According to the Korea Times, the U.S. Government (branch and officials unknown) has stymied plans by the Korean Defense Ministry to sell 86,000 M1 Garands and 22,000 M1 Carbines to American gun collectors. The gun export program was designed to augment Korea’s defense budget, and the Defense Ministry had hoped to start shipping rifles at the end of 2009. But somebody in Washington has blocked the re-importation of the classic Garands and Carbines.
There are many unanswered questions involving this story. The Koreans won’t say exactly what branch of the U.S. Goverment is opposing the shipment of M1 Garands and M1 Carbines, and the Obama Administration isn’t talking. The Korea Times reports:
The problems the U.S. government cited were somewhat ambiguous, said an official at the Ministry of National Defense on condition of anonymity.
“The U.S. insisted that imports of the aging rifles could cause problems such as firearm accidents. It was also worried the weapons could be smuggled to terrorists, gangs or other people with bad intentions,” the official told The Korea Times.
“We’re still looking into the reason why the U.S. administration is objecting to the sale of the rifles and seeking ways to resolve the problems raised,” he said.
Gangs Armed with Surplus Garands?
The No Lawyers – Only Guns and Money Blog attacked the notion that Classic M1 Garands (or carbines) would become the new weapon of choice for ‘gangs or other people with bad intentions': “As to the assertion by some unnamed U.S. official that gangs might use M-1 Garands, I think someone watched the movie Gran Torino a few too many times. Can you imagine how many cases of ‘M-1 thumb’ there would be if the Crips, the Bloods, or the Latin Kings were to attempt to use a M-1 Garand?”
A new NRA record in the team Palma event was set yesterday at Camp Perry by the Litz-Gallagher team. The new record of 1796-119X was set by Brian Litz (Captain and Shooter), Michelle Gallagher (Coach and shooter), Nancy Tompkins (Coach and shooter), Bob Gustin (shooter). Shooting the Palma course of fire at 800, 900, and 1000 yards, these four beat the 1796-112X mark set in July at Raton, NM by an all-female ‘dream team’ of shooters coached by Steve Conico. (Both Michelle Gallagher and her mother Nancy Tompkins were member of the Raton ‘Dream Team’). Bryan Litz reports: “At Perry, Michelle and Nancy did an outstanding job shooting, and coaching Bob and myself to very high scores especially at the 1000-yard-line where the conditions were extremely difficult.”
Team member Bob Gustin also won the Individual Palma match with a 450-33X, not dropping a point. That’s remarkable considering Bob shoots right-handed while sighting with his left eye through off-set rear and front sights. Congrats to Bob and all the team members. Bryan Litz won’t take any time off after his team’s record-breaking performance. Bryan reports: “I’m on my way to Canada now for the America Match this Sunday — a bi-annual international fullbore match.” Good luck Bryan.
The 2010 NRA National Long Range Rifle Champion is John Whidden of Whidden Gunworks. Whidden, a soft-spoken shooter from Georgia, amassed an overall score of 1243-75x, topping the USAMU’s Brandon Green (1240-60X) by three points. John was way ahead of Green in X-Count. We’re proud to see John, who provided match reports for AccurateShooter.com, back on top of the podium. As great a shooter as he is, John is one of the most humble champions you’ll ever meet. Bravo John!
This is Whidden’s third NRA Long-Range National Championship, following his Long-Range Championship wins in 2007 and 2008. Sherri Gallagher took the Long-Range Championship in 2009, but this year she must content herself with a record-breaking performance in the High Power Championship. After notching an impressive third Long-Range victory, John no doubt has his sights set on #4 and #5 in the years ahead. John would need five (5) long-range titles to tie the legendary David Tubb.
See John Whidden in action over the past four days at Camp Perry in this slide-show from the NRA:
If you missed the final episode of Top Shot on the History Channel, you can watch it, via streaming video, on Hulu.com. The field is down to four shooters in this season finale. We were sad to see AccurateShooter.com contributor Kelly Bachand eliminated in the previous episode, but he’s shooting right now at Camp Perry. Watch the show and find out who wins the $100,000 prize and title of Season One’s “Top Shot”. No spoilers guys — you’ll have to watch to see who wins. But we can tell you this much — the final man-on-man challenge is a multi-stage event that tested the last two remaining competitors’ skills to the max.
Following SGT Sherri Gallagher’s record-setting victory in the 2010 NRA High Power National Championship, many readers have asked what caliber (chambering) Sherri was shooting. Well, Sherri was shooting a .260 Remington at all yardages, as confirmed by SFC Emil Praslick, USAMU rifle coach. Runner-up Carl Bernosky was shooting a 6mm Hagar in an AR-platform rifle.
To capture her first High Power Championship, with a record 2396-161X score, Sheri used a Tubb 2000 bolt gun chambered in .260 Rem. According to Praslick: “[the rifle has] the same barrel as last year. I believe it has close to 2000 rounds on it.” To our surprise, Sherri’s ammo was loaded in relatively inexpensive Remington brass. Praslick explained: “We use Remington brass, Federal 210Ms, and Varget powder. For the 300/600 yard lines we use the Sierra 142gr bullet. Her 300RF load is around 2650 fps, the 600SF load approximately 2750 fps. At the 200 [yard line], we use a reduced recoil load using the Sierra 107gr MK.”
Accuracy Trumps Raw Velocity
Praslick noted that Sherri’s load, while not particularly fast, is ultra-accurate: “All these loads rely much more on accuracy than they do velocity. SGT Gallagher’s rifle has been tested repeatedly at 600 yards. It will easily shoot 3″ to 4″ groups all day long. This is evident by her X-count.” Praslick added: “I am a big believer in the .260 for High Power shooting. [It offers] easy load development, ballistic advantage, and long barrel life.”
.260 Rem Resources
To learn more about the .260 Rem, read Zak Smith’s article: 6.5mm Shootout: .260 Remington vs. 6.5×47 Lapua vs. 6.5 Creedmoor. Zak compares three popular 6.5mm cartridges, weighing the pros and cons of each. Zak himself shoots the Rem .260 loaded with 139gr Lapua Scenar bullets and Alliant Reloder 17.
Another great load for this cartridge is the 123gr Lapua Scenar pushed by Hodgdon H4350. That was the best overall performing load in this Editor’s .260 Rem. I was able to run the 123s at 2950 fps with great accuracy and extremely low ES and SD. Compare the 600-yard ballistics of the Scenar 123s at 2950 fps with Sherri’s 142gr SMKs launched at 2750 fps. You may be surprised. The 123s have less drop, and the 10 mph wind drift (at 600 yards) is very close: 23.9″ for the 123s vs. 22.8″ for the 142s. (Calculations done with JBM Online Ballistics Calculator using Lapua and Litz field-measured BCs, 59°, 500′ elevation.)
Chrysler is offering a lockable gun storage compartment on its new series of Outdoorsman pickup trucks. These trucks can be configured with twin, lighted, lockable and watertight “RamBox” compartments — one on each side of the truck bed. The dual RamBox option costs $1895, and for $205 more Chrysler adds internal, vertical cradles that hold two rifles or shotguns. These cradles can be rotated 90 degrees to hold up to six fishing rods.
We think Chrysler’s built-in gun storage is a very cool feature — for the man who has everything. It will certainly create envious looks when you roll up to the shooting range in your new truck. From a practical standpoint however, it might be better to forgo the gun cradles in favor of open storage in both side-boxes. You could then use both lockable side compartment for any purpose. When you need to haul firearms, simply put cased guns inside one or both side compartments.
For more information on Chrysler’s Outdoorsman pickups, which start at $28,350, visit the Chrysler Truck Blog. Ram Outdoorsman trucks go on sale 3rd quarter 2010 (just in time for hunting season).
Powder Valley, a major vendor of powder, primers, brass, bullets, and loaded ammo, has received some large shipments of popular powders including Hodgdon Varget and IMR 8208 XBR. Powder Valley also has the hard-to-find Alliant Reloder 17 powder in stock, in both 1-lb and 5-lb containers.
Powder Valley Now Stocks Factory-Loaded Ammo
FYI, Powder Valley is now stocking quality factory-loaded ammo from Lapua, Hornady, Nosler, Prvi Partizan, and Wolf. If you’re looking for match-grade Lapua factory ammo or the Hornady .223 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .30-06 ammo, give Powder Valley a call at 800-227-4299.
Powder Valley Inventory Updates on Facebook
Powder Valley now posts recent product arrivals on Facebook. If you have a Facebook account you can link to the Powder Valley page to get the latest updates.
August 13
IMR 8208: Finished up the backorders on 8208 8#. We received in about 200 kegs from Hodgdon last week and have filled backorders that were placed prior to June 25.
August 12
Large shipments of primers received over the last couple days. Received 2 million Winchester, 1.2 million Federal, 1.5 million Rem and 6 million Tula. Also received large shipment of Winchester brass.
August 6
Varget 8-lb jugs have arrived. We won’t update the website until Monday. Facebookers go ahead and put your order in now and you will get first dibs.
August 2
Received in about 2 million Remington primers. Also, received a large shipment of backorders from Berger. We will be receiving about 125,000 Federal Small Pistol primers later this week and about 2-2.5 million in 3-4 weeks. We will begin listing these primers on the website August 3 so you can place an order if you would like.
In Saturday’s Remington Band of Brothers (BOB) match and Mustin Trophy match, class winners from each relay go into a shoot-off. Each relay’s top shooter from the Any Sight, Palma Rifle, and Service Rifle categories then lines up against the other relay winners in their class. The course of fire for the shoot-off was ten shots in thirteen minutes.
Gallagher vs. Whidden in “Sudden-Death” Shoot-out
A major drama unfolded at the end of the regular shoot-off in the Remington BOB match, as “Any Sights” competitors Michelle Gallagher and John Whidden were locked in a tie. Michelle and John had both shot 100-8x. Now, to decide the winner, a “sudden death” shot-for-shot rifle duel took place to determine the class winner. The crowd tensed as both shooters went to the line.
Both Michelle and John proceeded to hit 10s (or Xs) for the first twelve (12) shots. Then it was unlucky #13 for John. Whidden’s 13th shot was a nine, against Michelle’s ten. That gave Michelle the Remington Band of Brothers match Any Sight Class victory, but onlookers congratulated both shooters.
John Whidden redeemed himself later in the day, winning his “Any Sight” Class in the Mustin Trophy shoot-off. John posted a “best-in-class” 100-8x, making him the “Any Sight” winner. We talked to John after the match and he told us: “That was an exhausting day. Rain was forecast for the afternoon and some of the relays got heavy rain which increased the difficulty. Michelle shot great in the Band of Brothers Match, but I was pleased to come back and shoot steady for a Class win in the Mustin Match. Now we’ve got a lot of shooting ahead of us and I’ll try to stay up near the top.” John is shooting a .243 Winchester with moly 105gr Berger bullets.
In related news from Camp Perry, here are the preliminary scores for the three long range matches shot Sunday morning (August 15th). The course of fire was 20 shots, slow-fire prone at 1000 yards. The high-scoring competitor from each relay of each match will compete in the shoot-off held immediately after the the completion of the Herrick Trophy Team Match.
3-Gun Nation is one of the hottest new shooting shows on cable television. This season-long series showcases many of the nation’s best shooters, vying for big prize money and a National title at year’s end. The latest 3-Gun Nation match was the JP Rocky Mountain 3-Gun Championship held August 5-7 at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, NM. Nearly 250 competitors participated. Here are the Class winners, with point totals:
Open: Jerry Miculek – 821.9395
Limited (Scope): Daniel Horner – 864.9413
Limited (Iron Sights): Craig Underdown – 776.5357
He-Man (Scope): Kelly Neal – 867.6091
He-Man (Iron Sights): Patrick Kelley – 820.2407
Johnson Duels Miculek for $5000.00
At the end of the match, Remington’s Robby Johnson and shooting legend Jerry Miculek were the final two shooters in the 3-Gun Nation Shoot-Off. Watch the video (above) to see Johnson, a former USAMU shooter, edge out Miculek, earning Johnson the $5,000 prize from Safariland.
SGT Sherri Gallagher captured her first NRA High Power National Championship by firing an incredible 2396-161X, a new record score! Competing at Camp Perry, Ohio, Sherri dropped just four points out of 2400 (240 shots). An amazing 67% of Sherri’s shots were Xs. Congratulations Sherri!
Carl Bernosky was second, just one point behind, with a 2395-140X. Carl and Sherri BOTH shot scores well above David Tubb’s Championship Record of 2389-138X, a record set in 2003. Congratulations to Sherri, Carl and all the outstanding shooters in this year’s competition.
Sherri is now the second-ever female winner of the NRA National High Power Championship. The first female High Power Champion was Sherri’s mother, Nancy Tompkins, who won in 1998. It’s all in the family, we guess….
This was an especially sweet victory for Sherri, who had the 2009 Championship slip from her grasp. In last year’s NRA High Power Championship, Sherri was leading the field comfortably, shooting at a record pace, only to suffer a cross-fire which dropped her out of contention for the Championship. That cruel 2009 crossfire is now forgotten as Sherri finally earns the National title she richly deserves.
Hardware UPDATE: We are informed that Sherri’s T2000 match rifle was chambered in .260 Remington, and she shot that cartridge at all distances in the High Power Championship. We’ll try to get more load data soon.
Following SGT Sherri Gallagher’s record-setting victory in the 2010 NRA High Power National Championship, many readers have asked what caliber (chambering) Sherri was shooting. Well, Sherri was shooting a .260 Remington at all yardages, as confirmed by SFC Emil Praslick, USAMU rifle coach. Runner-up Carl Bernosky was shooting a 6mm Hagar in an AR-platform rifle.
Accuracy Trumps Raw Velocity
Powder Valley Now Stocks Factory-Loaded Ammo
In Saturday’s Remington Band of Brothers (BOB) match and Mustin Trophy match, class winners from each relay go into a shoot-off. Each relay’s top shooter from the Any Sight, Palma Rifle, and Service Rifle categories then lines up against the other relay winners in their class. The course of fire for the shoot-off was ten shots in thirteen minutes.
SGT Sherri Gallagher captured her first NRA High Power National Championship by firing an incredible 2396-161X, a new record score! Competing at Camp Perry, Ohio, Sherri dropped just four points out of 2400 (240 shots). An amazing 67% of Sherri’s shots were Xs. Congratulations Sherri!
