The big seller recently at Blade, Barrel and Reel Outdoors, said owner Wade Adams, has been handguns from SCCY Industries of Daytona Beach, Fla., manufacturer of the CPX1 and CPX2 9mm semi-automatic pistols designed for concealed carry.
“We’ve sold just a ton of them,” he said. “Part of that is the price—they only have just the two models and we sell them for $310 and $325. Despite that lower price point, they are a really good-quality handgun and have an amazing life-time warranty.”
Another popular handgun line here is the small bore Rough Rider, from Heritage Manufacturing, a series of revolvers with that Old West look and feel to them. Chambered in .22 LR and .22 Mag., the revolvers start at $175.
Turkey Guns Turkey season had locals buying shotguns, but not necessarily turkey-specific models. Benelli, Browning A-5 and various Tri-Star models were selling, Adams noted, almost all of them in 12 gauge. Since most of the buyers were also leaving the store with a box or two of turkey shotshells, he figured they will see some field action this spring.
Black Rifles
Adams has also noticed a nice bump in AR-15 sales, which had been down for the longest time, with entry-level models by Del-Ton moving nicely.
“I think they’ve been on a lot of peoples’ wish lists for a while now. And with tax refunds coming in, and lower prices on a number of rifles, guys are deciding now is the time to buy.”
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Lyman’s new Ultimate Case Prep Kit has nearly every tool you need to uniform brass before reloading.
Ammunition reloading is perhaps more accessible today than ever before.
Nearly every company that manufactures presses and other handloading gear offers a basic kit that gives shooters everything they need to get started on the rewarding discipline. But, as quickly becomes evident, those kits typically have to have a number of tools added to it.
One of the leaders in reloading tools, though, looks like it’s making stocking a reloading bench easier and a bit cheaper with one of its newest products. Like its name implies, the Lyman Ultimate Case Prep Kit has all the tools a reloader needs to ensure their bass is uniform and ready to become a precision cartridge. And it also has a few extras that are certain to prove useful.
The kit has 14 pieces and includes the following tools:
E-ZEE Case Gauge
Magnum Inertia Bullet Puller with two collets
Extra Large Debuff Tool
Outside Chamfer Tool
Flash Hole Uniformer
VLD Chamfer Tool
Small Primer Pocket Reamer
Large Primer Pocket Reamer
Small Primer Pocket Uniformer
Large Primer Pocket Uniformer
Small Primer Pocket Cleaner
Large Primer Pocket Cleaner
Nylon Case Neck Brushes with Brush Handle: 25 Cal., 30 Cal., 45 Cal.
Dry Case Neck Lube
The bullet puller is a nice addition to the kit and can often be one of those tools reloaders put off too long buying. But they’re worth their weight in gold, helping erase mistakes, while salvaging components for use in another load.
The kit also is designed to remain organized through its handy hard-plastic case. Presently the Lyman Ultimate Case Prep Kit has an MSRP of $140, which the Connecticut manufacturer pegs a 40-percent less than if the tools were bought individually.
The only thing more noteworthy than the accuracy of the feature-rich Ruger Precision Rifle is its price tag, making extreme range accuracy accessible to more shooters.
Given Ruger’s aggressive rate of innovation as of late it was only a matter of time until its engineers released a dedicated long-range rifle. And with an MSRP of $1399, Ruger pulled it all off at a price range that most shooters can afford.
The tack-driver is built on the company’s American Rifle action, but as the video below explains that action is not just dropped into a cool-looking modern “sniper” chassis. Instead, the recoil path is in-line with the AR-style (and side folding!) stock.
From Ruger's Press Release:
The Ruger Precision Rifle incorporates an in-line recoil path directly from the rear of the receiver to the buttstock, eliminating the need for traditional bedding or a “chassis” system, and provides maximum accuracy potential by simplifying the rifle’s response to recoil. The Ruger® Precision MSR stock is adjustable for length of pull and comb height, offering a proper fit over a wide range of shooter sizes, outerwear, and shooting positions. While easily adjusted, the length of pull and comb height changes lock solidly in place and will not move while firing. The stock also features multiple QD sling attachment points, a bottom Picatinny rail for monopod attachment, and a soft rubber buttpad. The left-folding stock hinge (which provides access to the bolt) is attached to an AR-style buffer tube and accepts AR-style stocks.
The Ruger Precision Rifle features a Multi-Magazine Interface, a patent-pending system that functions interchangeably with side-latching M110/SR25/DPMS/Magpul® magazines and front-latching AI-style magazines. Two, 10-round Magpul PMAG® magazines are shipped with each rifle.
The highly accurate, free-floated barrel is cold hammer-forged from 4140 chrome-moly steel, and features 5R rifling for minimum bullet upset. The rifle is specified with minimum bore and groove dimensions, minimum headspace, and a centralized chamber. The medium contour (.75” at the muzzle) barrel features a thread protector over the 5/8”-24 threads, which allow for the fitment of muzzle accessories such as sound suppressors. Barrels can be replaced easily by a competent gunsmith using AR-style wrenches and headspace gauges.
The Ruger Precision Rifle’s “upper” receiver and one-piece bolt are precision CNC-machined from pre-hardened 4140 chrome-moly steel to minimize distortion. The three-lug bolt with 70-degree throw is easily manipulated and features dual cocking cams, and a smooth-running, full-diameter bolt body. An oversized bolt handle is fitted for positive bolt manipulation and features 5/16”- 24 threads for easy customization. The “lower” receiver is precision CNC-machined from aerospace-grade 7075-T6 aluminum forging and is Type III hard-coat anodized for maximum durability. The magazine well front is contoured for a positive grip for bracing against shooting supports. The rifle also sports a 20-MOA Picatinny rail secured with four, #8-40 screws for increased long-range elevation capabilities.
The Ruger Precision Rifle can easily be configured with AR-style grips, safety selectors, and handguards. The rifle is equipped with a Ruger extended trigger-reach AR-style grip, a left-side, 45-degree safety selector, and a Samson Evolution Keymod handguard. A short section of Picatinny rail is provided with the rifle for the fitment of accessories such as a bipod, and a QD sling cup also is included.
The Ruger Marksman Adjustable™ trigger provides a crisp let-off and is externally adjustable with a pull weight range of 2.25 to 5.0 pounds. The hex wrench for the pull weight adjustment provided with the rifle is stored in the bolt shroud, as is a bolt disassembly tool for accessing the striker and striker channel.
The Ruger Precision Rifle is available in three models: .308 Win. with 1:10 twist, 20” barrel weighing, 9.7 lbs.; 6.5 Creedmoor with a 1:8 twist, 24” barrel, weighing 10.6 pounds; and .243 Win. with a 1:7.7 twist, 26” barrel, weighing 11.0 pounds.
For more information on the Ruger Precision Rifle or to learn more about the extensive line of award-winning Ruger firearms, visit Ruger.com or Facebook.com/Ruger. To find accessories for the Ruger Precision Rifle or other Ruger firearms, visit ShopRuger.com or your local independent retailer of Ruger firearms.
There is a lot to be said for dry firing, regardless if you are a rifle or pistol shooter.
The practice allows you to become intimate with your firearm. It forces full concentration of perfect sight picture and trigger control. And, after you have a firearm, it costs absolutely nothing to do.
In fact, I would be so bold as to say there are few things a shooter can do that will better hone their marksmanship than dry fire. And, when at the range, the practice can actually do a bit more than just train; it can also be used as a diagnostic tool.
As the above video from the National Shooting Sports Foundations shows, incorporating dry fire in with live can help identify shooting bugaboos. One of the quickest that will typically surface is flinch.
The one drawback of the drill shown in this video is the fact the shooter knows when they are going to dry fire. But, the element of surprise can be added with a small investment in some snap caps.
Loaded in with live rounds, the snap caps add an element of unknown in a string of shots. It truly forces shooters to concentrate on all the mechanics of breaking off a perfect shot. And if they don’t, well the herking and jerking of the shooter and gun provides instant feedback.
Handgun marksmanship training will not only help you survive an attack, it will give you legal ammunition in a court case and confidence that may prevent the attack before it ever happens.
Shifting emphasis from the legal to the practical, we need to ask just how good of a shot are you?
If a loved one has been grabbed by an armed robber who decided to hit the store at the exact time you were at the check out stand, or if you are the last line of defense between a cowering group of church congregants facing an armed terrorist killing infidels, could you reasonably interdict the attacker?
In attempting to interdict an attack, will you be cool, calm and collected, and purposely line up your sights and squeeze the shot to hit the brain or high torso? It is quite a feat of marksmanship while adrenalin is flowing. Are you up for that challenge? After all, isn’t the reason we carry guns in the first place to be able to stop criminals from killing?
Competition and Concealed Carry Training
Practical shooting competitions give you the chance to practice skills under stress.
In addition to local matches, each year I compete against a hundred or more other folks, many the cream of the crop in the tactical training world, in a three to four stage match at the RangeMaster Tactical Conference in Memphis, TN. There I am challenged to solve the problems laid out before me both efficiently and better than the other competitors.
The more you do a high-stress activity in training, the less likely it is that you will be too adversely affected by the stress of the real thing. Matches like this force you to make decisions while under the effects of stress, just like you might face in a real-world incident. If your actions are called into question in a court case, you can speak from experience about how you had been trained to make split-second decisions, and how you practiced as often as you could.
You can testify to undertaking the very same type of training and practice that courts have deemed necessary for law enforcement officers. That's a big plus.
Competence Equates to Confidence
The final aspect of training is confidence. You need to exude an aura of confidence; this will make you less likely to be attacked.
As a rookie police officer, I was told that if you were well groomed, in a clean uniform and with your duty belt sorted out, you would be better respected and find criminals more likely to avoid a physical confrontation. I believe this to be absolutely true.
But, how does this affect the average armed citizen? The same results enjoyed by the squared-away, professional-looking cop extend to armed citizens who carefully guard their appearance. If “competent armed citizen” was listed in the dictionary, would a picture of you make an apt illustration?
What would that picture look like? It would show a person who looks respectable. You want your courtroom appearance to match your police mug shot: clean clothing and no cute t-shirts with funny sayings like “If you die, we split your gear.” Non-gunny clothing seems the best choice.
There is more to this issue than just the clothing you wear or your grooming habits. It is also important that you do not look the part of a willing victim. We have all heard the reports of the little old lady being mugged, who turns the tables, draws her pistol and shoots the attacker. Why did the mugger choose the little old lady, not a former NFL linebacker? Of course, the answer is he thought the older woman was an easy mark and the linebacker a tough opponent. While few can resemble the linebacker, we can all work to not look like easy prey.
We convey messages through body language, as two studies in recent decades have pointed out. The first study, conducted in 1981 by Betty Grayson and Morris Stein, had prison inmates who were serving time for violent crime rate the perceived vulnerability of people shown on videotape without a soundtrack. (See Grayson, B. and Stein, M. I. (1981), Attracting Assault: Victims’ Nonverbal Cues. Journal of Communication, 31: 68–75. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-2466.1981.tb01206.x)
The study showed that criminals employ a victim selection process, even if based on a mere moment’s observation. The ones who displayed a non-verbal persona of confidence were likely not to be selected as the focus of a criminal’s intent, whereas those who did not project confidence were more likely to be selected. These conclusions were confirmed in 2009 when a similar study was conducted with 47 inmates in a maximum security penitentiary in Ontario, Canada. (Wheeler, Book, & Costello, 2009)
If you are carrying a gun, you should be alert at all times, especially in public. If you are well trained and someone approaches you, just knowing you have options that unarmed individuals do not will help you remain composed and ready to counter violence. We cannot quantify the number of people who are not attacked because of being armed, but we can logically draw the connection between being armed, trained and confident with not having to use deadly force in self-defense to resolve or avoid attack.
The power of prevention is likely the single most important reason to seek out competent and extensive training. And then once trained, continue to take classes to keep your skills sharp.
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Click the following links to read Part I and Part II of this series.
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Pulsar’s new Digisight 850 LRF is the ticket for low-light shooters.
When it comes to firearms optics, Pulsar isn’t in the dark. The company has a long history producing and innovating low-light aiming solutions.
Pulsar even touts some pretty impressive credentials along these lines as the first to produce a digital night vision riflescope. And it has recently put its expertise to good use, expanding its catalog with what could be a highly useful optic.
The Digisight LRF N850 gives shooters an added level of precision, outfitted with a built-in rangefinder. Given the difficulty of gauging distance in low-light situations, this could be an incredible addition.
The range finder has a measurement range of 400 yards and has a margin of error of 1 meter. Perhaps even more impressive, the unit also has a scanning mode, engineered to range fast-moving targets or ones dispersed across the landscape. Hog and coyote hunters let your imaginations run wild.
The unit also includes what looks to be other helpful innovations, such as the THD and AoE functions. THD displays the true horizontal distance, while AoE shows the shooter’s angle of elevation. These are perfect additions for those operating in a mountainous landscape or a stand.
The unit uses a 640×480 resolution OLED display and offer 4.5x magnification and 2x digital zoom. The unit is also outfitted with Pulsar’s proprietary Sum Light Singnal Procesing Program, which allows for image enhancement without resorting to the IR illuminator. If the situation calls for it, however, the Digisight 850 LRF does have an eye-safe laser illuminator to light up a target.
The Digisight 850 LRF comes preloaded with thirteen selectable electronic reticles for specific hunting and shooting conditions. All reticles have four color options. While one shot zeroing is still a key feature of the unit, innovative FREEZE zeroing is a new enhancement. All customizable zeroing parameters can be memorized for up to three types of weapons or distances.
The scope will add a bit of heft to a firearm, weighing in at 38.8 ounces with batteries. It measures in at 13.4 inches long, 4.4 inches across and 3.7 inches high. The unit runs off of 4 AA batteries. The MSRP was not available for the scope, but a number of online retailers had the Digisight 850 LRF listed around $2,000.
The C-More Scout mount is a great way to place a red dot on your carry handle equipped rifle, though in this case it’s sitting on a detachable carry handle. You can still use the iron sights, and for the most part, users of this style of mount will “co-witness” the dot to the irons.
Now is a great time to add AR-15 optics to your rifle or carbine. In Part I, Muramatsu looks at the latest in red dot scopes for ARs.
he Bushnell TRS-25 mounted on the author’s scratchbuild, a 5.56 from everywhere. This model’s color closely matches the Burned Bronze Cerakote on the rifle and they make a good pair for close range de-Commiefying work.
The original idea behind the red dot scope was to have a single illuminated aiming point, sort of like a crosshairs in a riflescope, but at zero magnification, with a wide field of view. There are a lot of different sized dots, different colored dots (don’t have to be red, but most are, and the originals were), not dots at all but circles, triangles, whatever, powered and unpowered, small and large.
The basic theoretical red dot sight is encapsulated in a smallish housing roughly 30-50 mm in diameter and three or four inches long. And black. Black is still the new black. A diode inside the back of the housing shines a beam forward that reflects off the front lens assembly back through the rear lens into the shooter’s ocular sensory apparatus.
Adjustments are present to move that dot around the inside of the optic so that you can adjust the point of impact. There is generally no magnification. The dot covers a certain-sized circle at 100 yards. 4 MOA dots are common that cover a four-inch circle at that range. In a way, the dot size can allow some basic rough ranging ability, but the dot size can be variable and often is of different sizes for different tasks.
Larger dots are better at short ranges where precision is secondary to speed, and smaller dots, as small as 1 MOA or less, are used past 100 yards with good precision. Intensity settings on the theoretical red dot scope are user adjustable so that you can set it high for bright sunlight or quite low for those times when you are protecting your home in the dead of night.
This theoretical model will also have a clamp mounting system integral to the housing so that it can be slapped down on a Picatinny or Weaver mounting rail. The theoretical model, since it is basic, is also cheap and can be found for under $50. There are all kinds of models available.
The “standard” Aimpoint Red dot optic looks like this CompM3. This is the civilian counterpart to the M68 CCO.
Let’s expand out from there. You can go up to the $100 range and find something with a little more in the way of flexibility. A Bushnell TRS-25 red dot scope is a nicely made, compact optic with familiar looks. There is a downside: it is going to need a Picatinny rail riser. UTG makes a super and super priced riser, that looks like it was meant to be used with the TRS-25, for about ten bucks.
Remember, an AR optic needs to be high up in order to raise it to the correct usable height. Up to this point, the battery life of these red dots mentioned is in the dozens of hours, using a watch battery as a power source, usually a CR2032 button. This battery is common (get it at any department store) and inexpensive.
The next tier of red dots gets expensive. This is because we are entering into the tactical realm of this particular universe. The previously mentioned types are generally hunting use or relatively low impact resistant, but are still commonly used as entry points on ARs and related rifles. Tactical, competition, and military/LEO shooters have a much more demanding agenda with red dots, just like with riflescopes.
Likely the most well-known red dot optic at this level is the Aimpoint. This is the small scope seen on many rifles carried by our military and is known there as the M68 Close Combat Optic. This model is based on the Aimpoint CompM2 red dot scope. In use it is much like the theoretical baseline model but with some under-the-surface enhancements. Battery life has been extended to the tens of thousands of hours.
This Meprolight reflex sight uses no power source except what can be taken from the wild outdoors. Sort of. It works during the day with fiberoptics, with light from the sun. At night, it illuminates using Tritium, derived from seawater.
You can leave these things on at full power for well over a year. The housings are reinforced and overall, the durability of the Aimpoint red dots is an order of magnitude above the previous tier of red dot optics. The CompM2 is pretty much obsolete now and they are a couple generations past it. But it is still in production and still well sold nationwide.
A different but still common alternative to the Aimpoint has been the EoTech Holosight. First of all it’s not round. It’s more squarish and boxy. If you are into squarish and boxy then boy, is the Holosight for you. Rather than using a red diode, the Holosight uses a “laser.” I point that out simply to be a know-it-all.
It doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. The effect is the same in that you have a dot, or in this case a circle dot that appears to project onto the target but never leaves the confines of the optic body. Rather than using dials to adjust intensity, it has buttons either on the rear or the side of the housing that activate and adjust up and down accordingly.
The fun part about this model is that is uses the common AA battery, or the becoming common CR123 battery. Formerly used solely in cameras, the CR123 is regularly used in optics and tactical lights so that it is much more common. This is unlike the 1/3N battery that earlier Aimpoints used and you had to dig up online or at Radio Shack.
Eotech Holosights are also very popular. This is a basic 512 model that sells for around $400 and uses AA batteries, for those of you not yet into the Lithium age.
There are a host of Holosight models (same with Aimpoint) that you can choose from, based on requirements and cost. This tier of red dots ranges from $300 to over $600. Fortunately most now come with integral Picatinny mounts from the factory, so you don’t have to pay extra for mounting hardware. They even come in something other than black, with several models available in a desert tan color. There are different reticles available too, the craziest one being on the Brownells model that looks like a biohazard symbol.
Micro-red dots are also increasingly common, and as the name would suggest, are quite small. These include the JP JPoint, Burris FastFire, Docter Optics red dot, Trijicon RMR, and others. They are small, very lightweight, use button batteries and last a long time, and often are constantly on, with no on/off switch, using a light sensor to self-regulate brightness. Prices come within a wide range. These optics are generally used not as primary sighting devices but as secondaries, mounted offset on the receiver or handguard, or to the primary scope’s mounting system and used only when use of the primary would not be optimal.
This micro-red dot from Sightmark represents a good quality, low price model of micro. It also has a fun little sun shade overhang, and it’s green rather than red.
The final (at least for now) tier of red dots is rarely red and there are only a few models to choose from. Most of these are passively powered, either by the great firebox in the sky or by radioactivity and usually by both. Models like the Trijicon Tri-power and the Meprolight optics use Tritium to make a visible reticle in subdued light and fiberoptic technology to illuminate the rest of the time, and they do so in a way that self regulates to ambient conditions.
In a way, what goes in comes out again in a perfectly visible, perfectly intense reticle. Meprolight calls it an Electro-optical sight, but the idea is that you don’t have to do anything to the sight. You don’t have to turn it on. You don’t have to play with settings. Nothing. But this convenience comes at a higher price tag.
It’s pretty clear that red dot sights are in a very real manner similar to the traditional magnifying optics in one crucial aspect: price. You get what you pay for. If you only want to spend $100 you will get a unit that is somewhat bulky or has relatively short battery life, works well, but is made in the PRC. If you want to spend $300 or more, you will get a more streamlined or lightweight unit that has battery life measured in the hundreds or thousands of hours, works really well, and is made in the USA, Japan, Israel, Germany, or Sweden, with a lifetime warrantee.
At Gamaliel Shooting Supply, the demand for reloading components has been extremely strong since early 2013, and Grayson Pare, Gamaliel’s sales and marketing manager, doesn’t see it slacking off one bit in 2015.
“Powder is still the hardest of all reloading components to get,” Pare said. “We are roughly a year behind on filling powder backorders and we do not anticipate that getting much better in 2015. The good news is, primers of all sorts have gotten much easier to keep in stock, and supplies of bullets, brass and shot have gotten better as well.”
Talking Turkey
Spring turkey hunters have bought many new shotguns. Benelli is the top seller here, with the Super Black Eagle II being the most popular model at prices in the $1,700 to $1,800 range, depending on whether a customer wants the black or the camouflage finish.
“We also sell a lot of Benelli Super Novas, Stoeger P3500 shotguns and Remington 870s in the lower price points,” Pare added.
Turkey hunters are snapping up the new Winchester Long Beard XR turkey shotshells, at $18.95 to $24.95 per box.
Irrepressible Suppressor Sales
The fastest growing market here, though, the one where demand and supply are in sync for ever-expanding sales? Suppressors.
“Customers are beginning to learn more about the legalities of owning suppressors and many states have legalized hunting with suppressors over the last few years,” Pare said. “Most customers are looking to buy suppressors that are versatile, so we sell a lot of 7.62mm suppressors like the SilencerCo Saker 762 that can be used on anything from .223 rifles to .300 Win. Mag.”
Editor's Note: The brief originally appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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The kids today, well they seem to be doing all right. At least the ones who have hitched their stars to the fast-growing extracurricular activity of sport shooting.
Yes, breaking clays and nailing bull’s eyes have gained traction among American teens and young adults. Not long ago, we pointed out a feature the Washington Post did on the uptick of competitive college shooters.
Now, of all places, Bloomberg News notes the growth of high school athletes crowding the firing line.
As shocking as it might be, the namesake media outlet of one of America's most notorious anti-gunners (Michael Bloomberg) does a fairly decent job documenting this trend.
One of the article’s main focuses is the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League Championship. And this one competition in and of itself shows exactly how fast high schoolers’ interest in shooting sports has blossomed:
In 2009, the contest’s first year, it drew 30 shooters. In June there were 5,134, more than 20,000 spectators and sponsors including Benelli Armi SpA and SKB Shotguns. Trap shooting is the fastest-growing sport in Minnesota high schools, and was recently introduced in neighboring Wisconsin and North Dakota.
An article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune from a year ago also noted traps growing popularity with teens, as well. In fact, it points out, shooting sports have more prep participants now than hockey in the Gopher State!:
…[S]o many kids are involved that about 1,800 were turned away this year, because of a capacity shortage at ranges. A recently approved $2 million legislative grant program is intended to help alleviate the deficiency.
In both articles, Jim Sable is pointed to as a catalyst to the resurgence of youth shooting sports. After retiring as an advertising executive in 2001, the Minnesota resident founded what has become the USA State High School Clay Target League.
His motivation in creating what has become one of the prime movers in competitive youth shooting was breathing life back into what he feared to be a dying sport. Sable’s work appears to be paying off since the Great North Woods isn’t the only place where a renewed interest in shooting sports is taking root.
According to the Bloomberg article, schools in Arizona, South Dakota, Illinois and Kansas are all set to field teams next year. No matter how you cut it, this is incredible news for anyone who loves shooting — competitive and otherwise.
These young men and women are the voices and guardians of our Second Amendment Rights in the not too distant future. It is heartening to hear their ranks are swelling.
More importantly, this emerging trend is wonderful for these young athletes. There are the obvious benefits of learning sportsmanship, discipline and competitiveness. But also, these youths are picking up an activity, more aptly a passion, that lasts a lifetime.
There are few things, particularly from high school, that can make that claim.
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Optics companies haven’t held back this year with a slew of new and improved options ready to deck out rifles, pistols and shotguns. To boot, the companies appear to have an option for nearly every budget — no matter how big or small. Check out these 11 new firearm optics and see what’s worth setting your crosshairs on.
The Leatherwood ART M1000 scope makes long-distance shooting simple. Simply place the reticle on the target. Use the brackets on the reticle to frame an 18-inch or 1 meter target (i.e. the 18″ height of a buck's chest cavity) by zooming in to an area of known size. Aim and shoot. The scope automatically ranges the target and compensates for bullet trajectory for distances of 250 to 1,000 meters. This means no holdover or guesswork. Take Aim On Accuracy
Howa has gone 6.5 Creedmoor, offering the better part of its rifle collection in the accurate cartridge.
6.5 Creedmoor for Life
Dynamite on everything from small to medium sized game, the 6.5 Creedmoor has plenty of versatility. But, in all actuality, the cartridge is a specialist.
When it comes to tapping tacks a zip code away, few rounds match the consistency and accuracy of the Creedmoor. The flat-shooting round's bullets offer some of the highest ballistic coefficients around and they are backed by plenty of cartridge space to really get them moving.
Howa 6.5 Creedmoor Rifles
Apparently, these desirable attributes have not been missed by Howa Rifles, because the Japanese company has gone in big on the cartridge. Howa recently announced it is now offering a good share of its rifles in 6.5 Creedmoor.
The new chambering is available in the following Howa 6.5 Creedmoor models and packages: the Alpine Mountain Rifle, Kryptek Highlander/Cerakote finish, Black or OD Green Hogue stocks (blued or Cerakote Gray finish on metal parts), the Howa/Hogue/Nikko Stirling Gameking Package, Howa/Hogue Youth 2•N•1 Package with youth and adult stocks as well as Ranchland Compact Packages.
The Alpine Mountain Rifle in Creedmoor could make an interesting package, in particular.
The rifle is feather light (5.7 pounds), designed for hunters who push deep into the backcountry. The Creedmoor’s superior ballistics could be just the ticket for those who tramp along ridgelines and sometimes have to pull the trigger on a long shot. As a bonus, the 6.5’s light recoil has the potential to lessen the rifle’s punishment.
Depending on the model, Howa is offering the 6.5 Creedmoor with a 22-inch standard barrel and 24-inch heavy barrel. In the future, the company plans to offer a lightweight 20-inch barrel version.
When it comes to defining magnum cartridges, it’s not as straightforward as you might think.
Despite lacking the “magnum” designation, the 7.82 Lazzeroni Warbird (center) and the .460 Dakota qualify in spades. Shown for comparison sake is the .30-06 at left.
There was a time when the term “magnum” was fairly well defined. I’m talking back in the 1960s and 70s when the word pretty much meant a cartridge more powerful than “normal” and was usually based on the belted Holland & Holland case. In fact, in the eyes of many, if it didn’t have a belt, it couldn’t be a magnum—that’s how synonymous the two words became. As always, though, there were many exceptions to the rule. Back in its early days as a wildcat, for example, the .25-06 certainly provided magnum performance if the standard for the caliber was the .257 Roberts. Yet it was never called a magnum.
At the other end of the .25-caliber spectrum was the .256 Win. Mag., a bastard of a cartridge if ever there was one. Originally designed as a pistol cartridge, what limited popularity it achieved was in the Marlin Model 62 Levermatic rifle.
Based on the .357 Mag. pistol case necked down to .25 caliber, as a rifle cartridge it was pitiful, sending a 60-grain bullet of low sectional density and ballistic coefficient at 2,760 fps. If we again cite the .257 Roberts as representing the performance standard for the caliber, it would have qualified as a super magnum compared to the .256. Incidentally, I actually owned one of those Marlin Levermatics, and the .256 Win. Mag. was the cartridge with which I started my handloading career.
Anyway, another and even better example of confusing nomenclature is the .220 Swift. When it was introduced in 1932, it absolutely blew the doors off any other .22 centerfire cartridge, yet like the .25-06, it never received the magnum imprimatur. Even when the .222 Rem. Mag. was introduced in 1958, the Swift pushed the same weight bullets about 500 fps faster, yet it was…well, just a Swift, not a magnum.
Like I said, there are many exceptions to the rule, but for the most part there was some thread of consistency throughout cartridge nomenclature. I guess when you get right down to it, a cartridge is regarded as a “magnum” if its performance—usually based on velocity, but not always, as in the case of shotshells—is higher than the nominal standard. Today we have many true magnums that have no belt, plus we have short magnums, ultra magnums and “enhanced performance” cartridges, so determining what those standards are is a lot more confusing than it used to be.
The .30-06-based .280 Rem. (second from left) represents standard velocity for the 7mm caliber. Like the .30 family, the smaller .308 Win. based 7mm-08 next to it comes close to matching the .280, while the belted 7mm Rem. and 7mm Ultra Mag provide one and two levels of performance above it.
I do think, however, we would all agree that the performance “standard” for our two most popular hunting calibers, the 7mm and .30, are represented by the .280 Rem. and the .30-06. In other words, a muzzle velocity of around 2,800-2,850 fps for a 150-grain 7mm bullet, and 2,750 or thereabouts for a 180-grain bullet in a .30-06, represent “standard” cartridge performance for those respective calibers.
Any cartridge that increases those nominal velocities by 150-200 fps would qualify as a magnum, whether they’re called that or not. Continuing that thread, the 7mm Rem. and .300 Win. best exemplify what most of us mean by “magnum” in those respective calibers. Of course we now have the 7mm and .300 WSM, which duplicate the aforementioned rounds, but with a shorter, squatter case, and without that once almost-mandatory appendage known as a belt.
Then we have in those same two calibers the 7mm and .300 Remington Ultra Magnum, both of which deserve that superlative moniker because they do indeed provide another significant step up in performance over “standard magnums,” if you will, which has to qualify as an oxymoron if ever there was one.
Boosting Velocities
What in recent years has further blurred the lines between standard, magnum and ultra magnum performance is best characterized by Hornady’s original Light Magnum line of enhanced performance ammunition.
By using proprietary loading procedures and propellants specifically formulated for them, Hornady was able to boost velocities in non-magnum cartridges by as much as 140 fps over the nominal standards, with no increase in pressures. After a couple of years, Hornady applied that same technology to magnum calibers, but it felt it had to somehow distinguish it from non-magnum calibers, so it was called Heavy Magnum, even though the velocity gains averaged about the same.
Though bearing the “magnum” suffix and wearing belts, the 6.5 and .350 Rem. Magnums were really not magnums because they didn’t surpass the performance of their .30-06-based equivalents, the 6.5-06 or .35 Whelen
For example, the Light Magnum 165-grain .308 Win. load clocked 2,840 fps compared to 2,700 for the standard loading. In .300 Win. Mag. the Heavy Magnum load exited at 3,120 fps, or 170 fps over the standard load. Thankfully, the folks at Hornady realized the potential for confusion and have since chosen to change the name to Superformance, and it applies to all such enhanced loadings, whether magnums or not.
Further blurring the lines between standard and magnum performance is that Hornady has applied this same technology in its development of proprietary cartridge lines for Ruger, Thompson/Center and Marlin. The Ruger Compact Magnums, the .300 and .338 T/C, and the .300 and .338 Marlin Express, are all examples of cartridges that provide significantly more velocity than they could otherwise given their case capacities.
Even more dramatic, though, is the performance gains achieved when these same loading techniques are applied to classic lever-action cartridges like the .30-30, .35 Rem., .444 Marlin and .450 Marlin in conjunction with Hornady’s development of FlexTip bullets. The overall performance of these old guns have been elevated to where they would qualify as “magnums” when compared to the standard loadings and the flat- or round-nosed bullets these guns were traditionally saddled with.
No sir, the term “magnum” doesn’t have quite the same connotations it once did. There are cartridges today that produce magnum and even super-magnum performance, yet are not so designated—the 7.82 Lazzeroni Warbird and .460 Dakota are consummate examples. Then there are those that wear a belt and don’t qualify, such as the 6.5 and .350 Rem. Mag.; they only duplicate, if that, the performance of the 6.5-06 wildcat and the .35 Whelen, respectively.
This article appeared in the Summer 2015 Ammo Issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Massad Ayoob teaches his popular concealed carry courses around the country. This training class was held in Southeastern Wisconsin.
No one doubts the value of good concealed carry training for the armed citizen. But can the fact that you got such training actually be used against you in court?
Because it is likely that all your training will be inspected, dissected and re-arranged by the prosecution to make you look like a cold-hearted killer, you need to take a hard look at the type of training you’ve received.
Gun Digest editor Corrina Peterson (right) with author and self-defense trainer Massad Ayoob.
In Larry Hickey’s trial, which I mentioned in Part I, Pima County Deputy Prosecutor Daniel Nicolini played heavily on that theme. Nicolini highlighted spetsnaz sniper and advanced combat skills training the defendant had taken as an indication that he was a trained gun-nut with a combat mindset.
Nicolini alleged that Hickey's mindset was such that, “he is being attacked by people who are out to kill him … He has been shown this Constable Lunsford video, where a cop confronting criminals with drugs is overwhelmed, and extrapolates that to a conclusion where he is arguing with his neighbors and saying that his response is reasonable.
“He has been taught to be decisive, aggressive, ruthless, and to use surprise when he is in a confrontational situation. He has been taught to carry a gun, and he has been taught in these courses, be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone that you meet. So is it any wonder on the evening of November 17th, when he was confronted in an argument with his neighbors, which turned into a physical confrontation, that his response from this mindset of his, fighting mindset that he has been taught, is pull a gun and shoot those neighbors?” Nicolini said.
Countering the Attack
To counter Nicolini’s theories, the defense brought in two of the defendant’s instructors and both testified in court. One was Brian Kowalski, a sergeant with the Tucson Police Department, the very same police department that had investigated the incident.
He was the instructor who taught the defendant’s concealed pistol certification course, in which he discussed the use of force. The fact that a sergeant with the Tucson Police Department testified on the defendant’s behalf went a long way to mitigate Prosecutor Nicolini’s theory that he was a gun nut.
If you take advanced handgun training, make sure your instructors are willing to testify in court on your behalf, to explain what they taught and why they taught you what they did. This concern is not an excuse to skip training! It is, rather, a full disclosure of the importance of legitimate, serious self-defense preparation undertaken prior to needing to act in self-defense.
Professionals Train. You Should, Too!
Consider any profession that is held in high regard by the general public: medicine, the law, accounting and even law enforcement. All demand that in order to work in these professions, people undergo both initial training and continuing education. While armed citizens carrying guns in public for self defense are not required to participate in yearly training, if you have done so anyway, it certainly is a strong argument in court to prove that by committing your own time and spending your own money to continue to train, you take your responsibilities to society as seriously as other professionals.
Couple live-fire training with decision-making training through force-on-force exercises, and you will be able to make a very good argument in court if the necessity arises, that your level of training is similar to the local cops who protect the same community from which the members of the jury hail.
It’s also a good reason to participate in IPSC and IDPA competitive shooting as a way to keep your skills sharp. The better the shooter, the less likely that shooter is going to endanger innocent bystanders.
Click here to read Part I. In Part III, Marty Hayes delves into the risks and rewards of marksmanship training in concealed carry and the necessity of the armed citizen to join an organization like the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network.
Get help following a self-defense incident when it's needed most. Unlike insurance, the Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network, Inc. pays the legal expenses as they emerge, rather than requiring the need to raise the money to get to “Not Guilty,” then apply for reimbursement. Join here and get a FREE download
Robert House — Classic Firearms/Echoes Of Glory Auctions, Virginia Beach, Va.
An auction house that specializes in military firearms and memorabilia, Classic Firearms/Echoes Of Glory Auctions has seen a steep increase in prices paid over the last year for three rifle types in particular: SKS rifles, from pretty much any country and manufacturer; British Enfields; and, the venerable M1 carbine.
“A year ago, SKS rifles were going for $225 to $250 apiece,” owner of Classic Firearms Robert House said. “Now, we’re seeing them at shows and auctions bringing $350 to $400. British Enfield rifles are the same—a year ago, they averaged $200-$225, and now they are $300 to $350. Japanese Arisaka and Italian Carcanos are going up, too.”
Meanwhile, prices for M1 Carbines have jumped 25 percent recently.
Any captured Communist Bloc weapons from the Korean and Vietnam Wars are fetching good prices, especially those with authentic “Capture Papers,” official military documents that gave soldiers permission to take home captured enemy firearms.
“[A] recent import Soviet M44 Nagant might sell from $225 to $275. But with the capture paperwork? They'll bring $400-450,” House said.
As for U.S. weapons from the Vietnam Era, early Colt AR-15 rifles that closely mimic the Vietnam era M16 (such as the Colt SP-1 semi-automatic) bring a premium.
“Guys are looking to pick up a Vietnam War legal M16 style rifle, which is quite different from later ARs, notably the stocks, the sights, the flashiders and the lack of a forward assist. I've seen them routinely sell for $1,300-$1,400 or more, versus a used later AR-15 that'll go for half that.”
Ah those little cloverleaf groups off the bench or from prone. They’re what bring smiles to shooters’ faces. Of course, such shooting can be a hothouse flower that quickly wilts when exposed to the variables of the real world.
In most field shooting situations, prone can be unworkable and a bench is typically miles away, collecting dust in a garage. In turn, throwing a bullet accurately down range requires much more nimble and practical solutions.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation gives a spectacular run down of some of these in the above video. In a few short minutes the clip covers the basics of shooting while kneeling, sitting and standing — mixing speed and accuracy. For anyone aiming to do more than punch holes in paper, these shooting positions should be mastered.
In particular, the sling work demonstrated in the video is an important skill, one that seems to be slipping away. More and more often shooters leave their slings flaccid, swinging impotently beneath their rifle, as useful as boobs on a boar. Sigh.
Watch the entire video, because you’re certain to find something that will enhance your field accuracy. And also heed its advice and get off the bench or your belly and practice them.
Sako delivered 125 modified Tikka T3 Compact Tactical rifles to be tested as the Canadian Rangers’ new rifle.
The Canadian Rangers have once again turned their collective eyes across the Atlantic for a rifle. However, this time around the volunteer force has gazed a tick north of the British Isles.
Sako, Finnish subsidiary of Beretta Holdings, recently delivered 125 prototype Tikka T3 Compact Tactical rifles to the Rangers. The bolt-action rifles will go through evaluations now until the end of 2015. Then, it is expected, that some 6,500 of the .308 Winchesters will be produced and phased into use by the surveillance/scouting force between 2016 and 2018.
The new Sakos replace a true icon of 20th Century battle rifles, the Lee Enfield No. 4 Mk. 1. The Canadian Rangers procured the rugged, battled-tested arms shortly after the force was formed in 1947 as military surplus from World War II.
The original lot of the rifles, chambered .303 British, served up to this point, but dwindling stocks and replacement parts forced the search for a replacement. What is certain to make many collectors break into tears is it has been reported the old Lee Enfields are set for destruction by the Canadian government.
The Tikka T3 Compact Tactical rifle snuggled in its Pelican hardcase.
While the design for the new Canadian Rangers' rifle comes from Finland, it will be produced on this side of the pond. T3s will be made under license by Colt Canada, which is set to add up to 30 new employees for the project.
The Tikka rifle has a number of Canadian modifications to help it in the harsh arctic conditions in which it will operate. These include: larger bolt handle and trigger guard to accommodate gloved hands, protected front and rear sights, laminated stock, a two-stage trigger, and a three position safety.
The rifles will come with a number of ancillary supplies, including: a Pelican hard transport case; cleaning kit, sling and soft transport case from Rampart International; and a trigger lock from The Old Co-Op.
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
Wade Adams — Blade, Barrel and Reel Outdoors, Georgetown, S.C.
