Target Shooter

TARGET SHOOTER MAGAZINE
July 2012 Issue
GB FSTOCK DESIGNS Class NEW

TARGET SHOTGUN
HAND LOADING BENCH NIGHTFORCE NSX 8-32 ZERO STOP

Pistol Shooting
IWA - We look at new rifles
ULTRA-LIGHT BIPOD
Shooting News
SNIPER - World Championships
NOW Read WORLdWIde BY OVeR 10,000 dedICaTed ReadeRS IN OVeR
77 COuNTRIeS eVeRY MONTH
NOW Read WORLdWIde BY OVeR 10,000 dedICaTed ReadeRS IN OVeR
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Welcome to the new look July 2012 edition of Target Shooter Magazine
Webitorial July 2012

Whilst it is a fact that many countries are currently in recession, our sport appears to be bucking the trend and flourishing. Most of our custom rifle builders in the UK appear to have full order books and long waiting lists. Last month, Edgar Brothers held a media open day and just last week Riflecraft did the same. Brock & Norris have also moved into new, larger premises and will also host their open day on July 7/8th. Competition entries dont appear to be suffering either - at club or national level. However, whereas the gripe from shooters was usually the cost of entry fees or ammunition costs, it now invariably comes down to the cost of travel in other words, the price of fuel. A couple of years ago in Target Shooter, we covered a multi-discipline competition which was shot simultaneously in several countries around the world. Results were e-mailed in to a central point then posted on the internet so that everyone could see them immediately. What a great idea. Yes, differing conditions will affect scores but that can happen anyway as conditions (in the UK at least) rarely stay the same throughout the day. Practical shooting - like Practical Shotgun and Pistol - would be less affected and it could add an extra dimension to your club event if you knew you were also competing against a team on the other side of the world. On-line forums would make it relatively easy to set up such events. Many years ago, I suggested a 1000 yard benchrest postal shoot to the Aussies No probs mate I reckon we could hit a postbox at 1000 yards...
Vince, Yvonne & Steve

Vince Bottomley - vinceb@targetshooter.co.uk Yvonne Wilcock - yvonne@targetshooter.co.uk Steve Thornton - steve@stevethornton.co.uk
The Choice of Champions
March SCOPES
Tactical Turrets
This scope has the largest zoom ratio of any FFP scope ever made,additionalfeature is the 0.05 Mil centre dot, this was designed not to obscure the target on higher magnification.
A feature of First Focal Plane (FFP) design, also known as Front Focal Plane, is the reticle scale value does not change over the entire zoom range of the rifle scope. Also the POA does not change over the entire zoom range. This simplifies use of the reticle for ranging and holdover in conjunction with ballistic charts.
1 Click 0.05 Mil Turrets
NEW
Side Focus 10 yards ~ Infinity
The Choice of Champions

Push Button Illumination
March FX 5 - 40 x 56. The worlds most powerful first focal plane scope...
For UK & EU: marchscopes.co.uk - Call 01293 606901 or info@marchscopes.co.uk For Australia & NZ: BRT Shooters Supply - PO Box 1124 - Springwood - 4127 Queensland, Australia. Phone. 07-3808 4862 - www.marchscopes.com.au
Editor - Vince Bottomley vinceb@targetshooter.co.uk Advertising and Office Manager - Yvonne Wilcock. yvonne@targetshooter.co.uk Compiled, Designed & Web Production by Steve Thornton. www.thorntonconnect.com Contributors - Vince Bottomley - Laurie Holland - Ken Hall - Don Brooke - Chris Parkin Tony Saunders - Rob Hunter- George Coleman - George Granycome Ken Hall - Liz Woodhall - David Thompson - Mike Davenport Cover & Back Page Photography by Steve Thornton - ThorntonConnect.com Disclaimer
The website www.targetshooteronline.com is part of Target Shooter magazine with all contents of both electronic media copyrighted. No reproduction is permitted unless written authorisation is provided. Information, prices and data is believed to be correct at the time of posting on the internet which is on or around the 1st of each month. Advertisements that are firearm related are from companies or individuals that Target Shooter magazine believes are licensed to hold such firearms and accepts no responsibility if companies or individuals are not so licensed. Letters and photographs submitted by members of the public to Target Shooter magazine will be accepted on the basis that the writer has agreed to publication unless otherwise stated. Target Shooter magazine has no control over the content or ownership of photographs submitted. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publishers and relate to specific circumstances within each article. These are the opinions and experiences of writers using specific equipment, firearms, components and data under controlled conditions. Information contained in the online magazine or on the website is intended to be used as a guide only and in specific circumstances caution should be used. Target Shooter Magazine does not except any responsibility for individuals attempting to recreate such testing using any information, data or other materials in its electronic pages. Publishers of Target Shooter magazine. 3
Contents
disciplines.
Page 6
July 2012 Issue
TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS - AN UPDATE (Part 1) by Laurie Holland. Almost unnoticed here in the UK, a revolution in competition rifle design has been quietly under way on the other side of the Atlantic a move to inline designs even in the most traditional of long-range
Nightforce NXS 8-32x56 NP 2DD Zero-Stop Scope - by Chris Parkin. Among serious precision shooters, Nightforce scopes are pretty much the benchmark and Target Shooter has reviewed them many times. Chris Parkin checks out how their latest model measures up.
Page 22
The 11th Police & Military Sniper World Cup Budapest Hungary June 2012 by Rob Hunter. After a couple of years away from shooting in the major international sniper comps held throughout Europe, I was fortunate to once again receive an invitation to attend the premier shooting event in the military/police sniper calendar - The Sniper World Cup. Page 76
THE HANDLOADING BENCH: POWDER UPDATE - Pt 1 by Laurie Holland. I plan to spend an issue or three on propellant developments, notably recent budget TR140 and Elcho 17 introductions; look at longestablished Vihtavuori N150, which I increasingly see as a powder for all seasons; cover a not too well known but comprehensive range of European manufactured powders that has just received a couple of potentially useful additions. The last mentioned has actually been around for many years but, recent name and nomenclature changes havent helped increase what was already a rather low profile. Page 46
Contents Continued & More...

Page 62 Historic Arms - The 5.5mm Velo Dog. Dad, what is a Velo Dog cartridge, is it the one that Sherlock Holmes shot the Hound of the Baskervilles with? No, my long suffering father replied, That would have probably been a 44 Webley Bulldog. - which is a far more appropriate cartridge for that job, in more ways than one!
Page 96
The SVI Infinity European Open Handgun Championship 2012 by David Thompson. As the IPSC European Handgun Championship and World Shoot XVII take place in 2013 and 2014 respectively, the bigger matches being held in the European IPSC area in 2012 gave European competitors the opportunity to meet up and compete together.
THE LONG VIEW. GB F CLASS ROUND 3. DIGGLE RANGES. A Tale of Two Climates. Page 30 We were back at Diggle for the second of the seasons three visits to this venue but, unlike Aprils short-range shoot, this was an entirely long-range meeting and encompassed some significant and in my view, beneficial changes from previous League rounds held at Diggle.
Regulars
& more
LATEST NEWS Page 64 FROM THE BENCH Page 20 QUIGLEY NEWS Page 67 TARGET SHOTGUN Page 92
Shooting the McQueen - By Chris Parkin. When I am asked what is my favourite Page 82 target shoot, my response is usually a quick one-word answer - McQueen. But what is the McQueen? History- The McQueen competition has an interesting history which I came upon by chance when reading an interesting sniper treatise, simply entitled Sniping in France by one Major Hesketh Pritchard, which documents the eventual adoption of sniping by the British Army in World War 1.
BROOKSIE Page 42 IWA - Rifles Page 68 DISABLED NEWS Page 72 MYSTIC BIPOD Page 64
TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS

AN UPDATE (Part 1) by Laurie Holland
TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS - AN UPDATE

by Laurie Holland
(Part 1)
The inline layout is a key attribute of tube and chassis stocks. Note the bore axis is directly in line with the buttplate mid-point.

Almost unnoticed here in the UK, a revolution in competition rifle design has been quietly under way on the other side of the Atlantic a move to inline designs even in the most traditional of long-range disciplines.

The camera captures HPS-TR director John Carmichaels 7mm magnum rifle in full recoil at Blair Atholl. (Target Shooters photographer and webmaster Steve Thornton is seen behind keeping score.)

Im told that half or more of the singleshot prone rifles that appear on the firing lines in Highpower/Palma rifle competitions in the USAs southern and south-west states are now tubeguns of one sort or other and, F-Class is starting to follow. Similarly, demand from American Match/Service Rifle competitors for the inline layout McMillan Rifles
The superbly ergonomic HPS-TR F Class rifle an RPA action in the companys FC 704 System Gemini chassis stock is popular in GB F Class national matches.

AN UPDATE (Part 1) by Laurie Holland manufactured Tubb 2000 repeater has outstripped supply since it was introduced over a decade ago despite a cool $5,000 price tag. British interest in the genre has been largely orientated towards tactical-style rifles, several of which have been reviewed in Target Shooter. So far as prone single-shot disciplines go, weve been more conservative than our US cousins with HPS-Target Rifles Ltds superb but expensive System Gemini aluminium alloy chassis stocks virtually the sole contender in the market and, until recently the only home-grown product. When I say conservative, I should exclude national level smallbore rifle and GB F Open league shooters, System Gemini stocked rifles being popular with both. True tubeguns (action totally enclosed in the stock
body, bolt-handle running in a slot in the main body and buttstock tube) are still a rarity here, although we at Target Shooter have done our best to change this. After TS Editor Vince Bottomley and I wrote about the building of my Barnard/Eliseo (CSS) tubegun a couple of years ago and, more recently, my Savage PTA/ McRees Mod-MPSS long-range 223 Rem F/TR chassisstocked rifle, other British competitors have tried to go down this route using American stocks, but have found it a rocky road to date. Shortly after I bought the latter example for instance, McRees Precision seems to have decided to concentrate on military/tactical products and, having won some US government contracts, stopped exporting. The US State Departments hated ITAR export licensing regime has become ever more expensive and pervasive too and small volume
A McRees Precision stock shows there is more than one way to skin a cat but shows no AR-15 compatibility or `Black Rifle` tactical styling.
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Top Photograph - The Eliseo B1 kit as it comes out of the box. Inset - The Barnard Model P action is simply bolted into the central chassis tube section.

speciality items such as tube-stocks are particularly badly affected by bureaucratic workloads and costs that cant be justified by, or spread over, large orders
CSS
Gary Eliseo has been designing and making tube stock designs in Anaheim, California for several years now under the CSS (Competition Shooting Stuff) trading name. Having started with single-shot prone-rifle models designed around Remington 700 SA and Barnard Model P actions, the stable has steadily grown to encompass the smallbore single-shot target disciplines (Anschutz 18xx/19xx series), sporting,
tactical and competition (US Match Rifle) repeaters using short and long versions of the Remington 700 action. When I say Remington, that includes the productimproved Model 700 clones from companies that include Pierce Engineering, Stiller and especially Borden Rifles, which makes dedicated tubegun versions of its action in long and short, single-shot
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AN UPDATE (Part 1) by Laurie Holland and repeater versions for both Eliseo and MAK stock designs. I think, but cant be sure, that this encompasses our GBR and SYSS/Valkyrie Rifles R700 clones too. These models, all true tubeguns, have attracted a vast amount of favourable coverage, helped people win a long list of major US competitions and, the tactical models are receiving growing interest from competitors and professional law enforcement rifle users alike. Theyre obviously selling very well too. Much of this must be down to Garys expertise as a combined blue-skies engineering solutions designer and state of the art manufacturer, allied to his own involvement in competitive shooting sports. Unlike some shooting developments, a newly introduced CSS product works out of the box, whether single-shot or an RTM model promising 100% reliable magazine feed it does what it says on the tin - to adopt the advertising slogan. (See http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com and scroll back to April 29th 2012 for a video of Gary shooting a McQueens Challenge course followed by a Mad Minute using a .308 Win Borden/CSS RTM magazine rifle.) A striking pointer as to how influential such designs have become is how people name them. Almost any conventionally stocked rifle is referred to by its action Remington, BAT, Barnard, RPA or whatever less often the gunsmith/manufacturer but, these tubeguns almost invariably attract the moniker Eliseo (or MAK for its similar looking but not so well known competitor).
Phoenix. To the surprise - shock even - of many in the American High-Power prone shooting fraternity, he finished third overall just behind Nancy Tompkins and Michelle Gallagher shooting 6.5-284s. More impressive still, Gary only dropped one point out of 400 on day one, posting 200.12x and 199.6x for its matches, this with an untouched factory action and AccuTrigger, no bedding except for a few minutes spent lapping the action body to the stockchassis with valve grinding paste. The shock felt by his fellow competitors came from the use of a kit gun built around a cheap Savage action in a discipline that regards expensive custom actions and trigger assemblies as essential parts of the mix. Since the S1 kit went into production shortly afterwards, rifles using it have produced some impressive results - in the USA anyway - as few examples have escaped from the land of the free. I put an early order in and after a lot of bureaucracy-induced delays have finally received it, probably the only example in the UK for a little while anyway. Unlike the Barnard, Remington and Anschutz based stocks, the S1 is a chassis design that is the action sits conventionally in the middle section of the stock, its top half and the bolt handle exposed, the (supplied) scope/sights rail attached to the receiver. Unlike conventional stocks, bedding work is optional, a bit of receiver tube-to-chassis lapping recommended to ensure a perfect fit, otherwise its simply action-screw tension that keeps everything together and performing consistently. Despite the design change, the inline layout, AR-15 pistol-grip and the familiar Eliseo look remain. Id fancied the S1 because I know from personal experience that the Savage PTA can work extremely well in the long-range precision role and costs half what Id need to spend on another Barnard or similar action. Moreover, its about a pound lighter than the Barnard P and, if my original Eliseo B1 rifle has a downside for F/TR, its weight the combined stock kit and action heft requires something else to give barrel profile, scope model or bi-pod weight.
Savage S1
Back in early 2009, Gary built a 6BRX calibre prone rifle on a then prototype S1 stock (S1 for Savage PTA action, single-shot) and took it to one of the bigger US national level events, the Arizona Long-Range Championship meeting at the Ben Avery Range near
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Shooting the Eliseo B1 in a Yorkshire Rifle Association open competition. Although the rifle was built for F/TR, the YRA doesnt distinguish between F Class and F/TR, so a more stable front-rest was used with an Eliseo rider on this occasion.
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B1 tubegun above the S1 chassis stock kit.
However, having said that, the S1 kit is no featherweight at around the five and a half pound mark, so it wont be possible to fit a really heavy-profile barrel and reconcile that with a large F/TR bi-pod and one of the heavier 30mm riflescopes. My usual Heavy Palma profile barrel at 6lbs for 30 inches and a Sightron SIII 8-32X56 scope should just see everything fit into the 8.25 Kg (18lb 2oz) envelope but this issue likely wont arise anyway as my original intention was
to build an F Class (Open) rifle on this stock and we have a 10 Kg weight allowance to play with and no bipod weight to bother about either. Since the S1 uses a thick aluminium-alloy disc to locate the action in the forend tube, (also replacing the Savage recoil lug) and is a simple bolt-into the chassis job (bedding work optional), the S1 is particularly well suited to DIY rifle building if the Savage barrel-nut
F Class / BR accessories that fit all Eliseo models front-rest and rear bag riders. CSS now supplies a choice of wooden pistol grips made by master stockmaker Doan Trevor in unfinished form as an extra cost alternative to plastic AR-15 grips.
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B1 tubegun above the S1 chassis stock kit.
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AN UPDATE (Part 1) by Laurie Holland barrel fitment and headspacing arrangements are retained. Gary says that was one of the reasons he decided to design a bespoke Savage kit.
The idea behind the shape is to allow the choice of a horizontal or sloped riding surface according to user preference and is determined by how its bolted onto the butt-plate. With the use of a Picatinny sight-rail and two-minute swap job between hand-stop/swivel assembly and F bits, a shooter can use one rifle for conventional prone shooting and F Class/Benchrest. Top Arizona prone rifleman and gun-writer German Salazar did just that after a shoulder injury required him to switch to F/TR for a season and infected him with the F Class virus, so he now use the same suite of rifles in both disciplines. The one missing accessory was a bi-pod but that has recently been rectified by the CSS HD (Heavy Duty) model that took a year of development work before Gary was satisfied hed got it right. This innovative pod is attached to the
F Bits and Suppliers
All I need now is a Savage PTA to put in the stock, the action from the Savage 12 F Class rifle that I was going to restock with the S1 having been pinched for an F/TR rifle build. More on that next month in the conclusion to this update which will look at the Dolphin Gun Companys chassis stock designs.
Ive mentioned Eliseo rifles appearing in F Class and theyve even produced some amazing results in US mid and long-range benchrest competition but, this obviously requires some alteration or addition to what started as a prone stock designed to be shot off the elbows with a sling. Such is the flexibility of the inline format, nothing more than a front-rest riding-plate and rear bag rail are required. (Our own HPS-Target Rifles Ltd. demonstrated that some years ago, its System Gemini prone stock proving to be ideal for F Class with a minor redesign.) Gary supplies the requisite bits, the bag riding rail now the Mk 2 version, a skeleton (weight reducing) triangular design.
front of the forend tube by a triangular shape chassis/ clamp with its leg pivot points above the bore-line to minimise recoil-torque effects. It incorporates a number of interesting features and I hope to have an example soon to photograph and describe. Its only available for Eliseo R and B1 models, the S1 using a smaller diameter forend tube, but this will hopefully follow soon.
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So, how do you get a CSS kit if you like the concept? Until now that has been the big problem for shooters outside the USA. Several importers had previously expressed an interest without managing to satisfy the ITAR regulations but, it seems I darent put a more positive gloss on it that Brian Fox of Fox Firearms has found a way through the bureaucratic tangle and will be able to supply stock kits to order and also for his own operation that supplies built-up rifles to customers specification.

Contacts
Gary Eliseo / CSS;
www.competitionshootingstuff.com
Fox Firearms; www.foxfirearmsuk.com

Telephone: 0161 430 8278; mobile: 07941 958 464
Next month, Ill look at the recently introduced at

the UKs Dolphin Gun Co. inline layout chassis stocks available for a range of actions in F Class, F/TR and Tactical Rifle versions or all three for one barrelled action such is the designs versatility and the ease with which stock parts are swapped.
HPS-Target Rifles Limited; www.hps-tr.com

Telephone: 01452 729888
Next month
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NEW - Dolphin Gun Co. modular chassis stocks. (Pictured above) 17
Scope rings, rails, moderators, bipods and much more!

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FROM THE BENCH

VINCES REGULAR COLUMN WHEREBY ACCURACY NUTS CAN KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE ACTIVITIES OF THE UKBRA AND ACCURACY RELATED ITEMS
Competitions
Our June/July 100 and 1000 yard benchrest shoots fall right at the end/beginning of the month, so too late for our July issue. A full report will appear next month.
This is where the bedding-block system scores. Up until now, the bedding-block system has
only been available to the talented engineer and the
New stuff - A Barrel Block Stock from True-Flite

Barrel-block stocks are not common and are most likely to be seen on heavy, long-range bench guns. The photos below were taken when I was fortunate to visit the Hawks Ridge 1000 yard benchrest range in North Carolina a few years ago. The theory of the barrel block is two-fold it offers much better support to a long, heavy barrel rather than simply relying on the action usually held in place by two 6mm screws - to support all that weight. It also means that a heavy, stiff action is less important, as it isnt really doing anything so, a lighter and maybe cheaper action can be used. Although 1000 yard benchrest is popular in the UK, the Heavy Gun Class isnt, so we rarely see barrelblock guns. However, could there be a use for the barrel-block in F Class particularly the Open Class? With a 22lb weight limit for an Open Class rifle, we have plenty of weight to play around with. Those competitors who want to build their rifle up to the weight-limit will inevitably start adding lead to the butt-stock what a waste, when this could be utilized for a longer, heavier profile barrel. But, start swinging a thick 34 inch tube off the average action and it could be counter-productive placing massive loading on the action, screws and bedding.
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This is the famous Bill Shehane with his barrel-block 1000 yard Heavy Gun the action is a BAT M and that stock is solid aluminium!
additional cost of having a block made and installed in a stock would put off most of us until now - enter the True-Flite! This is an awesome bit of kit. Its beautifully engineered and not too heavy. It would make a great platform for a benchgun or an Open F Class rifle. The block is bored to suit a 1.25inch profile barrel with a six-inch parallel section to grip the barrel. The action simply hangs off the back floating in free air! The scope can either be conventionally mounted off the action or off the barrel-block itself, though I notice from the pictures of the bench guns above that the guys have stuck with action scope-mounts so maybe this is the way to go.
FROM THE BENCH
cont...
As you can see from the photograph, the stock is beautifully finished and the underside of the butt is flat to ride the rear bag. The pistol-grip is un-necessary but looks quite nice. The stock is too heavy for an F/TR rifle no problem with an Open gun. Apart from the butt, the whole stock, including the fore-end is aluminium and designed to suit a three-inch wide front-rest bag as is required for F Class Open guns As you might imagine, the stock is not cheap - 1430 but, before you dismiss it as too expensive remember, any stock will cost around 400 upwards in its unfinished, un-inletted state. Inletting, bedding and painting could easily add another 500 so maybe the cost isnt too far away. If you currently have an action, you could build an Open rifle for around 2100, which isnt bad for a full custom rifle. Hopefully, in time for the August issue, we will have put together a rifle which will be suitable for benchrest or F Class and maybe we can see how it performs at 1000 yards off the bench. Interested in a barrel-block stock? Contact Fox Firearms www.foxfirearmsuk.com for more details.
Forthcoming events
Our next benchrest weekend at Diggle will be 28/29th July and we hope to have a very special guest shooting with us...
On August 26th its the Diggle Fly Shoot not

a benchrest shoot but it always attracts the accuracy nuts. Any rifle, rests, scope will do, so why not give it a try. Who knows it might even have stopped raining!
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Nightforce NXS 8-32x56 NP 2DD Zero-Stop Scope

by Chris Parkin
Nightforce NXS 8-32x56 NP 2DD Zero-Stop Scope.

by Chris Parkin
Nothing too cluttered, all adjustments were easily applied and observed from the shooting position, note the extended parallax drum showing the illumination turned on.
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Nightforce NXS 8-32x56 NP 2DD Zero-Stop Scope.

By Chris Parkin

by Chris Parkin
Among serious precision shooters, Nightforce scopes are pretty much the benchmark and Target Shooter has reviewed them many times. Chris Parkin checks out how their latest model measures up.
You see them everywhere
When I first ventured into longer range precision shooting and some competitive tournaments, amongst the glut of equipment my fellow competitors had on show, one item always seemed to stand out as a very popular choice, the Nightforce scope. Up until recently, their vast array of reticles and importantly, precision glass and mechanics, offered long range/small target visibility combined with unprecedented magnification levels of up to 42X that no other manufacturer was offering. The brand offers an attractive build, without unnecessary flourishes that simply does the job and, throughout the range, the style and visual appearance remains a constant, differing only in zoom-range and objective bell size.
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Nothing too cluttered, all adjustments were easily applied and observed from the shooting position, note the extended parallax drum showing the illumination turned on.
30mm used to be big!

On a large precision gun with a heavy barrel, you will find the 56mm objective size scales nicely but 50mm is available on the lower magnification models. An aluminium 30mm body tube is of two- piece construction with the joint in front of the saddle. To the left, we find the parallax control and with a pull, it clicks out to illuminate the reticle. There is no brightness control as you must remove the cap and alter a rheostat to change the setting, there is no auto shut off so dont forget to click it back in!
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by Chris Parkin
Parallax itself is easily set; there are no `hopefully correct` markings on the drum and thankfully no backlash to speak of. It will not adjust down to very close range and about 50 yards was my reckoning of its minimum. The windage turret is mounted opposite and is again marked in MOA increments with solid clicks offering 10MOA right and left of centre but this time without any rotation marker. The 8-32x56 model I have on test was one of the latest versions, featuring the zero-stop that was the one Achilles heel of previous models. Combined with finger sized exposed turrets, positively dialling in minute of angle (MOA) we can now utilise all of that 60 MOA scope travel without getting `lost`. After mounting and zeroing the scope on a 20MOA picatinny rail, I still had 41MOA left to play with which will get a fast 6.5mm bullet from 100 to approximately 1200 yards. Adding a 30 or even 40 MOA rail will extend this further. To set the zero-stop, you must remove the elevation turret-cap completely and then loosen four Allen screws to set the stop at zero. After
nipping them up, you carefully reset the turret cap back on top and set this at zero too. Its a workshop job rather than a field task and the instructions warn you not to completely remove any bolts but, I like the fact that you can leave a little spare `negative` travel into the elevation yet still set your marker to `zero`. I like this design! At the ocular end of the scope, plenty of knurling allows grip to control magnification but one downside is that the eyepiece not a fast focus (European style), it uses a lock-ring and the whole body of the ocular rotates when zooming in or out - meaning if you have fitted a Butler creek cap or the like, it also rotates with it and can block your non-shooting eye or obstruct the bolt travel. On a positive note, eye-relief dos not alter with the zoom setting, allowing you to maintain a solid head position and, with careful adjustment, the reticle stays pin-sharp.
A personal choice
The reticle fitted here - the NP2DD - is one of 10 choices offered by Nightforce. Briefly, it is a tiny centre dot, with 3, 6 and 9 oclock arms leading towards it but not touching it. All reticles are 2nd focal plane and all the components illuminate. It is a superb reticle for
1 of 2, first slacken off and remove the rurret cap.
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ultra long-range, small target shooting and unrushed aiming but perhaps not as suited to a faster fire role where I would personally choose something a little heavier. As a varminter or F-Class competitor, it would be excellent and illumination does help in lower light but im not sure that I would choose this for use in darkness with a lamp for example. Reticle choice is a very personal thing so well done Nightforce for allowing the customer a wide range of choices. Rubberised lens caps are provided with the scope along with a battery for the illumination. The matt black anodised external finish is hard wearing and (thankfully) showed no sign of ring-marking. Nightforce offer a limited, transferable lifetime warranty similar to their American competitors and are not ashamed

by Chris Parkin
of the glass Japanese origins. Comprehensive instructions are supplied with the scope and as well as everyday mounting instructions, covering reticle levelling and adjustment of the zero-stop and illumination control which are unique to this model.
NP 2 DD reticle
Dust to Dust at Dusk

I sat the scope atop my light tactical rifle and after boresighting, zeroed easily at 100 yards with all click values corresponding precisely to intended correction. Due to the fine reticle and ease of adjustment, I set up a small field firing range of balloons and clay pigeons at distances out to 500 yards.
2 of 2, then adjust the zero stop and replace the turret cap, also set to `mark` zero.
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by Chris Parkin
The targets remain fairly large at 2 and 300 yards but a 90mm clay at 500 yards is getting quite tricky and I hadnt chosen a still day. It is always good fun dusting clays and the wind tested me but corrections dialled-in were as close as I could hope for. I found the glass clear
in the centre but the very outer edges did exhibit a tiny amount of fringing but it did not affect my shooting as precision is all about what is in the middle. A 75mm sunshade is supplied and this did help to cut out some nasty glare coming in from the low winter evening sun. I shot all the way up to dark and a few rabbits made a one way last walk into the field where they were easily spotted and dealt with. At very last light, the optics did fade a little before I would have hoped maybe with the best European glass but this scope is a lot less expensive and gave me fair usage.
Plenty of tube to grip when adjusting magnification but if you fit a butler creek, it will turn with it.
Tipanis Rest
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Technical Specifications
Reticle Click values Clicks per turn Full rotation Parallax Tube diameter Field of view yards Eye relief Exit pupil Weight Length Waterproof Gas Filled Price NP 2 DD MOA 80 20 MOA Yes side adjust 30mm 12.1-3.1 feet @ 100 98mm 7.0-1.8mm 34 oz / 965g 15.9 inches / 404mm Yes, to 100 feet Yes 1943

by Chris Parkin
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For - Stylish design - Rugged build quality - Numerous Reticle choices Against - Choose your reticle carefully to suit your needs Verdict - The Nightforce NXS is the benchmark for a reason - it does everything
that is says on the tin and very well.
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The long View

by Les Holgate News from the GB F-Class Association
Photography -Laurie Holland
Photography by Steve Thornton
A monthly column whereby Les Holgate keeps us up to date with the activities of the GB F Class Association except that Les is overwhelmed by other commitments this month like organising, running and shooting in the Diggle competition but, fortunately, weve got Laurie to do the report and take the photos in between shooting... Ed.
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A Tale of Two Climates
GB F Class 3rd Round
Diggle Ranges
June 2012
We were back at Diggle for the second of the seasons three visits to this venue but, unlike Aprils short-range shoot, this was an entirely long-range meeting and encompassed some significant and in my view, beneficial changes from previous League rounds held at Diggle.
31

June 2012
Diggle Ranges
Sunday morning - high cloud plus good light and near still conditions
June should be the most salubrious time of the year, so wed maybe be OK weather-wise too fat chance!
32
But first, a humble apology to Paul Sandie and correction to last months report on GBFCA Round 2 at Blair Atholl. While reporting that Grant Taylor had taken all three matches made for wonderful journalistic copy, it wasnt actually so. The reported Match 1 positions were the wrong way round, Paul getting the stage on 72 and Grant with his 2 minutes 20 seconds barnstorming string shoot one point behind on 71 or something like that, the confusion arising because the stats computer crashed losing the data. Truly, Blair was not a good round for electronic equipment! Nevertheless, Grants two wins and a second place out of three matches made for quite a performance.
Diggle Ranges
June 2012
Complimentary Drinks
Anyway, onwards and upwards to the Diggle round held over the second weekend of June and the match structure changes. Gone were the 800 yard stages to be replaced by two more 1000 yarders making four in all over the weekend, all 2+20s bar Match 3 which was 2+15. Four details each of 14 shooters were planned and unlike all previous rounds everybody would shoot both his or her days matches in a single session and the changeover with the butts crew would take place only after half of the entrants had finished the days shooting. Two F/TR details got the Saturday morning on the firing-points with those squadded on Detail 1 shooting Match 1 first, having a 40 minute or so break while their fellows on Detail 2 shot it, then straight back into the firing line for Match 2. After a brief physical needs break, those two details then went into the butts and the Open competitors walked back to the 1000yd firing points to repeat the pattern.
Big Steve, a new vocation as the Diggle F-TR Tea Lady
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June 2012
Diggle Ranges
Global Warming Strikes Again!

Well, that was the plan but this is Diggle - where standard advice to first-timers is to take full badweather gear and sun-block! June should be the most salubrious time of the year, so wed maybe be OK weather-wise too fat chance! Do you remember those early Global Warming forecasts that said we should be well on the way to getting Southern Frances climate in England by now, assuming the predicted 5, or was it 10, metres sea-level rises hadnt drowned us first? I never heard a prediction for the upland Pennines new climate but, if Kent was to grow peaches and take over from Frances Champagne region to grow the grapes used in the worlds most famous fizzy drink as confidently forecast, even Diggle should have moved onto something reasonable by the second decade in the 21st century say approximating to Lerwicks or Stornoways weather. Instead, we got 5 or 6-degree C temperatures (around 40F for those who still think in this scale) a cold 20 mph wind and vertical sheets of heavy drizzle that literally walked up the range in the strong wind after the Saturday morning range briefing, signingin and squadding. With the wind and rain coming in from 5 oclock, they were guaranteed to produce wet ammunition and rifle chambers, so contingency plans
Sunday would be run the same way, only reversed with the two entirely Open details shooting their matches first and the F/TR group now shot in the afternoon. The benefits were a reduction in time spent in humping gear between the 800 and 1000yd firing points and an even greater time saving through only having one butts changeover per day instead of the three or four in previous Diggle rounds. Once shooters got their mind around the system, I think it was seen as a big improvement. A downside was that people now spent a very long time in the butts and steps were taken to make this less onerous in the form of portable gas stoves, kettles and copious quantities of paper cups, coffee and teabags for a continuous supply of complimentary hot drinks. With 25 or 26 people in the butts and seven targets to be manned, it was quite possible to have two details there too - one off-duty and resting/eating/drinking. Naturally, some wits wanted to know whod snaffled the free biscuits, and when were the dancing girls arriving!
34
were made to shoot a single 20-round match off the concrete benches in the 1000yd covered benchrest firing point... but only if the problem of mist was resolved.
Diggle Ranges
June 2012
There must be a suitable collective noun for F/TR shooters a herd?, a scrum?, or perhaps given their means of supporting the rifle, a pod? (Boom! Boom!)
Low clouds were right down on the range sometimes obscuring the targets and permanently hiding the danger area above the butts that has to be clearly visible to shoot safely. While tantalisingly lifting a bit every now and then, the clouds were in no hurry to disperse and the days shooting was finally cancelled in early afternoon. Very frustrating! Actually, its not quite true that there was no shooting. Diggles lower level 100 yard benchrest range with its covered firing point saw brisk business all afternoon with competitors checking their zero. I reckon many just wanted get outdoors and hear their rifles go bang, a not unattractive alternative to being stuck in the rangehouse all day.
points. Lets mention our competitors, a capacity entry split 31 Open shooters to 22 F/TR - the largest Open bias in many a League round. As is often the case in early morning light to nil wind conditions at Diggle, appearances were deceptive, or the initial condition wont last for the time it takes to get through a relay. I was hidden away doing Butts Officer duty while the two main Open details were shooting, so couldnt see what the flags were saying during the morning. Nevertheless, you get a good idea of conditions by looking along the line of targets and watching trends develop. Match 1, Detail 1 started off in great style with bulls and Vs up and down the line. Elevations soon started to wander on some frames however, giving leakers into the four. Then, a series of left wind kicks saw points lost out at the 3 oclock position, occasionally
Summer Arrives
Sunday was a complete contrast with good visibility, a high and thin cloud layer that gradually broke up to let the sun through, afternoon temperatures hitting the high teens. Moreover, the day started out apparently windless, despite the Met Office having forecast singlefigure mph sou westerlies. Competitors were shooed out to the 1000yd firing point (Open) and butts (F/TR) immediately after 08.00 and Match 3 was extended to 2+20 to give a total of 40 shots for a possible 200.40v
Altcar 101 RC members
even into the three, sometimes on five or six of the seven frames simultaneously. Then ... before the Match 1 was done, a complete direction change set in with light breezes coming up the range from 5 oclock needing small, but variable amounts of right windage on scopes. Such uncertainties in the wind never make for easy shooting and while Match 1 scores were good, GBFCA
35

June 2012
Diggle Ranges
League records were in no danger. Paul Geelmuyden took the stage medal on 93.8v .... one of eight on that score but winning on V-count, ahead of Paul Sandie, Gary Costello and Michael Meyer all with six; Lee Tomlinson and David Kent on five. With around half the field having broken 90 and therefore only covered by a 3-point spread, the result was still wide open with Match 2 offering a chance to snatch the Class and overall win. It not only produced improved scores in a now slightly stronger but more consistent right wind but a wider differential at the top of the class. David Kent read the conditions better than anybody else for an excellent 98.8v, Ian Boxall a couple of points behind with same V-count. Hjorleifur Hilmarsson from Iceland, in his first ever F Class match, shot an excellent 95.9v for third beating off Lee Tomlinson and local man John Campbell on V-count. Since none of the remaining Open types who were to shoot with the F/TR contingent later in the day were to equal or better these scores, the Open match win went to David Kent on 191.13v, a nice gap of three points ahead of the very consistent Lee Tomlinsons 188.11v. John Campbell and Grant Taylor both produced 187 aggregates, John getting the final podium place with eleven Vs to Grants nine.
displaying just enough variability to make things difficult. Despite the very different conditions from those experienced by the Open boys in their first match, we again had a large number getting the same score and, not as good as first expected either, six competitors shooting 87s in the first match. Jason Scrivens took the medal with his five Vs ahead of Russell Simmonds and Steve Donaldson on four and three respectively. Bill McIntyre and Adam Bagnall tied on two Vs and Paul Crosbie down from East Lothian had one. Paul Harkins, another of the large group from Altcars 101 RC, was a single point behind on 86.2v then there was bit of a gap to Steve Rigby and the remainder of the field. Usually top performers, Stuart Anselm and John Cross had disappointing results, both on 79s, bad news with only two matches in this round. Me? No, you really dont want to know. Then, it was finally onto the last two details for the last match of the day in mid afternoon. Ominous looking storm clouds were building above the far end of the range but the wind quite quickly dropped away to a near calm and what movement there was looked fairly steady. Russell Simmonds stormed through his 20 shots while conditions held to score a fantastic 99.7v, a new GB F/ TR 1,000yd record, taking the overall F/TR class win too by a couple of points and massive V-count margin. Paul Harkins was only just behind in the match on 98.2v, also getting 2nd overall F/TR, and Paul Crosbies 93.6v was good enough for third F/TR and 18 league points on aggregate. The heavy bullet shooters generally didnt do as well as the 155gn users in these conditions, confirming the suspicions of many that while they hold wind changes well, they just cant group as tightly as a good 155, especially the 155.5gn Berger. So that was it for the weekend... a curates egg of a League round - being very, very good in parts, stinking bad in others, all down to the weather and not poor Les Holgates organisation. Cynics me? Never! might say thats just like the British summer despite the absolutely, yes absolutely certain, irrefutable even, fact that were enjoying a warming climate!
World Record
The F/TR mob plus a few remaining Open competitors were let loose shortly after midday, suffering serious caffeine highs from the free tea and coffee dished up by that man of the people, Steve Donaldson, whod discovered a new vocation tea lady! Incidentally, there must be a suitable collective noun for F/TR shooters a herd?, a scrum?, or perhaps given their means of supporting the rifle, a pod? (Boom! Boom!) Quite out of keeping with F/TR shooters usual fortunes, the weather continued to brighten and warm up. In fact, conditions were now near perfect with crystal clear air, no mirage and light 5 oclock winds
36

Left to right - 1st place F/TR class Russell Simmonds and 1st place Open class David Kent
Diggle Ranges
June 2012
37

June 2012
Diggle Ranges
Results: (HPS=200.40v) F Class - F/TR 1. Russell Simmonds 186.11v 2. Paul Harkins 184.4v 3. Paul Crosbie 180.7v 4. Adam Bagnall 179.6v 5. Ross Opperman 177.7v
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Diggle Ranges
June 2012
Results: (HPS=200.40v) F Class - Open 1. David Kent 2. Lee Tomlinson 3. John Campbell 4. Grant Taylor 5. Paul Geelmuyden
191.13v 188.11v 187.11v 187.9v 186.14v

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This SMALLBORE Business
This Smallbore Business

by Don Brooke
More work on shading the aim
Interesting stuff this, would you say? In the previous articles where I mentioned to learn to shade the aim right around the clock face, I have had a few inquiries about why this is necessary. In fact I had one guy doubt that any wind would cause very low shots. There lies a closed mind!
The illustrations for this article gives to you yet another clock face where wind from any of the clock face directions produces the shot result indicated, sometimes within the ten ring, and sometimes outside of the ten, leading to points loss. (See fig 1 on page 43)
42
I take no credit for this diagram, as I first saw it in a great little book written by William (Bill) Krilling who was at the time the techniques coach of the United States Advanced Army Marksmanship Unit at Fort Benning in Georgia. Bill Krilling and I go back a very long way, as I had to contact Krilling when I ran out of coaches in Australia. We burned a lot of paper over the couple of years before the Munich Olympics and I finally met him when I was selected for that Australian team. On my home range in Newcastle, NSW, that diagram came in very handy and really was the fore runner of my aiming skills and why I recommend that you teach yourself to aim at any point you choose. The range at my home club is built in a quite deep quarry and is subject to laminar flow wind conditions over the entire range. The wind often comes from over the top of the shooting bays, or from around the safety fences, and has a tendency to swirl around the inner confines of the range out there. I desperately needed to know how to read that range, and I even took the method of placing smoke pots in strategic places just so I could see what was going on. Boy, did I learn! I taught myself to aim around the clock face with a high degree of precision. My skills levels on that range increased dramatically once I understood what happened out there when the wind came from the various directions it was capable of. I have a really good Mate in Australia in David Hollister, himself an Olympian and adept at shading the aim as well. He came to me during a prone match being fired, puzzled that his shading techniques were not adding up. I just smiled and went on to shoot a 598 which blitzed the field by a stack of points. David and I then discussed his shading techniques and when I told him I was consistently aiming my shots at 2 oclock and 8 oclock as a wind combat method on this range he was more than surprised. I related the smoke pot experiment for him and we went back down when everything was finished that afternoon.

With both of us watching the wind flags, David soon got hold of the aiming techniques, as I knew he would. This guy can shoot a bit! History has it that the very next time we met on that range, it was his 598 that won! Funny how the good guys learn! Range topography and the buildings constructed on the range all affect the wind flow factors across it. Wind and weather are a fact of life for a small bore
This is the most helpful diagram in the study of wind effects. I have based all my own wind reading knowledge on this remarkable illustration and have found it to be extremely accurate. If this diagram is used in concert with the plane of wind effect and, the value clock (fig.3) you will accumulate a better understanding
shooter, as I reiterate that wind reading is incredibly important to a small bore shooter. I have stated prior to this that the wind effect for small bore is probably the most difficult for any form of precision shooting. That 44 grain projectile is influenced sometimes drastically somewhere between the muzzle and the target face...
43

It will also affect a Free Pistol shooter, as I have noticed the similarity of results when the pistol shooters are training with the small bore shooters. The groups are bigger with a Free Pistol but the shot loss when a mistake is made is so similar it is not funny. I saw evidence of this in Thun Switzerland once, when our guys lost shots in exactly the same place as the rifle guys! I told the pistol boys about this, but...
accurate once more, it is not funny! Be aware that as the wind velocity increases, so the size of the stylised S increases, until you eventually lose the shot. As I said, this helped me a lot when I was learning to shade the aim and why I thought I had to go round the clock as a form of combat with wind conditions. What a fascinating study... Just another tool in my tool box of stuff and methods I have learned. Study this diagram intently, follow the effects, and learn to read the wind so accurately. I did, and so can you! This method also applies to full bore shooters right back past 1000 yards and is quite obvious that the plane of wind effect is quite often much different than just from 9 to 3 across the target as so many long range shooters project and how I illustrated in last months article. Remember I mentioned the wide flat range of Connaught in Canada? Well that, my friends is a classic example! I have only shot on Connaught once, and that range reads as true as the bible! In this day and age, where the rifles and equipment are so state of the art stuff, why are not the groups round instead of flat across the bull? You hear it every day (quote) You should have seen my elevation in that shoot, beautiful and flat - right across the ten ring. Well, I am more impressed with a group that is round and can be covered, in the case of full-bore, with a 50 cent piece! Some of the full-bore rifles these days do shoot incredible groups. I once won a match in Australia at 600 yards with a 50.10 that would fit in a tea cup and would you believe that the main direction of the shot placement in this tight group was still 10 to 4? Think on that for a bit..and study the group that I have illustrated in (fig 2.) which is a reproduction of that same 50.10. See what I mean? Look at the formation of the group, as an example of the plane of wind effect, even if it was ten Vee bulls... Now in (figure 3) attached to this article, there is yet another clock to study. This is a wind value clock and shows the relative values of the wind direction according to displacement of the shot from the centre of the target.
Even with a group measuring 50.10 at 600 yards in full-bore, you can still see the plane of wind effect existent. This group was fired at an open prize meeting in NSW in a half-value wind from 10 oclock. During the shoot, I did not move the rear sight at all, just trusting that I could hold the X ring.
So have a look at the diagram (fig1) which explains the direction of the wind and the results the USAAMU found in their experiments. The effects illustrated are results of the wind within the 50m ten ring. It forms a stylised S if you like, according to the strength and I have found this so
44
Starting from 12 oclock (in yellow), winds from this direction are called nil value winds or those that displace the shot laterally the least amount. They do however displace the shot affected vertically somewhat as discussed in Krillings diagram above. Then going to the 9 to 3 direction across the range (in red), are the winds that displace the shot the furthest laterally and these are obviously full value winds. Full value winds can be seriously dangerous and you can very often get extremely wide results on your target if you get one away in a strong gust, or increase, across the range. Remember the incident were my neighbour had one land on my plate discussed early in this series? Well, that was one mother of a full value wind! A full house howling gale of about 60 mph! I also saw a small-bore shooter get one away in extremely strong fishtailing wind. He had a handful of adjustment on the sight to combat a heavy wind from the left. He let one rip when the wind was suddenly of equal strength from the right and, combined with the wind alteration he had on the rear sight to combat the wind from the left, he finished with a 2 on his smallbore target! That one hurt... Finally, with the other colour on the target (in blue) we see the half value winds. These are equally as dangerous as the full value stuff but not in terms of the really wide results as they are known as winds that move approximately half the distance displaced. The big problem here is the actual area they cover over the entire range, plus the elevation effects. Half value winds are the ones that are fired into the most on a small bore range, as you often see them blowing from the blue direction indicated. If you link the Krilling diagram (fig 1) with (fig 3) you can easily see why they are dangerous, just by the fact there is more area covered. Note the shot displacement value relative to elevation on the target in the Krilling diagram. This was why I put the smoke pots out on my home range, as I really did need to see the effects, just so I could learn where to aim my shots. It is also the reason I get frustrated when I see shooters training on a small-
A diagram of the wind effects on a small-bore range. The nil value winds from 12 and 6 have more effect on elevation than laterally. The full value winds affect the displacement the most, whilst the half value winds approximately half the value. Obviously I regard these as the more dangerous winds simply because there are more of them! This diagram is easy to read if used in conjunction with the Krilling method promoted by the USAAMU (fig 1)
bore range without wind flags in view. How the hell can you tell if it was you, or the wind out there if you suddenly find a rough shot on your target? To shoot without flags up is just plain laziness...
There will be more in this series next month where we learn to aim off (larger distances) as opposed to shading the aim. Just remember... A faint heart never won a fair fight. It just takes a bit of guts to try it!
Brooksie.
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THE HANDLOADING BENCH

POWDER UPDATE Part 1 by Laurie Holland
THE HANDLOADING BENCH POWDER UP-DATE
Part 1 by Laurie Holland
46

POWDER UPDATE - Pt 1 by Laurie Holland
THE HANDLOADING BENCH: POWDER UPDATE

Part 1 by Laurie Holland
The 1500 scales unit which can I plan to spend an issue or three on propellant developments, notablybe removed from the dispenser. recent budget TR140 and Elcho 17 introductions; look at longestablished Vihtavuori N150, which I increasingly see as a powder for all seasons; cover a not too well known but comprehensive range of European manufactured powders that has just received a couple of potentially useful additions. The last mentioned has actually been around for many years but, recent name and nomenclature changes havent helped increase what was already a rather low profile.
We have more powders available to us than we can shake a stick at. Just some of those suitable for .308 Winchester.
47

Before we do any of that though, what is new in the marketplace and perhaps equally pertinent, do we actually need any new powders? We have a choice that would have astonished previous generations of handloaders, especially for propellants used in the midsized, thermally efficient numbers that fall between .223 Rem and .30-06. Manufacturers and those who package and distribute handloading powders (not the same people in many cases) usually manage to introduce two or three new lines each year nowadays such is the pace of development but, we rarely if ever, lose any older products. So the total number on the market inexorably rises. An important driver behind an introduction is to generate customer interest and sales, of course. For some reason, this applies more to powders than to bullets, despite the latter usually being more important to precision (group size) and whose downrange performance characteristics are vital both to the field shooter (expansion/terminal ballistics) and the mid to long-range target shooter (retained velocity/BC/ holding elevation on the target/reducing wind drift). I often reckon powders are todays nearest equivalent to the Philosophers Stone, purchasers hoping to turn the base metal of an indifferent barrel allied to mediocre bullets into the gold of a tack-driving combination; or magically produce an extra 100 fps MV without spoiling groups or reducing barrel life. Sadly, the laws of thermodynamics invariably apply, so ballistic gains are paid for in some way or other. Nevertheless, whenever a new powder appears, the shooting forums see steady business in new threads asking if it works in such and such a cartridge, even when the latter already has several well-known foolproof recipes. A good example is IMR-8208 XBR which has generated great interest, even excitement, on many accuracy orientated forums. Its a recent Hodgdon introduction, our American cousins getting supplies about three years ago, limited quantities reaching the UK in early 2011 and probably only now fully available here. 8208 is classed as a fine-grained fast burner with similar properties to Hodgdons existing H322 and Benchmark products, made by the same people in fact Thales/ ADI in Australia. Its history is interesting, the original 8208 being a DuPont Corporation stick powder used in some early American manufactured 5.56mm military ammunition and found to be ideally suited to the 6PPC with 6568gn bullets in bench rest competition. When surplus supplies dried up, Hodgdon was persuaded to source a modern substitute and the BR competition link has been heavily promoted. Some burning-rate charts show it as being similar to the benchresters favourite, Viht N133, in this respect at least. In practice, it turns
New IMR-8208 XBR, a fine-grained single-base stick powder for small to medium cartridges and allegedly totally unaffected by temperature changes.
48
out to be closer to H4895 than H322/N133 and a compressed 6PPC load doesnt deliver the velocities and pressures/groups that the benchresters expected. Instead, shooters are trying it in 223 Rem, 308 Win, 6mm BR and similar applications. While very good results are reported in the .308 with 155-175gn bullets, this and the others mentioned are hardly cartridges that suffer from a dearth of existing propellants that give top performance. But .... 8208 has one characteristic, a unique selling point if you like, that may be very important to some shooters as well as being useful in specialised military sniper loadings a claimed total indifference to temperature changes, even better that that of the existing benchmark Hodgdon VarGet. Heres what Hodgdon says about its powder. IMR 8208 XBR The latest in the versatile IMR line of fine propellants, this accurate metering, super short grained extruded rifle powder was designed expressly for match, varmint, and AR sniper cartridges. Ideally suited for cartridges like the 223 Remington/5.56mm, 308 Winchester/7.62mm NATO and the 6mm PPC, shooters will find IMR 8208 XBR totally insensitive to changes in temperature, while yielding max velocities and tack driving accuracy. Clearly, the competitors choice and the Varmint Hunters dream powder.

Just for ARs?

Yet newer than 8208, we have AR-Comp from Alliant and CFE223 from Hodgdon. Here are the formers characteristics from the Alliant ATK website: Developed specifically for the AR-15 style rifles Ideal for heavy 223 and 308 match bullets Consistent pressures and velocities across temperature extremes Suitable for all semi-auto rifles Made in Sweden for Alliant Powder Lot to Lot consistency
The three powders tried in the tests.
Note the reference again to consistency across temperature extremes. In fact, tests involving the powder in 223 Rem with 77gn bullets and 308 Win with 175s claim the maximum MV variation was only 20 fps across an ambient temperature range of -20 to 160F.
Alliants new AR-Comp its unlikely well see it here.
49

Components for side by side N/TR140 tests in .223 Rem.
50
The other driver for its introduction into the US market is almost certainly the recent boom in the sales and use of cloned AR semi-auto rifles employing direct impingement gas operating systems. It turns out that AR-Comp starts as well established Bofors manufactured double-base Reloder 15 that then undergoes treatment to make it less temperature sensitive and this alters its basic performance slightly making it a little faster burning.

A fair few shooters are unhappy with this similar to... description when its their faces that might get hit by the rifle bolt...
It falls between Hodgdon VarGet and existing Rel 15 in this respect, so should be ideal for a large number of cartridges, bullet weights and applications. I found Rel 15 the ultimate powder for 90gn VLDs in 223 Rem giving me over 2900 fps, small spreads and tiny groups. But ... as soon as temperatures got into the 70s, pressures rose and there was a risk of pierced primers. AR-Comp looks a great substitute but I doubt if well see it here. Unlike Hodgdon Powder which undertakes European CE certification for its entire range, Alliant ATK is much more selective, and will likely feel that European sales opportunities wont justify the work and expense given that the propellants use is seen as heavily skewed towards US semi-auto rifle cartridges. If so, thatll be a shame as Re15 has a lot going for it small grain formulation which meters well; highenergy; high density that offers larger charge weights in capacity constrained cases; proven performance with heavy, long-range bullets in many small to midsized cartridges so an improved temperature tolerant version would be very valuable.
Hodgdons 2012 Annual Manual features the companys new CFE223 ball powder on the cover that stops copper fouling in its tracks.
Copper Eraser
CFE223 is another recently introduced powder but were now back with Hodgdon. Its a doublebase ball, or Spherical in Hodgdon-speak, type so meters well, provides a high loading density and a lot of energy in small to mid-size case cartridge designs. In burning rate terms, its considerably slower than IMR-8208 XBR and a little more so than AR-Comp being somewhere between Viht N140/VarGet/Rel 15 and Viht N150/the 4350s/Rel 17. Its listed alongside Hodgdons existing BL-C(2) spherical product and is also presumably sourced from the same manufacturer,
51

the St. Marks Powder Co. in Florida. This is the former Olin Corp/Winchester plant that still supplies nearly all of the propellants loaded into US military smallarms ammunition. It was introduced to American handloaders last year, although supplies werent shipped to retailers until this January, and weve yet to see it in the UK. Its unique selling point is the inclusion of a CFE or copper fouling eraser in its chemical formulation. The word erase is slightly misleading, as my understanding is that it doesnt work by erasing or wiping out any copper fouling already deposited in the bore, rather stops it being laid down in the first place. There is something in the powder that puts a protective coating onto the bore surface and seals the micro-pores and toolmarks that rub the tiny amounts of copper off bullets as they travel down the barrel and which builds up as fouling to the detriment of accuracy, and can even increase pressures substantially in extreme cases. As such, CFE223 is proving to be particularly effective in barrels that foul quickly and badly. The benefits are enhanced rifle performance over a larger number of shots and noticeably less effort needed after shooting to return to a clean copper-free condition. Its also ideal for applications that involve rapid fire producing high barrel temperatures. Rough mass-produced barrels allied to rapid fire/heat suggests military use and this is what the powder was designed for, but its a potential boon for anybody with a rough barrel. This applies too to American prairie dog hunters whose shooting is often fast and furious in high ambient temperatures. Again, looking at Hodgdons marketing material, the AR-15 link is visible as with AR-Comp. Interestingly, its first, and very successful, civilian shooting application had little or nothing to do with ARs or similar rifles. The bulk commercial version of CFE 223 has been used
by Hornady in its 204 Ruger factory ammunition since the cartridges inception and was a key element in producing very high velocities with light bullets in this sub-calibre design without incurring serious barrel fouling. Those interested in the history of small calibre, highvelocity cartridges will know that such problems
Alliant Reloder 17 that can give large increases in velocities and reductions in barrel accuracy life.
badly afflicted the 220 Swift and more recently the 17 Remington, doing a great deal of damage to their reputations and sales. Unsurprisingly, the 204 Ruger is one of the cartridges specifically recommended in Hodgdons information and marketing blurb as being an ideal recipient for the powder, likewise 17 Rem, 223 Rem, 22-250 Rem, and 308 Win are specially recommended recipients, although loading data have been provided for a total of 27 cartridges to date.
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If youre one of the many handloaders who like ball powders, this may be the one for you in a large range of small to medium size cartridges including 243 Win, 260 Rem, 6.5X47L, 6.5mm Hornady Creedmoor and 7mm-08 Rem and similar in addition to those mentioned. It must be a no-brainer try-out number too for anybody shooting the various 17 and 20 calibre cartridges.

N140 and TR140 kernels on millimetre graph paper.
Being a ball powder - which can mean dirty burning and, as with all such propellants is double-base (nitro glycerine in the mix with the nitrocellulose), successful use in long-range precision match shooting is more debatable but who knows? Manufacturers sample loads data for 223 Rem and 308 Win are provided in Table 1.
also links into the final powder introduction of note in recent years. After the widespread adoption of double-base powders in F and similar three or so seasons ago, all about getting very high velocities, there has been a marked return to single-base types. The reason is simply one of reduced barrel life as I hinted earlier, there are no free lunches in this game. If you get another 50 or 100 fps, never mind 150, out of a particular bullet in a particular barrel at the extreme top end performance
Unique Formulation
Reference to double-base powders for very long-range shooting brings up an interesting trend on the UK F-Class/F-TR scene and other similar disciplines and
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margin, youll almost certainly see the chamber throat erode faster and ultimately fail at a significantly lower round-count. So, there are a lot fewer F/TR shooters loading 155s above Viht N540 and 175-200s above N550 in their 308s than there were a couple of seasons back. Most Open competitors use slow burning single-base powders, H4831, Viht N165 and suchlike, in their high performance sevens. Thats despite the introduction of a double-base type promoted heavily to short magnum users it even says
so on the tin. I refer to Alliant Reloader 17, a uniquely formulated Swiss (Nitro-Chemie AG) manufactured powder in the 4350 burn-rate class. It was introduced to American handloaders sometime around 2007 and caused great excitement thanks to some impressive MV improvements in various mid-size cartridges. German Salazar and Robert Whitley reported on results in the Tubb 6XC, 6.5-284 and straight 284 in the Accurate Shooter online Daily Bulletin with some staggering increases allied to excellent accuracy. For instance, Germans 6XC MVs for 107gn Sierra MKs
The 100 year old 7.5X55mm Swiss in a range of guises. The ball versions on left use the powder marketed as Reloder 17 in handloaders canister form.
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How does 55/kilo (c. 25/lb) sound?

rose from 3,038 fps over H4831sc to 3,311 with Rel 17 and 115s from the 2,980-3,000 fps mark with H4350/4831sc to 3,211 fps without over-pressure signs. Robert Whitley confirmed this in his use of the 6XC and also got an extra 150 fps out of Berger 180s in the 284 Win, hitting a full 3000 fps. Velocities arent increased nearly as much in the 6.5284 however and thats a pointer as to how some of the improvement is obtained through the use
The 100 year old 7.5X55mm Swiss in a range of guises. The ball versions on left use the powder marketed as Reloder 17 in handloaders canister form.
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.223R Savage 12 LRPV on the bench being cleaned between powder testing sessions.
of a denser, smaller-grained powder that allows a larger charge weight to be squeezed into a spaceconstrained case. The 6.5-284 has loads of room even for conventional single-base stick propellants; the XC and short magnums are on their uppers capacity-wise with many powders. The other and revolutionary difference is that conventional non-combustible deterrent chemicals that slow the initial burning of the powder kernel down are surface coated onto nearly all powders, while Nitro-Chemie has developed a process that sees a different variety mixed throughout the nitro-cellulose material and flattens the power curve. One might imagine that this is a recent wonderbreakthrough but I understand that it was developed for RUAG manufactured GP11 7.5X55mm cartridges supplied to the Swiss government and, since the 5.5mm SturmGewehr 90 replaced the old 7.5mm StG57 around 20 years ago in Swiss frontline service, that doesnt suggest this powder is exactly new. Alliant promised a whole new family of rifle powders using this technology in various grades/burning rates but Rel 17 still lacks siblings some three to four years after its commercial launch in the handloading market.
.308W Barnard / Eliseo tubegun on the bench with CED Millennium chronograph.
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My experience is very limited with this powder, almost entirely to 308 Win with heavy bullets, I tried it with mid-weight (185-200gn) numbers and got fantastic MVs in standard large-primer Lapua or Norma brass but with very unimpressive groups. This is not uncommon it seems, in other cartridges too, where the powder isnt 100% suited to the application. Put it under 210-215gn bullets in 308 Win in the Lapua Palma (small-primer) case and its a different matter: high MVs, reasonable spreads and groups better than Viht N550 in my opinion in this rather specialised application. I tried it with 90s in 223 Rem no great luck there, although the MVs were again good. Note that were talking very long throated chambers in such heavy bullet applications in both cartridges. Things have gone rather quiet about this powder in forums, partly because the novelty has worn off, partly because others have had similar results to my less successful ventures. The other reason is that its quickly acquired a reputation as a barrel burner. Well, it will do if you push 180s from a 284 Win at WSM velocities, or 115s out of the 6XC at over 3,200 fps! Now, remember this is a propellant used over many years in many trillions of Swiss military rifle cartridges and still used in that countrys 7.5mm belt-fed machine-guns. My impression of Swiss government officials is that they make the average Highland Scot look like a spendthrift when it comes to spending money needlessly, so I dont buy the idea that Rel 17 is inherently linked to short barrel life. Keep pressures / velocities sensible and barrel life is probably similar to that of any other double base powder, possibly much better thanks to the throughout the material deterrent formulation. For information, the Swiss rate the 7.5X55mm at around 45,500 psi PMax but use 150% proof pressures; the ECs CIP agency rates it at 38,000 bar/55,114 psi using the Piezo crystal measuring system, so around 6000 psi below .308 Win and 3000 psi below 7.62X51mm NATO. Despite these low pressures, this 100 year old 308 Win lookalike is an impressive performer giving a 174gn FMJBT bullet 2560 fps MV from 600mm barrels in its modern military loading.

Elcho/Reloder 17 are identical.
Long-range shooters are returning to single-base powders such as N140 and N150 having found that high-energy double-base types like N550 reduce barrel life if their performance is fully used.
Coming soon a report on Czech Explosia Lovex propellants, formerly marketed here under the Accurate name. SO62 is similar to the famous IMR-4064 and SO65 is a new single-base stick type that is claimed to give very similar performance to Hodgdon VarGet. 57

So far as many short magnum sporting users are concerned, Rel 17 is probably the finest thing since sliced bread was introduced: reasonable rather than one-hole groups good enough; barrel life not an issue given small annual ammunition expenditure; MVs 100 fps up on any other powder on the market. What more could you want? Ill try the powder in 6XC with 105/107 and 115gn bullets at MVs rather lower than those quoted above before next winters 600 yard bench rest season starts and see how it performs compared to H4350 and Viht N550 which Ive used until now. Heres how Alliant ATKL summarises its characteristics: Designed for short magnum case capacity Similar burn speed to IMR 4350 Meters easily and consistently Consistent maximum velocity in extreme weather conditions
A fair few shooters are unhappy with this similar to... description when its their faces that might get hit by the rifle bolt if it turns out to be faster burning and a lot of shooters alright, alright, three or four asked me to do a side by side test. I loaded up 15 rounds each of 223 Rem with 77gn Berger BTs with the two powders and 308 Win likewise with a stiff load under 155gn HPBT Sierra Matchings, the original p/n 2155 type chronographing them over a CED Millennium M2. Powders aside, everything was identical, components and charges used; the cases were from the same batches with the same number of loading and firing cycles under their belts; were loaded together using the same scales and tools; tested in the same range session starting with a clean barrel in each case. The 223 rounds were tried in my Savage 12 LRPV affordable F/TR rifle with its 26 1-7.5 twist Bartlein barrel; the 308 rounds in my Barnard F/TR rifle with a 32 1-10 twist True-Flite. Note that both rifles have VERY long-throated chambers (for 90 and 210gn bullets respectively) and the charge weights used may well be excessive with standard chamber forms. Group sizes were similar (good throughout) and going by the MVs produced, Im satisfied that in these two cartridges at any rate TR140 and N140 perform similarly, are very close in fact. This doesnt guarantee that theyll perform nearly identically in other applications of course but, using TR140 with Vihtavuoris maximum loads for N140 reduced by 10% to give a starting load value should be reasonably safe in normal applications. The loads and MVs are shown in Table 2.
Bargain Hunters Queue Here

Ill finish this months powder update with two budget propellants, TR 140 and Elcho 17 provided by Nigel Cole-Hawkins of the North London Rifle Club who trades as Commonside Firearms, Surrey RFD No. 591. Im told hes based on Bisley Camp, so you should find them for sale somewhere in the vicinity if youre shooting at the NSC. For those of us located further north, the Dolphin Gun Company in Louth, Lincs stocks them as does Brian Fox (Fox Firearms) in his shop on Diggle Ranges. Budget? How does 55/kilo (c. 25/lb) sound? So what are they? Theyre both manufactured in Switzerland, and Elcho (after the annual Match Rifle teams match held at Bisley) is the double-base Alliant Reloader 17 Ive just been rambling on about simply no change, so just use Alliants data. TR140 is described as being a short-cut single-base propellant similar to Viht N140 and suggesting that the latters loads data are used as starting points.
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Next month: changes in global powder

manufacturers ownership and practices and how that might affect us as small volume niche customers; Vihtavuori N150 profile and uses. See comments in the text re chamber throats. These loads may not be safe in other, shorter-throated rifles. The long throats in the test rifles also depress MVs substantially. ES = extreme velocity spread; SD = Standard Deviation.

Table 1 - AR-Comp, CFE223, and IMR-8208 XBR Sample Loads Data
223 Remington Bullet 55gn SMK 53gn SMK 53gn SMK 69gn SMK 69gn SMK 69gn SMK 80gn SMK 80gn SMK 80gn SMK 90gn SMK 90gn SMK 90gn SMK 308 Winchester 155gn SMK 155gn SMK 155gn SMK 168gn SMK 168gn SMK 168gn SMK 175gn SMK 175gn SMK 175gn SMK 180gn SMK 180gn SPR SP Powder AR-Comp CFE 223 8208 XBR AR-Comp CFE 223 8208 XBR AR-Comp CFE 223 8208 XBR AR-Comp CFE 223 8208 XBR AR-Comp CFE 223 8208 XBR AR-Comp CFE 223 8208 XBR AR-Comp CFE 223 8208 XBR AR-Comp CFE 223 Max Charge Weight 23.2gn 28.5gn 25.4gn 23.2gn 25.8gn 23.8gn 22.7gn 24.4gn 21.0gn 21.6gn 22.8gn 19.6gn 43.2gn 51.0gn 45.3gn 42.2gn 49.0gn 43.3gn 41.4gn 47.5gn 42.5gn 40.5gn 45.1gn MV 3,310 fps 3,415 fps 3,310 fps 2,969 fps 3,029 fps 2,959 fps 2,726 fps 2,785 fps 2,628 fps 2,530 fps 2,554 fps 2,419 fps 2,920 fps 2,966 fps 2,854 fps 2,782 fps 2,828 fps 2,707 fps 2,719 fps 2,752 fps 2,664 fps 2,657 fps 2,615 fps COAL 2.24 2.20 2,20 2.26 2.235 2.235 2.55 2.55 2.55 2.55 2.38 2.38 2.775 2.775 2.775 2.800 2.800 2.800 2.800 2.800 2.800 2.800 2.800 Case Fed Win Win Win Win Win Fed Win Win Fed Win Win Fed Win Win Fed Win Win Fed Win Win Fed Win Primer F205M Win SR Win SR F205M Win SR Win SR F205M Win SR Win SR F205M Win SR Win SR F210 F210M F210M F210 F210M F210M F210 F210M F210M F210 F210M
Sources: manufacturers data. SMK = Sierra MatchKing; SPR SP = Speer Pointed Soft Point. NB Maximum loads quoted. See manufacturers printed or online data sources for recommended starting loads. 24 length test barrels used quoted in both cartridges and all loads. Table 2 - Viht N140 v TR140 Tests in 223 Rem and 308 Win
223 Rem (Lapua brass; CCI-450 primer; 77gn Berger HPBT) 3-round batches Charge Wt (gn) 23.4gn 23.7gn 24.0gn 24.3gn 24.5gn 46.9gn 47.2gn 47.5gn N140 MV 2,596 fps 2,633 2,699 fps 2,720 fps 2,741 fps 2,843 fps 2,877 fps 2,892 fps N140 ES n/a 38 fps 41 fps 41 fps 52 fps 61 fps 17 fps 14 fps N140 SD n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 21 fps 7 fps 6 fps TR140 MV 2,587 fps 2,627 fps n/r 2,713 fps 2,750 fps 2,871 fps 2,898 fps 2,908 fps TR140 ES 31 n/a n/a 39 fps 29 fps 14 fps 18 fps 16 fps TR140 SD n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 4 fps 6 fps 5 fps
308 Win (Norma brass; CCI-200 primer; 155gn Sierra MK #2155) 5-round batches
See comments in the text re chamber throats. These loads may not be safe in other, shorter-throated rifles. The long throats in the test rifles also depress MVs substantially. ES = extreme velocity spread; SD = Standard
Deviation.
Testing at Diggle in March 2012 cool conditions.
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Historic Velo Dog Arms The 5.5mm
by Mike Davenport FCA
Historic Arms
The 5.5mm Velo Dog

Dad, what is a Velo Dog cartridge, is it the one that Sherlock Holmes shot the Hound of the Baskervilles with? No, my long suffering father replied, That would have probably been a 44 Webley Bulldog. - which is a far more appropriate cartridge for that job, in more ways than one!
Indeed the 5.5 mm Velo Dog cartridge has roughly the same ballistics as a 22 Long Rifle cartridge. In fact, the cartridge was designed for a gun made by Galand of Paris to help cyclists ward off dogs which attacked them in the countryside!
Left, the 22LR, centre the Velo Dog and right 38 Special.
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The word velo is of course short for velocipede - the old-fashioned word for bicycle. Shooting dogs may seem an unacceptable thing to do today - certainly not PC! But, one has to remember that Louis Pasteur had only just invented an antidote for rabies a few years earlier - a disease carried by dogs which is virtually fatal and is still rampant in many parts of the world even today. I remember a builder in the early 1950s telling me that during his trip through Italy in WW2 he saw a cyclist attacked by a dog. He promptly jumped off his bike and shot the dog with a small pistol. The Velo Dog cartridge is now on the Home Office exempt list and, together with the gun, does not require an FAC. The cartridge is much longer than a 22 Long Rifle and certainly would not chamber in that gun. It is also centre-fire. In Cartridges of the World by Frank C Barnes, the CF 5.5mm Velo Dog cartridge is shown as giving a muzzle velocity of 750 fps and an ME of 55 ft.lbs. The picture top right clearly shows the difference in size between the Velo Dog gun and a Smith and Wesson M 60-3 J frame pocket revolver with a 1 7/8 inch barrel. The cartridges are a 38 Special CF , the copper jacketed 5.5mm CF for the Velo dog and a 22 Long Rifle RF. The Velo Dog is a fixed frame revolver, loaded through a flip-down loading gate and uses a rod extractor, which swings out to punch out the fired cases. It further reduces its size by having a drop down trigger and has a hammer shroud to stop it snagging when removing it from the pocket or the little bag shown on the top of the picture. The small catch on the top of the grip is a safety catch to lock the enclosed hammer. With something like a large mastiff dog, stopping power would have been a problem for the Velo Dog. Holmes would have had more success with the 44 Webley Bulldog, which gave a muzzle velocity of 460 fps and an ME of 80 ft.lbs. (See photo bottom right). Although in the book, Holmes, Watson and Inspector Lestrade all fired an initial fusillade at the dog, it was only killed when Holmes sprinted after it firing more shots.
Historic Velo Dog Arms The 5.5mm
The 44 Webley and the Irish Constabulary revolver cartridge had rather better ballistics with a muzzle velocity of 700 fps and an ME of 239 ft.lbs. These were popular revolvers at the time being double action and capable of a quicker rate of fire. It is thought that Colonel Custer had a pair and John Tunstall (Billy the Kids mentor) had one - which turned up in New Mexico recently. However, in neither case did they afford complete protection against the forces they were faced with at the time! Photographs of the Velo Dog by courtesy of Derek Bernard. Photograph of the Webley Bulldog from Wikipedia common.
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But why are we effers so obsessed with weight? The Open Class guys have a massive 22lbs or 10kg. to play with. Its almost impossible to build a rifle up to this weight without adding lead to the butt who thought that one up? The F/TR shooter on the other hand has four pounds less for his rifle and that must include the weight of the bi-pod! Some of the first commercially available F/TR bipods were quite heavy like the Sinclair and the Spanish Fito weighing in excess of two pounds. However, they set the trend for F/TR and most of us quickly realized that stability-wise they were a great improvement over the ubiquitous Harris. Unfortunately, bi-pods weighing in excess of two pounds meant that heavy scopes like the Nightforce had to go to be replaced by something much lighter. I used a Leupold 36BR for a couple of years a great scope weighing just a pound. It meant I could use my 3lb. BAT action and 30 inch heavy barrel. I did manage to build a one-pound bi-pod a sort of lighter version of the Fito but I certainly wouldnt have bothered if the Mystic Precision bi-pod had been available. Lets have a closer look at what makes it special. An ultra-light bi-pod is no use to the effer unless it is also rigid, easily adjustable and offers a stable shooting platform. The Mystic MPOD scores on all these points and I particularly like the way the rifle fore-end sits down into the bi-pod, rather than pivoting on top of it. It might look flimsy but, the Mystic is very well designed, made from aircraft quality aluminium and is very rigid. Most shooters who had a look at it were surprised how solid it felt. The one-lever QD fixing locked-up solid on my Anschutz type accessory-rail and its ski-feet tracked beautifully on a grassy firingpoint with no tendency to flex. A sling-swivel attachment, or even a Picatinny rail fixing, is an option if you dont have a slotted rail and a version to suit a three-inch wide fore-end is also available as an alternative to the standard 2.55 inch wide one which should fit most F/TR stocks. Disadvantages? To adjust the height, you must come out of the shooting position as you must with
Mystic Precision FTR MPOD from Canada

In last months Target Shooter we briefly featured two brand-new bi-pods specifically aimed at the serious F/ TR competitor.
The UK Bi-pod from Evo Leisure/Osprey rifles recently received an excellent write-up from Irish F/TR shooter Alan De Lacy on the excellent 6mmBR.com website if you missed it, heres the link. http://www.ospreyrifles. com/index.php/shop-at-osprey-rifles/evo-leisureproducts/product/view/13/183 Ordering details at www.ospreyrifles.com We also received a few e-mails about the Mystic Precision bi-pod above weighing an amazing 13 ounces, it was bound to grab the attention of F/TR shooters who always have to make compromises to make weight and, over the last couple of years, some weird and wonderful home-made ultra-light bi-pods have appeared in fact, Ive built a few myself but never as light as the Mystic Precision.
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Mystic Precision Continued...
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a Savage F/TR rifle and Fito Big-foot bi-pod. Steves verdict Great bi-pod, every bit as good as the Fito tracked well and no-problem with adjustment. Fox Firearms www.foxfirearmsuk.com are the UK importer for the MPOD and the price will be under 200. It comes as a kit of parts but assembly is simple and takes but a few minutes and an Allen key and, there is a certain satisfaction in doing it yourself. There are of course plenty of adjustable, rigid bi-pods available that will do exactly the same job as the Mystic but none weigh as little as 13 ounces and if weight is your problem then this could be the solution! Take a look at the Mystic Precision website www.mysticprecision.com
Steve Hodge puts the MPOD through its paces in a 600 yard F/TR competition.
a Harris, Sinclair etc., whereas bi-pods like the Evo/ Osprey or Censhot can easily be adjusted with one finger from the prone position. If you use a bunny-ear benchrest-type back-bag, frequent adjustment of the bi-pod height is often necessary as the feet bed into the firingpoint but, I get around this by using a softer, squashy sand-bag which easily takes care of minor height adjustments. Whilst we are on the subject of height, the Mystic has a good range of adjustment from a low of 4.5 inches (underside of fore-end to ground) to a max. of 7.75 inches which should cover most normal shooting situations but it is possible to order longer legs. In addition to F Class, I really liked the Mystic on my tactical rifle. OK, it doesnt fold like a Harris but its very quick to fit and remove and less fiddly than the Harris to adjust. I wanted to try the Mystic in an actual competition but I didnt get the chance as I loaned the bi-pod to Fox Firearms to take to the Bisley Phoenix Meeting but, as one of the shooters at my local range was setting-up to shoot an F/TR competition at 600 yards, I asked him if he would mind trying the Mystic and he readily agreed to give it a go. Steve is an experienced effer and uses
Self-assembly takes about five minutes and of course, you can always take it apart if travelling overseas. 65
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The Lyman offering features five spindles where you can mount the various supplied case-prep. tools and you can very quickly chamfer inside/outside necks, uniform or clean primer pockets and clean or lube the inside of the neck.
Lyman Case Prep. Express:
Case-prep. gadgets from Hannams Reloading

With the possible exception of our Laurie, I dont think Ive met anyone who actually likes reloading! I dont mind it its a necessary evil but I dont love it and if I can find anything to make it easier or quicker then why not?
I like to use an old Pro Shot bronze bore cleaning brush for cleaning the inside of used case-necks and you can mount one of these on the Lyman if you like. Lyman also give you a little container of inside-neck lube (in the form of a powder) which you can use with the nylon-bristle brushes. The Lyman is a substantial heavyweight bit of kit and hopefully this means it will be robust and give years of service. From Hannams Reloading. www.hannamsreloading.com
Most reloaders will regard prepping their brass as one of the most important aspects of the reloading process. With a brand-new unfired brass case even beautiful Lapua ones we need to fettle em a little. Lube and run through re-size die (Optional) - Trim to length - Chamfer inside of case-mouth - Chamfer outside of case-mouth - De-burr flash hole - Uniform primer pocket . Once our brass has been fired, we can skip most the above but we need to add a couple more: Clean the inside (and outside) of the neck - Clean the primer pocket - Lube and re-size. These processes require specialist tools and dies and most of us will have a box-full. Most can be handoperated but some benefit from using with a power screw-driver to make the job easier and quicker. However, if you are new to reloading, its worth considering one of these powered devices. The first one is from Hornady and its simply an electric motor (that you can permanently mount on your reloading bench if you like) which takes the inside/ outside neck chamfer tools. It works very well and does the job exactly how it should. It comes with the two tools and it may be possible to use other prep. or case cleaning tools with it. Its good value too.
(Left) Hornady Case Prep. Assistant. (below) Lyman Case Prep. Express:
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Quigley Shooting Association
LATEST NEWS...
JUNE QUIGLEY COMPETITION

Sandwiched between two weeks of awful rainy weather - which caused the cancellation of the first Quigley of the season - we were suddenly blessed with a windy but dull and dry day for the second competition. The firers assembled at 400 yards for stage 1, which as usual consisted of two sighters and fifteen shots to score at the Quigley bucket, scoring 5 points for a hit on the bucket but only one point for the nearest of misses. This season, the scoring zones on the target have been reduced in size, the bucket now being around one third of its previous size and some peripheral zones reduced to zero scoring. The buffalo now faces to the right and, as the wind at Diggle is predominantly from left to right, this makes chasing the 5-zone a much trickier proposition. With the snaking wind, most managed scores in the 20 30 region and higher scores were proving difficult to achieve. Going in to lunch, Ian Hull was leading with 47 points against nearest rival Dennis Richardson with 35 points. After lunch, Stage 2 was the buffalo silhouette at 600 yds and this stage saw many a turn-around, with Ian unable to maintain his standard and Colin Buck, after a lengthy lay-off due to health problems, getting the best score of 48 points, followed by Dave Malpas with 47 points and Richard Healey with 45 points.
by Ken Hall
The final scores were as follows;

1st Colin Buck 2nd Dave Malpas 3rd Richard Healey 79 73 72
Hearty commiserations to Paul Seymour for running out of ammunition for his new and yet untried Shiloh Sharps when he was making excellent progress at 600 yards and could well have been up with the leaders.For further details of the QSA e-mail khall6548@aol.com
Colin Buck and Dave Malpas 67
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IWA 2012 Whats newRifles?

Weve had a look at scopes and pistols what about rifles?
When you visit the German IWA Show, you begin realize just how important hunting is to the Germans. Its every bit as important as football and the really big companies like Mauser and Sauer are held in the same high esteem as BMW and Mercedes.
Look at this rifle in the pictures the Sauer Gladiator. Produced as a show rifle, it was totally over the top but someone actually bought it I think the price was around 350,000! When you think that we dont have anyone in the UK even producing hunting rifles or do we? No one was more surprised than me to see a Webley & Scott rifle on show. Could it be true? Well yes and no. A closer look revealed that is was a thinly disguised Howa. It looked OK though nicely stocked and blued and hopefully reasonably priced. Sauer Gladiator.
Sauer Gladiator.
The new tactical offerings from Rangemaster

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IWA 2012. Whats new - Rifles ? Continued...
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One genuine British made rifle is however the Rangemaster born of the recently defunct RPA. Their new tactical rifles looked very tasty and hopefully we will get to review on for Target Shooter soon. Nice kit from Russia But look at this from Russia built from the ground up action, barrel the lot! They are learning fast! It ticked all the tactical boxes and the young guys on the stand really knew their stuff and spoke excellent English. I think we might see more of this rifle though whether I accept their invitation to the factory is another matter! When is a rifle not a rifle? When its a shotgun! With Practical Shotgun currently on a roll in the UK how will these 12g AR clones be received? Aluminium rifle chassis are currently all the rage on both sides of the Atlantic and in addition to the Rangemaster and the Russian one, IWA had a few more on show like this German one. (See photograph at bottom). If you dont like aluminium or wood, how about carbonfibre? Its light, its strong but it is very labour-intensive which means that it will be expensive and its not easy to cater for different actions and disciplines. Unfortunately, the website is still under construction but keep looking... On the factory rifle front anything new from the big five? Well, Savage had this very capable looking rifle on show. Good synthetic stock, Accu-trigger, heavy fluted barrel bit like their version of the Remmy PSS I look forward to trying one. I can see little use for the Ruger Scout in the UK except as an expensive plinker but clearly it has its fans and is now offered with a Picatinny rail, iron sights and military-style flash-hider. (See photograph on page 73. Top right)
More CNC stocks...
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Before we close, a couple of air-rifles. Heres the fullauto one I saw in America great fun but unfortunately NOT legal in the UK. Very nice bit of kit though. (Photo page 78 middle right) . This one (page 73 bottom right) is UK legal the Crossman upper converts your AR15 to an air-rifle for indoor practice sounds a good idea to me. Finally, nice to see a British company flourishing Air Arms, one of our loyal advertisers.
Heres another from Styer. That bipod looks really nice...
...and another CNC stock.
And yet more - CNC has a lot to answer for!
Air Arms, one of our loyal advertisers at the IWA.
But there was stil plenty of wood in evidance. This was one of the Henke custom rifles using their own action but is it for F Class or benchrest?
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I can see little use for the Ruger Scout in the UK except as an expensive plinker but clearly it has its fans...
Nice, but for what discipline?
Fully auto airrifle.
Pete Lincoln has finally got his chassis into production similar to the AI aluminium with polymer side-plates, its a nice bit of kit
Savages version of the PSS
This one is UK legal the Crossman upper converts your AR15 to an air-rifle for indoor practice sounds a good idea to me.
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How does it work?

The target is white in the middle and black at the edges, with progressively darker shades of grey in between (photograph 1). It has to be very brightly lit. Mounted on the gun is a sensor that looks very much like a scope sight (photograph 2). It detects how dark/ light the target is at the point of aim and converts that information into an audible signal that the shooter hears through headphones. As the point of aim moves around the target the pitch of the signal varies - the higher the pitch, the nearer the POA is to the centre. Shooting positions and equipment Able-bodied participants shoot standing; those that need to sit (including wheelchair users) can do so. Everyone will use a spring stand to begin with and take part in supported classes. When sufficiently competent, a shooter can shoot free-standing, exactly as a sighted shooter would. Many people use the minimum of shooting equipment and wear casual clothes, whilst others have the full kit of jacket, trousers, boots, etc.
Disabled Shooting International Developments

By Liz Woodall, Co-ordinator, Disabled Shooting Project.
Our piece in last months issue mentioned blind/visually impaired (VI) shooting, which may have been a bit of a surprise to some readers. This seems to be a good opportunity to tell the world about it all. Whats on offer?
Until recently, the only discipline available to blind or visually-impaired shooters was air-rifle. In the last 12 months, the raised profile of disabled target shooting has led to development of some exciting new options. Chris Aston has been working on an acoustic version of the proposed new easy-access Sport Crossbow discipline. The large blind/VI section of Blackburn Rifle & Pistol Club is experimenting with air-pistol and, I believe, 22 rifle. The NRA has expressed interest in a fullbore version, so Olaf Jones is exploring possible formats for that. Last month we were delighted to hear of a blind clay target shooter, as reported by Richard Worthington on the CPSA website. Im longing to find out how its done! In the rest of this article I will cover the air-rifle and crossbow disciplines, as they are very similar and fairly widely available. When we have enough information about the other options mentioned above, there will be a follow-up article about those.
Competitions
A blind/VI air-rifle league is run under the auspices of the National Small-bore Rifle Association and administered by Tony Taylor, manager of the West Midlands Regional Shooting Centre at Aldersley, Wolverhampton. The WMRSC is also the venue for the annual British Blind/VI Championships and a Scottish Championship is hosted by Bon Accord RC. At the moment, rules for Acoustic Crossbow are being drawn up and we are waiting for news of progress on the pistol/22 front. No doubt national competitions for those will be introduced as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Blackburn R&PC has hosted a couple of regional championships and hopefully other clubs will follow their lead.
County Of Lancaster Smallbore Target Shooting Association.

12th September 2012 Lancashire Air & Free Pistol Championships, including 10m Air Pistol & Rifle, 50m Free Pistol, 20 yd Air Pistol www.clstsa.org or email neil@clstsa.org for further details.
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Disabled Shooting continued...
Where to take part

There are currently 25 clubs in Britain that have blind/ VI shooting facilities and more are in the pipeline. A few of them are exclusively or primarily for blind/VI shooters. A full list, with contact information, is on the Blind & visually impaired page of the Disabled Shooting Project website. Any club that is interested in setting up such a facility should contact Ken Nash via the N.S.R.A.
LATEST NEWS...
If anyone has any news of other development in blind/VI shooting, I would be most grateful if they could pass it on to me via Contacts on the DSP website.
VI air rifle shooter at Blackburn R&PC.
Acoustic sight mounted on air rifle.
Air rifle target in a tactile grouping gauge invented at Holwell Rifle Club.
More information:
Disabled Shooting Project: www.disabledshooting.org.uk
Seated class in British Blind Championships.
International Paralympic Committee, Shooting: www.ipc-shooting.org International Blind Sport Federation, Shooting: www.ibsa.es/eng/deportes/shooting/presentacion International Shooting Competition, Hannover: www.i-s-c-h.de Clay Target Grand Prix, Lonato: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFKzJ7ZfQzM British Blind Sport: www.britishblindsport.org.uk International Blind Sport Association (Shooting): NSRA: www.nsra.co.uk
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The 11th Police & Military Sniper World Cup

Budapest Hungary June 2012 by Rob Hunter

Budapest Hungary June 2012
by Rob Hunter
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The 11th Police & Military Sniper World Cup Budapest Hungary June 2012
After a couple of years away from shooting in the major international sniper comps held throughout Europe, I was fortunate to once again receive an invitation to attend the premier shooting event in the military/police sniper calendar - The Sniper World Cup. The competition is billed as a gathering of the top police, military and invited guests from around the world to slug it out over three days of intense shooting for the highly coveted title of Top gun, best of the best. As in previous years, the venue for the competition was a military training facility just outside of Budapest. The range offers a wide selection of shooting scenarios and training possibilities , including moving targets, longrange, down hill angles, obstacle course, desert area and moving vehicle driving area. Ive attended the event twice in the past and I can honestly say that the Hungarian organisers constantly surpass themselves in trying to find more and more challenging ways to perform the most difficult shots and Im pleased to say this year was no different it was the toughest competition Ive ever competed in.
The range itself is split into three sections and the competitors are divided into three groups and rotated throughout the three ranges so basically, if youre not shooting youre moving and, if youre not moving youre shooting! This adds to the constant pressure of the competition and ensures that you only see the target when youre about to engage it.
Day one
For once, the weather was kind to us. Budapest seems to have its own micro-climate with huge swings in temperature and humidity but, this morning was overcast and cool. There would be no gentle start to the proceedings that could help check your rifles zero on a nice easy inward scoring target - the first target was an empty 50 BMG case fixed to a wood post 150 meters away. The course of fire (CoF) was to shoot one round through the case in a 30 second time-frame. A clean hit scored top points, a glancing hit less points a complete miss was zero and a round in the no shoot area was minus 25 points.
This year there were teams from 20 countries ranging from as far afield a USA and China with 140 competitors from both regular and irregular units.
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The target was a black and white photo of an x-ray of a life-sized human skull which was lit by two Cylume night sticks.
First day nerves obviously got the better of me and I was awarded the minus 25 for a badly pulled shot - on the first event...not a good position to start from. But, with that out of the way, we were sent to the desert area - a large sandy area for a series of exercise ranging from 40 to 150 metres, mostly shot on a very short time-scales at targets with some scoring areas not much larger than the calibre of your bullet and from various changing positions. Sand and rifles are not good friends and a great deal of attention has to be paid to keeping your action free of debris and sand kicked-up by rapid handling, moving and unfriendly muzzle-brakes. This section finished with a moving (mechanically swinging) hostage target. With the knowledge that a hit on the hostage would mean more minus points we decided on trapping (holding on the area were we thought it would be) and, on its third exposure, my shooting partner Paul and I shot simulated on the final exposure for some solid plus points. As I expected, the temp rocketed and after spending the afternoon in the desert we broke off for the evening meal - served on range and then prepared for the night shoot. This was to be a double CoF so, as the boiling hot day gave way to a very cold clear night, we prepped for the two shoots. The first shoot was a new one on me - the target was a black and white photo of an x-ray of a life-sized human skull which was lit by two Cylume night sticks. Being all black and white, this looked fine at close range but when we moved back 280m, the face disappeared and only the faint glow of the cylumes gave and indication of where the target was.
We didnt have the luxury of an illuminated reticle on our S&B scopes so, some rapid measuring of the target using the PM11 reticule and then holding over where we thought the T zone-scoring box was. Once again thanks to the reticle, we both score good points. The second CoF was slightly easier. At 240m, each team was presented with two three-inch orange clays fixed to a board and a pass from a powerful green searchlight passed along the line of targets illuminating each one for a few seconds. We only managed one hit on this one but at least we still scored. That ended the first day at 11.30pm and with a next day start of 8.00am, there was just time for rifle cleaning and then to bed.
Day two
The day started with lots of targets ranging in size from 8mm dots to down-sized hostage and dazzle targets, shot from prone, sitting, kneeling and even using your partners body as a support... but there were two new ones that were thrown at us. The first CoF was a short run up a 12 foot high berm. Reaching the top revealed a two-inch clay to the left and right of the firing position at 45 degrees to the shooter and the same for your partner. Against the clock, this was a rush to complete in 30 seconds but it went well.
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The second CoF was a real world situation, where a sniper was surprised by an unfriendly whilst moving into a firing position. So, carrying your rifle in both hands at waist level, two bad guy targets were engaged shooting from the hip at close range. The scenario being that if you were caught out, you may have no time to bring your gun up In order to engage. Once again, we got some good points on both. In the late of the afternoon, with the range radiating heat from the worst of the day, we moved out for a 475m shot into a downsized fig. 11 target which constantly moved in the heat haze. This was all about knowing your come-ups, trusting in your dope book and shooting blind but our faith was rewarded with top scores. We finished of the day with what has become the staple event for this competition. SOG Knives are event sponsors and the favourite exercise is a combat knife driven into a block of wood with a piece of paper behind it. The object of the exercise is to fire a single bullet at the sharp edge of the blade and cut the bullet in half and show two holes on the paper behind! This seemingly impossible shot is possible but, at 85m, require nerves of steel - particular when you have 40 other shooters around you all shooting at once in a 30 second window of opportunity. Its a testament to the quality of participant that over 75% did complete the task to the judges satisfaction. Unfortunately this year, I hit the knife a glancing hit down one side of the blade meaning the required two holes on the paper were not there so, no points. Again after evening meals on the range, cleaning of rifles and debriefing of the days events left most - except the youngest - heading off to bed.
Day three
Just when I thought we were getting the hang of things and thinking that there not much else they could surprise us with, we were marched to the drivertraining area of the complex and split in to groups of three teams. The three teams mounted the back of a flatbed articulated truck and, at 15 kph, drove past two sets of targets 100m out, each requiring double taps by both shooters in the team. This was a new one for me and, with a minimum power of x12 dialed on our Schmidt & Bender scopes and the bouncing truck, it was not any way an easy shot. Plus there was the added complication of working out the amount of lead to give the target. Luckily, Paul being the brains of our team, came up with a solution and it was proved correct with five solid hits on a bad guy target. (If you like challenges, try and work out the required lead in other words, what lead would you dial-in on your scopes windage. Answer at the end of the article). Next was another standard CoF for this competition - a steep-angled downhill shot. A 30 second window to shoot a quails egg at 80m with a 20 degree angle and a hens egg at 170m on a 12 degree angle. Again some
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basic trigonometry backed up by a ballistic program gave us the required elevation but then, shooting downhill in a crosswind added another factor and meant that we only scored half points. The final event was another new one and tough one too. Shooter A runs up a 15 foot ladder, fastens himself onto safety points and shoots over a concrete barricade at three decreasing sizes of clays. Once completed, unclip, back down the ladder and run back to the start line to tag the other team member who then runs forward to a waiting car and, resting his rifle on the car bonnet, engages another 3 clays - all in 90 seconds! The stress induced screw-up factor here is huge and short-cycling my action meant a case jamming in the action meant only one clay hit from the ladder. Fortunately, Paul managed to pick up the other three clays in a very impressive display of speed shooting. That gave us some much-needed points. That ended the three days with 26 courses of fire and I can definitely confirm that it was the toughest competition yet - what will they come up with for next year... ? The competition is split into Police and Military sections and is scored as an individual and a combined score as a team. This year there were teams from 20 countries ranging from as far afield a USA and China with 140 competitors from both regular and irregular units. As in the past, Russia, Ukraine, China and Belarus fielded some outstanding Special Forces teams and this showed in the scores at the end of the day.
Sadly the UK did not have official military representation but two members of Humberside police did attend using personal kit and gave a good account of their skills. Myself and Paul, through a good deal of hard graft and number crunching, had a good result in joint 4th in the individual and 6th in the team section.
Official results
Police individual Police team
On the podium - Im (Rob) second from the left on the front row.
1st Russia 2nd Russia 3rd China 1st Russia 2nd Hungary 3rd China 1st Ukraine 2nd Czechoslovakia 3rd China 1st Ukraine 2nd Czechoslovakia 3rd China
Military individual
Military team
As Ive said in the past, safety is paramount so please dont try to replicate any of the courses of fire mentioned here as it could result in injury or death. The answer to the lead question for the moving vehicle shot: 15 MOA As always, a fascinating read and very well done to Rob and Paul in what is undoubtedly the best of the best Ed. You can visit Robs website at; www.freewebs.com/uktactical
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Shooting the McQueen - By Chris Parkin
Chris Parkin
Shooting the
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McQueen
When I am asked what is my favourite target shoot, my response is usually a quick one-word answer - McQueen. But what is the McQueen?
History
The McQueen competition has an interesting history which I came upon by chance when reading an interesting sniper treatise, simply entitled Sniping in France by one Major Hesketh Pritchard, which documents the eventual adoption of sniping by the British Army in World War 1. The British were slow to adopt sniping it wasnt considered to be unsportsmanlike not cricket old boy but, following the devastating and demoralising carnage caused by German snipers, the British Army issued selected versions of the Enfield P14 (.303 version of the Model of 1917) for so-called sniping. Although the rear peep sight was a great improvement over the standard issue Mk 3 Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE), it was no match for the German sniper whos rifles were now well equipped with telescopic sights, some 20,000 donated via the German hunting fraternity from their cherished rifles! In Britain, at the beginning of the century, hunting with the fullbore rifle was rather limited, though there were a few Scottish deerstalkers and of course the odd biggame hunter. One of these was the aforementioned Major Hesketh-Pritchard who, as well as being a knowledgeable exponent with telescopic-sighted rifles, also had some first-hand experience of trench warfare. The Major was not slow to notice the moral-sapping effect of the enemy snipers on his troops: The hardiest soldier turned sick when he saw the effect of the pointed German bullet, which was apt to key-hole so that the little hole in the forehead where it entered often became a huge tear the size of a mans fist on the other side of the stricken mans head. At that time most of the German sniping was carried out by shooting through a loophole - usually a small elongated hole cut in a thick steel plate, which in turn was mounted on top of the trench and heavily protected by sand-bags and earth. This effectively made the sniper immune from return fire, for the ironsighted P14s could not hope to hit the tiny loophole or pierce the steel-plate. Immune that is until HeskethPritchard began carrying out penetration tests on steel

plate with his hunting rifles. He quickly found that the formidable 333 Jeffreys - a popular African big-game round capable of pushing a 250 grain bullet at around 2500 fps - would scythe through the steel plates like butter and so he took one, equipped with a telescopic sight, to the front. One can only imagine the look on the faces of the enemy when that first round zipped through their impenetrable loopholes, which were now about as protective as wet cardboard! But Major HeskethPritchard was only just beginning. As well as copying the Germans and rounding-up as many civilian telescopic sights as he could, he also began to teach the would-be snipers not just to shoot but how to setup and adjust their new sights. He was quick to analyse sniping as not just hitting your mark but also finding and defining the mark and he thus developed the two-man observer/shooter sniper team still favoured today the by military sniper. Eventually, the results of the Majors endeavours began to filter through to the top-brass and, a British Army field sniper-school was established at the village of Bethune in France. Always on the look-out for talented shooters, the Major soon enlisted the help of a young soldier by the name of Gray, who appeared to be a little more knowledgeable than the average, when it came to long-range shooting. Again, if the reader is ever fortunate enough to visit Bisley Ranges, you may see a picture of Lieutenant Gray in the NRA pavilion, alongside all the other previous winners of the coveted Queens Prize. Hesketh-Pritchard recalls that, as a school training aid, brick walls with several random holes were constructed. The would-be snipers practiced by shooting at a life-size papier-mache Huns head mounted on a stick, which would randomly appear in any of the holes for a two to four second exposure - from a distance of two-hundred yards - remember that.
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Readers may like to think that modern sniping has taken on a different role in the intervening 100 years but Major Hesketh-Pritchards methods soon made the steel-plate loopholes too dangerous to use and the art of concealment became the new game. He did not of course have the ghillie-suit as we know it but he developed the snipers robe and relates the tale of a sniper crawling into no-mans land under cover of darkness and concealing himself inside the rotting carcass of a dead horse before making his shot in day-light, remaining concealed until darkness fell once again and then returning to his trench! It was a steep learning curve in those days, even to the realisation that rifles could become shot-out with too much practice! Yes, its easy to see the link between the Majors sniper training and our modern day competition but why, I wondered, is it called the McQueen? There exists in Galashields, Scotland, the famous target printing firm of that name. Surely the two must be associated? The firm was founded in 1840 as a simple printing works but in 1890, John Stirling McQueen, the founders son, was asked by the sergeant-at-arms of the local volunteer force, to print some penetrable targets for a forthcoming competition. Prior to that, all shooting practice was done on steel plates, which were painted in whitewash so that the shot-impact could easily be seen. The target was then simply whitewashed ready for the next firer (which is incidentally how the term whitewash entered our sporting vocabulary). In the early days of the NRA, the Association was more closely linked with the Military than it is today. Firing practices were the same and civilians competed alongside the military as they still do in many countries. Soldiers returning to competition shooting after the War demanded a competition based on their sniper training and the NRA asked McQueen if they would print some suitable targets. McQueen were happy to do so and even offered a trophy for the winner the McQueen trophy a magnificant silver eagle - giving the competition its name. The NRA McQueen competition continues to this day during Imperial fortnight at Bisley and shooters may try their hand, using the Accuracy International rifle if you dont have your own.
Course of fire
Although different clubs use varying courses of fire, the fundamental point of the McQueen is that a target appears briefly at any one of several openings in a `wall` or `castle` and the shooter has only a few seconds to shoot it exactly as Major Hesketh Pritchard did with his sniper training school. Any type of target can be used and the original targets are still available from McQeen although political correctness means that most will choose a similar size but less humanoid version. The PC version of the original Huns head target (page 89) The original designated fig 14 is still available from McQueen of Galashields The reason I like this type of shoot so much is that it was my first competition and is still one of the most accessible competitions to enter. My club shoot once a month at 200 and 300 yards and at these ranges, coupled with a relatively large target, neither high magnification scopes, or custom rifles are needed. Shooter-skill can far outweigh even the very best equipment and if shooters want to give it a go, virtually any foxing or deer-stalking rifle with a bipod can be used and often is!
FUNdamentals!
The `wall` is a large timber and Corex structure showing 8 `windows` amongst its various disruptive decorations. Each window is 30 cm tall by 60 cm wide and down in the butts below it, two targets fastened onto long poles are raised up randomly behind the windows and exposed for 3 seconds at a time. The wall is approximately 5 metres wide by 1.8m tall so you have a fair arc of fire to both observe and shoot within.
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Two indicated sighting shots are allowed at each distance prior to a trial exposure and the starting command, Watch and shoot. We then get to see ten exposures with a random gap of five to fifteen seconds between each exposure to allow the shooter to reload. Single-loading is more than adequate magazines are not required though many use them. Usually, to speed things up with a large entry, two competitors shoot simultaneously and both are assigned a target colour so when the targets appear, you need to make sure you aim and shoot at the one with your (red or green) marker attached. The target itself is 270mm high and 200mm wide. Hits anywhere on the target score four points but a strike in the central 100mm circle scores five. After 10 exposures, taking around three minutes, you hope to have at least 10 bullet holes in the target, if not in the central zone itself. Everything is repeated after lunch at 300 yards for a total competition of 20 shots for a 100 point maximum. Hitting a four-inch circle isnt that hard even at 300 yards but, doing it in three seconds, across the arc of the wall is the tricky bit. Oh and keep one eye on the wind flags - the smallest twitch can drift you out of the five-ring.
Tips, Tricks and Technicalities

Entry to this shoot is so accessible, due mainly to utilising gear that is appropriate for general hunting needs. Although some shooters use expensive and very specific custom built tactical gear to compete, any rifle that can accurately place shots at 300 yards is fine. Although a magazine can be helpful it isnt mandatory and any mis-feed will inevitably result in a missed exposure. My average score has not really changed since going to a 10 round mag. as five seconds is a deceptively long time. As for scope-magnification, well even though I have a 50X Schmidt & Bender fitted to my`McQueen machine`, it never goes above 18x mag at 200 yards and 25x at 300 because as you wind on the power, field of view diminishes and although you can constantly
move the rifle to scan the windows, I prefer to see the whole wall so when a head pops up, I move straight to it. Three seconds does not sound long and dont forget your bullet has to travel 300 yards within that time but once you have a few goes under your belt, time does seem to elongate and the need to rush diminishes. Good shooters use the whole three seconds rather than snatching-off the shot in the first second as soon as the target appears.
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I have quite happily shot at 15x magnification at 300 yards and it is not uncommon to find that magnification on many hunting scopes these days and you are sure to have enough elevation to dial in the extra few inches of drop when we dress back to 300 yards but if needs be, you can always aim at the top of the target, rather than the centre of the four-inch circle.
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Rifles and calibre?

Anything from a 222 to a 338 Lapua Magnum have been used at my club and, depending on range certification, you can use almost any calibre - if it has the legs to get to 300yards. The 308 is very popular but 6mm and 6.5mm calibres usually hold the ultimate edge as they combine excellent ballistics with low recoil and can be easily shot quickly with no accuracy loss. Muzzle-brakes and moderators can speed up target re-acquisition and sometimes you can see your own bullet-strike before the target dissappears.
Trident Suppressors Osprey Rifles HPS Fox Firearms March Scopes Open Season Ltd Dolphin Gun Company. Professional websites from only 995.00 Call +44 (0)797 0220 892 for more information.
So go on, have a go
The McQueen is great fun, doesnt demand expensive equipment and certainly provides a great challenge with that little bit of induced stress. Every shooter has their own method for the McQueen and competitive scores are usually up in the nineties. I have shot a few fifties but never done the double for that magic `100` but, even my first sighting shots at 200 and 300 yards give me a buzz for, although my drop figures are well known, it is always confidence inspiring to judge the wind perfectly for any shot.
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Four Islands Practical Shotgun Match

Rossendale 20 May 2012
by George Granycome
James Harris and the shotgun stages
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Four Islands Practical Shotgun Match - Rossendale 20 May 2012

by George Granycome
Being a creature of the South Coast, I have seldom ever been to Manchester, yet Rossendale Fusiliers rifle and shotgun ranges are even further north, near towns whose names I have only ever heard years ago when I was a boy and had to keep quiet because dad was listening to the wireless writing down the football results on his pools duplicate coupon. You would also sometimes hear of them on election night: Farnorthofwatfordchester - Labour hold, majority 75,000. Not only that, but the range is in an old quarry at the very top of a Manchester moors mini-mountain and the lowland weather forecast does not apply - you always need a warm coat and strong boots! Getting to the range is good fun in itself. Practical Shotgun has actually benefited from all those couchpotatoes who have bought massive 4x4 Chelsea Tractors and then go looking for a country pursuit as an excuse for having bought their otherwise useless monster planet-polluter. With ranges and venues so often at the end of cart tracks, Practical Shotgun serves the purpose admirably and the sport has gained. For Rossendale a 4x4 is in order for the long, steep, bumpy and exhilarating track. Nevertheless the getting there, even with the additional 210 miles that James Harris and I drove from the South-East that early morning, is well worth it. The area is the home of Rossendale Fusiliers who have two rifle ranges of 100 yards and 200 yards, and who are very friendly and welcoming. When they saw me shaking with the cold they invited me into their cosy clubhouse where there was a roaring fire (it was, after all, the end of May) and would have plied me with tea and coffee and I dare say something stronger later, plus there were a couple of ex-matelots with whom I could have swapped salty yarns all day. But, my loyalty to shotgun kicked in and went out to face the cold, the wind and the match although it was actually more sheltered down by the shotgun area and the day did warm up nicely later on.
PRACTICAL Shotgun
For shotgun matches, Rossendales hilltop quarries are superb. Rock cliffs surround the area and the shotgun bays have high sidewalls of bulldozed sandstone rubble which accepts the full impact of lead shot and then kills it stone (an appropriate word here) dead with no backsplash or sidesplash whatsoever. Not only are the capacious shotgun bays just the job for birdshot but close around the corner is one of the rifle ranges, so that Rossendale matches can include slug. The match had a genuine 50m metre slug stage which is the first I have ever seen at a Practical Shotgun match in this country. It was very demanding shooting and very pleasing for those of us who got all our shots on the paper targets. (Even if some of those paper targets were painted red and were the wrong paper targets!) As for the birdshot stages, they were built with an element of devilment and fun that so many venues struggle to include. This was a match held, in essence, to the rules of the International Practical Shooting Association (IPSC) but without the demands and interference of busy-bodies who have inserted themselves between this countrys practical shooters and IPSC. The match was run under the auspices of Four4Islands, an organisation set up to promote practical shooting run by clubs under their own control with the results going towards a national championship. Four4islands has become popular because it is prepared to work with affiliated clubs so that they can provide safe quality matches while still remaining within their own safety and insurance constraints and within the host clubs own range rules. (The current series of PSG matches is likely to expand in the near future to include other practical disciplines.) . Mick Flatley is a superb course designer and an artist in steel. He takes delight in steel and things fashioned from steel. In consequence, his shotgun stages are replete with action props. There was a Texas Star of course but this one had the top three-quarters screened by a steel plate so that the shooter could
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PRACTICAL Shotgun
only get a fleeting shot at the plates as they came into view below the screen. There was a second Texas Star with only two plates but which bobbed behind hard cover. I ROd a shooter who doubled his time and ammo shooting them and was very pleased for him when he finally shot the last one. (When it came to my turn to shoot, I was gamey and left one, the penalty for missing it being so much less than the time penalty for several extra shots). Of wobbly platforms there were two. One was a wobbly bridge which some shooters actually chose to shoot from and the other a wobbly platform were you had no choice but to shoot from it. That sorted out the men from the boys and I become a boy! There was a plate-rack of six hinged targets about eight yards in front of the shooting position. Everyone enjoyed it as a fine old-fashioned blag. There were targets which disappeared when you pulled on a piece of rope in a mind-screwing stage with so many ways of shooting it and so many ways of getting it utterly wrong. Just for me, just for the oldies, just for the traditionalists, there was one ordinary stage - of 16 plates which you could easily shoot from a few sweet-spots as you moved downrange. Thank you Mick for taking pity. Mick had produced some very impressive laser-cut steel trophies. James Harris won one for Modified Division and Iain Corrigan won another for Standard Division. But Mick, the sod, went on to win the one for Pump-Action and it was one of the very few trophies which I really wanted to win because it was such a good trophy in itself - even my wife would have agreed to display it in our sitting-room. There are so very few venues that actually award trophies which you wish to win and Mick snatched this one from my hands by only a few percentage points. Seriously, this was an exhilarating but hard and demanding competition. On the basis of this match Rossendale must now be considered the very top for practical shooting, certainly in this country and
Mick Flatley on his knees praying, Iain Corrigan the vicar.
George Granycome ROs James Harris on 50m slug stage.
Iain Corrigan, wobbly bridge in background.
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PRACTICAL Shotgun
probably in Europe. Thank you, Mick Flatley, your helpers Neil Evans and Iain Corrigan, and Rossendale Fusiliers shooting club.
Rossendale elderly car park attendant.
Rossendale Fusiliers entrance plaque .
Mick Flatley with Benelli Super-Nova Pump Rossendale tropy.
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Target Shotgun in the UK

Huge demand for UKPSA Basic Safety Course
Run by UKPSA instructors, club coaches and helpers, all of whom give their time for free and are keen to ensure everyone has a fun, safe and memorable weekend shooting with like-minded people. The Instructors will often split the attendees into groups and aim to pitch the course content according to the group members experience to ensure that everyone gets as much from the course as they can.
by Tony Saunders
2012 has seen a huge rise in the demand for the UKPSAs Basic Safety Course (BSC) in both Long Barrelled Pistol / Long Barrelled Revolver (LBP/LBR) and IPSC Practical Shotgun and this last weekend saw over twenty aspiring shot-gunners attend the BSC at Border Gun PSG Club, on the Welsh border, at Valley View Farm near Bishops Castle.
Team photo at Border Guns after the UKPSA Basic Safety Course
The BSC is a fun and demanding two day course whose attendees range from absolute beginners to seasoned and experienced shooters. After a brief classroom session, attendees are out on the range as we believe the best place to learn is by actually doing it. Day One usually consists of getting everyone to a similar level through the use of standard shooting exercises and gun handling techniques so that the more intensive Day Two allows us to bring this all together on various stages used in actual matches.
The safety aspect is, of course, key to the whole course. However, it is not just general firearm safety awareness that the course aims to address but rather the specific demands of the shooting discipline that requires movement around a freestyle course of fire and the need to be constantly aware of the changing angles with respect to the range backstops all while shooting at both static and moving targets, avoiding penalty targets and doing all this against the clock.
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Border Guns PSG club is a shooting club formed and aimed specifically for IPSC Practical Shotgun and is the home of Martin Davies and his wife Jo. Martin is a UKPSA instructor and has the added advantage of being the current British Manual (Pump) Champion a title he has also held in previous years. An avid fan of the Benelli SuperNova, his relaxed style and humour usually add to the warm atmosphere of the course and regular club shoots held at the farm. Ammunition is all birdshot with fibre wad cartridges as it is a working sheep farm high in the beautiful Shropshire hills. Border Guns is famous for its Wood Run stage a long and testing stage held in a nearby pine wood that has up to 32 targets, multiple shooting-points and often moving or disappearing targets triggered by a falling metal target. It is rare that newcomers to the sport dont finish this stage without a big smile and feeling of exhilaration!! For once, the weather was kind to us... although the constant 25 degree heat was hard going on all as Britain is currently bathed in some welcome sunshine! Suffice to say, we hope everyone had an enjoyable and worthwhile two days with us and congratulations to all the successful shooters who earned their safety and competition certificates and we hope to see many of you at future matches and club shoots.
TARGET SHOTGUN
Adrian Coppin shooting his SuperNova through aperture, ROd by George Granycome
Sam Taylor Loads and makes Ready under the watchful eye of the RO.
Keith Wilson shooting through the tyre framework. Note the other frame in the background
For more info on Border Guns and club shoot / safety course dates; www.bordergunspsg.co.uk
Newcomer Josh Kenney with his Section 2 (threeshot) Benelli SuperNova on Stage 1 93
TARGET SHOTGUN
Ken Brown Memorial IPSC Practical Shotgun Match

Fantastic weather on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th May saw competitors from all over the UK descend once again on Harlow Town RPCs range in the woods near Harlow, Essex for the Ken Brown Memorial Level 3 PSG match. Run by the hard working guys n gals at HTRPC, this years match again saw some new and interesting shooting challenges, not least of which was the long and (for some) troublesome Tunnel Stage. This stage actually hosted two separate stages but the main challenge involved 20 or so targets shot through a series of apertures in the walls of this dark and dusty tunnel that ran for maybe thirty feet. Thrown in for fiendish good measure was a high static clay target only visible through a roof skylight at one particular point very easy to forget as the competitor moved through the stage. Tyres often play their part in stage design, and Stage 6 saw them employed with gusto with two frameworks set with tyres acting as shooting apertures that restricted the view of a series of metal targets. Fig 3 shows competitor Keith Wilson shooting this two-part stage with his Benelli M2 configured with a Nordic Components +8 extension tube on his magazine. Keith has been shooting Modified Division this year with success. Modified Division allows you to load more rounds at the start than the Standard Divisions and therefore favours guns adapted to hold more in the magazine. Maximum overall gun/magazine size is 1320mm.
Tyre Framework concealing targets on Stage 6
A very well earned 3rd place went to George Granycome, who pulled off a very well placed 3rd in Standard Manual division and who also won Super Senior!
Winners
Open Division
1st : Mike Scarlett 100% 2nd: Nick Hockley 91.93% 3rd: Gavin Rose 73.80%
Modified Division
1st: James Harris 100% 2nd: Rupert Stanley 96.52% 3rd Colin Alden 93.95%
Standard Division (semi-auto)

1st: Mike Darby 100% 2nd: James Starley 87.94% 3rd: Dave Dowding 83.40%
Standard Manual Division (pump)

1st: Martin Davies 100% 2nd: Iain Guy 92.86% 3rd: George Granycome 77.17% A special mention to the shooters who devoted both days to running the competition and therefore sacrificed their chance to shoot. Thanks to HTRPC for putting on yet another excellent match from all who attended.
94
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UKPSA NEWS
The SVI Infinity European Open Handgun Championship 2012

By David Thompson
Lenka Horejsi, one of Europes top Open Division women competitors reloads her STI competition pistol on the run.
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The SVI Infinity European Open Handgun Championship 2012

by David Thompson As the IPSC European Handgun Championship and World Shoot XVII take place in 2013 and 2014 respectively, the bigger matches being held in the European IPSC area in 2012 gave European competitors the opportunity to meet up and compete together. The match organisers took on the big task of allowing 305 shooters in 21 squads to participate. There were also many competitors from outside European countries, such as Canada, Israel, Russia, South Africa and the USA. These competitors can see how European matches are organised and to participate in such a match as part of their training in preparation for future events, such as the European Championship.
UKPSA NEWS
range complex, which became surplus to military requirements at the end of the Cold War. You have overhead protection from the elements and the semi open range construction, with 180 degree backstops and multiple portable bullet traps allow designers to build and shoot any stage imaginable. There are numerous wide 25 meter ranges and two huge 50 meter ranges give the space needed to build any number of stages. This facility can handle a match of this size. The pistol ranges surround a 300 metre rifle range. Such is the design of this complex that rifle shooting is able to continue over the same weekend that the SVI Open was taking place. Held over the 25th 27th May, this years Infinity European Open offered 18 stages (plus chronograph), to shooters from 20 IPSC Regions. The range officers and match organisation staff shot the pre match on the Friday, which allows them to run the competitors through the match on the Saturday and Sunday. The IPSC European Championship was held at this facility in 2001. As building and range development work is continuing, in the future this range complex will be capable of holding another European Championship, or even a World Shoot. 18 Stage Match This year the round count was an impressive 361 rounds for 18 stages, with each competitor shooting ten stages on the Saturday and eight stages on the Sunday. There were eight 12 round stages, seven medium stages of 20 to 24 rounds and three 32 round long stages. Most of the stages offered 20 rounds or more, so there were points to be had (and lost!) on most stages. This match attracted many of the top European Practical Pistol shooters across all IPSC Divisions. The competition was tough across the board.
Over the past 11 years, the event in Philippsburg, Germany has established itself as one of the premier IPSC matches in Europe. This years event was organised by Jurgen Ofner and Patrick Kummer and their team of helpers. Patrick designed all 18 stages and did a very good job, as all the stages proved to be very testing on each competitors abilities. The ranges at Philippsburg are probably among the best club ranges in Europe. They have been constructed on a former Bundeswehr military firing
Match organiser Patrick Kummer, STI European Team members Fabrizio Pesce and Irene Canetta and Frank Garcia from the USA are regular competitors at the SVI Infinity Match. 97
UKPSA NEWS
SVI IPSC German Team

As well as sponsoring this match, SVI also has formed a German IPSC Shooting Team that participates in the top level IPSC matches around Europe. A big plus this year was the number of top competitors from outside Europe. We had Bill Drummond, Brandon Strayer and Frank Garcia from the USA and Nikitas and Tommy Markessinis and Mike Burell from Canada. Paul Keaney came all the way from South Africa. Slightly closer were David Ram, Dotan Toibis, Evgeny Monastirsky and Yael Dagan from Israel.
Analysing the 299 competitors who completed the match shows trends which are taking place in IPSC matches Europe. Production Division was the most popular with 103 (34.5 %) shooters. Open and Standard Divisions had 91 and 90 competitors respectively (30.4 %). Revolver Division and the new Classic Division have their devotees with 10 (3.3 %) and five (1.7 %) shooters respectively in each division.
Stages
This is always a demanding and technical match with the need for accurate shooting. There were targets out to 25 meters, lots of five to 15 meter targets, many of these were partial targets or with no shoots targets obscuring much of the shoot targets. The stage designers cleverly allowed the shooters the tactical choice of whether to shoot long distance or run up closer to the targets. So there were stages designed to suit all levels of competitors. Lots of stages had 15cm circular and square steel plates and partial targets, which added to the need for accuracy even on the shorter distances. There were also several stages of close up high speed running and gunning type stages. As well as shooting targets downrange, there were also many to the left and right. With 180 degree back stops and portable bullets stops the stage designs could easily vary the direction of fire. Cleverly positioned barricades and windows forced the shooter to move quickly and adopt different shooting positions while shooting the stage. Lots of moving targets added sophistication and a degree of difficulty to many of the stages. There were swingers, bobbers and drop and turn targets. This match has among the most activated targets as any Level III IPSC Match in Europe. The stage designs were very good. The high accuracy requirements also added a lot to the match as well. In Stage Four, there were drop and raise no-shoot (or bear trap) targets. This type of arrangement has a no-shoot target placed in front of a shoot target and,
Production Division Rule Changes

The new 15 round maximum magazine capacity in Production Division (PD) came into effect on 1st January 2010 and is now well bedded in. Although there was much debate about this rule change late last year on the IPSC Global Village Forum, it has not dented the popularity of this division. Designed to stop manufacturers coming out with factory supplied magazines of 20 rounds plus capacity, love or hate the rule change, PD continues to be popular. The ability to compete with the minimal financial outlay is the reason for PDs expanding popularity and not as a stampede in support of any rule changes. Although a 15 round maximum magazine capacity creates a level playing field with the amount of ammunition available, looking at what types of pistol are being used in PD, the CZ SP01 Shadow continues to dominate. Pistols made by Sig were also being used. The number of Sphinx 3000 Production pistols in use continues to increase. The CZ Shadow holds one or two more rounds in the magazine but, with the magazine capacity rule this advantage has gone. The Sphinx has all the advantages of the Shadow, so I suspect that we will continue to see a lot more of this high quality pistol manufactured in Switzerland.
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UKPSA NEWS
From France STI European Team member Emile Obriot finished in third place in Open Division.
Russias Svetlana Nikolaeva was the first placed Lady in Production Division with her CZ Shadow.
Rodger Zobrist from Switzerland used his .45 ACP Smith and Wesson 625 revolver to finish in sixth place in Revolver Division.
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UKPSA NEWS
when activated, the no-shoot drops allowing a brief full view of the shoot target and then raises back up to obscure the shoot target. Stage Four had two of these type of targets. When in the raised position a small portion of each shoot target was still visible, so miss penalties still apply. This created many choices and options for the competitor.
Stage 12 was a 32 round field match in which six steel poppers opened and closed a series of windows. This either exposed on concealed a series of paper shoot targets. Obviously there was the capacity for a major brain fade in this stage! In Stage Nine, as the competitor advanced down the range, they broke an optical
From Sweden STI European Team member Ralf Jensen finished in eight place in Standard Division.
100
sensor which released four 15 cm square steel plates which appeared and disappeared from behind hard cover. In stages were optical and electronic sensors are used, there is always the worry that they will break down but, in these two stages, this equipment worked properly throughout the match. Results Open Division winner of the match, with just over a one percent margin, was STI European Team member Saul Kirsch. Martin Kamenicek (98.92 %) of the CZ Shooting Team and STI Team member Emile Obriot (98.51 %) came in second and third. In Standard Division, STI European Team member Gregory Midgley from Germany took the top spot, with French competitors Julien Boit (97.13 %) and Jerome Poiret (96.96 %) in second and third place.
In Production Division, Eric Grauffel took the top place, using his Tanfoglio pistol. Eric Grauffel has dominated Open Division for many years and this year he has moved to Production Division and won. Spains Eduardo De Cobos (96.60 %) was second and CZ Team Member Robin Sebo (93.12 %) took third place.
UKPSA NEWS
In Revolver, first place went to Germanys Sascha Back, who is the current European Revolver Champion. Germanys Marcus Schneider ( 98.33 % ) and Switzerlands Marwan Itani ( 89.37 % ) were in second and third place.
Yael Dagan was one of the contingent of competitors from IPSC Israel and finished in fourth place in Ladies Open Division.
Current Ladies Production Division World Champion Maria Gushchina from Russia finished in second place in Ladies Production Division.
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UKPSA NEWS
Current Open Division World Champion Eric Grauffel has moved to Production Division in 2012. Eric has dominated Open Division for many years and looks like he will also be at the top of Production Division as well.
Top Spanish Production Division competitor Eduardo de Cobos finished the match in second place.
Lenka Horejsi from the Czech Republic finished in second place in Ladies Open Division with her STI competition pistol.
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Ladies Category In the Ladies Open Division, 0.3 % separated Hollands Desiree Van Noord from the Czech Republics Lenka Horejsi in first and second place respectively. Katerina Sustrova from the Czech Republic was in third place. In Standard Division Germanys Petra Tutschke, Anja Schuetz and Rita Burkhart took the first, second and third place. In Production Division 0.8 % separated Russias Svetlana Nikolaeva, in first place from current Production World Champion Maria Gushchina. Germanys Loni Kuhn was in third place. Events like this one do not happen by themselves; they require a lot of effort from dedicated individuals to make them happen. Most of the top IPSC competitors in Europe were present, across all the
UKPSA NEWS
Divisions. The match ran smoothly thanks to the hard work of the range crew. The standard of the ROing was very positive and the match was supported by an excellent web site. The organisers of the 2012 SVI Infinity European Open ran an excellent competition and heres looking forward to the next one. To see the full set of results and information about the match, visit the competition web site; www.ipscmatch.de www.infinity-open.de
Jurgen Ofner and his band of helpers process the score sheets. The organisation and running of this event always runs smoothly. On the Saturday evening after the first day of the competition, the match organisers treated all the range staff and match sponsors to a barbeque.
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July 2012 Issue

GB FSTOCK DESIGNS Class NEW

HAND LOADING BENCH NIGHTFORCE NSX 8-32 ZERO STOP

SNIPER - World Championships

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Webitorial July 2012

Vince, Yvonne & Steve

The Choice of Champions

1 Click 0.05 Mil Turrets

The Choice of Champions

July 2012 Issue

Contents Continued & More...

TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS

TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS - AN UPDATE

TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS

TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS

TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS

TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS

TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS

TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS

TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS

TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS

TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS

B1 tubegun above the S1 chassis stock kit.

TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS

F Bits and Suppliers

TUBE AND CHASSIS STOCKS

Fox Firearms; www.foxfirearmsuk.com

Next month, Ill look at the recently introduced at

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NEW - Dolphin Gun Co. modular chassis stocks. (Pictured above) 17

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FROM THE BENCH

New stuff - A Barrel Block Stock from True-Flite

FROM THE BENCH

On August 26th its the Diggle Fly Shoot not

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Nightforce NXS 8-32x56 NP 2DD Zero-Stop Scope.

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The long View

A Tale of Two Climates

GB F Class 3rd Round

GB F Class 3rd Round

GB F Class 3rd Round