|
|
February 7th, 2009
READ THIS!! 4/1/2009 UPDATE: Bruno’s Wolf primers are sold out. Call for current availability of any primers.
Amy at Bruno Shooters Supply let us know that she just received 250,000 Wolf Small Rifle Magnum primers (i.e. 250 1K boxes). These are the Russian-made primers that work well in the 6BR and 6-6.5×47 cases. Note, the magnum version of the Wolf small rifle primer is much preferrable to the standard Wolf small rifle primer which has a fairly soft cup. Price is $23.50 per 1000-ct box.
Bruno Shooters Supply: Wolf Small Rifle Magnum primers (250 1K boxes in stock) as of 2/7/2009. Ask Amy or Lester — You won’t find these on the website yet.
February 7th, 2009
 Credit German Salazar for this smart tip. 6XC dies tend to be pretty expensive. If you already have a 6BR neck-sizing die, you can use it to neck-size 6XC brass. Redding Reloading sells a set of three washers that raise the die in the press, part number 80901. Each kit includes three spacers: (.062) No-crimp or partial resizing, (.125) 44 Spl/44 Mag spacer, (.135) 38 Spl/357 Mag spacer. If you buy two sets ($7.11 each at Midsouth Shooters Supply) and use both 0.125″ spacers and one 0.135″ spacer then you can neck size 6XC cases with your 6BR neck sie without messing with the lock ring setting. You can also use the same spacers to switch pistol dies (e.g. between .38 Special and .357 Magnum). Hornady also sells inexpensive .135″ spacers to switch from .38 spl to .357.
Norma 6XC brass at Bruno’s
Speaking of the 6XC, Bruno Shooters Supply now has Norma-brand 6XC brass, item XCNB. Price is $0.68 per case, or $68.00 per hundred. This is very good brass that uses a large rifle primer, whereas the 6-6.5×47 Lapua uses small rifle or small rifle magnum primers.
February 7th, 2009
One of the largest gun shows in the country runs next weekend, February 13-15, starting at 3:00 pm on Friday. Held at the Dulles Expo in Chantilly, Virginia, the Nation’s Gun Show will feature over 1000 tables of vendors and displays. The show floor covers the equivalent of two football fields, with over 1.5 miles of guns, knives, and accessories.
Free Admission with $25.00 NRA Membership Purchase
Admission is $18.00 for a 3-day pass, or $12.00 each day for adults. You can save $1.00 with the coupon below. Or, you can get FREE ADMISSION to the event if you join the NRA at the show, or renew your NRA membership at the show. (Offer valid on $25.00 or greater membership).
February 6th, 2009
The Ben Avery Shooting Facility hosts the Arizona Long-Range Championship this weekend, February 7-8, 2009. This event will draw many of the top 1000-yard shooters from the Western states. Prior to the Long-Range Championships, a individual Palma match will be held today, Feb. 6th. The Palma match will have 15 shots for record at EACH of three distances: 800, 900, and 1000 yards.
 
Photos courtesy AZ Desert Sharpshooters.
On Saturday the 7th there will be two (2) Any-rifle, Any-sight 1000-yard matches (20 record rounds per match), followed by a 4-man team match with two shooters per realy. On Sunday the 8th, there will be two more Any-rifle, Any-sight 1000-yard matches (20 record rounds per match). The Championship will be determined based on combined Saturday and Sunday Aggregates.
CLICK HERE for Match Program and Schedule.
Member of the U.S. F-Class Open Team have been “working out” this week at Ben Avery, tuning their 6.5-284 rifles and working on team strategies. Many members of the Team will participate in the AZ Long-Range Championship this weekend. If you are in the Phoenix area, this is your chance to come out and meet team members and see some of America’s top long-range shooters in action.
February 6th, 2009
Birchwood Casey Bullseye Challenge
It you want to burn some time on a cold winter evening (or in the daytime–just don’t tell the boss), have fun with this online flash shooting game from Birchwood Casey. It’s easy — just aim the crosshairs at the ten-ring when each bull pops up.
Warning: This game is loud, so you may want to turn down your sound levels before starting. Click the link below to go to the game page.
CLICK HERE to LAUNCH GAME
The game has multiple levels. After you get through level one, you’ll be prompted to play again.
February 6th, 2009
For someone looking for a lightweight, compact, under-$400 spotting scope, we’ve been impressed by the Bushnell Elite 15-45x60mm. This straight-view spotter employs a roof-prism design to achieve high magnification with a short footprint. It is rubber-armored for durability.
The Elite® 15-45x60mm is just 12.2 inches long and weighs a mere 26.5 ounces. Fogproof, waterproof, and shockproof, the Elite series of spotting scopes (there is also a 20-60x70mm version), also feature Bushnell’s patented Rainguard® lens coating. Field tests have shown that the hydrophobic Rainguard coating really works — condensation from rain, fog or snow forms in much smaller droplets than with standard coatings.
The U.S. military apparently agrees that the 15-35x60mm Elite is a lot of scope for the money. Bushnell Outdoor Products was recently awarded a contract for a special military version of the Elite® 15-45x60mm spotting scopes. The spotting scopes will be used by multi-national forces around the world. Bushnell started shipping the units in late 2008.
Government buyers were impressed by the performance of the Elite 15-45 in a small, affordable package. The Elite 15-45x60mm is a compact unit that is easy to carry and quickly set up. Bushnell will make some modifications to the spotting scopes to meet military specifications. For more info, visit www.bushnell.com or call 800-423-3537 for consumer inquiries.
No Substitute For Higher Power and Bigger Objectives
We recently field-tested two premium spotting scopes (Pentax 100mm and Swarovski 80mm), to determine if they could resolve 6mm bullet holes at 600 yards. They both did. In good viewing conditions, a premium spotter can resolve 6mm holes at very long ranges, but you’ll want at least 55x power (and more is better — 80x is not too much in ideal viewing conditions). Our test scopes had 100mm and 80mm objectives. Don’t expect this compact Bushnell 15-45x60mm to perform on a par with a $2000.00 spotting scope with more magnification and bigger lenses.
February 5th, 2009
National High Power champion Carl Bernosky will be at the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA from February 7 through February 15, 2009. Carl won the 2008 Camp Perry Nat’l High Power Championship — his eighth Camp Perry National title. For our readers in the Northeast, here’s your chance to chat with one of America’s top shooters.
While most well-known for his rifle and pistol shooting skills, Carl is also an outstanding smith and stock-maker. He produces stocks for many of the country’s top High Power and benchrest shooters. Carl, eight time NRA High Power Rifle Champion, builds custom rifles and custom stocks, including many designs for Alex Sittman of Master Class Stocks. While at the show, Carl will be showcasing his work and taking orders for stocks and full custom-rifle builds. You can view Carl’s Stock Patterns on his website, CarlBernosky.com.
At the Harrisburg Sportsman Show, Carl will be working with eyewear-maker SunBuster at booth # 2600. Steve Asman, SunBuster’s president said, “We just returned from SHOT Show in Orlando. Now at Harrisburg, we’ll be able to meet all of the hunters and shooting enthusiasts in person and demonstrate how to be properly fitted for eyewear and why choosing our ColorCorrect™ lens can affect your shooting accuracy.”
February 4th, 2009
 The general economy may be in a major downturn, but big ammunition producers aren’t complaining — their sales revenues continue to rise. Both Winchester and ATK (Alliant) have reported significant growth in ammo sales through the end of 2008.
Winchester reported that its 4th quarter 2008 sales were $121.4 million compared to $102.7 million for the same period in 2007. The increase reflects a combination of higher selling prices and improved commercial and law enforcement volumes. Higher selling prices and higher volumes offset higher commodity, material, and manufacturing costs, and a less favorable product mix.
ATK also records impressive sales growth in 2008. Third-quarter sales by Alliant Techsystems’ (NYSE:ATK) Armament Systems group rose 15 percent to $438 million, compared to $381 million in the prior-year quarter. The division of ATK produces commercial and military ammunition and gun systems, propellants and advanced energetics. ATK said the strong performance primarily reflects continued growth in commercial ammunition, higher energetics volume, and strong growth within the group’s medium-caliber gun systems and ammunition business.
February 3rd, 2009
 The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s 25th Annual Elk Camp & Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Expo will be held March 5-8 at the Fort Worth (Texas) Convention Center. The event features many interesting demonstrations and “how-to” seminars. You can learn how to call elk, pack a horse, hunt backcountry, get more from a hunting guide, field dress big game, cook venison, train a retriever and hunt predators — all under one roof. In addition there are seminars on bow-hunting and black powder shooting. These seminars and more, each presented by noted authorities, are free with the price of admission. Daily admission is $12 per person or $25 per family, and free for kids 5 and under.
Photo courtesy Rimrock Elk Hunt Ranch, Rexburg, Idaho
The Elk Foundation’s Elk Camp & Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Expo also features the RMEF/Leupold 2009 World Elk Calling Championships, hundreds of exhibits, displays, activities, auctions, raffles and more. It’s all a public-welcome showcase and fundraiser for one of the nation’s premier conservation organizations. Since launching in 1984, the Elk Foundation has enhanced or protected habitat on over 5.5 million acres.
February 3rd, 2009
 If you’re using a body die or a full-length sizing die, try using Ballistol (in the aerosol can) as a lube. It works GREAT without the tacky or gooey residue left by most case lubes. It will also clean off carbon residues on the neck as you lube the case. Just spray a little on a cotton patch (or your fingertips) and wipe each case before you run it up into the die. If you are using a steel neck bushing, be sure to wipe the neck as well. You can usually do a 6-10 BR-sized cases before you need to re-apply Ballistol on the patch. Ballistol is non-toxic, non-petroleum based, and will not harm your skin. It is very slippery, but can easily be removed with a rag or paper towel. Try it–you may retire your One-Shot. Derived from Pine Oil, Ballistol can also be used to protect wood stocks.
Use Heavier Lube for Case-Forming
Note, for heavy case-forming or necking up case necks, we still recommend a thicker lubricant, such as Imperial die wax. But for normal case sizing, after your neck has been expanded, Ballistol will do the job, and you won’t need to tumble the brass afterwards. All you need is a very thin layer of Ballistol, and this easily wipes off with a paper towel.
 Neck-Turning Lubes
For lubing the neck-turning tool mandrel while turning case necks, many folks use a blend of STP® Oil Treatment and Mobil 1 lube. Chuckw2 reports: “Try STP and Mobile 1 Synthetic oil in a 50/50 mixture. Very slick, but it sticks so you will need to tumble your cases after turning.” STP is a very thick lubricant, that flows and clings almost like honey. Jason reports the STP blend comes off easily in an ultra-sound bath, using a bit of detergent. STP is also now available in a convenient 7-ounce tube, so you don’t have to buy a large bottle. Another even cheaper option is assembly lubricant. For turning his case necks, RStreich uses assembly lube from an auto parts store. He notes: “The brand I have is reddish in color and kind of sticky like honey. It’s far better than the Imperial die wax I was using before.”
|
