Grafs.com is running a big sale right now on Hornady Bullets with many very popular projectiles marked down 12%.
And to sweeten the deal, for the next week, Grafs.com is waiving its $4.95 handling/insurance fee on any orders worth $60.00 or more. Graf’s already offers free shipping on most products, so this is a good deal, even if you’re only going to buy a couple boxes of bullets. Here are some of the Hornady Bullet Discounts:
20gr V-MAX BULLET (.172, 100/box)
$15.39 on sale, 12% savings
Item #RN21710
40gr V-MAX BULLET (.224, 100/box)
$15.39 on sale, 12% savings
Item #HRN22241
50gr V-MAX BULLET (.224, 100/box)
$15.39 on SALE, 12% savings
Item #HRN22261
58gr V-MAX BULLET (6mm, 100/Box)
$17.79 on sale, 10% savings
Item #HRN22411
120gr A-MAX BULLET (6.5mm, 100/box)
$23.59 on sale, 8% savings
Item #HRN26172
168gr BTHP MATCH BULLET (.308, 100/box)
$23.99 on sale, 10% savings
Item #HRN30501
FREE Freight and No-Charge Handling/Insurance with $60 Purchase
Grafs.com will waive the handling and insurance charge ($4.95 value) when you order at least $60 worth of in-stock merchandise. Freight is ALWAYS prepaid to the 48 states on regular ground service only except for target load ammo (see terms of service for details). Offer excludes closeout items and target loads. Offer expires Thursday, April 28th at midnight CST. NOTE: Hazmat and other special fees are NOT included. Call 800-531-2666 for any questions.
USA Shooting, the national governing body for Olympic shooting sports, has named its new team of Assistant National Rifle Coaches: Marcus Raab, Thomas Tamas, and Ernie Vande Zande. These men will work with the National Coaches to help develop junior talent, support National Team members, and promote the shooting sports.
Raab, the NRA’s National Coach Trainer for Rifle and Pistol, has helped lead the National Coach Development Staff program. Raab is also a highly-respected Juniors’ coach. National Rifle Coach Major Dave Johnson credits Raab for much of the junior team’s recent success, including the 2010 smallbore World Championship win by our junior women. As a competitor, Thomas Tamas was a world-class rifleman, particularly in prone. A past World Champion, Tamas has set multiple world records. He has also served as an instructor (and shooter) for the USAMU Rifle Team. Vande Zande has been a long-time coach, competitor, and manager of Olympic-style shooting sports. Like Tamas, Vande Zande was also a world record holder in men’s prone.
The 2011 Snipers’ Hide Cup took place from April 7 to 9 at the Rifles Only facility in Kingsville, Texas. The popular three-day tactical competition, organized by SnipersHide.com, featured a rich prize table with thousands of dollars worth of scopes and tactical gear. The match drew 63 of the nation’s best tactical marksmen in the civilian, law enforcement and military communities. The multi-stage event places competitors in a number of tactical scenarios with shooting out to 1000 yards. The vast majority of the shooting is done with rifles, but there is some pistol action also. This year, the match format involved “a lot of run and gun, positional, and movers”. The wind played a major role this year, exceeding 24 mph on some stages.
Top Two Finishers Use 6.5 Creedmoor
The overall match winner was Geordie Richardson of Weatherford, TX (via Australia), with a score of 1385/2300. Geordie shot well on nearly every stage, staying in the top three throughout the competition. One fellow competitor remarked: “I was two spots down from [Richardson] and watched the magic happening. He couldn’t miss.” Geordie’s match-winning rifle was a Surgeon Rifles Scapel chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor in a Sentinel stock with Atlas bipod. On top was a S&B 5-25x56mm with Gen2 XR reticle. Geordie shot Hornady factory 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, as did runner-up Tate Moots, as well as the fourth place and seventh place finishers.
Charles “Tate” Moots (Team FNH) took second place overall with a score of 1305/2300 points. Moots used a FN SPR A5M bolt-action rifle, chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor and topped with a Leupold 6.5×20 ERT scope. Finishing third was John Sommers, fourth was Rob Ormond, and taking fifth was George Gardner of GA Precision.
Match runner-up Moots was top finisher in the exciting Helicopter Stage, which required each competitor to engage a ground target from a flying helicopter with an FN SCAR 17S, and upon landing exit the aircraft and fire a five shot group with their precision rifle. Shown below is a helicopter stage from the 2010 Snipers’ Hide Cup. (Turn sound volume down at work.)
Creedmoor Sports recently released its new 2011 catalog — with NRA High Power Champion SGT Sherri Gallagher on the cover. There is both a traditional print version of the new Creedmoor catalog, as well as a new digital version online. In the online digital catalog, you can flip the pages just like a real catalog, view page thumbnails, and print out pages for future reference. (Check out page 56.)
In the new Creedmoor Catalog, we found some cool products you guys may not have seen before. Of course this is just a small sample of the thousands of items in the current catalog.
Blank Eyepiece
Item C1038, $6.95
This semi-opaque eye-shield clips on your shooting eyewear on either right or left side. This allows you to shoot with both eyes open, reducing eyestrain and fatigue. For cross-dominant shooters who don’t want to hold their rifle or pistol with their weak-side hand, this device can be very helpful.
Holland’s Scope Level
Item HOL-LEVEL, $49.95
There are many leveling devices on the market, but we think this is one of the best designs yet (when mounted properly). The T-6 aluminum alloy level fits on your scope tube, with the bubble level set to the side for easy viewing when in firing position. The unit, offered in 1 inch, 30mm, and 34mm sizes, can be flipped so you can place the bubble on either the right side or left side. This unit is easier to see with your left eye than levels mounting in the center of the scope.
The Score Keeper and Pit Puller (by Jim Owens)
Item JOSKPP, $11.95 (Book on CD/DVD)
Can you explain the 11 Hit Rule, the Excessive Hits Rule, the Insufficient Hits Rule, and what to do for a withdrawn target? If not, and you compete in High Power matches, you need this DVD. This useful resource can help match directors and score keepers, and it is an effective training tool for new pit workers. The DVD features over 300 color slides and shows scoring situations from both the Pit Puller’s POV and the Score Keeper’s POV.
Anschütz Shaker Pellet Box
Item AHG-1001, $19.95
With this handy item airgun shooters can sort, count and arrange pellets. This is the best set-up for holding 100 match pellets in rows, and protected from damage. (It’s easy to ding the tails of pellets, which can really harm accuracy.) To quickly fill the box, just pour some pellets into the box, press down on the side tabs, and shake gently back and forth. If you sort pellets by weight (or other criteria), you can also place the pellets individually.
J.M. Browning’s 1911 pistol is 100 years old, and now the latest iteration is… a Ruger. Sturm, Ruger & Co. just introduced the Ruger SR1911 in .45 acp, Ruger’s first-ever 1911-style handgun. The new Ruger SR1911 pistol will debut at the NRA Annual Meeting in Pittsburg, PA, April 29 – May 1, 2011.
With its bead-blasted stainless frame, contrasting grip safety, and Novak sights, Ruger’s SR1911 looks an awful lot like the Smith & Wesson 1911 with some important differences. Unlike the S&W 1911, the Ruger SR1911 has a traditional internal extractor and no forward slide serrations. The SR1911 pistol features a titanium firing pin and heavy firing pin spring. According to Ruger, “this negates the need for a firing pin block, offering an updated safety feature to the original ‘Series 70′ design without compromising trigger pull weight.” In deference to the lawyers, an inspection port allows visual confirmation of a round in the chamber. SR1911 features are shown in the DownRangeTV video below.
We think the gun looks good, and will sell well. However, given Ruger’s checkered history with handgun recalls, we might wait a few months until Ruger gets the bugs out. The Ruger SR1911 weighs 39 oz., ships with one 8-round mag, and has an MSRP of $799.00. We expect street price to be around $725.00 once initial demand eases. The SR1911 is not yet approved for sale in California and Massachusetts.
The .308 Winchester, a shortened version of the .30-06, has almost completely replaced the .30-06 in NRA competition. The .308 is required for Palma shooting, so it is also used by many Palma competitors in other long-range and mid-range prone matches. However, with the exception of M1 Garand matches, you won’t see many .30-06 rifles on the firing lines. Does that mean the .30-06 is obsolete? Is the .308 Win really much more accurate? Or does it just offer the advantages of reduced recoil and reduced powder consumption?
Cartridge photos courtesy Deuce45s.com, a leading source of specialized military cartridges.
In his Sibling Rivalry: .308 vs. .30-06 article on the Rifleman’s Journal site, German Salazar argues that the .30-06 remains a viable competition cartridge, particularly for the long-range game. This isn’t just a subjective opinion. German has data to back up the argument that the .30-06 can still do the job.
German compares the actual scores produced by his .308 Win rifles with the scores from his .30-06 rifles. German analyzes scores, over a two-year period, shot by “matched pair” rifles (one in each caliber) with similar actions, stocks, sights, and barrels. For comparison purposes, German also includes score data from his 6XC, a modern low-recoil chambering.
RESULTS: .308 Has Small Edge at Middle Distance, But .30-06 Is Better at Long Range
Surprisingly, the .30-06 performed nearly as well as the .308 at middle distances. The .30-06 delivered 99.2% of max possible scores vs. 99.5% for the .308 Win. Notably, at 1000 yards, the .30-06 racked up 97.7% of max scores vs. 97.3% for the .308 Win. So, at 1000 yards, the .30-06 actually proved superior to the .308 Win. German explains: “This isn’t too surprising when one considers [the .308’s] limited case capacity for the bullet weights typically used in Long-Range shooting. They just run out of steam and dip perilously close to the transonic range as they approach 1000 yards of flight. The extra 150 fps or so that can be safely obtained from the .30-06 case really pays off at 1000 yards.”
Mid-Range Comparison
In NRA Mid-Range matches (500 and 600 yards), the average score and percentage of possible score for each cartridge was as follows:
If we look at the score averages, the .308 comes out on top at the Mid-Range distances… by 0.3% of the possible score. By the way, notice that the 6XC, as good as it is, simply straddles the .30 caliber cartridges; it is not the winner.
Long-Range Comparison
German rarely shoots the .308 in matches that are only 1000 yards; most of his 1000-yard .308 shooting is done in Palma matches which include 800, 900 and 1000 yards. To make the comparison useful, the Long-Range results are presented only as a percentage of the possible score and the 800- and 900-yard stages of Palma matches were NOT included.
In NRA Long-Range and Palma matches, the average percentage of possible score for each cartridge at 1000 yards was as follows:
Editor’s Note: Among the three cartridges German studied, the 6XC actually proved best at 1000 yards, delivering 98.9% of the maximum possible scores. The .30-06 was second-best with 97.7%, slightly better than the .308 Win at 97.3%.
You’ll want to read German’s full Sibling Rivalry article, which includes an interesting history of the .30-06 and .308 in High Power shooting, along with tables showing German’s actual scores with his .30-06, .308 Win, and 6XC rifles.
Here’s a nice offer if you have youngsters in the family who enjoy plinking with rimfire rifles and pistols. Now through May 31, 2011, if you purchase at least two (2) boxes of CCI® Rimfire Ammunition, you can get a FREE Champion® .22 Single Spinner Target worth $10.50. What’s the catch? Well you MUST send in a form, proof of purchase, and $3.95 for shipping and handling. So, figure you’re getting the spinner for four bucks.
Experienced .308 shooters know that the 168gr Federal Gold Medal match ammunition often performs superbly in both factory and custom .308 Win rifles. We’ve seen this stuff shoot 1 MOA in an FN-FAL and close to half-MOA in a GAP tactical rifle. We won’t make any promises, but the reputation of this ammo speaks for itself. Right now, Champion Shooters Supply has Federal GM308M 168gr factory ammo for just $20.00 per box of 20 rounds. That’s 56% off Champion’s regular price, and way below what this ammo normally costs. Loaded with the 168gr Sierra MK BTHP bullet, this stuff is very high grade ammo at a very attractive price. NOTE: If you want it, order soon. Champion states: “Sale Supply is limited, once we run out we cannot continue this special price.”
If you’re on a tight budget, Lyman offers factory overstock products at bargain prices — up to 50% off MSRP. Right now you can pick up the original version of Lymans’ Digital Trigger Pull Gauge for $39.95 (product #7832248Q). This is listed on MidwayUSA for $54.99. The newer version, which is a light gray color with a slightly different housing, costs $69.99. The $39.95 Trigger Pull gauge is factory new and tested. This is an over-stock item, not a return or refurbished unit. AccurateShooter.com uses this very same black-handle “original model” digital gauge for our testing, and it has functioned great. READ Lyman Trigger Pull Gauge Review.
Digital Trigger Pull Gauge (Original Model)
$39.95 On Sale! (Latest version is $69.95)
Factory new and tested. Original version. Includes case.
If you missed this week’s “Shakedown” episode of Top Shot, you can now watch the full episode on the History Channel website. We think this is one of the best Top Shot shows so far, because there is plenty of shooting, with modern guns, over interesting courses of fire — the kind you’d see at a multi-gun match. And the elimination round was a true skills test. This week’s “expert” is none other than Iain Harrison, the Top Shot Champion from Season One. Iain selected four firearms for this week, and they are good ones: Sig p228 (9mm), Browning High Power (9mm), AR15 (5.56×45), and FN-FAL (7.62×51).
Competitors shoot all four weapons in sequence, off-hand, over a timed course. To add challenge, each shooting station offers an unstable platform — with wood planks that swing, wobble, or bounce. At left you can see the AR15 station — a wood platform suspended by ropes. You’ll be surprised with the performance of some of the favored shooters (including Gunny Zins), and you’ll see why it may be a good thing that the U.S. Military switched from the 7.62 NATO cartridge to the 5.56 round. Most of the shooters had big problems with the heavier-recoiling 7.62×51 “battle rifle” at 100 yards.
Grafs.com is running a big sale right now on Hornady Bullets with many very popular projectiles marked down 12%.
Blank Eyepiece
Holland’s Scope Level
The Score Keeper and Pit Puller (by Jim Owens)
Anschütz Shaker Pellet Box
Experienced .308 shooters know that the 168gr Federal Gold Medal match ammunition often performs superbly in both factory and custom .308 Win rifles. We’ve seen this stuff shoot 1 MOA in an FN-FAL and close to half-MOA in a GAP tactical rifle. We won’t make any promises, but the reputation of this ammo speaks for itself. Right now, 
If you’re on a tight budget, 
If you missed this week’s 
Competitors shoot all four weapons in sequence, off-hand, over a timed course. To add challenge, each shooting station offers an unstable platform — with wood planks that swing, wobble, or bounce. At left you can see the AR15 station — a wood platform suspended by ropes. You’ll be surprised with the performance of some of the favored shooters (including Gunny Zins), and you’ll see why it may be a good thing that the U.S. Military switched from the 7.62 NATO cartridge to the 5.56 round. Most of the shooters had big problems with the heavier-recoiling 7.62×51 “battle rifle” at 100 yards.
