#Precision

Creedmoor Sports continues to expand their lineup of reloading tools with the new Shoulder Datum Tool. When used with calipers, it can provide a comparative measurement of shoulder setback after sizing. This tool has six separate openings that allow measurements of 79 SAAMI calibers.

Finding gunpowder has been extremely difficult over the last several years. Many popular options have disappeared entirely. Perennial favorites like Varget have dried up and left many shooters trying to find substitutes. One such option is Shooter’s World Precision, which looks very similar to Varget on paper. So how do these two powders compare?

There are a lot of new, first-time gun owners out there, and I thought I’d take a moment to make ballistics visualized to help new gun owners with explaining how ballistics work with an easy-to-see and do object lesson. This article isn’t exactly meant for our faithful readers that are already aware of how ballistics work, but they’re certainly free to comment if I’ve missed anything or if they have other suggestions on how they explain the topic. Without further ado, if you’ve recently joined the masses in exercising your right to own firearms and you’d like to know how to get your bullets on target, here are some things to consider.

Precision rifle shooters, this one is for you. British Columbia-based Modular Driven Technologies, or MDT for short, has grown into a popular brand since its founding in 2009. Their long-gun chassis systems and other sniper rifle components are loved by many users of Remington actions, Savage, Howa, and more. One of their hit products, covered by TFB at SHOT Show 2020, is the XRS Chassis System, with a $499.95 MSRP. Now with a June 30th press release, MDT has announced new inlet options for the XRS. The release reads:

First, we must start with fitting the sling to the shooter. There are multiple videos and good sources of information on doing so online if you are new to sling setup. It is important we have a proper fit as this will enable us to have the correct amount of tension at the correct times. Next, we need to understand the impact of where the front sling point is attached. The chosen attachment point will impact how we choose to get into a sling assisted shooting position. The front attachment point is often near the end of the rail or near the magwell. Sling assisted shooting is about getting to the correct level of tension on the sling. Again, remember to fit your sling before attempting these techniques.

Sons of Liberty Gun Works, a boutique AR-15 manufacturer, has introduced the Broadsword at SHOT 2020. The Broadsword is a Precision Rifle Shooting focused AR-15. It is specifically designed as a law enforcement marksman rifle, that excels at short range high-pressure engagements.

Rimfire fans, this one is for you. Zermatt Arms Inc., Nebraska-based manufacturer of precision rifle actions based on the Remington Model 700 footprint, is bringing a new precision rimfire bolt action to the table in Spring 2020. Dubbed the RimX, Zermatt’s newest action seeks to provide caliber flexibility and some high-end features to small-caliber shooters. As quoted from their website, “This action was designed to fill a gap for more cost effective, real feel training while maintaining our high levels of quality and dimensional tolerance control. Like the Origin and TL3/SR3 actions, the RIMX follows the same Remington 700 style footprint to allow for easy fitment to stocks and chassis along with the use of R700 style triggers.” Look for a $1,150 MSRP upon release, with one magazine included.

Growing up hunting in the area of Texas that I did, the terrain and vegetation meant we never needed to shoot very far. Almost all of our whitetails were taken at less than 200 yards. In the Army, we qualified with M4s from 50m-300m and close-quarters combat training is – unsurprisingly – performed in close quarters. My military work never afforded the opportunity to engage from far away either. Over the last few years, I’ve grown interested in the art and science of distance shooting, and I am looking forward to adding this new shooting skillset to my toolbox. Thanks to some fortuitous timing and a couple of good deals, I recently decided to purchase a rifle and optic in order to get started. In this article, I will detail what components went into my neophyte long gun and the thought process behind why I chose them. I purchased all of these items personally and was not compensated or incentivized in any way by any retailer or manufacturer. As a beginner in this particular shooting discipline, I fully acknowledge that some of you more seasoned long-gunners may disagree with some of my choices – and you may well have a good reason! This is definitely all part of a precision long-range learning experience for me.

Check out the new Remington 700 Bolt Action Pistol. Joel talks to one of the Remington sponsored shooters about this pistol and gets all the details.

The JMK  Bora-12 (or JNG-90) isn’t exactly new or groundbreaking as the Turkish state-owned arms company MKEK has been working on it since 2004. However what is new is the configuration that we saw at Indo Defense 2018. Essentially updating the design, the Bora-12 is going to start to see wider use in the Turkish Land Forces. More than a hundred rifles have been ordered for service with Turkish soldiers.

An Israeli startup company by the name of Smart Shooter has been in the process of developing an Israeli solution to what is very similarly seen in the United States through Tracking Point. However, unlike Tracking Point, the companies SMASH system can apparently be attached to any rifle as long as it has the appropriate M1913 Picatinny rails for optics and a forward pressure switch location. Those familiar with Tracking Point will know that the U.S. company sells its products as one complete weapon system, instead of a single optics and electronics package.

The US Army wants to give its soldiers more punch and reach: In the Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Estimate Justification Book for the United States Army, the service outlined its strategy for procuring M110A1 Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System (CSASS) rifles from Heckler & Koch to outfit its squads with a 7.62mm precision semiautomatic rifle, called the Squad Designated Marksman Rifle (SDMR). The primary justification for this move was confirmed in recent Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearings to be the ability to launch the Army’s new XM1158 Advanced Armor Piercing (ADVAP) round, which is based on the projectile design introduced with the M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round (EPR), but with a core made of tungsten alloy, rather than steel.

Barrett has three new products that we discussed in this video, the largest being the .224 Valkyrie is being chambered in an AR platform in coordination with the launch by Federal Ammunition. In addition, the same round is being chambered in their Fieldcraft line of lightweight hunting rifles that the company first debuted last year.

Miles starts by examining the Cadex M2 Cradle Mount, designed for the Browning M2. On inspection of the mount we see the zero gravity capability and the ease of use provided for manipulating the Browning M2. On top of the Browning we notice the Cadex Kolos mount integrating a recoil mitigation system and a powered ballistic reticle optic. As Miles moves to the Sheep Dog Rifle, Rob Furlong discusses the calibers offered in the new actions as well as the new chassis offered for 2018.

Aero Precision had some interesting products for 2018. The company is working on a new line of compensators for 9mm, 5.56, and 7.62 rifles. These have a number of unique features such as the ability to slide a gas block over them while installed. They also have a titanium suppressor which wil MSRP for under $1000.
A very special thanks to BROWNELL’S – check out their new Retro line here: