Big news — Lapua will be releasing 6mm GT and .300 WSM cartridge brass in 2024! Lapua has announced the addition of two major additions to its brass lineup. In spring, Lapua will start shipping .300 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) cartridge cases. And, in the fall of 2024, Lapua promises to offer 6mm GT brass through authorized Lapua retailers.
Lapua 6mm GT (6GT) Brass
Lapua’s new 6mm GT brass promises to be a big hit with PRS/NRL shooters and varminters who want a bit more capacity than the 6mmBR case. The 6mm GT (aka 6GT) cartridge was conceived as a “bigger Dasher” for PRS/NRL competition. The 6mm GT’s creators wanted 6mm Dasher accuracy and moderate recoil delivered via a cartridge with a slightly longer case body for better mag-feeding, longer neck for seating flexibility, and more moderate pressures. So far the 6GT has performed very well in PRS/NRL competition. With the upcoming availability of premium Lapua-brand 6mm GT brass, we may also see a greater adoption of the 6GT in mid-range benchrest competition. We expect varminters may adopt the cartridge also, both in 6mm and necked down to .22 caliber.
Lapua’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Jarkko Aro stated, “Competitors shooting PRS, and similar long-range disciplines, have urged us to develop a 6mm GT case with unmatched quality and superior cartridge geometry to those currently offered in the marketplace. We’re confident we’ve exceeded their demands by collaborating with original cartridge developers, George Gardner and Tom Jacobs.”
Lapua .300 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) Brass
Available in spring of 2024, Lapua will offer a superior-quality .300 WSM case through authorized retailers. Lapua cartridge cases are known for their superb quality, consistency, and longevity. Lapua brass cases are the #1 component choice of competitive shooters in most accuracy disciplines. Lapua uses only the highest-quality materials and manufacturing processes to satisfy the demands of reloaders who seek the highest levels of precision from their .300 WSM firearm platforms.
This product release is significant news for hunters and F-Open shooters. The .300 WSM has been an effective F-Open cartridge, both in .30-caliber and necked down to 7mm. With the availability of Lapua-brand .300 WSM brass later this spring, we expect that more F-Open shooters will employ a match cartridge based on this brass.
Lapua Sales & Marketing Manager, Erkki Seikkula stated, “.300 WSM reloading enthusiasts who insist on using the best components now have Lapua cartridge cases available for their long-range target rifles and custom hunting guns. From all of us at Lapua, thank you for seeking out our components to fulfill your precision reloading needs.” Order now for delivery in spring 2024 from authorized Lapua retailers.
The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) has published a great series of reloading “how-to” articles on its Facebook Page. This post covers key factors to consider when loading ammunition for Match Rifles and Service Rifles, with a particular focus on self-loading “gas guns”. Visit the USAMU Facebook Page regularly for other, helpful reloading and marksmanship tips.
We offer some “cardinal rules” to help new gas-gun handloaders with safety and efficiency. These address both Match Rifle and Service Rifle versions of the AR15, M1 Garand, M1A, and M110. However, they can also improve safe reloading for many other auto-loaders such as M1 Carbines, FALs, SIGs, etc. The author distilled these principles many years ago to help focus on the essential aspects of these rifles.
RULE ONE: Service Rifles Are Not Benchrest Rifles
Gas-guns require a relatively loose fit between ammunition and chamber (vs. bolt actions) for safe, smooth operation. Many techniques, such as neck sizing and keeping cartridge headspace quite tight, are popular in the extreme bolt gun accuracy realm. However, they are of little value with Service Rifles, and some could even be hazardous. Before adopting a specialized technique, seriously consider whether it is appropriate and beneficial in a gas-gun.
RULE TWO: Never Compromise Safety to Obtain Accuracy
Example: If choosing a brand of great, but ultra-sensitive match primers offers possibly better accuracy at the risk of slam-fires in your design of rifle, don’t do it! You are issued exactly two eyes and ten fingers (best-case scenario). Risking them trying to squeeze 0.25 MOA better accuracy out of an M1A, etc. simply isn’t worth it.
RULE THREE: Tailor the Precision to Your Individual Skill and Your Rifle’s Potential
This has been addressed here before, but bears repeating for newcomers. If you are struggling to break out of the Marksman Class, or using a CMP M1 “As-Issued,” then laboriously turning the necks of your 600-yard brass is a waste of time. Your scores will improve much faster by practicing or dry-firing. On the other hand, if the reigning champions anxiously check your scores each time you fire an event, a little neck-turning might not be so far-fetched.
Verifying Load Improvements — Accuracy hand-loading involves a wide variety of techniques, ranging from basic to rather precise. Carefully select those which offer a good return on investment for your time and labor. In doubt? Do a classic pilot study. Prepare ammo for at least three or four ten-shot groups with your new technique, vs. the same with your standard ammo. Then, pick a calm day and test the ammo as carefully as possible at its full distance (e.g. 200, 300, or 600 yards) to verify a significant improvement. A little testing can save much labor!
This video explains the procedure for ordering an M1 Garand from the CMP.
RULE FOUR: Be Your Own Efficiency Expert
Serious Service Rifle shooters generally think of ammunition in terms of thousands of rounds, not “boxes”, or even “hundreds”. Analyze, and WRITE DOWN each step in your reloading process. Count the number of times each case is handled. Then, see if any operations can be dropped or changed without reducing safety or accuracy. Eliminating just two operations saves 2000 steps per 1000 rounds loaded. Conversely, carefully consider any measurable benefits before adding a step to your routine.
RULE FIVE: In Searching for Greater Accuracy with Efficiency, Look for System Changes
For example, instead of marking your 300-yard rounds individually to differentiate them from your 200-yard ammo, would a simple change in primers work? If accuracy is maintained, using brass-colored primers for 200 and silver for 300 provides an indelible indicator and eliminates a step! Similarly, rather than spending hours selecting GI surplus brass for weight and neck uniformity, consider splurging on some known, high-quality imported match brass for your 600-yard loads. Results should be excellent, time is saved, and given limited shooting at 600 yards, brass life should be long.
RULE SIX: Check All Your Primers Before Packaging Your Loaded Ammo
This seems simple and even intuitive. However, many slam-fires (which were much more common when M1s and M1As were the standard) are due, at least in part, to “high” primers. Primers should be seated below flush with the case head. The USAMU has addressed this at length in a previous column, but each round should be checked for properly-seated primers before they are packaged for use.
Readers who have just recently discovered the Daily Bulletin may not realize that AccurateShooter.com has hundreds of reference articles in our archives. These authoritative articles are divided into multiple categories, so you can easily view stories by topic (such as competition, tactical, rimfire, optics, shooting skills etc.). One of the most popular categories is our Technical Articles Collection. On a handy index page (with thumbnails for every story), you’ll find over 120 articles covering technical and gunsmithing topics. These articles can help you with major projects (such as stock painting), and they can also help you build more accurate ammo. Here are five popular selections from our Technical Articles archive.
Stress-Free Pillar Bedding. Richard Franklin explains how to do a top-quality bedding job, start to finish.
OnTarget Software Review. Our Editors test free software that measures shot groups with great precision. We explain how to use the program and configure advanced features.
Savage Action Tuning. Top F-TR shooter Stan Pate explains how to enhance the performance of your Savage rifle by optimizing the torque settings of the action screws.
Complete Precision Case Prep. Jake Gottfredson covers the complete case prep process, including brass weight sorting, case trimming, primer pocket uniforming, neck-sizing, and, case-neck turning.
Stock Painting Instructions. Step-by-step guide for stock painting by expert Mike Ricklefs. Mike shows both simple coverage and fancy effects.
Story based on article by Gary Anderson, DCM Emeritus
Updated rules governing CMP Competitions in 2024 have been posted on the CMP website. Competitors and match officials may download these new rules for the 2024 competition season. The CMP currently produces seven different competition rulebooks. Six of these rulebooks have been revised and are now available as New Rulebooks for 2024, listed below.
Links to electronic versions of each 2024 rulebook may be uploaded onto electronic devices for everyday access, or they can be printed as hard copies to be kept in notebooks. Printed versions of these rulebooks will be published in a couple of months for those who prefer traditional rulebook hard copy formats. However the electronic version of the rule posted on the website will still be the official version of the rule.
Magazine Rule Updates for AR and M1A Rifles
The 2024 rules will permit M16/AR15-type rifles as well as M14/M1A-type rifles to have shorter 5- and 10-round magazines. This will help shooters who compete in states with restrictive magazine laws.
NOTE: Competitors who plan to take advantage of this rule change need to be aware that shorter rifle magazines must have visible, brightly colored strips on the bottom of the magazine (see photo). This is so Range Officers can readily see when these magazines are inserted or removed.
New Categories for Vintage Sniper Rifle Team Matches
One notable 2024 rule change is the addition of a new rifle category for the Vintage Sniper Rifle Team Match. This will allow two-person teams to compete with sniper rifles produced between 1954 and 1976, during the Viet Nam era. See “Guidelines for Preparing Vintage Sniper Rifles that Comply with Class B Viet Nam Era Vintage Sniper Rifle Rules”, now included with the CMP Games Rulebook for the Vintage Sniper Rifle Team Match.
Distinguished Marksman Program for Shooters with Disabilities
One of the newer CMP programs is the Distinguished Marksman Program that offers opportunities for competitors with disabilities to use adaptive positions and equipment to complete EIC courses of fire. Each rulebook provides specific rules for how competitors with disabilities or limitations can earn Distinguished Marksman EIC credit points. Persons with disabilities who have an interest in marksmanship should definitely consider this program. Interested persons should contact Amy Cantu at 888-267-0796 (toll-free) or via email at: acantu@thecmp.org.
All of the Range Officer scripts that were previously published in the back of the CMP rulebooks have been taken out of this year’s rulebooks. These Range Officer scripts are still accessible through the rulebook postings in the CMP website. Links to the “Range Officer Firing Procedures” for each discipline are posted with the rulebook listing. Each Range Officer script can be downloaded in a format that accommodates their use on the range. This will eliminate several dozen pages from the rulebooks while ensuring that Range Officers still have full access to the range procedures and Range Officer instructions.
Report by Craig Arnzen, Area419.com
It’s easy to think about shooting your first precision rifle match and worry about all of the gear and trinkets that you may need to make it through. In reality, the old rules apply — keep it simple.
We wanted to put together for you a no-nonsense list of the Top Five Gear Items you need for your first match. This list focuses on the “must-have” items you’ll need for PRS-Style competitions.
1. A Rifle (That is Reliable and Sub-MOA Accurate)
Your rifle is the most obvious piece of kit, but we can give you a little more information. Most of the guys you’ll find out there are shooting 6.5 Creedmoor. Yeah, there are guys using .308 Wins and 6mm Dashers, but the 6.5 Creedmoor makes up more than half of the rounds shot in PRS competition, when looking at both national and club matches. Your comp rig needs to be mag-fed and shoot better than 1 MOA. It DOESN’T need to be better than 0.5 MOA (half-MOA). With most targets being 2-3 MOA in size, a half-MOA gun will do just fine. More accuracy is better of course, but you don’t need an exotic quarter-MOA rig to win.
[Editor’s NOTE: PRS does offer a Gas Gun division, but most guys start out with a bolt-action rifle, which will be less maintenance-intensive than an AR-platform rig.]
Muzzle brakes, like our Area 419 Hellfire, are also very popular as much of the PRS game is recoil management. If you can’t see your misses, you’re sure to have more of them.
The rifle also needs an optic with repeatable clicks and a reticle with Mil- or MOA-based hashmarks. The clicks can be either Mil system or MOA system (Mil is more common), so long as the click values match the reticle (i.e. you don’t want 1/4-moa clicks with a Mil-marked reticle). How much power do you need? Anything that zooms in the mid-teens will suffice. I could shoot a match with a fixed 12X scope and not feel disadvantaged. We love the Kahles K624i, if you’re looking for a suggestion.
Oh, and you’ll want a bipod — but the choice in bipod deserves a whole separate article by itself. Nothing wrong with starting out with a Harris swivel. Then you might look at different bipods on other competitors’ rifles for comparison.
2. Ammunition — Factory Ammo and Hand-loads
Good ammo is important, but as we discuss above, 0.5 MOA is good enough. Also, speed is great but it matters FAR less than you’d think. Drop can be calculated with precision, and distances are normally known, so a slightly flatter trajectory doesn’t really matter. Wind matters, but the difference you’ll find when eeking out that last 50 fps is very, very small.
Federal, Hornady, and Prime all make quality ammo that is widely used by shooters from local to national matches. Facebook photo by CReece.
Precision Handloads
If you want to run down the rabbit hole of finding that perfect ammo that shoots in the “twos” (0.2 MOA), get yourself an AutoTrickler and some of our billet aluminum accessories — you’ll love the setup.
3. A Versatile Support Bag
There are countless bag options. But there is ONE bag you’ll see everywhere, and for good reason. The Game-Changer from Armageddon Gear is aptly named. Many shooters use it as a barricade bag as well as a rear bag, meaning a guy could get away with using only this bag for an entire match. If you need another bag when you get there, ask someone in your squad, they’ll share. I promise.
4. Ballistics Calculator APP
All PRS/NRL shooters need reliable and accurate ballistic solutions. The software-enabled Kestrel is a very common item on the range, but you’ll also see lots of guys using mobile Apps such as Shooter or Applied Ballistics Mobile, and they have great results.
It’s also handy to have an armband or an item like the Hawk Hill data card holder for stages with various targets at differing ranges. Once the RO says “engage” and your mind stops working, you’ll appreciate having it written down.
5. Hearing Protection
PRS Competitors shoot with brakes and sometimes in enclosed spaces. That’s why you need serious hearing protection. We recommend NRR 33 earplugs, doubled up with Electronic Muffs to hear range commands. I have used the 33 dB NRR Mack’s foamies at matches for most of the last year, and the Howard Leight NRR 33 Max-1s are also very effective. The budget-priced (under $55) Howard Leight Impact Sport Electronic muffs work well, but premium electronic muffs may be more comfortable.
Growing in popularity are high-tech, in-ear digital units like the ESP Stealth. I have a set of linked ESP Steaths on the way and hope to evaluate them soon. These are supposed to be very good, but the ESP Stealths cost $2100.00 per pair!
Think we missed something? Have more questions? Let us know.
RCBS has released a special, limited-edition red, white and blue version of its popular Summit press to celebrate 10 years of the unique, small-footprint Summit. We have used RCBS Summit presses extensively and they has performed great, both in the shop and at the range. One of our testers even adapted his green Summit press to fit to a trailer hitch (see end of article).
The Summit single-stage reloading press has a cast iron frame surrounding a polished steel ram for smooth operation. The Summit’s unique C-Frame design allows it to be mounted virtually anywhere on your bench while being easily manipulated by both right- and left-handed users. With a 4.5″ opening, you have great full frontal access to your cases as there is no frame to obstruct your hands. Plus the Summit can be placed anywhere on your bench as there is no linkage below the press. And the shell-holder is stationary on the base making visual confirmation of powder charge level easy.
The Summit Press works with standard 7/8″-14 threaded dies, or 1-1/4″-12 with the reducing bushing removed. The ambidextrous design allows easy use by both right and left-handed loaders and the zero fitting ensures you can keep the press lubricated with your favorite lubricant.
Only 1,000 units of the Summit single-stage press will be made in the special red, white and blue Freedom Camo finish, making this 10th-anniversary run of presses instantly identifiable. The 10th Anniversary Summit Press comes with the short handle and features a tri-color Freedom Camo die plate. “The Summit Press has been a staple in our assortment for a decade,” said Justin Smith, RCBS Product Manager. “We wanted to do something special to mark 10 years of the Summit Press, and we thought making a red, white and blue Freedom Camo version … would be a fun way to do it.”
Like its classic green older brother, the 10th Anniversary Summit press readily accepts standard 7/8″-14 threaded dies for a wide range of cartridges, as well as 1-1/4″-12 threaded dies with the reducing bushing removed. CLICK HERE to learn more about the Summit Press, including the special 10th Anniversary edition. Currently you can order direct from RCBS for $379.99, but we expect other vendors to offer this 10th Anniversary Summit for considerably less.
RCBS Summit Mounted on Trailer Hitch For Loading Anywhere — No Bench Required
You may have heard the phrase “blueprinting an action”, but do you know what that really means? Do you know what operations are done to an action during the blueprinting process? To help you understand, gunsmith Bill Marr of RifleShooter.com has created a helpful article showing a Rem 700 blueprinting job start to finish. This article spotlights how the procedures can be done with manual tools. Bill, who runs 782 Custom Gunworks Ltd., can also perform many of these operations with modern automated machinery. In fact, Bill has written a follow-up article on Truing a Rem 700 receiver with a Lathe.
Bill explains: “Blue-printing, or truing a rifle action, ensures the receiver face, threads, lugs, bolt lugs, and bolt face are square to the center line of the receiver.” In Bill’s informative article, Bill shows how he blueprints a Remington 700 short action receiver with .308 Win bolt face. He covers the following procedures step by step:
Action Disassembly
Ream Minor Diameter of Receiver Threads
Square the Receiver Lugs
Square the Face of the Receiver
Lap the Bolt Lugs
Square the Bolt Face
We use the bushings to guide the receiver tap. This chases the threads and ensures they are square.
2. Truing the Receiver Face
Using the receiver facing tool, the front of the receiver is trued. The tool is placed over the tap and turned by hand. We used Do Drill to lubricate it.
3. Lapping the Lugs
The bolt lapping tool screws into the front of the action and applies rearward pressure on the bolt face. A little bit of lapping compound is placed on the front of the receiver lugs. The bolt handle is then raised and lowered repeatedly. Note — it is critical that we do not get any lapping compound on any other surfaces.
4. Truing the Bolt Face
On this bolt, the central part of the bolt face was low. After the truing operation, this Rem 700 bolt face is now completely square to the action.
IMPORTANT: Rifleshooter.com states: “This article highlights our project and is presented for information purposes only. This provides an overview of the process and should not be attempted without the guidance and supervision of an experienced gunsmith“.
SHOT Show 2024 commences two weeks from now in Las Vegas, Nevada. On January 23, doors will open at the Venetian EXPO and Caesars Forum. Over 2500 companies will be exhibiting products this year, with booths and displays covering over 800,000 square feet of floor space. The SHOT Show boasts 13.9 miles of aisles — a distance more than half a marathon.
If you will be attending SHOT Show, the SHOT Show Tracker is a great digital resource you should definitely utilize. Everything you need to know about NSSF’s 2024 SHOT Show is detailed in the 2024 SHOT Show Tracker publication. It’s packed with show schedules, networking details, education descriptions, exhibitor lists, and a sneak peek of the products being displayed.
In the table below are the key features in the SHOT Show Tracker. This is available online for free. Click any box to see more details — such as the full Exhibitor List or Floor Plan Maps:
At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Sunday afternoon or Monday morning we offer our Best Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on firearms, hardware, reloading components, optics, and shooting accessories. Be aware that sale prices are subject to change, and once clearance inventory is sold, it’s gone for good. You snooze you lose.
NOTE: All listed products are for sale to persons 18 years of age or older. No products are intended for use by minors.
1. Creedmoor Sports — Sightron Competition Optics Sale
⏺ Save Hundreds on excellent Sightron Scopes
Need a high-magnification scope for your Benchrest, F-Class, or ELR match? Then head over to Creedmoor Sports. Now through 2/29/2024 there are great savings on a wide range of Sightron optics including the amazing SV ED 10-50x60mm, the popular SIII Long Range 8-32×56 SFP, plus 36X and 45X fixed power Comp ED models. Save up to $450 now with this sale.
2. MidwayUSA –Hundreds of Deals under $25.00
⏺ Hundreds of bargain products, all under $25.00
Looking for a bargain? MidwayUSA has a special section for products priced under $25.00. There you’ll find great deals on budget-priced items including ammo, bullets, magazines, knives, scope covers, solvents, and more. CLICK HERE to see everything you can buy for under $25.00. You’ll be tempted by these bargains, such as a handsome pair of Buck Knives for just $21.99 (66% off).
3. Palmetto SA — PSA Dagger compact 9mm, $349.99
⏺ Excellent value in 9mm optics-ready pistol
Who doesn’t love a well-made 9mm pistol that’s fun to shoot and super reliable. If you’re looking for something to fit the bill, grab this Optics-Ready PSA Dagger Compact 9mm for only $349.99. Chambered in 9x19mm, the Palmetto Dagger is fed from a supplied PMAG® 15 GL9 (15-Round) magazine and operated by a smooth single-action striker-fired trigger mechanism like a Glock. The slide is compatible with RMR pattern optics. You can also get an all-black Dagger 9mm pistol for the same $349.99 price as well.
4. Creedmoor Sports — Hornady Match Ammo Sale
⏺ Good ammo option for competitors who do not hand-load
Will you be competing with a .308 Win or 6.5 Creedmoor this spring, but aren’t set up to hand-load? Consider Hornady Match Ammo, on sale now at Creedmoor Sports. This ammunition shoots very well based on buyer reports. Hornady Match Ammo utilizes Hornady ELD Match, A-MAX, or high-performance boat-tail hollow point bullets. This ammo has delivered good accuracy with consistent velocities.
5. EuroOptic — Timney AR Trigger Sale
⏺ Big savings on quality triggers for AR-platform rifles — Save $64
Whether you shoot 3-Gun matches or just for fun, having a good trigger on your AR makes it much better. A great choice is the Timney Impact Trigger. Now just $99.99 on sale, the Impact Trigger for AR-platform rifles provides a provides an excellent, consistent trigger pull at a modest price. The Timney Impact is offered with either curve or straight trigger blade, and will provide a clean, 3-4 pound break in your AR.
6. Amazon — Deyace Extra Large Shooting Mat, $37.99
⏺ Nice, relatively big shooting mat with good padding
When shooting prone, you need a good shooting mat. The Deyace Extra Large padded shooting mat is a great value for just $37.99. Measuring a generous 78″x28.5″, this XL mat has nice padding for elbows and knees, and the mat folds up nicely for transport. This mat is offered in four colors: Green, Tan, Tan Camo, and Black. For transport, we like this mat’s integral straps and carry handle.
⏺ Comfortable, versatile, weather-proof jacket for outdoor adventures
Need a jacket to keep the wind and rain out when you’re in the field or at a match? This ReFire Gear Men’s Tactical Jacket features 100% polyester soft shell fabric, with a thermal fleece liner. The exterior fabric is wind and water repellant. This jacket features 2 large zippered chest pockets; 2 back pockets; 2 small left sleeve pockets, and 1 small pocket on right sleeve. This jacket is offered in five color options: Khaki, Army Green, Navy Blue, Gray, and Black.
⏺ Excellent cleaning kit for pistols, rifles, and shotguns
To maintain your firearms you need good gun-cleaning gear. A great option is the Gloryfire Elite Gun Cleaning Kit. This has a very complete selection of tools for small to large calibers (pistols, rifles, shotguns). This kit includes cleaning rod assembly, bronze jags, bore brushes, bore mops, general cleaning brushes, a lubricant bottle, and even a chamber flag.
⏺ Improve your pistol shooting with special targets
If you can’t hit center when pistol shooting do you know how to fix your mistakes? With these clever Diagnostic pistol targets (#ad) you can quickly figure out your mistakes based on shot impact location. For example if the shot hits low, you may be breaking your wrist down. These targets have nine diagnostic zones. This target is offered in both left- and right-handed versions, with a 10-pack for $9.99 on Amazon.
10. Palmetto State Armory — Banana Magazines
⏺ Funny, yes but functional too — real world banana mags
You may have heard the term “banana mag” referring to high-capacity rifle magazines with a banana-like curvature. Well Palmetto State Armory actually sells banana-style mags for ARs and 9mm AKs which have a cool, banana-style yellow finish. The href=”https://bit.ly/3tG5Cr6″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>PSA Palmetto Banana Magazine combines fun and functionality for semi-auto rifle shooters. Chose the 30-rd 5.56 (.223) AR magazine or the 35-rd AK-V 9mm magazine, each priced at $29.95.
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Every year the NRA Publications group announces Golden Bullseye Award winners for various product categories (rifle, handgun, shotgun, optics, gear etc.). These awards are like the Oscars for the shooting industry. There are many Golden Bullseyes given out each year because there are separate awards given by different NRA Magazines — including American Rifleman, Shooting Illustrated, and American Hunter. Here are the 2024 Rifles of the Year (Golden Bullseye Winners) as chosen by each of those three publications.
American Rifleman 2024 Golden Bullseye — Rifle of the Year
American Rifleman says the Springfield Armory 2020 Rimfire has impressive features: “Springfield 2020 Rimfire rifles come with an accuracy guarantee to shoot a three-shot group under one inch at 50 yards with match-grade ammunition. [The] new 2020 Rimfire bolt action [has] dual cocking cams and a 60-degree bolt throw. Rifles come supplied with an interrupted Picatinny optics rail[.] The trigger is user-adjustable [and is] compatible with 700-pattern aftermarket triggers[.] The rifle is fed with a detachable-box rotary magazine with a 10-round capacity of the 10/22 pattern.”
American Hunter 2024 Golden Bullseye — Rifle of the Year
American Hunter magazine likes the Marlin 336 Classic, with its smooth lever action and traditional appearance: “A gorgeous lever-action … this is a firearm as comfortable over the fireplace as it is in the deer woods. Its American black walnut stock blends beautifully with the satin-blued finish of the receiver and barrel.”
Shooting Illustrated 2024 Golden Bullseye — Rifle of the Year
S&W’s M&P FPC folding carbine is easy to transport and has smart on-board storage for magazines. The FPC’s buttstock has twin slots that hold 17-rd and/or 23-rd magazines compatible with S&W 9mm pistols. When folded, S&W’s FPC Carbine is just 16 3/8″. S&W delivers the new FPC in a cool zippered carry case with four internal pockets. That nice, padded carry case is included in the affordable $659.00 price.
New Award Category for Suppressor
New for 2024 is the Shooting Illustrated Suppressor of the Year Award. This new category reflects the growing usage of suppressors in many shooting sports. The first-ever Suppressor of the Year is the Silencer Central BANISH Speed K:
Just 4″ long, the new Silencer Central BANISH Speed K suppressor offers outstanding noise/recoil reduction in a very small format. The BANISH Speed K features a unique baffle design and a finned blast chamber that minimizes blowback to less than 6% of unsuppressed shooting. The Speed K is built from 100% Inconel, allowing it to be durable and maneuverable.
About the Golden Bullseye Awards
Now in their 22nd year, NRA Publications’ Golden Bullseye Awards acknowledge top firearms and shooting sports products. Winners are selected by a team of editors, graphic designers, and NRA Publications staffers. To qualify for consideration for a Golden Bullseye Award, a product must have been:
— Recently introduced and available to consumers.
— Used/tested by a staff member or magazine contributor.
— Reliable in the field, meeting or exceeding the evaluator’s expectations
— Innovative in design and function.
— Readily perceived as a value to the purchaser.
— Styled in a manner befitting the shooting and hunting industry.
Golden Bullseye Awards are presented by three major NRA Publications: American Rifleman, Shooting Illustrated, and American Hunter. In addition, Golden Bullseyes were awarded by NRAWomen.com, an NRA Publication web property.
The 2024 Golden Bullseye Awards as well as the Pioneer Award and the Freedom Award will be presented in person at an invitation-only event during the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Dallas, Texas.
Magazine Rule Updates for AR and M1A Rifles
Every year the 
