Welcome to our first Christmas Edition enjoy!

December 2009 Issue

Club Features Support Your local Gunshop Event reports Second part feature Rimfire, Air Rifle and article.308 Centerfire Benchrest Winchester Imperial Meeting ammunition Quigley Report New Products and lots more..

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NOW ALMOST 3 TIMES THE SIZE FOR 2010

The UKs TotalEven more to do, more to see and more to buy!

...... A massive 112,000 sq ft, dry, weatherproof, indoor arena

Shooting Show

Just some of the guns on show and for sale...

Even bigger , even better with added features for 2010

Thousands of guns & accessories at the UKs premier shooting show.The British Shooting Show will provide a packed weekend of interest for all shooting enthusiasts. The eight main halls, including Gunmakers Halls, Airgun City, Arms Heritage, Gamekeeping and Gun Dogs now covers over 112,000 sq ft! Clay coaching line for novices & young shots Clay competitions, including 50 bird sporting with 1500 in trophies & prizes Browning rabbit mania Pool shoot & ZZ birds Airgun try before you buy Airgun competitions for guns & trophies Olympic 10 m match airgun Laser clays and laser rifle Shotgun simulators.

Gunmakers Halls just get bigger and bigger.

FOX

4 huge halls packed with gun manufacturers stands, retailers, specialist services and accessories, including; custom rifle builders ammunition and reloading gun retailers shooting aids scopes and optics field cutlery wildfowling decoying stalking shooting grounds shotgun simulators range days safaris shooting associations and even master craftsmen and gunsmiths at work.

Handle and evaluate a truly vast selection of shotgun and rifles.

PLUS A PACKED PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES...

STEYR

AIRGUN EXTRAVAGANZA - THE BIG AIRGUN EXPERIENCE Now a massive 5 times bigger for 2010. 18,000 sq ft of manufacturers stands, airgun retailers, accessories, optics, clubs and associations & gun clinics. Plus 39 lane rifle & pistol shooting range, including Olympic 10 metre match, big prize 30 50 metre shooting competition and try before you buy. The UKs premier airgun event packed with interest for the airgun enthusiast.

FREE PRIZE DRAWS AT THE SHOW FOR GUNS & OPTICS...

Win a Browning 525 Sporter worth over 1400. Plus a Sako Quad rifle worth 875. Plus a Webley 912S Sporter shotgun worth over 800. Plus a Webley Venom Sidewinder PCP Airgun Worth 775 and more from Deben, Armex & Brocock.

PGW

Save s -on special show only offers...Main Show Sponsor;

ZOLI

An integral part of The British Shooting Show

See the fascinating world of antique, classic & modern arms collecting including gun collections, valuations, advice and retail sales stands.

Hall will provide hospitality Newark Showground, Newark, Notts, NG24 2NY and an insight into specialist Opening times - 9am to 4.30pm Both Days products and services for this important industry sector. Officially Supported by The; Tel; +44 (0) 1472 241439 info@shownews.co.uk BUY TICKETS ONLINE - FAST TRACK ENTRY & SPECIAL PARKING Target Shooter 3 Tickets on the day; Adults 12.00, 8 to 15yrs 5.00 Under 8s Free. Buy online & save: Visit the website for more information or tel 01472 241439.

Hosted by the BASC and sponsored by Marsdens Game Feeds, Gamekeepers

Sat 27th & Sun 28th Feb 2010www.theshootingshow.co.uk

WelcometotheFirstChristmasissue .......ofTargetShooter12 Westlake MuzzleLoading Revolverby CarlBoswell

Sections6 10 18

ShootingSportNews ShootersCalendar ChristmasGadgetGallery SupportyourLocalGun Shop ShootingBlackPowder PistolbyChrisRisebrook MiniRifleandtheBradley ArmsAR15Rifle FClassSpecial-European Championship2009 WebsiteoftheMonth WeihrauchHW45byTim Finley GunoftheMonth ShootingfromtheChair byAndyDubreuil WeaverT36ScopebyCarl Boswell MatchReportS.Africavs Malta byStanleyShaw SmallboreBusiness byDonBrook

F/TR Class byVinceBottomley

26 44 Building a Rifle for 29 32

58 2009 Imperial Meeting

Ammunition Examination byChrisWhite

36 42 51 67

62 No4T Sniper

rifle part 4 byNigel Greenaway 6975

87 HANDLOADING

OLD FAITHFUL THE .308 WINCHESTER (part 2)byLaurieHolland

79 83

Part 6 byGwynRoberts

95

94 ReloadingSchool Gallery Rifle Basics 100 ClubFeature 114 Letters 115 AdvertisersIndex

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Association Pages103 105 107 109 110 111 UKBRA UKBR22 QuigleyAssociation HFTNews GalleryRifle UKPSA Editor(s). CarlBoswellandVinceBottomley Advertising and Office Manager AndyDubreuil.email;admin@targetshooter.co.uk Contributors VinceBottomley AndyDubreuil ChrisWhite TimFinley LaurieHolland ChrisRisebrook CarlBoswell DonBrook TonySanders NigelGreenaway GwynRoberts ChrisFarr StanleyShaw KenHall LesHolgate

Webitorial - December 2009Theinternetisagreatthingashopwindowforthewholeworld.Putsomethingonthenetanditsortof becomespublicpropertylikeitornot! Clearly,inthecaseofthemusicindustry,theydonotlikeitbuthonestlyIhadntgivenmuchthoughtto ituntilwefoundsomeenterprisingshysterwassellingTargetShooterandahostofotherfreeon-line magazinesat$2.00apop!Wedidntknowwhethertobeflatteredoroffendedbutanyway,wetoldhimto stopbuthesinTaiwanandwereintheUK! TargetShooterwasofcoursebornfromtheashesofTargetSportsmagazinewhichunfortunatelyclosedas astand-alonepublicationandbecameasmallpartofSportingRifle.Thiswasashameaswealllovedand supportedtheUKsonlymagazineforthetargetshooter. Blaze Publishing also publishes Gun Trade News - a sort of tabloid for the gun trade and this month, publisherWesStantontakesafriendlypopatus: Thoughthecontentisonthebuttonandasgoodasyoumightexpectfromenthusiastictechnicalfolk,the entirethingisobscuredbyamateurism. WellWes,aswithourTaiwanesescallywag,wedontknowwhethertobeoffendedorflattered!Itsgreatto atleastberecognisedbythetradeandwithregardtoouramateurismyes,yourerightbutplease,dont confuseamateurismwithignorance.Ourwritersaretheequalofanyandknowtheirsubjectinsideoutand allweseektodoispassthatknowledgeontoourreadersforfreewithasmuchenergyandpassionas wecanmuster. Maybe we will never be successful as a business if success means money but, if success could be measuredincustomersatisfaction,thenIwouldprofferthatwearealreadymoresuccessfulthananyother UKshootingpublicationthankstoyou,ourloyalreaders. Finally,averyhappyChristmastoeveryoneanddontforget,itmightbeNewYearsDaybutourfirstissue of2010willbeon-lineonthefirstdayofJanuarybeatthatWes! Untilnextmonth.Andy,Carl&Vince

Alastreminder-whenlookingatadsyoucanclickonthesetogodirectlytovendorswebsitesto viewproducts.Pleasementionournamewhencontactingthem. CarlBoswell-carl@targetshooter.co.ukandVinceBottomley-vinceb@targetshooter.co.ukand AndyDubreuil-admin@targetshooter.co.ukCopyrightTrinityDigitalPublishingLtdDisclaimerThewebsitewww.targetshooter.co.ukispartofTargetShootermagazinewithallcontentsofbothelectronicmediacopyrighted.Noreproductionispermittedunless writtenauthorisationisprovided. Information,pricesanddataisbelievedtobecorrectatthetimeofpostingontheinternetwhichisonoraroundthe1stofeachmonth.Advertisementsthatarefirearm relatedarefromcompaniesorindividualsthatTargetShootermagazinebelievesarelicensedtoholdsuchfirearmsandacceptsnoresponsibilityifcompaniesor individualsarenotsolicensed. LettersandphotographssubmittedbymembersofthepublictoTargetShootermagazinewillbeacceptedonthebasisthatthewriterhasagreedtopublicationunless otherwisestated.TargetShootermagazinehasnocontroloverthecontentorownershipofphotographssubmitted. Theviewsexpressedinthismagazinearenotnecessarilytheviewsofthepublishersandrelatetospecificcircumstanceswithineacharticle.Thesearetheopinions andexperiencesofwritersusingspecificequipment,firearms,componentsanddataundercontrolledconditions.Informationcontainedintheonlinemagazineoronthe websiteisintendedtobeusedasaguideonlyandinspecificcircumstancescautionshouldbeused.TargetShooterMagazinedoesnotexceptanyresponsibilityfor individualsattemptingtorecreatesuchtestingusinganyinformation,dataorothermaterialsinitselectronicpages.PublishersofTargetShootermagazine.

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Shooting Sport News

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irGunAuctions A new website that has just been launched recently is Air Gun Auctions. This has been developed to start where other online auction houses left off, helping the sporting and target shootertoselltheirsurplusitemsonline.Thenew UK based auctions site is dedicated to hunting and shooting goods. It sounds very professional andlikeallnewthingsneedsyoursupporttomake it work. There will be other features to this new website,asitdevelopsandgrowsinthecoming months.At present they are offering free listings toallusers,withtheprospectoffeesbeingaslow as1forastandardlistinginthefuture.Presently therearenointentionstointroducesellingfees, so better than some that are out there already. Thewebsiteitselfiswelldesignedandeasyto navigate,soallcustomersshouldbeabletouse iteasily.

Distribution giants Sportsmarketing have just released their new, 2010 catalogue - a quality164-pagepublicationthatspackedfullof essentialshootingkit.Featuringover100brand new SMK releases alongside more than a thousand other exciting products - from optics to luggage, targets to decoys, hunting hides to night vision - the catalogue is beautifully illustrated throughout and the perfect browse, whether you shoot shotguns, firearms or airguns. Sportsmarketing are giving shooters the opportunity to get hold of a copy of this outstanding publication - normally 4.95 - absolutelyFREE.Toclaimoneandreceive detailsofyournearestSMKstockist,simply ringSportsmarketingon01206 795 333 or contactthemviaemailatsales@sportsmk. co.uk

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Well its nearly Christmas and we thought we would keep some good news for this month. We have upgradedourservicetoyouthereadersyetagain,by buyingintoadedicatedserverforthewebsite,online viewinganddownloadsforTargetShootermagazine. Nowwewontgointothetechnicaldetails,otherwise you will nod off into your coffee. What it means for you,ourreaders,isthatyouwillbeabletoaccessthe magazineonlinefaster,downloaditfastertoyourown desktopandusethenewsoftwarewehavepurchased for better viewing. There is even a nice little sound

effectasyouturnthepages. What this means for us is that we have far greater controloverthemagazine,itissaferasitisallbacked up and we can focus on providing you with an even betterservice.WewillstillbeuploadingtoScribd,as thisbringsinlotsofpassingtrade-abitlikeawell known high street news agents. However the best viewing can be obtained through the Target Shooter website. Sowehopeyouenjoyandletusknowhowitgoes.

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strengthtostrength. NowestablishedastheUKstotalshootingshowitis in fact now the largest show of its kind in Europe. It has grown three times in size from a modest 45,000 sq ft to now over an 112,000 sq ft indoor arena packed with rifles, shotguns, optics and shooting accessoriessomethingforeveryshootingdiscipline. Rifles at the show a major element of The British ShootingShow2010. Youll see a fantastic range of rifles from many of the most well known and respected manufacturers, including; DSR, Sniper Systems, Pfeifer-Waffen, Mauser, Titan, Kimber, Keppeler, Unique, Cooper, Anschutz, Tikka, Sako, Howa, Remington, Browning,

heBritishShootingShowatNewarkgoesfrom Norman Clark, Riflecraft, Hellis, Westley Richards,

Kelbys.Mossberg,Merkel,WinchesterandThompson Centeretc. Riflespecialists,importers,customisersandretailers. A great chance to talk technical with a host of other companies including; GMK,Alan Rhone, North West Custom, Osprey Rifles, Global Rifle, Brock & Norris, Riflecraft, Ruag Ammotec, Fox Firearms, Westlake Engineering, Jager Sporting Rifles, Norman Clark, Browning, Open Season, Viking Arms, Euroguns, CheshireGuns,JacksonRifles,FawcettsandFrancis Loveletc. WinaSakoQuadRifleworth875.00:justgototheGMK standn ain unmakers all nd nter he ree rize raw i m G H a e t f p d Airguns at The British Shooting Show 2010.

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Competitionsforamassive3000worthofgunsand accessories etc.Airgun City has alone grown to five timesthesizeandnowcoversover18,000sqft!Guns from all the major manufacturers will be on display and for sale.A huge 37 lane shooting range extends fromthesideofTheAirgunCityarena,whereyouwill beabletotryguns,entercompetitionsandwingreat prizesworthover3000! PlustheNSRAOlympicExperience. TheNSRAwillberunninga10metrematchpistoland riflerange,mannedbyNRSAcoaches. Opticsattheshow. Agreatchancetotalktothespecialistsandretailers. See a range of scopes from, Sightron, Hawke, Carl Zeiss,MTC,Nightforce,Bushnell,Khales,Fox,Hakko,

Leupold, Meopta, Nikko, Jahtjakt, Schmidt & Bender, Leica,Lynx&Shepherdetc. TheBritishShootingShowwillbeheldattheNewark Showground,Newark,Notts,NG242NY, 27th-28thFebruary2010. Please visit www.theshootingshow.co.uk or tel: 01472241439forfurtherinformation.

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A perennial question is about the difference if any between 7.62X51mm and .308 Winchester (or 5.45X45mmand.223Remington).Andwhilethereare small differences primarily in the chamber and barrel throatforms,theyaresonearlyindistinguishablethat theUKnationalpolicefirearmslicensingcomputeruses bothterminologiestogethereithersideofanobliqueto avoidproblemsifanFACvariationisforone,butthe firearmismarkedandproof-testedfortheother.This applies particularly to British and Commonwealth TR (TargetRifle)riflesthatwereclassedas7.62mmuntil recently,althoughcurrentbuildsorrecentlyrebarrelled examplesnowbearthe.308Winchesterdescription.

.56 and 7.62mm Outlawed

Dont try and take anything marked 7.62mm abroad or youll be regarded as an international arms smugglerNoneofthiswouldbeofanygreatimportifitwerent fortheUnitedNationshavingstartedacrusadeagainst international movements of military smallarms and ammunition except on a government to government basis. The problem is that 5.56 and 7.62mm are classified as military period, no matter that its a single-shot target rifle and your pride and joy.This is a particular problem for anybody travelling across international boundaries as an early result has been airlines, through their international regulator IATA, accepting these rules and refusing to carry anything somarkedordocumented,evenifonadualbasisas in7.62mm/.308Winchester.Thenextworryisthat ascountriessignuptothevariousUNaccordsonthis issue,wellsuddenlydiscoverthatsomebodyhasdone

this for the UK and unwittingly made ownership of every.308WinrifleinthecountryillegalasourFACs invariable use the dual title in listing the weapons held. In any event ICFRA, the international target shootingbodywhichregulatesfullborerifleincludingour TargetRifleandF-Class,hasdeletedallreferencetothe metric versions of the two cartridges in its rules and documentation,andIimaginethatappliestoourNRA too. Firearms law researcher and writer Colin Greenwood has been investigating this UN process and his findings must be deeply unsettling for all sporting and recreational firearms users. The sub-committees tasked with producing reports and recommendations that are often accepted by the UN with little or no debate are secretive, refusing to disclose their membership or the remits they are working to. They will not divulge the basis of facts contained in their reports,howresearchwascarriedoutandwhere,who was interviewed and so on. One fact that is clear are that they will NOT make any distinction between civilian sporting arms, (even shotguns), and military weapons, and that they believe that arms ownership is a bad thing per se. Greenwood is convinced that thisisamovementtowardsinternationalcivilianarms controlviathebackdoorunderthecloakofkeepingAKs andRPGsoutofthehandsofAfricanchildsoldiersor guerrillas. Things may get worse too in that the proposed conventions seek to ban the manufacture of arms and ammunition of any type and any calibre, except by government licensed concerns which must be closelyregulated.Quiterighttooyoumightthink,but rememberthatyourgunsmithisanarmsconstructor, and you are an ammunition manufacturer if you handload. Until now, the US government has been a bastion against this sort of undemocratic backdoor controlbyroutinelytellingtheUNtonaffoff!Notsonow under Barak Obama, the State Department allegedly signallingachangeofpolicyhere,itsfirstmovebeing toannouncethatexportlicenseswillnotbeissuedfor anybarrelchamberedfor5.56or7.62NATOdestined foracommercialend-user.

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Target Shooter

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*This promotional offer refers to the actual prices of the current price list, is valid while stock lasts and ends on December 31st, 2009.

All Classic Diavari Riflescopes

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Autumn Offers until December 31st, 2009

For further information please telephone Carl Zeiss Sports Optics on 01707 871350 www.zeiss.co.uk

Carl Zeiss has compiled a unique offer just for you: Purchase one of the ZEISS products displayed above now and save up to 20%. Your participating ZEISS dealer will be pleased to provide Target Shooter you with more information.

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Calendarofeventsoverthenextfewmonths5 DecGalleryRifleXmasShootandSocial (NationalShootingCentre(NSC),Bisley) Cometothefinalgatheringof2009fortheGallery Riflecommunity.Thisfestiveeventhasplentyof shooting,withatwist,andasplendiddinnerand grandPrize-givingthathasneverfailedto impress.Contact(s):BrianThomas 6 Dec LMRA Wappenschaw (National Shooting Centre(NSC),Bisley) Contact(s):LMRA 6 DecCivilianServiceRiflecompetition(National ShootingCentre(NSC),Bisley)CivilianService Riflecompetitionsareheldthroughouttheyear. Datessofarforthewinterleague24October,21 November,6December.Downloadanentryform andsendtoNSC,Bisley.ContactMarkBradley forfurtherinformation. 12 Dec NRAShootingClubXmasShoot(National ShootingCentre(NSC),Bisley) NRA Shooting Club Xmas Shoot. Targets have beenbookedonMelville. Open to all full members of the NRA who have completed and returned the registration form whichisavailablebyclickingonthelinkbelow. Ifyouwouldliketoattendyoumustbookinatleast aweekinadvancebycontactingHeatherWebb. FormoreinformationontheNRAShootingClub- Contact(s):CharlesPerry 12 Dec DTL ShotgunTraining, Sywell Ranges - ContactMLAGB 13 Dec Rifle Practice, Bisley 100yd - advance bookingrequired-ContactMLAGB

Ifyourcluborassociationhaseventsyouwanttopubliciseherethenemailus.13 Jan2010GrandPrixofPlsenThecompetition runs from 13th to 17th January Location: Plsen, CZE 27 Jan 2010 Munich Airgun International, GER Thematchrunsfrom27thto30thJanuary2010. Location:Munich,GER 20 Feb TargetShotgunFestival(NationalShooting Centre(NSC),Bisley) Calling all Section One shotgun owners. The Target Shotgun Festival has unique and challenging competition stages that are engaged with solid slug, SG/buckshot and birdshot ammunition.Contact(s):BrianThomas 27 to 28 FebTheBritishShootingand CountrymanShow-Telephone01472241439 Email-info@shownews.co.uk http://www.shootingshow.co.uk/ 27 Mar to 28 Mar Gallery Rifle - SpringAction Weekend (National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley).Contact(s):BrianThomas 3 to Mon 5 Apr Bisley Clubs Easter Meeting (National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley) This year the Easter Meeting will be run by the City RifleClub.Contact(s):PatDrummy 25 Apr Somerset SBSA Open Shoot. (Rifle) LongAshtonRanges.Tel.01275836442.Email. julian.withey@btinternet.com 26 Sep Somerset SBSA Open Shoot. (Rifle) LongAshtonRanges. Tel. 01275 836442. Email. julian.withey@btinternet.com

If you have any events or matches in the Winter that you would like to advertise FREE here, then please contact us at;

customer.services@ targetshooter.co.uk

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The Westlake Taurus .357 Muzzle Loading Revolver

By Carl BoswellWhen we lost pistols to the handgun ban of 1997, we thought we had lost it all but the fight continuedinavarietyofwaysovertheyears,both lobbyingandlegalactions.Forthebenefitofnon-GB readers,shootersinNorthernIrelandwereallowed toretainpistolsandsowereresidentsoftheisle of Man. In the rest of Great Britain, pistols were forbiddentoordinarycitizensorshouldthatbe subjectswiththeexceptionofvetsandinsome casesstalkers,forhumanedispatchofwounded game. Some took another route and began the

above - Alan in his workshopdevelopment of pistols that fitted into the legislation contained in the 1997 Firearms (Amendment) Act, enacted after the pistol ban. Pistols with a minimum barrel-length of 12 inchesandanoveralllengthoftwofeet,ormuzzleloading pistols were not prohibited and these long-barrel and modified propellant based muzzle-loadingpistolsandrevolvershavecomea longwayinthelastdecadeorso.Gunmakerslike AlanWestlakeandothershaveworkedtirelessly to give us back some semblance of the pistol shooting we thought we had lost forever. However, our Olympic pistol squads are still unable to train in the UK but we hope that they will eventually be allowedtodosoandthuscompetein theirhomeOlympicGamesin2012. Alan Westlake of Westlake Engineering was featured in last months Gunshop of the Month.Alan has worked on some interesting developments over the years, but they have been hard fought for with the authorities. His recent innovation, a Taurus revolver odified o uzzle-loading m t am revolver, is now accepted under thecurrentlawsthatgovernfirearm

The revolver ready for loading 12 Target Shooter

The revolver with before and after cylinders

ownershipintheUK.Goodnewsindeed,asthis atleastbringsbackthefeelofshootingamodern revolver using modern propellants rather than black-powder. Alan has developed traditional reproduction black-powder revolvers into nitro burners in the past but this is the first muzzle-

loaderbasedonamodernrevolverdesign. The Taurus revolver looks and feels exactly like any modern revolver, the balance being the sameasanyotherfive-inchbarrelledpistol.Just handling the Westlake Taurus brought back memories of my own Taurus which was sadly

Details of modifications

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takenfrommeinthe1997hand-in.Ido currently have a Taurus long-barrel revolver which is great as the feeling of shooting a revolver is something that most of us enjoyed. Its not quite the sameasshootingaproperrevolverwith no arm-brace and shorter barrel so this latestofferingfromAlanreallydoesbring backthememories. Afellowshooter,ColinRenwick,recently acquiredoneofAlansconvertedTaurus muzzleloaders.(YoumayknowColinas the UK air rifle benchrest champion and histalentsdonotstopthereasheshoots pistolatcountylevelaswell).Colinalso has another of Alans pistols, the 22LR

Powder is prepared and seperated ready for use at the rangesimply shortening the barrel. Theoldcylinderisdiscarded and a yoke extension fitted. Thiscontainsthe spring-loaded plunger that frees the action when the yoke is closed. As this extension cannot be removed, it thus prevents the re-fitting of the original cylinder.Obviouslythisakey point in making the revolver legalintheUK. To make this into a muzzle-loader, Alan makes a completely new cylinder, which has pockets for shotgun primers at the rear .

Priming each cylinder with powder

Browning Buckmark but moreonthisinthenewyear. The muzzle-loading Taurus is actually a conversion fromaTaurus.357Magnum long-barrelledrevolver. This revolver complies with current legislation for a section 1 pistol and the muzzle-loader has to be converted from this model, as a standard Taurus 357 Magnum revolver would be classed as a section 5 revolver due to barrel-length andoveralllength. Of course, the conversion is more complicated than

Using the loading press to force the wadcutter bullers into each cylinder

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Target Shooter

Priming each cylinder with shotgun primers

Thepocketshaveasmallflashholethroughinto the chamber at the front. The chamber is made to accept .357 lead wadcutter bullets of the type favoured for target shooting applications. The barrel is shortened to approximately five inches and the defunct wrist-brace is removed. Loading is similar to that of many historic muzzle-loadingrevolvers.Thecylinderisremoved fromtherevolverandplacedinaspecialloading press(supplied)toseatthebulletsintherevolver chambers after powder-charging. Colin uses 2 grains of Bullseye powder as the charge for target purposes. (Please refer to the manufacturers guidelines for charges as although this load is safe in Colins revolver it should not be used in conventional historic orreproductionmuzzle-loadingpistols.Alan suggests charging the Taurus with Herco powder - as per .38 S&W Special data - conatctAlanformoreimformation).Oncethe chambersarecharged,shotgunprimersare inserted into the primer pockets at the rear of the cylinderThe loaded cylinder is then slid back into the revolver and the pistol is readytofire.Easyandalotlessmessythan charging a conventional black-powder revolver. One interesting tip that Colin gave me was using old 38 brass cases (obviously without primer but with the base sealed) as storage for the measured powdercharges.Thepowdercanthusbemeasured at home ready to charge the cylinder at the range. A bullet is placed gently in the cartridge case to retain the powder for safe transportation to the range a neat idea. Ontest,theaccuracywasverygood.Theload islowbutjustrightfortarget-shootingandisthe

result of testing over a numberofmonthstogetitjust right.Firingtherevolverisjust like firing the target revolversofoldsamerecoil,same balance, same feel brilliant! A welcome alternative to the traditional muzzle-loading pistols that shooters are compelled to use these days boy does it bring back memories. Something to consider if you are looking to own one of theseconversionseitheron your own existing LBR or on one supplied by Alan - order well in advance as he is very much a one-man band but this means that all workonyourpistolwillbedonebyAlanhimself. Coupled with the fact that these and the other products that Alan makes are becoming more popularastheyshouldbesopleaseallowtime fordelivery. Sothereyouhaveit.Anexcellentproductwhich, if you long for the old pistol-shooting days, is just about as near as you can get.Alternatively, maybeyounevergotthechancetoshootaproper revolver but always wanted to try it, if so, the WestlakeTauruscouldwellfityourrequirements. Theconversionofyourownpistolcosts330.00. Extra Cylinders are 180.00 each. If you do not

The test target at 25 metres

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have a pistol this can be ordered for you from the Importers. A Taurus .357 Magnum LBR currentlycostsaround675.00.YourFACshould have a variation for a .357/.38 Muzzle-loading revolver and if you want any extra cylinders,

your FAC will need to be varied accordingly. ContactAlanWestlakeat; Website;http://westlakeengineering.com/ Phone;01722782432

Email; ags.westlake@virgin.net/ Website; www.westlakeengineering.com

Tel/Fax 01722782432

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 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 16 Target Shooter each. If you do not have a pistol I can order a new pistol from the Importers.

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ChristmasGadgets GallerySpecial Uberti Zippo Lighters .modelstocelebrate50yearsofUbertiFirearmsandfeaturetheirfirst model,the1851NavyRevolver. The brushed Brass finish is a very small production run , only 50 havebeenmade.Eachoneisnumberedsobuyersshouldphoneto reserveanumber.Costforthismodelincludingpostageis34.50. ThebrushedChromefinishisnotnumberedbutalreadynearly30% ofthefirstdeliveryhavebeenpresold.Costforthismodelincluding postageis32.00.ContactMerseyside Armoury on 07702 277791Theselightersmakegreatgiftsforcollectors.Theyarespecial

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Colour:Black40.00 Thispopularoutdoorjacket ispartoftheELEYclothing range worn by sponsored shooters including Olympic medal winners. The beathable, windproof and waterresistantjacketmade in a soft shell fabric is available in mens and ladiesfitsizesXSXXL. Toplaceanordercall0121 3134529oremail KateWhite@eley.co.uk New online shop coming soon with a fall range of ELEY apparelandmerchandise.

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Quick clean Pull throughs useatearproofcordforsafeuse and a high quality bronze brush builtintothecordforgentlebut effective cleaning. Let the brass weight gently glide through the barrelandthenpullQuickClean through slowly and steadily - that's it - you're done! They are alsosmallandlightweightsoyou can take the pull through with you wherever you go. They are fullywashableandavailableina varietyofsizestosuiteverygun. Availablethroughyourlocalgunshop. RRP:18.00

uick clean Pull through

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Colour:Black1.00 ELEYhasdevelopedanewinsertcalled a Podium which fits underneath the draw of the new Tenex box to lift the bullets,makingtheremovalofcartridges quickandeasyleavingtheshooterfree to concentrate on their target. The Podiumwasdesignedtofitwiththenew Tenex box but shooters have used the solid plastic podium in the other ELEY boxes.To place an order call 0121 313 4529oremailKateWhite@eley.co.uk Newonlineshopcomingsoonwithafall rangeofELEYapparelandmerchandise.

LEY Podium

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portsmatch Spirit Level

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The New Sportsmatch side mounted spirit level is designed tobevisiblewithoutmovingyour eye away from the scope and it fits all Sportsmatch mounts with M5 side clamp screws. Perfect stockingfillerthisChristmas. Available through your local gunshop.RRP:25.30

optical booster lens for generic or specific scopes associated with those that are used in both centerfire and rimfire benchrest. The website forthecompanyis;http:// www.bulzeyepro.com/ and the cost of the optic starts at $40 or 24 for the entry model. This will depend on the model, coating and magnification youget.

ulzeyepro is an

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oodoo Tactical Roll Up Mat

The VOODOO TACTICAL Roll Up Shooter's Mat provides lightweight padded protection with fold-out elbowwingsandeasyroll-up. Includes sewn-in data book pocket ithpenholder,removabletoolpouch, ammopouchandbulletslotsforeasy, pLULA universal magazine pistol loader quick access. Adjustable straps with Description:-Loadsthemallfrom9mmto45acpsingleordual quickreleasebuckles.Extramaleend stack.Theidealgiftthisfestiveseason "E"bucklestoattachtoyourpack. Purchaseonlinefromoursitewww.gunsmalta.com Measures 69" x 48" at the widest Cost32Euro point.Rollsuptoacompact8"x20". 85.www.nwcustomparts.com/

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ude Fat Dog Xmas upgrade for your 10/22 ! -ThenewKIDCockingHandlekitcomprisesthecushionedhandle,guiderodandthreeseparatecolourcodedspringsforusewithdifferingvelocity ammunition.GBP37.95fromwww.rudefatdog.com/

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NorthWestCustomhasproduceda2010 Calendar of its favourite weapons which we are donating copies to our Troops in Afghanistan support them in their work. Youcangetyoucopyposteddirecttoyour door for only 10.95 (postage included) www.nwcustomparts.com/

orth West Custom Parts Calendar 2010

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akley Customisable Radar, Shooting Specific - from 129.99(dependingonlenschoice) The Shooting Specific Radar utilises the G26 Range lens optiontohelpincreasetheviewingareaanddecreaseoutside distractions.TheG26lensisperfectfortargetshooting,butif thisdoesn'tquitesuittheconditionsthenawideselectionof lensesareavailable.www.oakley.co.uk/custom

Target Shooter

Action&chambercleaningtoolfromPro-shot. Thisisanessentialbitofkitforeveryshooteryethowmany haveanymeansofcleaningthechamberandaction?All the Pro-shot products are well designed for the serious shooter and this cleaning kit is no exception. From Tim Hannam- www.timhannam.co.uk/23.99

The Nikon Sports Optics will shortly introduce theNikonriflescopeProStaffseries.Nikonsnew Prostaffseriesconsistofsixmodels,the3-9x40 Duplex, 3-9x40 BDC, 3-9x50 Duplex, 3-9x50 BDC,2-7x32Duplex,andthe4x32Duplex. Each model has its own unique features and brings the user the benefits of high cost performance with a variety of lens specifications and reticles to suit diverserequirements.From139.99-contactHighlandOutdoorsatwww.highlandoutdoors.co.uk/ Keyfeatures Multicoated lenses for light transmission up to 90%Generous eye reliefVersatile magnification range for various hunting situationsWindage and elevation reticle adjustments with precise 1/4 MOA click-reticle adjustmentNitrogengas-filledandO-ringsealedforwaterproofingandfog-proofingEcoglasslensesEDglass forchromaticaberrationcompensation.

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FreePistolPrice:~1200.00-FACRequired FromtheNSRAatwww.nsra.co.uk/

he popular Morini CM84E ISSF Longarm

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www.midwayuk.comselltheseexcellentgrips for about 39. The grip features interchangeable frontstrapsandbackstrapsforatrulycustomfit.Full kit includes pistol grip, 3 backstraps, 4 frontstraps (including one with an enhanced integral trigger- LaserBoreSight guard),coreinsertplugthatholds3roundsof.223. (YorkGuns)Price: from54.95 Thisoneiscartridgespecific.Itcouldntbe simplertouse.Pinupatar getabout50yardsawayand setyourrifleonarest. Chamber the laser no needtoactuallyclosethebolt fullyandadjustyourrifleuntilthelaserdotisontarget. Then,lookthroughyourscopeandtwiddletheadjusters untilthereddotisinthecentreofyourcrosshair.Acouple ofshotsontargettofine-tuneandjobdone.Nicethingis, youcouldmountyourscopeanddothelaserbitinyour gardenbutdontfrightentheneighbours!www.yorkguns. com/

R-15 Magpul MIAD Modular Grip

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EBLEY ALECTO , MULTI-STROKE PNEUMATIC AIRPISTOL.177 CALIBRE,RRP169.99 This ultra-easy tocockpistolgoeswaybeyond traditional single-strokepneumatics,withtheintroductionofapatent pendingmulti-stroketechnologythatallowsmuzzlevelocity to be set at 120 metres per second (mps) with a single stroke, increasing to 160 mps with a second no sweat cocking action.A third stroke achieves maximum muzzle energylimitedto5.8ft-lbs.

ThenewAlectois ergonomically perfect, available with either right or left handed dedicated grips (left-handed grips available January 2010) each incorporatingacomfortablepalm andthumbrest,andisavailable from all good gun shops now. www.webley.co.uk/

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o-Ax Case And Cartridge Inspector One tool to perform three vital measurements; Neck wall thickness CaseneckconcentricityBulletrunout. Measurements are in increments of one-thousandth of an inch so accuracy is superb. The Inspector is unique becauseitchecksboththebulletandcase alignment in relation to the centerline (axis) of theentire cartridge or case. 85.74fromwww.timhannam.co.uk/

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ightron SIII SS 8-32x56 LRD

TopofSightron'sSIIIrange. Finished in an elegant slate grey andbasedonaone-piece30mm alloy tube, the big Sightron has crystalclear,brightopticsrightup totheedgewithplentyofcontrast andcoloursaturation.Theunique ExacTrackadjustmentsystem ensures gratifyingly precise and reliable adjustments to be made shot after shot without losing the original zero. It boasts 70 M.o.A. ofadjustmentinwindageand elevation(35M.o.A.eithersideof centre)comparedtothe Nightforce 12-42x56 NXS which has65M.o.A.ofelevationand45 M.o.A.ofwindage. Sightron range offer a no-quibble LifetimeWarrantyonalltheir products. The Sightron SIII SS 8-32x56 LRD costs 820 with free P&P duringDecember.Toorderorfor further information, contact Aim Field Sports on 01606 860678.

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amination i.e. beach, zebrano, black walnut, multi colour laminate from 250. Rose wood laminate, blackwalnutlaminate&anyotherexoticlaminatefrom300.Aluminiumbuttplates40,triggerguards from60.Lacquering&polish100.Thecompanyalsomakessportingriflestocks,fclassstocks&F/TR stocks.ForfurtherinformationcontactSteve on 07958077365 or 01937842017 Pelislatestadditiontotheirsuccessfultravelvault/ firearmscases.The1770isthelongestPelicase with generous volume. This case shouldsatisfytheneedsofanyone withlongerfirearmsandequipment. Interiordimensions: 138.6 x 39.6 x 21.9 cm (54.58" x 15.58"x8.63") Availableonlineatwww.greenleopard.co.uk Price:587.50incVAT

armoor Custom Gun Stocks. Thepriceforwesternredcedarstocksarefrom195inhardwood

The Tiablo A10 takes gun mounted or hand-held lampstoawholenewlevel.Theperformanceofthe A10 is unrivalled in a unit so compact. Operating for up to 3.5 hours on full power this lamp is even suitableforcentrefireusers.Findoutmoreatwww. allcocksoutdoorstore.co.ukorcall01299822212

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SupportyourlocalgunshopNewavonArms

Richard in the main shopNewavonArmsissituated5minutesoffjunction19of theM5intheSouthWestofEnglandandhasagreat selection f ew nd econd and eapons nd ore. on a s h w a m RichardReeve,ownerofNewavonArms,hasbeen in the gun trade for over 30 years and started off supplying the film industry. Eight years ago he purchasedNewavonArmswhichwasbasedinthe BedminsterareaofBristolbeforemovingtohisnew premisesinPill,justoutsidebristolinJulythisyear. Thenewshopwasoriginallyaconveniencestore and Richard gutted the whole building, re- wired andlayednewfloorsandamongstotherthings,put inarampintoalloweasyaccesstotheupperlevel. Its easy to find your way around the shop as Richardhasdivideditintothreesections-aclothing sectionwhereyoucantry-ongarments,anupper levelforaccessoriesandthenthegunshowroom. Regular customer or new, you will always get a warm welcome and Richard and his staff are always happy to help or advise on your needs. Richard has not finished with the shop just yet and he is looking to build a 15 yard range in part of the building so that customers will have the opportunity to try out air rifles and air pistols.Thisisaverynewconceptasmostair-gun buyers never get the chance to shoot it before purchase. This means you will get the rifle that suitsyouandyourpocketbeforeleavingtheshop. NewavonArmskeepagreatselectionaccessories, scopes,ammoandriflesandnomatterwhetheryou are a novice or an experience shooter, if you are lookingforsomethingalittlebitspecialinafirearm then they can source it for you. Newavon Arms customerscomefromalloverthecountryand,being closetothemotorway,itsveryeasytogettotheshop. Richard has full workshop facilities and can offer customersmaintenanceandservicing,re-stocking and custom work on rifles and most other arms. Forthefuture,Newavon rmsarelookingtogetmore A involved target-shooting and welcome customers whoarelookingtogetstartedinthesportrimfire orcentrefire-orsimplylookingtoupgradetheirrifle. Newavon Arms will soon have a new website to compliment the shop but until then you can visit the shop Monday to Saturday. (Late night Thursday,earlyclosingWednesdayandSaturday) NewavonArms,13-15Lodway,PillNrBristolBS20 0DH

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Target Shooter

Welcome to The OutdoorsmanWe sell just about everything you need in the outdoor environment and a little bit more. We cater to walkers, hikers, trekkers, campers, hunters, military, police and just about anybody else that steps over the front door into the big outdoors.

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PATENT - PENDING TECHNOLOGY RECOIL FREE VARIABLE POWER ULTIMATE ACCURACY IDEAL FOR THE PONY CLUB TETRATHLON DISCIPLINE

PNEUMATIC AIR PISTOL TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS COMPRESSES AIR WITH MINIMUM EFFORT 3 POWER LEVELS ADJUSTABLE TRIGGER WITH FOUR UNIQUE SETTINGS ADJUSTABLE PLASTIC GRIP WITH ERGONOMIC DESIGN RAIL FOR LASER OR RED DOT SCOPE AUTOMATIC TRIGGER SAFETY RECOIL FREE SHOOTING RIFLED STEEL BARREL ADJUSTABLE REAR AND FRONT SIGHT ELEGANT CARRYING CASE WITH ALLEN KEY CLEANING ROD, AND OIL

169.99

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ORDER NOW FOR NOVEMBER DELIVERYWebley (International) Ltd Universe House, Key Industrial Park, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3YA, England Tel: +44 (0) 1902 722 144 Fax: +44 (0) 1902 722 880 E-mail: Target Shooter sales@webley.co.uk www.webley.co.uk

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DEFIANTLY WEBLEY

Shooting the Black Powder Pistol Part 2

by Chris RisebrookThis month we will look at single shot pistols in moredetail.Apartfromthematchlock,thesewillbe either flintlock or percussion. Flintlock replicas are eitherofagenerictype-usuallymilitary-orcopies of18thand19thcenturyduelingandtargetpistols.

Above - Modern copy of flintlock Kentucky pistolfacing upwards and that the patch is still central. With a small wooden mallet, tap the ball into the muzzle.Ifthepatchingistight,itmaybenecessaryto follow this with a short starter to seat the ball just belowthemuzzle.Thenwiththeramrodtryandpush theballfirmlydownontothepowder,inonesmooth motion.Again, there should be a witness mark on the ramrod to show that the ball is fully seated.

The military pistols are good fun, but not really competitive. However, the target pistols are capable of surprising accuracy, even though to compete under MLAGB rules they must be smoothbore. Larger bores seem to work best, with heavychargesandtightlypatchedballs. Whilst it is virtually impossible to blow-up a pistol with black-powder, any air gap between the Theproblemwithflintlocksisignition-orratherlack powderandtheballhasanastyhabitofconvertinga of it! From my own experience, about one in four propellant into an explosive. Next, sprinkle a little shotsisaflashinthepan.Theloadingsequence powder into the pan close to the touch hole, close requires a definite system and concentration from thepan,pullthetriggerandhopeforthebest.Inthe theshooter.Personally,Istartwithameasuringrod happyeventthatitactuallyfires,youwillbecaught whichIdropdownthebarreltothewitnessmarkto outbythelonglock-timeandthedisconcertingflash prove the barrel is empty (it is surprisingly easy to oftheprimingpowder-nottomentiontheaweand double load). Next, use a long drop tube and load wonderoftheinevitablespectators.Ifitdoesnotfire, thepowder,fromaphialplease-notfromaflask. holdthegunpointingdownrangeforaboutaminute, Take a pre-lubed patch and place it over the justincaseitisahangfire.Thenopenthepan,brush muzzlefollowedbytheball,makingsureanysprueis awayanypowder,prickthetouchholetomakesure

Modern copy of a Mortimer flintlock

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The real McCoy! A best English double barrel Bourne.

by

itisclear,re-primeandhaveanothergo.Needless to say, these misfires do nothing to improve your targetshooting,andareagoodtestofyourtechnique - or lack of it. You will soon discover if you flinch! UnderMLAGBrules,youhave30minutestofire13 shots, and you may well need every one of them. Onepotentialworrywithsingleshotsingeneraland flintlocks in particular, is that of a stuck ball. Most replicascomewithascrewtoremoveastuckpatch, butastuckballisanothermatter.Ifitjustwontgooff, theonlyrecourseistodrawthecharge.Easyenough with a percussion - unscrew the nipple, sprinkle a fewgrainsofpowderdownthetouchhole,screwin the nipple, recap, point downrange and fire. There willbeenoughpressuretopushtheballoutofthe barrel.Withaflintlock,awormhastobescrewedonto thecleaning-rodwhichisthenscrewedintotheball toenableittobepulledout.Easiersaidthandone! Anengineerfriendkindlymademeasteelrodwith interchangeabledrillbitandwormandacollarwhich exactlyfitsthebore.Withthis,aholecanbedrilled centrallyintotheballbeforescrewingintheworm, and those with a mechanical bent may wish to makeupsuchadevice-ifonlyforpeaceofmind. Fortunately, I have not, so far, had to use this

gadget,butittakesawaythenigglingworryofwhatif. Under MLAGB rules, percussion pistols can be rifled, and work well with modest charges in smaller calibers - .36 is a favorite. Once again there are various copies of military style pistols but the target/dueling copies are incredibly accuratewithfastlock-times.Theloadingsequence isasfortheflintlock,exceptthatinsteadofpriming,a percussioncapjusthastobeplacedoverthenipple. Patch lubricant is a subject all to itself. Presently I am using neatsfoot oil, but I have tried tallow, washing-upliquidandspit-andtheyallwork.OurClub Secretary used a concoction of soap, lard and his wifesperfume.Itworked,butthesmellwasappalling! Lastmonth,wetouchedonthesubjectofcleaning. Countlessdifferentproductsaremadeespeciallyfor thispurposeandtheyallworkbuttheeasiest-and cheapest way of cleaning - is simply boiling water. Remove the stock and nipple - or touch-hole for flintlock-holdthebarrelinapairofwoodentongs, pour boiling water down the barrel, with a little washing-up liquid and scrub with patches in a pistonmotionuntilthepatchcomesoutclean.The barrelwillbecomeveryhotandanywaterwillquickly evaporate. When dry, oil in the usual way. Incidentally, it is best to carry out this cleaning outside to avoid any domestic opposition! If youarecontemplatingbuyingapistol,dobuy onewithahookbreach;itmakescleaningso mucheasier.Itisonlynecessarytopushout thefore-endkey,andliftthebarrelfromthe breach. All of the gadgets mentioned above and more, are available from Henry Krank of Pudsey,WestYorkshire. Next time we will look at percussion revolvers.

English pocket pistol by Towlson converted from flintlock 30 Target Shooter

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TheBradleyArmsAR15MiniRifle

ByVinceBottomleyIn this, the second part of our winter series of Above and below - The real thing this is no replica. Note safety just above the grip. articlesdesignedtogetyouandyourclubinvolvedin competitionshooting,IwasintendingtoputmyGSG 5throughitspacesbut,aslightchangeofplan. Following part 1 in last months Target Shooter, MarkBradleygotintouchandofferedusoneofhis rim-fires for review. If you shoot Practical Rifle or Highpower,Markwillalreadybeknowntoyouand youmayevenbeshootingoneofhisrifles.Aswell asbeingakeencompetitor,Markisalsosomething of an AR specialist and will build you a bespoke centrefire AR15 and he also offers a semi-auto rimfireversionofthispopularstraight-pullrifle. Now,myGSGmightlooklikeHeckler&KochsMP5 but thats as far as it goes its just a semi-auto rimfire made of plastic and Dinky Toy metal with no parts common to the real MP5. The barrel is a weedytubeandthemoderatorisapretend.Onthe otherhand,MarksrimfirenoonlylookslikeanAR15 itisanAR15andsharesmanycommonpartswith the real thing - it just happens to be chambered forthe22lrcartridge.Infact,ifyoualreadyownan AR15,youcouldeasilyconvertittoa22lrsimplyby droppinganupperontoyourcentrefirelowerbutof course,youalreadyknewthatdidntyou? There are other cheaper ways to covert your centrefire AR and you may have heard of those

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Very similar rifles handling-wise. Note my new fore-end on the GSGconversion kits - basically a 22lr chamber which optics are concerned so maybe we can both learn drops into the centrefire chamber. I have to something. Im currently ammo-testing with a four emphasisethatourrifleisnotsoconvertedanditis powerBurrisontheGSGsotheSchmidtwillbeideal atrue22lrfittedwithaheavyBordermatchbarrel. forcomparabletestpurposes.IexpectedtheS&Bto Thisrifleisthereforenocheaperthanitscentrefire haveaduplexreticlebutitsfittedwithafancybut counterpart, so expect to pay around three times super-finecrosshair,soevenbetter. whatyouwouldpayformyH&Klook-alike. IaskedMarkforanammo.recommendationwhen Asyoucanseefromthephotographs,theARreally Icollectedtheriflebuthewasnon-committalItll looksthepartandthisexampleisnicelytrickedout shootanything.So,IlltreatitthesameastheGSG withpic-railsandcontrastingfurniture.Thestandard andtrytheCCIMiniMagthatIvenowsettledonfor AR 223 magazine is nicely reproduced to take the theGSG. 22lr cartridge and, once in place, you would struggle to tell it from the real The Black Dog mags. are the thing. Is this important? Should we be same size as the real one attemptingtomakeourpretendrimfires and really tough looklikeproperguns?Well,itcertainly wont make it shoot better but on the otherhand,anawfullotofresearchhas goneintotheergonomicsandhandling of guns like the MP5 andAR15 and it makessensetocopythiswithareplica ifyouareallowedto-Iveheardalittle whisperthatH&Karenonetoopleased withGSGsreplicaandtheymaynotbe on sale for ever, so now might be the timetograbone! Marks rifle has a 1 - 4 Schmidt & Benderscopeuptopbuthealsogave meared-dotsight.Inafutureissue,Ill comparethiswiththered-dotIgotfrom York Guns. Im a novice where these

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Rested,Marksrifleisoneaccuratepieceofkitbut then, the GSG is no slouch. Indoors at 25 yards there is very little to choose between the two and with care, I could lay down some very impressive three-shot clover-leafs with either rifle though under proper benchrest conditions, the AR would definitely have the edge. This impressed me as I know the super-sonic rimfire ammo. doesnt usuallygiveresultscomparabletothesub-sonictarget variety.Ateightandahalfpounds(lesssight)theAR isagoodbitheavierthantheGSGssixandahalf That Magpul retractable poundssoitseasiertobenchrest.Also,theGSGs stock is really good (Shown mag.tendstogetinthewaywhentryingtorestthe fore-endbutoff-hand,eitherriflewilldothejoband in fully retracted position) withpractice,itspossibletoshootthree-shotgroups Ofcourse,thisisabonusincompetitionasyoucan aroundhalfaninch. immediatelyseehowmanyroundsremainwhereas If we are comparing the two, I found that the theARgivesnoindication,thoughitdoesholdthe lighterGSGwasabiteasiertohandle.TheGSGs boltopenfollowingthelastround. left-side forward-mounted cocking-handle is more user-friendly than the ARs rear-mounted charging Both magazines snap in and out easily though the handlebut,ofcourse,ifyoualreadyhaveanAR15 GSGmustbepulledouttheywontjustdroptothe you will be familiar with such features. On the floorwhenyoureleasethecatchliketheARmags. other hand, the trigger was far superior on Marks do. However, this is not a problem the GSG is ARandthismadeitnicertoshootoff-hand.Withthe designedsothatyoucaneasilydoitone-handedby GSGsheaviertriggerandlighterweight,thereisa gripping the mag. and operating the release-catch tendencytopulltheshotbuttheinternetisbristling withyourthumb.TheARreleasesexactlythesame with modifications for these guns and shortly, I will asonallARs-i.e.therelease-catchisoperatedwith thetrigger-finger. havetotacklethetrigger. The Black DogAR magazines are a superb piece of kit. Externally, you just cant tell it from the real thing and its so strongly made you could drive a 4x4overitnoproblem.However,fillingthemag.is painfullyslowcomparedtotheGSG,whichisvery thoughtfully designed with a small catch which allowsyoutopulldownonthefollower,releasingthe springtension.TheGSGmag.isalsoareasonable replicaoftheH&Kbutbecausethesidesareopen, your visible weedy rimfire rounds are a give-away. From the photographs, you will see that my GSG is now sporting a new fore-end made up of three Pic. rails, with a grip mounted on the lower one. This greatly assists holding the rifle when shooting from the standing position and theAR is similarlyequipped.TheARalsosportsaneatMagpul retractablestockwhichIreallyliked.Youcanbuya retractable or folder for the GSG but Ive not seen one as good as the ARs Magpul but Ill keep lookingandmaybetrymodifyingaMagpul. Finally,Iwouldguessthatmanyshooters who buy one of Marks ARs either as a complete rifle or as an upper use it for indoor practice in the off-season to keepcompetition-sharp.TheGSGonthe otherhandistheplinkersfavouriteyou onlyhavetolookituponYou-Tubebut Im hoping it will still make a reasonable beginners gun for Mini Rifle competition aswell. Next month, Tim Finley will be reviewing his latest toy (above)- a Mini Rilfe from South Yorkshire Shooting Supplies it looksthedogsandTimhasalreadytaken hisfirstwinwithit!

Tim Finleys Mini Rifle from South Yorkshire Shooting Supplies 34 Target Shooter

NIKON PROSTAFF RIFLESCOPESThe ProStaff series is the result of 90 years of industry innovation and expertise. Providing the shooting enthusiast with a range of Rifle Scopes with an industry shaking 90% light transmission at a price that is sure to appeal to even the most price conscious consumer Ultra ClearCoat Optical System Nikon has engineered the entire optical system to provide the shooter with a bright, sharp, incredibly flat sight picture and light transmission up to an industry shocking 90% Generous Eye Relief and Centrefire Rated Every model is available with generous eye relief and is designed for all Centrefire Rifle use. Smooth Zoom Control Magnification reference numbers are viewable from the shooters position. Enhanced Mount Ring Spacing Most ProStaff models can be mounted to virtually any rifle action regardless of calibre, even magnum-length actions. 100% Waterproof and Shockproof Each ProStaff rifle scope is individually tested at the factory for shock proofness and water resistance. Full Nikon range available at below Major StockistsPatented BDC Reticle NikoPlex Reticle

Standard d100 yds 200 yds 300 yds 400 yds 500 yds

Magnum200 yds 300 yds 400 yds 500 yds 600 yds

Available on 3-9x42 & 3-9x50

Available on all models

Available in: 3-9x42 169.99 3-9x50 219.99 2-7x32 149.99 4x32 139.99

RRP RRP RPP RPP

Current Nikon Sport Optic Major Stockists UK Custom Shop, Bromsgrove 01905 796 610 Eastern Sporting, Chelmsford 01245 477 600 One-Piece Main Body Tubes Scott Country, Castle Douglas 01556 503 587 For minimum weight and maximum strength and durability. Keens Tackle & Guns, Bridgend 01656 720 807 New Avon Arms, Bristol 01275 372 404 Eco Glass Lenses Wighill Park Guns, W-Yorkshire 01937 833 757 Each Lens features Nikons unique Eco Glass process. The Gun Room, Ivybridge 01752 893 344 Pickering Guns, N-Yorkshire 01751 476 904 Opticswarehouse, Paignton 01803 392 306 ED Glass as Standard C + H Weston, Brighton 01273 326 338 Nikons ED Glass is fitted as standard on all ProStaff models and Uttings, Norfolk 01603 619 811 this ensures for excellent chromatic abberation compensation Country Sports, Fermanagh (N.I) 02868 621 788 Four Inches* of Constant Eye Relief Enhanced Mount Ring Spacing Huge Ocular Lens The Outdoorsman, East Sussex 01424 429 343 Sheephouse Shooting, Berkshire 01628 771 446 S.W Mowers, Kent 01622 872 400 Ian Hodge Fieldsports, Cornwall 01208 813 652 Gloucestershire Gun Co, Cirencester 01285 740 898 Sth Yorkshire Shooting Supplies 01226 756 332 Wiltshire Shooting Centre, Devizes 01380 727 282 Sportarm, Dorchester, Dorset 01305 268 001depending on model*within one-tenth-of-an-inch to ve-tenths-of-an-inch,

complete nikon sport optic range now available HIGHLANDexclusively through highland outdoorsOUTDOORSPlease note we are wholesale only and do not supply directly to the end consumer For Trade enquiries contact Highland Outdoors Ph: 01858 410 683 Fax: 01857 341 111 sales@highlandoutdoors.co.uk

To become a Trade Nikon Major Stockist contact Highland Outdoors for full details

www.highlandoutdoors.co.uk

For full Nikon Target Shooter catalog contact your 35 local major stockist or our sales office

The Long View

News from the GB F-Class Association

The2009EuropeanFClassChampionshipsSpecialTheEuropeansarealsothefifthandfinalround of the GBFCA League Championship and, following in the wake of the World Championships, I did wonder whether the turn out would be down from the usual 100 plus competitors. Thankfully, it wasnt and no fewer than 116 competitors had booked-in from all over Europe with most GB regulars in attendance plus an increased showing from Europe with the Spanish and Ukrainian shooters attending for the first time. Including the four countriesoftheUK,nolessthanelevennations wereinattendanceatrueinternationalevent. With Bisley being probably the only range in the country that can easily cope with this number,itwouldclearlymakeforagreatshootand eventheweatherforecastlookedpromising.To makethingsrunsmoothlyessentialwithaturn outofthismagnitude-wehaddedicatedR.Os andmatchorganiserswhodidanexcellentjob. The trend towards the F/TR class continued and clearly this class appears to have a great potential for growth and the field was now split almost50/50betweenOpenandF/TR.F/TRalso had the highest percentage of new faces with manyoftheContinentalsoptingforthisroute,not to mention a large contingent of shooters from Altcars 101 Rifle Club sporting Fox Firearms clothing.

Fox Firearms were in attendance flying the Sportsmans Ass. flag and selling a few goodies.

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As you would expect with a competition of this size, many shooters arrived at Bisley on the Thursday to take advantage of some free practice time remember, many of the

conditions with little prospect of rain, we hadnt reckoned on an Autumn mist which shrouded the targets and put paid to the planned two hour practice session. Diggles bad weather appeared to have migrated south! Thepracticewasthereforeabandonedbut,when the mist lifted - at around 9.30am shooters woulddressbackto900yardsandhavejusthave a few minutes practice before the competition propergotunderway.Conditionswerecalmand for most, it was probably sufficient and at least wezeroedattherangewewerenowtoshootat. Shooting in pairs, there were three details over twenty targets. The details were split into one Open Class, one F/TR and a mixed detail. Details and squadding can be important at Bisley and some targets are less favourable than others but resident boffin Des Parr had written a computer programme so that the squaddingwasasrandomasitcouldbe,hopefully giving everyone a fair shoot. At least no one couldcomplainaboutdrawingabadlane,itwas just pure luck.As well as picking the lane, the squadding would also move you to the left or therightandmakesureyoushotwithadifferent partnerovereachofthefivematches.Allclever stuff.

New European Champion is young Adam Brough

Continental guys never shoot beyond 300 metres on their home ranges. For those who couldnt manage Thursday, organiser Mik MaksimovichadallowedafewhoursontheFriday beforethecompstarted,tozeroat800yards.But, bestlaidplansofmiceandmenetc.

With the competition now underway at 900 yards, the wind was fairly light but it was fish tailing a bit and there was little room for error on a five-ring which is just ten-inches in diameter. Current European Champion, Andy Wyspianski, proved that his win last year was Yes, although Friday dawned to dry, calm no fluke and posted a superb 75.12v shooting

This is one of our Ukrainian friends, shooting a McRees stocked Remington

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Organiser Mik Maksimovic grabs a shoot when he can

hisWalkerRiflesBATchamberedin7mmWSM. He was closely followed by Cliff Warwick and Jim De Kort on 74.7v with Cliff taking second place on count back. There were some good performances in F/TR with Irishman Liam Fenlons excellent 72.5v beatingAndy Gent on count-back withAdam Bagnall close behind on 72.4v. Following the mandatory Bisley lunch break wedressedbackto1000yardsandthisclearly provedmoretestingwithalotofscorestumbling. Andy Wyspianski could manage only 12th and the Brough brother topped the list with Adam

just ahead of Dan on V bull count. 1000 yards isalongwayfora308andalthoughthescores were down, Russell Simmonds 88.6v was a great performance with Kate Fitton in second placeon87.4vandPaulDobsonthirdwith86.1v. With Day one over, the scores looked like this: OpenClass AdamBrough DanBrough GrantTaylor F/TR 171.12 170.9 168.6

LiamFenlon 158.5 RussellSimmonds 156.9

Wot you lookin at? John Dean of Aimfield Sports once again provided the winners with bags, mats and Sightron scopes 38 Target Shooter

KateFitton

shots in that tiny white disc! Fine shooting with phenomenallyaccuraterifles.Garywononcount For day two, Saturday, it was once again dry back and third place went to Paul Sandie with andmildandwewereat800yardsforthefirst 98.9v. distance for a 2 sighters and 15 to count. Jan de Kok came off the line with a 75.6v so could In F/TR big points can easily be dropped rightlyfeelpleaseduntilhesawthatthiswas at 1000 yards especially with a 20 only good enough for 21st place! To make round-countremember,atwoMOAwind-reading the top you needed a 75 with twelve V bulls error will push you towards the one ring! and three shooters managed this feat! On Andy Gent prevailed with a great 93.9v with count-back, the stage win went to Mark Daish Mark Gray in second on 92.4v and Paul with Jim de Kort second and Paul Hill third. Eggemannthird,alsowith91.4vaftercountback. Russell Simmonds has dominated the League Interestingly enough, scorer of the highest again this year but would his 91.4v be enough V bull count with 13 was Lee Tomlinson but to take the win and his second Championship? unfortunately for him, like several others, one shot had slipped into the four ring. It was a Heres how it all finished in the Open: similar story in F/TR and two shooters cleaned the target with Stuart Anselms 75.7v narrowly 1st AdamBrough 414.31v beating Adam Bagnall into second place with 2nd GrantTaylor 414.28 75.6v. 3rd DanBrough 413.31 4th MarkDaish 411.45 The weather continued warm and dry for the 5th AndyWyspianski 411.42 900 yard stage and another five Open class 6th GaryCostello 411.41 shooters managed to get a maximum75. The 7th PaulSandie 411.34 top three were Mark Daish with 75.11v , Lee Tomlinsonon75.10vandShaunBaker,Christer So, Adam is our new European JacobssonandGrantTaylorallon75.5v.Shaun Champion. The scores of the top seven were took3rdoncountback. amazinglyclosewithsomemassiveVbullcounts. Nottoomanyoverseasshootersfindthemselves nearthetopofthescoresheetsoitsworthnoting thatthiswasthesecondstraight75todayforChristerJacobssonfromSweden.Yes,othershaddone itbutnotwitha6mmXClikeChristerwasusing. InF/TRitfinishedlikethis:

155.8

1st RussellSimmonds 395.30v 2nd LiamFenlon 391.21 3rd AdamBagnall 388.23 4th StuartAnselm 387.22 InF/TR,onlyoneshootermanageda75andthat 5th SteveRigby 384.20 wascurrentWorldChampion,RussSimmonds. 6th PaulEggerman 382.18 Adam Bagnall and Liam Fenlon were close 7th AndyGent 381.29 behindon73.7vwithAdamgettingsecondplace oncount-back. Full results can be accessed via the GBFCA websitewww.f-class.org.uk The final distance of the Individual European Championships would be the usual 1000 yard So,RussellSimmondsisnowWorldChampion, two and twenty shoot. The weather was good EuropeanChampionandGBLeagueChampion but the wind was definitely up and that extra allinthesameyear!Itispossiblethatthismay 100yardsmakesall thedifferenceespecially neverhappenagain,unlesshedoesitofcourse! to the F/TR guys. The scores did come down Clearly,thismanhassomethingthattherestofus in Open class with the field being spread out aspiretobutRusselliswillingtosharehissecrets morebutamazinglytwoshooters,currentWorld andisplanningtorunacourseforbuddingeffers Champion Gary Costello and David Kent, whichwillincludereloading,riflemaintenance,etc. postedanincredible99.10v.Thinkaboutthatfora moment please. The V bull is just five inches We already know that Russell is the 2009 in diameter and these guys put ten of their 20 GB F/TR League Champion but what about

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the Open class? Grant Taylor won the very first League shoot of 2009 at Diggle and his second place finish today was enough to securetheLeagueChampionshipfor2009and averypopularvictoryitwas.Grantbuilthisown rifle and is one of the few to shoot a straight 284WinandmakeitworkaswellasaWSM. So that was it for the 2009 GB League. The meetingwasroundedoffwiththeShootDinnerin theLondonandMiddlesexClubbutprizegiving wouldhavetowaituntiltheSunday,followingthe Teamshoots. Afterthreedaysofgreatweather,heavyrainand highwindswereforecastforSundayandforonce, theforecastersgotitspoton.Wedidgetstarted

butafteranhourorsothematchwasabandoned. Not only were the targets almost impossible to seebutwaterinactionscanhaveadetrimental effectandintheinterestsofsafetyandcommon sense, the shoot was reluctantly abandoned. So some of us can now go back to our clubs for six months of cold wet shooting until the GB League starts up again, with the opening shoot at Diggle in April 2010. By request, this will be a short range shoot - 5/600 yards, so idealmaybeforyourfirstforayintotheFClass League.Meanwhile,youcankeepintouchwith FClassviathiscolumnandtheGBFCAwebsite.

2009 League winner, Grant Taylor

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

Fullbore & .22LR Black Power Air Rifles and Pistols Used rifles and PistolsOur premises are located at

Optics Ammunition Reloading equipment and more...

53 Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, Surrey, CR5 2RB www.gtshooting.co.uk Tel: 020 8660 6843 Fax: 020 8660 6843We are conveniently situated near the M23 & M25. Target Shooter Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 10.00am - 5.30pm41

ShootingWebsiteoftheMonth

Wethought itfittingwiththe news that Russell Simmonds is the new Europeanchampion,aswellasthecurrentworld (wonacoupleofmonthsago)andUKchampion, wewouldfocusthewebsiteofthemonthonFclass intheUK.FClasshasreallybecomepopularover thelastfewyearsandhasreadilydevelopedintoa trueinternationalsport. The suitably named F Class UK can be found at thefollowingaddress;http://fclassuk.webs.com/ Aswithmostassociationwebsitesthathavebeen developed inthelastfewyears,thereisasense ofseriousfunwhenreadingaboutthissport.This websitehasbeengoingsince2006andprovides a lot of detail about what is going on in the UK regarding news, shoots, matches, overseas information,sales,etc. Thewebsiteiseasytonavigatewithallsectionsin

the right vertical. Navigation is therefore easy. Informationonthewebsiteisfor shootersinthesportandforthoseaspiringtoget involved. Whats great about this website are the articles,asthesearefullonandcomplete.Itsnot justawebsitewithtit-bitsofinformation,yougetto knowtheshooters,thematchesandwhatisgoing onintheworldofFClass. ObviouslythereisalottocelebratefortheUKF Class association at the moment and this comes through from the theme of the site. I dont blame them,whenthetoptwoofthemajorinternational championshipsareheldbyteamand/orindividual UKshooters.Afinewebsitethatgetstothepoint andsupportsshooterswhoareintothissport.

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We are now building custom rifles based on these top quality US made rifle actions. We are sole UK distributors for these fine actions and are happy to supply the Trade.

SURGEON and LAWTON ACTIONS

Please click onto our website to view our latest news! We are so short of time that we are reducing our written magazine advertisements to spend more time updating our web based information....including of course the very page you're viewing right now! This has become necessary as we strive to keep pace with the orders for our rimfire and centrefire custom rifles. We refuse to lower our high standards by rushing orders which has meant an increase in waiting time for which we apologise. We have invested a large sum of money in the production of UK manufactured rifle parts over the past two years but now we are able to complete the building of our rifles completely in house, from chambering and fitting barrels, action bedding etc right through to the final finishing stages such as bead blasting and Duracoat finishing.

Most models of pistol calibre Marlins in stock! These are offered with the action checked and a Wolff reduced power hammer spring fitted. Alternatively we have them competition ready with a tuned and slicked action and trigger pull of around 2 lbs We have plenty of scope bases and Trigger Happy kits available, also one piece stainless steel firing pins.

We are proud to announce our new stainless steel Rimfire Magic action. This is now offered as an alternative to our own Rimfire Magic aluminium action which has proved so popular that we are currently engraving and proofing our second batch of fifty! The new stainless steel receiver is a similar shape to the Ruger 10/22 action which allows it to accept any 10/22 style scope base or of course it may be used in the Nordic Components kit to provide a .22 AR-15 style rifle with the associated reliability of the 10/22 system. We offer the stainless receiver with a bead blasted finish or Duracoated with the latest Duracoat SL which contains PTFE and other chemicals to give a high lubricity finish (shown above in semi-gloss black) Tel: 01226 756332 Fax: 01226 751321 e-mail: enquiries@rimfiremagic.co.uk website: www.rimfiremagic.co.uk

Everill Gate Farm Broomhill, Wombwell Barnsley S73 0YQ

43 Our retail shop is open Thursday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm toTargetus time in the workshop. allow Shooter

Building a Rifle for F/TR Class

ByVinceBottomleyWithout delving into the extensive rules governing F Class, we are basically looking at rested rifles capable of half MOA accuracy out to 1000 yards the V bull at this range remember is just five-inches in diameter. Not surprisingly, a competitive F Class rifle would hold its own at any 1000 yard benchrest event except for the fact that the maximum all-up weight limit is 22lbs., compared o 7bs. or he ight un lassn enchrest. t 1 l f t L G c i b shoot and given the gunsmith a few more options other than a bag full of lead-shot to juggle with. The 6.5-284 Norma, 284 Win, 7mmWSM and the 7mmBooBoo are the popular Open class cartridges. Although the sevens will do the job admirably, we quickly found out that barrel-life can be frighteningly short especially with a three-figureround-countatbigmatches.Ivefound(in 1000yardbenchrest)thatmy7mmWSMwilldeliver outstanding accuracy for the first 250 rounds, very goodaccuracyforthenext250andthenwell,dont expecttofindthatfive-inchVbullveryoften!Inother words, reckon on a couple of barrels per season.

Twenty-two pounds? Im of the opinion that someone didnt properly think this one out.Almost any barrel/ stock/action/scope may be used and even then, a butt-full of lead shot will be needed to bring the rifle up to weight. Benchresters have proved that a 17 lb. rifle can be phenomenally For many shooters, this is just too much not accurate at 1000 yards and a 17 lb. weight- only the cost but the length of time it can take to limitwouldhavemadetheriflemorechallengingto get a new barrel fitted. Not surprisingly, some

The beautifully finished Robertson stock with Barnard bedding-block 44 Target Shooter

The official GB F/TR Team was chosen directly from the 2008 GB League results and avarietyofequipmentproved capable of doing the job. The League winner, Russell Simmonds, used a Barnard S action and True-Flite barrel in a Choate stock. Stuart Anselm used a very standard-looking Savage in the factory laminate stock but fitted with a 32 inch Pacnor barrel, whilst yet another used a scoped-up Swing Target Rifle. Can an out of the box rifle cut it in The Barnard P action with top level competition? Steve factory trigger. Note recoil peg RigbyandPaulDobsonused in underside of action their German Keppelers to great effect and dont forget, a couple of the Gold Medal competitors began to turn to the F/TR class for riflesrestrictedtothe308Win.cartridge.American winning American F/TR Team used an out of the shooters like Brad Sauve, Darrell Buell and boxSavageF/TRattheWorldslastJuly. othershaveleadthewayoverthelastfewyearsand revived the 308 as a competitive long-range So,withacoupleofseasonsF/TRexperience,we target-roundandweBritshavefollowedsuit.In2007, haveafairideaofwhatworksandwhatdoesnt.Of theGBFClassLeagueranaseparateChampionship course, the initial cost of building a competitive F/ foradozenorsoF/TRshooters-bytheendofthe TR rifle is not necessarily cheaper than an Open 2008season,athirdofthefieldwereshootingF/TR. classrifle-assimilarcomponentscouldbeused- AtthelastDiggleLeagueshootacoupleofmonths the saving is in barrel-life. The borescope reveals ago,therewereanequalnumberofF/TRandOpen that 308 barrels tend to wear out rather than burn class shooters and it was very close in the recent out like the big sevens and we have seen 308s Europeans.SowhatconstitutesacompetitiveF/TR delivering outstanding accuracy well beyond 3000 rounds. rifle?

The bedding-block is a close fit in the stock. If you like, you can order the stock with the bedding-block already glued in place Target Shooter 45

forthe2009WorldFClassChampionships. Stuarthadmadehischoiceofcomponents. The action will be a Barnard P with lightbolt,left-port.Thisactionisofslightlyheavier proportions than the Barnard S used by World Champion Russell Simmonds and comes with the excellent Barnard trigger, whichisfullyadjustable.Thebarrelwillbecut from a 33 inch button-rifled True-flite blank inHeavyPalmaprofilewitha1in14twist. Somemaythinkthistwist-rateismarginalbut wehadalreadyprovedthatitwouldstabilize the 155 grain Scenar with Stuarts Savage. The stock is a Canadian Robertson H &H pattern in fibreglass also suppliedbyFoxFirearms.Barnardofferan aluminiumbedding-blocksystemtosuittheir actions and the Robertson can be ordered ready-inletted for the bedding-block. This obviates the need for a full Devcon bed and makes life very easy for the gunsmith. This was Stuarts choice as it would also permit easy in and out of the barrelledaction should the need arise (i.e. trigger failure)and,wealwayshavetheoptionofa Devconbedifitdoesntcutitaccuracy-wise. Not only is the F/TR Class limited to the 308 Winchester cartridge (and the Most GB League shoots are at 800 1000 yards andonthebulletfront,mosthavesettledonthe155 223 Rem. but dont go there!), the all-up weight grainer.SteveDonaldsonandGeorgeBarnard favourthe200grainbulletandhavehadsome A winning combination Lapua Scenar bullets, goodresultswithit.Muchexperimentationwill VitN540, Lapua brass and Forster dies nodoubttakeplaceoverthewinterwith175 200grain308bullets.Althoughfactoryactions like Remington and Savage are capable of goodaccuracy,thecustomactionispreferred and, with the current weak pound,American actions are out and the New Zealand Barnardisflavourofthemonth.Similarly,theNZ True-Flite barrel has proven itself in competition and with a sub. 300 price-tagandadeliveryinweeksratherthan months,itsnowondertheyarepopular. TargetShooteradvertisers,FoxFirearms,are the importer of Barnard and True-flite see www.foxfirearmsuk.com StuartAnselmofOspreyRifleswonthatfirst GB F/TR Championship in 2007 with his re-barrelled Savage and finished in the top four in 2008, so earning a place on the GB F/TR team and was subsequently chosen to be Captain. We had re-barrelled Stuarts factory 12BVSS Savage in 2007 and he approachedmewithafewideasforhisnewrifle

Running-in. Note the Australian Larkin bi-pod

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Target Shooter

Ian Dixons carbon-fibre & aluminium bi-pod you wont see a lighter more stable bi-pod than this

of the rifle is reduced from the Open Classs whopping 22lbs., to a more reasonable 18lb. 2oz. Furthermore,riflesmayonlybesupportedbyasimple bi-podwhichisincludedintheweightoftherifle.A back-bag may also be used but this is not added to the weight. Although 18 lbs. may sound generous,mostshooterswillhopetousesomething better than a Harris bi-pod to support the rifle, so our real target-weight including scope, is more like 15-16lbs.TheHarrisisagreatproductatlessthana poundinweightbutmoreelaboratebi-pods,likethe SinclairorAustralianLarkintypicallyweigh23lbs.

Barrel-length - 30 or 32 inches? Is it important? Yes, with a 308 it could be. If that 155 grain bullet istostaysupersonicallthewayoutto1000yards, it must have a muzzle-velocity of at least 2950 fps. In our cold climate, an m/v nearer 3000 fps is preferred.Thatextratwoinchesofbarrelcanmake allthedifferenceordoesit?Aninchofbarrelweighs around4ouncestwo-inchesisausefulhalf-pound weightsaving!Withourweightrestriction,Idecided to find out if that extra two inches is worth having.

Obviously, lopping two-inches off Stuarts barrel andthenfindingoutthatwedmadeafundamental An18lb.F/TRriflewilltypicallybreakdownasfollows: error was not an option but I did have an identical barrel, chambered with the same reamer. Using a Action 2to3lbs. control round of commercial ammunition - which Stock 3to5lbs was fairly soft the m/v over five shots averaged 3032inchbarrel6to8lbs 2810 fps out of the 32 inch barrel. Back in the Scope 1to2lbs latheandtwo-inchesexactlywereloppedoff.Back Sundries(trigger,guard,screws,mounts) lb. on range a couple of days later I didnt take the Bi-pod 1to3lbs temperature but it was miserably cold again and my average m/v from the 30 inch tube was 2750 If we were to pick the heaviest option - a wood- fps. Stuart will keep his barrel at 32 inches laminate stock, heavy 32 inch barrel, Nightforce unfortunately,Icantputthetwoinchesbackonmine! scopeandadecentbi-podwewouldbeuparound 20lbs.Compromisesneedtobemade.Dowegofor All the components are now with us and our theheavybarrelandsettleforaHarrisandonepound reamer from Pacific Tool & Gauge is ground Weaver36powerscopeorgoforalighterPalma specifically to suit a 155 grain Lapua Scenar profileonthebarrel,an8-32NightforceandaSinclair bulletseatedtoadepthof7mmintoourLapua308 bi-pod?Eachshooterwillhavetomakethatchoice. case. If the chamber is cut with a reamer ground to suit the 155 gn. Sierra Palma Match bullet and

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Shooting the Barnard - off a Sinclair bi-podthentheshooteroptstousetheScenar,the bullet will need to be seated much deeper and powdercapacitywillbecompromised-youdontget3100 fps from a 308 without using all its case-capacity! grade barrels. I have them on my 600 yard and 1000 yard benchguns and they are performing very well. They also cut beautifully, so gunsmiths will like them and they are readily available and competitively priced compared to American Yes, some competitors are exceeding 3100 fps equivalents. Now the barrel is threaded and I know this because of the recently introduced chamberedandmatedtotheaction,wecanstarton muzzle-energy limits for civilian shooters using thestock-work. military ranges (including Bisley). Potentially high energy ammunition (HME) must be The aluminium bedding-block is a very close fit in chronographedandtheriflezeroedpriortothestartof the recess pre-machined in the stock. Its too tight shooting. A 155 grain bullet travelling at anything to allow the use of a thick bedding compound like over3100fpswillexceedtheHMElimitof4500joules DevconorMarine-texsoweoptedtosimplyglueit andIhaveseenthechronoreadwelloverthisfigure! inplacewithatwo-packepoxyadhesive(Araldite). Anticipating that a certain amount of the epoxy The victorious American F/TR Team (GB finished wouldoozeout,wetooktheprecautionofapplying second in the Worlds) used the new 155.5 grain areleaseagentwaxpolishtothewholeofthe Berger bullet and there is also a new Sierra 155 action nd unged-up crew-holes tc. ith lastecine. a b s e w p grain bullet. The Scenar, the Berger and the new Sierra have a very similar BC (ballistic coefficient) The beauty of this process is that it can be and any of these bullets would be suitable.At the accomplished by those who might otherwise baulk time we chose the Scenar and had the reamer at the prospect of a full bedding-job but Ive just ground to suit simply on availability. Supplies of foundoutthatFoxcansupplytheRobertsonstock thenewSierraandtheBergerwerenotasreliable with the block already glued in place - if you dont but the Berger is now imported by Tim Hannam, feel confident in attempting it yourself. Now its Norman Clark & Fox Firearms and HPS carry the justamatterofsomeminormillingonthestockto new Sierra. Target Shooter scribe, Laurie Holland, cleartheejection-port,bolt-releaseandbolt-handle. is currently carrying out extensive testing with the BergersinhisF/TRgunsolookoutforareportsoon. Is the bedding-block system as good as a properbedding-job?Idontreallyseehowitcanbe. For those of you who arent familiar with True- Admittedly, the perfectly round Barnard action Flite barrels, I can only say that they appear to and the bedding block are CNC machined so the be made to the standard that we have come to fit should be perfect but a circular action in a 90 expect from American stainless-steel match- degree V means that the contact surfaces are

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minute. With a conventional bedding job, we are seeking 100% contact. The proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say - well soon find out. Certainly, the build was very quick and simple - just two days. The Robertson stock is beautifully finished and needs no work at all - apart from touching-up the milled-out ejection port etc. A colour-matched paint sample is supplied for this purpose. The stock-work could therefore be accomplished by anyone who is competent with hand- tools. Fox also import pre-fit True-Flite barrelsfortheBarnardactions-theactionsareso consistently accurately that no further fitting or headspacing is needed. Many shooters find this routeisthequickestandcheapestwaytoobtaina semi-customrifle. We did all the barrel-work on a Tuesday and glued in the bedding-block. On Wednesday, we removed the barrelled-action and carried out minor finishing work on the stock and mounted the scope. By Thursday, Stuart was on the range breaking in the barrel and sorting out a load. Break-in procedure followed the familiar one-shot andcleanforthefirstfiveshots,thenhalfadozen three-shot groups, thoroughly cleaning and decopperingbetweengroups,thenacoupleoften-shot stringstofinish.Initialload-developmentwasdoneat thesametimeandallloadingwascarriedoutusing Forsterdies(fromTimHannam)Ivefoundthattheir BenchrestUltra-Seaterisaboutasgoodasitgetsfor screw-indieswhenitcomestoloadingstraightrounds. VihtavuoriN140isapopularchoicewith308shooters butthe5seriesdouble-basepowdershaveproved to be an effective alternative. Superior muzzlevelocitiescanbeobtainedwithN540withnoincrease in pressure. Stuart also tried N550 but it gave a consistently lower m/v with the 155 grain bullet. The Lapua Scenar bullet will be seated about five thou. (0.005 inches) off the rifling. With F Class competition there is always a possibilityofaCease-fire,removeboltssoitsbest not to load into the rifling and risk pulling a bullet andfillingtheactionwithpowder!Thestartingload was 45 grains and we had a chronograph set up. The first round hit a healthy 2930 fps and, as Stuartincreasedtheload-by0.3grainatatime-we soonhit3000fpswithnopressuresigns.Whenhe startedtoshootgroups,Stuartwasrelievedtosee thatanythingbetween46and47grainswouldgroup aroundhalfMOA(offthebi-pod)andhesettledon 46.5 grains, giving a muzzle velocity of 3050 fps withnopressuresigns.Theremaywellbemoreto comebutthiswilldofornow.Attheweekend,Stuart debutedtherifleinan800yardcompetitiontogive

itarealtestand,fortherecord,tooksecondplace. Weight-wise, we are comfortably under by about halfapound.Havingsaidthat,thescopeisaWeaver T36whichweighsjust17ounces.Avariablescope is preferred by F Class competitors as it can be turned-down if the mirage runs and it also allows a shooter to more easily keep an eye on adjacent targets. This can be useful with a 308 at extreme ranges at 1000 yards the targets are just seven MOA wide and its all too easy to miss with the first sighter-shot. If you do miss, a glance at your competitors targets may at least tell you which side you likely missed on! An 8-32 Nightforce NSX would be the dream choice but at 2lbs. its a luxury we cant afford but the 8-32 Sightron is every bit as good as a Nightforce in my opinion for half the cost and Stuart ditched the Weaver in favour of a Sightron for the Worlds. The subject of bi-pods for F/TR could occupy a whole article. The simple but sturdy Harrishasserveduswellbutyouwontseemanyon competitive F/TR rigs although it is light! Stuart prefers the Australian Larkin bi-pod or the latest Sinclairoffering,bothofwhichweigharoundtwoand ahalfpounds.AttheWorldChampionships,custom builtbi-podsusingaluminiumandcarbon-fibrewere inabundance.IanDixonsisdefinitelyworthalook. The rifle has since proved itself in top level competition over the 2009 season and Stuart finished second in the GB F/TR League (RussellSimmondswonagain!)andfourthinlast monthsEuropeanChampionships(Russellwonthat one as well!) Stuart is pleased with his choice of componentsandhasalreadyputtogetherafewsimilar riflesforF/TRshooters.Checkoutwww.ospreyrifles. comandwww.foxfirearms.co.ukForSightronwww. aimfieldsports.com if you need further information.

Please mentionwhen using advertising in the magazine To ADVERTISE in this space contact us at customer.services@ targetshooter.co.uk Target Shooter 49

L

aunching the brand new airgun marque of Prestige Airguns, the Kub family comes in a trio of exciting carbine-format models - the SB (side-bolt), RB (rear-bolt) and SL (side-lever) - each available in .177 or .22 and with ambidextrous thumbhole or sporter woodwork in walnut. The Kubs weigh-in at just 6.5 lbs., yet are stacked with features - including an adjustable butt pad, plug-in charging, on-board air gauge, adjustable two-stage trigger, re-settable safety, threaded muzzle and a 10-shot rotary magazine. Notwithstanding its compact dimensions, a Prestige Kub also returns upwards of 100 full-power shots per air-fill thanks to its self-regulating firing valve. Against feather, fur, metal or paper targets, the new Prestige Kubs are the connoisseurs choice for handling and performance. A pride born to make your shooting more rewarding.

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Target Shooter

WeihrauchHW45AirPistol

ByTimFinleyThere are few firearms that are iconic as the Colt thisisallairpistol.Infactitiswithoutequalinterms 45, and in the world of spring piston air pistols the of power levels in the spring piston pistol world. It Weihrauch HW45 is at the top of the tree. It was shamelesslydesignedtoresemblethefamousColt The end of the barrel inside the top 45, with its square section top slide cocking lever cocking section housingthebarrelofthepistol.Cleverlyitcaneven accept any custom grips designed to fit the actual Colt 45 firearm.The air pistol has been around for twentyyears.Thatdoesnottakeawaythefactthat a genius design is a genius design. Do not let the age of the pistol give you impression i