At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every 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. Grafs.com — All Lapua Products on Sale — Brass, Bullets, Ammo

If you want to win, and want brass that lasts, think Lapua. Over 90% of all modern benchrest records have been set with Lapua brass. What’s more, Lapua makes outstanding bullets. Lapua Scenars have delivered superb accuracy in our site’s benchrest and tactical rifles. As for factory ammo, again Lapua is hard to beat. We got our hands on some Lapua 90gr 6mmBR factory ammo a few seasons back. That stuff was amazing. It delivered honest 5-shot, quarter-MOA groups! If you want these superior Lapua products, now is a great time to buy. Grafs.com is running a giant sale on all Lapua-brand products, including brass, bullets, and loaded ammo. You’ll save at least 10% on everything, with many items 20-24% off, and select loaded ammo up to 59% off. Lapua 6.5 Creedmoor SR brass is discounted 22%, a great deal. Plus, if you spend $250 or more you’ll get a free box of Lapua Center-X.

2. GunPrime — 6mm Creedmoor Ruger Precision Rifle, $788.00

Get a Ruger Precision Rifle in 6mm Creedmoor for $788.00 complete. That price, which includes rings, is great for a Gen 2 model. If you’ve been thinking of purchasing a Ruger Precision Rifle (RPR) chambered for the 6mm Creedmoor cartridge, this is a killer deal. Right now GunPrimer.com is offering this popular tactical rig for under $800.00, in the 6mm Creedmoor chambering. This shoots faster and flatter than the 6.5 Creedmoor — so many PRS guys have switched to it. This is a good choice for the PRS production class, or you can take in to another level of performance with a Pre-Fit 26″ cut-rifled barrel from Krieger. This is the lastest RPR Gen 2 version with the upgraded handguards. Heck of a bargain boys — you can pay $1200 or more elsewhere for the same rifle.

3. Midsouth — 6.5mm 123gr Match Bullets, $119.99 for 500

This is a great option for PRS and tactical shooters. These 6.5mm bullets work great with the popular 6.5mm cartridges such as 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 Grendel, and 6.5×47 Lapua. With a shorter length than the 140s, these fit magazines better. Plus we’ve found you can run these significantly faster than the 140gr class 6.5 mm bullets, so you are not giving up that much in drop or windage. G1 Ballistic Coefficient is .510
Reloading information is interchangeable with 6.5mm Nosler Custom Competition bullets with the same grain weight. NOTE: These Match Monster Bullets are NOT BLEMS!

4. Al’s — Vortex Razor HD 20-60x85mm Spotting Scope, $809.99

AMAZING DEAL — save $390.00! Other vendors sell this very same Razor HD spotter for $1199.
Here’s a great deal on a high-quality spotting scope from a top optics maker. AL’s Sporting Goods has last year’s model Vortex Razor 20-60x85mm spotter for only $899.99, including eyepiece. This impressive HD-glass spotter sells elsewhere for $1200.00. But it gets better — use Code ALS10 for another 10% Off, bringing the final price down to $809.99. This is a very good spotter for the money and Vortex has one of the best warranties in the business.

5. Powder Valley — Hodgdon Powders In-Stock at Great Prices

H4895, Varget, H4350 — these are all great powders for competition cartridges such as the 6mmBR Norma, 6 Dasher, 6.5 Creemoor, and .284 Shehane. Because these powders work so well, they can be hard to find. Right now Powder Valley has a great supply of these and other excellent Hodgdon powders (such as H4198 and H4831sc) in both 1-lb and 8-lb containers. For example H4350 and Varget are $27.35 for 1-pounders, while H4895 and H4198 are just $26.35 for a 1-lb bottle. An 8-lb jug of H4350 is $194.50, a lot less than you’d pay in most retail stores.

6. Sportsman’s Guide — Browning Buck Mark, $279.99 with Code

Everyone should own a nice .22 LR rimfire pistol. The Browning Buck Mark is a classic, and for good reason. These pistols are reliable, well-balanced, have a good trigger, and they are very accurate. We have nothing but praise for the bull-barreled Buck Marks. And now you can get one for a super-low price. Sportsman’s Guide has the Browning Buck Mark Camper UFX with 5.5″ Barrel on sale for $299.99 ($284.99 member price). But it gets even better — if you use Code “WARRIOR” during check-out, you save $20.00, putting your total price at just $279.99 (or $264.99 for SG members). That’s a great deal on a very solid rimfire pistol that can serve you well for decades.

7. CDNN — Cleaning Set and Tool Kit in Wooden Box, $19.89

We doubt $20 spent any other way could deliver more utility (for a gun owner) than this Outers Combo Cleaning Kit and Driver Set. In a nice wooden box there is a 28-piece gun cleaning set, PLUS you get a 51-piece screwdriver and tool kit that includes Flat, Phillips, and Torx heads in multiple sizes. Here’s what you get for just $19.89:

8. Stocky’s — LR Stocks with Aluminum Bedding Block, $199.99

Here’s a good deal on a versatile Stocky’s Long Range Stock with aluminum V-block bedding system. For just $199.99, order this for Rem/Rem Clone long actions or short actions, with either narrow or wide (varmint/tactical) barrel channel. This would be a good choice for a varmint rifle. This is also offered with handsome hydrographic or web-pattern baked-on textured finishes for $219.99.

9. Amazon — Jialitte Scope Bubble Level, $10.99

All serious rifle shooters need a scope level. This nicely designed Jialitte Scope Bubble Level features a 30mm milled inside diameter, plus an inner insert ring so it will also fit 1″-diameter main tubes — that dual-diameter versatility is a nice feature. We also like the way the unit is nicely radiused, and has a low profile in the middle. Price is just $10.99 with free shipping. User reviews have been very positive. You could easily pay $35.00 or more for a 30mm scope level. Purchasers have praised this product — nearly all verified buyers rated this five stars.

10. Amazon — 12″ x 12″ Splatter Grid Targets, 10 for $9.99

This 12″x12″ Splatterburst Target combines splatter shot marking with a grid background, with five aiming points. The bright neon shot circles make it easy to see your shots. And the handy grid lets you quickly estimate your group size. Get a 10-pack for $9.99, or a 25-pack for $17.99 (better deal). This particular target has earned rave reviews — 87% of verified buyers gave this a FIVE-Star rating. One example: “Excellent quality and durability. The adhesive is really strong. High contrast makes down range targeting easy and the splatter contrast is [great].”

Carbon fiber offers superior stiffness/strength with ultra-light weight. That’s why you see carbon-fiber components in F1 race cars and fighter jets. Carbon fiber composites are widely used in modern aircraft, where the composites’ superior strength-to-weight ratio far exceeds that of metal. While 30% of all carbon fiber is used in the aerospace industry, carbon fiber is also used in high-tech bicycle frames, golf clubs, and archery equipment. Carbon fiber composites are used wherever high strength and low weight are “mission critical”.

Now carbon fiber is being used in rifle optics. Kruger Optical has released the all-new KC6™ carbon fiber riflescope series. We believe this is the first production use of carbon fiber composites in rifle optics main tubes. Two KC6™ models are currently offered, a compact 1-6x24mm weighing 16 ounces, and a 3-18x50mm weighing 26.5 ounces. Both scopes are illuminated, with Second Focal Plane reticles, and “Zero-Stop” turrets. Sorry, we don’t have pricing yet. KC6™ SPEC Sheet.

At 26.5 ounces, Kruger’s 3-18X model, with 34mm main tube, is lighter than many optics in its class. For example the Vortex Razor HD GenII 3-18x50mm weighs 46.5 ounces — twenty ounces more than the Kruger. However, the new Leupold VX6-HD 3-18x50mm weighs only 20.4 ounces, six ounces LESS than the carbon Kruger. Cogitate on that. It seems that an overall compact design may deliver more weight savings than a carbon fiber main tube. But we still like Kruger’s innovative use of carbon composite technology. We envision a time when carbon is more widely used in a variety of key rifle parts, not just optics.

Weight Comparison, Carbon vs. Aluminum
Kruger KC6™ 3-18x50mm (Carbon Main Tube): 26.5 ounces
Leupold VX6-HD 3-18x50mm (Aluminum Main Tube): 20.4 ounces
Vortex Razor HD GenII 3-18x50mm (Aluminum Main Tube): 46.5 ounces

Kruger states: “Using a proprietary and patent-pending process, we’ve created an elite product that’s significantly stronger and lighter than traditional aluminum scopes. Kruger has spent more than five years making the KC6™ Series a reality. Due to the unique strength properties of carbon fiber, our patent-pending KC6™ scopes are notably lighter, stronger and more durable than traditional 6X riflescopes.”

Image shows materials from Composite-Resources.com.

Incorporating carbon fiber technology used in fighter jets and race cars, the Kruger KC6™ scopes offer a distinctive appearance — the visible weave of carbon strands. Kruger claims these U.S.-engineered scopes offer excellent image clarity, plus “exceptional low-light performance”. We’d like to test one of these Kruger scopes to see how it compares to premium optics with conventional aluminum main tubes.

Shooting Sports USA just released an excellent, in-depth article about the first-ever PRS Gas Gun Match. If you enjoy tactical-style shooting, or have an interest in modern semi-auto rifles, we strongly recommend you read this match report by SSUSA Editor John Parker. Offered in a magazine-style format, this SSUSA feature includes explanations of the rules and tactics for these matches, along with interviews with top competitors, including match winner SSG Tyler Payne of the USAMU.

CLICK HERE to Read PRS Gas Gun Match Report by Shooting Sports USA

Payne dominated the match, finishing 200 points ahead of the next competitor. Payne competed in Open Class shooting a JP Enterprises LRP-07 chambered in 6mm Creedmoor, running Berger 105gr 6mm Hybrids at 2975 fps. He used a Vortex Razor HD 4.5-27x56mm scope. With its 6X zoom ratio, this optic allowed SSG Payne to switch from a wide field of view to high magnification as the stage demanded. With targets out to 800 yards, having 27X on tap was useful.

There are three divisions in PRS Gas Gun Matches: Tactical Light (.223 Rem/5.56), Tactical Heavy (.308 Win), and Open. At this match, about 65% of shooters competed in Tac Light. Match Director Ryan Castle said: “The remaining 35% was split pretty evenly between Open and Tactical Heavy.”

Open Class Caliber Choices
“For Ammo in Open Class, 6mm and 6.5mm Creedmoor were popular — overall winner SSG Tyler Payne won using a rifle chambered in 6mm Creedmoor”. — John Parker, SSUSA

Gas guns to 800 yards, yep there are targets down there somewhere…

Jeff Cramblit Facebook photo

Gas Gun Match Loads — Short Range vs. Long Range
“The .223/5.56 [Tactical Light] guns had some lag time waiting on shot impacts. I believe the long-term solution may be to find a light and fast load for closer stages for near-instant reaction time and use a heavy load for the long shots to see splash and get the target to move a little more.” — Sean Murphy, Nightforce

Interview with Match Winner Tyler Payne
SSG Tyler Payne told SSUSA: “This match has a lot of similarities to 3-Gun, which I’ve been shooting for 11 years now. With targets out to 800 yards, limited rounds and 30-second penalties, the match gave you the opportunity to go as fast as you wanted but really forced you to be accurate. Training for PRS has given me enough discipline to make my shots count and 3-Gun has taught me how to be efficient. Those two things helped me excel at this match. Having to slow down with a gas gun and make my shot count was very foreign to me. Usually at matches with a gas gun, you get as many shots as you want to take, so having to slow down was difficult.”

“If I had any pointers for someone wanting to try this type of match it would be to get out and confirm your data as far as you can. Don’t trust your ballistic Apps. Other than that, ask questions, watch the experienced shooters and have fun”.

Read more interviews HERE

PRS Gas Gun Series Rules

For the new PRS “Gasser” Competition, the PRS developed rules on gun types, scoring, match timing, penalties, safety and other key topics. CLICK HERE for Full PRS Gas Gun Series Rules.

Open Division: The Open Division rifles will not exceed a caliber of .30 or a velocity of 3,200 fps. With this and other divisions, Match Officials may request at any point during a match that a competitor fire their rifle through chronograph..

Tactical Light Division: Tactical Light Division rifles are restricted to 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington calibers only. Bullet weight cannot exceed 77 grains and muzzle velocity cannot exceed 3,000 fps.

Tactical Heavy Division: This class is restricted to .308 Win (7.62×51) gas guns. Most will be AR-10 platform rifles. Bullet weight cannot exceed 178 grains and muzzle velocity cannot exceed 2,800 fps.

Scoring and Penalties
The Gas Gun Series utilizes a time plus penalty-based scoring system for all match scoring. This means the score is the shooter’s total combined time on all stages plus any penalties accrued.

Penalties are as follows:
30 seconds for any rifle targets not engaged or neutralized.
15 seconds for any pistol targets not engaged or neutralized.
15 seconds for hitting a “No Shoot” target.
No more than 50% of the stages at a match can utilize an unlimited round count. At least 25% of the targets in Gas Gun Series match must be 2 MOA or smaller. Max distance is 800 yards.