The NRA’s Shooting Sports USA magazine covers a wide spectrum of competitive shooting sports: F-Class, High Power, Palma, Shotgun (Trap/Skeet), Air Rifle 3P/Prone, Rimfire 3P/Prone, Target Pistol, and major Action Pistol events. Each month Shooting Sports USA releases a new issue with reports on major competitions for a wide range of disciplines. Along with the print magazines, the leading stories are posted on the SSUSA.org websites. In addition, every month the full magazine is released in digital format.
Shooting Sports USA recently released a web-based article featuring its twelve 2023 cover stories.
CLICK HERE to see all 12 Shooting Sports USA 2023 cover stories.
Below are four of our favorite Shooting Sports USA cover stories from 2023. Click each cover to read the full story via the Shooting Sports USA digital archive. Note, if this is your first visit, you will first see an NRA webpage requesting that you verify your age before reading the stories.
Headed to SHOT Show in Las Vegas? Then you should download the FREE SHOT Show Mobile App. Available for all mobile devices, this App really makes it easier to plan your SHOT Show schedule, and navigate the floor of the Sands Convention Center. The 2024 SHOT Show Mobile App is now available for download. There are versions for Apple and Android smartphones and tablets. And there is even an Apple Watch version. Apple users will find the App in the App Store, Android users will find their version in the Google Play Store. Learn more at SHOTmobile.com.
Handy Interactive Map
The App includes an interactive map that can direct you from your current location to your next destination. Arrange your meetings with a handy scheduling calendar. And you can search for any SHOT exhibitor by name or product category. In addition, the App lists major show events as well as important new products.
SHOT SHOW 2024 APP FEATURES
— Locate Exhibitor Booths with searchable Vendor Database/Floor Map
— Build a personalized Schedule and bookmark Exhibitors
— Visit bookmarked Exhibitors with Quick Route Feature
— Multi-Device Sync for smartphones, tablets, laptops
— Up-to-date Exhibitor, Speaker, and Event information
The 2024 SHOT Show takes place January 23-26 at the Venetian EXPO and Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, Nevada. Media Day at the Range takes place Monday the 22nd in Boulder City. To learn more about SHOT Show, including seminar times, educational resources, event listings, and hotel/travel information, visit SHOTShow.org.
Here is a great winter project for readers with some wood-working skills. This is a wood rack that can hold a huge collection of sizing and seating dies. This was created by our old friend John Adams, one of our Forum’s very first members. Sadly, John passed away a decade ago. But we know he’d be pleased to see folks create a die rack like this.
John, a founder of IHMSA and a former owner of SAECO Tool Company, had a vast collection of dies and reloading tools. He had rifles of many different calibers so he needed a large selection of dies. While visiting John’s workshop, we were impressed with the wooden die rack he has constructed above his main reloading bench. This would be a great do-it-yourself project for your reloading room.
John’s Loading Die Rack is a simple flat plank of wood, about 3/4″ thick. It is mounted with wood side brackets to stand at eye-level above a tool chest. The Rack is set at about a 45° angle from vertical. This holds the dies securely, but they are still easy to move in and out of the rack. At the top rear is a flat section with a single row of dies mounted upright.
You can see that all the dies for a particular cartridge are arranged in a column, one above the other. The die sets’ respective cartridge types (e.g. 6 PPC, 6×47 Lapua, and 6XC) are marked with highly visible labels made with a label-printing machine. John also placed labels on many of the dies themselves.
Vintage RCBS Die Rack
Below is an older, metal die rack. These were once manufactured by RCBS, but they are no longer sold. John Adams managed to snag a couple from RCBS years ago. The design is handy, but you can achieve the same results with a home-made wood block (perhaps that’s why RCBS discontinued its metal rack).
Quick Access vs. the Rust Factor
WARNING: While it is handy to keep your dies in a rack, this leaves them exposed to the elements. If you reload in a basement or garage where it gets cold and damp, your dies will rust much more quickly out in the air than if they are kept enclosed in their original boxes, with a small desiccant pack. Always keep a thin layer of oil or corrosion blocker on your dies. We recommend Eezox or Corrosion-X for that task.
Photo from Gunwerks Sheep Mountain L3 Mountain Shooting Course in July 2021. Register Here.
Carpe Diem — “Seize the Day”. Make every day count…
This story is not directly about firearms, or reloading gear, or any of the little details of our sport. It, instead, is about life… and, sadly, about death. The recent passing of a close friend (and fellow shooter) got me to thinking, “I’m now sixty-eight — what if I only had ten more years to live — how would I want to live my life? What really counts the most? What things would I do differently? What dreams would I pursue?”
AccurateShooter.com has many thousands of readers in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. Hopefully we will all live long, happy, and fruitful lives. But it’s wise to remember that we are all mortal, and the clock is ticking. Consider this — in the United States, the current average male life expectancy is just 73.5 years.*
Using that number as a benchmark, since I am now 68, I may have just 5.5 more years to enjoy life and to do the things I love — shooting, traveling, sailing, camping, listening to music, being with friends and family. Only 5.5 years left — that’s a real number my brain can comprehend all too well, particularly after all the time we lost due to COVID lockdowns.
There is some good news — American actuarial tables predict that, since I’ve made it to 68 years already, I should live until age 83 — as the predicted life-span of a 68-year-old American male is 14.9 years. And the Social Security Life Expectancy Calculator says that I should live another 16.8 years until nearly age 85. Well 16.8 years works out to 201.6 more months, and 876 more weekends. That’s less scary, but the message still rings true — time is running out. Live your dreams while you can.
Living a Life with More Good Times, and Fewer Regrets
Recently, a group of men, very near the end of their lives, were surveyed. They were asked if they would do things differently if they could live their lives over again. The vast majority of these men gave surprisingly similar responses, which fit into five “Life Lessons”. These “Top 5 Regrets of the Dying” were reported in a story by Bronnie Ware, writing for the AARP online magazine. Ware writes: “When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced.” Here are the five regrets most often mentioned by older men:
1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
“This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. ”
Lesson: Don’t wait to follow your dreams. Be true to yourself.
2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
“This came from every male patient [surveyed]. All of the men… deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.”
Lesson: Don’t let your work crowd out other important aspects of life.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
“Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming.”
Lesson: Express yourself truthfully. Don’t suppress your feelings for decades.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
“There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort they deserved. Many [were] so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years.”
Lesson: Take an interest your friends’ lives; keep bonds of friendship strong.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
“This is a surprisingly common [regret]. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice.”
Lesson: Affirmatively pursue the things that bring you happiness. Don’t just stick to old habits.
Turn Off the Computer, and Do Something Memorable with Your Friends Today
How does this all apply to our shooting hobby? Well, if (like me) you are middle-aged (or older), go have some fun this weekend! Load up your rifle and get to the range. Don’t put off doing the things that make you happy. Call those old buddies you may not have seen in a long time. Renew friendships. Get out into nature. And start figuring out how you can live your dreams. As the saying goes, “Time waits for no man”.
*This is based on 2021 World Bank Group Data for all males. One of our readers pointed out that the numbers actually work out better than this, because once a man survives to later life, men of his surviving age cohort enjoy a projected lifespan longer than the average projected lifespan from birth. For example, using Social Security Administration (SSA) data, an American man born exactly 60 years ago has a calculated average life expectancy of 20.47 years… meaning he would live to age 80+, on average. CLICK HERE to see SSA-predicted longevity based on your birthdate.
“Science tells us that exposure to continuous noise of 85 dB for eight hours is enough to cause permanent hearing loss, and worse, spikes of 130 dB and more can result in permanent hearing damage instantly.” Source: NRA Blog.
The Risk of Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can be progressive and irreversible. If you are a shooter, this is serious business. As the NRA Blog cautions: “You may not even realize you’re harming your hearing. Hearing loss occurs gradually, and can go effectively unnoticed until symptoms become severe. By then, the damage is done.”Effective hearing protection is a must whenever you are shooting firearms or when you are in the vicinity of gun-shots. For ultimate protection, we recommend a good set of tapered foam earplugs, topped by ear-muffs. However, there are situations when you may prefer lighter-weight hearing protection that can be quickly removed. For example, if you are standing well behind the firing line as an observer, or if you are working as a rangemaster or waddie some distance away from the shooters.”
Sound Levels for Common Noises:
9mm Luger pistol: 160 dB
Jet aircraft engine (near): 140 dB
.22 LR pistol: 134 dB
Normal human pain threshold: 120 dB
Noisy Nightclub: 110 db
Riding Motorcycle at 65 mph: 103 db
Power Lawnmower: 95 dB
Hearing damage possible: 85 dB (sustained for 8+ hours)
Ringing Telephone: 80 dB
Normal conversation: 60 dB
What about suppressors? If you use a suppressor is it OK to dispense with hearing protection? Not really. Even the most effective suppressors, on the smallest and quietest calibers (.22 LR), reduce the peak sound level of a gunshot to between 110 to 120 dB. To put that in perspective, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), that is as loud as a jackhammer (110 dB) or an ambulance siren (120 dB). For normal caliber handguns and rifles, suppressed sound levels routinely exceed 130 dB, just shy of OSHA’s “hearing safe” threshold of 140 dB. Accordingly, we recommend use of hearing protection even when shooting suppressed.
1. Ear Muffs — Max Protection and Compact Options
The highest current USA Noise Reduction Rating is 34 dB NRR. To get that kind of protection, you need pretty big muffs, but thankfully, you don’t have to spend big bucks. For under $15.00 you can buy quality ANSI-approved muffs with a 30+ dB Noise Reduction Rating. Chose the 34 NRR G&F Pro Muffs at $13.99 or the more comfortable 30 NRR Walker EXT Range Muffs for $14.97. Both products have padded head-bands which retract.
Many hunters and competitive shooters prefer low-profile ear muffs. As these typically have a lower Noise Reduction Rating, perhaps NRR 22-24, we recommend running earplugs under muffs, particularly when you are at a busy range or shooting a match. If you use low-profile electronic muffs, such as Howard Leight Impact Sport Muffs, you should still be able to hear range commands even with plugs underneath.
2. Electronic Plugs — New Technology with Adjustable Volume
For maximum hearing protection we still recommend good muffs over quality foam ear plugs, there is a new option available. A variety of companies now offer electronic ear buds that include small speakers so you can hear range commands and conversations. Please note — these MUST be specially-designed protective in-ear devices. Do NOT just use ear-buds designed for music playback!
Howard Leight recently introduced new Impact Sport In-Ear plugs with an impressive 29 dB Noise Reduction Rating (NRR). That NRR is better than most compact ear muffs. The plugs automatically compress amplification when loud impulse sounds (like gunshots) exceed 85dB. Internal amplification allows you to hear range commands and conversations. The cord connecting the plugs includes twin, handy volume controls. These plugs come with moldable earhooks with 3 different ear tip sizes. The deluxe model with quick-connect BlueTooth is available for $79.99 on Amazon. With this high-tech BlueTooth version you can take phone calls.
3. Foam Earplugs — Small, Inexpensive, but Essential
20 Pairs
50 Pairs
Quality foam earplugs offer great hearing protection at low cost. These Howard Leight NRR33 Max plugs are your Editor’s favorite foam earplugs. Between shooting, motorcycling and mowing lawns, I probably have Max plugs in my ears 3-4 days a week. These Leight Max plugs are very effective, easy to insert/remove (with the flared ends), and they seem to be less abrasive in the ear canal than some other brands. Right now you can get 20 pairs of these NRR33 Leight Max plugs for just $9.25.
Note, if you prefer thin, light-weight earmuffs, we recommend running earplugs underneath for double protection while shooting firearms (or when you’re on the firing line). Sound experts tell us that running plugs and muffs together can effectively improve your effective noise reduction by 4-7 dB NRR.
Hearing bands are inexpensive, lightweight, and are handy for special situations, such using hedgetrimmers and noisy power tools, when you may need to frequently remove the protection. These banded products are a also a very good form of hearing protection for hunters. You can keep them handy around the neck while spotting game, and then insert the plugs before shooting. We have tried two types of banded hearing protection, the Howard Leight Quiet Band (shown above) (25 dB NRR), and the Radians Rad-Band (23 dB NRR). The Leight Quiet Band is quite durable and the plugs can be replaced.
Radians Rad-Band is very light-weight, with Jelli™ Plugs that are comfortable, washable, and reusable — all for just $6.58 on Amazon. Peltor also offers Sport Banded Earplugs. These conveniently ship with 3 pairs of ear buds, all for $12.20 on Amazon.
As an Amazon affiliate, this site can earn revenues through sales commissions.
NOTE: There are ten (10) shots in the group, but for simplicity we are only displaying five (5) shot circles. Adding more circles won’t change the measurement because the two most distant shots, which determine group size, ARE included.
What kind of 200-yard accuracy can you get in an enclosed, underground test range? Would you believe 0.162 MOA at 200 yards with a .338? Have a look at these test targets from Sierra Bullets. Like most bullet manufacturers, Sierra does live-fire bullet testing to ensure that Sierra projectiles perform as promised, with repeatable accuracy. Sierra tests bullets in its own underground test complex. Sierra’s 300-meter test range is the longest, privately-owned underground bullet test facility in the Western Hemisphere.*
Day in and day out, various bullet types are tested using a big collection of barreled actions. These barreled actions are clamped in stout, return-to-battery test fixtures. These big, heavy test fixtures provide near-perfect repeatability (with no human-induced holding or aiming errors).
Sierra Bullets 10-Shot Groups at 200 yards
Check out these 10-shot test groups shot at the Sierra Test Range at 200 yards. Note that the numbers listed on each sample are actual measurements in inches. To convert to MOA, cut those numbers in half (to be more precise, divide by 2.094, which is 1 MOA at 200 yards). For example, the 0.340″ middle group works out to 0.162 MOA at 200 yards.
Scan-Verified 0.162 MOA Accuracy at 200 Yards
To verify the accuracy of Sierra’s measurements, we measured the middle (.338 caliber) 10-shot group with our On-Target Group Measurement software. We registered a group size reading of 0.339″ — within one-thousandth of the Sierra measurement. The calculated group size in MOA (Minute of Angle) is 0.162.
That’s amazingly good for ten rounds of big .338 caliber bullets. A FIVE-shot 0.162 MOA group at 200 would be considered excellent at any benchrest match. But remember this target has TEN shots. The current, one-target IBS world record for ten shots at 200 yards is 0.245″, set by Ed Watson in 1999.
Bevy of Barreled Actions for Bullet Testing
Sierra Bullets uses dozens of barreled actions for testing bullets in its enclosed, 200-yard test range. Each barrel has its own logbook to track the barrel’s usage.
Click Photo to Zoom
*Even Longer Test Tunnels Exist in Europe: At Stadeln in Germany, RWS (now part of RUAG) owns a 500 meter tunnel (above ground level) which has existed for decades. In Thun, Switzerland, RUAG has a fully-instrumented 500 meter underground tunnel. Near Ulm, Germany, there is a 5-lane 300 meter underground shooting range that is open to the public.
SHOT Show, the major gun industry trade show of the year, takes place next month in Las Vegas, Nevada. SHOT® stands for “Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade”. The event starts off with the Industry Day at the Range on Monday, January 22, 2024. Then the main show commences on Tuesday, January 23 and runs through Friday, January 26, 2024.
SHOT Show is a huge event, filling two major convention centers — the Venetian Expo and Caesar’s Forum. Over 2,500 companies will attend the event this year, showcasing their products. The 2023 SHOT Show had more than 800,000 net square feet of space reserved by more than 2,500 exhibitors. SHOT Show attracts buyers, retailer reps, and news media from 100+ countries. In years past over 50,000 persons attended SHOT Show, and we expect even more this year. The NSSF, SHOT Show’s organizer, expects this year’s event to draw some “52,000 industry professionals and 2,200 media representatives.”
CLICK EACH FLOOR LEVEL BELOW for More Details
If you’ll be attending the big event in Las Vegas next month, check out these floor plans. You can CLICK on each level to go to the official SHOT Show website. There you’ll be able to click on specific highlights, such as the New Product Center on Level One or the LE/Tactical Gear Section on Level Two.
Book Your Hotel Room Right Away — Don’t Delay
If you plan to attend SHOT Show in Las Vegas next month, be sure to get a hotel booked as soon as possible. Room rates are already jacked up for SHOT Show week, and will get higher the longer you wait. Click the box below to visit hotels and casinos that offer favorable rates for SHOT Show attendees.
From SHOT Show 2023 — 36 Interesting New Guns
If you’re curious about the SHOT Show experience, check out this video from last year. The popular Backfire YouTube Channel spotlights 36 new firearms featured at last year’s SHOT Show:
In 2019 CCI introduced a new type of .22 LR rimfire ammunition. CCI’s innovative Clean-22 Ammo features polymer-coated bullets. This is actually a pretty important development. The bullet coating on CCI’s Clean-22 ammo provides three main benefits:
1. Copper fouling in the barrel is greatly reduced.
2. Lead fouling in the barrel is greatly reduced.
3. Lead build-up in suppressors is reduced by 60-80%.
CCI has produced four versions of Clean-22 rimfire ammunition: Hyper Velocity (#954CC, 31gr, 1550 FPS MV), High Velocity (#944CC, 40gr, 1235 FPS MV), Subsonic (#934CC, 40gr, 1070 FPS MV), and Suppressor (#980CC, 45gr, 1000 FPS). These all feature lead bullets with polymer coatings. The Hyper Velocity ammo has purple-coated bullets, High Velocity ammo has red-coated bullets, Subsonic has blue-coated bullets, and the Suppressor version has black-coasted bullets. There was also a special 400rd Christmas pack of Clean-22 Hi-Vel ammo with Red and GREEN coated bullets, item #946XMAS.
Clean-22 Ammo with Polymer-Coated Bullets
Clean-22 uses an exclusive polymer bullet coating to greatly reduce copper and lead fouling in the barrel without leaving a residue. It also cuts lead buildup in suppressors 60 to 80 percent. Both the Sub-Sonic and High Velocity loads feature a 40-grain round nose lead bullet with geometry that’s been optimized for accuracy. With dependable CCI priming and consistent propellant, Clean-22 provides reliable cycling through semi-automatics and all 22 LR firearms.
Conventional brass jags work great — except for one thing. They can react to solvents, leaving a blue “false positive” on patches. In recent years, jag-makers have experimented with many different materials in an effort to cure the solvent-reaction problem. Today we have polymer jags, nickel-plated jags, and stainless steel jags. And the latest innovation is the aluminum jag from Dewey.
J. Dewey Mfg. offers a series of “Copper Eliminator” jags and brush adapters made from aircraft-grade aluminum with the same hardness as brass. Dewey claims that its aluminum jags will not become embedded with grit or particles that could harm your bore. At the same time, Dewey’s aluminum jags will not react to ammoniated bore solvents that can turn patches blue green when used with brass jags. Dewey aluminum jags are offered with either male OR female 8/32 threads. The $5.25 aluminum jags and $3.70 brush adapters are offered in a wide variety of calibers. You can order these products from Dewey Mfg. or Brownells.
Story Tip from Boyd Allen. We welcome submissions from our readers.
Holiday Greetings to Our Readers
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our readers and especially our 71,600+ Forum Members. This marks our 19th Christmas “in business”, and the site is stronger than ever thanks to our Gold and Silver Forum members and industry sponsors. AccurateShooter.com is now accessed by over 600,000 visitors every month, who enjoy our Shooters’ Forum, Daily Bulletin, Cartridge Guides, and Feature Articles. Part of the reason for that success is the hard work of our dedicated staff and volunteer helpers.
Unsung Heroes Deserve Recognition
We acknowledge those guys who have really helped out the site. Number one is skilled F-Class shooter Praveen K. who serves as our System Admin. Along with being a talented trigger-puller, Praveen is a super-smart computer wizard who has kept our servers running smoothly and helped with vital software upgrades. We also thank Andy B., our Xenforo ace who has contributed vital Forum software solutions.
A huge “thank-you” goes to F-Class John who finds weekly bargains for the Bulletin and tests new products. John, who produces gear/hardware reviews for his popular YouTube Channel, is a top-tier shooter as well as video host — John won the F-Open Mid-Range National Championship this year. We also regularly feature videos from wind wizard Keith Glasscock, and product tests from Gavin Gear of UltimateReloader.com. We thank Boyd Allen and ELR Researcher who supply story leads for the Daily Bulletin. And we wouldn’t be here without Jeff Williams, who handles site donations by mail. We have a great place to test rifles thanks to our valued friend Joe Friedrich. Other important contributors include: Jason Baney of EuroOptic.com, Dennis Santiago, and Hunting Editor Colton Reid. All these men (and many others) have aided the site.
Praise for our Site Sponsors and Advertisers
We also want to thank our major sponsors, without whose support the site could not provide the full AccurateShooter.com experience, with an active Forum, an archive of in-depth articles, and fresh content 365 days a year in our Daily Bulletin. We’re grateful to ALL our sponsors and advertisers. In particular, we want to acknowledge the major companies which have been strong supporters of this site for many years: Capstone Precision Group (Berger, Lapua, SK, Vihtavuori), Bruno Shooters Supply, Bullet Central, EuroOptic, Graf & Sons, Midsouth Shooters Supply, Powder Valley Inc., PMA Tools, Precision Reloading, Whidden Gunworks, and Zeiss Sports Optics. Their continuing support helps us keep up the flow of information and serve our readers and Forum members.
The Risk of Hearing Loss
Scan-Verified 0.162 MOA Accuracy at 200 Yards
CCI has produced four versions of Clean-22 rimfire ammunition: 
Holiday Greetings to Our Readers
