Target Shooter

1
2 Target Shooter
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Target Shooter 3
Welcome to the 4th month

.......of Target Shooter
21 HFT Scopes Sections
Part 3
6 Shooting Sport News
By Tim Finley
11 Shooters Calendar

13 Support your Local Gun

28 Sightron S111 Shop
scope
by Vince Bottomley 15 Basic Rifle Maintenance by
Vince Bottomley

19 A Competetive Club means
33 Savage Model a Winning Club by Bill
Collaros
12 By Laurie Holland
48 Air Rifle Equipment Part 4
by Stanley Shaw

39 A visit to 54 The Great Diggle Egg Shoot

by Vince Bottomley
Barnard Precision

By Brian Walker 58 Shooting Website of the
Month

43 Ammunition 60 Barnard 07 Tube Gun by
Vince Bottomley
Testing and selection
By Carl Boswell 64 Gallery Rifle Basics by
Gwyn Roberts

71 Gun of the Month - Duke of

51 303 ammunition Earl
comparisons by Nigel
73 Club Feature
Greenaway

68 Warren Potent -
World Class Champion
by Andy Dubreuil

4 Target Shooter
 Association Pages
74 UKBRA

76 UKBR22
Editor(s).
77 F Class UK Carl Boswell and Vince Bottomley
Advertising and Office Manager
79 Quigley Association Andy Dubreuil. email; admin@targetshooter.co.uk
Contributors
82 HFT News Vince Bottomley Andy Dubreuil
Laurie Holland Tim Finley
83 Gallery Rifle Carl Boswell Brian Walker
Nigel Greenaway Gwyn Roberts
84 UKPSA Stanley Shaw Ken Hall
Webitorial
Well, Target Shooter has been going for four months now. We have received lots of comments from you
about the magazine - some requests, some thoughts and a lot of praise in developing a target shooting
magazine for the UK and beyond.
All of us involved in this venture are shooters and, as Vince said last month, it is humbling to receive the
positive response from our readers – and by the way, many thanks to those subscribers who responded
to our survey. On this point, a reminder that subscribing to the magazine is of course FREE. There are no
charges to you the shooting public, our readers. It simply allows us to send out reminders to say the latest
magazine is on-line and get feedback to questions we are asked with data we need to supply advertisers.
All this helps us to make your magazine as diverse as we can, covering target shooting in all its guises.
May I also remind you that the ‘download’ version of the magazine is now on the website. This allows you to
save the magazine to your hard-drive for future reference; although they will remain online, it is like having
your own copy. This has cost quite a bit to develop and host so we hope you enjoy it.

As Vince commented last month, please mention Target Shooter – easy to get mixed up – the online
magazine to advertisers if you are looking to buy products you see in the pages of the magazine. This helps
keep the magazine alive, helps us to extend the diversity of the magazine and continue to bring you the best
target shooting magazine in the UK today. Passing on details of Target Shooter to friends and colleagues
will also greatly assist us. We already have a substantial readership but obviously we want to appeal to and
be read by all target shooters. You can help by e-mailing information about us to your friends, their mates
and their dog!
At the Bisley Phoenix meeting a few weeks ago, it was amazing to see how many of you still did not know
about Target Shooter. One guy even passed us saying yes, he had read the magazine and it was great – his
mate was a little disturbed and asked why he had not been told about us? Anyway he knows now. For those
of you who stopped by to say hello to Andy and me, it was a real pleasure to meet you.

If you are having any technical difficulties in reading the magazine then please contact us. Target Shooter is
not like the old paper magazines, but it’s just as good - if not better – once you become familiar. Reading it
is a bit alien at first but that is because it is a new format for most of us but you will soon get used to it. We
feel it’s the way forward and more and more magazines are going on-line. Our thanks for your patronage so
far and we hope you enjoy the July issue.
Carl Boswell - carl@targetshooter.co.uk and Vince Bottomley - vinceb@targetshooter.co.uk and
Andy Dubreuil - admin@targetshooter.co.uk
Copyright © Trinity Digital Publishing Ltd
Disclaimer
The website www.targetshooter.co.uk is part of Target Shooter magazine with all contents of both electronic media copyrighted. No reproduction is permitted unless
written authorisation is provided.
Information, prices and data is believed to be correct at the time of posting on the internet which is on or around the 1st of each month. Advertisements that are firearm
related are from companies or individuals that Target Shooter magazine believes are licensed to hold such firearms and accepts no responsibility if companies or
individuals are not so licensed.
Letters and photographs submitted by members of the public to Target Shooter magazine will be accepted on the basis that the writer has agreed to publication unless
otherwise stated. Target Shooter magazine has no control over the content or ownership of photographs submitted.
The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publishers and relate to specific circumstances within each article. These are the opinions
and experiences of writers using specific equipment, firearms, components and data under controlled conditions. Information contained in the online magazine or on the
website is intended to be used as a guide only and in specific circumstances caution should be used. Target Shooter Magazine does not except any responsibility for
individuals attempting to recreate such testing using any information, data or other materials in its electronic pages.Publishers of Target Shooter magazine.

Target Shooter 5
 Shooting Sport News

L ilja Barrels. Roger Francis from South

Yorkshire Shooting Supplies has been kind
enough to acquire a couple of new Lilja 4 groove
16 twist .22 rimfire barrels from the US. In Dan
Lilja’s words ‘These are performing very well’.
The Lilja barrels are all the rave in the US at If you are interested in a Lilja barrel then contact
the moment, being used by such greats as Matt Roger at SYSS. http://www.rimfiremagic.co.uk/
Emmons. To find out more about these barrels visit the
Lilja website. There are contacts if you wish to
The barrels come in a variety of configurations, ask more questions, as Dan will get back to you
from different lengths and chambering for pretty quickly; http://www.riflebarrels.com/
rimfire, as well as centerfire. The ones
just brought in are in actual fact ‘drop in’
barrels for the 2013 action, as these are
made as stock items at the Lilja factory
and therefore fitting is relatively easy.
Bill Calfee has been involved with the
processes used to manufacture the
rimfire barrels and the new production
has some of his well healed knowledge
engrained within them. We hope so anyway and
cannot wait to test them.

A RMALON LIMITED – ONWARDS and Parker-Hale Ltd, supplemented by honing and other
UPWARDS! key plant from ROF Nottingham.
Prohibition of self-loading rifles post-Hungerford
targeted innocent Practical Rifle shooters, After a lengthy journey, the cream of 180 tons of plant
threatening to extinguish the discipline in the UK is now coming fully on line at Armalon’s new 3 ½ acre
where it was originated by Peter Sarony and fellow Oxfordshire production site. A full range of superb
UKPSA handgunners. Sarony’s company, Armalon barrels is joining Armalon’s mounts, rings, ‘PRs’, ‘PCs’,
Limited, had built an enviable reputation, initially as AL42s, AL30Cs etc., to which will shortly be added
custom pistolsmiths, with their .45ACP Government moderators and bi-pods, plus the exciting new PS21!
Model based hybrids, and subsequently
for their Match customised M1As and
other popular SLRs. The ban thereby
excised a significant sector of Armalon’s
trade. Sarony developed his Rem 700
based ‘PR’ QD magazine systems to
salvage the sport in the UK.

Sarony, an established innovator,

designed a totally original bolt-action
rifle, his PS21, to overcome all the
deficiencies of existing bolt-actions.
Realising this would necessitate total
“in-house” manufacture, including the
critical barrels, in 1996 he acquired CNC
machining centres. In 2001 the complete
hammer forging plus broaching type
barrel making lines were acquired from

6 Target Shooter
From left, the old Sierra, the new one & Lapua’s Look at the tiny meplat on the new Sierra
Scenar (centre

S ierra Bullets latest.

We were all pretty excited about the new 155 grain

N ational Rifle Association

Martin Farnan, the Director of

Sierra 308 bullets introduced late last year. I got hold of Shooting, has resigned and no
a sample from IWA and they were a little bit longer than one is saying very much about
the old 155’s but not so long as the 155 grain Scenar. it.
Well, the first production has at last arrived and I’m impressed. With the Imperial Meeting
They are quite different from my sample in that the nose is very and the F Class World
‘pointy’ which should definitely improve the BC – which was Championships almost upon
always less than the Scenar. I’m sure that all serious F/TR us, it is difficult to imagine what
shooters just can’t wait to try them – not to mention Target Rifle brought this about.
shooters of course. The Scenar is a much longer bullet and so
tends to seat deeper in the case, which can compromise powder
The NRA website has the
capacity. At the moment, I can’t say how they will ‘seat’ compared
following statement:
to the existing Sierra but hopefully they won’t be much different.

B rian Fox found a really good alternative bi-pod to the “The circumstances leading
Harris at IWA. This one is made in Finland and will fit any normal to Martin Farnan’s decision to
sling-swivel. The legs will fold forward or backward and it is very sturdy, resign are such that we cannot
light and well made. The same firm also make a rear mono-pod which exclude the possibility that we
comes with an accessory rail which can be inletted into the underside have not heard the end of the
of your butt-stock. See www.ouluntyostokeskus.com matter. We have received clear
advice from the NRA’s solicitors

T he Conservatives have made a recent announcement

about their policy on some shooting sports which is quite
interesting. In their EXTENDING OPPORTUNITIES A
that we ought not to comment
on the circumstances surround-
ing Martin’s decision to resign
CONSERVATIVE POLICY PAPER ON SPORT they point out for the time being so as to avoid
the following on page eight; any risk that we might
prejudice the position of the
‘Amend firearms legislation to ensure the UK target pistol NRA or indeed the NSC.
shooters can train and compete in this country. This will We intend to adhere to the
end the absurd situation where we use public professional advice obtained
money to support athletes to train abroad in an activity and therefore are unable to
banned in this country.’ comment further on this issue.”
Robin Pizer Chairman, NRA.
Now obviously this is just a policy paper but in the run up to
Well, ‘No 10’ couldn’t have said
a general election in is a decisive move. The document is
it better! That statement by the
web based and can be found via the Sportsmans Association
way was dated June 12th.
website; http://www.sportsmansassociation.co.uk or via the
conservative party website as a pdf document.

Target Shooter 7
T
We’ve
HE LYMAN ‘REVOLUTION’ GUN VICE

seen several ‘gun

rest however. The recommended price is £81.25.
Contact Tim Hannam, telephone 01977 681639;
email: sales@timhannam.com
vices’ appear in recent years, and
now have another, the Lyman
‘Revolution’, imported and retailed
by Tim Hannam in North Yorkshire.
The name comes from its ability to
rotate its two clamps and the
firearm they hold through 90
degrees, with three fixed and
lockable settings at the vertical
position plus 45 degrees either
side.

First impressions are that this

is a well thought through and
practical accessory, as you’d
expect from Lyman. It appears to
be stable, strong, and
sophisticated.
It consists of two base-pieces
consisting of hollow plastic
mouldings with widely set ‘feet’ on
rubber pads (that can be screwed
to a bench if one overall length
suffices). Two rubber lined clamp
assemblies fit the bases and rotate
on them as noted. They hold the
rifle buttstock and forend
securely, (or revolver pistol
grip and barrel), but are easily
tightened or loosened. The front
clamp has a top-cap, which
with the base holds a heavy
rifle or similar at four points very
securely.
The clamp halves use rubber
lined V-form depressions to hold
a large range of forend widths,
and at just under three inches
at their widest point should
hold any size of forend short
of that on a full F-Class or BR stock. Inserts are

N
also provided to allow the barrel on a short-stocked orth West Custom Parts
rimfire rifle, or a revolver to be secured. The are now the exclusive uk importers of the
distance between the two end bases / clamp Mcrees precision fully adjustable modular stock
assemblies is variable by sliding them along a pair system - either fixed or folding with a choice of 7
of hollow aluminium rods to suit whatever is being diferent fore ends able to take any AR15 pistol grip and
worked on, and are locked into position with are ideal for bench rest /tactical /Fclass / and hunting/
thumbscrews. varminting. They are available in ceramic coating
This is a stable, flexible and sophisticated duracoated in a vast aray of colours or in the white for
accessory that is a boon to the shooter, you to do
holding a revolver or longarm securely and in a your own
convenient position to clean it or work on it. thing. www.
Despite its size and features it only weighs 8lbs (3.6 nwcustom-
Kg), and can be easily disassembled for storage if parts.com/
required. It is not suitable for shooting off as a gun
8 Target Shooter
A DVANCED EXTERNAL BALLISTICS DATA
Many long-range shooters know of Bryan
Litz, the 2008 US Palma champion, former rocket
the G7 BC. For the first time, shooters can make
meaningful judgements between the likely performance of
competing bullets, between cartridge and calibre
scientist, and now Berger Bullets’ resident alternatives, (eg heavy bullet .223 Rem v .308 Win
ballistician. His experimentally derived work on how for F/TR), or whether a heavy match bullet at a low
bullets really perform over long ranges (up to 1,000yd), MV will suffer more or less wind drift than a light
and his revisions to published ballistic coefficients alternative starting out several hundred fps faster.
While the majority of buyers will be long-range target
(BCs) have instigated a debate amongst technically
shooters, the book also addresses sporting shooting.
orientated competitors, and in a wider sense opened
For instance, it looks at the efficacy of the common
up the whole issue of ballistics data offered to
practice of using light for calibre bullets at ultra-high
shooters. Bryan has directly challenged the
MVs to give a flat trajectory in order to minimise
basis and value of the BCs supplied by bullet range-estimating errors now that affordable, accurate
manufacturers and asserts there are alternatives laser rangefinders are available.
that provide more accurate results, especially at long There is much, much more in this book and its
ranges. He has now gone further writing a full-scale ethos is not only to supply both general and detailed
book on applied ballistics for rifle shooters with BCs information supported by test results, but to help the
and detailed information on over 175 bullets that is reader apply it at each and every step to improve his or her
published today (1st July). Our man in The North (or performance. I believe that all rifle shooters, other
one of them, as TargetShooter has several) was than those who restrict their activities to short-range
privileged to be sent a pre-publication draft and has gallery disciplines, will learn something, more likely a
read the book through. Here’s what Laurie has to say lot from this book. If you’re a long-range shooter, keen
about APPLIED BALLISTICS FOR LONG RANGE handloader, and likely to commission a custom rifle or
SHOOTING. rebarrelling where you have a choice of cartridges,
calibres, and/or bullet weights, you really need this
When I received Bryan Litz’s draft, I devoured it. This book if you wish to maximise your personal and kit’s
is what I’ve sought for years – a plain language book competitiveness.
by an expert that explains ballistic theory in easily To order a copy, visit Bryan Litz’s website – www.ap-
understandable terms and moreover applies it to pliedballisticsllc.com and click on ‘BOOK’ in the menu.
help competitors (and long-range field shooters)
perform better. Most such books are either
comprehensible but so general that it’s difficult to
apply their contents to shooting situations, or are
written for other ballisticians or ballistics students and
convey information through mathematical equations.
What little maths there is in this book consists of
simple arithmetic only, except for key equations in an
appendix for those who must see mathematical proofs.
Bryan takes us through the basic building blocks of
how bullets perform, evaluating their designs, how
their flight is affected by gravity, air density and wind
….. and so on, in each case looking at the subject with
a down to earth approach and advising readers how
they can apply the information. A key, and inevitably
controversial element, is that Bryan is very sceptical
of the current practice of calculating a bullet’s BC on
the basis of the G1 drag curve reference, based on
a projectile shape that bears little relation to that of
modern hollow-point boattail streamlined designs.
He uses the G7 reference (based on low-drag
artillery shells) and shows how it gives far more accurate
predictions especially at long ranges. To apply this, Part
3 of the book contains drawings, calculated drag curves,
G1 and G7 BCs for no fewer than 175 long-range (match
and sporting) bullets from all major makers based on
Bryan’s own measurements of bullet velocities taken at
intervals over 1,000yd or thereabouts, covering nearly
everything on the market in .224” to .338” calibres. The
book includes a CD providing a ballistics program that
lets you run trajectory and velocity tables using

Target Shooter 9
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10 Target Shooter
Calendar of events over the next two months
If your club or association has events you want to publicise here then email us.
Thu 02 Jul to Sun 05 Jul Jul NRA Imperial
Meeting (National Shooting Centre (NSC),
Bisley)
Sat 4 and Sun 5 MLAGB Pedersoli
Challenge, Wedgnock
Thu 09 Jul Ireland v Scotland - Lex Lyons Match
(National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)
Fri 10 Jul to Thu 16 Jul NRA Imperial
Meeting - Match Rifle Events (National
Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)
Sat 11 MLAGB DTL Shotgun Training, Sywell
Ranges
12th July 100 yard benchrest – Bisley Sunday
Mon 13 Jul to Thu 16 Jul NRA Imperial
Meeting - Schools Meeting (National Shooting
Centre (NSC), Bisley) Competitions for School
Combined Cadet Forces affliated to the NRA.
Fri 17 Jul Wind Coaching Course (National
Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley) Short wind
coaching course.
Sat 18 Jul to Fri 24 Jul NRA Imperial Meeting
- F Class Rifle Events (National Shooting Centre
(NSC), Bisley) Individual and team competitions
for F Class Rifle competitors. Starting with
warm-up matches on Friday and Saturday, the
Grand Aggregate begins with the Daily Telegraph
competition on the Saturday afternoon and
culminates with the F Class International team
match.
Sat 25 MLAGB DTL Shotgun Training,
Sywell Ranges
Sat 25 Jul NRA Imperial Meeting - HM Queens
Prize (National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)
Shot at 900 and 1000 yards on the Final
Saturday of the Imperial Meeting.
Sun 26 MLAGB Rifle Practice, Bisley 100yd -
advance booking required
Sun 26 Jul to Thu 30 Jul F Class World
Championships (National Shooting Centre
(NSC), Bisley) In July 2009 Bisley will host the F
Class World Championships.
Sun 09 Aug NRA Shooting Club Day (National
Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)
Sun 16 Aug RNTRC Catastrophe Match (National
Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)
Thu 20 Aug NRA Shooting Club Day (National
Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)
Multi-discipline NRA Shooting Club Day.
Sat 22 Aug to Sun 23 Aug Tullibardine (Tayside)
Open Meeting (Blair Atholl (Scotland))
Two day Open Rifle Meeting with classes for TR,
F Class and F(TR). This is the Centenary of the
competition which started life as the Perthshire
Open in 1909. http://www.westatholl.org.uk/
Sun 23 Aug LMRA v BBC RC v Kent RC
(National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)
Wed 26 Aug to Sat 29 Aug Jersey Open
Championships (Jersey (Channel Islands)
http://www.jerseyrifleassociation.com/
Sat 29 Aug NRA Open Day at Altcar, Merseyside
(Altcar (England))
The NRA is hosting another pre ticketed Open
Day event at the Altcar range, Southport. Visitors
will be able to try shotgun, air rifle, fullbore rifle,
sporting rifle, laser clays, precision snap,
practical and historical rifles to name but a few, all
with one-to-one coaching.
Sat 29 Aug to Sun 30 Aug Gallery Rifle National
Championships (National Shooting Centre (NSC),
Bisley) A similar format to the Action Weekends
and Phoenix Meeting but you can also compete
to be crowned a National Champion. This event
is predominantly for Gallery Rifles, (Centrefire and
Smallbore) and Long Barrelled Revolvers and
Pistols. Competitions include Multi-Target,
Advancing Targets, 1500 Match, Timed and
Precision and the Speed Steel Challenge.
However, catering for the fullbore shooter, we
have some short-range competitions for older
military firearms and the McQueen shoot for any rifle.
Fri 28th to mon 31st August The UK Nationals
run by the UKBR22 – will be held at Portishead
Club, Bristol
50m outdoor - Rimfire Unlimited and Light Varmint
25 yrds indoors – Rimfire Unlimited and Light
Varmint - 25 yrds outdoor - Air Rifle Unlimited and
Hunter (10.5 pound)
Target Shooter 11
 Welcome to GT Shooting.
The premier shooting sports shop in Surrey

Fullbore & .22LR Optics

Black Power Ammunition
Air Rifles and Pistols Reloading equipment
Used rifles and Pistols and more...

Our premises are located at

53 Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, Surrey, CR5 2RB
www.gtshooting.co.uk

Tel: 020 8660 6843

Fax: 020 8660 6843
We are conveniently situated near the M23 & M25.
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 10.00am - 5.30pm

12 Target Shooter
‘Support your local gun shop’
GT Shooting
This month we look at GT Shooting in
‘Support your Local Gunshop’. The Owner,
Tim Hammond, will be known to many
people as, until recently, when his partner
retired, was a regular stall holder at the
Phoenix Trade Fair. However, Tim also has
an excellent track record in target shooting.
Having shot in national teams for both
mallbore and 300m rifle, he has represented
his country a number of times. On top of this
is he has been in the Lord Earl Roberts and
Queens finals approximately five times each.
As a proprietor of GT Shooting he really does The array of rifls and equipment at hand when
have a shop that is managed by a shooter for you enter the shop
shooters.
The shop itself services the needs of This is truly supported by a wide assortment of
shooters in the Southern counties, as far south accessories to support any shooter. As Tim says,
as Sussex and the south coast and as far ‘if we don’t have it in then we will get it for you’.
North as London and Essex. Tim has a variety For such a compact shop GT Shooting holds
of shooting accessories that meets the needs a great deal of stock, as can be seen from the
of people for reloading, shooting, optics, etc, website that supports the business. I am amazed
etc. All areas of shooting are covered within the at how much he has available. GT Shooting is
shop, from rimfire target shooting to shotgun an interesting Aladdin’s cave of everything the
and service rifle. Tim has been a qualified shooter would want. Not surprising that many
armourer for a number of firearms over the shooters and clubs in the Southern counties
years and did work on Glocks & Smith & use the shop for many of their requirements.
Wesson in the past. Obviously we don’t have GT shooting can be found in Coulsdon, not far
these any more, but he will put new triggers off the M25/M23 interchange. The website for
and hammer springs in your favorite gallery the shop is;
rifle. There is also a service offered where http://www.gtshooting.co.uk/
gunsmithing work will be undertaken on Email; sales@gtshooting.co.uk Or
firearms, as Tim works with a gunsmith in info@gtshooting.co.uk
the area to support his clients. Obviously this
is an important resource for any shop as the
complete package can be offered to shooters
that are using GT Shooting for all their needs.
Living in the southern region I have used Tim’s
services over many years from the point where
we had pistols, going through the gallery rifle
phase and then onto a my latest acquisition
from him which was an LBR a few years ago.
The firearm’s usually in stock include the
most popular models that people tend to buy,
to the more specialised firearms. The range
covers lever actions to Ruger’s, to LBRs, to
blackpowder pistols, to a wide variety of GT Shooting - an Alladins cave for all things
air rifles and pistols. There is also a good target shooting related
selection of second-hand firearms available.

Target Shooter 13
 "This new reloading tool
measures your EXACT
chamber clearance for any
caliber from .22 Hornet to the
378 Weatherby
Magnum."
It just doesn't get easier than this.
Our Digital Headspace Gauge
shows the exact chamber
clearance (headspace) that YOUR
handloads will have in YOUR
particular chamber. This is the
best way to adjust your die height
without guessing. It is very
common to find the shoulder of
handloads being pushed back way
too far. The shoulder of your
handloads should be set back no
more than .002", for a perfect fit.
However, bumping your die with
the shellholder often pushes the
shoulder up to .016" too far in
some rifle chambers. This gauge
helps you reduce case stretching,
and get longer case life. It
Improves accuracy, and it can
also measure your "exact" bullet
seating depth back from the ogive.
That exposes inconsistent seating
problems and identifies bullets
with irregular shapes.
Resizing dies are designed to
make handloads fit in the very
smallest chamber that is
designed for a particular caliber.
This means that your handloads
will always be smaller than your
particular chamber. To make
things worse, rifle chambers are
always made to fit the largest
factory ammo made anywhere.
Machinists call this "acceptable
tolerances". However, the next
time you put the crosshairs on a target at long range, you have to ask yourself "If my handloads are small
enough to fit any rifle that's chambered for this caliber, and large enough to not get ripped apart when fired .
. is that really close enough?" One of the main reasons to reload is to make the best handloads possible.
Shooters that neck size their cases also need to know how far to push back their case shoulder.
Take your handloading to the next level. These new Digital Headspace Gauges are now in stock and they
are complete,
And only $89.95 plus shipping (for shipping outside USA please email for rates)
If you have any questions about this unique reloading tool, just let me know.

Website Address: www.larrywillis.com

Email: it@mpinet.net Phone: USA 407-695-2685
14 Target Shooter
 Vince Bottomley

Basic Rifle Maintenance

Part 3
In part one we covered the bolt, then the
barrel in part 2, so now let’s take a look at
the action/stock.

We can divide our maintenance into three

parts:

The action itself

The trigger
The action-bed

Let’s start with the action. Most actions

will be retained in the stock with two or
maybe three screws. This method of
retention dates back well over a century
so it looks as though someone got it right
Zippo petroleum based lighter fuel is as good as anything for
pretty early on. By removing the
flushing triggers. This particular tin has accompanied me to
action-screws we can separate the
Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, Austria and America – and I’ve
barrelled-action from the stock. If your rifle
yet to use it!
has an integral box-magazine, be prepared
for a few bits to jump out. You can pre-empt this recoil lug somewhere – usually sandwiched
by releasing the floor-plate – usually achieved by between the barrel and the action or maybe part of
operating a catch near to the trigger-guard. the action. The very name gives a clue to its function
If we put the stock to one side for a moment and - it transfers the recoil to the stock rather than
concentrate on the action, we will probably see a exerting a shear force through the action screws.
If your action has a deep rear tang, that may also
absorb recoil.
There is little we can do with the action itself
This type of integral
beyond a thorough clean. With access now
box-magazine cum
available from top and bottom we can give it a good
floor-plate and trigger-
clean internally, especially in the lug recesses. A
guard is standard on
large amount of debris can accumulate here and
most factory hunting
it often gets overlooked when we clean the barrel.
rifles.
Remove it with a proper cleaning tool or improvise
with a bit of bent wire and a few cleaning patches.
A squirt with WD40 will help loosen the crud. Don’t
forget to pass a patch or two through the barrel
afterwards – it’s easy to leave a patch or debris in
there!

Now for the trigger. This is one bit that we can apply

Target Shooter 15
a little TLC to but don’t get carried away. We like a
clean trigger but we don’t want it lubricated with oil.
Oil will affect the function of the trigger and will also
attract dust and grit – the enemy of our trigger. If your
trigger is working satisfactorily, I would say leave
well alone. If you attempt to clean it you could easily
disturb grit or debris and end up jamming the trigger.
If the trigger looks really grungy, then it’s a good
opportunity to clean it. Start by removing it from
the action. It will be fixed by one or two screws
or it may be retained with a couple of pins – as in
the case of Remington style triggers. Drive out the
pins with a suitable punch – they should come out
easily – but get ready for springs to fly! Although
you will remember where the main screws or pins
go, safeties can be another matter so, before you
do anything, take a pic or two with your digital
camera, then you will know how it all fits together.
Clean the trigger with old-fashioned Zippo lighter
fluid – nothing else. Flush the trigger from the top,
liberally dousing it with fluid. After flushing, allow it to
drain onto some kitchen roll and dry naturally. Do not
apply any further lubrication. As this article is ‘basic
maintenance’, I do not intend to cover trigger
adjustment.
The action-bed is perhaps the greatest influencer of
accuracy outside of the actual barrel/chamber. For a
rifle to deliver best accuracy, the barrelled-action and
stock must be ‘as one’ when the two components are
screwed together. This means that the recess in the
stock where the action sits – which we call the ‘bed’ –
must be a flawless, solid recess which is a perfect fit.
This stock has split beneath the
action – you can just see the split to the
rear of the tang and in the bed itself just
forward of the magazine cut-out. The
bed is also blackened with oil and the
like but then it is over 100 years old and
it still shoot amazingly well.
16 Target Shooter
A custom-rifle builder will achieve this by individually
bedding the action into the stock using one of
several epoxy compounds available – the most
popular of which is Devcon. Devcon is a two-pack
epoxy putty which was designed for repairing metal
castings, so in addition to being immensely strong is
has one other essential feature – it does not shrink on
curing. Beware, Devcon bedding is not for the ama-
teur. It is all too easy to end up with your rifle glued
into the stock – permanently! If you want to know
more about the process, check out www.6mmbr.
com/pillarbedding.html Incidentally, it’s not
uncommon for benchrest actions to be permanently
glued into the stock. This is undoubtedly the best
way to ensure a perfect trouble-free bed and when
accuracy is paramount there is no better bed.
Of course, a one-off epoxy bed will not be found
on any mass-produced rifle and guns from the
‘big four’ American manufactures will have an
assortment of solutions to this critical bedding
problem. Probably the best solution is the
aluminium block found in rifles like the Remington
PSS. Rifles with a laminate stock - like the Savage -
will usually be bedded directly onto the wood
laminate, which can be a problem as the wood will
gradually deform and allow the bedding to shift and
the action screws slacken, so frequent checking of the
action-screws is advisable with any wooden stock.
Wood-laminate is however very dense and can
form a reasonable bed but walnut stocks are much
softer and therefore prone to even greater
deformities. This is exaggerated by the action of oil,

water and cleaning fluids which inevitably find their
way under the action and soak into the wood. Rather
than providing a firm solid bed, the wood can soften
and even split.
When this happens, there is not a lot you can do and
a replacement stock is the best and cheapest option.
An alternative could be pillar-bedding. Unfortunately,
this is not a cheap process and will probably cost
more than a decent aftermarket stock but, if you are
in love with your chunk of walnut, it could certainly
restore that lost accuracy and the aforementioned
web article also covers the pillar-bedding process.
Before we replace the barrelled-action, check
for any obvious high-spots in the bed which may
be observed as shiny patches on the underside
of the action. High spots will prevent a proper full
bed and will do nothing for your rifle’s accuracy.
Let’s now re-assemble. Hopefully the trigger is back
in place with the safety working. Leave the bolt out
as you replace the barrelled-action.
Do-up the action-screws finger-tight then stand the
rifle on the butt and give it a ‘bounce’. This will ensure
When tightening the action screws, do
it with the rifle vertical and your finger
touching the stock and barrel. Tighten
the front screw, then as you tighten
the rear screw you should not detect
excessive movement with your finger.
If you do, you have a bedding problem
and you are stressing the action – not
good for accuracy.
that the recoil-lug is firmly against its
recess. Tighten the action-screws with
the rifle vertical. Place a finger at the
end of the fore-end so that you can
feel both the barrel and stock and, as
you tighten the screws, you will feel
the barrel move in relation to the stock.
Tighten the front screw first and when
you tighten the rear screw feel for any
movement between barrel and stock.
If your bed is perfect, movement will
not be detected. If you feel movement,
then the action is ‘rocking’ on the front
screw. If this movement is excessive,
you could actually be stressing the
action by bending it. A rifle will never
shoot well under these circumstances.
Remember, when tightening the action
screws – they will only have around six
threads into the action and an Allen key
in the hands of the ham-fisted will soon
strip a quarter-inch screw. Don’t overdo it!
Finally, we will check that the barrel is free-floating
(if it should be!) by passing a piece of thin card
along the underside of the barrel and check that
no part of the bolt-handle is touching the stock
when the bolt is closed. Obviously, if the barrel
or bolt is fouling the stock, it’s not too difficult to
carefully relieve it with a piece of sand-paper or
what have you. Not all barrels are designed to
be free-floating however - some are ‘pressure
bedded’ so that the barrel is deliberately in contact
with the stock - usually near the tip of the fore-end.
After all that work, will your rifle shoot better?
Maybe not but hopefully you will now know why!
Next month we will cover the scope and mounts.
Please mention
when using advertising in
the magazine
Target Shooter 17
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18 Target Shooter
email: sales@timhannam.com
 A COMPETETIVE CLUB MEANS A WINNING
CLUB

By Bill Collaros
Hi all. Another short from Bill in Australia, but I
thought it was poignant, as it is something we have
been discussing in in the UK recently.

The heading of this story means exactly what it says.

We have found having at least 6 of the top rimfire
shooters in the country as members breeds a
natural competitive streak that goes a long way
to making our club one of the best & most feared
clubs when it comes to competitions. The principals
of this story could actually be used & transferred
under any other club shooting disciplines across the
board in the shooting world.
This just does not happen by accident & has evolved
over the past few years, but how can it be done?

Slowly over the past 4 years we have had people

Our club secretary has brought in a system of a
raising the bar at club level week in week out at our
weekly competition that is run as if it is a normal
weekly competitions. This has been through upgrade
tournament every week. Each week we shoot a
of ammunition & equipment but also through striving
different style of target & have the policy of the
to beat the person shooting next to you every week.
targets you shoot first up are your scoring targets.
We have also sought & found knowledge from
This has enabled us to have the same anticipation
constantly asking questions of champions from all
& nerves you have when you first sit down & have
over the world & not resting on our winning score,
to shoot in a tournament. It has improved our mind
yet still trying to achieve higher scores each week.
set & nerves when we actually get to a tournament
immensely. Also by changing the target styles each
week we also get a chance to try & improve
Proud dad and winning
on the different disciplines available to us &
daughter more importantly you don’t get sick of
shooting the same thing every week. Of
course leading up to competitions we
concentrate & train more on that particular
target.

This system seems to have bred a winning &

striving to improve mind set within the club that
has helped everyone improve their scores.
In time it will also hopefully help the club to
attract more members & juniors who want to
team up & learn from the best.

Target Shooter 19
 Portsmouth Gun Centre Ltd
295 London Road
North End
Portsmouth
PO2 9HF
Opening Times Tel 02392 660574
Mon 9.30 - 5.30 Fax 02392 644666
Tues Closed
Wed Closed E-mail sales@portsmouthguncentre.com
Thur 9.30 - 5.30 Website www.portsmouthguncentre.com
Fri 9.30 - 5.30
Sat 9.30 - 5.30
We stock a full range of Rifles, Pistols, Air Guns, Shotguns, Ammunition,
Reloading Equipment and Accessories. All major brands stocked including BSA,
CZ, Air Arms, Marlin, Ruger, Umarex, Uberti, Cometa, Pedersoli, Berreta, Lincoln,
Webley, Pedersoli, etc.

20 Target Shooter
 Hunter Field Target Scope Test
Part 3
Part three of the HFT scope tests has the
actual measured results for all 13 scopes
tested so far, they are at the end of this part.
The scope I most wanted to cover in this third
part was one I asked Leupold for when I went
to IWA in 2007, I asked them if they could make
me an HFT scope based upon their 3-9*33
EFR scope. It only needed them to put in a
Mildot reticle, which in the standard scope was
not available as a reticle option. I looked at
that particular Leupold scope due to its superb
optical quality (it’s a Leupold) and small exit
pupil. Remember exit pupil is the objective lens dia
divided by the magnification It’s objective lens is
33mm in diameter with nine times magnification.
Therefore this scope has a 3.6mm exit pupil and
the smaller the exit pupil the less the potential
parallax error. The scope also has an
SR12 reticle
Tim Finley
Hawke SR12 PA
adjustment
adjustable parallax, I know HFT scopes have to
be left set on the completion but for setting up and
fine-tuning of the rangefinding an adjustable
parallax is a lot easier. Leupold very kindly
agreed to make me up a test scope. It’s
arrival, thanks to Pat Munday and Tim Lesser of
Leupold prompted me to look at other scopes
I had neglected to test so far. HFT has a .22
class and the Hawke SR12 has a calibrated
reticle specially designed for the pronounced
curve 12 ft/lb trajectory of the .22 calibre
pellets. In fact I had used an SR12 - above in the
title block - in anger on an actual HFT course to
see form myself if it worked, to some success
as I shot a Gold badge level score with it. I had
also neglected the Hawke MAP reticle, it’s a
much simpler and cheaper reticle than the SR’s
I have used one for hunting and knew it had
usable points of aim for HFT. I did not know
if it could be used for rangefinding on a HFT
targets and 15,25 and 40mm diameter discs. The
downside with the cheaper end of the MAP series
in non P/A adjustable, but again you do not really
Target Shooter 21
 cheaper than that. The final scope
AGS in test cradle
AGS in test cradle is the 3-12*44 compact SWAT
from AGS, I have used this scope
for hunting, it’s size, sidewheel
adjustable P/A, scope caps,
sunshade etc make it an ideal
hunting scope. The only real fault
and unfortunately its quite a big
one is the spacing on the dots,
they are set to Two Mildots on 10
times magnification, rather than
the normal one Mildot spacing.
Why AGS did this I do not know,
it’s the only failing of the scope,
AGS mag ring
but would the scope still be able
to used to rangefind using the
blurred sight picture alone?
AGS mag ring The tests on the four new scopes
were the same as the last time,
checking the Mildot spacing
on the reticles for bracketing
and then measuring the actual
parallax error at 15, 25 and 45
yards when set to a 23 yard
parallax. Top of the shop or first up
was the classy looking Leupold,
Tim Lesser did say the spacing
may not be a perfect Mildot as the
reticle was made for a tactical ten
mag scope. It turned out to be a
Mil and a quarter Mildot, but as
the dots were slightly pointed at
each end I was able to use their
AGS PA adjustment tips to still use the first dot down
to bracket a 40mm disc at 40
and 45 yards. For shorter range
bracketing a unique set of figures
for the Leupold would have to be
worked out, but it could easily be
done, as for ranging using the P/A,
set to 23 yards the scope worked
perfectly wit the 40 yard target
clear and the 45 slightly blurred.
The Hawke SR12 was next, I had
to up the P/A to 26 yards due to
the increase in magnification from
10 to 12 times. It has to set on
12 for the reticle to work for the
need to have an adjustable P/A , yes it’s nice but aiming marks. Set on 23 yards
not essential. P/A adjustable MAP scopes are P/A the 45yard target was just too blurred to get
available, but I wanted to include the cheapest a usable aim point, these are all things aspiring
HFT scope I could find and at £53 you will not HFT’ers must think about. The reticle can be
find another usable HFT scope better or used to bracket a 40m disc using the bottom line

22 Target Shooter
 of the vertical line and three below
Hawke MAP in test
and one above center. These have
cradle
still been worked out to use on
airgun ballistics. The scope is a 3
to 9 times mag, 40mm front lens
and not P/A adjustable, so I first
had to set the P/A to 23 yards. This
was easily done as the front lens is
not glued in, the protecting collar
at the end of the scope has to be
screwed off and the threaded lens
carrier tuned to alter the P/A. Set
up a target card with line or dots
drawn on it at 13 yard and turn the
lens until when you move your head
the reticle stayed glued to your aim
point, I did it on the MAP in less
Hawke MAP objective than two minutes. I found the 2nd
hash mark from the center on the
horizontal crosshair to be dead on
one Mildot, so I could use that on a
40 and 45 yard 40mm target disc.
You normally use the vertical part
of the reticle to range but the little
MAP had a good exit pupil size.
The final scope was the AGS SWAT
3-12*44 compact, with its spacing
of 2 Mildots, it makes it useless for
bracket rangefinding and HFT, also
the objective is rather big. Really
42mm diameter objective scopes
are the biggest one should go to
for a ten times magnification scope
Hawke MAP turret for HFT. It does score over the
4-12b rainguard others in having side wheel P/A and
scope caps. When set on 23 yards
it worked very well and P/A ranging.
In this four way final test I would
recommend the Hawke MAP as at
works and is very, very cheap. The
Leupold stands out as a must for
the experienced HFT shooter and
several are being used to good
effect in the 2009 UKAHFT season.
I will ask Pat and Tim if it is possible
to fit a true Mildot in the nine times
scope as it would in my opinion
and 1st dot up on the reticle, to tell the difference make the perfect HFT scope. For
between a 40 and 45yard target, which is vital diehard .22 HFT shooters the SR12 is the best out
with such a curved trajectory on a legal limit .22 there, I know I have used on an actual HFT course.
calibre air rifle. Part four will have two scopes I have kept apart
The Hawke MAP I have used for hunting, its as they have special reticles, not your normal
simple design has two tick marks on either side Mildot so to speak. They have reticles with ½
Target Shooter 23
 Leupold in test cradle

Leupold PA adjustment

Mil spacing’s, potentially

making them more accurate
Leupold turret than the standard MilDot
reticle used in HFT. They
are the Falcon and the
Leupold Mark Four 2.5-8*36,
very interesting scopes
so look in Target Shooter
magazine next month to
find out how they perform.

24 Target Shooter
 To introduce our selves we are the United Kingdom Association of
Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest Shooting. By that we mean "True
Benchrest Shooting". The Association is recognised by rimfire
shooters across in the UK, with partners across Europe and the rest of
the world, as the presentative body that promotes rimfire and air rifle
benchrest across this country and with other partners in European and
World events.
Visit our website for news about national and international
competitions that all can ‘have a go at’. From novice to champion
shooter, everyone is welcome
www.benchrest22.org

Target Shooter 25
26 Target Shooter
 Target Shooter 27
 Sightron S111 Series 8-32 Scope

Vince Bottomley
Above - Here’s what comes in the box – a The Sightron mounted on
sun/rain shade, lens covers, manual, allen my benchgun using the
key, lens cloth and a soft cover excellent Kelbly rings
Sightron scopes have been around Stateside for
about fifteen years but until recently, they hadn’t
really excited the ‘accuracy’ crowd. All that
changed a couple of years ago with their ‘Big Sky’
range and Sightrons actually began to appear on
benchrest rifles – as an alternative to Leupolds and
Weavers. These were the S11 scopes in fixed 36 power
utilising Japanese optics and a build-quality
backed-up by a no quibble ‘new for old’ replacement
At this year’s IWA show, the Sightron stand was
guarantee. one of my priority visits and apart from seeing
I got to have a look at the 36 power benchrest scope
some very interesting scopes, I also got wind of a
at IWA in 2007 but the official UK importer didn’tnew UK importer. That new importer is Aimfield
seem to be interested in stocking them - the only Sports, who of course do the superb drag-bags
ones I have seen over here were personal imports and shooting mats and three months on, they’re
direct from America. here! Yes, you can actually have an 8-32 or a fixed
36X right now and several other models for that
matter. Take a look at the Aimfield Sports
website at www.aimfieldsports.com for the full range.
Carl Boswell already has a 36X for review
but the 8-32 is more my style as a long-range
benchrester and F Class shooter, however I
had already tested the scope for Target Sports
magazine last year and it seemed pointless to
repeat the test and tie up a scope which would be
better mounted on someone’s rifle!
So here’s a reprint of my review of the 8-32 S11
model which Laurie Holland had sourced direct
from the US. At first glance, the Sightron could
easily be mistaken for a Leupold. It’s very nicely
proportioned and ‘clean’ looking - devoid of any
ugly protrusions for illuminated reticles and the like
My 100 yard test target. I’m pointing to the and is very similar in size and weight to my 8.5-
‘return to zero’ result. You can see a shot 25 Leupold VX111. I decided that I would have to
in each corner of the target with the mount it on my 6PPC benchrest rifle to properly
‘closing error’ in the bottom left put this fine scope through its paces.
Fortunately, I had a spare set of 30mm Kelbly rings

28 Target Shooter
which would fit the Davidson base on
my benchgun. This mounting system
turrets are clearly but tastefully incised.
is one of the best you can get and Note side-focus knob.
certainly a good alternative to a
Picatinny rail, especially if you are
looking to save a few ounces. If you
are serious about your shooting, the
Kelbly rings are very strong, light and
accurate but not cheap. I normally
lightly lap-in my scope-rings but with
the Kelbly’s it just isn’t necessary.
After bore-sighting the Sightron, a
couple of shots had me zeroed at 100
yards. My target is a two-foot white
square with a small red aiming-spot
in the centre. Test one checks the
‘return to zero’ ability of the scope.
Only last week at the Diggle round of
the F Class League, I overheard one
shooter claiming that his zero shifted had a look through the Sightron on an F Class target
at different magnification settings. I was surprised at 1000 yards I’m happy that it will suit most F Class
to hear this as even the cheapo Chinese offerings shooters.
will pass this test. The Sightron was no exception Our next test is ‘round the angles’. This is intended
and if you look at my photograph of the target you to check the tracking ability of the scope and the
will see that I am pointing to two shot-holes less accuracy of the windage and elevation adjustment
than half an inch apart. One shot was fired on full but before I carried out this one, Laurie was
32 magnification and the other on eight power. anxious to know how much elevation he would
The real problem with this test is finding an have. As he is intending using the scope on a 308,
aim-point for the lower-powered magnification shot, he will need about 36 MOA to go from 100 yards
as the dot in the centre of the Sightron’s crosshair to 1000 yards with a 155 grain bullet. Now we are
is a quarter minute of angle (MOA) at full power zeroed, we can easily check this by winding up the
but a full one MOA at eight power and I needed to elevation turret whilst looking through the scope and
stick a larger aiming-mark on the target for the test. ensuring that the crosshair moves with every click.
I would prefer a smaller one-eighth MOA dot as this The crosshair stopped moving after 144 clicks and,
is what I am used to with benchrest scopes but some as each ‘click’ represents a quarter MOA, we have
think that this is too small for general use and having exactly 36 MOA of adjustment – just enough - though
we still need to verify that a
Reticle is focussed by rotating the click is indeed one quarter
rubber-cushioned eye-piece. Note MOA. Not many scopes
also the zoom ring. will take you from 100 to
1000 yards without using
a tapered scope-rail, so a
big ‘plus’ for the Sightron.
Now for ‘round the angles’.
With our aim-point on the
red centre-dot I’m winding-
off 32 clicks of elevation
and adding 32 clicks of
left windage. Still with my
crosshair on the centre dot,
the first shot is fired and it
impacts in the bottom left
corner of the target. Now,
we wind-on 64 clicks of
elevation and fire another
shot, again using the same
aim-point. Shot two impacts
in the top left corner of the

Target Shooter 29
 images on the chart so now I compare test
Sightron S111 Series 8-32 Scope scopes with the best of my own scopes,
an 8-32 Nightforce BR scope. The lenses
on the older Nightforces were legendary
and if I recall, only the Schmidt & Bender
5-25 power scope has proved superior.
To carry out this comparison, we need a
bright clear day and both scopes must be
solidly mounted and carefully focussed on
the ‘target’ – an electricity pylon about four
miles away. The Nightforce will resolve all
the cabling and intricate lattice-work on the
pylon and I was surprised to see that Sightron
image was just a good – in fact, if anything,
it was slightly better – exhibiting a little more
contrast. I can now see why the Americans
are raving about these scopes. Incidentally,
the ‘fringing’ that I experienced at 100 yards
was totally absent. The lenses have a
blue-green anti-flare coating which,
combined with the internal treatment of the
body-tube, was effective in controlling flare
when looking towards (but NOT into) the sun.
The Sightron is finished with a satin black
target. Now 64 clicks of right-wind and shot three coating which resisted any ring-marking
impacts in the top right of the target. We continue during my review. The turrets come with dust-
with this exercise until we return to our first shot covers and the adjustment graduations are clearly
in the bottom left of the target. In a perfect world, incised in gold and the turrets move with a positive
shot five will go through the same hole as shot one ‘click’. Clicks are a quarter MOA and there are fifteen
but this is the real world and our shot impacts just minutes per revolution.
under half an inch away – see pic. This is an excellent Similarly, the zoom-ring and side-focus adjusters have
result and well within the limits of rifle, ammunition, that reassuring precision ‘feel’ and are also tastefully
conditions and of course ‘the nut behind the butt’! marked in gold. Finally, there is no illuminated reticle
By taking a couple of check measurements, we and there shouldn’t be on a pure target rifle scope. We
can see how accurate our quarter-minute clicks only shoot in broad daylight on high contrast targets –
are. The sides of our square if you remember are why should we have to pay for an illuminated reticle?
64 clicks in length. A click is a quarter MOA so So, our scope is a very good product and ticks
each side is 16 MOA. Taking one MOA as 1.047 all the boxes and will serve you well in F Class
inches, the sides of the square should measure competition or any other long-range disciplines. This
16.75 inches. They actually measure nearer 17 is not however a cheap Chinese scope, and this is
inches, so a very good result. Few scopes offer this reflected in the price of around £800. The nearest
standard of adjustment accuracy. By measuring the rival, the 8-32 Nightforce is however considerably
diagonals of the ‘square’ we can also verify that it more expensive – and heavier – which could be
is a true square – it is, so we can be confident of significant if you are building a rifle to a weight-limit
our windage and elevation adjustments on range. as in benchrest or F/TR.
Before our final check, I should comment that there
is noticeable chromatic aberration or ‘fringing’ Tech Spec.
present. This manifests itself as a yellow-green Model S111ss832x56LRD
edge to areas of high contrast – in this case, the Company Sightron Inc. N. Carolina, USA
edge of the target. Fringing is a product of glass UK Importer Aimfield Sports
lenses and can only be eliminated by using fluorite Objective 56mm
in place of glass. However, providing that it does not Ocular 42mm
degrade the image – and it doesn’t - it should not be a Reticle Fine crosshair with quarter MOA
problem. For me, eye-relief was about three-inches. dot
Our final test is to check the resolving power of Click value Quarter MOA
the lenses. Originally, I used a lens test chart Body tube 30mm
for this purpose but even the cheap scopes Length 15.35 inches
became good enough to resolve all the Weight 24.7 ounces

30 Target Shooter
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Target Shooter 31
32 Target Shooter
 Laurie Holland

SAVAGE MODEL 12 PRECISION RIFLES (part 2)

Above - Phil Gibbon and his 6.5-284 Norma 12 F is
the combination to beat in 600 and 1,000yd UKBRA
FS-Class Benchrest
Floating
Talk of lugs brings us to another Savage feature, the
pinned on bolt-head. The Savage bolt has twice as many
components as the Remington 700 (17 compared to
8) to reduce machining, manufacturing time, and cost
as it’s cheaper to make small components that are
assembled on a factory bench using pins and screws
than a few big ones requiring boring and milling. This
arrangement provides us with a big plus – because the
bolt-head is free to rock around a bit on the bolt body,
The unique Savage ‘cocking piece it ‘floats’ and ensures the lugs sit squarely on their
pin’ on the rear right side of the bolt bearing surfaces. Should you fancy a calibre/
body. This and the external sear pro- barrel change that involves a different bolt-face diameter,
vide an excellent arrangement now just take the bolt apart, remove the cross-pin and swap
that trigger ‘feel’ has been sorted bolt-heads. At first sight there appear to be four lugs,
but the rear pair remains in the three and nine o’clock
positions in the receiver and blocks the lug raceways. These
Last month, I looked at the Savage 12 Precision rifles’ ‘lugs’ are actually gas-baffles and help provide smooth bolt
stiff, solid bottom receivers with minimum size ports, operation. A second bridge type baffle sits on the bolt tail.
and their excellent ‘target AccuTrigger’. Let’s look at
the bolt now, an apparently standard Mauser type, twin The other Savage signature feature, derided by
opposed lugs at 3 and 9 o’ clock when open, and positioned traditionalists, is the barrel locking nut, again originally
ertically when locked. Closer examination reveals unusual adopted to reduce production costs. Assembly sees a
features, in particular cocking and striker release. Unlike most chambered barrel screwed into the receiver body using
designs, there is no bolt shroud and cocking piece at the
rear, instead a ‘cocking piece pin’ with a round button
head that protrudes from a triangular shaped aperture The front end of
in the right side of the bolt body, one edge of the triangle the bolt with the
acting as a cocking cam forcing the pin back on pencil lead against
bolt-opening. the bolt-head
retaining pin. The
The sear is even more unusual, most of the rear ‘lugs’ are gas
component visible above the stock alongside the baffles
right receiver wall acting as sear, bolt-stop and
cocking indicator. When the rifle is cocked, the
pivoting sear holds the ‘cocking piece pin’ (hence
firing pin) back, while a trigger extension holds the
sear. Press the trigger, the extension drops, the sear
pivots out of the way of the pin releasing the striker. The
downside was difficulty in getting a light, crisp pull, a
hurdle that Savage has now cleared with the Accu
Trigger. An upside is the absence of the ‘normal’ sear
arrangement that pushes the bolt tail upwards in other
twin-lug designs, tilting the bolt in the receiver and
reducing pressure on the top lug while increasing it on
the lower.

Target Shooter 33
 The 12 F ventilated forend is designed to ride a 3” BR
a headspace gauge before locking it with the nut – no
torquing-up, gauging, then removal and re-machining
of the barrel if headspace is outside tolerance as in
conventional practice. Moreover, headspace tolerances
are reduced – not an issue with custom rifles but definitely
one in mass-produced models.
Again, this setup delivers excellent results straight out of
the box when allied to Savage’s current barrel quality, and
is a boon for home gunsmiths. Changing the barrel needs
a padded vice, headspace gauge, and barrel-nut wrench.
Pac-Nor makes pre-chambered and threaded stainless
match-quality barrels in a large range of calibres /
chamberings, twist rates, lengths and profiles. This facility
played a significant part in my decision to buy a 12 F. Load
development for my handloading features is expensive
when a new rifle or conventional rebarrelling is needed for
each cartridge, so the Savage setup offers convenience
and a large cost reduction while still providing a superb
action and platform in the 12 F.
Stocks
Let’s move onto the rifles as they come out of the box.
Both use variations of the Competition action with the
‘target Accutrigger’, but LRPV models have two stock
bolts instead of target models’ three, without any
apparent effect on accuracy with the small cartridges used
in this model. LRPVs have 26” barrels; Benchrest, F, F/TR,
The 12 F buttstock has a broad horizontal lower edge
parallel to the bore and forend to ride a rear-bag
34 Target Shooter
front-rest bag
and Palma 30”. The F is available in 6mm BR Norma and
6.5-284 Norma; the F/TR and Palma in .308 Winchester
only, while you can get an LRPV in .204 Ruger, .223
Remington (7” or 9” rifling twist options), .22-250
Remington, and 6mm BR Norma. The LRPV uses a
version of the H-S Precision composite varmint / police
rifle type stock with a moulded in full-length aluminium
alloy bedding block, riflescope friendly sporter buttstock
and semi-beavertail forend suited to a bipod. It’s a great
design, but so common nowadays there’s not a lot to say
about it. Since I wanted to use it off the bench, my LRPV
has a Sinclair International ‘forend stabilizer’ screwed on
in lieu of the front sling swivel stud providing a three-inch
wide Delrin plate to ride the front-rest bag. Apart from
unscrewing the rear sling swivel stud to ride the rear bag and
adding a ‘scope, that’s it, ready for testing and competition.
The ‘F’ is even more ready for benchrest or F-Open
competition, the stock designed to ride a front-rest and
rear bag. It is a massive laminated effort with a three-inch
wide forend and broad flat horizontal buttstock bottom
face. The latter is actually too broad at around the inch
and would ride the bag better if it was a little narrower. The
three bedding pillars are small diameter and look slightly
countersunk below the timber. Talking this over with Vince
Bottomley, it’s sensible to regard the design as wood
rather than pillar bedded, and he recommends a simple
epoxy bedding job using a thin layer of Araldite on the area
 Officially, Savage laminated stocks are pillar-bedded, but the three pillars
are very small diameter and slightly countersunk
under the receiver – allowed within BR Factory Sporter
(FS) class rules as is muzzle re-crowning, also recom-
mended. There are three stock forms in the ‘Target series’.
The 12 F rifle is as shown in the photographs, and appears
to be used on the new Model 12 Benchrest Dual Port rifle.
The 12 F/TR stock has a narrower and more rounded
forend for bipod use, a raked lower buttstock edge, and is
supplied with two different height cheekpieces. The 12
Palma rifle stock has a multi-adjustable buttstock and
different forend for prone hand-held shooting with a sling
and handstop making it the most expensive model. All
have grey-coloured laminated stocks.
Performance
The original idea was to use both rifles in FS-Class in the
UKBRA summer Benchrest series at Diggle, the LRPV in
A Sinclair International ‘forend stabilizer’ was fitted
to the LRPV (on right) to make it ride a BR front-rest
properly
100yd and the F in 1,000yd matches. However, they take
place on consecutive days, one weekend per month.
Logistics, plus the threat of D-I-V-O-R-C-E from my
long-suffering other half ruled this commitment out, so it
was a choice of which produced better results first. To my
surprise, this was the .204 Ruger LRPV, quickly
producing one third inch and better groups on Diggle’s
100yd ‘A’ range despite its notoriously variable winds.
Conversely, the 6.5-284 Norma 12 F was finicky about
loads and only performed really well with low velocity
combinations – but a likely cause has since been found,
so I expect the rifle to redeem itself. The LRPV has
performed exceptionally well, just needing me to read the
wind. (Just?!) In any event, three outings have produced
two class wins and the FS small group each time.
Shooting either rifle is pleasant – smooth actions, crisp
and light triggers. In fact, I shoot the .204 LRPV using
free-recoil and squeezing the trigger against the rear of
Target Shooter 35
 flip that the fall of shot
is seen through the
‘scope. Talking about
which, neither comes
with sights of course,
just four tapped holes
for mounts. I’ve fitted
Ken Farrell Picatinny
rails to both, and
carried out Mr. Farrell’s
instructions fully on
checking for play. Rail
to action body fit was
perfect on both so no
epoxy was needed – a
testament to how
precisely the rails are
machined, likewise
With the 12 F providing a platform for years of future and perhaps more
unexpectedly the factory produced receivers,
handloads’ development, it was decided to invest in
something you cannot guarantee from every
top-class sights – a Ken Farrell 20-MOA sloped rail,
rifle-maker. A budget but excellent Edgar
Schmidt & Bender PMII 12-50X56 target ‘scope, and Brothers’ Opti-Mate 24X44 target scope was
ARMS 34mm QD levermounts used initially, but this has just been replaced by a
Sightron 36X42 model from Aimfield Sports.
the trigger guard with the thumb and forefinger only. In
this heavy rifle, .204 recoil is negligible – one reason why The 6-5-284 F? Trying a Wheeler Engineering
it is popular with field users, there being so little muzzle screwdriver-form torque wrench on review from
Norman Clark
Gunsmiths showed the
action bolts were little
more than hand-
tight, less than 10 in/
lbs needed to undo
them. They’ve been
screwed down to 50 in/
lbs torque and I’ll rerun
some ‘classic’ 6.5-284
competition loads with
expectations of much
improved results, with
the Araldite epoxy
bedding technique
tried afterwards. I know
these rifles perform –
Phil Gibbons walked
away with the UKBRA
1,000 yard FS class
championship last year,
some groups only six
inches at this range!
This year, there are so
many Savage F rifles in
use – I counted six at
The .204 Ruger 12 the last PSSA winter
LRPV can shoot! A series 600yd BR round
– it’s a question of which
0.207” group shot
Savage owner takes the
in a UKBRA 100yd class win (while embar-
competition. (The rassing some owners of
5-match aggregate custom BR ‘Light
was in the ‘threes’.) Guns’), although Phil
still takes some
beating.
36 Target Shooter
 The .308Win Savage 12 F/TR (second
from the camera) is a popular and
effective rifle in its class, seen here in
a 2008 F-Class League national round.
(The rifle nearest the camera is also a
Savage 12, Osprey Rifles’ Stuart Anselm
with his rebuilt 12 BVSS sporter.)

So finally, what’s the financial damage from a Savage ‘Competition’ model and where can you get one? They
were a fantastic bargain last year, F models selling for £1,300 and the action/trigger for £500. The big fall in the
value of the pound has imposed hefty increases, so the importer’s current RRP for the 12 F/TR is £1,700, and the
12 F £1,850, but reduce that by £200 in each case. From? The supplier for these models is Osprey Rifles (www.
ospreyrifles.com), full details of Savage Competition rifles, actions, and contact information on this website.

Email : stuart@ospreyrifles.com

Tel : 0161 4083555

Osprey Rifles
‘The Savage Specialists’

We still have a limited supply of precision target actions

for sale at £500 for your next custom project. The new
RRP is £920 so grab a bargain while you can
Target Shooter 37
URL : www.ospreyrifles.com
 Over 10,200 guns for sale
82,000 visitors per month
Over 115 dealer stock
live online

Sect 5 Dealer Humane Dispatch, De-Acts,

38
Exports Please call 0845-458 9666
Target Shooter
A visit to Barnard Precision in New Zealand
My son Phil, a police officer, took his family to New
Zealand a few years ago to take up a post with the
Auckland Police and this was to be our first visit to
New Zealand.
It’s a fair old journey which ever way you do it
and we chose to break it up with a two-night
stop-over in Singapore. If you try and do it
without a stop-over, it’s almost a 48 hour door to door
journey! It was a cold, miserable November
morning when we took off from Manchester Airport
but a complete contrast when we landed in
Singapore 10 hours later – hot and humid.
Singapore is not noted for being ‘firearms friendly’
so, if you were taking a gun to New Zealand, I would
It might be made on a CNC mill but tolerances
are still checked with an old-fashioned
micrometer.
advise flying in the opposite direction – via Los it’s massively stiff and like the ‘S’ can be had in left
Angeles. Either way, it’s a long way! We eventually or right-hand configuration. If you saw last month’s
landed in Auckland at 10.45 pm to be met by Phil
and his wife; the first time we had seen them
in three years.
When my shooting buddy, Vince Bottomley
heard that I was going to New Zealand, it was
he who suggested visiting the Barnard
factory and Vince had already made contact
with owner Charles Hoddinott and, as I had
already relayed this information to my son, a
visit had been organised for early February –
did I mention that I would be there for three
months?
The Barnard action has recently become
by Brian Walker
From the outside, it looks like any other factory
quite popular in the UK and there are several
reasons. Not only do Barnard make superb actions
of course but with the poor dollar/pound exchange
rate, their actions are now even more attractive.
Add to that some notable shooting successes –
like for example Russell Simmonds winning the
F/TR Class in the 2008 GB F Class League and
gradually, shooters are turning to the Barnard. Fox
Firearms are one of the UK importers and they
usually have a few in stock – so no waiting for
months and months as you may have to do if you
wanted an American action.
If you are not familiar with the Barnard
actions, there is a whole range to choose
from with Barnard expanding their product
range significantly over the last ten years.
First up is the Model S, which is a Remington
clone in size but corrects a lot of Remington’s
faults – like a proper claw-extractor, a decent
barrel-tenon and a small feed/ejection port
- keeping the action very stiff. The Model S
can also be had with a cut-out for a magazine
on the underside if you wish – designated the
SM.
Next up is the ‘P’ action. This is very similar in
appearance to the ‘S’ but larger. This three-lug
action is the one most of us would likely choose
when building a serious competition rifle. Again,
Actions and bolts start off as simple bar-stock
Target Shooter 39
 over an hour and we were able to see the
manufacture of an action through the various
finishing stages.

For the technically minded, the action-bodies

At last – a proper lathe!
Target Shooter you may recall that Laurie Holland’s
Eliseo tube gun was built around a Barnard ‘P’
action.
But the range doesn’t end there and as well as
catering for the big magnums, Barnard go all
the way up to the 50BMG cartridge. (If you are
interested in such things by the way, I happen to
know that Fox Firearms currently have a 50BMG
Barnard barrelled-action in stock). A few new
models are also in the planning/development stage
which I can’t tell you much about at this stage
but they will be introduced into the market ‘as
appropriate’. The same quality standards are
applied throughout the range.
are made from a chrome/moly/nickel alloy
(4340) which undergoes three treatments
during manufacture, finishing with a through
hardness of 37/38Rc. and a surface hardness
of approximately 60Rc. (nitrided). It is then
diamond ground after nitriding.
The bolts are made from case hardened steel
(EN39B) and receive a final case-hardening
treatment to 62Rc. and are then diamond
ground for concentricity. The annealing and
hardening is actually carried out by a specialist
operator, as is the diamond grinding.
My benchrest rifle is built around a
stainless-steel BAT action and I was keen to ask
Charles if they had any plans to make a stainless
action. “We believe that the alloys we use are
currently the best available for the purpose.”
I know that the ‘bolt to body fit’ is very close on a
Barnard and pre-chambered barrels can be ordered
through Fox Firearms which appear to headspace
correctly, so I was keen to know how tolerances
could be held to this high level.

Hand-finishing a “All tolerances have been tightened over the

component after CNC last few years to the point where bolts are
milling interchangeable and pre-fit chambered
barrels can be produced by a competent
barrel-maker with confidence that they will
headspace correctly. We believe that this
contributes to the potential accuracy of the
firearm.”

Maybe it’s just me that likes shiny actions – if

On the appointed morning of the visit, we
left Phil’s home on the north shore city of
Auckland and travelled across the
wonderful harbour bridge with its spectacular
views of the marina and city with its imposing Sky
Tower – the tallest building in the southern
hemisphere. Thirty minutes later we were parking
outside Barnard Precision’s factory in Honan Place,
Avondale.
We were warmly welcomed by Charles who
had laid on a full tour of the factory which lasted
not stainless, what about a chrome finish? The
standard Barnard finish is of course a deep
blue/black finish and but yes, they have
done the odd nickel and Teflon finish but as
production increases, it becomes more difficult to
do ‘one-offs’. Maybe if a batch were ordered, an
alternative finish could be requested but otherwise,
as Henry Ford famously said – “You can have any
colour you like, as long as it’s black.”
Incidentally, the final finishing is done ‘off premises’
by a specialist metal finisher.
“If they can do a better job than we can, we have no
problems using external contractors.”
All major machining work is however done

40 Target Shooter
 ‘in-house’ on two CNC lathes
and two CNC milling-machines
with a spark-eroder cutting the
bolt raceways. There are also
a couple of other lathers and
millers for specialist ‘one-off’
work and the like.
Following the factory tour,
I had a lengthy chat with
Barnard’s Head Manager and
he was keen to show us their 07
aluminium stocks which are
also CNC machined from
billet aluminium. These offer a
similar concept to the American
tube-guns but because the
Barnard actions are so stiff the
actual tube sleeving the action A finished P action with Barnard’s
isn’t necessary. own trigger

We had a look at a finished 07 well – maybe next time.

rifle – a tactical-style rifle fitted with a True-Flite
barrel chambered for the 308 Win. cartridge. I
was already familiar with the 07 rifle as Vince has
built a similar example and I understand there is a
write-up elsewhere in Target Shooter. The True-Flite
barrels are also made in New Zealand of course
and it would have been good to visit their factory as
My thanks to all at Barnard Precision for a very
interesting visit. If you would like to know more,
please visit their website at www.barnardprecision.
nz and, if you would like to have a look at the range
of Barnard actions please contact Fox Firearms at
www.foxfirearmsuk.com

www.FoxFirearmsUK.com
Tel: 0161 430 8278 or 07941 958464
PUTTING SHOOTING FIRST
VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO SEE THE VERY BEST VALUE CUSTOM PRECISION RIFLES FOR TR, MATCH,
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WE STOCK HUNTING RIFLES BY COOPER, KIMBER AND PFEIFER AND COMPETITION-
WINNING RIFLES FROM KELBLY AND KEPPELER, AND ARE TRADE AGENTS FOR THE
SUPERB BARNARD ACTIONS, AND RECORD-BREAKING TRUE-FLITE AND BARTLEIN BARRELS

WE ALSO STOCK PROFESSIONAL BORESCOPES (from £533) AND A RANGE OF HIGH-POWER

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Target Shooter 41
 We are now building custom rifles based on these top quality US made rifle actions. We are sole
UK distributors for these actions and are happy to supply the Trade.
Surgeon XL action in .338 Lapua Magnum
Please feel free to contact us to discuss your
proposed custom rifle

A very cost effective way to enter the sport

….SPS Varmint barrelled action installed in a
choice of aftermarket stocks from AICS,
Hogue, Bell & Carlson etc Supplied with
polished bolt rails, adjusted factory trigger
and refaced and crowned barrel. May be
upgraded to include detachable magazine
system, tactical bolt knob etc ……

We recently received our first Marlin rifles for many months following the relocation of the factory in
the US and the appointment of Edgar Brothers as Marlin UK distributors. We have a small number
of .44 blued 20” rifles left but have sold out of the stainless steel ones. However, we are reliably
informed that a bigger shipment is due soon which should also include .357 Marlins so please contact
us if you would like to go on our waiting list. Our competition ready tuned Marlins are very popular and
we have a large stock of Wild West Guns Trigger Happy kits on the shelf at £85

As sole UK distributor for Barska riflescopes

and red dot sights we recently received another
shipment of these great value for money rifle
optics. This time we have increased the range
we carry to include three new Barska products.
NEW! 4 x 28 IR red or green mil dot style reticle
and picatinny rails, fits Weaver base £65

NEW! Benchmark Competition Scopes

First focal plane true mil dot reticle side focus parallax adjustment,
1/8MOA, 30mm tube, 5” sunshade included. Exceptional image
quality at an affordable price!
4 – 16 x 50 £250 5 – 20 x 50 £260 8 – 26 x 50 £285

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sight, removable 2x adapter,
fits Weaver base £70

Everill Gate Farm Tel: 01226 756332

Broomhill, Wombwell Fax: 01226 751321
Barnsley S73 0YQ e-mail: enquiries@rimfiremagic.co.uk
website: www.rimfiremagic.co.uk

retail shop isTarget

Our42 Shooter to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm to allow us time in the workshop.
open Thursday
Ammunition Selection, Testing and Preparation – Part 1

By Carl Boswell

Finding the right ammunition

for your rifle is a long and often
tedious process. In the present
climate of ever increasing prices
for all factory ammunition, or
reloading components, this can
also be very costly. Everyone
around the globe associated with
shooting and obviously rimfire
benchrest, has noticed these
alarming price increases and
this is affecting the sport in a
number of ways. Some of these
affects are good, as we see
air rifle benchrest developing,
but other consequences are The Stoney Point Rim thickness gauge is
fewer people taking up rimfire relatively cheap and easy to use - you will
benchrest. The knowledge of this need a dial caliper to use this.
being due to base metals soar-
ing in price on the stock market buy top brands, but will choose an intermediate brand,
does not help your average or championship costing less, but possibly dropping better
shooter. The costs get passed onto them opportunities for accuracy in the process. Both
nevertheless. Therefore it is important to choose the cost and accuracy are deciding factors and it is
best ammunition you can afford for your rifle, while something we are all weighing up every time we
at the same time achieving best value for money shoot. For some, including myself, I tend to know
from it while practising and in preparation for an what ammunition suits my rifle and I will batch test
important match. This is why some shooters will not for a match or season. Most of my practising will be
done with a number of brands that are closer to the

There are a variety of rim

thickness gauges available
like this one by Neil Jones
in the USA

Target Shooter 43
cheaper end of the price range, as I cannot afford to
use Eley Tenex – my current favourite - to test out
pet theories while practising that will help me shoot
better – mores the pity!! For a match, ammunition I
select is very carefully scrutinised using some, if not
all, of the processes discussed in this short series
of articles about rimfire ammunition. This is nothing
special to me as most, if not all, match shooters will
go through similar processes.
Eventually you will have been through a process
that has enabled you to select the ammunition that
best suits your rifle in every way, achieving this by
getting the best groups/ score. This has probably
involved a process of batch testing at a
manufacturer’s in the UK or abroad. (Something
I hope to do a detailed article on in the future) or
by buying different batches/ samples of a variety of
ammunition and then testing these at your home range.
Obviously Eley offer a batch testing service, as do
others like Lapua and RWS, but you will have to go to
Germany to do this. Both processes are sufficient to
get you started towards the objective of having rifle
and ammunition tuned, so perfect accuracy can be
assured.
With your ammunition selected or batch tested you
Diagram showing rim thickness and below
the head available headspace
44 Target Shooter
are ready to shoot and take on the world. Or are you?
Is there anything else you can do? Some people will
tell you that ammunition manufacturers have tested
your ammunition under very strict conditions, which
they have, so there is no point in wasting your time in
doing any testing yourself. However, manufacturers
will not test each specific round, but small groups
going through the manufacturing process. Here
I think we can take a real hint from our centerfire
colleagues. Each round of ammunition is carefully,
sometimes lovingly, prepared for a shoot, whether
this is for practise or for a match. The heads are
weighed, the case prepared, fire formed and checked,
and powder measured to absolute accuracy, etc.
This leaves them with a prepared round of
ammunition that will act and do the same as every
other one that is prepared under the same conditions.
As we rimfire shooters do not, and cannot, have the
same opportunities for making our own ammunition
we can at least ensure that we do check what we
have so we have confidence that the 25 rounds we
have to shoot in a match will go where we expect
them to. This may seem a little fussy, but if a few mil-
limetres in accuracy are going to cost you a match
due to one round of ammunition becoming a ‘flyer’
then any checking
 it is worthwhile checking the size of
your rifles head space as it becomes
older. Most good quality ammunition
will have a rim thickness of about
0.040, so will fit into the headspace of
your rifle. (See Pics 3 and 4).
Brookwood did an excellent article
a number of years ago about head
space and rim thickness in
‘Brookwood No 58 and No 59 and
these are well worth a read. As he
stated there is a lot of conjecture about
the nature of the relationship between
Rim thickness 0.040 rim thickness and head space. One
thing remains the same with whatever
ammunition you are shooting, the
ammunition rim must remain
consistent. The relationship between
the two comes down to ignition and
how the bullet leaves the case as
it ignites. If there is a headspace of
0.043” and the rim thickness is 0.040”
then on ignition the case will move
back momentarily into the bolt 0.003”.
If the headspace is 0.044” then on
or testing regime is worth it to win that important match. ignition the case will move back
momentarily into the bolt 0.004” and so on. Does
Rim Thickness Testing this mean anything? A lot believe where there is a
The first piece of equipment we look at to help test measure of cartridge movement into the bolt face
our ammunition is the rim thickness gauge. It is a accuracy is therefore affected. There are number of
product that has been around for a number of years theories, even ones about building a rifle action/bolt
and for some a waste of time, for others a helpful around a specific ammunition type/ brand and the
guide to ensuring what they have is tolerances it comes off the manufacturing line
what they need to win. It depends on
what your point of view is!? There are
a number of types (See Pics 1 and 2),
and all advertise by telling you they are
the most accurate, easiest to operate,
etc. The gauge I use is one I bought a
number of years ago which was from a
US company called Stoney Point. The
gauge works well, using a dial calliper
as the source to find out the size of
each rim you are testing. However,
they all do the same job and at the
end of the day. Each .22 round has
to be inspected, so it can get pretty Rim thickness control -
laborious after a while! Now why not measured
inspect the rim thickness of a .22
round? Well this all has to do with
the headspace on the bolt of your
rifle. Anschutz rifles will come in
with a headspace or around 0.043”.
Custom built rifles will have anything
from 0.043” to 0.045”. Maybe more
or maybe less depending on the
gunsmith! This will also change over
time as your action and bolt wear, so
Target Shooter 45
with. This would mean smaller headspaces of
possibly 0.041”. Would this work? Well people
keep trying, but for most of us it is about
having consistency with what actions are
available. (On a safety note excessive headspace
will contribute to stretched cases, case separation
and gas leakage. While insufficient headspace can
prevent the full closure of the bolt, bullet
compression into the case, leading to higher
pressures on ignition). This is a simple explanation
and the relation of rim thickness, head space and
bullet seating merits a deeper discussion;
probably from someone more knowledgeable than
I am! Through batch testing ammunition you will
find what is suitable for your rifle by default. The
point I want to make is that checking rim thickness
consistency over your chosen ‘batch’ will be time
consuming, but the merits of this is to discard the
few you will find in a reliable brand that are not
consistent with the rest. That elusive 250 may count
on it?!
I attempted a simple rim thickness test without any
other inspection processes with a cheaper range
of ammunition. The range of the rim thickness out
of 1000 rounds was between 0.0397” to 0.041”.
(I would comment that this process is important in
cheaper brands of ammunition, as rim thickness
can be quite different not just from one batch to
another, but from rounds within the same box
giving as much as 0.009 difference. Just over half
of my sample measured in at 0.040”, which is what
I wanted, a consistent or standard measurement in
line with more expensive ammunition I have used
before. Now this test cannot really be held on its own
as the ‘be all and end all’ of the testing discussion. I
think that other testing procedures could and maybe
should be brought into this. The objective of the test
is to show what can and often does happen if rim
thickness is not tested for consistency taking into
account the range of rim thicknesses I was working
with; potential inconsistency, as rimfire benchrest is
entirely about consistency. (See Pics 5 and 6). You
can take this test for what it is; a consistent batch
of rim thicknesses against a control that was not
measured at all. The ‘strings’ on the control targets
do beg questions about growing group size and why
this is happening! If you have the sort of ‘flyers’ I
am getting in these targets diagrams, rim thickness
testing your ammunition may be worth looking at as
a starting point?! In my own and other tests I have
seen it is apparent that having consistent rim
thicknesses does play a major role in achieving
accuracy.
Good shooting until next time, when I will
continue looking at other products that may help
selecting that all important match ready batch.

46 Target Shooter
 Target Shooter 47
 Outdoor Air rifle sports – Starter Equipment Part 4

Stanley Shaw
The next big question is what distance must
one set the zero?This is practically your choice.
You can zero your air rifle at whatever distance
you like, however there are some norms that
shooters follow. The decision is sometimes also
based on the type of sport that will be practiced
and how the shooter intends to target all the
other possible ranges before or beyond his zero
point. Some shooters decide to zero at the apex
point of the pellet trajectory others simply zero at
a fixed. In general most set in the region of 30 to
35 meters.
The subject is vast and certainly cannot be
explained in all the details in a short article.
I suggest that you download a copy of the
BFTA setting Up an Air Rifle and Telescopic
Sight for Field Target. (http://www.viriato.net/
airgunning/bfta_setup_manual.pdf ) This is an
excellent manual for all target shooters
irrespective of the sport they practice. It
goes deep in the subject on scope set up in
particular for Field Target, however one can
Above you can see the Point Of Aim (POA) from a learn a lot about scope setting and pellet
mil dot reticle centered to the red marker. The pellets trajectory from this manual. It is worth to
Point Of Impact (POI) are off the POA. With Zeroing download, print and study.
we will adjust the scope so that those pellets will fall
in the center of our POA at a fixed distance. In this article we will approach the scope setting
I the previous articles we had a look at starter in a different way, the quick and dirty method on
air rifles and scopes for our shooting sport a practical example of a target shooter who has a
hobby. Once we got the equipment together we sub12ftlb air rifle capable of consistent shots of not
then started to understand the performance of our more the 10ft/sec. The shooter is using JSB Exacts
equipment and break in our new air rifle, now it’s 0.177 caliber of 8.4 grain weight. The air rifle average
time to set our scope. muzzle velocity is 780ft/sec. This shooter wants to
To perform a scope set up you must keep in mind mount and set a 6-24x44 mil-dot scope. The scope
that has a ¼” @ 100y turret setting and is seated 2.126
• If you own a PCP air rifle always set up inches (5.4cm) from center of the bore to
the scope within the number of consistent shots center of scope tube. This shooter would like to
available to you within the heart of fill. experiment with FT, HFT and Bench rest.
• You must use the same pellet during Since his air rifle class is 25m for Bench Rest,
zeroing as the pellet weight, shape, skirt size will the shooter wants to zero the air rifle at this
effect your POI and hence your zero. distance. The shooter would like then to
understand the mil-dot to trajectory in relation to
What do we mean by zeroing a rifle? x10 magnification for HFT and at X24 for FT. The
The zeroing is a set point of aim (POA) at a known shooter intends to use hold over method to engage
distance. This will be the striking point of impact targets at distances between 10 and 50 meters.
(POI) of your pellet assuming that there are no ex- This can be done and one requires a few things.
ternal influences. These influences are wind, change • Accessibility to a 50m range.
in muzzle velocity, pellet weight and rifle hold. • A measuring tape.
• A target stand with a backstop.
48 Target Shooter
 you have a single piece you will
be locking the complete mount).
Note if you are using two
single mounts make sure that
when you put the front mount
against the rear mount there
are no steps between the
seating plains of the scope, if this
is so 99% you do not have the
clamping screws in the same
orientation you have rotated the
mount by 180 degrees. Correct
this at once.
• Center your turrets. First
rotate the turrets clockwise
until it stops do not force any
clicks as you might damage the
mechanism. Once the end
is reached rotate the turret
counters clockwise and count
Above are typical single piece mounts, Note that the mount on the the number of turns until it stops
right hand side has a grub screw in the center (this will be under the again. Then rotate clockwise ½
scope tube). This screw is to lock the mount to the action it must be the number of turns counted. In
used as the rear mount. Note the side clamps for the mounts must this way you will be centering
be also install facing the same direction otherwise there might be your turrets to the optical center
offset between the saddles of the mounts. of your scope.
• Now place the scope
• A couple of plain white A3 sheets. onto the mounts, try
• Some drawing pins or masking tape. to support the furthest from the turret
• A Felt tip black marker cradle (move the front single mount), place
• A ruler. the top clamps and tighten evenly to still allow
• A bench or table. forward motion and rotation of the scope on
• A rifle rest. the mounts. Shoulder the air rifle and move
forward or backward the scope to have enough eye
Mounting the scope. relief. You will identify this when you see a
• Remove the top clamps of the mounts clear image, no blur or dark areas. I suggest
completely. setting the focus ring at 10m and the
• If you are using a set of single mounts magnification to the lowest at this stage. Once
identify the mount that has a locking grub eye relief is found, with a pencil mark the scope
screw in the middle of the bottom mount. This against on of the top clamps. Now tighten the side
will be the rear mount. If you are using a clamps of the mounts fully and rest your air rifle.
single piece mount this will also have the • Find or hook up a colored nylon line and
locking grub screw, the grub screw side is the rear hang a weight at a distance say 10m. Put your
of the mount. Make sure that the grub screw is fully air rifle on a rest and keep it level. Look through
retracted and not protruding out of the mount. Note the scope and align your vertical crosshair with
DAMPA mounts do not carry this lock screw. If you the rope without altering the eye relief (use the
look at the top of the action in between the dove tail mark). Once you’re aligned then start to
of the mount you will find locking holes on top rear tighten the top clamps evenly. Keep gaps
of the action. This is the position where you must between top and bottom mounts the same. Do not
align the rear mount so that later on you can tighten over tighten as this can damage your scope tube.
the lock screw in your mount to act as a stopper. • The last thing is to set the eye focus
• Now unlock the side clamp/s of your mounts bell. Just shoulder your air rifle and point it
enough to slide them onto the dove tail. Slide in to something bright like the sky or white wall.
the front mount followed by the rear mount. Tighten Adjust until you see a crisp and clear reticle. Now
slightly the side clamps enough to allow still sliding you are ready to start the zero process of your
movement, align the rear mount to one of the scope. This will be covered in the next issue.
locking holes on the scope action, then lock the
grub screw and the side clamp of the rear mount (if

Target Shooter 49
50 Target Shooter
 303 compensation characteristics
and commercial ammuntion
By Nigel Greenaway
I’ve always had a soft spot for the .303, having been
introduced to it at the age of 14 whilst shooting for
my school’s Cadet Rifle Team. The subsequent 32
years of my shooting career witnessed the
resurgence of the .303’s popularity with the
introduction of Classic and Veteran rifle
competitions in the mid 1980’s. It was and still is
a great introduction to the sport of full bore rifle
shooting as an investment of around £250 in a No.4
will make you as competitive as the next man –
particularly in the rapid and snap competitions. Over
the same 32 years I have seen the availability of
military surplus .303 ammunition fluctuate to the
4T Kynoch
point that the once common Greek HXP is now very
difficult to obtain. Thankfully various manufacturers
have entered the market with commercially
produced ammunition that comes close to
replicating the military .303, 174 grain ball at
velocities near to the original 2,440 feet per second.
In addition the popularity of the .303 in America
has meant that reloading components are readily
available, particularly Sierra’s excellent 174 grain
Matchking bullets. The real choice boils down
to shooting the commercial ammunition or try
reloading or both, depending on the type of
competitions you wish to enter. The purpose of this
article is to show the results of testing some of the
different commercial brands and some handloads
that have worked well for me. In addition I will
examine the peculiar “compensation” characteristic
of the .303 when shot in the SMLE and, to a
slightly lesser extent, in the No.4. I will also examine a
modern trend in reloading – Optimum Charge
Weight, the basis of which is finding the optimum
point in barrel vibration to compensate for small
differences in powder load. It is a theory that
recognises the dramatic affect that barrel harmonics
can have on accuracy and directly links to the 100
year old theory of compensation.
So what is compensation and why is it linked to
the SMLE? I’m tempted to quote at length from the
Target Shooter 51
 4T_HXP
Textbook for Small Arms 1929 but the language used
is slightly laboured! Basically it is all to do with the
rear locking lugs of the SMLE bolt and a relatively
thin receiver which causes slight flex on discharge
and a more pronounced barrel flip in a vertical plane
P14 Kynoch
from the lightweight barrel. A more modern
examination of this phenomena used spark
photographs to show the SMLE’s muzzle position
versus muzzle velocity at the point that the bullet
exits the muzzle. It was clear that the lower velocity
bullets left when the muzzle axis was at or near its
uppermost point whilst the higher velocity bullets exit
the barrel at a lower point in the muzzle flip. If you
think about it - this the equivalent of aiming higher
with a low velocity bullet and aiming lower with a
higher velocity bullet – exactly what you would want
to do if you knew what the muzzle velocity was
going to be before you shot. Of course you cannot
predict the velocity of each round before you shoot
it, especially with military surplus ammo. The great
thing is that this variation in velocity between rounds
is handled automatically for you by the good old
SMLE. At longer ranges this compensation affect
brings the different trajectories together and
produces smaller groups. Hence an SMLE shooting
variable velocity ammo shoot will shoot more
accurately at long range (800 - 1000 yards)
52 Target Shooter
compared to short range (200- 500 yards). Proper
tests showed the best SMLE’s could produce 30- to
50-shot groups of about 20 inches at 1000 yards. At
500 yards, the same rifle-ammo combination would
produce groups about the same size; i.e. twice
as big in Minute of Angle terms. Some find this a
difficulty concept to accept but it was well understood
and documented in the Text Book of Small Arms
1929, page 56, shows a diagram that helps illustrate
the phenomenon. Now you know why target
shooters between the wars would use a P14 at
ranges up to 600 yards but would switch to a SMLE
for 900-1000 yards. The P14’s front locking Mauser
action with a thicker barrel doesn’t exhibit any
compensation and its accuracy is directly
proportional to the muzzle velocity spread of the
ammunition. Even when the No.4, with its slightly
stiffer action and thicker barrel, became popular the
greater compensation characteristics of the SMLE
were still preferred at the longer ranges.
These compensation characteristics caused by the
SMLE bolt/receiver/barrel also explain why there
can be massive differences in bullet point of impact
when different bullet weights are used or when a
bayonet is fitted or when oil or water is present in the
chamber. The latter will cause greater receiver/bolt
flex and will alter barrel harmonics because of the
more violent recoil impulse of cartridge against the bolt
face due to the case not gripping the chamber walls.
I think that is enough theory for now – I’ll
explain Optimum Charge Weight in the reloading
section next month. Having explained the shooting
characteristics of the Lee Enfield action - what can
you expect from the different brands of commercial
ammunition? I had intended to test the different
commercial .303 brands in three different rifles – a
Canadian Long Branch No.4(T), a P14(T) plus a 1916
dated SMLE No.1 MkIII. Unfortunately some early
morning foggy conditions at the excellent facilities at
Minsterly Ranges, south west of Shrewsbury, made
it rather difficult to see the target with iron sights so
Prvi 4T
 to be very helpful and knowledgeable and they are
regarded as world class in the big game rifle
ammunition world (www.kynochammunition.co.uk).
Very consistent in both rifles, almost as good as my
own handloads, shooting and inch or so higher than
my normal elevation and 4 out of 5 shots fell within
an inch of each other. On the basis that you end up
with good reloadable HXP brass this ammo takes
some beating.

I didn’t have any Sellier & Bellot ammunition to

Prvi P14
all the testing was conducted with the first two rifles.
The ammunition tested comprised:
1. Greek HXP (1985) 174 FMJ grain head, has a
reputation for shooting fairly hot and can throw a
few shots outside a group but the brass is great
for reloading and with neck resizing and full length
resizing after every 2 or 3 reloads it will cope with
10 or more full power reloads. Perfectly adequate
for rapid fire stages and snaps and I regard it as
the control sample for these tests. Difficult to find
now but Henry Krank are selling new HXP .303
brass at £9.99/100 which is a bargain (www.hen-
rykrank.com). Results showed groups that were
bigger than I have managed in the past with this
1985 batch, about 4 inches high in the No4(T) but
elevation was to point of aim with the P14(T). Still
worth buying at the right price just to get the cases.
hand (it sells for £62/100 at the NRA) but I have
heard stories of big variations in quality between
batches. However, what really put me off was
seeing a friend have total case head separation
on virtually every round on the first reload. This
happened just above the critical web area about
1/3 inch or 8mm above the rim. This is where
most of the stretching occurs on .303 because of
“generous” military chambers. I have since heard
from others that the brass is very weak in this critical
area and even if neck resized is probably only good
for 2 or 3 reloads. The heads are FMJ 180 grain
which I have used for reloading with good results.
The results you can see in the pictures which
were shot on a one inch grid but the 5 shot
group sizes (in inches) are summarised below:
Ammunition P14(T) No.4(T)
Greek HXP 2.93” 4.50”
Prvi Partizan 3.15” 1.87”
Kynamco Match 1.50” 1.50”

2. Prvi Partizan 174 grain FMJ Boat Tail made in Next month I shall compare these groups to
Serbia and available through Henry Krank for various handloads and examine the theory
£50/100. Gaining a fine reputation and the brass of Optimum Charge Weight when reloading.
is perhaps even better than
HXP. It shot a couple of inches
high in my No.4(T) but about
8 inches low in the P14(T).

3. Kynamco’s .303 Match.

174 grain boat tail Sierra
Matchking heads loaded in
to Greek HXP Brass. These
are somewhat downloaded in
order to not cause any
problems with Lee Enfield
rifles that might be 100 years
old. Prices are around the Small Arms Text
£46/100 but I understand
that they will be reloading a
new batch in the spring once
they have sourced more
cases. They also produce
.303 loaded with standard
174 grain ball. I found them

Target Shooter 53
 The Great Diggle Egg Shoot

The Egg Shoot is now in its eleventh year and
continues to be as popular as ever. The idea for
the egg shoot was conceived in America as a
competition which would test target and field
shooters alike and it certainly does.
Vince Bottomley
Above - A happy band of egg shooters
becomes a 9. Tim Finley was best at 100 yards with
a score of 38 points shooting off the bi-pod with his
tactical Surgeon in 6.5x47 using a 5-25 Schmidt &
Bender scope.

Everyone hits the target at 100 yards

but when we dress back to 300 yards
the scores tend to plummet. We now
have some idea what the wind is doing
but how much do we need to wind-on at
300 yards? Most shooters will go for the
body-bull at this distance, where a clean
hit score 10 points. Top scorer with 26
points was Steve Dunn shooting a Tikka
fitted with a custom barrel chambered
Do you think Darrell Evans looks pleased –
in 22BR with a Nightforce 12-42 scope.
he should be, he’s just broken the egg and Again, Steve shot off a bi-pod. Tim didn’t
won £100! do so well this time with 12 points so
going into the 500 yard stage, Steve had
The ‘target’ guys have their benchrest rifles and a healthy lead on 58 points.
rests but are not allowed any sighting shots which
‘blunts’ the advantage of all that fancy equipment Just as well really as a miserable 5 points was all
and the field shooter, who learns to make his one
shot count, will be at no disadvantage with his
favourite foxing rig – providing he knows how to
use it. For once, the weather is ideal – warm and
sunny, though the light breeze must never be under
estimated at Diggle.

The competition is in two parts. Part one is the

groundhog shoot. Three shots at 100, 300 and
500 yards on a rabbit-size target - with no sight-
ers. The groundhog target does however have bulls
– a head-bull and a body-bull with scoring rings
and the accurate shooter can pick up big points at Les Holgate breaks another egg – with
100 yards. Three clean shots in the tiny head-bull my rifle! Read about the Barnard 07
will net you 45 points but cut the line and that 15 elsewhere in Target Shooter

54 Target Shooter

Paul Harper won
the best PC ‘T’
shirt prize!
that Steve could manage at 500 yards – well, I say
‘miserable’ but just hitting the target is an
achievement, with 50% of the field scoring a big fat
zero! I’ve shot the egg every year since its
inception in 1999. I’ve won it outright, broke eggs
and won stages but I’ve never won the 500 yard
stage. My rifle was zeroed at 100 yards at the start
of the shoot and I had to rely on the Nightforce
ballistic programme for my come-ups. My 300 yard
elevation was good so I trusted the prog. and
wound-on another five minutes and aimed at the
body-bull. It gave me three hits at 500 yards – one in
the bull - to score 17 points – the highest of the day
and gave me runner-up spot behind Steve.
My rifle is a BAT chambered in 243 Ack. which
I am desperately trying to sort out for 1000 yard
benchrest so maybe I am getting there. Although
the rifle is really intended to be shot off a proper
benchrest, I couldn’t be bothered lugging all that
weight around so I too used a bi-pod.
In addition to the stage wins, we also reward ‘small
You can use anything at the
egg shoot. Here’s Simon
Stanton with his 338
Lapua Magnum
group’ at each distance. John Dean, of Aimfield
Sports and UK Sightron scope importer took the
small-group award at 100 and 300 yards with super
groups of 0.209 inches and 1.099 inches using his
RPA chambered in 6BRDX – please don’t ask what
scope he was using! At 500 yards, Peter Wilson
shot an unbelievable three-shot group of just 0.714
inches. Peter was using his F Class rig which is a
BAT put together by Pete Walker of Walker Rifles
and is clearly stunningly accurate. The chambering
is 7mmWSM and Peter uses a March scope.
Just nine shots from each competitor wraps up the
morning’s activities and after a lunch-break, we
shoot the egg. One shot is all each competitor is
allowed but, hit the egg and £100 is yours. Although
there are no sighters, the morning shoot is really
a sighting-in exercise for the egg – providing of
course you managed to land at least one shot on
the groundhog at 500 yards.
First shooter to have a crack at the egg was
Welshman Darrell Evans – and he broke it – with
nothing more exotic than an Accuracy International
in 308. A dozen or so failed attempts later and Les
Holgate broke another! Les was shooting my 6.5x47
Barnard ’07 tactical rifle. He had just one shot on
the groundhog at 500 yards and clearly made a very
good stab at his come-ups and windage.
The Barnard ‘07 has impressed me since I built it
around a year ago and, as it’s just about the only one
in existence in the UK, I’ve included a write-up on
this unusual rifle elsewhere in Target Shooter. Not
only that, but one of our shooters visited the Barnard
factory on a recent visit to New Zealand and you
can read about that as well in this month’s Target
Shooter.
Results:
Stage 1, 100 yds Tim Finley 38 points
Small group John Dean 0.206 inches
Stage 2, 300 yds Steve Dunn 26 points
Small group John Dean 1.099 inches
Stage 3, 300 yds Vince Bottomley17 points
Small group Peter Wilson 0.714 inches
Overall 1st Steve Dunn 63 points
2nd Vince Bottomley 54
3rd Tim Finley 52
The Egg Shoot is a very easy competition to stage and
I’m sure that a few of the hundreds of clubs out there
could put on a similar shoot. The Egg Shoot has no
rules – any rifle, any scope, any rest – as long as you
can carry it to the firing-point. There are no separate
classes- everyone shoots together. If you would like
to put on a shoot, get in touch and I will happily supply
you with a sample target. vinceb@6ppc.fsnet.co.uk
Target Shooter 55
 The winners – Steve Dunn, Peter Wilson,
John Dean, Tim Finley, Les Holgate,
Darrell Evans and Vince Bottomley

DIGGLE RANGES
Much of the testing carried out by Laurie
Holland and Vince Bottomley on behalf
of Target Shooter is carried out at the
fabulous Diggle Range complex, which
is situated approximately 10 miles to the
north east of Manchester.

Shooting is offered at all ranges

from 100 to 1000 yards and covered
firing-points with concrete benches are
available at 100 yards, 300 yards, 600
yards and 1000 yards.
There is ample parking and a large range
house with toilet and kitchen facilities.

The ranges are managed by the Pennine

Shooting Sports Association and a full
competition calendar covering all
disciplines is on offer for members.
BORESIGHTERS Membership is currently open to
LEOPOLD (magnetic), BUSHNELL
(mag), BUSHNELL (laser) suitable applicants.
FRONT RESTS
SINCLAIR, CALDWELL The ranges are available for
shooting seven days per week and
weekday range time may be booked by
commercial companies, police forces
etc. for training purposes and the
testing of firearms and ammunition.

E-mail vinceb@6ppc.fsnet.co.uk in the

first instance.

56 Target Shooter
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Target Shooter 57
 Shooting Website of the Month

This month we look at the one of the NRA

websites in the USA, which hosts all of their ‘in house
publications’ - some of which are FREE.
That’s always a word that gets people’s
attention and some of them are available on line,
much like our own magazine. Aptly names NRA
Publications, the information both on the
website and in the magazines available is
informative and interesting for the viewer.
Obviously this is predominantly aimed at the
customer in the USA, but still holds a lot for viewers
outside of that continent.
The online magazine can be subscribe too
and has a lot of articles that the discerning video, articles and pictures that keep the
shooter will be interested in. It’s nice to keep viewer interested in the topic at hand. As this
up to date with pistol development as well and website is being constantly updated, it is worth
there is lots of this type of information available. taking a peek every few weeks to see what’s new.
I find this type of website fascinating, as it is As an information site it is an invaluable resource for
just something we do not tend to get in the the shooter, with links to other sites and resources.
UK, mores the pity. It would be great to see You can see why they have things pretty much
our own national bodies producing support sorted in regard target shooting in the USA, with
material and information sites like this one. these types of resources to support them. Until next
On the whole a website that is packed with month. http://www.nrapublications.org/

58 Target Shooter
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Target Shooter 59
The Barnard 07 - a tube gun from
New Zealand

My loading components and target using
RL15, 108 grain Lapua Scenar bullets
Following Les Holgate’s success in the recent
Diggle Egg Shoot with my Barnard ‘07, I realised
that not many shooters are familiar with this rifle
so here’s an article which was originally written for
Target Sports but well, you know the story……..
Originally, New Zealand had two action-makers but
sadly CG Millenium did not survive but Barnard and
barrel-makers, True-Flite are thriving and, although
both manufacturers have their roots in Target Rifle,
they have diversified and Barnard actions
now appear in most disciplines and are well
respected in Australia, America and the UK.
By Vince Bottomley
The completed rifle. Note multi-adjustable butt
and cheek piece which can be reversed if
shooting off back-bag
All actions employ a large-diameter bolt, the body
being the same diameter as the lugs and the
ejection-port is deliberately kept small to maintain
action-stiffness. I’ve owned a few US custom actions –
BAT, Stolle, Nesika, Stiller etc. and in my opinion, the
Barnard is their equal in terms of fit and finish, though
admittedly, the Barnard would never win a beauty
pageant. Although the larger actions come complete
with Barnard’s fully adjustable trigger, the ‘S’ action is
designed to take a Remington-style trigger but more
about that later. The current US dollar/UK pound situation
just makes the Barnard even more attractive in the UK
as the NZ dollar is currently steady at 2.5 to the pound.
If you saw our feature in the April issue of Target
Shooter on Laurie Holland’s Eliseo tube gun, you will be
familiar with the concept of this type of rifle – an aluminium
chassis with AR15 style layout, pistol-grip, skeletonised
stock and designed to utilise a variety of popular actions.
My own introduction to the Barnard 07 came about
purely by chance as I was putting together the
Eliseo for Laurie, who had wisely opted to build it

The Barnard is a three-lug action with a

completely circular receiver and there are
several configurations, starting with the ‘S’
action. This is the smallest in the range and
intended to be a Remington 700 replacement
and can also be ordered with a magazine
cut-out if you prefer - designated the SM. The
somewhat larger ‘P’ action is designed for
medium-size cartridges which can be
accommodated in a 308 bolt-face. If we
are looking at magnum-size cartridges, no
problem, Barnard can accommodate you with
their larger ‘T’ actions, right up to the 50BMG Here’s the lock-ring system for the hand-guard. The middle
cartridge. All have a Sako-style claw extractor bit is sandwiched between the barrel and action
and bolt-face spring-loaded plunger ejector.

60 Target Shooter

Two screws and no further work is required
around the Barnard ‘P’ action. Although many Eliseo
builders go for a Remmy action, the practicality of using a
Remington donor action is not so appealing in the UK
as it might be to an American shooter. We would be
unlikely to find a second-hand Remington for less than
£250 and then it may well need further work. Even
after accurising, it would never be the equal of a Barnard.
Prior to actually chambering and fitting the Eliseo
barrel, I e-mailed Barnard Precision in New Zealand for
a barrel-tenon drawing as I hadn’t worked with a
Barnard previously. OK, I know this isn’t strictly
necessary as measurements can be taken from the
action itself but, it’s always nice to know just what the
designer intended in terms of tolerances and the like.
I was subsequently contacted by Charles Hoddinott
of Barnard Precision and we had an interesting chat
about – you guessed – guns! In particular, tube guns.
Charles was already well familiar with the Eliseo but
had I seen the Barnard version? Well no, I hadn’t.
The Barnard 07 concept is very similar to the
American tube-guns except
that it’s not strictly a tube-gun.
As I understand it, the original
‘tube-gun’ idea came about
through a desire to utilise
the aforementioned AR15
‘platform’ but incorporating a
‘cheap as chips’ Remington
700 action ‘sleeved’ into a
tube. Using this method, the
flimsy Remington action can
be usefully stiffened –
especially if it’s permanently
glued into the tube. Here’s
the difference – the Barnard
action certainly doesn’t
need to be stiffened as it’s
already an immensely strong
action, so the actual tube bit
isn’t strictly necessary. In
Barnard’s 07 rifle therefore,
the action is simply bolted – using the two
normal action-screws – to the CNC
machined aluminium platform.
My 07 rifle will be used for tactical-type
shoots out to 600 yards and my chosen
cartridge is the 6.5x47 Lapua. The 07 uses HS
Precision magazines, which will take
cartridges based on the 308 Win. case so it
will nicely accommodate the 6.5x47 Lapua. I
have built a few rifles using this cartridge and
it is an excellent performer out to 600 yards
and amazingly, it’s quite a capable performer
at 1000 yards.
When I first got my hands on a sample of
the 6.5x47 brass, I couldn’t wait to neck it
down to 6mm as I already had a 6mm Swiss
Match, which is very similar. However, since
trying the cartridge in 6mm and 6.5 mm form,
I’m convinced that Lapua got it exactly right
and 3000 fps plus velocities are easier to achieve with the
6.5 version – using the heavier 123 grain (as against the
6mm 105 grain) bullet. If you opt for the 108 grain Scenar,
3100 fps is easily attainable from 24 – 26 inch barrels.
I soon had a stock winging its way from NZ and our
UK Barnard importer (Fox Firearms) was able to
supply me with an action off the shelf which cut
down on waiting time. The 07 chassis is machined
to suit the smaller Barnard SM action with magazine
cut-out and it gave me an idea to try something different.
I’m a right-handed shooter, so normally I would
go for a right bolt, left port action. However, I
specified a left-bolt, left-port. Why? My rifle will be
used solely for tactical competitions and will always
be shot prone from a bi-pod. The left-bolt, left-port
configuration lets me keep my right-hand on the
pistol-grip and trigger, whilst the left-hand operates the
bolt, changes mags. or feeds single rounds. Hope it works!
We have an action and a stock – all we need is a
Here’s the CNC
machined bed for
the action. The HS
Precision mag.
(rear) has shorter
lips than the AI
mag.
(foreground) which
allows the cartridge
to jump out of the
mag. before the tip
of the bullet enters
the chamber
Target Shooter 61
 green.
Once the barrel-work is finished, that’s it – the bits are
simply bolted together. That’s the beauty of a tube-gun
– no stock-inletting or truing, no bedding, no finishing or
lacquering – just two quarter UNF bolts to do-up and you’re
shooting! Thanks to the accuracy of CNC machining and
the fact that both components are made by the same
manufacturer, the action-to-stock fit is – well, perfect. I did
wonder if it might be advisable to skim the bed with a thin
layer of Araldite epoxy adhesive but I decided to shoot it
first.

The stock kit comes complete with a multi-adjustable

butt, cheek-piece and one HS Precision magazine. The
’07 stock kit is about the same price as an Eliseo but
unfortunately, with the mad US firearm export
restrictions, Eliseo will no longer ship his tube gun kits
to the UK. Tube guns may initially appear expensive but
when you factor in the cost of say a McMillan A5 stock with
adjustable ‘this ‘n’ that’ plus the cost of bottom-metal, a
magazine and Picatinny rail, not to mention the cost of
bedding and finishing if you get your gunsmith to do it, they
My left-bolt left-port are damn good value – all the Barnard 07 needs is a trigger.
layout works very well.
The right-hand stays Now that we’ve mentioned triggers - the Barnard ‘P’
on the trigger whilst the action comes with its own trigger and very good
left-hand works the bolt it is too but, our SM action is designed to take a
Remington-style trigger. My initial choice would
barrel. There are plenty to choose from and although probably be a Jewel but be warned, the Timney trigger is
I have a leaning towards Bartlein, I can’t afford to wait Barnard’s recommendation, which is a pity as I
six months for a barrel so, as Fox Firearms also brings already had Shilen, Jewel, Remington and Riflebasix
in the excellent New Zealand True-Flite barrels and triggers to hand. Call me stubborn but I tried all four
had plenty on the shelf, it seemed the obvious choice. and just couldn’t get any to work reliably – it has to be a
Timney. Fortunately, these are reasonably priced, well
The button-rifled True-Flite is a stainless-steel 1 in 8.5 made triggers and mine is now set to break at 24 ounces
twist in a fairly heavy profile and I will finish it at 26 inches – about right for a tactical-rifle.
- plenty long enough for a tactical-rig. My Pacific Tool
& Gauge reamer is ground to suit the 123 grain Lapua I now have a fair bit of experience with the 6.5x47
Scenar bullet and cuts a ‘no-turn’ neck which is plus Lapua cartridge. It’s lovely to shoot, having less recoil
three thou. (0.003 inches) over loaded round diameter. than the 308 and it’s capable of excellent accuracy. My
The Lapua brass is so accurate that most necks are initial testing with Vihtavuori N550 powder and 123 grain
within half a thou. but clearly, you could not Scenars gave me good accuracy right from the word go.
contemplate this scenario with less accurately made This is a tactical rifle and half MOA is good enough. Even
brass. Three thou. is at 300 yards, I punched-out a nice half MOA five-shot
plenty tight enough group off the bi-pod
for a tactical rifle, in the snap-shooting
as we are often stage of a
shooting in poor c o m p e t i t i o n .
weather conditions However, I was still
with no opportunity to concerned about
clean until the end of the metal-to-metal
the match. A fit between stock
muzzle-brake from and receiver and I
Russ Gall of RG was interested to
Rifles in Scotland push the accuracy
completes the job potential as far as I
and for now, the could.
barrel will stay in it’s
natural state though A search of the
eventually, I might internet revealed
treat the whole rifle to that Reloader 15 is
Close-up of the left-hand SM popular with this
a Dura-cote paint job
in a suitably ‘tactical’ action cartridge in the
US and some
62 Target Shooter
also favour the lighter bullet, so the next step was
to try this combination. Again, half MOA without
problem, though my initial load was clearly on the hot
side so I dropped it half a grain at a time and the groups
began to close up. My resulting load of 38.5 grains of
RL 15 gave me stunning accuracy off the bi-pod and a
velocity of 3100fps. It’s not a hot load in my rifle but
as always, start low and work up in small increments.
My 108 grain Lapua Scenar bullets are moly-coated
and I used CCI BR4 primers as Federal are now almost
impossible to get. This load gives less recoil than a 6BR
with the RG Rifles brake and is superbly accurate out to
600 yards. At this stage, I haven’t had the chance to try
it at longer ranges. Clearly, the CNC machined metal-to-
metal fit is so precise that it provides a perfect bed. I can’t
see how it could be improved.
The slotted (vented) tubular fore-end acts as a
hand-guard, carries the bi-pod and of course, allows the
barrel to be free-floating. It not only supports the weight
of the rifle but it also copes with recoil and, just as we
would expect from the fore-end of a conventional stock,
it must therefore be strong enough to perform without
flexing. Barnard have come up with an ingenious way
to ensure that it does its job. Sandwiched between the
barrel and action we have a threaded collar which is held
in the same way as a recoil-lug. The hand-guard is then
attached to this collar with a locking-ring, making a very
simple and secure fixing. The lock-ring is knurled and firm
hand-tightening is all that is necessary to secure the
hand-guard. Barnard reckon – and I would agree - that this
is an improvement to the fore-end fixing of some tube guns.
As I mentioned earlier, I went for a left-bolt/left-port set-up.
So how does this work in practice? Answer – very well. My
right hand never leaves the pistol-grip and trigger, firmly
pulling the rifle into my shoulder, whilst the left-hand is
free to operate the bolt, change magazines or feed single
rounds. I can almost fire the rifle one-handed but I tend to
keep my left-hand on the mag. or bolt as an extra steady.
Please mention
when using advertising in the
magazine
The magazine is not yet 100% reliable and I can get
the occasional miss-feed which is annoying during a
rapid-fire sequence but I’m working on it. I keep
in touch with Charles at Barnard and he recently
contacted me with a few tips to improve feeding. With a
308Win round or 260 Rem. I don’t think there would be a
problem but the shorter case of the 6.5x47 jumps out of the
magazine lips just before the tip of the bullet has
entered the chamber – this wouldn’t happen with a slightly
longer round. I need to find a way of extending the mag.
lips a little. Maybe HS-Precision could address this one.
Charles also gave me another tip to improve
cycling of the action. The origins of Barnard lie in
off-hand target-shooting and thus greatly benefit from a
reduced lock-time. This is usually achieved by using
a very strong firing-pin spring. The downside is more
effort to operate the bolt. Lock-time is not so critical
with a rested rifle of course and Charles carried out
some testing whilst shortening the firing-pin spring. He
managed to reduce it by about 15 millimetres before it
started to light-strike. Yes, they work in millimetres in
New Zealand but gun-builders will be pleased to hear
that the barrel-tenon is the popular 1.0625in. by 16 TPI.
I’ve chopped 10mm off my spring without any light-strike
problems and now I’ve had a couple of hundred rounds
though the action, the bolt feels really slick. I also replaced
the standard bolt-knob for a tactical-style example and
cranked it back slightly – purely to improve the appearance.
Have a look at Barnard’s website at www.barnard.co.nz
there’s lots of interesting stuff like their 50 cal. action,
the GP (which Fox currently have in stock) and a Super
Magnum action, the ‘T’, for cartridges like the 338 Lapua
Magnum. They also offer an aluminium CNC machined
bedding-block for all their actions, should you wish to
use a conventional stock but do away with bedding. Look
up True Flite barrels at www.truefliteriflebarrels.co.nz
Target Shooter 63
A few people have asked for some basic pointers You can get started competing in the rimfire GR
regarding getting started in Gallery Rifle shooting so events with a bog standard Ruger 10/22 type rifle
here is a quick summary for those who would like to that can be bought for as little as around £250. Add
get involved! Starting from the beginning in ’97 when to this around £150 for a scope along with a little
we lost our pistols, we needed to find something help from an experienced friend to help tune up your
that was both legal to own and suitable to carry on standard trigger and you are good to go out and
shooting the “Action” matches such as the Bianchi, enjoy yourself. You can of course spend in excess
1500, Man v Man and Practical type of competitions. of £1200 just for a custom rifle on its own but make
At the time, Smith & Wesson were just not interested sure that you get plenty of feedback and advice from
in making revolvers that would comply with our new fellow shooters who have been shooting for a while
laws leaving some sort of rifle to fill the gap as our before spending your hard earned cash, as many
only choice really. The Ruger 10/22 type would be of them will have an idea of what works, and more
ideal as there were plenty of aftermarket bits importantly, what doesn’t! I would tend to stay clear
available for them from America at the time and they of many of the “military” .22 type rifles for use in GR
were relatively inexpensive, if you bought a standard competitions as they generally tend to be of little
one! The lever action type rifle was also taken on use for what we do, especially on the accuracy side
board as some people wanted to shoot centre fire of things. For instance, you won’t be able to shoot
(pistol caliber) instead and it all took off from there from the left shoulder safely with a bullpup design,
Whether you own a standard rifle or a lasers and bipods are not
allowed, and we don’t shoot
“custom” one you will still have plenty
in the dark either so you won’t
of fun shooting in a Gallery Rifle match! need a flashlight mounted on a
picatinny rail, if you get my drift!
On the underlever side of
things, the Marlins are pretty
much the rifles to use as by
design they can be operated
both quicker and more
reliably than the other
manufacturers’ rifles and it
is also very easy to mount
optics on top of them too, which
can be a major headache on
really, and has grown steadily into what we have some of the others out there. If you are just going to
today. Although there are now rifles with “other” types shoot the slow fire precision matches then a Rossi
or actions that are used in Gallery Rifle competitions, or Winchester will work just fine but for most of the
these are the two types that were originally intended faster “action” type matches you will have to work
to be used. a lot harder just to get the same end result! As for

64 Target Shooter
 .22 pistol based on a 1911
frame which fits superbly
well and of course will have
numerous amounts of “go
faster” parts available for them
from both the U.S and Europe.
I hope to have one on test very
soon and although they will have
a price tag of around £1200, if
the accuracy is good and the
reliability is 100% then I may
well be ordering one of these
to compete with! One quick
point worth mentioning about
LBR’s and LBP’s (and section 1
Marlins are available in various calibres and barrel lengths with the shotguns also) is that you
Cowboy models being quite a bit longer and heavier, so try a few first cannot loan or use one unless
you have the relevant
to see which type fits and balances best for you.
permission or your certificate,
the caliber, I go with the .44’s as I find the rounds
period! Unfortunately there seems to be many
easier to handle when loading and the larger hole
people out there who think otherwise, who are
size on the target has been the difference between
completely wrong, and are leaving themselves wide
scoring up or dropping a point on many occasions in
open should they choose to do otherwise.
the past. The ammunition is slightly more expensive
Over the years the GR committees have over the
to reload and there is a small difference in felt recoil
last few years tried hard to accommodate various
but it is minimal really for the advantage that may be
types of new firearms, calibers and accessories to
gained when it’s time for scoring.
be used in GR competitions but it seems that there
Both LBR’s (long barrelled revolvers) and LBP’s
is always something out of the norm that someone
(long barreled pistols) are starting to become a lot
wants to use alongside everyone else. It’s always
more popular now but again the choice is pretty
good to try and accommodate other groups of
limited really in what you can buy at the moment.
shooters into our sport but I feel this trying to please
The most common LBR in use is the Taurus in
everyone approach may not be the best policy for
either the 6 or 7 shot variety although there are a
us in the end, as more and more people want to
few S&W’s around that have been imported from
compete in their own “special” class, instead of with
Germany. Ralf Merkle probably makes the best
everyone else. As you will read elsewhere in this
custom revolvers in Europe but they come with a
issue there will be a review over the winter months
hefty price tag too but if you can
afford one, they are definitely the
best that money can buy. There
are some “smiths” waiting to be
imported in the very near future
but as yet the price and quality
are yet to be seen, but these may
well end up being the best option
for a base gun as the triggers can
be tuned to be far smoother and
lighter than it is possible to do
to a Taurus, due to their internal
design.
The overwhelming choice so
far for LBP’s is the Browning
Buckmark which normally Here’s a Taurus set up with a red dot on top although many
retails at just over £600. There other people use a telescopic scope for a bit more accuracy
a couple of tuners out there who in the 1500 and “Short” events!
will slick them up for you but the
aftermarket parts available for them are pretty
concerning the direction that GR will take in the
limited so far, but hopefully that will change soon.
future so we will have to wait and see what, if
Low Mill Ranges have just imported their first
anything will change for next year.

Target Shooter 65
 will provide you with some good training
practices, at a fraction of the cost. You
could of course make your own bank of
turning targets if you have a few people
with the right skills in your club, and
taking ideas and measurements from a
commercial one at another club could
well be beneficial for you.
Probably the most important thing
for newcomers to the GR scene to
take note of is that you are more than
Due to the much smaller size of the rimfire targets, welcome to attend ANY of the matches
LBP’s are shot on the full size pistol calibre targets. that are on our competition calendar
and that the Phoenix, and especially
For anyone wanting to take up Gallery Rifle type the British Championships at Bisley in
shooting probably the most productive thing for August are not just for the “top” shooters, they are
you to do is either join up with shooters who have for everyone! As long as you are safe, you will be
already been shooting it for a number of years, or made very welcome and the R.O’s and competitors
get some to visit your own club and give
you some coaching and advice there.
Trying to start up on your own with a
few enthusiastic friends can make the
process much harder and take far longer
than it needs to. It certainly took the rest
of us a few years of figuring out the best
shooting techniques and equipment that
was needed before we started getting the
desired results, so why not take a bit of a
short cut! Some ranges have pretty limiting
restrictions, space or finances so it is
important to be able to utilize what you
have available to provide you with the Mattersey probably have the best club range complex
best setup for quality practicing. Most GR in the country with 11 separate ranges with most of
matches are shot at distances between 10 them being 50m long. Here’s one of their dedicated
and 50m with many of them being shot at Bianchi ranges that the “Los Alamitos” match is shot
a maximum of 25m so most clubs should on.
be able to shoot a wide variety of them at
their own range. Having a set of turning targets is alike will give you all the help and advice that you
certainly very useful but they also cost quite a bit of need to get through your match! To make things fair
money, so maybe investing in a shot timer or two and ensure that everyone has a chance of winning
Left to Right – 1500, Multi Target, Timed & something on the day, most GR events are classified
Precision and Bianchi targets. to ensure that you only compete against people of a

66 Target Shooter
similar ability. The qualifying scores for each class in
every discipline can be found on the Galleryrifle.com
website along with a host of other useful
information like coaching tips, competition calendar,
contact and results details etc. This system also
helps to provide you with an incentive to achieve a
certain score that moves you up into the next class.
Winning and being an X class shooter isn’t what
motivates everyone though, but ENJOYING
yourself with like minded people and making many
new friends over a cold beer after the shooting has
finished is certainly not something to miss out on!
For those who aspire to take their shooting to the
next level, that is also catered for with National teams
from England, Scotland and Wales competing in the
Home Countries “Shorts” competitions, and the UK
1500 team that enjoys some good rivalry with the
Republic of Ireland, Germany and next year a team
from South Africa!
Help is always available whether you would like
information on the nearest GR club closest to you,
more advice on the different firearms and equipment
that we use, and even help with day or weekend
coaching sessions that can include everything from
basic trigger control and shooting positions, to how
to shoot a complete Bianchi or 1500 match! All you
have to do is ask via the “contact” link on the
Target Shooter home page. We can also arrange
help for either individuals or clubs who want to
gain GR Range Officer experience so that you can
start to help run practices or
competitions either at your own
range, or come down to one of
the meetings held at Bisley and
work alongside all of the guys
and girls there. Either way, the
more we all put into our sport,
the more it will develop and
grow for the future!

You will have fun whatever

standard you shoot at in
Gallery Rifle

Rude Fat Dog

RFD 621 Devon & Cornwall

We specialise in building exceptionally high quality

10/22 style rifles for serious competition shooters

We compete ourselves and know what it takes to

build a match winning gun! Performance tuning on
either your current gun or on a new 10/22, Marlin or
Buckmark can be tailored to your own individual
requirement or budget - friendly and honest advice is
just a phone call away! Over the next few months we
will be offering for sale some of our own specialist
custom parts and modifications on which we have
been working several months - to give you that
competitive edge on the line !

Gwyn Roberts shot a new British record of 1918 (155’X’) out of a possible 1920 at the Phoenix
meeting last month. Here is his ‘clean’ Mover target shot using our new Mover Base design along
with one of the new and exceptionally accurate KID stainless Match barrels. Why not let us build
your next top grade rifle !
www.rudefatdog.com Target Shooter 67
Tel: +44(0)1271 865865 Fax: +44(0)1271 865830
 Australian Gold - Warren Potent

By Andy Dubreuil
I was lucky enough to catch up with Warren at Eley
during May as he was batch-testing a couple of
barrels for himself and for another Australian
competitor before leaving for the Munich World
Cup in Germany.
The first thing I would say about Warren is
he is just such an easy-going kind of guy and
even though I shoot benchrest we still had a
lot in common regarding shooting in general.
Warren had brought with him three Bleikers and
one Anschutz rifle. Two of the Bleikers are owned
by Warren and he has used these for the past 2
years for batch testing and my first question to
him was “Why Eley?” Warren has used Eley for a
number of years and it seems to work perfect in
his rifles and batch testing with Eley couldn’t get Bolt detail from the Bleiker rifle used by
any better and as they say, ‘the proof is in the Warren
pudding’. Warren won a Bronze Medal in the
up another back in 2007 in the ISSF Sydney World
Beijing Olympics last year and this year he won
Cup. Eley is the choice of many shooting athletes
Gold in the Beijing ISSF World Cup back in July.
around the world you can understand why Warren
This is not his first gold medal however, he picked
uses Eley and his success has shown it to be the
right choice.
Trigger detail of the Bleiker Rifle Warren has had one of his Bleikers for two years
and has just recently purchased a new one. You
might think that he had a lot of work to do with
the new one before he found that ‘sweet spot’ but
Warren shot a 598 with un-batched ammunition
and says that all barrels are different - some shoot
straight out of the box and others need a little TLC.
For me, it was my first opportunity to see a
Bleiker up close and I was really surprised at the
simplicity of the barrel and action. It was so good that
Warren was able to take off the trigger, which
is built into a block (as you can see from the
photograph) in a matter of minutes. In comparison
with other well known rimfire rifles, the trigger is one
of the areas you really need to treat with respect
when taking the rifle apart for whatever reason.
Warren explained that with the amount of travelling

68 Target Shooter
 else in the world when it comes to the Olympics.
With regard to the 2012 Olympics, Warren is
naturally looking to improve on his performance in
Beijing and it seems to have already given him the
confidence with the medals that he has picked up
since then to reach his goal of a gold medal in 2012.
For those who may be thinking of taking up
shooting or maybe just starting out, Warren says
firstly have fun doing it, money can be an issue for
a lot of people and specially for juniors coming into
the sport, so it’s about going with what you can
afford and building from there. We do need to
encourage younger people into the sport as they
will be the next generation of top shooting athletes.
A lot of other sports have programs to encourage
youngsters but this is something that seems
The Eley testing bed with Warren’s rifle to be lacking in the UK. Local clubs do
securley attached their best but it would be great if some of
the larger organisations did more to help.
that he does, he takes his rifle completely apart to
Warren has a busy schedule over the next couple
safe-guard it from damage and the Bleiker lends of months as he was off to Munich for the World
itself to this. Even the bolt looks simple in comparison
Cup and then off to Milan for another World Cup
to other bolts and it is very easy to insert and remove.
shoot. Since we had both shot at Milan before
Like many budding shooters, Warren started at 16 we were able to share views of the range which
years old and joined the ranks of the Australian is very different to others around the world as it
team back 1986. In prone shooting, Warren does a has undulating mounds that are about 3 metres
number of different things within training but always
high and large baffles. It can do peculiar things to
uses batch ammunition as he says it’s the only trueyour shots but one thing we did agree on - you had
way getting a reading on how you are performing.
Warren’s training includes a number of
different things. He does live firing about twice
a week plus dry firing and visits the gym on a
regular basis. Dry firing for me is something
that I have not seen someone do but Warren
explains that in prone shooting, feeling comfortable
in the way you lay down and load and fire is an
important factor. By dry firing using snap-caps,
you’re doing all the normal things but without wasting
ammunition. Top shooters practise using a
Russian designed Scat machine which allows
camera to be attached the sight and gives a very
accurate reading of where your virtual round would
impact. New technology is now coming through to
give the impression of different wind conditions so
making dry firing a more realistic way of practice
without the use of live ammunition. I am sure that
there would be a lot of other shooting disciplines
that could benefit from this kind of technology if it
was available.
I asked Warren a slightly political question about
the 2012 Olympics and his thoughts about the UK
building a temporary range in London instead of
taking it to Bisley. Warren has shot at Bisley many
times and feels like all of us that it seems a waste
of money to build something temporary just to tear
it down afterwards. It’s nice to know that Olympic
Warren testing off ammo batches to achieve
shooters have the same views as us locals and it’s
hard to believe that this would happen anywhere the best group. One batch won him the Gold.

Target Shooter 69
 to shoot in the wind as the mirage was the worse
condition to shoot in. All that said, Milan does have
spectacular facilities with over 70 firing-points and
a very helpful group of people who run the range.
Part of Warren’s schedule includes getting married
in about 3 months time to his fiancé, Lee who he
met at the 2007 World Cup. Warren told me that it
was back last year he thought that he would take
the opportunity while he was on the podium to ask
Lee if she would marry him and she said yes. It
wasn’t something he had planned but he thought
why not ask now instead of later. It’s nice to know
that romance is alive even in the world of shooting.
Batch testing is not for everyone but essential
for those who are involved in competition at the
highest level but anyone interested in getting the best
ammunition for their rifle should maybe take a look
and get in contact with Eley. It certainly worked for
Warren as he picked up his third Gold Medal in
Milan with a final score of 702.4 ahead of Vebjoern
Berg of Norway who took the silver with a score of
701.7 points.
Many congratulations to Warren from Target
Shooter magazine on his performance and good
luck in 2012 Olympics.

Warren with the eley team in Birmimgham.

Kate Left and Martin the Eley RO right

www.eleyammunition.com

World Class shooters

shoot World Class
ammunition
Warren Potent (AUS)
Three times Prone Gold medalist from the 2009 ISSF World Cups
Olympic Prone Bronze medalist

Target Shooter
70 - the home of Tenex
ELEY
 Gun of the Month
pulling my chain but he assured me it was for real.
Needless to say, I jumped at the chance. I don’t
think he had named it yet, but a few days later,
DJ called to say he was naming it ‘The Duke of
Earl’. Well that made me go find it in my music
and yes, I did have a copy as it was a favorite of
mine also. I listened again with a new perspective
and decided that it would be great name for a rifle.

The rifle is a Turbo action, built by Flash Ebert in

Midland, Texas; it is a refined off-shoot of the world
famous Winchester 52 action and it is super-good
The ‘Duke’ stock in its early
for bench rest accuracy. Along with one of Arnold
stages Jewell’s fine triggers and Ed Shilen’s newest 4 groove
ratchet barrel, one of the Harrell boys of Salem,
The ‘Duke of Earl’….who would have thought
Virginia’s fine tuners and a Bruno style McMillan
of a name like that for a rifle? Well, I will tell
graphite stock with 2 carbon rods running the length
you - a child of the 50’s, a baby boomer, an
of it, topped off with a 45x Leupold Competition scope.
original rock ‘n roller, Elvis, Little Richard, Bill Haley
and a Gene Chandler fan, a man from a little town in
Indiana, the builder, the father of the ‘Duke of Earl’
- Bill Calfee, arguably the most famous rimfire rifle
builder ever.

The whole story is, I had just shot a rimfire match

and had done just terrible - like we all do from
time to time. I told my friend DJ Hepler that
that was it, I was going to quit and go back to
Detail of the Turbo
shooting shotguns and I was selling all my
equipment. That was Sunday, Mr. Calfee must action of this superb
have had a premonition because on Tuesday ‘Spec’ rifle
he called DJ and said he had a rifle in mind for
me and would I be interested. DJ called and
The barrel is 23 inches long, 0.890 inches outside
said he knew that I was quitting and selling my
diameter. Mr.Calfee assembled these components
guns but Bill Calfee had a rifle for me, was I
starting in September of 2008. He started test
interested? Naturally, knowing DJ, I figured he was
firing the Duke in October
and making necessary
changes and adjustments
Seeing which bullet
and how many different
bullets that it liked to
shoot. He did have a
completely different look
on the Duke at first and
later changed his mind
and changed it to what
it is now. It was redder
and the name was more
An interesting mounting golden looking. He was
system - something that always thinking about
may well be worth merit how he was going to put
and further consideration the ‘Spec’ number on it
Target Shooter 71
and eventually decided to go with the damascened
look on the bolt and the action.
A word about the spec rifle series, this is a series of
rifles that Mr. Calfee puts all the best of his ideas in
and completely finishes the rifle in his shop. Usually
he builds the metal parts and someone else will put it
in the stock and bed it. On the spec series Bill does
all work and test shoots it until it meets his exacting
specifications before he ships it to the proud new
owner.
Danny shot first and turned in a 2200, then I shot
a 2300 and it only got better from there. The Duke
really started to come alive and we finished up with
Danny on First and me coming in third, with DJ’s
Carolina Gold in second. So the Original Team
Calfee had finished one, two, and three in the first
national event the Duke had shot. Next for the Duke
was the first PSL match at the Rocky River barn.
There were many good shooters and some of the very
best in the country, the Duke did not dominate but it
did win the first PSL and went 2-0 in national events.

I received the rifle in November of 2008 and I
was extremely happy to finally have the rifle in my
hands. I went straight to my secret indoor practice
facility and starting running lead down the bore. I
knew it was something special straight away and was
absolutely assured when my friend DJ came,
shot it and declared it to better than his rifle - the
Carolina Gold that he carried to Italy and World
Championships. Believe me, I was completely
overwhelmed. However, I still had to turn the
tuner some because at that time I did not completely
Then came the RBA Indoor Unlimited, with my good
friend David Kenimer pulling out a win over the Duke
by one point, for his first national win. I am very proud
of him as I have been friends with him and his dad
since they first started in rimfire. And guess what,
he is now leading the PSL points race! DJ and I
are staying right with him, giving Team USA a one,
two, three in the PSL so far! So that is pretty much
the story of the ‘Duke of Earl’ to date. With some
good ammo and a little better shooting on my part,
there may be more big things in the Duke’s future.

... and there you have it. Another fine rifle by Bill
Calfee. If only we could get one of these custom
beauties in the UK........ hmmmmmm!

believe. So after some turns in and out and more Craig Young USA
shooting I put it back where Mr. Calfee set it, taped it
and have never even thought about moving it again. Footnote – The Duke of Earl was first recorded
by the Dukays in 1960. The ‘Earl’ is Earl Ed-
The first outing was a shake down run to see how wards, founder of the Dukays. Eugene Dix-
I and the Duke would get along. All went very well on, another member of the Dukays changed his
and I deemed it ready to go to the ARA Indoor
name to Gene Chandler (line three, para one).
Winternationals. My friend Danny Hepler also
wanted to shoot the Duke so he and I shared the Duke
for the match. I had four lots of ammo picked to shoot,
we tested on Friday to find which one we liked best.
We made our pick and waited until Saturday morning.

72 Target Shooter
Club Feature
The Phenomenon that is the “Umarex Boys Club”
(UBC) is a truly unique Air and Co2 Pistol shooting
club.
Why is it so unique?
The UBC is, as far as we are aware; the world’s first (and
only) ONLINE pistol shooting club. Not only that, the club
being Internet based boasts members in countries from
across the globe, including the UK, New Zealand, the
United States and South Africa to name just a few.
The UBC began life with a few air pistol enthusiasts
chatting amongst themselves on the Airgun BBS forum.
As more and more people began joining in these
conversations, the Air Pistol section on the BBS forum
was opened.
Eventually the UBC was formed and has since grown
exponentially and has developed its own website, forum,
chat room and own brand merchandise! In just over a
year the UBC boasts just under 200 members worldwide.
The success of the UBC is down to its management
team, most, who until relatively recently had never
actually met each other!
The UBC has developed into a “Good Fun” (but
quite competitive) club and although the club name
states Umarex & Boys, we welcome members of both
genders and those who own or shoot any manufacturers air
pistols.
Although primarily an on-line club we have so far
organised two live events held at the Greyhound Airgun
Range in Coventry. The first was a success, the second
event was even more of a success with more people
attending (both members and non members) getting to
shoot a very wide range of pistols from the Gat to the
high end Steyr LP 50. The meet had a very positive
impact on people and indeed converting non-shooters
into new air pistol shooters thus encouraging & helping
to bring more people into the sport.
The second live event brought competitors from all
over the UK and two members from the United States
also attended, heralding the first meeting of the whole
management team for the very 1st time.
One member who was working in Saudi Arabia also
made it back to the UK in time to attend the event;
he also brought his full I.P.A.S. kit to give members a
demo and tryout of this wonderful emerging discipline
of fast fire pistol shooting. Food and other refreshments
were provided on the day by the Competition & Events
Organiser and his wonderful family.
The UBC competitions consist of 6 yard and 10meter
competitions in 4 separate disciplines including Co2,
PCP, SSP and Spring Powered Pistol’s. We also have
In the firing line
a monthly ‘Police Pistol’ shoot where the object is to
accurately shoot multiple rounds at a specific target with
the added pressure of having to reload, fire another
volley and be within a specified time period. Also the
UBC has run 3 seasons of a special ‘147-snooker break’
competition; based on the game of snooker.
As well as the main competitions a number of ‘fun
side-shoot’ targets have been developed giving
members added reasons to shoot (as if they needed
any!).
The UBC is constantly seeking to encourage the fun
side of air pistol shooting; whilst keeping the priorities of
safety and responsible air pistol use at the forefront of its
member’s minds.
For competitors at the live events there are 1st, 2nd and
3rd place trophies in all main competitions as well as
special wooden spoon (booby prize) awards.
For the online monthly competitions run on the ‘honesty’
principle (scores are submitted by the shooter and do
not need to be verified) via email, there are certificates
awarded, that are sent out in the form of a PDF file to
shooters who achieve scores in specific bands.
These certificates can be printed out by the shooter and
bear the signature of the world renowned Airgun shooter
Terry Doe. The results of each competition are then put
up online for all to see.
The UBC is free to join; we welcome anyone who
shoots an air or co2 powered pistol of any age or
gender any profession or walk of life. The monthly
competitions are designed to be shot in your own
time either at home or at your local pistol range.
For more information visit www.umarexboysclub.
co.uk or email Tony the club secretary@umarex-
boysclub.co.uk or the club founder jason@umarex-
boysclub.co.uk
Target Shooter 73
 VINCE’S REGULAR COLUMN WHEREBY
ACCURACY NUTS CAN KEEP UP TO
DATE WITH THE ACTIVITIES OF THE UKBRA

Competitions 2nd Simon Rogers 25

We held the last of our 600 yard BR competitions
at the end of May. We ran the series as a winter
alternative to 100/1000 yard competitions and it has
attracted a decent entry of around 30 shooters at each
event. Benchrest at this distance is growing in popularity
in America and I can see why.
Equipment need not be quite as radical as for 100 or 1000
yard BR and smaller cartridges like the 6BR are perfect.
Factory rifles can also put in respectable performances
and, if I recall, the record for a Factory Sporter is just 2.5
inches (held by Ross Burrough shooting a 6.5x55 Unique
Alpine).
For our final shoot, we were rewarded with a
beautiful warm sunny day but with an amazingly strong
east wind which blew several competitors clean off the
two-foot square target and shots off-target incur a six-inch
penalty.
Glen Wilson also shoots 6.5x55 Unique Alpine and he
took a comfortable Factory Class win with a best group of
4.332 inches. Small-group award however went to Darrell
Evans with his 308 Accuracy International who shot a very
nice 4.017 incher – there were only three other groups
smaller than Darrell’s from the Light Gun shooters.
In Light Gun (all up weight 17lbs.) Mal Roberts took
a popular win with his 6.5-284 BAT. Mal has served
his apprenticeship at long-range benchrest with a
dog of a 308 but it taught Mal how to get the very
best out of a rifle and when he took the plunge with a
full-house custom gun, the results soon followed. Mal’s
2.324 inch group would have been good enough for
small-group award on a decent day but in today’s taxing
wind, it was very special.
3rd Steve Barrett 24
Factory Sporter
1st Phil Gibbon 39
2nd Darrell Evans 29
3rd Toni Young 18
Congratulations to the winners – see you in October for
our 2009/10 winter series.
Although our 600 yard series is over, we are only just
getting into our stride with our 100/1000 yard shoots. The
weekend of 20/21st June was round three.
At 100 yards, current champion, Ian Dixon continued
to dominate but second place went to relative
newcomer, Bruce Lenton, in his first year with a 6PPC
and I was more than pleased to settle for third after a
couple of fruitless seasons trying to find an alternative to the
dominant 6PPC cartridge.
In Factory Sporter, Laurie Holland’s brief but very
impressive whitewash of the FS class with his 204
Savage came to an end when Darrell Evans returned to
his old form with his 6PPC Sako. Laurie didn’t go home
empty handed however – his 0.344 inch group in Match 1
was never bettered.
Results:
Heavy Varmint
1st Ian Dixon 6PPC Walker BAT 0.236inch agg.
2nd Bruce Lenton 6PPC Stolle 0.265
3rd Vince Bottomley 6PPC TGP BAT 0.27
Small group – Martin Eldershaw 6PPC Stolle
0.134 inches

Results: Factory Sporter

Light Gun 1st Darrell Evans 6PPC Sako 0.4468 inch agg.
1st Mal Roberts 6.5-284 BAT 4.707 in. (av. of 2nd Laurie Holland 0.5688
four 5-shot groups) 3rd Andy Wooley 0.6214
2nd Simon Rogers 6.5-284 RPA 5.829
3rd Steve Barrett 7-08 Swing 5.996 Small group - Laurie Holland 0.344 inches

Small group Mal Roberts 2.324 inchres The day after, it was round three of the UKBRA 1000 yard
Championship. After a very cold Saturday with frequent
Factory Sporter heavy rain showers, Sunday was warm and dry with light
1st Glenn Wilson 6.5x55 Unique Alpine 6.029 winds. It wasn’t long before the small groups began to
2nd Graham Francis 6BR RPA 6.654 appear, the first one, a five-incher from Les Holgate
3rd Jack Gibb 6.5-284 Unique 6.942 shooting his 284 F Class rifle. Ian Dixon and Mark Daish
were also doing a bit of load-testing with their F Class rigs
The 2008/9 UKBRA 600 yard Championship was run over prior to the World Championships at Bisley in July. Mark
five rounds with the best four to count. managed a few respectable single-figure groups with the
6.5 Barnard but no one could touch Mal Roberts and he
Light Gun did the double with a fine agg. of just 7.6 inches and a 5.3
1st Vince Bottomley 33 pts incher to also take small group award.

74 Target Shooter
In Factory Sporter it once again came down to the battle Small group Ian Kellett 8.151 inches
of the Savages with Ian Kellett, Graham Watts and current
FS Champion, Phil Gibbon slugging it out. Ian is quickly Euro-benchrest
learning the art of 1000 yard benchrest and came out In many European countires like France, Italy, Germany,
tops this time, scooping-up the small group award in the Holland etc. benchrest has a large following and there
process. is an annual European series which naturally attracts
Europe’s best shooters.
Results:
Light Gun Scotsman Tom Morris, who resides way up north near
1st Mal Roberts 6.5-284 BAT 7.678 inch agg. Caithness, has to make a 1000 mile round trip to shoot
2nd Vince Bottomley 243 TGP BAT 8.402 benchrest at Diggle and it’s almost as easy to go on
3rd Steve Dunn 7mm Dunn BAT 8.737 the Continent – and he does. On his last visit in June to
Dobbiaco in northern Italy, Tom won the 100 yard LV
Small group Mal Roberts 5.387 inches competition outright with a stunning 0.185 inch agg.
and finished in ninth place overall out of a field of 75 of
Heavy Gun Europe’s finest. A fantastic result. Keep up with
1st Les Holgate 284 BAT 8.463 inch agg. European Benchrest vis Jean Claude Braconi’s excellent
2nd Mark Daish 6.5-284 Barnard 9.505 website at www.eurobenchrestnews.com or www.europe-
3rd Dave Wylde 338 Surgeon 16.079 anbenchrest.netfirms.com

Small group Les Holgate 5.934 inches Events

Factory Sporter
1st Ian Kellett 6.5-284 Savage 11.693 inch agg.
2nd Phil Gibbon 6.5-284 Savage 12.821
3rd Graham Watts 6.5-284 Savage 14.086
Our next BR shoot is on August 1st/2nd at Diggle ranges.
Enter on the day but e-mail me if you would like further
information at vinceb@6ppc.fsnet.co.uk and don’t
forget the UKBRA website at www.ukbra.co.uk

We had an all-girl relay at 1000 yard benchrest as Toni Young, Jeanette

Whitney, Diane Smith and Sheila McGowan managed to tear themselves away
from the kitchen sink. It was the subject of much good-humoured banter from
the lads

Target Shooter 75
 In association with
It’s not often you see something new and really
this particular product is of interest to a variety
of shooters from rimfire benchrest to prone.
Gerd Carlo Männel has recently launched a new
rimfire target rifle named appropriately the
MÄNNEL AdvancedSmallBore or ASB for short.
I heard about a new rifle at the IWA show this
year. (In fact I had heard about it for quite some
time before but was sworn to secrecy as it had
not been launched). The rifle itself is set up as
a prone/ three position rifle, but with further
development could easily be used for rimfire
benchrest as well. I have been told that there is
also further developments going on at
present, with a number of barrels are being
experimented with; including Lothar Walther
and an un-named American barrel. Outwardly –
and I have only seen pictures so far – you would
think that this looks like a number of other target
rifles on the market. However, you do need to
look more closely at the short bolt action, the
firing mechanism and a number of other
innovations that are not particularly standard.
The real aspect of this rifle that needs further
76 Target Shooter
The new ASB - full of innovative
ideas and we cannot wait to see it in
action
consideration is the fact that it is a 6 o’clock
firing pin. Not only this but I have been told that
it does not strike on a lateral motion but from
underneath! This, I would like to investigate
further as there are few of these rifles available
at the moment, but we may be getting some in
the UK in the near future. If it hold up to the tests
I have discussed in conversation then this rifle
will be very effective in competition. I am waiting
to hear more and I will bring this information to
people’s attention via this column or in a more in
depth article.
If anyone is interested in this rifle or the action
then get in contact with Harry Preston of Steyr
UK, as he is in contact with the manufacturer.
Harry can be contacted at steyr.uk@virgin.net
The website for Mannel Sport is http://www.
maennel.at/cms/
The price for said rifle, well unknown at the
moment! I hope to see one in the UK in the
near future to range or competition test. We can
only look forward to seeing the ASB in action.
 The Long View
News from the GB
F-Class Association
GB F Class League – Round 2 Bisley 6/7th June 2009
The second of the season’s GB F Class
National League matches, took place at Bisley on
the 6th & 7th of June with a full turn out of 60 entries.
Saturday dawned wet and overcast – typical British
summertime weather! The first stage of the match was
2 sighters and 15 to count at 800yds. At this range,
the target seemed quite generously proportioned, so
anyone who had not done their homework with their
handloads fell out of the 5 ring and got punished.
Conditions, apart from the rain were pretty benign
– requiring just a couple of minutes of windage at a
maximum and some folk got lucky needing hardly
any at all, as a consequence, scores were
understandably high. The wind-bucking big 7mms
were not really needed, a good 6.5mm would have been
ideal.
Dennis Groom had clearly tuned his loads to
perfection, as he prevailed with a superb 75.12,
followed closely by Peter Wilson with a 75.10 and Paul
Hill in good form just nipped into 3rd place with a 75.8.
Moving back to 900yds, the fun continued with light
intermittent showers passing quickly. The wind
was for the most part quite mild and predictable.
Darren Stewart proved his experience and local
knowledge of Stickledown with the only ‘possible’
in the detail with an excellent 75.11 and yet again
second place went to Peter Wilson showing his
old form on 74.9. Third place went to a countback
on tied scores of 74.7 and David Kent clinched it.
For the final detail of the day, we were scheduled
to press back to 1,000yards. Unfortunately due to
an NRA administrative error, several other range
users were allocated range spaces at 900yds and
there was insufficient capacity to enable us to be
separated safely, so we pressed forward to 900yds
for another detail there. The weather had freshened
up a little and John Carmichael showed a good grasp
of the changing conditions with his respectable 75.6
– the only 75 in the detail. Young Scotsman Adam
Brough put up a good V-count with his 74.9 to
secure second place, and in third place and only one
V-bull behind was regular competitor Gary Costello.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, a torrential
downpour hit Bisley but thankfully, it abated by
7am and so by the starting time of 8:30 the air had
cleared. Winds were again very mild indeed and
what wind there was didn’t register on the sodden
flags, instead it was to be a morning for keeping a
keen eye on the mirage and feeling for any changes.
Staying at 1,000 yards for both details to make
up for the program alteration on Saturday
meant we lost less time in moving back, so this
enabled us to get in two details. The first, a barrel
warming 2 & 20, certainly tested any latent
stresses in barrels. With a good partner and a
good marker, it didn’t take long to get through the
detail. First past the post was Des Parr with 97.4,
Dennis Groom had nearly 3 times as many V-bulls
with his superb 96.11 and again in third place was
the consistent campaigner Gary Costello with a 96.5.
Second detail on Sunday and the last of the
match, was a 2 & 15. By now, the flags had dried
a little and had become a bit more responsive and
revealed the wind to be switching to and fro
pretty quickly. So quickly in fact that it played
havoc with many competitors, leaving them out one
side of the target and then out the other side with
consecutive shots. The last detail was the trickiest,
exactly what we needed to churn up the scores a bit!
Clearly, John Carmichael had a good handle on the
conditions and managed a very reasonable 73.3.
Second place went to one of our relatively new guys
Andy Massingham with a 72.4 – a man to watch
out for! In 3rd, the talented young guy from Border
Barrels, Adam Brough featured again with a 71.6.
Target Shooter 77
F/TR up and mirage became an issue for some. As the
On the F T/R front, we saw all the usual scorecards were handed in it was no surprise to see
faces gather at Bisley keen to see how they Russell’s name on the card with the highest score
coped with Stickledown one last time before the - but as the scorer not the shooter!! His partner for
World Championships in July. WE also saw our the detail Glen Jones had shot a 70 with 6 v’s to
first F T/R competitor from Spain as well as a better Russell’s score by 1 point and take home the
regular from France - it says a lot for the quality of only stage medal not won by Russell all weekend.
competition if it attracts people from far and wide.
When the stats were computed, John Carmichael,
Saturday morning and F/TR were the third who has campaigned in many League matches had
detail to shoot at 800 yards, (such is the finally won first place in Open Class with a creditable
increased interest in F T/R that it now fills an 389.23, an excellent achievement. Ahead of him on
entire detail and are now only out-numbered by V-bulls and one point behind in second place was
two to one by the Open Class shooters. Compare our youngest member of the National League, Adam
that to two years ago where half a dozen F/TR Brough on a superb 388.30. In third place, clearly
shooters for most league shoots was a good turnout). putting his local knowledge to good effect, was the
well-respected Darren Stewart with a solid 385.31
With a 10” Bull, a good F T/R competitor needs to be
making the most of the benign conditions at 800 yards, In F/TR Class, third place went to Paul Dobson
that bull only gets smaller at 900 and a 1000 yards - with an overall score of 361.13, second place
relatively speaking that is!! Half the field managed to went to George Barnard on 365.17 and first place
break 70 ex 75 with Russell Simmonds putting in an went to Russell Simmonds with a score of 385.31
excellent 75 with 5 v’s closely followed by Andy Gent - good enough for 3rd Place in the Open Class!!
on 74 and 6 v’s and Paul Dobson with 72 with 4 v’s.
Round Three & the World Championships
Match 2 saw us at 900 yards with little change As most of you will know the next round of the F
in the conditions and yet again Russell took his Class league is also at Bisley, but this one will be
second match of the day with a 74 and 6 v’s the big one. It is to be held at the same time as the
beating Stuart Anselm into second place with 71.6v World F Class Championships. Unless you are one
who in turn saw off Willy Dixon by 2 V bulls on 71.4v, of those people who can regularly travel abroad
to shoot – not many of us - it will be a long time
Practice obviously makes perfect as having been before you get the chance to compete against
given another go at 900 yards, Russell proceeded a field as diverse and talented as this. With a
to shoot an impressive 75 with 10 v bulls - a score potential turn out of over 200 shooters, this will be the
that wasn’t even matched by any of the Open Class!! biggest F Class shoot ever. So why not contact Mik
Second place this time went to George Barnard Maksimovic and see if there are any spaces left, you
with a very good score of 73.2v with Willy Dixon may never get the chance to shoot at this level again.
claiming his second third place of the day on 72.5v.
Even if you don’t fancy shooting it will still be a
Shooting over for the day it was time to great event as a spectator. With so many foreign
tally all the scores; no surprise to see competitors someone is bound to have a tool or
Russell heading up the F T/R shooters after a piece of kit you have never seen before and realise
day in which he strayed from the bull just once! your life is incomplete without it! So make a date in
Better yet - he was leading the competition overall! your diary for 27th – 28th July for the Individual and
29th – 30th for the Team event or you may regret it.
Having not shot 1000 yards on Saturday we
were due to shoot 1000 yards twice with a 2
Please
and 20 and a 2 and 15 to finish. Following
straight on from where he left off, Russell put in a
mention
decisive 92 with 7 V Bulls a full 11 points clear of
second placed George Barnard on 83.3v who in turn
pipped Paul Dobson into third by just two V Bulls.

If there had been any doubt as to who was going to when using advertising in
walk away with the 20 points for the F/TR League
there were none now - it was now about the runners
the
up. The last match of the weekend and the weather
stayed kind - so much so that it really started to warm
magazine
78 Target Shooter
 A regular column whereby Ken Hall keeps us up to date
with black powder cartridge rifle shooting in the UK.

If you are having trouble finding cases locally, try

www.midwayuk.com With a little TLC, 100 cases
should last a few years, however after shooting, it is
essential to clean the fouling from the case as soon
as possible. Some start cleaning at the range by
immersing the cases in water, with a dash of
washing up liquid added. A handy little gadget
that you can make for yourself from an old pair of
pliers or similar, is a hand operated de-primer, which
will allow you to remove the spent primer on the
range immediately after shooting (see photo). Either
Aperture foresight with Vernier and Level way, the cases should be de-primed and rinsed with
clean water as soon as possible after arriving home.
In the previous entry to this series, I wrote a The majority of cases are termed as ‘straight-walled’
little about the background of the Quigley and so the insides can be scrubbed with a suitable
Shooting Association (QSA) and the Single bottlebrush or bronze brush from your rifle
Shot Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Club of Great cleaning kit. A couple of hours in a tumbler or
Britain (SSBPCRCGB) and the equipment required vibratory polisher will finish the job.
for competitions organised by them. In this article
I am going to look at some of the basics, which Bullets
apply whatever rifle or calibre is decided upon. Whilst there are some ready-made bullets on the
market, they tend to be relatively hard-cast for use
Cartridge Cases with modern smokeless powders and so most
Suitable brass cases are available from many shooters Blow tube and various jags
manufacturers - Winchester, Remington, Star-Line, prefer to cast
Federal etc. Of these I personally have had good their own. This
results with Star-Line, they are of consistent quality is not as
and very reasonably priced. Some brands of cases daunting a
have a cannelure crimped towards the neck, these task as it may
are made specifically for use in tubular magazine appear at first,
rifles, the cannelure helps to prevent the bullet from there have been
sliding into the unfired case through recoil, and many articles in
creating excessive pressures. If using single-shot magazines and
rifles, such as the Sharps or Remington, this cannelure several books
is unnecessary and may even lessen the number of which go into
reloads per case by producing a potentially weak spot. great detail and
Whichever make you choose, try to get them from I recommend
the same batch to keep as consistent as possible. that you read

Target Shooter 79
 the bullet on its way. Leading is far less a problem
with paper-patched bullets as the paper jacket acts
as an insulator between the bullet and the rifling
lands, but accuracy with both will suffer if the black
powder fouling is allowed to accumulate in the barrel.

There are two common ways in which a shooter can

De priming tool with case and spent primer
some of these.
Bullet swaging is also starting to become popular
as more shooters experiment with paper-patched
bullets - cue for a separate article here! What is
generally accepted is that a bullet of at least 500
grains is required to remain stable and accurate at
extended ranges, however there is always a
sharp-shooting member of every club who will
prove the exception to any rule! As to bullet shape,
the flat nosed type, which are designed for tubular
magazine rifles tend to be less accurate than
pointed, or Postell shaped bullets.
attempt to combat fouling, one is to use a ‘blow-tube’
- a plastic tube with a fired case to act as a breech
seal - which is inserted into the breech end of the
barrel and then several breaths are forced through
the barrel, hopefully moistening the fouling and
so making it easier for the next bullet to push out
the fouling ahead of it. Another way is to rod-out
the fouling between each shot by using a suitable
rod with a well fitting jag attached to a cloth
moistened with water or a commercial black powder
solvent. Often a combination of both methods is used.
The Rifle
Whichever type of rifle is decided on, they all are
very similar to keep clean. The barrel and breech are
the most obvious components to require attention,
Foresight showing spirit level

All bullets need lubrication as they travel up the

barrel to lessen the effect of lead being stripped from
the bullet and deposited in the rifling and also to keep
the residue from the burnt powder - known as fouling
– soft, so as to minimise its effect on the next bullet.
but we must not forget that salts and other corrosive
This is generally accomplished by filling lubrication
chemicals will be deposited over time in even the
grooves in the bullet with a suitable lube, which will
simplest of actions. This doesn’t mean that a total
flow into the rifling as the gases expand and force
dismantling of your rifle is necessary after every
Midway .459 510gn round nose Midway .459 shoot. Common sense prevails here, after a
500gn Postell and Hoch .459 550gn Postell couple of sessions on the range, a partial
take-down will show all the nooks and crannies that
are likely to trap fouling etc and therefore require
a little extra cleaning. Under normal conditions a
simple ‘field-strip’ is adequate, as long as the
fouling is removed, or at least neutralized with a
commercial cleaning solvent and then a little gun
oil applied.

Sights
Most manufacturers distribute their rifles with only
the basic - though historically accurate - sighting
system. Whilst this is good enough for many
disciplines, including Cowboy Action Shooting at
short to medium ranges, when it comes to longer
ranges a more accurate sighting-system is required.

80 Target Shooter
This generally means fitting a special sight on the
tang of the rifle, one that allows for a lot of
adjustment in the vertical plane, and possibly in the
horizontal plane also. Long-range vernier tang sights
are offered by most of the manufacturers as an
aftermarket extra, as well as by many independent
makers such as the Montana Vintage Arms
Company and the Axtell Rifle Company in the United
States.
Like most things today, you get what you pay for.
Quality engineered sights are very expensive, but
that does not mean that very respectable scores
can’t be achieved with budget priced sights. Of
course if you are lucky, you may be able to pick up
a very good quality second user sight on the web at
considerable saving. The ideal tang sight is one that
has variable apertures to allow for changing light
conditions, a vertical adjustment of around 3 to 4
inches, a horizontal adjustment of around ½ inch (or
Pedersoli Soule type
vernier usa405
Typical cross sticks
50 MOA) and is able to be folded down if necessary
between shots to allow unrestricted access to the barrel
and breech so that a rod can be used to swab the bore.
This is the ideal, what you end up with may not have
all these features, often a compromise is required.
The front sight as supplied is usually a post or blade
type, this can be used with a tang sight and often
good scores are attained, but a more accurate and
flexible foresight is the tunnel or target type. This has
a set of inserts, which can be rapidly changed to suit
the target and conditions of the day. More expensive
examples of this type of foresight may also have a
Vernier to adjust for windage built into them, or even
a spirit-level to indicate cant or tilting of the rifle.
Ancillaries
1. Cross-sticks - Self made, keep it simple, two
pieces of broom handle around 18ins long, drilled
through and fastened with a nut and bolt 4 or 5
inches from one end plus some soft leather or similar
to protect the barrel and a couple of 6in nails to
provide a ground anchor.
2. Spotting scope. Generally, hits on the target
are indicated with a coloured disk and these are
difficult to see with the naked eye at extreme ranges.
3. Scorebook and pencil. You will want to keep
a record of your results to aid in load development.
Competitors score each others cards and the book
provides a safe and dry place to keep them during
the competition.
4. Cleaning rods. These need to be made of
nylon, or plastic coated steel so as not to damage
the breech or barrel, at least 200mm (8in) longer
than the barrel and action. One thing here, at least
two methods are currently used by manufacturers to
attach brushes and jags etc, so a couple of thread
adaptors will come in handy so that you can use one
make of brush or jag on a different make of rod.
5. Shooting mat. Not essential but will repay
any investment in spades when the weather turns
inclement.
Questions and comments please to khall6548@
aol.com
Target Shooter 81
Hunter Field Target News
HFTs Dr Evil
HFT and the birth of the UKAHFT were born of the need
to get back to a simpler form of outdoor air rifle target
shooting. Field Target has become a very technical
sport with expensive rifles and expensive scopes. In that
respect HFT has been a massive, massive success.
It has also introduced the younger person the world of
shooting. HFT has drawn in more new younger shooters in
it’s short time than FT has. That is not to say FT has unduly
suffered as many shooters have gone on to shoot FT or
SFT. A big difference is also the prizes on offer in HFT,
these have always been given in a raffle form so every
shooter has a chance of winning, not just the best shots.
The scoring system too with one point just for hitting the
metal face plate of the target and two for knocking the
target over encourages the younger shooters too.
On to what has happened so far in 2009. It saw the first
ever world championships and what a great event it
was. Countyman Fairs and Ian Harford must take a lot
of the credit in driving the event on and it will be shot at
Kelmarsh again next year. Kieran Turner cleared the
courses on both days to become the first ever World HFT
champion which was even more special as it was the
first time he had ever shot his new Walther rifle. I shot
The whole gang together - picture by
“Shooting the Breeze”
82 Target Shooter
the event and must say for a first time big event it went
exceptionally well, the prizes on offer totalled over five
and a half thousand pounds worth, all given away in a
raffle. I would like to thank all the kind sponsors, many of
whom gave the event prizes for nothing.
The national season has gotten off with a bang with four
rounds of the nine completed. I shot the first two and have
to say the level of course building is improving every year,
Lea Valley I found excellent with a switchable wind but
sensibly placed targets, Tawd Vale lived up it it’s high
standard unlike my shooting there. It’s tough at the top in
the Open class with Pete Sparkes, Chris Cundy and Ross
Hudson after the first three rounds were all within 0.173 of
a point of each other. Pete on 291.581, Ross on 291.495
and Chris on 291.408, real skin of the teeth stuff. Round
four at MAD was universally heralded to be fantastic, with
a near perfect HFT course. That man Pete Sparkes put in
a near perfect 59 ex 60 with his Walther rifle and for the
first time shot the new Bushnell 6500. 2.5-16*42 Mildot
Pete Dutton shooting HFT pistol
scope. I have a test review of the scope in a future issue
of Target Shooter. Pete took the win the day and extended
his Open class lead. Chris could only manage a 55 and
Ross held on for a 58. Darren Lindsey is in the shadows
only having shot 3 out of the four rounds. A Ripley Elite
kindly donated by Highland Outdoors was the raffle prize,
topped with a Nikko Stirling 4-16*44 Mildot scope, Nice!
Pete Sparkes performance on the HFT pistol however
was not up to the same standard, Pete Dutton top scored
overall and the in the traditional stance too with 36 ex
40. Mr Sparkes could only manage a 14 ex 40, Jane his
better half beating him, well as everyone else did too.
Better Luck next time Pete! The next weekend double
header is at Basingstoke and Bisley on the 18th and 19th
of July which should be a cracker.
Gallery Rifle News

If you want to know what Gallery Rifle and and you may get the call from your country’s
Pistol is all about there is a beginner’s guide in this selector for the next season. Nobody’s place on a team
month’s issue. It will give you the basic information is safe – it’s all down to performance, consistency and
you need to get started without spending a fortune commitment – new teams are selected every year.
and still be competitive.
This month you have three meetings. The Jim Entry forms for the National GR Championships are
Brown Memorial Steel Shoot for Cancer Research at ready now – enter as soon as you can, especially if
Mattersey (between Worksop and Doncaster), a you want to shoot a lot of events.
Practical Match at Shield in Dorset and the Pistol The NRA Gallery Rifle and Pistol sub committee
and Gallery Rifle part of the Imperial Meeting at has issued a notice about GR Centre Fire calibres.
Bisley. Something for everyone from precision to This is the first stage of a review of the definitions
speed shooting and spread all over England. of GRCF which will take place over the winter. It is
being widely published on the usual sites and
Next month there are two on the diary so far. emailed to all those who shoot regularly. If you want
to be part of the debate check it out and email your
The Frome 3 Gun at Shield in Dorset. This is a well views.
known and well attended shoot with challenging
stages for Gallery Rifles, Long Barrelled Handguns COMPETITION CALENDAR
and multi-shot Shotguns. Don’t wait to get your July 12 Jim Brown Memorial Steel Challenge
entry in as it is very popular. Mattersey R&PC
It is run by a very active club whose members can
be seen all over the country competing or acting as July 12 Shield GR&P Practical
Range Officers in spite of not having a range of their Shield Shooting Centre
own. There is some very good news on this front.
After many years of hard work planning permission July 15 140th Imperial Pistol and Gallery
has at last been granted on appeal. When it’s to 19 Rifle. National Shooting Centre
finished, this range Bisley
promises to have the best facilities in the South West.
August 8 Frome 3 Gun
The National GR Championships at Bisley feature to 9 Shield Shooting Centre
the core of the events you enjoyed at the Phoenix
squeezed into two days. You will be able to August 29 National GR Championships
compete with the best in the country for the title of to 30 National Shooting Centre Bisley
British Champion in lots of your favourite events.
Later on Saturday afternoon on Melville Range the
National Teams from England, Scotland and Wales (Either contact the organisers direct or go to www.
will compete shoulder to shoulder in Centre Fire and galleryrifle.com for entry forms.)
Small Bore aggregates of Timed & Precision One GR&P = Gallery Rifle Centre Fire (GRCF),
and Multi-Target in the Home Countries National Gallery Rifle Small Bore (GRSB), Long Barrelled
Match. Come along and support your team if you’ve Pistol (LBP) and Long Barrelled Revolver (LBR)
finished shooting for the day. Start time is about 1630.
Every time you put a score in for one of these
Please go to the Gallery Rifle website www.
two events, or any other classified event for that
matter, at an open meeting, it’s recorded on the galleryrifle.com for more news and
national database. Shoot well and often enough information.

Target Shooter 83
The most important piece of news this month for UK Office approved, have at least ten members who
practical shooters is the introduction of new rules have joined the UKPSA as individuals, four of
from 1st July covering Muzzle Angle restrictions. whom have passed a basic safety course. Club
IPSC who oversee the rules of practical shooting affiliation allows clubs to host sanctioned practical
have allowed each region (country) to introduce matches. They will be given help and advice on the
it’s own muzzle angle restrictions. The UKPSA running of practical matches. The Match Director’s
Full Council voted to allow the restrictions for all Guidelines, is an extensive document which is
ammunition types. Before 2009 the default has available to members. This covers all aspects
always been 90 degrees left & right and up and involved in the running of Matches.
down. Whilst encouraging clubs to maintain the At a time when claims for expenses are headline
90/90/90/90 muzzle angle to allow for the freestyle news, Council members have decided that they will
element of practical shooting. It is acknowledged still not claim any expenses for carrying out their
that some clubs do have duties. As well as giving
difficulties on the grounds up their free time, they
of safety. All competitors will continue to travel to
will be informed before both Council and other
entering matches that meetings at their own
muzzle angle restrictions expense.
will be in place and fully
briefed during the stage The European Shotgun
walkthroughs. The Championships draw ever
additional new rules near. The UK shooters
pertaining to muzzle will in the main be based
angles can be found on at Tabour in the Czech
the UKPSA Bulletin Board. Republic and the team
Hotel will be the Palcat.
A brand new shirt design There are two rounds of
is about to be introduced the UK Championships
for members. UKPSA remaining before the
member Melvyn Redford team selection is
has produced the design announced. There still
for the back of the shirt. places up for grabs for
Those shooters those who are close
attending the European UKPSA new shirt design to in performance. So
PSG Championships will there are opportunities to
be the first to model these new shirts. They will then impress National Squad Director, Ken Trail, at the
be available for members to purchase. Northern Championships in Carlisle on July 4th
& 5th, then at the British Open Championships at
Another date for our practical LBR shooters. Borders on 1st & 2nd August. The teams will be
Bedford will be hosting a L2 match on Sunday announced on Wednesday 5th August at 6pm on
October 11th. This is in addition to the L2 matches the Bulletin Board.
at Carlisle on Saturday 15th August and the British
Open at Leicester on Sunday 13th December. To find out more about practical shooting and how
If any club with a number of members wanting a to register for a basic safety course, visit www.uk-
practical basic safety course, UKPSA Instructors are psa.co.uk or email ukpsachair@aol.com for
willing to come to your club to run courses in Long more details.
barrel Revolver, Gas Powered Pistol or Practical
Shotgun. Please contact the UKPSA for more Vanessa Duffy
details. Chairman UKPSA
Clubs can become affiliated to the UKPSA.
Basic requirements are that they are a Home

84 Target Shooter
Letters and News
What a great response to the first three issues with lots of really good feedback and even more
things to make us think about how we can deliver a better magazine to you.

customer.services@targetshooter.co.uk
Happy reading and we hope you enjoy the magazine. The team at Target Shooter.
If you have any letters or news that you would like to air on a national basis then please contact us
at the magazine. This could be for those budding writers out there that would like to submit a full
article on specific firearms, competitions, shooting sports, etc.
The aim of the magazine is to include you the shooters in the United Kingdom. So having a regular
letters page or even a question and answer section would be really useful for a lot of people out
there. Let us know what you think!?
We would also like to have a gun of the month section - so send us your pic and spec and we’ll
include it in ‘gun of the month’.
Any news that your club or association thinks is worth viewing can also be sent in for selection.
What we would like is to get a letters page started with your views, news and perceptions about
all all the aspects of target shooting. So lets see those letters coming in and we will read your
thoughts in these pages.

Advertisers Index
AIM Field Sports 31 NSRA 46
A&M Custom Gunsmiths 10 Osprey Rifles 37
Benchrest Directory 75 Portsmouth Gun Centre Ltd 21
Bratton Sound Gunsafes 57 Rhino Rifles 21
Eley LTD 70 Rude Fat Dog 67
Eller - BulzeyePro 27 Section 5 31
Fox Firearms 41 Shooting Bags 32
G T Shooting 12 Southern Gun Company 50
Garlands Ltd 2 South Yorkshire Shooting Supplies 42
Gun Trader 38 Targets Direct 59
Guns Malta 47 Tim Hannam 18
GunSeeker 59 Trent Firearms 56
Innovative Technologies 14 Viking Arms LTD 26
Low Mill Range Website UKBR22 - Rimfire Benchrest 25
Mark Bradley Arms 59 Westlake Engineering 12
Midland diving equipment 25 Zeiss Optics 3
Norman Clark Gunsmiths Ltd 10

Target Shooter 85
Next time in.....

Welcome to the fifth month of this free online shooting magazine for shooters in the UK

August 2009 Issue

On test
Regular Reviews
Columns
Features and lots more
FT Scope Review • Classic Rifle• New Products • and lots more…..
86 Target Shooter