Slick Cartridge Caddy From Oz

Forum Member Jeff R. (“aJR”) from Australia has crafted a slick, handsome cartridge holder to use with his heavy Benchrest Gun. Composed of two blocks of wood with parallel metal arms, the unit adjusts for height and block angle. Jeff tells us: “This is my new cartridge dispenser I knocked up in the shed. I wanted to get the record rounds up next to the action and this is adjustable for just about any gun/port configuration, right or left.” The cartridge caddy has ten round holes (for record shots) in the top wood block, stacked in two rows. The base piece has five holes for sighters, with the holes cut at an angle for easy access.

For the blocks, Jeff used “Jarrah” wood, a deep, red hardwood native to West Australia. Jeff says he did not stain the wood–what you see is the natural color, just sprayed with acrylic lacquer. A similar wood available in the USA is Satiné, also known as “Bloodwood”.

By the way, Jeff’s 1000-yard rifle is worth mentioning in its own right. It features a tensioned barrel system, and metal/composite stock. He will be shooting it at a 1000-yard match in Brisbane this weekend. Good luck Jeff.

Mirage Shields–For Varminters as Well as Benchrest Shooters

A quality mirage shield reduces the amount of optical distortion caused by heat waves rising from the barrel directly in front of the scope. On a hot day, after many rounds through the barrel, the benefit of a mirage shield can be quite dramatic. Benchrest shooters have used mirage shields for many years. Mirage shields can be just as beneficial for the serious varmint shooter. But, curiously, most varminters we know don’t employ mirage shields. We think they should. A mirage shield is a low-cost accessory that helps you get more hits and fewer misses.

As our friend Boyd Allen observed: “Varminters should use mirage shields. Think about it. You’ve invested thousands of dollars in a fancy varmint rifle and quality scope. You may have spent hundreds of dollars traveling to the varmint fields and spent dozens of hours loading up your ammo. Without a mirage shield on your barrel, once that barrel gets hot, you WILL get mirage effects that can make you miss a shot. A mirage shield costs just a few dollars. It really doesn’t make sense to go out to the varmint fields without one, if you plan on shooting lots of rounds. Barrel heat mirage can cause you to miss that critter, even if you have the most accurate rifle in the world.”

Dan Lilja offers a nice, wide mirage shield for $10. Dan notes: “Our benchrest mirage shield also works very well for field varmint rifles if there is a lot of action and the barrel is getting hot. The shield deflects image-distorting heat waves that come off of a hot barrel. The heat flows out past the edge of the shield and out of the line-of-sight of the rifle scope. These shields are 18” long, made of thin painted steel (like window blind material) and can be easily trimmed to length.”

Sinclair International also offers a 2″-wide venetian-blind style Mirage Shade, that costs just $3.95. It is available in two lengths, 18″ for BR barrels (item 06-7200), and 24″ for longer varmint barrels (item 06-7300). The Sinclair Shade is made of aluminum and can easily be trimmed to a shorter length. Like the Lilja shield, the Sinclair Mirage Shade attaches with adhesive-backed Velcro fasteners.

Bernosky Sets New National High Power Record

2007 Camp Perry National High Power Champion Carl Bernosky added another milestone to his list of achievements this past weekend. Shooting the same AR15-platform rifle that carried him to victory at Camp Perry, Carl shot an 800-41X score on the New Holland (PA) 200, 300, 600-yard National Match course. When certified, that will be a new National record. The previous record was an 800-38X (shot by T. Lawton in 2005). Carl, modest as ever, downplayed his achievement: “This time the close ones were on the inside instead of the outside [of the scoring lines].”

In High Power matches, competitors shoot in three different positions — standing, sitting, and prone — and iron sights are used. This makes High Power one of the most challenging of all rifle disciplines. Carl feels that his AR-platform gun does give him some benefits over other rifle designs. Carl noted: “For me, I shoot better standing scores with the AR. I can’t tell you why exactly, but certainly the self-loading feature of the rifle allows me to maintain position better shot to shot. The other advantage is in rapid-fire prone. There I think it is a real plus not to have to work the bolt.”

Carl Bernosky’s rifle features a custom upper built by John Holliger on a Smith & Wesson M&P15 lower with Geissele trigger. The upper has a 26″ Krieger barrel chambered in the 6mm Hagar. This is a new wildcat cartridge based on the 30 Remington case, necked down to 6mm. The 6mm Hagar resembles a 6.8 SPC with a .100″ longer body, 30-degree shoulder, and greater case capacity. It has a .420 rim diameter, and is formed from .30 Remington brass.

At New Holland, Carl shot alongside Robert Whitley. Carl said he was impressed by Robert’s new 6mmAR Turbo round. The 6mmAR Turbo is based on 6.5 Grendel cases necked to 6mm with the shoulder blown forward slightly. Carl told us: “If Robert’s 6mmAR Turbo can really shoot the 105s at 2880+ fps, then it should be competitive with the 6mm Hagar, and the brass is available right now. Whitley’s cartridge looks like it has great potential.”

Web Spider Finds Deals on Multiple Gun Websites

Looking for firearms and accessories on the web? You can spend hours cruising Forum Classifieds. Or, with one click, you can view items for sale on a dozen different gun forums. Using robotic web spider technology, EliteDealSeeker.com collects active “for sale” listings from around the web, displaying them all on one page, sorted by site. It’s a great system that makes shopping for bargains fast and easy. Most of the listings are for optics and accessories for AR15 or semi-auto style rifles, and for handguns, but you can still find a bargain out there and this technology can save you lots of time. Spidered sites include AR15.com, Gunsnet.net, Smith-wessonforum.com, Sturmgewehr.com, Snipershide.com, TheHighRoad.org, Thefiringline.com, 1911Forum.com, and SigForum.com.

Winchester Resumes Production of Model 70 Rifles in 2008

Winchester Repeating Arms, now a subsidiary of FH Herstal, plans to resume production of Model 70 rifles in 2008. Delivery will commence in June of 2008. The rifles will be built at the modern FN Manufacturing Plant in Columbia, South Carolina. This facility operates under ISO 9001 production standards.

The new Model 70s will have both classic and new features. The latest generation of Model 70s will retain a three-position safety, and the Pre-64 controlled round feeding. However, the new guns will be fitted with the completely new “M.O.A.™ Trigger System”. This three-lever trigger adjusts from 3 to 5 pounds. Triggers will be set at 3.75 pounds, and Winchester claims: “the trigger mechanism [will] exhibit zero take up, zero creep and zero overtravel.” We shall see–it’s hard to image a shooter-friendly trigger that would function well with absolutely no take-up.

The new Winchester Model 70 will be offered in a Super Grade, Featherweight™ Deluxe, Sporter Deluxe and Extreme Weather SS models for 2008. Prices start at $999.00 MSRP for the Sporter Deluxe. All models will feature a Pachmayr® Decelerator® pad and hammer-forged barrels. Winchester claims that Model 70 barrels will deliver “1 MOA accuracy for 3-shot groups using properly managed barrel, quality match ammo and superior optics under ideal weather and range conditions.” Future testing will determine whether Winchester’s accuracy claims are warranted.

Large Photo FeatherWeight Deluxe

Large Photo Super Grade

Slick Single-Shot Surgeon for the Boss’s Daughter

Preston Pritchet, the “main man” at Surgeon Rifles, wanted to create a special rifle for his daughter, to use in varmint and fun matches at his local club. Preston explained: “Here are a couple pictures of my daughter’s rifle. I’ve never built a flashy rifle before, because I have always felt most rifles are for hunting and should be a dull color and not flashy. But my daughter shoots the club matches with me, and after getting a lot of harassment because she was shooting a Remington, this is the result. I took our Surgeon single-shot action and stoned the surface to get rid of the tool marks. Then I sent it to a friend for engraving, and I had the action nickel-plated. Finally, the gun was fitted with a 28” Krieger 1:8.5 twist barrel, chambered in 6.5 x 47 Lapua. The barreled action was set in a McMillan F-class stock.”

Preston said his daughter had immediate success with her new rifle. “We had a match coming up and no time for testing loads. From the information on this website, I knew that 123gr Lapua Scenars and Reloader 15 should be an accurate combination for the 6.5×47. I took 123 Scenars, 37.5 grains RL 15, Fed 205M, Lapua brass. I got the rifle to the range and found a zero for her at 100 and 500 yards. To make a long story short, she took her new rifle and out-scored me at the most recent balloon match at our club. Lesson learned–with a good rifle, young ladies can definitely compete with the guys.”

Jewell AR15 Trigger at MidwayUSA

Now through October 31, 2007, the Jewell AR15 trigger is on sale at MidwayUSA for $189.99, $14.00 off the regular price. This quality two-stage trigger, item 709049, allows sear engagement and trigger pull weight adjustment from the top of the lower receiver without disassembly of the firearm. Since it adjusts from 1.5 to 6 pounds, the Jewell trigger suits many disciplines–paper punching, Service Rifle Matches, and hunting or defensive uses.

The trigger kit includes trigger, trigger spring, disconnector, hammer and hammer spring. Installation tools and detailed instructions are included. This editor fitted the Jewell trigger in a couple ARs–installation is not that difficult. But if you are all thumbs, you may want to have a gunsmith mount the trigger and adjust it to your desired pull weight.

Important Video About UK and Australian Gun Laws

Whatever your politics, you owe it to yourself to learn more about the restrictive firearm laws adopted in the United Kingdom and Australia. These have effectively banned hand-gun and semi-auto rifle ownership in the UK. In Australia self-loading rifles and even pump shotguns were banned, and hand-gun ownership was severely restricted. In this 10-minute video, gun owners in the UK and Australia tell their own story. The message is clear–without unified, organized opposition by sportsmen and hunters, gun rights will be taken away. In the UK, even shotguns and 22LR pistols used by Olympic competitors have been banned. Think it can’t happen here? Well already in California, new sales of semi-auto AR15-style service rifles are completely banned.

This is a “must-see” video. CLICK HERE, or click on the image below to watch the video, hosted by YouTube. Other NRA-produced videos are available on this webpage.

Interesting Results from St. Thomas GroundHog Shoot

The St. Thomas Sportsman’s Club in Pennsylvannia recently held its season-ending big GroundHog shoot. 104 shooters attended the event and $2000.00 worth of prizes (and cash) was awarded. The event encompassed three stages, at 200, 300, and 400 yards, with scores totaled for the three distances. Roy Hunter posted the best score, an impressive 144.01 (out of a possible 150) to win the Custom Class. Roy shot a 30BR, demonstrating the accuracy of this cartridge on distances out to 400 yards.

Ranked below are the Top 15 shooters in the Custom and Factory Classes. Ed Harshman won the Factory Class shooting a .223 Rem. A 22/250 and a .223 Rem finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively, while two .308s rounded out the Top Five.

The two most successful chamberings in Custom Class were the 6BR and 30BR, but a couple 6.5s and 6PPCs did well also.

These results demonstrated that among factory guns, the little .223 Remington remains a great choice, with low recoil and excellent accuracy. Among customs, we’d have to say the 6BR is still the cartridge to beat, though the 30BR is definitely capable of winning it all.

Sinclair’s Recommended AR and Service Rifle Smiths

AccurateShooter.com has a list of Recommended Gunsmiths. Inclusion on that list is based on demonstrated ability plus customer recommendations. Nobody has “bought their way” on to the list. Most of the smiths listed on our Gunsmith Page specialize in bolt-action rifles, for Benchrest, varminting, and long-range. While some do work on AR15s and “space-guns”, this is not their primary focus.

If you need a first-rate gunsmith for a service rifle, Sinclair International has compiled its own list of smiths including highly respected names. For service rifles (including AR types), Sinclair recommends the following:

Phil Arrington (Service Rifle)
Arrington Accuracy Works
1408 West Ross Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Phone: (623) 582-5066

Compass Lake Engineering (Service Rifle)
719 White Dr
Alford, FL 32420
Phone: (850) 579-1208

Fulton Armory (Service Rifle & Parts)
8725 Bollman Pl., #1
Savage, MD 20763
Phone: (301) 490-9485

Derrick Martin (Service Rifle)
Accuracy Speaks, Inc.
3960 N Usery Pass Rd.
Mesa, AZ 85207
Phone: (480) 373-9499

Scott Medesha (Service Rifle)
Medesha Firearms Ltd.
10326 E. Adobe Rd.
Mesa, AZ 85207
Phone: (480) 986-5876

Albert Turner (Service Rifle)
Turner Enterprises
2200 Seminole Ct.
Plano, TX 75074
Phone: (214) 424-8409

Bill Wylde (Service Rifle)
Wylde & Co.
PO Box 261
Greenup, IL 62428
Phone: (217) 923-3266

To Sinclair’s list we would definitely add John Holliger of White Oak Precision. John built the upper for the Smith & Wesson M&P AR with which Carl Bernosky won the Camp Perry High Power Championship in 2007. This marked the first time an AR-style semi-auto has won that event. John also builds many outstanding components for AR-style rifles, including windage-adjustable front sight bases, and the White Oak Precision Adjustable Buttstock (shown below).

John Holliger
White Oak Precision
101 South Perry
Carlock, IL 61725
Phone: (309) 376-2288

JARD Trigger for Howa 1500

The Howa 1500 is a nice rifle, offering good performance for the price. We like the Howa 1500 Varminter in particular, which comes with a quality laminated stock and smooth-working, stainless action. One of the few issues with a factory Howa has been the heavy trigger pull weight. You can fix that with a drop-in trigger from JARD. The recently-introduced, all-steel JARD trigger adjusts for overtravel, sear engagement, and pull weight. The trigger includes a Rem-style lever safety. Internals are precision-machined and hardened. Priced at $132 (item 100-003-169) at Brownell’s, the JARD trigger for the Howa 1500 can be ordered in a variety of pull weights from 14 to 28 ounces. Along with the Howa 1500, the JARD trigger fits S&W 1500, and Weatherby Vanguard rifles.

Wipe-Out: How to Apply from the Breech

Wipe-Out foam bore cleaner is a product we’ve used with great success on many rifles. With sufficient dwell time, it removes both carbon and copper fouling. You can combine it with Wipe-Out Accelerator or the new Patch-Out product to speed up cleaning time. Many shooters, including this editor, find that bore-brushing has been virtually eliminated with the regular use of Wipe-Out. (With some barrels however, you may still have to brush or use a bore paste if you notice stubborn carbon build-up in the throat area.)

Standard procedure with Wipe-Out is to insert your O-ring cleaning rod guide into the chamber and then squirt through the muzzle. However, this isn’t possible with all rifles. One of our readers wanted to try Wipe-Out, but he has a Remington 7400. This is a semi-automatic rifle with no pass-through in the rear of the receiver. There’s no way to insert a guide rod, and it’s also tricky to use a chamber plug.

READ Jason’s Wipe-Out Article Here

For rifles such as the Garand, M1A and other semi-autos, you can apply Wipe-Out through the breech if you use fitted, plastic tubing. Jason Baney has written a short article describing this process. In a nutshell, you need one piece of tubing that fits the chamber tightly and then connects with a second, smaller diameter tube that attaches to the Wipe-Out can. This avoids any “over-spray” of foam in the action area, providing a clean, simple solution. Just squirt for a second or so, and wait for white foam to come out of the muzzle. Be sure to keep Wipe-Out off fine wood stocks.