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November 20th, 2024
Sherri Jo Gallagher, the second woman in history to win the NRA High Power National Championship, sports Eye Protection at Camp Perry. The first lady High Power Champion was Sherri’s mother, Nancy Tompkins.
 In response to a Bulletin article about Protective Eyewear, one of our Canadian readers posted a personal story. His account demonstrates the importance of wearing eye protection whenever you shoot — no matter what type of firearm you are using — even air rifles. We hope all our readers take this to heart. All too often at rifle matches we see shooters, even some top competitors, risking their vision by failing to wear eye protection.
Eye and Hearing Protection are now MANDATORY for Highpower Rifle competitors and Pistol shooters in all CMP-affiliated matches. Starting in 2020 the CMP Highpower Rifle, Pistol, and CMP Games Rulebooks incorporated the following rule: “All competitors and competition officials are required to wear appropriate eye and hearing protection when on shooting range firing lines during highpower rifle or pistol firing. All competitors must comply with this requirement before they can participate in a CMP sponsored or sanctioned competition. Competitors are responsible for selecting their eyewear and hearing protection.”
 Eye Protection — Lesson Learned
by Nicholas from Canada
As a boy on a mixed farm on the plains the first shooting stick I owned was a Red Ryder BB gun. My Dad bought it for me as I showed a keen interest in the shooting and hunting sports. I was about 9 years old at the time.
We had literally thousands of sparrows in our large farm yard and they liked to roost on the steel railings in the barn loft. I took to slowly thinning out their ranks by flashlight at night as these little winged pests settled in the farm buildings.
One evening as I slayed sparrow after sparrow in the barn loft — with about a dozen farm cats following me to consume these easy meals, I fired at another bird centered in my flashlight beam.
However, my aim was a bit low — and the copper pellet hit the steel beam square on. Instantly I felt a sharp pain as the BB bounced back and hit me squarely between the eyes on the bridge of my nose – drawing blood from the partial penetration into the skin. A half inch either way and I’d have lost an eye!
Never, never, never shoot at any target with a steel background with any firearm, even a BB gun – is the hard lesson I learned, and wear the best shooting glasses that money can buy!
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT!!
 Editor’s Comment: Among competitive pistol shooters, the use of safety eyewear is universal. You’ll never see Rob Leatham, Julie Golob, or Jerry Miculek competing without eye protection — for good reason. The handgun sports’ governing bodies effectively enforce mandatory eye protection policies. We wish the same could be said for competitive rifle shooting. We often see benchrest, High Power, and F-Class competitors shooting without eye protection. We’ve heard all the excuses, yet none of them trump the safety considerations involved.
We recommend that all shooters and hunters employ eye protection whenever they use firearms or are at a location where live fire is taking place. You only have two eyes. A tiny bullet fragment or ricochet is all it takes to cause permanent blindness in one or both eyes. As rifle shooters, we place our eyes a couple inches away from a combustion chamber operating at pressures up to 70,000 psi. I know quite a few guys who will religiously put on safety glasses when running a lathe or a drill press, yet the same guys won’t use eye protection when shooting their rifles — simply because it is “inconvenient”. That’s nuts. It doesn’t matter is you are a cub scout or a multi-time National Champion — you should wear eye protection.
I will give you a personal example. A year ago I was shooting a 9mm pistol. One of the cartridges had a primer burst outward blowing small particles, some brass, and a piece of the pistol’s extractor right back into my eyes. Thankfully I was wearing good wrap-around safety glasses. No injuries at all. But without those safety glasses, this could have been very serious. I always wear safety glasses with ALL firearms. Shown below is the same kind of primer blow-out I experienced, but with a .270 Win rifle cartridge.
Be wise — protect your eyes. To learn more about eyewear safety standards, and to learn about the latest options in ANSI Z87-certified protective eyewear, read our article on Eye Protection for Shooters.
Share the post "Protect Your Vision — Always Use Eye Protection When Shooting"
September 19th, 2024
If you don’t match your ammo to your chamber, bad things can happen, that’s for sure. A while back, Forum member BigBlack had an experience at the gun range that reminds us of the importance of safety when shooting. He encountered evidence that someone had fired the wrong cartridge in a 7mm WSM rifle. The problem is more common than you may think. This Editor has personally seen novices try to shoot 9mm ammo in 40 S&W pistols. BigBlack’s story is along those lines, though the results were much more dramatic. It’s too bad a knowledgeable shooter was not nearby to “intervene” before this fellow chambered the wrong ammo.
7mm-08 is Not the Same as a 7mm WSM
BigBlack writes: “I know this has probably been replayed a thousand times but I feel we can never be reminded enough about safety. This weekend at the range I found a ruptured case on the ground. My immediate thoughts were that it was a hot load, but the neck area was begging for me to take a closer look, so I did. I took home the exploded case and rummaged through my old cases until I found a close match. From my investigative work it appears someone shot a 7mm-08 in a 7mm WSM. Take a look. In the above photo I’ve put together a 7mm WSM case (top), the ruptured case (middle), and a 7mm-08 case (bottom).”
The photo reveals what probably happened to the 7mm-08 case. The shoulder moved forward to match the 7mm WSM profile. The sidewalls of the case expanded outward in the much larger 7mm WSM chamber until they lacked the strength to contain the charge, and then the case sides ruptured catastrophically. A blow-out of this kind can be very dangerous, as the expanding gasses may not be completely contained within the action.
Can’t Happen to You? Think Again.
This kind of mistake — chambering the wrong cartridge — can happen to any shooter who is distracted, who places even a single wrong round in an ammo box, or who has two types of ammo on the bench. One of our Forum members was testing two different rifles recently and he picked up the wrong cartridge from the bench. As a result, he fired a .30-06 round in a .300 Win Mag chamber, and the case blew out. Here is his story:
“I took two of my hunting rifles I have not used for over 25 years to the range yesterday to get new scopes on paper, a .30-06 and .300 Win Mag. I had four boxes of old Winchester factory ammo (two of each cartridge), which had near identical appearances. I accidentally chambered a .30-06 round in the Sako .300 Win Mag rifle. It sprayed powder on my face and cracked the stock at the pistol grip. If I had not been wearing safety glasses I might be blind right now.
You should always wear protective eyewear, EVERY time you shoot.
“I feel lucky and am very thankful for being OK — other than my face looks funny right now. I am also grateful for learning a valuable lesson. I will never put two different cartridges on the bench at the same time again.”
READ More about this incident in our Shooters’ Forum.
Share the post "Wrong Cartridge in Your Rifle’s Chamber — Bad Things Happen"
May 11th, 2024
A few years back, Our friend Grant Guess had a “close encounter” with a bad primer. An apparently defective primer caused part of the casehead on one of his rounds to blow out. This, in turn, allowed high pressure gas to vent through the damaged primer pocket. Take a good look, boys and girls. This is yet another very good reason to wear safety glasses … EVERY time you shoot. The cartridge was a 6.5-06, handloaded in necked-down Winchester-headstamp .270 Win brass. Grant reports:
“I had a blow-through between the primer and the primer pocket today. The action was really smoking and I got a face full of gas. This was a reasonably light charge. Thank God for safety glasses.
I should also mention that it appears there is a 3/64 hole that is halfway between the primer and the primer pocket. Like it burned a small jet hole through both of them.”
Could this happen to you? It just might. On seeing this damaged case, one of Grant’s Facebook friends, Chris D., observed: “Search the internet, you will see a lot of these pin hole ‘in the corner’ failures. Obviously Winchester has some issues with the LR primers.”
Careful Examination Reveals Apparent Primer Defect
After this incident, Grant examined the damaged case: “I [measured] the flash hole and it is not over-sized or under-sized. The primer clearly has an area where it had a defect. At [50,000 CUP], it doesn’t take much of a defect to cause issues. There was a slight bit of pucker-factor on the next shot….”
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January 25th, 2024
A few years back, Our friend Grant Guess had a “close encounter” with a bad primer. An apparently defective primer caused part of the casehead on one of his rounds to blow out. This, in turn, allowed high pressure gas to vent through the damaged primer pocket. Take a good look, boys and girls. This is yet another very good reason to wear safety glasses … EVERY time you shoot. The cartridge was a 6.5-06, handloaded in necked-down Winchester-headstamp .270 Win brass. Grant reports:
“I had a blow-through between the primer and the primer pocket today. The action was really smoking and I got a face full of gas. This was a reasonably light charge. Thank God for safety glasses.
I should also mention that it appears there is a 3/64 hole that is halfway between the primer and the primer pocket. Like it burned a small jet hole through both of them.”
Could this happen to you? It just might. On seeing this damaged case, one of Grant’s Facebook friends, Chris D., observed: “Search the internet, you will see a lot of these pin hole ‘in the corner’ failures. Obviously Winchester has some issues with the LR primers.”
Careful Examination Reveals Apparent Primer Defect
After this incident, Grant examined the damaged case: “I [measured] the flash hole and it is not over-sized or under-sized. The primer clearly has an area where it had a defect. At [50,000 CUP], it doesn’t take much of a defect to cause issues. There was a slight bit of pucker-factor on the next shot….”
Share the post "Primer Pocket Blow-Out — Another Reason for Eye Protection"
October 6th, 2023
Sherri Jo Gallagher, the second woman in history to win the NRA High Power National Championship, sports Eye Protection at Camp Perry. The first lady High Power Champion was Sherri’s mother, Nancy Tompkins.
In response to a Bulletin article about Protective Eyewear, one of our Canadian readers posted a personal story. His account demonstrates the importance of wearing eye protection whenever you shoot — no matter what type of firearm you are using — even air rifles. We hope all our readers take this to heart. All too often at rifle matches we see shooters, even some top competitors, risking their vision by failing to wear eye protection.
Eye and Hearing Protection are now MANDATORY for Highpower Rifle competitors and Pistol shooters in all CMP-affiliated matches. The 2020 CMP Highpower Rifle, Pistol, and CMP Games Rulebooks all contain the following rule: “All competitors and competition officials are required to wear appropriate eye and hearing protection when on shooting range firing lines during highpower rifle or pistol firing. All competitors must comply with this requirement before they can participate in a CMP sponsored or sanctioned competition. Competitors are responsible for selecting their eyewear and hearing protection.”
Eye Protection — Lesson Learned
by Nicholas from Canada
As a boy on a mixed farm on the plains the first shooting stick I owned was a Red Ryder BB gun. My Dad bought it for me as I showed a keen interest in the shooting and hunting sports. I was about 9 years old at the time.
We had literally thousands of sparrows in our large farm yard and they liked to roost on the steel railings in the barn loft. I took to slowly thinning out their ranks by flashlight at night as these little winged pests settled in the farm buildings.
One evening as I slayed sparrow after sparrow in the barn loft — with about a dozen farm cats following me to consume these easy meals, I fired at another bird centered in my flashlight beam.
However, my aim was a bit low — and the copper pellet hit the steel beam square on. Instantly I felt a sharp pain as the BB bounced back and hit me squarely between the eyes on the bridge of my nose – drawing blood from the partial penetration into the skin. A half inch either way and I’d have lost an eye!
Never, never, never shoot at any target with a steel background with any firearm, even a BB gun – is the hard lesson I learned, and wear the best shooting glasses that money can buy!
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT!!
Editor’s Comment: Among competitive pistol shooters, the use of safety eyewear is universal. You’ll never see Rob Leatham, Julie Golob, or Jerry Miculek competing without eye protection — for good reason. The handgun sports’ governing bodies effectively enforce mandatory eye protection policies. We wish the same could be said for competitive rifle shooting. We often see benchrest, High Power, and F-Class competitors shooting without eye protection. We’ve heard all the excuses, yet none of them trump the safety considerations involved.
We recommend that all shooters and hunters employ eye protection whenever they use firearms or are at a location where live fire is taking place. You only have two eyes. A tiny bullet fragment or ricochet is all it takes to cause permanent blindness in one or both eyes. As rifle shooters, we place our eyes a couple inches away from a combustion chamber operating at pressures up to 70,000 psi. I know quite a few guys who will religiously put on safety glasses when running a lathe or a drill press, yet the same guys won’t use eye protection when shooting their rifles — simply because it is “inconvenient”. That’s nuts. It doesn’t matter is you are a cub scout or a multi-time National Champion — you should wear eye protection.
I will give you a personal example. A year ago I was shooting a 9mm pistol. One of the cartridges had a primer burst outward blowing small particles, some brass, and a piece of the pistol’s extractor right back into my eyes. Thankfully I was wearing good wrap-around safety glasses. No injuries at all. But without those safety glasses, this could have been very serious. I always wear safety glasses with ALL firearms. Shown below is the same kind of primer blow-out I experienced, but with a .270 Win rifle cartridge.
Be wise — protect your eyes. To learn more about eyewear safety standards, and to learn about the latest options in ANSI Z87-certified protective eyewear, read our article on Eye Protection for Shooters.
Share the post "Always Wear Eye Protection — You Only Have One Set of Eyes"
September 19th, 2023
If you don’t match your ammo to your chamber, bad things can happen, that’s for sure. A while back, Forum member BigBlack had an experience at the gun range that reminds us of the importance of safety when shooting. He encountered evidence that someone had fired the wrong cartridge in a 7mm WSM rifle. The problem is more common than you may think. This Editor has personally seen novices try to shoot 9mm ammo in 40 S&W pistols. BigBlack’s story is along those lines, though the results were much more dramatic. It’s too bad a knowledgeable shooter was not nearby to “intervene” before this fellow chambered the wrong ammo.
7mm-08 is Not the Same as a 7mm WSM
BigBlack writes: “I know this has probably been replayed a thousand times but I feel we can never be reminded enough about safety. This weekend at the range I found a ruptured case on the ground. My immediate thoughts were that it was a hot load, but the neck area was begging for me to take a closer look, so I did. I took home the exploded case and rummaged through my old cases until I found a close match. From my investigative work it appears someone shot a 7mm-08 in a 7mm WSM. Take a look. In the above photo I’ve put together a 7mm WSM case (top), the ruptured case (middle), and a 7mm-08 case (bottom).”
The photo reveals what probably happened to the 7mm-08 case. The shoulder moved forward to match the 7mm WSM profile. The sidewalls of the case expanded outward in the much larger 7mm WSM chamber until they lacked the strength to contain the charge, and then the case sides ruptured catastrophically. A blow-out of this kind can be very dangerous, as the expanding gasses may not be completely contained within the action.
Can’t Happen to You? Think Again.
This kind of mistake — chambering the wrong cartridge — can happen to any shooter who is distracted, who places even a single wrong round in an ammo box, or who has two types of ammo on the bench. One of our Forum members was testing two different rifles recently and he picked up the wrong cartridge from the bench. As a result, he fired a .30-06 round in a .300 Win Mag chamber, and the case blew out. Here is his story:
“I took two of my hunting rifles I have not used for over 25 years to the range yesterday to get new scopes on paper, a .30-06 and .300 Win Mag. I had four boxes of old Winchester factory ammo (two of each cartridge), which had near identical appearances. I accidentally chambered a .30-06 round in the Sako .300 Win Mag rifle. It sprayed powder on my face and cracked the stock at the pistol grip. If I had not been wearing safety glasses I might be blind right now.
You should always wear protective eyewear, EVERY time you shoot.
“I feel lucky and am very thankful for being OK — other than my face looks funny right now. I am also grateful for learning a valuable lesson. I will never put two different cartridges on the bench at the same time again.”
READ More about this incident in our Shooters’ Forum.
Share the post "Wrong Cartridge in Chamber — What Can Happen"
June 2nd, 2023
Shooting Industry magazine has released its first-ever “Safety Issue” this month (June 2023), coinciding with National Safety Month. Among the many articles in the June issue are three major features which can benefit gun owners and range operators. These articles cover Firearms Safes (large and small), Eye and Ear Protection, and general range Health and Safety procedures.
READ Shooting Industry Magazine June 2023 Full Issue »
SEE All Shooting Industry Magazine Issues (2018-2023) »
Gun Safe Trends for Large Vaults and Portable Units
In this month’s featured Gun Safes article, SI writer Shannon Farlow spoke with Stephen Hall of Lock It Up Safe Company; Brice McCunn, of Iowa Safe Company; and Larry Hyatt, president of Hyatt Guns.
SI: Which types of gun safes are the most popular these days?
Hall: In our store, we tend to divide safes in a few categories such as pistol/travel, “home safes” (which usually means 44″ and shorter, small safes (think 1–20 rifles), big safes (20+ rifles) and extra-large safes, which can have capacities of close to 100. We seem to rotate through all of them pretty consistently, but if I had to pick one that’s a bit slow it would be the medium sizes such as 60″ tall and between 36″–42″ wide. Oftentimes, I think people want something much smaller or much larger.
McCunn: In Iowa, we’ve noticed a trend of larger safes being sold. For instance, 72″ tall safes are by far the most popular for our region, but we do sell a variety of sizes.
Hyatt: Small handgun safes remain our top sellers. We use these as add-on sales for every gun sold in our store and we offer a discount at point of purchase.
SI: How popular are portable gun safes?
Hyatt: These are our top sellers by a significant margin. They are an inexpensive way to allow gun owners to secure their firearms, while still allowing easy access to them, both in the home and on the go.
Hall: Securing a firearm in a car is probably the most popular thing small handgun-style safes are utilized for. Vaultek has done a phenomenal job of addressing this with their LifePod and Barikade line of travel safes. They come in a variety of sizes, colors and features. Vaultek has biometric options along with keypad options, creating an option for most shoppers.
Eye and Ear Protection
Eye and ear protection are vital for all gun owners. And visitors to shooting ranges should rent/borrow eye and ear protection if they don’t have their own gear.
Store owners interviewed by Shooting Industry noted that safety gear sells well: “Out of all the stuff in the shop, they’re probably the easiest things to sell, maybe other than ammo,” confirmed Tim Van Leiden, owner of The Gun Guys in Kansas. Indeed, this stuff is pretty much a mandatory part of every shooter’s kit, suggests John Stephenson, general manager of Metro Shooting Supplies in Missouri. Accordingly Metro Shooting promotes eye and ear protection for all customers.
There is a trend to shooters getting electronic muffs. These offer excellent protection against high-decibel sounds while still allowing shooters to hear range commands. Plugs alone can work well, but plugs under electronic muffs may be the best option. Plugs under muffs can provide maximum sound protection (with 6-8 dB NRR better than typical muffs alone), while allowing shooters to hear instructions and communicate with fellow shooters.
Shooting Range Safety and Health Programs
In a detailed “Best Practices” artile Dale Krupinski explains how to maintain effective range safety and health programs, and keep indoor ranges safe for workers and customers. Among the key points covered in the article are:
1. Frequently inspect the shooting range for safety hazards.
2. Conduct lead dust and noise exposure tests for range workers.
3. Provide safety and health training to range managers and employees.
4. Communicate safety and health protocols to contractors working at the range.
5. Regularly verify that the safety and health programs are working as intended.
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October 23rd, 2022
Sherri Jo Gallagher, the second woman in history to win the NRA High Power National Championship, sports Eye Protection at Camp Perry. The first lady High Power Champion was Sherri’s mother, Nancy Tompkins.
 In response to a Bulletin article about Protective Eyewear, one of our Canadian readers posted a personal story. His account demonstrates the importance of wearing eye protection whenever you shoot — no matter what type of firearm you are using — even air rifles. We hope all our readers take this to heart. All too often at rifle matches we see shooters, even some top competitors, risking their vision by failing to wear eye protection.
Eye and Hearing Protection are now MANDATORY for Highpower Rifle competitors and Pistol shooters in all CMP-affiliated matches. The 2020 CMP Highpower Rifle, Pistol, and CMP Games Rulebooks all contain the following rule: “All competitors and competition officials are required to wear appropriate eye and hearing protection when on shooting range firing lines during highpower rifle or pistol firing. All competitors must comply with this requirement before they can participate in a CMP sponsored or sanctioned competition. Competitors are responsible for selecting their eyewear and hearing protection.”
 Eye Protection — Lesson Learned
by Nicholas from Canada
As a boy on a mixed farm on the plains the first shooting stick I owned was a Red Ryder BB gun. My Dad bought it for me as I showed a keen interest in the shooting and hunting sports. I was about 9 years old at the time.
We had literally thousands of sparrows in our large farm yard and they liked to roost on the steel railings in the barn loft. I took to slowly thinning out their ranks by flashlight at night as these little winged pests settled in the farm buildings.
One evening as I slayed sparrow after sparrow in the barn loft — with about a dozen farm cats following me to consume these easy meals, I fired at another bird centered in my flashlight beam.
However, my aim was a bit low — and the copper pellet hit the steel beam square on. Instantly I felt a sharp pain as the BB bounced back and hit me squarely between the eyes on the bridge of my nose – drawing blood from the partial penetration into the skin. A half inch either way and I’d have lost an eye!
Never, never, never shoot at any target with a steel background with any firearm, even a BB gun – is the hard lesson I learned, and wear the best shooting glasses that money can buy!
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT!!
 Editor’s Comment: Among competitive pistol shooters, the use of safety eyewear is universal. You’ll never see Rob Leatham, Julie Golob, or Jerry Miculek competing without eye protection — for good reason. The handgun sports’ governing bodies effectively enforce mandatory eye protection policies. We wish the same could be said for competitive rifle shooting. We often see benchrest, High Power, and F-Class competitors shooting without eye protection. We’ve heard all the excuses, yet none of them trump the safety considerations involved.
We recommend that all shooters and hunters employ eye protection whenever they use firearms or are at a location where live fire is taking place. You only have two eyes. A tiny bullet fragment or ricochet is all it takes to cause permanent blindness in one or both eyes. As rifle shooters, we place our eyes a couple inches away from a combustion chamber operating at pressures up to 70,000 psi. I know quite a few guys who will religiously put on safety glasses when running a lathe or a drill press, yet the same guys won’t use eye protection when shooting their rifles — simply because it is “inconvenient”. That’s nuts. It doesn’t matter is you are a cub scout or a multi-time National Champion — you should wear eye protection.
I will give you a personal example. A year ago I was shooting a 9mm pistol. One of the cartridges had a primer burst outward blowing small particles, some brass, and a piece of the pistol’s extractor right back into my eyes. Thankfully I was wearing good wrap-around safety glasses. No injuries at all. But without those safety glasses, this could have been very serious. I always wear safety glasses with ALL firearms. Shown below is the same kind of primer blow-out I experienced, but with a .270 Win rifle cartridge.
Be wise — protect your eyes. To learn more about eyewear safety standards, and to learn about the latest options in ANSI Z87-certified protective eyewear, read our article on Eye Protection for Shooters.
Share the post "You Only Have One Set of Eyes — Protect Them"
August 29th, 2022
At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Sunday afternoon or 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.
NOTE: All listed products are for sale to persons 18 years of age or older. No products are intended for use by minors.
1. Palmetto State Armory — PSA AR-15 Lower Receiver, $59.99
⏺ Very good deal and AR lower — get one while you can
President Biden and his buddies in Washington want to ban ARs and other modern sporting rifles. The core component for a custom AR build is a milspec AR lower receiver. Now for just $59.99 you can get a quality PSA AR-15 “Stealth” Lower Receiver. This quality lower features no rollmark on the left hand side. These PSA lowers have quality 7075-T6 aluminum construction and will accept all standard components and popular trigger groups. At this low $59.99 price, you might want to buy a couple.
2. Bruno’s — BAT Actions IN-STOCK with Free Shipping
⏺ BAT makes exceptionally good actions which have won many championships
Did you know that the average wait time for a custom action is now about 12 months? Skip the wait and grab one of the many superb BAT Actions available right now at Bruno Shooters Supply. A wide selection of BAT actions are in stock now, ready for immediate delivery to your FFL. If you order during the current sale, these actions qualify for FREE SHIPPING.
3. MidwayUSA — Vortex Viper 5-25x50mm FFP, $679.99
⏺ Excellent FFP scope for PRS/NRL competition, good power range
Need a quality, durable FFP scope for PRS or NRL matches? An excellent yet very affordable option is the Vortex Viper 5-25x50mm riflescope. PRS/NRL competitors have praised this scope for its optical quality and toughness. The glass-etched EBR-2D MRAD reticle offers very precise MILrad markings for elevation hold-overs and/or wind corrections. For low-light conditions, this Vortex Viper offers 10 intensity levels with off positions between each setting.
4. Amazon — RCBS Partner Press, $81.93
⏺ Good choice for secondary press for decapping and bullet seating duties
If you load at the range or need a secondary press the RCBS Partner Press is a great choice. The very affordable Partner Press is easy to use and easy to transport, making it a good choice for loading at the range. And it works well as a smaller, secondary press for your home reloading center. We’ve used a Partner Press effectively for decapping, neck-sizing, and many other tasks. The current $81.93 price is a bargain. Note: Accessory base plate not included.
5. Natchez — Rimfire and Centerfire Ammunition Sale
⏺ Great savings on big selection of rifle, pistol and shotgun ammo
Thankfully, ammunition is becoming more available these days, and prices are starting to come down. The latest Natchez Ammo Sale offers a wide range of pistol, rifle, and shotgun ammo at great prices — up to 64% off. There are some great deals on bulk 9mm ammo, and pistol shooters will also find good defensive ammo with hollow-point projectiles. Natchez is also running some attractive deals on CCI and Remington rimfire ammo.
6. Graf & Sons — Hornady Sonic Cleaner, $109.99
⏺ Quality ultrasonic cleaning machine at very good price
Are you looking for a different way to clean you brass? Consider the Hornady Sonic Cleaner which removes carbon residue from the inside and outside of cartridge cases with high frequency ultrasonic energy and a specialized cleaning solution. Unlike case tumblers, the Lock-N-Load Sonic Cleaner effectively cleans the inner surfaces of cartridge cases as well as the primer pockets.
7. Midsouth — Radians 5-Lens Eye Protection System, $20.89
⏺ Very Good eye protection with 5 lenses — clear, yellow, orange, amber, gray
We recommend wearing quality eye protection whenever you go shooting — even with rimfire guns. This excellent Radians kit includes five different ANSI Z87.1-certified lenses, so you can select the optimal lens type for your shooting sport and light conditions. The Radians Glasses Kit, now just $20.89, includes clear, yellow, orange, dark amber, and dark gray lenses that are easily interchangeable and very durable. This kit includes neoprene carrying case, neck cord, and microfiber lens cloth bag.
8. Amazon — FalconTac First Aid Kit, $49.95
⏺ Very well-equipped first aid kit — for home, range, or vehicle
Wise firearms owners and outdoorsmen will keep a good first aid kit in their vehicles wherever they travel. The FalconTac Trauma first aid kit offers important treatment products for a wide variety of injuries, from minor cuts to bullet wounds. This $49.95 FalconTac Kit contains essential supplies for hemorrhage control, including military tourniquet, tactical pressure dressing, and compressed gauze.
9. Amazon — 14-In-1 Multitool, $20.99
⏺ Great price on versatile multi-tool that performs myriad functions
The 14-In-1 Multitool with Safety Lock offers great capabilities for a modest $20.99 price. This handy multitool includes a sharp knife blade plus a serrated knife. Then there are a dozen specialized components — multiple plier heads (long nose, round nose pliers, cutting pliers), Philips screwdriver, 3 slotted screwdrivers (small, medium, large), hook remover, double-sided file, small scraper, can opener, and bottle opener. This compact multi-tool stores easily in a backpack or your vehicle.
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September 4th, 2021
A few years back, Our friend Grant Guess had a “close encounter” with a bad primer. An apparently defective primer caused part of the casehead on one of his rounds to blow out. This, in turn, allowed high pressure gas to vent through the damaged primer pocket. Take a good look, boys and girls. This is yet another very good reason to wear safety glasses … EVERY time you shoot. The cartridge was a 6.5-06, handloaded in necked-down Winchester-headstamp .270 Win brass. Grant reports:
“I had a blow-through between the primer and the primer pocket today. The action was really smoking and I got a face full of gas. This was a reasonably light charge. Thank God for safety glasses.
I should also mention that it appears there is a 3/64 hole that is halfway between the primer and the primer pocket. Like it burned a small jet hole through both of them.”
Could this happen to you? It just might. On seeing this damaged case, one of Grant’s Facebook friends, Chris D., observed: “Search the internet, you will see a lot of these pin hole ‘in the corner’ failures. Obviously Winchester has some issues with the LR primers.”
Careful Examination Reveals Apparent Primer Defect
After this incident, Grant examined the damaged case: “I [measured] the flash hole and it is not over-sized or under-sized. The primer clearly has an area where it had a defect. At [50,000 CUP], it doesn’t take much of a defect to cause issues. There was a slight bit of pucker-factor on the next shot….”
Share the post "Primer Blow-Out Danger — Yes Always Wear Eye Protection!"
June 28th, 2021
At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Sunday afternoon or 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. Midsouth — Sierra MatchKing Bullets in Stock
⏺ Excellent .224, 7mm, and .308 Match Bullets IN STOCK now
High-quality reloading components remain hard to find. But Midsouth has a large supply of Sierra MatchKing Bullets. Whether you’re shooting .224, 7mm, or .308 calibers, you’ll find Sierra MatchKings IN STOCK now at very competitive prices. Here are some examples: .224 69gr MatchKing, $27.48/100; .224 77gr MatchKing, $16.57/50; 7mm 183gr MatchKing, $52.01/100, 7mm 197gr MatchKing, $54.45/100; .308 155gr Tipped MatchKing (for Palma), $47.90/100; .308 168gr MatchKing, $37.49/100.
2. Sportsman’s WHSE — Savage 64 FV-SR with FDE stock, $189.99
⏺ Reliable with surprising accuracy for such an inexpensive rifle
Would you like to campaign a sub-$200 rifle and beat guys with rimfire rigs costing TEN times as much? That’s actually possible in the NRL22 game with the budget-priced Savage Model 64 SV-SR. This comes with a threaded, 16.5″ button-rifled heavy barrel that offers suprisingly good accuracy. The rifle comes with a one-piece Picatinny scope rail. The muzzle is threaded to accept brakes and suppressors. This can both be a great first rifle for a junior shooter as well as a fun tactical comp rig for an adult. NOTE: Most Savage 64 FV-SRs have black stocks, but these Sportsman’s Warehouse rigs have tan (Flat Dark Earth) stocks.
3. MidwayUSA — Bushnell Forge 4.5-27x50mm Scope, $549.99
⏺ Excellent FFP MOA-value Scope for Varminting or PRS/NRL
Are you into PRS/NRL, or just looking for a FFP scope for target shooting and varminting. Then here’s a killer deal. Right now you can save $600.00 (50%) on an excellent first focal plane 4.5-27x50mm Bushnell scope with a great reticle. Price is now just $549.99 with FREE shipping from MidwayUSA. The Bushnell Forge Rifle Scope boasts side parallax, locking zero stop, and high contrast lenses. Click values are 1/4 MOA. We really like the Deploy MOA reticle which has the “Christmas” tree wind-hold marks. Also if you prefer a Second Focal Plane optic, Palmetto State Armory has the Bushnell Forge 3-24x56mm SFP scope on sale for $499.00.
4. MidwayUSA — Texas Star AR500 Steel Target, $239.99
⏺ Cool Large Spinner Target like those used in Major Steel Tactical Matches
Here’s a great new product for fun, reactive shooting with pistols, rifles and shotguns. Birchwood Casey’s Texas Star Target is a rifle-rated mechanical target. Sturdily built, this target features FIVE 6″-diameter AR500 steel plates. The 4 foot high target will rotate (swing) when the plates are hit. The target moves on 2 industrial greaseable bearings. The target comes powder coated black on all metal components. The target breaks down for easy transport.
5. Midsouth — Fiocchi 9mm 115gr FMJ Ammo 50rds, $27.99
⏺ Good 9mm pistol ammo at a decent price (finally!)
Finally we are starting to see popular ammo coming down in price. This quality Fiocchi 115gr 9mm ammo is $27.99 for 50rds at Midsouth. That works out to $0.56 per round. Grab this while you can. If the Fiocchi sells out at Midsouth, Palmetto State Armory has 100-round boxes of Armscor 9mm ammo for $59.99. That’s 60 cents per round — still a lot better than you’ll find at most vendors.
6. Amazon — Stack-On Security Cabinet, $142.00
⏺ Additional Secure Storage to complement heavy Gun Safe
This Stack-on Steel Security Cabinet holds 8 rifles or shotguns up to 52 inch tall. Includes a removable steel shelf. Foam padded bottom and barrel rests, plust removable steel Shelf. NOTE, this arrives in a flat box and must be assembled, but that’s pretty easy. The unit includes pre-drilled mounting holes in the bottom and back to allow attachment to floor or wall. The 3-Point locking system has a a double-bitted, key coded lock. Adjustable shelves are included. NOTE: This is NOT a heavy, thick-walled gun safe. But it can provide security in a work room or RV.
7. Midsouth — Lyman Tac-Mat Shooting Mat, $55.33.
⏺ Thick padded mat offers better comfort
Comfort counts when you’re on the ground for hours. We like this Lyman Tac-Mat 71″ x 36″ shooting mat. It has more padding than most mats on the market, providing better comfort. This is a good deal. This same Lyman shooting mat is $87.64 on Amazon.
8. Creedmoor Sports — Radians Ear Muffs on Sale
⏺ Comfortable Radians Muffs, choose basic or electronic
Creedmoor Sports has been running a sale on all Radians products, including ear protection. You can get the basic, low profile NRR 21 Lowset Muffs for just $13.45 or upgrade to the NRR 23 R3200 Dual-Mic Electronic Muffs for $32.25. Electronic muffs allow you to hear range commands better. NOTE: If you want something even more advanced, check out the Radians R3700 Quad Mic Muffs with Bluetooth. With these you can receive phone calls or listen to music.
9. Midsouth — Radians Outback Shooting Glasses, $5.88
⏺ Quality name-brand shooting eyewear — buy multiples at this price
Every shooter needs eye protection EVERY TIME you go to the shooting range. Right now Midsouth has the good Radians clear Lens Outback Shooting Glasses for just $5.88. These ANSI Z87.1 Radians Shooting Glasses provide 99.99.9% UVA/UVB protection with the coated lenses. These offer excellent wrap-around protection and are fairly light and comfortable. A handy neck cord is included. With this low $5.88 price, you can buy 3 or 4 sets and keep spares in your vehicles, so you always have protective eyewear for yourself and your friends.
10. Amazon — SnapSafe In-Wall Safe $209.99
Most readers probably have a nice big safe for long guns and other bulky items. But it would be nice to have a hidden secondary safe that fits in a wall. This SnapSafe In-Wall Safe can hold cash, valuables, passports, and a handgun or two. This In-Wall Safe fits between two wall studs. It sits flush, so it can easily be hidden by artwork. There is even a special “false bottom” that provides a secret hiding spot for cash, keys, and credit cards. On sale for $209.99 on Amazon, this in-wall safe is offered to Sportsman’s Guide Buyer’s Club Members for $189.99, a $20 savings.
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January 20th, 2021
If you don’t match your ammo to your chamber, bad things can happen, that’s for sure. A while back, Forum member BigBlack had an experience at the gun range that reminds us of the importance of safety when shooting. He encountered evidence that someone had fired the wrong cartridge in a 7mm WSM rifle. The problem is more common than you may think. This Editor has personally seen novices try to shoot 9mm ammo in 40sw pistols. BigBlack’s story is along those lines, though the results were much more dramatic. It’s too bad a knowledgeable shooter was not nearby to “intervene” before this fellow chambered the wrong ammo.
7mm-08 is Not the Same as a 7mm WSM
BigBlack writes: “I know this has probably been replayed a thousand times but I feel we can never be reminded enough about safety. This weekend at the range I found a ruptured case on the ground. My immediate thoughts were that it was a hot load, but the neck area was begging for me to take a closer look, so I did. I took home the exploded case and rummaged through my old cases until I found a close match. From my investigative work it appears someone shot a 7mm-08 in a 7mm WSM. Take a look. In the above photo I’ve put together a 7mm WSM case (top), the ruptured case (middle), and a 7mm-08 case (bottom).”
The photo reveals what probably happened to the 7mm-08 case. The shoulder moved forward to match the 7mm WSM profile. The sidewalls of the case expanded outward in the much larger 7mm WSM chamber until they lacked the strength to contain the charge, and then the case sides ruptured catastrophically. A blow-out of this kind can be very dangerous, as the expanding gasses may not be completely contained within the action.
Can’t Happen to You? Think Again.
This kind of mistake — chambering the wrong cartridge — can happen to any shooter who is distracted, who places even a single wrong round in an ammo box, or who has two types of ammo on the bench. One of our Forum members was testing two different rifles recently and he picked up the wrong cartridge from the bench. As a result, he fired a .30-06 round in a .300 Win Mag chamber, and the case blew out. Here is his story:
“I took two of my hunting rifles I have not used for over 25 years to the range yesterday to get new scopes on paper, a .30-06 and .300 Win Mag. I had four boxes of old Winchester factory ammo (two of each cartridge), which had near identical appearances. I accidentally chambered a .30-06 round in the Sako .300 Win Mag rifle. It sprayed powder on my face and cracked the stock at the pistol grip. If I had not been wearing safety glasses I might be blind right now.
You should always wear protective eyewear, EVERY time you shoot.
“I feel lucky and am very thankful for being OK — other than my face looks funny right now. I am also grateful for learning a valuable lesson. I will never put two different cartridges on the bench at the same time again.”
READ More about this incident in our Shooters’ Forum.
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