JBM Ballistics (JBM), based in Las Cruces, NM, has provided free online ballistics info for the past 15 years. JBM Ballistics’ sophisticated algorithms deliver extremely reliable ballistics solutions. To complement its software, JBM plans to introduce a new hardware product: the BallistiComp.
Laster this year, JBM will unveil its new BallistiComp, a portable handheld ballistics computer that measures atmospheric temperature and pressure. Once your load data (Bullet BC, Velocity) is entered, the BallistiComp provides instantaneous drop and windage corrections for your load and shooting conditions. Calculated parameters include drop, windage, coriolis, drift and lead, plus terminal information including velocity, energy, time of flight and danger space. All of these parameters are displayed on an LCD display with backlight. Small enough to fit in your pocket, the BallistiComp is packaged in a rugged, watertight Lexan® case, measuring about 3″x5″x1″.
Why Not “An App for That”
Why would JBM produce dedicated hardware when there are good Ballistics Apps that can run on an Apple or Droid smartphone? Battery life is one reason. The single 9-volt battery should last for months (by contrast some smartphones need to be charged every DAY). Importantly, no connection to cell towers or the internet is needed. You could use this unit anywhere on the globe. Lastly, JBM wanted something that was inherently rugged and reliable. Smartphone touch screens are notoriously fragile.
How It Works
Using an 8-button keypad, you enter your firearm, ammunition and zero parameters into the system memory. BallistiComp then calculates the bullet drop and windage correction at the current atmospheric conditions, latitude and altitude (or calculated pressure altitude). BallistiComp continually measures the air temperature and pressure and provides constantly updated drop and drift numbers.
Product Availability
JBM has not yet disclosed a launch date or a suggested price for the new BallistiComp. However, you can download an Operators Manual to learn more about the BallistiComp. JBM cautions: “The manual is just a draft and may change during beta testing”.
Do you have the gift of gab, can you turn a phrase, and can you read a spreadsheet? Would you like to work with new guns, and get paid for attending gunshows? If so, this may be a ‘dream job’ for you. Remington Arms Co., the nation’s oldest firearms manufacturer, is looking for a new Public Relations Manager.
This is a high-profile job, with responsibility for both long-term media planning and managing the day-to-day Press Relations responsibilities for the Freedom Group companies. The PR Manager also represents Remington at trade shows, works with TV and radio broadcasters, and manages media tests of company products.
Among the required qualifications are: Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university; minimum of five years PR experience; journalist and writing skills; and knowledge of hunting and shooting. We know that many of our readers possess these qualifications. Who knows — perhaps you could become the new “voice of Remington” — the man (or woman) with primary responsibility for spreading the word about Remington firearms and products.
Other Remington Job Openings
In addition to the PR Manager job, Remington is looking to fill a number of other sales, contracts, and customer service positions. Current openings include:
Senior Key Account Manager, Cabella’s
Sr. Sales Support Operations Analyst
Law Enforcement Contracts Analyst
Domestic Customer Service Representative
Senior Law Enforcement/Military Customer Service Representative
As you know, on AccurateShooter.com, we provide 100% FREE content — including our FREE Classifieds. On January 1st, we made a pitch for donations to help the site. Readers have responded positively and we’ve raised over $1000 in just three days. Thanks to all who have donated so far. Hopefully more readers will answer the call.
It does cost a lot of money to test products and to provide new content every day. We’re going to SHOT Show soon. Covering that big event with daily updates will cost over $1500 (for three people), when all is said and done.
There have even been some recent $100 donations! Special thanks go to our latest “Century Club” contributors: Terry B. (WI), TR Butler (Australia), Richard C. (CO), Mark LaF. (CA), Herman H. (VA), Carl P. (TX), Scott O. (MN), Ben W. (TX), Gene Z. (TX). We really appreciate their generosity! But remember, all donations, large and small, are appreciated. For regular site readers, we suggest “a buck a month” or $12 per year.
How to Contribute
Making a donation to the site is simple and easy. Just click on the PayPal “Donate” button at right. If you have a credit card, you don’t need a Paypal account to contribute. All donations — large or small — are welcome.
Help Support this Site by Making a Secure Donation.
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Ruger has just introduced a new 9mm carry pistol. Very light (17 oz.), very thin (0.9″), Ruger’s LC9 is the bigger brother to the company’s successful LCP pocket 380acp. According to Ruger CEO Michael Fifer, consumer demand inspired this new pistol: “Customers repeatedly requested a lightweight, compact 9mm pistol. Frankly, they wanted an LCP chambered in 9mm.”
Ruger LC9 Press Release The LC9™ [is] a lightweight, compact 9mm pistol for discreet carry by law abiding citizens, or a full-power, no-compromise backup for off-duty law enforcement officers. This highly requested pistol was developed through Ruger’s Voice of the Customer program….
The LC9 has a 3.12″ barrel, is 6.0″ long and 4.5″ tall, making for a very compact 9mm pistol. The LC9 is impressively narrow at a mere .90″ wide, and weighs only 17.1 ounces with an empty magazine. Featuring a black polymer (glass-filled nylon) frame and blued alloy steel slide and barrel, the lightweight, full-featured Ruger LC9 offers the versatility and capability of the popular 9mm cartridge in a highly compact, reliable, and user-friendly pistol.
LC9 Design Features
The LC9 is a double-action-only, hammer-fired, locked-breech pistol with external extractor, and single-sided manual safety. The Ruger LC9’s polymer frame and steel slide feature smooth “melted” edges. One seven-round, single-column magazine is provided with each LC9 pistol, with an optional finger grip extension. Yes there is a nanny-state mag disconnect, and a California-approved loaded chamber indicator. Sights are low-profile with one dot in front, two in the rear.
Last week, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued an important ruling affecting gunsmiths. The ruling covers the obligations of dealer-gunsmiths who work as sub-contractors for a licensed firearm manufacturer. Specifically, the ruling addresses record-keeping requirements and whether dealer-gunsmiths must have a manufacturers’ license to complete certain types of production work. We recommend that all gunsmiths involved in external finish work (such as cerakoting or parkerizing) review the ruling carefully.
The ATF explains: “The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has received inquiries from firearms industry members asking whether licensed dealer-gunsmiths who would be engaged in the business of repairing, modifying, embellishing, refurbishing, or installing parts in or on firearms for, or on behalf of a licensed importer or manufacturer are required to be licensed as manufacturers and abide by the requirements imposed on manufacturers.
In recent years, licensed firearms importers and manufacturers have contracted certain firearms manufacturing activities on their behalf to specialized licensed firearms manufacturers. Such activities include applying special coatings and treatments to firearms (e.g., bluing, anodizing, powder-coating, plating, polishing, heat/chemical treating).
This has caused confusion over which importers and manufacturers are required to identify/mark firearms and maintain permanent records of importation or manufacture. For this reason, licensed importers and manufacturers have asked whether licensed dealer-gunsmiths, who are not required to mark firearms and keep production records, may engage in such manufacturing activities on their behalf.”
Summary of ATF Ruling 2010-10
ATF Ruling 2010-10 addresses questions about activities such as bluing, anodizing, powder-coating, plating, polishing, heat and chemical treating. There has been confusion over whether these activities require a federal firearms manufacturers license, and what are subcontractors’ firearms-marking and record-keeping requirements. As stated by the BATFE in a 12/30/2010 Press Release:
Ruling 2010-10 holds that licensed firearms dealer-gunsmiths are not engaged in a manufacturing business, and are not required to hold a manufacturers license, under certain specified conditions. The ruling was issued to address modern firearms manufacturing processes, which often involve a number of contractors other than the manufacturer whose name is marked on the firearm.
Under the ruling, licensed dealers may perform manufacturing services if:
(1) The firearms are not owned by the licensed dealer-gunsmith;
(2) The licensed dealer-gunsmith returns the firearms to the licensed manufacturer or licensed importer upon completion of the manufacturing process and does not sell or distribute the firearms to any other person; and
(3) The firearms were properly identified and marked by the importer or manufacturer in accordance with the law and regulations.
Here is great news for high-power shooters, tactical competitors, and hunters. Lapua will be producing .260 Remington brass starting in 2011. The official announcement will be made at SHOT Show 2011 in Las Vegas, and brass should start arriving in early spring. With Lapua’s introduction of .260 Rem brass, precision shooters now have a “no-brainer” first choice for cartridge brass in this popular chambering. No longer will you have to sort and cull (and re-sort) Rem-brand .260 brass. And you won’t have to fool around necking-up .243 brass or necking down .308 brass, with the problems that come with case-reforming operations.
The .260 Rem offers ballistics similar to the 6.5×55 with a cartridge size that fits short actions. For long range, the .260 Rem works great with 120gr to 142gr bullets, making it highly suitable for both hunting and target shooting. Here is what Lapua says about its new brass:
The .260 Rem was used to stunning effect at Camp Perry to win the 2010 Championships setting an incredible new national record in the process. .260 shooters have hammered their way into the winner’s circles of a wide variety of competitive disciplines, a real testament to the capability of this outstanding cartridge.
The .260 isn’t just a target round. It has also shown itself to be a fine performer in the field for medium game. Effectively duplicating the ballistic performance of the time-honored 6.5×55, the .260 has already developed a well-earned reputation for dependable stopping power on deer, antelope and similar game. Given the tremendous selection of bullets for every conceivable application, the 260 is an extraordinarily versatile cartridge. With such a solid history already established in such a short time, Lapua is proud to add the .260 to our line of premier components for the handloader.
[Editor’s Comment: I shot the .260 Rem extensively for 3 years, testing many powder/bullet/primer combinations. I tried both Remington-brand brass (very inconsistent), and necked-up Lapua and Norma .243 brass. If you want a reliable, accurate “go-to” load for the new Lapua .260 brass, I recommend Lapua 123gr Scenars with Hodgdon H4350 powder, running at about 2950 fps. Both Fed 210M and CCI large rifle primers work well. If you run the ballistics, you’ll find you give up little or nothing shooting the 123s vs. the 140gr class bullets because you can achieve significantly higher velocities with the lighter bullets, when using most powders. If you simply MUST shoot the 140s, try Reloder 17 to get higher velocities.]
First, we’d like to wish all our readers a happy, safe, and prosperous New Year. We hope that, in 2011, you’ll have time to enjoy your precision rifles, and spend more time at the range, hopefully with good friends who share your “addiction to accuracy”. We’ve made some major upgrades to the site this year, and our audience is bigger than ever. We hope you’ll continue to enjoy our feature articles, our daily news reports, our match reports, our video collection, and our Free Forum Classifieds.
Major Site Redesign Accomplished in 2010
2010 was a big year for the site. First our traffic grew substantially. AccurateShooter.com is now accessed by more than 100,000 unique users every week. In November we completed a major site upgrade, a “nose to tail” rebuild that required hundreds of man-hours of work. We’ve expanded the layout to provide more room for photos and videos. The entire site was rebuilt, page by page, on a sophisticated content management system (CMS). Our new CMS allows easier, faster searching, and category-based navigation. The CMS also automatically links readers to related articles and relevant gear reviews. This provides a richer browsing experience — you can find more cool stuff on every visit. The new site format also allows us to integrate popular articles that originally appeared in our Daily Bulletin.
Forum Membership Grows 30%
We experienced big growth in our Forum as well. Membership grew by 30% as member ranks swelled from 10,000 members to 13,000 members! The Forum Classifieds section, with a new seller/buyer feedback system, is more active than ever.
Daily Bulletin Is a Big Hit
The AccurateShooter Daily Bulletin has become a “must read” for anyone interested in serious rifle accuracy. We launched a bigger, more colorful Bulletin layout in April, and now we now have 12,000 average pageviews a day, up from about 8,500 last year. 365 days a year we offer a unique combination of shooting tips, gear reviews, industry news, and highlighted bargains and special sales.
Big Plans for 2011 — With Your Help…
In the months ahead we plan to release more Cartridge Guides, more Gun Profiles, and some major gear comparison tests. We also plan to do audio interviews (“podcasts”) with top shooters such as Sgt. Sherri Gallagher, Sam Hall, and John Whidden. And we’ll continue to offer timely match reports and inside “scoops” on the latest precision shooting products.
We need your support. For over six years the site has relied largely on volunteer efforts by dedicated shooters. But as the site grows, adding new types of content and more sophisticated features, we need the assistance of knowledgeable programmers, database experts and web designers. Those guys don’t work for glory alone.
For the site to continue to expand its content, we need to bring in paid helpers. Right now, the site reaches over 100,000 shooters every WEEK. If the majority of those users could provide a small donation every year, we could deliver MORE stories, MORE tests, MORE Gun of the Week features, and provide more of the photos and videos everyone enjoys.
In the past quarter about 60 site users have generously donated to the site. I want to again thank all those who have contributed. But that still leaves tens of thousands of users who access the site regularly without contributing.
Here’s our proposal. First, if you have used our FREE Classifieds to successfully sell your rifles or shooting gear, consider sending in a dollar or two from your sale proceeds. Second, for those who use the site regularly, consider donating One Dollar a Month. That’s less than the price of a cup of coffee and much less than many websites now charge for their “premium content areas”.
Consider this — what do you pay for a movie ticket these days? Probably $8.00 or more for 90 minutes of escapism. For a buck a month ($12 a year) you can help this site provide a YEAR’s worth of info, tests, and shooting news that you won’t find anywhere else.
How to Contribute
Making a donation to the site is simple and easy. Just click on the “Donate Button” at right. If you have a credit card, you don’t need a Paypal account to contribute. Any sum is welcome — donations need not be large.
Help Support this Site by Making a Secure Donation.
If you don’t like Paypal, you can send a check. Make the check payable to our Asst. Editor Jason Baney, list your Forum Name (if any), and mail the check to:
Most readers recognize Kelly Bachand from the popular Top Shot TV show on the History Channel. Kelly didn’t win the $100K grand prize, but he was a talented competitor who became an audience favorite with his accurate rifle shooting and “toughness under fire” (Kelly survived more one-on-one challenges than any other competitor). Last spring, with the cooperation of Forster Products, AccurateShooter.com supplied Kelly with a new Forster Co-Ax® Press. Kelly, a college student, had previously reloaded with a low-priced Lee Challenger Press — all that his “starving student” budget would allow. (In fairness to the Lee — it did produce some match-winning ammo for Kelly over the years.)
Kelly has been very impressed with the Co-Ax Press and he put together a video review for us. Kelly likes the ease with which dies can be swapped in and out of the press, and he also enjoys the added mechanical leverage provided by the coaxial design. Kelly favors the Forster’s straight-drop, spent primer-capture system. On other, conventional presses, spent primers and debris can collect around the base of the press, or end up on the floor, on your carpet, or on your bench-top.
Forster Co-Ax Press Design Features The Co-Ax’s spring-loaded shell holder jaws float with the die, allowing cases to correctly center in the die. Dies snap easily in and out of the jaws so you can change dies in a couple of seconds. Many folks believe this improves die alignment, producing loaded rounds with less runout.
We really like the primer recovery system on the Co-Ax. Spent primers pass straight down into a cup — no more primers and carbon on the carpet. Every other single-stage press we’ve tried will toss a spent primer now and then, and primer residue builds up around the ram shaft.
PROS: Floating jaw shell-holder design delivers low run-out ammo. Smooth stroke without wobble. Best spent-primer collection system.
CONS: Clearance can be an issue with some very tall dies (but you can mill the yoke to accommodate). Dies must be equipped with cross-bolt style lock rings. We recommend the Hornady lock-rings.
If you need power for case sizing, the Co-Ax delivers three times the mechanical advantage of some conventional presses. The Co-Ax’s dual parallel guide-rod design also ensures that the ram movement is straight and smooth throughout the power stroke. With a center-mounted handle, the Co-Ax works equally well for both right- and left-handed reloaders.
The Co-Ax press accepts any standard 7/8″x14 threaded reloading die. You will need to use cross-bolt-style lock-rings on your dies. We recommend the Hornady rings. These are steel and have a hex-head cross-bolt. The Co-Ax requires no expensive shell-holders. The standard “S” jaw set supplied with the press fits nearly all common calibers except except: 22 Hornet, 378 Wby., 45-70, 256 Win. Mag., 44 S&W, 416 Rigby, 416 Rem., 45-90 and 348 Win. These calibers can be used if you purchase the optional “LS” Jaws.
Ruger has just released a new, compact .308 Win bolt-action rifle with iron sights and a front-mounted scope rail. Developed in conjunction with Gunsite instructor Ed Head, the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle is based on the Ruger M77 action. Designed for defensive and “tactical” use, the Scout Rifle features a 16.5″ barrel with birdcage flash suppressor (standard 5/8-24 muzzle threads allow muzzle brakes or suppressors to be installed). Rounds are fed via 5-round or 10-round AICS-sized detachable box magazines, with a Mini-14 style mag release forward of the trigger guard. Total rifle weight, without scope, is just 7.0 pounds. MSRP is $995.00 but expect the street price to be closer to $800.00.
Ruger Scout has Iron Sights and Front Picatinny Rail
The Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle comes from the factory with good iron sights: a protected non-glare post front sight and receiver-mounted, adjustable ghost ring rear sight. A forward-mounted Picatinny rail can hold various optics — such as Burris or Leupold Scout Scopes which allow “both eyes open” sighting and fast target acquisition.
Laminated Stock with Adjustable LOP The Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle features a gray/black laminate stock with sling swivel studs and checkered grip and forearm. A soft rubber recoil pad, with three 1/2″ spacers, allows length of pull (LOP) to be adjusted.
The rifle’s integrated trigger guard/magazine well is glass-reinforced nylon. “Gunsite Scout Rifle” is engraved on the stock’s grip cap, and the receiver is roll-marked “Ruger Gunsite Scout”. Watch the video below to see the Ruger Scout Rifle in action.
Bane Gives Thumbs-Up
Gun Jounalist Michael Bane has shot the new Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle and he gives it high marks: “I’ve had the chance to put a lot of rounds through this rifle, both on AR platform-based courses and out to 300 yards, and IT IS SUPERB! My wish list was a gun aimed squarely at the TBD/SURVIVAL market, a gun that would deliver major caliber results for self-defense and then do double duty as an easy-to-carry hunting rifle.” Read More: The Michael Bane Blog.
Enfield No. 5 Jungle Carbine Redux? When we first saw the Ruger Scout Rifle, our first thought was “that looks familiar….” Indeed, in size and intended function, the Scout Rifle is a modern version of the famous Enfield No. 5 Jungle Carbine. “Jungle Carbine” was an informal term used for the Enfield No. 5 Mk I, which was designed for fighting in the Far East and other tropical regions where a shorter, lighter rifle was needed. The No. 5 was about 100 mm shorter and two pounds lighter than the Enfield No. 4 from which it was derived. A number of “lightening cuts” were made to the receiver body, the bolt knob was drilled out, and woodwork was cut down to reduce weight. The Jungle Carbine had other useful features like a flash suppressor and a rubber buttpad to help absorb recoil.
If you found a surplus Jungle Carbine ($270-$500 on Gunbroker.com), fitted it with a forward-mounted scope rail, you could have a nice scout rifle for hundreds of dollars less than the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle ($995.00 MSRP). Granted, the Ruger offers an AICS-type detachable box magazine and some other nice features not found on the Enfield*, but the practical concept is the same.
*A reader correctly points out that the Lee Enfield No. 5 magazine is removable. Lee-Enfield magazines did open, permitting rapid unloading of the magazine without having to operate the bolt repeatedly to unload the magazine. However, the rifle was not designed like modern magazine-fed weapons, for which soldiers carry loaded magazines and discard the empties. Soldiers were instructed to leave the magazine in place and feed with stripper clips. Early models of the rifle actually had a chain holding the magazine to the rifle. There were both 5-round and 10-round magazine versions of the Lee-Enfield. Since these magazines could be removed, it is technically correct to say the Lee-Enfield had a detachable box mag. But soldiers using the weapon would not normally swap magazines in and out as with a modern-day mag-fed infantry rifle.
Graf & Sons is running an end-of-the-year “Blow-out Sale” with deep discounts on many products. Prices on many Close-Out items have been slashed by 50% or more. And, if you order $50.00 (or more) worth of merchandise, Grafs waves its customary $4.95 handling free. Grafs already gives free shipping on most products they sell (but hazmat fees and ‘heavy item’ fees may apply to some items).
Deals on Hornady Ammo, Components, and Gear
Graf’s has also knocked down the price on select Hornady items including the versatile Hornady Case Prep Center. You can get this at Grafs.com for just $279.99. Elsewhere the Case Prep Center sells for up to $100.00 more. Below are two good UltimateReloader.com videos showing the features and functions of the Hornady Case Prep Center. Note: Skip to the 1:30 minute mark of Part One if you’re in a hurry. The first minute or so is just spent depriming cases. After that, both Part One and Part Two Videos are well worth watching.
Hornady Case Prep Center DEMO Video (Part One)
Hornady Case Prep Center DEMO Video (Part Two)
Thanks to Forum member EdLongRange for spotting this special sale.