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June 13th, 2009
 One of the more distinctive trophies awarded each year at Camp Perry, the DuPont Trophy is a European bronze casting which depicts a medieval military bowman with arrow drawn, ready for its flight. The trophy was donated to the NRA in 1923 by the E.I. DuPont de Nemours Company.
Each year, the DuPont Trophy is awarded at the Camp Perry National High Power Championships to the top Aggregate score of the Members’ Trophy, Scott Trophy, Coast Artillery Trophy, Army Cup, Navy Cup, Coast Guard Trophy, Marine Corps Cup, Air Force Cup, Crescent Cup, Appreciation Cup, Cavalry Cup, and Crowell Trophy Matches. Collectively, these matches represent a total of 240 shots.
Last year, the winner was then-Specialist Tyrell L. Cooper of the United States Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU). Ty Cooper won with a score of 2362-101X. Cooper, who was recently promoted to Sergeant, started shooting High Power at the ripe old age of 14 and stands ready to face past champions like McMahon, Hooper, Watson and Demille.
 Listed below are the DuPoint Trophy winners for the past decade, along with their winning scores:
1998 SSgt Grant L. Singley, USA 2372-112X
1999 SSgt Julia L. Watson, USMC 2361-110X
2000 MSgt Harry D. Harrison, USMCR 2369-101X
2001 SFC Grant L. Singley, USA 2371-109X
2002 SFC Kevin McMahon, USA 2333-90X
2003 CWO Dennis Demille, USMC 2372-102X
2004 James C. Fox, 2366-80X
2005 GySgt Julia L. Watson, USMCR 2366-93X
2006 SFC Lance S. Hopper, USA 2366-114X
2007 Nick O. Till *1764-73X
2008 SPC Tyrell L. Cooper, USA 2362-101X
* Aggregate shortened due to weather
June 13th, 2009
The Int’l Hunter Education Association Foundation (IHEAF) and GunBroker.com announce a month-long, online auction of guns, hunting/fishing trips and other outdoor merchandise to benefit hunter education programs nationwide. The special auction, part of GunBroker.com’s Heritage Partner Program, is an extension of the Hunting Heritage Trust’s “Treasures & Traditions” program. The auction will be featured on the Gunbroker.com home page.
The auction includes:
• Specially engraved IHEA 60th Anniversary Golden Boy .22LR
• Firearms from Mossberg, Savage, Henry Repeating Arms and FN
• Seven-day South Africa Safari from Zingelani Safaris
• Alaskan fishing trip from Safari Club Int’l (SCI)
• Argentina dove hunt from SCI
• Two guided, South Florida fishing trips
• PSE “Deer Hunter Set” compound bow
• Sentry 24-gun safe
• 3-day NASCAR Pass to Talladega from Realtree
• Custom loaded Hornady ammo and Hornady range bags
• Variety of outdoor equipment from Bushnell
• Benchmade knives
• Columbia Sportswear layered hunting parkas
Hunter Ed Programs Serve 700,000 Students
Over 700,000 new students take hunter education classes each year. Chad Bisinger, IHEAF President, explains: “These classes are a vital link in introducing the next generation of outdoorsmen to safe gun handling and outdoor ethics. The proceeds from this auction will go directly toward making those classes more effective, helping classes better meet the needs of today’s students.” For more information on the International Hunter Education Association visit www.ihea.com.
June 12th, 2009
In the shooting sports, safety always has to be your number one priority. Even if you have a safe load, if the barrel is obstructed in any way, such as with mud in the barrel, a squib bullet, or a bore-sighting tool left in the barrel, the barrel can blow up, pealing back like a banana skin. Serious injury or even death can result. Below is an amazing video showing a catastrophic barrel failure caused, presumably, by a barrel obstruction — probably mud or dirt. You can see the barrel blow apart, starting at time mark 0:25 seconds.
The rifle is a Browning stainless A-Bolt, caliber unknown. We don’t know for sure, but the barrel probably became obstructed when the shooter allowed the gun to rest muzzle down on the ground, so some mud collected in the bore. Below, we’ve grabbed five frames from the key section of the video. You can see the barrel split into two segments. This shooter, who was NOT wearing eye protection, was uninjured. He is is lucky that the action held and no metal shards blew backwards.
June 12th, 2009
While conventional print gun magazines are having trouble maintaining readership, it seems like a new Firearms Blog (short for Web Log) launches every week. Our own AccurateShooter.com Daily Bulletin is one of the most popular rifle-oriented Blogs on the Internet, receiving over 14,000 page views every day.
Blogs represent the “new wave” of gun journalism. At the NRA Annual Meeting in Phoenix, on-site bloggers outnumbered “normal” print journalists for the first time. With the ability to provide late-breaking news, streaming video, and user comments, it’s no wonder Blogs are increasing in popularity compared to print journalism. For gun enthusiasts and supporters of the Second Amendment, you’ll find a wide variety of firearm blogs covering everything from antique arms to the latest high-tech military weapon systems.
50 Best Gun Blogs
The folks at Criminal Justice Degrees Guide recently released a list of the 50 Best Blogs for Gun Enthusiasts. Our Daily Bulletin made the Top 50 list, as did many of the Blogs we visit regulary. You may want to check out these firearms-related sites (listed in Alphabetical Order):
Gun Nut — Affiliated with Field & Stream magazine, this Blog is updated daily, and has nice photos and videos. It emphasizes shootgun sports and game hunting.
NFA Gun Trust Lawyer Blog — Edited by an Attorney, this blog covers legal issues facing gun owners.
Nigel Allen’s Airgun Blog — Well-written blog for air-gunners with nice photos. UK-based Allen founded the Bristish Airgun Shooters’ Association.
NRA Blog — This diverse blog features NRA activities, match reports, and gun rights news. NRA Blog staffers often travel to report first-hand from major events.
The Firearm Blog — Blogmaster Steve scours the net for interesting news and product intros. Updated daily, this blog has lots of photos and videos. Handguns and military-style rifles are featured heavily.
June 11th, 2009
 These days, shooters use all sorts of battery-powered accessories: chronographs, electronic ear-muffs, wind meters, timers, laser-rangefinders, even pulse-monitors. While AA or AAA batteries are easy to find and relatively inexpensive, many modern digital gadgets use smaller (yet more expensive) 1.5-volt batteries.
Here’s a simple “hack” that gives you eight (8) 1.5-volt button batteries for the price of a single A23 Energizer 12-volt battery (about $2.00 per pair). If you use the 1.5-volt batteries, this could save you quite a bit of cash. Just peel open the Energizer A23 with a screwdriver and you’ll find eight 1.5-volt batteries inside.
Note — this trick is known to work only with the Energizer A23, 12-volt battery. If you use another brand of A23, you might just end up with a ruined A23 and nothing else.
For more interesting, money-saving projects, visit KipKay Videos.
June 11th, 2009
Recent visitors to the AccurateShooter.com site may not know that we have an entire set of FREE TARGETS. There are sight-in targets, load development targets, Benchrest Targets, NRA Highpower targets, Scope Testing Targets, even a special set of Fun Targets.
Most of the targets come bundled in .zip archives, so you can easily download multiple targets with one click. The targets are saved in .pdf format, so they are easy to print and the scale is correct no matter what your screen resolution.
Here Forum member FireMedic shows some fine shootin’ with our basic Accuracy Target. With small, red diamonds and extended black lines, this target allows very precise aiming at 100 and 200 yards. The gray dot on top provides a reference point for a 200-yard zero. FireMedic reports: “My 30″, 12 twist, 3 groove does pretty good for an old Savage chambered in .308 Win.” With an average group size of 0.208 inches we’d have to agree. Great Shootin’ FireMedic!
Here are two fun targets you might enjoy. The Atomic Target was originally created as a contest for our readers. The design is by Michael Forester of Auckland, New Zealand. Hit the bigger green and red neutrons, then try your luck with the smaller electrons. In the center, go for true “bug-holes” with our Fly Shoot Target. Watch out for the bio-hazard rings!
You’ll find other excellent, downloadable training targets on the U.S. Palma Team Website, www.uspalma.com. More than 50 free targets are offered, all in easy-printing .pdf format. Shown below is the “inside-out” fun target from the U.S. Palma Team site.
June 10th, 2009
What do you give “the man who has everything” for Father’s Day? How about a 7.62×39 ice-cube tray? This is no spoof. Shaped like an AK-47 magazine, this plastic “12-round” ice mold produces realistic 7.62×39 ice “cartridges” for use with your favorite beverages. This is just the thing for those summer lawn parties with your shooting buddies.
 
Each 8.5″ x 3″ tray produces ice cartridges measuring roughly 2.2″ x 1/2″, very close to the real size. The AK-47 ice tray costs about US $10.00 from FindMeAGift.com in the UK. Simply fill up one side of the tray with water, snap both sides together and freeze. Because water expands when it freezes, the ice will fill both sides, creating a 3D shape.
June 10th, 2009
Have a squirrel problem in your back yard, or maybe mice in the barn? Here’s an innovative, high-tech solution. Starting with a hand-cranked, pneumatic Gatling BB-Gun kit from BMIKarts, a talented machinist created a servo-activated, air-powered Gatling that can be “aimed” with a lap-top computer. A high-pressure air hose provides the energy to launch the BBs, while both traverse and elevation are handled by computer-controlled, electric servo-motors. Watch the video below, and you’ll notice some very nice machining on this mini-Gatling. Actual firing starts at the 24-second mark.
June 9th, 2009
Capitalizing on the strong consumer interest in AR15-style rifles, Remington Arms recently introduced its 597-VTR, a semi-automatic 22LR with AR-style ergonomics. Inside the matte black, slab-sided “upper” is the venerable Remington 597 receiver, updated with a nickel-Teflon® plated bolt, hammer and sear. On the outside, the 597-VTR features a AR-15 pistol grip, and AR collapsible stock, and a round AR-style float tube/handguard. On top of the receiver is a 1913 Picatinny-spec scope rail. Street price for the new rifle is about $450.00, complete with compact 10-round magazine. A standard Remington 597, without the tactical goodies and black paint, costs under $200.00.
Good for 3-Gun Cross-Training and Tactical Rimfire
While we snicker a bit at an older rimfire design tarted up in new tactical clothing, the 597-VTR makes sense for some users. Three-gun competitors should like this rifle. Most multi-gun match shooters use ARs for the rifle stages. With the 597-VTR, they can cross-train using inexpensive 22LR ammo, while maintaining the same basic ergonomics. For 3-gun shooters, who engage targets from a wide variety of shooting positions (often behind barriers), the collapsible stock has utility. It will allow the shooter to make his rifle more compact when practicing CQB or house-clearing stages.
With mods, the 597-VTR should also work well for the tactical rimfire discipline. The Picatinny rail makes it easy to swap over good optics from your centerfire gun. The tubular forearm should provide a strong mount for a bipod. However, for the tactical rimfire game, which is shot mostly prone, we don’t like the collapsible stock at all. Junk it. The LOP is too short, the bottom of the stock is terrible with sandbags, and the cheek weld is wrong. Tactical rimfire shooters would be wise to replace the collapsible stock with an upgraded design with longer length of pull and a proper cheekpiece. (The 597-VTR will accept most AR15 stocks). And, in reality, with a bedding job, a basic 597 in a laminated stock (see below) would probably work just as well.
June 9th, 2009
 You may have already heard this news, but we wanted to repeat it for our readers. Czech ammo-maker Sellier & Bellot was acquired in April by Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos (CBC) a Brazilian enterprise. CBC produces civilian and military ammunition in calibers up to 30mm, and CBC sells a small line of sporting arms. CBC also owns U.S.-based MagTech Ammunition and Metallwerk Elisenhutte GmbH (MEN) of Germany.
Founded in 1825, Sellier & Bellot has been a world leader in ammo production for over 180 years. It produces a very wide range of cartridge types, including pistol ammo, hunting ammo, and a large selection of both modern and “classic” military cartridges. CBC states that Sellier & Bellot will continue under current management, delivering Sellier & Bellot branded ammo through its current sales channels.
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