There is nothing more frustrating (or embarassing) than sending a live round into your expensive new chronograph. As the photo below demonstrates, with most types of chronographs (other than the barrel-hung Magnetospeed), you can fatally injure your expensive chrono if it is not positioned precisely.
When setting up a chrono, we always unload the rifle, remove the bolt and bore-sight to ensure that the path of the bullet is not too low. When bore-sighting visually, set up the rifle securely on the sandbags and look through the bore, breech to muzzle, lining up the barrel with your aim point on the target. Then (during an appropriate cease-fire), walk behind the chronograph. Looking straight back through the “V” formed by the sky-screens, you should be able to see light at the end of the barrel if the gun is positioned correctly. You can also use an in-chamber, laser bore-sighter to confirm the visual boresighting (see photo).
Adjust the height, angle and horizontal position of the chronograph so the bullet will pass through the middle of the “V” below the plastic diffusers, no less than 5″ above the light sensors. We put tape on the front sky-screen supports to make it easier to determine the right height over the light sensors.
Use a Test Backer to Confirm Your Bullet Trajectory
You can put tape on the support rods about 6″ up from the unit. This helps you judge the correct vertical height when setting up your rifle on the bags. Another trick is to hang a sheet of paper from the rear skyscreen and then use a laser boresighter to shine a dot on the paper (with the gun planted steady front and rear). This should give you a good idea (within an inch or so) of the bullet’s actual flight path through the “V” over the light sensors. Of course, when using a laser, never look directly at the laser! Instead shine the laser away from you and see where it appears on the paper.
Alignment of Chronograph Housing
Make sure the chrono housing is parallel to the path of the bullet. Don’t worry if the unit is not parallel to the ground surface. What you want is the bullet to pass over both front and rear sensors at the same height. Don’t try to set the chrono height in reference to the lens of your scope–as it sits 1″ to 2″ above your bore axis. To avoid muzzle blast interference, set your chronograph at least 10 feet from the end of the muzzle (or the distance recommended by the manufacturer).
Rifles with Elevated Iron Sights
All too often rookie AR15 shooters forget that AR sights are positioned roughly 2.4″ above the bore axis (at the top of the front sight blade). If you set your bullet pass-through point using your AR’s front sight, the bullet will actually be traveling 2.4″ lower as it goes through the chrono. That’s why we recommend bore-sighting and setting the bullet travel point about 5-8″ above the base of the sky-screen support shafts. (Or the vertical distance the chronograph maker otherwise recommends). NOTE: You can make the same mistake on a scoped rifle if the scope is set on very tall rings, so the center of the cross-hairs is much higher than the bore axis line.
TARGET AIM POINT: When doing chrono work, we suggest you shoot at a single aiming point no more than 2″ in diameter (on your target paper). Use that aiming point when aligning your chrono with your rifle’s bore. If you use a 2″ bright orange dot, you should be able to see that through the bore at 100 yards. Using a single 2″ target reduces the chance of a screen hit as you shift points of aim. If you shoot at multiple target dots, place them in a vertical line, and bore sight on the lowest dot. Always set your chron height to set safe clearance for the LOWEST target dot, and then work upwards only.
Other Chronograph Tips from Forum Members:
When using a chronograph, I put a strip of masking tape across the far end of the skyscreens about two-thirds of the way up. This gives me a good aiming or bore-sighting reference that’s well away from the pricey bits. I learned that one the hard way. — GS Arizona
A very easy and simple tool to help you set up the chronograph is a simple piece of string! Set your gun (unloaded of course) on the rest and sight your target. Tie one end of the string to the rear scope ring or mount, then pull the string along the barrel to simulate the bullet path. With the string showing the bullet’s path, you can then easily set the chronograph’s placement left/right, and up/down. This will also let you set the chrono’s tilt angle and orientation so the sensors are correctly aligned with the bullet path. — Wayne Shaw
If shooting over a chrono from the prone position off a bipod or similar, beware of the muzzle sinking as recoil causes the front of the rifle to drop. I “killed” my first chronograph shooting off a gravel covered firing point where I’d not given enough clearance to start with and an inch or two drop in the muzzle caused a bullet to clip the housing. — Laurie Holland
There are three readily-available 17-caliber rimfire rounds now on the market: 17 HMR, 17 WSM, and 17 Mach 2(aka 17 HM2). Aguila also made a .17 rimfire, the .17 PMC/Aguila, but it never became popular. What should be your choice? The 17 HMR is a very popular round, available from multiple manufacturers — CCI, Hornady, and now Norma. The 17 Mach 2 (HM2) is making a resurgence, as it is less expensive than 17 HMR and it can be shot from rifles converted from .22 LR since it shares the .22 LR cartridge OAL. Finally the 17 WSM is, without question, the performance leader among .17-Cal rimfire rounds.
17 HMR — Still the Market Leader in 17-Cal Rimfires
The 17 HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire) is popular and well-established. Ammo with a variety of bullet weights and designs is available. Most 17 HMR ammo is priced from $10-$12 per box, and you can get some better deals during sales.
You can buy quality 17 HMR rifles from many makers at all price levels. The Savage A17 with laminated thumbhole stock is a good choice. There were some early issues with the A17, but Savage improved the magwell and now this rifle is very reliable and accurate, particularly with the CCI-brand A17 ammo.
The laminated thumbhole stock version of the Savage A17 is a great carry-around varminter.
Ruger now makes a .17 HMR version of the Ruger Precision Rifle. If you prefer a modular chassis type rig, this is a great option:
Here is a semi-auto 17 HMR fitted with a suppressor. Even with the cameraman just 20 feet away, you can barely hear the shot, and recoil is non-existent. (NOTE: be sure to turn on the sound icon). Varminter Magazine says: “No ground squirrels were spooked during these shots. Quiet is an understatement!”. This may be the ultimate stealth varminter set-up.
17 Mach 2 (17 HM2) — Best Bang for the Buck?
The 17 Mach 2 (17 HM2) is making a comeback. Now leading manufacturers are offering this efficient little rimfire cartridge in some nice rifles. Both Anschutz and Volquartsen will offer new 17 Mach 2 rifles in 2019. Check out this Volquartsen Summit from SHOT Show. It offers a slick, straight-pull toggle bolt, like you’d find on Olympic biathlon rifles.
Considering that 17 HMR ammo costs $10 to $15 a box, the 17 Mach 2 is an excellent value by comparison. You can now get 50 rounds of CCI 17 Mach 2 for just $6.55 at Midsouth. Grab it while you can.
The Mach 2 propels the same 17gr V-Max bullet as the 17 HMR, but the Mach 2 runs about 16% slower — 2100 fps vs. 2500 for the 17 HMR. For many shooters, it makes sense to use the 17 Mach 2 rather than a 17 HMR. You save money, barrel life is a little longer, and the 17 Mach 2 is still a much more potent cartridge than the .22 LR. Check out this comparison, and note how the 17 Mach 2 has a much flatter trajectory than the .22 LR:
Hornady’s 17 Mach 2 has a 2100 FPS muzzle velocity vs. 1255 FPS for .22 LR.
17 WSM — More Speed, More Energy, and Flatter Trajectory
The 17 WSM (“Winchester Super Magnum”) is the fastest, flattest-shooting rimfire round you can buy. It totally stomps the .22 LR, and even offers significantly better ballistics than the popular 17 HMR. Check out this comparison of three rimfire magnmum cartridges (17 WMS, 17 HMR, and 22 WMR):
And now lead-free 17 WSM ammo is available. This “unleaded” version is impressively flat-shooting. With a 100-yard zero, it drops only 4.3 inches at 200 yards. Compare that with a .22 LR which can drop 18 inches or more from 100 to 200 yards (based on 1150 fps MV).
CLICK HERE for 17 WSM lead-free ammo test article.
When is a single-stage reloading press worth close to a thousand bucks? When it’s made in Germany with CNC technology and crafted to aero-space precision standards. UltimateReloader.com’s Gavin Gear recently got his hands on a Turban 120mm Heavy Präzipress. This unit retails for 850 Euros (850,00 €), about $960 at current exchange rates. Gavin put the Präzipress through its paces, and came away VERY impressed. READ FULL REVIEW HERE.
Impressive Test Results
Sizing once-fired 6.5mm Creedmoor cases with the Präzipress, Gavin achieved great results for shoulder “bump” consistency. The sizing results were nothing short of spectacular. After zeroing the first of ten cases, the remaining nine were essentially identical, showing as “0.000”, meaning less than half a thousandth of variation.
The Präzipress also delivered ultra-low run-out when seating bullets using a Forster die. On all ten test cases, the run-out was +/- 0.001″ (one-thousandth) or less.
Is this kind of press worth the money? Gavin says “yes” if you demand the highest level of precision in sizing and seating: “When you use this press, it’s immediately clear that there are no details neglected, and I can’t imagine one of these presses ever wearing out. Based on the precision tests I did with ammunition loading, it’s clear that this level of precision DOES make a difference for ammunition dimensions and consistency.”
According to Gavin, the “Heavy” 120mm version of the Präzipress is massive and boasts many notable design features:
— Three guide rods with linear roller guides (I have not seen these on any other press)
— Ambidextrous operation (handle can be mounted on left or right side)
— Positive snap shellholder retainer (secure, but easy to insert/remove shellholder)
— 120mm opening accepts cartridges up to .338 Lapua Magnum length
— Enclosed spent primer catch system which contains debris
— Optimized leverage (VERY powerful mechanical advantage for sizing)
— Oversized handle (bar diameter) that minimizes flex
Break out those credit cards ladies and gentlemen… Brownells is running a major Presidents’ Day Sale with huge price reductions on guns, barreled actions, uppers, lowers, reloading tools, accessories, loaded ammo and more. A quick glance at the Brownells website revealed many killer deals — some of the best prices we’ve seen in many months on many highly desirable products, such as Howa Barreled Actions, Aero Precision components, CCI Ammo, and even the RCBS ChargeMaster Lite.
Here are eight great deals we found this morning. Visit the Brownells SALE PAGE to see more bargains.
BRN-180 — Retro Or Cutting Edge?
Brownells’ new BRN-180 Upper is a gas-piston system that is compatible with AR Lowers but offers a folding stock. This system, inspired by the original AR-180, runs cleaner than a typical AR15. Designed in conjunction with PWS and FM Products, the Brownells BRN-180 Upper Receiver is inspired by the Armalite AR-180 of the 1960s. Developed as a successor to the original AR-15, the AR-180 was a civilian version of the AR-18, itself an upgrade on the M16 platform. The BRN-180 incorporates many AR-18/AR-180 improvements, including its robust and reliable gas piston operating system. The BRN-180 upper receiver is fully compatible with any standard AR-15 lower receiver. However, the BRN-180 can run a folding stock because a spring over the gas piston replaces the buffer in the stock.
The Berger Southwest Nationals is taking place right now at the Ben Avery Range outside Phoenix, Arizona. At the SWN you’ll see prone rifles and tubeguns for sling shooters, F-TR rifles with fancy bipods, and high-tech F-Open rigs. You might also see a few TubeGuns converted to shoot F-Open off front rests. Yes this is an easy conversion thanks to Gary Eliseo’s clever PickleFork forearm attachment.
Forum Member Killick attached PickleForks to his handsome blue Eliseo R1 TubeGun now chambered in .284 Winchester, a top choice for the F-Open discipline. Killick explains: “Behold! An Eliseo R1 F-Classer. This started out as an R1 Long Range sling rifle (6XC) with a Borden TubeGun action. It is now rebarreled in .284 Win with Gary’s PickleFork fore-end adaptor. Props to Gary Eliseo at Competition Machine LLC.”
Killick adds: “I like how the original fore-end indexes off the back side of the front bag. No need for the front bumper attachment.” Check it out below:
PickleForks are rails that fit to the sides of the tubular fore-end/handguard on Eliseo Chassis systems. This allows you to use a pedestal-style front rest for F-Class competition. It also provides a much more stable platform for load testing, varmint hunting, or any kind of rest-assisted precision shooting. These new PickleForks transform a Tubegun into an ultra-stable, straight-tracking rig when used with a competition-style front rest.
Designer Gary Eliseo explains: “Now you can have the same super low-boreline, long wheelbase and vertical sides of our innovative F1 F-Class chassis system for your tube chassis. The PickleForks attach directly to the sides of the F-Class/Tactical fore-ends, no modifications are required. They are very rigid with no flex or twist and make the rifle track like it’s on rails.” The Eliseo Competition Machine PickleForks are offered for a very reasonable $70.00 per pair, with Cerakote finish. You get two metal units, one for each side of the fore-arm. For more info, visit GotXRing.com or call (928) 649-0742.
One of America’s top young 3-gun shooters is a talented young lady from Missouri, Cheyenne Dalton. Now in her final year of High School, 17-year-old Cheyenne has been a top competitor in Rimfire Challenge events, as well as 3-gun matches and USPSA comps. Read more about Cheyenne in Shooting Sports USA.
Cheyenne’s skills have earned her support from leading companies including Lyman Products and Volquartsen. Lyman recently announced it would sponsor Cheyenne, a rising star in the shooting world. Dalton, who has been shooting competitively for 6 years, said her main goal is to introduce as many women and girls as she can to shooting sports. Dalton has helped promote the shooting sports through social media. Along with shooting tips, Cheyenne’s social media pages cover fishing, bluegrass music, and personal motivation. Cheyenne was even in a 2016 New Yorker article titled “The Gun Owners of the Parkland Generation.”
Dalton is a two-time Ladies Limited Rimfire World Champion, a one-time Junior Limited Rimfire World Champion, a Wyoming state games gold medalist in rimfire, and a High Lady Alabama state Rimfire Champion. Most recently, she was featured in the Fall 2018 edition of Recoil Magazine. Dalton will join the shooting team at Missouri Valley College in the Fall of 2019.
Cheyenne shows off her impressive 3-Gun speed and accuracy in this action video:
Junior 3-Gun sensation Cheyenne Dalton talks with Shooting USA at the NRA Show in Louisville:
This outstanding video showcases Cheyenne’s musical talents as well as her shooting skills. Cheyenne is really a remarkable young lady, with a great work ethic.
“Golf — the willful misuse of a perfectly good rifle range.”
Here’s a humorous illustration that pokes fun at the game of golf. We posted this on Facebook a couple seasons back. To our great surprise this generated 356 shares, and reached 22,000+ readers, making this the most popular AccurateShooter Facebook post ever at the time.
So, what do you think — should golf courses be converted to shooting ranges? Is golf truly a “good [shoot] spoiled”? This photo was shared by our shooting buddy Jim de Kort from Holland.
“Actually golf and shooting are similar sports. Trying to shoot a small object into a small hole from long range.” — Eric A.
“You can hit a golf ball 300 yards, but I can hit a golf ball AT 1000 yards.” — Zach S.
“The game should be changed. You should hit the ball out as far as possible, then get your rifle out and hit the golf ball. The most golf balls hits… with the rifle wins!” — Hui H.
Some rifle ranges certainly are beautiful enough to be country clubs. Here is the scenic General Vokes Range in British Columbia, Canada:
Marlin 1895 Background image from Sportsmans Arms, Petaluma, CA.
Are the days of private gun sales numbered nationwide? Democrats in the U.S. House of Representative have introduced an extreme gun control measure, H.R. 8, that would regulate all private gun sales, circumventing state laws covering gun rights. American Military News reports: “A new bill restricting private gun sales is expected to move to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives this week for a vote. The bill, H.R. 8, was introduced by [House] Democrats. H.R. 8 plans to stop Americans from conducting private gun sales as they have been since 1791. Instead, they will be required to conduct background checks on prospective buyers before they can sell their own property. The House Judiciary Panel is expected to send the bill to the floor for a vote on Feb. 13.”
Background Checks Would Be Required Nationwide for ALL Private Party Gun Sales
This new legislation would essentially require that ALL gun sales, even between private parties, be subject to Federal NICS background checks.* On the surface, this seems to have some appeal, but there is little convincing evidence that such legislation will produce a meaningful reduction in gun violence. Why? Criminals obtain guns illegally (though theft and the black market), and nearly all the mass shooters in recent years have used weapons that were obtained legally, AFTER the perpetrators had passed normal FBI background checks.
Despite these facts, supporters of H.R. 8, say it is time to outlaw private gun sales. Rep. Henry C. Johnson (Democrat, Georgia) claimed: “Because background checks are not required for sales by unlicensed gun dealers, guns end up in the hands of dangerous people. The failure of Congress to pass universal background check legislation has eroded our sense of safety on the streets, in our schools, and even in our places of worship.”
Conversely, gun rights supporters state that H.R. 8 will NOT have the desired effects. Rep. Doug Collins (Republican, Georgia) stated: “I appreciate the efforts of those who want H.R. 8 and many who have signed on, but similar gun control measures would not have prevented Columbine, San Bernardino, Charleston, or other tragedies. You go to the Bureau of Prisons, when they put out their statistics, most criminals — as you well know — do not get their guns from legal sources.”
* Some states, such as California, already require background checks, made through an FFL, for private-party transfers. But in many other states, a private party can still sell a firearm to another private party, provided there is compliance with applicable state and local laws.
Shopping for gun parts, ammo, or reloading supplies? You will want to check out Brownells current Discount Codes. These Codes will qualify you for significant savings plus FREE Shipping. Use these Codes during check-out and the savings will reduce your net cost. Get up to $20 off on a $200 purchase — that’s a 10% savings. Plus the free shipping/handling could save you another $10-$20 easy. NOTE: Some of these discount codes may expire at any time, so don’t hesitate.
Intelli-Dropper Priced Under $200.00: The new Frankford Arsenal Intelli-Dropper will be available very soon from leading vendors such as Midsouth, Grafs.com, and MidwayUSA for around $199.99.
A new electronic powder scale/dispenser just hit the market to compete with units from Lyman, RCBS, and Hornady. The new Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series “Intelli-Dropper” scale/dispenser looks similar to a ChargeMaster Lite, with a LED digital touch-screen. But it is a true “new generation” device with an advanced brain that can “talk” to a Mobile App on your smartphone via BlueTooth. This way you can store powder and load information on your smartphone and then control the scale/dispenser from the App. Advantages? You could list different loads for different bullets, and you can also keep a complete history of your loading for different cartridges. For years this Editor recorded his load data via a spreadsheet on a laptop computer. Now you can have the equivalent of a loading spreadsheet right in your phone.
Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Intelli-Dropper FEATURES
Large Back-lit LCD Display
Auto and Manual Trickle capability
Holds up to 7,000 grains (1 lb) of powder
Bluetooth Capability
Downloadable App Functionality
App Has Powder and Bullet Databases
Manual Trickle Capability — Nice!
Another cool feature is that you can use the machine to manual trickle. So you could throw powder rapidly with a manual powder measure then “trickle up” to the final tenth of a grain.
Intelli-Dropper Controls
The Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Electronic Intelli-Dropper features an individual powder calibration button for the fastest, most accurate powder measurements. The large back-lit LCD display provides easy-to-see controls. The machine stores load data in your downloadable smart-phone or tablet App. The Intelli-Dropper features BOTH Auto and Manual trickle capability with up to 200 grains of powder per throw. Holds up to 7,000 grains (1 lb) of powder and offers +/- 0.1 grain accuracy.
Mobile App Features
The Intelli-Dropper’s downloadable App features bullet and powder databases, with the ability to add additional bullets/powders. The App stores your load data, and comes with info already stored in the App including cartridge list, powder list. Plus the bullet list is very detailed with bullet type, caliber, weight, ballistic coefficient, sectional density, and length. The App lets you input charge weight, case, primer type, barrel length and more. And the App can even upload photos of your test targets — so you can record group size accuracy results. That’s cool.
When setting up a chrono, we always unload the rifle, remove the bolt and bore-sight to ensure that the path of the bullet is not too low. When bore-sighting visually, set up the rifle securely on the sandbags and look through the bore, breech to muzzle, lining up the barrel with your aim point on the target. Then (during an appropriate cease-fire), walk behind the chronograph. Looking straight back through the “V” formed by the sky-screens, you should be able to see light at the end of the barrel if the gun is positioned correctly. You can also use an in-chamber, laser bore-sighter to confirm the visual boresighting (see photo).
Impressive Test Results
Cheyenne’s skills have earned her support from leading companies including 
