Target Shooter

Shooter 1
 100
Over 100 Olympic Medals
won with Tenex since 1964
OLYMPIC GAMES TOTAL MEDALS
WON BY TENEX
1964 Tokyo 8
1972 Munich 8
1976 Montreal 8
1980 Moscow 8
1984 Los Angeles 15
1988 Seoul 8
1992 Barcelona 8
1996 Atlanta 11
2000 Sydney 7
2004 Athens 9
2008 Beijing 12

2
www.eleyammunition.com
Target Shooter
ELEY - the home of Tenex
 It’s simple. When you add
up the accuracy, performance
and value of our Match, Hunting
and Varmint bullets, it makes
choosing Sierra easy.
www.sierrabullets.com
Complete Sierra range distributed
to the trade exclusively through highland outdoors
HIGHLAND For Trade enquiries contact Highland Outdoors
Ph: 01858 410 683
OUTDOORS Fax: 01857 341 111 Retail Price List now available
www.highlandoutdoors.co.uk sales@highlandoutdoors.co.uk Target Shooter 3
to download online
 Welcome to........
.......Our new magazine.
12 Pheonix Meeting 2009 Sections
6 Shooting Sport News

8 Shooters Calendar

17 Support Your Local

20 Switch Barrel Rifle by Gunshop
Vince Bottomley
26 Choosing an Air Rifle -
Initial thoughts for
34 IWA 2009 beginners by Stanley
Report by Vince Shaw
Bottomley
29 Choosing Antique Guns by
40 Swedish Graham Lay

m/41 46 Scopes on a Budget

the most by Carl Boswell
accurate WW2
49 Cooking up a Tube Gun
Sniper Rifle by Laurie Holland &
Vince Bottomley
58 Gallery Rifle
Competition Report by 71 AGI Video Review
Gwyn Roberts by Carl Boswell

76 Unique Alpine - The

Ultimate in Modular
Magic by Rob Hunter
64 FT and HFT 82 Shooting Website of the
Shooting Positions by Month
Tim Finley
86 New Barrel Tuners
by Carl Boswell

84 Optical Booster for 90 Your Rimfire Gallery Rifle
Part 1 by Gwyn Roberts
Target Shooting by
Carl Boswell 96 Gun of the Month

100 Club Feature

4 Target Shooter
Association Pages

102 NRA Editor(s).

Carl Boswell and Vince Bottomley
103 UKBRA
Advertising and Office Manager
Andy Dubreuil. email; admin@targetshooter.co.uk
104 UKBR22
Contributors
105 FT UK Vince Bottomley Graham Lay
Laurie Holland Tim Finley
106 Gallery Rifle Carl Boswell Rob Hunter
Nigel Greenaway Gwyn Roberts
108 Letter Page Stanley Shaw

Webetorial

Welcome to Target Shooter, a new monthly magazine that will only appear on the internet and will be free
to all.

Following the demise of Target Sports as a stand alone magazine, which sadly could no longer sustain itself
in today’s economic climate, a group of your favourite writers banded together and this is the result. Most of
their names will be already familiar to Target Sports readers and we are grateful for their input.

The magazine will appear around the first of the month, every month, just like a normal magazine and will
stay on-line until the following month’s edition appears. We will carry equipment reviews, in-depth tests,
event reports and your favourite shooting associations are welcome to contribute and several already have.
Hopefully, we will build up an archive of some of the content so that you can always revisit our
reviews of scopes and rifles and the like.

All our writers are - first and foremost - shooters just like you. They write because they are passionate about
their sport and they will be free to make their articles as long or short as they wish. We are not bound by
any of the normal editorial constraints imposed on other magazines! However, we have no paid staff, no
proof readers or art editors so inevitably the occasional ‘typo’error will occur. We ask for your indulgence
and sincerely hope that it will not spoil your enjoyment.

Although the production of an on-line magazine is far less costly than for a conventional one, there are
significant costs involved in web-hosting and our advertisers are critical to our success. We thank them
for their support and we hope that you will, in turn, support them and remember to mention Target Shooter
when contacting advertisers.

Finally, most of all we want this magazine to be a voice for target shooters and promote the sport we all
love. We welcome your input and your suggestions for future articles in Target Shooter.
Vince Bottomley - vinceb@targetshooter.co.uk and Carl Boswell - carl@targetshooter.co.uk

Copyright © Target Shooter Magazines

Disclaimer
The website www.targetshooter.co.uk 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.

Target Shooter 5
 Shooting Sport News
Sports Survey
F ox Firearms have just received a batch of Robertson stocks from
Canada which are ideal for building an F Class rifle. They

A ll the major associations, such are designed to use the Barnard bedding-block system,
as the BASC and NRA, are enabling you to put together a custom rifle without the hassle
recommending that shooters take of stock-inletting, Devcon bedding and the like. The Robertson
part in the ‘Sports Survey’ that is stocks are better finished than any I’ve seen and do not require
now on line. As shooting sports any painting or finishing of any kind. See www.foxfireamsuk.com
have taken major hits recently with
fund cutting this is the time that
people like us can let our voices
be heard, again. By doing this
survey we can help show that these
sports are important to people who
practice them in the UK and to
the retailers, distributors and
manufacturers in this country. We
are actually contributing positively
to the country in a number of ways
including sustaining parts of the
economy.
The survey only takes a few
minutes to complete and can be
found online by clicking here or
via the BASC website. The results
should open up insights and
thoughts to the amount of
shooting sports that New Magazine
take place in this
country and how these contribute to
sporting success we can all be O ne of the best bits of news
hopefully, is the launch of this
magazine. We are trying to ‘hit
proud of.
MORI are the company the spot’ for target shooters within
taking this survey for Sports the UK. Obvioulsy as we progress
England and the latter has then things will develop, change
information about the survey here and get even better. So if you are
on their website or by clicking here. any type of ‘paper puncher’, with
When you take the poll think about pistol or rifle then this is the
all the shooting sports you have magazine for you. If you wish to
taken part in over the last year ensure that you have this
and how much you have actually magazine each month then
done. There is a part of the survey check out the website on
that also looks at the disciplines the first of each month.
you shoot as your main sport. Please pass on the good
Whatever your thoughts about news about the magazine to all your
yet another survey on shooting, colleagues who shoot. Our thanks for you support.
this will help shooting sports and
potentially funding in the future.
Sport England has announced new funding for rural areas who
See more information from need to develop sporting areas and amenities. If you live in a rural
Sport England in the next area and need to develop a shooting facility then please look at
column. this documentation via the NRA website here or http://www.nra.
org.uk

6 Target Shooter
 Entry now open for The
National Rifle Association’s
2009 Phoenix Meeting

T he National Rifle Association’s

Phoenix Meeting has grown to
become a major annual national

A new forum has just come online for air rifle and rimfire benchrest
shooters. This is designed for all shooters world wide. The idea
behind the forum is to discuss issues, the World championships,
shooting event. With over 75
competitions across a growing
multi-disciplined shooting event, the
European Championships, National Championships, other events, 2009 Phoenix Meeting opens its
techniques, equipment, etc, etc. doors to competitors from 22 – 24
From what has been heard this is a trial run through, so use it or loose May at Bisley.
it. It is also meant to support and answer a few questions that have
Assistant Director of Shooting, Brian
been asked about developing this community a little further, so maybe
Thomas says: “Over 500 competitors
this is a start. take part each year shooting a range
The address for the forum is; of firearms including shotguns, air
http://benchrestdirectory.forumup.co.uk rifles and pistols, gallery rifles,
sporting and full-bore rifles, plus a
range of black powder pistols and
revolvers. We have already had a
record number of entries and hope
that 2009 will be the best Meeting yet.

Brian added: “At a time when every

company is watching very closely
how it spends its marketing budget,
we’re delighted that so many shooting

I
manufacturers and equipment
f you pay a visit to suppliers are showing their support
North West Custom Parts have a look at the superb by sponsoring the NRA’s Phoenix
Meeting.
McRees Precision stocks from America. These are CNC machined from
billet aluminium and will make your Remington barrelled action (and a “Midway UK has proved their
host of other popular actions) look and shoot like a ‘big bucks’ custom commitment to this established
rifle thanks to the precision-machined bedding-area. Fore-ends and butts Meeting by coming on-board as
are interchangeable and options are offered to suit the F Class, mag.fed the headline sponsor along with a
tactical and a variety of other target shooting disciplines. Stocks come number of other companies keen to
in a variety of anodised colours! The US military are currently evaluating benefit from being associated with
these stocks and their website at www.mcreesprecision.net is worth a visit. the UK’s biggest multi-disciplined
shooting event.

“One of the significant improvements

Bisley and the Olympics. The saga we’ve been able to make this year
continues...... is that we substantially improved
the Phoenix Meeting Booklet by
including the Gallery Rifle and Pistol
As I sit putting the finishing touches to parts of this magazine the
Handbook. The generous
television is playing in the background as I wait to watch Question Time. sponsorship means we’ve been able
Sad I know but it can be very funny at times. Just before the program we to print over 5000 copies which will be
get the local news and my ears picked up as the news came on about distributed free to competitors and to
Bisley; the home of British Shooting losing out as the venue to the shooters in clubs throughout the UK.”
shooting events at the 2012 Olympic games. Yes it has gone to
Woolwich. It beggars belief but this is the situation and any chance of a Running alongside the two-day
lasting legacy for British shooting seems to have gone out of competition is a very successful Trade
the door with this final statement for the Olympic committee. Fair which regularly attracts over 400
What happens next is any ones guess but it seems to be a done visitors who come to see over 50
traders who exhibit and sell all types
deal. All we can wait for is the reaction of any organisations and
of shooting equipment, accessories
political personalities that feel this situation is as cumbersome as and supplies. For entry forms go to
it seems. We watch and wait , but I would not hold you breath for a www.nsc-bisley.co.uk.
sensible conclusion in what seems to be a more erratic world by the day.
Target Shooter 7
Calendar of events over the next two months
If your club or association has events you want to publicise here then email us.
Sat 04 April to Sun 05 April
Train the Trainer course (National Shooting
Centre (NSC), Bisley)
The NRA will be introducing a new course in April
to train Club Instructors. It will be called the Club
Instructor (General Skills) course.
Contact training@nra.org.uk to receive an
application form for this course or to request
further information.
4th April 100 yd Benchrest Diggle Ranges
5th April 1000 yd Benchrest Diggle Ranges
Contact via UKBRA website
Sat 11 Apr to Mon 13 Apr
Bisley Clubs Easter Meeting (National Shooting
Centre (NSC), Bisley)
This year the Easter Meeting will be run by the
Surrey Rifle Association
Contact(s): Surrey Rifle Association
(Easter Meeting)
Sun 12 Apr
NRA Shooting Club Day (National Shooting
Centre (NSC), Bisley)
Multi-discipline NRA Shooting Club Day. Targets
have been booked on Melville and at 100, 200,
600 and 1000 yards. All disciplines welcome.
Open to all full members of the NRA who have
completed and returned the registration form
which is available by clicking on the link below.
Contact Heather Webb. NRA
12th April 100yd Benchrest Bisley
Contact via UKBRA website
Sat 18 and Sun 19th April
3 Nations Rimfire Benchrest match held at
Portishead Club. Ireland, Germany and UK teams
competing in friendly international match. Contact
via UKBR22 website.
Thu 23 April
NRA Shooting Club Day Multi-discipline NRA
Shooting Club Day. All disciplines welcome.
Contact Heather Webb NRA.
Sat 25 April
Clubs Mini Palma Match (National Shooting
Centre (NSC), Bisley)
A Mini Palma Match will be held on Saturday 25
April 2009 for teams of eight from any club, school
or county affiliated to the NRA.
Karen Robertson NRA
8 Target Shooter
Sat 02 May
NRA Open Day (National Shooting Centre (NSC),
Bisley)
Visitors will be able to try shotgun, air rifle, fullbore
rifle, sporting rifle, laser clays, precision snap,
practical and historical rifles to name but a few, all
with one-to-one coaching.
Contact(s): Libby Gendall NRA
2nd May 100 yd Benchrest Diggle Ranges
3rd May 1000 yd Benchrest Diggle Ranges
Contact via UKBRA website
Sat 09 May to Sun 10 May
The English Eight Club, National Rifle Club of
Scotland & Welsh Rifle Association Spring
Meeting. Match Rifle (F-Class Rifles may be used
if desired but cannot take any of the prizes except
for the Cash Sweep)
2+15 at 1000, 1100 & 1200 yards on each day
Contact(s): English VIII Secretary
10th May 100 yds Benchrest Diggle Ranges
Contact via UKBRA website
Sat 16 May to Sun 17 May
Range Conducting Officer Course (National
Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley). Two day course -
successful candidates will be qualified to
conduct live firing on MoD or TAVRA ranges.
Contact: Maureen Peach NRA
Wed 20 May NRA Shooting Club Day (National
Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley) Multi-discipline
NRA Shooting Club Day. Targets have been
booked on Cheylesmore and at 100, 200, 600 and
900 yards. If you would like to attend you must
book in at least a week in advance by contacting
Heather Webb.
Fri 22 May to Sun 24 May Phoenix Meeting
(National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley) and
Arms Fair. This multi-discipline meeting has its
roots in pistol calibre firearms but there are also
plenty of competitions for Black Powder, Air and
Fullbore from 15 yards to 1000 yards. As well as
all this shooting you can visit the Arms Fair held
in the Bisley Pavilion. Contact(s): Brian Thomas
NRA
25th May Egg Shoot 100/300/500 yds Diggle
Ranges Contact via UKBRA website
Sat 30 May
Start of NRA Probationary Members Course
2009/3 Contact(s): Heather Webb NRA
 Henry &
Krank
Henry Krank and Target Shooter have teamed up to
bring you this fantastic ........

Visit our NEW website at

www.henrykrank.com

Henry 100 - 104 Lowtown, Pudsey, West Yorkshire, LS28 9AY, UK

Krank
Tel: 01132 569 163 / 565 167 Fax: 01132 574 962 Email: sales@henrykrank.com
www.henrykrank.com Open Mon - Sat, 9am - 5pm
Target Shooter 9
Will you be having another?

Sako 85 Hunter

Ever wondered if you can love a second child as much as the first?
Sako have battled with this enigma but have finally produced the
Sako 85. With the same inestimable Sako accuracy and smooth bolt
operation, the 85 Hunter is perfectly balanced and beautifully built.
Featuring high-grade walnut stock and satin blued finish on the
barrel and receiver. Detachable two-row staggered steel magazine
and cold hammer-forged free-floating barrel is standard on all Sako
85 models.

Controlled feed
Unique to the Sako 85 are three lugs in the bolt, combined with a two-row
staggered magazine and the controlled round feed. The bolt raceway boasts
five guiding surfaces which results in smooth and fast bolt cycling. This
translates into fast and accurate repeat shots.

Total control latch

The Total Control latch (patent pending) secures the magazine which can be
detached only when simultaneously pushed upwards while the latch is pulled
back. This can be performed simply with one hand, but cannot happen
unintentionally or accidentally by contact with natural obstacles.

Safety system
Sako’s 2-way safety locks both the trigger and the bolt handle, as well as
blocking the firing pin. The unique bolt release button in front of the safety
catch allows loading or removal of a cartridge from the chamber with the
safety engaged.

Trigger system
The trigger system is adjustable from the magazine well: it comes set at the
factory at approximately 1,5 kg, but can be adjusted between 1 and 2 kg weight
of pull. The detachable magazine can also be loaded through the ejection port.
The magazine follower is made of aluminium, to ensure faultless operation.
SA010885

For further product information and details of your local Centre of Accuracy
stockist, please call GMK Ltd on 01489 587500 or visit www.gmk.co.uk
10 Target Shooter
 Target Shooter 11

It’s the time of the year when
The Phoenix Meeting is
coming up rapidly; from Friday
22 May to Sunday 24th May.
It has been said a number of
times by a numbers of writers,
that going to the Phoenix is a
pilgrimage for a lot of people;
those who go each year just
to shop or for those shooters
who take part in the array of
The speed steels are
competitions. I think I have
great fun to shoot!
Plenty of action in the Bianchi match to keep you
happy!
12 Target Shooter
It would be nice to have
more ladies and juniors
come along to show some
of the guys how to shoot!
event. It felt odd not going as
I like the Phoenix; to see the
matches and do several tours
around the Pavilion Trade
Show. I usually have a list of
wants that I am looking for in
the Pavilion and come away
smiling that I have got these,
although leaving quite a bit of
stuff that I would like behind.
missed one meeting since Whatever reason takes you
1997 and that was last year to Bisley, over the Phoenix
as I was training for another weekend, it is always a
worthwhile visit; some
spending the whole four days,
while others just going up for
the day. It is great to go up
and support colleagues who
are shooting or selling. For
If you are looking for a
challenge The Phoenix A &
Multi Target matches will test
you!

Try to beat this guy in
The Man v Man speed
plates!
me it is always a time that
brings lots of fellow shooters
together as they mass around
tables and talk about the
day’s events in the Pavilion
canteen. (With much grub to
be had I just happy that my wife
cannot see the calories that I
It’s nice to meet up with many of our Irish & German
friends at the Phoenix!
tuck away at this place each
year).
The competitions themselves
are varied …………… There
is something for everyone,
whatever your game is;
precision, action, long range,
short range, black powder,
air rifle & pistol, centerfire,
gallery rifle, rimfire. You name
it and it is probably shot at
the Phoenix in one form or
If you are looking for a
challenge The Phoenix A & Multi
Target matches will test you!
another. The competitions are
too numerous to list here, so
it is worth visiting the NRA
website to view these and get
your entry in. As there are both
team and individual matches, it
may be that you want to bring
some of your mates along with
you. This year the whole event
has some good sponsorship in
the form of Midway UK. This
level of sponsorship has got
to have positive effects and
we all look forward to seeing
links with the shooting industry
develop over the coming years.
The Phoenix weekend is a
pilgrimage I would suggest
to any and all shooters. By
doing this you are
supporting your colleagues
who are shooting and the
trade fair that encompasses
sellers from around the
country. More than ever in this
ever growing recession we
need to support one another as
buyers and sellers. I know I
will enjoy the weekend yet
again as I plan to go up in
May on my annual visit. A few
colleagues are going to pick
up items they have ordered,
a few that are looking for
specific firearms with others
looking at shooting and/ or
supporting. What I end up
taking away with me could
be anyone’s guess, probably a
few more mates and I know it
will be enjoyable to have that
hunt around the stalls.
The UKBR22 and UKBRA also
have a stall at the event - in
the Pavilion so come and see
us. As we are also promoting
this magazine it would be a
good chance to come and see
us and have a chat about what
you think - or is that too much
Target Shooter 13
 Everything is covered from
Does anyone have a air weapons to long range
gauge for slug? pistol events!

of an opening??
A few of the writers from
Target Shooter will be at the
show, as I know that Gwyn
Roberts is competing at a few
of the events.
If you are thinking about
attending the Phoenix
Meeting to shoot or shop it is
There’s plenty to shoot
towards the end of May on the
with your section 1
weekend of the 22nd to 25th.
shotgun whether it’s a
Hope to see you there.
pump or auto loader!

The Phoenix is a multi-discipline

Black powder pistol shooters have a wide variety of
matches to compete in!
meeting has its roots in pistol
calibre firearms but there are
also plenty of competitions for
Black Powder, Air and Fullbore
from 15 yards to 1000 yards. This
Meeting has over 75
competitions to enter, giving
you enough chances to earn
yourself one of the much sought
after 'Grandmaster Medals'. As
well as all this shooting you can
visit the Arms Fair held in the
Bisley Pavilion. This meeting has
a friendly atmosphere and is a
must for your shooting diary.
Contact Brian Thomas via the
NRA website

14 Target Shooter
 Target Shooter 15
 



      
     
    









                
               








              

                 


              
            

          









16 Target Shooter
 Support your local gun shop
‘South Yorkshire Shooting Supplies’
Back in the mid eighties South
Yorkshire was fairly light on
gunshops catering for pistol
shooters, but Roger Francis
was a very keen pistol shooter
travelling all over the country to
enjoy his sport. Some of the
country’s top Police and Service
competition shooters were also
members of the same club and
had noticed that Roger cast and
swaged a pretty mean bullet.
The upshot of this was that
Roger was asked if he would
make some bullets for sale ……..
and the rest, as they say is
history!
So in 1985 Roger and his wife
Sheila decided to start a small
business supplying reloading
components including of
course their own brand of Ace
bullets. The intention was to
supplement Roger’s income
as a microbiologist at a local
hospital. In 1989 they made the
decision to apply for the
appropriate RFD to extend sales
into ammunition and of course the
firearms themselves. Slowly but
surely, just like Topsy….things
just grew. By 1996 Roger’s
health problems had led to
early retirement from his day
job but the business was getting
better each year….until of
course the tragic shootings at
Dunblane. This event saw 85% of
their business disappear
virtually overnight. At that time it
looked as though the business
would come to an end as the
Government at first said that no
compensation would be paid to
dealers, a decision which only
rightly was altered in due course.
The easy way out would have
been to take the money and
run, but Roger refused to let the
government finish his dream,
and at this point he made what
turned out to be a very, very
good decision. This was to
turn to the ubiquitous Ruger
10/22 which was seen by many
pistol shooters as their saviour.
Roger and Sheila had already
been importing quite a few
specialist parts from the US but
now this became a vital part of
the business.
By 2005 the business had
grown so much that it was
becoming hard for them to cope,
compounded by Roger’s need
for two hip replacements due
to a worsening of his arthritis,
and they talked of cutting back
or even retiring. Naturally,
being as perverse as ever…they
decided to expand and at the
start of 2006 they took on a
part time worker by the name of
Dave Wylde (better known by
many as his alter ego of “baldy-
dave” on internet forums)
Dave’s machining skills meant
that the next phase in the
company’s development could
now begin….their foray into the
world of centrefire rifles. Now,
the order book is so full that
Dave’s two days a week has
become at least four, and Roger
and Sheila have “cut down” to
around 50-60 hours each
per week! Last year saw an
agreement with Surgeon Rifles
to be their sole importer for their
superb tactical actions, and this
year has seen an approach by
Lawton Rifle in the US to
appoint SYSS as their sole UK
distributor.
The shop continues to sell
most things for the Section One
shooter and SYSS are also
distributors for Volquartsen,
Power Custom, Hogue stocks,
Rifle Basix triggers, Barska
scopes, Boyds stocks, Bell and
Carlson stocks. Many other
specialist items are imported, but
the current difficulty in getting
gun parts out of the US has
led to the latest chapter in the
history of SYSS and they now
have more and more parts
manufactured locally in
Sheffield, including rimfire 10/22
style actions, bolts and a new
trigger housing, muzzle brakes,
scope bases, tactical bolt knobs,
and a host of smaller parts are in
the pipeline.
The only problem now facing
this family run business is that
they are finding it extremely
difficult to keep up with the
demand for their products and
services. A nice problem to have,
many people would say ……
Target Shooter 17
 Continental Shooting Supplies
North Ayrshire Shooting Ground, Blackstone Farm, Dalry, Ayrshire KA24 5HN
Tel: 01294 833297 Fax: 01294 833312 e-mail: enquiries@continentalshooting.co.uk

Continental Shooting Supplies is based at the

North Ayrshire Shooting Ground, a first class
all-weather facility for the Skeet, Trap and
Sporting disciplines.
We welcome customers to our shop, where a
friendly chat and expert advice are always
available.

You can also purchase goods from us by mail order.

Our online catalogue can be viewed at
www.continentalshooting.co.uk and orders placed over
the internet.
We carry an extensive range of products covering all
aspects of shooting including:
Calls and whistles
Cartridges and cartridge cases
Clothing and footwear
Decoys
Dog training equipment
Gun care materials and repair service
Gun cases
Hearing protection
Knives
Lamping equipment
Optics
Rifle accessories
Recoil reduction pads
Shotguns and firearms (both new and second hand)
If you are looking for something and can not see it on
our web site please give us a phone - we usually know
where things can be found! Also keep an eye out for
our special offers each month.

18 Target Shooter
 Jackson Rifles
Parton, Castle Douglas, Scotland DG7 3NL
Tel: (01644) 470223 Fax: (01644) 470227 jacksonrifles.com

• best-selling, proven design - made by

Europe's largest manufacturer of high-power
rifle silencers
• sleeved over the barrel – model T4 adds only
65 mm (2 ½") to overall length of rifle
• two-point mounting system resists harsh use
• selected by the Forestry Commission to meet the latest European noise at work regulations
• low-maintenance all-welded construction with tough parkerized coating - no need for internal cleaning!

centre-fire and rim-fire rifle

suppressors
NEW NorthStar stainless steel telescopic
rifle silencer NEW FOR 2009
• Calibres up to 25-06 Rem or 30-06 Spr
• Sound reduction -24 to -28 dB(C)
• Sleeves over barrel – net length only 100 mm (4")
• 47.5 mm diameter, weighs 630 grams
• Durable, low-maintenance, matt stainless finish

jet-Z™ CQB & COMPACT

• Calibres up to 25-06 Rem or 300 Win Mag
• Advanced ultra-compact muzzle-mounted design
• Sound attenuation -26 to -32 dB(C), according to
calibre
• 40 mm dia., 520 g (CQB) - 560 g (COMPACT)
• Adds only 125 or 150 mm to length of rifle barrel

Shoot to win

Jewell Triggers Jackson Rifles™ TIMNEY MFG. INC.

for Remington, CG-Universal for Browning,
Winchester, 2-stage trigger CZ, Mauser,
AR-15 and Remington,
competition for Remington,
Mauser, and Tikka Ruger, Sako,
rifles Weatherby &
rifles
Winchester rifles

SAK-Products Air Rifle/Rimfire silencer

• Excellent performance on 22LR and rifles up to .17 and .22 magnum rimfire
• Black or silver - standard ½"x20 UNF or ½"x28 UNEF thread
• 34 mm diameter, 160 grams, adds only 130 mm to length of rifle

but weTarget
We are happy to give advice and information to retail customers, Shooter
only supply the trade 19
Jackson Rifles is a division of Forge Consulting Ltd, RFD 108 (Dumfries & Galloway) ts0904
 The Switch Barrel Rifle
The prospect of a ‘custom’ rifle
represents a serious financial
commitment for most shooters
and not surprisingly, having made
that commitment, we need to get
as much use out of the rifle as
possible. One way of extending
that use is by having two barrels
– more expense yes but it means
two rifles for say an extra 25%
outlay.
Not surprisingly, the prospect of
swapping barrels will discourage
some shooters. Many don’t like
to mess with their rifles, even to
the extent of normal maintenance.
Some have never taken their
barrelled-action out of the stock –
why should they? Well, once you
have gained a little experience,
a basic understanding of what
makes your rifle ‘tick’ is always
useful and ideally we should be
familiar with the basics.
Our rifles get wet, cleaning-fluid
works its way under the action,
triggers get dirty, bolts get clogged-
up etc. so it’s a good thing to
occasionally maintain the things
20 Target Shooter
Vince Bottomley
that you can’t easily see. Too
often, a shooter only becomes
aware of a problem when it causes
a failure of some kind – usually
in the middle of a competition.
Taking the barrelled-action out of
the stock from time to time and
stripping the bolt is just good
house-keeping. (If you would like
Target Shooter to run an article
on basic rifle maintenance
then just send me an e-mail on
vinceb@6ppc.fsnet.co.uk and if
there is enough interest we’ll sort
it.)
If these simple tasks seem
daunting, then you may well
be less than enthusiastic at the
prospect of changing a barrel.
With the proper tools however,
it is a relatively straight-forward
operation and it is a familiar sight
at major benchrest shoots.
With a factory rifle, the barrel is
normally fitted really tight by the
factory and its removal is not
practical for the owner and is
best left to the gunsmith with the
proper equipment. Similarly, a
recoil-lug sandwiched between
barrel and action, as favoured by
most manufacturers, makes barrel
swapping a bit more complicated.
Factory rifles therefore will not
generally form part of a switch
barrel system and factory barrels
will normally only be removed
when shot-out. The one exception
is Savage – their barrel-nut fixing
makes home barrel-swaps a
possibility, providing you have the
correct spanner and headspace
gauge.
A custom rifle is a different matter.
Many custom actions have a
built-in recoil-lug and the fit
between barrel and action is a
precision joint and it does not
rely on extreme torque to hold it
securely in place. It can be
removed and replaced quite easily
with the minimum of equipment
but nonetheless there are a few
precautions that must be
observed.
Cleanliness is the key and the
action-threads and barrel-threads
must be kept scrupulously clean.
The tiniest particle of grit could

The 6PPC and 6x47 Lapua with 308 for comparison
cause the thread to seize – with
catastrophic consequences but
keep it clean and it won’t happen.
After cleaning, both threads must
be lightly lubricated. Several
suitable greases are available for
this purpose but remember, in use
this joint will get very hot and an
anti-seize grease which will stand
the temperature should be used.
Although the threads are the
means by which the barrel is
attached to the action, the joint is
made on the action-face and the
barrel-shoulder. These surfaces
must be equally clean and free
from any detritus and again, lightly
greased.
It’s important that excessive
grease does not ooze into the
action during the barrel-changing
process, so be careful to check
and clean as necessary before
attempting to chamber a round.
Grease in the chamber could raise
pressures to dangerous levels.
Action-wrenches which fit inside
the bolt-raceways - rather than
clamping around the action - are
normally used with custom rifles.
Excessive torque is not required
and I use a very short tommy-bar
in the action-wrench and just nip it
up by hand as tight as I can. (See
pics).
It probably sounds more involved
than it really is but as long as you
keep everything clean, you can’t
really go wrong.
Our a switch-barrel rifle will be
based on an exisiting 6PPC Stolle
actioned benchrest rifle which our
shooter is already using for 100
yard benchrest competition but he
is anxious to extend the use of the
The fabulous Stolle action – note built in recoil-lug, small
ejection-port, massive flat underside for bedding.
rifle to 600 yards and maybe 1000
yards for F Class and benchrest
competition. But what to choose
for a cartridge - which will perform
out to 1000 yards?
The existing 6PPC bolt-face
is marginally smaller than the
popular 308 head-size but we can
easily open it out to accomodate
a larger cartridge. We cannot
however contemplate a magnum-
size cartridge - this would require
a completely new bolt. Opening
up the Stolle bolt face slightly is a
straightforward job for your
gunsmith and the modification will
not affect accuracy or functioning
with the 6PPC cartridge.
With our new bolt-face, we have a
wide range of cartridges to choose
from and the largest of these would
be the 6.5-284/284 Win. We would
however have a problem ejecting
a loaded round based on the 284
case via the Stolle’s tiny PPC size
port, so my choice would be for
one of the smaller ‘accuracy’
cartridges – the 6BR, 6mm Dasher,
6.5x47 Lapua, 6mm Swiss Match
or even the 6XC. The 243Win. and
the 260 Remington could also be
considered.
Remember, for 600 and 1000
yard benchrest competition, the
criteria are slightly different in
that we can’t see our shot-holes
and there is little point therefore
in ‘holding-off’ whilst watching the
wind-flags. Our requirement is to
get our five shots off as quickly as
possible and a low-recoiling rifle is
a great help in achieving this. This
is why the tiny 6BR still holds the
Target Shooter 21
NBRSA record for five, 10-shot
groups at 1000 yards.

Any of the small ‘sixes’ would

fulfil our requirements and none
are what could be described as
serious ‘barrel-burners’ and all can
be accommodated in our Stolle
Panda action. We eventually
settled on the 6mm version of
the 6.5x47 Lapua. This cartridge
is very close to the Swiss Match
cartridge that I have previously
used out to 1000 yards so I
can personally vouch for its
effectiveness at all ranges. Dies Swapping barrels. Crack the joint in the barrel-vice
(Forster) and good quality brass
are readily available (unlike
the 6XC and Swiss Match) and I already have a 6x47 reamer never be proved but a tight barrel
case-forming is minimal (unlike so the next job was to obtain a will ‘swage’ the jacket into the lead
the Dasher) so, a sensible choice. suitable barrel-blank. In this case, core and reduce the risk of spinning.
we went for a Bartlein. Bartlein is
Why not simply go for the standard a relatively new American barrel Profile will be medium-heavy
6.5x47 Lapua? On paper, the 6mm maker and rapidly gaining a – 1.25 inches at the breech
105/107 grain factory bullets, have reputation for producing accurate tapering to 0.9 of an inch at the
a marginally better BC and less barrels but any of the popular muzzle.
recoil than say the 123 grain 6.5 makes of match barrel would This slightly slimmer profile will
bullet but in practice, the 6.5 would suffice, including the New help with balance. We have spec’d
be just as effective. It really comes Zealand True-Flite or a home- our blank to be 31 inches in length
down to the personal choice of the grown Border. Twist was specified and this will give us the option
shooter. as 1 in 8.5 and the bore as 0.237 to finish at something between
inches. 28 and 30 inches. Weight-wise,
Bores can we will be comfortably below the
Unscrew (and replace) barrel with rifle vertical. be obtained 17lbs maximum for 600/1000 yard
as standard Light Gun class and so well inside
or tight (0.236). the F Class 22 lb. limit but to some
I’ve tried both extent, balance is more important.
and found little Our rifle is in danger of
difference but becoming too front-heavy, which
some shooters won’t help the rifle to ‘track’ properly
have during the rapid-fire sequences that
preferences must be employed in long-range
and if the benchrest competition.
barrel makers
are willing to In the eyes of the law, a rifled
offer a choice, barrel which is not chambered or
then we can threaded does not constitute part
hardly of a firearm, so you may order
complain. your own barrel-blank but please,
There is a the- do not turn up at your gunsmith’s
ory that when door and be surprised if he is
using fast twist less than happy. Please discuss
barrels, the it with him first before ordering a
lead bullet barrel yourself. Most gunsmiths
core can ‘spin’ will work with one barrel maker
in the jacket – and it will normally be cheaper
fact or and quicker for you to allow your
fiction – it could gunsmith to supply the barrel. It

22 Target Shooter
was a full six months before our
shooter received his barrel and
this is another reason for going
with your gunsmith – his order will
likely take priority as he is a major
customer or he may even have a
suitable barrel-blank in stock.
We started talking about this
project at the beginning of 2008
and the season was almost over
before our shooter got the chance
to use the rifle in long-range
competition. Best results to
date are a seven-inch group at
1000 yards and just under three
inches at 600 yards. We eventually
finished the barrel at 28 inches
and final all-up weight was 15 lbs.
The rifle is not too front-heavy
andrides the bags quite well. We
could use a heavier scope - like the
Nightforce - or even add weight to
the butt to improve tracking. Recoil
is minimal.
The 6x47 cartridge – or 6-6.5x47
Lapua to give it its correct
nomenclature - gives good
results with one or two powders
and the favourites seem to be
Vihtavuori’s N560 double-base
The switch-barrel in action in 600 yards benchrest competition.
powder or Hodgdon’s H4350. We
have the option to use bullets
in the 90 to 105 grain range and
we might even try the 115 grain
DTACs but stability in our 1 in 8.5
twist barrel could be marginal.
How is the switch-barrel system
working in practice? ‘Very well’ is
our shooter’s answer and he now
swaps barrels without a second
thought.
One problem we hadn’t
considered with our project was
the scope. For 100 yard benchrest,
the 36BR Leupold is the king. Our
Leupold weighs in at under a pound
so, in 100 yard BR where weight
is an issue, it’s a great choice.
Problem is, we need a lot more
elevation for 1000 yard work - around
28 MOA more to be precise and
unfortunately, the Loopy ran out
of clicks long before we reached
it. The answer was a tapered
scope-rail from Kelbly’s – $1650
makers of the Stolle actions. This
rail has a built-in 20MOA taper and
slips over the Stolle’s integral rail.
(See pic) Now, the scope can be
left in place after a 100 yard BR
shoot and simply winding-on 12
MOA gets our shooter ‘on’ at 600
yards. A further 16MOA is needed
for 1000 yards.
So, for the outlay of another
barrel, our shooter now has a top
quality switch-barrel rifle which
covers multiple benchrest
disciplines from 100 to 1000
yards, plus the occasional F Class
competition. Yes, there is the
hassle of barrel-changing and
it’s not something you want to be
doing every week but maybe once
a month is not too bad. The initial
outlay may have been more than
our shooter initially had in mind
but the action/trigger/stock/scope
will never wear out and he can
have as many switch-barrels as
he likes.
Here’s what it all cost:
Second-hand 6PPC Stolle rifle
incl. 36BR Leupold scope.
Bartlein barrel blank
£275
Tapered scope-rail
£60
Barrel-vice & action wrench
£50
Target Shooter 23

Total: £2035
On top of this you would of
course need to add the cost of
gunsmithing but don’t forget, that
price includes the Leupold scope.
Since putting this article together,
another of our shooters has gone
24 Target Shooter
the switch-barrel route, this time (TS advertiser) supplied this rifle
using a Barnard P action and and the True-Flite barrels and the
Robertson F Class stock. He rifle brought its owner his first win
has chosen the 6BR chambering in the UKBRA’s last 600 yard shoot
for out to 500 yard work and the (see UKBRA page).
7mmSAUM for long range stuff.
This requires two separate bolts,
as the SAUM is a magnum bolt
face. Fox Firearms of Manchester
 Target Shooter 25
 Outdoor Air Rifle Sports - Starter Equipment

Stanley Shaw
outdoor sporting always available by breaking
disciplines? The the barrel or the lever. If target
answer is YES. A shooting is your main
trip to a local air interest then always go for a 0.177
rifle shooting club caliber. This caliber is definitely
will certainly answer more forgiving then a 0.22. If your
your questions. The legal limit is 12ftlbs and if outdoor
calibers allowed, shooting sport is what you want to
The HW97K an excellent starter air rifle for distances, air do, then don’t get a 7ftlbs air rifle.
all outdoor shooting disciplines, the blue rifle categories, air
laminate also gives the air rifle an extra rifle specifications There are a couple of spring
sporty look. and limitations, air rifles which are worth
the target size etc, considering as starter rifles. They
Are you interested in starting
are all questions one must ask can even give you results as you
Field Target, Hunter Field Target
to start to visualize the basic progress in these sporting
or maybe Bench Rest?
specifications required to disciplines. Weihrauch offers
What type of air rifle shall you
practice your sport. The best way two excellent spring air rifle the
get? Maybe an all rounder air
to start shooting and learn the HW77S/K and HW97K. They
rifle to get you started? How big a
fundamentals is to start with don’t come cheap, but they are
hole is this going to burn in your
a spring air rifle. If you’re on a excellent air rifles. The trend is
pocket?
starter budget remember that a that you always turn to and shoot
All of these questions come into
PCP needs additional equipment them, even after you upgrade to
the mind of a beginner at target
to operate – a scuba tank or more sophisticated models. In
shooting. Most of us learn by
pump. A spring air rifle will keep the same level playing ground
mistakes! On many occasions we
your spending down. Spring air is the British Air Arms TX200. A
will burn an even bigger hole in
rifles are self sufficient, power is typical setup including a
our pockets to get a second air
rifle just because we made the The British engineering classic the TX200 very popular with
wrong choice in the first place. FT and HFT
Firstly, decide on your budget spring class shooters.
but when you shop around,
dare to look at more expensive
models as well. Maybe it is worth
it to wait a few more months, to
save a bit more cash and get
decent all rounder air rifle. If you
cannot wait and must stick firmly
to your budget, then move on.
However, it might not be the best
option. A warning from personal
experience and that of others!

When looking can we find a

good all rounder air rifle for
26 Target Shooter
minimum 6-24 x 44 Mil dot an air rifle still capable of giving
scope, is what you need to you results. Many other spring air
experiment in Field Target, rifles are either plinkers or
Hunter Field Target and Bench hunting air rifles. These can still
Rest. For this kit expect to fork be accurate but work within the
out at least £400 to £450, but you specifications of their intended
will purchase an air rifle for life. If
use.
that’s a lot for you, look around If a PCP is what your after, one
for second hand ones. A lot of of the best entry level PCP’s is
spares and upgrade springs and an Air Arms S200, this will cost
seal kits are available for these you as much as the Weihrauch
models, so no need to worry about a HW77/97K or the AA TX200
second hand air rifle not being in but remember the additional
‘top’ condition. Definitely these scuba tank. An AA S200 might be The HW77S offers same
too tiny for adults, quality and accuracy of the
but that’s only a HW97K with more classic
matter of looks. With lines.
regards to target
shooting this little PCP’s back in shape.
gun has potential. If
you fancy a bigger The decision is all yours, however
P C P , m o r e if you consider these tips, you will
adequate for your certainly invest your money into
The Air Arms S200 the ideal starter PCP air size, with some a piece of kit that will lead you
rifle especially for juniortarget shooters. serious intentions to progress in your favorite air
Don’t let the size fool you this is a very in target shooting gun shooting sports. You will not
accurate all rounder air rifle. then go for its bigger regret your investment and own
brother the AA400 an air rifle which you will never
are not to only spring air rifles or the HW100. Again secondhand discard for many years to come.
available on the market, but if you rifles will be available, and spares Remember….. ask questions to
want to enter the world of target are plenty. Usually a seal kit will those who shoot this sport.!
shooting, then you must have get an unused or maltreated

AIRGUN SPECIALIST IN HEREFORD

Located close to Hereford’s City
Centre, Bromsports is your one-stop
shop for airguns and accessories as
well as Lamps, Camo Clothing,
Archery, Paintball, Replicas etc.
We offer a reliable ‘old- fashioned’
service and you are assured of a
warm reception whether in the shop
or on the phone, so why not give us
a try, you may be surprised!
Airguns usually in stock include brands
such as: WEBLEY, BSA, DIANA,
WEIHRAUCH, COMETA, AIR ARMS,
THEOBEN, LOGUN, SMK, CROSMAN,
We offer a fast mail-order service by phone or UMAREX, NORICA, REMINGTON Etc.
via our website www.bromsports.co.uk. A map Other products from: BUFFALO RIVER
link to the shop can be found on the site. ARMEX, PETRON, BARNETT, BISLEY,
BROMYARD SPORTS. 66 Widemarsh Street, Hereford, GARLANDS, BUSHNELL, ANDUJAR
HR4 9HG. Tel: 01432 344610. Shop opening: Tuesday to JACK PYKE, LIGHT FORCE, DENIX,
Saturday 9am ‘till 5pm. Adjacent car parking available. CHRONY, RANGE RIGHT, Etc.

Target Shooter 27
28 Target Shooter
Firearm Collectables - Buying Antique Guns

As one of the two arms and
militaria Experts on the BBC’s
Antiques Roadshow, I frequently
Napoleonic Royal Navy
Blunderbuss Bosleys £1100 BP15%
get asked advice about what
to look out for when buying an
antique rifle, pistol or gun (by
gun I mean sporting long-arm,
something for shot rather than
bullet). For as long as I can
remember, antique firearms have
been great investments and
at the moment, with next to no
interest being earned in banks
and with shares hardly being
worth a bean, they are proving
to be very popular objects to
buy. In fact, even though we are
in one of the worst recessions
we have seen for decades,
prices seem to be holding up well.
Just think of it, here are
beautiful things to handle and
maybe even use occasionally.
Holt’s £1050 BP20%
J.W. Edge, Manchester, a rare .451
Wilson Patent breech-loading
percussion sporting target rifle,
Objects that you can enjoy and
cherish and they will increase
in price too if you buy right. It
really is
better than
m o n e y
in the
bank. But
how do
you ‘buy
right’? What follows are a few tips
on what to look out for if you are
thinking of buying a gun (with
apologies to pedantic so-and-
so’s out there I am going to use
the word to cover all firearms). In
addition, I have included a
few items that have
recently come up for auction to
give you an example of what
A wonderful cased miniature of
you can get for your money.
Although many collectors buy
from dealers a growing number
inlaid with gold lines. Cased with
attend the several specialised
antique arms, armour and
militaria auctions that take place
up and down the country. One
of the comments that I often
hear about auctions is that there
can be such a wide variance in
Graham Lay
saleroom prices. Why is that?
Well, many factors can affect
the final price, condition being
the most important, and this is
something that is often difficult to
portray in detail in a brief catalogue
description. Other things that
affect price are the number of
buyers in attendance (although
the Internet has made absentee
buying at auction easier these
a Colt Paterson percussion
revolver, 6¼-inches overall,
engraved with scrollwork and
accessories.
Holt’s £3000 BP20%
days).
Just as there are many pitfalls
when buying at auction, there
are pluses and minuses when
you buy from a dealer. The
very first thing to do, if you
are serious about a particular
gun, is to give it a really good
inspection. You should see
immediately, from the
overall condition, how well it
has been treated by its previous
owners down the years. Don’t
worry at all if it has been
refinished, as it’s rare to find
a gun these days that hasn't
been. Any chequering
Target Shooter 29

A fine 10-bore percussion multi-groove sporting rifle by James
Purdey, serial no. 2184 for 9th July 1832, 28-inch barrel with
rear leaf sights to 200 yds, in its green baize lined mahogany
case with full compliment of accessories, retaining most of its
original brown, case colour and good amounts of blued
finish with a good bore. Sworders incorporating Olivers £6000
BP17.5%
should be crisp and not worn The most important things
smooth. Metal edges should be to check, especially if you
angular with a nice ‘sharp’ feel want to use the gun, is the
and not rounded and worn. condition of the moving parts
and most particularly the barrel.
Make sure the half-cock
position works and ensure that,
when at full cock, the hammer
will not fall; unless it’s meant too!
(Experienced shooters will know
this, but anyone new to muzzle
loading must remember not to
‘dry fire’ any muzzle loading gun).
Revolvers are more complicated
of course. Look at the cylinder
in particular and make sure that
the chambers line up with the
A fine single barrelled barrel. The ratchet on the back
percussion 70-bore of the cylinder can often be quite
two-groove ‘Pea’ rifle for rook worn, as this locates against
and rabbit by James Purdey the ‘hand’ or ‘pawl’ to move the
cylinder round one chamber at
30 Target Shooter
a time and works in conjunction
with another ‘pawl’ under the
cylinder, which lodges in a curved
slot to keep the cylinder firmly in
position when the pistol is fired.
You can, of course, buy new
parts for most mass-made
American revolvers, and also
a few ancillary parts for some
English guns. Peter Dyson
(www.peterdyson.co.uk) is one
gunsmith who supplies parts for
many muzzle-loading guns. You
will be amazed at the variety
of spares and parts he stocks.
Above all, whatever it is, if
you want to shoot it, then the
barrel, particularly the interior,
has to be good, with no pitting.
The system of proving barrels has
been around for several hundred
years. Gunsmiths had to submit
each gun they made to the
London or Birmingham Proof
House, where it underwent
several tests, including being
fired with an over
charged load. The subsequent
stamps on the barrel were
proof that it was safe to use.
As with an MOT, however, just
because it was safe when it was
proofed does not mean that it
is safe now, so it may be better
to have a gunsmith inspect it.
These days it is very difficult to
find a pistol, in particular, that is
A Hawksley 12-bore Trade
Mark ‘Despatch Recapper’,
also stamped ‘J. WILKES,
LEEDS’.
Sworders incorporating
Olivers £75 BP17.5%
 A cased 54-bore Webley
patent wedge frame five-shot
double-action percussion
revolver. Holt’s £2400 BP20%

Wood of Worcester, a cased

54-bore Tranter patent second
model double-trigger five-shot
self-cocking percussion
revolver. Holt’s £1800 BP20%
mint, and of course it will cost you
considerably more if you do find
one, but sacrificing exterior finish
for a good bore is more important
if you are going to be shooting
your purchase rather than
hanging it on the wall. In
fact, because the majority of
collectors don't want to shoot, A good pair of 48-bore percussion duelling pistols by John
with the hassle of having to Manton, serial no. 9133 for 1825, 10-inch octagonal barrels,
obtain a firearms certificate, in original green baize lined mahogany case with full
many of them will be put off by a compliment of accessories. With fine bores.
scruffy exterior, keeping the price Sworders incorporating Olivers £18,000 BP17.5%
down for those of us who do.

One thing to do to check
prices is to have a look at the
several antique gun dealers who
have websites, such as Henry
Krank (www.henrykrank.co.uk)
who has an enormous variety
of stock. Use a search engine
to find them or look at their
adverts for the web address.
There you can see their retail
prices and maybe compare them
with similar guns that you have
seen at other dealers or at auction.
If you want to find lots of
dealers in one place, then an
Arms Fair is the place to go.
There are a number around the
country, mainly the London Park
Lane Arms Fair (at The Marriott
Hotel, Grosvenor Square,
London; the arms fair at the
Bisley Pavilion, which mostly
specialises in classic guns (29th
March and 22nd to 24th May),
The London Arms Fair (not to
be confused with the Park Lane
Fair, 24th & 25th April at Hotel
Ibis, Lillie Road) and The
Birmingham Arms Fair (14th
June at The National Motorcycle
Museum, Bickenhill, Solihull).
Be sure you check the dates
with the organisers for accuracy.
Finally, remember that you
may pay less at auction than
from a dealer but at auction the
motto is ‘buyer beware’. There
is no come back if you are
unsatisfied with your purchase. A
dealer may be more sympathetic.
He will certainly spend time
helping you if you tell him what you
are looking for and will not want
you to walk away having bought
a gun that you will be unhappy
with; after all, word of mouth is
very powerful in our community.
Here are some objects that
recently came under the
auctioneer’s hammer. To the price
quoted here you have to add a
Buyer’s Premium (BP)
percentage plus VAT to get the
final prices.

Target Shooter 31
 Visit our NEW website at
100 - 104 Lowtown, Pudsey

Henry West Yorkshire, LS28 9AY www.henrykrank.com

Tel: 01132 569 163 / 565 167 100’s of
Fax: 01132 574 962 photos of

Krank
Email: sales@henrykrank.com antiques
www.henrykrank.com for sale
Open Mon - Sat, 9am - 5pm online

Smart Reloader
Special Offers Kinetic Bullet Puller
£15.54
.303 Brass Cases ONLY £9.99 per pkt 100 New HXP boxer unprimed. Includes 3 sets of collets
Brunox that will allow you to pull bullets from reloaded
ONLY
Cleaning Kit £9.95 ammunition from the caliber .17 up to .50 cal.
Palmeto Inline Pistol
Offer Electronic Digital Scale
1x Roll 4x2 The perfect entry level .44cal black £43.20
1 x Brunox powder single shot pistol. ONLY £99 Included in kit: two powder
+ +
100ml Gun Oil Palmeto Inline Pistol Kit ONLY £110 measures, one 50 gram
1 x Brunox Palmeto Inline Pistol complete with .44cal calibration weight, powder tray and battery.
300ml Gun Oil cleaning kit, brunox gun oil and 4x2 roll. Accurate to 0.01grain. Max capacity 771gr.
Electronic Case Tumbler
Production Pot + a Minie £43.20
or Double Cavity Bullet Allows you to easily and quickly
Mould of your choice clean your used brass. The ca-
ONLY £64 pacity of the bowl is aprox 600
cases in 9mm or 250 cases in
Lee Production Pot IV. Holds approx 10 pounds of lead. Melt time less than 20 mins. 223 Remington. Full instructions included.
Tumble Media 1kg £7.20 5kg £16.75
Electronic Stereo Earmuffs
Palmetto Roots Percussion Revolving Rifle £954 £34.00 Excellent protection by
Reproduction of filtering out high frequency noise
the Colt Roots Model 1855 Palmetto Wesson Rifle £690 caused by gunfire above 85dB.
repeating rifle in .44cal. A very high quality target rifle in .45cal.
Speciality Mount for
Military Rifles Ardesa Pistols K31 Plus 3x20 Scope
Enfield Long Lee .303 From £425 Quality reproduction pistols
ONLY £95
Enfield SMILE .303 From £295 Derringer .31 Percussion £97.80
Specially designed mounting
Enfield No. 4 .303 From £325 Underhammer .40 Percussion £510.00 system for Schmidt Rubin rifles.
Enfield P14 .303 From £395 W.Parker .45 Match Percussion £276.00 Suitable for 1” scopes with up to
Mossin Nagant Snipers 7.62x54 £495 W.Parker .45 Match Flintlock £348.00 44mm lens. Plus 3x20 scope.
Mossin Nagant Rifle 7.62x54 From £215 Buckhunter Blue .50 Percussion £238.80
Schmidt Rubin 1911 7.5x55 £295 Buckhunter Blue .45 Percussion £238.80 Evapo-Rust 500ml Bottle
Yugo Mauser K98 8x57 £245 Buckhunter Allweather .45 Perc £260.40 Rapidly removes rust + gun blue.
Persian Mauser Rifle 8x57 £295 Requires no special equipment. Safe on
Patriot .45 Percussion £178.80
soft metals, plastics + all other materials.
Euroarms Pistols + Rifles Kentucky .45 Percussion £178.80
Will not pit un-rusted steel. ONLY £8.75
Remington 1858 Stainless .44 £336 Kentucky .45 Flintlock £141.60
1871 Duelling Pistol Percussion Wooden Black
£339.60
Remington 1858 Target Stainless .44 £348 Powder Storage Box
Rogers & Spencer Standard Blue £354 Ardesa Rifles ONLY £99.00
Rogers & Spencer Blue Walther £538 Quality reproduction rifles H 37cm x W 45cm x D 25cm
Rogers & Spencer Std London Grey £432 Hawken .451 Match Creedmore Perc £598 Delivery £4.00
Rogers & Spencer London Grey Walther £672 Hawken .45 Flintlock £354
Rogers & Spencer Blue Target £402 Hawken .45 Percussion £328 The new 2009 Antique, Vintage
Rogers & Spencer London Grey Target £456 Kentucky .45 Flintlock £272 Arms & Accessories Catalogue
Euroarms Volunteer 3 Band Target Rifle £774 Kentucky .45 Percussion £234 Now available. Request your free copy.
E/arms London 1858 2Band 58g Shotgun£552 Pennsylvania .45 Carbine Flintlock £309
Euroarms CS Richmond Musket £574 Pennsylvania .45 Carbine Percussion £260
Euroarms Springfield 58g Shotgun £574 Pennsylvania .45 Rifle Flintlock £456
P/Hale 1858 2 Band Naval Pattern Rifle £672 Pennsylvania .45 Rifle Percussion £409
P/Hale Volunteer 3Band Henry Rifle £958 Shenandoah .45 Rifle Flintlock £372
All rifles and pistols listed above require a firearms certificate.
Postage & packing £4.00 per order. Additional p&p charges apply for firearms + explosives. Above prices correct at time of printing.
32 Target Shooter
 Chris Potter
Country Sports

Over 900 new & used guns in stock at any time.

Shotguns, Centrefire, rim & air rifles.
Large clothing & footwear departments.
From world class shooters to beginners - we can help.
Expert advice and guidance!
Visit our webshop – WWW.GUN.CO.UK
or call us on 01892 522208
2-6 Grover Street TEL: 01892 522 208
Off Camden Road FAX: 01892 543 515
Royal Tunbridge Wells EMAIL: MAIL@GUN.CO.UK
KENT TN1 2QB
WWW.GUN.CO.UK
Target Shooter 33
 IWA Report 2009
For the first time in five years, I
didn’t go to IWA with my Target
Sports hat on – this time it’s for
Target Shooter!
On arrival at the Messe – the
ultra modern exhibition centre
on the outskirts of Nurnberg (or
Nuremberg if you prefer the
English spelling) where the IWA
show is held, the first job is to
check in at the Press Centre
and convince the German press
girls, Petra and Beate that I am
now representing a new on-line
magazine.
The formalities completed, it’s out
into the exhibition. The Messe is
massive and not all of it is used,
even by the 1100 plus exhibitors
(a 10% increase on last year)
but the seven halls will take me
the whole of four days to explore.
Although the show is nothing like
as big as the US Shot Show, at
least two-thirds of the Shot Show
is devoted to camouflage clothing,
such is the US market for the stuff.
All of the big US manufacturers
do however support IWA and the
34 Target Shooter
Vince Bottomley
Americans have almost taken
over Hall 5.
In addition to guns, knives are
also a big feature of IWA and
every year, the International Knife
Show takes place. Like ‘em or not,
knives are an essential part of
our daily lives and this exhibition
takes it to a new level with some
incredible examples of
craftsmanship, ranging from
tableware to hunting and tactical
knives.
Every hall has its own refreshment
areas and these range from a
simple sausage baguette
consumed ‘on the hoof’ to a
full-blown champagne & smoked
salmon sit-down meal – you
pays your money and takes your
choice, as the saying goes. Prices
are however reasonable and you
never have that ‘ripped-off’ feeling.
At the end of a long day –
usually eight hours, it’s back to the
tranquillity of the Press Centre
for a fruit-juice or coffee before
heading back to the hotel for a
New F Class rifle from
Keppeler of Germany
shower, followed by an evening
out and a meal in the old city. It’s
a hard life being a press hack -
good job it’s only four days!
Hopefully that’s set the scene for
you and we can get on the floor
and find out what’s new for 2009.
Hall 4A was closest to the Press
Centre and was also the location
for many of the scope makers. As
usual, there were lots of Chinese
scopes on offer and they do get
better every year and are terrific
value for money - especially for
the beginner. But, you know as
well as I do, that this is no place
to economise if you take your
sport seriously. Yes, you may like
to think that your Chinese scope
will do the job as well as any
Leupold but don’t kid yourself –
like most things today – you get
what you pay for. What’s worse,
I’ve seen Chinese scopes which
can be had for less than 100
Euros, on sale in UK gunshops
for two and three times their
worth.
Of course, we are always
looking for value for money and
Sightron scopes are certainly – most famous for their Leupold and March have beaten them to
worth a second look, price-wise scope boosts and reticle options it, though supplies of the Schmidt
they are very competitive. If so they know as much about are painfully slow in reaching the
you shoot serious benchrest or scopes as anyone. I was really UK but Target Shooter will have

Savage’s new tactical rifle ticks all the boxes

F Class, Sightron have plenty
of quality stuff at the right price.
Weighing just 17 ounces, their
36X fixed-power scope is already
a hit with BR shooters in the
USA and they had on display an
upgraded ‘Big Sky’ version.
Target Shooter will soon have
an example for review and
better still, you will have the
chance to actually buy one –
keep your eye on Target Shooter
excited to discover that they are
actually making their own scope.
The scope is a true tactical
optic in the same vein as US
Optics and at the moment it’s max.
power is 25X. It’s a big heavy
scope like the Schmidt but for a true
tactical rifle, it would certainly be
high on my shopping list. If they
can bring out a 50 power version it
will be well received by the serious
F Class shooters. www.premier-
one for test very soon!
This year, we had over 50 UK
exhibitors and one of the best
of the Brit. stands is always
Jackson Rifles of Dumfries.
Peter Jackson is best known for his
moderators and this year he had a
couple of new ones. The pic shows
Peter with his latest rim-fire mod.
fitted to a pistol but it is also
suitable for rifle use. These mods
are beautifully made and can be

A triangular barrel! You’ve got to be

kidding Remington!

for more details! Their 8-32 would
make a great F Class scope and
of course, they have plenty of
stuff for the hunter.
Whilst we are talking scopes, we
must mention Premier Reticles
reticles.com
Unfortunately, Leupold had
nothing new to excite the
target-shooter and it’s high
time they upgraded their 8.5-25
scope with a 50 power version –
unfortunately Schmidt & Bender
dismantled for cleaning. A
couple of years ago, Peter started
making his own triggers and I
thought he was a little mad but
he has broken into the American
market and firms like Eliseo, who
make the tube-guns, are now

Target Shooter 35

using Jackson triggers.
Peter also carries a large
inventory of McMillan and
Robertson stocks. It’s always
worth giving Jackson Rilfes a call
as the McMillan delivery time is
currently horrendous.
www.jacksonrifles.com
RPA were also exhibiting and
always have a good selection of
their stuff on display including a
new tactical rifle. They also had a
‘show’ rifle with walnut stock and
gold embellishments to
commemorate 40 years in the
business of building accurate
rifles. The rifle will be auctioned
on June 25th by Holts of London
with a percentage of the proceeds
going to charity.
www.rpainternational.co.uk
36 Target Shooter
Have a look at the BCM
website –
rifle engineering
doesn’t get better
Many of the other British
Exhibitors are remnants of once
New joystick rest from
Golmatic of Germany
famous names like BSA and
Webley and aIthough it’s sad
to see the demise of our gun
making trade, at least they are here
and surviving in a very difficult UK
anti-gun climate.
One of the exhibitors who excited
me last year was the Spanish
firm of Bergara Barrels. Bergara
is a small Spanish gun-maker
who decided to set up their own
in-house barrel-making facility to
save money. They went to the
top of the tree and enlisted the
help of Ed Shilen. They ended
up with a super facility capable of
making far more barrels than
they needed – which is good
news for us! The downside is that
their blanks are only 28 inches
max. so not suitable for serious
long-range target stuff. We do
have a UK importer however in
the form of Jager Sporting Arms
located in Yorkshire and if you were
building a tactical rifle or maybe
even a rimfire benchrest rifle,
Bergara are worth considering.
Their honing process results in
a superb internal finish which
can only help accuracy and,
although the pound is weak
against the Euro, prices are
competitive. www.bergarabarrels.
com
Golmatic of Germany always
have an interesting display. This
talented engineer makes his own
actions, competition triggers and
stocks and this year he had his
own joystick rest on display (see
pic). If you shoot benchrest or F
Class and you don’t already own
a joystick rest, you probably want
one. At least this one is closer
to home than either the Farley,
Caldwell or Seb so maybe worth
a look. www.golmatic.de

Mentioning front-rests leads me

onto the Smart Reloader stand.
I’ve road-tested a couple of their
products for Henry Krank of
Pudsey – the portable scales
and kinetic bullet-puller – both
great products at bargain prices.
I saw a few new products on their
display. More electronic scales and
a decent-looking front rest. The
rest is very heavy and the top
looks good – unlike the Caldwell.
You can be sure the price will
be right from this Swiss firm.
w w w. s m a r t r e l o a d e r m f g . c o m
Fox Firearms have imported
Keppeler rifles for a couple
of years now and they are an
impressive bit of kit. A couple of
the guys shooting F/TR on the
GB circuit, Steve Rigby and Paul
Dobson have demonstrated how
effective their 308 target rifle
can be and now Keppeler are
offering an Open F Class rifle
Smart Reloader’s new front-rest from Switzerland
(see pic) featuring their stainless reloading presses, scope-rings and
steel action in a well designed rails. Take a look at his website at
laminate stock. www.bcmeuropearms.it
www.keppeler-te.de Tactical rifles continue to be
popular with UK shooters and
However, if you want to see some there were plenty on display.
real innovative engineering, For me, Unique Alpine set the
have a look at BCM Europarms. standard and they had a new
Vittorio Taveggia is a very talented rifle to show us (see pic) which is
guy and loves to push things to aimed at the 300m ISSF shooter.
the limit. This year, he had his own Their serious tactical kit is now
actions on display, stocks CNC supplemented with electronic
machined from aluminium-billet gismos for the genuine military/
and rifles chambered in some police user. The Blaser R93
outrageous cartridges – like tactical with its quick-change
the 460 Styer (see pic). barrel is a very desirable rifle
Vittorio shoots 1000m benchrest except that the price has risen to a
in the Dolomites and he does staggering 3000 Euros! The Steyr
lots of other nice bits for the tactical continues to improve and
accuracy nut including a nice line in now has a decent 10-round mag,

Premier Reticles’ new scopes

Target Shooter 37
 Peter Jackson’s new rimfire sound moderator
whereas Remington appear to be
struggling tactically. Their choice
of a Bell & Carlson stock can’t
be faulted but have you seen the
barrel? For some inexplicable
reason their tactical rifle barrel
is triangular in section (see pic)!
‘Bonkers’ is the only word I can
find to explain it. On the other
hand, the new Savage tactical
looks great and if we can only get
it on sale in the UK at the right
price, it will be a huge hit.
Armed with your press card, it’s
often possible to blag the odd
item for review and I have one or
two things lined up for readers of
Target Shooter in the coming
months. Yes – you even get stuff
offered there and then but if you’re
flying, transporting a rifle can be a
problem!
This year, I did come home
with a few ‘pocket-size’ bits and
pieces. Have you ever heard of
Slick 2000? I read a test of
38 Target Shooter
this bore-cleaner and copper
solvent in the American Precision
Shooting magazine and it received
a very good report. Copper in your
barrel is one of the quickest ways
to lose accuracy and if you don’t
own a bore-scope it’s difficult to
know if you have got all the copper
out, so I’m always on the look out
for good copper solvents. “Pity you
don’t have a UK distributor.” I said
to the rep. “But we do.” He replied.
Now I’m not going to do someone
else’s job and tell you the name of
this distributor but what’s the point
in taking on an agency, if you don’t
advertise it guys?
This is actually quite a
common scenario – the main
importers often take on an agency
– then sit on it. OK, it stops your
competitors from selling the
product but that doesn’t help us!
Come on UK Importers – get your
finger out and tell us exactly what
you are importing!
I hope I’ve given you at least a
flavour of IWA – even if I’ve
covered less than one percent
of the 1141 exhibitors! I could
talk about lots of other stuff – like
pistols, semi-auto rifles – there are
dozens of AR15 clones sprouting
Picatinny rails from every surface
and of course hunting rifles and
shotguns but I thought it best to
stick to what Target Shooter is all
about. As I get a few follow-ups
from companies throughout the
year, maybe we’ll get the
opportunity to mention more stuff.
Every year a group from my own
club visit IWA and when IWA
2010 approaches – which will be
the same weekend in March, we
will cover travelling and hotels
in more detail - just in case you
fancy making the trip. The historic
walled city is allegedly the finest
example in Europe and makes
the trip doubly worthwhile and you
can also visit the museum on the
site of Hitler’s infamous Nurnberg
Rallies.
 RHINO RIFLES
Custom made rifles in the heart of Cheshire

We stock:

ACTIONS
Remington BARRELS
Howa Pac-Nor STOCKS:
Sako Krieger Bell & Carlson
Barnard Bartline A I
RPA Broughton SSS
Stiller True-Flite H&S
Peirce Boyds

Visit our new website for full range and services

www.rhinorifles.co.uk Target Shooter 39
 Swedish m/41 – the most accurate WW2 Sniper Rifle
I must confess that, although
a long standing admirer of
the humble .303, my quest for
accuracy led me to sniping
rifles and soon in to competition
against a very rare beast – the
6.5mm x 55 Swedish Mauser
m/41 Sniper rifle. Whilst its bolt
manipulation was not as quick
as the Lee Enfield, the Swedish
Mauser’s slow fire accuracy was
phenomenal – probably the most
accurate long range sniper rifle of
WW2. It took me five years to find
one for myself, no doubt helped
by the fact that the Swedish
Home Guard only disposed of
their m/41’s in the early 1990’s.
York Guns imported six and I was
lucky enough to pick the best of
the bunch.
m/41B Swedish Mauser Sniper with Ajack scope above an
earlier m/41 with m/42 AGA scope.
40 Target Shooter
Nigel Greenaway
This article will trace the history of
the Swedish Mauser Sniper rifles,
their distinguishing markings, the
different scopes and how to zero
them. Finally I will give some
reloading information for possibly
the most accurate military round
of all time – the 6.5mm x 55.
As a neutral nation during WW1,
Sweden did not experience trench
warfare and the emergence of
sniping and therefore never felt
the need to develop their own
sniper rifle. However, as close
neighbours of Finland, Sweden
witnessed the terrific fight put up
by the Finns against the Russians
in the Winter War of 1939-40.
Sweden even sent 8,000
volunteers and supplied 77,000
rifles to help their Finn
neighbours. The returning
volunteers were quick to point
out how the Finns had used
sniping tactics and dedicated
sniper rifles to exact a terrible toll
on the Russians. Individual Finn
snipers notched up tallies as high
as 550 in six months!
By 1941 Sweden found itself
with two potentially aggressive
neighbours – Russia (via
Finland) and Germany (via
Norway). Ironically Germany
needed iron ore from Sweden
and Sweden needed a telescopic
sight in order to build their own
sniper rifle A deal was struck
and about 3500 sets of high
quality Ajack 4x90 scopes and
mounts were supplied to the
Swedes who fitted them to m/96
Swedish Mauser rifles
previously selected for
their accuracy. There is no
particular date range and even
some early 1899 German
Mauser and Swedish Carl
Gustafs made m/96 rifles were
used, the latest being 1925 dated.
The base m/96 rifle has a
barrel length of 29 inches with
a five round capacity magazine
holding the improved m94/41
6.5mm 139 grain spitzer bullet,
fired at a velocity of around 2625
fps. This round is renowned for
its accuracy and typically carries
a very high ballistic coefficient –
making it rather forgiving when
the wind blows! The Ajack four

Elevation dial of the Ajack scope with the two small
locking screws.
power scopes were hand fitted
using short side rail mounts of a
type also used by the Germans
on their K98k sniper rifles. The
scopes also have the German
three post reticule, focus
adjustment and an elevation ring
graduated from 100-800 metres.
Windage for zeroing purposes
is catered for in the mount and
once set is best left alone – you
have to aim off if the wind blows.
The objective lens is 44mm
with a 26mm tube and the 4x90
designation is a calculation based
on its light gathering capability –
which is fantastic and light years
ahead of the British No.32 scope.
I can testify this is the case
having shot on a dull day with a
fine drizzle on Magpie Alley at
Bisley whilst shooting the
McQueens Sniper competition.
With my No.4(T) it was difficult to
see the Fig.14 target whilst with
the m/41 the target was as clear
as day!
The original m/41 sniper rifles
were built during 1941 and 1942.
The dates are engraved on the
side of the elevation turret along
with the serial number of the
scope. On the other side is
engraved Ajack 4x90. The mount
base and upper have
matching serial numbers but
neither of these number match
the rifle or the scope. Hence it is
quite easy to “make-up” an m/41 –
however there is one mark on the
underneath of the butt – a Crown
over an S which indicates that
the rifle was converted to sniper
specification, as they all were, at
the Stockholm facility. In 1942
the Germans invaded Russia and
suddenly found that they needed
all the sniper rifles they could get
so the supply of Ajack scopes to
Sweden stopped abruptly!
Sweden then developed their own
scope called the AGA 3x65, the
military designation being m/42.
This was a much smaller scope
Elevation ring on the m/42 AGA scope
of 22mm tube diameter with
26mm diameter ocular and
objective lenses. The light
gathering capabilities were not
as good as the Ajack and the
100-800 meter elevation
adjustment was carried out by
an annular ranging ring which
was susceptible to water ingress.
This scope was fitted using the
same short side rail mount as
the m/41. Its service life was only
about two years before it was
replaced by the AGA 3x65 m/44
– a simpler scope with a
conventional elevation turret
which meant it was more
waterproof and had better light
gathering due to a 27mmm tube
and 30mm objective and ocular
lenses. Total production of all
three types of scope was 5,300. In
1955 the final version of the m/41
came in to being as the m/41B.
The Ajack scopes were
refurbished and their lenses
chemically bloomed before
remounting on the rifles with a
slightly modified mount which
had a stop screw to prevent
the dovetail mounts becoming
too tight under recoil.
Fundamentally there was little
difference between the original
m/41 and the m/41B but the
latter had a new sling designed
for it which could be used like the
Target Shooter 41

900 yard target 75.9 ex 75 on the current NRA target
American Springfield sling.
Zeroing the scopes
All three scopes had the same
method of zeroing for windage.
Step I is to remove the scope
with upper mount from the rifle.
On the underneath of the mount
is a large screw, this secures the (ignoring what the elevation
front ring, and acts as a pivot
for the windage adjustments.
Loosen this screw a quarter turn,
there is no reason to remove
it. Then replace the scope and
mount on the rifle. To adjust for
windage fire a two shot group
at short range, about 50 yards.
A slight adjustment to either of
the screws on the left and right
sides of the rear of the mount
will have dramatic effect at the
target. If your group is left, l
oosen the right screw about
1/4 turn, and gently snug the
left screw. Shoot again. Keep
adjusting until you are centered
left/right. Then move out to
longer range, as you move out,
it will take smaller adjustments 5 shot , 100 yard group , 4 shots
to move your point of impact
the same amount. Keep fiddling
until you are centered at 300
yards. Once you are happy with
the windage, remove the mount
from the rifle, and retighten the
front ring main screw and
hopefully you will never have to
touch it again! You may gather
from this that it might be best to
develop your accuracy loads
before you settle on your final zero. zeroing (where you can’t turn the
A correctly paired scope and rifle
42 Target Shooter
should only require minor
elevation adjustment if your
ammunition is shooting to
military velocities. Preferably
shoot at 100 meters and shoot a
three round group. Adjust the
elevation dial and shoot groups
until your group is on the same
elevation as your aiming point
reading is). When you are
satisfied with the zero, tighten
the thumb locking screw. Then
loosen (but do not remove) the 2
small screws on the plate at the
top of the elevation knob. It will
now be possible to rotate the
outer range dial (not the knob)
until the number lines up at
whatever range you are
shooting. Hold the range dial in
in under half an inch.
this position while you retighten
the 2 small screws. If you plan
on doing most of your shooting
at 200 yards then check your
zero at this range – it might not
exactly match the number “2” on
the elevation dial but no matter.
If your Ajack scope reaches the
stop point during elevation
dial any further) there is a way
round this problem. Equally the
elevation zeroing for the m/42 is
a bit more complicated but space
does not allow me to explain the
how – contact me necessary
via the editor and I’ll explain all.
Adjusting the elevation of the
m/42 scope is completely
different! The scope has a large
screw on the brass elevation ring
which needs to be removed
after you have set the range to
approximately 680 meters. A hole
in the scope body should be
visible – you might have to adjust
the scope elevation ring so the
holes are aligned. Shine a bright
light into the hole and you will
notice a tiny set screw on the
opposite side of the scope body.
Using a 2mm jeweler’s
screwdriver you should be able
to manually adjust elevation. Be
careful inserting the screwdriver
into the scope body as to not
damage the cross hairs and other
delicate parts. The pain with this
method is that you can only get
at this internal screw when the
scope is off the rifle – you have to
keep making small adjustments,
remounting the scope, test
firing with a couple of shots and
so on. I foget which direction you
turn the screw but you will see
the reticule moving up or down.
Down will raise your elevation
and up will lower your elevation.
Reloading for the 6.5mm x 55.
There are many manufacturers
of brass and bullets for reloading
but when it comes to this caliber
there is no better than Lapua
(some would say there is no
better manufacturer for any
caliber). I use Lapua brass and
the Lapua Scenar 139 grain HPBT
bullet. The brass requires
virtually no preparation and,
because it is a popular caliber,
it is very good value for money.
The same applies to the bullets
and for those that wish to argue
the point I will simply say that the
ballistic coefficient for the Lapua
round is .615. There is nothing
wrong with Sierra bullets but their
6.5mm 140 grain bullet has a BC
of .526 and their 142 grain has
a BC of .580. Just to put these
figures in to perspective the
Sierra .308 155 grain Palma
Match bullet, that was designed
for 1000 yard performance, has
a BC of .450. Now you know
why the 6.5mm x 55 has such a
will not match the point of impact.
When shooting in the British
Army’s 2004 Sniping
Symposium I was tasked with
demonstrating some of my
sniper rifles and then letting any
of the snipers who expressed an
interest have a go. The Dutch
KCT Special Forces team (Korps
Commando Troepen – organised
along the same ines as our SAS)
Pages from two Swedish military manuals,
Fig11 – about 2 inches lower than
the first shot. I gleefully pointed
out to my Dutch friends, who had
not yet hit the four foot backer,
that my rifle was built in 1941.
The same rifle scored a 75.9
ex 75 in the 900 yard Hesketh
Prichard Sniper competition at
the 2005 Trafalgar meeting and a
74.7 in 2008. It regularly shoots
possibles at 600 yards and will

Lapua brass and Scenar 139 grain standing

tall next to a Sierra 155 grain Matchking

great reputation for long range
accuracy.
The powder I use is 46 grains
of Reloder 22 which combined
with the 139 grain Lapua Scenar
bullets gives 2640 fps in my rifle
- almost identical to the service
load. All the usual reloading
caveats apply as I have found this
to be a safe load in my rifle but it is
towards the top end of the scale
so readers should start at least
10% below this load, especially
if using different brass or bullets.
The first time I used my m/41B
at long range I found that the
modern Scenar bullet shoots
flatter so at the longer ranges the
graduations on the elevation dial
were keen to have a go and shoot under ¾” at 100 yards. If
were soon achieving head shots you can find one of these fine
at 600 meters with my m/41B. rifles – grab it quickly!
We went back to 900 meters
where I figured that moving the
elevation dial to 800 meters (the
highest setting) would at least get
me on to the four foot backer with
my flatter shooting bullets. I had
to aim off by about seven feet
but found a patch of grass on the
butts that was shoulder height
to the Fig.11 target. My Dutch
KCT colleagues next door were
using Accuracy International
sniper rifles in .300 Winchester
Magnum. My first shot clipped
the shoulder and the second
adjusted shot hit the chest of the
Detail pictures of the rifles,
the scope and markings.

Please mention

when using advertising

in the magazine

Target Shooter 43
 ABSOLUTE PRECISION
RPA Interceptor

RPA Ranger

RPA Elite

Probably the most accurate rifle you will own

www.rpainternational.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 845 880 3222

44 Target Shooter
 Target Shooter 45
 Scopes on a Budget
‘Never skimp on the scope
and rings’! Sound advice, but
obviously when we are all on
a budget, a sub £200 budget
Tasco parallax adjustment with sunshade
to be exact, we may have to go
for what can be afforded rather
than what we want. To start off in
target shooting sports it costs a bit
and I, like others in the UK, I have
bought and used budget scopes;
with great success in some
cases I might add. Scopes for
target shooting is something I
tend to find difficult to talk about;
as scopes for general shooting,
target shooting or hunting can
differ. There are many scopes on
the market and some of these
can be very expensive.
Therefore, some in the UK tend
to make use of what is available,
unless we go hunting on the
internet or have a friendly RFD
that can order anything you want.
Take the March scope, one of
the best on the market. There
are very few in this country and
we would have to get it from the
USA via Kelbys, which is the only
world distributor outside Japan.
They are ultra expensive, but the
46 Target Shooter
best!
So what are we looking for
on the opposite end of the
spectrum? For a number of
shooting sports a key
consideration is the magnification
offered by the particular scope.
Obviously clarity of optics and
sound working mechanisms
are also key factors. At the
budget end of the market, (and buy
saying budget I am serious when
saying you are looking at just
Tasco magnification adjustment at the rear
of the scope
Carl Boswell
below £200), most scopes on
offer will be around a 20-32x
magnification mark.
Although I have used other
brands such as BSA before, the
one I have for review at this time is
the Tasco Target/Varmint. When
reviewing the scope in this
article, it was mounted on the same
Anschutz 1407 rifle, which has
been modified. (Some of you
may have read about this rifle
project in the ‘From the Bench’
column a few years ago in Target
Sports).
The Tasco Varmint/ Target
The Tasco Varmint/ Target has
been on around for some time;
even with custom models being
produced before the sell off to
Bushnell a few years ago. The
custom models sadly are no
longer easily available, but they
can be picked up second hand
occasionally. The 10-40x50
varmint/ target model, with a 1”
tube, has serviced me on and off
over a number of years, since I
replaced the x32 magnification

Tasco turrets that are easy to adjust and
friendly to the user
BSA Contender I was using when
I first started precision forms of
shooting. The latter was a good
scope and went on to shoot in
other competitions with a
colleague. The only reason for
the swap was the perceived
need for higher magnification.
With some scopes being used in
competition that are going up to
x45 and x50 magnification, this
need for me was a reasonable
conclusion to come to. However,
anything over x20 magnification
would be a prudent purchase
if you are shooting out to 50
meters. (Lets face it some people
are shooting very high scores
in competition with far lower
powered scopes). Our ‘Tasco’
weighs about 25 ounces, which
makes it usable for just about
anything. It presently comes in
a well under £200 (Cheaper in
fact than when I bought my own
five years ago) and I have used
this model on and off for about
four years. (Winning my first
major competition with it in 2006).
For a budget scope the optics
are very good, even at the full
magnification of x40 and out to
50 meters. This particular model
has 1/8 MOA adjustments for
windage and elevation; again
this is particularly good for
precision shooting, as these fine
adjustments allow exact
adjustments. The large 50mm
objective lens allows quite
impressive brightness, even
in dull conditions; which we
sometimes suffer from in the UK
during the winter months. The
crosshair is very fine with a 1/8”
dot at it centre; perfect for both
rimfire and some forms of air
rifle shooting. The adjustment
turrets are marked for easy use
and are clear to read. Focusing and
parallax adjustment is
controlled via a ring at the front of
the scope, with the magnification
control set near the rear eyepiece.
Once this is on your desired
magnification I would lock this off
so it does not move. With an overall
matt black all weather rubberised
finish – this can pick up
debris - the scope presents
itself pretty well from the package.
On the range, the Tasco is easy
to set up to different distances
and to adjust the elevation and
windage turrets; allowing you to
concentrate on the shooting
you need to do! This scope
works and been a good ‘friend’
over the years in a number of
competitions. If one criticism
did come to mind I would
like a choice of reticule when
purchasing this scope – and a
mildot may be my choice, rather
than the one 1/8 min dot at the
centre of the reticule on offer.
There are a number of
‘copycat’ scopes out there that
emulate this Tasco model with its
excellent magnification and
precise adjustments. Some of
these are good while others
fall short of what you will want.
Have look before you leap in
and buy. The Tasco can be quite
hard to find at the moment, but
being there and buying a scope
personally is a matter of choice.
For me is an essential.
Tasco Cross Hair Reticle
Please mention
when using advertising
in the magazine
Target Shooter 47
48 Target Shooter
 COOKING UP A .308W TUBE-GUN FOR F/TR

Laurie Holland and Vince Bottomley

Cooking up an accurate rifle needs
consideration of recipes and
ingredients before firing up
layout, being a fan of Eugene
Stoner’s AR design. I don’t know
how many uncomfortable, often
pistol grip. Everything falls right
for the eye and trigger finger and
the rifle recoils straight back into
the shoulder. Stock designers,
particularly HPS-TR with its
‘System Gemini’, have lowered
bore-lines in recent years, but
there is a limit to this while the
action is bedded on the stock.
Further improvement sees the
action and barrel inside the stock
which becomes a cylinder, hence
‘tube-gun’.

Origin of the Species

It has diverse origins, but one
has to be American High-Power
Service Rifle, or more precisely
The stock kit as received. its ‘Match Rifle’ variant that uses
The handstop is a repeating target rifle rather
superfluous in an than a modified service model.
F-Class rifle of course. MR competitors traded in their
bolt guns during the 1990s for
the oven, or in our case the poor, shoots I’ve had over the futuristic looking AR15s
gunsmith’s lathe. We don’t years thanks to me having to fit nicknamed ‘space guns’ before
contemplate herbs and sauces, the rifle rather than the other way moving to the Armalite AR10 and
rather bullets and MVs; barrel round! There are two elements to Knight’s Armament Co. SR25 in
lengths and rifling twists; actions the AR that make it work so well – order to use larger cartridges with
that guarantee consistent results; the ‘straight-line layout’ and raked better ballistics, but these rifles
‘scopes capable of resolving a fly
walking across the target frame The massive Barnard Model P action.
at 1,000yd. The choice of stock
can be the hardest decision,
there being so many designs on
offer and what’s ‘in’ varies from
season to season running from
‘traditional’ to the futuristic HPS-TR
‘System Gemini’ chassis design.
They’re expensive too, and you
have to remember to factor in the
gunsmith’s bedding job, not to
mention any fancy paint or
varnish job.

I (Laurie, that is) wanted

something with a ‘straight-line’

Target Shooter 49
 100 - 104 Lowtown, Pudsey Prvi Partizan Catalogue
Henry West Yorkshire, LS28 9AY
Tel: 01132 569 163 / 565 167
Fax: 01132 574 962
available on request
Visit our new website:
Krank Email: sales@henrykrank.com
Open Mon - Sat, 9am - 5pm
www.henrykrank.com

Available at
all good
gun shops
Prvi Partizan top quality hunting & target ammunition and reloading components

PPU RIFLE PPU HANDGUN PPU PRIMERS

AMMUNITION AMMUNITION Priced per
Priced per pack of 100 Priced per pack of 100 pack of 1000

P111 Small Pistol Primers £22.00

P222 Large Pistol Primers £23.10
P333 Small Rifle Primers £22.00
A193 22 Hornet SP 45gr £39.60 A298 32 S+W Long 98gr w/c £22.44 P444 Large Rifle Primers £23.10
A032
A203
222 Rem SP 50gr
222 Rem FMJ BT 55gr
£39.60
£39.60
A112
A044
9mm Luger 115gr FMJ
9mm Luger 115gr FMJ
£22.44
£22.44
PPU BULLETS
A132 223 Rem SP 55gr £39.60 A033 9mm Luger 124gr FMJ £22.44 Priced per
A188 223 Rem FMJ BT 55gr £39.60 A166 9mm Luger 147gr FMJ £22.44
A495 223 Match 75gr £51.70 A140 38 SPL RNFP 158gr £22.44 pack of 100
A253 22-250 Rem SP 50gr £49.50 A326 357 Magnum 158gr RNFP £27.94
A211 22-250 Rem SP 55gr £49.50 A339 357 Magnum FPJ 158gr £33.66
A212 22-250 Rem FMJ BT 55gr £49.50 A222 44 Magnum 180gr FPS B008 22 FMJ BT 55gr £11.22
£38.28
A270 243 Win SP 90gr £49.50 A221 44 Rem Mag FPJ 240gr B484 6.5mm FMJ BT 110gr £13.75
£38.28
B083 6.5mm FMJ BT 139gr £13.75
A134
A047
243 Win SP 100gr
25-06 Rem PSP 100gr
£49.50
£54.23 PPU BRASS B127 7 FMJ BT 174gr £14.19

CASES
A208 6,5 x 52 Car FMJ BT 139gr £54.23 B105 7mm 158gr Grom £21.95
A084 6,5 x 55 SP BT 139gr £49.50 B010 30 FMJ RN 110gr £14.25
A083 6,5 x 55 FMJ BT 139gr £49.50 B009 30 FMJ BT 145gr £14.25
Priced per B007 30 FMJ 139gr £14.25
A227 6,5 x 55 SP RN 156gr £49.50
A161 270 Win SP 130gr £49.50 pack of 100 B099 30 FMJ 150gr £14.25
A027 270 Win SP 150gr £49.50 B345 30 FMJ BT 174gr £14.19
A141 7 X 57 FMJ BT 173gr £49.50 C193 22 Hornet £15.95 B366 30 FMJ BT 175gr £14.19
A400 7mm - 08 PSP 140gr £53.90 C032 222 Remington £19.25 B074 7.62mm FMJ 123gr £13.75
A024 30 Carbine FMJ RN 110gr £41.25 C132 223 Remington £18.70 B143 303 FMJ BT 174gr £14.19
A034 308 FMJ BT 145gr £45.65 C211 22/250 £26.40 B006 303 FMJ BT 190gr £14.19
A020 308 SP 150gr £48.95 C134 243 Winchester £27.50 B348 8mm Match FMJ BT 198gr £17.33
A362 308 PSP BT 165gr £49.50 C118 6,5 x 52 Carcano £39.60 B351 8mm 185gr Grom £23.98
A363 308 HP BT Match 168gr £59.29 C083 6,5 x 55 Swedish £30.36 B323 30 Grom 170gr £21.95
A366 308 FMJ BT 175gr £49.50 C027 270 Winchester £28.05 B140 38 158gr RNFP £5.94
A035 308 SP 180gr £49.50 C345 7,5 x 55 Swiss £34.32 B339 38 FPJ 158gr £13.64
A028 30-30 FSP 150gr £49.50 C030 7,62 x 39 £27.50 B221 44 FPJ 180gr £15.95
A346 7,5x54 French FMJ 139gr £53.90 C020 308 Winchester £29.15 B180 45 FMJ 230gr £15.95
A345
A094
7,5x55 Swiss FMJ BT 174gr
30-06 FMJ 150gr
£53.90
£53.90
C346
C031
7,5 x 54 French
7,62 x 54R
£34.32
£31.68 PPU BLANKS
A365 30-06 HP BT 168gr £53.90 C128 8mm Mauser £31.68 Priced per pack of 100
A323 30-06 Grom 170gr £66.00 C470 7.62 Nagant £34.32 BL18 5,56 (223) £37.40
A066 30-06 SP 180gr £53.90 C483 6.5 Grendel £35.64 BL22 7,62 x 51 (308) £46.20
A041 7,62 X 39 FMJ 123gr £46.20 C385 6.5 x 51 Jap £39.60 BL28 7,62x39 (7,62 Russian Short) £46.20
A169 7,62 X 54 FMJ BT 182gr £53.90 C383 7.7 Jap £41.36 BL32 7,62x54R (7,62 Russian Long) £46.20
A143 303 British FMJ BT 174gr £50.60 C424 7 .92 x 33 Kurz £39.60 BL40 7,92 ( 8 x 57 Mauser) £46.20
A267 375 H&H Mag 300gr £135.30 C417 8 x 50 Lebel £52.80 BL50 303 British £46.20
A128 8x57 JS SP 196gr £49.50 C384 8 x 56 Mannlicher £41.36 BL60 30-06 ( 7,62 x 63) £49.50
A348 8x57 JS FMJ BT Match 198gr £59.29 C413 7.63 (30 Mauser) £20.35 BL70 9mm (9x19) Parabelum £22.98
A351 8x57 JS Grom 185gr £66.00 BL80 38 SPL £22.98

SP - Soft Point PSP - Pointed Soft Point SPBT - Soft Point Boat Tail PSPBT - Pointed Soft Point Boat Tail
SPRN - Soft Point Round Nose FSP - Flat Soft Point HPBT - Hollow Point Boat Tail FPJ - Flat Point Jacket FMJ - Full Metal Jacket
FMJRN - Full Metal Jacket Round Nose FMJBT - Full Metal Jacket Boat Tail RNFP - Round Nose Flat Point

50 Target Shooter

disappointed reliability-wise. Top
shooter David Tubb decided the
answer was to return to bolt-action
operation but retain the straigh
line layout – enter the Tubb 2000,
or T2K, detachable-magazine
rifle jointly designed with Rock
McMillan of McBros Rifles. A
circular assault rifle style
receiver has the bolt hidden inside,
invisible apart from its handle
which runs through a slot. The
action is all-new and while
optimised for effortless, rapid
manipulation, still produces
remarkable accuracy. This
doesn’t come cheap though, and
others looked at getting there at
lower cost, hence tube stocks for
factory actions.
MAK and CSS
Bill Wylde designed and built
himself a Remy 700 based
Prone-Rifle tube-gun, the
‘Funny gun’. A couple of Indiana
shooters he loaned it to came
first and second in a major
competition and others took note.
Indiana shooters Mike Idlewine,
Archie Kappel, and gunsmith
Kevin McDonald then built
copies for themselves and friends,
but demand from other state
shooters grew so rapidly they
soon set up MAK Enterprises
to develop and manufacture
kits. I found MAK on 6mmBR.
com and knew this was what I
In this shot, Vince has just
started to cut the chamber
in the superb Bartlein barrel.
You can see the shape of the
barrel-shoulder, also note the
‘spigot’ nearby.
had been looking for. There are
downsides with the MAK: it only
accommodates the Remington
700 action which lacks the rigidity
of a single-shot target job and it is
glued into the stock; you don’t get
a buttstock or pistol grip, so add
£250 for an AR15 Magpul PRS
that will ride the rear-bag. I’d have
to buy a Remy just for the action,
and good secondhand examples
command fair prices, a match
trigger needed too.
Then I heard of CSS
The action is retained in the
main stock-tube by the usual
three screws on the underside.
The brass grub-screws on either
side of the ejection port provide
(Competitive Shooting Stuff),
Californian engineer and
shooter Gary Eliseo’s company,
also courtesy of 6mmBR.com. His
B1 kit accepts the Barnard ‘Model
P’ single-shot match action as
well as the Remy and doesn’t
need the glue-job. While more
expensive than the MAK at $880
including carriage and
insurance, that includes a
pistol grip, handstop (for prone rifle
shooters), and fully adjustable
buttstock assembly. With a
10-MOA sloped Picatinny rail
supplied, you only need the
barrelled action, riflescope
and rings to be in business.
Gary went out of his way
to answer every query and
facilitate the export of a stock-kit,
an all-round really nice guy.
There was a final decision –
colour. My inclination was black,
but Vince who was going to build
the rifle tried to persuade me to
order the stock in a lurid violet
purple hue. With increasingly
colourful F-Class rifles on the
firing points, I eventually
reconsidered, but ‘violent purple’,
no way! Red would suit black stock
components at one end of the rifle
and a stainless barrel at the other,
and I must say I’ve had no regrets
thanks to the shade and superb
powder coated finish. In fact, fit
additional support.
and finish are superb throughout,
everything slotting together easily
but without the slightest trace of
slop, or displaying gaps between
abutting edges.
The stock is designed for prone
Target Shooter 51
 Vince slipped a plastic tube onto the buttplate mount to ride
the rear-bag. Gary Eliseo now offers an alternative
buttstock form with a rail for F-Class and benchrest.
shooting off the elbows, so we
need some adaptations for F/TR
– a tube on the buttplate mount to
ride the rear-bag, and a custom
‘bipod’ from top F/TR
competitor Ian Dixon including a
bespoke mounting bracket for the
forend tube. The final component
is a heavy profile Bartlein barrel,
the twist specified on the slow
side as the rig will be restricted
to using one of four 155gn HPBT
An integral element
of tube-gun design is
the easily removable
rear-end / buttstock
assembly to allow
bolt removal and
barrel cleaning. It’s
also valuable for
transporting and
storing Palma and
F-Class examples
fitted with very long
barrels.
52 Target Shooter
bullets, the new high-BC
Sierra MK, Berger’s VLD and
155.5gn ‘Match Target Fullbore’
designs, and the Lapua Scenar,
final choice depending on
performance. I’d intended to use
a Sightron SIII 8-32X56 ‘scope,
but a problem arose here.
Moving onto the action, my
‘P’ is right bolt-right port, but
you can specify left hand
operation, port opposite the bolt
handle, twin port (loading one side,
ejection the other). The bolt is large
diameter, has three large locking
lugs, and a deeply recessed face
for safety with a hefty ‘Sako-pattern’
extractor. A spring-loaded button
ejector is normally used, although
I specified a variant that lacks this
device, picking the fired case out
of the action after each shot. You
get Barnard’s own three-lever
match trigger assembly with this
action. It’s popular with TR / Palma
shooters worldwide, and appears
increasingly frequently in F-Class.
Top rifle builder Norman Clark
recommends it for any single shot
precision rifle and has used it in
many fine TR, Match Rifle and
F-Class rifles.
Over to Vince for the build.
Laurie’s tube gun kit arrived
quite quickly and he handed over
the vivid red Eliseo chassis and
Sightron 8-32 six months ago.
Little did we know that our barrel
would take somewhat longer to
arrive - a lot longer! While
finding a Remington donor action
for the tube gun would not present
a problem for the typical American
shooter it’s a different story over
here, but fortunately the Eliseo kit
can be specified for other actions
from Stiller, Savage and Barnard.
Laurie wisely chose the Barnard,
a more practical proposition than
finding a second-hand Remmy,
then having to blue-print it.
Fox Firearms is our local
Barnard supplier and always keep
a selection in stock, so no
waiting here! Laurie had opted for
the ‘P’, but could have chosen the
smaller, lighter ‘S’, which
has the same ‘footprint’ as a
Remington. If you prefer a
magazine-fed Eliseo, the ‘S’ can
be obtained with a magazine
cut-out (designated ‘SM’) and, no
matter what you do to accurise a
Remington, it will never be in the
same class.
This action is circular and one
tenth of an inch larger in
diameter than a Remington and
the small ejection port makes it
immensely stiff. The three-lug
bolt is a massive 0.865 inches in
diameter and bolt-to-body fit is
hand-lapped to ensure a close
fit. Barnard’s trigger is offered in
several pull weight options with
single or two stage configuration.
Also, it has a decent barreltenon
thread, offering superior support
to a heavy barrel.
This is one impressive chunk of
metal. The receiver is made from
chrome-moly 4340 steel and
is machined after hardening to
ensure perfect concentricity.
With its blue/black finish, it will
never win a beauty contest when
pitched against the likes of BAT
and Stolle but in the accuracy
department I’m certain it will hold
its own. It weighs in at a hefty
three-pounds however.
I must admit this is the first
Barnard I have worked with, so
the first step was to contact the
manufacturer in New Zealand
The Ian Dixon designed and fabricated F-Class
bipod with a custom mount for the handstop
slot in the tube-gun forend.
Having said that, the drawing requires the whole case capacity.
did reveal one or two anomalies Our reamer therefore needed to
you won’t find on any American be ground with extra free-bore to
custom action. A recoil lug is not accommodate the Scenar bullet
required when using a Barnard so it doesn’t protrude below the
with the Tube Gun but if you are case-neck. As Laurie is building
using a conventional stock, Barnard the rifle for F/TR GB League
offers the option of a lug let into the shoots, the chamber must be
underside of the action - within SAAMI specs, so no
preferable to the type which fits tight-necks or anything fancy.
between barrel and action. The barrel is a four-groove, cut
Laurie and I like the 308 155 Lapua rifled, stainless-steel, 33 inch-
Scenar bullet for 1000 yard work, long Bartlein and the heavy profile
but a downside is the Scenar follows a straight taper from
being significantly longer than 1.25 inches at the breech to
the Sierra Palma MatchKing, so one inch at the muzzle. As all of
if we were to use it in a ‘Palma’ Laurie’s competitive shooting will

The F/TR weight limit saw the Sightron SIII 8-32X56 scope and steel Leupold QRW mounts
replaced by a Weaver T36 and Burris Signature rings with offset inserts to get enough elevation
adjustment for 1,000 yards. The Eliseo adjustable cheekpiece went too, replaced by polystyrene
foam and Scotch ‘Magic’ tape!

and request a tenon drawing.
This is not strictly necessary as
dimensions could be taken from
the action, but it’s nice to have the
reassurance of the designer that
you are working to the tolerances
he intended.
chamber cut for this bullet, it
would need to be seated deeply
compromising powder capacity.
GB F/TR competitors are pushing
the 308 cartridge to new limits,
attaining spectacular velocities
around 3,100 fps, and this
be at 800 to 1000 yards, we are
aiming for a finished length
around 32 inches, to maximise the
long-range performance of our
308W cartridge, but weight
constraints may dictate the final
length.

Target Shooter 53

There are three rounds in this
100 yards group obtained during
initial ‘shoot-one-and-clean’
barrel run-in taking an hour!
Sadly, the velocity from what
was a starting load is too low for
long-range shooting. (Half-inch
aiming mark in one-inch grid.)
Our 1 in 13.5 twist errs on the
safe side, as I’m convinced that a
1 in 14 twist would be adequate to
stabilise the Scenar. However,
Frank Green of Bartlein Barrels
was very helpful and warned
that 1 in 14 could be marginal –
especially in our cold climate. I’m
more than happy to take Frank’s
advice, though I know from
experience that a 1 in 14 twist will
handle the shorter Sierra bullet.
The Bartlein is now spinning in the
lathe and, as always we have a
few things to consider. Normally,
the tenon length will be dictated
by the distance from the action-
face to the bolt-nose – plus an
operating clearance.
The Barnard gets a bit more
complicated as there is a
‘shoulder’ within the action which
dictates the length. Whereas
most Americanactions will rely
simply on a ‘barrel-shoulder to
action face’ joint, the Barnard also
requires a secondary fit on a
‘spigot’.
54 Target Shooter
Thankfully, Barnard has resisted
the temptation to go metric and
have stuck with a UNF thread –
as a concession to the American
market no doubt. In my limited
experience, the simple shoulder
action fit - as employed by all the
top American actions is perfectly
adequate – the old ‘KISS’ adage
springs to mind.
Bartlein use the familiar
416R stainless steel for their
barrels and this one cut superbly
with our brand new reamer and
I’m pleased to say the finished
chamber is as true as it gets. The
only remaining task is to turn the
barrel around in the headstock
and crown it. Eleven-degree or
recessed? Laurie has left it to me
so it will be recessed – but not yet.
I can’t wait to get our tube-gun
assembled, but let’s weigh the
components first. The F/TR class
demands a maximum all-up
weight of 8.25 kg (18lbs 3oz), so
let’s see how much we need to
chop off that barrel.
Chambered barrel (at 33
inches): 8 lb 14 oz
Eliseo Chassis c/w Picatinny
rail: 4 lb 12 oz
Bipod:
1 lb 2 oz
Action & trigger:
3 lb 2 oz
Scope and rings:
1lb 14 oz
Total:
19 lb 12 oz
We are 1 lb 9 ounces overweight!
Every inch of barrel weighs about
3.5 ounces, so we’ll have to lose
an inch or three! So, it’s back in
the lathe for a crop and crown
but that still leaves us nearly
a pound over – Gary Eliseo’s
adjustable cheek-piece, the
Sightron and Leupold rings have to
go – a T36 Weaver and some Burris
Signature ‘Zee’ rings should do
the job!
With the barrel nipped-up onto
the receiver, we can try it in the
Eliseo chassis for the first time.
The bolt-stop retaining screw
protrudes from the side of the action
slightly so this must first be
removed. The action now
simply slides into the body-tube
from the front and is secured with
the same three screws that you
would use if it was going into a
conventional stock. Shorter
screws are supplied as part of
the kit as they only pass through
a quarter-inch of aluminium tube
rather than an inch or so of stock.
The ‘action to tube’ fit is close but
not tight and there are a further
four brass grub-screws which bear
on the action, offering additional
support. With a flimsier action like
the Remington, it is recommended
that you permanently glue it into
the tube, which then acts as an
‘accurising’ sleeve. The Barnard
is impressively stiff already and
there is no advantage – unless
we find that accuracy is not up
to par due to the ‘metal to metal’
bedding. This can sometimes
cause high-frequency vibrations
and a bit of glue could act as a
damper, if need be.
So that’s it – job done! The
tube-gun is a DIY enthusiasts
dream - no expensive Devcon
bedding, no inletting or truing of
the stock, no finishing or painting
as we need with a fibreglass or
laminate stock. That’s what
makes the Eliseo such a desirable
rifle - apart from the actual
barrel work, assembly can be
undertaken by the owner. In
fact, Fox Firearms will supply a
Barnard action complete with
already-chambered; True-Flite
match barrel. The Eliseo kit is
about the same price as a decent
F-Class stock like the Robertson
and comes with a fully adjustable
rear end.
Comfortable
It’s back to me (Laurie) to report
on whether it works. With the
barrel not arriving until early this
year, I’m still developing loads off
the bench at 100yd to obtain the
required accuracy alongside
enough velocity (2,950 fps or
more) at the time of writing. Two
things are already clear: the rifle
is user-friendly and exceptionally
comfortable shooting in the prone
position helped by Ian Dixon’s
stable and easily adjusted bipod;
accuracy won’t be a problem,
some nice small groups already
obtained with Lapua Scenars.
Manufacturers / Importers
Stock Kit
CSS / Gary Eliseo, California
www.competitionshootingstuff.
com
email: order.info@competition
shootingstuff.com
Importers / suppliers:
Fox Firearms, Stockport
w w w . f o x f i r e a r m s .
uk.com
Tel: 0161 430 8278
South Yorkshire Shooting
Services, near Barnsley
www.rimfiremagic.co.uk
Tel: 01226 756332
Action
Barnard Precision, Auckland
www.barnard.co.nz
email: bmbarn@xtra.co.nz
Importers / suppliers:
Norman Clark Gunsmiths Ltd,
Rugby
www.normanclarkgunsmith.com
Tel: 01788 579651
Fox Firearms (as above)
Barrel
Bartlein Barrels Inc, Wisconsin
www.bartleinbarrels.com
Importers / suppliers:
Fox Firearms (as above)
Walker Rifles, Halifax
www.walkerrifles.co.uk
Tel: 01422 248241

To introduce our selves we are the United Kingdom Association of

Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest Shooting. By that we mean "True
Advert
Benchrest Shooting". The Association is recognised by rimfire shooters
across in the UK, with partners across Europe and the rest of the world, as
the presentative body that promotes rimfire and air rifle benchrest across
this country and with other partners in European and World events.
Visit our website for news about national and international
competitions that all can ‘have a go at’. From novice to champion
shooter, everyone is welcome
www.benchrest22.org

Target Shooter 55
 HPS Target Rifles Limited
The Home of System Gemini Equipment
and
Target Master Ammunition
System Gemini TR701 and TR702 Fullbore Rifle Stocks, FR703 Smallbore
Visit our Home page: Rifle Stocks, FC704 F-Class/Bench Rest Rifle Stocks, Butt Plates, Handstops,
Bipods and Other Accessories plus Smallbore and Fullbore Test Rigs.
www.hps-tr.com SYSTEM GEMINI – FOR TOP CLASS SHOOTING

for a list of this year’s

trade shows that HPS
will be attending.

Target Master Ammunition:

On Bisley Camp:
The NRA Armoury stocks
our .223 Rem Sierra 69 & 77
grain & our .308 Win Sierra
190 grain ammunition.
The NSRA shop stocks our .223
Rem Sierra 69 grain & our .308
Win Sierra 155 grain & 175
grain ammunition.
HPS is an HSE Licensed
Commercial Manufacturer of
ammunition since 1993.
All HPS ammunition is CIP
approved, packaged and
labelled according to UN
regulations for UK and
International Transport.
HPS are also Liability Insured.
H PS
B R I N G IN G Q UA L IT Y A N D
I N N O V A T IO N T O T H E S HO O T ER
The stock range currently comprises:
.223 Rem., .308 Win., .303 British, 6mm BR
Remington/Norma.
Machine or Hand Loaded all using Sierra as
our standard bullet.
However, other makes of bullets such as (but not restricted to):
Berger, Tubb D-Tac , Lapua, Hornady, Speer, Nosler, etc. can be supplied
upon request.
Other calibres to special order including: (but not limited to):
22-250, .243 Win, 6.5 x 47, 6.5 x 55, 6.5 x 284, 7mm WSM, 7.62 x 39,
7.62 x 54R, .300 Win Magnum., 300 WSM, and .338 Lap Magnum.
All ammunition available in minimum lots of 50 rounds, 400, 500, 800 or 1000
round containers, depending on calibre.
HPS TARGET MASTER - WHEN YOU WANT THE VERY BEST
Also:
Reloading components:
CHECK OUT OUR VERY
COMPETITIVE VIHTAVUORI
POWDER PRICES !

Traditional Wooden
PO Box 308 Stocks, Rifle Barrels and Actions
Quedgeley, Gloucestershire Point Master Shooting Mats
England GL2 2YF Gloves, Caps, Slings, Gun Bags, Rifle Boxes,
Weatherwriters, Capes
Tel: +44 (0) 1452 729 888 RPA and Centra Parts & Accessories
Fax: +44 (0) 1452 729 894 Complete Rifles Built to Customer Specifications Plus
E-mail: info@hps-tr.com Re-Barrelling, Full Rifle Servicing, Repairs, and
Refurbishment Service
Website:
56 www.hps-tr.com
Target Shooter
 “Savage Arms & Ruger
10/22 specialists”

x Aftermarket stocks, barrels & parts for Ruger 10/22í s. “Savage Arms & Ruger
x Re-barrel your Savage centrefire from £350 fitted & proofed!!
10/22 specialists”
x
x
UK Importers of Bell & Carlson stocks.
“AR15 and Ruger
Custom Savage Rifles built round their award winning single
shot actions with right bolt left port or right bolt right port &

x
match grade accutrigger.
For more information visit our website or give us a call.10/22 specialists”
x Aftermarket stocks, barrels & parts for Ruger 10/22í s.
x Re-barrel your Savage centrefire from £350 fitted & proofed!!
www.nwcustomparts.com
UK Importers of Bell & Carlson stocks.
Telxx : 0870
Custom
892 10 23 / Mob : 07962 722412
Savage Rifles built round their award winning single
Email : enquiries@nwcustomparts.com
shot actions with right bolt left port or right bolt right port &
match grade accutrigger.
Registered Firearms Dealer No. 250 Greater Manchester Police

x For more information visit our website or give us a call.

North West Custom Parts are pleased to announce that

we are the exclusive UK and European distributers for this
www.nwcustomparts.com
exciting range of modular stocks from the USA.
Tel : 0870 892 10 23 / Mob : 07962 722412
With the choice of five different forends
Email and two stocks these are the
: enquiries@nwcustomparts.com
ultimate in fully adjustable tactical stocks ready to go with the AI AICS mags.
Registered Firearms Dealer No. 250 Greater Manchester Police
32 action centers including Remington, Bat, Stiller, Savage, Winchester,
RPA, Lawton and Barnard to name a few, and due soon for the Sako, Howa,
Tikka and Mannlicher ranges.
These stocks are available ready to go fully anodised, duracoated, or
“Savage Arms & Ruger
in the white for you to finish yourself however you like.
10/22 specialists”
www.nwcustomparts.com
Tel: 0161 408 1155 / Mob: 07710 102 887
x
x
x
Email:
Re-barrel your Savageenquiries@nwcustomparts.com
Aftermarket stocks, barrels & parts for Ruger 10/22í s.
centrefire from £350 fitted & proofed!!
UK Importers of Bell & Carlson stocks.
x Custom Savage Rifles built round their award winning single
shot actions with right bolt left port or right bolt right port &
“Savage Arms & Ruger
match grade accutrigger.
For more information visit our website or give us a call.
10/22x specialists”
Registered Firearms Dealer No. 250 Greater Manchester Police

www.nwcustomparts.com Target Shooter 57

stocks, barrels & parts for Ruger 10/22í s.
Tel : 0870 892 10 23 / Mob : 07962 722412
r Savage centrefire from £350 fitted & proofed!!
of Bell & Carlson stocks. Email : enquiries@nwcustomparts.com

Following on from last years first
fully sanctioned Gallery Rifle
Home Countries National Match
during the British Championship
in August at Bisley, it was
decided that this year we
Chris Webb (E), Gary Hearl (W), Geoff Seymour (W)
& Charles Murton (E)
would also introduce a mini
series called the Tri Nations
competition. As the HCNM is
restricted to teams of 10
shooters, this new format
would allow more shooters the
opportunity to shoot for their
respective countries whilst also
giving the newer members of
the teams some vital big match
experience to learn from.
This is always good practice
because as we saw on the day, not
everyone can perform on the big
stage, every time!
The first Tri Nations match was
to be England versus Wales
at the excellent Bristol ranges
in Failand and everyone who
took part on the day would like
to extend our sincerest thanks
to the BDRPC Committee for
allowing this event to take place.
From memory the 25m range
58 Target Shooter
Event Review
Gwyn Roberts
has around 10 firing points but
it’s the 50m range set into a well
sheltered quarry that we used
on the day which has 18 firing
points, with turning targets on
all of them. The base is made
up of a generous layer of gravel
which means you can always
adopt a good level stance on it,
and it also gives you the added
benefit of not getting
covered in mud when you have
to shoot from a kneeling or sitting
Team England
position, as any rain that falls
simply drains through it. To get
there it took some of the Welsh
guys up to 4 hours but in the end
it was well worth it as the weather
turned out to be very warm and
sunny, with very little wind around
either meaning that everyone
would have to cross that one off
their list of excuses should they
need one later on! Chris Farr had
kindly agreed to do the stats
for the match so we knew we’d
have no problems on that side of
things.
The CRO for the day was
going to be our UK team mate Alan
Whittle who is more used to
standing on the line rather
than behind it, but he does
do both jobs rather well! The
opening match would be the 25m
Precision event and a bit of an
eye opener for some that turned
out to be! Most of us don’t shoot
this match and having 5 minutes
for sighting shots, then three lots
of 10 minutes to shoot ten rounds

English Captain
Norman Brown
onto a single target seemed to
cause more than a few people
problems. I really took my time
on the first detail but still only took
3½ minutes with only one person
taking slightly longer than that.
For the following 2 details I went
with the flow and we had all shot
them around the 2 - 2½ minute
mark and it felt much easier, and
the scores were just the same.
Trying to slow us lot down would
probably prove just as hard as
speeding up the Precision guys
and in the end we just shot at
our usual controlled speed. I
personally think this is a very
good match and it certainly
shows up any bad habits or
trigger control issues that you
may have, which was reflected
in many of the final scores in the
competition.
Luckily for Wales though Taff
Wilcox didn’t have any problems
and finished top overall with a 296
ex 300 shooting his underlever
with myself 3 points behind him.
Also on 293’s were Englands
Mike Chinery and Steve Lamb
whilst in the rimfire class Andrew
Summers (W) was 26 points
ahead of his nearest rival
going on to make sure Wales
comfortably won the opening
match.
I shot 300 28x with
Taff & Steve Lamb
(E) on 25x then it
was Peter Watts
(E) with 21x.
Probably the most
rewarding to see
on the day though
shooting really well
on their
International
debut’s were
John Lynch (E) and Gary Hearl
(W) both with 300’s and 18x
a piece so well done to those
guys! Just one point shy of the
maximum was Julian Fox who
was also making his debut with
the highest rimfire score of 299
and 16x. with Andrew, Darren
Digby (E) and Jon Avetoomyan
(W) all finishing up on 298’s.
Having printed out all of the
scorecards in advance then
checked, and double checked the
amount before handing them out
for the morning’s matches Chris
Farr couldn’t understand why
people were asking for more
as they hadn’t got enough
to go round. It started to
become clearer after shooting
this match though as he started to
receive a small but steady flow of
completed scorecards to be
processed, filled out in the wrong
calibre card. Enough said on that
one I think!
The end of the T&P1 match gave
us a nice break of around 40
minutes for lunch and our new
UK Gallery Rifle Team Captain,
Sharon Bowden was on the ball
ready to dish out a good supply
of freshly made hot sausage and
bacon rolls, so many thanks to
Sharon for feeding the herd.
Thankfully she left the garlic bread
at home, but that’s a different
story! Just before the afternoons
proceedings got under way stats
master Farr handed me a set
of results from the last match
that we had shot, with the look
he usually gives me when I’ve
done or said something wrong. I
could only think of a few things
(general range banter /
diplomatic relations with the
English boys during the last
match) but I soon realised what
it meant when I saw that Wales
had won the first 2 matches
overall. Err…. Sorry boys!
After seeing the expression on
some peoples faces having just
received a very loud wake-up
call, it was then onto the 2nd
main competition, the Multi
Target match and I for one was
starting to get a bit excited!
Thankfully no-one ate too many
rolls (weeks before maybe but
not during lunchtime though)
and the first honours of the
afternoons shooting with their
underlever’s went to Peter
Watts (E) and mister consistent

The first of the day’s main two

matches (those shot in the Good scores
HCNM) followed next being for Geoff
the Timed & Precision 1. This Seymour &
really should be a simple ‘bread & Taff Wilcox
butter’ match to clean at this in the Multi
level for the top boys but only 6 Target match
actually managed it on the day,
and all of them with an underlever.

Target Shooter 59

Winning 4 man team Wales 1
Andrew Summers, Jon Avetoomyan, Gwyn Roberts
(Captain) & Taff Wilcox
Wilcox (W) again dropping just
one point for a pair of 119’s which is
a very respectable score indeed!
I doodled around for a 117 with
Phil Stead (E) and an ever
Team Wales
improving Geoff Seymour
(W) shooting a 116 each.
Topping the rimfire side of things
this time was pistol specialist
Chris Webb (E) who must have
been very pleased with his 114,
followed closely by our ownAndrew
Summers (W) on 113. This
match is not that easy to shoot
a good score on as it requires
some very well aimed shots with-
in some quite tight time frames.
The small bore match is certainly
harder as the target isn’t that big
to start with. After maybe go-
ing to sleep a bit in the morning
session it would seem that some
alarm clocks still weren’t set on
maximum volume as once again
some people failed to shift up
a gear and things were starting
to look very good for the Welsh
team.
Moving on to the fourth event of
60 Target Shooter
the day and this was going to
be the Phoenix A match. It’s a
great match to shoot but it will
trip you up if you haven’t got your
thinking head on. It has a
mixture of forward movement
(with an empty chamber) and
has you shooting from the
kneeling, sitting and strong hand
positions. This, combined with a
set number of target exposures
with various timings will require
you to shoot at either 1 or 2
targets depending on the
distance you are shooting at.
This isn’t a match that many
of us shoot regularly and Alan
thankfully gave us the idiots
guide once he had given us the
proper range procedure and
we gladly followed his advice,
rather than trying to figure it out
for ourselves as we went along.
Unfortunately, some people
John Lynch on his way to a 300 18x in the T&P1 match
still had issues with it though
once the targets turned
but Taff went on to shoot
another excellent match dropping
just one point to equal my British
Record of 199 with his
underlever. Another top
performer in this match was
Mr Chinery who was just one
point behind him with a 198.
No-one could beat England’s Neil
Francis in this match with a
rimfire rifle, as he went on to
shoot a very credible score of
192 which is only 4 points off the
record so well done on that one
mate! Next in line in rimfire was
Andrew on 188 whilst Mr Webb
posted a 184 to place third.
The final event planned was
the 50m Precision match which
would mean around another 1½
hours of shooting to complete
it and it was getting a bit late in
the day. The whole atmosphere
of the day had been one of good
friendship and enjoyment, with
plenty of friendly rivalry thrown in.
A quick show of hands decided
that we would call it a day instead
of having to rush around trying
to squeeze one more match in.
This seemed like the sensible
solution as we had enjoyed
plenty of shooting in a relaxed
and pretty informal manner, so
there was no need to spoil it just
for the sake of it.
By the time we had put the range
 Mike Chinery & Andrew Summers
equipment away and loaded
up the cars for our homeward
journey, Chris Farr had printed
out the final set of results and
was ready for the prize giving. A
special mention must go to our
friend and fellow GR shooter
Andy Witheridge from Sidford
in Devon for donating our
special Gallery Rifle Three
Nations Shield. It was hand
crafted locally by Willy Booth who
as it happens, is a pretty good
shot with a prone rifle, and a very
nice job of it he made too!
Another big thank you must
again go to Sharon Bowden for
Neil Francis
discusses
the
proceedings
with CRO
Alan Whittle
conjuring up a variety of nice
bottles of wine and fizz to grace
the prize table. The highest
scoring individuals from each
match (small bore & centre fire)
were called up one at a time to
take their pick. If someone had
won more than one match on
the day then the second placed
shooter was called up to ensure
that as many people as possible
got a share of the goodies, which
I thought was definitely the right
thing to do !
To add a bit of variety and
provide different challenges at
these Tri Nations Imternationals
some of the matches will
be changed or rotated
periodically, depending on the
size and regulations of the
ranges to be used. However,
the two matches that will always
decide the overall winners of
any such International will be the
aggregate of the Timed &
Precision 1 and Multi Target
matches, as it is at the HCNM at
Bisley.
With this in mind and at the end
of a very enjoyable the day the
final results were called out,
and it wasn’t how many people
had perceived the script was to
be written, as Wales had won
the 25m Precision, Timed &
Precision 1 and Multi Target
matches, with England taking the
honours in the Phoenix A match.
Overall this was a very satisfy-
ing result for us when you think
of the actual numbers of shoot-
ers that we have to choose from.
Out of the 550 plus shooters who
attend the Phoenix there are
around 15 Germans, slightly less
Welsh, and even less Scottish,
so for us to get one over (well 3
actually) on the English is quite
a result! It may well be a differ-
ent result next time we meet, but
for now, we’ll definitely take what
we’ve got! This result also meant
that I didn’t have to get the rugby
ball out that I had stashed in the
boot of my car. Just in case of
course……!
Our next adventure will be up
north to visit our Scottish friends
but as yet the date and venue
has yet to be finalised, so we will
get practicing in the meantime
as they certainly have a few
handy shooters as we saw at
last years HCNM. For anyone
wanting to see the full list of
results or who are interested in
finding out more about shooting
for your National Gallery Rifle
Team please visit the Galleryrifle.
com website where you’ll find
everything you need.
Target Shooter 61
 Westlake Engineering
Manufacturer of Target Pistols
Walnut Tree Cottage Camp Cottages
Druids Lodge Salisbury
Wiltshire England
SP3 4UQ
Tel/Fax 01722782432
Email ags.westlake@virgin.net
www.westlakeengineering.com
RFD Wilts. 157
Taurus .357 Muzzle Loading Revolver

The Taurus ML Revolver is converted from a Taurus .357 Magnum Long Barrelled
Revolver. The cylinder is removed and a Yoke extension fitted, this contains the
spring loaded plunger that frees the action when the yoke is closed. As this extension
cannot be removed, it prevents the re-fitting of the original cylinder. The Barrel is
shortened to approximately 5 ¼ inches and the wristbrace is removed.

A new cylinder is made which has pockets for shotgun primers at the rear with a small
flash hole through into the chamber at the front. The chamber is made to accept .357”
lead wadcutter bullets.

Each chamber is charged with Herco powder ( as per .38 S&W Spl data) and then the
bullet is pressed in. Once the chambers are charged the shotgun primers are inserted
into the primer pockets at the rear of the cylinder. The loaded cylinder is slid onto the
yoke from the rear and the yoke closed. The pistol is then ready to fire.

A loading press is provided to facilitate seating of the bullets at a uniform distance

into the chambers.

The conversion of your pistol costs £270.00. Extra Cylinders are £150.00 each. If you
do not have a pistol I can order a new pistol from the Importers. A Taurus .357
Magnum LBR costs £675.00

You will need a variation on your FAC for a .357/.38 Muzzle Loading Revolver, and
for each extra Cylinder you want.
62 Target Shooter
 Target Shooter 63
FT AND HFT SHOOTING POSITIONS
FT RIFLE back HFT RIFLE front
Field Target shooting or as it is
more commonly known FT is the
oldest outdoor target shooting air
rifle shooting sport.
Originating in the UK it has
evolved over thirty some years
from a sport which was very much
like today’s Hunter Field Target
(HFT) when it first started. HFT
is the younger brother of FT and
FT rear bag support
is actually more aligned to how
FT started out. This began in the
1980’s with four power scopes
64 Target Shooter
Tim Finley
sitting position is always used on
all FT shots other than the forced
kneeling and standing shots. It
is a very stable and comfortable
shooting position which allows
the rifle to be rested upon the
forward knee while the shooter
FT rangefinding using a
scope
is operating/adjusting their high
and even open sights, now magnification scope to rangefind
HFT has shooters using smaller the distance to the target. The
magnification scopes of ten basic position is the same for
times power or less. Nowadays most shooters, the forward hand
50 times magnification scopes cups the forward knee, with the
are what are needed in FT to be rifle resting on the first finger of
able to rangefind the distance the forward hand as well as the
to the targets. FT began with
maximum 40-yard long target’s
which moved out to 55 yards
with the event of precharged
pneumatic powered rifles and
larger and larger magnification
scopes. HFT has a maximum
target range of 45 yards which
also mirrors the longest range
at quarry should be shot with a
legal limit air rifle. There are other
differences too, FT allows
the use of a foam bead filled
waterproof seat to sit upon and to
place under the back foot when Classic FT sitting position
taking the forced positional
in SFT
kneeling shots found in FT
courses. The now classic FT
top of the knee, this takes all
the weight of the rifle, unless it
is a spring rifle, but more of the
peculiarities needed with
recoiling rifles later. Most FT
shooters use a target glove on
their forward hand. The rear or
trigger arm then rests on the thigh
of the rear leg, I say rear leg as
the trunk of the shooter is not at
90 degrees to the target, but at 45
degrees. With the rear shoulder in
line with the forward knee, in a line
pointing directly at the
target. Spring or recoiling rifle FT
shooters exclusively use the
more normal “on the knee”
position, but with the major
difference that the spring rifles
fore-stock is never, ever
rested directly on the knee, but is
cradled be the forward hand,
this hand is normally equipped
with a padded target glove. FT
allows the shooter to adjust their
butt hook position to take up-hill
or down-hill targets. Be it from
the sitting standing or kneeling
positions. A simple rule to
govern which way you move the
butt hook is, if the target is higher
than horizontal then lift the
relative position of the hook on
the butt. If the target is lower, then
drop the butt hook. The greater
the angle up or down to the
target the more you need to a
djust the position of the butt hook,
Anschutz type multi positional
buttpads/hooks are extremely
Free standing elbow on
hip
FT sitting shot NOTE the bean bag
sitting and kneeling. My Steyr
FT kneeling shot LG-110 FT rifle is set up
biased slightly towards
standing, but is still usable for
sitting and kneeling, although
not perfect. FT kneeling can be
as stable as the sitting position if
you take the time to master it. The
front rifle supporting hand must
be clear knee, the rule being if
you can drop your hand down
popular in FT and all FT rifles
based upon indoor target guns
have the ability to alter the butt
position. There are no real tricks
to FT shooting positions other
than being able to alter the butt
hook, although it surprises me
greatly that not all FT shooters
actually do it. FT rifle’s
Normal HFT prone peg shot
dimensions are fine tuned to
suit the three shooting stances,
sitting, kneeling and standing. and it touches the knee, then
Pull length of stock (butt to the hand is not forward enough.
trigger), forend stock depth and The deep FT stock must not be
cheek piece height should all
be different for each shooting
position. However, wooden
stocks cannot be altered and to
move the forend and pull length
for each target even with a
modern 10m style aluminium
modular stock can take some
time. The only practical option
Foot on the peg prone
is to move the butt hook/pad
position up and down, it does
help to stabilise the shooting resting upon the forearm either.
position. The FT stock The back foot must be vertical
dimensions are then a and the bean bag can be placed
compromise between standing,
Target Shooter 65
under the shin/ankle of the rear
foot to transfer the weight of the
shooter to the ground. I also
alter the position of the butt hook
for kneeling, again moving it
even more if the targets are not
horizontal to the ground at the
lane marker. The most stable
standing position is to have the
front elbow resting upon the front
hip and the front hand drawn
HFT supported standing
shot
back to right in front of the trigger
guard. FT shooters do not use the
shotgun type lock arm stance for
standing shots, unless forced to
by extreme angled shots high in
trees.
With HFT there are two main s
HFT supported stander
66 Target Shooter
shooting techniques used in FT
that are completely banned. One
is the classic FT sitting position
either on the ground, on a bean
bag or on a turned foot when
kneeling and other is the use of
a supporting bean bag under the
rear foot/ankle when kneeling.
Allowed in HFT
Also you are not allowed to alter
any settings/positions of
equipment on either your rifle or
scope once you start shooting.
Which means no rangefinding
using the parallax, no
magnification changes, no
elevation changes, no eye bell
changes on the scope and
no butt pad or stock depths HFT flat rear foot kneeling
alterations on the rifle. In place of
the sitting shooting position the
prone shot is the norm in HFT Sat on turned foot
with some lanes having posts or not allowed in FT or
pegs driven into the ground to act
HFT
as both lane markers which must
be touched by the shooter or
their rifle and a convenient solid
platform to use as a rifle support.
Up to five of the 30 lanes now
have a flat to the ground
marker instead of a peg/post. This 2004. Pegs soon took over on
every lane, but in the 2008
must be touched but provides no
support to the shot. An season up to 5 “non peg” shots
important rule in HFT is that the are on each 30 shot course.
trigger must not be forward of or This type of shot relies upon the
over the demarcated firing line. shooting skill of the shooter,
To start with the peg shot, a lot rather than hanging on to a solid
of shooters use a target shooting peg. Its this shooting position which
glove on their supporting hand, I feel the use of a target glove is
as is done in FT. If the peg is essential, as is good trigger
short enough the index finger can control and breathing technique.
be placed on top of the peg and Now for a good prone position
the thumb held upright to form trick, some course designers
a channel to rest the rifle forend place pegs that do not have a
in. The other three fingers wrap clear sight on the target. These
around gripping the peg. The force the clever shooter to move
rifle for a right handed shooter off the peg to clear obstructions
is down the left hand side of the up or down the firing line. These
peg. The variations on this are “off the peg” shots have the
down to the length of the peg, its HFT shooter adopting a unique
diameter and if you need to shoot shooting position where the foot
down one side or the other of the or knee touches the lane marker
peg to get a clear shot moving to and the rifle if supported by the
the other side of the peg means gloved hand on the ground. Look
you have to grip the peg with the for other competitors using this
thumb and rest the rifle on the position as a clue as to the
index finger. The newly introduced best way of taking on a target. I
flat lane marker is something I have even used this position left
liked about HFT when I shot it in handed (I am normally right
handed) the ambidextrous stock

A quality AIM mat for HFT
keeps you dry and mud free
on my Steyr Hunter LG-110
allows me to do this. Practice
these odd stances before you
get to a national UKAHFT shoot.
There are two supported and one
unsupported standing/kneeling
shots on a 30 shot course. These
supported shots have a tree or
a post as the means of support.
The key to using a support is if
the target placement and lane
marker allows the shooter to get
into a tripod stance. Both feet
should be spread apart
parallel to the targets faceplate
with the third leg of the tripod
being rifle resting with a
target glove on the tree/post.
Cushioning the rifle against
the solid object with your
target glove is essential,
making for a good hold as well as
protecting your precious rifle a
bit. If you stand in the normal
unsupported standing position
with the feet in line with the flight
of the pellet the lighthouse
Supporting hand in FT and HFT
effect happens. That is where the
rifle constantly swings left and
right, across the target, making
an aimed shot almost
impossible. Kneeling in HFT does
not allow any form of
artificial support under the back
foot/ankle. The rear foot
cannot be turned and sat upon,
but some shooters can place the
top of the foot flat on the ground
without turning the foot, which is
allowed in the rules. For those
not supple enough to do this the
bean bag can only be used
under the knee to keep it clean or
protected from stones/tree roots.
Again the supporting hand must
be clear of the knee as in FT, in
the UKAHFT shoot rules it goes
to describe that if the forward
HFT disc shot
supporting rifle hand is dropped
and it touches the knee then
the hand is not forward enough,
targets will be marked as misses
and you could be thrown off a
course for repeatedly breaking
this rule. Often trees are placed
near on are the lane markers for
kneeling shots and it is good to
take advantage of these stable
platforms as long as it does not
comprise your shooting position
too much, weigh up the benefits
of using or indeed not using any
support. Often a clearer
unrestricted view of the target
can be taken off the tempting
support, the use of such
supports often induces sideways
movement into the aim, and the
lighthouse effect can happen
in kneeling shots too if you are
not careful. Angled shots high in
trees in HFT happen in all three
shooting positions. With prone
you need to move as far up the
peg as you can, if there is a peg.
In standing the rifle can be resting
on the fingertips or even adopt a
shotgun style lock are position,
where the lead arms elbow is
not touching the body as normal.
Kneeling has the forward hand
moving back towards the trigger
making it a very lighthouse shot,
do not try to fight the swing too
much, just time the trigger let off
with the crosshairs of the reticle
passing the point you want to aim
at. These are just a few of the
major tricks of the trade when it
comes to HFT, the shooter needs
much more of a technical thought
process in judging the best
shooting position than in FT. The
body too needs to be more supple
for some of the contorted shooting
positions HFT competitors get
into. I shoot both disciplines
and enjoy both immensely, FT
has helped my HFT shooting
of that there is no doubt. The
unsupported standing and
kneeling position in FT is a bread
and butter shot, however for
many HFT shooters they strike
fear into their hearts even before
they get to the lane. My advice is
to practice the shots you fear and
the fear will disappear, or do as I
do and shoot both sports!
Target Shooter 67
 Rapid S-Type

The
Rapid Range
The hunters choice for
accuracy and power
THE ULTIMATE
PACKAGE

Rapid MFR

Rapid MKII

Evolution

Gas Ram Rifles

offer a truly unique shooting
experience. The lack of mechanical
parts significantly reduces noise and
benefits from a super-quick locktime.
Other stock options are left handed walnut
sporter, thumbhole or beech ambidextrous.

Theoben produce and export quality air rifles and shooting accessories.
We also undertake custom work, centre fire/rim fire rifles – including
screw cutting for moderators and barrel shortening.

West Newlands, Somersham, Cambridgeshire PE28 3EB UK

Telephone: +44 (0) 1487 740744 Fax: +44 (0) 1487 740040 Web: www.theoben.co.uk
Email: sales@theoben.co.uk
68 Target Shooter
 RIFLECRAFT LIMITED
Customised rifles,
Sporting and Tactical Training

Come visit us at our

NEW SHOW ROOM
98 Bravo (338)

Factory Rifles
Custom Builds
Barrel Threading
Sound Moderators
Synthetic Bedding
Triggers
Bi-Pods
Eagle Cheek Pieces
Cleaning Equipment
Rifle Cases
Training Courses

18G Speedwell Way, Border Valley Industrial Estate,

Harleston,
Norfolk IP20 9EH
Telephone: 01379 853745 Fax: 01379 853421
E-mail: rifles@riflecraft.co.uk Website: www.riflecraft.co.uk
Target Shooter 69
 INTERSHOOT
Target Shooting Clothing & Accessories

Anschutz Gehmann MEC Centra Mouche SCATT

Rika Knobloch Gemini Kustermann and more!!
SECURE ONLINE ORDERING
www.intershoot.co.uk
SECTION 5
firearm solutions to suit you

Section 5 deals in all forms of these specialised weapons -

revolvers, semi-automatic pistols and rifles, and dart guns.
We have one of the largest and most comprehensive stocks of
these weapons in the UK, ready for immediate sale, magazine or
cylinder restriction, De-Activation or export to approved countries.
TRAINING

DE-ACTIVATION

HUMANE DISPATCH

Email: sales@sect5.co.uk Web: www.sect5.co.uk Tel: 07549 945 292 Fax: 0845 280 1620

70 Target Shooter
 AGI; Videos for the descerning viewer
I, like many of you out there, want
to learn about the firearms I use.
As I am ever
inquisitive,
in some
respects
I want to
know
e ve ryth i n g
about them!
Front cover of Hence the
the videos r e a s o n
why I went
back to a
favourite
source for information about
firearms over the years; (AGI)
American Gunsmithing Institute
video's. I say videos, but these
are also available in DVD format.
AGI make a wide range of
digital media that cover many
Winchester screenshot
topics; even doing full on
gunsmithing courses and how to
build a number of firearms from
scratch; if that takes your fancy! I
personally love to ‘tinker’,
reading about gunsmithing and
doing it; if only to the level of my
own competence. (One of my
favourite all time book s is
Clyde Baker’s Gunsmithing; it is
however, very old and rare to
find it these days; shame!). This
is not that hard in some cases,
such as with firearms like the
Ruger 10/22. While I do go for
heavy work on the lathe or milling
Carl Boswell
machines when I can get access book, as a qualified gunsmith on
to them, I tend to take on much screen is showing you in, ‘real
smaller projects that I can handle terms’, what is happening!!
in a reasonable amount
of time. Anyway back to The prolific Ron Dunlap in a Marlin
these videos. AGI has underlever clip
been around for some
time (as have a few
other companies) and
you may have seen
these ‘videos’ before
in your local gunshop
or at a national show.
Predominantly for the
US market, AGI does
have something to offer
the UK shooter, as they do deal The Range of Videos Well where
with gunsmithing techniques and do we start? AGI make a variety
also firearms we have and use on of video ‘learning’ and ‘reference’
a daily basis. material and do offer an online
They do contain a disclaimer and electronic media course for
about working on firearms and becoming a qualified gunsmith;
making alterations; this is learning all be it that this is geared to
material only!! This is sound our colleagues in the US. The
advice to be honest, as altering courses themselves break down
any firearm can jeopardise the into a number of areas, such as
warranty and in some cases can the professional courses, that
cause the firearm to be relate to specific techniques for
dangerous. If you are ever gunsmiths; the build your own
unsure, first don’t do it; but courses to produce a specific
always seek help or advice from firearm from scratch; and the
a qualified gunsmith, even if they series working on triggers of
just check what you have done. specific firearms. The most
This does not take the fun out of appealing of the videos for the
these ‘videos’
however, as they
are extremely Marlin 1894 detail clip
useful, allowing
you to see the
inner workings
or your chosen
firearm and how
to maintain it for
peek performance.
In some ways
these ‘reference’
videos can be
better than read-
ing a gunsmithing
Target Shooter 71

Ron Dunlap in theTaurus video with a long barrel revolver
UK market are the armourer’s
courses. These target a specific
firearm and show the basics and
advanced techniques of working
with it. The videos I obtained to
watch varied from armourers
courses on some of the more
popular, or most widely used
firearms in the UK; like the
Marlin 94, Winchester 94, Taurus
revolver (for the LBR owners
amongst us) the and the Ruger
10/22; to the Enfield professional
course, Pillar Bedding,
Professional Cleaning Techniques
and the Ruger 10/22 Trigger
course. So therefore a few to keep
me going, but a fraction of what is
available! As these came directly
from the US – and by the way my
thanks to AGI for supporting this
article – I had to look at what would
be good to review for the UK
market and limit myself to a few
choice videos.
video ‘programs’ is the ease at
which topics are explained, from
Taurus video clip
the working mechanism of the
firearm to the easy disassembly/
reassembly. As a visual learner I
personally tend to learn better by
seeing and doing, rather than just
read about it. With video materials
to support this I find working with
firearms a lot easier. (A word
Enfield Video and the range of rifle worked on
to the wise though, if you are
unsure about disassembling any
part of your firearm you really
ought to go to a qualified gunsmith,
as we don’t want any potentially
dangerous firearms out there).
The range of videos I watched,
(noted above), were very
informative and in some cases fun
to see what is out there to ‘trick’ up
your firearm. The variety of add on
bits for each firearm is discussed,
with pro’s and con’s explained.
I did find that I learnt a lot from
some of these programs, but with
others they were reaffirming
information I have read over the
years. This is not necessarily a
bad thing, as for me it just goes to
clarify specific points.
I have over the years bought these
Taurus detail clip of the
mechanism
videos for most of the firearms I
use (If the video is available) as
they help with a variety of aspects
of cleaning, maintaining, etc. The
one topic in the armourer courses
that I do think is missing is for the
CZ range of rifles. I know few that
like the full bore models, but the

Armourer’s courses.

The video’s that really stand out

are the ones for Gallery rifles such
as Marlin Winchester and the
Ruger 10/22; although there are
courses for the Taurus revolvers
for those of you out there with the
long barrelled versions. I liked the
latter video, having just bought
myself an LBR a few years ago;
it felt good to work with a revolver
again. A good aspect of these
72 Target Shooter

Pillar bedding video clip - the video
does it from start to finish
rimfire CZ 452/3 has been around
for a number of years and could
do with a well conceived digital or
written ‘course’ about it. AGI did
say they may do a video on the CZ
452 a few years ago, but obviously
this rifle still has yet to get the
attention it needs or deserves.
Overall I found the Armourers
course’s the most useful to watch
as they dealt with a specific
firearm I wanted to look at.
These, I believe, would be
the popular choice for those
out there that would be
looking at purchasing material
like those manufactured by AGI.
Extension or ‘Professional
Course’ Videos
There are of course the extensions
to the armourer courses, where
you can look specifically at lathe
work, stock work and using metals
for instance; although some
courses go into vast amounts of
detail. I found looking through
there catalogue that most areas of
gunsmithing were covered; but I
have not seen every video as this
would cost thousands of pounds.
Each video retails on average
in the UK for about £26; slightly
more if you get a DVD. Some
may be more in sets, or with
parts or chemicals supplied with
them. (There may be issues with
importing if chemicals/ parts are
included in the course, as these
may require an import licence?)
The Professional Courses
themselves are as good as
the armourer’s courses but
relate to subjects that are quite
specific and specialised, such as
trigger work or stock work.
The few I selected were very
informative; such as the Ruger
10/22 trigger course and the
pillar bedding course. Both had
positive instruction, including the
does and don’ts of working; such
as if you are not sure don’t try to
polish the sear on any firearm,
get a qualified gunsmith to do it
for you. Or in case of the Ruger
10/22 buy the kit. This will be
cheaper and safer in the long run
and let’s face it there are lot of kits
and bits out there.
The Enfield also comes under the
Professional course title, I am not
sure why! This has a very good
history element to it and explains
Ruger 1022 - these video’d do it all from the trigger job,
to care and maintainence
the development and identification
of the rifle through its many
stages. The video also covers
the assembly/ reassembly of the
rifles; with further viewing of some
rarer items for this prolific range of
rifles. Overall the Professional and
Gunsmithing courses are
excellent, but may be more
for those with engineering
experience and/ or a few years of
working on firearms.
Final Thoughts
These videos and DVD’s can be
found in gun shops around the UK,
at some gun shows on a variety of
stalls and are sometimes available
via mail order in the UK or from
the US. I have even seen them
on Ebay, but make sure they are
suitable for UK machines if DVD’s
or that your video plays NTSC
tapes if on video. Overall they
are excellent viewing and a good
resource to know a little more
about your firearms, gunsmithing
techniques and other firearms
related issues; such as the
one on Cowboy Action. Further
information, support and trial
information can be found on the
AGI website at; http://www.ameri-
cangunsmith.com/ They even
have their own E-newsletter that
you can subscribe to. On average
the videos/ DVD’s are about 2
hours long, so if you get a few
you may have square eyes at
the end of it. Good viewing.
Target Shooter 73
74 Target Shooter
 Email : stuart@ospreyrifles.com

Tel : 0161 4083555

Osprey Rifles
‘The Savage Specialists’

We still have a limited supply of precision target actions

for sale at £500 for your next custom project. The new
RRP is £920 so grab a bargain while you can

URL : www.ospreyrifles.com

G.T. Shooting
Welcome to GT Shooting.
The premier shooting sports shop in Surrey

Fullbore & .22LR Optics

Black Power Ammunition
Air Rifles and Pistols Reloading equipment
Used rifles and Pistols and more...

Our premises are located at

53 Chipstead Valley Road
Coulsdon
Surrey
CR5 2RB
www.gtshooting.co.uk
Tel: 020 8660 6843
Fax: 020 8660 6843
We are conveniently situated near the M23 & M25.
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 10.00am - 5.30pm
Target Shooter 75
 UNIQUE ALPINE - THE ULTIMATE IN
MODULAR MAGIC
A great piece of ‘out
of the box’ kit and
beautifully made
I have to admit it, when it comes
to rifles, I’m biased. For me, if a
rifle isn’t inherently accurate (for
accurate read half MOA or less)
then it’s not for me. Lets face it,
the job of any rifle is to put a bullet
into the last bullet hole - each time
every time. If not, then there’s no
room for it in my cabinet.
I know that’s quite a everything else in life - you tend
sweeping statement because rifle
performance can be dependent
on several factors. If we put our
76 Target Shooter
Rob Hunter
rifle into a ultimately down to you.
shooting test-rig, it
will probably group Unique Alpine of Germany
better than it does have come up with a truly
when we try the innovative rifle design that goes
same experiment further than most to help you in the
ourselves. That quest to improve your shooting.
is of course down The TPG 1 rifle is pretty well the
to the ‘human ultimate in modular systems. That
element’ - that is to say, it can be easily stripped
living, breathing, down into its component parts for
constantly moving, transportation or even allow
fallible thing we call the operator to change major
the ‘nut behind the component-parts, including the
butt’ - who screws barrel.
up the group. At a glance, the TPG 1 is
obviously designed with
So, in order to wring ergonomics in mind but the use of
the best out your CAD technology and high-grade
rifle, it’s down materials means that it shoots as
to you to hone good as it looks.
your technique,
shooting-position, Art or Science
breathing, sight- Starting at the rear of this
picture, trigger work of art, the stock is semi
release, follow- skeletonised and is in its self an
through and lots amazing piece of workmanship.
of other factors. The stock and fore-end hand-
grip are made from a high-impact
I’ve lost count of the times I’ve synthetic plastic which comes
heard people say ‘I can’t get in a range of single or multi-mix
it this rifle to group’ or ‘I don’t colours that are molded through,
know what’s wrong with it’. Well, so no problems with scratches or
you need to address all of the dings.
fore-mentioned points before you
even start to blame your rifle. The grip is a thumbhole
design which is quite straight - or
Rifles are no different from upright - with molded textured
anti-slip finger grips and a wrist
to get what you pay for. Yes, you shelf at the base, all of which
can buy accuracy but bringing out makes for a very comfortable
a given rifle’s inherent accuracy is shooting position. The stock
 The Unique Alpine
can be dismantled in
a couple of minutes
with just three Allen
keyseys
itself can be adjusted to fit
almost any size or shape of
shooter. The length of pull, butt
plate, cheek-piece height and
lateral movement are all fully
adjustable and if all that wasn’t
enough, hidden within the stock
is an adjustable ground spike to
help control movement with the
off-hand whilst shooting.
Multi-adjustable butt-stock
However, the really unusual
feature of the butt-stock is the
ability to detach it from the
action simply by slackening-off
a socket-head screw at the top
of the grip and sliding the stock
assembly rearwards. A handy
feature if transportation space
is at a premium. There is one
more advantage of the nylon
stock; I know of at least two other
manufactures who use an
aluminum chassis system and
both give off a metallic ring when
fired, which is very irritating. The
nylon stock deadens any such
residual noise from the metal to
metal transfer at the action.
Moving forward to the action - a
standard turn bolt set up - the
body is made from an high-grade
aluminum which is finished in
a mil. spec matt-black coating.
The bolt has three large locking
lugs and a ball handle for easy
operation. The action is smooth
without any bolt wobble and the
lock up on the action has a good
solid feel. On top of the action is a
steel multi slotted scope rail with
a built-in 20 MOA rake.
The action fits snugly into the
full-length aluminum chassis
which extends forward the full
length of the fore-end. This is
where the use of CAD technology
comes in. In order for this mating
Target Shooter 77

Butt-stock is quickly removed for compact
transportation
of metal to metal surfaces to work,
this fit has to be perfect - which
of course it is and because the
action and the chassis are made
of the same high-grade F33
aluminum billet, they provide
the same expansion properties
thus avoiding any distortion
between the two parts when
heated - whether this is by ambient or
firing generated temperatures.
The use of a metal chassis and
the solid nylon stock does add
78 Target Shooter
to the overall weight and the rifle
weighs in at 6.2 kg. This is slightly
heavier than average but I like
this, it gives a sense of quality and
security and makes the felt recoil
seem a lot less than it actually
is. The other plus with a heavier
rifle is the degree of muzzle-flip -
and thus loss of sight picture - is
greatly reduced.
The action holds a 5-shot single-
stack drop out magazine made of
pressed-steel and because of the
The CNC machined aluminium action
is built to a very high standard
single-stack, feeding is clean and
positive with no hang-ups. The
trigger-unit for which you have the
choice of single or double stage -
this one had a single stage - had
a crisp clean break which was
every bit as good as any after-
market replacement. Both units
are break adjustable from 600g
to 1500g and can be adjusted
for pull-length depending on the
length of shooters finger. This is
another nice feature - the amount
of people that I see trying to
operate a trigger using the joint of
the finger instead of the ball still
amazes me.
When I first saw pictures of this
rifle, the only thing that I wasn’t
too sure of was the safety
catch. This is part of the bolt
assembly and is positioned on
the rear of the bolt and at first
glance has the look of a
pistol hammer. In practice, its
placement works very well and it’s
easy to see if you have moved it to
the ‘safe’ position without any head
movement from the shooting
position.
 The barrel can be swapped in a couple of minutes -
including headspacing

Changing the barrel
Moving to the barrel, which is
arguably the most important bit
on any rifle, the medium-weight
650mm stainless-steel tube is
fully free-floating. The profile
tapers from 1.135 inches at
the breech to 0.945 in. at
the crown. Fluting comes as
standard on all Unique Alpine
barrels and there is an optional
factory muzzle-brake for larger
calibers. Speaking of calibers,
U-A offer all the standard
chamberings from 223 Rem.
to 338 Lap. Mag as well as
specials like .22 PPC, 6mm BR
and 6.5x284.
matter of minutes without a major
change to the point of impact. The
‘bushing’ actually houses the bolt
locking-lugs and it is this unique
feature which makes the barrel-
swap and head-spacing possible.
I had three barrels to test - 6mm
BR, 308 and 6.5x284. All were
brand-new unfired barrels, plus
the ammunition used was a
mixture of home-loads from other
rifles that I had to hand. I test-
shot the three-shot groups off a
Half-MOA accuracy with any barrel
bi-pod resting on a bench at 100
yards in a moderate cross-wind.
I’m sure the groups shown would
improve once the barrels had
been broken-in and with a bit of
load development.
In theory you could have a
6mmBR, 243, 308 and 6.5x284
all on the same bolt face. This is a
really big selling point - no waiting
months or longer for a gunsmith
to replace your shot out barrels,

Now, here’s the best bit - as this

is a modular system, the barrels
are easily interchangeable! By
simply loosening a small internal
socket-head bolt and three smaller
locking screws, the barrel and
the screw-on bushing that
holds it in place, simply slides
forward and out. Simple and quite
brilliant. The process of
removing and replacing a
barrel can be accomplished in a
Target Shooter 79

Probably the best ‘out of the box’ the factory rifle available
DIY in minutes! This advantage
means you could have in essence
have a caliber for all occasions on
the one chassis.
Maintenance of this rifle is
designed to be done by the
owner, without any special
training and the whole rifle can be
field-stripped for cleaning or just
14 LAMINGTON ST, TAIN, ROSS-SHIRE IV19 1AA
changing parts with a few simple
tools. If you have something you
can’t handle then Russ Moorse
and Stefan Holme at U-A know
more about the design and build
of this rifle than just about anyone
and have been extremely helpful.
The versatility of this uniquely
designed rifle combines
TEL: 01862 892171 FAX: 01862 892859 www.rmacleod.co.uk sales@rmacleod.co.uk
technically superior adjustable
ergonomics with some of the
best out of the box accuracy
performance I have ever
seen. If you’ve just started rifle
shooting or you want to
upgrade to a unit that will fulfill all
your shooting needs, then in my
humble opinion this is the only
rifle you will ever need.
With one chassis and several
barrels you could have a
benchrest, foxing, tactical and
1000yd match rifle all for a
fraction of the cost of four
separate units.
Is there anything I would add to
improve this rifle? Well all I would
do is thread the barrel for a sound
moderator but if this is your thing,
U-A already sell a fully moderated
308 barrel. Coming in at around
£2500 this is not a cheap rifle but
when you look at what you get
for your money, I think the TPG 1
worth every penny.

THE SCOTTISH RIFLE DEALER S/H 7x57 RUGER M77 £325.00

SECOND HAND AND SPECIALS ON NEW RIFLES S/H BLASER LUXUS WOOD - STOCK£1,095.00
ONLY
S/H BLASER LUXUS
S/H .22 HORNET
CZ S/CUT £325.00
WOOD UPGRADE - STOCK ONLY£1,995.00
S/H . 222 SAKO L491 £350.00
S/H BLASER OFF ROAD - STOCK ONLY
£550.00
AS NEW
S/H . 222 BSA CFZ SET TRIGGER £195.00
S/H . 222 CZ £375.00
NEW . 222 SAKO 75 VARMINT BLUE £950.00 SECOND HAND AND EX DEMO OPTICS
S/H . 222 RUGER ST C/W DEERFIELD SCOPE £575.00 LEICA TRINOVID 10x42 EX DEMO £750.00
NEW . 222 STEYR PRO HUNTER £690.00
S/H .22/250 RUGER VARMINT INC 3.5-10x40 WHITETAIL
£295.00 SWAROVSKI 6x42 HABICHT NEW DISCONTINUED £450.00
MODEL
NEW .22/250 WINCHESTER M70 COYOTE £550.00 SWAROVSKI 2.5-10x56 PV1-2 HIGH GRID NEW DISC
£950.00
MODEL
S/H .22/250 SAKO 85 STAINLESS S/CUT £695.00 SWAROVSKI 1.25-4x24PV1 DOT RET NEW DISC£595.00
MODEL
NEW . 223 BROWNING ABOLT STAINLESS S/CUT£490.00 SWAROVSKI 1.5-6x42 P11DOT RET NEW DISC MODEL
£695.00
NEW .223WSSMW INCHESTER SUPER SHADOW £300.00 SCHMIDT & BENDER 6x42 GERMAN S/H AS NEW £425.00
NEW . 223 STEYR PRO MOUNTAIN INC MOD £880.00 SCHMIDT & BENDER 3-12x50 A7 30MM £550.00
S/H . 243 REMINGTON 700 BDL £420.00 SCHMIDT & BENDER 3-12x50 MILDOT S/H £550.00
S/H . 243 BLASER OFF ROAD £1,000.00 SCHMIDT & BENDER 7x50 GERMAN 30MM EX DEMO £495.00
S/H . 243 STEYR MANNLICHER £550.00 LEUPOLD VX111 3-9x50 S/H AS NEW £295.00
S/H .25-06 TIKKA MASTER £400.00 SCHMIDT & BENDER 6x42 HUNGARIAN 1" RET A7 £260.00
S/H .25-06 BLASER OFF ROAD £1,050.00 LISENFELD 6x42 1" TUBE RET 4A £150.00
S/H . 270 BLASER OFF ROAD S/CUT £1,050.00 ZEISS DIATAL Z 6x42 1" TUBE RET 4 £375.00
S/H . 270 SAKO L691 LEFT HAND £695.00 SCHMIDT & BENDER 6x42 HUNGARIAN 1" A7 £260.00
S/H . 270 DICKSON £350.00 PECAR CHAMPION 8x45 RET 4 1" £295.00
S/H . 270 REMINGTON 700 BDL £450.00 LEUPOLD VXIII 4.5-14X50 L/R, TDS £425.00
S/H . 270 CZ SCREWCUT £425.00 NEW SWAROVSKI Z6 OUR PRICE
S/H . 270 RUGER M77 S/CUT £425.00 Z6 2-12x50 £1,099.00
NEW .270WSMSAKO 75 HUNTER £995.00 Z6 2.5-15x56 £1,199.00
S/H . 375 BLASER OFF ROAD PRO (AS NEW)£1,675.00 Z6 2.5-15x56 BT £1,299.00
S/H .30-06 MAUSER 03 BARREL ONLY £330.00 NEW SWAROVSKI Z6I ILLUMINATED
S/H . 308 SAKO A11 £475.00 Z61 1.7-10x42 £1,395.00
S/H . 308 SAKO STUTZEN £495.00 Z61 2-12x50 £1,459.00
S/H . 308 SAKO M591 £495.00 Z61 2.5-15x56 £1,579.00
S/H . 308 MAUSER 66 £450.00 Z61 2.5-15x56 BT £1,659.00
S/H . 308 HEYM £975.00 NEW SWAROVSKI AV
S/H . 308 STEYR £450.00 4-12x50 £819.00
S/H . 308 TIKKA T3 ST SYN L/HAND £650.00 6-18x50 £910.00
NEW 6.5x55 SAKO 75 HUNTER L/HAND £990.00 NEW SWAROVSKI PF
S/H 6.5x55 TIKKA T3 AS NEW INC MOUNTS £650.00 8x50 £599.00
NEW 6.5x55 PRO MOUNTAIN INC MOD £890.00 8x56 £649.00
S/H 7MM REM MAG RUGER No1 £400.00

80 Target Shooter
 Tel: 01977 681639 TIM HANNAM Fax: 01977 684272
THE RELOADING SPECIALISTS
Peckfield Lodge, Great North Road ,Leeds, LS25 5LJ

Reloading Presses Case Preparation Accessories

We stock the full range of presses We stock a wide range of equip-
by Lee, Lyman, Hornady and Forster ment, tools and kits.

Reloading Dies Scales

We stock a wide range of die sets We stock both electronic and beam
and individual dies by Lee, Lyman , scales from Lee, Lyman , Hornady.
Hornady and Forster and MTM

Brass Cases Bullets

From the most popular to the fairly
obscure Manufacturers include
Lapua, Remington, Winchester,
Starline and IMI
Including Match, Varmint and Target
bullets from Lapua, Hornady Reming-
ton and Winchester. We carry a wide
range of pistol bullets in both jacketed
and lead.

Smokeless Powders Primers

We carry a wide range of powders For both Rifle and Pistol calibers from
from Vihtavouri, Hodgdon, IMR and Remington, Winchester, CCI and
Alliant Federal

Current Special Offers from

Free Media Reactivator
worth £4.52 included
with every Tumbler
1200 Pro Tumbler £54.98
Excellent value for
money with the capac-
ity to clean up to a
maximum of 350 38sp
cases. Special features
inc ‘built in’sifter lid to
enable easy separation
of cases and of course
media is included .
Lyman Precision Die Sets
Free
4 OZ B UTCH’ S B ORE S HINE
WITH EVERY L YMAN D IE
SET
Lyman precision die sets are crafted on state of the art
computer controlled equipment ensuring that each die
is perfectly dimensioned. Each rifle sizing die is
vented, polished, heat treated for toughness and then
receives a final micro-finish polish for
extra smoothness.
Rifle standard 2 die set £35.75
Rifle standard 3 die set £46.89
Classic rifle 3 die set £46.89
Target Shooter 81
 Shooting Website of the Month
Every month, we’ll try and feature a shooting
website that is relevant to target shooting. We
will also be pleased to hear about your favourite
shooting website – just e-mail the address to
customer.services@targetshooter.co.uk
This month, we are featuring www.6mmBR.com or
if you prefer www.accurateshooter.com
Although as the name suggests, the site was
initially built around the fantastic little 6mm
Benchrest Remington cartridge and guns
chambered for this fantastic little round, it quickly
out-grew itself and expanded to cover most popular
cartridges plus the accuracy wildcats.
Their ‘Gun of the Week’ feature is eagerly awaited
by regular visitors as it always showcases a superb
custom rifle which has usually already proven itself
in competition. Full specification and load-data is
supplied for all featured rifles and cartridges and
the site is my first port of call if I need load-data for
82 Target Shooter
a new round or I’m looking to try a new powder.
The webmaster Paul McMenamin ensures their
‘blog’ is updated daily and although the site is
American-based, most of the stuff featured is
equally relevant to British shooters. Main blog items
are archived, as are ‘Gun of the Week’ and other
features, making the site a complete reference for
accuracy-nuts and target shooters whatever your
discipline.
Their daily coverage of this year’s Shot Show was
particularly impressive with their roving reporter
posting pictures and videos at the end of each day
- the next best thing to actually being there!
The site is the nearest thing we have to an on-line
shooter’s newspaper and I must confess to being
something of an addict and visiting 6mmBR.com as
soon as I switch on my computer in the morning!
 BenelliÊKite
Proven by Champions ((Recommended by Mick Gault, OBE, Target Sports December 2007)

Diverse Trading Limited

PardiniÊFPEÊ&ÊFPM
FPE:ÊElectronicÊtriggerÊÊÊÊFPM:ÊMechanicalÊtrigger
ÊMechanicalÊtrigger

TwoÊnew,ÊinnovativeÊPardiniÊSectionÊ1ÊFreeÊPistols.ÊSingleÊshotÊ.22LRÊMatchÊPistolÊcompliantÊwithÊprevail-
ing firearms legislation. Choice of 3 grip sizes in left or right hand. Supplied complete with custom clean-
ing kit. Pistol supplied in hard case. The Pardini is available through our specialist retailers,
including Check-Mate Guns, Surrey Guns and NSRA.

FULL RANGE OF SPARES AVAILABLE

S.A.M., FAS, BENELLI KITE and PARDINI K10 pistols
DIVERSE TRADING LIMITED ARE THE SOLE IMPORTERS OF PARDINI PRODUCTS
MEMBER THE PREFERED SUPPLIER OF TARGETRY TO THE N.R.A./N.S.C BISLEY

DIVERSE TRADING SCATT

SHOOTING RANGE EQUIPMENT
LIMITED SHOOTER TRAINING SYSTEMS
THE ‘PROFESSIONAL USB’ electronic training & analysis system from
Häring range eqipment 10m to 1200yds
Hard-wired or radio systems available
Tel: (020) 86427861 SCATT as used by the winning British Palma Full Fore Rifle Team.
50 metre target frame now available, price on application
Including the new ESA electronic scoring system.
Now available - the EL3 10m air
24 Hour Fax: (020) 86429959 GOLD MEDAL WINNERS IN THE OLYMPICS, PARALYMPICS
AND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
pistol/rifle target system
Trade and retail enquiries Welcomed

Target Shooter 83
 Optical Boosters for target
shooting and more.......

The last few months has seen
a bit if a knock on the economy
and obviously this will
affect shooters who
spend their hard earned
cash to develop the
equipment range they
have, hoping to
enhance their shooting.
However, it does not
all have to ‘break the
bank’.
The products that I am
reviewing here are a
couple of items that
have been mentioned
on one or two benchrest
specific forums over the
last few months or so.
Both of these products
start at a reasonable
price around the £100 Booster # 1 on my Leupold Competition scope
mark.
The Bulzeyepro is an optical centerfire rimfire and air rifle
booster lens for generic or benchrest. The website for the opportunity to experiment with
Carl Boswell
specific scopes associated
company is; www.bulzeyepro.
with those that are used in both
com/ and the cost of the optic
starts at $125 .
However, these are
now brought into the
UK by Brain at Fox
Firearms www.foxfire-
armsuk.com/
The price will depend on
the model, coating and
magnification you get.
The one I have on loan
is a Booster # 1 Ultra
Bright for my Leupold
competition X45 scope.
(Now why would I want
any magnification over
x45?? Well the answer
is that I have used a
number of scopes up to
x60 magnification
and all have their
uses for specific
conditions, light levels,
etc. I wanted something
that would give me the

The basic range of products that has now increased with new lens coatings and a wider range

84 Target Shooter
greater magnification while using housing is slimmer if the sunshine (thus heat on the
the Leupold I have and like. requirement is for compact ground) in as very short time.
features. Using the booster for a longer
The booster is easy to fit and periods of time will no doubt
use so I don’t have to change The documentation also suggests develop my skills at observing
the scope, just ensure that the that the booster alleviates and countering the issue of
parallax is set up mirage when shooting.
appropriately each time you As you can see from
use it. When setting up the pictures below, the
#1 booster, I played around magnification before and after
with it for quite a while. You is quite substantial.
know what it is like when (Apologies for my
adjusting parallax, as photography as it does not
you want the scope to be do the clarity justice, but the
perfect in every way! I day was very cold). This will
would not play the role the obviously depend on your
archetypical man in this own eyesight as everyone’s is
case – read the instructions different. It will also depend on
as they are clear and what you are looking for, as it
precise. The job takes may be the case that a lower
seconds and the scope with magnification is considered
booster is ready to use. Before..... better by some shooters.
These and other important using the booster, as seen through If you have a lower powered
facts are on the bulzeyepro a Leupold x45 Competition scope scope that you like, this
website. product is a massive boon,
or helps with the effects of as you can enhance what you
The Bulzeyepro boosters come mirage which is something a lot of already have for a very low
in three different models, easily shooters will tell you are hard to cost. Do look at what type of
named #1. #2 and #3. The #1 read. booster best fits your needs, as
booster is design for specific Shooting in Milan, at the world at the time of going press the
scopes only. These are; Leupold championships, really did bring company has increased its
Competition series, range of products quite
Weaver T series, Sightron significantly for a variety of
BR series, Nightforce BR shooters and not just the
series and the very accuracy buffs like me.
expensive March scopes.
The one I have is designed The range of magnifications
to boost your scopes power has also increased, so it
X3 times, so a X45 scope well worth having a look.
will boost to approximate- I don’t think you will be
ly X58. The housing is disappointed!
machined aluminium and is
made to fit onto threaded An excellent product that
specific threaded scopes is well worth the money, as
named above. All in all it it can make your favourite,
looks the part! After..... but less powerful scope,
Number 2 is a generic using the booster, as seen through a into a very powerful scope.
model for 1 inch or 30mm Leupold x45 Competition scope These are available for
scopes and does offer target scopes and also
greater magnification for longer this issue to the forefront of used a lot for hunting, so could
distances if required. The lens everyone’s minds, as reading the appeal to a wide range of
housing is made from rubber for mirage and/ or even seeing it was shooters. The improved
safety if used on heavy recoil a problem. This is an interesting range of products is also very
rifles. element to the design. I observed exciting, as these were just
Number 3 booster like the # 2 that the model I used did help a coming out at the time of going to
model fits all scopes with an little with this when shooting as press. I am also looking at getting
eyepiece from 1.43 inches to 1.8 the weather we had just recently one for a new scope I have. I am that
inches in diameter. The profile of the goes from extreme cold to heavy impressed.

Target Shooter 85
New barrel tuners...

The second item on offer is the control and tuning of the rifle and The rifles that have this Slider
J and J Slider, formerly known ammunition. A Similar principle fitted seem to shoot more
as the Parallel Noodle. This is an to what a muzzle brake will do accurately and are easier to tune.
extension to the standard which is found on some rifles and A lot of testing has been going on
barrel tuner and obviously it may pistols. in Australia and the USA and all of
be the case that the extra weight The Long Slider relies on this has come back positive.
will bring your rifle into the Heavy the weight to distribute mass The Slider itself is designed to
Varmint class if you use it. These along the sleeve, acting as an be use in conjunction with an
can be obtained via Dan Killough extension of the tuner, with the existing tuner. The specific tuner
in the USA, who is the sole added benefits of the principles it is manufactured to fit it is the
distributor. The website for this is; noted above. James Pappas, the Harrel tuner and we tend not to
www.killoughshootingsports.com/ developer and manufacturer of get many of these over in the UK
these products, has stated to me (PIC’s 6 and 7). (The Harrel tuner
These are priced at $125 that there are other ‘things going in fact can be purchased from
dollars so at the exchange rate at on’ but much of it is speculation Dan Killough at the same time as
the time of writing this would be at the moment’. All that matters the J and J Slider. The cost of this
approximately £85. Shipping is the Slider just seems to work! is $150 (or £103) at the time of
would be on top of this and this (James also makes rests for writing. However, the Cicogani
currently stands at $35 or around benchrest, although these are one tuners we tend to get from
£23. There are two models called piece and would not be able to be Italy could be modified with an
the Long and Short (PIC 5). The used within the rules we have). internal thread. The thread
whole unit is made from high
quality aluminium which is
machined. The Long Slider
weighs 9 ounces (255.2 grams)
and Short Slider weight 8
ounces (226.8 grams). The
sliding weight itself is 3 ounces
(85.1 grams) of aluminium and
can be removed.
The holes in the sleeve of the
slider are used to tune the rifle
as it lets air that is compressed
in front of the bullet to escape
through the holes. The Short
Slider has an outer sleeve with The long version of the slider, uses the weight to distribute weight
holes cut into it to regulate the along the path of the outer sleeve. Exhaust holes
amount of air that escapes; distribute gasses as the bullet exits the muzzle
thus there is an element of

86 Target Shooter
reported to me by James on
the J and J Slider is 1.375X32
tpi (teeth per inch). So
those that have an existing
tuner may be able to get this
modified if they are thinking of
getting this new product.
The size and internal
diameter remind me of the
Anschutz bloop tube that
was available few years ago
and has recently reappeared The short version of the slider, uses the weight to alter the gasses
remodelled. coming out of the exhaust holes.
Obviously the Slider has the
extra weight and ‘exhaust’
holes cut into it but that is what innovation is about. The principles behind it and the fact that a number of
respected independent shooters from around the world have said that it works is a good selling point. Maybe
we will see a few over here in the next year.
Next month I am reviewing again. This time the SEB rest. Until then.

http://www.foxfirearmsuk.com/
PUTTING SHOOTING FIRST
TOP QUALITY PRECISION RIFLES & COMPONENTS FOR
TR, MATCH, THREE-POSITIONAL, F-CLASS, BENCH-REST,
& SNIPER
FROM
KELBLY, KEPPELER, UNIQUE, BARNARD, STILLER, TRUE-
FLITE, BARTLEIN, LOTHAR-WALTHER, ROBERTSON,
McMILLAN & SHEHANE
LOTS OF ACTIONS, BARRELS, & STOCKS ON HAND
FULL RANGE OF SEB LAMBANG BENCH-REST EQUIPMENT
STOCKED
CUSTOM RIFLES BUILT & AGENT FOR COOPER HUNTING
RIFLES
HIGH-POWER RIFLE ‘SCOPES & SPOTTING ‘SCOPES
Tel: 0161 430 8278 or 07941 958464

Target Shooter 87
 The new Webley-Venom

64% more
full-power shots per fill than its major competitor

ts
Spor
77/ .22
.1 RRP bhol
e
625 um
Th /.22
£ .177RRP
649
£
Sidelever Magazine system

Charging system

• Webley-developed, choked barrel • Offered in both .177 and .22 calibres

• Multi-position, two-stage trigger • Easy Load™ Stainless Steel 10-shot Magazine
• Side-lever action with an anti-double feed System
feature • Adjustable butt pad
• Rotary quick-fill charging system • Easy Reach™ safety catch
• Choice of a Sports or Thumb-Hole, • Long-life seal system
high quality Walnut stock • Free-floating hammer to prevent valve
• Left handed stocked versions available from ‘bounce’
launch

PHONE THE ORDER HOTLINE: 01902 722 144 OR FAX ON 01902 722 880
Webley (International) Limited
Universe House, Key Industrial Park, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3YA, England
E-mail: sales@webley.co.uk www.webley.co.uk
88 Target Shooter
We are a well established gun shop in surrey for the
last 36 years now under new ownership of Peter
Friend. Over the years the surrey guns has built a
reputation for specialist target shooting and stock a
large range of match air rifles, pistols as well as .22
target guns and accessories

7 Manor Road, Wallington, Surrey, SM6 0BW

Tel:020 8647 7742 Fax: 020 8669 9199

E-mail: pfriend@surreyguns.com

Monday—Saturday 0900 - 1700

Please mention

when using advertising

in the magazine

Target Shooter 89
 Part 1

Overall weight:
First of all you should have
an idea of what weight of
rifle is most suitable for you as
having one that iseither too
light, or too heavy (especially if
it’s all at the front end) will not
Gwyn Roberts
competitions you intend to shoot feels the most ‘comfortable’ for
with it on any given day. Hoping you. Even using a basic set of
to shoot a 1500, Bianchi, a kitchen scales down at your
Grand, a T&P2 and a couple of club or range to weigh each one,
other matches back to back on will give you a reasonable idea of
the same day with a rifle that what you should be looking for.
weighs the wrong side of 8 or This will then allow you to break

Pistol / thumbhole stocks give a good wrist / trigger

finger alignment but some may require some modification
to make them type truly ambidextrous

allow you to perform at your best.
Physical size and strength along
with any medical conditions will
obviously play a big part in this,
as will the types and number of
9lbs or more, would prove to be
too much for most of us. Ideally,
try to handle as many different
rifles of a known weight as you
can, to give you an idea of what
it down roughly into component
weights such as stock, action
(and trigger unit), barrel and
scope so that you can choose
each of them accordingly. For

Example #1 - fully ambidextrous and will fit most shooters comfortably

90 Target Shooter

Example #2 - will need a little modification to become truly the weight of some of the
ambidextrous
example, if you wanted a
lightweight rifle of around 5
to 6lbs, trying to combine an
Odyssey type stock with a
stainless steel 20inch barrel will First of all you need to ask
take you way over this figure
before you even think about
adding a receiver/bolt/trigger
Example #3 - will need a little modification to become truly ambidextrous
group or putting a scope on it.
My new rifle built for me by Greg
Goldsworthy from Rude Fat Dog
down in Devon and weighs in at
just less than 4¾lbs, giving me
a really lightweight rifle to shoot
steel plate or 3 gun matches
Example #4 - fully ambidextrous and will fit most shooters comfortably
fitted with a red dot scope on it.
Even when I fit a massive 30mm
tubed 8-32 x 60 Nighteater scope
on top it still weighs in at just less
than 7lbs which means I’ll be able
to shoot plenty matches back to
back with it, before getting too
tired.
The Stock:
Single sided or Ambidextrous?
It’s a pretty simple question
in some 3 gunners) which are
incorporated into many of the
disciplines that we now
shoot. Bear in mind when
choosing a new stock that
fibreglass/composite/
rubber stocks including the Bell &
really, but one that is often over
Carson Odyssey, Volquartsen VX
looked by people when they
or the Anschutz target style can
first set eyes on their must have
easily weigh up to twice or three
“ultimate” looking rifle.
times as much as a similar
laminate version due to the
yourself what types of matches
materials used in their
you intend to shoot with it, both
construction. They are, however,
now and in the future. If you only
ever intend to shoot using your
very well made and may prove
strong shoulder for support as in
ideal for shooters of a larger
the Precision, Timed & Precision
frame.
1 and Multi Target matches or
Those of a smaller build however
even just general plinking down
would do better to avoid them,
the local range, then a normal
and go instead for something
right or left handed stock will
suffice. If however you may
a little more manageable of the
like to try out some of the
laminated variety.
‘action’ events like the Bianchi,
1500, PP2, 3 gun or Steel type
More often than not unless
matches, then you are
you are very lucky, some
definitely going to need an
modifications will have to be
ambidextrous stock. This type
made to any stock to get it to
will allow you to shoot from
fit you properly. Sometimes
either shoulder, as well as
it’s as simple as adding an
various other positions such as
extended butt pad, and other times
kneeling and sitting (or even prone
it means getting out some sand
Target Shooter 91

A loaned rifle that didn't fit well, giving poor results on
the day
paper or a power file and really
going to town. Remember that the
finish on most wood/
laminate type stocks is usually
varnish, lacquer or oil and can be
returned to as good as new with
a little bit of time and effort should
you ever need to modify it. I have
always spent the time and effort
making sure my stocks fit me,
which in turn has given me
improved results on the range.
Once you have made a stock fit
and work perfectly for you there
shouldn’t be any reason really
to ever get rid of it. If you ever
need to upgrade your action
or barrel (or both) then why not
simply sell the old items in a
cheap standard Ruger stock
or on their own instead of
the whole rifle? One thing to
remember though - if you do ever
order a new stock is to make sure
it will fit your barrel profile i.e. a
standard taper or .920” item.
Leaving a new stock just as it
is because it looks pretty rather
than make it fit properly, isn’t the
way to go if you want to improve
your results!
Starting at the front:
The Fore-end – Normal or the
‘Cool’ look?
Before you decide on this
point, you should really spend
some time down on the range
finding out which type of ‘hold’
suits you best. Small changes and
experimentation by reaching
further forwards or bringing
your hand further back on the
92 Target Shooter
fore-end will give improved
accuracy results. Likewise,
rotating your wrist slightly,
increasing or decreasing the
exerted pressure at both ends
of the stock, experimenting with
different pressures when
pulling it into your shoulder
and finger placement by the
supporting hand will also help
contribute to a more stable hold,
so take the time to work out what
works best, for You! Ultimately,
you must make sure that the
fore-end allows you to attain your
optimal reach and grip, whilst
shooting from the Standing off
hand position. If it is too short,
this will force you to move your
hand in closer towards your body
which will lead to being both
uncomfortable and more
importantly, less stable than one
that fits your shooting stance
naturally. Lately I have seen
a number of shooters on the line
shooting rifles with fore-ends
that are way too short forcing
them into having to hold onto the
barrel in order to gain a more
convenient grip. Altering the
barrel harmonics by holding the
barrel will not help produce good
results on the target and purely
by their actions I think it’s fair to
say that their stocks are definitely
unsuitable for them.
This then brings us onto the next
important point, being the profile
of the fore-end. A shape that fits
naturally in the palm of the hand
will fit better, and is going to need
less muscle retention and effort
to keep it there which will in turn
help to provide a steadier hold.
Likewise, staying in safe contact
with the stock during position
changes and reloads should also
prove to be a lot smoother and
easier and using a bit of
skateboard tape may also help
your grip. You will probably
find that you actually grip the
fore-end at different points
when shooting from different
positions. Increasing or
decreasing the width or shape
at the point of contact on your
stock to provide a more stable
platform or hold, or simply adding
a non slip surface like skateboard
tape may well prove beneficial
for some shooters. Flattening
the area towards the rear or the
fore-end may provide you with a
more stable hold when shooting
from the kneeling or sitting
position as the rifle tends to just
‘rest’ on your palm or in the ‘v’
groove of your arm.
There are a lot of stocks out there
both old and new that I have tried
and tested, and I consider many
of the ‘gimmicky’ types to
be ‘questionable’ regarding
their use in gallery rifle type
A simple solution to give
a good end result

competitions. Remember that
most of these stocks are
designed for, and used by
people who shoot “off the bench”
SF Custom supply and fit some good & inexpensive
butt pads
A proper fitting stock will help you reach your potential
in the States and are certainly not
designed for the type of shooting
that we do with them. Anything
that is too short, narrow, has
sharpish edges or an angular
profile that makes it hard for the
hand to form around naturally will
probably not work in your favour,
however fancy it may look so be
warned!
Whichever type you decide on,
a critical point to ensure is that
the barrel is fully floating over
its entire length, and that it does
not make any contact against the
stock. Running a single sheet of
thin piece of paper along the gap
for testing is not sufficient and
several sheets should be used,
as wood/laminate types can
expand slightly if subjected to
wet or damp conditions so use
several layers of paper for this
test. My stock to barrel clearance
is at least 2 to 3mm+ over its
entire length.
The Grip type – Sporter or
Thumbhole/Pistol grip?
There are many options available
but make sure the ergonomics of
the grip you choose allow the pad
of your index finger to rest
naturally on the trigger blade,
whilst keeping the finger
relatively straight inorder to
ensure a good trigger release.
You may find that a curved
sporter grip works better for you
whilst some shooters find a
Target Shooter 93
 A receiver with a removeable rail will give greater flexability
thumbhole/pistol grip design
aligns their wrist and trigger
finger more naturally in relation
to the trigger blade.
Personally, I find that the Fajen
Silhouette/Blaster type stock
fits me best, but as it’s a single
sided stock it means that I
have to spend a bit of time
re-shaping the grip and
scalloping out the right hand side
of the cheek piece in order for me
to be able to align my head up
properly with the scope to shoot
from the weak shoulder. It’s not
the end of the world though and
it guarantees that I end up with
a stock that allows me to shoot
properly from any shooting
position that I’m likely to
encounter. Whether you have to
convert a single sided thumbhole
grip, or reshape, narrow down
or bulk out an existing grip, it is
fairly straight forwards on most
stocks. A bit of effort put in to
ensure that you can achieve a
positive and correctly aligned hold
will pay dividends in your future
performance. Again, some well
placed skateboard tape can help
to improve both grip and control
so it’s worth thinking about.
The grip areas on some of the
more ‘fancy’ stocks however will
require a lot more care to be taken
if you try to convert some of them
to do a job they really weren’t
designed to do and removing
too much material in some areas
may leave the stock vulnerable
to damage if handled without due
94 Target Shooter
care. My latest stock has had
a lot of work done around this
area to allow me to shoot with an
experimental off hand hold and
doesn’t have much material in
this area, but as I generally take
care of my rifles I don’t see it as
being particularly fragile.
The Butt and Cheek piece -
The length of the butt should
allow you to comfortably reach
the grip and fore end together
and enable you to consistently
bring the rifle up into the aim from
both the parallel and 45º ready
positions. Again, you may well
need to alter this area in order to
achieve the best fit but there are
various extendable butt
pads available on the market
from simple spacers to fully
adjustable 3 way units depending
on your needs, or bank balance!
The proper height, width, length
and profile of the cheek piece
needed will also vary greatly from
shooter to shooter, but again you
can always make what you have
fit you somehow. Whether you
end up installing an adjustable
unit or simply adding or taking
material away, you must make
sure that the end result allows
you to quickly align your head up
correctly with the scope when
bringing the rifle up into the aim
from a ‘ready’ position. It should
also enable you to achieve
this when shooting from every
shooting position, to ensure
good consistency and shot
placement on the target. This is
especially critical when shooting
snap stages, where target
acquisition and quickly well
aimed shots are near nigh
on impossible if you can’t
adopt the correct head/scope
alignment/eye relief quickly and
consistently, every time!
Receivers - alloy or stainless
Going back to the weight
consideration should help you
with this choice as a stainless
version will be around ¾lbs
heavier than that of an alloy
action, although the cost
difference between the two
could also be the deciding
factor in the end. One advantage
of these heavier actions is that
some of them are available pre -
threaded allowing you to screw
fit a stainless barrel into them
for a really secure lock up,
although this usually means it’s a
gunsmith job to get them out
again so think carefully about
this. They are available in......
Well, silver as you would expect
and from a performance point
of view function just the same
as an alloy version although
some would say that they offer
a more rigid set up. The various
alloy units however come in a
multitude of different colours so
you can mix and match things to
achieve a more individual look
for your rifle. I think it’s generally
accepted that threading these
lighter receivers isn’t a good
idea as they would be quite easy
to damage but the normal twin
bolt lock up with a V block does
the job more than adequately.
This system also gives you the
option of changing barrels pretty
quickly should you decide to use
a heavier one for bunny bashing,
and a lighter one for competition
use etc. The standard Ruger unit
doesn’t exactly arrive with tighter
tolerances like the Volquartsen
and Tactical Innovations varieties
but I think they do the job just as
well although the choice of just
black or silver may not appeal to
everyone. One could argue that
a ‘tighter’ fit between the receiver
and bolt etc will produce more
accurate results but this is not
upheld by a lot of the testing
done in the States where it would
seem that the 10/22’s built on
Ruger receivers are putting in
groups that are just as good as
that are used with some of the
more expensive offerings!
One thing to take into account
when choosing a receiver is
whether or not it has a scope
rail built into it as this can be a
good thing, or a not so good thing
depending on what you want to
put on top of it. If you want to fit
a Bianchi mover base then you
will have a bit of a problem if
your rail is fixed on as part of the
machining process. With this in
mind, for my rifle I opted for a
flat topped Tactical Innovations
unit that has a removable rail
held on by substantial 5mm allen
screws. Since we started using
10/22’s I have always drilled and
tapped my receivers out to this
larger size purely for reliability, as
well as the ease of replacements
as the standard ‘Yankee’ ones
are pretty hard to get hold in the
longer lengths. Some bolts now
come as a matched pair with
some of the newer receivers and
offer a few improvements for
functioning or reliability. In the end
whichever manufacturer you
opt for, getting it correctly head
spaced and profiled at the rear
would be a good modification
to have done. A tight fitting or
pinned ejector will improve
reliability and a pinned firing pin
in a Ruger type bolt will help to
avoid any light strikes from
occurring. A properly fitting (not
just the latest techno whizz
model thrown in) extractor fitted
should help reduce or eliminate
any stove piping issues, and a
decent bolt buffer in the back is
really all you should need to do
to it. Until next month!

COUNTRYMAN OF DERBY LTD

31 QUEEN ST, DERBY, DE1 3DS

ESTABLISHED 1986.

WEBSITE AND ONLINE WEBSHOP -

www.countrymanofderby.co.uk
TEL 01332 360357
email- martyn@countrymanofderby.co.uk
LARGE SELECTION OF NEW AND USED RIFLES
SHOTGUNS AND AIRGUNS IN STOCK AT VERY
COMPETETTIVE PRICES.

BROWNING, BERETTA AND MIROKU MAIN

DEALERS

WE SPECIALISE IN CENTREFIRE SPORTING RIFLES AND

HAVE POSSIBLY THE BEST SELECTION OF RIFLES AND
SCOPES IN THE MIDLANDS, WE ALSO HAVE A GOOD CHOICE
OF RIFLE RELOADING EQUIPMENT AND COMPONENTS.

Please mention us
when using
advertising
in the magazine
Target Shooter 95
 Gun of the Month
We all have a favourite rifle. Maybe it’s just a
factory rifle we have modified to better suit our
requirements or it could be a full-house
competition gun costing thousands. Either way,
you are proud of it and we want to see it, so
every month we will readers’ rifles in our Gun
of the Month slot.
Send us a hi-res digital pic or two and full
details of your rifle and what you like to shoot.
This month’s rifle was submitted by Andrew
Robinson and even though the pic was only
taken on a mobile-phone I love it – look at that
scenery!
Andrew’s rifle was put together by Les Bacon at
Border barrels. Les is a keen F Class shooter
and knows what it takes to make a rifle shoot.
The Remington action is ‘blueprinted’
and the bolt is fitted with a Sako-style
extractor and a Jewel trigger replaces the
standard Remington item. The barrel is of
96 Target Shooter
course a Border, fluted and chambered in 260
Remington. The barrel is threaded for an ASE
UTRA Jet Z moderator which is useful for the
rifle’s dual role of F Class competition and
occasional fox control and stalking, as Andrew
is the son of a professional deer-stalker.
The Accuracy International stock is fitted with
an AI mono-pod on the butt and a Harris bi-pod
up front. The 5.5-22 x 56 Nightforce scope is
mounted in a Nightforce one-piece mount with
20 MOA taper.
If you want to put your rifle or pistol in as ‘Gun
of the month, please contact use at;
customer.services@targetshooter.co.uk
Our thanks
 RFD Lancashire (Section 1 & 2 Firearms)
NEW & USED bought and sold
Black Powder / ML—Rifles—Free Pistol
Match Air Pistols and Rifles—FT
Shooting Specs, Scopes, Sights, Cabinets etc
FEINWERKBAU (FWB) Pistols, Rifles, FT
SAM– Specialist Stockist K15 14 & short.
BENELLI Kite Pistol– 3 Cylinder lengths + short
Pardini K10 & K2S Air Pistols + Free Pistol mechanical or Electronic .22lr

JUST ARRIVED

ALFA CO2 Match Air Pistols

FAS 609 Precharge & FAS 604

B96 Aeron Brno (CZ) + M4—Service
Rohm Service & Power Upgrade—FAS 604 Service
MORINI (Electronic & Manual) Pistols CM 162 EA & M
Haring Range Equiptment EL3 Target Changers
CENTRA & GEHMANN OPTICS
STEYR Rifles and Pistols
WALTHER & HAMMERLI
BRATTONSOUND cabinets delivered
RINK GRIPS to your specification

Robert Clevely : tel/fax 01257 260132 mob 0777 34 555 61

Sales@checkmateguns.co.uk
WWW.checkmateguns.co.uk

Please mention

when using advertising

in the magazine
Target Shooter 97
 44 Harrowby Street
LONDON W1H 5HY
Tel: 020 7262 1881
Fax: 020 7402 0959
Armalon „PR‟ Custom Rem 700s: The truly practical rifle for stalking, foxing, PR, SR,
‘
F’Class, Sporting and Benchrest. Choice of calibre and options, e.g. H-S Precision,
AICS, Bell & Carlson stocks, RH or LH, a premier optical sight, plus our superb Picatinny
20 moa inclined bases and 30/34mm rings. Please call/email for prices and options list.

Armalon „PR rifle in Bell & Carlson Tactical chassis

stock, 5,10 & 20 rd .308 mag options, fluted barrel and
muzzle brake for lighter weight and lower recoil

Sarony‟s EasyCam — This cock-

ing assembly resolves most hard
extraction problems with fired
cases on ARs, from .223 to .308
including 6.5 Grendel from £132 +
p&p
Only from Armalon–
L/H „AICS‟ with AI or
Armalon „PR‟ mag
conversions

Armalon‟s 20 moa ‘
PicT‟
Picatinny scope mounts for SA
& LA Rem 700 (inc. LH option)

Armalon 30mm & 34mm

‘PicT‟ Tactical scope rings—
steel (shown) or ali magnum
from £125 + p&p

.Armalon .223 AL42 - similar model in .30M1 (AL30C) also avail- Armalon tapered ali bolt knob &
able POA. Fitted with Armalon No.4 “no gunsmithing “ scope conversion £82.50 (conversion
mount £83.00 + p&p. with 25,30, 32 and 35mm ball
knobs also available £64)

ARMALON HAMMER FORGED BARRELS: Armalon‟s “pukka” .303 Enfield No.4 ham-
mer forged barrels, fitted, finished & proofed from £304. Armalon‟s Remington 700 HV
profile barrels, 1 in 200mm twist .223, 260/6.5, 1 in 12 twist .308/7.62, fitted, finished &
proofed from £304. Our hammer forged premium barrels are available for most actions and
in most calibres and twists POA.

Email : enquiries@armalon.com www.armalon.com

We accept most major credit/debit cards
98 Target Shooter
 Gunseeker.co.uk
The Ultimate Firearms Listing Site
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation

TRADE Everything for countryside sports in one place

No 1 – For buying and selling your Firearms, Accessories and Clothing

No 1 – For RFD dealers advertising their businesses and firearms
No 1 – For Brand owners to increase awareness and trade advertising

Gunseeker for the Shooting • Advertise your business direct to the • Advertising available to you includes
Enthusiast public and trade, using banners, directory listing, banner advertising,
skyscrapers and page adverts for page advertising and advertising
• Search thousands of firearms ensuring
unbelievable introductory rates bundles. Advertising starts at as little
you find the right one for you, even
• Access the unique BASC trade only as £69 a year
search your postcode area !
page
• Sell your unwanted firearms for
• Gunseeker is controlled by a simple to What to do next?
unbelievably low rates
use program free for you to download. • Join the gunseeker community on-line
• Sell your unwanted accessories and
• Due to a partnership with Countryside at gunseeker.co.uk
clothing, register a wanted advert
Software the leading IT provider to • Give us a call to discuss your
• Locate those hard to find accessories,
our industry, all Countryside Software requirements and see what we can do
clothing, ammo in fact anything you
customers can advertise directly from for you
need
their products.
• Receive special offers from RFD dealers
all around the UK and ROI
• Keep abreast of the industry via Gunseeker for Brand Owners,
the dedicated BASC page aimed at Wholesalers and Service Providers
keeping you informed • Increase awareness of your products
Telephone:
with advertising campaigns directly to
Richard Cross 07920-178684
Gunseeker for the RFD dealer the shooting enthusiast
• Advertise to all RFD dealers and Trade
Allison Burns 07554-119117
• List your entire range of firearms and Email: sales@gunseeker.co.uk
just pay a single nominal yearly admin members directly in the Trade only
area Web: www.gunseeker.co.uk
fee!

Target Shooter 99
Club Feature
Portishead Shooting
Club is situated 8 miles
outside Bristol, it started
life as a quarry before it
became a range back
around 1946. Over the
years it’s seen many
changes in the different
The indoor range with disabled access
kinds of disciplines that
have been shot there
like pistol which it was
well known for until the
handgun ban. But over
the years it has manage
to keep up with the
introduction of new
disciplines from .22
Rimfire, Gallery Rifle,
Air Rifle and Air Pistol.
Around 7 years ago a
new outdoor firing point
was built on the existing
50m, 50yd and 100y
range, it was built
with 6 firing points to
cater at the time for
Rimfire prone shooters
and incorporated an
office area that was
badly needed. The club
also has an Air Rifle
outdoor range that
members can shoot
100 Target Shooter
up to 50yds with knock being postal or
down field targets. shoulder to shoulder and
The club itself has over you can guarantee that
100 members and at our AGM there lots of
currently has a waiting medals handed out
list of 40 people wanting from the competitions
to join us, which in these held over the year. The
hard times is great as club uses the AGM as a
basis to deal with the
usual business but also
to allow all the members
to see what others have
done during the period,
you could say we are
very competitive.
When UKBR22 was
formed one or two
people at the club
decide to have ago
at Rimfire Benchrest
Shooting, just to see
what it was like. That
was back around 2006
we are fully aware that and before we knew it
other clubs around the members at the club
countryare struggling to were getting hooked
stay afloat. We offer new on the sport. With the
members training within first Nationals held at
the different disciplines
and have a number of
club rifles for them try
out with, you will always
find members are happy
to let new members try
their own rifles and try
and give them the best
advice when looking
to purchase their own
equipment.
The club is open
every night and The club has access to 50m
during the day at and 100 ranges
weekends which
allows plenty of time Budleigh Farm, in
for our members to Devon we manage to
shoot. We have always put together a team of 6
been very heavy into members, two of which
competitions whether it were disabled. It was
a one day event with
about 25 competitors
from all over the country
including Ireland and
the club managed to
pick up hand full of
medals.
Since then the club has
made up a large part
of the British team that
has taken part in the 1st
Europeans and 1st
World Championships
which those that were
involved are very proud
of. With the introduction
of Air Rifle into the
competition there are
a lot more members
that have taken up the
sport and we now have
around 10 members
shooting some form of
Benchrest Shooting.
On the success of this,
the club has offered to
host the 2nd UKBR22
Nationals later this year
in August. This is going
to be a much larger event
and is being held over
4 days and will include
different classes and as
well as Rimfire there will
be Air Rifle.
The club has used this
event to get a number
of things done that have
been put off over the
years for one reason
or another. So to cater
for the event the car
parking area is being
doubled in size which
has needed large
machinery to come in
and help. The club is
very fortunate in that
it has a dumper truck
and a digger that it has
had for many years
but to make light work
of the ground work
that had to be done, a
professional digger
was brought in to help.
We also had to hire a
second dumper truck as
our old girl would have
not been able to cope
all by itself, as you will
see our dumper truck is
the smoky one, I don’t
think the word catalytic
converter was around
when this baby was
made. We also had
a team of volunteer
members cutting back
scrub land around the
area to make good and
give the place a fresh
look so by the time the
nationals come round
it’s going to fantastic.
By the end of the day
the ground had been
levelled out ready for over
150 tons of gravel to be
delivered, which will
double the size of the
car parking area,
unfortunately our lovely
lawns have got slightly
torn up by the heavy
machines but it has
been a small price to
pay for what will be
a great asset for the
club and members.
The club and its
members are very proud
of what it has achieved Target Shooter will
over the years and now report back on the event
with the huge amount of in forth coming issues.
work that has gone on in If your taking part in the
and around the club, we nationals and l
now have a facility that ooking for details on
is going to be one or if how to get to us and for
not the best in the South a c c o m m o d a t i o n ,
West, offering a huge then please visit the
range of activates for all Benchrest Directory
concern. Forum for details, till
We will
also be
hosting
a friendly
3 nation
match this
m o n t h
which will
i n c l u d e Diggers at work to improve the
our friends range faclities
f r o m
Ireland and Germany, then happy shooting
this will give us a chance and look forward to
to see what we have put seeing you in August.
in place will work for the Ken Stockham.
Nationals as organising Club Secretary
such events is no easy
job when it comes
to it. I am sure that

THE LEADER IN RIMFIRE AMMUNITION

CCI .22 LR Subsonic Hollow Point 40gr
Sub-sonic .22LR, the perfect solution for
short-range vermin control, especially
where noise is an issue. The hollow point
bullet leaves the muzzle at sub sonic speed;
1050 feet per second, so it is perceptively
quieter than supersonic loads.

CCI have increased the bullet weight from

36g to 40g, creating a heavier and higher
quality bullet. The hollow point has been
specifically designed to deform quickly and
more uniformly, making it the perfect load
for shooting rabbits and other small vermin.

CCI Subsonic .22LR is also affordably priced

CI0808SU

For further product information please call GMK on

and is a must when using a sound moderator. 01489 587500 or visit www.gmk.co.uk

Target Shooter 101

CCI advert(Taget Sports).indd 1 11/11/08 10:25:15
102 Target Shooter
 VINCE’S REGULAR COLUMN WHEREBY
ACCURACY NUTS CAN KEEP UP TO
DATE WITH THE ACTIVITIES OF THE UKBRA

Competitions where it gets a bit special at 600 yards and there

The fourth 600 yard shoot of the season took place
on March 1st at Diggle Ranges and once again
we had a near maximum entry. Almost any rifle is
capable of putting in a decent performance from the
223 right up to the big magnums and this is clearly
part of the attraction.
were a few other ‘twos’ - from Simon Rogers (2),
Toni Young and even me! The smallest group of
the day however went to Mal Roberts, debuting his
brand-new rifle, with 2.274 incher.
Results:
Light Gun

In fact, it was a magnum which took the overall
win, with Chris Hull shooting his new 7mmSAUM
(Short Action Ultra Magnum). This is a very similar
cartridge to the 7mmWSM but wasn’t viable as a
long-range accuracy round until Norma started to
offer us some decent brass. Mind you, it should be
good at £1.00 per case!
1st Chris Hull - 7mm SAUM Barnard - 3.986
inches (av. of four, 5-shot groups)
2nd Dave Jackson - 6BR Remington - 4.323
3rd Simon Rogers - 6.5-284 RPA - 4.501
Small group: Mal Roberts - 6.5-284 BAT - 2.274
inches

Chris finished the day with a super sub. four-inch Factory Sporter
agg. – the only shooter to do so. Chris’s rifle is built
on a Barnard ‘P’ action with a True-Flite barrel and 1st Phil Gibbon - 6.5-284 Savage - 5.481
Robertson stock – all supplied by Fox Firearms (TS 2nd Ian Kellett - 6.5-284 Savage - 5.815
advertiser). 3rd Darrell Evans - 308 Accuracy Interntional
5.983
The Factory Sporter win once again went to Phil Small group: Darrell Evans 2.684 inches
Gibbon with the 6.5-284 Savage but Welshman
Darrell Evans shooting a 308 Accuracy International (Full results can be accessed on www.ukbra.co.uk )
took Factory small-group award with an incredible The 6.5-284 Savages have proved to be virtually
2.684 incher. We are finding out that two-inches is unbeatable at 600 and 1000 yards in Factory
Sporter but the
weak pound has
pushed the price up
quite a bit. Osprey
Rifles (www.osprey-
rifles.com) still have
a few left at the old
price, which will
save you around
£500!

The UKBRA’s 2009

season of 100 and
1000 yard shoots
gets underway on
the 4/5th April at
Diggle Ranges.
E-mail
Chris Hull on his way to winning Round 4 of the UKBRA 600 yard vinceb@6ppc.fsnet.
Championship with his 7mm Barnard. co.uk for further
details.

Target Shooter 103


A bit of an international feel for
this month. A report from a recent
match in Australia. Bill Collaros
Club Captain Woollahra Rifle
Club reports from the SYDNEY
RIMFIRE BENCH REST
TITLES 2009
The 2009 Sydney RBA Titles
have been run and won this
weekend. We had a full house of
shooters from all over NSW
attend the Woollahra Rifle Club
on the coast of Sydney’s Eastern
Beaches. Woollahra is renowned
for the coastal wind, but today
started with no wind & then we
got some very tricky twitchy light
winds that were very hard to read
for most. Last year’s winner & in
form favorite Bill Collaros started
off winning the first round, by the
2nd round he had Peter Armstrong
& his daughter Simone Collaros
(Junior) closing in & overtaking
faster than a wayward bul-
let. There were also a couple of
seniors in the form of Olympian
Peter Wrigley & Orange shooter
Jim Smith along with the always
Shooters ater the SYDNEY
RIMFIRE BENCH REST TITLES 2009
104 Target Shooter
In association with
good Ed McGrann; new up &
comer Brett Wilson all in
contention. The third and fi-
nal round was a race between 7
people and was any ones game.
”The Master” & World Light
Varmint 50 Meter Champion,
Peter Armstrong again proved
he is the big match champion as
he has done for so many years
winning the event & also gaining
his Number 1 ranking spot back
again. We are now well on our way
to forming our teams for the World
Rimfire Postal with only one
qualifying match in Queensland
left to go before the 3 team will be
named later in the year.
Rimfire Benchrest is really
starting to surge down under with
many more tournaments & many
more shooters attending. I think
last years World Championships
in Italy stirred many into trying our
discipline, I am also seeing the
rifles & equipment standards rise
dramatically as we all strive for
“250’s” The normal down under at
competitions nowadays is if you
don’t get 247 or over consistently
you wont be in the running.
TOP 10 RESULTS
Peter Armstrong 743
Jim Smith (SNR) 739
Peter Wrigley (SNR) 736
Simone Collaros (JNR) 735
Bill Collaros 734
Brett Wilson 734
Ed McGrann 733
Col Woodford 732
Dal Larsen 732
James Hourigan (SNR) 731
My thanks for Bill for taking the
time to do this report. As you can
see he and Peter are wearing the
Australian colours and were part
of the Australian team at the Milan
World Championship last year.
The Phoenix Meeting 2009
A few of the association will be
at the phoenix meeting at the
end of may. This is to develop
knowledge of the sport and talk
to those people interested in
taking this up at club, national and
international level.
We are doing this is collaboration
with UKBRA, the centrefire
benchrest association. Watch out
for the stall, the banner and us and
come and have a chat. We have
also teamed up with Brian Fox of
Fox Firearms, as he has brought
in a lot of benchrest related
equipment over the last few years
and continues to do so. Therefore
you can see it all in one place.
The next big match we have is
the three nations with Germany,
Ireland and the UK. This is being
held at the end of April so a report
on this in some form next month.
Until then, good shooting.
 The Long View – News from the
GB F Class Association
We have the first of our League shoots over the
Easter weekend (11/12th April) at Diggle Ranges. Last years European
Shooting will take place on both days at distances Championships at Bisley
of 800, 900 and 1000 yards. The entry list is filling
up fast but contact shoot organiser Les Holgate
at mrmister@tinyonline.co.uk for further details.
Accommodation in the Diggle area can be accessed
via www.visitoldham.co.uk
For the past 3 years the annual F Class League
Championship has been contested over 6 rounds
with the best 4 to count. Shoots have taken place
all over the Uk and in Ireland but the 3 main
venues have been Blair Atholl in Scotland, Diggle in
the North of England and Bisley in the South, with
each of these venues holding 2 rounds each. The
idea for this is that you only have to attend 4 out
of the 6 thereby hopefully not excluding too many
people who can’t attend all the shoots.
With this year being the World Championships it is
going to be demanding enough so the organisers
have cut the comps down to 5. The first round
is at Diggle in April as mentioned above, then we
go to Bisley in early June, Worlds in July again at
Bisley, Diggle again in September then back to
Bisley for the European Championships in November.
After that a well earned rest and spend the winter
this will be eclipsed in July though when the World
explaining to the wife why you have just spent most
Championships come to town. This will be the third
of the summer and most of your money shooting
World F Class Championships and this year, it is
with your mates !
taking place at Bisley. The GB team are now
Although all the shoots have been very well
starting a series of ‘Training Weekends’ where they
attended, the November shoot, which is the
will shoot together and work with wind coaches in
European Championships and held at Bisley, has
readiness for the Championships.
been the best so far with over 100 competitiors. Even
But the Championships aren’t just limited to
national squads. Individuals may also
shoot in the ‘Worlds’ and this will be a great
opportunity to meet and shoot with
the very best F Class shooters on the
planet. The individual shoot will be held
over two days so why not book your
place now. Who knows when the Uk will
Rifle shot is Stickledown play host again so this could be the best
from 1000 yards opportunity you will have to shoot in an F
Class comp of this size and maybe even win
something. Membership of the GB F Class
Association costs just £10 per year and you
can keep up to date with GB F Class shoot-
ing via our website at;
www.f-class.org.uk

Target Shooter 105

 Gallery Rifle News

The 2009 GR season has already started and COMPETITION CALENDAR

by the time you read this if you weren’t at the
National Shooting Centre over the weekend of 28 & April 19 GR&P Practical
29 March you’ve just missed the first chance to get Shield Shooting Centre,
your scores recorded for selection for next year’s Dorset
National Teams. Results and a match report will be April 25 & 26 GR&P 1500 and Short
in next month’s issue. At the time of writing there Events Basildon RPC, Essex
are well over 150 competitors so that’s a good start April 26 GRSB Steel Challenge
to a credit crunch GR year. Budleigh Farm, Devon
May 3 GR&P The Mattersey Ten -
The first international match of the year took place 1500, Short Events etc
at the excellent Bristol & District RPC ranges near Mattersey RPC, Notts
Bristol on 14 March and there is a match report in May 9 GR&P The Western Winner –
this issue. Wales gave England a scare to start the 1500
year with by beating them by six points! This was Frome RPC at Failand
the first time the new GR Three Nations Shield has Range near Bristol
been competed for around the country. Scotland May 10 GR&P Steel Challenge
will join in later in the year – we expect they are Shield Shooting Centre,
practising hard and preparing to give the other two Dorset
countries a run for their money and get their name
on the Shield. May 21-24 Almost any gun! The Phoenix
Meeting
National Shooting Centre,
Bisley, Surrey
(Either contact the organisers direct or go to www.
galleryrifle.com for entry forms.)
GR&P = Gallery Rifle Centre Fire (GRCF),
Gallery Rifle Small Bore (GRSB), Long Barrelled
Pistol (LBP) and Long Barrelled Revolver (LBR)

RESULTS

March 14 England v Wales

A win for Wales in the Timed & Precision One and

This month you can choose from a practical match
in Dorset, a 1500 and short events meeting in
Essex and a steel shoot in Devon (for small bore
only). May brings another two 1500 meetings, a
steel challenge and the premier GR meeting of the
year, The Phoenix Meeting. Read more about the
Phoenix in this issue. Don’t wait to get your name in
the prize lists – enter early and enter often.
Multi-Target Aggregate and also in one of the other
matches. Full results on the GR website.
Please go to the Gallery Rifle website
www.galleryrifle.com for more news and
information.
Until next month.

106 Target Shooter

 Over 9,700 guns for sale
73,000 visitors last month
Over 108 dealer stock
live online

Sect 5 Dealer Humane Dispatch, De-Acts,

Exports Please call 0845-458

9666
Target Shooter 107
Letters and News
If you have any letters or news that you would like to air on a national basis then please contact us
at the magazine. This could be for those budding writers out there that would like to submit a full
article on specific firearms, competitions, shooting sports, etc.
The aim of the magazine is to include you the shooters in the United Kingdom. So having a regular
letters page or even a question and answer section would be really useful for a lot of people out
there. Let us know what you think!?
We would also like to have a gun of the month section - an shooting sport with a few words and
pictures - so send us your pic and spec and we’ll include it in ‘gun of the month’.
Any news that your club or association thinks is worth viewing can also be sent in for selection.
What we would like is to get a letters page started with your views, news and perceptions about
all all the aspects of target shooting. So lets see those letters coming in and we will read your
thoughts in these pages.
Have a look at our website as there are contacts for you to get in touch with. We will read all letters
and although we will not be able to answer all of them we will take into account your points of view
and look at how we can make things as good as possible for the our readers.
Please contact us at;

customer.services@targetshooter.co.uk
Happy reading and we hope you enjoy the magazine. The team at Target Shooter.

Advertisers Index
A Macleod and Son 80 Jackson Rifles 19
AIM Field Sports 24/ 57 Low Mill Range 74
Armalon 98 Midway UK Lyd 11
Bassetts 44 Minsterley Ranges 74
Benchrest Directory 89 North West Custom 57
Border Barrrels 48 NRA 102
Bromyard Sports and Leisure 27 NSRA 57
Check-Mate Guns 97 Osprey Rifles 75
Chris Potter Country Sports ltd 33 Phoenix Show 15
Continental Shooting Supplies 18 Rhino Rifles 39
Countrymen of Derby 95 Riflecraft 69
Diverse Trading ltd 83 RPA International 44
Eley LTD 2 RUAG Ammotec 25
Essex Guns 28 Section 5 70
Fox Firearms 87 Shooting Supplies 99
Frederick Beesley 74 South Yorkshire Gun Suplies 16
G T Shooting 75 Steyr UK 63
GMK 10/ 101 Surrey Guns 89
Gun Trader 107 Theoben 68
GunSeeker 99 Tim Hannam 81
Henry Krank 9/ 32/ 50 Webley 88
Highland Outdoors 3 Westlake Engineering 62
HPS Target Rifles Ltd 56 York Guns 45
Intershoot 70 UKBR22 55

108 Target Shooter

Next time in.....

Welcome to the second month of this free online shooting magazine for shooters in the UK

May 2009 Issue

F Class • Rimfire Benchrest • New Products • and lots more…..

Target Shooter 109