“SCATT” — if you’re an Olympic Class air rifle or smallbore competitor you know what SCATT means. The Russian-made SCATT is a marksmanship training system with an electro-optical sensor that fits on the end of a barrel. The sensor “sees” the target and then tracks your muzzle movement relative to the center of the target, recording a “trace” that can be displayed on a computer. The latest SCATT MX-02 unit works for live-fire training as well as dry-fire training. To learn more about the SCATT electronic trainers, visit SCATTUSA.com.
Pro shooter Kirsten Joy Weiss demonstrates the SCATT MX-02 electronic training system:
The system traces and records valuable information such as hold pattern, shot hold duration, follow-through, recoil pattern, and much more. The latest SCATT MX-02 systems can be used both indoors and outdoors up to 300 meters (and possibly more). READ FULL SCATT MX-02 TEST HERE.
SCATT traces reveal muzzle movements during the aiming process.
Kirsten Joy Weiss, a top-level competitive position shooter, has tested the latest SCATT MX-02 training systtem. She put the MX-02 through its paces, and then produced an informative video that shows how it works. Click on the video above to see Kirsten use the MX-02 with her Anschütz rifle and other guns.
Kirsten was impressed with the SCATT MX-02 she tested:
“We live with tech woven into our every day, so if you had the chance to work with a computer to make you a better shooter — would you? Can a computer train you as well as your favorite coach or, dare to say, better than a human?”
Weiss says it’s like having a little coach with you recording your every move. “If R2D2 had a cousin who knew how to shoot,” Weiss quips, “his name would be the MX-02″.
The SCATT MX-02 can also be used with target pistols.
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We all wish we could spend more time shooting and less time sitting in front of a computer. But when you can’t avoid “keyboard commando” duties, here’s a way you can keep your focus on the X-Ring. Creedmoor Sports offers Shooters’ Mouse Pads for $4.95. This popular (and very functional) product will improve your web-surfing experience (nobody likes an old dirty mouse pad). Digitally printed, Creedmoor’s mouse pads are offered in five basic designs: Bull Target, 6 Inches, Distinguished Rifleman, Distinguished Pistol, and “I’d Rather Be Shooting”. Or, for an extra charge, the pads can be printed with a custom design for your shooting club or rifle team. Mouse pads printed with either the basic designs or custom logos would make excellent prizes to be awarded at your local club. This is a great way to promote your club or organization. Call 1-800-CREEDMOOR for quantity discounts.
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Just another YouTube video … NOT. This video is a winner. If you want to see state-of-the-art 21st Century rifle-building, with advanced CNC milling operations, watch this clip. It shows how man and machine combine to create a fine custom rifle.
One of the best short features of its kind, this video shows the creation of a high-end, 22-250 varmint rifle from start to finish. All aspects of the build are covered. The rifle was crafted by Chad Dixon for O’Neill Ops. Once the build is complete, the video shows the rifle being tested at 440 yards. With the camera filming through the scope, you can even watch the trace, starting at the 2:36″ time mark (this is very cool).
Watch this Video in HD!
Any person with an interest in gunsmithing should watch this video. It shows barrel profiling, tenon-thread cutting, chambering, CNC stock inletting, bedding, and stock painting.
For this build, Chad Dixon of LongRifles, Inc. teamed up with O’Neill Ops. The video shows the “Coyote Rifle” build, step by step, from the cutting of the tenon threads, to the 440-yard field test at the end of the build. To learn more about this rifle’s components and its performance in the field, contact James O’Neill, www.oneillops.com, (605) 685-6085.
Chad Dixon of LongRifles, Inc.
Chad Dixon’s introduction to firearms began in 1991 as a marksmanship instructor and competitive shooter in the U.S. Marine Corps. Chad began building rifles in 2000 at the Anschutz National Service Center, where he worked with U.S. Olympic shooters. In 2003 Chad took a position with Nesika Bay Precision/Dakota Arms. After leaving Nesika, Chad deployed to the Middle East as a security contractor for the U.S. Dept. of State. On his return to the USA, Chad started LongRifles Inc., a custom rifle-building company.
Dixon-built rifles combine modern CNC manufacturing methods with traditional expert craftsmanship. Chad’s rifles have won major int’l and national level competitions in Smallbore, Smallbore Silhouette, High Power, and Long Range Palma disciplines.
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Waterloo Labs is a group of engineers from National Instruments and other self-declared “nerds” from Austin, Texas. These folks conducted an interesting demonstration using electronic accelerometers to plot bullet impacts from a suppressed Ruger MKIII .22LR pistol. The accelerometers respond to vibrations caused when the bullets hit a drywall target backer. By triangulating data from multiple accelerometers, each shot’s exact point of impact can be plotted with great precision. These point-of-impact coordinates are then fed into a computer and super-imposed into a Flash version of the Half-Life video game (which is projected on the drywall board). The end result is being able to “play” a video game with a real firearm.
Do-It-Yourself Electronic Target System?
Now, we are NOT particularly interested in shooting Zombies in a video game. However, the technology has interesting potential applications for real shooters. Waterloo Labs has published the computer code, used to triangulate bullet impacts from multiple accelerometers. Potentially, a system like this could be built to provide display and scoring of long-range targets. Sophisticated electronic target systems already exist, but they use proprietary hardware and software, and they are very expensive. The Waterloo Labs experiment shows that shooters with some computer and electronic skills could build their own electronic scoring system, one that can be adapted to a variety of target sizes and materials.
In addition, we imagine this system could be utilized for military and law enforcement training. The walls of structures used for “live-fire” room-clearing exercises could be fitted with accelerometers so the bullet impacts could be plotted and studied. Then, later, the impact plots could be combined with a computer simulation so that trainees could “replay” their live-fire sessions, viewing the actual location of their hits (and misses).
AccurateShooter.com has something no other website has — an IT guy (and database guru) who can lay down tens and Xs at 1000 yards. This past week, Jay Christopherson (aka ‘JayChris’) has been competing at the Berger Southwest Nationals. During Saturday’s 1000-yard individual competition, Jay scored 388-12X. For the day, that topped a number of high masters, including a couple past F-Class National Champions. Not bad for a self-declared “computer geek” competing in his very first major match against national-level competition.
UPDATE:On Sunday, Jay did even better, finishing with a 392-14X for the day. Again, he out-shot many of the more experienced High Masters. Good on you Jay!
Congrats to Jay, who may be the world’s most accurate IT guy. We have to respect a man who can SHOOT and COMPUTE. To explain, Jay is the guy who keeps our servers humming, and who maintains the databases that drive our Forum, Daily Bulletin, and main website. AccurateShooter.com couldn’t run smoothly without Jay’s brain-power, coding skills, and dedication. He is truly the “genius behind the scenes” who makes it all possible. All of us are fortunate to have Jay on the team.
Jay reports: “After a rough start on Day One, I came back to take third place (2nd MA is a fancy way of saying third) in my class for Day Two 1000-yard matches, in windy conditions. Far as I can tell, I’m currently somewhere around 16th out of about 80 shooters overall (all classes), but won’t know for certain until they post the Aggregate results. I’m not likely to catch the leaders, but I think this was a decent showing so far for my first National-level match.”
How did Jay become such a good shooter? He revealed: “Actually, I’ve learned a ton of stuff from some of the smart guys on the Forum. But you also have to have good equipment, and good reloading techniques, and you have to put in the range time.”
Here is Jay (on right) with your Editor Paul McM (aka “Forum Boss”) on left.
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Many folks struggle when they sight-in a scoped rifle for the first time. A very common mistake is clicking the turrets in the wrong direction. That’s frustrating and it wastes ammo. Another common problem occurs when people sight-in at a distance other than 100 yards. People sometimes struggle to figure out how many clicks they need to correct point of impact if they’re zeroing at 200, 250, or 300 yards.
To make the sight-in process more fool-proof, AccuScope has released two handy Apps for smart phone users. Whether used for initial sight-in or in-the-field adjustments, these smartphone Apps can get you zeroed quickly and reliably.
Using the Apps is easy. First, boresight the gun to get on paper. After the gun is fouled-in (so it is shooting normally) shoot a carefully aimed 3-shot group. Then go to the target and measure the vertical and horizontal distance from the 3-shot group center to your aiming point. Input those numbers into the App, along with your sight-in distance (from muzzle to target). The App then calculates exactly how many elevation and/or windage clicks you must crank into your scope to move point-of-impact to point of aim. Put in the specified clicks and then take a fourth shot to confirm your zero. The fourth shot should impact right on your point of aim (within the limits of the gun’s inherent accuracy.)
Given Murphy’s Law, a shooter can still mess things up if he inputs left clicks when the App calls for right clicks, or inputs down clicks when he needs up clicks. But as long as you look at the “R/L” and “Up/Down” labels on your turrets before spinning the knobs, you shouldn’t have any problems.
AccuScope is available in two versions, Standard and Premium. The $4.99 Standard version works for 1/4 MOA-click-value scopes. The $9.99 Premium version works with all scopes and any click values. The Premium version works with 1/8 MOA clicks, 1/4 MOA clicks, Metric clicks, or Milrad segment click values. So, if you have a scope with 1/8 MOA clicks, you’ll need the Premium version.
AccuScope iPhone Apps are available through Apple’s App Store: Standard | Premium
AccuScope Android Apps are available through the AppBrain Store: Standard and Premium
Editor’s Comment: Does this App really provide a solution you can’t figure out yourself with simple arithmetic? No, but some math-challenged guys may find that the App prevents errors. Additionally, following the step-by-step process used by the App will probably help some shooters avoid confusion, and avoid wasting ammo clicking in the wrong directions.
Note however, that there is an even simpler way to zero, if you have a very solid front and rear rest that will hold the gun absolutely steady while you click. After bore-sighting, fire a couple rounds (with the same point of aim). Then place the rifle so the center of the cross-hairs is exactly on your original point of aim. Next, without disturbing the gun in any way, dial your turrets so that the center of the cross-hair moves over the center of your group. That’s it. You’re now zeroed (though you may want to repeat the process for confirmation). Again, this only works if the gun doesn’t shift one bit when you’re clicking. Having a helper steady the gun as you click the turrets will make this “no-math” method work more effectively.
Click-to-Initial POI Zeroing Method Demonstrated
Product Tip by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
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Do you have important documents and data on your computer — items such as tax returns, home inventories, and your precious reloading logs? Well, if you haven’t backed up these critical files, you should do so right away. Computer hard drives in your computer can fail at any time — often without warning. If you want to back up your most important data files, you can “burn” them to CD, but that can be somewhat time-consuming, and if you have very large files, they may not fit easily on a conventional CD.
Small, Portable, Affordable USB Flash Drives
One quick and easy form of back-up is to use a flash memory stick. These small USB devices, about the size of a pack of gum, are easy to use and cost less than ever. Just plug the drive into a USB port and copy your files to it (drag and drop or copy and paste). A 4 gigabyte flash drive can be purchased for around $5.00 while an 8-gig drive is less than $7. You can get a full 16 gigs of storage for under $10.00 these days.
Above are some good options from Amazon. We’ve selected SanDisk and Transcend flash drives. We have found both these brands to be very reliable. (We use Transcend Flash Cards in all our digital cameras). One word of caution — be sure to test the integrity of your files after you have copied them to a flash drive. Also store the drives in a cool, safe place, away from powerful electrical sources or magnetic fields. It is a good idea to update your backups every month or so, on a regular schedule.
Disclosure: A small percentage of Amazon sales helps fund our IT support program.
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The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has developed a handy iPhone App to be used for scoring CMP Matches. The CMP’s program for Apple smart phones and iPads is called, appropriately, iPhone App – CMP. This new App’s easy to use interface allows quick recording of a shooter’s score after each string. The CMP App also calculates your shooting percentages automatically throughout the event. In addition, the shooter can enter notes or record wind, temp and other conditions in a notes field.
This application is sponsored and endorsed by the Civilian Marksmanship Program and is now the official mobile App for keeping score at CMP-sponsored shooting events. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the iPhone App – CMP are donated to the CMP. This application is sponsored and endorsed by the Civilian Marksmanship Program and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this software are donated to the CMP.
Knights Armament has developed a sophisticated yet easy-to-use ballistics program that runs on the Apple iPod Touch and Apple iPhone platforms. The KAC Bullet Flight 3.1.0 software contains all the features you would want, including: user-selectable BC models (G1, G7, G8 etc.); output in inches, cm, MOA, Mils, and scope clicks; 360° wind drift calculation; computation of actual BC from collected data; and built-in accelerometer for angle detection.
In addition, KAC Bullet Flight 3.1.0 comes with a large database of bullet types (including weights, BCs etc.). You can also create your own custom ammo profiles (with velocity, BC, bullet type), allowing you to easily output ballistic plots for multiple firearms, without having to enter the rifle/bullet profile every time.
KAC Bullet Flight 3.1.0 is a very sophisticated program that rivals anything you can run on your home computer. A version of Bullet Flight is already in use with the U.S. Military in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Apple iPod touch/iPhone platform was chosen because this is now the #1 hand-held computing platform in the world. (With the iPod Touch, you do NOT need a phone service contract.) Also the Apple operating system and “multi-touch” screen allows an extremely user-friendly, easy-to-operate interface. “Ruggedized” Otterbox carry cases are also available for both first- and second-generation I-pods.
Software Starts at Just $3.99
There are three versions of KAC Bullet Flight, all very affordable. The basic L1 version costs just $3.99. We recommend the L2 version ($11.99) which adds a full calculation screen, the ability to generate a range-card, cosine-angle calculation, and GPS functionality. Finally, the $29.99 Level ‘M’ (Military) version further adds the ability to calculate an actual BC based on bullet drop, two velocities, or flight time. With Level ‘M’ you can also correct for very subtle factors, such as the Coriolis Effects, which come into play at ultra-long ranges.
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There are a lot of things a light, portable netbook can do for shooters. First, all your load data and shooting log info can be accessed while at the range. Second, you can run ballistics programs and download data directly from chronographs with PC connectivity. Third you can store or playback images and videos you take during shooting sessions — a valuable training aid. Use the netbook at your loading bench for instant web access to reloading databases such as Hodgdon’s Reloading Data Center. And of course, as with any Windows computer, you can run QuickLoad, the valuable tool for estimating load pressures and velocities.
This Editor has a 2.3-lb Samsung Go netbook, with 10.1″ screen. I love it. Because it is small and light (with excellent battery life), my netbook gets used 10 times as often as my regular laptop. The Samsung Go is a great netbook, but it costs over $400.00. If you can’t afford that, here’s a super-deal from eCost on a Refurbished HP Mini Netbook with Windows 7 OS.
Right now, for the next 4 days or so, you can purchase the refurb HP Mini 110 netbook for just $229.99. This 2.33-lb unit features a nice low-glare screen, 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 160 gig harddrive, and 1GB of RAM. The Mini 110 comes with built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi for fast connection to wireless networks. If you’re concerned about durability you can add TWO years of warranty coverage for $74.99 (or 1 year for $59.99).
$229.99 (before shipping) is a great deal on a netbook. These are “recertified” units with 90-day HP factory warranty and available extended warranty. Many of these units are lease returns. Note, there is also a $239.99 version with a 250 gig HD, and a $264.99 version with built-in Mobile Broadband (Windows XP). IMPORTANT: These small netbooks do NOT include a CD/DVD drive. Programs must be loaded off a network connection, thumbdrive, or external CD player (extra cost).
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There are a variety of ballistics programs that can be used with handheld PDAs, and even Apple iPhones. But Bryan Litz, author of the new Applied Ballistics for Long Range Shooting book, has come up with something bigger and better. Employing the powerful Texas Instruments (TI) Voyage 200 graphing calculator, Bryan has created a Mobile Ballistics Solution (MOBALL) that is more sophisticated (and accurate) than typical PDA-based programs.
MOBALL includes TI graphing calculator and ballistics software. Kestrel windmeter NOT included.
Bryan tells us: “The Mobile Ballistics Computer (MOBALL) was created for one purpose: to provide shooters with the most accurate and complete ballistic firing solution possible for application in the field.” MOBALL runs on a TI graphing calculator — a sturdy, stand-alone, non-network device. That means you don’t need long-term cell phone contracts, expensive data plans, or weekly OS “updates” and patches. The TI also delivers long run-time on ordinary AAA batteries. That’s a big advantage over most laptop computers, which run out of “juice” after only 4-5 hours in the field.
According to Bryan, what sets MOBALL apart from other “deployable” ballistics calculators is that: “MOBALL provides a complete ballistic solution, with the ability to account for every major and minor variable affecting a bullets trajectory. In addition to the standard variables like atmospherics, uphill/downhill angles and wind, MOBALL also has the ability to account for more subtle ballistic effects like spin drift, Coriolis effect, and multiple winds in up to 3 zones.”
Importantly, Bryan’s MOBALL device can employ Ballistic Coefficients (BCs) referenced to the G7 standard. Compared to the older G1 BC model, the G7 BC standard better matches the characterics of the long, boat-tail bullets actually used by long-range shooters. Trajectories calculated using the G7 BC are more accurate for long-range bullets because the G7 BC doesn’t vary with velocity like the conventional G1 BC.
At $290.00, MOBALL isn’t the least expensive option for a mobile ballistics device, but that price includes the TI Voyage 200 graphing calculator, worth $180.00 by itself. Bryan adds: “As already mentioned, the feature set is extensive, and the software is much more sophisticated than most ballistics programs designed for PDAs. The solution is VERY accurate (CLICK to download MOBALL Accuracy Report). Also, the TI Voyage 200 is an impressive device itself, capable of solving advanced engineering and math problems. If you’re a high school/college student, engineer, etc, the TI Voyage 200 can be used for many school and work tasks unrelated to ballistics.”
Save $20 on MOBALL and Ballistics Book Combo
As a special Holiday Offer valid through December 31, 2009, you can save money when purchasing MOBALL and Bryan’s Applied Ballistics book together. The book and MOBALL unit are being offered as a Holiday Combo Set for $309.95. That’s a $20 savings over the $329.95 cost of purchasing both book and MOBALL unit separately.
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We live in a digital, electronic era. The very story you’re reading right now consists of digital data packets transmitted electronically around the globe. Because of cost factors, 99+% of shooting matches in the USA still rely on old-fashioned manual scoring methods. However, target scoring can be done faster and more precisely with electronic scoring systems. Olympic and international CISM shooting competitions now employ electronic target systems. And electronic scoring is widely used in Europe already.
Below is a video showing an electronic scoring system developed by Norway’s Kongsberg Mikroelektronikk AS. Watch as a prone shooter puts five rounds on a 300m target. You can see the group form on the video screen at his shooting station. He’s a good shooter (with an accurate rifle). The first three shots are touching.
As you can see from the video, viewing shots on the monitor is easier than using a spotting scope and waiting for targets to be marked. The electronic target eliminates the need for a crew of target pullers in the pits.
The Kongsberg system, like the electronic systems produced by Sius Ascor of Switzerland, do more than just display shot locations to the shooter. The target units automatically calculate scores, which are transmitted to a central computer. This can provide updated competitor rankings, and can even display the results to event spectators on large view screens.
CLICK HERE for a longer streaming Flash VIDEO showing how electronic target systems work. This video, produced by Sius Ascor, shows olympic target systems in action.
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