If you like long-range shooting, you’ll love this video…
This well-made HD video showcases the operations of the Leupold Optics Academy. The Academy is a combined classroom and field training program focusing on advanced marksmanship skills for tactical shooters and long-range hunters. The field segment includes technical briefings, practice with mildot ranging, shooting from a variety of positions, and extreme-long-range sessions. At a private, backcountry range contracted by Leupold, Academy participants can engage targets out to 2200 meters. We think you’ll enjoy the video. We’d love to get a chance to shoot at that range.
Video find by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
For many Americans, real incomes have stayed flat in recent years, while the true cost of living has risen. Accordingly, it’s important to save money whenever possible. Prices are going up, but wages aren’t following (for most of us). Here are six ways shooters can save money on gear purchases and other shooting-related expenses.
1. Check Out the Forum Classifieds. There are great deals to be found every day in the AccurateShooter Shooters’ Forum. The latest deals are displayed in the right column of every Forum page. To see all the listings, browse through the Forum MarketPlace section which has four main categories:
Guns, Actions, Stocks, & Barrels
Tools, Dies, Rests, Reloading Components & Misc
Scopes, Optics, Sights, Rings, Bases Etc.
Commercial Sales by Paid Sponsors
2. Use Discount Codes to Save. It’s always smart to check for discount codes before you buy. In the Daily Bulletin, we feature “Deals of the Week” every Monday morning, and we provide discount Coupon Codes when available. These can reduce the price substantially or lower shipping costs. Search codes for Brownells, Sinclair Int’l, Cabela’s, and Amazon.com. Check your email also — some discount codes are only announced in email newsletters. If you can’t find a Coupon Code for your preferred vendor, visit RetailMeNot.com and/or SlickGuns.com. Both those sites list current coupon codes, and RetailMeNot.com covers thousands of vendors.
3. Shop for “Demo” Optics. Modern high-quality optics can easily cost $1500.00 or more, often exceeding the value of the rifle on which they are mounted. However, you can often save 20-30% by purchasing demo optics. These are normally display units used at trade shows. They may have slight ringmarks, but otherwise they are “as new”, having never been carried in the field or used on a rifle that has fired live ammo. When purchasing demo scopes, you should always ask about the warranty before consummating the sale. However, most demo scopes from name-brand manufacturers come with full factory warranties. EuroOptic.com and SWFA.com are two respected vendors that offer a good selection of demo optics.
4. Train with Rimfire Rifles. The true cost of shooting a match-grade centerfire rifle, when you consider barrel wear, approaches $1.00 per round. READ Shooting Cost Article. By contrast, decent .22LR target ammo sells for under $0.19 per round (though it is, admittedly, hard to find right now). Good rimfire barrels last a long, long time, so you don’t have to be concerned about wearing out your barrel quickly. A quality rimfire barrel can retain its accuracy for 7,000 rounds or more. If you run the ballistics, a .22LR round at 100 yards can emulate the wind drift experienced by a centerfire cartridge at long range. This allows for effective cross-training with much less expensive ammo.
5. Take Advantage of Factory Rebates. There are some attractive rebates available right now from quality manufacturers such as Bushnell, Leupold, RCBS, and Zeiss. You have to be a bit wary because rebates are typically used to move less-popular merchandise. But some rebates, such as the RCBS ‘Buy Green, Get Green’ Promo, apply to very wide range of merchandise, so it’s hard to go wrong. Just make sure that, when you buy a product, you retain the sales slip and the original packaging (it’s also wise to print out online orders). To qualify for the rebate, you may need to mail in a product identification code found on the box, along with your original sales receipt.
6. Share a Ride to Matches. Gas prices have fallen dramatically in the past year, but fuel remains a significant part of a shooter’s hobby budget, particularly if you drive long distances to compete at major matches. We’d say 90% of shooters drive solo to matches, often in large, gas-guzzling trucks. If you drive 200 miles round-trip to attend a match in a 20-mpg vehicle, you’ll burn nearly $30.00 worth of gasoline on your trip. That adds up. By simply sharing the ride with one fellow shooter you can cut your fuel expenditures in half. And, if you alternate vehicles from one match to the next, you also save on wear and tear on your own vehicle. At $0.50/mile consider the savings.
Take one look at Lyman’s new Bleacher Blocks, and you’ll say “That’s clever, why didn’t anyone think of that before?” These tiered (stepped) cartridge loading trays save space on your bench AND make it easier to select a particular cartridge from a full block. Each row is a different height for convenience.
Here’s what Lyman says about its innovative cartridge block design: “Just as bleachers allow people to see over those in front of them, our new loading blocks allow for easier handling of cases in and out of the loading block. Our stepped design allows you to easily grip a single case without jamming your fingers down into a group of cases like in traditional loading blocks, and allows for a smaller ‘footprint’ on your bench.”
We see many applications for this stepped cartridge holder. Use the different levels for sorting brass. Or, migrate the brass from top to bottom as you proceed through case prep stages. If you are assembling loads with different bullets for load testing, you could arrange the loaded rounds on different levels for easy recognition. (For example put V-Max loaded rounds on the top tier, and Blitz-King loaded rounds on the bottom tier). Or slice a Bleacher Block in the middle to make yourself twin 25-round stepped Cartridge Caddies.
Made of durable polymer, Bleacher Blocks are molded in three sizes to fit a variety of rifle cases. The smallest size (with 0.388″-diameter holes) fits .223 Rem-size case heads. The middle size (with 0.485″-diameter holes) fits .308 Win-size case heads. The biggest Bleacher Block has 0.565″-diameter recesses to accommodate belted magnum-size cases. All three cartridge block sizes hold fifty (50) rounds. Suggested retail price is $7.95 per block and Lyman expects to start shipping later this month.
Product tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
Chart created with Ammoguide’s Visual Comparison Tool. Visit Ammoguide.com to learn more.
One of our forum members was looking for a very accurate, mid-sized 6.5mm cartridge for target working and coyote hunting. There are many great options including the 6.5 Grendel, 6.5×47 Lapua, 6.5 Creedmoor, and Remington .260 (a 6.5-08). If you are considering the 6.5×47 you should read our 6.5×57 Cartridge Guide authored by the 6.5 Guys. This and other 6.5mm cartridges are covered in this introduction to 6.5 mm cartridges prepared by Eben Brown, President of Eabco.com.
Guide to 6.5mm Cartridges
by Eben Brown, EABCO.com, (E. Arthur Brown Co. Inc.)
The current popularity of 6.5mm cartridges in the USA has been a long time in coming. I won’t go into my opinions on why it took so long to catch on. The important thing is that it finally HAS caught on and we’re now so fortunate to have a wide selection of 6.5mm cartridges to choose from!
6.5mm Grendel – Developed by Alexander Arms for the AR15 and military M4 family of rifles. The Grendel fits the dimensional and functional requirements of these rifles while delivering better lethality and downrange performance. There are now similar cartridges from other rifle companies. We chamber for the Les Baer “264 LBC-AR”. Designed for velocities of 2400-2500 fps with 123gr bullets, it shoots the 140-grainers at about 2000 fps (for comparison purposes).
6.5mm BRM – Developed by E. Arthur Brown Company to give “Big Game Performance to Small Framed Rifles” — namely our Model 97D Rifle, TC Contender, and TC Encore. Velocities of 2400-2500 fps with 140gr bullets puts it just under the original 6.5×55 Swede performance.
6.5mm x 47 Lapua – Developed by Lapua specifically for international 300m shooting competitions (with some interest in long-range benchrest as well). Case capacity, body taper, shoulder angle, and small rifle primer are all features requested by top international shooters. You can expect velocities of 2500-2600+ with 140 gr bullets.
6.5mm Creedmoor – Developed by Hornady and Creedmoor Sports, the 6.5mm Creedmoor is designed for efficiency and function. Its shape reaches high velocities while maintaining standard .308 Winchester pressures and its overall length fits well with .308 Win length magazines. You can expect velocities of 2600-2700+ fps with 140gr bullets.
.260 Remington – Developed by Remington to compete with the 6.5mmx55 Swedish Mauser that was (finally) gaining popularity in 1996. By necking down the 7mm-08 Remington to 6.5mm (.264 cal), the .260 Remington was created. It fit the same short-action [receivers] that fit .308 Win, .243 Win, 7mm-08 Rem, etc. You can expect velocities of 2600-2700 fps with 140gr bullets in the 260 .Remington.
[Editor’s Note: In the .260 Rem, try the Lapua 120gr Scenar-Ls and/or Berger 130gr VLDs for great accuracy and impressive speeds well over 2900 fps.]
6.5mm x 55 Swedish Mauser – This was the cartridge that started the 6.5mm craze in the USA. It is famous for having mild recoil, deadly lethality on even the biggest game animals, and superb accuracy potential. Original ballistics were in the 2500 fps range with 140gr bullets. Nowadays handloaders get 2600-2700+ fps.
[Editor’s Note: Tor from Scandinavia offers this bit of 6.5x55mm history: “Contrary to common belief, the 6.5×55 was not developed by Mauser, but was constructed by a joint Norwegian and Swedish military commission in 1891 and introduced as the standard military cartridge in both countries in 1894. Sweden chose to use the cartridge in a Mauser-based rifle, while Norway used the cartridge in the Krag rifles. This led to two different cartridges the 6.5×55 Krag and 6.5×55 Mauser — the only real difference being safe operating pressure.”]
6.5-284 Norma — This comes from necking the .284 Winchester down to .264 caliber. Norma standardized it for commercial ammo sales. The 6.5mm-284 was very popular for F-Class competition and High Power at 1,000 yards. However, many F-Class competitors have switched to the straight .284 Win for improved barrel life. 6.5-284 velocities run 3000-3100+ fps with 140gr bullets.
.264 Winchester Magnum – Developed by Winchester back in 1959, the .264 Win Mag never really caught on and may have delayed the ultimate acceptance of 6.5mm cartridges by US shooters (in my opinion). It missed the whole point and original advantage of 6.5 mm cartridges.
The Original 6.5mm Advantage
The special needs of long-range competition have skewed things a little. However the original advantages of 6.5mm cartridges — how deadly the 6.5mms are on game animals, how little recoil they produce, and how easy they are to shoot well — still hold true today.
At the request of our readers, we have launched a “Deals of the Week” feature. Every Monday morning we offer our Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on hardware, reloading components, 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. Natchez — 8.5-25x50mm Leupold VX-3 for $649.99
This is a heck of a deal. This Editor owns this very same Leupold 8.5-25x50mm VX-3 scope and I paid about a grand for it many years ago. The 25X max magnification is plenty for varmint hunting and most target work. If you don’t need 25X magnification, Natchez also sells the Leupold VX-3 4.5-14x40mm scope for just $489.90. Both these optics are protected by Leupold’s famed lifetime warranty.
2. CDNN Sports — Remington 597 for $149.99
Looking for a “first rifle” for a family member?. Consider this semi=auto Remington 597. It currently retails for just $149.99. That’s right, for under $150 you can get a reliable, self-feeding rimfire rifle that will provide years of fun for a young shooter. The 597 has a stock that’s sized right for both youngsters and adults. Receivers are dovetailed for standard rimfire rings and are also drilled and tapped to allow mounting of Weaver-style bases.
3. Amazon.com — RCBS ChargeMaster for $289.99
Here’s a very good deal on the popular RCBS ChargeMaster combo scale/powder dispenser. This unit sells elsewhere for up to $389.00. You may want to act quickly as Amazon pricing changes frequently. We also saw this item on sale at MidwayUSA recently.
4. GunBuyer.com — Federal .22 LR Ammo, $21.99 for 325 Rds
Here you go — name-brand rimfire ammo for just 6.8 cents per round. Can’t complain about that price. According to Ammoseek.com, this is pretty much the least expensive name-brand .22 LR rimfire ammo you can buy. This Federal AutoMatch .22 LR rimfire ammo features a 40gr Lead RN projectile. It feeds well in semi-auto rifles as well as bolt guns.
Need bullets for an upcoming spring varmint safari? Midsouth has slashed prices on its Varmint Nightmare X-Treme (VNX) hollow-point bullets, in both .204 and .224 calibers. The .204-cal 34gr VNXs and .224-cal 34gr VNXs are just $45.52 for 500 bullets. (That works out to just $9.10 per hundred!) If you prefer a heavier .22-cal bullet, Midsouth sells 50gr VNX soft-points for $48.82/500, and 55gr VNX hollow-points for $51.50/500.
6. Grafs.com — Forster Co-Ax Reloading Press on SALE
If you’ve been patiently waiting to acquire a Forster Co-Ax® reloading press, now’s the time to strike. Grafs.com has Co-Ax presses on sale this week at $289.99. That includes shipping charges (with one flat $7.95 handling charge per order).
The Kahr CT9 is still one of the very best 9mm carry pistols around. We tried one at SHOT Show and spoke to Kahr’s President, Justin Moon. This gun has a better, smoother trigger pull than most other carry pistols. The grip is comfortable, and the exterior is very smooth and clean, with nothing to snag. If you need a 9mm pistol, this is a good gun at a great price.
8. Harbor Freight — 11-Drawer Rolling Tool Cabinet, $159.99
This 27″-wide Roller Tool Cabinet makes a nice addition to any loading room or workspace. The 11 drawers will hold tools, reamers, dies, and spare parts. Larger items (such as tumbling media), can be placed on the lower shelf. Now through the end of February, this rolling cabinet is on SALE for just $159.99 with Super Coupon #74449393. Print out the coupon or ORDER ONLINE with Coupon pricing.
Here are the schedules for some of the major USA rifle matches to be held in 2016. These items, as well as dozens of other regional/sectionals matches, are listed in Shooting Sports USA’s 2016 Competition Calendar. That 2016 Competition Calendar also provides basic information on 15 competitive shooting organizations, including USA Shooting, IDPA, IPSC, NBRSA, FCSA (.50 Cal), and more.
2016 NATIONAL RIFLE AND PISTOL CHAMPIONSHIPS — Camp Perry, Ohio
July 8-9: CMP Rimfire Sporter Clinic and Match
July 11-16: Pistol Matches
July 25-30: CMP High Power Rifle and Games Event
July 31-August 4: NRA High Power Rifle and Mid-Range Championship
August 5-9: NRA Long Range High Power Rifle Championship
August 10-14: CMP Events (TBA)
NOTE: Online registration for National Championship will be available March 2016.
2016 NRA F-CLASS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS — Lodi, Wisconsin
September 23: MR Warm-Up Practice
September 24-27: MR Individual and Team Championships
September 27: LR Warm-Up Practice (PM)
September 28-October 1: LR Individual and Team Championships
Program and registration will be available by mid-April 2016. For information now, contact: Karin Liebetrau, 10890 Cornell Dr., Viola, WI 54664; Telephone: 608-345-7989; email: ekl @ mwt.net.
2016 NATIONAL SMALLBORE RIFLE CHAMPIONSHIP — Bristol, Indiana
July 10-14: Conventional Prone Championship
July 15-16: Conventional 3-Position Championship
July 17-18: Metric Position Smallbore Rifle Championship
The 2016 National Smallbore Rifle Championships (Metric Position and Conventional Prone/Position) will be held July 10-18, 2016. The Chief Wa-Ke’-De Range has 100 covered firing points. The Smallbore Championship Program should be viewable online starting March 1, 2016 and online registration will commence April 1, 2016. For more information contact HQ Moody, hmoody @ nrahq.org or Lois Wenzell at lwenzell @ nrahq.org.
2016 NATIONAL SILHOUETTE CHAMPIONSHIPS and BLACK POWDER TARGET RIFLE CHAMPIONSHIP — Raton, New Mexico
July 3-5: Smallbore
July 7-9: High Power
July 12-15: Cowboy Rifle
July 19-20: Black Powder Cartridge Rifle (Scope)
July 22-23: Black Powder Cartridge Rifle
July 25-30: Black Powder Target Rifle
Program and entry cards will be available April 1, 2016. Contact: NRA Silhouette Dept., 11250 Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030; (703) 267-1474 or silhouette @ nrahq.org.
This Wednesday (February 3, 2016), Shooting USA TV features the 2015 GAP Grind Pro-Am held at the K&M Shooting Complex in Finger, TN. Conducted in association with the Precision Rifle Series (PRS), the GAP Grind features a Pro/Am format with professional and amateur competitors vying for individual glory and team honors.
Here is Shooting USA Host John Scoutten (in Blue/White shirt)
Lots of Action, with 20+ Stages
The GAP Grind is a notoriously challenging, “high tempo” match with minimal down-time between stages. Over the course of 20+ stages, competitors will fire 200+ shots at a variety of steel, paper, moving, and reactive targets out to 1,200 yards. Targets vary in size/difficulty based on the shooter’s position, distance, and time allotted. Most stages include “stressors” — i.e. time limits or required movement(s).
GAP Grind Hardware Shelley Giddings, a skilled shooter of both firearms and cameras, snapped these images of state-of-the-art tactical rifles at the 2014 GAP Grind. See more firearms images on Shelley’s Facebook Page.
We hear there’s a bit of snow on the ground on the East Coast. Don’t fret — the white stuff doesn’t need to impede your shooting sports fun — if you take some inspiration from a pair of young Canadian lasses. These clever Canucks have managed to combine the quintessential Canadian sport, Ice Hockey, with skeet/trap shooting. This is just the thing to do with a good friend on a sunny winter’s day with snow still on the ground.
Watch Video — See Girl Shoot Clay Flung with Hockey Stick
Here’s how it works. A launcher is set up with a sheet of cardboard on a snow ramp. A clay pigeon is placed at the base of the ramp. Then the “flinger”, armed with a regulation hockey stick, sends the clay pigeon up the snow ramp and into the air. (Follow-through is important.) Then it’s just like regular skeet shooting. The shooter brings scattergun to bear and tries to hit the clay on the fly. With a good hit, it disintegrates in a black puff.
Kudos to Canada’s Danielle Bergen and her sharp-shooting friend for producing a great video. Overhead views were filmed with a camera-equipped flying drone.
Skockey in the Winter Olympics?
We wonder how this combo-sport was invented (large quantities of Molson Beer may have been involved we suppose). This new hybrid sport doesn’t have an official name yet. We suggest “Skockey” (“skeet” + “hockey”). Whatever you call it, we like this new sport. Who knows, maybe we’ll see Skockey in the Winter Olympics some day.
Each day, on Facebook, the NRA National Firearms Museum showcases something special from the Museum collections. Recently the Museum displayed a trio of snakes — three very special Colt Pythons. From bottom to top, these three prized wheelguns are: Colt Python serial number 2, number 3, and number 5. And yes, that is the original box for Python #2 (at bottom). The museum says such low serial number guns were typically produced for a company executive or key members of the gun design team.
Loved for their beautiful finish, nice balance, and great trigger, Colt Pythons have proven to be excellent investments. Since the Colt Python was first introduced in 1955, Python prices have gone through the roof. A pristine, LNIB early-era Colt Python can now command $4000.00 or more. The Museum estimates the price of Pythons has risen 14,300% since 1955.
You can see hundreds of other interesting firearms on the National Firearm Museum website, www.NRAMuseums.com. Or, if you’re lucky, you can see the collections in person. The NRA now operates three Museum locations: the NRA National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Virginia; the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum (at BassPro) in Springfield, MO; and the Frank Brownell Museum of the Southwest in Raton, NM.
Here’s a bit of Britain in blue — a 270-7mm WSM F-Classer belonging to Elwood in the UK.
One of the most popular items in our Shooters’ Forum is the ongoing “Pride and Joy” thread. Since 2009, Forum members have posted photos and descriptions of their most prized rifles. Here are some of the most recent “Pride and Joy” rifles showcased in our Forum. Do you have a gun you’d like to see featured there? Just Register for the Forum and you can add your gun to the list.
1. Dasher LowBoy. CigarCop just completed a lovely 6mm Dasher in a yellow/gray laminated PR&T LowBoy stock. CigarCop did the stock inletting and finish work himself. Very nice work indeed.
2. Varmint Special. Here’s a handsome varminter with a beautifully-figured walnut stock. This is one of three rifles Forum Member Dan Hall posted this month.
3. 6mm Trifecta. DixiePPC served up not one but THREE pretty rifles, all with pearlescent paint jobs. Details of the three rigs are provided below. Click the image to see a full-screen version.
Top: 6 PPC for 10.5-lb NBRSA LV Class, 1:14″, .262″-necked SS Hart Barrel chambered and fitted by Doug Pascal, Pearl Black Kelbly Stock, RB/RP Blueprint & Trued 40X Short Action (Glued) with a Doug Pascal Bolt Release. This gun is a 1994 build by Doug Pascal of Craftsmith.
Middle: 6 PPC 13.5lb NBRSA HV Class, 1:14″, .262″-necked SS straight-countour Hart Barrel, Pearl White Kelbly Stock/Aluminum Butt Plate, RB/RP Stolle Panda Action (Glued). Kelbly Double Screw Rings. 1994 Vintage Leupold/Premier BR 36X. This gun is a 1992-vintage Kelbly build for NBRSA Unlimited Class.
Bottom: 6mmBR 17-lb IBS Light Gun Class, 28″, 1:8″, .268″-necked SS Bartlein 5R Barrel tipped with a SS Harrell Spiral Muzzle Brake, Pearl Rust Orange 90s-vintage Lee Six Stock with home made Aluminum Butt Plate, RB/RP Blueprinted and Trued 1995-Vintage 700 Short Action.
4. Simple Elegance. This is Chopper Duke’s handsome 6mm PPC. It features a Remington action in a classic older-style benchrest stock. We like the flawless pale-green finish. Subtle but nice.
5. (Nearly) Identical Duo. Here are a matching pair of customs from Forum member NHM16. He tells us: “I sold my two Savages I was using for F-Open, and had these two built in their place. One reason I upgraded was so I could have two (nearly) identical rifles. The nice thing about these rifles is that most everything interchanges, including the barrels.”
Here Are Specs for Both Guns:
— Panda F-Class action (LRBP, no ejector, 20 MOA dovetail scope base, one action is polished, the other unpolished so I could easily tell them apart).
— PR&T LowBoy stocks with adjustable buttplates, with vents on the side and the bottom.
— Both have Bartlein 32″ 7mm, 1:8″-twist, 5R barrels, chambered in 7mm Walker (basically a .284 Shehane with the addition of a 40 degree shoulder).
— Rifles were built by Richard King (“Kings X” in Forum) in Arlington, Texas, though I did the clear coating myself.
6. First Custom. Here is Forum member Barrys’s very first custom rifle, and it’s a nice one. It features a BAT Machine VR action, Krieger #17 heavy varmint contour, chambered for the 6mmBR Norma with 0.272″ neck. The stock is a Shehane Varmint Tracker with a Walnut-color laminated Obeche stock. On top is a Sightron SIII 8-32x56mm scope in BAT Machine rings.
7. Basic Black. David P. offered this F-TR rig: “A buddy of mine just finished up new rifle for NRA F-TR competition. This rifle is built on a Kelbly action, chambered in .308 Win with a custom, tight-neck match chamber. It’s sitting in a PR&T stock, with a Broughton 32″, 1:11″-twist 5C barrel. The rifle was chambered and built by Brian at Plainfield Precision in Shelby, NC.