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SHOOTING JOURNAL
Volume 9 // Issue 12 // September 2020
PUBLISHER James R. Baker
INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn
GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andy Walgamott
ON THE COVER
OFFICE MANAGER / COPY EDITOR Katie Aumann
Scholastic Clay Target Program athlete Haley Schumutzer of the Waterford (Wisconsin) Wolverine Shooting Team was among the 2,000plus young shooters who participated in-person and at their home ranges for this summer’s Covid-19-impacted SCTP 2020 National Championship. (HAYLEY WILSON PHOTOGRAPHY)
LEAD CONTRIBUTOR Frank Jardim CONTRIBUTORS Tom Davis, Jim Dickson, Scott Haugen, Phil Massaro, Mike Nesbitt, Ashley Wells SALES MANAGER Paul Yarnold
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American Shooting Journal // September 2020
CONTENTS
VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 12
25 PULLING OFF A
CHAMPIONSHIP DURING A PANDEMIC How do more than 2,000 young clay target shooters compete in national and international championship events while Covid-19 rages across the country and world? The Scholastic Clay Target Program’s Tom Davis shares how his organization pulled it off over 10 mid-July days – all while expanding the competitions!
HAYLEY WILSON PHOTOGRAPHY
MORE FEATURES 31
39
43
ROAD HUNTER: GOOD FORTUNE ON THE MALHEUR Southeast Oregon’s Malheur River is named for the misfortune suffered by some early-day French-Canadian trappers, but our Scott Haugen experienced the opposite during an epic waterfowl and upland bird hunt with one of his gun dogs. GET TO LOVE DOVE “There is more to mourning dove hunting than just a fine-eating bird.” Those are the wise words of our Jim Dickson about what might be the country’s most prolific game bird. As seasons kick off, get your five-gallon bucket, stock up on extra boxes of shells and check out Jim’s story on these tasty gray rockets! BIRDS OF RENOWN Though hunted differently, grouse are a favorite of European and American wingshooters alike. Jim Dickson takes a walk through the history books and into the rough stuff for ruffies.
51
THE EASIEST ANIMALS FOR BEGINNERS TO SPOT AND HUNT Which game critters offer new hunters the best entry into the sport? From spotting to taking down with a clean shot, Ashley Wells covers America’s most feasible options.
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GETTING KIDS INTO THE GAME Preseason and other special hunting opportunities give youths better odds of success, potentially helping rebuild our numbers.
71
BULLET BULLETIN: MORE THAN JUST PLASTIC Polymer-tipped bullets are here to stay, with many companies now making them for a wide range of uses. Phil Massaro has fired more than a few in his time and he shares some insights on “plastic nose” projectiles.
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BLACK POWDER: UPDATING A .44 COLT Mike Nesbitt is always tinkering with stuff and his .44 Colt revolver by Uberti is no exception. Get ready for some adventures in bullet making, hammer sight filing and more!
DEPARTMENTS 19 23 65 91 95
Competition Calendar Gun Show Calendar Company Spotlight: Blue Wonder’s cleaners, touch-up kits and more Company Spotlight: Brian Dixson’s three firearms product companies offer a lot for shooters Company Spotlight: DIP offers custom rimfire parts for Savage, CZ, Marlin and more
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 © 2020 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 // September 2020
PRIMER
COMPETITION C A L E N D A R
September 4-6 Buckeye Open Harrison, Ohio usashooting.org
September 12
September 26
September 11-13
September 18-20
Safariland Revolver/L10 Nationals Talladega, Ala.
September 11-13
September 24-27
September 10-13
September 16-20
September 11-13
300 Meter National Championship St. Francis, Minn. 2020 Iowa Section Championship Elkhart, Iowa
2020 Carolina Classic Salisbury, N.C. 2020 Area 4 USPSA Championship Van Buren, Ark.
Cedar Hill Jr. Gun Club Blackfoot, Idaho
2020 Oregon State Championship Bend, Ore.
2020 Louisiana Section Gator Classic Princeton, La.
September 25-26
2020 USPSA Idaho Section Championship Jerome, Idaho
2020 Area 5 USPSA Championship Wilmore, Ky.
September 18-20 2020 Indiana Section Championship Terre Haute, Ind.
September 25-26
September 12-13
September 18-20
September 26-27
September 4-5
September 8-12
September 19-20
September 5-7
September 18-20
September 25-27
September 6
September 19
Northern Lakes Regional Classic XXIX St. Paul, Minn. California State Championships Tulare, Calif. Wyoming State Finals Lusk, Wy. North Dakota State Shoot Bismarck, N.D.
September 5-6 idpa.com
Team Shooting Stars PTO Carrollton, Texas
September 3-5
Golden Bullet Championship Sloughhouse, Calif.
cmsaevents.com
September 19-20
September 15
September 6
gssfonline.com
2020 CMP Monthly Match Camp Perry Port Clinton, Ohio
2020 CMP Monthly Match Anniston Anniston, Ala.
Safariland Single Stack Nationals Talladega, Ala.
uspsa.org
September 12
2020 Western Regional IDPA Championship Sacramento, Calif.
Glock Annual Shoot XXVII & Gunny Challenge XVI Talladega, Ala CMSA Eastern US Championship Murfreesboro, Tenn. Colorado State 2020 Lamar, Colo.
2020 Area 7 USPSA Championship Dunbarton, N.H.
Badger State Regional Classic XIV Milwaukee, Wis. Western South Central Regional Decatur, Texas WA State Shoot hosted by WWMS Boardman, Ore.
NC State Championship Lumberton, N.C.
September 26-27
September 17-19
September 19
2020 Illinois State IDPA Championship Sparta, Ill.
Mid-West Regional Shoot London, Ohio TTS IDPA 2020 National Championship Postal Match Conroe, Texas
September 11-13
Tri-County Sportsmen Challenge Saline, Mich.
Note: Due to the coronavirus outbreak, social distancing requirements that states have prescribed, and rapidly changing developments at press time, it is highly advisable to check ahead on the status of individual events via the links in the above organizers’ websites. americanshootingjournal.com 19
20
American Shooting Journal // September 2020
PRS RESOURCE GUIDE Pro Bolt Gun Series Sept. 5 Sept. 11 Sept. 19 Sept. 26 Oct. 3 Oct. 10 Oct. 10 Oct. 16 Oct. 17
VPRC Rifleman’s Revival 2020 Federal Gold Medal Match- Qualifier Great Lakes PRC Reveille Peak Ranch Open Bushnell Tactical Gap Grind Pro AM XLR Grand Shootout Rockland Precision Spring Rifle Classic Kestrell Fall Classic Sharpshooter Showdown
Alton, Virginia Carbon Hill, Alabama Lake City, Michigan Burnet, Texas Finger, Tennessee De Beque, Colorado Kennerdell, Pennsylvania Baker, Florida San Luis Obispo, California
Note: Due to the coronavirus outbreak, social distancing requirements that states are prescribing and rapidly changing developments at press time, it is highly advisable to check ahead on the status of individual events via the link in the organizer’s website below.
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American Shooting Journal // September 2020
PRIMER
GUNSHOW C A L E N D A R
C&E Gun Shows
September 12-13
Hickory, N.C.
Hickory Metro Convention Center
September 19-20
Columbus, Ohio
Westland Mall
September 26-27
Concord, N.C.
Cabarrus Arena & Events Center
October 3-4
Fayetteville, N.C.
Crown Expo Center
October 3-4
Sharonville, Ohio
Sharonville Convention Center
September 5-6
St. George, Utah
Dixie Center
September 12-13
Phoenix, Ariz.
Arizona State Fairgrounds
September 19-20
Tucson, Ariz.
Pima County Fairgrounds
September 25-26
Farmington, Utah
Davis County Fairgrounds
September 26-27
Mesa, Ariz
Centennial Hall
October 3-4
Ontario, Calif.
Ontario Convention Center
September 19-20
Palmetto, Fla.
Bradenton Area Convention Center
October 3-4
Fort Myers, Fla.
Lee County Civic Center
October 10-11
Tampa, Fla.
Florida State Fairgrounds
October 17-18
Orlando, Fla.
Central Florida Fairgrounds
RK Shows
September 5-6
Blue Ridge, Ga.
Kiwanis Fairgrounds
rkshows.com
September 5-6
East Ridge, Tenn.
Camp Jordan Arena
September 12-13
Cartersville, Ga.
Clarence Brown Conference Center
September 12-13
Independence, Mo.
Cable Dahmer Arena
September 19-20
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Colorado Springs Event Center
September 25-27
Dubuque, Iowa
Grand River Center
September 26-27
Lexington, Ky.
Kentucky Horse Park
September 26-27
Wichita, Kan.
Century II Expo Hall
cegunshows.com
Crossroads Of The West Gun Shows crossroadsgunshows.com
Florida Gun Shows
floridagunshows.com
Real Texas Gun Shows
All 2020 shows cancelled until further notice
Tanner Gun Shows
All 2020 shows cancelled until further notice
therealtexasgunshow.com tannergunshow.com
Wes Knodel Gun Shows wesknodelgunshows.com
September 12-13
Centralia, Wash.
Southwest Washington Fairgrounds
September 12-13
Portland, Ore.
Portland Expo Center
October 10-11
Redmond, Ore.
Deschutes County Fairgrounds Expo Center
October 17-18
Centralia, Wash.
Southwest Washington Fairgrounds
Note: Due to the coronavirus outbreak, social distancing requirements that states prescribed, and rapidly changing developments at press time, it is highly advisable to check ahead on the status of individual gun shows via the links in the above organizers’ websites. To have your event highlighted here, send an email to kaumann@media-inc.com.
americanshootingjournal.com 23
S.C.T.P. PULLS OFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DURING PANDEMIC
Two thousand-plus young shooters participated in-person and at their home ranges for this summer’s Covid-19-impacted Scholastic Clay Target Program 2020 National Championship.
Both in-person and from their home ranges, more than 2,000 young clay target shooters successfully participated in this year's events, which also were expanded. STORY BY TOM DAVIS • PHOTOS BY HAYLEY WILSON PHOTOGRAPHY
O
ver the course of 10 days, Scholastic Clay Target Program athletes converged on the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio, for the much anticipated 2020 National
Championship. This year’s event was different for many reasons but was resoundingly welcomed by athletes, coaches, families and sponsors in the midst of an unusual season. After careful
consideration and advisement from the Ohio Department of Health, Cardinal Shooting Center and medical professionals, the SCTP went forward putting on the National Championship from July 9 through 18. americanshootingjournal.com 25
Scenes from SCTP National and International Championships (both pages) and side events. The international event, traditionally held later in the year in Colorado, kicked off the 10-day competition.
KICKING OFF THE event at the Cardinal Center were the SCTP International Championships, which historically had been held in Colorado later in the year. Encouraging growth and awareness for the disciplines of international skeet and bunker trap, the SCTP held the international events on the front end of the national championship in 2020.
26
American Shooting Journal // September 2020
“This gave the opportunity for more athletes to participate in the international disciplines, while relieving families from the burden of additional travel costs from a separate event,” said SCTP national director Tom Wondrash. “By having our international events as part of the national championship, awareness and
participation for these disciplines have increased considerably,” Wondrash added. “This year our bunker trap entries doubled and we had many athletes who were competing in events later in the week come by to watch the international competitions. Many of those athletes will be coming back to compete in the international disciplines next year!”
americanshootingjournal.com 27
FOLLOWING THE INTERNATIONAL competitions were the familiar eight days of the SCTP National Championship, where thousands of athletes, coaches, families and sponsors participated in and supported the disciplines of skeet (singles/doubles), trap (singles/ doubles/handicap) and sporting clays. To accommodate teams unable to travel due to unusual restrictions in the 2020 season, the SCTP held a virtual national championship, which was open to all registered teams across the country. Held in conjunction with the in-person national championships schedule at the Cardinal Center, athletes participated at their home ranges, accounting for over 1,000 event entries. “Many of our teams were very excited and thankful for the opportunity to compete for the national championship virtually from their home range this year,” said Chet Tuinstra, SCTP eastern director of development. “There are many aspects of the 2020 National Championship that had never been done before. We are incredibly proud of how this all came together and are very thankful for the volunteers, sponsors and Cardinal Center staff who helped make this such a success.” OVER 2,000 ATHLETES from nearly 300 teams participated in the 2020 SCTP National
Edyn Marx of the Flyway Clay Slayers of eastern Wisconsin takes aim.
Championships, representing 37 states. Youth athletes participating in many other sports throughout the country were faced with disappointment this spring from altered and even cancelled seasons. “Our team put in many, many hours considering how to handle an event as large as nationals in the midst of an unusual season,” said Jeff Morrison, SCTP western director of development. “By June, we moved forward with hosting regional events and the national championship. As soon as we put the word out, we got many excited messages from the teams and even encouragement from our sponsors.” “By the close of nationals, over one million clays were thrown at
Around half of this year’s competitors traveled to central Ohio’s Cardinal Shooting Center to take part, while the other half did so from their teams’ home ranges. Overall, more than 1 million clays were thrown.
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American Shooting Journal // September 2020
the Cardinal Center and all over the nation from team home ranges,” beamed Amanda Wondrash, SCTP administrative coordinator. “The SCTP National Championship is an incredibly large and prestigious event, regarded highly by so many teams, families and supporters who believe in the future of shooting sports. We are so thankful to have received an overwhelming amount of praise and appreciation for not just going forward with nationals, but for also having the determination to adapt and even expand the event this year.” For scores and leaderboard information from the 2020 SCTP National Championship, visit app.sssfonline.com/nationals/2551.
ROAD HUNTER
Author Scott Haugen’s dog Echo had a fun day on the river, retrieving ducks, pheasants and quail from the water.
GOOD FORTUNE ON THE MALHEUR
A bird hunt along the southeast Oregon river yields limits of ducks, quail, pheasant for author, pooch. STORY AND PHOTOS BY SCOTT HAUGEN
losing in, I could see my dog’s back, holding rocksteady, 15 yards ahead. The lush green grass was too dense to push through, forcing me to approach from a different angle. When I popped into a tiny opening, my dog, Echo, was gone. Pausing, movement of tall grass caught my eye. As suddenly as it began, the shuddering grass stood still. Inching in for the flush on what I assumed was Echo pushing a
C
bird, she was nowhere to be seen. Seconds later, Echo reappeared, this time a few steps to my left. As I moved, she was swallowed up by more tall grass. No doubt the lush river bottom we hunted was overflowing with the scent of valley quail, but I’d never seen her break with such anxiety. The rich green grass, still laden with early morning dew, was well over my head, and I had no choice but to push another 20 yards to the end. When I
saw the opposite bank of the river we skirted, I knew something was going to happen. Anticipating Echo would be there, poised and on point over a covey of quail, I was shaken when the sea of green erupted around me. “Rooster!” I thought to myself. Taking a bead on the brilliantly colored bird as it flew straight away, it dropped in the middle of the river. At the shot, more roosters flushed, and soon another ringneck was floating americanshootingjournal.com 31
ROAD HUNTER downstream. When it was over, I’d counted 18 roosters and one hen flushing from the patch of green grass that engulfed me; all good reasons for Echo’s behavior in this, her first such encounter on wild birds. My 2½-year-old pudelpointer wasted no time retrieving the ringnecks from the river. Though our pheasant limit was filled, our day afield was just beginning. DUCK QUEST Our hunt began early in the morning along southeast Oregon’s Malheur River. Normally flowing deep and fast, this season the river resembled more of a creek due to drought-like conditions. This was nice for navigation purposes, and created a favorable habitat in which Echo could work. The idea was to walk the river, jump-shooting puddle ducks as we went. Slithering through tall willows, the first spot we jumped held three mallards. I cleanly missed the first two shots, connecting on a greenhead with the third. The next little slough was tough to approach due to a lack of cover, but slowly, tucked behind a small rise in the riverbank, Echo and I made our move. I could see a slight ripple in the water, and when I popped over the embankment, ducks took to the sky. Backlit by a rising sun, the silver spray of water danced off more than a dozen birds, silhouetted in the clear air. My heart raced, for I had only anticipated one or two birds taking wing. I think Echo was just as shocked. The shots must have been fairly easy, because I managed a triple. Immediately Echo went to work, nabbing the first duck close to shore, then the next one that was stone-dead in the middle of the stream. The last bird was winged, but 75 yards downstream she finally caught it, putting a solid end to her performance. By 9 a.m. we had our limit of ducks, and Echo was loving life. VALLEY QUAIL Following lunch and a nap to pass the 32
American Shooting Journal // September 2020
While ringneck pheasant numbers aren’t what they used to be in many regions throughout the West, there are still pockets of them to be found.
heat of the day, we were back at it once the afternoon temperature dropped. This time we were chasing valley quail along the river bottom. The brush was dense and the willows tall, but Echo picked up right where she left off, working hard. The first covey we got into, I managed a double as they twisted and turned through 20-foot-tall willows; Echo was on top of things, once again. We came to another spot laden with tall green grass, a setting that reminded me of where we’d taken our two ringneck pheasants earlier that day. We kept walking upstream, vainly
searching for quail. Every time we jumped ducks, Echo shot me the look. You know the one – “Dad, why didn’t you shoot? Are you going to shoot? I’m not doing all this work for nothing!” The number of messages conveyed by a simple glare from a hunting dog never ceases to amaze me. But we kept moving, working groves of willows that grew between the river bank and the surrounding sage-brushcovered hills. Twice I got lucky and tripled on coveys, and Echo was in heaven. Never had she been so eager to receive hand signals in order to make
ROAD HUNTER
Valley quail were thick where the author and his dog hunted along southeast Oregon’s Malheur River, and retrieves came in a range of habitats.
FOOD FOR THE TRAIL
I
f your dogs are like mine, they often won’t eat breakfast the morning of a hunt, as they’re too amped-up. I hunt with two dogs, and I used to take their breakfast in the field with me so they could eat once there was a lull. But last year I started carrying other food alternatives afield and loving the results. I’m not a “treat” guy. I rarely give my dogs treats for the simple reason that I don’t want them to become treat-driven in their performance. But I didn’t really like carrying three cups of food afield every morning of the hunt either, so I was motivated to find options. I started drying my own deer and elk scraps in a food dehydrator, placing pieces in baggies and carrying them afield; that worked well and the dogs liked it. Then I progressed to freeze-dried dog treats, as they are lightweight and not greasy. My dogs love the freeze-dried Roasted Beef Steak and Roasted Beef Lung Tip by Butcher’s Block. Keep in mind, these are not meals, so should be given in moderation. Be sure to have plenty of water handy, which aids in digestion, and read the label for recommended portion sizes for your dog. A lightweight, grease-free, protein-rich treat my dogs go crazy over is the new NutriSource Jerky. These grain- and gluten-free treats make a great energy booster throughout the day. I like the variety of nutritious blends used in the making of the NutriSource Jerky Treats, but if your dog is picky, consider PureVita Jerky, which is created from a single protein. These treats hold my dogs over until dinner, when they get their usual NutriSource dry food – sometimes topped with canned, wet NutriSource food – which they devour and I love the fact that it keeps them in such good hunting shape.
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American Shooting Journal // September 2020
the retrieves; then again, never had she seen so much action for so many species. Some quail coveys we got on were in family units and numbered over 100 birds. This must have been olfactory overload for a bird dog. When Echo followed a game trail into a willow thicket along the river – a sandy trail laden with quail tracks – I skirted the outer edge in anticipation of a big flush. Instead, Echo soon emerged with a bleached-out mule deer shed, something I’d not even imagined happening. I’d trained Echo to locate deer and elk sheds by smell and sight. Obviously, the old white shed caught her eye, and she knew exactly what to do. We kept pushing, and hit a dry spell. Three miles later, we took a water break in the shade and I wondered if we’d find any more quail. Not that I needed a limit of birds, as the day had already been more of a success than I could have dreamed. But getting a limit provided me with a goal; a goal that forced me to hunt smart so Echo could keep doing what she was born to do.
ROAD HUNTER Author Scott Haugen and Echo with a one-day limit of ducks, valley quail and pheasants. Filling limits on both days of opening weekend helped create one of the most memorable bird hunts of Haugen’s life.
Temperatures were still warmer than we were used to, so I slowed things down. Hunting our way back to camp, Echo went on semipoint amid sparse cattails. When a snipe darted across a gravel bar, I got lucky on the shot, and we had a new species to add to Echo’s list of retrieves that day.
Rounding the last bend in the river, we could see camp. Echo started getting excited, in the way dogs get when they know dinner and rest is so near. Then her demeanor instantly changed. Ears down, nose stretching high into the air, she stood on her toes and pumped her nostrils. Then she sunk tight to the
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American Shooting Journal // September 2020
ground and made her move. Seconds later, she was on point. As quickly as the covey of quail flushed, our hunt was over, rounding out a three-species limit for that day. It was a first for both me and Echo, a day I’ll never forget, and the great part was we repeated limits again the very next day. While the uniqueness of bagging multiple species was truly special, what’s etched deepest in my mind was how hard Echo worked in the wide range of situations we found ourselves in that day, and how happy she was no matter where she found herself. It was a great start to our fall bird hunting season, one I wish all fellow bird hunters could experience at least once in their lives. Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott and Tiffany Haugen’s popular cookbook, Cooking Game Birds, send a check for $20 (free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489 or order online at scotthaugen.com.
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GET TO LOVE DOVE 'There is more to mourning dove hunting than just a fine-eating bird.' STORY BY JIM DICKSON
D
ove shooting offers some of the fastest and most exciting shotgunning available in this country. Flocks of mourning doves wheeling and twisting and turning at 40 to 60 miles per hour over the expanse of the field offer many shots to the hunters on the edges of the field. Then there is always the seemingly bulletproof bird that flies the length of the field unscathed, as everyone fires at it. The more hunters on the edges of a big field after harvest time, the better, as they keep the doves moving. If you have just a few, the doves will simply move to the other end of the field safely away from the hunters. With the possible exception
of driven grouse shooting in the British Isles, there is no bird shooting as fast and exciting as a dove shoot on a good day. It is a thrill that has to be experienced. It cannot be described. Fathers bring their children and as time goes on, they in turn bring their own kids. It is a tradition among many Southern families and one that is deeply cherished for good reason. Bringing home fresh meat for dinner is a tradition dating back to the earliest caveman days and one that binds hunters together like no other. DOVE SHOOTING IS luxurious, as hunting goes. You settle in against the trees at the edge of the field
and wait for the birds to come over. You don’t need camouflage, but you should wear dark clothing to blend in with the dark background. They make plastic seat lids for five-gallon buckets and a lot of hunters use these, as the containers can also carry their shotgun shells, food and a two-liter soda easily. I remember years ago an old man who carried a case of 12-gauge shells for his pump gun, which he used for a seat. He wasn’t the best shot on the field, but he had a lot of fun and that’s what it’s all about. A game bag for your birds is also needed. You don’t want bloody feathers all over your shotgun shells and your lunch, so carrying them with the rest of your supplies is out. The dove is a fast and elusive target
Mourning doves on a dummy line at Joe Kurz Wildlife Management Area in Georgia, one of the top states to hunt the migratory birds, if harvest estimates are any indication. The species gets its name from its mournful coo. (ROB BARTLETT/GDNR)
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A 12-bore game gun made by James Purdey & Sons in London might make a splendid – albeit a very expensive – dove-getter. (JAMES PURDEY & SONS)
and the average hunter is doing well to get one dove for every four shots fired at them. If you want to consistently kill every bird, the only way I know to do this is to get a Best Quality sideby-side 12-bore game gun from the British Isles that has been stocked to fit you to a sixteenth of an inch in every possible direction. You don’t need magnum loads to kill doves. While many prefer No. 7½ shot, my favorite load for anything that I shoot with birdshot is 1 ounce of No. 6 shot over 3 drams of powder. This patterns perfectly and kills everything efficiently, even out to extreme range. Back in the days when the farmer’s single-barrel shotgun was one of the most common guns afield, this was perhaps the most popular 12-gauge load. It still does everything I ask of a birdshot load well. More doves are shot by hunters each year than any other game bird – just under 10 million last season, federal managers estimate – yet because of their fast breeding, this does not impact their numbers. Modern mechanized farming leaves a lot of grain in the fields for the birds to feast on, plus the dove is highly compatible with humans. Vast numbers invade the suburbs, where they are popularly regarded as songbirds for their melodic cooing. They find plenty to eat there and thrive in close contact with people. THE MOURNING DOVE closely resembles its extinct relative, the passenger pigeon. The scientific name of the mourning dove is Zenaida macroura and there are three subspecies in North America. Zenaidura macroura carolinensis is found in the Eastern U.S. and Canada, while Zenaidura macroura marginella is found in the Western U.S., Canada and Mexico. Both of 40
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these species migrate north in the summer and south for the winter. There is a nonmigratory third species in the Caribbean Islands known as Zenaidura macroura macroura, which sounds a bit redundant to me. The Eastern mourning dove population is divided, with 80 percent dwelling on cultivated land and 20 percent dwelling in marshland, while the Western doves frequent the open plains and semiarid regions. While extremely large flocks can damage crops, they normally do more good than harm to the farmer by eating weed seeds and insects. Most of the grain they eat is waste seed they pick up in the stubble after harvesting. Many farmers charge hunters to shoot over their fields after harvest time, so the dove can produce a good deal of income for the farmer. Doves tend to mate for life and both parents share in bringing up the young. Nests are flimsy affairs built in tree crotches 5 to 10 feet off the ground. Normally two eggs are laid, although there may be more. The female takes the night shift sitting on the eggs, while the male takes the day shift. In two weeks or less, the eggs hatch. The first brood will be ready to leave the nest in just six weeks. Nesting and raising chicks will continue for six or seven months, or even as long as 10 months if the climate is favorable. These chicks are sometimes ready to breed at only five to six months old in the southern part of their range. That’s a lot of chicks per year and that’s why hunting has so little impact on their numbers. A far bigger factor is severe weather, with storms destroying nests and extreme freezes killing wintering birds. Other major factors are trichomoniasis and other diseases that can wipe out large numbers of doves, and land-clearing that destroys nesting trees. Predators
are only a minor factor. The mourning dove gets its name because some people think its cooing sounds mournful. Others, like myself, find it a soothing call. Birds tend to avoid the deep woods, preferring to feed in clearings, fields and gardens on seeds and insects. They will also eat pine mast, acorns, chinkapins and beech nuts. The species is predominantly a seed-eater and it is especially fond of grains grown by farmers, such as wheat, buckwheat, barley, oats, rye and corn, as well as peas. It needs gravel for its crop to grind these up and doves always want to fly to water to tank up before roosting for the night. AT THE END of the day, doves provide gourmet food for hunters. Some folks only eat the substantial breasts, but I always clean and cook the whole bird, the same as I do a chicken. In the South, organized hunts are often a social event. Lifetime friendships and business deals are forged there in a tradition that dates back to pioneer days. It is a place to meet with old friends and make new ones. This is the way it always was. A tradition forged in the days of the cavemen when humans had to work together to bring down the giant wooly mammoth. It was refined in the royal hunts of the middle ages and continues in the British Isles’ driven game shoots, which rank among the finest social events of the year. This was the form that migrated unchanged to the old South and it is a tradition that still can be found in some organized bear, deer and dove hunts in the South today. There is more to mourning dove hunting than just a fine-eating bird.
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“Grouse hunting is widely regarded as the most enjoyable bird hunting available. For the woodsman who enjoys his time in the forest, this is certainly true,” writes author Jim Dickson. (KURT ROBBINS)
BIRDS OF RENOWN Though hunted differently, grouse are a favorite of European and American wingshooters alike. STORY BY JIM DICKSON
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rouse shooting is the sport of kings and the grouse is widely considered the most noble of game birds. English and European kings and nobles have made driven grouse shoots some of the most important social events of the year. The giant auerhahn, or capercaillie, is the largest grouse species, weighing in at an average of 6½ pounds. The largest on record weighed a whopping 16 pounds, far larger than the common varieties of grouse shot on driven game shoots in the British Isles and on the continent. This Ice Age survivor is jealously guarded in Germany, where only 1,000 pairs remain due to habitat destruction. I remember 50 years ago that the bag
limit was one per a hunter’s lifetime in Germany. Needless to say, these birds normally got stuffed and mounted. Fortunately, there are more in Scandinavia and even some in Scotland. DRIVEN GROUSE SHOOTING is the most popular shooting sport in the British Isles and has led the Scots and the British to perfect the shotgun. A Best Quality 12-bore side-by-side game gun, with its stock individually fitted to its owner to 1/16 of an inch in all directions, is the ultimate shotgun. It is best fitted with a straight grip stock, or at most a semi-pistol grip stock, because you cannot reliably make the straight-up
or even slightly-bent-over-backwards shot at oncoming driven grouse with a full pistol grip stock. A splinter forend as opposed to a beavertail forend is a must for maximum liveliness in the hands. Grasping the barrels instead of the forend drastically improves your hitting, while laying the thumb alongside the barrels of a side-by-side double is all it takes to prevent the nondominant eye from battling the master eye for dominance, forcing you to miss to one side if it wins. Unfortunately, nothing works for the stylish over-and-under guns that are the fad now. The master eye sees the narrow rib and the other eye sees the great mass of both barrels, often setting off a fight for master eye dominance. In americanshootingjournal.com 43
this fight, the shooter is the loser, for if the nondominant eye wins, you will then miss to one side. If you want to hit every bird, you had better stick to the classic side-by-side game gun. A Best Quality shotgun is a handmade masterpiece whose price seems high, but it quickly becomes cheap when you realize that these guns last for many millions of rounds fired, compared to cheaper pump and automatic shotguns that often need replacing after a mere 10,000 rounds or less. The cost of constantly replacing the cheaper guns compared to the one-time purchase of a Best Quality side-by-side game gun ends up making the Best Quality gun a bargain. There is a saying in the British gun trade that you buy a Best Quality gun for your grandchildren because they will still be using it after you are gone. You do not need magnum loads for grouse. My favorite load for everything I shoot with birdshot is a 12-gauge with 1 ounce of No. 6 shot over three drams of powder. This patterns better than the same load in a smaller gauge and kills efficiently. It will go through all the feathers and bones of a turkey at extreme range, so there is no lack of power. IN AMERICA, GROUSE is hunted more like quail; it is a target for individual hunters or small groups. We don’t have the giant driven game shoots of England and the rest of A good view of a ruffed grouse on the ground. Notice how well it blends in. (PAUL CARSON/RUFFED GROUSE SOCIETY)
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Dickson prefers hunting grouse behind an English setter and says that a dog shouldn't work too far ahead of the hunter because of the birds' proclivity to flush early. (KURT ROBBINS)
Europe. Our game laws won’t permit it. It’s a different world over there, where game is raised as a crop, then the well-heeled gentry pay to harvest it for you. What a deal! Now if I can just get those boys to come over here and pay me to work on my farm for me, I’ll have it made. Grouse are a big part of America’s hunting scene. The sport of skeet shooting was actually invented by two grouse hunters as a way to keep in practice during the off-season. They have always been among the most valued of game birds, leading to them being included in America’s first game management efforts when New York instituted open and closed hunting
seasons for them in 1708. People who take up grouse shooting often become passionate about it. They are very sporting birds, offering a real challenge to the shooter. Used to twisting and turning as it flies among the trees in the deep woods, a grouse will change direction as well as instinctively use any trees or obstruction that it can to put danger behind in its flight for cover. Their explosive flush is fast and can be very startling. Grouse offer only a very small window of time for a shot. If zigzagging
is not enough to throw a shooter off, the zigzagging necessitated by flight through the forest will cause many a shot pattern to land in the trees instead of the bird. There are some good shots who give up, declaring that they can’t hit grouse. The solution is a fitted 12-bore side-by-side game gun combined with the Quick Kill instinct shooting method taught by the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Now you will have no trouble hitting them. Your only problem is going to be finding
This red grouse was taken by a Best Quality British sidelock 12-gauge – the ultimate shotgun, according to the author. (J. ROBERTS & SON GUNMAKERS)
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them. These are crow-size birds weighing about a pound to a pound and a half with a wingspan of 20 to 25 inches and an overall length of 15 to 20 inches. Their dappled grayish or reddish color blends in perfectly with the leaves so that they are hard to spot, and they are very good at staying still when they hear something coming so they aren’t detected. TO HUNT GROUSE without the use of a dog, stalking hunters must listen and watch as they move through the woods. Game is less disturbed by a man walking nonchalantly than by one obviously stalking. If a bird is located and you have the opportunity, try to set a course that would allow at least 10 feet of space so it will be more likely to hold under cover until you are close enough to shoot. Grouse may appear tame when unused to human presence, but they soon learn when they are hunted and can become as wary as any bird. A European trick for stalking all types of game is the employment of a well-trained stalking horse. Most game can’t count, so if the hunter is concealed behind the horse, the game doesn’t usually notice the extra pair of legs in view. The horse must understand his role and not suddenly expose the hunter or shy at the sound of the gun. Sadly, this efficient hunting method never caught on in America and has almost died out in Europe. Hunting with dogs requires a dog that will work close to you, and because the grouse is a wide-bodied bird, it should be a large breed. The best grouse dog I ever had was an English setter; this breed is generally favored over other bird dogs for grouse hunting because they tend to work closer to the hunter when required. Grouse are easily flushed, so you don’t want the dog working far ahead. They are also far less inclined to hold in place for a dog than quail are. Smaller breeds have too much trouble retrieving the birds. I remember how sorry I felt for a big Brittany spaniel, as he kept trying and trying to get his mouth around a big grouse to retrieve it. He pushed that bird all over the ground but he finally got it where he
could pick it up and bring it. These are woodland birds that feed along the edges of the woods at logging roads, logged out areas, and any area where brush is coming back. Areas burned over by forest fires where the growth is starting to come back provide prime food sources for grouse, and thus good grouse hunting. Young grouse are heavily dependent on protein-rich bugs for food, but the adults tend more toward vegetation. Grouse flourish on plants that most other birds cannot eat. They can safely eat many bitter, poisonous plants. Never assume a plant is safe to eat just because you saw a grouse eating it or its berries. Unlike other birds, they can also digest large amounts of fibrous vegetation thanks to very long paired pouches at the junction of the large and small intestines. Typical grouse food consists of leaves, twigs, buds and fruits of ferns, shrubs and woody plants, plus soft fruits and acorns in season. They are fond of chinkapins, of which there are two kinds: the bush-size Allegheny
chinkapin and the Ozark chinkapin, which is a tree that grows 60 feet tall. These make prime grouse food and the Ozark Chinkapin Foundation is working to establish these trees as wildlife food plot sources nationwide. THE DEEP LOW drumbeat sound you hear in the woods is the famous drumming of male ruffed grouse. They make this noise by quickly rotating their wings forward and then backward. This creates a vacuum that makes a miniature thunderclap at each beat. This sound carries for a quarter of a mile. A male will then stretch out and flash the black ruff of feathers on its neck, which is how the species got its name. This display is to attract a female during the spring. After the grouse honeymoon, the female nests in a simple hollowedout depression in the leaves at the base of a tree, stump or large rock, but sometimes in a brush pile or in a partially open hollow stump. Like other birds, grouse will often leave a circular depression in the woods
where they moved the leaf litter aside to dust themselves. These differ from the built-up edges of nests, as the litter has just been shoved aside. Conservation of grouse is very important and to this end, the Ruffed Grouse Society was formed 60 years ago. Dedicated to conserving the ruffed grouse and its habitat, as well as bringing the numbers of its population up, this is an important organization for the birds and hunters. Grouse population cycles naturally go up and down over a seven- to 10-year period. The biggest factor impacting their numbers is a suitable habitat made up of diverse forest age classes. This is a bigger factor than hunting pressure or anything else. Grouse are at the bottom of the food chain and few of them survive from year to year. They breed enough to offset this, so long as they have good habitat. Grouse hunting is widely regarded as the most enjoyable bird hunting available. For the woodsman who enjoys his time in the forest, this is certainly true.
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Widespread across the Lower 48, wild turkeys are a great species for new hunters to try their luck with. In addition to long spring hunts for gobblers – mature males also known as toms – some states offer fall seasons for any bird.
THE EASIEST ANIMALS FOR BEGINNERS TO SPOT AND HUNT Which game critters offer new hunters the best entry into the sport? From spotting to taking down with a clean shot, we cover America's most feasible options. STORY BY ASHLEY WELLS • PHOTOS BY SHUTTERSTOCK
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hen getting into the hunting game, it’s best to start with some lighter or easier prey to help you practice. Of course, before you head out into the wilderness, you need to do some target practice to ensure you know how to use your weapon properly. Once you can easily hit a target that isn’t living, you can start hunting animals. The general rule of thumb for
hunting is that the smaller the animal, the easier it’ll be to shoot for a beginner. This might seem counterintuitive because a larger animal would give you a bigger target. However, they are usually a lot more dangerous and would not be a good idea for your early hunting trips. FEATHERED QUARRY Birds are a great place to start when it
comes to learning the ropes for hunting. Yes, they can take flight to get away, but they are usually fairly easy to shoot down from the sky. You can see why practicing with your weapon before you head out on your first hunt is a must. A WILD TURKEY makes for excellent prey for a beginner. The birds are large, giving you a good-sized target to aim for. They also tend to gather in big americanshootingjournal.com 51
others can move in a long line to herd the birds towards you. If you’re going to have people moving around, make sure they know what they’re doing because pheasants can spook quite easily. The trick with shooting pheasants is that you need to wait for them to take flight. This means that you should be practiced with a moving target in the air. Skeet shooting is a great training technique for hunting pheasants and will help you to feel more confident about bringing down your prey. FURRY PREY If you aren’t keen on bagging birds, there are a number of other animals you can hunt for. Just remember, the smaller they are, the more likely they are to have a burrow or hidey-hole nearby that they can disappear into. Stealth is key.
Mallards and other ducks typically fly around in large flocks, while hunters, hidden in natural or artificial blinds, set up decoy spreads and call to coax them into range.
groups, meaning you have a selection if you miss your first attempt. The birds are fairly slow, making them easy to catch. However, you may have to walk quite far to get to where they are, so make sure you’re wearing comfortable clothing. Turkeys are known to respond to an array of calls, and you can get devices that make the right sound. This is incredibly useful to bring the birds out into a clearing or to work out where they are while you’re hiking to find them. Just be sure to keep your human noises to a minimum while waiting or walking.
Another reason that ducks are the best choice is that they come to you. It can be a bit of a waiting game, but there are a lot of tools you can invest in to bring the ducks around quicker. It’s all about the setup. You need a great spot that’s well-hidden – a blind. Then, you can use decoys out on the water and a duck caller to trick the birds to come in for a landing. Finally, make sure you have steel or other nonlead shot in your shotgun. These pellets spread out when fired, which makes it easier to hit a flying target – sometimes you can even get more than one bird with the same shot.
DUCKS MIGHT BE the quintessential creature for hunting, and a perfect choice for a beginner. For starters, you usually get a large number together, so it is far more likely that you’ll get one.
PHEASANTS TAKE HUNTERS to the fields and tall grass in search of these birds. This really is a waiting game that’s best done in a group. One person waits with their shotgun, while the
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WHERE RABBITS ARE common, it can be a relatively easy challenge to get one. You can also bring a hunting dog along with you that can disturb the rabbits in their burrows and bring them out into the open for you. When hunting rabbits, remember that they are fast. You will only have a moment between spotting them and them disappearing in which to take aim and fire. The good news is, you can train for this kind of hunting by moving into different positions and firing at your target as soon as you stop. You’ll learn to anticipate where the rabbit will be and how to get your eye in quickly. WHITETAIL DEER ARE probably the easiest of large game for a beginner. They offer you a large target to shoot at, although it’s important to be confident that you can hit them in a way that they’ll drop instantly. You want to kill the animal with your first shot or have it drop immediately so that you can move in and kill them quickly. Deer can also be quite skittish; however, they do have a tendency to hesitate before they run off – giving you that all-important moment to take aim and shoot. The hard part about harvesting a deer is that you actually have to do some hunting. This entails having the right clothing on, making sure your scent
is right for the woods and knowing that you can make the shot from a fair distance away. You’ll also need to track them without letting them know you’re in the area, otherwise they will bolt as soon as they feel your presence. As a beginner, you should go with someone who has experience with tracking and knows how to field dress a deer so it’s Wild pheasant take hunters to the fields of the Heartland, while pen-reared birds are released onto wildlife areas in other parts of the country. Both give new hunters good opportunities to harvest a ringneck.
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easier to bring your kill home.
luck and happy hunting!
TIME TO START HUNTING Remember, hunting is about respect for the animal and for your surroundings. If you’re brand new to the sport or the practice, it’s definitely best to go with someone who is experienced – a trained guide is your best bet. Good
Editor's note: Ashley Wells is an editor at Hunting Locator. Ashley is a passionate outdoors enthusiast and writer. With her trusty camper van, she’s on a mission to travel the remote corners and discover the hidden gems our world has to offer – one destination at a time.
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A young hunter poses with a pair of whitetails. Many states offer special opportunities for youths to get into hunting, some of which also help control wildlife populations, giving newbies a better chance of success.
GETTING KIDS INTO THE GAME Preseason and other special hunting opportunities give youths better odds of success, potentially helping rebuild our numbers. STORY BY JIM DICKSON • PHOTOS BY GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
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ith the number of hunters in America dwindling, it has become more and more urgent to attract young folks to the sport. Remembering that nothing succeeds like success, and also how easily young folks can become discouraged at a new endeavor, many state game and fish commissions have instituted preseason youth hunts. Now the novice hunter gets the jump
on the rest of the pack, increasing his or her chance for success. We all know how deer become extra wary on opening day. Game wardens joke that the animals have the hunting season schedules posted somewhere deep in the forest, but the fact remains that wildlife picks up quickly on the new threat in the woods. They really seem to know in advance sometimes.
I remember a few years back on a managed either-sex deer hunt that was held on Sapelo Island, south of Savannah, by what is now known as the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division. There is a causeway from Sapelo to a small island in the marsh where the camp is located for those drawn for the quota hunt. There is no deer hunting on the camping island. The day before the americanshootingjournal.com 57
With youth days prior to general waterfowl and upland bird seasons, budding wingshooters aren’t left out when it comes to what state wildlife managers are doing to potentially increase the number of hunters in the marshes, fields and woods.
hunters arrived, two does went over the causeway from the main island to the hunt camp. The day after the hunt was over, they were seen going back over the causeway to Sapelo Island. They had spent the entire hunt safely hidden in the no-hunting area without anyone seeing them. FOR THESE PRESEASON youth hunts, typically hunters must be 16 years old or younger and be accompanied by an adult, although the adult is not allowed to shoot. This strengthens the parent/child bond that has been built on this practice since caveman days. It also helps ensure responsible behavior and the kid’s safety. An experienced adult hunter can position the child for a successful kill, just as a professional African big-game hunting guide does for his client. There is a lot to learn before 58
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one can be a competent hunter, and traditionally all the young are taught by their elders, for the elders are the only ones who have had a chance to master these skills. This is also a good antidote for the smart-aleck kid who thinks he knows everything. Hunting, bushcraft and camping can be quite a humbling experience for a know-it-all. It can be a real eye-opener to find out that you don’t just walk out in the woods and shoot a deer, or that you can’t just rub two sticks together and get instant fire. States like Georgia also have programs to teach people of all ages to hunt, which ties in nicely with youth preseason hunts for expanding the number of hunters in the field. Again using Georgia as a good example, we find that it has youth waterfowl hunting days (November 14-15 this year) for migratory birds such as ducks, geese and mergansers.
Primitive weapon hunts for deer occur before the regular firearms season, but youth can use any legal deer firearm during this season (October 10-16 in 2020). There are also quota hunts for deer/bear, turkey, dove, small game and waterfowl on the various wildlife management areas for youth hunts. These help ensure the young hunter has the best chance of success to encourage him or her to stay with the sport. IT IS IMPORTANT that the kid has an adequate firearm and not one chosen for its lack of recoil. In South Africa and most other parts of the world, silencers are considered to be in the same category as car mufflers and are not as strictly regulated as they are in the United States. A silencer not only greatly reduces
muzzle blast, but it also is the world’s most efficient muzzle brake, making all the expanding powder gasses push forward against the silencer and pulling the gun away from the shooter’s shoulder. The result is that little 8-year-old kids can comfortably shoot .30-06 rifles. Lacking a silencer-equipped rifle, you need to choose one with power yet is compact with minimum recoil and muzzle blast. The old Ruger semiauto .44 Magnum carbine fills the bill perfectly. It will kill anything in North America cleanly, yet is very pleasant to fire. Though out of production, used guns are still widely available and will give good results out to 200 yards. You don’t need to be
Hunting license sales help fund wildlife conservation, but as numbers of sportsmen decline – down 8 percent from 2006 to 2016, per the last U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey – that key source of revenue, which also benefits nongame critters, is increasingly in danger.
Small game species like rabbits and quail are popular entry points for young hunters. They’re widely available and some, like pheasants, are stocked by game agencies.
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shooting game at longer ranges than that, and most times you won’t get the chance anyway. In many parts of the country, deer are typically killed inside of 60 yards. It is important to remember that most semiautos greatly reduce felt recoil, enabling a more powerful cartridge to be employed. Most, but not all. The World War II M1 Garand does not reduce any recoil. Power is important, as lack of power can easily result in lost game escaping to die a lingering death. Nothing will sour a kid on hunting faster than that. That’s a good reason to never use a .22 for hunting small- and medium-size game. Ever since it first came out over 100 years ago, people have complained of wounded animals getting away to die in squirrel nests or down rabbit holes. Back then, the .32-20 was the answer. Today it is the .30 M1 carbine. The M1 carbine is light and exceptionally easy to hit with. It works perfectly on smalland medium-size game and can be used on larger game as well, though the .44 Magnum is often preferred for the bigger stuff. While the .223 is seeing increasing use on deer and wild hogs, the .30 carbine is far superior to the .223 for this. Personally, I like a 12-gauge shotgun for small game. One ounce of number 6 shot over 3 drams of powder works for me on everything from squirrels to turkeys. You get
The Ruger semiauto .44 Magnum carbine and the U.S. GI M1 carbine are well suited to younger hunters. (JIM DICKSON)
clean kills and are ready for any game birds that are in season, should the opportunity present itself. Kids don’t generally take to recoil and the classic ventilated rubber recoil pads on most guns are too hard to do anything. The wide steel buttplate on a surplus military rifle mitigates recoil far better than a narrow, fairly hard rubber recoil pad ever will. A Sorbothane recoil pad is the answer to the recoil pad problem and it should be as wide as possible. It will go a long way towards preventing the kids from
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getting a flinch. Another thing that causes kids to flinch is the beating they get from too light a gun. Weight is your friend in a powerful firearm. Sporterize a fullpower military bolt-action and you unleash a kicker. It’s more important that the gun be pleasant to fire than easy to carry. After all, we have rifle slings to take the weight off your arms. WHEN TRAINING A youngster, remember to be firm but gentle and patient. They are there to learn, so
make it easy for them. Remember this is supposed to be fun for them. Otherwise you are wasting your time. Youth hunts are catching on nationwide and that is a very good thing for all of us. It’s a way for a parent and child to do something important together, while bringing in the next generation of hunters. Without hunters, there are no wildlife conservation programs and no more game. More hunters means more money for wildlife. That’s a worthwhile cause if there ever was one.
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
CLEANERS, TOUCH-UP KITS AND MORE Texas’s Blue Wonder makes gun care products that ‘do exactly what we say they will.’ PHOTOS BY BLUE WONDER GUN CARE PRODUCTS COMPANY
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lue Wonder Gun Care Products Company began in the fall of 2001, when chemist Will Thompson and Houston businessman and hunter Ken Gibbs met and decided to bring some new technology to the shooting industry. “The concept was to look for new solutions for problems faced by gun owners and shooters for generations,” explains Bob Price, who was one of the founding members of the Blue Wonder team, along with Gibbs, Thompson and Peggy Hewes.
The company’s Gun Blue Gunsmith Kit.
Blue Wonder of Texas offers products that keep ARs and other firearms running smoothly and looking sharp.
The company developed a gun cleaner and a gun bluing kit, and introduced their new products at SHOT Show the following year. Their efforts were quickly rewarded when the products were recognized as Best of Show in the SHOT Show
New Products Center. From that point, the product line took off and soon Blue Wonder could be found in stores across the United States and Canada. Sadly, partner and chemist Will Thompson passed away in the summer of 2012. “He is sorely missed every day, but we continued on to bring his legacy to the gun owners and shooters who loved his work,” says Price. Indeed, the company’s two initial offerings – the Blue Wonder Gun Cleaner and Gun Blue (and now Gun Black) kits – have remained their top sellers over the years because, “as our customers tell us, ‘these products do exactly what we say they will do,’” says Price. “The Blue Wonder Gun Cleaner quickly gets the copper and lead fouling out of rifles and handguns. It easily removes rust from the surface of firearms, including rust you can’t see – yet. And, it goes down the bore and takes plastic buildup out of shotguns.” He continues, “The Blue Wonder americanshootingjournal.com 65
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT Gun Blue and Gun Black kits allow the average person to touch-up or completely re-blue any carbon steel firearm. The kits quickly developed a reputation for being easy to use, forgiving in application, and, perhaps most importantly, wearing like the original factory finish. Unlike many
‘cold blue’ products, Blue Wonder Gun Blue/Black kits use a heating process in the application. The liquid bonds to the pores of the metal and blends perfectly with nearly any finish. It doesn’t leave a ‘ring’ around the touched-up area and leaves no odor that can be detected.”
Blue Wonder Gun Cleaning for rifles, pistols, and shotguns.
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Another Blue Wonder product consumers seem to really like is the XFR – eXtreme Friction Reduction – lubricant. It is a nontoxic, biodegradable oil that was designed from the ground up for firearms. It is also great on folding knives, hand tools, hinges and locks. Other products rounding out the lineup include the Fast Blast pump spray cleaner and a Blue Removal System to help speed up the removal of the old bluing. Most recently, the company added to their offerings the Leather Care3 cream, designed specifically for holsters and other leather goods, and Blue Wonder Wood Shine for care of wood stocks, forends and pistol grips. Since its inception, Blue Wonder Gun Care Products Company has successfully navigated the ups and downs of the gun business, and this year has been no different. “In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected us all, we
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Editor’s note: For more information, visit bluewonderguncare.com.
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BROUGHT TO YOU BY
BULLET BULLETIN
Polymer bullets come in a wide variety of calibers and have numerous applications, from target shooting to varmint hunting to big game.
MORE THAN JUST PLASTIC
Polymer-tipped bullets are here to stay, with many companies making them for a wide range of uses. STORY BY PHIL MASSARO • PHOTOS BY MASSARO MEDIA GROUP
I
t was nearly the end of the New York big game season, and I had two major issues: I was running out of time, and we’d just received over two and a half feet of snow in the Catskill Mountains. With a tag still in hand and the freezer nearly empty, a good friend talked me into climbing the mountain on snowshoes to give it one last effort. We spent the day sweating and swearing more than hunting, and I stood on the top of the hill wondering if I could roll all the way back to the truck. It was the deer’s legs below the
bottom branches of the hemlocks that caught my attention, though I had no idea if it was a doe or a buck, let alone if it was legal. Eight points and a Roman nose saw me bring the Tikka 7mm-08 Remington to shoulder, and a small clearing in the woods allowed me to slip a 140-grain Nosler AccuBond into his vitals. He didn’t have the biggest antlers I’ve ever taken, but he was a fully mature buck from the Catskills, and he nearly filled the freezer. That AccuBond bullet – one of Nosler’s finest, and loaded by Federal – represents a culmination of trial and
error, and the efforts put forth to make a better bullet. However, the AccuBond is not alone, as there are many bullets that share one of the most glaring attributes: the polymer tip. Nearly every company now produces a bullet with a polymer tip, though behind that tip you may find a lead-free copper alloy or a lead core bonded to a copper jacket, or the simple, classic cup-andcore design. What’s the deal with the polymer tip, and why has it become so popular? Let’s take a look at the range of bullets featuring the “plastic nose,” and how they can best serve you. americanshootingjournal.com 71
BULLET Bulletin
Author Phil Massaro’s Catskill Mountain deer hunting rig: a Tikka T3X Lite in 7mm-08 Remington, which loves Federal’s 140-grain Nosler AccuBond load.
R
N
• • The one that started it all: the Nosler Ballistic Tip, shown here loaded in the .270 Winchester.
THE FIRST BULLET to have the pointed polymer tip as we know it today was Nosler’s Ballistic Tip. According to John Nosler, the inspiration for the design was a blend of Remington’s classic Bronze Point and a Norma design that used a plastic ball at the tip to avoid battering the nose in the magazine. The Nosler Ballistic Tip used a pointed polymer tip – color-coded by caliber – to both maintain a constant meplat and to initiate expansion upon impact. That tip works exactly like 72
American Shooting Journal // September 2020
Nosler’s E-Tip, a monometal hunting bullet with a polymer tip.
a wedge, driving rearward to open the nose, guaranteeing expansion. The Nosler Ballistic Tip is a pretty traditional cup-and-core bullet, and while it is effective on deer, antelope and similar-sized game, it was not so well-suited to the larger species. By chemically bonding the core to the jacket, the Nosler AccuBond has a much slower expansion and will therefore give deeper penetration, making it a much better choice for elk, moose and the like, especially
in heavier weights. Even at lower velocities, the polymer tip works to give the needed expansion to destroy vital tissue. Though that Catskills deer was large, at 165 yards the 140-grain 7mm AccuBond zipped right through him. Nosler also puts a polymer tip on their E-Tip bullet, a lead-free copper alloy hunting bullet, as well as their AccuBond Long Range, a sleeker rendition of the AccuBond designed for the longest hunting ranges. Nosler may have been the first,
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BULLET Bulletin but there are plenty of other polymertipped designs. Hornady uses a red polymer tip on several of their bullets, including the SST (Super Shock Tip), InterBond, GMX (Gilding Metal eXpanding) and most famously on the ELD Match and ELD X, where their Heat Shield Tip revolutionized the polymer tip. During the testing of several bullets, Hornady’s Doppler The Hornady ELD Match, with the Heat Shield polymer tip, has become a staple in the target world. The author’s 6.5-284 Norma will print /-MOA with this bullet.
radar indicated a radical change on the flight path, which Hornady deduced was a result of the polymer tip melting in flight due to friction. They changed the structure of the tip – resulting in the Heat Shield Tip – and brought out the ELD (Extremely Low Drag) pair of bullets, which have gone on to be wonderfully successful. The ELD X, built for hunting, is a cup-and-core design that usually runs on the heavier side, so penetration usually isn’t a problem. I used the 143-grain ELD X in a 6.5 Creedmoor to take a mule deer buck in South Dakota, hitting him on the run at over 185 yards, and destroying his heart and lungs. And there’s no question that the ELD Match has been highly successful. The SST, InterBond and GMX are of similar design to the Nosler trio of The Swift Scirocco II has a very thick jacket chemically bonded to the lead core. The black polymer tip initiates expansion upon contact.
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BULLET Bulletin
Polymer-tipped bullets aren’t just for deer hunting; Massaro took this big eland bull in Namibia with a 180-grain Federal Trophy Bonded Tip in the classic .300 H&H Magnum.
Federal’s Trophy Copper, a monometal design with a polymer tip, makes a sound choice for big game. Massaro used this .243 Winchester 85-grain load to take a tall-racked Texas whitetail buck.
Federal’s latest big game bullet, the Terminal Ascent, features a bonded core, Slipstream polymer tip and severe boattail for excellent long-range performance.
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The Trophy Bonded Tip from Federal is one of the author’s favorite big game bullets.
Ballistic Tip, AccuBond and E-Tip. The Swift Scirocco II is a heavy-duty version of the polymer-tipped spitzer bullet, with a thick jacket chemically bonded to a lead core. The Scirocco is a very tough bullet, capable of excellent accuracy, and makes a great choice for hunters. It has been one of my favorite choices for my .300 Winchester Magnum – the rifle just loves the 180-grain Scirocco – and it has proven to be a great choice in a good number of different calibers. The 210-grain Scirocco is a
americanshootingjournal.com 77
BULLET Bulletin perfect long-range load in the .338 Winchester Magnum. Weight retention is high, usually into the 90-percent range, but the tip guarantees expansion at any sane velocity. FEDERAL EMPLOYS THE polymer tip on a number of proprietary bullets, including the Trophy Copper, Trophy Bonded Tip and Terminal Ascent. All three are rock-solid and seriously accurate, not to mention deadly in the field. While I enjoy all three, the Trophy Bonded Tip has become one of my favorites in the medium calibers. Weight retention is very high, if you recover the bullet at all. The Trophy Bonded Tip went to Namibia on safari with me, and proved to be one of the toughest bullets you could choose; we had pass-throughs on shots as far as 300 yards. If you’re serious about taking game animals out to 450 or 500 yards, the Trophy Bonded Tip and Terminal Ascent are two bullets that most definitely need an audience. Norma has a trio of bullets using a polymer tip and each serves its own purpose. The TipStrike is a cup-andcore bullet designed for immediate energy transfer, and is one of the only flat-based polymer-tip bullets. It works as designed and makes a great
Massaro used the Norma EcoStrike 9.3x62mm 232-grain load to take this wild boar in Poland.
deer bullet, as well as being popular among the driven boar hunters. I took a large sow with it, and it worked as advertised. The EcoStrike is a nickelplated copper bullet with a green tip; like many of the monometals, it is a stout bullet and I used the 232-grain in the 9.3x62 to take a huge wild boar in Poland. Norma’s BondStrike is a polymer-tipped, bonded-core bullet fully capable of making it into the vitals
The author used the Norma Bondstrike to take this aoudad ram in western Texas. Though known to be very tough, the ram was no match for the 180-grain Bondstrike in the author’s .300 Winchester Magnum.
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American Shooting Journal // September 2020
of even large-bodied animals. I used this bullet – which printed ¾-MOA in my rifle – to take a good aoudad ram in western Texas at 250 yards. EVEN SIERRA HAS embraced the polymer tip, in both their match and hunting bullets. The world-famous Sierra MatchKing now has a tipped variant, which works wonderfully, and the GameKing hunting bullet has received
Norma’s Bondstrike is a tough bonded-core design, capable of giving good expansion and penetration at nearly any sane hunting distance.
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BULLET Bulletin Sierra has embraced the polymer tip, giving their GameKing and MatchKing a facelift, resulting in the GameChanger hunting bullet and Tipped Match King target bullet.
the Sierra-green tip, creating the GameChanger. Both have the goods, the former providing hair-splitting accuracy and the latter nipping at its heels yet delivering good terminal performance. The Sierra BlitzKing varmint bullets use that polymer tip to turn varmints into the famous red mist. Barnes bullets, the pioneers of the monometal copper-alloy bullets, use a blue polymer tip on their TTSX and LRX bullets, and it works perfectly. I love the accuracy of the bullets, though I personally know there were a couple Mozambican reedbuck rams that didn’t appreciate the design at all. I’ve loaded both of these bullets for elk hunters, as well as for those headed on a plains game safari to Africa, and have yet to hear a single complaint from either hunter or quarry. Browning brought out its line of ammunition a few years ago, and you can bet it included polymer-tipped bullets. The BXR line, with its Matrix Tip, delivers immediate energy transfer that deer hunters love. It’s accurate, fast and hits hard; you might want to give this stuff a chance this season.
Barnes modified their TSX by adding a blue polymer tip, and the TTSX has become very popular among big game hunters.
The Browning BXR ammo, shown here in .300 Winchester Magnum, uses the proprietary Matrix Tip for quick energy transfer on thinskinned game.
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American Shooting Journal // September 2020
WHILE I MAY have missed a bullet or two in this list, you probably see my point: The polymer tip is a great means of having a bullet expand reliably, whether it’s a standard cup-and-core, monometal hollowpoint or a bonded-core design. The vast majority of these bullets use a boattail at the rear, and are designed for longer shots, say, out past 200 yards. Obviously they will work inside that range, but the high ballistic coefficient design really starts to shine outside of 250 yards, as inside that range even a round-nose bullet will work, and work well. If you’re the type of hunter whose shot distances routinely exceed 250 yards, these are most definitely the kind of projectiles you’re after. Nosler introduced the Ballistic Tip bullet in 1984; they made a splash early on, and it has become quite apparent that polymer-tipped bullets aren’t going away anytime soon.
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americanshootingjournal.com 81
BLACK POWDER
UPDATING MY .44 COLT Or, Adventures in bullet making and hammer sight filing, and then at the pistol range.
A recent handload stands next to an original .44 Colt from U.S. Cartridge Company.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY MIKE NESBITT
U
pdating My .44 Colt” might not be the most proper title for this story because nothing was made newer, as “updating” might imply. Actually, at least one step was made to make this revolver and the cartridges for it appear older. Let’s
“
say that step was taken to make the ammunition appear more authentic, and I hope you will agree. One other update recently made should have been done a couple of years ago. Let me tell you
about these changes in detail. A LITTLE HISTORY first, just to make sure we start at the same place. The .44 Colt, which preceded the .45 Colt, was an Army cartridge that was also used by civilians, such as the buffalo hunters who were involved americanshootingjournal.com 83
BLACK POWDER After the first casting session with the new Accurate mold for the .44 Colt.
Drawing of Accurate Molds’ No. 43-220NR bullet. (ACCURATE MOLDS)
in the Battle of Adobe Walls in 1874. Introduced in 1871, the .44 Colt was a centerfire cartridge that used a heeled, outside lubricated bullet of 210 to 225 grains over 21 to 28 grains of black powder. That’s a very hasty description of this old cartridge. Old guns for the .44 Colt used the heeled bullets of about .451-inch diameter, because they used the old .44 percussion Colt barrels; the new replicas made by Uberti use barrels with the more common .429-inch groove diameter. To make a new .44 Colt bullet, an old-fashioned design was sent to Accurate Molds and that became Accurate’s No. 43-220N. It has a fairly long rounded nose that ends with a .018-inch flat point. Its design lends itself to black powder shooting quite well. There is one fairly generous lube groove. Above that is a nice wide crimp groove and I fill the crimp groove with lube too, then simply crimp into the top of the groove. A little extra lube never hurt a black powder shooter. This bullet drops from the mold at .430-inch diameter and for my shooting they are sized to .429 inch. AT FIRST, I used 25 grains of powder, usually GOEX’s Olde Eynsford 2F, which fills the case to about .20 inch below the mouth of the case and gives .10 inch of compression when the bullet is seated. Shooting was good 84
American Shooting Journal // September 2020
with those loads and they did roar with delight. Following that, I reduced the powder charge to 23 grains to copy the load as stated in the 1916 Winchester catalog. Shooting seemed to improve, but little if any shooting was done on paper targets. More recently I have dropped the powder charge down to 21 grains, copying the lowest charge I’ve found documented for the old .44 Colt factory loads. The 21-grain loads please me the most and while they might not keep up with the heavier loads in terms of velocity, they more than make up for any loss in speed by simply being better in every other regard. There was still one tiny little thing missing from these loads for the .44 Colt; it was lacking something that would catch the eye. When the modern loads with the Accurate Molds’ bullet were compared side by side with an old factory .44 Colt cartridge (as loaded by U.S. Cartridge Company), that missing characteristic was obvious. The old .44 Colt loads, being outside lubricated, had an exposed grease groove on the bullet just forward of the cartridge case. It wasn’t a large or deep groove, but it was there. After some quick discussion with Jerry Mayo, my .44 Colt shooting
partner, we decided to bring this to the attention of Tom Ellis, the top man at Accurate Molds (accuratemolds .com). Tom replied only hours later to say the new bullet design, No. 43-220NR, was in the catalog and ready to be ordered. Minutes after that, an order was sent to Accurate for two double-cavity molds to make those bullets because both Jerry and I wanted one. The molds were delivered just over a week later; Accurate Molds has excellent service. A batch of the new bullets was quickly cast and then loaded over the 21 grains of Olde Eynsford 2F and into the waiting Starline .44 Colt cases. In the old days, the external groove in the .44 Colt bullets and other outside lubricated rounds was for grease, but we don’t have plans on using these new bullets that way, although it could be done. With those loads in hand, we met at the shooting range for some highly anticipated good shooting. BUT FIRST, SOMETHING else done to my .44 Colt deserves mention. I have said in the past that I like this .44 Colt revolver by Uberti very much because I can hit with it. While I’ve been able to make good, or good enough, shots with this revolver, I have always
americanshootingjournal.com 85
BLACK POWDER
Author Mike Nesbitt enlarged the sighting notch in the hammer of his .44 Colt revolver by Uberti, making it easier to see.
Nesbitt’s shooting partner Jerry Mayo touches off his .44 Colt and a handload on the pistol range.
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had trouble seeing the rear sight, which is simply a notch in the top of the hammer, just like the Model 1860 Army cap-and-ball .44-caliber revolver. In low-light situations, such as while in the timber or just in the shadows, that sighting notch gets hard to see. In order to see easier through the notch, I wanted it bigger; so the notch was enlarged and I’m pleased with the results. To open up or enlarge the sighting notch in the hammer, I just used a small knife file, which has a narrow edge and a slight “V” to its sides. Leaving the hammer in the gun, I put the gun in a padded vise, then pulled the hammer to “full cock.” A lightly oiled paper towel was put in front of the hammer to catch any filing dust. Then, holding the file fairly flat or in line with the barrel, I began to saw the notch deeper and wider. That was a simple but time-consuming task.
BLACK POWDER The results, frankly, can’t be seen or appreciated unless you are aiming the gun. While aiming, the sights look better and they are easier to use.
The author put together this 10-shot group from 30 feet, using the new bullet and with the help of his modified sight.
Nesbitt and Mayo teamed up on this target for 14 shots total with a one-handed hold.
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American Shooting Journal // September 2020
NOW, BACK TO the shooting. For my first try with the new bullets and the enlarged sighting notch, I posted a generous target at just 30 feet and loaded the six-gun with five cartridges. While holding the gun with both hands, all five shots were fired and all of them landed in the 10-ring with a couple of those shots climbing slightly into the X. That was a fine group. Those five shots were followed by five more. With the second string of five shots, one bullet did stray into the 9-ring and that shot almost “doubled” a shot that cut the 10-ring line in half. So, those 10 shots would have scored a 99 with probably four Xs. Not too bad for a first try. Then a new target was posted and it was Jerry’s turn to shoot. He used my gun because I wanted him to see how things looked with the enlarged sighting notch in the gun’s hammer. Jerry poured five shots, using a onehanded offhand hold, into the target in a group almost as tight as my twohanded shooting. He was impressed with the loads, the new bullet, and the sighting notch. I must tell you that Jerry let one shot drop into the 9-ring. Let me tattle-tale on Jerry for that shot in the 9-ring because I followed him on the same target with five more shots, using a one-handed hold. My shots, at that time, were all 10s. The gun and loads were acting very well. The only problem that surfaced was that we didn’t bring enough ammunition and I grabbed the last four rounds to continue on that same target. Out of those last four shots, still shooting one-handed, I did put one hole in the 9-ring at 3 o’clock. Even so, the group Jerry and I shared holds those 14 shots very well and we are quite pleased with the widened sight notch and the new bullets with black powder loads.
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
HIGH-END PARTS, BLUE COLLAR PRICES From the first patented rimfire reloading kit to Glock and AR parts, Brian Dixson’s three firearms product companies offer a lot for shooters. PHOTOS BY SHARP SHOOTER/ ALPHA ONE OUTDOORS
F
rom his home base in Grand Junction, Colorado, Brian Dixson runs three different companies that specialize in three different kinds of shooting products. But it all started with one objective: selling innovative, high-end, American-made products at a working man’s price. Dixson formed his first company, Sharp Shooter, seven years ago, when he
Among Brian Dixson’s three companies is Alpha One, which specializes in custom Glock slides, like these stainless steel Victory Cut models (above) that weigh less than others, and triggers (below left) that will convert a Glock 17/19 Gen 3 into a “double action with a significantly improved trigger reset.”
invented and patented the only rimfire reloading kit ever in production. With the slogan, “Everybody said it couldn’t be done,” the .22 Long Rifle Reloader was an immediate hit. In fact, Blue Book of Gun Values named it one of the top 10 products at SHOT Show 2015. The current ammo shortage, particularly with .22 LR ammo, is what encouraged Dixson to look for a solution. He also wanted to help introduce a new era of kids to the shooting sports. As he explains, “If we lose a generation of voters, we are going to lose everything.” By offering a means to reload hard-to-find .22 LR bullets, Dixson aims to kill two birds with one americanshootingjournal.com 91
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
Alpha One also markets the Lightning Tap, a double-action trigger with a short reset.
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American Shooting Journal // September 2020
stone – or, more fittingly, one bullet. The reloader kit includes a finely machined tool to cast, cut and crimp your .22 LR ammo. Additional tools include the primer cleaner and packer, primer funnel, measuring tool and eyedropper. A step-by-step instruction booklet is also included. Three years ago, Dixson launched Alpha One Outdoors, specializing in custom Glock slides and triggers. They offer a number of popular products, and most recently patented the first true double-action trigger for a Glock. “With a short reset, it is truly a dropsafe gun for people who don’t like striker-fire,” says Dixson. “It should be out within 90 days, and will be the first and only one on the market.” The newest company under Dixson’s leadership is TF (Ten Four) Tactical, which produces high-end AR and Glock parts at affordable prices. Some of their products include the “smallest gas block
on the market,” according to Dixson, as well as a 3.5 connector and other small parts for Glocks. Seven years later, and with a slew of shooting products spanning three separate companies, Dixson has stuck to his original goal – offering quality products at reasonable prices (not to mention a lifetime warranty on everything they sell) – and he has the satisfied customer base to prove it. “If we can sell a good Americanmade product to blue-collar workers at a reasonable price, everybody’s happy,” he says. Dixson is always eyeing new projects – and in fact, he says he has something in the pipeline – so be on the lookout for news from the Grand Junction camp. Editor’s note: For more information, visit alphaoneoutdoors.com and 22lrreloader.com.
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
DROP-IN AND UPGRADE YOUR RIMFIRE D.I.P. offers custom parts, accessories for Savage, CZ, Marlin and more.
PHOTO BY DIP INC.
N
ot content with the cheap plastic parts that many companies were producing for rimfire firearms, Bob Bland decided to take matters into his own hands. His company, DIP Inc. (aka Diversified Innovative Products), makes drop-in metal rimfire parts and accessories that are both affordable and high quality. Here, Bland tells American Shooting Journal how it all came together.
American Shooting Journal Tell us how you decided to get into the firearms industry. Bob Bland For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had an interest in firearms. Be it hunting with my dad when I was growing up or just target shooting with friends. A family member started off in the firearms business when I was working construction back in the ’90s. We collaborated on a number of different parts for his business. In early 2000, I did some advising to someone that was just starting out in business making Ruger 10/22 parts. About the same time, I was making a few replacement parts as a hobby for other rimfire firearms. Shortly thereafter, I became his parttime web administrator and we started sharing a website. In 2008, when the economy went south, I started increasing the number of parts, and by 2010 I closed my construction business and started DIP, Inc.
Diversified Innovative Products makes stocks, trigger guards, rails and other drop-in metal parts for rimfire rifles.
ASJ DIP specializes in custom rimfire parts and accessories. What are some of your most popular products? BB Because of the economy in 2008, a lot of firearms companies were making more and more parts from molded plastic that easily broke. Working with a number of local machine shops, we are able to make drop-in metal replacement parts affordable (and) that are a superior upgrade for Savage, CZ, Marlin, Anschutz and a host of others. We even make small batches of specialized parts if we have enough requests. ASJ What do shooters like best about your products? BB I think that most of our customers like that our products are produced
here in the U.S. because we refuse to outsource anything to other countries, even though I might be able to produce them cheaper. Oftentimes, as goes the price so does the quality. ASJ Do you have any new products that you’d like to tell our readers about? BB We are constantly making new parts and recently purchased two CNC machines so we can produce some prototypes in-house. This will help increase our new product line and hopefully make the R&D much smoother and more efficient. Editor’s note: Visit diproductsinc.com for more information on the products DIP Inc. offers. americanshootingjournal.com 95
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STOCKY’S STOCKS
Stocky’s 10/22 EuroMatch stocks come in three different configurations and a variety of finishes. Shown top to bottom: Hardwood Fixed; Laminated Adjustable Comb; SoftTouch‚ Full Adjust. Priced from only $177.
www.stockysstocks.com
KYNSHOT
Get the soft recoil and quick sight recovery you’re looking for in your ultimate competition PCC. The RB5020SS buffer provides longer length and more weight for a short-stroke competition action. The damping level of this buffer is intended for lighter, competition-type 9mm ammunition loadings for best performance.
www.kynshot.com
ATHLON PRECISION
New for 2020, the Athlon Precision AR Tactical Cantilever is designed for the modern sporting rifle. Its aggressive angles complement an AR-15/ AR-10. A unique scalloped design reduces weight, while steel recoil lugs and precision machining ensure a rock-solid repeatable mount.
www.athlonoptics.com
MANNERS COMPOSITE STOCKS
The new PRS-TCS (Tunable Competition Stock) was developed exclusively for precision rifle competitions. It was designed from the ground up with the ultimate goal of creating a fully weight-tunable stock to achieve the perfect balanced competition rifle while using a wide range of barreled action combinations. The PRS-TCS is loaded with standard out-of-the box-options not found on other stocks.
www.mannersstocks.com
RANGESTORE.NET
The SJC Titan Compensator for .223/5.56mm-caliber rifles with a 1/2 inch x 28 TPI threaded barrel is legal for Limited, Tactical, and Open Division competitions. This 8-port, 5.5-ounce muzzle brake is designed with gas vectoring technology to maximize recoil control and minimize torque and shot to shot recovery time.
www.rangestore.net
LUTH-AR
The Widebody Palm Handguard builds on the same triangular profile as Luth-AR’s innovative Palm Handguard with a new widebody profile that conforms to the palm of your hand, and provides a wide, flat surface to lay on a shooting bag or other support.Perfect for hunters, precision or 3-gun competitors, the 15-inch-long handguard features M-Lok slots along the upper-side flat, and three rows of slots on the bottom flat. The Widebody Palm Handguard is made in the USA from 6061-T6 aluminum extrusion that is hard coat anodized black, and includes a barrel nut made from alloy steel with a Melonite finish.
www.luth-ar.com
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BLACK HILLS
The new .357 load from Black Hills Ammunition features a 127-grain HoneyBadger, a monolithic, CNC-machined projectile, specifically designed and tuned for performance from the .357 Magnum, in either a revolver or a carbine. Performance specifications are 1,365 feet per second from a 6-inch revolver, and an impressive 1,900 fps from an 18-inch carbine barrel!
www.black-hills.com
REDDING RELOADING
The New Redding Reloading Equipment Type S Elite set is comprised of a type-S bushing full die, a type-S bushing neck die and the unparalleled Redding competition seating die. All type-S dies use an interchangeable bushing to control neck diameter and tension to an increment of 0.001 inch. These features provide not only an enhanced degree of control but significant improvements to consistency and accuracy of the final loaded rounds.
www.redding-reloading.com
SHELL SHOCK TECHNOLOGIES
Shell Shock’s 9mm case was hailed as “maybe the greatest innovation in firearms in 150 years” (VSO Gun Channel). Wait until you try their new calibers coming soon, including 5.56x45mm, .300 BLK, .380 ACP, .40 S&W and others. Lighter than brass, more powder capacity, greater consistency between rounds, and can be picked up with a magnet. Satisfies global military mandates to reduce ammunition weight and increase performance. All Shell Shock’s cases are proudly made in the USA. Shell Shock … Shoot it, Love it!
www.shellshocktech.com
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VELOCITY TRIGGERS
Precision machined from 7075-T6 aluminum, the Velocity Red Dot Mount is the future of pistol sighting. This red dot mount is easy to install or remove with no custom slide cuts or modifications required. The Red Dot Mount simply replaces a handgun’s rear sight and dovetails right onto the slide. Comes in options for any Glock or Smith & Wesson M&P series handgun. The mount is compatible with most popular red dot optics. Crafted by Americans in the USA.
ADCO
Save yourself from the arduous task of reloading pistol magazines, thanks to the Super Thumb Tools from ADCO. In just four easy steps, magazines go from dead to full, saving time and trouble — not to mention plenty of thumbnails. To ensure you do not clash with your current terrain and garments, they not only provide the ST1 in black, but now in tan. Sold individually at $10.95, the set sells for $18.95.
www.adcosales.com
www.velocitytriggers.com
PROLIX
PrOlix is a penetrating solvent/dry lube product that was lab-developed and tested by law enforcement, military and commercial shooters over many years. The citrus-based biodegradable cleaner, pioneered in 1995, is the first successful “all in one” gun care product, now deemed “Bio-Technology.” The solvent “goes on wet, cleans, bonds, and the lube turns dry to the touch.” It removes carbon, copper, lead, shotgun plastic residues and black powder. PrOlix will not damage wood, freeze or flash off, and it can be used for commercial and industrial applications as well.
www.prolixlubricant.com
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THE WOODMAN’S PAL
A classic American tool – reinvented. The Woodman’s Pal is an iconic land management tool with a long, storied history dating back to 1941. Whether you are clearing brush, blazing trails and building blinds in the woods, or trimming, digging and planting in your backyard garden, the Woodman’s Pal is a versatile tool for every outdoorsman. Lightweight, compact and superbly balanced, you will never use a tool of higher quality and more comfort.
www.woodmanspal.com
PIERCE CUSTOM TITANIUM ACTIONS The heart of your next custom rifle build
• Lightweight, strong, precision CNC tolerances • Optional DLC coating, in gloss or matte finish for ultrasmooth operation • Remington 700 footprint for long and short action • Available in steel and stainless steel • Dealer pricing and custom marking variance available Pierce Engineering has been making precision rifle actions for the competition, hunting and tactical shooting industry for over 15 years. We proudly guarantee and stand behind all our products.
pierceengineeringltd.com
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CONCEALED CARRY
GALLERY TRIPLE K
For cross-draw aficionados out there, Triple K Mfg. heard your requests and brings you the #671 Crossdraw Concealed Carry Holster. Built specifically for those who prefer a dedicated cross-draw-style carry, the open top allows for easy draw and a leather stiffener assures easy reholstering. Adjustable tension screw ensures proper gun retention. Made in the USA by Triple K Mfg. Retail: $53. Available in tan color and for a variety of revolvers and semiautomatic pistols.
www.triplek.com
DIAMOND D OUTDOORS
Designed and tested in Alaska, the Denali Chest Holster is built to withstand any weather condition, while providing comfort and versatility for quick and easy access to your firearm. It is offered in 10 sizes, to fit your type of gun and barrel length, and comes with the innovative adjustable strap system, ammo strip or magazine pouch, and adjustable retention strap. This versatility ensures the best fit for you and your gun. Made of 1050 ballistic nylon, the Denali Chest Holster is worn tight on your chest for a one-handed, quick and easy draw. On sale for $89.99 and made in the USA.
www.diamonddoutdoors.com
CLIPDRAW TAP RACK HOLSTERS
Tap Rack Holsters IWB offers function and form with safety and comfort as two principles in their line of handmade holsters. They mold to your specifications for a correct fit. No buckets here. Holsters feature adjustable retention, a 550 corded loop for securing to a belt or belt loop, semiclosed bottom that can be left open for threaded barrels on request, different body shield heights in low, medium and high upon request, and nonbinding smooth edges with no sharp points in their designs for comfort. Different colors and patterns available upon request.
www.taprackholsters.com
Simple and secure inside-the-waistband concealed carry. Perfect for shorts and a T-shirt. American-made.
www.clipdraw.com