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February 19th, 2010
 Bushnell Outdoor Products has sued Leupold & Stevens for infringing on two Bushnell U.S. Patents covering the Bushnell Angle Range Compensation™ (ARC™) and Rain™ Mode laser rangefinder technology. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas on February 9, 2010 and alleges that Leupold is infringing on Bushnell U.S. Patent Nos. 5,926,259 and 7,658,031.
Angle Range Compensation is important for both rifle shooters and bow-hunters. When a shooter or archer takes a shot at an extreme up or down angle, there will be less drop than with a non-angled shot (given the same line of sight distance to target). By fitting an inclinometer to its rangefinders, Bushnell is able to plot the shot angle and display the “effective ballistic distance” to the target. You can then quickly calculate the hold-over you actually need.
 Bushnell pioneered the sportsman-oriented laser rangefinder, and Bushnell was selling rangefinders long before Leupold even entered the laser rangefinder market. Bushnell earned U.S. Patent No. 7,658,031 for its rangefinder technology that provides hold-over info for angled shots.
“Bushnell has invested an enormous amount of time and resources into developing our patented technology and we will vigorously enforce our rights against all infringers,” said Phil Gyori, Executive Vice President of Marketing at Bushnell Inc. “While we prefer to resolve disputes with our competitors without resorting to litigation, we felt we had no choice but to defend our intellectual property against Leupold’s infringement.”
February 19th, 2010
 MidwayUSA has started to ship the 33rd edition of its Master Catalog. As you’d expect from MidwayUSA, one of the nation’s largest shooting products vendors, the new catalog is huge. As big as a phone-book, and nearly 1000 pages long, the new Master Catalog really does have “just about everything”:
• Over 27,000 Products for Shooters
• Over 24,000 Products for Reloaders
• Over 32,000 Products for Gunsmiths
• Over 7,000 Products for Hunters
“Customers tell us every year they look forward to seeing this catalog in the mail,” says Aaron Oelger, VP of Marketing. “A lot of work goes into the Master Catalog to ensure great product selection, quick and easy navigation and the best possible product information. Every year we improve the Master Catalog.”
MidwayUSA started mailing Master Catalog #33 to current customers in February. For new customers, Master Catalog #33 is free with the first order. Otherwise, to get a copy of Master Catalog #33, visit www.midwayusa.com or call 1-800-243-3220.
February 18th, 2010
A touching episode of Shooting USA aired yesterday on the Outdoor Channel. Luckily, it will be repeated this Saturday, February 20th. In this show, 84-year old WWII veteran Ted Gundy, who served as a U.S. Army sniper in the Battle of the Bulge, meets with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) at Fort Benning. For a week, the “old sniper” (and his son) were honored as VIP guests of the USAMU at Fort Benning. This story was broadcast on the “Impossible Shots” segment of Shooting USA. CLICK HERE for Full Story with details.
Gundy, who lost his right leg to an artillery shell, can still wear his WWII uniforms. He regularly puts on his “dress greens” when attending funeral services of Army veterans, a service he renders as a member of the Missouri Honor Guard.
At the end of the show Bundy received a new replica of the 1903 Springfield A4 Sniper rifle. The rifle, complete with vintage-type scope, was presented by Val Forgett of Navy Arms. Then, shooting from a rucksack rest, Bundy proceeded to hit steel at 300 yards.
This Shooting USA Special broadcast helps viewers remember our remaining WWII veterans, while showing the dedication and hard work of the modern-day USAMU. The show can be pretty emotional at times, but it’s well worth watching. If you missed the Feb. 17th broadcast, the show will be repeated on Feb. 20th at the following times: 4:30 PM EST, 3:30 CST, 2:30 MT, 1:30 PT (check your local listings). You can also purchase a DVD of the Old Sniper broadcast for $9.95.
February 18th, 2010
A reliable 22LR conversion kit for an AR-platform rifle lets you train with inexpensive ammo. That’s a big advantage for 3-gun competitors who must engage multiple targets rapidly, often at relatively short distances. Multi-gun competition is a speed game, requiring plenty of practice to “run with the big dogs”. It’s not unusual for elite 3-gun shooters to put hundreds of rifle rounds down range every week. Service Rifle shooters can also benefit from cross-training with an AR equipped to shoot .22LR rimfire rounds. With a good .22LR conversion kit, Service Rifle shooters can practice their positions and gun-handling at minimal expense. In the winter, if you have a .22LR conversion for your AR, you can train at the many indoor ranges that allow rimfire rifles, but not centerfire rifles.
Complete Conversion Kit for $189.99 from CDNN
CDNN Investments in Texas is offering a good deal on the CMMG .22lr Stainless Conversion Kit for AR15-type rifles. This includes a stainless bolt and bolt carrier assembly and two (2) 25-round magazines or two (2) 10-round mags. The CMMG Kit uses your existing fire control (trigger) group and requires no internal gunsmithing. Just drop it in and shoot. While supplies last, the CMMG Conversion Kit with magazine(s) is priced at $189.99. NOTE: CDNN is offering 2 mags with this package as a “limited time offer”. (MidwayUSA also has this Kit, with one mag, for $199.99.)
CMMG .22LR Kit Is Reliable and Affordable
The CMMG conversion is widely used and has proved quite reliable, both with the 10-round and 25-round magazines. It is recommended by Brownells, though some Brownells customers have said the kits required some minor fitting or polishing. (This may be more of an issue with “off-brand” uppers — Colt AR owners reported no issues.) In the video below you see an AR15 being fired with the CMMG .22LR conversion in place. Then the CMMG bolt is exchanged for the original .223 Rem bolt assembly and the gun is shot in centerfire mode.
In the second video below you’ll see the CMMG conversion shot with two full (or nearly full) 25-round magazines, in rapid fire. There are no malfunctions.
February 17th, 2010
Timney Triggers has a new Trigger Pull Gauge. This spring-type tension scale measures pull weights from 8 oz. to 10 lbs. and is also calibrated for metric (kg) weights. The wide hook makes the gauge easy to use even with over-sized trigger guards. The Timney gauge features a “tattle-tail indicator” that stops at the highest resistance. This works as follows — as you pull back on the gauge, the sliding indicator will move towards the heavier side of the scale; once the sear releases the sliding indicator remains at the point where the highest amount of pressure was exerted on the trigger.
We still think the Lyman Digital Trigger Pull Gauge is the best on the market, but it costs $52-55.00 compared to $28.49 for the Timney gauge. The Timney Trigger Pull Gauge will be available at MidwayUSA (item 969947) before the end of February.
February 17th, 2010
After learning that M855 NATO ammo does not perform well from short-barreled rifles such as the M4 carbine, the U.S. Marine Corps has started issuing a new type of 5.56×45 ammo to its troops in Afghanistan. The new SOST (Special Operations Science and Technology) ammo, officially designated MK 318 MOD 0 “Cartridge, Caliber 5.56mm Ball, Carbine, Barrier”, features a different open-tip 62mm bullet. The new bullet, with a lead core (in the top half) and solid copper bottom half, is similar to hunting bullets such as Federal’s Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. The SOST bullet was designed by Federal/ATK, which will produce the loaded ammunition.
The new SOST ammo was first developed for use by SOCOM (Special Operations) in the SCAR rifle, which has a short, 13.8″ barrel. Even in short-barreled rifles, the SOST provides impressive ballistics — achieving 2925 fps in a 14″ barrel. Compared to M855 ball ammo, SOST rounds are more lethal when shot from short-barreled rifles. According to the Marine Times, SOST ammunition delivers “consistent, rapid fragmentation which shortens the time required to cause incapacitation of enemy combatants”. Using an open-tip design common with some sniper ammunition, SOST rounds are designed to be “barrier blind”, meaning they stay on target better than existing M855 rounds after penetrating windshields, car doors and other objects. This is important to troops in the Middle Eastern theater who must engage insurgents inside vehicles or hiding behind barriers.
In Afghanistan, the USMC will issue SOST ammo for both the short-barreled M4 carbine as well as the original, full-length M16A4. The Corps purchased a “couple million” SOST rounds as part of a joint $6 million, 10.4-million-round buy in September — enough to last the service several months in Afghanistan.
M855 Criticized by Ground Troops and Pentagon Testers
The standard Marine 5.56 round, the M855, was developed in the 1970s and approved as an official NATO round in 1980. In recent years, however, it has been the subject of widespread criticism from troops, who question whether it has enough punch to stop oncoming enemies.
In 2002, shortcomings in the M855’s performance were detailed in a report by Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane, Ind., according to Navy Department documents. Additional testing in 2005 showed shortcomings. The Pentagon issued a request to industry for improved ammunition the following year.
CLICK HERE for Full Report on New SOST MK 318 Ammunition.
February 15th, 2010
Starbucks has rejected a request from the Brady Campaign to prohibit gun owners from openly carrying firearms in the company’s California stores. In a response to the anti-gun group’s request, the company said, “Starbucks does not have a corporate policy regarding customers and weapons; we defer to federal, state and local laws and regulations regarding this issue.”
While it is difficult to obtain permits for concealed carry in most California counties, open carry of UNLOADED firearms is permitted by California state law. Members of Bay Area Open Carry (BAOC), a group of open carry advocates, have been meeting in restaurants and coffee houses in Northern California. The sight of unloaded handguns on the hips of patrons aroused the ire of the national Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Peet’s Coffee and California Pizza kitchen caved in to anti-gun pressure, banning openly-carried firearms on their premises.
However, Starbucks has defied the Brady group, continuing to welcome Open Carry advocates at its many coffee centers. NRA instructor and BAOC member Brad Huffman declared: “We definitely applaud Starbucks for allowing law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and we will continue to patronize them as long as they do.”
The Starbucks Open Carry situation attracted national attention when the NRA emailed its millions of members, urging them to support Starbucks. The email was entitled Maybe Brady Campaign Should Switch To Decaf.
You can read more about this story in the D.C. Gun Rights Examiner Blog, which has a cogent (and amusing) commentary by Mike Stollenwerk, of OpenCarry.org.
February 15th, 2010
Has your Windows PC running XP started to slow down? Are you running out of hard drive space? If so, there is a simple procedure for removing accumulated “temp” files that can clog your system when running Windows XP. If you’ve been using your computer for a couple years or more, there could be thousands of temp files hogging space on your hard drive, though they have no function anymore.
Here’s the procedure for deleting unnecessary temp files.
First click on the “Start” button. Next select “Run” from the Menu.
When the “Run” window appears, type in “%temp%” (without quote marks), and click “OK”.
A folder window called “Temp” will appear. All the files and folders in that window can be highlighted and sent to the Recycle Bin. WARNING: If you find some important data files (such as family photos or your IRS tax returns), you may want to move these to another place on the hard drive BEFORE you empty the Recycle bin. But in reality, it’s normally safe to delete any file that displays when you peform the Run > %temp% command. If a file in that temp folder is being used by an active program, Windows won’t let you delete it.
On this editor’s three-year old computer, running Windows XP, there were nearly 18 Gigabytes of temp files that I was able to delete. That freed up a lot of space on my hard-drive, and my computer runs faster now.
If you don’t understand our explanation of the Temp File deletion process using the %temp% command, READ THIS TECH SUPPORT PAGE from About.com.
Note, there are also unused files in the “Temp” sub-folder in your Windows folder on your C:/ Drive. But you need to be a bit more careful deleting those files — so we won’t explain that process here. Just be aware that there may be many more Gigabytes of useless files stored in your computer.
February 14th, 2010
 Bryan Litz, Ballistician for Berger Bullets, is the author of the book Applied Ballistics for Long-Range Shooting. Before joining Berger, Bryan was a missile design engineer working with the U.S. Air Force. An NRA High Master, Bryan also happens to be one of the country’s top long-range shooters. Bryan (aka “bsl135″ in our Forum) has written many ballistics programs and technical papers dealing with long-range flight dynamics of projectiles. Bryan has recorded some very impressive match performances recently. At the 2008 NRA National Championships at Camp Perry, Bryan beat 258 other competitors to win the Palma Individual Trophy Match. Bryan shot a remarkable 450/26x, not dropping a single point.
Palma Match — Caught on Video
Bryan has crafted a cool video that puts the viewer “in the driver’s seat” as Bryan shoots an 800-yard match with his .308 Winchester, iron-sights Palma rifle. Watch as each shot is marked and scored. Bryan explains: “The inset target at upper right displays each shot location in sequence. The score card shows the windage used for each shot, as well as the windage that was ‘Required’ for that shot to be centered. Wind wasn’t very challenging in this string, only requiring between 2 and 3 MOA right. This particular match is the 800-yard phase of a Palma course fired in the summer of 2008 at Camp Atterbury, IN. NOTE: I’ve had to cut out some ‘pauses’, and speed up the film in order to meet YouTube’s size requirements, so that’s why we sound like chipmunks.”
CLICK SCREEN to WATCH VIDEO. Click Menu Button for High Quality (HQ) Option
Bryan also has his own website with a number of authoritative articles. Topics include: Bullet Design, Meplat Trimming, Gyroscopic and Coreolis Drift, Palma Bullet Analysis, How Ballistics Programs Work, and Ballistic Coefficient Testing. CLICK HERE to visit BRYAN LITZ Website.
February 14th, 2010
Trinidad State Junior College (TSJC) has launched an advanced Third-Year gunsmithing program at the school’s Trinidad, Colorado campus. This program augments Trinidad State’s respected two-year gunsmithing school, established in 1947. For the past 63 years, TSJC has built a world-wide reputation for the excellence of its program. Companies involved in the firearms industry have been quick to hire TSJC’s gunsmithing graduates. The new third-year program is an elite school, open to the top 25 percent of graduates from all gunsmithing schools in the nation.
 The Advanced Third-Year Gunsmithing Program will be directed by Tom ‘Speedy’ Gonzalez, an innovative smith and Benchrest Hall of Famer. Speedy observed: “At the grand opening (of the new program), we’re pleased to have the President of the NRA attending, along with [Brownell’s President] Pete Brownell and the governor of Colorado.” Trinidad Interim President Felix Lopez explained: “The goal of the third-year gunsmithing program is to prepare its graduates to be ready for employment directly out of school.” Dr. Sandy Veltri, TSJC’s VP of Student/Academic Affairs added: “This third-year program will allow our students to gain entrepreneurial skills that will make them not just successful gunsmiths, but savvy business leaders.”
Development of the third-year program began with conversations between the college and representatives from Brownells about the need in the industry for gunsmithing graduates who are not only accomplished gunsmiths, but who also understand the firearms business, including retail sales, inventory control, counter sales, customer service, and dealing with vendors and management. Pete Brownell, shared his vision for this program to reflect real world employment in a working gun shop environment. Brownells provided $250,000 in funding for facilities remodeling plus needed equipment for the new retail-repair facility, christened the “Brownells Trinidad American Firearms Technology Institute”.
The first class of third-year students will experience the hard work and challenges of starting up a small business under the guidance of TSJC gunsmithing instructor Speedy Gonzalez. Gonzalez, a member of the Benchrest Hall of Fame, spent 30-plus years building precision rifles before coming to TSJC to “pass on his knowledge of gunsmithing to the next generation of gunsmiths”.
“Our intent is to open and operate a real-life gun shop with third-year students who will provide top quality gun repair, parts, and services for gun owners and collectors and hunting and shooting sports enthusiasts. We will offer retail, repair, blueing, reloading, and we even plan to do some light manufacturing”, said Gonzalez. The shop will maintain regular hours to serve local customers, including shooters from the nearby NRA Whittington Center in Raton, NM.
Additional ‘Gunsmithing Business Practices’ and ‘Gunsmithing Shop Management’ modules will be taught year-round by experts directly involved in the industry. Gunsmiths already employed and even gun shop owners/managers can sign up for modules of particular interest. In addition to the original two-year Gunsmithing Program and the new third-year program, TSJC offers short-term summer courses designed for anyone interested in learning gunsmithing. To learn more about gunsmithing programs at Trinidad State Junior College, visit www.TrinidadState.edu, or call Lynette Bates at (719) 846-5650.
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