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November 20th, 2014
Nightforce makes great scopes — just ask the man who owns one. And Vortex offers scopes that offer exceptional “bang for the buck”. Here’s your chance to get a Nightforce NXS, or Vortex Viper PST scope at very low “close-out” prices from Bullets.com. The folks at Bullets.com tell us: “We are selling these at deals that are so low your viewers won’t be able to pass them up. We want this stock gone before the end of the year and have slashed prices to move it.” Here is a partial sample of the items on sale. NOTE: CLICK HERE to see the complete list of sale items, which include other lower-magnification Nightforce NXS scopes, as well as Vortex spotting scopes. Supplies are limited at these close-out prices.
Nightforce Scopes ON SALE (Partial sample)
Vortex Scopes ON SALE (Partial Sample)
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Online Shopping Tips
Before placing your order with Bullets.com, be sure you are 100% certain about the model you are ordering. Some scopes with the same magnification range come with a choice of either 50mm objective or 56mm objective. Likewise, there are various reticles offered for each basic model, and Nightforce offers 1/4 MOA clicks on some scopes, with 1/8 MOA clicks on others.
November 20th, 2014
At AccurateShooter.com, we do love ultra-accurate rifles that can shoot quarter-MOA (and better) on a good day. It’s nice to own a state-of-the-art rig built with a custom action and premium hand-lapped barrel, fitted with high-end optics. Quality is its own reward.
 On the other hand, a truly utilitarian firearm has its own practical appeal. And perhaps no rifle is more utilitarian than a take-down .22 LR Ruger. Easy to store and carry, a take-down 10/22 makes a perfect “truck gun” for a ranch or farm. A 10/22 is also great for plinking with young family members, blasting pesky rodents, and doing general duty around your property. You can even use a take-down 10/22 in the CMP’s rimfire sporter matches.
Considering the merits of a take-down rimfire rifle, we were pleased to see that Davidson’s is now offering a Ruger 10/22 Takedown kit, with a special fitted NRA-branded Cordura soft case. The NRA logo and block letters are on the bolt-face, and the rifle comes with a natural gear camo finish. Street price is about $390.00, including the Cordura case.
The rifle comes with a Coyote Tan Cordura case, high-viz sights, a scope base adapter, and a drilled & tapped receiver. Separating the two halves of the rifle is easy. First lock the bolt back and verify the rifle is unloaded. Then push a recessed lever, rotate the sub-assemblies, and pull them apart. That’s it. The take-down locking system allows for a secure connection of the barrel and action and returns the firearm to zero, even when receiver-mounted optics are used.
Helping the Cause
For each rifle sold, both Davidson’s and Ruger contribute $10 to the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. So — if you purchase this package, you’ll be helping the effort to defend our Second Amendment rights. This exclusive NRA 10/22 Special Edition is available now at Davidson’s dealers nationwide and GalleryofGuns.com.
November 19th, 2014
Here’s a shocking video showing a massive Kaboom (KB) that literally destroyed an M1 Garand in the hands of a lady shooter. One second she has a classic .30-06 battle rifle in her arms, and the next second she has nothing but a pile of parts. She is fortunate to have survived this incident without apparent serious injury. She may have had a squib (undercharged round) in her prior shot at the 00:12 time-mark. At 00:15 it seems she may have experienced “click no bang” (we can’t tell for sure). The detonation occurs at time-mark 00:25, and is then replayed in slow-motion.
 If this Kaboom wasn’t caused by a squib, there might have been a catastrophic failure of the cartridge that failed to fire at 00:15. The shooter herself, posting as ArizonaGirl24 on YouTube, thinks the gun may have fired out of battery. What do you think?
Text accompanying the posting of this video on LiveLeak, states: “A woman, her shooting partner, and their cameraperson are lucky to be alive. Her M1 Garand detonated after she failed to check the barrel for an obstruction due to an apparent squib round….
[After the shot at 00:12] she is obviously aware that something is amiss and seems to check the chamber, but does not unload the rifle to check for the presence of a barrel obstruction.
She raises the rifle and fires it again, causing a catastrophic weapon failure. Parts of the weapon fly in all directions. The video then terminates.”
What happened to the shooter? She reported: “I was very lucky with the outcome. I have lots of splinters and bruising, but nothing broken. My left hand took the brunt of the blow to my wrist and palm of my hand. Still pretty painful, but I will be fine.”
LESSON ONE: If you experience any kind of malfunction, or what appears to be a light-recoiling (or soft-sounding) shot, you should STOP shooting immediately. Clear the firearm and check for barrel obstructions.
LESSON TWO: Always wear ear and eye protection when shooting any firearm, even rimfires.
LESSON THREE: With a semi-auto gun, ensure the bolt is completely in battery after every shot.
LESSON FOUR: When hand-loading check EVERY round for powder charges prior to seating bullets, and weigh your loaded rounds before boxing them. Also check for high primers on EVERY round. If using a progressive press, use a Lock-Out Die that will alert you to any under-loaded cartridge. Be wary of commercial reloads.
Video tip from Mark LaFevers. We welcome reader submissions.
November 19th, 2014
Many shooters, particular those who shoot vintage military rifle matches, reload once-fired military cartridge brass. This brass may be high-quality and stout, but you may encounter a primer crimp* that interferes with the seating of a new primer. There are a variety of dedicated, military-crimp tools on the market, such as Dillon’s excellent Super Swage 600 tool that “rolls the crimp away”. But the Dillon tool costs $100.95 and takes quite a bit of room on your reloading bench. If you don’t want to drop a C-note and give up valuable bench space — here’s another (much cheaper) solution.
If you already have a Wilson case trimmer set-up, you can ream away those military crimps using an affordable Wilson accessory — the Primer Pocket Reamer (large #PPR-210, small #PPR-175). This $32.99 accessory is used in conjunction with a Wilson case trimmer and case-holder as shown below.
 In the older Riflemans Journal website, the Editor, “GS Arizona”, shows how to use the Wilson primer pocket reamer to remove military crimps on Lake City .30-06 cartridge brass. He explains: “The case goes into the Wilson case-holder, the same one used for case trimming, and the reamer replaces the trimmer head in the tool base. The threaded rod on the left side, which is normally used to regulate trim length has no use for this operation and it is simply backed out. Hold the case-holder as you turn the reamer into the primer pocket, it cuts easily and quickly. The reamer will stop cutting when the proper depth is reached.”
 
Do you really need to do this operation with military-crimped brass? Yes, and here’s why: “any attempt to prime the case without removing the crimp will simply result in a mangled primer that cannot be expected to fire and certainly won’t fire reliably.”
Read Full Article on Riflemans’ Journal Website (more photos and detailed write-up).
*Why does military brass has a primer crimp? GS Arizona answers: “The crimp is nothing more than an intentional deformation of the case around the primer pocket, the purpose of which is to retain the primer in the case despite high pressure situations in machine guns and other automatic weapons where a loose primer may cause a malfunction. As reloaders, our task is to get rid of the remnants of the crimp in order to allow re-priming the case.”
November 18th, 2014
It is with great sadness we announce the passing of John Adams of Fallbrook, Calfornia. One of our very first Forum members, John has been a stalwart supporter of this site for nearly a decade. He generously donated funds, reloading components, and equipment to our site, year after year, asking nothing in return. A modest man, John was also an innovator, who developed his own wildcat cartridges, designed reloading tools, and put together some great-shooting rifles.
On Saturday, November 15, Johnny Adams (John’s son) sent out this message to John’s friends and acquaintances in the shooting community: “I have to inform everyone of the sad news that my father, John Adams, died unexpectedly this Saturday Morning. He has been battling cancer for a number of years and has finally succumbed to the disease. He has asked me to include this photo of him and asked that his friends remember him in this way.”
John was a very active benchrest shooter in Southern California, and one of the dedicated organizers of the monthly Varmint Silhouette Match in Pala, California. Shooting that match with John as my mentor was one of the most enjoyable highlights of my shooting career.
 Those of us who knew John would tell you he was a generous, good-hearted man who had a real love for shooting. I am honored to say John was my friend, and I will forever be grateful for the things he did to help this site get off the ground, and to help many new shooters get started. When I had a chance to shoot at the Pala Varmint Silhouette match, John took the time to help practice with me, and he even provided the rifle (a wickedly accurate 22 Dasher) and the ammunition!
Many years ago, John was involved as an owner of the SAECO company that made presses and other reloading equipment. He had a vast knowledge of shooting hardware, and he never gave up his avid interest in shooting-related product design and engineering. He remained interested in new products and new techniques until his last days. Just a few weeks ago he called me to chat about new developments in spotting scopes.
John, Rest in Peace old friend. We’ll miss your presence at our matches in California. You were a generous soul and a true friend of the shooting sports. The shooting community is much diminished by your passing….
November 18th, 2014
Tubegun Guru Gary Eliseo of Competition Machine will be offering a new finish option on his Eliseo chassis kits. Remarkably, this will be a true “custom camo” option, with hand-applied graphics. No two rifles will be exactly alike. Gary tells us: “My Daughter Tamira has joined us at the new shop in Arizona. She’s a gifted artist and has been doing great work on our custom paint jobs. I challenged her to come up with something original. She thought we could do something a little more unique than the cut stencil technique normally used with our Cerakote camo finishes. Needless to say, I was impressed with the outcome. We call her handiwork ‘Tamifleck’.” This combines a unique look with the rock hard durability of Cerakote. Each chassis finished with this special “Tamifleck” camo finish is truly one-of-a-kind.
“Tamifleck” camo is Competition Machine’s newest Cerakote finishing technique for its rifles and chassis kits. Each “Tamifleck” chassis is hand-painted by Tamira Eliseo.
November 18th, 2014
Sig-Sauer has commenced a contest with a Grand Prize that should make any gun guy (or girl) drool. The lucky winner of Sig’s P320 Take-a-Shot Contest will get a custom-fitted Pelican case with TWO Handguns, a 9mm MPX PSB, a 300 BLK MCX Carbine, mags, and more. You even get two cases of ammo (9mm and 300 BLK). Along with this Grand Prize, Sig is giving away twenty (20) P320 pistols.
The Grand Prize will be awarded in a contest between two finalists. One finalist will be chosen based on the popularity of a video he (or she) creates. In addition, the Top 10 video entrants will each win a P320 9mm pistol. The video’s theme should be: “The P320 is Epic because (fill in the blank)”. Submit your video between now and November 30, 2014.
The second way you can be “in the running” for the Grand Prize is to submit a Sweepstakes Entry Form (no purchase required). Even if you’re not selected for the Grand Prize competition, you can win a valuable Sig handgun. For 10 business days from December 1 – December 12, Sig will give away one Sig P320 9mm pistol every day. From the ten winners, one will be chosen at random to win a trip to Las Vegas to compete for the Grand Prize.
The two (2) semi-finalists (one from the Sweepstakes Drawing and one from the Video Contest) will each win 5 days and 4 nights in Las Vegas. There they will compete one-on-one at the SIG SAUER Range Day on January 19, 2015 in the P320 Take-A-Shot Competition for the $10K Grand Prize.
The Ultimate SIG SAUER Collection, worth over $10,000, comes in a Pelican Case filled with:
SIG 9mm MPX PSB (with two extra mags), SIG 300 BLK MCX Carbine (with two extra mags), M11-A1 Pistol, MK25 Pistol, P226 Threaded Barrel, M11-A1 Threaded Barrel. In addition the Grand Prize winner receives One Case of 9mm V-Crown™ JHP Elite Performance Ammo, and One Case of 300 BLK Elite Performance Ammo.
November 17th, 2014
Sierra Bullets has released Version 7 of its respected Infinity Exterior Ballistics software, available now for $39.95 for Windows computers. Renowned Sierra Ballistic Consultants Ted Almgren and Dr. Bill McDonald, who have written all Sierra Software since 1970, also wrote Infinity Version 7. Both are retired scientists from a major aerospace company. Infinity Exterior Ballistics Software version 7 is a sophisticated solver that can output multiple trajectory charts. A built-in database includes bullets and cartridges offered by 15 manufacturers, both U.S. and foreign.
This 13-minute Video Demonstrates the Many Features of Infinity 7 Ballistics Software:
This sophisticated program computes the effects on the bullet trajectory of variations in firing conditions. For example, you can change altitude of the firing point, target angle (uphill/downhill), wind speeds, or even modify the Ballistic Coefficient. In fact, you can change any inputted firing condition or combination of conditions.
One very handy function is the “back-to-zero” calculation. Infinity 7 software will compute where your gun is zeroed if you know that it shoots high by a measured amount at a known range.
Compare Trajectories with Five Different Bullets
One very powerful feature of Infinity 7 is its trajectory comparison capability. With most ballistics programs (such as the JBM online ballistics calculator), you can only view one bullet’s trajectory (and associated drop chart) at a time. Not so with Infinity 7. This software handles up to five different bullets at a time. You can compare downrange velocity, energy, drop, bullet path height, or crosswind drift with results shown in bolt tabular and graphical format. That helps you select the best bullet for your gun and application. The ability to compare downrange ballistics of five different bullets at once is particularly helpful for hunters, who can compare the “hitting power” of different projectiles at various distances.
You can purchase Infinity 7 Ballistics Software as a standalone product for $39.99, or you can buy the Infinity 7 Suite for $59.95, which includes the Sierra Bullets 5th Edition Reloading Manual on CD-ROM. If you prefer a printed loading Manual, a combo pack with Infinity 7 software CD-ROM plus published (hard-back) Reloading Manual is offered for $64.95.
November 17th, 2014
 There are many benefits to shooting with both eyes open especially when shooting shotguns and handguns, but training yourself to do it can be challenging for some. For many, it is a struggle to fight the natural instinct to close one eye. So how do you train yourself to kick that habit?
How to Train to Keep Both Eyes Open
The first step is to determine if you can see the sights with both eyes. If you can’t get a clear sight picture on target with both eyes open, or if you see two front sights or some other strange configuration that is nearly impossible to decipher, then shooting with both eyes open may not work for you. It’s not the end of the world. It’s more important that you acquire a proper sight picture and hit your target.
 If you are a competition shooter that struggles with this you can get a little help from some frosted tape. In most cases it; just a matter of determining your eye dominance and placing a piece of tape on your eye protection on the lens in front of your non-dominant eye. The tape blocks this eye from seeing the sights, but still allows you full access to your peripheral vision.
An effective way to prevent yourself from closing an eye is to spend a good amount of time dry firing. (Dry fire means NO AMMO!) Practice acquiring the sights with both eyes open. Start with the firearm at low ready with both eyes on the target. Bring the gun up to your line of sight and acquire the proper sight picture on your target. The repetition of presenting the gun will help train you to keep those eyes open when you transition to live fire. As with any habit, you’ll need to train yourself to stop — this means more than just a few times dry firing.
When you hit the shooting range, you may find that despite all that dry-fire practice, you still close an eye. It might be a matter of sympathetic reaction to recoil. Using .22 caliber, airsoft guns and light loads can help you transition to larger calibers and full power ammunition. Just as you had to concentrate keeping both eyes open in dry fire, it’s likely you will have to do the same during your live fire training as well.
For more shooting tips visit www.JulieGolob.com and also read my book, SHOOT: Your Guide to Shooting and Competition. It’s available in print and eBook formats from these vendors:
      
November 16th, 2014
Forum Member Chuck L. (aka “Ridgeway”) has created a handsome duo of 6mm Dashers for competitive benchrest and varmint matches in Pennsylvania. Both guns are built on Kelbly Panda RBLP actions, with Bartlein 8-twist barrels, and Shehane Laminated Tracker Stocks. However, the two rifles are not exact twins, as you can see. One, which we’ll call the Big Dasher, is built on a Shehane ST1000 Tracker stock. The other gun, the Small Dasher, sports Shehane’s “Baby Tracker” stock — a design used with great success by Richard Schatz. The Big Dasher, optimized for 1000-yard competition, also has a slightly longer freebore — 0.136″ vs. 0.104″ for the Small Dasher.
Chuck tells us: “I don’t get out shooting competition as much as I want due to time and family, but when I do compete, I shoot a Groundhog match at Southfork Rifle Club in Beaverdale, PA. Info on Southfork Club events can be found at Southforkrifleclub.com. The Southfork match is basically a 100-, 300- and 500-yard match with one sighter the entire match and 5 shots at each yardage for score. The Small Dasher, with the shorter ‘Baby Tracker’ stock, was set up for the Southfork Rifle Club’s ‘Light Unlimited’ class which has a 13.5-lb max weight.” (Editor: ‘unlimited’ is a misnomer for a weight-limited category.)
Chuck adds: “The Big Dasher with the heavy ST-1000 stock is set up for 1000-yard benchrest matches in Light Gun class. I hope to shoot a couple 1K matches with it at Reade Range in southwest Pennsylvania. I am still in load development for this rifle since it was just finished in January. One ironic thing is, it shoots the same load I’m shooting out of the lighter gun rather well. The only difference between the two chambers is the freebore is roughly thirty thousandths longer on the 1K gun (Large Dasher). I will also shoot this at Southfork in the ‘Heavy Unlimited’ class.”
| Specifications for the Dasher Duo:
Small Dasher (13.5-pounder): Chambered for 6mm Dasher with approximately .104 freebore and a .264 NK. (No way of knowing exactly since it freebore was done in a separate operation by Kelbly.) Components are: Shehane Baby Tracker stock, Kelbly Panda RPLB action, Bartlein 1:8″ LV barrel at 26 ¾”, Kelbly Rings, Weaver T36, Jewell trigger. The barrel was chambered by Kelblys and the stock was bedded, glued and balanced by a shooting buddy (Forum Member johara1). I clear-coated the stock with auto urethane. Total weight is 13 lbs., 4 ounces.
Big Dasher (1K Light Gun, 17-pounder): Chambered for 6mm Dasher with a .136 freebore and .264 neck (PTG Reamer). Components are: Shehane ST-1000 stock, Kelbly Panda RPLB action, Bartlein 1:8″ HV 5R barrel at 28″, Shehane +20-MOA rings, Nightforce NXS 12-42x56mm, Jewell trigger. The barrel work, pillar installation, and bedding was done by Dave Bruno. The stock was clear-coated by Chuck with auto urethane. Chuck also made the rear butt plate and balanced the rifle. Total weight: 16 lbs., 13 ounces. |
Dasher Case-Forming: Neck-Turn then Fire-form with Bullets Hard in Lands
To fireform, I turn my cases down to fit the chamber and stop where the false shoulder makes snug contact with the chamber. Fire-forming rounds are loaded up with a 29-grain charge of H4895 or Varget and a 108gr Berger bullet seated hard into the lands about 0.020″ past initial contact with the rifling. It takes about three firings to make a nice clean Dasher case with a sharp shoulder. I anneal about every 3-4 firings. I have many cases that have about 10+ firings on them and they are still shooting well. The primer pockets are a little looser, but still hold a primer.
Both Dashers Group in the Ones at 100 Yards
My main bullet for both rifles is the 107gr Sierra MK, loaded with Reloder 15 powder, Lapua cases and CCI 450 primers. My main load for the Small Dasher is 33.0 grains of Reloder 15. This load shoots in the ones at 100 yards. For the Big Dasher, I’m still working on a load, although the same 33.0 grain load shoots in the ones in the heavier gun as well. I’m still looking for more velocity and my ‘max’ node. So far, I’ve gone well above 33.0 grains of RL 15 without pressure signs, but that load produces vertical at 100 yards, so I’m going to tinker with the load until I see pressure or it starts to shoot.
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