Yet another ballistics App is now available for the iPhone and iPod. iPhone users can download the new Winchester Ballistics App for free. Winchester has taken the features and functionality from its web-based Ballistics Calculator and developed a user-friendly interface for the iPhone. Winchester’s free online ballistics calculator is still available.
The iPhone version of Winchester’s Ballistics Calculator allows users to choose their type of ammunition and compare up to three different Winchester products with easy-to-read, high-tech ballistic charts and graphs. You can customize shooting conditions by entering wind speed and outside temperature, adjust zero marks for sighting in.
To get the free Winchester App, visit the Winchester Ballistics webpage, and click on the photo of an iPhone on the right side of the screen. You will need to have iTunes configured on your computer to download the Winchester App.
Recommended $9.99 ‘Ballistic’ App
While you’re at the iPhones store, you probably want to download the ‘Ballistic’ App by Jonathan Zdziarski. Powered by the JBM Ballistics engine, the $9.99 ‘Ballistic’ App is recommended by Bryan Litz, and it is one of the most sophisticated solvers available. A new $19.99 iPad version of ‘Ballistic’ has just been introduced.
The complete events schedule for the 2012 London Olympics has been released. Shooting events will take place at the Royal Artillery Barracks near Woolwich. Shooting competition starts with 10m Air Pistol on July 28 and finishes with the Mens 3-Position Finals and Trap Finals on August 6.
Olympic tickets (for all sports) go on sale starting March 15, 2011. Don’t delay if you want to grab tickets for the Shooting Finals. U.S. residents can purchase tickets through CoSport.com, while UK residents can get tickets from the London2012.com official website.
A new NRA rule now permits shooters with scope-equipped M1, M1A, and AR-platform rifles to compete in Service Rifle matches at the National Championships. As of January 1, 2011, under NRA Rule 3.1(f), as amended, scoped service rifles are allowed: “Same as Service Rifle Rule 3.1 (a) through (d) except there is no restriction as to sights”. This gives you a chance to compete with your AR or M1A in the largest rifle match in America, even if you don’t shoot iron sights. Scoped service rifles, presumably, will be scored in a separate classification. We have learned that the scoped ARs will be placed in a subcategory for Tactical Match Rifles with Optics.
Starting this year at the High Power Rifle Championships in Camp Perry, Ohio, Service Rifle competitors who wish to use optical sights can now compete in a Special Award Category within Match 401. For those using an AR platform rifle, you’ll be part of the Tactical Match Rifle with Optical Sights Special Awards Category within Match 402.
“Our hope is to get more people out to local ranges and the National Championships with their scope-equipped ARs”, said Competitive Shooting Division Director Mike Krei. “More than two million AR platforms have been sold and we would like to see these gun owners come out and compete.” It is unclear how this rule change will affect local or regional High Power matches. Some folks have suggested that most local High Power Service Rifle matches will still be limited to iron-sights rifles unless the course of fire expressly allows for optical sights.
Story based on report by Lars Dalseide, Courtesy the NRA Blog.
Winchester is producing four new types of rimfire ammunition for 2011. Three of the four products should be of great interest to varminters, with new high velocity, high expansion, and lead-free designs. Winchester is also introducing its M-22 bulk pack .22LR ammo, designed for use in mag-fed semi-autos.
Varmint HV in .22 Magnum Rimfire SPECS: 30gr tipped V-Max bullet, 2250 FPS
The Winchester Varmint HV line of .22 WMR ammo has proven very popular, and this year Winchester adds a new version for varminters who prefer a plastic-tipped bullet. The latest Varmint HV round features the accurate and explosive 30gr V-Max bullet. With a V-Max loaded to an impressive 2250 fps, this gives you near 17HMR velocity, with a heavier bullet for added hitting power.
Varmint HE 3-in-1 Segmented .22LR SPECS: 37gr plated HP, 1435 FPS
The unique 3-in-1 segment design, exclusive to Winchester, features a 37gr plated HP fragmenting expansion bullet pushed at 1435 fps. This “progammed” hollow-point bullet fragments into three forward segments, plus a solid rear core that gives more penetration (and energy). “Without a doubt, Varmint HE ammunition provides explosive impact,” said Brett Flaugher, Winchester’s Marketing VP. “The 3/1 segmenting design makes this product truly innovative, but unlike other high-energy bullets on the market, our new 3/1 fragmenting design allows initial impact shock, and deep penetration resulting in maximum terminal effect.”
Varmint LF (Lead-Free) 17 HMR SPECS: 15.5gr NXT tipped lead-free bullet, 2550 FPS
For 2011, Winchester is introducing a new 17HMR version of its popular Lead-Free (LF) rimfire ammo. The new 17HMR LF shoots a lightweight, 15.5gr tipped NXT bullet at a blistering 2550 fps, making this some of the highest-velocity rimfire ammo you can buy. Along with the new 17MHR LF, Winchester’s LF rimfire line includes lead-free .22 WMR and .22LR LF ammo.
M-22 Ammo for .22LR Tactical Trainers SPECS: 40gr, Blackened Copper-plated Lead Bullet, 1255 FPS
New this year is Winchester’s M-22 line of affordable .22LR ammo. This is designed to function well in large-capacity stick magazines. If you are shooting one of the .22LR tactical-style semi-autos such as Smith & Wesson’s MP15-22, this ammo would be a good choice. It features a blackened, copper-plated 40gr lead bullet, and is available in 1000-count bulk packs.
Here’s the latest info on Alliant’s new AR-Comp powder. We had a chance to talk with Dick Quesenberry of Alliant, who revealed more details about this new propellant. First, Dick explained that AR-Comp is an advanced re-formulation of Reloder 15, a double-base Bofors powder. There are changes to internal and external chemistry to provide much better pressure/velocity stability across a wide range of temperatures.
AR-Comp Offers Uniform Velocities over a Wide Temp Range
Tests were done with .223 Rem and .308 Win ammo, loaded with AR-Comp and maintained at temps from -20° F to +160° F in a controlled test center. The ammo itself was heated or cooled to targeted temps before testing. Across that entire range of temperature, -20° F to +160° F, the ammo loaded with AR-Comp showed a variation of only 20 fps in muzzle velocity. The primary bullet type tested was a 77gr .224 bullet and the secondary was a 175gr .308 bullet.
Burn Rate Like Varget:Though this is a reformulation of Reloder 15, the burn rate of AR-Comp is slightly faster than Reloder 15. Alliant told us: “Reloder 15 is slightly slower, in burn rate, than Varget. The new AR-Comp, with the enhancements, ended up slightly faster than Reloder 15, so it is now very close to Varget in burn rate”. This is the result of the “tuning” of the powder to be much less temp-sensitive.
Meters Like Reloder 15:AR-Comp is a small-kernel, double-base extruded powder like Reloder 15, so it will continue to meter just like Reloder 15. The load density should be the same as Reloder 15.
Loaded Ammo:We asked if any manufacturer will be using AR-Comp in loaded ammo. Dick told us that he is “not allowed to release that information at this time”. Draw your own conclusions, but remember that Alliant is owned by ATK, which makes Federal rifle ammo.
Available in Summer 2011:Allliant hopes to ship AR-Comp in “June or July” of 2011, provided the DOT Classification process moves at a normal schedule. The powder is ready to go, Alliant is just waiting on the DOT to provide shipping authorization.
Reloder 15 Will Stay in Production:Fans of Alliant’s Reloder 15 don’t need to worry. Alliant will keep Reloder 15 in production. “We don’t drop powder lines”, said Quesenberry.
AR-Comp First in Series of New Alliant Temp-Stable Powders
Alliant has been working on AR-Comp for quite some time. This represents a major evolution for Alliant’s powder line. AR-Comp will be the first in a series of “new generation” temp-stable powders from Alliant. Quesenberry noted: “Our goal was to provide a powder that offers stable pressures in all temperatures. Shooters want to be able to stay with the same load in winter and in summer, in cold or in hot conditions.”
Quesenberry added: “We’ve been working on this quite a while. AR-Comp is the first example and we hope to extend this to other rifle powders. It’s a tough job. You have to balance the performance carefully. If you tweak it one way, say to improve the low temp performance, you lose something at the upper end. If you tweak it for the top end, you loose something at the bottom. You have to hit that balance. We worked very hard to do just that and we think shooters will be impressed with the results.”
Gander Mtn. has opened a 20,000 square-foot, high-tech firearms training facility in Lake Mary, Florida. The new Gander Mtn. Academy in Florida offers modern multi-media classrooms, live-fire ranges, a state-of-the-art “Virtual Range”, as well as interactive shooting simulators that let you test your skills in defensive scenarios. In the Academy’s high-tech virtual “V-Range™”, shooters can sharpen their skills and master their mechanics “without spending time and money firing endless rounds of expensive live ammo”.
V-Range™ Video
The virtual range (V-Range) is set up like a conventional firing line, but the targets are projection screens with 2,000,000 pixels per lane. You “shoot” with real pistols modified to fire laser beams, not bullets. Students can zoom the target screens to examine their results and then save their targets as digital image files (sent via email).
Virtual Simulators with ‘Real-Life’ Scenarios
Along with the V-Range, the Gander Mtn. Academy offers two high-tech simulators, the Pro V SIM 180™, and a 300-degree “surround” enclosure, the Pro V SIM 300™. Gander Mtn. Academy is the first and only firearms facility to offer this cutting-edge simulation technology to the public.
V-SIM 300
The V-SIM 180 and V-SIM 300 environments are designed to help you make quick decisions involving a wide range of real life situations. V-SIM 180 and V-SIM 300 training sessions cost $40 and $50 respectively for 30-minute time-blocks. The simulator scenarios run the gamut—from numerous self-defense options to a variety of situations commonly found while hunting and shooting outdoors. After the simulator session, participants can play back and review their performance (with instructor feedback) in video debriefing rooms equipped with Hi-Def monitors and performance-auditing software. Students can even upload video clips of their simulator sessions to YouTube.
More Gander Mtn. Academies Slated to Open Soon
The Florida Gander Mtn. Academy is the first of four high-tech training centers Gander Mtn. plans to open this year. The second location, in La Cross, Wisconsin, is slated to open in April, 2011. In summer, Gander Mtn. plans to open training Academies in Greensboro, North Carolina and Roanoke, Virginia. For more information, visit the Gander Academy Website, or call 1-888-5GANDER.
Frank Buckles, the last living American WWI veteran, passed away Sunday at his home in Charles Town, West Virginia. He was 110 years old, having marked his 110th birthday on February 1, 2011. In recent years, Buckles worked with groups seeking to establish a Memorial in Washington, DC for all WWI veterans. READ Related Story.
Rest in peace Mr. Buckles — we salute you for your service, as we salute your fellow soldiers who passed before you. 4,734,991 Americans served in uniform during World War I. They fought on land and sea, in the first true global conflict. By the end of WWI over 15,000,000 soldiers and civilians worldwide had died in that conflict, including 120,000 Americans (as many from disease as from wounds). A thousand U.S. soldiers died every DAY in the 3-week Meuse-Argonne offensive.
The Last Doughboy
Army veteran Frank Buckles was the last surviving American “Doughboy” who fought in Europe in “The Great War”. His story is a profile in patriotism (and youthful exuberance). When only 16 years old, he tried to enlist in the U.S. Marines. They turned him down, so he joined the Army, lying about his age. He served in Britain and France as an ambulance driver, then helped escort German prisoners home to Germany after the surrender.
In an interview a few years ago, Buckles recalled his service in the Great War, explaining why he joined the Army at age 16: “When your nation calls,” Buckles said, “you have to go”. (Read recent interview.)
Following WWI, Buckles wanted to see the world, so he took work with a steamship company. That job placed him in the Philippines when the Japanese invaded. He was captured and interred in a prison camp for three years before being liberated. To learn more about Frank Buckles and his experiences in WWI and WWII, CLICK HERE for USAToday Feature Story. (Highly recommended–worth reading.)
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is seeking college-age counselors for its highly popular Three-Position Air Rifle Summer Camps for high school athletes. Camp Counselor positions are open to collegians who have completed at least one year of college and are members of an NCAA or college club rifle team.
Applicants must be available to work and travel from 24 May through 29 July 2011. Selection will be based on academic performance, shooting experience, coaching and youth leadership experience, and references.
DEADLINE: Applications must be received by 18 March 2011.
Counselors are paid $400-$500 per week (depending on seniority) plus $30 daily per diem. All travel and lodging costs are covered by the CMP once the camps begin, though the counselors must provide their own transport to the training location (Anniston, AL) and back home at the end of the summer. Job duties primarily consist of working with groups of five or more high school athletes at five-day summer camps, following a camp curriculum designed by DCM Emeritus Gary Anderson.
Interested candidates may download an Application from the link below and send it to Sommer Wood, CMP Summer Rifle Camps, P. O. Box 576, Port Clinton, Ohio 43452. Forms may be faxed to Sommer Wood at: (419) 635-2573. Email questions to swood@odcmp.com. Applications must be received by 18 March 2011. Applicant notification will be mailed by 4 April 2011.
Employment will begin on 24 May with a training session at CMP South Headquarters in Anniston, AL. The 2011 camp schedule includes five full-length, three-position air rifle camps, one advanced standing position camp, providing support staff at the Three-Position National Junior Olympics and a three-day air rifle clinic. The staff will have the week of 9-16 July off to compete in the USA Shooting National Championships. A complete 2011 camp schedule is provided below:
Cannon Safe has a new series of gunsafes with many smart features that we wish were found on ALL premium safes. There are many other quality safes out there, but we were pleased to see how Cannon equips its new Commander Series Safes. Whether you end up with a Cannon safe or not, if you are shopping for large gun safes, check to see whether it offers these important features found in the Cannon Commanders:
Reinforced Steel Frame
Cannon Commanders has a 5.75″ double-steel composite door, double-steel reinforced door frame, multiple re-lockers and 1.5″ active-locking bolts on the top, side and bottom of the door. Each safe is predrilled for floor bolting.
High-Quality Lock
Too many gunsafes have cheap digital locks that can fail unpredictably. We recommend that all gunsafes have commercial grade rotary (mechanical), or digital locks. On Cannon’s Commander safes, contents are accessed with a commercial grade Type 1 electronic lock that is backlit and protected with three layers of extra-hard 60+ RC steel hard-plate. You can also order a mechanical lock if you prefer. A good commercial-grade mechanical lock, maintained properly, will last a couple lifetimes.
Door Seal that Expands with Heat
A good door seal is really important in the “real world” ability of a safe to protect its contents during a fire. Many other safes claim fire-protection because they have some sheet rock panels inside, but they lack critical door-sealing. The Commander Series has an Intertek-ETL verified fire rating of 1200° F for 90 minutes and features a triple fin intumescent cold smoke expandable seal and heat-activated door seal that expands when exposed to heat.
Internal Power and Computer Hook-ups
A state-of-the-art internal power supply system with two 110 power outlets, USB port and RJ45 Ethernet connection keep computers and other electronics charged and connected. An electric dehumidifier is available as an option.
Built-In LED Lighting
In our Gun Safe Buyers’ Guide, we recommend the use of efficient LED light clusters. Cannon has gone this one better, with multidirectional LED lights that activate when the door is opened and shut off when closed, providing a bright clear view of the safe’s contents.
Versatile Door Storage System
Many safe owners like to use the door for rapid access to handguns, knives, Maglites, tools, and other security gear. The Cannon Commander Safes ship with a custom door panel organizer that holds dozens of handguns and accessories.
Cannon Commander Safes are offered in two models and six colors (gloss black, matte black, gray, white, tan, dark red, and green). Cannon offers a lifetime, hassle-free, zero-cost warranty. If a Cannon safe is ever damaged due to a fire, natural flood, or burglary Cannon will cover all costs to repair or replace the safe, even if the owner is not the original purchaser. (Contents are not covered).
Model: Commander CO43
Factory-Direct Price: $3,149.21
Weight:1457 lbs.
Dimensions:72”x40”x28” (depth includes dial and handle)
Gun Capacity: 36 (actual capacity can vary depending on gun size)
Model: Commander CO54
Factory-Direct Price: $3,519.81
Weight:1672 lbs.
Dimensions:72”x50”x28” (depth includes dial and handle)
Gun Capacity: 48 (actual capacity can vary depending on gun size)
Here’s important news for handloaders. Alliant Powder has introduced a new medium-burn-rate powder: AR-Comp™. This new powder was developed specifically for AR-style rifles. Alliant says that AR-Comp powder is “ideally suited for heavy .223 and .308 match bullets”. We presume, from that description, that the powder will have a burn rate similar to Varget. The AR-Comp powder, produced in Sweden by Bofors Nobel, is an enhanced temp-insensitive reformulation of Reloder 15. The burn rate is slightly faster than Reloder 15, according to Alliant.
Alliant Claims AR-Comp is NOT Temp-Sensitive
We have limited information about AR-Comp, and we have not yet been supplied with a test sample. We have confirmed is a double-base extruded powder, and is an upgraded version of the Reloder 15 formulation. Alliant claims the powder meters very well and delivers “consistent pressures and velocities across temperature extremes”. This new powder is supposed to be very uniform from lot to lot. That would be great — if it is true — but only time will tell.
We will try to get a sample of AR-Comp soon and test it in both .223 Rem and .308 Win rifles. We suspect, if AR-Comp suits both the .223 Rem and .308 Win, it should work well in the 6mmBR and 6.5×47 Lapua cartridges as well. Stay tuned — we hope to have more info next week. AR-Comp should be hitting the market in June or July, 2011, provided DOT Classification goes smoothly. It will be offered in both one-pound (#150664) and 8-lb (#150665) containers.
Yet another ballistics App is now available for the iPhone and iPod. iPhone users can download the new Winchester Ballistics App for free. Winchester has taken the features and functionality from its web-based Ballistics Calculator and developed a user-friendly interface for the iPhone. Winchester’s free online ballistics calculator is still available.
Recommended $9.99 ‘Ballistic’ App
The complete events schedule for the 2012 London Olympics has been released. Shooting events will take place at the 
Here’s the latest info on Alliant’s new AR-Comp powder. We had a chance to talk with Dick Quesenberry of Alliant, who revealed more details about this new propellant. First, Dick explained that AR-Comp is an advanced re-formulation of Reloder 15, a double-base Bofors powder. There are changes to internal and external chemistry to provide much better pressure/velocity stability across a wide range of temperatures.
Gander Mtn. has opened a 20,000 square-foot, high-tech firearms training facility in Lake Mary, Florida. The new Gander Mtn. Academy in Florida offers modern multi-media classrooms, live-fire ranges, a state-of-the-art “Virtual Range”, as well as interactive shooting simulators that let you test your skills in defensive scenarios. In the Academy’s high-tech virtual “V-Range™”, shooters can sharpen their skills and master their mechanics “without spending time and money firing endless rounds of expensive live ammo”.
Frank Buckles, the last living American WWI veteran, passed away Sunday at his home in Charles Town, West Virginia. He was 110 years old, having marked his 110th birthday on February 1, 2011. In recent years, Buckles worked with groups seeking to establish a Memorial in Washington, DC for all WWI veterans. 
The 
