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July 3rd, 2009
A remote game camera lets you monitor the presence of deer and other game on your favorite hunting grounds. The camera is like a silent sentry, activating only when game animals trigger the heat-in-motion sensor. Here’s a shot recorded by Forum Member Preacher’s camera:
 Cuddeback No-Flash Deer Cam on Sale
The Cuddeback cameras are very sophisticated. The premium Cuddeback units trigger in 0.75 seconds. Cuddeback’s No-Flash IR unit works ’round-the-clock, using invisible infrared illumination at night so the game is not spooked. In daytime you record full-color 3.0 megapixel photos, and you can even set the unit to shoot short videos. The good news is that Cabelas.com has the Cuddeback® No-Flash Infrared Scouting Camera on sale right now for $299.88, marked down from $449.00. The cheapest price we’ve found elsewhere on the web is $319.99 at Amazon.com for the Cuddeback NoFlash Deercam.
Bushnell Releases New IR Trophy Cam
For 2009, Bushnell has introduced an impressive new Trophy Cam. Priced at about $199.00 for the basic model, the new Bushnell IR Trophy Cam offers most of the features of the more expensive Cuddeback IR No-Flash model, but at a much more affordable price. With impressive battery life of up to 6 months, video capability, and an IR flash range up to 45 feet, the new Bushnell has already become very popular with hunters. Independent tests show the Trophy Cam triggers in 1.21 seconds, with a recovery time of 7-11 seconds (depending on picture resolution). The compact (6″x4″) Bushnell is easy to program (no remote required) and the Trophy Cam offers a choice of 3 mp or 5 mp photos. With the deluxe “viewer” version ($249.00 at Digital Photo) you can preview your photos via the camera’s built-in color viewscreen (a feature not offered on the Cuddeback).
CLICK HERE to Read Bushnell Trophy Cam Review.
July 2nd, 2009
The 2009 National Junior Air Gun Championship, held at the CMP’s high-tech Camp Perry indoor Marksmanship Training Center, has been a huge success. The 3-day event has drawn nearly 290 competitors from 27 states to Camp Perry, Ohio. Shooters have traveled from as far as Hawaii and Alaska to shoot against other top juniors in the country. Winners will be honored at an awards banquet, scheduled for July 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Shooters may enter either the Sporter or Precision class based on the type of rifle and equipment they use, and are then grouped into categories according to age: Sub-Junior (Age 14 and under); Junior (age 18-20); and Intermediate Junior (Age 15-17). There is no age minimum to compete at NJAGC, and this year there are competitors as young as 12 years old. The rules for this year’s championship break with years past. For the 2009 competition, there are no entry requirements; every junior shooter is welcome to compete.
The National Junior Air Gun Championship (NJAGC) isn’t just about competing for this year’s title — it’s also about learning to improve and advance in the shooting sports. A training summit is held each year in conjunction with the NJAGC to help competitors, coaches, and parents learn how to train properly, as well as to introduce young shooters to future opportunities.
Report from NRABlog.com. Photos courtesy ODCMP.com.
July 2nd, 2009
Here’s a good deal from Graf & Sons, www.grafs.com. Right now, if you purchase a 250-count box of Hornady 22-caliber, 55gr V-Max bullets, you’ll receive a FREE Hornady DVD ($9.99 value) or a FREE Hornady Reloading print magazine ($6.99 value).
The Hornady 55gr V-Maxs (item HRN22716) are priced at $37.99 for 250 bullets, delivered. That works out to $15.20 per hundred — a pretty good price for premium bullets that are know for excellent accuracy and impressive performance on varmints. To receive your free item, enter “Free DVD” or “Free Magazine” in the special notes section when placing your internet order.
July 1st, 2009
Kudos to Forum Member John Dunbar (aka JD12)! Just this past weekend John won the Wisconsin State F-Class championship shooting a “home-built” .284 Winchester with a Savage target action. John designed and fabricated the aluminum stock himself. It features a central barrel block clamping a 32″ Brux barrel. Get this — John completed the rifle only 5 days before the match: “I finished machining/assembly on Monday night, did load workup Wednesday and Thursday nights, loaded rounds Friday night, and headed to Lodi at 4:30 on Saturday morning.” John also made his own co-axial front rest. He reports: “The rest worked really well this past weekend but as always there’s some small tweeking to do.”
John tells us: “I want to thank Jim See from Center Shot Rifles. He did the barrel chambering and installation and action work — he does excellent work. I also want to thank Ken and Norm from Brux Barrels. Their barrels shoot — no questions asked.”
The rifle is chambered as a straight (non-improved) .284 Winchester, with 32″ barrel. At the match, John shot 180gr Bergers pushed by a stout load of Hodgdon 4831sc. John notes: “Most of the experienced shooters at Lodi, WI told me when barrel gets a few hundred rounds through it, I may have to drop the powder back as they found the barrel might speed up. The gun only had about 80 rounds of development loads through it before [the Championship match at Lodi]. I have some RE17 sitting here to try but now i’m thinking why screw with something that’s working!”
John’s rig features a Savage target action (with factory Accutrigger) trued up by Jim at Center Shot Rifles. On top is a Sightron SIII 8×32-56 scope (Hey we told you they were good). Take a look at the rear bag in the above photo. Notice that the ears are set off-axis? John explains: “The rear bag is a SEB from Ernie in Gillette, WY. It has the twisted ears on it so you can rest your hand right along side of stock. I really like it this way — it’s very comfortable.”
July 1st, 2009
 Colt Mfg. has announced a RECALL of its popular 1911 and 1918 WWI Replica pistols, and other 1911-style firearms. Colt states: “Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC has determined that the Slide Lock Safety and the Recoil Spring Guide Pad in certain Colt model pistols were not manufactured to Colt specifications and must be replaced. All of these Colt models were sold after March 2007″. Serial numbers affected by the product recall are:
1911 WWI Replica (O1911) From: 4597WMK To: 5414WMK
1918 WWI Replica (O1918) From: 1001WWI To: 3431WWI
New Agent (O7810D) From: GT01001 To: GT04505
Combat Elite (O8011XSE) From: CG10000E To: CG11293E
Defender (O7000D) From: DR33036 To: DR35948
Talo Night Defender (O7000NDF) From: NDF0001 To: NDF0400
Free Shipping Offered by Colt
If you log on to the Colt Recall Page you can obtain a FREE FedEx shipping label to return your O1911, O1918, New Agent or Combat Elite, or to receive a replacement part for the Defender Models.
June 30th, 2009
 Here’s a great job opportunity for someone who enjoys interacting with other shooters, and helping them develop accurate loads. Sierra Bullets wants to hire another Ballistic Technician to answer questions about Sierra bullets and loads from Sierra’s reloading manual. The new Ballistic Technician will also appear at competition and trade shows from time to time. You’ll also have a chance to work with a great bunch of guys — the current team of six Ballistic Techninicians who currently respond to three to five thousand inquiries per month.
Job Description: Answer incoming phone calls and emails from customers looking for load data, ballistic software help, and miscellaneous firearms/shooting questions. Data entry to update customer’s information and profiles. Handle customer complaints including paperwork and filing. Develop load data and work on new product development as needed. Attend matches, tradeshows, and events as needed. Paid match attendance/mileage for competitive shooters. Other duties within the sales department as required.
Call 660-827-6300 with questions about this position. If you are interested in working for Sierra, please email your current resume to patknight [at] sierrabullets.com, or mail your resume to:
Sierra Bullets
Attn. Human Resource Department
1400 West Henry Street
Sedalia, MO 65301
June 28th, 2009
Experienced marksmen know they should keep their rifles level when shooting. But they may not understand exactly what happens if they allow their rifle to be canted (tilted left or right), even a few degrees. While the physics are complicated to explain, here’s what you need to know: if you cant your rifle to the left, your shots will impact to the left, and lower, than your point of aim. Likewise, if you cant your rifle to the right, your bullets will impact low and right.
Effects of Rifle Canting
The effects of rifle canting are explained in great detail on the Long Shot Products Ltd. website. There, you’ll find a technical discussion of the Physics of Rifle Canting, plus a page with Sample Targets shot with canted rifles.
Referring to the above illustration, the Long Shot Products article explains: “Notice how the trajectory of the vertical hold stays within the vertical plane, so when the projectile drops, it drops into the line of sight and down to the center of the target. The trajectory of the cant hold does not achieve the same height as the trajectory of the vertical hold and the projectile diverges from the line of sight, thereby missing the target.”
The Long-Shot article makes two other important points. First, cant error increases with distance, and second, cant-induced windage errors are worsened by mounting your scope high above the bore axis:
“This component of cant error becomes more significant at more distant targets due to the increased original included angle between the line of sight axis and the bore axis (more elevation compensation) at the vertical hold.”
“Use of large-diameter objective scopes, mounted high off the barrel, exacerbates the cant error problem. To keep the scope elevation knobs centered for maximum adjustment, precision shooters sometimes use elevation-compensated scope mounting rings or bases. Although this solves the adjustment problem, it greatly exaggerates cant error because the distance between the bore axis and the line of sight axis increases and the included angle between the sight axis and the bore is larger, producing more windage error when canting.”
Test Targets Reveal Cant Errors
The Long Shot Products Ltd. website also displays actual Test Targets showing the effects of canting error. These targets were shot with air rifles and rimfire rifles, but the same effects can and will occur with centerfire rifles. Shown below is a target shot at 50 yards with a Feinwerkbau .22LR match rifle using RWS Match ammo (1012 fps MV). As you can see, canting the rifle 20 degrees to the left produced a huge movement of the point of impact. The shots from the canted rifle impacted 1.81″ Left, and 0.6″ below the point of aim.
CLICK HERE to view more Canted Rifle TARGETS.
June 28th, 2009
The underdog Australians came and conquered at the 10th World Benchrest Championship just concluded in South Africa. In Team competition, the Australia “A” squad took the Two-Gun Gold. Finishing second was the USA “A” Team, while Team Italy took third place. Congratulations to Australia’s winning team: Brendan Atkinson, Stuart Elliott, Paul Sullivan, and Craig Whittleton. James Kelbly has posted: “Australia has been knocking on the door for many championships. Just got off phone with Roland Thomsen in South Africa and he told me conditions were as tough as he has seen. I would like to congratulate the organizers from South Africa for putting on a great match.”
In individual competition, Gene Bukys is the new Two-gun Grand Agg World Champion. Gene shot great throughout the match to finish at the top with a 0.2798 MOA Two-gun Agg. Second in the Two-gun was legendary Tony Boyer, and Australian Brendan Atkinson finished third. Bukys also won the LV Grand Agg.
You can download all the individual and team scores at the WBC10 website. Despite superb performances by Bukys and Boyer, the Aussies beat the favored Americans by more consistent shooting in very challenging conditions at 200m. If the Americans wish to get back on top, it may be time to experiment with higher-BC bullets for the 200m events, something Lester Bruno and other western-states Benchresters have been doing recently. Team USA was leading through Day 3, but the Aussies took the lead on Day 4 with superior team shooting in the HV 200m stage. Congrats to the winning Australian team!
 Ten Tips for Benchrest Shooters
Australian Brendan Atkinson has authored an excellent article, Ten Tips for Benchrest Shooters. Tip Number 10 is “Never, Ever, Give Up”. This positive attitude surely helped Brendan and his teammates achieve a come-from-behind victory at WBC10:
“You are only as good as your last group/aggregate. In 1980, I once started a 100-yard aggregate with a 1.026 group and then went on to win the overall match. I took the attitude that now that the A target was out of the way I was going to shoot nine very small groups. It was a very rough day, and took a lot of concentration to put shots together. In looking back, it was one of my most enjoyable wins. One should never give up –- even if a disastrous group does happen. Every shoot should teach you something –- even when you lose, don’t lose the lesson. Once a shot is fired on the business target, it is up there forever. There is nothing you can do about it, except get on with it. Do your very best, and curse about the lost shot later, in private.”
June 27th, 2009
 Our lead story on AccurateShooter.com this week features Varmint Silhouette Matches at the Ojai and Pala clubs in Southern California. The Ojai Valley Gun Club Varmint Silhouette match starts off with a 600-yard, paper-punching stage using official 600-yard benchrest targets.
At Ojai, the calm, cool mountain air in the early morning often provides perfect conditions for long-range target shooting. Such was the case this past week. At the Father’s Day (June 21, 2009) Ojai Match, Bruce Duncan fired back to back 1.5″ groups with his Barnard-actioned, 6-6.5×47 match rifle. This rig was smithed by MTGuns, where Bruce works as Office Manager.
Bruce tells us: “The Barnard action is very popular with Palma, prone, and F-Class shooters of course, but I think we’ve demonstrated that Barnards can be very competitive in the long-range benchrest game as well.” Though both targets were shot in the early morning, Bruce acknowledged: “I got bit by a wind change both times — first right, then left.” Joking, he added: “But hey, my sighters were in the blue for both targets.”
Target 1: 1.507″, 5 shots at 600 yards
Interestingly, the Barnard “P” action is set in an aluminum V-block. The RBRP action features an MT Guns +10 MOA scope rail, with Barnard trigger. The barrel is a 1:8″ twist, 6mm Bartlein, measuring about .960″ at the muzzle. For optics, Bruce runs a Sightron 36×42 SII Big Sky with fine cross hair. Bruce tells us: “More power might be nice, but the 36X Sightron does the job.”
Target 2: 1.536″, 5 shots at 600 yards
Bruce tried a variety of loads before settling on Hodgdon H4350 and CCI 450 primers pushing the tangent-ogive (non-VLD) Berger 108s seated about .020″ out of the lands. “I tested the Berger 105s in the lands, but this barrel preferred the 108s jumped”, Bruce observed. Bruce uses 6.5×47 Lapua brass necked down to 6mm. He turns the necks slightly for a PTG .270″ neck chamber. Rounds measure right around .268″ when loaded. For sizing, Bruce uses a standard Forster 6-6.5×47 full-length sizing die, with the expander ball in place.
June 27th, 2009
The World Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting wraps up today at Founders Ranch in Edgewood, New Mexico. Today’s final matches will determine the winner of the week-long event, which commenced on June 22nd. Over 400 shooters from a dozen countries competed at the 28th Annual END of TRAIL World Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting and Wild West Jubilee produced by the Single Action Shooting Society, better known as SASS.
UPDATE: Teenager Steve Rubert, aka Badlands Bud, was the Overall Champion at the 2009 END of Trail.
 Along with the 400+ competitors, END of TRAIL attracts thousands of spectactors with Wild West-themed exhibits and entertainment, including mounted shooting from horseback. Visitors can sample wares from hundreds of vendors or enjoy “living history” Wild West encampments spread over 50 acres.
But shooting (and lots of it) is what END of TRAIL is really all about. Competitors shoot multiple stages, employing single-action revolvers, rifles (mostly lever-guns), and shotguns (double-barrel, 1887 lever, or 1897 pump). On most of the stages, top competitors will fire 10 pistol rounds, 4-10 shotgun rounds, and 10 rifle rounds — all in well under one minute, and usually without a miss. Competition is fierce, and the action is fast and furious.
In the video below, multi-time SASS World Champion Spencer Hoglund aka “Lead Dispencer” sets a world-record time for a stage run. Spencer’s pistols and carbine are preloaded, but, per SASS rules, Spencer must handload each shotgun round. Spencer, the fastest shooter in the history of the sport, completed the stage in 12.81 seconds without a miss. He fired TEN (10) shots from his lever gun in about 4 seconds!
More Speed Shooting with Lead Dispencer : Move and Shoot | Helmet Cam (Shooting USA).
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