Welcome to our first issue of 2010

January 2010 Issue

Club
Features
Support Your local
Gunshop

Event reports

Gallery Rifle

F Class and Centerfire

Third part feature Benchrest News
article—.308
Winchester
Target Shooter 1
SGC 9mm Review • Lilja Barrels • New Products • and lots more…..
2 Target Shooter
 NOW ALMOST 3 TIMES THE SIZE FOR 2010 !
...... A massive 112,000 sq ft, dry, weatherproof, indoor arena

The UK’s Total Shooting Show

Gunmaker’s Halls just get Even more to do, more to see and more to buy!
bigger and bigger...
Handle and evaluate a truly vast selection of
shotgun and rifles.
5 huge halls packed with gun manufacturers
stands, retailers, specialist services and
accessories, including; custom rifle builders
ammunition and reloading gun retailers
shooting aids huge range of scopes and
Just some of optics field cutlery wildfowling decoying
the guns on stalking shooting grounds shotgun
show and simulators range days safaris shooting
for sale... associations and even master craftsmen
engravers, stock cutters & gunsmiths at work.

Thousands of guns & accessories at

the UK’s premier shooting show.
The British Shooting Show will provide a packed weekend of
interest for all shooting enthusiasts. The eight main halls,
including Gunmakers Halls, Airgun City, Arms Heritage,
Gamekeeping and Gun Dogs now covers over 112,000 sq ft!

PLUS A PACKED PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES...

Clay coaching line for novices & young shots Clay
competitions, including 50 bird sporting with £1500 in
trophies & prizes Browning rabbit mania Pool shoot
& ZZ birds Airgun ‘try before you buy’ Airgun
competitions for guns & trophies “Olympic” 10 m match
FOX

airgun Laser clays and laser rifle Shotgun simulators.

FREE PRIZE DRAWS AND

COMPETITITONS FOR GUNS &
ACCESSORIES WORTH OVER £6000.
Now a massive 5 times bigger
eg; Sako Quad rifle from GMK, B525 Sporter
PGW

for 2010. 18,000 sq ft of manufacturers

stands, airgun retailers, accessories, optics, clubs from Browning, 912S shotgun from Webley plus
and associations. 39 lane rifle & pistol shooting much more... from Deben, Armex & Brocock etc.
range, including Olympic 10 metre match, and ‘try
before you buy’. The UK’s premier airgun event Save £££££’s -on special show only offers...
STEYR

packed with interest for the airgun enthusiast. Sponsor;

Main Show
AIRGUN EXTRAVAGANZA - THE BIG AIRGUN EXPERIENCE
ZOLI

See the fascinating world of antique & classic arms.

Sponsored by Marsdens
Game Feeds, Gamekeepers
Hall will provide hospitality
Sat 27th & Sun 28th Feb 2010
and an insight into specialist Newark Showground, Newark, Notts, NG24 2NY
products and services. Opening times - 9am to 4.30pm Both Days
Officially Supported by The; BUY TICKETS ONLINE - GET FAST Tel; +44 (0) 1472 241439 info@shownews.co.uk
TRACK ENTRY & SPECIAL PARKING
Target Shooter 3
On the day; Adults £12.00, 8 to 15yrs £5.00 Under 8’s Free. Buy online
& save: Visit the website for more information or tel 01472 241439. www.theshootingshow.co.uk
 Welcome to the First 2010 Issue
.......of Target Shooter

Sections
23 SYSS Mini Rifle 6 Shooting Sport News
by Tim Finley
10 Shooters Calendar

12 Mind Games by Carl

Boswell

40 Wildcats - 17 Gadget Gallery
The Fabulous sixes
20 Support your Local Gun
by Vince Bottomley Shop

29 Shooting Black Powder

Pistol by Chris Risebrook
46 The SGC 9mm
Lever Release Rifle 32 Quigley Association
by Gwyn Roberts Special Report
38 Website of the Month

51 2009 Imperial Meeting
Ammunition by Chris
62 Lilja Barrels by White
Andy Dubreuil
57 Rifle and Range Bags by
Nigel Greenaway

63 Gun of the Month

75 Smallbore Business
by Don Brook
70 Field Target USA
Style by Paul Cray 79 Alfa CO2 Target Pistol
Review by Hayley Platts

90 Special - Fieldsports TV

91 Bianchi by Gwyn Roberts

82 HANDLOADING 98 Club Feature
‘OLD FAITHFUL’ THE
.308 WINCHESTER 112 Letters
(part 3) by Laurie
113 Advertisers Index
Holland
4 Target Shooter
 Association Pages
101 UKBRA

103 UKBR22 Editor(s).

Carl Boswell and Vince Bottomley
105 F- Class Advertising and Office Manager
Andy Dubreuil. email; admin@targetshooter.co.uk
107 HFT News Contributors
Vince Bottomley Andy Dubreuil Chris White
110 Gallery Rifle Tim Finley Laurie Holland Chris Risebrook
Carl Boswell Don Brook Chris Farr
111 UKPSA Nigel Greenaway Gwyn Roberts Paul Cray
Ken Hall Les Holgate Hayley Platts
Webitorial - January 2010
The web is a fantastic place. It’s where I first learnt about rimfire benchrest all those years ago, found
Brownells - ordered far too much and met people of like-mind from all over the world. Vince was one of
the first that I contacted in the UK about rimfire BR, as he was pushing the idea at the time. It all starts
somewhere and the web has grown exponentially over the last fifteen years.
When the web really started to become user-friendly, there was a wealth of information out there and the
vast majority of it free. More than that, it was fun! Things change and the ‘dot com’ boom has been and gone.
Companies take the world wide web as a serious element of their commercial business. We all know this
from the constant ads that pop up as we ‘surf’. We also know that we have to pay for most of what we get.
Information is easy to access but more often than not, there is a charge.
What is nice, is that recently the format of Target Shooter – being a digital magazine – has been taken on
board by others in the UK shooting fraternity. Air Gunner and Airgun World have recently released their
digital editions. You still have to pay for a subscription, which is fair enough as these magazines do not pay
for themselves. However, this recent innovation does suggest this is the future for magazines in general and
for shooting it is a step forward.
Although Target Shooter was the first online shooting magazine in the UK, it was preceded by other
magazines in the USA. The NRA of America has a monthly digital magazine which we reviewed a short time
ago. Again, like Target Shooter, this magazine is free – going back to the general aims of the internet when
it first started.
I suppose what I am trying to say is that with a magazine that is free to view, the only income we derive to
pay for our contributors is our advertising revenue. So please, if you see a product be sure to tell the person
you are buying it from where you saw it. This way, we can keep Target Shooter free to all.

The new year starts with lots going on, such as the Shooting Show at Newark in February. We will be there,
not on a stand mind you, as this means you have to come to us. We will be in the thick of it with you guys,
finding out about new products, what’s going on, etc. So if you see us with the Target Shooter logo across
our chests, please stop and say hello.
To all of you, have a fantastic 2010.
Until next month. Andy, Carl & Vince

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
It is nice to let our readers
know that the contributors
can “walk the walk”.
Our very own Nigel
Greenaway has won a
number of events in 2009. In
his words;
‘Following my experiment
in building a single AR15
lower but with two
different uppers to shoot
either Practical Rifle or
Civilian Service Rifle - as
detailed in the June issue under “AR15 with
Combinations” - I’ve managed to do the double! lighter profile
In the summer I won the Service Optic class in the H-Bar barrel topped with
National Civilian Service Rifle competitions and I a Nightforce 2.5-10x24
have also won this year’s Practical Rifle League NXS did the job in both
(best 5 comps to count out of 8). If the truth be known I disciplines’.
have found that my Southern Gun Company SSR-15

A im Field
Binoculars
Sports Adds Sightron

The Cheshire shooting products outfit headed by keen New from Aim Field
shooter John Dean and his wife has raised the profile Sports, Sightron
of the American Sightron riflescope range markedly binoculars
since it took on import and distribution on a year ago,
achieving healthy sales despite the recession.
Aim Field Sports has now added Sightron binoculars
to its optical products range alongside the ‘scopes,
supplying a selection of models. As with the rifle
scopes, Sightron produces its Binoculars in Series
I, II, and III, specification and price rising in line with
the series number. We’ve had a chance to look at
a pair in the middle SII range, the ‘Blue Sky’ 10X42
model, and been impressed. These roof prism glasses
feature fully and phase-coated lens using blue-green
coatings which seem to be a feature of the marque.
There is obviously some good optical design inside as
their performance has so far proven impressive in a operates the
range of light conditions. As with the Sightron 8-32X56 lens smoothly. An unusual touch
target riflescope which Vince Bottomley reviewed for is the right lens fine-adjuster used to compensate for
TargetShooter (July 2009 issue), resolution, contrast differences in the user’s eyesight and which employs
and light gathering are excellent. a little lever at the front of the main adjuster barrel.
As usual, you get a nylon carry case, lens caps and
At 0.65Kg (1lb 7 ounces), 5½” (145mm) long and just carrying strap for your money. The 10X42 model
under 5” (175mm) maximum width, they’re compact retails for £325, the Series II Blue Sky sister 8X42
and light for their performance. A black rubberized model for £20 less – good value for the build quality,
coating makes for a good grip and pleasant touch in finish and performance.
any weather conditions, and speaking of which they’re Contact Aim Field Sports Ltd on www.aimfieldsports.
waterproof of course. Focus adjustment is the usual com email: sales@aimfieldsports.com
barrel type adjuster between the optical tubes which Telephone 01606 860678
6 Target Shooter
Q uickLOAD, QuickTARGET and
QuickTARGET Unlimited Version 3.5
If you’re serious about handloading and want to
experiment, or you’re having a new rifle built for a
cartridge you’ve never loaded for, and for which there
is only limited or even no loads data, you need the
QuickLOAD PC internal ballistics program. This has
recently been updated with a large number of new
cartridges, bullets and powders in its V3.5 form that
runs on Microsoft 2000, XP and Vista operating
systems. (Its designer and producer, H.G. Broemel of
Babenhausen in Germany is very switched on, so one
imagines a Windows 7 version will appear in short order.)
QuickLOAD is a very clever and flexible computer
modelling program that includes huge databases of
standard barrel dimensions, cartridge, case and bullet
dimensions, capacities etc. The propellants database
runs to somewhere around three figures including
many makes and grades we don’t see here. This latest
version is pretty up to date including 6.5 Creedmoor
and 6.5X47 Lapua cartridges, but the database doesn’t
just hold currently manufactured factory cartridges
such as this pair, with data for scores if not hundreds of
wildcats. Taking cartridges with ‘6mm’ in their names
(but excluding .243 which are listed separately) I
counted 47 listed alphabetically / numerically
from 6XC to 6-284 6mm/284 Shehane, around
three-quarters of which I’d never heard of, many
being European wildcats or proprietary designs. As
well as standard case and cartridge dimensions, the
water capacity in both grains and
CCs
P edersoli
launched
have
an
magazine that can be downloaded and subscribed too for free.
Perdersoli is one of thje main companies that manufacture
reproduction Black Powder firearms and accessories - but you knew
that already.
To download the catalogue go to; Click here
To Subscribe, go to; Click here
Perdersoli is distributed in the UK by Viking Arms Ltd.
http://www.vikingarms.com/
has been measured for a typical case for each
cartridge (or possibly computer generated in many
examples). Select your bullet and COAL (if
different from the SAAMI / CIP standard) and the program
calculates the usable internal case volume. Finally
select barrel length, powder and charge and click on
the ‘Apply & Calculate’ icon and QuickLOAD will use
its internal ballistics algorithms to calculate pressure
and MV, barrel time, the percentage of the powder
charge that will be burned and a few other things too
if you want. You can see a pressure / MV graph, or
specify other displays including a very useful text file
that gives a range of results from small steps either side
of your base powder charge weight with ‘Hot Load’ and
‘Dangerous Load’ warnings (that exceed CIP / SAAMI
PMax allowed levels).
How accurate is it? It’s a model, not a real firearm
and makes assumptions about barrel and bullet
dimensions as well as powder characteristics, so there
are lots of health warnings. One should check results
against published data (assuming there is any), as well
as starting low and working charges up as always.
However, it’s the only way you’re likely to get a load for
the new Alliant Reloder 17 for the very old 6mm Lee
Navy to take a silly example! It’s accurate enough for
the bullet companies to use it as the starting point for
load development whenever they’re working data up
for a new product or cartridge.
The UK supplier for the QuickLOAD suite is Julian
Savory who trades as JMS Arms,
website:
www.soundmoderators-UK.com
Email:Julian@jsavory.free-online.
co.uk
Telephone: 01444 400126
just
online
Target Shooter 7
A nother first for the UK market North West
Custom Parts
- they have gotten hold of the great Smith & Wesson
M&P 15 22lrs along with the long awaited Sig sauer
522s and colt umarex semi auto 22 lrs

If your into your 22 rimfires with the military look and

feel to them then we have 3 new options for you to
compliment the already popular Spikes tactical and
tactical solutions 22 M4 carbines we import
Check out the website for all the details of these
great new rifles for uk shooters www.nwcustom-
parts.com or give us a ring on 0161 408 1155 the
first batch should be in the UK by the time you read
this.

N EW LAPUA PALMA .308 SMALL-PRIMER

CASES items for a specialised market, that the company will
treat them as premium products and price up
Nammo Lapua Oy has confirmed it will launch a accordingly.
small primer (SP) version of its .308 Winchester SP cases will be headstamped “Lapua Palma
case at the US SHOT Show which takes place in .308” with the US Palma Team’s permission as the
Las Vegas starting on 19th January. Tom Whitaker, legal title owner of the name, but will go on general
US Palma rifle team Vice-President (West Coast) sale. They won’t replace the standard large-primer
asked the company in 2007 if it would consider version which continues in production. Dan
producing such cases and this led to the team Simpson (Palma Team Vice-President, East Coast)
being supplied with 1,000 sample cases for and Tom Whitaker confirm that results from the new
evaluation over the 2009 season. Changes are not brass are excellent both in testing and in actual
limited to primer pocket dimensions, but also see a competition over the season. Lapua has
move to the small flash-hole diameter used in .220 naturally carried out intensive tests of its own too
Russian (PPC), 6mm BR Norma, and 6.5X47mm before putting this version into production, and has
Lapua cases (0.061” compared to the usual 0.080”). obviously been satisfied with the results. Small
Otherwise, the SP case is identical to existing Lapua primer cases may not provide improved
.308W brass with normal dimensions and wall accuracy (smaller groups), but are proven to
thickness – it is not a special thin-walled BR version as deliver reduced velocity spreads which is what
produced by Remington many years ago. Lapua says Palma Team members were looking for – Dan
cases will not be loose-packed as normal, but come Simpson and Tom Whitaker report a 30% extreme
in new segmented plastic cases in Lapua Blue that spread MV reduction, sometimes more, is
double up as loaded ammunition boxes. This achievable. This results in less vertical hit dispersion
suggests, allied to their being low-volume production on the target at extreme ranges all other things being
equal.
The new Lapua Small Primer ‘Palma’ cases will have the same case-head, primer pocket and
flash-hole dimensions as its 6.5X47L and 6BR brass (right). A Large Primer Lapua .308W case is
shown on the left for comparison

8 Target Shooter

The Ultimate
Visual Experience
56 mm lenses:
Observation from dawn to dusk.
www.zeiss.co.uk/sportsoptics
All competences in one hand
Accurate distance in mtrs or yds
Holdover value correction in cm or ins
NEW
Bright, fast and accurate
The new Victory RF binoculars with 56 high-performance lenses
provide bright, high-contrast and sharp images at an incredibly low
weight. The integrated laser rangefinder displays the target distance
with lightening speed and accuracy. Combined with the calculation
of the correct holdover value through the Ballistic Information
System (BIS®), the RF 56 sets new standards in terms of safety and
precision.
Victory 8 /10 x 56 T* RF
Target Shooter 9
Calendar of events over the next few months
If your club or association has events you want to publicise here then email us.
13 Jan 2010 Grand Prix of Plsen The competition
runs from 13th to 17th January Location: Plsen,
CZE
27 Jan 2010 Munich Airgun International, GER
The match runs from 27th to 30th January 2010.
Location: Munich, GER
19 Jan Highpower Rifle Association Match
(National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)
Reduced distance 80 round XTC.
http://www.highpowerrifle.co.uk
27 to 28 Feb The British Shooting and
Countryman Show - Telephone 01472 241439
Email - info@shownews.co.uk
http://www.shootingshow.co.uk/
7 Mar European Airgun Championships
The Championships run from 7th to 14th March.
Location: Meraker, NOR
27 Mar to 28 Mar Gallery Rifle - Spring Action
Weekend (National Shooting Centre (NSC),
Bisley). Contact(s): Brian Thomas

27 Jan Civilian Service Rifle Competition
(National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)
Entry forms for the event being held on Sunday
27 January are now available via the NRA website
Contact(s): Martin Farnan
3 to 5 Apr Bisley Clubs Easter Meeting
(National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley) This
year the Easter Meeting will be run by the City
Rifle Club. Contact(s): Pat Drummy

19 Feb British Airgun Championships 25 Apr Somerset SBSA – Open Shoot. (Rifle)
The championships run from 19th - 21st February. Long Ashton Ranges. Tel. 01275 836442. Email.
Email: competitions@nsra.co.uk julian.withey@btinternet.com

22/23 May Cumberland News Rifle Club - Carlisle

20 Feb Target Shotgun Festival (National Shooting
Air Guns Open Championship - 2x 60 shot
Centre (NSC), Bisley)
details at: www.cnrc.org.uk/open.htm
Calling all Section One shotgun owners. The
contact: David Erskine: “urkers@aol.com”
Target Shotgun Festival has unique and
challenging competition stages that are engaged
with solid slug, SG/buckshot and birdshot 26 Sep Somerset SBSA – Open Shoot. (Rifle)
ammunition. Contact(s): Brian Thomas Long Ashton Ranges.
Tel. 01275 836442. Email. julian.withey@btinter-
net.com
21 Feb Cumberland News Rifle Club - Carlisle
LSR - Air Pistol & Air Rifle Open Shoot - details at:
www.cnrc.org.uk/open.htm
contact: Bob Nicholson: “bob@cnrc.org.uk”

23 Feb Target Shotgun Festival (National Shoot-

ing Centre (NSC), Bisley)
If you have any events or
After proving popular at the Gallery Rifle Action matches in the Winter that
Weekends we now have a dedicated event! This
Target Shotgun Festival will consist of an eight- you would like to
stage match and a Snooker Match. These have a
variety of targets (static and moving), firing posi-
advertise FREE here, then
tions and distances to test your shooting prow- please contact us at;
ess. Contact(s): Brian Thomas

customer.services@
targetshooter.co.uk
10 Target Shooter
 Bench Rest® Powder Measure £108.34
The superior design of our Bench Rest® Powder Measure throws uniform charges. The charge
arm/operating handle meters the powder and dispenses a flow of powder that is free from ex-
tremes in variation while minimizing powder shearing. The powder hopper's built- in baffle
feeds powder into the charge arm very uniformly. Convenient and simple to use. Shown on
Stand (sold separately) £21.67

Case Neck Graphiter £12.69

The smart way to clean and lubricate you case
necks
Without proper lubrication, pulling the expander button through the case neck, can
cause stretching and distortion. But oil-based case lubes are not recommended be-
cause of the possibility of contaminating the powder. The case neck graphiter
brushes the inside of the case neck clean whilst leaving a thin film of motor mica, that

Hand Held Outside Neck Turner

A real carbide cutter makes the difference in this Outside Neck Turner. Pilots in 29 differ-
ent caliber offerings, including .50 BMG! In terms of improved accuracy, no single reload-
ing function provides a greater return on your time investment than turning eccentric case
necks to a consistent wall thickness. At the point of ignition, your brass must expand to al-
low bullet release. If the brass is thicker on one side of the case than the other, the thin side
releases the bullet first and causes a slight bullet-to-bore misalignment that can seriously
impair accuracy. The Forster Hand Outside Neck Turner features precision ground pilots,
micrometer adjustment knob, and the industry's only Carbide Neck Thickness Cutter. A lar-
ger Caseholder (part #HOT100-102) is required for cases that are .593" TO .812" in diame-
£61.13 ter at the base of the case .

Deburring Tool Base £27.70

This special base for our Inside-Outside Deburring Tool makes cha mfering and deburring
arge numbers of cases effortless. The Forster deburring tool slots in either way round and the
Forster Power Adaptor can be added to make the who le operation even easier.
Deburring Tool £17.15
Power Adaptor £13.16

Tel: 01977 681639 TIM HANNAM Fax: 01977 684272

Peckfield Lodge, Great North Road, Leeds, LS25 5LJ
Email: sales@timhannam.com www.timhannam.com
Target Shooter 11
 Mind Games

By Carl Boswell
A while ago, I wrote an article for another magazine
asking the question “How do you train?”. A pretty
open question to be honest! This article is not
simply a reprint but another look at the same
question.
For some, training will mean going to the range each
weekend, or possibly twice or even three times a
week if you are lucky and shooting on whatever
target is appropriate to your particular discipline.
This is the basic option we all hopefully have
but, I often extend the question into what is my
objective – in other words what am I expecting
to achieve each time I go up to the range and
shoot. If we are already ‘good shots’, how do we
become better, improve for the next weekend
shoot or even become national or world class?.
It’s something to think about if you are serious
about shooting, or even if you are just shooting for
the fun of it - let’s face it, most of us do the latter.

Whilst I write this, I think about my

A shooters diary - an easy and inexpensive tool for own skills in shooting, what my
training. strengths are and what perceived
areas for improvement I have in
other fields. As an ex-pistol shooter
I know that certain physical skills
are no longer honed to the extent
I would like, where some aspects
of my rifle shooting are honed to a
reasonably good level. The key
factor in all of this is ‘mind
preparation’ - having mental
strength is paramount to success.
I am in no way an expert on this
issue, not being a psychologist
but they do say that shooting is
‘90% mental’. Although I offer no
empirical evidence to confirm this,
I have to say that from my own
experience and from observing
others, I would confer that it is!

Preparing a ‘mental program’

to stimulate development is all
about setting short and long term
goals. If you are serious about
Imagery above courtesy of Mental Managment Systems

12 Target Shooter
 answers: “My rifle is tuned to perfection, my
ammunition is tuned to my rifle, the techniques I
use are perfect” etc.

These answers are undoubtedly true. Some may

also claim that they have ultimate confidence
in themselves because they have trained both
mind and body. These answers are achievable
because a person has the mental skills to perceive
when anything is wrong, t be it equipment or how
they are using their physical skills. This is often
on a subconscious level, as a good shooter will
have trained themselves so well that they do not
think on a conscious level. Some do this naturally.

I know of one world champion who can take

months off, go to a match and beat most if not
all people attending. “Lucky Devil” I hear you
shout – he is very good at what he does. For
most, we struggle with confidence and the mental
skills to remain constantly stable to perform what
essentially is a very difficult task to the best of our
ability.

If it was easy to shoot every bullet through the

same hole, it would be pointless dong it as
everyone would be achieving world champion
scores. Having self confidence is not as easy
as it sounds and in reality it can be difficult to
accomplish unless you access some sort of help.
An excellent book for any shooter or sports-
man - I found this an invaluable starting point Personally, I have to work and struggle at everything
I do. Everything has a payment in time or energy
competition then it’s something that you should
that I have to build into a daily routine. I say daily as
consider doing. It can start by having a shooting
I practice at something everyday – not necessarily
notebook - a positive action. Various notes can
shooting. This is in my mindset at the moment as I
be used for later evaluation, from ammunition
have taken two months ‘off’ to have a bit of fun and
development to shooting techniques.
now the daily routine is starting to establish itself
The notebook can help you answer some simple
again, building up to the national and international
questions:
matches next year– this process is not a grind as I
look forward to it and I see it as a positive process!
What did I do to prepare for that last competition?
What was successful?
Having knowledge of one’s self is a key factor. If
How well did I do?
you think you are brilliant but your shooting does
What aspects can I improve on?
not live up to what you think about yourself, then
How will I improve them?
you may be ‘over confident’ and technique is really
something you should develop. On the reverse
No doubt you can think of other questions.
side of the coin, you may lack confidence and
your shooting ability suffers as a result. This is a
Notice the questions are not in a negative form
simplistic view and it does get a lot more complex.
- such as “What did I do wrong? Why did I not
win?” Questioning yourself in a negative way
I know those, including myself, who read lots of
can actually reinforce any negative actions.
development literature, shooting sport related
books, listen to lots of visualisation tapes,
If you ask top shooters what may be one of their
hopefully building both confidence and attitude
secrets to success, you could get a variety of

Target Shooter 13
towards the objectives or goals that are set.
Some good books about the technical side of
training are Successful Rifle Shooting (some good
training exercises) and The Ultimate in Rifle
Accuracy (some good technical information).
There are also a lot of on-line materials that
you can also access. Watching other shooters
compete and talk positively about their shooting
helps, even if your are attempting another type of
shooting. Then try applying the constructive things
learnt and looking at your performance in the short
term and the long term - a positive move forward.
So how can we start to mentally prepare?

Firstly, we can start with ourselves and consider

the needs that we, as individuals, require to
pursue our sport at the highest level. Each of us
will be different of course and at some point you
should enlist the help of a colleague (or coach,
if you are fortunate) to view the way you shoot
on a technical or even a psychological level.

Simplistically, coaching relates to these two

elements, the technical and the psychological.
Having the level of confidence in your training
(thus your capability) and the correct mental
attitude will be effective in achieving higher scores,
as both mind and body are working together on an
‘automatic level’.

Now we can go into area where some of you may This title and others are good extensions for
feel less comfortable, as we start to get into the developing mental skills
‘Zen’ of shooting. Lanny was an Olympic gold medallist in the 70’s
and many times world champion. Having used
There are a many help manuals and courses some of Lanny’s work, the books and digital
out there. These range from the Neuro Linguistic resources are very much worth the effort as there are
Programming (NLP) to Accelerated Learning to processes and ideas that you can put into place
Life Coaching to Self Hypnosis Therapy to the very easily to help you self-coach. What’s nice
Psychological Coaching that most people would about these resources is that they come in
feel comfortable with. starter formats like ‘Winning in Mind’ book/ CD
Whatever your ‘bag’, I would say great, as long as and go onto more sophisticated material like the
you are getting something from it and it is providing Performance Coaching works and the Mental
confidence and helps to your strengthen mental Management for Shooting Sports. These specific
abilities. materials I have found invaluable over this last
year particularly and they have paid off with recent
Personally I have read a number of literatures both achievements. A variety of exercises are
about the psychology of shooting and those personal included in each product, but I would start off with
improvement techniques named above. Some are the simpler book first.
used in industry, education and a number of other
sports. All of them will work to a greater or lesser Another book that I have read recently is available
degree depending on the type of learner you are. from the NSRA is Mental Training in Shooting by
Anne Grethe Jeppesen and Anne Marte Pensgaard.
One series of books and tapes on self help for This book – although focusing on prone and 3
training in shooting are written by Lanny Bassham position shooting - book offers a lot in terms of
– these are amongst my personal favourites. the exercises that can be accomplished easily by

14 Target Shooter

the reader. It is laid out in practical fashion and
suggests how these exercises work and how they
do work. The authors even relate some of Bashams
work. This is a relatively new book, published in
2006 but recently available in the UK, where the
Bassham products have been around for a while –
he even has an e-zine that you can subscribe too.
On a personal level I would suggest
accessing a number of starter NLP books
– too numerous in number to mention - that
confirms at lot of the strategies from the
resources noted above and even build on them.
When looking at this or other material, you do
have to know what you are doing in the first place.
Shooting by yourself is not always conducive to
developing new skills and it sometimes takes
working with others, taking on suggestions and,
always but always, asking why, what and how! Why
This specific book is realtively
new and based on extensive
research. A lot of very good
strategies
does the bullet do that on a rainy day? How can
other people read the wind better? How do they know
when it is right to take the shot? What will happen if
the wind is moving from this particular direction? Etc.
Whatever form of training you take on, be it
reading material I have mentioned here, coaching,
Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Accelerated
Learning, hypnosis etc., I guess what I am
saying is don’t leave it to chance. Ask around,
even a colleague at the club. But ask in the right
way!!! Consider thinking about phrasing things
positively to suggest “How can I shoot better in windy
conditions?” Asking “What am I doing wrong?”
reinforces the negative and will probably make you
do the things you don’t want to do, even more. If you
have a good coach, then use their skills. If you want
to self-coach then take this route by reading lots of
information or even going as far as taking a basic
Target Shooter 15
coaching course, which most big associations offer.
As I said in my previous article - some of you out
there reading this may have access to a coach of
some level. If so, this is excellent as you will have
access to a wide variety of materials and other
training that is not available to others. This is a
privilege that I hope you grab with both hands to
take advantage of, to achieve success in your sport.
There are some online materials I have used
in the last year or so that are listed below.
Unfortunately a lot of online material you now
have to pay for, it’s the nature of the web!
The list is not exhaustive by any stretch of the
imagination and I am always looking for new
information to help me become better than
I am. Currently I am using a lot of selected
techniques, strategies and materials from a
number of sources, as I start down a new road,
aiming towards the next European and World
Championships.
http://www.sports-coach.net/prewp/schome-
psycho.html
http://www.mentalmanagement.com/
http://www.pilkguns.com/menu_coaching.sht-
ml
At the end of the day this article is not meant
to preach, although I have gone on a bit –
sorry! It is really meant to get you into the
frame of mind where you are thinking about
how to take your shooting to the next level and
more specifically the ‘mental skills’ you need.
Shooting colleagues at the range may take the
‘Michael’ at times, they have with me when I say
I use a well know game’s console to improve
numeracy skills that I can use on the range – it
works for me so why not? However, when you
do start bringing home the cups and the medals
this tends to stop or at the very worst turns into
mild teasing. It’s just a case of thinking how can I
improve and doing something about it, both
physical and mental. If you start here, then in the
long term all you can do is get better at what you
do. Try setting goals for the next few weekends,
write them down, evaluate them and build on
them. You never know you might surprise yourself.
Until next time

Tel/Fax 01722782432
Email; ags.westlake@virgin.net/ Website; www.westlakeengineering.com

The Taurus ML Revolver is converted from a Taurus .357 Magnum Long Barrelled Revolver.
The cylinder is removed and a Yoke extension fitted, this contains the spring loaded
plunger that frees the action when the yoke is closed. As this extension cannot be removed,
it prevents the re-fitting of the original cylinder. The Barrel is shortened to approximately 5
¼ inches and the wristbrace is removed.
A new cylinder is made which has pockets for shotgun primers at the rear with a small
flash hole through into the chamber at the front. The chamber is made to accept .357” lead
wadcutter
16 bullets. The
Target conversion of your pistol costs £330.00. Extra Cylinders are £180.00
Shooter
each. If you do not have a pistol I can order a new pistol from the Importers.
 New\ Year Gadgets
Gallery
N orth West Custom Parts
Calendar 2010
North West Custom has produced a 2010
Calendar of its favourite weapons which we are
donating copies to our Troops in Afghanistan
support them in their work. You can get you
copy posted direct to your door for only £10.95
(postage included)www.nwcustomparts.com/

Peli products available from Green Leopard

Ltd

Peli i1015 Case for iPhone and iPod touch:Price:

around £40.00 inc VAT
Just released the new i1015 case is a water
resistant, dustproof and crushproof case. It is
designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod
touch and includes an external 3.5mm socket
for your headphones and carabiner for attaching
it to your gear. Available for pre-order online at
www.greenleopard.co.uk/

Lyman 1200 Pro Tum-

bler
Excellent value for mon-
ey with the capacity to
clean up to a maximum
of 350 .38spl cases.
Special features include
‘built in’ sifter lid to en-
able easy
separation
of cases and of course
media is included. £55.99
from Tim Hannam
www.timhannam.co.uk/

Kestrel 1000 Pocket Anemometer

Functions: Current air speed, maximum air speed, average air speed and data hold. Supplied with
hard cover, lanyard and battery. Price:£75.00 Ex VAT www.r-p-r.co.uk/
Target Shooter 17
The AIM Tactical Dragbag
The best designed drag bag on the
market in terms of protection and
versatility, the Aim Tactical Dragbag is
designed to carry everything you need for
a day’s shooting and leave you with your
hands free.
Inside your rifle is securely harnessed by
adjustable straps within an extra thick,
closed cell padded, 1000 denier Cordura
bag. Pockets are easily big enough to
carry ear plugs, muzzle brakes, all the
accessories you need. The bag can be
comfortably backpacked or carried by the
webbing handle. The Aim bag comes in
three sizes - the AIM 40, 50 or 60. www.
aimfieldsports.com or 01606 860678.
Hornady OAL gauge.
You just can’t load accurate rounds with
some method of measuring your COAL
(cartridge overall length) There are various
way to do it but this Hornady kit is as good
as any. Not cheap at RRP of £42 but well
made to last a lifetime. from Tim Hannam
www.timhannam.co.uk/

18 Target Shooter
 Target Shooter 19
 ‘Support your local gun shop’
Aim Field Sports
This month we look at another internet gunshop
in the form of Aimfield Sports.
John and wife Karen are the proprietors and,
as John is a keen shooter, I get to enjoy his
company most weekends. John shoots just about
everything from F Class through to air-rifle and
he also enjoys his field shooting.
The business was built around the now famous
Aimfield Sports drag-bag when John saw a gap
in the market for a proper gun bag with all the
features of the American style drag-bags and
more. The Aimfield bag is just about perfect
as John has gradually ‘tuned’ the design over
the last few years and it comes in a range of
really great colours. I was fortunate enough to
have one of the first and I have used it virtually
every weekend for the last few years and not
a zip, stitch or strap has failed. Its cavernous
pockets carry absolutely everything I need for an
F/TR Class shoot and the rucksack-style straps
make carrying a cinch.
Keen to capitalise on the success of the
bag, John next switched his attention to the
shooting mat. The Aimfield mat is wider than all
the others, totally waterproof with pockets for
score-cards etc and available in the same range
of colours as the bags. It’s a very comfortable
mat but not ‘bouncy’ so ideal for F Class where
you need a stable platform for your back bag. It’s
amazing what can happen when a shooter designs
something for other shooters!
20 Target Shooter
John has always supported the shooting sports
and regularly gives his products as prizes
and the GB F Class Association particularly
have benefited from his generosity, which is
marvellous for a relatively small outfit and it is a
great pity that a few more of our major dealers
and importers aren’t so minded.
Last year, John picked up the US Sightron Optics
agency. This was a great coup as these scopes
have proved to be the equivalent of any - yet
are realistically priced. Again, these were given
as prizes in the World and European F Class
Championships. If you’ve not had chance to look
at the Sightron range, I suggest you do so if you
are on the look out for a new scope. The 8-32 is
proving very popular with the F Class guys and
the fixed 36 power took me to a win first time out
with my benchgun.
Have a look at the Aimfield Sports website at
www.aimfieldsports.com and have a word with
Karen or John – you’ll see him at most of the
major F Class shoots. Support those who
support us!
 www.FoxFirearmsUK.com
Tel: 0161 430 8278 or 07941 958464
PUTTING SHOOTING FIRST

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO SEE THE VERY BEST VALUE CUSTOM PRECISION RIFLES FOR TR, MATCH,
F-CLASS, AND BENCH-REST—WE ARE NOW SELLING A FULL RANGE OF HARRELL PRODUCTS
WE STOCK HUNTING RIFLES BY COOPER, KIMBER AND PFEIFER AND COMPETITION-WINNING RIFLES
FROM KELBLY AND KEPPELER, AND ARE TRADE AGENTS FOR THE
SUPERB BARNARD ACTIONS, AND RECORD-BREAKING TRUE-FLITE AND BARTLEIN BARRELS

WE ALSO STOCK PROFESSIONAL BORESCOPES (from £533) AND A RANGE OF HIGH-POWER SCOPES
FOR COMPETITION AT AMAZING PRICES (eg 8-32X50 WITH 30mm TUBES FROM £100) ALONG WITH
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SEB LAMBANG BENCH RESTS AND ACCESSORIES ARE THE BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE. WE STOCK HIS
FULL RANGE AT LOWEST POSSIBLE PRICES, ALONG WITH THE BUDGET
CALDWELL RANGE- BERGER BULLETS TO YOUR DOOR- EXPORT TO EUROPE, NO PROBLEM!
SEE WEBSITE FOR FULL SPECIFICATIONS AND CURRENT STOCKLIST
EVERYTHING WE IMPORT IS BY FAR THE BEST VALUE IN THE UK

Target Shooter 21
 HAPPY NEW YEAR
Roger, Sheila and Dave wish all our customers and trade colleagues the best for
2010 and hope you will allow us a brief moment of self congratulation (or self
flagellation as it sometimes feels) as we start out on the 25th year of our family
business!

Action shooting disciplines including plate shooting and mini rifle are becoming more and more
popular so we felt it appropriate to offer an “off the shelf” rifle designed with these disciplines in
mind where reliability is more important than extreme accuracy. With this in mind we recommend
high velocity ammunition in this style of rifle.
The rifle features a Rimfire Magic receiver and fully tuned trigger unit with auto bolt release and
extended mag release and a short 12.5” standard barrel which has been fitted with one of our
stainless steel muzzle brakes. This is set in a Tapco T6 Fusion stock which has an adjustable AR-15
style butt stock and includes various rails suitable for adding lasers, torchlights etc. Additional
options include extended bolt handle assembly, Tactical Innovations high capacity magazines and

This semi-custom rifle has proved so popular

that we try to keep them available from stock
depending very much on the availability of the
AICS system! Fortunately we currently have
several available and ready to go. The SPS
Varmint barrelled action has been treated to
polished bolt rail, adjusted trigger and refaced
and target crowned barrel and is offered with
the option of a 5/8 x 18 threaded barrel.
Price (bipod not included) £1,250 (plain)
£1,300 (threaded)
We recently received our first shipment of stocks from Tom
Manners in the US and are very impressed with the overall
quality and finish. The excellent action inletting we’ve seen
Tactical bolt knob in anodised has particularly impressed us and is so good that we are
Aluminium—Price £25 looking at offering these stocks not only for full custom rifles
We offer a fitting service (send us but also as a pillar bedded “drop in” stock for semi-custom
your bolt and we will machine, rifles. We are still confirming our costs on these and will post
thread and Devcon the new bolt prices on our website as soon as we can. This first delivery
knob for £75 plus £5.00 return) consists of GAT ambidextrous stocks but we have already
placed orders for other styles to follow in the new year.
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
22 Target Shooter
Our retail shop is open Thursday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm to allow us time in the workshop.
The SYSS Mini Rifle
Popular wisdom says the Ruger 10/22 is the semi
auto rimfire calibre rifle to have for speed shooting
events. However, the current model with it’s
increased use of plastic components has not
endeared itself to the shooting world. Couple this
with the increase in price and the growing problems
of getting anything out of America if it is anything to
do with shooting and it was on the cards that the UK’s
oldest Ruger 10/22 customiser in the business would
start producing their own actions. South Yorkshire
Shooting Supplies headed by Roger Francis had
long had the plan to have his own actions made but
the aforementioned circumstances gave him the
impetus he needed. Starting from the bottom up he
by Tim Finley
looked at the shortcomings of the venerable Ruger
10/22 action and those of the Volquartsen semi auto
rifle actions, both of which he has built many rifles
upon. One has tolerances which are a bit too large to
consistently make an accurate action and the other
is so tight on the tolerances it needs tender loving
care and a lot of cleaning to keep it running jam free.
Going for the middle ground as far as tolerances go
and using high grade aluminium Roger designed an
action he thought would be the best of both worlds.
He went for an integral scope rail as Volquartsen
Above and below - Your scribe using the
Rimfire Magic mini rifle
Target Shooter 23
 It had to feed without jamming.
Be accurate and also look the
part. I put together a spec with
the new Rimfire Magic action in
mind. I even had Rogers arm up
his back to get him to build my
gun on his first action number
one, RM0001. Having a rifle built
on the number one action it was
going to have to be something
special. As well as the action
Roger is also having trigger
housings CNC machined,
this is due to as I have already
mentioned Ruger going to plastic
trigger housings. He uses Power
Custom hammers and sears and
come the New Year these will
be the only parts Roger buys
in for his rifle builds, everything
else will be made in the UK.
Yet another first for SYSS. I
wanted a Tapco T6 Intrafuse
has, it adds strength to the action as well as making
stock as I liked both how it looked and how it handled.
it easier to precisely align the scope. The actions are
It is also dirt cheap at £115. It has two different rear
made on CNC machines in deepest Yorkshire. I was
stock mounting rods, an angled one if you want
looking for a new rifle for speed shooting events,
to use open sights or a straight one if you want to
namely Mini Rifle. It has taken off at our club in a
use optical devices. The barrel would be my choice
big way and I have been fortunate enough to win
and I wanted a standard Stainless steel Ruger
all the events I have shot with my GSG-5, apart
form one with a GSG-AK47 I had on test. From this Below - The custom Rimfire Magic 10/22
experience I knew what I wanted in a Mini Rifle gun. action

24 Target Shooter
 Above and below - Stock at standard setting and
extended
barrel cut down to 12 inches and threaded for one
of SYSS’s own muzzle brakes. Also a standard
barrel would fit the current T6 stocks and a large
diameter heavier match barrel would not. I did not
want a match chambered barrel anyway as if you
have a jam in a speed event you are out of the running,
it’s better to have a slightly less accurate rifle that
always feeds as opposed to a mega accurate gun
which can jam. That’s not to say I knew a standard
barrel with is slacker chamber would not be accurate,
I have tested a few Ruger barrels which when cut
down have been very good indeed, that is that I was
counting upon. To match the olive drab green plastic
Tapco T6 Intrafuse stock I wanted the action barrel
and muzzle brake in the same colour. SYSS no do
all their own Duracoat spraying and what a fine job
Dave Wylde makes of it too. With all that spec sorted
it was down to Roger to build it and Dave to paint it.
Another thing to note on SYSS’s own bolt is that the
firing pin is held in the optimum position by a cleverly
placed pin. This ensures the optimum strike by the
pin on the cartridge base. Another
custom part I wanted on my rifle
was the bolt handle I wanted the
big titanium Power Custom model,
again to aid and stoppages I might
have in speed events, the standard
blot handle it just too small and fiddly
for my big olde Yorkshire hands.
Roger put the rifle tougher with Dave
and I was over the moon with how it
looked. The only modification I had to
do was to move the pistol grip back to
place the pad of my trigger finger in the
correct comfortable position on the
curved trigger blade, When fitted as
Tapco suggest the joint of my trigger
finger was on the blade when my hand
was in a relaxed comfortable position,
It only took five minutes to re-drill the
stock and move the grip back with its
one securing screw. Another thing
to note is that due to the shortened
barrel the screws for attaching the
rear stock rod have to be loctied and
center-popped in order to permanently
fix the rear stock on the rifle. If you
unscrewed it and took it off it would
make the rifle less then 600mm
long and therefore illegal. I had the
rifle back in time to take it down to the
Autumn Action weekend at Bisley. I
had never shot a rimfire rifle in any
competitions down there so it would be
a very good test for both the rifle and
myself. Sight wise I only had time to
throw on an AGS 3-12*44 compact
scope. I reasoned the specification
it had would be good for Mini Rifle. It parallaxes down
to 10 yards it has a sidewheel parallax adjustment
and target style turrets. I did not have time to get
any scope turret settings other than a 17 yards zero.
Not what I really wanted, I planned to have dials for
10,15,20,25,30 and 50m.
For ammunition I started using CCI Mini -Mag from the
start, a re-think on what I used for Mini-Rifle with the
GSG. These seemed a bit ammo fussy and I had seen
more jam with Mini-Mag of the four guns in regular
use at the club. The Rimfire Magic actions I had tried
all felt very, very slick and I thought fast ammo like
the Mini-Mag would make the best of the ultra smooth
action. Dave’s Duracoat finish to the internals of the
action helped with the cycling of the action. The
action was engraved with the words RIMFIRE
MAGIC after the painting process and it really stands
out very nicely silver against the O/D green. I bought
two Tactical Innovations TI25 composite magazines
from SYSS, these are 25 round mag’s, although it’s
advisable I find to not put the full 25 .22 LR rounds in
Target Shooter 25
Above and below - Pistol Grip of the Rimfire
Magic mini rifle and the trigger guard
for Mini-Rifle comps as when loaded that way on a
closed bolt during a mag change the full mag will no
engage fully into the action. The magazines have
four screws which adjust to tailor the magazines to
each individual action for faultless feeding of ammo
My Rimfire Magic rifle worked perfectly without even
26 Target Shooter
adjusting the mag’s to the correct settings, but it’s
a good idea to follow the instructions on their web
site www.tacticalinc.com to get the best out of them
on a standard Ruger 10/22. I would not be using
the big 25 round magazines at Bisley as they are
just not needed. It’s a maximum of ten rounds per
stage anyway. I bought sis standard mag’s for
SYSS, as a side note SYSS “tune” all standard
Ruger magazines they supply with their guns and
I must say again I have had not problems at all. I
also fitted a front grip on the Tapco’s Picatinny rails
under the forend. This is until I get around to fitting
a Yankee Hill machine grip from SYSS. The grip I
wanted to fit would not clamp correctly on the Tapco
stock for some reason, probably a slightly undersize
moulding on the accessory rail. Rimfire Magic’s
trigger cluster was a revelation, I did not want a Kidd
or any other expensive match type trigger as for
speed events you just do not need it, what you want
is a crisp predictable, consistent trigger, all these
things it was with spades, the pull weight was only
2lb 8oz (1.128grm) but it feels much , much lighter.
We, and when I say we I mean “Team Len” Dave
Wylde SYSS’s custom full-bore rifle builder and Ross
Borough my rimfire clubs comp sec and overall great
guy and my good self, were shooting Advancing
Target and Multi Target at Bisley. As I said, I have
never shot these events with a rifle before. I was
nervous as I shot the Advancing Target for the first
time and the rifle never missed a beat, in fact it has
never missed a beat at any shoot I have shot with it
so far. I was lucky enough to win a Silver award in
the Advancing target as well as not finishing below
3rd in class in any event I shot over the AAW event
at Bisley. A few weeks later I shot a practice Mini
Rifle event at my club with the TI25 magazines and
put all my shots but one into the “A” or top scoring
section, my only miss being when I missed counted
and only fired one shot at the missed target. The
Rimfire Magic rifle continues to impress me. Roger
is building my spec Mini-Rifle into his standard build
list, in fact he has just built one for a mate of mine
who was very taken with my gun. A Rimfire Magic
action with bolt assembly, recoil buffer and standard
bolt handle. Rimfire Magic trigger unit with auto
bolt release, extended mag release Duracoated in
black or silver, fitted with a Ruger barrel cut down
to 12 ½ inches and fitted with a brake like mine in
a T6 stock with one mag will set you back £695 inc
vat. When the last of Rogers Ruger 10/22 actions
have been sold he is not going to be using them any
more. When you have shot a Rimfire Magic action
you can see why at only £20 more than having to
use a Ruger action there really is no comparison. A
10/22 it is not and a whole lot better for that it is too.
TEST ACTION
Model Rimfire Magic
Country of Origin South Yorkshire
Calibre .22 Rimfire long rifle
Action 10 shot Semi Auto blow
back
Features Integral Weaver scope rail,
choice of colours
Can use any stock/magazines made for Ruger 10/22
Price Action only is NOT supplied
Action £290 Inc SYSS’s own bolt
Trigger £150
Barrel £90 ( Screw cut)
Muzzle brake £50 ( Only when part
of a SYSS build)
Plus cost of stock and barrel to
customers specification, see
SYSS build list for options.
Supplier South Yorkshire Shooting
Supplies
01226-756332
E mail enquiries@rimfiremagic.co.uk
Web site www.rimfiremagic.co.uk
Target Shooter 27
28 Target Shooter
 Shooting the Black Powder Pistol
Part 3

by Chris Risebrook
Having discussed the basics and described some versions which never existed in period.
single shot pistols, this time we will look at revolvers. The Colt dismantles quite easily by knocking out
the barrel key, putting it on half-cock so that the
The variety of Italian-made replica revolvers is rammer falls between two chambers, and then
bewildering. Because of their historical/romantic pushing down the rammer, which will ease the
associations, most are copies of the Remington barrel from the frame. This makes cleaning easier
1858 and the various Colt revolvers. In general, the and enables the barrel to be cleaned from the breech.
copies are quite accurate, such that some parts are
interchangeable with the originals and they certainly
The downside is that the rear sight is merely a notch
represent excellent value for money compared to thein the hammer. In practice, although it gives a poor
cost of an original. sight picture, it appears to have no detrimental
affect on accuracy. Spent caps have a habit of falling
They are produced in vast quantities, mainly for down in front of the hammer and thus jamming the
the American market, which keeps the price down. revolver; not a serious problem unless the
Probably the most popular are the Colt 1851 and Commanches are charging! The Colt design
1860 models. Originally, these would have been uses no top strap and is thus weaker than the
in .36 and .44 respectively but the copies are now Remington, and the brass frames on some of the
produced in both calibres, together with some spurious copies could ‘spring’ over time, but I have
never know this to happen in
The Remington BP revolver - practice.
tried and tested is one of the
For competitive target-
most popular models used in
shooting, the Remington is
the UK generally preferred because
of its solid frame and
conventional rear sight
groove in the top-strap. If you
prefer originality, a genuine
Remington is generally about
£1000 cheaper to buy than
an original Colt - romantic
names cost money!
Loading and cleaning a
Remington is easier that a
Colt - there is no barrel key to
lose. Drop the loading-lever,
pull the barrel-spindle
forward and remove the
cylinder. The barrel has to be

Target Shooter 29

Chris using a home made
loading stand while charging
the cylinders
cleaned from the muzzle and a nylon cleaning-rod
guide is available to avoid damaging the crown.
In the heat of battle, trying to load any muzzleloading
revolver would have been virtually impossible and in
practice, troopers carried as many as eight of these
revolvers festooned about their horse and person.
To load any revolver, it is easiest to use a loading
stand. These can be bought or easily made to hold
the pistol firmly barrel upward. Load each chamber
from a phial, insert the ball - sprue upward - and
push down hard with the rammer. A felt wad can
be loaded under the ball, or grease applied to the
chamber mouth when the ball is seated. Do no use
both methods. Do make sure the ball is seated firmly
onto the powder or wad, and that there is no air gap
between the powder and ball. Do not use patches.
Seating the ‘balls’
can be strenuous
specially in cold
weather
30 Target Shooter
When all chambers are
loaded, point down range
and cap each nipple, which
is the fiddly bit. In most
guns, fingers seem to work
better than fancy cappers.
The wad or grease is not to
prevent a chain fire, but to
lubricate the ball and keep
the fouling soft. With a tight
fitting ball, chain fire is very
unlikely. When loading the
ball, the rammer should
leave a thin ring of lead
behind. Most .44 Colts use
.451 and Remingtons .454.
Just to be awkward, the
Ruger Old Army uses .457.
Obviously, manufacturing
tolerances will differ and it
is important to have a tight
fit. Bullet can be used but
round ball seem to give the
best accuracy.
In addition to these two principal revolvers, the
Italians are now making copies of other lesser known
makes and models, even including the weird Le Mat
with its nine chambers and a shot gun barrel as a
cylinder spindle - difficult to think of a competition for
that one!. One of the best revolvers was the Rogers
and Spencer, produced just too late to see action in
the American Civil War but it handles beautifully and
copies are used successfully in competition.
Cleaning revolvers is much harder work than single
shots, since each nipple needs to be unscrewed and
cleaned and there are six chambers to clean as well
as the barrel. A stainless-steel revolver helps
and so does cleaning as soon as possible after
shooting.Agood scrub with boiling water and a
toothbrush around the nipples should see
the whole operation over in a few
minutes. After a few sessions, it is a good
idea to strip the gun and clean the lockwork of
fouling. Since the method of complete
stripping varies from one gun to another,
this will have to be left to a future article. Do
remember stainless-steel is not really
stainless, just stain resistant, and some
internal parts - particularly springs - are
made from carbon steel. Try and keep
water out of the action when cleaning, oil
well and check the gun the next day just to
make sure you have not missed anything
and that no rust has formed.
 Target Shooter 31
 A regular column whereby Ken Hall keeps us up to date
with black powder cartridge rifle shooting in the UK.
Special Report
QUIGLEY SHOOTING ASSOCIATION
NEWCOMERS GUIDE TO SHOOTING THE
BLACK POWDER CARTRIDGE RIFLE. PART
FOUR.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and
hoping Santa brought you all you wished for……
In the previous entry to this series, I wrote a
little about some of the choices available when
selecting a suitable calibre for the black powder
centrefire cartridge and promised some more
A 45-70 case with 70gn Swiss No3
32 Target Shooter
info on loading the .45-70, I hope the following
will help to answer some of the common queries
which crop up when you start to reload for this
superb cartridge. In 1873 the US Army introduced
its new round for the Trapdoor Springfield Rifle,
the 45-70-405 (.45 cal with 70 grains of black
powder behind a bullet weighing 405 grains).
This remained in service with front line troops,
although with a later upgrade to a 500 grain
bullet, along with its’ more user-friendly 55 grain
charge for the carbine until the adoption of the
.30-40 Krag in the 1890s, and well into the 20th
Century with the National Guard. With a suitable
bullet and load this calibre is capable of scoring
well on targets at ranges up to 1000yds.
First, let’s look at the case. .45-70 brass
is readily available at around £40 to £60 per
100 from manufacturers such as Winchester,
Remington, Star-Line and Federal with most
dealers keeping a stock of this calibre which
means you can usually get your hands on some
without a wait. When it comes to choice, all
these cases are up to the job, although many
shooters have their own favourite make. It is to
be noted, however, that Starline and Remington
use thicker brass which does have some effect
on case capacity, which we will deal with later.
Secondly, the bullet. There are a
bewildering number of bullet shapes and sizes
out there, ready made ones tend to be around
405 grains or less and are cast of a hard
alloy, with a hard lube designed for use with nitro
powders. These are less than ideal when used
with black powder at long ranges. A heavier
bullet, 500 to 540 grains, cast of a 20:1 or
30:1 lead/tin mix, with deep lube grooves filled
with a natural, softer lube to keep fouling to a
 L to R Lyman 535gn Postell, Lyman 500gn Gov’t, Lyman 510gn Bore Rider, Saeco 525gn
Semi Spitzer, Lee 500gn Spitzer, Lee 405gn Hollow Base
minimum, is what is required. For this you will
more. As for bullet shape, those with a Postell
need to cast your own. Moulds are made by many
shape or rounded nose tend to be favoured
commercial suppliers like Lee, RCBS, Saeco, among most of today’s marksmen using single
Lyman, Redding etc, as well as by several shot rifles. For my standard Quigley load I use
custom makers in the USA such as Hoch, Lyman’s 457125 mould, this is the original
Magma Eng, NEI Handtools, and Paul Jones 500 grain Government round nosed bullet
among others, a quick Google search will reveal
introduced in the 1880s, if it worked then, well
why not now? Of course, if loading for
a repeater with a tubular magazine,
B&M Powder measure then only flat nosed bullets must
be used for safety reasons. Many
shooters believe that a perfect base
is preferable to a perfect nose and
so most custom moulds are of the
nose pour type, as opposed to most
commercial offerings which are of the
base pour design which can leave an
irregular base after the sprue is cut
off. Again, this becomes a personal
choice as custom moulds are also
much more expensive than their
commercial counterparts. Bullets
can also be swaged from a soft lead
core, but as these generally emerge
without lube grooves they are used
mainly for paper patching, which may
be covered in a later article.
When it comes to choice of
powder it’s probably best to start
with whatever is available locally
or what is recommended by an
experienced shooter, again, there are
a few suppliers and several brands
and grades, but some powders are
going to work better than others
in your rifle and it can take a lot of

Target Shooter 33

Drop Tube in use
experimenting to find the one that suits best.
After much trial and error, I have found that 70
grains of Swiss No 3 (ffg grade) works well for my
handloads.
All cartridges need a source of ignition,
this is achieved by a relatively inexpensive,
simple and yet extremely reliable item known as
L to R charged case, veg fibre and home made
wax wads, a case with wad and powder, a lubed
bullet, and a completed round
34 Target Shooter
Home made powder compressor
the primer. These come in various standard sizes
determined by the case they are designed for.
For our purposes, the size is known as “Large
Rifle”, they can be purchased as “standard”
or “magnum”, the latter are often quoted as
essential for reliable ignition of black powder,
but I have to confess that over the years,
I have found no discernable evidence to
corroborate this, and indeed many shooters I have
spoken to in the USA are having great success
using “Large Pistol” primers. I am making no
recommendations here, merely stating opinions.
Let’s look at assembling a round of
ammunition. I will assume that the handloader
Lyman 45 lubrisizer,
oldie but goodie
has already purchased the equipment necessary
and is familiar with its use. First, case preparation,
we start with a clean case, if it is new and unfired,
it will first be necessary to full length size the
case and ideally trim it to length. The flash hole
can be de-burred at this stage if required with a
simple tool costing only a few pounds, the next
Target Shooter 35

MTM Case Guard RF22
stage is to expand the neck sufficient to allow the
seating of the bullet without damaging it on the
case rim. Finally a suitable primer is inserted
into the pocket in the base. Once the case has
been fired then it is not necessary to resize at all,
providing that the case is only to be used in the
same rifle, this will also help to prolong the case life.
The next stage is to charge the case
with powder, but before we do that, we need to
determine how much powder to use. What is very
important with the black powder cartridge, is that
when it is assembled there is no air space left in
the case, so, while it is virtually impossible to use
too much powder, it is very possible to use too
little. To work out a suitable charge then, we need
to determine how much volume is left in the case
when the bullet is seated to its optimum depth.
A simple way to do this is to place our chosen
bullet in the chamber and slowly push it towards
the muzzle, using a suitable dowel or pencil, until
it just touches the lands of the rifling. If we then
measure from the base of the bullet to the rear of
the chamber and reduce this distance by a few
thou to allow a little clearance, this will give us the
amount of space behind the bullet which needs to
be filled with powder. Mark a prepared case and
then weigh it, using a drop tube, fill it to the mark
with your selected powder and weigh it again,
this will give you the minimum charge required.
Because the chamber
on my Pedersoli Sharps allows me to seat the
bullet well forward in the case, 70 grains only
just comes up to the mark, once the fibre wad
is added it is only necessary to compress the
powder by the thickness of the wad, in my case
36 Target Shooter
.060in. Now is a good
time to tell you about
a superb piece of kit,
which can be made
very simply from
materials you already
have. Once your
cases are fire formed,
you will have no
need for the neck
expanding die from
your set, so take the
die and remove the
internal button by
loosening the collet
nut. Using a lathe
and some brass or
aluminium rod, turn a
simple insert, one end
of which will just fit
inside the case and the other in the collet. This
will be your powder compressing tool; it is used
in your press and is set so that the bottom of the
insert is level with the bottom of the bullet.
Any measure designed for black powder
metering can be used to dispense the charge,
I use an old Belding & Mull powder measure,
these are very safe, efficient, and throw a
consistent charge, and they can still be sourced
on the internet. Earlier, I mentioned the use of
a drop tube, this is a really handy piece of kit
which is commercially available but is also easy
to make yourself. I already have a 36 inch long
brass powder funnel which I use for my muzzle
loading rifle, although a shorter one around 24
inch will suffice, this is fitted to a simple wooden
frame and allows me to trickle the powder into
the case which settles it more evenly allowing
me to get more powder in the same space.
Using this method I have no problem getting
70 grains of Swiss No 3 into the case, despite
many ‘experts’ saying this is impossible. Next
I put a .060in thick vegetable fibre wad over the
powder to protect the base of the bullet and also
to prevent the soft lube from leeching onto the
powder. An alternative to the fibre wad can be cut
from waxed milk or fruit juice cartons with a 7/16
in wad punch. Then the case is raised into the
powder compression die to the level determined
earlier. At this stage it will be noted that more
resistance will be felt if using Starline or
Remington cases because the thicker brass
slightly reduces the internal volume.
Next; a little about preparing the bullet.
 Ideally the bullet should be sized and lubed;
bullets do not always emerge from the mould
at exactly the same weight or diameter, so to
compensate for this we can do two things. First,
the bullets are weighed and batched, they can
then be passed through a sizing die which will
size them to exactly the required diameter (which
can be found by slugging the barrel) and at the
same time inject the appropriate lube into the
grease grooves. I have a couple of old Lyman
45 lubrisizers, these are well up to the job, dies
are simple and quick to change, and they are
still to be found at very reasonable prices on the
net. There are several specialist black powder
lubes on the market including SPG, Ox-Yoke
Wonderlube, Lyman’s Black Powder Gold and my
current favourite White label BPCR, which can
be imported from the USA at a very reasonable
price. RCBS, Lyman and Redding make sturdy
lubrisizers, they are not cheap but they can be
recommended. Lee makes a very inexpensive
lube and size kit, but this is designed for bullets
tumbled in alox and is not suitable for filling the
deep grooves with the soft lube required on our
bullets, but the sizing die can be used if the bullet
is first lubed by hand. All that remains now is to
seat the bullet which can be pushed by hand into
a fire formed case, or seated with the die into a
new and sized case. A note on bullet seating, if
the compression die was not used in the previous
step then the powder will have to be compressed
by the bullet, this may cause the bullet nose to
be deformed so take care. In single shot rifles I
prefer not to crimp the bullet in the case, but if
you wanted to I would not recommend using the
roll crimp normally supplied with the die set, but
purchase a taper crimp or factory crimp die, or
even just run the loaded round a little way into the
case sizing die providing the bullet profile allows it.
The completed round is best stored in one
of those dedicated plastic flip top ammunition
boxes made by MTM, I prefer the Case-Guard
RF22, which holds 22 rounds and allows the
round to sit with the bullet upwards, ideal when
the bullet is not crimped in place. This is just one
person’s method of reloading this grand old round,
it works in my rifle but it is not guaranteed to work
in everyone else’s. Please feel free to email with
questions and comments to khall6548@aol.com

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

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Target Shooter 37
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 10.00am - 5.30pm
 Shooting Website of the Month
As it is so close we thought at we would feature the
British Shooting and Countryman Show website.
It’s a case of use it or lose it. The show started off
extremely well last year and this year promises to be
even better, with even more stands featuring your
favourite retailers, distributors and manufacturers.
So have a think and join in the fun, as it certainly
looks like it will be a great weekend.
As you would expect from a commercial venture
there is lots of information on the website to help
38 Target Shooter
you book, get to the show and the about the show
itself. What great is there is something for
everyone, whether you are into shotguns or pure target
shooting. Maybe we are helping to promote this
hear again but we, collectively, need shows like
this to help promote shooting in the UK as the great
sport that it is. This is in the same way we need
magazines like Target Shooter to do the same thing.
As we said elsewhere in this magazine – we will be
there, so we hope to see you too.
 Target Shooter 39
 Wildcats I have known and loved – the
fabulous sixes

By Vince Bottomley
From left – 6PPC, 6BR, Dasher, Swiss Match, 6-6.5x47 Lapua, 6XC, 243Win, 243Win.Imp,
6mm Xtreme, 6-284
An occasional series in which Vince Bottomley box of 220 Russian brass gathering dust on the
and Richard Wild look at their favourite wildcat shelves of a rural gunshop. The 220 Russian
cartridges. In this article, Vince looks at was already a wildcat – formed from the
ten 6mm cartridges that are firm
favourites with accuracy nuts.

When we think of shooting at

extreme ranges - i.e. out to 1000
yards, most shooters will not even
consider a ‘six’. Yet in 1996, American
benchrest shooter Bill Shehane,
captured the 1000 yard world
record with a 3.142 inch, 5-shot group
using his 6-284. Prone high-power
shooter David Tubb has won a
number of ‘across the course’
championships and at least one
long-range championship at Camp
Perry (America’s biggest long-range
rifle match) with his 6XC and, more
recently, Jason Baney won the 2006
Williamsport World Open 1000 yard
Benchrest Championships with his
6BR.

But, let’s start off with the most famous

6mm wildcat of them all, the legendary
6PPC. Benchrest shooters have
always searched for the perfect
cartridge and the 222 Remington
reigned for many years, so did the 6x47
( – no, not Lapua’s 6-6.5x47, this was
the 222 Rem.Mag. case necked up
to 6mm – both these cartridges being
the creation of Remington’s Mike Left, Ferris Pindell and far right, Walt Berger – I
Walker). Then, quite by chance, a was honoured to meet these legends at the World
certain Dr Louis Palmisano found a Benchrest Championships in America in 2008

40 Target Shooter
 Yes, it is the world’s
most inherently accurate
Left, the 7.62x39 AK47 cartridge, the cartridge out to 300
Lapua 220 Russian and right, the 6PPC - yards and every 6PPC
note steeper shoulder and less body taper shooter forms his brass
from that strange little
220 Russian case,
which is now made by
Lapua. But please, if
you are building the
ultimate foxing rifle, don’t
mess with the 6PPC -
the 6mmBR will do the
job just as well and offer
you a greater choice
of bullet. But surely the
6BR isn’t a wildcat - how
come it’s on the list?

If the 6PPC has a fault,

it is the case-head
diameter – slightly
smaller than the 308
case-head by about
28 thou. There are
thousands of factory
rifles with a 308 bolt-face
but unfortunately, if you
re-barrel with a 6PPC
chamber, you could have
extractor problems. This
prompted Mike Walker
of Remington to
7.62x39 Kalashnikov case and first appeared develop a version of the
in the hands of a Russian Shooting Team at 6PPC but with a 308 case-head, which could be
the World Championships in Egypt in 1963. used in a factory rifle with a 308 bolt-face. Both
calibres were initially tested – a 22 and a 6mm
Palmisano knew he had something special but only the 6mm made it into production
with the 220 Russian brass and the Doctor’s and it became known as the 6mm Benchrest
gunsmith friend, Ferris Pindell, built a benchrest Remington. The 6BR Norma came later and to
rifle for Palmisano chambered for the 22PPC. all intents is the same cartridge but if you are
Palmisano was relatively unknown in the building a 6BR, make sure your gunsmith uses
benchrest world but he blew the doors off the a reamer to suit Lapua’s excellent 6BR Norma
opposition at the 1975 Super Shoot – the biggest case rather than the Remington brass.
benchrest competition in the world! The 22PPC
was soon necked-up to become the 6PPC and Even though the 6mmBR is an almost perfectly
benchrest would never be the same again – the ‘balanced’ cartridge, the wildcatters still can’t
search for the perfect cartridge was over. Thirty resist trying to make it better. They lengthened
years on and it still dominates 100/200 yard the body (6mm BRX), made the shoulder angle
benchrest competition all over the planet. Every steeper (6mm BR-DX) or a combination of both
benchrest world champion and world (6mm Dasher).
championship winning team has used the 6PPC.
Do any of these modifications make for a better

Target Shooter 41
 The Swiss Match, 6-6.5x47 Lapua & 6XC accuracy gain with
are very similar any of the
aforementioned
wildcats. If you
want more
capacity, just go for
the 6-6.5x47 Lapua
and save yourself
all the case forming
– unless, like me
you are a shoot-
ing masochist! You
can cram about 36
grains of powder
into the Dasher
case, whereas the
6-6.5x47 Lapua
will hold around 42
grains.

But let’s go back to

the beginning of this
article and look at
big Bill’s 6-284. Bill
‘discovered’ the
almost obsolete
284 (7mm)
Winchester case
and necked it down
to 6mm to create
his record-breaking
cartridge.
Really, I should say
‘re-discovered’ for
American varmint
shooters were
using the 6-284
wildcat around 30
cartridge? Well, the increase in case-capacity years before Bill
is always helpful when you are trying to push set his World Record. Compared to the Lapua
105 grain bullets over 3000 fps. In addition to 6.5-284 brass we now use, the Winchester stuff
a minute powder-capacity increase, the steeper was abysmal – I know, I had a 6-284 about ten
shoulder is reckoned to help the powder burn years ago. After necking-down, neck-turning and
more ‘consistently’. The theory is there but does fire-forming, cases had to be weighed, gauged
it work in practice? for body thickness and any ‘out of spec’ cases –
of which there were many – rejected, or at least
Jason Baney (of 6mmBR.com fame) used reserved for sighters. I never matched Bill’s
a ‘straight’ 6BR to win his 2006, 1000 yard group but I did get down to five inches which, in
Benchrest Championship – no tight-necks or the UK at that time, was pretty respectable.
custom bullets – Jason also used ‘off the shelf’
Lapua Scenar bullets. There is absolutely nothing The 6-284 quickly morphed into the 6.5-284
wrong with the 6BR as it stands and if you do and was adopted by Norma. It has achieved
build a custom rifle, there is no ‘guaranteed’ even more success in this format, especially

42 Target Shooter
The pre-production Lapua 6.5x47 had a large primer – as does the Tubb 6XC and the Swiss
Match. When Lapua went into production, the primer had changed to a small one – far
left. The reason? Better accuracy. Interestingly, Lapua are about to offer a 308 case with a
small primer pocket.
with F Class shooters, though I still prefer be burning a few grains less powder and
the 6mm version for out and out long-range furthermore, the brass would be about half the
benchrest accuracy. Barrel-life is however price of the 6.5-284 brass. The first problem is
abysmal in 6mm form – around 500 rounds but fireforming. Every case must be fireformed, so
as a 6.5 you can expect at least double that. that’s 100 rounds down our barrel before we’ve
The case capacity is about 60 grains and we fired a single round in competition! Sadly, the
don’t fill the case – be it a 6mm or 6.5. so, I barrel didn’t last any longer! Neither did the
shortened my last 6-284 case by 50 thou. and brass, so the saving was minimal and I didn’t
called it the 6mm Xtreme. This also gives a win the Championship, so not really worth it. I
longer neck and it is a very effective cartridge. did have some reasonable groups but it was
We also have another advantage that Bill definitely not up to the standard of the Xtreme.
didn’t have – Tubb’s excellent 115 grain 6mm
DTAC bullets, which leave the muzzle at – well, We’ve now ticked-off six of our ten fabulous
respect your range velocity limits and keep it sixes. Let’s have a look at the Swiss Match,
down to 3250 fps! The 6mm Xtreme does not 6-6.5x47 Lapua and the Tubb 6XC. These three
give better barrel-life than the normal 6-284 cartridges are very similar (see picture) and there
but it was good enough to secure me the 2008 is very little to choose between them. If I was
UKBRA 1000 yard Championship, so I can’t looking at mainly long-range performance out to
ask more than that! The Lapua brass as always 1000 yards then it has to be the 6XC – now that
is superb and I no longer select or gauge my Norma brass is available – as it holds marginally
brass – just neck it down, neck turn and shoot in more powder than the other two. Having said
competition – barrel-life is so short you can’t afford that, this is the only one of the ten cartridges
to waste it fireforming! The 6-284 is also pretty that I haven’t actually had a rifle chambered
hard on brass and primer-pockets are loose after a for, so I can’t speak from actual experience.
couple of firings - after five firings they are scrap.
The 6.5-284 brass is now very expensive and if Tubb initially wildcatted his 6XC cases from the
you work on 500 rounds per barrel, that’s 100 22-250 case but sadly, Lapua don’t make 22-
cases and 500 bullets, primers and powder. That 250 brass* Remember, no matter what you do
works out at about £2.00 a bang! Frightening! to a case to ‘improve’ it – unless you start off
with good brass, you are wasting your time!
Although I’m no ‘penny-pincher’, I did think about David initially commissioned his own brass
a way to save a bit of money and decided to but now that the round has established itself,
replace the 6mm Xtreme with a 243Win. Norma offer the 6XC case so it makes this
Improved. I reckoned I could still drive the 115 cartridge a real contender for the long-range
grain DTAC bullets at 3200 fps and maybe rifleman.
the barrel would also last longer - as I would

Target Shooter 43
In addition to good brass, we also need good
bullets and here’s where Tubb did long-range
shooters another favour, with his superb 115
grain DTAC bullets. These heavy 6mm bullets
are made by Sierra and the long, needle-like
projectiles need a barrel with a fast twist to
stabilise them. Tubb recommends a 1 in 7 for
his DTAC bullets in the 6XC which will push ‘em
out at 2900 fps but they will stabilise in a 1 in
8 if you can keep the velocity over 3000 fps.
Remember, never spin a bullet faster than you
need to – the faster we spin ‘em, the more any
defects will show up.
Can the 6XC really cut it at long-range? Run
these figures through your ballistic programme.
Consider a 155 grain 308 bullet with a BC of
around 0.508 travelling at around 2950 fps
or the 140 grain Sierra Matchking, BC 0.535
from the 6.5-284 at similar velocity. The DTAC
with its 0.585 BC, also leaving the muzzle of a
6XC at 2950 fps., will retain significantly more
velocity at 1000 yards and buck the wind far
better. Not only will the little six outperform many
larger cartridges – and here’s where we begin
to see the true beauty of these little sixes – they
are so nice to shoot, with negligible recoil. Don’t
forget, recoil is not just a thump in the shoulder,
it’s also rifle upset and accuracy-killing vibration.
That leaves just the Swiss Match and the
Lapua 6-6.5x47. The Swiss Match is a
beautiful little case – made by RWS so the quality is
excellent and I got quite excited when I first
‘discovered’ the case in America of all places
and I just couldn’t wait to build a rifle. Obtaining
brass was a small hurdle – Ruag UK refused to
sell me any brass so I had to get it direct from
Europe – minimum order 1000 pieces – £660
just for the brass! The rifle’s accuracy exceeded
expectations and barrel-life is not too bad (I’m
still shooting it) and when Lapua brought out *The 22-250 case will be offered by Lapua in 2010.
the 6.5x47 it solved the brass problem – run the
6.5x47 through the Swiss Match full-length body
die and out pops a 6mm Swiss Match case!
Is the Swiss Match any better than the 6-6.5x47
Lapua? No – the shoulder angle is the same at
30 degrees and the marginally longer neck offers
no accuracy gain. Stick with the 6-6.5x47 and
its small primer - which appears to handle the
pressure better. Having said that, I think Lapua
got it exactly right when they made their new
44 Target Shooter
round a 6.5mm. It will deliver the same velocity
with a 123 grain bullet that the Swiss Match will
deliver from a 105 grainer and if you want less
recoil, go for Lapua’s 6.5mm 108 grain Scenar
and even more velocity. But, I digress, this
article is in praise of the ‘sixes’ not the six-five!
Before we leave the Swiss Match, I must mention
the 6mm Smack. The Swiss Match Ackley will
hold about the same amount of powder as the
6XC and is very impressive at long-range. There
are few Smacks about but UK shooter, Martin
Miles has done very well with his, both in 1000
yard BR and F Class competition, finishing a
splendid 18th out of 146 competitors in the F Class
Worlds at Bisley last July – all those placed above
him were using the 7mmWSM or the 6.5-284.
Are there any other sixes we should be including
in this article? Well, the bog-standard 243
Winchester is included in my top ten.
Although it was introduced as a factory round by
Winchester way back in 1955 by simply
necking-down the 308 case, the late great
Warren Page (author of The Accurate Rifle) had
already done the ‘wildcatting’. The cartridge is
so ‘overbore’ that Parker Ackley – of ‘Ackley
Improved’ fame apparently refused to further
‘improve’ it. There are thousands of factory rifles
chambered for this cartridge and although it has
a reputation as a ‘deer-slayer’ no one regards it
as an ‘accuracy’ cartridge. Most factory rifles are
offered with a 1 in 12 twist to handle a stubby
expanding hunting bullet but to shoot
match-grade 105 grain bullets, we really need a
1 in 8. Take Parker’s and Warren’s advice – use it
straight with good, reasonably priced brass from
Lapua, dies from any of the major manufacturers
have a great long-range target round which
should equal the 6XC. Barrel-life? Don’t even ask!
Please mention
when using
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Target Shooter 45
 By Gwyn Roberts
Bob Clark’s Southern Gun Company
has been at the forefront of Custom Gun
building in the UK for the past 40 years and
I was fortunate enough recently to try out
their latest creation, the 9mm Lever Release
Rifle which is directly aimed at the Gallery
Rifle market. The particular rifle that I
tested belongs to a good friend of mine Dave
Emery, who has been known to tinker with
all sorts of firearms in his spare time over
the years, but having a family and working
full time as a firefighter certainly doesn’t
leave him with many hours left in the week
to do this! For the test, we arranged to meet
up at John Scott’s excellent Two Rivers
Shooting Club in Hartland, North Devon so
I could see for myself what all the fuss has My first offhand target S&B 115gr 10 shots @
been about over the last 12 months or so, wasn’t too bad, but it did 50m How good would
waiting for this new rifle to finally emerge. end up being one of the this rifle shoot
worst that I shot at 25m with some developed
To perform well in any of the GR during the test! loads?
competitions you must have a rifle that is former, I just wasn’t sure to be honest if a 9mm
both accurate and reliable, and starting with the round could be accurate when shot through a
carbine length barrel. There was only one
The excellent A.R.M.S quick release mounts enable way to find out however so I started by taking
you to instantly change from one type of scope to off the red dot that had been fitted and
another without any loss of zero! replaced it with the 4-16x mildot scope
that Dave had also brought with him, then
continued to walk the bullet holes across
the target until they were printing point of
aim. Happy that they were “there about”
I first of all put some 147gr fmj S&B’s
through it off the bench to see how they
went and although the groups were ok,
they were certainly nothing to write home
about with the groups printing at around
1½ - 2in for 10 shots. Dave then handed
me some 115gr fmj’s from the same
manufacturer to try which surprisingly,
instantly transformed the next group I
shot into a single ragged hole! The two

46 Target Shooter
 Production rifle

following groups produced exactly the same one at SGC over the years to make sure that their
hole results so I enthusiastically put up a DP1 9mm rifle fully satisfies the requirements of both
target at 25m to see how well I could shoot the rifle the Home Office and Police Authorities to finally
offhand. Considering the rifle didn’t exactly fit me get this rifle into production, and what a good job
properly (more of that later) and I certainly wasn’t they did of it too! The basic design of the rifle is that
used to the trigger, I was more than pleased with of a blow back action and the bolt is locked back
my first target of the day! Only 3 tens with the to the rear after every shot is fired. The shooter
rest being X’s wasn’t the end of the world, and the then releases the bolt forwards again (stripping
scores got even better as I became more familiar the next round off the top of the magazine in the
with the rifle and had a bit more practice with it. Atprocess) by pressing the release lever located
15 & 10m every shot went repeatedly put into the on the left side of the lower. This is usually where
X ring so shooting straight 300’s with the X count the safety catch is on the AR and it’s simply been
around 27 or above is certainly achievable if you relocated onto the other side of the action. Once the
play your part right. The barrel definitely seems to bolt is fully forward, the shooter can then depress
prefer the lighter weight bullets between 115 & 125 the trigger to release the next shot and the cycle
grains, and the accuracy of the 9mm round through continues again. This reloading action does make
a 15” barrel certainly surprised me, making this it easier for the shooter to stay on target and should
rifle more than capable of winning any of the GR help avoid any cross shooting during a 1500 or
matches that we compete in, straight out of the box! Multi Target match when you can have 20 – 30
targets nestled quite close together. The rifle also
A lot of time and effort, as well as countless hours highlighted its excellent handling qualities at the
of R&D work has been done by Bob and the team end of the day when we refitted the red dot and went
over to shoot the Bi-
More than accurate enough for anchi steels with
Gallery Rifle competitions! the limited amount
of ammunition that
we had left. Tracking
cross the frame from
target to target was
much easier than
having to rack the
action each time
and this allowed
you to take slightly
more time on each
plate to release the
shot which may help
you improve your
score on the day.

Target Shooter 47
Whilst shooting I liked to
keep my thumb resting
lightly on the lever and
this caused no problems
at all, but care must
be taken not to try and
release the bolt too
early in the reloading
cycle otherwise it will
smash into the working
parts. If this is done
a couple of times by
accident it shouldn’t
cause a problem, but if
it is done repeatedly you “Weak” shoulder operation and
will be faced with an shooting is made very easy!
expensive bill to fix it
which will certainly not be ammunition along with some Magtech lead bullets
covered by the warranty so be warned! Although as well should you need them, and I’m sure there
SGC recommend using commercial ammunition are plenty of other “sources” around the country
in the rifle, they do accept that owners may also that will be able to get you some too if you look
want to use home loads to help keep the costs around.
down etc, and this is fine providing that quality
ammunition is made and used. Be aware that The feeding reliability of the rifle was extremely
bulging the barrel or cracking the receiver by using good on the day and should never become an
under or over powered reloads will not be issue as long as you keep your magazines in
accepted under warranty conditions, as it good order. As with any magazine fed firearm you
quite rightly wouldn’t be by any other firearms must always make sure that the lips are checked
manufacturer either! On the ammunition side of regularly to make sure they are not bent out of
things I know that Pete Starley at Midway UK will shape, as dropping them onto a hard surface
be able to supply you with plenty of Wolf 9mm during a mag change etc will sometimes cause
this to happen. SGC
machine all of their
major components in
house and as standard,
this rifle is fitted with the
SGC Mk6 lower with the
forward assist plunger
and is machined from a
6lb billet of aircraft grade
alloy to eventually give
you a 1¼lb part. When
you have to pay £4000
per ton for the alloy, and
get just £350 per ton
when you sell it back
as scrap, it gives you a
much clearer idea about
just how much these
parts cost to produce in
the first place. The upper
used on this rifle is their
The release lever sits right above the grip, and
own dedicated 9mm
Dave’s rifle has been fitted with one of SGC’s
version which features a
left hand cocking uppers from the .223 smaller ejection port as
version for R&D purposes, so he says…..! standard as is equipped

48 Target Shooter
 or 10/22 clone either.
Here’s part of the second batch of 50 Mk 6
You can pay anywhere
lowers waiting to be hand finished!
from £70 to £350 for a
replacement stock for your
Ruger, but who sells
them for an underlever?
To shoot to your potential
you must have a rifle
that fits you properly and
the good thing about
this rifle is that you can
customize everything
from the size, width or
shape of the fore end or
butt, down to the type of
grips that you will use.
They even sell one grip
with the usual “T” bar cocking handle on the top. that comes complete with
The 15” fully floating barrel with a 1 in 16 twist rate various sized moldings and spacers so that you
is fitted with an A2 muzzle break and is covered can achieve the proper grip to trigger reach for
with one of the
short round
fore ends that
is found on their
V22 rifle. The
opposite end is
complimented
with a TDI
collapsible butt
which is very
quick and easy Grips......….
to adjust and
will fit most of
the shooters out there. As I mentioned earlier, an any size hands. Try finding a set of those for your
AR type rifle does not usually fit your average 6’3” Marlin! A quick scan on the SGC website or any
+ person, but neither does a Marlin, Winchester other for that matter will show you just how
customisable these rifles are
so making one fit you perfectly
shouldn’t be much of a problem
at all.

As the new lever release rifle

is obviously magazine fed, it
will currently fall into the “open”
Gallery Rifle class along with
the Marlin shooters who choose
to use speed loader tubes to
compete with. This point is
probably irrelevant to most of
the shooters that will buy this
rifle anyway, as all of the
.........more accessories are made
straight pull / bolt action owners
for the AR than any other rifle….
that I have spoken to over the
years say that they shoot the
“alternative” types of rifles purely
for the fun factor. There is no
Target Shooter 49
 Quickly adjustable TDI butts are
fitted as standard on the 9mm
denying that anyone who is lucky enough to shoot
one of these rifles will enjoy the experience, and
this would certainly be apparent in a 3 Gun or Steel
type match. They are just the ticket for this type of
shooting and if you held a match that combined
them with a shotgun and an LBR or LBP then you
would probably hold the most exciting and talked
about match in the country! I’m sure a couple of
people I know are already “on the case” as it were
and I look forward to seeing what matches will be
held in the New Year as I really do think this could
be the start of something very exciting in the sport.
If only we still had our “Steel / Team Challenge”
targets that we used to have at Minsterley……!
The first batch of SGC 9mm rifles were snapped
50 Target Shooter
up before they even touched the shelves and
the 2nd batch are now either sold or being
delivered. A third batch is planned for March/April
so contact Bob now if you would like to reserve
one. Cost wise a 9mm Lever Release Rifle built
on a Mk6 lower will cost £1250 although this will
drop down to £1150 for one with a “forged” lower
when they finally become available again from the
States. For a rifle that you can shoot any type of
competition with I think this is reasonable, and if it
does help kick start the formation of a UK 3 Gun
style of competition like I hope it will, then you will
just simply have to have one to do the job properly!
Below is Bobs own rifle and when you own
the company, you canobviously have any
configuration that you like!
 Target Shooter 51
 PROTECTIVE FIREARMS COATING

MIL-SPEC corrosion protection designed for the US Military for Special Weapons
● 500 hour salt spray test
● Abrasion protection
● Impact resistance
● Will not attract dust
● Non-reflective
● Exceeds Military requirement to “resistant to chemicals” i.e. acid, ammonia, paint remover etc...
● Outstanding temperature resistance - over 500F/260C and as low as -350F/-212C
● Huge selection of colours from Flat Black to Dark Earth

● Formulated for Lubrication using MOLYBDENUM DISULFIDE: PTFE OR BORON

● Formulated for Durability using a proprietary Melamine or Phenolic resin system
Open Season Unit 58 Monument Park, Warpsgrove Lane, Oxfordshire OX44 7RW
Tel: 01865 891773 Email: rupert@openseasonltd.com

52 Target Shooter
A critical examination of the 2009 Imperial
Meeting Ammunition – Part Two.

By Chris White
The NRA Imperial Meeting, the largest target rifle
competition in the UK, has always imposed ‘issued
ammunition’ on competitors, relying until this year on
British military ammunition producer, Radway Green.
Unfortunately, Radway will no longer supply ammunition
to independent Associations like the NRA, so they had
no option but to go elsewhere. After various ‘trials’,
ammunition supplied by RWS was chosen. Target Rifle
shooter Chris White looks a little closer into the RWS
product.

In part one of this article we looked at the physical

aspects of the ammunition and how it compares with
offerings from Radway Green, HPS and my own
homeloads. For the benefit of those who missed part one,
I will re-state that any handload mentioned in this
article was perfectly safe in the author’s rifle using
his reloading equipment and techniques. That
does not mean it will be safe in your rifle using your
equipment and techniques. Always refer to a
reputable loading manual. Neither the author,
the editor nor the publishers accept any liability
for readers misusing this information. Data on
cartridge length must not be construed as a
recommendation!

Since it was not possible to measure muzzle-velocity,

a comparison was made of the mean elevation
settings used on the author’s rifles for the whole of
the samples. This should give a reasonable indication
of the comparative downrange ballistic performance
of each brand. The results are tabulated in Table
2. For comparison purposes elevations for the
2008 Imperial Meeting issue RG are also shown.
Now to the nitty gritty.
With only two exceptions, the tightest elevations shot

Target Shooter 53
9 of the targets shot - up to 900 yrds on these My reference earlier to Captain Mainwaring reminds me
examples - with the variety of ammunition of one of my (many) Dad’s Army favourites. In ‘Sons of
the Sea’ Mainwaring acquires a boat and decides that
on test
at each distance were shot with a dirty barrel. The
exceptions being ‘The Association’ shot at 300 yards
with HPS ammunition in the English XX Meeting and
the 900 yards shoot in the Welsh meeting. The latter
was the only opportunity to shoot VMS ammunition
at 900 yards. The following twelve diagrams show
the plots for the “best of the bunch” for each brand.
What matters here is the elevation plot. Declared bad
shots are ringed on the plot. Reference to the wind
plots will indicate that some of these shoots, particular-
ly at long range were conducted in somewhat tiresome
wind conditions. Having to make big wind changes,
particularly across zero, can have a loosening effect on
ones groups as can the need to get shots away quickly
before a transitory condition changes.
The results are tabulated in table 3.
Experienced shooters will know that weekend
meetings at Bisley are pretty intensive affairs with
little time to leave the range, whereas the Imperial
consists of bursts of activity with long periods of
potential boredom. It is necessary to chill out and whilst
sitting round the barbie in an evening scoffing steak
and supping full bodied wine may be OK, it certainly
isn’t OK through the day. We need some light relief.
Having waded through this dusty stuff so far you
probably need some light relief and, having researched
and written it, so do I!
54 Target Shooter
a rapid response river unit would be a good idea. The
platoon gets lost in the fog, drifts out to sea and then
get washed ashore to hear carousing in a dance hall.
We know these are French Canadians but Mainwaring
thinks they have landed in France. The platoon board a
freight train and Mainwaring orders them to throw their
rifle bolts from the train to prevent their P14s being
used by the enemy. As the train begins to slow he asks
Sergeant Wilson, “What’s the French for ‘what is this
station’?” Wilson replies, “Ou est la gare?” The train
comes to a halt and the van door is gingerly opened
to reveal a gent in a bowler hat, complete with rolled
umbrella and briefcase. Mainwaring says, “Ou est la
gare?”. Gent with umbrella, “Eh?” Mainwaring cups his
hands to his mouth and shouts, “Ou est la gare?!”
Brief pause, “Oh! La gare est Eastbourne actually!”
Moral of the story: compliant with security requirements
your bolt should never be far away from your rifle.
Now, back to business. To try to relate these results
to actual ammunition performance, rather than
shooter performance I looked for an event where
equipment limitations would mean that, in the rifle/
shooter/ammunition interface the biggest influence
on the end result was likely to be the shooter.
In June, I had occasion to shoot in a club competition
at Thorpe Cloud. The conditions require a rifle of
pre-1945 design, firing a contemporary cartridge to be
shot at 300 yards on a 300 metre UIT target. Target
sights are permitted. This competition is immediately
preceded by a 20-shot shoot at the same target with
an NRA Target Rifle. Experience indicates that most
shooters perform better on this target than they do
on an NRA target. They have to! Despite being fairly
tired I was able to hold exactly one minute of elevation.
In addition to this I was concerned that the
Steyr, with over 6,000 rounds through its barrel,
could be seen as a limiting factor. With my own
ammunition this rifle produced an elevation spread of
0.66 minutes at 1,200 yards in the Welsh.
Before we leave the topic of purely subjective testing,
here’s another firework I want to throw into the embers.
I experienced a drastic, fatal and inexplicable wind
zero failure on the Steyr during the final at 1,000 yards
in the Scottish Open at Blair Atholl in June. Fortunately
Altcar Rifle Club have Thursday evening long-range
shoots at this time of year and, to try to establish if the
problem was transitory, I shot there on two consecu-
tive weeks at 900 and 1,000 yards respectively. The
ammuntion shot was a collection of dog ends of batches
of my hand loads all of which had escaped being
shot previously because total indicated run out was in
excess of 5 thou. This produced a total spread of 0.86
minutes at 900 yards and 1.0 minute at 1,000 yards.
After all this what conclusions can we draw?
Not surprisingly my own ammunition outperformed
both HPS and RWS. The best I could squeeze out of
the RWS at 300 yards was not as good as I squeezed
out of my M17 in one shoot; which is, perhaps, dis-
appointing. The best RWS elevation at 300 yards was
32% bigger than the best HPS elevation and 38%
bigger than my own ammunition. With the 300 yard
bull being angularly the smallest over the commonly
shot at ranges, tight groups are essential. Similarly
at 1,000 yards where again RWS appeared to be
14% worse than HPS and 20% worse than my own
ammunition - in fact no better than ammunition which
I considered inadequate. It has to be said, however
that this ‘inadequate’ ammunition produced a 49 at
1,000 yards at Altcar, with the dropped point being
down to an over ambitious twiddle of the wind-knob.
The rifle’s performance at 1200 yards in the Welsh
is an unarguable pointer to its ability to keep the 155
bullet stable at long ranges. Despite this, RWS out
performed HPS at 600 and 900 yards and matched my
own ammunition at 900 (albeit on a sample of one).
On this basis then, one could say there is not much
to choose between the two brands. One cannot
expect commercially produced ammunition to equal
the quality of hand crafted ammunition - nor did I.
The evidence shown in table 2 would indicate that
ballistic performance i.e. wind bucking ability, is near
enough identical between the three brands. Both
HPS and RWS, at their best, showed good enough
performance in my rifles for me to have scored
‘possibles’ at all the ranges concerned - providing I
had shot straight and got the wind right. Shooters and
Associations will probably make their decisions based
on price. Either way competitors should have no
grouse if they have to shoot either of these products.
Finally the completely subjective opinion. Did RWS
show an improvement over RG. I’d say absolutely!
Target Shooter 55
 HPS Target Rifles Limited
The Home of System Gemini Equipment and
Target Master Ammunition
TRY THE GEMINI!
Anyone interested in
having a Try with a Gemini
stock are asked to please
contact HPS at:
01452 729 888 or
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Bookmark our home page:
www.hps-tr.com
for news about HPS
products and services and our
schedule of 2010 trade shows.
HPS is an HSE Licensed
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Phone: +44 (0) 1452 729 888
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Website: www.hps-tr.com
56 Target Shooter
HPS TARGET MASTER AMMUNITION -
WHEN YOU WANT THE VERY BEST!
CHECK OUT THE CUSTOMER
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The range of Target Master Ammunition
steadily increases.
The stock range currently comprises:
.223 Rem., .308 Win., .303 British, 6mm BR Remington/Norma.
Machine or Hand Loaded all using Sierra as our standard bullet.
Other makes of bullets such as (but not restricted to): Berger, Tubb D-Tac ,
Lapua, Hornady, Speer, Nosler, etc. can be supplied upon request.
Other calibres to special order including: (but not limited to):
22-250, .243 Win, 6.5 x 47, 6.5 x 55, 6.5 x 284, 7mm WSM, 7.62 x 39,
7.62 x 54R, .300 Win Magnum., 300 WSM, and .338 Lap Magnum.
All ammunition available in minimum lots of 50 rounds, 400, 500, 800 or
1000 round containers, depending on calibre.
The NRA Armoury on Bisley Camp stocks our .223 Rem Sierra 69
and 77 grain and our .308 Win Sierra 190 grain ammunition.
The NSRA shop on Bisley Camp stocks our .223 Rem Sierra 69 grain
and our .308 Win Sierra 155 grain and 175 grain ammunition.
System Gemini TR701 and TR702 Fullbore Rifle Stocks, FR703 Smallbore Rifle Stocks,
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 Rifle and Range Bags

By Nigel Greenaway
My previous articles on Practical Rifle (PR) and Above - BlackHawk Long Gun - the Rolls Royce
Civilian Service Rifle (CSR) shooting concentrated of bags
on the differences in the courses of fire and the rifles will be required to walk between the target frames
required for these exciting competitions. Space did and the area underneath the mantlet, often having
not allow for more than a cursory look at the other to step sharply to one side as people rush to bring
equipment needed and the rifle bags and range bags targets down for marking. The sickening crash you
required to carry everything. then hear behind you is your rifle or scope as it
strikes the hard metal edge of the target frame. If
This article will cover the latter requirement in some you pass this test then propping your rifle up against
depth because if you are going to spend £1,500 plus the wall by your bench or resting it on its bipod under
on a modern rifle and telescopic sight it would seem the bench is also a recipe for disaster as the press
a false economy to skimp on the quality of the rifle of bodies and shuffling feet wreck havoc with your
bag required to protect your investment and carry it unprotected kit.
comfortably. The rifle and range bags described will So having decided that you need to buy a rifle bag,
suit any rifle discipline so it would
be a good idea to remind ourselves
about the specialist requirements
of PR and CSR, particularly the
need to carry comparatively large
quantities of ammunition and kit
to and from the firing point and
the butts. This can happen twice
in one day and some of the worst
accidents I’ve seen inflicted on rifles
have occurred in the butts. A
chamber safety flag might allow
you to carry your rifle safely
slung from your shoulder but as
soon as you enter the butts the
fun and games start. If firing has
commenced and you have not
reached your target number you
Right : The kit you have to take
with you on a shoot!

Target Shooter 57
 range tables, course of fire, etc.

The green bag that swallows all

this kit is the Warrior Grab Bag, UK
distributor - www.uktactical.com.
This type of bag was not available
a few years ago but the demands
of security personnel serving as
bodyguards in Iraq resulted in the
grab bag – retailing for about £56
depending which pouches are
added. It is ideal for our kit car-

you now need to give serious

consideration as to whether you
split the load in to a rifle bag and
a separate range bag or carrying
everything in the same bag
as your rifle? The picture
shows the plethora of kit you may
need to lug about: ammo boxes
(150-250 rounds), spare magazines,
binoculars (required in the Methuen
The Warrior Grab Bag with extra pouches above
team CSR), knee pads (gravel fir-
ing point), gloves, waterproof trou-
sers and jacket, grass clippers,
digital wind gauge, first-aid kit, rifle and scope rying needs. The bag has three separate internal
cleaning kit, rifle bipod, drink and lunch box, pen, compartments with various elasticated loops or

Operational Tactical Drag Bag from

AIM Fieldsports

58 Target Shooter
 I-SHOT S.E.R.T
Velcro backing for customised fitting. On the outside
it has the popular Molle straps which allow various
pouches to be attached for a completely customised
package. As standard it comes with three double
mag pouches for 6x30 round AR15magazines, a
I-SHOT S.E.R.T
small pouch on the side which will take a 20 round
mag plus smaller pistol mag pouches that will
accommodate my grass clippers (vital when you find
long grass obscuring your view a foot or two forward
of the firing point). Single open top mag pouches
Target Shooter 59
 BlackHawk Long Gun Pack Mat
can be ordered to fix to the front or side so that you
have an upright mag, free of mud or gritty gravel,
within easy reach for a quick reload. Over all this is a
large flap, the inside of which has a clear plastic map
pouch which is great for holding the course of fire
for a quick reminder without having to worry about
the rain. It is a very well designed bag, made from
high quality and hard wearing materials. I have used
one of these bags for the best part of two years and
would be lost without it – I’ve discovered that its
height also makes it an ideal rifle rest. UK Tactical
recently sent me some extra pouches including a
couple of magazine dump pouches. The latter are
used by the military to dump empty mags in to for
refilling when they have a quiet moment! For
civilians they can be used in the same way but are
particularly useful for collecting empty brass –
especially important if you reload your own ammo.
The picture shows the large dump pouch fitted to the
front of the Grab Bag and their large admin panel
attached to its front – courtesy of the Molle system.
With its Velcro front it is a great spot to attach my
stopwatch and store my Kestrel wind gauge –
supplied to me many years ago by Richard Paul
Russell Ltd www.r-p-r.co.uk It is another one of those
invaluable gadgets, now commonplace amongst
military snipers, which can save much embarrassment
if your day’s shooting starts on the 500 or 600 yard
60 Target Shooter
firing point and the target is a Fig11 on a pole with
no backer for your two sighting shots. The other
pictures show the variety of Warrior pouches available
– in the bottom left of the group is a foldable dump
pouch in its folded state and the single pouch pictured
is the foldable dump pouch in its deployed position.
UK Tactical provide fantastic customer service and
do a great job supplying our lads abroad with those
soldier proof bits of kit that can prove invaluable.
A good choice for a rifle bag to accompany the Warrior
Grab Bag is a new Operational Tactical Drag Bag
from AIM Fieldsports www.aimfieldsports.com,
designed to accommodate conventional bolt action
scoped rifles up to 49 inches in length. It differs from
their well known AIM50 and AIM60 Drag Bags in that
it lacks the latter’s large external pockets and hence
the price drops from £139 to £99 but it is still made
with 1000 denier cordura and the usual extra thick
closed cell foam padding. Given the quality of the
bag this is exceptional value for money whilst still
incorporating the stowaway rucksack type shoulder
straps of its more expensive brother. Another feature
that I like is the full length pocket for a rifle cleaning
rod running along the length of the spine of the
bag. The number of times I’ve heard the cry from
the firing point for a cleaning rod to clear a jammed
round only to hear every one say “I’ve got a rod in
 barrelled AR15. These
rectangular shaped bags
are regarded as discreet
bags because their shape
does not shout rifle bag.
Their shape actually
allows them to hold
two or even three rifles/
carbines – two in the main
compartment if not
scoped and one, with
a folding stock, in the
external large pocket. A
particularly useful feature
is that both compartments
employ the MOLLE or
PALS system to allow
securing straps to be
positioned to suit different
rifles plus magazine
pouches. I tend to use
the large external pocket
to hold a double mag
pouch and other Warrior
pouches plus all my
waterproof clothing,
gloves, etc. They are
very well made, using
1000 Denier Cordura
with two sets of external
D-Rings to allow
versatility of shoulder
strap placement, heavy
The Blackhawk duty steel hardware and
Sniper Drag Bag lockable zippers.
on your scribe’s
back What really sets these
bags apart is the very
high level of protection
the car” which is often a round trip of
1000 yards! The bag has a system The Blackhawk
that allows internal securing Sniper Drag Bag
straps to be positioned to hold any open
type/shape of rifle, including the
comparatively short AR15’s (there
is now a shorter AIM40 bag but I’ve
not had a chance to test one yet).

I-SHOT’s S.E.R.T. system Tac

Carbine/Rifle Case (TCC), imported
from America by Stockade Products
www.stockadeproducts.co.uk, was
designed specifically to hold the
M16 / AR15 / M4 range of rifles and
carbines. They available in lengths of
30-46 inches to suit, 42 inches being
the popular length for a 20 inch

Target Shooter 61
offered. Not only do they have the usual padding but
there are also large hard plastic rectangular sheets
zippered in to the inside. These are designed to help
the bag stay semi-rigid and will not allow the outline
shape of the rifle to become visible from the outside
whilst increasing the level of protection from, for
example, a sharp object falling and cutting through
the conventional soft padding. The American
Marine Recon units have selected S.E.R.T bags for
their demanding applications – enough said!
Tacfire Systems www.rifle-cases.co.uk kindly supplied
what must be regarded as the Rolls Royce of the
combination bag/shooting mats – the BlackHawk
Long Gun Pack Mat. Again made with 1000 denier
Nytaneon® this high quality piece of kit can be used
as a rifle carrying case, a backpack, a drag bag and
as a shooting mat complete with Velcro removable
pouches, one for a notebook and one for ammo –
a very nice feature which allows you to set up the
mat to suit left or right handers. In addition there
is a weapons cleaning kit pouch and separate bolt
pouch. Perhaps less useful is the Hydrastorm®
hydration system pouch for your water but it is just
the right size to stuff your waterproof trousers and
jacket! Full wrap around carry handles or concealable
back pack harness straps (fully padded) & waist
belt can be used for transportation. The bag opens
up with two fold out sections – one for the rifle butt
and another with extra protection for the rifle muzzle
with a hard plastic crown protective cover lined
with closed cell foam and three sets of securing
straps to hold the rifle securely. Suddenly a bag that
previously measured 28 inches long (71 cms) by 13
inches wide (33 cms) lengthens to accommodate
most rifles up to 50” in length (127 cms). When
opened up as a mat it is 27.5 inches wide (70 cms)
by 50 inches long (127 cms) – plenty wide enough
but just stops short of your knees when shooting
prone. The closed cell foam insulation and padding
does a remarkable job of providing comfort. I was
62 Target Shooter
worried that all the various securing/shoulder straps,
which lie underneath the mat, would intrude when
lying topside. However, I found that my stomach
lay on a flat portion, where there were no straps
underneath, whilst my elbows rested forward of the
underlying shoulder strap section which kept my
chest clear, thanks to my elbows. On this section
there is a generous full width portion of grippy
HawkTex for your elbows. Obviously a lot of serious
thinking has gone in to the design of this bag - it is
packed with features which reflect its £175 asking price.
The final rifle bag is at the Rolls Royce end of the
spectrum and is priced accordingly at around £240.
The Blackhawk Sniper Drag Bag oozes quality
and is a full blown sniper drag bag with stowable
rucksack shoulder straps and two large external
pockets. There is also an internal pocket which is
ideal for ammo boxes or even a silencer. Internal
straps secure the rifle but there are also securing
straps in each of the large pockets – useful for
holding a spotting scope. The case is fully padded with
closed cell foam and has extra heavy-duty zippers
with dual sliders, which allow the bag to be opened
completely and used as a shooting mat. Along the
spine is a long pouch to hold a cleaning rod. Overall
Length 51”, front cargo pouch is 9.5” x 23” x 2” and
the rear cargo pouch is 9.5” x 12” x 2”. This bag
really can carry a hell of a lot of kit and it was in
constant use by me when I used my Parker Hale M85
in PR events. Blackhawk products are stocked by
both www.uktactical.com and www.rifle-cases.co.uk .
My thanks to UK Tactical, AIM Field Sports,
Tacfire Systems, Stockade Products and Richard
Paul Russel Ltd for supplying the equipment
and bags featured in this article – judging by the
speed, efficiency and helpfulness exhibited by
all of these companies I have no doubt that their
prospective customers will receive the same service.
 Gun of the Month
This month’s gun is a bit special – it comes from
the Pete Walker stable. For those of you who are
not familiar with Walker Custom Rifles, please visit
the website at www.walkerrifles.co.uk
There are many gunsmiths who claim to work to
‘benchrest’ standards. Most of them have never
even attended a benchrest match, let alone built a
benchrest rifle. That cannot be said of Pete Walker –
he really does build the very best and his rifles have
claimed many accolades in the heat of benchrest
and F Class competition.
Mike Weatherhead commissioned his rifle to be ‘the
ultimate’ F Class Open rifle and the ‘heart’ of the rifle
is the fabulous BAT ‘M’ action. In my opinion, there is
no finer action and, as the BAT advertisement says
“Buy the best and cry once!” I couldn’t agree more – I
have three BATs and they are all they are cracked-
up to be and more. Yes, there are several fine
custom ctions on the market, most built to the closest
tolerances but the BAT is also the most handsome
and guarantees a custom rifle that will be something
special.
F Class is a relatively new discipline and the
perfect stock has yet to be designed – or at least
manufactured but this McMillan comes pretty close.
In F Class, we are shooting a rested rifle so we are
looking for a stock which is close to a benchrest
stock
and adjustable butt
plates and cheek-pieces are not required.
McMillan have also realised that a ‘lower’ fore-end
also reduces the ‘torque action’ when shooting
larger calibres. This stock is probably the best
fibreglass stock currently available for F Class.
Pete tends to work mainly with BAT actions and he
also prefers Bartlein barrels and I can’t fault that.
In a few short years, the Bartlein has become the
favourite of many a competition shooter and it would
certainly be high on my list and it’s what Mike chose
for the BAT.
So, that’s our rifle – but what did Mike choose for
the cartridge? Without doubt, the 7mm has proved
itself in F Class competition but at the expense of
the barrel – expect a scant 5-700 rounds from the
7mmWSM! The 284 Win. is a sensible option which
should easily offer double the barrel-life and as Grant
Taylor has ably demonstrated in 2009 (see The Long
View) it can almost equal the performance of the
7mmWSM so this was Mike’s choice and it is proving
to be very effective at all ranges out to 1000 yards.
Target Shooter 63
 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.

great
Shootk great
Loo
www.eleyammunition.com

ELEY Black Soft Shell Jacket £40.00

Breathable, windproof and water resistant jacket in a soft
shell fabric, available in men’s and ladies fit XS – XXL

Free postage on your first order

To place an order call 0121 313 4529
or email katewhite@eley.co.uk

64 New
Target online shop coming soon
Shooter
with a full range of ELEY apparel
Lilja Barrels - USA

By Andy Dubreuil
Lilja barrels have Above - Matt Emmons win Gold and Silver Medals at the 2008 Beijing
been around for Olympics using Lilja Anschutz model 2007/13 drop-in barrels!
24 years now and
celebrate the 25th barrel making and Dan got interested in what he was
anniversary this month and are one of the leading doing and how he was doing it, but after a couple
barrel makers in the USA and exporting all around of year his friend lost interest in the business and
the world, and I thought I would catch with Dan Lilja turn to Dan to see if he want to buy all the tooling
on the phone to find out about the man and the Lilja machines, then in 1985 Lilja barrels was born when
name. Dan setup business and started by himself making
When you speak to Dan he comes across a nice centrefire barrels in a town called Plains in Montana.
quite spoken man you may think he never steps out Today Dan has a much larger premise as they
of the office and may even play golf! Well you would moved into a new building back in 2005 and
be wrong, Dan loves the outdoors and with his employs 9 people within the company. Lilja have
family they love to hunt camp and ride their horses. invested in the very best of equipment and have
Dan was shooting benchrest back in the 70’s two rebuilt and design ball-screw-driven Pratt &
and loved the sport and has always been Whitney controlled gundrills, a Hass TM-3P CNC
interested rifles and what make them tick, and then milling machine used for fluting, octagon work and
in the early eighties a friend of his got started in rifle milling work on their drop-in barrels and other
applications.
Lilja today make barrels
for all kinds of
competitive shooters
from .22lr Rimfire and
Centrefire and up to
50cal barrels. Over the
years many shooter
have won with Lilja
barrels, the list is
huge but back in 1991
Steve Turner won the
BR-50 three times
in a row with a Lilja
barrel, in 1995 K.C.
Young shot 2 World
records in I/R 50/50
that was taken over the
year after with Steve
Arnold shot 5 World
records and the list
Precision Rifle Barrels in all calibers - goes on with 14 new
World records set 1998.
rimfire and centrefire But Lilja have even
had their success in

Target Shooter 65
 years to perfect the
.22 Rimfire Precision Barrels - these barrels that shooters
come in a variety of configurations used to day and it’s
this kind of dedication
and some are even ‘drop in’ that makes Lilja one of
the top barrel makers
in the world and
specially within the
rimfire fraternity. I asked
Dan on his thoughts
about running in new
barrels as some
shooters views are
that you have to put
a number of rounds
down to run a barrel
in, but Dan is very
confident that Lilja
barrels should be able
to be shot straight out
of the box, he says you
the Olympics, back in 2004 in Athens with Matt just need to put enough
Emmons winning gold in the 50 meter free rifle through to build the wax from the rounds for it to
prone and Ashley Adams of Australia winning silver settle in and you should be there.
in the Paralympics. And only last year in the Since Dan knows his barrels inside out I
Beijing Olympics Matt and Katarina Emmons won thought I would ask him how would he clean
gold and silver medals using Lilja Anschtz model a lilja barrel and this what he had to say “for a
2007/13 and Warren Potent won a bronze with a competitive Rimfire barrel I would clean it every
custom Blieker which was furnished by Lilja. 300 rounds and I would take a patch and I like
Lilja barrels have done many testing’s over the Butchers Bore Shine and I would wet that patch

Dan’s shop - impressive

66 Target Shooter
and run it through a few times. Then I would run a are growing up fast and he hopes to get back on the
copper wire brush fitting, I like a loose fitting maybe range again soon which I am sure for a lot of our
like worn out brush and give that a few strokes down American readers
the barrel then another couple of wet patches with would be a pleasure to see him behind a rifle again.
the Butchers Bore Shine, and then one dry patch To think that Dan’s business only happened when
and then fire a couple of shots to build up some wax someone decide sell up that he took the plunge
in the barrel and that should be it”. To keep a rifle and it has paid off to be one the successes in the
shooting well and to get back to that constancy, Dan rifle barrel industry. Dan will continue to push the
believes it down to the cleaning process and the boundaries to make his barrels the best he can and
one he has described is one of the best and since will continue testing so shooters can have a barrel
he makes the barrels I would take his word for it. they can depend on shot after shot.
Exporting barrels over the
last year has got more
expensive and Lilja have
to conform to the export
licensing prices that are
incurred, it used to be
around $75 to sort all the
paperwork out but now it cost
around $350. So it would be
better to go through the major
importer for your country to
find out when a shipment is
coming through and see if
your gun dealer can get one
of those at the time. You can
find details on Lilja website
of all the major importers
around the world to get in The latest CAD/ CAM
contact with. Dan hasn’t shot
equipment is used
for some years, but his sons

Target Shooter 67
☆ 2007 Pan American Games
3x20 Gold Medalist
☆ 2007 WC Milan 3x20 Silver Medalist
☆ 2008 Olympian 3x20 Fifth Place
☆ 5-Time NRA Camp Perry
3x20 Junior National Champion
☆ Multiple Women’s NRA Camp Perry
National Champion
If you want to shoot like
a champion, choose Lilja!
www.riflebarrels.com
Lilja Precision Rifle Barrels, Inc
PO Box 372 • Plains, MT 59859
Tel: 406-826-3084 • Fax: 406-826-3083

Jamie Beyerle

Ha ppy new year to all. Lets hope this

one is a good one for shooting Sports

68 Target Shooter
 SA09/54/e

Target Shooter 69
 Field Target USA style
Paul is an American shooter who picked up on
Target Shooter via the internet, saw that we carried
field target reports and was kind enough to pen this
article on FT on the other side of the pond and a report
on the 2009 US National Match. I sometimes moan
about the 250 mile drive to Bisley – I won’t do again!
As far as we can tell, the first Field Target match that was
held in the USA took place in 1984. The location was
California. What’s important about this date is that it’s
only four years after the actual birth of FT in England!
The Nationals group picture
70 Target Shooter
By Paul Cray
Consider at that time there was no internet and the
level of global communication was no where near
what we have now and you get an idea of how far
and fast the game travelled in that short period
of time. In my opinion, this is a testament to how
wonderful and unique the game of FT is. Two short
years later, the first National match took place in
Indianapolis, Indiana. The governing body of FT in
America is AAFTA http://www.aafta.org/ and it’s main
purpose is to promote Field Target clubs in the United
States and oversee and maintain a set of rules that
everyone can compete under. Currently, there are
 Me shooting in the match

over 45 AAFTA affiliated clubs shooting in the US. difference but it’s very slight and nowhere near half
as some people may think. And any slight advantage
There are two main differences between FT here with trajectory is equalized by the fact that in American
in the USA and in Britain. First is rifle power and FT you will see a 1” KZ at 50+ yards and ¾” KZ’s out
the second is the shooting harness. With the sport to 40+. So shooters must do their home work and
starting in England where air rifles are restricted make sure that scope clicks are bang on. And again,
to 12ftlbs of energy at the muzzle, the format when you encounter target at very close ranges, for
and course layout evolved from that view point. example, between 10-15 yards, you’ll see KZ’s ¼”
Although, one can purchase a rifle with greater power, and 3/8th” and as we know, there are lots of clicks
a FAC is required in the UK. So it’s reasonable on your scope this close in so you’d better be ready.
to assume that a greater number of people can
access to 12ftlb rifles and that’s what gets used. The harness is another difference. I’ve never used
one, and personally feel it goes against the spirit of
There are no such restrictions on air rifles in the the game in so far as it really removes a lot of the skill
US so consequently, the air rifles folks had here in getting into position and holding while one waits to
were mostly above 12ftlbs. Indeed, in it’s infancy, release the shot. It’s in the rules and that’s that and I
shooters were encouraged to come and shoot do support anyone that uses one, but I’d rather have
with whatever rifles they had in order to boost the satisfaction of training my body into being stable
participation and this practice was very successful without it. Thankfully and they must be commended
in doing so. AAFTA now dictates a muzzle-energy here for their forward thinking, the AAFTA has created
of no more than 20ftlbs and this was initially put a division for competitors that want to compete the
in place to prevent damage to the targets. Most way - the way the rest of the FT world does! So we
shooters run their rifles at 19ftlbs or close to it. have a WFTF (World Field Target Federation) division
with a 12ftlb limit and no harnesses that means the
When I shot American rules FT, I ran my rifle with small but growing group of guys and gals that want
JSB heavy pellets (10.2 grains) at 880 fps which to shoot this way compete on a level playing field.
translates to 17.5ftlbs of energy at the muzzle. There
is not the huge advantage in pellet trajectory and wind I shot my first Field Target match in January 2002.
hold-off that one might think shooting 20ftlbs versus After spending the ungodly amount of $20 on a BB
12ftlb. In my experience anyway, my windage pistol and some paper targets some years prior,
was basically the same whether I shot 11ftlbs or I got hooked on target shooting and found myself
17.5ftlbs! When I say basically, I mean there is a constantly shooting, or at least, thinking about

Target Shooter 71
 2200 mile round trip to get there!

Since then I’ve gone on to win two

National Titles in Piston division
and in ‘07 made the switch to PCP
and won the Nationals in that
division too. Also that year,
the World Field Target
Championships were held in the
USA (Tennessee) and I had the
good fortune of winning that also!

And now I find myself in Texas

The pond shooting lane
shooting. After spending countless hours on the
internet checking out airguns etc, I came across
the sport of FT and thought I should give it a go. I
discovered FT and was lucky enough to learn that there
was an actual FT club only 10 minutes from my house.
I had upgraded from that cheap pistol to a TX200
spring rifle and was content to plink at targets in my
back yard but after calling and finding out there was an
up-coming match I decided to give it a shot. After tying
for third and then winning the shoot off, I was thrilled
and well and truly hooked and in love with Field Target!
After participating in many local matches in ‘02 and
‘03, I picked up the courage to enter the Nationals and
after letting the occasion
and indeed my lack of
experience, get the better
of me the first day, I fought
back and shot well on day
two to push me into fifth
place and get an award! I
learned a lot that weekend
and knew what I had to do to
better myself for next year.
for the AAFTA National
Championships, hosted by the
Yegua airgun club http://www.
yeguafieldtarget.com/. From my
home in up-state New York, it took
me a two hour drive to the airport,
two flights, then a two hour drive
to get to my hotel in Somerville, TX.
National matches are generally two-day affairs
and this was no different. Two courses with
competitors broken into two groups and each
group shoots one course each day.
When I left NY it was snowing but in Texas it was
beautiful with temperatures around 85F and hardly a
cloud in the sky. The match took place on Saturday
and Sunday the 16th and 17th of October respectively,
with Friday 15th reserved for checking your gear
and making sure it all survived the trip and of course
meeting fellow combatants who are now friends and
catching up on what’s going on in their lives and
chatting about pellets, rifles, rules and everything
Field Target!

My TX action was placed

in a target-style stock and
my Bushnell scope got
replaced by a Nikko Stirling
10-50x60. Many hours
of training and many
thousands of pellets later
I got my first National title!
A big thrill for me and I
have great memories of
that weekend and the shooting lane 1

72 Target Shooter
 now it seems,
we always have
lunch at the
match when all
the shooters
come in and the
guys ‘n’ girls of
Texas out did
themselves with
the spread they
put on. Truly
exceptional!

Day 2 saw even

warmer weather
and a little stiffer
wind which
gave me some
problems,
causing me to
drop two shots
by not judging
Sighting in range for the night shoot wind direction
properly.
I was down only
The courses were very well laid out with a good 2 shots with 4
mixture of hi/lo and near/far targets. Both also had lanes to go but I never really felt comfortable all day and
a mix of heavily wooded scenarios plus some lanes never got into a good groove and consequently made
that were exposed to some very tricky winds. We some horrible errors in the next 2 lanes and ended up
had a very clever lane with waterfowl shaped targets with a 55 ex60. Good enough to win WFTF division
that were placed in the middle of a large pond with but I was not happy with how I finished off the match.
floating duck decoys close by to keep you on your
toes! Believe it or not, a problem arose with one of Nevertheless, I had a wonderful time in Texas and
those targets on the pond so the match director lit- those guys really know how to put a match and
erally dived in and swam out and fixed what had to look after the shooters. Now I’ve to get packed
be fixed and swam back and got on with his day! back up for the 1800 mile trip back to New York!

Only one forced position lane per course, a standing

lane on one course and a kneeling on the other.
In my opinion, this needs to change to at
least two standing and one kneeling lane
per course to challenge ones shooting skills
and help spread the scores somewhat.

As I mentioned before, there was a tricky

wind to deal with - tricky in the sense that it
kept shifting direction and speed thus making
reading and judging difficult. Plus the clever
match director had designed some lanes
that had the shooter and half the lane in cover
but the targets were out there exposed.
Clever. but evil! I missed a easy stander
which made me mad but overall I was
pleased enough with my performance.

At the end of day one, I was down 6 shots

with a 54 ex60 for first place in WFTF and WFTF Champion 2007
4 shots behind the PCP lads. A tradition

Target Shooter 73
L aunching the brand new airgun marque of Prestige Airguns, the Kub family comes in a trio
of exciting carbine-format models - the SB (side-bolt), RB (rear-bolt) and SL (side-lever) - each
available in .177 or .22 and with ambidextrous thumbhole or sporter woodwork in walnut.
The Kubs weigh-in at just 6.5 lbs., yet are stacked with features - including an adjustable butt pad,
plug-in charging, on-board air gauge, adjustable two-stage trigger, re-settable safety, threaded
muzzle and a 10-shot rotary magazine. Notwithstanding its compact dimensions, a Prestige Kub
also returns upwards of 100 full-power shots per air-fill thanks to its self-regulating firing valve.
Against feather, fur, metal or paper targets, the new Prestige Kubs are the connoisseur’s choice for
handling and performance. A pride born to make your shooting more rewarding.

74 Target Shooter
 This Smallbore Business

One of the most important parts of a prone
position for small bore is to ensure the forward
position is set up correctly.
I have seen so many that tried to have a forward
position geometry built around a rifle that did
not fit the shooter, and really struggle to gain
By Don Brook
any form of progress into good prone scores.
This section will be the subject of a later expose’
as the shooter will soon find that the rifle fit
is extremely difficult to find among the large
selection of rifles on the current market.

“Forward Geometry” Showing the shoulder, left elbow

(RH shooter) and forward hand locating points of the
triangle (a, b, c,) discussed in the text.

Target Shooter 75
 “Position of the left elbow” This should be 75 to 80mm (3 to 31/2”) left of the fore end of the rifle.
This is ideal and allows for a strong support platform for the prone position.

It should be understood right at the outset, There are three main areas to work on, and these
that a good prone position allows for a method are the forward hand located in the sling stop (A)
that simply does not move. In fact, plus the left elbow position, (B), so that the
if you watch a very good prone shooter position of the butt in the shoulder (C) is
in action the rifle seems to be dead still. allocated correctly.
Also in fact, is that when the rifle is fired, It should be understood that the butt position is the
there is a very small movement at the muzzle ONLY variable in the geometry and is capable of
end of the barrel, and this is the factor movement in the position. The other two points are
that a new chum should be looking for. firmly locked in place, starting with the left hand /
The actual hold area is quite small, and the rifle glove firmly in contact with the sling stop under the
recoil is minimal. Once this is achieved, then the fore end of the rifle. (A) It is of paramount
door opens to the really high, and very satisfying importance that this position of the left hand is
results that are expected from a prone specialist. maintained, as the all important position tension
You only need to study the world records relative to sling control depends a great deal
for prone events to understand that prone on the position of the hand stop, when you are
perfection demands a 100 percent effort, in both refining the position.
techniques, and results.
The left elbow is already locked in place by it’s
This in itself demands a very high developed position on the firing point (B) so this does not move
attitude factor, and this too will be the subject of either once the position natural aiming point is
a further article some months down the track. established. The single point sling then locks the
left arm in place, as it stretches between the biceps/
This month I will set the forward geometry out triceps muscles to the left hand and hand stop
for the readers, viewed from the right side of a position, so the new shooter should now be able
right handed shooter, and you will need to study to see where the butt in the shoulder becomes the
the photographs intently to follow the sequence. variable in the position. Every thing else is locked
76 Target Shooter
 “Bad position fault” Because of a loose sling the position of the left elbow creeps under the
fore end. (Sometimes well under.) The problems progress to a canted head position, draws the
left shoulder down as the arm is stretched forward. You will find diagonal groups on the target
sometimes well out of the 10 ring from 10 to 5 o’clock.

in place, by the tension across the bottom of the Obviously the cheek piece height may need
inverted triangle of the geometry exerted by the adjusting to reach this, but I cannot stress any
sling. further just how important this is. Now you will
understand why I say that rifle fit is extremely
If you go to the photograph and simply draw a important if you want to shoot world record
triangle with the allocated numbers above, it scores prone.
should form an inverted triangle, and this then will To establish the correct butt pressures depends
give you a better idea. The triangle should be very on two things as well. The correct length of the
close to equal distances between points “B” and sling itself across the bottom of the inverted
“A”, and “B” and “C”. This will then be quite close to triangle of the position geometry, giving the
having a position geometry that works quite well effect of the sling actually holding the rifle up in
as the long line of the triangle (points “C’ to “A”) will the position. It should feel as if the left arm is
coincide along the bottom line of the rifle stock. being supported in the position, not allowing any
further forward “falling” of the front arm.
WORKING ON THE PERFECTION OF THE Once this is attained, then the position of the
POSITION. butt in the shoulder can be adjusted to gain
considerable pressure, (force) into the position
Once the position is established along those of the butt itself in the right shoulder. If you
guide lines above, the pressure of the butt in the have a free rifle with an adjustable in length
shoulder becomes extremely important, and this butt plate, then moving the butt out to gain
area, has two contributing factors. Not only is the pressure needed is a viable facility.
the length of the butt relative, as the cheek piece However, the fine tuning can also be
pressure of the face helps to lock the butt of the dependent on the position of the hand stop
rifle in place in the shoulder. The facial pressure (Point A). It should be understood, that once the
on the cheek piece needs to be consistent, but forward geometry is established, you can adjust the
also allow the eye to be placed exactly behind pressure of the butt in the shoulder by moving
the centre of the peep sight. You need to be point “A”.
dead centre behind the peep.
If you move point “A” (The hand stop)
Target Shooter 77
together with the sling attaching point within
Forward it will effectively bring the whole rifle
backwards in the position so increasing the
pressure in the butt.
It is a mistake to think that tightening
the sling will increase the rearward
pressure of the butt in the shoulder. In fact,
you can effectively destroy a good position
by doing this, as it has a tendency to
introduce a position that cants the rifle away
from the face and brings the rifle more over
the left elbow so that the forward hand is well
to the left of the elbow position. The tell tale
of this problem is a recoil on shot strike that
oscillates, or moves sideways causing a
“benediction” type movement of the rifle in
recoil.
Conversely, if you move the hand stop back
towards you, this actually lessens the butt
pressure as it takes the rifle forward in the
geometry and allows the forward arm to fall
forward away from the support platform of the
position. This is a primary cause of low shots
on the target, and is difficult for the new chum
to trace as a source of a problem.
A well assembled prone position should give
the shooter the feeling that the rifle grew out
of your shoulder, is easy to duplicate for each
single shot, and allows a shooter to sustain
the position for an entire “English Match”
consisting of sixty record shots.
If you can allow the butt to simply drop out
of the shoulder to reload the rifle, then the
position is far too loose in the geometry. The
rifle needs to be actually physically removed
from the shoulder, not just allowed to drop out
of the position so you can work the bolt action
to reload.
My own prone position is quite firm, allowing
a shot, that once fired, has a recoil that shows
no movement of the rifle out of the foresight
picture within the ring. This is standard for
any really good prone champion! In fact, as a
casual observer, it is often extremely difficult
to see when a shot has been released.
The rifle is fired, and I can say to myself on
completion of what little movement there is
with my small bore rifle in the follow through
process... “Yes, I could shoot that shot again!”
Think about it.
78 Target Shooter
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Shooting Mats from Evans and HPS.
Gun Safes from Bratton Sound.
Ammunition from Eley, RWS, HPS Target Master,
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With many more items too numerous to mention so
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Shop Tel: 01483 485511
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 The Alfa CO2 target pistol
from Merseyside Armoury

By Hayley Platts
I was really chuffed when Target Shooter approached the gun and I will shoot it, that’s what I love to do
me to see if I would test and evaluate the new Alpha and what I am good at, but give me a instruction
C02 sport pistol. With so few trade stands now at the manual and a spanner set and my eyes glaze over. So,
Open Shoots it is a rare treat to try a new pistol and armed with my ‘on loan’ Alpha I headed to my home
have your own chance to put it through it’s paces. The club, Swadlincote Rifle and Pistol Club enlisting the
pistol was sent via Livens, Burton on Trent’s gunsmith - capable technical knowledge of Nigel Marshall
established in 1850, although this new pistol is definite- and Ken Foxall, and the three of us eagerly got the
ly not of that era! Nick at Livens took the opportunity to Alpha set up and ready to shoot (well two actually….)
take a few shots with it which gives him an insight into
how the pistol performed having seen it at a trade fair.
Firstly the pistol comes in a sturdy attractive case
which isn’t too heavy and this sets the tone for
Any of my shooting friends know that I am no the pistol itself. Tools and a weight came with this
‘techno geek’ it’s definitely more a case of give me pistol. I was issued with the model finished in red with
matching trigger shoe, and I am infomed a blue
The Alfa CO 2 pistol comes well equipped
version is also available. The overall quality
of the Alpha is really excellent and certainly a
fantastic looking pistol for the price. The RRP
is £419

The pistol comes with a C02 cartridge

but you can also shoot with the extremely
convenient C02 bulbs which will give you
about 60 shots for a small amount of money,
therefore you have the flexibility of choice
of what you carry to the range to power the
pistol. The main C02 cartridge was easy
enough to use and fill the pistol, although the
angle of where the thread is positioned at the
bottom is not great for chunky big fingers.

To load the pistol you move the breech lever

clockwise and rearward, pop the pellet into
the chamber, push the breech forward and
then secondly you need to cock the striking

Target Shooter 79

Hayley ‘field testing’ the Alfa CO2 pistol
mechanism by pushing the button forward. The
trigger had a firm stop before taking up the second
stage and was positive and crisp. Once I had
sighted it in I could call my shots incredibly well and I
felt there was no doubt in where you had placed your
shot. On this Sport model you can add a weight by
placing this on to the barrel jacket and seeing as the
grove is the full length of the barrel you can easily
position your weight wherever it is most effective for
you. Without the weight the pistol comes in at 1025
grams?
The wooden two piece anatomical pistol grip is
Some interested shooters at Hayley’s club
80 Target Shooter
beautifully made and mainly strippled to keep
sweaty palms under control! It is adjustable
and with minimum effort I found a
comfortable stable hand position in the
grip. The trigger is fully adjustable although
personally I did not have to make any changes
to it. Sight wise you have options to switch the
foresight around. With an allen key the whole
foresight unit comes out and you can de-
cide which option suits you best although if I
am honest none of them gave me the level of
daylight each side of the rear sight that I
am used to, which may be a little tricky in
poorly lit ranges. According to the manual they
recommend aiming directly underneath the
black of the target, which I duly did. First
few shots were left and low, adjustments
however were easy on two wheels at the rear of
the pistol to move my shots higher and to the right.
The other thing to get used to is the kick when you
fire but it only took me a couple of shots to master
and I really wasn’t aware of it after that. What I was
really aware of, was what a brilliant accurate pistol
it turned out to be. I absolutely loved shooting it
and after my first card was shooting 8’s, 9’s and
10’s. My last two cards were 46 and 44 making 90.
After just an evening of shooting with a ‘alien’
pistol I was shooting only a tad under my cur-
rent top ability with a pistol at 10 metres.
It is fun to shoot, the matter of clicking the
hammer button forward after you have loaded the
pellet seemed to snap me into concentration mode.
It looks the part and as I have have previously said it
is a beautiful piece of kit. For the price I would say
this would be a great purchase for youngsters being
introduced to target shooting , it is extremely accurate
and any young shooter should be proud to take that
to the range, and there is the aspect of being able
to afford and budget for their shooting as well as the
convenience to be able to shoot the Alpha powered by
the C02 bulbs. I would also imagine this pistol would
be ideal to have in the cabinet at the gun club as a loan
gun for new members as it provides the shooter with
an accurate gun and with minimal fuss it is simple to
adjust it to suit each person who wants a few shots
with it.
I would definitely recommend the Alpha Sport, it is an
updated design on the Classic bringing it bang up to
date and I would certainly enjoy going to the club with
it. The feedback from the club members on the range
during my test session was very positive indeed and
aside from there being no substitute for being able to
see a gun and try it, I am sure there will a good take
sales wise of this new pistol if the guys at my club are
anything to go by!
The Alfa CO2 pistol is available from Merseyside
Armoury - contact 07717 222533
Classifieds • Classifieds • Classifieds • Classifieds •

"Phoenix A, X & A Class.”

Two British Record Scores at Gallery Rifle National Championships 2009

DRULOV .22 LBR Target Pistol

Accurate, Affordable, Available -what more do you want ?

ALFA - Affordable
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Now available in .22LR

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Manufacturers of hand made;
 .303 Mk V1 @ MkV11 shape jacketed bullets ( flat based )
 .577/450 480 grain paper patched Martini Henry.
 .458 Sharps Creedmoor paper patched 540 grain match
bullets.
.310 cadet 120 grain bullets.
ALFA Co2 Target Pistols now in stock


 .577 Enfield muzzle loading bullets and .594 Snider breech

loading bullets.

These are hand swaged facsimile bullets to original

specifications. For prices and delivery please contact 01302 Merseyside Amoury *Alfa Revolver Scope Bases now in
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Flashlights
HANDLOADING ‘OLD FAITHFUL’
THE .308 WINCHESTER (part 3)

By Laurie Holland
I’d intended to move onto bullets this month but brass doesn’t produce ammunition with big
people have asked for a bit more information on variations, especially if we’ve paid extra for a
basic case preparation, so I’ll take a quick look at premium make? Sadly, yes! There are so many
this subject for our shiny new brass. The object of variables that affect cartridge behaviour that a
the exercise is to get some consistent batches for range of pressures is produced. Ten years ago,
match use and which help produce ammunition Art Alphin and a group of top sporting shooters
with minimal pressure and velocity variations. collaborated to produce a reloading manual called
Minimal variations? Surely modern commercial “Any Shot You Want .....The A-Square Handloading
One case preparation task should be done for any ammunition – chamfer the inside case-mouth
edges to ease bullet seating. Standard and ‘VLD’ chamfer tools

82 Target Shooter
 Case-neck measuring
kit: Lyman neck mike
front; Sinclair case neck
sorter behind and an
expensive Starret tube-
micrometer based neck
measuring tool on the
left

and Rifle Manual”, a must-have incidentally if you
want to handload big stuff for African and
dangerous game. Uniquely, this manual gives
MV and chamber pressure extreme spread (ES)
and standard deviation (SD) values, as well as
averages. Looking at .308 Win, nine loads are
provided for the 180gn Nosler Ballistic Tip
each comprising three charge weights for three
powders, and pressure ES values for those nine
loads varied from 2,200 to 10,100 psi; only three
were under 5,000 psi (in a cartridge with an allowed
Maximum Average Pressure of 62,000 psi SAAMI;
60,175 psi CIP).
The causes of such variations, which don’t
necessarily turn into as huge MV spreads as you
might imagine (the 10,100 psi ES load had an 87
fps velocity ES), are partly understood through
research and empirically acquired experience as
to what does or doesn’t work, but there are still

Lyman all-calibre (bar

.17/.20) flash-hole de –
burr and uniforming tool
above a Sinclair small
(0.062”) flash-hole reamer

Target Shooter 83
 Another type of flash-hole reamer that uses
interchangeable pilot stops, this one designed
for .17” and .20” calibre cases

large dollops of guesswork and opinion about this Some of this cannot be influenced by the handloader,
subject. Some factors are case design; but there are things we can address – reducing
propellant characteristics; load characteristics (high variations in case capacities (via case weights),
fill-ratios with little unused space are generally ‘bullet-pull’ (through neck thickness), and ignition.
superior); various ignition (primer related) factors;
‘bullet pull’ (pressure needed before the bullet moves I used some measurements to identify case
out of the case-neck, mostly down to neck-tension). variations as an indication of quality last month.
Sinclair primer pocket tool handle and carbide ‘uniformer’ bits. Hand operation is a hard tedious
job if much metal needs to be removed on a large number of cases

84 Target Shooter
Sinclair pocket uniformer in a power tool adaptor –
cordless screwdrivers have transformed this and other
case preparations jobs
First stage preparation simply takes this process
further. Identifying the modal neck thickness and
case weights, plus the normal range of variations
present lets us remove examples that fall too far
outside the norm. Let’s take a couple of examples.
We’ve measured case neck thickness on a
reasonable number of cases – say 20 – each at
three points around the neck, and noted the results.
A glance down the list of measurements shows that
batch mostly averages 0.016” ± 0.005”, examples
falling within 0.0155” – 0.0165”. A few will have nil
or virtually nil variation, most will have a half to full
thou’. If the brass is good, only a few examples will
be outside, either in having a larger overall variation
(eg 0.015” – 0.017”), or with good consistency
around the neck but at a different measurement
(eg 0.015”, 0.015”, 0.0155”). If you have 1,000
pieces of brass to play with and lots of time, you
could batch the cases into a fair number of groups,
but we’re more likely to have a sample of 200 and
we’re not going to neck-turn, so decide to segregate
on a 0.001” maximum, or maybe half that if the
manufacturing lot is really consistent. Depending
on how the measurements fall that could be two
groups covering 0.015-0.016” and 0.016-0.017”, or
one batch only based on the range originally quoted
of 0.0155-0.0165” with everything else used for
short-range.
We now undertake a second stage segregation on
weight separating cases out by 0.1gn steps, the
final batching again depending on the statistical
distribution that shows up. If 90% fall within a
small central range of say 1.0-1.5gn, but 5% are
out each side, lighter and heavier, remove those
outside the main group, especially if they are well
outside as sometimes happens. Or, there only may
be a 1-2gn overall variation spread around a modal
weight and it’s feasible make the split either side
of a particular weight. There is the practical issue
too of most people loading and using 50-round
ammunition boxes, so having batches of twenty to
thirty something cases is unhandy – that’s why it’s
better starting with 200 examples than 100, to get two
or three by 50-case batches, and one practice box.
Moving onto the powder charge ignition issue,
this is most influenced by the choice of primer and
how well it matches the case size and powder
characteristics, but variations in the component’s
seating in its pocket and the flash-hole diameter /
uniformity also produce pressure variations. This
is particularly so for some American made brass
that has the flash-hole punched through the web,
as opposed to drilled. This leaves brass ‘wings’ or
burrs, some quite long, set irregularly around the
edge of the hole inside the case, and these can
introduce a random element into the primer flame
distribution and charge burn. (You can often see
the burrs – look through the flash-hole of a new
case from the primer pocket side while angling and
turning the case. If the light is good, it reflects on
the clean brass to illuminate them). Almost every
reloading tool company now sells flash-hole
‘uniformers’ that cut holes to a common diameter,
more usefully remove the ‘wings’. Some use
interchangeable neck-pilot collars that fit on the
tool stem as a ‘stop’ so you need to buy one for
every calibre you load, while others like my Lyman
model come with a multi-calibre cone shaped stop.
What all such tools have in common is that they
index on the case-mouth, so the amount of cut is
affected by variations in case-length, often requiring
cases to be trimmed before attending to flash-holes.
Some people like to cut marginally deeper than
required to de-burr to put a small bevel onto the
flash-hole edges, to act as a venturi and improve
Target Shooter 85

primer flame distribution inside the case. If you do
this, it really does have to be a tiny amount as going
deep will weaken the case-head or produce
undesirable ignition changes. I’m not sure if these
tools always uniform flash-hole diameters in
American cases anyway, as some of the apertures
in punched brass are already of a larger diameter
than the tools’ reamer tips. If we’re talking Lapua,
RWS, and Norma brass with drilled holes, there
are few if any burrs left inside the case, and if we
want to be sure all flash-holes are absolutely round
and of a consistent diameter, precision handloading
suppliers such as Sinclair International sell very
precise reamers that index off the primer pocket.
The two Sinclair models (for large and small
flash-hole sizes) open them to a size 0.001” above
the nominal measurement. Since .308 Winchester
normally has the large (0.080”) size, the reamer
cuts the hole to 0.081”.
The other ignition related activity is to ‘uniform’ the
primer pocket with an appropriate cutter, again
available now from most tool manufacturers. Doing
this squares the pocket up (American brass usually
86 Target Shooter
Measuring case run-out is always
useful and the occasional out of true
case shows up
has rounded corners at the side / floor junction) and
cuts pockets to a common depth so every primer
can be seated identically in relation to the case-head
face and firing pin reach. It also cuts the floor so it
is level and at 90° to the case-head – with American
cases having swaged pockets, then having the
flash-hole violently punched through the floor, they
usually end up slightly concave, and with variations
in depth and shape. Why does all this matter?
Seating the primer fully with some tension on the
anvil is vital to getting consistent charge ignition
and pressures – numerous tests have proven this
– and variations in the distance between the top of
the primer cup and the bolt-face caused by primer
pocket depth issues can affect the power of the firing
pin strike marginally. I’m kidding aren’t I? Teensy
weensy changes in how the primer is hit and
indented surely don’t affect ammunition
performance! They won’t in an AK47 or WW2
Lee-Enfield, but allegedly do in a finely tuned and
accurate modern rifle, but there are mixed views on
this amongst some long-range shooters – more on
this in a bit!
Complete rejects for one reason or another necessarily the same things)? If I’m asked for
including an out of true example advice, I say buy Lapua brass, and ignore the primer
pocket and flash-hole because they are machined /
What is not in doubt is the importance of
drilled and very consistent in this make. If shooting
consistent ignition. Here’s an extreme example
is at shorter ranges (up to 600 yards) and not in
from the 2008 GB F-Class Association League
benchrest type competitions, that’s it really – just
rounds. Gary Costello who shoots a 7mm/270WSM
chamfer the case-mouth to ease bullet seating . If
rifle in ‘Open’ was on a roll with first places until the
longer ranges are involved, measure the necks, if
August round at Bisley when he finished 21st and a
nothing else to cull the odd bad one out, also weigh
massive 50 points below the winner. In the
and batch cases. Most handloaders can weigh
F-TR class, .308 Win user Stuart Anselm was
them even if it’s on beam scales that aren’t overly
consistently in the top five until the September
handy, but how do you measure neck thickness?
Diggle round where he was 13th (out of 15
The Sinclair case sorter is handy, but a cheaper if
entrants) and 66 points below the class winner. Both
slower method is to use the Lyman 0.0001” (tenth of
were mystified by a sudden collapse in their rifles’
a thou’) neck ball-micrometer which has an RRP of
performance until they carried out short-range
£45.70 and has wider applications. If you’re starting
accuracy testing over chronographs and found
off from scratch, consider the three-in-one RCBS
huge velocity spreads. They had changed primers
and Forster case measuring tools, called the ‘Case
to a make that is rated highly in precision shooting
Master’ and ‘Co-Ax Case and Cartridge Inspector’
circles, but either didn’t suit their loads, or there
respectively, the latter retailing at £80.50 plus £3.87
was something amiss with that production
each for calibre-specific pilots needed to measure
batch. Returning to their usual caps sorted things
the neck thickness. Both measure bullet and
out immediately, and Gary went on to finish
case-neck runout, and case-neck thickness using a
the season as the GB F-Class champion.
0.001” dial gauge. You don’t need really expensive
super-dooper micrometers here that measure down
Right, all this is a bit of mouthful to swallow, and
to 0.0001” as you’re working to half-thou’ tolerances,
may well put newcomers off long-range shooting
and that’s easily seen on a one thou’ gauge or mike.
disciplines. It’s certainly been tedious describing
I regard flash-hole uniforming / burr removal as
it, and I haven’t even mentioned neck-turning!
essential on American brass, and prefer to uniform
What would I recommend, and what do I do (not
Target Shooter 87
The easy to set up and adjust Sinclair NT4000 neck-turner has given Laurie the neck-turning bug.
Any turning at this stage is carried out on pre-batched cases and involves very light cuts
their primer pockets too, even for shorter range
work. If you have a cartridge concentricity gauge
tool (run-out gauge), or the RCBS or Forster multi-
purpose tools that do this, I’d recommend a final
check – measuring the case-neck run-out – before
using the cases. I’ve found the very occasional
example that shows significant run-out even though
the case weight and neck-thickness figures are
fine. What is excessive? Run-out should be around
0.001-0.0015” or less in good brass that has been
full-length resized in a good press-die combination,
certainly under 0.002”. The odd brand new but
‘banana case’ turns up that has 0.003” or even much
more, and resizing doesn’t cure the condition –
scrap such cases as the loaded round will invariably
have even greater run-out on the bullet. What do I
do? Actually, I do the lot – even with Lapua – and
‘clean up’ the necks as well on a neck-turner to take
the high spots off – after batching them in out of the
box condition. This really isn’t necessary, but having
given myself one of Sinclair’s new premium NT4000
turners last Christmas, I’ve got a bad dose of ANTS,
Addictive Neck-Turning Syndrome. Sad, isn’t it?
What do other (more successful) long-range shooters
do? It varies enormously, as can be seen by visiting
the 6mmBR.com website’s ‘Top 10 Articles’ webpage
and clicking on some of the top American long-
range competitor interviews. Top American IBS
1,000yd shooter John Hoover (6.5-284 Norma)
88 Target Shooter
cuts pockets and reams flash-holes using a 0.084”
tool he obtained after finding Winchester brass
often exceeded the 0.080” standard. Top Palma
and Fullbore as well as a former NBRSA 1,000yd
benchrest champion Jerry Tierney de-burrs
Winchester cases, but doesn’t bother uniforming
flash-holes or pockets. Both men say their chronograph
testing backs up the need for uniform flash-holes, or
not! Follow up what the top Americans do though,
and many have systems of marking a case whose
shot goes out of the group at long range. If it
happens twice, the case is dumped. Also, these
and many other American top competitors say
positive things about recent Winchester brass, while
a certain British benchrester and all-round precision
shooting ace with connections to this publication
makes a spitting noise when I say ‘Winchester’, or
he sees me using it! Next month, I’ll comment on
the relationship between MV extreme spread and
accuracy, and how this relates to the new Lapua
.308 Palma small-primer case mentioned in the
News section, before making a start on bullets.
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Target Shooter 89
Target Shooter Magazine is a publication of Trinity Digital Publishing Ltd
 Special Report
The Fieldsports TV Channel
The satellite channels cover a marvellous variety
of minority sports and interests and I must admit
I get more pleasure from many of these channels
that I do from the main terrestrial stations with their
tedious X Factor, Big Brother, Celebrity nitwits etc.
Of course, there is little out there to excite the
shooter though we do get the odd ‘Future Weapons’
and the like from Discovery. In America, they
do have actual shooting programmes and we
are almost there with the Fieldsports Channel.
OK, not strictly a TV channel because you watch
it via the internet on your computer and, until now,
I had only had a cursory glance at the first one as I’m
not really a ‘fieldsports’ shooter – I simply spend a
lot of time, money and effort to make small holes in
cardboard – though I am partial to a nice bit of venison
(thanks Jack!) so I will not condemn those who are!
However, the latest offering from the Fieldsports
Channel made me take another look - entitled ‘ What’s
Boris’s problem with Bisley’ - a reference to the 2012
Olympic snub to Bisley as the obvious shooting venue.
The programme was staged in the busy Sportsman Gun
Centre in Exeter at their opening launch party and it made
a great informal ‘studio’ backdrop with all ages and sexes
of shooters trying shotguns and generally having a good
natter – just like we all do in our favourite gunshop. The
assembled panel was made up of David Stapley from
Browning International, Jamie Stewart from BASC and
one of our Olympic skeet hopefuls and GB Team member,
Rory Warlow. In the chair was a guy whose name I didn’t
catch but he did a very professional presenter’s job.
You can view the programme ‘full-screen’ and the
quality is very good – almost up to TV standard.
Click on www.fieldsportschannel.tv
The programme opened on Bisley Range with a few nicely
filmed shooting shots before switching to the gunshop
90 Target Shooter
studio. Discussion took place on the forthcoming Games,
the roles of the panel in relation to the Games and of course
the problem of a shooting venue which will be demolished
after the games with no legacy for UK shooting. For me, the
whole thing was very professionally filmed and conducted
and my respect to all those involved. Everyone looked
good and eloquently represented their particular corner.
Interestingly, the question of the many different factions
which seek to represent shooting was raised. Should
there be one governing body? This was the subject of
extensive market research not too long ago and, in spite
of an overwhelming endorsement from shooters up and
down the country, to amalgamate the NRA, NSRA
and CPA, it sadly appears to have died a quiet death.
The pistol ban was also discussed with reference to
not only the Olympic GB Team but pistol shooters in
general. Surely it’s time to bring back at least Olympic
pistol shooting and give our athletes the opportunity to
properly train. It has been said many times before that
the prohibition of a recognised Olympic discipline should
disqualify a nation from hosting the Games but no one in
authority is willing to address this. When the nine million
pound Olympic shooting venue is demolished (at further
cost!) let’s hope there is a possibility of some legacy in
the form of surplus equipment for shooting and Bisley.
Final topic for discussion was the subject of shooting and
the young. It seems that there is a growing initiative for
shooting participation in schools promoted by the trade
and it now appears on some curriculums – great news.
The fact that Lord Coe was once Chairman of the
National Pistol Association was also not ignored
but, the question of why Seb and Boris snubbed
Bisley was left to our speculation. It would be nice
to have been a ‘fly on the wall’ at that meeting!
Well done Fieldsports Channel – I eagerly await your
next broadcast. Let’s hope one of the satellite stations
picks up on it and makes it a proper TV programme.
 By Gwyn Roberts
The first Bianchi Cup competition was held 30 years
ago in 1979 at the Chapman Academy Ranges just
outside of Columbia, Missouri in the USA. It was
specifically designed as a training match to enhance
and develop the shooting skills of Law Enforcement
Officers by retired police officer John Bianchi (of
Bianchi International holster manufacturers) who
together with top I.P.S.C shooter Ray Chapman
created a match that was made up of 4 separate
stages, with each one requiring 48 rounds to
complete. The complete 192 round course of fire
is made up of the Mover, Barricade, Practical and
falling Plate matches which has a maximum
possible score of 1920 points, and 192 x’s. Each match
requires a different technique to master and they
all demand a fine balance between speed and
accuracy in order to achieve a good overall score!
At first, some of our newer Gallery Rifle shooters will
certainly find some of the timings pretty quick and
this is especially true if shooting with an underlever
but like all things, it does get a lot easier if you
practice the right things and put a bit of thought into
it! The GRCF & GRSB start position for the Bianchi
is rifle loaded and held in both hands at waist height
with the barrel pointing towards the targets. For all
matches except on the Barricade match, LBR’s &
LBP’s will be loaded and holstered (safety catch
applied on LBP’s) with both hands held up above
shoulder height, which is commonly referred to as
the “surrender” position.
Just like in the “shorts” matches, a fast target
acquisition is essential when shooting the Bianchi
and the only difference here is the Start position.
“Drawing” the rifle up into the aim is made easier if
the rifle is pushed forwards and then brought round
in an arc into the shoulder. Just lifting the rifle straight
up will usually cause the butt pad to get snagged
on your clothing or ammunition belt, causing you
all sorts of problems wasting valuable time in the
process. For those wishing to shoot this match with
an underlever, the only way you will be able to shoot
the rounds off quickly enough is to shoot with your
“thumb up” as you will simply not have enough time
to keep wrapping your thumb back over the top strap
each time. Those people who have fitted a cocking
lever on their hammers should definitely remove
them before trying to shoot this match as they simply
just get in the way! I’ve been told many times that
these devices make cocking the hammer much
easier and they may well do, but my Marlin still cocks
the hammer back every time I rack the lever….
without one! One final thing to remember is that you
may load with as many rounds as you like in Bianchi
so you can simply rack the action quickly to clear
a jam if needs be, rather having to reload another
loose round or magazine. Unless you count your
rounds as you fire them though (which you should
be doing anyway) I wouldn’t recommend loading any
extra rounds as you will incur penalty points should
you fire more than the required number of shots on
any stage, so be warned! Below are the courses of
fire for the 4 individual Bianchi matches along with a
few ideas about how to shoot each one.
The Practical Match - There are two targets placed
4½ feet from centre to centre and about 6 feet to
the top of the targets, and the shooting is from the
Target Shooter 91
 Shoulder hold. LBR/LBP Weak Hand freestyle (the
weak hand must hold the grip and pull the trigger but
the other hand may be used for support)
15m
1 shot on each target in 4 sec
2 shots on each target in 5 sec
3 shots on each target in 6 sec
25m

To be a top shooter you must master every

shooting position!
“Standing unsupported” position unless otherwise
stated. Especially at the closer distances, you should
make sure that your body is lined up with the last of
the two targets that you will engage, as this will make
your body unwind slightly so that it naturally points
at the 2nd target without any tension in the core
area. This will help you to release the last remaining
shots quickly and more accurately than it would if
your body was twisting over to the side slightly. As 1 shot on each target in 5 sec
usual, you should take your final sight picture on the 2 shots on each target in 6 sec
first target that you will engage, making sure that 3 shots on each target in 7 sec
you keep your head still and eyes focused on the 50m
centre of the target as you lower the rifle back down 1 shot on each target in 7 sec
into the ready position. Racking the lever fast and 2 shots on each target in 10 sec
then squeezing the trigger in a controlled manner will 3 shots on each target in 15 sec
produce much better results when using an
underlever and you should also make sure that
you pull the rifle firmly into your shoulder with your
supporting hand when shooting from the weak
shoulder at 10m. If you don’t, you will probably find
it very difficult to keep the sights on the target during
the racking action, or even worse, it may cause the
butt to slip down out of your shoulder which will lead
to lost shots so be very careful! Different ranges will
have their own range restrictions but at Bisley you
can shoot from the kneeling position at 25m, and
have the option of either kneeling, sitting and now
prone (with rifles or pistols) at 50m should you want
to. In my experience you don’t really gain much at The Falling Plate Match – There are six 8in diameter
25m if you kneel down as the time it takes you to hinged steel plates for GRCF/LBR & LBP’s or six 4in
adopt this position in the first place means you will plates for GRSB that are mounted on a frame 20in
have to shoot much quicker to stay within the time center to center and are placed about 4 feet from
limits. At 50m however it may well be worth adopting the ground to the bottom edge of the plate. They
a more stable hold if you can get into the position are painted white so that they stand out against any
quickly enough. This is certainly true when shooting colour backstop but some ranges may require you
with the rimfire rifles as the targets are much smaller, to shoot at paper plate targets instead. The NRA at
but make sure that you practice this before hand and Bisley will revert back to using the proper “steels”
don’t just decide to try it on the spur of the moment as again from 2010 onwards which will be great as it
it may well end up costing you dearly! LBP shooters will eliminate any possibility of shooting the same
must remember to apply your safety catches each “paper” plate twice by accident, as they obviously
time before re-holstering and the Practical course of don’t “fall” when hit. Hearing steel plates “ping” as
fire is: you hit them helps you to get settled into a good
10m rhythm whereas the paper ones just sit there and
1 shot on each target in 3 sec do nothing when hit. Be aware that the rules state
2 shots on each target in 4 sec that one shot must be fired at each plate, so if
3 shots on each target in 8 sec GRCF/GRSB Weak you miss one make sure you carry on to the next,
otherwise you may incur penalty points! Just like in

92 Target Shooter
the Practical match you should always turn your body
slightly towards the last targets that you will shoot,
and shooting the plates is done by either “scanning”
or “deliberate” shots. “Scanning” is basically
keeping the gun moving continuously across the
target frame as you shoot and probably sounds harder
than it is but it’s really down to good timing and good
trigger control. The key is to keep the gun moving at a
constant speed then as the sight moves over
the leading edge of each plate, you increase the
pressure on the trigger blade so that each shot is
released smoothly. With practice, you will soon
discover the timing needed to place your shots in the
centre of the plates using this technique, and when
perfected it will enable you to shoot the plates both
faster and smoother. “Deliberate” shots are when
the shooter stops the gun on each plate, aims, then
releases each shot and this is how many people
shoot them, especially when shooting with an
underlever due to the racking action needed in
between each shot. It is slightly slower this way but it
does tend to be a bit more accurate for some people
so ultimately you must choose the way that works
best for you. Ideally you should master how to use
both techniques to help you perform better in some
of the other multiple target matches out there that
we shoot. At Bisley you may shoot the falling Plate
match from the Prone position with any GR firearm
and at any distance and the course of fire is:
10m 1 shot at each plate in 6 sec (shot twice)
15m 1 shot at each plate in 7 sec (shot twice)
20m 1 shot at each plate in 8 sec (shot twice)
25m 1 shot at each plate in 9 sec (shot twice)
The Barricade Match – Two targets are placed 7ft
centre to centre with the top of the targets set at 6ft
from the ground. The barricade frame is made from
2in angle iron which is faced with 12mm plywood
and measures 6ft tall and 2ft wide, with the base
measuring 2ft wide by 3ft deep. The shooter may
stand on the edges of the frame but no part of their
A strong, firm grip is essential when
shooting Barricades!
feet or body may touch the floor outside the width
of the box. For safety reasons, as the barricades
were originally made for use with pistols and not
rifles you are now allowed to step rearwards outside
of the box, providing that no part of the foot breaks
the width fault line. The Barricade match is certainly
a hard match to shoot properly if you don’t have a
good technique to start with, and to shoot well in it I
recommend that you practice securing the barrel (if
possible) against the side of the barricade using the
hold or grip that suits you best. Most shooters in this
match shoot from their “strong” shoulder from both
sides of the barricades but it is possible to use both,
with practice of course! If your club doesn’t have
a barricade to practice with then I would strongly
suggest making one if you are going to shoot Bianchi
on a regular basis. They are not very expensive to
make but even if you can only afford to make one,
you can always just move the targets out to the
correct distance when you need to. Make sure you
fix them firmly to the ground though to stop them
rocking from side to side, and don’t use anything
smaller than 2in angle iron for the frames as they
will simply flex when you lean against them making
them unstable, which is not what you want them to
do when you are practicing on them.
Keeping the rifle in the “strong” shoulder, here are
some examples for a right handed shooter to help
find out which type of grip/s may suit you best.
Shooting on the left side of the barricade, place the
Target Shooter 93
left index finger over the top of the barrel (1) with
the thumb and remaining fingers underneath the
magazine tube. Cup the hand around the frame of
the barricade so that the barrel rests tightly against
it and use the fingers to grip the leading edge of
the angle iron whilst the thumb applies opposite
pressure against the plywood. If you have a
barricade wing fitted, leaning into the butt pad with
your shoulder will help increase stability and this is a
very secure hold if you can achieve it. For those who
cannot reach forward enough to grip the barrel, try
holding the fore end (2) instead and see if this works
for you instead.
For shooting on the right hand side of the barricade
you may want to start with holding the fore end as
normal but stick your thumb outwards (3) so that it
contacts the face of the barricade, whilst the barrel
94 Target Shooter
or fore end rests against the side of it. You can then
apply pressure with your thumb to help pull the rifle
into the barricade, thus allowing you to lean into it
to help produce a stable hold. Again, this is made
easier if you have a “wing” fitted but if you haven’t,
another alternative is to place your fingers on top
of the barrel/fore end with your thumb underneath
and then simply use the side of your hand in a
fist shaped grip (4) to apply pressure against the
barricade. Quite a few shooters use this hold
when shooting with an underlever as it helps stop
excessive movement of the rifle during the racking
motion which helps to keep you on target. The
rimfire rifles have very little recoil so try supporting
them underneath the barrel or fore end with your
thumb, and then use either the side (5) or flat
of your hand (6) to grip against the face of the
barricade with. Again you should pull the rifle in
towards the side of the barricade for extra support,
and at the same time, make sure that your fingers
stay close together and in contact with the wood
otherwise they will wander in front of the lens and
block your sight picture! You can obviously try
shooting with the rifle in your left shoulder but this
will take a lot of time to perfect, especially
with an underlever; but it may well suit you
so don’t discard the idea until you have given
it a try. The “ready” position for LBR & LBP
shooters in the Barricade match is loaded
and holstered (safety applied on LBP’s) with
both hands level and placed flat against the
face of the barricade. Failure to do this will
incur you penalty points so make sure you do
it properly!
After the appropriate commands have been
given by the Range Officer, this is the routine
Barricade wings that either slide on or just
screw into yourstock are not hard to make but
can make a big difference!

I go through when preparing to shoot

the barricade match. I step into the
shooting box at each distance with at
least 16 loose centre fire rounds or two
magazines with 8 rounds either
on my belt or inside my right hand
shooting vest pocket, as I always
load with 8 rounds in Bianchi to allow
for any malfunctions or light strikes.
I then set the range and adjust the
focus on my scope before adjusting
my stance and testing my preferred
hold on the barricade. Making sure
I keep this position by not moving
my feet I then load and make ready,
and then bring the rifle back up onto
the barricade to take a final sight
picture on the centre of the target. I
always lean out to the side so that
I can see the targets turning easier
and this also allows me to align the rifle
up better with the target rather than

Target Shooter 95
 35m 6 shots in 9 sec from one
side of the barricade
Barricade “ready”
35m 6 shots in 9 sec from the
position!
other side of the barricade

The Mover match -

One target is mounted on a
frame with the top about 6ft
from the ground and it will
travel a distance of 60ft in
6 seconds between 2 large
screens. At each distance the
shooter will fire from within a
3ft square shooting box and
the competitor may only start
to “draw” their firearm once
the target becomes visible,
and must cease firing once it
travels out of sight.
shooting with the rifle canted over to the side. Releasing Deliberately shooting through
my grip on the barricade I keep my hand in a cupped the end covers or screens will incur penalty points,
position so that it can be replaced quickly back onto so don’t do it! The moving target is definitely the
the frame when it’s needed, and I make sure that I hardest Bianchi match to shoot as you have to shoot
keep my head still with my eyes remaining focused quite quickly and keep the rifle moving steadily as
on the x ring before lowering the rifle back down into you shoot. If you haven’t got a mover base fitted to
the ready position. If I don’t get a good hold instantly your rifle, you will also have to aim in front of the
when the targets turn to face, I will always take the target at various points at each distance in order to
extra time needed to make sure that everything is give the correct amount of “lead” necessary to hit
aligned and locked up as much as possible before the centre of the target. Basically, if you aim at the
releasing my shots. At the two closest distances this middle of a moving target and release the trigger,
simply means just hitting the trigger blade as I close the bullet will travel in a straight line but it will strike
the lever each time (or 6 quick shots with the .22) the target behind the point of aim as the target has
as my grip will usually keeps the crosshairs inside moved x amount of inches or feet forward during the
the x ring all the time at these distances. At 25 & time it has taken for the bullet to reach it.
35m however every shot is well aimed before it is
released as it is much easier to “pull” shots at these A mover base is simply a two piece mount that
distances. The side that enables the top part
you start shooting from to move sideways in
at each distance is your both directions (around
choice, and the course 1 to 1.5mm) which
of fire is: will moves the scope
alignment so that you
10m 6 shots in 6 sec can aim at the centre
from one side of the of the target, while the
barricade barrel is actually aiming
10m 6 shots in 6 sec slightly in front of it.
from the other side of This gives the bullet the
the barricade correct amount of “lead”
15m 6 shots in 7 sec whilst allowing you to
from one side of the concentrate on keeping
barricade the cross hairs inside
15m 6 shots in 7 sec the black x ring as you
from the other side of track it across the range.
the barricade However, having one of
25m 6 shots in 8 sec from one side of the barricade these bases is not essential as there are a number
25m 6 shots in 8 sec from the other side of the of shooters out there who can shoot some very good
barricade scores without one, but they do tend to make life
a little bit easier for us mere mortals! Mover bases

96 Target Shooter
 you pick up the target and start shooting
as quickly as possible (especially if
shooting an underlever) or the target will
disappear again before you have got all your
shots off! During my last couple of rimfire
matches I have rattled all of my shots off
before the target reached the half way point
at these two distances as there is minimum
recoil with the .22, and I got some really good
results this way so I’ll definitely be practicing
this method over the winter months to see if
it’s the best way forwards! Unless you rack
your underlever fast then calmly squeeze
each shot off slowly during this match you
will definitely be putting holes in all over the
target so try to keep your cool and watch
the sights all of the time. At the 20 & 25m
distances you only have to shoot 3 shots per
run which is fired twice, so adjust your shooting
pace accordingly but remember to keep
everything smooth. If you use a telescopic
sight, don’t be tempted to turn the
You don’t have to have a mover base, but aiming magnification up too much or you’ll be in big
at the centre of the target rather than in front does trouble either trying to find the target in the
make it easier! first place, or certainly after every racking
action. You should also remember to re-focus
are pretty hard to get now but there will be a small
your scope at each distance before you reload so
number available early in the New Year from Rude
that you don’t forget, and as the target is out of sight
Fat Dog, so if you are interested make sure that you
behind the screen I simply aim and focus on the wire
check out their website. The best way to work out
or bank at the halfway point to do it. The course of
your lead if you haven’t got a mover base is to first
fire for the Mover is:
chronograph your ammunition to find out the FPS
(foot per second) that it is travelling at. Then, looking
10m 6 shots, target moving right to left in 6 sec
at the Mover Chart you will be able to see how far in
10m 6 shots target moving left to right in 6 sec
front of the centre of the target you will have to aim
15m 6 shots, target moving right to left in 6 sec
at each distance. It is much easier to start with if you
15m 6 shots target moving left to right in 6 sec
simply mark some lines or other reference points
20m 3 shots, target moving right to left in 6 sec
onto an actual target for each calibre and keep this
20m 3 shots target moving left to right in 6 sec
(or a reduced photocopy) with you whilst practicing
20m 3 shots, target moving right to left in 6 sec
and competing until you can remember them all.
20m 3 shots target moving left to right in 6 sec
25m 3 shots, target moving right to left in 6 sec
When shooting the Mover it is essential that you
25m 3 shots target moving left to right in 6 sec
line yourself up so that you are naturally pointing
25m 3 shots, target moving right to left in 6 sec
at the target over the last ⅓rd of its travel before it
25m 3 shots target moving left to right in 6 sec
disappears again behind the screen. Then keeping
your feet fixed in this position, rotate your upper
Next month I’ll look at the “alternative” Bianchi
body until you are in the ready position facing where
matches that can be used if no Mover or Barricades
the target will appear from. This way, as you are
are available, and see if there’s anyone out there
shooting your body will “unwind” smoothly as you
willing to have a go at putting on their own Bianchi
track the target across the range, and this will
match next year. It’s not that hard to do, and there
help you to avoid snatching your shots. You must
are people who would be willing to travel to help you
never “stop” on the target to release a shot so
out on the day should you need it!
always keep the gun moving! At the closer
distances of 10 & 15m you must make sure that

Target Shooter 97
 Rude Fat Dog
Custom Firearms RFD 621 Devon & Cornwall

We build and supply Match grade, Competition winning 10/22 style rifles and equipment

We would like to wish you all a peaceful and Happy New Year !
and to thank all our customers for their support during 2009

Coming Soon: The new RFD Target-Hunter barrel - an accurate barrel for
your 10/22 rifle that has been designed for those who wish to shoot
competitively and also be able to use the same rifle for vermin control

www.rudefatdog.com
Tel: +44(0)1271 865865 Fax: +44(0)1271 865830

Chichester Rifle Club

Club Feature
On the 25th August 2006 Chichester Rifle Club
received the keys to their brand new range. It is
a 25 yard indoor range with 8 firing points for .22
calibre prone rifle shooting situated off Wellington
Road in Oaklands Park, Chichester. This new, state
of the art range, is a far cry from the converted
Canadian Forces second world war hut that
had served as the club’s range for 45 years. The
opening of the range marked a new beginning for
the Club and a new chapter in the Club’s story.
The modern facilities at the new Wellington Road
range have already proved to be a great asset. The
range is in great demand for County and District
finals and other ‘shoulder to shoulder’ competitions.
More importantly it is also leading to a growth in
indoor target shooting in the Chichester area.
The new range sits in the midst of a complex of
sporting facilities that Chichester District Council
has developed in Oaklands Park. It also has

98 Target Shooter
Chichester University adjacent to it. In addition to
eight firing points the new range has a large club
room, office, armoury, fitted kitchen, toilets and a
good sized car park. It is all on one level and built to
meet current standards for disabled access.
considering whether to introduce a waiting list in
order to handle the demand.
It all goes to show that modern facilities plus good
publicity lead to a thriving sport.

Chichester District Council has a team of The club room

Community Sports Development Officers who are
dedicated to encouraging and supporting all sports
in the Chichester area. Each September they
organise a ‘Get Active Festival’ where all local
sporting groups can advertise and demonstrate
their sport. This Festival is held in Oaklands Park
alongside CRC’s new range and offers a wonderful
recruitment opportunity which the club has willingly
embraced. Anyone aged twelve or older is given the
opportunity to try their hand at shooting using .177
air rifles. Air rifles are used as current legisla-
tion does not permit the use of .22’s without prior
police vetting. In addition to trying their hand with an
air rifle people are also given details about the club
and how to join.
Further information about the club can be found on
This event plus the new range has proven to be the Club’s web site at
very successful at attracting a new generation of www.chichesterrifleclub.co.uk or email to crc@tin-
young shooters. Indeed one of the new teenage sley.eclipse.co.uk
shooters who only joined two years ago has
already shot in a national team. For the first time in a John Peart
generation shooting in the Chichester area is growing in Hon. Treasurer Chichester Rifle Club
popularity. The level of interest is such that six
range officers have to be on duty to handle the
workload on the trainee evenings. The club is even

The range entrance

Target Shooter 99
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100 Target Shooter

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

Competitions 5.315 inches

It might be Christmas, it might be New Year but 2nd Jack Gibb 6.5x47 Barnard
the shooting never stops! Round 2 of our 600 yard 6.154
winter series took place the day after Boxing Day 3rd Mike Weatherhead 284 Walker BAT
and, as with many of this year’s festive events, 7.026
the weather threatened cancellation but in the
end we had a fantastic turn-out. The bitterly cold, Small group
blustery conditions however resulted in a number of Jack Gibb 3.277 inches
penalties with shots blown off the target and rather
larger than usual aggs. Factory Sporter
1st Phil Gibbon 6.5-284 Savage
It was a particularly satisfying competition for me 6.254 inches
as a couple of months ago, the guys at True-flite 2nd Bruce Lenton 6.5-284 Savage
Barrels in New Zealand kindly sent me one of their 6.754
new six-groove barrels to try and today it took the 3rd Darrel Evans 6.5x47 Accuracy Intl.
win on its debut shoot. The barrel is chambered 7.385
for the Lapua 6.5x47 cartridge which is proving to
be very successful in 600 yard benchrest on both Small group
sides of the Atlantic. Phil Gibbon 3.690 inches

Phil Gibbon, last year’s Factory Sporter New Stuff

Champion, took his first win of the season with his What’s that saying about buses? You wait for
factory Savage and also took small-group award one for ages, then two come along at once! The
with a very respectable 3.69 inch group. same appears to apply to actions! Last month,
we brought you news of Scottish gunsmith
Results: Light Gun Russell Gall’s new action which is almost ready
1st Vince Bottomley 6.5x47 TGP BAT to go into production and now we have another,

Target Shooter 101

which is the result of a collaboration between
Brian Fox of Fox Firearms, the guys at Rhino
Rifles and someone with CNC machinery. Like
Please mention
the Gall action, this one also a Remmy clone but
manufactured to a higher standard. It looks
really nice and I’m hoping to build the next Target
Shooter project rifle using this action. The guys
also have a Picatinny scope rail and bottom-met-
al to take the AI magazines. Things are looking
when using
up! Enquiries to: www.foxfirearmsuk.com and
www.rhinorifles.co.uk More next month.
advertising in the
Events magazine
Our full calendar of shoots for 2010 is now posted
on the UKBRA website at www.ukbra.co.uk and
our first shoot of the new year – 100 yards at
Bisley - takes place on Sunday January 10th. The
first Diggle shoot is a 600 yard competition on
To ADVERTISE in
Saturday 23rd January.
this space
If you have any aspirations to shoot benchrest,
please feel free to come along for a shoot – or just contact us at
factory rifles and this is a great way into benchrest customer.services@
a look. We have a class for absolutely standard

shooting. E-mail me at vinceb@6ppc.fsnet.co.uk

for more information. targetshooter.co.uk

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

102 Target Shooter

 In association with

There is much debate about what Me with my CZ winning the forst UK nationals 10.5 pound
goes into making a really good class - you can start with anything, as this rifle cost 230
rimfire benchrest rifle. This extends pounds. Even the scope is a Tasco
to what makes a really good air rifle
benchrest rifle, but these tend to be
bought off the shelf with little done to
them – although this is steadily changing.
If you go onto Benchrest Central the
guys in the USA swear by custom
rimfire rifles by Bill Calfee, Bill Meyers,
et al. All well and good and I have seen
these rifles shoot – they are that good.
However, we tend to get ‘bits’ in this
country, like a barrel that is ‘smithed’ in
the USA.

on their rifles it has to say

something about them).
Amongst other things,
this is what helped me
win the 50m National
titles in August 2009.
On the air rifle side of
things I personally have
a Steyr – just recently
serviced by Harry Preston
of Steyr UK - and I am
getting this ready for
the next nationals and
European Championship
in 2010. Although not
Your scribe with the new Lilja barrel on my 2013 - the best buy I have using my own rifle for
ever made the unlimited match at
the last nationals I still
used a Steyr, borrowed
Andy D. has written a synopsis of the Lilja company from a colleague Colin Renwick. If you can get Colin
in the USA in another part of this magazine. I know to tell you the secrets of what makes his so good
that a few people in the UK have these barrels now. then you are onto a winner. I have used his rifle at
From my own personal experience I have to say that the World Championships last year, at the 2009
the Lilja is the best buy I have ever made during my nationals and for the 2009 world postal championship.
time shooting rimfire benchrest. The barrel holds It is the best I have ever shot and has helped both
extremely well out to 50m and a very good Colin and myself with successive wins and medal
replacement for the ‘select’ barrel I had on my tallies at the world championship in 2008, the
Anschutz 2013. (If Bleiker are using these barrels world postal championship and UK nationals
in 2009. If Colin had the time to customize the
Target Shooter 103
 It’s a great time to start looking at
Colin with his Steyr - a rifle seriously worth paying for!
shooting this rimfire and air rifle
benchrest, the UK air rifle teams
won 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in the
recent world postal Championship,
the individuals were also placed with
three UK shooters in the top 3. On a
personal level, to win this
championship made my year.
In Rimfire, we are getting better,
as a country we came 2nd in
the world postal championship.
So come one and come all.

LG110 he would also be onto a winner

as people would be after them – know-
ing this as I do as he was offered quite a
considerable sum after the last nationals.
However, these things cost and really you
can start this sport with anything. I did,
using my CZ 452 for a number of years. Yes
I did a few modifications that extended the
cost, but I won a few medals with it, including Colin with his Steyr - a rifle seriously worthi paying for!
the 10.5 pound class (50m and 25m) at the
first rimfire and air rifle benchrest nationals.
There are a lot of rimfire and air rifle
benchrest leagues out there in the UK at this time –
Lots of you are shooting this sport, so let’s make
they seem to be popping up every couple of months.
2010 the year that we start to establish all of our
The sport is becoming very popular and I know that
fine shooters, whichever league you shoot in.
we are getting great shooters springing up as the
May all of you have a great new year and my best
sport develops. I suppose what I am looking at is
wishes go with you for 2010.
getting all these shooters interested in shooting
internationally – your country needs you sort of thing!
The UKBR22 is the only organisa-
tion in the UK that currently shoots
at international level, taking teams so
far to the first European and World
championships in the last few years,
being involved in the World Postal
Championships and the international
postal leagues (the latter which
shoots in divisions so you shoot with
others of your own standard and then
progress upwards).
The next European Championship
is in July 2010 and the next World
Championship is in 2011. It’s all good
fun – and I like that about this sport.
Having met so many people, from so
many countries this is a major part of
the experience. I look forward to it each
time I travel to one of these events.

104 Target Shooter

 The Long View
News from the GB
F-Class Association
With Christmas over, it’s time to start looking
forward to the new season. The first GB League Shoot
will be at Diggle on the weekend of April 10/11th.
This will be a short-range shoot – 500/600 yards so
ideal if you are contemplating entering the world of
long-range target shooting. You may also be interested
in our F Class introductory weekend on March 20/21st.
This will be held at Bisley and will cover equipment,
shooting, reloading, wind-reading etc (see www.f-
class.org.uk for the full calendar and further
details). Top F Class shooters and coaches will be in
attendance.
The 2009 GB F Class League was won by
Scotsman Grant Taylor and he also did pretty well
in the World and European F Class Championships.
What’s more, Grant did it with a rifle he built himself
– his first – that’s a pretty remarkable achievement
and I thought that Target Shooter readers might
benefit from knowing a bit more about Grant so we
approached him for an interview.
Target Shooter – Grant, many congratulations on
Grant receives a new Sightron 8-32 scope from John
Dean of Aimfield Sports – just one of his prizes for
winning the GB F Class League
winning the GB League this year and also your
magnificent third place in the World Individual F
Class Championships and second in the Europeans
– just three V bulls behind the winner. You have had
a great year.
Let’s start off with a bit of background. When did you
start shooting? How did you get into F Class? Do
you shoot any other disciplines?
Grant Taylor - I have been shooting for most
of my life. I used to go air-rifle shooting with
my dad when I was very young. I then got into
accurate rifles and precision reloading and shooting
long-range vermin control. I tried my hand at
practical rifle and benchrest shooting before settling
on F-Class. I still like to shoot vermin if I get the time.
TS – I’ve had an opportunity to have a close
look at your rifle and it looks really nice. I know
you built it yourself so tell us how that came
about and what components you are using.
GT - I always wanted to build my own rifles and
do well with them in competition
or in the field - there is no better feeling.
I had seen American shooter Charles
Ballard’s rifle on 6mmBR.com and
he was having great success with it
and it looked great, so it was time to
start ordering some bits and pieces.
The stock is a Precision Rifle & Tool
F-Class wood-laminate stock in
purple-haze colour. The action is a
BAT model M round and the barrel is a
Bartlein 1-9 twist finished at 32 inches. I
know that seems like a long barrel but it
works very well. I added a lot of lead to
the butt to get the balance right.
TS – What about scopes? What are you
Target Shooter 105
using?
GT – I use a 12-42x56 BR Nightforce with the
double dot reticule; I can’t fault this scope. I use the
Nightforce NSX models on my hunting rifles and
of course I have the new Sightron that I received
from Aimfield Sports for winning the League. I am
going to use that on my new short range F-Class rifle.
TS – You are one of only a few UK shooters using
the ‘straight’ 284 Winchester. What made you go
down that route rather than the proven 7mmWSM?
GT – I am actually using the Shehane 284 - I did
plan to go with the 284Win. but I got talking with Jim
Hardy, a highpower shooter from the USA. He was
having good success with this cartridge. We talked a
lot about it and he convinced me to try the Shehane
so I ordered the reamers from Pacific Tool & Gauge.
I went the 284 route purely for barrel-life – 600
rounds from a WSM just isn’t practical for me! I
am hoping for more like 1800-2000 rounds from
the Shehane – hopefully about two seasons worth.
TS – Have you any preference for barrels – cut or
buttoned – any particular make?
GT – I have no preference for cut or buttoned but I
really like the cut-rifle Bartlein barrels. I have two at
the moment and both are awesome, they don’t foul
at all and I have two more on order as we speak.
TS – Give us a full spec. on the 284 Shehane – what
brass, bullets, powder and primers you are using?
GT – Lapua brass obviously, the Berger 180grn VLD
bullet over Hodgdon H4831sc powder and CCI BR2
primers.
TS – Are you running a tight-neck chamber?
GT – Yes, all my rifles are tight-necks. The Shehane
is a .313 neck.
TS – What equipment to you use to turn the
case-necks and what sort of clearance are you
aiming for?
GT – I used to use a K&M neck-turner which is
very good but am now doing all neck-turning on my
Colchester lathe which does a awesome job - but
expensive!
TS – We all weigh our powder-charges as
accurately as we can – what scales are you using
and for that matter, whose loading dies do you use?
106 Target Shooter
GT – I have been using an RCBS 10-10 beam
scale since I started reloading and it has
served me really well. I made my own dies –
using a Wilson die-blank for the in-line seater and a
Newlon blank for the full-length re-sizer.
TS – Let’s get back to gunsmithing – the 284 Shehane
reamer – did you simply order the PT&G standard
reamer or did you spec. the freebore, neck-diameter
etc?
GT – I did spec. the neck-diameter but as for
freebore, I just let PT&G decide what was best for
the 180 grain Berger bullet and it works really good.
TS – Clearly, the rifle has worked very well for you
this year but is there any room for improvement? Are
you planning on anything new for the 2010 season?
GT – The rifle and calibre combination has worked
out even better than I expected I am definitely not
changing calibres or rifles anytime soon. I think
the 284 case is all you need - great accuracy and
great barrel-life, you can’t ask for more than that.
TS - OK - what about the rest of your kit – what front
rest are you using?
GT - I use a Cicognani front rest which is a Bald
Eagle look-alike but made in Italy. It’s a good rest,
not as good as the SEB maybe but it has done me
well. I intend to get a SEB joystick rest for 2010.
TS – Like most of us, you have done your share of
travelling this year to shoot in the F Class League
and the Worlds but what is your favourite UK range?
GT - My favourite has to be my home club - West
Atholl in Scotland - the scenery is amazing but it’s a
tricky range to shoot wind-wise.
TS – Finally, is there anything you would like to see
changed in F Class in general? Can you suggest any
improvements for the way we do things in the UK?
GT – I think the GB League is really well run and
I’d like to thank all those involved in putting on
the shoots. However, I wouldn’t mind if we got to
string-shoot at the big matches, like they do in the USA.
TS – Grant, many thanks for taking the trouble to
do this interview for Target Shooter readers and for
sharing your information with us all. Good luck for
2010.
Hunter Field Target News
HFT TIPS PT 2 OPTICALLY CENTERING rifle and scope is not set up correctly you will find
yourself missing these
A 40mm and a 15mm disc short targets on the
Know the difference left or right hand edges
of the disc or missing
45 yard long targets
on the edges of the
disc when the wind is
not that strong, both
points pointed to a
crossover. Optical
centering is closely
linked to crossover
so I will cover both at
the same time. What
is optical centering
you may ask? Well, it
means the reticle of
the scope is positioned
in the center of the
scope. In real terms it
means you will have no
windage adjustment
on the scope and the
pellet is falling directly
upon the vertical cross-
It’s a bit of a mouthful but optical centering is key hair. If every part of the gun, meaning the barrel and
to having any success at the top level in both HFT breechblock, scope mounts and scope a have been
and FT shooting. HFT especially needs a rifle to be manufactured correctly perfect situation for accurate
correctly set up as we shoot at 15mm hit zones out shooting. However, in the real world that is not the
to 25 yards*.Also 20mm discs at 8 yards. If your case. You can see in the simplified drawing how that

FIG 1 CROSS OVER

Target Shooter 107

 FIG 2 SHIM MOUNTS
affects the pellet/reticle relationship. This brings us
to crossover. You will not know how much crossover
you have unless the scope is optically centered in
the first place. All new scopes should come optically
centered from the factory, a new scope out of the
box should have the windage adjustment turret set
to “0”. Although cheaper scopes are just dialled at
the factory to look as though they are. I check the
actual range of adjustment and half the full value,
making my own “0” mark if it odes not line up with
the manufactures mark. If I can keep the final wind-
FIG 3 OPTICALLY
CENTERED NO
CROSSOVER
108 Target Shooter
age adjustment I have to put on below ten “clicks”
I am happy. This keeps crossover to a minimum,
crossover can be seen on in my crude sketch called
figure 1 when the pellet hits to the right at 10 yards
but is spot on at 45 yards. If you set the reticle to the
barrel at 10 yards, which is where you have to zero
for wind with an air rifle (The pellet is not blown off
for wind at ten yards as it could be at longer ranges
fro setting up/zeroing purposes), then it will be out at
45 yards.
Here is another real world example a gun and scope
were shooting an inch to the right at 30 yards when
I zeroed it to hit dead on the crosshair at 10 yards. I
went back to the card at 10 yards and reached for my
toolbox. In the box I have some brass shims. These
are 5 thousands of and inch ( 0.1270mm) thick and
2 thousands ( 0.0508mm) . These I insert in between
the scope mount and the scope rail as shown in the
pictures. It is easier to do this just by loosing the
mounts and slipping the shims in, rather than taking
the scope off completely, as a guide I did a little
experiment in the loft. Using three five thou and one
2 thou shims, 17 thou of shims took the reticle over
approximately 16mm, 7 thou took it over about 8
mm, this movement is greater the longer the range.
Look at Figure 2 to see where the shims should go.
Normally only two or three shims are needed to get
the scope optically centered down the barrel with no
crossover. Remember the shims are taking up any
tolerance issues with the CNC manufacture of the
breech block and indeed the mounts you are using
to align the two perfectly. Try to do this process when
there is no wind, you start at 10 yards due to the
pellet potentially not being blown off at 10 yards. If
it is windy and you can do it set zero cards 30 yards
apart and shoot in both directions, the amount you
Snapshot of the shims used
are blown off should be the same at 30 yards but
obviously in the opposite direction.
All this relies upon the barrel being in line with the
breech block one thing I check before putting any
scope on a PCP fitted with a figure of 8 clamp, is
if the barrel is in line with the action. A lot of PCP’s
have this arrangement to hold the barrel. The barrel
is held in line with the clamp, which is in turn secured
by Allen key studs. To ensure the barrel is in line I
use two engineers’ parallel steel bars. One larger
one I have covered at the ends in white paint. This
goes at the breechblock end of the barrel and rests
on the air cylinder and the barrel. The other smaller
bar goes as near the end of the barrel as possible,
normally just next to the 8 clamp. This smaller lighter
bar is needed at this end as you can easily then twist
and adjust the position of the 8 clamp to line up the
barrel. This is done by looking down the barrel and
lining up the bars with each other, loosen off the Allen
studs of the 8 clamp if is not lined up perfectly and
twist the clamp until is perfect. The studs can then be
tightened and I scratch small lines on the underside
of the rifle as telltale marks. I can use these then
when putting the gun back together in the future.
You can check if your scope is optically centered
another way other than counting clicks, in fact it is a
much more accurate way of doing it and one I have
started to use myself. It uses a cardboard box. Two
vee’s are cut into it to allow the scope to rotate, you
look at a spot on a wall while rotating the scope in
the vee’s. The reticle should remain centered on the
spot all the way around the rotation, if it is optically
centered. I have a purpose made plastic cradle to
rotate the scope in but then I do a lot of tests on
scopes, the cardboard box trick works just as well.
So, if you didn’t know what optical centering was you
should now know and also what crossover entails, a
lot of shooters suffer from crossover without knowing
the cause, the cure involves optically centering your
scope, which should now be clear in your mind. See
figure 3, and next month its rangefinding in HFT.
Target Shooter 109
 Gallery Rifle & Pistol News

For some reason we don’t seem to have much in the way I mentioned previously, there may well be some more
of open meetings in the winter months although there unusual calibres on the line and some are louder than
is a GR Speed Shoot at Pinhoe in Exeter next month. others. Some of the existing ones can be a bit loud too.
Plenty of time for practising for those of us hardy enough There is no need to load to the maximum when you are
to shoot in the cold (northerners?) and indoors for those only trying to punch a hole in a piece of paper at 25 or 50
who aren’t (southerners?). Now’s the time to sort metres so please bear in mind that some competitors,
problems of gun fit and make the adjustments to your especially those new to open competition, may find it a
guns that somehow seem to get put off until two days bit off putting.
before a meeting. Also a good opportunity to learn Finally, the GR&P meetings at the National Shooting
a new event or brush up on an old one. If you’re Centre next year will have more club team events on
interested in some training advice we may be able to fix offer. A great opportunity to bring along an extra club
something up in the new year – just get in touch via gal- member to make up the team and give them the chance
lery@nra.org.uk. to compete with the best. There aren’t enough entries
to run them in classes yet but it may come eventually.
The other activity for the close season is a look at the
courses of fire and rules for the new season and there Here is the latest calendar for 2010 and don’t forget
are a few changes coming up for 2010. Pinhoe - it’s indoors as it’s down South.
Targets for the short events are changing but not too
DATES FOR 2010
January 16-17 Pinhoe Speed Shoot Exeter
March 27-28 Spring Action Weekend NSC
Bisley
April 17-18 Basildon 1500 Basildon
May 2 Mattersey Ten Mattersey
May 8 Frome Western Winner Bristol
May 9 Shield Practical GR&P Dorset
May 28-30 The Phoenix Meeting NSC
Bisley
June 5 Open WCSA Gallery Rifle
Warminster
DP2 DP1 June 26-27
July 10-11


Derby 1500 Derby
Fermoy International GR
Ireland
July10-24 The Imperial Meeting NSC
Bisley
much. We are going over to the European standard July 18 Mattersey Steel Shoot
Disruptive Pattern One & Two designs. They are very Mattersey
similar to the existing ones with the same size scoring July 24-25 Frome Three Gun Shield Dorset
rings but are a bit smaller and easier to fit on backing August 28-29 Gallery Rifle National
boards. They are both 455mm wide and 770mm high. Championships NSC Bisley
The biggest difference will be the addition of an X ring to September 19 Mattersey Bianchi Mattersey
the DP1 target which will help in tie situations and speed October 17 Shield Steel Challenge GR&P
up scoring. Dorset
Short event classifications (for Timed & Precision One October 23-24 The Trafalgar Meeting NSC
and Two, Multi Target, Phoenix A and Advancing Target) Bisley
have been grouped by gun type up to now. From 2010 October 30-30 Autumn Action Weekend NSC
each event will have its own classification for each Bisley
gun type. This means you will have a lot more letters November 12-14 Leitmar International GR
after your name but the general feeling is that it is fairer. Germany
Check the website in a few weeks for the new listings. (Either contact the organisers direct or go to www.gal-
Following the new definition of Gallery Rifle Centre Fire leryrifle.com for entry forms.)

110 Target Shooter

British Open Championships for Practical Long
Barrel Revolver
On Sunday 13th December, UKPSA members
gathered in Leicester from all round the UK to
compete in the inaugural British Open Championships
for long barrelled revolver. Leicester Shooting Centre
was putting on their second Level 2 match of the year.
The competition consisted of 10 testing stages. The
was the younger member of the family who triumphed
with Jim the winner, closley followed by Pete. Pete
picked up the top senior prize as a consolation. Third
overall was David Allen.
Unfortunately there was no overall British Champion
for 2009 as there was only three level 2 matches
held. However there are already a number of matches
planned for 2010 and it is expected that an overall
British Champion in both divisions will be recognised.
Added to this will be the
introduction of two new divisions
of open & standard Gallery Rifle.

AGM

The AGM of the UKPSA will take

place at Canada House, Bisley
Camp on Sunday 17th January
starting at 2.30pm.
The Blue Team will be holding a
small competition at Bisley during
the morning of the AGM. This will
consist of 5 practical style stages
without movement. Open to all
UKPSA members, the competition
can be shot with a shotgun, Long
barrel revolver or Gallery Rifle.
Entry form is available on the
Mel Redford Top Senior and third overall in standard UKPSA Bulletin Board.
Division, closely watched by RO Jim Gibney

usual mix of short, medium

and long stages took most
of the day to complete.
The overall winner in
Standard division was no
surprise. Matches Director
Ian Chamberlain had
already won the two
previous L2 matches and
despite the amount of work
he had put into prepare and
run the match he was still
top shooter. Nick Towndrow
was second with Mel
Redford taking third and top
senior prize. Josie Adam
was top lady in the Division.
Open Division is always
closely contested between
the father and son
partnership of Pete and Jim Pete Starley, second overall and top senior in Open Division on
Starley. On this occasion it stage 10. This was an unloaded start with gun flat on table

Target Shooter 111

Letters
Andy,
Congratulations folks! What a superb on-line
magazine you’re producing. I have a broadband
connection and the speed of the magazine is
just fine. There was a 4-5 second delay when
enlarging the page and the sharpening software
took effect. I suspect that this is a network
phenomena and performance will vary
throughout the day.
My day job is web-based production and usability
is a professional concern.
I was just thinking out loud about how users that
do not have access to the higher speeds of DSL,
cable, T1, or the instant display of fiber networks,
might experience frustration with the new the
digital media.
Even with broadband access, there is a cultural
adjustment as we change from print to digital
media; reading from a flat screen, clicking a
mouse button to turn pages, enlarging and
scrolling.
Gosh Andy, I’m old enough to remember hooking
the telephone into a MODEM at 300 baud and
staring in amazement that the green type slowly
appearing on the black screen was coming from
another part of the world.
The main emphasis of my post was to offer
you sincere congratulations on producing a
professionally designed publication that is
immediately available to a world-wide audience.
Best,
Michael
Our thanks Michael. One of the benefits
of Target Shooter magazine being live
on the internet, is the fact that it is read
by people all over the world. So much so
in fact that we have a steady following
in about 50 countries. Your thoughts are much
appreciated for this new venture - we plan for
it to be even better in 2010.
112 Target Shooter
Dear Target Shooter,
As a US shooter who reads lots of both online
and printed firearms magazines and content
each month, I cannot really begin to tell you how
impressed I am not only you magazine and super
quality content, but also your amazing customer
service! I wish you all the success you deserve and
hopefully many others will start to emulate your
excellent model!
With sincere best wishes for your continued
success,
Jon Kokanovich
Hi Carl,
Just a quick one to congratulate you and
the rest of the guys on making Target Shooter
what it is today. You’ve put a tremendous amount
of time and effort into it and I think it looks great.
I’m also very proud to be associated with it and
wish you all the success it deserves!
Hope you and your family have a great
Christmas and New Year and hope to see you on
the range sometime next year.
Gwyn
2009 has come to a close as I write this on
New Years Eve. It has been a great year for
the magazine, as we started off with literally
a few computers and an idea. All our writ-
ers and editors work from home and this is
a ‘business’ is based on fun and passion; so
we can bring to you the best of target shoot-
ing sports in the UK and abroad. We started
off this magazine with the remit of supporting
our readers and advertisers, wherever they
may be. Our email boxes have been over-
whelmed with positive responses, and a few
that want faster downloads. Our thanks to all
and may you all have a great 2010.
Andy, Vince and Carl.
If you have an issue, question
or comment then please send
letters via customer support on the
website.
 News
As we come into the New Year we wish all our clients and readers the very best wishes for 2010.
We thank out loyal readers and advertisers for last year - this one will be even better, starting with
the current issue.
Lets hope that the 2010 brings us prosperity, peace and thanks for what we have.
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 and further afield.
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 21 Open Season/ KG Systems 52
Allcocks Outdoor Store 18 Phoenix League 31
Benchrest Directory 68 Portsmouth Gun Centre Ltd 64
B&S Products 81 Prestige Airguns 74
Bratton Sound Gunsafes 100 Rhino Rifles 45
Bulzeye Pro 19 Richard Paul Russell Ltd - RPR 39
Eley LTD 64 RUAG Ammotec 28
Fox Firearms 21 Rude Fat Dog 98
G T Shooting 37 Shooting Bags 81
Green Leopard 100 South Yorkshire Gun Supplies 22
HPS Target Rifles Ltd 56 Southern Gun Company 50
Indelfa Industrial Electronics 100 Steyr UK 69
Lilja 68 Stockade Products Ltd 81
Low Mill Range 95 Tim Hannam 11
Merseyside Armoury 81 UKBR22 - Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest 102
Midland Diving Equipment 52 UKS Total Shooting Show 3
New Avon Arms 31 Viking Arms LTD 2
North West Custom Parts 100 Westlake Engineering 16
NSRA 78 Zeiss Optics 9

Target Shooter 113

 Next time in.....

The February issue will be out as normal on the 1st of the month. Lots of follow up articles, new
reviews, news and as ever packed with the articles you want to read.

February 2010 Issue

On Test
Features Regular Reviews
Columns

Feature
articles ...and lots more
114 Target Shooter