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January 2nd, 2010
Here’s a simple procedure that lets you get a solid zero for a hunting rifle in just four shots. Of course you probably want to fire a few more rounds to confirm your zero before you head off to your hunting grounds, but this will let you get on-target with a minimum amount of time and ammo expended. (This assumes your scope is securely mounted, and the bases are not drastically out of alignment.)
1. First, remove the bolt and boresight the rifle. Adjust the position of the rifle so that, looking through the bore, you can see the center of the target with your eyes. Secure the rifle in the rests to maintain its position as boresighted. Then, without moving the rifle, center the reticle. That should get you on paper. With the rifle solidly secured in front and rear rests or sandbags, aim at the center of a target placed at your zeroing distance (50 or 100 yards). Confirm there are no obstructions in the barrel! Then load and fire one shot. Then, return the gun to the exact position it was when you pulled the trigger, with the cross-hair centered on the target as before.
2. Locate, in the scope, where your first bullet landed on the target. Now, while you grip the rifle firmly so it doesn’t move, have a friend adjust the turrets on your scope. While you look through the scope, have your friend turn the windage and elevation turrets until the cross-hairs, as viewed through the scope, bisect the first bullet hole on the target. In other words, you use the turrets to move the center of the reticle to the actual position of shot number one. Dial the crosshairs to the hole — don’t move the rifle.
3. After you’ve adjusted the turrets, now re-aim the rifle so the cross-hairs are, once again, positioned on the target center. Keep the rifle firmly supported by your rest or sandbag. Take the second shot. You should find that the bullet now strikes in the center of the target.
4. Take a third shot with the cross-hairs aligned in the center of the target to confirm your zero. Make minor modifications to the windage and elevation as necessary.
5. Now shoot the rifle from a field rest (shooting sticks, bipod, or rucksack) as you would use when actually hunting. Confirm that your zero is unchanged. You may need to make slight adjustments. Some rifles, particularly those with flexy fore-arms, exhibit a different POI (point of impact) when fired from a bipod or ruck vs. a sandbag rest.
If you recently cleaned your rifle, you may want to fire two or three fouling shots before you start this procedure. But keep in mind that you want to duplicate the typical cold bore conditions that you’ll experience during the hunt. If you set your zero after three fouling shots, then make sure the bore is in a similar condition when you actually go out hunting.
January 2nd, 2010
 Preliminary statistics released by the FBI for the first half of 2009 show that violent crime continues a downward trend that began in 2006. The figures show crime falling in all categories — robbery, aggravated assault, motor vehicle thefts, etc. — with murders down a remarkable 10 percent from the previous year.
The FBI statistics undermine a favorite argument of anti-gun groups and some mainstream media that “more guns equal more crime,” especially when you consider that the decrease in violent crime from late 2008 through the first half of 2009 occurred at the same time that firearm sales were surging.
The most popular firearms selling at that time were handguns and modern sporting rifles (AR-style rifles)–two types of firearms that anti-gunners never miss an opportunity to demonize. Law-abiding handgun owners have been filling concealed carry classes across the country, and AR-style rifles–long a favorite of target shooters–are growing in popularity among hunters as new calibers are introduced for small and big game.
People across the country continue to exercise their Second Amendment rights. National Instant Criminal Background Check statistics showing an increase of 25 million background checks from a total of 75 million to 100 million initiated by Type 01 FFLs between April 5, 2007, and April 4, 2009 . (Background checks are required under federal law for all individuals purchasing either newly manufactured or used firearms from federally licensed retailers. The checks serve as a gauge of sales but do not reflect the actual number of firearms sold.) So … Crime is down. Gun ownership — by law-abiding, responsible citizens who pass a mandatory FBI background check at retail — is up. Don’t let anyone tell you that “more guns equal more crime.”
EDITOR’s NOTE: To understand how firearm ownership by law-abiding citizens can deter crime, we recommend you read Professor John Lott’s important book: More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws
This report courtesy Nat’l Shooting Sports Foundation Blog, Blog.nssf.org.
January 1st, 2010
First, we’d like to wish all our readers a happy, safe, and prosperous New Year. We hope that, in 2010, 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”.
Photo of classic Anschutz 22 Hornet by Forum Member Klenchblaize
2009 was a big year for the site. AccurateShooter.com is now being accessed by more than 60,000 users every week. This fall we completed a major upgrade, moving our Shooters’ Forum to a new dedicated server that is faster and more reliable. Our Forum is approaching 10,000 members and the Forum Classifieds section, with a new seller/buyer feedback system, is more active than ever. Likewise our Daily Bulletin has become hugely popular, drawing readers from around the globe. 365 days a year we offer a unique combination of shooting tips, gear reviews, industry news, and highlighted bargains and special sales. On the editorial side we’ve continued to publish in-depth profiles of interesting firearms, along with technical articles, and feature stories on leading shooters such as World F-TR Champion Russell Simmonds.
In the months ahead we plan to release more Cartridge Guides, plus major comparison tests on Chronographs, High-Magnification Scopes, and Rangefinders. And we’ll continue to offer timely match reports and inside “scoops” on the latest precision shooting products.
But to do all that, we need your support. For some five 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 60,000 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. (Yes commercial sponsors help greatly, but their contributions alone won’t do the job.)
 In the past quarter a couple dozen guys 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 my 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 you can help this site provide a YEAR’s worth of info, tests, and shooting news that you won’t find anywhere else.
Making a donation to the site is simple and easy. Just scoll down to the bottom of this page and click the DONATE Button to make a donation. If you have a credit card, you don’t need a Paypal account to contribute. Any sum is welcome — donations need not be large. If 20% of our readers gave even $5.00 a year we could hire a staffer to do research, create videos, and help with field tests.
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:
Jason Baney
P.O. Box 308
Douglassville, PA 19518
January 1st, 2010
We know many readers took advantage of the recent CMP sales of Remington 40X rifles and barreled actions. And now many proud new 40X owners are looking for upgrades. A brand new, precision-machined bolt can improve both the accuracy and the reliability of rimfire rifles. For a limited time, Pacific Tool & Gauge (PT&G) is going to offer complete 40X rimfire bolt assemblies for under two hundred bucks.
Dave Kiff of PT&G recently told us: “After all the feedback we’ve received regarding the 40X Rimfire bolts, Pacific Tool & Gauge is going to run 250 pieces and is currently taking orders. To place your order, please give us a call at (541) 826-5808. If you place your order during the first run, the price for the complete bolt assembly (handle installed) is $199, but if you miss the first run, the price will be going up to $225.”
If you’re interested in adding a new, high-quality bolt to your 40X rimfire action, now’s the time to buy. We suspect PT&G will sell out on the initial order quickly.
January 1st, 2010
Starting today (1/1/10), at the request of readers with smartphones, we will offer important news and updates on Twitter. That’s right, you can now get late-breaking firearm and shooting news on Twitter.com. We hope to use this popular service for instant updates at SHOT Show 2010. Follow our Twitter posts (“tweets”) at http://twitter.com/AccurateShooter. You can even have our posts sent to your smart-phone or mobile device. If you have a Twitter account, click the button to be one of our regular followers.
December 31st, 2009
If you use mass-production ring sets, other than Burris Signature Rings or SAKO Optilock Rings (which both feature polymer inserts), you can benefit from lapping your scope rings. Lapping your rings, when done properly, with the right tools, can improve the fit of the rings, reducing bending forces and stress on the scope. Properly-lapped rings are also less likely to leave prominent marks on your scope tubes.
Forum member Boyd Allen is a strong advocate of ring lapping for factory-produced ring sets. He’s tried various lapping tools and he believes that the Kokopelli system is one of the best available. Custom crafted in Kalispell, Montana by John Werre, the Kokopelli lapping system combines a specially-machined lapping rod with patented flat-ended scope alignment bars.
Kokopelli Lapping Tool
John Werre, Kokopelli’s owner, explains why his lapping tool works better than most others: “No one was making a lapping bar that would lap anything more than the bottom half of the rings and they were made of rolled stock and only a very short stroke was possible, rapidly wearing out the bar due to the limited area of use. I did something entirely different. I designed the bar to be used with the top halves of the rings in place and utilizing a long stroke thereby distributing the wear over the entire 12″ length of the bar. Why just do half a job?”
John adds: “Another problem was that the lapping compound would readily scrape off the bar, slide around and wear the bar out as fast as the rings. I added the spiral groove to stop the scraping off of the compound and later changed to a much softer steel and put a very rough, but carefully designed, finish to accept the lapping compound, actually allowing the grit to be driven into the surface of the bar. The nasty, scruffy rough finish is full of grooves and valleys of a depth designed to ‘catch’ the very sharp lapping compound, imbedding it into the bar. You then will wear out what you’re trying to lap rather than wear out the bar at the same time. The spiral grooves also cannot catch on the edge of the scope rings as can one which has annular grooves cut perpendicular to the axis of the bar in separate rings. I have very good reasons for every unique feature of my tools. Every aspect has a valid design behind it.”
Kokopelli Scope Alignment Bars
Kokopelli’s patented scope alignment bars have flat ends and work differently than alignment bars which use pointed tips. Kokopelli came up with a flat-ended design because alignment bars with pointed tips can yield a “false positive”, meaning the points can touch when the scope rings are out of alignment. To demonstrate, try this simple experiment. Take two ordinary pencils. With one pencil in each hand, hold them parallel with the pointed (lead) tips touching. Now simply move the outboard end of each pencil, while keeping the tips touching. You can see instantly that the tips can touch even if the pencils are way out of alignment. The same thing can be true of scope alignment bars.
With the Kokopelli scope alignment bars, each bar is an exact cylindrical projection of the interior of each ring. When you bring the bars together, if they don’t mate perfectly, i.e. if there is any gap between the flat ends when the bars are touching, then you know you have an alignment problem. Kokopelli claims that misalignments as small as .002″ can be detected. John Werre explains: “The bars actually are a three-dimensional projection of each ring ‘hole’. You’re looking at a solid representation of the hole through the ring. Put one bar in each ring and you can then compare the axial alignment of the ‘ring holes’ to each other. If the ends match and are flat together you have reconstructed the bars into one [cylinder] and the alignment is PERFECT.” Below, in Figure 1, you can see rings that are out of alignment. In Figure 2 you can see rings that are properly aligned. Interestingly, the misalignment illustrated in Figure 1 did NOT show up with pointed ring alignment bars. This amount of misalignment can create up to 3/16″ of scope tube bending (depending on ring spacing).
The function of the Kokopelli lapping tool and alignment bars are described in greater detail on the Kokopelli website. The lapping tool and alignment bars are sold separately, or as part of Kokopelli’s complete Accurizing Kit shown below. The kit, which combines Scope Alignment Bars, Lapping Bar, pointer rod, and lapping compound in a fitted box, costs $84.50 for 1″ rings, or $91.00 for 30mm rings. For more info, contact John Werre at Kokopelli Products, 3820 Foothill Rd., Kalispell, MT 59901; phone (406) 755-3220. NOTE: Kokopelli has maintained the same prices since 2003. However, due to increased costs of materials, John Werre plans to raise his prices by mid-January, 2010. You can get current pricing by ordering soon.
December 30th, 2009
 There is, understandably, quite a bit of confusion concerning caliber limitations for Palma rifles and Palma competition. Some folks say you can shoot a .308 Winchester (or 7.62 NATO) with a bullet weight up to 156 grains. Others say you can shoot a .308 Win (or 7.62 NATO) with any bullet weight. Still others opine that you can shoot EITHER a .223 Rem (5.56×45) or a .308 Win (or 7.62 NATO).
So who is right? Well, all these viewpoints are correct in part. That’s because different rules apply in different venues. In most, but not all United States Palma competitions, you can shoot either a .223 Rem or .308 Win with no restriction on bullet weights. In some U.S. Matches, most notably the Spirit of America, certain prizes are limited to .308s with 156gr max bullet weights OR .223s with 81gr max bullet weights. What’s the bottom line? In most USA Palma competitions you can shoot either a .308 or a .223 with no limit on bullet weight. In International Palma competitions you can shoot either a .308 or a .223 but the max bullet weight is limited.
Applicable Rules for NRA Palma Competition
To help clarify the Palma rules, German Salazar has collected the applicable NRA and international rules which govern Palma and iron-sights fullbore competition. First, German explains: “The Palma Rifle is defined by NRA High Power Rule 3.3.3″ which states:
3.3.3 U.S. Palma Rifle:
(a) A rifle with metallic sights chambered for the unmodified .308/7.62 or
.223/5.56 NATO cartridge case. Rifles which also meet Rules 3.1 (.308 only)
or 3.1.1 (.308 only) are authorized.
(b) A rifle with metallic sights chambered for the unmodified .308/7.62 NATO
cartridge case. Rifles which also meet Rules 3.1 (.308 only) or 3.1.1 (.308
only or 3.1.2 (.223 only) are authorized.
German tells us: “The references to Rules 3.1, 3.1.1 and 3.1.2 apply to the M1, M14 and M16 rifles or civilian equivalents thereof. Accordingly, Palma Division ‘A’, which is how all matches other than the National Matches are fired, allows any rifle chambered in .308 or .223 with metallic sights. Palma, Division B, which is rarely seen outside the Nationals, is a separate award category for the service rifle in a Palma match.”
German notes that: “In all instances, there is no restriction on bullet weight, rifle weight or trigger weight of pull. All of these are unrestricted. The rules specify that the rifle must be chambered for the unmodified .308 or .223 “cartridge case” but if the chamber has, for instance, a longer than standard throat to accomodate a heavier bullet, that is acceptable.”
CLICK HERE to download NRA High Power Rules Book (PDF File)
NEW NRA Fullbore Rules and International Rules
A few matches are run under the new NRA Fullbore Rules which are meant to align the USA with the rules observed in other nations competing in similar matches. The most notable of these is the annual Spirit of America Match which is also the Fullbore National Championship. The Grand Aggregate prize of the Fullbore National Championship is restricted to those competitors firing the International Target Rifle.
Under the Fullbore Rules, there are two categories of rifle, the Target Rifle, which is the same as the High Power Palma Rifle, and the International Target Rifle, which is compliant with the rules of most other nations. The International Target Rifle has restrictions on trigger weight of pull, but no restrictions on overall rifle weight. Additionally, there is an ammunition restriction which limits the weight of the bullet to 156 grains for the .308 and to 81 grains for the .223; this restriction applies to both Target Rifle and International Target Rifle categories. The applicable rules are listed below.
CLICK HERE to download NRA Fullbore Rule Book (PDF File)
3.3.5 Target Rifle:
(a) A rifle with metallic sights chambered for the unmodified .308/7.62mm
cartridge case. This rifle has no restrictions regarding weight of the rifle
or trigger, However, the trigger must be safe.
(b) A rifle with metallic sights chambered for the unmodified .223/5.56mm x
45 cartridge case. This rifle has no restrictions regarding weight of the
rifle or trigger. However, the trigger must be safe.
3.3.6 International Target Rifle:
(a) A rifle with metallic sights chambered for the unmodified .308/7.62mm
cartridge case with a minimum trigger weight of 0.5 kilograms (approximately
1.1 pounds and the total weight of the rifle is unlimited. OR…
(b) A rifle with metallic sights chambered for the unmodified .223/5.56mm
cartridge case with a minimum trigger weight of 0.5 kilograms (approximately
1.1 pounds) and the total weight of the rifle is unlimited.
3.17 Ammunition:
(a) Target Rifle / International Target Rifle — .308/7.62mm NATO with a
maximum permitted bullet weight of less than 156 grains or .223/5.56mm x 45 NATO with a maximum permitted bullet weight of less than 81 grains.
December 29th, 2009
MidwayUSA is running a clearance sale on “factory sample” Sightron Big Sky SII 6-24x42mm riflescopes with duplex reticles. The price has been knocked down to $468.32, a $146.01 savings over the regular price!
In addition, MidwayUSA has the “factory samples” of the newer Sightron Factory SIII 3.5-10x44mm riflescopes. These feature a 30mm tube, side focus parallax adjustment, and a Mil-Dot reticle. Clearance price is $547.42, marked down from $720.29.
December 28th, 2009
Here’s a colorful new target that’s ideal for rimfire or centerfire silhouette shooters. Birchwood Casey’s new Dirty Bird™ Multi-Color Splattering Animal Pack target features correct shapes of NRA metallic animal silhouettes. That way you can practice your marksmanship without having to haul around a set of metal targets.
When a Dirty Bird animal silhouette target is hit, the color associated with each animal shape creates a ring around each bullet hole. Chickens burst in yellow, pigs burst in orange, turkeys burst in red, and rams burst in pink. Each target sheet is 8″ x 8″. Suggested retail prices is $12.20 for a pack of 20 targets (item 35822-MCA-20). These targets can be shot at 25 yards with iron sights, or at longer distances with scoped rifles.
Birchwood Casey Sues Battenfeld
In related news, Birchwood Laboratories, Inc. has filed suit against Battenfeld Technologies, Inc. over the recent issuance of a patent to Battenfeld for their reactive targets and method of target manufacturing. “We feel the United States Patent Office was given insufficient information by Battenfeld during the application process, which resulted in the patent being awarded improperly,” said Mike Wenner, Vice President, Birchwood Casey.
“Shoot-N-C® targets have been in production since 1996 and have been the #1 name brand target on the market since their introduction. We intend to vigorously… protect our business model.” Shoot-N-C and Dirty Bird® targets feature a special coating that flakes off during impact, leaving a bright halo ring around each bullet hole on the target.
December 28th, 2009
 The NSSF, through its “Step Outside” program, suggests you invite someone to go hunting or shooting this Holiday season. An outdoor shooting adventure can be more memorable than any gift that arrives in a box.
Through NSSF’s StepOutside.org web page, you can send a customized invitation to go hunting or shooting. Your e-mail invitation will feature an outdoor photograph with a personalized message from you.
CLICK HERE to Send a Hunting/Shooting Invitation to Friends or Family.
If you go on a shooting excursion before the end of the year (Dec. 31, 2009), you can enter the Step Outside Sweepstakes, and get a chance to win one of five $1,000 gift certificates to Bass Pro Shops. To be eligible, you must “mentor” a new shooter and complete a survey describing your experiences. Submission Deadline is January 1, 2010.
CLICK HERE to enter STEP OUTSIDE Sweepstakes
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