target shooter june
DESCRIPTION
Target Shooting Magazine. The first on line shooting magazine in the United Kingdom.TRANSCRIPT
Target Shooter 1FTScopeReview•QuigleyReport•NewProducts•andlotsmore…..
WelcometothethirdmonthofthisfreeonlineshootingmagazineforshootersintheUK
June 2009 Issue
Rimfire, Air Rifle and Centerfire Benchrest
ClubFeatures
Support Your local Gunshop
Event reports
Second part of two feature articles
2 Target Shooter
UK CUSTOM SHOP LTD
Home of Wildcat Sound Moderators
• Tel Shop: 01905 797060 • Fax: 01905 796620 • Tel Trade: 01905 796610• Web: www.wildcatrifles.co.uk • Email [email protected]
SS06.09/58/a
NEW RETAIL SPECIALIST RIFLE SHOPOpening in the Midlands
Only 3.5 miles from J5 of M5 Only 8 miles from J1 M42 UK Custom Shop Ltd, 20 Wassage Way, Hampton Lovett Trading Estate,
Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire WR9 0NX
Opening beginning of JuneWe Will Be Announcing An Open Weekend
With Many Special Deals !!!!!!! Watch website for details
Always willing to deal Try Us!
250 plus rifles in stock ~ 75 plus shotguns in stock ~ Airguns in stockWild Cat Sound Moderators ~ On Site Air Bottle and Air gun Charging facilities
We Stock guns from the following makers:Howa, Vorer, Steyr, Browning, Winchester, Miroku, Tikka, Sako, CZ, Remington, Blaser
,Sauer, Mauser, Stirling, Laurona, Sig, AYA, Beretta, Bakial, Fabarm, Franchi, Ruger, BSA,Webley, AirArms, Lincoln, Weihrauch and Fabarm
We stock the following shotgun cartridges: Eley, Fiocchi, SIMI, Rio, Express.
We stock metalics by: Fiocchi, Eley, Remington, CCI, Federal, Lapura, RWS, Norma, Sako.Optics by: Zeiss, Kahles, Swarovski, S&B, Lynx, Nicco Stirling, NightForce & many others.
Reloading Products, Bullets, Primers, Powder, Cases, Dies, Presses, Scales etc.
Gifts for the sportsman, Silver LDT edition Coins with African Animals on face, Hand-made knives, walking sticks and many other items.
Stalking Equipment Including: High Seats, knives, Knife sharpeners Roesacks, Optics, Butchery kits, Stalking sticks, Bi Pods, Rifle slings,
Gunslips and much more.
On Site Workshop and Gunsmiths. Repairs to Shotguns, Bolt Riflesand Double Rifles. Alterations to Shotguns and Rifles and Double
Rifles. New Rifles, Double Rifles and Shotguns built to specification. Air Guns Serviced & Repaired.
If we do not have what you want let us quote you.
FullCustomWorkundertaken
FullCustomWorkundertaken
Stalking Trips Arranged
58 - UK CUSTOM SHOP 17/4/09 8:46 am Page 1
Target Shooter 3
World Cup Success- 9/9 Prone Medals- 11/12 Gold medals in 50m events- Total of 35 medals won by ELEY 2009 ISSF World Cups 1, 2 & 3
www.eleyammunition.com
Champions shoot Tenex
ELEY - the home of Tenex
4 Target Shooter
Sections
6 ShootingSportNews
9 ShootersCalendar
14 SupportyourLocalGun Shop
24 PennineChallengeCup eventreview
26 AirRifleEquipmentPart3 byStanleyShaw 38 SavageModel12ByLaurie Holland
46 WildcatCartridgesby RichardWild
76 ShootingWebsiteofthe Month
78 PracticalShotgunevent reportbyTonyBurford
81 PhoenixMeetingReport byGwynRoberts
94 GunoftheMonth
96 ClubFeature
17 BasicRifleMaintenancePart2byVinceBottomley
32 LeupoldCompetition ScopeByCarlBoswell
53 FutureofGalleryRifleByGwynRoberts
65 AR15 combinationsByNigelGreenaway
72 ProjectRifle ByVinceBottomley
85 RifleTwist RatesPart2byLaurie Holland
57 HFT ScopesByTimFinley
Welcometothe3rdmonth
.......ofTargetShooter
Target Shooter 5
Association Pages99 UKBRA
103 UKBR22
104 FClassUK
107 QuigleyAssociation
109 HFTNews
111 GalleryRifle
113 UKPSA
Editor(s).CarlBoswellandVinceBottomley
Advertising and Office ManagerAndyDubreuil.email;[email protected]
ContributorsVinceBottomley RichardWildLaurieHolland TimFinley CarlBoswell TonyBurfordNigelGreenaway GwynRobertsStanleyShaw KenHall
DisclaimerThewebsitewww.targetshooter.co.ukispartofTargetShootermagazinewithallcontentsofbothelectronicmediacopyrighted.Noreproductionispermittedunlesswrittenauthorisationisprovided.Information,pricesanddataisbelievedtobecorrectatthetimeofpostingontheinternetwhichisonoraroundthe1stofeachmonth.AdvertisementsthatarefirearmrelatedarefromcompaniesorindividualsthatTargetShootermagazinebelievesarelicensedtoholdsuchfirearmsandacceptsnoresponsibilityifcompaniesorindividualsarenotsolicensed.LettersandphotographssubmittedbymembersofthepublictoTargetShootermagazinewillbeacceptedonthebasisthatthewriterhasagreedtopublicationunlessotherwisestated.TargetShootermagazinehasnocontroloverthecontentorownershipofphotographssubmitted.Theviewsexpressedinthismagazinearenotnecessarilytheviewsofthepublishersandrelatetospecificcircumstanceswithineacharticle.Thesearetheopinionsandexperiencesofwritersusingspecificequipment,firearms,componentsanddataundercontrolledconditions.Informationcontainedintheonlinemagazineoronthewebsiteisintendedtobeusedasaguideonlyandinspecificcircumstancescautionshouldbeused.TargetShooterMagazinedoesnotexceptanyresponsibilityforindividualsattemptingtorecreatesuchtestingusinganyinformation,dataorothermaterialsinitselectronicpages.PublishersofTargetShootermagazine.
WebitorialOurthirdissuealreadyandwecontinuetobeamazedandhumbledbyyourresponsetoourefforts.Althoughtheproductioncostsofanon-linemagazineareminimalcomparedtoa‘paper’magazine,nonethelessthereareweb-hostingcostsinvolvedandeventuallyweneedtocoverthosecostsandofcoursepayourloyalcontributorsifwearetosurvive.
Itisthereforeessentialthatwekeepadvertiserson-boardifwearetosurviveandprosper.PleasehelpbymentioningTargetShooterwhenrespondingtoadvertisements.Withyourhelp,oursmallteamwillstrivetobringyouup-to-datecoverageofalltarget-shootingsportsfromsmallclubcompetitionstointernationaleventsandwewillcontinuetobringnewsandreviewsofthelatesttarget-shootingequipmenttoyourcomputerscreenasquicklyaspossible.
Wenowneedyoursupportmorethanever.WehavedoneourbesttopubliciseTargetShooterbutthereisonlysomuchwecandoandyour‘wordofmouth’istheverybestwaytomaintainandincreaseour readership.We thankyousincerely foryourcontinuedsupportand itwasagreatpleasuretomeetsomanyofyouattheBisleyPhoenixMeetinglastmonth.
Theonlyrealcomplaintwehaveheardsofaristhatthemagazineisnoteasytoreadon-screen.Iagreewiththisobservation–oratleastIdiduntilIreadtheinstructions!Ifyouclickon‘More’ontheSCRIBDbuttonbaratthetopofthepage,thenclickon‘Viewmode’andcheck‘Bookmode’youcanreadTargetShooterjustlikeapropermagazine!Clickonthetopright-handcornertoturnthepage–amazing!Theotherthingiswehaveupdatedthesoftwaresoyoucannowdownloadthismagazinetoyoudesktopinasimilarformat-thefreesubscriptionprovidesalinktodothis.Finally,weareextremely fortunatetohavethecontinuedsupportofourwriters.WehaveevenreceivedoffersfromoverseaswriterswhojustwanttobepartoftheTargetShooterphenomenon.But,onestipulation–allourwritersmustbeactivecompetitionshooters,outthereontheranges,whatevertheweather,shootingshouldertoshoulderwithyou,ourreaders!CarlBoswell-carl@[email protected]
Copyright©TargetShooterMagazines
6 Target Shooter
Prestige are a new company on theblock,havingbroughtoutanewrangeof
airrifleswithquiteaselectionavailable.TheirPress release states‘High quality productsbackedupbyaveryhighstandardofcustomerservice is the driving philosophy behind ThePrestigeAirgunCompany–abrandnewoutfitthat’sheaded-upbyJeffCooper,awell-knownand highly-respected name in the airgunshootingindustry.“As the company’s name suggests,” explainsJeff,“PrestigeAirgunswillbefocusingonthedistribution of top quality air rifles andequipmentexclusivelythroughaselectnumberofdealersacrosstheUK.”With 15 years’ experience of the UK airgunindustry, Jeff is very much in tune withwhat both dealers and shooters want, andhe is confident that the Prestige brand willdeliverineveryrespect.Jeff has been busy working on a number ofexcitingnewprojectswithmanyof theglobalcontacts he has built up over the years andthe first of these - a top-end prechargedpneumatic multi-shot carbine and an entry
level 10-shot PCP-rolloutatthe end ofMay.’Good lucktothisnewcompanyas this iswhat weneed inthe UK tod i v e r s i f your sport.We maybe able toseeoneofthese be-ing testedinthenearfuture?
GSG22lrrifles in the
U.KYork Guns Ltd is proudto announce that theyare the newly appointeddistributor for GSG22lr rifles in the U.Kand have two new models for 2009.
TherangewillconsistofthealreadypopularGSG-5and itsnewvariant theGSG-5SD, thenewmodelfeaturesalargeoversizedbarrelshroudandtubularribbed fore-end. A full range of accessoriesincludingTacticalscopes,mounts,collapsiblestocks,frontgripsandsparemagazineswillbeavailableforbothmodels.York Guns have also developed a brand newdesign sound moderator for the GSG-5 which isextremelyeffectiveandwillonlycost£79.95;thenewmoderatortakestheplaceofthedummymoderatorshroudandextends the lengthof thegunbyonly
135mm.
ThenewGSG-47Kalashnikov copy will also be available in twomodels,blacksyntheticorwoodstockandfore-end.Againa large rangeofaddonaccessorieswillbeavailabletocustomiseyourrifle.For more information please contact the York Guns Ltd Retail Team, details below:Marketing: [email protected]
Retail Sales: [email protected]
Shooting Sport News
Target Shooter 7
Eley attends thePhoenix
EleyattendedthePhoenixthisyearforthefirsttime,havingamarqueejustoutsidethemainpavilion. This was a trial runthrough to test the consumermarketattheeventandbyallaccounts they succeeded intheirtarget;speakingtomanyindividuals and selling quitea lot of themerchandise theyhave begun to establish as acompany.
Having achieved a greatdeal of success at the recentMunich World Cup, withshooters using Tenexammunition, the company islooking forward to developingthe use of its range ofammunitionevenfurther.(EleyTenex was used to attain 10outofthe18medalsavailableattheWorldCup)
Speaking to Clive Scrivens,the commercial team werevery pleased with theirsuccess at the Phoenix, overthe Saturday and Sunday,#saying that they would be
backnextyear.
McReesstocks
Whilst on the subject of North West Custom Parts, we made aquick mention of their McRees stocks from the USA last month.Although I’d seen a couple of stocks at my local range, I hadn’treallygot to lookatoneupclose.Wayneobligedandsupplied thebenchrest example shown in the pic. This has the three-inch widefore-end and would be suitable for benchrest or F Class compe-tition. StuartAmselm ofOspreyRifles lentme theSavage 6.5-284barrelled-action tomakethestock lookabitmore likearifleand infact,ifyouareinterested,it’[email protected] stocks areCNCmachined frombillet aluminium,making themimmensely strong and true. The standard of machining is veryhigh as you would expect and various anodised colour finishesare available.There are inlets formost popular actions, so it’s justamatter of decidingonconfigurationandordering the correct one.Inadditiontothebenchrestfore-end,thereisatacticalversionwhichlooksverynice insatinblack.Youcouldof coursehave two or more fore-ends, making the stockvery versatile. The pistol-grip is standard M16 sothere are lots of aftermarket options. The pictureshows a bag-riding butt but others are available.I didn’t weigh the stock but I would guess that itwould come in under 17 lbs with scope whichwouldnicelymakeLightGunclassorF/TRclass.
It’s a testimony to the quality of these stocksthat theUSArmyare currently evaluating them.Contact Wayne at www.nwcustomparts.com
If any association, club or retailer or manufacturer wishes to provide news for this section (Copmpetitions, new products, etc), please get in touch with us via the customer support email address on the magazine website.
The Eley team over thePhoenix weekend
Target Shooter 9
CalendarofeventsoverthenexttwomonthsIfyourcluborassociationhaseventsyouwanttopubliciseherethenemailus.
Thu 02 Jul to Sun 05 JulJulNRA ImperialMeeting (National Shooting Centre (NSC),Bisley)
Sat 4 and Sun 5MLAGBPedersoliChallenge,Wedgnock
Thu 09 Jul IrelandvScotland-LexLyonsMatch(NationalShootingCentre(NSC),Bisley)
Mon 13 Jul to Thu 16JulNRAImperialMeeting - Schools Meeting (National ShootingCentre (NSC), Bisley) Competitions for SchoolCombinedCadetForcesaffliatedtotheNRA.
Sat 11MLAGBDTLShotgunTraining,SywellRanges
Fri 17 JulWindCoachingCourse (NationalShooting Centre (NSC), Bisley) Short windcoachingcourse.
Sun 26 MLAGBRiflePractice,Bisley100yd-advancebookingrequired
Fri 10 Jul to Thu 16JulNRAImperialMeeting-MatchRifleEvents(NationalShootingCentre(NSC),Bisley)
12th July 100yardbenchrest–BisleySunday
5 June to Sunday 7th june-ScottishOpenChampionships (Blair Atholl (Scotland). http://www.scottishrifleassociation.org.ukContactAllanMabon
Sat 6th – 7th JuneMLAGBNationalPistolChampionships,Bisley
6/7th June-GBFClassLeagueRound2Bisley([email protected])
6th JuneNRAShootingClubDay(NationalShootingCentre (NSC),Bisley) -Multi-disciplineNRAShootingClubDay.TargetshavebeenbookedonMelvilleandat100,200,300and1000yards.Alldisciplineswelcome.Ifyouwouldliketoattendyoumustbookinatleastaweek in advance by contactingHeatherWebbat theNRA.
12th to 14th -BritishIntl50mChampionshipsFriday,12June2009.TheChampionshipsrunfrom12thto14thJune.ContactNSRA
Fri 12 June-AGMofNationalRifleAssociation(NationalShootingCentre(NSC),Bisley)-AnnualGeneralMeetingof theNRA.TobeheldatBisleyat5.30pm.Allmembersareencouragedtoattend.
18 June - NRA Shooting Club Day (NationalShooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)Multi-disciplineNRA Shooting Club Day. Targets have beenbookedonMelvilleandat100,200,500and900yards.ContactHeatherWebb.
20 June -Club InstructorCourse -NSRACost- £75.00. Fees include NSRA registration costs,courseattendanceandassessmentswherenecessary.Theydonotincludemealsandaccommodation.
Sat 20 June-MLAGBLongRangeRiflesBranch,900yardChamps.(am),1000yardpractice(pm),Bisley.
100 yard benchrest – Diggle Saturday 20th June1000 yard benchrest – Diggle Sunday 21st June27th June HampshireOpenPrizeMeeting(NationalShootingCentre(NSC),Bisley)
14th June 100 yard benchrest – Bisley Sunday
Sat 18 Jul to Fri 24 JulNRA ImperialMeeting-FClassRifleEvents(NationalShootingCentre(NSC),Bisley) Individual and team competitionsforFClassRiflecompetitors.Startingwithwarm-up matches on Friday and Saturday, theGrandAggregatebeginswiththeDailyTelegraphcompetitionontheSaturdayafternoonandculminates with the F Class International teammatch.
Sat 25MLAGBDTLShotgunTraining,SywellRanges
Sat 25 JulNRAImperialMeeting-HMQueensPrize(NationalShootingCentre(NSC),Bisley)Shotat900and1000yardsontheFinalSaturdayoftheImperialMeeting.
Sun 26 Jul to Thu 30 Jul FClassWorldChampionships(NationalShootingCentre(NSC),Bisley)InJuly2009BisleywillhosttheFClassWorldChampionships.
12/13/14 June 2009 CumberlandNewsRifleClub,CarlisleAirGunChampionships60+60forAirPistolandRiflecontact:[email protected]:www.cnrc.org.uk
10 Target Shooter
44 Harrowby Street LONDON W1H 5HY Tel: 020 7262 1881 Fax: 020 7402 0959
Armalon „PR‟ Custom Rem 700s: The truly practical rifle for stalking, foxing, PR, SR, ‘F‘ Class, Sporting and Benchrest. Choice of calibre and options, e.g. H-S Precision, AICS, Bell & Carlson stocks, RH or LH, a premier optical sight, plus our superb Picatinny 20 moa inclined bases and 30/34mm rings. Please call/email for prices and options list.
Only from Armalon–L/H „AICS‟ with AI or Armalon „PR‟ mag conversions
Armalon „PR rifle in Bell & Carlson Tactical chassis stock, 5,10 & 20 rd .308 mag options, fluted barrel and muzzle brake for lighter weight and lower recoil
.Armalon .223 AL42 - similar model in .30M1 (AL30C) also avail-able POA. Fitted with Armalon No.4 “no gunsmithing “ scope mount £83.00 + p&p.
ARMALON HAMMER FORGED BARRELS: Armalon‟s “pukka” .303 Enfield No.4 ham-mer forged barrels, fitted, finished & proofed from £304. Armalon‟s Remington 700 HV profile barrels, 1 in 200mm twist .223, 260/6.5, 1 in 12 twist .308/7.62, fitted, finished & proofed from £304. Our hammer forged premium barrels are available for most actions and in most calibres and twists POA.
Sarony‟s EasyCam ‘ This cock-ing assembly resolves most hard extraction problems with fired cases on ARs, from .223 to .308 including 6.5 Grendel from £132 + p&p
Armalon‟s 20 moa ‘PicT‟Picatinny scope mounts for SA & LA Rem 700 (inc. LH option)
Armalon 30mm & 34mm ‘PicT‟ Tactical scope rings‘steel (shown) or ali magnum from £125 + p&p
Armalon tapered ali bolt knob & conversion £82.50 (conversion with 25,30, 32 and 35mm ball knobs also available £64)
Email : [email protected] www.armalon.com
We accept most major credit/debit cards
Target Shooter 11
Section 5 deals in all forms of these specialised weapons - revolvers, semi-automatic pistols and rifles, and dart guns.
We have one of the largest and most comprehensive stocks of these weapons in the UK, ready for immediate sale, magazine or cylinder restriction, De-Activation or export to approved countries.
HUM
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TCH
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DE-A
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SECTION 5firearm solutions to suit you
Email: [email protected] Web: www.sect5.co.uk Tel: 07549 945 292 Fax: 0845 280 1620
Target Shooter 13
Launching the brand new airgun marque of Prestige Airguns, the Kub family comes in a trio of exciting carbine-format models - the SB (side-bolt), RB (rear-bolt) and SL (side-lever) - each
available in .177 or .22 and with ambidextrous thumbhole or sporter woodwork in walnut.
The Kubs weigh-in at just 6.5 lbs., yet are stacked with features - including an adjustable butt pad, plug-in charging, on-board air gauge, adjustable two-stage trigger, re-settable safety, threaded muzzle and a 10-shot rotary magazine. Notwithstanding its compact dimensions, a Prestige Kub also returns upwards of 100 full-power shots per air-fill thanks to its self-regulating firing valve.
Against feather, fur, metal or paper targets, the new Prestige Kubs are the connoisseur’s choice for handling and performance. A pride born to make your shooting more rewarding.
14 Target Shooter
I’ve visited NormanClark for 10 years, each tripmemorable, but the most recent particularly soas it was to his new premises. To anybody evershoehorned into its cramped predecessor, thenew showroom is palatial doing the company’scomprehensivestockjustice.HowdidNormangethere?HestartedasanapprenticegunmakerintheBirminghamshotguntrade,workedthereforawhileafterqualifyingbeforegoingindependentinRugbyas a shotgun repairer, then took on rifle work tobecomeaprecisionriflebuilderparexcellence.Asbusiness grew,Norman’swifeAndrea joined himfull-time,and today therearesevenotherpeopleworkingforthem.
Norman found that shooters who commissioncustom rifles are handloaders and serialbuyers of tools, accessories and optics. Sincehe’d end up supplying them with cases, dies,riflescopeandmounts,sound-moderatoretc,buildingsupplychainstosourcetheseitems,itmadesensetosellthemtothewidershootingpublictoo.Sotheworkshops acquired a shop and Mick and Deanto staff it. Redding tools, Berger bullets, SierraBullets, Caldwell rests and bags, Wheeler tools,Tipton carbon-fibre cleaning rods andmorewereimportedtooforretailandtradecustomers.Let’s move onto the new building. From theoutside it’s an unremarkable two-story formermachineshopsurroundedbythemandatorypalingfence–nodisplaywindows,orevenafrontdoor!You park behind and enter it at the side througha high security ‘airlock’ arrangement, visitorsmonitored by CCTV inside and out. Onpassing through the innerdoor,youwalk into theshowroom,alargebrightlylitroomwithwideaislesaroundwhatseemmilesofproductdisplays.Thecountertakesuptwothirdsofthebuilding’swidthwithvastquantitiesofcartonsofbullets(matchand
expanding)fromallthemainmanufacturers,casesandmorevisiblethroughitsglasstopandfront,withpowders,primersand factoryammunitiononwallshelvesbehind.A completewall plus is takenupby200ormorelongarms:airrifles,afewshotguns,scoresofsmallboreandfullboresportingrifles,andmoretargetriflesthantheaveragegunshopseesinadecade.While youmight finda fewdiesetsin theaveragegunshop, there isawholeshelfofthemhere,mostlyRedding andRCBS, over 100green boxes – and that’s only part of the stock.But don’t think Norman Clark Gunsmith is justriflesandhandloading.This isacomprehensivelystocked gunshop with ‘scopes, rests, tools,accessories, books, knives (and a new
comprehensive range of knife and bladesharpeners from Smith), earmuffs, targets andmore, geared to field and target rifle shooters.Thehalf of theground floor that customers don’tsee is taken up by an armoury, warehouse (yetmore books, presses, bullets, cases, die sets!),gunsmithing workshops now seeing additionallathesandmillingmachinesbeinginstalled.Upstairs,thereismorestorage,theoffice,andanemptyareaabovetheshowroomthatwillbefittedoutasanupstairsretailareaifandwhengrowthinthatsideofthebusinessneedsit.
With a 24-carat reputation for its rifle work, nowsupported by a fantastic new shop, this is oneshooting outfit you must visit if you’re anywherenearRugby!Oh, ifyou’reaParker-Halecollector,there’sanotherone–asetof threedevelopmentmodels/prototypesofthePHM85sniperrifle,plusthe PH ‘LANO’ .223 prototype target rifle that soinfluencedAustralianTRshootersinthe1980s.
NormanClarkGunsmithsLtd.,e-mail: [email protected]: www.normanclarkgunsmith.com
Supportyourlocalgunshop‘NormanClarkeGunsmithsLtd’
Mick behind the counter and the display of handloading components and ammo
Norman and Andrea Clark stand in front of their new showroom
Target Shooter 15
Norman Clark Gunsmiths Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 1788 579651 - Fax: +44 (0) 1788 577104
19 Somers Road Rugby Warwickshire England CV22 7DG
website: www.normanclarkgunsmith.com e-mail: [email protected]
H I G H Q U A L I T Y G U N & R I F L E M A N U F A C T U R E R S
Come and see our large selection of shooting components and accessories.
Newshopnowopen
16 Target Shooter
Over 10,200 guns for sale82,000 visitors per month
Over 115 dealer stock live online
Sect 5 Dealer Humane Dispatch, De-Acts,Exports Please call 0845-458 9666
Target Shooter 17
Last month, in part one, we had a look at thebolt and what we could do to keep it in tip-topcondition. This month, I had intended to look atthe receiver but we had a request to cover barrelcleaning–whichIhadintendedtodothemonthafter–so,alwayshappytooblige,we’llswapthingsaround.
OK, barrels. Whereas we could strip our boltinto its component parts and inspect, cleanand lube as necessary, there’s not a lot we cando to a barrel, except clean it. Removal is notreallyanoptionandanyway,whatwoulditachieve?
Likemost of you, I’ve been cleaning barrels for agood number of years but, I have to admit, untilI bought a borescope, I didn’t really know what Iwasdoing.Ishouldperhapsqualifythatandsay–Icouldn’tSEEwhatIwasdoing.Theborescopemademerevisemycleaningregime!
Weall have our favourite bore cleaners andmineis Butch’s Bore Shine. I’d never used Butch’suntilIwenttoNewZealandfortheWorldBenchrestChampionships in 2001. It’s customary at theseeventstoreceivea‘goody-bag’andourscontainedabottleofButch’s.Naturally,myriflewassqueaky-cleanbut,whynotgivetheButch’sagoandseeifitwillbringoutanymorefouling?Iwasshockedtofindthatitdid-lots!Mynextstepwastotakemybottleofbore-cleaner–whichIhadcunninglysmuggledontheplaneinashampoobottle–andpouritdownthedrain!
There are other bore cleaners – like Hoppes,
Shooters Choice, Pro-Shot etc . and if I find onebetterthanButch’s,I’llswitch.Someborecleanerscangetthebarrelalmosttoocleananddry,soIliketo‘cut’myButch’swithadashofKroil–nomorethan10%.
Irecentlyreadapieceonbarrelcleaninginawellknownpublicationwhereittalkedabout4x2andYoung’s303gun-oil.Iftheseitemsarestillpartofyourcleaningkit,maybenow’sthetimetogetuptodate.Thereisanexcellentfamily-ownedAmericancompanycalledPro-Shot.TimHannamatLeedsistheUKimporter.
Get yourself some Pro Shot brass spear-pointjags, correct size patches and Pro Shot bronzebrushes.Thesebrushesbythewayarenotmeantto
Vince Bottomley
17 Target Shooter
Thereareplentyofcoppe r - so l ven tson the market butSweets is as goodasany
Basic Rifle MaintenancePart 2
18 Target Shooter
beusedforyearslikethosehorrendous Parker Halethings with a steel core.The Pro Shot brushes arebrass-cored and quitecheap and you shouldthrow it away as soon asyou see any signs of thebristles breaking off. Anddon’t forget - ALWAYSUSE A BORE-GUIDE!
Money-saving tip - mostof us havemore than oneriflecalibretoclean–guys,you can clean everythingwith a 22 rod – no needto buy more than onecleaning rod! I even usejustone22 jag– foldyourpatches in half or usetwo patches and you cancleana308witha22 jag!
First off, I know that no one likes cleaning theirrifles. I don’t like cleaningmy rifles but I do knowthat a rifle with a badly fouled barrel will notdeliver best accuracy. But how do we assesswhen a barrel needs cleaning? To measure theaccuracy fall-off you would need to set up yourrifle benchrest style, to eliminate as far aspossibleanyhumanerrorsandshootseveralgroupsandwatch thegroupsopen-upas the round-countincreases.Butyoudon’tactuallyneedtodoitbecausethousands of benchrest shooters have alreadydoneit.
Two points to note – the more accurate yourrifle, the sooner fouling will be detrimental toaccuracyand,smallercalibresseemtosuffer fromthe effects of fouling more than larger calibres.My 6PPC benchgun will run to about 25 roundsbefore accuracy noticeably deteriorates. With
my 308 F/TR rifle, it’s maybe double that figure.Both rifles use BAT actions and Bartlein barrels.
Thegoldenruleis–cleanyourrifleasoftenasyoucan-ifyouwantittodeliverbestaccuracy.Inotherwords, cleanafter every competition at theendofthe day. If your round-count is exceptionally high,cleanduringthecompetition–ifyougetthechance.Remember however, some rifles will need a shotortwotosettledownaftercleaningandyoushouldknowhowmanyshotsyourrifleneedsfromacleanbarrelbeforeitshoots‘pointofaim’.
Everyone will have their own cleaning regimebut hopefully it will follow roughly similar lines.At the end of a day’s shooting, here’smy routine:
1 Pass a couple of loose-fitting patchessoaked in you favourite cleaning fluid through thebore.Thiswill pushout the loosepowder residue.
Thesepatchescameoutofa308after25rounds–anditstillisn’tcopper-free!
Brushes,jagsandpatchesfromproShot–anddon’tforgetthebore-guide
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Target Shooter 19
2 Scrub the bore with a bronze bore-brushwettedwithcleaningfluid–Iuseonepassforeveryroundfiredasaroughguide.Pleasedonotattemptto reverse the brush in the bore – take it straightout of the muzzle but be careful when you pull it
backthroughthecrown–it’sveryeasytodamagethe crown when cleaning.A bronze brush will notdamageyourboreandmostbenchrestshooterswillscrubwith a bronzebrushevery 10 to 15 rounds.That equates to five or six cleans in a single day.
3 Next, pass two or three tight-fittingdry patches through the bore to pushout the fouling loosenedby thebrushing.
4 Finish off with a loose wet patchesfollowed by a tight dry patches until theycome out clean. Finish with a couple ofdry patches so the bore is completelydry. Completely dry? Don’t forget, we‘cut’ our Butch’s with 10% Kroil whichprevents that ‘squeaky-clean’ effect.
5 Is there any copper in the bore?Almost certainly! Pass a loose-fittingpatchthroughtheboreloadedwithagoodcopper solvent – Sweets is as good asanything. Many bore cleaners claim toremove copper – Butch’s does but it isnowhere near as effective as Sweets.I also like Montana Extreme CopperKillerandProshotCopperRemover.Mostcoppersolventsareammoniabased.Theonesthatworkwellwillbringtearstoyoureyes if you take a tiny sniff! If you areallergic to ammonia try the Pro-Shot, it’salmostodourless.SweetsisnotalwayseasytogetbutFultonsatBisleyusuallyhaveit.
6 Let the copper solvent do its workby leaving it in the bore for at least tenminutes. Ignoreany fablesaboutSweetsdamaging your bore. After 10 or 15minutes, push out the Sweets with atight-fittingdrypatch.Anybluestreaksonit?Yes?Repeatuntilthebluedisappears.
Ahome-madechambercleaningtool
If your crown looks like this youshouldmaybevisityourgunsmith
19 Target Shooter
Aclean,sharpcrownistheideal
20 Target Shooter
7 Copper solvents can leave a slightly stickycoating in theboresoweneed to clean it offwiththe wet patch/dry patch routine as in step 4.
8 Ifyouhaveastainless-steelbarrel,consideritjobdone.Ifyouhaveachrome-molybarrelandyouusetherifleregularlyandstoreitindoors–jobdone.Iftherifleislikelytobeleftforsometimeorstoredin a dampatmosphere, then a patch sprayedwithWD40andpassedthroughthebarrelwillaffordthenecessaryprotectionbutyouMUSTpatch-outbeforeyou shoot. Incidentally, the stainless-steel used inriflebarrelsisnotatruestainlessanditwillalsorustif leftforanylengthoftimeinadampatmosphere.
Aftercleaning,Ioftenhavealookattheborethroughtheborescope–particularlyiftherifledoesn’tseemto be performing to its expected standard.Copperisoftenstillinthereeventhoughthepatchesaren’tturningblue.Amoreaggressivestrategyiscalledfor.
You can make the copper solvent more ‘active’by scrubbing the bore with a bristle brush soakedin the solvent – don’t use a bronze brush forobvious reasons! Thescrubbingactionwill induceoxygenintothesolventwhichactsasacatalystandmakes the solution work better. Copper solventsneedoxygentowork. Ifyoudropabullet intoyourbottleofcoppersolvent, itwillstillbebrightcoppercolouredafteraweekbutifyouputadropofsolventonabullet,itwillturnblueinminutes.
As a last resort, you can ‘JB’ your barrel. JB isa specially prepared bore paste for removingstubbornfouling.It’spopularwithbenchrestshootersasitcanbringabarrelthathas‘goneoff’backtolife.
It’squitesimpletouse.Prepareaverytight-fittingpatchwhich really takessomeeffort topush through thebore.Youcandothisbythickeningastandardpatch
withasmallsquareortwoofkitchenrollunderit.NowsmeartheJBpasteonthepatchandrodtheborevigorously!It’s best to ‘short-stroke’ it by doingeightornineinchesatatime.You’vereallygottoworkthatrodandchangepatches frequently. The patches willcomeoutjet-black.AfterJB-ing,cleanthoroughlyassteps1to4above.
JB doesn’t always perform miraclesbut if your riflehas lost itsedge, it’sworthago.JBisaonceayearthing–noteveryweek!
Wehaven’tmentionedthoseaerosolcleaners yet like Forrest Bore FoamandWipe-out.Onthefaceofittheyarethesimpleanswertoallthatscrubbing
andpatching.Unfortunately, the foamneeds tobeleftintheboreforalongtime-maybeeighthoursorovernight-todoitsjob.Eventhen,howdoyouknowyour rifle is clean?Repeat the process?Who canspendhoursonwhatisreallyjustafive-minutejob?Is there any other barrel maintenance wecan do now that it’s clean? Well, if you knowsomeone with a borscope, beg borrow or steala look at your bore. Borescopes cost a fewhundred pounds butmaybe your club could affordone and charge members £5 a go. In fact, oncemembershaveusedit,Ipredictmuchreturnbusiness!
Finally,it’softensaidthatthemostimportantpartofabarrelisthelastinch.Haveagoodlookatyourcrownthroughamagnifier.Therearemanydifferentwaystocrownabarrelbuteverycrownshouldbefreefromburrsordingsandshouldbeevenlycut.Thelandsshould be clearly visible and undamaged. If yoususpect the crown is anything other than perfect,goalongtoyourfavouritegunsmithandaskhimtore-cutit.
Beforeweclose thisarticleonbarrels,don’t forgetthechamber–particularlythechamber-neck-whichwill soot-up in exactly the same way as thecartridge-caseneck.Allgunshopssellcleaning-rodsbut next time you go in your local shop ask for achambercleaningtool.Youwilllikelybemetwithablank stare – but why? Cleaning the chamber isimportant. An old pistol cleaning rod fitted with abronzebrushwilldo the job(seepic).Wrapa turnofkitchenrollaround thebrush,applya fewdropsofcleaningfluidandcleanoutthatchamber!Dry itafterwardsandpassapatchthroughtheboretoensurethatnofragmentsofkitchenrollarelurkinginthere.
Next month, we will take a look at the stock.
Nobody likes cleaning but it’s got to be done and done properly to maintain accuracy
Target Shooter 20
Target Shooter 21
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Target Shooter 23
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24 Target Shooter
This well established competition for Target RifleshootersisheldatDiggleRangeseveryyeararoundspringtime. Itwasdevised inconjunctionwithBAESystems (RoyalOrdnance)whocarryoutmuchoftheir long range ammunition testing at Diggle andgenerouslysupplyuswith freeammunition for this
event.Not all shooters choose to use the RGammunition but those who do so are eligible fortheRadwayGreenTrophywhichisawardedtotheshootermakingthehighestindividualscoreusingRG.
Thecompetition is for teamsof four,whoshootat800,900and1000yards.Competitorsmayshootinpairs,orsinglywiththeaidofawind-coach,whichadds a bit of variety to the event and the courseof fire is two sighters and ten to count at eachdistance.This givesamaximumpossible scoreof150.30v for each competitor and a possible 600points for the team. With Diggle’s unpredictable– and often unreadable -wind, anything over 140is considered ‘respectable’ for an individual score.
In the past, we have had up to eight teamscompeting but sadly, interest has wanedover the years in spite of the lure of freeammunitionandthisyear,wehadjustfiveteamsenter.Huddersfield however fielded two teams, so reallywe had just four clubs taking part.This is a greatpity as we have F Class shooters waiting in thewingsjustitchingtomuscle-in!ComeonTargetRifleshooters–put thisMayBankHolidaydate inyourdiaryfor2010andget intouchwithDaveRileyondjriley228@googlemail.comifyoucanfieldateam.
The advance weather forecast had predicted anawfuldayandindeedforMay,itwascoldandquitewindy but thankfully the rain stayed away,makingforachallengingbutnotunpleasantday’sshooting.Each team fields two shooters for the morningdetail and two in the afternoon thus sharing the
conditions,thoughtobefairtheywereprettysimilarforallcompetitors. However, Dave Dyson’s 50.3vat 900 yards was the only ‘possible’ of themorning shift but after lunch,Cliff Brett (RG), BillFlentje (RG), Richard Hirst and Arthur Nicoll(RG) all posted possibles at 800 yards but noone managed the feat at 900 or 1000 yards.
HuddersfieldRifleClubwereoverallwinnerswith567pointsandthusretainedthePennineChallengeCupbutthehometeamDiggle,cameacreditablesecondwith554points.Isay‘creditable’becauseDigglearenowdowntoahandfulofTargetRifleshootersandwould welcome some new blood, so if you are anorthernbasedTRshooterlookingforanewhomewhynotpayDiggleavisit?WeholdTRshootseveryfortnightatallrangesfrom300to1000yards.E-mailour membership sec. on [email protected]
The highest individual score of the day went toDave Dyson with 146.13v and the RG Trophywas won by Dick Horrocks whose 144.13v wasthesecondhighest scorepostedso thatmustsaysomething about the quality of RG ammunition!
Team results: 1stHuddersfield‘A’ 567.48v2ndDiggle 554.47v 3rdHuddersfield‘B’ 549.30v4thAltcarRC 538.34v5thManchester 533.34v
Individual: 1stDaveDyson (Huddersfield)146.13v2ndDickHorrocks (Manchester) 144.13v (RGammunition)3rdJeanetteWhitney(Diggle) 143.14v
Event Report - The Pennine Challenge Cup – Diggle Ranges, 4th May 2009
Springtime at Diggle! The 900 yard firing-point.
The winning Huddersfield ‘A’ team and their coach.
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Target Shooter 25
Osprey Rifles‘The Savage Specialists’
In stock now:- Savage F Class in 6mm BR ***£1650
Only ONE remaining!!!
URL : www.ospreyrifles.com
Email : [email protected]
Tel : 0161 4083555
26 Target Shooter
Inthelastmonth’sarticleswehadalookatstarterairriflesandscopesthatyoucantostartupoutdoorairrifletargetshootingspots.Onceyougettheequipmenttogether the next steps are crucial for you tounderstandingtheperformanceofyourairrifleand
performagoodsetup.Beinganeworsecondhandair rifle you purchased, the fist thing you need todoistocheckoutitsperformancerightaway.Withsecondhandairriflesitisalwaysagoodideatostartoffbycleaningthebarrelbeforeperforminganytests.Ontheotherhandnewairrifles,needbreakingin.Somearguethataspringairriflewillrequire2500shot tobreak in. Isuggest thataminimumof500shootsshouldbesufficienttoperformthefirsttestsandsetup.Isuggestthatthesetestsshouldbethencarriedoutevery2500to3000shotstomakesurethatyourairriflecharacteristicsdidnotchangeandifsoretune.Ifyourintocompetitionthenitbecomessecond nature to recheck your air rifle at least aweekbeforetheevent.Whenperformingtestwithyourair riflebesureyouhaveacleanbarrelandtherearenoobviousflawssuchas leaks.Alwaysuse the same pellet type, weight and skirtdiametertoperformatest,donotmixpelletsduringatestkeepvariablesasfewaspossible.Ifyouwantto test different pellets do this in separate tests.
POWER & MUZZEL VELOCITY TEST.Thistestweshowustheperformancetheairrifleintermsofmuzzlevelocityandpower.Wewillnotbelooking for shooting group accuracy, but speedconsistency of the shot. For this test you need achronograph. This is an instrument whichmeasures the speed of the pellet as it leavesyour air rifle muzzle. Two sensors will pick upthe pellet in flight consecutively, the speed is
calculated from the switching time taken by thepelletwhilstflyoverbothsensorsandaknownfixeddistance between the two sensors. There arevarious types of chronographs on themarket but a bench type chronograph isideal for both PCP andRecoil type air rifles. Setupthechronographaccordingtothemanufacturerinstructionsandobservesafetyprecautionswhendoingthisjob.Makesurethatyouhaveasafebackstopandalwayswearshootingglasses.Alsomakesuretokeeptheairrifleonlevelandparalleltothechronograph during testing as it is very easy toshootdeadyourchronograph.Chronographsmustbehandledwithcareasthesensorsarefragile.Ifyouwanttobeextraaccurateintestweighinthepelletsthatwillbeusedforthetest.Heavierorlighterpelletwillaffectyourmuzzlevelocityresults.Cheapdigital scales that read in grains and grams areeasily available, if you purchase such a scalemake sure it can read at least 0.01grams. Thisenables you to segregate pellets with up to0.01 gram difference. Then convert grams tograins. If you don’t have a scale then use themanufacturedataabout thepelletweight foryourcalculations.Makesurethatthepelletskirtsarenotdeformed as the muzzle speed recorded will be
OutdoorAirriflesports–StarterEquipmentPart3
Stanley Shaw
A chronograph is used for testing muzzle velocity of different weight pellets
An electronic scale is very useful and accurate in any testing
Target Shooter 27
significantly lower and inaccurate. Personally Iprefer to carry out this muzzle velocity test withpellets out of the then useweighed in pellets forgroupingtestslateron.Inthistestwewillshootanumber of pellets through the chronograph andrecordthevelocities.Withanaveragevelocityandanaveragepelletweightwewillbedeterminingourairriflepower.Thepowermeasurement iscalculatedasfollows:
Energy (ftlbs) =Muzzle Velocity (Ft/s) XMuzzleVelocity(Ft/s)XPelletWeight(Grains)
450240(constant).For recoil spring type air rifles just record themuzzlevelocityofa10shootstring.Ensurethatyourchronographisreadinginft/s.Somecanbeswitchedbetween ft/sorm/s. Ifm/scanonlybemeasuredthen convert the result bydividing the readingby0.3048.Addthereadingsupanddividethembythenumberofshots(10),thisgivesyoutheaveragespeedatwhichyourairrifleisshootingapelletofacertainweight.Nowyoucancalculatethepowerofyourairrifle
Example:PelletWeight8.2grains–AverageSpeed780ft/sec
780X780X8.2450240
Poweris11.08ftlbs.
Note for conversions: 1 ftlbs = 1.356Joules.and 1 grain = 0.065grams and 1ft = 0.3048m
However this is only part of the data we areafter.Wealsoneedtoknowtheconsistencyforeachshotorbetterthevariationofspeedsbetweeneachdifferent shot, known as the Standard Deviation(SD).TocalculatetheSDonecanusetoolslikeaPCandMicrosoftExcel,butinordertounderstandwhatishappening,Iwillexplainthiswithasimpleexample. This can be done by using a simplescientific calculator at your test bench. In thisexamplewearetakingatestwith5shots.Thesamemethodmustbeusedwithmoreshots.Thebiggeryoursamplethemoreaccurateisyourresult.
Example:Testwith5shotsthroughchronographofaspringairriflewith8.2grainpellet.
Shot1:780ft/secShot2:789ft/secShot3:778ft/secShot4:783ft/secShot5:785ft/sec
Tofindtheaveragecountallspeedsanddividebythenumberofshots.
780+789+778+783+785=3915/5=783ft/sec
NowwestarttheprocesstoidentifytheSD.Subtracteachshotfromtheaverageandsquaretheresult.
Shot1:780–783=-3=-3X-3=9Shot2:789–783=6=6X6=36Shot3:778–783=-5=-5X-5=25Shot4:783–783=0=0X0=0Shot4:785–783=2=2X2=4
Thenextstepistoaddalltheresultsobtainedanddividethetotalby5shots.
9+36+25+0+4=74/5=14.8NowapplytheSquareRoot(needacalculatorherewiththefunction)to14.8.14.8 followed by Square Root button on yourcalculator=3.84ThisistheSDofthistypicalspringairrifleis3.84ft/sec. If this deviation is less then 10 ft/sec thenconsider your equipment as perfect. The changein the point of impact (POI) is least effected invariationsof lessthen10ft/sec.If thedeviation ismore then15 ft/sec thenPOI is affectedand thisyou want to eliminate in target shooting. Mostprobabilityyouneedtoserviceyourspringairriflewhen more the 15ft/sec occur. I understand thatthisisnotfunshooting,butitisanessentialpartoftheprocess ifyouwant tostarton theright track.This process gives you a clear indication of theperformancepower of your air rifle. If you decideto change service kits, always use factory partsor commercial tuned custom parts. If you wantto do it yourself, make sure to follow the safety,assembly and lubrication instructions carefully.If in doubt or uncertain about the replacementprocedures or parts seek professional gunsmithhelp. Sometimes when performing chronographtestsonsecondhandairriflestheresultmightshowan higher muzzle velocity thus over power. Thisis certainly the result of previously installed FACtuningkitsorsomehomemadetweaking.Remember,alwayskeepandadjustyourairriflepowerwithinyourcountry’slegallimitsandlegislations.Wearetargetshootersandinnowaywewanttomesswithlaws.
Pre Charged Pneumatic Air Rifles.The same muzzle velocity and SD calculationprocedureappliestoPreChargedPneumatic(PCP)Airrifles,butwithPCP’swehavetoexpandfurtherourknowledge.PCPAirRiflesespeciallystarterairriflesarefittedwithselfregulatingvalves.Tokeepthings as simple as possible we fill the pressurevessel of a PCP air rifle by hand pump or froma scuba tank according to the manufacturerspecification. Let’s take a typical PCP air riflethat must being filled at 190 Bar of air pressure
28 Target Shooter
according to the manufacturer specification. Weload a pellet by cocking the bolt (locking thehammerweight on the sear and compressing thehammerspring), thenweclosethebolt tosealoffthepellet in the chamber ( leavinga compressedhammerspringandhammerweight lockedonthesear).Whenwepull the trigger, thesear releasesthehammerweightandspringfromacompressedposition. The spring transfers the energy to ahammer weight. The momentum of thehammer weight will open the valve blocking airpressure in the air rifle pressure vesselmomentarily. The time the valve remains open,dependsonthemomentumofthehammerweight.Once the force acting on the valve by the airpressure in the pressure vessel overcomes theforceof thehammerweightexertedon thevalve,thevalvewillbeshutclosedagain.Duringthisbrief
timeairescapesthroughanarrowportandexpandsin the chamber behind the pellet. The air startsto push the pellet through the barrel, if the sealsbetweenthevalveandchamber,behindthepelletandbetween thebarrelandchamberaregood. Ifleaksarepresentthenaconsiderablepartoftheairislostandtheefficiencyislessresultinginslower,inconsistentspeedofthepellet.
But there is a problem with PCP’s even ifeverythingisperfect.Inourexamplewefilledthepressure vessel at 190bar. With each shot air is
released and consumed, the pressure inside thepressurevesselstartstodrop.Thehammerweighthasconstantmomentumwhilstthepressureinsidethevesselisconstantlydecreasingwitheachshot.This means that the time the valve is kept openwhenhitbythehammerweightchangeswitheachshot.The hammerweight finds itmore difficult toopenthevalveat190thenatalowerpressure.Thismeansthattheamountofairreleasedisdifferent,the result is reflected by the speed of your pelletas it leaves themuzzle.Previouslywesaid that ifyourair riflestandarddeviation isup to10ftlsec itis perfect and ifmore the 15ft/sec seek servicingyourspringairrifle.Springairriflesgeneratetheircompressed air when the main piston iscompressingairbetweenthepistonandpellet.Thisisalwaysconstantuntilsealsare functioning,andthefrictionbetweenpistonandcylinderisconstant
and the spring is not broken andcorrectly guided. In selfregulating PCP’s the scenariois different, thus a differentapproachmustbetakenwhenyouchronographone.
Fill your PCP according tospecificationassuggestedby themanufacturer, never over fill, thiswillnotgiveyouextrapowerbutwillresultinblowingyourgunwiththeriskofkillingyourselforsomeoneelse.Supportyourairrifleonbagsorbipod,attachachronographoralignthegunoverachronographandensureagoodbackstop.Takea tinofpelletswithknownweightandofthesamebrand.Takeapen
andasheetofpaperandstartdoingthefollowing.
a. Startshootingpelletsandrecordeachspeed.b. After10shotsnotethepressureifyouhaveapressureindicatorontheairriflepressurevessel.Ifyoudon’thaveapressureindicatorinyourairrifledon’tworryatthisstagejustkeepshootingandrecording.c. Shoot until you notice a considerableconsistent drop in muzzle velocity, this can beeven after 100 shots depend on the air rifle.Attheendyouhavealonglistwithshotnumberandspeed. If you have a pressure indicator you also
Target Shooter 29
haveapressureindicationreadingevery10shots.Put yourair rifleawayandback tomathematics.
Nowwe need to find out the SD for each groupof10shots tohavean indicationofhowourselfegulatingPCPair rifle isperforming.Youwillendupwithacondensedtableliketheoneshownintheexamplebelow.
Shots1-10>Pressure190B>SD19.8ft/sShots11-20>Pressure180B>SD16.5ft/sShots21-30>Pressure170B>SD10.5ft/sShots31-40>Pressure160B>SD7ft/sShots41-50>Pressure155B>SD5ft/sShots51-60>Pressure150B>SD13.6ft/sShots61-70>Pressure145B>SD14.5ft/sShots71-80>Pressure140B>SD25.6ft/sShots81-90>Pressure130B>SD35ft/s
Examine the SD results. We previously saidthat less the 15ft/s is good but less then 10 ft/sec is perfect. If we look at our example resultswe notice that shots 21-30, 31-40, 41-50 areperfect,whilst51-60and61-70aregoodenough.
What does this all mean?Inshort itmeansthat theharmonicsbetweentheairpressureinsidethevesselandthemomentumof the hammer weight reached equilibrium. Theamountofairreleasedgivesyourpelletaconstantspeedwithminimumdeviation.This is called theHeartofFillofaPCPAirRifle.Ifyouwanttoshootcompetitionthenyoumustfindandusethisarea.ThebestareaforourexampleisafillPressureof170Band30constantshots.Ifyou’redoingFTorHFTitisgoodfor30shots,maybeitsgoodenoughto for 40 shots, before refill, that is up to you.However you might have a problem with benchrestunlessyoukeepsightershots toaminimumbecauseyoucannotrefilluntiltheendoftherelay.Thisalsomeansthatthecorrectmuzzlevelocityofyourairrifleisbetweenshot21andshot50.Italsomean that our scope setting must be performedwithinthisparameterwindow.Ifyouhadthepressuregaugereadingsduringyourtestthenfilltheairrifletothatpressureagainandshootagainthecorrectquantityofshotstoconfirmandfinetuneyourresults.
Ifyourairrifledoesnothaveapressuregaugethenyouneedtodothisusingthepressuregaugeonyourscuba tank.First fill atmanufacturerspecificationandshoot100shotsandrecordthespeedforeachshot.Thengroup10shotsatatimeandfindeachgroupSD.Afterthisfilltheairrifle10barslessthenthemanufacturerspecificationandshoot50shotsandagainrecordthespeedofeachshot.Thengroup10shotsatatimeandfindtheSDforeachgroup.Nowmatch the SD of the 1st group of 10 shots
carried out with 10 bar less to the closest SDobtained in the groups shot according tomanufacturer, thiswill give youan ideawere thegroupshotat10bars lessstartswhencomparedto the manufacturer specification. Repeat theprocess with different fill pressures and alwaysmatch to the last entry. In thisway youwill buildapictureofhowyourairrifleisbehavingforeachfill pressure. Then select the range were youget the most groups under 10ft/sec and the fillpressureused.Fillyourgun to thatpressureandrepeatwith100shots,groupin10’sandworkoutSDforallgroupstoconfirmandtounderstandthecorrectamountofgoodshotswhenyoufillatthatpressure.Ifyoulookattheexamplebelowyouwillsee that the testat160Bargivesus thehighestnumberofshotsunder10ft/s.Theshotscarriedoutat170bararealsowithinrange.Hencefromthisdataonecandrawaconclusionandtest100shotsstartingfrom165barandestablishthenumberofgoodshots.
In the next issue we will focus on scope setup and zeroing, and understanding our pellettrajectorypattern,andothertestswecanperformtofindthebestcombinationofpelletswithourairrifle.
30 Target Shooter
43 T&G. MIDWAY A4 3/7/06 09:56 Page 1
ACCURACYACCURACYACCURACYOUR FIRST PRIORITY
TI03
09U
DFor further product information and details of your local Centre of Accuracy stockist please call GMK Ltd on 01489 587500 or visit www.gmk.co.uk
Tikka T3 Hunter
Tikka T3 Lite
Tikka T3 Lite Stainless
Tikka T3 Super Varmint, Varmint Stainless & Varmint Blue
The Tikka T3 Lite features an all-black, sturdy, but lightweight, fi bre-glass reinforced polymer stock with positive checkering for improved grip and comfort. The cold hammer forged barrel has a traditional blued fi nish. Also available left handed.
Shooters facing extreme weather conditions require their rifl e to be a trusted, hard-wearing companion, offering faultless long-term performance. The Tikka T3 Lite Stainless is ideally suited; made from Tikka’s high-grade stainless steel with a glass fi bre reinforced polymer stock, this model gives the double advantage of easy maintenance combined with great looks. Also available left handed.
Tikka T3 Super Varmint,
The Tikka concept is simple, pure and performance-orientated. Now, with the introduction of factory-threaded barrels for moderators, in the
most popular right-handed calibres, this excellent rifl e just got even better.
The Tikka T3 Hunter is made for the rifl e shooter who is looking for top performance and accuracy with a classic style and feel. The high-grade walnut stock is selected and shaped by Tikka master gunsmiths. The T3 Hunter offers an extensive calibre selection and is available left handed.
All three Varmint models feature a free-fl oating precision barrel that effectively eliminates vibration and will not over-heat even in fast-paced shooting. They are produced with a synthetic stock that has an extra-wide forend for bench resting, and a swivel stud which accommodates either a bipod or a sling. The ergonomically-designed Varmint cheek piece provides comfortable head positioning with a large scope.
The Varmint Blue features a barrel and action that are made from high-grade blued Cr-Mo steel.
The T3 Varmint Stainless features a barrel and action made from heat-treated special stainless steel, which is bead-blasted to a non-glare fi nish. This model is available left handed.
The T3 Super Varmint is a new model. Like the Stainless model, it features a barrel and action made from heat-treated special stainless steel, which is bead-blasted to a non-glare fi nish. Additionally, the ergonomically-designed cheek piece on the Super Varmint is adjustable, and this model also features a Picatinny rail and large bolt handle as standard.
When it comes to consistent accuracy, be it on the range or hill, the T3 Varmint models are hard to out-shoot.
Tikka Update ad.indd 1 8/1/09 14:40:40
Target Shooter 31
ACCURACYACCURACYACCURACYOUR FIRST PRIORITY
TI03
09U
DFor further product information and details of your local Centre of Accuracy stockist please call GMK Ltd on 01489 587500 or visit www.gmk.co.uk
Tikka T3 Hunter
Tikka T3 Lite
Tikka T3 Lite Stainless
Tikka T3 Super Varmint, Varmint Stainless & Varmint Blue
The Tikka T3 Lite features an all-black, sturdy, but lightweight, fi bre-glass reinforced polymer stock with positive checkering for improved grip and comfort. The cold hammer forged barrel has a traditional blued fi nish. Also available left handed.
Shooters facing extreme weather conditions require their rifl e to be a trusted, hard-wearing companion, offering faultless long-term performance. The Tikka T3 Lite Stainless is ideally suited; made from Tikka’s high-grade stainless steel with a glass fi bre reinforced polymer stock, this model gives the double advantage of easy maintenance combined with great looks. Also available left handed.
Tikka T3 Super Varmint,
The Tikka concept is simple, pure and performance-orientated. Now, with the introduction of factory-threaded barrels for moderators, in the
most popular right-handed calibres, this excellent rifl e just got even better.
The Tikka T3 Hunter is made for the rifl e shooter who is looking for top performance and accuracy with a classic style and feel. The high-grade walnut stock is selected and shaped by Tikka master gunsmiths. The T3 Hunter offers an extensive calibre selection and is available left handed.
All three Varmint models feature a free-fl oating precision barrel that effectively eliminates vibration and will not over-heat even in fast-paced shooting. They are produced with a synthetic stock that has an extra-wide forend for bench resting, and a swivel stud which accommodates either a bipod or a sling. The ergonomically-designed Varmint cheek piece provides comfortable head positioning with a large scope.
The Varmint Blue features a barrel and action that are made from high-grade blued Cr-Mo steel.
The T3 Varmint Stainless features a barrel and action made from heat-treated special stainless steel, which is bead-blasted to a non-glare fi nish. This model is available left handed.
The T3 Super Varmint is a new model. Like the Stainless model, it features a barrel and action made from heat-treated special stainless steel, which is bead-blasted to a non-glare fi nish. Additionally, the ergonomically-designed cheek piece on the Super Varmint is adjustable, and this model also features a Picatinny rail and large bolt handle as standard.
When it comes to consistent accuracy, be it on the range or hill, the T3 Varmint models are hard to out-shoot.
Tikka Update ad.indd 1 8/1/09 14:40:40
32 Target Shooter
Benchrestscopesarevariedandthereareanumberofmodelsoutthere.Operationcomesdowntotaste,some preferring side parallax controls and othersmoreusedtosuchcontrolsaroundtheobjectivelens.Oneof theverybestscopes thatyoucangethasbeenaroundforanumberofyearsandistheLeupoldCompetitionseries.Thesearepurposedesignedandmadeforbenchrestshootingfraternityandimportedthrough GMK in the UK. Can I firstly thank GMKforsupplyingthetwoscopesIusedforthisreview.This series of scope, which includes a range of
x35,x40andx45fixedpowermagnification,isbuiltaround a 30mm matte black tube with a 45mmobjective lens.Anocular adjustment canbe foundat the rear of the scope to aid eyesight tuning.Adjustments are in 1/8 Minute of angle which isexcellent for the precision needed in rimfirebenchrest.Thescopeweighs inat20.3ouncesor576gramsforthemetricallyinclined.Againagoodfeature as this will make the Light Varmint classonmost rifles.Two reticulesareonofferandbothwere reviewed; the target crosshairwhich is very
fine and the 1/8 mintarget dot. Both are asgood as the other, butthe choice comes downto personal preference.Theseare usedbybothcenterfire and rimfirebenchrest shooters theworld over. Made in theUnitedStates, thenameLeupold is synonymouswith the term highquality. Although highquality does cost, youdo get what you payfor. The retail price forone of these scopes inthe UK is around £990,but may have gone updue to currency fluc-tuations. Cheaperscopes I have used
Leupold Competition Benchrest Scope
Carl Boswell
The Leupold Competition scope. Brilliant in everyway, but it will cost you.
The mil- dot and fine crosshair reticles
A fine matt finish on the superbly made competition series
Target Shooter 33
over the years will inevitably getyou started in this sport, theydid forme and the ones I used performedexceptionallywellfortheprice!However,ascompetitiongetstougherandtougher–believemeitdoes-youmaybe consideringgettinga slightlybetteredgeoveryourcompetitorsandthisiswhatspendingthatextramoneywilldoforyou,bothinrifleandscope.If you have a rifle that is costing inexcess of £2400 it seems falseeconomy to put a cheaper scope ontop, as we would all want this rifleto be able to perform very well. Myoriginaltheorywhenbuyingthisscopewas that I needed to move onequipment wise, as I initially startedrimfire benchrest shooting workingwithbudgetriflesandscopes.Moving ‘up market’ with equipment is especiallyappropriatenowasweare competingwithpeopleallover theworlda lotmoreandtheyhavesimilarequipment.For this review, I put thescopeonmymainriflewhichisanAnschutz2013custom.UsuallyIusemyCZfortests,whichIcustomisedafew years ago specifically for benchrest. The newrelatively newAnschutz replaces this, asdoes theLeupold Competition x45 in replacing the TascoVarmintfromtheolderrifle.Thisscopehastobeenseentobebelieved,withexcellentclarity,brightnessandcontrast.Often.22bulletholesarehardtomakeoutandseeingthepointofimpactisveryimportantinoursport.Withhighmagnificationscopeslikethisaspottingscopeisnotneededaspointofimpactcanbeseenclearly,evenondulldays;andwehavehad
afewofthoserecently!Thelargeexitpupildoeshelpwiththis,asmoreinformationisgettingtoyoureye.So, as we are shooting a quality and expensiveriflethescopethatsitsontopshouldalsobeequalin performance, ifwe are aiming for reliability andtop class functionality. Iwould also say this of theammunition,butthatisanotherarticleallonitsown.Aswearetalkingaboutputtinga.22bulletinaverysmalltargetdiagram25times,allofthefeaturesofyoursetupmustworkextremelywellwitheveryshotyoutake.Anythingthatfallsshortwillinevitablykeepyouscoreslowerthantheyshouldbe.(Rememberwhat we are aiming for is a score of 250with 25X’soneachcardat50meterand25yards.Thisisextremely difficult to do! This scope lends itselfvery well to all these objectives and I find little tonegativelycriticise–apartfrompossiblygettingthe
scope to shoot the rifle forme!!The Competition seriesof scopes replaces theLeupold 36 BR scopewhichlikeitsoldercousinisspecifically made forbenchrestactivities.This has meant that thecompanyhasbeenofferinga number of scopes forbenchrest for quite afew years. As I havementioned before in otherarticles a reasonably highmagnification in rimfirebenchrest scope is vitalandsometimeshardtofind,especially when we movetowards x40 magnificationor higher. The scopesI tested were both x45
Magnification on this scope is very clear obviously due to the new Multicoat4 optics
The elevatio and horizontal turrets are clearly marked, but the parallax adjustment could be marked for 50 meters
34 Target Shooter
magnification and even with this level ofenlargement, thescope remainedbrightandclear.Thismaybedown to the9 lenselements thatareusedandnewcoatingcalledMulticoat4.Thisbyallaccounts helps with light transmission and stopsglare….it seems to work. You may notice some‘shake’ifyoumoveorknockyourbench,butthisisnormal with a high poweredscopesonottoworry.WhatI did find interesting aboutthisscopewasthesidefocusparallax adjustment, notdissimilar to the NikkoDiamond I looked at afew years ago. I find thisdesign of side parallaxpleasingandeasytouse.Itcanbequitehardifyouneedtogetup during amatch andwantparallax/focus adjustmentandhavetodofromthefrontof the scope. As you wouldexpectthefunctionalityoftheadjustment turrets werevery good for windage andelevation. I would like tosee the parallax adjustmentbe engraved to 50 and 25
meters.Ihadtoguesswhenadjustingthescopefor the first time.All turrets come with caps asstandard.I did hear of some initial technical difficultieswith an unstable wire reticule. This put quite afewoff the scopewhen itwas first brought out.Othershavemademodificationstoolderscopestocompensate.However this issueseemstohavedisappearedoverthelastfewyearsandcertainlyLeupoldthemselveshavestatedthattheproblemhas been fixed some time ago. However, evenwith these initial teething problems it was andstill isoneof thebestfixedpoweredscopes forbenchrestonthemarket.Attheendofthedayweallwantagoodscopethatwillaidexcellentshootingtimeaftertimeaftertime.TheLeupoldCompetitionscopesonreviewwerefirstclassandIdefinitelyputmymoneywheremymouthisandboughtone,toaidcompetitivenessin the forthcoming UK and EuropeanChampionships.Thiscomesdowntoanumberofreasons,somepreviouslystated.Thisisaversatilescopethatislightenoughtogoontoa10.5poundandalsobeusedonanunlimitedrifle.Theopticsaresuperb with high magnification and theadjustments are precise and clear. For thesereasonsitmeetsalltheneedsIhave.Therearescopes on the market that come close to theLeupold, some ofwhich I have reviewed, but itcomesdowntothesheerversatilityofthisscope
withallofitsgreatfeaturesthatsellsitforme.Withthefactthatthereisalifetimewarrantyonthisproduct,andnotjustfortheoriginalowner,thishastobeagoodbuy.A few last things you can look at. If you have themoneyLeupolddohaveacustomshopwhichiswellwortha look, as theyhavea list of options longerthan your arm. Here you can obtain a custom
Scope rear view - easy to adjust and control
Leupold eye bell adjustments
Target Shooter 35
finish(thismayneedtobedecidedbeforepurchase)ontheVX-IIIandCompetitionrangeofscopesonly;which isgoodnewsforus.That is ifyoudon’t likethe matt black and another colour would fit yourriflesetupa littlebetter.Thiswillcostyou£130fora base charge for one solid colour such as silver,and then you can add £90.00 for a gloss finish.Other options are fade one colour to black,splatter effect and tie dye, all at £32.00 for eacheffect. However this is only aesthetic and willpossiblyappealtoafewpeopleincludingmyself,ifIhadthemoney!! Inevitably itwillnot increasetheaccuracyofyourscopewhichisexcellenttostartwith.
Thereareseveralotherthingstoconsiderwiththisscope.Oneyoucanbuyopticalboostersspecificallyfor it,which I reviewed in theApril issue.Aboon ifyouwant tobringyour levelofmagnificationup tothesame levelofaMarchscopeathalf theprice.The Bulzeye pro boosterswork verywell with theLeupoldandareeasilydetachableifyoufeelthatthereis toomuchmirageforhighermagnification.(Moreontheopticalboostersandmirageatalaterdate).The other parts that you can get, viaGMKagain,
are lens shades.These obviously addweight, butcomeinboth2.5and4inchversions,sotheycanbeinterchanged, added/ subtracted to each other innumbers toextend the tubeor tomake theweightof theclassyouareshooting in.Thesewill reducethe glare by extending a ‘shroud’ in front of theobjective lens. This is a key point for any scope,as your sight picture will distort if there is toomuch lighthittingtheobjective lens.Dependingonwhereand thedirectionyouareshooting, the lensshadewill come into its own to alleviate distortionofthesightpicturebeingreceived.Thetwoshadesfrom Leupold do the job well and can be addedtogether in brighter conditions. They are wortha look and will not burn a whole in your pocket.
So that is it. I just hope I have not made youspend even more money. The only otherproduct I would look at for use with this or anyother scope – mainly for setting it up and testingit – would be the Zero PointMagnetic IlluminatedBoresighter.Butthatisanotherreviewallonitsown.
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38 Target Shooter
If you’d asked target shooters about buying aSavage rifle ten years ago, you’d have gotnegative responses, particularly warningsaboutheavy,creepy triggerpulls.Mostpeopleregardedthebarrelsecuringnutandbolt-headattachedtothebodybyacross-pinas‘cheapandnasty’ too. Come 2009, things have changed,and some. Look at what people are using inF-Class national rounds, 600 and 1,000yard BR competitions, and more, and you’lllikelyseeoneormorerifleswithachunkygreylaminated stock below stainless metalwork,Savage ‘Target Series’ models’ calling cards.Agrowingnumberof‘foxers’aregettingtheword about the Savage 12 LRPV (Long-Range Precision Varmint). This heavy rifleisoneofthemostaccuratefactorysporterseverproduced,and it’sequallyathomeontheriflerange.OverintheUSA,Savageriflesarousenoendofcomment,overwhelminglypositive, in forum posts on every shootingactivity, while accessory manufacturers areturning out an increasing stream ofgoodiesfortheModel12,thingsformerlythepreserve of the more favoured Remington700. I own twoSavageModel 12precisionrifles,a6.5-284 ‘F’ fromthe ‘TargetSeries’,
anda.204Rugercalibre‘LRPV’fromthe‘VarmintSeries’,andamdelightedbytheirperformanceandvalueformoney.RebirthWhatchanged?Toanswerthat,wehaveto go further back. Savage, once theUSA’slargestsportingriflemanufacturer,had been driven into the ground byowners lacking any commitment tomaking longarms. Throw in spirallingskilled labour rates and economicrecessions, and the companywent into
Chapter11bankruptcy in1988,atwhichpointtoday’s CEO and company president RonaldCoburn stepped inwith a small consortium ofinvestors.Stage1ofSavage’srebirthwastheimplementation of a survival strategy inwhichoperations were massively downsized andplants closed. The model range was slashedwiththesurvivorsallusingtheModel110longaction for a time. Coburn changed attitudestoo,managersandkeyemployeesallbecameactive shooters, close links were forged withcustomers, dealers, gun writers and top
SAVAGE MODEL 12 PRECISION RIFLES (part 1)
Laurie Holland
The Savage action is precision machined from heavy gauge stainless steel tubing. The
Picatinny ‘scope rail is a 20-MOA slope Ken Farrell component
AboveThe two types of Savage Model 12 Precision rifles: ‘F’ in the foreground, and LRPV behind
The Savage bolt is assembled from far more components than those from competitors to reduce costs and simplify manufacture. These bolts have the competition handle
with oversized grasping knob
Target Shooter 39
competition shooters, feedback was activelysought.
Solid-BottomWith survival assured, the company starteddevelopingitsproductsstepbystep.Theactionhasbeencontinuouslyreworkedandimproved,theresultwe’reinterestedinbeingtheModel12.Savage actions use heavy diameter tubing asthestartingpointforthereceiver,andintheageofCNCmachining,Savagewasthefirstmajormanufacturertorealiseitdoesn’thavetomachinebigholesinthetopandbottomofeveryreceiver,except for those models whoseusers actually need them. Themuch improvedModel 12Long-Rangerifleserieswasintroduced11 years ago, the first single-shot varmint model with a solidbottomreceiverayearlater.Witha heavy fluted stainless barrelandpillar-beddedinasubstantiallaminatedstock, the12BVSS-Sproducedmatchqualityaccuracy
atamass-producedsportingrifleprice–Savagewas producing winners again. Stuart Anselm,proprietor of Savage target rifle specialistOsprey Rifles successfully used a .223 RemBVSS-Sinfactoryclassbenchrestandshorterrange F-Class and its performancewas such,alsotheeasewithwhichitcouldberebuiltanddeveloped,thatitfiredStuart’senthusiasmforthedesign.Heuseditinverylong-barrelled.308WformtowintheUKF-ClassF/TRchampionshipin2007,andstillhasitashisback-upmatchrifle.
‘Competition’ ActionThe 12 BVSS-S action wasn’t perfect, itslong loading / ejection port still saw a sectionmachinedoutofthetopofthereceiver,likewisewelldowntherightsidecreatingabiggeropeningthanneededandreducingcomponentstiffness–notidealwhenyou’vegot26inchesoflarge-diameterbarrelhangingonthefront.Thetrigger,whilemuchimproved,wasstillUS‘factoryclass’with the usual constraints, and there were noupgrade kits available then (though there arenow). Another feature that many accuracyorientated shooters didn’t like was the stockbolts.Althoughtheactionhasatang,it’sthereto hold the trigger assembly not secure theaction in the stock, so the rear bolt is furtherforwardthaninmostdesigns.
Movingclosertotoday,akeydevelopmentwastheAccuTrigger, auseradjustabledesign thatallows light pull weights to be set, but cannotbe accidentally released keeping the lawyershappy. A thin red coloured blade (the‘AccuRelease’) is set within and at 90degrees to the main trigger, and must befullydepressedbefore thesear is freed-up foroperation.Jartherifle,inthecaseofthe
The single-shot ‘Competition’ action in right bolt – right port form. Note the AccuTrigger with the red
‘AccuRelease’ blade. The pull weight is owner adjustable using a small (supplied) tool that slots
into the mechanism where the pencil lead is pointing. Note the minimal size of the port and the receiver wall
thickness that is visible.
LRPV right side. There’s the handle, but where do I put the cartridge?
8. Oh yes, in the other side!
40 Target Shooter
‘Competition’ action simply operate the boltroughly or over hastily, and the ‘AccuRelease’locks up so the rifle cannot be dischargeduntil the bolt is re-cocked to reset the triggermechanism. Breaking cleanly without creep,this is an excellent design that overcomesthe longest standing criticism of the Savageaction,andsetsnewstandardsforfactoryrifles.Itcomesinvariousformsdependingonthetypeofrifle,theversionwe’reinterestedinbeingthe‘target AccuTrigger’ which is adjustable from6ozto2½lbpullweight,andfittedtoallmodelswiththe‘Competition’action.
being close to competitive shooters, Savagewas aware early on of new disciplines suchas F-Class, and the explosion of interest inprecision and long-range shooting, a marketit could exploit – enter the 12 ‘Competition’action.Itisavailableonitsownforcustomriflebuilders (complete with ‘target’AccuTrigger, trigger guard, stock boltsand trigger guard screws, recoil lug,and barrel nut), as well as being at theheart of the ‘Target Series’ and LRPVsportingrifles.Theport,orportsassomemodels have two, are minimum size toretain maximum receiver body stiffness,a third stock-bolt has been introduced,and the actions accept a largerdiameter barrel. Fit and finish areexcellentandtheyoperatesmoothly,boltsdisplayinglittleslop.
Howgood is this action bearing inmindit costs substantially less than smallproduction precision designs used inmost custom builds? One pointer was
Gary Eliseo, the proprietor ofCompetition Shooting Stuff, whodesigns and makes tube-gun stocks,taking third place in the ArizonaLong-Range Championship event inFebruary. Fielding a 6mm BRX (6mmBR ‘improved’) S1 tube-gun, theprototype of a new CSS stock kitdesigned for this action, Gary shotan aggregate of 596-27x (out of 600-60x) in the 1,000yd matches, and onthe first day only dropped one pointout of a possible 400. It wasn’t Garyshootingsowell that raisedeyebrows,rather this performance from anunmodified Model 12 ‘Competition’
action and AccuTrigger pitted against 50 ofAmerica’sbestlong-rangeproneshootersusingcustomactions.(Seewww.accurateshoot-er.com/bulletin.html and click on the Februaryarchivesworking back to the posts that coverthe 10th.) Hang on, isn’t this the ‘naff design’with the pinned-on bolt head and barrel nut?Dead on – next month I’ll explain how thesefeaturesarefarfrombeingthedownsidesthey’velongbeenseenas,ratherpluses–especiallyforthehomegunsmithorSavageownerlookingforabudgetrebuildwithminimumskilledgunsmithinput.I’llsaynowthatthiswasaconsiderationwhenIboughtmySavage12‘F’rifle–it’llbeacheap-to-rebarrel test-bed for a range ofcartridges after I move on from the factorysupplied6.5-284Norma.
ModelsSo, we’ve got an action capable of producing
The button-rifled Savage barrel is 1.1” diameter at the breech on both ‘Target Series’ and LRPV models. Note the signature Savage barrel-locking nut between the rear of the barrel and action
The barrel on the ‘F’ rifle has tapered to a shade under the inch at the muzzle, a full 30 inches from the bolt. The LRPV’s four-inch-es shorter tube is a
little fatter there
Target Shooter 41
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Air Rifles and PistolsUsed rifles and Pistols
superbaccuracywiththerightbarrelandstock.What does the factory give us? The twoprecision rifle ranges share the action andtrigger(butwithminorvariations–seetable),butdifferinotherrespects–‘TargetSeries’modelshave30”barrels, theLRPVsporting rifles26”;the formerhavepillarbedded laminatedwoodstocks,thelatterH-SPrecisionAramid/Kevlarsynthetic jobs with a moulded-in aluminiumbedding block. Barrels are stainless steelthroughout, large diameter starting at 1.1”aheadoftheactionwithgentlestraighttapers,to a shade under the inch at themuzzle withthe30-inchers,abitoverontheshorterversion.Theyaremanufacturedin-houseandunusually,perhapsuniquely, fora largemanufacturerarebutton-rifled (every other large producer usinghammer forging).Thisseesan incrediblyhard‘button’ machined with a negative form of thelands and grooves on its edges pulled slowlythough theboredbarrelblank, turnedasgoesto provide the rifling twist. Manymatch barrelmakersusethismethod–Pac-Nor,Lilja,Shilen,Douglas,andBorderBarrelsbutonlyonitslowerpriced‘Archer’range.Itcomesintoitsownwithfat barrels – the stresses involved in swagingthe rifling into the bore can see it expandfractionally in a small external diameter barrelsection,usuallyatthemuzzle,and‘loosebores’
donothingforaccuracy.However,whenyou’vegot a one-inch diameter barrel, this is not aproblem. What you don’t get with a Savagebarrel,butwillwithanArcher,Lilja,Shilenetc,isfinallappingtopolishouttheminutetoolingmarksleftbythebarrelboringandriflingprocesses,soaSavagemaytakealittlelongertorun-inandgive its best.However, both ofmyModel 12sproduced little coppering during the runninginperiod,andperformedwellfromthefirstfewrounds.
Next month, I’ll describe and evaluate myexamples of the Target and Long-RangeVarmint rifles, especially the former for UKcompetitiveshooting.
Savage‘Competition’ActionRifleVariations(allmodels,‘targetAccuTrigger’)‘TargetSeries’Rifles(allsingle-shot,right-handbolt)12F,12F/TR,12Palmamodels:singleright-sideport.12Benchrestmodel: twin-port (insertcartridge from theleft;ejectionfromtheright).
LongRangePrecisionVarmintSeriesRifles(allmodels,right-handbolt)12LRPVSingle-Shot:singleleft-sideport.12LRPVRepeater:singleright-sideport.12 LRPVDual Port: twin-port (insert cartridge from theleft;ejectionfromtheright).
42 Target Shooter
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Target Shooter 43
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Target Shooter 45
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46 Target Shooter
A myriad of variants have been developed toimprove on the performance offered by a parentcaseandthisispartofthepleasureofwildcattingcases.A subtle tweak of shoulder angle from 35degreesupto40,increasingthebasediameterby0.01ofaninchandsoonwillincreasepowdercapacity-howeverthetaskofexperimentationoftenbecomesa case of diminishing returns. But sometimes asimpleimprovementwillmakeagoodcartridgebetter.
As the name suggests, the 6.5/284 Shehane isan improved 284 Winchester case necked downfrom7mmto6.5mmor.264calibre.BillShehaneofD&BSupply, located inNorthCarolina in theUS,designed theShehanevariant. Bill isoneofthe driving forces behind the development andmarketing of the 1000 yard benchrest disciplineand loves to experiment with a range of cases.
After several detailed e-mail discussions on theprosandconsof the6.5/284and itsvariantswith
anumberofdedicatedfansaroundtheworldandalittlesearchingontheinternet, Iorderedareamerin 6.5/284 Shehane and started to build the rifle.
The284Winchestercasehasarebatedrim.Thecase head is the same size and length as a 308Winchestercasebut thecasebodydiameter,andtherefore capacity, is larger at .475 inch at theshoulder. This gives the reloader and wildcattertheabilitytoputmorepowderinforawiderrangeof bullets and calibres. The case also sharesthe same35degree shoulder angleas the superaccurate 6PPC and 6BR cases. The 284Winchestercasewaspoorlymarketedinitsoriginalform,beingmatchedwithalever-actionriflebutinasuitablebolt-actionrifle,itcanbeusedinarangeofcalibresfrom.22throughto.375withgoodeffect.
The 6.5 calibre has long been recognised for itsaccuracyatall ranges. Theonly thing that lets itdown,incomparisonwiththe30calibres,wasthe
lack of awide rangeof match-g r a d ebullets.Butwith theexp los ionofinterest inlong (800- 1000yards) ande x t r e m e( 1 0 0 0yards to amile) rangeshooting inthe UnitedStatesoverthepast10years,m a r k e tforceshaveproducedarange ofp rec i s i on
Wildcats I have known & loved The 6.5/284 Shehane – a long range performer
RichardWild
A wide assortment of bullets can be used for hunting and targets (1 to (l r) 107 grain Sierra Match, 120 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip, 139 grain Lapua Scenar, 142
grain Sierra Match, 155 grain Sierra Match
Target Shooter 47
projectiles.
The introduction of the surplus 6.5 SwedishMausers into Australia in the 1980s offeredshooterstheexperienceofacalibrethatcoulddoeverythinga.303or.308coulddobutwithlessfuss.
The 6.5/284 does the same. The US experiencehas shown that a 6.5/284 using a matchprojectile in the 140 grain range has the sameexterior ballistics as a 300 Winchester Magnum,exceptituseslesspowder,withlessrecoilandequalorbetteraccuracyout toandbeyond1000yards.
It is very easy tomake a 6.5/284. Simply run a284 Winchester case through a resizing die or6.5/284 full length sizingdieandoutpopsanewcasereadytoloadanduse.Betteryet,getacoupleof boxes of Lapua 6.5/284 cases, turn the necksandstartshooting.Ifyoucan’tgetLapua,NormaandHornadynowmakededicated6.5/284brass.
The 6.5/284 Shehane takes one more step toproduce - when it is ‘improved’ by fire-formingduringthefirstshot. Whenthecase isextracted,the case taper between its base and shoulderis blown out 0.009 per inch to give a .485 inchdiametershoulder.However,theshoulderangleisleftat35degrees. Thissimpleproceduremakesfor a straighter case and increasing the powder
capacity by about 5 grains from the standard6.5/284’s66.6grains.Theleadeisbestsetsothatthepressure ringon the139-142grainprojectilesdoesnotintrudeintothe‘doughnut’areaattheneckand shoulder junction. This particular improvedversion of the 6.5/284 aims for better efficiency,caseextractionandbulletselectionoptionsthanispossiblewiththe‘base’cartridge.TherifleIbuilttocompetewiththisroundisbasedon a trued and sleeved Remington Model 7stainless steel action with a 2oz Jewell trigger.Two barrels have been used - a 27.5 inch fluted
Australian made Tobler stainless steel barrelwith a 1 in 8.5 twist and a 30 inchTobler with a1 in 8 inch twist. The reamer cuts a tight .288neck. The scope is a Nightforce 12-42 x 56on Custom 30mm High Rings. The stock is aMcMillan Benchrest with 3 inch fore-end. Therifle’s weight is adjustable and has ranged from16.5lbs(1000yardbenchrest)to22lbs(FClass).
The rifle was built for one reason only -shooting small groups at long ranges. Inparticular, 500metre Fly shooting and 1000 yardbenchrest disciplines and F-class style targetshooting from 300 metres back to 800 metreson National Rifle Association (Australia) ranges.
Attheriskofstartingawar,Iwouldnotethatallthecartridgesinthe6.5familyhaveonefault-theycansometimesbefinickytoloadforusingtheheavierprojectiles.Tuningoutverticalgroupsatlongrangeshasbeenaconsistentchallengeandthisbecomesmorenoticeableasthebarrelreachestheendofitslife.
Experiencehasshownthat,foratrulycompetitivecartridge for long range precision shooting, bestresults are achieved when you keep velocitiesbetween 2800 and 3200 fps with a sweet spotemergingbetween2900and3100fps-regardlessofcalibre.
Problems with 6.5mm bullets will occur as aresult of the long bearing surfaces and fast twistbarrelsrequiredtostabilisethem.Ifthebulletsarepushed too fast, shooters will see theirpremiumprojectilesdisappearinapuffofleaddust!
The initial 1 in 8.5 inch twist was chosen as acompromisebetweenthe1in9and1in8optionsfor heavy bullets. Groups were always tight butsomethingalwaysseemedtobelacking.Changingtothe1in8twistshrankthegroupsfrom142grainSierras.Theadditionallengthofthe30inchbarrel
A long range benchrest rifle set up in 6.5 Shehane for 1000 yard shooting. The Rem 7 action has performed well over the years but is sadly no match for a custom
action
48 Target Shooter
alsoseemstohaveimprovedpowdercombustion.
As an improved cartridge, the case needs tobe fire-formed. The loading data for the 6.5/284Shehane aims for a ballistic balance of around2900 - 3000fps for the 139 - 142 grain bulletrange. I used Federal 210 Match primers only.
For powder choice, the reloader needs to lookat moderate to slow burning powders that fillup the case to about the bottom of the neckshoulderjunction.Twopowdersimmediatelyfulfilthatrequirement: AR2209 and AR2213SC. I havefound that AR2213SC produces good andconsistent results with more than acceptableaccuracy at all ranges. 2213SC powder ismarketedundertheHodgdonlabeloutsideAustralia.ForburnratecomparisionswithAustralianpowderscitedbelowsee:www.reloadbench.com/burn.html.
Being a variant of a wildcat, there are noreloading manuals that a new shooter canimmediatelyturntoandexploretheexperiencesofothers.Asthiswasthefirst6.5/284Shehaneeverto be used inAustralia withAustralian powders Iwas starting from scratchwith load development.Nevertheless, I have found that the specialisedmessage boards on the internet areinteresting forums for exchanging ideas andcontacting people around the world with similarinterests in cartridge development and anequivalentstartingloadwassoonsettledon.
Using AR2213SC makes this a very versatilecartridgeto loadfor.Loaddownandyouwillfindyourself with a 6.5 Swede. Load to the top andyou’ll find magnum performances. For the UKshooter, Vihtavuori powders in the N165 rangewouldmakeanidealstartingpoint.
Aninterestingcomparisonbetweencomponents can perhaps beillustrated by the following testusingthesameloadof52grainsofAR2213SC,twodifferentbullets,the142grainSierrasandthe139grainLapuas, and twodifferent primers,Federal210MandCCI250Magnum.
At500metrestheSierraswiththeFederal 210M primers shot a 1.6inchwindagegroupandabout0.8of an inch in height or 0.3 MOA.
The Lapua/Federal load shot a 3”windage group, exacerbated by aslightmiragechange,andaboutaninchhigh.Theoverallgroupprinted
aboutaninchhigherthantheSierras.
The CCI 250 loads both had a marked amountof vertical in their groups. The Lapuas ran about3” and the Sierras about 6”. Experimenting andchoosing thebestcomponentswillpaydividends.
Like most wildcats, the 6.5/284 Shehane is notthe easiest cartridge to set up as it requires anumberofcustomcomponentsbutanexperiencedshooter and reloader will find the production andongoingreloadingeasy.Andwithresultsthatstaywithin thequarter tohalfMOAout to1000yards,whentheshooterisdoinghispart,maketheeffortworthwhile.Theoffsetisthat,forthisperformancetocontinue,regularbarrelmaintenanceisessential,notingthatbarrelsinthischamberingtendtohavea1500roundmaximumlifeforcompetitionshooting.
Bullet Choice and Long Range Performance155SierraMatchking:Aballisticdeadend.Thefulldiameter bearing surface length of 2.615 calibresandlimitedvelocityatthetopofthevelocityrangeremovesanyadvantagetheextraweightmightofferatdistancesgreaterthan300metres.Forexample,the load used above produced promising¼ inchgroupsat100metresand300metresduringloadbut results at 600metreswas very disappointingwithshottoshotelevationchangesofaboutametre.Afinickyprojectile that requiresa lot of individualdevelopmentforeachrangeandafastertwistbarrel.
142 Sierra Matchking: Perhaps the idealprojectileforthiscartridge.Thebearingsurfacetooverall length ratio–at0.53in:1.383in (13:35mm)or 1:2.692. The full diameter bearing surface istwo calibres in length. One box of 142 Sierras
When compared with the 308 Win case (extreme right) sev-eral differences are immediately apparent. Overall length of the 6.5/284 case, the rebated rim and the greater volume of the 284. An unfired Lapua 6.5/284 case is on the extreme
left
Target Shooter 49
displayed consistent results in a concentricitygaugeindicatinguniformconsistencyinthebullets’manufacture – a significant cause of inaccuracy.Using this bullet in the 6.5/284 Shehane, I canconsistentlyputfiveshotsintoa0.2inchgroupat100yards.
140 Sierra Matchking: An alternative for theabove. During load development the bulletconsistantly shot ragged one-hole groups at100yards.
140Berger:Anothergoodchoice.Abulletwithahigh ballistic co-efficient that shoots flat and fast.
140 Hornady A-Max: Similar good results wereachieved using the A-Max style of bullets. Thepolycarbonate tip prevents deformation andmakes for a very slippy bullet at all ranges.
139 Lapua: On paper, the ballistics for thisprojectileappearstosuggestthisbulletwouldbeanidealalternativetothe142MK.However, thefulldiameter bearing surface length of 2.154 calibreshasproventobeafinickybullettoloadforinthesebarrels. Either a slightly faster twist than in mybarrel would improve results or the bullet issearchingforadifferentorslowervelocityinmyrifle.OtherbarrelsmayproducebetterresultsandIhaveseenexcellentresultswiththisbulletinthe6.5Swede.
123grainLapua:Greatvelocityforcloseintarget
workbutwhenconditionspickedupaheavierbulletwasneeded.
120 Nosler Ballistic Tip: A good 300 metreperformerandasuperbhuntingload.Thefeedbackfromthebuttsandinthehuntingfieldsuggeststhatthin-skinnedgamewouldnotneedafollow-upshot.
107SierraMatchking:Thisbulletistooshortforathroatsetupfor140grainprojectiles.Furthermorebetteraccuracyispossiblewiththe142grainSierraMatchkings.Nevertheless,aloadwasdevelopedfor1000yardshootingwhereitperformedwellingoodconditions but was easily blown off course whenthewindpickedup.Alsoabarrel-burnerofaload!
Loading Data
6.5-284Shehane
BULLET BALLISTIC COEFFICIENT
LOAD POWDER*
AV.VELOCITY
(FPS) 107Sierra .43 57.5 2209 3370 120Nosler .458 54 2209 3300 56 2213SC 3200 140Sierra .535 52 2213SC 3000140HornadyA-Max .618 52.5 2213SC 3050140BergerVLD .627 52.5 2213SC 3050 142Sierra .595 51 2213SC 2950 52.5 2213SC 3000 155Sierra .570 50 2209 2800
***Forsafetyreasonsstartatleast10%belowtheseloadsandworkup.***Readersusethisinformationattheirownrisk.TargetShooterMagazinetakesnoresponsibilityfor
thisuseofthisloadingdata.
50 Target Shooter
Complete Sierra range distributed to the trade exclusively through highland outdoors
For Trade enquiries contact Highland OutdoorsPh: 01858 410 683Fax: 01857 341 111
[email protected] Price List now available
to download online
GameKing 3-9x40 with Mil Dot Reticle £55.95 RRPGameKing 4-16x44 with Mil Dot Reticle and adj objective £87.95 RRPGameKing 4-16x50 with Mil Dot Reticle and adj objective £94.95 RRPGameKing 6-24x50 with Mil Dot Reticle and adj objective £105.95 RRP
gameking
be the king of your domain
gameking illuminated
GameKing 3-9x40 with illum Mil Dot Reticle £99.95 RRPGameKing 3.5-10x40 with illum Mil Dot Reticle and adj obj £115.95 RRPGameKing 4-16x44 with illum Mil Dot Reticle and adj obj £121.95 RRPGameKing 4-16x50 with illum Mil Dot Reticle and adj obj £127.95 RRPGameKing 6-24x50 with illum Mil Dot Reticle and adj obj £154.95 RRP
www.highlandoutdoors.co.uk
HIGHLANDOUTDOORS
High Grade Lenses Premium grade optical coatings Adjustable objective on most modelsFinger adjustable windage and elevation
Fast eye focusAvailable with glass etched illuminatedreticle modelsMil Dot reticle standard on all models
GAMEKING
one inch seriesg gamekin
Mil Dot Reticle
illuminatedMil Dot Reticlewww.sierrabullets.com
It’s simple. When you addup the accuracy, performanceand value of our Match, Huntingand Varmint bullets, it makes choosing Sierra easy.
Target Shooter 51
Complete Sierra range distributed to the trade exclusively through highland outdoors
For Trade enquiries contact Highland OutdoorsPh: 01858 410 683Fax: 01857 341 111
[email protected] Price List now available
to download online
GameKing 3-9x40 with Mil Dot Reticle £55.95 RRPGameKing 4-16x44 with Mil Dot Reticle and adj objective £87.95 RRPGameKing 4-16x50 with Mil Dot Reticle and adj objective £94.95 RRPGameKing 6-24x50 with Mil Dot Reticle and adj objective £105.95 RRP
gameking
be the king of your domain
gameking illuminated
GameKing 3-9x40 with illum Mil Dot Reticle £99.95 RRPGameKing 3.5-10x40 with illum Mil Dot Reticle and adj obj £115.95 RRPGameKing 4-16x44 with illum Mil Dot Reticle and adj obj £121.95 RRPGameKing 4-16x50 with illum Mil Dot Reticle and adj obj £127.95 RRPGameKing 6-24x50 with illum Mil Dot Reticle and adj obj £154.95 RRP
www.highlandoutdoors.co.uk
HIGHLANDOUTDOORS
High Grade Lenses Premium grade optical coatings Adjustable objective on most modelsFinger adjustable windage and elevation
Fast eye focusAvailable with glass etched illuminatedreticle modelsMil Dot reticle standard on all models
GAMEKING
one inch seriesg gamekin
Mil Dot Reticle
illuminatedMil Dot Reticlewww.sierrabullets.com
It’s simple. When you addup the accuracy, performanceand value of our Match, Huntingand Varmint bullets, it makes choosing Sierra easy.
52 Target Shooter
Westlake Engineering Manufacturer of Target Pistols Walnut Tree Cottage Camp Cottages
Druids Lodge Salisbury Wiltshire England
SP3 4UQ
Tel/Fax 01722782432 Email [email protected] www.westlakeengineering.com
RFD Wilts. 157 Taurus .357 Muzzle Loading Revolver
The Taurus ML Revolver is converted from a Taurus .357 Magnum Long Barrelled Revolver. The cylinder is removed and a Yoke extension fitted, this contains the spring loaded plunger that frees the action when the yoke is closed. As this extension cannot be removed, it prevents the re-fitting of the original cylinder. The Barrel is shortened to approximately 5 ¼ inches and the wristbrace is removed. A new cylinder is made which has pockets for shotgun primers at the rear with a small flash hole through into the chamber at the front. The chamber is made to accept .357” lead wadcutter bullets. Each chamber is charged with Herco powder ( as per .38 S&W Spl data) and then the bullet is pressed in. Once the chambers are charged the shotgun primers are inserted into the primer pockets at the rear of the cylinder. The loaded cylinder is slid onto the yoke from the rear and the yoke closed. The pistol is then ready to fire. A loading press is provided to facilitate seating of the bullets at a uniform distance into the chambers. The conversion of your pistol costs £270.00. Extra Cylinders are £150.00 each. If you do not have a pistol I can order a new pistol from the Importers. A Taurus .357 Magnum LBR costs £675.00 You will need a variation on your FAC for a .357/.38 Muzzle Loading Revolver, and for each extra Cylinder you want.
Target Shooter 53
Itwasnice toseeoveradozen ladiesshootingatthe recent Spring Action weekend but there wasstillonlyonejuniorontheline,althoughadmittedlyshewas a very good one! It seems tome that inorderforoursporttogrowwecertainlyneedtodomoretogetsomeyoungstersinvolvedinoursportorwe’llhavetointroducesomezimmerframematchesin the not so distant future. Sometimes it’s notalwaysthateasytodo,butnothingsimpossibleifafewofyouarewilling toput in the timeandeffort.Here’s a few ideas along with some of the thingsthatwehavedoneinmyownclubovertheyearstogetmore juniors involved inGalleryRifleshooting:ProbablythetwobiggestobstaclesthattheyfacetogetintooursportareAccessandCost.Theaccess
willdependlargelyonyourclubrulesandalthoughmanyclubsareaccessibleforyoungerpeople,itcanstillbequiteataskinothers!Unfortunatelytherearestillsomecommitteesout there thatarestillof the“old school” variety and are very reluctant to anyform of change, however small, as they see it aslosingsomeoftheir“power”asitwere.Someseenoplaceforanyoneundertheageof50intheirranksandwouldconsidershootinganythingotherthanaMartini action rifle or installing something asfuturisticasasetofturningtargetstobesomethingalongthelinesoftreason!IfyoudobelongtooneoftheseclubsIthinkyouonlyhavetwopossibleavenues
Gwyn Roberts
Is your club an “open house” or “closed shop”?
54 Target Shooter
togodownifyouwanttoincreaseparticipationanddevelopthevarioustargetsportsdisciplineswithinit!Thefirstwouldobviouslybetryingtoeducatethemso that they understand that target sports are foreveryone,regardlessofgender,ageandmobility,andthatmanypositivethingscanbegainedbyallowingindividualsectionstobeopenedup.Ifthisapproachfails, then the second option is rather moreobvious……justallgettogetherandvotethemout!Thishashappenedatanumberofclubsnowandtheadditionaldisciplinesandclubnightsthathavebeenintroduced,alongwiththeupdatinganddevelopmentoftherangefacilitieshasbeenverypositiveforboththemembersandvisitingguests!I’msuretherehavebeenmanylongdebatesastowhat specific age you should let juniors startshooting at but my club dealt with it by simplyremovingouragelimitsandeachapplicationisbasedonitsownmerits,regardlessofwhattheywanttoshoot.This policy over the years has enabled thousandsof members from the Cubs, Brownies, Guides,ScoutsandDukeofEdinburghgroupstotakepartinthetargetshootingcoursesthatweofferattheclub!Inoneweekalonewe tooknearly500GirlGuidesthrough an air rifle taster session at one oftheir international camps in North Wales.Likemostothersports,shootersneedtostartyoungtohaveanychanceof reaching theirpotentialandthemain problem I find is if you get themstartingat around fourteen or fifteen you’ll spend a yeartrainingthem,thenthey’ll joininoutonthe“circuit”foranotheryear.Then,whentheystartgoingcollegeand get introduced to boys, girls, alcohol, the
late night parties and everything else you’llnever see themagain, unless youare very lucky!Oncetheaccessproblemhasbeensortedout,theothermajor obstacle for them to face is the cost.Thiswillbethedecidingfactorformanyparentsastowhetherornottheyletthemtakepart.Forthelast12yearsfromourSteelChallengecompetitionstothepresentWelshChampionshipswehavealwaysmade sure that the juniors shoot for free andwillcontinue to do this for as long as is possible tohelpthemout.Ifyourownclubcouldalsodothis,chargethemat“cost”orgivethema50%discounttotakepartthenthiswouldalsobeagreathelpforthem.The other area that some of us have beenable to help them out with is their ammunition.For those wanting to practice more or forcompetitionpurposes,ammunitionhasbeensourcedfrom various companies or individuals and wasgiven to them at cost price. This has given themconsiderable savings which were put towardstravellingandaccommodation fees,enabling themtoshootatmanyofthemajormatchesaroundthecountry.Fromtheequipmentsideofthingsthereareanumberofcountyornationalgrantsouttheretohelpyourclubpurchasesomenewrifles,scopesorotherequipmentforyourjuniorstouse,andwehavebeensuccessfulon a number of occasions. I’m sure that therewould be a few sympathetic members of our guntrade who would also be willing to help out anyjunior shooters you may have in some way oranother so ask them, you have nothing to lose!For those wanting to take juniors to shoot atBisley (MOD range) the lower age limit isgenerally14yrsbutitispossibletogetdispensationforshooterswhoare12for.22lrsomakesureyouapply for it if needed!Also remember that “taster”sessions for schools, clubs and other groups canbeprovidedbyholdingoneof the12 “guestdays”allowed under the Home Office Approved Clubprovision.It’sagreatwayforthemtohaveatryandforyoutomakeanyinitialassessments!
Whilst in the States I shot everything from AR15’s to 9mm race guns with 10yr old Wyatt Gibson. His gun handling skills and safety procedures were exemplary and his age was never an, issue, only a compliment!
Some of our current Duke of Edinburgh shooters who are already very competent after only their 3rd session at the club!
Target Shooter 55
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AUTO TARGET® INDELTEC
select any shooting distance Type VP 3: 25m and 50m lanes Type VP 4: 100m lanes and >. Keypad to program various stops.
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Number of targets at customer’s option
Programmer „AUTO DUEL“
Target Shooter 57
Hunter Field Target Scope TestPart 2
Tim FinleyIsetout theproblemsofparallaxwhenrelatedtoHunterFieldTargetshootingwithaninitialnoteonhowweusemildotsinlastmonth’sissueofTargetShooter.Theninescopeswouldbetestedsidebyside to see just how useable theywere for HFT.
As mentioned last time, mildot calibrated chartskindly supplied by Brian Samson would be setat measured ranges. The prime test targetswere positioned at 15, 23, 25, 40 and 45 yards.On these charts were exact representations ofwhat I should be seen through each scope ifthey had been fitted with a true mildot reticle.
Ofthefirstbatchofscopesontest,onlytheZeiss hadanormal30/30duplex-typereticle,all theresthave graduated reticles of some description andfive of themmildots. By looking at the charts andmovingmyheadIcouldmeasuretheparallaxerrorgivenbyeachscopewhensetupforHFTshooting.
All the scopes were adjusted to ‘opticalcenter’ and then set to a 23 yard (20m) parallaxsetting,byplacingatargetat23yardsandadjustingtheobjective lensorside-wheel to thepointwherethe reticledidnotmove.Thisfirststep justsettingthe scopes up produced some surprising results.
TheHawkewasparallax freeon themeasured23yardtargetbuttheobjectivelensread30yardsandtheMTCread25yardsonthesidewheel.Itpaystoactuallysetyourownscope’sparallaxusingacardplacedattherangeyouwantitatandnottorelyonthescopesP/Amarkings.
The Bushnell 10x40 is not a parallax adjustablescope but, the front lens can be screwed out to
Hawke SR6
Zeiss reticle
58 Target Shooter
shorten the100yards factorysetparallax. This IdidbuttheothertwoscopesIcouldnotalterweretheZeiss,whichseemedtohavea35yardparallaxandtheSchmidt&Benderwhichwasfactorysetto20m(23yards)anyway.
The first test on the charts was to see if thereticleswerecorrectlysettoamildot,tobeabletorange-find a 40mm disc. The mildot reticles ontheLightstreams, theEBSniperand theBushnellwerespoton.ThegraduatedreticleoftheBushnellBallistic Plex bracketed the mildot on 10.5magnification on the particular test scope I had.The SCB reticle on the Viper mil’d perfectly andtheZeiss30/30reticleactuallygaveamildotfrom
centercrosshairtothetopofthethickpostonafullnine-timesmagnification,makingitabletobeusedfordiscrangefinding.
Finallytothenubofthematterandtheparallaxtest.Withafoldingchairsetupandeachscopeplacedinthecustom-madecradleatopofacamera tripod, Icouldmovemyeye/headallaroundthebackofthescopetoaccuratelymeasuretheamounteachreticle
Lighstream 3 - 12 eyebell
Bushnall10- 40 reticle
test set up
Lightstream3-12 retcile
EB sniper reticle
Target Shooter 59
movedat15,25and45yards.ThisistherealkeytoHFTandalotofshootersdonotrealizethis,ifthehead/eyeisnotinthecorrectplaceforeveryshottheytake,thepelletcanstrikeuptohalfamildotormoreawayfromwheretheywantittoo-purelyonparallaxerror.Remember, we are trying to get the scope to dothingsinHFTthatitisnotdesignedtodo-becausewe cannot alter the scope during the competitionwe have to livewith certain parallax error. Somescopes however aremore susceptible than othersandthereareafewthingswecandotocombatit.These first four articleswill concentrate on testingthe actual scopes, not on the ways of beating it,thatwillcomein later issuesoncewehavelookedat all the potential best HFT scopes out there. Irepeatedthetestseveraltimesoverthreeoccasions,
it tookmea totalof sixandahalf hours range time. Theresultsareshown in tableone.
The other factor involved ingetting a good HFT scopeis to see just how clear thetarget or reticle was at eachrange, as seen in table two.
Ifthetargetisclearat40yardsandslightlyblurredat45yards,youcanrange-finditthatway,hencePeteSparkes 23 yard parallax setting, I had Schmidt& Bender set my fixed 10x42 scope to 20m aftertalking to Pete - he is themost experienced HFTshotintheworld,soyouneedtolistenwhenhesaysanything.This did notworkwith the Zeiss, as theparallax setting was too long at 35 yards and theSchmidt&Bender,whoseopticalqualitywasjusttoogoodtomakethe45yardstargetveryblurred.Don’tgetmewrong,itisatinybitblurredbutitcanbetrickytoget it toblurdependinguponwhatsortofadaymyeyesarehaving!Withtheotherscopes,somehad the reticleblurat15yards,whileotherswereboth clear.There are other particular thingswhich
influenced my overall ratings, such asprice, lens coatings, extras and buildquality. TheBushnell10x40hasJapanesebuildquality, a mildot reticle and is smalland light so good for junior /femaleshooters.Theonlydownsidesarethatit is notmadeasaparallaxadjustablescopebut, it iseasilyaltered-andyoucannotaltertheparallaxinanHFTcompanyway.Thelargetargetknobscanbeaccidentally rotated/knocked if you arenot careful. The biggest plus for me,apartfromtheopticsisthe‘RainGuard’lenscoating,whichliterallydriveswaterdroplets off your lenses, very handy intheUK!
The Bushnell 4-12x40 is parallax-adjustable, Japanese built and theBallisticPlexreticlegivesinexperiencedshooters a better windage aim-off
CHARTONE Exit pupil Objective lens Mils on Made Bushnell10*40 4mm 40mm 10 Japan Bushnell4-12*40 3.8mm 40mm 10.5 Japan Lightstream4.5-14*44 4.4to3.1mm 44mm ANY Japan Lightstream3-12*40 4.4mm 40mm 9 Japan EBSniper10*42 4.2mm 42mm 10 Japan HawkeSR63-12*44 4.4mm 44mm 10 China Viper10*44 4.4mm 44mm 10 China Zeiss3-9*36 4mm 36mm 9 Germany SchmidtandBender10*42 4.2mm 42mm 10 Germany
4-12b rainguard
CHARTTWO 15 40 45 YARDS VFM Rangefinding Reticle Optics Overall Bushnell10*40 Targetclear/Reticleblurred Bothclear Targetblurred/Reticleclear 5 5 4 4 5Bushnell4-12*40 Targetclear/Reticleblurred Bothclear Targetblurred/Reticleclear 3 3 5 4 3Lightstream4.5-14*4410 MAG Bothclear(13yretblurred) Bothclear Targetblurred/Reticleclear 4 4 5 4 4Lightstream4.5-14*4414 MAG Targetclear/Reticleblurred Bothclear Targetblurred/Reticlebitblurred 4 3 4 4 3Lightstream3-12*40 Targetclear/Reticleblurred Bothclear Targetblurred/Reticleclear 3 3 3 4 3EBSniper10*42 Targetclear/Reticleblurred Bothclear Targetblurred/Reticleclear 3 5 4 3 5HawkeSR63-12*44 Targetclear/Reticleblurred Bothclear Targetblurred/Reticleclear 4 5 5 3 4Viper10*44 Targetclear/Reticleblurred Bothclear Targetblurred/Reticleclear 5 4 4 3 3Zeiss3-9*36 Bothclear(10yretblurred) Bothclear Targetclear/Reticleblurred 3 3 3 5 3SchmidtandBender10*42 Bothclear(10ytargetblurred) Bothclear Targetbitblurred/Reticleclear 5 4 4 5 5
ALLTESTEDON23YARDPARALLAXAPARTFROMZEISS
60 Target Shooter
system than simple mildots. It too has the ‘RainGuard’ lenscoatingbut it did seem to suffermoreparallax error at 45 yards than the other Bushnellscope.
The Lightstream 4-14x44is Japanese built has goodoptical-quality, is parallaxadjustableandhastargetturretsprotectedbydustcaps.Ithasthemostusefulreticleof thewholebunch of scopes in that it is inthefirstfocalplane,theonlyoneinthetest. Assuch, it ‘mildots’atanyof its4-14magnificationrange. I tested it on10and14times with a longer 28 yardparallax setting, this biggermag gives a tiny 3.1 mm exitpupil and only 2/3 of a mildoterrorat45yards.Thewordon
the forumswhen these scopesfirst came out was that theygave more parallax error thanothers. This was simply nottrue in the tests I carried out.The downside is the shortertargets are a bit more blurredthan when set on 10X mag.
The EB Sniper is Japanesebuilt with a side-wheel P/Aadjustment. It is a big solidscope but the turrets can beknocked off zero if you arenot careful. The optics are notbrilliant but that’s what gives ittheability torange-findsowell.OnpurestatisticsalonetheEBhasmoreHFTwinsunderitsbeltthananyotherscope-barnone.
NexttheHawke-thenexttothecheapestscopehereandbuiltinChina.Theparallaxringdidnotcorrespondtowhatitwasmarkedat. The reticle has windageadvantages not being a simplemildot.Itrangesverywell,butIhadtroubleopticallycenteringit.
The Chinese built Viper isthe cheapest and has lockingturrets,side-wheelparallaxandtheSCBreticle.TheilluminatedSCBisabittoofussyformewithmultiplehashlinesbutitcomeswithflip-uplenscoversandasetof two-piece mounts. None of
theotherscopeshavethislevelofextrasthrown-in.
Lightstream4-14
Bushnell 4-12 turrets
EB sniper turrets
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Onvalueformoneyaloneit’sworthalook.The old German built Zeiss was not reallyuseable forme, the30/30 isnot versatileenough.The Schmidt & Bender 10x42 is simply superbin German build quality and optically it’s streetsahead of the rest and a one off. Iwill continue touse this scope for HFT as it has already proveditsworth tomewithastringofGoldandPlatinumlevelbadgesatnationaland local levelaswellasa 1st and 3rd at the two ‘Gathering’ shoots it hasshotand9thinthe2009WorldHFTChampionships.In conclusion for the first part of thismega test, Irate the Bushnell 10x40 my choice scope on
performance and price. I won the ‘Gathering’withmine in2005anda3rdplace in theevent in2004.Forbeginners,IrecommendtheHawkeasitcanbeusedforhunting tooand isP/Aadjustable.
ThesecondbatchofscopeswillbetheHawkeSR12which has the .22 version of the SR6 reticle, theHawkeMAPscopewithasimplifiedreticle,theAGS3-12side-wheelP/AscopeandtheLeupold3-9x33EFRwith amildot reticle. Another ‘special’ scopemadeformebyLeupold, just liketheSchmidtandBender. CLANG, bit of a name drop there, sorry!
Bushnell 10 mag
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Target Shooter 63
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64 Target Shooter
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Target Shooter 65
Hopefully it is now evident that Civilian ServiceRifle (CSR) has moved away from Practical Rifle(PR)insomeimportantareas–perhapsenoughtoevenconsiderusingdifferentdedicated rifle/scope
combinations for each event. One would havea thick barrel, bipod attachment and variablepowerscopeforPRandwhilsttheCSRriflewouldbelighter with a thinner barrel, no bipod and lighter4 power scope. Depending onwhich competitionyouareenteringyoujustswapuppersandhavenoworries about changing zero or getting used to adifferent trigger pull. Given the currenteconomicclimateandconsideringthattheAR15is
thedominantrifleinboththesedisciplines,Iwillnowexaminethemoneysavingoptionofusingtwodifferentuppers (upper receiver and barrel) with only onelower#(lowerreceiver/triggerandbutt).Thisoffersanimmediate£300-£400saving,plus£150-£200ifyouhaveanadjustable/matchtriggerandupwardsof £250 for a fancybutt!Thesavings couldeasilytotal£700-£850.
Lower (receiver/trigger and butt)This lower will form the basis of the rifle and willallow you to become used to one trigger, onepistolgripandonebutt–consistencybeingoneofthefounding principles of marksmanship. The lowerI have chosen is from the UK’s longest standingproducer of AR15 rifles; the Southern GunCompany(SGC)havebeenmakingcustomAR15’sfortheUKmarketforovertenyears,over1,000havebeenmadeandSGCarenowproducingaMark5versionofthereceiver.OnthebasisthatmyfirstPRspecificationSGCSpeedmasterAR15wasable toshoothalfaminuteofangleorlesswithhandloads,I saw no reason to change manufactures whenlooking for a lighter Upper for CSR. The SGCreceiversofferbothleftandrighthandcocking(beingabletograbbothcockinghandlescanbeveryusefulwhenyouhaveastuckcase)withthelefthandcocking
SGC Speedmaster AR15 CRS rifle with Nightforce scope below PR Upper with
Leupold scope. Hensoldt scope on the left
Hensoldt Ferro-Z 24 showing 1cm/100m click adjustments
AR15 Combinations
Nigel Greenaway
Hensoldt Ferro-Z 24 showing 1cm/100m click adjustments and bullet drop compensated elevation drum
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beingdesignedforbipodsupportedrapidfireproneorweakshoulderPRstages.These receiverscanbehadasaflattoporwitharaisedscoperail–bothmachinedtoacceptWeaverorPiccatinnyscoperings.TheflattophastheadvantageofbeingabletomountanIronSightCarryhandleforuseinHi-Powerriflecompetitions or Any Iron CSR. The photographshowsbothtypesofupper,mynewCSRriflehavingaflattopwithaNightforce2.5-10x24scope.Thesmallerscopeinthepictureisamilitarysurplus4powerHensoldtonanA.R.M.S.#5base formountingonflattops.My original SGC Speedmaster was fitted with anoptional Arnold Jewel 2-Stage adjustable triggerwhich nowadayswill not seemuch change out of£200. There are other match triggers availableand the decision to opt for single or two stage islargely down to personal choice. Single stage isprobablyabetterchoiceforthestanding,kneelingorsittingstageswhilstIprefertwostageforprone.Theimportant thing is thatyouwillhaveamuchbettertriggerpullthatyoucanadjusttoaprecise4.5lbs.Optforthestandardmilitarytriggerandyouwillenduppayingsomeonetotuneitandalteringtheweightof thetriggerpull is largelydowntousingtrialanderror to bend a piece of wire! Adjustable ormatch type triggers are not eligible for Hi-Powercompetitions. On the Jewel trigger the weightof the trigger pull is adjusted by moving thespring wire around the serrated wheel – this andother adjustments can be done whilst the triggerunit is mounted in the receiver. AR15 butts tend
to be short for most people so adjustable buttsare popular – particularly adjustment for length.The standard pistol grip also places the triggeraround the lower joint of the fingerwhen the jointnearestthefingertipwouldbebetter.Magpulmakea MIAD Multi Grip which has five different sizedfrontandrearpanelswhichcaneasilybechangedto suit all hand sizes – having tried one on thefiringpointIshallbeorderingonefromSGCshortly.
Uppers (upper receiver and barrel)This is the area where the divergentrequirements of PR and CSR are most apparentwithPRrequiringatleasta20inchlong,thickandpreferably flutedbarrelwhilstCSR is better suited
Jewel trigger showing serrated wheel and spring
wire for trigger weight adjustment
SGC Speedmaster with Nightforce 2.5-10 x 24 scope below Hensoldt with A.R.M.S. #5 base
Target Shooter 67
to a thinner, possibly shorter and consequentlylighterbarrel.Bothdisciplinesbenefitfrommuzzlebrakes to help with faster target acquisition, lessrecoil and the ability to stay on aim and observebullet strike (splash) in the sand at all ranges.Ineverbelieved thatamuzzlebrakewasrequiredfor the lightweight .223 roundso Ididn’thaveonefitted tomyPRbarrel. Itwasn’t abigdrawback,especially when shooting prone supportedbecausetheheavyParkerHalebipodIusehelpedaddweightattheforend.However,whentheCSRruleschanged,effectivelyeliminatingbipods in theService Optic class, I noticed two things whenusingthemagazinerestingtechnique.Firstwasthenoticeable barrel flip that made it hard to spotsplashatrangesof300yardsorlessandsecondly,the1 in8 tightriflingtwistandtheuseof77grainbullets created a twisting affect on the wholerifle. A quick search on the internet revealed thePrimary Weapons Systems DNTC compensator(www.primaryweapons.com) which is designed tosolvebothproblems. It reallyworksso IhadSGCfit one to the 20 inchH-Bar profile stainless steelbarrel with 1 in 8 twist that I chose for my CSRrifle.BothbarrelsarecutwithaWyldechamberasIhadspecifiedtoSGCthatIwantedtoshootbothstandard NATO 62 grain ball and 77 grain SierraMatchKinghomeloads.Wyldechambersarematchchambers but with a slightly longer throat thancommercial chambers, optimised for longerbullets to enable safe use of NATO specificationammunition. There are a multitude of differentAR15 forends that you can use but weight and acomfortable grip are important considerations.
For PR youmight want to buy a forendwith railssothatyoucanattachaccessorieslikebipodsandforwardverticalhandgripsbutthesearenotallowedinServiceOpticssoasimpleHogueovermouldedfreefloatingforend,availableindifferentlengthswasmychoice. I also think that the same style of forendwillhelpwithconsistencywhenswappingtheuppersbetweendisciplines.IhadpreviouslyusedasimpleDPMSAlloyForendbutthislackedthegripandheatinsulatingpropertiesoftherubberontheHogueforend.
ScopesWhen the rules changed for CSR the maximummagnification allowed became 4.5 power forServiceOptic.WhilstmyLeupoldLongRangeTactical4.5-14x50 was eligible on my AR15 I felt it wasbigger and heavier (22 ozs not including mounts)than required forCSR. As aPR scope it is idealbecauseyouwantat least10powerfor600yardsso 14 power is great whilst the ability to powerdown to4.5 iscrucial forshootingatonehundredyards. Italsohasquarterminuteclickadjustmentswhichisusefulatthelongerranges.AgreatscopeforPRbutIknewIwouldneedalighterandmorecompact scope for my CSR rifle. The 4-powerHensoldt Ferro-Z 24 ticks both of these boxes.AboutayearagotheGermansweresellingtheseasmilitarysurplusandtheywereoftenseenoneBay,selling for about £300 (the current strength of theEurowouldpushthisfigurecloserto£400).HensoldtisthemilitarybrandoftheZeissgroupsothequalityis great (visit www.mg-42.net/G3_hensoldt.htm formoreinformation).Theopticsareveryclearandyoucanpurchaseanaccessorythatattachestotheside
Nightforce NXS 2.5-10 x 24 scope showing left hand side, illuminated reticule knob and Unimount
68 Target Shooter
ofthescopeandactsasareticuleilluminator.Thesee-throughreticuleisapostwithinterruptedcrosshair–nottoeveryone’stastebutIlikepostreticulesfor fastshooting-havingusedthemonanEnfieldEnforcer, No.4(T), L42A1 and Swedish MauserM41B sniper rifles. The elevation and windagedrums give very positive clicks of 1cm per 100metre.Oneinchis2.54cmsotheseclicksarenotquite half aminute of angle (MOA) which is a bitawkwardifyouareusedtoImperialmeasurements!The elevation drums are bullet drop compensatedfrom100-600metres(canbehadineither7.62mmor5.56mm).GenerallyIfeltthisscopemightproveidealforCSRwherethevastmajorityofshootingisat300yardsorbelowanditputupsomehalfMOAgroups at 100 metres. However, the metric clickswould need some getting used to and swappingbacktomyLeupoldwithitsquarterMOAclickswouldinevitablyleadtomistakes.IdecidedIwouldneedtofindanothercompactscopeand,inordertomatchup tomyLeupold, it shouldhaveamil-dot reticule and quarter MOAclicks.
Nightforce NXS 2.5-10 x 24Luckily such a scope exists - therelatively new Nightforce NXS2.5-10 x 24, the UK wholesaleimporterisRUAGAmmotecUKLtd.Nightforcehasagreatreputationandthisscopeshaves5ozsofftheweightof my Leupold, has a 30mm tubeplus an illuminatedMil-Dot reticule.OtherreticulepatternsareavailablebutIwantedtohavetheconsistencyofusingonereticulepatternonbothrifles. An additional factor wasthat one of the CSR stages isthe running man target at 100metres. This target runs at two
different speeds – the slow pacerequiresyou toaimat the leadingedge(the fist of the figure) whilst the fasttargetneedsanaimingpointinfront(whichhappens to be in line with the forwardkneeofthefigure).Itispossibletoadjustthemagnificationof thescopeso thataMil-Dotcanbeusedtoholdthenecessaryforward lead at the knee and thus gainthe correct lead and height for the fastmover). The more I thought about thisscope’sfeaturesandmagnificationrangethemoreIconcludedwhatagreatCSRandPRscopethiswouldbe,4powerforthe former and up to 10 power for thelatter. Nightforce also supply their ownUnimountwithabuiltin20MOAtapertohelpyouregainpreciousclicksforlongrangeshooting.ThesemountsfitPicatinnyand
Weaverrailsandistoutedasbeinggoodenoughtomaintain zerowhen takenoff and replacedon therifle.Intheoryyoucouldswapthisscopebetweentwo different AR15 uppers, particularly where thesame calibre, barrel length and rifling twist areused.I’msuretherewouldbeaminorzerochangebetween uppers but this could be allowed for byslipping the scale on the drums, as long as youmakeanoteofthedifference.Ihavenotputthistothetestbutitcertainlywouldsaveatleastanother£800-£1,000 by sharing one scope between tworifles. I like the Nightforce scope – the onlycriticismbeing that theMil-Dot reticule isveryfinefor short range rapid style shooting but I believethattheilluminatedreticulewillovercomethis.Theresultsspeakforthemselveswitha3/8inchor11mmfiveshotgroup,shotproneat100metreswithhandloadedammunitionfromthenewCSRrifle.
5 shot group Sierra 77 grain handloads
Typical group from issue 5.56mm Ball
Target Shooter 69
AmmunitionWhat reloading components do you need toachieve these sorts of groups? As usual whenreloading all the usual caveats apply as I havefoundtheseloadstobeasafeinmyrifleusingthecomponentslistedandImakenoclaimthattheywillbe safe in your rifle. All readers shouldALWAYSstartatleast10%belowthispowderload,especiallysoifusingdifferentbrass,powder,primersorbullets.
Before Istarton thesubjectof reloading .223 it isimportant to show how the CSR andPR rifles perform with bog standardmilitary surplus 5.56mm x45. Thereason for this is that using reloadedammunition at the 100-200-300 yardstagesisoverkill.Infact-havingtootighta group is a positive disadvantage as Ihaveoftenhadtochallengeforahitwhenthescorehascomebackasninewash(9bullsandamiss).Uponcloserinspectionthe butt officer found two bullets in oneslightly enlarged hole and a maximumtenwashwasawarded!Ihavefoundthatthe62grainbulletsfoundinBritishL2A2ammunitionshootwellenoughina1in8twistbarrel.Rapidfire,5shotgroupsof50mmarecommonat100metersand30mmgroupsarepossible,whichismorethanadequateforthetargetry used at 100 to 300 yards.However,ifthewindisgustingthenhandloadedammunitionwillcomeintoitsownat300yardsandabove.
Many of my fellow shooters favour the use of 69grain Sierra MatchKing heads but compare theirballistic coefficient (BC) of .317 to the 77 grainMatchKing’s BC of .362. Both these bullets aredesigned to be loaded tomagazine length (about2.25 inches).My favourite loadutilisesWinchester
brass (one of the lightest cases withmaximumpowdercapacity),RemingtonNo.71/2SmallRifleBenchRest primers, 24.4 grains Reloder 15and 77 grain SierraMatchKing headswhich reach 2,600 feet per sec (fps).This is a top end load so I suggeststarting at a tad under 24 grains ofReloder15.OtherpopularpowdersareVit140andVargetwhicharesimilar toReloder15.
The introduction of the new .223 77grain Lapua Scenar bullet, designedfor1in8twistbarrels,iscausingmuchexcitement both with American andUK Hi-Power shooters. Very goodreportshavebeenheardaboutitslongrangeability,nodoubthelpedbyaBC
of .402andalso its longer length.TheLapuamayreplace the Sierra as the most popular bullet forreloading magazine length rounds for the longerranges. Tim Hannam is importing them. Like allLapuareloadingcomponentsthequalityisveryhighbutthatcomesataprice–inthiscase£27.12perhundred.
MythankstotheSouthernGunCompanyformakingmatchwinningcombinationsofAR15Speedmastersand RUAG Ammotec UK Ltd for the loan of the
Nightforce.TherealtestwillbehowwellIshootmynewCSR rifle andNightforce scope in this year’scompetitions.However,I’llstillbeshootingafewPReventswhereaquickchangeofuppertothethickerbarrelandabipodwillnodoubthelpgainafewextrapoints.
Box of 5.56mm L2A2 ball, RG’03 on left and Sierra 77 grain on right
Comparison of shorter Sierra compared to longer Lapua 77 grain bullets
70 Target Shooter
72 Target Shooter
TargetShooterisnowthreeissuesoldsoIthinkit’stimewebuiltourfirstrifle.
A couple of tactical-style rifles which have comeout of theSouthYorkshireShootingSupply stablehaveimpressedmerecently.OneisownedbyTimFinleyandhewrotealittleaboutitinTargetSportsmagazine. The other is owned by Ross Burroughand I’ve seenRoss shoot some pretty impressivegroupsevenat1000yardswithhisrifle.
Both these rifles are quite similar in that theyare based on the Surgeon action and theMcMillanA5stock.IalreadyhaveanA5stockedrifle and although it is a great tactical stock –probably the best around – I fancy somethingdifferent. Also, although I’ve worked with theSurgeonactionspreviously,I’veneverownedone.
Of course, any action could form the basisof a successful tactical rifle. I’ve had tacticalrifles based on the Remmy 700, Howa,McMillan and Barnard and all were accurateandpracticalbut theSurgeon isoneof the fewactions designed specifically for tactical use.
SohowistheSurgeondifferent?Afewkeypoints:
•Thebuilt-inPicatinnyrailreallystiffensuptheaction,compensatingforthemagazinecut-out.•Theintegralrecoil-lugmakesbarrel-swaps/removalsomucheasier,especiallyinthefield.•TheSurgeonwilltakeanyRemington-styletrigger–includingaJewel.•AlthoughtheactionhastheRemmy‘footprint’itbenefitsfromalargerbarrel-tenon.
Theactionalsohas‘field’tolerances.It’sbuiltto
much closer tolerances than theHowa orRemmybutnotsocloseastheBarnard.Inotherwords,it’saccuratebutnottootighttobepracticalinthefield.Thisisalsoaidedtosomeextentbytheflutedbolt.This isnot fordecoration– thefluteswillholdanydustorgritwhichmightotherwisefindtheirwayinto
ProjectRifle
VinceBottomley
The 308 Win and right, the 6.5x47 Lapua
Above - Our AI stock comes with one magazine and includes ‘bottom-metal’ which
would cost extra with an A5
Target Shooter 73
the action, possibly locking-up the bolt as it coulddo with a ‘benchrest fit’ action like the Barnard.
As always, it’s ‘horses for courses’ – if you arebuilding an F Class rifle choose the Barnard, ormaybeaBATifyouarebuildingabenchrestriflebutif it’sa tactical rifle, theSurgeon isagreatchoice.
So, that’s sort of set the tone for our project – atactical rifle based on the Surgeon action withsomethingotherthananA5stock!Chambering?Wehaveseveral to chose from, ranging from the little6BRRem.uptothe308butremember,weneedittofeedfroma308sizemagazine.Myshootingbuddy,RobHunter is currently playingwith the 260Rem–anecked-upandimproved6.5mmversionofthe243Win.andI’mdoingasimilarthingwiththe243Win.Improved.Boththesewouldmakefinetacticalcartridgesbutwhatwould theyofferover the308?
Like many of the F/TR guys, I’ve recently foundnew life in the 308Win. It’s a great cartridge, all
theway out to 1000 yards – especially if you areusing a 30-32 inch barrel like the F/TR guys. Ifyou are using a 24-26 inch ‘tactical’barrel thenthe 308 suffers at longer ranges andwill lose outto the 260 Rem. and 243 Improved. Both thesecartridgesrequiresomecase-forminghoweverandwith a tactical rifle, this takes away some of thepracticalityasfactoryammunitionwillnotbeavailable.
I can see that I’m slowly talking my way intoanother 6.5x47 – just as Ross and Tim did.It’s hard to beat this little round, for althoughcartridgeslikethe260Remwilloutshootthe6.5x47intheballisticprogrammes,itjustdoesn’tseemtohappenontherange.Icurrentlyhaverifleschamberedforthe6.5x47andthe6-6.5x47andofthetwo,I’vegottoadmitthatthe6.5versionappearstohavetheedge,though initially, I favoured the6mmas itappearedtobea6BRonsteroids!The6.5x47hasturnedouttobeasuperbcartridgehoweveranditmakesyouwonderwhyittooksolongforsomeonetoinventit!
OK, we’re a bit closer. Surgeon action, 6.5x47chamberingbutweneedabarrel.Heardaboutthenew‘gain-twist’barrelsfromBartlein?Agimmick?Maybe but wewon’t know unless we try one andfortunatelyFoxFirearmshavejustreceiveddeliveryofabatchwhichincludesa6.5mmwithagain-twistgoingfrom9.25to8.5.
Let’s not get too excited about gain-twist barrels.Yes, the theory is there and for extreme accuracydisciplineslikeshort-rangebenchrest,theremaybe
a minute benefitbut for a tacticalrifle,Ican’treallysee that it willoffer anythingbut it will beinteresting towork with oneand see if wecan detect anydifference.
All this time, I’vebeen thinkingof a stock whichwill do the jobof an A5 andmaybe I haveone. I’ve neverbeenagreat fanof the AccuracyI n t e r n a t i o n a lstock but it doeshavea fewgoodpointsandoneof
The McMillan A5 is a great tactical stock
Here’s our Bartlein barrel head-stamp – 5R rifling, 256/264 bore & groove, 8.5 to 9.25 gain-twist
74 Target Shooter
theseistheprice!IcanrememberwhentheAI’s were horrendously expensivebut now they seem quite reasonablecomparedtotheA5andbetterstill,thisoneissecond-hand,soabitofabargain.It’salsoa‘folder’whichtendtocommandahigherpricebutforme,it’sjustheavier.
Now we have a barrel, an action, astock and a reamer so what are wewaiting for? Let’s fire up the latheand get working. More next month.
The superb Surgeon action – note built-in Picatinny rail with 20MOA taper and
built-in recoil-lug
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PHONE THE ORDER HOTLINE: 01902 722 144 OR FAX ON 01902 722 880
76 Target Shooter
‘The wind is not your friend’ is run by DougWeeter in the US. It is a website that hasa great deal to offer any shooter that dealswith accuracy as their game of choice.There is a lot of information about shootinginthewindandavarietyofwindflagdesignsthat will keep any part time craftsmengoing for a number of months. Within thiswebsitethereisonoffersomeDIYknowledgethat may stand you in good stead indevelopingyourown.Dougtrulybelievesthatmaking your own wind flags will really teachyoumoreaboutwhatthewindisdoing,asyouare designing then specifically for yourself.These‘flags’havebeendevelopedoveryears,with even some recognisable designs on thesite. All of these can be made easily, evenwithspareparts lyingaroundagarage.Theyareveryusefuldesignsandcanbemadeatafractionofthepricethatsomewouldpayforthem.There are also articles on wind doping,
shooting long range rifle, charts, etc, etc.Anothergoodpagetolookatisthedescription of the ‘Bernoulli Effect’ and thewaythewindcausesarimfireroundto ‘shift’.I do know that Doug is in the process ofrebuilding this site to make it even better. Icannotwait.
ShootingWebsiteoftheMonth
78 Target Shooter
The first match in the UK’s 2009 Practical ShotgunChampionship gave the tightest results seen formanyyears in the biggest divisions. Being a EuropeanChampionshipyear,withcompetitorsvying fornationalteam places at the ‘big one’ in theCzechRepublic inSeptember,we always knew that no quarterwould begiven,buttheresultsatHarlowwerevery,verycloseindeed.
First a little background. When we lost handgunsback in the late 1990s the then Cinderella disciplineof the UKPSA, Practical Shotgun with high capacitySection1self-loadingandpumpactionshotguns,sashayedinto the limelight as many of the previously dominantpistoleers tinkered first with mini-rifle and then airsoftmatchesbeforedriftingoff tofindothershootingstylesthatsuitedthem.Shotgunthenneededaconsiderablydifferent approach to range craft, often needingphysicalstaminanotrequiredforpistol,andusuallyinvolvedgetting quite wet and muddy. Whilst a few die-hardhandgunnersstayedwiththeAssociationandcarriedontakingpart inmatchesoverseasusingborrowedkit,asthemillenniumturnedovertheshotgunnersprovidedthebulkofthemembershipandfocusoftheUKAssociation.
At a world level within IPSC, handgunning was (andstill is) the largest competitive discipline, but shotgunwas starting to build upa small but influential bandoffollowersaroundtheplanet.Theinternationalcompetitioncalendar won it’s first true European Championship in2003atTerniinItaly,asmalltownwithalegendofdragonthathadbeendefeatedbyalocalnoblemanmanyyears
ago.A large British contingent turned up, confident ofvictory at the multi-day match, after all they felt thattheyhad invented thesportall thoseyearsback. ThedragonbitbackandTerniprovedtobeawakeupcall.International Practical Shotgun was heading in adifferent direction, thematches held on sandy bermedandbankedpistolranges,withopentargetsandveryfew‘load-one,shoot-one’stagesoremptygunstarts.Notawoodorstreamtobeseen;itwasalmostcontinuousrunandgunhandgunningwithashotgunandmostoftheUKcontingent came home with their tails firmly betweentheirlegs.SincethenthesporthasevolvedatboththeworldandtheUKlevel,withtheUKhavingaconsiderableinputintothe updatedworld rules through the hardwork ofNeilBeverley.Atthesecond,andbetterattended,EuropeanChampionship held in Greece in 2006 the older andwiser UK shooters put in one the largest internationalentries and came away with decent placing’s in thepopularUKdivisionsof ‘StandardAuto’, ‘Modified’and‘StandardManual’.
And so to2009and the runup to the3rdEuropeans.Whilst the majority of UK shotgun matches still takeplace inwoodsusingbirdshot,somecanrunbuckshotand slug stages on adjacent approved ranges. EventheNRAatBisleyareencouraginga formofPracticalbranded ‘Target Shotgun’ based around the renamedPolice and Service Pistol competitions shotwith rifled slug. Along with a new one,the Embassy Cup, these take place at the
GalleryRifleActionWeekends,plustwosmallerUKPSA style birdshot, buckshot and slug ‘Shotgun Festivals’ held in February andOctober.The Southern Area Championships atHarlowonthe9thofMaywasbirdshotonly,with targets being knockdown steel platesat varying distances along with static andmoving clay pigeons. The current IPSCrules and guidelines suggest that thereshould be a ratio of roughly three ‘short’coursestages, to two ‘medium’stagesandone ‘long’coursestage,onlyoneunloadedstart per six stages, and no ‘load-one,shoot-one’inmatchesgradedLevel3(suchas the Harlow match) and above. Threecompetitors entered from Serbia, andtheywere known to be good,with anotherveteran UK competitor driving up from hisretirementhomeinFrance,sothescenewassetforagrandInternationalday.Therange
Practical Shotgun - Harlow’s Very Close Shave!
Practical shotgun in action
By Tommy Burford
Target Shooter 79
crew shot thematch on the Friday alongwith a smallnumberof competitorswho couldnot takepart on theSaturday,andtheyhadthepleasureofthecolddrizzleand wind (some things never change). The weathercheeredupontheSaturday,andtheremaining40oddcompetitors in four squads ripped through the ninestageswitheverythingdonebylateafternoon.As usual with true practical shooting, all of thestages were ‘new’ to the competitors and virtually allof them could be approached in a number of ways.
Stage 1 had four simpleplates inawidearc, butonereleaseda high scoring, oscillating clay ona swingingpole that would eventually disappear from view andthereforedidnot incuramisspenalty. Since thiswasonly the empty gun start, you needed to work outwhether thebonuspointswereworththetimetakentoloadanadditionalroundandalsoriskmissing.Thestagewinners did, but they were closely followed by a fewwhoonly loaded four roundsand ignored the swinger.
Stage 2 had four, long distance, heavy platesthat were visible through a slot in cover that wasalmost at a normal shooting height, but also hadfour close clays that could only be seen fromunder avery low barricade that made it almost impossible touse the common ‘rollover prone’ shooting position.
Stage 3 saw the ‘Harlow Horse’ dragged out fromretirementandgiveacoator twoofgarishpaint. Thiswas essentially a shooting platform where you couldtakedifficultbutfastshots,orslowereasiershotsattheeightsteeltargetsspacedbetweenredpenaltytargets.
Stage 4introducedthecompetitorstoanotherofHarlow’snewbitsofrangeequipment–highpolesforclays.Fourofthesealongwithfourlowclayseithersideofashortcorridorwereagoodtestoffastgunhandlingandaccuracy.
Stage 5wasthefirstofthelongcourses,with24platesintotalbutonlyafewvisiblefromeachofanumberofshootingpositions.Inthiskindofstageit’sreloadingabilitythatwinstheday.Inthemostpopulardivisions,StandardAutoandStandardManual,thecompetitor’sshotguncanonlystartstagesloadedwitheightroundsinthetube,sonimblefingersandawelloiled techniqueare required.
Stage 6 proved to equally challenging,with four shortlightweightplates,andfour longdistanceheavyplates.Since you could not use slug, buck or even reallypowerful birdshot for these, it inevitably needed a runforward,andusuallysomeextrashotsbeforethebigonesfell.
Stage 7 won the innovation award for Harlow’sDave Dowding. Many hours of his went into itsconstruction, and while only ten rounds were needed,considerable thought was needed in their application.Whenshotdown,asteelplateononesideoftherangeexposed another target out of view on the other, withanother steel plate releasing a barricade that exposedtwomoreonthesameside.Theothersideoftherangewas set up the same, so while there were only twoshootingpositions(andeachofthosehadaknockdown
vision barrier), you needed to visit one of them twice.
Stage 8 was a 15 plater, a medium course thatincluded some big poppers that needed to fallbefore smaller plates were exposed. Again, therewere a variety of ways to tackle the stage dependingonyour loadingskillanddistanceshootingconfidence.
The final stage 9 started with a three positiontraverseon threeclaysandup toeightsteelsbeforeasprint downrange for the final, well hidden six steels.
When the results came out, the Serbs provedtriumphant with Branislav Raketic beating our ownJames Harris in Modified Division by almost 15%.It was far tighter in Standard Auto however, withthe Serbian Igor Jankovic beating the UK’s MikeDarbybylessthanonematchpointoutof470.HardonMike’sheelswasBarrySullivan, less thanthreepointsbehind, and under nine points behind him was thefinalSerb,DimitrijeSimic. In sixth placewas a juniorshooter, Jim Starley with almost 93% - he’s definitelygoingtobeonetowatch.Furtherdowntheorderwasthe first placed lady and UKPSA Chairman VanessaDuffy,withaslenderthirtypointleadoverthenextthreeladieswhowereseparatedintotalbylessthantenpoints.ItwasjustastightinStandardManual,withNeilSmithbeatingMartinDaviesbylessthanhalfapoint,andhewaspursuedby IainGuy, less thanfivepointsbehind.ThenexttwoLevel3matchesarebeforetheEuropeansandtakeplaceatCarlisleandontheWelshborderduringJuly,withthefinalroundofthechampionshipreturningtoHarlow at the end of October after returning from theEuropeans.It’s going to be an interesting year. For moreinformation on the UKPSA, the match calendar, clubfinderanddetailsofhowtojoin,visit:http://www.ukpsa.co.uk
Harlow Winners
80 Target Shooter
01392 354854
Lines open 9:30-5:00Monday - Saturday
PRECISION OPTICS FOR PRECISION SHOOTINGNightforce was established in 1992 with one goal in mind, to build the finest riflescopes onthe market. Nightforce is the choice of professionals among all hunters and serious shooters.
Every single scope is thoroughly inspected and tested by hand.Each is checked at 70 different points, and must pass tests that would destroy a lesser-quality scope.
NIGHTFORCE NXSExtremly versitile scopes, suitedfor anything from big game huntingto close quarter and varmint.
1-4x24 Compact £1127.002.5-10x24 Compact £1166.003.5-15x50 £1259.00
3.5-15x56 £1292.005.5-22x50 £1347.005.5-22x56 £1371.008-32x56 £1499.0012-42x56 £1621.00
NP1 NP2-DD NP1-RR NP-R2 MIL-DOT MLR
NIGHTFORCE NFSuperior resolution to distinguish fine detail at long range. Extra-fine focus to adjust parallax from 25 yards to infinity. Fast reticle focusing, and a glass-etched illuminated reticle.
3.5-15x56 £938.008-32x56 £1033.0012-42x56 £1088.00
NIGHTFORCE 5.5-22 x 56 NXSThe ultimate long rangge scope.Maximum clarity and resolution
Highlt effective at longand short range,
The most advanced tactical
scope available.
With small or large calibre firearms, when out hunting, the precision of your riflescope is crucial. That is why you can rely on ourriflescopes. The patented Swarovski coil spring system® ensures reliable reticle adjustment, and means absolute shot resistance.
Reticle InformationCentred reticle in the second image plane. The target observed is magnified whilst thesize of the reticle remains the same. St
anda
rd
Illum
inat
ed
PF RANGE8x50 PF £599.008x56 PF £649.00 A-LINE RANGE3-9x36 A-Line 1” Tube £699.003-10x42 A-Line 1” Tube £769.004-12x50 A-Line 1” Tube £819.006-18x50 A-Line 1” Tube £910.0
The highest technical precision and innovative design
SCHMIDT BENDERNice to look at... but nicer to look through
Schmidt & Bender scopes were originally designed for hunting from a stand by moonlight in Germany. That explainsthe exceptional light transmission and brilliance for which Schmidt & Bender scopes are known.
FIXED6x42 £580.007x50 NEW!! £718.008x56 £718.0010x42 £615.00
VARIABLE3 - 12x42 £918.003 - 12x50 £938.002½ - 10x56 £938.004 - 16x50 £1158.00
ILLUMINATED3 - 12x42 £1191.003 - 12x50 £1206.002 ½ 10x56 £1206.007x50 NEW!! £997.008x56 £997.00
Schmidt and Bender German Sporting. Rugged, simple and practical. Own the world’s finest scope, and at a rensnoble price.
Zenith 1.1 - 4x24 £856.00Zenith 1.1 - 4x24 Flashdot £1205.00Zenith 1.5 - 6x42 £902.00Zenith 1.5 - 6x42 (ill) £1256.00
Zenith 2.5 - 10x56 £1085.00Zenith 3 - 12x50 £1085.00Zenith 2.5 - 10x56 (ill) £1390.00Zenith 3 -12x50 (ill) £1390.00
Newport StoreUnit 3 Maesglas Retail Estate, Newport. NP20 2XF. Tel: 01633 250025Fax: 01633 244978
Devon Store19 Apple Lane, Exeter. EX2 5GL.Tel: 01392 354854 Fax: 01395 363824
Dorset StoreWardon Hill, Dorset. DT2 9PW. Tel: 01935 83099Fax: 01935 83077
www.sportsmanguncentre.com
OPTICS SPECIALISTS1000’s of scopes in stockONLINE SPECIAL OFFERS
www.sportsmanguncentre.com
SWAVROVSKI Z6Z6 1-6x24 £1080 £969.00Z6 1-6x24EE £1080 £969.00Z6 1.7-10x42 £1150 £1029.00Z6 2-12x50 £1240 £1099.00Z6 2.5-15x44 P £1380 £1239.00Z6 2.5-15x44 BT £1475 £1329.00Z6 2.5-15x56 P £1319 £1199.00Z6 2.5-15x56 BT £1429 £1299.00Z6 3-18x50 P £1460 £1319.00Z6 3-18x50 BT £1555 £1399.00Z6 5-30x50 P £1530 £1379.00Z6 5-30x50 BT £1620 £1459.00
SWAVROVSKI Z6(i)Z6(i) 1-6x24 £1325 £1189.00Z6(i) 1-6x24EE £1325 £1189.00Z6(i) 1.7-10x42 £1550 £1395.00Z6(i) 2-12x50 £1630 £1459.00Z6(i) 2.5-15x44 P £1795 £1619.00Z6(i) 2.5-15x44 BT £1895 £1699.00Z6(i) 2.5-15x56 P £1737 £1579.00Z6(i) 2.5-15x56 BT £1825 £1659.00Z6(i) 3-18x50 P £1890 £1699.00Z6(i) 3-18x50 BT £1990 £1789.00Z6)i) 5-30x50 P £1980 £1779.00Z6(i) 5-30x50 BT £2080 £1869.00
PV RANGE1½-6x42 PV £769.001½-10x56 PV £949.003-12x50 PV £899.004-16x50 PV £1069.006-24x50 PV £1119.002½-10x56 Illuminated PV £1199.003-12x50 Illuminated PV £1169.00
HIGH GRID RANGE4-16x50 PV 1-2 High Grid Illuminated. NEW! £1379.00 6-24x50 PV High Grid Illuminated. NEW! £1439.00
The innovative 6x zoom from Swarovski Optik offers aunique range of magnification and field of view. This results in greaterflexibility when hunting, without compromising image quality or design.
NEW
Ret. L1 Ret. L3 Ret. L9Ret. 1 V Ret. 1 F Ret. 2 Ret. 3 Ret. 4 Ret. 6 Ret. 8 Ret. 8 Dot Ret. 9 Ret. 2 Flash Dot Ret. 7 Flash Dot Ret. 9 Flash Dot
Schmidt and Bender Zenith. The Distinctive design of of the Zenith has earned the prestigious international IF Design Award. Their streamlined elegance results in compact, efficient scopes.
BIG BUSHNELL MEGA DEAL - UP TO 50% OFF
UNBEATABLEPRICES
£1371.00ONLY
Length: 15inWeight: 31ozEye Relief: 3.7inTube Diameter: 30mmField Of View: 7.5ft @ 5.5x
BUSHNELL TROPHY: Trophy 4-12X40 RRP £317 NOW £148.99Trophy 6-18X40 RRP £337 NOW £165.99Trophy 1X30 RRP £154 NOW £72.99
BUSHNELL BANNER: Banner 6-18X50 RRP £235 NOW £95.99Banner 4-16X40 ILL RRP £223 NOW £115.92Banner 3-9X40 ILL RRP £165 NOW £82.99
BUSHNELL ELITE 6500: Elite 4.5-30X50 Mildot RRP £881 NOW £584.99Elite 2.5-16X42 Mildot RRP £840 NOW £540.99
BUSHNELL ELITE 4200: Elite 6-24X40 RRP £786 NOW £461.99Elite 6-24X50 RRP £899 NOW £544.99
BUSHNELL ELITE 3200: Elite 5-15X40 RRP £493 NOW £POAElite 10X40 RRP £317 NOW £238.99
BUSHNELL LEGEND: Legend 5-15X40 Mildot RRP £352 NOW £160.99
Bushnell Excursion• Multicoated lenses
& PC-3 phase coated prisms 8x42 - £119.99
10x42 - £129.99
Bushnell Elite 8x43• Water repellant
• PC-3oated prisms • Strap & case included
ONLY £447.99
Bushnell Compact 10x25 Binoculars
Multi coated optics
ONLY £49.99UNBEATABLE OFFERS
Target Shooter 81
This year marked the 13th Phoenix Meeting whichwas held at Bisley over the May Bank Holiday. It hascontinued to grow steadily in size with another recordentry this year of 2909 events being shot by over 560competitors from across the UK and Europe. Around137,000roundsofammunitionweresafelyputdownrangeonceagainwhichvaried from12gslug to .22lrand theweatherforoncewasverynice,unlikethelastcoupleofyears.
OriginallyaimedatpromotingandcontinuingonwiththeoldpistoldisciplinesbutusingGalleryRiflesinstead,thePhoenix Meeting has evolved over the years and now
caters for amuchwider variety of firearms that canbeused during the event. Everything from pure speed tolongrangeaccuracyisavailableandAirPistol,AirRifle,Gallery Rifle Smallbore/Lightweight Sporting Rifle,Gallery Rifle Centrfire, Long Barrelled Pistol, LongBarrelled Revolver, Muzzle Loading Pistol & Revolver,Shotgun, LongRangePistol andFullboreRifles are allcateredforinoneformoranother.
Thesheeramountofrangesneededtoaccommodateallof thesedifferentdisciplinesmeansthatover100R.O’sareneededtorunthingssafelyandsmoothlyontheday.Formost,thismeansbeingontherangefirstthingontheWednesdaymorningtosetuptherangesandironoutanyproblemsthattheymayhavewiththeequipment.Then,whentheyarealltiredandstressedouttheyhavetogoand shoot their ownmatchesover theWednesdayandThursdaysothattheyarereadytostartrunningallofthecompetitors throughfromFridaymorningonwards.Withthisinmindweallowethemahugethankyouforgivinguptheirtimetokeepourrangessafe,andfordoingsuchagoodjobundertheweatherconditionsthatwehadatthetime.Itwasprettyhotfortheentireweekendandbeingontherangeforupto9hoursadayover5daysiscertainlynotaneasytaskforanyonetodo,sothanksagainguys!
Many of the shooters stepping up to the line at thisyears Phoenix were doing so for the first time in amajor competition and a very good job some of themmade of it too! The biggest surprise for them seemedto be just how friendly and helpful both the R.O’s andother competitors were to them during their matches.
Simplehelpwithscoring, loaningequipmentanda littlehelpwithtechniquesusedinsomeofthehardermatchesliketheBianchiand1500allhelpedtocalmthemdownabit tohelp themenjoy their experience,ensuring thattheywillbebacknext time,which iswhat it’sallabout!Many of the newcomers are also looking forward tocomingbacktoshootintheGRNationalChampionshipsinAugusttoo!UnfortunatelymanyofthemassumedthatcompetingattheNationalswasonlyforthetopshooterswheninfacttheyareopentoshootersofallabilities,andtheclassificationsysteminusewillensurethateveryonehasachanceofwinningsomethingonthedaywhatevertheirstandard!
On the whole the matches ran pretty smoothly andthe standard of shooting was very high in someof the matches with many new records being setover the weekend. In event order here is what wasachieved on the day with a Phoenix or British record:
0521 America Match Graham Trimmer 258 & 3X Ph0901 T&P2 GRSB David Hackett 595 & 32X B&Ph 0921 T&P2 LBP Clive Ferguson 591 & 26X B&Ph1104 Multi Target SG Rob Adam 107 Ph1121 Multi-Target LBP Graham Trimmer 112 Ph1321 Phoenix A LBP Patrick Pritchett 179 B& Ph1322 Phoenix A LBR - Graham Trimmer 189 Ph1521 1500 LBP Clive Ferguson 1486 & 91X Ph1701 Bianchi GRSB Gwyn Roberts 1918 & 155X B&Ph1721 Bianchi LBP Clive Ferguson 1891 & 140X B&Ph1722 Bianchi LBR Mel Beard 1903 & 147X B&Ph1942 Advancing Target MLR Dave Berry 71 Ph
JulieKnightshadanexcellentdebutinherfirstevercompetitionnotchingupaveryrespectable103in
herM/Tgtcentrefirematch.Fantasticshooting!
They don’t come much more chilled out than Declan Byrne or Mike Doherty!
01392 354854
Lines open 9:30-5:00Monday - Saturday
PRECISION OPTICS FOR PRECISION SHOOTINGNightforce was established in 1992 with one goal in mind, to build the finest riflescopes onthe market. Nightforce is the choice of professionals among all hunters and serious shooters.
Every single scope is thoroughly inspected and tested by hand.Each is checked at 70 different points, and must pass tests that would destroy a lesser-quality scope.
NIGHTFORCE NXSExtremly versitile scopes, suitedfor anything from big game huntingto close quarter and varmint.
1-4x24 Compact £1127.002.5-10x24 Compact £1166.003.5-15x50 £1259.00
3.5-15x56 £1292.005.5-22x50 £1347.005.5-22x56 £1371.008-32x56 £1499.0012-42x56 £1621.00
NP1 NP2-DD NP1-RR NP-R2 MIL-DOT MLR
NIGHTFORCE NFSuperior resolution to distinguish fine detail at long range. Extra-fine focus to adjust parallax from 25 yards to infinity. Fast reticle focusing, and a glass-etched illuminated reticle.
3.5-15x56 £938.008-32x56 £1033.0012-42x56 £1088.00
NIGHTFORCE 5.5-22 x 56 NXSThe ultimate long rangge scope.Maximum clarity and resolution
Highlt effective at longand short range,
The most advanced tactical
scope available.
With small or large calibre firearms, when out hunting, the precision of your riflescope is crucial. That is why you can rely on ourriflescopes. The patented Swarovski coil spring system® ensures reliable reticle adjustment, and means absolute shot resistance.
Reticle InformationCentred reticle in the second image plane. The target observed is magnified whilst thesize of the reticle remains the same. St
anda
rd
Illum
inat
ed
PF RANGE8x50 PF £599.008x56 PF £649.00 A-LINE RANGE3-9x36 A-Line 1” Tube £699.003-10x42 A-Line 1” Tube £769.004-12x50 A-Line 1” Tube £819.006-18x50 A-Line 1” Tube £910.0
The highest technical precision and innovative design
SCHMIDT BENDERNice to look at... but nicer to look through
Schmidt & Bender scopes were originally designed for hunting from a stand by moonlight in Germany. That explainsthe exceptional light transmission and brilliance for which Schmidt & Bender scopes are known.
FIXED6x42 £580.007x50 NEW!! £718.008x56 £718.0010x42 £615.00
VARIABLE3 - 12x42 £918.003 - 12x50 £938.002½ - 10x56 £938.004 - 16x50 £1158.00
ILLUMINATED3 - 12x42 £1191.003 - 12x50 £1206.002 ½ 10x56 £1206.007x50 NEW!! £997.008x56 £997.00
Schmidt and Bender German Sporting. Rugged, simple and practical. Own the world’s finest scope, and at a rensnoble price.
Zenith 1.1 - 4x24 £856.00Zenith 1.1 - 4x24 Flashdot £1205.00Zenith 1.5 - 6x42 £902.00Zenith 1.5 - 6x42 (ill) £1256.00
Zenith 2.5 - 10x56 £1085.00Zenith 3 - 12x50 £1085.00Zenith 2.5 - 10x56 (ill) £1390.00Zenith 3 -12x50 (ill) £1390.00
Newport StoreUnit 3 Maesglas Retail Estate, Newport. NP20 2XF. Tel: 01633 250025Fax: 01633 244978
Devon Store19 Apple Lane, Exeter. EX2 5GL.Tel: 01392 354854 Fax: 01395 363824
Dorset StoreWardon Hill, Dorset. DT2 9PW. Tel: 01935 83099Fax: 01935 83077
www.sportsmanguncentre.com
OPTICS SPECIALISTS1000’s of scopes in stockONLINE SPECIAL OFFERS
www.sportsmanguncentre.com
SWAVROVSKI Z6Z6 1-6x24 £1080 £969.00Z6 1-6x24EE £1080 £969.00Z6 1.7-10x42 £1150 £1029.00Z6 2-12x50 £1240 £1099.00Z6 2.5-15x44 P £1380 £1239.00Z6 2.5-15x44 BT £1475 £1329.00Z6 2.5-15x56 P £1319 £1199.00Z6 2.5-15x56 BT £1429 £1299.00Z6 3-18x50 P £1460 £1319.00Z6 3-18x50 BT £1555 £1399.00Z6 5-30x50 P £1530 £1379.00Z6 5-30x50 BT £1620 £1459.00
SWAVROVSKI Z6(i)Z6(i) 1-6x24 £1325 £1189.00Z6(i) 1-6x24EE £1325 £1189.00Z6(i) 1.7-10x42 £1550 £1395.00Z6(i) 2-12x50 £1630 £1459.00Z6(i) 2.5-15x44 P £1795 £1619.00Z6(i) 2.5-15x44 BT £1895 £1699.00Z6(i) 2.5-15x56 P £1737 £1579.00Z6(i) 2.5-15x56 BT £1825 £1659.00Z6(i) 3-18x50 P £1890 £1699.00Z6(i) 3-18x50 BT £1990 £1789.00Z6)i) 5-30x50 P £1980 £1779.00Z6(i) 5-30x50 BT £2080 £1869.00
PV RANGE1½-6x42 PV £769.001½-10x56 PV £949.003-12x50 PV £899.004-16x50 PV £1069.006-24x50 PV £1119.002½-10x56 Illuminated PV £1199.003-12x50 Illuminated PV £1169.00
HIGH GRID RANGE4-16x50 PV 1-2 High Grid Illuminated. NEW! £1379.00 6-24x50 PV High Grid Illuminated. NEW! £1439.00
The innovative 6x zoom from Swarovski Optik offers aunique range of magnification and field of view. This results in greaterflexibility when hunting, without compromising image quality or design.
NEW
Ret. L1 Ret. L3 Ret. L9Ret. 1 V Ret. 1 F Ret. 2 Ret. 3 Ret. 4 Ret. 6 Ret. 8 Ret. 8 Dot Ret. 9 Ret. 2 Flash Dot Ret. 7 Flash Dot Ret. 9 Flash Dot
Schmidt and Bender Zenith. The Distinctive design of of the Zenith has earned the prestigious international IF Design Award. Their streamlined elegance results in compact, efficient scopes.
BIG BUSHNELL MEGA DEAL - UP TO 50% OFF
UNBEATABLEPRICES
£1371.00ONLY
Length: 15inWeight: 31ozEye Relief: 3.7inTube Diameter: 30mmField Of View: 7.5ft @ 5.5x
BUSHNELL TROPHY: Trophy 4-12X40 RRP £317 NOW £148.99Trophy 6-18X40 RRP £337 NOW £165.99Trophy 1X30 RRP £154 NOW £72.99
BUSHNELL BANNER: Banner 6-18X50 RRP £235 NOW £95.99Banner 4-16X40 ILL RRP £223 NOW £115.92Banner 3-9X40 ILL RRP £165 NOW £82.99
BUSHNELL ELITE 6500: Elite 4.5-30X50 Mildot RRP £881 NOW £584.99Elite 2.5-16X42 Mildot RRP £840 NOW £540.99
BUSHNELL ELITE 4200: Elite 6-24X40 RRP £786 NOW £461.99Elite 6-24X50 RRP £899 NOW £544.99
BUSHNELL ELITE 3200: Elite 5-15X40 RRP £493 NOW £POAElite 10X40 RRP £317 NOW £238.99
BUSHNELL LEGEND: Legend 5-15X40 Mildot RRP £352 NOW £160.99
Bushnell Excursion• Multicoated lenses
& PC-3 phase coated prisms 8x42 - £119.99
10x42 - £129.99
Bushnell Elite 8x43• Water repellant
• PC-3oated prisms • Strap & case included
ONLY £447.99
Bushnell Compact 10x25 Binoculars
Multi coated optics
ONLY £49.99UNBEATABLE OFFERS
82 Target Shooter
4302 Granet GRCF Darren Digby 299 & 17x Ph5986 4,5,600yd F Class Horst Mitera 268 & 43V Ph5989 4,5,600yd non .303 Millitary Rifle Steven Voak 145 & 9V Ph6168 8,9,1000yd Free Pistol 18.5in barrel Trevor Alford 210 & 19V Ph6189 8,9,1000yd non.303 Military Rifle Steven Voak 211 & 15V Ph
The winners of the Phoenix Aggregate matches were:TheJohnRolfeTrophyT&P2JohnRobinson119178x,The Sue Mansbridge Rosebowl 1500 John Robinson2986 229X, The Target Sports Bianchi Gwyn Roberts3826 312x and Phoenix Trophy Keith Cox 6714 442x.
InadditiontotheindividualscorestherewerealsosomeEuropeanTeammatchesintheShortseventsandtheseconsistedofteamsof5shootingtheT&P1andMultiTargetmatchesineitherrimfireorcentrefire,withthetop4scorestocount.HighestscoresonthedayinGRSBwereEnglandRedwith163647xfollowedbyWales1with163047x,andintheGRCFmatchesitcouldn’tgetanycloserwiththetoptwoteamshavingtiedonXcount,butEnglandWhitejustedgedoutWales1byonepointwith166890xto166790x.
ThePhoenix is alsowell known for its trade fair whichis run in and around the Pavillion and this year wasprobably the best yet with several hundred, if notthousandsofpeoplecomingdownsimply for thiseventalone.Thequalityofgoodsonofferwasdefinitelyhigherthanusualandincludedeverythingfromthelatestbenchrest rifles to miniature cannons, and everything else
inbetween. Allin all it lookedlike both thetraders andpuntershadagoodtime! The R.O partyon the Saturdaywas well attendedand certainly hadan Internationalflavour to it withmembers fromthe IrishSSAIandGerman BDMPalso attending. Asa big thank you
the Range Officers were treated to an evening ofmusical entertainment including a free hot a coldbuffet with wine and beer to help wash things down.Jane Shields and Sally Agnew are to be thanked andcongratulated for their hard work and effort that wentintomaking thiseventasuccess.ThanksmustalsogotoAndy Duffy and the generosity of the shooters whotogether raised over £500 on the night with variousraffles.ThismoneyisnowonitswaytotheDisabledPoliceOfficersAssociationinIrelandwhichisaveryworthwhilecauseindeed,sowelldonetoallofthepeopleinvolved!To round off the very enjoyable and successfulweekends shooting the new NRA Chairman DrRobin Pizer kindly attended the prize giving in thepacked MLAGB club house, to hand out the trophiesand awards for those lucky enough to win something.
Forsomeofustheweekendstillwasn’toveraswestillhadtheannualInternational1500matchtoshootonBankHolidayMonday.Thiswould be a shoulder to shouldermatchwith two teamsof 5 shooters fromeach countryshooting for gold. This is always an enjoyable matchto shoot, and despite some gun breakages on the lineduring thematch 5warmup some very good personalbestscoreswereachieved.Oncethestatsteamhaddone
theirthingitwastheUKteamthathadtakenthePhoenixCup competition with 5966 & 402X with Germany insecondplacewith5810&257x.InthePhoenixInternationalTrophymatch(whichthisyearalsoincludedtheEuropeanGallery Rifle Federation European 1500 ChampionshipCup)theUKteamagainproducedasolidscoreof5974&430xtotakethemaintrophyofthedaywiththeRepublicofIrelandthistimetakingsecondplacewith5937&405x.
Congratulationsmustgotoallthosewhotookpartinthisfinalcompetitionoftheweekend,alongwithaverybigthankyoutoalloftheR.O’swhostayedonanextradaytorunusallthroughitintheirusualprofessionalandfriendlyway!
The final thanks must go to all of the stats crewheadedbyCharlesMurtonandChrisFarrforonceagaindoinganexcellentjobforusall.ToTaffintheArmyRifleAssociation, for providing the R.O’s and everyone elsewith excellent food all weekend.Also to Jane Shields,JackieLambandJackieCowlingfordoingagreatjobonthefrontdesk,SallyPhilcoxfor theexcellent jobonthesquaddingsideofthingsandlastbutnotleast,toYoutheshootersformakingthePhoenixMeetingthesuccessthatitis!GwynRoberts
All are there to help you, but some are a little crazier than others! Make your own mind
up about Ash…..
DaveEmeryinactionontheBianchiMover
Dave Hackett, a top shooter and great R.O too!
Target Shooter 83
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84 Target Shooter
The LaserScope is the successful integration of a laser rangefi nder with a quality rifl escope to create an affordable, compact and lightweight package that stands up under severe recoil.
The LaserScope is a technologically sophisticated instrument that looks and handles a bit differently to a conventional rifl escope. It functions not only as a self-contained single unit, but also comes with a remote activation switch that straps to the forend of the rifl e to allow more convenient and steady operation of the laser.
Additional features include:-
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For further product information and details of your local stockist, please call GMK on 01489 587500 or visit www.gmk.co.uk www burrisoptics.co.uk
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Quad ScopeNOW 40mm Objective 3–9 x 40mm Ballistic Plex ReticuleThe new Burris Fullfi eld II Quad Scope is the ultimate aid to the Sako Quad rifl e. The rifl e has the option of up to four interchangeable barrels; in .22LR, 17 Mach II, 17 HMR and .22 Magnum. The new Quad 3-9 x 40mm rifl escope has four resettable adjustment dials, colour coded to match the colour coding on the Sako barrels. Once all four barrels have been sighted in, the scope can be adjusted to the corresponding dial colour when the barrels are interchanged, with no loss of zero.
The scope will work just as well on other rifl es with interchangeable barrels, or on standard rifl es used to shoot different types of ammunition for different applications. Long-range rifl emen can also customise settings for shooting multiple distances.
The scope will work just as well on other rifl es with interchangeable barrels, or on standard rifl es used to shoot different types of ammunition for different applications. Long-range rifl emen can also customise settings for shooting multiple distances.
LaserScopeIn Ballistic Plex and now NEW Ballistic Mil-Dot reticules
Burris Laserscope/quad advert.indd 1 4/2/09 10:49:14
Target Shooter 85
Last month, I introduced Don Miller’s twist rateformula, an easily used spreadsheet that usescalibre, bullet weight and length, rifling twistrate and muzzle velocity to give you the Sg orcoefficientofgyroscopicstability.Therecommendedminimumvalueis1.4,althoughanycombinationthatproduces a value above 1.0 has stabilised thebullet, in theory anyway. I say it’s easy to use,but getting hold of the bullet length may be aproblem if you don’t have examples on handto measure and don’t know anybody whodoes. Since manufacturers don’t publish thisinformation,youmayneedtodoabitofresearchontheWeb,orposta ‘pleasehelp’queryononeof thespecialistshootingwebsite forumssuchasBenchrestCentralorLong-RangeTargetShooting.
If you’re having a rifle built or rebarreled, yourgunsmithisusuallyareliablesourceofinformation
andadviceifyou’reunsureofwhatisoptimal.However, althoughmany heavy bullet / fast twistbarrel combinations are well known nowadays,youmayencounterlesscertaintyoversomeofthenewerand/orlesscommonextremeweightbullets.This might include the heaviest 6mm and 7mmdesigns, for instance the very long115gnBergerVLDandDavidTubb/Sierra(‘DTAC’)6mmbullets.Berger advises 7T for its bullet, and David Tubb7.5T for the DTAC. Measuring a sample of thelatterproduceda length rangeof1.288–1.297”,
115gn Superior Shooting Systems Inc. 155gn 6mm DTAC bullet and 6XC cartridge
on the left alongside a 6mm BR Norma cartridge and 105gn Berger VLD. The DTAC should work in an 8T barrel even with the
little 6mm BR cartridge.
The HANDLOADING BENCHRIFLING TWIST RATES (Part 2)
Laurie Holland
The Millers Twist Rule spreadsheet does require you to obtain the bullet length which
may prove a problem.
86 Target Shooter
and theMiller twist formulacalculates1.44Sgat3,000 fps MV from an 8T barrel for the longestexamplefound,whiletherecommended7.5Trateproduces1.65.Iuse3,000fpsinthisexampleastheDTACwasdesignedfortheTubb6XCcartridgethat gives this bullet up to 3,050 fps, and it’s apopular choice for other 6mm numbers that canpushitalongat3,000fpsormore.WeknowthatMVdoesn’taffectSgallthatmuch,sothelittle6mmBRNormacartridgeat2,675 fpsstillproducesa justacceptable1.39Sgfromits‘standard’8Ttwistrate.Wheredoesthispedanticallyprecise2,675fpsMVcomefrom?Weknow2,800fpsisachievablewitha105gnbulletfromthiscartridgeand28”barrelandthatproduces1,827ft / lbsofmuzzleenergy.YouwillusuallyachievethesameMEinthesameriflefroma different weight bullet without needing higherchamber pressures, and 1,827 ft/lbs equates to2,675 fps MV with 115gn bullets. However, notethatwhileMillersayswehaveenough latitudeatbothMVs in an 8T barrel, some recent posts ona long-range shooting forum about using thisbullet in the 6X47mm Lapua cartridge (6.5X47neckeddownto6mm)withthistwistrateadvisedthatitisontheraggededgeofstabilityanddoesn’t
workinsomeconditions.
Weight (Again)Let’s return to the bullet weight versus lengthissue. I said last month that bullet length (incalibres) has far more influence on the requiredtwist rate than weight, so .223 Remington seesthe long (0.915”) 62gnmilitaryFMJBTneed9 or10T, while the Berger 64gn flat-base HP Match(0.824”,or3.7calibresv4.1)manageswith12T.However,weightdoesaffectstability,butnotinthewayyouthink.Let’s takeour0.224”62gnmilitaryFMJBTagain,whichislongforitsweightthroughtheuseofsteelaswellasleadinside,plusavoidinitstip.Millercalculates1.46Sgatthe3,081fpsaverageMVIgotrecentlywithsomeRGfodderoutof a 9TRemington700SPSTactical rifle. I can’tfindanequivalent0.224”matchbulletrightonthat0.915” length, butSierra’s shorter (0.892”)HPBTMatchKingweighs69gn,so70gnwillbeeasily‘on’with this length in conventional lead-core HPBTform,heavierstillwithalead-to-the-tipFMJBT,let’ssay 75gn. Keep everything except weight (bulletlength,barreltwistrateandMV)thesame,andSgrisesto1.65at70gn,and1.77at75gn,whicharesignificant increases.This tells us that increasingthe weight in a given bullet length actually seeslessstabilisationneeded,notmore.Acleverbulletdesignercantakeadvantageofthis,ashappened50 years ago when the .222 Remington in 14Tbarrelled rifles was king of the small-borecentrefires. The manufacturers gave sportingshooters heavy expanding bullets that worked in
HP match bullets marked to show the top of the core inside the jacket. Left to right: 53gn 0.224” Hornady HPM, 52gn 0.224” SMK, 69gn 0.224” SMK, 107gn 6mm SMK, and the very long for weight 0.308” 155gn Lapua Scenar. This feature sees these bullets produce a higher Sg than is indicated by their lengths.
Sierra 0.224” bullets: 65gn GameKing BTSP (left) and 69gn MatchKing HPBT. The
expanding sporting bullet has lead all the way to the tip, while the HP match design has a void ahead of the core. This feature allied to a slightly shorter length means the Game King will need less stabilisation than
its match sibling.
Target Shooter 87
this slow twist by designing blunt, flat-base, andthin-jacketed(lesslightgildingmetal=moreheavylead core within a given size) projectiles thatminimized bullet length while maximisingweight. Sierra’s 0.224” 63gn ‘SMP’ (semi-point)bullet is a survivor from this period, andstill works at modest .222 Rem MVs in 14Tbarrels. The downside of the blunt shape is alowerBC,so itsexternalballisticsperformance isinferior to an equivalentweight or 55gn ‘Spitzer’.
UncertaintiesWe like certainties, everything black or white,which is hard luck in this subject as bulletstability is full of apparent exceptions to the rule,not to mention shades of grey. Firstly, a basicquestion. How much trust can we place in theMillerTwistformula?Ballisticianstellusit’saveryclever bit of work, and generally pretty reliable.Nevertheless, itsimplifiesacomplexprocessthatrequires several sets of mathematical exerciseswhendone rigorously.So it shouldbe treatedasa guide, not an infallible oracle that says that acombination producing 0.999 Sg sees bullets allover the shop, while another with 1.001 shootsquarter-MOAgroups.Thisiswhytheformula’screatorandotherballisticiansadvisechoosingatwistratethatproducesatleast1.4toprovidea‘safetymargin’.
Even if the formula’s results were stunninglyaccurate foreverycombination, there isnosharplineinthesandat1.000Sg.Wehaveshadesofgreybetweentheblackandwhitesituationsofcompleteand obvious instability, and full stability identifiedthroughgoodaccuracy.Forinstance,amarginallystabilised bullet may appear to be alright cuttingcleanroundholesinthetarget,butproducesbelowpar accuracy as it suffers some ‘yaw’ on leavingthebarrel.Worse,suchacombinationmightgiveexcellentresultsduringloaddevelopmentbutlaterdisappointduringamatchbecausesomethinghas
changed that pushes it in the unstable direction.Ontheotherhand,insomeconditionstheyawingmaydiminishdown-rangeandaccuracy isfineatmediumandlongerranges.Aswesawlastmonth,differences in air temperature and barometricpressure could affect such a combination eitherway,perhapsevenduringthecourseofasingleday.
Another question is whether you can trust themanufacturer’s specification sheet. If you buya Bartlein barrel you get the specified twist –precisely, down to two decimal places. If theSavremchester catalogue says a model has
The Barnard / Eliseo .308W F/TR tube gun with 30” Bartlein 13.5T barrel. Worries about it failing to stabilise 155gn Lapua Scenars
proved unfounded.
The 52gn Hornady A-MAX (centre) is even longer than equivalent HP match models
because of the plastic tip but is fully stabilised by barrel twist rates that the Miller
formula says will be over-slow.
88 Target Shooter
a 9T barrel say, 9.0 may be what you get, orthen again the actual rate may be somewherebetween 8.75T and 9.25T. This can make a bigdifferencewhenthetwistismarginalforthebullet,sosomethingthatshouldn’tworkdoes,orviceversa,andalsomeans thatwhen yourmate tells youamarginally‘unsuitable’bulletshootsastorminhisRemy700,youcannotbesureit’lldolikewiseinyourallegedly same twist Savage. Incidentally, thereisaview thata reallywellmadeandchamberedbarrel in a precision rifle gives you a little moreleeway at the margins. This is becauseeverything is concentric, so the bullet enters therifling absolutely straight, or as near so as ispossible. If a bullet isn’t spun fast enough to bestable, the rifle’s component and build qualitycannot put that right, ever, but it might producesuperbresultswithacombinationthatproducesanSgbarely above1.0,while a sloppily chamberedfactoryormilitaryriflestruggles.
Youmighthavenoticed in lastmonth’s tables for0.224”bullets,thatsomeexamplesarecalculatedto be barely stable, or not at all, bywhat shouldbeappropriate twist rates.For instance, the52gnHornady A-MAX only produces 0.75 Sg ina 14T barrel, while the 52gn Sierra HPBTMatchKing is barely stabilised at 1.05.While theA-MAX isapost-.223R introduction, theSierra isanoldiefrom.222daysandwasafavouriteinthatcartridge for varmint, target, and even benchrestshootingforyears.Moveto12T,andtheA-MAXisnowbarelystabilisedwith1.05at3,300fpssothereareapparently ‘doubts’ about its suitability for use inmost.223Remingtonsportingrifles.Anybodywhohashandloaded.223knowsthisisnonsenseand
HornadyevenlistsloadsdatafortheA-MAXinthe14T.222Reminitsreloadingmanual.So,what’sgoingonhere?Theansweristhatmosthollow-pointbulletsseethefrontendoftheleadcorepositionedwellback from thebullet tip leavingemptyspaceinside the front of the jacket. Hornady’s A-MAXandV-MAX,andsimilarbulletsfromothermakers,areHPdesignswiththeuglyholeupfrontpluggedwithasharplypointedlightweightinsert,andmakethebulletevenlongerbutstillwith littleweightupfront. Froma gyroscopic stability viewpoint, suchbulletsareeffectively‘shorter’thantheymeasure,soproduce higher real Sg values than the formulacalculates. Likewise, the 0.224” 68gn HornadyMatchand69gnSierraMatchKingareobviouslynotthatfarapartintheirdesigns,buttheformer’sextratenthofaninchoveralllengthcomesfromalongerjacket.Theresultingshapedoesrequiremorestabi-lisationthantheSierra,butnotasmuchasthe0.991”overall length apparently dictates. This doesn’tapply to FMJBTs or soft-point sporting bullets ofcoursewhichhavetheleadcoregoingrighttothetip.
Too Fast?If theresultsofover-slowspinaredisastrousandusually obvious to the shooter,what about goingintheotherdirectionwithamuchhigherspinratethanneededtostabilisethebullet?Therearethreeissueshere.Willthebulletstanduptothestressesimpartedbyaveryhighrotationalspeed?DoesanexcessivelyhighSgcauseaccuracytodeterioratebyaccentuatingminorflawsinthebulletthatputitoutofbalance?Doesitaffectthelong-rangeflightbehaviourof thebullet through ‘over-stabilising’ itsoitsnosedoesn’twanttoturnoveratthetopof
the trajectory and point downwards towards thetarget? All three issues have something inthem, but ballisticians are generally much lessworriedabout‘toohigh’spinratesthantheaveragelong-distanceorBRshooter.Afterlastmonth’sarticle,IreceivedaniceemailfromBryanLitz,BergerBullets’
The view down Diggle ‘C’ Range from the range-house webcam on 11th February. The 13.5T twist barrel stabilised 155gn Scenars fully at 1,000 yards a few days later in barely
warmer conditions.
Benchrest shooters use the slowest twist rates that stabilise their bullets.
Target Shooter 89
ballistician who chided me over my assertionthat a 13T barrel might over-stabilise the 155gnSierra Palma bullet at the Raton, New Mexicoranges in high summer, the combination of shortbullet,highaltitudeand80ºFtemperaturespotentiallyproducing Sg values around 2.2. Although theMillerTwistspreadsheetsaysthatiftheSgisabove2,amove toacombination that reduces itmightimprove accuracy, Bryan says that in this sort ofextreme scenario the 13T barrelled rifle willproducenolessaccurateresultsathighaltitudes/temperatures,thanwhenusedindifferentconditionswhichreducetheSgbelow2.0.Intheothercorner,wehavemygoodfriendandunpaidgunsmithVinceBottomleywhoasanavid(andverysuccessful)BRcompetitortakesadifferentview–makethetwistasslowaspossible.Let’sexamineeachissueinturn.
Extreme StressThe over-stressed bullet is easy to understand.Any bullet fired in a modern high-power rifleundergoes enormous temperature and pressurestresses particularly inside the barrel where itbecomes almost plastic as it is forced into theriflinggroovesandspunuptomaybeaquarterofamillionrpminafewinchesoftravel/milliseconds.Overdoitandthebulletmaynotreachthetarget,disintegrating en route in a small cloud ofgrey smoke. This particularly applies to someexceptionally thin-jacketed ‘varmint’ bullets. Forinstance, Hornady 0.224” ‘SPSX’ (Soft-PointSuper-Explosive) bullets were designed withjackets that gave rapid and massive expansionat .222 Remington terminal velocities, and thecompany advises that if its 50gn SPSX isused in a .22-250 Rem rifle – same 14T twistrate but higher velocities – the MV should be
restrictedtoamodest3,400fps.Thatproduces a spin-rate just under175,000rpmina14Tbarrel,sothemaximumMVsthatshouldbeusedwiththisbullet from12,9,and8Trate .223Rembarrelsarearound2,920,2,190,andamere1,950fpsrespectively!Thisproblemcanarisewith any lightweight bullet at highvelocities in a fast-twist rifle –my 8T Lilja barrelled .223 RemSouthernGunSSR-15sometimesdestroys 52gn Hornady A-MAXmatch bullets. The problem hasalso arisen with some 140gn6.5mm and 175gn 7mm bullets
with the ‘hotter’ cartridges used in long-rangetarget shooting. It has been mostlyassociated with Berger Match VLDs with theirsuperblyconsistentbutthinJ4jackets,butI’veseenithappentoheavy6.5mmHornadyA-MAXbulletstoo.Sierra bulletswhich have thicker jackets areimmune, and Berger was concerned enoughabout its bullets’ reputation to research andintroduce thick-jacketed versions of the twoproblembulletcalibre/weightcombinationsinboth‘MatchBT’andVLDforminaremarkablyshorttimelastyear.Itshouldbenotedthatthisphenomenonoftenrequiresaggravatingfactorsinadditiontothehighspin-rate–barrelwearorroughness,highair/barrel temperatures,heavyfoulingandsuchlike,andtheexactmechanism(s)thatcausesbulletstobreakupisthesubjectofmuchlearnedspeculation.
BalanceWhen Vince Bottomley and I were deciding onthebarrelmakeandspecificationsformyBarnard/ Eliseo .308Win GB-F/TR tube-gun describedin theAril issue, not to forget Vince’s identicallybarrelled BAT action rifle, he talked me intojoining him in using a 13.5T rate in our Bartleinbarrels,theintendedbulletbeingthe155gnLapuaScenar, a very long design for its weight. Vince,with his benchrest shooting background, alwaysgoes for the slowest twist that will work, but Ibegan to worry after the order had been placedas to whether 13.5T was right for the Scenar.TheMiller formulagives the1.291” longbulletanSgofonly1.07atmy target3,000 fpsMVunderstandardenvironmentalconditions!IwasconcernedI’denduprestrictedtotheshorter,muchlowerBC155gnSierraPalmaMK.Anyway, noproblems–100yardaccuracywassuperbevenfromstartingloadswithlowMVs,andtherifle’sfirst1,000ydclubcompetitionsawreasonableresultsdespiteitbeingabitterlycoldearlyspringday–thecar’sexternalthermometerread3ºConarrivalattherangeandstill read 3ºC on the way out seven hours later!
Target Rifle shooters used 14T barrels in the bad old days of Radway Green 146gn ‘Green Spot’ ammo in a not always successful attempt to reduce the number of points lost to ammunition related ‘fliers’.
90 Target Shooter
Using 155gn Scenars from our 13.5T Bartleins,Vincetook4thF/TRplaceinthefirstnationalF-ClassLeagueroundoftheseasoninAprilandIwas5thtwopointsbehind,thematchesshotover800,900,and1,000yards,sonoaccuracyproblems there.
Why take this risk, and not specify thewidelyused13T,oreven12T(themanufacturer’s
recommended twist rate for this bullet)? Anarticleoffaithfortopbenchrestshootersisthattheperfectbullet doesn’t exist, orat leastnot100ofthem together in one carton. Even expensivehandmade 62-68gn 6mm BR jobs are likely tosuffer the occasional hidden flaw that puts abullet out of balance (to be precise, moves itscentreofgravityoff theaxis fractionally), say thejacketeversoslightlythickerononesidethantheother.Insuchtopqualitybullets,andeventhemassproducedMatchKings,Scenars,andMatchBTorVLDbulletsthatmostofususe,manufacturingandcomponentqualityisverygoodnowadays,soany‘fault’willbetiny.However,ifitdoesexist,thefasteryouspinthebullet,themoreitwilldeviatefromitsintendedpath,especiallyatultralong-ranges.So,benchresters and many long-range precisionshooters adopt rifling twist rates that spin thebullet as slowly as possible while still stabilisingit. IfyoushotTargetRiflesomeyearsbackyou’llbefamiliarwiththisissueasthe‘standard’TRriflein pre-155gn ammunition days used a tight-bore14T barrel to cope with abysmally poor quality146gnFMJBTbulletsinRG‘GreenSpot’7.62mmammunition.TRrifleswith10Tor12Tratesproduced
noticeablymore andworse ‘fliers’ at 1,000 yardswiththepoorerammunitionlots.Now,Iknowthatairing this will elicit another email from Mr. Litzwhoseviewisthattoday’smatchbulletsaresowellmadethat theeffectsof fasterbarrel twist /bulletspinratesarenonexistenttomarginalandhavingastabilitysafetymarginismoreimportant.However,therearevalidargumentsonbothsidesoftheissue.Asalways,youpaysyourmoneyandmakesyourchoice,butthereisonedisadvantageto the minimum-twist approach you should beawareof–itlimitsyourchoiceofbullet.Ifthisyear’sF-Class league results were to demonstrate thatF/TR competitors using 210gn bullets have anadvantage over us 155gn shooters, we’re stuckwith the lighter bullets unless we rebarrel. If it’stheotherway round, the210gnuserscanswitchto 155s, and probably not see any noticeableaccuracy loss despite using a 10T twist rate –in fact, that’s just what successful F/TRshooterSteveDonaldsondoes,using210sat800-1,100yardsandswitching to155s for300-600ydmatchestoreducerecoilandbarrelthroatwear.
TrajectoryOur thirdpossible ‘over-stabilisedproblem’ is thatsome people theorise that a bullet that is spunoverly fast adopts a slightly nose-up attitude inthesecondhalfof the trajectoryas itdropsdowntowards the target, affecting stability andincreasing air resistance. The alleged cause isthat a bullet that is stabilised ‘too much’ tries tomaintain its initial angle of departure through thegyroscopic steering effect, and this angle willbe noticeably upwards in long-range shootingbecause of the elevation required. This theorywasmuchdiscussed in the1980swhen1,000yd
Berger Bullets now manufactures its 140gn 6.5mm Match VLD and Match BT bullets with the regular J4 jacket thickness and a special
thick version.
It was alleged that the 155gn Sierra Palma MK adopted a nose-up attitude as it curved down towards the target at long range if ‘over stabilised’, rather like the NASA Space Shuttle landing, although with a less acute angle.
Target Shooter 91
Service Rifle competition became popular inthe USA and .308W M1A shooters had troublegettingabulletthatwouldperform.Popular600ydloadswiththe168gnSierraMatchKing(SMK)wentthroughthetargetsideways–iftheyhititatall–the180gnSMKsufferingsimilarproblems.The190gnSMKwasaproven1,000ydperformerinbolt-actionrifles,butcouldn’tbeusedintheM1Aasitproducedexcessivegasportpressuresandoverstressedtheaction.WhenSierra introduced the 155gnPalmaMK, itseemed logical that if itworkedat1,200ydfromasingle-shotrifle,itwouldtooat1,000intheM1A even if MVs were considerably lower – butit didn’t cut themustardeither. Itwas speculatedthat the M1A’s 10T barrel twist was the reasonfor this conundrum through ‘over-stabilisation’.Ballisticians are now much less convincedabout this, andmany would say that inadequatevelocities were probably the main problem here,
.308W having marginal performance at theseranges unless the bullet is pushed really hard.(With a 20” barrel and finicky gas operatedmechanism, you cannot use really hot loads orslowerburningpowders inM1A/M14rifles.)The
solutioneventuallycameintheformofthe175gnSMK used in the US Army’s M118LR 7.62mmtarget / sniper cartridge and handloaded too bymanyAmericanF/TRshooters.
Long-RangeThe M1A problem brings me neatly to the finalissue I’d like to air on bullet stability andbarrel twist rates – does stability deterioratewithdistance?It’sknownthatsomebulletssimplydon’tperform at 1,000yd unless they are driven reallyfast–the168and180gnSMKsforinstancewon’tperform in .308W at this range, but will at .300Magnum velocities. It was alleged that early 14T5.56mm /AR15 accuracywas adequate at shortrange but not at 500 metres due to inadequatestabilisation,andsoon.TakingthetwoSMKsfirst,theproblemis‘dynamicstability’,mostlyduetotheboat-tailangle.Even ifspunsufficiently fast, theybecomeunstablewhentheirspeeddropsintothetransonic zone somewhere around 1,200-1,300fpswhichhappensat800-900yardswitha.308Wdepending on barrel length / MV. The AR15problem was probably inadequate initial stabilitythathadbulletsyawingaboutabitastheyleftthebarrel,butnotenoughtogivereallybadaccuracyat100metres,butsawtheyawincreasewithrange.Thegoodnews,completelycounter-intuitivegiventhat every other ballistic problem appears to getseriouslyworsein1,000ydshooting,isthatifabulletisadequatelystabilisedatthemuzzlesoitgroupswell at 100 yards, its stability actually increaseswithdistance.Howso?Let’sgoback tobasics–we need to spin a bullet because air resistanceacts ona point towards its front endand tries tooverturnit,thestrengthofthat‘push’determinedbythebullet’s velocity. As it slows during its flight, theoverturning force reduces accordingly so aslower rate of spin is needed to stabilise thebullet.Whileatypicalhigh-BCmatchbulletwillloseoverhalf its initial velocityovera1,000yard trip,itonlylosesaround10%ofitsspinrateasthisismuch lessaffectedbyair resistancethanforwardspeed.Sothe155gnScenarthatstartsoffwithanominal Sg of 1.07 from my Barnard /Eliseo F/TR rifle (it will be somewhat higher inreality because of the void ahead of the corein this hollow-point design) might have an Sgof 3 or even 4when it reaches the target. So, acomfortingmessage to take away from this brieflookatstabilityisthatifacartridge/bullet/barrelcombinationperformsreallywellatshortrange,andcontinuestodosointhecoldest,highestatmosphericpressureconditionsyou’relikelytoshootin,thenitisadequately stabilised not only at that range, butatallranges.That’snotsosaythatitwillperformwell inlong-rangecompetitionofcourse,becausetherearelotsofotherpotentialpitfallsinthatgame.
A handloaded .308W cartridge with 168gn and 180gn Sierra MatchKing bullets to its left, and a 175gn long-range bullet to its right. (The bullet in the handload is a 155gn Lapua Scenar that has been ‘pointed’ in a Whidden
Gunworks special die.)
92 Target Shooter
RFD Lancashire (Section 1 & 2 Firearms)NEW & USED bought and sold
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Target Shooter 93
14 LAMINGTON ST, TAIN, ROSS-SHIRE IV19 1AA TEL: 01862 892171 FAX: 01862 892859 www.rmacleod.co.uk [email protected]
THE SCOTTISH RIFLE DEALERSECOND HAND AND SPECIALS ON NEW RIFLES
SECOND HAND AND EX DEMO OPTICS
S/H .22 HORNETCZ S/CUT £325.00
LEICA TRINOVID 10x42 EX DEMO £750.00
S/H . 222 SAKO L491 £350.00S/H . 222 BSA CFZ SET TRIGGER £195.00
SWAROVSKI 6x42 HABICHT NEW DISCONTINUED MODEL£450.00
S/H . 222 CZ £375.00
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NEW . 222 SAKO 75 VARMINT BLUE £950.00
SWAROVSKI 1.25-4x24PV1 DOT RET NEW DISC MODEL£595.00
S/H . 222 RUGER ST C/W DEERFIELD SCOPE£575.00
SWAROVSKI 1.5-6x42 P11DOT RET NEW DISC MODEL£695.00
NEW . 222 STEYR PRO HUNTER £690.00
SCHMIDT & BENDER 6x42 GERMAN S/H AS NEW £425.00
S/H .22/250 RUGER VARMINT INC 3.5-10x40 WHITETAIL£295.00
SCHMIDT & BENDER 3-12x50 A7 30MM £550.00
NEW .22/250 WINCHESTER M70 COYOTE £550.00
SCHMIDT & BENDER 3-12x50 MILDOT S/H £550.00
S/H .22/250 SAKO 85 STAINLESS S/CUT £695.00
SCHMIDT & BENDER 7x50 GERMAN 30MM EX DEMO £495.00
NEW . 223 BROWNING ABOLT STAINLESS S/CUT£490.00
LEUPOLD VX111 3-9x50 S/H AS NEW £295.00
NEW .223WSSMWINCHESTER SUPER SHADOW £300.00
SCHMIDT & BENDER 6x42 HUNGARIAN 1" RET A7 £260.00
NEW . 223 STEYR PRO MOUNTAIN INC MOD £880.00
LISENFELD 6x42 1" TUBE RET 4A £150.00
S/H . 243 REMINGTON 700 BDL £420.00
ZEISS DIATAL Z 6x42 1" TUBE RET 4 £375.00
S/H . 243 BLASER OFF ROAD £1,000.00
SCHMIDT & BENDER 6x42 HUNGARIAN 1" A7 £260.00
S/H . 243 STEYR MANNLICHER £550.00
PECAR CHAMPION 8x45 RET 4 1" £295.00
S/H .25-06 TIKKA MASTER £400.00
LEUPOLD VXIII 4.5-14X50 L/R, TDS £425.00
S/H .25-06 BLASER OFF ROAD £1,050.00
NEW SWAROVSKI Z6 OUR PRICE
S/H . 270 BLASER OFF ROAD S/CUT £1,050.00
Z6 2-12x50 £1,099.00
S/H . 270 SAKO L691 LEFT HAND £695.00
Z6 2.5-15x56 £1,199.00
S/H . 270 DICKSON £350.00
Z6 2.5-15x56 BT £1,299.00
S/H . 270 REMINGTON 700 BDL £450.00
NEW SWAROVSKI Z6I ILLUMINATED
S/H . 270 CZ SCREWCUT £425.00
Z61 1.7-10x42 £1,395.00
S/H . 270 RUGER M77 S/CUT £425.00
Z61 2-12x50 £1,459.00
NEW .270WSMSAKO 75 HUNTER £995.00
Z61 2.5-15x56 £1,579.00
S/H . 375 BLASER OFF ROAD PRO (AS NEW)£1,675.00
Z61 2.5-15x56 BT £1,659.00
S/H .30-06 MAUSER 03 BARREL ONLY £330.00
NEW SWAROVSKI AV
S/H . 308 SAKO A11 £475.00
4-12x50 £819.00
S/H . 308 SAKO STUTZEN £495.00
6-18x50 £910.00
S/H . 308 SAKO M591 £495.00
NEW SWAROVSKI PF
S/H . 308 MAUSER 66 £450.00
8x50 £599.00
S/H . 308 HEYM £975.00
8x56 £649.00
S/H . 308 STEYR £450.00S/H . 308 TIKKA T3 ST SYN L/HAND £650.00NEW 6.5x55 SAKO 75 HUNTER L/HAND £990.00S/H 6.5x55 TIKKA T3 AS NEW INC MOUNTS £650.00NEW 6.5x55 PRO MOUNTAIN INC MOD £890.00S/H 7MM REM MAG RUGER No1 £400.00
S/H 7x57 RUGER M77 £325.00S/H BLASER LUXUS WOOD - STOCK ONLY£1,095.00S/H BLASER LUXUS
WOOD UPGRADE - STOCK ONLY£1,995.00S/H BLASER OFF ROAD - STOCK ONLY AS NEW£550.00
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94 Target Shooter
I came across this rifle at a McQueencompetition at my local range recently. If youaren’t familiar with the McQueen competition,it’sbasicallyasnipertypecomp.shotat200and300 yards with a little built-in stress element.
The comp. always attracts some nice lookingtactical rigs and if you want to do well in the
McQueen, you need a rifle capable shootingaroundhalfMOAanda trigger-pullerwhocanpick up a randomly displayed target andreleaseanaccurateshotinunderthreeseconds.
TheactionisaRemington700whichisstandardexcept for the tactical bolt-knob. The Liljastainless-steelbutton-rifledbarrelischamberedforthe6.5x47Lapuacartridge,whichisquicklybecoming the ‘must have’ tactical cartridge.The stock is an American McRees Precisionwww.mcreesprecision.net and if you aren’tfamiliar, they are machined from billetaluminium,inseveralconfigurationsfrombenchrestthroughtotactical.Theactionsits inacustom-inletand thereforebeddingisnotrequired.Inletsareavailableformostpopularactionsandthestockscanbehadinavarietyoffinishes,frompolishedaluminium,
anodising in various colours, right through tocustom paint finishes like this one.The rifle was put together by North WestCustom Parts in Manchester (www.nw-customparts.com) and they are alsoresponsible for the eye-catching Duracotecammopaint-job.Youcanofcourse takeyourown rifle along for a Duracoat face-lift and
painting is done on the premises so a quickturn-roundisguaranteed.Checkoutwww.dura-coat-finishes.com Otherdetailsincludethe20MOAPicatinnyrail,one of North West Custom Parts ownmuzzle-brakesandthebutt-mountedmono-pod.Howdoesitshoot?Asgoodasitlooks!
GunoftheMonth
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when using advertising in the magazine
96 Target Shooter
Targetshooting isasport forall;men,women,theyoungandtheold.Youwillseeagoodgroupofpeople fromallwalksoflifeshootingattherangesatweekendsandduringtheweek.NovioMagnumPistolClubisintheheartoftheSussexcountrysidenot far fromChichester.Beinga ‘selfmade’Club,NovioMagnumoutdoor rangeswerebuiltbyitsMembersduringtheseventies,gainingMoDapproval.The Club has good facilities, with two outdoor rangesand one indoor range. Rumble Range (named after itscreatorJohnRumble)isbasedinanancientchalk-pitinthemiddleof theSouthDowns justNorthofChichester. It isdesignated a Site of Special Scientific Interest becauseof the rare insectandplant life found thereand theClubMembers are proud to be doing their bit in looking afteran important part of rural England. It houses a 50-metreoutdoorrangewherewecanuseriflesandpistolsuptoamaximumcalibreof.577”andamaximummuzzlevelocityof2150ft/secandmuzzleenergyof1496ftlbs.Thisrangehassixcoveredfiringpoints.By theSummerof 2009wewill havea full-sizeRunningBoar moving target on the 50 metre range. This wasoriginally housed at Bisley and was purchased by a fewMembersfortheClub.WearetheonlyprivateClubtohavethisfacilityoutsideofBisleyandthismakesMembershipofNovioMagnumverydesirable.Thesecondrangeof25-metresinlengthcanalsouseriflesand pistols to a maximum calibre of .577” and muzzleenergy of 1496 ft lbs, butwith a lowermaximummuzzlevelocitylimitof1675ft/sec.Thisrangealsohassixcoveredfiringpoints.Our 25-metre indoor facility is in Wellington Road inChichester itself. It isapurposebuilt constructionnext totheRugbyClub and is for .22LR rimfire and air pistol orrifle.WealsohaveasmallerversionoftheRumbleRangemoving target mechanism for air pistol rapid-fire. Thisrangehassixfiringpointsandhosts themainClubroom,kitchen,officesandclubnoticesanddisplays.The indoorrangeisbrandnew,builtinthelasttwoyearsandissharedwithChichesterRifleClub.Thisnewfacilityissuperblylit,ventilatedandheatedand isusedextensively throughouttheyear.
SomeMembersshoot fullbore rifleatBisley,whileothersarrange to go up as a group a few times a year. Mostenjoy the wide range of shooting disciplines that can beshotthroughouttheyearattheClub,althoughitgetsprettycoldatRumbleRangeinthewintermonths!ThedisciplinesshotatvariousrangestheClubhasare:•Pronesmall-borerifleat25yardsand50metres•RapidFireandPrecisionCentreFireGalleryat25yardsand50metres•.22BenchrestRifleat25and50metres•AirRifleBenchrestRifleat25metres•22SportingRifleat20yards•MuzzleLoadingRifleat50metres•MuzzleLoadingPistolandRevolverat25metres•Airpistol-6yards/10yards/20yardsandrapidfire•TargetAirRifle• FullboreCenterfireRifle - (ShotatBisley100-1200yards)There are approximately seventy Members shooting avarietyofdisciplines includingpronesmall-bore, rapidandprecisiongalleryrifle,rimfirebenchrest,rimfiresportingrifle,muzzleloadingrifleandpistol;andairrifleandpistoltonamea few.We take part in a variety of competitions; taking itseriouslybuthavingfunatthesametime.TheClubMembersparticipateininter-club,county,nationaland international competitions, aswell as running internalcompetitions and fun shoots. The fun shoots take part atvarioustimesduringtheyear,withsome‘rangemaintenancedays’helpingtokeeptheplacetidy.TheClubopensonfourdaysoftheweek,butanydaycanbebookedbyfullMembersthroughouttheweek,aslongastwoMembersarepresentatalltimesforsafetyreasons.Newapplicantsarecominginallthetime,butwewelcomenewMembersofanyage.Thesewillbegivena ‘Sponsor’who will provide training and mentoring throughout theirProbationaryperiod.AstheClubhasboth50metreand25metre ranges (indoor and outdoor)we consider ourselvesluckytohavesomeofthebestfacilitiesintheSouth.WefeelthattheClubhasalottoofferthecommittedsportsperson– both adult and junior – so feel free to roamaround ourwebsiteandwelookforwardtohearingfromyou;http://www.novio.co.uk
Novio club room
Indoor 25 meter range
Club Feature
Target Shooter 97
Chris Potter Country Sports
Over 900 new & used guns in stock at any time.Shotguns, Centrefire, rim & air rifles.
Large clothing & footwear departments.From world class shooters to beginners - we can help.
Expert advice and guidance!
Visit our webshop – WWW.GUN.CO.UKor call us on 01892 522208or call us on 01892 522208
2-6 Grover StreetOff Camden RoadRoyal Tunbridge WellsKENT TN1 2QB
TEL: 01892 522 208FAX: 01892 543 515
EMAIL: [email protected] WWW.GUN.CO.UK
98 Target Shooter
Continental Shooting SuppliesNorth Ayrshire Shooting Ground, Blackstone Farm, Dalry, Ayrshire KA24 5HNTel: 01294 833297 Fax: 01294 833312 e-mail: [email protected]
Continental Shooting Supplies is based at the North Ayrshire Shooting Ground, a first class all-weather facility for the Skeet, Trap and Sporting disciplines.
We welcome customers to our shop, where a friendly chat and expert advice are always available.
You can also purchase goods from us by mail order. Our online catalogue can be viewed at www.continentalshooting.co.uk and orders placed over the internet.
We carry an extensive range of products covering all aspects of shooting including:
Calls and whistlesCartridges and cartridge casesClothing and footwearDecoysDog training equipmentGun care materials and repair serviceGun casesHearing protectionKnivesLamping equipmentOptics Rifle accessoriesRecoil reduction padsShotguns and firearms (both new and second hand)
If you are looking for something and can not see it on our web site please give us a phone - we usually know where things can be found! Also keep an eye out for our special offers each month.
Target Shooter 99
CompetitionsMay already and we are still freezing on thefiring-point!Tobehonest,thewindwasn’ttoobadontheSaturdayforour100yardshootbutwehadjustthreegroupsinthe‘ones’.Smallestofthedaywasasuperb0.131inchershotbyTonyLenton.Tonyisarelativenewcomertobenchrestandthiswasonlyhissecondcompetitionwithaproper6PPCbenchgun,soexcellentshooting.
TheoverallwinwenttoMartinEldershaw,whohasreturnedtothesportafteralay-offbutclearlyithasn’tdonehimanyharm–secondplacelasttimeandnowawin!InFactorySporterClassfellowwriter,LaurieHollandcontinuestoembarrassmanyHVshooterswith his out-of-the-box Savage LRPV chamberedin 204Ruger. Laurienot onlywonhis classagainbutfinishedfifthoverallwithasmallgroupof0.209inches! A stunning performance for a genuinemodestlypricedfactoryrifle.
Results:
Heavy Varmint 1stMartinEldershaw6PPCCSSStolle 0.25782ndIanDixon 6PPCWalkerBAT 0.28563rdCarlSales6PPCTooleyNesika 0.2894
Small group TonyLenton 6PPCStolle 0.131inches
Factory Sporter 1stLaurieHolland 204LRPVSavage 0.3084inches
2ndDarrellEvans 6PPCSako 0.47163rdBillMartin 223Remington 0.4764
Small group LaurieHolland0.207inches
OntheSunday,weshotat1000yardsandthewindwas really fierce, though it was otherwise quitepleasant.Again,we had another great entry but itwassoonclearthatwewereinforahardday.Lastmonth Dave Jackson won the competition with aseven-inchagg.–today,hisbestgroupwassixteeninches!Theseconditionspunishslowshootersbutthosewhocanget theirfiveroundsaway inunder15 seconds were rewarded with some impressivegroups.IanDixon’s5.91incherwasbestofthedaybutLesPrioralsohada‘six’.
We had four ladies shooting this time andDiane Smith was the best of the ‘powder-puffs’shootingaverycreditable9.8inchgroupwithherEliseotube-gunchambered in6.5x47Lapua. It’sgreat toseeladiesenjoying1000yardbenchrest–as longastheydon’tstartbeatingus!
In Factory Sporter, Ian Kellet had little oppositionwithhis6.5-284SavageasPhilGibbonandBruceLentonwereabsent,soitwas‘gamesetandmatch’toIanwithsmallgroup,smallestagg.andnearesttocentrewhichnettedhimauseful£30.
Results:
Light Gun 1st IanDixon 7WSMWalkerStolle 11.2652nd SteveDunn 7mmDunnBAT 11.2673rd MalRoberts 6.5mmBAT 11.853
Small group IanDixon 5.91inches
Factory Sporter 1st IanKellet 6.5-284Savage 15.462nd AdrianEvans 308Remington 19.6873rd AlanSeagrave308Steyr 24.468
Small group IanKellet 10.179inches
VINCE’S REGULAR COLUMN WHEREBY ACCURACY NUTS CAN KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE ACTIVITIES OF THE UKBRA
Ian Kellett on his way to winning Factory Sporter with his 6.5-284 Savage1000 yards.
100 Target Shooter
New Stuff - BagsFor those of youwho are interestedin back-bags – and what benchrestshooter isn’t – here’s a pic ofsomething new from Seb Lambangwho makes the joystick front rests.Sebhasalwaysbeenalateralthinkerandhisnewbagdesignissoobviousyoucan’tbelievenoonehasthoughtof it before. Ace BR shooter BrianWalker is currently testing it sowe’llseeifitworksaswellasitlooks.
ScopesWhen I go to the IWA show withBrian Fox of Fox Firearms, we arealways on a mission to find youthe best value in rifle optics. Brianalready importsspotting-scopesfromNikulaandbelieveme,theyareverygood - on a par with my Kowa forabouthalfthecost.BrianpickedupasampleNikularifle-scopeatIWAandhelentittomeforaquicklook.OK,nopropertestyetbutonfirstglance it looksverygood.ContactFoxFirearms ifyouare interested.Theyshouldsell forwellunder£300.
More scopesItestedan8-32Sightronscopelastyear for Target Sports magazineand I was blown away by thequality of the glass and theaccuracy of adjustment. TheSightrons are not cheap but theyare no where near the cost of saya Nightforce so they representexcellentvalue.The8-32willmakea great F Class scope and at 17ounces their 36X is light enoughto interest the centrefire andrimfire benchrest shooters.AimfieldSports,whodo thesuperbshooting-mat and drag-bags arethe new UK Sightron importer socontactthemthroughtheirad.inthis
magazineifyouareinterested.Aimfield Sports are great supporters of shootingandwill be providing prizes for theWorldFClassChampionships at Bisley in July. Let’s support thedealerswhosupportus.
Seb Lambang’s new back bag.
TThe 4-16 Nikula scope from Fox Firearms
Jackson Rifles Parton,CastleDouglas,ScotlandDG73NL
Tel: (01644) 470223 Fax: (01644) 470227 jacksonrifles.com
• best-selling, proven design-madebyEurope'slargestmanufacturerofhigh-powerriflesilencers
• sleevedoverthebarrel–modelT4addsonly65mm(2½")tooveralllengthofrifle
• two-pointmountingsystemresistsharshuse• selectedbytheForestryCommissiontomeetthelatestEuropeannoiseatworkregulations• low-maintenanceall-weldedconstructionwithtoughparkerizedcoating-no need for internal cleaning!
centre-fire and rim-fire rifle suppressors
NEW NorthStar stainless steel telescopic rifle silencer • Calibresupto25-06Remor30-06Spr• Soundreduction-24to-28dB(C)• Sleevesoverbarrel–netlengthonly100mm(4")• 47.5mmdiameter,weighs630grams• Durable,low-maintenance,mattstainlessfinish
NEW FOR 2009
jet-Z™ CQB & COMPACT• Calibresupto25-06Remor300WinMag• Advancedultra-compactmuzzle-mounteddesign• Soundattenuation-26to-32dB(C),accordingto
calibre• 40mmdia.,520g(CQB)-560g(COMPACT)• Addsonly125or150mmtolengthofriflebarrel
Shoot to win
Jewell Triggers forRemington,Winchester,AR-15andcompetitionrifles
Jackson Rifles™ CG-Universal 2-stage trigger forRemington,Mauser,andTikkarifles
TIMNEY MFG. INC. forBrowning,CZ,Mauser,Remington,Ruger,Sako,Weatherby&
Winchesterrifles
SAK-Products Air Rifle/Rimfire silencer • Excellentperformanceon22LRandriflesupto.17and.22magnumrimfire• Blackorsilver-standard½"x20UNFor½"x28UNEFthread• 34mmdiameter,160grams,addsonly130mmtolengthofrifle
We are happy to give advice and information to retail customers, but we only supply the tradeJackson Rifles is a division of Forge Consulting Ltd, RFD 108 (Dumfries & Galloway) ts0904
Target Shooter 101
Jackson Rifles Parton,CastleDouglas,ScotlandDG73NL
Tel: (01644) 470223 Fax: (01644) 470227 jacksonrifles.com
• best-selling, proven design-madebyEurope'slargestmanufacturerofhigh-powerriflesilencers
• sleevedoverthebarrel–modelT4addsonly65mm(2½")tooveralllengthofrifle
• two-pointmountingsystemresistsharshuse• selectedbytheForestryCommissiontomeetthelatestEuropeannoiseatworkregulations• low-maintenanceall-weldedconstructionwithtoughparkerizedcoating-no need for internal cleaning!
centre-fire and rim-fire rifle suppressors
NEW NorthStar stainless steel telescopic rifle silencer • Calibresupto25-06Remor30-06Spr• Soundreduction-24to-28dB(C)• Sleevesoverbarrel–netlengthonly100mm(4")• 47.5mmdiameter,weighs630grams• Durable,low-maintenance,mattstainlessfinish
NEW FOR 2009
jet-Z™ CQB & COMPACT• Calibresupto25-06Remor300WinMag• Advancedultra-compactmuzzle-mounteddesign• Soundattenuation-26to-32dB(C),accordingto
calibre• 40mmdia.,520g(CQB)-560g(COMPACT)• Addsonly125or150mmtolengthofriflebarrel
Shoot to win
Jewell Triggers forRemington,Winchester,AR-15andcompetitionrifles
Jackson Rifles™ CG-Universal 2-stage trigger forRemington,Mauser,andTikkarifles
TIMNEY MFG. INC. forBrowning,CZ,Mauser,Remington,Ruger,Sako,Weatherby&
Winchesterrifles
SAK-Products Air Rifle/Rimfire silencer • Excellentperformanceon22LRandriflesupto.17and.22magnumrimfire• Blackorsilver-standard½"x20UNFor½"x28UNEFthread• 34mmdiameter,160grams,addsonly130mmtolengthofrifle
We are happy to give advice and information to retail customers, but we only supply the tradeJackson Rifles is a division of Forge Consulting Ltd, RFD 108 (Dumfries & Galloway) ts0904
Target Shooter 103
Inassociationwith
JimKelbyiswellknownincenterfirebenchrestcirclesformakingexcellentqualityactions,riflesandotherequipment.Heisalsoknownforthemanufactureoftheswindlehurst rimfireaction,whichunfortunatelynolongerseemstobeproduced.(ThelastoneIsawforsalewasinItalylastyear).Theseproductswereall available a few years ago via Litts. Since thenpeople could get Kelby actions and parts throughBrain Fox at Fox Firearms. Brian has beenbringinginbenchrestequipmentforagoodfewyears,including theSEB rest that I reviewed lastmonth.ThegoodnewsisthatIhavejustheardthatKelby’sismakingrimfirebarrelledactions,usingtheTurboactionas thebase,fittedwithaLilja rimfirebarrel.These are also being imported into Europe byCicognaniofItaly.WithjustabitoffurtherresearchIhavealsofoundoutthatJimKelbywillalsoproducetheseactionsforindividualsintheUK.Nowhewilldealwithindividuals,butgettingthingsfromtheUSAisveryexpensivegoingitalone,asyouwillhavetogetyourownimport/exportlicenceagreementandstill have to find an RFD that will bring thisequipment in for you. Better to go withsomeone that can do all of this for you and has
the licence already. Kelbys work with Brian a lotso this is where I would personally go to. EvenbetteristhatJimKelbywillactuallymakeacompleterifle foryou, theearnestUKshooter,basedonthespecificationnotedabove.Barrelselelctionisuptoyouandcanbereamedfortheammunitionyoutendtouse.For those in the know, the Turbo action issynonymouswithbenchrestaccuracy in thestatesandisusedinalotofriflesthatwinmanymatchesoverthere.IhaveonlyeverheardofoneTurboactionin this country and it would be nice to see usdiversify a little in this sport instead of finding thenumberofAnschutzactionsweuse.(Let’sfaceitthatwhatwehaveaccessto).WiththisnewsandthefactthatwecanalsohaveaccesstothenumberofLiljarimfirebarrelsavailable, itsbringing theUK rimfirebenchrest shooter closer to the kind of equipmentthatiswinningmatchesintheUSA.(LiljaremembermakethebarrelsfortheBleikerrifleandareusedbyanumberoftopshootersincludingMattEmmons).Ihaveoneoftheseonordermyself,butfora2013action.The cost of the barrelled action is $1555 plusshipping at $100. There will be other importationcharges on top of this and I quote US prices ascurrenciesfluctuateatthemoment–asweallknowtoowell!Enquiriesshouldbemadethrough;Brian Fox; www.foxfirearmsuk.com/mainpagefront.htmThe Kelby website can be viewed at; www.kelbly.com/TheLiljawebsitecanbeviewedat;www.riflebarrels.com
All teams together - the UK won best dressed.
The US made turbo action - Synonomous with accuracy
Side view of the Turbo bolt
Bottom view of the Turbo bolt
104 Target Shooter
WiththeGBFClassLeaguecompetitionsspreadoutoverthecountry, it issometimesdifficult forcompetitors to keep in touch with each otherto discuss various F Class matters. Also, with“effers” being such a sociable bunch theyare normally happy to share any newlygleaned information with their fellow shooters.(Usually in the bar of the nearest hotel to therange after the comp, whilst licking wounds!)
Thiswasoneof the reasons thatwesetup theF Class UK website www.f-class.org.uk and inparticular why the ‘Soapbox’ page was addedto allow members to air their views. But it hasits limits, it is hardly a true discussion forum.
Wehadtalkedaboutthepossibilityofsettingupanon-lineUKFClassforumbutaswithallthesethings,weallhavejobsandlimitedtimesoitwasuptosomeonetoactuallyputittogether.Wellnowsomeone has. Lee Tomlinson of Border Barrelshasputtogetheranexcellent forumwithvarious
sectionsandwecannow buy, sell, help,discuss and moanabout all things FClass. Check outthe forum on www.l ong rangeshoo t -ing.forumup.co.uk
Nowwehaveit,let’suseitandjusttostartthe ball rolling whataboutouron-goingVbulldebate–shouldthe V bull score 6points or 5.1 as in
TargetRiflewhereitissimplyusedasatie-breaker.Remember,ourFClassVbullisjusthalfMOAindiameter.Therearestrongfeelingsbothwayssoifyouhaveanopinionwhynotputyourcaseonline?
2009 World ChampionshipsWith the World F Class Championships onlytwo months away, GB squad members fromall parts of the UK arrived at Bisley on theweekend of 16/17th May for their second‘training weekend’. The object is to work withwind-coachesandgetusedtoshootingasateam.
For Saturdaymorning, it was thankfully dry butblustery. It was to prove to be a real work-outfor the coaches; the strongblusterywindswerechallenging the ballistics of the F-Open guysandsoprettydaunting forourF/TRsquad,whoneededupto17minutesofwindwiththeir308s.
The second of themorning’s practices followedthe same format and, if anything, the windwas even stronger – lifting off hats, mats andumbrellas. Shooters rotated between coachesandtargetstoensureabalancedmix.
The Long View News from the GB F-Class Association
GB Team captain Des Parr (back to camera) addresses the troops during one of the few dry sessions of the weekend
Target Shooter 105
Bylateafternoon,thecoachesstrengthenedtheirunderstanding of our ballistics, the squad hadbecome considerably more efficient andeveryonehaddevelopedagreaterappreciationofthetotalconcentrationrequiredtocoachandplotthroughout strong and fastchanging windconditions.Sunday morning dawned bright but, just as we
assembled to shoot, stormclouds rushed in, thetemperature plummetedandtherainarrived.Thefirstscheduledpracticeendedina torrential downpour withthe targets barely visible.We took a break untilconditions eased andthen returned to soggyfiring-points. Mercifully, itstayed dry for most of thelastperiod.
So ended another GBtrainingweekend andwhata valuable exercise it hadprovedtobe–ifourteamscancopewiththosehowlingwindsanddrivingrain,they
cancopewithanything.Itwasnoticeablehowthesquadhasbecomequickerandmoreefficient intheirfiring-pointprocedures.Ithasbeensaidthatagoodteamisaquietteam,anditwasobviousthat the GB squad was simply getting on withdoing the business in a quiet and methodicalmanner.
Both pictures courtesy of Alan Keating.
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Conditions proved challenging for everyone but as Team Captain Des Parr says – “train hard – fight easy”.
106 Target Shooter
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Target Shooter 107
QuigleyCompetition–Round2MaySaturday16thMay-whatshouldhavebeenamildspringday in fact turned out to be cold andoccasionally wet and miserable, with achallenging wind. This was round 2 of ourseries of Quigley shoots using buckets andbuffalosat400and600yards.
Stage1at400yards,consistedoftwosightersandfifteenshotstoscoreattheQuigleybucketat400yardsandDennisRichardsonwasabletoreadthewindbetterthanmosttoleadstage1with59points, just aheadofDavidGregoryon51pointsandRichardHealeyon47points.
Afterlunch,stage2wasagaintwosightersand15 tocount, this timeon thebuffalosilhouettetarget at 600 yds and unfortunately, the raincontinuedtomakeanappearancetoaddtothedifficulties,thoughourthreeleadersmaintainedtheir standard to score 38, 36 and 40 points
respectively.Final results:1st DennisRichardson BrowningHiWall 45/70 107points2nd RichardHealeySharps 45/70 873rd DavidGregorySharps 45/100 87
Fifth Annual Tightgroup ShootSaturday23rdMay saw twelve firers competein thefifthannualTightgroupcompetition.RunonthelinesofUKBenchreststylecompetition,theformatgenerallyfollowedthatofbenchrest,but with some minor allowances due to theuniquenatureofthese19thCenturylongguns.
Each firer was to fire four separate groupsof five rounds on a standard 25yd pistoltargetandatimelimitof10minutespergroupwas allowed, giving time to wipe the bore
between shots. The resulting groupsizes recorded were then addedtogether and divided by 4, to give anaveragegroupsize.
As per benchrest rules, firers wereallowedtoresttheriflesfrontandback.Although not used to thisposition, most soon got the hang ofit and some very reasonable groupsbegan to appear. However, as itturned out, almost everyone shotat least one group larger than wewould have liked, due to the odd flier.
Dave Coleman waits for the smoke to clear
AregularcolumnwherebyKenHallkeepsusuptodatewithblackpowdercartridgerifleshootingintheUK.
108 Target Shooter
It soon became apparent thata ‘Battle Royal’ was brewingbetween last year’s winnerRichard Healey and Eric Todd,who has continued to showimprovement with every shoot.Richard’ssmallestgroup,at1.09inlooked a sure winner until Ericachieved a magnificent group at0.58 inches centre to centre, thiswithleadbulletssizedto0.458in.
Overall the results wereencouragingandshowthatfirersaregettingtogripswiththe‘DarkStuff’.Thanks to everyone who entered,weshouldcontinuetostrivetowardsachievingsmallergroupsatthisdistance,otherwisedecentscoresatlongerrangeswillcontinuetoeludeus.
RESULTS: Average BestGroup
RichardHealey 1.09in 1.63inEricTodd 0.58in 1.67inDennisRichardson 1.45in 2.46inGaryAllsopp 1.71in 2.51inDaveBownass 1.65in 2.76inJohnEllin 2.14in 3.19inGaryLee 2.99in 3.39inKenHall 2.46in 4.07inGregHoskin 3.39in 4.08inDougHerod 3.26in 4.25inK.Jones 2.94in 4.39inJakeHealey 3.95in 7.39in
Comment: As a keen centrefire benchrestshooter and sometime BPCR shooter, I amimmensely impressed by the groups shottoday.Idon’tknowmanyfolk–includingmyself–whocouldsitdownat100yardswithamodern
centrefire rifle and shoot a 5-shot 0.58 inchgroup – with iron sights don’t forget. I knowthat some of ourAmerican friends shoot theirBPCRsbenchreststyleandIwouldbeinterestedtoknowwhattheworldrecordisforthispractice.InadditiontoEric’smagnificentgroup,Iseethatseveralshootershadgroupsinthe‘ones’.TheQuigley guys have certainly developed BPCRshootinginthelastfewyears.Vince Bottomley
Conditions proved challenging for everyone but as Team Captain Des Parr says – “train hard – fight easy”.
Dave Gregory in action
Quigley winners Dave, Dennis and Richard
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Target Shooter 109
Welcome to the first of a regular column to keepHFTshootersabreastofwhatishappeninginHFTintheUKandfromthegoverningbodywhichistheUKAHFT (United Kingdom Association for HunterFieldTarget).I am not a formal part or the organisation whichconsists of Pete Sparkes (The founding father ofthesport)Lou(Thewebmaster)andPeteDutton(Supremo rulewriter)but Ihavebeenallowedbythem to put the news letters together with theirblessingandapprovalofcontent.My first dabble at a more sporting type of FieldTarget shooting came in 1994 when I competedin and luckily won the trial Sporting Air Rifle orSAR shoot held at Bisley, unfortunately the BFTA(British Field Target Association) at the time didnot want to hold any SAR events at their shoots.Today they have more open minds and have aSFT or Sporting Field Target section run on thesame full blown FT courses. FT as a sport todayis a far cry froma hunting simulation, in the very,veryearlydaysitdidresembleHFT,butwithtargetsout at 55 yards, bean bags to sit upon and largemagnification expensive scopes, it now bearsno real resemblance to hunting at all. HFTaddressesthatneedinairgunshootingtogiveamorerealisticsport,stillsomeshootersdonotgraspthefactthatHFTisjusthuntingscenariosNOThuntingsimulation. The ranges are purehunting ranges, the shortesttarget is 8 yards away and thelongest45yards,butnoresponsiblehunter would ever, ever take a 45yard shot in ahowlingwind. InHFTweareforcedtotakeshotswewouldnever do when hunting as it is partof a competition. This is true forunsupported standers, 90% of theshots I take when hunting are in amodifiedkneelingposition,whichbythewaywouldnotbeallowedinHFTorFTcompetitionsasIsitonaturnedbackfoot and rest the rifle on my knee.So, all you HFT shooters out thereremember we are shooting a sportwhich is not like hunting, just morehuntingthanFTis.
ThenationalorganisedshootsrunbytheUKAHFThave been running since 2004, there are sevenrounds left in thecalendarof the2009series,seethe web site at www.ukahft.co.uk for dates anddirectionstotheshootsaswellastherules.Anyonewithabelowthe legal limitairguncancomealongandshoot thecompetition.Safetybriefingsare forall competitors before the morning and afternoonsessionswithnewcomersupandcomingshootersshooting inthesecondsessionateachshoot.Youdonothavetobeamemberofaclubororganisationtojoininthefunbutsafetyisthenumberonepriority.Thereareclassesforjuniorsandladyshootersandthere are far more young shooters and membersof the fairesexshootingHFT thanFT.A lotof theappeal of HFT is that a very simple nonparallaxing or fixed magnification scope is idealfor thesportand justa fewdaysagoIshotwithachapwhowith a £40HawkeMAP scopewon therecoilingclassataNEFTAhunterseriesshoot.Theothermain feature of HFT is that shooters gain apoint forhitting themetal faceplateofeach targetwith two points for actually knocking it over, goldsilverandbronzebadgescanbeboughtifyourscorefallswithinthebandsforeachaward,againthewebsitehasalltheinformation.NexttimeIwillgooverhowthesporthasevolvedfromitsbeginnings.
HunterFieldTargetNews
Tim getting ready for action
110 Target Shooter
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Target Shooter 111
West Newlands, Somersham, Cambridgeshire PE28 3EB UKTelephone: +44 (0) 1487 740744 Fax: +44 (0) 1487 740040 Web: www.theoben.co.uk
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THEOBEN TSAM 29/3/07 11:50 am Page 68
The weekend of May 22-25 saw the 13thPhoenixMeetingtakeplaceattheNationalShootingCentre,Bisley,inprettygoodweather.Turnoutwasmuch the same as last year but lotsmore eventswereshot.Thereisafullreportinthisissue.
During the Phoenix, teams from fivecountriescompeted inshorteventaggregateswithEngland coming out on top this time. TheEuropean GRCF Championship Match andPhoenix International was shot on theMonday with the UK winning the Championship.Congratulations to all who took part andespecially to the winning Team Captains –NormanBrownforEnglandandSharonBowdenfortheUnitedKingdom.Another piece of good news on the Internation-al front–SouthAfrica is joining theEuropeanGRFederation and hopes to have teams competingherein2010.
ThismonthyouhavetheDerby1500.Agreatrangewithgoodfacilitiesandplentyofeventstoenter.The1500matchandalsoaselectionof“short”events.Next month there are two meetings on the 12th– one at Mattersey (between Worksop andDoncaster)andtheotheratShieldinDorset.Oneortheothermustbewithinreachwhereveryoulive.
The Mattersey shoot is the Jim BrownMemorial Steel Challenge in aid of CancerCharities and Help for Heroes. It has eventsfor Gallery Rifles, Long Barrelled Pistols andRevolversandShotguns.Jimworkedtirelesslyforthe club and for shooting as long as he wasable and a good turnout would be a way ofsaying “thank you” as well as supporting thesedeservingcauses.The Shield shoot is a GR and LBR/LBPpractical match put on by that master of coursedesign, Steve Pike. He is known for putting onmatches that are best described as challengingalthoughthereareothernamesforthem!ChecktheShieldwebsiteforentrydetailsorgiveStevearing.Entry forms fortheGRNationalChampionshipsat
theendofAugustwillbeoutsoonsodon’tforgettoenterearlytoavoiddisappointment.
COMPETITION CALENDAR
June 27-28 GR&PDerby1500 DerbyR&PC
July 12 JimBrownMemorialSteel Challenge MatterseyR&PC
July 12 ShieldGR&PPractical ShieldShootingCentre (Eithercontactthe organisersdirectorgoto www.galleryrifle.comfor entryforms.)GR&P = Gallery Rifle Centre Fire (GRCF),Gallery Rifle Small Bore (GRSB), Long BarrelledPistol (LBP) and Long Barrelled Revolver (LBR)RESULTSBasildon,MatterseyTen,WesternWinner,Aberdeen (all on www.galleryrifle.com or the clubsites) PhoenixMeetingavailable in fullon theNRA/NSCwebsiteoratwww.galleryrifle.com.Please go to the Gallery Rifle websitewww.galleryrifle.com for more news andinformation.
......and Finally.......The followingmatchwhich is inmemoryofoneofourbestpistolshooterseverJimBrownwhosadlydiedofcancerlastyear.Therearenoprizesaswehavedecidedthatalloftheproceedswillgotocharity.MATTERSEYThe Jim Brown MemorialSTEEL CHALLENGESun 12th Julyentry forms are available from eitherwww.matterseyrapc.org.uk or www.galleryrifle.com websites
GalleryRifleNews
112 Target Shooter
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Target Shooter 113
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The IPSC European Shotgun Championships(ESC 09) take place in the Czech Republic inSeptember. Thirty UK shooters have beenawardedslots to thematch. TheUKPSAhopetoenteranumberofteamsintheChampionships.TheNationalSquadDirector,KenTrail,willselectteams,basedonperformancefrombothlastyearandthisyear’sChampionshipmatches.
The first round of the UKPSA ShotgunChampionships got under way in May with theSouthernAreasChampionships.ThesewereheldatHarlow,Essex.TheStandardAutoandStandardManualDivisionswere keenly contested.See thefullarticleinthiseditiontoseejusthowclose.Further rounds include the Northern AreasChampionshipsatCarlisleinJuly.TheBritishOpenChampionships at Borders in early August andfinally back to Harlow for the Home CountriesChampionships inOctober. It ishoppedthat therewill be a number of new venues putting on bothLevel2andChampionshipmatchesin2010.
UKPSA Medals were awarded at the SouthernChampionships for the first time. Pate Starley
from Midway UK has generously donated thesemedals. The medals will be awarded at allChampionship matches in all divisions andqualifyingcategoriessuchasSeniorandLadies.
Leicester Shooting Club have been awarded theBritish Open LBR Championships. These willtake place on Saturday 13th December 2009 atLeicester. OtherconfirmedLevel2LBRmatchesinclude Carlisle on 15th August. Any UKPSAaffiliated club is welcome to apply to run L2matches.
Over the weekend of 23 and 24th May, twoshotgun basic safety courses were held at bothShield Shooting Centre and Border Guns Club.Allstudentssuccessfullygainedapasscertificate.MorecoursesareplannedinbothshotgunandLBRlaterintheyear.MembersareremindedthattheymustrenewtheirannualmembershipbytheendofJune,otherwisethey will incur a £10 rejoining fee. Membershiprenewalformsareavailableonthewebsitewww.ukpsa.co.uk.
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114 Target Shooter
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Target Shooter 115
7 Manor Road, Wallington, Surrey, SM6 0BW
Tel:020 8647 7742 Fax: 020 8669 9199
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We are a well established gun shop in surrey for the last 36 years now under new ownership of Peter Friend. Over the years the surrey guns has built a reputation for specialist target shooting and stock a large range of match air rifles, pistols as well as .22 target guns and accessories
116 Target Shooter
LettersandNewsWhatagreatresponsetothefirsttwoeditionswithlotsofreallygoodfeedbackandafewthingstomakeusthinkabouthowwecandeliverabettermagazinetoyou.
customer.services@targetshooter.co.ukHappyreadingandwehopeyouenjoythemagazine.TheteamatTargetShooter.Ifyouhaveanylettersornewsthatyouwouldliketoaironanationalbasisthenpleasecontactusatthemagazine.Thiscouldbeforthosebuddingwritersouttherethatwouldliketosubmitafullarticleonspecificfirearms,competitions,shootingsports,etc.TheaimofthemagazineistoincludeyoutheshootersintheUnitedKingdom.Sohavingaregularletterspageorevenaquestionandanswersectionwouldbereallyusefulforalotofpeopleoutthere.Letusknowwhatyouthink!?Wewouldalsoliketohaveagunofthemonthsection-sosendusyourpicandspecandwe’llincludeitin‘gunofthemonth’.Anynewsthatyourcluborassociationthinksisworthviewingcanalsobesentinforselection.Whatwewouldlikeistogetaletterspagestartedwithyourviews,newsandperceptionsaboutallall theaspectsof targetshooting.So letsseethose letterscoming inandwewill readyourthoughtsinthesepages.
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WelcometothefourthmonthofthisfreeonlineshootingmagazineforshootersintheUK
July 2009 Issue
Ontest
Features
RegularColumns
…andlots
Reviews
118 Target Shooter
World Cup Success- 9/9 Prone Medals- 11/12 Gold medals in 50m events- Total of 35 medals won by ELEY 2009 ISSF World Cups 1, 2 & 3
www.eleyammunition.com
Champions shoot Tenex
ELEY - the home of Tenex