governor said, ‘Look, we can give you amnesty, as long as you haven’t murdered anyone. And Butch replied, ‘I’ve never murdered a man.'” As it turns out, Cassidy never received amnesty, because his exploits were simply too notorious.
The provenance for the “Amnesty Colt” is exceptionally solid (unlike many other famous guns from the Wild West). The revolver has been authenticated by many experts, and the gun itself, along with Cassidy’s Winchester Rifle, were logged in surviving official archives from Juah County, Utah. Sadly, however, the Winchester was lost years ago.
Accuracy International (AI) announced that its widely-respected AW 338 rifles will be “phased out” and replaced by AI’s more modern line of AX 338 rifles. AI explains that the AW-338 (chambered for the .338 Lapua Magnum) will go out of production because “the new AX 338 model of rifle has far more versatility and modularity.” However, please note the AW 308 chambered for .308 Winchester will continue to be produced, and it is still available to order.
News tip by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
Richard Schatz won the Two-Gun Overall Title at the 2012 IBS 600-Yard Nationals held this weekend in St. Louis, Missouri. Congratulations to Richard for this big win against very capable competition! This marks two Overall wins for Richard in the past three years (Schatz also won in 2010). The match was well-attended, with 81 shooters in Light gun and roughly 60 shooters in the HG division. Winds were challenging at the Match, particularly on Saturday. Sam Hall stated: “Richard [showed us] some fine shooting shooting in those switchy St Louis winds. Richard didn’t do anything spectacular but he was very consistent in all categories — he rarely makes a mistake. Congratulations on the Overall 2-Gun Championship! It could not have happened to a finer fellow!” We are still awaiting the final, official scores to be posted.
Here are tentative Top 10 Two-Gun Overall Rankings (not official) Forum member LMMike obtained by phone from Match Director Jerry Kloppell (there may be spelling mistakes):
Two-Gun Overall Standings
1. Richard Schatz
2. Mike Hanes
3. Stephen Hall
4. Sally Bauer
5. John Powers
6. Sam Hall
7. Tod Soeby
8. Darrel Daucus
9. Chad Jenkins
10. Rodney Wagner
Tim Claunch photo
Posting in our Shooters’ Forum, Sam Hall and Chad Jenkins provided these preliminary (non-official) Light Gun (Day 1) and Heavy Gun (Day 2) results:
Light Gun Overall
1. Mike Hanes
2. Sam Hall
3. Richard Schatz
4. Sally Bauer
5. Chad Jenkins
Light Gun Group
1. Mike Hanes, 2.124″
2. Tim Claunch, 2.138″
3. Sam Hall, 2.198″
Light Gun Score
1. Mike Hanes, 384
2. Sam Hall, 376
3. Chad Jenkins, 376
Heavy Gun Overall
1. Stephen Hall (5 pts)
2. Richard Schatz (8 pts)
3. Tom Jacobs (9 pts)
4. John Powers (11 pts)
5. Tod Soeby (15 pts)
Heavy Gun Group
1. Rodney Wagner, 2.0159″
2. John Powers, 2.1500″
3. Steve Hoskin, 2.1510″
Heavy Gun Score
1. Stephen Hall, 384 (2.1574″)
2. Tom Jacobs, 382 (2.3796″)
3. Richard Schatz, 381 (2.2241″)
Richard and Rory — A Living Legend and a Bright Young Talent
It seems like every week, readers send us questions about gun safes. They want to know how much they should spend and who has the best deals. They also have numerous hardware questions, such as: “What’s better — digital keypad vs. rotary (spin dial) lock?”, and “Should I look for a safe with internal or external hinges?”. We answer many of these questions in our comprehensive Gun Safe Buyers Guide, which is definitely worth reading.
After reading our Gun Safe Buyers Guide, if you still have more questions, tune in to Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk Radio Show this Sunday, September 30th. On this Sunday’s broadcast, Liberty Safe’s Jamey Skousen talks about the important features of gun safes and security vaults, and Skousen explains what to look for when shopping for a safe. As an added bonus, Liberty Safe is offering a special rebate in connection with this Gun Talk broadcast. To save money on your next safe, click the graphic at right to download the rebate form. Or, go to LibertySafe.com and click on the photo of Tom Gresham in the upper right hand corner. On a $1500.00 Liberty Safe you’ll get a $50.00 instant rebate plus a $50.00 mail-in rebate, for $100.00 total savings.
In its 18th year of national syndication, Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk Radio airs live on Sundays from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm Eastern. Gun Talk Radio runs on more than 135 stations, plus XM (Ch. 165) Satellite Radio. The Gun Talk Minute on XM also airs on XM 165, 166, 168 and Fox Sports every day. Gun Talk shows can be downloaded as FREE Podcasts via Gun Talk’s Podcast Archive.
The 9th edition of the National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules has just been released. The new 2012-2014 rulebook goes into effect immediately. Digital versions of the new Rulebook can be downloaded from the CMP website in eZine Format or Adobe PDF Format. NOTE: All changes from the previous rules are underlined in the Rulebook so new rules can easily be identified.
The 2012-2014 National Standard Rulebook has several rules that were changed to keep national 3-position air rifle rules in line with what competitors will see in USAS/ISSF rules at larger competitions. The ISSF is changing its rules for 10m and 50m rifle and pistol events to have separate “preparation and sighting” periods before record or competition firing begins. Since this will become the new international standard, the Council decided that junior position air rifle competitors in the U. S. should use the same procedures.
Here are some of the other notable rule changes (this is only a partial list; consult Rulebook for all changes!):
Rule 2.4 – LOAD
The command “LOAD” is no longer given before “START” in regular competitions. The command “LOAD” is still given prior to “START” in finals. This change reflects the fact that there is a separate preparation and sighting time before record fire. The command “START” allows competitors to continue to prepare their positions and then load and fire when they are ready to start firing sighters.
Rule 4.1.7 – 600 FPS Velocity Restriction
The new rules clarify that match directors do not have to check rifle velocities unless they feel a rifle was altered to be a “high velocity” rifle. It also recognized that using non-lead pellets may produce velocities slightly above the 600 fps maximum.
Rule 7.16 – Malfunctions
No extra time will be given for a malfunction or malfunction repair. An athlete may repair a rifle after notifying the Range Officer or a replacement rifle may be authorized by the Range Officer if there is physical evidence that the malfunction cannot be repaired. Additional sighting shots may be allowed if the athlete must get out of position to facilitate the repair, but only within the remaining shooting time. This change is [made] to eliminate delays caused by giving shooters extra time for malfunctions that frequently throw matches off schedule.
Vitaly Kuzmin is the creator of a popular military Blog in Russia. Vitaly recently reported on a Russian precision shooting competition held in conjunction with Russia’s Armourers’ Day.
Tim Claunch photo
In its 18th year of national syndication, Tom Gresham’s 
The 9th edition of the National Standard 
