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November 20th, 2010
 Our latest Forum sponsor, DoghouseOutdoors.com, is a new online retailer specializing in fine optics. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Doghouse has a modern, easy-to-navigate website with a wide selection of products, all illustrated with high-quality photos.
Current Mfg. Rebates in Doghouse’s Rebate Central
On DoghouseOutdoors.com you’ll find a very cool feature: Rebate Central. Here manufacturers’ current optics rebates are all collected in one place. This helps buyers take advantage of all available money-saving promotions on rifle scopes, binoculars, rangefinders and other products.
Here’s the way it works: DoghouseOutdoors.com searches out all applicable rebates and then highlights them on the DogHouse home page in the “Rebate Central” area. As you move from one featured rebate to the next, if you find a rebate that suits you, just click on the rebate notice and you’ll be taken to the relevant products. Each product listing contains high-resolution photos along with a detailed description.
FREE Shipping on Rebated Products
As an added incentive for AccurateShooter.com readers, DoghouseOutdoors.com will provide free shipping on all rebate-qualified products. This currently includes products from Burris, Bushnell, Eotech, Leupold, and Sightron. (Shipping policy subject to change.)
 Zeiss Instant Rebates
In related news, Zeiss just announced a Winter Specials Promotion providing instant rebates on Zeiss scopes and binoculars. If you purchase a set of Victory RF Binoculars between November 15, 2010 and January 31, 2011 you get a $200 instant rebate at check out. You can also get a $100 instant rebate if you purchase any other Zeiss Victory FL Binoculars or Zeiss Victory riflescope (except DiaRange LRF scope).
Field Days Mail-In Rebate
Also, under the Zeiss Field Days Promo (which continues through December 31, 2010), you can get a $100 mail-in rebate with the purchase of a ZeissVictory 8×26 T* PRF Laser Rangefinder or any of the Victory Compact Binoculars. We have field-tested the Zeiss 8×26 T* PRF Rangefinder and we recommend it highly. It is easy to hold and aim, optics are sharp and bright, and ranging performance is excellent.
July 10th, 2010
 Webyshops, one of our sponsors, is offering an exclusive July Sale for AccurateShooter.com readers and Forum members. Because of MAP pricing rules, we can’t reveal the exact amount of the discount, but we can say it applies to all items on Webyshops’ riflescopes webstore, and the discount is significant. Webyshops carries a large, brand-name inventory of scopes, spotting scopes, laser rangefinders, binoculars, flashlights, and trail cameras. The promo pricing is effective through July 31th, 2010. Not applicable in conjunction with other coupons/specials.
NOTE: To qualify for the July Sale discounts you must click on the link below, and then provide a name and email address to “get in the door”.
CLICK HERE for Webyshops July Optics Promo for AccurateShooter.com Readers
We know some of you guys do not want to supply your email for privacy reasons. That’s fine — we respect your concerns and nobody is forced to participate. But WebyShops has set up this extra layer of security so that these discount prices are limited to our members.
May 30th, 2010
 Need a rifle-scope, laser rangefinder, or spotting Scope? Here are some special promotions for this Memorial Day weekend. The Optic Zone is offering 7% off all online purchases of optics through 6/1/2010. Optics Planet is offering Free Shipping plus $10.00 off orders over $100. Cabela’s has free shipping on optics through 6/4/2010.
Cabelas.com — Free Shipping on Optics
Cabela’s is offering free shipping on all optics. Enter promotion code 5XVIEW during checkout. This deal is valid through June 4, 2010 and is good on Standard Express shipping to U.S. Deliverable Addresses ONLY.
Optics Planet — $10 Off and Free Shipping
Optics Planet is offering FREE shipping on many items, plus $10.00 off any purchases over $100.00. To get the discount, use coupon code “HEROES” (without quote marks) at checkout.
The Optic Zone — 7% Off and Free Shipping on Items over $300
Here’s the best deal of all. Now through 6/1/2010, you can get 7% off online purchases with The Optic Zone. Use coupon code “FP07-79557″ during check-out through The Optic Zone’s secure web-store. Note: this applies to online purchases only. Also, The Optic Zone regularly offers FREE UPS ground shipping on all orders over $300.00.
October 17th, 2009
The Editor Speaketh: For the past two and a half years, every day I’ve prepared new Daily Bulletin postings for you guys. Rain or shine, without a single day off — 956 days in a row to be precise. But today’s my birthday, and, well, I decided to take a day off and go shooting.
Don’t fret — so dedicated readers don’t go through Bulletin withdrawal, here are quick links to some of our “Greatest Hits” from 2009 — the coolest videos and the most interesting stories. For each item, click the blue link to read the full, original story. NOTE: when you get to the bottom of the page, click “Older Posts” for even MORE Greatest Hits!
As for me … I’ll be sending some lead downrange.
Greatest Hits: Anschutz Photo Shoot Video — Babes ‘N Arms”
Great-looking blond handling state-of-the-art German firearams. What’s not to like?
August 2nd, 2009
 Tony Boyer is, without question, the greatest short-range Benchrest for Group shooter who has ever lived. In a rare interview for the August 2009 issue of Precision Shooting magazine, Tony shares many of his “secrets of success” with his friend (and fellow benchrester) James Mock. James also interviews Tony’s wife Faye, a superb shooter in her own right.
This Boyer interview is now, for a limited time, available online. CLICK HERE to READ INTERVIEW. Every short-range and mid-range benchrest shooter should read this article word for word, at least twice. Tony reveals insights that may surprise you, and will certainly enlighten you. You may be surprised that Tony is now shooting a .268″ neck.
And in the article Tony challenges many commonly-held ideas. For example he doesn’t think vertical is mostly load-related: “Most shooters think that vertical groups are caused by too light a powder charge. This may be true, but more often than not, the rifle has more to do with this than the load. If the rifle is muzzle heavy, this can cause vertical. Also, the way the action is set in the stock can cause vertical as can handling problems…such as shouldering the rifle.”
Barrel Quality is All-Important
What is the main secret to Benchrest accuracy? Throughout the interview, Boyer stresses the importance of barrel quality. Tony can quickly identify barrels with winning potential. He has “developed a system that takes no more than 30 rounds to determine if it is going to shoot”. Tony needs that kind of efficiency because he burns through barrels very quickly: “Contrary to what many say, I rarely shoot a barrel more than 600 rounds in competition. I can remember only one barrel that exceeded 1200 rounds.”
When asked if there was one paramount “secret” he could share to help new shooters, Tony replied: “If you have the means, buy as many barrels as possible. A great barrel is the real secret of this game. There are barrels out there that shoot better than they should. They have been given the name ‘hummer’. I can assure you that they exist.”
July 16th, 2009
 Bryan Litz, chief Ballistician for Berger Bullets, has just released an impressive new, hard-cover treatise on external ballistics. While Bryan’s 536-page Applied Ballistics for Long-Range Shooting will surely take its place among the “classic” reference books on precision shooting, it does much more than explain theories of bullet flight. Using advanced equipment, Litz measured the actual drag of over 175 popular bullet types in the field. Armed with this new experimentally-derived data, shooters can now calculate their loads’ true trajectories with greater precision than ever before.
If you’re serious about long-range shooting, or just have an interest in bullet design and performance, you should buy this book. It is offered for $39.95 directly from Bryan’s website, AppliedBallisticsLLC.com.
In the video above, Litz explains some of the key features of his new book. (Watch the video — Bryan explains what you’ll get for your $39.95!) Don’t be fooled by Bryan’s youthful appearance. This guy is the Einstein of external ballistics. He holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and he was an honest-to-goodness rocket scientist who worked with the U.S. Air Force on air-to-air missile design for six years before joning Berger Bullets. What’s more, Bryan is an extremely talented long-range shooter. Bryan was the 2008 National Palma Champion, and he holds the all-time NRA mid-range iron-sight record (450-39X).
Even if you rely on a software program to calculate your come-ups, it is important to know how bullets are affected by wind and gravity, and how bullet ballistic coefficients are determined. If you’re looking to expand your knowledge of ballistics and the nuances of bullet design, you should find Bryan’s book informative and readable.
You don’t need an MIT degree to understand this book. It was Bryan’s goal to explain the important elements of exterior ballistics in a practical way that can be understood and applied by shooters. What you learn from Applied Ballistics for Long-Range Shooting can help you make better decisions about the bullet(s) and the caliber(s) you choose to shoot, and give you more confidence when taking those long shots in the field.
February 15th, 2009
Unfortunately, we still see too many scopes sold to the public with canted reticles. The problem of canted reticles is a serious issue that some manufacturers (both domestic and foreign) have failed to address. (Note: here we are talking about an INTERNAL scope assembly problem that results in reticles being off-axis relative to the turrets. Don’t confuse this with the canting which occurs if you don’t level your rifle. A canted reticle is a scope production defect requiring factory repair.)
One degree of scope reticle cant is noticeable. Three degrees is “slap in the face” obvious and, frankly, pretty unpleasant to work with. Unfortunately, three degrees happens to be one major domestic scope-maker’s production tolerance. And sure enough, you can find this company’s scopes in retail outlets with the reticles located a full three degrees off-axis.
We believe that badly canted reticles are unacceptable in a high-dollar scope, one costing more than $450.00. Optics-makers — it’s high time to improve your quality control.
 
Three degrees may not sound like much–after all it is less than 1% of a 360-degree circle. Nonetheless, as the diagrams show, three degrees of cant is VERY noticeable in a scope. In fact, most people will be bothered by a reticle that is just one degree off-axis. Canted reticles are not just annoying to look at, but off-axis reticles cause a number of problems with sighting and accuracy. For example, if you set up your rifle so the vertical cross-hair is straight up and down, your turrets will be slightly tilted. This means that when you click elevation you will change windage slightly, and vice-versa. If, on the other hand, you cant (or tilt) the whole rifle to make the turrets square, this throws off the bullet trajectory–causing bullet impact that is low and displaced horizontally*.
Now, all manufacturers can have a production flaw now and then. Yet we’ve never heard a complaint about canted reticles in Nightforce, U.S. Optics, or Schmidt & Bender scopes. So, it IS possible for the better manufacturers to get it right. Our point here is that it is time for the major scope-makers to address this problem and improve their quality control. That will happen sooner if consumers pay greater attention to reticle alignment during the purchasing process. If you have a scope with a canted reticle, send it back to the maker and ask for the problem to be fixed. If enough shooters do that, we expect the scope-makers will take notice and improve their products.
*CLICK HERE to read a very thorough technical article that explains the effect of rifle canting on bullet trajectory. CLICK HERE to see targets shot with canted rifles showing bullet displacement. The diagram below shows how this occurs.
Illustration courtesy Long Shot Products, Ltd.
August 23rd, 2008
Sinclair International, a leading vendor for precision reloaders and competitive shooters, has added Nightforce Optics to its inventory of products. Nightforce scopes remain the first choice of most top long-range shooters, including F-Class National Champions. The Benchrest and NXS models offer high magnification (up to 42 power), clear, sharp optics, and very reliable and repeatable windage and elevation adjustments. Nightforce also offers a large variety of reticles. How good is the glass? With a 12-42 Nightforce BR or NXS, in ideal conditions, you can see 6mm bullet holes “in the white” at 600 yards (not razor sharp mind you — but enough to see shot placement on a white background). We just confirmed this ourselves this past weekend. Of course, viewing conditions truly have to be absolutely “perfect” (no mirage) to see 6mm holes at 600 and such conditions are normally short-lived, but the resolving capability is there with the high-magnification Nightforces.
Sinclair’s pricing is competitive with other authorized Nightforce vendors. For example, the
12-42x56mm Nightforce BR scope (item 72-1040/45) is $1306.00 while the 8-32×56 Benchrest model (item 72-1030) is $1211.00.
Shown above are some of the most popular reticles, but others are offered. CLICK HERE to view Nightforce’s complete selection of reticles.
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