At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every 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.
1. Grafs.com — 10% Off Lapua + 10% Off Shooting Supports
Grafs.com is running two great 10% Off Sales through 8/8/18. First, ALL in-stock Lapua products are 10% Off — yes that includes brass, bullets, and loaded ammo. Serious shooters know that Lapua makes superior cartridge brass, great bullets, and some of the very best loaded ammo you can buy. Grab some great Lapua brass soon — the sale stops at 11:59 pm CT on August 8, 2018. The second big Grafs.com sale is on bipods, tripods, monopods, shooting sticks, front rests, rear rests, and bags. Basically any product designed to support the front or rear of your rifle is marked down 10%. Graf’s big Shooting Rest Products Sale also runs through 11:59 pm on August 8th.
2. Midsouth — 6.5mm Nosler Match Bullets, $23.99 Per 100
Looking for quality bullets for your 6.5 Creedmoor or 6.5×47, but can’t afford the Big-Name 6.5mm match bullets that cost up to $50 per 100-ct box? You’re in luck. Now with this Midsouth Sale, you can get 500 quality, Nosler-made 6.5mm bullets for just $119.99. That works out to just $23.99 per 100 — less than half the price of some other bullet brands. Choose either 123gr at $119.99/500 or the 140gr at $124.99/500. If you are shooting at steel in the PRS game, these bullets should give you all the accuracy you need. Put the money you save into barrels and optics.
3. Brownells — Howa 1500 Barreled Actions, Starting at $239.99
Howa makes excellent, smooth-running actions, and the Howa HACT 2-stage trigger is WAY better than most domestic factory triggers. Right now you can save big bucks on Howa 1500 barreled actions, complete with HACT trigger and trigger-guard, starting at $239.99. Both regular actions and Mini Actions are offered. Available chamberings include 22-250, 6.5 Grendel, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7.62×39, .308 Winchester, and .30-06 Springfield. Some of these barreled actions come with a rugged Cerakote finish, while others have a blued finish. When you visit Brownells.com, see if there is a Free Shipping CODE. Here is a partial list of the Howa 1500 barreled actions available:
.308 Win, 20″ Fluted Heavy Barrel, $284.99
.308 Win, 20″ Heavy Barrel, $259.99
.308 Win, 24″ Heavy Barrel, $259.99
.30-06 Sprg, 22″ Sporter, Cerakote, $349.99
4. RCBS August 2018 Bucks or Bullets Promotion
Get Bucks or Bullets with purchase of Qualifying RCBS Products. This August RCBS Rebate offers buyers a choice of money or bullets. You get a $10 Prepaid Card or 100 Free Bullets with: Qualifying Die Sets, Hand Priming Tool, Universal Hand Priming Tool, Trim Mate Case Prep Center, or a M500 Mechanical Scale. Alternatively, you can get a $50 Prepaid Card or 500 Free Bullets with: Rock Chucker Supreme Kit, Universal Case Prep Center, Explorer or Explorer Plus Kits, Pro Chucker 5 or 7, or an Ultrasonic Case Cleaner 2. (Rebate FORMS HERE.)
Program End Date: August 31, 2018 | Redemption Deadline: September 30, 2018
Here’s a killer deal on a Front Focal Plane (FFP) optic good for PRS competition and tactical applications. The Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50mm scope features 0.1 Milrad clicks with an EBR-2C illuminated reticle with Mil-based hash marks. This reticle also features the “Christmas Tree” type lower half, which provides range hold-overs with horizontal markings for wind holds. Not that long ago, this scope sold for around a thousand bucks. Now you can get the Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50mm for just $649.99. That’s a great price for a PRS-ready FFP comp scope with a proven track record and rock-solid Vortex warranty. EuroOptic’s Sale price is $649.99. This is a great deal — this same scope sells elsewhere for $749.99
6. CDNN — Ruger Precision Rimfire, $399.99
The brand new Ruger Precision Rimfire has become one of 2018’s most popular rifles. This .22 LR rig offers a turn-key rimfire solution for tactical shooters, PRS competitors, and anyone who likes modular rifles. The Ruger Precision Rimfire rifle offers adjustable cheekpiece and length of pull, AR-style grip, free-floating M-Lok fore-end, and an 18″ barrel (1:16″ twist) pre-threaded for brakes or suppressor. CDNN Sports sells this versatile, bolt-action rimfire rig for $399.99.
Right now you can order the 36-power Weaver T-Series XR scope for just $389.99. That’s an awesome, but act quick — this price could change. Natchez currently has the silver 36x40mm Weaver XR for just $389.99 — a fantastic price. 36X is enough power for benchrest competition. And even if you don’t shoot benchrest, this is a great scope for load development or general accuracy testing. The 36-power T-Series scopes have a 40mm front objective and side-focus parallax control. You can also get this XR 36x40mm scope in black for $499.99.
8. Savage Arms Rifle Rebate Program
Purchase a Model 10 Savage® Ashbury Precision, 10/110 BA Stealth, or 10/110 BA Stealth Evolution and receive a $100.00 Factory Rebate. These rifles are available in a variety of chamberings. FFL Dealer required for purchase. The Model 10 BA Stealth Evolution in 6.5 Creedmoor would be a good entry-level platform for PRS factory class. Expect to pay under $1000 net with the $100 Rebate. This Savage rebate program runs though August 31, 2018. GET REBATE FORM.
9. Amazon — 12″x12″ Sight-In Splatter Targets, 10 for $9.99
This 12″x12″ Splatterburst Target combines splatter shot marking with a grid background, with five aiming points. The handy combination of grid and bright neon shot circles is great, allowing you to get zeroed quickly. And for long-range applications, the grid lets you quickly estimate your group size. Get a 10-pack for $9.99, or a 25-pack for $17.99 (better deal). This particular target has earned rave reviews — 87% of verified buyers gave this a FIVE-Star rating. One example: “Excellent quality and durability. The adhesive is really strong. High contrast makes down range targeting easy and the splatter contrast is [great].” Another buyer posted: “These targets are the way to go when shooting long distance. Can easily make out your [shot] impacts with a spotting scope.”
Thinking of getting started in the Practical/Tactical shooting game? Looking for ways to be more stable when shooting from unconventional positions? Then you may want to read Marcus Blanchard’s Practical Shooter’s Guide (A How-To Approach for Unconventional Firing Positions and Training). Unlike almost every “how to shoot” book on the market, Blanchard’s work focuses on the shooting skills and positions you need to succeed in PRS matches and similar tactical competitions. Blanchard provides clear advice on shooting from barricades, from roof-tops, from steep angles. Blanchard says you need to train for these types of challenges: “I believe the largest factor in the improvement of the average shooter isn’t necessarily the gear; it’s the way the shooter approaches obstacles and how they properly train for them.” Paperback version is $19.99 while the eBook (Kindle) version is $9.99.
How’d you like to score a check for $25,000? That’s the winner’s pay-out for the 2018 NRA World Shooting Championship (WSC), which runs September 20-22 at the Peacemaker National Training Center in Glengary, WV. This event offers over $250,000 in cash awards and product prizes, making the WSC the richest combined shooting event in the USA (if not the world).
This unique 3-day multi-gun match tests competitors’ skills across twelve challenging stages involving nearly every major shooting discipline for rifles, shotguns, and pistols. All guns and ammo are supplied, but entry fees are steep. Both divisions are currently full, but there is a waiting list.
The 12 WSC stages encompass everything from trap to bullseye pistol to PRS-style precision rifle. There was even a cowboy action stage with Henry “Golden Boy” lever-action rifles.
All the Equipment is Supplied
“What makes this event very unique, especially to a professional shooter, is all the equipment is supplied. You have to leave your ego at home and just try to adapt as best you can to the equipment that you have supplied.” — Jerry Miculek
This major match attracts both sponsored Pros and “regular Joes”. Shooters will be split into two groups: a Professional Division for sponsored shooters, and the Amateur Division for non-sponsored competitors. All firearms, optics, and ammo will be provided by match sponsors for both divisions.
Video Shows Stages at 2017 World Shooting Championship
Cash Awards, Huge Prize Table, and Random Drawings
The NRA World Shooting Championship will offer $250,000 in cash and prizes. Along with the $25,000 winner’s pay-out, there will be fat cash prizes for second and third place overall, High Lady, and High Amateur Junior. Then there are the rich prize tables. In 2017, the Amateur prize table held $100,000 worth of prizes. And last year the WSC added Ten (10) Random Drawings worth $400 each. These drawings, held during the WSC Awards Banquet, gave every competitor a chance to win cash, no matter what their event ranking.
“The format at the NRA World Shooting Championship is unique in that you don’t know what you have to shoot until you show up, so training for the event is a little difficult. My advice is to pack some good eye and ear protection, bring an open mind, be prepared to listen to the stage descriptions, figure out the best way you can take the guns they provide, and post the best score you can. When the match supplies all the guns and ammo, all you have to do is deal with ‘the performance’. This is the most level playing field in the shooting sports — anyone from around the world can come and play.” — Bruce Piatt, 2015 NRA World Shooting Champion
One of our favorite cartridges for small varmints is the 17 HMR. Yes, the newer 17 WSM rimfire has better ballistics, but 17 HMR ammunition is considerably less expensive, and you have a much larger selection of rifles and pre-chambered aftermarket barrels. And out to 150 yards or so the 17 HMR is great on ground squirrels and prairie dogs.
If you are looking for a 17 HMR varmint rifle, one rig you should definitely consider is the Savage A17. Now that this model is offered in a nice laminated thumbhole stock, you can get a fine little 17 HMR rifle for about $450.00. We much prefer the laminated stock A17 over the basic Tupperware version.
How does an A17 shoot? That question was answered a couple seasons back by Varminter.com in a First Hunt Report. Accurate and affordable, the Savage A17 is also the first .17 HMR to feature a delayed blow-back action. Eric Mayer, Editor of Varminter.com, put the semi-auto Savage A17 through its paces.
Mayer wanted to see how the new Savage would perform, accuracy-wise, and he also wanted to see how the A17 fared in the field. Mayer achieved one-MOA accuracy with the Savage A17 using the latest CCI-brand ammo, and he demonstrated the A17 is wickedly effective on ground squirrels. Below we’ve provided highlights from Varminter.com’s Savage A17 First Hunt Report.
“I [collected] as many versions of the currently available .17 HMR ammunition as I could get my hands on. I had already picked-up and tested the new CCI A17 ammunition, so I filled up my ammo safe with other CCI ammunition, as well as Hornady and Winchester, including the lead free 15.5 grain NTX versions, also from Hornady and Winchester. After spending some time at the bench, I saw that this rifle shot the CCI A17 ammunition best, with most groups hovering right around 1″ to 1.20″ at one hundred yards, and some of the other ammo choices in the 1.25″ to 1.50″ range. This was with a warm barrel and in-between cleanings during the break-in process.”
Mayer found the A17 was easy to maintain: “I was very impressed by the ease of pulling the rifle apart for cleaning out in the field. Even with the scope mounted, I was able to quickly and easily remove the parts needed to give me complete access to the barrel through the breach, so cleaning was a breeze.”
A17 Reliability Lessons — Seat Those Rotary Magazines Correctly Folks
Some early A17 purchasers have noted occasional failures to feed. We believe this is because the magazine was not fully seated (and locked in place) in the firearm. The experience of Varminter.com’s Editor seems to confirm this. Mayer reports “As I began to shoot the rifle, I experienced what a few others have reported, with the magazine falling out while shooting. I quickly realized that I was not snapping the magazine into place every time. I found that popping in the magazine while the bolt was pulled, or locked back, resolved the issue. I did have a few failures to feed, but only on some of the older ammunition I was shooting, namely the first year Hornady ammo and the lead free ammo (which is about 3-4 years old). The newer ammo did not have any issues and functioned well, even while shooting some 10-round ‘mag-dumps’. The trigger is on the heavy side.”
A17 Reliability Shown in Video
The Savage A17 went through a very thorough manufacturer’s testing process before it was released to the market. In fact Savage put over 500,000 test rounds through A17 prototypes. When AccurateShooter.com tested the A17 at Media Day — it worked flawlessly, so long as you make sure the magazine is fully seated. We had zero issues, making us think that reported issues may be related to “driver error”; specifically not seating the magazine properly. Watch AccurateShooter.com video with rapid fire sequence.
Serious competitive shooters and hunters often travel across state lines to pursue their hobbies. And many of those same firearms owners have pistol carry permits for their home state. Now wouldn’t it be great if you could obtain a permit package that is recognized in 32 states? Believe it or not, that IS possible. If you obtain BOTH the Utah (UT) and Virginia (VA) Non-Resident Carry Permits, your carry privileges will be honored in 32 states, as shown in this map from USACarry.com.
So how do you get the UT/VA Permits that covers you in 32 States? Well one of the simplest ways is to attend a Carry Permit Class that specifically covers all the requirements. One such course will be offered at the NRA Carry Guard EXPO in Richmond, Virgina, September 14-16, 2018.
This $65.00 course covers the entire process for obtaining the Utah Non-Resident Carry Permit, as well as the VA Non-Resident Permit. (It also covers the VA Resident permit for Virginians who don’t already have a VA permit). This course includes completion of the applications for both Utah and Virginia, required course instruction, fingerprints and photos. Yes, this course includes fingerprinting AND passport photos! That’s all included in the $65.00 price*.
Do you neck-turn hundreds of cases annually? Then you deserve this outstanding tool. This innovative neck-turning system is truly a game-changer. The 21st Century Shooting Powered Neck-Turning Lathe is quite simply the best system ever created for quickly and precisely uniforming (and reducing) the neckwall thickness of cartridge brass. We have the original manual 21st Century neck-turning lathe, and can attest that it works great. But with the new powered system you can turn necks faster and more efficiently, with less effort. This is like going from a stick shift to an automatic transmission. The cases feed very smoothly and the results are beautiful. Once you’ve tried the Powered Neck-Turning Lathe you won’t want to use anything else. Watch this video to see how it works:
Power is activated by the red button on the end of the blue, horizontal feed handle:
Click the Speaker Button on video frame to play with sound (audio).
The Powered Neck-Turning lathe is a modular system. Swing the bar from right to left to feed the case. The power head (with case holder) glides on stainless steel rails for smooth movement. This allows very precise feed rate. Power is supplied via a button that is built into the end of the feed handle. Push the red button to make the case spin. It’s as simple as that.
The folks at 21st Century Shooting explain why the system works so well: “The floating design of our Neck Turner and Case Driver allows the case mouth (bore) to run on the arbor absolutely concentric. This, therefore, allows the outside diameter to be turned concentric with the inside diameter.”
Here is another video that shows how the lathe system operates:
Click the Speaker Button on video frame to play with sound (audio).
Complete Powered Neck-Turning Lathe System
The powered neck-turning system comes with everything you need, starting at $679.00. This includes: Motor Assembly, Lathe Base, “L” bracket, Neck-Turning Tool, Cutter, Case Holder, Driver, Turning Arbor, Expander Die Body, and Expander Mandrel. 21st Century currently offers a choice of nine popular calibers: .17, .20, .22, .243 (6mm), .264 (6.5mm), .270, .284 (7mm), .30, and .33. The case holders are appropriately sized for the common rim sizes in that caliber. Choose either stainless arbor and mandrel or Titanium Nitride-coated arbor and mandrel (for $20 more). Some of the larger calibers cost a bit more.
On our main Accurateshooter.com website, you’ll find a comprehensive review of the STM system for cleaning cartridge brass with stainless media. To clean brass with stainless media, start with five pounds of small stainless pins sold by StainlessTumblingMedia.com. Place these along with a gallon of water, a little liquid cleaner, and two pounds of cartridge brass in a rotary tumbler, and run the machine for one to four hours.
Forum Member Tests STM System
Our reviewer, Forum member Jason Koplin, purchased the STM media and a new Thumler’s Tumbler. He then tested the STM cleaning procedure on his own brass, including some extremely dirty and tarnished “range pick-up” brass. Jason was thoroughly impressed with how well the STM process worked — as you can see from the “before and after” photos below. Brass which looked like it was ready for the scrap heap was restored to “like-new” appearance. Check it out:
Works Great on Both Rifle Brass and Pistol Brass
The process works equally well on both rifle brass and pistol brass (see below). Jason observed that one surprise benefit of the STM cleaning procedure is a big reduction in noise in his reloading room. Jason said the water-filled rotary tumbler was much quieter than his vibratory tumblers.
You’ll want to read Jason’s full review which shows more before and after images. The full article features a “how-to” video created by Forum member Cory Dickerson, the young man who pioneered the stainless tumbling process and founded STM. The video shows how to load brass, media, and cleaner solutions into the tumbler, and how to separate media from brass once the tumbling is done.
Competing at Camp Atterbury in mid-July, Paul Phillips of Team Applied Ballistics won the 2018 NRA Extreme Long Range (ELR) Championship. Shooting a McMillan-stocked .416 Barrett rifle with 550-grain Cutting Edge Bullets, Phillips won convincingly, finishing with 62627 points. Runner-up, shooting a .375, was Chase Stroud (56744 points).
Paul Phillips (holding rifle) with wind coach/spotter John Droelle. Rifle components included: McMillan ELR Beast Stock, BAT Action, Bartlein Barrel, Nightforce ATACR 7-35×56 mm scope, Phoenix Precision Bipod. Cartridges shown are similar .416 Barrett rounds used by Derek Rodgers in 2018 K02M event.
Caliber and Cartridge Choice:
Paul Phillips, shooting the .416 Barrett, was the only shooter in the Top Ten running a .416-caliber rifle. There were eight .375-caliber rifles (mostly .375 CheyTacs) and one .338-caliber in the Top Ten. Overall, there were 36 competitors registered for the Match, 30 of whom scored points. Fourteen of the 30 scoring competitors, nearly half, shot a .375-caliber cartridge. The .338 (mostly .338 LM) was the next most popular caliber choice.
Course of Fire — Three Extreme Yardages:
The 2018 NRA ELR Event included three stages, at progressively longer yardages: 1500, 1760 (mile), and 1961 yards. At each distance, starting at 1500, the competitors fired five (5) shots at a 36″x36″ steel plate. There were no sighters, practice shots, or ranging shots allowed. This meant the competition put a premium on precise ballistic solutions, and very consistent ammo.
Notable Competitors: There were 36 competitors registered for the match including some big names — David Tubb and Brian Litz. The field included F-Class aces Dan Pohlabel and Jeff Rorer. Capstone Precision President (and former Sinclair Int’l President) Bill Gravatt helped spot for Paul Phillips. Notably, both David Tubb AND his son-in-law Nate Stallter finished in the Top Ten shooting the new .37XC.
Successful Event with Many Sponsors: Shooting Sports USA noted: “Though only the second of these events, the match has experienced a real surge in popularity, well attended… and sponsored by some of the best in the business. Cutting Edge Bullets, Nightforce, McMillan Fiberglass Stocks, Holland’s Shooters Supply, Applied Ballistics, Vihtavouri Powder, and Crosstac, all of whom played a role in Paul’s big win, were also major sponsors of the event. Below is a banner listing all of the match’s sponsors.”
Are you feelin’ lucky? Then enter this contest run by our friends at EuroOptic.com. The prize is an impressive Modern Sporting Rifle from Barrett. Enter for a chance to win a Barrett REC7 Carbine (5.56×45 NATO), fitted with a Vortex Razor Gen II HD-E 1-6x24mm optic and Seekins Precision cantilevered scope mount. Rifle, scope, and mount collectively have a true retail value of $3887.99 — that’s some serious coin. ENTER Contest HERE.
The Barrett REC7 ain’t your typical AR15 clone. With a gas piston system, this rifle runs much cleaner. One of the most advanced modern sporting rifles on the market, the Barrett REC7 Carbine features a gas piston operating system and a tungsten gray Cerakote on the upper and lower receiver of the rifle. On top, a Picatinny rail extends the full length of the upper receiver with handguard M-LOK attachment points at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. The REC7’s hammer-forged barrel is chrome-lined for corrosion resistance, and is fitted with a mil-spec 3-prong flash hider. The REC7 retails for $2299.00.
Quality Vortex Optic with BDC Reticle
The 1-6x24mm Vortex Gen II HD-E scope is optimized for fast engagements from 50 to 500 yards. With a $1399.99 market value, this optic features a JM-1 Bullet Drop reticle that has multiple hold-over points. This JM-1 BDC reticle was designed in collaboration with the legendary shooter Jerry Miculek. Check out the scope features in this video:
Some (Not All) of the Fine Print:
Entry period ends after August 31, 2018. Entry into this sweepstakes constitutes opt-in to be emailed directly from the sweepstakes sponsors. Additionally, entrants who choose to opt-out of our mailing list prior to drawing of a winner are also opting out of the sweepstakes. The winner of the sweepstakes may be required to sign and return a release of liability, declaration of eligibility and, where lawful, a publicity consent agreement, as conditions of receiving the prize. EuroOptic reserves the right to refuse prize to any entrant for any reason. Eligibility is limited to only legal residents of the United States and the District of Columbia. Employees of EuroOptic, Barrett, Vortex Optics are not eligible to enter. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. All federal, state, and/or local rules and regulations apply.
The NSSF has declared August to be National Shooting Sports Month (NSSM). To celebrate this, retailers and shooting clubs are hosting nearly 700 events around the country. These events, which include classes, shooting demos, competitions, and special sales, are listed in a searchable online database. There is also an August sweepstakes for National Shooting Sports Month.
Hundreds of August Events Listed in NSSF Database
Visit LetsGoShooting.org to find August events near you. You can search the database by state, event type, and range name. Nearly 700 events are listed in chronological order, with more being added daily. Here’s a partial sample of the NSSM events taking place over the next few days.
Trigger Time Sweepstakes
As part of National Shooting Sports Month, the NSSF is running a Trigger Time Sweepstakes. Register to win valuable prizes — no purchase necessary. The Grand Prize package, worth $5247.00, includes a Remington 700 6.5 Creedmoor rifle, a Nightforce ATACR 7-35x56mm FFP/Mil scope, and a case of Barnes Match 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition, plus accessories. In addition to the big prize package, there will be dozens of other prizes awarded each week in August. CLICK HERE for Sweepstakes INFO.
Sierra Bullets has just introduced a new line of hunting bullets, called the GameChanger series. These are claimed to combine match-bullet accuracy with highly effective performance on game animals. From what we can tell this is Sierra MatchKing (SMK) projectile modified with a new hollow cavity and tipped front end. The official product release says: “Sierra re-engineered their legendary MatchKing bullet into a hollow-point design for quick expansion and fitted it with a transparent green tip for ballistic uniformity. Inside, the GameChanger features a unique construction that utilizes a special lead alloy surrounded by a tough copper jacket that delivers excellent penetration and expansion[.]”
Video Shows Design of GameChanger Bullet (0:30 time mark):
On our main 
