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Call us: (618) 965-2109 www.underwoodammo.com
9
A MERIC A N
SHOOTING JOURNAL
Volume 10 // Issue 9 // June 2021
PUBLISHER James R. Baker
WEBMASTER / INBOUND MARKETING Jon Hines
GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak
INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andy Walgamott
ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@americanshootingjournal.com
OFFICE MANAGER / COPY EDITOR Katie Aumann
ON THE COVER
LEAD CONTRIBUTOR Frank Jardim
Shannon Kay, director of the Precision Rifle Series, is taking aim at increasing participation this year in the organization’s local, regional and national events following a 33-percent increase in membership growth in 2020.
CONTRIBUTORS Jim Dickson, Scott Haugen, Phil Massaro, Mike Nesbitt, Paul Pawela, Nick Perna
(PRECISION RIFLE SERIES)
SALES MANAGER Paul Yarnold
D
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Jim Klark, Kelley Miller, Mike Smith
Website: AmericanShootingJournal.com Facebook: Facebook.com/AmericanShootingJournal Twitter: @AmShootingJourn
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American Shooting Journal // June 2021
CONTENTS
VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 9
MORE FEATURES
65
24
GUNNING FOR MORE GROWTH After a year of remarkable growth, Precision Rifle Series director Shannon Kay has set his sights on taking the local, regional and national long-range shooting competitions even further.
35
LAW ENFORCEMENT SPOTLIGHT: PROTECTING ALL, REGARDLESS Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Cameron Kinsey was monitoring a Black Lives Matter march when his help was desperately needed – by a protester whose baby was choking. Nick Perna shares the officer’s heroic story and thoughts on policing in America today.
39
SELF-DEFENSE TRAINING: MY TWO CENTS ON REVOLVERS AND GUNFIGHTING (PART TWO) Paul Pawela has a shelf full of books on lawmen he looks to for advice on gunfighting and in a follow-up to his April column on the subject he parses the words of famed marshal and OK Corral gunfighter Wyatt Earp.
44
HANDGUN OPTICS: THE PROS AND CONS OF RED DOT SIGHTS A well-trained shooter with a red dot sight is generally going to be able to get off quicker, more accurate shots, but there are also drawbacks to the devices. Nick Perna weighs the positives and the negatives.
53
BULLET BULLETIN: HYBRID HUNTING BULLETS – BLENDED DESIGNS AND UNIQUE PROJECTILES Some bullets aren’t easily pigeon-holed; they offer a blend of attributes beyond just cup-and-core, bonded core or lead-free monometal. So it goes with some of Phil Massaro’s favorites for hunting.
74
A LOOK AT CZ’S HAMMERLESS BOBWHITE, HAMMER CLASSIC SIDE-BY-SIDES If you’re in the market for a basic but solid doublebarrel with “high-end-of-the-budget” trappings, these two shotguns imported from Turkey by CZ-USA just might fill the bill. Jim Dickson has the details.
83
BLACK POWDER: ADD ‘SPICE’ TO YOUR SHOOTING MATCHES How black powder cartridge shooters keep their competitions interesting “is just as easy as it is rewarding.” Mike Nesbitt shares the “after-aggregate matches” enjoyed by he and fellow members of Washington state’s Capitol City Rifle & Pistol Club.
(SCOTT HAUGEN)
ROADHUNTER: SUMMER SONG DOGS
With coyotes venturing further from their spring dens, now’s the time to get after these Western predators. Scott Haugen knows a thing or two about hunting them and he shares tips from an expert guide for bagging a few.
AMERICAN SHOOTING JOURNAL is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Ave South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2021 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.
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American Shooting Journal // June 2021
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31
FEATURED Company Spotlight 31
BRINGING THE BOOM FOR 20-PLUS YEARS Tannerite exploding rifle targets provide a “safe, user-friendly shot indicator for target practice.” Take a look at the company’s history and what they have on offer today.
Company SpotlightS 49
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American Shooting Journal // June 2021
Gun Show Calendar Competition Calendar Precision Rifle Series Calendar, Recent Match Results Father’s Day Gift Guide
americanshootingjournal.com 15
PRIMER
GUNSHOW C A L E N D A R
C&E Gun Shows cegunshows.com
Crossroads Of The West Gun Shows crossroadsgunshows.com
Florida Gun Shows floridagunshows.com
RK Shows rkshows.com
Real Texas Gun Shows therealtexasgunshow.com
Tanner Gun Shows tannergunshow.com
Wes Knodel Gun Shows
June 5-6
Fayetteville, N.C.
Crown Expo Center
June 5-6
Salem, Va.
Salem Civic Center
June 5-6
Sharonville, Ohio
Sharonville Convention Center
June 19-20
Raleigh, N.C.
NC State Fairgrounds
June 19-20
Columbus, Ohio
Westland Mall
June 26-27
Dayton, Ohio
Montgomery County Event Center
June 26-27
Hickory, N.C.
Hickory Metro Convention Center
June 4-6
Costa Mesa, Calif.
OC Fair and Event Center
June 12-13
Queen Creek, Ariz.
Barney Family Sports Complex
June 19-20
Tucson, Ariz.
Pima County Fairgrounds
June 5-6
Tampa, Fla.
Florida State Fairgrounds
June 12-13
Fort Myers, Fla.
Lee Civic Center
June 12-13
Lawrenceville, Ga.
Gwinnett County Fairgrounds
June 12-13
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Mid-TN Expo Center
June 12-13
Topeka, Kan.
Stormont Vail Events Center
June 19-20
Lexington, Ky.
Kentucky Horse Park
June 19-20
Kansas City, Mo.
KCI Expo Center
June 26-27
Southaven, Miss.
Landers Center
June 26-27
Lebanon, Tenn.
Farm Bureau Exposition Center
June 5-6
Harker Heights, Texas
Harker Heights Event Center
June 26-27
Port Arthur, Texas
Robert A. Bower Civic Center
June 4-6
Pueblo, Colo.
Colorado State Fairgrounds
June 18-20
Loveland, Colo.
The Ranch – Larimer County Fairgrounds
June 19-20
Centralia, Wash.
Southwest Washington Fairgrounds
wesknodelgunshows.com Note: Covid-19 restrictions were easing at press time, but always confirm events before attending. To have your event highlighted here, send an email to kaumann@media-inc.com.
americanshootingjournal.com 17
PRIMER
COMPETITION C A L E N D A R
June 16-20
June 19-20
July 17-18
June 4-6
June 18-20
June 26-27
June 4-6
June 23-27
2021 Air Pistol Junior Olympic Championships Colorado Springs, Colo.
Team Shooting Stars June 2021 PTO Carrollton, Texas
Team Shooting Stars July 2021 PTO Carrollton, Texas
usashooting.org USPSA 2 Gun PCC/Pistol Nationals Talladega, Ala. Buckeye Blast Ohio State Match Zanesville, Ohio
uspsa.org
June 11-12
Doc Welt 9th Annual Memorial Match Clearwater, Fla.
July 3-4
June 5-6
June 12-13
June 19-20
BSR Glock Challenge I Summit Point, W.V.
June 12-13
June 26-27
June 10
June 18-20
June 19-20
June 19
June 26-28
June 19-20
June 30-July 3
June 12
June 24-26
June 26-27
June 19
June 24-27
July 9-11
June 5-6
June 11-13
Washington State Championship Cashmere, Wash.
June 12
Nebraska State Shoot Central City, Neb.
Missouri State Indoor Carry Championship Ballwin, Mo. idpa.com
June 26-27
June 24-27
Oklahoma State Championship Guthrie, Okla. cmsaevents.com
2021 ESP Bighorn Classic Colorado State Championship Palisade, Colo.
USPSA Cornhusker Classic Louisville, Neb.
The Joe Santacroce Memorial Championship Staten Island, N.Y.
Big Sioux Ballistic Challenge X Sioux Falls, S.D. gssfonline.com
2021 Kentucky Section Championship Wilmore, Ky.
Wisconsin State Match Muskego, Wis.
Ruger USPSA Area 7 Championship Match Dunbarton, N.H.
Beaver State Ballistic Challenge XXVI Dundee, Ore. Glock Fire on the Mountain VII Johnstown, Penn.
Mid Central Regionals Lake Saint Louis, Mo. Oregon State Shoot Prineville, Ore. Iowa State Championship Iowa Falls, Iowa
2021 Illinois State IDPA Championship Sparta, Ill. Washington State IDPA Championship Puyallup, Wash.
Nils Jonasson’s America Match Chino, Calif.
Garden State Regional Classic XXVII Jackson, N.J. Montana Glock Classic XVI Missoula, Mont.
Virginia State Championship Doswell, Va. Mid Atlantic Regional Lumberton, N.C. CMSA Appalachian Mountain Championship Lexington, Va.
Virginia State IDPA Championship Grafton, Va. 2021 Pennsylvania State IDPA Championship Hunlock Creek, Penn.
Note: Covid-19 restrictions were easing at press time, but always confirm events before attending. americanshootingjournal.com 19
SCHEDULE Pro Bolt Gun Series June 4 June 12 June 12 June 19 June 26 July 9 July 10 July 24 July 31 August 7 August 14 August 21 August 28
Pigg River Precision H.A.M. Koenig-Ruger Precision Rifle Competition Blue Ridge PRS Steel Challenge Vortex Vengeance Punisher Positional Hornady Precision Rifle Challenge AG Canadian Sharpshooters Classic Presented by Cadex Big Sky Brawl Wisconsin Barrel Maker Classic AG Vapor Trail Bullets Steel Siege Impact PRC Magnolia Meltdown Okie Summer Showdown
Rocky Mount, Virginia Grand Junction, Colorado Benge, Washington Kennerdell, Pennsylvania Conway Springs, Kansas Evanston, Wyoming Hanna, Alberta, Canada Dupuyer, Montana Cascade, Wisconsin Spickard, Missouri Wewoka, Oklahoma Carthage, Mississippi Ninnekah, Oklahoma
For more information visit www.precisionrifleseries.com
RECENT RESULTS MPA Spring Shootout
MD Phil Cashin • April 10, 2021 The 2021 PRS Pro Series Qualifier, MasterPiece Arms Spring Shootout hosted by Arena Training Facility, took the weekend by storm, literally. With some super shady weather, including thunder, lightning and monsoon rain, 96 shooters toughed it out for their place on top. Congratulations to the top finishers: 1st Place KEITH RUDASILL Open Div. 162.000/100.000 2nd Place JOE WALLS Open Div. 158.000/97.530 3rd Place MATTHEW CARUSO Open Div. 155.000/95.680 4th Place MIKE KEENAN Open Div. 155.000/95.680 5th Place SCOTT PETERSON Open Div. 154.000/95.060
(PRECISION RIFLE SERIES)
Top Top Top Top Top Top Top
category winners: Sr. TROY LAWTON Mil/LE SCOTT PETERSON Tactical JEFF ODOR Production BOBBY KEIGANS Gas Gun TYLER PAYNE Lady/Jr. LAURYL AKENHEAD
Top Top Top Top
class shooters: Amateur BRANDON EVERSOLE Marksman TOMMY GOODSON Semipro LAURYL AKENHEAD
The Southwind Shootout
MD Michael Beemer • April 10, 2021 The 2021 PRS Pro Series The South Wind Shootout, sponsored by Hodgdon Powder and hosted by Ringneck Ranch, Inc., lived up to its name. Winds were howling and targets were ringing with 80-plus competitors battling it out for their place on top. Congratulations to the top shooters: 1st Place AUSTIN ORGAIN Open Div. 176.000/100.000 2nd Place TATE STREATER Open Div. 164.000/93.182 3rd Place CLAY BLACKKETTER Open Div. 163.000/92.614 4th Place GARET EARLES Open Div. 162.000/92.045 5th Place CARSON RUTHERFORD Open Div. 161.000/91.477
americanshootingjournal.com 21
RECENT RESULTS (continued) Top Top Top Top Top Top Top Top
category winners: Senior KEN NORDSTROM Mil/LE DEREK LOVE Tactical DORGAN TROSTEL Production JEFF BADLEY Gas Gun GEORGE GARDNER Lady JACLYN BRYAN Junior CONNER JETER
Top class shooters: Top Semipro JEREMY VON GLAHN Top Marksman RICHARD NETHERY
Best In Texas AG Series Qualifier
MD Prentice Wink • April 17, 2021 The 2021 PRS Pro Series/AG Cup Qualifier Best in Texas featured a stacked field of 165-plus shooters battling their way to the top with challenging winds on day one and beautiful weather in Navasota, Texas. With a payout of $6,000 in AG Cup money on the line, congratulations to the top winners: 1st Place DAN JARECKE Open Div. 174.000/100.000 2nd Place KRYSTIAN MASKOS Open Div. 168.000/96.552 3rd Place LEE ELDRIDGE Open Div. 168.000/96.552 4th Place MORGUN KING Open Div. 167.000/95.977 5th Place RUBEN QUIJADA Open Div. 166.000/95.402
Top AG Cup winners: 1st KRYSTIAN MASKOS 2nd MORGUN KING 3rd MATT ALWINE 4th MATTHEW BROUSSEAU 5th RYAN HANSEN
Top Top Top Top Top Top
Top Top Top Top Top Top Top Top
category winners: Senior TIM MILLER Mil/LE KAHL HARMON Tactical PAISLEY JAMES Production TREY MCDANIEL Gas Gun CHRIS MORTON Lady ASHTON GLASSCOCK Junior TYLER CANONICA
Top class winners: Top Marksman JOHN HROVAT III Top Semipro SEAN NELSON
Top Top Top Top
class winners: Amateur CODY BRADSHAW Marksman KYLE MARSH Semipro NATHAN PETERSON
1st Place BEN GOSSETT Open Div. 165.000/100.000 2nd Place LEE STEPHENS Open Div. 162.000/98.182 3rd Place ROBERT BRANTLEY Open Div. 160.000/96.970 4th Place AARON KINCAID Open Div. 158.000/95.758 5th Place JEFF GUERRY Open Div. 157.000/95.152
Peterson Cartridge Challenge
MD Matt Stiner • April 17, 2021 It was a chilly weekend in Kennerdell, Pennsylvania, where 135-plus shooters took to the range and battled for their place on top at the 2021 PRS Pro Series Peterson Cartridge Challenge, hosted by MKM Precision. Congratulations to the top winners: 1st Place ALLISON ZANE Open Div. 162.000/100.000 2nd Place KEITH BAKER Open Div. 160.000/98.765 3rd Place DAVID PRESTON Open Div. 156.000/96.230 4th Place PHILLIP VELAYO Open Div. 153.000/94.444 5th Place ANDY SLADE Open Div. 149.000/91.980
category winners: Senior EUGENE JANKOWSKI Mil/LE DAN BERGUM Tactical JI ZHANG Production KEN WHEELER Lady/Jr ALLISON ZANE
Alabama Precision Rifle Challenge
MD Jim Saunders • April 23, 2021
Top Top Top Top Top Top Top
category winners: Senior PHIL CASHIN Mil/LE BEN GOSSETT Tactical MARK COOPER Production BOBBY KEIGANS Gas Gun BUCK HOLLY Lady/Jr DEVIN TARRANT
Congratulations to BRANDON HEMBREE for his win on the Nightforce Scopes PRS Skills Stage challenge with the fastest time and a clean run. Nightforce has once again supported the PRS Pro Series this year and it is immensely appreciated. Top Top Top Top
class winners: Amateur MIKE FENNELL Marksman LEE PETTROSS Semipro CARSON BROWN
(PRECISION RIFLE SERIES)
22
American Shooting Journal // June 2021
Shannon Kay, director of the Precision Rifle Series, is taking aim at increasing participation this year in the organization’s local, regional and national events following a 33-percent increase in membership growth in 2020.
GUNNING FOR A After a year of remarkable growth, Precision Rifle Series director Shannon Kay has set his sights on taking the local, regional and national longrange shooting competitions even further. PHOTOS BY PRECISION RIFLE SERIES
A
s long-range precision rifle shooting continues to grow in popularity, the Precision Rifle Series is expanding rapidly to keep up with demand. PRS is the sport’s preeminent organizing body for local, regional and national matches, tracking of scores and the growth of the practical, long-range rifle discipline. There are currently more than 40 national Pro Series precision rifle competitions, as well as hundreds of one-day matches from coast to coast, with an ever-growing number of participants. “With the support of our partners, the number of shooters participating in PRS matches is on the rise and our membership base is continuing to climb,” says Shannon Kay, director of PRS. “In 2020, the PRS realized a remarkable 33-percent increase in memberships compared to the previous year. We project
R A LONG HAUL we will exceed the number of scores tracked in the previous season by 25 percent, totaling a massive 25,000 scores tracked in 2021. The PRS is the only series with a truly national footprint and grassroots influence, with over 7,000 participating individuals in 2020.” Kay first began shooting precision rifle competitions in the early 2000s. He quickly fell in love with the sport and began competing as often as his military career would allow. Over the years he has had numerous first place finishes in the nation’s major PRS precision rifle matches and has led the PRS professional and regional season points standings. Kay still takes part in matches today, but is unable to compete in PRS finales due to his commitments as the organization’s director. Since becoming the director in 2019, Kay has helped PRS grow to almost three times its size, in terms of both matches and members. His role has many and varied responsibilities, first and foremost of which is promoting and growing americanshootingjournal.com 25
the sport of competitive precision rifle shooting for shooters of all skill levels and ages. As the director, it is Kay’s job to help connect competitors, match directors, or MDs, and industry leaders through their organizational structure and partnerships. “Each season we work with the PRS Pro Series MDs to organize the nationallevel Pro Series schedule, while working with our PRS partners to help MDs get a good start on their prize tables and bring more support to PRS shooters,”
explains Kay. “We spend an enormous amount of organizational energy promoting PRS events, our partners, and recognizing shooter achievements. With the introduction of shooter classifications, shooters are now being recognized even further, not just within their division and categories, but also within their classes.”
PRS IS HOME to the Pro Series, the
Regional Series, the elite PRS AG Cup Series, the newly launched PRS
Kay’s not just the director of long-range shooting competitions but a retired infantry officer who was an instructor at the US Army Sniper School.
SHANNON KAY’S SHOOTING BACKGROUND
I
n addition to being the director of PRS and an avid competitive shooter, Shannon Kay also recently retired as an infantry officer in the Army. For 20 years he operated in both conventional and special operation units, with multiple deployments in support of the Global War on Terror. Throughout his career, Kay has expertly trained hundreds of students while instructing at the US Army Sniper School and has traveled the country conducting mobile training courses for snipers, designated marksmen and close-quarters marksmanship. His military background coupled with his long list of competitive successes led Kay to expand his training and start instructing local law enforcement and civilians privately using their own facilities. In 2011, he opened K&M Precision Rifle Training and was the chief designer of the Altus Shooting Center, now recognized as one of the most elite firearms training facilities in the nation. In 2015, Kay designed, built and relocated his operations to his expanded flagship facility, the K&M Shooting Complex in Finger, Tennessee, between Memphis and Nashville. Throughout the years Kay has also worked in research and development with the industry’s top manufacturers. He has designed reticles for US Optics and Kahles Optics. He has also assisted in numerous other projects across the entire spectrum of the precision rifle discipline, to include R&D for development of the Trigger Tech Diamond Triggers, range design(s), consulting and more.
26
American Shooting Journal // June 2021
Rimfire Series, and the expanding PRS International Series. “These PRS events are much more than competitions,” says Kay. “Shooters, volunteers, spectators and sponsors mark their calendars every year in anticipation of these mustattend events.” Here is a breakdown of some of the highly anticipated PRS series: PRS Pro Series presented by Kahles Optics. The Pro Bolt Gun Series is the renowned nationallevel championship shooting series comprised of more than 40 of the most highly sought-after two-day precision rifle competitions in the nation. “PRS Pro Series competitors are a diverse and talented group of precision rifle shooters who compete in PRS national-level matches from coast to coast, in a points race culminating in a yearend PRS Pro Series Finale,” explains Kay. “Membership draws those from across the country who wish to compete against the nation’s best professionals, military operators and the many new shooters who are just joining the discipline.” PRS Regional Series. The Regional Series is home to over 400 one-day matches across the nation. “The series has matured and exploded remarkably in the last few years,” says Kay. “That is mainly due to the outstanding regional directors and match directors working in their regions to promote the sport. The national-level series is well established, but for many shooters, the time, travel and costs can discourage active participation in large two-day-style matches. The PRS Regional Series addresses these concerns that exclude many shooters who want to routinely join us on the firing line. The membership is composed of shooters from juniors to sponsored professionals, as well as match directors and volunteers.” PRS AG Cup Series presented by Armageddon Gear. Throughout the year the PRS AG Cup Series pits the most elite shooters against each other for cash payouts, ranks the best
KAY’S CURRENT RIFLE AND GEAR
• GA Precision 6GT • Manners PRS-TCS • Kahles 5-25 SKMR4 • Bartlein barrel • Triggertech Diamond • Area 419 Maverick • Armageddon Gear Shmedium bag, python and game changer • Alpha Brass • Swarovski 15x56 binoculars • Federal primers
The PRS director’s equipment includes some of the best names in the long-range shooting industry.
28
American Shooting Journal // June 2021
shooters and then culminates each winter with the AG Cup hosted by Armageddon Gear. “This is a truly elite series for those that desire to professionalize the sport, crave cash payouts, increase sponsor exposure, like to chase TV time or simply want to be the best among the best! All happening at the matches we already shoot!” says Kay. This year there are nine PRS AG Cup Series matches, with the finale being held December 10-12 at K&M Shooting Complex in Finger, Tennessee. PRS Rimfire Series presented by Ruger. The PRS Rimfire Series is both a regional- and club-level series formed by rimfire MDs, shooters and PRS partners. “Precision rimfire is an affordable way for people to enjoy competitive shooting,” explains Kay. “In keeping with PRS tradition and the outlaw nature of our sport, each PRS rimfire match is run differently, focuses on different fundamentals and includes a vast number of stressors; no two PRS matches are the same!
This provides for regional variances that are unique and very challenging.” The PRS Rimfire Finale will be held December 4-5 at Texas Precision Matches in Navasota, Texas.
“THE PRS HAS grown rapidly over the past couple of years as we have added new series and new shooters,” sums up Kay. “We truly have a home for everyone, from your most talented national-level elite competitors to those just making their debut on the firing line. The PRS community is truly like a family and you will not meet a nicer or more welcoming group of people or industry partners who would lend a hand to anyone just getting started. We have seen a remarkable increase in juniors, ladies and seniors not only participating but truly excelling within the series.” Editor’s note: This is the first of an ongoing series on the Precision Rifle Series and its standout competitors. For more information on PRS, visit precisionrifleseries.com.
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American Shooting Journal // June 2021
FEATURED COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
BRINGING THE BOOM FOR 20-PLUS YEARS Tannerite exploding rifle targets provide ‘safe, user-friendly shot indicator for target practice.’ PHOTOS BY TANNERITE
T
he only company to successfully patent the binary reactive rifle target, Tannerite’s business has been booming – literally – for more than 20 years at their Oregon headquarters. At a young age, Daniel Tanner’s interest and fascination with special effects were fostered by his grandfather in his workshop, explains the company’s website. After many years of encouragement, when Tanner turned 21 and was granted an ATF federal license, he began earnestly experimenting to create safe binary exploding rifle targets. He successfully formulated Tannerite brand binary exploding rifle targets in 1996 and obtained design and utility patents. Tanner’s goal was to provide firearm enthusiasts a safe, user-friendly shot indicator for target practice using a variety of firearms. When shot with a high-power rifle it produces a water vapor and a thunderous boom resembling an explosion. To reliably initiate, the targets need to be hit solidly with a transonic round – one going 2,000 feet per second or faster. All other things being equal, larger diameter bullets work better than smaller ones. Here are some examples of rounds that will reliably initiate Tannerite targets: .223/5.56mm NATO (the common AR-15/M16 or Ruger Mini-14 round), 5.45x39mm (the AK-74 round), 6mm Remington, .243 Winchester, .270, 7.62x39mm (the AK47 round), 7mm Remington Magnum, .300 Savage, .308/7.62mm NATO,
Tannerite targets explode after their two ingredients are mixed in a container that is then struck by a bullet traveling at least 2,000 feet per second, producing “water vapor and a thunderous boom resembling an explosion.” americanshootingjournal.com 31
FEATURED COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
Along with target shooters, Tannerite is popular with hunters, law enforcement and the military.
.30-06, .300 Remington Magnum, .338 Remington Magnum, and .50 Browning (the .50-caliber machinegun round). Not only popular with target shooters, Tannerite has become the shot indicator target of choice for hunters, law enforcement and U.S. armed services. Targets come in a range of sizes, from ¼-pound to 2-pound targets, and each package includes a premeasured packet of catalyst, mixing container and instructions. The new 20-shot gift pack, perfect for dads and grads, includes 10 pounds of Tannerite mix and 20 ½-pound target pouches, plus a free Tannerite coffee tumbler. One of the frequently asked questions on the Tannerite website is “How could something so fun be legal?” The answer is simple: Tannerite brand binary targets fall under the same federal laws as black powder and all other explosives that are exempt for sporting purposes from the federal regulations of commercial explosives in their unmixed form. But, they warn, remember to check local laws 32
American Shooting Journal // June 2021
Target packages range from ¼ pound to 2 pounds, and include a catalyst packet, mixing container and instructions.
and regulations for any applicable requirements or other potential restrictions and conditions in your area. The state of California, for example, requires users to obtain a permit or license to use Tannerite products. Rest assured, Tannerite brand targets are specifically designed to be
safe and non-flammable, whether it’s sitting on a shelf, being mixed or used. To achieve this level of quality, all targets are made in the USA with the finest materials available. Editor’s note: For more information, visit tannerite.com.
Custom Guns
“El Diablo 2” When you are looking for something special in a revolver, semi auto or single shot handgun, look no further than GARY REEDER CUSTOM GUNS. Reeder Custom Guns has been building full custom guns for 40 year with 70 different series of full custom guns, like the El Diablo 2 shown here. Full custom and built the way you want and in the cartridge of your choosing. For the finest in custom guns it is always Gary Reeder Custom Guns. Check our web site or call 928-527-4100. 10 to 12 month delivery in most cases.
L.E. SPOTLIGHT
PROTECTING ALL, REGARDLESS
Deputy saves life of choking baby whose mom had been participating in a police protest. STORY BY NICK PERNA
A
part of being a cop is helping folks, regardless of their feelings towards us. Our customers include people from all walks of life, from little old ladies whose most egregious offense is going a few miles over the speed limit to hardened criminals who despise the police. At some point, though, they all need law enforcement’s help. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year and a half or so, you know there has been very strong vocal opposition to law enforcement. Just turn on the news and you will be bombarded with stories about riots and protests in cities and towns across America in response to what the agitators perceive to be unjust police practices. Protest groups have been formed to attack the police for what protestors believe are unnecessary uses of force against violent criminals and false allegations regarding unfair treatment of specific groups and races. Much of what we do when called upon is helping by enforcing laws. Arresting a domestic abuser when the victim calls for help. Catching a burglar breaking into the reporting party’s house. But, on occasion, we get to provide a different kind of help; we get to save a life. As a cop, I like catching bad guys. Most of us do. But it is a different kind of reward to save someone’s life. It makes me understand why some folks choose to be firefighters. And then there are those times
when we as police officers get to save the life of someone associated with a group that dislikes law enforcement. IT’S MAY 31, 2020, and Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Cameron Kinsey is on duty. He is in the vicinity of a Black Lives Matter protest. A woman who had been participating in the protest had her 11-month-old son
with her, when tragedy strikes. The infant stops breathing! The woman’s friend sees Deputy Kinsey, runs to him, and screams for him to help. Deputy Kinsey immediately realizes that if he does not act quickly, the baby could die. He runs to the mother and grabs the child. He places the infant on his lap and clears his blocked airway (it was later discovered that the child had
Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Cameron Kinsey saved the life of a choking baby whose mother was participating in a Black Lives Matter protest in the wake of the death of George Floyd. americanshootingjournal.com 35
swallowed a coin, which had occluded his airway). Paramedics arrived and took the child to the hospital, where he was released shortly thereafter. When asked about saving the child during the BLM protest, Kinsey said, “None of that stuff matters, just the baby.” It is important to mention that, in our overly litigious society where people will sue the police for all kinds of reasons, it is a very risky proposition to render any kind of medical aid. As a side note, the type of actions that Deputy Kinsey performed are the very type that are covered by an officer’s qualified immunity status. For anyone unfamiliar with qualified immunity, it protects cops from being sued when they are acting in accordance with the law and their department’s policies. For example, if an officer uses deadly force to protect an innocent person from a potentially deadly threat, they are currently protected from being sued and losing all of their worldly possessions. Groups like BLM are calling for an end to qualified immunity. So, regardless of who you are, what you represent or how you feel about us, we police officers will help you. Editor’s note: Author Nick Perna is a sergeant with the Redwood City Police Department in northern California. He previously served as a paratrooper in the US Army and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also has a master’s degree from the University of San Francisco. He is a frequent contributor to multiple print and online forums on topics related to law enforcement, firearms, tactics and veterans issues.
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BROUGHT TO YOU BY
Self-Defense TRAINING
Among the experts in the field, per se, who author Paul Pawela looks to for gunfighting advice is Wyatt Earp. Others include James “Wild Bill” Hickok, Frank Hamer, Bill Jordan, Jim Cirillo and Edmundo Mireles Jr., some of whom he wrote about in part one of this series.
MY TWO CENTS ON REVOLVERS AND GUNFIGHTING (PART TWO) Parsing the words of famed Old West lawman and OK Corral gunfighter Wyatt Earp.
STORY AND PHOTO BY PAUL PAWELA
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n the April 2021 issue of American Shooting Journal, we talked about renowned gunfighters of yesteryear, how they used revolvers in gunfights, and how those hardfought lessons are still applicable to this day. We looked in-depth at the life of James Butler Hickok, better known as Wild Bill, and his famous exploits in gunfighting. This issue, in continuation of our exploration of famous gunfighters and
their lifesaving endeavors, we will cover perhaps one of the most well-known gunfighters ever, Wyatt Earp. Wyatt Earp is widely regarded as one of the most famous lawmen and gunfighters of the Old West. He is best known for being one of the last men standing at the gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1881. In that gunfight, Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan, and his best friend and fellow gunfighter Doc Holliday confronted five desperados known as Cowboys. They were all confined in a small alleyway no wider than 15 feet and no more than 10 feet away from
each other. Two Cowboys broke and ran away, while the other three ended up in Boot Hill Cemetery, forever immortalized in the most epic gunfight in American history. Three lawmen were wounded in the fight, two with serious injuries, while the hero of the day, Earp, remained unscathed despite 30 rounds total fired at close range. This shootout was not Earp’s first, nor would it be his last. EARP’S GUNFIGHTS HAVE as much relevance today as they did in his time, and his gunfighting advice has been well documented. Here, we will take a look americanshootingjournal.com 39
SELF-DEFENSE TRAINING at some of Earp’s quotes, followed by a modern translation provided by me. EARP: “I was a fair hand with pistol, rifle or shotgun.” Translation: Wyatt Earp knew how to fight, as most did at that time, with fists, knives and guns. Men of that era were proficient in all aspects of fighting. EARP: “I learned more about gunfighting from Tom Speer’s cronies during the summer of ’71 than I had dreamed was in the book. Those old-timers took their gunplay seriously, which was natural under the conditions in which they lived. Shooting, to them, was considerably more than aiming at a mark and pulling a trigger. Models of weapons, methods of wearing them, means of getting them into action and operating them, all to the one end of combining high speed with absolute accuracy, contributed to the frontiersman’s shooting skill.” Translation: Take shooting seriously
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when practicing. Don’t go to the range simply to shoot small holes in the target; practice as if your life depends on it! EARP: “Jack Gallagher’s advice summed up about all the others had to say. It was to wear my weapons in the position most convenient for me – in my case, as far as pistols were concerned, in the regulation open holsters; one on each hip if I was carrying two, hung rather low, as my arms were long ... Some men wore their guns belted high on the waist; others carried one gun directly in front of the stomach, usually inside, but sometimes outside the waistband, and another gun in a holster slung just in front of and below the left shoulder ... Style was a matter of individual preference.” Translation: What has changed in modern times? Absolutely nothing! EARP: “When mounted on a horse, and ‘armed to the teeth,’ as the fiction writer would have it, a man’s rifle was
slung in a boot just ahead of his right stirrup, his shotgun carried on the left by a thong looped over the saddle horn. With the adoption generally of breech-loading weapons, a rider who was equipped with two pistols, a rifle and a shotgun customarily had one of the belts to which his pistol holsters were attached filled with pistol ammunition, the other with rifle cartridges, while a heavier, wider belt filled with shotgun shells was looped around the saddle horn underneath the thong which held that weapon. He was a riding arsenal, but there might well be times when he would need all the munitions he could carry.” Translation: Today we travel in modern automobiles instead of horses, so why are our vehicles not mobile arsenals? We should have at our disposal portable weapons like AR pistols, modern shotguns like the Mossberg Shockwave or the Remington Tac-14, as well as plenty of ammo for each weapon
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SELF-DEFENSE TRAINING system. We should also carry medical kits and fixed blades. If traveling in a vehicle, there should be a way to secure all weapons systems if need be. EARP: “When I stress the fact that I learned to take my time in a gunfight, I do not wish to be misunderstood, for the time to be taken was only an infinitesimal fraction of a second that meant the difference between deadly accuracy with a six-gun and a miss.” Translation: The first shot/hit is the most important; you will see that again repeatedly. EARP: “That two-gun business is another matter that can stand some of the light of truthfulness before the last of the old-time gunfighters has gone on. They wore two guns, most of the six-gun toters did, and when the time came for action, went after them with both hands simultaneously. But they didn’t shoot them that way. Primarily,
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the two guns were to make the threat of something in reserve; they were useful as a display of force when a lone man [was] stacked up against a crowd. Some men could shoot equally well with either hand, and in a gun play might alternate with their fire; others exhausted the loads from the gun in the right hand, or left, as the case might be; then shifted the reserve weapon to the natural shooting hand if that was necessary and possible.” Translation: To this day, anyone who carries a gun should carry a backup for several reasons. First, if for whatever reason the primary gun does not go bang, you can default to the backup weapon. Second, if you’re in a closecontact confrontation and the gun is knocked out of your hand, go to the backup. Third, if you are in big trouble and outnumbered but accompanied by an unarmed friend or family member, give them your backup so they can back you up!
EARP: “In the days of which I am talking ... when a man went after his guns, he did so with a single, serious purpose. Where pistols were concerned, there was no such thing as a bluff, and when a gunfighter reached for his .45s every faculty he owned was keyed to shooting as speedily and as accurately as possible, to making his first shot the last one of the fight. Under such conditions he just had to think of his gun solely as something with which to kill another before he himself could be killed.” Translation: Always take the gun seriously! Be ready, as one day you may have to use it in a gunfight, and you must be mentally prepared for that. Remember that the goal is not to be fancy; it is to use the minimum amount of rounds necessary to end the threat and walk away alive! Editor’s note: Paul Pawela is a nationally recognized firearms and self-defense expert.
HANDGUN OPTICS: R.D.S. PROS AND CONS With positives and negatives, deciding if a red dot sight is right for you boils down to your handgun’s mission. STORY AND PHOTOS BY NICK PERNA
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o, in the form of a disclaimer, I am old. Fiftyone years old, to be exact. As a soldier and a cop, I’ve been making a living with a gun for nearly my entire adult life. I can say, with some degree of distinction, that I have carried just about every variety of AR/M-16 that has ever been used by the US military: M-16A1, M-16A2, M203, M4 and the AR-15 patrol rifle. With age comes a certain amount of suspicion whenever a new product enters the market claiming to be able to do everything. As a point of reference, I have seen VCR tapes, Beta tapes, records, 8-tracks, cassette tapes, laser discs, compact discs, floppy discs and others come and go. I’ve learned to adopt a “wait and see” attitude whenever a new product presents itself. In the firearms and tactics realm, I, despite my age, retain a relatively high
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degree of relevancy when it comes to the carry, use and operation of firearms. I’m a cop, a law enforcement firearms instructor, constant carrier of firearms while off duty, as well as a hunter. So I don’t base my opinions only on what I used to do. I base them on what I and others are using currently and what I think will work in the future.
ENTER RED DOT sights (RDS), or handgun optics. Not necessarily a new thing – competitive shooters have been using them for years – but they are definitely gaining mainstream acceptance with military, police, hunters and sport shooters. There is a large number of manufacturers who produce them, many of which are excellent. Most major handgun manufacturers now sell either aftermarket slides with RMR mounts already on them or you can purchase the handgun with an already modified slide.
In some cases, guns come with an already attached RDS. No longer does a person desiring an RMR need to send their handgun in for extensive modification. Red dot optics on rifles have been the norm for at least the past 15 years, their mainstream acceptance brought on, in part, by successful applications in combat during the War on Terror. On the sporting front, especially during three-gun competitions, they are essential. Iron sights on rifles have been relegated to backup status, only to be used if an optic fails. So, naturally, red dot applications should automatically extend to handguns as well, right? Well, yes and no. With every advantage generally comes a disadvantage, so it is important for the end user to weigh the pros and cons before making a tactical equipment decision. The pros of RDSs are obvious. A welltrained shooter with a red dot sight, on any weapons platform, is generally going
A t e “
A well-trained shooter with a red dot sight is generally going to be able to get off quicker, more accurate shots. This is especially true at longer distances with handguns, when “front sight focus” doesn’t work as well.
americanshootingjournal.com 45
to be able to get off quicker, more accurate shots than a weapon with a sighting system that requires lining up two different elements (front sight and rear sight). This is especially true at longer distances with handguns, when “front sight focus” (using only your front sight to engage a target) doesn’t work as well. Red dot sights work the same close up and at acceptable distances. Put the red (or green) dot on the target or threat, and shoot.
BUT THERE ARE cons as well. Training: Switching from traditional sights to red dots requires training. The first time I shot a handgun equipped with
an RDS, I found it was different and I was not getting the shot placement I expected. With a little bit of practice, I was able to get good, consistent groups. Learning to quickly acquire the red dot and focusing on the target is the goal. One bad habit I have observed with RDS users is checking their optic to make sure it’s on before an engagement. In a recent training exercise at work, we had officers engaging threat targets starting with their handgun in the holster. As a precursor to the engagement, officers are given the opportunity to check their weapon to ensure it is loaded by press checking it. With the officers who used Red dot optics on rifles have been the norm for the past 15 years, says author Nick Perna, but they are now gaining popularity on handguns like the Glock 45 pictured here.
RMRs, they all drew the weapon up to eye-level to ensure the red dot was on. In one instance an officer checked his RMR but didn’t make sure his handgun was loaded. He got a click instead of a bang when the target presented itself. These types of issues need to be addressed. Mechanical failures: All machines can potentially fail at any time. For RDSs, this can mean a dead battery (although this is rare since most sights have extremely long battery lives) or the electronics can malfunction. RDS systems are usually backed up by iron sights so a battery/ electronics malfunction doesn’t deadline the weapon. However, a brain trained to RDS shooting will have to adjust to using iron sights. Iron sights aren’t immune to breakage either but there are less things that can go wrong with them. Cost: This is probably one of the biggest issues. RDSs can run from several hundred to several thousand dollars. The handgun either needs to be milled out by a gunsmith, a separate slide needs to be purchased that will accept RMRs, or an entirely new handgun needs to be purchased. Then there are the periphery purchases like holsters. For cops this can get expensive, as they need to purchase work holsters as well as concealed carry rigs.
PROBABLY THE MOST important factor in deciding if an RDS is right for you is the mission your handgun is supposed to fulfill. For example, if you intend to mount one on your personal, concealed carry defense weapon, an RDS is probably a good option. In a rapidly developing situation where your life depends on speed and accuracy, the RDS can be a life-saver. There are drawbacks to consider, such as an RDS-equipped gun being slightly less concealable, but overall it’s probably the way to go. Now consider that your primary weapon is a rifle, and you carry a handgun as a backup weapon. Maybe having an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) proof sighting system is the best option. One that doesn’t rely on batteries or electronics. It’s a backup, after all, designed to fill in for the primary weapon when it fails or runs out of ammo. So embrace the change, as it can make you a better operator, but always be aware of the limitations. 46
American Shooting Journal // June 2021
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COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
FIREARMS GEAR MAKER SEWS UP A BIG MOVE WEST Cole-Tac LLC announces pending purchase and manufacturing expansion into South Dakota. PHOTOS BY COLE-TAC LLC
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ast month, New Hampshire-based ColeTac LLC announced its pending purchase and manufacturing expansion in Rapid City, South Dakota. The new facility will allow Cole-Tac to develop and release additional exciting products designed for firearm enthusiasts and hunters, in addition to law enforcement and military agencies. After an extensive research and selection process, Cole-Tac chose Rapid City as the ideal location for the company’s expansion. With help and guidance from South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Elevate Rapid City, Cole-Tac realized Rapid City perfectly fit the company’s goals. “We are extremely excited about this opportunity to grow and expand Cole-Tac in the scenic Black Hills,” commented Dustin Coleman, president and design engineer of Cole-Tac. “This expansion will allow us to continue to hire additional team members and produce even more quality, American-made products that our loyal customers have come to love. We chose South Dakota because of its diverse workforce, strong support for businesses, and unshakable commitment to the
Cole-Tac, manufacturer of suppressor covers, ammo storage pouches, rifle rest bags, equipment carriers and more, sees expansion from New England to the Black Hills as a chance to broaden their lines of quality American-made products for shooters, hunters, law enforcement and the military. americanshootingjournal.com 49
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Second Amendment.” Matt Brunner, economic development director for Elevate Rapid City, stated, “This is an exciting expansion, and we know that Cole-Tac will make a great addition to the growing Rapid City manufacturing business community. Dustin, Liene, and their team are adding great jobs at competitive wages to the region. They are creating innovative, American-made products, and we are proud of the work we were able to do to ensure this expansion was successful and look forward to a continued partnership.” Dustin Coleman and his wife Liene founded Cole-Tac in 2015 as a part-time hobby with a single sewing machine in a spare bedroom. Starting with a unique design of quality suppressor covers, the company quickly outgrew that single machine and greatly expanded production in order to manufacture a wide range of unique gear designed for long-range shooting, hunting and other tactical needs. Their cutting-edge facility in New Hampshire includes a retail space, 17 employees, over 60 industrial sewing machines, a laser cutter and a CNC fabric machine. At the new Rapid City facility, Cole-Tac plans to hire sewers, managers and other support staff in late June and hopes to launch production by mid-July. Interested applicants should visit cole-tac.com/join-our-team/ and complete an application. Editor’s note: For more information, visit cole-tac.com.
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American Shooting Journal // June 2021
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
BULLET BULLETIN
Some bullets aren’t easily pigeon-holed; they offer a blend of attributes.
HYBRIDS: BULLETS BLENDING DESIGNS OR UNIQUE IN THEIR OWN RIGHT There’s more than just cup-and-core, bonded core and lead-free monometal bullets. STORY BY PHIL MASSARO • PHOTOS BY MASSARO MEDIA GROUP
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am the kind of guy who enjoys quantifying things and sorting ideas, and I’m certainly guilty of this mindset when it comes to projectiles. I use a broad selection of different projectiles, doing my best to select the proper bullet for the job at hand, or the best choice for the worst case scenario on a
particular hunt. But I lump them into groups, always thinking about whether they are of cup-and-core design, bonded core, lead-free monometal, etc. But there are those that either blend some of the features of several bullets, or have a unique design altogether. And I like them. FEDERAL TROPHY BONDED BEAR CLAW These are, perhaps, my favorite of the hybrid designs. Jack Carter gets the
credit for the original Trophy Bonded Bear Claw design, which was nothing shy of genius in the opinion of this author. The Bear Claw is a flat-based spitzer (semi-spitzer in the case of the big .470 Nitro Express) bullet that uses a lead core chemically bonded to the thick copper jacket. While that might not seem exactly revolutionary, it is the depth of that lead core that makes this design different. The Bear Claw uses a short lead core – running from americanshootingjournal.com 53
BULLET BULLETIN Federal’s Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. Note the short lead core and long copper shank.
Trophy Bonded Bear Claws can beef up your deer rifle’s performance, and are a great choice for larger species.
the nose to just about the base of the ogive – that leaves a long copper shank at the base of the bullet. This bullet is built for thick-skinned dangerous game, and its features suit that concept very well. The bonded core prevents premature bullet expansion so that the bullet will reach the vital organs, and the copper base aids in that department as well. But it’s the synergy between the two that I feel makes the Bear Claw so special. When it comes to thick-skinned animals, not only is penetration paramount, but straight-line penetration can stop a charge and
save your bacon. In the classic era of safari, which coincided with the development of our most famous and popular cartridges suited to that purpose, roundnose bullets reigned supreme. The velocities were modest, and though they were of cup-and-core construction, the bullets kept their weight forward and gave the straightline penetration that resulted in a quick and humane kill. Many of our modern bullets have a center of gravity that has migrated rearward, and while this makes for a wonderfully efficient bullet at longer ranges, it can pose a challenge during the terminal phase.
Federal had a huge part in bringing back the .470 Nitro Express; they currently load it with their 500-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw.
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The Trophy Bonded Bear Claw keeps its weight forward by using the shorter lead core – lead being much more dense than copper – in order to give that straight-line penetration. So while the Bear Claw may not give the most fantastic ballistic coefficient values, it is designed for reliable terminal performance at moderate hunting distances, say inside of 200 or 300 yards. The modern Federal version of the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw is a bit different from Jack Carter’s original; Carter’s had a lead core a bit longer than the Federal version, and the Federal version is nickel-plated. Federal has put several grooves on the shank of the bullet in order to both reduce fouling and bearing surface. However, the bullet still gives the high weight retention it has always been famous for, being in the 90-plus-percent range more often than not. THE TROPHY BONDED TIP AND TERMINAL ASCENT Federal took the concept to the next level with their Trophy Bonded Tip. Americans simply love spitzer boattail bullets, as they most definitely have the look of reach, and they certainly maximize retained energy and flatten out trajectories. The Federal Trophy Bonded Tip uses a signature orange polymer tip and a skived nose (to initiate expansion), a moderate boattail, and the nickel plating and grooved shank of the Bear Claw design. The Trophy Bonded Tip is a
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BULLET BULLETIN
Federal’s Trophy Bonded Tip gives a bit more flexibility for long-range shots by increasing the ballistic coefficient through a polymer tip and boattail.
Author Phil Massaro enjoys the 180-grain Trophy Bonded Tip in his .300 H&H Magnum, making a perfect combination for longer shots.
Federal’s latest iteration of the Bear Claw concept – the Terminal Ascent – has the best BC of the lot, yet remains a very tough bullet.
very tough bullet, as well as being wonderfully accurate. In fact, this bullet has served me very well in a good number of different cartridges, and has become one of my all-time favorites. Weight retention – if you can recover a bullet – is much like the Bear Claw, into the 90 percent range. At the ranges I feel comfortable shooting at game animals, which is usually inside of 400 yards, the Trophy Bonded Tip suits me very well. The most recent of the line to feature the short lead core and an even sleeker profile is Federal’s Terminal Ascent. Using the proprietary SlipStream polymer tip, and the AccuChannel grooves engineered into the shank to reduce drag and metal fouling, the Terminal Ascent is designed to The Federal Trophy Bonded Tip shown in cross-section and upset; note the short core, wide expansion and conformation.
Federal’s .30-06 Springfield Terminal Ascent load is fantastic for longer shots, yet is strong enough to handle shots up close where velocities are still high.
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BULLET BULLETIN
Two 400-grain .416-inch-diameter Swift A-Frame bullets recovered from a Cape buffalo bull. Note how bonding the front core helps to maintain structural integrity.
Massaro took this Zambian Cape buffalo bull with a 400-grain Swift A-Frame in the .416 Remington Magnum, a perfect choice for thickskinned dangerous game.
handle almost any situation shy of the thick-skinned heavyweights. The nose is designed to open and give good expansion at very low velocities – i.e. when the bullet has had a chance to slow down at longer ranges – yet the bonded core and long copper shank will hold together on close shots at magnum velocities. If you are interested in a bullet with some of the highest BC values, yet built like a tank, give Federal’s Terminal Ascent a look; it’s an excellent choice. The .308-inch-diameter, 200-grain Swift A-Frame bullets; the upset bullet was recovered from a large male ostrich. Note the classic “rivet” just behind the partition.
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A BEEFED-UP PARTITION There is no denying that the Nosler Partition is one of our most cherished designs, what with the copper wall dividing two separate lead cores. That
BULLET BULLETIN wall, or partition, of copper jacket material preserves the structural integrity of the rear core, helping the bullet hold together after impact. There are some hunters – primarily those who spend the majority of their time among thick-skinned dangerous game – who have opined that the front core of the Partition is a bit too soft, and may smear off when it meets heavy bone.
The Swift A-Frame bears a strong resemblance to the Partition, at least in design theory, except for the fact that the front core is chemically bonded to the beefier copper jacket. This results in a very tough bullet, one that requires quite a bit of resistance to open fully. I’ve described the Swift A-Frame as “meat-resistant” in that the bigger the animal it strikes, the
bigger it opens. I’ve used this in a number of different cartridges, from moderate-velocity standard designs to the speedy magnums to the big safari guns. It is a wonderful choice for getting serious terminal performance out of your .270 Winchester or .30-’06 Springfield, and can bring the .25-’06 Remington into a different league. A recovered Swift A-Frame will show 2x caliber expansion, and will retain nearly all of its weight, with a tell-tale rivet-like bulge just in front of the wall between the two cores. THE NORMA ORYX This gem of a bullet is far too often overlooked, as it is an excellent design. The majority of the Oryx offerings are on the heavier side for their particular caliber, but that’s just the beginning. The Oryx may appear to be a simple cup-and-core bullet, but there’s more to it than that: Norma has bonded only the rear section of the jacket to the core. This allows the front end of the bullet – with its exposed lead nose – to expand rapidly, while the bonding at the rear prevents jacket/ core separation. The Oryx may not have the radical BC values of some modern bullets, but the terminal performance is wonderful. It’s a great choice for normal hunting ranges.
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BULLET BULLETIN
A Savage Model 116 in 6.5-284 Norma; this is a great mediumcaliber rifle well-served by the 156-grain Norma Oryx bullet.
There are some cases where a bonded core bullet with a heavy jacket might not be the best choice. For example, I love the Swift Scirocco II in my .300 Winchester Magnum, as that bullet will handle just about any situation where I’d use a .300, but drop the velocities down to the .308 Winchester, and I’ve seen that strong bullet act more like a solid non-expanding bullet, offering little expansion. I took a boar black bear in Quebec years ago, in the spring over bait, with
Norma’s American PH line features their Oryx bullet. Shown here in .300 Winchester Magnum, 180-grain, you can see how the expansion generally stops where the bonding begins, giving the best of both worlds.
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my Ruger M77 MKII in .308 loaded with 180-grain Sciroccos. While he is a rug in my trophy room, that bullet was simply too stiff for the thin-skinned bear; I am certain that the Norma Oryx would have been a much better choice, as the front end of that bullet would’ve opened much better, yet the bonded rear portion would’ve ensured good penetration, even on the biggest boar coming out of hibernation. For all North American and European game, and for the vast majority of African
The 300-grain Norma Oryx in .375-inchdiameter; bonding the base of the bullet allows for a great blend of expansion and penetration.
game species for which a softpoint is suitable, the Norma Oryx gets the job done well. We have so many good hunting bullets on the market, it makes the decision a tough one. Most hunters will find a bullet that is a good balance of affordability and field performance and stick with it. But sometimes a little bit of experimentation with some different projectiles, and a bit of thinking outside the box, can result in fantastic terminal performance.
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ROAD HUNTER
SUMMER SONG DOGS
With coyotes venturing further from their spring dens, now’s the time to get after these predators in the West, and here’s how. STORY AND PHOTOS BY SCOTT HAUGEN
M
y hike to a distant ridge was suddenly interrupted by coyotes howling in a draw below. Quickly, I sat down with my back against the brush, a small opening in front of me, glassing where the sounds came from. After a few seconds, I located two coyotes. They had no idea I was near. After checking the wind and getting my rifle set in the shooting sticks, I let out a short series of crippled cottontail sounds from an open-reed mouth call. Then I stopped, got in the gun, and scanned the land in front of me, searching for the slightest movement. Within seconds, three coyotes materialized in front of me, ears perked, looking for the source of the sound. The 15-yard shot was simple on the lead dog, but the other two coyotes scampered into the dense brush before another round could be chambered. Hearing and seeing coyotes before setting up to call greatly increases the odds of bringing one in, and now is a great time to get after ’em. Coyotes are in family units this time of year, meaning they’re vocal and covering ground. If you listen and look, you can often locate what you’re looking for
Predator guide Cory Lundberg pursues coyotes throughout the West, and he marks the coming months as prime time to get after ’em. americanshootingjournal.com 65
ROAD HUNTER before even setting up to call. Scouting can also pay off, and if you don’t have time to physically get afield, let trail cameras do the work for you. Coyote hunting is a straightforward approach this time of year, as a pack’s mission is to keep all mouths fed, and this is where hunters should start. MEET THE COYOTE Coyotes continue to expand their range and population densities throughout the West. This is largely due to their ability to adapt to a wide range of habitats and acquire an array of food. They’re also not afraid to encroach on populated areas and lowland ranches teeming with livestock. Coyotes focus on more than just rodents and rabbits when it comes to getting their fill, especially this time of year. Coyotes are regular predators of deer fawns and take their share of adult deer and elk calves by efficiently hunting in small packs. With deer fawns hitting the ground this month, and elk calves being dropped, locating these animals can help narrow your search
for coyotes. And if you’re serious about helping manage the coyote population in order to boost big game survival rates, now is the time to do it when fawns and calves are most vulnerable. Another regular food source for coyotes is livestock: sheep, goats and cow calves. Coyotes have been killers of livestock for centuries, and their growing boldness routinely sees them entering barns or coming very close to human activity and populated areas to nab calves and lambs as soon as they hit the ground. They’ll even prey on these smaller animals in early summer. More coyotes than ever are reportedly eating dog and cat food off the back porch of people’s homes, even going as far as to prey on pets. Across the West, coyotes are making golf courses a regular hunting ground, ravaging upland bird, songbird, squirrel and rabbit populations. Coyotes are omnivores and regularly feast on vegetation, too, a food source that’s hard for hunters to key in on. They’ll eat vegetables and greens from gardens, fruits from fallen
Coyote hunting throughout the West means big country, and there are several things hunters can do to swing the odds of success in their favor this time of year.
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trees, and even consume grasses and grains. Coyotes will scavenge garbage in dumps and from yards, and regularly devour carrion. They also eat insects. Coyotes can be found from the lowest of valley floors to 10,000 feet high in the Rocky Mountains. From the hills to the coast, even sandy beaches and hot deserts, there’s virtually no place where coyotes can’t exist. Their ability to find food in the most diverse of habitats, from marshes to urban environments, rocky pinnacles to dense forests, explains why coyote numbers continue to flourish. The peak of coyote breeding season is February and March, and females have a 63-day gestation period. Female coyotes have an average range of eight square miles, while males will cover up to 40 square miles. Family units aren’t afraid to cover ground, either, which is another reason hunting these yapping canines can be effective in June and July. Coyotes can live up to 12 years in the wild, and the more time they spend in an established territory, the wiser they become. I grew up trapping coyotes
ROAD HUNTER in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where they were a burden on sheep, cattle and chicken farms. I learned early on that if I missed a coyote, rarely would I get a second chance. They’re wise, crafty survivors, and hunters should never underestimate them. Then again, don’t overthink things; after all, coyotes are predators that are almost always eager to eat, and that’s a hunter’s best approach, targeting their appetite. However, the closer coyotes encroach upon areas of human population, the more nocturnal their movements can become. In remote areas, coyotes can be found hunting all day long, and these are the places hunters can find consistent success. SUMMER SCOUTING MISSIONS For many years, big game hunters have known the value of scouting, something a growing number of coyote
A dual-optic setup can be a good combination when coyote hunting the West, where habitats vary from wide open to dense cover.
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hunters are finding to be beneficial. Knowing that animals are in an area before you hunt boosts confidence levels and allows for precise plans that increase success rates. Physically locating coyotes is the best way to know where they are. High-powered binoculars and a spotting scope allow a great deal of ground to be covered. Seek a high elevation early in the morning and before nightfall, and cover as much ground as possible with your eyes. Also, listen for howling coyotes. If scouting and you locate coyotes and want to return with a buddy, youth or new hunter, do it soon, as the coyotes might move off. If hunting and you spot a coyote, check the wind, set up and get to calling. Tracks, droppings and fur stuck to barbed wire (where coyotes crawl underneath fences) are all signs
coyotes are near. However, it can be challenging to identify and even locate fresh sign during the heat of summer. This is where trail cameras can play an important part in your scouting. Trail cameras are your eyes in the woods when you’re not there, and more predator hunters are realizing the value of these tools. Maximizing the number of trail cameras increases the chance of locating coyotes. Setting cameras on video mode also reveals a lot. The best trail cameras I’ve found are StealthCam’s DS4K, and I run over a dozen of them. I’ve had great success with these in a range of climates throughout the West, and in some of the harshest conditions, including rain, snow, sleet and fog. The quality of video and sound the DS4K captures is top-notch. Still pictures on trail cameras capture images; video shows behavior. When on video mode, you can see if a coyote
ROAD HUNTER
Mouth-blown calls offer versatility and the ability to create precise sounds with feeling, and they’re nice to have in conjunction with electronic calls on most coyote hunts.
is timid or aggressive, quickly passing through or in search of food. You can also hear things happening off camera that still images won’t convey, like howling coyotes, coyotes killing prey and more. Trail cameras reveal when coyotes are active, be it daylight or dark, allowing you to devise a hunting strategy. COYOTE CALLING BASICS In this day and age of advanced electronic calls and moving decoys, don’t overlook the value of keeping it simple for coyotes. Hand-held calls – or mouth-blown calls – can produce a range of sounds, and controlling their volume and interjecting feeling is 70
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easy and often what convinces a wary coyote to show itself. “On pressured public land, I’m actually having great success with mouth calls lately,” shares noted coyote guide Cory Lundberg of Coda Hunts (codahunts.com). “I can tailor my sounds and create precisely controlled inflections, tones and volumes that are tough to do with electronic calls. I can also create a range of sounds, be they coyote vocalizations or prey sounds.” Open-reed calls are excellent, very versatile predator calls and they won’t shut down like a closed-reed call can. With an open-reed call you can produce jackrabbit, cottontail, rodent,
an array of bird, coyote, even fawn and calf elk distress sounds, and all with the same call. The feelings that can be interjected into these open-reed calls is what makes them so effective. Not long ago I hunted an area in the Southwest desert that a buddy had worked a few weeks prior. He called for three days with electronic calls and decoys and shot one coyote, the only one that came in. I used two open-reed calls and a diaphragm call and in two days made 11 sets, calling in seven coyotes, two bobcats and a gray fox. Should you abandon e-calls and mechanical decoys? Absolutely not. These modern calls have revolutionized
americanshootingjournal.com 71
ROAD HUNTER
Author Scott Haugen approaches a coyote taken atop a timbered ridge. He first heard the coyote yapping, then closed in, using mouth calls to bring the predator within easy shooting range.
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predator hunting and are excellent tools, no matter what your level of experience. They can create lifelike sounds every time, penetrate strong winds and rain, and they can be positioned away from your calling location, which diverts the attention of approaching predators. But if they’re overused by predator hunters on public land hotspots, switching to a handheld call can be the ticket. With summer fast approaching, and coyotes venturing farther from spring den locations, now is the time to get after these predators. By approaching coyote hunting as you would big game, you’ll gain an advantage when it comes to outwitting these cunning canines, and hone valued hunting skills along the way. Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s line of hunting, fishing and cookbooks, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.
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A LOOK AT CZ’S BOBWHITE, HAMMER CLASS SIDE-BY-SIDES
Among CZ’s many shotgun lines are its hammerless Bobwhite side-by-side, seen here, and Hammer Classic, with models from 12- to 28-gauge available.
S
SSIC
If you're in the market for a basic but solid double-barrel with 'high-end-of-the-budget' trappings, these two imported shotguns just might fill the bill. STORY AND PHOTOS BY JIM DICKSON
W
hen the Stevens Model 311 side-byside shotgun was discontinued, it left a big gap in the market. Suddenly there was a problem for the farmer or working man who wanted a basic working side-by-side double at an affordable price. In this article I am reviewing two promising candidates for that position, the CZ hammerless Bobwhite and CZ Hammer Classic doubles. CZ is a European maker with a fine reputation for making solid working guns for the average shooter. These guns are made for them by Huglu in Turkey on modern CNC machines and they are precisely
An over and under view of the Bobwhite side-byside shows off its modest yet stylish engraving.
fitted and nicely finished. They are responsive in handling, coming up effortlessly on target, and easy to hit with. From all appearances, they look like the high-end-of-the-budget doubles. Both guns come with five screw-in chokes consisting of full, improved, modified, improved cylinder and cylinder chokes. Screw-in chokes are all the rage now, but I must confess I much prefer fixed chokes. My personal double has improved cylinder and full chokes and these have always been perfect for me, regardless of the game I shot. The barrel length of the hammerless Bobwhite shotgun is 28 inches, while the Hammer Classic has 30-inch barrels. There is a saying in the British gun trade, “Big man, big gun; little man, little gun,” which is often applied to barrel length. I am a big tall man and 30-inch barrels work
best for me, while 28-inch might work better for another man. These guns come in 12-, 20- and 28-gauge and they are all built on receivers scaled to their gauge. Over the years that has not always been the case with every maker. The stocks have a 14½-inch length of pull with a 1½-inch drop at the comb of the stock and a 2¼-inch drop at the heel of the stock. It would be better if the stock was longer, but this is about as long as you are going to get on a factory shotgun. Both guns have double triggers with excellent trigger pulls, enabling you to instantly select the barrel with the best choke or load in it for your shot. That is serious business. When bird hunting in places with wild hogs or grizzly bear, keeping a German Brenneke slug in one barrel and birdshot in the other is the safest way to hunt. A single selective trigger
The Hammer Classic and Bobwhite doubles come with 30- and 28-inch barrels and their overall lengths are 47.38 and 45.38 inches, respectively. They weigh 7.5 and 7.3 pounds.
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would be slower and more prone to get out of order in a tight spot with either of these two tough customers. Both guns feature extractors instead of the much more expensive ejectors and both guns’ barrels are finished in durable black chrome for increased rust-resistance. The receiver of the Bobwhite is done in satin black chrome as well, which is quite welcome on a utility shotgun intended for hard service. The Hammer Classic is finished in color casehardening. I must say that they really do a beautiful job with their casehardening. The overall length of the Hammer Classic is 47.38 inches and its weight is 7.5 pounds. The hammerless Bobwhite is two inches shorter and weighs in at 7.3 pounds. For guns like these with 3-inch chambers, it would be a very bad idea to go lighter unless you really enjoy being kicked by recoil. I was delighted that neither gun has an automatic safety. A pure manual safety is much safer when the chips are down and you have to shoot fast. You don’t need to be having to remember to take the safety off when you are under pressure in a tight spot with wild dogs or wild hogs coming at you.
NOW TO THE individual guns. The hammerless Bobwhite features a
straight grip stock, and this is very important as nothing points quite as fast and sure as a straight grip stock. Your hands are more aligned with the direction you are pointing and closer to the bore line of the gun. The forend on both guns is not really a splinter forend, but it still is not so fat as to prevent your grasping the gun by the barrels. This alone will make you hit
four times more birds than trying to hold onto a beavertail forend, which will also kill the liveliness of your gun. It is important to lay your thumb alongside the barrels. This simple trick is all it takes to ensure master eye dominance with a side-by-side double. Your master eye is the one whose view of a finger held at arm’s length does not change when you
close the other eye. It is vital that you shoot with your master eye, as your aim will shift just as the view shifts if the nondominant eye is used. One of the big problems with the over-and-under doubles is that the master eye sees the narrow rib, while the nondominant eye sees the great mass of both barrels. This can cause a fight for dominance and when the
The Hammer Classic features a manual tang safety and rebounding hammers.
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The Hammer Classic “is a real looker with its striking color casehardening,” writes author Jim Dickson. “For those nostalgic for the early days of cartridge shotgunning, this is the gun for you.”
normally nondominant eye wins, you mysteriously miss to the side. Another problem with the overand-under is the fact that its shape prevents it from being made as lively in the hands as a side-by-side. The O/U was the first type of double made but it soon fell by the wayside because it is easier to hit with a side-by-side. In later years the British gun trade brought it back just as an excuse to sell people another gun. The slogan “single sighting plane” hit home in
America, a nation of riflemen. The problem with that is the fact that a shotgun is supposed to be pointed, not aimed. Adherence to the latest style and fad, along with the modern notion that newer just has to be better, popularized the O/U despite the fact that the side-by-side points better and is easier to hit with. Anyway, the Bobwhite has a European black, soft recoil pad with a hard top cap to prevent the butt catching on your clothes when the gun
is mounted. My overall impression of it is of a sturdy, good-looking economy shotgun intended for long, hard use. It has a very reasonable MSRP of $675. Not a lot of money for a gun in 2021.
NOW ON TO the Hammer Classic. This is a real looker with its striking color casehardening. Its MSRP is $1,045 and there is a 20-inch-barrel coach gun version with an MSRP of $999 for those who want a simple, americanshootingjournal.com 79
Another view of the Classic’s casehardening. There’s also a Coach version in 12-gauge with a 20-inch barrel.
foolproof shotgun for home-defense. The Hammer Classic is for those who love outside hammer guns, and historically that has included some of the finest game shots. Frederick Oliver Robinson, 2nd Marquess of Ripon, bagged 316,000 birds between 1867 and 1895. He once shot 28 birds in one minute at Sandringham. Most of these birds were killed with his set of three Purdey hammer guns. King George V, a renowned game shot, once said, “A gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears!” Aside from the looks of a hammer gun, many enjoy the sound and feel
of cocking the hammers and their impact on the firing pins. The Hammer Classic features a semi-pistol grip stock, which does not point as well as a straight grip stock but is better for positioning the hand to absorb recoil, taking some of the impact off your shoulder. Instead of a recoil pad, the Hammer Classic has a casehardened steel buttplate that looks strikingly elegant. For those nostalgic for the early days of cartridge shotgunning, this is the gun for you. With its brilliant color casehardening and high-gloss black chrome barrels, it would also look
quite good over the mantel or fireplace. Both these CZ shotguns handle well and are easy to hit with. CZ has a very fine reputation for making hardworking, reliable, economical guns in Europe and if they are going to sell guns made by Huglu in Turkey, it is safe to say that they will make sure the guns meet the CZ standards. CZ-USA (cz-usa. com), headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas, is the exclusive US importer of rifles and pistols from CZ. Anyone looking for an economical side-by-side double-barreled shotgun would do well to check these out.
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BLACK POWDER
This buffalo gong was added to an “after-aggregate” match to keep a black powder cartridge competition spicy.
ADD 'SPICE' TO BLACK POWDER MATCHES How one club keeps their shooting competitions interesting 'is just as easy as it is rewarding.' STORY AND PHOTOS BY MIKE NESBITT
A
dding spice to black powder cartridge shooting by incorporating a little bit of variety is very easy to do. And, of course, doing so gives our black powder cartridge matches a whole new flavor and gives our shooters something new to look forward to. Please follow along while I tell you about some of the things our club, the Capitol City Rifle & Pistol Club near Olympia, Washington, has done lately
to spice it up. FIRST OF ALL, we hold our Old West Centerfire matches six times per year. These are short-range matches with bull’s-eye paper targets posted at 100 and 200 yards. The standard course of fire includes 10 shots at each target, generally fired from the sitting position while using crosssticks to support our rifles. The rifles/ cartridges we typically use are guns or copies of the rifles of the Old West, primarily the single-shot buffalo guns. Now and then a repeater might
show up on the firing line, perhaps because that’s all the shooter has, and I’ve competed a couple of times with a .44-40 rifle. The real favorites, however, are the .45-70-, .45-90- and .50-70-caliber rifles. We do require cast lead bullets in loads using black powder in those cartridges. The 20 shots fired on the two targets become the aggregate for the day and our awards are based on the aggregate scores. Those scores are added up over the year and at the end of the year, we also award prizes to all shooters in order of their total americanshootingjournal.com 83
BLACK POWDER Participants can use different rifles to try and hit targets during bonus-point rounds. Author Mike Nesbitt says .44-40 lever-actions have “added to the fun.”
aggregate scores. Shooting those 20 shots is generally pretty quick, and we wanted something to add more time, more shooting and more fun. So we added some spice: an “after-aggregate match” for 10 more shots. We placed a buffalo gong at 200 yards for shooters to fire at while sitting behind the cross-sticks, and a bucket gong at 100 yards to be fired at from the offhand position. We took five shots at each gong, scored only as hits and misses. Those two targets were made to correspond with the similar targets at the Matthew Quigley Buffalo Rifle Match and they are reduced in size to make them challenging at our closer distances. And those targets are challenging; at the moment I can’t The club’s after-aggregate matches also include Old West-style revolvers firing black powder cartridges – here’s a target shot with .44 Russian loads – and that’s proven to be “an oft-requested part” of their events.
recall if any of our shooters have ever made hits with all 10 shots. The way we award this afteraggregate match is simple. Those shooters who want to participate simply throw a dollar into the pot and it’s winner-take-all. OUR AFTER-AGGREGATE MATCHES went on like that for a couple of years before we considered making any changes. The first changes made were simply to use other gongs, differing in size and shape, particularly at 200 yards. An octagon-shaped gong was added, which corresponds with the 600-yard target at Quigley, and later a diamondshaped gong was added. Those are used one at a time, and the five offhand shots at the bucket still remain.
A little later we began using different rifles to hit those varying targets. We used our “camp guns,” usually .44-40 lever-actions with black powder loads, and for this match we brought the octagon gong up to 100 yards and set the bucket closer too, bringing it up to just 50 yards. Five shots at the octagon were taken from the sitting position while using crosssticks, just like when shooting at the paper targets for the aggregate, and the bucket was still shot at from the offhand position. Using the different rifles made a big and welcome change to our routine and, once again, no one shot a perfect score. We could vary the targets again for use with the camp guns, and most likely we will. All it takes is for one of the shooters to come up with a different idea for shooting. The only requirement, other than safety of course, is that it be fun. Lately we’ve added another twist to our after-aggregate matches: we tried a couple of these 10-shot matches with Old West-style revolvers using black powder loads. That was a real blast! Shooting the various .44s and the big .45 Colt with black powder loads is an experience that is not quickly forgotten, and yet it is inviting enough to call you back to the firing line for more. Now our after-aggregate match with the revolvers is an oft-requested part of our black powder cartridge shooting events. WE’VE ALSO ADDED some spice just for flavor in our 100- and 200-yard matches with paper targets, shot for score. One added, or extra, match per year is our .50-70 match. That’s where
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BLACK POWDER
Last year’s .50-70 shooters with top scorer Jerry Mayo standing at right.
the rifles in .50-70 caliber and their shooters get a priority. In other words, shooters with other caliber rifles are invited to participate, but all of those other calibers are secondary to the .50-70s. Last year our .50-70 match was somewhat outstanding. Jerry Mayo won that match while shooting a rolling block rifle he borrowed from me. We shared that rifle and I placed third while using the same gun. Second place was taken by Jeff Ritter,
who borrowed his rifle, another rolling block in .50-70, from his father. The elder Ritter placed fourth with that shared rifle. So the first four places were taken by just two rifles, both Remington rolling blocks rebuilt to .50-70 caliber. While Jerry and I were using the same rifle, we were not using the same kind of ammunition. Jerry shot ammo I had prepared with the standard-style grease-groove bullets weighing about 450 grains, while I shot ammo with
paper-patched bullets weighing 425 grains. He outshot me by 8 points, but I don’t think I can blame the ammunition for that; Jerry simply outshot me and he did it with my rifle. Perhaps winning that match spurred Jerry into making a good move. He now has his own heavy Remington rolling block rifle in .5070 caliber, barreled and fitted by C. Sharps Arms, and he is certainly going to use it in the next .50-70 match. Meanwhile, I’ll be using a Sharps rifle
Mayo’s new .50-70 rolling block rifle has a 30-inch heavy barrel.
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BLACK POWDER
Another side match involves paperpatched loads, though shooters using grease-grooved bullets can also participate. These loads are in .50-70.
chambered for the .50-70 in that match and we’ll see if either one of us can do better than last year. ANOTHER SPECIAL MATCH we have each year is our Paper Patch match. Like with the .50-70 match, shooters using
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grease-groove bullets are invited to participate but their scores will be secondary to shooters who are using loads with paper-patched bullets. The idea behind this match is to increase the use of paper-patched bullets, mainly for authenticity because back
in the 1870s most of the calibers that we’re shooting today in our singleshot buffalo rifles were loaded with paper-patched slugs. So we use this match as a way of getting a little more enjoyment out of history. For our upcoming Paper Patch match, I intend to use my favorite Sharps in .44-77 caliber and I’m getting some practice with that rifle now. We’ll have to see if my practice targets suggest that I keep going with the .44-77 or if I should try another caliber, perhaps the .50-70. Variety, they say, is the spice of life and adding some spice to black powder cartridge shooting is just as easy as it is rewarding. After all, it gives us something new to do, which keeps our interest on a high plane and gives us more to look forward to at the same time. Just because black powder cartridge shooting is “old fashioned” doesn’t mean it can’t be inviting and exciting.
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24 oz.
Ancient Technology Modern Materials
www.PocketOx.com
FATHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE
GARY REEDER CUSTOM GUNS
When you are looking for something special in a revolver, semiauto or singleshot handgun, look no further than Gary Reeder Custom Guns. Reeder Custom Guns has been building full custom guns for 40 years with 70 different series of full custom guns, like the El Diablo 2 shown here. Full custom and built the way you want and in the cartridge of your choosing. For the finest in custom guns it is always Gary Reeder Custom Guns. Check our website or call 928-527-4100. reedercustomguns.com
BARNAUL
Every dad needs more ammo for Father’s Day. Barnaul Ammunition offers a wide variety of steel-cased cartridges in the major calibers your dad needs. Handgun calibers: .380 Auto, 9-Mak, 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 Auto. Rifle calibers: 5.45x39, .223 Rem. (5.56), .300 BLK, 7.62x39, .308 Win, 7.62x54R and .30-06 Spring. Pick some up from your local store today and enjoy the range time with Dad! Premium Russian ammunition that delivers. barnaulammo.com
MEMORIES THAT LAST A LIFETIME
Spending time in the woods as Father and Child is priceless. Join us on a hunting trip that will add to those memories. 10% FATHER’S DAY DISCOUNT
Oregon and Washington Big Game Hunting — ELK • DEER • BEAR • TURKEY
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FATHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE
INVICTASAFE
InvictaSafe offers all of the benefits of a traditional firearm safe while allowing you to display your firearm “safely” like a work of art. Fourteen-gauge steel with ½-inch-thick ballistic glass protects your valuable firearm from unauthorized access or theft, protecting you and your family. Order now for a $200 savings. Just type code “Christmas” on our website on the order page. invictasafe.com
RANGESTORE.NET
Steel Target Paint is formulated for steel targets, covers quickly, and has a high paint-resin content with a pound of paint in the can. The colors allow match directors to color-code scenarios during competition stages. For long-distance shooting, these colors can be combined for optimum visibility. Range Box Sampler MSRP: $49.29. rangestore.net
PRESENT ARMS, INC.
The AR Hook is another “third hand” from Present Arms. It is an AR cleaning rod guide and upper receiver strut. Simply hook the upper receiver and pin to the lower with the takedown pin. Use it with Present Arms’ patented Sentinel Plate and AR magazine post, sold separately, for the perfect user-friendly AR cleaning station. presentarmsinc.com
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FATHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE VELOCITY PRECISION
Like all Velocity Precision products, their Recoil-less Bolt Carrier is designed with accuracy and performance in mind. Their unique patent-pending design is stronger than other lowmass bolt carriers and is one of the lightest bolt carriers on the market. The Recoil-less Bolt Carrier significantly reduces your rifle’s recoil impulse for faster follow-up shots and its Nano Diamond Nickel coating makes it extremely wearresistant, easy to clean and uncompromisingly durable. This unique coating creates a very slick surface that reduces the probability of failures due to a lack of lubrication, reduces typical wear and tear on expensive parts, and truly makes shooting your AR-15 much more fun. The real value when it comes to lightweight bolt carriers comes when it’s paired with an adjustable gas block, which is why Velocity Precision offers both in a bundled product package. Reducing the rifle’s returning gas, together with the reduced weight of the bolt carrier, is what reduces the recoil and muzzle rise to nearly zero. Without both you’re really only going halfway! velocitytriggers.com
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PMA TOOL
Give Dad the gift of simplicity this Father’s Day. The PMA Die Adjuster makes adjusting your full-length sizing die the easiest part of your handloading. No more guessing or using die shims to adjust your shoulder bump to optimize accuracy and brass life; simply dial it in with micrometer accuracy. The PMA Tool Micro Die Adjuster, simply the best. pmatool.com
FATHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE PEET DRYER, INC.
Protect Dad’s guns from rust yearround with one of Peet Dryer’s dehumidifiers for his gun safe or gun cabinet. Effectively removes humidity from 120 cubic feet up to 600 cubic feet. For information on more of our products, please visit our website. Our message to dads: Happy Father’s Day from all of us at Peet Dryer. peetdryer.com
THE SOUTHERN TRAPPER
Make Father’s Day extra special this year by personalizing our genuine leather rifle slings with his initials. Our comfortable slings are backed by our unbeatable 100-year warranty. Order today while supplies last. thesoutherntrapper.com
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Another one
FATHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE
Bites the rust.
V-LINE
Remember, some superheroes don’t have capes ... they are called Dad! Give your superhero some “security” this Father’s Day! Our Top Draw quick-access handgun case is a top-opening case and features a Simplex easily programmable, five-push-button mechanical lock that does not require batteries. The Top Draw handgun case can accommodate up to two pistols depending on their sizes. It is finished in a textured gloss black powder coating and accented with a gloss silver V-Line logo. The lock has a stainless steel faceplate. The heavy foam interior protects your firearms and valuables. vlineind.com
A Dehumidifier for every size safe or space. Prevent your valuables from mold, rust, and corrosion by controlling the humidity within your safe/space.
Visit Peetdryer.com for more info.
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WESTERN RANGE CAMPS
If you are looking for something just a little different than the normal RV – if you’re wanting something a little more rugged, a little more durable, something with better insulation, ground clearance and longevity – you’ve come to the right place. We offer a camp that is warm and inviting but also rugged and durable. We want to get to know you and how you will use your camp and then customize it to fit your personal needs. Along with our camps, we offer a rugged and well-insulated teardrop and our new toy hauler. Both can be customized in length and options to fit your specific needs. Both are built with a heavy-duty frame, great insulation and are as water-resistant as our camps, but with a little different use in mind. All are built to be able to use in an RV park and travel down the highway, but with the added ability to use off road, up in the mountains, out on the desert or anywhere in between. They can be used in hot weather or the dead of winter or year-round (some options may need to be added for this). We can change the length of any of them and add or subtract options as needed. wrcamps.com
FATHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE
ULTIMAK, INC.
NOWLIN ARMS
Proven reputation. Eight world championships and 22 national titles, all won by competitors using Nowlin. Today, you can elevate your own 1911 to this level of performance with Nowlin’s ECM Match Grade barrels. Made from 416 rifle-quality bar stock, with ultrasmooth ECM rifling, 40 RC hardness and an 8 RMS bore finish, Nowlin 1911 barrels deliver maximum accuracy. Nowlin’s unique precut barrel locking lug design ensures precise engagement, while centering the firing pin on the primer. Under 1 inch at 25 yards and under 1½ inches at 50 yards in the company’s barrel testing fixture. nowlinarms.com
UltiMAK, Inc. in Moscow, Idaho, is the designer and manufacturer of a unique, solid and very practical series of forward optic mounts for rifles and carbines. Supported platforms include a variety of Kalashnikovs (AKs), the M1 Garand, M-14/M1A, Ruger’s Mini-14 and Mini-30, and GI-spec M1 .30 Carbines. UltiMAK mounts are easy to install by the average user, and seldom require any modification to the rifle. Call 208-883-4734 or visit the website for more information. ultimak.com
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FATHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE
WOODMAN’S PAL
A unique, multipurpose tool for managing brush or clearing trails, the Woodman’s Pal is invaluable for maintaining your property. The light, wellbalanced American-made tool should also have a place in your survival kit. It comes with a deluxe leather sheath, a reprint of the original owner’s manuals from 1941 and its own sharpening stone. A true family heirloom, this tool will last a lifetime. woodmanspal.com/product/woodmans-pal-481/
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POCKET OX
Remember when we could throw a buck on the tailgate or yard our dirt bikes out of
the brush without waiting on a buddy? Bikes got heavier, tailgates taller and, frankly, those buddies are showing some wear. Idaho’s Pocket Ox builds the smallest, most powerful “in your pack, not in the truck” manual hoists. Save your back for scoopin’ up grandkids. They come sooner than you think. PocketOx.com
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TEACHING YOU THE SKILLS TO SUCCESSFULLY HUNT AND/OR SURVIVE IN THE WILD. Hands-on and in the field courses for men, women and children. Become a better outdoors person. Learn the essentials of: Modern Day Survival • Navigation Skills • Scouting Classes • Archery Hunting Skills and Techniques • Big Game Strategies For All Weapons • Shooting Techniques and Much More.
WILDERNESS SURVIVAL School for Hunters and Guides
Contact us today: Mike Jenkins – 360-560-7620 nwschoolforhunters.com
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