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June 18th, 2009
 The full line of K&M reloading tools and accessories is now offered by PrecisionReloading.com. The popular K&M Arbor press (with optional seating force measurement gauge) is in stock. The K&M arbor costs $78.00, or $115.00 with the force measurement system. This clever design uses a Belleville washer stack and linkage to show the force required to seat your bullet on a standard dial indicator mounted on the top (dial indicator is $22 extra.) In addition, Precision Reloading offers K&M neck-turning tools, primer seaters, expanders, neck reamers, and flash-hole uniformers.
This editor has tried out many different arbor presses. The K&M is my favorite. For me, the force measurement system acts like a warning light, telling me if something is way off in the bullet seating process. If you see the dial indicator needle jumping around wildly, or spiking too soon, you know that case has excessive neck tension, or perhaps the bullet is oversize in diameter (it happens). Currently, the K&M is the only arbor press with a seating-force gauge. The only down-side to the K&M arbor is that you must adjust multiple bolts to set the ram height. By contrast, the Sinclair Int’l Arbor and some other arbors feature a quick-release lever that lets you adjust ram height quickly and easily.
Based in Mitchell, South Dakota, Precision Reloading is run by active, knowledgeable shooters. In addition to centerfire reloading supplies and tools, Precision Reloading offers a full line of shotshell components and shotgun reloading equipment, plus optics, cleaning supplies, gun cases, and hunting gear. This month Precision Reloading is running an optics sale on Bushnell, Sightron, and Vortex scopes, binoculars, and spotting scopes.
June 18th, 2009
 Hurt by a big reduction in sales and burdened by overwhelming debt payments, Seattle-based Eddie Bauer Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: EBHI) filed June 17 for bankruptcy protection. It then took only a day for the troubled outdoor retailer to be grabbed by a NY-based private equity firm, CCMP Capital Advisors LLC.
CCMP has agreed to take over Eddie Bauer in a $202 million deal. CCMP plans to eliminate most of Eddie Bauer’s long-term debt, and has pledged to keep most of the retailer’s 371 stores open. According to Eddie Bauer representatives, CCMP will retain the majority of Eddie Bauer employees.
Until the deal is finalized, Eddie Bauer will operate under Bankruptcy rules. Eddie Bauer said it hopes to operate business as usual during bankruptcy court proceedings and has asked for court approval to continue paying vendors and workers. The company also said it intends to honor customer gift cards, returns and loyalty program points. In its bankruptcy filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc. declared total assets of $525.22 million in April vs. total liabilities of $448.9 million.
The Eddie Bauer company was started in 1920 by Eddie Bauer, an avid outdoorsman (and former stock boy). His business grew rapidly when he offered an “unconditional guarantee”, something very rare at the time. Bauer called his guarantee “his creed” and it became a cornerstone of the Eddie Bauer business.
History of Eddie Bauer Business.
June 17th, 2009
Victoria Croft, the national manager of Collegiate & School Programs for the NRA, has announced a new program that could make its debut as early as next year: the NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championship.
This new championship would be geared toward ALL collegiate rifle shooters, encompassing NRA College Rifle Clubs, Varsity Rifle Teams, NCAA Rifle Teams, ROTC and independent shooters. Currently there is no championship for NRA College Club participants, Varsity Rifle Team participants, or independent college-age rifle competitors. Croft said this would give them the chance to be represented.
New Rifle Championship Triples Participation Levels
Presently, the NCAA Championship invites only 48 NCAA rifle shooters to participate each year. The proposed NRA championship will triple championship participation and help foster collegiate rifle programs across the nation. Qualification for the Championship would be determined through NRA Collegiate Sectionals.
 Funding for this championship would come from the NRA Foundation, the same program that funds the NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championships and the ACUI Clay Target Championships. The proposed Intercollegiate Championship would include a training summit similar to the one offered at the NRA Junior Air Gun Championship.
The NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Championship will also teach college shooters about various NRA programs and let shooters demonstrate their skills in front of peers, families, coaches, and university administrators. “This program has been a long time coming,” said Victoria Croft. “So much of the rifle community is already excited, and we have only just started planning for it.”
Story and photo courtesy the NRA Blog.
June 16th, 2009
The majority of competitive shooters in many disciplines are over 40, with a high percentage over 50 years old. That’s a lot of old eyes which may have trouble reading small print. Shooters who are far-sighted, and older shooters with presbyopia, may have difficulty focusing on close objects. At the range, this may make it difficult to read range cards, printed come-up tables, or even the “fine print” found in manuals for chronographs and other shooting accessories.
Here’s a solution for shooters who need better close-up vision. For just $10.50 per pair, Amazon.com sells stick-on inserts that mount to any glass or plastic lenses, including polycarbonate shooting glasses. Water is the adhesive–the surface tension effect of H20 is enough to keep the lens inserts in place. But this also lets you easily move the magnifying lenses from one set of glasses to another. ReadingGlasses.com offers the Optx 20/20 stick-on lenses for $18.00 (or $29.00 for two pair). Magellan’s, a popular travel accessory store, sells the same Optx 20/20 Lenses, Item #BA726, for $24.85 per pair. Magellan’s notes: “Flexible Optx 20/20 lenses hold fast by their own molecular attraction (no adhesive needed) and can be peeled off and reattached many times”. The video below shows how the stick-on lenses work.
June 16th, 2009
The American Knife and Tool Institute (AKTI) recently warned Americans of a U.S. Customs’ proposal to re-interpret the Switchblade Knife Act of 1958. The USCBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) has proposed a new standard that would bar importation of any knife with “release-assisted” opening. AKTI fears this could be applied to a wide variety of commonly-used knives including those with a finger stud or thumb-hole to allow one-handed opening.
Customs proposes to criminalize modern assisted-opening knives by defining them as “switchblades” under federal law. AKTI cautions: “The U.S. Customs’ proposal indicates it is directed at only the importers of assisted-opening knives. However, the language used in their revocation document is so broad and uses virtually every term ever applied to any knife that opens with one hand. We fear that they are attempting to bypass the will of Congress and that once they succeed in getting assisted-openers defined as switchblades, they could move against all folding knives. These include multi-tools, traditional pocket knives, one-hand openers, and assisted-openers.”
To learn more about this issue, visit the AKTI website. The AKTI has prepared form letters you can send to your legislators. You can also write directly to USCBP at:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Office of International Trade, Regulations and Rulings
Attention: Intellectual Property and Restricted Merchandise Branch
Mint Annex, 799 Ninth St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20229
June 16th, 2009
Google has launched an innovative, web-based search function that delivers a wealth of information in data-rich tables. Now when you search you can get more than just a list of websites. Called Google Squared, the new system delivers a collection of search results in a chart (table) format. The chart will contain a variety of different clickable entries, such as article titles, photos, product descriptions, and prices. Google Squared returns a huge amount of information and data from a single search.
Link: www.Google.com/squared
While Google Squared can search virtually any topic from Astrophysics to Zoology, we’ve found it can be very useful when researching firearms subjects or searching for shooting products. Shown below are the results of a search for “Spotting Scope”. By default, data is grouped in six columns. However, Google Squared allows you to add other data columns, and Google can even “intelligently” suggest choices for additional columns. In this example, Google suggested Eye Relief, Magnification, Exit Pupil, Lens Coating, and Prism System — all important optical parameters. That’s pretty smart! You can also delete any column of data if it’s not needed.
Google Squared can also be used to research a particular product or do price comparison searches. Shown below are the Google Squared results for “RCBS Chargemaster”:
Google Squared is still in the development stages, but it promises to be a useful tool for veteran web users. Give it a try, and see how it performs for you.
June 15th, 2009
John Loh of JJ Industries has generously donated a complete front rest to be sold at the World Benchrest Championship (WBC-10) held at the Krokodilspruit Range in Pretoria, South Africa, June 22-29, 2009. Proceeds from the sale will be used to defray the expenses of the USA Benchrest Team. The rest will be on display at the World Championships next week, and sold to the highest bidder.
This WBC-10 Special Edition rest is based on John Loh’s impressive, 18-lb JJ Ultra Front Rest, sold for $879.95 commercially. John has added some unique upgrades for this one-of-a-kind, 22-lb Special Edition. The center shaft is beefier, with a larger diameter. All the knobs (other than the bearing bronze rear adjuster) are crafted from machined aluminum. Loh front rests are already noted for allowing super-smooth and precise vertical and horizontal adjustments, and the larger center column makes this special unit even better. The rest comes with a 3″-wide Edgewood front bag fitted with a spacer block with bubble level. The side plates for the top bag are inscribed with “TEAM USA” and “World Benchrest Championships – South Africa 2009″ is engraved on the front of the base plate.
June 15th, 2009
Here is an interesting tool that lets rimfire shooters re-shape and uniform the tips of their 22 rimfire lead bullets. Paco Kelly’s Acu’Rzr comes in two versions, the “Phase III Nasti-Nose” and the “Phase IV Baby Scorp’n”. The Phase III tool produces a deep-dished hollowpoint (like an ash-tray) that opens quickly and efficiently. There is also a Phase III insert that creates a flatter, open dish HP for target shooting. The Phase IV Scorpion tool creates a deep hollow point with a central post in the middle. The internal post in the middle helps achieve deeper penetration in game. The designer claims that ammo modified with either tool is more accurate because the bullet diameter “comes out the same every time”.
Why re-shape lead rimfire bullets? The first reason is accuracy. The tool’s designer, Paco Kelly, claims you can improve the accuracy of budget-priced ammo by using the dish nose rod with the Phase III tool: “The dish nose forming rod is for accuracy and paper targets. It makes very sharp and clean cut holes in paper. And the consistency of the [re-shaped] bullet diameter pulls the group together.”
The main reason to use Paco Acu’Rzr tools is to improve perfomance on small game such as squirrels, prairie dogs, and jack-rabbits. Kelly says: “Unlike most commercial 22 rimfire ammo with small holes and negligible HP expansion, the Nasti-Nose will open even with standard velocity ammo. Yet it will NOT explode on contact like the hyper-velocity ammo. For small eating game, such as squirrels, the Hyper ammo is too much and the medium-velocity, hollow-pointed commercial ammo often fails to open. But not so with the Nasti-Nose.” The idea, Kelly suggests, is that you get reliable expansion with medium-velocity ammo, without destroying the game the way more expensive, hyper-velocity ammo does.
The Phase III tool costs $65.00, while the Phase IV tool costs $75.00. Both tools can be customized for target rifles or European chambers. To order, contact Paco Kelly, P.O. Box 1170, Cortaro, AZ 85652 or use this ORDER FORM.
EDITOR’s NOTE: Do NOT use this tool with premium-grade rimfire target ammo. It won’t help. Use it with the cheaper bulk-pack ammo. Also, we have not tested the reformed ammo on live targets, so you have to draw your own conclusions as to its benefits on small critters.
June 14th, 2009
The Hensoldt line of optics represents the premium military/tactical series of riflescopes and spotting scopes produced by Germany’s Carl Zeiss Optronics GmbH. Hendsolt products are expensive, to be sure, but they offer many features found in no other tactical optics. Thanks to importer HDC, LLC, Zeiss Hensoldt products are now available in the American marketplace, through a network of dealers, including G.A. Precision, McMillan Firearms, SWFA, Superior Shooting Systems (David Tubb), and Tac Pro Shooting Center. You can review the specs and features of Zeiss Hensoldt scopes on the HDC website, www.hudisco.com.
HDC, LLC was selected by Carl Zeiss Optronics GmbH, a subsidiary of the Carl Zeiss group, to become the distribution partner in the USA for the Hensoldt line of Zeiss optics. This allows HDC to bring to the American market the latest and most advanced optical products from the Zeiss factories. The Hensoldt line offers unrivaled glass quality and state-of-the-art technology in both telescopic and reflex sights.
Below is a video of the remarkable 6-24x72mm SAM scope. This optic integrates superb, ultra-bright apochromatic fluorite glass with a calculator module that provides ballistic info and weather data to the shooter. SAM stands for “Sniper Auxiliary Module”. An integrated ballistics calculator can be programmed for up to four different types of ammo. Sensors in the integrated ring mount measure weather parameters. These values, as well as scope data, are then directly projected into the visual field of the eyepiece. This provides selectable displays of elevation clicks, windage clicks, angle of fire, cant angle, temperature, and air pressure.
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this VideoPress video.
June 13th, 2009
Here’s a great deal on the GunVault MiniVault. This is one of the best rapid-access handgun safes on the market. Keep it at bedside, in your work area, or it can even be fitted to a vehicle. Built of 16-gauge steel, the 8.5-lb MiniVault can be opened almost instantaneously using finger buttons on the No-Eyes™ keypad. The interior dimensions are 11″ L x 6.3″ W x 2.8″ H. That’s large enough to hold pretty much any defensive handgun, even with a rail light.
MidwayUSA has discounted the 8″x12″ MiniVault (item 246722) to $79.99. That’s $26 off the normal price. Elsewhere on the web, the cheapest price we could find was $89.99, so you’re not going to beat this deal. MidwayUSA’s $79.99 price is good through June 30, 2009.
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