Target Shooter 1

March Scope Review • Practical Shooting • New Products • and lots more…..

See you at the British Shooting Show in February

January 2011 Issue

2 Target Shooter

A

Massive 150,000 sq ft indoor and weatherproofarena with 1000’s of guns on show and for sale

GUNMAKER’S HALLS

Sporting & competition shotguns, field, target & tactical rifles, optics,ammunition & reloading, accessories and much, much more... A real shooting MEGASTORE!

ARMS HERITAGE SHOW Look out for the stands which display the “Rifle Focus 2011” logo

and you’ll be sure not to miss anything of interest.

26th & 27th FEBRUARY 2011NEWARK SHOWGROUND - NEWARK - NOTTS - NG24 2NY

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SHOW TIMENow 8.30 to 4.30 Both days

One day tickets;Adult - £15.00. 8 to 15yrs - £7.00Two day tickets;Adult - £25.00. 8 to 15yrs - £10.00

Pay on the day prices (Under 8yrs - Free)

ADVANCED TICKETS - SAVE MONEY and get priority parking with all advance ticket purchases. Buy online or phone

Officially supported by the

Main show sponsor.

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Target Shooter 3

4 Target Shooter

Sections

6 ShootingSportNews

14 ShootersCalendar

27 ShootingBlackPowder PistolbyChrisRisebrook

31 LocalGunshop-Hannams byLaurieHolland

49 UnitedKingdomeRimfire& AirRifleBenchrest Association-Special Report-JakeHealey 56 WelshOpenReportby HayleyPlatts

61 OlympicandISSF Shooting-ADiscussionvia anopenletterfrom VladimirLisin

74 CluboftheMonth

Association Pages

76 NRA

78 UKBRA

80 F-Class

82 GalleryRifle

86 UKPSA

15 Digital Media for Shooting Sports Part 2 - The Galaxy TabbyCarlBoswell 21 Centershot Bipod byVinceBottomley

37 March 8-80x56 ScopebyRichardWild

52 Building the Ultimate F/TR RiflebyVinceBottomley 66 Getting Started in Gallery Rifle - the Ruger 10/22 Part 3 byGwynRoberts

44 UK Air Rifle Benchrest Team byCarlBoswell

WelcometotheJanuraryIssue................TargetShooter

Target Shooter 5

Editor(s).CarlBoswellandVinceBottomleyAdvertising and Office Manageremail;admin@targetshooter.co.ukContributorsVinceBottomley TonySaunders LaurieHollandChrisRisebrookCarlBoswell DonBrook AlanWhittle GwynRoberts LesHolgate HayleyPlatts RichardWild

DisclaimerThewebsitewww.targetshooter.co.ukispartofTargetShootermagazinewithallcontentsofbothelectronicmediacopyrighted.Noreproductionispermittedunlesswrittenauthorisationisprovided.Information,pricesanddataisbelievedtobecorrectatthetimeofpostingontheinternetwhichisonoraroundthe1stofeachmonth.AdvertisementsthatarefirearmrelatedarefromcompaniesorindividualsthatTargetShootermagazinebelievesarelicensedtoholdsuchfirearmsandacceptsnoresponsibilityifcompaniesorindividualsarenotsolicensed.LettersandphotographssubmittedbymembersofthepublictoTargetShootermagazinewillbeacceptedonthebasisthatthewriterhasagreedtopublicationunlessotherwisestated.TargetShootermagazinehasnocontroloverthecontentorownershipofphotographssubmitted.Theviewsexpressedinthismagazinearenotnecessarilytheviewsofthepublishersandrelatetospecificcircumstanceswithineacharticle.Thesearetheopinionsandexperiencesofwritersusingspecificequipment,firearms,componentsanddataundercontrolledconditions.Informationcontainedintheonlinemagazineoronthewebsiteisintendedtobeusedasaguideonlyandinspecificcircumstancescautionshouldbeused.TargetShooterMagazinedoesnotexceptanyresponsibilityforindividualsattemptingtorecreatesuchtestingusinganyinformation,dataorothermaterialsinitselectronicpages.PublishersofTargetShootermagazine.

Webitorial - January 2010 - Changes at Target ShooterIt’salmosttwoyearssincethreetarget-shootingenthusiasts,bemoaningthelossofBritain’sonlydecenttargetshootingmagazine(TargetSports),bandedtogethertolaunchTargetShooter.Itwas enthusiasm, rather than any serious business aspirations, that brought about the birth ofTargetShooter. With no magazine publishing experience, could the three of us really launch a web-basedmagazine?Wouldourpassionbeenough?Realitysoonhitus-bankaccountsmustbeopened,limitedcompaniescreatedandaccountantsengaged–likeitornot.So,TrinityDigitalPublishingwasformedandregisteredwithCompaniesHouse,withthethreeofusasdirectors.Puttingoutadigitalmagazineforasportwealllovemightsoundlikeabigegotripbut,therealitiesaremuchdifferent–itisajobandlikeanyjob,itcanberewarding,uplifting,frustrating,ohanddidImention–itpaysfarlessthantheminimumwage!Weareofcoursefreeon-line,soouradvertisingincomemustbesufficienttopayallthebills–namelyourloyalcontributors,internethostingcostsandoursoftware-whichisnowprettywellthebestthereisforaweb-magazine.PoorAndydrewtheshortstraw–itwasuptohimtodrum-upthatall-importantadvertisingrevenueandasplendidjobhehasdone,inspiteofthereluctanceofmanyfirms-whowereallyfeltwouldbenefitfromour12,000permonthworld-widereadership-but,mostmonths,weatleastbreak-even.Sadly,Andyhaschosentoleaveusandwhocanblamehim–longhours,littlejobsatisfactionandevenlessremuneration!What’sworse,Andyisnotinthebestofhealthcurrentlyandwewishhimalltheverybestandthankhimsincerelyforallhishelp–withouthim,youwouldn’tbereadingTargetShootermagazinenow.But,asonedoorcloses,anotheropensandwearedelightedtowelcomeYvonneonboard.Weareagainthree!Needlesstosay,Yvonneisashooterandherpartnerisashooterso,sheisnostrangertoourpassionandwe’resureshewillfitinadmirablywiththeTargetShooterethos–i.e.allworkandnopay!Readers,wewishyouaHappyNewYearandadvertisers,wethankyouforyoursupportandlookforwardtopromotingyourbusinessinTargetShooterin2011.

Vince,Carl&Yvonne

Carl -carl@targetshooter.co.ukandVince-vinceb@targetshooter.co.ukandYvonne-admin@targetshooter.co.uk

Copyright©TrinityDigitalPublishingLtd

MaincovershotbyAndrewVenables

6 Target Shooter

Shooting Sport News EUROGUNS DONCASTER - Over 100people attended the evening enjoying “game

snacks”uponarrivalbeforeperusingthemanydepartmentsandvariedproductdisplays.

Several companies werein attendance, Weihrauch,Holloway and Naughton,Garlands and Swarovski,together with their currentproductoffers.

Weihrauch ran a SpeedShootontheindoorAirRifleRangeandtheydonatedanHW97Kforthetopscoreofthenight.

The entry money from theSpeed Shoot and a rafflewas donated to the charity“Cash for Kids” this raised£360.

MRJORGAN-Winner

Paul James representingHull Cartridge Co LimitedandWeihrauch.

Paul is the reigning “WorldField Target Champion”(Spring Class), which hewonusingaHW97.

If more information isneeded contact Nigel atEuroguns Tel: 013020773301

Target Shooter 7

LAPUA .260 REM BRASS ON THE WAY

It’sdefinite–Lapuahas responded totheclamourfromshooters,especiallyintheUSA, tomake .260R cases listingthem on their 2011 product lists fordistributors.Therehasbeennoofficialannouncement yet, but one assumesthat’s being held back for the 2011SHOTShowthatopensinLasVegasonJanuary18th.The13 year old 6.5mmmemberoftheversatile.308Win‘family’has struggled to hit the big time in itsoriginally envisaged deerstalking roledespite offering excellent performanceallied tomodest recoil whichmakes itparticularly well suited to lightweightsportingrifles.Recently,ithasseenincreasinguseintacticalandsnipercompetitionriflesandhasprovenitself as an excellent multi-purpose cartridge forseveralcompetitiondisciplines.(SeeChrisParkin’sriflebuildfeatureAugustandSeptember2010issuesoftheriflethatheusedtowintheannualDiggle‘FlyShoot’.)Itcanalsobeeasilymodifiedtoan‘AckleyImproved’versionthatgivesausefulMVincreaseandexcellentaccuracy.Theoneflyintheointmenthasbeenitsbrass,theAmericanfactoryproductswidelyseenasbeingofmediocreconsistencyandperhapsmoreimportantly,abit‘soft’inthecase-headareaandgivingonlyafewfiringsbeforeprimerpocketsloosenwithstiff loads.Acommonpracticehasbeentore-formLapua.308Winor.243Wincases,whichnotonlyaddsextrawork,butusuallyproducesanasty,unwanted‘doughnut’attheneck-shoulder junction.SowhilegenuineLapua factorybrassmaynotbe

the answer to the averagemaiden’s prayer, it fillsthejobnicelyforalotoftacticalcompetitors.Thereisanothergroupof6.5mmuserswho’llbedelightedtoo–thehugenumbersofAmericanshooterswhohave adopted Hornady’s 6.5mm Creedmoor, butaren’t 100% happy with factory brass strength..260Rbrasscanbe reformed to thiscartridgeandoffersanalternativetotherecentlyintroducedLapua.22-250Remcasesasa startingpoint.UKLapuaimportersHannam’sReloadingLimitedareawareoftheintroductionbuthavenopricesordeliverydatesyet fromLapua’smarketingdepartment. If it is likethe company’s three most recent introductions –6.5X47L,.308W‘Palma’and.22-250Rem–it’llbeveryhighquality,butalsoexpensive.WeatTargetShooterexpectthesecasestobeinshortsupplyforsometimethankstothesizeofAmericandemand,sosuggest that yougetadvanceorders inearly ifyoufancythesecases.

Introducing our newest recruit to the Target Shooter Magazine team Yvonne ( a recent picture taken in the USA), who will be taking on the administration of the magazine,

advertising accounts, etc. She can be contacted at; admin@targetshooter.co.uk

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Internet Forums

Wherewouldwebewithoutourinternetforums?Ofall thecriticism levelledat the internet,youcannothelp but admire the generosity with which peoplefreelysharetheirknowledgeonforums.Yes,forumscan bring out the worst in some, a penchant toshow-offinothersbutgenerallytheygivemorethantheytakeandintoday’sworld,that’sratherunique!Althoughsomemaysaytherearetoomanyshootingforums,Ican’tagree.IsubscribetotwoorthreeandIgetagreatdealofpleasureandusefulinformationfrom them.A forumwill liveordieaccording to itspopularity–suchistheficklenessoftheinternet.Manyforumsareveryspecialised–insomecases,devoted toaparticularfirearmordiscipline,othersaremoregeneral.Twoofmymostrecentvisitshavebeentonewforums-theUKFull-boreforumatwww.full-bore.co.ukandtheNorthernArea22Benchrest

forum at www.northernarea22benchrest.webs.com/ The Full-bore forum contains more than adozen separate sections topost to, coveringmostshootingsubjects,plusafewgeneralones–atthemoment, ‘Grumpy Old Men’ has the most posts!NationalAssociations also have their own sectionandIparticularlylikethe‘GunShop’sectionwherememberscanposttheirexperiencesindealingwiththegun-trade.Ifyouwantdetailedinformationonaparticularsubjecthowever,thereisusuallysomeonewhocanhelp.TheNorthernArea22Benchrestsiteis,bycontrast,a‘single-discipline’forumdevotedtorimfirebenchrestshooting and so appeals only to those specificallyinterestedinthatdiscipline.Assuch,itattractsalotlesstrafficthantheFull-boresite,whichisgrowingby thedayand ideal for thosewho like to ‘drop-in’dailyforachat.Gotafavouriteforum?Letusknowaboutit.

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10 Target Shooter

A Big Bird and Your Sport

WhilemanyofusworryaboutKeithVazMPandhisHomeAffairsSelectCommittee recommendations inthe aftermath of last summer’sCumbrian shootings,few British shooters are aware of how concernsover the wellbeing of a large NorthAmerican avianscavenger have initiated processes that pose more

insidiousbutpotentiallygreaterthreatstotheshootingsports. Three years ago California banned the useof bullets that contain any lead including lead-coredcopper jacketed types, for ‘hunting’over largeareasofthestate.ThedriverforCaliforniaAssemblyBill821wasthehealthof theCalifornia Condor (Gymnogyps californianus),theUSA’slargestbirdandoneextinctinthewilduntilanumberof individualsraisedincaptivitywereusedtore-establishthespecies.Sadly,oneinfourreleasedbirds died, and post-mortem examinations identifiedlead poisoning – literally, not in the common usageof thephrasemeaning ‘shot’. It seems thatwith theCondors’main food source being animal carcasses,theyateratheralotofshotdeerwhichhadeithernotbeenrecoveredbythehunter,orbutcheredinthefieldwith unwanted bits dumped. Modern high-velocityexpandingbulletsbreakupexplosively in thequarryreleasing lead fragments, and the birds ingestedenoughcontaminatedmeattokillthem.Badnews for condors, andsomeAmericansportingshooters who have to buy expensive solid copperbullets,buthowdoesthisaffectus?Conservationistsread each others’ papers and talk to each otherat conventions, and such findings have a widerapplication to carrioneaterswhich includessomeofourRSPB’ssacrosanct raptorspecies.Thereareall

those rabbitsshotwith leadbulletHP .22s,or foxeswith high velocity centrefires and abandoned in ourcountrysideasworthlessvermin.Likewise,lostgamebirdsorshotpestspeciesleftlyingaroundfullofleadshotgunpellets–yougetthepicture!A scientist who is a competitive shooter passed onconcerns to TargetShooter advising that DEFRAis currently looking closely at this issue. So far as

poisoned wildlife is concerned, it is mostly aboutspecialised carrion-eaters that have very activedigestive systems which dissolve lead particles thatwould pass through other birds or animals withoutbeing ingested.However, theCaliforniancondorhasgot environmentalists and conservationists het upaboutheavymetal,especially lead,contamination intheenvironmentgenerally.Thescientistexplainsthatrecentlyintroducedtestsaresosensitivethatminutetracesshowupatlevelsthatwouldn’thaveregisteredasrecentlyas10yearsago.Withthemetal’spersistenceinthebody,doctorsandconservationiststaketheviewthatanytracefoundisseriousandtheprecautionaryprincipleshouldbeappliedwithsourcesidentifiedandshut down, especially if there is the slightest risk ofcontaminatedgroundwatersupplies.Thisconcernhasalreadycausedmanyolder rifle ranges tobecloseddowninFinland,andbansandlimitationsonleadcorebullets are increasingly being applied in continentalEurope. This obviously has a potential impact ontarget shooting if anybody ever finds even minutelycontaminated water running off range backstops –wehavetohopenot.Ofcourse,therearethosewithananti-shooting agendawho seizeonany concern,legitimateorimagined,toassist intheircampaignsto shut shooting down and make gun ownershipmoreexpensiveanddifficult.

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New 5.56mm NATO M855A1 US Ammunition

Linkedtotheabovestory,theUSarmyrecentlystarted thewidespread issueofanewversionof the M855 5.56mm smallarms ammunitionthat has claimed ‘green’ (no-lead) credentials.Mind you, thismaybeputting a gloss ononeofthelongestrunningmilitaryequipmentstoriesaround, one in which the West’s military, inparticular theUSArmycomesoutasshowingconsistently poor judgement. Having killed offsuccessfulpost-WW2British7mmassault riflecartridge developments through an insistencethat the standard NATO rifle and ammunitionneeded comparable performance to the old.30-06 Springfield round – to produce the7.62mmroundthatgeneratesfartoomuchheatandrecoiltobeusedinaproperassaultrifle–theAmericansdidaradicalabout-turn in1982and forced the 5.56mm round onto its NATOallies.Lovelylittlecartridgethat5.56mm/.223Remis,ithasaratherseriousdeficiencyfromasoldier’spointofview–it’sverybadatdisablingpeople, especially tough, highly motivatedpeople likeTaliban fighters.Soever since theUS forces first started using the M193 55gnversioninVietnaminthe1960s,therehasbeenasearchformorelethalversions,firstthe62gnsteel tipped FN SS109 bullet design adoptedby theUS forcesunder theM855designationfollowed more recentlybythepartialadoptionofthe 6.8mm RemingtonSPC with its largercalibre (0.277” dia.)heavier (115gn) bullet,but which has still notprovided a solution tothis particular problemit seems. A substantialpart of the problem isthat a remarkably highproportion of US Army(butnotMarine)combattroops have beenequipped with the M4carbine version of theAR15designthattradesthe original’s 20” barrelforaseverelytruncated368mm(14.5”)tubewiththe inevitable effect on

theM855round’sballistics.

Sonowwehave‘theanswer’totheproblem,the5.56mmM855A1EPR(EnhancedPerformanceRound) that not only (allegedly) kills peoplequickerandbetterbutsavestheenvironmentbynotspreadingtoxicleadparticlesaround.

So,what’sdifferentwith thisA1 (Alternate#1)version from theoriginal.What is the same isthat both employ 62gn bullets which in turnemploytwocoresections,thefrontonebeingasteelsemi-APpenetratortype,andalthoughMVisclaimedas ‘higher’ for theA1version,havenearidenticaltrajectoriesto350yd,soobviouslyhave similar external ballistics performance,range and wind-bucking ability. The A1 isclaimed to be more accurate – but have youeverheardofanewmilitarycartridgethatdidn’twear this label?What is different ismaterials,construction methods, and the size/weight ofthe steel penetrator section. The A1’s gildingmetal jacket is ‘reverse-drawn’, ie has a solidbaseandopenfront likeaHPBTmatchbullet.While the M855 has a slightly hardened leadrear-coresection,theA1versionoriginallyusedbismuth-tin alloy, recently changed to solidcopper. And finally, while the M855’s steel‘penetrator’isatruncatedconeentirelyenclosedwithin the jacket, the M855A1’s is a ‘stackedpyramid’thatweighstwiceasmuchastheolder

M855A1 – 01: The new M855A1 EPR cartridge and bullet

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Front Cover credit - Andrew Venables andWMSFirearmsTrainingwishyouaveryHappyChristmasandahealthy,prosperousNewYear!Asyoucansee from thepictureon thehomepageofourwebsite:www.wms-firearmstrain-ing.orgwearecold,snowyandfullyoperationalall year round. If youplan to shoot thiswinteryouarewelcometodoitwithusatWMS.Thesite is just off a main arterialA road and theprivateroaduptoourbaseisalwaysaccessibleby4x4,yoursorours.Our local accommodation list includes greatplacestostay.Eat,drink,smileandsitaroundanopenfirestaringintotheglowreviewingtheday’s challenges and triumphs.Who hit what,missed what and made those priceless firstround hits that do so much for our skill andconfidencelevels.Toallwhohaveenjoyeddayswithus,thankyouforyoursupport,encouragementandcompany.Welookforwardtoseeingyouagainandoftenin 2011. Thank you for your reviews, articles,testimonials,referralsandhardearnedmoney.

It’sbeenablast!Toallwhoarereadingthis,lookingatthepictureandwonderingwhatit’sallabout,checkouttheweb site read the articles, listen to thosewhohavediscoveredusandwhatwedo.Thenbookaday, it’sgoing tobe thebest thingyouhavedonewitharifle……yoursorours!Verybestwishesfor2011YourssincerelyAndrewVenableswww.wms-firearmstraining.org07767365804Ev:01686440782/Of:01686413030

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versionandhasanexposed‘arrow-head’tip.

Terminal performance is claimed to besignificantly better than the M855’s (andstandard150gnFMJBTM807.62X51mmtoo)on‘soft’(euphemismforpeople!)and‘hard’(bodyarmour,vehiclebodies,steelplateetc)targets.ThereasonfortheformeristhatunliketheM855andM80(andforthatmattereverymilitaryFMJbullet since theGermans’ ‘S-Patrone’ of 1904and British .303 MkVII of 1910), performanceisnot ‘yawdependant’ (ie itdoesn’t tumbleonpenetration).Thehardtargetclaimisnothardtobelievegiventheheavier,pointedandexposedsteeltip–it’sboundtogothroughalotofthingsbetter.

Now, there are some interesting design andperformanceissueshere.Ifyouhavethesameoverall weight, similar jacket weight, and atwiceasheavynosecoresection(alliedtolightcopperreplacingheavyleadfortherearcore),itstandstoreasontheprojectile’scentreofgravity

moves forwardmaking itnoseheavy–justlikethelate 19th century 210gnBritish 0.303 and 173gn7mmMauserbullets thathadareputationforbeingwonderful penetratorsandterriblemanstoppers.Ever since, militarybullet designers havebeen making smallarmsprojectiles increasinglybase-heavy, so theywill tumble immediatelyafter penetrating tissue.However, the US Armyclaimstohavereinventedthe laws of physics andwound ballistics, butnever mind the M855A1is ‘green’ so presumablya ‘green’ President andCongress are delighted,and Greenpeace tooone imagines! (AndATKlikewise,giventhatishasreceived a contract tomanufacture 200 millionrounds at the formerUSGovernment Lake CityArsenal plant.) It is said

theUSMarineCorps isnomoreconvincedofthe‘benefits’oftheM855A1thanitisoftheM4carbine,andhasadoptedanewleadcoredesign,codename SOST that uses a 62gn Open-Tipprojectile. (Actually, a FederalCartridge /ATKdevelopedhollow-pointboat-tailmatchtype,but‘hollow-point’isa‘no-no’inmilitaryspeaklikelytoseeanyonewhouttersitcourt-martialledasit ‘implies’ a Dum-Dum type bullet.) Anotherinterestingaspectofthearmy’sM855A1isthatit operates at an unspecified higher chamberpressurethanthealreadymassively‘hot’M855,andofcoursethecurrentprimarycombatzoneisAfghanistanwhichseessomeseriouslyhighsummertemperatures.Howcanwebuysharesin whoevermanufactures replacementM16A2andM4boltsandbufferassemblies?

M855A1-02: M855 and M855A1 bullets and internals. The A1 version shown is the earlier bismuth-tin rear-core version that gave inconsistent ballistics in hot climates

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CalendarofeventsoverthenextfewmonthsIfyourcluborassociationhaseventsyouwanttopubliciseherethenemailus.

19 Feb Target Shotgun Festival (National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)

The Target Shotgun Festival has unique and challenging competition stages that are engaged with solid slug, SG/buckshot and birdshot ammunition. These targets are arranged to test any competitor skills in a friendly and safe manner. Contact Brian Thomas

9 Jan Civilian Service Rifle competition (National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)Civilian Service Rifle competitions are held throughout the year.

Contact Mark Bradley for further information.

8 Jan MLAGB RCO Endorsement Course (National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley) Contact(s): Phyllis Farnan

27 Jan NRA Shooting Club Day (National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)Multi-discipline NRA Shooting Club Day. Targets have been booked on Melville and at 100, 200, 300 and 1000 yards. All disciplines welcome.

Open to all full members of the NRA who have completed and returned the registration form which is available on the NRA website. If you would like to attend you must book in at least a week in advance by contacting Charles Perry.

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

Our premises are located at 53 Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, Surrey, CR5 2RB

www.gtshooting.co.uk

Tel: 020 8660 6843 Fax: 020 8660 6843

We are conveniently situated near the M23 & M25. Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 10.00am - 5.30pm

Fullbore & .22LR Black Power

Air Rifles and Pistols Used rifles and Pistols

OpticsAmmunitionReloading equipment and more...

15 Jan NRA Shooting Club Day (National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)Multi-discipline NRA Shooting Club Day. Targets have been booked on Melville and at 100, 200, 600 and 1000 yards. All disciplines welcome. Open to all full members of the NRA who have completed and returned the registration form which is available on the NRA website. If you would like to attend you must book in at least a week in advance by contacting Charles Perry.

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Nodoubtsomeofyouhavebeenenticedbytheearly sales before Christmas and even thosethatstartedonBoxingDay.Havingwatchedthenews this year seems to be the biggest salesever, assuredly people are trying to beat theupcomingVATincrease.Someofyoumightevenhavepurchasedsomeof big items that everyone is talking about,includinganewlaptop,orevenadigitalpadofsomesort.Wellthisarticleisforyou!Wehavetalkedaboutthe iPad a number of times over the last fewmonths and to be honest it is still themarketleader forme!Evenwith its inability toenableflash,itisjustsoslick!!

IhavenoticedanumberofdigitalpadsaimedatthehomeshoppingfrontjustbeforeChristmas.Someof these are glorified internet browsers,withlittleornomemory.Solet’shopethatyouhavenotgoneforthecheaperoption.Astheoldclichégoes,yougetwhatyoupayfor!!

HerewelookatthenewestpadontheMarket,going out just in time for Christmas, theGalaxyTab.We lookedat this lastmonthvery

superficially,butherewecanspendalittlemoretime looking at this Android based machine.Herewearenotgoingtobelookingmuchatthegeek techspecs,butmoreonwhathelpsyouuse it.More importantly Iwant to lookat howyoucanusethistoviewthismagazineandgetthemostoutofittosupportyourinterest,inyoursport.

Firstofall,don’tbeputoffbysomeofthereviewssayingthatitlooksabitplastic.ItdoesnotandtheexternaldesignoftheTabisasgoodastheiPad.Theothermajor criticism is that theTabhasasmallscreen.Well thishas itsprosandconstobehonest.PersonallyI likeitasit iseasytotransport,asitcangoinyourjacketpocketorrucksackquiteeasily.(Theonethingyoudoneedtorealise,asthespecificationofthetabscreenis1024x600,isthatwhenviewingmostwebsitestolockthescreen into landscape/ horizontal mode. Thereasons are that, a. the text will be too smallin portraitmodeandb. somewebsitesdonottranslatewellinsomeofthebrowsers,extendingimagesoutofsync).Allothercriticismyouhavereadaresuperfluoustobehonestastheycome

The Digital Media Revolution for Shooting Sports - Continued.

The New Galaxy Tab

byCarlBoswell

16 Target Shooter

downtotaste.Italldependsonwhatyouwant??

To be honest the lack of a consistent wellthoughtoutbrowserfortheTabisoneofitsfewdrawbacks.SomethingtheiPaddoesnotsufferfrom, with the consistent andwell establishedSafaribrowser.Ihavetriedafewandinsteadofsayingwhatdoesnotwork,let’slookattheonesthatdo;Firefox: In its infancy onAndroid, butwemaysee this being the leader in the near future,becauseofthesupportforthefullversiononthePC.Atpresentitisit’sBetatestinganddoesnotsupportflash,butthisiscoming.Apartfromthatit seems toworkwell andgenerateswebsites

withoutanydistortionslikeSafari.It’salsofree.Dolphin HD: This little browser is excellent.Although it distorts some websites in portraitmode,itiseasytouseandreasonablyintuitive.Some versions do cost, but like all apps theircostisrelative.I’dyouwantedaslightupgradeon the standard browser this would be it forsomefeatures.Others likeusingflashdotendtohangalittle,whichisdisconcerting.StandardBrowser:Workswellenoughanddoes‘what it says in on the tin’.Again this extendswebsitesoutofsync,so lockyourscreen intothehorizontalposition. Itcanenableflashanddoesthisprettywell.Someintuitivefeaturesaremissingsoitcanbelimited.

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Conclusion, stick with the standard browser,but download and then upgrade Firefox as itdevelops. This should act in a similar way toyourPC,ifyouusethisbrowser.Asit’sfreeit’sworth getting from theFirefoxwebsite - http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/m/beta

Flash or not to flash!!!!!!This is the big question.Sorry about this playonwords,butitisthebigquestionformeatthemoment regardsviewinga lotof thingson theInternet.We based this magazine on online the flashtechnology. This still works for PC basedreading,asthisishowmanyonlinemagazineswork. Forme the online versions are affectedby a multitude of issues ranging from server

speed to the number ofpeople on the internet atany given time. I wouldalways, always USE THEDOWNLOAD VERSION.SAVETHEMAGAZINETOYOU DESKTOP. Why? Itshould only take minutesanditissavedforallfuturereferencing. The onlineversion is really only forbrowsing! For you theseriousreaderthedownloadversion, whether flash or

PDF,isseriouslythewaytoreadthemagazine.AlthoughtheTabsupportsonlineviewinginflash,itdoesnotsupportthe.exedownloadofferedonourwebsite.ThisonlyworksonaPC.SobuyingintoanAndroidtabletorphonethinkingitwillactlikeaPCisaseriouserror,astheydonot.Wehaveall of this technology floatingaroundbutunfortunatelynorealconsistencybetweenanyofthem!!However, technology still moves onward andupward!Wehave thesenewproducts like thedigitalpadswearelookingatinthisarticle,plusnew, cheaper more accessible software; nowknowasapps.Withthisismindthereareanumberofappslike

18 Target Shooter

Goodreaderon the iPadandezPDFReaderontheGalaxyTabthatbringthehumblePDFdocument alive and are a suitable way toviewmagazinesandbooksinthisform.Bothcostabout£1andcanbeused foravarietyofdocuments.AlthoughthePDFformatisoldandmanysaidithadlost itswayintermsofwhatitwassupposedtodo-beadigitalbook-infactitisthemostversatileformataroundandwillact likeother iPaddigitalmagazinesor even like a flash magazine on Android,usingthetwoappsmentionedabove.(DobecarefulifyouhaveandiPadandwanttobuyezPDFforthisproduct,theappunfortunatelyhas many issues including being incrediblyhardtouse,sodonotbuyitatthemomentforanappleproduct.ForAndroiditisperfect........Gofigure!!!

So in conclusion, always download youfavourite magazine onto your digital pad -or computer for thatmatter - trying thePDFversionastheseareasgoodastheflashor

exPDF Reader - using this you can downlaod and store all your PDF documents, including Target Shooter Magazine. it is an enjoyable reading experience and also lets you access the ads via the web!!

Target Shooter 19

iPadmagazineversionsusingtheappsIhavementioned.

The one thing the Tab, or any other Androidbasedbrowserforthatmatter,reallysuffersfromat this moment in time is the aforementionedbrowserissue,plustheneedtodevelopawiderrangeofappsthatareonparwiththoseofferedon the iPad.As I saidbefore, thesoftware forthe iPad is justslick ineveryway. Ihaveonlyhadonebadexperience,whichisgood.For the Galaxy Tab there are some shootingrelated apps that are really useful. Some are

freeotherscost.TheonesIwentforaresimilartotheonesIhaveontheiPad,suchas;Bubble level, thermometer,barometer, etc. There are anumber of shooting relatedproducts, like those reviewedlastmonthandothers likebasicballistics programs...... Sorry,apps!!! - see pic on oppositepage,butthisisnoallofthem!!

What is needed are more ofthese ballistics and innovativeshooting apps. Although ones Imentioned last month are alsoavailable for the Tab, like theKindle Amazon app. (We alsoneedmoreofthesefortheiPad).One app I have found recentlyusefulisadiarybasedsystemfortraining and sport development.OnAndroid,Jorteisagoodappfor this. There are a few othersthat can be easily adapted foryourtrainingandshootingrecordneeds.Youjustneedtothinkoutofthebox!

TheGalaxyTabhasmanygreatfeatures and can be usedmoreextensivelythanIammentioninghere.Personally,allofmyroutinesforwork, rest and play are nowdigitalandportable -backeduponaserverjustincase!AstheTabisnowgoingforabout£399atsomehighstreetretailersit isaviableoption,astheprice

hasshrunkbyhundredsofpounds in just lessthan twomonths. It’sagoodalternative to theiPad. It is not the same by any stretch of theimagination. It has a lot going for it, as it canactasaphone,WIFIdigitalpad,camera,videorecord,etc,etc.

Basicallyhavea lookand if this typeofdigitalsystemisforyouthanitisworththepurchase.It is a toss of a coin and personal taste thatdeterminesifyougoforthissystemortheappleversion.Personally I likeboth,but fordifferentreasons!Happyshopping!

Target Shooter Magazine is excellent to view using ezPDF reader on the Galaxy Tab

20 Target Shooter

Introducing Kelbly’s Tactical Rifles.bringing benchrest precision to the tacticalmarket. With loads of options to choose from,and pricing that shatters the competitors.

Introducing the first hunting and tactical scopeswith 10 times power ratio on a variable scope.March 1x-10x-24mm and 2.5x-25x-42mm. 1/4” clicksand 25 MOA per revolution. All lenses in scopes arecemented in place, and do not rely on O rings to holdpoint of aim. Argon gas purged.

Kelbly 179mmX130mm 6/16/10 7:16 AM Page 1

iPad and Tab size comparison. Both are great for different reasons.

Target Shooter 21

At the beginning of November, the EuropeanF Class Championships sponsored by TimHannamwereheldatBisley.Abouthalfthe160oddentrywereF/TRshooters–offabi-pod.Wecouldhaveheldasideeventforbi-podbuilding–thereweresomeweirdandwonderfuldevices,thoughit’snicetoseetheoddHarrisstillbeingused!

Sowhyisbi-podbuilding–orbuying–suchapopularpastimewithF/TRshooters?WesoonrealisedthattheHarris-althoughafinebi-podformostapplications-justcan’tofferthestabilityneededtoreproducetheaccuracythatourriflesare capable of.Amore stable bi-pod is calledfor.Morestable? Inaddition tostability, theHarrisdoesnot cope toowellwith recoil. When the

bullet exits the barrel it creates an equal andoppositereaction.Inotherwords,itpushestheriflebackwards– it recoils.Thefull ‘benchrest’set-up used by Open Class shooters copeswell with recoil but, when the rubber feet oftheHarrisareplantedonagrassfiring-point,itdoesn’tworkquiteaswell.Ifyourriflecan’tsliderearwards,themuzzlewilllift.Simplephysics–butnotgood.So, any bi-pod which is going to improveon the Harris needs to address the recoilproblem.Whilstwe’reatit, let’swidenthelegsfor increasedstabilityand, ifwecanmakethevertical-adjustment accessible from the proneposition, somuch thebetter.Oh,and let’snotforgetcant–notallourfiring-pointsarelevel.Forallitsfailings,theHarrishasonegreat‘plus’– it’s light– just12ounces.Manyhavemade

Bi-pods are us! - The Centershot Engineering Bi-podBy Vince BottomleyThe march of bi-pod design – the Harris looks a bit lost in there!

22 Target Shooter

bi-pods that are more stable, adjustable, etc.butnonehavemadeonelighter!Whyisweightan issue? The all-up weight of an F/TR riflewith scope and bi-podmust not exceed 18lbs2ozand,whenwearelookingforheavybarrels32 inches in length – which seems to be thefashion–thoseouncesarecritical.Myownrifleforexampleweighs16lbs10ozso Ihaveonly11/2lbsavailableforabi-pod.ProbablythefinestbipodeverputintoproductionisCanadianHenryRemple’seffort.Itfillseverycriteria -except theweight issue - itweighsamassive3.5lbs.,fartooheavyforacompetitiveF/TR rifle. It is however a masterpiece ofengineeringdesignandmanufactureand,when

I was at Bisley for the 2009 World F ClassChampionships,Isawwhat lookedremarkablysimilar toaHenryRemplebut hadbeenonadiet!(seepic).

Thebi-podwassupportinga riflebelonging toJohnWeil,amemberoftheGoldMedalwinningAmericanF/TRteam.John’sriflewasamodest308 Savage F/TR rifle but he shot amazinglywellandIwellrememberhimputtinginthetopF/TRscoreat1000yardsonthefinaldaywitha score that betteredmost of theOpenClassshooters!Clearly,hisbi-podwasworking.When I say ‘had received the treatment’ I’mtalkingaboutlightening,forthereisnothingon

Left, John Weil’s prototype at Bisley in 2009 and right, Canadian Henry Remple’s design

Ian Dixon’s ingenious home-made aluminium and carbon fibre bi-pod

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Henry Remple’s ‘pod which needs improving.John’sbi-podwaspared-down to theabsoluteminimum thanks to extensive milling of thealuminium bits and substituting Remple’srobustaluminiumstrutswithcarbon-fibre rods.John’s ‘pod created plenty of attention andwould probably have won the World Bi-podBuildingChampionship – if it existed - thoughBritshooterIanDixon’seffortwouldhaverunitaclosesecond.(seepic).Well,Ianisstillusinghisbi-podandsoisJohnbutthedifference?John’sisnowinproduction– see www.censhot.com and you can evenbuyoneintheUKasBrianFoxofFoxFirearmswww.foxfirearmsuk.com is importing them.Notonly that, Iwasgivenone for theFClassEuropeanssoIcancertainlygiveitafullreportbutbeforeIdo,let’shaveadetailedlook.WeightMyfirstlookwasattheall-importantweightissueandIwasshockedtoseethatitweighedascant1lb3oz.! This isreally lightandyoucertainlywon’t find a comparable bi-pod in productionwhichislighter,thoughIhaveseenafewhome-madeeffortswhichrunitclose.

StabilityAt fullwidth, theCenshot has a 20 inch spanwithaheightof5inches(totheundersideofthefore-end).Lookingat it theotherway,youcanachieveaheightof9inchesthoughthespanwillonlybe16inches.

RecoilTheCenshothandlesrecoilbyusingskids–orskis–whichallowtherifletorecoilproperly.Thisis a tried and testedmethod used bymost F/TRbi-podbuilders.Onmyhomemade‘pods,Ialwaysmaketheskisquitelargeotherwisetheywon’tworkonagrassyfiring-point.

FixingThe bi-pod is designed to fix to a standardaccessory rail (Anschutz-type rail) let into theundersideofthefore-end.Itisheldinplacewithjust one thumb-screwand can be attached orremovedinsecondswithouttools.Idon’thaveanaccessoryrailonmyF/TRrifle,soIhadtogetabitcreative.

AdjustmentThisisoneofthegreatstrengthsoftheCenshot.Itcaneasilyandquicklybeadjustedforheight

Wow – under 19 ounces – that’s light!

24 Target Shooter

with one hand, from the prone position, usingthesmall capstanwheel.Thismightnotseemtoo important if youdon’t shootFClassbut itdefinitely is.As you shoot, the bi-pod settles,theback-bagsettlesandfrequentadjustmentisnecessary.Ofcourse,notallbi-podsadjustsoeasily,soshooterswillcompromisebyshufflingtherearbagtomakeupforachangeofheightup-front.Thebi-pod isalsoadjustable forcantwith a single locking-lever that can be easilyreachedfromtheproneposition.

ConstructionYouwillmarvelattheamountofworkthathasgoneintothisbi-pod.ItisnotcheapbutIcertainlywouldnotliketomakeoneforthemoneyasked.It is beautifully engineered from aluminiumalloys,brass,stainless-steelandcarbon-fibre.Itisquitesimplytheultimateinbi-pods.Mybi-podisplainblack(byrequest)butawidevarietyofcoloursareofferedandyoucountry’sflagcanbesuperimposedonthelegsifrequired.

Shooting the CenshotAlthoughlight,thebi-podinitiallyfeelsquiterigidbut once it is supporting a 17 lb. rifle, it doesexhibit some ‘flexibility’. As the rifle is gentlymovedforwardandbackwardontherearbag,thecarbon-fibre legstendtoflexa littlebeforetheskidsstarttomove.TheskidsaremadeofastrangefibrousmaterialwhichIcouldn’tidentifyandwerenotparticularlyslick.Inanattempttoimprovematters,Icoveredmyskidswithsomestripsofstocktape–thatveryslippyPTFEtape

which benchresters use on the rifle’s fore-endtoassistridingthebags.Itworkedandreducedtheflexing.

MyveryfirstshootwiththeCenshotwasinthewarm-upshootjustbeforethefirstmatchoftheEuropeansatBisley.Itdidfeelalittledifferenttomyown‘pod,thoughmyshotswereimpactingwhereIhadaimedsoIwasfeelingquitehappywith the Censhot. Following the warm-up, afellowshooterapproachedmeandcommentedonthe‘pod.“Braveman–shootinganew‘podintheEuropeans.”Thatgotmethinking–wasIbeingfoolishtryingsomethingnewinthebiggestcompetitionoftheyear?Ipanickedandputmyoldbi-podbackon!OK,callmeacowardbutI’llsavetheCenshottestforaclubshoot.

I didn’t have to wait long. Theweek after theEuropeansIwasshootingFClassatmyhomerangesonowanopportunitytotrytheCenshotin lessdemandingconditions. Initially, Imadeapoorstartasdidnothavethe‘cant’levertightenough andmy riflewas ‘torquing’ with everyshot.Stupidly,ittookmeawhiletocotton-ontothisbutwhenItightenedupthelevermyscoresimmediatelyimproved.

Themethodoffixingthe‘podtotheaccessoryrail is simple and convenient with a singlepivot-point.Manybi-podsuseaflatbase (seepicattopofarticle)whichclampstothefore-endwhichreducesthetendencytocant,thoughnowIamawarethatthelevermustbetight,itwon’t

These shots show the Censhot in the two extremes of adjustment. They also show why a decent-sized ski is needed if they are not to be snagged by grassy firing-points!

Target Shooter 25

happenagain.Thebi-pod recoiledverywell –theTeflontapedefinitelyimprovedthingsonsoftgrassanditwasveryeasytoadjustforheightbetweenshots.Myusualbi-podishome-made(weighing 1lb. 6oz.) as there isn’t a bi-pod onthemarketwhichislightenoughtokeepmyrifle‘legal’–exceptfortheCenshot–oraHarris!

Withoutdoubt,theCenshotisagreatbi-pod–maybeTHEgreatestbi-pod.Itticksalltheboxes,particularly weight and ease of adjustment. Itdoesflexalittlebutthisdoesnotappeartobeover-detrimental and it’s so light that with theweight you save you can add another coupleofinchestoyour(new)barrel(aninchofbarrelweighs3to4ounces)ormaybegoforaheavierprofile and for me, this is one of the majorreasonsthatIwouldbuyaCenshot–itwillallowyoutouseareallylong,heavybarrelonyourF/TRrigandmaximiseontheballisticsofthe308cartridge.

ConclusionsHave I any criticisms? Iwoulddefinitelymakethe skis longer to cope better with UK firingpoints,whichareinvariablysoftgrass–atleasttheonesweshootonintheGBFCALeagueare.Also,the‘podispronetocantingwiththetorquereaction of the rifle and needs to be lockedreallytightasthe‘single-pivot’methodoffixingcreates a ‘lever-arm’ which exaggerates this.Someshooterswereworriedaboutaslight‘slop’in the linkagesbut Idon’t think thisaffects the

shotplacementastherifle’ssubstantialweightisalwaysbearing-downonthebi-pod.

Ofcourse,althoughIusedtheCenshottoshootFClass,shootersusebi-podsformanydifferentapplications so let’s not label the Censhot asan F/TR only bi-pod. Beyond the Harris anditsclones,thereislittletochoosefromandI’mlooking forward to trying the Censhot on mytactical rifle,where it shouldofferanoticeableimprovementoveraHarris.

At £395, this is not a cheapbi-pod - probablytwice the price of any other bi-pod – like theSinclair.YoucouldbuythreeFitoBigFootsforthesamemoneybutthenagain,theFitoweighstwice as much as the Censhot. In serious F/TRcompetition,thebi-podisascriticalasanyotherelementofyourrifle–scope,barrel,stocketc.–infact,whenyouthinkthatanunfinishedlaminatestockblankwillcostthesamemoney,itmakestheCenshotappeargoodvalue.Likethemansaid“Buythebestandcryonce!”

Fox Firearms - www.foxfirearmsuk.com - currentlyhavea fewCenshots instock. Ifyouwant to ‘try before you buy’ I’m more thanhappy to letyou trymine if youcanmake thetrip toDiggle for one of our FClass shoots –see calendarwww.diggleranges.com. E-mailmefirstonvinceb@6ppc.fsnet.co.uk and I’llarrangeforyoutouseit.

26 Target Shooter

www.FoxFirearmsUK.com Tel: 0161 430 8278 or 07941 958464

PUTTING SHOOTING FIRST

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SEB LAMBANG BENCH RESTS AND ACCESSORIES ARE THE BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE. WE STOCK HIS FULL RANGE AT LOWEST POSSIBLE PRICES, ALONG WITH THE BUDGET

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Whether you want a factory rifle or a custom built offering give us a call. Record breaking, competition proved rifles built on Savage actions for less than £2,000. Other actions supplied - the choice is yours!Bartlein, Trueflite, Broughton & Lilja barrels supplied and fitted.Stockists of F T/R Bipods by Sinclair and Fito Force of Spain.

Tel: 0161 408 3555Mob: 07861 399066e-mail: stuart@ospreyrifles.comURL: www.ospreyrifles.com

Target Shooter 27

Itmaycomeasabitofareliefthatthereisnoattemptatanyhistoryrelatingtothismonth’sgun,simplybecauseIdon’thaveany!.Thiswasmylastauctionacquisition,andfrankly,itwasasnip.Itwastowardstheend,andIthinkeveryonehadlostinterest,orrunoutofmoney,orboth,andsoitwasaddedtomymotleycollectionofoddities.Photo 1 shows the revolver in all its glory(!);actually, it is not in too bad condition,particularly compared to the Cooper andthe Manhattan. I know absolutely nothingabout these revolvers, so it is a voyage ofdiscovery forme. It appears tobeof anopen

frame Webley/Bentley type, although I standto be corrected on this point, and practicallyeveryotherpoint for thatmatter!Whatever, Itisa90bore(that’sabout.36toyouandme)sixshotopenframepercussionwitha4.5inchbarrel,andisdouble action only. Practical Pistol circa 1850anyone? Somehow the picture of cammos,Raybansandtophatsdoesn’tquitegel!Itwas,ofcourse,apocketrevolverdesignedforshortrangeselfdefenceandthelackofhammerspurpreventedsnagging.Bigpocketsinthosedays!.It has a fixed rearsight and a drift adjustable

by Chris Risebrook

Shooting the Black Powder PistolPart 11

www.FoxFirearmsUK.com Tel: 0161 430 8278 or 07941 958464

PUTTING SHOOTING FIRST

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO SEE THE VERY BEST VALUE CUSTOM PRECISION RIFLES FOR TR, MATCH, F-CLASS, AND BENCH-REST—WE ARE NOW SELLING A FULL RANGE OF HARRELL PRODUCTS

WE STOCK HUNTING RIFLES BY COOPER, KIMBER AND PFEIFER AND COMPETITION-WINNING RIFLES FROM KELBLY AND KEPPELER, AND ARE TRADE AGENTS FOR THE

SUPERB BARNARD ACTIONS, AND RECORD-BREAKING TRUE-FLITE AND BARTLEIN BARRELS

WE ALSO STOCK PROFESSIONAL BORESCOPES (from £533) AND A RANGE OF HIGH-POWER SCOPES FOR COMPETITION AT AMAZING PRICES (eg 8-32X50 WITH 30mm TUBES FROM £100) ALONG WITH

STUNNING BINOCULARS AND SPOTTING SCOPES

SEB LAMBANG BENCH RESTS AND ACCESSORIES ARE THE BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE. WE STOCK HIS FULL RANGE AT LOWEST POSSIBLE PRICES, ALONG WITH THE BUDGET

CALDWELL RANGE- BERGER BULLETS TO YOUR DOOR- EXPORT TO EUROPE, NO PROBLEM! SEE WEBSITE FOR FULL SPECIFICATIONS AND CURRENT STOCKLIST

EVERYTHING WE IMPORT IS BY FAR THE BEST VALUE IN THE UK

28 Target Shooter

foresight, although they are very fine, and fordouble action work would have been prettyuseless.Photo2showsthesubstantial fencesbetween the chambers which would certainlyhavehelpedtoreducethepossibilityofchain-fire;but their real purpose is cylinder lock-up.There are no notches for the bolt stopsimplybecausethereisn’tone!.Instead,apegrisesfromtheflooroftheactionandjamsitselfagainstthefence,seePhoto3.Primitive,butveryeffective;thereisvirtuallynocylinderendplay,andlock-upisverytight.Theideacertainlydidnotsetthegun-makingworldon fire, and itwouldnot have causedSamuel

Coltanysleeplessnights.It has a safety - of sorts -consistingofaspringon the left sideoftheframe,seePhoto4.Theideaistogiveaslightpulltothetriggerandthenpressthe spring into a notch on the hammer.Hopefully, it will hold the hammerclear of the nipple; any pressureonthetriggerthereaftercausesthespringtorelease so the gun can fire. Bearingin mind it does not have a reboundinghammer and the hammer face restson the percussion cap, was anyonereally stupid enough to rely on such asystem? Just about the quickestway togetgunfighter’slimp!|Theonlysafewayto carry it would be with one chamberuncapped.Onthequestionofcaps,althoughthedouble

action trigger pull is very heavy and thespring is strong, giving a ghastly trigger pull,the hammer throw is short, and insufficientto fire a conventional cap, and I suspectthis was always so. This presentsexactlythesameproblemaswiththepepperboxrevolverswiththeirdoubleactionAllendesignedbar hammers. I believe pepperboxes weresupplied with very thin caps to obviate thisproblem, and I wonder if the same pertainsto these revolvers. Imentioned in a previousarticle that it is possiblewitha forming tool tomakecapsfromthinfoil,andtheseworkifyou

Target Shooter 29

can find “hot” enough toy caps to put insidethem.Makingthesecapsisfiddlyintheextreme,buttheyworkinthisrevolver.Whetherthereisenough power to actually ignite the charge isanothermatter.Photo5showsthepistolwiththegripsandthesideplateremovedtoshowthelockwork.,andthesubstantial spring - I would not care to trymaking one of those! In most revolvers

the pivot screw for the hammer is a fairlysubstantial item, but here it is surprisinglysmall. The whole gun is neatly engraved andgenerally well made, with finely chequeredwalnut grips with an engraved steel grip cap.DissamblyisbytheusualColtmethodofscrewandwedge,andtherammerisheldbyaspringclampunderthebarrel.The onlymarking on the gun ,apart from theBirminghamproofmarks, is the legendon thetopflatofthebarrel“JamesHarperMaker”.TheBirminghamDirectoryof1849showsaJamesHarper, gun and pistol manufacturer and gunimplementmakerat85WeamanStreet,justupthe road fromWilliamTranter.So far, thisall Ihavebeenabletodiscoverabouthim,butthereiscurrentlyforsaleontheinternetatransitionalrevolverc.1850byaJamesHarper,whichmayormay not be the sameperson.Researchingtheseoldgunsisfascinating,andifanyonecanthrowanylightonJamesHarper,hisrevolvers,orthisgenreofrevolveringeneral,itwouldbegreatlyappreciated.Onefinalthought:ratherlikethepepperboxes,werethesegunseveractuallyfiredorjustusedtoconcentratethemindofawould-beassailant?Theyseemso impractical -andsometimessodownrightdangerous, that fromaself-defencepointofview,theideaofchuckingrocksseemsquiteattractive!

30 Target Shooter

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Target Shooter 31

Ifirstvisited ‘TimHannam’over20yearsago,and have become an increasingly regularcustomerasitbuiltupitshandloadingtoolsandcomponentsbusiness.Despiteeffortstoprotectmybankbalance,Ijustcan’tstayaway–twentyorsoyearsagoitwasNosler150gn‘SolidBase’0.308” boat-tail soft-points that outshot matchbullets inmyTR riflebutcost£9perhundred(sigh – happy days!); today, it’s Forster diesandbushings,BergerandLapuabullets,Lapuabrass,andVihtavuoripowders.

What’spromptedthislookisthatit’sall-changeat Hannams, but no change. To explain thisconundrum,oneofthebusiness’sco-founders,the one who donated the eponymous tradingname – Tim Hannam – has dropped out toconcentrate on opportunities abroad. ThebusinessisnowownedbyPatHannamwho also becomes the managingdirectorofanewlimitedcompanycalledHannam’sReloadingLimited.Thegoodnewsisthatthereisnochangefromthecustomer’spointofview,Patconfirmingthatthey’llcontinuedoingthatwhichtheydosowell now, continuing to seekoutnewproductsthatfitinwiththeirexistingranges.ThereisonewelcomechangeasHannamsismarketingitselfmoreactivelyandanearlymanifestationofthiswasitssponsorshipoflastNovember’sF-ClassEuropean Championship meeting withhopesofpersuadingVihtavuoritocomeonboardthisyear.

Hannams’ premises are adjacent to

Peckfield Lodge, a Victorian pile midwaybetween Leeds and York and until recently,smackonthehistoricGreatNorthRoad,orA1aspeoplecallitnowadays.WiththeHighwaysAgencyhavingrecentlydivertedthisstretchtoabrandnewmotorway,theHGVsnowpassbywithabarelyheardrumblehalfamileaway,andPeckfieldLodgehas regained itsancient ruraltranquillity,horsesgrazingpeacefullyinadjacentfields.Fortunately,itretainsfasttransportlinkswithajunctiontothenewA1(M)justdowntheroad, and the M62 transpennine motorwayclosetoo.ThebuildingsowetheirexistencetothislocationhavingoncehostedabusinessthatprovidedfreshhorsesforLondontoEdinburghstagecoaches, the stable-block now the mainwarehouse.Goodroadtransportlinksareeverybitasvitaltotoday’sbusinessastheywereto

by Laurie Holland

MY LOCAL GUNSHOP: ‘HANNAMS’

Pat Hannam, proprietor and managing director of Hannam’s Reloading Limited

32 Target Shooter

its equine orientated predecessor. Wholesale,or ‘trade’,activitiesaccount foraround90%ofsales,overnightdeliveriestogunshopsaroundthe country a vital part of the service thatHannamsoffers.

Hang on, the title says ‘Local Gunshop’!Hannams happily serves retail customers toowhether personal shoppers or through mailorder.It’snotjust‘locals’likemewhocallin,asPatsaysthatthemotorwaylinksproducepeoplefromalloverthecountrywhodropintocollectanorder. If you call, you’ll bemadewelcome,butdon’texpect tofindashop, ratherasmallcustomerareaandsales counter. If youknow

what you want, phone or email itthroughandtheorderwillbewaiting–ifyouwanttoseewhat’savailable,Hannam’speoplewillprovideadviceandbringitemstothecounterforyoutohavealookat.

When ‘Tim Hannam’ came intobeingback1983, it onlydistributedand sold two product ranges, LeereloadingtoolsandMTMammunitionboxes. It still handles them whichtells you something about servicelevels considering US producersusually see a need to change UKdistributorseverythreeorfouryears.Many things have changed – like

manyintheguntradewhosurvivedthefalloutfromthe1997pistolban,Hannamsrethoughtitsbusinessmodelandnowspecialisesinalimitednumberoffieldsindepth,whichasthenewnamesuggests, have handloading gear, ammunitionandcomponentsat theircore.Therearethreetoolandaccessoriesranges:Lee,Lyman,andrecently acquired Forster, each offering a fullrange of tools. The Hannam name was alsolinkedtoHornadyanditscomprehensiverangeofreloadingtools,factorycartridgesandbulletsformanyyears,but lost theUKdistributorshiprole a couple of years ago. Nevertheless, itcontinuestostockthem,sothat’s fourranges,addingup toat leastadozenpresses,scores

There isn’t a shop as such, rather a reception area and sales counter

A small part of the handloading items in the warehouse

Target Shooter 33

of‘presskits’,andgoodnessknowshowmanydie-sets.You’llfindleadmeltingandbulletcastingkits,case tumblersby thestack-full,andblackpowderhandlinggear.Speakingpersonally,I’mreallyglad(exceptwhenIgetthemonthlybankstatement) thatHannamsacquired theForsteragency. Its toolsmaybemoreexpensive thansome,butproducesuperbresults if fedqualitycomponents. The sole Forster press, theCo-Axmodelispricedatahefty£275,butsellssowellthatPatHannamsaysthecompanyhasdifficultyingettingenoughfromtheUSA!

It is company policy to hold an example ofevery product in these ranges, more for thepopular lines, although factory gate shortagessometimes make that goal impossible with ahugesurgeindemandforhandloadinggearintheUSAthankstoPresidentObama.Tohandleanddespatchallthisgear,theemployeecounthasgrownovertheyears,nowtotallingsix.NotonlyhasHannamheldontomanylongstandingproductranges,butthere’snostaffturnoverwitheverysignofthisbeinga‘happyship’.

Say ‘Hannams’ to the average handloadingBritishshooterandheorshethinks‘Vihtavuori’,the company having imported and distributedthe Finnish powders for over 20 years, therangeregularlyaddedto.StickingtoFinland,wehaveLapuacasesandbullets,theiravailabilitytransformedsincetheymovedtotheYorkshiredistributor. While this brass provides thestandard that precision shooters judge othermakes against, there are cheaper bagged‘Relcom’casesinstockforamuchlargerrangeofcartridgesthantheFinnishcompanycatersfor.ThesemostlyRemingtonmadeproductscover80riflecartridgesandasmallerrangeofpistolnumbers with various calibres and weights ofbudget jacketedbullets,hardcast-leadbullets,and ‘totally lead free’ (electroplated) models,mostly for pistol-calibre levergun handloaders.BergerBulletsisarecentandpopularadditionto the rifle bullet ranges. Unfortunately, thedemand for some ‘Target’ models has beenso great that they’ve been on back-orderwith

Hannam’s is immediately associated with Finnish Vihtavuori handloading powders, Lapua cases and bullets

Forster Benchrest dies including a micrometer-top ‘Ultra’ seating die on the right, and a bushing-bump sizing die (centre)

34 Target Shooter

themanufacturer formonthsandPat isvisiblyfrustrated when she talks about the supplysituation.

The company’s name should be ‘Hannam’sReloadingSuppliesandShootingAccessories’giventhenumberofthelatterthatitsells.Thereare toomany to describe, but ImustmentionMTMwithitshugerangeofammunitionboxesandotherproducts. It’samazingwhatyoucanmakefrominjectionmoulded‘plastics’,andthelatest innovations are ‘dry’ containers that arecompletelywaterproofwitharubberO-ringsealbetweenbodyandlid.Someareforammunition,including ‘ammo cans’, facsimiles of the olivegreen military boxes in several sizes; largercontainersactasrangeboxesand‘Sportsmen’sDry Boxes’ for anglers, farmers, sportingshooters,gamekeepersandwhoever.Patsaysthat boating types have discovered them tooas they’ll stand up to worse conditions thanshooters ever see, and if they fall overboard,theyfloat–yellowmodelsarepopularastheycan be seen bobbing around on the briny!They’re strong enough to double up as seatsontherange,boatorriverbanktoo.OtherMTMaccessoriesarestockedtooincludinggunvices,rangeboxeswithslot-in‘arms’toturnthemintorifle cleaning cradles, target holders, shootingrests.....andmore.

Lyman also makes accessories and you’llfind them at Peckfield Lodge: gunsmithingtools, trigger pull gauges, and the bestsellingadjustable, rotating ‘Revolution’ gun vice, a

greatriflecleaningaid.TheLyman‘stable’alsoincludes A-Zoom machined metal snap-caps,Pachmayr butt-pads, grips and accessories,and the effective Butch’s Bore-Shine powdersolventthatIandmanypeopleIknowuse.Thelistgoeson:BirchwoodCasey(targetsincluding‘Shoot-N-C’andotherreactivetypes;cleaners,lubricantsandalargerangeofwoodandstockrefinishing materials and oils); Harris bi-pods;and another recent addition, the excellentPro-Shot range of cleaning rods, spear-typejags, phosphor-bronze bore-brushes,bore-guides,andcottonpatches thathelpyoucarry out this chore with less wear and tearon you and the barrel. You can see why thisbusiness has not only survived for nearly 30years,butthrived.

If youwant to browseHannam’s stock online,itswebsite is in the process of being updatedto provide click-links to all of its suppliers toprovide detailed product information and youcanalreadydownloadthecompany’spricelist.

Contact DetailsHannam’sReloadingLimited,PeckfieldLodge,GreatNorthRoad,SouthMilford, LeedsLS255LJtel:01977681639fax:01977684272Web:www.timhannam.co.ukE-mail:sales@timhannam.comOpen – 08.30 to 5.00 Monday to Thursday;08.30to2.30Friday;closedovertheweekend.

Hannam’s in its old name guise was main sponsor of the 2010 F-Class European Championship meeting

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36 Target Shooter

IntroductionTheMarchrangeofriflescopesisnowwell-knowninshooting-circlesandisagrowingpresenceonthewinner’spodium.The8–80x56underreviewisanexampleofascopethat’suniqueinitsmagnificationrange and yet, would still suit a number of targetdisciplines. This versatility is something I am stillcomingtotermswith-evenafterusingitsuccessfullyincompetition.

MarchproductsaremanufacturedintheJapaneseversion of Silicon Valley in Nagano Prefecture. InlinewiththestandardJapanesepractice,partsaresourcedfromspecificfeedercompanieswhoproducea small range of precision parts. These are thenassembledattheDeonOpticalDesignCorporation.Each scope is hand fitted and assembled by onetechnician.Thistakestimeandaskilledworkforce

andDeonappeartobeatthetopofthe‘scope-tree’thesedays.So when the opportunity came up to test andwrite about one ofMarch’s new80 – 80 x 56mmscopes, I leapt at it. Having tried severalmodelsoverthepastyear,IthoughtIknewwhattoexpect-owninga10–60powerMarchhadpreparedmeforshooting successfully at targets using the highestmagnificationatrangesoutto1500yards.Sowhatarewelookingat?The8–80x56has,at80power,thehighestzoom-magnificationcurrentlyavailableinthemarketsinceitsreleaseattheShotShowinJanuary2010.The8–80comesinarangeofreticleoptionssuchatthe MTR-1 and MTR-2 (hash marked stadia andan alternative to mil-dots), simple crosshair andcrosshairwitha rangeofdot sizes (1/8, 3/32and1/16). Shooter feedback has resulted in an MML

The March 8 – 80 x 56 Scope and a new Australian record!

By RichardWildAbove - The March 8 – 80 x 56 doesn’t overwhelm a rifle like the author first imagined. Without the sunshade the scope is only 16 inches (407mm) long - shorter than the 60 power

model.

The 20 MOA slip-over rail gives the shooter back the scope-adjustment lost on mounting. It also makes shooting at 1000 yards and more easily achievable, whilst keeping the scope around the middle of its elevation track for ranges under 1000 yards.

Target Shooter 37

option becoming available for the tactical andF-Classshooteraswell.

The first surprising feature about the 8 – 80x isthat it isnotenormous.It isnobiggerinsizethatmostotherscopesonthemarketandsmallerthanitsmaincompetition.The8–80x56weighs845g(29.8oz)andis407mm(16in.)long.Thisisslightlyheavierbutshorterthanthe10–60xoption.Themajordifferenceisthescopetubediameter-34mmandnotthe30mmusedintheothermodels.Oneofthetricksthatbudgetscopesusetodisguisepoorlensqualityistoincreasethethicknessofthebars in the cross hairs so the eye is immediatelydrawnto,thenpushedto,thecentreoftheimage.Higher end scopesdonot use this optical illusionand the March’s reticle remains uniformly thinthroughtherange.Thescopeavailablefortestingcamewiththe3/32ndMOAdot in the centre of a thin crosshair pattern.Thisdotsubtends3/32ofan inch(0.9mm)at100yards at 40 power. Back at 1000 yards,with thescopeon 80 power, the dot sits nicely inside oneof the 3/4 inch diameter stickers used for targetpatching!Theturretsareeasytoaccessfromanormalbenchfiring-position and come standard with 1/8 MOAclick-adjustment for more precise point of impacttuningat longrange.Eachrevolutionoftheturretworksout tobe10MOA fora totalof60minutesofelevationand40ofwindage.The60minutesofelevation shouldbeadequatebut,when you startshootingat1000yardsandfurther,alittleextrahelpisneeded.

Thismodel also comes with a zero stop, which Ihavefoundtobeagreatadditionfordisciplinesthatrequirealotofscopeadjustments.Settingitupfortheshortestrangemeanstheelevationzeroshouldneverbelostandmeanselevationcome-upstocanbecountedfromyourchosenzero.IsettheMarchupfora300metrezeroandwasabletoaccuratelyadjust for 400 and 500 metre ranges using myexistingscope’selevationsettings.SettinguptheMarchThe test scope camewith a scope-ring alignmenttooland lappingbarmadebyStuartElliotofBRTShooters Supply, the Australian distributor forMarchscopes.Thisreallyisa‘musthave’pieceofkitformountinganyscopeandisanimportanttoolwhen you are using expensive optical equipment.Remember that recoil can bend a scope and apoorly aligned scope-tube will suffer torque andtwistingthatwilleventuallyaffectaccuracy.

Unlike other scope-ring alignment tools, the BRTtoolisnotpointed.Rather,twoflat-endedcylindersare used. These offer amore exact indication ofalignmentduetotheprecisematingofthetwoflatsurfaces.Theneedfor34mmscoperingswasan issuebutKelbly nowmakes34mm rings for theStolle typedovetail and BRT has commissioned 34mm ringswith a 25MOA offset to remove the need for aninclinedrailthatwillhelptoreduceweightandcost.Thesewillneedtohaveascope-ringalignmenttooltomake sure the angles on themounts point theright direction! Ken Farrell’s 34mm rings are alsotoughcustomersandsitwellonPicatinnytyperails.

The rail does add some height to the scope but a cheek-weld is still possible. However, Kelbly now making 25 MOA inclined rings that will do away with the rail’s necessity

38 Target Shooter

Sothemarketiswellcateredfor.The most import thing to do, when the scope isfirst installedon the rifle, is to focus theeyepieceto your eyes. The test scope was severely outof focus forme and so I set the parallax knob toinfinityandloosenedtheeyepiecelocking-ringwiththe unloaded rifle pointed at the sky. Suddenlythecrosshairsleaptintofocus-thescopewassettogo. At therange, running through from8 to80power showed the reticle remained sharp acrossthepower-range.Eachscopecomeswithasunshadeanda43mm‘modifier disk’ canbeaddedasanoptional extra.Reducing the front lens from 56 to 43millimetreseffectivelycutslightby40%butitalsoincreasesthedepthoffocusby40%.Ifunnecessarybrightnessisreducedandthefocusdepthincreased,ashooter’sability to reading mirage is enhanced as thesight-picture ismoredefined indifficultconditions.

IflikeAustralia,youregularlyshootinbright,hotorhumidconditions,Iwoulddefinitelyincludeonewithyourpurchase.

Adding ElevationWhile testingacoupleofMarchscopesrecently, IfoundthatmyStolleactionreallyneededaninclinedmount to get amore efficient use of the 60MOAelevationintheMarch.Asanexample,usinga7mmBooBoo(180grainBergerat3050fps)required21minutesofadjustment to its100metrezero. Thescopetoppedoutat27minutes.ThatmeansIhadlostover30minutesofusableelevation.

NowIneededthatlostelevationbackasmychosencourseoffireisbetween300and1000m.Todothatproperlytherifleneedstohavearailthatplacesthecentresettingofthescopealongtherangebutatapointmidwayfortheadjustment.Inthatway,when

The zero stop and the parallax ring on this 8 – 80 power March is easy to reach and to adjust. Having the zero stop locked at 300 metres made life a lot easier dialing in the long ranges.

Target Shooter 39

youwindupfromthescope’scentrepositiontogetto 1000 you use about the sameMOAclicks thatyouwouldwinddowntogetto300m.Luckily, BRT Shooters Supplies is now stockinginclinedrailsfortheStolledovetail.ProudlymadeinBrisbane, they comeasadefault in 20and40degree rails – but any angle can be producedonorder. The 155mm long rail is machined fromstainless-steelandpolishedtoahighlustrebutanyfinishcanbeordered.(Asimilar‘slip-over’railisalsoavailabledirectfromKelbly).

The rail slips over the Stolle’s existing dovetail,covering itwithaslightoverhang.Therail isheldinplacewithsixhexscrewsandwillnotmoveonceinstalled.Followingthisrelativelysimpleinstallation,therailwilladdanextra20minutesofelevation.Confirming the zero demonstrated the additionalelevation-rangeandthescopenowhas48minutesof usable adjustment from100metres. This nowhastheBooBooshootingtopointofaimoutto1500metres.Alittletweaktotherifle’ssetup-yesbutanythingthatmakeslong-rangeshootingeasierisatickinmybook.

Internal ConstructionIt’sworthstressingfromthestart thatnoplastic isused in theconstructionof theMarch. Thescopebody,forexample,ismachinedfromasinglepieceofaluminiumbar-stockandallthelensesaregluedin.Thismakesforastructurallysolidpieceofequipmentthat ismuch stronger than possible through other

methodsofmanufacture.Buttheoffsetis,ofcourse,aconsiderablymorecostlymanufacturingprocess.Whileitlooksheavy,theMarchisshorterandlighterthancomparablescopesonthemarket.

AllMarchscopesarepurgedwithargongas,whichisheavier than thenitrogenusuallyused inscopemanufacture and does not leak. Gas purging isused to minimise internal corrosion and preventinternalfoggingduringquicktemperatureorhumiditychanges.A lot of work has gone into the design andmanufactureof thescope’serector tube to lightenandstrengthenit.Theerectortubesaresmallerandlighterthanotherbrandsandalightertubemeansless inertiaand internal impactduringrecoilwhichequalslesstendencytoincrementaldamagetotheerectortubeandcomponents.It appears that a lot of research has gone intominimisingthepotentialdamagethatapoorlyplacedor designed erector tube can potentially cause totheMarch’sinternalparts.Thisalsoincludesheat-treating key internal parts to reduce friction andgallingduringuse–asunseendamagecanoccurasaresultofthesuddenstopattheendoftherecoilpulse.March scopes also use a heat treated, flat-typeerector tube spring as the design engineersworkontheguidingprinciplethatcoilspringstendhaveamemoryproblem,regardlessofthematerial.Allthisheattreatingmeansthatpartsneedtobecarefullyhand-fitted. Forexample, thefocusing-grouptube

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40 Target Shooter

My 2.067 inch group shot on the 1000 yard target using a 6.5 x 47 and the 8-80 March – a new Australian record.

Target Shooter 41Jamie BeyerleJamie Beyerle

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unit(eyepieceassembly)needstobehand-lappedtofitthefocusing-tubelinerbody.Theheartofthescope,atleastfromtheshooter’sperspective, is the lens. March scopes use anextra-low dispersion (ED) lens. March’s productnotes that ED lenses have a smaller refractiveindex thana typicaloptical lens in theblue to redwavelength. This enables superior sharpnessand color correction by reducing chromaticaberration.Thesespecialtylensesareoftenusedinmicroscopes, telescopes,semiconductorsteppers,orhigh-endcameralenses.Chromaticaberrationisthefailureofalenstofocusall colours to the same point (the opposite to arainbow).Itoccursbecauselenseshaveadifferentrefractive index for different wavelengths of light(the dispersion of the lens). The refractive indexdecreases with increasing wavelength. Chromaticaberrationiseasytotestforinascope,ifyoucansee‘fringes’ofcoloralongboundariesthatseparatedarkandbrightpartsoftheimageyouhavefoundit.Itoccursinotherscopesbecauseeachcolorintheopticalspectrumcannotbefocusedatasingle

commonpointontheopticalaxis.Ipushed theMarchhardon this,bothona rangeof targets and distances – fullbore and benchrestandagainstaZeisslenstestsheetinordertofindoutwhentheblueandredwavelengthgotconfused.Forallnormallong-rangeshootingconditionsandIwouldhazardsomelessthannormal,sightingwasvery good to excellent and provided all the detailneededbutwithoutanylens-induceddistortion.Theglassusedinthislensisreallygoodandspoilsyouforanythinglessprecise.This devotion to detail naturally adds costs to themanufacturing process and one engineer at theDeonfactorycanonlyassembletwoscopesaday.Thisisnohighvolumeassemblyline!

Testing and RetestingAsnotedinpreviousreviews,duringscopetestingIdotrytopushtheboundariesofacceptablebehaviortoseeiftheequipmentdoeswhatitissupposedto–andsometimestheresultscanbeembarrassingtothedistributor.AndCanberraisnofriendtothescopetester.

42 Target Shooter

TheMarch8–80x56wasusedon twodifferentrifles-a284Improvedanda6.5x47inFClassand1000yardbenchrestmatches.OncetheMarchwassetupintheringsusingtheBRTscoperingalignmenttool,initialzeroingoccurredat400metres.Shootingat40powerwaspleasantandprovedtobeverysimilartousingmyNXS.Movingup to 80 power was more of a challenge for themindthanthescopeasthedotissmallagainstthelargeVbullofafullboretarget.ACanberrawinter’safternooncanbeadelighttoseethingsand,liketheMarch60X,thequalityof theEDlensshowedmeamirage thatebbedandflowedagainst theblackICFRAtargetandhelpedmepick thebestaim-offforthecondition.

Picking the lull after the mirage dropped off waseasy andmore practice would show that a trickymirage could be exploited using a combination ofthehigh-magnificationandpatience.At80powerIwasabletoseethebulletholesintheblackwhenthesunwasbrightonthetarget.Asanexampleofwhat80powermeans, thesightpictureona400metreICFRAtargetatthismagnificationissimilartoatargetlocatedat50metresviewedatonepower.Itisveryeasytoshootat80powerbutitisimportantto note that this shooting was done in CanberraandBrisbaneinthemiddleofwinterandIhaveyetto try thismagnification in the heat of summer. Ifullyexpectsimilarresultstothe60powerversion,especiallyifthemodifierdiskisused.Thelast10percentofmagnificationdoeshaveaneffectonthelighttransferredtotheeyeandsummerwill havean impactonsighting.But theversatilityof the 8 – 80 power rangemeans that there areenoughoptionstochoosefrominthe40–60powerrange- thefuzzandbothercanbedialedoutandyetthescopeisstillworkingatacapabilitybeyondthatofotherbrands.

Watchingthemiragepatternsoveraperiodshoweda cycle of build-up and let-off emerging and I amnowwatchingand learninghow touse this tomyadvantage.Moving theMarch to another rifle highlighted onenegative.Likethe10–60model,eyereliefiscriticalbut there is a cross-over point of six millimetersbetween8and80powerthat,oncesetup,bringsthescopenaturallytoaim.Aswitheverything,practiceis key to developing the correct muscle-memorybut the cross-over point contributes to develop aconsistentcheek-weld.There is also plenty of eye-relief on all thehigh-magnification models to use them on bigmagnums. The 8 – 80xwould sit happily onmy7mmBooBooor300Win.Mag.withnochanceofdrawinga‘Marcheyebrow’fromexcessiverecoil.

Shooting a small groupItravelledtoBrisbanetocompetewiththe8–80xina1000yardbenchrestmatchusingaborrowedriflechamberedin6.5x47.IchosetoruntheMarchat80Xforthefullmatchastheweatherandconditionsmade anything lower a waste. On the 1000 yardbenchrest target the scope could pick out the 3/4inchpatchesasthedayprogressedandthesecouldbeusedasaiming-points.

I went to the match to concentrate on shootinghighscoresandtakingwhatevergroupscamewiththat.Onmyfinaltarget,theconditionschangedtosomethingIhadnotseenbefore-adeadanddullconditionwitharighttolefttrickleofwind.Holdingthe3/32nddotonthebluelinebetweentheprintednumbers7and6,Ifired.Theshotcameupintheninejustleftofthe10ring.Iheldthedottotherightof thesamelineandfiredagain.Theshotwasinthe same place. I quickly banged down the finalthreeshotswatchingtheflagsflickerandadjustingeithersideofthelinebutthegroupdidn’tseemtogrowanybigger.

Feedbackfromthebuttswasveryexuberantastheymeasuredthegroupandcheckedandrecheckeditssize.Itwasn’tuntilshootinghadfinishedforthedaythatIfoundoutIhadjustshotanewAustralian1000yardbenchrest recordof2.067 inches in theLightGunclassusingaborrowedgunandtheMarch8-80powerscope!

The Last WordMarchscopesaregood,verygoodandwelldeservethereputationtheyarecurrentlyreceiving.Theyareexpensiveforareasonbut,withthecostofacustomrifle, it’smaybeworthaddingone toyourdecisionlist for the next build. I approached this reviewwitha jaundicedviewof thehypesurrounding theMarchproduct-linebuthavecomeawayagainveryimpressedwithitsvalueforshootingdollar.

The key message to take away from any Marchreviewisthequalityoftheunit’scomponents–whichmeans that I can see thingshappening that othershooters cannot see and therefore I could reactto condition-changes faster and more accurately.Whenyouaretryingtoshootsmallgroupsat longrangeswith a packof shooters hot on your heelstheneverylittlethingthathelpsisabonus.For more information on March prices and thecurrent range please contact your regionaldistributor:UKwww.marchscopes.co.ukAustralia/NZ marchscopes.com.auUSAwww.kelbly.com

Target Shooter 43

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44 Target Shooter

Special Report - UKBR22 World Championship Air Rifle Benchrest Team

Left to Right - Graham, Me (your scribe) and Scott

AsIkeepsaying-sorryifthisisrepetitive-AirRifleBenchrestasasporthasgrownsince itshumblebeginnings in2005/2006, through thethen UKBR22 Chairman Pat Phelps workingwith shooters in Italy. With just the odd fewshootersbackthen,IthinkonlyfouratthefirstUK nationals in 2006; this has grown into asportwithintheUKwheretherearenearequalnumbersofairrifleandrimfireshooters.Internationally thesporthasgrownsteadilyaswell,withthirteencountriesnowpracticingittoagreateror lesserdegree.Certainly inplaceslike SouthAfrica,Malta andHolland, to namejustafew,itisthepredominantsportoverrimfirebenchrest!!In this article I would like to look at theworldchampionshipcomingupthisyearandtheUKairriflebenchrestteamthatwillberepresentingtheircountry.

We have come a long way over the last halfdecade, with most shooters originally startingoutwithwhattheyhadintheircupboardorgoingfor specialist target air rifles seen mostly in10mISSFdisciplines.ThisImustsaywastheappropriateformasmost,ifnotall,oftherimfirebenchrestriflesbeingusedintheUKatthetimewereconvertedtargetrifles,frommakerssuchasWalther,AnschutzorFienwerkbau.Itstands to reason therefore that for the initialstagesofairriflebenchrestdevelopment;thesetypes of rifles were used. I am guessing withtheinfluxofHFTandFTshootersintothissportwas about the time where the rifles began tovaryconsiderablyandwestarted toseeotherspecialistairriflessuchastheSteyr,ArmsArms,Theoben,andDaystatebrandsmaterialising!?

Thecrossfertilisationbetweenshootingsportshas certainly benefitted air rifle benchrest

Target Shooter 45

development.SeeingthissportbeingattemptedintheUKhasspurredonmanyothersandIdobelievethatthemovementfromtargetgradeairriflestoHFT/FTrifleshasseenthesportgrow.I say grow in the development of using rifles,but this has also seen other countries taking

upthesportastheyhaveseenthediversity in this sport. A win, winsituationallround!!

After approximately six years indevelopingthissport,theonlythingthat is lacking really is an off theshelf benchrest air rifle thatmeetsthe grade of design we aspiretoo. (That will be a contentiousstatement!! There are many outtherethatwouldnotagreewiththatstatement, but what works for thegoose(rimfire)worksforthegander(airrifle)inmybook!!AlthoughweareaminoritysportformanufacturersincomparisontoHFTandFT,thisiswhatIthinkafewarenowaspiringto,thuscreatinggrassrouteinterest in the sport. Even basicbenchrest add-ons would be astart!!!

Somemanufacturers likeAnschutzand Steyr have tried, but basedtheir benchrest air rifle designson skeleton stock designs;they justdonotworkaswell asadedicatedbenchreststockdesign!!However one thing that has beenconsidered in two recent designs

I have seen is an extended air cylinder -considering weight at the same time - asthis provides extra shots during a match.An Excellent innovation, which allowsextra sighters without the concern ofrunning out of air! (This is really needed Ican tellyou,as this is thedisadvantageofairriflebenchrest - runningoutof chargesoyoucannotshoot.Somethingwedonotsufferfrominrimfirebenchrest!!)

Sobacktotheteam!!In2011partoftheUKteamwill useAirArms riflesas their rifleof choice,thuswewill be theAirArmsUKBR22 team!!!There have been a number of developmentswith these rifles, but more to be said in thecomingmonths.Thiswillobviouslyhaveagreat impactontheteam, using the same rifles, developing themin similar way and hopefully having our ownAirArmstrainedtechnicalexpertontheteam.Brillianttohavethislevelofsupportforwhatis

Alan Grayson

Garry Kingaby

Garry Morrison

46 Target Shooter

averyyoungsport.

ThemembersofAirArmsAirRifleteamfornextyear’sworldchampionshipare;GrahamFreemanCarlBoswell

ScottGraysonAlanGraysonGaryKingabyGaryMorrisonAdditions to theoverallUKBR22AirRifleBenchrestteamare;AndySimpsonJakeHealeyRonHardingCarlHansonAndyDubreuilJohnFarrell

Out of the above team,most have seenaction at international level, with somewho have competed in at least fourinternational matches. Others like ScottandJakearestillayoungguys,stillabletomakejuniorstatus,butcapableofbeatingthepantsoffmostseniorshooters.Allaremedalwinnersintheirownrightsandhavecontributedtoteamsbothatnationalandinternationallevel.

Graham, Scott, Alan, Garry Kingaby, CarlHanson,Ron,JakeandmyselfrepresentedtheUKat theEuropeansandWorldCup in2010.We came away with a variety of team andindividual gold medals. Individual titles werealsoachieved,withoverallindividualchampionforboththeEuropeanandWorldCuptitles.

Ron Harding

Jake Healey Carl Hanson

Target Shooter 47

Gary Morrison has competed at nationalchampionshipsoverthelastfewyearsandhasbeen in medal winning teams.Andy Simpsonhas also competed at national level, but alsorepresentedtheUKattheworldchampionshipin2008.

Andy and John predominately shootrimfire benchrest, competing atinternationallevelmaytimessince2007,butwillmakeupthereservemembersoftheair rifle team,contributingmainly totherimfiresection.

Sothisisourteam!Youngandold,withasmatteringofus thatare,shall I say,middleaged.Sorryguys!!However,wehaveoursightssetongreatness,forgivethepun!Sowatchthisspacetoseehowweperformduringthesummerof2011.

I do know that air rifle benchrest hastaken the interest of some of thespecialist air rifle magazines that arepublished. Good on them, as this canonlyhelpdevelopthesportevenfurther.Someofour team,suchasScott,AlanandGrahammaywellbewritingarticlesin thesemagazines in the future,whileIwill keep doingmybit throughTargetShooterMagazine.

The team is looking for continuedsponsorship, both for the air rifle andrimfire competitors on the team. AseverintheUKwegetnosupportinthesame way that other sports people do(including our rival shooters in somecountries who do get everything paidfor them)andenduppaying for thingsoutofourownpockets.Allthiswhileweare representing our country abroad!Sooooooo....... If there are any helpfulphilanthropistsouttherereadingthiswewould certainly like to hear from you!!Timesarehard,butwewouldappreciateanyandallhelp!

One last thing, the UKBR22 team willbe represented at theNewark show inFebruary,socomeandseeus.Wehopetohaveafewitemstoraffleoffthatmayhelp support the teamfinances, or justcometohaveachat.Wemayevenhavearifleortwotoview.Wehopetoseeyou

there!!

Untilnextmonth.

Andy Simpson

Andy Dubreuil

John Farrell

48 Target Shooter

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Sharpshooter Jake aims forworldglory...

DEAD-EYE Jake Healey is one of the UK’ssharpestshooters–attheageofjust15.Jake,ofMirfield,hasamassedsomanymedalshe’salmostlostcount.Theteenager,whoattendsCastleHallSchool,isanaceatbenchrestrifleshooting,asporthetookupjustthreeyearsago.He’s reached such a level he now regularlyoutguns adults and next year he and dadRichard,39,will jetoff totheUnitedStatesfortheWorldChampionships.“Ijustlovethesport,”saidJake.“Istartedgoingalongwithmydadandjustgotintoit.”Jakelikesnothingbetterthanbeatingtheadults

and said: “It feels great to go up to collect amedalbutthere’snojealousyfromtheadults.“Theyare justhappy formebecause itshowsthereareyoungpeoplecomingintothesporttocarryiton.”DadRichard is the treasurerof thePaulLaneRifleandPistolClubinMirfieldandtookhissonalong when he was old enough to go on therangeattheageof12.Jake hada natural talent andRichard said: “Iknow I’m his dad and I’m biased but Jake isreallygood.“Thereareonly two juniors in thecountrywhocancompeteonanationallevelandJakeisoneofthem.”Benchrestshooting involvesshooting25timesata2mmtargetfromdistancesof25mor50m.

Special Report - Jake Healey in the Press!! It had to happen!!

Jake in the Czech Republic last year - how many medals???

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Jake,picturedabove,competedintheEuropeanChampionships and World Cup in the CzechRepublic thisyearcominghomewith twogoldmedals,sixsilverandtwobronzes.HealsoprovedhimselfbestinthecountryattheUKNationals,competingagainstmorethan80shooters.Hewon theoverallgoldas the topshooteraswellasthejuniorgoldandteamgold.Jake’snextbigtestistheWorldChampionshipsinSouthCarolinainAugust.Becauseofhisage,Richardmustaccompanyhimandthetwo-weektripislikelytocostupto£5,000.Jake’s trip to theCzechRepublicwaspartiallysponsored by the Paul Lane club and privateindividuals andRichard hopesmore sponsorscomeforwardtohelpfornextyear.RichardbelievesJakehasn’tgotthecreditandexposurehedeservesbecausegunlawshavemadeshootingandgunsataboosport.There is no such thing as Jake turningprofessional, somuch of the cost falls on thefamily.Jake’scompetitiongunhascost£4,000toputtogether.“It’s expensive as a sport and the paperworkyouwouldn’t believe,” said Richard. “Can youimaginehavingtotakeaguninandoutofthecountry?“Goodness knowswhat it will be like going toAmerica.”Jake practises every Saturday at the PaulLane club and was allowed out of school onWednesday afternoons in the run-up to theCzechchampionships.Benchrest shooting isn’t yet anOlympic sportbutitisgrowinginpopularityandJakecouldgototheverytop.Thewhole familyare inon theactwithproudmumHelen,46,brotherScott,13,andgranddadStephen Middleton following every shot, withHelen publishing a blow-by-blow account ofmajorchampionshipsonFacebook.TosponsorJake please contact Richard via secretary@paullanerandp club.co.uk.

Article supplied courtesy of The PressNewspaper-http://www.thepressnews.co.uk/

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52 Target Shooter

Ultimate? Well of course, that’s down toindividual opinion – my definition of ultimatemight not agree with yours. In fact, it almostcertainlywon’tbutatleastifyouareembarkingonanF/TRprojectofyourown,Imaygiveyousomefoodforthought.IhavebuiltotherFandF/TRriflesbutusuallywith some constraint – i.e. the shooter hasspecifiedtheaction–orthestockmaybe.Thistime it’s all down tome–my rifle–my ideasbasedonshootingwiththeGBFCALeagueoverthelastcoupleofseasons.As with any competitive F Class rifle, we arelookingtoinstallalong,heavy-profilebarrel.Inmycase,itwillbeatleast30incheslongandastraighttaperfrom1.25inchesatthebreechtoaninchatthemuzzle.TheF/TRClassisrestrictedto the 308 or 223 cartridge and, although I’mimpressedbyLaurieHolland’ssuccesswithhis223,Iwillbestickingwiththe308.Suchabarrelwillweigh close toeight poundsand,with theall-upweighofanF/TRriflerestrictedto18lbs.2oz.thatleavesjust10lbsforeverythingelse.Everythingelsemustinclude:ActionStockScopeBi-podBits & pieces - like rings, trigger, scope-rail,screws,trigger-guard.

I know that my Censhot bi-pod (reviewedelsewhere in this issue) weighs 19 ouncesandwecanaddaroundapoundforthe‘bits&pieces’.IwoulddearlylovetouseaNightforcescope(weighingtwopounds)butmyoldLeupold36Xbenchrestscopehasservedmewellandweighsatadunderonepound.So,all thebits&piecesplustheLeupoldcomestoabout3lb.4oz.We thereforehave just6lbs14oz. left forthestockandaction.Makethat6lb.8oz. ifwearegoingtolacquerthestockandfitabutt-pad!

Now, I lovemyBATs– inmyopinion, there isnofineractionbut,at3lbs. it’sa luxury Ican’taffordwiththisbuild,sohere’smycunningplan–aStolle,seewww.kelbly.comThelegendaryall-aluminiumStollebenchrestactionhasbeenadaptedforFClassbyaddingarecoil-lugandcomeswithabuilt-inscope-rail incorporatinga20MOAtaper–bestofall,ittipsthescalesatascant2lbs.!ThatmeansIhaveanotherpoundforthestock–4lb8oz!

Incidentally, if you are not over-familiar withthe Stolle action and you are worried aboutaluminiumasopposedtosteel–letmereassureyou that the important bits – tenon-thread,bolt-lugs,pluswherethebolt-handlecams–aresteelinserts.

Building the Ultimate F/TR Rifle

by Vince BottomleyAbove - All stole actions are named after bears – Grizzly, Kodiak, Polar etc. and this is the Panda action - massively strong with an enormous flat bedding area. The integral recoil-lug is only used on the F Class action. Note the built-in Davidson scope-rail with 20 degree taper

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Above and Below - Steel inserts are used for the barrel-tenon & bolt-lugs and the camming-point for the bolt on the rear of the action

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Thestock? Inmyopinion, themost importantbit insomerespects.Mostactionsandbarrelswill deliver superb accuracy – if they are puttogether properly by a competent gunsmithbut, the stock design is critical in deliveringthat accuracy to the target. Our stock can beverysimple– forgetall thosefiddlyadjustablebitsandbobs,theyarenotneededonarestedrifle -everseeabenchgunwithanadjustablecheek-pieceorbutt-plate?No!

Theonlyrequirementisthatthestocksecurelyholdsthebarrelled-action,recoilsproperlyonthefrontbi-podandrearbagand,most important,it must not flex. One well-known fibre-glassF-Class stock is getting something of areputationforflexing.It’sagreatdesignwithatorque-reducing,low-profilefore-endbut,withaheavybarrelled-action on-board, it does seemtobeabitspringy. IwasquitesurprisedwhenIfiredoneandwatchedthecrosshairsvibrate!I’mthereforelookingforawood-laminatestock- they tend tobestifferandwood isknown tobebetteratdampeningvibrationsthansyntheticmaterials.

Themoredistancewecangetbetweenthefrontbi-pod and rear-bag the better so, we want astockwithaslongafore-endaspossible,withourbi-podsetasfarforwardaspossible.Everyinchofbarrelwhichisforwardofthebi-podhastheeffectoftryingtoliftthebuttofftherearbag.Wewant asmuch down-force (i.e. weight) aspossibleonthatrearbag-ifourrifleistorecoilproperly-withoutatendencytoliftthebutt.

Over the last fewmonths, I’vebeen lookingatstocks on the internet and the longest one Icouldfind ismadebyPrecisionRifle&Tool inAmerica–checkoutatwww.precisonriflesales.com.Thetotal lengthisatadover38incheswithoutbutt-pad. If thisdoesn’tmeana lot,goandmeasure your own rifle’s stock and you’llseewhatImean.Byco-incidence,it’sthesamestock used by European and GBFCA LeagueChampion,GrantTaylor–thoughheisofcourseshooting in theFClassOpen categorywhereriflescanhaveanall-upweightof22lbs.

My stock came via Pete Walker at WalkerCustomRifleswww.walkerrifles.co.uk–theUKimporterandonlytookamonthorsotoarrive.Itisanun-inlettedblanksothefirstjobistobungit on thekitchenscalesandseehowmuchofa problemwe have. Stocks can of course beorderedpre-inlettedformostpopularactionsbutit’ssometimeseasiertostartfromscratch.

Wow, it weighs 6lbs. – we have a pretty bigproblem!Ineedtoshedatleast1lb.8oz.–oraquarterofitsweight!NextmonthwewillfindoutifwecangetourstockdowntoweightandmaybeevenscrewabarrelintothenewStolleaction. I also have an idea for a super-lightbi-podandanadjustable cheek-piece -withadifference.

Below - Here’s the Precision Rifles stock blank – not mine but an identical one – except for the colour

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The Taurus ML Revolver is converted from a Taurus .357 Magnum Long Barrelled Revolver. The cylinder is removed and a Yoke extension fitted, this contains the spring loaded plunger that frees the action when the yoke is closed. As this extension cannot be removed, it prevents the re-fitting of the original cylinder. The Barrel is shortened to approximately 5 ¼ inches and the wristbrace is removed. A new cylinder is made which has pockets for shotgun primers at the rear with a small flash hole through into the chamber at the front. The chamber is made to accept .357” lead wadcutter bullets. The conversion of your pistol costs £330.00. Extra Cylinders are £180.00 each. If you do not have a pistol I can order a new pistol from the Importers.

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Iwas reallydisappointed last year tomissmyannual trip to theWelshOpendue tomy footbeing in plaster, so really looked forward toshootingtherethisyear.ThatsaidthoughIdidmanage to injure my pistol shooting shoulderand arm quite badly the week preceding theshoot.

Onceagainthisyears’WelshAirgunOpenwasheldovertheweekendof29th–31stOctoberintheMainHallattheWelshInstituteofSport inCardiffandcapablyorganisedbyKarenMorrisandherteamofvolunteerhelpers.

For the second year, with three weeks to go,theOpenwas fullybooked,with somepeopleunabletogetanentry,andanumberofpeopledisappointed at not being able to shoot morethanoncewhilst at theevent. During the runup to the Open there was a squadding pageaccessibleonlinethatwasupdatedwithsquadvacancies which gave an instant indicationof whether your preferred time to shoot wasavailable and this will be used for all futureWelshcompetitions.

Therewas also a Facebook page set up andpeople were kept up to date with the latestinformation. If anyonewould like to be part ofnext years’ Facebook page, they can join theWAAGroup&they’llbeautomaticallyadded.http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=164927178614

Kareninformsmethattheoverallentriesweresimilartolastyear,butpeoplecamefromfurtherafield. This year, the WelshAssociation wasdelighted to receive entries from Malta andNorway.

Lastyearanextrasquadwascreatedfor5pmon the Friday. This proved so popular that itwasdoneagainthisyear.Followingitssuccess(and over-subscription), Karen predicts it willprobably be a permanent squad for all futureWelshevents.

There were four sets of Finals, Senior andJuniorinbothrifleandpistol.Megalink electronic targets were used againfor the Olympic Finals. Finals prizes werepresented to the competitors by Mick Gault,

Welsh Open 2010

by Hayley Platts

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OBE.

Another change this year was having theprize-givingimmediatelyaftertheFinals.PrizeswereawardedbyCommonwealthGamesgoldmedallistDavidPhelps.

Full results may be downloaded from theCompetitionResultspageof theWelshAirgunAssociation website including graphical scorecardsfromtheOlympicFinals.

Another addition to this year’s event was ascreenshowingthecompetitorsresultsastheywere being entered into the computer. Thisenabledthemtoseetheirscoresmuchsooner.Duetothepositivefeedback,thisissomethingthatwillbeimprovedandusedagainnextyear.

There were some amazing scores – NickBaxtershotafine581inairpistolandseveraljuniorrifleshootersoutshotsomeoftheirseniorscontemporaries. One of them, the in-formJames Huckle, elected to shoot in the Senior

Final and won outright. James, and severalshooters fresh back from the CommonwealthGames were keen to be doing well at thisprestigiousevent.

There were a variety of trade stands and theusual professionals were on-hand to offeradviceandtechnicalhelpwherenecessary.

Summary of scores

Welsh Open Pistol Champion 2010 is NickBaxterwithascoreof581.Welsh Open Rifle Champion 2010 is JamesHucklewithascoreof590.Welsh Open Junior Pistol Champion 2010 isKirstyLiddonwithascoreof559.Welsh Open Junior Rifle Champion 2010 isShereeCoxwithascoreof591.Welsh Open Ladies Pistol Champion 2010 isAinaFlørliwithascoreof378.Welsh Open Ladies Rifle Champion 2010 isShereeCoxwithascoreof393.

Saturday morning

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Welsh Closed Pistol Champion 2010 is CoralKennerleywithascoreof557.WelshClosedRifleChampion2010isMichaelBamseywithascoreof586.Michaels’score isanewWelshRecordScoreforthe10mAirRifleJuniorMensEvent.

Sadly,duringtheweekendoftheWelshOpen,IreneDawpassedaway.She was a rifle coach for the WAA for manyyears, and she will be missed by the manypeople she mentored and coached over theyears.

Thedate for next years’WelshOpenhas justbeen confirmed as 14th-16th October 2011,a little earlier than in 2010 somake sure youensureyourdiaryiscleartoenjoyaweekendofshootinginWalesnextautumn.

NSRA/ELEY FINALS

I’vealwaysparticipatedinthispostalcompetitionwhichculminatesinanationalfinalforthecreamofthecropfollowingtwoqualifyingrounds.It’salwaysasourceofinterestforclubmembersalleagertoseehowmanyofthemcangetthroughthefirstroundandthenifaplaceinthefinalcanbeachieved.ThisyearmyLichfieldTSCfriends

saw theirownVicJagielloachieve this for thefirsttimeandseveralmadeadayofitwithhimtoshowtheirsupportandvisittheNSRAshopatBisleyatthesametime.

The main results are as follows andcongratulationstoallthefinaliststhisyear.

Three Positions RifleClassA577-MissMSmith,HavantClassB563-MTGirling,SouthamptonUniversity

Prone RifleClassA391-MissMSmith,HavantClassB382-RGSpence,OrkneyClassC381-IEllis,KingsgateClassD377-EHilder,WendoverClassE379-MCarlin,VauxhallMotorsClassF382-SRumsey,ExWaterlow

Benchrest

Finals

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ClassA400-JMalone,ClachnacuddinClassB396-KKeeble,Staveley

ClassC396-JTaylor,Reepham

20 Yard Air PistolAClass381-AJGraver,NorwichCityClassB359-MReed,ShanklinClassC341-SBates,Pinhoe

Lightweight Sport Rifle (Precision)ClassA400-BRawlings,CSSAClassB378-MRickard,Yealmpton&DistrictClassC378-MHill,RodingClassD366-JTaylor,Reepham

Lightweight Sport Rifle (Timed)ClassA524-KMaskery,Cobham&DistrictClassB

545-AKing,SurbitonPostalClassC473-JRobbins,Petworth

Cartridge PistolClassA534-SNangle,BlackburnClassB484-RMatthews,RossonWye

Air Rifle 10 metreClassA595-MissNPorrill,CenturionClassB567-MissCWhitaker,KeelbyClassC552-MsANewberyClassD561-MissHPLay,RBLAbingdonAirPistol10metreClassA568-SNangle,BlackburnClassB541-MReed,ShanklinClassC549-ACarterClassD530-MBagot,HavantClassE507-CHarris

Eirik & Bob

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Champions shoot Tenex

(left to right) Neil Stirton, Jennifer McIntosh, Jonathon Hammond

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Olympic & ISSF Shooting - A Discussion

Sadly, owing to that stupid pistol ban, ourinvolvement in ISSF and Olympic shooting ismuchdiminished,leavingjustthesmallborerifleandclaysevents tobeseriously contestedbyGB shooters. However, for those of youwhomaintainan interest in suchevents–and thismagazinewillalwaysstrivetodoso–webringyounewsofa‘rift’whichisdevelopingbetweenthose who compete and those who organisetheseevents.ImustconfessthatmyknowledgeoftheOlympicdisciplines issomewhat lackingand thebest Icandoistoreferyoutothevariouslettersanddiscussionforumswhicharecurrentlyactiveviatheinternet.This‘open’letterisfortheattentionof all ISSF shooters from the ESC president,VladimirLisin:

Dear friends of the shooting sport!

During the last year many different events happenеd in our lives. And I think now it is right time to discuss openly the problems of the shooting community. Changing rules of Olympic discipline in the middle of Olympic cycle reflects the trends within the ISSF, which makes decisions behind closed doors.

I have addressed ISSF leaders regarding these changes but have not received the answer. Now I want to appeal to all shooting community. All Federations already received the circular letter from ISSF. I would like to introduce a different point of view and ask you to express your opinion. Please find my letter as the President of ESC to the President of ISSF.

On the ESC Official web-site you could see the full version of correspondence regarding the changes of ISSF Rules.

I am confident that the real changes must touch not only technical aspects of shooting but also the internal relations inside ISSF.

And I hope that it will be the subject of open debates and will give the impulse of improvement to the Federation and our sport.

My address for your comments is: president@escsports.eu

And you could leave or share them at the ESC

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“Rule changes Forum”: http://www.esc-shooting.org/index.php/urgent-letter-from-the-president

Another ‘open’ letter, this time to the ISSF President from the ESC President: Mr To: Mr. ISSF PresidentCc: All ISSF Member Federations

Since I received the circular letter regarding changes of the rules, accepted by the Administrative Council, I would like to mention that the basis of our position remains the promotion of shooting sports as a spectator sport. The European Confederation has always insisted on the necessity of changes. I would like to draw your attention to some details of your letter which caused confusion. You insist that the proposed changes received a positive response during their presentation at the World Cup Final in Munich. This statement is not correct. The reaction of the audience and participants of the Rapid Fire final was negative. At the meeting of shooters and coaches (after the final) many critical views were stated in the presence of the Executive Director Mr. W. Schreiber and the Technical Delegate Vice-President Mr. G. Anderson. Almost nobody supported the innovation. This fact was reported to you personally, Mr. President, in my letter on November the 3rd.In addition to the many technical suggestions all the participants agreed that is not reasonable to change the rules in the middle of the Olympic cycle. Probably it is time to make relevant changes in the ISSF Statutes.

Surely the Administrative Council of ISSF has the right to approve changes without taking into consideration the opinion of the shooting community. But is it worth it to use this right and be proud of that? We have already lost a few great Olympic disciplines!

Why did you keep preparations of such important changes in secret? If you do care at all about the future of our sport it would be better to consider the opinion of the best shooters and coaches! It is not clear at all why it surprises you when the President of one of the Continental Confederations and ISSF Administrative Council member addresses other ISSF member Federations?

Such communication fully satisfies both - the Statutes of the Federation and democratic

principles on which we should build our relationship. Before sending a letter to member federations I have addressed you personally, Mr. President but you made no suggestions or proposals in response to my appeal.

We are deeply confident that the opinion of athletes and coaches should be heard and considered. We strongly believe that the leaders of the Federation should serve the interest of the community. We are sure that the open exchange of opinions between member federations should be profitable for the sport and we do believe in the necessity of constructive dialog with all organizations and people who are interested in its development.

The right to have an opinion is undeniable in a democratic society and we insist on its realization!

And we regret if you don’t share these ideas. We regret, but we won’t accept it!

With due respect,

ISSF Administrative Council MemberESC PresidentVladimir Lisin

Theareaofdisagreementappearsinsomepartto involve rescheduling and timing for variousevents to fit in with television’s requirements.Certainly, we have all witnessed this in othersports e.g. Formula One & Moto GP racesbeingruninthedarktofitinwithEuropeanTVschedulesbutpresumablywiththefullconsentoftheparticipants.Afurther‘handle’onthesituationmaybegleanedfromtheESCwebsite:http://www.esc-shooting.org/index.php/urgent-letter-from-the-president and fromtwo PDF documents – Final Change 2011formatted,RuleChangesSummary9Nov2010TargetShooterwasapproachedbyMrLisinwhoaskedustoprinthisletterinthemagazineandintheinterestsoftargetshooting,wearepleasedtodoso.However,weremainimpartialandwewouldbemorethanhappytohear–andpublish- theothersideof thecaseifanyonefromtheISSF cares to contact us.Alternatively, if anyISSFshooterwould like toexpressanopinionandsetoutclearlytheissues,wearereceptive.

Target Shooter 63

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66 Target Shooter

Following on from last month then, the finalthing I needed to look at was improving thetriggerunit/actionofmylittle10/22andthiswhatIendedupdoing.Startingwith the triggerunitI stripped out all of the internals leaving onlythesafetyplunger inplaceduetothefactthata)itworksasitis,andb)itdoesn’tneedtobeextendedasitwillveryrarelybeusedanyway,sowhybother.I’mnotsureiftheraggededgesonthetopfrontedgeofthenewpolymerhousingisduetothemachiningprocessat thefactory,

orwhether it’s been caused by the bolt ridingover the topof itwhilst I’vebeenshooting therifle,butacraftknifesoongotridof themandtidied thingsup. I chamfered theedgesof themagazinechannelwithasmallneedlefile,andthenusedacountersinkcuttertoputasmallleadintotheplungerrecess.Somefineemeryclothwas thenused to tidyupasmallnarrowbandwhichlookedlikeacastingmarkjustinsidethefrontledgeoftherecess.

Beingoneofthemany“pressed”partsused infirearmsnowadays,mostoftheedgesalong the righthandsideof the ejector again required theattentionofsomeemeryclothasdidtheboltlock,whichIalsomodifiedatthesametimeintowhatisgenerallyknown as an ABR (automatic boltrelease). This saved me around£10-12 in the process and all I hadtodowassimplyfiledownthesmallspikeintheheartshapedhole,untilIendedupwithasmalldomedshapeinstead. I made sure that all of theedgeswerecleanedupafterwardsasa nice smooth finishwillmake surethatnothingbindsagainstitonceit’sputbackintothehousing.Filingthisareauntil thespikeis justflat insidethe hole will sometimes work, buttaking out the extramaterial shouldensurethatyouendupwithanABRthat functions100%reliably thefirsttime around. This modification willallowyoutoreleasetheboltforwardsbysimplypullingbackonthecockinghandleslightlyandthenreleasing it,rather thanhaving tofirstofallfind,

By Gwyn Roberts

Target Shooter 67

and then fiddle around with an uncooperativelittle lever somewhere underneath the triggerhousing.TocomplimentthisIalsoinstalledoneofmy own extendedmagazine release levers

(£15tonormalfolk)whichdropsthemagazinewhenpushedforwards,andlockstheboltopenwhenitispulledbackwardsinconjunctionwiththebolthandle.Thisresultsinaveryquick“drop

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and lock” action of around 2 secondswhichcomesintoitsownwhenshootingmatchessuchasthe1500etc.

Movingon to thepart that Idreadusingthemost(purelybecauseI’veusedeithera Jewell or KID one for the last 14yrs)which is the dreaded 6lb trigger unit!AlthoughI’vere-cutsomestandard10/22triggerswithsomesuccesswhenwefirststarted shooting GR (as well as somefailurestooImustadmit)thetimeittakestogeteverythingjustright,combinedwiththe dismal temperature gauge readingdisplayed in my workshop, it just didn’tappeal to me to do it myself again thistime to be honest.After speaking to anenthusiasticEdwardatVikingArmstoseewhat they had to offer I decided to giveone of his Volquartsen target hammer

kitsatryalthoughImustadmitIwassomewhatslightlydubiousof its worth, having tried quitea few “drop in” bits over theyearsinotherpeoplesrifles,butnothingventurednothinggainedas theysay!Thekit includesareplacement trigger plungerspring, hammer spring, twohammershims,andofcourseamatchhammer.Comparing thetwohammers sideby side youcaninstantlyseethedifferencebetween both the depth of thehammer notch, and the angleof the near flat leading intoit. To seewhat bits didwhat, Idecided to take theaverageof5 consecutive results using aLyman electronic gauge witheach of the new componentsinstalled, and to start with therelease weight of the standardtrigger averaged 6lb 1 oz. By

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simply replacing it with the Volquartsenhammeritinstantlyproducedanaverageof2lb9.4ozwhichIthinkisprettyremarkablereally,andthisdroppedagainslightlyto2lb5.9ozwhenIreplacedthehammerspringwiththeVQone.Iwasn’tsureifthesloppyfitbetweenthesearandthedisconnectorhad any effect on the triggerweight so Idrilledandtappedthebackofthesearandfitteda4mmgrubscrewalongwithsomeLoctite thread locker. Rather than spendthenext3daysdismantling,adjustingandthen putting the whole lot back togetheragainuntilIfoundtherightsettingbetweenthe screw and the disconnector, I simplydrilled straight through the trigger bladewhich thenallowedme toadjust the takeupontheflyonceitwasallbacktogetheragain.Thefinalaverageweightonce theVQplunger spring andmymodified searwerefittedwasaverypleasing1lb15.3oz,withnonoticeabletakeupandareallycrispletoffwhichIthinkisexcellentfora£45-50replacement kit alongwith a bit of effort!Thefinalthingformetodoonthetriggerunit was to round off the edges on thehammerstrutandtriggerplunger,andthenpolishthemuptohelpreduceanydragorfriction.When I’vegotabitofspare timeI’llalsolightlystoneandpolishupallofthematingsurfacesinsidetheunittoseeifanymoreimprovementscanbemade,butfor

nowI’mmorethanhappywiththeresult!

Moving on to the bolt assembly and the firstthingIcheckedwasthefitbetweentheextractorand the rim of a cartridge and as expected,therewasquiteagapbetween the twopointsandhavingnocontactbetweenthemobviouslymeansthat theextractorwillnotbeable todoitsjobproperly.Onethingthatreallybugsmeisthatsomepeoplewill tellyou tobuy the latestsuperduperextractor that’sbeenmadeoutof

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purekryptonitebysomemagicmachineonthemoon, instead of saying just try a few on thespot and buy whichever fits properly. Ratherthan spend£12-15 on of these items I simply

modifiedmyRugeronebyheatingitupandtapping thehookoverasmallamounteachtimebetween checking it for proper fitment.Once this was achieved I then filed thehookuntilagoodfitwasachievedandthenre-shaped theheadslightly.Once thesideshadbeenstonedflatandtheedgeshadbeentidiedup,theextractorwasthenheattreatedtoput thehardnessback into thenow“soft”metal. It’s very important to re-harden anyparts if you break through their outer layeranditdoesn’treallymatterwhichmethodyouuseaslongasit’sdoneproperly.Asimpletestistorunafileoverittoseewhetheritbitesinornotandifdoesn’t,youshouldbeok.

Next up was the firing pin which I stonedalong each side (I didn’t touch either end

though)andaroundtheedges.Ialsosmoothedout the insideof thechannel that thefiringpinslides along which won’t do any harm on theignitionsideof things.Chamfering thebackoftheboltwasmynextjobasthistakesoutalotof the joltwhen the bolt contacts the hammerduring the cycling action. I did this using thesideofafinegrindingwheelwhichhelpsgiveaveryuniformedfinishandthiswas followedbyvariousgradesofwetanddrypaperplacedontopofaflatplate.Thebackendwasthenheattreated and tested for hardness again so thatthehammerwouldn’tjustwearabiggrooveintoitbeforegivingitafinalpolishing.Puttingsomepermanentmarkeronthechamferareaandthenracking theactionseveral timeswhen the riflewas re-assembled confirmed that everythingwassquareinrelationtothehammerasawide,uniformedmark could be seenwhere the twoparts made contact with each other. Anothermodificationtohelpmaintainconsistentignitionandgroupingistopinthefiringpindownsothatit doesn’t jump upwards on itsway to striking

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thebaseofthecartridge,butIwilldothiswhenIhaveabitmoretimeonmyhands.Iwillalsogettheboltheadspacedproperlybutthat’snotajobIwillbedoingmyselfasitneedstobesetupproperlyinasurfacegrindingmachine,usingsomeveryaccurategaugesintheprocess.

ThelastparttolookatwasthebolthandleandagainjusttokeepthecostdownIhavestayedwith the original one as it serves its purpose.Ihave tosay that removing thespring isabit

Should be able to shoot it properly now

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ofapainasthehandleisheldontotherodbycrudelybending/stakingtheendoftherod.OnceitwasremovedthoughIsandeddownandthenpolished the rodbeforedoing thesame to theinsideofthecockinghandle,asthiswillhelpto

stopitbindingupduringthecyclingaction.

Forthedoubtersandotherforum“experts”outtherethatinsistyouhavetohave£1000+matchrifletoshootwellwith,Ishotthisrifletwoweeksagocompletewiththestandard6lbtriggerintheWelshGRChampionshipsandwon2outofthe3 rimfirematcheswith it.A 600 ex 600 in the(modified indoor)Match 5 1500, a 300 20x intheTimed&Precision1matchanda117intheMultiTargetmatchwasn’ttooshabbyIthoughtconsidering the extremely cold conditions wehadtoshootinontheday.

Ithinkit’sfairtosaythatwithabitofeffortyoucanputsomethingtogetherforaslittleas£300-350whichiscapableofproducingtop3scoresinmostoftheGRmatchesthatweshoot in, ifyouplayyourpartthatisandIhopethatthislittleprojecthasprovedthepointtoanyonethinkingof joiningusthatyoudon’thavetogooutandspendanabsolutefortunejusttogetstartedorcompeteatareasonable levelwithin thesportofGalleryRifle!Theremay of course come atimewhenyouwillneedtoupgradetoabetterquality barrel that will group both tighter andmore consistently at 50m. Ormaybe upgradetoabettertriggerunittohelpyousqueezeoutthoselastfewextrapointsina1500orPrecisionmatch,butuntilthen,I’dspendyourmoneyonammotopracticewithandgetyourselfalongtoafewcompetitionswhereyouwilllearnawholelotmoretohelpyouonyourway!

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A lot of people who drive onto Bisley Campmay not have noticed the first clubhouse ontheright, just insidethefrontgate.Evenfewerhave ventured inside the club to discoverwhat they have been missing out on.TheOldSergeantsMessShootingClubwassetuptoencouragediversityinmembersshootingdisciplines. It is particularly well known forMcQueen. Nowadays the club has a growingsporting side but has also branched out toencompass most shooting disciplines. The

thrivingmembership have helped to build oneof the fastestgrowingclubsoncamp.With itsroaringlogfireandcomfysofas,combinedwithfriendlywelcomeandgoodfood,thisisanidealwaytoroundoffashootingday–especiallyinthecoldermonths.JoScrimshaw,whorunstheclubablyassistedby theclubcommittee,alsohasa therapycliniconsite toease theachesandpainsofmodernliving.AvarietyoftherapiesfromIndianheadmassageandpolaritythroughtoreflexologyandsportsmassageareavailable

Club of the Month

The Old Sergeants Mess Shooting Club, Bisley

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to both members and non-members alike.Theclubalsorunsregulartripsabroadtorangesin Germany where members can discover,or re-discover, the joys of hand gun shootingorhaveagowithamachinegun,allcarefullymonitored by members of the hosting club.TheOSMhasputonshoots3weekendsoutof4overthecourseoftheyearculminatingintheChristmasturkeyshootonthe12thDecember.The day started with bacon butties in theclubhouse and a comprehensive range brief.As usual a variety of disciplines tested themembersskills.Bianchi speed steels,shotgunandastalkerstestcomprisingprone,sitting, kneeling,standing free andstanding with sticks,were all on offer inthe morning. Coffeeand mince pies weredelivered to therangeto ward off the chills.Lunch was followedby McQueen castleat 300yds, always afirm favouritewith themembers.Prizegiving

wasfollowedbytheChristmasrafflethenitwasall into the dining room for Christmas dinner,turkeyandvenisonwithallthetrimmings.Jo and the committee – including your scribe– would like to thank everyone who helpedto make the day a great success. Our nextevent is a fundraising day in February whichwill be a combination shoot/auction/fun day.For more information about the club contactJo Scrimshaw on 01483 799998, email osm-shootingclub@btconnect.com or logon toour website, www.osmshootingclub.org.uk.

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Iwrite thispiecewhilsthavingaveryprettyviewofsnowyBisleyfrommyofficewindow.Veryprettyrightuptothepointwhereyouopenthedooranddiscoverhowcolditisandpeoplearestillshooting–madness...

The NRA individual members renewals have allgoneoutnow,eitherbyemailorpost.So,ifyouareamember,pleasecheckwhatyouneed todo torenewonlineorcontactustopayoverthephoneon01483797777x138/155.IfyoustillneedtorenewyourcertificationcardthenyoucancontactSarahWellsonmemadmin@nra.org.ukorext162.

FatherChristmasseemstohavelostareindeerthisyear,atleastoneturnedupinouroffice.ApparentlyCarolwasaskedtostuffthesuitanddecidedthatshewastherightsize.Nowweknowwhathappenstoallthoseglassesofsherry!

The NRASC Christmas shoot was on the 11th

December and was very well attended.We tookoverbothCheylesmorerangeandtheroombehindit.My theorywas that it would bewarmer in theroomand I could stay in theredoing tea, coffee,mulledwineandmincepies.Well,Iwaspartlyright.Ididstayinthereasitwassobusybutthewarmbitwasdefinitelyamistake.Coldconcreteisakilleronthefeetafterawhile.Howevereveryoneseemedtohaveagoodtimeandtherewassomeseriouscompetitiongoingon.Wehadbothstandardroundtargetsandclay targets,whichhaveprovedverypopular whilst not costing the earth. Once themorningshootwasoverweheadeduptotheOldSergeantsMessSCforChristmasdinnerandprizegiving.Thankfullythefirehadbeenlitandwecoulddothetraditionalbackstothefire,warmingupbit.MythanksgotoCharlesPerry,whorunstheclubformeanddoesitverywell,SimonJarman,SteveSims,MylesRobertsonandmyownChrisWebbwhodidamagnificentjobmanningthefiringlines.

Ourwebsitehasanonlinecalendarforshootingeventsalloverthecountry.Soifyouwouldlikeyourevent in it justemailKaren@nra.org.uk andshewillbedelightedtoaddit.Havealookatwhatisalreadyuptoseewhattheformatislike.

Firearms Commons Debate by Glynn Alger,SecretaryGeneral

AsyouareprobablyawareaCommonsdebateonFirearmsissuesrelatedtothetragediesinCumbria and Northumberland took place onMonday20thDecember2010.

During the course of the debate three keyissuesemerged that seemed to gain generalapprovalfromtheGovernmentsideasmatterstolookat:

a.Youngpeople-aunifiedorsimplifiedageforpossessionand/oruse-InrelationtoYoungpeopletheNRAviewisthatthereshouldbenosetageforwhenchildrenareallowedtoshootunder supervisionand if it is thoughtnecessary to introduce an age relatedrequirement it should be ten (theminimumageforcriminalresponsibility)forissueofa

Santa’s missing reindeer

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Shotgun/FirearmsCertificate.b. Increasedpolice/GPliaisonovercertificates-

TheNRAhaveexpressedconcernastohowfirearmsusersdetailswillbesafeguardedonthecurrentNHSITsystem,whenconsideringthenumberofstaff thatwouldhaveaccessto such information. In addition we hadconcerns as to how therequirement was going toworkoperationally. ACPOand the Home Office arecurrently consideringanother less bureaucraticoption.

c. Having one certificatefor S1 & 2 firearms –The current proposal willmake life less onerousfor those individuals whoneed to renew firearmsand shotgun certificates.However,thosewhopurelyhold a shotgun certificate

will potentially find that they have to meetadditional requirements, similar to thosefor firearms certificate holders in terms ofreferees and ‘good reason’. TheNRAhasstated that itdoesnotsupport theeffectivereclassification of shotguns as Section1 because of the potential for increasedadministration placed upon the Police andthe consequential delays dealing with newapplicationsorrenewals.

d.Increased FAC Charges – Linked to thepreviouspointtheNRAareoftheopinionthattheGovernmentshouldlookatthepossibilityof removing responsibility for FirearmsLicensing from the Police by centralisingit.Inthiswayshooterswouldexperienceamore consistent approach and potential forabettermoreefficientserviceata reducedcost.

To read either the full Hansard report on thedebateortheexecutivesummaryofthedebatefromDavidPenntheSecretaryofBSSCpleasegototheNRA Website.

FinallytheNRAwishestoassureyouthatitwillendeavourtocontinuetorepresentyourviewsandkeepyoufullyinformedasissuesprogress. Itwould bewrongat this stagetogetcomplacentand‘takeoureyeoffthebull’.

ThestaffoftheNRAwouldliketowishyouallaHappyandProsperousNewYear.

HeatherWebbMembershipSecretary

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Competitions

Normally, at this timeof the year,most of ourbenchrest rifles are hibernating for the winterandJanuary’scolumn isstruggling forcontentbut this yearwehada600yardBRshootonBoxingDay.Thiswasdowntoanunavoidablere-shuffleofthecalendarandIdidwonderwhowouldbeabletocomeupwithagoodenoughexcusetoabandonfamilycommitments!

Well,agoodnumberofyoudid!Afineeffortandagoodopportunity tocastaside theexcessesofChristmasandgetback to theseriousstuffagain.WithDigglestillcovered inablanketofsnow, Christmas card views were guaranteedandaddedtotheoccasion.

Onceagain,ToniYounggavealltheladsagoodstuffingandnotonlywonFactorySporterwithherbog-standard308Remmy-withaperformancegoodenoughforsecondplaceinLightGunbut

her2.4inchgroupalsowasthesmallestoftheday.Guys–whatarewegoingtodo?

Results: Light Gun

1st SteveBarrett6mmGrunig3.165in(av.offour5-shotgroups)2nd ToniYoung 308Remington3.255in.3rd JackGibb6mmBRStolle 4.228in.

Smallgroup: ToniYoung2.46inches

Factory Sporter:1st ToniYoungn308Remington3.255in2nd PhilGibbon 6.5-284Savage5.166in.3rd JamesWeatherhead308Styer13.75in.

Smallgroup:ToniYoung2.46inches

New stuffTroublewithbenchrest,youjustcan’tgotoyour

From The Bench

VINCE’S REGULAR COLUMN WHEREBY ACCURACY NUTS CAN KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE ACTIVITIES OF THE UKBRA

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local dealer and buy a competitive benchrestrifle – you have to have one built to order tohaveanyhopeofwinning.The6.5-284factorySavages are as near as you can get to anout-of-the-box benchrest rifle and havedominated the long-range ‘Factory’ benchrestclass and have even turned-in respectableLight Gun performances on occasion. NowSavagehaveintroducedabenchrestriflewithatwin-port action chambered for the 6BRcartridge.I’vejustseenthefirstoneatOspreyRifles www.ospreyrifles.com and I predict itwillbeawinnerineitherFactoryorLightVarmintclass.Forthemoney–it’sunbeatable!

New PowdersEdgar Brothers of Macclesfield have justannounced two new Hodgdon rifle powders.The first one is called Leverevolution and, asthename implies, is aimedat the lever-actionshooterthoughIsuspectmoreatthehunterthanthe target lever-actionshooter.Hunting isverypopularwiththelever-actionrifleinAmericabutnotsooverhere.I’mnotsuretherewillbeabig

marketforit.

On the other hand, Superformance almostcertainlywillbeworthalook.AlthoughHodgdonlistawidevarietyofapplicationsfrom22-250tothe300WSM,Isuspectitmightfindafollowingwithcartridgesinthe223–6mmrange.MaybeLaurieHollandwilldosometestingforus.

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Unfortunately, theGBFCA– in linewithmostshooting organisations - is rather inactive atthistimeoftheyearbutwedoofcoursehaveour Bisley-based F Class TrainingWeekendonFebruary19/20th to lookforwardto. Ifyouhaven’tbookedaplacealready,get in touchwith Mik Maksimovic mik@mikdolphin.demon.co.uk as soon as possible – placesarefillingupquickly.

ItwillbeagreatopportunitynotonlytolearnthebasicsofFClasscompetitionbutalso tomeetafewoftheleadinglightsinFClasswhowillbeactingasinstructors.

TheweekbeforetheBisleytrainingweekend,wehavethethirdNewarkShootingShowandofcourse,theGBFCAwillbetheretoanswerallyourquestionsandshowyouthelatestkit.Britishshootersdeserveagreatshootingshowandthisoneisgrowingeveryyearsoplease,makeadateforthe26/27thFebruary.

Calling all 6mm shooters

InFClassOpen,mostshootershaveswitchedto7mmcartridgeswithothercalibresbecomingmoreandmorescarceandofcourse,F/TRisrestricted to308or223.So itwas inevitablethat someone would come up with anothershoottotrytogetsomeuseoutofthoseotherrifleslyinginthecabinet.

They’reall6mmcartridgesbutcanyounamethemall?(answeratthebottomofthepage)

A lot of shootershavea6mm rifleor similar(suchas6.5’s)butastheLeagueshootshaveprogressedandFClassitselfhasprogressedithasbecomeevident thatwhilst the6mmisideal for short-range shoots, it struggles atextreme ranges - particularly when the windblows!

There are however always exceptions - as

The Long View News from the GB F-Class Association by Les Holgate

(6BRX,6BR,6mmDasher,SwissMatch,6-6.5x47,6XC,243Win.,243Imp.6mmXtreme,6-284)

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theSwedish contingent provedat the recentEuropean Championships Team event bybeatingalmosttheentirefieldwiththeir‘sixes’!But,formeremortals,itmeansthatthesixesdon’tgettocomeoutofthecabinetmuch.

Therefore,howabouta600yard6mmshoot(but open to other calibres as well)? If itsounds like your thing, Diggle has just haditsfirstcompetitionandtherewillbeothersatotherranges.TheDiggletargetwasthePSSAscoped rifle target with a half MOA V bull,sochallenging inanycondition. Ifyouhadadifferentcalibre then itwasstillfine toshootbuttheideawastogetasmanysixesonthelineaspossible.

Itcertainlybroughtoutdifferentclutchofrifleseven if the faces behind the butts were thesamebutwealsogotafewnewshootersaswellwhomaybewouldn’tnormallytryFClass.Itwassowellreceivedthattheideaistorunanother,thistimeatAltcarrangesonJanuary23rd. Ifyouareinterested, letmeknowandI

willputyouintouchwiththeorganisers.Fortherecord,GregThompsonwontheDiggleshootwithhis6mmandbeatalltheotherOpenshootersaswell!

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Gallery Rifle in Germany

The 350 mile trip from Calais to Marsberg inGermany takes about five and a half hoursdriving time, so regular stops and shareddriving arrangements are recommended,otherwisewithgoodroadsandfairweatherthetrip to theGermanOpenActionWeekendwasuneventful.MarsbergisasmallfriendlytowninWestphaliawherecomfortableaccommodationandrefreshmentsareplentifullyandreasonablypriced. Havingdealtwith our physical needs,whataboutourspiritualrequirements–Imeantheshootingofcourse!

The November weather, although not cold,comprised almost continuous drizzle so theindoorrangecomplexwasawelcomevenueandisineverywayanexcellentfacility.TherangeislocatedinthesmallvillageofLeitmarafewmilesfromMarsbergtownandtherearefourranges,eachwithsevenoreightfiringpointsandturningtargets. Twoof therangesare25metresandcatered for theshorteventsand theother twostagedthe50metreevents,althoughonealsohasfiringpointsat100metres.Inadditiontotherangesthecomplexalsoprovidedaclubroom,usedasthereceptionandstatsofficeduringthemeeting, andaCaféBar providing drinks and

mealsthroughouttheday.

The Action Weekend is an annual eventorganised along the lines of similarly namedevents in Britain, with slightly different namesforthematchesreminiscentoftheirpistolmatchorigins. On offer was the 1500, Timed andPrecision1and2andMulti-targetMatches, insmall-bore,underlevercentre-fireandMICarbineclasses.Alsoavailablewasa“Standard”classwithironsights,equivalenttoour“classic”classIsupposeforsomeoftheshortevents.AswellasindividualentriestherewereteamentriesoffourshootersintheshortsandpairsinMatch5ofthe1500inallclasses;soplentyofshootingover the twodaysand the€6matchentry feerepresentsexcellentvalue.

OntheFridayeveningbeforetheeventwehadanopportunitytozeroourfirearmsandtryouttheMICarbinesprovidedbytheLeitmarClub,whoalso provided reasonably priced ammunition.TheMICarbinehasabitofacult following inGermanyandHollandwithcompetitorstravellingconsiderabledistancestoattendmeetings.Therules for MI Carbine shooting require almostabsoluteadherence to theconceptof “spiritoftheoriginal”soenthusiastsof“bellsandwhistle”attachments and modifications may not be

GalleryRifle&PistolNews

Small-bore 1500 International

Germany Great Britain Shooter Score X Shooter Score X

Reto Grün 1468 84 Norman Brown 1451 78 Torstein Riewe 1457 69 Mike Chinnery 1447 70 Roman Pfeifer 1443 55 Andrew Jarman 1443 87 Bruno Blüße 1439 54 Jon Avotoomayn 1443 57 Dietmar Hönersch 1429 42 Stephen Lamb 1416 63 Team Aggregate 5807 262 5784 292

Plate 1

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initiallyattachedtothem.Notwithstandingsomefeed issues theMICarbine hasmodest recoilanddespitetheoriginalmilitarysightingsystemIfoundthemtobeveryaccurate,whenIdidmypart.IwouldcertainlyrecommendenteringMIeventstowouldbefuturevisitorstothisevent.

The November Meeting in Leitmar hasbecomesomethingofaninstitutionwithBritishShooters and it is likely thatmatch entries byUK shooters equalled local numbers and therange crews adapted by providing bi-lingualrangecommands. TheGerman reputation fororganisationwaswelljustifiedwiththesquadded

50metrematches runningalmost to timetableand the “turn up and shoot” 25 metre eventsbeing efficiently progressedwith theminimumofqueuinganddelay. Itwouldbepossible toparticipateinallthematchesonofferbutIoptedforaslightlymorerelaxedprogrammeofeightovertheweekend.

The International Match

GermanyinvitedachallengeintheformoftwoInternational 1500 Matches that could not beignoredbytheGBGalleryRifleTeamCaptain,AshleyDagger, who fielded two teams of five

1500 International Centre Fire Teams - Leitmar 2010

German Team

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Marlin Competition Special

shooters each in small-bore and standardcentre-fireclasses.

Althoughthesmall-boreeventisnotyetofficiallyafeatureoftheGBSquadportfolio,itislikelythatitwillbeformallyincludednextyear.Sufficienttalent was however on hand to provide asubstantialchallengeandthesmall-borematchwasshotconcurrentlywiththeindividualeventsandthescoresofthenominatedshooterswereaggregatedfortheteamtotals.NotunlikeothersportsthetechnicallystrongGBTeamwasoutshotby26pointsbytheveryconsistentGermanTeam – congratulations, first success to thehosts!

The centre-fire match was shot shoulder toshoulderovertwodetails.TheGermanfashionis to shoot all six stages in quick successionwithout scoring between matches. The sixtargetfacesaretaggedandretainedforscoringattheendofthematch.Thismakesforarapidshootwithfitnessandstaminabecomingmoreofan issue than in themore relaxedscoreasyougomethod.

Although there was little room for spectatorsontherangeduringshooting,therewasplentyof interest and scoring advice in the rangeante-room where scoring took place. It wasdifficult for the Captains to keep abreast ofprogressinrealtimeandevenwhenthescoreshad been signed off and submitted terms like…”Ithinkwe…”and…”Ifeelthat…”werebeingusedwithmoreorlessdegreesofconfidence.

Again the German Team proved to be veryconsistentbutwiththebestfourscoresfromthefiveshooterscountingitwasaGBvictorybythenarrowestofmarginof justsixpoints. Agreatclimaxtoanexcellentweekend!Seasons End

The trip to Germany was a great way to endwhathasbeenanexcellentseason,whichhasbeenbusy,hascontainedsomeneweventsandhas seen the international GR Teams rapidlyimprovingandprovidingseriousopposition fortheGBGalleryRifleTeam.

Small-bore 1500 International

Germany Great Britain Shooter Score X Shooter Score X

Reto Grün 1487 93 Taff Wilcox 1493 104 Wilfried Gockel 1484 92 Andrew Jarman 1487 82 Frank Heymel 1484 87 Stephen Lamb 1484 99 Torstein Riewe 1482 95 Chris West 1479 100 Rolf Filbig 1464 71 Norman Brown 1477 93 Team Aggregate 5937 367 5943 385

Plate 2

The excellent little M1 Carbine

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Sowhatdoes2011have instore forus?Welltheselectionofshootersforthe2011GB Squad will take place based uponeligibleshooter’s(mustbeNRAMembers)abilityanddedication.Whethersmall-bore1500 internationals will be included, withthepossibilityofabiggersquadtoincluderim-firespecialistswewillhavetowaitandsee, but all you can do is keep enteringclassifiedmatchesandtryandmaintainaconsistentstandardandyoumayget thecall.

Plenty to do over the winter months;overhaul your equipment, test new loadsandrememberthatpracticewithapurpose–MerryChristmasandaHappyNewYear.

Prize Winners Parade

Trophys Table at Leitmar

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The Christmas season is upon us againand it hardly seems that long since I waswriting a festive article for Target Shooterlast year......where does the year go!Firstoff,onbehalfoftheUKPSA,I’dliketothankCarl Boswell and the Team at Target Shooterfor their timeandeffortsdevotedto thisonlinemagazine.It’sbeenexcellenttoseeitgofromstrengthtostrengthandisatributetotheenergieswe see so often in the shooting community –individualswhoseemtomanagetofindsomuchtimetogiveback to thesport,allshoe-hornedin between their hectic (I’m sure) shootingcalendar and private lives. Well done guys!This yearIt’s been a tough year for shooters. Our six,sanctioned, level III shotgun matches acrossthe UK require a level of dedication and costcommitment that is hard to maintain in thecurrent financial climate for many, yet we stillhad a very strong turnout at all the matches.OurShotgunBritishOpenwasduetobeheldatCarlislethisyear,butwascancelledinthewakeoftheCumbriashootings.The UK Pistol shooters have not been idlesince the loss of handguns. Several excellentUKPSA handgun courses have been runthis year in Northern Ireland, where civilianownership of handguns is still permitted.Jim Gibney has been running UKPSA LongBarrel revolver & pistol (LBR / LBP) coursesthis side of the water, and having attendedone myself last year, I know everyone whocomesonthetwo-daycoursehasathoroughlyfantastic time. Much energy expended andabout 300 rounds of .357 is a good way tospend a weekend under Jim’s watchful gazeand subjected to his wry sense of humour.The LBR / LBP match circuit has been veryactivethisyear.Sometimesmixedwithmini-rifleandGalleryevents,therehavebeenmatchesatLeicesterShootingClub,CarlisleandBedford.Someofourmembersattended theEuropean

Handgun Championships in Serbia this yearandshotexceptionallywellforparticipantswhomostly cannot practice, as well as shooting aborrowedguninmanycases.Although not a UKPSA event, top UKPSAshotgunner Mike Darby organised and rananotherexcellentcharitymatchearlyintheyearatShieldinDorset.TheDPOAmulti-gunmatchisacharitymatchaimedatraisingmoneyfortheDisabled Police Officers Association (DPOA),and2010saw the thirdandbiggestshootyet.A stage was also dedicated to the charity“Help for Heroes” and we were all proud andhonoured to have with us Staff Sergeant KimHughes,whowas awarded theGeorgeCrossin March this year for “selfless commitmentand unswerving devotion to duty” whenhe dismantled seven IED devices withoutprotectiveequipment inHelmand,Afghanistan,whilst under attack. A true hero indeed.The match was kindly sponsored by PeteStarley of MidwayUK, Shield ShootingCentre, Mark Bradley of Bradley Arms,NSC, The Tunnel Shooting Center, DavidFord Motors and Bride Valley Motors.Money raised was in excess of £4000,which was an excellent result. Thanks toMike, the sponsors, and all who helpedand attended this outstanding match.Looking to 2011ThefirstmajoreventnextyearistheAGM,thisyearheldonSunday23rdJanuary2011,attheWedgenockRangesnearWarwick.ThisismuchmorecentralthantheusualBisleymeeting,sowewouldurgeyoualltocomealongandjoinin.TherewillbetheelectionforUKPSAcouncilpositionsand it is themembership’sopportunity tovote,sopleaseaddyourvoiceifyouwishtobeheard.TherewillalsobeapresentationoftrophiestotheChampionsof2010.The AGM starts at 2.00pm, with a councilmeeting beforehand at 10.00am. There isa planned shoot in the morning, so you’llnot miss out on your traditional Sunday

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shoot before lunch. It should be great fun.DirectionstoWedgenockcanbefoundontheirwebsite: http://www.wedgnock.co.uk/findus.html The match calendar for next year will befinalisedverysoon,plusitwillbethestartofthepreparationsandteamselectionsforthefirsteverIPSCShotgunWorldShootinHungaryin2012.Abusyyear(welltwo)isaheadofus–especiallyfortheorganisers.Performancehasnevercountedasmuchasitwilloverthisnexttwelvemonths.Detailtofollowinthecomingweekssopleasekeep your eye on the UKPSA forum website.ThereisaHandgunWorldShootXVIinOctober2011, inRhodesGreece,wherewe expect tohave over 20 shooters taking part against the

best the world has to offer. This should be afantastic experience for all those who attend.TheUKPSAhasmuchplannedfor thecomingyear. Some welcome changes to the websiteand we are hoping to increase our venuesand membership. If you want to find outabout the exciting world of practical shooting,please contact us or come along to one ofthe matches. You’ll find a warm welcomeand get a chance to see what it’s all about.Finally,Iwouldliketowishyouandyourfamiliesa veryMerry Christmas and joyful break overthe festive season, ahead of a prosperousNewYear!

Your scribe - Tony Saunders

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Next time in.....

TheFebruary2011issuewillbeoutontheatthebeginningofthemonth.Lotsoffollowuparticles,newreviews,newsandaseverpackedwiththearticlesyouwanttoread.