This shocking Revolver Kaboom resulted from “user error”. Our friends at Midsouth Shooters provided this cautionary tale, noting that you must ALWAYS be careful when hand-loading any ammo. Check your loads and don’t have multiple powder containers in your reloading area.
“Ever wonder what happens when you don’t pay attention to detail? A word of advice from the reloader who brought this in — always double-check the load data.
Thankfully, the shooter was unharmed in the explosion. A live round we recovered from the remaining portions of the cylinder contained 12.8 grains of powder. The shooter had multiple powders on his bench and was unable to recall which one had been used while loading.” — Midsouth Shooters
How to Avoid Kabooms
1. Never have more than one powder container open on your reloading bench at the same time — when you are finished with a powder, seal the bottle and put it away.
2. If there is already powder sitting in your dispenser, and you’re not 100% sure what it is — throw it out. We suggest, whenever you fill a powder hopper, put a piece of paper in the powder hopper with the name of the powder and the date.
3. When loading a new cartridge or when using a new powder, get load data from more than one source. Always load conservatively to start!
4. Always double-check your Load Data before starting the loading process.
5. In short handgun cases, bullet seating depth can make a BIG difference in pressure levels. Be sure to check your Cartridge OAL.
This video shows the process of cut-rifled barrel-making by Krieger Barrels, one of the world’s best barrel manufacturers. Krieger cut-rifled barrels have set numerous world records and are favored by many top shooters. The video show the huge, complex machines used — bore-drilling equipment and hydraulic riflers. You can also see how barrels are contoured, polished, and inspected.
For anyone interested in accurate rifles, this is absolutely a “must-watch” video. Watch blanks being cryogenically treated, then drilled and lathe-turned. Next comes the big stuff — the massive rifling machines that single-point-cut the rifling in a precise, time-consuming process. Following that you can see barrels being contoured, polished, and inspected (with air gauge and bore-scope). There is even a sequence showing chambers being cut.
Click Arrow to Watch Krieger Barrels Video:
Here is a time-line of the important barrel-making processes shown in the video. You may want to use the “Pause” button, or repeat some segments to get a better look at particular operations. The numbers on the left represent playback minutes and seconds.
Krieger Barrel-Making Processes Shown in Video:
00:24 – Cryogenic treatment of steel blanks
00:38 – Pre-contour Barrels on CNC lathe
01:14 – Drilling Barrels
01:28 – Finish Turning on CNC lathe
01:40 – Reaming
01:50 – Cut Rifling
02:12 – Hand Lapping
02:25 – Cut Rifling
“At the start of World War Two, Pratt & Whitney developed a new, ‘B’ series of hydraulically-powered rifling machines, which were in fact two machines on the same bed. They weighed in at three tons and required the concrete floors now generally seen in workshops by this time. Very few of these hydraulic machines subsequently became available on the surplus market and now it is these machines which are sought after and used by barrel makers like John Krieger and ‘Boots’ Obermeyer. In fact, there are probably less of the ‘B’ series hydraulic riflers around today than of the older ‘Sine Bar’ universal riflers.” — Geoffrey Kolbe, Border Barrels.
Kevin Muramatsu’s black rifle book, the Gun Digest Guide to Customizing Your AR-15, is a great resource for fans of AR-platform rifles. All the AR options you can imagine are covered: suppressors, premium barrels, adjustable stocks, free-float handguards, ergonomic grips, buffer systems, tactical lights and much more. Those planning an AR rifle build will find application-specific suggestions for 3-Gun, Service Rifle, High Power (Space Gun), Hunting, and Self-Defense use.
Firearms expert Muramatsu offers advice on choosing the right stock/barrel/optics configuration for your particular game. He also discusses the wide variety of options for slings, grips, magazines and other accessories. With over 520 photos, the book includes a large photo gallery of customized ARs, and includes bonus coverage of the FAL and other “tactical” firearms. The Gun Digest Guide to Customizing Your AR-15 is available from Amazon.com (#ad) for $35.95, and a Kindle eBook version is offered for $14.99. The book is also sold by Barnes & Noble, and most other major booksellers.
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The 2023 F-Class National Championships commence Sunday, October 29, 2023 at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility (BASF) in Phoenix. For 2023, the Nationals combine both Mid-Range and Long-Range competitions in one extended mega-match. The Mid-Range U.S. F-Class Nationals start on Sunday, October 29, 2023 and run through Wednesday, November 1, 2023. All Mid-Range shooting will be at 600-yard targets.
The Long Range U.S. F-Class National Championships then run Thursday, November 2, 2023 through Sunday, November 5, 2023. All Long Range matches are at 1000 yards. The competitions will have two different divisions: F-Open and F-TR (Target Rifle). Registration LINKs for both Mid-Range and Long-Range Championships are below. CLICK HERE for 2023 Nationals Official Program.
2023 U.S. NRA Long Range F-Class Nationals
Thursday, November 2 through Sunday, November 5
Located on 1,650 acres in north Phoenix, Ben Avery is one of the nation’s largest publicly-operated shooting facilities. A City of Phoenix “Point of Pride,” the facility has received a five-star rating from the National Association of Shooting Ranges. A camping area is available for competitors. Contact Ben Avery Shooting Range Camping to reserve a camping spot.
Firing line at 2015 F-Class Nationals at Ben Avery Shooting Facility.
You’ll see some serious hardware on the firing line at Ben Avery. Here’s a modern F-Open rig with a handsome maple stock. The gun, belonging to David Mann of Texas, shoots as good as it looks.
RULES: Current NRA F-Class Rules shall apply. TARGETS: MR-1FC at 600 yards and LRFC at 1000 yards. TARGET SERVICE: Competitors will pull their own targets. SCORING: Competitors will score. Any competitor failing to perform his scoring duties may be disqualified. CLASSIFICATION: NRA F-Class Classifications will be used. Those competitors unclassified or without proof of a lower classification, will be required to compete in the Master class. Please indicate classification on the registration and entry form. EMPTY CHAMBER INDICATOR (ECI): Approved NRA empty chamber indicators are required to be used at all times except during the preparation period time and firing.
The 2023 F-Class National Championships commences October 29th at the Ben Avery Range outside Phoenix, Arizona. With economic inflation and the high price of gas in particular we know some F-Class shooters couldn’t make it to Nationals this year. For them, and other folks who are getting started in the sport, here are some special targets that let you train at your home range, even if it does not have target bays at 600 and 1000 yards. These special 300-yard target centers let you duplicate the exact MOA size of the official F-Class targets, but at closer range.
Here is the sleek, carbon-stocked .308 Win rifle Bryan Litz used to win both the 2015 Mid-Range AND Long-Range F-TR Championship at the Ben Avery Range in Phoenix, Arizona.
These reduced-size target centers were created by Forum member SleepyGator, an F-Class competitor who needed practice targets he could use at 300 yards. There is an official reduced-distanced standard for 300-yard F-Class matches. This utilizes the NRA No. MR-63FC – F-Class Target Center which is pasted over the MR-63 target. It provides a 1.42″ X-Ring, 2.85″ 10-Ring, and 5.85″ Nine-Ring. (The dimensions of F-Class targets are found in the NRA High Power Rules, Sec. 22, part 4, page 70-71 — see sample below.)
To duplicate the 300-yard target, SleepyGator has prepared a printable version of the MR-63FC Target Center, along with a pair of training targets with two bulls and five bulls. The two-bull and five-bull targets mirror the scoring rings on the MR-63FC, but they display only the innermost three rings and two rings respectively. All three targets are Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files that can be easily printed. You may need to adjust the scale (sizing) on your printer to get the dimensions exactly correct. As noted above, when printed, the 10-Ring on all three targets should measure 2.85″. This should provide some handy practice targets you can use between matches. Thanks to SleepyGator for providing these targets. You can download all three as a .Zip archive. After downloading the .Zip file, just click on the .Zip archive to extract the individual targets.
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 — American Bullet Company Sale
⏺ Excellent prices on .224 (5.56) and .308 caliber bullets
American Bullet Company offers quality bullets at very attractive prices — as much as 40% less than some name brands. Starting at just $24.95 per 100, these are a good choice for service rifle shooters and Garand/Springfield competitors. These bullets are made in the USA by major manufacturers. They are all first-run bullets — no blems or seconds. These bullets are packed in 100-ct and 500-ct boxes, with all bullets in each box coming from a single lot. These value-priced bullets let you shoot more without breaking the bank.
2. Midsouth — Peterson Brass Sale
⏺ Large variety of cartridge brass, including hard-to-find types
We have found that Peterson Brass is consistently very good, and lasts a long time. Right now Midsouth has a large variety of Peterson brass in stock at competitive prices. Available types include: 22 Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, .260 Rem, 6.5 PRC, .280 Ackley Imp, 28 Nosler, 7mm PRC, 7mm RemMag, .300 WinMag, .300 Rem UltraMag, 30 Nosler, 33 Nosler, and .338 Weatherby (rebated).
3. Creedmoor Sports — Redding Boss ProPak, $299.95
⏺ High quality Redding press with scale and tools
The Redding Boss is a great press for novices and pros alike and now you can pick up the Redding Boss ProPak for only $299.95 (#ad). That’s a $278 (48%) savings. The Boss ProPak includes: Boss Single-Stage Reloading Press, Model 2 Powder and Bullet Scale, Powder Trickler, Pad Style Case Lube Kit, Deburring Tool, Model 18 Case Preparation Kit, Powder Funnel and Hodgdon Annual Manual. Dies sold separately.
4. Graf & Sons — Nikon Binoculars Sale
⏺ Big savings on Nikon Binocs from 7X to16X, compact and full sizes
A good set of binoculars is great at the range and/or in the field. Binoculars are useful when hiking and hunting and just enjoying nature. Right now Graf’s is running a Nikon binocular sale with prices 30% Off! Nikon makes high-quality binoculars in many sizes and powers, from compact 8X versions to high power 16X. For hikers, we like the 8×25 Travelite Compact now just $76.97.
⏺ Sophisticated wind speed meter at a super-affordable price
Knowing wind speed is critical to making accurate ballistic adjustments both on the line or in the field. If you need a reliable yet affordable wind speed meter, consider the BTMETER BT-100 Handheld Anemometer (#ad). The BT-100’s multi-function capabilities include Wind Speed, Wind Temperature, and Wind Chill factor. The BT-100 portable wind speed gauge can accurately measure wind velocity in 5 units: m/s, km/h, ft/min, knots, mph. The unit also records air temperatures in degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit.
6. Amazon — Allen Deluxe Rifle Case, $75.99
⏺ Quality case for long-barreled hunting rifles, PRS rifles, and shotguns
This Allen Long Gun Case in Mossy Oak Break-Up Country Camo has three large external pockets. This case fits scoped rifles (and other long guns) up to 50 inches overall. Well-made, with lots of features, this gun case has earned 84% 5-Star ratings from verified purchasers. Right now this handsome case is $75.99 on Amazon (#ad), a 22% discount.
⏺ Handy adjustable rest fits nearly all types of pistols and revolvers
A small compact rest definitely helps when doing load development and accuracy testing with handguns. A good choice (at a great price) is the Caldwell Pistolero shooting rest (#ad), now just $27.99 on sale at Amazon. The Caldwell Pistolero rest is durable, and the support surfaces will not mark your pistols. The hand support is comfortable to use. With 5 inches of rear pad movement and and 3 inches of vertical adjustment in the front, the Pistolero rest accommodates virtually all handguns, providing a stable shooting surface.
8. Harbor Freight — 105-Piece Tool Set and Chest, $44.99
⏺ Get a complete tool kit for the price of a couple wrenches
If you’re looking for a very complete tool set at a bargain price check out this Harbor Freight 105-piece tool kit with 4 drawer chest. On sale now for just $44.99, this major tool kit includes wrenches, sockets, screw drivers and more — everything you need to perform multiple tasks at home and in the reloading room. NOTE: Use Coupon 77484334 to get the $44.99 price through 10/29/23.
9. Amazon — Frankford Arsenal Media Separator, $46.99
⏺ Very effective Media Separator that works for both wet AND dry media
After tumbling brass, separating the brass cases from cleaning media can be a challenge. You need to separate the brass from corncob/walnut media, or stainless pins and water. The Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Wet/Dry Media Separator (#ad) will get your brass clean quickly and efficiently. For use with wet or dry media it features a sturdy center sphere with handle, a useful cover, and a specially designed corner filter to strain water out. We’ve used this unit and it works well.
Sooner or later, every reloader needs a good bullet puller. Hornady Lock-N-Load Impact Bullet Puller, just $21.59 at Midsouth, will do the job. With a couple smacks the bullet will pop loose and then be captured along with the powder for re-use. The base of the handle has a storage area to hold two extra brass holders (collets). This Hornady LNL Impact Bullet Puller works for most rifle or pistol cartridges up to .45 caliber. For a few bucks more ($25.99), Amazon sells this Hornady Bullet Puller (#ad) with free delivery.
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Hardware Choices: Actions, Stocks, Barrels, Optics and More Tech Talk by Jeff Stover
This article was prepared by past IBS President Jeff Stover based on results from the 2019 IBS 100/200 Group Nationals held August 12-17, 2019 at the Holton Gun & Bow Club in western Michigan.
Let’s examine the Top Ten rifles from the IBS Group Nationals in the 10.5-lb Light Varmint Class. We’ll focus on the most popular rifle components — the choices for Actions, Stocks, Barrels, and Scopes.
Hall of Famer Jeff Gaidos taking aim at the 2018 IBS Group Nationals. He has a low-profile carbon-fiber stock with a Leupold fixed-power scope.
For some years now, BAT has been the predominant action. This year BAT actions held nearly 100% of the Top Ten places in all the Bag Gun equipment lists. Bruce Thom’s Idaho-crafted actions, except for a couple stray actions in Heavy Bench, swept the top rankings.
Next, look at barrels. Bartlein or Krieger seem to rule with upstate New York’s venerable Hart barrels as competitive. Shooters tend to go with winners, so Wayne Campbell and Jeff Peinhardt dominate as gunsmiths for the top benchrest shooters.
In stocks there seems to be variety, but there is some commonality. The Scoville and Scarbrough stocks, both Michigan-made, are laminated wood (balsa and other wood) with carbon fiber and wrapped in carbon fiber. The Scoville stock on my 10.5-lb rifle weighs 18 ounces but is full size with a nice long fore-end. Bob Scarbrough makes a very similar product. Both are winners — it’s a choice of Ferrari or Lamborghini. The Roy Hunter and Terry Leonard stocks among these top rifles take a different route to winner’s circle. Both are wood (cedar or other), but super high-tech as they are laminated with carbon fiber. They are beautiful to boot. High-magnification Leupold, March, and Nightforce scopes rule the roost among benchrest optics.
Bullets and Powder
Bullets are important. Really important. A hot bullet gives you “Teen Aggs” and lots of trophies. An average bullet does not. Most of these are 68 grain 6mm boattails. The Peinhardt (StaMoly Precision) bullet is well represented on this list, but some top shooters make their own as you can see. Bullet jackets are likely StaMoly or J4. For powder, nearly everyone shoots Vihtavouri N133 except a few guys running LT30/32 or surplus 8208.
This photo is one of Nightforce’s series of picturesque “Gunscapes”. SEE MORE HERE.
We should remember the real reasons many of us enjoy the shooting hobby. Many of us like shooting because it gets us outdoors, away from work pressures. Shooting gives us a chance both to enjoy solitude as well as have fun with friends and family in the outdoors. For this Editor, a solo trip to the range in mid-week was often the perfect antidote to job stress. Going to a scenic venue and sending a few shots downrange was satisfying. And getting out of the hustle and bustle of the city did indeed calm the soul.
Talented 3-position shooter (and trick-shot artist) Kirsten Joy Weiss says that any day at the range is “always a good day”. Here is her photo to prove it. If that shot doesn’t motivate you to spend a day outdoor with rifles, we’re not sure what will. Here’s hoping you’ll have a chance to get in many fun days of shooting this summer and fall. This Editor hopes to test some rimfire ammo this weekend…
The new Garmin Xero® C1 Pro chronograph has hit the market and it has been making a splash. Initial reports have been very positive, and the price is attractive — $599.99. Accordingly, many LabRadar owners are putting their orange radar chronos up for sale. Check out the features of this new compact radar chrono in this official product launch video from Garmin:
The new Xero C1 Pro radar chronograph, measuring just 3.03″x2.38″x1.36″, is compact and easy to transport. Using Doppler radar, the Xero C1 Pro accurately records projectile velocities from 100 fps to 5,000 fps, so it works with all kinds of projectiles. Setup is simple and intuitive, thanks to the button-operated design. SEE FULL RecoilWeb Review (many photos).
Garmin offers a modern ShotView™ smartphone app and lets you compare velocities for all shots fired, track ES/SD, and record total sessions. The rugged Xero C1 Pro chrono has a IPX7 water-resistant rating and boasts up to 6 hours of battery life. The unit ships with a compact tripod mount, and the screen is described as “sunlight-visible, transflective, monochrome” so it is easy to view in all conditions. There is no need to attach anything to your firearm, so this Garmin chrono won’t affect rifle zero or barrel harmonics.
Garmin Xero C1 Pro Features:
— Measures projectiles from 100 fps to 5,000 fps.
— Works with bullets, arrows, bolts, slugs, birdshot, paintballs, and airsoft BBs
— Easy to set up and use; turn it on, point it in the right direction, and shoot within 15″ of device
— Compact design is easy to transport — can even fit in a pocket
— Features an easy-to-read, backlit display
— Button-operated design is simple to use
— Up to 6 hours of battery life
— IPX7 water-resistant rating
Garmin Radar Chrono Works with Full-Featured Modern Smartphone App
Garmin offers a full-featured ShotView™ smartphone App for the Xero C1 Pro radar chronograph. This lets you compare velocity for every shot fired, calculate extreme spreads, keep track of different projectiles, track deviation and more.
The Garmin Xero C1 Pro ($599.99 MSRP) can be pre-ordered now from leading vendors including Midsouth, MidwayUSA, and Area419. In addition, Area419 offers an ARCALOCK Arm allowing the Xero C1 Pro to be mounted via an ARCA rail.
Garmin Xero C1 Pro Radar Chronograph Video Reviews:
Gun-maker Bear Creek Arsenal has a good article on its website about rifling barrels. The article explains four common methods of rifling the interior of barrels: Cut Rifling, Broach Rifling, Button Rifling, and Hammer Forging. In addition, the article describes a new (and somewhat radical) method, Cation Rifling, which employs acid to etch rifling. READ Full Article.
The main focus of the article is on Cold Hammer Forging of barrels. This requires massive, expensive tooling, but the results can be very consistent. Many top gun-makers, such as FN, HK, and Ruger, have used the hammer forging process. And now Bear Creek Arsenal also offers hammer-forged barrels. Bear Creek recently acquired two state-of-the-art cold hammer forging machines. With hammer forging, a chamber can be formed and barrel contour shaped at the same time. This process produces some of the most consistent barrels available today. Here is a summary of how Cold Hammer Forging works:
Cold Hammer Forging — Machinery and Process
A cold hammer-forged barrel starts life… as a short and fat blank with a polished hole running through the center. A hardened mandrel of proper width (caliber) and rifling pattern — again reversed/inverted — is placed into the smooth bore. The pair go into a forging machine that compresses the steel against the mandrel, hammering it into final shape. The barely detectable external spiral patterns that remain on some barrels are imprints from those hammers at work. Some companies polish them out, however.
Cold hammer forging machinery is very expensive, representing a significant investment for companies. However, when the hammer forging process is done and the mandrel removed, the resulting barrel is the proper length and profile with rifling that is consistent and butter smooth. No lapping is required — a time and expense saver — although a stress-relief step often follows.
The process takes place at room temperature, despite the misleading “cold” terminology. There is a hot hammer forging process, but the equipment is even more expensive and the slight improvement in grain consistency hasn’t proven advantageous enough for a return on that investment. Performance is impressive and consistent.
One of the biggest advantages of a cold hammer forged barrel is longevity. They… survive abuse and last longer. The manufacturing process adds those enviable virtues with each strike of those hammers — strengthening the metal in a work-hardening process employed by blacksmiths for centuries.
Comparing Popular Rifling Methods
What rifling process should you choose? If long-distance is your passion and you home brew custom cartridges to print tiny groups in the next zip code, cut rifling is the optimum choice. Button rifling is a solid second choice, but not always the Holy Grail long-distance shooters dream about. Cold hammer forged barrels, however, last longer and [offer great performance for the price.]
