On “Black Friday”, the big sale day following Thanksgiving, Brownells will commence a 10% off promotion. Starting at 12:01 AM, Friday, November 26, you can get 10% off any Brownells order. Log on to Brownells’ Black Rifle Friday Page on Friday to get the Promo Code, or visit Brownells’ Facebook page (Facebook “friends” get early access to Promo Code).
Black Rifle Friday Promo Runs Until Midnight on Cyber-Monday
The Brownells Black Rifle Friday Promo runs through midnight, on “Cyber-Monday”, November 29. Selected items will also have special, reduced prices all weekend. For more information, call 800-741-0015 or visit brownells.com.
The Competitive AR-15 Builders Guide, a new book by Glen Zedicker, is now available. Following Zedicker’s New AR-15 Competitive Rifle (2008), the new Builders Guide provides step-by-step instructions that will help non-professional, “home builders” assemble a competitive match or varmint rifle. This book isn’t for everyone — you need some basic gun assembly experience and an aptitude for tools. But the new Zedicker Builders’ Guide. provides a complete list of the tools you’ll need for the job, and Zedicker outline all the procedures to build a AR15 from start to finish.
Along with assembly methods, this book covers parts selection and preparation, not just hammers and pins. Creedmoor Sports, which sells the book for $31.00, explains: “Knowing how to get what you want, and be happy with the result, is truly the focus of this book. Doing it yourself gives you a huge advantage. The build will honestly have been done right, and you’ll know it! Little problems will have been fixed, function and performance enhancements will have been made, and the result is you’ll have a custom-grade rifle without paying custom-builder prices.”
The Competitive AR-15 Builders Guide is not yet available from Amazon.com or most large book vendors. However, Creedmoor Sports has plenty of copies in stock (item BK Builder, $31.00 on sale). To order, visit www.creedmoorsports.com or call 1-800-CREEDMOOR.
Earlier this month Wilson Combat launched its new gun blog, which is worth a visit. Though focused primarily on handguns, the Wilson Combat Blog also features tactical rifles and shotguns. While there are match reports and gun maintenance articles, the Wilson Blog is mainly a showcase for products, which are illustrated with really superb photography (some of the best “gun glamour” images on the web). Here are some examples of the “eye candy” Wilson combat offers on its site…
Case Colored 1911 for Trey of Jackson Armory in Texas
Trey calls this unique, Case-Colored custom the “Patriot Elite”. The slide is hand polished and then sent to Doug Turnbull for his exceptional bluing and color case hardened finish on the frame. The frontstrap was left bare to show off case colors.
Custom Professional with Flush-Crowned Barrel
Another interesting gun is this 4″ Commander-style 1911 K-5 with beautiful, fan-pattern Cocobolo grips. Notice that the muzzle is flush crowned. A new option for Wilson, the flush crown is made possible by the use of a flat wire, Glock-style recoil spring. This new feature is only available for compact/professional length slides at this time.
Wilson Arms AR Trigger — Long-Term Test
The Wilson Arms Blog also links to a Military Times long-term test of the Wilson Tactical Trigger Unit (TTU) for AR-type lowers. The Times tested the TTU over six months with 10,000 drops of the hammer. Click Here to read the full review, published on Sept. 29, 2010.
Here’s a product that should interest varminters and Service Rifle shooters. Mossberg has just introduced its new Tactical .22 auto-loading rimfire rifle. With a $276 MSRP, the Mossberg Tactical .22 provides the look and feel of an AR-style rifle with an affordable price. This gun, officially sold by Mossberg Int’l, promises to be a fun plinker that can also work for very close-range varmint hunting on small prey.
Service Rifle shooters looking for an inexpensive trainer will find that the Mossberg Tactical .22 shares most of the ergonomics of their centerfire AR-15 match rifles. With the rising costs of centerfire ammunition, Mossberg’s new Tactical .22 rimfire can provide a cost-effective training platform.
Model 702 Action in AR-Style Chassis
The lightweight Mossberg Tactical .22 is based on Mossberg’s proven model 702 rimfire autoloader. Mossberg adapted the Model 702 action to an AR-style chassis with an 18″ barrel and a quad-rail fore-end. (We would rather see standard AR-style handguards, but this does allow a varminter to mount lights or other accessories on the forearm.) The Mossberg Tactical .22 will be offered with two stock configurations — a fixed stock with 13″ LOP, or a 6-position stock that can adjust length of pull from 10-3/4″ – 14.5″. The adjustable stock may be good for young kids, but otherwise we recommend the fixed stock. The Tactical .22 comes with an A2-style carry handle and an adjustable rear peep/front blade iron sights. On top of the carry handle is a Picatinny rail for mounting optics. Groan — that’s the wrong position for a scope, because you can’t maintain a cheek weld, but the rail is better than nothing if you need to mount a red dot or other sighting system. A 10-rd magazine is standard.
Here’s an item that should interest 3-Gun and Multi-Gun competitors using AR rifles. Magpul Industries has filed for a patent on a new “quad-stack” magazine that may hold as many as 60 rounds, yet feed through a normal AR15 mag well. (In Multi-Gun matches, ultra-high-capacity magazines can provide a competitive edge in high-round-count stages.) While Magpul is renowned for its innovative engineering, we wonder if this new mag design was inspired, at least in part, by the Russians. Earlier this year, the Izhmash OJSC factory in Russia revealed a quad-stack 60-round magazine for the new AK-200 rifle, successor to the AK-47.
An explanation of how Magpul’s new quad-stack AR magazine works is found on The Firearm Blog, which reports: “The design is quite straight forward. A central partition separates two dual staggered round stacks. Two springs are used, a lower stronger spring and a weaker top spring[.]”
In the frame below, click-drag on the right-side scroll bar to view numerous technical illustrations included in Magpul’s 12-page patent application. You can also navigate by clicking the page arrows (at bottom of frame) or by clicking “tile mode”. Use the plus/minus controls to zoom in or out.
The 2010 LaRue Tactical Multi-Gun Match has wrapped up and two new champions have been crowned. The match was held at the Cawthon Cartridge Club in Cawthon, Texas. Taran Butler won the Tactical Division and Benny Hill won the Tactical Heavy Division. Butler is a 5-Time USPSA Multi-Gun National Tactical Champion and 10-Time California State 3-Gun Champion. Those who’ve seen Taran Butler in action understand why he’s one of the top multi-gun shooters in the county. He can compete head-to-head with the best handgunners, and he’s blazing fast with his carbine, even on the move.
If you use an AR-platform rifle for varminting, multi-gun matches, or Service Rifle competition, one simple upgrade you can make to enhance reliability is to replace the mil-spec gas rings with a one-piece McFarland™ bolt gas ring. The McFarland ring is a single spiral of spring steel that loops around the bolt three times and leaves no path for gas leakage. With conventional gas rings, you need to correctly rotate each ring so the “gap” does not line up, thereby allowing gas blow-by that can cause cycling problems. The one-piece ring is an inexpensive, “set and forget” solution that eliminates the need to monitor your ring position on the bolt body.
The one-piece McFarland gas ring is recommended by Fulton Armory and other AR experts. Installation is simple and the one-piece rings last a very long time. One AR user comments: “Ever since I tried single rings I would never change back to mil-spec rings. I’ve experienced more consistent recoils and cyclic rates of fire. And, as to wear — I haven’t worn one out yet.” On Brownells.com, two gunsmiths offered these reviews:
“Easy install, zero chance of a gap, one less thing to worry about in the bolt carrier group. This item should greatly improve gas pressure consistency. This is a ‘must have’ item.” — Jake, SC
“The concept is simple and sound. The one-piece gas ring removes the possibility of gaps lining up. It installs easily, holds great tension, and is cheap. Doesn’t get much better.” — Lane, TN
The McFarland™ one-piece bolt gas ring can be purchased from Brownells for $3.99 (item 100-001-257) or from Fulton Armory for $2.99 (item FA-AR-300-109). Purchase three or four at once to save on shipping costs — that should be enough for a decade of AR shooting.
Creedmoor Sports notified us that they have Geissele Triggers (for AR platform rifles), and Lapua Brass in stock. These triggers are often back-ordered for months, so if you need one, you should give Creedmoor a call at 800-273-3366. Chose the Geissele GT-SR trigger for $279.00, or the new SSA model for $170.00.
If you have been looking for Lapua Brass, Creedmoor has ample quantities for most of the popular cartridges: .223 Rem, .220 Russian, 6mmBR, .243 Win, 6.5×47 Lapua, 6.5-284 Norma, .308 Win, 30-06, .338 Lapua Magnum.
Jeff Stover, President of the IBS (International Benchrest Shooters) just sent us the final rules and safety guidelines for AR benchrest competition under the IBS. Jeff noted: “Shooters should understand that the ranges and clubs will determine whether to allow AR rifles in their particular IBS benchrest matches.” This program is not mandatory, and each club will decide, based on its own priorities, whether ARs will be allowed to compete. When they ARE “invited”, AR-platform rifles will run in their own separate class.
After we reported that Tyler Rico of Arizona won the Nevada Regional High Power Championship (at the ripe old age of 15), some of our readers asked about Tyler’s match rifle. Tyler, who earned his Distinguished badge at age 13 (the youngest ever to do do), primarily shoots AR-platform rifles. The AR with which Tyler won the 2010 Nevada Regional featured a custom 6mmAR upper built by Robert Whitley’s AR-X Enterprises. The 6mmAR chambering, basically a 6.5 Grendel necked down to 6mm, was popularized by Robert, who is himself an avid High Power shooter.
Tyler Rico’s 6mmAR upper has an interesting history. Whitley explained: “Originally we built it up for some testing by the Marine Shooting Team and we took it down to Quantico. They liked it a lot but did not have authority or funding to buy them. When Tyler’s father called me looking for an upper for Tyler, I offered a special deal on it because we wanted to help support a junior shooter.” Built on a heavy-walled DPMS Low Pro receiver, Tyler’s upper features a 26″ Krieger 1:8″ twist barrel, and a side-positioned charging handle.
According to Whitley, “My test rifle with Tyler’s upper shot great. Above is a photo of one of the initial 10-shot, 100-yard test targets I shot with the upper at 100 yards. This gun really hammered. Remember The ‘X’ ring is the size of a dime”.
Five Shots at 300m that Could Fit under a Quarter
Robert Whitley took the photo below at the Marine’s Quantico, VA, Precision Weapons Section facility. The photo shows a target shot with Tyler’s upper at 300 meters. That’s a five-shot group the size of a quarter. Robert reports: “The Marines wouldn’t let me take the target home, because they planned to use the target to support their lobbying effort for funds to purchase new 6mmAR uppers.”
On “Black Friday”, the big sale day following Thanksgiving, Brownells will commence a 10% off promotion. Starting at 12:01 AM, Friday, November 26, you can get 10% off any Brownells order. Log on to Brownells’ Black Rifle Friday Page on Friday to get the Promo Code, or visit Brownells’ Facebook page (Facebook “friends” get early access to Promo Code).
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Here’s a product that should interest varminters and Service Rifle shooters. 
Model 702 Action in AR-Style Chassis
Here’s an item that should interest 3-Gun and Multi-Gun competitors using AR rifles. Magpul Industries has filed for a patent on a new “quad-stack” magazine that may hold as many as 60 rounds, yet feed through a normal AR15 mag well. (In Multi-Gun matches, ultra-high-capacity magazines can provide a competitive edge in high-round-count stages.) While Magpul is renowned for its innovative engineering, we wonder if this new mag design was inspired, at least in part, by the Russians. Earlier this year, the 
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